CHAPTER 2
The heat radiating off Clarke's face cleared any sign of her tears. She marched toward the large tent that she knew would be the hiding place of the Commander. Clarke passed the funeral pyre, but did not so much as glance at it. She was too focused on the words she would pass to the woman who she dared to feel for, only to have been completely betrayed.
The tent was guarded by two tall and imposing Grounders. Naturally, thought Clarke. "Step aside. I need to talk to the Commander," said Clarke. The bodyguards looked at each other, unsure of how to proceed. Were the Sky People the enemy, now that a deal had been struck with the Mountain Men?
Before either could make an answer, Lexa drew the curtain herself. She was taken aback by the sight of Clarke and her anger. She thought she had heard her voice, but did not think it was possible. "I did not think I would see you again, Clarke of the Sky People."
Clarke replied with an angered grin. "Don't get your hopes up. We need to talk." She pushed her way toward Lexa and into the tent. They both stood there, without speaking, for what seemed like an eternity. Then Lexa turned and stood in front of her throne, toying her sword slowly before placing it on the table close by.
"I know you think -" Lexa began, but could not finish. Clarke held up her hand and turned her face away.
"What the hell did you think you were doing, going behind my back like that? What about our alliance? Did you really think you could just pull out of our plan without any repercussions?" Clarkes voice grew shrill as her temperature boiled.
Any trace of sympathy burned away within Lexa as she stiffened hearing Clarkes words. "Like I said, I had a duty to my people. I needed to protect them by any means necessary. Sacrifice, Clarke."
"By making a deal with the people who have terrorized your people for decades? By abandoning those who you gave your word to? So much for diplomacy!" Clarke moved toward Lexa, her hands furiously moving as she spoke.
"You would have done the same thing, had you been in my position! I will deal with the Mountain Men in time, but I needed my people back" said Lexa, still attempting to retain her composure.
"Well you wont have to deal with the Mountain Men anymore. I did it for you. They are all dead now!" Clarke shut her eyes as she spoke, trying to keep the emotions in.
"You...you killed them all? Even the innocent?" Lexa gasped.
Clarke was outraged at Lexa's words that felt like an accusation. "You left me with no other choice! When I finally got in there, they had all my people chained to the wall waiting to be killed one by one! What was I supposed to do?"
Lexa retained her composure and felt proud. "You acted like a leader. You made sacrifices. You did what had to be done."
Clarke was furious. "Yeah, well I wish I could say the same thing about you."
Lexa went to answer her, to calm her down enough to talk about the future, but Indra entered the tent. "It is time for the ceremony," Indra interrupted. Turning to see Clarke, she added "You should come to. Time to face your decisions."
Clarke looked at Lexa. "We aren't done here." Lexa held her gaze for a moment, then turned sharply toward the door and left. Clarke stood alone in the tent for a moment, but ultimately followed. Indra had been right. She had to face her choices some time, why not now?
The ceremony was like the only other one Clarke had seen, save for the much bigger funeral pyre. This time, Lexa did not give the torch to Clarke. The Commander gave an inspiring speech about peace to the crowd, but Clarke was too furious to give it her attention. Now that she had broken free from her spell (she noticed that as soon as she came across Tondc the blistered bodies of the Mountain Men had faded away), she had to think rationally about where she would go and how she would survive. Clarke did not want to rely on Lexa. But she had to spend the night in Tondc. It was the only option.
Clarke looked up to see the fire burning in front of her. Most of the crowd had already left. I must have zoned out again. I have to stop doing that, she thought. In the corner of her eye, she saw Lexa approaching.
"You may rest here for the night. Luckily there are many free tents available to you. My guard will bring you to one now. In the morning, we will continue in our discussion." And with that, the Commander left Clarke for the evening. "Looking forward to it," Clarke whispered to herself.