ALLIANCE – CHAPTER 11

Unfinished Business

Abby's announcement was taken by the Sky People much more lightly than Clarke would've ever expected. Maybe she wasn't the only one who needed some redemption. Everyone received the invitation to join the mission to Polis and help the Grounders without making a sound of protest. Some turned around and walked away, not giving the matter a second thought, clearly not ready to cooperate. They were right to feel this way after what had happened. But the majority stayed and watched the Chancellor explain the mission and the first volunteers to appear.

Many of them had created a bond of respect with the Grounders, since they exchanged many fight tips and even trained together a little. Maybe even a few friendships began after this week they shared in each other's companies. There was still compassion on its purest form inside these wounded soldier's hearts.

They left as soon as the sun went up the next morning, taking Malia with them now that she was feeling better. The Grounder's strong complexion was a strong ally on the fight to cure the flu, which gave Clarke a wave of hope.

In addition to mother and daughter, the group was formed by Octavia and Lincoln – the firsts to volunteer – Jackson, Bellamy, Harper, Nathan and his father David. Twenty others were also involved on the mission.

Lincoln was the only one of them who had been to Polis before, so he led the way. He said it wasn't very far, but the tracks were well hidden to keep unwanted visitors as far as possible. They would have to stop at night to make camp and walk another two or three ours before getting there.

When the morning came, Clarke was the first one to get up, not able to sleep very well. She realized that their camp was raised on top of a mountain they had been climbing last night, so after taking a few steps among the trees she was able to catch the first sight of the city that stood several feet bellow, just when the mountain ended.

It was breathtaking. Unlike Tondc, Polis still had many of its original buildings standing. Of course they were all severely damaged with signs of war and destruction everywhere, but it was magnificent. It really looked like a big city – a Capitol.

Between the buildings it was possible to see hundreds of smoke signs, probably from the fires lit up last night, now going down in the morning. This showed that many people lived there, as Octavia had mentioned. The one thing that preoccupied Clarke was the thick wall surrounding the city, made of metal pieces and big concrete blocks, probably debris from the fallen buildings. She would only get to Lexa if she made through the gates, which would certainly not be easy.

OOOOOO

After another hour to climb down the mountain the group finally made it to the main gate, a tall double-door made of finally carved wood, adorned by a crown of dozens of animal's skulls. There were two soldiers guarding the gates: a tall man who was bigger than Lincoln and a fierce-looking woman. They quickly went into fight position when the strangers approached their post.

Lincoln took a step ahead and motioned for the others to stay still. The whole conversation took place in Trigedasleng.

"I am Lincoln of the Tree People."

"Looks more like Lincoln of the Sky People."

The guard wasn't giving any signs that Lincoln was welcome there, but the man didn't let the jab hurt his confidence. All he wanted was to get inside peacefully.

"We come in peace. I ask permission to talk to the Heda."

Both guards shared a look and started laughing. The man spit on the ground and the female soldier talked to Lincoln in English this time, as if he wasn't worth of speaking in their language.

"And what makes you think you have the right to talk to her, Sky man?"

"I do", said Clarke, taking a step forward and standing by Lincoln's side.

The guards suddenly got serious, staring at her with mouths open, as if they were seeing a ghost.

"That's right, you remember me", stated a very satisfied Clarke. "I'm Clarke of the Sky People, Heda's wife. Her home is my home as well. Let me through."

Facing no other option, the guards finally stood down and shouted something in Trigedasleng that made the gate slowly open from inside. Without saying a word Clarke went in and after her came Malia, but Lincoln, the next one in line, was stopped by the huge soldier.

"The rest of you are still strangers to this town. Only Heda can invite foreigners inside."

Clarke turned around and went back to the gates, giving her mother a reassuring look.

"It's okay, mom. Let me talk to her."

"I don't like this, Clarke."

"It will be okay, just trust me."

Without further ado the blonde came back inside and the gates were closed once again.

OOOOOO

People from Polis reminded Clarke of the other Grounders she knew, wearing the same kind of clothes and hairdos, but here in the Capitol it seemed like almost all of them were civilians. Not all men were buffed and tattooed, not all women walked around holding weapons and glaring at everyone, like the soldiers she used to know. In this city, there were children running in the streets, old men and woman carrying around bags of food and clothes, adults minding their own business and not looking scary at all. They probably produced all the goods the soldiers consumed while they provided safety in return.

By the looks of the peaceful lifestyle of these people, Polis had never been invaded by enemies, so they didn't need to know how to fight. Behind those heavy walls of the Capitol they had nothing to fear, especially with fierce warriors protecting them outside. Maybe they didn't even know what was going on after the city walls ended.

Clarke was mesmerized by that city, trying to sink in every single detail of it, unconsciously thinking that it was a great place to live.

Polis will change the way you think about us.

Lexa's voice echoed inside Clarke's head and suddenly she felt her heart beating faster. She was finally going to see the Commander again after all that had happened. They were in the same city, probably just a few steps apart.

"Anna!"

The worried shout brought Clarke back to her senses and she saw a pregnant woman fainting in the street. The blonde ran on her direction immediately, arriving a little after a middle-aged man held her on his arms, preventing her from falling completely.

"Let me help", offered Clarke.

The man looked at her and flinched, bringing the pregnant woman closer to his chest. He waved for Clarke to go away, saying something in Trigedasleng. They were not warriors and probably never left the city, so why would they learn English?

"Please", pleaded Clarke, "I can help. I might be able to save her and the child."

She spoke as softly as possible, since the man probably wasn't able to understand anything, and gestured towards the round belly of his wife. He still looked a little afraid, but Anna wasn't awake yet and panic start to rise inside his chest. He thought his wife was going to die from this pest that reached town.

The man then started walking towards a small door underneath the ruin of two big buildings, which had many plants growing on the walls, allowing Clarke inside his house. It was small but cozy, looking a little like the tents Clarke saw at the Grounder's camps. Some basic home utensils were hanging on the concrete walls as well as some items made of clay that Clarke had never seen before. The rooms were separated by colored cloths hanging from the ceiling. On the corner of the smallest room was a bed made of some animal's fur and that's where the man lay down his wife.

He didn't say anything, just stared at Clarke with worried eyes, waiting for her to do something. Clarke carefully opened her bag and took out a syringe, approaching the woman slowly so she didn't startle the husband.

"What is your name", she asked, pointing to his chest. She then pointed at hers. "I'm Clarke."

He widened his eyes in shock, gasping like he was seeing some sort of celebrity or important person.

"Klark kom Skaikru? Heda houmon!"

Clarke opened a shy smile, nodding in confirmation. She didn't spoke the language, but this was obvious enough for her to understand. Lexa had announced to the entire army that they were married, so it was only expected that people from the twelve clans had heard about her after the soldiers returned to their homes.

"What is your name", she asked again.

"Aaron."

"Okay, Aaron." She opened the syringe and showed the man the needle. He looked frightened. "This is medicine. It will help Anna."

Aaron just took a deep breath and shook his head in support, kneeling by Anna's side and holding her hand. Clarke inserted carefully the needle on the woman's vein and poured the medicine inside her body.

Ten seconds went by and they waited in silence until Anna finally came back to her senses, gasping for air.

She spoke a lot of hushed things in her language, trying to understand what was happening. Aaron held her tight and explained the situation, pointing at Clarke and telling who she was and what she was doing. Anna finally calmed down a little and held Clarke's hand.

"Mochof, mochof, mochof", she murmured, and Clarke realized those words could only mean thank you.

The blonde smiled and squeezed the woman's hand in return. She stood up and looked around the house for some kind of vessel to carry water, so Anna could understand she must stay hydrated. She found a small clay bowl and gave it to Aaron, filling it up with the water she brought on her canteen. Motioning the bowl towards Anna's lips, the message was delivered clearly.

"She has to drink as much water as possible. Don't stop drinking, okay?"

Aaron and Anna both nodded, looking now very relieved. Clarke gave the couple a final smile and headed towards the door, resuming her walk to find Lexa.

She didn't have search for too long because five guards were waiting for her on the street when she left Aaron and Anna's house.

OOOOOO

No words were exchanged between the guards and Clarke. She already knew that her presence had been announced and Lexa had sent for her. Typical. They walked for a few minutes and after crossing a large path of woods, probably a place that used to be a park, Clarke saw a majestic building came into view.

It had been a large place before the bombs, as shown by some parts of the front walls that still stood. Most of the building, however, had fallen down, but what called attention was the main entrance, where six large marble columns stood intact after so many years and a nuclear war. This could only be the place where the Commander's throne belonged.

Even though the only thing intact was this entrance, they managed to make the best of what was left of the building. Some of the brick walls which were bombed to half their original size were completed with some debris and clay junctions forming a large room. It reminded Clarke of a large version of Lexa's tent, with a large strategy table on the right, another table for eating on the left and the branch-made throne located in the middle of the room. Some hugs were also scattered around the place, bringing some color to the mix of grey, black and brown.

But the most important detail of the room was sitting on the throne, piercing Clarke with those burning green eyes that she never imagined to see again.

"We met again", Lexa simply stated, confirming her forecast from a few days ago.

"Yes. You were right."

They both just stared at each other for a few seconds in silence, tension occupying the large room. The guards also remained silent, flanking Clarke at all sides.

"I know about the disease", said the blonde finally breaking the silence. Maybe it was best to just get to the point. "One of yours came to my camp two days ago and told us what was happening. We cured her and we can do the same with the rest of your people. I have a team of twenty-six people waiting for you to let them in."

Lexa's jaw clenched, just like Clarke imagined she would react. She raised her hand and called the guards' attention.

"Gon yo we."

The five men instantly marched towards the door and disappeared. Lexa then got up from the throne, her gaze never leaving Clarke's as she approached the blonde.

"That's why you came? To pity us?"

"To save you."

"Don't flatter yourself, Clarke."

She turned around and headed to the table on the left corner, reaching for a jar and poring wine inside two cups. One of them was offered to Clarke, who took it without a word.

"Why are you trying to help my people after what I've done to you?"

Lexa wasn't wearing any war makeup today. In fact, she looked very clean and composed, probably the effect of living in a city and not on a tent in the middle of the woods. Her looks there were almost regal, but nothing had changed on the way she walked or talked or even looked at Clarke. The Commander was still hiding from the ghosts of her feelings for the blonde since she sacrificed them in order to save her people.

"This sickness was brought to Earth by us. It's our responsibility to eradicate it."

Before Clarke could even see what was going on, Lexa's blade was pushed hard on her neck, aiming for the jugular. The sound of both metal cups falling to the ground echoed around the room and suddenly the Commander was so close that Clarke was almost able to see her reflection on bright green eyes.

"I should have killed you when I first saw you, Clarke of the Sky People", she said between gritted teeth, anger burning on her eyes.

"So that you could save your people or yourself?" The question was asked calmly because Clarke knew Lexa was capable of a lot of things, except hurting her in a physical way. This was just a game.

The words obtained the expected effect and Lexa's anger faded a little, now giving place to something else, something she promised to never let show again. She didn't like it. At least anger was a form of defense, but with this new feelings coming back to surface she didn't have a place to hide.

Clarke didn't miss that sudden change in the mood and slowly reached the hand that was holding the knife to her skin. The blonde pulled the weapon carefully, never breaking eye contact with Lexa, until it was free from the Commander's grip. But neither of them moved, still standing close enough to feel each other's breath on their faces.

"Let me help you, Lexa", pleaded Clarke, going for an entire different strategy of convincement as she used the knife to cut the first button that held Lexa's coat closed. The Commander's eyes went dark with lust when Clarke continued the action slowly, cutting the buttons one by one until the coat was open, revealing a bit of the thin blouse the brunette was wearing underneath it.

Clarke let the knife fall from her hand absentmindedly and proceeded to grab the coat, opening it completely. It joined the weapon soon enough, landing on the dusty floor with a thud. Clarke's hands, now free, came back up to touch the Commander's waist for the first time since they kissed that day before the attack.

The second she felt the soft touch, Lexa held Clarke's hands still, but did not remove them from her body.

"Do you think seducing me will make me change my mind and allow you to stay?"

Clarke just returned her heated gaze and got even closer to the Commander, now leaving minimal space between them. It would take less than a millisecond to close the gap and kiss her.

"Why? Will it work?"

Lexa let out a smirk, probably the first one Clarke had ever seen on her lips.

"You'll have to do better than that to find out."

She pulled the girl closer by her hands, making Clarke's arms circle her body, and leaned in for a hungry kiss.