This is the last chapter. I've enjoyed writing this and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Samdagger.
Chapter 15
Three days later, Danai, Murphy and Emori trudged through the gates of Polis. They reached the Commander's tower and were stopped by a guard.
"You two can go up, but the outcast stays here!" he sneered at Emori. Danai had him up against the tower wall before he even knew she was going to do it.
"Both of them are with me! Do you see this tattoo? You know what it means?" He nodded.
"Than stop fucking around trying to intimidate us! They both come with me! Now!" She dropped him and motioned the others past her into the tower. They saw a woman with short hair looking at them. Her eyes widened when she saw Danai's tattoo. She bowed.
"Quest Seeker, how may I help you?"
"Send a message to the Commander that I have returned. We'll be in her throne room, waiting for her." The woman nodded and moved off. Danai took the stairs and the others followed.
"Why are we taking the stairs? Last time we took the elevator?" Murphy said.
"Because we don't have permission from the Commander, so we take the stairs," Danai replied. He nodded and continued on after her. Emori said nothing.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
The Commander and Clarke entered the throne room with the strange woman on their heels.
"Danai!" Clarke said, running over to hug her.
"Hey, Clarke," she returned.
"How did your quest go?" the Commander asked, sitting down.
"Well, Commander. I really think this time we got it right."
"What do you mean, this time?"
"I mean we're not going to go through another nuclear devastation."
"We were going to?" asked Clarke.
"Probably, look I'll tell you everything that happened but you must keep it a secret from everyone else."
"You dare order the Commander?" the woman said.
"Gaia, peace, she's the only one who can - other than Clarke and that's only in the bedroom."
"LEXA!" Clarke almost shouted as she went red.
"When I tell you what happened and what might happen, you'll know why," Danai said, getting back on track.
"I agree," the Commander said.
"Clarke?" Danai asked.
"Yes, of course."
"Gaia?" She said nothing, but gave a short nod.
"I'm holding you to that, Gaia," the Commander said. Danai nodded and they all sat down.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
It was several hours later when everything had been told. Everyone sat back, amazed and in shock at what they'd done and what they intended to do.
"So she's going to stop the reactors from blowing up?" Gaia asked.
"No, she can't do that, she can only keep an eye on them and will tell us either way. If they blow, she'll tell us so we can get to the bunkers."
"Clarke, can you check Raven's findings? If we can squeeze more people in, I'd like to save as many as possible."
"Of course, but it will depend on the machinery, tek, water and food producing areas. If any one of those isn't working, we can't use it, Lexa. Anyone who did, would die."
"How do we find out?"
"That's a job for you two to decide, though Raven and Monty have already agreed to check out the bunkers if you give them permission. For that task, I've said that they will be considered MY people. I can give them a little bit of protection by doing that."
"We'll have to split Skaikru up to service them all, won't we?" Clarke asked.
"Yes, and that's a fight you'll have to have with them. I can't get involved, I'm now Trikru."
"So what happens now?"
"Nothing on my end, it's all down to you two now. My part is complete."
"So are you going back to Tondc?"
"I'd like to stay here for a few weeks first, Commander, I still need to learn to ride properly, learn to fight with weapons, fight from horseback and learn wilderness survival."
"Here in Polis?"
"Yes, Commander. There are warriors from all clans and they all can teach me something."
"I agree. You can use the room on Clarke's level for as long as you want."
"What about us?" Murphy asked.
"For now, I'd like it if you two stayed here too. Emori has someone she needs to meet and you need to be there for her."
"Who?" Emori asked.
"I don't know, but it could be a family member."
"I don't have any family anymore other than Otan."
"You do, they just didn't want you around."
"I don't know if I want to meet them."
"I know, and that's your choice, but don't keep them away because it was what they did to you. It's their loss, not yours." Emori nodded.
"Well, what are you going to do now?" Danai handed over all the info she had from Raven and Monty.
"Look this over and keep it somewhere safe. Figure out what needs to be done." Clarke took them and nodded.
"What now?"
"I need to go to the marketplace and get some things. Commander, where can I buy a horse?"
"Wait until you can ride and then I'll provide you with one that will be yours, not a loaned horse."
Mochof, Heda," Danai said, inclining her head in gratitude.
"We have a lot of things to go over," the Commander said. "We'll meet again tomorrow afternoon."
"Sha, heda," Danai said, getting up. Emori and Murphy did too, bid them farewell and left.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
In the marketplace, Emori was showing them around, telling them that bartering was commonplace as 'money' was no longer used. It was quite common for hunting and foraging to be used for bartering. If the trader trusted you, it could be before you went hunting. Danai, with Emori's help, traded for some new boots using the little food she still carried. The trader had noticed the Quest Seeker's mark and decided it would be a better deal to take lesser goods than the boots were worth just so she could say that she had provided boots for the Quest Seeker. A few more traders had the same idea, so Danai got other things cheaper too.
"Emori?" a female voice called out. Emori froze and then slowly turned around.
"Callen?" Emori said. The woman nodded and moved to hug Emori. Emori stepped back and the woman stopped.
"I'm sorry, Emori," Callen said.
"Emori?" Murphy asked, moving up and putting his hand on her lower back, giving her his support.
"John, this is my younger sister, Callen. Callen this is my mate, John Murphy and my friend Danai, the Quest Seeker."
"You're friends with the Quest Seeker?" Callen asked, amazed.
"She helped me with one of my quests. She's John's girlfriend and that means she's one of my people," Danai told the woman.
"What do you want, Callen? You threw us out along with the rest of them!"
"I was just a child, then, Emori!"
"You were old enough to stand up to nontu and nomon, but you didn't!"
"I didn't want to be homeless either," Callen admitted. "I was twelve."
"Old enough to know what you wanted to do with your life. We never got that chance!"
"I'm sorry, Emori, I really am."
"What do you want?"
"I want a chance to get to know you again. You are my sister. Where's Otan?"
"Otan has found his own place to live, far from here. I saw him a few days ago, he's good."
"Could you tell me where he is?"
"No. I don't trust you yet. Otan is better off without you. He has people who don't judge him, he has a job and somewhere to call home. Leave him alone!"
"You were always protective of him, Emori."
"I had to, no-one else was!"
"Callen?" a male voice called out behind her. Emori shifted her eyes to see a young man holding a baby.
"That's my houmon, Rangish and our daughter, Emori."
"You named your daughter after me?!"
"You're still my sister and I miss you. I thought the least I could do was name my child after you."
"Would your child be called Otan if it was a boy?"
"Yes." Emori just stood there, not knowing what to do.
"I'm here for you Emori, whatever you want, we'll do," Murphy said, gently. Danai realised that he'd figured out that she was his soulmate, just like Lincoln and Octavia. Emori turned to Danai.
"What about…?" Emori trailed off.
"If they stay in Polis and if you stay in Polis, then yes, I'll tell the Commander and Clarke and they can make room for them." Emori nodded.
"Mochof, Danai."
"Why don't you and Murphy go have a meal with them, get to know them first before you decide what to do?" Danai suggested. Murphy nodded.
"That's a good idea, Emori. Come on, we'll find somewhere to sit and talk, okay?" Emori nodded.
"John," Danai said.
"Yeah?"
"This is where we part for now. I won't ask you to go with me if it's going to be dangerous. You have someone to look after now. You're needed here."
"But what about you?"
"I'll find other companions, John. I get the feeling I won't have a regular home except for Tondc and I have no idea when I'll see it next." Murphy nodded.
"I'm actually going to miss you, Morris," he said, hugging her.
"Yeah, you grew on me too," she said, returning the hug and grinning.
"Don't be a stranger," he said as the two sisters walked off, talking quietly to each other.
"Look after her, John. She's your soulmate. You won't find another." He nodded and then turned and followed his heart.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
The following week, Danai was called to a meeting with the Commander and Clarke.
"Quest Seeker, Clarke and I have been talking about what to do with Finn. It's not a good idea to let him roam my lands in case he tries anything, especially with Clarke and I in a relationship. I will kill him if he tries anything."
"But it's not really fair to keep him confined to Arkadia for the rest of his life," Clarke said.
"So what do you suggest?" asked Danai.
"Heda Luna of the Floukru is in Polis trading. Maybe he could go to them. They are a peaceful clan who do not agree with violence or fighting."
"Those are the ones who live out to sea?" Danai said, trying to remember where they lived.
"Yes, they live on an abandoned structure far out at sea," the Commander said.
"I think it could be an old oil platform, Danai," Clarke said.
"What would he do there?"
"Learn their ways, learn to fish from boats, learn to leave violence behind as a method of dealing with things," Clarke said. Danai thought about it.
"Does Finn get a say in this?" she asked.
"He does," the Commander said. "But it is a limited say. He either agrees to go to Floukru and maybe eventually return to Skaikru, exile to one of the islands off the coast of Yujleda, or he stays within Arkadia."
"Okay, but I would like to meet Heda Luna before I go to Arkadia to talk to him about it."
"You?" Clarke asked.
"Who else? The Commander's not going to go and I doubt she'd let you go because of the way Finn's been acting about you. Octavia's Trikru so she can't do it."
"You're Trikru too, Dania," Clarke said.
"Yes, but I'm also the Quest Seeker. I think I'm the only one who can go between clans and do things like this." The Commander nodded.
"Very well, I will call Heda Luna to a meeting tomorrow morning. I would like you to be there for it."
"Sha, Heda," Danai said. The Commander nodded and stood up. Danai did as well, bowed and left the room.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
The next morning, Danai arrived at the meeting and was introduced to Heda Luna of the Floukru and her seken Kalandra. They all sat down to discuss Finn.
"Heda Luna, I have a problem with one of the Skaikru boys, Finn. He almost killed people in Tondc with a gun. Danai stopped him and as part of a deal with them, I had him confined to the Skaikru camp. That was several months ago. From what Clarke has learned from her friends there, Finn still has not learned his lesson. He still thinks that he and Clarke should be together and he still thinks he knows what's best for her and that's him."
"I take it you do not want him roaming your lands?" Luna asked.
"No, I have no idea what he'd do," the Commander said.
"He wasn't always like that," Clarke said.
"No, but once he was stabbed by Lincoln, he changed," Danai said.
"I know, but he was peaceful in the beginning."
"We all changed, Clarke. Each of us that came down changed. Can you really say that there was one person who stayed the same - other than those who died early?" Danai asked her. Clarke shook her head.
"No, we all did. Jasper, Octavia, Bellamy, Miller, Murphy, hell, even Wells changed before he died," Clarke said.
"I think Finn figured out that he couldn't control the situation and that sent him over the edge, Clarke. Once we knew of the grounders, he was a little more wary. Once we actually met them. He was more so. Remember when you met Anya on the bridge?"
"He was peaceful then!" Clarke said.
"Was he? Raven was down then and he didn't want people to know about the meeting did he?"
"Well, no. He was concerned that Bellamy would fuck it up."
"Which he did with Raven and Jasper's help."
"Yeah, Jasper was suffering from PTSD."
"Raven wasn't and neither was Bellamy. The point is that Finn was much more cautious after that encounter." Clarke nodded.
"Think this would be good for him?" Clarke asked.
"I think so," Danai said. "This gives him a chance to redeem himself. A chance to find the peace he so desperately craves." Clarke nodded again.
"So you're going to Arkadia to talk to him?"
"Yeah, it'll be his choice though, not Kane's, Bellamy's or your mom's."
"I agree. Only he can choose because It's his life. I know that if someone else told me that I was being sent away somewhere for my own good, I'd hate it."
"We all hate that, Clarke."
"That's part of why I hated the mountain so much. Wallace said it was for our own good but never gave us the chance to choose. After all, we could live outside so we wouldn't be affected by the radiation. His argument was about the radiation."
"I heard that from Monty and agree with you."
"Yeah, there was a lot going on then," Clarke said, a bit pensively.
"I'll go to Arkadia, talk to Finn and if he agrees, where do I take him?"
"Bring him here," Heda Luna said. "We'll meet you at the city gates to the south of the city. Once you get there, ask one of the guards to inform me and I'll come personally to meet you both."
"Sha, Heda Luna," Danai said, bowing. She shook arms with Luna and then with Kalandra. Danai was startled as she felt a jolt go through her at Kalandra's touch. In her mind she saw a flash of Finn and Kalandra holding a baby - their baby. She kept that to herself but was inwardly grinning to think that Finn may at last find the love he wanted and the peace he needed. She turned to the Commander. "With your permission?" The Commander nodded and Danai left on her mission.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
Three days later, she approached the gates of Arkadia. They opened the gates without questioning her first. Danai rode into the Ark camp and asked for Kane or Bellamy. Bellamy approached her. She was thankful. Bellamy had been there and seen what was happening to him at the time.
"Hey, Danai, what can we do for you?"
"The Commander's come up with a solution to the problem of Finn's confinement."
"Which is?"
"Heda Luna kom Floukru has offered a place within her clan. For now, he would stay Skaikru and may return once she's deemed him to be a responsible adult. He would stay with them and not return to the mainland until such time as he can behave himself."
"How long would he stay with them?"
"It depends on him. He may decide he likes that life and become one of them. He may learn his lessons on responsibility and not being able to control everything and come back to you. It's up to Finn and no-one else."
"What if he doesn't want to go?"
"Then he'll spend the rest of his life within the fence of this camp. He only has three options, Bellamy, stay here, go with them or be exiled for life to one of the Caribbean islands."
"Tough choice."
"Yes, but it's still his choice," Danai explained, shrugging.
"Do you want to see him or see Kane first?"
"It's not really Kane's decision to make, Bellamy. I need to talk to Finn first and explain things to him." Bellamy nodded and led her to the prison where Finn still insisted he slept.
"Hey, Finn," Danai said as she entered the prison. Finn sat up on his bed.
"Danai," he said, warily.
"Finn, the Commander wants to offer you a place within one of the other clans. The Floukru have agreed to take you in and help you heal. They are a peaceful clan that lives out on what we think is an old oil rig. They fish the seas from their boats and trade with the clans for their catches. It's a simple, quiet life for people who are sick of fighting. Heda Luna's clan is made up of people from several different clans, all who have given up the warrior way for one of peace."
"And you want me to go there?"
"It's your choice Finn."
"What are my other choices?"
"I won't lie to you. There's not a lot of options. You either go to the clan, be exiled for life to a Caribbean island or stay locked up here for the rest of your life."
"That's it?! It's not much of a choice, is it?"
"No, but it is YOUR choice. She's not going to send you off to them if you don't want to go. This way you decide your destiny or fate or whatever you want to call it." He was silent for a while.
"They say you're some kind of prophet or something," he said.
"No, I'm a Quest Seeker for the clans and especially for Trikru as I'm now one of them, but I cannot predict the future."
"But you've had things happen and then you go off and do things based on that?"
"Sort of. My very first quest was to go with Anya to Tondc to stop you from doing something stupid." He looked contrite but Danai carried on. "I had no idea why I needed to go there other than to stop you and the first thought that came to mind was that you could shoot up the village in your own quest to find Clarke. Turns out I was right. I stopped you from shooting up Tondc." He looked at her.
"I was a quest?"
"Yes, you were. I've been on several more with Murphy as my companion in a lot of them. Octavia was there for my last one and the one before that as well. I'll be going out on quests for the rest of my life, Finn. Even though I'm Trikru, I have no idea where they'll take me. I'm going to be nomadic for the rest of my life, never settling down other than returning to Tondc or Polis once a quest is over and waiting for the next one."
"So you're no more a part of this than I am." Finn said.
"There are several of us that are no longer part of Arkadia or Skaikru. Octavia's Trikru, Jasper's become the leader of a new tribe of those from Mount Weather. They are a very small tribe and I'd guess that in a few decades, they'll become Trikru as well. The next generation - those born to the mountain people now they are immune to the radiation - won't know any difference and will embrace life on the ground. A lot of our kids will do the same, Finn. It's just our generations that know we came from somewhere else and remember a life that is struggling with things."
"You?"
"Yep. I'm struggling too. I don't belong to Arkadia, I'm no longer an Arker. All those who came down first can say the same. They literally threw us away from the Ark, Finn. We have no loyalty to them. We are part of the hundred and always will be but we struggle to find a place to fit in. Octavia found her way. Murphy's finding his. Jasper's got his, now it's your turn."
"How did they find their place?"
"Love, Finn, they found love. Octavia and Lincoln, Jasper and Maya and just recently, Murphy found one of the nomads from the dead zone. Her name's Emori and she's basically Murphy's version of Lincoln. All three found their soulmates and are in the process of finding their own sense of peace."
"And you think there's someone out there for me? What about Clarke? She's it for me, Danai. I know that." Danai smiled a sad smile.
"That's where you are wrong, Finn. Clarke was not yours. She never was. You cheated on Raven with her and that tainted her. You may not see it, but Clarke does. You took that from her by cheating on Raven. Clarke is an idealist in a lot of ways. She wanted that all important first love to be the hearts and flowers she thought it was supposed to be, but she never got that. She got you instead, a cheater and someone who was still trying to be with two people at the same time. You never really broke up with Raven, did you? You tried to have her and Clarke." Finn hung his head.
"I never meant to hurt either of them," he said.
"I know, but in doing it your way, you hurt them both and their friendship can never be the way it was supposed to be."
"What about me, though? You said the others found love. Do I?"
"If you want it. This clan, the Floukru, are giving you a chance to clear your head, to get your thoughts and deeds in order. You can sort your mind out with them. They will not judge you for your past deeds because they all have them. Each of them has a dark side, just like you and me. What you do while with them will dictate how they respond to you. Try to be with as many of them as you can, or try to come between a mated pair and they will dump you on a deserted island and leave you there. Take the time to figure out who you are, what you want to do and the way you want to live. Don't just think about the here and now or the past, think of the future too because soon enough it will be here. In twenty years do you want any children you have to see a broken wreck still pining for someone who doesn't want him? Or do you want them to see someone to look up to. Someone who has been through a load of crap and came out the other side a better man?" Again, Finn took his time thinking about it.
"This love of my life, where is she?" Danai shrugged.
"Who knows? That's something you need to figure out for yourself, Finn. If I told you that a certain person was your love, you may decide to fight it, or it may be the wrong person and you actually find love with another. My talent is not without problems, Finn. These flashes show a… photograph, if you like, of a life that could be lived, but what if I'm misinterpreting the photo? What if the person in the photo holding a child is not the father, but a friend? What if the woman in the photo is not the mother, but the midwife, holding the newborn baby?"
He nodded.
"You have to figure out which it is and you can't do that without finding the people first?"
"Something like that. So, what do you say? Exile, life here or relative freedom to get yourself sorted out and figure out what you want to do with the Floukru?"
"I'm still Skaikru?"
"Until you want to change clans, yes." He nodded.
"Okay, then, I want to find myself, Danai. I think that's what you're doing, isn't it?"
"More than likely, Finn, more than likely." Finn smiled as he felt a little bit of weight lift from his shoulders.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
After a small argument with both Kane and Abby, Finn stepped out of the gates of Arkadia for the first time since the mountain men captured a lot of the adults. As Finn didn't know how to ride, they walked most of the way with Danai leading her horse. They reached Polis five days later - they bypassed Tondc just in case anyone decided to take the law into their own hands and kill him. Danai had stopped every now and then to show Finn the wonder of the ground. She showed him waterfalls and animals feeding, the wonder of the woods and to clearings they came across. She taught him some simple survival techniques. Finn soaked it up. Without the life or death struggle with the grounders, he seemed to shed some invisible weight and he began to smile some more.
Once they reached the southern gates of Polis, Danai asked a guard to inform Heda Luna that they were there. Danai didn't want to take Finn inside the city just in case they bumped into Clarke or the Commander. Finn was still too fragile for that.
It took only around fifteen minutes for Heda Luna and Kalandra to arrive. Luna looked Finn over before talking to him.
"Do you wish to travel to my clan and start to heal?" she asked him.
"Sha, Heda," Finn said, having been told the correct response. Luna nodded.
"We live on a structure out to sea. We only come to the mainland to trade or for talks. The rest of the time, we fish and we live peacefully. I will not take you if you intend to harm anyone."
"I understand, Heda." He was quiet for a few seconds and Luna let the silence stand. She could see he was struggling with something.
"I want peace, Heda. When we first met the grounders, I helped organise a meeting between Clarke and Anya but others had other ideas and began shooting at Anya and her warriors before the negotiations could begin. That was the time they declared war. I couldn't control what happened and I was lost as to what to do about it. I know I had nothing to do with them shooting, but I felt responsible and it ate at me. It still does.
"With Clarke and Raven, I know I'm at fault for that as well. I never told Clarke about Raven and when she came down, I tried to have both of them even though I knew neither of them wanted to share me. My ego got the better of me and I thought I could have anything or anyone I wanted. Danai told me a few home truths when she came to me with this offer. I think I need this for myself, Heda. I need to figure out who I am and what I want to do. I can't say I'll become Floukru, but I think I want to go there and get help finding myself." Luna smiled and nodded.
"I will allow it, but if you do anything against my people, I will exile you myself, understand?"
"Sha, Heda," Finn replied.
"Good. I will go get some more goods and we'll be sailing within the hour on the high tide. Kalandra will take you to our boat and stay with you. Once back at our home, she will be your guide until we need to go fishing tomorrow. We'll find you a job to do as well."
"Thank you - mochof - Heda." Luna smiled again.
Kalandra led Finn off to the boat and Luna turned to Danai.
"What's going to happen to him?"
"That's up to him, but I did get a flash of a future life he COULD have that includes him and Kalandra having a child and being extremely happy about it." Luna grinned.
"Kalandra had a rough life, Quest Seeker. If it is her mission to tame him and be happy with him, I will encourage it, but if he hurts her…"
"You can either exile him or kill him," Danai said.
"Well, I wasn't thinking of killing him," Luna averred.
"No, but he doesn't need to know that part of it, does he?" Luna laughed.
"We'll let nature take its course, Quest Seeker. If you say this is good for him, I'll abide by your wishes."
"Take care of him, Heda, I truly think this will settle him down and I think he'll become Floukru. He needs this and the Commander needs him away from Clarke. She still wants to kill him every time that part of our history comes up."
"So would I if Clarke was my love," Luna said. "I once thought the Skaikru would bring our downfall, but so far, you've done the opposite. You made peace with us, took down the mountain, found some of your lost people, stopped Queen Nia and her pet nightblood from taking over and killing the nightbloods and the Commander. For your short time on the ground, you have done amazing things."
"I think we all want peace, but some of us don't know how to get it. I think in a couple of decades, those who have children born on the ground will see a gradual move away from the violence the Arkers have close under their skins to a more clan-like peace."
"I hope so, Quest Seeker. Now is the time for all of us to breathe and live." Danai smiled.
"Well, look after him, Heda Luna. I need to go and train in horsemanship from the Plains Riders."
"Farewell, Quest Seeker!" Luna said, waving as she turned to walk into Polis and the goods she needed before taking Finn towards his new destiny.
xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx
Three months later, when the buds started to sprout on the trees, Danai was ready for her next adventure. She'd been trained in horsemanship, weapons, wilderness survival and other things the Commander thought was necessary. Clarke had provided her with two sets of cold weather clothing and two sets of summer clothing. She included in the backpack and saddle bags, firestarters, a smal first aid kit, telescope and some writing materials so she could keep in touch wherever she was in the Commander's lands.
The Commander had picked out a horse for her. One from her own stable of horses. She'd also provided a saddle, saddlebags, reins and bridle and had included a large horse blanket that could be used as shelter if needed. Clarke had cheated a little and had Murphy go to the bunker they'd got the medkit from for Raven's surgery and got a waterproof, camoflage hooded poncho. One she could wear while riding and keep relatively dry.
One day, Danai had saddled the horse and packed her things and said goodbye to Clarke and the others. She rode out of the gates of Polis destined for parts unknown. It would be several months before she returned, but they knew she always would. She was Trikru, she was the Quest Seeker, She was Danai Morris and her life was her own to live her own way - in peace.
The End.
ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
That's it guys. Next week, Station Watch chapter one. As always, one chapter a week on Sundays. Thanks for all the reviews, I appreciate each one of them. Samdagger.