"You can't keep doing this," Colste said as Clarke bandaged yet another cut along her ribs.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Clarke replied impassively, standing up and scratching Juno behind the ear as she reached for her bag.

"Taking their punishments," he clarified. "Eventually, one of your strays is going to do something, and you are going to get yourself killed trying to save them."

"If memory serves, your sister is one her strays," a new voice said. Clarke smiled as Colste's sister, Taiga, walked through the door and grabbed her bag from her.

"I can carry it myself, Taiga," Clarke huffed good-naturedly.

"I know," Taiga replied. "But we like doing things for you."

Clarke rolled her eyes, smiling when Juno nuzzled the woman before standing next to her.

"I can't believe you are fine with this!" Colste exclaimed as he followed the two of them down the narrow road towards the market.

"You don't think all of us have already tried to make her stop taking our punishments in since she joined us?" Taiga countered. "Even the Commander has tried to overrule her."

"I vouched for you," Clarke huffed. "She can't do anything about it."

"I know," Taiga replied. "We've tried."

"Look," Clarke sighed, a smile on her lips as she traded a hunk of duck for some herbs. "You don't want me to get hurt, stop getting caught hunting in other's lands."

"Why not just get work as hunters?" Colste suggested.

"Colste, you are my brother and I love you," Taiga said. "But are you really so thick as to think anyone is going to trust a bunch of former reapers with weapons? Let alone to join a hunting party?"

"Fair enough," Colste muttered bitterly. "But it doesn't stop me from being upset about the Sky Princess taking all your punishments."

"Why do you think we're so careful about what rules we break?" Baldur asked as he seemingly appeared next to Clarke, making her smile while Colste stiffened in surprise. Clarke smiled and wrapped an arm around the man's shoulders. Ever since she had saved him from the wrath of that merchant on her first day in Polis, the man had become her shadow, slowly restoring the skills he had before the Mountain Men took him and keeping watch over her at all times. His tall, wiry stature loomed over Clarke, and would have intimidated those around her, were it not for the massive black bear that accompanied her wherever she went.

"How's Graham?" Clarke asked as she made her way towards the fields outside the city.

"His guilt is only outweighed by his determination to avoid this happening again," the dark skin around Baldur's eyes crinkled with a smile. "He says his head still smarts from where you swatted him, though."

Clarke laughed and shook her head. Over the last two months, she had finally started to feel at home among her new family. They took care of each other as they worked to regain the skills they lost from their time in Mount Weather, while shouldering their demons as one. She still woke up most nights with a sob on her lips, but now it didn't take long before she was able to get back to sleep. She knew that the general population of Polis was wary of her, between her reputations as Wanheda, and the Sky Princess, along with Juno's presence by her side, they were unwilling to do anything about the fact that she cavorted about with a band of former cannibals – especially when she was quickly making a name for herself among the poorer parts of the city as a skilled healer.

"Hopefully I didn't knock whatever's left of his brain out," she replied as she stopped outside a small wooden hut in front of one of the farms to the west of the city walls. Knocking lightly on the door, she waited to be granted entrance before opening the door and greeting the family inside with a smile and a bow of her head.

"Fisa Klark, it's good to see you," a thin woman said as she stood to embrace her.

"How are things, Hieri?" Clarke asked as she stepped back. The small hut was filled with the smell of roasting meat, and Clarke grabbed Taiga's hand as it started shaking, giving her a comforting squeeze.

"He's feeling much better, thanks to you," Hieri replied happily. "We made sure he drank plenty, and gave him the herbs you provided us. His fever broke early in the morning."

"That's good to hear," Clarke replied. "May I see him?"

Hieri nodded and led them to the back of the hut, where a small boy lay beneath a bundle of furs, playing with a roughly carved sculpture of a bear.

"Fisa Klark!" He exclaimed weakly as she walked over to sit by his side.

"Hello Lindo," Clarke said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," the boy replied, his curly hair bouncing as he nodded his head. "Is the Forest Mother here too?"

"She is. Would you like to go out and see her?"

Lindo's eyes lit up in delight, and Clarke helped him to stand, grabbing the crutch for him as he wobbled on his one remaining leg. Walking out of the hut, she smiled as he hobbled over to Juno and collapsed into her furry side, his bell-like laughter filling the air as she snuffled his hair and licked his face.

"It's good to see the boy is recovering."

Clarke stiffened, just now noticing that Colste and Hieri had dropped to their knees, while Taiga and Baldur bowed their heads as Lexa joined them.

"Are you following me, Commander?" Clarke asked evenly, not taking her eyes off the boy and the bear playing together. She knew if she turned, she would find herself swimming in shining emerald pools, and didn't want to give Lexa the satisfaction of knowing she was happy to see her until she had discerned the reason for her visit.

"Your coldness is surprising, Healer," Lexa commented idly. "Particularly considering your warm reputation."

"You've grown too used to the coming summer heat if you find this to be cold," Clarke replied, prompting Taiga to snort, while Baldur elbowed her in the side.

"Is there a reason your companions don't bow before their Commander?" She asked quietly.

"Because our leader stands amongst us as equals," Taiga replied calmly, prompting gasps from Colste, Hieri, and Echo who was accompanying Lexa, while Clarke sighed and turned a withering look to her friend.

"You did that on purpose," she accused, scowling as Taiga winked at her mischievously.

"Those words are terribly close to heresy," Lexa's other guard, Ryder, growled.

"And yet, they are no less true," Clarke replied, not sparing the man a glance as she walked over to Juno. "I vouched for Taiga and the others. They respect you, Commander, but they won't bow if I don't. Now, what is it you wanted to speak to about?"

Lexa bristled at being read and countered so easily. Rumors had already spread of the woman who defied the Commander, and yet escaped punishment for her disrespect. In the months since Mount Weather, Clarke had apparently become only more cunning, openly maintaining respect for Lexa's position, while making no effort to hide the fact that she did not equate Lexa herself with the throne upon which she sat.

Lexa remained silent until they were within the walls of Polis once more, hoping to use the pressure of her people's adulation to her advantage as she navigated the coming conversation.

Unfortunately, she barely got a chance to open her mouth before a one of the reapers Clarke lived with appeared from the shadows and started waving her hands frantically.

"You're sure?" Clarke asked, her relaxed demeanor gone. The woman nodded, and Clarke thanked her, taking her bag off of Juno's back and tossing it to Taiga as Baldur ran in the direction of their warehouse.

"What's going on?" Colste asked.

"Wolves are near the warehouse," Clarke said before Juno took off at a sprint that outpaced many horses while sounding like thunder rolling through the crowded streets of Polis. Within minutes, she had returned to her home, and found three of her friends waving torches at the group of six wolves surrounding them. Reaching down, Clarke unsheathed the knife on her boot and hurled it at one of the canines, burying it in the beast's side as she dismounted Juno and drew the small, thin sword she kept with her while Juno roared with the ferocity of an earthquake.

Their attention on the newest threat, Clarke dashed forward and stabbed another in the neck, grunting angrily as she felt jaws wrap around her bicep and teeth pierce her flesh. She could feel the cut on her ribs reopen, but ignored it as she smashed the pommel of her blade down on the top of the wolf's head, dazing it as Juno dashed in and swatted one of the remaining wolves into the wall of her home with a loud crunch. One of the braver canids tried to attack her companion, but had its head removed as claws the size of large knives rent through its flesh, while Clarke used the knife in her other boot to slit the one that had bit her before throwing it and downing another as Baldur arrived and killed the last with a well-placed arrow through the eye.

By the time Lexa arrived with her warriors, Baldur and the others were already collecting the kills and skinning them while Clarke returned inside to tend to her wounds. Juno notified her of the visitors with a low rumble, and Clarke turned as she finished disinfecting her wounds, hoping she wouldn't need to resort to using the antibiotic seaweed.

"I've worked fairly hard over the last two months to enforce the idea that this is a place of healing, Commander," Clarke said as she ran a needle through her skin, not sparing her a look. "Not even myself or my friends are allowed to carry weapons in here."

Lexa opened her mouth to protest, but an even louder growl turned her attention to the massive beast that was now looming over her. Not only would she not stand a chance against the Forest Mother, but it was clear that the matron spirit agreed with Clarke as she bared her teeth threateningly, and the political ramifications of Lexa disobeying one of the spirits were greater than the odds of another rumor concerning the one woman who stood in open defiance of her getting out. Sighing, Lexa conceded, forcing down the feeling of nakedness as she took the sword off her waist and placed it against the wall where she noticed several other weapons.

"It was foolish of you to go off on your own," she admonished, trying to salvage some of her authoritativeness.

"I'm never alone," Clarke replied easily, wrapping another bandage around her arm. "Besides, it's not like this is the first time we've had to deal with wolves. At least now we'll have some meat and fur that was obtained legally."

"This has happened before?"

Clarke nodded. "Something's pushing the animals closer to the city. Your hunters are loving it. Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

"I've come to ask if you would like to join me in tomorrow's clan meeting."

"No," Clarke replied immediately. "Thank you, Heda, for your concern for me and my friends, but we have a lot of work to do. Be sure to stop by if you're ever in need of any medical assistance."

With that, Clarke stood and walked past her, smiling briefly in Echo's direction before continuing on her way, and Lexa stood, wondering when, if ever, she would be able to hear her name on Clarke's lips again.

*(OoO)*

"Are you out of your mind?!" Echo shouted. As soon as she had been relieved of her shift guarding the Commander, she had immediately sprinted towards the large building near the outskirts of Polis where Clarke lived with her ex-reaper companions.

"Well, I do live with Colste and Taiga willingly," Clarke replied easily, pointing to where the two siblings were wrestling near the small fire they had lit nearby. She had been reclining against Juno, sketching idly when her friend had stormed into her home, causing many of Clarke's companions to stiffen momentarily before the lack of response from Juno told them it was all clear.

"Don't forget taking care of the rest of us," Baldur joked as he sat down next to her, holding a hunk of wolf-meat.

"The last person who relieved the Commander of their weapon, is the current Commander," Echo intoned.

"I respect the Commander, but that doesn't mean that she's above the rules," Clarke said as she rose to her feet to go check on one of her patients who was resting at the back of the massive room.

"You have a strange way of showing respect," Echo groaned. "You know she's had people killed for the way you talk to her."

"If she doesn't like the way I speak to her, then she can leave me alone," Clarke reasoned. "I'm not the one coming up to her while she's working."

Echo watched as Clarke checked the injuries of one of the hunters who had run into a panther during his last trip.

"No hunting for at least two weeks," she ordered as she rubbed a salve on the man's wounds. "I'll be coming by to check on you, and I'll know." She helped the man to his feet and walked him to the door. "Colste! Can you make sure Freed gets home safely? I'm sure his wife is missing him by now."

"For you, Fisa Klark? Anything!" Colste exclaimed as he threw his sister off of him and sprang to his feet, making sure to grab his sword on the way out.

Clarke chuckled and shook her head, squealing lightly when the massive hunter lifted her off her feet in a tight embrace before returning her to the ground and walking over to crouch next to where Juno had sprawled out on her back, scratching behind her ear.

"Thank you, Forest Mother," he said quietly. "May you watch over your sunlit cub for the rest of her days."

Juno huffed and licked the man's face before rolling over and walking up to Clarke, burying her short snout in her hair.

"I'm a healer, Echo," Clarke said after several minutes of silence. "I tried being a leader, and it only took a few months to end with me bearing the ghosts of nearly a thousand people. Your culture might see that as something to be celebrated, but I don't."

"That doesn't explain the way you treat the Commander."

"You and everyone else knows what she did at that mountain. While I can't fault her as a leader for looking out for her people's well-being, it doesn't stop the pain I feel from being betrayed by someone I trusted."

Echo frowned and wrapped her arms around Clarke, allowing the girl to bury her head in her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I didn't mean to drag up those memories."

"Sometimes, I think it would be easier if I hated her," Clarke mumbled. "I see her, and I still can't stop my heart from beating harder. There are times, when the ghosts get louder, that I still call out for her, and I just want to be close to her again, even though I know I shouldn't and then I end up reminding myself of what she did and it hurts all over again."

Echo continued to stand there, holding the girl she had come to see as younger sister of sorts for a long time, smiling when one of former reapers walked over bearing food and a blanket and placed them on the ground before kissing Clarke on the top of her head and walking away without a word. There were many people who wondered why Fisa Klark, one of the best healers in Polis – if not the entire Coalition – chose to spend her time with those who were still labeled as monsters even after the Mountain Men had been defeated and their souls saved. Some rationalized that Wanheda, of all people had nothing to fear from the men and women who had been turned into monsters parents used to scare children into behaving, but as Echo watched them come up to Clarke, one after the other, and offer her some form of comfort before quietly wishing her goodnight, she knew that it was for a completely different reason altogether.

Clarke chose to live with those who once were reapers because she saw herself in them. Between the Sky People, who alternated between seeing the girl who saved them as a monster and a hero, and the rest of the society on the ground, who revered her as a mighty warrior on par with Heda, only those who had been forced to do the unthinkable and live with the knowledge of their actions could truly understand the sheer weight of Clarke's demons, and help her learn how to properly bear them.

Eventually, Echo helped Clarke to the ground and reclined with her against Juno, ignoring the growing wet spot on her shoulder as she stroked her back and waited for her breaths to even out. Unfortunately, sleep eluded them, as a commotion near the entrance to the warehouse drew their attention, and Clarke snapped to her feet, dashing over as one of her friends grappled with someone just outside the building. Grabbing a sword, Clarke ran to the two figures, unsheathing it loudly as Baldur pinned the man to the ground and pressed it to his throat before freezing as she got a good look of his face.

"Lincoln?!"

"Clarke?!"

A/N: A second chapter for you all, as I had been hit by a surge of motivation and inspiration. I'm trying to show the sort of emotional tightrope Clarke is constantly walking on, as she struggles with her conflicted feelings about everything, and I figured that the people who used to be the Grounder equivalent of boogeymen would be the best to kind of understand what it is she's dealing with as well as hint at how Lexa's hold over people is slipping during peacetime, considering it's a relatively new concept on the ground, and no one really knows how to navigate it.