"You seem to have a remarkable lack of curiosity concerning an attempt on my life," Luna said calmly as Clarke stitched up the stab wound on her side.
"The wound isn't poisoned," Clarke replied neutrally. "So knowing who attacked you isn't going to increase my ability to help you."
"You are indeed a strange one, Klark kom Skaikru," Luna observed.
"I abandoned the Sky People months ago," Clarke said. "I don't have any ties to any one particular people – aside from those under my protection."
"That's nonsense, Clarke," Kane interjected as he walked over. "You'll always be one of us."
"I appreciate the sentiment, Marcus, but I'd rather leave the past behind me."
Clarke continued to take care of Luna's wound, carefully noting everything she can about it. Once finished, she wrapped it in bandages, and sent the woman on her way.
"Thank you for your help," Luna said as she walked away.
Once she was gone, Clarke breathed a sigh of relief and decided that it was time to turn in.
*(OoO)*
A week had passed since Clarke had accompanied Lexa to the meeting and given spoken with her within the Hall of Memories. Ever since helping Luna, Clarke and her friends had found that at least one of the ambassadors, was having her followed nearly all the time. The only other one to speak to her in person though, was Mado, of the Desert. He came complaining of a cough, and Clarke gave him some paste to rub on his chest that would make his breathing easier. Beyond that, it seemed that the other ambassadors were interested in learning about her, with Clarke's former-reaper friends having stopped more than one stalker with more violent intentions towards her.
She had yet to actually attend another meeting, however, and was just returned from her lessons with Lindo, teaching him how to read, when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and she whirled around to meet the scowling face of Titus watching her.
"Can I help you, Flame Keeper?"
Titus said nothing as he watched Lindo return to his mother as they prepared dinner and Clarke rolled her eyes.
"The boy should have been left to die," He said harshly. "I heard the reports. His heart had apparently stopped twice, and you somehow brought him back. Now he is nothing but a burden. You disrupt the natural order of things."
"I don't care," Clarke countered as she continued walking only to be halted when he grabbed her arm tightly. "Let. Go."
"You are in no position to make demands of me, girl," Titus snarled. He froze, however, as a low rumbling shook the air around them, and turned to look up into the snarling face of Juno looming over him.
Clarke smirked. "No, but ai Nomon is."
"Mark my words, girl, I will find out how you have ensnared one of our spirits while spitting upon our traditions," Titus promised as he released her arm.
"Did you have something of importance to tell me, Titus," Clarke asked. "Or did you just come by to drop by to spit threats and empty rhetoric?"
"If you value your life, you will avoid Heda from now on," Titus growled.
"Why's that?" Clarke continued. "Afraid of what might happen if she keeps thinking for herself? Besides, she's the one who seeks me out."
"I've given you the courtesy of a warning," Titus said, turning around to walk away. "Expect nothing more."
"Oh, I know exactly what to expect, Flame Keeper," Clarke murmured to herself as he walked away. She had been wondering when she would be confronted by him. Especially considering the fact that Lexa now felt comfortable enough to share her many complaints about the man whenever they managed to snag a few moments alone.
"Don't worry," O said as she stood by Clarke's side. "We won't let him anywhere near you."
"I know," Clarke replied, gripping her friend's shoulder. As much as she hated the fact that O and L were now treated as less than human, she couldn't deny the advantage having two guards who were purposefully ignored provided.
It took another three days for anything of substance to happen to Clarke. She had just been returning from picking some herbs in the woods near her home, enjoying the warmth of the evening sun, when she spotted Lexa sitting with Marcus near the entrance and groaned quietly in exasperation. O snickered behind her, and she sent the girl a withering glare while L chuckled next to her.
"She's persistent, I'll give her that," O noted before removing her sword and making her way inside.
Clarke rolled her eyes, ignoring the heated glare being directed from where Raven was sitting as she strolled over to greet Monty and Miller.
"Hey guys. Any idea what that's about?" She nodded her head towards where Lexa and Marcus were huddled together.
"Not sure," Monty replied. "They've been like that for the last several hours."
"How's that patient of yours doing?" Miller inquired.
"Good. He can read and write his name now, as well as a bunch of basic words and phrases."
She spent several more minutes exchanging pleasantries with them, painfully aware of Lexa's gaze on her back, before excusing herself and retiring to her little place at the back of the warehouse. Taking a deep breath, Clarke slung her bag over by her rarely-used bed, smiling when Juno huffed at her tiredly before shedding her trusty jacket. She may have transitioned into typical Grounder garb not long into her stay at Polis, but the dark blue jacket she wore had been with her through too much for Clarke to throw away. It was her armor against the outside world.
She was just about to sit down next to Juno when she heard someone join her.
"What is it?" She asked, making no effort to hide the exhaustion in her voice.
"The Raven girl has gotten herself into some trouble," the voice behind her said.
Sighing, Clarke grabbed her jacket once more and turned around to face her visitor, smiling at the concerned expression on his face. "Thank you, Jax. Could you and Isole join me, please?"
"You don't even need to ask," Jax replied as he turned to go fetch Isole while Juno stood up behind her.
"What's the situation?" She asked as she grabbed her sword and slung it across her back.
"Knowing Raven, she probably insulted someone's virility or something," O replied, falling into step next to L behind her.
"She's being held in the market square," Jax informed her.
Nodding, Clarke leapt onto Juno's back and allowed herself to be carried at a breakneck pace towards the market in front of the Commander's Tower. Within minutes, she had arrived, the sound of the crowd gathered to watch making it easy to find. She narrowed her eyes when she saw a large man holding Raven's arms above her head with one hand while dragging a wicked-looking knife across her stomach.
"Shall we show her what happens when she disrespects our Heda?" The man shouted. Shouts erupted from the crowd, and the man smiled cruelly. The shouting died down, however, when Juno released an earth-shaking growl, and all eyes turned to her.
"Let her go," Clarke ordered calmly.
"Why should I do that?" The man demanded. "This girl has the gall to call the Commander a coward in public! She needs to be punished for her lack of respect."
Hopping down from Juno's back, Clarke walked calmly towards the man, ignoring the crowd that split before the weight of her ghostly presence. Staring hard into the man's eyes, she took a deep breath of the alcohol on both his and Raven's breaths before removing her coat and shirt, exposing her scarred torso to the masses. Taking advantage of the man's wandering eyes, she quickly forced him to release Raven before shoving him to his knees, wrapping her hand around the wrist holding the knife she dislocated his shoulder while bringing the knife up and running it along the bottom of her back, scowling angrily.
"There," she declared, releasing the man and turning to address the crowd. "Blood has been shed for her disrespect. Now go home." All at once, everyone in the crowd turned and fled the scene, leaving Clarke to glare at a Titus from across the empty market. Spinning in place, Clarke didn't bother to replace her shirt or jacket as she leaned down to help Raven to her feet, ignoring the pain in her back.
"Clarke," Raven muttered brokenly as Clarke wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Come on," she interrupted as she led Raven past a stunned Lexa. "Let's get you back."
"I'll take her," Marcus said as he joined them. Clarke nodded and walked back over towards Juno, smiling as she received a disapproving huff followed by a lick from cleft to crown.
"I knew this was a bad idea," she said once it was just her, O, L, Juno, and Lexa. Isole and Jax had probably already gone off to make sure nobody got any funny ideas. "I go inside that tower one time and within a week, I'm being spied on and threatened from every which way."
"And yet you still refuse to return," Lexa replied.
"Is that an invitation?" Clarke asked.
"If it is?"
"Well, as a citizen of Polis, I can hardly turn down one from the mighty Heda."
Lexa allowed herself to smirk, and took a step forward, standing directly behind Clarke as she examined the angry cut running diagonally across the small of her back and the dark blood starting to soak into her waistband.
"You need to stop punishing yourself," she whispered softly.
"Raven is under my protection," Clarke replied harshly. "This is proof."
"Clarke, beja," Lexa pleaded.
"They deserve more than just survival," Clarke muttered hoarsely. "They deserve to live. They can't do that if every move they make is in fear of being dragged out and bled should it be the wrong one."
"What would you have me do? Overturn generations of law and tradition?"
Clarke scoffed. "Good luck with that. Not even your own advisor trusts you to maintain this Coalition. You have no allies."
"What do you mean my own advisor doesn't trust me?" Lexa asked, stiffening.
"What do you think tonight was all about?" Clarke asked, whirling around on the spot, fire in her eyes. "Titus is used to having complete control over you. As soon as I showed up, he felt threatened. I wouldn't be surprised if Raven had been goaded into insulting you, so that he could remind me to stay away from that Tower of yours."
"No one controls me!" Lexa hissed angrily.
"Oh, wake up, Lexa!" Clarke shot back. "The clans respected you when you were the mighty conqueror who brought them together, but you've done nothing to maintain that respect during peacetime."
"I saved our people from the mountain!"
"You rescued your people. I saved them when I slaughtered over three hundred men, women, and children. You didn't even bring them the one thing they were promised upon joining the Coalition: the fall of the mountain. I did! Now they see you as weak, and me as a bargaining chip, if not a means to overthrow you!"
Lexa reeled back, as if struck, and Clarke felt a momentary pang of sympathy. "I just want my people to live in peace," she muttered.
Clarke took a step forward and placed her hand on Lexa's cheek, drawing her eyes up to look into her own. "I know you do. But you can't build lasting peace while maintaining a culture of hatred and violence. You need more than a common enemy to really bring people together."
*(OoO)*
Another week passed before Lexa was treated to the sight of Clarke reclining against the Forest Mother in the same shaded corner near her throne as before. Paying close attention as the doors opened, Lexa watched as Titus and the diplomats from the twelve clans entered, with only a few of them so much as greeting her as they took their seats around the room. She took note of Titus's deep scowl as he glanced in Clarke's direction before returning her attention to the others, whom it seemed had yet to notice her.
Calling the meeting to order, Lexa found herself paying much closer attention than she usually did. Originally, she had seen these meetings as little more than a chore, content to allow the clans bicker with each other while Titus handled any necessary mediation. Now, though, it was painfully clear what Clarke meant the previous night about not having the respect of the other clans. As it stood, they almost completely ignored her as she watched them squabbled like carrion over a corpse, and it was only at Clarke's behest that she allowed this disrespect to stand.
As she listened to the petty complaints from the ambassadors, Lexa chanced a look at Clarke, who seemed to be finding their arguments and chest-pounding far more interesting than Lexa thought they had any right to be. For a moment, she simply allowed herself to take in the beautiful creature sitting by her side. She was currently dressed in all black, both her shirt and pants hanging slightly off her frame – though Lexa had detected the subtle bulge of padding underneath as she moved. She sat with her legs folded, ready to spring to her feet, while her strangely-shaped sword leaning against her leg. Eyes the colour of a cloudless sky scanned the room analytically, and only a few locks of liquid gold peaked from beneath the dark hood draped over her head. Altogether, she looked every bit the part of Wanheda, dark and ethereal. The effect was compounded by the knowledge that there were around thirty former reapers who would sooner die than see Clarke hurt, whom even Lexa's senses – enhanced as they were by the spirits of the past Commanders – had a hard time tracking them unless consciously paying attention. In spite of this, Lexa still ached as she watched the weight that title placed on Clarke's spirit constantly threaten to crush her, wishing desperately that she could simply allow Clarke even a moment of peace.
Her attention was drawn back to the arguing politicians as the leader of the Plain Riders finally noticed Clarke seated near Lexa's throne and muttered to himself.
"We'd be better off without her here."
"I'm sorry," Clarke said loudly, silencing the room as she addressed the man. "It almost sounded like you said you would be better off without Heda, Taturk kom Ingranronakru."
"I said no such thing!" Taturk spluttered. "I was referring to you, Skai fecha."
Lexa was about to tear into the fool when Clarke smirked and stood up, taking a step forward. A loud rumbling filled the room as Juno's blue eyes, nearly identical to Clarke's, glowed from the shadows while she rose to her feet to stand over her cub, stepping into the light.
"Trimani Nomon," Gaia, the ambassador from the Woods Clan whispered, awestruck as she fell to her knees and bowed before the monstrous ursidae looming over them all. This immediately made a few of the others bow as well, and Lexa made a point to memorize the faces of those who did not.
"My name is Klark kom Kru," Clarke announced. "Slayer of the Mountain, Healer, and Commander of Death. I defeated the monster who hunted your people for generations, and I have come at the behest of ai Heda to provide aid to those in her city and give her my strength until such a time when I am needed elsewhere."
"Your insults towards my trusted ally have worn my patience thin, Taturk," Lexa said calmly, her cool indifference a stark contrast to Clarke's tightly restrained fires. "Leave us, we will continue again at our next meeting."
Lexa watched as all but Titus left, and gripped her sword hilt tightly as he took measured steps towards Clarke, only to be stopped by the point of her blade at his throat.
"You dare raise your blade towards me?" Titus hissed.
"Titus!" Lexa barked. "That's enough. In light of your threat towards Fisa Klark the last time the two of you were together, you should be thankful I convinced her not to run you through before your first step ended."
"Heda, this… girl is…"
"None of your concern," Lexa growled slowly.
"It would be wise to leave them, Flame Keeper," L said as he and O stepped forward menacingly.
Titus looked affronted that L would even think of speaking, let alone addressing him, but a menacing growl from Juno forced him to spin on his heel and storm out of the room. Almost as soon as the door slammed behind him, Clarke slumped ever so slightly, the weight of her role finally showing through.
"So," Lexa asked. "What did you make of them?"
Clarke's grin looked somewhere between adorable and terrifying as her eyes flashed dangerously.
A/N: This one jumps around a bit, but hopefully shows the dichotomy between how Clarke is normally, how she is towards the public who aren't under her care, and the role she's going to be putting on as she and Lexa start working together again.
