Clarke watched tiredly as the rest of the camp slept. They had been following the roads west for about a week without incident when Baldur reported that there was a group of bandits that seemed to be watching a nearby village. Sharing the report with Lexa, they decided to stop for the night while Colste and Echo ran through the night in order to warn the villagers of the threat. Clarke had woken before the others, barely choking down a scream as she was thrust into the realm of the living, and had chosen to wait with Juno off the side of the road until Taiga returned with her own report on the bandits' defenses.

"Fisa Klark." Almost as if summoned by Clarke's thoughts, Taiga appeared next to her with hardly a rustle of cloth.

"You've got their numbers?" Clarke asked quietly, watching the large fire they had built die down into embers.

"Sha. We move on your signal."

"Let's go," Clarke declared, hopping on Juno's back. "You can brief me on the way."

"Will you not tell Heda?" Taiga asked as she walked next to them.

"I'd rather use the legend of my title to have news of this spread," Clarke replied. "Let them think that so long as Heda works towards peace, Wanheda and her Trimani Nomon will fight as their weapon."

Moving quickly, it didn't take them long to find the bandits, who seemed content to drink and boast about what they planned on doing with the spoils of their next attack. Taking note of the sour, tired faces of the few guards surrounding the campsite, Clarke did a quick head count to confirm Taiga's numbers before sending her with orders for her and the others to take out the guards and watch her back from the trees. She waited patiently, steeling herself with reminders that these men would be dying so that the villagers they planned on attacking wouldn't. Drawing her sword, Clarke smiled as Juno rumbled quietly in support before slowly walking into the firelight.

She heard the bandits drunkenly proposition her, but didn't say a word. Even when they noticed her blade and began demanding who she was, she said nothing. She could practically smell their fear as she continued to approach, with Juno now joining her, and allowed the guilt and pain to run through her as the men began shouting and calling them monsters. This was the role she had accepted to play in order to help Lexa bring about peace.

She had failed as a leader, and abandoned her people when she felt she was of no more use to them. Lexa was the one who was born to lead. She could bear the weight of the truly difficult choices in the name of her people; the ones that truly hurt. All Clarke could do was leave accept the blame for the piles of corpses that paved the way so that others wouldn't have to. If being the monster in the shadow of the heroic Commander was what it took to achieve lasting peace, than she would bear it. She would atone for her sins by adding to them, so that those she protected didn't have to.

Face impassive, Clarke simply waited in front of the fire, staring into the fearful sets of eyes watching her. She memorized every detail of their faces while they stood frozen in fear. Moving on instinct, she pivoted slightly and avoided the swing of a knife, quickly slicing her attacker's neck with one fluid stroke before all hell broke loose. From the trees, arrows fell one after the other while Juno snarled and tore others to pieces. Somewhat distantly, Clarke took notice of how much she had improved in such a short time, finding it rather curious before returning to her deadly dance around bandit camp. Her blades unique design ensured that not even cauterization would save those she stabbed, as its sharp teeth and hooked tip destroyed her opponents' bodies from the inside.

In a matter of minutes, only one man remained, and Clarke raised her hand to stop the others as she sheathed her sword. Walking over to where he was cowering on the floor, she swallowed the disgust she felt with herself and crouched next to him.

"You should know," she whispered calmly, drawing the man's gaze. "Heda dislikes those that would prey on others almost as much as I do. Unfortunately, she doesn't have time to deliver justice to all of you. That's where I come in."

"Wh-who are you?" The man asked one last time.

"Who do you think she trusted with destroying the Maunon?" Clarke whispered, ignoring the sharp sting of the lie on her lips. Standing up, she spun around and walked with Juno back into the cover of the shadows, sagging against her companion once she was out of sight.

"That was quite the performance," Baldur said as he, Taiga, Hudson, and Isole joined her.

Clarke didn't say anything, but smiled tightly when he and the others each gave her a swift hug before disappearing once more among the trees. Slowing her pace, she watched as the sky eventually became a pale grey on her way back to the camp.

"Where were you?"

Turning her head as she broke the treeline, Clarke stopped to let Raven catch up with her.

"Bathroom," she replied dishonestly.

"That's quite a bit of blood for a bathroom break," Raven countered.

"While I was awake, I figured I'd do some hunting," Clarke continued.

"Bull."

Clarke shrugged and made her way back to her bag, hoping to get an hour or two of sleep before they had to start moving again, only to find everyone else was awake as well. Stifling a groan, she met Lexa's worried gaze with a pleading one of her own, and smiled when she stepped in.

"Now that Clarke is back we should get moving. If my guards can make it to the next village in a few hours, we should make it by noon."

Smiling gratefully to Lexa, Clarke mounted up on Juno's back, and leaned forward to bury her face in the soft, dark fur of her mother. Within minutes, the gentle swaying of Juno's walking lulled her to sleep, and the threat of Lexa's wrath made sure she stayed that way until just before they reached the village.

"I take it that the bandit problem has been dealt with?" Lexa asked once she had sat up and yawned.

"All but one," Clarke replied, keeping her voice low so that she could allow some of the pain she was feeling to show. "He'll go off and spread the word that you share my distaste for bandits, and are willing to set me and my fellow monsters loose to take care of them."

"Clarke –" Lexa began, but Clarke cut her off as she continued.

"Then, after today, word will spread about how you brought me with you on a visit to a nameless village, and I spent the entire time helping their sick."

Lexa looked like she wanted to argue, but Clarke could see that her rational mind had already convinced her of it being the right move. "Fine," she huffed. "But you are staying with me, where I can make sure you sleep properly tonight."

"Good luck with that," Clarke muttered bitterly as they entered the village. Schooling her features, she did her best to look as imposing as possible (which wasn't terribly difficult from the back of a beast taller than most men). She listened as the villagers greeted them and smiled gently when Lexa explained that she would like to provide whatever help she could to their local healer. The people cheered as Clarke walked over to join an older woman inside a small hut, who explained that there had been what sounded like a wave of the flu through the village just recently, and she had been overwhelmed. Making sure to be respectful, Clarke explained that the seasonal illness could be treated with little more than time, care, and a few herbal painkillers and decongestants. She spent the day reassuring many of the villagers that they would be just fine, and helping the old woman with whatever she needed.

There was only one situation that even remotely got her blood pumping, as a child no older than three or four was suffering worse than many others – to the point where she nearly lost him. Without thinking about it, she immediately set to work doing chest compressions and breathing in his mouth, before his eyes opened and he coughed weakly. She immediately used some herbs to make a tea that would help him with his fever, before quietly singing him back to sleep, completely forgetting that she had an audience as she did so. It wasn't until she had already checked on another three people that she noticed everyone had frozen and was staring at her in awe.

Deciding she needed a break, Clarke asked the old woman if she wanted anything to eat, and stepped out when she shook her head. Sighing, Clarke raised her head to the afternoon sun, basking in its warmth as she made her way over towards her people.

"O, L, have you two eaten yet?" She asked.

"We're fine," O replied, pointedly ignoring the looks of pity and contempt being directed at her and L.

"They have yet to eat yet, Fisa Klark," Colste interjected from his seat next to a dozing Echo, smirking at the outrage on O's face. "You are Fisa Klark's responsibility as much as she is yours."

"Colste is right," Clarke added patting O on the shoulder. "Go get some food. If anyone gives you trouble… just remind them who it is you've devoted yourselves to." Turning to L, she added, "Under no circumstances are you to react in any sort of violent fashion towards the villagers. You know your strength, don't let their words diminish that."

"Thank you," L said slowly, a soft smile on his face as he stood up and wrapped his arm around O. Together, they made their way towards the tent holding the provisions the villagers had given them with Clarke not far behind.

"I don't like it," Raven grumbled as she watched them go.

"Don't like what?" Monty asked.

"She left us at the mountain," Raven spat, jerking her head towards the hut where Lexa was speaking with the elders of the village. "So did Clarke, for that matter. Now we're suddenly following them both as they go about shaking hands and kissing babies?"

"Yeah, but Clarke was the one who got the kill order on Lincoln lifted," Miller rebuked.

Raven scoffed. "Yeah, by making him and Octavia her slaves."

"Aren't you supposed to be one of the smart ones in Skaikru?" Echo asked as she opened her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Clarke vouched for all of you. The only reason you haven't been strung up and interrogated is because of her. It's widely known that she has done away with her roots in the Sky."

"She had mentioned that she no longer counted herself among our numbers," Marcus said quietly.

"Great," Raven snarled. "We get kicked out of our home, and the first person who doesn't want us dead is too busy following the woman who left us to die like some sort of lovesick puppy with Stockholm syndrome."

"You'll watch your tongue if you don't want it removed," Colste threatened, hand on his dagger.

"There's no need for violence," Marcus said quickly as he stepped between the two of them.

"Marcus is right," Sinclair added, placing a calming hand on Raven's shoulder. "We were just surprised that Clarke really doesn't want to help our people anymore."

"Should we be, though?" Monty asked quietly. "Look at all she's done for us since we landed in that dropship. She made the decisions the rest of us couldn't, despite being challenged and questioned by all of us at every turn. I can see why she might not want anything to do with us anymore." He kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke, the pain in his voice showing that he was speaking from experience, and only moved slightly to lean against Miller when the other boy wrapped an arm around his shoulder in comfort.

"You are right that the Skai Prisa has gone to incredible lengths for you all," a new voice said as a tall, dark-skinned man seemingly appeared from out of nowhere. "However, that does not mean she will abandon those in need. Her refusal to ally with any one clan comes from the fact that she has sworn herself to all people in need of her help."

Without another word, the man strolled over to the food tent, stopping to smile and share some words with Clarke along the way.

A/N: I honestly love Baldur and the other Keryon. He might be one of my favourite OCs to date. Just the way he sort of appears to throw in his two cents before vanishing again, it makes for plenty of entertaining ideas.

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