Disclaimer: I do not own The 100 or the characters in it. They are owned by Kass Morgan
Author's Note: Sparksy97: I love Miller and I hope to have a couple more moments of him with our beloved characters before I wrap this story up! Thanks for the review
Sey77: Thanks for letting me know you agree with my reasoning. But just because I'm not rushing them, doesn't mean the campers aren't :wink:
A Reader: Thanks for your review! Clarke is definitely the cunning and vengeful type in my opinion so I'm glad I could have it believable that she Dashnaw floated.
.1297 : Thank you! I love your input on this story so much! As much as I want them to just be together I wanna keep this story as realistic as possible.
And to Guest: Thanks for the review and I hope you like the newest one.
XOXOX
The morning of the big meeting, Clarke and Bellamy stood inside their strategy tent with Raven, Miller, Octavia, and Jasper. They wanted to have their best shooters with them just in case this meeting was a set up and Octavia made it clear both Clarke nor Bellamy were going without her. While they would rather have her here out of harm's way, they both knew she was too stubborn to listen to them. Plus, Clarke knew she wanted to see Lincoln.
"So we want to stress that you guys are not to shoot unless they shoot first." Clarke says softly and Jasper has a dark look on his face. Ever since he left camp, he's been trying to get stronger in case he was ever taken again or someone attacked. When they found the guns in the bunker, Jasper was one of the first that came up to the two leaders and begged to learn to shoot. Bellamy respected his determination and taught him what he learned during cadet training. Turns out the goofy boy had a natural talent in target practice and was often used in the guard and hunting rotation.
"But what if they shoot first and kill one of you?" He asks and Clarke looks at Bellamy who had a look of worry on his face. He's been worried about the same thing since the meeting was announced but there was nothing they could really do but have faith. He just prayed that nothing would happen to Clarke, Octavia, or his people.
"Then Jas, we want you to beat the living hell out of the one who killed us. Make them regret it." Bellamy finally says with a strong voice; not wanting his friend to see his fear. Jasper nodded determinedly and grabbed his gun tightly.
"Lincoln already said there would be warriors in the trees. So keep an eye for them and if you think someone is about to shoot just whistle to give us a warning or something, nothing crazy though." Clarke says calmly. She may not say it to Bellamy but she trusts Lincoln and his word that no one will attack them. She had high hopes for this meeting.
Miller and Raven nod at the blonde and pick up their guns, ready to get moving. Miller and Raven were a lot alike in the sense that words didn't need to be said. Their actions spoke volumes to others and they were willing to fight as hard as they could for the people they loved. Miller gives Clarke and Bellamy a smile of encouragement before leaving the tent.
They pack up and leave the tent without a word. Bellamy goes over to the wall and makes sure Murphy, Sterling, and Harper were good and prepared for anything while Clarke goes to Finn and Monty to let them know they would be back as soon as they could.
Finn was a little cold to Clarke, but she knew that was because Raven was going with them to this meeting; with a gun no less. Finn was more of a peace lover and believed anything could be solved by talking it out; it was a pleasant thought, but unfortunately it was too unrealistic so they didn't usually leave him in charge while they were away. Raven was the exact opposite of her boyfriend; she knew the realities of their situation and always prepared for the worst, which is why her job was to make weapons in case of an attack.
It takes them almost an hour to get to the bridge and it looked like they were the first ones there. Clarke and Bellamy order Miller, Jasper, and Raven to the sides to check the perimeter and Octavia waits by the leaders holding a gun with a large blade tied to her waist. She says nothing but inside she was nervous for her brother and best friend in case this whole thing took a turn for the worst but mostly she was nervous to see Lincoln again. She missed him.
After a couple minutes Bellamy hears Clarke hold in her breath.
"Horses." She whispers fascinated as she stares at the beasts. Even though they were slightly mutated due to the radiation on Earth, they were still so beautiful. Clarke used to dream about horses on The Ark, so it was a dream come true to finally see one in person.
Lincoln is the first one to walk towards them, a blank expression on his face. Right behind them is a tall, willowy woman with dark blonde hair, black war paint, and a deep frown. It was clear by the war the grounders' reactions to her, she was Anya their leader.
Her stride to them is confident and powerful that it slightly intimidated the two but they just stood their ground until she was close enough to them. Clarke wanted nothing more than to grab Bellamy's hand for reassurance but she refused to look weak in front of Anya.
"You must be the leaders of the Sky People. I am Anya, commander of the Tree People colony." She says formally but they could tell she was trying to be welcoming yet tough at the same time.
Clarke nods quickly.
"Yes, I am Clarke Griffin and this is Bellamy Blake. We are the leaders of our camp." She says in the same tone and Bellamy looks at her with admiration.
"Griffin? Blake? Why different names? If you are the leaders, aren't you supposed to be joined?" She asks genuinely confused. On Earth there was no such thing as two names. You had your birth name and what colony you came from. It was rare for two people to lead, however she just assumed they belonged to each other.
Clarke and Bellamy look at each other, both with little blushes on their faces and they turned to see Octavia trying hard to keep her laughter inside. Octavia looks to the sides to see Miller, Jasper, and Raven quietly laughing as well. Many of the campers referred to their leaders as "Mom" and "Dad" but they didn't know that. Most of the camp were not so secretly rooting for the two of them to together, Jasper especially for some unknown reason.
"Those are our last names. We aren't...joined...we are just the best to lead our people and lead together." Bellamy stumbles over his words but Anya gets the message and nods. Her mistake it seemed, but she didn't miss the way two looked at each other. Denial was unfortunate weakness but Anya knew she could overlook it.
"Very well. You have been called to this meeting to discuss a possible peace treaty. Are your people familiar with the concept?" She asks as if talking to a child. Bellamy's eyes harden but Clarke puts her hand on his arm to calm him down. This woman is from a different world, literally; so she has no idea what they do and do not know as far as procedure and politics. It was a rude way of asking, but she was just asking.
"Not completely. We would like to discuss terms. What is it you want from us exactly and what do you expect from us?" Clarke asks and Anya resists the urge to nod in approval. The Sky People were smart. They didn't lash out to her obvious insult. Maybe this peace could really work. They had obvious weaknesses but then again so did her her people.
"I'll be very blunt with you two. When you came here, you caused a lot of problems. Your landing and camp sight took up a very large amount of our own land. Not to mention you taking our crops and game. If we were savages, we would start a war..." She begins and lets those words sink in the two.
The grounders were not ruthless, they were not mindless animals or savages. Her people were impressive and strong and she refused to think of them in any other way.
"However, I would not be a good leader if I didn't see the advantages you bring to my people. The weapons you carry...we have never seen anything like it. You also have medical expertise we do not and technology that hasn't been around since the nuclear war. Therefore, in exchange for some of your knowledge and supplies we are willing to...share. We also have knowledge of these lands as well as the people that have been here since the war that you desperately need if you want to survive here. We are one of a number of people that could kill you." She finishes and Bellamy looks at Clarke and sees her thinking of her words.
Knowledge for knowledge wasn't a bad trade. Not in the slightest, however, there was something Clarke desperately needed to know before she said anything.
"I just have one question." She states and Anya nods at her to ask.
"Why did you kidnap one our own, stab him with a spear, patch up his wound with seaweed, then string him up? Was that just a warning or was it something else?" She asked and Anya looks over to Lincoln for a second who nodded at her in encouragement. They deserved to know the truth about that day.
"It was our people that shot your friend. However, it was not for why you think. In Mount Weather resides an even bigger enemy that every colony has been fearing for decades. They are the ones who control the acid fog and have been killing our people for ages. It was them who took him and tied him up for bait. We were trying to kill him because what they do to our people is so much worse than death." She says truthfully and Clarke nods in acceptance.
Bellamy softly hits Clarke's arm to get her attention. She looks over and sees him nodding at the Tree People's leader. He thinks this whole thing was a good idea. They needed to be more aware of what Earth has; they couldn't keep running around blind. He was giving her approval because he knew Anya already convinced her.
"While I'm sure we still need to discuss some things, like our people still in space, we would like to take you up on your offer. We can help each other." Clarke announced and Anya lets out a (very) small smile.
"Very well." She says before she turns her back to them and towards her guards and the warriors in the trees behind her.
She says in Trigedasleng, "From this moment, no harm is to come to the Sky People unless instructed by me. We are in the starting trials of a peace treaty." She screams strongly and they all yell in victory and respect for their leader's command.
She turns to the Sky People and switches back to English.
"My people will not harm you from now on, unless I tell them so. I suggest you tell your people the same. Lincoln will contact you when we can discuss more." She says and nods to the two in respect.
Bellamy and Clarke nod back to her, not wanting to offend.
"Commander, maybe I should stay and protect them while you are thinking of your terms. I can learn about their weapons and teach them about some of our plant remedies." He asks his leader softly. He says it in English because he doesn't want Clarke or Bellamy to think he was hiding anything.
Anya nods in approval.
"Lincoln is to watch out for you and your people. We are not the only colony. Reapers and the mountain men are enemies of all and you are not prepared to handle them alone. He can teach you some of our methods while you teach him some of yours." She states and nods to her warrior Lincoln who stood motionless until she spoke to him.
"I will protect them will my life." He says.
"All of them, not just the browned haired warrior." She teases back in their language and Lincoln's eyes soften at the jab. Anya was a tough leader but she cared about her people and wanted them to be safe, happy, and strong.
He nods and walks to the Sky People.
"Whatever you need." He tells them respectfully and Clarke gives him a smile while Bellamy looked slightly annoyed.
"It just had to be you, didn't it?" Bellamy muttered to himself and Clarke and Octavia give little laughs while Clarke puts her arm around Bellamy.
"Don't you worry Bell. He will never let anything happen to your sister; anything bad anyway." She says soothingly and winks to Lincoln who stands by Octavia. She smiles shyly at him as they start to walk to Miller, Jasper, and Raven.
"So that's it? There's peace?" Raven asks hesitantly. It seemed too easy to her. Jasper looked a little shocked to learn it wasn't the grounders that strung him up so he has been uncharacteristically silent.
"We still need to discuss The Ark's people and whether or not they are part of this peace, but for now; yeah there is peace between us." Clarke answers and she tightens her hold on Bellamy.
"We should talk to the camp about The Ark before we talk to the grounders about them. We aren't even sure we plan on joining their society yet." Bellamy chimes in and they all nod in agreement.
However, for now they could only hold their breaths. Peace was a fragile thing, but it was something everyone wanted to keep for the sake of their survival.
TBC