Chapter 41:
Clarke stood before Queen Nia. She was breathing heavily with the weight of the situation before her. She had Pike, Bellamy and three other Skaikru in the tent along with three of Nia's warriors. Nia was watching her like a hawk.
"What is your name girl?"
Clarke looked at her and sneered, "Wanheda."
Nia laughed coldly. "We may get along yet Skygirl. Now, what do they call you?"
It was Pike who answered, "Her name is Clarke Griffin your majesty."
She turned to look at him her eyes flashing with hatred before she spoke, "Pike. We should address our business. I promised you peace for the delivery of Wanheda."
Pike nodded and swallowed, "In exchange for allowing us use of the mountain yes. The mountain no longer is useful now however, so I feel we should change our terms."
Nia breathed in deep before nodding and saying, "I'm sorry I cannot allow that."
With that the warrior next to Pike stepped forward and stabbed him in the heart. He twisted the knife before ripping it out and letting Pike fall to the ground. Nia smiled as the Skaikru reacted. Clarke remained calm and still her eyes locked on Nia. The three other men that came in with Pike dropped to the floor with dull thuds. Suddenly Bellamy made his move, he slipped Clarke's dagger out of his sleeve and cut Clarke's bindings.
"Clarke Run!" then he had two warriors on him striking him to the ground in two hits and they restrained him.
Clarke remained where she was. She was about to make a move when the warrior pulled his blade on Bellamy laying it threateningly against his cheek. Clarke stopped, knowing moving meant he would die, that his last move had been to help Clarke escape. Looked at him as he struggled against the two men. Clarke turned back to face Nia as the woman spoke.
"Well that was interesting," she said dryly.
She took a couple steps forward to Clarke, "What shall we do here Wanheda?"
Clarke swallowed unsure of what to do. She tried to tell her little voice to shut up. She tried to ignore its jabs telling her she couldn't save anyone. She couldn't even save herself.
"What do you want from me?" Clarke asked bitterly.
"I want you to join me."
Clarke looked at Pike and back to Nia, "No thanks I see where being your ally gets you."
Nia smiled, "He was greedy."
"He was trying to keep his people safe," Clarke found herself defending Pike.
"Aren't we all?"
Clarke ignored this, "I know what you want. You want the coalition, you want power," Clarke spat out.
Nia smiled, "All true. Though, you are missing a few items in there."
Clarke remained silent, setting her jaw. She wasn't about to indulge this bitch.
Nia traced her tongue against her teeth before speaking again, "I want Lexa dead. I want you to bow to me and then marry my son."
"Go fuck yourself." Clarke spoke before she thought. The words flying out of her mouth with force and dripping with attitude.
Nia looked at Clarke with a fake shocked bemusement, "Bow to me: the other clans will recognize your allegiance making them lose faith in Lexa meaning they'll join me without bloodshed. You then marry Roan ensuring our legacy to the coalitions throne. You then tell your people to lay down their arms and maybe I let them live."
"And Lexa needs to be dead for you to do this?" Clarke asked glaring at the Nia, she had conveniently left out that bloodshed.
"No. That's for me. That's a personal gift." She said beaming proudly as one of the warriors had walked over to her with Lexa's katana. He held it out for Nia to examine. Nia took her eyes off of Clarke and they widened looking at the sword.
Clarke was about to react when shouts erupted outside the tent. Nia looked up and listened to the shouts before she looked back down at Clarke and smiled. "I know who you are…" she said quietly. She looked back to the sword and back to Clarke. She seemed to be unsurprised by the shouts coming from outside.
No, Clarke thought looking at the sword and back at Nia. She knew. She knew the sword was Lexa's.
Nia smiled, "She gave one to her too," Nia said pointing to the bone crown on her head.
Clarke shivered and her jaw opened slightly at the shock. She was wearing some of Costia's bones…as a crown.
Clarke felt her stomach lurch. She felt sick. She swallowed as she thought jus drein jus daun and her body was in motion grabbing the sword and slicing up and into the jugular of the warrior. She was about to turn to take out the two on Bellamy when she felt Nia's hilt of her own sword crack her in the back of her head. Clarke fell to her knees and then lost consciousness.
She regained herself briefly as she was being dragged outside. She could hear Nia calling out. She heard gunshots, maybe even explosions before she blacked out again. When she woke again she was having water splashed on her face. She opened her eyes at the shock to find Roan with her in his mother's tent again. He was helping her sit up, "Come on, you have to get up."
Bellamy was unconscious on the floor beside her. The two guards dead. Clarke looked back at Roan, "he's a friend of mine."
Roan shrugged "That's why he's still breathing," helping Clarke stand, "he rushed me when I tried to wake you. I don't know why though, I had just killed his two friends for him."
Clarke smiled, "Yeah he doesn't always make the best decisions. How did you get in here?"
"Same way we are getting out," Roan responded gesturing to a slit he had made in the back of the tent.
Clarke paused looking around she grabbed her sword and her pack, she reached in deep and found what she was looking for. She felt the cool heavy metal and she gripped it tight. Her gun. She pulled it out and holstered it under her arm tucked into the leathers Lexa gave her. It felt strange to have it on her again. It felt heavy tucked in to her grounder gear. It felt like it carried the dead with it. She was about to head to the back of the tent when she froze in her tracks. She heard a familiar voice outside the tent.
"Where is she?"
"Lexa," Clarke whispered rushing forwards in a panic towards the front of the tent as Roan grabbed her holding her back. She had to see her. She couldn't believe it. She's alive? How was she here? How was she speaking? What was she doing? Too many thoughts began to run through Clarke's head. She was thankful when she heard Roan speak.
"Stop. Wait. Listen." he hissed.
"Clarke," a woman whispered behind her, Clarke spun around out of Roan's arms to find Octavia. Lincoln was helping Bellamy to his feet. Octavia wrapped Clarke in a giant hug before Clarke could say anything. Then Clarke's mind started to work again, she was listening to Lexa speak to Nia as she thought of a plan. You can do this Griffin, her little voice spoke softly but firm, the sight of her friends around her helping her confidence, you can save everyone.