Bellamy and I sat there on staring into each others eyes for a moment longer before looking around the room for any kind of way out or a weapon to use incase they came back. My father and Abby had been trying to talk and devise a logical plan. Lincoln was being consoled by Octavia after the spat he had with his sister.
Raven seemed to be pacing slowly in a small spot thinking of I guess something to say. I didn't blame her for what happened and hell Bellamy and I believed her when she said she didn't do it. How could she? She looked so shocked about the whole thing as it was. "There has to be some reason they think it was poisoned there's no way any of our people would try to kill their leader when she's going to help us." I told him as we continued to search the room.
"I can't see Raven being that bold, if she was going to kill anyone. My money would be on Clarke, not the grounder princess." He told me.
"I know this doesn't sit right with me Bells." I heard him sigh heavily. "Me either babe."
I heard a loud groan which caught the attention of everyone in the room, looking over at Clarke I realized it came from her. Raven had punched her in the face, likely extremely hard too from the looks of it. "You're the only murderer here!" She creamed at her.
"Raven!" I shouted at her as she turned to look at me.
"Don't even say you haven't wanted to do the same thing." She called me out. I was almost positive that Clarke and I had been into a fistfight at some point or another. I had tried to forget about all the negativity that I caused between the two of us.
I wasn't about to continue the power struggle that she and I were having before. I was simply going to do like Bellamy was and take a back seat in the decision-making that was to come. If she needed my advice of course I would be there to give it and help. However for reasons being shown I was not going to step in where I wasn't asked.
"Raven, that doesn't mean she deserves to be hit like that." I told her, "Grow up, you're supposed to be the older one." I spat at her as Bellamy took my arm trying to stop me from moving any closer to either girl.
Moving away from Bellamy and walking towards Clarke putting my hand on her shoulder as she slowly stood up to look at me, the tears begging her to spill from her eyes. "I'm sick of her always acting like she is in charge and has some sort of plan. God all three of you even back at the beginning acted like you where our saviors when really you just tried harder than the rest."
"She doesn't act like a leader Raven. She is a leader, if it wasn't for Clarke and her sacrifices we wouldn't have even had a chance when it came to talking to the grounders to get help." I snapped, "God how bad is your tunnel vision Raven? You have only ever thought about you and your needs. Too many times to count have you been selfish, Clarke is putting her life on the line to save our people and get our friends back… what are you doing besides trying to get everyone here killed?" I asked her as Clarke put her arm out to move me behind her.
"No she's right." Octavia added, "We're all selfish, but who here has more to lose if we fail. Clarke does." She continued.
Raven just rolled her eyes, "Whatever."
"How grown up of you Raven." I said as the room fell silent, Clarke was staring off at the door causing us all to slowly turn our attention to the empty space her eyes where glued to.
"Leave me alone." Clarke growled at the empty space as Raven and I exchanged looks at each other. "You gave me no choice." She continued saying as Octavia was now staring at me like Clarke had gone insane. "Why did you turn yourself in?" She began to sob.
Raven turned to look at me, 'Finn?' she mouthed to me as I shrugged to her. That was the good thing about my relationship with Raven. We could call each other out on anything and we would still be sitting down having a good conversation right after a fight. I knew she cared for Clarke; hell maybe even was her friend. However both girls where hurting and maybe yea I should have taken a softer approach with her.
Clarke looked at all of us realizing she had been talking to herself, an imagination of Finn. She began to back away from all of us moving herself towards a chair behind her. "Baby, you ok?" Abby asked her as Clarke looked like she was closer to tears as she walked away from us all sitting down on a chair near by.
Raven and I stood by each other as Abby circled around the table to go over at talk to Clarke as I looked over at Raven. "Sorry about the out burst Raven… how are you holding up anyway with everything?" I asked her.
"It's fine I had it coming, but you can't say she didn't deserve that from one of the three of us… she took Finn from me, tried to take Bellamy from you, and she got numerous people killed. Someone needed to hit her."
I stifled a chuckle; "Clarke deserves many things but the blame for everything that's happened since we got down here isn't one of them. We're all at fault here, for at least something."
Raven shrugged; "Maybe."
"You two make up?" Bellamy asked as he walked over to us.
"We did and no we didn't kiss." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Thankful for that." He teased as he wrapped his arm around me.
The three of us stood there about to start up a conversation when Clarke began to talk incredibly loud. "You're talking about dad? What I did to Finn was nothing like what you did to him."
I looked at Bellamy who shrugged his shoulders at me, turning our attention over towards Clarke and Abby I could tell she was responding to Clarke but I couldn't hear what she was saying. "I was protecting everyone. I didn't have a choice." Clarke shouted at her mother as I made my way towards the two women. "You did." Clarke said as Abby tried to tell her.
"You turned him in." Clarke shouted as I felt Raven take my wrist stopping me from moving. "They need to do this." She told me.
"No. I trusted Thelonious to talk to your father and convince him not to go public." Abby begged as Bellamy was now at my side. "You knew dad would never stop. You knew what would happen to him." She continued.
"I was protecting everyone, too." Abby pleaded with her. "I was protecting you."
Clarke stood up and began to make her way towards the three of us on the other side of the room as Abby stood there looking at her; hurt, broken and confused. "Clarke, please." Abby begged.
"We are the same." Clarke seethed at her mother.
"We have to get out of here." Raven finally said after what felt like an hour of silence. I looked up from the place I was sitting with Bellamy standing next to me as I watched my father walk over to Clarke in I guess and attempt to talk to her about this.
"What do you think he's saying?" Raven asked me impatiently.
"Honestly, probably going to get her to apologize to her mother." I told her, "He believes what we believe and know, she is our only hope with peace."
Raven shrugged; "She's not the only way."
"She is Raven, don't think I don't wish it wasn't that way either." Bellamy told her.
"What's going on?" Octavia asked as her and Lincoln joined us in the one corner of the room.
"Watching Ray's dad attempt to keep the peace between Clarke and Abby." Raven answered.
"I wasn't the only one who thought that was insane with Clarke?" Octavia asked.
Raven nodded, "She's still seeing Finn… and she will till she can come to terms with what she did with him. She needs to forgive herself, she needs to let him go."
"Who would want her dead?" I heard my dad say as we all began to walk closer to her. "Too many to count." Lincoln replied to him.
"Forming an alliance with you was a risk, especially after what Finn did to this village." He continued to explain.
"Had to be someone trying to mess up this alliance from happening." I said as I made my way closer to them.
The door behind Clarke and my father soon opened as they both stood up walking towards where the rest of us where standing. As they began to open the door, everyone began to move around. Lincoln moved so he was pushing Octavia behind him and Bellamy rushing towards me pulling me away from the doorway.
Nyko soon entered the room followed by Indra, Nova and a few of their guards. "How's Gustus?" Lincoln asked Nyko as the man slowly nodded his head. "Gustus will live." He told us as Indra growled something to the guards.
"Wait. Wait. What are you doing?" My father stumbled out.
"Stop this!" I shouted out as a grounder tried pulling Bellamy aside. "She didn't poison anyone!" Bellamy shouted at them as well.
"I argued for all of you to die, but the Commander and her second can be merciful. She only wants one." Indra harshly explained.
"She's innocent." Lincoln said staring at his sister.
"She doesn't care Lincoln and I could only fight so much to keep you all alive. I did my best but you know what the law of our people states." Nova explained to him.
"They move, they bleed." Indra told them harshly.
"I did what I could, Lincoln."
The grounders began to push on us to get us to move for that they could get to Raven from us. "Hey, Hey, Stop! Let her go!" We all began shouting at them.
They took Raven and walked her right out of the room as we all stood there in shock. Watching as our friend was removed from our grasps, knowing there was nothing we could have done without getting all of us killed in the process. That would just get all our people in general killed. Was one life really worth the lives of every single one of our people?
"The rest of you are free. When she's dead, so is the alliance." Indra said as we all looked around at each other. "You should run." Indra warned us.
"What are we going to do." I asked once Indra had left us all down there with Nyko to join the others outside to start the punishment.
"Unless you can prove her innocents within seconds there is nothing you can do." Nova explained to us as she stood next to Nyko.
A ground came down the steps saying something to Nova as she looked up to Lincoln than to Nyko before she turned and walked up the stairs to where Raven was. "What was that?" Clarke asked.
"The Commander want's her to be present for the entire killing." Lincoln explained.
We all soon made out way upstairs and outside to where they already had Raven strung up against the post, hands above her head. We all began to move closer to where everyone in the clan had been standing as we looked around at all of them to see the hunger in their eyes. "I take no joy in this, Raven." Lexa informed her as she hung there shaking with fear. "But this time, justice will be done."
"I didn't do it. How is that justice?" Raven asked her as tears flooded from her eyes.
Bellamy moved around Lincoln towards where I had been standing, "We have to do something." He spat out.
"Bellamy anything we do will get all our people killed." I told him looking at my feet. "We have to pick our battles." My father informed him.
"Lincoln, talk to them." Octavia begged as Lexa cut downwards on Ravens arm causing her to cry out in pain.
Indra soon walked up to her taking the knife from Lexa lifting her shirt cutting downwards onto her stomach forcing a horribly pained scream from Raven's lips. "Bellamy is right we have to do something." I changed my initial stance.
"Lincoln, please talk to them. These are your people." Octavia asked of him. "Not anymore." Lincoln told her as he walked towards Nyko and his sister whom where standing not to far from us.
"You're no longer safe here, my friend." Nyko said as he and Lincoln gave each other a hearty hug. "Nova and I will do our best to make sure you get away." Nyko told Lincoln. "Then you'll be on your own."
"You need to get the Sky People as far from the woods as possible. Luna may help you get across the water, if you can get them all there before Lexa wages war on the Sky People." Nova explained to him.
Raven's continued to scream in agony as the knife was passed onto other members of the tribe allowing each of them to cut her just like Lincoln had told us they would have done to Finn. Finn's punishment had basically been passed onto Raven.
"Clarke we need to move now." Abby shouted down the stairs to Clarke, as I felt Bellamy take my hand in his. "Bellamy, I can't take much more of standing here watching them torture her." I whispered to him softly as he placed his hand to my cheek turning my face into his chest to shield me from watching. However her agonizing screams where torturous enough to paint a vivid enough image.
"Clarke, now." Abby shouted down the stairs again. "Clarke, stop. What're you doing?" Bellamy asked as she hand pulling me away from Bellamy and towards Nyko. "You'll get yourself killed." Octavia added.
"Everything ok Clarke?" I asked her. "We need that bottle now." She ordered Nyko. Nyko walked into the hut fetching the bottle for her as Clarke began to move towards Lexa and Raven leaving me and the others outside near the hut.
"Stop!" She yelled towards them.
"Let her pass." Lexa called out as Clarke moved even further away from me. Bellamy standing next to me as Abby and Kane followed Clarke. "What is she doing? This is crazy." Bellamy asked me as I stood there shaking my head in confusion.
"One of your people tried to kill you, Lexa, not one of mine." Clarke told her as Nyko emerged from the Hut leading, Bellamy, Nova and I towards where Lexa, Gustus and Indra were standing. Nova quickly moved next to Lexa after she had stared at Lincoln's sister the moment she saw her.
"You should've run." Indra growled at us.
"I can prove it." Clarke said as she looked at me as Nyko handed me the bottle. "Drink it." Clarke told me as Bellamy looked at her. "No! Are you crazy?" He shouted at Clarke.
It was too late, the bottle's cork was already out and I had taken a long full swig of the contents. It's harsh alcohol hitting my throat causing me to squint, as I swallowed it down. Once I had put the bottle down putting the cork back into the bottle I noticed everyone's eyes on me. Clarke staring at me intently, "I'm fine." I told her quickly wiping my lips.
"Explain." Lexa spat at her as Bellamy kept his eyes directly on me, making me feel a small bit uncomfortable. Like I had done something terrible, which I could understand that could have killed me.
"The poison wasn't in the bottle." Clarke began to say, as I cut her off when I came to the realization that she must have come to herself. "It was in the cup." I said tearing my eyes away from Bellamy's as I looked over at Lexa and her people.
Gustus whispered something to Lexa as my eyes darted to Nova for an indication of what she said when she shook her head at me. I assume to tell me not to worry or to calm down; I looked back to Bellamy as he seemed to look like he was deep in thought.
"It was you." Bellamy said as he looked directly at Gustus. "He tested the cup. He searched Raven."
"Gustus would never harm me." Lexa seethed at us.
"You weren't the target. The alliance was." Bellamy told her.
"We didn't do this, and you know it." Clarke told her as Bellamy made his way over to me taking the bottle from my hands, handing it over to my father as he pulled me into his arms.
Lexa slowly turned around to look at Gustus, Nova and Indra seeming to look just as interested in what he would say as the rest of us where. Lexa said something in their language as we all stood there waiting to here what would be done. If he was going to admit what he had done, stop the torture against Raven.
Gustus looked at us, before turning his attention to Lexa. "This alliance would cost you your life, Heda." As everyone in their village began to talk under their breath and mumbling their words as we all exchanged looks with each other.
"I could not let that happen." He admitted as Lexa stood there looking hurt and betrayed. "This treachery will cost you yours." She told him harshly.
She than said something to her people as two men walked towards Raven cutting her down from the tree she was tied too as Kane and Abby rushed towards Raven. Taking her from the Grounders to not allow them to hurt her anymore than they already had.
Nova's Point of View
I stood along side my brother and his new people as the entire village began to take their turns cutting into his skin. I looked over at the man his eyes directly on me, as I was the only one in the village who had not taken a turn in cutting his flesh. The look in his eyes could only be described as sorrow and regret.
The last village was able to stab him, the same village her had beaten when we had arrived in the village. I lowered my head as he moved his attention back forward where Lexa was now standing. Clarke's mother was patching up the girl that had been against the tree as I stood between Clarke, the red haired girl and her boyfriend watching the scene before us.
"That would've been Finn." The girl said as I looked over to Clarke. "I suppose that means thank you?" I asked her as she looked to the ground.
"Be strong." Gustus told her softly.
Lexa slowly drew out her sword as we all stood by watching, as she was about to deal the last piece of the punishment, the red haired girl seemed to burry her face into her boyfriends chest as he stroked her hair to comfort her.
Clarke stood there her eyes directly on Gustus, as the others all stood there quietly. Waiting, watching, curious as to what it was our people did to. Lexa stood there before him holding the sword against her arm; "Your fight is over."
She moved the sword so that it was more point towards him as she slowly sunk the blade into his chest holding the blade inside him until his final breath left his lips.
"We're not so different, are we?" I heard Clarke's mother say from behind me.
Lexa soon turned her attention to Clarke, before looking at me fear dripping from her eyes. They were all she had in a form of protection against traitors now that Gustus was dead. Looking at her I nodded, she needed to know I would now be the one to keep her safe along side the Sky People.
"I need you to stay with the Sky People, you will need to answer the call if I am to be killed Nova." She told me.
"Lexa, we should not be separated. Not now after Gustus', your enemies will be ever present now." I told her as she sighed,
"Than keep the promise you made me, ensure the Sky People's trust make sure they keep us safe."
I nodded to her as I walked towards the exit of the tent. "Anything, Heda." I told her before leaving the tent to go sit on the log along side the red haired girl and her boyfriend.
"How did you know it was Gustus?" Lincoln asked the boy.
"He'd do anything for her, to protect her. I saw the look in his eyes. The same look you have for my sister, same look I have for Rayne…" He told them. "Just made sense."
"Look at the tanks he got." Octavia spat.
"Guys… and you." The Raven girl said as she wondered over to the group.
"She has a name Raven." The red haired girl said, making me feel bad for not knowing their names.
"What is it?" Bellamy asked her as he stood up to look at what she had.
"Listen to this."
"'47 of us are trapped inside Mount Weather—" The voice began to say.
"Talk to him. Say something." Clarke said as I stood up standing next to Clarke as everyone else began to crowed around Raven.
"It's repeating." She told Clarke. "They're alive." Octavia said grinning.
"We need to do this now." Bellamy said as he wrapped his arm around Rayne. "You've got the alliance, Clarke. Now is the time to use it." Rayne told her as I stood there looking at the boy recalling the talk he and I had the other night about going inside the Mountain.
"First, we need an inside man." Clarke told her. "You were right." She told Bellamy as the red haired girl moved away from him. "No! He's not going in I wont lose him." She growled.
"Rayne without someone on the inside to lower their defenses, turn off the acid fog, an army is useless." Clarke told her.
"I can't lose you." Rayne told Bellamy as he turned her around to face him. "I will go with him, I'll keep him safe. The President cares for me like a child… I can get in first and make sure he goes as unnoticed as possible." I tried to comfort her.
"Wont the Commander need you?" Clarke asked.
"The Commander would want me to keep all her assets safe."
"Nova knows her way around the Mountain; she will keep him safe Rayne. We can't afford to be weak, it's worth the risk." She told her friend as I arched my brow.
"Find a way to get on that radio and talk to us." She continued as I looked at the boy. "Good luck." She said walking away.
"Interesting." I smirked. "Bell, how are you two gonna—" Octavia began to say.
"I can get them through the tunnels." My brother told them, "He can't go back there, not yet." She tried to fight him.
"We will be fine, Octavia." I told her. "You two come with me, I'll show you what to look for." Raven said as she lead the boy and I away leaving the red haired girl with my brother and Octavia.