Hey guys! Alright so, I know I said Wednesday and then - with some help from some reviews - realized that that was longer than necessary for you guys to wait. Today's Sunday, so here begins the start of the new updating schedule.

To the first reviewer on the last chapter, a guest who I couldn't reply to personally, and to anyone who might've been thinking along the same lines, I wanna say something: I don't want anyone to think that I'm mad for people wanting Clexa. I'm not. So many reviews say 'I can't wait for Lexa to come into this,' or 'I'm so excited for when Lexa and Clarke reunite,' or things along those lines. I love these reviews because I feel the same way, I can't wait. I'm excited to get you guys to it. But there were reviews who weren't as nice about it and those were the ones that I was talking about. Yes, Clexa is listed as the main pairing of the story and there's a reason for that: clexa is the main pairing of the story. That doesn't mean there isn't anything else to the story. So often when I write I get so excited that I jump to what I want to write and forget the plot that I have planned in the process. I've tried very very hard not to do that with this story because I want to get it right.

tl:dr? I'm not mad for people wanting Clexa, I'm a little frustrated at the people who were rude about saying so.

To everyone else who reviewed, thank you so much for your kind words and your liking of this story. I want to thank my beta trueloveaddict-ally who revised this chapter as a last minute rush job. She's the real champ, guys.

Alright, now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: Please see chapters 1-3

Before:

"The night after Diggs and John… I heard you. When I came back and before I told Clarke all about what he told me. I thought, at first, maybe you and Clarke had seen him before he saved me or… or something! I don't know. I don't know how to explain to you what I heard Raven, it's crazy. This is crazy!"

...

Once she was ready, Raven left her tent and walked towards Octavia's. "We're coming Clarke." She whispered into the early morning air. "Don't worry, we're coming."

...

He moved to Clarke and none-too-gently threw her over his shoulder, motioning for the other warrior to pick up Lincoln. ... "Gon Tondisi."

...

Clarke looked around and realized that they were staying in the same place that Raven had been accused of trying to poison Lexa the last time around.

...

"She found your stash, Clarke, and she heard us that day when the grounders attacked. You know, when we were talking about you-know-what." Clarke's eyes widened and she looked back to Octavia. She saw Lincoln's expression too, still distressed as he caught on to what direction this conversation might be headed in.

...

"Why have you brought us here?" She asked tersely. None of them answered her, but then she saw something that made her pause. Gustus was wearing Lexa's shoulder pauldron.

Now:

She was furious. Her orders had been clear. Do not harm the Sky People, let them come to us. Attack if you are attacked and no more. Let us see what they are worth.

If there was anyone she expected to disobey her orders it was certainly not Indra or Gustus. Sure, both were against any thought of an alliance with the Sky People, but they were loyal soldiers and perhaps even friends. Though right now, she definitely was looking at them only as mentors for their insubordinate behaviour.

They had come to her together, talking about how they had captured four Sky People and were holding them in the meeting hut. She had immediately rounded on them and asked what the four had done to deserve being captured and kept. Both gave the excuse that the explosion the previous morning had been an attack against them.

She was furious but with the reasoning they gave, they made it sound as if that would be what the people would be thinking and, if her people saw her to be doing nothing against a perceived attack, she knew it would be bad for her.

So she asked them what their plan was and they told her.

She hated it.

Their plan was for her to pretend to be a commoner, a servant even, and go into the room and act as if she was being kept against her will also. She was meant to act as a mousy, unbecoming girl, the complete opposite of who she was, and try to garner any information that she could.

So now she was in her tent, washing war paint from her face and donning her most unbecoming clothes. She wore a grey shirt with no sleeves and pulled on gloves that came up a good ways on her arm. Her pauldron was off to the side, ready for Gustus to wear so that their prisoners would think him a leader.

She grimaced at the thought of someone else wearing her symbol of command but pushed through it.

She grabbed a piece of fabric and tied it around her head, letting the longer piece sit over her hair to hide the intricate braids a servant would not have. Did the Sky People have servants?

She often found herself wondering about the Sky People, ever since the first light had come down from the sky and she had gotten word of the people that came with it. She didn't know why, but she felt like there was a part of her that needed to know them. That was a part of why she had given the commands that she had. The other part was based on the facts of what the Sky People had done since being on the ground.

They were attacked and did not retaliate. All they did was build walls around their camp to keep others out, they had scouted and salvaged and then a second light had come down and they salvaged some more.

She had heard of the attack against the Sky People by some of her own, natrona claiming that they knew what was best for her people.

They didn't.

Now they were dead.

She looked up when Indra entered and nodded when she gave her a questioning look.

"Are you ready, heda?" She stood and Gustus came in behind Indra, moving towards her and taking the pauldron from where it was laid. She watched with a sick feeling roiling in her stomach as he clipped it across his chest and looked away when she couldn't take the sight.

"Let's go." She said. She led Indra and Gustus to the meeting hut and then stood as Gustus gathered three warriors to "escort" her in. They led her into the hut.

She heard murmurs as she walked in and then stopped when she heard one of the Sky People ask, "Why have you brought us here?" She knew that voice, why did she know that voice? It wasn't conceivably possible that she could know the voice of a Sky Person.

"Shof op." Gustus said. Be quiet. She wanted to berate him, tell him to show their prisoners some courtesy, but she kept quiet, playing her part.

"What right do you have to keep us as prisoners? Especially one of your own?" The voice spoke again and she couldn't help but admire the strength in it as well as the underlying worry that softened the edges.

Wait.

One of her people? Indra and Gustus had said four Skaikru. Four Sky People. Not three Sky People and one of her Trigedakru. She felt her anger return and had to take deep breaths to calm herself. This would not work if it was one of her people and they recognized her, unless they played along with this idiotic plan. Did Gustus and Indra purposely forget that part or did they just not care.

She cared about them lying.

She balled her hands into tight fists at her sides but adopted the Commander's mask, apathetic and uncaring. She tried to add some hesitancy to her features as well for the benefit of the Sky People and the ruse she was meant to convey.

"Em pleni!" Gustus roared. That's enough. She had to keep herself from rolling her eyes. "He may as well be one of you for all that he's done, Skaigada. You speak of rights when you brought fire down in our territory just yesterday and killed some of our people in the process. This is an attack and we have brought you in because of it. Blood must answer blood."

She sighed. She wanted to run her hands over her face to try and relieve some of her exhaustion. She was tired of Gustus' repetitive argument, he saw everything the Sky People did as threats, as attacks. She wasn't sure that what had happened the other morning had been meant as an attack, because the ship had started coming down the same as the first two had.

She heard some sort of noise come from whoever was standing in front of the guards and a different voice spoke this time.

"We had people on that ship, and it wasn't supposed to come down like it did. Something sabotaged it and that's the reason our people, and apparently your people, died. Whatever happened to the ship was not our fault… but we think we know whose it was." She narrowed her eyes and shifted, trying to see through the wall of people standing in front of her. They weren't the cause of the explosion, but they had an idea who was.

This was important.

She should be standing in front of her people and gaining information, not catering to the whims of her mentors. Gustus was right, blood would answer blood. But it would not come from those who were not at fault, those were not their ways. Not anymore. She did not put the blame on people solely for the benefit of the public.

Gustus looked back at her and she nodded, moving around the guards. She caught sight of the people who had been brought in and recognized Lincoln. Her eyes scanned the others, skipping over two of the girls before resting on the last. She stopped dead in her tracks and watched as the girl did too.

There was an overwhelming sense of recognition as she took in the last of the four. A girl with hair like the sun and eyes like the sky around it. She felt like she should know her, like she should know everything about her, and she thought that this was the voice she must have heard earlier.

The girl was looking back at her with just as much recognition and she knew without having to ask that she was feeling the same way. The question was why, though. Why did she feel this way about a Sky Girl? She wanted this farce over with. Now.

"Osir laik odon hir." She said, pulling herself up to her full stature and moving towards Gustus with intent. We're finished here.

"Heda…"

"No. Gonot. Ai na chich emo op, yu prom laik odon." Leave. I will speak with them, your questions are finished. She turned back to the group standing in front of her, question in all of their eyes except for one. The one who was the source of all of her questions.

"Sha, heda." She could hear the disappointment, and even the anger, as he said it. She stood there as her pauldron was placed onto her shoulder and then moved to fasten it across her chest herself. When she was finished, she continued to stand still until she heard the door close behind her and then looked to Lincoln.

"Heda." He said, bowing his head in respect. She offered him the same, a slight smile tugging at her lips. He was brought here with the intention of being hounded for answers, perhaps even for blood, and had been called one of the Skaikru no less. However, she didn't see it; all she saw was a soldier who was loyal to his Commander. Even if he had disobeyed, his transgressions were less than her most trusted and for that she couldn't afford him more than she would them.

All he had done was make friends, so it would seem.

ooOoOoo

"Lincoln." Clarke heard Lexa say. Since she had walked out from behind her guards, Clarke couldn't keep her eyes off of her. She had seen the recognition that had passed through the Commander's eyes and she hoped beyond hope at what that meant.

Then Lexa had dismissed her guards along with whatever game they were playing at with Gustus wearing Lexa's cloak and pauldron. When they were gone, she hoped Lexa would say something – anything – that would tell her she knew them. But she hadn't. So what had that been, then? Clarke knew that Lexa recognized her, but how could that be unless the Commander had been watching them? Clarke knew for a fact that she hadn't been though, seeing as though Lexa had been making her rounds.

No, maybe a scout who had reported back and told the Commander of the Sky Princess? That had to be it. Right?

"Who is the one who said they knew the true cause of the explosion yesterday morning?" Lexa asked. Raven looked between them before stepping forward slightly.

"I am." Lexa nodded, waiting for Raven to go on. Her hand grasped at nothing at her side and Clarke smirked slightly, keeping her laugh to herself, knowing that she meant to have grasped the hilt of her sword. She saw, too, the flash of frustration that crossed the Commander's face when she didn't grab anything but air.

"That ship should have come down without a hitch. Even if it came early, which it did, you guys don't have to technology to do anything even remotely damaging to it – no offense. Lincoln here," She brought both of her hands up to motion to him. "He told us there were people in the Mountain.

"If there was anyone capable, it would be them. They caused the ship to crash like it did, and they caused our people's deaths as well as any of yours that were there when it happened."

Lexa listened carefully and Clarke saw the anger appear as soon as Lexa heard that it was the cause of the Mountain.

"What is your name?" Lexa asked, and Clarke saw Raven jump slightly at the question.

"Raven. I'm Raven, and this is Octavia," Octavia nodded to Lexa who nodded in return. "And this," She paused for a second and Clarke just barely managed to keep from rolling her eyes. "Is Clarke."

Clarke brought her hands up, one open in a wave and the other in a fist. "Hey."

"Clarke." Lexa tried the name and nodded and Clarke's smile could have lit the night. "Hei." Hello.

"Any chance we could get out of these?" She asked, waving her hands around. She ignored the looks from her friends, she couldn't help it. After dying and then coming back and being on the ground with so many memories and new deaths and new life… Being around Lexa still made her feel the same and she needed it; it was a stronger pull than the one she had with Raven. And, she needed the Commander to trust her, even if she didn't remember her.

Lincoln and Octavia were looking at her like she was insane, and Raven… Well, Raven was trying her damnedest not to laugh at Clarke's actions.

Lexa studied her for a minute before, apparently, deciding she did trust her, and moved forward after taking her knife from her boot. Clarke held her hands out in front of her, a soft smile in place of the blinding one she had had a moment ago.

"If you make me regret this, I will kill you." Clarke still smiled.

"I don't doubt that. But you won't regret it." Lexa gave her one last look before cutting the bindings. Clarke's hands immediately went to her wrists to soothe the slight burn she had gotten from the ropes and nodded towards her friends.

"Them too?"

"Clarke." Octavia whispered harshly at her easygoing tone. Lexa held up her hand though.

"The same rules apply to you. If you cause trouble, I will not hesitate to kill you myself." She moved to Raven and then to Octavia. After Lexa cut hers, she slid the blade back into her boot and then spoke to Lincoln.

"You disobeyed me." She said. Clarke looked concerned but Octavia looked even more so.

"Please, he saved my life! There were people who would have killed me if he hadn't and I pushed him to talk when we were alone. Please don't blame him." Lincoln looked away from Lexa to Clarke who was giving him an I-told-you-so kind of look. Octavia cared, despite how little they knew each other now. She had always cared for him, since the beginning.

"I do not." Lexa assured her. "He disobeyed my orders, yes, but so did my generals. At least he made friends who have now given us pertinent information." Lexa held out her hand and Lincoln moved to clasp her forearm with a surprised look.

"Thank you, Linkin kom Trigedakru." Lincoln stood straighter and nodded at Lexa again. He knew he was from the forest, but hearing it from the Commander was always an honour, reaffirmation of his home even if he didn't feel like he belonged.

He looked at Clarke then, remembering what he had in his pocket. He could feel it, still there, almost like it was burning a hole. He realized Octavia was there, but if Clarke was going to tell Octavia their story, then it wouldn't matter if he showed Lexa now.

"Clarke?" He asked and she looked at him with a brow raised. He dug a hand into his pocket and pulled out the worn paper, raising a brow in return. Clarke's eyes widened and she looked at everyone else in the room.

Octavia saw what he was holding up and then looked at Lexa before looking at Clarke with incredulity.

"Seriously? Now I know where I know-" The rest of her sentence was cut off as she caught a look from Raven that said, very clearly, 'not now'. She nodded but her own look in return said they would be talking about this. Of course, Clarke thought. If she found the cave, then she's seen the pictures of Lexa. Dammit.

"Do it, Lincoln."

Lexa had watched all of the interactions but her focus was mostly on Clarke and on the paper in Lincoln's hand. What was so important about it that he had looked to the blonde for confirmation and not his Commander?

"Heda, after I… stayed with the Skaikru for a couple of days, Clarke and I left to come and find you, to speak with you about an alliance." Lexa looked at Clarke with a raised brow.

"You wish for an alliance, Clarke of the Sky People? What do you have to offer us?" Clarke laughed shortly.

"Anya said almost the exact same thing but she was a lot less nice about it." Lexa stepped towards Clarke at the mention of her former mentor.

"You have met Anya?" She asked, a kind of softness in her voice that Clarke recognized. It was the kind of softness that came with the heartbreak in her eyes the first time Lexa had told Clarke that love was weakness. Like she didn't want to believe what she was saying but she needed to live it. Of course, then she had been talking about Costia. But the point was the same. The softness spoke of emotion that Clarke knew the Commander wished she didn't feel but couldn't stop. The softness that had quickly become the norm for when Lexa spoke with Clarke when they were alone.

Clarke nodded. "I have. We left her encampment soon after our ship crashed. She banned me and Lincoln, said we were traitors because she thought the ship was meant to be an ambush of some sort." She watched Lexa tilt her head slightly.

"Was it?" Clarke laughed again.

"If you thought it was, would you have freed us?" Lexa shook her head. "It wasn't meant to be an ambush and I'll tell you what I told Anya. My people are dying. The little ships that have come to the ground are only a small fraction of our people." Clarke crossed her arms over her stomach.

"If they stay up there, they'll all die within the year. They need to come down here to live, but apparently that can't happen with Mount Weather running loose." Clarke looked into Lexa's eyes. "We need your help, we need an alliance with your people. Even if mine can make it to the ground without taking the Mountain out of the equation, this is your home too. I'd like to live here without having to look over my shoulder in every direction, every single day."

"You are free now." Lexa said lightly, intrigued. "With my orders, your people will not be harmed unless they attack mine first. So why do you wish for an alliance?" Clarke bit her lip and looked towards Lincoln, missing the way that Lexa's eyes immediately sought out the action.

"Show her." Clarke said and Lexa turned back to Lincoln.

"Heda." Lincoln held out the paper and Lexa took it from him, unfolding it as she looked at Clarke again. When she looked down at the drawing in her hands, her eyes widened and she dropped it, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth.

And there we have it, guys! A little bit of Lexa's POV in the beginning there to get some background info. Also she recognizes Clarke... but not really? What's going on there? I guess you'll have to wait and find out ;) Also, what does she think of Clarke's mysterious drawing... has anyone looked into what it could be at all? Anyone wanna take a guess as to what it is, or the symbol (kinda looks like this )O()?

ANYhow, that's it for this chapter. Questions, comments and concerns can be left in the review box if you so choose. Thank you all again for reading and have a great week and I'll see you again on Wednesday.

Keep the faith!

-Bad Wolf

PS. Speaking of keep the faith, if anyone plays Mass Effect and wants a great series of Fics to read, let me know because I have this great one that's literally so amazing. Especially if you ship Fem!Shep and Liara. Okay cool, bye now, for real :P