Chapter 66

Clarke, Madi and Diyoza were sitting around a small table in a tent that had been erected near the wall. It was far enough back that Diyoza didn't feel like she was in any danger, but it was close enough that she could still command. Diyoza was impressed with the little Heda. She looked at Clarke and could see that the young woman was worried about something besides the wall and the possibility of the Praha. She studied her and Clarke knew it.

"I see things are coming along nicely," Clarke stated, trying to stop Diyoza's scrutiny.

"They are. We are working with what we have, but I think that we can have it finished for the most part by the time of the snows. The men are working tirelessly to get it complete. They understand that they are fighting against weather, time and a possible threat. It is nothing that we haven't dealt with before," Diyoza answered.

"It is still admirable."

"It is, Diyoza. I am proud of their willingness. I know that they didn't all have to step up to do this for us, but I am glad they did," Madi added.

"You gave us the chance, Madi. You told us that if we work, we survive. We don't want any trouble. We just want to live and so far, I've seen no reason why we shouldn't trust you. You do as you say you will. You're giving us a second chance to prove ourselves worthy as being human. I thank you for that," Diyoza told her.

Madi just beamed. She knew that Diyoza and Clarke didn't see eye to eye, but she had been unwilling to let the inmates die just because they were inmates. In Madi's eyes, everyone deserved the chance to prove themselves. She had to her people. Clarke had to her. Diyoza was doing the same. They had all been giving second chances at life and now they were fighting to keep it.

"How bad was it when you got here?" Clarke asked.

"There were gaping holes, but we plugged those fast."

"How many men do you have with you?"

"Around thirty, a platoon and no more," Diyoza answered.

"Do you need more?" Madi asked her and watched her face.

"I wouldn't turn them down, but I don't know how they will work with my men. Most of the men I have with me, either did time with me as part of the ULA or they learned to trust me at the mining colony. I don't know your people, Heda and they don't know me besides that we were prisoners, murderers, rapists, and thieves. We know how we would have been dealt with in your society and frankly, some of my men are afraid that you are just using us to build up things before you put us back in prison or you order our deaths," Diyoza told her.

"I said that I would give you all a chance and I will. How your men act will depend on how they are treated. I have no issues with any of them until they attack one of us. I expect that you will govern them yourself, but I hope that once we have our settlement built that they will integrate with us," Madi told her.

"I hope we can, too," Diyoza replied.

"Let's go look at it. I want to see our defenses. I know that you are doing everything that you can with what we have, but I don't know that we can't help you, too," Madi stated.

"Sounds good," Diyoza said.

They got up and left the tent. Madi leading them with a huge smile on her face. She'd forgotten how much she liked being just outdoors and she was glad that Clarke was letting her just go. She could run around and still be Heda. These people didn't know her as anything more than a child and they were surprised that she was the leader of the "Grounders." Diyoza treated her with respect because Madi gave her respect back.

As they are heading up to the wall, they can hear horses coming towards them from the east. They all turn, but it is Madi who is the most excited to see who is coming. She runs towards them, yelling out "Skairipa!" at Octavia. Clarke watches a brief exchange between the warrior and her daughter, but she sees Octavia's eyes meet hers. A quick nod is received and then the group is riding down to meet them. She can see that not only is it Octavia and Palla, but a group of warrior women and some lightly armored men. She wasn't as impressed with them as she was the women.

Octavia led the group down. She'd stopped long enough to pull Madi up into the saddle with her. Clarke couldn't help but smile at her friend and her daughter's antics. When her eyes met Palla's, her smile grew, but she could tell that something was troubling the other leader. Her eyes weren't a vibrant as usual. Then, she looked over at the fiery headed woman that rode close to Palla. She felt her jealousy start to build until Octavia dismounted in front of her.

"Wanheda, Palla and I have some to see the wall."

"Who is with you, Skairipa?" Clarke asked her.

"They call themselves the Amazons of Helios. She is their leader," Octavia said as she tilted her head towards the redhead. "Her name is Elainah."

"Hello, Elena. Welcome to our little bit of the world. I am Clarke Griffin. And, this," Clarke stated as she pulled Madi into her, "This is my daughter, Madi."

"Hey-da," Elena greeted her.

Madi and Clarke both cocked an eyebrow at the greeting. Madi shrugged it off first and reached out to welcome the redhead to their little camp. Diyoza moved closer to them. Octavia reached out to help her and for her part, Diyoza didn't wave her off no matter how bad she wanted to. She knew that she shouldn't be out there, but she was not only worried about people but the construction of the wall. She knew that Clarke would escort her back that evening and make her see Abby to check on the baby. Clarke came up behind them and smiled at the newcomers.

"Palla, what brings you here, today?" Clarke asked hoping that it would get some sort of dialogue going between the groups.

"It seems that my officers didn't believe me when I said that we needed to reinforce the wall. We have many issues. I've brought them with me and my head general, Imber as well. I was hoping that we could see what your Colonel Diyoza has done with this section of the wall. I might need her leadership with the Rangers in making sure that we are ready as well," Palla stated.

Clarke then understood the look in her eyes. She was upset. Her people hadn't heeded her warnings and now they were vunerable. That didn't explain the redhead, but Clarke knew Palla would explain when the time came. Diyoza stepped forward and reached for Palla's arm. Octavia by their sides, smiled at the fact that Diyoza was using a tradition Trikru greeting to welcome Palla. Palla gave them both a smile as they walked towards the wall proper.

"It was a difficult task, Palla. Most of the wall was gone or in such bad shape that it couldn't be salvaged. Thankfully, Gryfonkru has skilled workers back at the barracks. Anything that we couldn't find out here naturally, they provided for me with their craftmanship. We had a few experiments with the cement, but once we found a formula that would harden correctly, it became easier to sure up the posts and fill in any holes. We've found some old metal scraps and concrete sections to use as the bulk of the fenceline. I think that we will have a good structure in place before the snows."

"I think you will as well."

"Palla, how long until the snows?" Diyoza asked her.

"It is getting colder already. A few weeks at most. But, don't fret the Praha won't attack in the snows. They will wait until just before the thaw, if they come before the Great Thaw," Palla told her.

"Why is that? Desperation?" Diyoza asked.

"Yes, they will wait until they have nothing left and they are starving. I am afraid that since they know you are here, they might try here again. But, I see you've done a lot with the wall. It looks better than before. I hope for your sake and ours that it holds through the snows. Come the Thaw, we will all be working on the wall."

"Can your men not work on it now?"

"They can and they will. I will have the guard it and work on it, with better supervision, until the first snow. I have to protect my people, Colonel. I will not let the Village fall."

"Is there anything that we can do?" Clarke asked her.

"As I've said before Clarke, this isn't really your fight. It is ours. The Praha are our enemy. The fact that you are here may seem to be a threat to them, but you can defend yourselves. I've seen it first hand. The Praha have much to fear from you. Shoring up the wall and being ready to defend Gryfonkru is all you need to worry about. Surviving this winter and then building your settlement is all you need to do, Clark. We will handle our own issues," Palla told her.

"Palla, we can help. Why will you not let us? I thought that you wanted our people to come together as one," Clarke stated.

"Don't worry about it, Clarke. Let it go. We can talk about it later," Palla told her and Elena watched them. "Madi, walk with me?"

"Sha, Palla," Madi said and followed her.

Octavia moved behind them. Clarke watched them go. She was surprised that Palla had just left her officers and the Amazons with her.

"Diyoza, I think that you need to speak with Imber and his men. They need to see and know what you've done. They might need to take notes on how you used the surrounding areas to make the wall better," Clarke told her. "I'm going to call back to Abby and make sure that she is ready for you this evening. And, then you will need to pick someone to be in charge while you stay back at the barracks. You can't stay out here."

"I can't supervise them from the barracks, Wanheda," Diyoza stated, stressing Clarke's title.

"We will get with Raven and a devise something for you to use. You need to think of your daughter. We will make sure that wall holds. She comes first now," Clarke told her as she walked back to the tent, alone.

Diyoza and Elena watched her go. Echo came out as soon as she entered and took up a defensive position just outside the tent flaps. Echo gave a Diyoza a quick nod and then started studying the newcomers that were walking around the camp. Elena looked Echo up and down and gave her a quirky smile. She didn't greet the guard, instead, she followed Diyoza as she headed for the wall. It was obvious that she was looking for her next in command.

"How long have you been with them?" Elena asked her.

"Since Earth was destroyed," Diyoza told her.

"And, you trust them?"

"I...well...Heda has been good to my people. She gave a second chance at life when others would have destroyed us and left us on Earth as it died. She didn't. She allowed us to come with them as they left to search for a new home. I'll admit that it wasn't what I wanted, but surviving as long as I have and seeing what I have in war and in peace, the Commander is searching for peace and not war. She wants us all to not only survive and live for future generations, but to thrive as well. Her own mother called for my death, but Madi swayed Clarke. Now, we have a peace between our people and we are just trying to fit into their society. It works between us because there is only one true law: survive together. We fight together. We work together. We farm together. Everyone works for the good of the community. There is no slacking."

"Do you have any down time?"

"Yes, we do. Clarke insisted on it. We rotate things and jobs between us. The Artisans help with construction and have even developed some tools to help us build. Madi keeps rotating those at the settlement sight for work because she doesn't want us burnt out. They are harder on me because I'm pregnant. They know that she could come any day now, so they want me close to the barracks to make sure that my delivery is safe. I know it is because Clarke and Madi are both worried for Hope's sake and I thank them for it. They look out for everyone like a good leader should. Madi has made it a point to learn everything that she can about each of her people and my people. To her, we are one and she wants to make sure that we stay that way. She worries what will happen if we split, but I don't see that happening," Diyoza told her.

"Why not?"

"Because we aren't prisoners. We are just as free as the rest of Gryfonkru. We can choose what we do. A few of my men have joined the construction teams for the settlement and the artisans. The majority of people were members of a military group that I lead before being put in prison. They were ready to die for what we believed in then, and they are ready to do that now. Our views may have changed over the last few months, but it is only because we've seen what we need to do in order to survive."

Elena laughs. She can see that Diyoza believes what she is saying, but Elena isn't sure who is really in charge of this group. Madi, who is the Heda, seems to be in command and everyone defaults to her in someway, even Palla a little. That didn't trouble her as much as she thought it should. It was the fact that Madi seemed to need Clarke's approval on some things. How did that work between them? And, how in the world was Clarke her mother? She didn't look old enough to have a child that age. She would need more information on this new group that Palla was welcoming into the fold. There was also something about Clarke that seemed off.

She turned back to the look at the tent. The guard hadn't moved. In fact, she seemed ready to fight and she didn't know why. What was it about these people that made Elena admire them and fear them at the same time? She needed answers, but she trusted Palla's judgement for the most part. Palla had indeed kept them safe for years and defended them against the Praha. If Palla said that they weren't a threat to Helios, then Elena would make sure that the rest of her tribe knew as well. She just wondered why Clarke seemed so ready to fight for them when Palla kept telling it wasn't their fight. Palla didn't want Gryfonkru to fight, but she allowed them to guard the wall. This made Elena wonder about how big the settlement would be.

"You're thinking too hard, Elena," Diyoza told her.

"Sorry. I am just confused. Palla only wants your help in defending the wall and only here. Clarke and Madi seem ready to send troops to war if needed, but Palla refuses. As a military leader, it seems foolish to turn down troops from allies."

"From what I understand, Palla fears that using us would start a massive war between the Village and most of Helios against the Praha. Yes, we've been attacked, but it was only once and it was an isolated incident. It could have been an accident. We didn't know what boundaries we weren't supposed to cross and Octavia paid for it."

"How so?"

"Sticky sap, I believe. It was days before she was better. Palla was also shot by two arrows. Clarke and her mother Abby, our doctor, took care of them both in the barracks hospital. Palla has provided us with temporary shelter and provisions enough to last us through the winter snows. Our people however as also gathering, hunting, and getting provisions. We want to be able to pay back the Village come the Great Thaw. Madi was worried that if the Praha had crossed the wall once, that they might do it again. She doesn't want to fight a war that doesn't need to be fought, so she decided to reinforce the wall. When the Snows start, I am not sure if we will dig in out here or be commanded back to the barracks to wait it out," Diyoza replied. "By then though, Hope will be here and I'll not be able to be out here."

"And, who do you trust to command in your place?"

"I've asked that they send me a warrior from Gryfonkru."

"Does this warrior have a name?" Elena asked.

"His name is Bellamy Blake."