Chapter 86

Clarke was sitting beside her mother. They were both watching the fight in front of them. It wasn't that she was actually interested or invested in the fight, but she was in the fighters. This was the main fight between Echo and Bellamy. It was going to be brutal. But, the more that Clarke thought about it, the more she realized that Echo was actually doing them all a favor by beating the shit out of him.

Octavia was off in another part of the Pins fighting with a young boy. Clarke thought about the boy lightly. He couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen summers, but what he lacked in finesse he made up in spunk and sheer determination. She knew that Octavia and Echo could mold him into the perfect jusgona and he would probably make it to the roster. She knew that having young talent was good as well as old. He would probably be given to Echo's brother Aeolus immediately to train.

Her eyes moved back from Octavia and the boy back to Echo and Bellamy. Indra was down in the Pins. She was studying Echo and her armor. Clarke could tell that Indra was impressed, but she was still being thorough. She didn't want the former to have an unfair advantage over Bellamy. Well, any more than she had already had through her years of training and physical prowess.

"Do you think that he'll do well against her?"

"I don't know, Mom."

"She isn't going to go easy on him," Abby stated.

"She can't."

"Will she beat him bloody?" Abby asked.

"She will act like he is trying to hurt us, Mom. She will hold nothing out, and she will prove to everyone that she can put personal feelings aside in order to do her duty. This fight is just as much a test for her as it is for him. We know that she doesn't have anything to prove to us. She's already proven herself to me and Madi, but the rest Wonkru will want to see her fight Bellamy."

"Why?"

"Because he insulted Octavia and you. He's been acting like Indra's sekkon, and she outranks him as a jusgona. If she doesn't honestly try to kill him, they might come for her or him. Besides, I think that they aren't going to let him in the jusgona on just principle."

"Meaning?" Abby asked her.

"He hasn't proven himself to any of us as worthy of the title," Madi answered as she took her seat.

Abby looked over at the teen and cocked an eyebrow. Madi knew that her grandmother school her face in front of her. She also knew that she didn't approve of Madi's taking of the Flame, her commanding them all, but she learned to follow Clarke's lead. She'd learned her lesson about that the hard way back on Earth. Madi knew that Abby wasn't willing to make that mistake again. Abby turned back and looked over the contestants again. When she met Clarke's eyes again, she saw that her daughter was staring at her and waiting to see if Abby was going to object to what Madi or she had said.

"I understand that, but will he?" Abby finally asked them.

"It doesn't matter if he understands. If he doesn't make the cut this time, he can always try again. As it is, he is still Indra's sekken. He will return to her to continue his training until she releases him or he passes the jusgona tests," Madi said like it was going to be the most obvious outcome.

"She speaks the truth, Mom. Indra explained it all to him. Honestly, I was surprised that she even let him compete this time. If he was my sekken, I wouldn't have," Clarke added.

"Really?"

"Yes, he still hasn't completely apologized to Octavia. He's getting better, but he still has a long way to go. I hope he does well, but I don't know how well I could trust him guarding me or Madi. He needs to think about what he really wants, but for now, he thinks that he needs to be a guard. He needs to figure out what role he is going to have here on Terra Nova," Clarke explained.

"He will not lead any of my men unless I have trust in him. I don't completely yet. If it had been Lexa who still carried the Flame now, he would have been beaten publicly for what he did to Octavia and banished from the Guard until maybe Indra could persuade Lexa to test him, but he would have never been allowed to compete to become jusgona," Madi added.

"Because?" Abby questioned.

"He has broken the trust of heda, and even worse, the trust of our beloved Wanheda," Madi answered as she sat down in her chair, and Abby realized that the conversation was over just as quickly as it began.

Madi reached out for her mother's hand and held it. She knew the feelings that just saying Lexa's name could invoke in Clarke, but she didn't want Clarke to be sad or depressed today. She was still hoping that her mother would open her eyes and see that Lexa was with them again, but she had a new name. It seemed that Echo, Octavia and Raven were on that wavelength. Now, they just had to make Clarke see that Palla was Lexa reborn.

Indra turned back and looked to the three women. Madi gave her a sharp nod. Clarke nodded as well. Indra turned back around.

"The next challenge is between Eko kom Wanheda and Belami kom Skaikru."

The crowd erupted, but Clarke couldn't tell who they were cheering harder for. Some of the others had been cheered for hard by the crowd against the chosen warriors. Bellamy had drawn a good following as he advanced, both male and female. Clarke couldn't help but smile at the fact. Everyone knew that he was with Echo, but she could tell that some of the females were hoping that she whooped him good so they could care for him. They were also hoping that he left Echo. Clarke knew that he wasn't going to leave Echo. If anything, Echo would leave him first. Unfortunately for them both, they loved each other. Or, maybe it was a good thing. Echo could forgive him, but she wouldn't forget it. And, Bellamy knew that she would choose Octavia, Madi and Clarke over him any day. They weren't going into it blind. He knew what she was fighting for. Clarke could only hope that he was, too.

"Begin!" Indra called from her point in the Pins, breaking Clarke out of her revery and back to the fight at hand.

Echo had her sword and slew of knives, most of which no one knew where they were, Clarke included. The woman could hide them in plain sight, draw them and kill you before you realized where on her person it came from. She was a trained and ruthless spy. She was unofficially an assassin, too. She might not have ever rising the notoriatity that Octavia had as Skairipa, but when Madi started calling her Azripa, the people knew. Her archery skills were second to none, but this wasn't a test of archery. This was going to be hand to hand, blade to blade, close and melee combat. And, Echo was a warrior to the core.

Bellamy had dawned some armor. It didn't look to heavy, but Clarke knew that it would slow him down. He had a sword and some daggers and knives. Clarke checked him over and counted five. It wasn't a large number, but it wasn't a small number either. She carried almost as many, one in each boot, one hiding in the small of her back on her belt, one sewn into the arm of her jacket, and the one everyone could see. Unfortunately for Bellamy, Clarke already picked out his five. She doubted that he had any hidden. Indra wouldn't have taught him that. She was a straightforward kind of fighter.

They both drew their swords and circled each other. Clarke could tell that Echo was looking for her opening. Bellamy was trying to decide what would be better for him to start with, offense or defense. She could tell that he knew that he didn't have a lot of time to decide, too. Finally, Bellamy made his move. He decided to charge her.

Echo saw it in his eyes. His emotions gave him away, every damn time. He hadn't learned to rein it in. She didn't have time to shake her head at him. She knew that he would make a good warrior, but that was all he would ever be. He couldn't disassociate long enough to get through a mission. She let him come as she kept her eyes on his. He moved quickly, she'd give him that. His training with Indra was helping him become a better warrior, but she could tell that he still had a ways to go. His temper would get the better of him. It was also the same problem that Octavia had. As he got closer to her, her thoughts shut down on the truth that he was her lover, friend and fellow member of Gryfonkru or Wonkru, whatever they were actually going by now. She couldn't think of him like that. She had to see him as the enemy, and she knew that she had to protect her heda en wanheda. There was no other choice for her.

She let him come and get close enough to her that he couldn't change his momentum. He was just millimeters away from her when she moved. Spinning away to her left, his right, she spun behind him and clubbed him with the flat of her blade. The crowd cheered. The blow was meant as a warning, and she knew that the message was received. He turned back towards her, sword at the ready. He looked her over. They were both tired, but she didn't even look winded. She was, but she was doing everything she could to look unfazed.

He raised his swords and slashed at her. She countered and moved closer into him. They clashed over and over, several times over. Every time she would get inside him, she would nick him just enough to let him know where he failed and then push him off. She had a few scratches, but nothing that wasn't just a superficial wound. Clarke knew that she didn't need stitches. Bellamy didn't, yet, but if he didn't push something soon, he would. Echo was nearing her limit of toying with him and would go for the kill. Clarke had seen it too many times. She's also been on the receiving end of it. And, then it happened.

Bellamy managed a swing that had her jumping back. He was pushing her and trying to get in to her. He was angry and pushing it. At the level of his training, he should have waited, but he thought she was running, thinking that he could actually over power her with his size. It was a stupid move, but she tripped and it pushed him on. As she staggered, he pressed her. She staggered more and fell. He was on her in a heartbeat. Her sword slid across the dirt.

The crowd was on their feet. Madi and Clarke sat, knowing that Bellamy was about to figuratively die. Abby was on her feet and waiting to see what injuries she would have to patch up. Octavia had moved over to them. She looked disinterested, but she spoke up. It was in Echo's favor.

"Stop toying with him and end it, Azsis!"

She knew that Bellamy understood what she said a little too late. He looked down in Echo's eyes. He could see the determination and the fire. He smirked as he tipped his sword down to make a simulated death blow. The small hesitation with his smirk was all Echo needed. She spun around on the ground and had him in arm lock, legs locked behind his head. In this manner, all she had to do was squeeze just right and twist her hips and she'd break his neck. Instead, she pulled down on his arm across her body to the point to dislocation.

He screamed but wouldn't tap out. He reached down to his waist and drew a dagger. Before he ever had it raised up and aimed for her leg, she moved. A knife in each hand and stabbed through the shoulders of his clothes, pinning him to the ground. She hadn't buried them in his actual shoulders because it wasn't really "life or death," this was a training/testing fight. They might not hurt each other to point of maiming, but that didn't mean that they weren't going all out for it. By the time that the crowd realized what happened, she had another blade at his neck.

"Call it!" she demanded.

Bellamy shook his head. He was being stubborn. He was plotting how to get her off of him and win the fight.

"By Keyron, call it, Belami!" she demanded.

He shook his head again. His fingers were moving in the dirt. His fingers grazed over the hilt of a sword. They wrapped around it and he tipped the sword up, prepared to strike her in the back.

"This is your fault," she told him as she began to rain punches on his face and then knocked him out with the hilt of knife.

She stood up off of him and back up. His face was all bloody and swollen. She looked across the Pins at Octavia and then Clarke. Neither of them moved. They just nodded back to her. She knelt down and grabbed her knives from his shoulders.

"FISA!" she called as she moved away from his body and towards Octavia.

Abby was in the Pins and escorting him out, before she made it to Octavia. Her jusgona sister watched as she placed the hidden knives back up her sleeves. Echo looked tired, but beyond that, Octavia had no idea how she felt. But, they all knew that it was going to be a long night.

"You did well," Octavia told her.

"He isn't ready."

"I know."

"He will never be ready."

"Madi knows, too."

"He will be angry with me for this," Echo said.

"Then, he isn't worthy of you," Octavia replied.

"Was he ever?" Echo asked as she turned around to watch him being lifted onto a stretcher and being taken from the field.

Octavia just reached up and put her hand on Echo's shoulder. She knew that her jusgona sister was hurting. She was, too. Bellamy just didn't seem to understand what it took for them to be who they were and do what they had to do. Clarke got it. Madi got it. Hell, even Abby got it. Raven understood it was fighting to be worthy of it. But, Bellamy just seemed to think that he should just get it.

"He isn't ready," Indra said as she approached them.

"No, he isn't."

"I remember someone else like that," the darker warrior replied as she looked right at Octavia.

"I know, but I am not sure that he can get over himself to give himself up, Indra. I don't think that he'll ever be ready. He lets his emotions rule him too much. There isn't enough 'head' there. It's all heart," Octavia said.

"Do you think that heda en wanheda know?" Indra asked them.

All three women turned and looked at Clarke and Madi. They hadn't moved to go assess him. Clarke met their eyes and shook her head dismissively.

"Yeah, they know," Echo said, dejectedly.

"Let him go, Echo. If he is to learn, he can't have attachments. Break him now to save him later. He isn't worthy to call himself jusgona. I'm not sure that I would call him Gryfonkru gona, either. Madi will let him stay in the guard with Miller. He needs to find himself again to even be worthy of gona like you, Eko kom Wanheda. You know what I say is true. Let him go, Echo. Free both of you, before he destroys you both. If you love him, let him go," Indra told her and then walked away to call for the next fight.

Echo tried to hide the tears in her eyes but failed. She knew that Indra was right, but Bellamy wouldn't see it that way. They had saved each other on the Ring after Praimfaya, but Bellamy changed again as soon as they got back to Earth. He changed again when they were woken when the ship found Terra Nova. Octavia understood her pain. She reached over and gathered Echo into her arms, trying to comfort her. She led her away from the Pins to the stables, so Echo could break down in what little privacy that Octavia could give her.

Clarke watched the scene and her heart broke. Madi reached over and held her mother's hand tighter. Clarke turned back to look into the blue eyes of Madi.

"He isn't worthy of her, Clarke. She knows that. He doesn't have the right mindset to be a good warrior. He can be a soldier, but he can't lead. He'll destroy us all if we let him, and you know that I speak the truth."

"I thought that Indra was helping him."

"She is, but he needs to be broken to be healed. He hasn't broken. Echo kept patching him up. Their love, while real, will cost them both. She knows that she has to walk away from him in order to save him," Madi explained.

Clarke closed her eyes before she replied, "I know...how they both feel."

"So, do I, Clarke. He will either become worthy or they weren't meant to be. Do not mourn him yet. He might actually surprise us," Madi told her. "Like so many others around us. They have the ability to surprise. All we have to do is look at them and actually see their worth."

Clarke stared at her daughter. She wasn't sure who she was talking about, but she learned not to question Madi when she sounded like Lexa. It hurt, but she understood that her daughter had the wisdom of dozens in her head. She couldn't help what she said or what she sounded like. But, she knew that above it all, Madi loved her. She turned to looked back in the Pins as Indra ready the next contestants for their fight.

Echo was worthy. Bellamy wasn't. But, Clarke couldn't wonder who else Madi meant?