Anya's heart was beating fast. Until that moment she had never really considered what it would look like to witness first, the bleeding of another human, someone who was used as nothing more than a resource to be drained over and over again. And second, she had not quite taken the time to mentally visualise exactly what Lexa had described, a people whose blood was black, whose skin appeared grey, pale, as if they were living corpses.

And it was horrifying, disturbing. She thought it didn't help that the person had been skin and bone, barely alive, strapped in place without the strength or the ability to defend themselves, to fight back, to do anything but suffer their fate over and over again.

Anya would think about the how of their existence at another time. But for now she needed to get to safety, to figure out what her next steps would be without being caught.

She glanced at Octavia who kept pace with her, the other woman's face pale and shocked.

"That body was alive," Octavia whispered. "I saw them moving. I— I—"

"I know," Anya winced as a door creaked shut behind them a little too loudly for her comfort as they began to climb the stairs. "We can talk later. I don't know how long that distraction Lexa created will last."

Anya and Octavia merged back amongst the throng of people who had awoken in response to whatever distraction Lexa had created. Hushed conversation could be heard as Anya slowly pushed her way between person after person. It didn't take her long before she realised what exactly it was that Lexa had done. As she pushed past one last person she found Kane standing in front of a man, face bloodied and injured.

"Bellamy?" Octavia's voice was shocked, surprised, full of disbelief.

"O?"

It didn't take Anya more than a second of confusion to figure out exactly who the man was, and what exactly Lexa's plan had been. She watched Bellamy push past Kane and pull Octavia into a tight embrace, both siblings clearly shocked and relieved to have found each other after everything that had happened.

But there were things Anya needed to do, things she needed to tell Kane. It couldn't wait, especially now that Bellamy's presence could expedite things.

"Kane," Anya said as she stepped forward, her gaze just briefly flicking to a member of Mount Weather's security detail who stood aside from the Arkers who had gathered. "We need to talk in private."

Kane seemed to take a little more time than necessary to take in her words before he nodded his head and gestured for him to follow her. It took them only a minute or two before Kane ushered them both into his sleeping quarters. The interior was identical to the one Anya had taken residence in and it didn't surprise her. Though she did think it just a little insulting that Mount Weather hadn't offered him something more appropriate given his position as their people's leader.

"Anya," he said as he turned and sat on the edge of his bed, a hand gesturing to a single chair for her to take.

"Kane," and Anya bit her lip as she tried to organise her thoughts. "I need to tell you something and it's going to sound ridiculous."

Kane was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"This has something to do with Bellamy's rescue, doesn't it?"

Lexa stared at the hand she held out in front of her face. Her fingers splayed apart, her gaze taking in every little shimmering twitch of muscle beneath her skin. She didn't know how long she looked, but the longer she did the more she grew sure that there was something different. She couldn't quite place it, perhaps it was the tone of her skin, maybe it was the slight darkening of her veins, or maybe it was even the vibrancy she felt flowing through her body. But it was different.

She didn't think it would last forever, in fact she was sure it seemed a little less noticeable than when she had first awoken. But still. It was noticeable. And she didn't know what to make of it.

Each wound that had littered her body was healed, each bruise, cut and scrape gone with hardly a trace of their existence. And she couldn't explain it. Not without more information, not without more explanation.

It was doubly odd that she in some way felt closer to Clarke now than she had days ago, too. Despite the shared moment of intimacy, despite the shared company and words and trust that had been allowed to exist.

"Lexa," Clarke's voice cut into her thoughts and made her look up to find the other woman looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry," Lexa said and she put her hand down and turned her attention to the war map laid out on the table between them.

"You are distracted," Clarke said, her tone pointed, an eyebrow raised.

"I—" Lexa swallowed as she tried to think of how to say what she wanted to. "Yeah."

Clarke's head tilted to the side slowly before she seemed to glance towards the nearest window as if to judge how bright it was outside.

"Follow me."

And with that Clarke moved for the door as she reached for a coat and flipped a hood over her head.

Lexa didn't take too long to fall in line behind Clarke. She didn't know where Clarke intended to go but she was happy to follow. In part because her body seemed to still thrum with something more and in part because she was curious to follow, to understand more about Clarke now that she had all but brought her back from the precipice.

She noticed Gustus falling into step behind them, his body somehow blending into the still early morning shadows cast by a rising sun. The trio moved quickly through the streets of Ton DC. Lexa wished she had been given more time to explore the small town. But she knew the risks of her presence being detected, just as she knew the risk of Clarke being discovered out in the open. The few warriors and villagers they passed nodded their heads slightly, the gestures perhaps slightly muted lest it be noticeable to prying eyes. But still, there was respect, awe, deference in the way they acknowledged Clarke's presence.

And so Lexa found herself stepping down into the depths of the tunnels, the entrance in Ton DC subtle enough that most wouldn't notice it's significance to the underlaying lands. She heard the murmur of warriors in the distance, those in conversation or sharing a moment of laughter. She could hear some that seemed to be sparring, training, preparing themselves for whatever battle was soon to come.

And that, she realised, was a conversation she hadn't had answered in days and weeks. Despite everything that had been happening Lexa realised she didn't know what Clarke truly planned, what she had set her sights on.

"Father," Clarke's voice sounded firm as she called out to a group of warriors who stood around a fire, their voices hushed in quiet conversation.

Lexa's eyes snapped to one of the larger of the group to find Jake's head snapping up to meet Clarke's gaze. It wasn't the first time Lexa has realised Jake was Clarke's father, but to hear her say it seemed to sound so odd to Lexa.

She didn't entirely know why, maybe because of the simple fact that it was easier to think of Clarke as some kind of other and not a human, a person, a woman who was almost no different than any other. She didn't even know the logistics of how Clarke truly came to be given the fact that Jake seemed just as much a normal human as everyone else who seemed to exist in the world.

But Lexa pushed those thoughts aside as she remained quiet and continued to follow Clarke's lead.

It didn't take them long until they came to a thick set of wooded doors. It shouldn't have surprised her to find that the interior of the room she stepped into was just as well catered to as the room Clarke had taken residence in within Ton DC itself. Just like that room, this one had a large table dominating its centre covered with a large war map. Small figures dotted its surface, each one shaped and representing a location, a group of warriors, perhaps even something else Lexa couldn't quite place.

Around the table were chairs, furs, other things that she knew were used by generals, scouts, warriors to rest upon while they undertook hour after hour of planning and strategising and—

Lexa startled as she felt the doors thump shut. She looked around to find only Clarke and Jake standing in front of her, Gustus having somehow slipped from their presence without her even noticing. She felt that barely there tingle run up and down her spine again, and she couldn't quite place whether it was from Clarke's blood that still flowed through her body, or whether it was from some other unseen force that seemed to make her feel just a little more on edge.

"Lexa," Clarke's voice was quiet and calm as she looked at her from where she stood on the other side of the war table.

"Clarke," Lexa's voice was suddenly dry as she felt two sets of eyes bore into her with more intensity than she had felt before.

"I have been keeping secrets from you for some time, now," Clarke began quietly. "Ones that were important not to fall into the hands of the Mountain," she paused as one of her hands gestured to the figure carved into the shape of the Mountain that sat atop the map. "But now that things are beginning to move it is prudent that you be informed, that you are aware of what will happen," Clarke said. "Things will begin to happen more and more quickly until they crescendo into conflict, bloodshed and violence and you and your people must be ready."

Lexa's gaze snapped to Jake to find his gaze slowly moving from her and to his daughter before settling back on her with even more intensity behind his eyes.

"Before Maya came to my people," Clarke said quietly. "We had no hope of ever destroying the Mountain, of ever being rid of its shadow," Clarke's face slowly began to morph into a scowl. "We had no way of breaching its defences, no knowledge of how to bring it to its knees."

"But now you do," Lexa said.

"Yes," and Clarke's head tilted to the side ever so slightly as she seemed to think. "There is a dam," she continued. "One that provides power to the Mountain. One that they rely on to provide them with everything they need," Clarke pointed to a position on the map. "Here."

"But now you can strike it?" Lexa guessed as she nodded her head. "With Maya's help?"

"Yes," Clarke said. "We now know that some of the tunnels were created by the Mountain Men to hide their movements, to give them access to the dam without being seen by my people's scouts," Clarke snorted as if the mere thought of the Mountain Men disgusted her. "The reaper tunnels are an extension of those tunnels. They use them to bring terror upon those that live in these forests. My people have always feared the tunnels because they did not understand them."

"Until now," Lexa said and she found herself thinking of Clarke's warriors who now filled the tunnels, who now trained, hid and used them to move their forces undetected.

"Not all tunnels are watched by the Mountain, most are sealed off from the Mountain's reach. They do not realise that their advantage has now been lost."

"You're going to use these tunnels to get into the dam? To destroy it?" Lexa thought she could see where Clarke was going, how she was going to use Maya's knowledge of the tunnels to spring a sneak attack on the Mountain and cut it off from its main source of power.

"Yes," Clarke said and she swept her hand over an area of the map. "And as the dam is being attacked my people will also break into the Mountain through the reaper tunnels. Maya has knowledge that will allow us to access the depths of the Mountain and invade it from within."

Lexa slowly nodded her head as the plan continued to become clearer and clearer. It didn't surprise her that Clarke hadn't told her until now. She could see the risks involved, could understand that if she were to give up this information to the Mountain that the plan would fail.

"And then what?" Lexa said quietly. "What happens to everyone inside the Mountain? To my people?"

"That is why I am telling you these things now," Clarke continued. "Time is running out for your people, you must convince your people that the Mountain is the enemy or they will be caught in the crossfire once the Mountain is attacked," Clarke paused for a moment. "Your friend Anya, Bellamy, now that they are together that task will be easier.

Lexa was quiet for another moment as she let everything Clarke had said settle within her mind. She didn't think she was in any danger, in fact she was more sure than not that Clarke would prefer her to speak her mind even if she disagreed with what Clarke had said. But for some reason Lexa realised she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of Clarke, she realised she didn't want to say something that would make her look a fool in front of Clarke's father.

"A lot of people will die," Lexa said slowly. "On both sides," and she looked at the map, at the depiction of the tunnels that lead from the Mountain to the Dam. "The Mountain won't be able to get reinforcements to the Dam without encountering your people," she realised it at the same time her words left her mouth. "They'll realise it's all or nothing and they'll throw everything at your forces attacked through the reaper tunnels."

Clarke slowly nodded as if she was impressed with her conclusion, as if she had been wondering if Lexa would come to that conclusion herself.

"And that's why you need me to convince my people," Lexa found herself realising exactly why Clarke had been so eager to get her to convince her people of the truth. "If I can convince them of the truth then they'd be able to surprise the Mountain Men, they'd be able to catch them off guard and end the bloodshed before it even started. And none of your people would have to die."

Clarke smiled, the expression small but purposeful.

"Yes," Clarke said. "That is my hope," she paused for a moment, gaze moving to her father for a brief second before settling back upon her. "I wish not to sacrifice my people if it can be avoided," and she sighed heavily. "But if it is to come to it then my people will fight until their last breath to rid the lands of the Mountain," she gestured across the map in a broad sweep of her arm. "These forests, all the forest clans, have suffered under the Mountain's shadow for generations. I have moved too many pieces to avoid war. Too many warriors are ready and eager to fight for their people's future," Clarke leant forward, her gaze hardening as she met her gaze with iron. "There is a war coming, Lexa of the sky people. And your people must be ready."

Anya sat back as she took in a steadying breath, her mind a little frazzled as she tried to think of anything she had missed, any little detail that might have needed more explanation. But as Kane continued to look at her cautiously, as he continued to take in everything she had said, she realised there was nothing else, nothing she could say to add to the bizarreness of the truth.

"I believe you," Kane's voice was quiet, strained. His face seemed to have aged in the minutes they had spoken as he ran a hand across his face as if to force his expression into something more controlled.

"But?" Anya could sense more to what he was saying.

"I believe everything you say you've seen and I believe that you believe everything you've been told," he paused and looked away, chewed his lip. "I don't think you're lying, Anya."

She sighed, it was a weight off her chest that she hadn't realise had settled. But still, she didn't think she was in the clear.

"But what you're saying is that we go to war, that we fight the very people who have taken us in," and he gestured around them. "We're trapped in here. Most of us at least," he pointed outwards as if to the trees that filled the forest in which the Mountain sat looming over the lands. "How can we help? How can we do anything?"

"I—" Anya paused as she actually considered his words. And for the first time in a very long time she realised she didn't actually know how they were supposed to help. They didn't have ready access to a lot of their weapons. The Mount Weather security teams had stored them in the locker room with all their other weapons. It had made sense for them to do so, but as Anya thought about it a little more she realised that would be a problem. "I don't know," admitting that seemed to deflate her more than she had hoped.

Anya bit her own lip as she frowned and tried to think and come up with a plan.

"There's got to be a way," she said. "I still have the radio," she said. "I can call Lexa, ask her what she needs us to do," Anya nodded to herself, it was the only thing they really could do given the circumstances. She was sure Lexa and the grounders had a plan, something in the works and she knew doing something on their own could jeopardise whatever those plans were.

Kane sighed and shook his head as he stood.

"There's two things I need," he said as he looked down at her. "First is I need to speak to Bellamy," he began moving for the door. "And the second is I need to see these nightbloods with my own eyes."

Clarke sighed as she came to a stop back at her side of the war table, her mind already settling on the things discussed, the plans and contingencies considered and discarded. It hadn't surprised her that Lexa was quick to pick up on certain things, on why her people were needed and why she had been reluctant to share her plans with her earlier.

Clarke had half expected Lexa to be insulted by the fact that her people were almost being used as pawns, as a means to an end. But Clarke could tell Lexa understood the why of her proposition, the why of their importance. Perhaps she had not given Lexa enough credit.

Or maybe she had given her too much.

She had enjoyed getting to know Lexa, she had enjoyed learning her tells, her likes and dislikes and she had enjoyed her in all the ways that they had shared together.

"Clarke?"

She blinked as she realised she had let her mind wander.

"Sorry," Clarke said quietly as she realised she had been staring at a spot on Lexa's forehead a little too intently. "You were saying?"

"Anya's going to need something to help her distract or delay the Mountain Men," Lexa said. "Weapons, supplies, even more help if we're going to avoid more bloodshed than absolutely necessary."

"Yes," and Clarke agreed.

"I'll call her tonight, try and talk to her, see what she needs?" it came out more question than statement and for some small reason Clarke thought Lexa asked for her approval, that she seemed wanting to please her in some way.

"Yes," Clarke said and she nodded her head.

"Cool."

That phrase made Clarke's lips twitch up at the corners slightly. She had heard it from both Lexa and Bellamy and she didn't know exactly what it meant but she could guess. And for some reason she thought it much more appealing to hear it from Lexa.

But Clarke had things to discuss, further plans that needed ironing out and so she sighed.

"Lexa, I had other matters to discuss," and she inclined her head towards her father.

"Oh," and Lexa's gaze flicked between them both as she clearly understood the unsaid command to leave.

"Gustus will escort you back to your quarters," and Clarke watched as Lexa bowed her head awkwardly as she turned for the door.

She tried not to let emotion show too strongly on her face as Lexa turned back briefly and lifted a slender hand in a quick wave goodbye before she slipped out of the room and let the door close shut behind her.

And with that Clarke found herself alone in the war room, her father on one side of the table, herself on the other.

"You have done well to bring her close to you," her father's voice was quiet but firm.

"It is a necessity if our people are to survive the coming war," Clarke said as she straightened her back and looked her father in the eyes.

"Was it a necessity that you bring her back from death?" it was a question not intended to insult, but it made Clarke bristle just a bit.

"She would be no use to us if she were dead," she slowly started to stalk around the table, her gaze now locked onto her father's face as if she dared him to question, as if she dared him to challenge her.

But she knew he would understand, would know. Would accept.

"No, she would not," he said voice ever quiet, ever firm. "But it is a risk nonetheless."

"Many things are a risk," Clarke challenged. "We need Skaikru on our side if we are to achieve all that we can achieve," and she gestured to the Mountain's statute atop the map. "This will fall."

Her father took in a steadying breath as he seemed to think about how best to say whatever was on his mind, and Clarke let the silence linger, she let it settle as she watched and studied the man in front of her.

"You have grown fond of her," he said eventually.

She didn't answer. Perhaps because she thought any answer she would give would be answer enough, maybe because she didn't know if she wanted to answer.

"She understands the sacrifices leaders must make for their people," Clarke challenged, perhaps in an attempt to run away from that conversation for a moment longer. Or maybe it was an explanation for why she had grown fond of someone who she shouldn't have.

"Yes," her father's voice was a little softer, a little kinder than it had been moments ago. "I only hope you are ready for the consequences when she realises you have lied to her."