War begins. Lexa and Orita face to face again.
After letting go of Arac, Octavia headed back to the security room to see if it was possible to get more images.
"General" a guard intercepts Octavia, saluting promptly. "Commander" also saluting Clarke.
Octavia addresses him with only a stare.
Assuming it was permission to speak, the guard begins to inform both of them. "Forgive my tardiness, I bring news about your second, my General. I saw her exiting Polis".
"When?!" Octavia asks concern written across her face.
"Over an hour ago. She followed the path to the woods".
"Was anyone with her?" Clarke interjects.
"Yes Commander. A blonde girl who appeared to be the same age as her".
Octavia and Clarke look at each other, imagining the worst.
"Why didn't you stop her?" Octavia demands, "she's just a young warrior for fucks sake!"
At that, the guard shows remorse but explains nonetheless. "My general, she's your second and we are facing a war, I thought you were sending her on a mission" he states, sounding more ashamed with each passing word. "Also, she's a night blood". He looks up apprehensively, convinced he had done something wrong but not sure what. "I apologize for my negligence." He lowers his head in submission.
It's pretty evident what happened but Octavia refuses to acknowledge it until she sees it for herself. She resumes her path to the security room determined to find out something there.
While Octavia searches for the specific videos, Clarke remains silent, watching her friend.
After a few minutes, Octavia is able to verify with her own eyes, the exact moment Esiry and Orita leave the city of Polis through a way only used by warriors and certain selected people. One that leads to the woods and trees, making it easy for a person to hide and disappear unseen.
"Fuck!" Octavia slams the desk with both fists.
"What happened to Esiry, what's going on? Indra suddenly enters the room.
Clarke points with her head at the screen which shows the still image of the teens.
"Jok", Indra can't mask her shock.
Octavia grabs the keyboard to smash it on the desk but stops midway. She clutches it in her hands for a few seconds, clenching her teeth and breathing in and out heavily. Finally, succeeding at controlling her ire, she puts the keyboard down.
"This doesn't make any sense" Clarke mutters to herself.
"How could I have been so stupid?". Octavia voices, supporting herself with her palms on the desk.
"She fooled us all," Indra reassures her former second.
"But I'm the one who let her in here! I'm the fucking general, I should have known better", Octavia laments with her head down.
"Octavia, there were no hints of what this girl's intentions were. Unless you have the ability to read minds, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening." Indra explains.
"But… ugh" Octavia now paces around, hands holding onto her head. Her mind splitting into thousands of thoughts, including ones of Esiry.
In the meantime, Clarke remains in the background, not wanting to accept the turn of events.
"I knew this girl was bad news", Indra remarks through gritted teeth.
After a moment of silence, Octavia, with renewed motivation announces. "This is on. They are going down, no matter who, they are fucking going down." Saying that she storms out of the security room.
Indra and Clarke closely follow behind.
…
The army is ready. The people of Polis are anticipating with bated breath.
Octavia stops briefly in front of the formation to address the army but quickly comes up with an idea. She climbs up the guard tower, flicks on the intercom and stands in front of the window opening and addresses the entire city.
"Brothers and sisters of Polis, as you are certainly aware we were a target of a treacherous strike, at the hands of the rebels. That's the reason why we all are gathered here." Octavia pauses briefly before continuing. "We are here to put a stop to a threat that has been plaguing us way before we were brought to this planet. We fought it before and we succeeded in defeating them but just like roaches they crawled back from under the soil and attacked us again." She exhales loudly, sounding harsher this time. "This goes beyond rescuing the commander's partner, this is about showing them that they cannot directly attack our legacy, and take one of our own nightbloods hostage!"
Gasps and murmurs erupt among the people but it soon quiets down, allowing their general to continue.
"This affront is not against one person or a group of people, it's an affront to us all. But do not despair, Polis, myself along with the army are going to protect our land, we are going to protect our freedom from these people who want nothing more than to prevent us from progressing and to hold us captive in their blind need for control and power. We, with your strength and courage to drive us forward, are gonna end this rebellion once and for all. No hesitation, no mercy, just determination and justice."
Expressions of approval resound throughout the crowd and formation.
Staring at the formations and the people, Octavia takes a long deep breath and with one arm raised, proclaims loudly, "For the Commander!"
"For the Commander!" Everyone repeats.
"For Trikru!"
"For Trikru!
"For our freedom!"
"For our freedom!"
Octavia raises both her arms and emits a war cry that is mirrored by the crowd, echoing throughout and beyond the walls of the city.
….
The pain in her heart had been so heavy that Lexa did nothing more than to stand there staring ahead, even after the flaps of the tent were closed. Her dried tears had already morphed into stains on her cheeks; her mind had officially stopped working. As much as she had tried to make sense of what happened, she simply couldn't anymore and eventually, the whats and whys turned into silence in her head. She doesn't know how much time has passed but out of the blue, she's invaded with the presence of several rebel warriors.
They follow the usual protocol of gun pointing at Lexa while others untie her and placed her on the floor in a sitting position against the post. They proceed to tie her up, not caring that they are hurting her back every time her skin touches the rough surface of the wooden post. Just as fast as they came, they retreated quickly, leaving Lexa alone.
Lexa hisses in pain as she rearranges herself so her back doesn't make contact with the post.
Then someone else makes their way inside the tent.
When Lexa notices who it is, she feels her whole body burning with rage.
Orita saunters impassively towards Lexa, with items in her hands.
All Lexa can do is observe the girl and the more she does the angrier she gets. Her jaw clenches and her hands turn into fists but she doesn't say anything.
"I heard you haven't eaten yet", Orita remarks while crouching in front of Lexa and placing the items near her.
Lexa's nostrils flare, her teeth are grinding, and her body is shaking with barely contained rage. 'How can she talk so nonchalantly about food when she…' But despite all the negative feelings she's harboring against the girl she doesn't dare reply in case the rebels may hear her. Lexa doesn't understand why she still cares about what may happen to Orita if the rebels find out they know each other, she's actually not sure how much information they have but just in case she doesn't risk it.
Noticing Lexa's body language and knowing how honorable she can be Orita lets out. "We are alone don't worry; you can say whatever is on your mind". She then carries on with her tasks.
The response is so casual that Lexa can't believe it. She makes a last effort to contain herself but she fails. "You're a fucking bitch!"
"That's more like it", Orita replies with the same level of tranquility as when she entered. "Now eat this". She guides a spoon into Lexa's mouth.
Lexa scoffs at the audacity of the girl to simply feed her as nothing had happened. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" She attempts to kick Orita but the girl stops the blow with her free arm.
"Calm down, you need to eat".
The action only infuriates Lexa even more. "Fuck you", she frees her leg and turns her head to the side.
"Ugh", Orita rolls her eyes. "Seriously stop, you haven't eaten in days, just eat". She persists with the spoon.
But Lexa had enough. "I don't fucking care, get away from me!" She yells pushing the spoon away with her chin.
Seeing her efforts are futile, Orita tries another method. "You really need to regain your strength Lexa, you don't want to die on your girlfriend, do you?"
Now that gets the desired effect. Lexa stops fighting and instead glares at Orita.
"She was really concerned about you, you know? I could see it in her face", Orita taunts while filling the spoon once again with food.
"You went to see Clarke?!" Lexa demands. "How dare you!" She strains against her bonds, challenging the girl.
Orita just shrugs. "One's gotta do what one's gotta do". It's her terse reply.
Lexa's first instinct is to continue arguing but after brief consideration, she decides to try to understand Orita's motivation. "This is ridiculous Orita, if you hate me so much then take it out on me, you didn't have to do all this."
"It's not you I hate", Orita clarifies.
The answer was expected so Lexa takes a deep breath and tries to reason with her. "You're taking this too far for simple jealousy. You can't make innocents pay for what you're feeling, you can't give away a whole legacy Orita, Esiry had nothing to do with this." She becomes more agitated as she continues. "Are you even aware of the gravity of your actions? This is treason!"
It's only then the façade of indifference Orita had been exhibiting crumbles for a bit. "Simple jealousy?" She chuckles humorlessly, "you have no idea" she replies pursing her lips, taking a brief pause to choose her words carefully before elaborating. "You see, sometimes when the magical crystal ball you were in is broken and the person you… cared about the most is not honest with you the trust is gone, and the pain inside you is too much to bear. And you get lost and wander around aimlessly, facing danger and loneliness". Orita's face hardens as she relives in her mind what she's describing. "Until one day you finally realize that you don't ease the pain, you overcome it. And that's when you turn into someone else and do what you have to do, to reach your final goal… no matter who falls on your way to it." She shakes her head snapping out of her reveries, regaining her previous cold persona only to strike with her words. "But what I am saying? You do know a lot about pain and betrayal, right? Former Commander Lexa?"
The way Orita enunciated the last sentence was so malicious and so full of resentment that if Lexa had anything to say to that, she swallowed it in the act. She puts her feelings momentarily aside and sits quietly accepting her destiny and letting the girl feed her because indeed she will need her strength.
…
Clarke is sitting on a step that leads to her throne. She's staring ahead, lost in thought, still not quite believing what just transpired.
Roda is by her side, holding her hand, silently keeping her company.
"It doesn't make sense", Clarke suddenly voices in trigedasleng into the solemn dark room.
"I know it doesn't my child", the older woman attempts to comfort her.
"No, I mean this can't be." Clarke describes. "The way she confronted me, she looked at me; her passion, her emotion, it was all for Lexa. No one could fake those deep feelings, it's not possible". She finalizes somehow bewildered.
Roda hums in thought, she remains quiet for a few seconds until she comes to a conclusion. "Some people are just good at deceiving."
It may be true, but it is no consolation for Clarke. She continues racking her brain, trying to find an explanation for the girl's betrayal.
After a few minutes the doors of the throne room open, revealing a concerned Abby.
"Hey", Abby calls out softly trying to get Clarke's attention.
Clarke looks up at noticing a presence, "mom".
"Dr Griffin", Roda stands up abruptly letting go of Clarke's hand.
Clarke looks hurt by the action but realizes why she may have done it, so she doesn't comment.
"I-I will leave you two alone to talk in peace". Roda excuses herself and quickly walks toward the exit.
"Roda wait", Abby calls, turning around.
Roda stops and faces the other woman, "yes, Dr Griffin?" She asks respectfully.
"Don't go please." Abby requests in a friendly manner. "Clarke needs us. The both of us".
Clarke stares at her mother in shock, then she meets Roda's eyes who's portraying a similar look.
Momentarily silent, Roda soon recovers her voice, "of-of course; yes, Dr. Griffin I would love to stay". She accepts the invitation gladly.
With a nod and a small smile, Abby moves toward her daughter, sitting right next to her on the opposite side that Roda was.
Taking the hint, Roda retakes her previous position.
Each woman takes one of Clarke's hands to show their support and love.
Clarke looks at her mother, then at Roda letting out a long sigh of relief. She's so grateful to have these strong and amazing women by her side in this difficult time. She's certain with their help and company the pain and frustration will be a little less hard to handle. And for now, that is enough.
…
Esiry slowly recovers consciousness, struggling to open her eyes. Through the grogginess, she can hear some commotion near her. Once she fully regains sight, she realizes she's in a tent, her hands and feet tied to a chair. Everything comes rushing back to her, the memory of Orita and what she did. 'Fuck. How could I have been so stupid'. She lets out a long grunt, tears threatening to spill out. She has a suspicion of where she is but refuses to accept it. That is until someone enters the tent.
"Welcome to our camp, warrior."
When Esiry looks up, her suspicions are confirmed; she's in the hands of the rebels. She never saw the woman before but she's completely sure who this rebel is.
"I know you must be scared right now, but you don't have to be; you are very important to us. We will take care of you." Then like she just remembered she adds "Oh, by the way, I'm Echo, I'm in charge here."
Esiry gulps, she has heard a lot about Echo of Azgeda. She's perfectly aware of what this woman is capable of and she immediately opts to follow one of the lessons in her training as a young warrior. 'Do not engage or confront an enemy who under the circumstances has an advantage over you'. So she remains quiet.
As she's met with silence Echo continues. "I apologize for the small cut on your hand, but I needed to make sure".
It's only then Esiry notices a wound on her hand. Quite frankly it doesn't hurt so she simply shrugs to demonstrate she doesn't mind.
Noticing the girl's passiveness convinces Echo to try and gain the girl's trust. "I want to apologize too for the inconvenient way you were brought here. These are pressing times and we didn't think we had the time to explain our plans to you. But we have bigger plans, and you will be in the center of it all. It will be good for you", she offers not without a subtle warning. "That is of course if you are willing to help us. Otherwise, it may get a bit complicated and we may have to use other compelling methods to get your cooperation. Do you understand?"
And this is another opportunity for Esiry to practice yet another lesson from Octavia: 'If there's nothing you can do, pretend to submit. That way you will gain some time to observe what's going on'. She nods curtly and responds without giving much away. "Yes, I do ma'am".
Echo is surprised how easy the girl has accepted the terms. She attributes it to fear, given Esiry is only a teenager. She doesn't believe for one second Octavia of the sky people would train submissive warriors. For the time being, she will let the girl get some rest while keeping a watchful eye on her. "OK then. I will see you later, Esiry."
The girl watches Echo go and lets out a long sigh once she's alone. Even though she's really scared of what they may have in store for her, she tries to focus on finding ways to escape.
…
Some minutes pass with Clarke, Abby and Roda sitting in companionable silence when a guard enters the throne room.
"Commander," she bows. "The head of mechanics is here".
"Raven". Clarke carefully disengages from the older women and stands up. "Bring her here", she commands.
"We will leave now to give you some privacy". Abby politely excuses herself and Roda as she detects the importance of the unexpected visit.
It doesn't take long for the other woman to make her way to the throne room.
"Hey", Raven hugs Clarke.
After their embrace ends Clarke quickly inquires. "Why are you here, is everything OK?"
"Yeah, everything is running smoothly in Arkadia. I just really needed to speak to you about something. I came here as soon as I learned what the rebels wanted".
"Yeah the flame, what about it?" Clarke needs more information.
"You said they don't believe it's destroyed, right?"
"uh-huh."
"Well", Raven clears her throat, feeling a bit uneasy. "What if I tell you there's a solution to that?"
…
Once she finished feeding Lexa and making her drink some water, Orita retrieves the leftovers.
Lexa only meant to observe Orita, but she couldn't resist asking questions. "What is your role in this whole thing, besides betraying us? What is it that you want? What do you wanna achieve?" She awaits for the answers impatiently.
Orita gives Lexa a hard look, silently at first but then replies with her chin held high. "I want what's best for my people".
The answer is received with indignation from Lexa. "Your people?! Are you calling ice nation rebels your people?!"
"Well," Orita finishes gathering up her items, stands up, and completes her sentence in all seriousness. "They actually are".
Lexa stares at Orita with eyes wide open, she just can't believe what she just heard. She takes a few seconds to fully process the news until a question she never imagined asking the girl she once thought was her best friend, slips from her lips. "Who are you?"
Orita fixes her eyes on Lexa and with a scowl that expresses an assortment of emotions she discloses. "I'm what Clarke of the sky people and you left behind. I'm what I need to be right at this moment."
Orita's tone of finality is all Lexa needed to hear. She concludes right there and then the girl in front of her is not Orita, her childhood friend, but her enemy. And she will have to deal with it later but in the meantime, Lexa assumes a stoic semblance as Orita faces her once again.
Staring at each other, they battled silently, never breaking eye contact though saying just as much without the need for words.
Finally, it's Orita who looks away and without saying anything else she retreats from the tent.
Alone again with her thoughts Lexa allows the bitterness to take over her and give her the will to continue fighting, but now adding the little detail of what she will do to her newfound enemy.