chapter 51

The sound of a horse pulling up next to her drew her attention away from the figure even though she could feel it's state boring into her and she was surprised to see Anya was the one who had rode up next to her.

"Anya?"said Lexa and she was sure the confusion that laced her voice was prominent across her face,"How are you here?"

Anya, for her part, looked equal parts amazed and amused as she simply pointed at the floating figure who Lexa could now see had wings keeping her in place.

"Her,"said Anya before turning to her mentor, "We escaped from the Mountain together."

Nothing could have prepared Lexa for that and she scanned her first for any signs of deceit, but Lexa was certain that Anya was not lying to her.

Lexa pivoted her horse before facing her army and she made sure to project her voice as she said,"Stand down! Anyone who disobeys loses their head."

There were slight murmurs from her army, but no one spoke up and soon all swords had been sheathed and all horses had been dismounted.

The figure seemed to exchange a nod with Anya bizarrely before dropping down to the centre of the camp as the dome dissipated in a flicker of purple light.

Clarke landed safely on her feet before dispersing her wings. Finn was still lying on the ground unconscious where she had left him. The boy had been hiding in an art supply bunker that he had discovered on their earlier days on the ground.

It was from there were Clarke had given Raven the supplies to mark down which delinquents had powers and which did not – another item that was potentially in the hands of the Mountain Men.

A gasp drew Clarke's attention and she looked up to see her mother, Kane and Bellamy looking at her like she was an alien.

"Clarke?"said Abby as tears began to stream down her cheeks as her eyes ran up and down her daughter's body in confusion. Clarke nodded slowly and she smiled slightly as the woman enveloped her in a hug which Clarke returned fiercely. Tears had begun to stream down Clarke's gave as well and Abby wiped them before whispering in her ear,"We thought you were dead. The corpses at the dropship they..."

"They were killed by me,"said Clarke as she cut her mother off.

Abby looked horrified and tried to pull Clarke into another hug. Clarke allowed it to happen before she pulled free from the hug. Her mother's pity had begun to feel suffocating.

Clarke nodded at Kane before she felt herself pulled into another hug this time by Bellamy. She returned the hug fiercely before pulling back.

Clarke looked at Bellamy and said,"I thought you were all dead. The Mountain Mem they–"

"The Mountain Men,"said Kane in shock,"How did you escape?"

Clarke turned to the man and said,"It's a long story. The Mountain Men aren't immune to the radiation levels of Earth so they wanted to use me to cure them and they took the rest of the delinquents as hostages to keep me in line."

"Why didn't you cure them?"pressed Abby as she looked at her daughter,"The Mountain probably has state of the art facilities and more than enough room for the people of the Ark. Surely being in there would have been better than the alternative?"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I didn't heal them because I didn't trust them. They were going to wipe out The Grounders, Mom. All of them and they lied about any of you guys being alive. Chances are they were going to kill me and the delinquents once I cured them all. They already kidnap the Grounders and bleed them dry for their blood or turn them into Reapers using some sort of drug. "

Bellamy looked startled at the news and said,"They make the reapers? So they sent them after us?"

Clarke nodded and said,"That's not all. They also kidnapped everyone in Mbege's camp. They kept them with the Grounders in these cages. They were so thin. I knew had I to get out and get help from the Commander. "

"You left them in there?"said Bellamy with anger tinting his voice,"You left Octavia in there? Why would you do that, Clarke?"

Clarke felt a bit of despair as she took in the furious look on Bellamy's face. Now both Blake siblings probably hated her.

"I had to,"said Clarke firmly as she began to advance on Bellamy,"Octavia and I...we aren't in the greatest of places at the moment and she wouldn't listen to me when I said the Mountain Men were suspicious. None of the delinquents wanted anything to do with me except for Raven. The others, including Octavia, were too busy drinking and fucking to notice the danger they're in so I couldn't clue them in. This was the way that had the best chance of working. The Mountain Men won't harm if they the delinquents are oblivious to what's going on. Their President wants to integrate them into the bloodline so they're safe for now."

Bellamy's face was still stormy and he didn't even grace Clarke with a response as he turned his back on her. Clarke was about to go after him, but she stopped when Abby placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Let him vent, Clarke,"said Abby as she looked at her daughter,"That's not important. What is important is the army waiting outside our fence. Do you think we could–"

Clarke shook her head and said,"I know we wouldn't survive a war against then. That's why I got Finn. He's the key to peace here."

Abby looked surprised by Clarke's admission and she looked down at the boy before saying,"You're just going to hand him over to die just like that? I thought he was your friend?"

Clarke stepped away from Abby before picking up the boy,"Finn can go intangible. All I need to do is give them to him. If he escapes under their watch then it's not our fault."

Clarke then walked past the two council members as she began to make her way to the gates. To her surprise, Jaha was standing at the gates and he turned in her direction and nodded.

"Clarke,"said Jaha before looking down at Finn, "I see you found the Collins boy. I suspect that the Commander knows as much too considering what she just did."

Clarke looked past Jaha and she was surprised to see that the Grounders' army had retreated back somewhat. Anya along with a few other guards were standing in front of a woman in black clothing that Clarke recognised as the woman that had been leading the charge.

The Commander.

She cut a daunting figure, but what was more horrifying perhaps was the presence of a wooden post. It had clearly been hastily constructed, but it seemed sturdy. It was then that Clarke realised what would happen.

The Commander wanted to kill Finn right here and right now.

Lexa stared at the girl that was approaching her with the body of a boy in her arms. Her face was devoid of any emotion and she never broke eye contact with Lexa after she had noticed the post. The girl was dressed like Trikru, but carried herself somewhat like Skaikru. Her steps seemed somewhat unadjusted to the uneven terrain.

The girl eventually reached the front of her guard, but she was stopped by Indra who intercepted her path.

"Who are you?"said Indra stoically, but Lexa could perceive the slight amount of disdain that was leaking into Indra's voice.

"My name is Clarke Griffin. I'm here to deliver Finn Collins to the Commander,"said Clarke as she answered Indra's question, but didn't even look in her direction as her eyes continued to stare at Lexa.

Lexa waved her hand and Gustus took the body of the boy before roughly tying him to the post. The boy had begun to awaken from the rough treatment and began to struggle, but it was for naught as Gustus managed to secure him before throwing a punch into the boy's stomach.

Finn let out a groan of pain before his struggles ceased. Lexa placed her hand on the hilt of her sword as she walked through the crowd of her guards.

Clarke noted that Anya seemed to eye her former second nervously before she moved aside to allow her through. Eventually the Commander stood in front of Clarke and her eyes didn't betray any emotion as she stared right into Clarke's eyes.

"Anya,"said the Commander and apparently Anya understood whatever it was the Commander was asking as she walked up to the two other women.

Anya placed her hands on the shoulders of both women before they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Clarke was surprised to see that they had been teleported to the inside of a tent. The thing that stood out the most to her was the presence of a throne made out of gnarled and twisted wood and steel. An inundation of candles provided sufficient light to the the tent

"Stand guard outside, Anya,"said the Commander to her mentor and Anya nodded before walking out the tent.

There was silence for a bit as the Commander stared down Clarke and just as the silence began to enter a whole new level of awkward she finally spoke.

"Why did you do it?"said the Commander and her tone was slightly inquisitive.

Clarke was confused by the sudden question and said,"Excuse me?"

The Commander didn't seem ruffled by Clarke's question and said,"Why did you choose to escape with Anya and not ally with the Maunon. Your people are more like them than they are like us. Why would you ally yourself with my people when you know we haven't been able to beat them in over a century of constant war?"

Clarke's eyes flashed with understanding as she understood the Commander's question. Anya probably hadn't had the time to tell her of what was going on in the Mountain and it would be remiss of the Commander to not scope out Clarke's intentions.

"The prisoners that the Maunon take,"said Clarke and the Commander nodded to show that she understood,"Not all of them get turned into Reapers. "

Clarke paused before she continued to speak,"The others all get thrown into these small cages like animals. The outside air is like poison to the Mountain Men. It burns their skin and kills them which is why they have your people. Whenever one of them gets exposed to the air they bleed one of your people and use their blood to heal them."

The shock and anger in the Commander's was as clear as day for Clarke, but she was undeterred and said,"They wanted me to cure them so they could walk on the ground without their suits, but I refused. I didn't trust them. I eventually managed to stage my escape, but I found out that they had lied to me about some of my people surviving. They were in the cages too being used for their blood and when I left I thought they were safe, but now..."

"They seem to have found a cure,"said Clarke seriously and she saw the Commander's eyes narrow,"After Anya and I had escaped the Mountain we were tracked down by a patrol of their squad, but the leader of the patrol wasn't in the suit so once we beat them I interrogated him. It turns out they're using my people's bone marrow to cure themselves and I have no idea of knowing how long they've been doing this nor how many of them have been cured. What I do know is that we need each other. If the Mountain Men get out of their hole then we both know that it would only end in bloodshed. "

"I see,"said the Commander as her eyes seemed to ponder what she had just learned,"How do I know you aren't just a spy, Clarke? Maybe you were sent here to gain my trust before stabbing me in the back?"

Clarke wasn't offended by the question and said,"You don't. You don't have to trust anything I say. In all honesty, if our roles were swapped I wouldn't trust you either, but I know you trust Anya. She was your mentor before you became Commander and I know that you trust her judgement. I'm not asking you to trust me I'm asking you to help me save our people."

Lexa seemed to ponder the question before she nodded and said,"I suppose you're right. After I kill Finn, our people will reconvene at a location that is far out of reach of the Mountain Men before orchestrating our plan of attack. Your people will be inducted into the Coalition after the fall of the Mountain. You will come to Polis and receive the mark of the Coalition. "

Clarke felt slightly nauseous as she was reminded of Finn's impending torture.

Death by a thousand cuts.

Clarke only hoped that was a hyperbolic name.

Luckily, the Commander was still willing to let them into the Coalition which was great, but it would only happen after the Mountain.

That wasn't good enough.

"I want our people to be inducted before the fall of the Mountain, "said Clarke resolutely even as the Commander looked at her in anger.

"You are in no position to make demands, "was what she practically growled as she grabbed onto the hilt of her sword.

"It's not a demand,"said Clarke as she stepped closer to the other woman,"It's a trade. You and I both know that you need my knowledge on the Mountain. I've mapped out their entire facility. I destroyed their acid fog machine on my own. If you destroy the Mountain, you'll be the greatest Heda since Becca, but you need my help for that."

From this close up, Clarke was able to see that the other woman wasn't that much older than her at all. Perhaps a year or two, but she had already been leader of her people for years by now.

"I'm not interested in elevating my legacy, "said the Commander, "I only wish for peace."

"This will get you your peace, Commander"said Clarke firmly, "Your people will never know true peace until the Maunon are killed. They should have died a long time ago during the bombings, but they're still alive and they're casting a dark shadow over your people. Your people can finally step out of darkness and into the light once we get rid of them."

Her words seemed to have struck a chord within the other woman. She appeared to be lost in thought and she looked up at Clarke as she said,"You remind me of someone I used to know. "

Clarke was surprised by the rather innocent statement and she remained silent for a beat before saying,"Who?"

The woman seemed to snapped out of her daze at the question and said,"Never mind. What else do you wish for? Would I be wrong in assuming you want more than just an immediate induction into the Coalition?"

Clarke nodded and she said,"Yes, there is more. My people need training on how to survive on Earth and we also need land. I want your people to train them as well as give them some food and clothes. They won't survive without it. I know this can't be freely given, but we have things of our that we are willing to trade."

Clarke was surprised to see that the Commander didn't oppose to this demand and she realised belatedly that this had probably been agreed upon earlier with Kane.

"I also want to be the one to kill Finn,"said Clarke and this time there was pushback from the Commander.

"Absolutely not,"said the woman furiously and the anger radiating off of her was nearly palpable,"He killed one of our generals and wounded many others. His blood is ours."

"I understand that,"said Clarke patiently before she added,"However, it was at a time of conflict and confusion. We had just been attacked by the reapers and Finn was mourning the loss of his love who died in front of his eyes at Tristan's hands. Finn has always been...fragile, but that is not his fault. He wouldn't have done any of this if I had been there so I'll take the weight of his death on my hands. If you were to do it my people would grow to resent you, but if I do it then they will fall in line."

Clarke meant every word she said. She knew that the almost successful attack on Camp Jaha would have allowed seeds of hatred and mistrust to begin to grow and if Clarke did it then at least that negativity wouldn't be directed at the person who practically held their lives in her hands.

However, she knew that this wasn't a good enough deal on it's own.

"I know I said this wasn't a demand,"said Clarke before she looked at the Commander,"I would have to give you something of equal or greater worth to what I have asked for."

The Commander appeared to be interested in what Clarke had to say and her voice held a curious lilt to it as she am said,"What are you willing to give me?"

"Me,"said Clarke and as the Commander's eyes widened considerably she realised how her words could have been misread, "I'm willing to offer you my power. I'm strong. A lot stronger than most of your soldiers and I'm sure you could find a use for someone as strong as me."

The Commander looked a little shaken by the devout affirmation before she said,"You say you're strong, but how do I know you will be worth the risk of angering my people?"

Clarke didn't break eye contact with the Commander as she raised her hand and a knife made of ice coalesced together above her hand. The Commander began to withdraw her sword slowly, but she paused in shock as Clarke used the knife to cut her palm instead.

Instantly, blood as dark as the night sky began to leak out of Clarke's hand. The wound began to heal almost as soon as the cut was made and before long it was completely healed.

"I'm a natblida,"said Clarke as she allowed the knife she held to drop to the ground,"I know you know what this blood means. I'll never raise arms against you and will fight for you so long as you honour our agreement. Do not mistake me for being like one of your Trikru. I'll still reserve the right to refuse something or break our deal if I have reason to believe you have betrayed my trust. I won't be some lackey you can just order around. Do we have a deal, Commander?"

The Commander was still staring at the blood soaked knife on the floor before she looked back to Clarke. Clarke knew that there was at least one other natblida from her conversation with Anya earlier and if the blood carried as much weight as she was led to believe then it would probably be seen as beneficial by the Commander to have Clarke's loyalty tied to her even if the loyalty wasn't in the same vein as the one the Commander enjoyed with the rest of the people.

"We do have a deal, Clarke"said the Commander as her eyes finally looked away from the knife,"I promise that I'll always do my best to protect my people and you can trust me on that. I suppose for you to begin to trust me, however, we would have to be on a first name basis. "

Clarke realised she didn't even know the Commander's name. Luckily, the woman saved the embarrassment of having to ask as she said,"My name is Lexa."

The Commander – Lexa – took out a dagger as she said,"I'll allow you to kill Finn and your people will have what they want. Truthfully, I hadn't expected you to be a nightblood, but that is neither here nor there. Your promise was unique, but rest assured I won't treat you as a soldier to command. As leader of Skaikru and a fellow nightblood, you aren't mine to command."

Clarke nodded at the words, but her eyes were still on the dagger Lexa clutched in her hand. In a motion similar to Clarke earlier she cut her own palm open. As expected, black blood poured out the wound and it stained the shiny surface of the dagger.

"We bind ourselves in blood,"said Lexa before handing the knife to Clarke.

The slick, dark blood began to run over Clarke's fingers before she mirrored the action of Lexa and cut into her hand – thankfully a different one from before. She didn't bother with wiping away the blood because it may have been part of the ceremony, but the slight surprise in Lexa's eyes made it seem like she could have wiped it away if she had been inclined to.

Clarke consciously stopped her healing from activating before she shook Lexa's hand. They made eye contact as they shook on the deal before they finally separated.

Lexa used a cloth to wipe her hands clean before she offered it to a grateful Clarke. Clarke made sure that there was no trace of blood on her hand before she turned towards Lexa who had begun to wrap her hand having evidently cut a bit too deep into her palm.

"I can heal that,"said Clarke as she walked closer to the Commander and her hand lit up in green.

Lexa seemed somewhat sceptical of Clarke's offer before she offered the hand to the other woman. Clarke placed one hand below Lexa's hand to steady it before she brought the other hand on top. The wound healed in a matter of seconds and soon there wasn't anymore blood leaking out from the wound.

Lexa eyed her hand in surprise before looking back at Clarke. The air in the room had become just a little awkward as Lexa seemed to be looking at Clarke and through her at the same time.

Just as she was about to speak, a loud, distant boom echoed out from the outside of the tent.

Clarke and Lexa both ran out and nearly collided with Anya who was on her way in. The droning sound was coming from the sky and seemed to be approaching them from the direction of the Mountain.

It was only once it began to drop rapidly that Clarke recognised it for what it was a it left a trail of smoke behind it,"A missile. "

And it was headed straight for the Ark.

Cast:

Darah – Megan Ory

Sagan – Thomas Brodie-Sangster