Chapter Twelve
Warmth. That was the first thing that really registered for Clarke as her mind slowly started to wake up. She hadn’t ever felt so comfortably warm before. The softness that wrapped around her was extremely appealing and her tired body was more than content to sink into it. Sound was the next sense to come alive, and in the state right between sleep and awake where Clarke floated, she heard the crackle and pop of a fire. As her brain fought to bring about consciousness while her body battled to sink back into such peaceful sleep, Clarke rolled and her head slipped further out from the furs it was buried beneath. A delicious scent overtook her other senses and without thought she opened her eyes partially, immediately squinting as she sought to identify what smelled so good.
All feelings and thoughts of peace and comfort quickly disappeared and her eyes flew open wide as she struggled to sit up. Taking in her surroundings, Clarke quickly realized that she was not in the healer’s hut where she’d clearly passed out. The room around her was sparsely filled. A fire burned in an alcove, heating the room to the temperature she’d found so relaxing in her sleep. Against the wall next to the fire was a neat stack of wood and a length of metal probably used to tend to the flames. A table sat near the middle of the room with two stools next to it and a pitcher and cup the only items resting on it. Clarke glanced down and realized she was now half sitting up on a bed covered in furs. The bed itself was the most comfortable surface she’d ever slept on and she couldn’t help but run her hands over the soft, cushioned surface in wonder even as her mind raced to figure out where she was and how she’d gotten there.
Before she could organize her thoughts and make any kind of decision on what to do, the door to the hut opened and Anya strolled in. The woman had changed since Clarke last saw her. Gone was the armor and paint on her face, instead she wore simple clothes clearly made from the skins of animals that seemed molded to her lanky frame. The only weapon she appeared to have was a knife that was strapped around her waste. If Clarke wasn’t still so disoriented already she would have been completely thrown off by how young, unguarded and normal Anya looked.
“Good, you’re awake. I was beginning to wonder if I’d need to dump a bucket of cold water over your head to revive you.”
Clarke’s eyes widened at the statement, not quite sure if it was actually a joke. Anya’s face betrayed nothing and the blonde decided to sidestep that comment in favor of figuring out what the hell was going on.
“Yeah, I just woke up. Where am I? How long have I been out? Is Tris okay?”
Anya raised her eyebrows as the questions tumbled out one after another. She moved from the doorway over to the table and picked up the pitcher and cup. Clarke watched her fill the cup, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. She wasn’t sure exactly how to interact with the woman before her and she didn’t want to do anything that brought back the more fierce warrior side of her that she’d seen up until now.
Moving back across the room to stand in front of the blonde, Anya held the cup out to her waiting for Clarke to take it.
“Drink. You have been sleeping for two and a half candle marks. Nyko said to remind you that it is important to give your body extra water after giving your blood away.”
Clarke tried not to let her surprise show on her face. She’d told Nyko while explaining the process that it would be important for both her and Tris to stay extra hydrated, but she hadn’t expected Anya to be the one making sure that she got some water. Raising the cup to her lips, she nodded her thanks to the woman before taking a few sips. She hadn’t realized just how thirsty she was until the cool water slid down her parched throat. She quickly gulped down the entire cup and sighed in relief as she finished. Glancing back up at Anya, she swore she caught the older woman’s lip twitch as though fighting a smirk at her actions.
“After you helped Tris you fell into a deep sleep. Nyko knew from what you shared that it was to be expected. He also said that you may sleep longer because of how little food and rest your body seemed to have had recently. I brought you here to one of the homes that are kept ready for travelers who visit the village. Tris is doing well. She woke up for some time while you slept and was able to eat and drink. She still rests, but it would seem that you have healed her skai girl.”
Clarke once again tried to keep a neutral expression as she absorbed each answer to her questions. The fact that she’d slept so hard and long didn’t surprise her. Nyko was right that her body probably desperately needed it, especially after giving Tris a considerable amount of her blood. Processing fully what Anya had said she couldn’t stop it as her eyebrows furrowed and the words slipped out of her mouth.
“You brought me here?”
This time Anya did let a smirk slide across her face.
“Sha. Nyko thought a more comfortable place to rest would be good for you. And the sounds of your snoring were quite distracting while he worked on others who needed his attention. So I carried you here to make us all more comfortable.”
Clarke felt her cheeks warm at the comment. She knew that she had a tendency to snore when she slept deeply, but it was embarrassing to hear about.
“Right, sorry. And thank you.”
“You are welcome.”
Clarke dropped her eyes from Anya’s gaze to give herself a moment to collect her thoughts. She pushed aside her embarrassment at snoring and Anya’s almost teasing mention of it. There were more important things to worry about. Tris was doing well which was a relief. If Clarke’s ability to help her had truly been a test, it would seem that she had passed and saved both her life and those of the rest of the delinquents. Realizing that she needed to figure out what happened now, she took a deep breath before looking back up at Anya.
“I’m glad that Tris is okay. That I was able to help her.” Anya nodded at Clarke’s words. “So what now?”
“You have proved yourself in healing Tris when our healers could not. Now you will meet Indra. The deal will be struck. After that we will have an evening meal. Tomorrow morning we will ride back to meet your people that we left with Lincoln so that you may inform them of your decision.”
Clarke felt her eyes widen in confusion. A deal? Decision? She wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but she also had a feeling that asking a dozen questions now would do her no good. Anya had mentioned meeting Indra earlier when they’d first arrived in the village and it was clear that was the first step in whatever was planned. So rather than try to puzzle out each part of what Anya had said she simply nodded and stood from the bed, letting the furs fall back onto it behind her. Anya stepped back towards the door and Clarke followed after placing the cup back on the table by the pitcher. Glancing down she realized that her jacket wasn’t on, but before she could raise the question she caught sight of it behind Anya hanging next to the door. She made her way over and grabbed it, pulling the well-worn material on knowing that while it was warm in the room the outside air would surely be much colder.
Without another word between them, Anya pulled the door open and moved outside, stepping to the side once Clarke followed and closing it behind them. She then set off at a brisk pace towards wherever it was they were going. Clarke immediately fell into step just behind her and tried not to let her gawking seem too obvious. They passed buildings of all different sizes as they made their way down the path. It had clearly snowed more since their arrival, but the ground had been cleared to allow life in the village to continue with ease. Around her the sounds of many voices overlapped as the people there went about with their evening. She saw adults busy with all kinds of tasks. Cooking, sewing, sharpening blades, weaving baskets, tending horses, unloading a wagon, and so much more. The laughter of the children they passed as they chased each other brought a smile to Clarke’s face. It was clear that the vicious and dangerous side of the grounders her group had come to know was only a small part of who these people were.
Almost everyone they passed paused what they were doing for a moment to stare. Their gazes ranged from curious to distrustful to uninterested. Clarke did her best to avoid making direct eye contact, not certain what she would do if her gaze locked with anyone’s for too long. It was starting to dawn on her that when the dropship had crashed down to earth it had settled on land that was already claimed. Not only were the people of the Ark not the last of the human race, but they were trespassers on a people that were more than just surviving but actually living on the ground. It would make sense that a group of teenagers suddenly and quite literally dropping into existence in their territory would be cause for some hostility. So Clarke did her best to take in everything around her as she followed behind Anya without meeting the eyes of anyone they passed.
After a few minutes and a couple of turns Clarke saw that the road ahead ended in front of the largest building she’d seen yet. While most of the other structures seemed to be one or two rooms in size, this building stretched wide, with two windows along the walls on either side of the door. There was a scrape of cloth hanging above the door with some type of symbol painted onto it. Clarke studied the design and figured it must be a flag or banner of sorts for the village. Mind racing, the blonde reasoned that for such a thing to exist that must mean that there were other groups that these people wished to distinguish themselves from. She couldn’t truly quite imagine it. Multiple villages like this one, all filled with such life. That part of her that had always ached for the ground and, since arriving, to explore everything around her, flared up strongly. She had so many questions. Everything she ever thought she knew about what earth was had been wrong and all she wanted was to learn all that there was to know about life on the ground and those who had been living it long before her.
Anya had stopped walking ahead of her. Clarke mentally shook her head to clear away the thoughts that had claimed her focus. No matter how much she longed deep inside to immerse herself in the world she’d found herself in, the reality was that she held far too much responsibility to those she’d come down with to let herself give into her own wants. She had people who were counting on her to help keep them alive and she needed to focus. Whatever was about to happen in this meeting, Clarke had a feeling it was just as much a reason for why she’d been brought here as healing Tris had been.
Anya nodded to the man standing next to the door who seemed to be a guard. He made no move to stop her as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. Clarke glanced at him but his gaze remained locked forward and she quickly moved to follow Anya. Before her eyes had even fully adjusted to the dimmer light of the space, a voice spoke from farther into the room.
“Anya. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
Clarke studied the woman who’d spoken. She was seated at a long table that was covered with different bits of paper, knives, and candles. The black tattoo that framed the upper half of one side of her face seemed to catch the light of the flames flickering in the space between them. She wore armor less intense than what Anya had yesterday, but no less impressive. Her gaze was locked on Clarke and there was something about the look in her eyes that made the blonde feel like she could see right into her mind.
“You know I would not have simply not shown up without sending word.”
The drawl to Anya’s voice surprised Clarke. She’d assumed that more care would be needed in addressing the woman who she had guessed was Indra. Anya had said that she was chief after all. Confused but not willing to let it show on her face, Clarke stepped forward as Anya gestured to her.
“This is Clarke. She was successful in her healing of Tris. Based on that and from what I have observed of her since, I am confident in going forward with the offer. However, since this is your village I would much rather do so knowing that I have your blessing.”
Indra seemed to struggle not to roll her eyes at Anya’s words. Rather than respond immediately, she continued to study Clarke for a moment before addressing the blonde directly.
“Tell me, Klark kom Skaikru, what do you think of Tondisi?”
Clarke felt that her answer was as much a test as healing Tris had been. She knew that she could try to carefully choose her words, but her honesty flowed out before she’d fully thought through if she should try for some kind of strategic answer.
“It’s incredible. In all my years up on the Ark dreaming about what the ground would be like I never imagined it could be as amazing as this. Not only that you and your people exist, but that you are living a life that is clearly so filled with life itself. From the little I have seen of this place, I am in awe of how content everyone seems. The people move with a purpose and their pride in their home is clear in how impressively constructed the village itself is.”
Clarke abruptly pressed her lips together, aware that she’d been full-on gushing. She wasn’t sure if she’d said too much or not enough, let alone if it was even the right thing. But she’d meant every word and just hoped that was clear. Indra still sat looking at her, but now a smirk had settled across her face. To her side she caught what seemed to be an eyeroll accompanied by a muffled snort from Anya. Not entirely sure what to do now, Clarke tried not to fidget as the silence stretched on for what felt like minutes but was probably only ten seconds.
“Both of you, sit. Anya, you have my blessing. I’m sure my sekon will be thrilled to hear about the foolishness you’re about to enact.”
“Considering who your sekon is I could argue that I only aim to be half as foolish as you.”
Indra scoffed at Anya’s apparent tease. With a motion of her hand, Anya directed Clarke to take a seat at the table before moving to take her own opposite where the blonde would sit. Still not quite sure what to make of any of the conversation thus far, the blonde did as directed and just tried not to look nervous about it. Once everyone was settled, Indra leaned back in her chair sipping from a cup that Clarke suspected wasn’t water based on the liquid’s deep color. Anya settled her gaze on the young girl before her and seemed to almost absentmindedly pull the knife from her side to spin it slowly with the point digging into the arm of her chair.
“I am aware that you most likely have many questions. You would be a fool if you did not, and thus far I have not judged you to be one. The fact that you have controlled any confusion or anxiety that you may be feeling thus far in order to focus on healing Tris and following what instruction has been given is impressive, skai girl.”
Clarke nodded in thanks for the unexpected compliment, not really sure what to say but it didn’t matter as Anya continued.
“We have been watching you since your metal craft fell from the sky. It became apparent quickly that you knew not that you’d landed on claimed land nor how to actually survive here. Many of your people seem to not care about putting in the work needed to survive, and those that have been trying under your leadership lack many basic skills.”
Part of Clarke wanted to argue in defense of her people. They had been doing the best that they could and she’d thought that all things considered it was actually impressive that they’d accomplished what they had. But she bit back her immediate response. While by the non-standard of the Ark her group had done well in basically not all dying, in comparison to what she’d now seen of how the grounders lived she knew that Anya had a fair point. There was no way she and the other Arkers ever would accomplish living the way that the grounders clearly did anytime even remotely soon.
“You are a group of goufas. Children. Despite your actual age. However, you Clarke, you have shown promise. You are a skilled fisa and have been the leader your people needed even when they did not act like it. You survived the attack by the Mountain Men and convinced that branwoda you lead with to retreat to the safety of your metal craft rather than fight. That choice saved many of your people’s lives. The Moutain Men have grown bolder and we have no desire to fight a war on two fronts. They have also recently taken our most skilled healer. Nyko is good, but he alone is not enough to sustain a village this close to the Mountain. For all these reasons, I make you an offer now.”
This was it. Clarke could feel it. Everything that had happened since Anya dropped out of the trees before her and the others was leading up to this moment. There was much of what the older woman had said that had gone completely over the blonde’s head, but she understood enough to know that during the time spent spying on her people to now, she had somehow just maybe managed to earn a little respect from the warrior before her.
“Stay here in Tondisi through the winter. Serve as a healer to our people and learn our ways while sharing yours. In exchange, my warriors will not wipe out your people. We will not attack any again, reserving our strength instead for the Mountain Men. We will also provide your camp with what it will need to survive the winter. All may still not make it, but we will do what we can to ensure that most do. Food, furs, and the sharing of basic knowledge on sturdy structures and winter fires. That is the offer. You here with us as a healer for the winter moons in exchange for the survival of your people. Should you decline, I will maintain my promise to return you to your friends tomorrow. We will likely not even mount a full attack on your people. We won’t need to. Winter will kill you all off for us. I offer you a chance to save them in exchange for your skills to help serve my people. What say you, Klark kom Skaikru?”
She knew that she should close her mouth that had fallen open in shock about halfway through Anya’s speech, but Clarke couldn’t quite get the muscles to obey yet. She hadn’t known what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. Her thoughts were warring with each other. She couldn’t abandon her people, they needed her leadership just as Anya had said. But what good was her leadership if they all died of starvation or hypothermia? Bellamy would never understand. And Raven, they’d left things on such bad terms. How would the mechanic react to Clarke simply not returning to camp for what would likely be months? Yet what would the point of fixing their friendship be if it would shortly end permanently thanks to certain death? The battle raged on in her mind, but on the outside Clarke finally managed to school her features the best she could and spoke for the first time.
“I admit that I wasn’t expecting an offer of that magnitude. I am trying to understand it from all sides, but it may take me just a few more moments. Can I ask a question?”
Anya simply nodded, not seeming offended by not immediately receiving an answer, for which Clarke was grateful.
“I hope that this doesn’t come off the wrong way, I am truly just curious and trying to understand everything. You are the one bringing me this offer, and you spoke of the warriors as ‘yours’, yet you asked Indra for her blessing before bringing this to me. Why?”
Clarke wasn’t sure what she thought Anya’s reaction to her question would be, let alone Indra’s, but she was once again surprised. Anya gave a small smile, almost as though she was proud. Indra made a noise almost like a ‘huh’ of disbelief. It was like they each hadn’t expected that to be Clarke’s first question, but were impressed that it was. Anya schooled her features quickly and answered.
“Indra is the Chief of this village. Tondisi is one of many villages in the Trikru territory. I am a General for Trikru and normally serve at the Commander’s side, however, due in part to your people’s arrival and also because of the increasing activity from the Mountain Men, I am stationed in Tondisi indefinitely to help protect our people and send reports back to our Commander on the situation.”
“So this Commander, he or she is the leader of all of Tree Crew?”
“She is the leader of all the clans. Trikru and the other eleven that make up the Kongeda. She forged the alliances between all twelve clans and brought about peace like we have never seen.”
Anya’s tone gave away just how proud she was of this Commander. Clearly, she was something special for the General to be so impressed by her leadership. Clarke filed what she’d learned away for further thought later and returned to the issue at hand.
“So you asked for Indra’s blessing because even though you outrank her it’s still her village that I’d be staying in and you wanted her to have some say rather than just ordering it?”
“Correct, skai girl.”
A smile tugged at Anya’s lips again, and Clarke was relieved that her questioning seemed to continually be leading to a measure of being impressed with her rather than offended or annoyed. Letting the silence settle, the blonde took a moment to close her eyes and think through her conflicting thoughts. She knew that right now the battle was really between her emotional response and her logical one. And while she recognized that both heart and head played important roles when making a decision as a leader, she knew that in this case with her people’s lives on the line she needed to lean more towards head. That didn’t make anything easier though, and her heart hurt as she truly let herself accept what the consequences of her choice would be. It was better to acknowledge them now and then move forward with what she had to do than to push the truth down and be caught off-guard by it later. So Clarke gave herself the moments she needed to really examine both the emotional and logical sides of the conflict inside of her. She played out both paths and acknowledged what the consequences would be on each side. Then, taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes again and met Anya’s gaze.
“You’re right. My people and I arrived here having no idea what we were doing or how to survive. We didn’t even know if the ground itself was safe or if it would kill us instantly. Up until now our lives have not included any type of training or preparation to help us be successful living on the ground. We’ve been lucky so far, but I know that luck will run out if we don’t have help for the winter season. I still have some questions, but no matter the answers to them, I am deciding now that I accept your offer, Anya. I will stay with you here in Tondc and work as a healer for your people. I will do what I can to share the knowledge that I have and learn new ways of healing from Nyko. And I thank you for the generosity of your offer to help my people survive in exchange.”
Clarke kept her gaze locked on Anya as she finished speaking, but she could sense Indra studying her. For a long moment no one moved or spoke. But then the moment passed and Anya smiled briefly. Shifting her knife back into its place on her side she spoke.
“It is decided then. The deal has been struck. Why don’t we eat our evening meal while answering these other questions you have and discussing next steps. Besides,” she threw a smirk at Indra, “now that we have your answer free of influence from other factors, I think it’s time for Indra’s sekon to join us.”
“You have grown impossibly more insufferable during your time away in Polis. It is good that you will be spending the winter here in your home. Perhaps a tree branch will fall on your head and knock some sense back into you.”
Clarke wasn’t sure if she was more startled by Indra’s words or the bark of laughter that Anya let out at them. It seemed that the General was much more relaxed now that everything was out in the open and Clarke had accepted the deal. Even Indra’s lips twitched up in humor, though for no more than a second. The blonde suspected that the Chief probably never actually smiled.
“You know that you have missed me, Indra, do not even try to deny it. Now, why don’t we summon the cooks and your sekon. I’m starving.”
Seeming to decide to ignore the baiting comment about missing her, Indra simply nodded and gave a loud whistle. The man who had been standing outside the door when Anya and Clarke first arrived opened it at the sound and stepped just inside.
“Brahm, tell them we are ready for the meal and signal for my sekon to return from watch and join us.”
“Sha, Chief.”
Clarke watched as the guard, Brahm apparently, turned immediately to do as directed, closing the door behind him again as he went. She wondered briefly what the continual mentions of this sekon were. It almost sounded like the word second, but the pronunciation was just slightly different. She’d caught on throughout the conversation that other words were being said in a language she didn’t recognize. As they waited for the food to arrive, Clarke considered how difficult it would be to learn a new language. Since she was going to apparently be living here for the foreseeable future she thought it might not be a bad idea to try. Glancing briefly at Anya, she decided that she’d ask Nyko to teach her. The General may have loosened up considerably from when they first met, but she had a feeling that as a teacher the woman’s methods may not be entirely favorable. Besides, she’d certainly be spending plenty of time with the grounder healer so asking him just made the most sense.
Her musings were brought to a halt as the door opened again. This time a group of people entered, each carrying different dishes of food, plates, and other items for their dinner. Clarke once again was enveloped in the delicious scent that had broken her from her sleepy state earlier and realized that she must have smelled the meal being prepared. As everything was set down on the table before the trio, Clarke couldn’t stop her eyes from widening at the sight. There was just so much food. Some sort of meat seemed to be the main dish. It was cooked and cut into pieces ready to be loaded onto plates. Different vegetables filled another bowl and she could see some sort of seasoning clinging to them. There was a loaf of some kind of bread next to slices of something that Clarke wasn’t able to name. Two jugs were placed on the table, one filled with water and the other with whatever dark substance that Indra had been sipping during their conversation. It was more food than Clarke had ever seen all at one time and she felt saliva gather in her mouth in anticipation. A twinge of guilt tried to wedge its way into her thoughts that she was here about to enjoy such a meal while her friends back at camp were certainly barely scraping together enough, but she pushed it aside as quickly as it came. She’d accepted Anya’s offer and soon her people would be provided with enough to keep them from starving. She’d done what she could for them and she was allowed to enjoy the opportunity before her.
Just as Clarke looked up to try to gauge from the other women if it was okay to start filling her plate the door opened again. Turning her head to see who would enter this time, Clarke felt herself push back her chair and stand without making the conscious decision to do so. The food sat forgotten at the table as she made her way over to meet the new arrival as they walked further into the room. Stopping to stand less than an arm's length away, the blonde struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. It couldn’t be. Nothing her brain could come up with in its shocked state was helping to make this make sense. The girl before gave her a knowing smile.
“Hey Clarke.”
“Octavia?!”