Trouble in Paradise
Lexa woke Clarke as the sun rose above Polis. On the way to the gates they roused Octavia and Raven to join them. Aden followed them to the stables, laughing as Raven struggled to control her horse at first.
“Ride well. Stay safe.” Aden called to them as the four, plus Lincoln and two of the Commanders guards, Britt and Trei. The group of seven rode through the dawn pausing at noon for a quick lunch before pushing on. They stopped as the sun began to set and Octavia helped Lincoln hunt for their dinner while Trei and Britt set up camp. Lexa got a fire going while Raven and Clarke dragged Logs around the fire for everyone to sit on.
Lincoln and Octavia returned victoriously with a deer and Trei helped Lincoln skin and quarter the beast while Britt taught Octavia how to set up a spit and some flat stones for them to cook on. Lexa looked on contently. Britt and Trei had been her faithful guards for many years now. They were friends of Anya’s and had helped to train her as a nightblood. She’d instructed them before they’d left Polis to help teach Octavia important skills while they rode until Lexa could appoint Clarke guards of her own. The two warriors she had in mind were currently in Tondc so this trip was also with a hidden purpose for Lexa. After an hour, Octavia announced that dinner was ready and helped hand out the cooked meat, giving Lexa her share first. Everyone ate in silence before retreating to their tents. Lincoln and Britt volunteered to take the first watch, promising to wake Octavia and Trei for their turn later on. Clarke followed Lexa into her tent and curled up under the furs falling asleep quickly. Lexa stripped out of her armor and joined her.
The pair were roused by Octavia banging Britt and Trei’s shields together outside of their tents. Lexa poked her head out with a growl, narrowing her eyes as she spotted her two guards rolling on the ground with laughter.
“Hod yu rein daun.” Mind your place. Lexa growled at them.
“Sha Heda.” Britt sighed, wiping the tears from his eyes and nudging Trei. Lexa nodded and pulled her head back into the tent. After a quick breakfast of something Octavia called ‘deer bacon’, which was thin strips of the meat fried on a hot stone until it was crispy, they set off again. Lexa estimated they’d make it to Arcadia sometime between noon and sundown. Lexa was right on the mark as the group arrived at the gates at around two in the afternoon.
“It’s the commander! Clarke, Octavia, and Raven are with her! Open the gates!” Clarke heard voices call out. She took a deep breath, walking her stallion in a circle to try and keep herself calm.
“Chil, you Clarke. Chil au. We can leave whenever you want to.” Easy Clarke. Calm. Lexa soothed in a low voice, moving closer to Clarke.
“Ok.” Clarke nodded, turning to watch as the gate swung open. Thelonious Jaha, Marcus Kane, and Abby Griffin all stood waiting for the party to ride in, the gate closing behind them.
“Monin kom Arkadia, Heda.” Welcome to Arcadia, Commander. Kane greeted in trig.
“Muchof Marcus Kane. Your grasp of our language improves every time I see you.” Lexa nodded. Kane smiled at the praise.
“If we are to work together more efficiently we need to understand your people better and they us.” Kane nodded. Lexa felt a swell of pride in her chest. She quite liked Marcus Kane. He was always seeking to improve the communication between the sky people and the ground. He wanted peace like she did.
“What brings you here Commander? We were surprised to receive a rider telling us you’d be coming here.” Jaha asked.
“The sky people have grown and become my people since last I was here and I’ve heard nothing but good about Arcadia from you ambassador. I wanted to see the growth myself. Clarke also wanted to return so I thought it a perfect time to make the trip.” Lexa explained. Kane nodded, eagerly showing the group around Arcadia, pointing out the improvements and telling them about further things he wanted to get done. Lexa listened intently and nodded along with his ideas and asking him questions here and there which he happily answered. Every so often Kane would try to explain something in trig, thanking Lexa whenever she corrected his pronunciation or taught him a word he didn’t know. Lexa was glad to see he was trying and didn’t mind teaching him.
“Commander, if you and your guards are hungry, we have a hunting party leaving soon. Abby wants to throw a feast for you and for Clarke’s return.” Kane told her.
“I would like to accompany them. If you wouldn’t mind.” Lexa replied.
“Of course not Heda, I’ll ask them to wait.” Kane nodded and hurried away.
“Trei, you and I will be going with the hunters, I would like to see how skilled they are. We may teach them a thing or two. Britt, you will stay with Clarke until our return.” Lexa ordered. Her guards nodded and Clarke reached hesitantly for her hand.
“Chil au. I will return, fear not. Go see your people Clarke. I will return for you.” Lexa promised. Clarke nodded and stepped back, watching Lexa and Trei moved to join the four hunters at the gate.
“Pas yu, skai prisa.” After you, sky princess. Britt told her. Clarke sighed and went to find Raven.
“Clarke! There you are! Come with me.” Raven called to her. Clarke hurried over, followed closely by Britt.
“What’s up Rae?” Clarke asked. O and I gathered up the rest of the hundred, well… The forty seven and I think you should hear what’s going on.” Raven told her in a low voice. Clarke’s eyes widened and she followed Raven to the sky box. The rest of the delinquents waited patiently for them.
“Hey! You lot! Shut it!” Raven barked, standing on a table.
“Clarke!” Multiple voices shouted in greeting. Everyone seemed happy to see her.
“Hey.” Clarke smiled. It hurt to see them all, but it also felt good too.
‘I saved them… These are my people…’ Clarke told herself.
“Raven told me you guys were talking. What’s really going on here?” Clarke asked.
“The council and the adults think they know everything! We’ve been here longer but they don’t listen to us!” One voice called out.
“They treat us like delinquents too. Like we’re still just naughty kids up on the Arc!” Another voice called.
“We aren’t allowed outside the gates!” A third howled angrily.
“Jaha wants everyone to remove their birth control implants and have kids as soon as possible. Especially us!” Harper called out and there was a murmur of agreement from the girls.
“We aren’t ready for that. We’re still kids too. But he pressures us. There’s a rumor going that it might become mandatory.” Another girl called out. Clarke frowned.
“Don’t let him bully you. I’ll have words with the council. It’s time they learn how we live life on the ground!” Clarke promised. The entire room erupted with cheers.
“The commander and I will deal with it. If you have any more complaints, come find me while I’m here.” Clarke continued. The room roared again and many people hurried forward to hug Clarke and pat her on the back and shoulders, all of them welcoming her home.
“Where’s Bellamy?” Clarke asked Raven.
“He’s working on something right now but he’ll be back for dinner. I’ll tell him to find you.” Raven promised, following the others out. Clarke nodded and waited for the room to empty.
“Britt?” Clarke called. The man appeared out of nowhere.
“Sha.” He replied.
“Did you hear all of that?” She asked. The man’s face darkened as he nodded.
“What do I do?” She wondered.
“You speak to Heda. You lead together. She will help you.” He replied. Clarke nodded and went to wait by the horses. Britt taught her how to unsaddle her horse and then gave her a brush, teaching her how to groom the stallion. Clarke set to work as Britt moved around the other horses to make them comfortable as well.
Lexa and Trei returned with the hunters, the six carrying four deer and a large panther between them. The men had been happy to learn from Lexa and Trei to better feed their people. Lexa boasted about killing the panther, sneaking up on it as she taught the men. They’d all expected a deer until they got close enough. Lexa leapt from a tree and drove her sword through its neck, killing the beast instantly. When the group got back within the gates, the men followed Trei closely, all eager to learn more from the warrior. They watched closely as he skinned and quartered the first deer, before moving to help them do the rest, correcting them where necessary. Lexa moved away, tracking down Clarke and Britt. She smiled when she found the two tending to the horses.
“Hey.” Lexa purred.
“Hey there.” Clarke smiled.
“What did you learn?” Lexa asked, picking up on Clarke’s discomfort.
“We need to talk tonight. What did you catch?” Clarke asked in return.
“The men brought four deer but I tackled a panther.” Lexa boasted. Clarke smirked at the Commanders theatrics. Not long later they were called for dinner in the large mess hall that had been constructed and sat at one of the many long tables. To Lexa’s surprise they were joined by not only Octavia and Raven but by the rest of the forty seven as well.
“Commander.” They greeted respectfully. Lexa remembered what Octavia and Raven had told her about these kids.
‘They were all meant to be killed here.’ Lexa mused mentally. She had so many questions for these people. She wanted to protect them. Knowing what she knew made Lexa wary of the council and their motives. They all chatted happily during dinner, many wanting to hear how Lexa killed the panther, which she happily told, the same way she told her nightbloods stories. She smiled at the reactions she got as they urged her to tell another hunting story. After dinner, the tables began to empty and Lexa led Clarke to the tent Britt had set up for them near the horses. Clarke sighed in relief as soon as she figured out she wasn’t going to have to sleep in the remains of the Arc.
“What did you want to tell me?” Lexa asked as they settled into the furs. Clarke sighed and explained what she’d heard. She saw Lexa’s brows furrow with anger.
“I would like to speak to them.” Lexa decided. Clarke looked at her confused.
“The forty seven. Our people. Then we will deal with the council but there are things I need to take care of before that.” Lexa clarified.
“Tomorrow. They like you already. That’s why they came to sit with us at dinner.” Clarke yawned. Lexa nodded and managed to fall asleep at some point in the night. The commander had a plan already.