Chapter 7
The tension in the air was palpable as the four women’s eyes shifted between one another. Indra was standing before them holding a rope in her left hand with the other end tied around the wrists of a haggard-looking Octavia. The younger girl simply stood glaring at Clarke and Lexa with a mixture of shock and outrage, while the other two exchanged curious looks before turning back to the new arrivals.
“Octavia,” Clarke muttered, “What are you doing here? Why are you tied up?”
“What am I doing here?” Octavia shouted, “What are you doing-“
“Quiet.” Indra ordered lowly before turning and bowing to Lexa. “Heda, I apologise for this abrupt intrusion.”
“It’s fine, Indra.” Lexa said with a wave of her hand. “What are you doing here, with your former second no less?”
“And why is she tied up?” Clarke added.
“You would do well to know your place, Klark kom Skaikru.” Indra bit out as she leveled the blonde with a glare that could make even the mightiest warrior cower in fear.
Lexa was about to reprimand her most loyal general when Clarke stood from her place next to Juno and addressed the dark-skinned warrior herself.
“I, Klark kom Kru, know my place, Indra kom Trikru. The Heda herself has requested my help as a personal advisor, while behind me lies the Trimani Nomon, matron spirit of your clan and trusted friend of mine.”
Indra’s eyes widened momentarily before she bowed her head slightly in respect. “My apologies, Skai Prisa, I was not aware. I had left our camp before news from Polis arrived and have not heard of these recent developments.”
“That’s fine, Indra, you were simply defending the honour of your Commander.” Clarke said as crouched down so she was level with the older woman, much to the surprise of those present. “Now, could you please release my friend?”
Indra hesitated for a moment, but once Lexa nodded her permission, she rose and with a quick swipe of her knife, the ropes around Octavia’s wrists dropped to the floor with a soft thud.
“Thank you, Indra.” Clarke said before turning to the younger brunette. “Octavia, it’s good to see-“
She was cut off when Octavia swung her fist against her jaw with all her might. Clarke silently thanked Echo and Colste for training her when she remained standing as her head snapped to the side.
“You bitch!” Octavia screeched. “You’ve been gone months, and all this time you were living with her?!”
“Octavia I can explain-“
“Explain what?” With each word Octavia approached her, fists flying, while her voice rose. “How you abandoned us?” Clarke ducked as another wildly swinging fist came at her. “How you ran away to live here instead of with your own people?”
This time, Clarke caught the other girl’s fist but she wasn’t quick enough to stop herself from being swept to the ground. Her still-sore back hit the hard floor and as the slight yelp of pain passed her lips, Octavia didn’t even get the chance to register Lexa standing and drawing her sword before a dark mass barreled toward her, pinning her before she could blink. Her eyes widened as she stared up into the snarling face of a bear bigger than any animal she had seen since taking that first leap off the dropship. She chanced looking away from the monstrous teeth and swallowed nervously as a paw the size of her chest pinned her to the ground like a furry tree trunk while claws bigger than most knives rested dangerously against her throat. Her attention was brought back to blue eyes filled with righteous fury as the titanic beast growled threateningly, causing the entire room to shake with it.
“Juno, no!” Clarke called out as she pushed herself to her feet. “She didn’t mean to hurt me.”
Juno turned her head and nuzzled her cub as she wrapped her arms around her mighty protector’s neck. “Mochof, Nomon,” Clarke whispered in the bear’s ear. “I know you were just trying to protect me.”
Lexa watched with wonder as Clarke interacted with one of, if not the, most dangerous creature she had ever seen as if they really were mother and child.
Juno grunted and gave her cub a sloppy lick before removing her paw from the other girl and lumbering her way back to her spot next to Lexa’s throne. Octavia sighed with relief and allowed Clarke to pull her to her feet.
“Indra, could you tell me what exactly it is you are doing with one of the Sky People as your prisoner?” Lexa asked, diffusing some of the lingering tension as everyone’s attention was brought back to her.
“I caught her stealing from one of our camps, Heda, and when I went to after her she threw down her sword and said she had information you would find useful.”
“Is that true?” Lexa asked as she looked down at Octavia.
“Sha, Heda, but I’m only willing to talk if you remove the kill order on Lincoln.”
“And why would I do such a thing? Lincoln left his people to be with yours, I show him mercy already by allowing him to take refuge within your walls.”
“Because they aren’t our walls anymore.” Octavia answered.
“What do you mean, Octavia?” Clarke asked. She was aware of the kill order on Lincoln, but she hadn’t been too worried. Their meeting at the dropship may have been a little rough, but the people of Camp Jaha had always welcomed him, their efforts to rehabilitate him were the foundation of the first alliance.
“Since you left,” Octavia spat, “we’ve been searching for the other pieces of the Ark that came to Earth. On one of those missions we met the survivors of Farm Station and their leader, some guy named Pike.”
“Mister Pike made it to the ground?” Clarke asked happily.
“You know of this man?” Lexa inquired.
“Yeah.” Clarke nodded. “He was a teacher on the Ark. Everything I knew about surviving on the ground when we first landed was taught to me by him.”
“Yeah, well don’t get too excited.” Octavia said bitterly. “It’s thanks to him that everything’s going to hell-in-a-handbasket.”
“Why, what happened?”
Octavia dragged a hand through her hair and sighed. “Pike and the rest of Farm Station landed smackdab in the middle of Ice Nation territory.” Everyone in the room cringed instinctually. They didn’t need further explanation to know that Pike and his people had probably been fighting for their lives from the minute they landed. “By the time they joined us at Arkadia, they were convinced that all Grounders were as bad as Azgeda. A couple of weeks later, they had convinced your mom and several others of the same thing and that it was a good idea to colonise Mount Weather. A few of us protested, but they didn’t listen. Instead, Lincoln became a scapegoat for them to direct their hate at, and it escalated to the point where Pike convinced them to banish him, kill order or not. A few of us tried standing up for him, but Pike just said Lincoln had poisoned our minds and forced us out too. We’ve been hiding ever since.”
“This is far worse than I anticipated.” Lexa muttered.
“So you need the kill order lifted so that you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder for Sky People and Grounders.” Clarke concluded.
“Sharp as ever, Princess.” Octavia grunted before turning back to Lexa, “And if Heda could find it in her to grant Ain teina amnesty, I have some more information of even greater value.”
Lexa schooled her features as she readjusted herself and looked between those present. “Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Lincoln made the conscious decision to abandon his people not once, but twice. His dishonour prevents him from being reinstated as Trigedakru let alone rejoining the Trikru.” She watched as Octavia’s disbelief gave way to outrage and kept her features calm and collected while the younger brunette opened her mouth to protest.
“I’ll vouch for him.”
Everyone stopped and turned to look at the blonde.
“What?” Octavia asked.
“Commander, surely you can’t allow this.” Indra said quietly while Lexa studied the girl at her side.
“Clarke,” she said after a couple minutes, “you do realise what the implications of doing this are, correct?”
“Sha, Heda.” Clarke replied. “I will vouch for Lincoln. I will take responsibility for his life, and his actions. His honour will be tied to mine, and regardless of past treasons I extend my trust to him, and those he travels with.” She turned from Lexa to look Octavia in the eye before finishing, “that is, if they will have me.”
Octavia stood slack-jawed and wide-eyed as she took in what Clarke was saying. Lincoln had explained to her what it meant to vouch for someone and she had experienced it first hand when she had become Indra’s second. Clarke wasn’t just saying she would vouch for them though, she was asking permission to take responsibility for the actions of everyone in their little group.
She looked into the blonde’s eyes and blinked as she saw something that wasn’t there when they last saw her outside Camp Jaha. Where before there was a cold, dead look behind the girl’s eyes Octavia now saw something she had barely seen since the Ark sent them down to die. She looked into fiery blue eyes and, along with the ever-present caring Clarke exhibited for those around her, she saw warmth and, for what might have been the first time in too long, Octavia saw hope.
“Octavia,” Lexa said, breaking the girl out of her reverie. “Who else left the Sky People when you and Lincoln were driven out?”
“Raven, a man named Sinclair, our friends Monty and Miller, and one of our leaders: Marcus Kane. My brother Bellamy would have as well, but Kane convinced him to stay because most of the original hundred still listen to him.”
“Very well, since you are the only one present, do you accept the offer of Skai Prisa, Fisa Klark kom Kru and renounce your old allegiances in favour of tying both life and honour to that of hers?”
“Sha, Heda.” Octavia replied seriously.
“Very well,” Lexa stood up as she prepared to leave. “Clarke and I leave for the Marsh Clan tomorrow. We will meet the rest of your group on the way, and since you owe her your lives, I am assigning you and your sonraun teina as the personal guards to the Skai Prisa. You will both devote every breath you have left on this world to ensuring her continued safety, lest your bloodline be tainted, and your spirits never find rest. Clarke,” She turned to face the blonde and Clarke felt her breath catch against her own accord. “I will meet you at your house four candle marks past dawn tomorrow.”
Clarke nodded and couldn’t quite keep her throat from drying out as she at the sight of Lexa striding powerfully out the door, Indra on her heel.
“So,” Octavia mumbled awkwardly, bringing the sky girl’s attention back to the present. “Thanks, I guess, for saving our lives… and, you know, not letting Mama Bear over there eat me.”
“Don’t worry about it, Octavia.” Clarke replied chuckling. “I’m sorry she attacked you. Juno can be a bit protective at times.”
Octavia watched as the giant bear stood and huffed as she nuzzled her snout against golden tresses, and couldn’t quite keep her eyebrows from shooting up in shock when the other girl giggled in return.
“I never said it was a bad thing!” Clarke laughed and reached up to scratch behind Juno’s ears.
“I guess since we’re apologising… I’m sorry for trying to beat you up.” The brunette muttered as she followed the other girl outside.
“No, you were right.” Clarke said, and Octavia could see the sadness in her eyes even as smiled and waved to people they passed. “I left you guys to come live here. At first I couldn’t face what I had done, so I just sort of wandered around. Until, one day, I met Juno. Her leg was stuck in a trap and, eventually, I convinced her to let me help. I don’t really know why, but I started talking to her while I worked and it helped get past some things. I still couldn’t go back, so I decided to come here and become a healer. I wanted a fresh start, and thought that maybe helping people here would help me work through some of my demons.”
“Has it?” Octavia asked quietly. “Helped, I mean.”
“Yeah,” Clarke sighed, smiling as she watched the people of Polis, her people, move about, living their lives. “It has.”
“And becoming the Commander’s ‘advisor’?”
Clarke stopped as they approached her house and focused her attention on stroking Juno’s fur. “Over my time here, I came to love these people just as much as those from the Ark, so when Lexa offered me a position on the Council, I saw it as an opportunity to help as many people as I could, regardless of clan.”
“Klark kom Kru.” Octavia said, smiling.
“Exactly. I’m leaving tomorrow because an ambassador from one of the clans asked I take a look at his father.” Clarke paused and turned to face Octavia for a moment before wrapping her up in a hug. “I know you probably still hate me,” she whispered into the brunette’s shoulder, “but it’s good to see you O.”
Octavia hesitated before wrapping her arms around the other girl. “I was surprised and reacted poorly when I saw you, but I don’t hate you. I’ve had time to think and I know now that everything you’ve done, you did because you had no choice and you thought it was best for us in the long run.” She smiled softly when she felt Clarke relax in her arms and tightened her grip around the blonde in response.
“It’s good to see you too, Clarke.”