Chapter 3
Lexa spent much of the day selecting the warriors who would march on Camp Jaha, while she had been making her choices she found herself mentally considering things that she had not done before. Did the warrior she was about to select have a family? Did he, or she, have a child, people depending on them? Lexa had very rarely had to choose her army when she would not be marching with them, nor had she ever really thought about the possibility of them not returning. She had no idea what Nia’s plans were, for all she knew nothing would happen and her army would return as they usually did, but Lexa knew, deep down, that Nia never did anything which wouldn’t lead to her gaining something personally. Helping the Sky People would give Nia access to their weapons and technology, something which Lexa wasn’t happy with, but that would not be enough for the Azgeda Queen to risk the lives of her warriors.
The Commander knew that in regards to the Azgeda they were all warriors, from the people who regularly fought in battle, to the men and women who traded in the market, even down to the children who populated the cities. Every one of them had been trained in the art of survival. That is partly what made the Azgeda so dangerous, Nia could repopulate the ranks of her army until the last person in the last city fell.
As she was standing in the throne room, looking out of the window which gave her a view over Polis, Lexa heard raised voices. Walking from the room she stopped, looking down the stairway she could see Indra, Clarke and the girl that Lexa had met the previous night in the tavern. Lexa couldn’t recall her name; she hadn’t been paying very much attention when Clarke had told her. The blonde girl had obviously been drinking again that day, Lexa could tell from the way that Clarke couldn’t stand still while talking to Indra, her companion using an arm around her waist to keep her steady.
“You continue to show Heda no respect.” Indra said to Clarke.
“Respect?” The blonde asked, “I will show her respect when she has done something to earn it.”
Lexa clenched her jaw as she watched and listened, she knew that her relationship with Clarke was damaged, possibly beyond repair, hearing the other girl talk about her the way she did only reinforced that knowledge within Lexa.
“You arrive here, after three months, requesting assistance for your people,” Indra replied, “people with which we have no alliance, and Heda grants you your request. She also decided favorably with extending that assistance to the Azgeda, though Nia knew not to expect it. That alone is an act for which she deserves to be shown respect.”
“You’re saying I should respect her for doing the right thing?” Clarke asked her voice betraying the amusement she so obviously felt.
“If you wish to spend the night with your…” Indra looked at Ontari, before looking back at Clarke, “acquaintance, then may I suggest you do so elsewhere. Before you arrived here the Azgeda had not set foot in this building since…”
“Indra.” Lexa said, her voice carrying from where she was standing, causing the older woman to turn around and look at her, Clarke also looked up at where Lexa was standing, “that’s enough. If Clarke chooses to bring company back here with her, then she may do so.”
“Sha, Heda.” Indra replied with a small nod before pushing past Clarke and Ontari and walking downstairs.
An uncomfortable silence fell over Clarke, Lexa and Ontari as none of them moved. Lexa straightened her shoulders, raised her head slightly and clenched her jaw.
“Enjoy your evening.” She said to Clarke before she turned and walked back to the throne room.
“See,” Clarke said to Ontari before Lexa closed the door, “told you it wouldn’t be a problem.”
“She’s not exactly happy with me being here.” Ontari said with a short laugh.
“Who cares,” Clarke replied, “I want you here.”
x-x-x-x-x
“What’s in the chest?” Ontari asked Clarke as the blonde lay on the bed.
“No idea,” Clarke replied with a shrug, glancing over to see the other girl looking in the closet space, “it was in there when that weird guy showed me to the room. I didn’t bother asking him what was in it, it’s got a lock on it though so it’s obviously something important.”
“You’re not curious?” Ontari asked, walking over to the bed and laying down with her head on the blonde’s stomach, “Not even the slightest bit?”
“I guess I am a little,” Clarke said, looking down at the other girl, “it’s a locked chest, that’s like giving a kid a box and telling them to look after it but not look in it.”
“So, let’s see what’s in the chest.” Ontari said, sitting up and picking up the dagger which lay on the small table next to the bed.
Clarke sat up as she watched the other girl walk over to the chest. She watched as she slid the dagger in behind the lock and pried it open. She couldn’t help but smile a little as Ontari turned and looked at her with a grin. Clarke stood up and walked over to where the other girl was, crouching down next to her as she opened the chest. In the chest there was a coat, animal hide if Clarke thought right, it was certainly very well made, though it looked like it hadn’t been worn in a while. On top of the coat was a knife, as she reached in and picked it up she could see the pattern on the blade, it was similar to the pattern on the dagger which Lexa always carried. The knife itself was extremely well made. She put it on the floor next to her as she lifted the coat out of the chest, underneath was another box.
“This doesn’t feel right…” Clarke said as she looked at the box which sat in the bottom of the chest.
“I’m wondering why all this stuff was locked away, I mean it doesn’t look like anything special to me.” Ontari replied, as she picked up the knife and looked at it.
“Maybe that’s the whole point…” Clarke said as she took the box out of the chest.
She sat back with the box on her legs and slowly opened it. Inside the box was a small pile of roughly made paper, each page held an image. The top picture was of a forest, drawn in charcoal as far as Clarke could tell, within the picture of the forest she could see a person sitting on a tree branch. Lexa. Whoever had drawn this picture had drawn it from life, from a standing position as they looked at Lexa up in the tree. It just added to the feeling that Clarke had, that whatever was in this box, whoever the items in the chest belonged to, it was personal. Personal to Lexa.
Clarke sat and looked through the drawings, each of them was on the same rough paper as the first, most in charcoal but some had a hint of colour. One picture that really caught Clarke’s eye was a charcoal drawing of Lexa, sitting at a table, obviously engrossed in what she was doing. This was one drawing with colour. Lexa’s eyes. They almost shone from the page. She looked relaxed and peaceful in a way that Clarke had never seen.
“Costia…” Ontari said quietly, running her fingers over the name which was carved in the lid of the box.
Clarke closed the box and put it on the floor, pushing it away from her as she pulled herself backwards. A sharp knock at the door made Clarke jump, before she even had a chance to say anything the door opened, revealing Ryder. Clarke could tell from the look in his eyes that he could see the chest and he could see that they had opened it.
“Heda sent me to find out if there should be another place set for the meal.” He said, his jaw clenched.
“Er, no.” Clarke replied shaking her head a little, “we already ate at the tavern.”
He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.
“We need to put this back.” Clarke said motioning to everything they had taken from the chest.
“Why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost?” Ontari asked as she looked at Clarke, slight amusement in her voice.
“Everything in that chest belonged to Costia.” Clarke replied, motioning to the chest.
“And…?” the other girl asked in reply.
“We shouldn’t be going through it.” Clarke said, moving to put everything back as she had found it, though she knew that Ryder would be telling Lexa about it.
“She’s dead, it’s not like she’s going to need it.” Ontari said.
“That’s not the point.” The blonde girl replied, “this stuff obviously means a lot to Lexa, for her to keep it, we shouldn’t have opened the chest.”
“The dead are gone, Clarke.” The other girl said as she sat back against the bed, “maybe if the Commander could accept that, she wouldn’t keep this shit lying around.”
“Have you ever lost someone you care about?” Clarke asked, as she closed the chest again, closing the door to the closet space as well.
“My brother,” Ontari said with a nod, “he was one of the first killed in the final war before the Azgeda joined the coalition. That was a bloody war, a lot of people died. Some that I cared about, but it was war, people die.”
“The things that are in that chest are what led to that war.” Clarke said as she sat back on the bed, “Nia killing Costia is what started that war.”
“I know,” Ontari replied as she sat next to Clarke, “I was in the room when she finally killed her.”
Clarke just looked over at her, Ontari shrugged.
“She dragged it out for nearly a week,” she said, avoiding Clarke’s eyes, “every time we thought the knife had gone in too deeply the healer would come along and slow the bleeding. Later that day she would continue…”
“Why?” Clarke asked, “I mean I don’t understand what she hoped to gain from it, other than pissing Lexa off.”
“That was her intention,” the other girl replied, “not to start with. She had been so sure that Costia would tell her everything she wanted to know. The strength of the Commander’s army, how quick she could mobilize them. The defenses around the city, where the weak points were. All things that Costia would have known due to her closeness to the Commander.”
“When did her intentions change?” Clarke asked, leaning back on her elbows on the bed.
“The day after the torture started,” Ontari said with a sigh, “we had people here, Azgeda who could pass as other clans. The Commander had arrived back in Polis a matter of hours after Costia had been taken, our people told us that she had shown no sign of gathering her forces. She knew where Costia was, Nia made sure she would know, but she still didn’t come… When it became obvious that Costia wasn’t going to talk, Nia concentrated more on making it last as long as she could. Dragging it out.”
“Which you obviously think she shouldn’t have done…” Clarke said as she looked at the girl.
“I don’t know,” the other girl replied with a shrug, “the girl was as good as dead anyway, if she’d have told Nia what she wanted to know then maybe the end would’ve come quicker.”
“What if she didn’t know?” the blonde asked.
“She had to know, how could she not, she shared the Commander’s bed.” Ontari said looking back at Clarke.
“Doesn’t mean Lexa told her stuff like that…” Clarke said, “she didn’t tell me anything like that and we spent a lot of time alone, planning the attack on the mountain.”
“You weren’t sleeping with her though,” Ontari replied, leaning back so she was next to Clarke, “there’s a certain… trust that comes with long term intimacy, trust that you and the Commander obviously didn’t have. How long did it take her to tell you about Costia?”
“We were in Tondc,” Clarke said, “we’d just taken Finn’s body there… Murderer and victims joined in fire, to cleanse them of the pain of the past or something… I lit the fire…”
“You lit the fire?” Ontari asked as she looked at Clarke, the blonde nodded in reply, “that is something that only the Commander is supposed to do.”
“That explains why everyone started mumbling when she gave me the torch,” Clarke said, “we were standing watching the fire burn and she told me that she’d lost someone close to her too… Then she told me how Nia had kidnapped Costia, tortured her, killed her and cut off her head, because she was hers. She told me that she thought she’d never get over the pain, when I asked her how she did she said that she had accepted it for what it was. Weakness.”
“That explains a lot,” Ontari said, “tells me how she could stand there while my villages burned and children we slaughtered and do nothing about it.”
“It was war…” Clarke said laying back fully on the bed, looking up at the ceiling, “people die…”
x-x-x-x-x-x
Lexa was sitting behind the table in her room, again going over the plan she had worked out with Indra. It was exactly the same outcome every time. They were going to take losses, heavy losses. A knock at the door snapped Lexa from her thoughts.
“Yes.” She replied, looking between the door and the map on the table.
“Sorry to interrupt, Heda.” Ryder said as he walked into the room.
“What has Clarke done now?” Lexa asked with a sigh as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“A great many things I am sure,” Ryder replied, his voice tinged with amusement, “but that isn’t why I’m here. Abby and Marcus of the Skai Kru wish to speak to you.”
“Can it not wait until morning?” Lexa asked, looking at him.
“They insist that it is important, and cannot wait.” He replied, causing Lexa to sigh as she nodded.
“Show them to the meeting room,” she said as she stood up, “I’ll be there shortly.”
He nodded a little before leaving the room.
Lexa had no idea why Abby and Marcus would want to speak to her, Abby especially, there was no love lost there. With Marcus she had an odd type of relationship, one built of a mutual respect. She didn’t know how much of that respect remained after the night on the mountain.
It didn’t take her long to change her clothes and go to the meeting room, as soon as she entered both Abby and Marcus stood up from where they had been sitting.
“Thank you for agreeing to see us.” Marcus said with a slight bow of his head.
“Ryder told me it was important and couldn’t wait until morning,” Lexa replied, walking over to the table and taking the seat at the head of it, “can I offer you something to eat or drink, I’m sure you must have had a long journey?”
“That would be nice, thank you.” Marcus said.
Lexa looked at the woman who was standing by the door and nodded her head a little, letting her know that she could get them food.
“I must ask,” Lexa said as the door to the room closed behind the woman, leaving her alone with Abby and Marcus, “how did you find Polis?”
“One of the Azgeda warriors at Camp Jaha gave us directions.” Marcus replied.
“They are already at your camp?” Lexa asked, her jaw clenching slightly.
“One or two, yes,” he nodded, “the army has no yet arrived, they are expected to do so tomorrow.”
“Then why are you here to see me?” The Commander asked in reply, “Surely by now you are aware that I have agreed to send help, and that it will arrive the day after tomorrow.”
“We are aware, and we are grateful for the help,” Marcus said, with a nod of his head, “especially considering everything that has happened between our people…”
Lexa heard Abby huff a little, she turned her attention to the older woman.
“Is there something you wish to say, Abby?” Lexa asked, her voice remaining calm.
“As much as we do appreciate your help, we also know that as you are in a coalition with the Azgeda, it is your duty as Heda to send the help for them.” Abby said coldly.
“That is where you are very much mistaken,” Lexa replied, her gaze remaining fixed on the doctor, “I have no duty to send reinforcements for the Azgeda, which Nia would be aware of. I am only duty bound to provide warrior assistance if a war has started which I have been consulted about, or if my people are attacked without warning. Nia agreeing to help your people, as honorable as I am sure you think that action to be, automatically discounted any duty of assistance on my part.”
“Then why are you helping us?” Abby asked.
“I have asked myself that question many times in the previous few days,” Lexa said, “and I have yet to reach a decision that I believe to be satisfactory. My people have no alliance with yours, I have no duty to send assistance of any kind, your people fighting amongst themselves is not my concern. Again, this is something which Nia would have been aware of, which leads me to believe that is why she assigned Clarke the task of asking me. The decision I chose to make at Mount Weather, though regrettable in part due to what Clarke found herself having to do, was still the right one to make for my people. My actions that night caused harm to someone I care for, and if sending help to your people can begin to repair that damage, then that is what I will do.”
“So you’re doing it for Clarke, Octavia was right…” Abby said with a bitter laugh.
“Why are you here?” Lexa asked, a little more coldly than she intended.
“Clarke was supposed to return to Camp Jaha with the message herself,” Marcus said, looking between Lexa and Abby, hoping to calm the situation before it got any worse, “but she did not, instead an Azgeda messenger was sent. Abby and I are here to find out if Clarke is still here in Polis.”
“Yes, she is.” Lexa replied with a small nod as she looked back at him.
“Is she here by choice or are you holding her against her will?” Abby asked, a quiet knock at the door delaying Lexa’s answer.
Lexa shook her head a little as she was offered food, and she waited until Marcus and Abby had food in front of them before she answered Abby’s question.
“Clarke remains in Polis by choice,” Lexa said, “I am not forcing her to stay here, nor would I.”
“Can we see her?” Marcus asked, looking up from the plate of food.
“Once you have finished your meal I will have someone take you to her room.” Lexa said, “or I could take you there myself, which may be easier.”
x-x-x-x-x
Once Abby and Marcus had eaten their fill, Lexa took them to Clarke’s room. The two Sky People following on behind her were talking quietly, Lexa could hear enough to realize they were talking about the building.
“This building has been used by every Heda that came before me,” Lexa said glancing back at them, “Polis has always been a city which has been under Trikru control, it made sense to make it the capitol once the coalition had been formed.”
“How can one clan hold onto one city for so long?” Abby asked as they continued walking.
“Through force.” Lexa replied, “this city has been fought over many times.”
Lexa stopped at the door of Clarke’s room. The sounds that were filtering out through the wood in the door told Lexa that Clarke wasn’t asleep and that her Azgeda friend was still there. She knocked on the door, she heard Clarke curse a little.
“Hold on…” she heard Clarke say, before hearing noises which indicated the blonde was moving towards the door.
When the door opened Clarke stood there with nothing but a fur from the bed covering her, her hair was a mess and a bite mark was clearly visible on her shoulder.
“Lexa…” Clarke said, the surprise of the Commander knocking on her door was pretty obvious, “er… something I can help you with?”
Lexa noticed that Clarke pulled the door against her a little more, blocking out any view of the bed from the door, though Lexa didn’t need to see the bed to know what was going on.
“Your mother and Marcus wanted to see you,” Lexa said, her eyes fixed on Clarke’s face as she talked to her, her jaw clenched so tightly that Clarke could see the muscles moving, “they travelled here to ensure that you are here by choice and that I am not forcing you to remain.”
Lexa closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them again Clarke was sure that she saw a flash of pain there, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.
“If you intend to remain in the city over night I am sure that the local tavern has vacancies,” Lexa said, looking at Marcus and Abby, “then you may return to your people with Clarke in the morning, as I assume that is when she will be leaving. If there’s nothing else…”
Lexa turned and started to walk away.
“Lexa…” Clarke called after her.
Lexa didn’t stop, nor did she slow down, she kept her eyes focused ahead of her and walked away.
x-x-x-x-x
The following morning, after a very troubled nights sleep, Lexa found herself walking towards Clarke’s room. She had already heard from Ryder that the girl the blonde had been with the night before had already left, though she had no idea why her feet were leading her to the room, maybe she hadn’t felt enough pain the night before. She had also been told that Clarke would be leaving that morning, as she had suspected. While she stood in the doorway of the room she could see Clarke putting her belongings into her bag, as she watched Lexa felt the emptiness once again building in her chest. She hadn’t set foot in the room herself for some time, it had been a door that had always remained closed. The room had been the place where Costia had stayed during the start of her relationship with Lexa, and though the furs and sheets on the bed had all be replaced, the last person to sleep in that bed had been Costia. The room held too many memories for Lexa, but it was also the safest bedroom in the building, due to it’s position near the meeting room. Other than her own room, of course. Lexa could tell that Clarke was tense by the way she was moving, she put it down the battle that would soon be happening. Slowly and quietly she walked into the room.
“Clarke…” she said, hoping to get the blonde’s attention, but still it was like Clarke didn’t know she was there.
She reached out and put her hand on Clarke’s shoulder, the blonde turning quickly, her dagger in her hand. Clarke’s free hand gripped Lexa’s shoulder as she put the blade to her throat. The Commander attempted to regain control of her breathing as she felt the blade to her neck. She kept her eyes fixed on Clarke’s eyes, she didn’t fail to notice the confusion she briefly saw, nor did she fail to notice how Clarke’s eyes flicked from her own, to her lips, then down to Clarke’s own hand, which had started trembling at this point. As easy as it would have been for Lexa to disarm the blonde girl, she didn’t, knowing that this had to be Clarke’s choice. She felt the wall behind her as her breathing began to even out again. The look in Clarke’s eyes was something that Lexa had never wanted to see. It was almost like she was dead behind the eyes, like Clarke herself was no longer there.
“It would be so easy…” the blonde said, looking down at the blade in her hand.
Lexa tried to swallow as the blade pushed harder against her neck, out of the corner of her eye she could see Indra and Ryder at the door, both with their weapons drawn. Clarke hadn’t noticed them; she was still too focused on Lexa. The Commander raised her hand a little, indicating to Indra and Ryder to stay where they were and lower their weapons.
“Didn’t you always tell me that blood must have blood.” Clarke said, now looking in Lexa’s eyes.
“If this is what you feel you must do, in order to start to forgive yourself for the lives you have taken,” Lexa replied steadily, her tongue darting out to wet her now dry lips, “then do it. No one will stop you.”
“What do you know about forgiveness?” Clarke snapped, pushing the blade harder against Lexa’s throat.
“I know that, despite you believing that you need it, you do not.” Lexa replied, stepping forward just a little, “You did what you had to do to save your people, Clarke.”
Clarke’s eyes widened a little as Lexa stepped forward, a small red line now very visible under her blade. Her eyes flicked from Lexa’s eyes to her throat and back.
“You are not a monster, Clarke,” Lexa continued, “a monster would not grieve over the lives they had taken. A monster would not punish themselves in the way that you are. If taking my life will end your nightmares and help you bury your demons, then take it, it’s yours.”
“I should kill you…” Clarke said, her hand starting to shake a bit more, “I should. If you hadn’t… they’d still be alive.”
“Nobody is going to stop you.” Lexa replied, closing her eyes briefly as she felt the blood begin to slowly trickle down her neck, Clarke’s hand shaking causing the blade to move.
“You walked away, Lexa,” Clarke said, her voice shaking slightly “you turned your back and you walked away. You left my people inside the mountain to die, you used them as a bargaining tool. Leaving them to die so your people could live.”
Lexa didn’t say anything, there was nothing she could say.
“You… you left me, Lexa,” Clarke continued, the first stray tears falling from her eyes, “you left me… alone…”
“I have told you before, I do not regret the decision I made, it was the only choice I had to save my people,” Lexa replied, “but there is a part of that decision that I do regret, and I will always regret until the last breath leaves my body, and that is leaving you alone.”
That was all it took for Clarke to break down completely. The tears started to fall freely as she dropped her arm, the knife falling from her hand and clattering onto the floor. She stumbled backwards towards the bed, putting distance between herself and Lexa.
“Heda…” Ryder said from the door.
“Everything is fine,” Lexa said, looking over at him as she used her hand to feel the wound on her neck, as she brought her hand back down she could see blood, but it wasn’t any amount that she had to worry about, “can you go and see if the warriors are ready to march?”
Ryder nodded and after one more look over at Clarke he turned and walked away.
“You as well Indra.” Lexa said calmly.
“Heda, I do not think…” Indra started to say.
“She is not going to harm me, Indra.” Lexa said, looking over at the older woman.
Though she obviously wasn’t happy with leaving Lexa alone with Clarke, Indra nodded her head once and walked away. For a few moments Lexa didn’t move, she just stood with her back against the wall, watching Clarke.
“Does it ever get any easier?” Clarke asked, with a sniff.
“Does what ever get any easier?” Lexa asked softly in reply.
“Killing people,” Clarke said, glancing up at Lexa before looking away again, “being responsible for ending so many lives…”
“No,” Lexa replied honestly, “it doesn’t. Nor should it. The decision to end a life is not one that should be easily made. But as warriors it is what we do. As leaders it is something that we must do to protect our people.”
“How have you not become completely broken by now?” the blonde asked.
“Very big walls…” Lexa said with a sad laugh as she walked over to the bed where Clarke was sitting, she sat down a distance away from her, giving Clarke space, “to survive in this world I have made many choices which are difficult to live with. But I have done so because I must. I am Heda… But that is not all I am, I am also Lexa. To survive I must separate the two. Keep Lexa hidden behind very big walls. Any thoughts I had about being able to live my life as both vanished long ago…”
“Costia…” Clarke said quietly.
“Even before…” Lexa replied.
“This was her room, wasn’t it…?” Clarke asked, looking at Lexa, who just nodded a little, “the chest in the closet…”
“Contains the very few pieces of her life which I cannot bring myself to destroy…” Lexa replied.
“Why did you keep it?” Clarke asked, “I mean you’re the one who first told me that the dead are gone…”
“I keep it as a reminder of what I had,” Lexa said with a sigh, “and what I lost. I cannot go back and change the past, I cannot go back to the day the Azgeda took her, but I can remind myself not to make the same mistake again.”
“You think loving her was a mistake?” the blonde asked, her brow furrowed as she looked at Lexa.
“Loving her was… not a mistake,” Lexa replied, glancing over at Clarke, “Allowing myself to embrace a moment of weakness and fall in love with her… was. Believing that I could protect her, keep her safe… That my enemies would not, in time, use her as a tool against me. That was a mistake.”
Ryder knocked on the door, interrupting the conversation.
“They are ready, Heda.” He said to Lexa, who simply nodded a little in return as she stood up and walked towards the door.
“So you keep a chest of her things to remind you not to fall in love again?” Clarke asked, stopping Lexa in her tracks.
“No, it is there to remind me what will happen,” Lexa said with a sigh, not looking back, “it is the only inevitable outcome.”
x-x-x-x-x-x
After talking to her warriors, reminding them what they were fighting for, Lexa stood and watched as those riding horses mounted them. She watched as Clarke hesitated to get onto her horse.
“Do you require assistance?” Ryder asked as he walked away from where Lexa was standing, fighting to keep the smile from her lips at his question.
Clarke stood, one hand on either end of the saddle, her left foot up in the stirrup, as she lowered her head a little.
“Can I stay?” she asked, knowing that Lexa could hear her.
“If that is what you choose.” Lexa replied.
Clarke took her foot from the stirrup of the horse and stepped away.
“Clarke…” Abby said, looking down at her daughter from her own horse.
“I can’t do it, mom,” Clarke said walking over to her mother, “I can’t have any more blood on my hands, it’s too much… I’m sorry.”
Abby couldn’t keep the emotion from her eyes as she looked at Clarke, she knew that her daughter was broken, and she knew that she was partly to blame for that. She nodded her understanding as Clarke walked over and stood near Lexa.
“I thought you would’ve told me to leave after what happened in the room…” Clarke said quietly enough for only Lexa to hear her.
“You need to heal, Clarke,” Lexa said, just as quietly, glancing over at her, “the best place to do that is not a battle field.”
“Thank you…” Clarke replied, to which Lexa nodded.
“Will your Azgeda friends be remaining in Polis?” The Commander asked.
“You mean will Ontari be staying in Polis?” Clarke asked in reply.
“I meant exactly what I said, Clarke.” Lexa said, attempting to keep her face as straight as possible.
“They left this morning before sunrise,” Clarke replied, “they’re on their way back to Nia’s army.”
Again Lexa simply nodded in reply, a small smile tugging at her lips when she heard the amusement in Clarke’s voice.
As they stood and watched as the warriors marched away, Ryder walked back over to where Lexa was standing.
“The final unit will be ready to march at nightfall.” He said to her before walking away towards the training arena.
“Final unit?” Clarke asked, looking over at Lexa, “you said you’d be sending two units, 500 troops…”
“To Camp Jaha, yes,” Lexa said with a nod as she looked back at Clarke, “the final unit will be marching with me to Tondc.”
“I thought you were staying here.” Clarke said.
“You believed what I wanted you to believe.” Lexa replied, “I did not intend to deceive you, but I simply could not trust that you would not drink too much and tell everything to your… friend.”
“She has a name, you know.” Clarke said with a smirk.
“Even my horse has a name, Clarke.” Lexa said, turning and walking back into the building.
“You know,” Clarke said, running to catch up with Lexa, “you might actually like her if you gave her a chance.”
“There are two reasons I know that not to be true,” Lexa replied as Clarke started walking next to her, “she is Azgeda, they do not make the most reliable to friends…”
“That’s one reason, what’s the other?” Clarke asked.
As Lexa was about to reply to what Clarke had said Ryder walked over to them.
“Heda,” he said, “you have a meeting with the representative from the Boat People.”
“Who did they send?” Lexa asked as she looked at him.
“Luna herself.” Ryder replied, causing a small smile to play across Lexa’s lips.
“Thank you,” she said before looking at Clarke, “if you’ll excuse me.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Lexa.” Clarke said to her.
Lexa smiled a little and walked towards the stairs, leaving Clarke shaking her head a little as she went.
“Will you be joining us in Tondc?” Ryder asked Clarke as Lexa walked up the stairs.
“I think I will.” She said with a small nod.
x-x-x-x-x-x
As Clarke was walking back up the stairs to her room she heard Lexa talking to someone, who she assumed was Luna, as she passed one of the smaller rooms.
“The other clan leaders are not going to like it.” Luna said.
“In time they will come to see the benefit.” Lexa replied, Clarke could tell from the sound of her voice she was frowning a little bit.
“What benefit, Lexa?” Luna asked, “what could they possibly offer that would make it worthwhile you re-writing the entire coalition agreement.”
“It would not be re-writing the entire coalition agreement,” Lexa argued, “it would simply be adding one more flag, one more clan to the list, one more seat at the table.”
“What would they offer?” Luna asked again, “If you cannot convince me that this is a good idea, Lexa, you stand no chance of convincing the others, you know that.”
“I know,” Lexa replied with a sigh, “it would be an end to the fighting.”
“I do not see how, did you not say just moments ago, that they are currently fighting amongst themselves?” Luna asked.
“Yes, I did…” Lexa started to say.
“And did you not also say that you had sent 500 of your warriors to help the Azgeda calm the situation?” Luna asked.
“Yes, and…” Lexa said.
“And what happens if you can’t,” Luna said, interrupting her again, “what happens if the situation escalates, you are automatically bringing the other 10 clans into a war that we did not want.”
“If you allow me to finish my sentence…” Lexa said with a sigh, “it is going to work. With the numbers that Nia has sent and those that I have added, it will work. There will be loses, but it will work. Now, as for the benefit of them joining the coalition… we stand to learn a lot from each other, their use of medicine and technology would mean that we would no longer have to leave people to die because we cannot treat them.”
“Technology which was used in the Mountain to drain the blood from our people.” Luna replied, “if we allow them to join the coalition, who is to say that one day they will not turn around and demand more for what they contribute, who is to say that one day they will not be in control of the coalition.”
“If the technology is something that can be traded, then we will already have access to it, so it will not be used against us.” Lexa said, “I recall, in the early days of the coalition, people having objections to the other clans joining. The Desert Clan, for example, did not want your people to join, as they failed to see what you could offer them as they have no water and do not eat fish. We can find a common ground; I know this can work.”
“It is going to take a lot of work for you to make it happen, Lexa,” Luna said, “there will be a lot of objections for you to work through.”
“Which is why I have called the clan leaders together, after this battle is over, everyone is to meet here,” Lexa replied, “we will all sit down and discuss it. We will come together, as a coalition, and find a way for it to work.”
“Have you even asked the Sky People about this yet?” Luna asked.
“No,” Lexa said, “I was considering waiting until after they finish trying to kill each other…”
Luna laughed a little.
“Once the dust has settled in the days following the battle, I will talk to their leader, or leaders,” Lexa continued, “I am unsure what their current leadership situation is…”
“I thought Clarke had returned to her people following her… absence.” Luna said.
“It is… complicated,” Lexa replied, “she was never their elected leader, though we always dealt with her as such. My understanding of the way their leaders are chosen is a little limited. Clarke once told me that she wouldn’t be elected as the leader of her people due to her age, they have a rule that to lead you must be over the age of 21, that is the age they consider you to be an adult.”
“She saved them all, our people too, and they refuse to follow her because they believe her to be a child?” Luna asked, the disbelief evident in her voice.
“Yes, to put it simply,” Lexa said, “though I do believe, once this is over, she will still have a part to play in the Sky People joining the coalition. Though she is not their leader, as you said, she did save them from the Mountain, so she carries a lot of respect, and responsibility…”
“You carry a lot of responsibility.” Luna countered, “you have the lives of thousands in your hands every day.”
“Responsibility that I have had a lot more time to accept.” Lexa responded, “I was not simply dropped from the sky and told to survive. Clarke was.”
“What is she to you, Lexa?” Luna asked.
“The inevitable…” Lexa replied.
Before Lexa could finish what she was saying, Ryder walked up the stairs behind Clarke.
“Is there something you need assistance with, Clarke?” he asked.
“No, no,” Clarke replied, shaking her head a little, “I was just… going to my room.”
Clarke turned and quickly walked to the next set of stairs.
“Clarke.” Lexa said from the doorway, letting Clarke know that she hadn’t been quick enough.
“Yes.” Clarke replied, turning back and looking at Lexa.
“How much of that conversation did you hear?” the Commander asked, her arms folded across her chest.
“Conversation?” Clarke asked, “what conversation?”
“If you would join us, I can inform you about what we were talking about.” Lexa said.
Clarke nodded a little and walked back down the stairs, following Lexa into the small room, seeing someone she didn’t know sitting on one of the other chairs.
“Clarke, this is Luna, the leader of the Boat People,” Lexa said, as she motioned for Clarke to take a seat, “Luna, this is Clarke…”
“Destroyer of Mountains.” Luna said with a small smile.
“Not the mountain, just the people in it.” Clarke said rubbing the back of her neck as she sat down.
“I am sensing that you are still not comfortable with your reputation.” Luna replied, looking between Lexa and Clarke.
“I am not comfortable with what I had to do that night,” Clarke corrected, “the reputation isn’t something I think too much about.”
“And the name Wanheda?” Luna asked, causing Lexa to look at her, “apparently that is her title amongst the Azgeda.”
“How do you know that?” Clarke asked as she looked at Luna, “And I wouldn’t say it’s a title, exactly…”
“My people trade very closely with the Azgeda,” Luna replied, “we are one of the few clans with a permanent trading post in their capitol. It was actually my people who informed Lexa of your whereabouts.”
“You were looking for me?” the blonde asked, snapping her eyes to Lexa.
“Everyone was looking for you, Clarke.” Lexa replied with a sigh.
“You knew where I was, the whole time?” Clarke asked in reply.
“No,” Lexa said, shaking her head a little, “I wasn’t sure exactly where you were until about a week before you arrived here.”
“So the fact that I came here asking for assistance for the Azgeda…” Clarke started to say.
“Was not much of a surprise, no.” Lexa said, “I had hoped I would be wrong, but alas, I wasn’t.”
“What would us, the Sky People, joining your coalition do, exactly?” Clarke asked, turning the conversation back to what it should have been.
“It would mean that I would not have to ask my generals before sending reinforcements if you were attacked again,” Lexa stated, “it would not be something that would be questioned the way it has been. It would give your people the ability to trade amongst the rest of the clans, you could travel to any part of my territory and be able to stay in any of the villages, towns and cities along the way. You would have a representative here in Polis, someone who would be involved in meetings and decisions regarding the other clans.”
“Decisions that you would still have the final say over.” Clarke replied, sitting back in the chair a little.
“It is not a democracy as you understand it, though from my understanding of your people’s democratic process it may actually be an improvement,” Lexa said, sensing the challenge in Clarke’s words, “the leader of the coalition is not elected. Though my position is not guaranteed either, any of the other clan leaders can challenge it at any time, if they get the backing of one or more of the remaining clan leaders, then I must fight to remain head of the coalition.”
“Fight?” Clarke asked.
“Literally,” Lexa said with a nod, “a challenge can be made at any time the clan leaders are all in attendance, and I am required to fight against a warrior from their clan who is of their choosing.”
“Has that ever happened?” the blonde asked.
“No,” the Commander replied, “not yet. We had a common enemy in the mountain, now that enemy is gone things have become strained, but not to the point where anyone deemed it appropriate to challenge my leadership.”
“Has Nia ever tried?” was the next question that Clarke asked.
“Yes, though she has never been able to get agreement from another clan leader.” Luna said answering the question so Lexa didn’t have to.
“And all the other clan leaders would have to agree with us becoming the 13th clan?” Clarke asked, looking between Luna and Lexa.
“A majority of them would yes,” Lexa said, “we would need 7 of the clan leaders to agree.”
“How likely is that?” the blonde asked, “I mean, really? I heard Luna saying that if you couldn’t convince her then you wouldn’t be able to convince the others.”
“I can count on the 4 most northern clans to give their agreement, I saved them from wars they could not win with the Azgeda,” Lexa said, thinking through the clan list in her head, “The Desert Clan would give their backing…”
“You save them from a sandstorm?” Clarke asked, causing Luna to laugh a little and Lexa’s lips to curl up into a small smile.
“Drought, believe it or not, their people were dying.” she replied.
“So that makes 5,” Clarke said, “still not the 7 you would need.”
Lexa looked at Luna, a questioning look in her eye.
“I… could be persuaded to give you the backing of the Boat People.” She said with a small smile as she looked at Lexa.
“I’m guessing you can’t count the Trikru in the 7…” Clarke said.
“Unfortunately not,” Lexa replied, shaking her head a little, “it may not be difficult to get the backing of 10 of the remaining 11 clans. Your… you have a lot of respect amongst my people, Clarke. I know you do not see how, but many view you as a hero. You are quickly becoming legend in the taverns of Polis. If you were to appear before the clan leaders, I think those who would be concerned about your people joining the coalition would reconsider.”
“You said 10 of the remaining 11.” Clarke said.
“I did,” Lexa said with a nod, “I believe that Nia would stand against you.”
“She’s helping my people; why would she stand against us joining the coalition?” Clarke asked, “it makes no sense.”
“While she is helping your people, her people stand to gain directly from the outcome,” Lexa explained, “I believe that if you were to request to join the coalition she would oppose it as she personally stands to gain nothing, anything that she would gain through the new trade agreements and everything else would not only benefit her people, we would all have access to the same thing.”
“Makes sense I guess…” Clarke said with a sigh.
“Are your people likely to agree to it?” Luna asked, looking at Clarke, “I understand you have been away from them for a while, but would they still listen to you?”
“If this whole thing that’s going on now, with the infighting and political bullshit can be resolved in the way I hope,” Clarke started, “my mother mentioned something about holding new elections soon after, but until then she would still technically be chancellor, which would mean that the other 2 current council members would stay the same as well. I could probably convince those 2 that this is the right thing to do for our people. We don’t like fighting; we just want to survive…”
“Your mother would not agree.” Lexa said, making it a statement of fact rather than a question.
“My mother hates fighting,” Clarke said with a shrug, “she just hates you more.”
“She is a… frustrating woman to reason with.” Lexa replied.
“A little more diplomatically than I would have put it…” Clarke said, nodding a little, “the advantage of only having 3 current council members is that there isn’t going to be a split vote, meaning my mother will not be able to overrule it.”
“Who are the other two council members?” Lexa asked curiously.
“Kane and Bellamy…” Clarke replied, “you already have an understanding with Kane, and Bellamy will listen to me.”
“The only thing left is to see how this battle plays out,” Lexa said with a sigh, “let the cards fall where they may…”