Chapter Text
Clarke didn't understand anything.
The Grounders were enigmas. All of them.
It seemed so easy, when they were enemies.
Before they were allies, the Grounders were savages. The Grounders acted rashly. The Grounders killed without question.
After she became closer, she realized their methodology was so much more complex.
They were vicious, yes. They were driven by their raw emotions. Glory seemed paramount.
But they were logical, as well. Even Lexa.
Especially Lexa.
Her generals clustered around the maps on the table, peering down and muttering to themselves words she couldn't recognize. Clarke and a few other Sky People--Kane, of course, and a few of his guards--tried to decipher the strange keys and legends used on the map, failing when they realized there were no words, just roughly drawn symbols.
Lexa cleared her throat and silence fell over the tent. The Grounder generals straightened, eyes falling unwaveringly upon their leader.
The girl pressed her finger to the map slowly, turning to the Sky People. "This is where we are," she said, as if understanding their confusion. Her finger slid across the weathered paper. "This is where your 'Camp Jaha' is. And this is the Mountain."
The graphic that lay under her finger was far from cryptic. It was a jagged triangle surrounded by a red circle. Within the circle, a skull was drawn.
"This is the border between us and the Mountain Men. They will attack us no matter where we are, but if we enter this circle, they will kill us."
Clarke was struck by how commonplace the statement seemed, that the Mount Weather soldiers could attack anywhere, anytime. None of the Grounders blinked. They lived in constant vigilance against the unseen enemy so long that they did not comprehend it was strange.
"I can supply the army. We can gather them anywhere outside this circle and not seem suspicious. Our tribes go to war often. But as soon as we enter this circle..."
Anya spoke up from beside the Commander. "You know of the burning cloud, Clarke?"
Clarke looked up, startled at being called upon. "The Acid Fog. Yes."
Anya nodded sharply despite their differing terms. "If you enter this circle, they release it. Without fail. No man or beast can survive it."
"So we need to find a way to disable it," Clarke realized, biting her lip. She turned to her people. "Someone get Raven. She'll know more about this than anyone."
Kane cut in gently. "Is that wise, Clarke? She's injured."
"If we can't guarantee the fog goes down, there's nothing more we can do here. We need her expertise."
Kane hesitated, but nodded, turning to one of his people and nodding.
When she turned back to the table, Clarke realized that Lexa was observing her closely, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Let us assume we can remove the cloud," Anya cut through the silence. "For now, at least." She pointed to the icon of the mountain. "Clarke and I barely escaped the compound alive. How can we move an army unseen?"
Clarke reached into her pocket, having prepared for this. "Mount Weather has limited resources," she began. "And limited space. They have less numbers than us." She pressed the newly drawn map onto the table. "When I was in there, they gave me a map. I memorized it as best I could. We might be able to cut their generators and force them into one area. Then their weaponry won't have an advantage."
"Anya says they need our blood to breathe our air," one of the generals grunted, crossing his arms. "Why not open the doors and be done with it?"
"There are children in there," Clarke protested immediately. "Innocent people. We're here to rescue our people. Not commit genocide."
The general scoffed, turning to Lexa. "Heda, jus drein jus daun. They have lived above us for too long. We must avenge the dead."
Lexa frowned at the words. "Revenge solves nothing, Quint. The dead are gone." Her eyes flickered to Clarke's for a moment, pausing. "We must focus on the living."
Clarke turned away, suddenly unable to keep eye contact with the girl.
The tent opened and Raven stumbled in behind a Arker guard.
"Nice of you to invite me to your war party, guys. Did anyone bring snacks?"
Clarke restrained herself from moving forward and forcing the girl to sit. Raven didn't trust her. Wouldn't trust her. Not for a long time.
The brunette glanced at Clarke, pausing before casting a tremulous smile towards her. "Someone want to grab me a chair? I did just get slice-and-diced the other day. Thanks for stopping that, by the way, Commander."
Lexa bowed her head in acknowledgement, clearly not understanding the sarcasm in the statement. Raven smirked sitting down when a chair was provided. "Cool. So, what do you need me to work on?"
The meeting continued. Raven was told the details, and her mind began tinkering away.
"Wick. I'm going to need that dumbass. He's not as smart as me, but, you know, two minds and all that jazz."
"We'll send someone to Camp Jaha immediately," Kane said, nodding.
"We will continue this meeting afterwards," Lexa said, nodding. "No use planning an attack that might not be able to take place." She turned to her generals. "Stay in the city. Runners will tell you when the next meeting will take place." Turning to the Sky People, she said, "Clarke? May I speak to you?"
The tent emptied quickly. Kane lingered, as if unsure whether he should leave Clarke with the Commander. However, at her nod, he finally departed as well.
"Please, sit," Lexa said.
The tent was empty save for her, Lexa, and Anya.
The two Grounders were in a fast conversation in the foreign language. Anya nodded after a moment, departing.
Lexa sat down across from the blonde, eyeing her cautiously.
"Anya has explained that my... My actions might cause distrust between us. I want to insure that this will not bleed into our diplomatic affairs. What happened with the boy was not an attack on your people. It was merely righting a wrong."
Clarke grit her teeth at the words. "If you lie in that, Lexa, what else will you lie about?"
The Commander leaned back, blinking. "Make no mistake, Clarke. This alliance is not built on trust. It is not built on loyalty or respect. It is built on necessity. You and your people have information that will help my people. You will help me reclaim the lost from the Mountain. You will help us live without fear. But we do not trust you." There was a moment of pause. "Clarke, you should not trust me. I will protect my people. At all costs."
"Is that why you killed Finn like that? To prove you aren't to be trusted?"
"Finn was always doomed to that death, Clarke. You saw Gustus. No one is above our law. Not a friend of mine, or a lover of you. His death was not diplomatic. That is what I am telling you."
"Then why would you promise me?" Clarke asked, exasperated. "You told me he could die the Arker way, Lexa. Why would you do that to me? To him?"
Lexa looked away, shaking her head. "There was never a question in how he would die, Clarke."
"Then why give me hope?" Clarke asked, voice breaking at the last word despite her efforts.
Lexa turned to her in shock, eyes flying across the blonde girl's face. "Clarke--"
"Why... Why send me to the camp? I should have been there. I should have stayed with him. I should ha--" Clarke tried to control her breathing, but she couldn't. Despite her efforts to calm herself, her eyes began to leak and she couldn't breathe. Or she was breathing too much. She couldn't tell.
Before she could tell what was happening, Lexa was kneeling at her side, forcing her face to turn towards her. "Breathe, Clarke. Breathe."
Clarke tried to fight her off, but her weak attempts to strangled by the arms of the Commander winding around her, drawing them close.
She didn't know how long it was until she could breathe. Lexa was rocking them gently. She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the brunette's shoulder, trying not to let herself think.
Finn's murderer. She was being held by his murderer.
With a jump, she forced them apart, looking down with shame. "I--"
"I lost someone," Lexa cut in, gritting her teeth as she spoke. "I lost someone. Someone close to me. As Finn was to you. She was kidnapped by an enemy who thought she knew my secrets. She was killed."
Clarke furrowed her eyebrows, trying to understand why she was being told this. The Commander was stoic. The Commander was cold. The Commander was an enigma who did not share her thoughts or history with anyone.
"She was tortured, and killed, and beheaded." Lexa said the words slowly, as if reliving them. "She would be alive if she had not been mine. The only thing that kept me from dying inside with her was hate. Hate towards her kidnappers. Towards her killers. Towards her guards who let it happen." She paused. "Finn was always going to die, Clarke. He was always going to die in our way. You would not have been able to sway any change."
Clarke licked her lips, trying to wrap her mind across the barrage of words being sent towards her. "You wanted me to hate... you? Why?"
Lexa shook her head. "I don't care if you hate me, Clarke. Honestly, you should. We are enemies before we are allies. But I did not want you to hate yourself for this. There was nothing you could have done." She paused, looking down. "You have the potential to be a great leader. I have seen you. I have heard of your tactics. You fended off three hundred of my best warriors with fifty children. Even if you are my enemy, I would not want that greatness to be cowed by something you had no control over."
Clarke's eyebrows furrowed. "We... You don't know me, Lexa. Why would you try and make me feel better about anything?"
The Commander chuckled, stepping more fully away from the girl and standing. "Not everything needs a reason, Clarke," she said. "It was something I could do. It was something that, at the time, I didn't think of repercussions for. But... Anya explained that you might... You might use that hatred towards me and take it out on my people. I cannot risk that."
"There was something I could have done," Clarke whispered. "I could have... I could have killed you. Like I came there to."
Lexa didn't seem surprised at the admission. She'd seen the blade and it didn't take a genius to figure out the intent.
"You could have," she nodded. "And you would have joined Finn on the pole. Believe it or not, Clarke, but it takes more than an untrained girl with a small, ineffective dagger to kill me."
"It was a scalpel," Clarke muttered stubbornly. "I could have nicked something important."
Ignoring her, Lexa continued. "And even if you killed me, my warriors would have captured you before you left my tent. And without my words to calm them, they would have destroyed your camp without mercy. Believe me, Clarke. There was no course of action open to you."
"I could have killed Finn," she challenged. Lexa's eyebrows rose in shock. "I could have saved him from the pain of it all."
"Yes," Lexa said, nodding slowly. "And I might have let you leave the clearing alive if you had. But that weight would not have been any less than the one you bear now."
Clarke sighed, leaning back in her chair. Lexa took a step back. "I will see you at the next meeting, Clarke of the Sky People. I hope you will think on this."
After she was gone, Clarke stayed in the tent for a few minutes.
Grounders were enigmas. Not always passionate. Not always heartless.
Not always logical.