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Chapter Text

It had been some time since they had changed the white, modern lab for the familiar lush green forests of the mainland. The tranquility surprised them. Though Raven had calculated that the black rain would arrive at Becca’s island shortly, they could not help but wonder what would remain after it had passed. Insects had vanished, yet they saw some small animals like birds flying through the sky, when they arrived at the appointed place. Clarke looked behind her, seeing the tired face of her mother which showed a little smile as their eyes met for a second. Behind her mother were Jackson and Roan, their bodies a bit worn out after having to carry Luna. As they put her down, to get her to stand up herself, her face showed some signs of physical pain. It was because she was still not fully recovered from the bone marrow extraction they performed on her.

As Clarke would look around the place where they arrived, Murphy smirked a bit in his familiar way, staying close to Emori. Emori had been quiet since the event with Clarke, but she warmed a bit to her. Not to the others, as she knew they were willing to sacrifice her to the radiation, but she owed Clarke her life and expressed tiny bits of gratitude in her own way. She had not said much, but she asked Clarke if she were ok after injecting herself with the black magic potion that were to save them all , then thanking her for her act. But Clarke did not know why she did it. She knew she could not be missed – did she inject herself because she really wanted to save someone? Because if so, why hadn’t she rescued Baylis , or whoever he was? Or did she inject herself to honor Lexa?

“It seems they have forgotten about us” Murphy said, his tiny little smirk vanishing from his face. “A bit of rain and all they think about is saving their own asses” he said, now annoyed by having to wait again.

“Marcus said they would be here, we just have to wait, they will be here soon”.

Clarke looked once again at her mother, now moving towards Luna who got up from the stretcher, while Roan and Jackson were stretching their exhausted muscles from carrying for so long. Raven were the one to move to her quickly – it seemed that Luna’s comforting words deepened the connection between the two, forming a bond no others could understand. Perhaps this bond was strengthened by Luna saving Raven, or Raven opposing to taking Luna’s bone marrow – but it is something no one would know. They simply accepted that it was like that – they have bigger problems than Luna and Raven. As Raven supported Luna, the mechanic sound of a roaring motor could be heard from the dense forest of trees. Birds flew away, and cobbles dashed to all sides as the rovers came driving towards them. Clarke had trouble viewing who was inside and squinted her eyes a bit. As soon as the rover was close enough, it stopped, the cobbles moving for the last time as the wheels stood still. “That took some time” Murphy said, still annoyed by having to wait. The relieved face of Bellamy appeared when the door of the rover was opened.

“Glad to see you are all in one piece” he said, a smile appearing on his face.

“It’s good to see you too” Clarke said as she too was relieved to see that the black rain did not do much harm to him.

But their happy reunion was short , for they knew they had to move soon as the black rain would be back again soon.

“We should get moving fast” he said, the sky behind him turning cloudy and threatening.

Raven nodded, as she had problems carrying Luna for long since her leg would not support both of them completely. Luna, knowing this, carefully moved away from Raven.

“I can walk myself” she said, while moving to the rover.

A quick thought of running away crossed her mind. She had lost everything already, derrick, all her innocent little children… but she knew she would have to stay. Her wounds needed care, and she could not survive for long on her own out there. Who knew what she would come across : animals who haven’t had food for days and now change their diets to eat the flesh of humans? Or worse: people who want her for her blood? So she walked, moving into the back of the rover as she knew this was the only way to survive. Raven climbed in, having difficulty in getting in with her leg. Soon they were joined by Roan, Miller, Jackson and Murphy. Emori was watching them doubtfully. She too knew that she , a freikdrana, would be back among people like them soon. People who wanted to sacrifice her.

“Come, I won’t let them hurt you.” Murphy said looking around to the others, then reaching his hand towards her.

She looked at the others doubtfully, while Clarke approached them. She gave Emori a little nod when she turned her head, knowing that Emori would understand that she would not sacrifice someone she would want to kill later. With her good hand, Emori took John’s hand and got into the rover. Clarke looked at the people sitting inside and got in, ready to get back to Arkadia.

Chapter Text

There was a strange vibe back at Arkadia. They saw scared people, crying people, forgiving people, happy people. Many of them had changed. Though they were all familiar with death and loss, this seemed to be different loss of a different kind. It was because they recalled their dreams. Their dreams of walking this planet, the lush green woods and the emerald blue sky, of raising their children here, giving this planet on to future generations.

But the truth came in hard. When they drove through the gate they noticed the change at once. Some people were working, though their faces showed that they did not exactly know why. Others were wandering around, half drunk or too tired because of the party the night before. The mood changed once again when the people of Arkadia were shaken by the arrival of someone else yet again. Clarke was in the hangar bay when Jaha arrived, looking at all the casualties from the black rain. Her mother and Jackson immediately took their position in the medical bay and Miller went to see Bryan. Emori and Murphy disappeared upon arrival, and Raven was with Luna in the medical bay. Roan was the one to get to Clarke when Jaha arrived. Clarke felt his curiosity as she walked to Jaha. Roan followed her, staying close to her as he was suspicious about Jaha’s sudden presence.

Jaha’s eyes watched their movements carefully. He knew about Indra, what she had said to them before. How she killed the Azgeda guards. Like Marcus, who stood at his side closely, he wondered how it could be that Roan did not yet know about the attacks. But then again, the people of Arkadia were so self-absorbed at the moment that they did not care much about the problems happening far away in Polis. They rather spend their days in whatever way they pleased. As Jaha spoke, his eyes moved from Clarke to Roan;

“I would like to show you something…” he paused, his eyes now on Roan “….in private”.

Much against his will, Roan moved back, looking at their expressions as he slowly moved back. Clarke’s head had turned, she as confused as he was. But Roan was smart and had his ideas on what it was about. Clarke looked at Jaha, as he continued his story:

“We may have found a suitable place to stay” he said, looking at her blue eyes.

Clarke looked at him in disbelief, now understanding why he wanted to speak to her in private.

“Where is it?” she asked. She was curious about how they found it, but knew that there was no time for that now.

“In Polis…they call it the crypt of Becca Pramheda. It is in the temple, next to the tower..” he spoke slowly, slightly raising his voice like he always does when he is talking.

Clarke’s eyes moved from Jaha to Kane, and he nodded.

“But there is one problem…” he said, his eyes like always so serious “…Indra had to fight her way in, and fights to keep it. We are not sure how long it will take for King Roan to learn what has happened, but when he does, a fight will break out and we are not sure if we can stop it this time.” He said, referring to her talk with Roan in the woods.

Clarke realized he was right. Indra must be mad that they were now allies with the Azgeda and out of anger wouldn’t want the Azgeda to see the bunker. If she were to go to Polis, Roan would surely want to accompany her. Even if he wouldn’t suspect anything, he would like to see his people…

”Clarke?”. Her thoughts were interrupted by Kane.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s Roan, he will want to come with us to Polis”. She heard the doubt in her voice when she spoke, and she knew the two men knew. Concern showed up on their faces.

“If we bring him with us, he will know about the bunker and what Indra has done …” she paused for a moment “…and what we didn’t stop”.

The two men grew silent, knowing that what she said was true.

“We should speak the truth..” Kane said, interrupted by a
“…and hope that there’s a forgiving God” from Jaha.

“I will talk to him.” Clarke said, not sure how she would be doing that yet. She took her leave, and started looking for Roan.

She found him at Luna’s side, after all he seemed to be concerned about her ; perhaps because he was the one to take her down. Clarke’s did not know how to start, but she felt their eyes moving upon her as she entered.

“What was that about?” Roan asked, his eyes fixed on her.

Raven looked up, as she wondered what they were talking about. Clarke took a deep breath of air and spoke the truth:

“They have found shelter”.

Chapter Text

As soon as Roan heard they had found shelter, he made plans for his journey to Polis. Clarke was afraid about what would happen if she were to tell him about the bloodshed at the temple doors and so she chose to keep quiet. With a bitter feeling she watched him mount his horse, then leave through the gates of Arkadia into the woods. When he was a couple of minutes out of sight, Kane began to organize the rover for the trip to Polis. He was acting quickly, commanding some people around to load the truck. Their light steps could be heard on the metal panels of the hangar bay, as they loaded whatever was left of the food they collected into the rover. Not only was food being packed, all other useful tools and medicine were stuffed into an over packed rover. By the time Clarke got in with Bellamy and the others, the rover was so packed that opening a door would cause it to all come out at once. A few others would come along too – but not Jasper. He watched them pack the rover , a grim smile on his face. He just stood there, his hands casually in his pockets.

“Why all the hurry? We will all be dead soon.”

Some of the people in the hangar bay stood still when he said this, leaving nothing but a deafening silence. He knew what the effects of his words would be, but said them anyway.

“Go ahead. You can have fun before you die or you work…”. His last words were a bit softer and slower as he spoke them.

Then, he gave a little nod to one of the people in an outer corner of the room and music started playing loudly. His smile grew wider, as he saw their serious faces, not willing to give in to him. To bait them, he kicked one of the empty plastic cups on the ground – the ones used to drink tea from the joba nut the night before. He watched their reactions and then slightly raised his hands from his pockets, turning his body just so slightly as he would start to move away from them. Just before he turned his back on them he spoke:

“Alright, your choice” , gave them one last glimpse of his smile and then moved towards the music in the corner. “At least know I will stay here, enjoying my time!” he said while walking away. “You can stay if you want to… have some fun.” He turned his head slightly while walking away, just to see their reactions and bait them even a bit more.

He knew he had created an idea in some of the people’s minds present in the room. Many of them had enjoyed the party from the night before, and many of them had difficulty dealing with what was coming. But it did not matter to him. He had his reasons for doing what he did, and he felt like the others had reasons for theirs. But he decided to have some fun.

The rain poured down the windows of the over packed rover as they moved closer and closer the Polis. They had been in luck as the rain would have caused Roan to take shelter. Ofcourse they were way faster in the rover than he was on a horse, but the rain helped them getting there before him so that they could unpack the rover in a little less chaos. The sound of the motor was monotonic, and Jaha looked outside through the front window. The rain looked like any other rainfall does: tiny translucent droplets on their own, but together one big droplet1. Rain like that was a dream back on the ark. His thoughts were drifting. He had seen the bunker from the inside and he knew that they would soon have to start the evacuation. He and Kane had spoken about it with Abby – they did not know how to reach the other clans across the land and even if they did they were not sure on how to evacuate everyone without creating bloodshed. There it was again: bloodshed. He was sure there would be a war between the clans. One would be a fool to believe such an evacuation would be peaceful. But the clans must work together to get everything to work… the food, the medicine… His worries were clearly visible from his face as Kane looked over to him. He knew by the face Kane made that he knew what he was thinking about. He did not bother to hide it either.

“We cannot keep this quiet for long…” he said, while pausing a little as his thoughts were once again moving on “… The Azgeda will soon be informed and praimfaya will be upon us shortly.”

Kane nodded, however he seemed to disagree on some point

“We should keep this quiet for as long as necessary to get the bunker stocked. Until then we can’t let anybody know. They will come for the bunker and raid it, take it and use it against all of humanity."

Jaha knew he was right, but they had so little time and so much to do. They moved on, the rain slowly clearing up. “let’s hope Roan will stay a little longer” Kane added, after a short silence.

“We don’t want him here just yet.”

They drove until they saw the tower they had lived in not so long ago. A tower now empty of command. A tower once built to protect people from radiation, but now providing no shelter at all.

Chapter Text

Polis was like a ghost town. Shattered glass windows, broken by the panic of the burning people’s hands. Bags and beads scattered on the glimmering wet stones, like someone had lost them but could come to pick them up at any given moment. Along the streets were several reddish burned bodies. Bodies home to broken hearts and broken dreams. The bodies of those whose ancestors survived the first Praimfaya, but for whom the second one was too much. It was a horrid sight for the small group heading to the bunker, as Polis had once been the center of a vibrant city life. The small stalls were now deserted , what was left of the goods had been raided.

“The closer we get to praimfaya, the less humanity there is…” the words died when Kane spoke them, horrified by what his eyes were witnessing that very moment.

In silence they walked until reaching the temple doors. The heavy doors were adorned with beautiful metal pieces, a long lost art of the people who came before them. The guards on each side of the door watched them with careful yet threatening eyes as they moved closer and closer – the rover driving not far behind them. It was a risky move, taking the rover here. But then once again, the world would end soon and if this was the only way?....

“Hod op!”. It was one of the guards, leaving his careful appointed spot by the door and now moving towards them.

His sword, drawn by his big muscular arms pointed towards them in a frightening way. They stopped, as he commanded them to do and they were not here for trouble.

“Ai gaf gouthru klir” Kane said, his words marked by his ‘gonasleng’ accent.

He had been studying the language with some grounders, supposedly Indra as he had spent much time with her. The guard left behind by the door was interested. Not many of the skaikru could speak their language, it surprised him clearly. Kane knew this, and took advantage of the moment.

“We come for Indra” he said, after a pause, knowing that they were on her side.

For a moment the men stood still, then one moved his head just slightly, so his face would be on the same line as the open door.

“Indra, em bilaik Skaikru”.

They waited when the man spoke, and soon the figure of a warrior came through the door.


“Indra, we don’t have much time. Roan is riding for Polis but was stopped by the rain. When he arrives it will not take long for him to learn what has happened…” Kane said, being interrupted by Indra’s determined and strong voice

“then unpack.” She said, like always not needing much words to get what she wanted.

She moved past them, being the first to get something out of the rover: a large box filled with some new dried meat made by Niylah at the ark. Indra came out after handing the box over to Gaia and Monty – Monty had stayed at the bunker to check all mechanical parts of the bunker. They were in luck, just a few things had to be repaired and thanks to the pile of tech in the temple it was not that difficult. They were out of breath when carrying all the supplies to the bunker. Up the stairs, down the stairs. It became even tougher when an unpleasant guest arrived. A not so large crew with Echo at its lead suddenly stood before them. But then again, she had always been marvelous at stealthy movements. They did not need to ask what they came for – to take whatever they had and for blood. Clarke let her eyes scan those present. If Roan were here he would be with them already. She suddenly felt bad for him; it seemed that their adventures together made her feel some kind of sympathy for him. She pushed her feelings away after a quick moment where she thought that perhaps he hadn’t made it through the rain. But he was tough, and she knew he had been through worse. Just as Echo drew her sword, her voice became inaudible by the hard sound of rumbling metal. It distracted everyone but Indra, who took the opportunity to reach for a gun and open fire. The Azgeda scattered angrily, screaming loudly in pain while leaving dark red stains on the streets.

“Indra!” Kane screamed in a brief moment of shock, but he knew they had no other choice but to fight.

The bunker had to stay available for everyone, not just for the Azgeda, and when Roan would arrive a fight would break out anyway.

Chapter Text

Heavy dark clouds were formed when the two of them rode for Polis. They wouldn’t be welcome in Arkadia, not since the fire. They had left for Ilian’s home when the first black rain fell but upon their arrival they were faced with even more loss. Ilian had returned for his ‘stupid sheep’ but there were no sheep to return to at all. Their wooly white fur, stained with reddish blood marks showed what they had feared: the animals didn’t survive the first fall of the black rain. They found out that the small stable Ilian had helped his father build was leaking and useless. It was difficult for Octavia to see the pain of this place carve another cut in his not yet healed wounds. Maybe that was the reason she stayed, because she knew all too well what it was like to lose someone or something dear to you. Maybe she stayed because she had nowhere else to go.

The first moments with him again were rather silent. She did not know what to tell him. She even did not know what to tell herself. It was at the moment she threw her weapons in that small puddle in the cave that she knew she had let go of the pain and hatred she felt. But without her weapons, without the fire igniting a flame in her spirit…who was she? It was on a lone evening in what Skaikru called sector 3 when they decided to leave the lands of the Trishanakru. Octavia pitied that in a way. The lands of Trishanakru were unlike the Trikru lands, or Arkadia. She had seen the glowing leaves of the trees in the dense woods, the fireflies in the air like the stars in the universe she had once called her home. Nature seemed to be more at peace in these lands, with small creeks scattered around the landscape like tiny streams of rain pouring down a window. And so they left, for there was nothing left worth staying for. Ilian had friends in Polis, people who would take him in. He undoubtedly meant the people he was staying with when Lexa was still alive. He was not sure whether they would take her in, but she was not sure about that either. The people of Trishanakru were tempted to hate the Skaikru for what they had done in the City of Light, but perhaps they would let her in, knowingly that she was a friend of Ilian and always had been a friend of the grounders.

Not only Ilian and Octavia were on the move. After Raven’s new weather forecasts the people of Arkadia chose to evacuate. Abby was the one who had to make the final decision as they all knew Kane appointed her to be the chancellor when he was not present. It would be dangerous , but there was not much left to do. Their official evacuation had not even started and already water and food were running out – there was no option but to go and put trust in the big concrete space Jaha had found in Polis. It was difficult for Abby when she announced it. Their home for years would be abandoned, and everyone could only take a limited amount of stuff with them. Children were afraid, not knowing what that place was like, adults too, but they feared the grounders they had to be living with. Perhaps the most unbearable of all was the fact that they did not know how long they would have to stay there, and if they could survive when they got out.

Her mind flashed back to the horrible stories of the burning people inside Mount Weather. Maybe they were not so different after all. They moved from the hangar bay to the gates, and eventually passed through those. The pace was slow, but they did not expect else. Raven had a map and crossed some places where they could hide if they were struck by the black rain. She was on a horse, as walking would be too tiresome for her and in this way she could guide Monty through fixing the ventilation systems. It appeared to her that it was ironic that Monty was fixing just that. Monty, the one who had reversed the airflow in Mount Weather was now preparing the ventilation system for keeping them alive. Their journey was long and took not only days, but casualties too. Some people were too weak for the journey too Polis and were given a proper burial. Niylah would bless them, before they left the shore to seek another. And they would meet again.

Chapter Text

But for everyone who came to seek salvation, Polis was not the safe haven they thought it to be. Many grounders traveled to the capital to pray to the previous commanders, in hopes to be spared when the death wave would hit. When Octavia and Ilian arrived, it was a war zone unlike any they had seen before. The Azgeda were everywhere, their white painted faces and black eyes visible in even the darkest of nights. Trikru and Azgeda warriors lay slaughtered on the ground, their bodies next to each other, their blood now mixed.

“In this world they are enemies…” Gaia said “…but in the next shall they be friends – yu gonplei ste odon.”

There were too much bodies to bury, but people tried nonetheless, a last sign of respect before they too would head to the next world. But as the clock was ticking, people started to forget about the dead and focused on the living. Clarke remembered what Lexa had said to her about that, and knew she was right. The dead are gone, and the living are hungry. Things took a turn for the worse when the rain started to fall; people started screaming and pushing, running and fighting to get to a safe place – but there was none yet. Monty and Jaha had told her that the bunker would open tomorrow, and not any sooner. Tomorrow was their last day on this planet, at least on the ground. She felt sad about this, as they had all thought that this planet would be like a dream, some place where they could stay for a long time. She saw the Azgeda as their fought their way through the chaotic mass of people. People fell and screamed, both screams of their burning skin but also their cutting wounds. Her eyes moved through the crowd as she searched the people for familiar faces, and just then she saw Bellamy in the crowd, his face in panic as the amount of people was disorientating.

“Bellamy!” screamed her voice through the air as they locked their eyes for a brief moment.

But as she saw him starting to attempt moving towards her, an Azgeda warrior raised his sword behind Bellamy’s back. In a quick reflex Clarke took the small gun she would always carry, and shot the man in his shoulder. Bellamy was shocked by seeing her gun, but he had seen the man when he had slightly turned his head. The man, now screaming of pain backed down a bit, and Bellamy ran for all he had dear. But the men did not stop after attacking Bellamy, countless victims were made, slaughtered, and Clarke fired more bullets into the air. She was not alone, Harper too fired; her bullets more lethal than ever as they hit their target. The Azgeda fired back, not with bullets but with deadly arrow strikes. They dipped the metal point of the arrow in the pouring rain, and fired them. The people they hit died a death worse than the death of a thousand cuts, screaming in pain worse than they had ever felt before. They had to back down, and the Azgeda had to do so too, with some of their bravest warriors now succumbing to the toxic rain.

They washed themselves with the help of little tanks filled with water. It was an invention from Jaha, with some upgrades by Raven that made it possible for them to get access to fresh water.

“If you let the water move through the different layers of soil it is purified and it won’t emit radiation anymore” he said, his face showing that he was proud of this discovery.
“I have found a blueprint in the bunker, the second dawn was prepared for every scenario”.

Raven found out that she could use the waste elements from the water to get some electricity – so they could even have warm water in the bunker. She explained to them that she could collect the waste and use them to power an electricity generator. Jaha nodded, content with her simple yet genius mind. Clarke watched the others take care of some fallen grounder warriors. It hurt her to see how many lives had been lost, and how many people had gotten injured. But tomorrow would be worse. Tomorrow was the end of the ground.

Chapter Text

Loud screams and the sound of people in pain woke Clarke up at night. Still disorientated from sleeping she looked around, getting her sight back after a couple of minutes. The sound was close, but not in the same room as she was staying in. She could hear noises coming in her direction and the small space between the door and the floor was lit up. She heard strange voices, voices she had never heard before – and voices she knew were no good. She looked around quickly, scanning the dark room with her eyes. Then the door opened. Men came in , she could hear but not see them. In a very brief moment Clarke had decided to hide under one of the loose floor tiles in her room. It was dark and dirty there, she could feel the dust sticking to her sweaty palms. The sound of destruction could be heard; her bed, the windows, the small table – none of it was spared. She knew it would be the Azgeda, hunting people in the final hours on the ground. Echo must have told Roan what they had found, and now they were looking for her to make her pay.

She waited an hour after the last man had left before she got out of her hiding space. With her dirty hands she pushed the tile she was hiding under away, then climbing out as her eyes adjusted to the light in the room.

“I was wondering how long you would stay there.” Said a voice, not unknown to her

. She quickly turned her head, wondering who spoke to her. As she turned she was blinded for a brief minute from the reflection from the moonlight in the metal of the sword pointed to her. Roan’s grim smile was illuminated by the light of the moon as he walked towards her.

“I can explain” Clarke said fearful, knowing that she had no weapons close to her.
She raised her hands in the air, slightly backing down.

“Ofcourse you can, great Wanheda.” He said, moving more and more towards her. “You realize you lied to me again and that you are now with Trikru.”
He looked at her as his smile was fading away, death in his eyes.

It was early in the morning, and the evacuation had started as the death wave would arrive around nightfall. People stood in a long row , waiting for their turn to enter the bunker and to be assigned a space. Indra had checked the people in line- people from every corner of the land had come to the bunker to survive. Some even with livestock, such as cows and sheep. There were people from every clan of the coalition. Some Azgeda were even in line to enter the bunker. It was at that very moment that Roan was about to make his presence clear. People gasped when he walked towards the temple doors, pushing Clarke forward with his sword against her throat. Echo walked at his side, followed by a large group of other Azgeda warriors. The Azgeda in line were shocked: they had deserted to enter the temple and would be killed for their betrayal. Clarke had a look of fright in her eyes when she was pushed into the temple, only to meet more fright when she saw Bellamy and Kane inside. She could not speak as she was gagged, but her eyes spoke a thousand words.

“Roan, this isn’t necessary” Kane said, his eyes now on them as they stopped the boarding of the bunker.

Roan took a quick glimpse inside the prepared bunker

“Is it ready?” he said, with his eyes now moving back to Kane.

Kane nodded.

“You will never see the inside…” Indra hissed , stepping forward whilst she took up one of the guns.

“If she shoots, she dies” Roan said, taking a quick look at Echo.

Echo instructed the men, as they raised their bows – pointing their arrows at others in line.

“We will have the bunker – then you will get her back” he said while pushing his sword deeper into Clarke’s skin.

Raven’s concerned voice was heard throughout the whole temple

“We have a problem….” She paused “…the death wave will be here in 30 minutes”.

People started screaming, now everybody moving towards the entrance of the bunker. Bellamy looked at Roan, only to find out Clarke had escaped. It was because it now got real – now it was survival , everybody to himself. And so he too began to ran to enter the bunker, like all the others did too. People screamed and pushed as they all tried to get inside, the children first, then the women and men, but it made no sense anymore as the fluorescent green cloud came towards them, lightning flashing as people panicked. He got inside, but saw how many people still wanted to get in. But it was too late, there was too little time to get them all safely inside. People still entered the bunker, and he threw a quick look at Monty, who then closed the door. They heard the sound of the door closing and then the screams of the people who were burning alive.

Chapter Text

It had been a couple of days since the door closed, but it felt like months already. The people had been counted, and for the first time names were being called of those who lost their life in the second praimfaya. They held a ceremony for the death, with a symbolic fire created by small lights dazzling in the darkness. It was not the same as the beautiful fires the grounders made for their dead however, did appreciate what they did for them. You could see by the looks in their eyes that they were in grief but appreciated what they had done together to honor their loss.

“…Elyn kom Yujleda….Mill kom Boudalan…” Indra spoke with difficulty as she read the names to all the people in the bunker.

Names of people they did not know before, but whose names had a bitter taste on their lips as they spoke them after Indra. Names of people who did not play a big role in their lives, but were everything to someone else. They held the ceremony in the central area. Each clan had their own level, as the bunker consisted of one large central area and several smaller hallways with bedrooms and bathrooms at each side. On the lowest level they had created a small farm from the livestock taken by their owners. Helios was there, as were some cows and sheep. Jaha called it a convenience: they would have plenty of milk and wool for their consumption.

At first it was difficult. Many people were angry about what the Azgeda had done and thought that they were unworthy of living in the bunker. Sometimes fights would break out. But like all pain, it took some time for the rough edges to wear off. Once that was done people from all clans would try to sit together at one table, and eat their dinner together. Kane was the first to join Octavia and Ilian at their table. It would be senseless to be mad at them. The ark was gone, all of it was now gone. They could hate each other for what had been done, or work towards a bright future together.

It took some time for the others to understand that they were now one clan. Jaha smiled a little, when he looked at Kane. The majority of the Sky people were safe or just had minor injuries. Clarke was doing better too, she shared her room with Abby and Marcus, who grew to become a part of their family. Raven spent her time in the engineering room with Monty. The second dawn had left plenty of tech for them to work with and with a few changes Raven could connect the screens with what the satellites provided her with. She connected, and cheered for a brief moment , only to then feel a wave of sadness upon her from what she was witnessing. She could see the planet, soaked in radiation as her eyes scanned the images. Monty saw it too, moving slowly towards her as she stared at the screen. “We did what we could…this is the best for everyone.” He said, smiling a little to cheer her up. Raven looked at him sadly, then turned her face back to the screen to continue what she was working on. In the room next to them, Abby was working in a medical facility. She was relieved when she saw that the second dawn had not used all medicine.


“We now have more medicine that we had back on the ark” Jackson said with a little smile on his face, he too relieved by the surprise.

They had been afraid that they had to reject people from healing them, but now they could do their jobs for a while.

They had given Gaia a small little space to create a temple. She could not use the candles she loved so dearly, but instead they had given her small little lights. She was content with what she had gotten, and guided people through their prayers. On the other side of Gaia’s temple was Murphy, cooking with some of the other cooks of the clan. He and Emori had decided to make themselves useful – as it would be difficult to keep Emori’s old ‘friends’ from attacking them. Only if they made themselves useful they would be kept safe. Jasper too had found a new way to keep himself busy. He felt familiar with the vibe in the bunker. It reminded him of Luna’s rig but it too reminded him of Maya. It took him a while to get adjusted to the people around him , but with a couple of Joba nuts made into a tea he would enjoy ‘teatime’ with a couple of the people in the bunker. He felt a rather strange kind of peace and sadness, knowing that this nuclear meltdown also meant starting over – a new life was waiting for them.

Chapter Text

“You don’t deserve to be here!” A man screamed, waving his arms angrily towards the Azgeda woman in front of him.

“You deserved to burn! Not them!”.

His friends held him back while he was screaming at the woman, who stood there as she watched him with cold eyes.

“They were too late. That is not my mistake” she said, with a voice as cold as the look on her face.

The men all grew silent for a bit, their muscles relaxing for a second – then an explosion of anger followed:

“You and all your people are cursed! We will have your blood, you will pay!” he screamed, as some of the peacekeepers dragged him away.

Events like this had happened more often during the past few weeks. Tension had risen when people discovered who they were living with, and who were not living with them. The loss of their families was now becoming real pain, now that they knew they would survive here. And so the raiding and fighting started. At first it started small, with some stealing of personal items such as a small bracelet. Then people started hissing at each other when they walked past. The peaceful moment that was there when they went in to the bunker had now changed to a hostile environment.

Things changed too for Emori and Murphy. They were living in a small room on the lower deck when their room was raided – by someone familiar to Emori. It was her own cousin who came to rob her from her belongings. Belongings she had robbed from someone else.

“Freikdrana…” hissed her cousin, as he laid eyes on her.

His eyes moved away, now to her hand as his facial expression showed absolute detest for her.

“You are alive…you shouldn’t be. Your father and mother never grew to be the same after you…having two more of those monsters like yourself. I hope they are dead now.” He said, not showing any regret for what he said to her.

Her mind flashed back: they had met in the past, once before, when Emori tried to get close to her village to get some food. He had threatened to cut her throat if she would not leave, and so she left – feeling more abandoned than ever as she saw the similarities between him and her brother Otan. She felt sad now too, knowing that she had maybe more brothers and sisters. It stung, though she did not even know them, but she knew they had not survived. She soon got back to reality when she saw a knife moving towards her, dodging the matter fast as she screamed for Murphy’s name:

“John! … John!”.

He was not close at all since he was working to keep her safe as that was their only way. Emori turned, taking a pillow with her and smashing it against him in a small turn. He was surprised by her movement, which gave Emori the opportunity to move up a bit, but he would not let her go. It were Bellamy and Raven who saved her, she had heard the noise and went to see what it was, grabbing Bellamy as she went. Bellamy quickly grabbed the man, taking him out as he was screaming threats to a frightened Emori. Raven could see that this hit her in so many ways as the man was dragged away. She moved towards her with difficulty, then moving to sit next to Emori.

“Are you alright?” She looked at her with a concerned face.

“He is my cousin” Emori said, with a trembling voice.

“He tried to kill you..” Raven said in disbelief when she looked at Emori.

“It is because I am a monster, a freikdrana. I do not deserve to live..” it became a little too much for her as she spoke those words.
br /> “You’re just like the rest of us, I don’t see a difference” Raven said with a tiny encouraging smile on her face.

Though Raven knew there was a difference, just like she was different with her leg.

“People like me…we are a shame to our family…” Emori explained “And they just hope, when they abandon us…that it will be removed, the genes…” she paused a little.

“They see it as some kind of curse from the gods.. and if they put that away then they will be fine again.”

Raven looked at her, tears in her eyes as she listened to Emori.

“The fact that many people died, and someone like me lives…it is something that should not happen”.

“But you are one of us now.. Murphy is your family” Raven said softly, placing her hand on Emori’s arm to show her support.

Emori nodded, but the pain felt no less.

“Maybe we can get you something to do here… at least we will make sure you are safe”.

Emori thought about it all, her cousin, the bunker… her family, Murphy. Then she stood up, restoring her ever so cautious posture.

“She’s right” said Murphy’s sudden voice. He had been listening and came in when he knew Emori needed him the most.

Emori relaxed, then fell into Murphy’s open arms.

“She saved you twice now..” Murphy said with a grateful look at Raven.

“You will be safe” Raven said, interrupting him when she looked at them. “You deserve to live just as much as we do…. Life is about more than just survival.”

Chapter Text

Gaia had difficulty handing over the flame to Raven, but she knew this was necessary. The flame had started emitting strange lights which Gaia thought was a message from the Gods. When Indra noticed that something was off with Gaia, and discovered the broken flame she decided to bring it to Raven. The others protested: they saw it as blasphemy. Gaia had difficulty with it herself too, but she knew that the Sky people knew a lot about her faith in a way different from her own. With trembling hands she gave the small tinder box to Indra, who gave it to Raven when it was her turn.

“I will look what I can do” Raven said with a dim smile.

She had been working long hours for days now, and she got many appliances now working. The screens started lightening up, showing the earth in new ways. Red spots, yellow spots, some small green and blue spots were visible on the screen as the measurements started to come in.

“Is that the radiation?” Indra said, while looking at the live footage of the earth.

Raven looked over her shoulder, the tinder box now in her hand, then looking at Indra.

“Yes.. it is.” She said. Indra nodded, now looking back at the tinder box.

“Be careful with it.. many people will lose hope if it is broken” she said, her eyes on Raven.

“I will, I just have to restore the code and it will be back to normal again, it’s just old and needs an update.”

Indra nodded when Raven spoke, not understanding what she meant by all of it, yet satisfied by what she was about to do. “I will start now, there’s not much else to do” she said, meaning that she was done with the measurements.

“I will take my leave then” replied Indra, then moving out of the door as she took her leave.

Octavia wandered around with Clarke over the small farm that was created by the people. Grounders and sky people were working together on the farm and enjoyed sports afterwards on one of the fields. The bunker looked more like an indoor earth they thought, and it started to become better every day. The indoor farm had a small field where they grew crops, and it worked surprisingly well for they expected to not harvest anything through this method at all. Octavia and Clarke would sit down together at a small table, looking over the fields where the people were working. Clarke looked at Octavia when they sat down

“So , this coalition is actually very special?” she asked, when she had listened to Octavia’s story

“It is, it was the first time for the grounders to work together.” She said, a bit of a proud tone in her voice as she was so close to them.

Clarke guessed Ilian had learned her all of this, they had their own room together and spent much time together.

“They all live in separate areas, like you know already…” she paused for a bit “They used to be like the tribes we learned about in Earth skills” she said, both their minds flashing back to the ark. “Just like in that period, people hunted and gathered… attacking other villages and fighting wars..” Clarke listened as she was amazed by the people

“So the commander did not have that much to say. But that changed with Lexa, she united them, made it more like a modern society.” Octavia said, now looking to the people on the field. “Most of them remember the Trigeda Gonplei [Forest War].” She said when she looked back at Clarke again. “Both Trishanakru and Trikru fought together against the Yujleda, who wanted to take over their villages and land.”

Octavia took a breath of air, then spoke again “Only the Sankru, Boudalan and Podakru were not involved in the beginning, but had to choose a side when the Azgeda marched upon them” Clarke spoke when she heard this

“So the Azgeda took advantage of the situation?” she asked.

Octavia nodded “They saw the opportunity… that’s why many grounders dislike the Azgeda now and it’s the reason why Floukru was created.” Octavia paused when she thought about the boat people. “All the inhabitants from that rig… were people who ran from that war.” They both looked at the people on the field. Just like their own history in the sky, the people on the ground had to deal with many loss and other problems. “We are not so different” Octavia said after a brief moment of silence. “We have a chancellor, they have a commander. We have stations, they have clans…” she said, and Clarke agreed. They both thought about teaching the sky people about the grounder history. Maybe they would see that they are not so different after all.

Chapter Text

The more time they would spent together, the more the sky people saw that they were not that different from the grounders. Still there were the occasional breakouts, small fights and over food and belongings but very rarely over other things. Yet there were still problems with the Azgeda, as people still hated them being there, but Clarke now understood why that was. The war had left its scars, like the quarrel between Trikru and Skaikru had left scars too. But they were working towards a brighter future together, with Octavia and Kane at the lead.

“Alright, today we will cover the dark days.” Octavia said.

She had not only left her weapons behind in the cave that day, but also a part of her anger and hatred. She understood now that there were different ways to get to peace, and fighting was not always one of them. Together with Kane she began teaching the people from Skaikru about the grounder culture. Sometimes the grounders enjoyed spending time with Octavia during her lessons, even helping her out when needed. They seemed to appreciate it, and much to Octavia’s delight, people began treating the grounders with a newfound sort of respect and sympathy.

Things too began to work out for Raven. It was during the night that she found a second way to access the code to the flame.

“This is amazing..” she said, while looking at all the numbers and letters passing by at her screen. The code began to visualize for her, she could see what it was without having to do much effort.
“Feather…Becca…..Lexa…”. She was puzzled. She knew who Lexa and Becca were, but who was Feather? She was distracted from her thoughts when the door opened: it was Gaia. She had called Gaia just before to let her know that the Flame was up and working again, but now her attention had been caught by all the code that the flame had to offer her. Gaia looked around when she came in, amazed but afraid by all of the numbers and letters on the screen.

“Does it work ?” She asked, looking at Raven who could not keep her excitement.

“Even better than that! Could you..Do you know someone called Feather?”.

“Yes..” Gaia said quietly. She had never been one of many words and so this time she needed a little more time before answering.
“She was Heda..a couple of years ago.”

Raven had found her answer, now looking back at her screens excitingly, her fingers pressing the buttons on her keyboard. Numbers began to pop up, even more than before and in all kinds of colors and orders. She opened one of them, excited for what would happen and waited a moment until she understood what the code said.

“She died young, didn’t she? She was just 9.”
Raven paused when the words got to her: life as a grounder must be very rough. Gaia was amazed by how Raven knew this, but she wasn’t surprised at all anymore: the sky people had surprised her with many things.

“Yes, she was just a child when she became Heda.”

“Amazing..” Raven said, her voice delighted by the results she saw. “I can see all of the code, all their memories and DNA…” she paused a bit when she looked at the code. Brightly colored letters and numbers had created a beautiful artwork in front of their eyes. But only Raven understood what the artwork was. Raven looked at Gaia with eyes filled with excitement.

“Would you mind if I keep it here for a bit longer?”. Gaia had difficulty with it, but she understood that Raven could protect all the previous commanders if she did. And so she agreed.

Raven’s brilliant mind went faster than light at that very moment, and soon Abby, Jackson, Monty and Clarke were in the same room as Raven.

“Explain again please..” Clarke said, not fully understanding what Raven was blurting out. Abby watched Raven with careful eyes. She had seen her genius mind at this speed before, and was afraid she would have a seizure again.

“Alright, so..” Raven breathed in deeply, when she began to talk again: “The Flame is a database. All memories are stored in it.” This was plausible for all of them present in this room. Lexa had spoken about the flame, and how she used it to talk to the previous commanders.

“But it stores DNA too..” Raven now said, being interrupted by Jackson

“In what way did it store DNA?”.

Raven grinned, looking at him when she spoke further “It had to know if you were a nightblood or not.”

“And blood types are found in the DNA” Abby said, knowing what Raven meant.

“Right! So it would read off the DNA of it’s host and save what it found, along with all the memories.”

“So it is just a gigantic database with DNA and memories? “ Monty asked.

“It is, so if I could send the data to the bioprinter in the med bay…” she said, slowly as if she was asking for permission, then looking at Clarke

“...we could bring back all the previous commanders.”

Chapter Text

“We shouldn’t do this” Abby said determined.

“We don’t know what kind of people they are. The risks are too big.”

Her eyes went from Kane to Jaha, then back to Clarke who were in the same room as she was.

“If it is true what Raven says..and we could get them all back..” Jaha paused a little, his expression showing deep thoughts as he spoke:
“Then Becca might be able to help us with the radiation problem. She has shown to be very intelligent.”

“It is tempting indeed, but it brings risks too. What does Gaia think about this idea?” Kane asked, looking at the two of them as he was neglecting Clarke for a bit.

He liked Clarke, but he knew she could not make a wise decision in this problem. He had seen her grief over Lexa, silently crying sometimes at nightfall, watching the drawing she made of her. He had looked at the drawing too and saw all the little details in the drawing. Without talking a lot he knew how much Clarke had loved her. That picture was worth a thousand words.

“We should get them back. It will give people hope..” Clarke tried as she knew that she was left out of the conversation for a bit.

“People have lost a lot. They need something to have faith in again. Something different than the work they do here or the occasional fights with the Azgeda.” She had made a point, and by the looks on their faces she knew that they would have little against her.

“I agree with Clarke. Now it is up to you two to decide. ” Jaha said, a tiny smile on his old face.

Life on earth had made him an old man soon, but for who wasn’t that the case? Abby looked at Kane, then to Clarke. It was a difficult decision for her, and she was afraid to lose Clarke. She knew that if she would say no that Clarke would feel like her mother denied her her one true love and that she would walk away again because of this. Abby sighed as the motherly feelings once again took a hold of her. “I agree” she said, and she could hear her own voice when she said it. But she could not lose Clarke. Not again.

Luna wandered around the bunker. She had talked to Jasper once, who apologized to what happened back at the rig. She thought it was a kind gesture, a true one as she saw the pain in his eyes when the words passed his lips. Her wounds were healing, walking got better and better. She had to check in with Abby every once in awhile, something she detested because of her trust in them. She could not forget how they strapped her down and took her bone marrow. Through Jasper she learned about Mount Weather, and the destruction that had taken place at the mountain. It was ironic, she thought. Burning them all for taking their bone marrow, now doing the exact same to her. Should she burn them all too? the question popped up in her mind, yet she chose to ignore it. It would take too many innocent lives, and she started to love some people in the bunker dearly. . Luna was one of the only few to have no job to do during the day, but she gladly accompanied Raven at times: their friendship had grown a lot and Luna admired Raven’s intelligence and kindness. Through Raven she met Emori too, and after a difficult start they too became friends. Though Luna had a family who loved her, she felt like a Freikdrana too at times. She was different because of the color of her blood and that was pointed out all the time to her. Emori felt a connection she had not felt a long time before with people other than Murphy.

“I was three when they found out about me. Some men came to my village” Luna said bitterly as she spoke of her past.

Emori looked at her as she listened to Luna’s story. “Of Course they wanted proof that I was a nightblood. They took out a knife and cut my hand. Dark blood came pouring out and they were very content. ” She looked at her hand where a tiny scar was visible.

“I did not understand it, the meaning of the black blood. But my brother had it too and he comforted me that we would be safe. I do not recall how my parents reacted, but for many it was a great honor: having their children become participants in the conclave to become heda. ”

“Did you know your parents well?” Emori asked quietly.

“ No, I do not even remember them well.” Luna smiled encouraging as she spoke softly, but her eyes told a different story as the pain could be seen very well.

“We were brought to Polis with 7 others. We did everything together, sleeping, eating, training..there was friendship but some rivalry too. We all wanted to be Heda’s favorite so that his spirit would chose us next.”

She paused a little as it hurt her to speak about her past.

“My brother was always the brave one. I was more quiet and at the background, but I worked very hard. When Heda died in the aftermath of the Forest War a new commander was chosen. I remember that night before the conclave…” she went quiet when her words died out.

“The atmosphere was different. Friends became rivals, the flamekeeper told us that his spirit would chose the best one of us. It became a game of power. Who could intimidate who? Who was the strongest? I was caught up in that game too, we all were. We were sick of the idea of finally having so much power after training for so many years. I was sick when I fought my brother, killing him without a doubt at first. But when I saw the blood pouring out of the wounds I had created I thought of that day when we were brought to Polis. He told me we would be safe, but now he was dead. I knew I would win, I had won so many times before, but I couldn’t anymore. If Heda meant lying and killing for the sake of power, then it is nothing worth to me…” she spoke the last words bitterly.

“ So I ran.”

Chapter Text

It was one of the first times Jasper smiled again, when he met a girl from Sankru: Zella. She had brown blonde hair, with a beautiful coppery glow when her hair met the light. Her skin was sun kissed as she had spent so much time in the sun, but the most striking thing about her however, were her eyes. She had beautiful aqua green eyes, unlike any of them had ever seen before. It made Zella very popular among the grounders, but her shy and quiet nature kept her from being with them in intimate ways. Through her he learned about the Sankru people, their culture and their rituals.

“This will take away the pain you feel…” said her soft voice.

She raised her hand in which she held the teapot slowly, then tilting it a bit to let the tea escape the pot. The tea came pouring out, and an amazing aroma filled the room, lifting Jasper’s spirit. He found it beautiful , the way she moved. She filled both their cups of tea in this elegant way of serving tea, then placed the teapot back on the small table again. She took her cup, and placed it in his hands.

“Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku” she said softly, placing the cup in his hands as she smiled a little.

“It means harmony, respect, purity, tranquility...it will bring peace to your mind and hurry away the demons that haunt you.”

Jasper looked at her, then took a look at the cup in his hands. He slowly moved the cup to his lips, then taking a sip as he had a detested face after it. She laughed a bit:

“It is fairly bitter, here, take this” she handed him a plate with colorful tiny sweets.

He took one, and enjoyed the sensation of the all the flavors in his mouth.

“Now, let go of it all, focus on your breathing, let it be like the waves on the shore...wash it away.”

He heard her calm voice and felt a strange kind of peace upon him, one he had not known for a long time.

Echo sat with Roan.

“I noticed their nervous behaviour…” she said, her face cold as she looked at Roan.

“They are up to something, and I took some freedom of finding out what.” Roan looked at her, as he squinted his eyes a little more.

He always squinted his eyes when he was listening Echo noticed, very unlike his mother who always wore the same facial expression.

“It is about the flame.” Echo said now, and she observed the look of surprise and anger on Roan’s face.

“I thought it had been destroyed.” Roan said, looking at Echo when she had caught his interest.

“I have seen Indra carry the box containing the flame to Raven, and many people confirmed that the flame was present at the fleimkepa’s rituals.”

Roan looked at her “What are they doing with it?” he asked her.

“They are going to get all the commanders back.” Echo said, her voice a little quiet when she spoke the words to him.

Roan’s eyes grew big. Was this even possible? And how many of them would come back? Echo saw the look on his face and gave him the answers he was looking for:

“We did not know it was possible, but it is. We have seen them working on it. It would bring all of them back.”

Roan was grateful for this information but he felt betrayed by Wanheda once again.

Luna learned about the new project very fast too. Fear grew when she learned about the flame’s presence and what skaikru was about to do with it. She knew she had ran and sought refuge on the rig, something which wasn’t acceptable at all for all the previous commanders. She was afraid: the commanders were the only surviving nightbloods, and if they found out that she was not a commander, yet survived...She was shaking for a brief moment. Would Lexa be able to protect her once again? Even when all the other commanders would be there with her? She feared the moment that she would have to face them all again. And then the new fleimkepa...She had learned through Raven that there was now a new fleimkepa. Gaia was nice, she had seen her from a distance but she was afraid to meet with her as Gaia might see her as a betrayer like Titus did. She was afraid, but why? She had lost everything when the radiation came, and she had known no fear but the fear of the young children meeting death too soon. Why did she feel the fear now?

Chapter Text

“When do we tell them?” Kane said when he watched Abby with careful eyes.

Abby waited a bit before she spoke

“I am not sure yet. Raven and Jackson are now busy with setting the bioprinter up. Once that’s done it will take days or weeks before the first commanders will be walking around again.”

She spoke with her doctor’s voice, like he had expected her to. Abby was in charge of this ‘project’ as they called it, and she took it very seriously. He suspected that she did it for Clarke, that her motherly feelings had taken a hold of her.

“I will find a way to inform the ambassadors.” He said softly, as his hazel eyes moved from Abby to the bioprinter.

Raven was working on it with great precision, shadowed by a very enthusiastic Jackson. Jackson was always eager to learn, and Abby had found that he especially admired Raven’s ability to work with tech. She saw how Raven operated the bioprinter, and how a stunning copy of Lexa was printed. She was amazed, just as much as Raven was. Abby walked towards them, her steps lighter and lighter on the lab floor. She saw Raven looking with a smile on her face from Lexa and then to Abby.

“Amazing isn’t she?” Raven said, looking at Lexa. But Lexa’s pretty skin began to crumble to pieces and burn bright red right in front of them. She screamed in pain when the black blood came upon them like rain, shaking until she fell down and blacked out.

Only it was not Lexa who was shaking and blacked out.

“Is she alright?” Kane said with a concerned voice.

“She is now, she just had a seizure.” Jackson said, coming in with the results of the brainscan.

“It is the same target area as before... she works too hard.” He said, referring to his previous comments on her work attitude.

“Some time off would do her well chancellor. Raven and I won’t be finished here any time soon anyway. And I have got some great new help here too.”

Jackson looked around the med bay where several grounders were walking around: not as patients but as doctors. Kane nodded, knowing he was right. He himself could use some time off too, he needed to clear his mind before the talk he had to give.

“Honorable ambassadors, leaders of the twelve clans.” Kane spoke, looking around the table where they sat.

Each clan had been invited to send a representative, and they all accepted the invitation gladly.

“Today we have gathered to discuss a new opportunity for our way of life” he was quiet for a brief moment when he spoke. “We have sought to find a new leader for us all. One who united us in our common goal and purpose. Today, I offer you such a leader.”

The ambassadors were all quiet when those words came floating into the air, filling the room with both tension and curiosity.

“We have found a way to seek help among the commanders, and they are willing to join us on our quest for survival.” He spoke the words with caution, watching their faces and reactions when the words reached their ears.

“We will have their presence among us once again, and they will help us to find ways to inhabit the planet once again.” He spoke softly when he felt the tension rise.

“This is blasphemy! The commanders can’t come back here - we have tried many ways before!” Shouted one of the men present in the room angrily.

The others nodded when they agreed.

“Skaikru has lied many times before, always having the benefit of the doubt. But we doubt them time after time, yet we trust them! ”

the others began to become noisy, agreeing with the ambassador who spoke. Kane was stunned: he had not expected such a reaction. Then his eye fell on the now empty chair; the logo of a hand visible. The Azgeda were gone.

It was at that very moment the Azgeda crew of Echo came rushing in Clarke’s room. She was alone and just came back from visiting her mother. She was surprised when she saw Echo and the others coming in, but Echo decided to skip the welcoming ritual. In the blink of an eye she took out her sword, pointing it at a defenceless Clarke. Clarke looked around the room in a second, looking for her weapon which was nowhere within her reach. Echo saw this, pressing her sword against Clarke’s skin.

“You are coming with us, Wanheda.” She spoke, her eyes threatening as the eyes of a predator on its prey.

“What is this about, there is no need for this.” Clarke said, trying to sound brave and fearless, something Echo saw through right at once.

“The King expects you…” she spoke “...till then you will live, if you don’t do anything stupid.”

Azgeda men lined up behind Clarke, pressing their swords into her skin. Echo led the way as they moved through the corridor, then into the central area. She walked with a strong attitude, people stepped back when they passed. The people looked at them with big eyes when they passed , only to be stopped by Bellamy who was one of the peacekeepers in the central area. Echo looked at Bellamy with an annoyed face. Why was it always Bellamy who stopped her?

“Where are you going? Let Clarke go.” Bellamy spoke, his voice determined as he looked at Echo.

Echo looked a bit over her shoulder to the men behind her, then back to Bellamy again.

“A delivery for the King” she said, her voice strong.

“I will come with you.” Bellamy said, looking at the people who held Clarke.

“Bellamy don’t!” Clarke said with a desperate voice.

“I will not leave you alone Clarke” Bellamy spoke softly.

Echo hated this, but she did not show it. Her loyalty was with the Azgeda and not Skaikru, but she knew how valuable Bellamy was for the Skaikru. One hostage more would be no problem.

“Put down your weapon” she said demandingly.

She kept her piercing eyes focussed on Bellamy, and he put down his weapon. She looked at the men behind her, signalling one to Bellamy. Bellamy felt the cutting sensation of the sword in his skin, and walked forward as they left the central area, unsure of what was about to come.

Chapter Text

“Skaikru never spoke about a new leader my king” Echo said, her voice ever so threatening as she looked at Roan and Clarke.

She could not bear to look at Bellamy for long, as his beautiful eyes would surely tempt her to give in to them. But she couldn’t: she had to stay loyal to her people.

“They killed our Heda. Heda kom Azgeda” she finished the sentence in their language, but she knew they could understand her.

“I am sure they have an explanation” Roan said with a grin on his face.

He too looked at Clarke who wore a daring expression in her eyes. She was a stubborn one he thought.

“Let her speak” Roan demanded Echo, who did what he asked with great displeasure. Her movements were slow and showed her thoughts about his command, and Roan saw this.

He watched her cut the piece of cloth that prevented Clarke from speaking, and when she was done she stepped away. Roan’s grin grew wider when he saw Clarke’s stubbornness in her eyes. Then he looked at Bellamy, in which he saw a kind of fear which interested him. Was he protective of her? Was he afraid of her stubbornness?

On the other side of the bunker Indra sat with Luna, Kane and Abby. They stood at the table where a piece of paper lay, numerous lines drawn across the paper in a maze like pattern.

“Their stronghold is here” Indra said, pointing at a square like chamber in the upper area.

“Our guards told us that there are many guards in the area…” Kane added this with a deep voice, he had hoped that this would be the start of a new life but it ended up being the same as ever.

Indra had warned him for the Azgeda, and she made sure that he knew that. He could see it by the look in her eyes, even though she did not say it directly. It was Luna who broke the silence.

“We should get moving fast.” She had been silent and very pragmatic.

She did not resist when they asked her to come along, and she did not resist when they expressed their violent plan to get Clarke and Bellamy back. Abby agreed; she wanted nothing more than seeing her daughter back in safety again.

Octavia opened her eyes when she woke up in Ilian’s arms. She cursed herself for a brief moment when she felt the piece of fabric press against her bare skin. Her hair was draped over her shoulders, and she could feel that he was still sleeping. She had spent a lot of time with him, and she was more confused about herself than ever before. She had been the girl under the floor, the forbidden lover, the grounder, the outsider… but who was she now? She slipped out of bed, covering herself with the clothes she found on the ground. The cold from the floor slowly moved up into her legs, and she found herself dressing quickly. She heard voices, which was strange at this time. She threw a quick glimpse at the time, but instead she found none. Just like up above there was no day and night here. It was always day, and it was always night. Only on the ground she discovered the beauty of night and day, and how a place could change just by the reflection of the light on its surface. She chose to ignore the voices on the hall, but she could not help her curiosity when she heard Bellamy’s name. She moved closer to the door, and like a deer in the forest she slipped quietly through the door. When the door closed, so closed the door on her peaceful and quiet days. She felt the adrenaline rushing through her veins, her senses working fast, her eyes catching the glimpse of shiny metal swords and armor, her nose smelling the blood and leather, her ears hearing the sound of the clashing swords and the screaming people, her skin feeling the cold sensation of her hand on her belt. Her swords - shit. She reminded how she threw them away in the puddle when she was with Ilian.

Her feet started moving away from the past, from the peace to her old self and the fight. With every step bouncing on the cold concrete floor she was more confident with what she was about to do. With every step she felt closer to who she was and what she wanted. The first punch she gave was to an Azgeda warrior when he turned his head towards her. And she hit him good: she could hear the cracking of the bones in his nose, and feel the warm blood on her skin. He was surprised, and let his concentration slip for a tiny moment. But she was trained, she was Skairipa, and she was feared for her skills. She did not take long to finish the fight, now covered in blood, holding her victim’s swords in her hands. She had no time for real warrior paint she thought, when looking at her hands as she moved to the next gona. But she made sure she would pass, painting her face with the blood of her victims: something unheard of when she saw the looks on the faces of the grounders. She fought, and she fought hard. And just then she stood eye to eye with her: Echo. “Let’s finish this the way it should have finished” Echo hissed, referring to her near death experience. But as they moved closer for combat, there was an unexpected turn of the situation when Luna stepped up her game.

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She had thought of this for a long time now, but she had no chance to do any of this. They were always watching her, and with Raven close she felt bad for what she wanted to do. She almost felt guilty for them. But she was determined when she had her hand on the airlock.

“Luna!”

someone in the crowd screamed her name when she stood there. But she did not even move the slightest bit. Fear and hatred had taken hold over her. She could not let this all happen. People grew silent when they saw her, afraid of what she was about to do. They knew she was able to survive the bits of radiation she could let in. They knew they would burn screaming, like they heard the others do outside of the bunker. They did not dare to move, afraid that one movement would give Luna a reason to open the door.

“We will all burn Luna..” Octavia said, her eyes fixed on both Luna and Echo.

But Echo was fast and smart and slashed her sword towards Octavia. Octavia moved away for a bit, but got cut in her arm when she felt the warm sensation of blood mixed with pain. Other grounders started to fight again too, following Echo’s example. But they all stopped when their skin started to burn, blisters forming and bleeding when they screamed in pain. Everyone but Luna, who stood by the opened airlock. Octavia too fell down, screaming in pain when she felt her body burning and bleeding. But the door was closed, much to Luna’s surprise and alarm bells started to sound throughout the bunker. It must have been Monty, Octavia thought. She knew that they made sure that there would be both manual and mechanical options to open and close doors. The area looked horrible when Octavia looked around. People lay on the ground crawling and screaming because of the pain, and she too blacked out.

It was the final drop too for the Azgeda when they found out that their warriors would not be healed unless they would let Clarke and Bellamy go. Echo had resisted at first, claiming that they should not let go of their goal and shouldn’t show any weakness. But unlike his mother Roan had decided to set the two free. They had a deal, and that included no more further attacks. To make sure that it wouldn’t happen again they had to give up their weapons and live under surveillance by the other clans: something all clans agreed on and worked for. Luna was isolated now too. She was placed in an empty room away from the others and was being guarded any time of the day. She was lonely, even Raven decided to not visit her for what she had done. But Clarke did, and later Gaia came too. Luna and Gaia spoke, but it took time before the calmness and peace returned. It took days, weeks, months, up to a year when the Azgeda were finally released of their surveillance. And not shortly after they were surprised with a new turn of events.

Chapter Text

“It worked!” someone said when she got conscious.

She felt a slight tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers, and then she opened her eyes. The girl was as she remembered before she closed her eyes. A white shirt with some dirt on it, blue sleeves, a tanned skin and brown eyes with her thick brown hair in a ponytail. She wondered why she did not recognize her voice. She wondered a lot… She did not recognize the room at all. It was clean and bright, very white and modern. Almost space like. Was she in the Ark? But that could not be. Clarke never spoke of a place like this, and there was no daylight.

Besides, other grounders had told her that the ark was actually quite a dark place instead of the white room where she was now. This was definitely not anywhere near her tower in Polis. She felt her hands moving over her body to her stomach. It was there when she closed her eyes; it was there that she died. But she was alive now right? Or was this some sort of subconsciousness in the flame? She moved up, her body light and flexible like she had never been shot. But her eyes not only had laid eyes on the room and Raven, but also on a very familiar face.

“Heda…” she whispered softly when she saw the face of the previous commander before her.

She was his successor, and she knew that his spirit chose her to be his successor. But he was distracted too, when he too saw his Heda. Raven moved forward when she looked at a little girl in the group.

She must have been around nine years old she thought when she examined the face of the little girl. Her eyes scanned the body of the girl, carefully observing the tattoos on her young skin. She too was Heda she saw, as she saw all the marks of the natblidas who died in the conclave. She felt her back itching when she realized that she too had those marks. All the commanders were back here again, but in what reality? But she was herself, and she knew that if Raven were here Clarke would be here too. The Clarke who shushed her when she left the shore, and told her they would meet again.

Clarke was right; they would meet again. And so she stood up, determined, wearing nothing but a silly hospital gown when she moved forward. Jackson wanted to stop her, but Abby let her pass when she moved faster and faster. She ran, and she did not know where she was running to, but she knew she should trust what she was doing. She went right, then left again and ran till she came in the central area. Faces of familiar people flashed in front of her, people began to shout her name. But she felt the urge to run until she reached the door. She went in without a doubt, and fell into the arms of the woman she loved.

“Lexa…” she could hear Clarke’s voice softly in her ear when she held her, the hospital gown making little sounds when they embraced each other.

“I told you I would come back” Lexa said with a little smile and a soft look in her eyes.

She kissed her, and time stopped for an eternity. A warm sensation filled their bodies with many emotions, and tears were flowing. “I thought I had lost you…” Clarke cried softly when she pulled away for a bit. But Lexa took her head in her hands, smiling at her.

“I am always with you…” She spoke, kissing Clarke softly again, then moving her towards her bed where they both fell down. United in a moment of peace and love where nothing else mattered.

Chapter Text

The other commanders however were not so happy with her joyful reunion with Clarke.

“To be a commander means to be alone, Lexa.” one of the men spoke.

He was a man around his late twenties, with brown hair like many of the grounders. He was tall and muscular, and showed fondness of Lexa.

“I am more than capable of separating my feelings from duty” she said back, with a familiar sound like she heard before.

She remembered the moment she screamed those words angrily to her fleimkepa, Titus, who she learned had passed. She was grateful for him, but she missed his wisdom at her sides sometimes. Especially as she now had to get to know the new fleimkepa, Gaia, who took her faith very serious and might not be very happy about her decisions on Luna. The name went through her thoughts like lightning through a dark night: Luna. Did she survive?

But she was one of the only to worry a lot about this. For many of those in the bunker life was simple and easy: they would get up, get to work and go to sleep again. Jasper was one of those people, but he skipped working. He grew to dislike authority, and he let the people in the bunker know that too. He started off with Jaha, who he found to be quite respectful of his wishes now that he did not need anything from him. He found it strange how the ground had changed people.

From being a true killer, Jaha went to become one of their philosophers. He would spent days talking to people, motivating them or inspiring them. Jasper would attend, not because of his need to feel inspired: he felt inspired enough when he would drink his favorite tea. He attended because he felt like it could give him a good laugh. Zella sometimes went along, but she did not really understand his type of humor. He found that she was quite like Maya, and it hurted him at times, but it also brought him peace.

“Back to drinking again, mister Jordan?” Jaha said, when Jasper was joyfully raising his glass, his eyes a little less big as usual due to the drinking.

He smiled a little when he saw Jaha approaching him, raising the glass even higher.

“Came for a drink?” he said with a smile on his face, then drinking some of the liquor in the glass.

Jaha looked at him, then watched the girl on his side. She was a bit tipsy too, and Jaha decided to let the two of them be.

“No, I am good.” he said, speaking with a slow and thoughtful voice like he always did.

Then he moved on, he had more to do than just hang around and talk. But for Jasper things changed a little, and he would put down the glass, then move away from the bar. He wasn’t able to walk in a straight line, but for him it did not matter. Zella called after him, but he did not hear it and chose to walk away. His smile had passed from his face when he had looked around the room. It reminded him so much of how the mountain people lived in their happy place that he could not handle it for a moment. He walked, his steps getting heavier every moment, the air getting cooler on his skin but he kept going. He only stopped when the people around him had changed too. They were hostile when his sight became less blurry, their faces covered in masks. Their words were now audible, and he heard them speak when he came near.

“...All the others should be eliminated…” he heard a woman speak, but he could not recognize the voice to whom it belonged to.

“Consider it done.” a man spoke.

Jasper would step backwards when he heard footsteps coming his way, along with the clinging of a metal belt. But his movements were still not the way it should be, as the alcohol was still running through his veins. He fell, and then stood eye to eye with the warrior he had tried to run from. The man looked at him, and Jasper looked back. The man grabbed his shirt, and pulled him up, looking at him closely. Jasper grinned like he always did in his drunk state, looking at him through a veil of alcohol. The man felt less threatened when he realized how drunk he was, putting Jasper down on the ground. Jasper realized this, keeping on smiling at the man, now pretending to be even more drunk than he already was. But the man left as soon as Jasper’s feet touched the ground. In a hurry to execute his plans.

Chapter Text

When her head was in the clouds
And her feet did not touch the ground
Their love became a sanctuary
A home away from home

Luna first heard the sweet sound of that lullaby when she was at her rig. A mother sang the song to her child, a natblida like her who had not been as lucky as her. The scouts came to get him, the mother told Luna, but she had no chance of escaping. A moment of silence followed her when she spoke, and they both knew what was next without having to talk. Luna gave him the burial he deserved with his mother at her side, humming the song as he left the shore for another, better life. She remembered how the pain felt when she saw his lifeless body slipping into the water, but she also felt the pain of her own past in her heart.

When she heard it now she felt the pain again. But this time it was different. She had been locked up for a long time now, alone and in pain. The sound of the song was comforting against the blank walls of the bunker, and filled the room with life. For a moment Luna felt she grasped onto the sound of the humming, as it had been her only contact with the people outside of her room. The sound came closer.

A woman’s voice. Small footsteps. A hand on her doorknob. A key.

“Let me know once you are done.” a man spoke, probably a guard. She was closely guarded since she was so good at fighting. But she had lost the will to.

Soft fingers moved around the door, pushing it open to reveal Raven in all her glory. She had a tired look on her face, her hair hadn’t been brushed for days but dangled pretty in a ponytail nevertheless. Luna did not expect her to come visit. She tried to kill her, why would she bother?

“Hey.” said Raven, when she entered the room. Luna looked at her, awed by her decision to come to her.

“We need to talk.” She spoke again, after Luna had been quiet.

“Why would we talk, I betrayed you.” said Luna with a calm voice. She saw the pain in Raven’s eyes and knew it had hurt her. Slowly she moved her hand up, towards her.

“I understand..” Raven spoke again. “but what good have would come out of it?”

There was a moment of silence between them.

“We have done so much in our lives. We do not deserve to survive to get another chance to ruin it all again.”

Her hand was resting on Raven’s leg, it was a small gesture to comfort her.

“People deserve a second chance Luna. Not all of them are wrong. Were the children on the rig bad people?” Raven said asking.

Luna hesitated, as she knew that Raven had a point. But by that time, Raven had to break the news to her.

“On the ark..” she spoke softly, with disgust in her voice “we had a law.”

Luna looked at her with growing concern. She did not understand why she felt concerned: a couple of weeks ago she wanted to die, and now she felt this way.

“People who committed crimes were floated...killed.”

There was a silence between them.

“They are going to float you too.”