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Adventures in Happiness

Chapter 14: Chapter 12: The Return Part Three

Notes:

Hello all. It feels like forever since I have posted an update to this story. For that I am sorry. I have had a very rough year since I have updated last. I wound up losing my grandmother this year after a long battle with multiple strokes. Losing a family member is never easy and i was not expecting the toll it took on me. I still don't know how often I will be updating this story but I can promise that we are no where near done with the story I am wanting to tell. I just want to thank all of you for the continued support and sticking with me on this. You all are the main reason I am continuing this story. As always your comments are appreciated.

Chapter Text

Security Room

Mount Weather

Clark POV

She looked around as she led Lexa, her generals, and her few trusted people that were not elsewhere to the security room. It was the most secure location and didn’t carry a heavy burden like the dining area did for her. There was only one body in here and it had been removed very quickly when the main area was taken care of. She looked at the table that was in the middle of the room and could see it was shattered in some places. 

She carefully moved around the table while the decent sized group filled into the room. This many people made the room feel smaller and constricting but she felt Lexa come up next to her and just her presence was enough to calm the rising voices of the dead that wanted to come for her. She heard the door shut as Monty nodded at her and he took the same position he had when they committed genocide. She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts from going to dangerous places. 

“First, I would like to thank you all personally for the help you all have provided. I know you were following orders but all the same, thank you.”  The gathered collective just nodded at her as she could tell they were wondering why this meeting had been called. She could tell some were jumpy with Prince Roan being present. 

“Secondly, Prince Roan, while your appearance earlier today was a surprise, you have nothing to fear from Wanheda or I. She actually seems to like you.” She heard a suppressed chuckle come from Lexa. 

“I know you all are wondering why this meeting was called.” They nodded at her. She nodded at Kane and he pulled the tube from around his shoulder and handed it to her. She placed her hand on the top of the tube and looked at everyone. 

“I have been informed that there is someone in Skaikru that does not believe I am of sound mind with all the decisions I have had to make for my people since the original 100 were sent down here to die.” She took a breath as she looked into the eyes of every general. She unscrewed the top of the container and pulled out the plans letting them sit where they laid for a moment. 

“Six days ago Bellamy and Echo brought information to Kane that was cause for concern. They immediately alerted me to what they had found out. It turns out someone in my own camp is plotting to gas Tondisi and try to take me from there. They believe they would be rescuing me from someone that has twisted my mind and bent me to their will.” She saw a few of the generals tense up. She risked a glance at Lexa as she spoke her last words. 

“This person thinks that you have been corrupted by Heda?” She looked towards the voice and saw it was Falistad who spoke. She nodded at him and was surprised by the response she got. All of the generals started laughing. 

“Wanheda, I think the only person that would want to corrupt you is Nia.” Echo said as the generals collected themselves and nodded in agreement with the spy turned general. 

“Well while that may be true, the reason I needed to bring this up to all of you is I need all of your opinions.” She saw the questioning glances between her and the Slaikru in the room then to Lexa. 

“Who is this person that is plotting against you?” She heard Selia ask. She took a breath and looked at Lexa. She searched the green eyes for anything and saw her home in them. 

“My mother Abigail Griffin.” She paused to let the information soak in as she placed both hands on the table in front of her and let her head hang for a moment. 

“Why would your own mother try to start a war just to rescue you?” She heard the irate voice of Darko as she looked up. 

“She still sees me as a child. My mother and I have not seen eye to eye since she turned my father in, for trying to do the right thing and save hundreds of people where we came from.” She could feel anger starting to rise in her and she had to fight it off. 

“Before that I didn’t want to be the person she was trying to mold me to be so I started to rebel and act out. I wound up almost dying at the hands of Bellamy and that is when I connected with Wanheda for the first time. She came to me and kept me alive.” She heard gasps and saw a few people take a step back. 

“Your eyes Clarke, they changed color” She looked up at Monty and just chuckled. 

“Sorry that happens from time to time when I start to let Wanheda in.” Everyone nodded and stepped back to their original spots.

“It was during my recovery I started to do my own research on what was actually going on around the place I previously called home. I found out a lot about the governing body and in turn started to have information on everyone. During this time I found out just how far my mother’s own corruption ran. Once I found that I…. couldn’t look at my own mother the same.” She took a breath as she caught her own voice starting to waver.

“I know you all have heard the stories of what happened when the original group of us fell from the sky and the battle that was fought shortly thereafter.” They all nodded. 

“From that moment when I made the call to save my people, I knew I would have to make more choices like that to survive. I don’t know what the next step would have been if we had not been taken by the Maunon but after I escaped with Onya, I knew that I needed to make peace with the people I had just killed if we were to survive.” She started to pace; she was getting the meat of her tale.

“When I got back to our Camp I knew what needed to be done but it didn't happen that way. My mother treated me like a child that had not killed people, had not fought to survive. She treated me like her daughter, who was still too young to lead people. In her eyes I am this perfect woman that will obey her every command.” She could feel Wanheda start to stir again.

“When I finally secured peace between our people and took the life of one our own, something happened between my mother and I. She blames everyone in this room for the person I have become. She doesn’t understand what everyone here does. Leaders bear the weight of everything so our people do not have too.” she paused as she looked at Lexa. She saw pain, anger and pride in her eyes.

“While I was fighting tooth and nail to win the war against the mountain, Abigail was planning and plotting to start a war.” She unrolled the paper and placed weights on each corner as everyone moved closer to look at them.

“How does she have a map of Tondisi? Why is the commander’s tent circled multiple times?” She heard Indra ask. She felt her chest tighten as she looked at the generals again. Was this the right time to explain why? She looked over to Lexa with the question on the tip of her tongue. She saw Lexa nod and moved to speak.

“Abigail believes that is where Clarke would likely be.” She watched the general’s faces to gauge their reactions. There were very few in this room that knew the truth. She guessed that a couple had suspicion but just wasn’t asking.

“She would be correct in assuming that. Heda, please don’t take offense to my next words.” She heard Talor speak up.

“You two are not very subtle with your coming and going. Early on it was easy to pass it off as two leaders planning and exchanging information about their people. But we all have noticed a change in you Heda.” Clarke felt her heart stop in her chest as it felt like her lungs were about to explode.

“You walk lighter than most of us have ever seen you walk. You are very rarely far from Wanheda. You put on a good show for everyone else but as your general’s we are trained to watch out for you.” She could tell Talor was trying to be respectful. She heard Lexa let out a breath.

“What I tell all of you next does not leave this room. Is that clear?” She watched as everyone in the room nodded in agreement. She felt Lexa place her hand on top of her right hand that was still resting on the table.

“Wanheda and I have agreed to be together. I know some of you know of the legend that has been told since our people started recording our history. The story of Heda and Wanheda.” She saw eyes blow open as this story started to come to everyone in the room.

“It’s true then, it has come to pass?” Borthal asked.

“As far as we can tell, Yes. We both have spoken with the first hosts to the spirits and they both agreed that we were the ones that fit the legend. Surprisingly the original spirits share the same thing Clarke and I do. They were soulmates as Skaikru would say. Their souls were fated to be together. It is why I have felt such a strong pull towards Klark since the first time she stepped into my tent.” She saw the information sink into everyone at the same time. She was not prepared for what happened next.

“HEDA AND WANHEDA” The generals said as they pulled out a sword and planted it in front of them as they knelt on one knee. She looked at Lexa and saw her eyebrow raised as well.

“You all may rise.” Lexa said as they all stood.

“I am going to take whatever that was that you all approve?” Every general present nodded at her.

“You have proven yourself time and time again. We can not think of someone more worthy to be with Heda.” She smiled at Aslena as she spoke.

“Thank you all of you. Your support will help when the time comes to make this known. For now we keep up appearances.” She turned to Lexa.

“And we will try to not be as obvious.” She heard every laugh as Lexa scowled at her.

“Now you see why Abigail thinks I have corrupted her daughter. Clarke has adopted our ways for the most part. She has fought like us, she has killed like we have to survive, she slew the mountain after I left to make sure my people were safe. You all saw the aftermath of what Clarke had to do to save her people.” She felt herself blush at the praise she was receiving.

“Abigail does not see it this way. She is scared to see that her daughter does not need her anymore and has made her own path. Her plan is nothing but a mother’s blind revenge. It does need to be dealt with and I have given Wanheda permission to handle it how she sees fit.” She smiled when Lexa looked back at her.

“Now Monty if you could explain what the other roll of paper is.” He nodded as he moved closer from the door. 

“What we have here is a schematic or drawing of a design. Basically it is a device that would disperse an amount of gas to cover an area. If you look at the map of Tondisi you will see that there are multiple locations where Abigail had planned to place the devices.” He took a breath as he collected his thoughts. She could tell he was not used to being watched so intently. 

“According to the conversation Bellamy had with Abigail she was going to require at the very least his help to pull this off. We still don’t know exactly how she was planning to get into Tondisi to set up the devices without being caught.” Kane spoke as he nodded at Monty. 

“Before we left I was able to search her office and anywhere I could think of she would hide the devices. To my surprise this is what I found.” She watched as Monty pulled out a couple of gas grenades and a compact version of the device. 

“These were hidden in her office. Either she paid way more attention to engineering on the ark than everyone thought or she had help building it. Raven, our current overlord of anything mechanical, looked at the schematic and said it would take at least a week for her to build one.” Monty spoke as he made a gesture to defer back to Kane. 

“Before we left I had Raven’s second in command going through every inch of her office to see if this was the only one or if there are more. I told him to radio me if he found anything. So far I have not heard anything from him.” Kane said, opening the floor for Clarke to speak. Before she could speak she heard a knock at the entrance to the room. Everyone turned and looked at the door as Bellamy moved to see who it was.


“It’s Octavia and she is not alone.” He said as he moved his hand to open the door.

“Let her in.” Clarke said and waited as Octavia came in leading a woman at sword point. She watched as the one person she never wanted to see come in gagged in at sword point by Lincoln.

“Octavia what is the meaning of this and why the fuck is Emerson here?” She felt Wanheda closer to the surface now. She heard gasps come from Roan and Echo when they noticed who was in front of Octavia. 

“We were attacked by Azgeda as we neared the rear entrance to the mountain. This one here.” Octavia shoved the woman forward closer to the group.

“Was with them but instead of attacking us she slew her own Kru. She is Azgeda. She says that she needed to talk to the both of you.” She felt Lexa remove her hand from where it was and start to walk towards the woman. She followed right behind her coming to a stop right next to her. She could tell the both had their respective faces in place. 

Chon yu bilaik?” (Who are you?) She heard Lexa basically growl at this woman.

Ai Laik Ontari kom Azgeda. Ai offer information ona matters gon azgeda.”( I am Ontari of the Ice people. I offer information on matters of Azgeda.) She didn’t know what to think. She had shown that she could understand Trigedasleng but she didn’t want a potential enemy to know. She thought back on her visions of past lives and hoped that this was a different version of the woman she had seen cause so much destruction in her wake.

“What are you doing here?” She asked. She knew the people in the room held her in the same standing as Lexa. It was time to put that standing to use. She watched as Ontari’s eyes went back and forth between Lexa and her. She laughed inside her head at her indecision. 

“Wanheda asked you a question!” Lexa growled at Ontari. She felt a heat stir in her but she shook it away as she stared a hole in this woman. 

“Like I said to Heda, I bring information on Azgeda. That information is for her ears only.” She heard a couple more growls and huffs come from other generals. She knew this had the chance to go poorly. 

“Everyone but Wanheda, Echo and Roan, leave us. We will reconvene later today. ” She saw some of the generals go to protest but one look from Lexa caused them to just nod and leave. 

“Aslena, make sure the Maunon is secured. Wanheda is not done with him. He still has to face her wrath.” She said as Aslena grabbed the last remaining member of the mountain and left. Once she left and the door closed she saw Lexa turn to Roan and Echo. 

“The two of you better start talking. You both have told me to keep an eye out for this woman and now here she is. I know the three of you are hiding something from me that you wouldn’t tell me until the three of you were safe.” She watched as Lexa started to pace around the room. 

“Roan, you told me the day you arrived in Polis that you had more information than what everyone knew but it would cause two people that you cared for to be put in danger.” She paused as she was behind Echo. 

“Echo, you are the one that told me what I knew about the death of my first love was wrong but you couldn’t elaborate till the last person involved was safe. If I had to guess that, bring us to you Ontari.” Lexa said as she stopped in front of this woman. 

“Now why would Nia’s two most prominent subjects be holding information from the commander I found myself wondering. This information better be worth the wait.” She could hear the cold calculating voice of her love. She didn’t know what to expect honestly. She had heard very little about Lexa’s relations with Azgeda especially after the death of Costia. 

“Heda, the reason for us withholding this information is because we didn’t want to distract you or put ourselves in any more danger. The information we have, could have sentenced whoever was left in Nia’s realm to death.” She watched Roan try and keep everyone calm. 

“When I told you the day you gave me protection that I had more to tell you I wasn’t lying. It seems like fate as decided today is the day we can finally give you some closure.” Clarke felt her heart start to beat faster. She instinctively moved closer to Lexa. 

“But before we tell you that information, you must know that your Flame keeper is betraying you.” Ontari chose this moment to speak. 

“He has been in correspondence with Nia since before Azgeda joined the Kongeda. He has been the one trying to get you to go to war with Azgeda before you allowed them to join. The animosity between Nia and You is because He has been working with Nia to put me on the throne. Nia always wanted to control the commander and she saw me as the perfect piece. I don’t want that life.” She watched as Ontari dropped her shoulders as she spoke. It caught her off guard when Echo and Roan moved to her side and pulled her close. 

“Heda, he was the one responsible for Costia's disappearance. He arranged for her to be kidnapped and hand delivered to Nia. He saw her as a threat to how he could control you.” Roan spoke as he kept Ontari close. If Clakre didn’t know better she would have thought that Roan was protecting Ontari like a sister. 

“When she arrived in Nia’s clutches we were instructed to get what information we could out of her. She was strong for someone that didn’t have any training. It became obvious very quickly that she really didn’t know anything about your dealings or your plans.” Echo spoke carefully. 

“Nia didn’t like the fact that she didn’t know anything. She threatened all of us with death if we didn’t get her to speak. She was blinded by her hatred of you. She wouldn’t relent.” She heard Echo’s voice waiver for the first time since she had met the woman. 

“Nia struck out against all of us on more than one occasion. First it was me in her sights because I was supposed to be the best she had. I wasn’t doing enough in her eyes. I was beaten and starved for three days. I was then told that if I didn’t get answers it wouldn’t be me that would suffer next.” Echo looked at Roan then Ontari and Clark got the message. 

“Roan and Ontari are like Family to me and Nia knew that. Roan was her only son and Ontari was her project. She expected the most out of all of us. When I failed she had Roan try and he tried a different approach but the result was the same.” Echo went silent as Clarke could tell she was replaying everything all over again. She found herself being pulled close by Lexa as their story unfolded. 

“I tried to just talk with Costia. I was never one for torturing people. I learned early on that she was attracted to you because you all grew up with each other. She wound up telling me a lot about your childhood before you were taken away to Polis. She spoke of how she followed you to Polis and trained as a healer. She spoke of how she would watch from afar as you trained and then became commander. She spoke fondly of your time together. She loved you more than you know Heda.” Roan paused as she heard his voice break. 

“But she also knew that she wasn’t the one for you. She spoke about how she knew you loved her but she wasn’t your priority. She knew that you wanted her in your life but she knew it wouldn’t last. She was smart and strong but deep down she knew what she loved about you was disappearing as the years went on. She saw you being controlled by Titus while trying to do the right thing.” Roan spoke and Clarke felt her heart break. 

“When I went and told Nia that Costia wasn’t as close to you as everyone thought and that she didn’t know anything to use against you, it was my turn to be punished. I was her son but it didn’t matter. It only made it worse. Whatever happened to Echo I got twice as bad. Next thing I know a week has gone by and I am told to not fail again.” Clarke felt sorrow for what they had gone through. She had heard stories about how ruthless the Azgeda people are but now she was wondering if they are that way because of Nia. 

“After Roan was taken away Nia turned to me as the last attempt. I was close enough in age that she felt I would be able to relate to her. Hell I had already been tortured more times than I could count and was starting to learn from Echo so I could be molded into the perfect weapon.” Ontari spoke with a shaky voice as she was comforted by Echo and Roan. 

“I will never forget how Costia looked at me when I first walked into her cell. It was two weeks by the time I had laid eyes on her for the first time. I knew what was going on but was being kept away as the last resort. When I walked into that cell she saw me as someone else to torture her or someone to try and be their friend. I tried to get her to talk about anything and everything but she was so out of it that she just sat there most of the time and barely spoke.” She could feel Lexa squeezing her tighter now. She felt her head on her shoulder not breaking eye contact with the three. 

“I couldn’t bring myself to inflict any pain on her. So I tried to just be there for her. I snuck more food to her, brought her more clothes and blankets. I knew that once I told Nia that she knew nothing she would want her to be killed.” She saw Ontari take a breath. 

“It was about the fifth day that I visited her that she stopped and asked me why I was being nice to her. I told her that sometimes when you have been through something like this all you need is someone to just be there. I knew that she didn’t know anything. I was just trying to be a friend in the worst place imaginable.” Another breath and she felt a tear hit her shoulder. 

“After that she looked at me and told me that when the time came for her to die to make it quick. She was tired and knew her time was coming to an end. I agreed and asked if she wanted to be buried or burnt after she passed. She told me to bury her in a place where the sun always shines and close to a tree. She told me that when she saw the forest and the sun shining through the leaves that it reminded her of you Heda.” She felt another tear hit her shoulder. She placed a hand on top of Lexa’s and gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

“When that time did come we completed her wishes. We quietly snuck her body out of Nia’s domain and found a place that best fit her wishes. We tried to do right by her. It was the least we could do for someone that was innocent in someone else’s twisted plans.” She saw Ontari sink into Roan for support.

“The head she demanded sent to you was as close as we could get without Nia being aware of it not being Costia. I know it is not the news you were hoping to hear but we figured you should know what became of her. Once everything is calm for a moment we would like to take you to where she is buried.” Roan said as she could feel an uneasiness in the air.

“Ontari, I offer you protection just like I have for Echo and Roan. I will not let Nia near you again. You have suffered enough. The only condition for this protection is you provide me insight into how Nia operates and provide anything you can to help me better understand just how far Titus’ betrayal runs.” Ontari nodded and knelt in front of them both. Lexa let go over her for a moment and crouched down in front of the woman.

“You should have been brought to Polis the moment your Natblida was known. You should have never had to go through what you have. I will find a place for you wherever you wish.” She watched as Lexa lifted Ontari’s face and she saw tears on the woman's face but also saw confusion.

“Bekka Pramheda told me you would be coming to me soon. She told me that we share the same blood but it was not well known. Things are changing in our world. You are not bound by the same laws that every other Natblida is. I will not force that on you, not after what you have been through. Take this time to be with your family and take this time to try and heal in whatever way you can. I will not lie, war is on the horizon and I will need someone like you when the time comes. I am glad you have found your way to your family. Everyone deserves a family that loves them whether they are related by blood or not. You have a family with you know, lean on them. They need you just as much as you need them.” She saw Ontari smile at her as Lexa stood and motioned for her to stand as well.

“Thank you all for telling me the truth. It will take me time to fully process this but thank you. Now go help where you can. Ontari you are under my protection and if anyone takes issue with that they can bring it up with me.” They all nodded and took their leave to go help. Clarke had a feeling those three would be inseparable now that they were back together. She watched as the door closed and she watched as Lexa sank to the floor. She quickly made her way over to her love as she heard the tears start to audibly fall.

“Lexa?” She asked calmly as she pulled her close.

“Knowing the truth doesn’t make the pain go away.” She heard Lexa trying to hold it together.

“Hey, look at me.” She said calmly and she carefully lifted her head to look into her eyes.

“You don’t have to be strong right now, ai hodnes. You can let it out and I will be here for you.” She saw Lexa nod as she was pulled into a tight embrace. She could feel Lexa holding on to her like she was the only thing holding her in place. She felt the tears rack through her love’s body. She held Lexa for as long as she needed. She just held her tight and offered her support. She knew that this was the only thing she could do. 

Her mind was running through everything they had just been told. She was angry and hurt. She could feel Wanheda starting to emerge as two more names were being marked as she held her love close. Titus and Nia were now marked for death and there would be no second chances with either of them. They had made their grave and she would make sure they would lay in it even if that meant she would have to take care of them herself. 

“Lexa, no one will hurt you again. I will not allow it. You are my strength and I will not let anyone take you away from me.” She felt her love’s body still and she saw Lexa look at her and she saw a fire hidden under the grief.

“Clarke, no one will get you away from me. I lost one love already and I will not lose the only other person I have come to love. Nia and Titus are on borrowed time. They will regret the day they crossed Heda and Wanheda.” She smiled at her love’s words and pulled her close once more. She could feel something had changed between them. It was like they had become closer than they already were. 

Raven POV

When she was told to take Abigail to the medical floor while a meeting was being called she knew that this is when Abigail’s plan would be revealed. She wanted to feel bad for the person that got her to earth. She wanted to hope that there was a way Clarke and Abby could come to a solution but she wasn't sure if that would be an option any more. She didn’t know how the other generals would take the news that someone was trying to start another war just based on lies. 

She sighed as she followed Abby into the medical level. They had brought lights with them as the power for this area ran off the generators they had blown up. She was concerned that Abby wouldn’t  be able to properly identify the equipment with the lack of light they currently had. Surprisingly when they got to the medical floor it was lit up. She guessed that it would make sense for this floor to be running off the one generator that was still operational. 

They carefully entered the medical wing and she watched as Abby started to look around and she could tell something was off with her. She had been reserved and quiet. She had seen the traces of fresh tears on her face when she had come over to her outside the entrance of the mountain. She walked up to her and stayed quiet as she watched Abby go through what looked like the office of the previous head doctor. She saw Abby pause and turn around to her. 

“Based on just the notes I have seen, whoever was on their medical team kept a very tight ship. Everything about everyone was recorded. This is just the notes there is no telling what information they had on their computers.” She just nodded at her. 

“There is a lot that can be used but do you know how much we are allowed to take?” She looked up and locked eyes with her and nodded. 

“I have been tasked with seeing what vehicles are able to run and based on that information I would assume it’s what we can fit into those vehicles. The commander really didn’t say.” She saw Abby nod at her and have a far off look in her eyes. 

“Do you know what led Clarke to make the decision she did? I can only think of one reason but even then I can’t fathom her having to make that choice.” Raven signed and went and sat at the desk Abby was at. 

“I don’t know the full story but from what I have gathered in the little I have talked to her she tried to find another way.” She took a breath. 

“Something happened outside the mountain that caused Clarke to have to find a way in. Once she did she found Bellamy and Maya. Maya was one of the ones inside that was helping us do what we needed to do. From what information Bellamy was telling us there was a small group that was willing to help us.” She leaned back in the chair she was in and tried to relax. 

“Once Clarke was inside she was led to the ex-president of this complex. He was no help but she took him with her for what I can guess would be leverage. Once she got to the security room she had Monty pull all the cameras back online. We had blown all the generators to the complex and they were running one level off the back up they had.” She saw Abby raise an eyebrow. 

“Why blow the generators?” She paused for a moment trying to remember if Abby was in on the full run down. She remembered her being filled in on something but to what extent she didn’t remember. 

“If we killed their power, it would send them into a panic and in turn they would bunker down and consolidate to one floor. Clarke had mapped out most of the complex before she had escaped. We got more information once Bellamy was inside. We were trying to go with the option that would save as many lives while giving us the upper hand.” Abby nodded at her to continue. 

“Once Wick blew the generators, Bellamy took down the acid fog and allowed for the approach to the mountain. It was all very well thought out but if something had gone wrong I don’t know what would have happened.” She took a breath realizing she had backtracked. 

“Now from what Clarke had told me once they got the cameras working again they saw Wick strapped to a table and multiple people chained to the walls. Clarke tried to train with Cage but it didn’t work. He was using us for our bone marrow.” She saw Abby shudder. 

“I remember that part. I was one of the ones in the wall and got drilled into.” She flinched at the harshness of her words. 

“I knew something happened to you, I just didn’t know what.” Abby nodded at her. 

“Once she saw you on the table something changed. She still loves you and as much as you two have been at each other's throats, her seeing you on that table was the last straw. She had Monty go into their system and make it to where with a pull of a lever she could reverse the turbines and pull the outside air in. It was toxic to them.” She saw the realization come over Abby’s face. 

“She really is a monster then.” Raven shook her head. 

“No Abby she is not. She did what she had to do to get her people out of this hell hole. She saved you and countless Arkers. She helped get thousands of The commander's people out of here. They were being bled dry like cattle.” She stood up and looked at Abby. 

“Clarke thought you may think that way. She told me to show you something if that was the case, follow me.” She turned and made her way to the treatment part of the wing. She saw what she was looking for when she saw the tubing running into the wall. 

“Raven, why are we here? All I see is beds with what looks like transfusion machines. That’s normal.” Raven turned and looked at her. 

“What else do you see? Look at this objectively. Come close and look.” She took a step back so Abby could investigate.

She watched as Abby skeptically came over and started to inspect one of the machines. She watched as Abby started to look at the tubing and started to follow it to where it went through the wall. 

“Why would they have tubing going into the wall?” Abby asked and looked at her. She motioned with her head for her to follow. She led Abby through a pair of doors and found their way to the room that had the cages as high as the ceiling. She had heard the descriptions from Clarke but to see it for herself was something else entirely.  She heard a gasp come from Abby as they came to a stop in the middle of the room. 

“Look around you Abby, these cages were used to hold the commander’s people. They would capture them and if they didn’t pass their test to be used as a reaper they would be sent here and used like cattle for blood transfusions.” She turned and looked Abby dead in the eyes. 

“They were kept here till there was nothing left. Lambs to the slaughter. Once they were drained they would be thrown in the chute over there and it led to a giant mine cart that would be filled with bodies.” She was angry and she knew it. She didn’t know who exactly she was angry at but she was fuming. 

“So you tell me exactly who the monster is here and if the next words out of your mouth have anything to do with Clarke, I swear to god I will not try and bring peace between the two of you again.” She saw the look of shock on Abby’s face as she felt her heart beating faster than normal. 

“She really did what was right.” She watched as Abby sank to her knees and sighed. 

“That dream wasn’t just a dream. She really had no choice. How did this happen? Why did this have to be my baby girl?” She was confused at the words coming out of her mouth. What was Abby going on about? She walked over to her and sat down next to her. 

“Abby, what are you talking about? What dream?”  She heard the sound of muffled tears and Abby looked at her and saw the streaks of tears and the bags under eyes. 

“While I was still in the infirmary I had this dream or vision. I don't know what to call it but I was visited by what only I can assume was death itself. This being tore into me about how I was raising Clarke and how everything was my fault. That all I wanted was to control everything around me and if I didn’t get that I dealt with it by removing them. I saw Jake and Aurora, they were cold and lifeless. They blamed me for their deaths. I saw what looked like another life. The place I was seeing was a bunker and Octavia was leading the people. There was a pit where people fought to the death for their crimes. I took the bodies and would mark them with surgical lines. We were cannibals. We’re eating humans.” She fought the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. 

“This being took me to the middle of a field and I saw Clark. She was surrounded by bodies.  Everywhere I looked were bodies. I saw our own people and people from different clans. She looked different. She was covered in scars, her hair was streaked and matted with blood. She was missing her left eye and it was covered with an eye patch. She talked to me as if I was actually there.” Raven couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She wanted to believe that Abby had finally lost it but this sounded too real. 

“I watched as blood from the bodies around her flowed directly to her and healed her. Her wounds disappeared and vanished. Her eyes were silver, not blue. She called this being Wanheda, and she said that I turned her into what I was seeing. She said I killed the commander while she was away and in turn she killed me with her own hands. She had to run as the remaining clans turned on her.” She was so in tune to the conversation she didn’t hear that someone had joined them. 

“I watched as she turned into this Wanheda person and flew to face this army head on. She killed everyone in her path, their blood and souls seemed to fuel her. I had never seen anything like it. After it was done the Clarke I was seeing told me that it was my fault and that the next time we met, she hoped that I don’t make the same mistakes.” She heard her voice break and the crying picked up. 

“I watched my own daughter with the help of this being take her own life. I watched as she slit her own throat and I watched as her life drained from her eyes. She looked at peace with it.” Raven heard a muffled gasp come from somewhere and when she located the persons responsible, she saw Echo and Bellamy standing there. She motioned for them to be quiet and they nodded. 

“You asked me who I thought the monster was and in truth it is the people that lived here and me. I was shown everything I had done on the ark I relived every choice I made on the ark and this being was right. I caused Clarke to be like this. I was so blinded by the hate I hold for the commander and my need for power that I couldn’t see what I was doing.” Abby looked at her and took a breath. 

“I have this feeling that I’m not long for this world. I saw the roll Kane was carrying and with all the secrecy around camp I can only assume they raided my office and found plans I had drawn. I’m sure they found more but at this point I’ve fucked up enough that I don’t know how to go on.” She felt her heart break a little at her words. 

She had heard bits and pieces from Clarke. She had seen the aftermath of the fight on the Ark where Clarke almost died. What made her heart break was seeing someone she held some respect for like this. Abby wasn’t perfect by any means and had done nothing to help Clarke but seeing someone like this was never easy. 

“I don’t know if you can fix this Abby. If they found those plans and whatever else you had, Clarke may not have a choice. What were they exactly?” She asked already knowing but she wanted her to admit it. She knew Echo and Bellamy would hear her confession as well. 

“I had mapped out TonDC and was planning to gas where Clarke would be and take her away from there. I had built one device already and was about to make more before we left for the mountain. I would have probably already had them done if I wasn’t stuck in Medical. I paid a lot more attention to Jake’s work than anyone thought. I knew that I couldn’t do it alone and I had planned to ask Bellamy because I knew that he cared for Clarke.” She saw Bellamy ball his fist and she saw Echo staring daggers at Abby. 

“I feel that with everything that has happened and my stubbornness for power, I took things too far. All I wanted was my baby girl back. I knew she had changed while she was on the ark but I didn’t want to see it. I don’t recognize her anymore.” Abby’s voice broke and she started to sob. She looked up and mouthed to Bellamy to get Miller and he nodded and they took their leave. 

“Abby, I’m sure if that was the case it would take a while for something to be decided. Clarke agreed to you coming here because she knew you would know what medical equipment everyone could benefit from. I know something happened that caused you to need shadows but just do what you know how and go from there. Clarke has a lot going on and the less she has to worry about you the better.” Abby just nodded at her. 

She didn’t know what was going to happen from here. She had no idea what Clarke would decide to do with her own mother. She knew there were options and some of them were harsh. She hoped that Clarke would not have to go to the extreme side of those choices. She knew that depending on the information that was provided and how everyone reacted to it would determine Abigail’s fate. 

She stayed close to Abby waiting for Miller to show. She needed to catch up with Echo and Bellamy and get a lay of the land. She hated not knowing what was going on but she figured if they were not in the meeting then something had come up. The door they came in opened and she saw Miller come in. He came over to them and squatted next to the both of them.

“Miller, can you assist Abby in marking what equipment we need to move? I am going to go look at the vehicles they still have here and find which ones still work.” He nodded at her as she looked back at Abby.

“Miller Sr. is here now, Abby. He will help you with what you need to do. I will return with a team to help load what you think we will need.” She saw that in the time it took Miller to get to them she had made herself seem somewhat put together.

“Ok. Let’s go, Miller.” She said as she stood and headed back the way they came. She made sure Abby and Miller were taken care of before she separated from them. She walked outside the medical wing and saw who she was looking for. 


“Just who I was looking for. Come we need to talk and I have to inspect the vehicles.” They both nodded at her as she walked past them heading to the garage that housed what vehicles she assumed still worked. Once they were out of earshot of the medical wing she started talking. 

“So was anything decided?” She glanced at the both of them and she saw Bellamy was deferring to Echo. Interesting she thought. 

“No, as of this moment no decision has been made. We are supposed to reconvene later as Heda and Wanheda had an unexpected guest.” She raised an eyebrow at that. 

“A member of Azgeda showed up escorted by Octavia. After everyone was told to leave expect Echo, a guy named Roan and this new person. Echo came and found me after. She left this new person with Roan.” She nodded at Bellamy. 

“The person Bellamy speaks of is like a sister to me. I thought I would never see her again after I was captured. I left her with Roan who is like a brother to her. I needed to distract myself as I don’t do well with emotions.” Raven just smiled. 

“We will have to mention to Wanheda and Heda what we heard. That was a confession if I had ever heard one.” Raven nodded at Echo. 

“I understand that, something seemed off with her though. She seemed like she was regretting everything but at the same still held a grudge.” She saw Echo nod at her out of the corner of her eye. 

“It also sounds like she was visited by Wanheda. What she saw and heard is enough to break even the strongest person. She still poses a threat to the peace that has been secured. I don’t know what Wanheda will decide but whatever it is will be one of the hardest choices she has to make.” Raven found herself agreeing with Echo. She turned a corner and found what she would describe as heaven. 

Before her housed all the working vehicles the mountain had at their disposal. There were a couple transport vehicles, and a couple rovers. She looked to her right and saw that there were more vehicles that were being used for parts. She saw what looked like the main office of the garage and immediately headed there. She felt Bellamy and Echo behind her as she stepped into the office.

“I know this is like your paradise Raven, but what are you looking for?” She paused mid step. 

“Ok look for a box or something that would house the keys for the vehicles. I didn’t see one on the wall when we walked in. Spread out and see what you can find. Try to get a lay of this place. It’s huge.” She saw them nod at her. 

She looked around the office and saw notes and books on everything they had in the garage. She saw oil stains on everything, tools everywhere, some were neatly stored while some were strewn about. She scanned the office and found what could be what she was looking for. She went over to it and saw it was a box that had no markings on it but from the wear marks on the latch side of the door, she could tell this was well used. She opened the box and saw rows of keys. She wondered what all they went to but she figured that some of these could belong to the cars she saw on the way to the dam. She grabbed a few of the keys that were marked as military and made her way out of the office. She whistled over to Bellamy and Echo and they came over to her. 

“Let’s hope one of these still works.” She laughed as she opened one of the doors and climbed into the driver's seat of the truck. She oriented herself with the dashboard and noticed it was very simplistic which would make sense for the style of transport truck this was. She looked around and found the key hole she was looking for.

“Let this work.” She mumbled to herself as she inserted the key and turned the key. She heard the engine start to try to start up. She smiled as she took that as a good sign. She turned it again but this time pressed on the gas pedal just a little and the engine roared to life. She threw her arms up in the air and did a little dance in the seat. She turned the engine off and climbed out of the cab and looked at Bellamy.

“Well we have one truck that will work. That should help carry supplies back to camp. I don’t think any of the other trucks are going to be much help.” She looked around as they were in various states of being dismantled. She saw rovers out of the corner of eye and moved over to them. She climbed into one of them and was just as surprised as the others that it started almost immediately. 

“Well this will help us get back and forth from our camp to the others. We will just have to work on clearing paths with Heda permission of course.” She said as she killed the engine and looked over at Echo.

“Now time to see what kind of fuel they kept stocked around here. That is going to be the hard part till we can come up with a way to get solar running.” They both nodded at her and started searching the garage.


They spent a good fifteen minutes covering the whole place and she was surprised to find about six gas canisters that were full and about 4 that were about half full. They also found about two full oil drums that they would need to take with them. She looked around and found a whole mess of bungee cords that she could attach the canisters to the sides of the truck. She found a bunch of tow straps that she could secure the oil drums in the back of the truck. After that she started finding what tools and tool storage she could take with her. Over the next couple of hours she had pulled aside so many things that she could use to further improve her shop back at camp. She  how in the hell she was going to transport all of it plus the medical equipment they would need.

She looked around and saw another truck that she had not seen before tucked back away. She walked over to it and popped the hood on it. She looked inside and was surprised to see a complete engine underneath. She raised her eyebrow as she moved around and climbed into the driver’s seat. She grabbed one of the keys that were for the trucks and inserted it into the ignition and turned it over. It started up almost instantly and she saw Bellamy and Echo come running over. She smiled and killed the engine as she hopped out of the cab.

“Make that two trucks and a rover we can use. This will help so much in moving equipment and people if necessary. I think we should load up what I have set aside then head back over to medical to check on their progress. After that I am sure that Heda and Wanheda will need you all again to continue the meeting from this earlier.” They both nodded at her and she looked around for the garage door that she assumed led to the long ass walkway they had come down. She found it eventually and pulled the chain that opened it. It took a couple of minutes to get it open and she had to hold back her laugh at the shocked look on some of the grounder’s faces when a door just opened. She motioned for some of them to come help and they gladly came over.

With the extra sets of hands they had loaded everything into one of the trucks in about thirty minutes. She made sure everything was secure then made sure she would have a clear path for herself and the other two people that would be driving the vehicles back to camp with her. She did one more round to make sure she had not missed anything because she would hate to miss something that would come in handy later. She finished her round and smiled to herself as she nodded proud of what she was able to salvage from here. She knew transporting the medical equipment was going to be a challenge but she knew it would be worth it. She nodded over to Bellamy as they started to leave the garage. Just about that time a member of the Trikru came up to the three of them.

“Heda, is reconvening and requested you three to be there.” They nodded at the man and they headed back to the security room that had become the temporary war room.

Lexa POV

She had lost track of time as Clarke and she just talked for hours about her past. During this time they had been visited by both Becca and Ash. They had been sitting up against a wall with her leaning back against Clarke. They saw them appear in front of them which immediately caused them both to jump and caused a couple of swears to come from both of them.

“You two have got to stop doing that.” She heard Clarke say as she felt her heart trying to come back down to normal.

“We apologize but we wanted to check on both of you. We know that the news you were given can not be easy to handle.” Ash spoke both of them as she was leaning her head on Becca’s shoulder.

“You would be right there. I know all I want to do is lay waste to Azgeda for what they did to Lexa but I am not sure if that is my own emotion or Wanheda seeping through.” She felt Clarke rest her head on top of hers and she let out a content sigh.

“I am of the same mind. Everything is numb and raw right now. To finally have the truth of what happened feels like I should be at peace but all I can see is red. I know that I will have an opportunity to take Nia down but something feels off. It feels like I could leave here and go fight for days and even then it wouldn’t sate the bloodlust that I can feel in the back of my mind.” She could see both women look at each other then back to them.

“We were afraid of that. You two are so connected it seems like how one is feeling is starting to bleed into each other. Wanheda is known for her bloodlust tendencies and they were normally counteracted by the Heda spirit, at least that is what we hoped. It seems that the more you two connect and get closer the more chance that the abilities granted from the spirits grows stronger and passes to the other. I wouldn’t be surprised if you two start to notice that your minds connect more often than not.” She felt Clarke tense behind her.

“Becca are you saying that as time goes on and we adapt to being the host to our respective spirits that we would be able to talk without actually speaking?” She thought about this and while it would have its advantages, they would have to be careful about it as it could cause some interesting and awkward moments.

“There is a chance that it could happen. Like we have said before this is uncharted territory we are in. Ash and I were not together long enough to fully understand and see what the spirits could do together.” Becca said as Ash looked at them.

“Clarke you have already seen a couple of times what you were capable of without Lexa by your side. Lexa I am sure you are aware of what you can do in the heat of battle.” She nodded at her.

“Now from what we can recall of the attempts that Wanheda has tried to work with Clarke there has only been one time that you both were able to discover and learn what you could do but it didn't last long, and it wasn’t even a fraction of what we can only surmise what you will be able to do.” She felt Clarke nod at them.

“Let me guess, we were at war again and started to lose badly due to betrayal and we both tapped into the spirits more than we ever had and it caused us to burn out.” Becca nodded at them with a solemn look on her face. She heard Clarke let out a frustrated breath.

“I am so tired of that always being the case. I know war is on the Horizon but I just wish for one fucking day that we wouldn’t have to be on guard. I never thought that when I was shot down here to earth that I would be in this position.” She pulled Clarke’s arms tight around her as she could feel Clarke start to shake.

“I know Clarke. Neither of you asked for the burden that has been placed on your shoulders. No one wants to carry the weight you two are destined to carry but like we have said before something is different this time. You have the support of all the clans sans Azgeda. They actually seem to want to work with you this time around rather than look at you as an outsider. You both are doing so much better than the last time around. Are some of the events the same as the last time, yes but different choices have made the future unpredictable.” They both nodded at the spirits.

“Well I suppose that is something to be glad about.” Lexa just smiled at her words.

“We have each other, Ai Hodnes. Together we will not fail.” She felt Clarke place a kiss on the top of her head.

“I know Lexa, I just know things will not get easier from here and it stresses me out.” She nodded in agreement with her love.

“We will deal with things as they come. One thing at a time and the first thing we must do is reconvene with the generals.” She let out a chuckle at the groan that came from Clarke.

“You are right. I think I know what I want to do but I am unsure if it is the right thing to do. I want to put it to a vote and for that I need Raven here as well. She was close with my mother before she came down here.” Lexa nodded at her as she stood up and pulled Clarke up with her.

“We shall take our leave. Till next time you two.” Ash said as she felt both of them being pulled into a hug which caught them off guard but she felt them both relax into it.

“Well then, that was new.” Clarke laughed as she moved over to her spot around the table.

“Yes it was odd to say the least. I’ll send for the generals and Raven.” She saw Clarke nod at her as she felt her heart sadden at what she knew was going to come.

Thirty minutes later

She stood next to Clarke as all of her generals and the selected few from Skaikru came through the door. She looked around and she could see the tiredness starting to affect members of the Skaikru. She knew that unfortunately they would be setting up camp here for the night. She looked at one of the members of Trikru and told him to spread the work to set up camp. They would be staying the night as plans have gone longer than expected. He nodded at her and left to do just that. Once everyone looked settled but still on edge with being here for so long, she started to speak.

“Thank you all for coming here so quickly. I know that there is a lot to do in helping Skaikru gather what they need but we must continue from where we left off.” She saw some of her generals look over at Ontari who was present and sticking close to Roan.

“First I would like to mention that Ontari is under my protection. She is a Natblida that was kept hidden from me by Nia but has since escaped and will serve as an advisor for how Nia operates and thinks.” She saw the general’s node at her and relaxed ever so slightly. She sighed as she looked over at Clarke.

“Now to the other matter at hand I will pass the floor to Clarke.” She saw Clarke had her Wanheda face in place and gave a slight nod to her.

“After doing some thinking on the matter, I realized I never got your opinions on what I should do. I am in the position that I understand that my mother is a liability to the peace we are trying to achieve but at the same time I can not bring myself to sentence her to death.” She saw her generals take in her words and she saw more looks of sadness than she expected. She saw Echo and Raven move closer to them.

“Wanheda, I feel like you should know that I have spoken to Abigail before I was called here.” She watched as Raven fidgeted with her hands.

“Speak Raven, what did she say?” Clarke spoke to her friend directly.

“At first it seemed like she was still not understanding that you had to make a choice and I could tell that she was still blaming Heda for forcing you to make that call. I sat her down and had a good look at her and could tell that behind her eyes and the face she was trying to display was a look of being haunted by something. It looked like she had not slept and had been crying non stop.” Raven took a breath as she watched Bellamy place a hand on her shoulder.

“She asked me if I knew what caused you to make that choice and I told her what I thought was the cause. She took this information in and when she called you a monster, I snapped. I had her look over the beds in the and showed her where there was tubes going into the wall. From there I led her to the room the mountain was keeping your people. Once I told her what the room was and asked her again who the monster was in this situation, she broke down and collapsed to her knees. I could hear her sobbing and muttering to herself. She kept saying she was sorry and that she failed.” She could hear Raven starting to get choked up and she felt for the girl.

“I went over to her and she told me that she realized now that she was in fact the monster. She told me about what happened on the Ark and she told me that she was visited by the Spirit of Wanheda in one of her dreams.” She heard a collective gasp come from everyone as they all turned and looked at Clarke who had a stone mask in place.

“What else did she say Raven?” She felt a shiver run down her spine at the tone in Clarke’s voice. She couldn’t place it but she could tell that Clakre was trying hard to keep it even.

“She said that she was shown her failures and that she saw Jake and Aurora.” She saw Bellamy and Octavia flinch slightly at that name.

“She said that she saw the corpses of every one that she had a hand in sentencing to death. She said that she saw a version of what she thought could be an alternate future where Octavia was Heda and leading a collective of survivors in a bunker. She said that they had to resort to being cannibals to survive and she was in charge of dissecting the bodies.” She felt bile rise in her throat at the images coming to her mind. She was more concerned that neither Clarke or her was Heda. She sat that information to the side as she could hear sobbing coming from the mechanic.

“She then told me that she was pulled in front of you as you set in a field of bodies. She said that you spoke to her as if you could see her and said that everything was her fault. She said that you told her that she had killed Lexa and in turn caused you to kill her and go on the run as the Kongeda blamed you for her death. You went on a warpath and eventually became the last person on earth.” She looked over at Clarke and saw her knuckles had gone white and she had a far off look in her eyes. She heard Ash and Becca swear in the back of her mind.

“She told me that she watched as you pulled the blood from the bodies all around you and became death incarnate. She said that she watched as the blood healed your wounds and you literally flew into battle and that as you killed people their souls seemed to fuel you. Once everyone was dead, she was pulled in front of you and you told her that she turned you into this.” She heard more sobs starting to form from more than just Raven and she looked around and saw the generals fighting to hold their tears in check.

“She watched as, with the assistance of Wanheda, you took your own life. From there she admitted that she had planned to launch an attempt to get you back from TonDC and that she had mapped everything out and had started working on building the devices needed. She said that she would have already had everything she needed if she had not been in Medical and pulled here.” She saw Raven wipe the tears from her eyes as she looked up at Clarke.

“She said to me that she knows she is not long for this world. She knows that she fucked up and she knows that it may be too late to fix anything. She said that all she wanted was her baby girl back and that she didn’t recognize you any more. She knows that she had a hand in making you the person you are today but I caught on to the fact that does regret all of her actions and is willing to accept whatever you decide to do with her.” She saw Clarke nod as Raven was pulled into an embrace by Octavia.


Wanheda?” Echo spoke up.

“Speak Echo.” She heard a very calm but almost breaking voice come from Clarke.

“Bellamy and I heard Abigail admit to what Raven told you. It did seem like she was remorseful about her actions and I can understand where she is coming from. I would have gone to extreme lengths if I thought my only child was threatened. I am not defending what she planned to do but I do think that she has seen the error of her ways.” She looked at Echo and nodded.

‘Thank you Echo.” Clarke said as she stood up straight.

“ I would like to put this to a vote. On the ark we would sentence someone to death if they attempted to assassinate someone. While my mother never carried out her plan or from what it seems had no intention of harming anyone based on these plans. I do not think that death would be a just penalty for her crimes. I know you all take potential acts of war very seriously and I will take whatever choice you decide on seriously. I would like you all to vote on her sentence. The two options I can see are Banishment or Imprisonment.” She looked around the room at everyone and she could see they all were weighing their choices. She had an idea of who would vote for what.

“This vote is for everyone in this room. You can choose to not vote if you would like as I know some of you are new to dealing with my people.” She saw Roan and Ontari nod as they took a step back.

“All in favor of Abigail Griffin being Banished, raise your hand.” She watched as a couple of the generals voted in favor of that option.

“All in favor of Abigail Griffin being imprisoned for a set amount of time, raise your hand.” She was surprised that everyone else voted in favor of this punishment. She could tell that they all saw the effect this was having on Clarke and she was happy that she had chosen generals that could show compassion when it was necessary.

“It is decided then. Abigail Griffin will serve a sentence of five years imprisonment for her attempted crimes. Once we return to our Camp her crimes will be made public and her sentence will be passed. Thank you all for helping me make a decision on this delicate matter.” She watched as her generals nodded at Clarke.

“Now that matter is taken care of Raven, what were you able to find to assist Skaikru in transporting the medical equipment from here?” She placed a hand on top of Clarke’s own to try and ground her love.

“Well Heda, I was able to find two trucks that could be used to transport equipment and tools that I could need from here. In addition to them I found one smaller vehicle that works that we could use to travel back and forth faster than on horseback. With your permission I would like to develop a group of people that would start to work on clearing paths from our camp to the other Clans. This would allow us to travel back and forth from the clans easier and have a more streamlined trade route than was currently in place.” She looked at the mechanic and was impressed.

“You have my permission Raven. You can expand on the current trade routes that are in place and improve them as you see fit. I'm sure Skaikru has knowledge that will be able to help us be able to travel back and forth from each clan even in the winter months.” She saw both Kane and Raven nod at her as It looked like Raven was about to bounce all over the place.

“Mochaf Heda.” They both said as they took a step back. She nodded at them as she looked around the room.

“I think that will conclude this meeting for today. I know that we had not planned on being at the mountain overnight but I do not want the people that came here today to push themselves more than required. Go rest and continue to interact with Skaikru. Offer those that came from their camp any knowledge you can.” They all nodded as they took their leave. She waited till the last person had left for her to pull Clarke close.

She felt Clarke finally let go as the sobs racked through her body. She could tell that this was going to be the hardest thing she had to do in her time down here on the ground. She felt for her love as she could not have done what Clarke was going to do. She couldn't fathom having to imprison her own mother. She felt a wave of sadness come over her as she thought about her parents that she had lost shortly before Skaikru came down to earth. She realized that she would never get to tell them about Clarke and how much she loved this woman in her arms. She felt her own set of tears start to fall from her face as they just held each other. She knew in her mind they would get through this but for now she held on to Clarke trying to offer any support she could.

They stayed like that for a while as they took the moment for themselves to let it out. She was glad they trusted each other enough to let all the walls down and give in to their emotions. She knew that they would have to be different people once they made their trip back to Polis but that wasn’t for at least another week. She did need to get back but she wanted to make sure Skaikru were set up for the winter that was fastly approaching. Whether all of the clans wanted to admit it or not their future would be better with Skaikru around.

“We should probably rest for the night, Lexa. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow.” She smiled and kissed Clarke trying to pour all the love she felt for her into it.

“Sha, we should. Let's leave this place and retire to my tent. I do not want you away from me at the moment. To hell with what might be said.” Clarke smiled up at her as she took her hand and they walked from the shadows of what she would like to call hell.

They exited the mountain and saw many tents set up across the surrounding area. She was glad to see that Skaikru had brought their own and were mingling with the other people that had come with them. She led Clarke into her tent that had been set up by her people and she slowly helped Clarke out of her gear and into their clothes they would sleep in. She smiled as Clarke did the same for her. No words needed exchanged as they made their way to bed for the night. They both knew that no matter what they had each other and as long as they were together they were stronger. Lexa smiled at that thought as the darkness came over her and she fell asleep with Clarke in her arms.