|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2016 20:32:53 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa knew that the arena was filled with her people. People who had lost loved ones to the mountain and those who let it stand. There were many guards tied to posts awaiting their punishment—survivors of the mountain who used Clarke’s people to cure themselves of radiation poisoning. Today was the day they would meet justice. “Are you ready, Clarke?” Lexa asked the sky girl evenly. The battle... it had been bloody. Women and children died—innocents were lost, but they saved both their people and brought down the mountain. Together, standing side by side they stopped the reaping and took back control. It only made sense now that Clarke stood with her to see justice brought to those who led the mountain. Lexa did know however that their methods of justice were much more hostile...
So now, Lexa stood behind the observation stage where her throne sat with Clarke. She wanted to make sure that her ally was strong enough for this; ready for this. There was no question about Clarke’s strength, but watching torture didn’t give her or her people the same satisfaction it did to Lexa’s people. Still they were unified. Clarke needed to stomach this, and Lexa wouldn’t push her out until she was ready for the blood that would be spilt to honor those who were lost. People had come from all over for justice and they would receive it.
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 4, 2016 1:06:43 GMT
They won. Their people were safe, there were survivors in the mountain, mainly children and the resistance. They were in the midst of setting up something that would help them survive without killing anyone. They could do it. But for now something else was to be done. Some of Clarkes people were in the audience. They wanted to show the unity of this now. They all lost people to the mountain mens leaders. Now it was time for them to get what they deserved: Justice by them. It was simply easier to go with the Grounders at this point. They were the ones who had lost more people to mount weather, generations of them. But that did not mean Clarke was looking forward to it. She wore a dress tonight, Grounder dress, as it was following their ceremonies, but she refused braids except for one.
Clarke stood silent, watching the prisoners on the poles. Blood was about to color the floor and she knew, this time there was no Clarke to give them a quick and easy death like she had done with Finn. No tonight she would witness how he would have suffered had she not done it. Tonight she would be drowning in more blood, but maybe those demons would be put to rest. Clarke turned to Lexa upon her question. She was nowhere near ready. Neither to watch it, nor to be someone to draw blood from the prisoners. But it was custom. It had to be done. “No.” She replied honestly. Honesty was the only way to go about this right now. They fought the mountain together, they would stand here together. “But it has to be done. I won’t get any readier.” Clarke turned to Lexa. She couldn’t imagine that all of that could leave her untouched. “Are you ready?”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2016 15:39:46 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa watched as Clarke thought—even after she said no Lexa still watched. Clarke understood the significance of this and the meaning behind it. When she asked if Lexa was ready she gave one brief and stern nod. This moment was the one that defined her reign... She was born ready. Slowly, Lexa walked up the steps towards her throne—and she was not greeted by cries of joy, but rather screams of anger and pain. Her people wanted justice and they would have it. She stood before them, eyes flashing from prisoner to prisoner... Cage was the closest, the guards stood behind him. They were bound to posts and ready to be cut... Lexa did not smile, but instead held up her hand to silence the crowd when Clarke joined her.
“We are here today to take back the blood of which we are owed,” she called out to the crowd loudly, for all to hear. She spoke in the enemy tongue so that the mountain men would understand; so that the sky people would hear her as well. “For years our villages have been tormented, hunted and burned to the ground by the men who stand before you today! Their very existence is derived from the blood of our dead and the blood of our allies—the Skaikru!” Her eyes flashed to Clarke for a moment, knowing that those words had mixed reactions. Right now though, they were focused on the mountain men. “These abominations have been brought here, for you after a bloody fight to free our people and cut the head off the creature that has been stalking us for generations!” the answering roar was still of fury, but it fueled Lexa... This was it. They would finally have justice.
“Clarke, come with me,” she said as she walked down the front steps towards Cage. For every post, a dagger was set on a table beside them. Polis was a neutral- so these weapons belonged to the capital. They were almost ceremonial. She looked at Cage with narrowed eyes before taking the knife and making a deep cut across his chest. He was bound so tightly that even though he struggled, he couldn’t escape it. Slowly she pulled the blade away and handed it to Clarke. The first cuts—and then the people would have their justice.
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 5, 2016 20:43:20 GMT
Clarke knew she would have to stay strong throughout this. She had to hold her head high and not allow for weakness to be seen in front of the crowd. This was tradition for them and they had brought down the mountain together. It was only fair for them to do this together as Camp Jaha had lesser losses than them. They did not want to take lives for those lost. They wanted to leave violence behind. But they also wanted peace with the Grounders and for that, they wanted to honor their culture, expecting them to do the same eventually. It was the only way. One culture could influence the other, but not disrespect. That was why Clarke and others were here. They would support this for the culture of the Grounders, not because they thought they were owed blood. She listened to Lexa say they were allies. That was what they needed.
And as allies Clarke followed Lexa to Cage. She watched as Lexa took the knife and cut across the mans chest. He screamed of course, those would stop soon. He would not be able to take it for long. Before the ceremony was over, so Clarke knew, he would be dead. And so she took the knife and slowly dragged it across his body, hearing his scream. It cut through her, too, knowing that this could have been Finn. She knew, how hard this would be, but even harder as she stepped back and raised her voice:
“This is the only blood Skaikru will draw!” She announced. “You have taken the life of some of our friends. But nothing can compare to the lives you took of those who died in the mountain, of the people of the twelve clans. Justice will follow, not only justice and revenge for what you have done to all of us, Cage, but justice will come to those people living in the mountain who had no choice but to follow your lead. Let this be the beginning of our healing and the beginning of peace for all our people!” She placed the dagger back down. “May the dead find peace now.”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2016 3:12:45 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa kept her eyes on her as Clarke took the knife and drew it across the commander’s chest. She could see that look in her eyes—the spark that made her different. She did what she had to do; she picked up the knife even though this was not her way, but she got no enjoyment from it. It was ritual, and she understood that. As she spoke, Lexa watched in silence and took a long breath. May their healing begin... as if the scars of the mountain could ever be fully healed. It was an unforgivable monster, and only now was there even a smidge of justice. As she wished the dead peace, Lexa nodded once. It was out of respect and understanding. Agreement.
“Jus drein jus daun!” she called out moments after Clarke spoke. She said it out of habit—but also for those who spoke no English and waited patiently for their pound of flesh. There were so many expressions in the crowd ranging from fury to emotional devastation and Lexa felt for them all... Mothers, fathers, daughters and sons had been lost over the last century to the beast—and it was finally dead. This would be her legacy. “Yo na jomp in.” You may begin, she said as she looked at Clarke once again before inclining her head to have her follow back up the steps to her throne.
There was a place for Clarke beside her, and Titus sat watching through calculated eyes beside her. As Lexa sat, she turned to Clarke with a stoic expression. “I know that this must be hard for you,” she said slowly. “Are your people... recovering well?”
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 6, 2016 22:05:56 GMT
As all was done, Clarke followed Lexa where she should sit as representative of her people, overlooking what was to be justice, what seemed cruel to Clarke, but she could do nothing about it and certainly nothing against it. She was just glad this would all be over soon. Soon the cries of those, who were being tortured now, would fade and fall silent. As the cries still rang in the night, causing response after response from the crowd, Clarke found herself be tense. She sat straight, shoulders were so tense she thought she would probably be sore in the morning, but then everything would be taken care of and a period of peace was hopefully ahead of them.
“As far as I heard.” Clarke confirmed. She was gone for a while now, but when she left Camp Jaha, which was to be renamed, they were on the mend. Things might go bad, but when she left, they worked. “Many complications could happen and still claim lives, but when I left they were on the road to recovery. As were the reapers we captured. I don’t know how many have survived, but I am sure we will be informed soon.” It was a better topic than to speak about what was happening right in front of them? “Have you informed families of the reapers yet?”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2016 4:47:12 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa shook her head slowly with her eyes on the gore before her. She watched intently as her subjects walked towards those who destroyed their lives and sent them into a period of true mourning… she watched as they drew the blood they were owed and there were so many to come. The screams fell on empty ears; all that Lexa could see was the release of emotion from the people who held the knife. This couldn’t bring their loved ones back, but she could see that this little bit, the little cuts helped bring them justice. It was something they owed almost entirely to Skaikru and their planning… But this was the first time that Lexa had seen even a trickle of hope for healing in the future.
“I don’t want to give them false hope,” she said calmly before looking at Clarke. “Lincoln nearly died, and his spirit was that of a warrior. I don’t expect all of the reapers to survive the process…” She took a small breath before tearing her eyes away from the bloodied men. “It seems like it was… a grueling process. I would rather they believe their sons were killed in the mountain than turned into monsters.” She pressed her lips together for a long moment and looked at the blood that spilled down the chests of the guards. “They have been killing us for generations, Clarke… I don’t know how to explain how much this means to my people. Even if they do not see it, you need to know that your people have affected mine greatly.” She knew that Clarke heard the screams and did not agree with the torture, but the emotions that weighed her people down were ever so lifted. Surely she could see that.
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 9, 2016 23:32:48 GMT
“They will pull through.” Clarke whispered. She wanted this to be true. Lexa was right, Lincoln fought and he had reason to fight, but they had medicine, Mount Weather had medicine and drugs to allow them to detox, maybe slower. They could adjust and wean them off slowly. It could work. It would work. It had to work. Clarke continued to speak in a low voice. “They will pull through. If they can’t fight, we will fight for them. We have methods. With the mountain intact, we have lots of methods to wean them off the drug. It will work. And in a few days we can return those people home. In a few days they mothers, fathers, children, siblings, husbands, wives, friends will be reunited with loved ones they thought they lost. In a few days your people will be witness to a miracle, to new hope. And maybe we can take that with us to a new period of peace.”
At least she hoped for a new period of peace. Somehow this should be able to be achieved. Clarke looked at Lexa. It sounded like she acknowledged that they owed them something, of course a great deal of this was their own doing, but they were a part of it and they were not weak, like the Grounders used to say. “You have affected my people, too.” Probably not necessarily in the way that they wanted, but they had their effects on the other. There was no way to deny it. And a lot of people had died in this. It was time to not repeat that mistake. “I think our alliance has proven itself and the weapons can finally rest. We all just want to live.”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2016 0:21:03 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa did not pretend to understand the medical care that the sky people could wield and use to turn reapers back into men. Such a thing was still lost on her, so she could not begin to truly understand it. Some of their healers were in awe of the sky people and their abilities. Their weapons were strong, their abilities to heal their wounded were far more advanced and their methods were groundbreaking. They were a powerful ally, and Lexa knew they would be a good one to have by their side, even if their methods were not traditional. The idea of a period of peace was so odd—but with the mountain destroyed and the sky people by their side even Azgeda couldn’t pose a real threat. “I hope you’re right Clarke.” She said firmly. She didn’t sound uneasy or worried... She was confident, but the image Clarke had painted seemed so unlikely, yet it was happening now.
Her eyes flashed to Clarke’s—tearing away from the writhing men in the arena. “Peace has always been fragile,” she noted calmly. “Though, we have never known these circumstances before. It’s hard to imagine a world without conflict.” Though it seemed the conflict would end today under this sun in the blood of those who were left. The sky people’s blood ran through the mountain men’s veins—but it was the mountain men who would pay the price for their peace. After they were dead, the rest would fall into place. “My people have never known true peace,” she said after a moment as she looked back at those who bled. “Only fear of what was to come—it makes me wonder... what changes this alliance will bring.” She knew that as Heda, she would always be waiting for the next war—peace was foreign and would take some getting used to.
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 10, 2016 17:48:18 GMT
“Maybe. But it’s worth fighting for. It has to be.” It was the only way she could live with herself, if the things she had done, would lead up to peace, that was the only way Clarke could even imagine living with herself. They needed it. All those people here, the grounders, they had seen too much. They had seen enough. Her people were tired, tired of war and conflict. She guessed a lot of them were ready to launch the Ark again, to get back there, just so they could live in peace once more. But they couldn’t. And they wanted peace and a chance to build up a live for themselves. They damn well deserved it after bringing down the mountain and Clarke knew that they were the ones who would have to work with the survivors.
“Only time can tell.” Clarke pointed out. “I hope it’s something good.” She knew how weary her people were of the threat of the grounders. “My people want peace now. They are weary of the war we’ve been in since we landed. The longer this state lasts, the less we are likely to actually find peace. We need this peace now.” Desperately. The Arkers had weapons that the Grounders could not compete with, but also things they could put to good use. It was time to see who chose which side, because if this went wrong, if now peace came from it and the Arkers had to carry the aftermath alone, she knew this peace would end I more bloodshed.
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2016 4:31:49 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
"Do you think your people will be able to be at peace with us?" Lexa asked after a moment. There were no official alliances now. The mountain had fallen, and that was their objective. Lexa had considered making Skaikru the thirteenth clan in her coalition, but that was a conversation for a day with less blood. Lexa wanted peace-- truly. Especially with the sky people. She knew that with their weapons they could harm her people significantly, especially with the guns in mount weather. Her people would never dare pick up such a weapon... The sky people were different though, and had to be treated as such. Whether as an ally or an enemy... But looking at Clarke now, Lexa wanted to believe that peace was a possibility. There were strong leaders among her people... Ones that would prove to be great allies...
"Or will peace inevitably fail?" Prejudice between clans was far too common. Each side had their ideas and judgments of the other. Some of her people saw the Sky People as murderers who acted senselessly with their firepower while Sakikru probably thought them savage. Azgeda was ruthless while the Lake Clan was docile... Every clan had their defining traits, and each clan had thoughts of the other... That prejudice was what caused so many wars and disagreements. If the sky people thought themselves superior to the savage ways of Lexa's people, how would they ever find real peace?
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 15, 2016 10:27:58 GMT
Clarke stared at Lexa, shock and annoyance suddenly written all over her face. What an interesting thing to ask. “The question is, if your people can.” She corrected. “We did not start this war, your people did.” They were the losers, she knew, so the winners got to tell the story in history, but Clarke would not let them. “Your people tried to kill one of mine before ever talking to us. Within 24 hours of our arrival your people attacked us, a group of kids. We approached you for peace and your people disregarded the agreement to not bring weapons. warriors as much as us kids.” Granted so did they, but they had no reason to trust the Grounders. They started it. They attacked first and they were kids, who couldn’t know better. “You sent 300 people, trained warriors to kill 100 kids, not warriors. We did not start this war, Lexa. You need to look to your people if they’re capable of peace. We actively tried for peace. We even gave you Finn, something that would never stand in our culture. We did a lot of things for this peace.” And Clarke refused to have anyone tell her they would be the reason peace failed. They would have a hard time to survive to begin with.
“It is your decision if peace can happen or fail.” Clarke stated clearly. She had to make peace or she could break it, but she knew her people, the Arkers, would do a lot to not provoke another attack from the Grounders. They worked with them, they gave them what they wanted, against their own culture. But there would be a limit of how much they could take. If the Grounders could accept the Arkers culture. If they left them room to live, to produce food, water and whatever they needed to live, she knew they would do their best to uphold peace. And the Grounders could use them. Together with the innocents in the Mountain, they could heal illnesses that would kill Grounders right now. They could prolong lives. “The ball is not only in our corner. Your people have to work on it just as much as we do. We showed ourselves willing to give you your justice and we haven’t asked for justice in return so far. We will continue to work for peace,”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2016 21:09:51 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
Lexa stared at Clarke as she spoke, emotionless and stoic as always. She hadn’t expected a reaction such as that, but she knew that Clarke was right. At least, from her side it was how it looked. Missiles burnt down a village filled with men women and children alike. Those who survived wanted revenge. Finn attacked a village unprovoked with no warriors... They had both suffered losses and thrown attacks at one another but they had worked together near the end. She wasn’t going to argue who had lost the most, because there would be no end to such an argument. The important thing was that this chapter was over. The book was shut and the ball was cast aside. The fight was over.
“You have proven... many times over that your people are capable of peace,” Lexa said as she looked away. She instead focused on the sounds of agony in the crowd. Mothers of passed children cried while mountain men suffered. These sounds were ones she understood, but a fight about who needed to work most of peace would not be very peaceful. As much as Lexa wanted to argue—she kept her mouth firm and shut. “I believe that peace is more than a possibility, especially if we keep the alliance... I’ve considered bringing Skaikru into the coalition as the thirteenth clan...” Her lips pressed together firmly again as she watched the blood pour from the monster’s wounds. “Do you think that your people would accept such an alliance?”
|
|
Offline
Nov 26, 2020 21:43:23 GMT
Tag me @clarke
|
|
Post by Clarke Griffin on Mar 24, 2016 13:50:41 GMT
The coalition as thirteenth clan. It was a step in the right direction, but Clarke wasn’t sure of the timing. It was from nothing to everything too fast, she suspected. Given how traumatized a lot of them were, how distrustful they probably were, Clarke didn’t think it would be a good idea to do this too soon. It would be without proper ground and could lead to bad things. Neither of their people needed that. They all needed to heal and healing didn’t just come like that. They needed to work on things first and so she shook her head.
“In the future, yes, I can see it happen, but right now I don’t think it would have the support of our people.” And it would not for a while. “There are wounds that need to heal, first. My people are too traumatized. We fell from the sky, directly into a war. We need to heal first before we can take that step.” They would, but in order for it to work, they all needed to be ready, to work towards that trust. Clarke turned to Lexa fully, to speak to her, eye to eye and honestly. “We should maintain contact, close contact and heal and when we healed, when trust is established, nothing speaks against us joining the coalition. But rushing into it seems unwise to me.”
amber3
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 31, 2016 3:26:27 GMT
| if i'm a danger to myself Just think what I could do to you |
"Clarke, I don't think you understand what it means," Lexa said with a frown. They could make all the alliances, Lexa could call for a ceasefire and they could try to live separately, but to what end? "You have only dealt with Trikru. TonDC is forever in your dept, and you do not have to fear them but there are other clans; less peaceful clans." She was talking about the ice nation of course, but there were others who would sack their village. They didn't have the numbers they needed to make it independently. This was hardly the time to talk about this, but her answer worried Lexa. It wasn't a command. It didn't bind them to anything but the laws of the land, which they seemed to follow already. "It would guarantee your protection."
For a moment, Lexa wondered if the passion in her voice was inspired by a true desire to keep Skaikru safe, or a need to keep Clarke safe. When the deal was offered to her to save her people and leave Clarke's behind, she considered it. She even agreed. If she were a better woman, she would have shot down the deal the moment it was offered, but instead she chose her people over Clarke's... that was until she saw Clarke's face. When she came down from the mountain with Emerson in tow, the look of betrayal on Clarke's face was enough to break the deal. It was for Clarke though. Not for her people so who did she want to protect? "It would... make trading between you and the twelve clans easier; it's hard to survive a winter without help... A ceasefire isn't enough to keep you safe Clarke. Some clans may ignore it, but they can't ignore the coalition without open rebellion." |
|
