How to make a Friend

[Clarke Griffin]

Klara

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Wanheda. Clarke, barely speaking Trigedasleng didn’t now fully what that meant. She knew Heda, but that was Lexa. Wanheda had clearly referred to her. What did it mean? She had no idea, but the fact that the people saying it had come at her, she had bolted, not wanting any confrontation. Clarke has avoided villages since. She hung about the forest more, hunted with what little supplies she had on her and she gathered edible plants. It was limited, her knowledge, but it tided her over for the better time of her life.

Clarke was just stalking a little piglike creature, when she heard something around. It was too silent to be an animal. Animals usually made loud noise, unless they didn’t want to be heard and then not even Clarke could pick them up. Clutching the dagger tighter, the blonde turned around, her prey forgotten for the time being as she suspected it had to be a grounder. Her people could probably shoot her with a tranq gun and just be done with it. “Come out!” Clarke commanded, in english. “Want do you want? Looking for this Wanheda person?” She wouldn’t be surprised if they were, even though she had no clue why she was apparently this Wanheda, whoever that was to begin with.

[Klara]

It was the first free day that Klara had since several years. The orphans, who she takes care of, had agreed to offer her a day that she could dedicate to herself and to them. At the beginning, she wasn't so sure that it was a good idea to leave them alone during a day but now that she was walking peacefully in the forest, it didn't seem to be a bad idea at all.

So she was walking on the forest, enjoying her day in this place where she felt free, when she saw someone who was hunting. "Wait! that wasn't anyone... that was Wanheda!", she thought after looking more carefully the hunter. Klara heard about her... Who didn't? She even saw a picture of her, that's why she was a hundred percent sure that was her.

Every single warrior of every single clan was after Wanheda and Klara didn't want any problems on her free day so she decided to leave to avoid disturbing Wanheda but when she turned to leave, she walked on a branch which cracked under her weight.

"Skrish!" Damn it!, she burbled. Now Wanheda knew she was here and she was asking her to show herself. She probably thought that Klara wanted to kill her or something like that. Klara had no choice. She came out from behind the trees and walked toward Wanheda, hands in the air to show her that she had no bad intention.

Tag : Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Clarke watched the girl come out with interest. Her gesture was clear as day. She meant no harm, or rather she wanted to see that. Clarkes experiences didn’t exactly make her trust the girl just due to a gesture. Her people and the Grounders once had an alliance. They made grand gestures, risked so much and they still turned away. Lifted hands could mean she meant no harm or to give her a sense of security, to gain advantage over Clarke more easily. She wouldn’t let her guard down just yet, she couldn’t afford it.

“Who are you?” Clarke asked her, in english. It was likely that she knew who she was or at the very least could guess she was a sky person even if she didn’t speak. It was so simple to see. Clarke had no problem with giving that away. And right now, even though she hated killing, she would fight people. She would fight for her life, even though she saw it as not worth as much as she used to. She would fight. Maybe it was instinct. “What do you want?” Did she want something? Maybe they just hunted the same thing. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe she wanted to kill her. There were so many possibilities! Clarke wanted to know. She was tired of fighting. Maybe she could run!

Klara

[Klara]

Klara was scared but also a little bit excited at the same time because she was standing in front of Wanheda. Wanheda seemed to be on her guard and Klara didn't know how to react.

So when Wanheda asked her about who she was and what she wanted, Klara thought that the best thing to do was to tell her the truth so she answered forthright "I'm Klara kom Trikru. I was just wandering into the forest when I saw you hunting. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." 

The way Wanheda was looking at her made Klara feel like she hadn't been compelling at all. "I swear, I'm not here to hurt you. If you want a proof, here it is..." and she dropped her dagger, her bow and arrowes to the ground. Klara hoped this gesture will convince Wanheda that she wasn't like all the other Grounders who will have attacked Wanheda and bring her to their leader so he can kill her and take her power. No Klara wasn't like them, she helped abandoned people, maybe she could help Wanheda.

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Clarke watched the girl, Klara, as she provided, carefully. She had changed, she knew. Once the blonde trusted people. She gave them the benefit of the doubt. Once she was a different person. Now Clarke didn’t trust people easily. She had no reason to. A lot of them abandoned her. Or they attacked her. A lot of Grounders were openly hostile to her and she had no reason to trust them first. They would use that to their advantage. Which was why she was surprised at this girls behavior. She didn’t attack first. A lot of them just attacked. So Clarke thought she might be able to get a bit more at ease.

Clarke still held her distance, still unsure. Some Grounders surely could kill her with their bare hands. She didn’t want to risk that either. “I’m Clarke.” She whispered. She pointed to the weapons next. “Why did you place them down?” What use did I have to her? What were her intentions? Did she want to talk or did she know how they called Clarke. Maybe that was it and she just wanted to avoid conflict. “Are you Trikru?” She concluded her questioning. She could be, but Clarke couldn’t distinguish too mane clans yet. She could see that she probably wasn’t Azgeda.

Klara

[Klara]

Klara felt that Wanheda began to think that she wasn't a danger to her because of the reaction she had when she saw Klara dropping her weapons to the ground.

Her thought were confirmed when Wanheda told her her real name : Clarke! Klara didn't totally understand why Wanheda or rather she should say Clarke told this to her... Maybe she prefers to be called Clarke and not Wanheda... or maybe she understood that Klara's intentions weren't bad at all... And her question about the weapons permit Klara to confirm it to her. "I place them down because I don't need them. Why should I need them right now?". Klara looked at Wan...- Clarke to see how she reacted but she couldn't tell if she finally believe her or not...

Then, Clarke asked if she was Trikru. "Yes, I'm kom Trikru... But I'm not like all the other Grounders from my clan! I don't want to send you to your death by bringing you to my village leader... I-... maybe I could help you not being caught...". She thought about what she just said, it sounds stupid... Clarke was Wanheda, she didn't need help or protection! Even less from a poor Trikru girl that she just met...

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

“I could kill you.” Clarke pointed out. Was this not what her reputation said? That she might be able to kill her? And she was. She could kill her if she absolutely wanted to. As it stood Clarke didn’t want to. She only killed when in need at the moment. It didn’t seem like she was in need. Not with her. At least not right now. Could she be blamed to be careful around Grounders? After everything she’s been through? Clarke didn’t think so. She thought it was only good for her to be careful now. It would have helped her a while ago.

The notion of her helping her not to get caught was an interesting one. She couldn’t be caught, otherwise she would be dead. Was it worth the risk, though? Could she risk trusting this girl fully in order to save her life? She knew now what that felt like after all. “And how can you do that?” She asked, wanting details first before she could believe the girl fully. She wanted, so desperately, to believe her, but it was not easy. It was rather hard, actually. “What can you do to… make sure I won’t get caught. I won’t make myself someones prisoner.” Or live in someones debt. She couldn’t do that again. She had enough to pay anyway.

Klara

[Klara]

"I know but you won't because if you wanted to kill me, I'll probably be already dead..." Klara said "So the real question isn't why am I not scared of you and just ran away when I recognized you... The real question is why didn’t you already kill me if you wanted to? And only you have the answer...". She let Clarke some time to think about what she just said.

During all of this time, she just looked at Clarke to see how she reacted and Klara felt like she had been persuasive enough to take Wanheda's guard down so she could speak to Clarke and not Wanheda and so don't be kill for the moment.

Her feeling was confirmed by Clarke's questions about how Klara could help her. "How can I help you?" Klara repeated suprised, the fact that she questionned her about it meant that she was considering it so it wasn't such a stupid idea as Klara thought when she proposed it... "Well... I know the forest very well partially because of my occupation so I know places where you can hide and be safe. I can also know where Trikru warriors go to search you so if I learn that they search around the area you're hiding in, I can informed you about it. And, of course, I can bring you some food, clothes and other stuffs you can need.". That wasn't so much but that was what she was ready to do to help Clarke. "I can't promise that it's gonna be fine but I swear that I'll do my best to help you if you want me to...".

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Clarke knew why she didn’t kill, because she was tired of it. She hated killing, always had. But she did what she had to do. She had no choice and apparently people praised her for it. She hated it. She hated being praised for killing when she had just taken lives. But this was the Grounders way of life. She couldn’t do anything for or against it. This one seemed to be different, though, not intend to killing her. And not intending to use her for herself, but what if she was wrong? Clarke couldn’t exactly trust her instincts anymore. They were kind of shit lately.

Now this girl offered places to stay, warnings, hell even food. This was a lot to ask of a person. Clarke, in need, know where to hide, but not to have to search for better places was probably extremely valuable. She stared at the girl for a moment. She had to want something in return. If not now, than she would probably cash in a favor in the future for that. “What do you want in return?” Clarke asked carefully. Everyone always wanted something. She would want something as well, if she was in Klaras shoes. It sounded just… too good. “What you’re offering… not many would. I’m not sure I can pay you back for that.” What if she couldn't? Would she sell her out? She could always run, though, decide to not go with what she offered.

Klara

[Klara]

What did she want in return? Nothing. Klara just wanted to help Clarke because she had been abandoned and if there was a kind of person that Klara would never use or manipulate, it was abandoned people. Quite the contrary, she promised herself to help abandoned people. "I don't want anything in return. The idea of helping is enough for me. I just don't want to leave you alone because I think that everyone need a little bit of company...".

Clarke didn't seem very convinced by what Klara just said... What could she tell her to persuade her? She understood that feeling of loneliness and if you let it grow, you lose yourself. That was what she wanted to avoid to Clarke. Moreover, Klara was pretty sure that Clarke and her could become friends. She'll love that because the Skaikru intrigued her and maybe Clarke will agree to tell her more about her people... "I know what it is to be alone. I know what it is to live when the only person you can count on is yourself... And I don't want to let someone else live this nightmare..."

Klara was struggling against her emotions to don't burst into tears in front of Clarke but it was very hard for her... When she spoke, she thought about her parents that she didn't have time to know, about her lonely childhood as an orphan... That was a pretty deep wound and sometimes this injury just opened again. She finally took a deep breathe and finished "That's why I want to help you... Unless you actually want to live this nightmare and if it is the case, I'll let you alone."

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

Clarke froze entirely. Company. She had fled from company, specifically, because she could no longer live with herself. She could go home, she knew the gate would probably open for her and some would welcome her with open arms while others wouldn’t, but there were more complicated things at work, inside her and outside. The ice nation wanted her, so she couldn’t go home without risking her family. Risking her family was not going to happen. Part of her longed for company, a simple hug even, someone to hold her and tell her that everything was going to be alright. But she could not endanger her family. But this kid was a stranger. And she offered. She did this willingly. Maybe she could risk it. 

“I chose this isolation.” Originally at least. “But now I can’t go home.” It was the truth. With the ice nation constantly hunting her, it would put her friends at risk. “I’d like some company.” Nobody liked to be alone, but she didn’t want to endanger her. She sounded nice. She seemed nice. Clarke would send her away if she got in danger. “I’d like to accept your help.” And maybe they would find friends in each other, but in her mind, Clarke prepared to have to pay her back. She had skills, a specific skillset that could be useful to others. She would offer that. “So… where do you know a hiding place?”

Klara

[Klara]

Klara listened very carefully... Clarke's story since what happened in Mount Weather seemed very sad. Klara understood that Clarke "chose this isolation" like she said, Klara would have done the same thing if she had been her. And after being isolated for a little while, all you need is some company to not lose yourself. That was why Klara proposed her help and apparently Clarke understood that.

"A hiding place around here, that's not what is missing! But let me think about which one will be the safest...". They were in the woods between Trikru and Azgeda territories, two clans who were hunting Clarke for her Wanheda skills, but also two clans who hated each other so who didn't come in the other's territory except during the war... so the better place to hide was somewhere as close as possible to the border but on Trikru territory because in theory Azgeda warriors won't cross the border because it will be considered like an act of war and Trikru warriors will probably not search this area, they rarely go there. Moreover, Clarke had to stay on Trikru territory if she wanted Klara's help.

"I think I know the perfect place for you to hide but we will have to walk for a little while to go there.", she smiled at Clarke to reassure her. Then, she bent down to pick up her weapons before leaving. "Are you ready?"

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

The moments of consideration that she took gave Clarke confidence. If she wanted her to be caught, she would not think long about where to put her, she would put her anywhere and then get those meant to catch her. But she was thinking. She was thinking about her options and since Clarke was convinced that this could only mean something good, she relaxed a bit further. Letting her guard down a bit more meant she was lowering her shoulders, hanging them and now it showed how little hope she had left. It was next to no hope at all. Alone she was quite broken. Alone she didn’t have the energy to stand straight anymore. She was still standing straight, but the slump was hinted at. 

“I am okay with that and ready.” She had to be always ready and while she had let her guard down, she was still ready to go with the girl, because why not? Clarke followed her silently. So she spoke English. She was curious on how she got to where she was now. How she learned English, who she was in general. “Do you want to tell me about yourself? I think you’re in the advantage. You already know I’m the one they call Wanheda.” And as such she knew a lot more about Clarke than Clarke knew about her. “You’re a warrior?”

Klara

[Klara]

Klara was happy because she seemed to have won Clarke's confidence because the latter one followed her without asking more questions about where they were going.

They were walking silently when Clarke asked her about her story. She was right, she deserved to know more about Klara. "What can I say? I'm just a poor girl who could have become a warrior if her father didn't die on the battlefield few months after her birth and if four years later her mother didn't die of some incurable disease...". Klara tried to contain her emotions like she usually do but every time she spoke about her parents, she had tears in her eyes. She hoped that Clarke didn't notice it neither by seeing her eyes or by hearding the tone of her voice which had changed. Klara took a deep breathe and continued "Since my mother's death, I take care of the orphans of my village... That's the least I can do."

Clarke probably asked if she was a warrior because she spoke English and all that Klara told her for the moment didn't explain why she spoke this language. "I'm not a warrior but a scout, some day a guard caught me stealing in Polis market but he took pity on me and told about me to the Commander and she made a scout of me... That's why I speak English and also why I know a lot of places to hide. That's it, you know everything about my story..." Klara was still containing her emotions but she tried to smile at Clarke. "Your turn, tell me more about you because all I know is all these Wanheda things but I feel like it's not who you are...".

Tag: Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

A scout and someone to take care of orphans. It was a lot for one soul to do, a lot of responsibilities. Clarke was halfway convinced that it was unnecessary. Given what Grounders presented themselves like, she was convinced that doing this double duty and now another, was not necessarily a good idea. They were too cut throat in their culture. It was all based around war, fight. Yo gonplei ste odon – your fight is over. They viewed life as a fight at the core. Clarke was now way too familiar with the culture to forget about that core. She, however, still impressed by how many tasks this woman seemed to handle at the same time.

“I didn’t know scouts got to learn English.” But then again it made sense. She had learned, that at the very core Trigedasleng was developed to become code so Mount Weather could no longer spy. Scouts got into contact with the mountain men, she imagined. It made sense for them to speak English to spy on the enemy whenever they came across them, the enemy that was now dead. The more interesting question for her was if she was just Wanheda or not. Because she didn’t know what to say. Because she didn’t know if there was more to the story. But part of her knew the answer. Part of her knew what was going on with her. 

“The girl I used to be is dead. She died in the mountain with all the lives I took.” Why even deny it? Clarke Griffin was dead and buried deep inside her. “She was… naïve, full of hope when she came down here. To live in peace and less threats… Until the first contact with Trikru. First contact with Trikru was them trying to kill one of her friends. Second was them killing one of her friends. And her hope slowly died.”

Klara