Pick the right side

[Clarke Griffin]

Derrick

She made this decision with her head, she said. To protect her people. Clarke had people to protect, too. And as that, she needed to find a way to sway Lexas decision. She needed to find a way for her people to not be killed in that mountain. In her desperation she looked to the mountain once more and then up to the sky, where remains of the Ark floated way above them in a neverending orbit, a neverending cycle. A neverending cycle. That was it! It wouldn't end.

"If you made that decision with your head, you made the wrong one." Clarke began. Her face transformed. The emotion was gone, replaced with sheer determination, bordering on anger. Her look was ice cold as she focused on Lexa. Of course she understood the need to protect her people, but not at the extend of others. That was something Lexa had initiated. She took a step forward. "This is not a ceasefire. It's a death sentence. For your children, your own people!" If she chose her people, then this was a language she would understand. "What they do in there, by killing my people gives them freedom now! But their children will not inherit it. They force their children back into the same pattern! They will return to killing your people! The only way how your people will come out of it without being targeted and killed again is, if you bring down the mountain with us. Blood must have blood. Those who took your peoples blood - how can you let them go just like that? How can you let them force innocent children into becoming murderers? How can you walk away knowing those children will kill yours?"

[Derrick]

LEXA KOM TRIKRU

Lexa stared at the mountain, her jawline set as she swallowed her emotions on the matter. This was about doing what was right for her people, here and now and that meant taking the deal. Clarke didn't understand, couldn't truly understand. By allowing her people to continue to fight, they would be slaughtered. She would be sending them all to their deaths; soldiers above the ridge had already killed a score of her people and even their metal shields did nothing to protect them. How was she supposed to fight against that? Swords and spears were nothing compared to bullets.

She'd already decided. To go back would make her look weak. Had it been anyone other than Clarke she would have already silenced them before leaving the scene entirely. No-one talked to their Heda that way; Clarke was not her people just as Lexa was not her Heda. Matching Clarke's ice cold look with her own, there was a flash of emotion in her eyes. She was right, in a sense. When the next generation arrived and grew up, they would hunt her people down and start the cycle all over again. There was no guarantee the mountain men would leave them alone either. Now was the chance to rid one of their biggest threats and yet, how many of her people would be sent into this massacre?

They were waiting on her to call them to advance. She had made the deal to retreat with her soldiers in exchange for her captured people. All she had to do was sound the retreat and then leave. Each second she stood there felt like an eternity. "I'll be sending them to slaughter. How many do you think will survive, Clarke? We cannot fight them when their bullets tear through our flesh as easily as pauna tore off limbs." Lexa spoke logically, without too much emotion even though it pained her to even consider this whole situation. Leave and betray Clarke, betray Skaikru fully, leave them to the mercy of their enemy? Or stay, help them and mourn the loss of those who would inevitably die here.

It was agonizing to even be second guessing herself. Right now she was wishing she'd never even met Clarke because the love she held for the woman was beginning to erode at the logic of her mind. "None of us are truly innocent, Clarke." Again she swallowed, the set of her jawline no longer as fierce as she looked towards her waiting soldiers. She nodded in their direction, most of her form hidden by shadow and construction. "I have to do what is best for my people. Look at them Clarke because their blood, their deaths, will be on your hands as well as mine. Are you really willing to accept the consequences?" She'd lose more than Skaikru; Skaikru had no fear of guns, they could fire them as comfortably as grounders fired arrows.

She paused, only her eyes showed emotion, only the movement of her throat as she swallowed showed any indication she was feeling anything at all. "Tell me, Clarke kom Skaikru. If it were my people still trapped, would you reconsider the deal to save my people at the cost of your own?"

blood must have blood

[Clarke Griffin]

"Their blood already is on my hands." Clarke pointed out. "And it's on yours too!" And she knew it. They had decided not to evacuate TonDC. They had decided to sacrifice those lives to save those in here. They had already spilled her peoples blood. Their peoples blood actually. It was both their people that had paid for the plan before, but now it was Lexa and her people turning away. Still, Clarke couldn't mention the issue. This was Lexas story to tell to her people, not her. 

"If it was your people in there" the blonde continued "I would fight with you." And that was the truth. Because looking at the long shot of this, she knew the blood of those they would loose now, they would have saved later. It was either now, or later. Someone would die in this. And it was Clarkes and Lexas job to minimize those. And right now the only way to do that was if they did not walk away from that. She had to see that. "Bullets and guns will happen now and later. The difference is, that you won't have taken a deal that was always doomed to be betrayed by Mount Weather. They can not stop the killing in the long run. But we can. We have the numbers and the means to go in there, overtake them and bring peace to your people, to my people and to their survivors. Those who didn't know, those who didn't want to kill your people in the mountain can live. Mothers of your people can wake up tomorrow, knowing that no mountain man, ever again, will threaten their child again. My people can go home. Isn't it honorable to die fighting for the good?" She asked her. She needed to get her point across, maybe even persuade some of Lexas people that this was the right way. 

"If this was your people, I would consider it, Lexa. I would think of the future. I would think of what it would mean, if I walked away, knowing that this would have consequences for our children. Can you really justify this to yourself? To your people? Mount Weather has to betray you eventually. They have no other choice. But we can give them, those who didn't kill willingly, a chance to live. And future generations a chance for peace. I thought your people would rather die fighting than to give up when there's a real chance at success. And there is a real chance. We can bring down Mount Weather. Together. It will not only be your people. They have my people. They will probably kill some of them, trying to stop us. This will not only be paid in the blood of your people, but in the end, it will be success. It will be peace. Wouldn't you rather fight for a better future than sit by and watch the bad one develop? Can you live with that guilt? Because I couldn't." And maybe all it took was the strength of their army, their number, to make some lay down the weapons.

Derrick

[Derrick]

Clarke Griffin
((ooc// welp, didn't take much convincing b/c Clarke has some really good points. so not sorry about Lexa keeping her close))

LEXA KOM TRIKRU

Lexa knew what Clarke was referring to when she spoke about blood on their hands. That had been different. They needed to protect their inside man because without him the mission would have failed. Without him they never would have been able to march upon Mount Weather without getting acidic fog sent after them. Those who died in TonDC didn't know the end was near, most having died as the missle exploded. This was sending her people to die without them even having a fighting chance. Skaikru at least had a chance; they fought with guns like their enemy. They wouldn't be gunned down without a fight.

I would fight with you. I would consider it. That was what she had said in terms of if it had been Lexa's people still trapped within the mountain. The words repeated themselves over and over in her mind. Hours ago she had told Clarke that she trusted her. That alone had been huge for the Commander and now she had to show those words were not just spoken for the sake of it. She had to show she truly meant it, no matter how hard it was to put trust and faith in another. It took a lot of fighting with herself, internally, before she spoke. "Osir gonplei ogeda." Lexa stared into Clarke's eyes as she said it; we fight together.

Speaking of peace as a long term thing rather than short was something she thought about enough times. One of the reasons why she wanted to bring all twelve clans together so that they could have peace, no matter how fleeting. This could be long term for her people, and for Skaikru; no matter how much her people wanted the Sky people gone, Lexa knew them to be allies, not the enemy. Azgeda was more of a threat than Skaikru was and far less trusted if Lexa ever was honest enough with her feelings. And that was all because of one Azgeda; Nia. One day that Azgeda would pay dearly. Lexa could wait for as long as she had to.

Hand and arm extended as she went to shake hands with Clarke, as if to reaffirm their 'deal,' though this was more for Lexa to show her that she would stand with her all the way. She looked towards her people, her soldiers, and not just her soldiers but Skaikru as well. "Stay with me until we get inside and then go find your people. I'll make sure mine know that those who were not part of this are to be spared. We will all come home tonight." One last look at Clarke before she pulled her sword free from its sheathe, having no prior need when she had been making the deal.

blood must have blood

[Clarke Griffin]

Her agreement meant the world to Clarke. There was a fighting chance that they could get not only their people out alive, but the innocents in Mount Weather, too. They could save lives today instead of taking them. It was a hard decision, she saw that. It was one not taken lightly and she never expected Lexa to make a decision, this or another, lightly, whether it was right or wrong. She was a leader. That meant she had to decide with her best conscience. But she was also human. And humans could be wrong, too. Even a commander. She would not hold her to it, not if they fought for what was right right now. Mistakes could be made. Clarke still had something to say before they went in. Something important. 

"If you can capture guards and soldiers alive, please do. We are here to bring down Mount Weather, but keep in mind, that we are not the only ones who lost someone. Our people, women, children, men, old people, we all lost people to Mount Weather. Don't we owe it to them to bring them to justice? To give them a trial, to punish them accordingly. It won't bring back the dead, but it will give us some form of peace. We're here to save our people and to eliminate a threat, not to shed more blood than necessary. Justice comes tomorrow." Justice would come with a new day and a new future. Clarke hoped for peace. They needed peace. She reached to squeeze Lexas hand once more, hoping it was a reassuring gesture from her. She didn't know if it would be interpreted as such, but she sure as hell intended it as such.

Lifting the gun, she turned to move into the mountain, side by side with their allies. In all of this Mount Weather had done one serious mistake: The door was open. Mount Weather was no longer guarded. They threw their doors open and now they would use their weakness. "Time to finish this." She nodded to Lexa, wanting to stand slightly behind her, disguising the gun and using that as ambush. Clarke didn't know tactics, but she had to try. 



Derrick

[Derrick]

Clarke Griffin
((ooc// skipping battles ftw xD ))

LEXA KOM TRIKRU

Blood must have blood. There were no trials, the guilty were punished. "You know what justice for us is." Lexa responded, her voice low and without too much emotion. Clarke knew which meant trials and justice were Skaikru's realm, not her own. Was that what she was asking? For Skaikru to oversee the trials or was she asking Lexa to stay her hand of blood must have blood and instead trial the guilty herself? "So long as both get the justice deserved. We will talk more after the war is won." Lexa concluded; she would worry about that later, not right now.

Hopefully the words would appease Clarke and show she was willing to talk about it. And though she would be happy to stab them all through their hearts, Skaikru had also been attacked. They deserved justice and they deserved to give their own justice. She'd think more on this later. Right now they had a war to win and she would tell her people to keep some alive if they could help it though there would be no promises. The only ones she knew would be captured(to be freed later), would be the children. The only sure outcome in an otherwise unknown war. Well, for Mount Weather because Lexa knew the outcome for her people, and for Skaikru.

The squeeze of her hand was indeed interpreted as reassuring.

"For those that had no part in the torture, they are to be spared. For those that helped us, that helped Skaikru, protect them for this wouldn't be possible without them! If you can capture guards and soldiers alive then do so. They will be served justice but not just by our hand. Let's finish this!" Lexa spoke in Trigedasleng, receiving shouts and cheers and war cries in return. She moved with Clarke before the other woman moved to stand slightly behind her. Lexa had already pulled her swords free, ready to use them on the enemy without mercy.

Mount Weather was a warzone. The fighting began when Mount Weather finally realized that they were not safe and by then it was too late. The element of surprise meant they had less time to get their guns. She kicked one of them against the wall near the T-junction before turning to Clarke. "I'll distract them while you go find your people. I'll see you when this is all over." She nodded, twirling her swords before the war cry tore from her throat.

blood must have blood

[Clarke Griffin]

Finding her people wasn’t hard. They were all locked up in one room. With the help of the others, grounders and the few still free ones of her people, they were soon stopped, stopped because they could threaten them. They could threaten them with death and while they wanted out of the mountain, none of them actually wanted to die. So it was a way to get them to stop doing what they did. In the end her people were saved with minimal collateral damage and she heard even the losses on the side of the grounders were small. The element of surprise and the pride of the mountain men had cost them their advantage. The civilians were save. After checking on her mother, Clarke looked for the leader of the grounders. She held a cloth she had used on her mothers wound. They weren’t needed at the moment.

“How many wounded?” She wanted to know of Lexa. Rumors were one thing, but facts another. Clarke valued facts over rumors any day. There was only one person she thought would be honest on the collateral damage on the side of the grounders. And there was another problem. She had told them they needed to make a show, to give her people the chance to get their revenge. That was a bit more complicated. Clarke had forgotten about those technicalities, but she knew with her peoples help, they could get what they were owed. “We need to look through the prisoners. Our people will help find a way so yours can find their peace. There are many civilians and scared children. Should we do something about that?”

Derrick

[Derrick]

LEXA KOM TRIKRU

Lexa was covered in blood. Not just her own but others that she had cut down with her swords. She had enough battle awareness to know who she was fighting and those who wouldn't get a taste of her blades. A young boy, no more than seven, stared at her as she cut down her foes, their bodies at her feet, guns scattered on the concrete floor. Her arm ached where the bullet had grazed her and they had been lucky she didn't cut their hand off.

She stared at the boy though with cold green eyes, black warpaint, the icy persona of the commander. "Go back into the room. You won't be harmed." Lexa had promised; and besides, she wasn't in the business of mass murdering children. Not like this.

When things settled down, word got to her regarding the wounded and the dead. As Clarke predicted, there were losses but it was far minimal than Lexa had thought. She would need to find Clarke and see how things were on her side, despite being frm different groups they had worked together to take out their enemy and free their people. It wasn't Lexa who tracked Clarke down but the blond had found her, swords sheathed with one hand holding cloth over her arm.

She hadn't forgotten. Only those who were willing involved were to be punished. Those unwillingly, those who were forced and those who had no knowledge of such torture would be spared."A fraction of our number were injured. Around twelve were killed when we stormed the base." That didn't count for the losses on the outside. "What about your people?" Though it hardly seemed like it, Lexa did care. Care for Clarke and care for the Skaikru. "We need to round them up. Tell them they will be spared so long as they weren't involved." They referred to the adults, not the children.

The kids would be spared regardless.

"I would imagine they will panic. But they need to know they have nothing to fear if they've done nothing wrong. Is there anywhere suitable for them to gather?" She asked, relying on Clarke's knowledge to find a safe place for them all to gather. Outside was a no-go, especially considering those who lived in the mountain would die the moment they stepped foot in the outside.

blood must have blood

Clarke Griffin

[Clarke Griffin]

“My people are okay” All in all. Some where hurt, some killed, but the majority made it. It was what they had hoped for. It was what Clarke had defended. It was why she had tried to make Lexa stay. And she did. And now they had the victory together. Clarke smiled softly, happy at the victory. Her people would heal, those dead would be buried and they would receive all honor they could give them. Those wounds would heal, too. The survivors could live because of them. And maybe they set them and the grounders on the path for peace.

“Only this level.” Clarke said. “The dinner hall.” It was the only place large enough to hold the survivors. But they had to talk about something. “They can’t live outside. They have to stay in the mountain. I think the kids, though, should receive the treatment they had attempted with my people.” They would have to discuss it, with her people and leaders, but it was different now. “If we spread the treatments to some, some of those children could go to our cities. The older generations are lost, the kids can learn, though.” And they would. They would have to be shown how to deal with this world. “Lexa, we should continue to do this together. It could strengthen our people, too.”

Derrick