chapter 4 - welcome home

➳ ➳ ➳

One Week Later...

"Gyon op gon Heda." Titus proclaimed, as Lexa walked into the Throne room. [Rise for your Commander.]

All of the ambassadors from the other 11 clans bowed before her, no questions asked. Even Indra and Kota were showing their respects by kneeling down as well. There was only one man left standing when Lexa turned around, and she eyed him, expectantly.

"Azgeda na spek yo daun gon yo Heda." Titus stood up, and glared at the man, who didn't seem fazed whatsoever. [Azgeda will bow before your Commander.]

"Heda-de beda spek em daun gon Azgeda, you." The ambassador spoke up with confidence. "Osir get in ha osir nou na fis op nou ginteik gon osir baga." [The Commander should bow before Azgeda. We know not to make treaties with our enemies.]

"Heda nou spek em daun gon non nowe." Kota declared, standing up as well. [The Commander bows before no one.]

She took a few steps forward, but Lexa quickly grabbed her arm. "Stand down, Kota."

"Seintaim em seimbeda sleng kom baga." The man spat. [She even prefers the enemy's language.]

"And you will use it too," Lexa looked at him, pointedly. "In honor of our guests this evening."

Those words instantly caught Dakota's attention. How could she have completely forgotten that the summit with Skaikru was happening today at sundown? The plan was for Clarke to be returned to her people, so that Lexa could offer them to join her coalition as the 13th clan. Kota hadn't really thought too much of how the evening would turn out. She just hoped that Octavia would be coming to the meeting as well.

It had been a full week since they last saw each other and Kota missed her terribly. It was so much colder when she slept at night without the brunette by her side. She missed falling asleep and waking up to her beautiful aroma—which oddly consisted of wild flowers and gun powder—as well as the way they took turns holding one another each night. It just wasn't the same without her.

Unbeknownst to Dakota, but Octavia was feeling the exact same way.  The separation anxiety and fear of the worst plagued the brunette's mind nearly everyday. She knew that the grounder girl could take care of herself—most of the time—however, Octavia still worried for her safety nonetheless.

She too missed her presence and craved her touch. The thought of finally being able to lay her head on Dakota's chest once more, while the girl ran her fingers through the brunette's hair, made Octavia ache to feel that same soothing comfort as soon as possible.

She had been sleeping outside of Arkadia, due to unpleasantries and disagreements, where she ultimately decided to stick to the roots of the grounder ways. Lincoln sometimes camped out there with her, so he could make sure she was safe. However, it was very rare that it happened, since Lincoln was falling into Skaikru's ways instead.

Besides, it just wasn't the same with him there anyways. He didn't have Dakota's same intoxicating fragrance—which smelled like vanilla and warm, smoky campfires—and he didn't have her calming voice. He didn't hum softly in her ear at night, and if he ever tried, it definitely would not have the same effects.

The grounder girl sighed, as she turned her attention back to the meeting.

"Now, sit." Lexa ordered the Azgeda ambassador. "We have more important matters to discuss."

"Yes, we do." He replied, as the Commander took her seat on the throne. "For example, why is Wanheda still alive? If this is your weakness again, Azgeda will happily step in."

"Is that why your army has moved so close to Polis?" Kota questioned him, her patience running thin. "Because you believe the Commander is weak?"

"Oh, those are just military exercises." He spoke like it was nothing, causing Indra to finally cut in.

"Exercises? You crossed the border into Trikru land. An army within striking distance of our beloved capital."

"A mistake that was quickly rectified, as you well know." He noted, before glancing back towards Dakota. He observed her intently, as suspicion and realization dawned on him.

"The Ice Queen doesn't make mistakes." Titus stated. "She makes threats." That reminder instantly caused Lexa's stance to falter slightly, as she thought of Costia. She then started overthinking about her sister's safety, which the ambassador's next words didn't help with at all.

"Well, I'll be damned." He mumbled, as he began walking closer towards the young girl. "I knew you looked familiar."

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Kota unnoticeably gulped, worried that her identity was going to finally be revealed.

"What? You don't remember me?" He asked, feigning hurt as he tormented her further. "I mean, your protector put up a good fight in the woods that day, but I wasn't dead, plangona. Just merely unconscious, I'm afraid." It was then that realization dawned on her, and she was hit with a sudden memory of that day in the forest all those years ago. "It's so nice to finally meet you again, Leilani. Maybe next time, I'll remember to go for the kill first—"

"—Em pleni!" The Commander shouted, upon also realizing who the man was. "It is true, my fellow ambassadors. My long lost sister, Leila, is alive and well. However, I will not allow the Queen to make a fool of me, and threaten me with a life once more." She seethed, before standing up and heading to her balcony. She turned around and looked at the man, while masking her hard glare with a welcoming smile instead. "Please. Come join me. Let us speak in private."

The man smirked as he walked away from Dakota, and over towards the Commander. "I have a message for Queen Nia." She spoke, kindly to him.

"And I'll happily deliver it—" Before the man could even finish his cocky remark, Lexa lifted her right leg and kicked him square in the chest, causing the ambassador to tumble over the edge of the balcony and plummet to the ground, nearly over a hundred floors down. His lingering cries and yelling continued on as he fell, but within an instant, there was a thud echoed below, before it was eerily silent once again.

The Commander turned around and eyed the rest of the ambassadors and onlookers in the Throne room. "Would anyone else like to question my decisions or threaten my sister's presence?" She questioned with authority laced in her tone. When everyone remained quiet, she nodded approvingly. "Good. Then let's begin."

Lexa then turned towards Dakota, and looked in her eyes, silently reassuring her that no one would be able to lay a hand on her as long as she was alive. "Welcome home, strisis."

➳ ➳ ➳

Octavia found herself sitting outside of Mount Weather on top of the main doors, while Pike and the rest of Farm Station made themselves at home inside of the bunker. Apparently, there wasn't enough room back at Arkadia, and Pike didn't see why it mattered if they resided in the "forbidden" labeled mountain, or not.

"You okay?" Bellamy asked her, as he climbed up and joined her.

"This is such a mistake." She voiced her thoughts, as he sat down beside her. "The Grounders will never accept it."

"We're not the Mountain Men, O. Kota, Lincoln and Nyko will make them see that."

"How?" She questioned him. "Kota would hate this situation just as much as I do, if not more. She can't stand to even think about this place without being haunted by memories. If she wants this bunker to be left alone, do you really think the other Grounder's won't feel the same way? Especially, the ones who were tortured with her? And Lincoln has a kill order on him. He can't even leave camp without risking his life."

"The summit will take care of that."

"Then we can finally get out of here." She mumbled, causing Bellamy to quickly look over at her in confusion. "I'm sorry, Bell." She apologized, after realizing what she had said. "But I don't fit in here."

"If you need to leave, I get that, but you'll always fit in with me." He assured her, with a small smile. "Kota too."

Octavia smiled back, before placing her hand on his as a small sign of gratitude. Their moment was soon interrupted by rustling being heard a few yards away. The siblings quickly glanced at each other in alarm, before jumping up from their spot, and climbing down.

"What now?" The brunette sighed.

When they stepped foot on the grass, they immediately saw two guards walking in their direction, while dragging a restrained grounder with them.

"Echo?" Bellamy questioned, upon seeing who the girl was. Octavia looked at him, skeptically.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, she's Ice Nation. She was in the cage next to mine."

"Bellamy!" The Azgeda warrior exclaimed, once they reached the guards.

"Let her go."

"She threatened the summit." One of the men explained.

"I was trying to help."

"Shut up!" The guard spat, kicking her to the ground.

"Leave her alone." Octavia warned him, before she kneeled down beside Echo, and cut the rope that was binding her wrists together.

The guard looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you doing? She's a grounder."

Bellamy just ignored the man, and helped Echo stand up. "What are you talking about?" He asked her.

"The summit's a trap." She quickly informed him. "The assassin is already there. At sundown, your people will die."

________

"I was with the queen's army heading toward Polis." Echo explained. "The war chief talks too loud."

"You're one of them. So why are you telling us this?" Pike continued his interrogation.

"We abandoned Skaikru in the battle for the mountain." She spoke, glancing towards Bellamy. "It was wrong."

"And won't they miss you?"

"Maybe. That's why we need to hurry."

"Pike," Bellamy cut in. "She saved my life. We can trust her." He then turned to Octavia, Raven, Gina and Sinclair, who were standing there as well. "Listen up. Okay, if we want to get to Polis before the attack, we have to move."

"Attack?" Sinclair repeated. "Do we have confirmation of that?"

"We radioed, but no answer."

"They may already be dead for all we know." Pike gave his input. "And if they are, we need to be ready to respond."

"Don't make this about the missiles." The head engineer shook his head, causing the Farm Station leader to sneer.

"This is about survival. We don't have the numbers, but the missiles in this mountain even the playing field, and you know I'm right."

"Even if I did agree with you, we still don't have the launch codes."

"No," Raven cut in. "But we have me.

And with that, the group separated with some going to assist Raven, while the others prepared themselves for the trip to Polis.

➳ ➳ ➳

The heavy sounds of grunting and swords whipping through the air, echoed throughout the training grounds. All of the young Nightbloods sat around and observed the scene before them, watching as both sisters practiced their sparring.

With one final move, Lexa went to strike Dakota. However, the younger girl expertly dodged the attack and sidestepped to the left, where she was then able to quickly lean down and swipe Lexa's legs out from under her, using her own leg.

The Commander was taken off guard as her back suddenly hit the ground. She grunted in pain, while her sister jumped back up and kneeled on top of her, raising a fake blade in her hands before pretending to stab her in the heart.

Lexa, playing along with the younger girl's childish antics, decided to put on a show for the kids who were watching. She allowed her head to fall limply to the side, as she stuck her tongue out, pretending like she was dead.

"Nooo!!! What have I done?! " Kota cried out in fake agony, never once breaking character. She placed her hand over Lexa's face, and closed her eyelids. "May we meet again" She recited, before leaning towards Lexa's ear. "Does that mean I'm the Commander now?" She whispered, teasingly.

Lexa finally cracked a smile as she pushed Dakota off of her. "Not quite, ai strisis. You would have to win the conclave first." She stood up and brushed herself off, before helping Kota up. "But nice try." She winked.

"You, Natblida." Titus spoke up, once realizing that the pair was goofing off. "Gouba tu raun en kigon yo granplei." [Nightbloods. Pair up and continue training.]

Lexa sighed and put on her Heda face once more, before ushering Dakota to spar with Aden, who was at the top of the class, even though he was younger than her. Afterall, he had undergo many years of training and teaching, so it wasn't really a surprise.

"Kota is ready." The Commander informed Titus, as they spoke quietly a few feet away. "She's even better than I was before my conclave." The Flamekeeper kept quiet, while he looked out at the sunset that was painted over the city of Polis. "You still think the summit is a bad idea?"

"You mean well, Heda." Titus finally spoke. "But now is not the time for good intentions. Your enemies are circling. When Nia moves against you, our focus should be there. Instead, you antagonize her further by offering Skaikru a seat at your table and providing a new asset for her to threaten you with."

"What are you saying?"

Titus kept an emotionless stare, as he glanced back at Dakota. "Having your sister here, has been more of a distraction than needed. Training should be a serious and educational practice. However, both of you turn it into a game as if you were children." He then turned back to face her. "You're not a yongon [child] anymore Heda, and neither is she."

Lexa frowned and chose to ignore his last statement. She new what her duties were, but she felt like she was allowed to finally enjoy spending time with her sister. She already missed out all those years ago because it was more important for her to become Commander than it was for her to fulfill her "big sister" role. But now she was the Commander, and she wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"I will not let the fear of war dictate our agenda." She sneered.

"Why are you doing this?" Titus questioned her. "Sky people are here to negotiate a treaty, not join the coalition. They didn't ask for this. Not one of the twelve clans will accept it—"

"—They will accept it." She cut him off. "When they see Wanheda bow before me."

"She won't even see you. Yet, everything you do elevates her. Why?"

"Clarke elevates herself. She's special."

"You are special, Heda." He reminded her. "I've been the Fleimkepa for four Commanders, and no one has done what you have. We're are so close to our goal." Lexa looked at him, intently, as she listened to his every word. "If you want the power of Wanheda, you know what must be done. You strike her down. Kill her. You take her power."

The Commander allowed her gaze to linger on him for a few moments more, while she turned around and called her sister over. Dakota sheathed her sword and quickly ruffled Aden's hair, making the boy laugh. She knew that they were always teaching the Nightbloods to act tough and serious, but she personally felt like they should still remember that it's okay to smile once in a while. Having more than one emotion doesn't make you weak, or your ruling skills any less efficient. If anything, it makes you more appealing and relatable to those who are following you.  Dakota just wished that Lexa could see that as well.

"Everything okay?" She asked, after reaching the two.

Lexa glanced to her and gave her a reasurring smile. "Everything is fine. It's been made known to me that our guests from Skaikru have arrived. I figured you would want to go with Indra to greet them, in case Octavi—"

"—Heda?" Titus cut her off, a small smirk barely noticeable on his stoic face. Lexa looked at him, wondering why he didn't let her finish. But he just gestured to the empty air where Dakota was once standing. "She has already left."

Lexa smiled, as she peered over the cliff and saw her sister running excitedly down to the center of the city, hoping that she would finally reunite with her love once again.

_________

Kane and Abby stood in the heart of Polis, along with other guards from Arkadia, as they all peered out at the lively city. They were truly mesmerized by the scene in front of them, because it was nothing like they had imagined it to be.

Instead of being met with a village that was the size of Tondc, they were met with a civilization that stretched out for miles. And in that bustling city, there were several markets and stations that sold fresh food and unique items. Even small children were running around with smiles on their faces, as they played without a care in the world.

"Incredible." Kane breathed, in both admiration and astonishment. Their small group finally broke free from their trance, and continued walking through the crowd, however, Abby began to grow weary at all of the eyes that were immediately drawn to them.

"Marcus, they're staring." She whispered, but he quickly dismissed her worries.

"We're under the Commander's protection. In Polis, only the sentries are armed."

Abby nodded at his words, before she was suddenly being led away to one of the markets, by a young grounder girl. The child's mother was the one working the station, and she had just set a fish or some kind of squid on the heated grill. She then cut a piece off from one of the already cooked ones, and offered it to Abby, who politely declined.

"Ai sou na sad won op, mochof." [I'd love some, thank you.] Kane smiled warmly, more than happy to accept the offering instead. Once he placed the seafood in his mouth, the burst of flavor instantly caused his smile to grow wider. "Mmm. This is delicious."

He then ripped the Skaikru patch off of his jacket and handed it to the woman who was staring at it with curiosity. "Em laik memon kom osir hou." [It's a symbol of our home.] He explained, and the woman hesitantly took it from his hands.

After that, the duo continued on their way, with the guards following closely behind them. As Kane stopped once more at a small shop, and picked up a pair of old sunglasses, Abby admired the way that he had acted towards the woman previously.

"You're suited for this." She noted.

Kane looked over to her. "It's amazing." He told her, glancing around the city in pure fascination. "When I dreamt of the ground, it was empty."

"But it's not empty now." Abby replied, before motioning to the Chancellor's pin on her jacket. "Marcus, you gave this to me. And you asked me to set a good example. But what we're trying to do here is something new, something you have a vision for." She pulled the pin off and