Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

She had faced death quite a few times in her 18 years.

The first time was on the Ark, after her father had been floated for the truth he planned to reveal to the people. She'd been confined in the Skybox for a little less than a year and when the guards and her mother had shown up, one day out of the blue, she had thought the time for her own execution had come. Despite the fact that she knew she hadn't turned 18, the age of eligibility.

But instead she was sent to the ground, along with 99 other inmates.

The journey there was the second time she had faced death.

Upon arrival, and survival, she'd faced it so many times she stopped counting. Just another day on the ground, she'd think after surviving when she thought she'd be dead.

The grounders were ruthless where they landed. At first, they picked them off one by one. Until one day, 300 warriors surrounded the Dropship and burned in a ring of fire.

Clarke wasn't an idiot; she knew she was the leader of their small group.

For some reason, they had accepted her without much of a challenge. They looked to her. Waited until her word to act.

Of course, she wasn't alone in her reign. She'd had a small group of people who acted as something of a council. Finn, Jasper, Miller, Monty, and eventually, Raven; when she'd come to the ground in a pod she'd resurrected on the Ark. But Clarke was the decision maker, the ultimate voice of authority.

So they burned the grounders, and even though they knew it was far from over, they weren't expecting to be surrounded by another 400 the next morning.

The site of them surrounding the Dropship, weapons raised, made Clarke's knees buckle. She dropped to the ground, knowing they they were out of options. They'd burned through their rocket fuel, they had no weapons, no way out.

They'd lost a little less than half of their people. 58 of them remained. 58 of them dropped to their knees, alongside their leader, accepting what she had finally accepted: it was over.

The grounders didn't attack, they too knew the battle was over. The Sky People were surrounded and they were surrendering.

Since she'd landed, she'd fought tooth and nail for every life. Every chance. Every shred of hope. But that morning, she'd finally had to accept the fact that it was over. Her people would be slaughtered alongside her; she could only hope for a quick death. A spear to the heart. A knife to the neck.

No one made a move to escape, to run. Not even the youngest of them.

But the grounders didn't attack. They stood there, watching. Waiting. For what, Clarke wasn't sure.

Until the crowd at their gates parted and a woman walked through.

Despite the fact that Clarke had accepted her death, and a small part of her had secretly craved it, terror swam in her veins. It clogged her arteries. Knocked the breath from her lungs. And for a second, she thought she'd die from it.

But no such luck.

"You are Clarke?" she asked. Her face had a feline look to it, in the scariest way possible.

Clarke nodded.

"I am Anya, something of a leader in these parts" she said. "You are the leader of the Sky People?"

Again, Clarke nodded. She considered standing up, offering her hand in greeting. But the blood in her body had turned to lead, weighing her down.

Anya nodded in acknowledgment.

Clarke figured the army surrounding them were waiting for a signal to begin the slaughter, but Anya gave none. After her brief conversation with Clarke, she walked away. She walked back through the parted crowd and didn't look back.

For two days, they stayed in their position around the Dropship. For two days, no sky person was allowed to get up. Or do anything, for that matter.

A few brave souls risked speaking; asking the grounders if they could move, if they could get some water or food, but there was no answer.

Not one person risked getting up though, not even Clarke. She knew they were at the mercy of the grounders.

Clarke was tired. She was thirsty. She was hungry. And the stench alone made her feel as if she was on her death bed. The reek of the dead grounders bodies mixed with the vomit from a few of the Sky People and the filth of the few who had soiled themselves in terror was strong enough to make her eyes burn and trigger her gag reflex.

On the third morning, Anya returned.

By that point, Clarke felt as if she had nothing to lose. They were going to die anyway, so with that in mind, she spoke up as soon as the woman was close enough to hear her.

"What are you waiting for? If you're going to kill us, just get it over with" she said. A few people looked at her like she was crazy, and maybe by that point she was. She felt like it.

"I was waiting to hear back from the Commander" Anya said.

Clarke's next question died in her throat. She couldn't speak. Apparently, no one else could either. They all knew what had happened. Anya was back because she had heard back from the Commander. The Commander's orders were about to be executed.

"W-what will you do with us?" Clarke finally asked. If they're going to kill us, then they should just get it over with.

"The Commander has made an alliance with a king far from our lands. You are part of that... deal, for lack of a better word" she says.

Relief washed over Clarke; over the remaining Sky People. But before Clarke could even let herself feel a shred of hope, she noticed Anya and a few other Grounders smirking. A few even began to laugh.

"Do not look so relieved, Clarke kom Skikru" Anya says, narrowing her eyes "For where you are going is much worse than where you have been."

Clarke felt her stomach drop. The rest of her people murmured in confusion.

"You and your people are going to wish that we had killed you, here and now. That we had taken pity, or mercy, or even vengeance out on Skikru. You and the remainder of your people are being taken to the Badlands" Anya says before turning to her army of grounders and speaking in their foreign tongue.

Eventually, more than half of the army leaves. Those who remain go around and yank the 58 surviving Sky People up, tying their hands with some sort of material. Their wrists are bound and interlaced with the others, forming two groups.

They walk in two long rows, and make their way from the Dropship into the woods.

The first couple of weeks aren't so bad.

Despite the fact that most of them had accepted their fates, a few people talk of escape.

Clarke, at the head of one of the rows, doesn't even humor the idea. A part of her hates herself a little, for giving up. For giving in.

The other part doesn't care.

There's nothing for us to do she'd whisper back whenever another idea made it's way up the human line to her ears.

And there wasn't.

They were bound by their wrists. They had no weapons. The grounders walked in front of them, behind them, and to their sides.

They were cattle, headed to the slaughter house.

And maybe despite all that, they could have tried something. The could have tried to escape. But the worst part was that they were all exhausted.

The grounders were used to this much activity. They navigated the terrain easily. They hiked up the mountains without having to stop.

But the Sky People weren't used to this much physical exertion. That, combined with the small amount of food and water they had received on a daily basis wore them down. Even the strongest among them.

The first time one of them complained, planted their feet and refused to walk any further, they got a whip across the face so hard that it was a full week before anyone else had the courage to speak up again.

Sometimes they'd stop at the outskirts of a grounder village. Half of their guards stayed while the other half went into the village and came back with food and water. Sometimes they'd have other things, like a new coat or a pair of boots. But those never went to any of the Sky People.

They'd sleep outside, no matter the weather. Some nights were even peaceful. But that peace would be washed away at day break, when they started walking again.

Once they reached what Anya had referred to as the Dead Zone, things took a turn for the worse.

Their rations, which were barely enough to live on as it is, were cut in half.

They lost their first person three days into their trek into the Dead Zone. Fluid volume deficit.

Heat stroke claimed the second, and the third.

At first, Clarke begged and pleaded for water, for rest, for anything, really. But once she realized that only got her a whip across the back or worse, the front, she stopped begging. In fact, she stopped talking all together.

A part of her longed for the night she'd fall asleep, and stay that way.

But no such luck.

When they finally reached the end of the Dead Zone, almost a full three weeks later, they'd lost another six.

49 left.

After the Dead Zone, they were in the woods once again. Clarke (along with a few others) almost cried tears of joy. She never thought she'd miss the woods, the trees. But when her eyes landed on a forest for the first time in almost a month, she felt a flicker of happiness.

Even if death awaited them at the end of this journey, at least they were out of the Dead Zone.

Things got slightly better. Now that they were in the forest again, their food rations increased. They had fresh water. The tree's shaded them from the relentless heat of the sun.

Clarke hoped, prayed they were almost there, wherever there was.

The 49 of them that had survived were only shells of their former selves. Even her.

Where her commands used to ring strong and true, they were now nonexistent. Where she'd once felt brave, even amidst fear, she now felt hollow. Her ache for those who died and were dying turned to ache for those who had survived.

Raven's fire dwindled, now replaced by ice. Miller's defiant glare was replaced by a distant, cold look in his eyes. Jasper's curiosity with the Earth ceased to exist. Monty stopped talking after they'd lost Monroe to heat stroke, weeks ago. Finn no longer talked of peace, of reason.

They were filthy, covered in sweat and tears and blood and dirt. Their skin sagged, their bones became more and more prominent with each passing day. They walked with their shoulders hunched, their heads bowed. Hopelessness had engulfed them. They no longer feared the grounders or whatever it was they were going to face when the time came.

Some of the grounders took pity on them, tried to make conversation, offered another handful of nuts or berries, but for the most part they were ignored. And if they weren't being ignored, they were being reprimanded for one thing or another.

They'd heard the stories. Some overheard by the grounders who spoke in English, some told during the night. Probably to plant fear in their minds. But they were past that, now.

The people they were being taken to weren't part of the thirteen clans that made up the coalition of the Commander. These were outsiders. A former commander had banished them from these lands, long ago.

Under some sort of treaty, they'd stayed away from the Commander's lands and the coalition. Under some sort of treaty, they lived beyond these lands under their own rule and in their own clan.

The first few weeks, Clarke had wondered. She'd feared. If where they were going was worse than where they were, she was sure they wouldn't last long. They'd barely survived their war with Trikru, how was it possible that the place they were headed to was worse?

After days and nights of wonder, of fear, she'd given up. She didn't care. There was nothing they could do. They'd left the Dropship, and even if the rest of the people on the Ark had somehow survived and came down, there was no way they'd ever be able to reach them in time to help. There was no way they could find them, at all.

She had to come to terms with the fact that the 49 survivors with her were likely the only people from the Ark that she'd ever see again.

That realization pushed her over the edge. She cried for days, for nights. The tears dried up eventually, and the hopelessness she felt in her bones combined with the dehydration in her cells prevented her from shedding another tear.

Eventually, they reached their destination.

Clarke, being at the front of the line, ran right into Anya who had stopped at the edge of the forest. Clarke got up and looked past Anya and the grounders with her.

She couldn't believe her eyes.

They had reached a large body of water. It went on and on as far as she could see. Clarke and the others were so busy looking at the horizon that at first they didn't noticed the small group of people on their left.

Someone in their own group pointed them out, and everyone else turned to look, finally noticing them.

The group who had been waiting there had started to make their way towards them, slowly. Behind them, Clarke saw a ship. An actual ship.

The little part of her that was still curious studied it. It was pretty big, and it looked exactly like the ships she'd seen in one of her old history textbooks.

There were only five people in the group that came to meet them, but Clarke was sure that there were more on the ship. A part of her actually felt relieved. No matter where they were going, at least they wouldn't have to walk there.

"What the hell took you so long? You were supposed to be here a week ago!" a girl from the new group hissed. Clarke felt taken aback. The girl couldn't have been any older than she was. In fact, she looked even younger than Clarke. But she spoke in clear, perfect English with a tone of authority in her voice.

"Well, as you can see, this group isn't in the best shape. They slowed us down" Anya said, her voice a little weary.

The group was close enough to study, now. They didn't look that different from the Trikru grounders around them. However, these new grounders looked....more put together. Their clothes were nicer, made of leather and fur and animal skin. They each had knives in their belts, swords across their backs.

"What the hell is this?" the girl exclaimed, studying Clarke and her friends. "We had been told they were warriors from the sky, but these people are no better than sickly slaves?"

"Well, the journey here was tough for them" Anya said, a little angrily.

"And these are the people who have been causing the Commander so much trouble? The people who have killed so many of the Trikru?" the girl exclaimed, laughing.

"They possessed weapons which we had no knowledge of! Bombs and missiles!" Anya yelled, very angry now. "They burned an entire village to the ground, as well as 300 of my warriors in an explosion!"

But the girl continued laughing, and a few of her companions joined her.

Anya place a hand on the sword she carried on her back.

"Our job is done. They were delivered, as promised. They are your problem now" she hissed.

"We were expecting more. We were told there would be a hundred? There can't be more than fifty here" the girl said, still studying the Sky People.

"Well, a few of them died of natural causes" Anya said, her voice cool now.

"And the rest? Unnatural causes?" the girl asked.

Anya just smiled.

Clarke felt like using the little energy she had left to kick her. She could, she was close enough. But she knew it'd probably hurt her more than it hurt Anya.

"Well, I don't really know what to say. I mean, just look at them" the girl said, looking to her group and back at the Sky People. "Even our youngest warriors could kill them."

Clarke kept her mouth shut.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Untie them" the girl said, looking at Anya and the grounders. "Unless you're afraid they'll beat you again?" she said, smirking.

Slowly, the grounders went around and untied them.

Who is this girl? Clarke wondered. How is she brave enough to talk to Anya that way?

After she was untied, Clarke rubbed her wrists. She was sure that she'd have scars. She was grateful that the cuts made by the restraints didn't get infected. Scarring, she could deal with.

"Let's go" the girl said, nodding towards the ship.

A few of the Sky People looked at Clarke, waiting for her to make the first move.

"You're the leader?" the girl asked, looking at Clarke.

Clarke nodded.

"Well, after you" the girl said, smirking at Clarke.

Oh god.

"You're not coming with us?" Clarke asked, looking at Anya.

Anya let out a bitter laugh. "Only those who have to go, go to the Badlands. None of us would go there by choice, you foolish girl" Anya said.

Clarke figured she would never see Anya again. That gave her enough courage to speak.

"Go to hell" Clarke said "And burn there, like the rest of those grounders did" she finished, spitting at Anya's feet.

A few people looked at her in shock, a few grounders yelled angrily in their language while Anya only smiled at Clarke.

"Believe me, Clarke kom Skikru...you're going to wish you were there with me" Anya said.

Clarke glared at her for a few more seconds before taking a few steps in the direction of the ship. As soon as she did, the others followed.

The people who had been waiting for them walked behind them.

When they got to the boat, a few rope ladders were thrown over the sides, and the Sky People slowly made their way up.

Some barely had enough strength to make it to the top. But the group who had come for them were waiting for them above, and watching them from below.

Once they were all on the deck, they clustered in a corner while the grounders prepared the sails, and before they knew it, they were off.

A few people sat down, but Clarke remained standing.

Raven and Finn joined her at the front of the group.

"What is your name?" the girl from before asked, walking up to the three of them.

"Clarke" Clarke said.

The girl nodded. "And these two?"

"This is Raven and this is Finn" Clarke added, nodding to the two of them, one at each side.

"My name is Octavia" the girl said. "For the time being, you will be taking your orders from me" she looked behind Clarke, to the rest of the group, raising her voice "Do not question my command, and do not do anything stupid. Do as you are told. We will be traveling for less than two days" she said before turning back to Clarke. "Since you are their leader, I can assume they will listen to you. And you will listen to me. Do as you are told, and we won't have any problems. I won't have to throw anyone overboard, got that?" the girl asked.

Clarke nodded.

"Take your people down the steps at the other end of the ship. You will find food and water there. Eat. Rest up. I will be in my chambers, I'll send for you in a little while" Octavia said.

She walked away and Clarke was left a little dumbfounded. She wasn't sure what she expected, but it definitely wasn't this. She didn't expect to be given food and water. To be told to rest. But she didn't question it.

She turned to the group and ushered them towards the stairs that Octavia described. They made their way down, and found two long tables lined with bread, water and fish.

At the site of the food and the water, all 49 of them sat down on the barrels surrounding the tables and ate in silence until they were full for the first time in months.

Clarke kept looking at the stairs. Eventually Raven noticed.

"What the hell is going on? Why...why aren't they shackling us to the wall or something? Beating us?" she asked.

"I don't know" Clarke answered. She expected them to do just that, perhaps even worse, but no one came down the stairs.

"What should we do?" Finn asked.

"What do you mean?" Jasper said.

"Well, I mean they must be feeding us for a reason? I doubt they're doing it out of hospitality. Probably just preparing us for slaughter. What if this is our chance to get away?"

"Get away? How?" Harper asked.

They were all talking in hushed voices, afraid that someone would hear.

"I mean...we could jump and go back to the land" Finn said. "From what the other grounders have said, I don't think any of us will like the place we're headed to any more than back there."

"Have you forgotten the fact that none of us can swim?" Miller asked.

"Okay...so how about we try to overthrow them? Take the boat and sail back?" Finn asked, looking at Clarke.

"And where the hell did you learn to sail?" Miller shot back.

"Well do you have a better idea?" Finn asked, moved to anger.

"Yeah, I do. We shut the hell up. And we eat" Miller said, just as angry.

"Clarke?" Finn said, looking at her again.

"Miller's right. There isn't anything we can do. There's no way we can overpower them, I mean, just look at us" she finally said.

"So we just give up?" Finn asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, Finn. We give up" Clarke said.

They sat in silence after that.

About half of the group got up from the table, and settled down on the floor to sleep. They were all exhausted. Clarke was too, but she knew Octavia would send for her so she stayed awake.

After about an hour, almost everyone was asleep.

Clarke looked around. This was probably the first time in almost two months that any of them slept peacefully. Their bellies were full. They were sheltered from the light rain that had started to fall. When would they get another night like this? She thought about it.

She wasn't sure they would. If the Badlands were awful enough for even the other grounders to be weary of, what would happen to them once they arrived? She didn't want to know.

Eventually, a young boy no older than 15 came down the stairs and asked for Clarke.
She followed him up the stairs and across the ship. They went down another set of stairs and came to a hallway. There were a few doors on each side, but he led Clarke to the one at the end of the hall.

She knocked and a few moments later, Octavia opened the door.

Clarke walked in and looked around. These must be her private quarters, she thought. She couldn't believe her eyes...they looked so...normal. The room was tiny, but there was an actual bed in the corner, and a shelf lined with books and a few random items across from it. On the other side, Octavia sat in a chair, at a desk. A desk!

"Have a seat, Clarke" she said.

Clarke looked around. There wasn't anywhere to sit, besides the floor or the bed. Since she was filthier than she'd ever been in her life, she chose the floor.

"Tell me about you, your people" Octavia said. She didn't phrase it like a question. It was a command.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Why you came, what has happened since you've gotten here" she said. She wasn't looking at Clarke, she seemed preoccupied with the piece of paper she held in her hand.

"Didn't Anya already tell you? Or the Commander?" Clarke asked.

Octavia finally turned to look at her.

"I have heard a lot of things, Clarke. You should be glad that I am willing to hear your side of the story, and not just choosing to believe in the things I have heard about you savages from the sky."

Savages? She actually has the nerve to call us savages? That made Clarke a little angry. But she knew to hold her tongue.

So she told Octavia their story. About the Ark dying, about coming to the ground and not knowing that it was habitable. About what had happened with Trikru. She knew it was best not to lie, so she didn't omit the part about the bomb they placed on the bridge. She didn't omit the part about burning 300 grounders in a ring of fire, either.

Octavia studied the map in her hand the entire time.

After she was finished, Clarke waited for Octavia to say something. But she didn't.

"Are-are you the commander?" Clarke asked. She knew it was a risk. Even though Octavia looked younger, she was lean and muscular. She could probably kill me on this very floor.

"No, I'm not. I'm something like the king's second in command. Mostly I deal with outside affairs and our army" she said, her tone serious.

"What-what will you do with us?" Clarke asked. She knew she shouldn't. It wasn't like she expected Octavia to actually tell her they were going to be killed, or made into servants or something of that nature.

"That's not up to me, Clarke" Octavia said, looking at her.

"But you must have an idea?" Clarke pushed.

"I do" Octavia said.

Clarke waited, afraid to push any further. She didn't get an answer.

"Go to your people, Clarke. Sleep. Eat. You look sick. How did you let your people get to such a state?" Octavia said.

Clarke got angry. She knew she looked like shit. She knew they all looked like they were on the brink of death. But Octavia's comment about her and her leadership fueled a fire in Clarke.

"Well, if you'd been through what we've been through since we landed, you might understand why we look like this" she said.

Octavia raised an eyebrow, probably a little shocked at Clarke's tone.

"You're dismissed, Clarke of the Sky People" Octavia said.

Clarke got up to leave. Her hand was on the doorknob  when Octavia spoke up again.

"And Clarke? Watch your tone. I may be a little forgiving, since this is our first conversation...but not everyone will be as considerate as I am. Keep that in mind" she said.

Clarke didn't say anything. She paused long enough to consider Octavia's warning before leaving the room. She found the boy from before waiting for her in the hallway. He walked her back to her people, and Clarke made her way to a spot on the floor that was unoccupied.

She was more tired than she'd ever been in her entire life. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep. But just before she went under, she noticed the boy from earlier standing at the edge of the stairs. It was clear that they wouldn't be leaving this room by their own choice.

Clarke woke to the sound of her friends talking. She got up and looked around. For a second, she was confused. And then she remembered where she was and how she'd gotten there.

She joined her friends at the table. Again, it was full of water, bread, and fish. Clarke ate fast enough to give herself a stomach ache. And by the looks of the people around her, so did they.

Their stomachs must have shrunken tremendously, because by the time they were all finished, a lot of food still remained on the table.

The sat around and talked in hushed tones. Finn brought up trying to escape again. This time, he suggested they waited until they reached land to try and overthrow the group on the ship.

"And what about after that? Besides, we have no idea who or what's going to be waiting once we actually get there" Raven said.

"Well we can't just do nothing!" Finn yelled.

"Finn, lower your voice" Clarke warned. "Raven is right. There isn't anything we can do. So far, they aren't trying to kill us. So shut the hell up and act normal" she said, growing tired of his stupid ideas.

"Clarke, you can't be serious. We can't trust these people" he said.

"I never said that. I don't trust them. But unless you want to be the first one thrown overboard, I suggest you keep your thoughts to yourself" she said.

The group around them nodded in agreement.

A little while later, Octavia came down the stairs. Everyone remained quiet as Clarke stood to greet her.

"Are your people rested?" she asked.

Clarke nodded.

"Good" Octavia said, turning to face the group. "Listen up! We will be arriving earlier than expected. We should get there some time tonight. In the mean time, you are to stay in these quarters. There are latrines in the lower level. Artigas" she said, pointing to the young grounder behind her "can take you to them. But only one at a time. I expect a few of you, the stronger ones, to follow me and help out above. The rest of you can clean this place up" she finished, not waiting for anyone to respond before making her way up the stairs.

Clarke talked to her group of friends before addressing the group as a whole.

"Take turns going to the restroom" she began, "Raven, Finn, Miller and I will be up there with them. The rest of you, clean up after us. Those of you who are too tired or sick to work, stay down here and ask the grounder if you need to talk to one of us" she said.

Afterwards, the four of them made their way to the deck while the others stayed behind. Clarke didn't want them to be separated, but she figured that she didn't really have a choice.

They spent their day helping the occupants of the ship clean up and doing whatever they were told.

That night, Clarke couldn't eat. She was too worried about their landing, and what waited for them. So far, these people were the exact opposite of what she had expected. Of what she had been told. But that didn't mean the others would be, too.

By the looks of everyone around her, they were thinking the same thing she was.
To her surprise, Octavia sent for her during dinner time. She made her way to the deck, Artigas leading the way.

She was a little taken aback, the sun was setting. She couldn't remember the last time something had taken her breath away.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Artigas said, noticing Clarke's reaction to the setting sun.

Clarke nodded. He was kinder than any grounder she'd ever met.

Octavia was standing at the corner of the ship where the sails were located. She was on an elevated portion, looking towards the sunset.

Clarke silently joined her.

"Are your people feeling better?" Octavia asked.

"Yes, they are. Thank you" Clarke said. And she was thankful. She was surprised that Octavia cared enough to ask. Well, maybe she didn't. Maybe she was just making conversation. Either way, Clarke was pleasantly surprised.

"Can you guarantee that your people will listen to you?" Octavia asked.

"What?"

"Can you guarantee they won't go behind your back and do something stupid?" Octavia said, cocking an eyebrow.

She was beautiful. In a fierce way. She had long brown hair, perfectly arched eyebrows and sharp cheekbones.

Looking at her made Clarke feel a little ugly. She had cleaned her face as best she could. But her clothes were rags and her hair was so dirty it had become a dark shade of blonde. She could only imagine how awful she smelled, to Octavia anyway. By now, she'd gotten used to her stench and the stench of the others around her.

"Why?" Clarke asked.

"I hear things. Answer the question" Octavia said.

"I-I don't know. But I think so. We-we're not bad people. The things we've done, we've done to survive" she said.

"I believe that, Clarke. I do. But we will not tolerate any disobedience. If someone here steps out of line, they will be dealt with. Can you, as their leader, accept those consequences?"

Shit. She must have heard some of the things Finn was saying. That fucking idiot.

"I can" Clarke answered. She wasn't sure she was being totally honest, but she knew that Octavia had wanted her to say that, so she did.

"Okay then. Go to your people. Make sure they understand that, as well. We should be arriving in the next few hours."

Clarke nodded and went back to her friends. As soon as she sat down, they asked her if everything was okay.

"Yeah, everything's fine. For now" she said, getting up and facing the room. "Quiet down and listen up. We will be arriving soon. No matter what or who we face, do not, under any circumstance, do or say anything stupid. Keep your mouths shut. Do not argue, do not talk back. Do as you are told. Whatever we face, we will face it together. But if anyone" she looked at Finn "decides to act without our knowledge or consent, then that person will answer to whom ever is waiting for us" she said.

After everyone nodded in understanding, she sat back down.

"Do you have something to say to me?" Finn asked.

"Yeah, I told you to keep your mouth shut. We don't know what we're heading to but so far they've been decent to us. So don't screw that up by trying to form some sort of escape plan, okay? We aren't in any immediate danger" she said, keeping her eyes on him.

"Yet" he said.

Clarke just looked at him.

She tried to eat, telling herself that she might need the strength once they land. But she felt the anticipation pooling in her stomach, tying it in knots.

About an hour and a half after the sun had set, Artigas told them it was time to join the crowd on the deck. Clarke waited until everyone else had left to follow the group to the top level.

It was dark. So dark that it took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to their surroundings.
She could see the shore up ahead. She figured they would be arriving at some sort of island. But the site before her wasn't what she'd had in mind.

For one thing, it was rocky. Very rocky. The cliffs up ahead looked dangerous, even in the dark. She didn't see any lights, any fires. She couldn't see anything other than the cliffs and a few mountains peeking up behind them.

The air was cold. A lot colder than it'd been before. Clarke wrapped her arms around herself. So did the others. Their clothes were rags, and a lot of them didn't even have shoes anymore, what with all the walking they'd done.

Eventually the ship was close enough to the shore for them to get off. Clarke felt a little worried. None of them could swim. But when she looked down, the water seemed to reach most of them to the waist, not deep enough to drown in. The grounders actually helped a few of the younger, shorter kids make their way to the shore.

By the time Clarke dragged herself from the cold water, she was shivering. Her teeth clattered while she ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to get warm.

"I hope you're all rested enough" Octavia yelled once they were all on the shore "because we've got quite the hike ahead of us."

A few people groaned. Clarke did. Internally, anyway.

They followed Octavia and a few of the grounders that had gotten off from the shore into the woods. At the edge, Clarke turned to see the ship sailing off again. Where the hell is it going?

She made her way to the front of the group, Raven right beside her.

They hiked for about three hours. The first part of the hike was excruciating. All up hill. A few people complained but they were quickly hushed by the others. Once they reached the peak, Octavia let them rest for a few minutes.

Again, Clarke couldn't believe what she was seeing. And by the sounds of it, neither could the rest of her group.

Their position at the very top of a small mountain gave them a perfect view of the valley below.

Below them, Clarke could finally see lights. Tiny clusters here and there. It looked like they were heading to a decent sized village.

But what really caught her eye was the building located on a little hill just above the little town. From what she could tell, in the darkness anyway, it looked like a castle. A castle right from one of her history books.

The second part of their hike was significantly easier than the first part. Clarke noticed that once they got close to the little village, the veered the left, as if they were going to go around it, and not through.

She was right.

They went so far to the left that they couldn't even seen the lights anymore, hidden by the surrounding forest.

The closer they got to the castle, the more nervous Clarke and the others grew. Eventually, they were walking in complete silence.

The castle looked even larger, even scarier up close. Clarke felt panic and terror rising in her chest. But she tried her best to keep it at bay. The lives of her people depended on her keeping her cool. If she let her panic show, then so would the others.

They came to a set of huge wooden doors with two guards flanking it.

"Hey boys" Octavia said in greeting "Glad to see the place hasn't burned down while I was gone" she said, smirking at them as the opened the doors.

Octavia ushered them in and waited for all of them to enter before making her way to the front of the group again.

Everyone was looking around, including Clarke.

They were in a dimly lit corridor, the air around them chilly. The stone of the castle was a dark grey. The lanterns on each side of the wall, spaced about five feet apart, lit the space up.

No one was speaking, so they had no trouble hearing Octavia.

"Follow me. And stay quiet. Speak only if spoken to" she said, before turning and walking down the corridor.

Clarke swallowed, hoping it'd push down the bile suddenly rising in her throat and followed Octavia. No one spoke a word.

Eventually, they reached another door. This one also had a guard on each side. Octavia didn't even hesitate before opening the doors.

She walked in without a word to Clarke, or the guards.

Clarke followed because she knew she was supposed to.

The first thing she noticed was the huge chandelier-like object hanging from the center of the ceiling. It was burning bright with candles. How do they get those up there? She wondered. She shook her head, thinking about what a stupid thing it was to concern herself with. They had much bigger worries.

She quickly glanced around as she made her way behind Octavia.

The room was huge. Probably bigger than any room she'd ever been in. A throne room, she thought. It was brightly lit, lanterns and candles everywhere; in the windowsills and on the tables. There were two long tables on each side, full of people.

People who had gone very, very quiet. People who were looking at her. At them.

She focused her attention back to Octavia, who was now kneeling on one knee in the front of the room.

There were a few steps leading to an elevated portion of the room. And on that elevated part of the room stood a long table. A young man sat in a large wooden chair behind it, all by himself.

"Kneel, child" an old woman to Clarke's right whispered.

Before she could think twice, Clarke mirrored Octavia. She bent down on one knee and lowered her head. She heard the group behind her follow suit.

"Your Grace" they all heard Octavia say, "Your wonderful sister has returned."

Clarke could almost hear the smile in her voice.

Sister? Who's the kings sister? Octavia?

"I see that" the young man at the front of the room said. His voice was deep and gravely. Clarke found it a little scary, if she was going to be honest with herself.

"And why is that my sister returns almost a week later than expected?" he says. Clarke could hear him getting up, his chair scraping the floor.

"Unforeseen complications, Your Grace" Octavia said. Clarke was sure that she was smiling now. She could hear the man, the king, coming down the steps towards them.

She decided to look up.

The young man, the king apparently, walked towards Octavia. When he was standing in front of her, he reached down and offered her his hand. She grasped it and he pulled her up.

And to Clarke's surprise, he hugged her. Octavia wrapped her hands around his neck while he placed one hand on her back, and the other on her head. He kissed her cheek before letting her go.

"Are you okay? Did everything go smoothly?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, it was fine" Octavia said.

He nodded and finally looked past her to the group of people kneeling the center of the room.

His eyes landed on Clarke's first. She dropped hers to the ground a second later.

She heard him take a few steps towards her. He stopped right in front of her. She decided not to look up. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to or not, but she figured she'd better play it safe.

He stood there for a few moments before moving on, walking around the group in a circle. When he made his way to the front of the group again, right in front of Clarke, he spoke up.

"What the hell is this?" he asked.

Still, Clarke didn't look up. She was pretty sure no one else did, either.

"I said the exact same thing" Octavia said, joining the king at the front of the group.

"I thought they had said these people were supposed to be warriors? Not a bunch of children" he said, with a little edge to his voice. "Look at them. Not a single one of them can be over the age of twenty. These are the people who invaded the Commander's lands? The people who have wreaked havoc and murdered hundreds of the Trikru?" he said.

By that point, Clarke was sure that Octavia was, in fact, the kings sister. His reactions was practically the same as hers.

"Apparently" Octavia said.

"How have they survived? They're practically skin and bones?" he asked, like this was some sort of trick. Clarke could feel anger replacing her fear. "And you couldn't have soaked them in the water before bringing them here? They're absolutely filthy" he asked.

"They can't swim" Octavia said. A few people chuckled.

Clarke could feel herself getting tense. Her knee was starting to ache, but she didn't dare look up. Not just yet.

"This is their leader, Clarke of the Sky People" Octavia said.

The king took a step towards Clarke.

He put a hand on her chin and pushed her head up, making her finally lift her eyes from the ground.

"Clarke..." he said, sounding her name out. "Clarke of the Sky People. Rise" he said.

She stood up. She wasn't sure how. Her legs felt like jelly. For some reason, being closed off in this room, with nowhere to run, made her feel like she was back at the Dropship that morning when the Grounders had surrounded them.

He studied her face for a few minutes.

She felt her cheeks flame under his scrutinizing gaze, aware of how dirty she was.

"Tell me, Clarke of the Sky People, how has such a little girl managed to survive all this time? How has a child outsmarted trained warriors? How has a child caused so much trouble for the Commander of the thirteen clans?"

Something about his tone and the mockery in his eye made Clarke angrier than she'd ever been.

"I don't know...but perhaps you will find out" she said before she could stop herself. Now I've done it! Now I've killed us all. What the fuck! Why did I just say that?!

"You fool! How dare you talk to our king in that manner!" one of the guards behind the king shouted.

But the king himself only smirked.

"Perhaps I will" he said.

He let her go and walked back to his table, Octavia behind him. She sat down at a chair similar to but smaller than his. He joined her and then raised his head to address the two guards stationed below his table.

"Take half of them to get cleaned up" he said, not even looking at their group "and take the other half to the dungeons. When the first group is finished, take the rest. And then bring them back to the dungeons to join the rest. But leave their leader here" he said.

Before Clarke could do or say anything, Finn rose and spoke up.

"You're not separating us! Let Clarke come with us! Let us stay together" he said, a little venom in his voice.

A few people gasped.

Clarke's eyes widened a little and she turned to look back at Finn.

"Finn, shut up! And apologize!" she hissed.

"No! You have no idea what they might do to us, to you, if they separate us" he said, walking to stand in front of Clarke.

For the first time since she'd seen him, the king actually looked scary. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at Finn.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"Finn"

"Change of plans. Do what I said before. But take the leader with you. Leave this one here" he said, nodding towards Finn.

"No!" Raven yelled, but when she tried to make her way towards Finn, a guard grabbed her.

Before anyone could do anything, a few guards circled them. They separated them without any sort of order, and lead one group out of the doors and to the right while the other half went to the left. Clarke made sure she was in the group to the left, since Raven, Jasper, Miller and Monty were in that group.

She panicked. She didn't want to leave Finn all alone in that room, but she had no choice. And if she tried to fight or argue, she would only make the situation worse.

"What the hell Clarke? Why didn't you fucking say anything?" Raven asked.

"What was I supposed to say, Raven? I told him to shut up! If-if I'd tried to fight it, I probably would have made things worse" Clarke said.

"Clarke's right. Let's just hope that Finn keeps his mouth shut" Miller says.

They are lead up a few flights of stairs before they reach a hallway with two doors, one on the left and the other on the right.

The door on the right opens and a short, chubby woman appears. "Ladies, please come inside" she says. They all look to Clarke.

She looks back at Raven and nods. Clarke, Raven, Harper and the rest of the girls go inside. The woman closes the door behind them while they look around.

They're in what appears to be a large bathroom. There are about five wooden tubs in the center of the room, a few feet of space between each one.

"I'm afraid the water's going to be cold, I didn't get much of a notice" the woman says.
The girls look to Clarke, again, to see what they should do.

Clarke goes to one of the tubs, a little surprised. She'd never been in a tub before. The only had showers in space, but she'd read about tubs for bathing in one of her old books.

"Thank you" Clarke says, facing the woman. "This is perfect."

She takes off her clothes (if she could even call them that), not caring about being naked in front of the other girls, and gets in.

The other four tubs are eagerly filled while the rest of the girls wait in the corner for their turn. The woman who'd ushered them in hands each of them a piece of cloth and a small bar of soap.

Clarke felt as if she was dreaming. The anger, the fear from before completely disappeared as she stared at the piece of soap she was handed. Looking around, the other girls in the tubs looked like they felt the exact same way.

She made eye contact with Raven, who was two tubs down, and smiled. Raven actually smiled back, as if she'd forgotten what had happened in the throne room only minutes ago.

Clarke probably took more time than she should have, bathing herself. But she couldn't help it. She hadn't washed in months. When she'd finally scrubbed the dirt and grime from her skin, she lathered the remaining bit of soap into her hair and used a bucket of fresh water to wash it out.

Afterwards, she got out of the tub and helped the other girls empty the dirty water from the tubs and replace it with clean water so that the rest of the girls could have a turn.

The woman stayed in the room with them, handing each of them something like a towel to dry their hair and bodies with.

Clarke felt remarkably better by the time that all the girls were finished.

"I'm afraid, for the time being, we do not have any undergarments. But I do have clothes for each of you" the woman said "Please find something to your liking and put it on" she said, pointing to the left corner of the room. There was a little table with a pile of clothes.

Clarke didn't care about the undergarments. She walked to the corner of the room and picked up a pair of soft black pants. She put them on along with a dark green long sleeved shirt, and almost sighed when the warm material clung to her skin.

The other girls did the same.

They followed the woman out of the room, and found the guys that were taken to the room across from theirs in a similar state. They looked clean and just about as pleased as the girls did. The guards took them down a few flight of steps until they reached a cold, dark chamber.

The rest of the group looked up in surprise.

The ones who had stayed now followed the guards up while the ones who remained, now fresh and clean, stayed behind in the dungeon.

It looked like Clarke had imagined a dungeon would look. There wasn't anything around them so they all settled on the floor and waited for the rest of the group to come back.

Her worry and fear returned. She had thought she was past that, after their journey through the Dead Zone, but here it was, clawing at her insides. She wondered what they were going to do with them. She wondered if Finn was still alive.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, had gone the way she imagined it would. For starters, these people were....a lot nicer, a lot more civilized than she thought they'd be. But maybe it was some sort of trick? Maybe they were doing this on purpose? To get the group to let their guard down right before an attack?

Nothing made sense. Why did they bring them here in the first place? Maybe the king had actually thought they were warriors, and not just a bunch of kids sent down from space?

And the king...he wasn't anything like Clarke had imagined. The way the other grounders had talked about him...she'd imagined someone much older, much crueler. But then again, he could be killing Finn at this very moment.

Clarke put her head in her hands. She was tired. She was weary. But most of all, she was fed up. She wanted to know what was going on. What they planned on doing with them.

Eventually the second group came back. They all huddled in a circle and discussed what was going on. They were just as shocked, just as worried as Clarke was.

She didn't join in on the conversation.

About an hour later, two guards came to get them. They lead them back into the throne room, which was empty now, save for the king, his sister, and a few guards.

No sign of Finn.

"Sit" Octavia said from her place at the front of the room, "Eat."

They sat down. Clarke tried not to look worried. She tried not to glance to the front of the room too often.

About 15 minutes later, Finn walked through the front doors.

He looked completely fine. Good, actually. He was clean and he had on new clothes. He made his way towards Clarke, sitting down next to Raven, across from Clarke. Clarke noticed his eyes stayed glued to the table, not risking a glance towards the king or his sister.

"What happened?" Raven asked.

"Nothing" Finn answered.

"He didn't say anything?" Raven said.

"Nothing important" Finn replied.

"I told you to keep your mouth shut" Clarke hissed, "Why did you say that? Do you realize what could have happened? He could have killed you!"

"I know. And I'm sorry, okay?" Finn said. He placed his hand on hers.

"It's fine. Just don't do it again, okay?" Clarke asked.

Raven looked at their hands. Clarke pulled hers out from under Finn's, quickly.

He nodded.

She tried to listen in on the conversation that the king and Octavia were having, but they spoke quietly so Clarke couldn't make anything out.

She turned her attention to the food, figuring that if she were going to die, she might as well die with a full stomach.

A few people whispered back and forth while they ate, but for the most part the group remained silent.

"Now that you all resemble human beings again, I'd like to have a few words with you" the king said, rising from his chair.

Clarke finally allowed herself to look up at him, giving herself an opportunity to study him.

He was much younger than she expected. Probably in his mid to late twenties. His skin was darker than Octavia's, and where her eyes were bright green his were almost black. His hair was dark and curly, almost the same shade as his eyes. He had had a small black crown on his head when they'd first arrived, but it was gone now. He was dressed in all black, and she wasn't really sure what kind of material his outfit was made of, but it looked sturdy and thick.

He walked down the few steps and stood tall and straight in front of the room. His placed his hands behind his back and looked at them for a few minutes, studying them.

"When I accepted the terms with the Commander, I wasn't expecting this. Your numbers, and your group in general comes as a great disappointment to me" he said. Clarke wanted to roll her eyes but she didn't.

"Be that as it may, you are here. And I am still willing to take you in. So as of right now, you have two options. Stay, become part of my clan and we will accept you. Or leave. It is up to you. Or should I say, your leader" he said, his eyes locking on Clarke's.

"What are your terms?" Clarke asked. She figured it was a safe question. "Will my people be safe?"

"As long as your people abide by my terms, no harm will come to them" he said, still looking at Clarke.

"And those are...?"

"Come, let us discuss my terms in private" he says.

Everyone stayed quiet. Clarke got up, deciding that she'd better take the kings offer and at least hear him out before deciding anything.

"Clarke..." Finn says, grabbing her hand. "It's not safe for us to be separated."

"Clarke's a big girl, Finn. She can take care of herself" Raven says, narrowing her eyes at him.

Clarke pulled her hand from his grasp and walked towards the king, unaware of how she should proceed.

"Come, walk with me" he says, walking out of the door, not even giving her a chance to respond. She looks back at Octavia, whose face gives nothing away, before turning and giving her friends what she hopes is a reassuring nod.

She follows him out of the doors, the cold floor of the castle draining all the heat from her body.

He slows down enough for her to catch up. When she does, he looks at her bare feet.

"Where are your shoes?" he asks.

"I-I don't have any" Clarke says.

"That's unfortunate. The castle can get pretty cold, especially at night" he says, shrugging.

"Yeah, I've noticed that" Clarke says, dryly.

The walk in silence for a little while before Clarke summons the courage to speak up again.

"W-what are you going to do with my people?" she asks.

"I'm not really sure yet" he says, shrugging again.

One one hand, that pisses her off. On the other, she's relieved he didn't say he was going to kill them or make them his servants.

"Like I said...I wasn't expecting a bunch of children."

"We're not children. Most us are older than 16. And we've survived this long, I think that proves that we can be an asset" she says.

"Is that so? I'm not really sure about that. Based off of what I've heard, the only thing you've done is manage not to get killed. But then again, over half of your people aren't here."

Okay, now she's definitely pissed.

"You have no idea what we've been through. If you did, you'd understand that it's basically a miracle that this many of us have survived" she says, a little more sharply than she intended. She remembers her conversation with Octavia, about watching her tone before adding "I apologize. I did not mean to insult you. I-I-" she stammers. What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you trying to get killed?

He just looks at her.

"So what are your terms?" she says, hoping he's still willing to take them in. The thought surprises her. She wasn't sure when she'd decided that she actually wanted to stay, but from what she'd seen so far, this place was better than where they were.

"Simple enough. You and your people stay here, abide by my rules. Do as I say. Join our clan. Become part of my community as I see fit."

"What do you mean, part of the community as you see fit?"

"Well whoever stays has to earn their keep. I won't allow your people to stay here if the won't work for me. In some way or another" he said.

They were still strolling through the castle.

He hadn't mentioned anything about being servants or slaves, so it sounded...pretty reasonable.

Clarke was so confused. What the hell were the other grounders talking about?

"I'm sorry...I'm just a little taken aback" Clarke said, after realizing she'd been silent for a few minutes. "This is not what I, or my people for that matter, were expecting."

"And what is it that you were expecting, exactly?"

"The-the way the others talk about this place...they made it seem as if..." she didn't really know what to say.

"Ah, yes. The others" he said.

"Can you promise that...that my people will be safe?"

"I've told you, Clarke. Your people will come to no harm, as long as they do not cause me, or my people, any trouble."

"Is that it? Are those the terms?"

"Well, there is one more thing" he says, smirking at her.

Oh god. We are so screwed.

"What is it?" she asks, a little afraid to hear the answer.

"I'd like to seal this alliance between our people with a marriage. It is our way" he says.

"A-a marriage?" she asks, a little shocked.

"Yes, a marriage."

"Between who?"

"Well, myself obviously. And the leader of the Sky People."