Kika ≫ the 100

10

kodie's stomach was in knots as she stood in front of the commander. the dark skinned girl, who she found out was indra, stood next to the commander's chair. they were in a tent and the grounders were preparing finn's death right outside. the guard had taken her knife from her belt loop before she walked in the tent and being unarmed made her nervous.

"why would you give up one of your own, considering everyone else seemed to have other plans?" the commander asks.

kodie licks her lips and her head was pounding. "i've been on the ground for nearly four years." she began and the commander tilted her head.

"you were the one that came down in the pod?" the commander questions and kodie nodded slowly. "my riders went to the pod and found no one there. where did you go?"

"i found a place." she says as she bites the inside of her cheek. "a grounder had found me and kept me hidden."

"who is this grounder?" she sits up straighter.

kodie shakes her head. "i'm sorry, heda, but i will not give out the name."

"heda?" the commander raises an eyebrow. "how do you know that word?"

"the grounder taught me trigedasleng—your language." kodie says as she lets her arms fall to her sides instead of behind her back where they previously were.

the commander eyed her bandaged hand before looking her in the eye. "as you were saying."

"you're not going to make her tell you who the grounder was?" indra asks and the commander holds a hand up for her to be quiet. she gives kodie a nod and the brunette swallows the lump in her throat.

"i've learned your ways—blood must have blood—and i respect them. yes, finn is one of my friends and i wanted him safe, but i know this is the only real option there is." she says with a strong voice. "i believe he should be punished for killing innocent people and decided it was best to hand him over before my people were massacred."

"your leader said you would fight." indra said.

"my leader is correct. we would fight." kodie nods. "but i know my people and i've grown to know yours. we may have guns, but you guys have tactic. you know how to fight well and we're just trained to fire weapons."

"so you know your people would lose." the commander says.

kodie nods, "i want my people to survive on the ground like i have been doing. if giving finn up so that we can have a truce is what needs to be done, then i'm doing it. if i was finn, i would give myself up." her heart ached as she spoke because that's what finn did.

"i respect you, kodie kom skaikru." the commander rises from her chair. "but i want to make sure you are one hundred percent sure this is what you want."

"this is." kodie nods before shifting the weight from her left side to her right. "and i apologise for even asking, but is it wrong of me to ask your name?"

"no." she responds as she approaches kodie. "my name is lexa." she extend her hand and kodie did the same, grabbing her arm while lexa grabbed hers. it was the proper hello or goodbye. "i need one thing from you."

kodie nods, "anything."

"you must be the first with the knife for you and i to be good." she says and kodie clenches her jaw before giving a small nod.

"okay."

lexa almost looked shocked that kodie had agreed right away, but as she held her hand out indra placed a knife in it. "follow me." she said and made her way out of the tent.

kodie followed lexa and as she looked back at the arkadia camp she saw everyone watching from inside the fence. clarke, raven, bellamy, abby and kane were all up front. as she approached finn her heartbeat picked up. he was tied to a pole and his head hung low.

"take the knife." commander lexa held it out. "you will make one cut wherever you please." as she took a step back kodie turned to fully face finn.

"i'm sorry." she whispers to him and he lifts his head to look at her.

"it's okay." he responded in a whisper also. "i needed this to happen this way."

kodie lifted the knife and cut into his bicep, cringing as he hissed from the pain. as the blood dripped down his arm kodie turned to face the commander and held the knife out to her.

lexa gave her a nod before holding her hand out again. "we are good." kodie grabbed her arm and gave her a nod before stepping back.

"commander," indra called out and the two of them looked to see clarke standing with indra's blade in front of her stomach.

"let her pass." lexa said, making her way over to them. kodie quickly followed behind. "you can't change what is about to happen, clarke." lexa said calmly and clarke's watery eyes looked at kodie.

"just let me say goodbye, please." clarke said, standing tall.

lexa eyes her for a minute before nodding. "make it quick."

"clarke," kodie grabs the blonde's arm as she heads towards finn.

"what?" clarke snaps, turning to face her.

kodie eyes her for a moment before removing her hand. "you have a blade?" she questions since she had felt the sharpness under clarke's jacket.

she nods slowly. "raven told me to kill the commander." she spoke quietly so no one could hear.

"but you're not going to?" kodie furrows her eyebrows.

"i don't think it's the right thing." clarke shrugs her shoulders.

kodie eyes her before licking her lips. "i know you hate me right now, but there's one more thing you need to do after you say goodbye to finn."

"what?" she asks, curious.

"you need to take your blade and kill him." kodie says. "i don't care if i gave him up. i can't let him go through all that pain."

clarke swallows the lump in her throat and nods before turning on her heels. as she walked over to finn, lexa approached kodie.

"what did you say to her?"

"i told her i was sorry." kodie glanced over at her. "but it had to be done."

raven's screams were heard from the camp and kodie's head whipped in the direction. bellamy was trying to hold her back as she kicked and screamed, and when kodie's eyes landed on clarke walking away from finn, who was officially dead, her heart dropped.

"you told her to kill finn." lexa confirms.

"you may not understand, but the suffering will be worse for clarke." kodie states.

"i understand." lexa says before turning to her people. "it is done." she looked at kodie and clarke. "go into my tent and we'll discuss things soon."

$$$

rip finn