That's why I..

Chapter Thirty Four

Lexa POV

I take out my swords and plunge one into Pike's chest. He splutters and I watch as the life slowly leaves his eyes. When I remove my sword from his chest, he crumples to the floor in a heap, a pool of blood forming around him. All the fury I feel inside is broken by Raven, who comes up to me and places a hand on my shoulder before speaking.

"Forgive me Heda but Pike was a teacher in the Ark. The best one we had. He taught all of us and it was his teachings that meant we are who we are today. I know what he has done is horrific and unforgivable but I want to pay tribute to the teacher we lost so long ago. Is that okay?"

Raven is clearly worried that I will be against the idea of her wanting to honour this dead man. She looks anxious for my reply. I must formulate the right response that will ease her worries but also not portray my fury towards Pike. Raven's words make me think of Titus. He was my teacher for so long and I would not be the heda I am today without him. I wish I could have paid my respects to him after his death but instead I was clouded with anger that I didn't.

"Of course Raven. I know you don't arge with his actions since being in the ground but I'm sure things were different on the Ark. It would be wrong not to pay your respects for that man who taught you so much" I have to bite back my own emotions as I speak. I cannot let Titus get the better of me.

Raven steps forward and the others vote their heads. Lincoln and I step back so we do not interrupt. Raven begins to speak a verse that I do not recognise "In peace may you leave the shore. In love may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels. Until our final journey to the ground, may we meet again"

The others mumble a small 'may we meet again' once Raven is finished. I never knew that the saying Skaikru used when leaving someone was part of a loner verse. It is beautiful. Once they are finished everybody turns to look at me expectingly. It is time to go and get Clarke. I look around the room to find Abby but she is nowhere to be found.

"What is Abby?" I say, fury back in my voice. She must have slipped away while we were distracted by Pike. Everybody is looking at me blankly and it is clear to me that nobody saw her leave or noticed she was gone. "She is most likely with Clarke" I say "if she isn't, that is no matter, we will find her after we get Clarke. Bellamy?" Bellamy is the only person who knows where Clarke is and he takes the hint straight away, leading us quickly down many hallways. I am certainly lost and would not be able to get out of here without the help of someone who knows the Ark better than I do. Bellamy stops in front of a door and turns to face me.

"If what the guard told me is true, Clarke is in here" he states

"Okay. Octavia and I will go in together. The less people going in the less overwhelming it will be. We will also have a better chance at sneaking up on Abby if she is in there. Octavia, she is most likely tired up in there. You go straight to her and untie her and I will deal with the rest. Everyone else keep a close lookout for anyone who still follows Pike. Do not attack unless you are attacked first." Everybody nods at my words. I give Octavia a look to make sure she is ready to go and then quietly open the door.

It opens to reveal Clarke's back. She is hung up vertical, being held up by only her arms which are tied to a structure, much like the one they had outside. It is clear that she does not have any energy left as she has her head slumped and her feet are not planted on the floor. Her back is covered in cuts and there is a deep blue bruise on her back that looks like it is coming from a cut on her side. She is bruised from head to toe. She has clearly been beaten and hurt more than the others told me. I bite back tears and let my anger take over instead. It is then when I see Abby. She has a dagger to Clarke's thigh. I do not know much about medicine but I do know that is Clarke is cut there she'll die. Abby has not noticed our presence yet and I motion for Octavia to wait for a second before we move I want to hear what Abby is saying. It is at that moment that I hear Abby speak. "Yes. I do. I want to kill you. I want that stupid Commander to know what I am feeling right now"

This sparks a whole new level of fury in me and my ears start to ring. I lunge forward and pin Abby to the ground with my dagger to her throat. I am about to slit her throat when I hear Clarke

"Lexa no. Don't kill her. She's my mum"

I want to kill Abby so bad but I know Clarke would not forgive me. I take my dagger from Abbys neck and give her a swift punch to the face to knock her out. I am not letting her hurt Clarke any more. Just as I turn around and the ringing in my ears fades away, Octavia finishes untying Clarke. She is weak and falls straight to the floor without anything holding her up anymore. I rush over to her and catch her before she hits the floor. I hold her close but not tight so that i don't hurt her and whisper in her ear

"You are safe. Pike is gone. You are safe with me. Octavia told me what happened"

It is clear that all of the events of the last 3 weeks catch up to her in this one moment and she starts to cry. I hold her close and kiss her head and she cries more. I let her cry. I don't stop the tears when they start to fall from my eyes either.