𝒸𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇 ➼ 𝒷𝒾𝓉𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝓋𝑒𝓈𝓉
ANGELINA STANDS SILENT AS SHE LETS Roan check over her injuries. He inspects every cut, every bruise, every abrasion that lies on his skin, too.
Angelina knew that the second Emerson attacked her, Roan would feel that something was wrong. And she was right. As Roan sat in his meeting with the Azgeda war chiefs he felt his heart racing, his mind tense with worry. He happened to glance out the window to find an explosion of green over the training fields before he felt the bullet enter his soulmate's thigh.
He was on his horse racing through the stables before Raen was able to step into the village to find him. His heart never stopped slamming itself against his chest wall until he held his soulmate in his arms.
Roan uses his thumb to caress the girl's busted lip.
"I'm okay, Ro," Angelina whispers as she grips his hand.
"Carl Emerson dies today," Roan sternly tells the guards in the room. They nod, turning to prepare the execution when Angelina calls out, "wait."
Roan turns to face his soulmate, watching her curiously as she steps around him, addressing the Azgeda guards. "He may die today, but not here. Prepare the horses." Angelina turns to Roan as she says, "we're turning him over to Polis."
➼
Angelina had finally convinced Roan to let her return to Polis without him by her side. Roan only had a few more meetings that would only last him one day without his soulmate by his side. He had promised the girl that he would meet her in Polis when the meeting were concluded and Azgeda was once again part of Lexa's coalition. It took a lot of strength from the man not to send a trusted personal guard from Azgeda alongside the girl, but Roan reluctantly agreed. As soon as the Azgeda King returned to his meetings, Angelina used her magic to teleport herself into Polis' capitol building.
Angelina finds herself in the familiar hallway that lead to her old bedroom. She smiles as she finds the room untouched, most likely ordered by Lexa. The brunette makes her way down the hall to the commander's room where she quietly opens the door, finding Lexa asleep on the couch while Clarke fiddles with a sketchbook.
The blonde glances up, her eyes softening as soon as she finds the magical girl smiling at her. "Ang!" Clarke smiles, moving to hug the girl, only pausing when she pulls away from the girl's grasp and finds Angelina's busted lip. "Angelina, what happened? Who did this?"
Angelina moves to sit down across from a sleeping Lexa. She quietly closes the doors behind her as she explains everything that happened during her trip to Azgeda, leaving out the part where she decided to send that last Mountain Man who roamed the Earth to Polis to be tested for his crimes. The Azgeda army had left a whole day before Angelina so she was sure that they would show up any time. Before Clarke can respond, Lexa jumps up out of her sleep as she gasps for air.
Clarke quickly jumps up, moving past Angelina to calm the commander, "hey, hey. It's okay. You're okay." Clarke sits beside Lexa, their thighs touching as Lexa runs a hand through her hair. "What were you dreaming about?" Clarke asks.
Lexa pants, calming herself down as she explains, "the commanders before me, they speak to me in my sleep." Both Clarke and Angelina remain quiet, watching the girl as she says, "I saw their deaths at war at the hands of an assassin."
"It was only a nightmare," Clarke tries.
"No," Lexa denies, staring straight ahead at the candles burning on the table before her. "No, it's a warning. They think that I'm betraying their legacy. Jus drein jus daun has always, always been the way of our people."
"Listen to me," Clarke says as Angelina watches the two. "A ceasefire is not a betrayal. What you did on that battlefield stopped a war." Clarke leans forward, gripping the brunette's hand as she looks deep into her eyes as she says, "your legacy will be peace."
Lexa looks back into Clarke's eyes, letting her words sink in before she stands and collects the book that she dropped from the floor. The commander finally notices Angelina sitting back in the chair. Lexa grins as Angelina waves her fingers at the commander. A small giggle leaves Angelina's lips as the two brunettes wrap their arms around each other. Lexa shakes her head as she whispers, "I told you that you would be fine."
Angelina scoffs, pulling away as she sarcastically remarks, "I thought you'd be better than the typical I told you so crap."
A knock on the door catches Lexa attention as her eyes harden. "Enter," the commander calls, who turns to face Titus as he enters the room.
"Pardon me, heda. I didn't realize that you were busy," Titus remarks, glaring at Clarke. Angelina didn't miss the look on his face as he glances to her. Behind him, the Polis army loads a wooden box into the room.
Lexa glances to Titus as she asks, "are you going to tell me what's in the box or not?"
Titus nods as he says, "forgive me, heda. This is a gift from King Roan of Azgeda for Wanheda. The messenger said this is both proof of Azgeda's loyalty to the coalition and an answer to a yet unanswered question."
All eyes fall to Angelina as the girl turns to face Clarke and Lexa. She holds her hands up as she says, "I was gonna tell you but you two were having a moment, so." Angelina points to her face as she says, "Carl Emerson did this to my face. You know, the last man from the mountain? I didn't see it fit to trial him in Azgeda. This is probably him."
"Open it," Lexa calls.
The army complies, ripping the box open. Clarke tilts her head as she finds the man handcuffed and bound at the mouth. But that doesn't stop the man from rushing at the blonde and knocking her to the ground.
"Stop him!" Lexa yells as the guards rip Emerson away before Angelina can even spark her magic. "Get him out of here!"
Angelina and Lexa pull Clarke to her feet as they watch the man be pulled from the room. "Put him in a cage, now!" Lexa calls out.
"I'm fine," Clarke reassures the two before her as she watches the man leave the room as he screams the whole way down the hall.
➼
Angelina follows Clarke into the throne room as the ambassadors clear out, each of them sending a skeptical glance towards the blonde. Clarke makes her way to Lexa as she says, "you wanted to see me, commander?"
Titus stands facing Lexa as the commander says, "yes." She advances down the stairs, standing right before Clarke as she stops. "We need to discuss the fate of the last Mountain Man."
"I believe he deserves death," Titus speaks up.
Lexa turns, glaring at her flamekeeper as she says, "she can speak for herself, Titus."
Angelina smirks as she watches Titus' face turn to stone as he glares at Clarke. Angelina's smirk falls as Clarke says from beside her, "Titus is right."
Angelina turns to face the blonde, opening her mouth to object as she is cut of by Titus, "you see? It is human nature to seek vengeance. Only once satiated can there be peace. That is our way," he says sternly, talking down to Lexa.
"That was our way," Lexa snarls back. Her voice much softer as she turns to face the blonde. "Clarke?"
The blonde says nothing as she struggles with what to say. Angelina speaks up, saying, "so jus nou drein jus daun only applies when it's skaikru that lays on the chopping block?"
"Ang, what happened on the battlefield was about stopping a war. This is about finishing one," Clarke responds to Angelina's harsh glare. The blonde turns to Lexa as she says, "I'm sorry, but if you want my advice I agree with Titus. He deserves to die for what he did."
"And we don't for killing his child? For killing every single person in the mountain? Clarke, for god's sake, there were people in there who helped us," Angelina begins yelling.
Lexa places a hand on Angelina's shoulder as she turns to Clarke. "I'm not looking for advice. I'm looking for a decision."
"He was gifted to you," Titus speaks. "The crime he stands charged with is against your people."
"So what will it be then, Clarke?" Lexa asks. "Banishment from our lands forever? Or death by forty nine cuts from your hand? You have until sundown to decide."
Angelina follows Lexa out of the throne room, only pausing when she hears Clarke call after her. Angelina turns, standing in the middle of the hallway as Clarke asks, "you're really okay with letting him live? After what he did?"
Angelina sighs, looking to Clarke as she says, "it's not really my choice Clarke. I don't know why Roan sent him to you, but he did. At then end of the day we killed more people of his then he did of yours. But we did what we had to do to survive. When you convinced Lexa that blood must not have blood, were you only planning for her to honor it? When I told Lexa I would stand beside her and help her form peace between the clans did you not think I was serious?"
Angelina doesn't let the blonde respond as she walks away to find Lexa.
➼
Angelina stands in the throne room. The sound of war drums fill the room. Angelina stands by the throne as she eyes Emerson, who is restrained to a pole in the center of the room. The doors open as the war chiefs file in, followed by Lexa. The commander eyes the last Mountain Man as she moves past him to stand before her throne. Lexa holds up a hand, silencing the drums.
"Oso hit choda op nat, kom tona gou fou nau, hashta ai op hef na won op," (We come together tonight, as we have countless times before, to watch a man die,) Lexa states, eyeing the crowd before her.
"Wanheda," Lexa calls upon Clarke as she draws a blade from her side. She hands the blade off to a guard who moves to stand before Emerson as he holds the blade out to Clarke. "Vengeance is yours," Lexa says as Clarke moves to stand before the Mountain Man.
Angelina watches as Clarke eyes the blade resting in the guard's grasp. Clarke looks to Angelina before turning her head to face Lexa as she sternly says, "no."
The war chiefs speak among themselves whispering quietly as Angelina and Lexa stand unmoving, watching the blonde before them. The guard returns to Lexa's side, still holding the blade as Clarke turns to face Carl Emerson.
"I don't know if your death would bring me peace. I just know that I don't deserve it," Clarke speaks to the man before her.
"This man must die," Titus argues, moving before the crowd. "If skaikru will not take his life, then Heda will."
"Heda will speak for herself. Enough, Titus," Lexa barks, standing over the crowd.
"What the hell is this?" Emerson asks, tears running down his face as he snarls at Clarke.
Angelina smiles proudly at her friend as Clarke tells Emerson, "I wouldn't be killing you for what you've done. I'd be killing you for what I'd done." Clarke glances to Angelina as she says, "ai ron disha hef em sonraun op. Jus nou drein jus daun." (I give this man his life. Blood must not have blood.)
Titus' glare hardens as he watches Clarke. Emerson begins screaming as he thrashes against his holds. making the war chiefs commerce in conversation amongst themselves.
"Hush op! Emo kripon kon Maun nou ge gada in kom won hef," (Silence! The crimes of the mountain cannot be answered by one man,) Lexa speaks. "Wanheda knows this. Her actions show us a promise for a new future. A world in which violence does not always answer violence. A world in which our children can flourish without the shadow of death!" Angelina smiles proudly between the two women before her. Lexa continues, "this prisoner is banished from my lands. He will live. But he will live with the ghosts of those he has lost. Haunted until the end of his days by the knowledge that he is the last of his kind."
Angelina step forward, turning Emerson's attention to her as she says, "may you live forever."
➼