It had been 4 months since Mount Weather. Bellamy's mood has been sour ever since; so when he went on a solo hunting mission and was face to face with a few grounders, fighting over the game and territory.. He wasn't all that surprised to be bound and gagged in front of the Trikru Commander.
Bellamy is being presented to the Commander for his 'crimes', awaiting a punishment. As the guard holding him and the Commander talk in Trigedasleng, Bellamy simply zones out in rage. Then he hears someone run in and mention the name "Wanheda". Since Mount Weather, it seems the grounders are scared of Clarke and her ability to kill an entire mountain with a single switch. Commander of Death is what it means. He used to be enraged by this, but after it really sank in how evil she was for leaving him alone to bear it all on his own, he found it kinda comical.
Like anywhere, the mention of Wanheda had everyone perked up. The Commander glared at her second, Indra, and nodded to the messenger. The guard drags Bellamy to the side of the room so that there's a clear path to the Commander. Bellamy doesn't really think much upon hearing Clarke's alias. She's the whispers in the villages, and the villain in stories, a myth. He hasn't and doesn't want to see Clarke ever again.
Then she walks in. The guard at his side tenses and places his hand over his sword, as does Indra, the Commander's second. Clarke doesn't spare him a look, but he wouldn't have noticed anyway. He seethes with rage at her audacity to show up, to appear in his life after all this time. Clarke walks confidently to just before the throne.
A heated conversation is had between Clarke and the Commander. Of course, Bellamy doesn't understand Trigedasleng, so he doesn't know what about until they both glance at him. Oh great. He's the topic. There's a long pause as Clarke and the Commander glare at each other before the Commander simply lifts her left hand with a wave. Then he's dragged outside of the room by the guard.
Bellamy imagines he would be thrown into a cell to await his execution. Instead, he's led into the forest outside their village. When the guard pulls out the knife in his belt, he thinks that this is it. A swift flick of his blade and light shove into the forest leaves Bellamy standing confused. The guard turns on his heel and heads back to his village.
Clarke hid out in the trees watching. She spent most of her time up in the trees, keeping tabs on everything around her. She tended to hover near the villages surrounding Camp Jaha. Keeping an eye on the activity and talk of the grounders closest to her people.
She had a basic understanding of the grounder language, Trigedasleng, before Mount Weather; but 5 months of listening to almost exclusively Trigedasleng has made her nearly fluent. Although, she doesn't use it much for speaking. She keeps to herself in the woods and the trees as much as she can. Until she HAS to step in.
She is slumped in a tree, dozing off when she hears a fight. From her tree, she can't quite see what's happening, but the sound gives her an approximate where. She scans for movement coming from that direction. She can make out movement, but not much else. She waits until minutes have passed since she last heard anything, and then she drops from her position in the tree.
She carefully makes her way towards where the noises had originated and finds a dead grounder. She checks his pulse quickly to confirm and then takes a minute of quiet. Then she follows in the direction of the village nearby.
Just outside the village, she can make out a grounder guard dragging someone along towards the center building. She quickly moves closer to see who it is. It is none other than Bellamy. Her heart stops and she freezes on the spot. When she finally snaps to, the guard and Bellamy are gone. She knows she can help if she leverages her title and gets there in time. She tries to slink through the village and goes to the first patrolling grounder she finds.
Her newfound familiarity with Trigedasleng has finally been put to spoken use when she demands to see the Commander at once. Only after she gives her title of Wanheda, does the guard seem to find her proposal worthy of even being brought to the Commander.
She's standing in front of the Trikru Commander, Lexa, and her second, Indra. She can see Bellamy out of the corner of her eye when she makes her plea.
C "Commander Lexa, I want to know why one of my Skaikru is being held captive before you."
L "The mighty Wanheda. I assume you know that we handle crimes against our people very seriously. And this one *looks at Bellamy* has been aggressive towards my men for months. And today he took the life of one of my best hunters."
C "I see. I assume you have a price for these crimes in mind already?"
L "Of course. Blood must have blood, Wanheda. A Trikru life was taken by a Skaikru, the price is a Skaikru life to be taken by Trikru!"
C "I imagine killing him would satisfy the blood for blood... But I propose a different option."
L "I will hear your proposal."
C "Your people have returned from the mountain safely. You abandoned Skaikru and broke our treaty, but we still managed to eliminate the Mountain Men alone. I've heard the talking Commander.. The people of Trikru are wavering on their loyalty to you, and are afraid of the power of Wanheda, and the revenge Skaikru may seek out with her, against Trikru. So I propose you kill two birds with one stone."
L "And what would that be?"
C "Let Bellamy go, and I will pay his price. You will have your Skaikru blood in payment, and you will solidify your position as Commander by taking the life, and thus the power of the mighty Wanheda."
Lexa ponders this option. Then waves her hand to dismiss the guard and to let Bellamy free. After Bellamy is out of the tent, Clarke asks the Commander.
C "So. How do you want to do this?"
Bellamy was let go? He's confused but shakes it off quickly as he heads off in the direction of Camp Jaha. Along the way, he's intercepted by Lincoln.
LN "Bellamy! Where are you going?"
B "Back home Lincoln. What are you doing out here? I thought you were helping out a friend in another village?"
LN "Bellamy, that WAS the village."
Bellamy shakes his head. He's annoyed. He gives Lincoln a despairing look before he starts off again towards Camp Jaha. Exasperated, Lincoln calls out.
LN "Bellamy, they're going to kill her."
Without stopping or even looking back at him, Bellamy snaps back.
B "Who Lincoln? Who?"
LN "Wanheda traded her life for yours, Bellamy."
Lincoln says calmly. Bellamy stops in his tracks and turns to Lincoln with a pissed-off expression.
LN "Why do you think the Commander simply 'let you go'?"
Bellamy thinks for a second and shakes his head again. He's feeling something in the pit of his stomach. He doesn't know what it is, but it is fighting against his chronic rage towards Clarke. Lincoln decides to try to help by himself at that point and has turned to go back to the Trikru village. Bellamy hesitantly follows behind him.
Lexa waves her hand again and Clarke is grabbed by two guards. They each firmly hold onto her arms as Indra smirks at Clarke, then takes it upon herself to bind and gag her. Clarke rolls her eyes. This is a pathetic attempt at a power play, she actually finds it funny and giggles against her gag. This isn't appreciated apparently as Indra slaps Clarke. Even after the slap, Clarke has to fight to hold in her laughter as she's dragged out of the building.
She's eventually knelt over a stone trough in a big clearing in the village. It seems the whole village came out for the show as the clearing swarms with bodies. Clarke peers down into the trough her head hovers over, she wonders how long it will take for her blood to fill it. She wonders if the Commander will drink it, or bathe in it.
When the crowd grows eerily quiet, Clarke hears Lexa behind her. She is giving a speech to the masses, Clarke is sure it's wonderful and motivating but is too lost in her thoughts to listen. She pictures Atom, who she mercy-killed after their first run-in with the acid fog. She thinks about the dozens of grounders she cremated alive at the Drop Ship. She pictures the hundreds of families and children she irradiated at Mount Weather. She remembers the words spoken to her, "You aren't god Clarke, you don't get to decide who lives and who dies" "You killed him! What did you do!?" "You killed them, you killed them all!". She remembers all the things that make her Wanheda. All the things she's done that broke off pieces of her soul. The faces, the smells, the screams that haunt her. And she feels ready.
She feels ready for her death. She's happy to put an end to Wanheda. She's happy that this saved Bellamy, that it will release tensions between Trikru and Skaikru. She's also happy to end her grief, her self-hate, her nightmares, her visions, and her ability to take life...
She realizes there are tears in her eyes and down her cheeks. Then Lexa grabs her by her hair and lifts her head. A long blade is pressed against her throat, she closes her eyes at the sensation, in anticipation. Then she hears her name. She opens her eyes to find who's called her name and after a second calling she finds him just on the outskirts of the crowd, he's running towards her but will never make it in time, even if there wasn't a dense crowd to push through.
Tears fall as he yells her name a third time, he can see her blue eyes sparkling with tears of her own. He's desperately trying to get to her when she smiles at him. He can see the glint of the knife to her throat, then it's gone. Her blood fills the trough below her while the crowd of grounders cheers. It doesn't fully hit him until the Commander finally lets go of her head; the way her head drops against the trough, it's what solidifies that she's actually gone. He finally realizes that the feeling he has, is love. He tried so hard to hate her, but he didn't hate her at all. And she would never know it either.