─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
A FEAST BETWEEN THE SKY AND TREE PEOPLE BEGUN ONCE THEIR DEAD WERE BURNED AND PROPERLY PUT TO REST. June felt for a moment that it was insensitive, especially when so much pain was brought to everyone, but she kept those thoughts to herself. She only reminded herself that peace came out of this violent war. June stood with her hands clasped together in front of her in between Abby and Raven, gazing across the long table full of steaming food to the grounders on the other side with a timid smile, trying to come off more peaceful than intimidating in fear one wrong look would set them all off into a frenzy.
Kane pulls out a small object wrapped in cloth from Abby's other side. "Please accept this gift, Commander," he offered. "We drink this on special occasions. I believe this qualifies." He pulls the cloth off, revealing a gray bottle with a clear liquid inside. June knew it was alcohol and wondered if it was a good idea, but stayed silent again as Kane passed it to Gustus who handled it as if it was a bomb.
"Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People," Lexa replied in a kind tone June had heard for the first time. Gustus handed her the bottle, causing the liquid to slosh.
"You're welcome, Lexa kom Trikru," Kane says with confidence. Lexa is surprised at his use of their language, and June swears that the corners of her lips twitch like she's fighting back a smile. "Just, uh, don't drink too much of it," Kane cautioned quickly.
Nodding, Lexa averted her attention to Clarke. "Clarke, let us drink together," she proposed.
"It would be my pleasure," Clarke agreed lightly. A man comes up behind Gustus with two goblets, handing them to Lexa. She pours the drinks, leaning over the table edge to hand one over to Clarke and kept one for herself.
"Heda, allow me," Gustus offered. Lexa held the cup to him, and his eyes kept locked on Clarke as he brings the rim to his lips, taking a sip. June waited, holding her breath like she expected something to go wrong, but nothing does. She glanced over, taking a peek at Raven, who had her jaw clenched, making her frown. June reached out, gently resting a hand on her arm and giving her a faint smile when she looked over without a word.
Pleased, Lexa takes the goblet from her protector and held it up in cheers. "Today, we celebrate our peace, tomorrow, we plan our war," she announced. "To those we've lost and to those we shall soon find."
Before either Clarke or Lexa can bring the goblet to their mouth for a drink, Gustus is suddenly hunching over, choking and gasping for breath. June jumps in surprise, eyes widening in horror as he falls back and hits the wall, shouts filling the air as his people surround him in alarm. She's only able to make out one shout. "It's poison!" Her eyes pass over Abby and land on the cup still held in Clarke's hand.
"Bellamy!" June calls, pointing wildly to the goblet. Bellamy tears his stare off the scene and follows along quickly, lunging to the side and knocking the cup out of Clarke's hand, causing the liquid to spill and hit the ground.
Indra, the dark-skinned woman that followed Lexa to the dropship, whirled around from where she raced to Gustus' aid and ripped her sword from her sheath. "This was the Sky people!" She accused in a snarl, sword's blade pointed directly at them. Several of Indra's people shove aside the table, murderous looks in their features as they ripped out weapons.
"This wasn't us!" Clarke exclaimed to Lexa from where Bellamy held an arm out in front of her, trying to keep her back. "You have to know this wasn't us!"
Ignoring her, Lexa shouted to the ones aiding Gustus. "Nou teik in em wan op!" (Don't let him die!)
"En au! Pad daun emo!" Indra commanded. (Everybody out! Search them!)
Even though she couldn't understand, June caught on to Indra's order when a few grounders pushed their way through the crowd. She was pushed back against the wall, the shock wearing off as two hands worked their way against her clothes and body. "Watch it!" June snapped, struggling back until she was released. She fought back the urge to shove him, suddenly hearing Raven's frantic call.
"That's not mine!" June easily picked out her red coat through the crowd, seeing Raven was arguing with the one who searched her. A tiny bottle was in his hand.
"Dison don kamp raun em oukou," the man spoke, ignoring her, handing Lexa the bottle. (This was in her coat.)
"I'm telling you, it's not mine!" Raven defended herself. "He put it there when he searched me!"
They thought Raven tried to poison Lexa. "No," June breathlessly gasps, hundreds of images flashing through her mind, all of Raven suffering.
A heavy pause falls before Lexa shouts. "No Sky person leaves this room!" She angrily shouts in a deep voice. Her black cape is flung behind her as she storms out of the room, being followed by men carrying Gustus and everyone but Lincoln.
"Do something," Octavia pleads with him.
"Indra! Indra, hod op! Teik ai chich op kom emo," Lincoln called out to Indra, the last one to leave. (Indra! Indra, wait! Let me speak for them.)
Pausing at the exit, Indra glares over her shoulder at him before she coldly speaks. "Yu sou laik emo." (You are them.)
The door slams shut behind her.
━━━━━━━━
June's butt was beginning to hurt from how long she had been sitting on the steps in front of their only exit. She felt like she was back in The Ark's Skybox, but at least there were others locked here with her. She had been silently panicking to herself as the minutes ticked by, her gaze held on Raven. The mechanic didn't seem so bothered as her possible fate, leg propped up on a chair as she worked on tightening the straps of her brace. June tried to picture her suffering what would have been Finn's fate and feels sick when she realizes she can't.
What was so much worse than this was June knowing there was no action she could take to stop it. Even if Raven did try to poison Lexa, this wasn't right. She couldn't even blame her. Finn was dead because of her, and Raven was well known for not thinking through her anger. Everyone else was lost in their own thoughts, except for Clarke, who approached Raven and spoke in words that June couldn't hear.
However, June shoots up when Raven suddenly turns and punched Clarke directly in the face, making her back up, cupping her cheek. "You're the only murderer here!" Raven cries out in a fit of fury. June rushes over, hand coming up to touch Raven's shoulder before she can attack Clarke again.
But Clarke doesn't seem as worried, looking off into the distance past the wall over June and Raven's shoulders. "Leave me alone," she whispered in a pant. "You gave me no choice. Why did you turn yourself in?" June, concerned, looks over to see no one is standing there. Before she can ask what was going on, Clarke dashes away, sitting in an empty seat and holding her head in her hands. Abby hurries to comfort her, crouching in front of her.
"It's alright, Raven," June reassured her softly, unsure if she was trying to comfort herself or the other. "We can't turn on one another now. That's what they want. We're going to figure this out, and you're going to be safe, okay?" She promised.
Raven's features are shattered as their eyes meet, showing how frightened she was. "You can't promise that," she responded quietly, voice wavering.
Once June saw past Raven's mask, seeing the terror, she grew determined in a second. "Yes, I can."
Their moment is interrupted when Clarke is suddenly shouting at her mother. "You're talking about dad?!" She demanded. June glanced over to see Clarke ripping her hands out of Abby's, furious. "What I did to Finn was nothing like what you did to him!"
"Don't do this now, Clarke!" Abby pleaded.
"I was protecting everyone!" Clarke's loud voice bounced off the stone walls. "I didn't have a choice! You did!" Abby shakes her head desperately. "You turned him in!"
"I trusted Thelonious to talk to your father and convince him not to go public!" She tried to explain.
"You knew dad would never stop!" Clarke accused harshly. "You knew what would happen to him!"
"I was protecting everyone too," Abby defended. "I was protecting you!"
Furiously, Clarke rises out of her seat and strides away from her mother without a reply. June watches, confused, as she freezes and whispers to herself. "We are the same."
After the argument that startled everyone into a quietness, Kane stands to direct Clarke to sit once more and calm her down. "Tearing each other and yourself apart isn't a way to get through this," he reminds her. "Lexa needs this alliance just as much as we do. She's shown herself to be flexible, and she listens to you."
"She thinks we tried to kill her," Clarke points out.
"We know we didn't," Kane retorted calmly. "So let's figure out who did." He looks to the rest, but his eyes are more on Lincoln. "Who would want her dead?"
Lincoln walked around Octavia, quietly thinking, before answering. "Too many to count."
"Really?" June questioned. "These are her people. Why would they try to kill her?"
"Forming the alliance was a risk," Lincoln explained. "Especially with what Finn did at this village."
It's quiet again as everyone in the room processes what Lincoln says. June knows it makes sense, but she still struggled to truly understand. "So..." Octavia spoke up, trailing off. "It had to be someone trying to break the alliance..."
Though Octavia's right, it doesn't clear who really tried to poison Lexa. June sighs in irritation, but before any of them can dwell on it any further, the door to their prison swings open. June almost leaps out of her skin at the sound it makes, but still doesn't relax at the sight of Indra with Nyko and a few other well-built grounders behind them. She takes a step to the side, standing in front of Raven immediately.
Lincoln looks up. "How's Gustus?" He asked, genuine worry in his tone.
"Gustus is okay," Nyko responded thinly, making June think he isn't too happy with Lincoln for remaining on their side.
One hand on the handle of her sword as if any of them would strike, Indra nods to her men. "Teik em we," she commanded. (Take her away.) They head straight for Raven.
June stands her ground, chin held high. "Back off," she sneered, lower lip curling as she pressed her hands against the chest of one of them and tried to shove him back. He reacts quickly, grabbing both of June's arms and yanking her out of the way. "No!" She protested, struggling fiercely. "Don't you touch her!"
"She didn't poison anyone!" Bellamy inputted loudly, stepping up as June is tugged back.
"I argued for you all to die," Indra declared coldly. "But the Commander is merciful." June fears her heart will pound out of her chest as two grounders manage to push aside Bellamy and seize Raven. "She only wants one."
"It was me!"
The lie comes out so easily, June doesn't recognize it's herself that makes the outcry. All the fighting to stop them from taking away Raven ceases all at once. The grounder holding her loosens his grip as a silence falls. June could hear her words earlier to Raven, swearing to keep her safe ring again and again in her mind. She clears her throat, back straightening as she spoke with more firmness compared to before; less frantic.
"It was me. I planted the bottle on Raven at the table. I tried to kill your Commander." June does her best to come off as convincing as possible, putting an extra hardness of emotion in her words. Indra is clearly angry as she glares daggers to June, who begs. "Take me."
"No," Raven gasped out in horror.
Much to June's relief and terror, Indra believes her once she thought it over. "Teik em," she ordered the guards, hushed. (Take her.)
June doesn't flinch this time when two pairs of hands are clasping both of her arms. She can now easily picture Raven suffering a long, painful death, and would do anything to stop it. She doesn't care if it's her. As long as it isn't Raven. June doesn't make a move to fight as they direct her to the door.
"Wait, she's innocent!" Lincoln exclaimed. "It wasn't her!"
"I don't care," Indra seethed, the angry heat radiating off of her. "They move, they bleed."
Octavia tries to intervene, tugging at the grounder's clothing who held June. "Hey, stop, let her go!" She begged, pleas falling deaf to his ears as June's tugged out of the door. Though, no matter the distance, she can hear Indra's last warning to her friends.
"The rest of you are free. When she is dead, so is the alliance. You should run."