XX

[PREVIOUSLY: When Octavia stumbles wearily back into the camp of Skikru, she is met with a shocking sight. In the meanwhile, Clarke and Raven conjure up a plan to thwart Finn's  seemingly inevitable end].

Supported by Abby and Clarke on either side, I dragged myself out of the medical ward and down the passage towards the front doors of the Ark. Chewing my bottom lip in a frail attempt to keep my grunts of pain to myself, I thought back over everything that had occurred since our landing on Earth.

Every single scenario ended with someone dying.

Please, oh God, please, not Finn. Not Finn.

I stumbled outside and looked towards the flaming torches that lined the outskirts of the grounders' camp. I tried to see if I could spot Finn amidst the massive crowd of Trikru warriors, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Abby! Clarke!"

I turned to see Kane striding briskly and purposefully towards us. His dark hazel eyes were skittish with worry and sadness. His features were contorted in guilt and pain. As he reached us, he held out a hand and brushed his fingers against Abby's shoulder. "How are you holding up...?" his voice trailed off when his gaze landed on me. "Octavia?"

I glowered at him. "When this is over, you release Bellamy! You said you would grant him immunity! You can't keep him locked up forever!"

Kane shook his head. "Of course not. However, I cannot pardon violence nor will I tolerate it. But this isn't the time to talk about this, okay? I've sent a message to the princess and she's agreed to speak to Clarke ... but Clarke only. And," he paused as he cast her a sympathetic glance, "You have to go unarmed."

Clarke stiffened up. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see as she pushed the knife higher up her sleeve. "Yes. Of course. I would've expected no less."

"The princess is sending up some guardsmen to meet you at the gate," Kane nodded towards her. "I wish you the best of luck."

"Wait, what are you going to say to her?" I queried in an anxious tone.

Clarke hesitated before replying, "I'm going to make my objection clear: if she doesn't release Finn, then she doesn't get an alliance and Anya will die inside Mount Weather." She shot me a knowing glance before looking towards Abby and Kane for approval.

"But if you say that, Trikru will attack us," Kane tried to protest. "We don't have the forces nor the ammunition to stop them."

"I'll try to play the save-Anya card as best as I can," Clarke responded softly. "There's nothing else I can do."

"Be careful, okay?" Abby whispered as she pulled Clarke in for a quick motherly hug.

"I will," Clarke closed her eyes briefly as she wrapped her arms around Abby's waist. All too soon, the clatter of the approaching grounder messengers could be heard and Clarke pulled away. "I have to go."

A few watchful cadets escorted Clarke to the front gates and allowed her through. I could just see the top of her blonde head, wedged in by two burly warriors, as she started walking down the hill towards the Trikru camp.

A small groan escaped my lips as I pulled myself towards the fence and peered intently through it. Abby, Kane and the rest of the guards nearby did the same thing.

As I pressed my face against the fence-post, my eyes following Clarke's upright figure, I felt a soft rush of air blow past my neck. Turning my head slightly, I made eye-contact with Raven, who was now standing right beside me.

I gave her a slight nod before turning back to the scene towards me. I was just in time to see Clarke disappear through the folds of Lexa's royal tent.

The next few moments were agonising. No one said a word. We didn't need too. All we were doing was watching, waiting, hoping, praying.

Suddenly, Clarke reappeared, an angry look twisting up her usual, pretty expression.

"Uh oh, that doesn't look good," Kane muttered under his breath.

He had barely finished his sentence when the loud war-drums started beating. Yells and chants were picked up and thrown around the camp and the warriors surrounding the askew of numerous tents started waving their torches up and down.

I swallowed hard when I glimpsed a fierce struggle occurring from within the darkened shadows shrouding the faraway tents.

Then, I let out a sharp gasp of shock.

Finn, his body battered and bruised, was being dragged by Gustus and his men, towards the pole erected in the middle of the camp! His wavy, shoulder-length hair was matted, his face was bleeding and his eyes were huge with fright.

"No," I whispered. "No. No. No."

As Finn was bound to the pole, Lexa emerged from her tent, as did Indra and a modest squad of armed guards. Clarke turned around to face the princess and conversed with her in an excited, agitated manner.

"Kill her, Clarke," Raven murmured to herself. "Come on, you can do it. Just kill her!"

However, Clarke made no move to do so and continued to address Lexa in a pleading, heartfelt manner. Lexa, upon listening to the blonde, shook her head and glanced up to see me, Raven and the others lined up along the fence. She bowed her head in a gesture that suggested guilt and sadness before withdrawing her sword and pointing it towards Finn.

As Gustus flicked out his knife, ready to deliver the thousand cuts by which Finn was to die, Clarke held up her hands, motioning for him to stop.

Slowly, she approached Finn who was, by now, crying and trembling. Leaning forward, she placed her hands on his shoulders and spoke words of comfort and encouragement to him. Then, as she shuffled forward to hug him, Finn raised his head and looked straight into my eyes.

He mouthed something, I couldn't quite make out what it was, but it was along the lines of, Thank you, Princess.

Tears dripped freely down my cheeks and gathered at the bottom of my grimy chin as I stared, wistfully and heartbrokenly, towards him.

I watched as Clarke pulled away from Finn. I watched as Finn's shoulders sagged and his head lolled to one side. I watched as the remaining air in his lungs escaped his lips. I watched as he closed his eyes for the last time.

I heard someone screaming. I felt someone's grip latch onto me. I felt someone fall to the floor.

It took me a moment to realise that I had slumped to the ground holding a sobbing Raven in my arms. It took me a moment to realise that Clarke was leaving the camp of Trikru. It took me a moment to realise that Lexa was motioning for Finn's body to be taken away. It took me a moment to realise that he was dead.

And that Clarke had killed him.

Gif: Octavia as she stands near the fence.

XX