XX

[PREVIOUSLY: Clarke returns to the Ark with the news of Finn's death. After Raven causes a disturbance, she is put in lock-up. In the meanwhile, Octavia, Bellamy and their friends return to TonDC to put Finn's body to rest].

"Princess! Princess! Monin hou! Monin hou (Welcome back)!"

Shouts and yells of relief erupted amongst the survivors of TonDC as they spotted the majestic form of Lexa entering the village.

Rushing from their homes, they crowded the streets, crying her name and bowing low to the ground before her.

As Lexa conversed with the villagers, Indra and Gustus stopped me and the others from venturing any further into the town.

"No weapons," Gustus growled as he started going through our packs.

"It's protocol for any visiting dignitaries," Indra explained shortly as she motioned some of her soldiers over to us. "Chek emo au (Check them)."

As the masked grounders swamped us with their huge, burly forms and greasy, war-painted faces, I shifted uncomfortably. Even though I had not, as of yet, retrieved my sword from Indra, I had still seen fit to line my belt with a row of throwing knives just for a precaution. Now they were being taken away from me.

Eyeing Lexa's figure with the upmost suspicion, I slowly withdrew my knives from my belt and handed them reluctantly to Gustus. He turned them over between his fingers before looking back at me.

"Give me the one in your boot," he snapped.

With an annoyed grunt, I stooped down and flung it at him.

"And the one in your back pocket."

"Oh, for the love of..." I rolled my eyes as I dropped the sharp item into his outstretched hand.

"C'mon, O, let's go," Bellamy urged as he pressed protectively against me. Shooting daggers at Gustus with his eyes, he waited until the huge warrior was out of ear-shot before whispering in my ear, "Watch him. He's out for trouble."

I nodded, my gaze wandering over to Clarke's blonde head. "I know. Fortunately, he didn't pick up on the knife in my sleeve. Don't worry, big brother, I have your back."

When Kane, Abby, Bryce, Zoe and Clarke had finished being searched, Indra sent Lexa an "all-clear" signal. The princess, her maroon cape swirling regally around her ankles, waved for us to come forth.

As soon as the villagers saw us, however, they were less than pleased.

"Wamplei gon Skikru (Death to Sky People)!"

"Emo de laik baga (They are the enemy)!"

"Nou ogonzaun hir! Gon hou we, Skikru (No truce here. Go home, Sky People)!"

"Chek yu raun, you! Skikru don dula'so daun (Look around you! Skikru did this to us)!"

"Shof op (Be quiet)!" Lexa shouted over the uproar.

As the discontented, angry murmurs began to die down, she cast a glance around at the multitude gathered in front of her and spoke authoritatively, "Skikru ste gouthru ona ai bana nau. Du bilaik trana kot daun daun na kof em sonraun op (The Sky People march with us now. Anyone who tries to undermine that will pay with their life)!"

Motioning for us to follow her, Lexa spun around on her heel and stalked over to the middle of the town square.

Shaken, I exchanged a quick side-glance with Bellamy.

"Warm welcome," he muttered as he started after Lexa and the others.

Trying to avoid the murderous death stares we were being given, I kept my eyes on the ground and my head bowed low as I came to a stop on the outskirts of the square.

"Look," Bryce piped up from beside me.

Lifting my dark brown head and blowing the stray wisps of hair from my face, I took in the scene before me, awed and petrified.

A huge pile of dry, white-barked sticks had been erected in the middle of the village. The bodies of the fallen, twenty-nine in number, had been carefully wrapped in fur-lined bags and placed on top of the wood.

My throat began to clog up with tears as two grounders, carrying Finn's body on a stretcher, pushed their way to the front of the crowd. Grabbing his head and feet, they lifted him up and tossed him onto the pile.

Heart-wrenching sobs and cries began to rise up towards the heavens as the people mourned their dead.

As I helplessly stood there, saltiness dripping down my cheeks, there wasn't a single doubt in my mind that everyone around me had lost someone in the shooting.

Oh, Finn. Why did you have to do this? It didn't have to end this way.

Gulping back my emotions, I watched as Lexa was handed a flaming torch of fire. Straightening up, she stepped towards the wood-pile. Gazing sadly at her fellow co-horts, she called out, "Kru kom Tondisi...Raun faya, oso woda klin laudnes-de kom foutaim (People of TonDC...In fire, we cleanse the pain of the past)."

Hesitating, Lexa's sea-green eyes flickered towards the bright orange flame of the torch before they landed on me. "Octavia kom Skikru," she said as she held out the torch to me.

My eyes widened in disbelief as I stared, aghast, at her.

"Go on!" Bellamy uttered in my ear as he gave me an encouraging nudge.

Slowly, I stepped forward. As I took the torch from Lexa, I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Indra and Gustus glance, mortified and enraged, at each other.

Paying no heed to them, I lowered the torch, swallowing hard as it hovered in front of my face. I couldn't do this. I couldn't set fire to Artigas. I couldn't set fire to Finn. If I did, I would never again have peace with myself.

Suddenly, a grubby hand encircled my own. Startled, I turned my head to see Finn standing right beside me! I inhaled sharply as I took in his transparent form and blurred edges. He looked so alive - so real!

His deep, brown eyes pierced my own as he gave me a nod of approval. Slowly, he guided my hand towards the fire and before I knew it, the pile had been set ablaze. Stumbling back, I let out a shaky, disbelieving breath as I watched the hungry flames devour the wood, the bags, the bodies and Finn.

Glancing over to where I had previously seen Finn, I became heavy of heart when I realised that he was gone. Heaving a deep breath, I passed the torch back to Lexa before speaking, quietly, "Yu gonplei ste odon (Your fight is over)."

A single tear traced down my cheek when the reality of the situation hit me. I had said goodbye. I had let him go.

The sun had arisen and was projecting its golden rays across the deep, hazy grey of the land when Lexa and the important officials of the village gathered together in the large food hall located near the centre of the town's thatched housing.

Indra, her composure more sober than usual, ushered Kane, Abby, Clarke, Bryce, Zoe, Bellamy and I into the building. A long, twelve-seater table, overlaid with steaming roasts, clusters of grapes and blood-red wine contained in delicate, gold glasses, graced the earthen floor. A small window decorated with intricate patterns of iron and metal, allowed some of the light outside to filter in and dance across the walls.

Lexa, her brown-coloured braids cascading down her shoulders and back, sat at the head of the table, comfortably arrayed in her royal robes. A handful of armed guards surrounded her chair and the foreboding shadows of Gustus and his companions lingered in the darkened corners of the room.

Kane, wary of the close proximity of the guards, stepped forward and bowed his head at Lexa. "Here, accept this gift from Skikru," he said as he held out a large, blue bottle, topped with a screw-off cap. "It is a special liquor that we drink only on special occasions. I hope that you will find it to your taste."

Lexa nodded at Gustus who stepped forward to retrieve it from Kane.

"Thank you," Lexa sent us a hint of a smile. Eagerly, her eyes turned to Gustus as the man poured some of the liquid into a glass and took a small sip. Raising his eyebrows in approval, he wiped the lip of the cup before giving it to Lexa.

Raising her glass to us, Lexa stated, "Tonight, we celebrate our new-found peace. Tomorrow, we plan our war. To those we have lost and to those we shall soon find."

Just as she raised the cup to her mouth however, Gustus leaned forward and smacked it from her hand. "Do ... not ... drink ..." he wheezed. "Poison..." A splutter of blood sprayed from his lips as he fell back against the wall, gasping and convulsing in painful seizures.

"It was the Sky People!" Indra shouted as she whipped out her sword and waved it menacingly at us.

"No!" Clarke cried out in desperation. "It wasn't us! You have to believe it wasn't us!"

"Call the doctor!" Lexa screamed as she bent over Gustus' writhing body. "Call the doctor! Now! Don't let him die!"

As Gustus' limp body was carried from the room, Indra bellowed, "Everybody out!" Pointing at us, she growled, "Search them!"

As, once again, we were swarmed by Lexa's regime of warriors, Clarke tried to plead our way out of the situation. "It wasn't us! You have to believe that it wasn't us!"

"Tell me something, Clarke!" Lexa snapped as she whirled around to face her. "When you plunged that knife into the heart of your friend, didn't you wish that it was mine?"

Clarke paused, her big blue eyes blank with frantic worry.

We were so screwed.

"Look what I found!" one of the guards searching us called out. He held up a small vial of white powder. "It was in this boy's jacket." He smacked the back of Bryce's head.

"T-that's not mine!" he yelped. "I've never seen that before!"

"What do you want us to do, Princess?" Indra queried as she gazed, searchingly, at her leader. "Your wish is my command."

For a moment, Lexa didn't move, only her eyes did as they roved angrily around the room.

"No Sky Person leaves this room," she growled. Glaring at the shivering form of Bryce, she snapped, "Except for this one. Take him!"

"Octavia!" the small boy screeched in terror as he was dragged away. "Octavia! Help me! Help me!"

"Bryce!" I screamed as I attempted to claw away the guards holding me back. "No! No! Lexa! He didn't do it! Bryce didn't do it! He's innocent! You can't do this! Not again! Lexa! Come back!"

The remaining guards, filled with anger and distaste, shoved me back into the arms of my brother, Bellamy. Spitting on the ground near my feet, they turned and followed Lexa out of the room.

"No!" I broke down, sobbing. "No! She can't kill him! She can't kill Bryce!"

BANG.

The doors clanged shut behind the princess and her warriors, trapping me and everyone else inside.

Gif: Octavia as she watches the fire devour the bodies.

XX