Disclaimer & Notices

Copyright: I do not own The 100 and certain characters but the plot is all mine.

Notices: This story may have violence, language, and sexual content for a mature audience.

Summary: With Lexa's unexpected help, Clarke defeats the Mountain Men and saves her people, at a heavy price. After the extermination, Clarke cannot forgive herself and decides to leave her people so that she can find meaning again, or death. Lexa learns about Clarke's disappearance and begins a search to find Clarke. However, it is truly Clarke that must find herself and accept that she is now a grounder from the sky.

Started: March 3, 2015
Ended: January 4, 2017
Edited: September 17, 2017

Series: Series 1

Hedatu
Volume I

by Red Hope

Prologue

Clarke Griffin pushed a few strands of hair from her face. She felt better since earlier today. Her ankle's ache was a dull pain now, and her limp was gone. She still cursed the damn giant gorilla that had attacked her and Lexa.

"King Kong," Clarke muttered and shook her head. She noted a few grounders that kept an eye on the camp. She brushed past them and quietly left into the woods. The full moon provided plenty of light, even through the trees. Clarke knew to stay relatively close to the camp, especially after today. However, she had a particular spot in mind that she had seen many times during her travels back and forth to the grounder camp.

Clarke came to the ledge that overlooked a valley and the distant lands. She took a seat on a huge mossy stone and propped her right foot against the stone. For security, she retrieved her handgun from her waistband and released the safety. With the gun in her lap, she set her sights on the beautiful nightsky that was cloudless. She was in awe.

Today had been rather frustrating thanks to the meeting first thing. She could still hear Quint's voice and taste his anger. If she continued the path towards peace with the grounders then it was obviously an extremely long journey. Clarke was unsure and tried remaining focused on Mount Weather, first and foremost. The relations with the grounders could wait until then.

"How foolish are you?"

Clarke startled and had lifted the gun until her mind determined it was Lexa behind her. She twisted around and barely made out the grounder commander in the woods' shadows. "Not enough to be dead… yet."

Lexa drifted out of the shadows and quietly approached the Sky leader. Her foot steps were eerily silent. "You must have two tails." She took a spot on the rock beside Clarke.

"What?" Clarke placed the handgun in her lap again. She curiously studied the commander's stern profile.

"In our culture, if we cross paths with an animal that has two tails, then it will bring us luck."

Clarke chuckled at the idea. "And if it has two heads? Is that bad luck?" A slight smirk pulled across her lips. "It figures the ass end is good luck."

Lexa tilted her head and lifted a thin eyebrow at the Sky leader. "Are you mocking my culture?"

Clarke bowed her head, and her hair draped over her face to hide her smirk. She gained control of herself after a deep breath. "Lexa…" She cleared her throat, lifted her head, and tucked the strands behind her ear. "I was teasing." She sighed and looked out over the landscape that reminded her nothing of her previous life on the Ark. "You can't be all about war."

Lexa studied the Sky leader's features before she looked out at the landscape too. "It is who I am."

"People change," Clarke murmured. She lifted her other foot up against the side of the stone. She was able to lean forward with her arms across her knees. Clarke admired the stars. "It's so beautiful."

Lexa studied Clarke for a moment before she peered up at the stars too. "You lived among the stars. Was it not beautiful there?"

Clarke remembered her days on the Ark, which seemed so distant now. "Hardly." She shook her head and murmured, "I grew up in a metal cage… staring at Earth… dreaming about Earth." She sighed. "I didn't imagine this day would come for me." Her eyes were drawn to her father's watch on her wrist. She thought perhaps she would join him in space once she was of age for execution.

Lexa listened to the Sky leader. She had no idea what Clarke's previous life was like on the Ark. She had seen technology, but she imagined the metal cage Clarke spoke about in the sky was technology at its finest.

"I may not agree completely with your culture," Clarke started. She turned her head and found dark eyes on her. "But I understand why it has come to be."

"We are not that far different," Lexa argued. "You live by your words, and we live by our blades. Both can be sharp."

Clarke was quiet and stared at the commander, who she was growing to admire in secret. As the days passed, she learned more and more about Lexa. Each chance she had to peer past Lexa's armor told her more about the real Lexa. After a long second, Clarke looked away and considered the grounders as she knew them today.

Lexa sensed that Clarke was thinking it through, carefully. She allowed the silence to pass between them.

"Maybe you're right," Clarke whispered. She bit her bottom lip then looked over at Lexa, who held her eyes. "Before we were Sky People, we were grounders too. You and I…"

Lexa kept a neutral look, but her eyes reflected her interest in Clarke's words.

"You and I are descended from the same." Clarke knew her human history and much of the past.

"That was a long time ago, Clarke."

Clarke shook her head. "Not that long ago." She lowered her legs and partially faced the commander. "No matter our culture or past, we are all humans."

Lexa stood off the stone and turned to the Sky leader. "But the problem is that your people believe they are better than mine."

Clarke felt a sting hit her chest, and she clenched her knee with her left hand. "Not all of us," she argued. She took her handgun, tucked it into her waistband, and stood up on the rock. She lifted her eyes to the full moon that shined down on them. "Not all of us," she whispered, in seeming promise.

Lexa was studying the moon too, but her eyes drifted up to the Sky leader. Under the moonlight, Clarke radiated both gold and silver. Lexa swallowed hard at the uncontrolled draw she felt rise in her chest. She broke her own admiration by lifting her hand to Clarke. "It is late."

Clarke cut her eyes from the starry sky and gazed down at the commander. She could have easily hopped off, but she instead took Lexa's invite for assistance. Easily she dismounted the white rock and came to Lexa's side. "It is past my bedtime," Clarke joked.

Lexa started for camp with Clarke at her side. "I do not have a bedtime."

Clarke huffed and teased, "I can only imagine what you do late into the night." For the first time, she watched an instant of shock flash across Lexa's face then it was gone. It made Clarke blush in reaction because her mind skipped to several dirty ideas. "That so came out wrong." She groaned and hoped Lexa was not insulted by her joke.

"My prowess as a lover is well known among my people," Lexa coolly stated. For a beat, she enjoyed Clarke's surprised look this time.

Clarke was thankful that it was dark because her blush burned hot against her face. She recalled that Lexa was only interested in women. "I… uh…"

Lexa touched Clarke's shoulder and stopped her after a few steps. She regarded Clarke then huskily stated, "It is good that you are not a grounder." She sensed Clarke's uneasy emotions after her words. Lexa continued to remain passive other than the glint in her eyes. She openly studied Clarke's lips before she lifted her attention back to Clarke's dazed stare. "Because your bedtime would be much later then," she whispered. Lexa then turned and continued towards the camp.

Clarke stood rooted and in awe about what had just transpired between her and Lexa. She thought she was dreaming that the grounder commander was hitting on her. She shook her head and focused on Lexa's receding figure.

Lexa walked slowly. She had bit her bottom lip then let it go once she heard Clarke's noisy steps towards her. Again she was cool and passive as Clarke took her side.

"Good thing," Clarke agreed in a rasped voice. Her mind was still racing up to the unexpected events between her and Lexa. Her day went from frustrating, to panic, and rocketed off to crazy. She swore that tonight was a dream and tomorrow Lexa would be her normal stoic self composed of few words. Or, so Clarke hoped because it was simpler that way.

To be continued.