Previously:

Indra gave Clarke a weary glance before hesitating. "It may be best if we discuss this in private."

Lexa frowned but shook her head. "Indra, she is one of us now. We will no longer have any secrets between us," she demanded.

"There is movement over in Tondc and one of our trackers may have spotted a member of the Ice Nation not far from North of here." Indra's face was void of any emotion until she looked over at Clarke one last time, "and Octavia heard word that her brother has been kidnapped from a Mountain Man that escaped the fall."

Seven | Where You Go, I Go

Clarke stiffened up immediately before she looked over at Lexa with wide eyes. "Bellamy is in trouble? Where is Octavia?"

"She's thinking irrationally and wants to head out at this very moment." Indra replied and then remained silent.

Lexa turned to grab Clarke's hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "Clarke…"

"I'm going with her." Clarke said in a determined voice and opened the door to her quarters.

"This isn't your battle." Indra spoke evenly and moved to block the blonde from entering her own room. "Skaikru will rescue their own people. We have other things to worry about. The Ice Nation is roaming freely and near here. We cannot allow them to come any closer."

Clarke shoved past the older woman, not bothering to care if they found it disrespectful. "Bellamy is my people."

"Clarke, listen to me." Lexa brushed past Indra as well and grabbed her shoulders. "We have to discuss priorities here. Indra is right, we cannot have the Ice Nation come anywhere near here. We have to protect this place as well."

"Okay." Clarke nodded simply. "You get your warriors ready to guard Polis and I'll go with Octavia to help rescue Bellamy. We don't need an army for that."

"We don't know who is near Tondc and if it is part of the Ice Nation then yes, you will need back up." Lexa straightened up and made herself taller than Clarke, a natural instinct as Commander. "You cannot do this."

Clarke furrowed her eyebrows and nearly snorted, "I get that you're trying to protect me Lexa but with all due respect," her eyes shifted to Indra, "this is my battle. I was in charge of taking down Mount Weather and if there are survivors and they're threats to Bell or anyone else on the Ark, then yes, this is my battle."

"Clarke, you don't understand how dangerous the Ice Nation can be. The Ice Queen, she doesn't show any mercy - especially with Skaikru." Lexa wasn't hiding her fear and it showed in her eyes and body language. It broke Clarke's heart.

"You know I cannot allow Octavia to go alone and you know she will go regardless of what you say. Bellamy is her family, no matter which clan she is a part of. Lexa," she pleads, tears brimming her eyelids with desperation, "I need to at least try and help Octavia find her brother. He's my friend as well."

Lexa clenched her jaw and tightened her lips while squaring her shoulders taller. "Fine-"

"Heda!" Indra hissed in outrage.

Lexa glared at her second in command and shook her head before throwing her attention back at Clarke. "You take Kiari with you. She knows hideouts and paths that others rarely follow. Kraven will also assist and I assume Lincoln is unwilling to leave Octavia's side."

Clarke nodded. "Mochof," she barely whispered.

Lexa stood there, getting lost in thought while staring at a sad-stricken Clarke. Whatever was happening was throwing her back in time to when she learned that the Ice Queen captured Costia and fear struck her hard. Hard because she already thought she had lost Clarke once and she'd be damned if she allowed it to happen again. Snapping out of her thoughts, Lexa spun around and held her head high. "I will be accompanying Clarke and Octavia this time."

"Wait, what? Lexa, no." Clarke barely had a chance to argue before the woman cut her off.

"Heda…" Indra warned and fear slashed across her face as well.

"You will get the warriors prepared to take watch over Polis and make sure the people know that it's just a precaution. We don't want them to panic just yet." Lexa ordered before ripping the shawl off of her and marching down to her own quarters.

Indra stared blankly at Clarke before muttering something in her native tongue and stomped away once again.

Clarke didn't give her a chance to wonder what had just happened. She made use of her time and changed into her Grounder clothes and pulled the leather hunting jacket back on before throwing a small pack together and taking off to Lexa's room.

"You can't come," was the first thing Clarke said as soon as Lexa opened the door.

"I am and you really don't have a say." Lexa closed the door behind Clarke, taking in her clothes. "You don't plan on sleeping tonight?"

"You think Octavia is going to sleep before taking off to find Bellamy?" Clarke asked and sighed before sitting on Lexa's bed. That was when she noticed the woman was getting dressed into her Commander gear, armour and all. "You need to stay here for your people," she whispered.

Lexa felt some tension leave her body at the concerned look of the woman in front of her. She knelt down in front of Clarke and cupped her face, bringing their foreheads together. "You are my people, too." She kissed her softly, allowing herself to get lost in a brief moment of weakness. "Indra is more than capable of making sure Polis is safe. Her voice is just as good as mine when I'm away. I trust Kiari and her tracking abilities. She'll make sure we get there safely."

Clarke swallowed and tried to hold back a sob but then the thought of Bellamy already dead somewhere at the hands of a Mountain Man, she couldn't hold it in. She felt as if it were her own fault.

Lexa pulled Clarke to her and kissed the side of her face, gently rubbing her back. "We will find him, together. I promised I'd fight battles along side you and you're right, he is your people. He is your friend and you have a right to save him. We'll find whoever it is that took him and we'll get Bellamy back to the Ark."

Kiari was unusually quiet beside Octavia as she kept alert while the others followed behind them. Kraven and Lincoln were bringing up the rear while Lexa and Clarke stayed in between.

"We should be nearing Rainy River area. We can stop briefly if you'd like to rest." Kiari suggested and glanced at the warrior beside her.

"No." Octavia grunted out roughly, her hand clutching at the hilt of her sword. "We need to find Bellamy as soon as possible."

Lincoln stepped forward and put a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder gently. "We will need energy as well, Octavia. Rest is essential and we've been on our feet all night." He looked toward the rising sun and sighed heavily when his hand was shrugged off.

Clarke sighed and pulled Lincoln back before taking his spot behind Octavia. "We will find Bell, O. I promise."

"What if he's already..." The sentence trailed off and Octavia shook her head before straightening her shoulders.

"Octavia," Lexa pressed herself between Kiari and the girl in question, "we will do everything we can to get your brother back. Let us reach Rainy River and if we can press forward then we will."

Octavia gave a nod but kept her face forward, "Mochof, Heda."

"We also have to be aware of the Ice Nation." Kiari murmured, her green eyes looking at Lexa with a slight eyebrow raise. She knew just how dangerous the Ice Nation could be and even though she fought a lot of them, she wasn't fond of running into them again.

They decided to move forward and forgo stopping in Rainy River for the time being. The adrenaline coursing through them allowed them to carry on a little further. Before long, the party of six found themselves entering familiar territory just as it hit midday.

There was a small clearing just a couple of miles before entering Tondc from a back pathway. Kiari scouted the area out before giving the okay for the others to follow. The surrounding areas were quiet and once they reached the village, there was no sign of life.

"Are you sure your trackers were right?" Clarke asked, finally allowing her shoulders to relax somewhat when there was no sign of danger.

"Maybe they're just paranoid." Octavia shrugged and opened a door to one of the main huts, only to find it empty. "The Ice Nation is still a threat but maybe they're not looking to take over here."

"Lykon said there was movement around this area, he didn't specify that it was anyone from Ice Nation clan." Lincoln pointed out reasonably.

Lexa wasn't one to take chances so she kept a death grip on the hilt of her sword while walking along side Clarke. "We can never be too careful."

"Shh." Kiari hushed them in a sudden stop, her eyes scouting out the far tree line before turning around and finding a brunette woman standing, more like clutching at a large tree, gun resting at ease to her side. She signaled for Kraven to raise his bow up and lock on the target. "Who are you?"

Clarke spun around and before she had a chance to react, Octavia yelled a 'don't shoot!' and rushed forward, pulling a timid-looking Raven into her arms. "Raven?" She asked in disbelief before following her friend's lead.

"You're alive." Raven stated, staring at Clarke before she slumped into her friend's arms, worn out and drained of all emotion.

Kiari and Lexa made their way over and watched as Clarke and Octavia laid the woman down on her back, her head resting in Octavia's lap.

"Raven kom Skaikru is no threat to us." Lexa stated when Kraven was still targeting the almost unconscious brunette. She placed her hand on the bow and tipped it away. "Go find some water," she ordered before kneeling down next to Clarke. "Is she okay?"

"I think she's dehydrated." Clarke muttered, her fingers tracing the lines of her friend's face. She looked so weak and Raven Reyes never showed weakness. "Why is she even out here alone?"

"Bellamy." Raven barely whispered.

Octavia ran her fingers through the messy hair splayed across her lap. "Did you see who took him?"

Raven nodded, swallowing, and her mouth dry. "Cage."

Clarke's eyes snapped up to Octavia's and a mutual rage flared through both of them. "Raven, do you know which way?"

"We should let her rest and then ask questions. Since we didn't stop in Rainy River to rest ourselves, this might be a great opportunity." Lincoln, always the reasonable one, suggested. "Come on O, let's get her into an actual bed of sorts." He bent over to carefully pick up Raven and made his way to one of the vacant huts, laying her down on a bed of furs and blankets.

"Heda," Kraven entered the hut and handed Lexa a flask of water.

"Beja." Lexa nodded and handed the object off to Octavia. "Clarke, a word?"

Clarke eyed up her friend who was now sitting up halfway to drink the water Octavia was providing. She caught Raven's eyes and smiled a little. "I'll be right back."

Stepping out, Clarke released some of the air she had been holding in. "After everything I've done and my friends are still getting picked off one by one."

"There will always be a battle to be fought. The world will repopulate and other clans will join in a war that has yet to exist just to have the upper hand. Isn't that how it worked before the nuclear warfare?" Lexa pondered, her hand itching to hold the blonde's in comfort.

"But it doesn't have to be that way!" Clarke shook her head in anger before she started to pace back and forth in front of Lexa. "We could live in a peaceful place. We could draw boundary lines if needed but still show respect. What is so hard about that?"

"Power consumes our souls, Clarke. To have power means you have control and once you have that, why would you want to give it up?" Lexa frowned when Clarke stepped back, looking at her with a furrowed brow.

"Is this why you strive on being the Commander?"

"I strive to be the best Commander so I can protect my people and my home. There is nothing beyond that." Lexa nearly hissed, taking offense. "But not everyone who has or can have power like that, sees it that way. It would be naive of you to think otherwise."

Clarke squinted her eyes at the woman before her. "Is there a reason you wanted to talk to me?"

"I was going to ask if you were okay." Lexa raised an eyebrow. "I can see that you're angry and you have every reason to be."

"How did Cage even escape?" Clarke sighed and looked up toward the cloudy sky. She could feel the bitter cold in the air and wished she was back in Polis with Lexa and her friends by her side.

"He won't be running for long." Lexa replied, her voice steady.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you." Clarke wrapped her arms around Lexa and nuzzled her neck.

"No apologies are necessary. I understand your current frustrations, Clarke." Lexa soothed quietly before pulling back and squeezing her hand. She could still feel the anger coming off Clarke in waves. The blonde was almost visibly shaking as blue eyes searched around the fallen village of Tondc and what was left of it.

Not sure how much time had went by, Clarke and Lexa stood beside each other in silence, lost in thoughts and plans.

Kiari cleared her throat and approached the couple, "Heda? Raven would like a word with you."

Lexa had to nudge Clarke to snap her out of her thoughts and pulled her toward the hut where Raven was resting.

"Hey Princess," Raven was sitting up with Octavia at the end of the bed, rubbing the brunette's feet that were in her lap, "good to see you alive and well."

"You too." Clarke sighed with a slight smile and fell onto the bed beside Raven, pulling her into a hug.

"I know you guys would much rather be out there looking for Bellamy so I'll cut to the chase," Raven took a deep breath before swallowing heavily, "Cage somehow made it out of the mountain and is very much alive, Emerson is also out there somewhere."

"I don't understand." Clarke muttered in frustration. "I thought…"

"You killed them all? No." Raven shook her head. "As far as I know, they're the only ones though but they have Bellamy. We were out on a hunt together and Cage attacked us out of nowhere. I have a crap leg if you hadn't noticed so they just left me in the woods and took off with him. I made it back to Camp Jaha and I told the Guard and your mom but they don't believe me that it was Cage or Emerson. They, especially Abby, believe that I was too out of it to know for sure and that the grounders are responsible."

"Of course." Octavia rolled her eyes before sliding off the bed. "Your mom can be a real-"

"I know." Clarke cut her off before focusing on Raven. "So have they started a search party? Grounders or not, you'd think they'd be out looking for him, right?"

"You're looking at the search party." Raven shrugged helplessly. "Kane was all for getting others to come but they wanted to wait and see if Grounders would attack first."

"We are not wandering around looking for a battle to be fought." Lexa finally spoke up. "I have scouts on the look out for danger but not of the Skaikru."

"Try telling Abby that." Raven shrugged and drank some more water while Octavia tugged her hunter jacket back on. "If you wait for a few more hours, I can accompany you."

"No." Octavia patted the woman's leg and squeezed it. "Just let us know where you saw them last and which way."

"Easy." Raven squared her jaw and swallowed heavily. "They were heading back towards Mount Weather."

"You know what?" Clarke got up and shook her head. "I'm going to blow that mountain up if it's the last thing I do."

Lexa nodded silently, stepping in next to the blonde. "We need to have a plan."

"Kiari," Clarke called the brunette forth and nodded toward Raven, "will you get Raven whatever she needs?"

"Of course, Heda." Kiari said eagerly and gave Raven a small smile. "What time should I be ready to accompany you?"

"You won't be coming." Clarke held up her hand when Kiari went to argue and Lexa hid a smirk of amusement and the blonde being authoritative. "I need you to stay here and keep Raven company and safe, okay? The Commander has reason to be concerned about the Ice Nation so we want to always be on the look out."

"I don't bite." Raven shrugged and patted the empty spot next to her on the bed. "We can keep each other warm by the fire and you can teach me some of your language."

Kiari eyed the brunette up with interest before looking back at Clarke getting her final approval. When the blonde nodded, Kiari made herself comfortable on the bed and quietly, officially, introduced herself to Raven.

"I'm going to find some food around here and then I'll be heading out." Octavia announced, leaving the hut before anyone could argue.

"Heda," Lincoln quietly approached her, "I can't tell Octavia what to do and I know she's going to leave regardless of who follows her. Kraven and I promise to keep her safe but I feel it's best if you stay behind and rest."

Clarke side eyed the two having a quiet conversation right next to her and for a brief moment, she didn't allow herself to worry because she figured Lexa would decline the offer and they'd all follow Octavia. But Lexa just nodded and Lincoln gave them a warm smile fore leaving the hut as well.

"I'm not staying behind." Clarke faced Lexa, frowning, "and you don't get to decide that for me."

"Clarke." Lexa stressed her name and dragged the woman out of the hut, away from prying ears and eyes. "It's only for a few hours. We'll have horses so catching up to them won't take very long."

"Lexa, I can't." Clarke nearly pleaded.

"Bellamy is with Cage and Emerson, I know. He's in danger and you want to be there for them but you need to rest for a few hours. Your eyes look sore and your footsteps are heavy. If we were facing a battle, do you trust yourself enough to win?" Lexa had a concerned look on her face and it wasn't of pity but of actual concern.

Clarke, in her heart, knew that Lexa was right. She was exhausted and her body felt heavy and her eyes were sore. She needed to rest but she didn't want to rest because then she'd feel like she was being selfish. Bellamy needed them to rescue him. He needed to know that they could still rely on her even if she felt she failed them by not killing Cage or Emerson along with the others.

"Come on," Lexa whispered gently and placed her hand at the small of Clarke's back, leading her across the broken village.

It had been weird to think that nearly twelve hours prior, Clarke was on her back and Lexa was making out with her on a beach during their first date. It had felt like a whole other lifetime with the way the days events were going.

Lexa's hut in Tondc was left untouched it seemed. The throne was still standing with an exceptional amount of dust gathering on it. Her bed was made and she watched as Clarke shook out the blankets, coughing as she did so. She sighed heavily and took off her cloak and shoulder armour. "Clarke?"

Clarke looked up from where she was and stopped what she was doing. She stood there staring at the brunette without a word, silently urging her to continue.

"We are seven miles from Camp Jaha. Do you wish to stop and see anyone on the way back?" She asked quietly, carefully approaching a quiet stewing blonde.

"No." Clarke huffed out, laying the blankets back down on the fur bed and tearing off her jacket. "We only have a few hours to sleep, we should do it now."

Lexa nodded silently and made work of taking her own jacket off and sliding into bed. She was surprised when Clarke immediately spooned her side, tucking her head under Lexa's chin. It was quiet except for the crickets out in the woods. Green eyes stared up at the ceiling of the hut, unblinking. Soft puffs of breath against her neck and collarbone were soothing but she could feel Clarke's eyelashes tickling her skin so she knew the blonde was still awake as well.

Clarke's hand gripped Lexa's hip before dipping under her tank top and tracing the smooth skin with her fingertips. "Lexa?" She finally whispered.

"Mm?" Came the soft reply, fingers threading through strands of blonde hair.

"Thank you for caring." Clarke lifted up on her elbow, a soft look on her face. "Not just for me but for Octavia and wanting to help get Bellamy back."

"Octavia is a warrior of mine. She's every bit a part of this clan as she is her own, same goes for you. Bellamy is her brother and I know how important he is to her." Lexa softly whispered. "If something has happened to him, we will make the remaining Mountain Men pay. Blood must have blood."

Clarke watched those stormy green eyes turn darker. She nodded silently and allowed Lexa to pull her back down but sleep wasn't going to come easy for either of them.

They had manage to grab a couple of hours of sleep before Clarke jerked awake, remembering that she was needed. She gently crawled out of Lexa's grasp and started to gear up quietly. It took Lexa a few moments to hear the rustling around the hut and immediately followed Clarke in getting her armour on.

"Heda?" Kiari whispered into the middle of the night as Clarke and Lexa got their horses ready. "Are you sure you want me to stay behind?"

Clarke looked at Lexa but was given the notion that it was up to her if she'd want her warrior to accompany them or stay behind with Raven until they got back. "Sha." The blonde nodded and inched closer to Kiari. "Raven will be fine, she just needs some more rest and fluids to hydrate her. I need you to keep an eye on her so she doesn't do something stupid like follow us and get herself killed. Please, stay behind and watch out for her?"

"Of course." Kiari nodded without hesitating and looked back toward the hut where the brunette was currently sleeping. "She mentioned wanting to go back to Camp Jaha when she's feeling better."

Lexa stepped forward with a shake of her head. "You must stay here, Kiari. The Skaikru won't take lightly to seeing a grounder anywhere near their territory if they strongly believe we are to blame for Bellamy's disappearance, understand?"

"I do." Kiari nodded her head and gave Clarke a quick hug. "Be safe, beja?"

"We will." Clarke smiled a little before placing a kiss on the side of Kiari's head and then taking Lexa's hand, dragging her back to the horses.