Wanheda - A Clexa Fanfiction

Chapter 2

Clarke could no longer bear the hostile glances she was receiving from the Grounders inside the room.
Once a woman had approached her and had warned her. The woman was grateful for what Clarke had done at Mount Weather. The Commandant had freed the Grounders, including the woman's son, but thanks to Wanheda, the Mountain Men would no longer be a threat. The woman informed Clarke of the legend that circulated about her, that the Grounders believed that she concealed the power of Wanheda, and that the Clan Commanders would have done anything to find her and kill her, in order to gain her enormous power. Clarke had reacted with a bitter laugh. She found it ironic that the Grounders saw her as the Commander of Death, because that nickname represented everything Clarke had felt guilty of ever since she pulled that lever. Deciding who had to live and who had to die... Clarke never wanted any of that, she simply had no choice. Clarke knew that, but despite this, she would never be able to forgive herself for what she had done, for all the innocent lives she had broken. At first Clarke had thought that Wanheda's was just one of the stupid stories that old people tell children, she had not even thought that someone could really want to kidnap and kill her in order to take her power. And yet, since the old woman had made her aware of the stories circulating about her, Clarke had begun to realize that wherever she went, she was followed by looks, whispers, and glances that did not bode well. From that moment on, Clarke had begun to be afraid. It had already happened that they tried to kidnap her, but fortunately for her it was simply peasants, or villagers who wanted to sell her for a few pennies. Clarke had always managed to escape, she had also learned that sometimes it was enough to offer them a few coins, and they would have left her alone. But it was clear that Clarke was never safe. One day one of the Clan Commanders would have been able to take her and then kill her, it was only a matter of time.
Going back to Arkadia was out of the question, it would have only endangered her family and friends, and seeing her people would have reminded her every day what she had done to save them all.
Lexa had once asked Clarke to come with her to the Capital. Needless to say, even this hypothesis was out of the question. Lexa had already cheated on her once, it wouldn't have cost her anything to do it again. Perhaps she would have killed her to gain her power, sold her or traded her for some arrangement with other clan commanders. Besides, seeing Lexa was the last thing Clarke wanted in the world. Rather, she would have preferred to be captured, killed or devoured by some beast in the forest during her sleep. The only option left to her was therefore to go from village to village, careful to remain discreet and not to attract attention, earning a living day by day and hoping not to be kidnapped.
...
The looks inside the emporium had become too insistent for her taste. Without haste she went to the door and went out of the room into the darkness of the night. It had stopped raining, at least she wouldn't have needed to look for a cave in which she could sleep. She set off for the forest, thinking about her mother and her friends. Were worried about her? Probably her mother had sent men looking for her everywhere. She smiled bitterly at the thought; she hated the thought of making her mother suffer. Who knows if she would ever see her again.
All of a sudden darkness fell before her eyes. She felt a strong grip that held her arms and held her steady by her head, covered by a cloth sack. She tried to scream, but the stranger was faster. Clarke felt a dry blow at the base of her skull, and her senses gradually faded until they vanished altogether.
...
She could smell a strong stench...what was it? It looked like manure, maybe it was...a horse? She opened her eyes but she couldn't see anything. Her head was spinning, and she soon understood why. Wherever she was, she was moving, resting her head downwards. She tried to move, but her hands and feet were bound. She tried to speak, but all that came out of her mouth was a sound something like:
-"Mffh, mffmh! Mh..."
Suddenly they weren't moving. Clarke heard a dry sound of feet touching the ground, then felt herself rise from her hips and fall to the ground with a deaf thud. The stranger pulled the sack out of her head. Of instinct Clarke winked, not accustomed to the blinding light of the sun after all the hours spent in the dark. In front of her there was a figure standing, it had to be a man, tall and massive that looked at her from above. Clarke noticed that the man was grinning.
-"Good morning, Wanheda."
Clarke mumbled again before the coarse hands of the man removed from her mouth the gag that prevented her from speaking.
She felt a strong metallic taste. She must have bitten her tongue in an attempt to prevent the kidnapper from gagging her. She returned to watch the kidnapper, who was now watching her amused.
-"Who are you? What do you want?"
-"You don't have to care about that, Wanheda. The important thing is, I know who you are, and who wants you." - Answered the man with an amused grin painted on his face.
-"Where are you taking me?"
-"To Azgeda, in front of the Queen of the Ice Nation."
Clarke shuddered. The moment she had feared at the end had arrived.
-"She'll kill me, won't she?"
-"Queen Nia will make out of you what she wants, now get up on your feet, it's time to get back on the road."
The man put her up and put her back on horseback.
...
Clarke didn't know how long they'd been marching. She only knew that the constant going up and down of the horse's course and her far from comfortable position would not be more bearable if the kidnapper had not stopped soon. Luckily for her, after a few minutes the man stopped the march with a stretch of bridle and dismounted from the horse. Clarke felt raised again from the hips, but this time the man did not throw her on the ground - luckily for Clarke, her limbs would not react well otherwise, of that she was certain -.
The man pulled the sack away from her head, and Clarke could see that it was night. She raised her head. The sky was black as ebony and studded with stars so bright that they remembered her of precious gems. Clarke sighed whit melancholy. Probably that starry sky would have been one of the last she would have seen, if not the last. She turned. The man was setting up stones and wooden stumps to light a bonfire.
- Great, maybe he's going to give me something to eat - thought Clarke. She turned around again to look at the man. He was hunched over the pile of stumps, intent on blowing on a tuft of steaming straw, hoping that they would catch fire. He wasn't paying any attention to her.
- Now or never again.
Clarke tried to get away, moving as quietly as possible as the laces around her hands and feet allowed her to. The man kept not paying attention to her. Hope began to grow in Clarke, who decided to move a little faster.
...
A dry thud resounded behind the man, who immediately pulled out the dagger that he kept tied to his side and turned with a leap. When he saw what was before him, he threw the dagger to the ground and laughed loudly. Clarke was about twenty meters from him, lying on the ground, struggling with the laces that shook her feet and hands, mumbling incomprehensible words because of the gag that squeezed between her teeth.
Without ceasing to laugh, the man came closer to her and knelt beside her, looking at her. The terrible Wanheda...
Roan did not believe that legend. He had captured Clarke only because his mother, the queen of Azgeda, had ordered him to. He did not care at all about Wanheda's enormous power, and if before he had any doubt about the truth behind that legend, watching Clarke had dissipated every doubt. Clarke gave him tenderness. After all, she was just a little girl who somehow managed to kill the Mountain Men, and now she had hordes of men after her who wanted to capture and kill her to gain her power.
- "Come on, come on."
Rohan helped Clarke stand up and led her to the bonfire which had meanwhile lit with a bright and crackling flame. He helped her sit on the ground and took the gag out of her mouth. He offered her fruit and meat which he had roasted on the fire, and watched her eat.
-"I am Roan, Prince of Azgeda."
Clarke spit on the ground.
-"May you die Roan, Prince of Azgeda."
Roan looked at her amused.
-"It seems that the princess here is in a bad mood. Not that I can blame you..."
Clarke gave the man a look full of hate.
-"Look, I want you to know that it's nothing personal. I don't know you and I don't believe in Wanheda's story. Or rather, I think you were very brave at Mount Weather, and the fact that you managed to do what no one before you had done... I would say that the name Wanheda suits you...but killing you to inherit your power? It seems unlikely to me."
Clarke was annoyed by the words of the man. Was it possible that he could not at least give her peace? Did he really have to remind her what she had done, which was her worst nightmare? Wasn't it enough that he kidnapped her to lead her to her death?
-"Well...if you don't believe in it, you can free me."
Roan laughed.
-"I wish I could. Unfortunately, I am acting by order of the Queen of Azgeda."
- "She's your mother. Maybe you're old enough to start rebelling a little, don't you think? Or is your mother so good to you that only the thought of disobeying her hurts you?"
Clarke looked at Roan with a mocking look. Roan smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. He certainly wasn't following his mother's orders for her own sake. Nia had never been a mother to Roan, she had always tried to get the most from him without ever giving in return even a shred of gratitude, approval...or love. Then why did he obey her orders? Was it because sh was his queen? Was it to remain faithful to his people? In Azgeda Roan was hated by everyone, even by his mother. The reason was that he had often supported Commander Lexa's decisions, when between Lexa and Queen Nia had always been bad blood. Roan was therefore seen as a traitor, and his mother had repudiated him from the kingdom. Kidnapping Wanheda for her was a redemption offering that Nia had made to Roan. If he had captured her, the queen would have welcomed him back to Azgeda, and his betrayal would've been forgotten.
But did Roan really need to be forgiven? Did he really feel guilty about what his ideals were? Did he really feel part of his people?
He stood up and put out the fire.
- "Come on, Wanheda, it's time to get back on the road. Azgeda is still far away."
...
The sun had just risen, but Lexa was already standing, dressed and wearing her weapons on for a while.
After the dream she had had, she wasn't able to close her eyes again at all. It happened to her almost every night to dream of killing Clarke. That bloody dagger represented her betrayal, Lexa knew it. The first time the dream had upset her particularly, then, time after time, she had made the habit to it. That night, however, seeing Clarke's face twitching in horror at what Lexa had done to her had upset her more than ever. Lexa knew why. Clarke was in danger, and the thought that something bad might happen to Clarke did not give her peace. She hurried out of the room and out of the palace at the crack of dawn. She wore a black cloak with a large hood to hide her face. She usually loved to walk among her people, to be acclaimed by them, to see the signs of their approval and love. But this time it was better that no one recognized her. She didn't want anyone to know that she was sending an expedition to find Wanheda, she didn't want the other clan commanders to see her as a threat. At the perilhery of the city she found Indra and some men on horseback waiting for her. Indra had served her since her ascension when she was only sixteen. She had always been loyal to her and had always supported her in her decisions. Lexa trusted her, moreover Indra was one of her most skillful warriors. Along with her were Indra's most trusted men and her second, Octavia Blake. The men greeted their commander, and Lexa responded with a nod of her head. Indra got on her horse.
- "We're ready, Heda."
Lexa nodded and the expedition was ready to depart when a man reached them trotting on horseback. He got down from his horse, the expression painted on his face did not promise anything good.
-"Heda, Azgeda has captured Wanheda. We are too late."