The First On The Ground

Remember Me

(AUGUST POV)

In Lexa's tent, Clarke sits in front of Lexa's throne as she stares at her blood-soaked hand before she starts crying and scrubbing it. I stand near the entrance, unsure of what to do because of how shocked I am. I want to cry but with Clarke being a mess, I know that I need to be the strong one. Abby then walks in with a quick glance at me before rushing over to Clarke.
"Let me," Abby says as she grabs Clarke's hand and starts cleaning it.
"They would've tortured him. I had to," Clarke says as she cries.
"It's okay. It's okay," Abby says as she pulls Clarke into a hug. Kane walks into the tent and looks over at me. Soon I'm not able to control my emotions and feel tears start to feel my eyes. Kane wraps me in a hug and right then he is the father that I need him to be. I hug him back as a few stray tears roll down my cheeks.
"I had to," Clarke repeats.
"It's okay," Abby says.
"What did I do?" Clarke asks as she slightly pulls away from Abby. Gustus walks in and I pull away from my father and wipe the stray tears away. My father looks down at me worriedly and I give him a small smile to reassure him that I am okay.
"The commander is ready to talk," Gustus announces. Clarke fully pulls away from Abby and wipes her tears. I nod at Gustus and he opens the tent flap. Lexa and Indra walk into the tent. Lexa sits on her throne while Gustus and Indra stand at her sides. Clarke and I go to stand in front of Lexa.
"Blood has answered blood. Some on my side say that's not enough. They wanted the murderer to suffer as our tradition demands, but they do not know that your suffering will be worse. What you did tonight will haunt you until the end of your days. Still, there will be restitution. The body will be given to the people of TonDC, murderer and murdered joined by fire. Only then can we have peace," Lexa explains.
"No. No. We've done enough. The boy should be buried by his own people," My father says as he walks forward a little.
"Enough?" Indra asks with a glare. "We were owed the pain of 18 deaths. We were owed our righteous kill. My village deserves justice."
"You don't want justice. You want vengeance," Abby argues.
"You have not seen my vengeance," Indra states.
"We'll do it," Clarke agrees.
"But when it's over, we talk about how to get our people out of Mount Weather," I state the terms.
"All of our people," Clarke adds in agreement.
"We want the same things, Clarke and August," Lexa says.
"Good. When do we leave?" I ask because I really wanted to be away from the grounders. I also really wanted a hug from Bellamy.
"Now. Choose your attendants," Lexa answers as she stands and leaves with Gustus and Indra following her.
"Clarke, you don't have to do this," Abby says as Clarke and I turn to leave.
"Yes, I do. If this truce doesn't hold, I killed Finn for nothing," Clarke explains before she leaves the tent.
"Clarke is right. We need to do this. Peace with the Grounders is the only way we'll survive," I explain. My father nods in agreement before I leave the tent. I find Clarke looking over at Finn's body where Raven is sitting. Clarke and I walk over to Finn's body where Raven is sitting by his head.
"Go away," Raven says realizing that we walked up to her.
"Raven, I'm sorry," Clarke apologizes.
"I said, go away!" Raven yells as she gets up and walks over to Clarke. My heart aches for my friend. She lost part of her family, her first love, and her best friend.
"I know how hard this must be for you, but I'm leaving with the Grounders, and I need you to keep working on the radio," Clarke explains and I send her a glare.
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Raven questions as two grounders grab Finn's body.
"They need to take him now," Clarke answers as she grabs Raven's arm.
"Like hell, they do, get off," Raven says as she roughly shakes Clarke off.
"Give us a minute, please," I say to the grounders and they walk a few steps away.
"Raven," Clarke tries.
"You agreed to this?" Raven asks me with a glare.
"We had no choice," I answer her sadly as I hang my head. I see Raven nod her head slightly as if she accepted my answer.
"We're taking him back to the village where the massacre took place," Clarke tells her.
"There's a death ritual. It's the only way to get our people out of Mount Weather," I explain to her.
"Then I'm coming, too, and don't worry I'll bring your damn radio," Raven says before she wraps an arm around my waist and we walk back to camp.
"I'm sorry this happened. It's all my fault. If only I had been able to stop him," I say.
"I don't blame you. You're some of the only family that I have left from the Ark. Don't blame yourself," Raven says before I give her a hug. Raven then goes to get the radio ready to leave. I walk to my room and hope that Bellamy comes to find me. My hopes are answered when the door opens a few minutes later. My back is facing him and when I turn to look at him, I feel myself finally break. Tears run down my cheeks as I cry. Bellamy quickly sets his gun down before rushing over and wrapping me in a hug. He rocks us back and forth as I cry. About ten minutes later I finally stop crying and pull away from him. He places a kiss on my forehead.
"We need to go," I say as I start packing my stuff and put my sword back on my back. We leave the room hand in hand before going to find Clarke and Raven. After Clarke picked who was going to TonDC, we started making our way there. Raven rides on the wagon with Finn's body while I walk beside Bellamy with Clarke just in front of us. I see Clarke stop and stare into the trees as if she had seen a ghost.
"Hey, you doing all right?" I ask her as Bellamy and I catch up with her.
"Yeah," Clarke answers.
"You did the right thing," Bellamy tells her.
"Now I get to live with it. You both still think this truce is a bad idea, don't you?" Clarke asks us. I think there are so many pros and cons to the truce that I'm not entirely sure about it.
"I think we're wasting time with politics while our friends are in trouble," Bellamy answers her.
"We need their army to get to Mount Weather, Bellamy. August, you know it too," Clarke says.
"Their army has been getting their ass kicked by Mount Weather forever," I explain to her.
"What we need is an inside man, someone to be our eyes and ears," Bellamy says. Is he crazy? I just got him back.
"No. Forget it," I say as I shake my head no.
"It's too dangerous," Clarke agrees.
"Clarke, if you can make it out, I can make it in," Bellamy argues.
"We said no," I argue stubbornly.
"Since I don't take orders from either you, I'm gonna need a better reason," Bellamy argues back.
"I can't lose you, too, okay?" Clarke says and Bellamy nods before she walks ahead.
"I just got you back. The only way I'll say yes is if you let me go with you and we both know that you would never allow it," I explain to him.
"I won't go. I promise," Bellamy says as he pulls me into a side hug and presses a kiss to my temple.
"I wish people would stop making promises. Here, you never know when they may break," I tell him before giving him a kiss on the cheek. I squeeze his hand in comfort. When it became dark we stopped for the night. The grounders set up camp on one side and the people of the ark on the other side. Clarke and I set our stuff up right in the middle of both groups. We need to start trusting each other if this truce is going to work.
"August, Clarke, it's safer on our side," Bellamy says as he walks over.
"We need to trust them, Bellamy," Clarke says as we sit down.
"There are no more sides," I tell him before Clarke and I lay down. Bellamy then sets his things down beside me before lying down next to me and wrapping an arm around my waist. The next morning we make it to Tondc. A grounder walks forward with a basket.
"Weapons," Gustus orders.
"We need to disarm before we enter," Lincoln explains as he puts his weapons in the basket. Clarke and I follow his lead. I even put my sias in the basket. Bellamy then gives up his gun followed by my father. Gustus searches Raven finding several knives.
"Heda! Em klir," Gustus says as he lets Lexa know that we are all clear of our weapons. We all enter and the grounders start shouting and complaining about us. A grounder comes forward and starts complaining to Lexa. Gustus starts beating him to make a point.
"Commander, stop him. Please. They'll blame us for this, too," Clarke says as she walks up to Lexa. Lexa stops Gustus.
"The Sky People march with us now. Anyone who tries to stop that will pay with their life. Skaikru ste gouthru ona ai bana nau. Du biliaik trana kot daun daun na kof em sonoraun op," Lexa explains to the grounders. We then continue forward.
"Warm welcome," Bellamy states and I nudge his arm with a small smile. The grounders stacked logs before putting Finn's body on top.
"Kru kom Tondisi, raun faya, oso woda kiln laudnes-de kom foutaim," Lexa says.
"'People of Tondc, in fire, we cleanse the pain of the past.'" Lincoln recites what Lexa says for Abby, Clarke, Bellamy, my father, and Raven to know what she is saying.
"Clarke," Lexa says as she hands a stick with fire on it to Clarke. Clarke then touches the fire to the wood.
"Yu gonplei ste odon," Clarke and I say at the same time as I wrap my arm around Raven as my friend cries. Bellamy, Clarke, Raven, Abby, my father, and I all enter a room where Lexa, Indra, Gustus, Lincoln, and Octavia are waiting with food. Clarke stands across the table from Lexa. I stand beside her and across from Gustus. Abby and Kane stand on the other side of Clarke. Bellamy stands beside me with Raven beside him.
"Please accept this gift, Commander. We drink this on special occasions. I believe this qualifies," My father explains as he holds out a bottle of liquor to Lexa. Lexa nods and Gustus reaches forward. My father hands the liquor to Gustus who hands it to Lexa.
"Thank you, Marcus of the Sky People," Lexa says.
"You're welcome, Lexa Kom trikru. Just don't drink too much of it," My father says.
"August, Clarke, let us drink together," Lexa announces.
"It would be our pleasure," Clarke agrees as I nod. A grounder hands Gustus three glasses. Gustus sets them on the table. Lexa then pours the liquor into the glasses. Lexa hands me and Clarke each a glass before picking up her own.
"Heda, allow me," Gustus says. Lexa hands him her glass and he takes a drink before handing it back to Lexa.
"Tonight we celebrate our newfound peace. Tomorrow we plan our war. To those we've lost and to those we shall soon find," Lexa toasts before me, Clarke and Lexa raise our glasses. Before we are able to take a drink Gustus falls forward before failing around. Bellamy knocks my drink out of my hand.
"Poison," I say as I recognize the symptoms. I quickly knock Clarke's drink out of her hand.
"It was the Sky People," Indra accuses.
"This wasn't us. You have to know this wasn't us," Clarke argues as she looks o Lexa. The grounders start searching us. "No. No. No. We didn't do this."
"Gustus warned me about you, but I didn't listen," Lexa says angrily.
"Lexa, please," Clarke tries.
"Tell me something, Clarke. When you plunged the knife into the heart of the boy you loved, did you not wish that it was mine?" Lexa asks.
"Heda," A grounder says as he pulls a small vial from Raven's jacket.
"That's not mine. I'm telling you, that's not mine. He put it there when he searched me," Raven explains. The grounder hands the vial to Lexa.
"No Sky person leaves this room," Lexa orders. The grounders left the room leaving guards at the door. I stand beside Raven protectively when Clarke walks over to us.
"Raven I need to know the truth," Clarke says and I send her a glare.
"I'd step back if I was you," Raven states angrily.
"Clarke, leave it alone," I tell her with a glare.
"You wanted me to kill Lexa yesterday. If you tried to poison her, I need to know," Clarke says. Raven turns and punches Clarke in the face.
"You're the only murderer here," Raven yells at her. Clarke looks over at the gate and freezes as if she sees a ghost.
"Leave me alone. You gave me no choice. Why did you turn yourself in?" Clarke says as she stares into space by the gate before she goes and sits down. Abby goes to talk with her. I stay near Raven and start pacing. I think about how all of this could have been prevented if I hadn't let Finn get away from me.
"Hey," Bellamy says as he grabs my arm making me stop and look at him. "Are you okay?"
"It's all my fault," I say as I shake my head. "If I would have been paying attention Finn never would have been able to turn himself in. He probably would still be alive."
"It's not your fault. Nobody here blames you. You need to stop blaming yourself. Finn made his choice and hurt you in the process. It's definitely not your fault, okay?" Bellamy says.
"Okay," I say nodding my head and feeling a little better. Bellamy pulls me into a hug and presses a kiss to my forehead. After Abby and Clarke quit talking, I go to sit by Clarke. My father joins us not long after.
"Tearing each other and yourself apart isn't a way to get through this. Lexa needs this alliance just as much as we do. She's shown herself to be flexible. She listens to you both," My father tries to reason.
"She thinks we tried to kill her," I tell him.
"But we know we didn't. So let's figure out who did. Who would want her dead?" My father asks.
"Too many to count. Forming an alliance with you was a risk, especially after what Finn did to this village," Lincoln answers.
"So it had to be someone trying to break the alliance," Octavia says. There is a noise near the gate and I immediately go to stand beside Raven. Nyko, Indra, and another grounder walk in through the gate.
"How's Gustus?" Lincoln asks Nyko.
"Gustus will live," Nyko answers.
"Teik em we," Indra orders the grounder that came in the room and one from the gate. They are here to take Raven. I can't let that happen. I already let Finn get killed.
"Wait. Wait," My father tries as the two grounders walk forward. My father stands in front of Raven and me. The grounders continue forward.
"What are you doing?" Bellamy asks as he stands in front of me and Raven protectively.
"She didn't poison anyone," I state as I move Raven behind me.
"I argued for all of you to die, but the commander is merciful. She wants only one," Indra explains. Well, if she only wants one then she can have me.
"She's innocent," Lincoln argues.
"I don't care. They move, they bleed," Indra orders another grounder.
"Hey, hey, stop," Octavia says as a grounder grabs Raven.
"Let her go," I order as I punch the grounder in the face. I turn towards Indra. "You said she only wants one?" Indra nods her head. "Take me because if you want her you'll have to kill me anyways." Indra thinks for a moment before she nods to the grounders who then grab me.
"No. Let her go," Bellamy argues and goes running forward but my father holds him back.
"The rest of you are free. When she's dead, so is the alliance. You should run," Indra says as walks out after the grounders and me. I just hope that they can figure something out before I die.
"She's not the one," Lexa says to Indra when she sees me.
"Why waste two lives when you only want one?" I ask her and she nods in understanding. I am tied to a post with my arms above my head. I see Bellamy, Octavia, Lincoln, and my father come outside.
"I take no joy in this, August. But this time, justice will be done," Lexa tells me.
"She didn't do it. How is that justice?" I ask her. Lexa raises her knife to my arm. Lexa then cuts my arm and I feel my face contort as I hold back a scream. I look at my arm and see that it is not bleeding yet. Indra walks forward with her knife. She raises my shirt showing the scar from where Tristan stabbed me and Murphy shot me, along with the tattoo. I see the anger flare in Indra's eyes.
"You die for nothing," Indra says.
"I die for my people. I bare it so they don't have to," I snarl at her. She cuts me across my stomach slowly. I let out a sharp gasp but don't scream, because I know that I do not need to show weakness. I finally start to bleed and the grounders start gasping and murmuring natblida. Night blood. Grounders continue to cut me and I have to start grunting to keep from screaming out. I look up to see Clarke then run outside.
"Clarke, stop. What are you doing? You'll get yourself killed," Bellamy tells her as she rushes forward.
"I need that bottle now," Clarke tells Nyko. Nyko goes to get the liquor while Clarke walks forward but grounders stop her.
"Stop," Clarke yells as another grounder walks up to me.
"Let her pass!" Lexa orders and the grounders let Clarke through.
"One of your people tried to kill you, Lexa, not one of mine," Clarke explains and I let out a sigh of relief that Clarke figured something out. Abby and Bellamy walk forward as well.
"You should've run," Indra tells them.
"I can prove it," Clarke says as she holds her hand out for Nyko to give her the bottle. Nyko hands her the bottle and she chugs some of the liquor. Nothing happens to her.
"Explain," Lexa says shocked.
"The poison wasn't in the bottle. It was in the cup," Clarke explains.
"Dison feikau, Heda. Nou ge ponk klin," Gustus says to Lexa. A trick, my ass. We didn't do it so of course she isn't being fooled. It was probably you who did it, I think.
"It was you. He tested the cup. He searched Raven," Bellamy accuses. I guess I wasn't wrong.
"Gustus would never harm me," Lexa argues.
"You weren't the target. The alliance was," Bellamy explains as he keeps glancing at me as if I would die at any second.
"We didn't do this, and you know it," Clarke says.
"Yu don ge finga au, Gostos. Ron ai ridiyo op," Lexa orders Gustus to speak the truth.
"This alliance would cost you your life, Heda. I could not let that happen," Gustus explains.
"This treachery will cost you yours. Teik em set raun ona tri," Lexa says. He's to take my place on the tree. Bellamy and my father run forward to catch me as the grounders cut my ropes.