Regina(On Hold) // The 100

012

Clarke and I sat silently by the fire across from Anya. Our hands were both bound tightly, and my knife had been taken. Clarke glowered at Anya but refused to say what was on her mind. After a while, Anya spoke. "What you said when Tris died, it was beautiful. Where'd you get it?"

I didn't know if I wanted to answer her question, but it felt too quiet for me not to speak. "My dad said it to my mom when she died." I finally looked Anya in the eye. "You may think I don't, but I do know what it's like to lose someone close."

Anya looked up at me but didn't say anything. We fell into an awkward silence until a twig snapped and the horses started stirring.

"Your left flank is vulnerable," a male voice said. We turned to look at the dark-skinned man who intruded the area. Grounders immediately rose and unsheathed their weapons.

"My archers are in the trees with orders to kill anyone hostile," Anya warned. "You're not hostile, are you, Tristan?"

Tristan came down from the high point he appeared from and walked straight to Clarke. She tried to back up, but she didn't have much movement because she was chained up. "So this is who's beating you?" Tristan asked as he studied Clarke. He seemed amazed that someone like her kept her people alive this long.

"Who are you?" Clarke questioned.

"I'm the man sent to slaughter your people."

"The commander sent you?" Anya asked him. Of course Lexa would send him.

"Your unit is mine now," Tristan told the Trikru leader. He turned to the rest of the Grounders and said, "My rangers are hungry. They're at the river. Go feed them." Four members of the group left for the river. Anya had her back to Tristan. "We march on the invaders' camp at first light. I'll make quick work of what you failed to do, starting with this one." Tristan stared at Clarke. "And Heda wants a word with Fragheda after it is done."

Tristan pulled out his knife, but before he even took one step, someone yelled, "Anya, look! Over there!" We look in the direction he was pointing to see a bright light coming from another mountain.

"A signal fire," Anya said. She and Tristan walked toward the edge of the hill we were on, and Clarke and I began using the fire and some rocks to cut through our ropes. "Let them know we see it." A Grounder ran to a tall wood pile and lit it with a torch. "I'll send my fastest rider to warn the commander."

"No," Tristan protested. "There is no time. Kill the prisoner, bring Fragheda to the river."

Tristan walked back to his horse and a masked Grounder approached Anya. "Is the boy dead?" she asked. The Grounder nodded. "Good. Kill the girl, then catch up. Leave Fragheda alive. We need to bring her to the commander."

Anya led the rest of her group away, and the masked Grounder approached Clarke. She tried to move away, but the Grounder grabbed her chains and pulled her back.

Clarke lied motionless on the ground, having been knocked out with the impact to the rocks below her, and the Grounder approached her with a knife. "Stop!" I begged. "No!" Once everyone else was out of sight, he put his weapon away and grabbed the reins of two horses that had been left.

"Fragheda, come with me," the guy said, and I recognized his voice.

"Lincoln?"

"Shh!" he immediately said. He picked up Clarke and put her on one of the horses. He climbed on behind her and motioned to the other one. "Hurry before they come back." I climbed on, and the two horses turned away from the river and left the area.

I kept glancing at Clarke even after Lincoln assured me that she was fine. We just needed to leave. Lincoln was the only Grounder that knew what I did to the previous commander but still trusted me. He was quick to forgive my actions, and he would do anything to keep me and my sister safe. Lincoln knew that I didn't want to kill Lexa, too. But if I was brought to Polis, that would be the outcome.