The Lost Grounder

Chapter 7

     The cell door swung open,

"Artemis you need to come with me" Bellamy said. She quickly got to her feet,

"what's wrong?" She asked as she ran towards him.

"Clarke is going to talk to the Commander and she wants you to be there."

"Why not you?" She asked curiously. Bellamy seemed like the better choice, he would be able to keep Clarke safe and he knew his people better than she did.

"Because I'll be no use. You know the Grounders, you speak their language. You can help her in there, all I can do is get her out if something goes wrong." Artemis nodded seeing sense in why Clarke wanted her.

"Has the council agreed to this?" Bellamy shook his head,

"that's why we need to leave quickly." She nodded and left with him, she knew she would get in trouble but she trusted Bellamy and Clarke. And Clarke needed help and Artemis was willing to go to any length to help her.

Clarke and Artemis were escorted by a group of four Grounders from Camp Jaha to the leader's tent.

"Only she enters" Gustus snarled to Artemis. Artemis looked to Clarke who nodded,

"it will be fine, stay here." Artemis nodded and stood beside the Grounders watching as Clarke stepped inside the tent.

Artemis waited anxiously, her hand ready to go to her bow if something happened to Clarke. She sighed with relief when Clarke emerged from the tent. They exchanged a smile before Indra and Lexa.

"Natrona." Indra snarled her hand resting on the pummel of her sword. Artemis knew that it was a natural position for Indra's hand but it did nothing to relax her.

"I did what had to be done" Artemis replied calmly.

"You burned three hundred of our own."

"I couldn't let you kill Clarke" she said as if it could justify what she had done.

"Jus drein jus daun." She muttered to Artemis.

"Em pleni!" Lexa said firmly. "What's done is done." Indra's eyes remained fixed on Artemis as they walked to the dropship. Artemis would glance to her every so often to try and prove that she was only imagining Indra's deathly glare but each time she was only proved wrong.

Lexa had made it clear that the truce would only start once they had Finn, leaving Clarke with a moral dilemma. They needed this alliance but she couldn't give Finn to them, not after everything they'd been through. Though Finn made his mind up and gave himself to the Grounders, now all that was left for Clarke to do was to say goodbye.

She sat on a bed frantically trying to scrub the blood off her hands, tears streaming down her face.

"Clarke?" Artemis said as she walked into the tent. Clarke didn't pay her any attention, just kept scrubbing. "Clarke it will be alright" she said softly crouching down in front of her.

"They were going to torture him-I had to" she sobbed.

"I know you did" she said hugging Clarke tightly.

"I had to" Clarke chanted over and over again trying to convince herself that she had no choice, as Kane and Abby entered the tent.

"The commander is ready to talk." Gustus announced as he entered the tent. Clarke nodded and quickly wiped away her tears with her hands and rose to her feet, standing firmly beside Artemis. Lexa entered the tent and took her place on her chair, Indra falling into place on her left side with Gustus on her right.