The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 105

Lexa takes a deep breath as she stands on the Skaikru border/wall next to me. I hold out my hand subtly in case she doesn't want a public display of affection. She takes my hand and squeezes it gently, not letting go.

Most of the crowd has already quieted when they noticed Lexa and I standing up here. They go silent when Lexa holds up her hand. I have to admit, it never fails to impress me, the way she commands everyone effortlessly.

"For those of you who may not know, I am Lexa kom Trikru. I am the Heda, the Commander of the Twelve Clans that inhabit the ground. People of the Ark, my people are starting to build a place nearby for you all to stay temporarily while we help you build a more permanent home. Clarke had the idea of building it into one of the stations that fell."

Lexa nods to me and I step forward to speak. "I am Clarke Griffin and though I used to live on the Ark, I have been down here longer than any of you. I'm sure all of you have heard an abridged version of my story and I won't bore you with the details." I pause for a quick moment to gather my thoughts. "Life on the ground isn't easy. But it wasn't exactly easy on the Ark either, we can all attest to that. And we survived that. Down here, working together with the Grounders, we might be able to live instead of just surviving."

Murmurs go up in the crowd, mostly sounding positive and they continue until Lexa steps forward. The ArkKru eye her with suspicion.

"How do we know you won't betray us?" A man asks.

I vaguely recognize him as someone from the Ark's guard. I'm relieved to see that he seems unarmed. The fact I don't remember his name tells me that he was one of the rude, angry guards I would avoid on the Ark.

"I can give you my word," Lexa says and the man scoffs. "But I know that is not enough for some. You will just have to trust me. If you cannot do that, trust Clarke or her mother."

"And how would they know better than the rest of us? Clarke may have been around you for a few months, but that doesn't mean she knows you well enough to be able to know you won't turn your backs on us."

The murmurs are louder now and I resist the urge to shout at them that I know Lexa better than they think, that I am dating her. But Lexa and I haven't talked about whether or not we're okay with the ArkKru knowing we are together. Pretty much all of Skaikru and the clans know about or at the least suspect our relationship but we haven't discussed the ArkKru. We are holding hands right now, however.

Lexa turns to me, evidently thinking the same thing I am. I nod, giving her silent permission. She turns back to the gathered people, who go quiet almost immediately.

"Clarke knows me better than anyone else I know. We have been dating." I squeeze her hand as I hear gasps. Luckily, they seem more surprised than anything else. Her lips twitch up into a small smile. "Besides, if I ever were to betray you, Clarke has come the closest out of anyone to beating me in combat."

I raise an eyebrow at that while the gathered people give me a once over. I know I'm good at fighting, Lexa and even Anya have confirmed that. I just didn't know I'm that good.

"Any other concerns?" I question.

"Can we see you fight?" A little girl asks, looking up at us like we hung the stars in the sky.

I grin. "Maybe another time, kid. When things aren't so hectic."

The little girls nods and is pulled away by her mother, who gives us an apologetic look.

"What about the Maunon?" Mom asks from where she's standing near the wall.

"Good question." I say. "This may be a bit graphic, just a warning." A couple people walk away with some little kids. "The Maunon, or the Mountain Men, is a group of people who live underground. The air here is too radioactive for them so they can't leave. They have discovered a use for the Grounders and turn them into human blood bags. Lexa?"

Lexa steps forward. "They have been taking my people for years and have even taken Clarke and me. We are the only ones I know of that have managed to escape alive. They keep my people in cages and drain them of their blood to be used to counteract the effects of radiation poisoning. They have acid fog, which can be deployed around the mountain they live on. After their tests on Clarke, I fear they might want to take you."

People shift, worry in their eyes.

"We have guards and sentries posted around us," I say. "We will be safe here. I suggest that if you have to go far, take someone with you or ask a guard to go with you. We should be safe, but we should also stay vigilant just in case. We're not saying this to scare you, we just want you to be aware of the dangers. And we do have a plan we are working on to take down the Maunon once and for all. Lexa has agreed to wait until after you have all been settled in, unless there's an emergency or you vote for it to be sooner."

"That could be weeks away. You're saying we might have to look over our shoulders for that long?" A person asks incredulously.

"Yes," Abby steps up onto the stairs and addresses them. "We will hold a vote every two weeks starting in two days to decide when to put their plan into motion."

"For now," Lexa says. "Eat, drink, be happy. You have survived the journey to the ground! You came here from space! This is a thing to celebrate. Tomorrow will be when the work begins."

Wow, that was... A lot of talking. But hey, we're progressing! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!