The One Who's Fallen

Chapter 141

Lexa holds the torch to the wood. It takes a moment for the fire to catch but once it does, it spreads rapidly. The fire crackles as it engulfs the nearest bodies, turning the white sheets a crisp black. The name plates darken as the flames lick at them.

The crackling steadily grows louder until it's more of a roar, covering all of the bodies.

Lexa reaches out to take my hand, once again whispering. "Yu gonplei ste odon (your fight is over)."

We all stand here, silent, watching the flames as the reach for the sky. People begin leaving after an hour, but Lexa and I stay until the last fire stops burning. By then, the sun is setting. We turn around and get off of the platform. There's still quite a few people here, including all of the remaining Maunon.

They come over to us, guiding the sleepy younger ones. Maya's the one that approaches us. She stops a few feet in front of us.

"Hey. How are you doing?" I ask her softly.

"We're doing okay, considering. I don't know how well we're going to sleep tonight, though."

"That's good to hear, we'll talk about the sleeping thing in a second. But that's not what I meant. How are you doing, Maya?"

Maya blinks. "Me? I don't know, Clarke. I just feel kind of numb to it all right now. Is that bad?"

"No, it's normal after such a major life-altering event." I reassure her. "You just lost a lot of the people you've known your entire life. You're numb now because your mind hasn't really processed it yet. But you will. And your friends over there will be there for you, just like you'll be there for them when that happens with them. Lexa and I and our people are here to help you get through that as well. I know Skaikru has some doctors specifically for people going through rough times."

"Like psychologists or something?" Maya asks.

"Yeah, like that. They're on their way from Skaikru now. Okay? We're all here for you." I say.

Maya nods, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Is it okay if I hug you? Both of you?"

I look over to Lexa, who nods. "Yes, of course." Lexa murmurs, reaching out her hand.

Maya practically stumbles forward and falls against us, Lexa and I holding her up as she hugs us. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Lexa pats Maya's back awkwardly, not being good with physical affection unless it's with me. I rub Maya's back, and she pulls back with dry eyes. I guess she'll let go later, then. She blinks rapidly then schools her expression.

"About your sleeping arrangements," Lexa says, changing the subject. I don't miss the grateful glint in Maya's eyes. "Where would you all like to sleep? We have a camp set up nearby, we could put up some tents. Or you could sleep under the stars, we have furs to keep you all warm. I doubt you would like to sleep in there just yet." Lexa nods towards where the main entrance to the Mountain is.

"Yes, thank you." Maya says. "I'll talk to the others about it. And um. What are you going to do with their ashes?" She gestures to the burnt out pyre.

"Usually, we let the wind blow them away or bury or scatter them in the person's favorite place. We could..." Lexa thinks for a quick moment. "We could scatter them over the Mountain. Ashes are rich in nutrients for plants, it will help them grow. They would become the beauty they craved to see."

Maya blinks. "That's... Beautifully poetic. I like it, but I'll still discuss it with the others. I'll come back in a bit, let you guys know what we decide."

"And Maya?" Lexa calls before she turns to go back to her people. "Have them think about what they would like to happen going forward. We will be discussing this tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Maya questions.

"Would your people like to become a new clan, like Skaikru? Would you want to join the Skaikru? Would you all like to scatter, go to different clans or join just one? Would you like to stay in the Mountain? That kind of thing." Lexa elaborates.

"Alright. Okay." Maya nods to herself. "I'll talk to them, tell you what they say, and let them know what they should be thinking about tonight."

"Mochof. Thank you." Lexa says in Gonasleng (English) when she remembers they don't know Trigedasleng.

"You're all going to have to teach us that language sometime." Maya remarks.

"We would be happy to. And I will encourage people in the clans to learn your tongue, which we call Gonasleng."

"Thanks. I'll be back." Maya waves and rushes over to her people, who all crowd around her.

"Don't let Anya do it." I say.

"Hmm?" Lexa hums, sounding confused.

"Don't let Anya teach them Trigedasleng. She barely had the patience for me." I say teasingly.

Lexa chuckles. "No, I wouldn't expect that she did. And no, our army has some trainers who specialize in teaching the warriors Gonasleng, so perhaps they can teach them Trigedasleng. I know I have an extra who is not assigned to anything as of yet. I think that as a show of trust and solidarity, you should help teach."

I nearly choke on nothing. "Me?"

"Sha (yes). My trainers are used to teaching warriors, you will keep him in line. You recently learned Trigedasleng, and are already above average in your vocabulary. You will understand the hardships of learning the language."

I bite my lip and nod. "Okay. Okay, I'll help some. But I'll be like a supervisor or something. I don't think I can teach it, just maybe explain it."

"That is how you teach it, hodnes (love)." Lexa says fondly. "I'm sure they will be happy to have you there."

I smile at her, nervous at the idea but I'm happy to help.

Just then, Maya makes her way over to us.

Shhh, I know the fire probably/definitely didn't burn hot enough to reduce everything (like bones) to ashes. We can pretend. Anyway! This is posted a bit later than it would've been because guess what? I write my chapters a day early, and I wrote the wrong chapter yesterday. I wrote the one I would've written today, my Supergirl story. :p Oh well! It's done now, at least! And next chapter, we learn of the Maunon's decisions! Thank you all for reading and for your amazing comments! Stay awesome!