05 | BLOOD MUST HAVE BLOOD
trigedasleng in italics

    IRENE grew faintly anxious as she, Clarke, and the two escorting riders neared the gates of the Skaikru territory later that night to return Clarke back to her people. Lexa had briefed her before she was sent away to make sure Finn was delivered to her and the riders by the gate of the camp.

"When you escaped with my sister, by any chance, were you able to find and free our brother from the mountain as well?" Irene questioned, pausing for a moment as she thought about his death too and how she would've lost everything within the span of a few days. "I would be more at peace knowing he didn't die at the hands of those blood draining killers."

"Anya mentioned him when I freed her, though we didn't have time to look around and see if he was there or not," Clarke responded, glancing up to the grounder who rode on one of the horses beside her. "Both of your siblings did make it into the drop ship in time before..." Clarke went quiet, knowing how sensitive the topic was as her people were the ones to die in order for hers to live.

"Before you burned my people alive with your ship," Irene responded in calm tone, her face hard and calculated as she stared at the path ahead of her.

"I wish our people could've made peace, when I went to meet with your sister on the bridge," Clarke whispered quietly, head held down as she thought about how Anya told her about Irene's plan for mutual peace between the two groups of people.

"Even if it did work out," Irene sighed, finally turning to face Clarke with a sorrowful gaze, "my people would have never settled for your people to live amongst us, not after what happened." Irene pursed her lips as she thought about the devices they lit into the sky which annihilated an entire village and how eighteen unarmed men, women, and children were slaughtered by one of them. "Though, it's a nice thought to have, especially since there may be hope for peace." Irene nodded as Clarke looked at the grounder once more, pondering the thought of peace and what it could mean for her people's survival before they finally neared Camp Jaha, the Sky People awaiting her return behind their electric gates.

     Through the mist which surrounded them, Irene faintly spotted the armed men and women with their guns aimed towards their enemy. The grounder sighed and nodded to the two other grounders to move towards the front and watch for the shooters around them. A man shouted within the gates about Clarke being back, allowing their people to open the gates and let her in. Irene eyed Clarke intently as she watched a man run up and approach her, asking if she was okay, causing Clarke to turn and face Irene and the two escorting grounders with fear lingering in her eyes for a moment until she ordered for the gates to be closed. Irene squinted slightly as she eyed the man beside Clarke, knowing him to be the one described as Finn, the assassin.

     "Keep your ground, no sudden movements," Irene murmured to the men on either side of her, eyeing the guards ahead of her as the sky people began to gather around Clarke, awaiting for her to tell them about the Commander's response to peace. "If they don't deliver the one they call Finn by tomorrow, then we send word to the Commander and plan to attack on her terms." The two grounder guards nodded in respect towards the Commander's advisor, holding onto their torches with a tight grip, awaiting for the delivery of the Skaikru murderer. Irene noticed a small riot rise within the center of the gathering circle of Sky People, a small frown appearing upon her lips as she heard and saw how easily their people were to give up the traitor, resembling similar traits to that of her own people. In that moment, Irene pondered on the thought of how maybe blood for blood was universal within the human race and maybe, that was how it was meant to be in order for them to survive. Though, the grounder warrior shook the thought from her head in shame as she wanted to believe how their lives, through the wars and bloodshed, meant more than simply jus drein jus daun.

     Hours had then passed as the sun began to rise over the land beyond them, allowing Irene to have a better view of the Sky People's fortress. As a sigh escaped the woman's lips, she rubbed at her eyes to rid them from the sleep she longed to have as she stayed with her men at the gates all night to assure Lexa how the sky people would comply with the deal to their truce. Hope for the truce was about the only thing keeping Irene awake. Though, as more time went by, the grounders began to chant loudly from across the Sky People's camp, the words jus drein jus daun echoing through the wind. Irene pursed her lips and clenched her jaw anxiously as the men beside her began to chant as well, craving for justice. The grounder, although she hated such a mantra, felt a small part of her chant along as she simply wished for justice among the eighteen deaths of her people, friends and family. She thought about how they must have felt when they died, fear and loss in their deceased eyes. Though Irene kept quiet as she noticed Clarke appear outside with the same man as yesterday and watched as she hurriedly led him inside the giant spacecraft, most likely wanting to keep him safe.

"We leave on my command, give them more time." The riders beside Irene grew restless as their horses shifted beside her own, the three grounders continuing to wait at the electric gates for a moment longer until a woman, with similar dark blonde hair as Clarke's and a determined look in her eyes, marched out of the entrance of the spacecraft and towards the gates, eyeing the grounders with intensity as she ordered her guards to open the gate. Irene furrowed her brows as she noticed Clarke trailing behind her and pulled her horse back slightly as the gate opened, exposing the Sky People to the grounders before them.

"Where's the boy?" One of Irene's guards questioned as soon as the woman was before them, causing Irene to harden her gaze in the slightest as she noticed how the man Clarke was with was not around.

"They've already made their decision," Irene murmured as she eyed the woman from the down up, knowing how Lexa would be furious to the outcome of Clarke's end of the bargain.

"We're not giving him up." The woman finally stated as she glanced towards Irene momentarily, noticing how she held her bow tightly in one hand as the other gripped the reigns of her steed. "We're ready to fight, if that's what it comes to."

"Well, you won't like the outcome of the war, I assure you." Irene responded after a horn blew in the distance, signaling how her people were releasing a prisoner after their departure, most likely to be Marcus Kane. "I urge you, for the sake of you and your people, to reconsider the Commander's offer before it's too late." Irene then nodded to the men beside her, signaling for them to leave after her, riding off back to their camp to inform their Commander on Skaikru's decision about the boy.

"What do we do now? Their decision—" Irene sighed as she placed her palms on the war table and thought about what the sky people had just decided to do.

"Will be their downfall," Lexa replied sternly, clearly angered by the outcome of their decision, "though Indra had told me while you were on your way back how she had agreed to meet with their leader once more, said they wanted to negotiate another way of peace."

"Indra?" Irene almost scoffed out of astonishment, wondering how Indra would agree to such a meeting with her enemy.

"She has agreed to not kill their leader, though she had told me before hand how she wouldn't negotiate any other terms of peace with them besides the one we've already set." Lexa sighed as she took a seat on her throne and rubbed at her temples in a distressed manner. "Besides, I freed Marcus Kane, in hopes he could negotiate with his people."

"Well? What happened?" Irene questioned cautiously as she moved away from the table and approached Lexa, leaning on one of the beams of the tent.

"Well, we've heard no change in mind recently, though since we had just released him moments ago prior to their decision, I'm going to give them more time." Lexa inhaled sharply as she looked up at her advisor, a discerning gaze within her eyes.

"Lexa," Irene sighed as she moved from her position and bent down near the foot of Lexa's throne and reached out to her friend, slowly grasping onto her folded hands in her lap. "I know that war isn't what you wanted for our people and how you just want to be the Commander they want you to be," Irene pursed her lips as she paused, watching Lexa furrow her brows in a concerning manner. "Though, with whatever you do decide on, whatever happens, I will be there with you by your side. I promise."

     Though, as Lexa nodded in thanks as she held onto her advisor's hand, one of the grounder guards came in and notified the two on how they had spotted the assassin, Finn, outside the walls of the Sky People's camp. Irene and Lexa stood from their seated positions, acknowledging the warrior's claim. Irene sighed, her head held down, as Lexa gave orders to the man to send more warriors after Finn and to kill whoever they needed to in order to get to him as the Sky People have made their decision quite clear.

     "I want you to go with them, lead them as I would and make sure that we get him this time," Lexa ordered in a steady tone, causing Irene to revert her gaze from the ground to her Commander and nodded in confirmation. "Leave no room for negotiations, they've made their decision and we've made ours."

     After exiting the tent with her weapons, Irene followed the warrior as he lead her to where a group of other warriors awaited for her command. "We go in together. Kill no one unless it is under my command," Irene clenched her jaw as she mounted her horse, eyeing the warriors before her as she motioned for them to move out into the forest after the drop ship, since the Skaikru assassin was last spotted near the area. Irene quietly trailed behind her warriors as they went further into the dense greenery and approached the drop ship with its burned wooden walls. "Surround the area, we take the assassin in alive," Irene exhaled heavily, her heart clenching as she thought about the next words which began to spill from her mouth, words which were not her own, "kill anyone else who opposes us."

     The warriors then spread out throughout the woods, surrounding the drop ship, awaiting for the assassin to reveal himself or willingly give up. Irene continued to stay put at a safe distance away from the drop ship upon her horse, waiting for signs of life to reveal itself from the surrounding area of the drop ship. She then spotted two men and a woman with guns exit the drop ship, to which they noticed how there were grounders in the surrounding area and caused, to Irene's surprise, Clarke and Finn to exit the drop ship with worried expressions as they held their guns up in defense towards the forest.

"Should we attack?" One of the grounders beside Irene questioned as he gazed out to where the drop ship was, eyeing the five armed individuals.

"No, we wait them out. They'll receive the message that we're only here for one of them." Irene grimaced as she carefully signaled her warriors to not attack the Sky People around the drop ship. "If they know what's best for their people, he will surrender himself to us." Irene exhaled a shaky breath of air as she continued to wait patiently, a few quiet minutes going by before Clarke and two others exited the drop ship and guarded the front, meaning that the other two were either guarded the back and through the tunnels. Though suddenly, as Irene predicted and was counting on, a man appeared at the front of the gates with his hands up, signaling to the grounders his surrender. "Take him out and bring him back to the camp by nightfall, I'll go inform the Commander of his capture." Irene ordered before turning her horse around and riding back to where Lexa was waiting for her back at their settled camp on the hills in front of Camp Jaha.

Though, once arriving back, Irene immediately informed Lexa of what had happened and what they were to do next, to which Lexa replied how they were to punish the boy in front of his people. Irene had to bite her tongue in order to keep herself from talking down the plan of doing such a thing, as their people simply would have been satisfied if the man was killed within their clan. Though for Lexa and a few others, including Indra, killing Finn in front of his people seemed to be more fitting; therefore when nightfall came, Irene stood by the table and listened as Lexa informed her of how things would go with the Sky People after Finn's death before a familiar woman's voice sounded from outside the tent. Clarke's voice. Irene cautiously followed Lexa outside and stood at her side as they looked to Clarke who stood at the tip of Indra's spear, a small bit of blood coating her shirt as she had been cut from the edge of the blade.

"Let her pass," Lexa ordered, Irene standing beside her with a tense gaze as Indra pulled her spear away from Clarke's abdomen, allowing her to make her way over to where she and Lexa stood. "You bleed for nothing, you cannot stop this."

"No, only you can." Clarke uttered, hoping for Lexa to have a change in heart about the situation, though Irene knew her better than that as Lexa continued to hold her ground as they brought Finn in and tied him up against the wooden pole they had set up for him to die on. "Show my people how powerful you are. Show them you can be merciful. Show them you're not a savage."

"You cannot change this, Clarke," Irene spoke, shaking her head as she clenched her jaw, knowing how Finn's death was to happen in order for her people to have peace.

"We are what we are," Lexa responded, her tone cold as she eyed Clarke with a dark look in her eyes.

"Then I'm a killer," Clarke began, a desperate tone in her words. "I burned three-hundred of your people, I slit a man's throat and watched him die. I'm soaked in grounder blood. Take me."

"But Finn is guilty," Lexa began, not wanting to reason with Clarke about changing her mind on the situation.

"He has to pay for his mistakes in order for our people to have justice for the loss of their loved ones—" Irene began, though was cut off as Clarke shook her head and denied the two grounders words.

"No, he did it for me," Clarke's voice shook, tears pooling in her eyes as she realized the man she loved was going to die for the actions he committed for her, "he did it for me."

"Then he dies for you," Lexa simply responded, though Irene recognized the look in her eyes as the Commander knew the pain of losing a loved one because of her.

"I know it isn't easy to lose a loved one, Clarke. Though we do this, not just for the ones who still live, but the ones who have passed away as well," Irene sighed as she gave a faint smile before holding a frown up her lips once more. "We do what we must for our people, it's how we survive." Though, as Clarke looked down and glanced between the two grounders and Finn, she then looked up to face the women before her with an empty gaze crossing her eyes.

"Can I say goodbye?" Clarke asked, her voice quiet as her heart broke for what she was about to do to her loved one. Irene looked to Lexa for an answer and, upon seeing her nod, stepped back and allowed Clarke to go to Finn and watched as she held him tightly, the two murmuring incoherently to one another before Clarke slowly stepped away, reveling a bloodied dagger in her right hand and Finn to be dead. Irene parted her lips in shock as Lexa ordered for her warriors to stay back, as the job was done and Finn was finally dead.

"Your fight is over," Irene murmured quietly as she eyed the dead body, the man's head hanging down limply as the life slowly faded from his sorrowful eyes.