KING, the hundred

forty-one: life after death

"soldier keep on marchin' on.

head down 'til the work is done"

soldier by fleurie

Clarke killed Finn. Clarke killed Finn. Clarke killed Finn.

Avery didn't know how long it took her to stand up. All she knew was that her hands were in the mud for a long time and the mud was cold. The mud was cold, and so were Finn Collins' veins.

But still, she stood up eventually.

She made a promise to Finn: Get their people out of Mount Weather.

She intended to keep it. At any cost.

"Flowers." Bellamy was beside her. She didn't know if he'd ever left, but she knew he was beside her now and that was enough. She turned to look into his watery eyes as he grabbed her forearms and helped her stand fully. They held onto each other for a moment, steadying themselves amidst the chaos of the camp.

Finn was dead. Clarke killed him. Avery told Clarke to kill Finn, and now he was dead.

"You take care of Raven." Avery told Bellamy quietly, holding him close for a moment longer than she should have. They both had jobs to do. Raven was silent, staring down at the ground in complete despair. She hadn't uttered a word since that gut-wrenching scream.

"NO!" Raven's scream seemed to last forever as the blood dripped from the wound in the chest of the only family she had left. Avery's face was wet. Her hands were filthy.

"You get Clarke." Bellamy said, looking down at the army of grounders surrounding the tent Clarke had disappeared into. Avery nodded, finally letting go of his arms just as Marcus Kane and Abby Griffin approached them.

They both looked completely shell-shocked, tears dripping from Abby Griffin's wide eyes.

Avery couldn't help but feel sorry for them. They'd seen death on the Ark, lots of it. But watching someone die on the ground was something completely different. They now knew the truth. That death was bloody.

So Avery did what she always had to. She wiped her tears on her sleeve, squared her shoulders, clenched her jaw, and walked forward. Abby and Marcus followed her hesitantly out of the gate and through the army of grounders. They made their way to the large tent.

Avery opened the flap but stepped to the side, letting Abby Griffin go in first to see her daughter while she and Marcus waited outside for a moment.

"Are you alright?" Marcus asked quietly. Avery scoffed, shaking her head.

"Just focus on getting this alliance." She ground out, clenching her teeth in anger.

"It's alright to mourn, Avery." Marcus said, trying his best to be gentle. But Avery didn't need gentle. She needed to kill someone or punch something. The former was the more likely outcome of their conversation. "Your friend just died."

"A lot of my friends have died, Marcus." Avery spat. She sharply turned around to face him, her wide eyes brimming with angry tears. "A lot of my people have died. You don't get to tell me when to mourn. We mourn when the fight is over. We mourn when we've won."

With that, Avery turned around and entered the tent.

Clarke and her mother were in the corner, and Avery had to physically restrain herself from throwing up when she saw the thin coat of red that covered Clarke's hands even as she scrubbed at them. Clarke didn't even acknowledge Avery or Marcus as they entered, looking forward into empty space with glazed-over eyes as her mother attempted to console her.