War, War Never Changes

It was late afternoon when we received the news. The attack that Anya led, had apparently failed and many were injured and killed. Skaikru somehow got their hands on some kind of explosive device and detonated it when Anya's attacking force was crossing the bridge. The explosion that followed blew a rather large chunk out of the bridge which forced Anya to retreat and regroup. What truly saddened me was that Anya's second, Tris, had been killed.

With the information provided by Octavia, Anya had captured Clarke and a man that was with her at the time named Finn. Clarke was the daughter of The Arks head surgeon and supposedly was well versed in the art of healing. She was captured with the hope that she would be able to save Tris before she succumbed to her wounds. Sadly, that was not the case and Tris eventually passed away due to mass hemorrhaging and whatever other injuries she had been forced to take on. Overcome with grief, Anya had killed the man Finn on the spot and ordered one of her warriors to kill Clarke.

Trusting her warrior to kill the seemingly defenceless skygirl, Anya had taken Tris's body away to be properly taken care of. When she returned, she had found that Clarke had somehow killed her warrior and had escaped. Not wasting any time, Anya then sent word to us of what had transpired. Lexa and I were both enraged at the news, not so much as a result of the attack, but because Anya had one of Skaikru's leaders in her grasp and she had escaped.

"We need to attack as soon as possible, Heda. Before Skaikru builds their camp's defenses up any more than they already have." I whispered urgently, trying not to let the people around us know of what had recently transpired.

We were currently down in the training grounds watching Octavia and John spar when a messenger ran up to us and delivered the news. Since John and Octavia were within normal talking distance and have only been with us a short time, I didn't want to risk them over hearing anything too sensitive that they could use to betray us. However, my worries mainly extended to Octavia as she was the one with family still in the camp, and John was banished as well as having been very forthcoming with information.

Lexa nodded her head seriously at my words, deep in thought. She was silent for several moments before speaking.

"You are right, James. That is why I am going to send you." She said seriously, finally turning away from the spar between seconds. I wasn't surprised at her decision, out of all the generals under her command, she trusted me the most. She also knew that I was very capable, definitely more capable than General Trystan of Trikru.

I did not reply for a moment, as much as I wanted to go and destroy Skaikru, I didn't really want to leave her unprotected. It wasn't very often that I left my duties as her guard under her orders. I suppose I could have John stay with her, as well as have Indra's group stay in my stead. I knew that Lexa could handle herself against most threats but you can never be too careful when protecting leadership. As much as the populace loves you, there will always be those who hate you.

"They will fall under the weight of my attack." I promise, fully confident in my leading abilities as well as Trikrus army's capabilities.

Lexa seemed pleased at my words. She knew that I would carry out this mission to the best of my ability. It wouldn't be the first time that I have crushed an enemy under her order, nor will it be the last. She looked around to see if anyone was watching us, and when she saw that no one was, she leaned in and gave me a long deep kiss.

Pulling away much too soon, she looked at me with a determined gaze. I swear that I could see a hidden emotion in her eyes as well though… fear. She was afraid that I wouldn't come back to her.

"You will come back to your Heda." She commands me, but in doing so, she is trying to convince herself that I would be alright. Her words brought a small smile to my face.

"As you command, my Heda." I say teasingly, giving her one last kiss goodbye before I turn on my heel and walk out of the training grounds and towards the stables.

I had confidence that we would win the battle but the losses would be high. The Skaikru were untrained and undisciplined. They may have more firepower than us, but they also have rather limited ammunition. They couldn't fire at them forever, and so I had the perfect plan in place that will counter them rather easily.

---

Riding into Ton DC was an interesting experience… and a rather rage inducing one. The army that Trikru assembled was camped out in front of the village. The injured that got caught in the explosion were still being seen by Nyko and by the look of it, quite a few were killed. Catching Nyko's eye as I passed by on my horse, we nod in respect to each other. He was the best healer in the coalition but even he couldn't tend to all the injured at once. By consequence, a few of the warriors didn't die on the bridge. They instead succumbed to their injuries while waiting to be seen. It was a sad and very harsh reality, but it was war.

Once I stopped outside of Anya's hut, I quickly dismounted my horse and made my way inside. I respected Anya as a leader and for taking on Lexa as a second, but letting an enemy leader escape right under her nose was beyond stupid. Due to her leading her men into a rather obvious trap without sending scouts ahead, as well as all of this occurring in broad daylight, I will be relieving her of her command for this battle and she will be fighting alongside her men. However, she will not be the only leader going into battle, I have already decided that I will be joining the battle as well. A true leader must be able to endure what they order their warriors to endure. Doing so will build respect and raise morale across the army, an army without respect for their leaders and no morale will quickly fall in any battle.

Upon entering, I saw that Anya was sitting on a throne-like chair with her head hung low. She didn't even twitch as I approached with heavy steps. When I was close enough, I made my presence known by laying a heavy hand on her shoulder.

Her head snapped up upon feeling my hand on her shoulder, as if only just now realizing that she was no longer alone within the building. She looked terrible, her eyes were bloodshot and her war paint was smeared. It looked as if she had been crying recently, probably grieving over the loss of her young second. Looking her over, I see that her hands were covered in dried blood, which didn't seem to be from any injury that I could immediately see. In one of her blood stained hands, my eyes were drawn to a lock of dark hair that was gripped tightly between her fingers. Realizing it was only me, Anya's grief ridden face hardened with rage and determination.

"They will pay." Anya growled out, barely containing the rage that was growing by the second just beneath the surface.

"They will." I confirmed, giving her shoulder a firm squeeze.

Releasing her shoulder, I got down to business with why I was here.

"I am taking control of the Trikru army and relieving you of commanding duty." I told her firmly, letting her know that my orders were non negotiable.

At my words, it looked like she was going to argue for a second, but then thought better of it and only nodded in response. Seeing that she understood and wasn't going to argue my order, I continued.

"First thing first, I need you to go and gather the other commanding officers that will be participating in this invasion." I ordered before making my way over to the war map in the center of the room.

Hearing Anya leave the hut, I concentrated my thoughts on the map before me. The map depicted an overhead view of Skaikru's camp as well as the surrounding forest. Smirking at what I saw, I began formulating a plan that would be perfect for anything they decided to throw at us.

'Today will be the end of these invaders.'