the air hung heavy with tension, the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke clinging to everything in tondc.

lexa stood on the makeshift platform, her gaze sweeping over the assembled grounders and skaikru.

negotiations were proving… difficult. bellamy blake's stubbornness was grating, and clarke griffin's attempts at diplomacy were wearing thin.

but then, her eyes landed on her.

standing amongst the skaikru delegation, a figure that sent a jolt of pure, visceral shock through lexa's system.

the same plump lips, the same bright, intelligent eyes, the same delicate curve of the nose.

even the way she held herself, with a quiet confidence that belied her apparent youth.

costia.

but it couldn't be. costia was gone, taken by the ice nation years ago. lexa had seen to it herself, and the memory still haunted her.

this girl… this skaikru… was merely a cruel imitation.

a twisted mockery of the woman lexa had loved and lost.

a wave of anger washed over her, hot and sharp. how dare they bring someone like this into her presence?

how dare they force her to confront the ghost of her past?

lexa clenched her fists, her knuckles white. she had to maintain control, to remain stoic and unyielding.

she was heda, commander of the twelve clans. she could not afford to be swayed by emotion, especially not now.

but as she watched the girl, she couldn't help but feel a flicker of something else, something softer, more vulnerable.

a desperate longing for what could have been.

the girl shifted, her gaze meeting lexa's for a fleeting moment.

there was no recognition in her eyes, no hint of familiarity. just a cool, detached curiosity.

lexa quickly averted her gaze, her heart pounding in her chest.

she couldn't let this girl see her weakness, couldn't let her know the power she held.

this skaikru was an enemy, just like the rest of them. and lexa would treat her as such.

but deep down, a small voice whispered that it wouldn't be that simple.