It had taken nearly another full day to finish helping the people in Tondc. The wounded were brought to Camp Jaha along with Abby and Jackson who would take care of them, Clover included. Abby assured her and Harley her leg would be completely fine, and she'd be back running on her feet in no time. Just, unfortunately, not in a few days, which meant she would have to stay behind for the mission against Mount Weather. While Harley wanted to stay with her, possibly even help Abby in keeping the wounded as comfortable as possible, she remained with the ones preparing for the fight.

Due to how far Harley pushed herself the day before, helping with digging through the rubble and moving people into safety, her scorched arm was still sore. Abby supplied her bandages to change so it wouldn't get any worse, or become infected. It was already beginning to blister, and became much more sore when she lifted it. That's why it was difficult for Harley to shrug her jacket off before doing her best to unwrap the old bandages on her arm.

A sudden few footsteps had Harley's attention, and she paused her short grimaces to turn her head. Octavia approached the log cautiously, a timid smile on her face and seeing the struggle that Harley was having. "Do you need some help?" She offered. Despite the new appearance that Octavia was sporting, in full grounder attire now completed with a sword in its sheath, she still sounded the same.

"Please," Harley answered thankfully. Octavia nodded, taking a seat beside her swiftly and taking over. Harley remained as still as she could despite the ache as Octavia unwrapped the gauze around her arm. She did her best to keep gentle, but there wasn't much she could do to prevent it.

After the bandage was off, Octavia paused to look at the burn on her arm. "Blisters are good, right?" She checked, preparing the next roll of bandages that Harley handed to her. The blisters were hardly there, but were starting to peek out from the skin.

Harley nodded. "Abby said that means it's healing," she explained. "I won't have to bandage it much longer, then." Once Octavia accepted it and began to wind the roll around her arm carefully but not too tightly. Harley watched, a soft feeling opening, before Octavia finally finished and declared she was done. "Thank you so much," she said genuinely, grateful for the assistance, as she shrugged her jacket back on to shield herself from the night's cold.

Harley then paused for a minute, studying not the warm expression Octavia had plastered on her face, but the black marks on her face. They were streaks, two passing her eyes and down her cheeks. She wasn't sure where Octavia had gotten the material for it, but it still made her look all that more threatening. Harley felt herself slowly beam, the pain on her arm fading. "Nice warpaint."

The compliment had Octavia grinning back, the warm glow of the fire illuminating her sharp looks. "Thanks." As soon as the word left Octavia's mouth, Harley watched as her features changed quickly as her eyes darted over her shoulder. Octavia suddenly held a furious expression, cold and frigid at whatever she was staring at.

Confused, Harley turned her head to gaze behind her. She could see Clarke just leaving the commander's tent and staring at the pair. Once she noticed that they were both looking at her she approached cautiously, noticing how angry Octavia was as she sat on the empty log across from them. Clarke folded her hands together before finally breaking the tense silence. "Everything okay?" She questioned, glancing from Octavia to Harley.

Assuming Clarke was referring to her wound, which she could have been considering her nursing skills, Harley shrugged loosely. "It still hurts, but I'm alright!." Clarke nodded in understanding, but Octavia held her deep scowl.

"I've been going over it and over it in my head," Octavia started in a drawl, her tone dark. "Just trying to figure out how you're still alive." Her head lifted, meeting the fake confusion on Clarke's face.

Completely oblivious, Harley's eyebrows creased. "I think that would be a good thing," she pointed out, figuring Clarke was their friend and they should be grateful she had survived the missile, but from Octavia's hostile figure, she'd guess she wasn't.

"Harley, we saw her in Tondc," Octavia retorted, pausing to exchange a look with Harley to remind her. Harley did remember, recalling how panicked Clarke was as she demanded for the commander's presence. "Way before the missile hit." She turned her head to face an astonished Clarke again. "I know you, Clarke. Something was wrong. And then you and Lexa disappear and just happen to survive?" She accused. "Tell me you didn't know it was happening."

Seeming ashamed, Clarke's head dropped, almost as if she couldn't answer the pleads. Harley could feel her heart plummet and a lump rising in her throat, left stunned by what Octavia was blaming Clarke for. "Clarke.." She whispered slowly. She wanted an answer, for Clarke to tell them it wasn't true, but her shame was so large she couldn't even look at them. Harley felt something she hadn't felt yet; disgusted when the memories hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Revolted by the quiet, Octavia curled her lower lip. "You let all those people die," she stated, before leaping to her feet and charging forward. "You were gonna let us die-!"

"Octavia, wait," Harley pleaded, jumping up as well and holding her arm in front of Octavia's chest before she could lurch towards Clarke. She was still horrified and couldn't process what Clarke did, but she couldn't watch anyone else get hurt. "Let her explain." She then waited, lowering her arm when Octavia seemed calmed enough.

"I did it to save Bellamy," Clarke informed them, hushed. "So that we could win this war. Don't you see that? If we'd evacuated Tondc, Mount Weather would've known that someone tipped us off," she explained shortly. Octavia wasn't buying it, shaking her head in disbelief while biting her lower lip. "They would have found your brother." Clarke stopped, turning to look at Harley almost desperately. "Harley, if Murphy was in there, I know you'd want me to do the same."

Harley could feel a shudder pass through her. She couldn't imagine if she was in Octavia position, with a family member in a dangerous place undercover, but it was no excuse to cover up what horror she had done. "You can't say that, Clarke," Harley said in a soft, hurt voice. She could only see people dying in the wreckage, including Nova, a child. "People are hurt... People died-"

"Don't you dare," Octavia defended sharply before Harley could finish. "Bellamy would have never told you to do that. He would've found another way."

"I couldn't take the risk," Clarke uttered remorsely.

"Right," Octavia shot back with a scoff. "Because you're in charge now, and you decide who is disposable, like me and Harley." She took a deep breath. "You'd have fit right in on the council," she finally finished before starting to storm off. Harley sent one last emotional look to Clarke before following Octavia, covering her mouth with the back of her hand before she got sick. Clarke had been her friend since landing, because Harley had wanted to befriend everyone, but she went too far with her choice. Mount Weather may have bombed them, but Clarke and Lexa made the choice to let them die. It wasn't right.

"Wait, Octavia, Harley," Clarke called out making Harley stop in her tracks and turn. "You can't tell anyone." Harley hadn't planned on doing so, but she tilted her head, waiting. "If people find out-"

"The alliance will break," Octavia finished. "I'm not an idiot, Clarke."

Sighing, Harley thought back to the peace Lexa brought between the clans. She didn't even consider that other people knowing was dangerous. She nodded slowly in response, without words telling Clarke that she'd keep it a secret even if she didn't like it. She turned back around again, this time facing Lexa. Harley nearly jumped at the sight of her, unsure if she overheard, but kept her posture straight.

"Commander," Octavia greeted, bowing her head in respect. Harley tried to smile warmly, the words being stuck in her throat as her mind was still whirring with what she had just found out.

"Octavia," Lexa responded curtly before her striking eyes landed on Harley. "Harley."

"It's time for the southernmost guard post's rotation," Lexa's guard spoke to Octavia. "You should relieve them."

Octavia scowled. "Indra expects me to be on a scouting mission with Lincoln," she stated.

"Now you're needed at the guard post," he retorted firmly. "Indra will join you there shortly." Octavia didn't like the demand, as Harley could see how she hardened and became stiff, and she wanted to protest as Octavia marched to her assigned spot. But it was her job. Harley was so lost in the hurt thoughts swirling, unable to forget the disclosure from Clarke, that she didn't spare a second to notice the commander sending weary stares to the back of her and Octavia's heads.

━━━━━━━━

War was the beginning. Harley had never believed in battles, especially ones of violence, but she did believe in solving problems peacefully. She tried to believe Clarke when she insisted they weren't marching to Mount Weather, so she agreed to join Indra's group to move through the reaper tunnels and bound the grounders to help them conquer their addiction. The signal of this war starting was Bellamy shooting a pink flare in the air from Mount Weather, under the instructions of Raven on a radio. Upon seeing it, Lexa declared her war in a shout of; "Kom wor!" (To war!).

It led Harley to where she was, joining both the grounders and her people in the hike to Mount Weather. She's only caught a short glimpse of it, in what felt like endless days ago. She even remembered her day in the dropship, and what Jaha had told them about it on the screen right before she thought she'd die. Then, their short hunt to the bunker that ended when Jasper was attacked with a spear. Turning to see Octavia, who clutched her long sword in one hand, she tried to smile. "Remember when Mount Weather was the place we'd have to go to survive?" Harley questioned lightly. "Weird to think about how long its been."

There was a short smile on Octavia's face as if she was remembering as well, but it disappeared quickly when Clarke approached the pair cautiously. She cleared her throat to catch both Harley and Octavia's attention. "What do you want?" Octavia practically spat out venomously.

"I'm changing the mission for you both," Clarke informed them. "I'm placing you in the rear guard, where you'll be safe."

"Like hell you are," Octavia snapped. "I don't take orders from you. I take orders from Indra," she declared.

"If Octavia is going, I am too," Harley added. She understood why Clarke thought it'd be best for them to stay behind everyone else, but she couldn't. She wanted to help the reapers, to break free the grounders trapped in cages inside, and bring her friends home. It was more important to Harley than anything, and she wouldn't let Octavia do it alone.

Clarke frowned. "I'm trying to protect you-"

"Protect me," Octavia cut her off in a repeat while rolling her eyes. Harley knew she was still bitter and hurt about Clarke leaving them in Tondc, and she didn't blame her.

Pausing, trying to find the right words, Clarke gave them a long look. "One day, hopefully, you'll understand what I did," she said softly. Harley wasn't sure if she could sense the regret anymore.

Before Harley could even open her mouth, attempt to grasp a better understanding of what Clarke chose to do, Octavia spoke clearly. "Never. I'll fight this war with you now because I want our friends back. But after that, we're done."

Seeing the pure look of wrench on Clarke's face, Harley felt her heart stop beating for a single second. Even if she couldn't understand what it was like in her shoes, she knew she couldn't hate her or speak to her like Octavia could. She was never that type of person, even if she was nearly killed in the bombing. Harley hadn't forgiven Clarke, not yet, but she couldn't let herself be the type of person to loathe someone else.

Indra was next to approach them, appearing on Harley's other side. She spoke to Clarke, her voice hard. "The Commander's looking for you." Clarke nodded, and without a goodbye, headed back in the direction she had come from to find Lexa. Indra glanced to Harley next. "May I talk to Octavia alone?" She requested.

Understanding, Harley nodded back. She retreated, sending herself slowly back into the crowd, far enough to not hear their discussion, but within distance of her group. She took one last deep breath, and reminded herself to be nothing but brave; as brave as the ones around her.