IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE CLARKE, ABBY AND OCTAVIA JOINED US IN LOCKUP, GIVING US THE NEWS THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO SAVE ROAN AND THAT HE HAD AWOKEN. Now we were just waiting on him to fulfill his promise to Clarke. I was chained up between Kane and Bellamy, my arms above my head so they could reach the handcuffs.
I watched as Bellamy held a longing gaze toward the other blonde in the room as Clarke cried into her mother's shoulder over the loss of Lexa. Clarke really loved her, and I could tell that Bellamy wanted nothing more than to comfort his best friend.
I felt really bad for Clarke. Even though the time she and Lexa shared was short, they loved each other a lot. Something inside me hoped that maybe one day (when I'm a grown up, of course) I can love someone as much as those two loved each other.
And something else inside me was telling me that Bellamy loved Clarke too, but maybe not just as a best friend. Maybe it was that longing look in his eyes, or maybe I'm just making things up. What would I know about romance? The most romance I've experienced was in books.
A group of Ice Nation guards came in, including Echo, demanding for Clarke. They put a sack over her head and dragged her out, despite Bellamy's yells of protest.
After another eternity of waiting, which was really less than an hour, they let us out and announced that Roan would be caretaker of the throne until a Nightblood ascends. I thought it would be better for Skaikru if I ascended, but I kept my thoughts to myself for the time being.
Later that day, Clarke and Bellamy left for Arkadia to find a solution for the end of the world. It had been a week since they had left and Roan was still in charge.
I stayed in Polis with Octavia, Abby and Kane, mostly because I wanted more time to think of whether or not I should just ascend and hope for the best or trust that Bellamy and Clarke would find a solution fast enough to save us all. Abby and Kane left us to go to sleep while Octavia and I roamed the streets at night.
Abby had the audacity to say it was 'past my bedtime' which was most of the reason I decided to stay up with Octavia.
Kane had told us to keep an eye on Trishanakru, since Roan had said he was concerned they would try to take his power. So that's what we did. We listened in on their conversation, hiding our identities with hooded capes.
Really, it was only Octavia who was instructed to spy on Trishanakru, but I couldn't just stand around doing nothing, so I invited myself along. i thought the capes were pretty cool, too.
"The king protects Skaikru," We heard one of them say.
"Why?" The other asked.
"Because he is their puppet, Ilian," The man replied. "And anyone who protects the people who did this are as guilty as they are," He said, referring to the A.L.I.E incident. "Roan of Ice Nation will hear me. As your new ambassador, I have the right to challenge him. Single combat."
Octavia and I looked at eachother, knowing that Roan wouldn't be able to fight since he was still healing from being shot.
"I want justice," The man, 'Ilian' spoke. He seemed much younger than the rest of the men at his table, around Bellamy's age. "Skaikru did this, not the king."
"Do you want revenge for your family or not?" The other man asked. Ilian nodded. "When Trishanakru controls Polis, you will have it. I promise, when the king's head falls, Skaikru falls with it."
Octavia and I looked at each other before rushing off into the darkness. We needed to tell Roan. We went to Kane first, who took us straight to Roan. He was in the throne room, which ticked me off. Lexa should have been the one sitting in that throne. If it wasn't for Titus...
Speaking of... where was Titus? Was he dead? Probably. I hoped so, anyway.
"Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness," Kane said as we entered the room. "May we have a word?" Echo didn't leave the room. "Privately?"
"You can wait like the other ambassador," Echo said rudely. What is this girl's problem. Just be a nice person, it really isn't hard.
"Echo, leave us," Roan cut in. Echo obeyed her King, leaving the room with the rest of the guards.
"You were right to be concerned about Trishanakru. Rafel is gonna challenge you for control," Kane informed the King. Octavia and I respectfully stood still, holding our hands behind our backs. Well, Octavia was standing respectfully still with her hands behind her back, meanwhile I, literally physically unable to stand still, swung back and forth on my heels, playing with the frayed threads on the sleeve of my jacket.
"Bold move for a new ambassador," Roan observed, standing up from his seat on the throne and walking toward us. Cocky, much? "So? Let him come."
"With respect, you're still recovering," Kane said respectfully. Octavia walked forward.
So of course, like the good puppy I am (or may as well be), I followed.
"The law says you can pick someone to fight in your place," Octavia spoke up.
"No. The clans will never accept a leader who hides behind the law, or another warrior's blood," Roan quickly refused without hesitation.
"You'll lose. Lexa kicked your ass without a bullet in your chest," Octavia continued.
"We should cancel the gathering," Kane cut in again. "Or delay until you're strong enough."
"No. Letting the ambassadors have a voice keeps the peace here," Roan refused again, sitting back down on the throne. "Azgeda holds this city through force alone. This agreement won't keep the clans at bay forever."
"What if a new commander ascended?" I spoke up for the first time.
"Well, then that would stop a war." Roan answered. "But we need a Nightblood for that, not to mention the flame is missing-"
I cut him off. "Are you forgetting something, Your Highness?" I smirked, raising my eyebrows.
"I'll talk to the ambassador." Kane volunteered, he and Octavia leaving the room.
Roan realized what I was talking about. "You? Commander?" He asked as if it were a ridiculous thought. I nodded respectfully. "We still don't have the flame. There's no way the clans would accept a false commander."
"Quia Nunc Vale," I muttered, bowing my head slightly forward and parting my hair at the back of my neck. I grunted at the searing pain of my flesh literally being torn apart through my teeth but grabbed the flame out of my head and showed it to him. The flame helped me know the passphrase. He was left dumbfounded. His mouth was gonna start catching flies if he didnt pick his jaw up from the floor.
"I thought it was lost... you had it the whole time?" He asked. I nodded again.
"Ascende Superius," I mumbled under my breath. The flame opened and I put it back in, a small but painful yell escaped my lips at the pain. The second time wasn't as bad as the first.
"Hey, hey, hey! Did you just put that thing back in your head?" Roan asked hurriedly.
"Yep. Lexa told me in the City of Light that her spirit chose me."
"Take it out." He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You can't make me," I shrugged before walking out of the room.
We gathered in the throne room the day Rafel was supposed to challenge the king. Octavia and Kane were unsuccessful in persuading him otherwise. I stood beside Octavia as Kane and the rest of the ambassadors entered the room.
"Roan, please. It's not too late to cancel," Kane begged.
"You failed. We do this Azgeda's way. Solo gonplei," Roan replied bluntly. "Take your seat, ambassador."
Kane nodded in defeat and took his seat. Roan noticed that Rafel was missing and questioned it.
"Where is Rafel kom Trishanakru?"
Everyone kept silent. My guess was that Octavia or Echo killed him. They're the only two who had a legitimate reason to.
Echo entered the room and whispered something in the king's ear. Roan stood up and announced that Rafel was found dead. It was deemed that his heart stopped. I knew better than that. It was too much of a coincidence that he died the night before he was going to challenge the king. Someone killed him.
"May the Spirits of the Commanders guide him safely home," Roan said in respect as we all bowed our heads.
"You gonna kill me, too?" Ilian, who was standing beside Octavia and I asked the seventeen year old next to me.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Octavia faked confusion. She put a hand on Ilian's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your family."
"Psst. Hey, come with me," A girl's voice whispered as I was training by myself. I couldn't see where the voice was coming from. I looked around me, confused. "Psst." I followed the voice and it led me to a secret door at the back of the room I was training in.
A young girl, around Clarke's age was the source of the voice. She had dark skin and hair that was styled in many dreadlocks. She wore a hood to disguise herself. But why would she need to disguise herself?
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Ai laik Gaia kom Trikru. Ai laik Fleimkepa. Yu aik Natblida. And you are the last of your kind," She answered. Flamekeeper? She was the new Flamekeeper? Also, how the hell did she know I was a nightblood?
"You want me to become Heda?" I assumed. She nodded, a proud smile growing on her face. I didn't know if I should 'betray' my people and become the Commander. Would the clans even accept a Skaikru Commander?
"You should know that I would never force the flame upon you," 'Gaia' assured.
"Well, it's too late for that," I joked. "The flame's in my head, if you didn't already know."
"I know. I would like to perform the Ascension Ceremony to make your title official. Carry the legacy of the Commanders," She encouraged.
The plan was to keep Roan in command for as long as we could while Raven and the others work on a solution that could save everybody from Praimfaya. But if we had a Commander, we wouldn't need to be taking so many precautions to keep Roan in command.
But what would Bellamy think? What would Clarke think? What would my people think? Would they think of me as a traitor? What would the people of the twelve clans think? Would they think of me as a false commander?
"Will you, Tahlia kom Skaikru, become the Commander of the thirteen clans?" Gaia asked hopefully.
I had a decision to make. And I was so torn about it. I didn't know what I would choose. And I was worried that whatever decision I made would be the wrong one.
cannot believe how short my chapters used to be oh my days.