The atmosphere was bustling with excitement down in the bar. People were enjoying drinks and treats while they waited for their festivities to commence. But above the bar Nia stared out the window watching the people outside thinking about what had happened during the night.
After Diyoza had been taken outside the shield, the owners of the bar assisted rooms to the now larger group before allowing them time to settle in. Nia had instructed for the girls to go upstairs before she approached the group to inquire about Octavia. She had been more than infuriated at their response.
"It was a necessary decision." Bellamy tried to explain. "You didn't see how she reacted to the group outside the ship. She didn't have to attack them and kill them."
"You don't realize what is going on inside her head. How this is affecting her. How it's changing her." Nia countered, knowing exactly what was going on with Octavia. She had more experience than anyone about what blood list could do to a person. She needed Octavia just as much a Octavia needed Nia.
That night Nia watched as Jade and Fox slept soundly in the bed. Tate and Echo had offered to take shifts watching over the rooms while the rest slept. The group had split into two groups one sent to watch over the ship while the others split the rooms upstairs. Bellamy would have originally stayed in the same room as a Nia and the girls but with the Octavia debacle he stayed in the same room as Tate while Echo stayed with the girls.
It hadn't been until Echo entered that Nia had a chance to get some rest. The commander unsure what her subconscious might show her with good reason. The day held more than enough for her to be untrustworthy and on guard.
The darkness engulfed her quickly. Once again, she found herself standing alone with no one in sight. She took a breath before she spoke up knowing what would be facing her.
"What did you do with the rest of the commanders?"
"Bound them." A voice replied from the darkness.
"How? How did you subdue generations of Flame knowledge?"
"I didn't do it alone. You helped." He replied making Nia snap her head around.
His silhouette now emerging from the shadows. His hood up but did nothing to cover the scars that littered his face. Nia had only heard stories about Sheidheda from Lexa, never had she thought that she would ever see him herself, yet there he stood in front of her.
"I didn't do anything." Nia stated not believing she could make the commanders disappear.
"You didn't have to, your emotions were enough." Sheidheda commented stepping closer to her. "You have everyone underestimating you, and that is you're advantage. They don't believe you can actually lead your people. They will never respect you if they don't fear you. Fear is control. Fear is power."
Nia stood there silently as he circled around her. His words seeping into her mind. As much as she didn't want to take his route, she had to protect her children.
"If you don't make them fear you, they will overpower you until you're the one taking orders. And once they find out about your blood, they will use you against your will. And they won't stop there, the girls will be next. And poor Atlas will grow up without a family among people who will use him for his blood."
"No." She whispered at the thought. "I won't allow it."
"Then you know what you have to do. It's them or your family."
His last statement had been lingering in her head since. They were among people who valued nightbloods, her life was in danger but more so her son's life. She knew how to protect him and her girls.
Upon their arrival downstairs, Jade had taken in the sight of the celebrations with a smile. Never in her life had she taken in something so lively. Meanwhile, Fox was just as tenses as Nia, the girl had experienced living among people who only wanted to use them and she didn't want to go through that again.
"Come everyone. We don't want to miss the opening ceremony." Delilah's mother called out causing the locals to exit the building. This left the others to decide what to do.
"Murphy and Emori." Bellamy asked while taking a look at Nia. All night he had been wondering about her but he couldn't understand why she wanted Octavia beside them so bad. He was only looking out for their best interest and Octavia was a threat to that.
"Went to guard the ship with the others." Jordan informed about the couple that had left when the first patrons showed up.
"Murphy missing the chance to act like a drunken fool. Now I'm worried." Echo attempted to joke but it was brush aside.
"He'll be fine. Maybe the rest of us should go there too." Raven suggested to Nia but voices spoke out against her idea.
"What? No, I need this." Jordan cried out not wanting to miss a celebration with lots of people. The boy not wanting to be isolated after his whole life was lived in isolation.
"We're guests of the Primes. If we isolate ourselves in the ship, they might take offense." Clarke supported the idea of going along to their festivities.
But Nia herself was against the idea, she would like nothing more than to find out the Primes true intention and just how much danger they were in. However, by observing this day, they would get to see how sacred nightbloods are and what would happen to Delilah due to her blood status. And as much as she wanted to send the girls to the ship where they would be safer and have a easy getaway, she would be raising suspicion.
Delilah called out for them to come join them outside while Clarke didn't hesitate to follow. Her quick movement caused Raven to roll her eyes. The pilot not happy with how the blonde was inserting herself above the others especially when her blood made her a target.
"I'll be at the bar." She replied not wanting to join in the festivities.
Nia allowed the two younger girls to wonder outside with Tate and Echo following close. She needed to have a plan in place if there was ever a need for a quick getaway.
"Hey, I know you don't like this, but we still don't know what we're up against." She began talking to her friend keeping her voice low. "Something doesn't feel right but until we know what threat we're facing we have to keep our heads low and watch our movements. Whatever happens no one can ever know about Atlas."
Raven looked at her friend and saw the concern on her face. Despite also being a target if anyone found out about her blood, she also knew how much Atlas meant to them. It was decided long ago that Atlas's blood remain a secret so that his life was never out in danger but now here they were trying to figure out an enemy.
"You have my word." Raven swore before Nia left to see what the ceremony was about.
The group found themselves at the base of the castle listening to Russell Prime commence. The crowd chanting their pillars of Sanctum before he continued his speech. After stating their naming of Preya, he turned to Kaylee and apologized for the death of her family.
"And now it is your turn. Tell your neighbor that you love them. Make amends with those you hurt. Free yourselves." He spoke to the crowd.
Bellamy looked to Nia at Russell's words. He wished to apologize for causing Nia any pain by leaving Octavia behind, it was then he realized just how much pain he had caused to those around him. He began to wonder if their way of life was easier than the ones that had been facing for so longer. But then the thought of his past actions were enough for him to reconsider. He wondered if he would ever be forgiven in order to give his sister the same forgiveness.
At one point in time, Nia could have agreed to the Primes ideology. She could agree to unburden herself from what guilt she had in her but now her thoughts were clouded. Instead she seemed to think of all the wrongdoings she had suffered because of someone else but she didn't want to hear any apologizes. Instead it made her think of her brother and Alec and how they suffered and all she did was stand by and watch.
"You don't deserve to be forgiven because they died in vain on your behalf." A voice spoke to her but she shook the voice aside. She couldn't allow him to take control when she was trying to remain covert.
The festivities ran all day, everyone making amends for their past doings and those they had wronged. Nia and Fox followed after Jade who was enthralled by the atmosphere. When night fell they had found themselves invited to a dance hall. Nia couldn't help but smile as she watched Jade dance around and pull Fox to join her. At least, they could enjoy this moment for a short while. Her gaze then found Tate and Echo conversing in the corner. Both still cautious about their surrounds as much as Nia.
It wasn't till she spotted Bellamy standing beside a pillar that she made her way over. Despite not agreeing with his decision to leave Octavia behind, she had to find a way to push past it for the sake of Atlas and the girls.
"Hey." She called out to him but his face sullen face stuck out to her. "What's wrong?"
"So, the last time I was at a party, my sister was arrested." Bellamy stated his guilt that was bothering him.
"Bellamy, if you're gonna tear yourself apart over leaving her, let's go get her." Nia tried to persuade more than willing to bring Octavia back. She needed as many skilled fighters by her side.
"This isn't me tearing myself apart. This is me being human. Feeling things, when people I love are in trouble or die. The Nia I knew on the Ring did that. Why don't you?" Bellamy state making Nia step back.
"This isn't about me." She responded not going to be the subject of Bellamy's anger.
"No? We lost Monty and Harper three days ago. How do you feel about that?" Bellamy questioned wondering how she seemed to just go along with what was happening to them. "Cause I have no idea. I lost my sister yesterday. It's gonna take me a little while to feel nothing, as good as a Trikru warrior, but I'll keep trying."
He turned to look back into the crowd thinking she would leave him alone. But she wasn't going to allow him to have the last say.
"You think you're always the only one suffering but you're not and every time something happens you always try to place blame on someone else. Well, I'm not gonna be to blame if Octavia dies out there. And if you think I don't feel anything, you're wrong. I feel everything. I have felt everything since the first day you landed on Earth. Every heartache. Every pain. Every death affected me. I know you think the person on the Ring was the best version of me but she wasn't, she was simply trying to pass the day. That person never dealt with her emotions and still hasn't. Believe me, Bellamy Blake you don't know just how much of a emotionless warrior I can be."
All Bellamy Blake could do was watch as she walked away from him. He knew he was placing blame anywhere besides himself but when she looked at him, her eyes looked like someone else's.
His words infuriated her to her core. He wasn't going to blame her every time he did something wrong. His words and her emotions were enough for Sheidheda to voice his opinions again.
"I told you, they don't respect you. They don't see you as the Commander. I can help rectify that. Allow me to guide you to your full potential." The rest of her evening was spent in a corner of the bar, her mind inside the Flame.
That's where Bellamy found her after he had checked in on the girls and asking Tate and Echo to watch over them. Part of him was curious to what he might see when he approached her. The sight of her eyes lingered in his mind as he wondered what was going on in her head.
"Hey. Look, I'm a jerk." Bellamy opened pulling her out of her the Flame. "I was taking my thoughts about Octavia out on you. I'm sorry."
Nia took a moment to respond to Bellamy. Sheidheda's words lingering in her mind. She had to find out what laid ahead of her and the only way she could do that was to remain covert.
"I do miss them. Monty and Harper. I may not show it but I do." Nia admitted recalling the memories of her friends.
"I know. I know." Bellamy communicated trying to look into Nia's eyes but her gaze remain downcast.
When her gaze met his, she felt a moment of relief, a moment when she could truly express what she could to him. "You were right. I feel myself closing down again."
"Of course you are. We've been fighting to survive the moment we left the Ring." Bellamy comforted.
"I've been fighting to survive all my life." Nia opened up but the voice inside her was telling her to stop only she couldn't stop. But her story was more than a weakness it was another tier for Sheidheda to use.
"My mother was the complete opposite of my father. He was strict and ruthless. All he wanted was for us to become fighters. But her calming nature lingered around us. It wasn't till she died that he began to get his way. She had gone out on a simple house call. I wanted to learn so she brought me alone. It was during the time that Azgeda was raiding villages. It happened so quick. The warriors were trying to fight against them but the village was outnumbered. She hid me in pocket under a tree the brush concealing it. She tried to fight them but she was never advanced as us. They put her on her knees and made her beg for her life. They laughed at her before they slit her throat from behind."
Bellamy could only listen while Nia told him of her mother. She had not once spoke of her parents to him, he had only realized her past from Lincoln.
"After her death, there was no one to stop our training with our father. He had gotten what he wanted. Two ruthless killers. It wasn't till he made Linc-" Her voice stopped at the mention of her brother. She shed a tear as she inhaled trying to gain control of her emotions. The mere thought of him only brought the pain that he had suffered while she was free. "It wasn't till our first kills that we realized what monsters we could become. We tried to live by the same values our mother instill in us. But the demon lingers within ready to emerge at any given moment. And I'm scared that once I let it out I may never get myself back."
Bellamy made his way around the table and sat beside her. He placed a kiss on her head before getting her to look at him. He looked in her eyes for an trace of what he had seen but in that moment all he saw was Nia.
"I hate that that happened to you. And for all that you suffered after. But everything we have been through has brought us here. From now on, we look forward, not back. For Atlas and the girls. We do this for them."
The couple shared a kiss before resting their foreheads against one another. Both taking in the comfort of having someone to lean on. If only that moment had lasted a bit longer. If only it had meant their future would be fought together.
Sheidheda didn't like weakness but he allowed Nia to have this one moment because he had already gotten what he wanted. He had a fierce warrior determined to make a safe haven for her children by any means necessary.