Freya
The grounders watched me pass by them on the way back to my tent. Their looks towards me aren't as harsh as the ones they give other sky people. It's mid morning now so many have already left to tend to their daily chores like hunting and fishing. When I neared my tent the ones watching lost interest and turned back to their task. Voices inside stopped me before I pulled back the opening. "I'm just asking what caused her to believe that was something she needed to do" it was Bellamy.
"Bell, drop it it's over with now" Octavia said. Dropping my arm to my side I moved so my shadow couldn't be seen in the tent while I listened.
Bellamy huffed and I can picture him crossing his arms. "She slit a mans throat. Some one from the ark doesn't do things like that" he said.
"Yeah, they just beat people with batons and execute them by launching them into space to suffocate" Raven said sarcastically. "And I for one am glad she did it, he's the reason this happened to me" she said. "And someone has to show these grounders we can't be pushed around" she added.
There was a pause. "Freya didn't have a happy upbringing she never had the chance to truly be free. She only had her father who turned her into a warrior that the ark had never seen before, all for his cause" Anna said. I know she would never tell them anything she knew I wanted kept secret but I am curious as to what she will tell them. The ark swarmed with rumors about me after my second arrest.
Bellamy was the one to show his curiosity first, "What was her fathers cause? I've heard rumors they wanted to slaughter the entire ark so they could take it back to a small group to start the human race over. Or that Freya was involved in several murders. Or that they were torturing people."
"We all have heard the rumors" Octavia cut in. Of course I heard the rumors even in the skybox it's just been a long time since I heard them. Bellamy didn't even list the more far fetched ones.
Anna began to explain, "Charlie Wright did indeed have a cause that involved the people of the ark. Him and his followers wanted to take the ark to the ground. Back then we all thought the world was uninhabitable, to radiation soaked. But they saw living in space as living in a prison, they were willing to risk it." It was silent again. They executed my father rightfully for the guards he killed in our attempt to take over but I wonder what he would have done if he could see that the ark did make it to the ground. "In many ways Freya has healed a lot since being outside of her fathers control. Making friends and relationships with you all is not something she would have done during her fathers time. In fact she would have left you all to die at the drop ship" Anna said.
I turned away to think about my best friends words. Have I really changed that much since my fathers execution? The more I thought about it more faces appeared in my mind of those I'd say I care about. When I think about the understanding I had with Clarke and the kiss I had with Lexa it reminds me of something Anna use to repeat to me. Anna truly did try her best to keep me from falling into the dark because of my father.
Thoughts clouded my mind as I walked away from the tent. I need to get away to clear my head so I'm prepared to go to war with the mountain people. "Hey, Freya where you heading" Clarke asked walking in my direction from the other side of Tondc. She had a meeting to discuss the truce in order to make sure it was still solid.
"Going for a walk in the forest" I said. Before she volunteered to come with me I said, "I'd rather be by myself for a couple of hours."
She looked skeptical for a moment but brushed it off. "Okay well you better take this with you" she said taking her gun from her pants. Lexa allowed us to carry our weapons again and I felt more secure to at least have a knife. "Take it, Raven smuggled out at least three from camp, I'll take one of those" she said putting it in my hand.
"Okay" I said putting it in the waistband of the back of my pants. "I'll see you later" I mumbled walking away. Barely five steps into the forest I heard faint movements behind me. Slowly I moved my hand to my knife and continued on as if I didn't hear them following me. They followed me for along time putting distance between us and Tondc. "Why are you following me" I glared at the tree I know they are behind.
A grounder stepped out from behind the larger tree. There was something familiar about him. His beard was thicker with more braids signifying that he is older. His expression morphed into a scowl and I was reminded of where I recognize him from. He was a guard outside of the room Lexa originally kept me prisoner in. "I've come to slay the skai gona" he said pulling his sword from its sheath slowly.
Glaring I pulled out my dropship knife giving him the impression that this is the only weapon I carry. "Killing me would break the truce" I said. "But that's what you want isn't it?" I hummed as we began to circle each other.
"Trikru does not need this truce, we can get our own people out of the mounon" he grumbled.
"So you are going to defy your commander because your pride is hurt" I taunted. He charged at me while swinging his sword. I deflected his sword with my knife enough to step out of his range. "Try that again" I growled.
His eyes gave away his next move giving me time to duck below. He came at me again and this time I cut his forearm. "That will be the last move you make" he said stepping forward to strike one more time. As if it happened in slow motion, I pulled the gun a second too late as a knife shot through the air landing in his wrist.
The guard gasped in surprise and pain, dropping his sword to clutch his wrist. Lexa approached seething with anger, "touch her and you will die by my hand."
"Heda" he looked at her completely shocked to see his commander out in the forest. "I only had your best interest" he was cut off by a loud roar in the distance. My head whipped in its direction, I've never heard anything like that before.
"What is that" I turned to Lexa. The roaring was getting louder and trees crashed as whatever it is got closer.
"Pauna" the grounder said, his eyes huge with doubled fear. Pauna? That had to be their language for some kind of beast.
In a split second Lexa dove for the mans sword and used it to cut the backs of his legs. "This way!" she shouted grabbing my arm to run in her direction. The grounder screamed behind us. I followed Lexa closely since she knows these woods.
The crashing picked up behind us as we ran, I looked over my shoulder trying to catch a look at the beast. But all I saw was half a tree flying through the air at us. "Watch out" I grabbed Lexa pulling her just out of its way as it landed in the direction she was taking us. "This way" I said running in the only other direction we could go. Suddenly there was no more ground beneath my feet and I was landing on my back. I gasped trying to get my breath back, we were in an open structure with tall concrete walls. Everything was overgrown with moss. Lexa hissed holding her thigh in pain. "Are you alright" I asked getting to my knees.
"Leave me" she groaned. "Get back to Tondc, Freya" she looked at me, her face partially covered in dirt.
"I'd never leave you to die" I said without a second thought. I grabbed her arm helping her to sit up. The beast wasn't roaring nearby anymore. "We need to go now before it finds us here" I said hauling Lexa to her feet. It was the last thing I should be thinking about but when she leaned her weight on me I couldn't help but enjoy the feeling. I grabbed the sword from the ground and handed it to her. Lexa grunted in pain as we walked together to find a way out.
She forced us to stop. "This must be its nest" she said. In front of us was a pile of bones and objects that belonged to the beasts victims. "Theres no way out this way we need to go back" she said removing her arm from my shoulder to walk on her own. She was able to walk a bit faster now that she was off the ground.
"Here" I pointed to a doorway far off in front of us. Suddenly the beast crashed into the enclosure out of no where. It roared baring its sharp teeth. I pulled the gun again and fired at it twice. While it was distracted we ran into the only other doorway. "The sword!" I yelled slamming the door with my shoulder. Lexa jammed the door with the sword to keep it closed. Together we backed from the door as the Pauna was even more enraged on the other side.
"We're trapped" Lexa said after a quick look around. There is no other exit in the room.
I sighed, "Maybe we can wait it out. It'll go to hunt again and we can sneak away" I said. And so we sat against the far wall waiting. A fair gap between us. As the minutes ticked by I heard Anna in my head. There was nothing to do now except be with my thoughts and my thoughts turned to the kiss. I imagined Anna telling me to get to the bottom of this, find out what is going on, you know you like her. I haven't let myself admit it since the kiss happened but I believe I do. Looking at her now I felt light. Disregarding every other factor besides just her, I want her.
"You didn't tell me you are with another" She broke the silence.
"We're not together" I said looking at the ground beside my leg to push the dirt around.
With her tone she was trying to come across as indifferent, "I saw you and Clarke" she said.
Trying to think a way to explain it I looked up at her. She was already watching me, her eyes intense but her overall expression remained indifferent. "Before we came to earth Clarke and I were both kept in solitary. It's physical" I said.
"To be a leader is to be alone, Freya" she said as if it was a well practiced phrase.
"Then why did you kiss me, commander?" I asked.
Lexa turned away from me to look at the door. "We should try the door, the pauna hasn't made any noise recently" she said. She got to her feet slowly.
I sighed watching her walk over to the door as if she wasn't leaving this conversation unfinished. My gut filled with disappointment. "Okay" I mumbled coming to the door as well. We pressed our ears to the door but there was nothing. As quietly as possible we opened the door, on top of the enclosure in the distance the beast was laying with its back to us. Lexa motioned to it. I crept out of the room first towards the staircase in the other doorway.
"Down!" Lexa yelled behind me. Instinctively I dove onto the ground just inside the doorway. The pauna crashed through the door that Lexa jumped out of the way from. Quickly she closed the door from the outside and jammed it with her sword. The pauna would have to break down the solid metal door to get out. "Go" she said pulling me up from the ground. We traveled through the forest until she deemed we should take a rest. We're going to have to go around the pauna's nest in order to get back to Tondc.
"What are you doing?"
There he was, standing on a log with his arms crossed. My father.
"What?" I asked confused.
He rolled his eyes annoyed to repeat himself. "What are you doing? I didn't raise you not to go for the kill" he said.
I looked behind me in the direction of the nest but noticed I was in a completely different part of the forest than before. "The beast is trapped. Going back to kill it would be a suicide mission" I said.
My father grunted disapprovingly and hopped down from the log. He paced without removing his eyes from mine. "Not the beast. I'm talking about the people who killed me and the rest of your people. They murdered us and you let them continue to live" he said.
"I don't even know who exactly it was that tipped off the guards. Or who exactly shot you" I told him crossing my own arms.
His glare turned on me and instantly he grabbed me by the throat with one large hand. "Avenge your people! Kill them!" he squeezed tighter. I gasped choking and trying to pry his hand off.
"Freya! Freya!"
I gasped sitting up desperately taking in air. The forest was different again and there was a small fire now. Lexa kneeled at my side with a concerned look. "What happened" I asked quietly.
She took her hand from my shoulder and sat down. "It was a dream. You're safe now" she said in a tone I haven't heard from her before. "I have them too" she said after a moment of silence.
"You never answered my question from before" I said. "So why did you?" I asked referring to the kiss. Lexa sighed picking up her knife to mess with. My hand shot out to cover hers and stop her from distracting herself. "Lexa, tell me because that night you made it sound like you cared for me and I just need to know if you meant it or not" I stared into her eyes.
The battle in her eyes finally came to an end. "I did mean it, you are unlike anyone I've ever met. Yu laik special" she spoke in her language. She frowned closing her eyes tightly , "Love is weakness. I'm the commander of the coalition I cannot have any weaknesses."
Her words made sense to me like it was something my father might have said to me. But I could hear Anna yelling over every voice in my head about weakness. "You know, when I would come close to getting lost in my fathers darkness Anna would tell me something about weakness" I spoke soft afraid to break the bubble were in.
"What is that" she asked just as soft.
Subconsciously my body leaned in. "It's only weakness if you let it make you weak instead of strong" I said. We were inches apart. Her breath fanned over my lips. With a tilt of my head I captured her lips in mine. The kiss was short but confirmed everything.
Lexa looked unguarded, a small smile grew on her lips. "You are unlike anyone I've met before, Freya kom skaikru" she said pulling me back in to kiss her again.