Morning seem to come too fast for Nia's comfort. She knew what the sunrise would bring and it made her uneasy. With her high position in the clan she would be entitled to some responsibilities for their impending war.
After their kiss in the clearing it made Nina more aware what her feelings were about Bellamy. A part of her wanted to give into her feeling of Bellamy but the obligation to stay true to her tribe was stronger. Lincoln had already fallen for one of Skikru and what a controversy that was. Right now wasn't the time to start another one. She had more important matters to deal with.
When she finally exited the tent she glanced around the activity that had begun. The sun hadn't yet risen fully but warriors were bustling about. Some would go to Skikru's camp to help them train while the leaders would stay to devise a plan.
Nia smiled slightly when she noticed Jade nearby training. When she had returned last night the younger girl was passed out in her cot. Lexa had informed Nia that the girl had waited up for her but the exhaustion had taken over. Jade had been very eager to train since the alliance had been made and Nia hoped that all this training wouldn't be too hard on her.
When she looked toward Skikru's camp her eyes settled on Lincoln and Bellamy preparing for their journey ahead with others around them. She thought for a moment before she decided to make her way over.
Everyone seemed to be done talking with the two and continued doing other tasks by the time Nia came over. It was quiet for a moment as the trio wondered what she had to say. But Nia stood there silently wondering what exactly she would say.
Broken out of her thoughts when she heard her brother speak. "Zhalia."
Her eyes snapped up and she spared a quick glance at Bellamy but her eyes went back to her brother. She didn't know how exactly he would feel about what had happen and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out yet.
But regardless of everything she was feeling at the moment she spoke in a calm steady voice. "Be safe, okay. Both of you." She looked both of them in the eye but before anyone could say a word she heard her name being called.
"The commander needs to see you." A warrior said from a few feet away. Nia nodded her head and turn back to the two. She gave them a small smile before she turned and left.
Bellamy wanted to call out to her. Stop her and talk with her about the kiss but stopped short when he realized he was standing beside her brother. Her brother who was trained to fight. Revealing the kiss might not be the best option at the moment. After a one quick look at Nia's retreating figure, the two went on their way.
Nia made her way over to the meeting room where a layout of Mount Weather was placed. The leaders gathered around trying to catch a glimpse of what was held inside that mountain. But when Nia entered all eyes shifted to her.
"You asked to see me, commander." Nia said addressing Lexa formally in front of them all.
"Leave us." Lexa spoke to the leaders and guards in the room. Some sent her questionable looks while others simply left without a word. Once they were alone Lexa began to speak softly. "I want you to go with Indra."
Nia looked at her confused of her orders. She half-expected to be there while they discussed plans. But if Lexa wanted her with Indra then so be it.
Lexa sensed her confusion and decided to explain further. "I know you've been in these meetings before but right now we need to show Skikru just how good our warriors can be. I can handle the leaders."
"What about Jade?" Nia said concerned for the younger girl who wanted to be apart of everything since she had meet her.
Lexa added a option. "It would be more safer for her here."
"Okay. I better get my things ready to go." Nia told Lexa. The two shared a smile before the healer turned and left the room.
She had been preparing her things when the flaps of the tent opened up. "You're leaving and you weren't going to tell me?" A small voice sounded.
"I was going to tell you little one, after I was finished packing." Nia addressed the smaller girl.
"I can be packed and ready to go quickly." Jade said as she made her way over to her things.
Nia stood up quickly and made her way over stopping the girl from packing. "No. Not this time Jade. The commander wants you here training."
"But I want to go with you." Jade tried to protest. Nia was the only person that Jade had had in a long time and she didn't want to lose her yet. "What if something happens?" Jade spoke in a hushed voice that Nia almost didn't catch it.
Nia sighed heavily before taking a seat on the bed. She patted the bed for the girl to sit beside her. When the two girls were seated, Nia put an arm around Jade, whose gaze was focused on the ground.
"Nothing will happen Jade, I promise." Nia spoke in a soothing voice. "And if something would happen, I can take care of myself, along with the other warriors that are going with us."
"I just don't want o lose you. You've remind me of my sister. She was kind and had a good heart too. She wanted to be a warrior too but mother told her that she was needed at home. My father died in a battle against Azgeda and my mother taken from sickness. She was all I had until Skikru fired those missiles. I was out with Tris, we were out trying to learn to fight. The missile landed in our home. I tried to get to her but the flames were too much." Tears cascaded down Jade's cheek. "And then I saw you. Helping those who were injured and if she had trained, she might've been like you. I'm not ready to be all alone again."
Nia pulled her close into a hug and held her for a moment. Jade had been keeping all this bottled up. Her family had been taken from her. She needed someone to be there for her. Someone to care for her and help her grow into a better person.
"Jade, I promise nothing will ever happen to me. I am a good fighter and I will fight like hell to make sure I get back to you. I won't leave you little one. I will be here until my fight is done." Nia reassured her as much as she could. "And you won't be alone Jade. Lincoln will take care of you and Lexa has taken a liking to you. If something were to ever happen to me, they would be here for you."
"Just be careful, please." Jade whispered to Nia.
"Always." Nia said as she placed a kiss to the girl's head.
Their moment was interrupted when they heard someone outside their tent. "Nia, the warriors are ready to leave." Nia gave Jade another hug before she got up to gather her things. But before she took a step outside, she gave Jade another smile. Now it was time for her to train again.
☣☣☣
Bellamy and Lincoln had travelled quite a distance since they had left Tondc. The kiss that Bellamy shared with Nia hadn't seem to have left his mind. From what he had seem she was strong and had helped them more time than they probably knew. He wanted nothing more than to go back and see what she thought about all of this but he needed to go on for his friends. All this with Nia would have to wait.
"Okay. So we make it to the intake door without any of the real Reapers seeing us. What happens then?" Bellamy questioned Lincoln as the warrior readied himself.
"I kill everyone, and you slip inside. Limestone. Let's go. We have a lot of ground to cover before dark." Lincoln addressed simply.
"Hey. I need to know what happened after the intake door." Bellamy said hoping to distract himself from his thoughts.
"They remove your clothes. Blast you with boiling water, then douse you with something that burns even worse. And then we were sorted. The others were tagged 'harvest.' I was tagged 'Cerberus,' tagged into a Reaper. Alec was tagged harvest. I didn't want to tell Nia, she didn't need to worry even more." Lincoln told him about his experience that haunted him. He remembered the younger boy who cared for his sister deeply. He didn't want to leave the boy to the Mountain Men but there was nothing he could have done to help.
"Cerberus. Three-headed dog that guards the underworld. My mom read mythology to us all the time. Octavia loved it. You're good for her. You made her strong."
"She was already strong. Her and Nia have heart of warriors." Bellamy said as they continued his journey.
"Hey. I need to ask you something. You both protected my sister before you even knew her, why?" Bellamy asked about how the siblings treated her.
"When I was a boy, I went searching for Nia, who had a tendency to run off. We were on our way back when we saw a ship fall from the sky. Like Ravens. The man inside was hurt, body broken. I couldn't get him out." Lincoln began to explain his story.
"Suicide by Earth. I heard the stories in the guard. I just didn't know they were true." Bellamy spoke to Lincoln.
"I brought him food, water. Nia tended him to the best of her knowledge. We didn't speak the enemy's language yet. So we couldn't understand him, but I wanted to. So on the third day, I told my father. He made me kill him while Nia watched. She use to have nightmares at night, my father wouldn't be there for her so I had to. The world's been trying to turn me into a monster for as long as I can remember. I tried to shelter her as best as I could but somethings can't be hidden forever. Let's keep moving." Lincoln finished his story.
"Wait. The parking garage where we found you, it's north, that way." Bellamy directed after Lincoln finished his story. Lincoln and Nia weren't like he thought, they were different from what he had observed.
"There's a mine entrance closer to where the Reapers hand us over. We go into the underworld when we have to. Not before." Lincoln explained their direction he was taking. Bellamy choose not to address this matter as they kept going.
"What do you have going on with Nia?" Lincoln said breaking the silence they had fallen into.
Bellamy paused his movements for a second but it was a movement that Lincoln had caught. He had watched their exchange before they had left and he knew that something had happened between the two.
"Nothing." Bellamy answered quickly, another give away for Lincoln. All he wanted for Nia was for her to be happy. Out of the two of them Nia was more of a warrior than he was. When she had gotten together with Alec, he thought that would be her shot but that changed a few months later.
"Okay." Lincoln said simply. It was clear that Bellamy wasn't sure what exactly what was going on with Nia and if he knew his sister well enough, she wasn't sure either. He just hoped that she found happiness. But a part of him knew that a relationship between the two would be even more complicated since he had gotten together with Octavia. But little did he know that it would only become more and more complicated.