chapter 15 - two truths, one lie
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"While it's true that you were wondering in the woods that day, and an Azgeda warrior did attack you, it wasn't because you wondered into their territory." Lincoln began, as he started telling the story.
"It wasn't?" Dakota questioned, and he shook his head.
"No. As a matter of fact, you were nowhere near the Ice Nation. You had only made it a few meters away from our village gates." He chuckled at the memory. "But you were so young that it must've seemed like you were running around for a long time. I was scouting the woods that day at my post, when I saw you wondering around the woods alone. I didn't know what to do because I was only a teenager, but I had recognized you immediately, and I knew that I couldn't leave you out there unprotected."
Kota looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean you recognized me?"
"I, myself, may have been young and naïve at the time, but I knew for a fact that you were the younger sister of our future Commander. I had seen you numerous times before." He smiled, however, Dakota was at a loss for words.
"...What?" She whispered, in disbelief.
"That day in the woods, you were attacked by an Azgeda warrior who was spying on our clan. His intention was to kill your older sister Lexa, however, he mistook you for her and tried to kill you instead. Apparently, the Queen of the Ice Nation believed that Lexa was going to be a threat in the near future, and truthfully, she wanted the power of ruling all twelve clans. So, she sent an assassin to murder Lexa before she became the rightful Commander."
"S-so that means Lexa's my—"
"Your biological sister? Yes." Lincoln clarified, knowing what she was about to ask. "Your name was Leilani, however our people called you Leila."
"Why don't I remember my life before you though?" She questioned him, skeptically. "Surely I would recall the life of being Lexa's sister, right?"
"You were only three or four years old then." He spoke, trying to justify her clouded memory. "Usually children don't remember the earlier parts of their childhood that clearly. I mean, I don't even know what I was doing with my life before I was five or six. Plus, Lexa was a nightblood, so she was already training to become a warrior as soon as she was two. Then when she turned twelve, she was already fighting in the conclave and winning her title. She of course, knew you were her sister. However, you both never really grew up to know each other as siblings. You were rarely ever around each other."
Dakota tried to process all of this new information, but she was finding it rather difficult to comprehend. "Okay," She sighed. "So what happened after that day in the forest? How did you become my brother?"
"When I saved you from the warrior, I brought you back home and informed our leader about what happened. They thought that because Lexa couldn't look after you due to her destiny as future Commander, and both of your parents were gone, you should be put with a family who would protect you and raise you as their own." Dakota listened to each word that left his mouth, and even noticed how he smiled in fondness as he recalled their past.
"I was still holding you in my arms when they had made that decision, because I had just patched you up and got you to stop crying from the wound that the Azgeda warrior had given to you. But when I had looked down at you to see if you were alright, I saw that you were already dozing off in my arms. At that moment I just had this need to always want to keep you safe. To protect you. I don't know what came over me but I volunteered to take you in, and when they agreed, I immediately brought you home to my mother. We had just recently lost my father and mom was the most compassionate woman, as you can remember, so she accepted you as part of our family with no hesitation."
At this point, Lincoln had tears in his eyes and upon seeing the sight, Dakota had begun to tear up as well. "Why isn't my name still Leila?" She wondered.
"We knew that we needed to change your name, in order to protect your identity. But the thing is, we didn't know what to call you at first. However, mother started to take notice of the way you acted and presented yourself. You were so friendly and sweet, and literally the most cutest kid ever. So mother decided on the name Dakota, because not only does it mean 'friend' but it also means 'safe haven.' And that's exactly what we wanted to be for you. A safe place for you to grow up and make friends, and not worry about all of the horrible things that this world is filled with."
Lincoln paused his story for a moment and lowered his gaze. "When mother passed away, I made a vow to her that I would continue protecting you no matter what, and I will always live by that. That's why I became so obsessed with the idea of looking after you. I know that I gradually became overprotective, but I guess I just became obsessed with the idea of looking out for you. Especially, because at first it was my duty, but then it became my life as your older brother."
Dakota grabbed his hand and squeezed it in assurance. "It's okay, Lincoln. It actually makes so much sense now." She chuckled. But then she quickly furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "Wait. What about when Lexa banished me from Trikru? If I'm her sister, then why would she do that?"
"Lexa had to keep up the charade." He replied. "She couldn't let anyone find out about who you were. So that's why as soon as you left the throne room that day when she banished you, she immediately ordered me to leave with you, so that I could continue to keep you safe. The thing is, she didn't even have to tell me twice because I had already decided that I wasn't gonna leave you by yourself."
Dakota smiled at him in appreciation, even though she was still feeling blindsided. Lincoln saw her expression and leaned in closer so that she could meet his eyes once more. "Kota, I need you to understand that even though I'm not biologically your brother, and that I was only requested to pose as your family so that no harm would come to you, I still view you as my little sister. And I will always love you as if you were my own blood."
"I love you too, Link. And I'm beyond grateful that you took me in. You will always be my big brother." The brunette cried as she leaned in and embraced him. "But this is so much to process. I mean, for my whole life I've basically been living a lie. I don't even know what to do with all of this information."
"That's completely understandable, Sis. I didn't expect for you to learn your story and then instantly continue living your life like nothing happened." He assured her and rubbed her back gently, careful not to hurt her. "I hate to add more stress to you, but there is something else you should know."
Dakota scoffed sarcastically, and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "What could possibly be more overbearing than that?"
Lincoln pulled back and looked in her eyes, nervously. He was concerned about how she would take this new information. "Well, because my blood wasn't a match for you...I knew that the only way to save your life was for your true sibling to donate her blood. So, I found Lexa and told her the problem, and she wasted no time in assisting with the blood transfusion. Kota, she may not have properly treated you like a sister, but that wasn't necessarily her fault. She had to in order to keep you safe. But that didn't mean she didn't love you any less. The fact that she donated her blood, no questions asked, should be enough to tell you that."
Dakota rubbed her temples as she felt an oncoming headache forming. She took a minute in an attempt to comprehend everything that she had just learned, but then one specific thing entered her mind. "Wait..." She looked over at Lincoln with wide eyes. "If she gave me over a pint of her blood, does that mean I—" She didn't even get to finish before she was already peeling away her surgical bandage, and gaping down at the black liquid that was soaked into the cotton.
"Congratulations. It looks like you're now worthy of the flame." Lincoln tried joking around, but the grounder girl didn't even hear him before she was growing too overwhelmed and unfortunately, passed out.
(A/N: This GIF is trash, but you get the idea 🙃)
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A little while later, Lexa was standing inside of her tent, deeply in thought. She wanted nothing more than to be by her sister's side at that moment, and beg for her forgiveness and understanding. But truthfully, she didn't even know if Dakota would ever speak to her again once she find out about where she came from.
Lexa knew that she couldn't ever begin to understand how the girl was currently feeling now knowing that almost everyone had lied to her all her life. Of course, Indra and the others didn't even know, but that wasn't the point. She really had so much to explain to Dakota, and so much to speak with her about, however, it was definitely too early to determine what Dakota's thoughts were on everything.
And when Kota finally did find out about her having a part in knowing about the missile too, there was certainly no telling what she would think of her sister then.
She just hoped that some day, the girl would find a way to forgive her, and accept her as who she is. Because contrary to what many people believe, Lexa may have locked away her love and emotions, but she would never deny the chance to get to know her sister. In all honesty, the Commander only continued to act distant with Dakota, because she feared that the girl would have the same fate as Costia, and die at the hands of the ice queen.
But recently, Lexa was beginning to realize that she had been underestimating Dakota's strength and capabilities for far too long. And that if it really came down to it, Kota would fight to survive because she was a warrior. Whether it be from training, or the simple fact that it was now, and always has been, in her blood.
"You sent for me?" Clarke questioned, breaking the Commander away from her thoughts as she entered.
"Yes." Lexa nodded, and cleared her throat. "I wanted to let you know that Octavia has nothing to fear from me." She assured her. "I do trust you, Clarke."
The blonde smiled lightly in relief. "I know how hard that is for you." She replied, and Lexa looked at her with doubt.
"You think our ways are harsh, but it's how we survive."
"Maybe life should be about more than just surviving." Clarke sighed and turned her head away. "Don't we deserve better than that?"
Lexa paused for a moment, as she observed the girl in front of her. "Maybe we do.." She whispered, before quickly pulling the girl in and connecting their lips.
The kiss was only a few seconds long, and Clarke did kiss her back, however, she soon pulled away right before Lexa could deliver another one. It was slightly awkward after that, as Clarke tried to explain that she wasn't ready to be with anyone yet. However, once Lexa nodded respectfully, they were interrupted anyways by a loud commotion happening from outside.
"Heda! Flashen-de!" [Commander! The signal!] Someone shouted, alerting Lexa of what was going on.
The two girls quickly glanced at each other before they hurried out of the tent to see for themselves. As soon as they approached the crowd, they both looked up and instantly saw the red flare that had been shot into the sky.
"Bellamy did it." Clarke concluded, looking towards the sky with a hint of a smile. Lexa smirked, and gawked at the sight as well.
"You were right to have faith in him." She stated, before meeting the blonde's eye. "Now, we fight." The Commander then ran to the opposite side of the cliff, where there was an army of thousands waiting for her from below.
"Teik em laud, tromon-de!" [Sound the horn!] She ordered the warrior to her left, and he did just that.
In just a few seconds, the loud sound of the horn being blowed, combined with the rambunctious cheers of the grounders surrounding the area.
"KOM WOR!" [TO WAR!] The Commander bellowed, and everybody's cheers instantly grew louder.
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A/N: @strxberriez
Here's your cute scene :)
Enjoy it while it lasts...🙊
Dakota had just gotten done telling Octavia about everything that Lincoln had admitted to her. She also told the brunette that she was now considered an official nightblood, and how if circumstances allowed it, she could even be considered a potential flame carrier.
"That's insane." Octavia sighed, as she tried to process all of the new information.
"I know." Dakota replied. "Apparently, my name used to be Leila or something too. But my mother and Lincoln changed it in order to protect my identity."
The brunette hummed in thought, before a small smirk grew on her face. "Leila's a pretty name and all, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't like Dakota better." She admitted. "It suits you."
Kota chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind Octavia's ear. "In all honesty though, even if I do currently feel extremely lost and confused right now, I'm glad that things worked out the way they did."
"Why?"
"Because if I never grew up with Lincoln, then I might've never had the opportunity to accept Lexa's mission. And then I would have most likely never met you. Or even if I still did at some point, we still wouldn't have that same deep connection that brought us so close together in the first place."
Octavia smiled at her words. "You're right. I mean, our stories are pretty similar if you think about it. Our mothers both died, and left us with our overbearing and overly protective big brothers."
"It's so ironic." Dakota chuckled. "We really are birds of the same feather, aren't we? You know, besides the whole idea of me practically being royalty."
"Shut up, you are not royalty!" The brunette laughed, causing the grounder to do the same.
"Wow, I still can't believe that Lexa's my sister." Kota sighed. "I mean, do we really even look alike?"
Octavia thought about it, and took a minute to truly observe the girl laying before her. "Actually....you kinda do."
"Wait, really?"
"Yeah." The brunette nodded. "I can honestly see the resemblance between you two. I mean, I wouldn't have thought anything of it before, but it definitely makes sense now. And if you think about it, you and Lincoln are the ones who actually look nothing alike." She then picked up a nearby tray, that was made of a reflective surface, before holding it up for her to see herself.
Dakota looked at her refelction for a moment, before she quickly put the tray back down. "Alright, I can kinda see it now. That's pretty freaky." She sighed. "Ugh, please tell me that I don't sound like her too."
Octavia looked at her weirdly. "What's wrong with how she talks?"
"Nothing really. I mean I do like her voice. It's always so calm and controlled, light and airy..."
"But...?" Octavia smiled, knowingly.
"But she's just so formal!" Dakota exclaimed. "Like, I don't think I've ever heard her speak casually. Could you imagine that would even sound like?"
"Well, you don't have to worry. You sound nothing like her. Your voice is very unique, and melodic."
"Well thanks." The grounder girl smiled at the compliment, and the two were silent for a moment. That is, until a mischievous grin stretched onto Dakota's face. "I bet I could do an awesome impression of her though..."
"Oh god..."
Dakota cleared her throat before attempting to put on her best Heda voice. "The dead are gone, Octavia. The living...are hungry."
Both of them immediately bursted out into a fit of laughter, before Octavia finally told her to stop messing around, in fear that the girl was going to tear her stitches.
"One more! One more!" Kota said, before she quickly put on the same voice. "Mockery is not the product of a strong mind, Dakota."
"What has gotten into you?" The brunette questioned after giggling some more. "You're never normally this loud and obnoxious. Did Abby give you more morphine or something?"
Dakota instantly grew quiet. "Possibly...." She smiled shyly, making Octavia roll her eyes at her cuteness. "I was complaining about some pain in my ribs, and I'm pretty sure she even doubled the doses."
"Alright, well you should probably get some rest then."
"Nooo, don't leave me!" The grounder whined, which was seriously out of character for a girl like her.
"Go to sleep!" Octavia scolded her, yet her smile never went away.
"Fine." Dakota sighed, and watched her walk away.
"Octavia?" She quietly spoke, once the brunette had reached the door.
"Yes?"
"...I love you..."
Octavia tried to hide her grin, but evidently failed. She ran back to the bed and pecked her cheek lovingly. "I love you too."
"What?" Dakota gasped dramatically, and switched back to her Heda voice once more. "Don't you know that love is weakness, Sky Girl?"
The girls broke out into another round of laughter, causing the atmosphere to fill up with nothing but the sounds of their friendship. Because that's really what it was. A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you just the way you are. They know your weaknesses, but show you your strengths, and that was indeed what they were. Sure, they grew to love each other in a different way overtime. But they would always be grateful for the deeply rooted friendship that sparked before anything else.
And they would never forget that.
"Ow! Stop making me laugh, it hurts." Kota whined, though her grin was prominent.
"You're the one who started it!" Octavia chuckled some more, and the grounder girl shook her head right as Lexa and Clarke walked into the room.
"Clarke, Lexa." Octavia cleared her throat and immediately frowned. "What are you guys doing here? Shouldn't you be looking out for Bellamy's signal?" Meanwhile, Dakota's heart dropped at the sight of the Commander. She didn't know how she should react after finding out that Lexa was her older sister, so she just decided to stay silent and avoid eye contact for now.
"That's what we came in here for." Clarke was the one to reply. "He already signaled. We're currently rallying everybody up so that we can leave as soon as possible."
The brunette was relieved to hear that her brother was still alive and she quickly stood up, preparing to leave with the two leaders.
"I'll be out in a second." Dakota informed them all. "I just have to take it slow when I'm getting ready, so that I don't tear my stitches."
At her words, the others quickly glanced at each other in worry, before Octavia was the one to address her. "Kota...you don't really think that I'm gonna let you go into battle after you just had surgery, do you?"
The grounder girl paused her movements, and slowly turned her head to look at the three of them. "You can't seriously expect me not to fight in this war. Octavia, I have to. If it was any other battle, then sure, whatever. But this one is different."
Everyone in the room was silent and so Dakota continued to plead her case. "Guys, The Mountain Men violated me. They stripped me of my pride and dignity and left me to become a murderous monster. I was tortured endlessly." She exclaimed. "I need to get justice. If not for me, then for all of the other grounders who were tortured in that damn mountain too!"
"I'm sorry, Koda." Lexa finally spoke up, her face void of expression. "But you are in no condition to fight this war. You'll stay here at Camp Jaha, where you'll be under Abby's care. We will come back for you once we've won."
Dakota rolled her eyes at Lexa's words and completely ignored her. She turned to Clarke instead, and refrained from crying. "You can't keep me from this war, Clarke. I will be joining this fight, whether you like it or not." She gritted, but the blonde only shook her head sadly.
"I was afraid you'd say that." She sighed, before nodding to Lexa, who reluctantly held the grounder girl down while Clarke proceeded in handcuffing her to the bed.
"No! No, don't do this!" Dakota begged, while trying to break out of the restraints as tears began streaming down her face. "Please!" She cried out.
"What the hell are you guys doing?!" Octavia shouted, grabbing at the two. "Get away from her!"
"I already voiced my apologies, but this must be done." Lexa held her back. "If you were wise, Octavia, then you would see it as a good thing. You know she wouldn't be able to fight, and the risk of her getting injured once more or even dying, is too big of a risk."
Octavia took a minute to actually grasp onto the Commander's words, and she knew that she was right. She might not have liked how they went about it, but the girl knew that if Dakota wasn't restrained, she would just follow them once they've left.
"Octavia...please don't—" Kota begged, noticing the girl's change of heart, but Octavia's tears cut her off.
"—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Octavia choked out. "Lexa's right. I've already almost lost you twice, I can't risk the chance of losing you again. Please understand, Kota. I love you so much."
"Octavia, if you leave me here and keep me from fighting in this war I will never forgive you!"
"I can live with that if it means your alive." Octavia replied, solemnly. "Just know that I will do everything in my power to make sure you get justice, even if it means doing it myself. I promise."
Dakota let one last tear fall, before she turned over to Lexa, finally meeting her troubled green eyes. "Some sister you are." She spat, with venom laced in her tone. Lexa's eyes only widened just a bit, before she bit her lip and turned away.
And with that, the trio quickly left the room, so as to not hear Dakota beginning to cry and scream out in protest. Clarke had even ordered a guard to be posted in front of her door, causing Dakota to feel more betrayed now, than ever.
With her sister, friend, and lover all seemingly against her, she suddenly felt completely numb to the pain from her surgery. Instead, no amount of pain could compare to how hurt she was feeling from being forced into not participating in this war against Mount Weather. The very same people who literally put her through hell and back.
The grounder girl quickly stopped crying as a wave of anger washed over her instead, and instantly replaced her sadness. She didn't care what it took, she was going to find a way to fight in this war. And when she did, she promised herself that she was going to wreak havoc on that god-awful place, and get vengeance for every single person who had suffered the same terrible fate as her, during the Cerberus Program.
Which included, killing Dr. Tsing, and the man that started it all.
...Cage Wallace.
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Within the hour, the army—that consisted of both grounders and Sky People—was marching in the direction of Mount Weather. They all walked with their heads held high and nothing but determination on the forefront of their minds. This was the war that they had been waiting for. Preparing for. And it was finally time for them to conquer it.
Somewhere amongst the crowd of thousands, was Octavia, who boldly marched along with the others. However, her heart was breaking. What she had just done to Dakota would no doubt, cause a rift between them.
I mean, she was literally keeping the girl away from fighting her own demons. Plus, doing something so terrible right after the girl just learned that her whole life was a lie? It was just cruel and unbelievable. She just hoped that Dakota could find a way to forgive her at some point, and know that Octavia was only doing what she thought was best.
"Hey." Clarke spoke up from beside her, causing her to roll her eyes in annoyance.
"What do you want?" She asked her, dryly.
"I'm changing your mission. You're not going to the mines with Indra. I'm placing you in the rear guard, where you'll be safe."
"Like hell you are. I don't take orders from you. I take orders from Indra."
"I'm trying to protect you, Octavia."
"Protect me." She scoffed.
Clarke sighed. "One day hopefully you'll understand what I did."
"Never." Octavia instantly replied. "Not only did you let hundreds of innocents die, but because of that, now Dakota isn't even able to be a part of this battle. She of all people should be here. So, I'll fight this war with you now because I want our friends back, but after that we're done."
"The Commander's looking for you." Indra interrupted the two, causing a oddly silent Clarke to nod and walk ahead of them. "What was that about?" The warrior asked, and Octavia sighed.
"Clarke's trying to reassign me to the rear guard."
"You're a warrior." Indra replied. "You'll be in the mines with me." She then lowered her voice in precaution. "I know what bothers you. They knew about the missile."
"How could you not hate them?" Octavia immediately questioned her in disbelief. "Indra, they almost killed you."
"They didn't do anything. The enemy did." Indra instantly replied. "Lexa's a great Commander because she's ruthless. That's how we'll win this battle."
"That's wrong!"
"That's war." Indra corrected her, before she raised her sword and shouted out in a battle cry. The rest of the army followed suit, and immediately the crowd roared with life, causing Octavia to join in and do the same."
And leading the army, was none other than Clarke and Lexa, who both gave each other a small smirk, upon hearing their army's battle cries.
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A/N:
What kind of author would I be if I didn't add a little angst every now and then? Besides, Dakota and Octavia's relationship was in desperate need of a little tension, or else it wouldn't really be a true relationship.
What are your thoughts on finding out Dakota's true past though? Is it what you were predicting? Are you disappointed? Let me know! I just had to add that little GIF in there of young Link and Kota 🥺
Anyways, get ready for the Season 2 finale! I'm thinking it will be around two chapters, but who knows?
Thanks for reading!
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