Hand in hand, Lincoln and Octavia walked through the dark woods, nothing but the moonlight to guide them. They walked in comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts.
Finn had found them at the entrance of Lincoln's cave and had convinced him to bring his leader to a meeting with Clarke. Lincoln had resisted at first, finding the idea ludicrous, but had agreed to it in the end. And now, they were headed to the meeting spot while Finn had gone back to camp to get Clarke.
Hopefully, their two people would find a way to bridge the gap between them and stop the on-going war.
Lincoln had wanted her to stay away, to return to her camp with Finn and stay there while the meeting took place, but Octavia, stubborn as ever, had insisted on being there.
She broke the silence.
"You didn't tell me."
"Hmm?" he asked distractedly.
"About saving my brother and the others," she explained. She'd just found out that Lincoln had saved Bellamy and their friends by blowing his horn, from Finn of all people. The revelation had taken her aback. This whole time, she'd assumed they'd just gotten lucky and escaped the grounders that were chasing them. "Why did you save them?"
He shrugged. "You asked me to. You sounded worried."
She stared at him in wonder as they walked.
It was that simple for him. She'd been worried and he'd saved them for her.
Just when she thought she couldn't possibly love him any more…
"Hey, come here a minute," she urged. They stopped walking and Octavia pulled him to her. She looked deeply into his beautiful brown eyes. "Thank you."
Lincoln smiled sweetly. "Always."
He touched the scar on her chin lightly before leaning down to brush his lips against hers. When they pulled apart, Octavia huddled closer to him for comfort, trying to fight off the cold night air.
Then, she glanced at her surroundings.
"I've never been to this part of the woods," she said, frowning slightly.
He chuckled and Octavia smiled in return.
"I'll show you around after this," he promised.
Her smile faded slowly as she thought about their current situation.
After this. What would things be like after this?
Who knew? Perhaps their people would come to an understanding and there could be peace between them.
"Do you think this will work?" she asked him.
Lincoln hesitated. He prayed it would, but he was holding hope at a distance for now. Knowing his people and their hatred for the Sky People, he knew the odds of this meeting coming to a happy ending were long. So he settled with, "Maybe."
She shrugged lightly, running her hands up and down his chest.
"Maybe it could work. We wouldn't have to hide anymore," she said, smirking up at him.
He grinned and kissed her again.
"Come on," he urged when the kiss ended. "We've still some ground to cover."
Lincoln took her hand in his and they continued on their journey. They walked for a few more minutes in silence.
"Okay. The meeting spot is that bridge," he told her, pointing at an old moss-covered bridge ahead. Both parties had agreed that it would be better if the meeting took place in neutral territory.
When they reached the edge of the woods, he turned to her. "Wait here. Stay out of sight."
She nodded solemnly.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Lincoln promised.
"Be careful."
They held onto to each other's hand as he walked away until the distance separated them. She leaned against a tree and watched him leave and disappear into the darkness of the night with a heavy heart.
Octavia lost track of time. She didn't know how long it had been since Lincoln had left her there, but as she looked out at the horizon, she could see that the dawn was breaking.
She wondered onto the bridge.
Somehow, it had survived the ravages of time and wars. The old bridge was covered with ferns and other plants, its rails were covered with moss.
Oh God… Why wasn't he back yet?
She began pacing on the bridge. Left to right, right to left, left to right. Octavia reached for the left sleeve of her jacket and pulled it up to expose the cut on her arm, the one she'd inflicted on herself to save Lincoln. She touched and scratched her skin, as the worry took over her.
What if they hurt him? What if his people killed him for being a traitor, for convoluting with the Sky People?
She wanted to believe this would all work out, but part of her trembled in fear at the thought that the grounders might hurt Lincoln for even suggesting a meeting with the enemy.
Still, watching the first rays of sunlight peaking through the clouds, Octavia couldn't help but feel like everything was going to be alright somehow.
For the first time, there was hope.