Disclaimer-as usual, I own nothing
Summary-Soulmate marks are a thing. Anya has discovered who her mate is. And she won't let her go. Clanya. AnyaxClarke. Anya will live in this. Eventual Clanya.
Won't let her go-Anya's mate
Onya hadn't believed it when she first saw the mark. On the girl's left shoulder. The moment Onya met the girl on the bridge, she felt a pull to the girl. She didn't know why. That was until She and her warriors captured Klark and her friend Fin.
They kept Klark and Fin captive. The condition of what Onya gave to Klark was simple. Help heal her Seken, Tris, or the boy, Fin would die. Onya saw the mark on Klark's shoulder while the girl was still unconscious. A fat, green mark, in the shape of a "V." Onya knew where her own mark was. Right on her own shoulder. Klark, Onya understood at that moment, was hers. There was no arguing with that. She was going to take Klark as her own. Her mate. She was hers by right, as Onya was Klark's.
Onya made the decision when she watched Klark tending to the wounded Tris, hurt by the bomb at the bridge that Klark had ordered made. She was going to keep Klark. If she healed Tris, she would keep Klark and spare Fin. If Tris wasn't healed, she'd have Fin killed and keep Klark. Klark was her mate and was going to be part of her tribe now. Klark's days with the Sky people were over.
Onya waited for her mate to be done. It was long and difficult, but eventually Klark worked her healing on Tris. Klark explained that she needed to get rid of the toxic blood in Tris's system. Onya felt suspicious as soon as Klark put a vial into Tris's wound, spilling Tris's precious blood. It was only then that Onya grabbed Klark roughly and pulled her away from her Seken. It was when Klark came to her and her warrior, Artlen with a sharp needle, telling them that Tris needed blood, that Onya for once felt more than a little distrust for her mate.
But in the end, it was too late. Tris was dead. The pain that slashed into Onya's heart was overwhelming. She kept her grief under control, but it was practically overwhelming.
She would not raise a hand to her mate. But her mate had been the one that killed Tris. Onya cut a piece of Tris's braid off, put it in her pocket. She would bring it to the girl's mother and father, kneel before them and bow her head in respect and grief. She put the piece of braid in her pocket, aware of her mate staring at her from behind. She could feel her anger heat up. This was her mate's doing. Klark's people had made the bomb and it had blown up on the bridge.
Tris's blood was on her mate's hands. Onya's jaw clenched. It didn't matter. She had made her promise. The boy, Fin was to die. But her mate would stay with her. Klark was to be one of their people with time. Onya would not let Klark go now that she had her.
She gave the nod to Teppo. To kill the boy. Teppo grabbed Fin and picked him up, carrying him away. He began screaming and so did Klark, reaching for him, but Onya's other warriors, Zuk and Raldo restrained Klark and held her back. Onya turned to them and barked at them in Trigedasleng, "Do not let her leave. Under any circumstance. She is my mate. You will not harm her. She is to be one of us now."
Both Zuk and Raldo blinked and did not move for a moment when they heard this, but held the Sky girl fast and they looked down at her while holding her captive. Onya's mate was a sky girl? Neither of them had been expecting that. But they offered no words on the subject.
Onya ignored Klark's cries not to hurt Fin. Onya knew that Klark loved the boy. But it did not matter. He was of the sky and he was not her concern. Only Klark was. Klark would cry for Fin and would mourn for all of her people, but she would have a new life with Onya's tribe. She gave the orders to one of her guards to carry Tris to the horses. When the battle was over, they would bring Tris's body to the girl's mother and father. She ordered the guard, Raldo to watch Klark. Zuk waited outside with Onya.
It was a foolish move that Onya made. For when she returned to the room, knowing that Raldo likely would tell Klark that she would have a new life with them, she found Raldo's dead body on the ground, his throat slit. And Klark was gone.
Onya didn't even have the strength to feel pride for her small and untrained mate taking down a warrior as strong as Raldo and killing him. She snarled and ran from the room, calling an order once she was outside for the warriors around her to find Klark and bring the sky girl to her unharmed. Her mate wouldn't get far. Onya had placed traps with her warriors all around the campsite. If Klark was fleeing, she would be snagged by one by now most likely.
Onya tried to ignore the fear in her chest. Her own heart racing fast. Her mate. Her other half. And she was trying to flee. Did Klark not know? Did Klark not sense what was between them? Were the people of the sky kept ignorant of the mating bond? But Onya knew. Klark was going to warn her people. Onya would not allow this if she could. Ten minutes later, Onya's prediction about Klark being taken captive by a trap came true. She and three of her men found Klark hanging upside down in a snag, the snag around Klark's ankle.
Onya grinned despite herself. Her mate hadn't gotten far. And she wouldn't ever again. Onya had Klark cut down and taken to the camp's ground, tying her next to the fire. Onya kept watch over Klark as the young girl slept. Onya did not care if Klark was trying to keep her people safe. Klark needed to know what was between them. When Klark awoke, Onya still watched the young girl. Klark tensed when she realized she was being looked at by the Trikru woman. She tried to get up but the chains were bolted into the ground.
Onya kept her smirk away. She ignored the pain in her chest at her mate trying to run again. Klark would try to run away again, wouldn't she? Her beautiful mate had a strong will. Good. She would make a great warrior. And Onya would see just how willful Klark was in Onya's furs in the future. Onya was not foolish enough to believe that Klark would fall into her furs so soon after her people were killed. But Onya could wait. She could be patient. She kept her dark eyes on Klark and she watched as Klark watched her, not moving.
Onya was certain that Klark knew of their bond. She was certain of it now. But she needed to make sure. She lifted herself from the fire and walked around it, crouching down in front of Klark who was trying to shuffle back, but couldn't get away because of the chains. Onya reached to Klark's shoulder and grabbed Klark's shirt pulling it back as Klark squirmed. Klark's gasps went ignored by Onya and the older grabbed Klark with her other arm, holding Klark tight. She revealed Klark's green mark and Onya let go of Klark's shirt when Klark looked back at her alarmed. Onya stepped back and reached up to her own clothing, taking off her fur jacket and some of her armor, then reached for her shirt, pulling back the shirt shoulder on her left shoulder, revealing her own mark to Klark.
Klark looked startled by this revelation and Onya saw that Klark did not know. But that shock soon disappeared. Perhaps it wasn't such a surprise to her after all.
"You knew?" Onya asked in gonedasleng, aware that none of the Sky people spoke Trigedasleng. Klark shook her head, reaching up and covering her shoulder with her shirt. "No." She answered. "I didn't. But I suspected it." Onya stared with an unchanging expression. "You suspected." She echoed. "And you still tried to run away?"
Klark flinched at the accusation in Onya's voice and she glared up defiantly at the older woman. "I had to warn my people. I had to get them away. You'd do the same for yours if it was the other way around." Onya nodded and locked eyes with Klark. "It was the other way around, Klark. There was a village that was wiped out by your missiles. I would have saved that village if I could. But it was too late." Onya's heart still mourned for her people. The burnt bodies of the women, men and children that would never live to see the next day and the weeping children and women that took refuge in Polis would remain with her for a long time.
Klark shuddered, looking away. "I'm sorry, Anya. We didn't know. I swear, it was an accident."
Onya nodded. "Accident or not, your people will not harm any of ours again. And you will come with us." Klark shook her head, glaring now. "No, Anya. I have to go back to my camp. If my people are to be under attack then let me fight with them." Anya shook her head. "I will not. You are to stay here. You will be one of our people. You will be a Trikru warrior in time. But I cannot let you go back to the Sky people. When we are done with the battle, we will speak about your place in this tribe. But for now you will remain here." She turned to the guards around her while Klark struggled, hissing, "no" in her struggles.
"Zuk, Foto, Lorna, Kevten, Ekra. The five of you guard Klark. Give her no sharp object. Give her nothing she could use to free herself. And watch her." Onya commanded. She was duty bound and needed to wipe out the sky people now, but Onya would not leave without ensuring that her mate could not escape again.
Tristen arrived and Onya made it clear he was not to go near his mate. Tristen had been startled by this information, but Onya had shown him the mark. Onya pressed that if Tristen tried to harm Klark, she would bring the law of harming her mate to Heda herself. Mates were sacred. So if one tried to hurt someone's mate, that mate had every right to go to their Heda and demand justice. Tristen had glared at Onya, but begrudgingly agreed. He left to go kill the Sky people with some of Onya's warriors. Onya stood back from Klark. She said calmly, despite Klark's panic, knowing she had her duty, despite Klark's pleas, "I'll keep you safe. And I will give you a home with my people. I promise you."
"Please," Klark said, face desperate, "I need to go back home."
Onya shook her head, her decision final. "You are home." Klark whimpered, trying not to cry, but failing as she struggled against the chains. Onya fought down the desire to crouch down and pull the blonde into her arms and hold her there. There would be plenty of time for that later. Now was not the time. Klark would not welcome her yet. And Onya had to do as her Heda told her. The Sky people, all but Klark, had to die.
She heard frightened gasps and alarmed growls around her. She turned to see one of their fire patches sat ablaze in the distance. It was one of the signals telling them that the Reapers were out and hunting. Onya hissed, looking at Klark before she could stop herself, knowing her first duty was to the people around her, the Trikru. But she found her eyes on Klark immediately. She had to keep Klark safe. She barked back to one of the warriors she knew was there in their language, making sure Klark didn't know what she was saying, "Kurdo, come! Take Klark!"
She heard footsteps against the brush crack behind her. She turned to find Kurdo approaching, his leather and fur mask hiding his face. She ordered him in Trigedaslang to protect Klark and to bring her back to the village and hold her there till they were done killing off the Sky people. Kurdo nodded and walked forward.
Onya watched as Klark was unchained and Kurdo carried her off to his horse. As soon as Kurdo's horse rode off out of sight with Kurdo and Klark on it, Onya tried to force her distracted mind from thinking about Klark's safety and her trying to escape, and focus on her task. When she spoke with her people, they came up with the plan, the strategy. They would attack soon. Then one of her lieutenants, Varena approached, alarm on her furious, dark-skinned face. In their native language, Varena told Onya that Kurdo had been attacked. That he was tied up and unconscious with some of his clothes and his mask stolen. He was back in the forest.
At first, Onya hadn't understood, but only a moment later she did and anger, followed by fear of losing her mate hit. Linkin. The traitor. She had given him a chance to make up for his foolishness at the bridge by fighting with them on this day against the Sky people, but he had chosen his side. He was one of the Sky people now. And if possible, more of an outrage, he was taking her mate back to the Sky peoples' camp. He was taking her mate from Onya. Fury expanded through Onya, turning into bloodlust.
Linkin. She would kill him for this injury. For taking Klark.
She grabbed her bow and quiver of arrows and gave the order to go to the tunnels. She knew that was where Linkin was taking Klark. She got on her horse and they rode to the tunnels.
When they reached the tunnels, Onya knew with horror and apprehension that Linkin was risking her mate by sending Klark into the tunnels where there were Reapers. Onya got off her horse and armed herself with her bow, pulling out one of the arrows, seeing Linkin's retreating figure and aimed at the traitor. "Linkin!" She roared, firing the arrow. He dodged out of the way and when the darkness of the tunnel swallowed him and Klark up, she knew she had lost them. She had lost her mate. For now.
She stepped back, snarling orders to her warriors. There was still time. If they could cut off Klark, Linkin and the boy, Fin from Fin and Klark's people then they could kill off both men and take Klark back. If not? Onya would just kill every sky person till she got Klark back.
It was a pity the battle did not end that way. In the fight, while her soldiers fought and hit the Sky peoples' soft and weak bodies with their powerful fists, an armed and fierce Onya had seen her mate, along with many other Sky people go into their metal ship, closing the door and she leapt up after them. It was perhaps not the most cunning move on a warrior's part. But Onya was not afraid of some soft Sky people. She would kill every last one of them till she and Klark were the only two left in the metal tube.
She leapt up sliding herself into the hatch, rolling down till she was on her feet, in the ship with the Sky people surrounding her, staring at her, her knife out. She looked at Klark across from her, the blonde between several other Sky people. There was strange relief in those blue eyes and it almost gave Onya hope. Had Klark wanted to be tracked down? She perhaps was glad her mate was here. Good. It might mean that should Onya have to kill these people, which she likely would need to soon, Klark would forgive her. Klark then turned to a boy who was by a device connected to the metal floor. Klark said urgently, "Jasper, now!"
The boy smacked his hand down onto the device he was in front of. As soon as he did, nothing happened. The sky people looked around, alarmed, as if they had expected something to happen. Onya narrowed her eyes. What was that device that the boy hit? Why had Klark told him to touch it?
The boy slapped his hand against the device again, and this time, something happened. A booming noise rang against the metal tube they were in, sending them, Onya included down to the floor, yelling out. Behind the metal door, Onya heard screams. Dozens and dozens of screams along with the following faint flickering of flames.
Comprehension began to flood Onya's thoughts and her anger and fury were sparked. She looked at her mate, staring in horror from the floor as Klark got up. What had her mate done?! Before she could even demand an answer of what that noise was, many fists assaulted her, kicks to her side made her bring her arms up in defense, but all for naught.
The fists and kicks suddenly stopped and Onya heard Klark's demanding voice. "Stop! Stop! We are not Grounders!"
Onya didn't understand what Klark's words meant. That was, till she remembered Linkin telling her that "Grounders" was what the Sky people called them. Onya looked up, staring at Klark with a demanding question. Both she and Klark knew that Klark stopped them from hurting her for more reasons than just a sense of being better than the Grounders. Klark knew blasted well that there was more of a reason for her sparing Onya from the other Sky people besides just the feeling of superiority.
Klark knew personally that prisoners were not harmed amongst their tribe. Well, usually they weren't. Klark certainly would not have been. But other captives would not have been harmed if they showed they were of use in time. No, superiority was not the reason why Klark did this. And they both knew it. Klark slowly lowered herself down in front of Onya, sadness in her blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Anya." Klark said. "I'm sorry for what we had to do to your people. We're just trying to survive. I'm sorry, but we have to tie you up. I'm so sorry." She got up and nodded to the others. Onya's hackles rose and she grabbed her knife slashing at the closest Sky person besides Klark, but the rain of Sky people dropped on her, restraining her arms.
Dark red straps were dragged over from the metal seats of the ship and they were tied around her wrists as she snarled at the Sky people. She could feel Klark's mournful eyes on her, but her anger kept her staring only on these wretched cowards instead of paying attention to her treacherous mate.
She would kill these people. She would kill every last one of them until Klark was the only one left. Then she would take Klark to Polis as her wife. She didn't care how much blood she had to shed. She heard one of the Sky boys sneer at her, "It's not so much fun when you're the one taken captive, is it, you Grounder bitch?"
She turned to growl but was subdued by two of the sky people and pulled up around the wrists by three more. She was eventually led out of the lowered metal lip of the ship, Klark still looking at Onya worriedly. She spoke quietly to Onya, "If you can take us to your king or leader or whatever, you can tell them that we just want to live. That's all. We just want to live. And we'll be happy to live by any rules that your leader has. But we just want to live in peace." Onya stared at Klark as Klark took that time to help her up off the floor, the rest of the Sky People doing the same, lifting Onya up. Klark called over to some of her people to bring something she called "seatbelts" over.
Soon three young sky boys had dark red belts of some kind in their grasps, and one of the boys who Klark had called "Jaspa" kept a good distance from Onya, but gave the rest of the seatbelts to the other two boys, letting them wrap the belts around Onya's wrists. Onya snarled and struggled around, but her shoulders were secured by four different sky people, and her legs were caught by three others. Her wrists were soon bound tightly. Klark was staring at her pleadingly and Onya was furious with her. Klark's eyes begged for Onya's forgiveness and understanding.
The Sky people forced Onya out of their metal ship, going down the ramp. Onya heard Klark repeat, "I'm sorry" over and over again. Onya just glared ahead into the forest, seeing the burnt remains of her warriors. At least they had been burned. Their souls were released now. "Your apologies mean nothing, Klark kom Skaikru." Onya informed her mate. "It won't change that you killed 300 of my people and burned a village down." Klark snapped quietly, but Onya heard the pain in her mate's voice, "I'm so sorry about the village. But what happened here was self-defense. Please take us to your queen or king." Onya was about to tell her that she would not, when capsules of white smoke shot around them, surrounding them, the thick white smoke covering the ground where they were.
The Skaikru's gasps didn't even break Onya away from her horror. "The Mountain Men." She whispered. The Mountain Men were here and they were about to capture them. Every protective instinct Onya had instantly trounced the burning anger that Onya held for Klark. She turned to the blonde-haired young woman, eyes looking at the younger with urgency. "Klark, you must run. Don't wait for anyone else. Run and don't look back."
Klark blanched, confused. There wasn't any time for Onya to attempt to grab Klark or push the younger from the ramp and yell at her to run. In seconds, they were surrounded by plumes of white smoke and everything went black as Onya choked, trying to see her mate.
After what felt like only a second later, Onya awoke. She awoke in the most blood-chilling position that Onya could recall in her life. In a cage. Inside the mountain. She had never been told what the inside of the mountain looked like because no one had ever escaped. But there was no other explanation for where she was. The room was cavernous and dark. There were rows of cages where her people were being held. People she knew and people that had been most likely taken from many other tribes. They were put there like animals ready to be slaughtered. Anya's eyes searched the many cages for Klark, heart pounding. Was her mate here? Had Klark been captured?
Onya looked at every cage she could see. The ones next to her, the ones across from her, the ones above across from her, the ones against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Those she had to crane her neck to see. But she could not make her mate's light blonde hair out. More relief than Onya could express was her companion. Maybe Klark had escaped. Maybe she was safe from the mountain.
But Onya saw none of the Sky People here. She saw none of the cowardly children she saw in that metal ship of theirs. Had Klark and all of her people escaped? Onya knew that that was wrong. If she and her people had not escaped the Mountain Men ever, then there was no chance that all of the Sky People had escaped. So that brought the question on strongly. Where was Klark kom Skaikru?
Onya waited in her small, compact prison, barely able to move around, pulling and banging against the door when she saw some of the Mountain Men come down. One of them was a woman with dark skin, black hair and a strange, white coat over her shoulders. She was looking at each of the people in the cages, when she pointed at one of the men and spoke in gonedasleng to the armed warriors behind her, "This one!" The man in the cage instantly began to struggle in the cage, legs kicking out to try and break the door, but it didn't move. Around her, the rest of her people pulled and hit their cage walls and doors, gasping and panting, out of control. Onya banged the door of her cage, frustrated. She wanted to know what was going on. What were the Mountain Men going to do to this man?
For years and years, her people had been taken by the Mountain and turned into monsters. Or they had never been seen again. But what did the Mountain Men do to her people? That was what Onya and her people wondered day and night. That question plagued many of their nightmares. Now Onya was about to see for herself.
The man was dragged by the guards to the middle of the room, before a door. The woman took a needle, similar to the one that Klark had tried to use when trying to heal Tris. This needle was much smaller and had something inside it. Something clear. The woman slid the sharp needlepoint into the man's neck, pressing something on the end of the needle and pushing up. The clear liquid inside the needle disappeared. The man being held by the guards cried out and tensed. He then collapsed against the guards holding him. The guards holding him leaned down, grabbed his legs and turned him upside down.
A gasp left Onya. She watched the man lifted like a pig about to be gutted and chains were wrapped around his ankles and suspended upwards. As exposed as he was with the short, white garments, Onya could see his most obvious marks and brands. She saw the green mark in the shape of a leaf on his leg and knew the man to be Yujleda. His arms dangled down, just inches from the grey floor. Onya watched in horror as tubes with needles attached were brought out by the guards. The tubes were attached to the wall, growing out of the walls. The woman in white took each of these needles with tubes attached and slid one needle into the soft part of the man's arm. She did the same to the other needle, pushing into to the other arm. She pulled a handle attached to the needle and to Onya grew cold when she saw the blood begin to be drawn out of the man's body.
The women went to the other needle and pulled the same handle. Blood began to rise up in the needle and through the tube. The blood in both tubes rose as if being forced out by some power.
An evil, blasphemous power. Onya felt everything inside her turn to ice. She didn't care how unlikely it was that Klark had escaped. If these people were doing this to her people, then worse would likely be done to Klark. She prayed to any god or goddess that might be listening that Klark was safe and not captured by the mountain. She knew that the gods and goddesses rarely answered anyone's prayers, but she pleaded desperately for this. That Klark had escaped and was safe. She stared as the blood flowed from one of her people, knowing with horror that she would never escape and would soon be hanging from those chains. Knowing that, all Onya could do was pray for Klark's safety and promise that if any of these Mountain Men touched her mate, she would cut them piece by piece till there were only bare bones left. She didn't care if she didn't have her weapons with her and she felt like she hadn't slept in days and days. She would use anything she got her hands on. She would kill them.
Author's note:
Like I said, Anya lives in this, so don't worry. And it will be eventual Clanya.
