SHIVER

SUMMARY:
Before there was a Sky Princess, there was the Ice Queen.
Kwin Astrid is a notorious leader; fearless, ruthless, and willing to do anything to protect her people. After the bombing of TonDC, many of the twelve Grounder clans were left without leadership and so joined the Ice Nation. With an army bigger than ever, Astrid kom Azgeda decides that it is now time to review her rocky allegiance with the Trikru, and to finally meet the Sky People.

Clarke / Bellamy / OCs

DISCLAIMER:
I do not own The 100, it's characters or storylines.

Chapter One

CLARKE:
Thundering hooves beat the frozen ground, faster and faster as the rider whipped the horse. Snow and mud lay thick on the earth, and rogue snowflakes drifted through the night sky. Everything was wet and half-frozen, and while she could bear sodden hair and clothes, she couldn't withstand the pain in her wet shoes. She had no sensation in her toes, and felt as though she were in a state of partial decay. With each long, running step, Clarke pushed herself further away from the rider, and with each gust of frigid, stinging wind, she wondered when her skin would rip from her bones.
Clarke ran- swifter than her legs could manage. Everything hurt. Trees ripped at her clothes and hair; the wind sliced her skin. She scrambled through the woods, breathing so hard she couldn't muster any air to cry for help. Behind her, the whipping noise grew closer and it wasn't until she felt mud splash up on to her face that she realised the rider wasn't whipping at his horse- but at her.
Finally the whip caught her ankles and she fell, slamming into mud and rock. The sound of the approaching Grounder filled the air as she struggled to rise but the icy ground held her fast and she could not run. Reaching for a bush, her dirty hands bleeding, she heard the rider dismount and she tried to scream but she-

ASTRID:
It was freezing cold, you would have to look through a block of ice to gain the proper perspective of the season which was about to fall over the Ice Nation. The Queen was un-phased by the weather, and in fact chose to freely stride through her quarters wearing nothing but a nightdress. Her long golden hair fell untamed around her face as she padded bare-foot towards the small table in front of a roaring fire.
The young female had been ruler of the Azgeda for three years, and due to her tactics her clan had remained prosperous. The Mountain Men's bombing had set her forces back a little, but after keeping the majority of her warriors in the North, they had managed to gather what they needed for the coming Winter, and then some. In fact, the clan had returned from TonDC with as many numbers as she had sent. Echo had returned to her side, with tales of the Mountain Men harvesting her people- and fantasies of Sky-warriors who had freed them.

She reached for a loaf of bread, left for her breakfast that morning, and pulled off a chunk. Chewing slowly, Astrid stared into the fire which (thanks to the efforts of her clan) would burn all winter along with all the other fires in her Nation.
While the South rebuilt itself, and Lexa struggled to control the remaining clans, Astrid's kingdom would be growing stronger, and then she would be finally ready to take it, all of it.

A male cough pulled her from her pondering, and Astrid's crystal gaze snapped up to the long drape which formed her door.
"Ress," she spoke in her usual bored drawl, though his name always carried a hint of sentiment when it left her mouth.
Her closest confidant entered, dressed in his usual warrior attire, and nodded his head in a bow as he addressed her. Older than her by only a year, Ress Kastur had been a constant presence in the Queen's life and she may even have gone so far as to say she trusted him more than anyone else.

"I hope that your thoughts are not too heavy," the warrior spoke to her in their native tongue.
A small, sharp laugh fell from Astrid's lips at his words and she placed the loaf back down on the table, shooting him a look that he was all too familiar with.
"Oh you know," she replied with a chuckle, "the Coalition."

With a dismissive wave of her hand, Ress stepped into her room and let the door swing to a close. He reached for her usual garments and let them rest over the dressing screen in the corner of her room which she stepped behind.
Since becoming her confidant three years ago, Ress had only come to her rooms of his own accord twice. The first time had been to inform her that representatives were requested in the Capitol by Commander Lexa in order to discuss an alliance. This time she hoped that it would not be so serious.
Once dressed, Astrid stepped out from the screen, her dress simple and a sash around her waist. She raised an eyebrow at Ress who motioned to her sit by the fire, but instead she pulled her hair into a high knot, slipped her feet into a pair of boots, and walked out of her quarters.

Despite being nearly six foot tall, each guard still nodded down to her as she strode outside. Though she was wearing considerably less clothes than anyone else she encountered, the citizens of the Ice Nation knew better than to stare.
Astrid had been born twenty seasons ago in the worst winter in history. It had been come to be called an Atomic Winter, a Nuclear Winter, and it had killed off the majority of the 12 clans and half of the Ice Nation. Astrid had survived. She had been born of the snow and the ice and even now the harsh winds of the North did not bother her bare arms.

"Kwin Astrid," Ress spoke softly, matching her stride though walking just a pace behind her.
"Go ahead," she replied confidently, ready for whatever news he had for her…

"The scouts found someone- a girl," he revealed, his strong chin lifting and his almost pitch-black eyes took in every movement around them. Ress glanced down at the smaller golden girl who held the weight of their people on her slender shoulders- and knew that the news he was about to give her would go drastically- whether it was positively or negatively remained to be seen.
"She is refusing to talk to anyone except yourself," he added, unable to hide the smirk which formed on his features as he caught one of her infamous eye-rolls.
He took a deep breath, and continued, "I took Echo to see her in the hold… she believes it to be the sky-girl... the one we've heard so much about."

"Bring her to the chamber," she stated quickly as she altered her direction so that she would get to the council chamber first, leaving Ress, "now."
Walking to the chamber she sighed, her thoughts lingering on the last Southerner she had 'hosted' in her Nation. "Perhaps I should just chop off her head like that last one," she considered quietly.

RESS:

Ress knew better than to assume that his news would stir any emotions with his Queen.
Astrid was as terrifying as she was beautiful, and it was almost impossible to tell what the girl was thinking which was why he usually resorted to asking her directly.
Ress could not help but think, not for the first time, about the reputation which preceded the young woman who walked away from him. It wasn't really a surprise that the self-proclaimed 'leader' of the sky-people and alleged lone 'defeater' of the Mountain would walk so many weeks just to find Kwin Astrid.
Why alone though? Why had she left the people she had fought so hard to save?
He intended to find out.