Lincoln's Ghost
Lincoln used to be many things. Traitor. Healer. Grounder. Ally. Enemy. Friend. Lover. But now, he was just a ghost. He, like others who lost their lives, roamed the land, following closely to those whom they had once known.
And there was one person in particular whom he followed the most closely.
He remembered meeting her for the first time. As soon as the first Skaikru landed, he noticed one to be the most interesting out of all of them. Octavia was strikingly beautiful, but it was not just her beauty that attracted him. She reminded him of her when he was younger. He rebelled against the bloodthirsty ways of the Clans. He defied blood must have blood. He had known immense pain from the trespasses of others, and yet he knew nothing good came out of vengeance.
She related to him as well. She understood what it was like to be an exile.
She confided in him the details of her past—the heartbreaking story of being a second-born child upon the Ark. She was deemed a criminal just for being born. Lincoln understood Octavia's resentment towards Skaikru. He sought to help her with the same teachings he learned to ease the anger in his heart. He pushed her to learn the ways of the Clans, as it would be necessary to help her learn about the different peoples of the land.
Unfortunately, Octavia was drawn to the world of war that the Clans supported. She wanted nothing more to become a warrior. This worried Lincoln, but he didn't want to stop her. He knew that she only wanted to be free from her chains. She no longer wanted to be "the girl under the floor" to her other Skaikru people. She started to train with Indra, and Lincoln was glad when Indra refused her requests at first. But, Octavia was persistent and she continued to pressure Indra to teach her. This pleased Indra, as she admired Octavia's will to not give up. Sadly, Lincoln feared that Octavia's path of becoming a warrior led her to be hostile and ruthless.
As a ghost, he watched how Primfaya took toll on the land, and how it shook the Clans to their very core. He was happy to see that Octavia made it to safety in the bunker—he always knew she would survive. As soon as she was appointed Commander by Indra, Lincoln was glad when Octavia took his example and united the Clans as one Kru, even mentioning it was what he wanted. However, he was apprehensive. He knew that there were trying times to come. The Clans had just lost everything that made them Grounders, and were now led by a leader who was not a rightful Commander. In addition, his people and surrounding Clans rejected his idea of uniting everyone with peace. He knew that a peaceful unity could never work with the people, especially then.
Lincoln watched Octavia go down a dark path in the bunker. Through the hard way, she knew that uniting the survivors with peace would not work. The words of Jaha suggested to create an enemy the people could fight against. Lincoln didn't want her to follow the very man that executed her mother, and sent Octavia to die. Nevertheless, she began to see how the advice of her elders: Jaha, Abby, and Indra were the only solutions to unifying Wonkru. She resorted to a world of violence and hate. You are Wonkru, or you are the enemy of Wonkru. Lincoln hated those words. He hated how the only way to keep Wonkru alive was by killing its people.
Octavia made an enemy out of anyone who defied her.
This wasn't what he wanted.
He doubted that it was even what Octavia wanted. Blodreina wanted blood, but he knew that Octavia didn't. In the Ark, every little crime was punishable by death. In Wonkru, it was the same. Anyone who tried to fight Wonkru would be made an example of in the Pit. Brothers fighting brothers. Octavia would have never wanted families to be torn apart.
Even Indra, who had called him a traitor, sought to prevent the darkness in Octavia from growing. Indra, a general who was used to death and bloodshed, knew how dark the Blood Queen was becoming. He knew that Indra was not the best influence. She called him a traitor once, and shunned her daughter for not becoming a bloodthirsty warrior like herself.
At night, he would visit his lost love as an invisible ghost. Octavia would never see, or hear from him again and it broke his heart. Every night, she seemed to become darker and more destructive. Even now, he wondered how Octavia would respond if he were to suddenly come to life. Would she kill him, too, for disagreeing with her methods? Would she kill him for his approach to peace?
He thought that his presence could heal her wounded soul. He stroked her hair gently in her sleep, remembering how he always did that when he would fall asleep with her. Sadly, his visits did not tame her dark heart.
"How did this happen, my love?" He asked, although he already knew how. He watched Octavia's brow furrow in her sleep. She grabbed her blanket and pull it closer to her, as if rejecting his touch. He sighed.
He still loved her. He still loved Octavia, but he did not know who the woman Blodreina was. He feared the Red Queen, and he felt resentment towards her merciless actions. Was this the same woman who tenderly brought him water and comfort when he was tortured? Was this the same woman who saved him from cruel fates over and over again? He felt useless. Watching his love become everything he sought to prevent was a worse fate than death itself.