When she woke, the first thing that she noticed was that she was no longer wearing the same clothes. She was clean and had very clearly been bathed while unconscious. The second thing she noticed was that she was strapped down to a medical bed. The third thing that she noticed was that her clothes were neatly folded beside her on a small chair. Had they been washed? Had they washed his scent away for good?
The room was sterile and very obviously not belonging to the savages. But where was she? Part of her felt like she recognised the place, it felt so familiar, almost like the Ark. Surely not?
She made to sit, seemingly having forgotten about the heavy restraints holding her down. Her efforts were fruitless, resulting in nothing but making the heart monitor beside her bleep a little louder with the slight panic of being restrained.
Just as she began to comtemplate exactly how to go about getting out of her situation, the decision as to whether or not to shout for attention was taken from her when an incredibly familiar face entered the large, white room, followed by another. Marcus Kane and Abby Griffin.
River couldn't help it, she gawked. She was astounded. "You're alive?" She questionned, amazed. Her vouce came out roughly, full of what sounded like gravel caught in her throat. They seemed to understand her though, both smiling kindly.
Kane smiled kindly. River internally scoffed. The man that had floated her grandmother had the audacity to smile. What the hell was he smiling about?
Sure, she was shocked and pleased that she wasn't the only survivor of the Ark, but him? What in hell had this piece of crap done to keep his hide alive? He clearly still only saw himself as number one. Though, when he glanced at the woman beside him, River questionned whether the ground may have changed him. There seemed to be something between them, though all there was between them on the Ark was anger. Annoyance. Hatred.
"We're alive." Doctor Griffin confirmed with a nod and a gentle smile as they reached her bedside "And so are you." She added, this time a note of wonder to her voice. "You're lucky. With the amount of blood you'd lost, I'm surprised that even Clarke's speedy driving got you here in time. Yet here you are, a survivor."
Survivor.
That word often weighed heavily on River's heart. She often wondered if it was worth surviving when everyone she had ever loved was dead. If it was worth being the last one. Yet there she was and there they were, other survivors. She was at a loss for words.
"Yeah." She muttered lamely, relaxing into her restraints.
It seemed that only then were they acknowledged. By Kane. "I hope you're not planning on giving us reason to keep these on?" He asked him, his rough beard and tired eyes telling River all that she needed to know. He most definitely had changed. To what degree, she didn't know. But he'd changed.
She shook her head, still unable to find words other than, "Thank you." as he undid the straps that held her in place, letting them fall away from the bed.
It took her a moment of looking around with Doctor Griffin helped her right arm out of her shirt, pulling it up to her chin to inspect the wound before she found the words she was after. "What is this place?" She asked, trying not to wince when the doctor probed a little too hard.
The two council members, one of whom now wore a Chancellor's pin, shared a look and a small smile before Kane replied.
"This is Arkadia." He told her, his smile reminding her momentarily of her father. "It's hope." He added, seemingly relieved at his own words.
Hope.
That was a concept that River understood. Sometimes, all you needed was hope to keep you moving. Hope that you could brave a storm. Hope that you could swim to shore. Hope that you weren't the last survivor.
"Would you like to see it?" Abby asked once she was done with River's wound.
"See what?" River questionned, puzzled. The place was clearly built from the Ark, what was there to see?
Without an answer, Marcus and Abby helped the teen from her bed, one of them standing either side of her and offering support as they slowly but surely walked her from the medical wing. There were people everywhere. Guards, citizens, grounders. Everyone seemed to just be going about their business together, peacefully.
River was absolutely gobsmacked.
"What the-?" River's question was cut short when they left the corridors of the Ark and suddenly they were bathed in sunlight. It was beautiful.
There were crops. Animals. People. Clothes. Cars. Computers. Trees. Everything that they had all dreamed of.
"This is incredible." River breathed as they passed a small pen made of wood that housed three animals. "Pigs." She noted, awed. "These are pigs!" She exclaimed with childlike joy, quelling her embarrassment at people turning to watch her, amused. She didn't care about them. There were pigs there, real pigs. And chickens! And was that a cow? By God, it was a cow!
"How?" She breathed, holding onto them both a little tighter. Sure, she'd hunted boar, she'd hunted rabbits and she'd even taken down something that she learned was called an ox, but never had she dreamt of keeping them. Were they pets? Were they for food? For milk? For what?
"By now, I'm sure that you already know that we weren't the only ones to survive what happened all those years ago." Kane started, smiling down at the girl between the two adults. He couldn't imagine what she had possibly been through that had crealy taken so many, but he knew that she was safe now. "The grounders. They're not as uncivilised as we once thought. There are some, a few, who are just as bad. Possibly worse. But, as is with every race, there are both good and bad, two sides of the same coin."
He went on to tell her everything. He and Abby told her of a place name Polis, a brave leader named Lexa and the way that young love had helped to bridge the gap between Skaikru and the grounders.