Azgeda Chronicles-A story of survival

by Crimson MirrorGlass

Clarke has fled her people after the mountain. Anya and Lexa have betrayed her. The Ice Queen has captured her. And she has the perfect thing to make Clarke bow. This is not a story of love. Just a story of necessity. Many Ocs. Anya, Wells and Finn are all alive in this. Inspired by "A Different Landing" by Rhinomouse. Now officially rated M.

25. The Beginning: The truth is dangerous

WolfyVannah5: Hey, who says that there needs to be only one choice? There is such a thing as joint custody. So, "shrugs." As for Wells? Wells will probably handle it okay. As you can see, he's getting pretty ruthless too. He'll just be sad and pissed at how much shit Clarke's had to go through. But he'll probably take to it okay. Of course, how will Clarke react to Wells's schemes? Well, I guess we'll have to find out.

Trigger warnings for violence, several mentions of rape, murder and several mentions of cannibalism.

Azgeda Chronicles: Chapter 25: The Beginning Part 5: The truth is dangerous:

Azgeda territory: Norway

Six months and two weeks ago

The poor bear had been thoroughly hacked through with the small switchblade after many, many incisions. Casey, Bobbi, David, Mario, Jesse and Parker's hands were hurting with all the cuts they had made and how many times they had done it. Their arms were covered with dark blood. The brown fur was cut away and lay in small dripping piles on the ground.

Casey stared at the poor beast with nothing but sympathy in her eyes. This poor big guy. He didn't deserve this. She had no idea if it was male or not. But either way, poor bear. She fought the need to pet the poor animal's head. Something about that struck her as morbid. Petting a dead animal's head? That was a little too morbid. It hadn't occurred to Casey, until Mario mentioned it, as she cut away some more pieces of meat, avoiding cutting open the bear's stomach that she noticed that Bobbi hadn't said much.

Mario's concerned voice caught Casey's attention. "Hey, Shaffer, you okay?" He asked, looking at the dark skinned girl next to him. Casey looked up at Mario, then turned to Bobbi. Bobbi's mouth was in a hard line and her left hand was to her stomach. "You haven't been talking for a while."

Casey inspected Bobbi. True to Mario's words, Casey realized she hadn't heard Bobbi speak for a while. There had been the expected commentary about how disgusting cutting the bear up looked from David and Parker. Mario had been making Star Wars jokes about how he had thought bears smelled bad "on the outside." Parker had disgustedly grumbled about how she was NOT going to eat any of the bear. Jesse had calmly remarked, "Fine, starve then. More for us."

While this had brought on some more banter, Bobbi, Casey realized had remained quiet.

"Bobbi," Casey said, narrowing her eyes, "You okay?"

Bobbi looked blatantly like a deer caught in headlights. She then nodded. "I'm fine. She said, twitching as if uncomfortable. I just need to go to the bathroom. Parker, Jesse, Casey, can one of you keep watch and make sure that well…you know." Bobbi nodded at Mario and David.

She added quickly afterwards, "No offense."

It took David a moment to figure out what she meant, then his eyes widened and he glared. "Hey! Offense taken! I'm not like that."

Mario flung his left hand away from himself into David's stomach, making the larger boy gasp and stare at Mario. Mario glared at David. "Get over yourself, Davy." Mario said, calling David that most likely for condescending reasons. "It isn't about you. Girls being careful around boys isn't about making boys feel like they're rapists or anything like that." Mario stared in meaning at David. "It's about girls feeling safe. How does she know that you and me aren't rapists? She just met us."

At David's stunned look, Mario turned around and faced Bobbi nodding, "No offense taken."

Bobbi nodded after a while, looking at Mario strangely, not having expected this reaction. She turned to look at Casey who also was startled by Mario's insight.

"Can you come with me, Casey?" She asked.

Casey nodded. "Sure." She put the knife down by the bear, wiping her hands on her pants. She would never wipe blood on her jacket. The jacket was all she had left of her dad.

She walked after Bobbi as Bobbi went around the others, going towards a selected couple of bushes just behind the trees closest to them. Casey called to the others as they went, "If we don't come out in fifteen minutes, assume there's a Grounder and grab the knife. Or go get the others."

Jesse and Mario both nodded. Parker verbally confirmed.

Bobbi walked around the bushes and checked to make sure no one could see them from that angle. They couldn't. Casey stationed herself on a rock jutting out next to the bushes and turned away from Bobbi. The usual mindset on the Ark was that it was "okay" for girls to see other girls naked, because they were both girls. But Casey, being homosexual and learning from a young age that she was homosexual, always thought that was just a way of saying "girls can't rape. They're too weak." It was stupid and sexist. Girls were too weak to be sexual predators? Bullshit. It went right along with the mindset that men couldn't be raped because they'd enjoy it, if it was done by a woman. So Casey regarded sexual harassment as sexual harassment, regardless of who did it.

Her back was to Bobbi.

Bobbi glanced at Casey's turned back. She wasn't sure if Casey had turned away to be polite or didn't want to seem like she was doing anything inappropriate. Either way, Bobbi was grateful for it. They might both be girls, but Bobbi had always felt self-conscious about her looks.

She undid her belt and crouched down, pulling her pants off. Below her was a pile of leaves. She winced as she felt the cramps in her. She hadn't mentioned this because Mario and David were in earshot, despite Mario's startling insight, but Bobbi could feel what was wrong with her. Cramps, plus when she had gone to the bathroom last on the Ark, she had seen slight pink on the toilet paper?

It was happening. Her time of the month. That was why she needed Casey to help her. She didn't just need a lookout. She needed someone that might find something to use as a sanitary napkin. Bobbi sure didn't know what to use. And she didn't have any sanitary napkins. She would have asked the guards for some and given that men tended to be more horrified by periods than by rape or molestation or sexual harassment, they would have done it quickly. But she had made the discovery just before being forced into the dropship on Pike's orders.

Much to Bobbi's aggravation, yes, there it was. She looked down at her inner thighs as she peed and saw the blood start to come out too. Some of it ran down her leg. She winced and fought a groan. Just great. Just fucking great. She looked up at Casey, reassuring herself that since Casey was a girl too, she should be familiar with this.

When Bobbi finished peeing, she prepared herself for the humiliation. Why did her periods always have to pop up at literally the worst time?

Bobbi swallowed and called over, "Casey?" Casey turned her head just slightly, making sure her head wasn't turning fully to Bobbi, but indicating to Bobbi that she heard her.

"Yeah?" Casey asked.

Bobbi sighed. Here it went. "I kind of need help with something. Um…it's kind of my time of the month."

Casey visibly stiffened and whirled around, as soon as she did, gasping and covering her eyes quickly. "Sorry," She mumbled, skin flushing a dark pink. "You just surprised me. I should have asked first before turning around."

Bobbi fought a small, weak laugh. "No," She said. "It's okay. But I need something that will soak up the blood. I mean, I don't have any pads or tampons."

Casey nodded, still keeping her eyes blocked. "Right. Okay. Um. Let me think."

Casey tried to be quick about coming up with something. She wasn't that big a history buff, but what did women use as pads before pads? Rags seemed likely. She remembered this one trivia about wool.

She stepped closer, keeping her head down and only knowing how close she was to the other girl by noticing the left-footed sneaker sticking out to her right. "Okay," She repeated. "I'm going to be honest, Bobbi. I don't know what to do here. I don't know anything about non-pad things that can be used. I've heard of a lot of different things being used. Rags, wool, maybe grass-"

"Grass?!" Bobbi hissed, making Casey tense. "And for goodness sake, can you take your hands down? You have my permission. Besides, I kind of can't get something to use if we don't both look for something."

Casey breathed out, hesitating and dropped her hands eventually. She turned her head and looked at where Bobbi was crouching, her pants around her ankle and her jacket covering the back of her lower torso and making sure that her lower torso was jutting out over the leaves so that the blood didn't spill into her underpants, but onto the leaves.

That gave Casey a thought. "What about leaves?" She asked, looking at Bobbi curiously.

"Leaves?" Bobbi gawked. "I'm not putting leaves in my damn underpants." Casey sighed, bringing her right hand to her forehead, feeling the growing frustration just bubbling there.

"Well, we need to use something." Casey pointed out. "Do you just want your period to soak through your pants?" Casey pointed out, taking note of Bobbi's grey pants. "Those aren't black, you know."

Bobbi looked down at her pants and winced. "I know, I know." She shook her head. "Of all times for me to choose to wear a light colored set of pants." Casey chuckled. She knew the feeling. It was why most of the time she wore black pants. Because she wasn't good at keeping track of when she had her periods.

"I definitely can relate." Casey admitted. "But that's the point. You need something to absorb the blood. If you don't get anything, you'll stain your pants."

Bobbi nodded. "I know." She said in annoyance. "But I'm not using fucking leaves."

Casey nodded. "Okay, okay. Then what do you want to use? We don't exactly have access to a lot of options right now."

Bobbi sighed and looked around the forest, trying to find something, anything. "God damn it." She mumbled. What could she use? The leaves below looked too rough. The other leaves on the trees looked different, green and smooth enough to work, but really, leaves? Was she really that desperate? Bobbi would have laughed at that thought previously. Yes, she was that desperate. It was dumb to think that she wasn't. But were there other options? Casey had mentioned wool, but they didn't have wool. The grass all around them again, like the leaves on the ground looked too rough. Casey had mentioned rags. Aside from their clothing, what did they have?

Bobbi groaned, wincing. "Okay, I have a disgusting idea." She said, looking down at her jacket.

Casey lifted her head. "Yeah?"

Bobbi's hands went from the waistline of her pants to her jacket's buttons. "I can rip off pieces of my shirt and use that."

Casey's eyes widened. Never mind widened. Her eyes bulged. Bobbi was going to use her shirt?

"Whoa, what?" She demanded, mouth dropping. She knew that they'd need to get inventive, but that was not at all what she had in mind.

Bobbi moved her thin jacket's right flap back, grabbing her shirt's end, gripping it and trying to rip it. Casey groaned. This was going to go really, really badly.

Bobbi tried to rip some more and Casey halted her actions. "Whoa, whoa, easy. This isn't going to work. Not just by pulling." Bobbi gave Casey an aggravated look. "Well, how do you expect me to rip the shirt?"

Casey fought the urge to grumble, "I don't expect you to rip it at all." But instead, she said, "We need something sharp. Like that knife back with the bear."

Bobbi scoffed. "There's no WAY I'm letting a knife covered with bear blood near a shirt I'm going to put in my damn pants, Casey."

Casey rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay." She said. "Alright. Let's try together."

Bobbi nodded, smiling. She grabbed the right side of the bottom of her shirt and Casey leaned forward, grabbing it too. They began to pull together. Casey almost laughed at how comically hard it was to rip a damn, thin shirt.

Bobbi said quietly, "I'm sorry about all this." Casey shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm very familiar with this kind of thing." She chuckled. "I remember when I had my first period. I think I was ten or something. I was crying my eyes out, until my mom told me that it was perfectly normal."

Bobbi chuckled, a sympathetic look in her eye. She nodded. "Yeah, I don't really remember my first, but I remember always finding it painful as shit."

Casey nodded. To distract Bobbi from any possible cramps right now, she mumbled, "Let's see it this way, we have other stuff back at the dropship that we could use." Bobbi nodded. "That's good." She answered.

Just when they heard Bobbi's shirt begin to give way, the ripping noise filling their ears, new sounds hit their ears that made them pause.

Clop, clop, clop.

Bobbi and Casey looked at each other, confused. What was that noise?

The clopping noise continued and got louder, telling both girls that it was getting closer.

Then there was a harsh, shrieking noise that filled the air, making them jump and Bobbi decided to surrender any plan that she might have had to use something to absorb her menstrual blood and just yanked her pants up, grumbling, "Screw it" under her breath.

The shrieking noise they heard? It sounded like a loud, bellowing, "Neigghhhhh!"

There were multiple shrieks of this type. Bobbi got up from where she had been crouching, looking around frantically. Casey looked around too, alarmed. What the hell was that noise?

Mario's voice was suddenly thrown at them from behind the trees. "Guys!" He yelled, "I'm sorry, but we've gotta go! There are Grounders coming!"

Casey and Bobbi looked at each other, fear in each other's eyes and bolted from their spot. Never mind worrying about the blood. There were people that were going to try to kill them coming.

They went up the hill quickly and went around the trees and the bushes. Mario was next to a rock, behind the trees, keeping his face turned away from both girls. Casey called out to Mario, "It's okay. You can look." Mario started turning back to them. Casey glanced around the area. She narrowed her eyes. She spotted David, Parker and Jesse.

But she saw no signs of Grounders. But still, they heard the clopping noise. And they heard the "neighhhing" noise again.

"Mario," Bobbi said, "I don't see any Grounders."

Mario shook his head, bright green eyes shimmering with panic. "That noise!" He hissed. "Haven't you ever heard that noise before? Haven't you ever seen a Youtube video of a horse? I've seen a bunch of Youtube videos. Of horses. They make that noise. And the clopping noise? That's the noise their hooves make on solid ground."

Bobbi's eyes grew huge. Casey shivered. Horses. Horses didn't automatically mean that there were Grounders coming after them. There could be wild horses running towards them.

At least, that was what Casey hoped it was.

Apparently, the other three didn't share Casey's hope. David was backing away from the part of the forest where the clopping noise and the neighing was coming from.

Jesse tensed and Parker's fists clenched and she leaned down, scooping up the blood stained bladed knife that Casey had used to cut at the bear's flesh and meat, whirling around, facing the forest, armed now.

In seconds, shapes burst from the forest, leaves flying everywhere. The shapes that ripped out of the forest were several horses, brown, black, roan, white, speckled, grey, they all came running out, hooves pounding against the ground. On top of the horses, each were muscled, masked figures with fur clasped over their bodies and paint along their limbs and what little of their faces were revealed under the masks.

Parker wasn't even remotely ready for the sight in front of her. She cried out and dropped the knife, backing away. Jesse backed away, growing paler by the second.

Three of the eight people on horseback that had come after her leapt off their horses, running towards David, Jesse and Parker.

David gasped and after three seconds of standing there frozen in either shock or fear or both, balled up his right hand into a fist, and swung his right arm forward. The masked, fur covered Grounder closest to David reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling it up, then twisting it hard. David cried out as the man jumped on his back, David turned with the man's savage movement. The man rammed his left knee into David's back and sent him to the ground, pinning him.

Parker yelled, "David!" She ran at the man pinning David down. Just when she got to him, another warrior lunged forward and slammed their fist into Parker's stomach. Parker groaned in agony and bended over, going to her knees. The warrior that had punched Parker pulled back and then clenched their hands together and slammed them into the back of Parker's head.

Parker collapsed against the ground, prone now.

Casey cried out, incensed. Parker, David, she barely knew them. And what she knew of them was that they were ornery at best, but she couldn't just stand back and do nothing while they were getting beaten into the ground.

She rushed forward, any common sense she might have previously possessed fleeing her.

She bolted from the hill where she was perched on next to Mario and Bobbi. She heard Bobbi's crying of her name flowing behind her, but she didn't listen as she charged. She practically flew at the warrior that had knocked out Parker, fists raised. She heard Jesse yelling her name, alarmed, but as she lunged, she didn't process it. She was just inches from the warrior that had attacked Parker when huge, heavy hands landed on her and pushed her down to the ground, face first. She heard laughter above as she struggled and turned her head, biting down on a thick, meaty finger next to her mouth.

The laughter continued, her biting doing nothing. The finger was just thick and tough. It was like trying to bite into the toughest meat imaginable. She heard a woman's voice spit out a sentence that Casey didn't understand.

They were speaking in a language that Casey didn't know. She heard the pounding of footsteps towards Jesse, Bobbi and Mario. Casey tried to wrench herself up from the grip that held her down, but couldn't, instead she lifted up her head and searched around. Jesse was being restrained by two warriors, she was struggling the whole time. Jesse was big and broad-shouldered, but compared to the two beefcakes that were restraining her that were basically the size of two wide trees put together, she didn't have a chance.

Casey whimpered, heart hammering, seeing Jesse being painfully restrained like that.

She heard Bobbi and Mario yelling from the hill. She lowered her head and saw them being thrown to the ground and dragged backwards, captive, one warrior each retrieving them. The man that was holding Mario captive had him in a neck lock, threatening to choke him at any moment, his flailing and punching doing nothing. Bobbi had her arms restrained behind her back, pulled backwards towards the horses alongside the warrior choking Mario.

Casey bucked up like her life depended on it, and considering what she had heard about the Grounders, it most likely did.

She heard a bark of a sentence, then heard the person above her holding her down snarl back, "Ain!" She turned her head towards the man that had snapped and felt a hand being taken back from her shoulder. She looked at the man, covered with a metal and wood mask crafted into the guise of a snarling animal of some kind. The hand balled up into a fist and wrenched forward, punching Casey in the face.

Casey cried out, pain slashing through her as her vision went completely black.

When she awoke next, she and the other five would be surrounded by the rest of the twenty-six, in the bowels of the dungeons of these peoples' kingdom, captive for weeks till their salvation would arrive, also captive.

Present Day

North Atlantic Sea

The Great Stallion

Wells came down the wooden ladder carefully. The captain said that in the Ice Nation it was nearing dinnertime right now. So it would be getting darker sooner for them. They eventually would have to have furs wrapped around them because of how cold it was. Already, Wells had been able to feel the change in temperature. It was only slight, but it was chillier than before.

The past few days had been a little strange, to say the least. He was certain that Anya didn't know that he knew her secret. At first he had considered not playing chess with her today. But he had decided to take her up on the offer, for her didn't want to give away that anything was wrong. For treachery to work eventually, one had to act normal. Like everything was going the way it usually went. The sun was beginning to set and everyone who was done with training for tonight and who had eaten, were heading off to bed. According to Lexa, they would know that they were getting closer to Ice Nation territory when the sun began to set earlier. Wells assumed that that was a time zone thing.

But the last two days, despite them being weird because of what Wells knew, had carried on like normal. Or as normal as he could pretend it to be, knowing what he knew. He was almost sure Anya suspected something was off whenever he was in the same room as her. Wells could just feel his anger and disgust and betrayal leak through him and he was certain that Anya sensed it. Lexa wouldn't have found it strange, as he had felt like that towards her from the moment they stepped out of Arkadia and headed for the docks to get the boats. But he knew that Anya must have sensed a change in him.

She just didn't know what that change was.

Wells's feet touched the floor and he turned to Wakuren who was sitting on the edge of the side of her cot, looking up at him curiously, her head cocked slightly, dark brown hair hanging past her face and shoulders. The many lit candles that surrounded Wakuren's bunk illuminated them both so they could see each other clearly. Wells could see…his new mother's eyes watching him with curiosity.

"Yes, Wels?" Wakuren asked. "Is there something wrong, ai inkrez?" Wells stared, mind still thrown for a loop with all this. He knew what "ai inkrez" meant, thanks to Lincoln and Octavia's Trigedasleng lessons. Inkrez was the Trikru word for "son."

It still blew Wells's mind the more he thought about it. He had a mother. He and Clarke had a mother. Thinking of Clarke reminded him why he was here. He said quickly, brain no longer short-circuiting, thankfully, "I wanted to give you this." He pulled the backpack that he had on him off and unzipped it, revealing the thin manila folder that he had put the drawings in for travel. "I decided to bring along the last few of Clarke's drawings before we took off from Arkadia. Just a keepsake of hers to remind me of her. I thought maybe you should have this." He pulled out the folder and opened it, sifting through the different striking and very real looking drawings that Clarke had made before she, Wells and the army had gone to Mount Weather.

He eventually found what he had been looking for. He smiled and pulled the drawing out, closing the manila folder with his left hand and keeping the rest of the drawings inside of it. His right hand hoisted the drawing up and he walked over to Wakuren, stretching his arm out and offering the paper to her.

Wakuren frowned, confused as she took the paper between her hands and looked down at it.

Wells smiled when he heard the gasp leave Wakuren's throat. Her blue-green eyes shimmered with emotion as they scanned the paper in her hands. Wells, looking at Wakuren, realized just how much of Wakuren's likeness Clarke had gotten accurate in the portrait. "When…" Wakuren asked, voice that had once been strong and full of conviction wavered, "When did Klark draw this?" Wells answered softly, "It…it looks just like me."

Wells smiled and nodded. "Yeah. She's a really good artist. But I'm sure you knew that already from some of the other things you've seen her draw. She drew that before we went to Mount Weather. I never asked her why she drew you or some of the other close warriors that came with us before…" Wells didn't say the words, but they both heard them. Before the Commander betrayed us. Wells continued, hoping not to linger on the subject, "She didn't say why she drew them either, but I had my suspicion. I think she wanted to remember the faces of all those that fought alongside us when we stormed Mount Weather. If any of us died….." Wells's voice shook, "She just wanted to remember the faces of those closest to us in the army before we went in case anything happened to us."

Wakuren's eyes remained on the drawing, mouth stretching into a watery smile. "I see." She said quietly. "Did…do you know what her opinion of me was?"

Wells's heart hurt for Wakuren at the question. He understood why she asked. He might not have understood two days ago. But he did now. This wasn't about someone wishing for the admiration or respect of Wanheda or a former enemy. This was a woman who had come to love him and Clarke as her children. She wanted to know if Clarke thought of her fondly or affectionately.

Wells naturally had been the one who had been Clarke's closest friend and confidante during that time, as he always had been. Besides Anya and Lexa, he was the one that she had trusted the most. And so yes, he knew how Clarke regarded Wakuren at the time. "Well," He began, smiling, voice gentle, "I'm sure you know from the pattern of drawings that she did before in Polis that she usually doesn't draw anything that isn't important to her in some way. She drew you because, like I said, it meant something to her that you and the other warriors at the frontline were coming with us to Mount Weather.

"And," Wells added slowly, "She…she told me that she thought you were very brave and strong. And that she trusted you. She saw you fight in one of the training sessions. She thought you were a very strong warrior."

Wakuren swallowed and said quietly, "That isn't what I meant. Did she…at Mount Weather," Wakuren lowered the paper with her drawing on it, looking up at Wells. "Did she think that I abandoned her too at the Mountain? Did…did you?"

Wells's eyes widened in realization as he understood what Wakuren was asking. Her blue-green eyes were full of uncharacteristic desperation. She wanted to know if her daughter and son had thought she had abandoned them. The fierce scourge of the Plains People was at her most vulnerable right now. She wanted to know if she had failed as a mother.

Wells flinched, mind going back to that night at the Mountain, when the Commander had ordered her forces back. Yes, he knew that Clarke had felt abandoned. And so had he. They both had felt abandoned and alone that night at the mountain. But they had gone in anyway. Sterling, Finn and Monroe had followed. Wells would feel nothing but endless gratitude to them for that. Raven and the others had been captured when going into the Mountain to rescue the others.

Or they had been delivered to the Mountain Men by Lexa's forces themselves. It still made Wells's blood boil, no matter how many times he thought of it. Wells was sure that if he could get away with it, he'd put a knife through Lexa's chest himself. If not for the pain that the other Ark people went through, then just for the pain that Clarke, Raven and Charlotte had been put through that night and for all the trauma they had experienced since then.

Though Wells hadn't seen Clarke since after she pulled the lever, since that piece of shit, Bellamy who was supposed to be watching her let her walk away, he knew damn well that there was no way that his best friend would have been able to pull that lever, kill everyone in the mountain and not experience severe trauma afterwards.

No, Clarke would be haunted by what happened at the mountain. Most likely still was to this day.

Seeing Wells's flinch, Wakuren looked away, closing her eyes, a mournful look on her face. "So you both did feel abandoned by me." Wells shook his head, taking a few steps closer. "No," He said gently, "We didn't even know you loved us like that. And we didn't know that you were going to come back for us. You couldn't have stayed with us when the Commander ordered everyone back. You would have been tied up and beaten and dragged back by the Commander's warriors. Or killed. It isn't your fault. It's hers." Wells couldn't keep the disgust in his voice as he thought of Lexa.

Wakuren smiled at Wells, despite the sadness in her eyes. "Sha, she would have done all that you say. But it doesn't change that I feel like I should have done more for you both." Wells could barely deal with the sudden pain that shot to his chest. This woman, basically his and Clarke's mother now-or rather, had been for a while and they hadn't even realized it, was mourning for not being able to help them. The two of them, him and Clarke. People had been cast out by their own kind and when they got to Earth instantly bullied and tormented and misunderstood just for being related to people that they couldn't help being related to. And Wakuren somehow understood them and loved them for who they were without question.

Wells watched the pain that overcame Wakuren's face as she looked at the drawing in her hands once more and knew what he needed to do. Hell, it was what he wanted to do. Though helping comfort family members was something he was used to doing, doing the same for the person that was now his and Clarke's mother as she believed that she had sorely failed them both, came as a shock. Because the last time he had comforted a mother he regarded as his mother, it had been years ago when he had been eight. And his mother, Catherine? She died only a few months later from the flu.

But Wells broke out of his stupor when he saw how much pain Wakuren was in. Years ago or not, he had a mother now. So did Clarke. And as any son would, he needed to show her that he loved her and that he had faith in her, no matter what. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it next to Wakuren, startling the woman. "Wels?" Wakuren asked the young man.

Wels smiled and reached his arms out and wrapped his arms around Wakuren's shoulder, stretching his neck so that he was laying his forehead against the top of Wakuren's head, hugging her close. After a few seconds, he felt Wakuren relax against him, pressing her forehead against his cheek, and for the first time in what Wells suspected had been a long time, wept.

Soon they'd have to depart, and Wells knew that. He couldn't be caught here with Wakuren, unless they wanted to explain how their bond had been starting to form. But right now Wakuren needed this. Wells stroked his left hand along Wakuren's long, dark mane. He would tell her to keep the drawing. It was hers practically. Clarke had drawn it for Wakuren, and Wakuren should have it.

Wells gently kissed Wakuren's forehead as her warm tears spilled against his neck. It wasn't much. But it was what he could give her for now till they found Clarke, the last member of his, Wakuren, Charlotte and Raven's barely knit together family.

Two days later

Tiptoeing around Anya and the others, keeping the secrets of what had been shared between him and Wakuren hadn't been easy. He was perfectly fine with keeping his mouth shut about Wakuren spilling the beans about the village that never existed. That was a must. If he said anything, given Lexa wasn't exactly what you'd call reasonable, he could very well be putting Wakuren in danger, and that was unacceptable.

So silence was what it was. The past few days he hadn't known though, how to act normal around Anya. Sure, he knew that telling her anything at all wasn't a good idea. But he just didn't know how to remain acting like everything was alright between them. The one Grounder besides Lincoln who Wells had thought to be trustworthy, as it turned out, was just as deceitful as the rest of the Trikru. He knew how he was supposed to act around her, so as to hide his rage, his anger, but he didn't know how to act like that, knowing what he knew.

Wakuren's warning of his safety and Clarke needing her family stayed in his brain, luckily enough, so he knew better than to do anything that was outright suspicious.

But still, how the fuck was he supposed to act?

Then again, there was one thing he could do. Wells frowned. Deep in thought. War…..yes, war in theory, sounded more appealing than kneeling to of all people, Lexa. The only person before her who he'd rather kill himself before bowing before was Bellamy. Fucking Bellamy. Abuser and giant man-child. But Bellamy was not here. Lexa was. And the question was whether or not he was to bow to Lexa for the sake of their people.

Yes, of course, he claimed that he wanted their people to have their dignity, because if they bowed to the Commander, they would no longer have that dignity. But would he really risk all his peoples' lives?

A thought struck Wells. As he lay against the window seat of the lower level of the ship. Charlotte was resting her head on his ribcage, resting with him. Wells looked across the room at where Raven, Monroe, Sterling and Finn sat at the table, laughing and making small talk. A thought hit Wells and hit him so quickly that he was shocked he hadn't thought of it before.

A deal. An arrangement. Lexa wanted them as part of the Coalition? Well, Wells would give her an ultimatum. She could take it and welcome them into the Coalition. Or she could not take it and they would not become part of the Coalition. It was unlikely that Lexa would accept without a fight. But Wells knew exactly what he was going to say. A smirk came to his face, the realization good. So good. He couldn't outright attack the Commander or even poison her, but he could beat her politically. But that would have to wait till Clarke rejoined them. If she was still alive anyway. Wells stiffened at the thought.

"Charlotte?" Wells said, lifting his head and looking down at his sister. Charlotte looked up at Wells, frowning. "Yeah, Wells?" Charlotte asked. Wells nodded to Raven and the others. "Do you think you can stay with them? I need to go do something important." Charlotte didn't look pleased by this. She frowned more deeply. But she nodded. "Okay." She said, voice sounding almost mournful. Charlotte crawled up to Wells and hugged him close. Wells hugged her back and watched the girl get up and run over to the table, grabbing a stool and pulling it close.

She got up on it and Wells sat up, sliding off the window seat. He leaned down and grabbed his bag. It was filled with a bag of chess pieces and the chessboard. Along with Wells's favorite books. Wells zipped up the bag and let it rest against the windowseat where he had been laying and started walking along the floor towards the ladder, looking back with worry at Raven. Something he had learned as a leader for a while was that subterfuge was important. Especially while handling people like Bellamy, Kane, Lexa and Anya. Your enemies had to think that they knew what you were doing. When they really didn't.

He already had succeeded in that endeavor with hiding his and Wakuren's interactions. As for his request of Anya? Lexa didn't know about that. So again, he was successful in hiding that. Now there was just one thing he needed to do. He would keep hiding from Lexa what he had asked of Anya to do to Bellamy. But he would also neglect to mention that Wakuren had told him the truth.

He told Lexa the truth and she would never let Anya out of her sight. Possibly not Wells either. So telling her wasn't a good idea. He needed to keep all these secrets for Clarke. For Raven. For Charlotte. For Finn. And now, for Wakuren. He went up the stairs and looked around the ship. He found Lexa almost immediately. Wakuren was leaning up against the wooden wall of the ship, smirking in amusement, watching Lexa with a look on her face that told Wells she knew precisely what a fraud she was. Her biting into the plum she had in her grasp was probably the only thing that kept Lexa from seeing that expression. Wells saw it only for a second before she started eating.

He smirked, feeling even more a kinship with his new mother. Anya was by some other soldiers, training with them.

Wells walked over to Lexa, ignoring Octavia's glare from where she was bound. Wells had long since gotten his fill of amusement watching her tied to the post. He nodded and smiled at Lincoln who did the same. He went over, seeing Lexa. Lexa tilted her head towards him, eyes narrowed at his approach. "Wels." Lexa said, trying to hide the anger in her voice.

Wells fought the smirk that tried to creep up onto his face. He felt Wakuren's concerned gaze on him. He kept his gaze on Anya. Anya right now was the only one that mattered. She was going to be manipulated like no tomorrow, but she mattered right now in the scheme of things. She was to be the assassin of Bellamy. So of course, Anya mattered. He needed her.

He looked past Lexa, without hesitation and looked right at Anya. "Anya?" He said, making sure his voice was smooth and gentle, masking his growing anger, realizing what she had willingly kept from him and Clarke for so long. "A word, please?"

Lexa stiffened and glanced behind her shoulder at her once mentor and Anya lifted her head, eyes narrowed. Wells could see the questions in those dark eyes. Those same dark eyes that Wells would have at one time felt so assured at seeing. Wells fought the need to clench his fists at the reminder of Anya's deception. He genuinely wondered how exactly people like Bellamy, Lexa and Anya even existed. They were so…amoral. So shitty as people. How did they even exist?

Wells had more often than not used to wonder that about John Murphy as well. But he had long since stopped thinking about that loser. What concerned Wells right now was Anya and how quickly and efficiently she could dispose of Bellamy.

Anya slowly turned and looked at her Commander in question. The Commander turned to Wells cautiously, then nodded to Anya in permission. Anya bowed her head respectfully and walked around Lexa and the warriors right in front of her. She stood by Wells at attention. "Wels?" Anya asked. Wells nodded and started turning, heading for the side of the deck across from them. Anya followed.

Wells walked along with calm and smooth strides, making sure to keep his head clear. He needed to think about only one thing. The object. Which was getting rid of the threats to him, Clarke, Raven and Charlotte. And now it seemed, Wakuren too. He'd admit that was still something of a surprise. But he'd protect them all. He had to.

Wells came to a stop by the wooden wall of the ship and glanced past Anya at where the others were standing. Anya checked behind her and said, looking back at Wells, "They can't hear us from here." Wells nodded, but he wasn't concerned about that-though that was important. He was making sure he wasn't worrying his mother too much. Wakuren was alongside the other warriors, facing her Commander. Though her face was aimed at Lexa, Wells had no doubt she was keeping her peripheral vision open so that she could keep track of her newly adopted son.

Wells didn't want to worry her. He knew what he was doing.

He regarded Anya, backing up against the wall of the ship and leaning against it, checking on the other side of the ship to make sure that no one else was listening in on them. He then turned back to Anya.

"So, Anya," He began softly, "We are all set for the plan? To get rid of Bellamy."

Anya nodded, dark eyes flashing with intent.

"Yes." She answered. "I have my instructions. When we return with Klark to Trikru land, I will into your camp." Wells nodded. "And I'll provide a distraction so no one is looking." Anya smirked finishing. "And when I get into your camp, Arkadia, I will kill Belomi." Wells nodded, pleased. "Exactly. But there may be a few complications. Abby? Kane? They may still be problems for Clarke." Anya cocked her eyebrow.

"You wish me to kill Klark's mother?" She asked, not fighting the astonished tone in her voice. Wells sighed, waving his hand. He knew this would cause some upset. "Not exactly." He answered. "I'm saying it's a possibility. I just might need your services again at some point. If Clarke is trying to re-establish her power and be our leader along with me, Raven, Lincoln and Octavia as she should, Abby, knowing her, won't like it."

Anya nodded. "Sha," She said grimly. "I remember. Abi doesn't react well to taking orders from who she sees as inferior. Unfortunately her own daughter is one of these inferior people." Anya's eyes burned with that sentence and Wells really had to wonder how good an actress the woman was. To be able to act like she cared about Clarke that much? Impressive.

Anya said darkly. "I'm aware that Abi won't listen to Klark. Will undermine her repeatedly. And may even put Klark in danger to get her way." Wells nodded. He'd like to think that such a statement was far-fetched, but unfortunately it wasn't. To keep a secret for her own safety, Abby had betrayed her own husband and daughter. Had gotten Jake killed and Clarke sent down to Earth, put in danger. And she never once respected Clarke as a leader. Never.

Wells hated to admit it, as he had cared about Abby as the mother of his best friend for years, but he knew that he had to come to terms with the fact that just like Bellamy, Abby only cared about her own ambition. What she could get for herself.

And if there was a chance that Abby and maybe Kane too would have to be done away with, just like Bellamy. It was a grim thought. One that Wells knew he never would have considered a year and a half ago. But a year and a half ago, he had been a very different man.

The man he was now? Hungered for the blood of other human beings. Not just because they were in the way or because they threatened people he cared about. But because he wanted their deaths. Wells fought the smirk that was in danger of creeping up on his face. Some sick, twisted part of himself wanted Bellamy, Abby and Kane to suffer and die.

It was disturbing, because when had he become this person? But lo, Wells never found any horror or shock over what he was now. He just hoped that Clarke, his sister, would still look at him as if she knew him despite everything he was doing. Should she ever find out that he was behind the eventual deaths that would occur, he just hoped that she would understand.

He hoped in the end that all four Clarke, Raven, Finn and Charlotte would understand.

Wells tilted his head at Anya. "We might have to worry about Clarke not forgiving us for what we're doing. But you've already come to terms with that, haven't you?"

Wells wasn't sure if she had or hadn't, and didn't care. But he was certain that she'd answer 'yes.' She'd need to maintain the appearance that she was honorable when it came to Clarke. And though Anya's credibility in that particular area was completely shot in Wells's eyes, he knew that Anya would have to at least pretend she was alright with that scenario.

Anya's lower jaw tightened, but she nodded. Wells fought a laugh. Funny. Anya almost convinced him for a second with that glimmer of pain in her brown eyes, that she actually cared about what happened to Clarke. Anya eventually answered, "Sha. I have. I know that Klark will have a hard time forgiving me and Heda for what we did. So I will acknowledge that she perhaps won't be able to forgive me for the deaths of Belomi, Abi and Kayne. And I've accepted that. Just as long as she's safe. That's the important thing."

Wells tried not to snort. Anya was so convincing. Truly.

Instead, he forced a kind smile. "That's good to hear. Now we plan certain opportunities where you can carry out your mission." Making sure once again that no one was listening in on them, looking around them, Wells turned back to Anya and proceeded to plot with her their assassination scheme.

Bellamy, Abby, Kane, Lexa, John Miller. All of them were on a wheel of death for Wells.

All it would take was the right circumstances, and they would die. Wells vaguely wondered if this was why power tended to reveal who people were. Because it was addicting.

Wells occasionally would tell Anya more information about Bellamy abnd about what he had done before the war between Wells and Anya's people had started.

He told Anya and Anya just wanted to kill Bellamy more. Wells didn't have to do anything except tell the truth.

He told Anya that Bellamy slept with underage girls. In other words, children. Anya took that information as he was hoping she'd take it. He was now a rapist in her eyes. Rapists were punished horribly here. He told her about him using his thugs to pin him down and rip his life-detecting bracelet off. He could just see the danger growing in those dark eyes. Bit by bit, Bellamy's life was becoming more and more forfeited with each revelation.

Wells fought a grin. He hadn't even told Anya yet about Murphy almost getting hanged. Wait till she heard that.

Funny how powerful and dangerous the truth could be. Yes, the truth could be very, very dangerous. And that was Wells's weapon against Bellamy right now. Using the truth and Anya, he would bury Bellamy.

South of Ice Nation:

Territory of the Milgreds:

The letter in the Milgred queen's hands did nothing to deter her interest. If anything, the knowledge of who the letter was from only made her pay attention swiftly. And it seemed this person, the woman who Razeeta saw as a daughter wished to speak with her.

The letter read in perfect Azgedasleng, "To queen Razeeta and her beloved Jorsua and Dasha, I hope you can forgive any intrusion in your life at the moment. However, I wish to arrange a meeting with the three of you, if you deem it in your interest. You see, queen Nia has willed it that I am to speak with you. In hopes of an alliance between our people and yours. I have offered to speak on behalf of kwin Nia's army. I would like, with your permission, kwin Razeeta, to stand before you and request a possible meeting between you and kwin Nia. I know that you and the Sowlas have already helped each other in some ways. I would like to discuss possibly allying your people with ours. I promise there are benefits to this meeting, if you give us permission to speak with you.

Only with your permission, of course, Kwin Razeeta.

This is very important. I miss you, Jorsua and Dasha. I have thought about what you offered me before. I would like to talk with you about it. I miss Lanu, Docima and Koro too.

With respect,

Klark kom Azgeda

Razeeta closed the word scrawled letter up, taking it between her thumb and index finger, and pressing it close to herself. This was very interesting. Klark now called herself "Azgeda." Not Skaikru. Interesting.

Razeeta regarded the messenger, Shehen kom Azgeda. "Thank you, Shehen. Now, leave us." She ordered the queen's messenger when she saw his hesitance. The thin, brown-haired man gulped. She smiled coldly at his fear and leaned back against the bone-crafted chair. "Thank you, Shehen. Now you may go off to your beloved master. Go on, Shehen," Razeeta nodded her head to the door of her fortress, "Go on, puppy. I'm sure you'll get a good treat for your services." Shehen shuddered. He felt the instinct to defend Queen Nia. He respected his queen more than anyone in the world. But he feared this woman and her appetite for flesh more, he was ashamed to admit even to himself.

When he was about to turn, Razeeta smirked and added, "Oh, wait, Shehen, just a moment." Shehen jumped and turned around. He faced the grinning face of the woman, the queen's bright blue eyes flashing dangerously. Next to the wretched queen, were her two one day wives, Jorsua and Dasha in their own chairs. Shehen swallowed, observing the dark-skinned Jorsua, apparently a daughter of the Sowlas, who some said was quick tempered, and even more dangerous at times than her lover, Razeeta and the pale skinned, black haired Dasha, the poisoner of twenty men in one room, all to take revenge upon them keeping the secret of who raped her sister from the queen.

He didn't wish to be on their end of anger for anything.

Razeeta caught his attention, voice calm, leaning back against her chair, ebony hair stark black against the ashen, stone wall at her back, the only color in the room a slight orange added from the many roaring fires inside the many stone bowls full of burning coals all around the room and the two different fireplaces in the room.

"Shehen," Razeeta said, "Please request from Klark kom Azgeda as she is calling herself now one thing, if it wouldn't be too much trouble for her." Shehen was startled by this request. The one thing that was different from how Razeeta and her lovers stationed their thrones from how queen Nia put her throne-Razeeta and her lovers put their thrones at the same eye level as anyone who approached. At floor level. Not on any pedestal or stairway.

It didn't make them any less frightening.

Razeeta continued without waiting for Shehen answer. "I request that Klark bring her boy to me when she chooses to come." Shehen's fear for a moment was halted by his confusion. "Her boy?" He echoed. What boy? Did Razeeta mean one of the Sky boy children? Razeeta answered without needing further questions, "Farrun." Razeeta answered. "Her little one. The boy. Ask her to bring him here as well." Shehen gulped, understanding now. Ah. Tenmar's son. He nodded. "I will ask." He said. He meant it. He did not wish to anger Wanheda. But he did not wish to anger this animal in woman form either.

Wanheda, he was certain would only kill him. She might even burn his body to send his spirit on its way. She was kind enough, despite how strong she was. This woman would eat him. Slowly.

Razeeta waved her right hand then from where it lay on her black fur covered knee. "Goodbye, Shehen kom Azgeda." She said in a carefree tone, smirking. Shehen swiftly bowed and bowed to both Jorsua and to Dasha, recalling what had happened to another messenger when that messenger hadn't shown the respect to Jorsua and Dasha that Razeeta had felt her lovers deserved. And Shehen had no desire to be chained down to the floor in a bowing position for twenty hours in that same position like poor Helikden was. The poor man's back hadn't been the same for almost five days after that, no matter how much the healers back at queen Nia's territory tried to help, just for not respecting the queen's lovers.

Shehen turned on his feet and walked to the doors. Once Shehen had left and the guards closed the massive, metal doors closed, Jorsua turned to her lover, smirking at Razeeta. "Farrun?" The woman asked, amused. "Truly? You're going to have Klark bring her boy here? Do you think she would do something like that? When she left us, she was still cautious of us." Razeeta smirked at Jorsua and Dasha, handing the letter over to them. "No." Razeeta assured her loves. "She wishes to see us." Razeeta smiled, confident in what she had read.

Dasha asked, voice low, "Are you certain that you didn't read what you wanted to read?"

Razeeta finally released her possessive hold on the letter, allowing both Jorsua and Dasha to read what the letter held along its paper body.

Razeeta smirked, watching as her lovers read the message. Klark wished to see her and Jorsua and Dasha. And now she called herself "Klark kom Azgeda." Not "Skaikru." Did Klark not identify with the Skaikru anymore? Did she consider the Azgeda her true people now? Razeeta's lips curled back, teeth exposed in a grin before she could help herself. Klark was one of them. Not of the Sky, Not of the Trees, but of Ice. While she didn't necessarily claim to be a Milgred in that letter, Klark had forgone any mention of Sky People. Or any tie to the Trikru. She was Azgeda. Ice Nation.

Despite all the horrors that Klark had seen in Azgeda, she called herself Azgeda now. Razeeta's intrigue and satisfaction increased. Given Klark's strong moral system, it had been hard to imagine for Dasha and Jorsua that Klark would come to see them as her mothers. But now? Now Razeeta had less concerns of that.

There was a saying in the Milgred territory. The saying was that "the primary Azgeda, (the queen's people), are only a few sins away from being Milgreds." If Klark wasn't disturbed by the thought of thinking of herself as an Azgeda, then the chances of her willingly being adopted by the three of them became higher.

Then there were the words in the letter before that. I miss you, Jorsua and Dasha. Klark missed the three of them. Razeeta narrowed her eyes with thought. Razeeta doubted that Klark lied, unless it was absolutely necessary. Though she didn't doubt that sending a letter to the three of them was necessary, she was sure that Klark had meant her words too.

Razeeta's head turned to the doors, where her icy blue eyes found Eko walking away from the door after she closed the doors, her right hand holding her spear, left arm still through the straps of her round shield. "Eko," She commanded, right arm gesturing for the guard to come closer. Eko nodded and came forward. She went before the three thrones and kneeled down, head lowering. "Ai kwin." She said devotedly, eyes closed, brown hair hanging down as she bent her head.

Razeeta observed Eko. Eko was a warrior of twenty-three. She was two years older than Klark herself. She had been twenty-two when she had been captured and thrown into a cage in the mountain. From what Razeeta understood, Eko got briefly loose because of Sky person in the mountain named Belomi who Klark seemed to regard highly. Eko and the others that were freed tried to stop the Mountain Men, before the cowardly Heda, Leksa betrayed their allies, Klark and the other Skaikru by taking those in the mountain and leaving.

Razeeta wished she could say she was surprised. But considering what she knew about this particular Heda, who only seemed to serve the Mountain Men in her years of being Heda, she found she wasn't all that surprised. Since the moment this Heda had come into power, she had done nothing but place in a peace between them and the Mountain Men. And she refused to let her people take up weapons that could fight against the Mountain Men. She feared them too much. Leksa and her General, Onya were cowards. But Klark? Her Klark? She had put an end to it all.

"Rise, Eko." Razeeta ordered, getting the guard to rise from her kneeling position. Eko raised her head and her eyes opened. Razeeta said in a smooth voice, thinking over the interactions she had witnessed between Klark and Eko, "As I'm sure you know, Eko, Klark has become very important to me. And to my beloveds." Razeeta nodded to Jorsua and Dasha who were reading along the words of the letter. Razeeta did not miss the corner of Jorsua's mouth starting to twitch up while reading.

Razeeta turned back to Eko. "Klark as far as I'm concerned is mine. Ours. Our jilina. Now, Eko, what do you intend to do when Klark arrives here again?" Eko did not look startled or frightened by the abrupt demand. Eko's lips, if anything almost raised up in a smirk. "I'm sorry, ai kwin," She spoke, voice laced with amusement, "I truly don't know what it is you mean."

Razeeta gave Eko a dry look. "How interesting." Razeeta said darkly. "Do not hide the truth. I know you want her. In fact, I believe you feel more for her than just desire." Eko straightened her back, head still high. She narrowed her eyes at the statement. "Very well." Eko said calmly. "Yes, ai kwin. I wish to pursue Klark. Do you wish to prevent that?" Razeeta grinned at Eko's defiance. She noticed Jorsua and Dasha out of the corner of her eye raising their heads up from reading the letter to stare at Eko.

Razeeta spoke then coldly, "You certainly have become braver than usual, Eko. So you wish to be with Klark. You seem to be forgetting, Eko. Klark is to be unioned with Ontari kom Azgeda, Nia's heir. Or are you just choosing not to be aware of this? I have a feeling there will be complications if you wish to pursue Klark. From both Klark and from Ontari. And I don't think you wish to see how the kwin in the main kingdom of our land would react to your bold desires." Eko smirked, leaning her spear back against her right shoulder. "If Nia was here," Eko sneered the other Ice Queen's name out with distaste. "I wouldn't have said it. I wish to pursue Klark. Whether she accepts me or not is her choice. That's between her and me. I have no interest in Ontari's feelings on the matter."

Razeeta scoffed, leaning back against her throne and watching her guard. "How can you be so sure you love her? You knew her for all of sixteen days." Eko nodded. "As did you."

Eko stared at Razeeta with burning eyes and Razeeta felt her black eyebrows lift to her hair at Eko's defiance. She heard both Jorsua and Dasha's gasps next to her. She couldn't blame them. This was the first sign of any kind of brash defiance they had ever seen from Eko ever. Razeeta had seen other times, as she had known her guard longer. Eko had served in the Milgred military for years and years, since she was training at the age of seven, back when the girl was being trained to serve Razeeta's Milgred father, Arifash who had sat on the throne she was now upon.

Razeeta had met Dasha two years ago and Jorsua three years ago. She had known the willful and loyal Eko for far longer.

Since her father's death eight years ago, Arifash cursing his daughter for killing her own father, even though the swine more than deserved it, Razeeta had tried to look after her people as best as she could considering she had long ago tried to divorce herself from her heart. Since her mother's rape and murder. Since watching her father torture the man who had been her mother's lover to death publicly in the square outside of this building. After her father had butchered the man, the possessive Arifash had raped and murdered his own wife.

Both her mother's rape and brutal murder at the hands of the woman's husband and witnessing her mother's lover's brutal, torturous death stayed burned into her memory, had done so for years and years.

As a result, she knew to punish any who forced themselves on another. Punish them horrifically. She knew others had their own methods for punishing rapists in their own lands. Her methods? Cutting off all the limbs of the rapist, cauterizing the wounds so that they didn't bleed out, then tie them to a post naked in the cold, put cuts all over their bodies and unleash a couple of wolves and stand back and watch as the wolves rip at the bloody, still living mess of a person.

Razeeta had hated her father from that day after her mother's death. Arifash had blamed everyone except himself for the horrifying deaths. He blamed his wife for her adultery and had blamed his wife's lover for interfering in their lives. The only one he had not held accountable for the deaths of his wife and the woman's lover had been him. He who had done the raping and killing himself.

Well, Razeeta had seen to it that he had been punished and punished horribly.

Razeeta gestured for Eko to move forward. Slowly standing before her, Eko stared back at Razeeta. Razeeta nodded to the floor. "Kneel." She commanded. Eko did as she was told and kneeled before Razeeta. Razeeta then moved fast, reaching for the hilt of her dagger. She unsheathed her dagger, gripping the knife around the curved, painted ebony bone hilt with multiple carvings relevant to their tribe and placed the sharp bone close to Eko's throat. Eko tensed only a moment, but her gaze never broke from Razeeta's. Razeeta felt the two shocked stares on her person. Jorsua and Dasha were both watching with great interest and perhaps some apprehension.

Razeeta spoke coldly, never removing her knife from Eko's throat. "Tell me, what happens if Klark refuses you?" Eko's lips twitched only once with the threat of potentially frowning. She nodded. "Then I will still be devoted to anything she wants. Instead of being her entarg, I will be her servant." Razeeta cocked her head. "I don't need to tell you what will happen if you try to force her into anything?" Eko shook her head, gaze turning dark. "No, kwin. You needn't tell me that. And I will never force Klark into anything. I swear it." Razeeta chuckled, laying her head back against the throne's head, at last pulling her dagger from Eko's throat. "Very well." She smirked, eyeing the letter in Jorsua's hands, tearing her eyes from Eko at last. She laid her arm over her lap, dagger dangling over the edge of her left leg then. She turned to the guard then and nodded to her. "If that is true, Eko, then I give you my blessing to court Klark."

Eko's smirk was wide and she bowed her head to her queen. Razeeta waved her dagger from her legs only a moment. "You may go back to your post near the door." Eko nodded, getting up and walking over to where she had stood before.

Razeeta looked back at her lovers, earning a smirk from Jorsua and a raised eyebrow from Dasha. "Well, that was brave of her." Dasha commented. "Brave?" Jorsua snickered. "Try suicidal. She thinks she can demand from us the right to court Klark."

Razeeta shrugged. "And we're going to say who Klark can and can't be with? She hasn't even accepted us as her mothers yet."

She saw Jorsua's jaw tighten and she could hear Jorsua's words even though the dark skinned woman didn't say a word to Razeeta. She will.

Razeeta chuckled. "Either way, it's up to Klark, not us."

As for who Klark considered her people? Klark may be loyal to the people of Azgeda or to the Skaikru, though she called herself Azgeda now. But Razeeta knew, had known since Klark was forced to leave that Klark's heart or some of it was still here in their territory. She had seen how Klark looked at them even when she seemed happy to rejoin the people she thought of as her family, amongst them being the princess, Ontari herself.

Klark had gone willingly. But she hadn't wanted to leave them. And Razeeta knew it. Those new Sky Children that were here on the ground now that the Ice queen and Ontari wanted her to remain quiet about the people Klark saw as her family, but so was she, Jorsua and Dasha. Klark had just been reluctant to admit that.

Then there was the matter of Farrun. Klark didn't know this, but Farrun was not born of Nia's kingdom. Razeeta doubted even Farrun knew this. She doubted that Tenmar would have told the boy. Who his blood mother really had been. If Klark was coming here, Razeeta wanted to see the boy that would potentially be Klark's son by adoption. Though Razeeta didn't know if either Klark or Farrun knew the truth about Farrun's heritage, but if Tenmar hadn't told the boy, then she would. If Klark wished to speak with them, Razeeta was sure she knew what it was about. She knew of the rebellion that was rising right beneath Queen Nia's nose.

(Apparently, something being beneath someone's nose was a Sky person saying, and it meant that something was happening very near someone else or there was an item very near someone else, and that person had no idea.) Klark had explained what that saying meant. A very odd saying, but Razeeta would go with it

Razeeta was no fool. She knew how to recognize a revolution. She had learned to become sharp to it in case she needed to wipe out any who would defy her. She'd have thought that Nia would know how to recognize it as well. She was gladdened that Nia had not found Klark and her family's intentions out. But between the many accidents that had happened to Nia's devout followers and the best of Nia's warriors dying in battle when Razeeta knew that those same warriors had survived many battles before, the cannibal queen knew that there was no coincidence.

Because of the debt that Nia owed Razeeta, she knew Nia would never go against her, should she send spies to Nia's territory. And Razeeta had indeed done that. She had used her own spies to keep a close watch on Klark, since Klark's departure from the Milgreds' territory.

Because of those spies she sent to Nia's land? She knew what had happened to those very skilled warriors-what must have happened. They had been killed by Klark's group. Or some of Ontari's most trusted warriors had killed them. Sometime during those battles, those same warriors had been found and had been killed by Azgeda they thought they could trust. Azgeda who were set on removing Nia from power permanently.

This had all started before the twenty-six and Klark had gotten here. There were deaths of Nia's followers that had occurred all over before any of them had arrived. So Razeeta had a feeling that Ontari had been responsible for it all. But the rebellion was becoming more dangerous for many of Nia's followers because of them. Because of the Sky people that were now here. The number of deaths of Nia's followers was increasing.

When they had gotten here, there had been an increase of deaths of those that were well-known followers of the queen. Razeeta knew it was no coincidence. She honestly was surprised that Nia hadn't caught on yet. She had sent some of her spies into the queen's kingdom since meeting Klark and discovering that the gods had chosen her to be Klark's true mother, and had sent those spies to make sure that Klark and her people were safe from Nia's suspicions. Should Nia show that she was starting to suspect something, Razeeta would send an army to protect her child.

There was more to contemplate enacting when Klark got here. More…arrangements to be made. She could, if she tried, arrange for Klark to stay with her or visit her more often. As for Farrun? Well, he was one of them anyway. Tenmar wasn't even his blood father. And him being one of them would make Klark more inclined to come back here again and again to the Milgreds' land.

Razeeta smirked, thinking about that other part in the letter suggesting that the rest of the Skaikru would come to the Ice Nation. That brought a problem to mind, didn't it? Abigayle. Abigayle Griffin. A woman who was slowly becoming the most hated creature in Razeeta's mind. Contrary to what some people might think about her lifestyle, Razeeta didn't hate easily. She just saw people as food or as obstacles. Hate was a useless emotion to her. Or so she had originally thought. Emotions like hate, disgust, love even, they were all simply distractions from her thinking of things rationally. Her love for Jorsua and Dasha had proven to defy those assumptions about emotions. That they had no use in her life. And then Klark had come into their lives and Razeeta knew what coming to love someone as a child felt like.

And Abigayle? Abigayle would hurt that child again and again. All because she believed that Klark wasn't good enough to lead. Or because Klark went against Abigayle's so-called right to power. Such a sad excuse for a mother. She couldn't even keep Klark from getting cast out of the Ark. She had told their "chancellor" so easily about Klark's father, Jayke. What if Klark had been executed for what she knew? Abigayle didn't seem to be very concerned with getting both her entarg and her jilina killed.

Abigayle…Razeeta would show her what pain was. She would show Abigayle that the woman hadn't even experienced pain yet by the time Razeeta was done with her if she ever met the woman.

As for the rest of the Sky people? Razeeta would offer them a safe haven if it made Klark happy. But Abigayle? And Kayne? They would suffer for the pain they had put her Klark through. And that pain would never end if Razeeta had her way. Razeeta had heard Klark's story about Abigayle and Kayne. That last time she had seen them, they had been willing to work with the Trikru. But that mattered not to Razeeta. What mattered to her was that Abigayle and Kayne had destroyed Klark's happiness. They were the reason why Klark's father, Jayke was dead. Them and that other piece of filth, Thelownyus. Well, no more. Whenever Razeeta got ahold of those two, she would make them know exactly what the revenge of someone who loved Klark would be like.

And Klark? Yes, Razeeta had no doubt at all that Klark would plead for Abigayle's life, but it would be for naught. Abigayle's fate was sealed in Razeeta's mind now. And Razeeta would help Klark move on from there. She would say that it should be fairly easy, as she was certain Klark no longer saw Abigayle as her mother-or her only mother.

Razeeta had gotten Klark to talk about her life. And in doing so, Razeeta had learned much from Klark. Not because Klark had informed Razeeta of many details. No, it was the opposite of that. Razeeta had realized that though Klark clearly had hidden things from her and Jorsua, Razeeta assumed so that she could protect the people who had hurt her, since those people were "her people." But Klark had informed Razeeta of much. Klark had never mentioned any names, just told her that a great deal of her people didn't listen to her and because of that, they put themselves in more danger. That was the short version of it. But Razeeta remembered the long version, though Klark had uttered no names. People in the Mountain that had been captured hadn't listened to her. People hadn't listened to her when she had tried to save everyone on the Ark-meaning a great portion of the "delinquents'" families.

Though Klark said no names, therefore incriminating no one, her story was enough to disgust Razeeta permanently when it came to those that Klark came down with.

For with her and Jorsua, Klark had not been Wanheda. Not the Commander of Death. She had just been Klark. A girl that just happened to be a woman now because of too much time passing and too many responsibilities thrown at her feet. Under the weight of all the duties she had taken up, Klark was very clearly tired, exhausted really. In pain. Klark was in so much pain. The person that Razeeta had held captive was not some mighty warrior of legend, but a wounded, vulnerable, traumatized child in a scarred up woman's body. That much had been obvious to Razeeta when she had met Klark's eyes after Klark had conveyed her story.

And it hurt Razeeta to see. Her need to comfort the girl, to take care of her and protect her had been almost overwhelming for her when she realized what she had been feeling. And along with it? The need to hunt and kill those that had hurt the girl she swiftly had begun to see as her child. She had just felt the bloodlust rising up inside of her, thinking of wrecking whoever had hurt her and Jorsua's Klark to shreds.

When Klark had fallen asleep next to Razeeta on the fur rug by the fire, Jorsua had suggested they find out who had hurt Klark so that they could find them and cut them apart, bring their heads to Klark as presents.

Razeeta had chuckled and looked back down at the sleeping Klark. She had turned back to Jorsua and said quietly, grinning, "I'm not opposed to the idea, but I have a feeling Klark will not appreciate it. Remember, she's still trying to protect them. Why else didn't she say any names? I don't think she'll react well to seeing their severed heads."

Jorsua had grumbled quietly and had gone back to reading her book, waiting for Klark to wake up. The book had been cracked and the title faded as many covers of the books were, but as long as the pages were unharmed, then that was all that mattered to Jorsua, since the stories were in tact.

Razeeta turned her attention to one of their guards. Eko. Speaking of those that might potentially hurt Klark.

"Eko," Razeeta began, making the guard look at her at attention again. "Get everything ready for Klark's arrival. She is bringing some companions with her. And I doubt their appetites will be the same as ours. So get ready as many goats, pigs, sheep and cows as possible and bring them all here for Klark and the others to see what they are eating so they won't believe that we will trick them in any way. And have Zemar bring the wine and ale in two days time for when they get here."

"Two days?" Eko asked, cocking her head. Her eyes then widened in recalling how Shehen had gotten here. "Oh, the tek machines." Razeeta nodded, recalling what Shehen said Klark called those things. "Bikes" they were called. Klark had said when she and her group had found the tek that there was another word for the bikes. She said they were referred to as "all-terrain vehicles." Whatever that meant. Either way, they helped get people here quicker. It would have taken four and a half days to get here, had it been by horseback. But by ATVs? They could get here in only two days and get back in only two days.

Razeeta nodded. "Ain. Get the animals ready and have the wine and ale ready in two days time." Eko nodded. "Ain, kwin Razeeta." Eko kneeled down and bowed to all three of them and got up and went out the door, past the other two guards. Razeeta smirked. Eko perhaps was not the ideal warrior she would be pleased with pursuing her daughter. But she knew Eko well enough to know that Eko would be loyal, protective and from what she had seen of Eko and Klark's interactions together, she believed that Eko would love Klark and be as supportive as she could be of Klark.

Razeeta smirked. So she was going to set up a type of home for Klark. It was odd. She had never considered her kingdom as an actual home. Since her mother, father and sister's brutal deaths and the wars that she had gone through avenging her sister against the various bands of groups fleeing from different destroyed villages and against Nia's family's armies, Razeeta had always considered her residence a fortress. Not a home. It was only when she had met Jorsua and Dasha that she had even entertained the possibility of it being a home. And Klark being added to their family, and perhaps Farrun, a grandson as well would just solidify this place as a home. But it was the first time she had really thought of making this fearsome fortress where she had tortured her enemies and ate them as a home.

But if she could help it, it would be for her child.

She turned to Jorsua and Dasha. She knew that Dasha hadn't had much contact with Klark, as the other woman was securing their forces and their various fortunes. But she knew she wanted to hear Dasha's piece on this.

"Dasha, Jorsua," Razeeta said, looking at her entargs lovingly. She smiled when they both lifted their heads to look at her. "I would like to hear what your feelings are about Klark being our daughter. Understand, I will take her in as mine, no matter what. But I want to know what your feelings are about the matter." Razeeta knew she didn't have to worry about Jorsua. Even without Jorsua's outburst about feeling protective of Klark when the matter of Eko was brought up, she knew she didn't. She had seen the way Jorsua had looked at Klark, especially after Klark had trusted them enough to sleep in their presence. It was like looking at a mother wolf watching over her sleeping pup.

Razeeta watched as Jorsua's smile touched her face. "You really need to ask, kran en segara? There's no question. She's our child. She's Milgred, if she decides." Dasha gave a small bark of laughter, snickering. "Forgive me, the both of you. As I said, I support this, since it makes you happy. But did Klark seem the type who would willingly live with Milgreds? She knows what we eat."

"Of course she does." Razeeta said, not bothered by Dasha's laugh. "She saw some of the bodies on the fire. She knows. I doubt there's anyone in her family who doesn't know by now, living with the queen's army as long as they have. I'm sure they've heard all the stories by now." She turned her position on her throne so that she was turned more towards her to be wives. "She knows what we are. But she is strong enough to accept us the way we are. I know that a part of her considers this kingdom her home. When she arrives, you'll see for yourself." She was about to say more, when a rolling wheel of fur and flesh rolled into the middle of the room, catching all three women's attentions.

Dasha and Jorsua watched with smirks on their faces as the three furry "children" of theirs, Docima, Lanu, and Koro jumped around each other, hissing and growling. Razeeta watched the three with some amusement, though some aggravation as well.

Docima was a snow-white adren. Lanu a monli and Koro a rusuben. Three animals that Razeeta had taken in. Lanu was a monli that had been wild in the different cities of Azgeda when Razeeta found the monli as a baby and took the baby in. Docima had been injured in a trap set up by hunters and Razeeta had killed the hunters and taken Docima in. Since Koro wasn't native to these parts, was brought in by cruel trappers from Trikru territory by Trikru trappers, Razeeta had immediately bought the terrified young Koro.

Klark, after meeting Koro, Docima and Lanu had given them different names. Came up with the Gonasleng names for them, though Razeeta had never heard Koro's animal term in her life, but had heard of what Klark called Lanu's kind, the monli and Docima's kind, the adren. She said that Lanu was a "cat." Docima was an "arctic fox." And Koro was an "opossum."

Klark, to Razeeta's delight had taken to all three beasts incredibly well. She thought of Docima and Lanu as "adorable" and even found the strange looking Koro a little "cute." And even Razeeta would admit that Koro was odd looking. She had never seen his kind before. A white head with a long, crooked snout, attached to a grey, fatter body, and black ears. Big, dark eyes. A long, hairless, pink tail. Like a rat's tail. When Razeeta had first met Koro, she had half thought about adding him to a stew with the livers and kidneys of two of her enemies.

However, as soon as Koro was out of his cage, he had crawled up onto Razeeta's lap and stared up at her inquisitively. As soon as he did that, Razeeta had grumbled a curse in her native language and decided not to eat him. When one of her guards tried to grab Koro, she had threatened the guard and sent them away. So Koro was now a permanent occupant of this house.

Jorsua always said that she was odd. A year after she and Jorsua had begun their relationship, Jorsua had memorably said dryly, "I don't think I understand you. You are odd. You slice men's throats easily, eat their kidneys like it's nothing. But the moment a pig squeals when it realizes that it's going to be butchered, you shed tears."

While that had been an exaggeration, Razeeta had understood what her entarg meant.

Razeeta had always been more sympathetic to animals than to human beings. Perhaps because of how helpless she found them. Even the most unarmed human could be deceitful. And even the biggest bear was still naïve to how brutal and cruel humans could be. Razeeta was not unaware of both of these truths.

Koro was the last of the animals that Razeeta had taken in. Docima and Lanu had been taken in before that. Docima had been the first. Docima had taken to Lanu quickly. Apparently deciding that Lanu was her little sister, Docima protected Lanu nonstop. Docima seemed to have adopted Lanu as Razeeta had adopted Lanu and Docima.

Razeeta watched the three animals jump around each other and paw each other, Lanu's paws around Docima's furry neck, Docima flattening her chest against the floor, her furry rear in the air. Koro jumped on them both, teeth briefly over the furry patch over Docima's shoulder before the three of them rolled around on the floor again.

Razeeta chuckled. She hadn't thought it was possible for her to feel love again after her father's death. Her sister had been killed in battle, her mother raped and murdered by her own father and then taking her own father's life in retaliation had left Razeeta cold and empty for years. Till she had met Jorsua and Dasha. And even after that, even after she had taken in these three ridiculous animals rolling around in front of her, she never could believe that she could ever love someone the way she would love a child. At least, she didn't believe that in regards to a human child. She loved Lanu, Docima and Koro plenty as her own children. But they were not humans.

Humans were...problematic. They were complicated and would even hurt their own family if they felt it benefited them. Razeeta had learned that the hard way. There had been times in the early days of their relationship, when Razeeta hadn't even entirely trusted Jorsua or Dasha. The two of them still knew that and accepted that it would be hard for her to ever fully trust them. At least for a while. So loving a human as she would a child? The way she did her three little beasts? She had always thought that impossible.

That was, at least, until she had met Klark.

At the time, she hadn't understood it. But the moment she had met Klark, she had found that she had felt a connection with the younger. At the time, she had thought that she was the only one that had sensed it. But Klark seemed to take to her as if she didn't even register that the Milgreds ate other people, even though she had made it clear that she had heard the stories of the Milgreds before then.

Perhaps Klark's ability to be calm during the beginning of the encounter had been because one of her former lovers, Onya was part Trishana. However, from what Razeeta understood, Onya's mother had left the Trishana before any of her children were born and had met her entarg in Trikru territory. And cannibalism of course was forbidden in Trikru land. So Razeeta doubted that human flesh had ever passed through Onya's lips or the lips of her brother and sister.

But perhaps Klark had known of Onya's heritage before, which may have been why she was so calm. She expected Razeeta and the others to be like Onya.

Yes, Klark had seen what had been on the fire and had refused to eat any of it. In which case, Razeeta had ordered some goats to be butchered for Klark. It had taken a whole day for Klark to let some of her guard down around Razeeta. She never acknowledged that the Milgreds ate people, but she had been cautious. At the time Razeeta hadn't figured out whether Klark not acknowledging the Milgreds' food habits was because Klark hadn't wanted to offend her captors in any way, or if Klark was being cunning about not saying anything.

It hadn't occurred to her until Ontari came by to retrieve her betrothed that Klark had stayed Ontari's armies' hands and Razeeta had the idea of why. Either for diplomatic reasons or just for the sake of merely being polite. Or both. But Klark had calmly told Ontari and Ontari's troops to calm down. As for how cautious Klark had been, it had taken a while for her to let her guard down, during her time in the Milgreds' care. But Razeeta had managed it.

But despite that caution? Razeeta had seen how calm Klark had been around her. Razeeta had wondered, even before she had first met Klark, if some people were just meant to meet. If some people were just fated to meet and have a connection with each other. The instant connection, the almost immediate bond that she had felt with Klark had been unmistakable, even if Razeeta hadn't been able to recognize the type of bond for what it was.

It had taken only a few days after Klark's departure when Razeeta realized what the bond had been. She had had nothing prior to compare it with. So she wasn't sure she could be entirely held accountable for not trying to keep Klark longer. But it had still hurt. It had hurt like nothing else since her mother's death.

It was only now when Razeeta realized that maybe there was some stock in believing in the gods. If Odin, Freya, Sif, Saga, Rind, Thor, Bor, Balder and the other gods or maybe the gods Jorsua's mother and father had taught her about, Tawa, Grandmother Spider, Eototo, Angwusnasomtaka, Masauwu and the like indeed had a hand in her life sometimes, despite how murderous and vicious she was. Then again, there were more than enough infractions committed by her ancestors, and perhaps by Jorsua's as well. Yet the gods seemed to favor her father and grandfather plenty before their deaths.

Jorsua, being a Sowla by birth, and her family all living in the upper parts of the Ice Nation, had fallen in love with Razeeta, with a very different upbringing than Razeeta and Dasha. Jorsua's father at first had been horrified when he had learned of Jorsua's love for Razeeta, the cannibal queen. But Razeeta had met the man. It seemed Awor was coming around to this reality. Though very begrudgingly and through sheer aggravation. Jorsua's sisters, Otna, Reja and Ulina had all been skeptical to say the least. Jorsua's younger sisters, Otna and Reja eventually came to accept that their sister was going to marry Razeeta and Dasha. Her older sister, Ulina still could not look Jorsua in the eye. She considered her sister a traitor. One who "lay with" two flesh-eating beasts and had committed a crime against their gods by eating human flesh herself.

Needless to say, the Sowlas did not practice cannibalism. From Razeeta understood, one of the main groups that made up the Trishana did in fact practice cannibalism, but most Hedas barely paid them mind. Treated them as they treated all of Azgeda. As pariahs and paid attention only to the non-human eating members of the Trishana. So it really wasn't a surprise to Razeeta that Jorsua's Sowla family had taken a rather long time to come around to their marriage.

As for Dasha? Her mother and father and two little brothers were cautious, but as they were native Milgreds, took to their family member marrying the queen much better than Jorsua's family.

As for how Klark's family would take to Razeeta? Well, that was another story.

Razeeta had shared her life story with Klark after Klark had told her everything. Especially the part of Jayke kom Skaikru being killed by his own entarg, Abigayle. Razeeta's heart hurt. For once, it hurt for someone besides herself and her lovers. She had conveyed to Klark her own story, and what her father had done to her mother. She had watched as Klark's eyes widened with what she heard and absorbed the shocking information. Razeeta had tried to emphasize the kinship between the two of them, though she was certain that Klark at the time would have hesitated to admit that it existed.

"Your mother killed your father, Klark. I promise you, I know the pain you feel. What my father did to my mother will never leave me. I am sorry for what you have gone through. But know this, you're not alone." Klark eventually, as Razeeta had hoped, asked what Razeeta's father had done to Razeeta's mother. Razeeta had given the details and watched as Klark reacted with barely contained horror. Razeeta hadn't responded in any way, just had watched. She had nodded when Klark had, with pained breaths told Razeeta how sorry she was.

Under the weight of such tragedy, what else could one say, except that?

Razeeta hadn't told Klark that to earn Klark's pity. She had told the girl that so as to gain a kinship. Though it seemed it wasn't necessary, given how quickly Klark had taken to her and to Jorsua. Razeeta was certain that Klark would come to see the Milgred territory as her home, or a home, that was unless she did already.

Razeeta turned to Dasha with amusement written all over her face. "Your choice is important in this, my entarg. Though I refuse not to take her in. She's my daughter. One way or the other. But I would like to know your feelings." She looked at Dasha. Dasha sighed, smirking and shaking her head. "You are ridiculous, kran en segara. Of course I am happy to take Klark in. If that is what makes you and Jorsua happy." Dasha added, teeth flashing. "And I'll admit, I find the girl endearing myself."

Razeeta smirked. Of course Dasha did. Klark was the easiest person to love. She supposed all mothers saw their children that way. All true mothers, unlike Abigayle did, anyway. Abigayle was no true mother.

So the arrangements had been made Klark and some of her family would be coming here. Asking for their support and act out any part that they expected of them. And well, how could Razeeta refuse her child's request? As for Farrun? The boy was returning home. And with him? Was the chance at leverage. Leverage to convince Klark to return to the Milgred territory, if she needed to use the advantage. If Razeeta needed to, she could persuade Farrun to get Klark to return to Milgred land. To her home.

"And you don't believe she'll object to being the child of three cannibals?" Dasha remarked, amusement in her tone as she glanced at her lovers and to be wives.

Razeeta snorted, shaking her head. "She won't judge. Not after everything. She'll give us some allowances." Jorsua looked at Razeeta and asked, "Do you think we could get her around to…our type of diet?"

Razeeta waved her hand, smirking. "No. Leave that subject for now." She turned her head and stared at the roaring fireplace ahead of them, where what Klark called a "CD player" stood with all "CD towers" stood. Razeeta had found it and all the CDs about seven years ago. When she had realized the CDs as Klark had called them, were the same shape as the circle on top of the tab that slid out when she pushed a button on the machine, she had put one on and had messed with the door of the CD player. She had turned the knob a few times, which controlled the volume, curious and had almost gotten a heart attack when the music played. Music had come out of the big, black boxes next to the player, attached to it through long ropes. Wires. It had completely confused Razeeta for a time. But she was in no way ungrateful for it. It was a device that played music. How could Razeeta complain?

She had possessed it for years now, she just had never known what it had been called before, till Klark had explained it.

It was expected normal for the tribes not to handle tek. However, the Azgeda were often skeptical of that rule and expectation. And the Sowlas and the Milgreds both spurned that expectation far more than others in the Ice Nation. It was particularly important for the Milgreds to use medical technology when it came to testing blood, making sure they didn't eat any disease that their human prey might possess. So yes, the Milgreds used quite a bit of tek. Even if they didn't know the proper names for it.

As for this CD player? How could Razeeta not appreciate it? It played music. So she had taken it from where she had found it and had dragged it and all the other CDs, ordering her guards to help her and had them bring it and the CDs to the palace. She had found the CD player and all of the CDs just at the border that separated their territory and queen Nia's territory.

"No, Jorsua." Razeeta said, grinning now, eyes narrowed. "Though I don't believe that Klark will judge us too harshly for eating other people, I would not try to pressure her into tasting human flesh. No, if Klark ever tastes human flesh and meat…, I want her to do it willingly and gladly." Razeeta felt, rather than saw Jorsua smirking next to her.

Jilina: Daughter in Azgedasleng

Inkrez: Son in Trigedasleng

Eko: Echo

Kayne: Kane

Abigayle: Abigail

Author's note: So yeah, there are actual periods here. It always aggravates me when that's never mentioned in fiction. Yes, biological women have periods. They also shit just like everyone else. I know, periods, so disgusting. Rolls eyes. Now if only people in this fandom got as disgusted with a full-grown, predatory man of twenty-three to twenty-five who has the most power in a group having sex with underage girls as young as fifteen and sixteen therefore committing child molestation and rape technically and murdering three hundred people in their sleep as they would with periods, but hey, I guess that's asking for too much of human decency.

And yes, there are all terrain vehicles that Clarke and the others found in underground stashes. Wanted to bring them in because I love those things. They've found regular ones-ones that I love and the snow ones which are much bigger. (Aren't so fun when you're falling off of them, lol)