TonDC – The Queen of Death
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Clarke's Point of View
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You take a step forward and bump into Indra's arm. "No. Stay back, she is dangerous!" You hear what Indra is saying and you know she is right – Rukh is dangerous. Nonetheless, you also know that Indra is wrong.
You have your fingers buried into Deimos' pelt. He is completely relaxed. He wouldn't be if you would be in any kind of danger. You are safe. He knows. You know it too. The truth is – Rukh is dangerous – but not to you.
"Lower your weapons." Your voice is calm and even.
"Ai kwin-" Indra starts, but you raise your hand. "I said lower your weapons. We will not harm the boy. She knows that." Indra grunts under her breath, but she obeys. The second she lowers her sword, bowstrings are relaxed, arrows are no longer pointing at Rukh and the warriors relax their stances.
You take another few steps towards her, Deimos by your side. "So we finally meet, Kwin Klark."
You clench your fists. "What do you want, Rukh?"
"The question is what do YOU want?" She leans a bit to the side. You can't really see much of her; she is covered in several layers of armor. "Do you want to save the pathetic pile of your people I still hold? Do you want to save this one?" The dagger she holds is pressing against the boy's neck threatening to break his skin.
You take another step, but stop when Rukh takes a step back. "Ah ah, Klark. Not here. If you wish to save your people, you will follow me. Alone."
"Kwin, no! Heda wouldn't-"
"Leksa is unavailable, Indra. So I am in command." You turn around and face Indra and the warriors. "I order you to stay here. You will not follow me. Am I understood?"
"Kwin-"
"No. This is about Skaikru. Stay." You turn around again, your hand still resting on Deimos' neck. You tilt your head up, trying not to waiver. "Lead the way, Rukh."
She walks backwards, her eyes darting to the sides every few steps. She is scouting the surrounding area for warriors. The boy hasn't spoken a word. You follow her, at a safe distance with Deimos faithfully by your side. You know you have nothing to fear; Deimos wouldn't be as relaxed as he is if there would be anything harmful about Rukh's intentions. You reassure yourself again.
After what feels like half an hour, you arrive at the river. Rukh stops a step away from the water. She stills and looks around, relaxing herself after another handful of seconds. She keeps the boy close with her arm around his neck. It would almost look like a protective embrace, except for the dagger still resting at this throat.
The night is chilly and the sky is covered with clouds. There is as good as no light and you have trouble to see her clearly.
"Well done, ai Kwin."
You can tell by her tone she is smirking. "What do you want?"
"As I said, ai Kwin, this is about what you want." There's wistfulness to her voice, as if she has no concerns. Her voice is almost soft.
You feel your back stiffen. "And what would that be?"
"Your people. Or what's left of them. So in order to get what you want, I want to get what I want. And for now that is very simple: I want to speak to you, alone."
"We are alone."
Rukh laughs, short and hard. "No, not here. Come closer, your warriors are too close and may hear us. I would like to avoid that."
You make a mental note to scold Indra and her warriors that 'stay' actually means 'stay' and not 'follow me anyway regardless of what I say'. Not even the Trikru warriors are good enough to hide from her. You sort your thoughts and do as you are asked, the sound of the flowing water rushing getting louder and most likely distorting your conversation. She picked a good spot.
Only two meters separate you from her when you halt. Her voice is all business. "You will head back to camp to give me enough time to vanish. You will meet me tonight at the meadow beside the falls, east of the mountain. Alone. Except your dog, of course," she motions towards Deimos.
It is the only time Rukh really let's her focus shift completely away from you. She isn't sloppily scouting the area for warriors she knows are there, she isn't checking on the boy she has still pressed against her chest like a shield and she isn't watching your steps in between darting her view from side to side; let alone adjusting her route.
You had been following her steps very precisely. You took notice of the unnecessary steps she took to the left or right. She did this not to avoid stones and roots for herself, but on your behalf. She was leading you and she had no intention to let you get hurt. She knew you wouldn't let her out of your sight and therefore weren't watching your own steps.
She knows you weren't raised on the ground so she knows you aren't familiar with the forest and its terrain, most of all at night, as well as a grounder would be. She isn't wrong, but she isn't right either.
The look she gives Deimos, only for the fraction of a second, is what unsettles you most. You realize the focus and knowledge she has on you, but her attention towards Deimos is different. You decide to store this information in the back of your mind.
"If anyone follows you, your people will die."
"And if I refuse? If I kill you here and now?" You are surprised how unimpressed and bored your voice sounds.
Rukh smiles. "If I do not return to camp before dawn, my people will massacre yours in the most agonizing way possible. And before you ask, you won't send your people after me either. If I am being followed, the same thing will happen. And in case you come up with another plan," she shrugs, still smiling, "– just don't. I am always a few steps ahead of you. You know that."
Yes, you do. She knows you too well. "Why should I trust you?" You may not know why, but you know you can trust her. You clench your fist lightly in Deimos' pelt.
"Because he knows you can." She points at Deimos. He is still completely calm and relaxed. "He feels that I mean you no harm, ai Kwin."
You consider your options. You want to ask her why she is so willing to call you 'Kwin', but you don't. Not yet. Later. Later. You already settled with meeting her alone. "What about the boy?"
"I will drop him off by a river."
You feel a slight panic. "Let him go with me now."
Rukh laughs, again. "Well, someone is very confident I am civilized." She shakes her head and focuses back on you. "Let me make this clear: I make the rules, you play by my rules." Her chin drops; she glares at you. "Or your people die. You take what I give you. You can pick him up by a river. Find him within the next two hours and whoever is able to cure my poisons, will be able to cure him."
You begin to take a step forward, but stop yourself. "He is poisoned?" You look over him, he seems healthy enough and you don't see any symptoms, but your heart speeds up anyway.
"Not yet." Rukh taps the dagger against the boy's chest. "Do we have an agreement?"
You have no options. You nod.
"Fine. Until later, then." She slices the boys throat, only shallow, but enough to make him bleed. You clench your fists, turn and walk back. You hear someone jumping into the river. There is no use in turning around and following her; the river's flow is strong around here and she will be far-gone before you can do anything. Even if you would catch up, you can't follow her and save the boy.
Your only option is to do what she said.
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Back in TonDC
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It's all a rush. Everything feels numb. Mid way the guards surround you, escorting you back to TonDC. Indra questions you, you tell her to go find the boy by the river. She asks you about Rukh's exact words. You repeat. 'I will drop him off by a river." A River. There are two, one north and one south. Indra splits her warriors into four teams and sends them off to search the shores of both rivers, in each direction. By doing so, there are not enough warriors left to follow Rukh, or at least attempt to. Most of them are still out scouting the area for her camp. Rukh knew what she was doing.
You look into Indra's eyes seriously, nearly pleading. "Sou nou teik em wan op." Don't let him die. Indra nods. She knows that the boy is your first concern. She will not disappoint; she knows what she is doing.
But what are you doing? What the hell are you doing?
You head back to your tent, back to Lexa. You sit by her and stroke her cheek. You wish you wouldn't have given her something to help her find sleep. You curse yourself that you are guilty, but it turns out to be utterly convenient. She would never let you go alone.
You kiss her cheeks, her forehead, her hands and her fingers. You kiss her lips. "I will be back soon." You get up, grab the sword Lexa gifted you and leave the tent.
"Klark." You nearly jump out of your skin at the familiar voice. You could have handled every grounder – but not her.
"Eko… I…" Echo approaches you, nodding towards Deimos once, before addressing you.
"Sister, this is not wise." She places her hand on your shoulder. You lower your head before you cover her hand with yours.
"Eko, as your sister I ask you to let me go and not to talk to anyone about this. Beja." You stand there, completely still for what feels like eternity. Eventually, Echo takes a deep breath and releases it shuddering.
"So that's why you asked me for the rid bluma? Sleeping flower. To keep Heda asleep and leave?"
You feel a jolt of guilt like a glowing sword that pushes the air out of your lungs and makes your knees weak. You calm your breath again before answering. "No… and yes. You know I would never do this purposely… it is a coincidence." You expect to be stuck – to lose another chance to save what is left of your people – children – and you feel nauseous. "Save the boy when they bring him here. I beg you."
Echo nods. "Be safe, sister." She pulls her hand back and you look at her. You can't speak. You do not trust your voice. You nod once, turn and leave. You are late and it is a two-hour ride. As soon as you are out of TonDC, you climb on Deimos' back and bury your fingers deep into the pelt on his neck.
"Snap, Deimos, beja." Fast, Deimos, please. The wolf huffs once and starts running. Lexa… wigod op ai. Forgive me.
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TonDC - Now
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Echo steps from one foot to the other for minutes before she enters the tent. "Raven?" She whispers and she thinks she sounds guilty already. She walks in holding the flap of the tent open to spot the mechanic in the light of the fire. She is sleeping, curled up with Octavia. Echo steps closer. "Raven." She tries again and it seems to work. The mechanic mumbles and lifts her head.
"Damn it, what? Echo?" she sits up, halfway, and rubs her eyes. She looks over to Octavia, whose sleep is deep and peaceful. "What is it?"
The Trikru warrior's look is stern. "I need you to keep this safe. We talked about it." Raven takes the little leather journal and her eyes widen. She knows what she is holding in her hands.
"This is the only copy, these are all the-". Echo covers her mouth, hissing "Quiet!"
They both look at Octavia, moving in her sleep – but not awake enough to realize what is happening. "Raven, keep it safe and be prepared. The warriors will hopefully find and bring a poisoned boy back, and you know what to do. Keep this safe and talk to no one. Can you do that?"
Raven nods and furrows, speaking her thoughts. "This book is filled with the recipes, but it is useless without the plants."
Echo nods and smiles. "Okteivia has the key… Linkon had a journal like this in his possession. All the plants are sketched in it."
Raven shoves the journal under her furs. "What do I need to know? And what if I can't handle whatever poison the boy has?"
Echo takes her hand. "You will do fine, you have talent. Just know that you are saving Klark with this. And saving Klark means saving Leksa. Do not talk about what happened or that you saw me tonight."
Raven nods, whispering. "Will I see you again? Will Octavia see you again?"
Echo smiles. It's a weak smile, but a loving one. "I don't know, Raven."
The mechanic nods and stretches her arm out. Echo clasps her arm with hers. "Your knowledge is safe with me. May we meet again, Eko kom Trikru."
Echo takes in a sharp breath at the words. "May we meet again, Raven kom Skaikru. Ste yuj." Stay strong.
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Forest east of the Mountain
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Clarke's Point of View
Deimos slows down and the change in his movements pulls you out of your head. The wolf trots slowly through the forest and halts just before the forest opens itself up to a meadow. You look around, having no idea where you are. You slide off his back and kiss his head. "Mochof." Thank you. You stroke the side of his head and he hums in approval. You walk into the meadow, your loyal guard by your side. You can't see or hear anything and Deimos is relaxed. No danger. You expected as much.
After a while, when you are sure you are too late and consider leaving, Deimos' ears shoot straight up and he turns to your left. You follow his gaze and after another few minutes, you see a black panther trotting towards you. The cat is big, not unusually big, but still huge, and appears out of bushes and high grass. The cat looks calm, elegant, and it seems not to be rabid. It's midnight black pelt and yellow eyes are piercing and look unfamiliar und strange to this environment. You are so focused on the cat, that you nearly miss her. Deimos presses himself a little further to your side to guide your attention towards the woman stepping out of the tree line.
For a second you feel anger. You feel hatred. You want to leap and kill with your bare hands. This is the woman responsible for all the death. Your mother. Lincoln. Bellamy. Monty. Jasper. Kane. All of them. This is the woman responsible for the genocide of the Sky People. Your people. And this time she has no innocent child pressed against her chest to deflect your anger.
After this second of wrath, you shudder. A numbness is taking over and you suddenly feel empty and small. She walks towards you, slowly, circled by the cat. The closer she gets, the clearer you see her in the light of the moon that is finally breaking through the clouds.
The first thing you take in is her body language.
She is aware. She is aware of herself and her surroundings. She is aware of the effect her appearance has. Every step is calculated and precise. Every movement of her arms and fingers, every beat of her pulse and every rise and fall of her chest seems methodical and filled with reason and purpose. She is not afraid. You are sure she does not even know fear. Her legs are covered in dark leggings, stitched together from different pieces of leather. Her thighs hold two clasps each and attached to each one of them is a dagger. There are two belts around her slender waist, holding three swords total. Her upper body is mostly uncovered; you can see part of her abdomen, her upper chest and throat, as well as her shoulders. The bracers she is wearing are wrapped from her wrists to her middle upper arms, holding several little throwing knives. Her skin is pale and white, even and flawless. Her hair is a wildfire; unnaturally red and untamed, framing her face and dropping down her shoulders like a fountain of blood. The smirk on her lips feels like ice on your spine.
When she is close enough to see her eyes, you are able to see beyond her appearance.
Her eyes are light, foggy. You think you see a hint of what may have been green once. Her skin is, even though the moonlight is shining, without any glow or shimmer. You see her neck moving with her breaths, but it still looks like she is made out of glass. She seems lifeless. There is no warmth around her, no aura, no scent.
You see her but you can't feel her. Out of instinct you reach for your shield, willing it to surround you. Nothing happens.
She halts only a few steps before you and tilts her head. "You came." You nod, slightly. "That's it? You have nothing to say?" Deimos leans against you further, gently touching. You look at her, up and down, from toe to head, again and again.
All you feel is pity.
There is no hatred. There is no anger. All you feel is pain and despair and sorrow.
"What happened to you?" Your voice is a whisper, rough and broken, stuttering. She tilts her head in the opposite direction and crosses her arms before she releases a short and hard snort. You take another step towards her. "What happened to you? What happened that tore you apart like this? What was it that ripped your heart into pieces and suffocated your soul? What was it that destroyed your life?"
Something flickers in her lifeless eyes. She relaxes her stance and her face looks, only for a second, innocent. "Death, ai Kwin." She closes the distance between you and when you are only inches apart, you feel her breath on your face. "I died, years ago. I was raped of my life, my purpose and my destiny. And even death – the one thing granted to everyone – was torn from me." Her glance, lost in memories, shoots back into the present and catches yours. The smirk reappears on her lips and her head is tilted again. The mask is back. "And that's why I will take back what was always supposed to be mine."
You do not step back. You do not back off. You feel drawn to her. "What would that be, Rukh? What is it that is supposed to be yours?"
She smiles. "My title and my kwin."
Her kwin?... you think, but instead you ask "Your title?".
"I was supposed to be the last commander. I am the last commander. And your place is by my side, my kwin."
You feel a tug at your heart. Lexa. "My place is at Leksa's side."
She tilts her chin upwards, her glance is patient and arrogant at the same time. "You are a lion, Klark. You are majesty. You are a wild cat, untamed, just like me. You do not see this now, but you are meant to be mine." You shake your head. "You are not supposed to run with dogs."
Her voice is a melody. You don't know what it is that keeps you from killing her here and now. She somehow enchants you. You swallow down the lump in your throat. "I am running with wolves, Rukh."
The red haired warrior shakes her head; her smile is forgiving and understanding as if she is explaining the world to a three year old. She stretches out her arm and the second her thumb touches the skin on your neck you jolt backwards in shock. Her touch is cold as death; her skin is freezing like ice. And still you can't bring forth your shield.
Her expression changes when you avoid her touch. You see a flicker of agony in her dead eyes, but only for the fraction of a second before it changes to anger. You can't find a better description yet you know it is so much more than just anger. Whatever it is, it is violent and harmful and so much more than wrath. Her voice pierces through your body, you feel exposed and naked, helpless and defenseless.
"Don't you dare fear me." You are paralyzed when she steps closer, again, and the emptiness surrounding her like a shroud takes over and covers you as well. It feels like an all-consuming void. "Your guard knows that you do not need to fear me."
You want to look at Deimos, to see what you know for a fact. The wolf by your side is relaxed besides a light tenseness and you know that the tension is yours, not his. He knows she won't hurt you.
"You are mine. I will make you see that." Rukh's voice is soft and raises her hand to your cheek and this time you twitch, but let it happen. Her hand cups your cheek and you feel dread, mixed with a strange feeling of safety. Rukh leans in, just a little, tilting her head and her eyes closing slowly.
Lexa.
You jolt backwards again. "No!" As soon as you find your balance, you draw your sword and wish you would have had more time to practice with Lexa. "I have no idea what kind of madness makes you think I would ever betray Leksa. That won't ever happen." You point the blade at Rukh. "As long as I live and long after that my place is by Leksa's side."
Rukh lowers her eyes. Her expression changes to something between calm understanding, annoyance and anger. She moves when you turn in shock at the familiar voice.
"Let her be! Klark!" Panic creeps up your spine. Echo is riding quickly towards you, her sword drawn as she dismounts the horse. She places her free hand on your shoulder.
"Well, now look at this. The apprentice." Rukh's voice is amused. "I am utterly surprised. It explains a lot though… didn't I order you to come back to me, girl?"
Echo swallows. She kisses your head, whispering "Run, sister. May we meet again." She then steps in front of you to face Rukh. "I will come if you let her go."
Rukh's laughter feels like a thousand cuts. You grip Echo's wrist. "No. Eko. She won't harm me. You are going back with me." You look past Echo and over to Rukh. She smiles.
"She is right, I won't harm her. But if you are offering your services so freely, I would be rude to not accept." The smirk is back on her face. "And you will accompany me freely and without resistance or I slaughter your Kwin's people like insects." You are about to step beside Echo, but Rukh's sharp voice stops you. "One wrong move and I will devastate everything you have ever known." Rukh draws her sword and points the blade at Echo's throat. "You play by my rules." The Triku warrior starts to move, releasing the reins of her horse. "No, take the horse. The kwin is running with wolves for now. She won't need it." Echo shoots you a look, you nod before she again mounts the mare.
Rukh looks back at you. "You will understand. I will spare the children, my kwin, to show you how merciful I am. And remember – follow me, and I slaughter everyone." She turns, the reins of Echo's horse in her hand, and walks away. "Come, Misha." The panther yawns and turns to follow its master.
You don't know how long you are standing in the middle of this meadow, looking over to the tree line where Rukh and Echo disappeared. Dawn is approaching when Deimos nudges your side. You climb onto his back. He will take you back home, back to Lexa.
