"The summit is cancelled." Titus announced as he entered the throne room, finding a seemingly nervous and sleep deprived Abby Griffin and an annoyed Marcus Kane.
"May we ask why?" Kane questioned, while Abby was rubbing her eyes, not quite so sure whether or not she actually heard Titus correctly.
"Heda is absent. There were matters in need of her attention, urgently. I'm afraid this is the only information I may provide you with at this moment." Titus was obviously lying right through his teeth. "You are dismissed."
"Excuse me, we've been traveling here, preparing ourselves for this very important meeting, and now Lexa is just not...here? Do you realize what this means for the people of Arcadia?" Kane tried to explain desperately.
"We are aware, yet there is nothing to be done about this. We shall send messengers to the other clan leaders as there will be a gathering held within the next few days. You may reside in Polis until then but for now please accept my dismissal."
Titus's last words before two guards escorted the Skaikru leaders out of the throne room, were definitive. Abby nervously kneaded her cold hands as she walked to their quarters together with Kane.
When they locked the door behind themselves, checking once more if the guards had truly left before starting conversation, Abby let out a heavy sigh. She was obviously worried sick and on top of that, too tired to think straight.
"You have been beating yourself up over this summit way too much, and now it turns out Lexa had better things to do anyway." Kane snarled.
"Marcus please let me try to explain… Oh gosh at this rate I'm going to be literally too tired to sleep." She proceeds. Kane listened carefully.
"Much has happened during the past few days… Things you don't know of. I haven't told you because I promised not to. I have legitimate concerns that something serious may have happened to Clarke and Lexa. They snuck out in the early morning hours that day… alone…"
Kane's brow furrows as he listens to Abby's words. She wasn't making much sense to him. He believed that it was just the sleep deprivation making her talk nonsense.
"Abby? Are you alright? What are you talking about? They snuck out of where exactly?"
"See, I'm not even making sense anymore. They snuck out of Arcadia. Obviously." Abby made it clear that she wasn't going crazy over the lack of sleep, just that her mind was a little scattered to form a proper sentence.
"Abby, you really need to rest. Lexa was never in Arcadia, and Clarke was already with her in Polis before we eventually left." He walks over towards Abby, his eyes searching hers. "I remember how thrilled you were when the news reached us that she was alive and well. You wanted to come and get her immediately - and then we heard of the negotiations and…"
"I know this much!" Abby interrupts him. "I also am aware of what you believe." She pauses again. "That's because I worked quite hard to keep this a secret. But now… I think it's not really possible to keep it anymore." Abby sighs, her face expresses guilt for she is about to break her vow.
"I'm sorry but the life and safety of my daughter is at stake now." Abby proceeds to explain the events of the past days. The actual reasons why she didn't sleep, Clarke's suspicion of a biochemical weapon which turned out to be false - and Lexa's pregnancy, including the failed abortion. Kane just sat there and couldn't believe what he was just listening to. When Abby was done talking, he was literally left speechless and needed a few moments to process the information.
"Alright. It seems the situation is worse than I anticipated." He eventually replied after a while. "To me it's quite obvious… Queen Nia has them. The question is whether or not they are alive as we speak." He sighs and gazes back at Abby. "I really pray this is the case."
" However, if Azgeda really believes we were working on a biochemical weapon of some sorts, then we may never reach an agreement." He expressed his concerns further.
"Well, she's not the type of person to be reasoned with, and if she really has the girls, she's obviously downright evil. Looks like she won't disregard the conspiracy theory no matter what." Abby replied.
"What if we tell her about Lexa's true intentions to seek your help? What would we lose?" Kane asked.
"I thought about this as well, however Lexa seemed irrationally scared about Queen Nia ever finding out about the baby. I couldn't figure out why this was the case and I did not ask Lexa either, I just didn't think it was any of my business." Abby explained.
"She begged me to not reveal her secret, even if it costs me my life. I bet my head would be rolling if she knew what I just told you..."
"Well, I doubt Lexa is still the kind of person who takes heads these days." Marcus laughed.
"Oh never ever question the ruthlessness of the Commander!" Abby rolled her eyes ironically. "You know, she cares about her reputation…it's important… to teenagers."
"If Lexa was this afraid of the ice queen, then she must have had her reasons." Kane's brow furrows.
"Not a word to anybody, especially not the bald guy." Abby made herself clear.
"You mean the priest guy?" Kane asked.
"Yes, that one. I don't like him, he's suspicious." Abby didn't hide the fact she doesn't like Titus very much.
"At first I thought he was that sort of father figure to Lexa, but he seems to be controlling her somehow. She didn't trust him, that much I figured out… But well, she didn't trust Clarke either… She's somehow a mystery to me, always was. Just like… I have no clue what she's up to. Or if she's even up to something… I don't know I need to sleep." Abby rubbed her eyes again and had a hard time to keep them open.
"I thought about something." Kane suddenly seems to feel the need of throwing in an idea.
Abby listened.
"If Nia turns out to believe in the biochemical weapon and may not step down from the conspiracy theory, we might use this to our advantage. We might use her fear as scare tactics to intimidate Azgeda enough as to not provoke a confrontation." He suggests.
"Then we have to make sure she'll never find out that said weapon in fact doesn't exist. Or I need to invent it somehow like… last minute." Abby hints that the idea wasn't even the worst option to consider. "It's still risky and it might have the adverse effect."
"I think we have no other choice but to take that risk. If she were to find out we are defenseless, she's going to send her troops to Arcadia right away - and I will defend our home, whatever it takes." Kane was determined.
"I strongly feel the same." Abby agrees. "And I hope we can still save our girls."
"I'm really sorry you have to go through this with your daughter." Kane doesn't exactly know what to say, or how to approach Abby regarding this matter. "I just know… If Lexa doesn't return… or might even be dead - There will be another conclave and one of the Nightblood children will ascend to be Commander, right?"
"Yes but I'm not sure how that exactly works. The biggest concern is that there is a Nightblood girl from Azgeda. God forbid this child becomes Commander…" Abby replies
"This is why I believe it's only plausible to assume Queen Nia planned this all along. She must have captured them somehow, so she could get her own Nightblood to become Commander - through the backdoor ."
"We cannot initiate the holy conclave, because Lexa's deceased body has not yet been located." Titus nervously walked up and down inside of the chapel. Behind the altar, right in front of the mural of the first Commander - stood no other than Queen Nia herself. Her long, grey hair had been combed nicely underneath her crown of bones. Her warpaint and scarification gave her a fearsome appearance - one that she was so notoriously known for.
"And why is this so important, my dear?" She questioned the Flamekeeper, and her question almost sounded like an impatient interrogation.
"She still bears the flame, the spirit of the Commander. A Natblida cannot ascend without possessing it. They would be nothing but a fraud." Titus clarified.
"You are speaking of this as if it was a relic." Nia takes off her crown, holding it in the palms of her hand and tracing the lines with her fingertips. "An object just like this. Handed down from generation to generation." She places it back on her head again. "Is that so, my dear?"
"As a matter of fact, it is." Titus confirmed her suspicion. "Nia, I urge you… If you have anything to do with the disappearance of the Commander, you must now tell me where she is. I do not care about Lexa, my duty is the protection of the flame, ensuring it is handed down to her rightful successor. This is the only purpose in life I have. So if you killed her, please hand her body over to me so that it is done, what has to be." Titus desperately explained.
"What a shame." Nia laughed with an evil glare. "I wish her blood was on my hands now that I know this interesting fact - but unfortunately I have no idea where she, or her fragile pale bones are laying."
She lifts her head and gazes at the blurry, dirty window of the chapel, noticing something - or rather someone behind it. Suddenly whatever or whoever it may have been, disappeared. As the running footsteps started echoing through the night it became apparent to Nia that it must indeed have been a person.
"Someone was watching us." She remarked.
"I also saw them… And I believe I know who it was. I shall teach him a lesson. This is not the time to sneak around noisily. Especially not for Natblida." Titus answered.
"He shall soon be dead anyway, since you and I both know who will be the next Commander, my dear."
"Yes, my dear." Titus walks towards the evil queen…
"Gaia are you there? Please let me in…" Aden knocks at the door of the young Flamekeeper Novitiate.
"Gaia please this is not a prank, wake up!" He tries not to be very loud, but just loud enough for the older girl to hear him. He feels relieved when the door opens from the other side, revealing a sleepy young woman with gorgeously braided hair.
"Aden, what are you doing here at this time?" She scolds the boy, her mellow voice a little elevated due to her anger about being woken up at this hour.
"I need to speak with you - and I don't know where to begin... " The sad and desperate boy started, but immediately got to the point.
"Lexa is missing."
"I'm not a fool, Aden. I have noticed she's absent. Titus has been behaving erratically throughout the past few days, but he didn't speak with me about this issue." Gaia replied. "As a Natblida, you were so much closer to her than I was, is there anything you know? Do you want to tell me, and how am I supposed to help you?" Gaia questioned.
"I really don't know anything. Definitely not more than you do… I mean… Lexa loves us, but we couldn't exactly form a bond with her either. Titus always prevented us from getting too close… because it would make us weak. However… I know your mother is a warrior. Do you speak with her frequently? Isn't she one of her most trusted Generals?" Aden concluded.
Gaia sighed. "To be honest with you, the relationship between my mother and me was always difficult. She never fully accepted that I did not want to choose the path of the warrior, and turned to a spiritual life instead. I can request to speak with her, but what am I going to say? Officially, I haven't heard of Heda's absence yet… And I suppose you want me to keep your secret?"
"Yes, I would be getting in trouble if Titus knew I was seeking you." Aden replied.
"Which makes me wonder… He is not here. If he were, we would have noticed him sneaking around at least twice already by now." Gaia noticed.
"This is also one of the reasons I needed to speak with you. Please don't trust him, he's in the chapel with the Queen of Azgeda." Aden leaned forward and whispered into the older girl's ear.
"Alright Aden, to bed with you. I'm not in the mood for a prank right now." Gaia rolled her eyes.
"Wait Gaia no! I'm telling the truth!" Aden defends himself.
Gaia scrutinized him carefully. He looked back into her eyes with a rather serious gaze, unusual for the young Nightblood.
"You are serious?"
"Yes of course I am!" Aden replied angrily.
"This is something I would have never expected. I'm shocked, however I'm grateful you told me. Indeed this means the Flamekeeper may be corrupt and can't be trusted." Gaia's brow furrows and she's nervously shifting from one foot to the other.
"Can't we have a vote of no confidence? I mean he can't be the Flamekeeper anymore." Aden suggested.
"Unfortunately… that works only for Commanders. A Flamekeeper will remain on duty until his last breath." Gaia explained.
"Then I hope he trips over the rug and breaks his neck." Aden curses.
"Shh… don't let him hear that." Gaia couldn't fully suppress her giggles at Aden's remark.
"I should leave, he could be back any moment." Aden said.
"Reshop." Gaia opened the door.
"Reshop." Aden replied when he walked out and disappeared into the darkness, aware of the fact that he had been entrusting Gaia with his secret, praying that her mother might be able to find out something about Lexa's possible whereabouts.
The next morning right after breakfast, she would seek out her mother. Gaia doesn't know where to locate her exactly, if she might even be out of Polis onsome battlefield. War was brewing and Azgeda started marching, so it wasn't impossible after all. She also wouldn't want to ask Titus, as she remembers Aden's words. If he was indeed corrupt, she could not afford to trust him. As she walks down the corridor of the tower, making her way to the quarters of the generals, a shadowy figure approaches her from behind.
Gaia tries to ignore her at first, not even thinking much of it - then she stops right in the middle of the hallway and turns around, as it appeared somewhat scary to her.
"Did you get lost?" A female voice shouts into her direction. "This is a quarter for warriors and you don't look as if you could fight."
Gaia stands still as the other girl approaches her, walking around scrutinizing - and eventually coming to stand in front of her. Gaia takes a careful look at the unfamiliar young woman. She's dressed in black warrior's attire - black hair, tanned skin and - scarification!
"You're Azgeda!" Gaia calls out in shock and horror.
"Certainly." The girl replied. "And you are my handmaiden?"
Gaia was shocked at the audacity of the rude Azgeda girl. "I'm actually the Flamekeeper's novitiate." She replied.
"Then you should practice addressing me as Heda." The girl smirks with an insane expression on her face - before she gets a blow to the head from the side, knocking her over.
"Don't get cocky, you reeking little meatsack." Anya appeared out of the side corridor, revealing herself to have delivered the punch.
"First of all, you are a guest here." Anya walks over and drags the girl up on her feet again.
"Second of all, as a guest you are not allowed to carry weapons." She seizes the girl's sword and slowly reaches for her belt, the inside of her jacket, her wristbands and eventually even her boots - pulling out a dagger one after the other, tossing them onto the floor dramatically.
"And last but not least - The Commander's name is Lexa kom Trikru." Anya snarls before throwing the girl away from her. She hits the floor with a loud and rough rumble.
"Get lost Ontari." Anya eventually tells her, and the girl does so with a grumpy expression on her face.
Ontari gets up again and gives Anya an evil glare then she walks out of sight.
Anya then faces Gaia, making sure she was alright at first.
"Don't worry. Tris and I are keeping an eye on her." Anya affirms to Gaia as soon as Ontari has walked out of sight. "Anyway, what are you doing here? It's rare for you to be around this area." Anya asked.
"I was looking for my mother, but I feared she might not be here." Gaia speaks to Anya.
"Any particular request?" Anya replies.
"You probably figured it out by now." Gaia lowers her gaze, trying not to speak too loudly. "Lexa is missing."
"We know." Anya confirms. "The Natblida are getting concerned and the Flamekeeper may be corrupt."
"Wait, how do you know?" Gaia asked, surprised, since it had only been last night when Aden told her to keep his secrets.
"Who do you think you're dealing with? Do not ever underestimate the bond I have with Lexa. I've sensed that something wasn't right with her ever since she returned from the Mountain. Now she went missing. That can't be a coincidence. Your mother and I were arguing whether it was Skaikru or Azgeda who may be responsible for her disappearance. Then we discovered Titus was consorting with the Queen of Azgeda. We didn't know if we could trust you. As a Flamekeeper novitiate, you are close to Titus."
"Anya, trust me I didn't know. I just found out about all of this mess last night." Gaia tried to explain.
"We meet at noon. These coordinates." Anya passes a small paper note to Gaia, who takes it with a brief nod and then walks back to her own quarters.
Gaia knew those were going to be a few anxious hours with Ontari lurking around, and the Queen residing in Polis was more or less of an open secret now at this point.
When the time was right, she made her way to the coordinates Anya had just previously given to her. She double checked the area around herself, still insecure about whether or not Ontari may be following her. She remembers what Anya promised, that Tris would be watching her - still the feeling was uneasy as she herself possessed merely basic combat skills and was no match for the Nightblood of Azgeda.
Gaia finally reached her destination at the abandoned shopping mall, entering the building which she knew was the Natblida's secret hideout.
She walks down the steps and opens the door to find Anya, her mother, Octavia kom Skaikru - and Abby kom Skaikru.
"Mom!" She calls out in relief, jumping at her and wrapping her arms around Indra. "I thought this hideout was only known to Natblida?" She asked, confused.
Anya was obviously grumpy. She took issue with the fact that it was the Skaikru healer who suggested this place as a meeting point. While she herself, who claims to be this immensely close to Lexa, had never heard of it before.
"Please have a seat, Gaia." Abby asked her, seemingly nervous.
Gaia sat down on the couch.
"Looks like everybody is finally here." Octavia stated, strangely focused and calm despite the dire situation.
"Then let's begin." Anya grunts.
Abby is looking around inside the room, carefully scrutinizing the faces of the other women, especially the two older ones.
"I'm curious about what you have to say in your defense, Abby. As you know, my brother saw you with the Commander five days ago." Octavia states. Anya glares at Abby.
"Octavia, if I would know where Lexa is, I would gladly tell you. Do I need to remind you that Clarke is missing as well? They both went missing together. I really don't know more than that."
"How did they go missing? When?" Indra asked.
Abby sighs and she takes a deep breath. She rehearses the words inside her head, carefully considering what to say, what to give away and not accidentally raise wrongful suspicions.
"Listen carefully and hear me out." She begins. The other women focus on her, listening carefully.
"Four nights ago… Lexa came to me with an urgent request. She was extremely desperate, asking me to help her." Abby pauses for a moment. Her pulse started to go up and she felt an unpleasant tightening in her stomach, then she resumed. "She had to travel to Arcadia with me, in order to fulfill her request."
"She went with you out of Polis so shortly before an important summit? What in the world could have been so urgent that Heda requested this?" Anya steps closer towards Abby, attempting to look into her eyes.
"It's personal and not relevant to the fact that she is missing." Abby looks back at Anya.
"How dare you deny answering my question, Skaikru?" Anya places her hand on the dagger that was attached to her belt.
"Stand down Anya!" Indra interferes. "Though I think we have a right to know. Besides, I do not believe that it is in fact irrelevant as to why she would have left. This is incredibly unusual behavior for her."
Abby uncomfortably shifts from left to right. She reminds herself that she's sworn to secrecy, but the concerns about Lexa and especially Clarke eventually make her crumble.
"Please, promise me you treat this information with confidence. Lexa insisted that I would keep it to myself and under no circumstances reveal it. I gave her my word, so this really doesn't feel right. It's betrayal in a sense…" Abby pauses. Her eyes are seeking those of the other women present in the room. "Which I'm aware you understand... "
"We promise. Whatever you tell us, shall remain inside our circle." Indra clarifies. Octavia nods, then Anya and eventually Gaia.
"Alright. I'm only willing to give away this information because it might be helpful in regards to saving Clarke and Lexa." Abby takes another breath, her pulse now racing, before finally breaking her secret.
"Lexa is pregnant. In other words, she carries a child."
"That's impossible" She is a Nightblood!" Gaia jumps off the couch, calling out while the other three women are still obviously processing the information.
"Gaia wait!" Octavia tries to calm the horrified young woman - before gazing at Abby. "Did you examine her?" She asked.
"As a matter of fact, I did an ultrasound and saw the fetus… the child… with my own eyes." Abby nodded, leaning back against the table
"Is that a safe method?" Indra's brow furrows in disbelief.
Abby coughed. "Yeah, probably the safest method in existence to determine a pregnancy. That is a fact."
"Um…" Octavia started to explain. "Abby is right regarding that technique… it pretty much visualizes your internal organs… So if she did that on Lexa… she would certainly know whether or not she was pregnant." Indra still didn't believe her.
"This is just not possible due to Lexa being a Nightblood." Anya snarled. "Lexa isn't bedding men. So how could a child magically end up inside of her womb?"
"I don't concern myself with the sex life of my patients." Abby replied. "She asked me to terminate the pregnancy… I intended to do exactly that."
"You WHAT?" Anya's eyes narrowed in fury and she was ready to slit Abby's throat.
"Easy!" Octavia was ready to draw her blade as well. "Anya, I kindly ask you to calm yourself. We are here to find out about the truth. Our priority is to find Clarke and Lexa safely and prevent another conclave." Both women were standing eye to eye, ready to attack.
"Please do not shed the blood of someone who is not your enemy." Octavia begs.
Anya stands down. "I still do not believe her. No matter what technique she used, no matter her vow. She is Skaikru and I believe we cannot trust her."
Octavia was just about to interrupt, in an attempt to remind her that she was Skaikru as well - but Abby spoke before.
"If you don't believe me, you might find Sophie more trustworthy. She was the one who confirmed Lexa's pregnancy first… Using Trigeda methods… probably... Lexa told me while we drove to Arcadia." Abby clarified.
Anya's heart skipped a beat at the words of the Skaikru healer. It became more and more obvious that Abby's testimony was in fact true. Her heart sank, as did Anya herself. She sat on the couch, speechless. "I will seek her out later…" Anya grunted.
"Was the abortion successful?" Octavia asked eventually.
"Well, no. I mean you remember when we got attacked by Azgeda all of a sudden… That was, let's say perfect timing." Abby explained. "So yes, she is still pregnant."
"I thought Azgeda was marching onto Skaikru because of a conspiracy theory constructed by Queen Nia, that there was a weapon of mass destruction in the plans of making?" Indra asked.
"Oh my... " Abby sighed. "Listen… Queen Nia didn't exactly construct this as a conspiracy theory against us... "
"Wait, so are you telling us there actually is a biochemical weapon?" Octavia's brow furrows.
"No, there isn't!" Abby clarified. "Lexa didn't involve Clarke into her… private matters… She just acted all secretive and mysterious around her. And as we all know Clarke quickly jumps to conclusions and in the consequence of that, feels the need to save the world…"
"I get it…" Indra rolled her eyes.
"Listen, it's probably still for the best if we use this to our advantage. At least we could use it as a threat against Nia." Abby explained.
"Risky, but not the worst idea." Anya nodded.
"I believe this is our only chance to get to Clarke and Lexa, in case they are still alive as we speak. Abby looks around, but is only replied with questioning eyes.
"Well, the Ice Queen captured them of course. Where else would they be?" Abby shrugged.
"So this was your fear all along?" Gaia finally stepped forward. "Please don't worry about that. If Queen Nia did stage a coup against Heda, she would have declared the holy conclave already by now. She obviously can't do this yet, because she does not have the flame in her possession - the spirit of the Commander. So rest assured - Nia can't have them captive." Gaia smiles in relief. She proceeds to explain what the flame is, what it does and why it's absolutely necessary for ascension. Abby comes to the same conclusion as Clarke previously. It has to be a mind drive and she would need to speak with Raven about this sometime in the near future.
Octavia gets up and starts to think… "Which raises the question… If they aren't in Arcadia - and Nia doesn't have them either… Where the hell are they?"