Eᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ: Wᴀɴʜᴇᴅᴀ: Pᴀʀᴛ Oɴᴇ
Smuggling my daggers into camp to avoid handing them in to our armoury, I packed away my clothing in a trunk in Octavia's room and stared at my reflection. It was strange, but it didn't feel like I had turned my back on the other side of me, but rather that I had merged the two as I promised to utilise what I had learned to assist my family. A knock at the door startled me and I whipped around to find Bellamy hovering awkwardly in the doorway.
"Heard that I might find you hiding out here. Didn't expect to see you back in camp so soon." He remarked as he smiled slyly and as I opened my mouth to answer, he shuffled into the room. "Look. I owe you an apology. I was out of line the last time that we spoke. I'm under a lot of pressure right now and I've put you in a similar position, which just makes it even worse that you're the person I took it out on. I always want what's best for you and sometimes that means disagreeing with you, but I don't ever want to hurt you, not even by accident. I'm sorry, Inds. You didn't deserve any of that." He rambled, his face a sorry picture of remorse as he bared himself to me and I waited for him to allow me the chance to speak.
"I'm sorry too. I was defensive and unwilling to listen. I didn't stop to think about how all of this was affecting you, because you seemed so normal and you kept saying that you were okay, so I just stopped asking. I knew you were being weird the last time that I visited and it just wound me into a state. I should've listened to your opinion, instead of just yelling at you." I explained, and his shoulders immediately dropped their tension as he realised that I wouldn't be holding a grudge. "Are we good?" I asked him nervously, allowing him the opportunity to admit if there was more to his outburst than he had told me, but he simply smiled as he stepped closer to me, placing his hands on my shoulders gently.
"We're good. You were right. I was being weird. I was feeling overwhelmed and missing you was stressing me out. I wish I'd just talked to you about it, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you how I was feeling until it spilled out of my control. I'm just not used to having someone to depend on." He divulged, his hands warming my skin and I smiled at him in understanding. "I promise that I'll do better, okay?" He offered with a sincerity that made my heart ache and I felt certain in this moment that I had made the right decision by coming home.
"Well, it should be easier for you to keep your stress levels down now that you won't be missing me so much." I responded cryptically and his handsome features contorted into a confused expression that made me chuckle lightly. "I'm gonna stay in Arkadia. No more running away. Arlo has more investigation to do in Azgeda and I know where I want to be. You were right. This is my home." I revealed and a relieved smile lit his face up with such genuine joy that it made my stomach flip.
"Really? You're gonna stay? That's great!" He breathed, before he seemed to suddenly doubt himself and anxiety crept into his demeanour. "This isn't just because of what I said, is it? If you feel like you should be out there. I don't want to hold you back." He fretted worriedly and I smiled with appreciation.
"Bellamy, I swear. I'm here because I want to be. It came to time to choose a path and I realised that I already knew the answer." I explained, causing him to regard me with fondness and sigh contentedly, lapping up every detail of my presence as if there were nothing else he could want. "I just want to make sure that you know you can talk to me about anything. Something you said before worried me, about living with your choices-"
"Love. I promise you, I'm fine. I was just lashing out because I was sick of everyone constantly bringing up Mount Weather. I'm just happy that you're here. That's all I need." He cut me off mid flow with a very convincing assertion and the relaxed tone of his voice almost removed any fears that I carried, leaving only a trace of suspicion that I would continue to watch out for. "Now, if you don't have any plans for the next couple of hours, I'd like to show you just how sorry I am." He drawled, as his fingers deftly brushed the hair from my face, before cupping my cheeks and he closed into my space to place the first of many intoxicating kisses on my lips.
❖ ── ✦ ──『✙』── ✦ ── ❖
Watching Lincoln and Bellamy spar was a strange experience, though as I glance around the room at the rest of our audience, I found that several of the female members appeared to be enjoying it for entirely different reasons. I couldn't understand the necessity for them to be shirtless, but I was not about to argue with matters of testosterone and I had no objections to the sight of Bellamy's toned chest glistening from the exertion. I bit my lip unintentionally and had to quickly remind myself that we were not currently alone, as a rose blush filled my cheeks.
Since I'd been home, Bellamy had been far more open to the idea of adopting some aspects of grounder life, including learning some simple parts of Trig from me. He was doing surprisingly well in the fight and it was clear that he'd taken my suggestion to allow Lincoln to assist with training seriously. He was able to stand his ground for substantially longer than before, even shocking me with a powerful flying punch, but it wasn't long before he got overconfident and Lincoln threw him over his shoulder in a manner that only he would have the strength to do. Bellamy slammed to the ground with a groan, panting as his opponent hovered over him with his fist raised threateningly, before he stepped away in victory. He approached the waiting group to address them with authority.
"He had me, but he was too aggressive." He analysed as he marched back and forth in front of the students and Bellamy struggled to his feet behind him.
"Whatever you say." He remarked with a smirk and slid on his shirt, much to the disappointment of both myself and every other woman in the room.
"Quitting so soon?" Lincoln teased as he glanced over his shoulder at him and I was pleased to witness how comfortable he'd become amongst the residents of Arkadia. He'd settled into the role of training recruits quickly and I knew that many of them were inspired by his resilience. Personally, I enjoyed watching as he discovered his own sense of humour, but worried that his integration with us could backfire at any moment. Though my confidence in our leadership grew by the day, I continued to remain aware of our history and kept a careful watch for any signs of betrayal.
"Mapping run. Sector 7." Bellamy answered absentmindedly as he finished getting dressed and I sighed with exhaustion.
Though I'd been aware that this was the plan for today, it had been easy to forget whilst occupied by the recruits and I would have preferred to remain in camp. It felt as if guard commitments were the only activity that filled my days now and I missed simply hiding out in our quarters. I didn't regret joining the guard. It gave me the opportunity to keep an eye on Bellamy during patrols and it had been a rather well thought out plan on his part. However, part of me longed for the lazy mornings where we could be undisturbed, instead of waking to mission briefs in bed.
"Harper. Let's get this over with." Bellamy called over to her and the blonde in question picked up a large holdall, throwing it to Lincoln with a smile. "Council wants you to have that." Bellamy explained as Lincoln began to open the bag and my stomach lurched as he pulled out a guard jacket.
"I'm Trikru." Lincoln stated, his eyes growing wide at the gift and he glanced up at Bellamy doubtfully. Internally, I wished that Bellamy had discussed this with me before he decided to act on the request, as I knew from my experience of integrating with the grounders that this was a much more significant situation than he realised and I fidgeted nervously on the spot.
"A uniform doesn't change that. This is our home now, Lincoln. We fought for it." Bellamy appealed, fixing him with an encouraging smile, whilst Lincoln simply furrowed his brows, an evident confliction in his face.
I cleared my throat to gain Bellamy's attention and the moment that he peered over at me in the crowd, I shook my head just subtly enough to hint at him to drop the topic. He was immediately defensive of my silent criticism and turned to address the crowd instead.
"Too many of our friends died for it. On the Ark, the uniform meant something different. Down here, it means what we make it mean. Together." He stated, attempting to inspire the recruits to great success and although I understood his perspective, I was uncomfortable with the councils intentions for such a gift. "My sister will understand that eventually." Bellamy dropped his voice to a mutter as he leaned in close to Lincoln, but I managed to overhear him as I approached. I caught Lincoln's eye as he reflected on Bellamy's words and when he instructed the waiting audience, there was an evident tension in his voice.
"Pair up and fight. Now." His statement was more commanding than usual and people rushed into their places with a greater urgency.
"You don't have to wear it if it makes you uncomfortable, Linkon." I offered calmly in Trig and he crooked a brow at me in interest. "She won't appreciate seeing you in the uniform of the people who arrested her. No matter what he wants it to represent now. I'll talk to him about it later." I confirmed and Lincoln sighed in a gesture of stress, before striding over to Bellamy for a hushed conversation. I rolled my eyes at them and said a hurried goodbye to Harper and Monroe as I left to prepare for the outing.
I arrived into the hangar just in time for the Rovers return from the latest supply run to Mount Weather and began the check procedure that I'd harassed Raven into teaching me. It was near impossible to convince her to allow me to assist her with anything, despite my concerns about her exhaustion and so any tasks that I could take off her list were a blessing.
I'd made a habit of ensuring that I allowed time to get started on Rover maintenance significantly earlier than anyone usually planned to meet for any missions, so that when Raven arrived there was little point in her taking over. The supply group wasted no time in unloading and I worked around them in a well practiced routine.
"Oh, you're already here!" A bright voice cheered and I turned to find Gina smiling at me, freshly returned from her task. I suspected that she'd mostly joined the guard to keep an eye on Raven and as I found myself in a similar position with Bellamy, I couldn't blame her for doing so. "I was going to find you when we'd wrapped up here, but this saves time. You're about to fall in love with me." She crooned as she leaned back into the Rover to root around and I snorted in laughter at her playful comment.
"Is that so?" I remarked with a smile and Gina huffed in annoyance, before crawling fully inside the vehicle. "I think Bellamy would have a thing or two to say about that, you know." I added with amusement and instead of a reply, several things clattered about as she knocked items over. Several of her crew mates seemed visibly annoyed by her antics, as they struggled to unload the supplies around her chaotic behaviour.
"I know it's in here somewhere." Her muffled voice sounded from between the clutter and I chuckled lightly under my breath. She cheered loudly in celebration and her head emerged from the door with a victorious smile. "So! Your brief was pretty vague on what to keep an eye out for, but I'm happy to report that I have absolutely delivered. Here is your Greek shit." She teased, before presenting me with an immaculately cared for copy of The Iliad. I gasped in response, my eyes growing wide in surprise and she beamed with pride.
"Holy shit. Jackpot!" I exclaimed as I took the book in both hands, flicking through the pages in disbelief. "Gina, I don't even know if I can thank you enough for this. You couldn't have picked anything more perfect. Although, I didn't just ask for Greek shit. I said that or anything mythology based. It's not my fault if that's all you focused on." I defended and she crossed her arms at me, crooking a brow in a sassy manner.
"Right. So very cultured of you." She drawled and I shook my head at her.
"Seriously though. You exceed all expectations. Thank you!" I enthused, staring down at the book with a deep appreciation and she beamed in response to the praise. "What can I do to pay you back?" I asked in a genuine voice and she shrugged as if she hadn't done anything special.
"There's no need, Indie. It was a simple enough task and I can tell that it was important to you. What are friends for, right?" She responded cheerily and my brows knitted together as I viewed her with a feeling of dissatisfaction. "Okay. If you want to return the favour, you can keep a close eye on Raven for me on today's run. Kane won't let me go straight back out and she's been seriously overdoing it lately. I'd feel much better knowing that someone else had her back." She suggested and I smiled thoughtfully, glad to find that she still had Raven's best interests at heart despite their bond remaining in the friendship stage.
"I'd do that for free, but sure. You've got a deal." I confirmed, before returning to finishing up the work on the Rover.
Once I'd completed all the checks that I knew how to do, I busied myself with collecting my gear and dressing for patrol. It still felt strange to wear the guard jacket now that it was tied to a role rather than simply a sentimental item, but the fact that it was Bellamy's helped to alleviate the awkwardness. This helped me to sympathise with Lincoln's predicament and I made a mental note to deal with the situation when we returned from our task.
I navigated back to the hangar to find that most of our team was now present and chatting idly as they got ready together. Bellamy and Monty marched down the ramp with someone draped over their shoulders and I sighed as understanding dawned over me. I stepped out of the way to allow them to pass and Bellamy separated himself to approach me instead.
"Hey. I checked in with Kane and mentioned that you were worried. He's cleared us to take guns this time, so if we're unlucky enough to come across Azgeda, we'll be ready." He replaced as he placed a comforting hand on my arm and I nodded slowly. A loud groan drew my attention and I glanced over to Monty, who was struggling to get Jasper into a manageable position.
"Jasper's wrecked again, I see?" I commented bitterly and Bellamy simply shrugged, unwilling to discuss the issue whilst we were surrounded by people. I sighed in disappointment and decided to attempt to cheer him up. "Well, I was going to save this for later, but you look like you could use a pick me up now." I explained as I pulled the book from inside my jacket and handed it to him.
"What's this?" He asked as he took it from me and turned it over to view the cover with a stunned expression.
"It's a peace offering." I admitted, sliding my hands into my jacket pockets awkwardly and Bellamy glanced back up at me with a fond smile. I'd hoped to show that I was invested in getting us back on track following the recent tension and the appreciation in his eyes indicated that this gesture had accomplished this. He seemed perplexed by this gift and I suspected that he was not used to being doted upon. I resolved to change this in the future. "I didn't think I'd be able to get the exact book that your mother read to you, but I knew that I wanted to get something you could de-stress with." I elaborated in a small voice, staring at my feet to avoid his eyes and found myself feeling uncharacteristically insecure. Bellamy stowed the book away and stepped forward to cut my face in his hands, forcing me to view him.
"Thank you, Love. This is perfect." He confirmed, studying my face with a sense of wonder and I sighed with relief. "I'll make you a deal. I'll relax tonight if you join me. I'll even read you to sleep." He offered and I giggled at the idea of him reading to me.
"Deal." I whispered and he leaned in to kiss my forehead gently, causing butterflies to flutter in my stomach. "Let's get this run over with." I groaned, as I reluctantly pulled away from him.
I turned to find Raven examining my work on the Rover, checking that it met her standards and rolled my eyes at the realisation that she still felt the need to do this. People scurried around me as we prepared to move out and I busied myself with packing the necessary supplies into the back. Miller arrived late with a lack of enthusiasm for duty, a frequent pattern of his recently, and I overheard him and Bellamy discussing the use of guns as I placed the last item into the vehicle.
I moved round to the side of the Rover to find Jasper leaning against the doors in an intoxicated slouch and rolled my eyes at the completely helpless state of him. It was already becoming tiring to find him in a noncoherent condition and I couldn't fathom how Monty was dealing with it on a daily basis. Right on cue, Monty appeared to throw a bucket of water over him aggressively and I was momentarily proud that he had started to absorb my assertions that he was too gentle in the way that he dealt with Jasper.
"Sorry. Was that too cold?" Monty drawled as he viewed him with displeasure and Jasper glowered furiously in response. The others shifted awkwardly in the tension as they stared at each other, before Jasper grabbed Monty and threw him against the Rover with a furious yell. He gripped him by his shirt, holding him in a threatening manner whilst Monty stared back at him with a deeply hurt expression, his eyes wide in shock. The pain in Monty's eyes spurred me into action and rushed forward to snatch Jasper's hands out of place.
"Back off." I growled, my teeth bared in anger as I stood beside them and protectively leaned around Monty, shielding him from any further attacks. Instead of reacting to my fiery attitude, Jasper simply turned slowly away from me with a far off gaze as if he'd completely forgotten what he was doing. Remaining close to Monty to ensure that he wasn't awaiting a chance to ambush, I watched Bellamy intercept him with an unimpressed expression.
"No gun for you. Not until you're sober." He ordered, staring him down with a commanding intensity and I could recognise that his behaviour was beginning to tax on Bellamy too.
"Don't want one." Jasper slurred, barely managing to keep himself upright from his intoxication and he swung his arm up for a dramatic solute, slapping Bellamy across the face with the tail end of the gesture before he stumbled away. Bellamy paused for a moment, holding his head down in the position that he'd received the hit in and it was clear that he was struggling to maintain his composure. When he finally looked back up, I was amazed at how calm he had managed to appear and everyone waited for his instruction in the heavy silence.
"Let's do this." He announced, spurring the group into life as they all split to take their places in the vehicle and I shuffled over to him with uncertainty filling my movements.
"I don't think we should take him with us this time." I admitted quietly, glancing through the window with a heavy feeling of dread in my chest and Bellamy sighed with reluctance. "He's a major risk. We can't afford that when we're getting so close to Azgeda." I added, unwilling to divulge that I also felt there should be a consequence for his unreliability. We'd tried almost every other approach to dealing with Jasper's lasting breakdown and I was running out of ideas.
"Monty begged me to take him." Bellamy mumbled and I glanced up at him with a pang of guilt. "If he hadn't, I'd have dragged his ass out of the Rover by now." He confirmed and I nodded solemnly in understanding. "We'll keep an eye on him together. Come on." He offered, smiling encouragingly at me before he moved toward the back door, but I reached out to halt him.
"Wait." I blurted, gripping his arm tightly and he studied me with concern. I stared up at him with an overwhelming sense of foreboding and couldn't keep myself from taking his face into my hands. "No risks out there. We all come back safe." I asserted, caressing his jawline with my hands trembling and he met my eyes with confusion. After a few beats, he nodded slowly in agreement and I pulled him in for a quick kiss in the hope that it would provide me with the strength that I need to face today. We walked to the back door hand in hand and sat next to each other on the bench.
"You two are so cute. Makes me sick." Raven commented from the driver's seat and I caught a sly smile in the rear view mirror. It was obvious that she had been watching us from her seat in the wing mirrors as we shared our moment and I had to chuckle at her deeply ingrained nosiness.
"Couple of murderers. Super adorable. No wonder you get on so well with Monty." Jasper spat from the passenger seat and as Monty surged forward to grab him, Bellamy quickly reached out to stop him.
"Can it, Jasper." I groaned, frustration clear in my voice and he glanced over his shoulder with an antagonising expression.
"What, Indigo? You don't want to get into the shocking amount of people that you've killed?" He drawled as he stared at me with unfocused eyes and I clenched my jaw in annoyance.
"Enough!" Bellamy growled with an aggression that he quickly had to reign in as the others flinched in surprise. "Raven. Take us out." He added, peeking over at me to calm himself and I smiled back in encouragement.
Raven began the sequence of preparing the Rover to drive and a variety of sounds announced it's surge into life. I surveyed the apprehensive faces that surrounded me with a sigh and felt regretful that there was such a heavy atmosphere between us all recently. The days of laughter and relief seemed years away and I couldn't help a melancholy feeling as I wished for those simpler times to return. The hangar doors creaked open and barely seconds later Octavia galloped into view, blocking our exit with her horse.
"Guess we found her." Miller remarked with amusement and I noticed a fond smile spread across Bellamy's lips at the sight of her. Although she still insisted on travelling by horse, I was glad that she would be joining us and knew that I would need as much backup as possible if we were to encounter Azgeda.
"Try and keep up!" She called tauntingly and Raven's expression grew devious at the challenge. I knew that Octavia would be disappointed that I hadn't joined her on horseback, but I felt that it was important to be able to keep an eye on Jasper and to support Bellamy in dealing with him.
The vehicle lurched forward as Raven sped outside and not for the first time I questioned whether allowing her to drive was a wise idea. Though I was glad that the adjustments made to the Rover allowed her the morale boost of being behind the wheel, I didn't feel particularly safe with the erratic way that she navigated the dirt roads alongside Octavia. Jasper began to sing along to the iPod that he had plugged himself into in the front seat and Monty promptly leaned forward to remove his earphones.
"No way." He commented, as he tilted his head to view him and Jasper rolled his eyes in annoyance. "If you're gonna ride shotgun, you can't just disappear." He argued, before leaning back into his seat and fixing us with a tired face. I smiled at him sympathetically, offering my silent support and instead of gracefully accepting Monty's expression, Jasper plugged the music into the Rover speakers. Monty shot an arm out to grab the device in annoyance, but Bellamy quickly caught him in motion.
"Hey. It's okay." He offered in a calm voice that seemed to relax Monty's frazzled nerves too, before glancing over at Jasper sharply. "It's a long ride." He muttered and I could tell that he was already dreading how we would cope with him throughout this outing as much as I was.
Monty relaxed back into his seat and the tense silence fell upon us all again. The melody that Jasper had chosen began to ramp up and filled with space with heavy beats that I wasn't particularly disapproving of. It was a song that I'd listened to years ago with my father, who'd introduced me to all varieties of punk as he considered it the spirit of rebellion and Miller was the first to cave to the effect of it, drumming in thin air enthusiastically. Monty pinched his brows as the responsibility of managing Jasper weighed down on him and the troubled drunk in question began singing from his seat. Bellamy watched him with a deep disbelief, causing me to chuckle under my breath before he addressed a particularly flirtatious lyric at Raven and I raised a brow in surprise.
"But I look at your pants and I need a kiss."
Somehow, this seemed to encourage out the playful side of her that had been mostly absent recently and Raven joined him in singing, with Miller closely behind her, now drumming along to the beat with vigour. The tension around us rapidly disintegrated, feeling strangely nostalgic as Monty reluctantly sang along and I couldn't prevent a smile from taking over my expression.
"But something wont let me make love to you." I crooned as I finally caved and turned to Bellamy with a cheeky wink, at the exact same moment that Miller leaned on Monty's shoulder, shaking his arm playfully. Bellamy shook his head as he chuckled at the strange scene unfolding around him. The more than I sang at him, the more he seemed as if he wanted to disappear into the side of the Rover to escape.
"Play with me!" I yelled over the song, disappointed that he was the last person still remaining well behaved and he snorted with laughter, before leaning close to me.
"I'll play with you later." He whispered in a deep voice as his hot breath tickled my ear and I pushed him away with a gasp.
Before he could say anything else inappropriate, Jasper turned to face us and climbed out of his seat into the back of the Rover. He was still shouting the lyrics to the song and leaned in close to Bellamy in an effort to break his composure. Instead, Bellamy simply turned his face away, as if hoping that if he just didn't acknowledge him, he might go away.
In a way, his wish was granted as Jasper stuck his head out of the hatch in the roof and we could hear his wild screams of celebration even over the blaring of the stereo. Bellamy and I shook our heads at each other with amused smiles and I couldn't help feeling immensely grateful for this moment. Everyone around me was smiling and enjoying themselves in a way that I hadn't seen in a long while, even Jasper and I treasured every second of it. The party atmosphere was quickly interrupted as something beeped aggressively from the front and Raven shut the music off to focus on a small screen that was loosely attached to the dashboard.
"Tracking beacon from the Ark!" Monty announced as he rushed into the passenger seat and the vehicle skidded to a stop.
"Hey. That was the best part." Jasper sulked as he slid back into a seat from his windswept adventure and I rolled my eyes at his ruined priorities.
"Who is that?" Bellamy quizzed as he shifted closer to the front seats and I did the same, glancing between Raven and Monty with interest.
"Farm station." Monty confirmed and my stomach immediately flipped as I remembered that this was where both Jasper and Monty were from. I couldn't help feeling hopeful for them already and couldn't imagine how they must be feeling. Immediately, it occurred to me how stabilising it could be for Jasper if we could recover his parents and prayed with every ounce of my spirit for Earth to give us just one bit of good luck.
"After four months...how?" Miller piped up in a small, uncertain voice and I shared his confusion.
"We'll find out. Where are they?" Bellamy immediately enquired and before I could question whether searching for them without backup was wise, the back door of the Rover swung open to reveal Octavia.
"Don't tell me I missed the party." She drawled, her face filled with disdain and I felt immediately uncomfortable under her judgement.
"Mostly the drunk being a pain, honestly." I groaned, which was the truth, even if I had thoroughly enjoyed our few minutes of carefree fun.
"Nothing new there." She replied with a wry smile and I relaxed at the sight of it.
"Sector 8." Monty confirmed as he turned to face us with wide, nervous eyes and I gulped immediately.
"That's Ice Nation." Miller commented bitterly and as our eyes met, I could tell that he was one of the few people who had actually listened to my warnings about how dangerous they were.
"What about it?" Octavia questioned, staring directly at Monty with a guarded demeanour and I was glad that she was here to support me with this risky situation.
"Protocol says to go home. Let the Chancellor decide what to do next." Raven stated in a remarkably out of character, reasonable answer and I glanced over at her with a brow raised in suspicion.
"Screw protocol." Bellamy declared and I whipped my attention to him with dread pooling in my chest.
"Bellamy, this is Ice Nation we're talking about. Crossing into their territory, especially without backup, is a bad idea." I argued, glancing at him with terror filling my features and he viewed me with a mixture of annoyance and understanding.
"I know your views on them, Inds. But the Chancellor's not from Farm Station. Monty and Jasper are. So is Miller's boyfriend" He explained and I cringed at this revelation, realising that we had more people who would be determined to follow this in the Rover than I had first thought. "It's your call." He added as he glanced between them with bated breath.
"Let's do this." Monty was the first to answer and though I was fearful, I could completely understand his need to find his family. Both Bellamy and I turned toward Miller, silently asking for an answer and I knew that his vote would decide our course of action.
"You have to ask?" He replied confidently and I peeked at Jasper, who was staring at the floor, appearing to seem as invisible as possible. I sighed in disappointment and found myself missing the times when I could depend on him to back me up. Raven smiled from the front seat and Bellamy turned to Octavia with a determined expression.
"Try to keep up." He drawled tauntingly and she tilted her head at him with attitude, before returning her attention to me.
"This will go badly." She muttered in Trig and I nodded slowly in response.
"Agreed. Be ready for anything." I acknowledged, before she slammed the doors closed to return to her horse. Now that events had turned, I found myself wishing that I had bought my horse after all and hoped that we would still be able to maintain control of the situation.
The Rover took off at a hurried speed and I clung to the seat for stability. Bellamy noticed my nervous behaviour and placed a hand on my thigh to comfort me, but it failed to take effect. My gut feeling was that this decision was a mistake and I remembered Arlo's clear warnings about the dangers of ever entering Azgeda territory. Practically everyone that I loved was cramped into the vehicle that was now hurtling toward the border and I tried not to panic as I considered all of the ways that this could go wrong.
When we finally slowed to a stop, I stepped out to find that Octavia had already tied her horse out of sight and now remained close to my side as we both expected trouble at any moment.
"These woods must be the border." Bellamy announced, appearing at my other side protectively and I kept my eyes focused ahead.
"They are." I confirmed in a stern voice as I recalled the fear inducing lesson that Arlo had given me about identifying the lands and knowing sectors that I should never risk entering. Azgeda was always at the top of that list and every step I took toward it felt like a betrayal.
"So, where's all the ice?" Jasper slurred, wandering around carelessly behind us as if he had no concept of the danger that we were in and I noticed that he was still not even carrying a weapon.
"Much further north. Azgeda stretches for a thousand miles." Octavia piped up to educate them, before fixing me with a significant look. We both knew the risks that we were taking by doing this and I could tell that we shared the hope that we wouldn't have to venture far into their lands. The further that we went, the lower our chances were of ever surviving.
"Good thing we only have to go two hundred metres." Monty announced in a frantic voice, rushing up to us with his focus blindly set on the screen from the dash of the car and Bellamy had to throw his arm out to keep him pushing past us in his enthusiasm.
"Slow down. He instructed, his deep voice pulling Monty back into the present as he dropped back to address him. "Remember, rules of engagement are non lethal force." He confirmed as Octavia and I continued ahead, forming the first barrier of defence which seemed most suitable considering our further knowledge of the culture we were dealing with. "Tight formation on my command." He added, subtly ordering us to stay near him and we paused to both turn back to face him with an unimpressed expression in perfect sync, before Raven appeared at his side. "Raven, you stay in the Rover." He commanded, glancing at her with frustration and she rolled her eyes at him with the same attitude as Octavia and I.
"Yeah, right." She ground and I couldn't help a slight smirk at our shared refusal to be treated like delicate women, despite my own nervousness around Raven's safety.
"We need every gun we've got." Octavia asserted, fixing Bellamy with an insistent glare before she turned back to me. "If this goes bad, you and I will cut them down whilst the others cover us with guns. We need to be in and out before any reinforcements arrive." She instructed and I nodded in agreement.
"If reinforcements come, we're all dead." I confirmed nervously and she placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"Daun ste pleni." ⸢That is enough⸥ Bellamy ordered as Octavia's eyes widened at his use of Trig. I smiled proudly at him, although I knew that he wouldn't have understood our conversation and was merely trying to return our attention to the task at hand.
"They're coming." Monty announced urgently and we all tensed at his words as he stared at the screen. "120 meters. 110." He took an excited step forward, before Bellamy pushed him back and raised his gun protectively. "They're our people. What are you doing?" Monty hissed with aggravation and Bellamy glanced back at him with his brows furrowed.
"We hope they're our people." He argued and Octavia and I wasted in no time in unsheathing our blades. "On my command." Bellamy stated, setting the others into action as Raven and Miller took positions in the trees either side of us and Monty attached the screen to his hop so that he could hold up his gun instead.
The sounds of horses neighing carried in the distance, causing my stomach to flip with nerves and barely a few moments later, the riders came into view. I could recognise their armour even from a distance and as they neared, their bright white faces inspired a deep feeling of terror in my stomach.
"Ice nation?" Bellamy asked with wide eyes, as if finally realising the risks that we were taking in being here and I gulped in answer.
"Yes. White war paint." Octavia revealed quietly and I watched them closing in on us with my heart hammering in my ears.
"We're fucked." I hissed as Octavia met my eyes and we both frantically attempted to form a plan. "Let's be respectful. We may be able to talk our way out of this." I whispered urgently and she gave a subtle nod in agreement. She quickly returned her blade to it's sheath and I stowed my dagger away too.
"Stay calm." Octavia instructed the others, before she held her hands up in surrender and I followed suit, ensuring that I remained close to her side as she took a few cautious steps forward.
"Who are you?" The closest rider called out aggressively, their Trig sharper than I was used to and I peeked at Octavia to check which one of us would answer. She lowered her arms now that we had indicated our peaceful intent and I was glad to be able to keep my hands closer to the handle of my dagger, ready to grab it at any moment that things took a turn for the worse.
"Skaikru. Looking for our people." Octavia replied assertively, ensuring that she was clear that although we were willing to cooperate, we had no intention of being trodden over.
"Looking for Wanheda." The other ride announced, and Octavia and I glanced at each other in confusion. I continued to appeal to them whilst Octavia translated for the others.
"We are no threat. We only ask for permission to enter your lands to recover those we lost in our arrival. We will leave as soon as we have completed our task." I explained in an even tone and the riders seemed surprised by my ability to speak in their dialect. Octavia at least appeared somewhat as one of them, with her hair still neatly plaited back, but since changing back into my original clothes I was unable to command the same respect amongst grounders as before and I began to wish that I'd stayed in the clothing that Arlo had given me.
"Who's Wanheda?" I heard Bellamy ask as the lead rides began to dismount his horse and noticed Octavia staring intensely at me from my side.
"I don't know." She grumbled in frustration and I took a moment to meet her eyes. "Any ideas, Indie?" She investigated and I shook my head regretfully. I had no recollection or Arlo ever mentioning this name or title, and it seemed that Indra hadn't educated her on it either. The lead rider crept closer to us and I gulped as I tried to think of a way to get us out of this mess.
"The light. That's the beacon." Monty muttered from behind and my gaze fell onto the flashing item on the riders belt. There was no way we could easily take this and I failed to imagine anything that we could trade for this item that he wore as a trophy. I realised with a crushing clarity that this did not bode well for the chances of those from Farm Station.
"Hey! Get back here!" Bellamy's sharp voice startled me and before I could even turn back to investigate what was happening, the riders raised their bows threateningly. I held my hands up in an effort to calm the situation and just missed the opportunity to catch Jasper as he stumbled past. Everyone called out individually to him in protest and Octavia barely managed to grasp the back of his bulletproof vest, but was unable to stop him from advancing forward.
"It's okay. I got this." He slurred as he stumbled toward the ice nation warriors and my heart leapt into my throat as it took all my self control to remain on the spot.
"Tell them we observe the Commander's truce. Do it now." Bellamy ordered with panic flooding his voice and Octavia obediently repeated the message. The men relaxed their bows slightly at these words, but as Jasper continued to approach their leader, he stared down at him with a furious scowl. As if completely unphased by the chaos around him, Jasper snatched the beacon from his belt.
"This belongs to us." He announced, closing in on the leaders face and then promptly turned on the spot to return to us. He barely managed a single step before he was grabbed by his vest and held with a knife to his throat.
"Where's Wanheda?" The leader growled, his blade already pressing into Jasper's throat and I could barely catch my breath through the terror that pulsed through my body. Octavia held her hands out in an effort to calm things, but our group had already raised their guns and the bows of the enemy were pointing at us again.
"Breik em au!" ⸢Let him go⸥ Bellamy yelled, holding his gun tightly and I was relieved that I had managed to teach him some limited Trig now, as the more of us that addressed them appropriately, the more we seemed like allies.
"We don't know who that is!" Octavia argued, even her voice raising in stress and I felt my heartbeat pounding as I stared as Jasper. "Please. We can help each other." She offered in an attempt to de-escalate, but with Jasper in such a vulnerable position, I lost my patience with peaceful bargaining.
"This boy is an idiot, as you've seen, but very important. He is the Chancellor's son. We had an agreed ceasefire with your Heda. If you kill him, you will be breaking that and our leader will bring wrath down upon you, with the entire coalition in support. Make the right choice." I yelled in an aggressive manner, lying through my teeth in the hope that I could use my knowledge of their politics to intimidate them. For a moment, it seemed as if they would release him, until a smug smile spread across Jasper's lips and a wave of nausea crashed over me. The leader of the riders quickly noticed this and I felt a ripple of concern spread through our group, as they all reacted in various states of shock to his insane behaviour. I could hardly believe what I was seeing and my heart broke into a million pieces as I realised just how bad his mental state had become.
"You think this is funny?" His captor growled in fury and this small act of perceived disrespect pushed him over the edge of reason. He began to cut into Jasper's throat and without a moment of hesitation, I whipped out my knife.
"No!" I screamed as I launched the dagger with all of my might and it cut through the air like a missile, until the blade planted itself deeply into the leader's face. Fortunately, Bellamy was quick to cover me, shooting down the rider whose bow was pointed at my face and the others began firing sporadically in every direction.
"Hold your fire!" Bellamy called, frantically trying to keep anyone from being caught in the crossfire as panicked shots filled the air and Jasper stood frozen to the spot in a daze, as the grounder that had been holding him hostage fell to the dirt behind him.
"Jasper, get down!" Octavia cried, prompting him to drop without question and she spun as she threw her machete straight at the chest of the remaining rider. Before any of us could move a muscle, or take a single breath of relief, the radio crackled loudly from our vehicle.
"Rover one, come in. Repeat. Rover one, come in now."
"What now?" Bellamy groaned as he rushed over to answer it and Octavia and I both rushed over to Jasper.
"I had him." Jasper mumbled in a pathetic attempt to defend his insane actions and I could barely contain my temper as we hauled him to his feet.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Miller called over as he and Raven parted ways to approach different parts of the rover.
"We got the beacon, didn't we?" Jasper wheezed as he clutched at the wound on his neck and I rolled my eyes in frustration at his ridiculous reasoning.
"Yeah. But where did they get it?" Monty argued, his disappointment in this outcome evident in his face and I made a mental reminder to check on him once things had calmed down.
"He needs to get to medical." Octavia instructed as we dragged him over to the Rover and leant him on the side for stability. Miller jogged to meet us with a med kit from inside and Octavia held our patient in place whilst I got to work bandaging him as best I could.
"I swear to god, Jasper. If I wasn't so glad that you didn't just die, I'd kill you myself." I scolded as I wrapped bandages as tightly around his neck as I could without choking him, despite feeling as if I easily could at this moment. My hands shook from a mixture of terror and fury as I worked and I struggled not to be distracted by Bellamy shouting into the radio about whatever event had gone wrong now.
"Take him home!" I almost jumped out of my skin as Bellamy stormed around the front of the Rover and bellowed toward Jasper with a temper that I'd never before seen from him.
"I'm fine. Thank you for asking." Jasper groaned as he leaned over to face him and I slapped his cheek gently to stop him from fidgeting whilst I was attempting to stop the bleeding, but also to burn off some of my frustration with him. I couldn't believe he had the audacity to continue making snide comments after the destruction that he had just caused and didn't have the mental capacity to pull Bellamy off him on top of everything else that I was dealing with.
"Miller! Get one of the horses for Indie!" Bellamy barked and Miller rushed off to complete his task, clearly not wanting to worsen Bellamy's already aggressive attitude. "Octavia! Raven can't ride, so you'll need to take her on the back. Inds, can you take that idiot with you? You're our best first aider." He enquired, softening his voice as he addressed me and I nodded at him nervously.
"He's losing a lot of blood. It'll be a challenge to keep the pressure up and ride, but it's that or he bleeds to death here, so….you can bet your ass I'll get him to Abby." I answered firmly as Miller returned with a horse and Octavia began helping me to push Jasper's already weakening form up into place.
"Miller. Monty. You're with me." Bellamy ordered and the boys wasted no time in returning to the Rover. He took a step to follow them, but I caught his arm to pull him back.
"Bel. Keep your head, no reckless decisions. I can't take any more injuries today." I asserted as I clung to his arm and he flashed me a tender smile that immediately calmed me.
"You just worry about getting home safe and I'll do the same." He muttered under his breath and placed a rushed kiss on my cheek, before tearing himself out of my grip to stomp to the Rover.
I hopped onto the horse with Jasper clinging to me from behind and Octavia tied him to me as a safety precaution that we hoped would not be necessary. He looped an arm around my waist and his chin came to rest on my shoulder, whilst his other hand remained gripping the wound tightly as instructed. Just as we finished preparing for the ride back to Arkadia, I watched the Rover disappear into the distance and mentally made a little prayer for the safe return of those inside.