"We're in this together." — Marcus Kane, "Ye Who Enter Here"
Abby smiled as she found him already undressing when she reached the top of the steps. His boots lay discarded near the stairs, his jacket hanging over the railing. She pulled her jacket off and draped it over his before crossing the room to him. Her hands gripped his hips, turning him to her.
He smirked down at her and said, "I'm napping, Abby. I don't know what you think is going to happen, but—"
"Shut up, Marcus," she snapped as she pressed herself against him. Her hands slipped into his hair, pulling his lips to hers. He was still against her for a moment, trying to hold onto any resolve he had, but he gave in when she let out a disgruntled huff. He smiled against her lips as he cradled her jaw. His tongue slid into her mouth and he pulled her along by her hips as he walked backwards toward the bed.
They hadn't been alone like this since Polis. When Ayvi, a handmaiden of sorts, had shown them to their rooms, Abby was surprised when she first showed Benja to the room he would share with Clarke then led Abby to one just down the hall. She had fully expected to be with the kids and she never expected to have such a grand room for just the two of them.
His knees hit the edge of the bed and he fell clumsily against the mattress. Abby's hand went to her mouth, hiding the smile as he looked up at her like he had meant to do that. She pulled her shirt over her head, flushing when she met the hungry glint in his eyes. He had the affect on her though — he made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, like she was the only thing that mattered.
He sat up and held his hand out to her. She took it and climbed onto the bed with him, straddling his hips. She met him with a hungry kiss, her tongue parting his lips and finding a desperate need inside his mouth. She tugged at his shirt and he helped her pull it over his head. She kissed along his neck as her hand went to the button of his jeans, then the zipper. She was grasping him a moment later, slowly stroking him in her hand.
"Are you trying to fuck away our problems?" Kane asked, his nails digging into her hips.
Her lips stilled on his neck and she pulled away, looking at him. She shook her head. "I told you before, you can't fuck anything away. I just want to forget for a little while."
He nodded slowly, eyes searching her face for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed her hard. He reached down and shoved his pants and underwear down his legs. He unbuttoned her pants and tossed them on the floor a moment later. Once her bra was gone, he looked at her; Abby smiled at him, letting him take his time, reacquainting himself with her body. His hands slid along her skin, pulling her to him as he leaned back. She slid onto him, stifling a moan in his shoulder.
Neither one of them lasted very long — it had been nearly two weeks since they last properly had sex, not since that early morning in Polis before Pike's execution. It felt like a lifetime ago, so much had changed already. It was hard to find time for each other when they were busy planning a war.
Marcus clutched desperately at Abby's back as she rode him. Her arms were wrapped around him, her hands buried in his hair, holding his head to her chest as she cried out. He bit the skin there, trying to silence his own moans, but it was useless.
Sweaty and sated, Abby rolled off of him. She didn't stray far and he wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder and absently ran her fingers over his chest. He pressed a light kiss to her forehead before whispering, "Now can I nap?"
Abby rolled her eyes and curled herself around him. Her eyes drifted shut as she whispered, "I guess you've earned it."
His eyes opened at the sound of a knock. Abby groaned in his arms, rolling away from him and burying her face in the pillow. He knew she wasn't answering the door. He slid out of bed and quickly dressed. He ran a hand through his messy hair as he walked down the stairs.
A young man with scarring on his face stood patiently on the other side of the door. Kane asked, "Can I help you?"
The warrior said, "My name is Flint, I'm to escort you to the King, Chancellor."
Kane nodded and said, "Could you give me a second?"
The man nodded and Kane left the door open as he walked toward the stairs. Abby still lay face-down in the pillow, the blanket around her hips. He leaned down and kissed the exposed flesh of her back. She turned and looked up at him sleepily. She whispered, "Who's down there?"
He shrugged. "Some Ice Nation warrior; I'm to meet with Roan."
She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down, her lips pressed against his for a moment. She whispered in his ear, "Be careful."
Flint took him to a throne room on a lower floor. The Ice Throne was in an alcove, backed against a floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the large Fall. Roan stood near it but didn't sit on it. His eyes were trained on the door and they met Kane's the second he walked in.
"Chansla Kein, Haihefa | Chancellor Kane, my king," Flint said.
Roan nodded and said, "Konge ostof. | Fetch the others."
"What others?" Kane asked, turning in time to see Flint shut the doors behind him. He couldn't help but feel that the shutting of the doors was the signaling of his fate — he was committed to backing Roan and his Ice Nation army, he was committed to this war.
"The leaders I need to speak with," Roan said, folding his arms behind his back.
"And what exactly are we doing?" Kane asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We're to discuss the real reason I need Skaikru in my army," Roan said, his eyes scanning Kane for a reaction. He didn't get one — Kane face was expressionless, well practiced from his days on the Ark and easy to slip back into.
"Don't like your throne?" Kane asked, changing tactics and nodding toward the chair Roan seemed reluctant to sit in.
His eyes narrowed as he studied Kane. He replied, "You can't rule from a seat."
"Yet you hold a meeting in its room," Kane said, walking toward it. He glanced over his shoulder at the king. "Do you not feel like a king?"
"Do you not feel like a chancellor?" Roan challenged. Kane stopped in his tracks and turned toward the man. Roan had a smirk on his face though and said, "It's hard to feel in power when your people are at war with each other, isn't it?"
He nodded. "It is. But unity does come."
"With a price," Roan said solemnly. Kane nodded slowly, looking at the floor in front of Roan's feet.
The door opened a minute later and Flint walked in with Jack Scanlan, Aidan Helm, Bellamy Blake, and two Grounder warriors. Scanlan and Helm looked at Kane, brows furrowed, before glancing at each other. Bellamy walked straight to him and whispered, "I don't like this, sir."
Kane whispered, "We should hear him out."
Bellamy nodded but crossed his arms over his chest and gave the king a hard look, waiting for an explanation. Kane stood at his side, Scanlan and Helm joined them a few seconds later. Roan didn't wait for the doors to be shut by Flint before beginning.
"I never intended for Skaikru to wait here for Ontari's army. I will not have my city devastated by her," Roan said, his voice booming through the small room. Kane glanced at Bellamy, seeing his fists balled under his arms. Roan continued, "I want to split up the Skaikru guard, send you to two of my nearby villages that are in Ontari's path. That is where we will stop her."
"Why couldn't we have just stopped her at home?" Helm asked. "Why travel hundreds of miles?"
"Our villages will likely suffer mass casualties," the female warrior said harshly, glaring at him. "We've accepted it, you Skaikru at too weak to take the amount of death that awaits our people."
Roan held up his hand and the woman quieted. "Elli is right, Arkadia would have been flattened by Ontari's army. This was the only way to save your people, again. I want half of your guard at each village, protecting the gates at all times."
His eyes were on Kane as he spoke, as were the two warriors — Elli's and the man's. All he could do was nod. They had no choice but to help Ice Nation.
"Marcus, you will be in charge of the group at Tonawa with Erie. Scanlan, you will do the same with Elli at Buffalo. You leave in the morning," Roan said in the form of a dismissal, but Kane had so many questions. Elli and Erie left the room without another look at the four men.
Once the door shut behind the two chiefs, Kane asked, "That's all you want us to do? Stand guard?"
"And train anyone who wants to learn on your weaponry," Roan said after a moment's thought.
"I thought Grounders—"
"Never pick up a gun for fear of the Mountain Men wiping out their people, yes." Roan replied stiffly. "The Mountain Men are gone, Kane; Clarke made sure of that. We must arm ourselves if we are to win, my people know that."
"Damn," Nate muttered, eyes widening as the doors of the yellow elevator slid open. It had been a slow, hand-operated ride to the top of Skylon where they were having dinner, but it was worth it.
Benja ran to the windows, his eyes darting everywhere, taking in the city and the Falls. Kane glanced at Abby and found her watching the boy with a fond smile on her face. She looked at him, feeling his gaze, and took his hand. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "He gets that from you."
"I'm not like that," Kane protested with a roll of his eyes as they started toward the stairs.
"Do you remember seeing Polis for the first time?" She nodded at Benja as he ran out of sight to check out another view. "That was you."
The corner of his mouth quirked up as he replied, "If you say so."
She smiled and called over her shoulder, "Come on, Ben."
"But—"
"I'm sure there's a better view from up there, son," Kane said. Benja ran passed them, barreling up the stairs toward the upper levels. Abby shot Kane a glare and asked, "Why do you always get to be the fun one?"
"Because I'm the dad," he said, grinning. She pulled her hand out of his, walking faster up the stairs. He smirked and followed them.
Several large tables were situated across the room in front of the windows that overlooked the large Fall. Dozens of Grounders were in the room, all holding cups and drinking from them lengthily as they conversed. Some of the conversations stopped at the arrival of the Sky People, but most seemed to have accepted that they were helping. Kane recognized Erie from earlier, he nodded at the chief who smiled and grabbed an extra mug.
"Try not to get into trouble," Kane said to the others behind him, looking at each face, his eyes lingering on Murphy and Nate's for a moment longer than anyone else's. He crossed the room to meet Erie halfway.
The chief of Tonawa handed Kane the mug and motioned to Abby and Benja who stood at the far bank of windows. "Yu seingeda? | Your family?"
Kane nodded.
"Seintaim strikon? | Even the little one?" Erie asked, studying him over his mug as he raised it to his lips.
"Nou kom jus | Not by blood," Kane replied, glancing at Benja as he pointed to something in the distance. Abby squinted to see what it was in the evening light, he could tell she couldn't see whatever it was. But she nodded, acting like she saw it.
"Eni yongon oyu? | Any children of your own?"
"Non kom jus. Tona, nami | None by blood. Too many to count, though," Kane said with a small smile as he turned away from Abby and Benja to look at the chief again. "En yu seingeda? | And your family?"
The man smiled and said, "Houmon, tu skat, en won gada. | A wife, two boys, and one girl."
Kane nodded. "Skat ste tofon, nami? | Boys are difficult, yeah?"
"Gada laik mou krei | Girls are more so," Erie said with a small laugh. He took a drink from his mug and Kane followed suit. The alcohol burned his throat and he fought not to choke on the liquid. Erie smirked at the redness creeping up Kane's face and said, "Stronger than you are used to, I'm sure."
"Only a little," Kane said. But in truth, Ark moonshine was water compared to this. Whatever this was burned his throat the whole way down and sat in his stomach like fire.
They sat down a few minutes later and servants brought out the food. Kane sat with Erie and the chief spent the whole meal telling him about Tonawa. His village had over 500 citizens and was recovering from a harsh winter. He apologized in advance for the primitive nature of the village at the moment due to the loss of many of their structures, collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow.
"We grew up in a tin can in space, give us fresh air and we will be fine," Kane replied, as a servant filled up his mug for the third time. His mind felt muddled and he barely registered Erie's light laugh.
The chief smiled as he stood from the table and said, "I will see you bright and early, my new friend."
Kane nodded and watched him walk toward a group of Grounders gathering across the room. Nate, Harper, Octavia, and Lincoln were at the window near them, talking loudly and gaining the attention of some of the warriors. He hoped they would heed his advice and stay out of trouble; Nate had a proclivity for stirring up something though.
He stood from the table and grabbed the mug. He felt Abby's hand on his arm, no doubt telling him to slow down. He glanced at her, but found that she was using him to stand.
She met his eyes and asked, "What is this stuff?"
"I think it is liquid fire," he replied, staring down into the mug in his hand. She took a long pull of hers before nodding.
She leaned against his side and he wrapped his arm instinctively around her as she said, "I think you are right."
"God, you're drunk," he commented, glancing down at her. Her eyes met his chest and slowly raised to meet his eyes, barely a question there but he still answered it. "You said I was right."
"You have your moments," she replied, raising the mug to her lips with her eyes trained on his. He saw the spark of lust ignite within the brown and felt warmth spread throughout his body that had nothing to do with the alcohol.
"Markos, Abi! Mebi osir gyon op? | Marcus, Abby! Can we go up?" Benja asked, running over to them, dragging Clarke along by the hand.
Kane tore his eyes from Abby to look at the boy. He nodded and Benja grinned before tugging Clarke toward the stairs. Abby called her daughter back, pulling herself away from Kane and walking toward her. He watched them talk for a moment before Abby returned to him and Clarke went with Benja who was waiting not-so-patiently by the stairs.
Abby took Marcus' hand and whispered, "She's going to watch him all night. Let's go."
His eyebrow rose as she led him toward the stairs, a smirk pulling at his lips. She rolled her eyes at his look and said, "Shut up."
It only made him grin more and he whispered, "We should steal some of that alcohol."
Her eyes widened for the briefest of moments, considering it. Ultimately, she shook her head and replied, "We're already going to be too hungover in the morning."
"Abby," he pleaded, gripping her by the hips and pressing her suddenly against the wall in the deserted stairwell. He looked down at her hungrily before his lips crashed against hers, his tongue parting them and diving into her mouth. Her hands found his hair almost immediately, relishing in the feeling of it under her fingertips. As his tongue glided over hers, he could feel her resolve breaking, feel her giving in to his idea.
"Hey, Kane!" Bellamy called, his footfalls echoing in the empty stairwell. Kane groaned and pulled away from Abby. "Glad I caught you." Kane glared at him and Bellamy clarified, "Before you left, I mean."
"What is it, son?" Kane asked, trying to sound like the leader he was but he knew he failed miserably.
Bellamy fought a smirk as he replied, "We should discuss who's going to which village. Scanlan and Helm are waiting upstairs."
Kane nodded. "Fine."
Bellamy started back up the stairs, going slow to give him time to catch up. Abby leaned up and kissed his cheek. She whispered, "Don't take too long. Or I might steal a bottle while I wait."
"I'll take my time then," he said with a grin.
Scanlan and Helm sat in the center of the room, not taking in the views at all. Bellamy led Kane to them and sat down. He offered Kane a mug of the Grounder alcohol, which Marcus accepted. The chancellor said, "Who do you two want in Buffalo?"
"I know who I don't want. I'm not watching over that Murphy kid, I saw what he did to Cooper's quarters on the Ark." Scanlan said, glaring across the room at Murphy who had been talking quietly with Emori all night.
Kane nodded. "I already planned on taking John."
"Octavia's coming with us," Bellamy said quietly.
"That means Lincoln by default, too," Helm said, nodding slowly. "We want Costa…"
The whole process felt a lot like picking favorites; it was almost wrong, not giving the rest of the guard any input into where they were going, but Kane didn't feel like gathering the whole squad and hashing out the logistics of it. Not when Abby was waiting for him. In the end, it was decided that Kane and Bellamy would be taking Clarke, Lincoln, Octavia, Harper, Miller, Murphy, and Nelson with them to Tonawa, as well as Abby, Benja, and Emori. Scanlan and Helm got the rest for Buffalo.
"Anything else?" Kane asked, already standing from his seat.
Bellamy shook his head and replied, "Thanks for your time, Chancellor. I know you would rather have been elsewhere."
Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated! You guys are seriously the best :)
-Lauren