A/N: I've worked on a few of the chapters for the next chunk of this fic and I'm excited that it's picking up from here! I present to you the Roan chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or plot to The 100.

"I keep telling you to stop chewing at your thumb." Eric Jackson said as he watched his colleague and friend Abby Griffin continued to pace the width of the infirmary room they had been in. "You're going to draw blood."

"It's a nervous habit." She relented, cleared her throat and then returned to the task at hand. They had decided to sort through all the paperwork of the citizens of Mount Weather. They figured it wouldn't hurt to figure out information on them as a population -despite them no longer being alive. There was something puzzling about the people of Mount Weather and the grounder clans that Abby couldn't quite place.

Like all of her projects she threw herself into it completely. She let the mundane task of tearing through medical documents consume her in the two days that Clarke and the others had departed. She felt like so much had happened in that time frame! Survivors from Agro Station stumbled through the gates of Arkadia hours after the envoy left for Polis. They looked haggard and scarred, they wore grounder clothing, but it wasn't the same style as Lincoln (or any of the clans that Abby had interacted with). The survivors had been ushered to Mount Weather quickly; Abby didn't want them hanging with anyone that continued to reside in Arkadia without knowing what they had been through and what they had done themselves.

She and Eric had led the evaluation processes. It was apparent that they had elected Charles Pike as their leader. He answered all their questions collectively. He interrupted the questions Abby or Eric asked to start his own interrogation. He made demands. He used his intimidation to scare two of the younger apprentices into giving him what he wanted -at the time had been a change of clothing so he could rid himself of the grounder filth he wore. He was a problem that needed to be dealt with immediately. Abby had to have the survivors separated and spread out amongst the old decontamination rooms to continue her job. He fought her on that too.

At the time she dictated it was necessary, something he couldn't possibly understand, because he hadn't had the space or ability to think peacefully and quietly. He called her a bitch. He said that she clearly had no understanding of what was happening on the ground. She holds herself up in a fancy bunker with fancy supplies and technology and refuses to see what the heathens were capable of. She didn't offer him the response he wanted and instead of letting her anger seep through her words she offered him fresh linen for the sterile bed and a menu from the kitchen. If it could be called that. Their adjustment to the mountain's supplies was still ongoing. She locked his door from the outside with her passcode and instructed the interns that only she and Dr. Jackson would have access.

Some of the other survivors were easier to deal with; Hannah Green for example complied to everything without argument. She let Abby poke and prod and in return Abby was able to answer some of her patients questions. For the most part all of these newfound survivors felt very strongly their hatred towards the grounders, but Hannahs' seemed more emotional, more intimate than that. During her second round of check-ups Abby couldn't help but ask, "What happened when Agro landed?"

Hannah let out a breath and sagged back against the bed and continued to stare out in front of her, "It was awful… the landing alone killed over a dozen of us. A little boy had seen his parents bodies just beyond the wreckage that we survived in and I tried to stop him, to console him, but he rushed out of my arms into the open field. And in a matter of seconds he stopped running and dropped dead with an arrow in his chest."

Abby took a seat along the side of the bed and wrapped her warm fingers around Hannahs' cold ones. "I'm so sorry Hannah, that you had to see that."

"We thought that would be the end of it." The woman in the bed continued, trancelike with her words flowing devoid of emotion. "We offered surrender and tried to explain that we meant them no harm, that we were just trying to find our people. It made no difference and these warriors enjoyed tormenting us. We had no food, we had no water and we had no peace and every evening at sundown a warrior would saunter in and grab someone at random only to execute them right in front of us. Their queen didn't care about the Sky People, didn't trust the Sky People and sought to eliminate us one by one."

"For how long?"

Hannah shrugged, "Weeks… felt like forever, but in the end they killed twenty five of us before Charles stepped up. He was our hero and if it hadn't been for him we would have all died miserable deaths."

"What did Charles do? I'm sure it had to be a well crafted plan and executed almost perfectly."

"It was! It really, really was…" she faded off and looked away from the wall and back towards Abby, "on the twenty-fifth day the grounder came to collect his daily victim Charles had volunteered himself willingly to get closer with the warrior so that he could kill him. He was so sure that there were no other warriors watching, but we couldn't be positive. When sundown came and the grounder arrived it was my husband that went willingly so that Charles could follow. We all knew that if Charles was shot down that there was truly no hope. He wasn't able to save my husband, he still died with an axe to his skull, but the plan worked. We overthrew the ten or so warriors that came looking for the missing companion and just kept going."

"I'm sorry for your loss…"

"It had to be done. In the end we survived and that's all that matters."

Abby had been stunned to silence upon hearing the widows' words. Is that what she had sounded like when she had made the awful decision to execute Jake? Is that what she had told herself when she had agreed to send one-hundred children to the ground? Was that the validation the situation deserved when they had finally found out just what was happening on the ground? She felt her stomach twist in anxiety as her thoughts spiraled. She had only been pulled back to the moment when Hannah had squeezed her hand once more and asked if she was alright; of course Abby lied. Waved off the woman's' concern and made a quick move to stand and gather her belongings.

She had avoided Hannah the day after.

Actually, she had avoided almost all of them the day after. She had done strategically with Eric under the guise of her original project. Almost all of the previous Mount Weather residents had exceptional health histories. The cancer cases were relatively higher than most other illnesses, but it wasn't something Abby hadn't been prepared for. After all, they lived in a bunker in a world soaked with radiation. For ninety-seven years their society thrived within the walls that doubled as shields and filtration systems. Their medical advances were basic. In fact, Abby had seen much more advanced technology on the Ark, but they also were a society of handpicked survivors of only the best and most intelligent kind.

How did they go from such high regard to chosen life to have people like Hannah Green and most of Agro Station just managing to get by, or the Blakes' and others in Factory Station? Even the poorest member of Mount Weathers' population still had the best medical treatment available and livable quarters! The deeper she dug the more determined she became. She would not be a Chancellor that allowed her people to live the way they had on the Ark! She wouldn't treat the Earth like a hunk of metal floating in orbit! They simply were not the same things and for a brief moment she had felt inadequate for her job and position.

"You're doing it again, seriously, Abby, you're going to tear your skin open and get an infection and then I'll have to amputate your thumb."

She pulled back from her thoughts and blinked at her partner. She hadn't even realized her thumb was still in her mouth or that the file she had opened had been on the same page for several minutes. Abby also couldn't form a proper response, so instead she asked, "Where are you at with the files?"

"Yeah okay, we can play it that way." Eric snorted as he checked his stack of files. "I'm only a quarter of the way through the files with last names starting in C. And you've been reading that file for a solid ten minutes, so it must have something good in it."

Abby shook her head, closed the folder and pushed it aside, "Actually," she pondered, "nothing good in it, I was just distracted."

"I'll say. Are you still worried about Clarke?"

"I'll always worry about Clarke!" Abby smirked over at her friend. "I think going through these files has reminded me that these were people like you and I, like the grounders. It makes it difficult to settle into their home without a little bit of guilt."

"Well that only makes you human. I think the fact that they're not in an encrypted database makes it difficult to look at it from an apathetic viewpoint. I expected their technology to counter ours."

"Right, but remember, these people were selected by their government for a reason just like our founding citizens were selected for another."

"Is that what you're thinking about?"

Abby shook her head and heaved out another breath; "I don't even know Eric! I just keep thinking about what Hannah Green said to me. That we survived and that's all that matters… well they survived," she gestured to the stack of files on the desk in front of her, "but it clearly was not all that mattered. The grounders too! I don't want my people to just survive anymore."

Eric nodded along, "Of course you don't want your people to just make it by day by day." he said in agreement. "There will be a time for celebration soon, it's why Clarke and the others are in Polis."

Abby sighed and rubbed at her eyes. "In the meantime, we still have work to do."

"And you need to figure out what to do with the Agro Station survivors."

"And I need to do that." Abby huffed out another breath, she could feel the stress headache as it formed at the base of her skull. "I can't keep them cooped up there much longer, but all of them roaming around unsupervised makes me nervous."

"We'll figure it out Abby, we always do." Eric placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. The pair returned to their work in a heavy silence for the remainder of the afternoon. Eric didn't comment on the lack of enthusiasm from Abby, nor did he point out the times she let her mind wander and distract her from her work. He respected Abby, deeply admired her even, but he certainly did not envy her.

It's not the first time Roan has killed someone within his mother's ranks. It wasn't even the second or the third time! Roan had a knack for fighting, he was a warrior after all, and death came hand in hand with battle. If it was one thing his father taught him, it was that life is a battle and people are always at war. The teachings weren't ground breaking or shocking by the late King of Azgeda. Roans' paternal grandparents were both alive during the bombings. They lived in a bunker where the birth and death of the first commander happened. They were both fiercely loyal individuals who had taken part in the expedition of the new world outside of the bunker. From there they helped delegate the split of the population to form the twelve clans. They eventually married -although, to them it was more of a blood oath, and had his father. His grandfather had decided on a monarchy for the Ice Nation to ensure that their family history never dissolved with death. So when Roans' father married Nia, one of the clans best female warriors, it had been expected for them to produce an heir to ascend to the throne when the time came.

There was no specification of gender to be a ruler in Azgeda, just that you had to be born of royal blood. Despite that, it was clear that Roans' father was far more pleased to have a son than he was to have a wife. From the tender age of four Roan had shadowed his father in almost everything! How to handle disputes between the people of their clan and the people of other clans. He taught him how to hunt and fish and how to track. Roan had been raised to marry and produce an heir for himself one day, so he was taught how to treat a woman and the customs of each clan so he did not disrespect them. And it wasn't that his father loved him more than his mother did. It was just that Nia was only prominent in his happiest of memories as a child. She never fought to spend time with her son or to teach him how to run a household, host a feast or how to dance! Instead Nia taught these skills to the prominent young women she thought would be good future matches for the kingdom.

After his fathers' death in a tragic hunting accident Nia had taken over the duties of both King and Queen. Roan wished he had been able to do more for his mother, but she hid her heartache behind cruelty. Roan started his training to become a warrior at the young age of nine, whereas most of the children aren't required to report for training until they're twelve. He had to live up to the legend of his mother and father. He had to work twice as hard, because he was the prince and therefore couldn't possibly be taken seriously. He had to prove himself to the older boys! They were bigger than him, stronger than him and they automatically resented him because he was the prince of their people. He would be held down and kicked until he vomited or punched in the gut until he couldn't breathe. It was his own realm of personal hell. It had taken four years, but on the morning of his thirteenth birthday the leading instructor had pushed just a little too far. Insulted the former King and his upbringing and Roan snapped. The spar match turned deadly within seconds when the older warrior realized that Roan was out for blood.

He was pulled off of the scumbags body by three of the older boys -all of which were set to complete their training within the following months, and as he spit the blood out of his mouth he looked around the sparring circle; "Anyone else?" he had challenged, but nobody stepped forward.

From that day on Roan had the respect of his comrades and the reputation of a trouble maker with his instructors. His mother had not been impressed, rebuked him and reminded him that he was a royal and royals don't act like barbarians just because their feelings are hurt. She had him lashed ten times, a sitting of five each with a twelve hour gap in between, for his insolence. The night he had laid face down on his bed she had appeared in his room and softly combed his unruly locks from his sweaty forehead, praised him and told him how proud she was of him. She explained to him that images had to be kept up, otherwise it would look like she favored him over the common people of their clan. In his young mind it made perfect sense, but as he grew older he realized that all his mother spewed was lies and hatred.

When he was seventeen he had been working with the younger warriors. As all the warriors do before they're graduated into battle! There was one boy in particular that had caught his attention above the rest. He had been quiet and reserved, but he worked much harder than any of the kids in his group. Physically there was no need for him to double his effort, but Roan could tell that his heart wasn't in the lessons on the life of a warrior. He was smart, far too smart to be stuck in the ranks of the Azgeda Army. Using his position as prince he had gathered information as he saw fit; Bellamy had been a promising addition to the bookkeepers, the storytellers of the clan. He would one day be part of the few chosen to recount the history of Azgeda and the clans that surrounded it, but first all he had to do was complete his requirements to the clan. He had to serve as a warrior, or at least train as one, but that wasn't all. His mother Aurora had been one of Nias' closest advisors. She served alongside Nia in battle countless times and then acted as the crown spy when needed. Only she couldn't concede to the demand Nia had made her. Aurora did what she had to do to protect her children. Roan always respected her for that, but the punishment worked its way down to her son.

Bellamy painted a target on his back the day he stood up to Edmund, a mean and stupid guard that was known for picking on the smaller men. Of course, Bellamy never stood by and let it go, because he was a bigger man than that. He stopped Edmund from ripping a nameless brat apart over a stutter, the poor kid couldn't help that he stuttered, but it annoyed Edmund and therefore he had to be handled. Bellamy intervened before the first hit could connect to the tender young flesh. It ended with both of them strung up in Nias' throne room for two days. In those two days Octavia, Bellamy's sister, was left defenseless and Roan had taken it upon himself to make sure nothing happened to her. Not that Bellamy knew that, and not that Roan would ever admit to it. Still, upon their release Edmund had immediately (formally) challenged Bellamy. It wasn't that Roan thought Bellamy couldn't handle himself, especially against a belligerent opponent such as the old bastard, but Edmund was a loose cannon.

To avoid his mothers' anger at his involvement he slipped Edmund a poison that was popularly used by the Louwoda Kilron Kru. It worked slowly through the body, so naturally, Roan slipped him some the evening before he was set to fight Bellamy. Roan had relied on Edmunds' poor self control and hoped that he'd drink himself to sleep that night. His gamble paid off and Edmund woke in the morning sicker than he had ever been, but did that stop the poor sap from his challenge? No, and so Edmund stumbled into the sparring yards to tear Bellamy apart. Bellamy had a small following behind him and they all cheered as their leader landed hit after hit on the surly guard. Roan had watched the fight from a distance and was still impressed with how well Bellamy reacted to his opponent. He was swift and utilized the most force possible for the quickest hits. It was rather impressive! If one considered the blatant fact that Bellamy was not meant to become a warrior.

The fight had started to dwindle down with Edmunds' clear exhaustion, but the man wasn't to be outwitted by a pompous brat. When he had pulled out his weapon he expected his opponent to retreat or cower, but instead the brat smirked and fought harder. Unbeknownst to Edmund the outsider looking in could see the way his body moved with less coordination. His arms swung blindly with the sword and as Bellamy dodged his attacks he stumbled closer to the crowd. There was obviously something wrong with him!

Bellamy had noticed the change in his demeanor within minutes of their match. Sure, he had taken a couple hits, but they all lacked the normal force that Edmund was notoriously known for. The man was a jerk, but he was one the best warriors Azgeda had and that was why he guarded Queen Nia personally. Amongst other things, but Bellamy tended to leave that speculation open. He was also a drunk and Bellamy had quite the experience with the drunkards of the clan. Edmund managed to get one lucky slice in towards Bellamy's upper arm, he swung blindly and stumbled back as if to catch his balance, but it opened up the opportunity for the younger warrior to get up close with his opponent and take control of the weapon. There had been no intention for the fight to end in death, at least not on Bellamys' front, but when both men tumbled it was the works of Bellamy that ensured he'd land without a sword in his gut. Bellamy had been hailed a hero after the fight, but it didn't feel right.

Roan looked on from the distance with a pleased smirk.

Then life continued on for both the prince and the newly popular soldier. Roan attended important meetings with other clans to solidify trade and peace talks while his mother was content to sit on a throne and order people around. Despite the change in commander and push for peace from the new regime it appeared that Nia had remained on her war path. She had acquired another spy and this time instead of stealth missions to sabotage other villages this spy was attached to Roans' expedition group. It was the job of said spy to relay every deal and promise that Roan made to other clan leaders back to Queen Nia. It was also expected for them to present detailed notation on entries and exits to the clans, general population build up, and of course their own warrior training. Roan had expected his mother to pull a stunt like that. Planned for it actually, but the outcome wasn't quite right.

Of all the people in his group he had never anticipated Echo to be the spy. It left a mark of betrayal on his heart, though he'd never openly admit it. Echo was a girl with an athletic build and long brown hair, her eyes observed everything around her and her wit was quick and tongue sharp. She was an orphan and had been taken in by Queen Nia after she had seized the land that belonged to Echos' family. The details were hazy, but Roan remembered the anger the Queen directed towards two of the warriors who had executed the young girl's parents. Back before simple executions became the daily doings. Echo trained alongside his mother for years and stayed mostly hidden. In fact it was Roans' expedition that was her first mission outside of the clan! The two of them had shared little moments; she'd be dropping something off to his quarters or he'd be seeking her out for his mother. He really should have been better prepared.

Naturally when he saw one of his men had pinned her to the ground with his hands around her neck to choke her he had reacted instinctively. The warrior was ripped off of Echo by Roan and thrown to the ground. Echo coughed as she pushed herself out of the way. She rubbed at her throat while Roan stalked towards his newfound enemy and hoisted him off the ground by his collar; "What do you think you're doing?"

The man kicked and flailed as he stumbled over his words, "I-I-I figured out who the spy was!"

"And you figured it was Echo?" Who had still been behind him and looked smaller than herself and still gasped for breath. "What proof do you have?"

"I have enough! Put me down and I can show you!"

"Roan please!" Echo pleaded from behind him, her eyes were wild and frantic and it caused his grip to tighten around his victims collar. "Roan, you don't have to do this."

"I'll deal with you in a minute." he bit out viciously, "In what world is it okay for you to act without permission? Especially when it comes to you attempting to kill one of my mothers most regarded personnel!"

"Roan!"

"Be quiet Echo!"

"But Roan-"

He turned and snarled at her, "Go sit down and shut up."

"You're not the boss of me!"

"You're right, my mother is. Stand down Echo, now."

Echo didn't argue. The sting in his words were real but the hurt in his eyes was what stuck out to her the most. He did eventually let his warrior down and then promptly snapped his neck. Echo flinched at the sound of the crack and clenched her jaw as his body fell to the ground. She watched as Roan shook out his shoulders before he turned to face her and she couldn't mistake anything that she saw in his face. She attempted to apologize only for him to hold his hand up in a silent command for her to stop. She had never clenched her jaw as tightly as she had in that moment.

"We leave for home at dawn, you'll report to my mother everything that's expected of you and then you'll request a new assignment."

Echo shook her head, "Roan if you would just listen to me."

"I'm done listening to you." He bit out furiously as he turned and walked away. His voice carried through the quickly darkening woods, "You can tell my mother you killed Beck to keep your position safe. That can be why you're requesting a new mission. Then you can leave me be for good."

"I'm sorry Roan!"

He shrugged, his back still turned towards her, but he did spare a glance at her over the shoulder, "Or you can just not come back at all."

Roan did not immediately return to the rest of his men, instead he opted to take a slight detour to walk and clear his head. It was during the walk through the woods that he heard the familiar Trikru warning sound and he knew he had to act fast. There wouldn't have been enough time to get back to his warriors, so he found coverage where he could as the acid fog trickled through the land. Once the fog lifted he waited to ensure he was alone before he left the coverage in the height of the trees. When he had returned to where he and his companions made camp he was not shocked to see it abandoned as it were. Instead he made his way towards the rendezvous point.

His men spotted him before he saw them and they let out whoops of greeting. He surveyed the damage, they managed to flee in time with the horses but there were three casualties. Beck (whom Roan had killed, though he didn't own up to it), a young inexperienced warrior (who Roan would mourn for respectively) and Echo. He swallowed thickly at the sound of her name, but otherwise didn't seem phased. "Confirmed casualties?"

"The only confirmed casualty we can list is Beck. We found his body a small distance away from our camp after the fog lifted. The reapers came out unexpectedly, last we saw was Echo and Oswe fighting off the Reapers from the rear. I watched her fall, but I didn't see what happened to the kid."

Roan nodded along and then mounted one of the now extra horses; "We return home!"

Their home was a war zone within a week of their return. The battles were long and grueling, but the queen persisted and the commander would not relent. By the end of it Queen Nia had been advised by her most faithful and loyal servant Link to conform to Commander Lexas' wishes. Nia had killed the lover of their commander who had been on peace missions throughout the twelve clans -who Roan had found himself fond of, and in return she demanded that the queen end her monarchy by the banishment of her son. For the briefest moment Roan had expected his mother to retaliate with more violence, but it had been Link that talked her through it and discussed the ramifications of a long drawn-out war. Roan had been banished at dawn the next morning in front of the commander and the other clan leaders by his mother while Link smirked from his position to the right of Nia. It was not only an embarrassment but devastation to Roan.

Yet again, he should have been better prepared. Life as an outlaw wasn't easy, but he made due and he managed to create an image for himself! He treated life more as a fun game than a political success story and enjoyed the company he kept -when he chose to keep it. He had heard of the sky people, he had heard of their leader (a spunky fair skinned, light haired girl with the clearest of blue eyes) and he had heard of the lengths she'd gone to for her people. He admired her for it and so when Lexa had sought him out and explained to him the proposition the council would soon be given on top of the folklore that had attached itself to the Sky Princess. He had not been shocked to find out that his mother had started seeking out the girl, desperation drives the mind wild. Nor was he shocked once he had met her just how much he'd like her.

He was shocked when the plan had gone from A) protecting the Sky Princess and making sure nobody interfered with peace talks to B) ensuring that the candidate the commander pushed forward won the challenge to C) become the ambassador for Azgeda and officially work against his mother. Not that his mother knew he'd be working against her, not that anyone knew he was working against her, but the principle was there. Link had never personally offended him or rubbed him the wrong way, he just happened to be very good at his job and could manipulate his mother in ways that were inappropriate for a son to dwell on. It went deeper than that, Roan knew that too, because his mother hadn't relied on anyone else since his father and that loss must have been hard. It wasn't an excuse for her unorthodox methods of ruling the Ice Nation people, but it was a reasoning and Roan could see it clearly. Link, was another case.

Link made sound arguments and judgements when it came to the dealings between Lexa and Nia. However, he was just as much of a weasel as the next. It was unfortunate that the moment Roan had chosen to strike would be the moment that Link would have his plans conspiring against Nia out in plain sight. It was almost too perfect! No elaborate plan on how to explain the mans' death would be needed. Not with the papers on his nightstand next to him. It would even be in Roans' favor to the rest of the commanders council! Link had startled upon the intrusion and sneered at the former prince; "What are you doing here?"

"Hello old friend, what do we have here?" Link had tried to move to cover his papers, but Roan was quicker and blocked the older man off. "This looks like something you wouldn't want found…" he turned his head towards the evidence and reached for the top piece of paper, "... let's see what we have!"

Link attempted to reach for the paper frantically, "That would be none of your concern! Get out before I call the guards on you!"

Roan continued to read the paper and fend off Links' attempts to thwart him, "Tsk, tsk my old friend, you seem to have forgotten that I am the Prince of Azgeda and therefore anything that involves my kingdom and people involves me."

"You are no more prince than your mother is queen."

"Now that," Roan started with a raised eyebrow and smirk, "sounded almost like you disregarding your queen. And from the looks of these documents it would seem like you plan to overthrow her."

"It makes no difference to a heathen like you, you were banished!" Link dodged around the bigger man to shout out the door, "Guards!"

"There's really no point in doing that."

Link continued as if he hadn't heard Roan and only stopped when he felt the man wrap his arm over his shoulder, "You see Link, I'm here on orders by the commander."

"State your business and then leave."

Roan chuckled darkly, "If you really insist." as he plunged the dagger from his side into Links'. The man gasped and ripped away from Roan with the dagger still protruding from his side, but the amount of blood that quickly seeped and spread over the clothing indicated that Roan had hit a vital organ. "I'll be taking these documents as evidence of your betrayal. You really saved me a heap of trouble by your arrogance."

"Y-Y-Your mother won't tol-tolerate this!" Link slumped to the ground with his back against the wall. The pain was manageable and so long as he left the dagger in he was sure he could find medical help. He just had to distract Roan long enough to do so. "Do y-y-you really think she'll welcome you with open arms?"

"It doesn't really matter how she feels, the deal has already been struck with our Commander. This," he flashed the papers as he continued to skim through them, his body blocked the only entry to the room, "just makes it easier for everyone. I must say you're very detailed in your coup."

"You bastard." Link spit out, his blood stained his teeth and lips and the taste of copper filled his mouth. "You think you're so clever…"

Roan raised his eyebrows and sent a taunting smile to the dying man in the corner. "Not really, I could never pull off an entire coup of a monarchy. And as it appears neither could you. Now let's see one of your steps before you intended to poison my mother was to gain control of Wanheda. Hence your insistence on the Rights of Favor. Interesting…"

Link narrowed his eyes, his hands trembled against his side and his breathing was erratic but he was coherent and livid. "That's right, Heda Lexa refused to eliminate her, but not your mother. Your mother would have no issue slitting that pesky brats throat. I bring your mother Wanheda, the sky people kill her for killing their precious girl and then all of those your mother has oppressed in her years of cruelty can rise up and rebuild Azgeda for what it's truly worth!"

"Your plan is flawed my friend."

Link watched as Roan crossed the floor and crouched down in front of him, his arrogance palpable. Link demanded to know in what context Roan talked about to which the unruly barbarian said, "Azgeda will rise to its true worth with the sky people and it'll be a shame that you won't be around to see it."

"Mark my words, you'll regret trusting those invaders."

"Perhaps…" Roan ripped the dagger from Links' side and swiftly shoved it through his chest, "perhaps not."

Roan collected the papers from the little side table and gathered them up and then made his way out of Links' room. The guards posted at the end of the hall eyed him curiously, but he gave them the signal that all was well and continued on. Lexa would be awaiting his report in her meeting room and he didn't want to be late. He gripped the papers from Links' room tightly and slammed through the door frame with a scowl. Lexa awaited his arrival and didn't so much as flinch from her seat directly across from him.

"So it's done then?"

"It's done, but you may be interested in these."

She took the papers from him and skimmed through them with her eyes. Her face remained passive but she did let out an agitated breath; "Are you aware of what this means?"

"It means there are people in my clan that are desperate for a new life. A possible uprising in the near future if something isn't done."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Out smart them, kill my mother and ascend to the throne."

Lexa smirked deviously and handed the papers back to him, "Very well then, we'll make your position known to the council at first light. Are we sharing this information or not?"

"I think it would be best for now to leave the details of Links' betrayal to my mother out of anything that's going on with the alliance."

"Alright, so long as none of my people are in danger I'll concede to your wishes. Anything else?"

"Is the challenge for Rights of Favor moving forward?"

"The candidates have already been chosen and presented to me earlier this evening." Lexa shrugged easily, though he could sense the distaste in her words, "It would be offensive to the clan ambassadors if we didn't acknowledge it."

"And the Sky People are truly okay with that?"

Lexa huffed, "Of course not, they're still within their beliefs that Clarke is some sacrificial lamb and that this was all a ploy by me."

"Isn't it though?"

"No. I knew it was a possibility, so I made sure that she would be present, but I had hoped that it wouldn't have happened. Now that I see the proof in front of me, there was always going to be a conspiracy that involved Clarke."

"So why not do what the Sky People do? Give her a choice in the matter from the candidates selected. They were right, you know, earlier today, that their traditions are different from ours. They'll never truly believe in this alliance if we don't adapt to them as well."

"Titus doesn't think it's a good idea."

"Fuck Titus!" Roan bit out in agitation, "If any of the sky people goes rogue and seeks retribution against our people for what's happened to them are you prepared for that?"

Lexas' demeanor changed within an instant and he knew that it was no longer just her speaking, but the past commanders as well, "Do you think I haven't worked out that possibility? I am well aware of the position we are all in. I must do what is best for my people."

"And I have to do what's best for mine."

Lexa watched as he walked away. He had snatched the papers from her loose grip with his last statement and it felt scolding. She leaned her head back against the seat with closed eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't afford to have anything go wrong. The sky people were already suspicious, and rightfully so, she thought to herself, but still the pressure from their previous relationship weighed heavily. Her feelings for Clarke also weighed heavily. It was the cost of being a leader, as one of the previous commanders told her. Something about inevitable loss; something she felt when Nia had killed Costia. Her bitterness with Ice Nation for their primitive ways sometimes overlapped the voices of the commanders within the flame. Her treatment of them and disdain towards them was apparent in her dealings with Link and Nia and even Roan. And the guilt that came with it settled deep in her stomach.

You know what needs to be done…

The voices whispered in her head and she nodded, although nobody was in front of her to see it. She got up and made her way to the window, with her hands crossed at her back. The moon illuminated the sky and she let the beams soak through her skin. She knew what needed to be done and she knew the commanders of the past were right. With her mind set she opened her eyes and let out a cleansing breath before she turned and retreated to her bedroom to rest.

A/N: Next up; we have Bellamy and Clarke interacting with each other and the induction of Roan as our Azgeda ambassador! Will there be other surprises? Tune in next week for more!