Aliannon: That's explained in this chapter, so if you need further clarification after let me know in reviews and I will respond next chapter.
Cothrom72: Lurking eh? Well I suppose that isn't terribly surprising lol, but it's one of those factors I really want feedback on lol.
Clexalove: drop me a link to that if you don't mind, I've no problem with you doing it as long as you give me a shout out and I can follow the RP XD
Linx007: You're confused? Good. That's intentional, if the stories plot was to obvious and predictable it wouldn't be overwhelmingly fun. Glad you're still enjoying the story :D
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Nothing Is True (Save For The Blood We've Shed)
Chapter Thirteen
Twists and Turns
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The Boat Clan ship Waverunner, fastest ship of the Clan and likely the fastest ship in the entire Coalition (Nia didn't exactly volunteer for her ships to have friendly races with rivals), road the waves as it surged towards Baltim at a very respectable (all thing considered) 10 knots, or a little more than 11 MPH. Of course, once night fell they would have to taken in quite a bit of sail, slowing down enough that they would spot potential dangers soon enough to avoid them. The crew moved about their duties with calm, smooth professionalism that Luna observed with almost maternal pride. Both she and her crew had a great deal of interest in showing Clarke how elite and well-oiled her people were. It was a point of pride, a visual boast in effect, and in Luna's opinion, it was working. A little bit too well, to be honest.
Clarke was standing, hands folded behind her back and shoulder-cloak flicking with the wind, framed (to those on her right side) quite dramatically against the pale orange disk of the setting sun. In Luna's honest opinion, and the rest of the crews' for that matter, she looked both regal and imposing standing there. Her hood shadowing her face, sword on her back, somehow unmoving despite her utter lack of experience at sea. As the sun sank deeper below the horizon, the crew began to light lanterns and hang them from the rigging and sides of the ship. Running lights, meant to ensure that other ships knew their presence and size.
"Princess, would you like to join me in my cabin? There will not be much of a nocturnal view to enjoy until our return trip, for the brightness of the moon will blot out all but the brightest of stars." Luna offered, ignoring how relieved the captain looked at her words. Wanting to display the superiority of their crew is all well and good, but no one is terribly fond of having a superior looking over their shoulder constantly, especially not one whose position was as...vaunted as Clarke's own. Her silent and unflinching observation had quickly become unnerving.
Lips quirking slightly in amusement, Clarke gracefully accepted the 'offer' and followed the Boat Clan's leader down onto the main deck, and from there into the (comparatively) large and richly decorated cabin that was reserved for whatever people of rank whom were embarked, usually Luna or her ambassadors. Now, it would also be inhabited, if only for the moment, by Clarke, Luna, and Ontari, who had not been far from Clarke's side since the golden collar had locked around her throat.
'Will we have any guidance or clues to work with in locating whatever it is that hides within my city?" Luna asked politely as they seated themselves, Ontari kneeling at Clarke's feet after a subtle gesture from the domina.
"I know nothing else for sure, but I do believe that an answer or a path will present itself to us when the time comes. Either than, or I will have to ferret it out, I do have many memories of Baltim from before the war, ones that will probably come in handy." Clarke responded with a small frown and a shrug, not entirely pleased with the lack of specific, solid information, but that was the way it was, and likely how it would continue to be for some time yet.
"We will just have to do the very best that we can, then, and hope that you are right. I confess myself curious, however, for I did not expect you to depart from Polis in the midst of planning for the conquest of The Mountain. Why leave now as opposed to afterwards?" was the next inquiry, and Clarke leaned back with a light sigh, tilting her head back as she considered how best to respond.
"Several reasons. First and foremost, the person who told me about The City implied that finding it would also lead me to a solution for The Mountain that would have and absolute minimum for loss of life for our side. Second, whoever it was knows about the Brotherhood, as well as the fact that I now lead it. They're either a an ally, a powerful and knowledgable Templar, or something else entirely. If its the first, excellant. If the second, they need to die, prompty. As for the third...well, despite the old saying, ignorance is not bliss." She said finally, and Luna's eyebrows rose at the contempt and frankly out-of-character hatred that permeated the title of Templar. Noticing her reaction, Clarke grimaced and waved a hand. "I'll fill all of you in when we return to Polis, but suffice to say there Order is the antithesis of my own, I loathe them with every fiber of my being, and will wipe them from the face of this planet before I allow their tainted presence to spread."
Her hands clenched tightly on the arms of her chair, face a rictus of fury and hatred, before sighing gustily and giving a small, partially forced smile of apology. The pair would go one to discuss Baltim and how the following days' events would play out.
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"We've detected some low-level radio transmissions over the last few days, but whether the signals are naturally weak or the atmosphere is still too radioactive and chaotic for them to escape it, we've been unable to capture and translate any of them." Sinclair announced with a sigh to the rest of the Council. They had not met since deciding to send Raven and Octavia planetside, for things on the Ark had been remarkably quiet, not that any of them were even thinking about complaining.
"As glad as I am to hear that the girls might be alive and trying to contact us, the fact remains that it doesn't matter in the immediate future. The dropship for the other delinquents is nowhere near ready, never mind the rest of the Exodus ships." Jaha said heavily, rubbing his face with one hand in thought. "And even with the dropships we can't get anywhere near enough capacity to get the people down. Not even enough of them to have a viable gene-pool to recover as a race. We need other options. Ideas?"
Can we build more dropships? They don't need to be fancy or flawless, just good enough to get us groundside." Pike suggested, but Sinclar was shaking his head before he had finished the sentence.
"No, not a chance. Building them would be effectively impossible if we wanted them to move enough people, and we've not got enough heat-shields besides." He sounded quite positive about that, and he was. After all, he had already considered that rather obvious solution and run the proverbial and literal numbers ages ago.
"What if we used the Ark itself?" Abby offered suddenly, and the rest of The Council looked at her in surprised incredulity. If she had said more than a page's worth during Council meetings since Clarke was...deployed, they would be shocked. Moreover, her suggestion was utterly absurd...wasn't it?
'What do you mean, Abby?" Kane prompted when she didn't elaborate any further, and she frowned, visibly trying to gather her thoughts into relative coherency, which they were glad of. Her suggestion was insane as it was, so a good explanation was very much required. Fortunately, it was a remarkably simple idea.
"Our retro-rockets are still pretty good, right?" she asked, and Cinclair nodded slowly. Tapping her finger-tip on the tabletop, Abby continued. "If we rotate the Ark so Mech Station is downwards, we can group to population at the far end, in Farm Station. The Ark is long and fairly tough, so if we try reentry like that, the rest of the Ark can act like a large, multi-layered heatshield. We'll lose alot of the station, but we should make it down. Hell, we can strip the Exodus ships and use their heat-shields to reinforce Farm Station further, increase our chances."
"Jacopo?" it was obvious what Jaha wanted, and Sinclair's eyes closed, brow furrowed, as his mind raced. Was it possible? Sure, but would the result be what Abby envisioned?
"I agree, with reservations, that it is possible. With alot of work, we can modify Farm Station. Between that and the bulk of The Ark itself, we should Survive reentry. I can't say that we will survive landing, but we'll have a chance if we put all the retros from the rest of The Ark onto Farm and use them to slow us down." He responded slowly and thoughtfully. "We also need to go public, I need manpower to make this happen. General population might not be mechanically inclined, but they will be invested and there are alot of them. If I can use them to do the work and have my people as group leaders, this can be done."
"If we went public, how fast could you get the dropship done?" Kane asked suddenly, and Sinclair blinked at him before some doing quick calculations and responding with an estimate of four to six months. "Send the Skybox kids down anyway, with some adult volunteers, to get medical supplies and such ready for whenever we get down. No matter how ideally this plan might pan out, injuries are going to happen. Since everyone on the Ark itself might be incapacitated, we need healthy people on site to do what we might not be able to."
"That might work, and it's the only way to sell it to the adults. They would be out for our blood if we sent the kids down and lied to them about it." Jaha mused, apparently ignoring the fact that what he described had been the original plan, one that he had created and proposed to The Council. "How long until the modifications for the Ark would be finished?"
"Same time as the original time-table for the drop ship, two years give or take a month if we push it. This work is delicate and dangerous, and if we fuck it up we're all toast. Thank God it won't take longer, because right around then is when we would have had to start talking about...population reductions." Sinclair sounded deeply relieved and pleased towards the end, and the rest of The Council couldn't help but agree. Even Jaha and his Templar ideologies hadn't been terribly comfortable with the idea, though he would have done it had it proven necessary.
"All in favor?" the resulting vote was unanimous, so Jaha didn't bother asking if anyone was opposed. From there, conversation turned towards making the plan work. Abby and Kane, whose spheres of responsibility were uninvolved at this particular stage, elected to depart together for dinner, both moderately pleased with the results of the meeting, if for different reasons.
"How did you come up with that Abby? Its utterly insane yet will probably work, but it is decidedly outside of your area of expertise. I'm not saying you couldn't come up with a clever plan, but..." Kane asked several minutes of silent walking, and she smirked at him sidelong, which did fascinating things to his stomach.
"I didn't, not really. Jake thought it up as the proposed solution once he revealed everything to The Ark, but he was of course executed before he could do so. Now I do it instead, a small act of penance. Besides, it's our best chance at getting the people home to Earth safely, so bringing it up before Jaha had you start planning 'engineering disasters' and the like was necessary." She responded, and Kane grimaced as that struck hard, as that was exactly what he would have had to start preparing for soon enough.
"Not something I ever wanted to do, I assure you. If I had to do it, in order to save as many people as I could, then I would do it. I would never stop hating myself for it, but it would be done. To have another option is nothing short of exhilarating." He almost retorted, managing to keep some of the bite out of his tone, though the resolute bitterness remained. Abby was momentarily stunned into silence by the emotion of his rebuke (and that's exactly what it was) before smiling softly and touching his arm lightly.
"I know, Marcus. I've never thought you a cruel person, just someone who does his job whether he agrees with it or not. I know Clarke always thought the same of you, though she certainly isn't Jaha's biggest fan anymore. Or mine, for that matter." Abby told him warmly and with such honesty that he could not doubt her.
"Good." His response was gruff, but he also patted her hand reassuringly where it lingered. All, it seemed, was forgiven. Good, having her daughter loathe her was difficult enough, she didn't need others doing the same, especially when her not-insignificant amount of self-loathing was taken into account.
Upon their arrival at the cafeteria, both ate as quickly as possible before separating, Abby to expedite work on the transmission bracelets and Kane to meet with Clarke's adherents. They definitely needed to be told about what had been agreed on during the Council meeting, especially the fact that they now had a much, much shorter period of time during which to prepare for getting arrested and sent to the ground with the other delinquents. Naturally, they were equal parts thrilled and terrified. On the one hand, they would be with their friends again and on their homeworld. On the other, they would be stuck on Earth with little in the way of support unless the first wave had managed to get into The Mountain.
The group dispersed shortly thereafter, Kane returning to his duties while the girls headed for the Skylight, intent on relaxing as much as they could given the news they had just received. No mean feat, especially when one Finn Collins decided to sit down at their table uninvited.
"What do you want, Finn?" Fox eyed him distastefully. While many girls their age used to swoon over his good looks, sly smiles, and boyish charms, now the vast majority of the young female population had put him on the proverbial blacklist. The few who hadn't were the kind who didn't care whether he was a decent human being or not, they just wanted a good fuck from him. Good being a relative turn of phrase of course, he was far from spectacular according to scuttlebutt.
"Well, I just wanted to spend some time chatting with my lovely lady friends." He responded, apparently unruffled by the frigid reception, whether by arrogance or apathy the girl's honestly couldn't say, which did nothing to improve their opinions of him.
"First of all, we're not your friends, we're Raven's friends, and no, that is not the same thing." Mel informed him bluntly, though emphatically, gaze colder even than her normal passive and aloof appearance. "And you know full well that none of us are particularly fond of you either. Tell us what you want or fuck off."
"Jeez, no need to be nasty, I was just wondering if you guys could tell me where I can find Raven, cause I haven't seen her in a while and I miss her." Finn didn't even have to act offended, he was truly baffled by their dislike. Ah well, it wasn't their job to clue him in, and he wasn't exactly encouraging any of them to go above and beyond the call of duty, as it were.
"Raven isn't free, and she won't be for the foreseeable future, she is busy doing a very important job. We've not even seen her for ages, so it isn't that big of a surprise that you haven't either." Roma told him, refusing to elaborate when he made a small gesture encouraging her to continue. He finally gave up when and left when further inquiries failed to gain anything else, looking quite displeased while small, vindictively victorious smiles graces the girls' features.
"So, what are we gonna get busted for? It can't be too out of character or the Council will know someone told us, and that could put Kane in danger." Harper voiced the question that all of them had been mulling over on some level for some time now.
"It can't be anything that makes life harder for the rest of the Ark either, like stealing extra rations." Fox added, and the group all murmured together in agreement. It wouldn't be right, doing something like that to their family and friends just so they could get down to earth faster. Plus, it would most definitely be out of character for their entire group to up and steal extra rations together.
"What about Jasper and Monty? They're gonna get caught pretty soon for the moonshine and cannabis of theirs, what if we get in on it so we get busted when they do? It's not actually harmful to anyone, no matter what the Council says, and it's definantly expected from a bunch of rambunctious teens like us." Mel was the one to finally suggest a viable solution, and the other girls exchanged looks before voicing their agreement. It was a sound plan, a good plan, and following it wouldn't even be difficult or boring!
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"We've finished evaluating the blood samples you acquired, Galina. It should not be difficult to synthesize a cure, or rather an immuno booster, in sufficient numbers. It will be time consuming, however. Even with Isu technology, correctly synthesizing the product for so many people will take several months at least."
"We had best get started then, Clarke wants this done sharpish, and I want off this mortal coil ASAP. I've waited long enough to be freed as it is, I'd rather not stick around until Judgment Day." She responded, machinery around her coming to life as the Isu began the process of mass-producing the cure for radiation. The object that would guarantee the Mountain's fall. Satisfied, Galina got to her feet and headed for the lift, intent on patrolling Polis and its surrounding farms. She was bored, and she would both alleviate said boredom and actually accomplish something useful (ensuring the safety of Clarke's people) at the same time.
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Octavia was scowling and grumbling as she was escorted back into the palace by Raven and the four slaves. She had thought that she had been alone in the city before Raven and half of their minders had shown up behind her whilst she was mindlessly meandering the bustling marketplace. The other two had appeared swiftly thereafter, and to her surprise they had allowed her and Raven to wander the city a bit, even going so far as to give an abbreviated tour, to the delight and awe of the Sky Girls. It was when the four had gently but resolutely informed them that dusk was falling that they had found themselves being herded back towards the palace, much to Octavia's vocal displeasure. The group then ate a lavish meal with Costia, Anya, Indra, and a few others, with Lexa presiding. Afterwards, Lexa revealed her palace's greatest feature (besides the library, and it was a damn near thing): a massive heated bath, in truth a pool-sized hot tub. Indra had left after a short soak, not one to linger in any form of decadence. It was not long after her departure that Octavia's fuming silence finally broke.
"What happened to Clarke? Why has she changed so much since coming down here?" she blurted out with a heavy frown, and her fellow bathers exchanged glances before Lexa responded.
"Clarke...hasn't changed. The one that saved you is the same one that chained me to the ceiling and tortured my body into sensual agony as Costia looked on. The same woman who placed a collar around Ontari's neck not hours after battling her in a death-duel, and the same woman who personally slaughtered a dozen Mountain Men for the crime of trying to take you from her. Clarke is no different than she ever was, she is simply free to be true to herself and express it now."
"Interesting that you mention freedom when slavery is wide-spread or outright encouraged. It's barbaric and, and, immoral, and just plain wrong! You treat them like property instead of thinking, feeling human beings!" Octavia hissed back, fists tight, and Lexa to her great surprise nodded in agreement.
"It is true, they are regarded as property, as lower than-freeborn. Just as civilians are lower than warriors, warriors are lower than generals, and all but Clarke are lower than me. Perhaps in the Old World those disinclined towards bettering themselves through hard work and sacrifice could be catered to off of the efforts of those who toiled day in and day out, but in this world those who are not willing to do so will be made to contribute." She responded, no small amount of contempt in her voice for the Old World. "All have the chance to better themselves, for there are biannual games, competitions, where anyone, man or woman, slave or civilian, may enter and compete. Should they prove worthy, they are immediately elevated to the ranks of battle as recruits, equal to all others and freed of their previous chains. It is forbidden, both by law and tradition, to prevent anyone from entering. In fact, it is considered a point of pride for an owner if one of their slaves distinguishes themselves in such a way, and the slave is often adopted into the owner's family as a son or daughter."
"Not only that, but there are laws against mistreating slaves, at least amongst the vast majority of the tribes. Even the Ice Nation has them, though more for political reasons and not because Nia is a particularly good person." Costia added, rolling her eyes at the mention of Nia. "In truth, only the Stone Clan and the Iron Clan, their closest ally, don't. That's for two reasons. One, they're a particularly cruel and harsh pair of tribes that were only allowed into the Coalition because of the massive stone and metal deposits in their territories. Which ties in neatly to the second reason, which is that neither of them have anything close to the numbers they need to properly harvest those resources. Thus, the slaves."
"Doesn't the Commander rule the Coalition? Why not command them to behave more humanely?" Raven asked curiously, and Lexa shook her head with a small grimace and a sigh.
"The tribes are all independent of one another. While I lead the Coalition and am indeed its founder, and the fact that I am Heda affords me significant influence, the Coalition is just that: a group of independent entities working together for a single goal. I can lead the armies, even put significant pressure on them over domestic affairs, but nothing more. That's why the Senate was formed, to organize and enforce the civilian side of things." She explained, the frown on her face saying that it was not a state of affairs that she was overly fond of. "Even if this were not the case, a ruler who makes unilateral decisions affecting wide swathes of people without care or respect for them tends to not rule for very long at all."
"Perhaps once Clarke rules Humanity this can change, at least somewhat, but until then there is nothing to be done." Anya added with a philosophical shrug. "Besides, it's not like the system doesn't work. Indra was once a slave, and now look at her. One of our greatest generals and a Clan Leader to boot. You would never think it looking at her though, would you?"
It was quite obvious to everyone that this came as an immense surprise to the pair. Indra was as far from the mental image of a conventional slave as you could get for them, and that alone went some lengths in assuaging Octavia's anger and hurt. Plus, they at least were provided oppurtunites to elevate themselves, and the Old World had collapsed in part due to the lazy, self-entitled generations, so maybe a harsh world, a meritocracy, was necessary for humans to survive and flourish. It certainly seemed to be working out rather well for them now and for the last century, and it's not like life on the Ark was the image of virtue and freedom either.
"As for your personal affections for Clarke, you need not abandon them." Costia remarked after several minutes of contemplative silence, ignoring the half-hearted, grumbled attempts at denial from the two brunettes, who she was eyeing not-so-subtly through the steamy water. She greatly enjoyed what she could discern, happily musing to herself that no matter what one might think about the politics or ethics of the Arkers, they certainly seemed to breed true beauties. First Clarke, now these two, she could only imagine the rest of Clarke's friends, and she licked her lips at the thought. Lexa, noticing where her fellow thrallina's thoughts were drifting swatted her on the arm sharply, getting a pout and wickedly glinting eyes in response. Turnign her attention back to the duo, less lecherously, she continued. "What you would call polyamourous or polygamous relationships are common amongst the noble class and the warriors, and as the destined ruler of mankind she is entitled to as many women as she desires, like the rulers of old."
"I don't know if I could do that. Know that Clarke is with other women, never mind watch it happen." Octavia mumbled with Raven nodding in silent agreement beside her. Both had been raised to the morals of the Old World, which had decried such relationships, amongst others.
"That decision ultimately and entirely rests with you. Clarke will not force you into her bed, nor will she tolerate others trying to do so on her behalf. Know this, however: whether as friends or as lovers, Clarke will be glad to have you by her side regardless of which title you are addressed. She will need to have you by her side to do this, for you are not like us, not influenced by the old legends and prophecies regarding her. You and the others from The Ark will be her anchors as she finds herself, and you mustn't forsake her due to discomfort." Lexa said firmly, tone and bearing making it quite clear that that conversation was officially over, even if only for the moment. The bath was silent for many long minutes before Anya spoke, addressing the Sky Girls.
"So, tell us what we can expect from the so-called leaders of your Ark when they finally arrive. How will they react and behave towards our people? Will they respect Clarke's rule and Lexa's authority as her Voice?" she asked, and though she sounded simply curious, all present knew she was truly trying to gauge how much of a threat the Arkers might be. None of them could really blame her either, the Sky People had caused nothing but chaos since they had begun to arrive. Many of the chaotic events had resulted in good things, true, but chaos was chaos regardless of the end result. Besides, none of the trio had exactly been flattering in their descriptions of the life and leaders aboard their birthplace.
"The only ones who will likely have any sort of respect for your people are Kane and Clarke's mom, maybe Sinclair." Raven responded after a moment's thought. "Clarke is Kane's protege, and I'm Sinclair's, so jsut the fact that CLarke and I respect your people will make a difference with them. Clarke's mom is desperate to make amends for Clarke's dad, so she'll jump at any oppurtunity to get into her good graces, plus she is the most pragmatic member of The Council. "She'll recognize the obvious merits of respecting and working with The Tribes. They're also the only ones who will respect your and Clarke's authority, or at least the only ones that are even going to consider it."
"The rest, especially Jawha and Pike, will assume you're just savages to be 'rescued' at best, animals to exterminate at worst. They're both arrogant, self-centered bastards that don't give a damn who they have to step on to get what they want. Fortunately, we'll have the upper hand when they land." Octavia added with a bitter expression that morphed into a small, almost cruel smirk at the end. Noticing the looks she was receiving from everyone else, she scowled at them. "It's not that hard, all we need to do is show up wherever the Ark lands with an army. Hell, parade the Arkers through Polis and drag the Council in front of Queen Clarke. Make them kiss her boots and beg forgiveness for their sins. Would be nice to see them meek and helpless at the whims of someone for once."
Standing abruptly (giving the other women a delightful eyeful of her blossoming attributes) she mumbled something about being tired before storming angrily from the room. Several pairs of eyes followed her with a mixture of curiosity and arousal before all attention turned to Raven, curiosity now the active companion to concern.
"Octavia was an illegal child, I know Clarke mentioned that before?" the group nodded in unison and she nodded in turn before continuing. "She was kept in a hole in the floor, probably smaller than the average closet in this palace, for nearly ten hours a day. Frankly its a miracle that she is in as good shape as she is mentally and physically. As you can guess, she loathes The Council, most of the Arkers really, and she sees this as a chance to get some revenge. At the same time, she wants to be the better person and move past it, rather like Clarke tries to with everything that has happened to her. She's not handling the struggle well, when you combine it with everything else that is going on."
"I can empathize with her hatred of them, certainly, but I hope she understands that she need not fear it happening again, neither Clarke nor I will permit your Council to have any power here on Earth." Lexa told her reassuringly, and Raven's mouth twisted a little, surprising the Commander. 'What is it?"
"I don't think that the Council will take being subordinate to anyone particularly well, especially not Clarke. Best guess is, the minute they show up they're going to put huge pressure on us to get married and start popping babies out." She responded bitterly, and Anya snorted and shook her head, getting a scowl from the mechanic. "What the hell do you find funny about that?"
"Your Council will have no power here." Anya echoed Lexa's words of only moments before. Gesturing broadly to the room at large, she continued. "This world belongs to us, and soon enough to Clarke. Your Council...no, the Council of The Ark, will yield to Clarke's authority one way or another, by will or by force. Even with guns, they would be in the open and vulnerable, easy to force into submission."
"Do you really think that Clarke would do that? Hold a proverbial, maybe literal, knife to their throats?" Raven asked skeptically, and the rest of the room nodded together.
"Domina Clarke is a merciful ruler, but she will resort to any means to protect those that she cares for or accepts responsibility of. She butchered a dozen men just for the pair of you. She will do whatever it takes to protect her people, and she is not the type to simply roll over and let others control her." Daine added softly but firmly from her position in one of the room's corners.
"Indeed, the domina won't let any harm come to you or the other children The Council casts down to Earth." Ailyn agreed as the other two nodded silently. Raven felt their faith, while heartwarming to see placed in her friend, was perhaps a little misplaced. All the Council would have to do is find the right buttons to push and Clarke's will would falter, perhaps even crumble all together.
The group fell into silence after that, finishing their soak before retreating to their rooms with courteous farewells. All of them prayed for Clarke's safe return before allowing themselves to drift off to sleep, though each had faith enough in her to believe that she would do just that.
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Princess Sylvanas of the Ice Nation read through the letter once again, brow furrowed as she took in the information both blatant and disguised. Ontari had been played, that much was clear, and the very fact that it had been her mother who had done so was deeply concerning.
She wasn't stupid, nor naive enough to miss or ignore the fact that Nia was not a paragon of virtue and had done many less-than-moral things in the past. But, this world was a harsh and cruel one, it required harsh choices to be made for survival. Harsh choices did not include intentionally deceiving Ontari in an effort to have her either murder Clarke or die trying. Sylvanas had faith that Clarke would spare her dearest friend once the deception was discovered, but it would not make her own situation any easier. Her rock, the one person she could count on no matter how perilous the situation, was beyond her sight and grasp for the foreseeable future.
She was alone, now, which meant she had to be careful. If her mother proved to be just as Ontari claimed her to be, it would become blatantly clear soon enough. If so, she would have to work hard to maintain control over herself in the presence of her family, lest she find herself married off to some sycophant or locked away in the palace 'for her own safety'.
As difficult as that would be, the next step would be all the harder: actively working to depose and imprison her own family, to commit treason both against her Nation and her own family. She wouldn't even know where to begin, but whatever had to happen would happen. No matter how much it would hurt, her duty would be fulfilled. Her first...no, her second step would be to gather potential dissidents or other fringe groups that were...less than fond of her family. After that, she could recruit members of the populace and military at large. Once she gathered the manpower she needed, she could pressure neutrals into joining her, bloating her forces to the levels needed to overwhelm the forces with fanatical loyalty to her mother.
Of course, the first step would be waiting to see if her mother proved Ontari to be right. She prayed that it would all turn out to be a series of unfortunate events, that her mother would turn out to be the loving if distant person Sylvanas had always thought her to be when she was younger. She doubted that would be the case, though, there were too many questionable events and circumstances in recent history for everything to be some sort of horrific, coincidental, string of accidents.
Quite suddenly wanting a stiff drink or five, Sylvanas put on her preferred outfit for roaming the city incognito, which quite frankly wasn't all that different from her normal dark leathers and cloak ensemble, just lacking the more detailed and expensive accoutrements of the official wardrobe. It allowed her to move about the city more or less unnoticed.
Slipping out of the palace was easy, her skill combined with an intimate familiarity with the palace and its patrolling guards. Were she not so sure her methods were impossible for an enemy of her people to duplicate, she might be inclined to bring the gaps and holes in security to the attention of the appropriate individuals. As it was, they were a secret only a trusted few, like Ontari, knew of.
Some time later found her in her favorite bar, seated in the shadows at the back of the room, staring down at the mug of ale, she clasped in both hands. When a shadows fell across table for the umpteenth time that night, she sighed and addressed its maker in a bland tone without looking up.
"No, you can't buy me a drink, walk me home, show me a good time, or any other flirtatious come-on you can think up. Begone, leave me to my ale in peace." She flapped a hand slightly in dismissal. When the shadow didn't leave, but rather pulled out an empty chair and sat, she raised her gaze with a dark scowl and harsh words ready to fly, only to halt as she recognized the woman who had joined her.
"Echo? What are you doing here, I thought that you were on deployment to the front?" she breathed in shock as the blonde-streaked brunette smiled at her warmly. While not as familiar and close to her as she was with Ontari, she nevertheless was at least somewhat familiar with her thanks various training exercises and the like. She was competent officer and an excellent warrior, which was why she served at the front lines as the de facto 2IC to Quint, the Ice Nation general. "Did Quint send you to meet with my mother?"
"Not in the least. Ostensibly, I'm here on a short leave from the front lines, a little visit home. In reality, I'm here to follow up on a certain letter sent to you, one that I could reasonably assume you are here to drink away your contemplation of." The warriors responded without a hint of expression. "I can assure you that Ontari is just fine, a messenger hawk caught up to me yesterday evening and filled me in on the results of her duel with the Princess."
"And what interest have you in a letter to me?" Sylvanas asked slowly, and Echo's lips quirked into a small smile as she leaned forward on the table, eyes dancing in such a way that was deeply unnerving.
"Why, because it will have helped you realize that Nia wasn't all you thought her to be, that the true future of Humanity won't involve her brand of leadership and notions of right and wrong." Echo said with glee, and Sylvanas stiffened as she realized she was sitting across from someone opposed to her mother. Someone who might harm her in an effort to strike at Nia. Seeing her expression, Echo shook her head. "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm rather fond of you. Besides, even if I hated you, the Princess would have my head on a platter, and I like it right where it is."
"Then why are you talking to me? Going to try to convince me to turn against my mother?" she asked a little bitterly, her expression turning into a glare when Echo snorted and shook her head.
"No need for that, Heda and the Princess both believe your mother will overstep and condemn herself soon enough with no effort on their part. What they do want is for you to keep yourself safe and out of the conflict if, or rather when, things go bad between the Coalition and the Ice Nation. They know you're not evil or intend to start a war, so they're inclined to keep you around as long as you don't act against them openly."
"And...if I chose to support them. Will my people be punished? Will we be wiped out for my mother's sins, should they prove to be true?" she asked softly, and Echo responded that such was beyond her right to decide or even speak about, but Clarke was a merciful ruler, as she should be well aware. Sylvanas sat in silence for several long minutes of intense thought, before finally raising her gaze once more to meet the warm brown eyes of her tablemate.
"Inform our future Queen that I, and my bow, are her's to command."
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Well, things have gotten all kinds of interesting now haven't they? Whatever will I do next? *cackles*
