War. War never changes. That's what I found out over the years. Though, what Octavia did after I beat her guards senselessly surprised me quite a lot.
To tell the truth, I expected her to lash out or even attack me, but no. Blodreina, in all of her glory just stood there watching me leave, choosing not to destroy what remained of our friendly relationship. Something that I will soon find impossible to maintain, due to how Blodreina decided to treat my friends. As soon as I left the bunker and walked into the streets, I stumbled upon a small tent on the outskirts of Polis. To my surprise, I saw Clarke and Zoe inside, deep in conversation with Niylah. It had been years since I last saw Niylah, and seeing her now brought back a wave of memories.
Thought, I was somewhat curious as to what the girls were talking about, so I decided to approach them, and as soon as I was a few good meters away from them, I heard Clarke's voice.
"No one is the same, Clarke. Horrible things happened in those long five years we were forced to live underground."
"What about this Wonkru?"
"You are that Monroe girl, right? Wonkru is one clan made of all of the people. One clan led by Blodreina."
"Does that mean, Octavia becomes Blodreina through the eradication of opposition?"
"How do you explain the sun to someone who's never seen it?"
Clarke seems to hesitate for a second, unsure of what to say in response to her ex-lover. Then a few seconds later, Zoe decided to ask something very important for the safety of our foster daughter.
"Does the Flame as your people call still exists? Or did Blodreina destroy it to guarantee that no one will steal her position?"
"What about it? The time of the Commanders is over."
"Does Gaia still have it?"
Niylah didn't respond to that question, instead, she turned towards me, and for a second I swore I saw her smile at me before turning back to Clarke, while I made my way towards them now that I was found by the only woman I know could easily trace me.
"Some of the people close to Blodreina, say you made your foster daughter into a Natblida. Is that true, Clarke?"
"Yeah, Leon and I did that to save Madi."
"Oh, Clarke. I can still tell when you're lying."
Clarke tense up at Niylah's response, knowing that Madi being a true Nightblood, not a created one like me and her, puts her in danger. Niylah may say that the time of the Commanders is over, but only a fool will believe that and frankly, knowing the grounders, not all of them love Blodreina as much as he thinks so. Some people would kneel to Madi, and if Indra's daughter will officially make Madi the commander, the grounders will swear their fealty to the rightful ruler without hesitation, and given all we have seen in the past days with how Octavia rules, that is not a situation neither I nor Clarke is eager to have Madi in.
Just as Clarke was about to say something, a figure rush inside and dragged Niylah outside, holding a rag over her mouth. Thought before I could charge at her she slowly lowered Niylah's unconscious body to the ground before taking her hood down. Clarke, who is standing nearby, gets a look at the hooded figure's face first and whispers out in surprise,.
"Gaia? What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Protecting the true last Natblida, as my order has always done."
As Gaia turned around to see me standing behind her, her eyes widened in shock and fear. I had a reputation among the grounders, and it did not bring comfort to those who encountered me.
"Clarke, Zoe, get behind me," I said calmly, not taking my eyes off Gaia. I could see the uncertainty in their expressions, but they trusted my judgment and took shelter behind me. Gaia was no ordinary opponent, and I knew this could turn into a dangerous situation quickly if she screams for help from the fanatics of their little group of savages.
"Why are you here, Leon?" Gaia asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"I'm here to protect my friends."
Gaia looked torn, unsure of what to do next. Her duty to the Flame and her loyalty to Blodreina conflicted with what she had just heard, but she knew that one wrong step and she would kiss goodbye to her pretty life.
"We're not here to fight, Gaia," Clarke chimed in, her voice calm and diplomatic. "We want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."
"I can't just forget about what Clarke said about Madi."
"We don't want to need a new commander," Zoe said. "We want to keep her safe and find a way to end this war peacefully."
"That won't be easy. Blodreina won't listen to anyone, and if Niylah tells her what she found out, your daughter will die, Clarke. Blodreina will make sure that no one will threaten her throne."
Clarke's face paled at Gaia's words, realizing this was not the best thing that could happen to Madi. "We can't let that happen. We have to protect Madi at all costs."
Gaia nodded, her expression softening slightly. "I understand your concern, Clarke, but it won't be easy to sway Blodreina. She is set on her path of war, and anyone who opposes her is seen as a threat."
"We have to trust Monty," I said firmly. "He might be able to help us disable the Eye in the Sky. Once we take away Diyoza's advantage, we can negotiate for peace."
"But we need to be careful," Zoe added. "We don't know who we can trust in Polis. We can't afford to start another war. Not to mention that there's still that thing that we have to do Leon."
"I never wanted this war. All I wanted was to protect my little family and find a way for us to live in peace."
I could understand Clarke, and to be honest, I was sick of war, of all the killing, and yet this is the life we are forced to live.
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