The little Mechanic and the Ice Nation

[ash]

cherry1

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Roan wondered if anyone actually went up to Arkadia to relay the information that they were under a blockade. It did not look like it at the moment. He knew a few people were already killed. He could not imagine how people as calculated as those friends of Clarke could cross the blockade so many times and expect to live. He doubted they knew the full extend, which was why he changed the orders for Azgeda. His warriors were not to kill and they were to bring whoever was caught outside of the walls. He was not playing Lexas games. He was not playing anyones games. He had deep respect for Wanheda by now. He still maintained the bought guards in Polis to get her out, should she need it. Now he was here to make sure Skaikru lived to see another day. He wanted them as allies. He needed them as allies even.

When they brought in the girl, he had an idea who she could be. He had spoken enough to Wanheda to know of some of her friends. “What was she doing when you caught her?” He asked one of the warriors that brought the girl in, gagged and tied up. They reported her tinkering on something. That rang even more of a bell with him. He felt like Wanheda spoke to her. The girl named after a bird, perhaps. Either way, he knew in that moment that she had to live. Roan walked up to his prisoner. He took the gag out. “What’s your name?”

[cherry1]

Raven was not about to let Lexa and her damn orders control her life yet again. The bitch had taken enough from her already, she was not going to roll over and let her take her freedom too. The blockade was just another way for those damn grounders to try and intimidate and control the arkers. No more. She was going to show them what they were capable of. Even if that meant endangering her life in the process.

Taking her tools, she managed to sneak out of Arkadia. They probably wouldn’t notice anyway, being too busy fighting each other. It was the perfect opportunity to execute her plan. It was reckless to move so far out of camp but she had to do this. The grenade she’d built was just big enough to cause enough damage to force the grounders to back off. If it didn’t work then she could just use the bomb to catch herself some grounders and gather the necessary intel they needed to stop this war. Or win it, if they had to.

She didn’t however prepare for the possibility that a couple of them would overpower her and knock her out. It was pitch black for so long that she’d seriously thought she’d just been killed. That was the only reasonable explanation she had, until the cold hit her. Ice nation perhaps? It was the coldest she’d ever been in her life so it must have been. As soon as the blindfold was taken off, she realised the crunching beneath her feet was snow. Real snow. Something that might have excited her if she wasn’t currently gagged and bound, while being kidnapped by grounders. Raven had given up on struggling by the time they reached a stronghold. Dreading what would be inside. Perhaps a prison or even a torture chamber. She refused to show the fear already growing in the pit of her stomach, but that wouldn't last long.

The fear turned into confusion when they brought her to a man in what looked like some sort of council chamber. Judging by the way he carried himself and the way he spoke to the others, he must have been pretty important. Her curiosity peaked. “What’s your name?” As soon as he took the gag out she reacted the only way she knew how and spat in his face, a look of disgust and anger on hers. “Let. Me. Go.” She said her voice low but stern, as she struggled again against the ties behind her back.

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Let me go. Feisty. She reminded him more and more of the girl Wanheda mentioned. She could be it. He hoped she was it. He didn’t want to kill, but he needed a reason to keep the skaikru alive. With her, he had the feeling he might find a reason. He hoped he would find a reason to keep her alive. He liked her spirit already. Roan motioned for two more guards to leave. It left him with one guard and just him and the girl. She was still kept in a tight hold. Roan noticed the brace on her leg. He doubted that was happening often. This had to be the girl with the bird name! There was no other way. In that case she was skilled. They could use her skill.

“Kid, your life depends on this. There is a kill order on everyone, who leaves Arkadia.” He began, hoping reasoning would do it for her. He needed her name. He needed her to cooperate. “So, tell me your name.” It was a demand, though surprisingly softly spoken. He had no reason to speak harshly to her at this moment. “Because it so happens that an affiliation to Wanheda could save your life. Tell me your name and give me the right answer and I will be able to spare your life, kid. Do you want that? Or would you rather I string you up and kill you right now?”

cherry1

[cherry1]

His words were strangely softly spoken but there was no denying the seriousness of his threats. They sounded more like promises. He was still obviously a grounder after all. They were ruthless and no strangers to violence. Why should he be any different? And being tied up, Raven wasn’t exactly in any position to fight back. It would mean only certain death. There was being bold, and then there was being stupid. And she didn’t want to die today, which was a definite possibility, considering where she was. Her best bet was finding an opportunity to escape. And since no such opportunity presented itself, she guessed she would just have to play along.

The right answer? What the hell did that mean? Her life depended on if he knew her or not? And then she understood. Wanheda. While she tried to bury herself in work and not involve herself in politics, which was damn near impossible, there was no denying that name. It was Clarke. The friend she hadn't spoken to or seen in god knows how long. And now Raven was counting on her to be the reason she wouldn't get killed. Well here goes. Hopefully she was the right person.

Defeated, after a long pause filled with deliberation she spoke. “I’m Raven Reyes,” Disdain dripping off every word. “Who the hell are you?” He was obviously someone of power. A clan leader perhaps. He had an aura of authority about him and the guards he’d sent out followed him without question. She hated to admit but beneath the crippling fear of death, it intrigued her. He intrigued her. But what could he possibly want with her? That question alone forced her previous fears to come rushing back filling her entire body as Raven once again struggled against the ties that bound her.

[ash]

Raven Reyes. Raven. That was it, her ticket to survival. He knew she was skilled in building and important to Wanheda. An almost soft smile appeared on his lips as she finally told him her name and asked for his. Not that his name would do her much good. Instead of replying to her, he looked at the guards. “She lives. Prepare a horse. We’re delivering a message to Arkadia.” It was a bit of a risk to deliver that message, but better than to have her die. He hoped, he hoped the message would do what it needed to do. He had to explain himself and his position to the girl, but he had to prepare the message as well. Roan took a dagger into his hand. He approached the girl and reached out for her jacket. With swift, clean cuts he had the Jacket cut from her body. The now useless garment was brought to his table. Standing over it, he turned his head to the girl.

“I am Roan, King of the Ice Nation.” He finally introduced himself, still unused to this title. But he had to use it, it was his power and his potential downfall. He was willing to go to extreme lengths to make Azgeda as great as the stories told, but in a greatness that would have history praise them. “Our mutual friend Clarke, Wanheda, helped bring down Azgedas former Queen. She helped put me on my throne. As far as I am concerned she has my loyalty.” He knew this was a dangerous game to play, but he would take her to the capital, keep her safe there, while all of this played down. Like many others his goals were different than what he saw. He saw a clever girl in Wanheda, but more importantly a strong potential ally in Skaikru. If he wanted Azgedas greatness, he would have to go this way, with his people. Roan sliced his palm open with his dagger and smeared his blood onto the wound, quite aware that Arkadias medicine was well ahead of theirs, he was betting on it. 

“Take this. Drop it somewhere at the wall of Arkadia, not at the gate. Try to be undetected. And prepare a kart. Our friend Raven will accompany us to our capital.” While he said that he stared at Raven. “I’m afraid I have no other choice. We can’t openly break Lexas commands, not yet at least. You'll be a valued guest in my halls.” Much more valued than wanheda and he were in Lexas halls.

cherry1

[cherry1]

She only got more frustrated as he blatantly ignored her. Speaking over her to the guard behind her. It made her angry. The least she deserved was some answers even if it was just a name. Anything. That anger very quickly turned to blood curdling fear the moment he approached her with the dagger. Wrong answer then? Taking a step back she tried to find a way…any way out of this. Skimming the room, struggling against her ties…there was nothing. She was defenceless and moments from death. After everything she’d been through, this man she’d never met, who didn’t even bother to identify himself would be the end of her. “Hey….HEY WAIT!” The dagger cut through her jacket. She only had moments left before it sliced through her skin. “STOP!”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Raven waited for the contact of the sharp edge of the dagger with a major artery only…that moment never came. When she finally forced herself to open her eyes again, to find that she was alive, Raven realised what he’d done. The grounder had torn away her favourite jacket right off her body. Her expression changed from terrified to confused. What possible purpose could that serve? And why was she still alive? While she didn’t want to question it, Raven craved answers. “I am Roan, King of the Ice Nation.” She finally looked at him, instead of scanning the room. His revelation catching her off guard. She’d assumed he was an authority figure but King? And of one of the most ruthless grounder clans? She was in way over her head. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Raven needed to get out of there and fast if she had any hope of staying alive.

Clarke helped him do what now? Every answer he gave her left her with more questions. Only Raven didn’t feel like sticking around to find out just how loyal he was to Wanheda, and how far that loyalty extended. She was still wary of him. His actions and words only continued to confuse her. “Take this.” Wait why was he giving him her now bloodied jacket?...and then his plan slowly dawned on her. “Drop it somewhere at the wall of Arkadia, not at the gate.” Oh god. “Try to be undetected.” Oh dear god no. “And prepare a kart. Our friend Raven will accompany us to our capital.” He was taking her prisoner? She was so overwhelmed Raven barely heard another word he said. A valued guest in his halls? Like. Hell. “STOP IT! OKAY…just stop talking and listen to me.” Looking him straight in the eyes, she tried to control her breathing. “You. Are not taking ‘your friend’ Raven anywhere. I demand you let me go. I demand you let me go RIGHT NOW!” She was freaking out. This couldn’t be happening. “If you're truly loyal to Clarke, or Wanheda or whatever! You’ll take me back to my people.” It was her last ditch attempt at getting out of here. “RIGHT FREAKING NOW!”

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“No.” He admired her strength for looking straight into his eyes, despite how intimidating he knew he could look, especially when he was taking charge of a situation. And he knew that Skaikru had reason to mistrust him. His people had hurt them, killed some of them. They had no reason to trust him, his mother had made sure of that, but right now. Trust and discretion was her only chance at survival. “What do you think will happen when I free you?” Nothing probably, but that was short sighted. Because a lot of things would happen and he would not let it happen this way.

“Believe it or not, my plan right now is the only way you will survive this.” He said, strictly. “Let me tell you what would happen, if I set you free: The other clans would see you. The other clans would see that we are harboring skaikru, the enemy right now. Word would travel to Lexa in record time.” He lowered himself to her eye level again. “There is no way Lexa will let you and me live if she found out about this, Clarke or no Clarke. She won’t have me defy her, especially not for her current blonde toy. Betrayal for her toy is only hers to do.” He didn’t know how the people thought of Clarkes position, or if any of them realized that Wanheda did not seem to be fully her own person or at least influenced heavily by Heda, but he had his opinion and in his tent, his opinion was free to be spoken. “Lexa had a fight, for justice and her position, with me forced to be Azgedas champion. She killed our queen by throwing a speer through her. She banished me long ago. Betrayed me after doing her bidding. She betrayed your people at Mount Weather. If you so much as think that Lexa will let me and your people live should I let you walk out of here, you’re mistaken. I am not starting this war. I am not interested in more killing. Are you?”

cherry1