Chapter 25: Ch. 25 – Salvation Lies Within

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, and I groaned under my usual hangover. I placed a hand to my head and used my healing ability to eliminate my hangover. Someone nuzzled into my neck, and I froze in place.

"Must you be so 'bright' in the mornings?" Raven hissed in my ear.

"You stayed..." I said softly, running my fingers through her hair.

"You asked me to... remember?" she asked.

"That didn't mean you would."

She propped herself up and pushed a few strands of hair out of my face as she said, "If it means that this pretty face will get spared, I don't mind dealing with your snoring."

"I don't snore," I chuckled before I leaned up and kissed her. "Thank you for being here."

"I've been here the whole time... you've just been pushing me away."

"Because you've been through enough."

"And you haven't?"

Before I could reply, someone knocked on my door. I sighed and rolled off the side of the bed, finding my clothes in the pile that we had brought in when we moved to the bed last night. I pulled them on as I walked towards the living room, pulling the curtain closed that hid the bedroom. I opened the door and found Clarke, Finn, Bellamy, and Monty on the other side.

"Of course, it's you guys... well, come on in," I sighed, walking away from the door. I headed over to one of the chairs and dropped into it, motioning to the others for everyone else to sit. "If this is about helping open the bunker, I already know. Raven told me about it last night."

"You've seen Raven?" Finn asked with surprise and a note of concern.

I rubbed the back of my head, not sure of what to say, but Raven answered everything as she popped out of my bedroom, fixing her clothes. Heads turned between the two of us, and I could not help but chuckle darkly as everyone put the pieces together.

"I dare for any of you to say something," I remarked with a threatening tone.

"Because that helps anything," Raven chided.

I raised my hands in surrender and chuckled, "So, what can I do for you guys?"

"Nothing, I guess... Raven never returned to her room last night, but it seems we have our answer," Clarke sighed. "We're expected at the temple at midday, but we still have several hours."

"You guys want breakfast? Lexa assigned me someone who would handle any needs like that," I offered.

No one really spoke because there was this whole strange tension between Raven, Finn, and Clarke, and what was between Bellamy and Raven was on a whole different level. Poor Monty did not know what to do or say any more than I did, but at least he was not at the center of it like me.

"I'd like something to eat," Monty said after a few tense moments.

"Perfect," I said, standing up.

I headed for the door and grabbed Raven by the arm, dragging her out with me. A young Grounder man was positioned outside my door and, despite the armor and sword hanging at his waist, he was basically my assistant while I was here in Polis.

"Dagyn, could you arrange for food for six to be brought up here?" I asked.

"Yes, Natfaya," he replied then walked off.

I could not suppress the shiver that always seemed to haunt that name for me, but I let it go and turned towards Raven. "Look, last night doesn't have to mean anything. I know you've been worried about me, but I'm a big girl and I'll be fine."

She looked offended as she started, "Go float..."

I did not let her finish as I stepped closer and sealed her lips with my own. I wrapped my arms around her neck and, when I broke our kiss, I whispered, "Thank you."

She hugged me back as she rested her head against mine and replied, "I got you."

I kissed her again before we parted and walked back into the room. Although the others had spread out in the living room, all eyes turned to us as we entered, which made me give a wry smile. I headed over to a large cabinet that had different bottles of alcohol, but also a pitcher of water and a dozen glasses.

"Anyone want some water?" I asked as I pulled off my ring.

I manipulated the stone ring to stretch out and wrap around the neck of the pitcher so that I could make it float behind me. With my hands free, I grabbed six cups and headed back over to the seating area. I placed the glasses on the table between the chairs and couch then grabbed the pitcher out of the air.

"That's so cool," Monty remarked as I changed my ring back to normal and put it back on.

I chuckled, pouring everyone a drink, "Thanks." I sat down on the couch and asked, "So, did any of you check out the city yesterday?"

"Yeah, it's wild. Who would have thought that the Grounders would have a place like this?" Monty replied, excitedly.

"Well, it's the capital of the Coalition, but there are capital cities in all of the territories of the Twelve Clans. I doubt they are as big as Polis, but they should be impressive in their own way."

"So, what are the names of the Twelve Clans?" Monty asked as he sat down.

His light-hearted and excitable personality was able to dispel the awkward atmosphere, drawing everyone over. Everyone found a place to sit with Raven next to me on the couch, and they waited for me to answer his question.

"Well, let's see," I said, trying to remember all of the names and locations that Katye had told me. "There is Trikru, or Woods Clan, which is where we landed. The next closest is Ouskejonkru, or Blue Cliff Clan, but Azgeda, or the Ice Nation, is a close third. To the northeast, there is the Desert Clan, Sankru, and east in the sea is Floukru, the Boat People. The south holds Louwoda Kliron, Shallow Valley, and Yujleda, the Broadleaf Clan. West, from south to north, is Trishanakru, Ingramanronakru, Boudalankru, Delfikru, and Podakru, or Glowing Forest Clan, Plains Riders, Rock Line Clan, Delphi Clan, and Lake People. And in a few days, there will be a thirteenth clan, Skaikru."

"Glowing Forest Clan? Does the forest actually glow?" he asked.

"I haven't been there, but I would imagine so. There were patches that did near the dropship."

"I remember. We passed through a place that first night when we were looking for..." Finn chimed in then let his words trail off before he mentioned Mount Weather, but the damage to the mood was already done.

"So, how are you doing after everything, Monty? I know Abby wouldn't have cleared you to come if there was anything wrong, but I can still heal any pain that was left over... physical, at least," I said with a sober tone after a minute or two of silence.

"I'm fine, Harper too," he replied.

"And Jasper?"

"He's... not been taking it well."

I sighed, "When you get back, you should keep an eye on him. If things start getting too bad with him, I can try and arrange for him to get passage to Floukru. It's removed from all of this and peaceful. I know he can start recovering there."

A knock on the door stopped our conversation and I told the person to come in. Dagyn walked inside, carrying a large bowl of fruit and bread. He brought it over to us and set it on the table with our drinks.

"Is there anything else that you require, Natfaya?" he asked.

"No, but thank you," I replied, doing my best to not react to the name.

He gave a slight bow then walked out of the room.

"So, Natfaya... what's that supposed to mean?" Finn asked as he grabbed an apple.

"Night Fire," I replied softly, looking away.

Since neither Finn nor Monty reacted to the translation, it was easy to guess that they had not been told what I had done, but Raven and Bellamy had seen it with their own eyes, and they likely explained to Clarke what I meant when I had said the Soul Burn was a punishment.

"Maybe you should stop talking for the morning," Bellamy remarked as he gave Finn a hard look.

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"Yeah, I think you're right," Finn agreed, realizing that he was missing some important bit of information which had caused him to kill the mood.

"Well, that's something that I never thought I would hear," I chuckled.

That helped ease the mood yet again and we were able to keep it on the happier side while we ate. There was still time before we were expected to meet down in the temple, so the others left after eating, including Raven.

Alone in my suite, I headed for the bathroom and filled up the basin so I could wash up. While the tower did have running water, it was only because they had rigged a water tower, which caught the rain, to the original plumbing. The water was always cold and not safe to drink, but it was still a luxury that I had missed while living in the dropship camp.

After drying off my face, I looked into the mirror. It was strange seeing the face of Octavia looking back at me, but the marking over my right brow was all mine. If I did not know what it was, it would look like a tribal flame tattoo that was a stormy gray color which should reflect the color of my soul. I touched the mark and sighed before I turned away.

I walked back into my bedroom and looked for a change of clothes. Grounder fashion was a bit revealing and flowy for my tastes, but Lexa had arranged for a variety of clothes to be placed in the drawers, so eventually, I found something to wear. I settled on a green, sleeveless tunic and a pair of brown, soft-leather pants. After I was dressed, I headed to the hallway door and opened it, looking for Dagyn, but saw that Lexa was walking up through the hallway.

"Octavia, I was coming to talk with you. Are you available?" Lexa asked.

"Of course, Heda," I replied, moving out of the doorway so that she could walk in.

She walked over to the balcony while I shut the door and then followed behind her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I just wanted to check in on you. I really haven't had the chance in the past few days because I've been so busy," she replied.

"I'm about as fine as can be, all things considered," I remarked, leaning on the railing.

"Mmm... I'm sure after your night."

I chuckled, "Keeping tabs on who visits me, huh?"

"Even if I didn't, I still would have known with the amount of noise you two were making; soundproofing did not survive the apocalypse and time... I'm just trying to make sure that this isn't another method for you to avoid your emotions," Katye said.

"God... did he put you with me just to be my nanny?" I chuckled then sighed, "I don't know... I've always had a thing for Raven, and then spending so much time together at the dropship... I just feel like an asshole. Lincoln's been gone for how long? I cared about him, I loved him, just not the way he loved me, yet I still used that to make sure that I lived and that caused his death."

"It wasn't just you that he helped. He saved Clarke's and Finn's lives, even your entire group since he gave you and Clarke multiple warnings. You may have used him and he may have died, but without him, we never would have had a chance in the beginning. If Clarke and the hundred had died, there would have never been a chance to make an alliance with Skaikru. Without the expertise of Skaikru, even if I managed to open the bunker, I doubt that my people could keep it going for the six years that we have to stay there, if we could even get out if the tower still crumbles on top of us. It was Bellamy and Clarke that led Diyoza's group to unbury everyone inside. It's a butterfly effect; one minor change can impact hundreds of major ones."

"And we're already playing with fire," I sighed, looking down at the city. "Do you think all of this is worth it? These people aren't any different than us, yet their lives are in our hands because 'he' chose us to become like him... I buried nineteen kids and I let even more die because I was too scared to take control from the beginning. How am I supposed to live with that kind of a mistake?"

"You remember the fifty-three that you did save and try to do better next time. Lord knows this is just the beginning, Becca, and I can't do this without you."

"I don't plan on going anywhere. Taking a supporting role has already done more harm than good," I replied with a sigh.

She placed an arm around my shoulders and gave me a small hug. "We'll take this day by day, together. I won't give up on you if you don't give up on me."

I sighed, leaning my head on her shoulder, and teased, "He really did pair you up with me just to be my nanny."

"Come, we should head down to the temple," Katye said.

I chuckled, "I don't know how you do that... you sound like you belong here."

"It's Lexa's memories. It's hard sorting them out from my own sometimes, but I'm sure you know the feeling."

"No! You got Lexa's memories?!? Why didn't I get Octavia's?"

"I don't know... How did you do everything so well then? You really didn't know that much."

"There was this stupid prompt feeding me Octavia's lines! It even took over my body and threw me off a freaking hill!"

Katye laughed, "Yeah... Octavia didn't have the best luck throughout the show."

"Thanks," I groaned.

"Do you want to be shot by your own Fleimkepa?" Katye chuckled.

"Fine, fine... we both have it bad," I replied as we headed for the door.

We left my room and headed down the hall to the 'elevator'. It was in the elevator shaft of the old building, but like most things, the Grounders had adapted a brute-force method to power the lift instead of using electricity. Lexa pulled a cord, and the deep ring of a bell rang out from down below, through the shaft.

"It takes a bit longer than what you are used to, but you'll get used to it," she chuckled quietly.

"How long does it take?" I asked.

"From this floor to the bottom floor, roughly ten minutes."

"Is now a bad time to mention that I've always had an irrational fear of elevators?" I asked, both with humor and a hint of truth.

"Then learn how to fly, and teach me as well," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes, but the friendly banter did help my mood. This would have been practically impossible for me to survive in this world without someone like Katye who I could be completely honest with. While we waited for the lift to arrive, Kane, Clarke, and Finn all made their way to the end of the hall. We took the lift down together, which made for a unique brand of tension between everyone, but Kane, almost mirroring the morning's playout in my suite. Lexa and I shared a look, but things were otherwise silent for the ten minutes that it took to reach the ground.

Raven, Sinclair, and the rest of the group from Skaikru were already waiting for us when the five of us walked out of the tower. I shared a smile with Raven as the groups met up and we walked together to the temple. Titus was waiting for us at the entrance and had most of our group stay outside while Lexa, Kane, and I were allowed in. I could not help but look at him with some suspicion since I knew he was the one who originally killed Lexa, even if it was an accident. After all, he had been trying to kill Clarke because he did not trust Skaikru, so there was a chance that he might come after me this time.

Titus led us through the halls of the temple and to the room at the back. Just like in the show, the walls were decorated with the story of Pramheda, Becca Franco, the creator of both Alie and the Flame. The woman was a brilliant scientist who created Nightblood serum so that humanity could survive the radiation, but it was also her creation, Alie, who destroyed the world in the first place. Much like the reoccurring theme throughout the show, the good that she tried to do was overshadowed by the deaths that she had caused.

"Polaris... the Thirteenth Station," Kane said with surprise as he looked over the escape pod that Becca had down in.

"Ironic, is it not when your people will become the Thirteenth Clan?" Lexa asked with a hint of amusement.

"You knew?" he asked, turning around.

"I have the memories of all the past Heda's, including Bekka Pramheda. She used this pod to escape before Polaris was destroyed and delivered the Nightblood to our people. We honor her story, and those she freed, here, and her ashes have remained sealed within the bunker since her death," Lexa explained.

"The door to the crypt is below the altar," Titus said.

"Alright, I guess I can be the muscle," I replied, pulling out my stone knife. "Kane, help me tip it so that I can get the pieces of my knife under it."

Kane nodded his head and Titus also helped lean the old escape pod over slightly. I used my powers to break the knife into four pieces and directed two parts under the corners of the upside. We repeated the motion for the other side, and I moved the last two pieces in place. I knelt down and focused on the parts of my knife then lifted my hands. It was heavier than anything that I had tried to move before with my Earth magic, but after all of my practice and taking down Mount Weather, it just took a few minutes for me to lift it up and carefully move it aside.

"This is the lock. I'd like for you to do as little damage to it as possible," Lexa said, as she looked down at the symbol of the Second Dawn Cult.

"Time's not a factor, so I should be able to unlock it, not just break it," I replied as I sat in front of the hatch.

I placed my hands on the lock and slowly infused my mana into the metal. Closing my eyes, I was able to visualize all of the interlocking parts like a three-dimensional object and close see how they fit together. Carefully, I twisted the different internal rings with my power until they all fell into place and then unlocked. I opened my eyes and gave Lexa a look before I lifted the hatch open.

"Salvation lies within," Lexa quoted, staring at the stairs.

"Yeah, well, I'd prefer to not 'rise from the ashes.' After you, Heda, the honor should be yours," I said, standing up.

Lexa gave me a smile and patted me on the shoulder before she headed down the stairs. When we had first devised this plan to open the bunker sooner than the show originally, she had been a very excited fan-girl. There was a lot that tied into the bunker, but more than anything else, there was an Anomaly Stone hidden under Cadogan's lab. Although we were hesitant to use it, if we could crack the codes, we could save everyone instead of just a few thousand between the different bunkers, but that would also mean opening Pandora's Box to do it.

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