Chapter 30: Queen Nia's Test

I slept on Bellamy's shoulder for the ride over to where Farm Station had set up their main camp. When I opened my eyes again, night had fully claimed the sky. I followed my group out of the back of the truck, but I felt the angry eyes of many people as the Grounders and I climbed out, and I was not alone.

"Well, they look happy to see us," Finn remarked.

"It's Anya's and my glowing personality. People can't help but be affected," I mocked.

"Fool," Anya retorted with a light smile.

I chuckled, "I think we'll camp outside the walls just to be safe, if anyone would like to join us."

"We'll catch up with you later," Clarke replied.

I nodded and walked off with Bellamy, Anya, and the other Grounders. The gates were not closed yet, so we headed out and made our way thirty or so feet away before we stopped. Anya ordered the other two Grounders to collect some firewood while I made a few walls so that we could all feel a little more comfortable.

"You seem better," Bellamy commented as I sat down next to him.

"Hmm... then maybe I should rock a bullet hole in my shoulder more often," I teased then replied more seriously, "I am. Lincoln's death was a hard blow, but he wouldn't have wanted me to give up. I just have to do better from now on and keep you out of trouble."

"I cause trouble?" he asked mockingly.

I smirked, "To put it mildly... but I'm pretty sure that your path has already been changed. Just trust me, or at least, talk to me before you do anything crazy like joining a cult."

"I'll keep that in mind," he chuckled.

We relaxed in the little walled off area and, when Kolbi and Drakson returned, I lit the fire myself to make things easier. Clarke and Finn walked up a few minutes later with rations packs for everyone and a couple of bottles of water then passed them out to our little group. The food was bland and tasteless, making me miss Polis and the cooked meals that were delivered to my room, but that was just a part of being on the road, and no one else seemed to mind.

Before we went to sleep, I healed my shoulder again and Clarke checked it over. There was still a wound, but I could move my arm without too much pain, so with another day, I should be able to completely remove any sign of it. Now, I would just have to make sure that no one told Raven about it when we got back, or I was bound to get a lecture.

The next morning, the survivors of Farm Station were ready to move out, but with around eighty people and the gear that they had salvaged, two rovers were simply not enough. We loaded down the big truck with the supplies and had enough room for the children to sit inside. Everyone else was going to have to walk, and after being shot already, Kane, Bellamy, Clarke, and even Anya forced me to ride inside the smaller vehicle.

Things were fine throughout the morning, although it was slow going, but midday, we saw a small army camped out on the road with Ice Nation banners. We stopped about a hundred or two feet away from them, and Kane, Anya, and I climbed out of the lead rover. Pike, Bellamy, and Finn joined us off to the side while everyone else looked ahead with fear and anger.

"You still think that they are simply going to let us leave?" Pike asked with annoyance.

"They want a war, Pike," I retorted, "so they are going to keep poking and prodding us in hopes that we'll take the bait, turning the whole Coalition against us. If you want to be the rabid dog that gets us all killed, go on up."

"That's enough, Octavia. I know that you have been fighting these people just to stay alive, Pike, but we don't need to continue the bloodshed. I want you, Bellamy, Finn, stay here and make sure none of our people move away from the trucks while we meet with the Ice Nation."

"And when they kill you?" Pike asked.

"Then I kill them, starting the war that you idiots want so badly," I replied coldly.

Bellamy and Finn gave me a hard look while Kane could only sigh and shake his head.

"Let's hope things don't get to that point. You have my orders," Kane said then turned and headed towards the Ice Nation camp with Anya and I in tow.

A couple of riders headed out from the camp, but they were only there to guard and flank Queen Nia and her personal guards, Echo and Ontari. They did not travel further than the edge of their camp, making us come to them, but minor annoyances like that were not enough to ruffle any feathers on our side. Kane gave a proper bow to the queen while Anya and I only bowed our heads.

"I must count myself among the lucky to have you honor us with your presence once again, Queen Nia. May I take this chance to introduce Ambassador Kane and the current leader of Skaikru," I introduced.

"We thank you for allowing us to collect our rogue members, and apologize for the problems that they have caused," Kane said.

"And the blood that they have split?" Queen Nia demanded.

"They will be judged heavily by our laws and confirmed by Heda," he replied.

She gave a snort of annoyance then turned to look at me. "And you, Natfaya... Do you believe your people's laws can soothe the hatred that lies in the hearts of my Clan who have lost those that they love?"

"Nothing can ease that pain but time," I replied.

"Or finding a new lover," Echo retorted.

I gave her an angry look while doing my best to prevent any flames from appearing and growled, "My pain is not something that you would understand, nor my relationships with other people."

She smirked, but did not reply, having achieved her goal of angering me.

"You say that, Natfaya, but can you understand the pain of watching your brothers, sisters, wife, and children die?" Queen Nia asked.

"No, I cannot," I replied honestly. "But my people have also lost those that they care for. We understand that we are inadvertent invaders in your lands, which is why we ask for no retribution for our fallen members and I am tasked to atone for their mistakes as I did with Trikru. All of us only want what is best for our people, and sometimes that means looking past the grudges that we have formed to survive the future."

Surprisingly, Queen Nia smiled and gave me a slight nod. "We do what we must for the future of our people. My warriors will escort your people the rest of the way out of our lands to ensure that you do not get lost or troubled by any 'rogue' members of my Clan that are not happy with Heda's decision. I will send a team to lead you while the rest of my force will follow from behind."

Although it was a veiled threat, we just had to grin and bear it for now, which Kane understood well.

"We thank the queen for your assistance then," he replied with another small bow.

Queen Nia turned and walked away without another word. Echo gave me one last look of contempt before she fell in line behind Nia and next to Ontari. It was only when the men on horseback turned away that we finally headed back towards our people.

"Well, that went better than I thought it would have," I remarked as we walked.

"That was better? Do you have any idea how much harder that escort is going to make moving the Farm Station survivors without them trying something?" Kane asked angrily.

"I can go light some people on fire if you'd prefer because that how I thought this would have gone. What did you make of that look she gave me at the end, Anya?"

"She wants something of you," she replied.

"Doesn't everyone? Well, it doesn't seem like I'm going to get shot again, so I'll walk in case this is simply just a trap to kill us," I sighed while thinking, (Raven is going to kill me for drawing her into this mess.)

Neither of them replied because they likely had similar thoughts. Nothing about this was easy to navigate and we knew that we needed time more than anything else. When we reached the rest of our people, Kane explained what was going on and assured everyone that it was fine. Anya and I stood off alone as we watched his attempts to calm everyone down, but I could not help but compare them to the mob that the hundred had been. Everyone was frightened and angry, only wanting to lash out without thinking of the bigger picture. It was a fine thread that bound us all together and under Kane's leadership, so I could only wonder when it would break.

"You could control this whole situation," Anya remarked as we watched the crowd.

"And do what? I care about my people, but I don't want to lead them. Keeping them safe, and in line, is one thing, but actually leading them? I can't, even if I wanted to," I replied, knowing that I would be forced to leave this world at some point.

"Lexa would allow..." she started.

"It's not Lexa... There is a price for these powers. If I last until all of our people can walk on the surface again then I can die happily."

"How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning... why else do you think I wanted to... relive the start and enjoy what I had lost? I realized the hard way that indulging in the past is what caused those I care about pain and death," I replied, doing my best to stay within the lines of the story that Katye and I had created while also being honest with my feelings.

"If I started my life again, I do not know if I could walk the same path. You're strong, Octavia, and it is something that even your people can see," Anya said.

"Thanks... I don't really see it as anything other than using sarcasm and terrible jokes to keep everyone at bay, but if you can see it, then maybe Raven isn't completely crazy after all," I chuckled darkly.

Queen Nia sent out twenty men on horseback to act as our guide shortly after Kane had calmed down everyone. The riders did keep their distance once we started to follow, and they never tried to rush us or slow us down. The rest of Nia's forces were not seen until night fell again, and they were in the distance behind us with glowing torchlight.

"You should get some sleep while you can," Bellamy said as he walked up behind me.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," I replied, staring off into the distance where the torches of the Azgeda camp were.

"O... You don't have to do everything," he sighed, standing next to me.

"I know... but without abusing my powers or alcohol, it's not that easy for me to actually sleep. Side-effect of training my powers so hard that I hadn't expected, I literally have too much energy to just settle down," I replied honestly.

"Anything else you can tell me about them?"

I shrugged my shoulders with a smirk and turned my attention back towards the Azgeda camp in the distance. Stubbornly, Bellamy stayed with me all night as I waited for something to happen, but it never did. The morning came quietly and with an overcast sky as our Ice Nation guides made their way to the front of our caravan.

The next couple of days passed the same. We marched through the daylight and camped at night, slowly drawing closer to the Trikru border. Azgeda never pushed us to speed up or drew closer with their warriors, showing that Queen Nia was truly playing along, which only made me more suspicious. The original two days that we spent going through the Ice Nation to reach the camp of Farm Station survivors became five for the trip back thanks to the walking. It was our last night before we would reach Trikru territory, so my nerves were strained, as were a couple of other people, but we had kept everything together so far. The sound of horse hooves pounding the ground stirred our entire camp while my small group looked at me.

"It's not like I know what's going on any more than you guys," I complained, standing up.

Finn and Bellamy chuckled as everyone followed me. Our entire group from the Ark was gathering into a large crowd with several Guardsmen standing outside, holding their guns. Kane was already standing on the road, waiting for the messenger, with Pike as I walked up with Anya, since the others stayed in the back. As the rider approached, she was revealed to be Ontari which was surprising since she was Queen Nia's secret Nightblood.

"Natfaya! We need your help! One of our people was poisoned and our healers can't do anything else," Ontari explained as she pulled her horse to a frantic stop.

"We didn't do..." Pike started.

"If it was an accusation, they would have sent their army," I replied with a sigh, stepping forward.

Kane placed a hand on my shoulder, stopping me, as he said, "We'll go with you."

"Just protect our people. If we are going to make this work with Azgeda then I need to prove to Queen Nia that I'm serious about helping. Anya, will you make sure my brother doesn't try to do anything stupid like charging into the camp?"

"Even if it requires me to use force," Anya agreed.

"No broken bones please, they are a pain to heal and there is still plenty of walking ahead of us," I said as I slipped out of Kane's hand and headed for Ontari.

She offered me a hand which I took and used it to pull myself up onto the horse behind her. She barely gave me enough time to wrap my arms around her waist before she gave her horse a kick, and we were off. It did not take long for us to reach the Ice Nation camp, and no one tried to stop us as she rode straight to the largest tent that was likely the queen's.

We dismounted and she led me straight in. It turned out that I was right, but it was not Nia who had been poisoned. Instead, Echo was lying on the floor, convulsing, with several people gathered around her while Queen Nia looked on from the side with a concerned expression on her face. I could not help but frown, debating whether this was an elaborate setup or a true accident.

"Will you not treat her, Natfaya?" Queen Nia asked.

"Of course, I will. I'm just trying to figure out what her symptoms are to aid my healing. Without a focus, my power spreads evenly through a person's body and slows down the whole process as it tries to repair all damage, old and new alike," I replied as I approached Echo's side.

"Tabar, explain," she snapped.

"She tasted the food of the queen less than an hour ago and collapsed roughly twenty minutes before you got here. She's feverish, skin yellowed, and this is the third time that she has shaken like this," one of the men replied while I knelt down.

Echo stopped shaking, but then she started foaming at the mouth.

"Help me roll her onto her side! There is fluid in her lungs," I said, recognizing similar symptoms as when Finn had been poisoned. "One of my friends was attacked and poisoned with similar symptoms; have you tried any antidotes?"

"Two, but neither are helping," he replied.

"Alright, hopefully that will help instead of making matters worse. I'm going to make things bright, but it is not any form of attack," I explained, placing my hands on Echo.

"Save her," Nia ordered softly.

Closing my eyes, I channeled my healing energy into Echo's body, trying to focus on her lungs first since that was where the most present danger seemed to be. Next, I moved my attention to her blood and tried to purify it since most poisons would travel through the bloodstream where it can affect the entire body. I kept pouring more and more energy into her since I had not felt any resistance, but eventually my head spun with dizziness, and I collapsed on top of her.

I was vaguely aware of someone pulling me up, but my level of exhaustion had me slipping in and out of consciousness despite me trying to hang on. Another set of hands set me off to the side while the healer that had spoken to me checked me over, asking me questions that I could barely understand.

"I'm just exhausted... worry about her," I mumbled before completely falling asleep.

It was not a good idea to fall asleep in hostile territory, but when I woke up again, Nia had not betrayed the trust that I had shown her. I found myself lying on a cot, still inside Nia's tent, when I opened my eyes. Despite the fact that I was still tired, I forced myself to sit up and look around.

"Your people have sent a few to collect you," Nia remarked, noticing that I was up.

"They're aware that healing takes significantly more out of me than my other abilities, so they likely expected that I would need assistance to return," I replied as I swung my legs off the cot. "How is the woman?"

"My healers tell me that is doing much better, and they are not concerned for her life anymore though she has yet to awaken."

"It will likely take her more time than me since the fight was in her body, not mine," I explained.

"Why are you loyal to Heda?" she asked.

"I am loyal to my people," I retorted. "Heda gave me a chance to save them without any more bloodshed, so I do as I am told since my healing can't bring back the dead."

"And you harbor no malice against Trikru for those of your kind that they killed?"

"Lincoln was Trikru... People are people, your majesty. Some of Trikru killed dozens of my friends, but we killed hundreds of theirs. Holding an entire Clan responsible for the actions of a few individuals isn't something that I believe in."

"You killed all of the Mountain Men," she remarked.

"Because they were all guilty. Even if it was their only method for survival, they stop treating others with the simple respect that we are all human beings, so their crimes can't be washed away or ignored. The blood of every clan ran through every person that lived within the Mountain veins for generations. They were simply lucky that there was such a simple way to kill them all which saved nearly every life that was ours, or their deaths would have been much worse."

She smiled, "Your words ring true and have the bearing of a true leader. Why aren't you ruling your people?"

"My age and inexperience has already led to the deaths of those I care about. Our leader, Kane, has been teaching me since he arrived and learned of my abilities, but it is too early for my people to accept me, even with my powers. When I feel that I am ready, I can request the position, but there are still mistakes that I need to make up for."

"And you believe he will give up his position willingly?"

I shrugged, "To my people, my only crime was being born a second child. Kane has far more blood on his hands because of the choices that he was forced to make before we abandoned our space station, and he knows it. Our leaders are typically elected by the populous, so I only have to step forward when I'm ready and the people will do the rest."

"We'll have our truce after you repay the debt that your people made," Nia replied.

"I thank Queen Nia for the chance of peace for my people," I said as I stood up and bowed slightly.