The Graveyards We Leave Behind

Echo is watching the camp site intently. They have been sitting outside the wall for hours waiting for the sun to die down so they could make their move. Nyx's eyes are fixed on the woman to her left. Her light brown hair cascades down her back with every whisper of the wind. She finds herself imagining the betrayal at Mount Weather, but she fights the thoughs back knowing they are on the same side now. When Echo confirms that she is sure that everyone has retreated inside, Nyx sneaks them through the fencing and finds her way into the medical ward to snag a couple sedatives.

As they make their way through the station, they run into a boy who is blocking their path. She is forced to inject the guard in the hall, and her heart drops a little as his body drops to the floor. They make their way to Bellamy's room next, they are quick but quiet. Nyx's heart flutters as she watches him sleeping for a moment before jamming the sedative into his neck. His eyes open for a second. It is long enough for him so see her. Long enough for him to process. Long enough for him look at her with fear in his eyes.

She lets Echo tie Bellamy up while she works on the other guard who she recognizes is from farm station. Bryan would be mad so Nathan might be mad, but just like Arkadians would go to no end for their people, she would stop at nothing to protect hers. They wait for the men to wake before they force them out of the room and then the gate, through the woods and toward the capital.

Back at Polis she leaves the prisoners with Echo. Bellamy's eyes stare at her in betrayal. They burn a hole into her back as she walks away. She doesn’t care. He is dead to her. At least she keeps telling herself that.

Nyx takes the lift upstairs this time. She is eager to see Roan and does not have the patience to climb the 25 levels to his room. She doesn’t knock on the door, instead she lets herself in, and he jumps to his feet at the sight of her.

"Nyx," it sounds like a yearning when he says it. She runs over to kiss him, and he wraps her up in his arms as if it has been years.

"We have some business to go over first," she tells him as she pulls away from his grasp.

He looks concerned. It has been a week since he's seen her, and if she is not interested in kissing him then whatever has transpired must be important.

"Call Kane to the throne room, and I will explain," she says. He nods. He trusts her. She would not make him look like a fool. The couple take the lift up together. It is not long before Kane walks in slowly, eyeing Nyx who sits in the chair next to the king.

"Your people have had a whole week, so tell me, what is the plan for the radiation?" He asks Kane as Nyx has told him to. Roan will give him a chance to confess whatever she has found out before he hears it from her.

"We're working on it," Kane answers.

"And what are you working on?" Roan asks, but he is growing impatient.

"We don't have much. It's not an easy task," Kane says hesitantly. He doesn't understand what's going on, but the situation doesn't feel warm and welcoming.

Nyx is tired of running in a circle. "They're planning to patch up the ship to shelter their own. It can only hold a hundred, so I'm sure they havent given up on a solution, but I don’t think they're trustworthy either," Nyx announces bluntly.

Roan looks at her in surprise. On cue Echo enters the room with Bellamy and the other prisoner. Roan's face is still covered by a veil of shock when he looks to Bellamy and then to Nyx. He could not believe she arrested him. No matter what she tells herself Roan knows she loves the man.

"Am I going to hear a confession, or are you going to continue to lie?" Roan manages to ask the men in front of him.

"There's nothing to tell," Kane stands firm.

"Bellamy?" Nyx's voice calls out begging him speak.

Bellamy stares at her. His lips are pursed. He feels betrayed. How could he love someone like her?

Nyx sighs, and Roan can hear the regret in it. "You have a natblida in your camp," Nyx accuses.

Roan is now furious. He looks to Bellamy for an explanation or a protest, but when there is none he gets up with ferocity in his eyes. He feels like a fool for trusting them.

"You don’t understand," Kane says in a panic, "the blood protects against the radiation. We can make everyone a nightblood."

"Blasphemy," Echo accuses slitting the prisoner's throat in retaliation. Nyx sighs in relief, glad it wasn't Bellamy. She's pissed, but no matter how much she tries to convince herself she knows she loves the man.

Roan looks over to Nyx for advice. "The alliance is over," Nyx demands of him.

Roan nods. She is uncompromising. "The alliance is over," Roan concludes. "Skaikru and Trikru are now enemies of Azgeda."

Nyx looks over at Bellamy. She hopes that he knows by taking him here she has saved his life. Prison is better than death.

"Bring me Octavia and Indra," Roan demands of Echo. She nods in response, quickly tying Kane's hands and taking him to a cell with Bellamy. The farm station guard was only a boy, but his body lays at the entrance of the throne room drowning in blood now. Roan eyes the mess and sighs.

"I asked you to go be with your people, but you have turned on them and brought me prisoners," Roan says to Nyx. What she did is right, but still he can't help but to wish it worked out differently.

"I have not. You are my people. I had faith in the children I came here with who once wanted peace with the men that walked the ground, the men whose land we had come to claim for our own without asking. Skaikru as we know it is a cult of killers, drenched in the blood of every clan in our coalition. I will not show them any sympathy," she tells him firmly.

"I had higher hopes. Kane did not seem the type to betray. Maybe it will do you some good to talk to him," Roan suggests. "I have broken the alliance upon your request, it is only fair if you honor mine," he tells her. He wants her to fix this. He doesn’t want to go to war with her people. No matter how much she shuns them, it will hurt when she sees them die.

When Nyx says nothing he sighs and asks, "shall we take a walk then?" He wants to forget his duties for a moment. He just wants to be hers for a moment.

She sighs, "after I talk to Kane." She'll give him what he wants, but she's not sure any good will come of it.

He smiles placing a wet kiss on her forehead. "Mercy did not exist before Lexa," he begins, "mercy was misunderstood as fear, and such misunderstandings made for death."

"And what about justice?" she asks. She is angry that the Arkadians are willing to let all the grounders die.

"Justice is for those who deserve it, mercy is for those who don't," Roan adds. His eyes find hers in warning.

"You waste your wisdom," she says because she knows she is stubborn and only willing to talk to Kane upon his insistence.

"Don’t let it fall on deaf ears," he suggests. If she is going to be by his side, she needs to be more eager for diplomacy.

"On second thought, maybe it's best to spend the night with you. Maybe I should sleep on it," she didn’t want her hotheadedness to get her in any trouble. She is to angry that her people would consider such a selfish solution, and she knew she would take it out on Kane.

Roan is satisfied with her decision. He pulls his armor off, folding his clothes as always, and lays down to pat the empty spot next to him.

The next morning when she wakes Roan's arms are wrapped around her.

"I'm not going anywhere you know - you don’t have to hold on so tight," she teases as she turns in his grasp.

"But I do," he says. "Sometimes I think you're not real," he admits taking a moment to stare into her eyes.

"I know how you feel," Nyx agrees grazing her hand along his face.

"I had Echo find you some knew clothes," he tells her getting up to bring her the pile.

"You shouldn’t have. My old clothes are perfectly adequate," she states. She doesn’t want to take more than her share.

"I know, but I thought it would be nice to have a second pair. It's the end of the world, live a little," he jokes earning a smile from her lips.

The long sleeve black v-neck is simple, and it feels like silk on her skin. The jeans are also black, but new and clean. She has gotten used to putting on her cuirass, and since Roan has been on her about eating she is filling it up again quite well. She puts her harness on and secures her sword on her back. Her machete sits on her hip, and that old dagger Murphy gave her she straps to her thigh.

"Are you going to talk to them or kill them?" Roan jokes eying the warrior before him.

"Depends on what they say," she jokes back pulling her hair into one long braid.

"You're so beautiful," he says in admiration as he watches her get ready.

"I've heard some say," she teases him.

"Well they can say what they want, as long as the don’t touch," he tells her pulling her close for a kiss.

"You said it yourself," she says, "I'm ready to kill if they do." She stands on her toes to kiss him back. The kiss is longing. She has missed him.

"I'll be back soon," she tells him as she untangles her arms from his.

"I have waited my whole life for you, a few hours wont be too long. Take your time," he smiles urging her to think this through carefully.

The cell Kane and Bellamy are in is dark. Their hands are not tied as they sit awake on blankets with pitchers of water and plates of food at their feet. Roan has made sure they are being treated well. Despite everything, Roan made a wonderful king.

"Nyx," Kane calls out in surprise.

"Roan insisted I come talk to you," she says hesitantly.

"Yea, maybe you should have done that before you had him declare war on us, princess," Bellamy is pissed. The betrayal is eating at him. Good, she thinks, maybe he will understand how she has felt all these years.

"Nyx, listen to me. I know what it looks like, but I wouldn’t sacrifice all these people, you have to know that," he pleads with her. They really are working on a solution. He wants her to believe him. He wants to save her.

"You did on the Ark," she accuses bitterly.

"I did," Marcus nods, "but this is not the Ark, and I am not that man. Abby is working on a solution. The alpha station is a back up if all else fails."

"A back up for you, not for us," she says. She doesn’t like where this conversation is going.

His furrows his brows, "you are one of us."

"I'm not that sad 19 year old little girl that crawled into your bed anymore, Marcus. I was never one of you," she is hostile. She's tired of the word games. People's lives are not what she wants to gamble with.

When her words fall on Bellamy's ears his neck snaps to look at Kane. He forgets how angry his is with Nyx for a moment. There is a new rage in him so strong he might strangle the man next to him.

Kane is aware. He looks at Bellamy in shame and apology. "I'm sorry," Kane directs at the man sitting at his side. He feels completely defeated.

"Why are you apologizing to him?" Nyx is amused at the display.

"I told you if you ever fucking looked at her that I would kill you," Bellamy shouts. She was not Kane's to defile. He's pissed.

"This was a long time ago, Bellamy," Kane defends even though he knows it was a poor decision. Sometimes it's hard to make the right choices.

"That's called bad faith, asshole. If you had any intent on telling me you would have months ago," Bellamy argues. He wants nothing more than to drive his fist into Kane's face.

"Hey, fuck you," Nyx interjects, "you're not my fucking keeper. I spent three years on that piece of shit ship fucking who ever I pleased, just like you did. You don’t have a say in shit, and if you put your hands on Kane, Roan will have your head, and I wont stop him." She's determined to hurt him.

"Goddamn it, if you had just fucking talked to me," Bellamy yells. He's suddenly feeling desperate, and he wants her to listen.

"You were to busy fucking to talk," she yells back.

"Fuck you, so were you. I was there for you for five fucking years, and when my life went down hill you split," he accuses. He knows what he's saying is wrong, but he doesn’t know what else to do.

"Me? Are you fucking stupid? You spent our last year together drinking and having sex with anything that walked, and I still stayed by you even though Octavia begged me to leave, saying even the prisoners were talking about it," she says. She finds herself regretting mentioning his sister, but it's too late, and he knows now.

Bellamy's heart breaks when he hears that. He didn’t realize Ocatavia knew. What does she think of him? He knew he was a bad boyfriend, but the loss had caught up with him, and he didn’t know how to cope. "I was lost, Nyx, I just needed some help finding myself," he sighs. He's giving up the fight. She'll never stop hating him.

"And I tried my best, but you gave up," she says before she hears footsteps approaching.

"The war continues," Roan says, "I'm taking you home." His eyes are fierce, and Nyx begin to think he heard every word.

"Octavia will find you, and she won't show you any mercy," Bellamy says, and then Echo holds up a broken sword.

It is only seconds until Nyx slams Echo against the wall, and her machete is on the spy's neck drawing a sliver of blood. She wants to badly to cut off her head, and she finds herself wishing she didn't trust her for a second.

"I told you before that I would kill her, Roan, when she sentenced all those people in that mountain to die. You said her time would come, and now she has killed Octavia. When will her time come?" Nyx's words slither out of her mouth. She has never wanted to drive a dagger into someone's heart so bad.

"Nyx," Roan pleads with her placing his hand on hers hoping she'll put the weapon down.

Nyx drops her arm and sighs as he strokes her hand in comfort, but comfort is not what she needs. She feels the emptiness dig its way back in.

"Roan," her voice is low earning her Bellamy's attention. "Next time my blade is at her throat, and you attempt to stop me, I'll kill you too," she threatens. Her eyes are digging into his, and he finds the emptiness overwhelming. He doesn't respond to her threat because he knows she's not lying, and he resolves that if Echo betrays his lover again he will not stand in her way. She did, after all, go against his command, and to make matters worse she has taken the only sister Nyx has known.

"You threaten your king?" Echo shouts watching Nyx move to the cell to tie Kane's hands and then Bellamy's. She gives Bellamy's hand a discreet squeeze in apology at the news they just received.

"No, I threaten you," Nyx turns to spit in Echo's direction. "If my king stands in my way again when I decide to drive a dagger through the heart of a murder that has taken my sister's life, then he will not be my king any longer," she forewarns.