The First On The Ground

Heavy Lies The Crown

(AUGUST POV)

Roan and I enter the throne room where I see two thrones. Lexa's throne with Roan's beside it.
"Welcome to your throne room, my King," Echo says as she bows before throwing me a glare.

"You shall address your Queen and Commander as well," Roan orders as he glares at Echo.

"My apologies, my Queen," Echo sneers as she bows to me. "Your throne, Heda." Roan and I walk over to our thrones. "Now that the lift has been repaired, I've doubled the guard on the doors on every floor."
"Expecting trouble?" I ask her.

"I trust only Azgeda," Echo answers before turning to Roan. "Your mother taught me that. Our people loved her for it."
"Our people feared her, Echo," Roan argues.
"Because she was fierce and vicious," Echo says.
"My mother's ambition, her disregard for Lexa's alliance got her killed," Roan says as we sit on our thrones.
"If I may, why do you insist on ruling as Lexa did when it's not what's best for our people?" Echo asks. "At least tell me there's a reason."

"Roan is your King, but he is not Heda," I tell Echo with a roll of my eyes. The doors open to reveal my father and Octavia. Damn, she looks like a grounder warrior.
"Forgive the intrusion, Your Highnesses," My father says. "May we have a word privately?" I could sense his urgency.

"You can wait like the other ambassadors," Echo says.
"Echo, leave us please," I order. Echo sends me a glare.

"Echo, please," Roan says. The guards and Echo then leave the room.
"We were right to be concerned about Trishanakru," My father says once the doors are closed. "Rafel is gonna challenge Roan for control."
"Bold move for a new ambassador," Roan says as he stands. "So? Let him come." Roan and I walk over to my father.
"With respect, you're still recovering," My father says.
"The law says you could pick someone to fight in your place," Octavia says as she walks forward.
"No. The clans will never accept a leader who hides behind the law or another warrior's blood," Roan says. My question is: Why is Roan being the one challenged when I have the flame?
"You'll lose. August kicked your ass without a bullet hole in your chest," Octavia argues.
"We should cancel the gathering or delay until you're strong enough," My father says.
"No," I say which makes Octavia and my father look at me as if I were crazy. "Letting the ambassadors have a voice keeps the peace here. Azgeda holds this city through force alone, and even with me having the flame, I won't be able to keep the clans at bay forever. If they unite against us, we could lose, and if we lose..." I sit back down on my throne.

"They come for Skaikru," Octavia finishes.
"And the radiation comes for us all," Roan says as he sits on his throne.
"No one has to die. The point of our arrangement is to give us time to find a solution to save everyone," My father explains.
"And how is that solution coming?" Roan asks.

"We're working on it. In the meantime, I'm here to keep you both in power. Let me talk to the ambassador," My father says.
"Go ahead. Talk but if you fail, he'll have no choice but to fight," I tell my father. "Then it will come to me having to fight. We need a solution and fast." My father nods before he and Octavia leave the room.

(BELLAMY POV)

It has been two days since we left Polis and I'm missing August like crazy. We need her here. We need her brain and I need her. Raven, Clarke, Monty, and I have been trying to come up with a solution.
"We've been at this for two days. There must be something we're not thinking of," I say. "What if we could reach the nearest nuclear reactor?"

"I told you, the meltdown started months ago. There's no magic button to turn them off," Raven says. "Today this isn't black rain, but it will be soon. That's why we have to focus on riding out the radiation, finding someplace safe and big enough to hold all 500 of us."
"This isn't just about saving us. August and I made a promise to Roan. It's about saving everyone," Clarke says.
"And that's why we need to tell everyone. Crowdsource it. If there's another Mount Weather out there, the Grounders will know about it," Raven says and Monty nods in agreement.
"And you think they're just gonna tell us just like that?" I ask. "If we tell everybody they're gonna die, the coalition is over, Roan and August will fall, and the Grounders will be at our gate."