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"DO YOU like her?" Lexa questions with a smile. She looks over at stunned Iona, a smile stuck on her face as she stares forward, unblinking, at the beautiful white mare. She tried to speak, but no words came out. "I picked her with you in mind."
Iona glances over at her cousin, and when they lock eyes, Lexa sees the glossy tears covering her dark eyes. She looked so sweet, so innocent, and so vibrant in that moment; a genuine smile plastered across her lips.
Lexa smiled.
"What's her name?" Iona asked quietly, running a hand through the horse's hair.
She was young still, not fully grown and standing a foot taller than Iona's waist. Still, the horse was stunning; white hair, white fur, a sloshing white tail, and silver-blue eyes. Iona felt her breath catch in her throat every time she locked eyes with the creature.
"Athena," Lexa said simply. She stepped forward, patting Athena's back and tracing shapes into her skin. "One of the maidens had a horse they couldn't raise. I figured she be better off in your hands."
Iona sent Lexa a grateful smile before standing in front of Athena.
Leaning her forehead against Athena's, she closed her eyes in content, grinning slightly as she murmured- not without a kiss to the creature's temple, "I have a feeling we're going to be the best of friends, Athena."
Iona hated sleeping.
It was so refreshing, so calming, yet so stress-inducing at the exact same time. When she could've been resting, she was instead staring up at the ceiling, memories flashing in front of her eyes like they were happening for the first time.
Each one never failed to make her sob uncontrollably, and she was grateful that it was only her and Harper still in the cave. Miller and his boyfriend had left to grab some food from some nearby berry bushes, leaving the pair alone.
She was grateful, though.
Harper didn't look at her with pity, nor did she attempt to understand what the woman was going through. She didn't say I'm sorry and try to reach out and touch her. No, Harper treated her just as she did before everything went down.
Truth is, she needed that. Iona needed someone to still respect her despite knowing of her mental and physical decline. She needed someone to still fear and look up to her- to make her feel like she was at least somewhat who she used to be.
Bellamy pitied her- he always looked at her with those sunken, guilty eyes- and she hated it. She hated being viewed as weak, even though she knew that was her current state.
When Octavia and Kane dragged him out of the cave, Iona had been grateful. She couldn't look at him without seeing someone who openly withheld so much important information from her- lifechanging information.
He let her think Lexa was alive. He let her think he didn't participate in the murder of her people. He let her think he was okay- that they were okay.
It angered her.
Finally, Iona sat up, eyes still glossy with tears. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore- it was by far the most draining activity she'd partaken in recently, which was astounding.
All she'd been doing was crying. It was tear after tear and she just couldn't seem to make it all stop. It came and continued to come until Iona was overcome by a flood, drowning in her own tears and choking on the salt.
When Bellamy held her hand, that was when it started. When Iona began to feel like she was weak and useless- then, the first set of tears came. She had just calmed herself down when she found out about Lexa's death, and then she was sent back into her crying fit.
Bellamy helping her outside didn't help at all.
If anything, it made her cry worse because she found herself so utterly pathetic for actually being comforted by him. Despite everything, his hug still soothed her, and the grip he held on her wrists still lit her skin aflame.
She despised herself for it- really, she did. She should be angry- well, she is, but it should be more consistent- with him for everything, but somehow, he was still the one she was searching for comfort within.
He gave it, too, whether be when she felt his gaze from across the room or his disheartened attempts to reach out and touch her- or the small smile he sent her way when she did finally meet his eyes.
They were actions she couldn't reciprocate anymore without feeling sick to her stomach, but she accepted them.
Iona accepted them because, despite everything, they made her feel better.
When did everything get so fucked up?
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YOU ARE READING
GRIM REAPER¹, bellamy blake
Fanfiction❝are you afraid of me?❞ ❝of you? no. of what you can do? definitely.❞ ❝you should be afraid of all of me, sky boy.❞ A Trikru commander, Iona Valana, is spun into a new world when her sister dies by a Sky People massacre, and it leads to an unlikely...
