Warrior ‣ Bellamy Blake

Fifty-Seven

It took me another seven years to publish, but are we surprised anymore? Maybe it's because I'm working on a lot of stories because I can't help it. New stories, old stories, spinoffs... you name it.

But Aella is never forgotten. As my first OC, she has a special place in my heart and her story is surely not over (especially since this story is reaching the 100k reads mark #humblebrag).

But I am not ready for season six. No spoilers, but you can see me in the corner crying over the ninth episode. If you're not caught up, DON'T GOOGLE EPISODE 9 JUST DON'T IT'LL RUIN YOU.

***

Aella stood in the head of the main room in the bunker alongside Clarke, Bellamy, Kane, Jaha, and Archer as the people of Arkadia were ushered into the room. They were obviously unhappy with this, some hearing whispers of the 100 spots for them. Self-preservation was prevalent in that room, panic spreading like wildfire in the hearts of the Arkadians.

"300 more people are going to die tonight," Jaha muttered in Bellamy's direction. "Still think you made the right choice?"

"We know he did," Aella responded for him. "If we had killed the others, we wouldn't have deserved to live. Besides, some of your best people were outside. Including me." She wrapped her arms around Archer, who leaned his head against her chest.

"Mom?" Archer asked.

"Yes?" she murmured.

"Is it true?" he asked. "300?"

"That's the magic number, handsome." She kissed the top of his head. 

"That's not fair."

"I know. I know it isn't."

Uncertainty twisted in her stomach like a knife. The phantom pain almost made her keel over, but she was thankfully brought back into reality. Was it thankfully? She stood beside people she loved, yes, but she also had to look among the people she swore to protect (including Niylah) and know only a fourth of them would get to live. A one in four chance per person.

Her eyes cast upon Miller standing beside Jackson, a thought that would've made her smile any other day. They cast upon Murphy, who was holding the woman he loved in his arms while she began to fear for her life, tears threatening to spill. They cast upon the children in the arms of their loving parents, looking down at the child in her arms and knowing how they must have felt. 

She held her son just a little bit closer.

"Children," she murmured to Bellamy. 

"What?" he asked.

"We have to prioritize the children. Doctors, engineers, yes, but the children come first."

"Can't argue with you there," he whispered, his hand grasping onto her open one.

Her throat tightened up as she counted the number of children in the room and calculating how many beds they would take up. They left enough room for top doctors and engineers, but she found the few teenagers in the crowd she had come to know after landing on Earth and experiencing undeniably strong traumas. Those kids would be forgotten.

Aella's eyes widened in horror, one kid, in particular, sticking out.

"Raven," she whispered. "Let's go inside."

She opened the door behind them and hobbled into the meeting room, sitting down in the closest seat.

"We need to get Raven," she decided. "One of those beds go to her."

"We don't have much time," Kane reminded his daughter.

"But we have enough. We have to go and give her a fighting chance."