Madness² ━━ The 100

vi. symbols of death

       "WHAT WERE YOU thinking, Kya?" Lexa questions as they walk into her room. "Now that you've volunteered I can't do anything about it."

"Good." Kya states. "It's not up to you."

"Lexa, you have to do something. Roan will kill her out there." Clarke exclaims, turning to Lexa. Kya glares at both women in response.

"I know Roan. And I don't lose." Kya drawls before turning to exit the room. "Oh, and Lexa, tell your guards I want my sword back."

-

"Is that death I hear stalking me?" Roan questions, holding a knife near Kya's throat. The blonde stands emotionless as Roan shows off, whipping his blade around. "Or just the Commander of Death?"

"We need to talk." Kya tells him.

"We have nothing to talk about. I need to prepare." Roan responds, lowering his knife.

"Roan." Kya begins. "I know you. I know you aren't as evil as your mother. This is what she wanted all along."

"What do you want? Spit it out." Roan mutters.

Kya's face hardens as she begins to speak. "You know if we fight, you will lose. That is why I'm giving you an out, I want you to become the king. I know you've thought of it. She was willing to let you die, willing to let you be banished. I know you just want to go home."

"When I win today, I will." Roan growls, trying to intimidate Kya.

"Roan, I'm not going to kill you today, but you know I could if I wanted to. You saw me that day, when I killed your mothers army. I killed fifty six of your men by myself. I slaughtered them. Remember that when I'm holding my sword to your throat." Kya warns him.

-

"Kya." Kya turns to see Bellamy enter her temporary room. She gulps, watching the man walk further into the room. He looked the same as he did when she left, same tan skin, same long curly hair, same freckles.

"Bellamy." Kya responds, standing from her spot on the bed.

It's silent for a moment as Bellamy tries to find the right words. With this battle coming up he decided it was finally time he talked to Kya and got some answers. "How are you?"

Kya lets out a small laugh at his question. "How am I? Great, thanks for asking. I'm just ready to go to home."

"Not Arkadia." He wasn't really asking, Bellamy knew Arkadia was no longer Kya's home.

"No." Kya shakes her head. She stares at the man in front of her for a minute before finally speaking up. "Just ask what you want to ask."

Her statement angered Bellamy slightly as he moved closer to her. "I have lots of questions, Kya. One being why did you leave me?"

Kya takes a deep breath, she knew one day they would have to have this conversation, but that still didn't mean Kya was ready for it. "I thought I needed to find Clarke. But after a while I realized that she obviously didn't need me as much as I needed her. So I forgot about finding her. I trained more, learned how to fight better and I made a new life for myself."

"Obviously." Bellamy scoffs, gesturing to Kya's hair. "Are the rumors true? Were you in Ice Nation?"

Kya stiffened at Bellamys questions. She knew some people may have known about the fact that she was in Ice Nation, but she didn't know if anyone knew the details.

Kya sighs, telling herself she would tell Bellamy the truth. He deserved it. "The night I left Arkadia I told myself I would find Clarke as quick as possible. I thought, you know, if Clarke felt like she couldn't be in Arkadia her and I could live alone somewhere. After about three weeks of searching, I still hadn't found her, so I thought I would head north and see if she was there." Bellamy nods, listening attentively to Kya's story. "I was sneaky, I stayed hidden, and for a while no one in Ice Nation knew the famous Fayaheda walked among them."

"How long were you there?" Bellamy questions.

"I was there for about a month, maybe a bit more than that." Kya tells him. "After a while I realized Clarke wasn't there. So I tried to leave, I was almost pass the boarder when they caught me. I was taken to the queen, she said she wanted Clarke and I's power, and at the time I didn't know that meant she was planning on killing me. The queen said that until she figured out how to take my power I would be held as a prisoner. So I was. For weeks on end she kept me locked away, I thought I was going to die there."

Bellamy's eyes widen as Kya continues her story. The sadness he felt for the woman he loved grew as he learned what she had gone through in her absence. "Until, her son Roan, set me free." Bellamy stilled at the mention of the man Kya was supposed to fight today. Had she moved on while she was away? Had Roan been there for her when he wasn't? "Nothing happened between us." Kya speaks up, noticing how Bellamy tensed. "He's just a friend." Bellamy let out a relived breath of air at Kya's statement. "Once I was free, I was furious. If the queen wanted Fayaheda I would give her to her. Nia had heard that I escaped so she rounded up a small portion of her army and had them capture me. I killed all of her soldiers that day, at least the ones that had came after me. By the time I was done my hair was covered with their blood. I looked like my old self. Like Fayaheda."

Bellamy's eyes widen as he watches the now unfamiliar woman in front of him. He could hardly believe how different she was. No longer the sweet girl who sang him lullabies when he couldn't sleep, she was now a warrior. Bellamy grabbed at the girls wrist, tracing one of the many tattoos. "What are these?"

Kya sucks in a breath of air at his question. "Nia was outraged when she saw me slaughter her army. I was injured pretty badly after the fight, so once they were all dead Nia sent in reinforcements. I don't remember much after the fight, I just know that when I woke up I was in the Queen's throne room. She said because I killed fifty six of her men that's how many scars I would receive. I didn't know what she meant at the time, but it didn't take long for me to figure it out. Her and her army took turns cutting my skin, carving symbols into me. In Ice Nation all these symbols mean different forms of death, destruction, suffering, pain. It's a torture tactic, in my case a punishment, a punishment people don't usually survive or forget."

Kya didn't let any tears fall from her face as she thought about the past. She had long cried for the girl she used to be. "Once my punishment was over they locked me away again. I thought for sure I would die, Nia wasn't letting me out anytime soon and my wounds were bleeding severely. I knew if I didn't get out soon I would die. So I used the little strength I had left to kill the guard who was watching me. I used his sword to pick the lock and I escaped. I stumbled upon a village and they took me in, healing and helping me. If it wasn't for them I would be dead." Bellamy was stunned as Kya finished her story. Nothing could have prepared him for what she had just told him.

"Kya-" Bellamy begins before the blonde cut him off.

"Don't." Kya snaps. "I don't need your pity. I don't need anyone's pity. I just need to get my revenge." With that Kya left the room, grabbing her sword on the way. Bellamy stood still, the familiar power Kya always held leaving the room along with her. Bellamy's thoughts were interrupted as the sound of a horn blasted through the city, signaling the battle was beginning.