Come on and Slam

The sound of the doorknob turning instantly shifted your focus to it, a familiar face stepped into the room. He always managed to produce a geniunely warm smile despite everything crumbling around him. You always wanted to know how Kane did it. How he always stayed positive despite everything crumbling to pieces around him.

“ How are you holding up? “ Kane chimed, his grin soon faded into pursed lips. It had been a while since you got a good look at him, his forehead wrinkles deepened a little more and his hair had grown to his shoulders. He deserved a relaxing vacation, trying to save the last fraction of the human race was taking a toll on him. It was taking a toll on everyone, really.

“ As good as any person can be during an apocalypse. “ You jived playfully, attempting to lighten the dreary mood and create a space of fake comfort. Kane breathed out a small chuckle before plopping into a nearby chair, his arms crossed firmly against his chest. Kane’s eyes spoke of a silent sadness as he drifted off in deep thought. “ What are you thinking about? “

“ How far we’ve come, how much we’ve all changed. How much we’ve gone through, how much we’ve lost along the way. “ Kane huffed out, his eyes blinking back into reality. Your mind flashed back to the beginning, all the repressed memories floating along like a raging river. The delinquent’s camp, Trikru, and Mount Weather felt like it happened only yesterday. Where did all the time go?

Never once in all your years of being alive would you have thought to being a leader. You were just looking for that outlet to finally get out from under the floor and out into the open where you were free to do whatever you wanted.

“ It’s best not to dwell on the past. Showing sentiment is weakness. “ You stated bluntly, earning a loud snort out of Kane. “ I don’t recall saying something funny. “

“ Sorry, I’m just realizing how much you’ve changed, Y/N. “ He replied with a grin curling on his lips. Kane’s eyes maintained that weird twinkle, it reminded you of the eyes of a dreamer. They desperately held on to whatever shred of hope of was left, regardless of whatever was happening. “ You’ve grown up, kid. Last time I really got a good look at you, you were a dedicated warrior, simply looking for their place in life. Now, you’re a skilled leader who saved all our asses out of the kindness of your heart when you could’ve chose few or none at all. “

“ Well, let’s be glad that I was in a good mood that day. “ You politely brushed Kane’s reflection of you away with a small smile. The last thing you wanted to do was open old wounds, you already had enough of them to last you more than a lifetime. “ But thank you, I appreciate your kind words. “

“ Alright, I’ll get out of your hair, kid. Just wanted to check up on you. “ Kane spoke contently as he heaved himself off the armchair. Kane could sense that you were beginning to grow uneasy with his presence. He assumed by the slight clenching of your jaw that it was time to leave and attend to other important matters. “ Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all. “

You gave a small nod with a tight lipped smile, waving Kane goodbye as he exited through the white glass doors. You let out yet another heavy sigh, leaning back in the desk chair with eyes to the grey concrete ceiling above. You wondered what Bellamy was doing at the moment, was he having fun? Was he thinking of you too? How were the rest doing? You missed him dearly. The distance was going to drive you batshit crazy.

Miller eyed your every move warily, he held his tights fists just under his eyes. You both paced around the room like short-tempered tigers in a cramped cage. Tired of waiting for him to make the first move, you lunged forward to throw a punch only to have it blocked it by Miller’s forearm while recieving a sharp jab to the ribs. You let out a low grunt of pain as you gripped on his forearm, forcefully shoving a knee into his stomach.

You backed off to catch a breather as you watched Miller double over in pain while his hand gripped where you had kneed him. You lifted your shirt to examine your ribs briefly, it was nothing serious, just a red mark where Miller had jabbed you. Dropping the fabric, you shifted your focus back to Miller. “ Great warmup. Ready for the real thing? “

“ Come at me, Y/N. “ Miller grunted roughly as he forced his torso in an upright position. You grabbed two nearby swords, keeping one while you tossed the other to Nathan. He caught it and gave it a small swing to become familiar with its weight. You smirked deviously as you gripped tightly onto its hilt, immediately charging at Miller without notice. Your sword clashed fiercely, swings and slices were dealt left and right.

While maintaining your guard, you kept your eye out for spots of vulnerability. You swung to the left, urging your brawling partner to duck to avoid having his head chopped clean off. As soon as Miller’s back faced you, you rammed your elbow into his spine. The move shoved him face first to the ground, quickly flipping over to recover from his mistake. Your sword was aimed towards his throat, ready to kill in an instant.

“ Y/N. “ A certain voice drowned out the heavy panting of both you and Nathan, followed by a clearing of her throat. You looked towards your mentor, Indra, standing in the doorway. In her arms, she held the formal garments of Heda. Your eyes flickered from the clothes to Indra, jaw clenching slightly. “ The delegates have assembled. “

“ Dressing me up doesn’t fool anyone. “ You stated bluntly, grasping Miller by the hand to help him up on his feet. Indra took a small step towards you, holding out the fabrics in front of you. You rolled your eyes at the outfit, wiping your sweaty forehead with a towel slung over your shoulder.

“ My blood is red and it always will be. “

“ Symbols matter, Y/N. These symbols. “ Indra insisted firmly, the gear Commander Lexa previously wore sat in her outstretched palm. You wanted to scoff and groan in her face. You were the leader of Wonkru now, why weren’t you allowed to do whatever you wanted? Why should you be restricted to the old traditions “ Trust me. The more people connect you to them, the easier it is for you to lead.

You walked towards the conference room, dressed up in the ridiculous outfit Indra persuaded you to wear. You scanned the bustling halls filled with grounders and materials used around the bunker. You were growing anxious for the meeting, dread already growing throughout your chest. It had only been 46 days since Praimfaya and the delegates were already acting like children. Their problems were offen trivial with simple solutions but they often stuck to their beliefs and unwritten laws.

“ Osleya of Wonkru. “ Niylah chimed contently as she bowed respectfully in your presence. You quickly whispered for your friend to stop, the gesture felt absurd to you. It felt like people singing happy birthday to you but constantly, you had no clue what to do. Do you bow to them too? Have them kiss your pinky ring like some mafia don? Well, whatever you had to do, no one has told you how to do it yet.

“ Look at what I found. “ Niylah spoke sweetly, in her hands was The Illiad. You took it from her slender hands, running your fingers along its old spine and weathered pages. Your mind instantly flashed back to memories of Bellamy relaying some of its stories to you whenever you had trouble sleeping. The nightmares always came back but luckily, Bellamy was always there to lull you back to sleep. “ I heard Bellamy would read you the parts about Ancient Rome. “

“ Thank you. “ You replied sincerely after reading a sentence or two from the front page. Niylah observed you carefully, a warm smile on her face. “ We’re sparring tomorrow. Promise? “ 

Niylah hummed in agreement, her eyes towards Indra closely behind you. You nodded small before resuming your walk to the conference room. Gaia waited patiently in the hall, her eyes pointing sharp daggers towards you. You weren’t a nightblood so you weren’t fit to be in the position of Heda. However, the tension between you two wasn’t anything new. You just didn’t really give a shit anymore.

“ Complain to your mother. “

It was just one problem after another before developing into one headache after another. Rations were dwindling by the second, tribes were on edge, and there was just too many people in the bunker. Everyone had been suggesting solutions to the problem but now was not the time. The delegates complained about a bunch of blankets and then the meeting was completely derailed by a miniscule thunking noise. It was presumed to be Clarke banging on the bunker door but you didn’t really care to find out more information.

However, it didn’t matter anymore because there were much bigger things that needed your attention. Like, a group of Skaikru idiots who have decided to lock themselves inside the cafeteria because they think they are top priority among the grounders and deserve all the resources. You almost wanted to throw up because of how ungrateful these people were being. You didn’t want to kill anyone in these six years but some were really testing how thin your patience could get.

Your grip on leadership was sifting through your fingers like a fine sand. The state of the bunker was chaotic as innocent Skaikru members were being massacred left and right, simply for being associated with the guilty. You were flustered with the fact of being unable to do something about it directly. You would have to sneak past grounders to personally deliver Jaha to a couple of generators on a completely different floor.

“ Are you fucking kidding me? “ You cursed to yourself, checking the pulse of each body sprawled out on the ground. You were hoping some had survived but to no avail, the grounders had killed them all. You couldn’t walk a couple meters without stumbling along groups of dead people, people you knew and ended up growing close too. You were enraged, whoever started this was going to suffer the consequences of their crimes.

Becoming even more frustrated, Jaha refused to open the doors to the cafeteria until you had grasped the reins over Wonkru again and understood what it meant to be a leader. He went as far to mention the floating of your mother to make his point clear. No matter how much you hated to admit it, Jaha was right. Within a matter of sentences, he taught you what it was to be a leader over a population. God, even thought Jaha was dying, he always managed to be so wise. You wanted to hate him but you just couldn’t, Jaha made it so hard!

You were Wonkru or the enemy of Wonkru. It was time to choose.

“ It’s over. “ You gritted angrily into the walkie talkie, eyes focused on only the door. You were covered in the enemy’s blood from head to toe. Rebelling grounders decided to attack you after ignoring your decree of either choosing to be apart of Wonkru or become the enemy of the state. If they didn’t become Wonkru, they were immediatly crushed under your authority. The problem must be eliminated if you were going to keep a strong hold on your people as was said by Jaha himself. “ Open the door. “

Blood was splattered along the floors and walls in an almost artistic fashion. You could stare at it in a museum and call it “ thought-provoking. “ You breathed heavily through your nose, your body and mind craved to off the root of the problem but you had other plans. The door locks clicked open and the grounders flooded into the room with whoops and yells, apprehending anyone they could get their hands on. “ I want only the guilty! “

“ There are too many people in this bunker. And if we don’t do something about this, none of us will survive to see the sun, the sky, the ground, and I won’t let that happen. “ You projected you voice loudly so that every grounder may hear you in each corner of the room. Some looked at you in fear, the blood of their own people dried to your skin. The blood of your enemies was your armor and you made sure everyone knew it. Grounders from all the tribes quickly got out of your way as you dominated the ramp with your aura alone. “ Each of you have committed crimes against Wonkru, and the punishment for this is death. “

Immediately, blacklash broke out after your words. Murmurs and whispers scattered amongst your people. Your hands gripped the railings tightly at the complaints yet you held your tongue. After all, you weren’t done explaining. You looked down on at the guilty kneeling before you, finally feeling a sense of power at the sight. Is this what Lexa felt? You loved it.

“ This isn’t the Ark and this isn’t the ground either. There is no ‘ Blood must have blood. ‘’” You continued to speak, your eyes trained on the those who were kneeling but your words were for all in the room. Everyone was silent, waiting in bated breath for your next sentence. “ In Rome, gladiators had the opportunity to fight for their freedom. “

“ And so will you. “ You stated strongly, unsheating your sword and throwing into the middle. You spoke the rules of the mini conclave, all previous thoughts of no one is going to die under your watch were thrown out the window. This was going to solve the overpopulation problem easily. Weed out the weak and only keep the strong and disciplined. “ Win the fight, save your life. “

As soon as the last word of your sentence rolled off your tongue. Kara lunged for the sword and murdered everyone in the circle because her life depended on it. You were satisfied, onlookers watched in horror, including those who knew you closely. The sudden change in attitude was far too much for them to handle. However, this was going to be the Wonkru way so they had to deal with it or be thrown in the ring.

Six years later, the ring had evolved into a modern day Roman colosseum. It was an old form of entertainment for the grounders that happened almost every day. The metal railings that were once there were replaced with metal fences and barbed wire. The ramps were filled with cheering grounders of Wonkru, their fists banging on the fences generated even more noise that echoed down the halls.

A heavy metallic smell soaked permanently into the concrete walls, a seemingly impossible feat made into reality. Blood became the new carpet and wallpaper. Deadly weapons of different sizes were the new home decorations. Only one piece of furniture was in the room: your elaborate throne backlit with a daunting red.

Kane was shoved roughly into the ring, the crowd erupted into jeers and cheers. His shoes waded shallowly in the puddle created by the bloody of his peers. All he could think of was where did everything go wrong? He held his hand over his eyes to avoid being blinded by the floodlights. Kane made eye contact with you looking down upon him like you did with thebvery first of the guilty. You towered over him, countenance void of any emotion. Your guards, advisors, and friends reflected the same energy you emitted.