BE AFRAID

ASK ECHO ABOUT THE EPISODE || oh god please

   The question STARTLED her more than she wanted to admit. The guilt that lingered inside of her was a form of weakness she didn’t want known. She was a WARRIOR who was feared throughout the clans. SHE had been the one to take Polis in the name of Roun. The strange LOYALTY she felt toward the Skaikru boy was something she needed to wash from her mind. 

   That action, turning her back on him, did not mean she had felt JOY in killing his sister. He didn’t not { DESERVE } to have two women he cared about ripped from him by her hands. && what would come next? Would she have to strike Clarke down in the war? How many of his friends would fall at her feet next?

          ❝ What should I care of Belomi kom Skairkru’s affections? We are not friends-- I owe him no LOYALTY. I did what my KING ordered of me. ❞

   He hadn’t DESERVED to find out as he had-- to have the HOPE drained from his veins in a matter of seconds. She had seen heartbreak before, but not like this kind. Skaikru had not { DREAMED } of being warriors since they were children. They had not trained day in && day out of the opportunity to stand out among their people. Okteivia HAD stood out && it had gotten her killed.

                                               And oddly, that was a heavy burden to bear.

   She had already killed one person he had cared for && her actions, saving him from the same fate, had caused the deaths of so many Trikru. She wondered, perhaps, if this would be SIMILAR. Perhaps his hope was not UNFOUNDED && he would escape from this place, only to stand in a pool of blood once more.

   Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she glanced towards the shackles around his wrists, wondering how much HEAVIER they must have seemed now than when he had first been locked away. 

          ❝ She was BRAVE, Belomi. ❞

   Echo understood it was { UNLIKELY } that Bellamy wanted to hear such SENTIMENTS from her. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she tried to keep her gaze averted from her. She hadn’t wanted to be the bringer of death once more. Not to HIM. Not to someone she RESPECTED.

          ❝ She fought strongly for her people. I-- ❞

   She allowed the words to fade away, unsure what good it would bring her. I DIDN’T MEAN TO KILL HER. How WEAK. However true it was, she would not appear { WEAKER } than she already felt. 

          His eyes closed briefly when he heard of who caused the alarm to sound. It was as though she couldn’t leave him alone. Save a life, create an enemy. Bellamy didn’t like her — couldn’t TRUST her. Because, to him, Echo’s betrayal in Mount Weather was nearly as heartbreaking as Lexa’s Perhaps even more so because Echo helping with the explosion caused his own people’s deaths. It caused Gina’s. And even though he couldn’t say with such certainly how he really felt about the girl, he didn’t want her to DIE. Listening to Echo had caused that blood, which meant it was on his hands.

          Still, he had a job to do. And, for some reason, she had decided that she would continue with her PERFORMANCE — demanding to only speak to him. If her were being honest, he preferred it this way. Echo was dangerous — and, at least, this meant he would be the only one close enough to feel her claws.

          His walk showed more CONFIDENCE than he felt, his hand on his sidearm. A warning. It was weird seeing Echo with such strength. Even now, after the mountain, after their conversation in Polis, he could still remember the girl from the cage next to him. He’d made a promise then to come back for her and it was a promise he hadn’t broken. But she wasn’t worth it anymore. The ground was CRUEL and he had to protect his own.

          ❛ Give us room! ❜ He ordered his people, stopping in front of Echo with his arms crossed. The guards backed up slightly, but they did not lower their guns and Bellamy made no move to correct the action. Last time he and Echo had spoken, she’d put a sword to his throat. This was his territory now. Gaze stared her down and his tone was hard.

                                                                                ❛ Make it quick.  ❜

   It would have been STUPID to trust her-- she understood that. It was no secret that Echo held no love for him or his people, but she didn’t care for SENSELESS killing. Her hands remained in the air, gaze moving over the guards that still had their barrels locked on her. SMART.

   This was still HER game, however. As her attention moved back towards Bellamy, she couldn’t help but raise a brow towards him. He had proven himself to her as a leader-- albeit, a KINDER one than she normally cared for or respected. Echo took a tentative step forward, making sure to leave { PLENTY } of room between them. She just wanted to see how N E R V O U S those at the gates were.

          ❝ King Roan fears the Skaikru aren’t holding up their end of the BARGAIN, ❞

   Her words were picked carefully && her eyes scanned over the guards once more, though this time, it wasn’t to test their nerves. The king hadn’t told even the ambassadors about the nuclear breakdowns-- she couldn’t be sure just how much they knew, either.

   GIVE HER A CHANCE.  Echo still didn’t understand WHY she should. She trusted Skaikru about as far as she could throw them with Bellamy { SLIGHTLY } more than that. Still, Roan had insisted that if she could bring herself to trust Belomi kom Skaikru, she could learn to TOLERATE the younger sister.

   She KNEW why King Roan wanted this alliance between the two women. The SKAIRIPA wasn’t as secret as they thought-- at least, not secret to the sounds of the roaches that lived below the tower. Oktevia was Kane’s spy, but she was Azgeda’s. 

          ❝ You can dress youself as a Trikru all you like, but you’re still too SLOPPY to fool anyone. ❞

   That wasn’t quite right, and Echo KNEW that. Oktevia had fooled plenty of people by know, but the Azkru were SMART. Smarter than the Trikru, save for King Roan. What was to say that she wouldn’t turn her back on him, kill HIM the same way she killed the f l i e s she already had? Well-- it was the same TRUST he had in her, she assumed. However, Echo’s { FEALTY } was more consistent than Oktevia kom Skaikru.

          ❝ I wonder how long it will be before you and your EMBASSADOR run back to Arkadia. King Roan will realize you’ve TRICKED them soon enough. ❞

   Disdain was CLEAR upon her features, glancing at the young woman. The anger was not directed towards her-- on the contrary, she held more LOVE for her than the King upon his throne. He was { WEAK } && seemed to care little for anyone but the Skaikru. It was her who belonged upon the throne, not HIM.

   Ontari had already PROVEN her ability to lead. Fists clenched tightly together, trying to swallow down the words Roan had spat towards her. They were NOT to investigate the intentions of the Skaikru. She would NOT make sure Bellamy was taking his alliances seriously. She was to sit there, U S E L E S S , as if she were a pretty PRIZE to be won. 

                                                       DISGUSTING.

   Echo followed Ontari through the halls, biting her tongue until the walls no longer had ears. Finally, the spy stopped in her tracks, allowing herself to take a hit to her pride. 

          ❝ Heda Ontari-- ❞

   Perhaps that title seemed FORBIDDEN now, but she didn’t dwell long on that thought. She needed to show the other that her RESPECT for the other extended beyond the reaches of two warriors. Echo’s gaze glanced towards the tiled flooring for a moment, never one for finding herself at a loss for words. However, if Ontari deemed such a conversation TREASONOUS to Azgeda, she’d have to weasel her way out of the situation somehow.

          ❝ Do you agree with King Roan’s orders not to march on Arkadia? ❞

     His people are FAR more disgusting than she wanted to admit. While hers were RUTHLESS, his were { COWARDS }. They hid behind weapons that worked with as little skill as they could muster, sought VIOLENCE with anyone different than them. It was DISGUSTING.

   Granted-- she HAD killed their people. For the few that had seen her face && lived to tell the tale about it, they DID have reason to be wary. Her hands were DRENCHED in the blood of their people, though it wasn’t as if the action had brought her particular joy. Still, even without this knowledge, she had to sneer down the barrels of their guns, hands above her head.

   She didn’t seek violence. At least, not YET. Not until she could report their selfish desperation back to the king && he’ll allow her to lead the Azgeda army to the gates of Arkadia. Then, they could { FINALLY } stop this ember out && keep it from growing. 

          ❝ Ai gaf Belomi kom Skaikru in. ❞

     Let them C H O K E on her words for a moment. She watched as the two guards-- both young, glance towards each other with uncertainty. For a moment, Echo couldn’t help but wonder if they would be trying to teach Trigedasleng to their people in order to understand them, but thought better of lingering on that idea for too long. It was HERS. Not theirs. 

          ❝ I will only speak to Bellamy of the Sky People. ❞

                                      GOD DAMN RIGHT                        YOU SHOULD BE SCARED OF ME

                                                         ( who is in control? )

Oh my gosh! This was super cool to see. There used to be another one too, but they left probably six months ago? I just feel bad because I haven’t been on her very much. I’ve gotten pretty busy, but I’m trying to ween my way back online one account at a time.

                    She hadn’t been with the ice nation upon his EXILE. She had only heard about it through whispers within the tribe, had anyone { DARED } to utter them. Dark hues set upon the son of the queen, a hand SLOWLY moving to grasp the hilt of the blade at her side. Echo allows the breath she was holding to release, standing up straight. She was a WARRIOR first and foremost, and he was no longer son of the Queen.

          ❝ Rumors have it you’re the Trikru’s PET now. ❞

                    Something didn’t sit well within her. While the numbers of the Skaikru had been DIMINISHED, she found her stomach churning. As hands sharpened her blade, just WAITING for another command from the queen, she tried to push any REMORSE from her mind. She had ASSURED that the one Skaikru that she had known, that had { SAVED } her, had been spared from the carnage. That was ENOUGH. Any debt she had felt she had should have been repaid by her actions.

                    Her gaze moved up to reach that of the blonde, Echo’s face HARDENING at the idea of COMPANY. However, it seemed to be the only way that her mind would allow her any sort of peace. A nail tapped against the side of her blade, forcing herself to speak up.