silence and sound → the 100 ²

[ 019 ] long live the king.

— CHAPTER NINETEEN,
long live the king.

RUBY WAKES UP GASPING FOR AIR HER LUNGS CAN'T SEEM TO FIND. She shoots up from where she lays on the makeshift bed. As soon as she moves, pain shoots through her entire body. A cry of pain slips past her lips. Her brows furrow as she looks down at her stomach. She wears nothing but pants and a sports bra. Fresh bandages are wrapped around her stomach, just below her ribs. There are also new bandages on her wrists and shoulder from where she was crucified by the Grounders and shot by Bellamy. 

Her eyes move around the room. There's an aircraft in the room, along with several torches and candles. A parachute hangs on the wall; on it is an infinity symbol. The sacred symbol.

She realizes where she is.

She's inside the sacred temple inside of Polis. But she's alone. Questions race through her mind. What the hell happened? Where the hell is everyone?

She tries not to think about it too much as she stands. As she does, the pain nearly brings her back to the ground. She gasps. Pained tears threaten to spring in her eyes but she pushes them away.

Ruby looks around the sacred temple. Her eyes land on a pile of clothes. A shirt and her long leather jacket are folded nicely on a concrete bench. Her sword and dagger rests beside it. Along with her book.

She winces as she limps over to the clothes. As she tugs the shirt on over her head, her injury pulls. She lets out a sharp hiss of pain. She puts her leather jacket on next. She then shoves her memory book in the inner pocket to keep it safe.

She grabs her sword off of the bench. As she shrugs it over her shoulder, the stab wound pulls again. This time the pain is so intense, Ruby has to sit down.

Her body is already so tired and she's just woken up. She feels weak. Beads of sweat forms at her hairline and around her brows. Deep breaths come from her mouth at a near rapid pace.

As she sits there, it all comes crashing down on her. She remembers what happened in the throne room. While she was protecting her brother, a chipped man attacked her from behind. Then he took her own dagger and stabbed her in the stomach with it, just below her ribs. Just like that horrible, vicious version of herself did in her coma dream. And then, Ruby leaned up, she took his throat between her teeth, and she ripped his jugular out.

Once she feels like she can move again, she grabs the dagger and unsheathes it. She examines the blade. It's the very same one the man used to stab her. It's clean of her blood. She wraps the strap the sheath is attached to around her waist.

She slowly stands. A small cry of pain comes from her as she does so. She has to use the walls for support as she exits the sacred temple.

Once she's outside, the fresh air is amazing. She closes her eyes and breathes it in. She reopens her eyes and looks around. It's night time, the stars shine bright above the city. There's no a single living person in sight.

She pulls her hood over her head and slowly starts to make her way deeper into Polis.

Ruby sticks to the shadows until she gets to a more crowded area. She keeps her head down as she joins the ocean of people. She listens in on any and all conversations until she can find one that might lead her to her people.

"King Roan has the throne." A Grounder sitting at a table says. Ruby freezes. Her eyebrows shoot towards the sky. Roan is on the throne?

Any questions she has are answered as the woman starts up, "Skaikru has a hand in this. They killed Ontari. Wanheda is a part of this." Sky People. Commander of Death.