GRIM REAPER¹, bellamy blake

064 ━━ etched forever

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"LEXA HAS agreed to return Iona and Clarke to us," Kane echoes to the small group. Abby nods her head, crossing her arms over her chest as he says, "Abby and I will take a few guards and set off within the hour."

Bellamy's attention is instantly drawn to his words- to the mention of Iona- and he shakes his head.

"Sir, let me go," Bellamy argues, "I should be there, too."

He needs to be there.

Iona had been stolen from him far too many times throughout the day, and honestly, he was growing homesick without her by his side.

At the current moment, all he wanted to do was hold her close and make sure she couldn't leave anymore.

"If you go, who's going to run things here?" Kane says, raising a brow.

"Raven, Monty, O," He begins to list, his eagerness showing through his voice.

Still, Kane shook his head.

Bellamy wasn't sure whether or not he could see right through him, but it sure as hell felt like it- which just made him wonder why. Why would he still forbid Bellamy from helping rescue Iona if he knew how badly he wanted to see her?

Kane glanced over at Gina, who stood by his side, and his words wavered for a short second, "No. Instead, you will be heading over to Mt. Weather to find Pike's men."

"But, sir, I have to be there. She's my..."

She's my?

Was the answer best friend? Was it partner?

Bellamy wasn't sure how to finish his sentence; in truth, he wasn't sure what Iona was to him. Instead of overthinking it, he swallowed thickly at Kane's disapproving look, and grumbled under his breath.

"Fine."

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Iona has never been fond of dresses.

She hates the feeling of open skin and has a strong distaste for showing femininity through her clothes. After all, she had been taught to fight like a man, for being a woman was to be weak. It was a mentality she now despises, but the habits remain with her.

However, for the sake of the meeting, and to Lexa's delight, she decided to put a dress on. It was a simple one; a long red dress with a cut in the mid-thigh region. It was strapless, making a mere m shape around her torso.

It showed a fair amount of skin, but nothing she deemed too uncomfortable or too revealing for her tastes.

A singer's beautiful voice echoed around the room, bouncing off the walls and into Iona's ears. It was a soothing tune symbolizing unity, and she couldn't help but smile at the overall meaning.

Regardless of how the clans might seem (ruthless and emotionless), they have a great sense of togetherness, mixed with occasionally tender moments.

With Wanheda bowing down to Lexa, the entire room holds back a gasp.

This was nothing if not a pure display of raw power.

To have the supposed commander of death submitting herself to the commander of all commanders was legendary and would only help to increase Lexa's influence across the nation.

Not like she needed more influence, though.

Followed by Clarke, everyone else fell to their knees in a bow.

First was Roan, who's presence was an initial shocker to Iona. She understood why Lexa had taken Clarke- when she explained it to her- and herself, but she couldn't quite understand why Roan was a part of the deal.

Regardless, he was here, now bowing to the woman who was the cause of his banishment (something that made Iona very suspicious).

Titus, Indra, Kane, Abby, and everyone else soon followed after, until finally, Iona was the only person left standing.

It wasn't that she didn't want to bow to her cousin, but more so that she was afraid of what it might symbolize. She isn't Trikru- like very many here- but others still see her as such. Iona is Skykru now, and she's come to accept it, but that title holds no weight here.

When she bows, she's simply Lexa's cousin again, or a Trikru commander, or perhaps she's even recognized as Akru.

She simply wanted to be Iona of Skykru, but she would not gain such a title so soon.

So, she stared straight at Lexa, hesitating momentarily, before slowly sinking down to her knees.

Lexa stared at her, eyes following the slow movement, and something flashed in her eyes during that momentary eye contact.

Her cousin didn't wish to be here, nor did she wish to be by her side any longer.

Iona had moved on from leeching off of her cousin's success and was on her own path to building a name for herself completely unrelated to her relation to Heda.

Iona was becoming independent, and something about that was terrifying.

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"To symbolize this union, the leader of Skykru must bear our mark," Lexa finishes her speech.

Iona glances over at her cousin, eyes flashing.

She doesn't consider herself the leader of Skykru, but does that does mean she doesn't wish to take the pain for them. She is a member of the clan, now, and what better way to represent that than to bear the mark of the coalition for her tribe?

It appears as though Kane and Abby had similar ideas, exchanging looks in an attempt to figure out which one of them would bear the mark.

"The honor should be yours..." Abby murmurs quietly to Kane.

As he approaches, Iona pulls him to the side, murmuring, "Kane, please, allow me."

He glances at the raging fire and then Iona, who appears desperate. Why did she want to endure the pain so badly? Why did she want to carry the mark?

"Iona, you can't-"

"Kane!" She quietly exclaims, "Please, I need this."

He looks into her eyes before sighing.

"How about we do this together?" He questions, glancing over at Lexa.

She hesitates, looking around the room at the surprised murmurs of the watchers. Iona Valana wished to represent Skykru? It felt wrong, but Lexa nodded, signaling that both of them could, in fact, carry the mark.

It felt too wrong, but at the end of the day, she was done fighting. Her cousin wished to do this, so do it she shall.

Right as the mark became burned into their skin, the door opened, and Bellamy came running in, Pike and Octavia following behind.

"The summit's a trap!"

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ok sorry for cutting off half of the speech but uhm no thanks too much to write for me <3