Down to Earth (A 100 Fanfiction)

Chapter 36 - The Tower

Don't be weak, Roman. Weakness is not in the Kane Family's vocabulary.

He clenched his hands into fists to stop their shaking. His determined gaze was set on the doors as they groaned.

The doors of the throne room opened. Sucking in his breath, Roman walked through the open doors and entered the room.

The room was most likely the remains of someone's office, with a staircase leading to another level. Its walls were faded and peeling away, with the metal beams of the ceiling being exposed. Roman could even make out the rust forming on the metal. There were two small hanging platforms carrying dozens of candles that hung above him as makeshift chandeliers. Despite its decayed atmosphere, there was something majestic about this room. It looked lived in. The floor was lined with carpets of intricate red and yellow patterns. With red drapes and rugs of animal hide hanging from the walls. And right at the far end of the room, across from where the doors were situated, was a large window reaching from the floor and all the way up to the ceiling with transparent curtains that were drawn and hid the view of the outside. But the window had no glass, as he could see the breeze blowing and shifting through the transparent curtains.

There was a wide step, separating the throne itself from the rest of the room where the crowds would normally stand. The throne was made of wooden branches, animal hides, and other scrap materials. The branches stuck up in multiple directions, making it the central focus of the entire room. And seated on that throne, her green eyes piercing through her black face paint, covered in her dark regal garments and long red cloak, was the Commander herself.

Flashes of Mount Weather flashed through his mind. The moment Lexa had betrayed them when she had sworn to help them to take down the mountain. She turned her back on Clarke and him and left the rest of his people for dead. She left her own people to die at the hands of the Mountain Men, she let Korra and Nala –

Roman clenched his jaw in fury and continued walking to her throne. He felt the iciness of her piercing gaze on him as he approached, but he chose to ignore it. He knew that he would have to save his anger towards her for much later because right now, he had a job to do. His people depended on him to accomplish this mission in order to solidify their future on Earth. His family's future relied on him accomplishing this mission.

He finally came to a halt, standing a few feet away from where Lexa was seated. Her cold gaze remained on him while he glared right back at her. He stood with a straight back, his arms glued to his sides, while putting on his best poker face.

"Roman kom Skaikru."

"Commander."

"It has been a while," Lexa said monotonously. "However ... I recall you saying that you pray that we never meet again ... but here you are."

Roman held his hands behind his back and lightly shrugged. "Well, things change. But I'm not here to talk about what happened when you betrayed us."

A flicker of hostility crossed over Lexa's eyes, and her hand gripped the armrest of her throne. It reminded him of when she held a sword at his throat, threatening to kill him. And he egged her on, his anger had taken control of him and he challenged her to do it. And she enjoyed his challenge because she looked as though she was actually going to do it. If she hadn't seen his black blood, she would have killed him.

"Then pray to tell why you and Cassian came to Polis."

If this was about a year ago, Roman would have immediately started shaking and go hide behind Clarke or Wells or his father. He wouldn't have dared speak with someone as powerful and as intimidating as Lexa. But now it wasn't one year ago, and he wasn't that boy anymore. He didn't want to be that boy anymore. His body hadn't got the memo though, as he could sense his heart threatening to rattle out of his chest.