The Ones On The Ground (sequel to The One Who's Fallen)

Chapter 17

Raven's POV

The man with the white hot branding iron steps forward, his expression blank and almost disinterested. Bellamy will be the first and he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt so the man can choose where to brand him. The man presses it to his upper arm.

I wince at the sound of his flesh against a burning hot iron. Bellamy hisses through his teeth, but it's barely distinguishable from the hissing of the iron against his skin.

The man goes to Maya next, who to her credit, just flinches when the iron is pressed to her skin. He returns the iron to the fire temporarily and I don't want to think about why. It gets hot and he heads over to Abby, who grimaces when it's pressed to her arm, but doesn't make a sound. The man returns it to the fire one last time.

"Leaders of the three clans, you need representatives here in Polis, ambassadors for each of your clans." Lexa says. "You have chosen them and brought them here. State your ambassador's name. Ambassador, when they do, you will step forward." They nod in understanding. I can't get a good glimpse of who's going to be the ambassador for each clan. "ArkKru."

"Our ambassador is Bryan Hayes." Abby says.

A man I vaguely remember seeing on the Ark steps forward. He has kind, intelligent eyes. He kind of reminds me of Monty, actually. Visually, at least. I think he was a guard on the Ark, just one of those laughably rare nice guards that actually wanted to help. Good choice. Hopefully he's good with politics.

"Maunkru."

"Our ambassador is Riley Nolan."

A surprisingly well muscled woman with skin a beautiful dark color like Indra's steps forward. She's gorgeous, and if I didn't have my girlfriends (who are hotter than her), I would be drooling. As it is, Anya nudges me to get me to stop staring.

"Like you weren't looking too." I tease her in a low voice, grinning when a faint blush colors her cheeks.

"At least I am subtle." Anya murmurs back.

I chuckle but don't respond, not wanting to draw attention away from what's happening.

"Skaikru."

"Our ambassador is Wells Jaha." Bellamy says.

I choke on nothing and my head turns to face them so quickly it's a shock I don't get whiplash. Wells? Where has he been? I've barely seen him! Judging by the surprise in Clarke's eyes, she didn't realize it was him either. Wells steps forward, a slight limp in one leg, looking less like the kid I always thought of him as and more like a grown up person. There's a wisdom in his eyes that's rare to see in someone so young.

"Welcome to Polis, ambassadors. This will be your new home." Clarke says.

Impressively, her voice doesn't shake at all, despite the shock of seeing the guy I know was her childhood best friend.

"It is done." Lexa says. "The leaders are branded; they have sworn allegiance and chosen their ambassadors. Step forward, leaders of the fifteen clans." They comply. "May this Coalition bring about peace and prosperity for all of our people."

"Tonight, we celebrate the joining of the three additional clans." Clarke continues. They don't just finish each other's sentences, they finish each other's speeches and thoughts. Goals. "There is a feast being set up in the streets of Polis. Please, go and enjoy yourselves. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to stay behind and talk to us. We will be down momentarily."

Everyone nods and they leave, except for Wells, Luna, Anya, and myself. And the Commanders, of course. The door shuts and no one speaks until Wells breaks the silence.