somewhere | b.blake ✔️

2x10✔️

"All the pain and the truth
I wear like a battle wound
So ashamed, so confused
I was broken and bruised
Now I'm a warrior"

-Warrior, Demi Lovato

*****

With Bellamy and Lincoln well on their way to Mount Weather, tasked with shutting off the fog so the newly aligned armies can get within range of the Mountain, Ash feels the weight of everything that needs to be done.

She's grateful for the distractions—anything that keeps her mind busy. Between Smith's lessons and her many duties at the camp, she can almost convince herself to stop worrying about Bellamy. But the truth is, it's a constant battle. The worry gnaws at her, but she knows that obsessing over things she cannot control will only drag her down. So she pushes it aside, working harder, longer, hoping it'll fill the void.

It's not a healthy lifestyle, but it's the one she's clinging to.

Tomorrow—or rather, today, Ash realizes with a grimace as she peers out of the window of the Ark she once called home—Grounders will arrive to help train the guards with new techniques, anything to prepare them for the impending war.

Almost on cue, commotion fills the air, followed by the sound of shouts through the walls. The Grounders are here.

With a sigh, Ash wipes her bleary eyes and hastily fixes her hair before stepping outside. She's immediately met with the intimidating sight of a large group of Grounders standing at the gate. They're dressed in dark green and black, weapons visible, exuding an air of menace. If their goal is intimidation, they've certainly succeeded.

Smith stands among them, slightly behind and to the left of Indra. His warpaint, so precise and beautiful, contrasts sharply with the grim determination in his eyes. Swirls of black paint begin at his forehead, twirling around his eyes and stopping mid-cheek, where they taper off. It's stunning in its simplicity, a reminder of the warrior Ash knows him to be, the friend she's trained with. It hits her harder than expected, and she stumbles slightly as she makes her way toward him.

This is the man she's come to know—strong, loyal, and now, for the first time, fully marked as a warrior.

Her thoughts are interrupted as Kane steps forward, addressing the group with a measured tone. "Welcome. We'll start with a reception and then move on to training. We have much to learn from each other." A guard moves forward with a large box, and Kane gestures to it. "Weapons here, please. Only the guards and a few others are armed."

The Grounders don't flinch, standing stoically as Indra is the first to draw her sword and place it in the box. Only after her action do the others follow suit, their eyes never leaving those of the Arkers.

Once their weapons are dealt with, Kane motions for them to move inside the gates, into the camp beyond. Ash lingers near the back, watching the scene unfold.

Kane falls into step beside Indra. "Thank you for agreeing to this."

"We are here under the commander's orders," Indra growls, "I agreed to nothing."

"Then thank you for following orders," Kane replies smoothly.

Ash spots Jaha—newly released from his cell, after the fight-or-flight situation was resolved—watching Kane with a pointed, almost hostile, stare. She knows he's not happy about this arrangement. She approaches the group, offering a polite smile to ease the tension. "Let's let them talk," she says, glancing meaningfully at Kane to avoid any more arguments. "I'll escort them to the... council room?" She's not entirely sure what to call it, but it'll have to do.