fifteen » azgeda

After majority of the truth was revealed last night with my moment with Lexa, I was sure that she would begin to tell me the truth from here on out, despite not fully sharing everything with me last night, however, I was so wrongly mistaken.

"You're seriously not going to tell me why I can't leave my room?" I asked incredulously, my hands resting on my hips to express my frustration.

She seemed torn between explaining the truth to me and turning around to tend to wherever she needed to be. She groaned lowly, before saying, "Y/N, now isn't the time for this. Q can't be here right now, so I'm trusting you. Just stay here, okay?"

I grumbled incoherently, crossing my arms across my chest. "This isn't fair, Lexa."

She seemed to take this as an 'okay', though, as she nodded my way once more before leaving me alone in my room, my mouth parted with shock. After admitting and putting most things out in the open last night, I figured she would at least tell me why I couldn't leave my room, but obviously not. And if she knew me at all, she must have known that I wouldn't listen to her orders.

I didn't think much of my actions as I slipped out my room, hoping to make it out of the tower and to Deka, who I wanted to visit seeing as I hadn't see her at all yesterday. However, as I was creeping around carefully, I didn't even make it to the elevator without getting caught. But it wasn't even by one of our own.

"And what do we have here?" an unsettling voice spoke with a hint of amusement, making me jump out of my skin as I turned around.

I recognised the scarred man before me. He was Ice Nation. And as I took in his creepy appearance even more, I realised that he was the man who I had first ever met from Ice Nation, that time I had burst into Lexa's meeting.

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath, when I saw his psycho grin on his lips as he studied me up and down.

I glanced behind me, knowing that my room was only down the hall and I could probably get away with locking myself in there until Lexa returned.

"Don't even think about it," he said, making me snap my head back to him, only to see his grin disappearing and a cruel, evil look appearing instead.

I ignored his comment and took my chances as I raced down the hallway and to my bedroom. I was literally a few metres away when I felt myself being shoved into the wall just beside my door. At the sudden impact, I was dazed momentarily, unable to stand straight, but this moment was enough time for the Ice Nation grounder to pull out his dagger and hold it to my chin.

"Don't even try to run or I will slit you," he threatened into my ear, slowly pressing his cold blade into my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

I gulped down my nervousness and nodded my head slowly, knowing that if I made any sudden movements, I was as good as dead. He seemed satisfied with my response as I wasn't exactly dying, and using his other hand, he placed a vice-like grip on my forearm, shoving me down the corridor and to God knew where. All I knew was that he had a knife pressed against my neck and I should've listened to Lexa and stayed in my room. 

I found myself being shoved along to the throne room, and outside the closed doors were grounders from the Woods clan. Even though they didn't like me, their eyes widened and they unsheathed their swords when they saw the danger I was in.

"You try anything and she's dead," the grounder's serpent-like voice threatened again, slowly pushing me through the double doors.

The guards obviously had no choice but to oblige and let him pass without trouble, and I wondered what the heck would happen once we were inside. What did he even want from me?

As soon as he entered the throne room with his knife at my neck, all eyes turned to the both of us, and I widened my eyes when I saw what was going on before me. Lexa, who was seated at her throne, seemed to be mid-discussion with some older woman with dirty blonde hair and creepy scars along her face. Judging from the air of authority she held, and the respect that the other members of Ice Nation were giving her, I presumed that she was their leader of some sort. The point is, Lexa was in the middle of a meeting with Azgeda. And she didn't plan on telling me.

"Would yu look chon ai found, Kwin Nia?(Would you look who I found, Queen Nia?)" the grounder who had my life in his hands said cockily.

Queen Nia... she was the one who killed Costia, if I were remembering correctly. So, why the hell was Lexa in a meeting with her?

"Y/N?" Lexa spoke with shock, standing up from her throne and staring down at my trapped self with an open mouth.

I tried my best to smile, saying, "Hi?"

As she stepped down from her throne, her hand resting on her dagger as she glanced between me and my assailant. "I thought I told you to stay in your room," she said firmly, though I could tell by her eyes that she was debating what to do with the dilemma we were in.

I chuckled awkwardly, seeing as the knife was still pressed against my skin. "You see, I was going to, but then I wanted to visit Deka. But now I'm thinking I should've just listened to you this once..."

Lexa glared at me, her eyes telling me that I messed up, before she looked to the Queen with a clenched jaw. "Leave her out of this, Nia. She isn't apart of this."

Queen Nia looked between Lexa and I, and her scar-covered face broke out into an amused grin. "This is just too interesting with her, though. I mean, she's even got you speaking her language! That's pretty interesting, isn't it?"

A few grounders from her clan snickered at her comment, and I kept my eyes on Lexa, hoping she could help me get out of this. I had hope that she could, seeing as she was the Commander. They had to listen to her, right?

"Please tell me that this is a joke," I spoke, wishing that they would let me go and tell me it was a prank, though I knew that that would never happen.

Lexa glanced at me for a second, and in that small second, her harsh expression softened and was replaced with worry as she saw the way the knife was slowly pressing into my neck. I gave her a small hopeful smile, hoping it would show her that I was okay, even though I was actually terrified. When she looked back to the queen, her harsh expression returned, and I noticed how her fingers were itching to grab the hilt of her dagger.

"I'll tell you what," the queen spoke, looking at Lexa with a smirk on her lips. "I'll tell my army to back off if I can have her."

Her army? Back off? Why exactly were they preparing for battle anyway? Was this what Lexa was hiding from me? And the way Queen Nia was staring at me hungrily made me flinch a little – I didn't want to go anywhere with her.

"No," Lexa answered immediately, her voice scary and loud, making me be thankful to not be the person on the opposing side of her.

A hearty yet evil laugh escaped the queen's lips as she glanced at me. "This is another Costia incident, isn't it, Lexa?"

Lexa glared at her with her intimidating green eyes, and even though she wasn't staring at me, I had to force myself to look away from how frightening she looked. "Y/N has nothing to do with this, Nia. Why do you want her?"

Queen Nia simply crossed her hands over one another, resting them on her waist. "I only want her because you don't want me to have her." This only fuelled Lexa's anger, causing her to growl lowly. "Also, you didn't bother sharing her with us, so there must be something about her that you decided to hide from the rest of us, right?"

"Can't I have a say in this?" I joked, hoping to lighten the mood, only to feel a sharp pain at my neck, where I soon realised that the knife was being pressed in deeper, making a little bit of blood trickle out.

"You won't be saying much for long," the Ice Nation grounder snarled into my ear.

I chuckled awkwardly, trying to ignore the pain in my neck. I looked to Lexa desperately, saying, "Uh, Lex? I think it's time to help now."

Lexa watched me with concern, before returning her glare to Queen Nia. "Let her go, Nia," she ordered authoritatively. "Now."

An amused laugh escaped her lips as she shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Lexa."

Lexa's jaw clenched and I watched her fists curl up by her waist, turning her knuckles white, showing her anger. Before I could even register what was happening, Lexa had raised her hand as some sort of signal, and some of her guards rushed forward and grabbed ahold of the ever-so-silent Prince Roan, causing him to try and escape, but he soon realised that he was extremely outnumbered.

"If you do not let Y/N go, then I won't let your son go," Lexa said between gritted teeth, directing her anger at the surprisingly-smiling Queen. Prince Roan only glared at the Commander, but Lexa wasn't the slightest bit affected.

Queen Nia nodded with understanding, before glancing at her son. "I'm sorry, Roan. We'll be sure to come back for you."

Lexa's eyes widened when she realised what Queen Nia had said, and before I could even react, I felt myself being dragged backwards and towards the door of the throne room.

"Lexa!" I shouted, feeling panicked at the fact that they were taking me. My eyes were wide with fear as I looked for Lexa to help. I knew what these people were capable, and I didn't want to have to experience it first-hand.

Lexa looked at me, an urgent look on her face, and she was about to rush forward and hopefully try to free me, only to be stopped by Titus who held her back.

"Y/N," was the last thing I heard her say, along with a frown on her lips, before the doors closed and she was no longer in sight.

"Such a shame," Queen Nia commented sarcastically as they removed the knife from my neck but didn't let go of me.

I ignored her comment and tried to break free from their hold. I knew I wouldn't get far with them surrounding me, but I was hoping I could at least give Lexa's guards that were watching me helplessly, a chance to attack them and hopefully get me out of this mess. But I was obviously thinking a little too positively, because as soon as I broke out of their hold, I was met with darkness.

***

The first thing I felt was a banging in my head when I woke up from my unwanted slumber. My head was pounding and it took all my remaining effort to blink my eyes open, each blink straining my head even more.

"And she awakens, finally," a voice spoke with a hint of amusement in its tone.

I jumped at the sound, only to finally open my eyes and clutch my head with agony, hoping to ease the pain. I suddenly remembered all that had happened, and an overwhelming fear and panic took over my insides as I realised that Lexa wasn't here. Instead, Queen Nia was sat on a chair before me, a smirk on her lips.

I sat up from my slumped position against the wall, and looked around only to find myself in a small, box-like room – I was pretty sure that it was a cell. It smelt horrific, like rotting animals, and all I could hear was the echo that I made when I moved about. I didn't get much time to study my surroundings though, because I was too busy glaring at the queen.

I stood up instantly, realising I wasn't chained down or anything, so I could somehow make a run, though I knew that wouldn't be the smart option. However, my head began to ache and make me momentarily dizzy, causing me to stand as still as possible until the pain dispersed.

"You shouldn't move so fast," the queen commented obnoxiously. "You took quite a hit back there."

Back there... where the hell was I?

"Where am I?" I asked, leaning against the filthy wall behind me for support.

She stood up, watching me with a humoured look, as if she found my state amusing. "Azgeda," was all she said, and my eyes widened.

"I-Ice Nation?"

She nodded, and a cruel smile formed on her lips as she saw the fear flash in my eyes. "Yes."

I licked my lips nervously, ignoring the aching pain in my head. "Am I a prisoner?"

She nodded again.

I looked down, noting how I wasn't even tied up, let alone chained. I raised an eyebrow at her, asking, "Shouldn't I be chained up or something?"

She stifled a chuckle. "I only chain threats, Y/N."

I chewed on my lower lip as I thought of a way to get out of here. Being free in a cell could be used to my advantage, right? So, how could I scare her enough to let me go? I didn't know if it was even possible, because she looked like she wouldn't be scared of anything, but it was worth a shot.

"How d'you know that I'm not a threat?" I asked suspiciously, raising my hands and foot in a Kung-fu position, hoping I looked even the slightest bit scary. In reality, I knew no martial arts, and the only fighting knowledge I had was the bits and bobs that I had picked up from Lexa. But something told me that Queen Nia was a lot more skilful than I in that area.

She laughed lightheartedly. "Darling, I know you aren't. You're not even a grounder."

I lowered my stance and frowned slightly when she said this. She was right. I wasn't a grounder.

"Aww, did I strike a nerve?" she teased with a pout, watching me to see my reaction.

I kept a straight face as I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why do you want me, bitch-face."

Her smile lessened as I said this, and she stood up straight, answering, "I already told you. Because Lexa wants you."

I moved my clenched jaw about, beginning to get annoyed with this idiot. "Why do you hate Lexa so much? What could she have possibly done to make you do all of this terrible stuff?"

Nia's expression darkened, and her smile faded away as she glared at me. "Lexa doesn't deserve to be Commander. She isn't fit enough for it."

I rolled my eyes. "And what does that have to do with me? Like you said, I'm not a grounder, so why am I involved?"

She stepped forward angrily, making me back up into the wall. "You became involved when you began to live in Polis amongst other grounders!" she shouted, her voice full of venom. "When she hid you from us!"

I flinched at her frightening voice, looking down at the ground as I waited for her to finish. She was practically fuming in my face, obviously angered by the fact that Lexa hadn't shared my existence with her. I didn't blame Lexa, though. I wouldn't have told her either. This crazy woman had serious anger issues.

"How long am I going to be trapped in here?" I asked quietly, my voice wavering slightly, which I immediately regretted because I was supposed to show no fear.

She seemed to notice my uneasiness, as she plastered a wacky grin on her face, stepping back again. "As long as I want you to be!"

I avoided her gaze, waiting for her to leave. When she did, the slam of the door made me jump, and I soon relaxed when I was alone. Not that that was any better than being with her. I sank to the ground, wrapping my arms around my legs which I tucked to my chest. I glanced around the cell I was locked in, noticing the dirty white walls and the stains that covered the ceiling. That horrible scent was still in the air, and as I continued to scour the room for its source, I almost puked at the sight.

It wasn't a rotting animal that was emitting that odour, but rather a rotting human. I instantly teared my eyes away from the decaying body, trying not to imagine the poor fate it had to endure. Would I end up like that?

I closed my eyes, rocking back and forth slightly, hoping, wishing, and praying that Lexa was formulating some sort of plan to get me out of here. She wouldn't just leave me, would she?

No, she wouldn't. She cared about me just as much as I cared about her, and she showed me that last night. Ice Nation wouldn't get away with this.

Right?

//

Told you beef was gonna happen 🌚🌚