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chapter sixteen, You Fight to live or you die

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" Clarke, no. The Flame is bonding with her mind. If you take it out now before it's complete she may never wake up" Gaia says and Octavia and Nova enter the ascension room a little while after Clarke. "Quiet, traitor. Do it, Clarke" Octavia orders and Gaia stops her once again. "If you kill this child, you make her a martyr. You weaken yourself even more" Gaia states and Clarke looks to Nova. "I can't" Clarke says and Nova nods her head and looks to her guards.

"I want them taken to the river. Go" Nova orders and looks to Bellamy who's in shock to see her. "Thought I wasn't going to wake up?" Nova asks but Bellamy doesn't answer except he swallows a large lump in his throat out of fear. "You can't take them" Gaia states and Bellamy steps forward but Miller holds his gun to Bellamy's face and Joroum carries Madi out the room, who is followed by Clarke. "Arrest the traitors" Nova orders and the guards put Bellamy and Gaia in handcuffs and escort them out the room.

"Someone's going to have fun in the arena" Octavia says as she puts Nova's black and gold cloak on her. "I sure am" Nova says as she walks out of the room and down to the arena and sits down in her throne waiting for the traitors to get put in the arena. Once they come in Nova sees Bellamy, Indra, and Gaia gagged on their knees inside the arena surrounded by Wonkru guards. Nova comes out of her throne room and walks down the outside of the arena and stands in front of the three.

"The nightblood child did not recite the lineage and is, therefore, not the true commander" Nova lies to the people of the Wonkru. Nova clears her throat and begins speak again. "Instead, she ran, abandoning all of us like a coward. She is not Wonkru and she will be dealt with...but first--first, we have a war to win" Nova states as a smile creeps up on her face. "For Keket! For Keket! For Keket! For Keket!" Wonkru cheers as Nova walks into her throne room and looks at a gagged Bellamy with an aggressive look before the door closes. After the door closes Nova puts her head down and she lets a few tears fall from her eyes and thinks of the person she has become.

Nova, Octavia, Brell, and Miller gather in Novas office to talk about the plan to march. "All the rations have been packed. 50% of our people won't march. Fear of sandstorms has put a dent in morale. We're letting it be known that we're taking the long route to avoid them, but--" Miller states until Brell interrupts him. "Don't be a coward, Miller. It's not the sandstorms. Tell her the truth" Brell states and Nova looks to Miller waiting for an answer.

"It's Madi. The fact that there's a supposed commander out there has complicated things" Miller answers and Nova scoffs tossing something off of her desk and taking a deep breath. "Complicated? You just told me half of our people are refusing to march. I'd call that more than complicated" Nova states.

"Maybe if you hadn't tried to kill her, the believers would--" Brell speaks and Nova slaps her across the face. "I did no such thing" Nova says as Brell fixes his jaw and puts her hands up surrender. "We don't need them. Even at half strength, we outnumber Diyoza's army" Miller tries to reassure but Octavia shakes her head. "Still not enough, not without the worms" Octavia states letting out a sigh.

"Maybe, maybe not, but we still got the element of surprise. I say, we go win this war, and once we do, the rest of Wonkru, they'll follow" Miller says and Nova turns around to look at Miller. "If there is a problem speak up about it because otherwise, you're no good to me" Nova waves Miller off.

"Either you're Wonkru, or an enemy of Wonkru. My advice-- you can either unite us behind the real commander or remind those who refuse to march what happens to our enemies" Brell says standing to his feet and looks Miller up and down. "Your real commander's a child who showed us yesterday. Keket's kept us strong through six years of hell. Now you're advising her to stand down or kill half of our people?" Miller question. "That's not what I'm advising" Brell says and Nova looks to Brell.

"You mean the fighting pits" Nova says and Brell nods her head. "Octavia's brother is one of those people" Miller argues. "And Indra and Gaia. I'm aware" Brell says and Nova furrows her eyebrows. "I'm confused. You want her to kill the people who conspired to bring you back your precious commander?" Octavia questions. "No. I want Keket to bend the knee to her, but I know she won't. You want your army to march? Show them what happens when they don't" Brell advises leaning forward on the desk locking eyes with Nova.

~~

Nova walks down to the hydrofarm and sees Harper and Monty there. "Hm, you guys don't have a plan to get Bellamy out of jail?" Nova asks looking around at the plants in the farm. "What if I told you I had one?" Monty states and Nova let's out a few chuckles. "Then I guess you'd have to go in the pits with him. Indra would kill you and I'd have a huge smile on my face knowing Bellamy would be next" Nova answers and Monty and Harper lock eyes.

"Anyways, I need you to go see him. Indra has weaknesses, Bellamy isn't going to survive" Nova states and Monty furrows his eyebrows. "Don't you want him dead?" Monty asks and Nova shrugs. "More than anything but this Octavia's brother and has hard as it is I can put our differences aside... for now" Nova says crossing her arms over her chest.

"How about you tell him yourself or, better yet, call it off" Monty advises and Nova sighs. "He poisioned me, Monty, with your algae, just enough so it wouldn't kill me. I wonder if he had help with that. Now, do you want to save his treasonous ass, or don't you? Because, for some reason, I still don't want him to die" Nova says choking up on her words and licking eyes with Monty.

"Then don't go through with it. You're the damn--" Monty states and Nova groans. "Monty! I am asking for your help and-" Nova shouts but Monty sighs. "Okay, Okay just- Look. Two days ago, these plants were on life support. Now look at them. Imagine what the algae can do in two weeks or two months. Let me show you something. Cooper's farm log says, this section hasn't blossomed in years. Well, guess what?" Monty questions as Nova looks at the plant.

"Is that a flower?" Nova asks looking at it while a smile slowly creeps up on Monty's face. "Not just a flower, an apple blossom, ghost apple, to be exact. Flowers become fruit. Protein crops are rebounding, too. Nova, if I'm right, I can do the same thing to the topsoil on the ground. It'll take longer. A few years, maybe more. But the point is, we don't need shallow valley. You don't need to march to war. Bellamy doesn't need to die" Monty says as Nova smiles and looks to Monty as she grabs the flower and breaks it off its stem. "Hey, what are you doing?" Monty asks looking at the flower on the ground.

"That was a wonderful story.. almost brought me to tears. Haha but Monty, the ghosts can have this place" Nova says looking around the place in disgust. "Anyways, We march as soon as the fight in the pit is over. As much as it pains me I would like Bellamy, your friend, and Octavia's brother, to be with us. Last chance. Will you help me or not?" Nova asks and Monty sighs and shakes his head.

"No...not if it means taking more lives to do it" Monty answers and Nova shrugs. "Fine," Nova says turning around and looking at all the dead plants. "Must be nice, playing Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden while the rest of us fight to survive" Nova says turning around to face Monty.

"Actually, no. It's awful" Monty says as Harper grabs his hand. "Not as awful as fighting a war you don't need to fight" Harper states and Nova sends a mischievous smile there way. "How cute but you either fight to live, or you die. That is how we survived, even when this farm stopped feeding us. If you were down here you'd understand" Nova states. "Sorry Monty, but the farmers won't save the world. The warriors will" Nova says as she kicks over one of the plant holders on her way out.

~~

"We gather here today to remind ourselves what happens to the enemies of Wonkru. It doesn't matter who you are. If you choose sides against us, if you divide us, if you defy us, then you are not us. Before we give these traitors a second chance to be called...brother, sister, or Seda, we pay tribute to those who have died so that we might live" Nova speaks as she sits in her throne looking around at everyone before looking down at Indra, Gaia, and Bellamy who are in separate corners.

"Now, Be the last!" Nova shouts and each of them run to the fence grabbing a weapon but once Gaia grabs her sword she throws it at Nova and it misses her head and lands in the wall making everyone quiet down. Nova looks down at Gaia unfazed as people gasps in the crowd. Nova then lets out a few chuckles and sighs, "I thought I said be the last!" Nova shouts standing up from her throne and grabbing the sword out of the wall.

"Stop!" Monty shouts running into the pit. "Monty, get out of here" Bellamy begs and Nova sighs. "Guards get him out of here" Nova orders. "Nova told you we have to march, that we have to fight for the one place left where we can survive, but she knows that's not true" Monty shouts and Nova grips the sword in her hand. "Monty..." Nova warns as her and Month lock eyes.

"The hydrofarm is working again. Soon, it'll be processing enough food to feed all of us here. Using the same techniques, we can grow crops in the wasteland. Ask Octavia. Ask Nova. She's seen it with her own eyes. Go to war if you want to, but at least tell them that they have a choice" Monty warns everyone and everyone in the crowd lets out whispers to each other. Nova sees Octavia walk beside her.

"What do I do?" Octavia asks and Nova looks over at Octavia. "Destroy that damn farm" Nova orders and Octavia smiles and leaves the room. "Keket, what are your orders?" Miller asks and Nova smiles and sighs. "Stand down" Nova orders and Bellamy furrows her eyebrows and looks around while everyone who's in the pit cheers that they finally got peace.

"Wait! Where's Octavia?" Bellamy asks quieting everyone down. Everyone looks to Nova as she has a mischievous smile on her face. "I don't know" Nova answers as Indra, Monty, Bellamy, Harper and Gaia leave the pit to find Octavia. Soon after the fire alarm goes off and Nova goes to the hydrofarm and sees Octavia standing in the door way as the farm is in flames. Nova walks up beside her and looks at the fire kill all of the plants.

"No! What did you do?" Monty asks as Nova looks over at him. "Took away the choice" Indra answers and Nova shakes her head. "There's still one more choice. Stay here and die or march with me and live" Nova says as she pushes past Monty and leaves the hydrofarm with Octavia and goes outside ready to march.

Once all of Wonkru is outside ready Nova and Octavia grab a bag of rations and begin walking while everyone follows behind. "We got rations here for everyone, six days' worth. That's enough to make it to the valley. Move out!" Nova hears Miller shout in the distance. "Ready Keket?" Octavia asks and Nova looks over at Octavia.

"Of course" Nova answers as her and Octavia walk side by side ready to fight for the valley. Ready to fight for a home.