Chapter Text
When her body makes contact with the icy tiles on the floor she can hear Raven's and Jackson's screams, their blurry faces slowly disappear completely but she's still glad it's them whom she sees last. Warmth floods her body despite lying on the cold ground, her blood rushing through her veins in abnormal speed. She thinks of Clarke and how she now has to manage life without a mother and her head starts to spin with memories of her daughter's childhood, happy and sad moments all collide and she's spiralling through them until everything fades to black and she can only feel a pounding in her head and everything goes black.
*
“I think she's waking up.”
A female voice in the distance makes it into her mind and Abby wants to open her eyes but the blinding light she sees forces her to close them again.
“Yes, she's close.” another voice speaks, male this time and it sounds familiar to her yet she doesn't recognize it.
Opening her eyes a second time, Abby has to blink to let herself adjust to her surroundings. She 's met with a shy smile of a girl with long brown hair and dressed in a simple blue dress. She doesn't look older than ten.
“Welcome Abby.” the girl says. “I'm Aya.”
“Where am I?” Abby asks, her mouth dry and her voice raspy.
She's lying in a wooden bed, a blanket draped loosely over her. It seems like a small cottage they are in, with only two small windows, which makes the room pretty dark and she wonders where the blinding light came from when she opened her eyes that first time.
“Where am I?” Abby repeats, sitting up and her head immediately starts to spin.
“Easy Abby.” the male voice tells her, a person hidden in the dark corner of the room.
She suddenly remembers the injection, her hand touching the side of her neck, feeling the little bump where the needle hit her skin. So it wasn't a dream and the injection that she thought will kill her must have only been a sedation.
“Where's Clark?” she asks, “Raven? Jackson?”
“They aren't here.” the girl said.
“So where are they?” Abby asks again, panic creeping up inside of her.
“Have something to drink first?” Aya says, offering Abby a cup of water.
Abby knocks the cup out of the girl's hand, the sound of metal landing on the floor clearly audible in the small cottage. It looks clear like water, but it could be anything else and she clearly isn't drinking anything from them until she hasn't some answers.
Aya backs away from her, retreating herself in the same dark corner the man has been standing. “Let me talk to her.” he says to the girl and steps forward.
“Abby.” he says, his figure slowly becoming clear. Her breath hitches, because the man before her can definitely not be standing in front of her.
“Lincoln?” she whispers shocked. “How is that possible?”
He looks exactly the same as she remembers him.
“How are you here?” she says, the question so funny itself because she doesn't even know where here is. “You're dead.”
“I've been here for a while now, Abby. The question is, why do you think you are here?”
Abby swallows, suddenly feeling the needle hitting her neck all over again. This can't be real. It has to be a hallucination, maybe she was drugged and seeing dead people is the result. But then, this doesn't feel like a dream or a hallucination. It feels more real than anything else so there's only on other option. A small chuckle escapes her as reality finally sinks in. “Because I'm dead too.”
Hearing herself say those words feels completely bizarre.
“Yu gonplei ste odon, Abby.” he says the Grounders ritual when a warrior dies.
“My fight is over.” she whispers.
Lincoln nods and gives her a sad smile: “Skykru was right all along. We meet again. There's no more fighting here.”
Abby's head is suddenly spinning again, her eyes getting blurry and the words lincoln says only a distant sound until everything fades.
*
The next time she wakes up she recalls everything that has happened immediately. She sits up, rubbing her temples and takes the cup of water that is given her by Aya without hesitation and with a small smile.
“So where exactly is here?” Abby asks.
“I'll show you.” Lincoln says, again hiding in the dark corner of the room and after opening the door of the cottage Abby is hit with bright daylight, a deep and colourful nature and the scent of the clearest air she has ever breathed.
“It's called Xaris.”
Abby looks around and now realises that the cottage she woke up in is up on a small hill, where you can look down over the valley and the lake that spreads in front of it. The clear water is surrounded by wooden cottages, smaller and bigger ones, some right down by the water, other up on the hill or further into woods. It's a breathtaking view and Abby gives herself a moment to take it all in, not just the scenery in front of her but the information she has received too.
“but it's not just this valley and the lake you see down there. It's an endless land where everyone who doesn't have to fight anymore finds a place.” Lincoln continues.
“He is here too.” Aya suddenly says, appearing beside her.
Abby looks at the girl, her heart beating fast. She doesn't have to ask who the little girl is talking about.
“Aya...” Lincoln says warningly.
“Where?” she asks, desperate to see the one person she missed so dearly the last couple of days and thought she might never see again. “Where is Marcus?”
Aya waits until Lincoln gives her a small nod to speak: “He lives further up the hill.” she points behind them “It's a fifteen minute walk from here.”
Abby's heart leaps in her chest at the knowledge that Marcus is only a couple of minutes away.
“Can you show me the way?” she asks the girl hopeful.
“You should rest a bit more.” Lincoln interrupts them. “You just woke up.”
“I mean it's not that I can die again, right?” Abby jokes and Aya giggles.
Lincoln sighs.
“Please, I need to see him.” she says in desperate whisper. “Please, Lincoln.”
“Fine.” the man says. “Aya, bring her up to Marcus but you come back down straight away this time, okay?”
The girl nods and without another word she takes Abby by the hand. Abby lets out a huff of joy.
Behind the cabin a small path leads into the woods and soon they are surrounded by the green forest.
“I'm really sorry about the cup earlier. I didn't meant to scare you.” Abby says, remembering how shocked the little girl looked back then.
“It's okay.” she just says in a happy mood.
They walk silently for a couple of minutes before Abby speaks again.
“So... you have visited Marcus before?”
The girl nods.
“Yes! The first couple of weeks he was only up in his cottage.”
“The first couple of weeks?” Abby asks confused. “But... it's only been a couple of days since he...”
Abby can't quite remember how many days exactly have passed since Marcus died because she hasn't slept much since so days melted together to one. Just thinking about him standing on the other side of the door sends a shiver down her spine all over again. But she knows it can't be weeks, even though it definitely felt that long.
“Oh yeah, time is a little different here. I can't really explain but you were in that cottage for six days before you woke up.”
Six days? How can it be six days when it only feels like a couple of hours?
“How long has Marcus been here then?” she asks a bit shocked.
“Three or four months I think.”
Months... Abby swallows, not sure what to say or think of this.
Aya kicks a small stone out of the way before she continues:” He was a bit grumpy at first but now he has Alice and he isn't grumpy anymore. He cuddles with her a lot. I think he really loves her even though he would never admit it.” Aya giggles and Abby almost stumbles over her own feet at the little girl's word.
Suddenly this doesn't feel like such a good idea any more. And maybe the reason why Lincoln has been so reluctant to let her go to see Marcus was Alice. If she comes to him unannounced now who knows what she barges into.
This is definitely not a good idea.
She stops, letting go of Aya's hand.
“What's wrong?” the girl asks confused. “We're almost there.”
How do you explain to a little girl that you are desperate to see the man you love but are not ready to see that man with another woman?
“Are you afraid of Alice?”
“No!” Oh god but she is. She is afraid of that woman she may have lost Marcus to. And she doesn't even blame him. He deserves to be happy. He deserves the world and she definitely couldn't give it to him. Though she wonders how long he has been with this woman when it has been only three months since he is here. And for her it has only been days since she was fighting for his life, so no she is definitely not ready for this reality were Marcus might have another woman at his side.
Fuck.
“Why are you crying?” Aya asks and Abby wipes away that single tear that escaped her with the back of her hand. “I promise you, Alice is very nice and I bet she likes you.” Aya says excited. “Do you want to know a secret?” she suddenly whispers, making Abby smile despite everything and she nods at the girl. “I was afraid of Alice too.”
“You were?” Abby asks.
“She looks a bit scary and does what she wants but Marcus said he liked that about her, because it reminded him of you.”
Oh great, Abby thinks, very charming.
“And she barks soooo loud.”
“What?”
“She barks.” Aya says and demonstrates the barking with a couple of very loud and impressive woofs.
“Alice is a dog.” Abby says more to herself than to Aya.
“Well, duuh! Of course she is.”
Abby can't stop herself from laughing at the realisation that Alice is not woman but a furry animal. Marcus Kane has a dog. And she has been jealous of said dog. She snorts, Aya suddenly giggling beside her. “Marcus told me you had a funny laugh. I think it's funny too.”
“Well, you have a funny laugh too.” Abby says with a smile.
They start walking again, Aya pulling on her hand to speed her up.
“Did you miss him?” she asks, hopping beside Abby.
“Yes, very much.”
“I think Marcus missed you too. He always talked about you. He told me so many stories and when I'm not around he tells them to Alice.”
Abby's heart swells at the thought that he told Aya so much stories about them but at the same time she feels an ache for him that he found a little bit comfort in a dog.
She really can't wait to meet Alice now.
The rest of their walk is silent and Abby drinks in her surroundings. The sun is shining through the threes, light shimmering around them, bathing the green landscape in beautiful colours.
“We're here.” Aya said and stops.
***