Since she'd come here, she'd basically dedicated her life to keeping her friends safe. Surviving.
But she'd been too distracted by the promise of a different life, a better life, that she'd completely given up on making sure everything was really OK. And putting her people first.
And her mother.
Was she alright? Was she looking for Aria? Worrying, wondering where her daughter had gone?
Her bones ached. The air was so cold it made her teeth chatter. But she made no move to leave. Her physical pain was nowhere near the mental, the emotional pain she was in now.
"You plan on staying up there forever?" someone asked from below her.
She was so startled she almost fell out of the tree.
"She's over here," Grace yelled.
Aria looked down and saw Grace standing below her. Just then, Lex and one of his guards ran over and joined Grace.
"Aria, please just come inside," Lex said, looking up at her.
She found it hard to look him in the eye. She couldn't think about him, all those hours she spent in that tree. She couldn't think about him. Everything that had happened between them, every memory, was tainted now. Ruined.
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. She didn't want to go inside, but the sun had set by that point. And she couldn't stay outside forever. She slowly made her way down the tree.
"But as soon as I talk to my people, as soon as we figure things out, we're leaving," she said once she was on the ground again, still not looking at him.
She made her way back inside by herself. She didn't bother going to the throne room to see her friends. She still had a lot to think about. She had to figure out when they'd be leaving and how they would find the others.
The last thing she wanted to do was go to their quarters, but she didn't really know where else to go. Once she was inside, she closed the door behind her, grateful that he didn't follow.
She drew herself a bath and stayed in the tub until the water got cold.
Get over it, she thought. There was no point in feeling hurt by what Lex had done. That wouldn't help her find her people, her mother. She had to put her personal feelings aside. Again.
But that was easier said than done.
The thought of sharing a bed with him made her feel sick. So with that in mind, after her bath, she found a thick blanket and left their bedroom.
She sat down on the little couch in their front room and watched the fire in the fireplace, willing herself to fall asleep. To escape for a little while.
Eventually, he came inside.
"Aria, please just talk to me. Let me explain," he said, standing by the fireplace.
She stayed silent.
He sighed.
"Where are they?" she asked. As much as she didn't want to talk to him, she needed answers.
"They're...they're scattered."
"Scattered where?"
"I-I don't know about all of them. But most have been exploring. Looking for you, I expect."
It was what she expected to hear. Searching so that they could find their children, their families, their friends.
"How do you know all of this?" she asked.
"I told you...We may be outsiders, but...but we still communicate with the others."
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, finally looking at him.
"It's complicated.”
That pissed her off.
"How the hell is it complicated? 'Aria, your people, are alive,' see? That's not fucking complicated," she said, getting up.
She walked to their room, mostly because she couldn't look at him. She didn't want to be around him. She couldn't be.
"Fuck, will you just let me explain?" he asked, following after her.
"Explain what," she yelled, turning to look at him. She felt like she could hit him. That's how angry she was. "Explain that you- that you've been lying to me the entire time? That you don't give a shit about trust or loyalty as long as you have it? That it doesn't matter how I feel? What I need?"
"Of course it fucking matters," he yelled back, "But you don't understand. I-I didn't tell you because..."
"Because, why?"
"Because at first, I wasn't even sure if it was true."
"And after that? Why didn't you tell me after that?"
"Because they aren't like you," he yelled.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"Your people. The ones who came here? They aren't...they aren't good people, Aria."
"Wow," she said, shaking her head at him. "And how would you know? Have you met any of them?"
"No, and from what I've heard, I don't fucking want to."
"My mother might be out there," she yelled.
"I know! I've...I've tried to find her," he said.
"What? How?" she asked.
"Aria, when you were on the way here...I found out about the others. That's why the guards went back. I figured- I figured that if I was going to take you guys in, I could take the rest. That's why I wanted to make the alliance. I knew there were a lot more of you. That your people possessed technology and weapons. And numbers. And they needed somewhere to go, I could offer them that. But..." he said, looking away.
"But what?"
"Once the guards arrived, two of my men left the group. They went to find your people. I told those men to tell your people that you were here, that you were safe. That they were welcomed. But they never made it back. Eventually, the others couldn't wait anymore, so they came back and told me what happened."
"But that doesn't mean anything! They could have been killed by anyone or anything."
"I know," he yelled, angry now. "I fucking know that. But it's very, very unlikely."
"And why do you say that?"
"Because of my deal with the Terra. They would have sent your people here, not killed them. Because that’s the deal I made to get you here. They only would have killed them if I had sent you all back at any point. But you stayed, so you’re all under my protection.
Aria shook her head. She didn’t want it to make sense
