Octavia and Ilian

Octavia and Ilian is a complicated relationship with many fans. The ship began in Season Four, Heavy Lies the Crown when they first met. Their relationship is currently not very steady from what we know.

Summary
These two met in Heavy Lies the Crown when Octavia was in Polis with Kane. They seemed to be enemies at first by the way they look at each other, but different thoughts came to mind when they first kissed in Gimme Shelter.

Throughout the Series
In Heavy Lies the Crown, while in Polis Ilian was approached by Octavia and Kane who attempt to dissuade Ilian from going through with their plan to challenge Roan. After they have failed to do that, Ilian leaves with a look of disgust on his face towards Octavia to show his hatred.

Ilian attends the meeting of the ambassadors and the king and appears slightly shocked and angered upon hearing about Rafel's death. Ilian immediately suspects that Rafel was assassinated by Octavia and asks her if she plans on killing him too. Octavia denies knowing what he's talking about and then gives her sympathy regarding the death of Ilian's family.

In The Four Horsemen, Ilian and his people are looting and destroying all the technology in Polis that they can find. When Terro, one of the looters, intercepts and threatens Octavia as she is following the flamekeeper Gaia, Ilian steps in to prevent them from fighting, telling Terro that they are there for the tech, nothing more. When Octavia asks him why they're destroying technology, Ilian replies that it is because that is what A.L.I.E. used to control them, and they'll never let that happen again. After Octavia leaves, Ilian orders one of his people to follow her.

Ilian and his followers having tracked Octavia to the Flamekeeper's temple and realizing there is probably tech there, break inside. They find Octavia, Gaia and Indra, and Ilian orders the trio to drop their weapons, which they do so. Upon searching Gaia's pack, Ilian finds what he believes to be the Flame, "For my Mother", he says, then duly smashes it with a hammer. He and his looters then trash the temple and leave.

In The Tinder Box, Ilian discovers Octavia, badly wounded and barely conscious in the woods near to Arkadia. Ilian carries Octavia to Arkadia and claims that he was on his way home from Polis when he found her. While everyone is distracted tending to Octavia, Ilian slips away and makes his way through Alpha Station.

Ilian finds a load of flammable liquids and a cart to carry them. He follows the electrical cables to their source. Once inside the server room, Ilian makes his preparations. Octavia and Niylah find him just as he is about to set the station ablaze. Being too weak from her wounds to stop Ilian physically, Octavia attempts to talk him down. However, Ilian is not deterred and drops his blazing torch on the flammable liquids he has poured on the floor. The initial explosion almost kills both Octavia and Niylah, but they were able to get out of the room in time. Ilian helps the pair outside and then continues to watch as the flames engulf the entire station.

In We Will Rise, Ilian appears to be in a clinic and has his injuries tended to, but is restrained to his hospital bed. Eventually, Ilian and Octavia are the only ones left in the med bay and Ilian tells Octavia that he’s glad she survived. Octavia warns Ilian that he will be killed soon as, “blood must have blood”. Ilian states that he didn’t kill anyone in the fire, but Octavia scornfully tells him he has caused the eventual death of everyone by compromising the station and that the Sky People will kill him in revenge. Ilian says that he didn’t know about the apocalypse event when he lit the fire and that he never meant to harm anyone. “The sword doesn’t care what you meant”, replies Octavia, “it just cuts”.

Later on, Kane, David Miller, Monty and some guards abruptly arrive in the infirmary and lock it down, just moments before a mob arrives outside the doors demanding Ilian be turned over to them. Miller questions Kane’s decision to protect Ilian, reminding him that they would have floated Ilian if they were on the Ark, but Kane declares that “mob rule” will not dictate justice in Arkadia. Monty is steadfastly aligned with Kane’s views, saying that the mob will kill Ilian if they let them through the doors. Ilian remains silent. Kane pulls out a pistol and loads it, determined to protect Ilian even if it means killing one of his own people, saying: “if we let them descend into darkness, there’s no coming back”. Octavia tells Kane it’s the end of the world and darkness is all that is left – she then suddenly heads over to the door and unlocks it before Monty or Kane can stop her. The mob rush in and while Kane tries to hold them at gunpoint, Miller stuns him in the back with a shock baton, saying he’s sorry. The Arkadians advance on Ilian but before they grab him Octavia asks that she be the one to kill him.

lian is manhandled outside and put on his knees in the mud before Octavia. Monty begs Octavia not to go through with the execution, telling her she’s not a murderer, but Octavia says he’s wrong and puts her gun to Ilian’s head. Ilian, his face badly beaten, stares stoically up at Octavia and tells her to get it over with. Octavia hesitates as the crowd looks on silently. Suddenly, the warning alarm sounds signalling the arrival of black rain and most of the crowd rush inside to safety. Octavia continues to point her gun at Ilian, but Kane is able to convince her to drop her weapon after he reminds her of how Pike executed Lincoln in the same way. A distraught Octavia, runs out of the gates of Arkadia.

In Gimme Shelter, Ilian tracks Octavia through the forest and eventually spots her horse, Helios, apparently abandoned. As Ilian approaches Helios, Octavia comes up behind him and holds a knife to his throat, demanding to know why he is following her. Ilian tells Octavia that she won’t survive on her own and says he wants to help her because of how she spared his life in Arkadia. Octavia refuses his help and mounts her horse, but at that moment a storm begins, unleashing black rain which burns skin on contact. Ilian is unaware of just how dangerous the rain can be and calls it strange, but Octavia urges him to climb on Helios with her and the pair ride off in search of shelter.

Finding a cave, the duo rush inside and strip off their contaminated clothing. Fortunately, there is a pool of fresh water in the cave with which Ilian and Octavia are able to wash themselves. Ilian asks what the black rain means; Octavia replies bluntly that it means they are stuck inside the cave until the rain passes and that she doesn’t want him to talk to her. Octavia goes to wash off Helios and suggests that Ilian should light a fire, “you’re good at that”, she says with disdain.

While waiting around the fire for the storm to pass, Ilian finally breaks the awkward silence by asking Octavia where she will go. When Octavia doesn’t answer, Ilian goes on to tell her that he doesn’t know where he’s going either, because if he returns home to his farm, it will remind him too much of his family and what he did to them while under A.L.I.E.’s control. Octavia remarks that Ilian is not a murderer because he feels the pain of killing, whereas she feels nothing. She tells him he should go home to his “stupid sheep”. Ilian doesn’t believe that Octavia is a heartless killer, recalling that he saw the pain in her face when she was about to execute him. He claims that she doesn’t want to feel the pain of taking a life but that it’s still there. Octavia angrily tells him to shut up, but Ilian continues talking, asking Octavia how she became the person she is and saying he believes that deep down, she is still the person she was before. Octavia tells him he’s wrong, and then in a moment of madness and depression she walks towards the entrance of the cave with the intention of letting the black rain kill her. Ilian prevents her attempted suicide and wrestles her back inside the cave, holding her to the ground. Suddenly, Octavia kisses a surprised Ilian, and begs him to, “just let me feel something else” and the pair then has sex.

Once the storm passes, Ilian informs Octavia that he has decided he is going home, “back to my stupid sheep”, and tells her how to find his farm. Ilian leaves, but Octavia catches up with him on her horse, telling him to get on and that she’ll take him home.