In A Time of War: An imperial Love Prequel (1)

Chapter Sixteen

A few days were starting to pass and John was no longer traveling on the truck with everyone. He found himself at a new war station more quickly than ever. He didn't know where his fate was going to be anymore. 

But he just wanted to secure his own safety as well more than anything. He found Benedict's poems almost moving to him. To help him remain focused in France, he then started to continue to think about the life he could potentially have with Violet, he wanted her for the rest of his life, and he didn't know how he was going to live without her. John was writing to her at his campsite, to let him know what he was thinking, feeling, and a little bit about where he was. But he wasn't allowed to give too much information.  

Perhaps that was the reason he found writing to her incredibly difficult. 

As he was writing, he was trying to think about what he could say to her, without giving away too much. Because he felt as if he opened up to her more than ever before the day he left, and days before that. 

He looked over to see Wesley and Simon drinking tea, and looked over to see Benedict writing in his notebook from the other side of him. John was also wondering how Benedict often came up with all of these ideas. Benedict's mind was different from anyone he had ever known out here. Which was one of the things that made Benedict special.

John definitely felt as if he underestimated Benedict.  Just didn't get the chance to pay attention to him like he did with Wesley, or with Simon, and even Jamie. He did want to make sure Benedict got out of the war alive as well, so they can form a better friendship. He spent a lot of time talking to Benedict while at his new camp, so he can see what he was like, rather than just the "poem boy" because John knew he was more than that.

"So what's another thing you do other than write?" John asked, "And draw."

"Well..." Benedict started, "I can fight." 

"Well of course," John realized, "But is there anything that I should know about you?"

"I'm nothing special." Benedict said, John placed his hand onto Benedict's shoulder and smiled at him, knowing that it wasn't true. There was definitely more to Benedict, so much more. But he didn't know what it was, John still didn't know how Benedict didn't get his leg amputated from the bullet that was in his leg after he was horsing around with Jamie. Benedict didn't know how his leg got amputated either. There was such a huge risk that he would have lost his leg if he didn't get the treatment that he needed, so Benedict was just lucky perhaps.

But he was still standing, and was still fighting better than ever, and he was going to continue to fight until his death. John was going to do the same, and he had his friends to be there with him.

Moments passed, and Claude walked by to talk to Benedict and John, he sat down next to the both of them and looked to see both of them in Uniform. Claude lit up a cigarette and looked over at the both of them and offered them one, but John turned it down, but Benedict accepted the offer.

 As Benedict lit up the cigarette, and smoked it, the smoke went into John's face and John coughed loudly.

"Sorry." Benedict said, later laughing. John then looked around, and he started laughing as well.

Claude looked over and started to laugh loudly as well. Thinking that John was just being dramatic, and John looked over at Claude and then looked over at Benedict. Who was grinning from ear to ear looking at John. John looked over at him and smiled at Benedict. John felt the need to bring up his poems then and there.

"Claude, you know Benedict is a writer." John stated 

"So I've heard," Claude answered, "I feel like I've heard bits of your work in the truck, but only bits." 

"So I've heard," Claude answered, "I feel like I've heard bits of your work in the truck, but only bits."

"They're all quite good." John admitted,

"Is that so?" Claude asked,

Benedict shrugged and then nodded, John looked at him hoping he would develop a little bit more confidence. Benedict needed to be more confident in his work, and the things that he was most passionate about.But pretty soon, there was going to be darkness all around, and everything was getting to be darker and darker. John didn't know who was going to live and who was going to die tomorrow, so he tried to make life as memorable as can be for all of the time that he had left.

And he wanted to get married.

Especially to Violet.

So he was thinking about all of that. 

And he was more determined than ever to return back to everyone that he loved. 

 He had so much on his plate, and everyone was going to watch him become even stronger after the war. He was going to make sure that he was going to fight all of the demons that he needed to fight early on. Because didn't want anything to affect him in the long run.  And he didn't want it to affect his children in the future, his future with Violet, and just the rest of his life. But realistically, he was going to expect all of it to happen.