Maidens & Killers

How's He Doing?

Two weeks after my talk in the courtyard with Imogen I am in a much better head space thanks to time with Croabh and my friends and I find myself seated at our squad's table for breakfast listening to Ridoc and Sawyer bicker over an answer on a recent History Of Navarre quiz.
"Obviously the right way to handle it was to flank the rear and surprise the opposing troops." Ridoc says and crosses his arms across his chest.
"That would never work." Sawyer answers back. "Meet them face on and overwhelm them."
Ridoc snorts as he stuffs another piece of sausage into his mouth, "What do you mean it wouldn't work?!" He says in a muffled voice due to the large amount of food in his mouth.
"UUUUUGH." Rhiannon complains looking at Ridoc. She gets up from her seat across from him and turns as though to tell Violet that they should head out. We both realize that the seat next to me, that is normally occupied with Violet, is uncharacteristically empty.

"Have you seen her this morning?" Rhiannon asks me.
"You know what, I haven't. Let's go up to her room, I am sure she just isn't feeling well or overslept or something." Even though things seem to be much better between Xaden and Violet than they were at the beginning of this year, I am still worried about her. Shoot, I was in a dark place myself just a few weeks ago.
Rhiannon and I leave the food hall and head back to the long hallway filled with second year dorm rooms. Violet's room is about two rooms down from mine and we're both super familiar with where it is. We arrive and begin knocking on the door, expecting Violet to come hustling to the door and greet us like she normally would. Noone comes to the door though. Rhiannon tries the handle but it's surprisingly locked.

"I don't think she's in there." Rhiannon says and looks up and down the hallway again as though she is expecting Violet to just pop out of one of the rooms or walk down the hallway.
"What about the Archives?" I ask, "I know that she is close friends with Jesinia and she has been working on something with her."
Rhiannon nods, "Yeah, she mentioned something to me about an old book concerning the wards."
Rhiannon and I turn to leave Vi's room and literally bump into Aairic, a first year that I haven't spoken to much. "Hey," I say. "Have you seen Violet?"
Aairc nods, "I just saw her and Xaden in the Archives talking to someone there. What's going on?"
"I'm not sure, but I feel like something big is going down. I can't shake this feeling lately, and Violet has been more secretive than ever." Rhiannon replies to Aairc and jogs down the hall in the direction of where Violet was last seen.
Guilt is beginning to crawl up my body and grip me in a chokehold. I feel terrible for not being able to talk to everyone about the information that I have. Instead of coming clean though, I just follow behind Rhiannon and wait to see what Violet and Xaden will have to say.

I haven't seen Xaden in person in quite a few weeks and my breath catches a little at the sight of him standing there with Jesinia and Violet. He's lost some weight since being stationed at Samara and it makes my heart break to think that Garrick may be under the same level of stress and pressure that Xaden is. Jesinia and Violet are in deep conversation, huddled together closely, so I wave to Xaden as I walk up to the group.
"How is he?" I ask, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. I don't need to clarify who I am asking about, I can tell by the look Xaden gives me that he is well aware of the fact that I only care about one person's well being above all else.
He tries to smile at me, or as close as it comes for Xaden Riorson, the man who carries the burden of so many lives on his shoulders. "He's good. Misses you like crazy. He will be hounding me for every detail that I can give him as soon as I land."
"I have letters for you, please make sure that you get them from me. I hate when I don't see you. I hate the thought of Garrick thinking that I haven't written or thought about him."
Xaden chuckles, "Trust me Garrick doesn't think that. I think he worries about you a little more when I tell him that I didn't get to see you because of a training event, especially the ones for Rider's Survival, but he knows that he will just get double the letters when Violet comes."
I smile to myself thinking of the giant stack of letters tied together with my hair ribbons that Violet had taken to Samara the week after our interrogation exercise. I had made sure to spray some of my perfume on the ribbons just for that added extra touch.
"I'm so glad he is doing well. Please give him all my love." I finally say with an ache in my heart.

I can't believe it has been months since I've laid eyes on Garrick. I knew that this was going to be hard, but this is damn near ridiculous at this point. "Has he mentioned anything about getting leave? To visit?" I whisper to Xaden.
Xaden shakes his head, "Samara is super hard to get leave at, they only let one person off a weekend. I need Saturdays and it just hasn't worked out. He's actually had to cover for me multiple times."
My heart sinks, but I wouldn't take back the fact that we got married for anything. Even if there was zero chance of him being able to come see me, I would still take that vow in a heartbeat.
"It's okay, I know that he is trying. That's all either of us can do." I tell him trying to keep the brokenness out of my voice.
Xaden looks like he is going to say something else, but at that moment Bodhi decides to come walking over. Xaden nods his head to him and leans down to press a kiss to the top of Violet's head.
"I gotta go, I'll be by your room to pick up those letters after dinner okay?" Xaden says to me as he walks off towards Bodhi.

I turn and notice that Violet, Jesinia and I have drawn a bit of a crowd. Most of my squad is now here, including Aaric and Sloane, Liam's little sister. "What's going on?" I ask Rhiannon who is directly to my left. Violet and Jesinia are still deep in conversation and Sawyer, who's eyes haven't left Jesinia, turns to me. "Violet was just about to finally tell us why she's been so secretive lately."