Resolve: Fourth Wing Fan Fiction

Torture Below Basgiath Part II - then moving forward

Author's Note: I did not include the portion in which Violet shows Dain her memories, but for the sake of later clarity, let's assume that he has done that, he's seen what happened at Resson, but not what Varrish has done. Dain is in the foyer outside of the chamber, battling a moral dilemma of whether or not to help Violet, when the following takes place.

A look of surprise or maybe glee, I can't tell through the black spots that are cutting across my vision, settles on Varrish's face. "Earlier than I would have liked" Varrish says casually, "Let's greet our guest of honour shall we", he commands Nora as he walks past my limp body to the door, leaving it open behind him. I hear the distant sounds of fighting. They must have just breached the base of the mountain I think to myself. For the first time in 5 days, I let hope fill my whole heart. I feel my chest expand as I draw in the deepest breath I can manage through the searing pain of my back and let it out in a painful cry. He came.

My pulse jumps at the sound of hurried steps behind me, and I brace myself for whoever has just walked through that door. I did not survive five days in this hell to meet Malek now.
"Oh gods Violet I am so sorry. I should have believed you, I should have –"Dain's words stop as he steps in front of me with glassy eyes. "We need to hurry, I don't know what's going on up there, but from the sounds of it we don't have a lot of time". Dain reaches for the chair from the center of the room and drags it across the floor to stand just below my still dangling feet. I can reach the seat with the tips of my boots and do my best to stretch as far as I can, but my back has been ripped apart by Varrish's belt and it's all that I can do to not blackout from the pain. Dain reaches above my head and uses lesser magic to release the shackles from my wrists, pushing his shoulder into my sternum so that I slump against his back as my arms fall. The wind is knocked out of me on impact, and I choke out a couple of coughs as he gingerly lowers me to the chair so that my left side is leaning against the back of the seat, careful not to make contact with my skin.
"Violet I don't know what to do. What do you need me to do"? His voice is so different than I've heard it since he saw me after parapet. It's a voice that I remember from childhood, a note of concern that used to warm my heart and make me feel so cared for just leaves me feeling...nothing.

I look down at my arms where the sleeves of my tunic hang pathetically from my aching red wrists. I can feel that the back is open and a small strip of fabric keeps the front and what's left of the back connected just around my hips.
"Jacket?" My voice sounds like it belongs to someone else, jagged and rough like someone's pressing onto my throat. Dain turns on his heels and rummages around the table outside of the chamber before bringing back my flight jacket, my small pack and every dagger that had been tossed across the tabletop. I put what daggers I can into the pockets and sheaths of my training pants, tucking the rest into the pockets of my flight jacket before letting Dain help me place it over my shoulders to cover the open wound that is my back. He sucks in a breath as the fabric meets my skin and my body reacts to the pain, lurching me forward off the chair. My knees slam into the stone floor where I vomit. There's nothing in my stomach from days of eating just enough to survive so I crumple to the ground dry heaving until my vision comes back into focus and I put all of my energy into breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth.

I feel Dain's hand rest gently against my arm before he helps me to my feet and turns me by my shoulders to face him. He doesn't say anything else as he lifts each arm carefully into the sleeves of the jacket before fastening the highest button to keep it from slipping off my shoulders. The clanging and yelling sounds like it's right outside now. Dain takes a protective step in front me, drawing his short sword and faces the door to meet whoever makes it down the stairs first.

The doorway fills completely with black before Varrish is thrown through the empty space and into the stone across the room. Xaden steps through next his sword never dropping from its target, Varrish's throat. Garrik is right behind him and takes his place as Xaden shifts his gaze towards me. A flash of rage darkens his eyes as his shadows shoot across the floor and wrap around Dain's legs in the same second that Xaden is on top of him, sending them both to the ground accompanied by the clang of their swords slamming into each other. "Wait" I cry, but my voice is so quiet compared to the yelling and fighting that I have to brace myself against the wall, take a deep breath and yell with every ounce of breath in me,
"Xaden no". He stops, with his sword held high above his head, ready to bring it down across Dain's throat. He doesn't look at me, his eyes still trained on Dain whose sword has fallen to his side and legs are pinned beneath Xaden.
"He helped me, don't kill him", I croak out still using the wall for support. I watch Xaden's shoulders rise once then twice, with each breath before he pushes to his feet, releasing Dain and taking a step back to let him stand. "I'll deal with you later" he seethes before turning to Garrik and Varrish.
"Want me to kill him"? Garrik asks letting the sword dance along Varrish's Adam's apple. He's on the ground with a hand pressed firmly against his abdomen where a stab wound is bleeding profusely the blood pooling in his lap.
"Violet should have that honour... if she chooses to take it" Xaden says finally turning to look at me. His shoulders drop. It's like I can feel the air return to his lungs, the weight of the world lift off of him, and every moment that I've been trapped down here doesn't matter anymore. He's here, Xaden is here and he's okay. He's in front of me in two quick strides, his hands fumbling to sheath his sword before he takes my face in his hands and turns my chin up to look at him.
"Are you hurt violence". I can see the emotions swirling in his eyes and shut down a mental barrier to keep me from breaking down in his arms right here and right now.
"Nothing I can't handle. Now let's get out of here".