Chapter Text
Violet had finally gotten everything back to order in her life... mostly with the exception of older Aetos. Dain and her had gotten to mostly normal circumstances, nothing like how they were in their childhood but it was something. Xaden was not Venin anymore and had his soul back and the squad and her were back at Basgiath and had six months until graduation. Cat however liked to remind her of that fact with her being a Duchess since last year almost around the same time... so lovely of her.
In the meantime Rhi and her were headed to battle brief as the others in their squad decided to eat a mountain of food... and had to clean it up with Ridoc. Violet ditched before it was completed and Rhiannon tagged along. The two were just talking about everything going on especially with Rhiannon and Tara as the two were still on a break with leadership duties and the like.
"Seriously Rhi? We have six months left then we get assigned to a post. Go and date Tara, she should understand that you have leadership duties for a little bit more but at the least when you are studying you can both hang out. If nothing else she can sleep in your room." Violet told Rhiannon with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Violet! She can't just sleep in my room like you did with Riorson." Rhiannons replied to her shaking her head.
"In my defense I wasn't always in his room... just two times first year when we were" she took a minute to find the words "handling things."
"Sex you mean" Rhiannon deadpanned as the rest of the squad caught up with Rhiannon and herself.
"Like no one knows when Violet here and Riorson have sex anymore" Ridoc said as he walked right behind them.
Violet rolled her eyes as they all walked into battle brief and at the top of the stairs taking their seats waiting for the class to begin as they were talking.
"Second years have that?" Sawyer asked Rhiannon, being cryptic with first years passing them and seeing no second year from their wing.
"Yeah, got an update from our wing from a spotter. They are doing okay though the first hour was a mess from what I am told" Rhiannon told the rest of the squad as it seemed Battle brief was starting.
"I wish them luck... Sloane especially" Ridoc commented before Professor Devera walked out.
"Hello first and third years helping with today's battle brief is someone from the Veylin Crags post currently. They have agreed to help teach today's class, please welcome Lieutenant Duke Xaden Riorson." Devera said as Xaden walked through the doorway Markham usually would with a smirk on his face.
There was a collective sigh from the squad Violet could hear from beside her and above her as she felt a little tentacle of a shadow against her cheek as her eyes watched Xaden stand beside Devera.
"I do wonder the reason Riorson came?" Ridoc told the squad whispering with a smirk down at Violet who could feel her cheeks heat up not only from the stares of her squad who she was ignoring but also from Xaden and Devera who was looking back and forth between Violet and Xaden and shaking her head.
Before anything else could happen Violet heard rushed footsteps and it was as though she was dizzy but she knew she wasn't. Then her vision went black.
Violet could hear nothing. No shoes moving along the floor getting to her as they were just moments before. No distinct rumbling of Xaden's shadows near her, there was simply... nothing. She opened her eyes seeing herself in a room and thankfully in her flight leathers still but her daggers were gone. She looked around the room she was put in looking for them but could find nothing. Instead of going out of this room with nothing on her into possible danger she found a stick she could use. She gripped onto it and opened the room seeing Jesinia in the hallway.
"Jesinia?" she asked her walking towards her slowly as Jesinia turned to her with a question in her eyes.
"Do you know where we are?" Violet signed towards Jesinia who simply shook her head at Violet who breathed a sigh of frustration.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Violet asked signing for Jesinia again before waiting for her answer.
"I was on the ladder in the scribe quadrant putting away some books when my vision started blurring and blacking. I thought I was falling off the ladder but woke up in that room." Jesinia told Violet signing and referring to a room about two doors down from Violet. "What about you?" Jesinia continued.
"Battle Brief. Xaden just walked in to help Devera help teach from his post when I felt dizzy and my vision went dark, but I heard footsteps almost running towards me." Violet explained signing towards Jesinia looking towards the rooms they were apparently assigned. The doors they had both had their names on them now. Violet took a few steps to see the other doors seeing they had areas for names to go but no names yet. "If we are alone, we won't be soon" Violet signed with Jesinia nodding in agreement.
They two walked down the hallway until they came upon a door, opening it revealed a big room with tons of chairs, couches, and beanbags scattered around the room in a large circle but tables set up on the opposite side of the room. In two chairs in the circle sat two men facing each other. She recognized one... Fen Riorson, her father in law, but he was dead. Had been since Xaden was seventeen, how was he here and who was the other man.
The other man turned around from something Fen told him and she stood there with a gasp on her lips as standing there was her own father, Asher Sorrengail. Both men stood up walking towards Violet herself and Jesinia. She turned towards Jesinia and with a nod held the stick she had found in the room towards the two men making them stop just three steps from them.
"I don't know who you two are but I am not playing nice especially with one of you looking like my dad and the other my father in law who are both dead." As Violet spoke those words a piece of ripped paper floated down for Jesinia to read while a book came hurtling down hitting Fen in the face who looked up hearing a noise.
"FUCK" The possible fake Fen Riorson cussed out and loud that it actually made Violet lower her weapon slightly as he sounded almost exactly like Xaden.
Violet looked over Jesinia's shoulder to read the paper that floated down.
Dear Violet and Jesinia, Fen and Asher after them.
You are to read this first book called Fourth Wing. All books are in Violet's POV, mostly with some other POVs thrown in.
People who have died will have been taken a minute before their deaths as you read them but otherwise they will be brought here when they are introduced in the books. That includes Cat too.
Violet paused reading to throw her head up to the ceiling to groan at having Cat join them eventually.
The rooms will all be auto assigned once others start joining. Some may have more dorm rooms than rooms for some people but others it will just be a bed for others. Couples, especially married ones will be roomed together. There is also a training room, an outside space where the dragons will be held. Yes we brought your dragons too. Time basically has stopped for you once you come in and everyone will reappear the next morning of the day they disappeared. In here though time just moves slower, so don't worry there is a kitchen and everything you need will be accessible.
Your dear Friends,
Death & War.
"You don't think?..." Violet asked, looking at Jesinia signing while handing Asher and Fen the note to read.
"They do have the power to do this" Jesinia replied, signing back before Violet looked at the two men in front of her.
"Now about that Father in Law comment" Fen started looking at Asher. "I thought she was supposed to marry Aetos' boy" Fen continued looking at Asher.
"I thought it was logical they would get together, what happened Vi?" Asher, her dad said looking at her and she could hardly hold it together just seeing her dad in front of her not dead and able to hug him that she flew forward hugging Asher. He for his part wrapped his arms around her while Fen let them have their moment and went to pick up the book that fell onto his face.
After a good hug both Violet, Asher, Fen, and Jesinia sat down in the chairs that had a mini circle for now and she started with Fen. "I am sure the book will tell us and not sure how much this room will let me tell you both but I can give you a rundown of what happened prior to the day before parapet and everything" Violet told them both looking to Jesinia signing to her to help with her reaccount of her side of things.
Both men nodded to her. "Lets start at my and Tyrrendor's execution" Fen told her with a straight neutral face.
"I know you are trying to intimidate me but honestly Xaden has that exact look at times and it never scared me" Violet told Fen after a minute looking at his face.
"Sorrengail. Your daughter is broken." Fen told Asher with a roll of his eyes before spotting the ring on her fingers. "My Xaden married you didn't he?" Fen continued asking Violet as Asher's head snapped in her direction.
"He did, but we are getting ahead of ourselves. I was about fourteen at the time so I got secondhand accounts of what happened from Xaden and others on their side and not the adult side." Violet started as Jesinia got those same accounts hearing about it.
"I can tell you on the adult side though what happened" Asher butt in telling Fen. "Lets start with after your comrades and your death. Your kids were put into rooms as they had just killed their parents except one who was pregnant. I do believe after she gave birth they gave her about six months to make sure the baby was healthy and she could bond somewhat with her daughter. My wife made a point to do that though I believe they wanted her killed right after the birth." Asher started with Fen listening intently.
"After a deal was made between your son and my wife that he would take responsibility for all the children in exchange that they all went into the riders quadrant and my wife had one favor she could cash in at any time." Asher continued when Fen stopped him.
"Xaden did the Tyrrish custom didn't he?" Fen asked, his voice lowered.
"He did. He has 108 marks on his back." Violet told him not mentioning the one mark he made over his heart for her as she was sure that would more likely be revealed.
"Afterwards all the children were placed into loyalist homes and no home could have three or more as it was now illegal for them to be in groups of that many. Xaden and Liam Mairi were placed into the same foster home." Asher continued explaining to Fen.
"Wait Mairi? Their father wasn't part of it, why did Liam go into it, and Sloane was separated from Liam?" Fen asked, confused as to why the Mairi children were involved as their father was simply a Lord in Tyrrendor and not part of their movement.
"That I am not sure, I assume they wanted every adult involved killed. They killed him in his home and yes, Liam and Sloane were seperated." Asher told him pausing to let Fen take a moment.
"Did they separate a lot of the siblings of the children?" Fen asked them as Violet could see it was hurting that siblings were torn apart because of him.
"A few. But there was not a whole lot not together as my mother was trying to be fair but at the time with the unborn baby there were only 107 children so there was an odd number and some having three or more children. The new law stating they could not be together." Violet told Fen letting him process this for a minute or two before continuing seeing him nod.
"Moving on after dads death, and about six months prior to Conscription day. Mom told me I was to go into the riders quadrant." Violet started and immediately got interrupted.
"WHAT?!" Both men jumped to their feet. Her dad she knew the reason why but Fen was another story.
"Why would she let you in the riders quadrant?" Asher asked Violet sitting back down once his pulse slowed down enough for him to be calm.
"I understood years later. In the scribe quadrant I would have known things were happening in Basgiath and would have been seen and possibly killed and mom would not have been able to do anything about it. Though going into the riders quadrant gave me a better chance of figuring everything out and not being caught as quickly about knowing about the Venin." Violet explained to both men as they were both now sitting down.
"Now with that out of the way lets start this book" Jesinia signed giving the book to Asher to start.