Chapter Text
"Question remains. Stay here or go see your friends."
"Honestly, I don't think I'd make it very far from this room, and I'm really fucking tired." My body feels like it's made of lead.
"Then we'll stay here."
"You can go see your friends. You don't have to lock yourself in here just for me."
"For right now, where you are I am." She brushes the hair from face. "I'll collect everyone when it's close to dinner then if you're still not up to going I can bring back food."
"Sounds good." I resting his head ontop of hers and let her hold up my weight while I hold her.
"Lay down and try to sleep."
"I don't think I can sleep, and I really don't want to be in my head." I can't keep putting myself on the cliff, and I can't see Violet's body drained if I keep my eyes open.
"Lay down. I can get you to sleep, and I'll stay awake and make sure you're okay. I could tell when you were having a nightmare. I pulled you out of it enough times last night."
I look down at her. How many times did I lose it overnight? "You did? Did you sleep? Was I waking you up?"
"I was just listening to your breathing and heart rate. You started a few times before I fell asleep. I slept for a few hours before you woke up searching the room. I stayed awake after that."
"Violence. You also need to sleep then." She also fought yesterday and so far I've made this all about me.
"Not more than you. I'm okay right now. Let me help you."
I'm still barely upright so I don't have much in me to fight her. I need to get my shit together soon, but evidently that won't be today. I lay back down and when Violet joins I return to the most comforting sound I know of. Violet's heartbeat. Her hands find their previous pattern while mine hold her tight.
"I have one more question."
"Ask"
"What dream woke you up last night?" My breath catches and my eyes reopen. I'm quiet mostly because I don't want to think about this before falling asleep.
"The Sage was alive. He made it past the wards on the door. I couldn't move." My voice shakes. "You didn't wake up until he grabbed you, broke your neck, and drained you." I couldn't stop it. I couldn't save her even when I was right there.
She runs her thumb over the scar of my eyebrow and pulls me tighter. "That's not going to happen."
"The cliff did." All of them have happened, but at least the others were old events I can't get past. The ones with the Sage I had months of torment before it actually even happened.
"You killed him, and he wouldn't have any powers here under the wards."
"I think I killed him, and this war is never going to be over."
"We have more people now. We aren't done, and it's more than just the Griffin riders and Rebellion kids. And Xaden, I'm not running. I'm still here, and I'll always come back to my gravity." I nod, and as she runs her fingers through my hair, sleep is harder to fight. I hold her tight and let myself hope we can sleep like this the next 50 years.