#Now my question is: did Violet ask Imogen for something new? Or was this a VERY old promise kept?

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

"You sure I shouldn't ask Cuir or Chradh—"

"No." I start down the stairs. There's only one other person besides Bodhi and Garrick I can trust to prioritize Xaden's best interests, only one other person who can know the truth in its entirety. "Tell Glane I need Imogen."

— Violet Sorrengail, in the Onyx Storm prologue

"What did you do?" My head snaps toward Imogen, and a deep sense of foreboding takes root in my chest.

She slowly lifts her gaze to mine. "What you asked me to."

— Violet Sorrengail to Imogen Cardulo, during Chapter 66 of Onyx Storm

[lavender-temult]

my timeline for otohana has always been loosely “1) they meet and become friends in gelvaan, 2) ????, 3) profit”, but I have thought about it some more and please consider: Otohan and Relvin are friends first. (headcanon rambling under the cut)

They meet when they’re young, Otohan not even a general yet, but she’s ambitious and little Relvin, very much intimidated by them, is quite confident in their abilities. But he mostly looks from afar, watching this muscly stranger staying with the other soldiers in Gelvaan.

Later, Otohan comes back to Gelvaan, although they’re a general now. Tired and worn out from a recent battle, she needs a place to stay - quiet and comforting, and Relvin is exactly that. He welcomes her, albeit somewhat nervously, and makes her tea while telling her stories to distract her. He tells her stories of his work, of how one of the horses is pregnant now. He tells stories his school, of his teachers, of a purple-haired girl who says hi to him in school hallways. Otohan doesn’t have any good stories to share, their life filled with too much bloodshed and pain, and Relvin isn’t particularly interested in battle tactics, so they sip their tea, block out Relvin’s thoughts, and every so often offer up names for the soon-to-be-born foal.

The next time Otohan visits is during a brief truce between the two warring parties, and Otohan had been looking forward to going back to Gelvaan, a part of her (that she would never admit) missing the boy who had almost become something like a friend to her. Relvin greets her (no longer nervous this time), and he introduces her to his girlfriend, Liliana. Otohan is fascinated with her, with Liliana’s powers (similar to their own - that’s new), with her violet eyes and lavender hair (they smile to themself when they remember Relvin’s stories from a little while ago). But it’s more than that, too - Liliana is inquisitive, bursting with questions (she was just a simple farm girl, after all, desperately curious about the outside world). She was smart, too - when she asked questions about the war, she seemed to instinctively understand battle strategies and the like, and wanted endless details of what happened. Relvin was glad to his his girlfriend and best friend (there unfortunately wasn’t much competition for that title) getting along, and he joked that Otohan may as well steal Liliana away from him, and they laughed, because how could that happen? Why would Liliana want to leave? (Otohan knows why she’d leave, and they keep quiet with a pang of guilt.)

Otohan heard about the fires in Gelvaan, and was terrified. It took her too long to get there, and when she finally arrived in Gelvaan, she took in the wide swathes of farmland withered and charred and raced to the home of her best friend (there unfortunately wasn’t much competition for that title). They arrived, and Relvin welcomed her (this time looking as if bags had been permanently carved under his eyes). He introduced them to his newborn daughter, Imogen, and Otohan (mostly relieved he and Liliana were alive) held her, rocking her to sleep as the two exhausted parents tried to rest.

Otohan wasn’t able to visit for a while, and she tried to pretend the part of her that worried for the Temult family didn’t exist. (But were they well rested? was Relvin less lonely? did Liliana feel more trapped? was Imogen ok? was she like her mother, like Otohan herself?) As soon as the war was over, they rushed to Gelvaan (still reeling from the war, and reckoning with their religion - after all the bloodshed and pain with no reward, was it really all worth it?) and they held Relvin tight - uncharacteristic for both of them, neither of them were physically affectionate people. They sat to talk, drank tea together, and when Otohan asked how Liliana was, Relvin flinched and said nothing. But (like Liliana, which Relvin tried not to focus on) Otohan was Ruidusborn, and she simply had to open up her mind to know what had happened. They promised to try to find her, and Relvin just nodded, and the two fell back into their regular quiet.

Otohan does find her, although she doesn’t bring herself to tell Relvin - she doesn’t actually reach out. Every time she puts a pen to paper, she doesn’t know what to say. What was there to say? “Hello, Relvin. Saw Liliana. She’s doing good, we’re fucking now! How’s Imogen? How’re the crops? The horses? Love, Otohan.” No, that wouldn’t do. So Otohan doesn’t write, and a part of her longed for the quiet comfort that is her best friend.

Relvin, for his part, was not having a good time. His wife left, his best friend hadn’t reached out for years, and he was lonely with no one but a child he might’ve struggled to raise even with Liliana’s help for company. He had long stopped hoping Liliana would ever come back - had long since grown to resent her - but part of him still longed for his best friend to return. And another part of him, the part that he tried to ignore, was the agonizingly cruel humor that all those years ago, when he had joked that Liliana and Otohan would run away together, he might as well have been right.

[violentdelightshavevioletends]

Onyx Storm Chapter 66 Analysis & Theories. (because I must know what it all means & what happened, so here’s my fresh out the final chapters thoughts… this is of course FULL of MAJOR book SPOILERS): Part 4

*Orange equals book highlights, Purple equals good/important quotes, Pink equals my notes.*

"Violet!" Brennan shouts, racing down the steps of Riorson House and into the moonlit courtyard. —So it’s nighttime, taking note of the entire scene— Sounds of celebration stream through the open doors. —reminds me of after Andarna— I groggily rise to my feet —so she was knocked out— beside Imogen, and a shape moves in the shadows to the right. —I know it’s meant to be Andarna, but this also sounds like Cadens powers, or someone else hiding, or Imogen appearing too suddenly— "I will not let them burn you," —why would they burn her? Who is they? And why burn of all things?.. are we about to hold witch trials? Does andarna realize she’s walking into a conversation Violet has 0 clue one suddenly? …Intinnsic powers better not have brainwashed her into agreeing or something… but also they wouldn’t cause they asked… so ugh what was it so bad that she wanted to forget; was it for safety or out of desperation?!— Andarna vows. "What?" My head whips her way. "Why would my brother burn me?" And why in Dunne's name would I be sitting on gravel in the courtyard? My thoughts are...slow. Something's off. Something's wrong. —AGREED!— "Are you all right?" I ask Brennan as he reaches us. "Am I all right?" His eyes bulge, and he looks me over for injury. "It's three o'clock in the morning! Where have you been?" —Again Molly Weasley would be proud— His voice rises, and a group of riders I don't recognize comes through the gate at our left. —Suddenlg more reappear?— "Weilsen?" Brennan asks, and the taller one walks our way. "Report." He glances over his shoulder. "Quietly." My mouth opens, then shuts. Where have I been? "We've—" The officer's gaze darts over me. "It's fine," Brennan assures him. "Official numbers are four riders, their dragons, —four dead?! BY WHO? ARE MY BABIES ALL SAFE?!— and three elders murdered —which elders? Was it the betrayers?— in the valley in what we're estimating is the last few hours," Weilsen says. "And we still have five riders missing— four now," he adds, looking at me. —WHO ARE THE OTHERS? We have Imogen… I’m guessing Bodhi is unaccounted for since he was a bit rogue, Dain was in trouble so maybe or maybe he went for Sloane, and Aaric off on their mission, and of course Garrick who I’m positive is the other new Venin— His mouth tenses. "But after that display, we all know Riorson did this. I bet the other three are already dead." —did he want them to know it was him? Or was it the other shadow wielder was that the brother?!. SEE THIS IS WHY THE SECRETS THING DOESN’T WORK VIORSON this time IM THE ONE ANNOYED… also why would Xaden give that away he knows it would endanger Violet so was it an accident; but he saved everyone… didn’t he?— My stomach lurches, and Imogen tenses so hard she might as well be stone. —Imogen?!!! What. Do. You. Know?!— Wait. Is this a dream? —I wish— I clench my right fist and prick my palm with my fingernails just enough to feel pain, but I don't wake. "The wards are holding in Draithus as of the last report, but who knows how many of those desiccations during the battle were actually him," —okay but aren’t desiccations what happen to killed Venin… isn’t that good then?— Weilsen continues. "And so far, the tally is at six missing eggs from the hatching ground, but they're double-checking." Missing eggs? —I am almost positive Xaden did this as that deal with the one Queen… the only question would be how to get there that fast; but if he has Garrick then there’s the answer— I reach for Tairn, but the bond feels foggy, like he's asleep. "He needs a cycle of rest to recover," Andarna clarifies. "Recover from what?" —AGREED?! FROM WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED… this feels like Andarna last time and AGH!— He was fine when I saw him last, which was about five minutes ago, in the woods at the edge of the field—Where I killed Theophanie.

Xaden. The wall of shadows... My heart sinks. What the fuck is happening? How did I get here? Why is my head so hazy? Am I concussed? "You're dismissed," Brennan tells the rider. "Keep this classified until we have a full report." "Just because she's your sister doesn't mean she's not the fastest way—" —HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST KILLING VIOLET… or even using her to get to him… maybe he just meant to get info BUT STILL— "Dismissed!" Brennan snaps, and the rider backs away. —Thank you Brennan for being the responsible sane adult here— "Do you know where he is?" Brennan asks me softly once the other rider is fully out of earshot." —he knows something was bad— "Riorson? You heard what Weilsen said. We have dead dragons and riders —hopefully it’s just traitorous Panchek— and missing eggs, and if you've seen Riorson, I need to know, Violet." "I…" Words fail me. Why can't I think? "I don't know." I raise my hands to my mouth, and a piece of parchment in my front pocket catches on my arm, then falls. Brennan catches it. "Cardulo?" He lifts his eyes to Imogen. "I haven't seen him since yesterday," she says, her voice low, almost monotone. "Lieutenant Tavis?" —DAMMIT ITS GARRICK… wait but Imogen doesn’t know?— "Among the missing," Brennan answers gently, then glances my way and does a double take. "Holy shit, Violet." —they really took secret wedding to a new level… it was a secret even to the bride!— "What?" I lower my arms. Garrick is missing, too? Who else makes up the four riders Weilsen mentioned? —THATS WHAT I WANNA KNOW— "Your finger," Imogen says, then stares at the ground. —Imogen doesn’t even have to look, she already knows. And she can’t look her in the eye (and I doubt it’s cause she’s Amber/red venin eyed) or just grieving…— My finger? The snap. Right. "I think I broke my arm." I glance down and stare. My left arm is splinted, —not mended but cared for— and a beautiful gold ring with an emerald the size of my thumbnail sits an my hand. Oh gods, I know that stone. It matches the others from the Blade of Aretia upstairs on Xaden's nightstand. Is it the missing one? —he was planning the proposal that long… he’d had that ring for a while… brb cry time!— "What is happening right now?" I ask slowly. —if I had a nickel for everytime my fav ship gets surprised married off screen right before a tragedy with a reveal mid-way through… I’d have like 3 nickels but still—

"You don't know?" Brennan lowers his voice. I shake my head. Brennan turns to the paper from my pocket. "This carries the seal of Dunne," he says. "May I open it?" I nod, gawking at the ring. It's not just any ring on any finger. It's the finger. But how? I was in the field battling Theophanie this afternoon, and then she desiccated and I burned myself straight into unconsciousness. Now it's three a.m. and I'm in Aretia, and there are murdered dragons and riders, missing riders and missing eggs? Xaden wouldn't do that. Would he? The storm of shadows. My blood chills. How far had he gone? I fling myself down the bond, but there's nothing there. It's gone. Or he's too far away to feel it, I remind myself to keep from panicking. —I too am just gonna remember and go with that one— When had he put this ring on my hand? "It's an official blessing of your legal, binding marriage," Brennan whispers, stunned, —which makes her Dutchess of Aretia… right? But wait WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ABOUT BODHI?!— then quickly rolls the parchment. "By the head priestess of Dunne's temple." —how long ago did they get this? Did Aaric already have it?— "To Xaden?" Gravity bends, warping everything I thought I knew into whatever this reality is. Brennan nods. My eyes flare. We're married? A thousand emotions try to force their way through my jumbled thoughts, but the immediate rush of awe trips right over the logic of how. There's no fucking way l'd forget something like that. Why isn't he here? —that got me cause he should be here— Where did he go? And why? "I think the note on the outside is meant for you." Brennan hands back the parchment. I flip the missive over to see two sentences written in Xaden's handwriting. —glad they specified otherwise I’d think it was Violet to herself— Don't look for me. —sry not sry that’s not gonna not happen— It's yours now. —another good question; what is hers now? “It” wouldn’t make sense for Sgaeyl, Riorson house sure but that sounds kinda big, the cadets of the rebellion and that war totally, Tyrrendor my best guess, destiny maybe?— He's gone. —OW OW OW OW— I try to fumble my foggy brain through the overwhelming shock, but I can't think straight. It's like someone has fucked with my—No. —IMOGEN?!— My chest draws tight. "How long have I been missing?" —I’m getting Delena flashbacks— "Twelve hours," Brennan answers. —a lot can happen in half a day as if that battle of a few hours didn’t say that enough— "What did you do?" My head snaps toward Imogen, and a deep sense of foreboding takes root in my chest. —how much has her signet grown?— "What you asked me to." —and there we have the words that will haunt a fandom for ages… because Violet asked… why did she ask… what did she ask… what does Imogen know… WHAT DOES ANY OF IT MEAN?!—