I reread "To redeem myself" and actually I am on the chapter "The trial of Griffin Sylvane" And I am asking myself how that scene goes when Valtor saves Griffin and took her out of her cell. And more important, what happend in the scene in which he hands Griffin over to Faragonda. What do they say, what are their thoughts and how bad were Griffin's injuries? Do you have anything about that?
So I always thought about doing a 'missing scene' story with this, but I didn't because I was afraid of having too many. (And now I literally make tie-in chapters like they're going out of style because I love seeing other viewpoints.)
Here's a rundown of how I see things going:
The trial is going on while Valtor is meant to be away from Obsidian. He's not been taking the "break-up" well and he knows why Griffin's not been seen and he's just not been the best to be around.
So he's been hanging out in the Under Realms with Lord Darkar during this time, trying to get a grip on himself. (And to avoid being around other members of the Coven who would revel in his misery, or who would make things worse. He's still good for missions, he just doesn't feel like socializing after them anymore.)
And the trial is happening while everyone thinks Valtor is gone because no one wants to deal with Valtor vs Griffin. (His mothers don't think he'd have had the guts to "Do what needs to be done", aka kill her, and they didn't want him to have a chance to betray them and everything they'd worked for. So they're okay with him being at Darkar's while this is going on.
Even though Darkar isn't there and is helping them. But details.
After Griffin's "trial", they have her sent to a cell to await execution... And to make sure she doesn't die before they're ready for her too. They want this to be excruciating and to make an example of her to deter more "defections" (and to send her mangled corpse to the Company as a way of saying "Fuck You").
Faragonda and the others are worried that Griffin has made it back to their designated meet-up zone to go back to the Fortress. She's contemplating forgoing the plan and searching the castle for Griffin. Hagen and Saladin are trying to talk her out of it because Obsidian is not the place for light magic to try and fight against dark magic and the realm itself will try to kill her.
Valtor has shown up, close to the designated zone because its one of the few secret places one can teleport into and out of Obsidian without being detected. And he doesn't want to be detected either, he just wants to grab a few things before leaving back to the Under Realms. (Mostly alcohol because I can see him having a brief "relationship" with it during the war in this particular time frame because his love has left him and he knows he has a child but has yet to meet them and there's constant fighting and he's just tired.)
He sees Faragonda and the others and he's confused and thinks of fighting but his brain is like "The only reason you'd be brave enough to come to here is if Salvador or Griffin brought you... So who was it and where are they?"
Faragonda, after realizing Valtor's not looking for a fight, explains the situation.
Valtor has a moment of legitimate panic (though doesn't show it because he's good at schooling his emotions, though Faragonda being a fairy can sense them). He weighs his options, pretty much has several thoughts of "not drunk enough for this bullshit" and "She always complained I was the impulsive one."
He tells the group to wait and stay hidden. He'll be back.
Valtor grew up on Obsidian. He knows how to avoid the guards and the observation spells.
He knows every nook and cranny of that castle.
She's sort of aware/awake, but she's not in good shape and she just barely recognizes Valtor and sort of thinks he's not real because she's been through it.
(Lysslis in particular was vicious with her and had already shown her several 'visions' of Valtor being the one to kill her. Or of him standing back while someone else did while he lambasted her about all her failures and wrongdoings.)
Valtor has to fight to keep from focusing on her wounds/how hurt she is because he knows if he doesn't, they'll be caught and it'll be worse. (Also he doesn't need to pick a fight with his Mothers. Not while they have control of him.)
So he, as carefully as he can because her back is a hot spot of blood and tender flesh that has been lightning-struck and boiled, gets her up and holds her to get her out.
(The entire time he's muttering to her about "of all the convoluted, wayward, insane plans you've come up with, this is the one that's going to get you killed", "I never want it said I was the impulsive one again", "You're lucky I still give a damn", "If our kid didn't need a proper mother...", "I have no idea how the hell you're still alive", "Stubborn fucking witch", etc.)
He gets her to Faragonda and the others, giving a glare to Hagen as he hands her to him specifically and warns him to "watch for her back, it's all an open sore".
They want to question him, but all Valtor claims is that he owes Griffin for a debt.
(He didn't want to lose her either. And he damn sure didn't want his child raised in the system. Not after it'd fucked him over.)
No one knows on the Coven side that Valtor had been there that day. In fact, as far as anyone knows, Griffin did her famous 'escape artist' tricks and got herself out.
Valtor didn't sleep for a few nights. He kept seeing her like that. Kept flip-flopping about how much of it she deserved because she did betray them, but she's also the mother of his child, but still the Coven is important but still-
As for the others:
Seeing what the Coven was willing to do to Griffin, someone who had been in their Inner Circle and who had been a reliable ally to them, really cemented the fact they were becoming more and more unhinged.
It also cemented Griffin's place in the Company, as it showed she was willing to take one for the team.
Faragonda was the most upset, outside of Salvador and Theodora, worried about her friend.
The others in their group were also upset and disgusted with what had happened.
Griffin's still pretty scarred, emotionally and physically, from that "trial session". The worst parts of the physical damage managed to heal up though, thanks to technology and magic.
She was surprised by what Faragonda had told her though, about the rescue. Especially about the debt part.
She never had the heart to say she'd remembered some of the escape attempt. That Valtor had known about their girl or that he wanted her to stay with their child. She'd always assumed he'd be the sort to say "if I can't be there, neither can you."
She also could never admit to being touched that he cared enough to bring her back to them. Even when he hated her so much.
