Tally didn't receive a letter the next morning and yet she eagerly awaited it all the same. Would her secret admirer send her more or was it just a one day thing? She distracted herself with studying mothertongue and practicing with her scourge. But still all day there was nothing. Break was coming and she feared she wouldn't receive another or she'd miss it.

While Abigail had finished dinner early and ran off to be with Adil to do who knows what. Raelle noticed Tally's distraction at dinner as she didn't eat with as much enthusiasm as she normally did.

"Hey, what's up Tal? You seem down?"

Sighing, Tally stood grabbing her plate, Raelle following behind her, "I think I'm going to stay here over break, Rae, I think it'd be good to spend some time alone and clear my head."

"Is that really the reason or are you worried you'll miss another love letter? Tal, what makes you think your admirer will even be here?"

Dropping off their plates, Raelle waited for her to answer as they walked out into the crisp air, Tally kicked some dead leaves before answering, "I don't know, I just feel like they might be here."

Hugging her with a pouty face, Raelle pressed her about it, "But aren't you going to be lonely?"

"Nice try, Rae. I'll be fine. Seriously, it'll give me a chance to study and train at my own speed."

"Ew, gross, you're such a nerd. Well, if that's what you want, the offer still stands to come home with me if you want," with one last squeeze she released her and they continued back to their room.

As soon as they opened the door to their room Tally noticed the dove waiting at the window and almost knocked Raelle over in her haste to get to the window. This time the dove carried a scroll with flowers rolled up in it with a blue ribbon. Unraveling the scroll she took a moment to enjoy the smell of the blue flowers as she read the letter.

Dearest Tally,

Do you find it selfish of me to wish you were spending your break with me? They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder. But I grow fond of you everyday.

Forget-Me-Nots used to be worn by lovers who were parted to keep them close to each other's hearts. Although we are not lovers, do keep me close to your heart while you are gone.

Always, Yours

x

Raelle noticed the giddy smile on her face, "What now?"

Putting the flowers to her nose to smell them again Tally only smiled, "Nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing, it's so sweet I think I have cavities."

"Hey, if Scylla gave you flowers you'd be acting the same way," Tally held the flowers over her heart looking offended.

"Yeah, well I'd know who the flowers came from. Not some admirer."

Placing the letter and the flowers on her bunk she huffed and grabbed her things to take a shower, "Just for that I'm definitely staying here for break."

"Whatever you want, Tal."

Before bed Tally put a charm on the flowers to keep them looking fresh and lively longer, the smell of them filling her senses as she fell asleep.

The next morning she woke alone, Abigail having left with Adil for the Bellweather home and Raelle leaving a letter behind telling her she could come anytime she wants to her fathers in case she changes her mind.

Tally still dressed in her uniform but pinned a few of the flowers to her jacket, biting her lip with glee. She was one of few who stayed on base for break, sitting alone eating her breakfast like it was the most normal thing in the world.

She managed to put in some scourge practice and tried to study some mothertongue but found herself distracted. So she decided to go for a walk around the base to get some air and to admire the fall trees. Coming to sit on a bench under one of the trees.

Who can you be?

Lost in thought she hadn't noticed Alder and her biddies come up to her until she felt a hand picking a fallen leaf out of her hair. The leaf was held up in front of her face until she took it in her hands, noticing the hands belonging to Alder, "Craven, why are you still on base? I thought you'd be on break."

Tally blushed and marveled at the leaf in her hands before looking up to meet her gaze, "I was going to go home with Raelle but I decided I needed some alone time."

Alder raised her eyebrows, "Well, if that's the case I'm sorry for disturbing you."

Tally rushed to stand almost bumping into her, "No, it's alright, I don't mind. I just needed a break from my unit, you know."

Alder smiled at the flowers pinned to her jacket, "Do you like flowers?"

Tally looked confused until she remembered the flowers on her jacket, "Oh, um, yes I love flowers. Do you know about the language of flowers?"

Alder couldn't resist the eagerness in her eyes, "I know some. Do you know what those mean?"

Blushing Tally fiddled with them, "I think I read somewhere that in the love language of flowers they mean true love. Lovers would give them to each other whenever they parted to keep them close to their hearts."

Alder tilted her head, "I hadn't realized you had a special someone."

"Well, I don't, not really. I wish. They were just a gift from someone. Besides, I'm not important."

Alder leveled her gaze at her, "What makes you think you're not important?"

Tally stuttered for a minute trying to find the right words, "I mean, well, it shouldn't be a bother to you. You're the general, you have more important things to know then what happens with one of your cadets, right?"

"I don't know about that, Craven, I think after all we've been through you're more than just a cadet to me now."

Perking up at that Tally met her gaze, strong and unwavering but before she could respond Alder continued, "Would you like to see my greenhouse?"

Nodding eagerly, Tally smiled, "I'd love that."

Tally followed side by side with the general, the biddies following behind them, each with a slight smile on their faces.

Alder opened the door for her, letting her walk in first then following soon after as she signaled for the biddies to stay outside.

Tally marveled at all the plants and flowers filling the room, "These are all yours?"

"Well, they're Fort Salem's, but I do like to tend to them when I can."

The redhead walked over to a bunch of flowers and bent over to smell them, "I should've known you'd have a green thumb."

The older woman looked at her with surprise, "Why's that?"

"Well, you're you, you can do pretty much anything. One time I killed a cactus, I didn't even know that was possible."

Alder just smiled at that, "I think you think too highly of me. I'm not as great as you think. Besides, Tally, I see great things in you. If anything I wish I was more like you."

Surprise laced Tally's face as she stood to face her, "Me? General, I…"

"Tally, how about you call me Sarah when it's just the two of us?"

Tally tested the name on her lips like it was something precious, like a term of endearment when it came to the general, "Sarah."

It made Tally blush because it felt so intimate to her to be allowed to call her by her first name. Alder smiled and nodded at the sound of her name on the young woman's lips and took a step closer to put a strand of her fiery hair behind her ear.

"Yes, I wish I had your type of open heart. I think I've forgotten how to do that. When it comes to fighting wars and leading an army, one has to lock certain feelings away so they don't interfere," Tally looked at her with such sad eyes, "Don't look so sad, only you would feel sorry for someone like me."

Tally suddenly burst out laughing and Alder felt a little offended by that looking at her with wide eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's just we're quite the pair. You're you and I'm me. We compliment each other but put ourselves down," Tally took a step closer standing with a proud look on her face, "You're a lot better than you know, Sarah."

Alder's eyes looked at her gently, "Even with all you've seen of my past?"

Tally's gaze got a bit sadder, "Yes, well, I may not agree with some of the things you've done but I understand why you've had to make such choices. It isn't pretty but you did what you had to do. And even I can still see the good in you even if others don't."

"From what I've seen you seem to see the good in everybody," Alder laughed a little at that.

The redhead raised an eyebrow and smirked, "So you can laugh? I'll have to tell the others about this."

Alder cleared her throat and straightened up, "Try not to ruin my reputation, I have an image to uphold."

Tally only looked at her adoringly before she spotted a blue flower in behind the general sitting on a shelf, it looked just like Forget-Me-Not's but she assumed it was just a coincidence.

Right, a coincidence? The general would never.

"Well, Tally, if you'd ever like to come here again you are free to do so. Perhaps I can show you how to have a 'green thumb' as you put it. Since things are a little slow right now for break, feel free to come by my office whenever you'd like. Just knock this time."

As they both exited the greenhouse, the biddies stepping aside to let them through, but still they didn't part ways. They walked through the garden making small talk, Tally was surprised that the general was taking time out of her day for her. By the time they made it to the administration building they decided to part ways.

"Um, general?"

Alder turned to the girl looking at her with such affection in her eyes, "Can I come visit you tomorrow?"

The general smiled and nodded, "If that's what you want."

"But do you want it?"

The older woman thought of the right words to say but simply stated, "I'd very much like it if you came to see me tomorrow, Tally. My door is open all day."

Tally smiled and those dimples made Alder smile back almost as furiously. Tally watched her walk away suddenly noticing she'd been carrying the fallen leaf Alder had handed her this whole time. She twirled it in her fingers and turned to head back to her room, Alder pausing for a minute to watch the girl walk away.

Once Tally reached her room she laid the leaf on her desk, unpinning the flowers and laying them neatly next to the leaf. She sighed and had almost forgotten about the letters until she heard the clatter of a dove at her window. She opened it to find yet another scroll, "I should really buy you some treats or something, thank you."

As the dove flew off she closed the window and opened the letter, this time it read:

Dearest Tally,

I very much feel like I've been waiting for you all this time. Your laughter surrounds me like a warm hug welcoming me home. I'd forgotten what that felt like.

I wish to be the cause of your laughter someday. Although, I am told I don't very much have a sense of humor.

But you make me want to try to be more than I am.

Yours, Always

x

But the only person she'd laughed around recently was General Alder, although she didn't purposefully make her laugh she still laughed. But no it could've been someone else, perhaps she laughed around somebody else recently. Right? Alder couldn't be sending her these letters. But if she was? That would explain the flowers and the smell of cloves. Could her torn affection for the general and this secret admirer become one?

But what if they were two separate people and it was all a coincidence? Maybe she was overthinking it. Tally sighed and put the letter on her desk with the pile. Pausing to pick the red leaf up once again to admire it and the feelings Alder made her feel in the greenhouse.

She so badly wanted her to be the one. Tomorrow. She'll ask her tomorrow. She could be brave and ask the general if she was her secret admirer.

Maybe.