Together?- A SOPHITZ fanfiction (UPDATES ON HOLD)

The final weeks

Sophie woke up the next day well-rested and feeling as if nothing could ruin her good mood. She brushed out her knotted hair, slipped on a red tunic, and practically skipped down the stairs. "Well, good morning, Miss Sunshine," Grady said with an amused smile. "Pff," Sophie said playfully, helping herself to cake that tasted like oatmeal and brown sugar. "What are we doing today?" she asked between a few mouthfuls of breakfast.

"You're opening this message," Edaline said, walking in from the pastures, green ribbon tied around a scroll. "Good morning," she said to Sophie, kissing her on the head. Sophie's heart had stopped. "I'll, uh, check it after breakfast," she said, trying to brush off her feeling of dread. Edaline and Grady had moved on, already talking about a new arrival set to be delivered in a week. Sophie wouldn't be around in a week.

She excused herself from the table to go brush her teeth and ended up staring at the unopened scroll the two minutes it took to clean her pearly whites. She ended up sitting on the edge of her large bathtub, hesitating to open it. With a deep breath, she pulled the ribbon, only for a DNA pad to appear out of nowhere. Sophie, assuming it was for her, licked the pad and it all disappeared to reveal the surprisingly short scroll that unraveled with a graceful swoop.

Sophie frowned at all the words on the page, taking in the magnitude of what she had to read.

Councilor Transition for Miss Sophie Elizabeth Foster-Ruewen

As you begin the transition and acclimation to your new position, we must first make a few decisions and cover some final information essential to your succession.

The 12 Councillors of the Elven Cities invite you to join them as their new colleague for 2 weeks of final preparations. Due to the utmost secrecy of this appointment, meeting times will take place a few hours during the day and a few hours during the night.

Arrangements must be made to ensure there is a proper amount of time to have everything ready for the official ceremony on June 10th. Please light leap to Councilor Emery's castle in Eternalia by 9 tonight. Tardiness will not be accepted.

We thank you for your willingness to take on this honorable position.

Signed, Councillors of the Lost Cities

• • •

Sophie groaned loudly. No, no, no, oh, how could she hide this from Grady and Edaline? Whoops, sorry, gotta leave the house at 9pm tonight to go receive training from the Councillors, leaders of the Elves, on how to become one of them. No big deal.

She would have to figure something out, though. They wouldn't take no for an answer and if she wanted to get on her colleagues' good sides, she'd have to be right on time. Sophie had no idea what she would do. Feign illness? They would check on her every hour. Pretend she was tired? She'd have to do exercise for that.

The lightbulb in Sophie's head lit up. "That's it. I'll just work in the pastures all day," Sophie said out loud. She quickly grabbed a loose shirt and pulled on a set of breathable overalls, quickly laced up her boots, and went outside to play her part. Grady and Edaline exchanged a look but gratefully accepted her help with the many creatures. Thus, Sophie's plan was set in stone.

There were flaws to this infamous plan, the major one being Sophie became tired and achy by 5 that evening. Having to run after dinosaurs, treating wholly mammoths with colds whose sneezes knocked her off of her feet, and comforting saber-toothed tiger cubs really sucked out all of her energy. She powered through even though she couldn't fathom having to work that night.

When her parents called it quits at 7:30, Sophie was splashed with mud and sweating as she had never sweat before. The shower she took lasted a tad too long, not because she took time to use her many products, but because she stood under the waterfall, letting it ease the tension from her back. Once she was done, she wrapped herself in an immensely fluffy towel and untangled her hair slowly and carefully.

She was looking frail despite the hearty meals Edaline served, whether it be from stress or something else, Sophie couldn't know. It didn't matter at the moment; her PJ's made her look like a paper bag anyway, which Sophie put on to make it seem like everything was normal at dinner. The meal was delicious, as always, and poor Grady and Edaline couldn't have realized Sophie would be sneaking out that night.

They bid her goodnight as she nestled into her big covers. They each left a kiss on her forehead, and Sophie smiled gratefully. She felt horrible for lying to them, but she literally had no choice. She heard their footsteps recede towards their room (Grady and Edaline were early to bed, early to rise kind of parents), and Sophie slid out of bed and into the bathroom.

She wavered on her feet, her exhaustion smacking her in the face, so Sophie went back to her go-to from the gold levels; the infamous wakey drink. The raspberry flavor tasted a little musty, but it wasn't too bad, and Sophie's mental fog gradually dissipated, rendering her some mobility. She tiptoed to the closet and pulled on the first dress she found, in an unfortunate magenta color that immediately made her think of Biana.

Biana. How was she doing? They hadn't spoken in months. She had gotten a minor title in the nobility during the ceremony but hadn't been around when Sophie had spoken to Alden and Della. Was she struggling with not seeing her former best friend as much as Sophie was? She traced the shimmery patterned surface with a light touch and then went to ask Vertina for help.

"Vertina! Vertina?" Sophie whisper-shouted. The little mirror lit up with a frown. "What do you want?" she asked loudly. "SHHHHH! Please try to be quiet," Sophie said. Vertina rolled her eyes. "What," she said quietly. "I need a quick hairstyle that makes me look decent," Sophie said, checking the time. Vertina snorted. "A hairstyle won't be able to make you look decent. You'll need a whole makeover for that," she giggled rudely.

"It's not the time," Sophie said worriedly. "Whatever. Here, do this," the reflection said, leading her to do a step by step intricate braid that did improve her complexion. With a quick thank you, Sophie tugged on a black cape and random shoes, before hobbling as quietly as she could muster towards the window, where a patch of moonlight lit the room. She held up her private red crystal to the light, before leaping in a flash towards her final weeks of training.

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Omg I finally updated. So sorry for the horrendously long break- I'll try to return to a semi-regular schedule now! Plus, there are super exciting moments that I'm really looking forward to writing, so no more writers block.

I suspect Together may be finished in a month or two if I update every week or every other week, and that's just insane to think about. The fact that I started this in middle school is just... wow.

Thanks for the patience! I think I may update again this weekend.

Love, OrbitAstra 💫