The Last Ever After (SGE Fanfic)

Gauche

Agatha stared out silently. She was sitting at a table in a room. The Elders talked loudly, quickly, as Tedros answered questions for them. And all the while she looked through the window Sophie had once looked through, had once waved through. Had once smiled, laughed, grinned through.

Callis bustled around nervously, smiling at the old - Agatha glared silently - the old hags. And after they'd let and even allowed Sophie to be sacrificed, they still had the nerve to pretend sorrow and sadness for 'her loss'. Agatha looked away from her mother. She wasn't sure she was ready to forgive her, too, for not telling her about Sophie.

"Well, we have already had a long period of mourning," one especially ugly Elder said. "I don't see why we have to be so sad about Sophie all over again - "

Agatha flared in rage, biting back words that she longed to say. You cowardly fools! Because of you, and your stupid colleagues, Sophie's gone! And she's Evil again!

Tedros nodded. "She's a witch, and she doesn't deserve to be respected or missed. She's certainly not missing us."

I'm missing her! Agatha wanted to scream. But she didn't. He was right... but that didn't stop her from wishing fervently that Sophie would be back any second. She even had the thought that she'd prefer Sophie Good, and dead, instead of Evil and alive, before banishing that unworthy thought.

She came back to reality as the Elder finished, "We haven't really much use for dancing, and it doesn't seem quite the occasion. But..." He wiped his long fingers delicately on a napkin, looking thoughtful. "It'll take the people's minds of Sophie for a little while longer."

"Do you mean your people don't dance?" Tedros asked, sensing the meaning behind his elusive words. "Then there would be no point to the dance after all -"

"You and Agatha will supervise and teach the town," another interrupted. "It'll keep your mind off of... censored subjects."

Tedros gripped her hand under the table. Agatha tore her gaze away from the graveyard outside to stare at the Elder. They could both read the words under the lies - the Elders obviously wanted them distracted so they couldn't make more trouble under the town, and it seemed that Agatha would have no way of planning a way back into the Woods.

She smiled brightly, teeth clenched below the painted lipstick. Tedros chanced a look at her, and saw that even with her raven black hair smoothed against her ears, cheeks blushed in rouge, and lips pink and pretty... she couldn't quite conceal the anger just below the surface.

*

Somebody played a fiddle nearby; Tedros gritted his teeth at the noise. At Camelot, only the best violinists got onto the orchestra, and a piano player was revered. In Gavaldon, there was only one person who could play an instrument, and it was the fiddle. It wasn't even a good one - the screechy noise made his teeth vibrate and the strings were all out of tune. But it was the only music they had, and Tedros resolved to make the best of it, to distract his love from everything, even Sophie, who despite her claims, he knew she still thought of.

As Tedros showed her the steps to a simple melody, her heart lightened. He looked so handsome, even here, where he wore plain clothes that still showed off his muscular arms. Still looked calm and regale. Maybe they really could be happy here.

She stumbled in every step, cheeks flaming in embarrassment. Sophie's favorite word came back, along with a conversation they'd had once...

"Oh, darling... don't you think you lack a bit of... grace?"

Agatha snorted, concealing the nervousness inside her. "Who cares here?"

Sophie traced a delicate foot along the edge of the pond. "You seem to... well... around me... around everybody... you look... you're very gauche."