Elysian (A Kotlc Fanfic)

Chapter 3

"This is your new bodyguard, Flint. He will be accompanying you to school from now on until Sandor is back. Treat him as how you would treat Sandor, and no ditching him if unforeseen circumstances lead you to meeting with any members of the Neverseen, though that is certainly discouraged. No sneaking off without him!,"Grady informed Sophie before she headed off for Foxfire the next day. Sophie sighed as she stared at her new goblin bodyguard. Not that she did not want his protection, but she couldn't imagine her bodyguard being anyone but Sandor. She was sure Grizel must have been devastated when she heard the news of what had happened to him.
    Shoving her worries aside, Sophie turned towards the leap master. Keefe and Ro were already waiting as she and her bodyguard approached, and together, all of them stepped into the light.
    They had arrived early that day as Sophie had planned to visit Magnate Leto at his office first to update him about King Dimitar's death.
"This does change things. I will let the council know about this, and see if we can convince Cadfael that we are on the same side. After all, we have a common enemy," he replied. "In the meantime, do get your team prepared for your meeting with Empress Permille. It is happening soon and I'm sure she would remind you of your alliance as you are in her debt," he added.
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After morning orientation, Sophie's first session was Telepathy. Her knees wobbled at the thought as she headed to her session, anxious about seeing Fitz. He had not seemed particularly angry during their last conversation, but it had been rather tense. The inquisition did help them strengthen their bond as cognates though, she reminded herself, trying to calm her rising nerves.
    "After the Inquisition, the two of you have been able to connect with each other on a different level, and resolved any remaining conflicts. Today's session will about preventing such situations from happening again or at least from causing reactions that will damage the bond between the two of you. You will do this by firstly identifying things or situations that might strain your relationship, and think it through to better handle it. It is okay if you start feeling overwhelmed, but this is a safe space for the two of you." Tiergan announced.
    Sophie opened her mind to Fitz's. "I know keeping calm isn't really my strong suit, but I'll try not to let my anger out on you," Fitz promised. "Okay, so let's start." Sophie transmitted. "It's not necessarily a bad thing, but maybe you worry about us getting hurt too much? Sometimes, you can get kind of really protective, and I get that. I would want to keep everyone safe too. But maybe it would help if you kept everyone in the loop if anything transpires or if there is anything that is troubling you? Transparency is important, especially for us cognates," Fitz transmitted. "Okay, noted," Sophie replied. "For you, I think it's mainly about having difficulty controlling your anger, especially when it comes to your brother? It's kind of harder to get through to you when I'm worried you don't want to speak to me," Sophie said. "Got that," Fitz answered. "There is another thing though,"Sophie trailed off. "What is it, trust me, I can handle it," Fitz transmitted. "Welllllll," Sophie replied, dragging out the syllable, "it's just that I'm sure you're bothered about me and Keefe being together, even if you tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. I would feel the same way if I were in your shoes, and I think we should talk about it." "I would be lying if I said I wasn't hurt when you told me about it, but it doesn't necessarily change too much between us. I'm really thankful to be your cognate, and that you are the one I share this special bond with. I won't stop looking out for you, be it as a friend or something more, and I'll try to slowly accept it. It's your choice after all," Fitz replied. Sophie nodded, feeling relieved. Talking everything out did seem to make things better.