𝙴𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚏 𝚄𝚜- ᴀ sᴏᴋᴇᴇғᴇ sᴛᴏʀʏ (𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕊𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕊𝕠𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕫)

Grief

<Edaline's POV> 

There was a knock on the door and I was halfway to the door when I saw Sophie open it.

I was about to turn away when I heard her say, "Fitz?" 

From all the way in the kitchen I can see her features softening as Fitz grabs her hands.

I stifle a surprised gasp, thinking of Sophie's promise to fix this.

"Will you come with me to Atlantis? I want to show you something.." he asks, holding out his arm and flashing his movie-star worthy grin.

"I-I.. okay.." Sophie looks around the house quickly as I duck behind a plush and overstuffed armchair.

Then she takes his arm, brushes off some dust on her skirt and they leap away, laughing.

                                                                                 ***

Sophie just left the house.

She thought I didn't see her..

She promised me she'll fix things...

My head spins and I sink down into a chair.

I can literally feel the shadows under my eyes creep in.. slowly and steadily.

I sit there contemplating whether to let her continue with things the ways they are or to convince her to see truth...

Then a knock on the door sounds throughout the house.

I purse my lips and open it... to see..

Keefe.

My heart aches as I envelope him in a hug, he sinks into it wholeheartedly, starting to sob.

It's at this moments when he truly feels like family, and my rage at Sophie grows.

After a moment he pulls away, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and asking hopefully, "Where's Sophie? I think.."

He stops mid-sentence at the look on my face that I didn't realise I had: Sadness, anger, shock...

"She's.." he starts, then stops, his face and body crumpling to the ground.

I gasp and sit down next to him, taking his hands in mine tentatively  saying, "Keefe, I..I.. I should have warned you. I'm sorry, I tried to.. I didn't kn- KEEFE!"

My hasty and sorrow-driven explanation was interrupted by Keefe fainting.

He was that hurt..

He'd swayed and looked at me with the most heartbroken eyes I've seen in a long time... then he fainted.

"GRADY! GRADY!" choking over my astonishment and panic, I conjured up a pillow and a stretcher-  that I vaguely remember adding to my medicine and first aid collection.

Grady comes running towards me wiping his hands on his pants and does a double take at what he sees.

"Grady, help me carry him," I whisper, as he lugs Keefe over his shoulder and heads into the house.

The second most dangerous thing that an elf can ever feel is grief.