Reign of the Neverseen

Chapter Thirteen

Unedited.

"It changed because of her...it's the first time someone has actually done something for us just because." Harley said. Sophie had her hand pressed over her heart, her ear pressed to the cold stone tunnel as she listened to the conversation.

"That's just how Sophie was." Wylie said. "I just wish she could see just how much she's done for all of us." Harley said quietly. "I have a feeling, Sophie knew exactly what she was doing. She liked breaking strict rules like those." Wylie said. Harley gave a weak laugh. "Yeah, I could tell. First time I met her she broke the curfew for me." He said. "Sir Timon was furious at the note I gave him from her." Harley said. "I suppose you and her had some fun talks." Wylie said. Harley gave another laugh. "Yeah we did. She told me about Foxfire, and having snow ball fights after school, destroying Lady Galvin's cape, nearly exploding the school, and she even told me the healing center was named after her."

"Yes, well she was well known." Wylie smiled. "Sorry, I guess I've bothered you. Thanks for having me over." Harley said standing up. "Please feel welcome to come over anytime. I know I'm not Sophie, but if you ever need anything." Wylie said. "Thanks." Harley said before leaving. Sophie waited a few more minutes before pushing the brick and the fireplace swung open. Wylie jumped and his eyes went wide as Eliza strode out of the secret passage with her brother. "Hey, Wylie." Sophie said, as she sat down, the fireplace closing. "Eliza." Wylie said slowly, as if trying to hold back his tide of questions about the fireplace. "You just walked out from a tunnel behind the fireplace." He said slowly.

"Yeah." Sophie said pulling the notes out of her pocket and handing them to Wylie. "I've heard these conversations...around. Can they be any help?" Wylie's eyebrow rose. "Do you believe in love at first sight, no? Should I walk by again?" Wylie started with a serious look but was grinning was he finished, covering his mouth he gave a silent laugh. "I thought Keefe or somebody would like that. I ran into a guy who was trying to impress a girl in the elite levels." Sophie said. Wylie took a deep breath before continuing down the list of short conversations, anything with key words such as 'Neverseen' 'Black Swan' 'council' and the names she had heard as well.

Wylie flipped through her notes. "I'll look through them." He promised as he placed the notes in his desk. Sophie went to the picture and pushed the brick in making the mantel swing open again. "Don't go down here, it's easy to get lost." Sophie said stepping on the top set, she glanced back at Wylie. "Also don't tell anyone." She said before pulling the mantel closed. She followed Sandor through the tunnels. Her ears open, and her pen and note book ready.

~

"How are you holding up Fitz?" Elwin asked as he walked into the room. Fitz looked up from making the two beds in the room.

"Fine." His voice was flat, and his eyes were dull. Elwin had taken Fitz on as an apprentice, working kept Fitz's mind working, and to busy to think about Sophie... Much.

Fitz turned back to finishing pulling the clean starched blankets over the pillows, before he started working on sweeping the floors. Fitz had taken to the work exceptionally well, and had been given his own hospital room, where he took care of mild cases, such as scrapes, and broken bones. Had he not been so silent and brooding, he would have been an amazing physician. No one could blame him though. He had lost his cognate partner, his best friend, and his heart was broken. That much was clear to see.

The distant look that entered his eyes for a short moment, as he remembered a memory of the past, a bittersweet smile pulling his lips up, and his teal eyes looking like pools of pain and sadness, was an instant give away. His hands were firm and steady, confident and calm in the most busiest hours, he had taken on a whole line of injuries, while the new assistant had panicked and was in a flurry, Fitz had guided the line to the waiting room, taking on the most serious injuries first, he hadn't even batted an eye at two kids who were battered, from falling out of a tree.

"Good work today. It really helped us out." Elwin said, as Fitz threw the invisible dust he had swept up, in the waste basket. Fitz nodded, as he set put the broom and dustpan away in the corner. He bent over the sink and washed his hands and arms. "I'm sure you'll be a great physician one day." Elwin said. "Sure." Fitz said flatly, flinging droplets of water off his hands he dried them before he worked on reorganizing his already organized elixirs, bandages, and other medicines.

"Would you want to catch some dinner with Aster and I?" Elwin asked. "I'm going home to eat." Fitz replied not looking up from checking the many drawers to be sure they were stocked up on every thing he might need the next day. "Alright, see you tomorrow." Elwin said. "Goodnight." Fitz said, hardly sounding like he was wishing anything good. "Goodnight." Elwin said before stepping g out of the room and shaking his head at Aster who sighed. "Poor kid." Aster said. "Yeah, he's taking it better than I thought...but still." Elwin glanced at the closed door.

"That's tough. I wish I met her..." Aster said as he walked away with Elwin. Elwin smiled as his own pain clashed with his grief. "She sure was something else." He said. "I bet." Aster agreed as they walked out of the healing center.

Fitz restocked what he had used that day, making a few calculations on his hours he filled out his report, hanging it on the wall next to the door he looked over the clean room, ready for tomorrow, before shutting off the lights he walked out, closing the door behind him. He walked out of the healing center, and into Eternalia. The sun was setting, in a flaming golden orange and purple. Lifting his home crystal, Fitz rallied on his concentration when he thought of Biana. He had his sister to protect, and the thought of Biana needing him made him just strong enough to leap.

At Everglen, Biana was prowling around the grounds as she had for the past week and a half. Fitrz walked over to her. Biana hugged him the moment she saw him. "How'd it go?" She asked. "Fine. How are you?" Fitz asked. "Fine." Biana lied just as he had. "Come on in. In sure Mom has dinner." Fitz said pulling his sister inside. Biana followed. "Yeah." Biana agreed. Dinner was a silent affair, the only sound being the scraping of forks. After Fitz excused himself and went up to his room that had been cleaned and repaired. He showered and changed, before he worked on his Foxfire homework.

Since telepathy was no longer in his school routine he took that time to help Elwin out. Fitz forced himself to stay busy so he couldn't think about...her
So he wouldn't break under the grief that hung over him. Fitz finished his homework, before standing up and stretching, his mind instantly went to a blonde haired, brown eyed elf. Before, Sophie had...Fitz hadn't realized just how much his thoughts were occupied by Sophie, how much time he had spent just thinking about her.

Fitz's legs grew weak at the mental picture of smiling Sophie, looking up at him. She had promised him a kiss after the game... If only he had hugged her a little longer, if he had told her just how much she meant to him, maybe, just maybe she might of not taken job as councilor, than she would have never been up there next to the council. Shaking his head, Fitz lifted the covers of his bed and crawled in. Closing his eyes, he started countering sheep...he got to three sheep before he started counting the small spray of freckles on Sophie's nose, that were hardly noticeable.

Then the gold flecks that burned in her eyes like life itself, her perfect smile that would make the smallest of dimples appear at the corners of her mouth. The chapped pink lips, Fitz should have kissed a thousand times, he counted the tear drops that had fallen that he should have wiped away when he had the chance, the hugs he should have given her every single time he saw her, Fitz counted every missed moment, every lost hope he had for them, he counted each and every second he had with her. Replaying in his mind, the first time he had met her.

She had been the perfect fit for an elf but when he saw those brown eyes he knew it couldn't have been her, but she had already caught him looking at her picture, so it would have been weird if he just walked away. Besides it was worth a chance. Fitz counted every smile she had given him, he counted her every blush. Thinking of Sophie caused an internal pain that twisted like a rope, tighter and tighter, but feeling that reminded Fitz. He was still alive, the bond was still there, he would live for Sophie. He would breathe for her, he would help others for Sophie.

He would hope for Sophie.

(*crying, already making a thousand Sophitz moments* there are you guys happy now?!)