Kotlc Oneshots

Sokeefe - I Promise

Sophie sat beneath the Panakes tree, watching the multicolored petals drift around her in the breeze. She watched as the dusk-colored flowers floated to the ground, blending with the teal and yellow flowers around her feet to create a lush carpet of color. A tear escaped her eyes as she stared at the tiny, star shaped teal flowers clustered around her. Does anything in this world not remind me of him? She asked herself sadly. But she knew that after being close friends for so long, almost anything would trigger a memory. 

Sophie eyes filled with tears once again, blurring the landscape into streaks of color. She couldn't believe - couldn't believe -  that her basically-boyfriend could have dumped her with so little remorse. Her mind flashed back to that afternoon.

"Fitz, I went to the matchmakers yesterday, and..." her voice caught and she looked down. Fitz hesitated for a second, then held her hand in his. She took a deep breath and continued. "They said I was... unmatchable." The word escaped her lips and seemed to disappear into the space between them. She wasn't even sure he heard her until his face changed. It flashed from gentle curiosity to shock, then horror, then a stony gravity that hardened his teal eyes into chips of sea glass colored ice.

"I'm sorry, Sophie, but this can't work. I need someone who my family approves of, and they never even think of an unmatchable person as someone worthy to take our name. I couldn't dishonor my family that way. At the very least I would be disowned, probably my parents and Biana too. I can't hurt them that way." Fitz said, his eyes cold and decisive. A tiny flame of guilt swam in his eyes, but it didn't creep into his expression or words. But was it guilt, Sophie thought with a rush of fury, or was it pity? 

"How could you do this, Fitz?" Sophie asked, her voice was quiet, but it shook with betrayal and anger. "I thought you cared about me! Imagine, for an instant, how it feels to think that after years of heartbreak and betrayals, someone actually loved you. Then they reveal that no, actually, they were too special to have a relationship with some one like you." Her eyes burned with pain. Fitz's eyes widened. 

"Sophie, no! I-I didn't mean it that way. You're so incredibly amazing, it's just..." his voice trailed off. Sophie held his eyes for a moment. Her voice filled his mind. Goodbye, Fitz. She thought. Then a sharp pain filled her mind, and she could tell that when he tried to transmit back he found her mind blocked and impenetrable, the way it was when they first met. Sophie's eyes met his one last time and saw the regret and shock written on his face. Then she turned and  walked away. 

The calming scent of Calla's flowers brought her back to reality as the memory ended.  She dried her eyes on the soft sleeve her indigo tunic and took a deep breath. She held up her allergy remedy necklace and traced her fingers over the moonlark pin Calla had given her so long ago. She had to be strong, for her friends and the Black Swan, but also for herself. After all she'd been through, she wouldn't let a stupid boy break her spirit. Her eyes caught on the sparkling teal heart that Fitz had given her months before. Emotion swelled in her heart once more, but this time it was fury - a hot, burning anger that raged like fire under her skin. With a burst of strength, Sophie yanked the necklace off her neck, breaking the delicate golden chain. She channeled energy into her arm and flung the necklace into the sky. It spun through the air for an instant, glittering in the late evening light, before falling into the calm ocean with a tiny splash. Sophie closed her eyes, fighting back tears. The simple act of throwing a necklace seemed to be the final straw, the last nail to her coffin of misery. It all seemed so... final. Suddenly Sophie felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked over to find herself staring at a pair of ice blue eyes. Keefe smirked at her.

"Hey, Foster. Are you destroying Fitz's jewelry without me?" His smirk faded when he saw her face. "You okay?" He asked, his azure eyes shimmering with concern. Sophie didn't trust herself to speak, so she shook her head mutely. Keefe sat next to her and draped his soft, midnight blue cloak over her back. He wrapped an arm around her and gave her a gentle smile.