KOTLC After Stellarlune-A Sokeefe Story

Parents

"Are you ready for this?" Keefe asked Sophie as they stood in the grounds at Havenfield, about to leap to the Shores of Solace.

She smiled wryly. "Are you?"

He shrugged. "Having you there will help. What worries me more is having me there when you talk to Oralie. Are you sure you want her to know that I know her secret?"

She nodded. "This time tomorrow you'll be my husband. I wouldn't want her or anyone else thinking there were any secrets we are keeping from each other. And we'll make sure she knows you won't say a word to anyone."

Without another word, Keefe took Sophie by the hand and they leapt away.

Cassius, whom they had hailed to be sure he was home, welcomed them in and ushered them into his study.

"I'm surprised you asked to speak with me," Cassius told them. "You must be very busy, I believe tomorrow is a big day for you both, correct?"

Sophie wasn't sure if his very formal tone was better or worse than the oily, sickening demeanor she was accustomed to, but it was definitely better than the hateful way she knew he had often treated Keefe.

Keefe didn't speak up right away but reached for Sophie's hand. She squeezed his hand in support and nodded at him encouragingly.

He turned to look at his father and took a deep breath. "Yes, tomorrow is a big day. The biggest day. That's actually why we're here. We—I—wanted to make sure you knew the invitation wasn't just a formality. We do hope you will be there."

Cassius' face was impassive, but after a moment he said, "of course I'll be there. But am I coming as a guest, or as the father of the groom?"

Keefe simply answered, "You're my father."

Cassius nodded. "Well, I'll be there. I look forward to having Miss Foster become part of the family. Although...I guess tomorrow, you become a Foster?" He asked Keefe shrewdly.

But Keefe shook his head. "No. We talked over our options and decided that tomorrow, Sophie becomes a Sencen."

There was genuine shock on Cassius' face. "That...surprises me," he admitted.

Keefe shrugged. "It's what we both want."

Neither of them mentioned that the main reason she was taking his name was because they wanted to redeem it. Wanted the Sencen name to carry more than Gisela's treachery or Cassius' cruelty.

Though Sophie also hoped that one day Keefe would be happy to still have his father's name.

Maybe.

In a few hundred years.

Hopefully.

After some more awkward silence, they said their goodbyes and stood up to leave. Cassius rose as well and reached out to shake Keefe's hand.

It wasn't until they had leapt away to Eternalia that Keefe turned to Sophie and said, in a strange voice, "that was the weirdest conversation I've ever had with him."

"How so?"

"I know it probably seemed very formal to you," he said.

"Yes, it did."

"Well, that's actually a huge improvement. He's  usually nothing but criticism. That felt like...like he was talking to an equal and not his huge disappointment of a son."

Sophie squeezed his hand. "You're not a disappointment."

"I always have been to him, even if he was wrong to feel that way," Keefe told her matter-of-factly. "But today he didn't treat me like that. And then..." Keefe shook his head in disbelief. "He shook my hand."