Reign of the Neverseen

Chapter Eighteen

Unedited.

Ruined. The once beautiful city was ruined. Black smoke billowed from a half melted jeweled building. The dark elves must have started a fire of some sort.

A crevice split the city in half, dividing homes. Standing on a far hill just outside of the city, Sophie and Sandor where back to their original forms. Sophie had placed her circlet on her head. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it as someone who was fighting for the people she loved, for the city that she loved. She would do this with the strength the elves had given her, she would do this as councilor, as the Moonlark and as Sophie Foster.

Sophie tightened the bag around her. Dex had made a hard vest for her, the knives couldn't go through. Only the sides were open, Sophie felt cold. Her legs felt shaky and weak. She might die today, the thought made her scared, reminding her she wasn't fearless. She was afraid and scared, she didn't want to die, but the fact that loved ones were behind her, waiting for her return made her stay standing. It fought the desperation away.

"The soldier does not fight because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him." Sandor said softly. Sophie felt her lips tug up. She had missed the squeaky voice of her bodyguard. "What do you love?" Sophie asked tilting her head to look up at Sandor. "I love my home." He said looking down at Sophie. "I love the family I have made, and been adopted in to. I love what is behind me." He said. Sophie turned back to looking over the ruined city. "Sandor, do you think we'll make it?" Sophie asked. Sandor didn't answer for a moment. "The chances are small." He said. "How small?" Sophie asked. Sandor looked down at her, "Very unlikely." He said. Sophie knew that, but hearing it out loud, made her even more determined to make those chances, and go striding back to Eternalia, having saved the day, like all the other times.

But this wasn't then, this was now. It was dangerous and just because she had been lucky over the brushes of death, she wasn't guaranteed life, the thought of her actually dying, it made her heart skip a beat. With her fear of what was ahead of her came courage from what was behind her, with the hate of the Neverseen came the love she had for the elves. From the pain she had felt and been given made her stronger it gave her power.

Sophie realized every part of her was going to be put to the ultimate test. The pain she had received from the Neverseen, she'd get more in this most likely one trip, the emotional pain she had received from everyone would test her sanity of what she was about to do, it was make or break, and right at that moment Sophie wasn't planning on breaking.

She knew she was going to bend, she knew she was going to crack, but, She. Would. Not. Break.

Sophie knew unimaginable pain was coming, she knew death was coming, but she decided she'd defy death if she had to, she'd face that pain, and she'd destroy what was threatening her family. Taking Sandor's hand, Sophie turned away from the city. "Forward?" She asked looking up at him. He nodded, "Forward." He said, together they stepped towards death's door, planning to knock it down, and defy death in the face.

~

The fog was starting to creep in on the edges of Fitz's emotions. Sophie was gone again, and now he was having second thoughts about letting her go.

As he sat staring at his hands clenched together, he took deep breaths to fight back the fog. "Fitz, you did the right thing letting her go." Alden said. "She's gone." Fitz whispered. "She'll come back." Della said placing her hand on her son's shoulder. "Yeah, sometimes you have to let the ones you love go, if they really love you they'll come back." Biana said. "Sophie loves all of us." She said. "You don't leave the ones you love, even if they are letting go." Fitz said.

"Sometimes people have no choice but to leave." Alden said. "Sometimes fate happens and they have no choice. Sometimes they leave because they know in the end it's for the greater good." Alden said. "Sophie will come back to us." He said. Fitz shook his head, "It doesn't feel like that Dad. She's not expecting to come back from this. Whatever it is, she doesn't believe she can make it back." Fitz said, his voice cracking. Della pulled Fitz closer, "Don't say that." She scolded lightly, her own voice cracking. "She'll be okay." She said. "Yeah, she's Sophie. If anyone can survive the impossible, it's her." Biana said, sitting beside her dad.