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In a sky of absent darkness, a full moon breaks through the clouds, casting light down upon the city quarters, and offering a dim coverage of the activities going on below. From the palace, Sophie can see everything, even the festivities going on below. From where she’s perched upon the balcony, even the fireworks that burst from the sky are below her, the dazzling light effects seemingly nothing but silly little tricks from her spot way above.
She’s a skeptic, sure, but the tricks of the light were never impressive to her, not even as a small child. She could always see through the lies that the council weaved, the way that they masked the darkest of secrets with blinding lights.
She shifts, leaning over the balcony with both hands gripping the marble railing. She knows that she should be doing more important things right now, but the quiet of the night, the faint popping of fireworks, and the time to herself all make her thoughts so much louder. They contrast against the shining stars that are hiding beyond dark clouds.
Sophie Foster is one to think. She mulls over her thoughts and every facet of what they must mean, but no matter how much time she spends searching, she can never uncover the meaning behind the twisted words and memories that lay dormant beneath the ever-moving chaos.
The pattering of footsteps startles her from her observations, and Sophie whips around, unsheathing her blade and reading for a quick strike. The noise came from her left, and her ears prick for any sounds left behind by the intruder.
The night breeze is the only sound that follows, twirling around the leaves of the potted plants and even carrying a stray petal down to the night below. Yet still, Sophie can sense the presence of someone who isn’t supposed to be there, their presence heavy on her shoulders like the pressure of important words.
“Good evening, Love.”
Sophie’s blade cuts through the air before her, slashing behind her as she whips around in a full arc, stopping just mere millimeters from the side of Keefe’s face.
He doesn’t even flinch, and Sophie grits her teeth, pulling away just a little, but still keeping the sword near his rosy cheek as she glares at him through slitted eyes.
“I could have killed you,” she accuses, the words barely louder than a whisper.
“We both know you wouldn’t have.”
A grin graces Keefe’s lips as he moves closer, the three or so inches he has on Sophie really standing out as he moves close enough that she can feel the warm puff of his breath on her cheeks.
Sophie’s brain goes fuzzy when he swipes a stray hair from her cheek, and her eyes immediately go down to his lips, and the way his smirk widens, Keefe catches the movement. He bends down, gently kissing the crown of her forehead and after a moment, Sophie groans. She sheaths her sword and turns away before Keefe can make fun of her for the red that stains her cheeks so clearly, especially in the direct light of the moon.
“Still,” she says, her gaze flitting over the horizon of the town below them. “What’re you even doing here?” Sophie asks once she’s collected herself, and she turns just in time to see his face fall.
Keefe doesn’t say anything for a moment, and Sophie just waits, knowing that the look that appeared in his eyes was something not to be tested with.
“I can’t celebrate the festival with my two favorite people in the world?” He tries, and Sophie just hums, cocking her head at the smile that was so obviously fake compared to the others just before it.
He sighs. “Fintan wanted me to ‘gather intel’ but… I’m afraid of what that might mean.”
Sophie’s brows furrow as she steps closer to him, intwining her hand with his. “That’s good, isn’t it? Gathering intel means that you won’t have to hurt anyone.”
Keefe shakes his head, eyes focused on her hand entangled with his. “I’m not sure anymore…it’s getting close, Foster. I-I don’t know what he’s planning, but I can tell it’s something big.”
She grips his hand even tighter, the action in itself begging him to look at her as she speaks. “Then we’ll figure it out together, Keefe. All three of us, we can…we can stop him before it’s too late.”
“And risk putting you and Fitzy under fire for working with the enemy? I don’t think so.”
He closes his eyes and lets out a long exhale, like every moment is filled with exhaustion. “I just…I want to have fun tonight; can we do that?”
“I want to hang out with the two people I love the most and forget about Fintan and the Vackers and the kingdom and everything. I don’t want to be a bad guy who’s friends with the crown prince. I want to be three kids again; can we do that?”
Sophie sighs, looking up at the moon and wondering if this counted as ignoring her duties, as breaking her oath to put the person she was protecting first. She can hear Forkle’s disappointed voice now, scolding her for choosing the selfish option.
But when she sees the sorrow in Keefe’s eyes, she pushes it all away.
“Just for tonight?”
Keefe’s dazzling teeth sparkle in the dim light. “Just for tonight.”
-
“So where even is Fitz?” Keefe asks as he leaps down from the windowsill, dropping beside Sophie in the abandoned hallway.
This part of the palace hadn’t been used in years, closed originally for renovations, but never opened again. It was where the three of them had ultimately decided to meet, since no one would go looking for a prince and his bodyguard in a rundown hall.
“He’s at one of his rich people parties, which should end in a few hours. We should be able to catch him before he head up to his room, and we can do whatever you had in mind.”
“Uh…not happening.” Sophie turns to look at Keefe in confusion, mouth open in a clarifying question. But before she can utter a word, he pulls a folded piece of paper from his pocket and smiles, showcasing the flyer for the mascaraed. “Does it just so happen to be this rich person party?”
“What’re you implying?”
“C’mon Foster, do I really have to spell it out for you? We steal some masks, go to the party, maybe getting a little tipsy while we’re at it, then we steal Fitzy just in time to have the best night of our lives.” He makes a small gesture with his hands, signaling mind blown before locking his fingers behind his neck in a laid-back position. “As easy as pie.”
Sophie rolls her eyes. “Alright, sure. I, a guard who has been assigned a specific task and is very recognizable to the royal family, escort a widely known criminal through a dance with the richest people in all of Eternalia to kidnap the crowned prince with little masks that barely cover our eyes and noses?”
Keefe rubs the back of his neck. “Well, when you put it that way it sounds kind of ridiculous.”
Sophie snorts.
“But! What if I promise to stay out of sight and let you handle Fitz, then make him come up with a good excuse, since you know he’ll want to hang out with us?”
“That is a terrible idea.”
“But Foster,” Keefe whines, dragging out the last letter as he follows her towards Fitz’s quarters. “This is supposed to be fun, and we can’t have fun if the festival is almost over. Plus, think about Fitz’s surprised face when he sees that you’ve come to save him, but that I have too! He’ll be so happy to see us, he won’t even care.”
Sophie strides forward, boots clacking on the marble floors. She doesn’t even offer a response, knowing Keefe will get the message. She is not risking her job tonight, or ever. She’s already risking enough by dating her charge, let alone stepping away from him for the night because of earlier…or Keefe’s influence.
She stops, noticing that the light tapping sound behind her has all but vanished, and when she turns around to see where Keefe stopped, she finds nothing. Sophie lets out a heavy exhale, of course he went and got distracted by something. He’s probably out getting discovered because Sophie can’t find it within herself to go up to Fitz when— “Oof!”
Her thoughts screech to a halt, just like her walking when she crashes right into the same boy, now decorated with an elaborate green mask, with feathers and gems protruding from it like they were haphazardly hot glued on.
She opens her mouth to tell him he looks absurd, but before she can, he shoves another mask toward her chest, replacing the words about to be snapped at him with something else entirely.
“There is no way I’m wearing that.”
-
“I cannot believe I’m wearing this,” Sophie grumbles, adjusting the mask on her face once again.
“Me neither, to be honest.” Keefe loops his arm in hers, leading them to the side entrance of the ballroom as to avoid suspicion.
Wherever he’d gotten the masks, (he wouldn’t give a straight answer when she asked him) he’d managed to find some noble clothes nearby. So now, Sophie and Keefe were adorned in a dark sapphire blazer and a powder blue dress-shirt, and a white suit-vest and olive button-up respectively.
Sophie tugs at the mask on her eyes, tense at the way it blocked her peripheral vision. The mask itself is gorgeous, and pale blue with gold accented flowers decorating the entire surface. But the feathers to the side itch at her face, and Sophie so desperately wants to tear it off.
Miraculously, she somehow survives going up a staircase, only tripping once in the process. Keefe smiles, his eyes twinkling with mischief as they stop at the top of the stairwell. He unhooks their arms and leans down.
“I’ll be out on the left balcony,” he whispers. “Come out with Fitzy before ten, alright? If you don’t, I’ll work my way around and try to help you out.”
Sophie’s about to retort that he’d promised he’d stay out of the way, but before she can make out the words, he’s gone.
Sophie curses Keefe under her breath as she makes her way under the grand entryway, furnished with smooth stone and complicated patterns like no other. Fitz had told her that the walls held the history of the Vacker Legacy in them, but even after hours of searching she still couldn’t figure out what it meant.
Her newly acquired dress shoes squeak on the waxed floors, and her head automatically cranes upward to drink in the majestic view of the dance hall. The room itself makes her feel like an ant, recycled from an observatory, the roof is shaped like a dome, where stars twinkle from above, their shine standing out even indoors. On the sides, two floors that encompass the perimeter of the room run along the entire front, small staircases leading the way up.
From what she can see, many guests linger over the railing, sipping on champagne and talking amongst themselves for the most part.
Sophie’s eyes narrow as she tries to pick out her key targets from the crowd.
The first one she sees is Alden, lingering on the floor nearest to the roof, talking with Quinlin animatedly, so much so that he has to set down his drink to gesture with his arms. His entire tuxedo is exclusively white, outlined with golden accents that Sophie can’t truly decode from her distance. She can see that his mask crests into a crown-shape, fitting for the king. He won’t be a problem however, as the entire Neverseen would be able to sneak into the party without Alden noticing.
Next is Della, who she spots mingling to the side with some ladies from the castle. Her speech is much tamer, filled with the swirling of bottles and polite laughs from the noblewomen she’s engaging in conversation with. Her outfit is matching Alden’s, a white sleeveless dress with golden swirls stitched into the seams of the fabric. Her mask has a couple gems added into it, a crown with a sleeker design cresting to her forehead. Della’s much more perceptive than her husband, so it’s lucky for Sophie that she’s occupied.
She finds Fitz next, funnily enough, but he’s easy to predict when it comes to parties like this. Within thirty minutes he’s usually located himself to sit right near the punch bowl, his posture hinting at the fact that he’s a lot more stressed than he lets on. From where he’s standing, Sophie can’t see the front of his face, it’s just as frustrating as it is relieving.
She’s only missing one family member, and she’s the most observative of them all. If Sophie really wanted to sneak Fitz out of here without anyone noticing, she’d have to avoid—
“Sophie?”
--Biana.
Sophie still turns though, facing the brunette with a tight smile playing on her lips. She’s trying to think of the right words to say to convince the girl that she’s supposed to be here, and definitely wasn’t just staring at Fitz’s back, but when Biana cocks her head to the side, she knows that the wouldn’t believe any of it.
“Aren’t you supposed to be outside?”
Sophie shuffles a little, her voice quiet as her cheeks blaze with embarrassment. “Uh…yeah.”
“But you’re in here?”
“Yep.”
“And you are…” Biana rises to the balls of her feet, peaking over Sophie’s shoulder at where Fitz is still hiding away near the punch bowl.
“Oh.” Her lips curl up into a grin, and when her eyes meet Sophie’s gaze, they twinkle, reminding her a lot of the blond boy waiting upstairs. “That makes a lot more sense.”
Biana is the person she talks to the most out of the entire Vacker family. They’d had a rocky relationship at first, but a near-death experience being saved only by Sophie jumping in had set them straight, and they’d been inseparable since. Sophie tells Biana everything. Well…everything not retaining to a good portion of her love life.
But last night Biana had caught Sophie in quite the state, so she’d gotten an earful from Sophie about her problems with Fitz. And now, as she raises her eyebrows, Sophie wonders if she’s coming to regret that lapse in judgement.
She twirls around, her shimmering purple dress follows her as she spins, and her eyes land on both of her parents. She wheels around, looking at Sophie, then assumingly back at Fitz, her gaze narrowing with a calculation.
“If you promise to talk to him, I’ll give you a good cover.”
“…what?”
Biana rolls her eyes, her puffy sleeves swishing as she reaches up to rub her temples. “If you tell Fitz what your issue is, I’ll give you a way to get out of here and have a fun evening together.”
Sophie almost walks out right then. She backs away a little, waving her arms a little as she steps. “You don’t need to do that! I was just-I was here to talk to your dad actually. About, um, security stuff! So, if you’ll just excuse me-”
Biana grabs Sophie’s wrist and pulls her a little closer, her teal eyes shining underneath her violet mask. “Sophie, listen to me.”
Sophie’s mouth snaps shut.
“You made a mistake, and that’s okay. Does Fitz have a right to be angry at you? Yes. But,” she says through Sophie’s wince, “he shouldn’t have blown up on you like that. You need to be able to talk to him so that you two can work it out, and if you don’t, well…things might stay like they are now.”
Sophie sighs, glancing over her shoulder. “Alright, what do I do?”
Biana smirks. “You just make your way to Wonderboy over there and leave the rest up to me.”
She disappears into the crowd before Sophie can say anything.
Muttering to herself, Sophie has no choice but to follow her instructions, turning and moving toward Fitz’s turned back. She forces herself to move one foot after the other, keeping her head down as to avoid having to look at Fitz for the longest amount of time possible. It works, because she makes her way over to the beverage table with no problems.
Well, except for the fact that she crashes into him. Her method worked so well that Sophie didn’t trip or have to look at Fitz. Until of course, she runs right into him, and his hands automatically reach up to stead her shoulders, and there’s a moment of silence as Sophie’s head whips up, and they stare.
Fitz’s mask is off, revealing shock of his entire face, and Sophie’s surprised that it doesn’t immediately give away to disgust when he registers it’s her. Instead his shields, which are usually so well put up, fall completely, and she’s faced with the tired boy that she’d seen last night.
Her heart drops to her stomach when she sees the bags under his eyes, and she’s sure that hers match under her mask.
“What’re you doing here?”
The words come from his mouth, but Sophie doesn’t register them quite in time. It takes her a full minute to process what he’d said, and when she finally does her attention shifts completely.
Because all around them, people are moving to the center part of the room, where a string quartet has picked up their instruments and started to play a slow melody, one clearly made to dance to.
Damn Biana and her matchmaking.
Sophie sees the eyes of those in the middle catching on the prince, in a very intimate position with a girl unknown to them. Shit shit shit Sophie curses her and Biana both, trying to think of a way to get out of this.
But there is none, without Biana, or Keefe even, the only thing that Sophie and Fitz can do right now is play along with the roles that they’ve already been perceived as. The royal and whatever girl he’d chosen to dance with on the festival.
Fitz seems to come to the same realization and sighs, gently putting on his mask—a blue tint that matches Sophie’s suit—and leads her out to the main room, looking less than happy about it.
Sophie quite honestly feels the same. Her nerves prick when Fitz lays a hand on her waist, her arms coming up to rest on his shoulders quite stiffly. Movements that they’d practiced many times on their own seemed so foreign now in this moment, and Sophie’s palms are slick with sweat as the music slowed even more in tempo. No matter how uncomfortable she is at the moment, she can’t help but stare at Fitz’s face, imagining what his expression looks under the mask. Does he feel as odd as she does, dancing out of tempo? Is he angry that she came here?
“You never answered my question,” he says as he twirls her around a little bit. “Why're you here?”
Why are you here when I ordered you to stay away? Isn’t that what you wanted?
“I…” Sophie clears her throat, searching for something, anything in his eyes to let her know if she can be forgiven. But the words she wants to stay stick to her throat, because as right as they seem, she can’t help but feel like they might be the wrong decision.
I came here to apologize.
“Keefe is waiting on the balcony,” comes out instead.
Fitz jerks back a little, eyes widening as he misses the time when he’s supposed to dip Sophie.
“He’s what?"
Sophie waits a minute before responding, as much of the guests' attention had turned to the two of them at his outburst.
“Sorry,” He says, once the eyes finally dart away. “Did you say he was waiting on the balcony? As in…our balcony?”
“Yeah.”
“Does he…”
“No, I haven’t really told him anything yet.”
Fitz’s lips tighten into a straight line but says nothing. Sophie clears her throat but doesn’t break the uncomfortable silence that’s settled over them, instead just listening to the tempo and wondering when on earth life got so complicated.
“Are we just going to leave him up there?”
Just as he says that, gasps fill the air around them. Sophie and Fitz both break apart, Sophie’s hand finding it’s way to the dagger tucked into her waistline.
The audience however wasn’t gasping in fear, but instead in amazement, if not confusion. Because above them, drops of water twirl around in different patterns, moving with ease and grace. Soon, there’s more complicated shapes, like animals. A lion walks above the center of the hallway, a dolphin jumps through invisible water next to it, and a hawk even circles way above. They dip just low enough for some of the guests to run their fingers through the cool water, but otherwise don’t move.
Sophie’s mouth falls open. Biana really wasn’t kidding. The animals gather into drops of water, stopped in midair, when the light in them turns to look like a blue kind of flame. It takes her a moment to realize that it is a flame, just blue fire instead of the normal kind.
The fire sizzles next to the water, and after a moment it all falls away, and standing on the second floor, attracting the attention of every guest in the facility are Biana, Marella, and Linh.
“Welcome, citizens of Eternalia, to our esteemed Vacker residence!” Rounds of applause echo through the room. Biana’s eyes find Sophie’s, and she winks.
Sophie smiles in turn, wheeling around to see Fitz, gazing up at his sister in awe.
“I believe that’s our queue.”
She tugs on his wrist, and Fitz follows her as they rush out of the room, weaving through the crowd of nobles, their eyes transfixed on the show going on above them. It takes all of Sophie’s might not to get distracted by the blue light bouncing of the walls, but she manages to keep her attention on the grand staircase, which lays right outside of the main entrance
Fitz doesn’t question her haste, and Sophie tries to ignore the way that his hand has slipped into hers while they run, not a word mustered between the two of them.
White marble rushes past them, and the lights outside the ballroom have dimmed to match whatever last-minute show the three girlfriends have decided to put on, the staff seemingly used to Biana’s dramatic flair.
Sophie doesn’t slow their pace until they’ve cleared the top of the staircase, huffing and puffing. It isn’t until they make their way out to the balcony, crisp evening air hitting their faces, when Fitz pulls his hand away. Sophie suddenly misses the warmth.
Keefe’s face lights up when he sees their red faces, and he shrugs off the wall he’d been leaning on.
“I thought you two were supposed to be in-shape for your jobs,” he teases when he sees how hard they’re breathing.
Fitz ignores him, whisking forward and smushing his face between his hands. “Are you okay? Did Fintan hurt you? If he did, I swear I will send all of our military strength to beat the shit out of him, just tell me where he is and-”
Keefe grabs his wrists, gently laying them near their wastes and puffs a laugh. “I didn’t know you could be so overprotective, Fitzy.”
He takes a deep breath. “I’m fine though, seriously.”
Fitz clearly doesn’t seem to believe him, and Keefe doesn’t look like he even believes himself, but instead of dwelling on it, he tells Fitz the real reason why he’s here.
“Let me get this straight, you decided to pull me out of one of the most important events of the year and risk all of our asses so that…we can go out and have a night on the town?”
Sophie snorts as Keefe nods, and Fitz gives him a look.
“It would really kill you to plan ahead, wouldn’t it?”
Keefe rubs his chin, miming deep thought. “I believe it would. Now, if that’s over with, let’s have some fun, shall we?”
-
One steep climb down the cliff where the Vacker Estate resided, dodging through empty alleyways, and way too much bickering to be considered stealthy, the trio made their way into the heart of Eternalia city, and before Fitz can take a step into the crowded market squares, Keefe pulls him back.
“Uh, no. You’re dressed way too fancy to be waltzing around the town square there, Avery.”
Sophie covers a laugh at Fitz’s outraged expression. Whether it was directed at the nickname, or the statement itself, she’ll never know, but either way it was downright adorable.
“The pants will pass, but your shirt and cape.? Completely out of place here.”
“How do you suppose we fix this, Keefe the all-knowing?”
Keefe downright cackles at Fitz’s response, and throws his suit vest at Sophie, smacking her smack in the face. “Love the title there, Fitzory. As for the answer, I’ll get us some new threads, just sit tight.”
And Keefe, as he so fondly loves doing, rushes away before Fitz can get another word in, leaving him stammering at nothing but air in an empty alleyway.
Sophie plops down on the ground, closing her eyes and mustering up the courage for the words she couldn’t find before.
Muffled laughter echoes through all the streets of the town tonight, even this one, as dark and abandoned as it is. The brick paths are damp with old rain, and Sophie’s sure she sees a rat scuttle past, but it’s only when she thinks about how much she misses Fitz’s warm smile that she can clear her throat to speak.
“I…” Surprisingly, the words come from Fitz at the same time, their voices mingling together. Sophie’s eyes dart to his face, a stark contrast from the dirty gutter she’d been focusing on. They both stop, trailing off at the moment that they shared, faces heating up.
“You go first!” Fitz exclaims, rubbing a hand at the back of his neck.
Sophie smiles a little, her face heating as she looks into his eyes. “I-I just wanted to apologize,” she says after a minute. “I want you…I want us to work, and I know that it’ll be hard but you’re worth it.”
Fitz’s face melts into a small smile, and Sophie’s heart flutters.
“You don’t have to say that, Soph. I…I was being an asshole. And I shouldn’t have gotten angry at you for voicing your concern for your position. Especially when you were the one in jeopardy. I guess I couldn’t see how we could get in the way of your duties, so if you need space then I’ll give that to you.”
“I think…I think we can talk about this tomorrow. Right now, I want to be there for Keefe, and I guess I just want you to know that no matter what you’ll always be worth it to me, and I’d get fired for you any day. But even if you understand where I was coming from, I shouldn’t have pushed you away like that. I’m sorry.”
They smile at each other, and Sophie swears that Fitz’s eyes are a little glossy.
“Solved for tonight?”
“Solved for tonight.”
Fitz slides down next to Sophie and brushes a lock of hair away from her ear. He gives her a sweet smile that warms her to her very core. She stares into his eyes, wondering what on earth he’s thinking. His eyes reflect the moonlight, and his hair is messy from their rush to get away from the palace grounds.
“Alright love birds, let’s wrap up this forgiveness arc and party!”
Sophie and Fitz both scramble away from one another, and Keefe cackles, throwing them each a pair of red robes, accented with golden lights that pattern their way up the sleeves and around the neck.
Sophie blushes, turning and quickly throwing the robe over her shirt, discarding the shirt vest as she slides on the silky cover.
She kicks it away, and turns to see Keefe and Fitz adorned in similar hues of deep red.
“Shall we?” Keefe asks, hooking his arm in Fitz’s and raising an eyebrow, the question clearly pointed at Sophie. She hesitates a moment, afraid of the way that he looks at her. She should be back at the castle right now, she thinks.
Outside. Alone and miserable. Her brain supplies, and she wants to kick herself for having gone so soft for two troublesome boys. But then they both smile…
She takes his arm.
They turn out to the busy street, arms interlinked, and no one pays them any mind. The streets are filled with warm yellow lights and stalls as far as the eye can see, lanterns and lighting displays set up all around the walls of buildings and hanging over open roads. Decorations of red dragons and shiny alicorns are sprinkled along the stalls as well, and the bustling of pleasant chatter puts Sophie on edge.
“We should start with Fosboss over here, what’s your favorite part of the festival?”
Sophie jumps, turning to see Fitz and Keefe looking at her expectantly.
“I um..” She pauses. I—mayormaynothaveevercelebratedthefestivalbefore.”
They both blink. “What?”
Sophie sighs. “I…haven’t actually ever celebrated the festival before.”
Keefe gasps, and puts a hand on his chest in mock offense. “The Sophie Foster? Hasn’t celebrated a celestial festival before? Well we have to change that.”
He nudges Fitz with his elbow. “Lead the way Fitzypoo, I have a feeling Foster’ll love to nerd out with you over the dancing.”
Fitz’s face lights up, and he nods. “You’ll love it, Soph.” Before she can figure out what to say, he takes both her wrist and Keefe’s, and tugs them toward town square. “Come on! We can’t miss it!”
-
Sophie hesitates. “So…I do a box step? That’s it?”
Fitz laughs. “Yeah, pretty much, I can help you with the rest.”
“What about all of the other people, are they gonna do the same thing?”
Fitz shakes his head. “It’s up to each person what they do, it’s actually supposed to be a representation of how light bounces off of different surfaces, and just the way that we see different colors, there are different combinations of people who dance differently. I think that’s why…I’m rambling.”
Sophie shakes her head. “No, no I love when you ramble! It’s so interesting, please,” she gestures to the environment around them. “Continue.”
He smiles. “I will, but not right now, since we’re about to start.”
A deep, rasping instrument plays, and everyone gets in a different starting position, frozen in the move of winding up energy before the dance. Then, as it slides back and forth in a base, drums start pounding as other strings start to play, speeding up the song to a medium beat. She box steps, and sure enough, Fitz, takes them back and forth, swinging in rhythm to the song that she’d never heard but feels so very familiar.
“You’re so tense,” he whispers. “Do you want to stop?”
“No, no! I love this!”
Fitz smiles. “That’s good but try to enjoy it. Throw all of your worries out the window and just focus on tonight.”
She nods, and closes her eyes, imagining everything outside of this night, all of what she has to deal with, stuffing it in a little box. No more Fintan or relationship drama or stress, she shoves it all down and closes the lid, and she immediately feels a little bit of weight lift off her shoulders.
She opens her eys and smiles, looking around at the townsfolk dancing around her. There’s old couples, little kids, groups of teenagers, all kinds of people dancing under town square, where the wings of an alicorn spread over them as the dance continues. Across from them, Sophie can see Keefe doing his own little dance, twirling on his heels and holding out his hands, and a small smile gracing his lips.
They lock eyes, and his smile grows goofy, exaggerating his moves to make her laugh.
Fitz dips her suddenly, and she lets out a squeak.
When she’s upright again, Keefe has disappeared, and it isn’t until a couple moments later that he comes up to them and smiles.
“Can I have this dance,” he asks, holding out his hands to both of them.
Sophie smiles, taking it, and Fitz does the same. They end up just spinning in a circle, going faster and slower to the pace of the melody. At one part of the song, Sophie trips, and almost sends them hurtling into a red-headed couple, who just laugh at them while Sophie apologizes profusely.
The dance finally comes to an end, and the three all stand completely exhausted, bent over and panting with smiles pained on each of their faces.
“I say we get food,” Keefe says.
“Yes,” Fitz gasps. “I’m so hungry I could eat a dinosaur.”
Sophie giggles. “Then we’d better get you to some food, fast.”
-
Sophie looks at the stall, eyes wide. “What should I get?”
“Personally, I love Druul, which is this bread you put roasted veggies on, but Fitzy likes Ketapa, which is kind of like a mushroom soup.”
“…what if I dipped some Druul in the Keta-soup thing?”
Fitz laughs. “This is why we invite you to things, that’s so smart!”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of that,” Keefe agrees, shaking his head. He leans to the window, smiling the vendor, could I have three Druul, Ketapa, and,” he pauses, turning around to give them a sweet smile. “Three slices of mallowmelt?”
Sophie takes her soup and bread greatly, and they find a secluded fountain to sit and eat.
“So…Fitz mentioned something about cultural ties to the festival.”
Keefe nods, mouth full of food. “The entire festival was based off of the idea that Fallon Vacker—Fitzy’s great great great something grandfather—brought this region out of it’s worst times by harnessing the power of light, and built this city off of it. So now every year, we commemorate him and his methods of building from complete dark and ruin—er, right?”
Fitz nods. “While there were a lot of other important figures that we commemorate, it’s mostly Fallon and the ability to celebrate lights. That’s why it’s called the Celestial Festival. It’s celebrated on the first full moon every year, and there’s a lot of symbolism between dragons and alicorns if you haven’t noticed already.”
She nods, and Keefe slams down his bowl, making both of them jump.
“Sorry,” he says sheepishly. “I just realized that we haven’t missed the best part of the entire thing yet.”
He squints. “We won’t be able to see it from down here though, we’ll have to get up a little higher.”
-
They take their mallowmelt up to the roof and wait.
Sophie and Fitz both snack, and he tells her about how the constellations also fall into the belief of how Fallon managed to bring back the town from an age of darkness. Keefe buts in with random theories of what Fallon looked like, obviously trying to get Fitz as outraged at possible. At one point, Sophie joins in too.
After a hysteric fit of laugher—Sophie suggested Fallon had a bright yellow goatee—Fitz pauses, frowning. Laying back against the roof, he stars up at something only he can see.
“That’s the most my parents could get me to learn about our history, lousy of a prince, huh?”
Sophie shrugs. “Maybe you need to learn your kingdom’s history by experiencing it. We sure have learned a lot about the Neverseen by that logic.” She stops, slapping a hand over her mouth and looking at Keefe apologetically.
He waves her off, finishing his slice of mallowmelt and pausing, “I guess I’m the worst assassin of all time,” he says ruefully. His tone turns deadly serious, and Sophie’s stomach drops a little.
“Why’s that? Fitz asks, his gaze still faced toward the sky., hands resting just above the back of his neck to prop his head up from the cold shingles of the roof.
Keefe doesn’t say anything for a moment, and she wonders if he’s even planning on answering.
“Because I fell in love with the two of you.”
Sophie and Fitz both freeze, and suddenly the air seems so much colder. The conversation so much more real. Keefe doesn’t say a thing, just hums to himself, and she swears she can see tears glinting in his eyes.
Mentally she begs Fitz to look at her so that she can see if he feels the same way. She wants to know if his cheeks redden the same way hers do whenever Keefe lets out one of his flirty comments. She wonders if he daydreams about running his hands through messy blond hair until the earliest hours of the morning.
But he doesn’t look at her, he just stares at the sky, his chest rising and falling slowly as if nothing had changed. It makes Sophie’s gut lurch as she spins her feelings into tangible thoughts. Would he feel betrayed if he found out like this? That Sophie hadn’t had enough courage to tell him sooner?
She doesn’t know. But something about the way that Keefe’s whole body falls in a soft kind of disappointment, like every inch of hope that he’s hung on the stars has finally exploded into a big ball of pain and consequences.
So slowly, so slowly, she places her left hand on Fitz’s leg for support, and gently interlaces her right one with Keefe’s, entangling their fingers.
“That’d have to make the worst bodyguard then, because I feel the same way.”
She can feel the way Keefe’s hand shaking shaking shaking in hers, and her heart pulses as she looks up toward the sky, praying to a god that she doesn’t believe in that she made the right choice.
“I love you too,” Fitz finally adds. Keefe and Sophie’s heads whip toward him and he gives them a small smile, sitting up and wrapping his arm across both of their shoulders, squishing the three of them together in a side hug.
“And I…I don’t know how it’ll end. I don’t know how our roles can effect it, but frankly I can’t find it in myself to care.”
Sophie leans her head onto his shoulder, smiling. “Ditto.”
Keefe lets out a soft laugh. “Same here.”
They lean into each other, hands all intertwined as they just enjoy the company. Sophie’s mouth hurts from smiling, and she won’t stop. Everything that felt so wrong before now just feels so very right. She has both Keefe and Fitz with her, and she feels like she could topple anything rebel organizations or oblivious monarchies. She could face the fury of thousands of people just to hold their hands, just to be around them. She closes her eyes for a moment, and she can’t help the excitement bubbling in her stomach.
Sophie Foster is with her partners, and everything is right.
Keefe gasps, and she and Fitz both sit up, shoulders tensing. But when she turns to look at him, his face isn’t agape in horror or anger or sadness, but in pure, childish awe.
“They’re starting!”
When Sophie looks toward the sky, she can’t help but feel her mouth drop open. Fitz himself lets out some ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’ She sinks into both of their forms, and she pretends to pout as both boys stare wondrously at the fireworks.
He elbows her. “See, Foster! I told you that they’re awesome!”
Sophie swallows a smile. “I guess they are.”
Cracks of light fizzle and pop in the sky, starting off as vague explosions of colorful light, then transforming into more and more complicated shapes. The rays twist and turn into a dragon, twisting and flying in the sky. It flaps it’s miraculous wings, doing loops in the sky and flying around the entire city before swooping down just above the houses. It flies just over the three of them, and it lets out a fiery roar that explodes into glowing orange light. Even as it swoops away, the warm light stays, illuminating their isolated rooftop with golden hue. Fitz shakes his head when a few specks land in his hair, and they laugh.
They whisper in the moonlight as the sky empties of light, and the night lasts forever while their laughter fills the night as much as the stars.
And Sophie knows that whatever may happen, they’ll be okay. Together.