IT. IS. FINISHED. Yes, the bonus chapter is still coming, whenever I have time. Sophie does drop a few minor swearwords in this chapter talking to Lord Cassius, so watch out for that if it's not something you want to read.

"Mom."

"Yes?"

"Mom."

"What?"

"Mom!"

"What?"

"Mom!"

"What!?"

At this point, Sophie wasn't sure if Jolie actually wanted anything.

Her now four-year-old daughter was going through a phase where she would repeatedly ask for either Mom or Dad and then never actually tell you what she wanted. They were making an effort to spend more time with her, but as Keefe got weaker and weaker with each passing day, relations with the dwarves tensed nearly to the breaking point despite Nubiti's efforts, and both her and Fitz's work piled up, they had less and less time for their family.

"Why are you wearing those fancy clothes?"

This time, she actually said what she wanted. They were making progress.

"We're going to see Uncle Keefe."

"I know that, but why are you wearing fancy clothes?"

Dang it. They'd been hoping she wouldn't notice. Sophie pushed the last pin into her hair and bent down, lifting her daughter into her lap. "So, you know how Daddy and I told you about how Uncle Keefe is really sick?"

"Yeah." Jolie's face lost its smile immediately.

"Well, he's getting worse. We don't know how much longer he's going to live."

"That doesn't actually explain why you're all dressed up."

"It's…out of respect, I guess. I just felt like I should. Especially if this is the last time we see him." Sophie wiped her eyes and sighed, dabbing on a little more concealer in the hopes of hiding some of the dark circles from too many late nights.

"What do you mean?" Jolie cocked her head to the side.

Sophie took a deep breath. Jolie had asked her that before and she'd always redirected and distracted. Now there was no avoiding it. "It means that he is going to die and it's probably going to be soon."

"You mean, when we go to Candleshade, he won't be there anymore?"

Sophie shook her head. "No, he won't."

Jolie's brow furrowed. "Will he be somewhere else? Is he getting better?"

This conversation was getting nowhere and Sophie wasn't sure how much more explaining she could do without breaking down in tears. Fitz, I need your help.

What's wrong?

Jolie wanted to know why we were getting dressed up and I told her the truth and she got confused. I'm not sure how to explain it without breaking down.

"Hey, Jojobean."

Jolie slid down from Sophie's lap and ran to her father, wiggling when he scooped her up in his arms. "Hi Daddy." She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. "Why is Mommy upset?"

Fitz sighed. "Mama's upset because Uncle Keefe is dying."

"What's that mean?"

"It means he's going to go away. For a really, really long time."

"Will he ever come back?"

He shook his head. "No he won't, baby."

"You mean, like Uncle Kenric?"

Jolie had immediately started referring to Kenric as 'Uncle Kenric' after they'd told her about it. Sophie had tried to break her of the habit, especially after she started called Oralie 'Aunt Oralie'. They'd managed to cut it down to just 'Oralie' or 'Miss Oralie', but nothing they did made her stop calling Kenric her uncle.

"Yeah." Sophie sighed, deciding she didn't have the energy for any more makeup than she already had on and stood. "Like Kenric."

"Oh." With that information, Jolie seemed to understand. She leaned her head against Fitz's shoulder, tiny face somber.

"Are you okay?" Fitz asked, eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

Sophie shook her head, but didn't say anything. She didn't want to upset Jolie too much. Rubbing her daughter's shoulder, she said, "How about you go get dressed to go, okay Junebug? Your daddy and I need to talk."

"Okay, Mama." Jolie slid down to the ground and ran off.

Fitz wrapped Sophie in a hug and they clung to each other, doing their bests to stave off tears. Sophie was shaking, both from crying and from holding back her sobs.

I wish this hadn't happened. she finally transmitted.

Fitz rubbed her back tenderly. So do I.

I know there's nothing we can do, but I would trade all my abilities just to be able to turn back the clock and fix this. I've lost so much. I don't want to lose him too.

"But you've got me." he murmured. "And Jolie and our parents and friends."

"I know."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's just, it's another life we can't stop the Neverseen from taking. Another grieving family. Another funeral. Another tragedy that we can't stop, years after we should have been done with them. I know I have a wonderful family I wouldn't give up for anything. I've gained so much. But I've lost just as much or more. Is it that selfish to want all of my family to be okay? I'd even settle for just alive."

"No." Fitz pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "Everyone wants that. You just have to fight a lot harder for it. I understand."

"Mommy, Daddy, I'm ready to go." Jolie hugged her father's leg. She'd changed from her flowy summer dress to a near-identical mini-version of her mother's dress. It was a deep emerald green with a tasteful amount of ruffles and jewels. Her chocolate brown waves hung around her face and down her back. Honestly, Sophie was a little jealous of her daughter's hair.

"Okay." Fitz leaned down and picked her up.

Sophie gently ticked Jolie's bare feet dangling below the edge of her skirt. "Where's your shoes?"

JoJo giggled, kicking her feet in an attempt to get away from the tickling. "I don't know."

"Are you sure?" Fitz asked, joining the tickle onslaught.

She laughed, trying to shove their hands away. "Nooo!"

"You gotta have shoes, babycakes. We can't go if you don't have shoes."

"You can carry me." Jolie giggled, trying to climb high in her father's arms.

Fitz chuckled, swinging her onto his back. "Not the whole way. Let's go find some shoes for you."

Sophie smiled as she watched her husband and daughter, listening to their laughter as they hunted for a matching pair of Jolie's shoes. Fitz was right. Even though she had lost so much, she still had a family, both immediate and extended, and friends that loved her. She had a wonderful husband and a perfect precious daughter who would never know the hardships they had endured. Everything she'd fought for was right here.

They came back breathing hard and cheeks pink from laughter. Jolie had a pair of white sandals on her feet, though they were a little scuffed on the toes.

"Are you ready to go now?"

Jolie nodded and giggled. "We're gonna go see Uncle Keefe now!"

"Yup! Let's go see Uncle Keefe." Sophie took her daughter's free hand and she and Fitz swung her between them as the mounted the short stairway to the Leapmaster.

Jolie jerked her parents' hands rapidly. "Can I make it go, please?"

"Okay. You know where we're going?" Sophie lifted JoJo up into her arms, wrapping her concentration around the small bundle of wiggles tightly.

"Ya! We're going to Candleshade! Are you ready, Daddy?"

Fitz chuckled, wrapping his arms around both of them. "Yep, I'm ready, babycakes."

Jolie took a deep breath and shouted, "Candleshade!"

The crystal spun into the light, whisking them away.

"Hey, short stuff!"

"Hi Aunty Ro!" Jolie squealed, running over to Ro and laughing as the ogre princess scooped her up onto her shoulders. Ro had chosen a metal-studded leather jerkin and loose shorts over her metal corset and bottom once Jolie had gotten big enough to want piggyback rides. She'd been afraid of hurting her, even after Sophie had assured her Jolie wasn't as breakable as she looked.

"Wow, you look so pretty! Is this a new dress?"

JoJo blushed. "Yeah. Aunt Banana gave it to me for my birthday."

Jolie had initially mispronounced Biana's name as Banana when she was little and the nickname had stuck despite efforts to change it.

"That's super cool!"

"Can you give me a piggyback ride?"

Sophie sighed, smiling. "What are you forgetting, Jo?"

"Can I have a piggyback ride please?" Jolie corrected herself.

Ro frowned, pretending to think about it. "Oh, I don't know. I have a lot of really important stuff to do and, oh who am I kidding, of course you can. Do you think we can beat your parents?"

"Oh, are we racing now?" Fitz asked, swinging Sophie's hand gently.

"Yeah!" Jolie yelled. "Let's go!"

Ro laughed. "Hang on!"

Sophie laughed, not bothering to walk any faster as Ro and Jolie ran towards the house and disappeared inside. Fitz dropped her hand and slid his arm around her waist, holding her close as they walked.

"They're definitely going to beat us."

Sophie chuckled. "It's not a big deal. And she should have some happy memories, especially if the physicians are right and Keefe's…out of time."

Fitz gently kissed her temple, telekinetically opening the door. "Although, he has been suffering for almost, possibly over, a decade. I think he'll appreciate the release. Even though he'll be gone, at least he won't be in pain anymore."

She nodded, sniffling. "I'll miss him though."

"All of us will."

They waited for the elevator to come back down and stepped in, pushing the button for Keefe's floor.

There were a lot of people waiting out in the hallway. Most of the team of physicians assigned to Keefe, all their parents and friends. The Collective, minus Squall, were against one wall. Glimmer was standing next to Mr. Forkle, looking very awkward, but probably feeling responsible.

She saw Lord Cassius lurking in a corner, pretending he wasn't there.

"Hey guys."

Sophie smiled, giving Biana a tight hug. "Hey."

Dex gave them both a watery smile, waving around the redheaded toddler in his arms. "I'd give you a hug, but this one didn't want to nap before we came, so she's tired and falling asleep."

Fitz smiled, reaching over and rubbing his niece's shoulder. "I know that feeling."

Sophie jumped when a pair of small arms wrapped around her leg. She leaned down as best she could and gave her nephew a hug. "Hey big guy."

Prentice sighed, looking like he wanted a nap as much as his twin sister. "I don't want Uncle Keefe to go."

"I know, buddy, none of us do. But he's really, really sick and he's not getting better." Sophie helped Biana lift him up into her arms.

He sighed, snuggling into his mother.

Elwin found them, looking somber. "Could you guys head in? I'm trying to gather everyone who should have a voice in this…decision."

Sophie nodded, taking Fitz's hand and squeezing it tightly. "We'll leave the kids out here. They should get a chance to say goodbye, but I don't want them to hear the discussion."

Dex nodded, reaching over and tapping Lovise on the shoulder. The goblin gently took both children from their parents and Biana and Dex slipped though the crowd and into Keefe's room.

Jolie walked over to them, bright brown eyes full of tears. Fitz bent down and picked her up, murmuring soothing words into her ear.

Sophie gently rubbed her daughter's back. "What's wrong, baby?"

"There's a mean man in the corner." She pointed to Lord Cassius. "I don't like him."

Fitz scowled, glaring daggers at Keefe's father. "How about you stay with Lovise, Woltzer and your cousins for a little bit. Mommy and Daddy have to go talk to the physicians about Uncle Keefe, okay?"

Jolie nodded as Fitz set her down, running over to Woltzer and wrapping her arms around his leg, since she couldn't reach his waist.

We got this. Fitz whispered, offering his arm.

I hope so.

Keefe's room was much less crowded. Dex was leaning against the wall next to the door, Biana in his arms. Grady and Edaline were in much the same position on the opposite wall, both trying to hold back tears and Edaline failing. Alden and Della were on the couch, hand in hand, staring at the floor. Tam was in the corner, holding Linh tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. Marella was speaking in quiet tones to Livvy, probably wanting to know if Everblaze was of any use. From her expression, the answer was no.

Elwin stepped into the room and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "This is a decision I never thought I'd have to make, much less for such a close friend. I know all of you are upset and grieving. But's it's a decision that has to be made." He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. "When I checked on Keefe yesterday, I saw that the brain and nerve damage that has slowly been advancing over the past several years has reached the portion of the brain that controls the vital functions. It won't be long, less than a week, before it destroys those too and then, that will be it."

Sophie bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from breaking down in tears.

"So, we have a choice." Livvy reached over and squeezed Elwin's shoulder. "Either we let the nerve disorder take its course and he dies naturally, though extremely painfully, or…" She sighed. "I can up his next soporodine dose to a...lethal amount. I don't make that statement lightly. If I saw any way out of this, I would have said something years ago. But we're out of options and I would like to give him at least a painless death."

Sophie tried in vain to stave off her sobs, hot tears running down her cheeks.

"Since he isn't responding, we thought you should be the ones to make the decision."

Tam sighed, seeming to be the only one in the room capable of speaking. "We all know how tired he's been these last years, especially this past one. Weary of just existing. I know we shouldn't play God, especially when it comes to people's lives. But if he could choose, I think he would wants life to end on his own terms. But if no one else wants to, we don't have to."

Fitz hugged Sophie tightly as she wept into his shoulder. His voice vibrated against her ear as he spoke. "I think Tam is right. Every day Keefe had since Loanmore was borrowed time." His voice broke and he had to take a few breaths to center himself. "I also know that there were days when Keefe asked me how hard it would really be on everyone around him if he just gave up and stopped fighting. I always talked him out of it, but he was drained in every possible way. I hate the thought of being responsible for my best friend's death, though Tam is right. If he were responding, I think Keefe would want to have this little bit of control. He's had no control the last ten years of his life. He'd want to be able to control the circumstances of his death."

Sophie took a deep breath, stepping out of Fitz's arms. "I want to see if I can contact him. I want to see if he'll respond to me before we come to a decision. I'm not disagreeing with you. I think you're right. But I have to try first."

Elwin nodded. "You should. If you think there's even a slight chance, you should. This is his life we're talking about."

Sophie took a deep breath, kneeling next to Keefe's bed and taking his hand between hers. His fingers felt so scrawny and thin, his skin papery, as if it could break the second she applied friction. And he seriously needed some moisturiser.

She reached out for his mind, sending soft waves of love before a gentle transmission. Keefe, can you hear me?

Her words sank into the grey without the slightest fizzle. If it weren't for the erratic, unsteady heartbeat under her fingertips, she would have assumed he had already died.

"Did you hear anything? Did he say anything?" Dex asked, sniffling.

Sophie pressed her lips together, refusing to say anything unless she had a positive answer.

Keefe, I need you to answer me!

"Sophie?" Fitz set a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Is he not responding?" He didn't read her mind, trusting she'd tell him the truth.

Keefe, please. Just one word, something! Please…

No matter how many times she shoved the word into his head, begging him to say something, anything, anything at all to prove he was still fighting.

Then his hand squeezed hers.

Barely, there was scarcely enough strength left in his muscles to move, let alone apply any pressure. But it was a movement, and that was more than they'd gotten in years. Her shoulders slumped in relief.

Sophie… His whispery mental voice was pained and weak, but he was responding.

Oh thank God. Keefe!

I don't want to be awake. Let me go back to sleep.

We need to talk to you first.

I don't want to talk. I want to sleep, where there's no pain.

You can do that as soon as you answer my question.

He didn't answer so she kept talking, not finding a way to soften the blow. Elwin said the nerve damage is spreading to your vital organs and will probably shut down your heart and lungs within a week. We can either leave it alone and let this take its course, or… She squeezed her eyes shut. Voicing the possibilities to him made it real, and she didn't want it to be real. Or we can up your next soporodine dose to a lethal level.

Keefe still didn't respond for several seconds. Then he asked, Would it hurt?

Sophie bit her lip and looked at Elwin, managing to keep her voice from breaking as she said, "He wants to know if it would hurt."

Elwin struggled to keep his voice level. "The soporodine? No, it shouldn't."

She turned back to Keefe. Elwin said it wouldn't.

Okay. His breathing became a little less laboured. When would they give it to me? If I'm going to die, I guess it doesn't matter if they're too close together.

Once everyone get the chance to… say goodbye. The physicians don't know if it will take effect immediately, so they want to make sure everyone can get a little bit of closure.

Okay.

Sophie stood, tears raining down as Fitz pulled him into his arms. She felt his tears landing on her shoulder and neck.

"What did he say?" Della whispered.

"He said," Sophie took a shuddering breath and wiped her eyes. "he said he wants the soporodine."

"Well then," Livvy whispered, voice breaking as she spoke, "I guess that's what we have to do."

Sophie wasn't sure who left to tell those waiting outside what the decision had been and she didn't envy them. There was tears and someone was yelling and the door opened, letting the children in.

Jolie ran straight to her parents, clinging to Fitz's leg and crying. Sophie let go of Fitz long enough to pick Jolie up and sandwich her between them.

"Hey Jojobean."

"Why does Uncle Keefe have to go?" Sophie hated hearing the grief in her daughter's voice. After all they'd done to make sure she would never know that kind of pain, the Neverseen had found a way to reach through the years and hurt her daughter like this.

Sophie managed to hold back her tears long enough to answer. "Because he's really, really sick and there's nothing we can do. So, he's going to die. But you'll be able to say goodbye. He won't be able to answer, but he can hear you."

Jolie didn't answer, tucking her face into her father's shoulder and continuing to cry. Eventually, Livvy and Elwin had everyone leave so people could come in one at a time to say goodbye.

Sophie clung to Fitz and Jolie as if they were the only things keeping her from breaking down completely. They clung to her and each other just as tightly. Many people approached them to give consolation and hugs. Ro was curled up in a ball in a corner, sobbing her eyes out. Bo was sitting next to her with his arm around her shoulders.

"You have to do something!" Lord Cassius wasn't yelling, but he may as well have been. He grabbed Sophie's arm, errant tears sliding down his cheek. "You have to fix this!"

Fitz drew himself up, face tightening in familiar anger, though his voice was quiet. "Take your hands off my wife and don't touch her again."

"Make me." Cassius, for once, looked exactly the part of a father grieving the loss of his only child. Sophie knew he had the right to mourn, but right now, she didn't care.

"Get your hands off me." She yanked her arm out of his grip, rubbing the spot that was probably going to bruise. "You think you're the only one losing him? You might be losing the son you never cared enough about to show up until he's dying, but I'm losing a brother I have spent years helping to survive. I'm losing a friend who suffered horribly throughout his life and made the choice to have a painless death. You made the choice to disown him. You made the choice to leave us to pick up your slack. You could've been there. You could've made those memories with us. And if you had, you would understand just how much he's hurting. You would understand that this is the only other option. Do you really think that if there was something else we could do, we would have let him suffer FOR A DAMN DECADE before we did anything!"

Sophie felt hot tears flowing down her cheeks. She hadn't meant to swear, especially in front of her daughter, niece and nephew, but she didn't care. "You have just as much right to grieve him as I do. But don't come crying because you think you lost him too soon. You had every chance to be with him over the last ten years. And you didn't take them. And now they're gone."

Lord Cassius stumbled back, eyes wide. He clearly hadn't expected the sweet little Moonlark to explode with all the pent-up anger and sadness and grief building up ever since she'd brought Keefe home from Loanmore. Sophie was beginning to understand why Fitz hid behind anger. Anger was easy. Much easier than the crushing, lonely grief and the reality that she was losing one of her best friends.

"You can't talk to me that way."

"I'll talk to you however I freaking please."

"Sophie, Fitz?" Elwin's voice was quiet, but they heard him clearly, even from across the room. "Do you guys want to go now or later?"

Fitz pulled her tighter against him and held Jolie close. "I think it's best if we went later. Neither of us are in a good emotional state to talk to Keefe right now. But if Jolie wants to go, she can."

Jolie nodded. "I wanna go say goodbye." Sophie had a feeling she wanted to get away from Lord Cassius more than she wanted to say goodbye to her uncle, but she left it alone.

Jolie gave Keefe's father a wide berth before running to Elwin and clinging to his leg.

"Do you really think I haven't noticed that almost everyone else in this room has taken a turn saying goodbye to my son except for me?"

Sophie glanced at Prentice and Maya and sent a short transmission to Dex and Biana to cover their children's ears, waiting for them to do so before she choked out, "Maybe if you hadn't spent the last decade being a jackass, you'd get a chance."

Lord Cassius drew himself up, ready to retaliate, until Bo and Ro stepped in. Ro was still shaky and crying, but Bo's face was full of anger.

"Say another word to her and I'll remove your tongue. I may not be cut out to be a father myself, but I know when I see a bad example."

Keefe's father knew better than to argue with an angry ogre.

Fitz gently grasped Ro's shoulder and led her and Sophie into a quiet corner.

"How are you holding up?" he whispered.

Ro wiped her eyes and sniffled, sliding down the wall to sit cross-legged on the floor. "Okay, I guess. I've been holding out hope that we'd find some sort of miracle cure, but then I got the news and it was like, this is it. The person I've spent twelve years of my life protecting is going to die and there's nothing I can do. My best friend I've joked with and helped with his homework and cared for through all of this is dying. I don't regret missing those elite levels at Foxfire, but I would sit through all those hours of boring classes without a peep of complaint for him to be okay."

Sophie sat next to her. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise. It hurts just as much for you."

"I'm still sorry."

Fitz sat on Sophie's other side, wrapping his arms around her. She felt his shuddering breaths as he struggled not to cry.

It's okay to cry, you know. It's not like you'd be the only one.

I know. he answered. But I'd prefer to grieve in private or with just you.

They waited for what felt like hours as everyone had their turn and most people slowly trickled out. Jolie came running to them, curling up in her father's lap and going to sleep.

It was really only half an hour before everyone that wanted to leave had left and Elwin asked them to come in.

Sophie would have cried if she thought she had any tears left. After all the late nights, tearful memories and rage-filled screams, she'd spent so much emotion on this that when it was almost over, she just didn't have anything left to give. Until she saw the syringe with a thin, sharp needle.

Despite the fact that it had been years since she'd seen a needle and even longer since she'd had her last shot, they still made her skin crawl.

"Are you okay?" Fitz murmured in her ear.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just still hate needles."

Elwin sighed. "I know you do. But since he can't swallow anything and this is too large a dose to be absorbed through the skin, I don't really have another option."

Sophie took a deep breath, looking anywhere besides the glistening metal point. "I understand."

Fitz let go of Sophie, taking her hand in his and reaching for Keefe's with the other. "Is it okay if I touch him? He didn't seem to be in any more pain when you were holding his hand earlier."

"I'm pretty sure it's okay."

"Okay." Fitz gently took his hand, rubbing his thumb of the back of Keefe's hand. "Hey Keefe. I hope you can hear me. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm sorry I didn't do anything to stop it."

He dropped Sophie's hand to wipe the tears from his eyes, continuing telepathically. Sophie didn't listen to what he said. It wasn't meant for her.

Elwin reached over and set his hand on Sophie's arm to get her attention. "Let me know when you guys are done. Of course, if you want to stay, you can."

Fitz let go of Keefe's hand and wrapped his arms around Sophie again, crying softly into her shoulder.

"We'll stay."

"Okay. You should know though, while we were doing research on the soporodine, we discovered that it could be a powerful painkiller under…certain circumstances. So there is a chance he may…wake up, for a bit, before it…does its job."

Sophie nodded.

She had to close her eyes, hot tears leaking down her cheeks. She couldn't watch the soporodine flooding into his arm, briefly turning the vein black before flowing to the rest of his body. Sophie didn't open her eyes until she felt a bony hand take hers.

"Sophie?"

His voice was broken and soft and weak, but it was the first time she'd heard it in years. She opened her eyes to see Keefe looking back at her, without any pain in his gaze. He smiled, squeezing her fingers with what little strength his had left.

"Don't cry. It's okay."

Unable to help herself, she dropped his hand and hugged Keefe as tightly as she dared. He hugged her back, needing a little help from Fitz to get his arms around her.

"It's going to be okay. I'm not in pain anymore."

Fitz hugged them both, tears running down his face. "We're going to miss you."

"So am I." Keefe leaned his head against Sophie shoulder. "I love you guys."

"We love you too." Sophie's voice broke and she burst into tears again. Keefe lay back, whole body shaking with the exertion of holding onto her. She leaned her head against his chest, feeling his heartbeat slow as she soaked his tunic with her tears.

Ka-thump.

Fitz let go of them, since the position was hurting his back, instead kneeling behind Sophie and wrapping his arms around her waist.

Ka-thump.

Elwin finished packing up his supplies and left, tears tracing rivers down his face.

Thump.

There was a soft exhale of air on Sophie's face and she looked up. Keefe had a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were glazed over and the light was gone.

Just like that, he was gone.

Sophie was completely numb in those days and weeks between Keefe's death and the funeral. All she could do was go through the motions of caring for her family. Helping her world.

And then it was here. She left her hair down and her dress plain. No makeup, she didn't have the energy to put it on.

The only fancy thing she wore was a necklace Keefe had had made for her when she graduated school. It had a single pendant; a polished sphere of crystal marbled blue and green and every colour in between. Silver wire was wrapped decoratively around it in loops and swirls. The only piece of jewelry she owned that she liked more was the teal heart Fitz had given her eleven years ago.

She heard the shower shut off and soft footsteps on the bathroom floor. "Hey hon, could you grab me a towel? I forgot to grab one before I got in the shower."

Sophie sighed. "Are there not any left in the drawer? I just put a bunch in there."

"I didn't check." The drawer opened. "Oh yeah there are."

She went to find Jolie, comforted slightly by the coolness of the pendant's stone against her skin.

Jolie was curled up in a nest of blankets and pillows on her bed, even though it was past noon. Sophie picked her way around clothes and toys scattered around the floor and sat on the edge of her daughter's bed. "Hey Jo."

"Go 'way."

"I can't honey, we have to get ready to go."

"I don't wanna go." Jolie sounded like she was pouting, but Sophie knew she was grieving just as much as they were.

She sighed, reaching over and stroking the brunette head. "I don't want to go either. It hurts really bad, doesn't it?"

"I wanna go to Candleshade and see uncle Keefe, but he's not there anymore." Jolie sat up, eyes red.

Sophie pulled her daughter onto her lap. "I know, baby. I would let you stay home, but you can't stay home alone. I would leave you with your grandparents, but they're going too. I'm sorry Jolie, you have to go."

"I guess. Do I have to wear anything fancy?"

"Not if you don't want to. I think you look beautiful in that green dress you have in your closet, but you don't have to wear it."

"I guess I'll wear it."

Sophie left Jolie alone to get dressed and went downstairs slowly. Alden was waiting for her with an unexpected guest.

"Iltaurielle?"

The ancient elf inclined her head gently. Instead of her military style leather armour and leggings, she was wearing a forest green dress that flowed gently around her ankles. Her long russet locks flowed freely down her back.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was informed that the funeral was today and I thought I should attend, out of respect. I also came to give you some news regarding Gisela Sencen. I hope I am dressed appropriately, I was told it is customary to wear green."

"You're fine. Can I get either of you anything? A drink, there should be leftover mallowmelt if Fitz hasn't eaten it all."

Iltaurielle shook her head. "No thank you."

Alden looked severely tempted by the offer of mallowmelt, but he declined.

Sophie sat down on the couch, sighing. "What's the news? Did something go wrong?"

"Not…exactly." She walked over and perched on the arm next to Sophie. "She does not know of her son's death. I was wanting to know what you would like to be done concerning her."

"I don't know." Sophie leaned her head on Alden's shoulder as he sat next to her. "I want to be the one to tell her, but at the same time, I just want to let her rot without ever finding out what happened to him. She's the one who got him into this mess and the reason he had those disorders, so she doesn't deserve to know."

"I understand that. My advice? Tell her what happened and then turn her over to me for punishment."

"Isn't she already with you guys?"

"Our facilities are holding her, yes, but she is your prisoner and we cannot decide what happens to her unless you choose to hand her over."

"Oh." Sophie bit her lip. "What would her punishment be?"

Iltaurielle sighed. "As of now, Keefe's death had added murder to her list of charges. But since he is her son, it changes the murder charge to kinslaying, which carries a much, much heavier sentence. That would tip her most lenient final sentence from life imprisonment to execution. We can, of course, change it should you wish something different."

Gentle footsteps came down the stairs and Fitz came into view, carrying Jolie on one hip. Noting their somber expressions, he asked, "What happened?"

"Nothing, as of yet." Iltaurielle stood, gently inclining her head toward him.

"Why are you here?"

"She thought she should attend the funeral." Sophie pushed herself to her feet and walked over to Fitz, sliding her arm through his. "And she wanted to know what we wanted to do about Lady Gisela."

"Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about her. Do you have any other Neverseen prisoners still?"

"Only those who received lighter sentences, which most did not. They are all imprisoned for a good number of years, if not for life. I can hand any of them over to the Council should you ask, but any interrogations for which they may ask can be conducted without the prisoner leaving their cell. Lady Gisela is still awaiting sentencing, since she is your prisoner, not ours, even though she is currently held in our facility."

Fitz nodded, accepting Alden's tight hug and passing Jolie to her grandfather. "Do we know what her sentence could be right now?"

Iltaurielle shrugged. "The most lenient sentence she can receive at the moment, should you choose to place her in our custody, is execution by beheading. However, there are much worse ones available, unless you choose differently."

Fitz swallowed, turning the palest shade of green. "Is life imprisonment an option?"

"Should you decide that, yes."

"Hey." Sophie gently rubbed Fitz's arm. "How about we talk about this after the funeral? Tomorrow maybe?"

Iltaurielle nodded, bowing slightly from the waist. "I thought it best if I stayed to the back out of sight. Is that acceptable?"

Sophie nodded. "JoJo, do you want to go with us or with Grandpa?"

She wrapped her arms around Alden's neck. "Can I go with Papa Alden?"

"Is okay with you, Dad?" Fitz asked quietly.

"I have to pick up Della on the way, but it's fine. I'm only here because Lady Iltaurielle doesn't know how to light leap."

"Okay. See you there, kiddo."

"Bye Daddy."

After Alden and Jolie left, Sophie turned to Iltaurielle. "Do you need any help getting to the Wanderling Woods?"

"Help would be nice. I cannot travel using my normal methods within the Lost Cities as there is not enough power in the air to sustain it. I could go back to Adeala and then to the woods, but that creates quite the…fiery spectacle."

"Yeah. Not the best for a funeral." Sophie leaned her head on Fitz's shoulder as they walked outside. "You know how light leaping works, right?"

Iltaurielle tilted her head to the side. "Likely not enough. I understand it involves breaking your body down into particles to be carried on a beam of light to your destination and that one must concentrate to keep them together lest too many float off, leaving your body unable to reform."

Sophie winced. When you put it that way, it did make light leaping seem a little more than dangerous. "Well, we don't really have another option."

"I know. But I enjoy seeing your kind squirm when I describe it in that manner."

Fitz sighed, extending his hand to Iltaurielle. She took it and Sophie twisted the pathfinder to the facet for the Wanderling Woods. It took here a few tries to find it, since her hands were shaking so badly.

She may have been wrong, but it looked like there were more people packed into the Wanderling Woods than there had been for both Alden and Kenric's funerals. Not everyone was crying, but everyone had the same empty look and she understood it.

The elvin world had failed.

They had failed a child, who suffered for ten horrible years. They had failed to prevent his insane mother from killing him. They had failed so badly a foreign power had to do their job for them. Yes, the Neverseen were gone permanently, but was it worth the price?

Iltaurielle dropped Fitz's hand, blending expertly into the crowd. An elf they didn't recognise showed them to a roped-off area where Biana, Dex, their twins, Linh, Tam, Marella, and a dark-haired woman Sophie didn't recognise. She was standing slightly away from the rest of them, but her and Tam were close enough together that Sophie could make a guess.

"Glimmer?"

She smiled. "My name is Saria, actually. I thought I should be here, given the circumstances. And today is not a day to hide."

While they waited, Sophie took the opportunity to study Saria. Her features were gentle, with high cheekbones and pale skin. Her dress was so deep green it was nearly black, with onyx accents. Tam had a certain protective air regarding her, gently taking her arm when one too many people shot her angry glares and whispered insults.

The Council glittered onto the stage, all of them somber. They alone had been made aware of the circumstances of Keefe's death. All the public knew was that he had passed away and the nerve disorder had killed him.

Councillor Emery stepped forward. "Thank you all for being here and showing your support, even if only some of you know the circumstances."

Sophie didn't hear the rest of what he said. All she could do was cry into Fitz's shoulder, body shaking with the force of her loss and pain. He held her tightly, his tears flowing with hers.

Keefe's tree didn't sprout as quickly as she's expected. But it grew quickly, spiralling up into a small tree with pale bark and gentle blue leaves. They weren't exactly the same colour as Keefe's eyes, but Sophie thought the gentle ocean blue represented him better.

The flowers that sprouted were blood red.

Murmurs swept through the crowd, theorising why this might be. Sophie thought they represented the pain and struggle he'd gone through.

Both times she'd been to an elvin funeral, she'd been in the line of people giving their condolences to the grieving family. Now she was standing in front of it with Fitz, Ro and Jolie. She'd been told before the funeral that she and select others would be taking the place of Keefe's family.

Something felt off as the line slowly diminished. People Sophie knew better, Wylie, Stina, Marella and their parents, gave her comforting hugs and words of encouragement. Acquaintances she'd run into at Foxfire offered teary apologies and some people who had been childhood friends of Keefe were crying too hard to speak and Sophie found herself comforting them through her tears.

When they went to find everyone, she finally put her finger on what was wrong.

Lord Cassius wasn't there.

She hadn't see him anywhere and now, looking around the slowly emptying forest, she couldn't see him anywhere.

She would have asked around to find out what had happened and why he wasn't there, if she had enough energy to care.

The next few days they spent arranging a time with Iltaurielle to talk to Lady Gisela. Sophie originally hadn't wanted anything to do with Keefe's horrible excuse for a mother, but she wanted to deliver the news that Lady Gisela was directly responsible for her own son's death herself.

She was very disappointed to discover that one could not light leap or teleport in or out of Adeala. Their only option was the fiery portal thing Iltaurielle used, which looked a little too dangerous for Sophie's tastes. Iltaurielle assured them it was perfectly safe and far safer than light leaping.

"I would not offer if it were not safe."

"I still don't trust that thing." Sophie stared at the swirling vortex of fire.

Iltaurielle snuffed out the fireball in her hand. "You don't have to. But if you want to go, it is your only option."

Sophie sighed, turning to say goodbye to Fitz. "See you later. Love you."

"Love you too."

"Bye Mommy. I'll miss you." Jolie wrapped her arms around Sophie's leg.

She smiled. "I won't be gone for very long. Promise. Only about an hour."

Jolie pouted. "But that's too long."

"Here, can I have a big hug?" Sophie knelt down, returning her daughter's squeeze-the-life-out hug"I'll see you when I get home, okay?"

"Okay."

Sophie stood and walked to the edge of the cliff again.

"Are you ready?"

"Nope." But she jumped anyway, squeezing her eyes shut tightly right as it looked like she was going to land in the fire.

Wind whooshed past her and she didn't feel the slightest wisp of burning heat. When she opened her eyes, she was floating above a circular marble courtyard.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

Iltaurielle lowered her down until her feet settled on the stone. "Welcome to Egaeta, the Ironclad City."

"Wow."

All of the buildings around them were built of the same white stone, which now that she had a closer look, didn't look anything like marble. There were graceful arches in the windows with delicate carvings decorating the walls. In some places, the gold filigree accentuating the edges of the windows and doors had chipped, but the courtyard stones were weed and moss free.

"This is beautiful."

"We're in the main citadel pavilion now. The high-security prisoners are kept in the underground level in secure individual wings." Iltaurielle led her to a house and tapped three times on the doorknob before she opened it. Inside was a stark change from outside. It was still clean, but the stone was dark grey and damp, even in the places where torches lit the way down. "We keep conditions clean and appropriate for our prisoners, regardless of whether they deserve it, but we keep it feeling gloomy in purpose. They lose hope and are easier to extract information from that way."

Sophie nodded.

"She should be in the first cell block. The only dangerous thing about her is her mind and that's useless if she can't communicate. I've noticed that the Polyglot ability doesn't not extend to some languages here, so she's completely harmless here."

Iltaurielle stopped in front of a steel door with a keyhole and no knob and removed a key from her pocket, handing it to Sophie. "Enter whenever you are ready. It's not a fancy cell, just a barred wall between you."

Sophie took the key. "Adeala's nothing like the Lost Cities. Every prison I've seen there is completely different."

"We saw no reason to stop using a system that works. The more dangerous prisoners are farthest down the tunnel, with many solid metal doors between them and the surface. We have other, more secure prisons. This is simply a holding facility for those awaiting trial, or in Gisela Sencen's case, those who don't need anything more secure."

"Okay. Will you be waiting out here?"

"Aye, I will. You can leave the door open a touch if you want me to be able to hear your conversation or you can close it."

"Thanks." Sophie slid the key in the lock and turned it. The door clicked and a doorknob slid out. She put the key in her pocket and pulled the door open.

To her surprise, Lady Gisela didn't look much worse for wear. Her plain grey dress was clean and fairly new and the cell itself, while not sterile, was still clean. Her hair, surprisingly frizzy and curly, hung down her back.

"Hello, Sophie." She smiled and rose from the bed carved into the far wall. It looked rather high-quality for a prison, but by Lady Gisela's standards, it was probably horrible.

"I was wondering if you'd forgotten all about me."

Sophie took a deep breath, stepping forward into the light coming from a single lantern hanging from the ceiling. "I never forgot. I just didn't care."

Lady Gisela's eyes were immediately drawn to the Vacker crest glinting in the light and her smile became a frown. "I see I am disappointed again. Is my son with you? Is that who's lurking just behind the door?"

"Your son," Sophie whispered, reaching into her pocket and holding out a small branch she had taken from Keefe's Wanderling. "is dead."

Lady Gisela's jaw dropped and pure shock took over her face. She took the branch in trembling fingers, tracing the edge of the single flower's petals. "No."

"Your son is dead," Sophie repeated, "and you killed him. Your experiment killed him."

She sank to the floor, holding the twig to her chest. "You're lying."

"He died in my arms. I watched him stop breathing. His funeral was two days ago. Why would I be lying?"

"You have to be lying!" Lady Gisela looked up at her with eyes of hatred and grief. "Do you have any idea the time and effort I put into that to make sure it would do what I wanted? There was no way that could have happened! I spent years calibrating the exact amounts!"

Sophie felt straggling tears begin to drip down her cheeks. "Well it didn't work. From the moment he woke up, he was in excruciating pain. He suffered for ten years before it became too much for him. You couldn't accept the wonderful son you already had, so in your arrogance, you tried to make a better one. And you killed him."

"You're bluffing. You're lying. You're trying to keep him away from me. You don't want me influencing him in the right direction." The grief in Lady Gisela's voice had a tinge of madness. "You're lying!"

"Why. Would. I. Lie." Sophie leaned over and stared the older woman in the eye. "I can show you my memories if that's what it would take to convince you, but I am not lying. You know what a Wanderling branch looks like. You know none of the other ones have blood-red flowers, so this one must be new. And Keefe's not with me. I promise, he wanted to be here. He wanted to get better and come here and watch justice be done. You have no reason to believe me, but I have even fewer reasons to lie."

"Show me."

"What?"

"Show me." Tears were flowing down Lady Gisela's face and for once, Sophie knew she had no other agendas. "Prove you're telling the truth and show me."

"Okay." Sophie took a deep breath and gathered all of the important memories into a mental probe and shoved them into Gisela's head.

Memories of the weeks waiting to see if he would wake up. When Iltaurielle had finally triggered it. The screams of pain when Keefe finally woke up. The years spent adjusting. The epilepsy diagnosis and some of the terrifying grand mal seizures Sophie had the misfortune of witnessing. Every day he lost another function; his hearing, sometimes his sight, and towards the end, any movement at all. And the soft breath on Sophie's cheek when he had finally let go.

"My son is dead." Gisela whispered, finally believing the words.

"And you killed him."

Sophie had Iltaurielle drop her off in the Wanderling Woods. As she walked through the trees to the secluded clearing when Keefe's tree grew, she slipped her earbuds into her ears and selected a rather special song.

While they were figuring out communication, Keefe had used music to explain his feelings. One of the songs he loved was one he'd used to put into words the feelings he couldn't explain. Demons by Imagine Dragons.

She curled up in a ball, weeping silently as she listened to the words, reliving the happy memories, now tinged by incredible grief.

Fitz found her later that day, still curled up in a ball crying. He said nothing besides a soft transmission telling her where Jolie was and sat next to her, setting one arm around her shoulders.

When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel a soft hand taking hers and a voice saying, I'm okay now, Sophie.

She may have lost this fight, but all the others she had won. And she was never going to fight again.

We're done. We're actually done. It took too many late nights, not enough proofreading and some really awesome reviewers to do it. But I did it. Thank you to WelcomeToTheOrder for beta'ing, sorry I forgot to send you this last chapter, I was slacking off. Thank you to Sarcasticsnark13 for being my first reviewer on this story, and thank you to Wonderland aka Cay-Cay for being my most consistent reviewer on everything I posted. There are lots of other awesome peeps out there and thank you to all of you as well. I honestly can't name you all. Thanks to all my guest reviewers, you'er amazing and I wish I could've sent you the teasers you deserved.

Final word count: 66,666 (I kid you not, that's the actual word count on my document. I know, it's crazy weird.)

I will not longer be publishing on Wednesdays except for the bonus first birthday chapter. That will be on a Wednesday, I don't know which, but probably within the next few.

Shine brightly!

Ruby