Unknown - A KOTLC Fanfic

Epilogue

"Don't you dare," Keefe said hesitantly. He was inching away from Ro, ready to pull out his crystal and flee. Keefe had just left Havenfeild and was currently being cornered by Ro.

To say that Ro was angry was a total understatement.

She was livid.

Keefe could tell.

The emotions she was hurtling towards him were fierce. But Keefe really needed to sort this all out with her.

"I'm really sorry for making you sleep, tying you up, and leaving without your permission," Keefe finally said hesitantly.

Ro said nothing as she pulled out a wicked sharp dagger and started twirling it around with one hand.

Keefe winced, but continued on. "I'm also sorry for disobeying you at Loamnore and also going without your permission."

"I was wondering when you would apologize for that," Ro finally said, her voice dangerously sweet. "I was also wondering when you would finally thank me for helping out your little Blondie."

"Wait what?" Keefe interrupted, abandoning all caution. "You didn't help her do anything!"

"Ooo. She didn't tell you, Lord Hunkyhair?" Ro snickered as she looked at Keefe's face. "Close your mouth or you'll draw in Flutterwings."

Keefe shut his mouth.

"Well... I might tell you just to see how you take the news, but first you owe me something. Actually, it's nice of me to agree to tell you. I could be wayyyyyyy meaner."

Keefe wanted to snap back with some sarcastic retort but knew he wouldn't get her to tell him anything if he acted like that.

"What do you want," he finally gritted out.

Ro studied him long and hard then turned her gaze back to her dagger. "I want you to tell me how Blondie's holdin up. I've been worried about her," she finally muttered.

"Wow. I didn't know you were such a big softie," Keefe grinned.

"Or maybe I'm just trying to be a good bodyguard! We all know what you would do if something happened to your little Blondie!" Ro shot back.

Keefe looked at her straight in the eye but when he saw Ro's resolve he shrugged. "She's... not doing good."

"I can tell," Ro scoffed.

Keefe ignored her. "Usually when something big happens Sophie puts on a big show in front of everyone, but really only I know what she's feeling. This time it's like she's not even trying to keep the emotions to herself. It's like she gave up."

"That's what I figured," Ro murmured.

"And she didn't even fight the sedative Edaline conjured for her," Keefe said quietly.

Ro sighed and said the last words Keefe expected. "She's feeling really guilty right now. I could tell. I've seen it before in you Elves. Especially you. Even though it's zero percent any of your guys's faults, the feeling that you had a part in what happened grows. And it grows into something that ends up destroying sanity's. It's not pretty."

"Is that what you think is happening to her?" Keefe asked, alarmed.

"To some extent, yes," Ro admitted. "You really need to check on your girl. She's going to need you. Not Lord Hunkhair. You."

"Okay," Keefe said, his spirits lowering. Why hadn't he bothered to stay with Sophie and make sure she was okay? Instead of staying after she took the sedative, he had left hurriedly, not wanting to talk to anyone. Keefe needed to fix that, now and make sure that she was holding up.

"Hey, slow down Hunkhair. I still haven't told you what I told Sophie. Aren't you curious?"

Keefe had forgotten about that in his haste to talk to Sophie again.

"Um, I really don't care anymore. She needs me right now," Keefe said.

"Well take a second then. She's probably still asleep because of the sedative. Blondie can wait a few minutes!"

"Fine, what did you do?"

Ro smiled wickedly. "When you were broken, Sophie had tried everything to bring you back. But obviously she didn't understand that the only thing to bring you back was love."

"Then why did she say that she loved me?" Keefe asked crestfallen.

"I showed her," Ro said simply.

Oh no she didn't.

"You showed her what," Keefe said with a definitive edge to his voice.

"Your drawings, Lord Hunkyhair. You're lucky I did. But seriously, once she looked at them with her big, brown eyes she still didn't understand what they meant."

Keefe curled his hands into fists and snarled, "I can't believe you Ro. You're seriously begging for a bald head right now."

"And you're begging for only nine fingers from now on," Ro retorted, smiling when he turned green. "As I was saying, little Blondie did not understand until she really thought about you and then she knew. It's that great?"

"How is that great? Sophie literally only said that she loved me because she saw my private memories," Keefe whispered sadly.

"No. She only knew once she really thought about you. But in a new light!"

"I still don't understand," Keefe said confused.

Ro groaned loudly and stalked over to Keefe. "Blondie loves you because of her own emotions. You're the Empath! Think about what she's always felt in the heart. I know you're forgetting that, but I heard you saying that in your sleep!" Ro exclaimed as Keefe blushed.

He didn't know he said that.

"Uhhh, can you just stop now?" Keefe yelled, standing up.

But inside he felt elated. Sophie really loved him! Not because of some stupid journals Ro let her read. By the way, Keefe was totally getting her back for that.

"No I won't stop, Keefe. This is your punishment!" Ro yelled.

"Am I interrupting something?" A quiet voice murmured from the doorway.

Keefe turned his head in surprise to see... Councilor Oralie?

"What are you doing here?" Keefe asked, confused as Ro stalked away in the corner muttering the whole way.

"I came here to inform you, Keefe," Oralie said. She walked over and sat down.

"About what?"

"About Sophie."

"Oh."

Keefe sat down directly across from her.

Oralie took a breath. "I don't know if Sophie ever told anyone when we both opened my forgotten secret."

"Wait, what?!" Keefe asked, surprised. She had never told him that!

"From your expression I can guess that you didn't know. That's... unfortunate. Well some time ago we also opened one of Kenric's forgotten secrets. And learned... things."

"Wow, and I guess that it's classified?"

"Unfortunately. But that's not the point Keefe. The point is that since Sophie's decision of raiding the Neverseen's storehouse, the councilors have been on the verge of panic. All these years we have prepared ourselves for peace in the Lost Cities. We've never given a second thought about battle, and now we are reaping our rewards for that mistake."

"So you're saying that we're literally at war?" Keefe asked skeptically. "Because I really don't believe that."

"Well you need to believe that. Right now a rebel goblin fleet is marching towards Eternalia. We have barely any defenses and right now our people are evacuating."

"Shoot," Keefe muttered.

Oralie stood up, her whole body shaking. "We need to prepare ourselves, Keefe. Because the Lost Cities are now officially at war."