Sovereignty and Servitude

6: Assistance

Solemnly, Fitz wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb, "Of course not, it only makes you human. I didn't realize how little time you've had to focus on yourself, and I'm sorry. From now on, I'll do everything I can to help you have a life of your own."

Sophie laughed lightly, "Talking with you is always an escape to my own life. You're already so good to me, I don't know how you can do much more."

"More trips to Moonglade, seeing the village, things to escape from the palace."

"That would upset Dex-"

"And what does that have to do with anything?" challenged Fitz playfully, "This is about you, not Dex. Dex can think what he wants, but what he thinks and what you are able to do are two different stories."

Smiling slowly, she replied, "You're right. If I'm really going to make my life my own, my choices don't need to become a group decision. If I want to go out every now and then in my free time, Dex can bring the triplets along with him and Biana if he doesn't like them in the nursery for so long."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Fitz, "Your family is important, but so are you."

Sophie nodded, sniffing, "Yeah... and right now, I don't really want to see them. I want to figure things out a little more, and things probably need to settle out between all of us for a while anyways. The triplets found out that I'm not their sister, they're upset, and they, like Dex, probably don't want to talk to me right now."

After thinking for a moment, Fitz suggested, "Why don't you move to a room of your own? That way you can have your own space, and you can be more independent from your family."

"Are there any more rooms?" Sophie asked hopefully.

"Keefe's old room is on the other side of my room," he offered. "It's farther from Biana's room, at the end of the hall, really, but-"

"It sounds perfect," she interrupted. "Thank you, Fitz."

"Of course," he gave her a brief hug, and as he pulled back, he announced, "now let's go get your stuff out of the room, Dex should be on duty, and the triplets should be in the nursery, so the room should be empty."

"Alright," Sophie swung her legs over the side of the chaise, and handed Fitz his cape back. "Thank you, for everything."

"I want you to never come close to forgetting what happiness is like," he offered her his hand and helped her stand up.

She wanted to say, You are a big part of my happiness, but she couldn't seem to form the words with her mouth, and could only smile as they stepped out of the office door, only to meet a couple of noble folk.

"What were you two doing in there all this time?" demanded a man with a strong jaw and large eyes, "No one has seen either of you since yesterday afternoon."

"You clearly stayed overnight," a woman with hair redder than her busty dress commented, looking Sophie and Fitz up and down with a critical eye.

"Oh! An affair!" purred a long-eyelashed woman with narrow teeth and a satin fan as she wiggled her eyebrows crassly.

Sophie flushed, and tried to find an excuse, but Fitz was the one who saved them, "No, not an affair. Sophie is my new assistant. When my brother-in-law passed, I took on all of his work in addition to my own, and Lord Keefe Sencen and I have been struggling to keep up with it all. I have been sending Lord Keefe Sencen to do more of the field work under my orders so I can organize things here at the palace and prepare for my eventual ascension to the throne. However, that also means that I am overwhelmed with the paperwork, and I decided for my health that I needed an assistant."

"But that doesn't explain-" the red haired woman began to ask, but silenced when Fitz held up his hand.

"Princess Biana now has a bodyguard, and does not require Miss Sophie's presence so often, and, in addition, has spoken highly of Miss Sophie's work ethic and dedication to serving the throne, so I decided to take her on as my assistant. We fell asleep last night from working so late," explained Fitz, and for the first time, she noticed how tired he looked. Dark circles rimmed his teal eyes, and the edges of his smile sagged slightly.

"But why not a noble?" the bug-eyed man demanded, his frowning brows not detracting from the size of his eyeballs at all. "Are we somehow not good enough for you?"

"You are all supposed to have duties of your own, are you not?" Fitz reminded them, "I did not want anyone over-burdened with work. That is, unless you're saying that you nobles are not receiving enough work."

"No, no, no!" the man waved his hands in assurance, "We have plenty of work, thank you, your highness. That is very considerate of you."

Fitz nodded, smiling charismatically, "Now that that is settled, please, let us through so we may go clean ourselves up for the day."

The nobles hastily nodded, and parted so Sophie and Fitz could walk through. Once the nobles were far behind them, Sophie asked quietly, "Am I really your new assistant?"

"Would you like to be?" he asked hopefully. "I wasn't kidding about being swamped."

She nodded, "I'll also make sure you're taking care of yourself."

"How so?"

"Instituting a bedtime, fetching your meals, forcing you outside every now and then," she listed with a laugh.

"Oh goodie, does it come with a lollipop and a bedtime story?"

"Naturally, and don't forget the field trips to see Silveny."

"I feel like a child again," remarked Fitz, "just what I needed."

Sophie smiled up at him, "Glad we can assist one another."

"We make a mighty fine pair."

"Indeed we do," Sophie laughed merrily, and that was the very start of their adventures as a team.

Character Bedroom Order In The Hallway