~An Unlikely Bond~
PART 2- The Deal
SHIP: JOPHIE (Japeth/Sophie)
SETTING: A continuation of BONUS CHAPTER #1. Takes Place in Camelot after ACOT sometime in TOTK.
SCENARIO: After their talk in the throne room in Bonus Chapter #1, Japeth and Sophie seem to be on better terms than before. Sophie notices a change in Japeth and the two strike a deal over the fate of Sophie's friends' lives—much like the time Sophie agreed to become Rhian's storian in exchange for Hort being released from the dungeons.
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• Request from Arthoe_x_X
(Thanks for recommending that I do another Jophie OneShot! 😊👍)
Sophie gazed out the window, watching the sun beginning to rise steadily above the treetops outside. It was the start of a new day and perhaps the start of a new beginning for Sophie and her newly wedded husband in a way.
Something last night had definitely changed between them. After Japeth had been very close to ending Sophie's life before he ended up confessing his frustrations over Aric, him and Sophie had gone back to their separate rooms to sleep.
Last night had been the first night that Sophie had really gotten some much needed rest since Rhian's death. For the first time, Sophie hadn't suffered from any nightmares of a lion dying at a Snake's fangs.
In fact, she dreamt of herself residing in a crowd of guests whose attention were all focused on an aisle of rose petals on which Agatha walked on, adorning her diadem and the most stunning wedding gown Sophie had ever seen. At a golden altar stood Tedros in his best attire as he awaited his future queen to meet him with a smile on his face.
Sophie smiled too in the dream, for seeing her two best friends get married was all she could have ever hoped for. Tedros and Agatha would be the rulers of Camelot and the two would bring everlasting peace to the woods for years to come.
There was only one thing off about the dream of her's though...If Sophie looked close enough, she could see someone slouched beyond the altar as Tedros and Agatha's lips collided in a kiss. In the shadows, the person's hair was messy and when they raised their heads to look at Sophie, she was met with the look of a broken boy silently pleading to her to end his suffering.
It was Japeth.
Before Sophie could do anything, the dream had faded like evaporating mist as she'd startled awake, clutching her sheets to her chest to find herself in her bed in Camelot.
That was when she remembered Tedros and Agatha were not the rulers of Camelot. Japeth was king and Sophie his queen after they'd gotten married just a few days ago.
Sophie had wanted to lay in bed and collect her thoughts, but before she knew it her handmaidens had barged in unannounced to get her ready for the day.
"His majesty requests your presence in the dining room for breakfast," One of the maids had informed her as she set to work brushing Sophie's golden hair. "Don't be late."
The other maids stripped Sophie's bed and busied themselves with tasks Sophie took no mind to. When they had all but scrubbed her skin bare and left the room, Sophie sat next to the windowsill to watch the sunrise.
For a long while, Sophie wondered what Agatha and Tedros were up to now. She figured they were probably off searching for a way to rescue her and stop Japeth. If that was the case, Sophie was sure they'd have come up with a plan by now unless there was no plan and they thought defeating Japeth was all but hopeless.
Sophie had been in this position before; being held hostage by a boy who everyone saw as evil and being kept away from her friends was nothing new to her. She'd once stayed with Rafal after all because she believed he was the path to her Never After.
Except Rafal hadn't been her path to Never After after all. Rhian hadn't been it either, and now Sophie was stuck with a boy who wished her friends dead.
Japeth and Rafal were eerily similar in their mindsets Sophie realized. Like Rafal killed his twin in the Great War, Japeth had killed Rhian. While Rafal would've gone to great lengths to ensure his Never After with Sophie, it seemed that Japeth would do practically anything to ensure Aric's return.
Sophie's mind flitted back to her dream and the scene of a broken Japeth slouched on the ground, his blue gaze looking so conflicted and torn. Deep down, Sophie knew in her heart that Japeth just needed some help to get on a better path.
And maybe that was Sophie's purpose. Maybe her purpose was never to be a Princess or be Rafal's Queen or even be the Dean if Evil. Maybe Sophie's purpose was to guide Japeth back to the light, to help evil doers like him find what they were looking for.
Eventually, Sophie shook her head to clear her thoughts and headed into the dining room. She was greeted by the lion chandelier hanging on the ceiling, the lion patterned rug, and Japeth sitting at the end of the table.
Sophie could feel the Snake's eyes boring into her as she sat down. She saw that he was dressed back in his gold and blue King's uniform—Rhian's old suit—except his crown was sitting on the tabletop in front of him as if it were too heavy to for him to place on his head.
"I thought about what you said," Japeth began as Sophie fiddled with her fork, "and I agree. Things will get more complicated if we continue hating each other. So I suggest we work our issues out somehow."
Hearing the clipped tone in Japeth's voice, Sophie searched his face and was surprised to find his expression was oddly genuine. Usually, Japeth was ice cold and menacing, especially towards Sophie. But now, for some reason, he seemed much more relaxed today since their talk last night.
"Oh?" Sophie said, raising an eyebrow at Japeth. She couldn't keep the disbelief from her voice and knew Japeth could obviously hear it. "And what do you propose we do to 'work our issues out?'"
Japeth must've heard the sarcasm in Sophie's voice, for an amused expression crossed over his face as he buried a mouthful of duck confit in his mouth.
"Actually," Japeth said, swallowing. He pointed his fork at Sophie. "I was thinking you could make a proposal. After all, you would gain the most out of a deal with your friends' lives on the line and all."
Sophie tried not to let her shock in her expression show as she whipped her head up, meeting Japeth's aqua blue eyes. "Me?" She breathed in disbelief. "Save my friends' lives—but—but I thought you would've killed them at the wedding, yet you didn't. Rhian made them outcasts, fugitives. You declared Tedros and any follower of him be executed when you captured them again!"
Japeth put his fork down and leaned forward across the table, getting impossibly close in Sophie's personal space. She tensed, awaiting his explanation, but the silence drew on until Sophie swore she could hear her and Japeth's own heartbeats syncing up.
"Lets just say our heartfelt moment last night really had me considering my new wife's feelings," Japeth said at last, his fingers drumming against the tabletop. "After the way my brother and I used you like a puppet for our own personal gain, parading you around like you were some loyal queen when in fact you were plotting behind our backs to tear us apart...well, I believe you are deserving of a reward. Plus, after the way our marriage is starting off, I do believe we should change some things going forward. So what do you say?"
Sophie was gaping now, unable to process what Japeth was telling her. Indeed, something last night had definitely changed if Japeth was willing to spare Sophie's friends' lives in a meager deal. But could it be that easy? Could Japeth truly change some of his maniacal ways after all he'd done?
If there was one thing Sophie knew about Japeth it was that he liked playing games. He liked toying with people, like when he toyed with the heroes at Four Point using cards. She knew he probably saw her as a plaything he could manipulate, but she wouldn't have that.
"What's the catch?" Sophie blurted, food untouched as she eyed Japeth suspiciously.
"No catch," Japeth reassured her, shaking his head. "I would want nothing from you but your loyalty in exchange for me sparing your friends' lives."
So that was what it was; in exchange for sparing Sophie's friends from execution, Sophie would be in debt to Japeth and play along with him as his devoting Queen. If there was one thing a King needed, it was his Queen's loyalty. It was the same thing Rhian would've done...
"So if you vow to me to not harm a single hair on any of my friends' heads, including Tedros and Agatha, I'll have to be your devoting wife in public?" Sophie inquired and watched that knowing look come to life in Japeth's gaze.
"Exactly," he said as Sophie sighed in deep thought.
There was a wicked gleam in Japeth's eyes, she noticed, and she recalled last night when Japeth had been so different, crying in her arms over a boy who'd been forever taken from him by death. Sophie had known how he'd felt, for she'd used to feel the same way once upon a time. She'd fallen for the wrong guys before but in Rhian's last moments, he'd been different. He'd been good, the embodiment of a possible future that would never come to pass.
Evil wore masks all the time because they were afraid of looking in the mirror and seeing how dark their souls really were. And sometimes that darkness would be their undoing, their greatest sin, but other times darkness could be balanced.
If Aric really was as important to Japeth as Sophie believed he was, than there was no choice. He had to come back. By bringing Aric back, Japeth would no longer be broken. Thus, he would no longer be so evil since darkness was birthed from broken souls.
So if Sophie helped Japeth bring Aric back than Sophie's friends would truly be saved. Besides, there was nothing more important to Japeth than bringing Aric back, and since Sophie didn't trust Japeth would keep his end of their bargain, she believed she could change the deal a bit to better ensure her friends be safe from harm.
"I have a better deal," Sophie announced, her mind made up as she stood up from the table. "If you spare my friends' lives, I'll help you bring back the one thing you want the most. The one thing Rhian refused to help you with..." she leaned across the table top, looking dead in the Snake's piercing gaze. "I'll help you bring Aric back."
For a moment, there was a heavy silence between them, and Japeth looked stunned as if he never expected to hear Sophie offer him such a deal. For an instant, Sophie swore she saw his gaze brimming in emotion before he collected himself and lurched up from the table.
"Liar," he hissed, slamming his fists down on the tabletop. The force of his knuckles cracking against the surface of the wood sent his crown jolting through the air to land on the floor. "You just want to gain my trust so you can slit my throat when I least expect it! You think you can squirm your way into my heart by using my best friend's death, but I'm no fool. You don't care about me. I don't know what my brother ever saw in you, you little—"
"It's the truth!" Sophie interrupted, cutting Japeth off. "I told you you'd see him again, didn't I? Look, both of us are in sticky positions at the moment; I'm being held captive by you and if I say one wrong thing, you get mad and threaten to kill me. All I want is to go back to my friends, while you're here wanting your own friend to come back to you. Don't deny it, Japeth. We both know you never wanted to be King, but here you are as ruler of Camelot with me as your Queen."
"You think I'm as hopeless as you are?" Japeth sneered, his gold and blue suit rippling as his scims appeared, elongating along his body with high pitched squeals as they reared as if about to strike at any given moment.
"No, I never said that," Sophie began, taking a step backwards to avoid the Scims' spitting fangs. "Remember the war? When I was on Rafal's side against Teddy and Aggie? Well, I know you and Rhian read my storybook and I know you know I killed Rafal. But I only did for Agatha—to save her and her prince's life. I did it for them, just like you killed your own brother for-for Aric, right?"
Japeth didn't answer, but his scims were still rearing, threatening to lunge at Japeth's command. Sophie moved away from Japeth, heading out of the dining room. She could hear Japeth following close behind her as she walked into the map room.
"Like I said before, we're more alike than I'd like to admit," Sophie went on, softening. "So if you truly want to bring Aric back, if he's the only thing that can make you truly happy...then I'll help you."
"But it didn't work," Japeth retorted, fury blazing in his gaze. It was like hearing Sophie's words had only made him angrier like a fuse on the verge of exploding. "All the rings were destroyed. Rhian and I were so careful to not miss any little detail in our plan, but somehow it didn't work. The Sheriff's ring was meant to be the last, yet here I am just as mortal as I was days ago. Maybe the prophecy was a lie and I'd been chasing false hope all this time. Perhaps it's true what you say—that I truly am hopeless after all."
Sophie watched Japeth's fists tighten in frustration and his lips pouted down to form an unpleasant expression. She rubbed at the itchy fabric of Evelyn's dress.
"So you must've slipped up somewhere," Sophie said, walking over to the other end of the map room where a giant piece of parchment hanged on the wall. She swatted floating maps away as she ran her finger along the list of Kingdom names, every one of them crossed out with blood red ink; Jaunt Jolie, Pifflepaff Hills, Murmuring Mountains...
By the looks of it, every single kingdom in the endless woods was written down on the parchment and crossed off to indicate that the respected rulers had burnt their rings. There was only one kingdom missing that Sophie noticed—Camelot.
But Rhian had been the King of Camelot and if he'd had a ring, he'd have definitely burnt it long ago. Still though, something didn't seem right here.
"King Arthur had a ring, didn't he?" Sophie wondered aloud, taping her finger against her lips in thought. "If all the rulers of all the kingdoms in the endless woods had worn rings to pledge their loyalty to the Storian, than Arthur must've had one too."
"I heard he burnt it before his death, after he found out about his Queen's deceit," Japeth informed her, speaking up. His voice wasn't as angry now, but in the corner of her eye, Sophie could see his tense stance as if he was struggling hard not to lash out.
"The prophecy said that one twin would wed me and the other would be healed by my blood," Sophie said, remembering what Rhian had told her during their last walk before his ultimate death. "And that the King, the one who wedded me, would come to attain the powers of the Storian if all the rulers in all the kingdoms of the woods burn the rings that bound their loyalty to the pen...right?"
Japeth had come up beside Sophie now, his shoulder brushing against hers as he stared at the list of Kingdoms. His scims were calmer now, more silent as if they too were in deep thought.
"Precisely," Japeth murmured. "But what are you getting at? Are you saying the Pen that foretold the prophecy to Rhian and I was wrong?"
Sophie shook her head and bit her lip, her eyes never leaving the list. She eventually moved her finger to an empty spot beneath Nottingham, and with her finger glow, magically wrote down a word...Camelot?
"But what if Arthur never burnt his ring?" Sophie asked softly as Japeth's head snapped up to look at her. "What if there's one more ring left and that's why you didn't become the One True King?"
If one stopped to really think about it, it made perfect sense. If the pen that foretold the prophecy that Evelyn's son would marry Sophie and than attain the powers of the One True King once all the rings were destroyed, than why hadn't it worked?
Like Japeth had said; him and Rhian had been so careful not to miss any little detail in their plan. If that was true, and everything had been taken care of, than they had to have missed something if it didn't work. Arthur's ring was that something. It had to be.
"Impossible," Japeth hissed in her ear, but Sophie could hear the way his tone wavered as if he was beginning to truly understand the problem before them.
"It's possible," Sophie corrected him, tapping a finger to her lips before she spun to Japeth, only to find Japeth even more closer to her than before as if he'd moved towards her without her knowledge. She took a step away, aware of the way their shoulders had been touching and cleared her throat in an attempt to ward off the sudden awkwardness she felt stirring in her gut.
"Say Arthur never burnt his ring," Japeth mused, his voice growing bitter at the name of his father. "If he never burnt it, he would've given it to the only son he knew of, your dear Teddy."
Sophie noted the even more profound disgust in Japeth's tone at the name of his half-brother. She considered what Japeth said and deemed that if Arthur had never destroyed his ring, he had definitely not given it to Tedros. Sophie would know if Tedros bore one of the rings that all leaders in the woods had worn to tie their belief in the Storian.
"He doesn't have it," Sophie said. "I would know, so we can only assume it's somewhere else."
"And I'm just supposed to take your word on that, am I?" Japeth drawled, his pupils flickering over Sophie's face.
"We had a deal, Japeth," Sophie reminded him, her voice cutting. She knew she was overstepping her bounds, crossing the line that separated Japeth's sanity from his temper. She made him angry enough, he'd throw the deal in the trash for all she knew and kill her without a beat.
"Just because we made some deal, doesn't mean you get to be cocky with me, my queen," Japeth scowled. "I don't care if you trust that your precious Tedros doesn't have the last ring I need to bring Aric back. Tedros is the only lead I've got and I'll be damned if I don't chase that lead."
Sophie saw the conviction on Japeth's smooth face and she bowed her head in mock shame as if to silently tell Japeth she would be obedient from now on.
"You said you woudn't hurt Tedros or any of my other friends," Sophie pointed out.
"So long as you be my devoting wife in public and help me bring my true love back from the dead, as you so promised," Japeth finished for her, his blue gaze aglow in the shadowy map room. "If Tedros is the key to getting that last ring in my grasp, than it is through Tedros that I will suceed in destroying that ring and attain the powers of the Storian. And since you are besties with Tedros, you must help me get to him."
Sophie didn't respond. She stared upon the Snake before her and deemed he looked more like himself than he'd ever looked since becoming King of Camelot. His copper hair was the messiset she'd ever seen it, and his skin looked as pale as ever. His blue eyes were cold and calculating unlike Rhain's multicolored warm gaze.
Sophie found herself feeling more and more wrapped up in the realization that maybe she was doing the wrong thing by siding with Japeth. But again, she knew how he felt, could relate to him, and it was because of her obligation to fix Japeth, make him a better person, that she agreed.
"I'll find out if Tedros has the ring," Sophie informed Japeth. "And if he does, I'll steal it . . . for you."
Japeth gave her a deep look, but Sophie couldn't decipher the emotion that awoke in japeth's gaze as a smile came across the Snake's beautiful face.
"No," He whispered, his voice surprisingly light as he neared Sophie and reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. The feel of his cold fingertips sliding against her skin made her shiver, but she didn't move as Japeth's lips stopped an inch from her's. "Not for me . . ." He murmured. "For Aric."
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The rest of the day, Sophie and Japeth had to attend a meeting with the delegates from all the kingdoms of the woods. Than, they had to make an appearance at the Camelot village to reassure the hungry citizens that they would be taken care of.
By the time Japeth and Sophie got back into the palace and their deeds were over and done with, Sophie's cheeks hurt from plastering a fake smile on her face for so long, and Japeth looked worn out from the day's activities.
Somehow, despite both of their tiredness, the King and Queen of Camelot found themselves staring upon a map of all the kingdoms in the woods, trying to determine Agatha and Tedros' whereabouts. Sophie hated Japeth's idea of luring Tedros into a trap just to steal the ring he might or might not have, but she knew Tedros would be unharmed as long as Japeth honored his end of the deal.
It was late at night when Sophie's eyelids felt droopy as she struggled to focus on Japeth's voice saying something about his plans to execute a fake Tedros. She should've been mortified or repulsed by that, but instead, Sophie was grateful, hopeful even.
Japeth told a tired Sophie that he would disguise someone as Tedros and cut his head off in front of all the leaders of the woods. He'd be letting the real Tedros go, just as he promised Sophie.
". . . You know, Aric once had that same look," Japeth's words flitted through Sophie's ears as she yawned, throwing her arms in the air and upsetting a floating map which allowed gravity to pull it to the floor. It was only when she heard the name, Aric, that Sophie perked up a bit, looking at Japeth sitting across from her at a table in the map room.
"He looked. . .almost dead inside," Japeth went on, unaware of Sophie's gaze boring into him. Japeth's attention was focused past Sophie, his blue eyes iced over as if he was lost in a hundred memories Sophie couldn't witness herself. "I was worried about him, and he explained he hadn't gotten much sleep," Japeth continued, his voice more airy and crisp than Sophie had ever heard it. A chuckle escaped Japeth as he shook his head in disbelief. "So I was beside him as he slept the next night, just so he wouldn't stay awake all night long. . ."
Japeth trailed off, his gaze flickering back to reality as he looked back upon Sophie. Japeth and Sophie's gazes locked and something sparked between them. Sophie was unfortunately, too exhausted to understand what it might've been before Japeth stood up from his seat.
Sophie could scarcely make out the sound of his footsteps thumping against the floor towards her, drawing closer and closer, until she felt something cold wrap around her. She felt her body rise from the chair and she became cradled in a pair of arms.
"What. . .what are you doing?" Sophie gasped, surprised, but too tired to fight against Japeth as he carried her through the palace and into a room. She could tell it was the Queen's chambers by the gold curtains which could be seen in the darkness thanks to the moonlight shining in through the glass window, and when Japeth set her down on the bed with partial roughness, Sophie recognized the silky fabric of the bed spread--a bed spread she'd slept on since her stay in Camelot.
Sophie blinked up at Japeth who was a mere silhouette in the moonlight as he straightened, back stiff. For a moment, he said nothing and neither did Sophie. It was like they were shrouded in a sudden vow of silence and neither one of them could utter a single word.
"I shall see to it that Tedros is found," Japeth said at last, his voice strong and unwavering.
Sophie struggled to sit up, but her limbs felt like jelly when she tried to brace herself on her elbows and ended up slumping back into the bed.
Sophie didn't know why, but she found her mouth opening to call Japeth back as he turned away, about to leave her behind. In the shadows, the moonlight stretched across his back.
"I. . . I had a nightmare last night," Sophie blurted. "You gonna be a gentleman and watch over me tonight or. . ."
Japeth turned. Sophie finally saw a glimpse of her husband's face and saw his tightened jaw and furrowed eyebrows. It was an impassive look Sophie had seen on Japeth before.
"No, Sophie," He told her like a father scolding his daughter. "Go to sleep now."
"Why?" Sophie whispered, feeling tears prick her emerald eyes. She knew Japeth probably couldn't make out her face in the darkened bedroom, but she still wiped at her cheeks anyway like she were still afraid he would somehow see.
She didn't know why she uttered that single question, but it wasn't a question regarding Japeth refusing to watch over her in the night. Honestly, to have the Snake watch over her in the night as she slept wasn't an idea she was particularly fond of. But she remembered what Japeth had told her about him and Aric; about how Aric and Japeth had apparently slept beside each other during one point in their lives.
Sophie had never heard Japeth talk about Aric in such a way before. Yes, she'd already understood they were friends and that Aric's death had deeply impacted Japeth, but he'd never spoken about their life together before until minutes ago in the map room.
Sophie had promised to Japeth that she would help him bring Aric back so he would leave her friends alone. But that wasn't all, of course. Japeth needed Aric back so he could be happy, and Sophie wished to grant him that happiness.
The "Why" was because Sophie was desperate for an explanation from Japeth as to why he was acting this way--so kind by sparing Tedros's life, by carrying her, the queen he never wanted, straight into her bedroom like a true husband would.
He couldn't be acting this way just because he believed that Sophie and him had worked things out. He couldn't be acting so kind towards Sophie, the girl he used to resent, just because she promised him loyalty and love--not love from herself, but love from the boy who was taken from him by death.
"I don't know. . ." was Japeth's only response.
Sophie didn't believe him, just barely catching onto the hesitance in his response before she watched the boy who only ever wanted love step away from her. The shadows engulfed him and than he was gone, his footsteps retreating from the room.
"I'm actually healing you, and you don't even want to admit it," Sophie murmured into the silence after he was gone. "I'm fixing you, and you don't even know you're broken. . ."
Somehow, somewhere, Sophie's last thought before she drifted into sleep was that Japeth had heard her.
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Thanks for reading. I hope you guys liked it. Sorry if it's a bit late coming out since I felt like I haven't done a bonus chapter in a while. But comment and vote, and if you want me to continue writing more Jophie bonus chapters, feel free to let me know in the comments.
--Alexis peters <3