AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Well, that was a lovely opening. I'm sure it got your attention, at least.
Swan Song is complete. This isn't the last chapter, it's the second to last, but I wrote the last chapter as well and posted it in a double update. So I finished this book. But I'll leave the novel-length author's note to the end of next chapter.
All right, enjoy the (sniff sniff) second to last chapter!
Days passed, both slowly and quickly all at once. Keefe, Biana, and Linh were all healed and cleared to leave the Healing Center. The group went on a shopping trip to Atlantis and got Tam a stuffed bat, with Mr. Saltlord as the decided name.
It was odd, being normal teenagers. The day after the battle, the council made an announcement that the Neverseen were no more. School was cancelled for a week in celebration, but Sophie was looking forward to when she went back and her only worries were failing a linguistics test, instead of whether or not she'd die. Parties were thrown constantly, though Sophie didn't attend many of them. She was content to stay at home- baking with Edaline, eating with Grady, playing games or just talking with her friends.
Even stranger was walking around- in public- without bodyguards nearby. Sophie had gotten a little more used to it than her friends, and still constantly missed Sandor- though she had to smile when Keefe and Ro arranged to meet up and wreak havoc every Saturday afternoon. Biana said that the house felt strangely silent without Woltzer yelling "MISS VACKER, UNVANISH RIGHT NOW! I AM YOUR BODYGUARD AND IT IS MY JOB TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE!" or Grizel trying to hold Mr. Snuggles hostage if Fitz didn't stop sneaking off. Dex cackled at the thought of staying up later to work on gadgets now that Lovise wasn't around to nag him about sleeping.
Sophie and Keefe started going on dates- actual dates, where Biana would give Sophie a makeover and dress her up, Keefe would try to flirt while tongue-tied, and Grady would stand threateningly with his boy bat when Keefe came to pick her up. Now that she wasn't worried about survival, she had far more time to be head over heels in love with Lord Hunkyhair. Ro occasionally stalked their dates, eating popcorn and screaming about "ships" and "OTPs."
Sophie had never gotten to be a normal elf before. But now that she got the chance, she decided that she liked it. A lot.
Two weeks after their battle with the Neverseen, the council held the tribunal for any surviving members. Oralie- who Sophie was now on speaking terms with- assured her that the Neverseen members would almost certainly be exiled, and the tribunal was just a formality. Sophie began planning a speech to give at the tribunal, consulting Mr. Forkle when necessary.
The day arrived after a girls' night at Everglen. Biana's jaw almost fell off of her face when Sophie willingly asked for a makeover, but quickly overcame her shock and enthusiastically obliged. With light makeup, braided hair, and a red dress (with pockets!), she looked both smart and, in Marella's words "Almost as beautiful as Linh, which is seriously high praise."
The tribunal itself was rather boring- an eternity of Emery's droning voice reciting names and listing charges, ending with each person being sentenced to a lifetime in Exile. Sophie cheered every time a Neverseen member was convicted. Finally the last one- Ruy- was taken away by goblins, and Sophie stood up.
"Hello," she said, clasping her hands to avoid pulling eyelashes. She hoped her voice didn't sound shaky, and mentally thanked Biana for making her look so good- almost every elf in the Lost Cities was staring at her. "My name is Sophie Foster. You probably know that already, and you know me as the Moonlark. And, of course, as the person who defeated the Neverseen."
Sophie took another deep breath. "But I wasn't the only person to do so. My amazing group of friends, all of whom are sitting around me, helped- and we couldn't have done it without each and every one of them.
"Now, I'm not defending what the Neverseen did. Murder and arson are not the way to go about change. But I do agree with the Neverseen-" Most of the crowd gasped. "-that change needed to happen.
"When I first came to the Lost Cities, at the age of twelve years old, I was shocked by all of the injustice. When I was brought here, I was told that elves were a species far superior to humans. And it's true that humans have their flaws- but so do elves. Multiple births. Pyrokinetics. Talentless. 'Bad matches.' Do you think the way we treat those elves is fair?"
A few elves in the crowd nodded, making Sophie's blood boil. She took a deep breath to calm herself- if people were going to take the Moonlark seriously, she needed to appear rational.
"Most elves justify their discrimination by believing that those groups of elves are lesser than us. But that's not true. Because some of those elves your beliefs apply to- they are the reason the Neverseen are gone.
"Tam and Linh are twins. Multiples births. And their entire life has been shaped by such, with their own parents hating them. And both of them are astonishingly powerful, with Linh's hydrokinesis and Tam's ability to control shadowflux. Beyond that, Shades are typically seen as untrustworthy- but I would trust Tam with my life, and most of my friends would too.
"Jensi Babblos never manifested an ability, but his skills- telekinesis and outward channeling and stuff- were super helpful. And-" Sophie took a deep breath. "My own father, my biological father, was Talentless. Me, the most powerful elf alive- I have Talentless DNA. Does that help you understand how elves without special abilities aren't worthless?
"Dex Dizznee is the son of a bad match. And yet, his technopathy has proven invaluable to our team. Opening the caches, hacking into the Neverseen's security systems, the sucker punch, building explosives... those were some of the most useful factors in our victory. And his parents are a so-called bad match.
"On the subject of matchmaking, a vast majority of this friend group will likely be a bad match some day. Neither of my biological parents' identities will ever be known to the matchmakers-" Sophie saw Oralie let out a sigh of relief. "-so my future husband and I wouldn't be matched. Biana, who once knocked out a Neverseen member with a punch, who defeated another while injured- doesn't want to sign up for the match. Does that make her any less of a queen? I think not. Dex doesn't either, but I already explained how awesome he is. And Marella and Linh are..."
"Really frickin' gay!" Marella yelled. Linh laughed and leaned her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Yes. Marella and Linh are really frickin' gay. Match lists don't match people of the same gender, so they wouldn't be on each other's lists. And because of Marella's pyrokinesis, she'd be labeled as talentless as well. Which is ridiculous- like any other ability, pyrokinesis can be dangerous, but it doesn't make someone a bad person, and certainly shouldn't be illegal. In fact..." Sophie took a deep breath. "I think we should get rid of matchmaking."
As predicted, a gasp sounded throughout the crowd.
"It's not a good system. It's unfair. People you don't even know tell you who to marry, and if you don't listen, society hates you. It completely ignores the existence of people who are, in Marella's words, 'really frickin' gay.' And peoples' ability to love are judged based off of their special ability. I've thought about it, and will consider negotiations with the council at a later date, but here is my idea for now.
"People can go to the matchmakers, but it is optional. Any couples can go to confirm that they aren't related, since that actually is important. Lists are recommendations rather than rules. The match packet doesn't ask for special ability, and talentless elves can be matched with talented elves. The packet should, however, ask what gender you'd prefer. And people who got married from a list should be treated the same as people who fell in love on their own.
"The point is, we shouldn't judge someone's worth based off of their special ability. Or their siblings. Or their parents. Or whether or not their names are on a certain list, and the system for the list needs to be different. Elvin society and attitudes need to be different. I am aware that change doesn't happen in a day, but it can start on a day. And when should that day be? No day but today."
Sophie fell silent as she was met with thunderous applause. Some people- Vika Heks, Lord Cassius, Quan and Mai Song, and Councillor Alina, to name a few- were scowling or rolling their eyes, but for the most part, the reaction was positive. Sophie's own friend group yelled "thank you"s and "congratulations", and in Keefe's case "I love you, Foster!" It was several minutes before the crowd fell silent.
"One more thing," Sophie said. "I think we should reopen the Human Assistance Program."
Another gasp. You'd think these elves would learn not to be surprised by now, but apparently not.
"Yes, humans aren't perfect. But as we've just established, neither are elves. I lived with humans for twelve years, and I disliked some of them. But for the species as a whole, they weren't as awful as most elves make them out to be. I don't think we should reveal our existence to humans- that would be an adjustment they might not be able to handle- but I do think we should help them with technology and such. Maybe try to assist them in saving the planet instead of badmouthing them for destroying it. What do you think, council?"
Sophie waited as they held a telepathic conversation. After what seemed like an eternity, Councillor Oralie cleared her throat.
"Most of us," she said, throwing a pointed glance at Alina. "Think that's a wonderful idea, Sophie. Now, I realize that you'll be busy with schoolwork soon. But as the council and I decided- and you can say no if you'd like- you and your human sister should lead it. You are the elf who knows most about humans, and she is the only human who knows about elves. Now that the threat of the Neverseen is gone, there is no reason for you not to stay in touch."
Sophie thought it over. It was a huge responsibility, but she was ready. "I would love to."
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