Okay, so I've decided to write a fic about what I think would happen between Akkarin and Sonea if Sonea had been a little more confident than she is in the books. This starts up from halfway through The Novice, just after Akkarin has claimed Sonea's guardianship and will probably have alternating POVs.

Disclaimer: I don't own BMT, the characters or anything else like that.

Her heart was beating too fast by the time she reached the door. She stopped, swallowed hard and then reached out to the door handle. As she touched it, the door swung inwards.

The room inside was lit by a single globe light. A figure sat in one of the luxurious chairs, holding a book in long, pale fingers. He looked up and Sonea felt her stomach clench.

'Come in, Sonea.'

She forced her legs to move. Once inside, the door swung shut behind her, closing with a soft, but decisive click.

'Did you do well in the tests today?'

She looked at him for a moment, thinking about how to answer. She wanted nothing more than to finish this, in her eyes unnecessary, meeting and leave his presence quickly. However, she did not want to appear intimidated by him. If she seemed to be scared then he might decide she would be an easy target, but if she attempted to look brave then he may think twice about attacking her.

She attempted to look up, but found that despite her decision to seem brave, she could not. Angry with herself she replied,

'I am unsure, High Lord, as I have only just completed the tests and will not get my results back until after the winter break. However, I do believe that I performed to the best of my ability, so I do hope that I have done well.'

After having made this little speech she waited for the High Lord to reply. He did not say anything for what felt like an eternity to Sonea and she began to fear that he would be angry because of her audacious answer. When the silence almost became unbearable, she glanced up through her lashes at the High Lord. He looked bemused and was smiling slightly.

'Indeed, Sonea, I am aware of when you will be receiving your results and, as you correctly assumed, was enquiring into how well you believe you had performed in the tests. It is good that you are confident. Now, have you eaten?'

Being shocked by what the High Lord had just said, Sonea could only nod. He had complimented her but at the same time made her feel slightly dim through the first part of his answer. She hoped that the High Lord was unaware of her inner shock and attempted to keep her features High Lord continued to smile slightly and dismissed her.

Sighing silently in relief she walked slowly to the stairs and ascended to her room. Although she was doubtful that this final little act of bravery actually had a point after being unable to answer the High Lord's second question. She mentally chastised herself it had been a very simple question and a short Yes, High Lord would have sufficed. Now she had made it look as if all that was needed to make a scared little girl out of her was his silence, and while this was true she did not want him to believe it was so. She resolved that the next time she saw the High Lord she would look at him properly and answer all his questions, if not fully then at least by talking.

Having arrived at her room she slipped inside and decided that her time could be better spent going over her notes for her last test tomorrow.

Downstairs in the guest room Akkarin remained sat in his chair, not having moved since his novice had entered. He had been amused by her answer to his question.

She had arrived at the Residence very late, no doubt hoping that he had already retired for the night. Predicting this he had stayed in the guest room for far longer than he would have wished, just so that he could prove to her that he would be waiting for her when she came back. This was his Residence and she would do well to remember that.

However, the answer about her tests had surprised him. He was expecting her to silently answer or, if she did use words, he thought it would one word here or there, not the extended answer he had received.

He had been unable to keep the small smile off his face and had remained silent while thinking about what to say back to her. He had had to say something that would be polite enough not to discourage further long answers in the future, but could also not make it seem like he encouraged answers that implied he was unaware of extremely important information, such as when the test results would be received.

He thought that he had achieved this and hoped that her socked silence and inability to answer his second question were evidence of her learning how to properly speak to him. He was not Lord Rothen. She would not treat him like he was her friend, he was her superior and should be treated as such, however he did not want her to be terrified of him. It was a careful balance and one he hoped he could achieve.

Rising he put the book down on a side table and went up the stairs to retire. When he passed Sones's room he noticed that the door was partially open and that she was attempting to look at what he was ding while remaining unobserved herself. While she had obviously failed he did not see how it would be useful to make this apparent to her, so continued to walk along the corridor as if he had not noticed her.

Upon arriving at his room he heard a quick scuffling noise and the click of a door closing properly. It was clear that she had either seen what she had been looking for, unlikely, or realised that she could see very little from her vantage point and would have to open the door further to look, and this would be very noticeable.

Akkarin entered his room and thought of his novice's actions. It was clear that she was not exactly the terrified little girl he had thought she was. At least not completely. Her actions were contradictory- arriving late then giving a full answer, then not speaking and finally walking out calmly and spying on him.

It would be very interesting to see how Sonea decided to act towards him later as she had already surprised him, and he was not an easy man to surprise. He would attempt to encourage her while also making sure that she understood that he was her superior. Hopefully Sonea could be a small interest and keep his mind away from other things if needed.

Okay, so that is my first attempt at a fic so please tell me what you thought of it and whether it made sense. More importantly please tell me if I should continue or not as I do hope that this could become a good fic. Thanks a lot.