Walking With You

by Aylatha

"And how have you been, Sonea?", Lorlen asked. "Well." "Well, she says", Akkarin huffed, covering his face with one hand. "I'm still alive, aren't I?" Lorlen's eyebrows rose. Rothen's knees buckled. "What?", he yelped, colour draining from his face.

9. Breakdown

A/N:

So this is the second half of what was originally Chapter 8 – another 30 pages. These are basically all the scenes that are thematically linked to the title, and couldn't be moved as a result.

In this chapter, Regin gets help from an unlikely source, Sonea once again finds out something she shouldn't, and sends several people into a panic, Akkarin and Osen discuss philosophy (sorta), and Donevin has to be the adult in the room.

---

"Turn right at the next intersection", Sonea's voice sounded from behind.

Regin dutifully changed his course, and left the main aisle.

The fact that Sonea was walking behind him was unsettling, he had to admit, and not just because it made him nervous. He also disliked the fact that she distrusted him to this extent – although he could hardly blame her. Still, being put on the same level as that man stung.

Regin liked to think that he wasn't a threat to her.

He hadn't been too thrilled when they had been paired for an assignment. When he had asked why, the teacher's response had been a blunt, "Because she is good at this, and you are not." Regin had been unable to argue against that.

"Halt. We're here."

Regin stopped, and started scanning the shelves for the book they were looking for. Sonea stopped next to him.

"It should be somewhere up there", she said, pointing.

"Ah, I think I see it. Wait here."

Regin created a disk of magic underneath his feet, and lifted himself into the air. Levitating was still a bit tricky for him, and part of him hoped that Sonea would catch him, should he fall.

He still couldn't understand how she had been able to master levitation in their Second Year – neither did he know who had taught her. In theory, the High Lord would have been the prime candidate as her guardian, but back then, Sonea had still been afraid of him.

Regin plucked the book from the shelf, and lowered himself back to the ground, letting out a soft breath of relief – and instantly hoped that Sonea hadn't heard him.

"The fact that you know this library so well is almost creepy", he said, trying to hide his discomfort.

"All that volunteer work I did for Lady Tya certainly paid off", Sonea replied with a chuckle.

Regin hummed in response. While he would certainly agree that she'd started helping the librarian of the Novices' Library out of kindness, he was certain that it had been a tactical decision as well. Sonea had quickly figured out that Regin and his friends wouldn't attack her if she was with a magician. Back when she had still been Rothen's novice, he had often walked her back to his quarters – and later her room in the Novices' Quarters – to prevent Regin from harassing her. After she'd become the High Lord's favourite, she'd started using Tya as a shield instead.

"I seem to have a knack for this kind of thing", Sonea added thoughtfully. "If I wasn't dead-set on becoming a Healer, I might try my hand at being a librarian instead. The High Lord recently purchased four new books – I didn't know what they were about as they were wrapped, but I managed to find all of them within a short amount of time. Well, except one. I've searched both the library and the guestroom several times, but I haven't been able to locate the fourth book."

She sounded annoyed. Regin let out a chuckle.

"Maybe he's hiding it somewhere else", he suggested with a grin.

"Could be. It might be in his study, he keeps more books in there. And I don't usually go in there."

Regin nodded, and suggested that they should find a table. He managed to stop himself just short of asking her to go first – which would have been the polite thing to do. Sonea surely wouldn't appreciate it, and Regin wasn't too keen on making her uncomfortable.

So, he fought down his own trepidation, and took the lead. Sonea followed two steps behind.

"What is the residence like?", Regin asked as he tucked the book under his arm, desperate to distract himself.

"It's certainly nicer on the inside than on the outside", Sonea replied with a chuckle. "I'm honestly surprised Lord Coren didn't have the whole thing torn down and replaced with some fancy new building. Mind you, I don't know how much he changed, but the High Lord did improve it in some ways, like by creating the guestroom on the ground floor."

"What's that?", Regin asked with a frown.

The name suggested that this was a room for guests to stay in, but having a room like that on the ground floor made no sense. And Sonea had mentioned being inside, which was adding to the confusion.

"It's kind of a large sitting room, and the first room you enter", Sonea explained. "There are two comfortable armchairs, and several bookcases. Small tables, too. And carpets. He seems to like those."

"Oh, I see. I had, admittedly, pictured something rather different."

"We don't have any guest rooms, as far as I'm aware. I don't think the High Lord would like to host visitors."

"I'd imagine not. He seems like a very private man."

Sonea hummed in agreement.

"Although, having only two chairs inside a room meant for entertaining visitors could cause problems", Regin mused.

"Oh, for sure, we ran into that problem a few weeks ago, when Chessea came to visit. At first, it was just the two of us, but when the High Lord came home, we ran out of seats. In the end, I wound up sitting on the floor – which I didn't mind. However, Chessea immediately berated her brother, complained about the small number of chairs, and told him to give up his chair for my sake."

She sounded amused. Having seen their interaction at the Arena, Regin had no trouble believing that Chessea would, indeed, do something like this.

"Was that an unplanned visit?"

"On our part, yes. Chessea had certainly planned it", Sonea replied with a chuckle. "She had intended to catch her brother by surprise, and wound up catching me by surprise instead. That being said, we could have also relocated to the sitting room on the first floor, it has more seats. But, as I understand it, that room is hardly being used."

Regin hummed in response. He spotted a free table, and made a beeline for it.

They sat down opposite each other, and readied their writing tools.

"I was given to understand that you were, uh, struggling somewhat with this matter", Sonea hedged.

"Your understanding would be correct", Regin grimaced. He hated having to admit as much to her, but since she already knew, denying it would be rather pointless – especially since they had to work together. If he wound up holding her back, she might report that to their teacher. "I honestly don't understand what we're supposed to do."

Sonea frowned slightly. She just sat there in silence for a bit, looking deep in thought.

"Perhaps we need to try a different approach than the one we were taught in class", she said at length.

"A different approach?"

"Sure. You know, just how we were taught in Warrior Skills that, if a frontal assault doesn't work, you try something different. This is pretty much the same thing."

"I didn't realise you could apply military tactics to studying", Regin replied, confused.

"You can apply tactics to pretty much anything", Sonea chuckled. "But I'm a prime example of using this method for teaching." She bit her lip, and paused for a moment. "When we got started on the practical aspects of Warrior Skills, that was a nightmare for me. No matter what Lord Vorel tried, he couldn't get me to the point where I reached the level I was supposed to. My marks weren't terrible, as I could balance things out with my grasp of the theoretical aspects, but, still. One of the first things the High Lord did after transferring my guardianship was to tackle this problem – it's why he assigned Lord Yikmo as my tutor. He's used to working with novices who struggle, and he has the time – and patience – to actually figure out why a novice is struggling. A teacher who has an entire class to look after simply doesn't have the time, even if he has the motivation. Eventually, he managed to discover the root of the problem, and started devising strategies to work around them. I think I got better after that – and then, well. Then I realised just how powerful I was, and it set me back quite a bit."

Regin swallowed hard, and forced his mind to remain in the present, tried his hardest not to re-live the moment he had been certain he would die.

"I hear Donevin's your sparring partner these days", he managed.

Sonea looked up. "That was the High Lord's idea, actually. He thought that we'd be a good match – Donevin is almost as powerful as I am, and if the High Lord is the one shielding him, I don't have to worry – And he manages to irritate me to the point that I actually want to strangle him."

"Just Donevin, eh?", Regin replied with a grin. "So, I take it he's managed to win your friendship?"

"It was kind of hard for me to say no", Sonea admitted. "He's kinda disarming, if you get what I mean? I never thought I'd become friends with a Warrior, of all things, truth be told. But he's a nice guy – I still want to strangle him on occasion."

"I get that", Regin grimaced. "You're lucky you haven't known him your entire life. I've lost count of just how many times I've wanted to strangle him."

Sonea chuckled. Pulling the book closer, she opened the relevant page, and went over the basic principles of the matter. Once she had realised just what it was that Regin was struggling with, she tried a different approach. When that still didn't work, she came up with a third. And finally, things clicked into place.

"Wait, it's that simple? Why on earth was I struggling with that?"

"Don't beat yourself up over it. You get it now, and that's what matters. Now that we got this sorted – are you ready to start working on the actual assignment?"

"Of course. Let's do this."

Sonea gave him a grin, apparently approving of his enthusiasm, and they set to work. As they took notes, Regin noticed two things – Sonea had a new pen, and her handwriting had changed – it still seemed stiff and inelegant, but her writing style was different from before, almost as though she were learning a new kind of lettering.

Sonea soon noticed him watching her, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Uh, nice pen?", Regin ventured, hoping fervently that she wouldn't think that he was about to make fun of her handwriting again.

"Thanks", she replied in a neutral tone.

"You haven't had it for long, I think."

"No, only a couple of weeks. That's how I met Chessea and Yaryna, by the way. We went to the same store."

"Oh, I see. I had assumed that you met for the first time when she came to the residence."

"No, that was the second time. She got curious about me, and decided to interrogate her brother. Well, I guess she got the answers she'd been looking for, in the end."

"I see. I guess that explains why little Yaryna was so comfortable around you."

"She wanted to see me again, so Chessea brought her over for a visit. And I used that opportunity to show her around the Guild, too. She was very disappointed that the Arena wasn't in use, though."

Regin chuckled at that.

"Now, then, less chatting, more writing. This thing isn't going to write itself."

"Right."

They got back to it, and made quick progress, which pleased Regin – working with Sonea wasn't unpleasant, exactly, and he was grateful to her for having been able to explain the matter to him, but he hated the fact that he had to be so careful around her, that she might carelessly say something that would transport him back into the past. It would certainly be better for his mental well-being if he kept away from her.

He started when Lady Tya suddenly appeared at their table.

"Sonea, time to wrap things up, the library will close soon", she said with a smile.

"What, already?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to continue studying another time", Tya said with a wink. "You, too, Regin."

"We're almost done, Lady Tya", Regin replied.

"That's good to hear", the librarian replied before walking away.

"Does this look good to you?", Regin asked Sonea.

"It should do. We can go over everything one last time before we hand it in."

"Right, let's do that."

They packed their things, and hurried out of the library, bowing to Tya, who had returned to her desk.

They descended the stairs to the Entrance Hall, where they nearly bumped into Lord Osen, the Administrator's assistant. They both hurried to bow to him, and murmured greetings.

"Hello, Sonea", Osen replied with a smile. "Regin." The look he shot Regin was markedly less friendly. "What have you been up to?"

He rather unsubtly inclined his head in Regin's direction, as though to ask why she was with him, of all people.

Regin felt mortified.

"Regin and I were paired for an assignment, and Lady Tya just kicked us out of the library", Sonea replied.

"Ah, I see. That's – interesting."

"Yes, well, neither of us saw this coming, either", she replied with a grimace. "But I'd say we made the best of it."

Osen hummed, and shifted the bundles of papers he was carrying.

"I have to go. Have a nice evening, Sonea. Regin."

"Thank you, Lord Osen", Sonea replied.

Sonea and Regin bowed to him, and he hurried up the stairs.

"I don't like the fact that he's still up and about – this must mean that the Administrator is still working", Sonea grumbled.

"And that's a problem because – ?"

"The High Lord keeps complaining – either to me, or to the Administrator, for all the good that does – that he's working too much."

"I see. They're good friends, aren't they?"

"Yes, they've known each other for a long time, possibly even before they started attending university. And I know that the High Lord is genuinely worried about the Administrator's health."

"Understandable", Regin muttered. "I'd be worried, too, if one of my friends was acting like that."

They stepped out of the building, and entered the square. A few magicians and novices were still milling about.

"Aren't you going to the Foodhall?", Sonea asked, as though the thought had just occurred to her.

"No, I'm eating with my uncle tonight", Regin replied cautiously.

He wasn't sure if Sonea knew how much Garrel had been involved in everything, but the fact that he had never stopped Regin alone should be enough to earn him Sonea's dislike, at the very least.

"I see", she replied, her face carefully blank.

"Oh, um, I meant to thank you, for earlier", Regin blurted out.

Sonea blinked. "What do you mean?"

"For taking the time to explain things to me. You didn't have to."

"We were both in this together, in case you hadn't noticed."

"I mean, yes, but you could have given up after trying to explain it to me once. Or you could have just told the teacher that I'd been useless, or holding you back, that you had to do all the work by yourself. Which would have been pretty much the truth if I didn't understand what we were doing."

"I suppose", she replied. "But I'm not that kind of person. I would have only given up after exhausting all options, and then I'd have still tried to find a way to include you in this. So that you'd at least contribute something. I don't mind working alone, but if we're supposed to be a team, then I'd expect you to do your part, too."

"That seems fair."

"Well, then, I have to go."

"Can't let the food grow cold?", Regin asked, a grin on his face.

"Letting food grow cold is a capital offence in Takan's book", Sonea replied. "I'll get the silent treatment if I'm late. Reproachful looks and all that. Besides, I know how much work he puts into each dish, and I'd hate to give him the feeling that it was wasted, in some form."

"I see."

Regin had, if he were being honest, never given this much thought. He, himself, preferred it if the food was hot, of course, but he'd never bothered to think how the servants felt about any of this.

He thought it better not to mention any of that out loud, though.

Sonea gave him a nod, turned, and broke into a run. She picked up more speed as she approached the gardens. Regin's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when she used magic to catapult herself over the gardens.

He didn't know what was better – the surprised exclamations by the people still outside, or Sonea's excited squeal.

Shaking his head, Regin turned away, and made his way to the Magicians' Quarters.

---

Osen quickly rapped his knuckles against the door to Lorlen's office before letting himself inside. He closed the door behind himself, turned around – and stopped dead at the sight that greeted him.

Now, finding the High Lord inside the Administrator's office wasn't an unusual thing, even if said office had been locked. What was, however, unusual, was finding the High Lord crying in the Administrator's arms

Osen blinked a couple of times, but the image remained the same.

Lorlen, who had been whispering words of comfort, looked past Akkarin's shoulder when he noticed Osen, and sent him what could only be called a glare.

"I don't see why you bother knocking if you don't wait for a reply, Lord Osen", he said in a clipped voice.

"I'm sorry, Administrator, I was just – I wasn't expecting this – "

"Yes, well, whatever. Stay there, and stay quiet."

"Yes, Administrator."

Lorlen gave him a stern look for good measure before returning his attention to Akkarin, who was still letting out quiet sobs. Osen was at quite a loss – he hadn't known the High Lord was capable of expressing anything beyond sarcasm.

And, as much as he disliked the man, he couldn't help but feel moved by this display.

After a while, Akkarin had calmed down, and Lorlen cautiously released him. Akkarin slowly made his way over to his favourite chair, and sat down heavily, fishing a handkerchief out of his pocket to dab at his eyes.

He looked like a real mess – his eyes were bloodshot, and his skin blotchy. He was also very pointedly ignoring Osen, for which the younger magician was profoundly grateful.

Although he had a feeling that Akkarin would have a word with him sooner or later.

Lorlen had, meanwhile, poured Akkarin a glass of water, and handed it to him.

"How are you feeling?", he asked softly.

"Exhausted", the High Lord all but croaked. "But I also feel better. Lighter, somehow."

"Good. You've bottled all of that up for far too long, you know."

"I've heard that before."

"Ah, Sonea beat me to it, then."

"She's good at that kind of thing", Akkarin muttered. "She's recently expanded her reading list, is currently teaching herself how to deal with trauma. I'm not sure what to do with her."

"Thanking her would be a good start."

"I did that, of course", Akkarin scoffed.

Osen frowned, confused. Why would Sonea want to study trauma? And why would Akkarin want to thank her for it?

Lorlen regarded Akkarin in silence for a while, as though deliberating. Then, his eyes lost focus.

— Sonea!

— Lorlen?

— I have something urgent that I need your help with.

— What kind of urgent?

— The one that requires emotional support.

— I'll be there soon.

— Thank you.

Akkarin threw his handkerchief at Lorlen.

"Ow", the administrator complained.

"Did you have to?"

"I'd rather not let you go back to the residence unsupervised", Lorlen shot back.

"I can take care of myself", Akkarin huffed. Then, he fixed his eyes on Osen. "Eavesdropping, are we?"

"I – I didn't mean to – wait, High Lord, how did you know?", Osen whispered, his eyes wide.

"I make it my business to know things."

"Akkarin, you can hardly criticise him for something that you just did yourself", Lorlen chided.

"You were talking to my favourite, and I'd like to know what kind of nefarious scheme you are hatching this time before you blind-side me with it."

"Admit it, you liked the last scheme we cooked up."

Akkarin let out a huff, but said nothing in reply.

"I wasn't aware that you had grown close with Sonea, Administrator", Osen interjected, a slight frown on his face.

"Well, I do see her from time to time when visiting the residence", Lorlen replied. "And recently, I've started working on a health-related matter with her."

"Oh, is that where you've been disappearing to during those 'breaks' you've started taking?"

"Guilty as charged", Lorlen replied with a grimace.

"I told him to take some actual breaks, too, but he wouldn't listen", the High Lord added.

Osen let out a huff. Lorlen's determination to get all of his work done by yesterday, and with as little help as possible, tended to annoy him as well.

A knock sounded on the door, interrupting their little squabble.

"She certainly got here fast", Akkarin muttered as Lorlen called for the person outside to enter.

Osen quickly moved away from the door.

Sonea stepped into the room, that strange box she used to carry her things in in hand. She stopped, surprised, when she spotted Osen – apparently, she hadn't expected him to be here – before bowing to the magicians. She immediately turned her attention to Akkarin – who had been watching her since the moment she'd come in. After giving him a short assessment, she made her way over to his side.

"Is there anything I can do to help?", she asked softly, much to Osen's surprise.

"No, Lorlen already took care of that", the High Lord replied with a smile. "But thank you."

And now he's smiling. This is getting more and more bizarre by the minute.

"All right", Sonea replied. "You do remember what I told you?"

"Yes, I do", he replied with a chuckle. "And I promise to say something."

"Good." She eyed him critically. "You look like you had a good cry."

"I did. It was liberating, I must admit."

"I don't want to say, 'I told you so', but I told you so."

"I bow to your superior wisdom, Sonea."

"Don't make fun of me", she huffed.

"I wasn't."

Sonea narrowed her eyes at him, which did not impress Akkarin in the slightest. He just returned her distrustful gaze evenly.

Osen was very much confused by their behaviour. He had been certain that Sonea disliked Akkarin, that she resented him for separating her from Rothen. It had been plain to see how unhappy she had been with her new situation, despite the massive honour of having been chosen by the High Lord himself.

Not only had she just offered him help, but she'd borderline scolded him – and he'd let her get away with it. And, if his words that he hadn't meant to make fun of her with his last remark were to be believed, this could only mean that his words had been sincere – that he truly believed her to be wise, despite her young age – or that he had been teasing her.

No. Surely not.

He cast a confused glance in Lorlen's direction, hoping for some insight into this matter – and was surprised to find Lorlen watching Sonea and Akkarin with a smile on his face. He tried, rather unsuccessfully, to hide the fact when he became aware of Osen's gaze, and placed a finger on his lips.

"I might remind you of that at one point in the future", Sonea declared.

"Please do."

"Sonea, could I ask you to walk the High Lord back to the residence?", Lorlen interjected. "I'd rather not leave him to his own devices after all that."

"Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind, but I do have classes", Sonea pointed out.

"I can excuse you", Lorlen replied smoothly.

"Oh, really? And what are you going to tell my teachers? That I had to walk my guardian home because he wasn't feeling well?"

"Hm, I can see how that might seem strange. Akkarin, any ideas?"

"I could just go home on my own."

"Absolutely not."

"I could just skip classes, like you apparently did", Sonea suggested with a grin.

"No", Akkarin said. "You don't have to emulate every stupid thing we did. And my favourite doesn't skip classes."

Osen thought he'd misheard. Lorlen and Akkarin, the epitomes of duty and devotion, had skipped classes? That was hard to believe.

Then again, most magicians had done one stupid thing or other in their youth, and Osen himself had been no exception.

"I could summon Sonea's teacher for a chat", Lorlen mused. "Give her poor classmates a reprieve. I'm sure I can find something I need to discuss."

"Sure, go ahead and abuse your power for my sake", Akkarin grumbled.

"It won't be a problem if nobody finds out", Lorlen replied smoothly.

"I'm not usually in favour of skipping classes or abusing power, but I would feel better if I could keep an eye on you, at least until I can hand you over to Takan", Sonea told Akkarin softly.

Akkarin looked like he had just been completely disarmed. Lorlen's grin grew even wider.

"Let's do that, then", Akkarin replied in a quiet voice.

"Oh, but you should wash your face before we leave", Sonea told him.

"Good idea."

He looked around for his handkerchief. Lorlen picked it up and tossed it at him.

"Were you throwing things at people again, High Lord?", Sonea asked, arching a brow.

"He deserved it", Akkarin muttered sullenly.

"Did not!", Lorlen protested. "He got upset when I called you over, Sonea. This is the thanks I get for trying to be helpful."

"'Helpful'", Akkarin groused as he used the water left in his glass to soak the handkerchief.

Sonea rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only adult person out of the three of us."

Osen, who had been oscillating between "completely bewildered" and "borderline hysterical" for a while, barked out a laugh. This immediately got him the attention of all three of them. Sonea turned around, and fixed him with a rather critical look.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh", Osen said with a grimace.

"You are forgiven", the High Lord replied in a magnanimous tone.

Sonea turned back to face him. His eyes were less red than before, but his skin still seemed blotchy.

"Would you like me to Heal that away?", Sonea asked him.

"That would be most welcome."

He held out his hand, and Sonea took it. They stayed like that for a while, and Osen could see Akkarin's face return to its usual pallor.

"Thank you, Sonea", Akkarin said as he withdrew his hand.

"Don't mention it. Shall we?"

"Certainly." Akkarin rose to his feet, and paused to give Lorlen a very direct look. "Don't be late. I'll come fetch you myself if you don't show up on time."

"I'm hurt, Akkarin. When was I ever late to a meal with you because of work?"

"Do you want the total number in general, or just for this month?"

"I could swing by and kick him out if he's still here on my way to Rothen's", Sonea interjected.

"A splendid suggestion, Sonea."

"You two are awful", Lorlen groused. "Sonea, there really is no need for you to emulate your guardian to this extent."

"The fact that you tend to overwork yourself isn't exactly a secret, Administrator", Sonea protested. "The King said, and I quote, 'Has he worked himself to death yet?'"

"I fear your reputation is in tatters, my friend", Akkarin added.

"Oh, and when Chessea asked me if you might be persuaded to take on the guardianship of little Yaryna once she joins the Guild, I discouraged that idea, worried that you'd just keel over and die."

Osen felt that he had to agree with both of them on all points. And, truth be told, he was glad that someone else took care to tell the Administrator these things – while Osen certainly did that on a regular basis, he lacked the clout to be able to make him listen. And, while Sonea certainly lacked that clout as well, she seemed not to care – or was confident that she could get away with this if she teamed up with the High Lord.

The thought of Sonea teaming up with Akkarin was utterly bizarre.

Lorlen looked exasperated. "That's it, I want you out of my office, right now! I've heard enough nagging today to last me for a week."

"Very well, then, I'll make sure to be back in a week to nag you some more", Akkarin replied smoothly before turning, and heading for the door.

Sonea bowed first to Lorlen, then Osen. Osen himself bowed to Akkarin, and gave Sonea a smile. The High Lord swept from the room, and Sonea closed the door behind them.

Osen stared at the door, feeling rather lost.

Lorlen cleared his throat, and Osen flinched before turning to face him. Lorlen had his arms crossed over his chest, and was wearing the strictest expression he could manage.

"It should go without saying that the things you just witnessed will not leave this room", he said in a warning tone.

"Of course, Administrator", Osen promised, clasping his hands behind his back. "I wouldn't say anything on principle – and I would hate to incur the High Lord's wrath."

"His is not the only wrath you should fear", Lorlen replied.

"What do you mean?", Osen asked with a confused frown.

"Have you ever seen Sonea angry?"

Osen blinked. "No", he replied as he tried – and failed – to imagine what that would even look like.

"Well, I have", Lorlen replied with a shudder. "Suffice to say – the last thing you would want is for both of them to be angry with you. I was not joking when I said that she's started emulating Akkarin – he's taught her intimidation tactics, and bragged to me about how she managed to glare a nobleman into submission while taking a sip of wine."

Osen tried to imagine that, and failed once again.

"Duly noted. I will try my utmost not to upset either, or both of them. Although, in my defence, I would like to point out that I wasn't expecting you and the High Lord to have a Healing session, or a heart-to-heart, or whatever, in your office."

"Fair enough", Lorlen replied, uncrossing his arms. He walked around his desk and settled into his chair. "It hadn't been planned, either. We were just chatting, then, one thing led to the other, and before I knew it, my best friend was crying in my arms. I didn't see that coming, believe me."

"Sonea didn't seem terribly surprised", Osen mused.

"She may understand the situation better than I do, although she is not as well-equipped to help. Akkarin actually opened up to her first, and she encouraged him to seek my help."

"Yours? Not Lady Vinara's?"

"I'm his friend", Lorlen replied with a shrug. "And it wasn't easy for him to open up about this, not even to 'someone like her', as Sonea put it. Using polite terms."

Osen frowned. There was, obviously, something going on here, but he was afraid to pry – afraid of what the consequences of that might be.

"Speaking of Sonea and the High Lord – I've heard that they've been seen fighting with knives in the Arena", he said, his frown deepening.

"Oh, get in line, why don't you?", Lorlen sighed. "I've already heard it all. 'Sonea is a bad influence.' 'Fighting with knives is beneath a magician.' 'You should put a stop to this.' She's not, it isn't, and I won't."

"That's not what I meant at all. I was worried about the High Lord being the bad influence."

"Akkarin?", Lorlen replied, sounding surprised. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I know for a fact that Sonea used to dislike him", Osen replied quietly. "I know he's your friend, Administrator, but it was plain to see how unhappy she was about him claiming her guardianship. Their behaviour today seemed very irregular."

"Osen, have you been living under a rock for the last couple of weeks?", Lorlen sighed. "This isn't a recent change."

"I've heard as much, but I dismissed those reports as exaggerated, or outright made-up."

"You are right in saying that Sonea was unhappy, at first. Akkarin – he's not the most approachable person, and very different from Rothen, with whom Sonea bonded very strongly. The fact that most novices – and even some magicians – find Akkarin intimidating if not frightening did certainly not help. What changed her opinion of him was him opening up to her. He allowed her to glimpse a side of him he rarely shows to others. This markedly changed her perception of him. I can understand that this rather drastic change in their dynamic might seem confusing, even upsetting, but I assure you that Akkarin has no ill intentions, that he is not manipulating or tricking Sonea. I know him well – and, now that he finally has her at a point where she is willing to talk to him, he won't risk doing anything that might make her resent him again."

"I see. That is good to know", Osen replied, although he couldn't quite shake a lingering sense of unease. "Administrator, did the High Lord ever explain his reasons for making her his favourite? Not that I think her undeserving of this, but I have to wonder why he felt the need to take on the guardianship of someone who already had a guardian. And there were other very promising novices to choose from, too."

"He did – I confronted him about the issue since, like you, I could tell that Sonea was unhappy. The High Lord explained that he'd noticed her massive potential, a potential that was being neglected by her teachers. She was not reaching her full potential. Him taking on her guardianship remedied that. He also mentioned that Rothen had failed to address her weakness in Warrior Skills, and took care of that matter, too."

Osen scoffed. "I don't think that academic success should be valued over a novice's happiness."

Lorlen blinked, apparently not having expected a statement like this. "Ordinarily, I would agree, but Sonea's situation is hardly normal. Usually, novices underperforming is the result of them not studying enough, or not being interested in a certain matter. As long as they pass the exams, I would agree that there would be no need for anyone to interfere. However, none of that was the case with Sonea – she is highly intelligent, and eager to learn. She was constantly studying, always trying to better herself. However – her environment wouldn't let her. Despite Rothen's influence, her teachers were neglecting her. Without Akkarin's interference, she would have never been able to reach her full potential. I must, furthermore, admit that, as a Warrior, he has a very different approach to all this than Rothen, or what my own approach would have been. Akkarin saw weak points, and moved to eliminate them. I doubt that Rothen could have ever got her to the point where she could intimidate anyone with a glare."

Osen mulled this all over for a bit. Lorlen was right, it wasn't normal for teachers to hold novices back, or neglect them to the point where they stagnated. Speaking of neglect –

"I heard something about some Healers withholding knowledge from her on purpose", he said with a frown.

"Indeed", Lorlen replied with a heavy sigh. "I was too entrenched in my work to get any of that information first-hand, but I did some asking around lately. It seems that Lady Vinara found out about it, spoke with Sonea, and then raised the matter with Akkarin. He then proceeded to give those Healers a dressing-down, left them to Vinara's 'care', and moved on to speak with the rest of Sonea's teachers. According to some people, he was livid. Suffice to say, I expect all of them to take great care not to let anything like this happen again, ever."

"Poor Sonea", Osen sighed. "She did nothing to deserve any of this. She's been nothing but well-mannered and courteous ever since joining the Guild – heh, she's integrated herself so well, you couldn't tell she wasn't from one of the Houses by speaking with her. I've seen several younger novices react with surprise and astonishment when they realised the person they had been speaking to was 'the slum girl'."

"I'm very glad to hear that", Lorlen replied with a smile. "It's truly incredible, to see how far she's come, and in such a short amount of time."

"Indeed", Osen replied, a smile on his own face. "I wonder how far she'll make it once she's graduated."

"Who knows, she might become Head of Healers one day", Lorlen replied with a chuckle. "Now then, Osen, I take it there was a reason you barged into my office without bothering to wait to be admitted?"

Osen suppressed a wince. "Indeed there was. I wanted to remind you that we need to send inquiries to the Higher Magicians including Lord Telano, Director Jerrik and Director Ahrind to ask for their budgetary requirements for the coming year. I'm aware that we are early, but I wish to avoid a repeat of last year's debacle."

"Ah, yes", Lorlen replied with a wince. "Good thinking, Osen. I'll get started drafting the letters as soon as I can make some time. I have some more pressing matters to take care of at the moment."

"Of course. Anything I can help with?"

"Actually, yes", Lorlen replied. "If you could look these over for me, I'd be much obliged."

He handed Osen a stack of papers.

"I'll get to it right away."

"Thank you, Osen."

Osen bowed, and quit the room, unable to stop himself from grinning at the thought that, finally, Lorlen was delegating a little. And with very little prompting, too.

Perhaps Akkarin and Sonea teaming up to berate him wasn't such a bad thing, after all.

---

As they made their way down to the Arena, Sonea couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Yes, she well remembered Akkarin saying that they shouldn't concern themselves with the matter of the Traitor's ambassador overly much until said ambassador actually arrived, but she couldn't really help it. She was curious to find out what kind of person this Savara was going to be – how different she would be from the magicians she knew.

And the fact that she knew how to use black magic was certainly not noteworthy in Sonea's book – she lived with a black magician.

Sonea knew little about travelling, except that it took forever. Depending on where, exactly, Sanctuary was, it might take Savara a while yet before she reached Imardin, even if being able to use magic would certainly make things easier – when you could levitate, you didn't have to worry about inconveniences like roadblocks or mountains.

She fervently hoped that the ambassador would arrive soon – or as soon as realistically possible – so they could continue working on saving the Guild from its own good intentions.

Sonea briefly returned to the present when they reached the hedge clipped into an arch that marked the entrance to the Arena portal, reminding her mind that there were stairs beyond, and that tripping down said stairs would be a bad idea before returning to her musings.

A startled sound made by the novice in front of her roused her from her thoughts. Sonea registered two things at once – the novice in question was Regin, and – for some reason she had failed to notice – he had tripped, and was currently pitching forward.

Sonea sprung into action without thinking – she leapt after him, and managed to wrap her arms around him before he fell, jerking them both backwards. Unfortunately, she had overcompensated, and, with surprised shouts, both of them now went tumbling backwards.

Sonea had the wherewithal to tuck her head in as she fell, but her back hit the steps squarely, causing her to let out a cry of pain.

"Sonea!", Trassia yelled.

Regin went rigid in her hold, and the next moment, an intense wave of fear and terror slammed into her, taking her breath away – or what little she'd had left after getting caught between him and a hard place. She didn't know what to think, to feel – and when Regin tried to free himself from her hold in a panicked manner, she let him go, still too bewildered by what had just happened.

"Sonea, are you all right?", Trassia implored as she crouched down next to her, placing a hand on hers.

Moments later, Sonea could feel the soothing effect of Healing magic. The pain faded away, and she felt that it was suddenly easier to breathe.

"Regin, steady there, you're fine!", Narron, who had followed his girlfriend, said, placing a hand on Regin's arm.

No, I don't think he is.

Nausea set in when Sonea realised why Regin had reacted the way he had, what had caused those feelings of fear and terror. She scrambled to her feet, trying her best not to look at him, not wanting to see the expression on his face. She only wanted to get away.

"What's going on up there?", Lord Vorel, who had led the line of novices into the Arena, yelled, appearing at the bottom of the stairs.

Sonea felt a surge of panic, and bolted.

"Sonea! Stop! Come back! Somebody stop her!", the teacher barked, but this was hardly the first time Sonea had been running away from hostiles.

Cradling her right arm to her chest – just in case – she evaded grabbing arms, and cleared the portal. Once outside, she broke into a dead sprint, only one thought in her mind – get home, get to safety. They wouldn't dare barge into the residence, even if Akkarin should be absent.

Sonea wasn't entirely certain if she wanted him to see her in such a state.

Her own pounding footsteps and laboured breathing were the only things she could hear, meaning that nobody had followed her. Her lungs were burning, but she didn't have the presence of mind to Heal herself. Her survival instincts had taken over, and all she could do was run.

The door to the residence didn't open quickly enough when she brushed her hand against the handle, and she wound up slamming into the wood at almost full speed. Once finally inside, Sonea staggered into the room, took a few shallow breaths, and collapsed. She rolled onto her back at first, desperately trying to get her breathing under control, focusing all her thoughts on that. However, as soon as she'd achieved that, her mind had time to focus on other things, and focus on other things it did.

Sonea let out a whimper and curled into a ball as she realised, with startling clarity, that, between her and Regin, she wasn't the only traumatised one. Realised that he must have feared her ever since the day she had triumphed over him – the day she'd almost killed him. She'd never suspected a thing – he'd been very good at hiding it.

Then again, so had she, or at least she hoped. She could understand why Regin wouldn't want her to know about this. She'd freak out, too, if he ever found out just how uneasy he still made her.

Part of her felt awful for never having considered that he might be struggling with the same thing as her.

She didn't know how much time had passed when Akkarin found her, but by then, she was a sobbing mess, and barely able to form a coherent thought, as her mind kept going around in circles.

"Sonea", Akkarin whispered as he dropped to his knees next to her. "What happened?"

Sonea was unable to respond to his question, in whatever form, and just stayed as she was. He hesitated for a moment before reaching for her hand, closing his own around it and giving it a comforting squeeze. His mind brushed against hers, and she could sense his worry, his concern for her well-being. Unfortunately, this only caused her to cry harder as her thoughts spun even more out of control.

He withdrew from her mind, and began pouring Healing magic into her, chasing away the pain in her knees and right shoulder.

"Do you – would you like to be held?"

Sonea somehow managed to communicate that, yes, she would like that very much. Akkarin immediately scooped her up from the floor, and the part of her that wasn't busy driving itself insane noted how little effort it took him to lift her. The next moment, he pulled her against his chest, tucking her under his chin, and held her close, his arms wrapping her in a tight grip as tough he was trying to hold her together.

Sonea buried her face in his shoulder, and cried even harder.

Akkarin's attempts to soothe her proved unsuccessful, and he gave them up after a while, just holding her. Sonea tried to focus on his scent, desperate for something to ground her, but her nose had started running, and she couldn't make it out.

Part of her was terrified at the thought of staining his robes with something worse than her tears.

"I've called for Vinara", Akkarin told her softly. "She should be here shortly."

Sonea managed to calm herself to the point where she was able to respond to that with a nod – though with a significant delay. However, Regin's terrified face resurfaced in her mind, and she broke into tears again.

"Sonea, can you hear me?"

Sonea started at hearing Vinara's voice – she hadn't even realised that she'd arrived. She managed to turn her head a tiny fraction, and glanced up at the Head of Healers though a veil of tears.

"Would you like a different shoulder to cry on? I imagine you must have thoroughly soaked the High Lord's robes by now."

Sonea considered this. Her resting spot had become rather damp, it was true, and there was no need for Akkarin to put up with this if someone else was offering to hold her.

She managed a jerky nod, and Akkarin moved to transfer her into Vinara's arms.

"There you go. That's better, isn't it? My shoulder is still nice and dry. Don't hold back, just let it all out."

Sonea had had no intention of holding back, but hearing Vinara say that this would be all right certainly helped.

"Do you know what happened?", Vinara asked Akkarin.

"No. I heard her slam into the door – she must have been running – and came downstairs as quickly as I could. She was already incoherent when I arrived, I couldn't even get answers from her mind, it was too chaotic."

"Was she supposed to be in class?"

"Yes, Warrior Skills."

"Who is her teacher?"

"Lord Vorel."

"Well, then, if we can't get answers from her in a timely manner, we can always question him, or her classmates. For now, we should let her rest."

"Good idea. Takan, show Lady Vinara to Sonea's room."

"Yes, High Lord."

"Could you take my bag?"

"Certainly, my lady."

Vinara shifted her weight, and slid an arm underneath Sonea's knees, and the other under her back.

"Do you need help carrying her?", Akkarin asked.

Vinara scoffed. "Do I look like some kind of weakling to you? I've lifted people heavier than her."

And indeed, Vinara managed to lift Sonea off her feet with absolute ease.

"I see. I leave her in your capable hands, then."

By now, Sonea had run out of tears, but her thoughts were no less chaotic than before.

Takan led the way upstairs and opened the door to Sonea's room before stepping aside to let Vinara pass. Then, he placed Vinara's bag near the bed, and bowed out of the room.

Vinara carefully deposited Sonea on her bed, and Sonea was somewhat relieved to find that she was able to remain upright.

"I'll give you a potion to help you sleep – you are exhausted, and I need to get your mind off things. Can you get changed on your own, or do you need help?"

"I can manage", Sonea replied, her voice rough.

"All right."

Vinara spent the time Sonea needed to change into her nightgown by rummaging around in her bag. By the time Sonea had crawled under the blankets, Vinara produced a small bottle.

"Here you go. Try to drink all of it."

Sonea gave Vinara what she hoped was a grateful smile as she took the bottle. She had barely finished drinking the potion when she felt it take effect. The last thing she consciously noticed was Vinara taking the empty bottle from her hand before the world faded away.

---

By the time Takan returned downstairs, Akkarin had dried his robes, and was attempting to remain calm. He hated not knowing what had happened, and the thought of having to wait until Sonea woke again to get answers was maddening.

He wanted to know what had caused her such distress right away, and make sure that it wouldn't do so again.

"Takan, can you include something chocolate-heavy in tonight's meal?", he asked without preamble.

"Certainly, I can manage something. How are you holding up?"

"Part of me wants to go out there and seek answers", Akkarin growled. "But I don't want to leave in case she wakes up again while I'm gone."

Takan chuckled, a knowing look on his face.

"Stop that. Get cooking. Sonea will need that chocolate."

"Yes, master", Takan replied with a grin.

When Vinara joined him a few minutes later, her bag slung over her shoulder, Akkarin was markedly calmer. He offered her some wine, which she accepted, and they settled into the armchairs.

"How is she?"

"She was somewhat calmer when we arrived, able to sit on her own, and didn't require help getting changed. I've given her a strong sleeping draught, that should keep her under for a while. Her vitals were good, all things considered. I've Healed her throat, and the blood vessels in her eyes, and washed her face."

"Thank you for that. And for coming so quickly."

"Don't mention it. I was, admittedly, a bit shocked when you sent me that image of her. Whatever happened can't have been good."

"Could we not discuss this right now? I'm currently trying to stop my mind from conjuring up scenarios, and jumping to conclusions."

"Ah, apologies. We could just summon Lord Vorel straight away, see if he has answers for us."

Akkarin was about to reply that he liked this plan very much, and that they should do that, when an almost timid knock sounded on the door. Akkarin narrowed his eyes at it, and it swung open, revealing Regin, of all people.

Years of having dealt with any number of things with the capacity to blind-side him had taught Akkarin to keep a straight face, no matter what happened, and so, he was able to hide his surprise.

Regin, for his part, blanched when he realised he wasn't facing just one, but two of the Higher Magicians.

"High Lord, Lady Vinara", he said with a bow, his voice trembling slightly.

"Regin. What are you doing with Sonea's box?", Akkarin asked, narrowing his eyes at the boy.

"Ah, well, you see, the thing is, we're always supposed to leave our things in Lord Vorel's classroom when we go to the Arena, we then return to the classroom at the end of the lesson, and retrieve them. When we got back, Sonea's box was still there, and I figured I should take it to her. I – I didn't mess with it, I promise. I assumed that she must have come here."

He shot Akkarin a questioning look. Vinara cleared her throat.

"You would be correct in assuming that, however, Sonea is currently asleep. And I do not expect her to wake any time soon."

Regin's eyes widened, and he turned to the windows to check if the sun was still up – it was – before turning back to face Akkarin and Vinara with a confused expression.

"I gave her a strong sleeping draught", Vinara explained. "Sonea was extremely distressed when I arrived."

"Oh", Regin whispered, his face turning even paler, his grip on the box tightening.

"Do you know why she was in such a state?", Akkarin asked.

"I have a pretty solid idea, yes."

"Out with it, then", Akkarin snapped, feeling his patience evaporating quickly. "When I ask a question, I expect a concrete and concise answer. I don't like having to fish for information, Regin of Winar."

"Of course. Sorry. High Lord."

"Wait. Give that here before you get started", Akkarin demanded, holding his hand out for Sonea's box.

Regin relinquished it without a fuss before retreating back to his previous position.

As Akkarin placed the box on the low table next to him, Regin appeared to be considering how to approach this. Finally, he took a deep breath, and looked up.

"I'm afraid I was the one who caused this", he explained in a quiet voice, unable to meet Akkarin's gaze. "I didn't mean to, though – I was just – I didn't – she wasn't supposed to find out – "

He broke off, clearly distressed. Seeing as how he was trying to divulge information, Akkarin chose to remain silent. Regin may be a bigoted bastard, but he was certainly not stupid – Akkarin chose to believe him that this had been unintentional on his end.

Regin took a deep breath, visibly steeling himself. "Sonea wasn't supposed to find out that I'm terrified of her", he whispered, barely audible. "I panicked. I hadn't meant to hurt her or anything, hadn't expected her to react the way she did. I – I had been prepared for her to make fun of me, or, or, I don't know. Not – that."

It took both Akkarin and Vinara a few moments to digest this. Regin being terrified of Sonea made sense, of course, even Akkarin was terrified of her on occasion.

"Regin, could you tell us what happened today from the beginning?", Vinara asked gently. "It sounds as though you started right in the middle of it."

"Of course", Regin replied, sounding exhausted. "We were heading down the stairs into the Arena when I managed to – I have no idea how, exactly – I wound up tripping over my own feet, and would have taken a tumble down the stairs – or into the novice walking in front of me – Benon, I believe – but someone grabbed me, and hauled me back. I didn't know who it was, at first, and didn't have much time to worry about it, for that person lost her balance, and we wound up falling backwards instead. Given how we were positioned, I was fine, since I fell on top of her, but she let out a cry of pain – that's when I realised that it was Sonea. I panicked – she was still holding on to me, and I felt trapped – I – she was touching my skin, and I accidentally projected my emotions at her. That made me panic even harder, and I tried to free myself, to get away from her. She let me go instantly – she might have been still winded or even dazed from the fall, now that I think of it. Narron and Trassia were there the next moment. Narron spoke to me, but I couldn't understand him, while Trassia Healed Sonea, I think. I – I was not in my right mind, not able to think clearly. I barely know what Sonea's expression looked like when she got to her feet.
"Lord Vorel had heard her scream, and came to see what was happening. And Sonea – she just – bolted. Lord Vorel shouted for her to stop, for someone to stop her, but she evaded them, and fled. He then tried to question me, but I was too unresponsive for his liking. He told me to pull myself together, and questioned the other novices. They couldn't really tell him much, but Narron and Trassia pointed out that Sonea had saved me from falling down the stairs. None of the others accused either myself or Sonea of having done anything to harm the other, thankfully.
"I managed to participate in the lesson – I was paired with Benon, and he told me to just supply him with power, as he was worried that I was too out of sorts. After the lesson was over, we went back to Lord Vorel's classroom. Sonea was nowhere to be seen, and her box was still on her desk. So, I decided to come here, and see if I could speak with her."

Akkarin tapped a finger on the armrest as he mulled this over, while Vinara crossed her arms, looking deep in thought. Regin shifted his weight, apparently not liking the prolonged silence.

"Leave it to a Warrior to react in such an insensitive manner", Vinara sighed at last.

"I take offence to that statement", Akkarin huffed.

"Present company excepted."

"Thank you."

"Seriously, what was Vorel thinking?! Ordering people to grab a distressed person? Forcing Regin to fight, when he was clearly unwell? What is wrong with the teachers recently? Akkarin, I fear you will have to have words with him, as well."

"Oh, don't worry, I will", Akkarin replied darkly. "Although I would like to hear Sonea's account before deciding my exact approach to this."

"You – you don't think I'm lying, do you, High Lord?", Regin breathed, trepidation clear in his voice.

"No", Akkarin replied bluntly. "But I still need to know how this has affected her, something you would be unable to tell me, no matter how co-operative you may be. I don't think either of you are to blame for what happened today."

"Regin, could you come over here for a moment?", Vinara asked. "I would like to examine you."

"Uh, why? My lady."

"Because I don't like making a diagnosis based on assumptions. It will only take a moment."

Regin hesitated before approaching her. Vinara rose to her feet, and gently placed her hands on his temples.

"I will be asking you a few questions, is all. Relax. You are not in trouble."

The novice let out a soft sigh, and closed his eyes. They stayed like that for a few moments before Vinara released him, and retook her seat.

"It is as I thought. You need help with dealing with what has happened. You have been internalising all of that for well over a year, which is not healthy. At the very least, you should confide in someone you trust, but I would recommend seeking mind-healing. I would be willing to assist with that."

Regin looked thunderstruck. He blinked a couple of times, as though he was trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"I – I'll consider it. Thank you, Lady Vinara."

"Good. Don't push yourself – you will have to arrive at the conclusion that you need help on your own. Until you do, I would not be able to help you."

"I – see."

"Akkarin, any more questions from you?"

"Yes, one more thing – do and Sonea have to fight each other during Warrior Skills classes?"

"Not one-on-one, not any more. We're currently working on more complex strategies, ones that involve fighting in groups, sharing magic, and co-ordinating offence and defence. However – since Sonea and I are the most powerful novices in our class, we usually wind up on opposing teams. If Lord Vorel put us both on the same team, we would win pretty much every match."

"I see. That is hardly ideal, for either of you."

"Well, yes, but I personally don't see what can be done about this. If Lord Vorel were to pair me with just Sonea, I think we might run into a different kind of problem, High Lord."

"I see. Well, that's all for now. Regin, you may go."

"Right. Oh, curses, I'll be late for class…"

"Feel free to tell your teacher that we were the ones holding you up", Akkarin replied. "And if you could let all of your teachers know that Sonea is indisposed, and will not return to classes today, I would be much obliged."

"Certainly, High Lord. And thank you."

Regin bowed to them, and left in a rather hurried manner.

"Well, what do you make of all this?", Vinara asked.

"At a guess, Sonea's breakdown was caused by the realisation that she had inflicted harm on Regin, however unintentional. Her greatest concern has always been accidentally harming her classmates, although this fear had been centred around her magic itself – not the psychological side effects. I can imagine that seeing that her efforts had been in vain, in a sense, distressed her greatly." He heaved a sigh. "She's been making such progress lately, Vinara – this will be a major setback, I fear."

"Healing isn't linear, Akkarin. People relapse. They have bad days. This is perfectly normal. However, since we already know – or at least suspect – the cause, we can get started on helping her overcome this obstacle straight away. That is not to say that it will be easy – but at least we don't have to look for the cause first."

"I see. That is good to know."

"I must admit that I was a bit surprised to find the two of you as I did", Vinara said, giving Akkarin a piercing stare.

"Sonea is tactile", Akkarin replied smoothly. "You saw how willing she was to latch onto you. I don't think she cares overly much about who offers her comfort – although she might have reservations about cuddling up to Regin, or Fergun. Sadly, the list of people here at the Guild she is 'allowed' to hug is frightfully short. Sonea has been starved for affection for well over a year."

"You should not be on that list", Vinara pointed out. "You are her guardian."

"I am well aware of Sonea's boundaries, and would never do anything she was uncomfortable with. You are free to ask Sonea; she will tell you the same thing. You saw the state she was in when I found her – would you have preferred it if I had just left her there, on the floor, for propriety's sake?"

Vinara bit her lip. "I suppose not, but – "

"I know the situation is a bit – unusual, but I can hardly send for Rothen whenever Sonea gets distressed."

"I suppose. Although – I have heard that Sonea seems to have become friends with Trassia and Narron."

"Is that so? I am very pleased to hear that", Akkarin replied with a smile. "Wait – the name Narron seems familiar."

"He was the one whose pen she supposedly stole."

"Ah. Well, if she's managed to win his friendship, then I'd guess that she was able to convince him that it hadn't been her."

"Are you certain of this? I don't mean to doubt her – and Regin was caught planting an inkwell in her box, but – "

"I know for a fact that Sonea didn't take Narron's pen. How it wound up in her box is anyone's guess. Although Sonea did suspect Regin. She didn't see him do it, though."

"Well, the fact that she refused to let anyone truth-read her didn't exactly speak in her favour."

Akkarin suppressed a wince. He was keenly aware of the fact that Sonea had refused because there had been a chance – however small – that, whoever performed the truth-read, would stumble upon her memory of him using black magic. Someone – Lorlen, most likely – must have told her to avoid having her mind read.

"Was anyone of those present even inclined to consider the possibility that she might have been innocent?", he asked.

Vinara paused for a moment. "Not from what I've heard. It seems that they were all convinced that she had stolen the pen, since she had admitted to having stolen before joining the Guild."

"Hm. This may have caused her to assume that nothing she said or did would convince them otherwise. You may be surprised just how co-operative people can be if you don't condemn them outright, but treat them fairly."

Vinara winced. "That is a good point. I am ashamed to say that, even among the Higher Magicians, there are those who refuse to treat her fairly."

"You mean Sarrin."

"So you know. Is Sonea aware of his dislike of her?"

"I cannot say. They have never interacted before, as far as I know, so she may be unaware."

"I see. Well, seeing as how she doesn't want to become an Alchemist, this shouldn't be much of a problem."

Akkarin hummed in response.

"Incidentally, Akkarin, may I come along when you go speak with Vorel? I have a few things I would like to discuss with him, too."

"Certainly."

"I thank you. I'll go and check on Sonea in a bit."

"Would you care for some more wine?"

"Yes, please."

Takan emerged from the kitchen to inform Akkarin that he had devised a monstrous chocolate cake for Sonea, adding that they would have to find a way to make her want to eat it.

"Good work, Takan. Yes, that might be tricky."

"What do you mean?", Vinara asked.

"The last time she came home distraught, she was not terribly hungry, and went straight to her room. Takan brought her some food, but it wasn't anywhere near the same amount she would normally eat. There is a chance that she might be even less hungry today."

"Understandable. However, today's events will take their toll on her body – I will see if I can persuade her to eat something."

"Mentioning that Takan made a special dish to cheer her up might do the trick", Akkarin replied. "Sonea isn't one to underappreciate what others do for her."

"Not that I would feel underappreciated if she had no appetite", Takan muttered. "I'd be more worried than upset."

"Well, I'll see what I can do", Vinara promised.

---

As Vinara made her way upstairs again, she debated how she should approach the matter. Yes, Akkarin holding Sonea in his arms was improper, but at present, she had nothing to indicate that anything untoward was going on here. And Akkarin had appeared genuinely concerned for her. Vinara was a bit worried that she might be jumping to conclusions here.

She well remembered the last time she had confronted Sonea about such an issue, could vividly picture how uncomfortable the young woman had been.

"I can hardly send for Rothen whenever Sonea gets distressed."

Did Akkarin believe that Rothen and Sonea saw each other as family? Vinara herself couldn't say, as she had never interacted with either of them much, and had, therefore, also not seen them interact with each other. However, if this were true, it would explain Sonea's extreme discomfort – would explain her defiant challenge that Vinara truth-read her.

Given how taxing this day had been for her, causing her more stress would be a bad idea. Vinara resolved to leave that matter aside for now – she would speak with Sonea, and try to glean a better understanding of the whole situation. Sonea might, inadvertently, give her more insight on how things worked between her and Akkarin.

"Sonea? Are you awake?", Vinara called as she knocked on her door.

"Sorta", Sonea's voice came from inside, sounding a bit muffled. "You can come in."

Vinara let herself inside. Sonea was still in bed – as expected – but tried to sit up almost right away.

"Don't inconvenience yourself on my account, I'm here as a Healer, not as one of the leaders of the Guild", Vinara said as she went to fetch the chair in front of Sonea's desk. "I want you to be comfortable."

Sonea gave her a grateful smile, and rolled onto her side.

"Thank you for your help earlier, Lady Vinara", she said earnestly. "I was so out of it, I didn't even hear the High Lord calling you."

"Don't mention it. How are you feeling right now?", Vinara asked as she sat down in the chair.

"Much better."

"That's good to hear. Sonea, could you tell me what happened?"

Sonea bit her lip. "I fear I'll have another breakdown if I do that", she admitted, "and I'd really like to avoid that. I – I'm not blaming anyone for what happened, I don't want to accuse anyone, we can just let this matter rest, as far as I'm concerned."

Vinara blinked, surprised – before mentally scoffing at herself. This was not very different from how Sonea had reacted the last time they'd spoken.

"Be that as it may, we have to compare your version of the story to Regin's."

"Regin! You spoke with him?", Sonea asked, eyes widening in alarm.

"Calm down, he didn't accuse you of anything, either", Vinara said in a soothing tone, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "He came by to drop your box off, and we used the chance to question him. He was quite willing to answer us, and assured us that he hadn't meant to cause you any kind of distress. The High Lord charged him with telling your teachers that you were indisposed, and dismissed him again."

Sonea mulled this over for a bit.

"In that case, could you tell me what he said, my lady? I could then tell you whether I agree or not, and fill in any gaps."

"I suppose that works, too."

Vinara gave Sonea a brief summary of Regin's account. Sonea listened attentively, although she visibly suppressed a reaction when Vinara got to the point where Regin had projected his emotions, her face paling significantly.

Once Vinara had finished, Sonea took a deep breath, visibly letting out tension. One of her hands disappeared under her pillow and dug around for something, producing a sprig of lavender not long after. She pressed the dried flowers to her face, deeply inhaling their scent.

Vinara was rather impressed. She'd wondered as to why Sonea had chosen to decorate her room with dried lavender, and it seemed that she'd just found the answer. Somehow, Sonea had found out that lavender helped calm her, and was using it to soothe herself.

Once she was calmer, she placed the sprig back under her pillow, and gave Vinara a lopsided smile.

"Sorry about that."

"Don't apologise. You're hurting. It's fine for you to express that."

"Right. Um. So. I don't really have anything to add to any of that. I hadn't known Regin had managed to trip over his own feet, though, as I was lost in thoughts. He made a sound, and I just – reacted. I don't think I was thinking much. And afterwards – I just – I couldn't stay there, not after having realised that – he's terrified of me. Of me. I – I know what that feels like, and the thought that someone else feels about me that way – I – "

She broke off, and chocked back a sob.

"So you came here."

"Yes. Lord Vorel was shouting for people to stop me, and they tried to grab me – I was worried that someone would chase after me, and figured that they wouldn't dare come in here – that I'd be safe if I could make it back here. And then – I broke down. I – I don't think I've ever experienced anything like this. I felt so awful. About Regin, I mean. I – I never meant to – I didn't realise how powerful I was, back then. I would have used less of my power if I'd known. I just wanted him to stop. I never meant to frighten him."

Vinara found that Akkarin's assessment of the situation had been right on the mark. Sonea, who had, no doubt, been traumatised by Regin, was upset over the fact that she had traumatised him in turn, if by accident.

"Based on Regin's account, the High Lord deduced that neither of you were at fault for what happened today", Vinara said softly, "and I second that. We will also speak with Lord Vorel – he handled that whole situation atrociously. The High Lord and I furthermore agree that you and Regin should not have to fight each other, given how you have traumatised each other."

"I would have refused, either way, if he tried to pit us against each other again", Sonea whispered. "I couldn't bear the thought."

Vinara hummed before asking Sonea's permission to examine her, which she got.

Sonea was still a bit exhausted, but markedly calmer than she had been before, despite their discussion just now. Her vitals were fine, too, and her mind was already processing things.

"Sonea, I would recommend that you start seeing a Healer to work through all the trauma that Regin inflicted on you."

"I think I've been doing well on that front so far", Sonea replied with a frown.

"That may be so, but today's events will leave a fresh mark on your mind. To tell you the truth, you should have sought help a year ago, if not earlier."

Sonea mulled this over. "I suppose refusing your advice would make me a hypocrite", she muttered, much to Vinara's confusion.

However, since she seemed disinclined to follow that up with anything else, Vinara decided to ignore it.

"I can recommend a Healer to help you deal with this – I would have volunteered, myself, but I've already offered the same to Regin, and I don't think that it would be good if I were to treat both of you."

"Actually – could I work on this with the Administrator?", Sonea asked, biting her lip.

Vinara blinked. "Why him, of all people?"

"Well, he's already been inside my mind once, so he knows what he's in for", Sonea joked. "What's more, he likes me, unlike some other Healers, and he's the High Lord's friend. Not to mention that I'm already working with him on a different matter."

"Your arguments make sense", Vinara admitted. "However, there is one thing I need to point out – seeing how he was elected administrator at age twenty-six, Lorlen has much less experience than other Healers who are the same age. He knows mind-healing, though, so he would be able to help you to some extent, at least."

"I understand."

"If you should ever run into a major issue, either of you can always come to me, and I'll help in any way I can."

"Thank you, Lady Vinara."

"By the way, who taught you to use lavender like this?"

"The High Lord did – in a bit of a roundabout way."

"What do you mean?"

"He threw a sprig of lavender at me, saying that he hoped that I would like the smell, before turning the remaining flowers into a drink. And, once we had figured out that it worked for me, this happened", Sonea explained with a grin, gesturing to the dried flowers overhead.

"A rather unconventional teaching method", Vinara observed.

"Yes, but very – him."

Vinara considered this. Ordinarily, an unmarried man gifting an unmarried woman flowers would be seen as a sign of interest, could even be an indicator that they were courting. However, a few things were usually markedly different in such a case – the flowers were fresh, not of the medicinal kind, and wound up in a vase.

None of these things applied here.

Sonea let out a yawn, and somewhat belatedly covered her mouth.

"Sorry. I still feel a bit woozy."

"It's fine. I gave you quite a strong potion earlier."

"Right."

"Despite the wooziness, do you think you could get up?"

"I'm not sure I want to."

"You need to eat something."

"I don't want to."

Vinara suppressed a smile. "Not even if I tell you that the High Lord instructed his servant to make a special dish for you, one that consists mostly of chocolate?"

Sonea's eyes widened, and she let out a groan. "This is coercion! I hate all of you."

Vinara let out a chuckle. "The High Lord did mention that getting you to eat something might be tricky, as you had reacted similarly before."

"Oh, right. That was the day we had that chat about those Healers", Sonea muttered, looking lost in thought. "Though I wasn't quite as distressed as I was today."

"Would you like to tell me what happened?", Vinara prompted gently.

Sonea let out a gusty sigh. "After we parted, I went to the Baths for a good soak – I desperately needed one. I reached the residence shortly after the High Lord. He – he was worried about me, and cautiously inquired after my well-being. It was such an awkward situation – I told him that I didn't want to talk to him about this – well, not in exactly those words – and that I would like to go to my room. He said he'd have Takan bring me some food, and asked if they could get me anything in the meantime, like mountains of chocolate. He then sent Takan out to get some for me."

"And he was fine with you just brushing him off, and retreating to your room?"

"Of course. He's overly worried that he might overstep my boundaries, it's sometimes borderline ridiculous. In a nice way. I appreciate it. I mean, there is a massive power imbalance between us. Him giving me as much control as he does is lovely, really. Sometimes, he just worries too much, I think."

Vinara was quite surprised to hear all that, but in a positive way. Sonea acknowledging the power imbalance was a good thing. Furthermore, she was unaware of the things Vinara had discussed with Akkarin, and had just guilelessly volunteered this information. It helped Vinara get a better understanding of how things worked between them.

"And how do you find life here at the residence?"

"Much better than at the Novices' Quarters, that's for sure", Sonea replied with a chuckle. "This room is a lot nicer, for starters, and don't even get me started on the food – Takan's cooking is divine, not even the cooks at the palace can compete with that!"

"Truly? I didn't know he was so talented. That almost makes me curious."

"Wait, have you never eaten here before?", Sonea asked, sounding puzzled.

Vinara let out a chuckle. "This may surprise you, but the High Lord and I are not particularly close. And he hardly ever entertains guests. Lorlen is the only exception to that."

"Oh, I see. I had just assumed that you – the Higher Magicians, that is – were close. I – I didn't mean to be presumptuous."

"It's quite all right. You must have seen Akkarin and Lorlen interact with each other – it would be natural for you to assume that the rest of us were close, as well."

Sonea looked relieved to hear this – apparently, she'd been worried that she'd misspoken.

"Now then. At a guess, I think the evening meal should be ready soon – time to get out of bed, Sonea."

Sonea let out a huff, but rose from the bed obediently, unbraiding her hair. She tossed the set of robes she'd been wearing earlier into her laundry basket before picking out a fresh one from her wardrobe. She then went over to her wash bowl to freshen up a bit, got dressed, and then attempted to tame her rather unruly hair.

Meanwhile, Vinara put the chair back where it had been.

"Aren't you going to do anything with your hair?", Vinara asked.

"Would that I could", Sonea muttered. "Don't worry, he's used to me showing up to dawnfeast like this."

Vinara didn't know what to say to that, and Sonea didn't really gave her the time to do so, anyway, as she was already making her way over to the door.

Apparently, "chocolate cake" was a strong motivator.

In the hall, they met Takan, who was carrying the aforementioned cake on a platter, probably on his way to the dining room. Sonea made a sound that was suspiciously close to a squeal when she saw the monstrosity Takan had created, causing him to give her an indulgent smile.

"Is that for me?", she asked, sounding excited.

"Indeed. If you eat at least a little bit of every other dish, you can have as much cake tonight as you want, my lady."

"Oh, very well. It looks delicious. I'll be sure to save you a slice, too."

"Thank you. I do have to sample my own food for scientific purposes, after all."

"Sure. Now get that thing out of my sight, or I might start drooling."

Takan let out a chuckle, and took his leave.

Vinara found herself appreciating the servant's attempts to get Sonea to eat something at least resembling a proper meal.

Akkarin emerged from the staircase in front of them, carrying Sonea's box. He came headed toward them straight away, as though he'd known where they were. Then again, there was only one way to get from Sonea's room to the dining room, so guessing their approximate location shouldn't be that hard.

"Sonea, are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, I am. You don't have to worry – well, try not to worry too much, at least."

Akkarin let out a huff before extending a hand to Sonea. She visibly rolled her eyes before placing her hand in his.

Vinara had, at first, assumed that he had wanted to take her vitals, and it took her a moment to notice the vacant expression in both their eyes. Her own eyes widened a bit when she realised that they were communicating. This immediately reframed the situation – communicating with another magician mind-to-mind brought with it a certain amount of vulnerability, as it was often hard to hide things, and impossible to lie that way. If Akkarin truly had any nefarious plans, he would not choose to speak to Sonea in such a manner.

And Sonea herself had to trust him a lot to likewise allow this.

Vinara felt that she could lay all her worries to rest at that moment.

Akkarin soon released Sonea, and held out her box.

"Regin dropped this off for you earlier."

"So I've heard. I didn't know he could be so nice."

"I was surprised, as well."

Sonea took the box, removed the magical seal she'd placed on it, and proceeded to check the contents.

"Oh, good, everything's still here, and nothing's in there that shouldn't be", she whispered.

"Regin assured me that he hadn't meddled with it", Akkarin replied. "Though I understand your need to see that for yourself."

Sonea nodded, and closed the box.

Having apparently satisfied himself that his novice was well, Akkarin turned to face Vinara.

"Thank you for your help, earlier, and for coming so promptly", he said, sincere gratitude shining in his eyes. "I honestly didn't know what to do."

"Don't mention it. I am a Healer, you know", Vinara huffed.

"Still."

Sonea cleared her throat. "Perhaps you'd like to invite Lady Vinara to eat with you, to show your gratitude, High Lord?", she suggested.

"What are you scheming this time, Sonea?", Akkarin asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Scheming? Me? Perish the thought! I would never", Sonea protested.

Akkarin gave her a flat look, decidedly unimpressed by the completely fake look of innocence Sonea had adapted. Sonea, for her part, didn't seem bothered by that in the slightest.

Vinara realised with a start that Sonea had noted Vinara's off-handed remark about wanting to sample Takan's cooking, and that she was currently trying to manipulate the High Lord into inviting her for a meal to facilitate that.

Perhaps I was worried about the wrong person, Vinara thought, amused.

Akkarin shot her an exasperated look.

"Are you two always like this?", Vinara asked, her voice tinged with amusement.

"Oh, this is tame. Sometimes, I am convinced that Sonea and Takan are conspiring to drive me insane."

"Which we're not", Sonea added. "We just tend to come up with similar ideas. And someone around here has to be sensible."

"You're lucky I don't have anything I could throw at you for your impertinence", Akkarin groused.

Sonea let out a giggle. "Should I go fetch a napkin?"

"I believe I will be able to contain my wrath."

"Oh, thank goodness. Those napkins seriously hurt."

"You're just as bad as Lorlen. She's conspiring with him, too, by the way", he told Vinara.

"Am not."

Vinara let out a laugh. This whole exchange had been hilarious. She would have never thought she'd see Sonea and Akkarin banter with each other based on previous interactions she had witnessed – which, admittedly, hadn't been many. Sonea had always seemed very respectful, if not a tad intimidated by Akkarin.

Which was understandable. Most people reacted to him in such a way.

Nevertheless, it was lovely to see Sonea come out of her shell. From the reports Vinara had received – and what little she had seen herself – Sonea was hiding a brilliant mind behind that polite, well-mannered façade. Once she became a Healer, Vinara would have to make certain that Sonea would utilise this to her full capacity.

Takan emerged from the dining room to inform Akkarin that the meal was almost ready before disappearing downstairs.

"I'll just go and put this in my room", Sonea said, tapping her box.

"Certainly", Akkarin replied.

He motioned for Vinara to walk with him, and started down the corridor at a slow pace.

"What did you find out from Sonea?"

"She confirmed everything Regin had told us. And your assumption as to what had caused her breakdown turned out to be correct. I have recommended to her that she see a Healer about this, and she said that she would like to work on this with Lorlen."

"I have no objections to that. I'll speak with her, myself, and then come to the Night Room so that we can have a chat with Vorel."

"Very well."

"By the by, why was Sonea trying to manipulate me into inviting you to a meal? Not that I am opposed to the idea, but it seemed a bit strange."

"Oh, that", Vinara replied with a chuckle. "I made an off-handed comment on how I would like to sample your servant's cooking after Sonea praised it to the heavens. I thought nothing of it, but she apparently decided to act on that. Now that I think of it, this might also be an attempt on her end to show her appreciation. Not that this is needed, mind you."

"I see. Well, if you have the time, and feel so inclined, you are welcome to join me during midbreak sometime in the following week."

"Thank you. I look forward to it. Oh, and Akkarin – I mean to retract my words from earlier. It turns out that I was worried about the wrong person."

It took him a while to comprehend her meaning. Then, he let out a chuckle.

"The funny thing about this whole situation is that Sonea is mostly unaware of what she's doing. Once she figures out the extent of her power, I'm doomed."

"The mighty High Lord, bested by a young woman of humble origins", Vinara chuckled.

"The gossips will love this. And neither Lorlen nor my sister will ever let me live this down."

Behind them, the door to Sonea's room clicked open, and the novice approached them at a slow pace, as though wanting to make sure she wasn't walking in on something she wasn't meant to hear. Given how long she'd been gone, Vinara wondered if she'd taken her time on purpose.

"Well, then, let me not keep you from your meal. I can see myself out, Akkarin. And Sonea, make sure to eat properly."

"I will try, Lady Vinara."

"Good. Akkarin, I will be seeing you later."

Akkarin gave her a nod, and Sonea bowed, back to her usual respectful self, although her greeting was accompanied by a smile.

Vinara went downstairs to collect her bag, and made her way back to the Healer's Quarters. She would have a bite to eat, and then continue working until it was time to head to the Night Room.

---

"Lord Osen."

Osen froze, and quickly schooled his features before turning around to face the magician who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"High Lord", he said with a bow.

Akkarin was back to his usual self – his face expressionless, unreadable. It put Osen on edge, as he had no idea what kind of mood the older man was in. Something had to be up, for Akkarin had never sought him out before.

The High Lord didn't seem to be in any kind of hurry to get to the point, and was seemingly comfortable regarding Osen in silence for a while. Osen couldn't say he was comfortable with this.

"You puzzle me, Lord Osen", Akkarin said at length, uncrossing his arms. "I am used to novices – even some magicians – being intimidated or even frightened by me. You, however – you seem to dislike me. And, for the life of me, I cannot fathom what I may have done to cause this."

Osen felt completely blind-sided by this. He had expected Akkarin to berate him for having walked in on him having a mental breakdown, not – this.

Akkarin seemed to realise that he had just caught him on the wrong foot, and waited patiently for Osen to order his thoughts.

How did he even find out? I thought I was hiding it well.

And Osen would rather not have Akkarin find out the reason why he disliked him.

"You never did anything to me to cause me to dislike you", he said diplomatically, hoping that Akkarin would latch onto the second half of the statement, and assume that he was mistaken, that Osen didn't actually dislike him.

"I see. I did something to someone else, then, to cause you to dislike me."

Osen gaped at the High Lord for a few seconds before managing to get his features back under control.

"Is it because of Lorlen?"

"No. I did notice that your relationship had been somewhat strained of late, but you are both grown men, and entitled to have your differences, High Lord."

"Why, thank you. Hm… who else is there?", Akkarin mused, the question seeming more directed at himself than at Osen.

This is bad. I fear I would be in a lot of trouble if he figures out that it's because of Sonea…

Akkarin blinked, some kind of emotion flashing briefly in his eyes.

"Sonea?"

Osen felt his insides freeze over. "How – why would you think that, High Lord?"

"She is the only other person who comes to mind – I don't socialise much, as you know, and several people have been angry with me for choosing her, of all people, as my favourite. Didn't seem like such a stretch." He shrugged.

"I would like to point out that I do not consider her unworthy of the honour you have bestowed on her, High Lord", Osen heard himself say in a slightly angry tone.

"Well, that would be a first, then – you are angry with me, but not because I chose Sonea over someone else. Care to tell me why you are angry, then?"

"You made her unhappy!", Osen exclaimed, before remembering that they were in the middle of a corridor, where anyone might hear them.

Akkarin arched a brow. "I cannot deny that. However – does she still seem unhappy to you these days?"

"No", Osen admitted grudgingly.

"And do you believe that she would have got to the point where she is now, had I not stepped in, and claimed her guardianship for myself?"

"I couldn't say, High Lord. However, the ends don't always justify the means."

"Perhaps not. But sometimes, the best course of action requires sacrifice. Sonea understands this. She was not able to see it, at the time, but she does, now."

Osen wasn't entirely sure this was a satisfying answer.

"You are, of course, free to resent me for the choices I have made – although I must ask as to why someone so wholly unconnected to my favourite feels the need to be so involved in her business – you are neither her friend, nor a member of her family."

"I wasn't aware that these things were requirements for being allowed to worry about someone!", Osen protested.

"Certainly not. But you must forgive me for questioning why someone who is, essentially, a stranger, is so involved in this."

"I assure you that I have no ill intentions toward her."

"I did not say that you had."

Osen swallowed hard. He really didn't want to be having this discussion. Especially not with Sonea's guardian, who also happened to be the Guild's leader.

"I would rather not say", he managed, knowing fully well that this answer would not satisfy Akkarin.

"Very well. I'll raise the matter with Sonea, then – see if she has any ideas as to why you are so invested in her."

"No! Please don't do that!"

"Why-ever not?"

But Osen wasn't really listening any more – his thoughts were racing. The last thing he wanted was for Sonea to somehow misunderstand the situation – or for Akkarin to present it in a way that cast him in a bad light. Akkarin was right in saying that Osen and Sonea weren't friends – magicians usually didn't form friendships with novices, after all – but if Akkarin meddled now, he might well ruin any chance of Osen ever being able to win her friendship, and anything beyond.

"Oh, I see", Akkarin breathed. "You are one of these young men Lord Donevin mentioned. Do be careful – if Lord Rothen finds out, you would be in trouble."

"I'm sorry, what?", Osen asked, blinking rapidly.

"Lord Donevin mentioned that 'several young men' had been mooning after Sonea. Lord Rothen did not take that well, and demanded their names."

"Oh. I honestly hadn't considered that he might be a, uh, problem", Osen rambled, feeling rather blind-sided.

"You were more worried about me."

"Well, yes."

"Understandable."

Osen opened his mouth to ask if Akkarin truly had nothing to say on the matter before changing his mind, and closing his mouth again. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

"I trust that you are aware of the Guild's laws concerning such things?", Akkarin asked.

"Of course, High Lord. And, as you've so astutely observed, Sonea and I are not friends. I have no desire to put her on the spot or anything."

"Good."

"Was that all?", Osen asked cautiously.

"I think I understand the situation properly, now. I thank you for your candour, Lord Osen."

"Ah, don't mention it."

"You may go."

"Have a nice day, High Lord", Osen replied with a bow before hurrying away, profoundly glad that he had, somehow, survived this encounter.

---

Given that he often visited his uncle, either for lessons, or for a meal, Regin wasn't a stranger to the Magicians' Quarters, and neither were the magicians and servants strangers to seeing him there. However, Garrel was not the person he had come to see today.

Hoping fervently that he had the right door, Regin raised his hand, and knocked. He waited in tense silence for a few moments until the door was opened, and he found himself staring up at Donevin's face.

"Regin! What a surprise. Do come inside."

"Thank you."

"Do be seated. Sumi?"

"Yes, thank you."

Regin settled into one of the armchairs dotting Donevin's sitting room, and had a look around. The room was similar in proportions as Garrel's, which made sense as neither of them had a family. However, they had very different taste concerning decorations, and furniture.

"This is certainly a first", Donevin observed as he sat down, and poured each of them a cup. "What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to you", Regin replied, shifting so that he was sitting on the edge of his seat, wringing his hands.

"Not a social visit, then. I had a feeling that might be the case."

"I didn't know who else to go to", Regin admitted in a low voice.

"Take your time. I'm here, I don't have any pressing matters to attend to. And if you should need anything stronger than sumi, I got that, too."

Regin managed a smile. As much as Donevin was a silly goofball most of the time, he could be serious and grown-up if the situation called for it. Regin had always valued that in him.

"Did you hear what happened between me and Sonea at the Arena recently?"

"Not exactly", Donevin replied with a frown, "and Sonea mentioned nothing of the sort to me. What I do know is that, in the wake of that, Lord Vorel got chewed out by both the High Lord and Lady Vinara."

"You saw that?"

"I did. Would you care to hear the tale?"

"Do tell."

"Very well. So there we were, in the Night Room, chatting, drinking wine, the usual – when the High Lord comes sweeping into the room in all his menacing glory, hones in on Vorel, and drags him from the room – figuratively speaking. People are usually very willing to drag themselves if the High Lord demands it. What was interesting was that Lady Vinara rose the moment she spotted the High Lord, and followed them out of the room. Nobody had seen that coming. Anyway, Lady Vinara and Lord Vorel returned a few minutes later, the latter looking like he'd been chewed up and spit out. And that's all that I know for certain. I imagined that Vorel must have done something that concerned Sonea, but Lady Vinara's involvement still puzzles me. Unfortunately, Lord Vorel was not very forthcoming with information."

"You tried to get him to talk."

"Of course. Sonea is my friend, you know."

"Right. She had mentioned as much. Said you were very persistent."

"Indeed I was", Donevin replied with a chuckle. "Now, then. Did you come here to discuss what happened with Lord Vorel?"

"Not just that. Actually, he was barely involved – this was mostly between Sonea and me, and it's been going since – well, since our Acceptance Ceremony, really. This might take a while, really."

"I don't mind."

"Right. You're probably aware that I disliked Sonea from the day we first met – which was, in no small part, influenced by the things my parents had said about her. I was determined to despise her from the start, never gave her a chance to show me who she truly was. I guess that, at this point, everyone is aware of this, but – I started bullying her. It started out small, minor pranks, nothing serious. But when I realised that she wouldn't fight back, no matter what I did, and that, for some reason, she refused to accuse me, I became bolder. Roped other novices into helping me. We'd chase her down the corridors until we had her cornered, batter her shield until it failed and then – we got creative. I was careful never to do anything that would leave her permanently harmed, or cause serious physical injury, but – the things I did do were awful. Cruel. And still, she never fought back. I thought she was weak. Spineless.
"And then, out of nowhere, she challenged me to a Formal Battle. I laughed it off, certain that I'd defeat her easily, as I had many times before. And then – well, you were there. You saw what she did."

"Hm. Her performance was beyond what anyone had expected. Some people speculated that Sonea herself had been unaware of just how powerful she was."

"Yes, she as much confirmed that, said that that realisation set her back quite a bit. See, it turned out that she'd been afraid of hurting us – that's why she'd never fought back. That day, in the Arena – she almost killed me. Without meaning to. If the High Lord hadn't given Uncle Garrel some of his magic, she would have. And in that moment, I thought that I was going to die. I was terrified", Regin whispered, his eyes wide. "I'd never been terrified before, not in my entire life.
"It was that feeling of terror that drove me to avoid her from that day on. It worked rather well, as Sonea wasn't exactly keen on my company – for obvious reasons – and had no desire to get back at me, strangely enough. I managed to maintain that distance for about a year.
"Then, a few days before you assisted her and the High Lord with their training exercise, I ran into her by accident. We talked, and it was rather nice, I suppose, although she put me on edge several times. She also mentioned that she would be fighting the High Lord, and said that I might be interested in watching."

"Ah, so that's how you came to be there. I'd wondered about that."

"Anyway, I didn't see or hear much of her outside of classes for a while – until me and Issle from my old class ran into Sonea playing with one of the High Lord's nieces, his sister was watching them. Issle decided to be stupid, not listen to my warnings, and got herself in trouble. Lady Chessea asked her brother about the things Issle had said, and he revealed the reason why Sonea doesn't like walking next to or in front of people she doesn't trust."

"That thing Lord Rothen mentioned."

"Yes. You may have already guessed that it wasn't pretty, although she got lucky, got away in time. Anyway, I was stunned that she could still be so kind, still smile like that after all the awful things that had happened to her – some of which I inflicted on her. I feared, at that moment, that she would, one day, run out of kindness, and make me pay for what I did to her."

Regin desperately needed a break at this point, and not just because his nerves were fraying. He picked up his cup, and emptied it in one go before pouring himself another.

"About a week ago, we were paired for an assignment. I hated the very idea, but couldn't slither out of it – the reason the two of us had been paired was because I was struggling, and Sonea wasn't. The teacher's intent had been for her to tutor me – and, much to my surprise, she did just that. After identifying my problem, she tried different explanations, until she found one that worked for me. She didn't have to do that, and I told her as much. She just – brushed that off."

"That was very nice of her", Donevin observed. "Goes to show just what a great person she is."

"I guess. Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. It was a few days after we'd been working on that assignment. We were on our way to the Arena, and I managed trip over my own feet, would have fallen down the stairs if Sonea, who had been right behind me, hadn't caught me. When I realised it was her, I panicked, and projected my emotions at her. She – didn't handle that well, and ran away. Lord Vorel, who had only just noticed that something was amiss, ordered the others to grab Sonea – "

"Bad idea", Donevin muttered.

"… but she got away. I would have loved to sit out the lesson, myself, but Lord Vorel wouldn't have any of that. Once class was finally over, we went back to the classroom, and I spotted Sonea's box, and decided to take it to the residence, hoping that I might be able to speak with her. However, when I arrived, Lady Vinara was there, and told me that she'd given Sonea a sleeping potion due to how distressed she had been when she had arrived. I told them what had happened, and neither the High Lord nor Lady Vinara were pleased with how Lord Vorel had handled the whole situation. They soon dismissed me, I wasn't even punished."

"Did Vorel attempt to punish Sonea?", Donevin asked with a frown.

"I don't think so. At a guess, the High Lord forestalled that by giving him a proper scolding. And besides – the next time he saw her, she told him, very plainly, that she refused to fight me any longer, told him to find a way to work around that and, if he had a problem with that, he may lodge his complaints with either the High Lord, or Lady Vinara. That was the first time she'd ever invoked his name in front of a teacher – and Lord Vorel had no choice but to go along, as much as he hated it."

"That's probably for the best", Donevin replied. "It can't have been good for either of you, having to fight against each other with all the things that lie between you."

"I suppose."

"Now then, I'm guessing there's a reason you just bared your soul to me like that?"

"I – yes, there is. I don't know what to do. Lady Vinara examined me, and determined that I was traumatised, and that I should see a Healer about that. But that can't be right – I'm not – I'm not some kind of basket case! There's no way I'm traumatised."

"Why does the idea that you might be upset you so much?", Donevin asked gently.

"Because Garrel said – "

"Pardon the interruption, but he is hardly someone whose opinion you should heed."

"What do you mean? He's my guardian!"

"That doesn't mean that he can't be wrong, that he can't make mistakes. And your uncle is hardly someone you should emulate. Regin, I've known you ever since you were little, and Garrel long enough to see that you have managed to bring out the worst in each other. While you always had a tendency to be a brat as a child, you were never cruel, or malicious. And Garrel certainly wasn't anything like what he became after taking on your guardianship. Stop emulating him, and don't pay his words too much heed, unless he's preaching textbook material."

Regin considered this. Donevin might be right about them having a negative influence on each other, all things considered. Although it was hard for Regin to say how much he had changed over the recent years, or how quickly.

"Furthermore, I need you to understand that injuries to the mind are just as normal as injuries to the body. If you broke your leg, would you feel ashamed or insecure about that?"

"No, unless I broke it by doing something stupid."

"And would you seek help if fixing the bone was beyond you?"

"Of course."

"Then what's stopping you from seeking help with trauma? Lady Vinara wouldn't tell you that you were traumatised unless she was certain, and if she says that you should seek help, then I suggest that you listen to her. There is nothing wrong with seeking help when you need it. None of us can do everything by ourselves, we all need help with one thing or the other. You're not weak, Regin, and not worth less for admitting that you need help, or asking for it."

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course. Seriously, I'd love to strangle Garrel for putting such ideas in your head. What an idiot."

Regin reached for his cup again as he mulled things over. He knew, technically, that arguing with a Healer was a bad idea, but he'd been unable to accept the fact that there might be something wrong with his mind. Donevin's encouragement made him less hesitant.

"Do you think Sonea is faring any better than you?"

"What?"

"Given all the things you told me earlier, you must have traumatised her. How do you think she felt, every time Vorel pitted you against each other, even after she had defeated you? Do you think her weak?"

"No. I know that now. She's much, much stronger than I am, and not just magically."

"Good. Out of curiosity – why did you want to speak with her when you brought her box to the residence?"

"I wanted to apologise. I didn't have a very concrete plan in mind, didn't know what, exactly, I wanted to apologise for – but it was futile. I couldn't see her since she was asleep."

"And so you just gave up?"

"No! I wanted to try again, but – ever since, Sonea's been avoiding me. She bolts the moment she spots me. I don't know how she does it, but she manages to just – vanish. I'll round a corner, and she'll just be gone. And, once Narron and Trassia figured out what I was doing, they practically declared themselves her protectors – they won't let her go anywhere by herself, make sure I don't approach her during classes, either – they've even taken turns sitting next to her to make sure I can't do that because they have decided that I'm the most evil person alive. If I can't get close to her, how am I supposed to speak with her, let alone apologise? I – I don't know what to do."

"You could write her a letter."

"A letter! Oh, come off it. She'd probably burn it without reading it – if it got delivered to her at all. The High Lord doesn't like me, and might just make the letter disappear."

"Hm, that's a bit of a problem. And you can't get these two to back off?"

"Trassia and Narron? I don't think so. From what I've heard, they've become friends with Sonea, and are currently teaching her how to drive a curricle. There is no way they would 'abandon' her just because I asked them to."

"Hm… In that case, the only thing I can think of is to wait until after graduation. No matter what discipline Narron and Trassia pick, they won't be able to be by Sonea's side at all times, and Sonea will start her apprenticeship at the Healer's Quarters. If you still can't get to talk to her, you could always pretend that you are sick, or injure yourself on purpose when she's on duty. I might be willing to help with that part", he added with a grin.

"Your devotion to helping me solve my issues is admirable, dearest nephew, but still, I must decline. I'd rather break my own leg than have you do it."

"Very well."

"And – I think I'll go and talk to Lady Vinara."

"Good. I'm proud of you, Regin. Look at you, turning your life around. I'm the proudest nephew in the world."

"Oh, come off it, you dolt. I'm not doing anything great."

Donevin said nothing to object to that, but his grin spoke volumes. Regin let out a huff.

"You said something about wine earlier?"

"Sure. Do you want to get drunk, or just funny?", Donevin asked as he rose to his feet, and fetched a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"Just funny. There's no need to overdo it. Oh, and Donevin? Thanks. For listening and stuff."

"Don't mention it. I'm glad I could be of help. Chin up, Regin. Once you've realised that you have a problem, you can start working on it. Things are going to get better from here on out, trust me."

Regin gave him a grateful smile, and accepted the glass. He'd been hoping – but not really expecting – to find help when he'd come here. And now, he felt that he had got more than that. He would find a way to apologise to Sonea, and he would also try and find a way to make amends to her, somehow.

---

A/N:

This chapter was hard to write in some parts – I don't like putting my characters through the wringer like this, but, ah, the things we do for the sake of the plot.

I decided that I couldn't have all of my characters ride horses, and had Sonea learn how to drive instead.

And yes, Donevin did his best Golden Retriever impression in order to win Sonea's friendship.

Glossary:

Curricle – a one-axis open carriage drawn by two horses, only large enough for the driver and one passenger

Sonea the navi: You have reached your destination. Your target is three shelves above you.

Sonea the catapult: Walking is for losers.

Lorlen: Sonea, come pick your guardian up, he needs to be supervised.

Lorlen, Akkarin and Sonea: * banter with each other *
Osen: * visible confusion *

Vinara: Sonea might be in danger.
Also Vinara, five minutes later: Akkarin is the one in danger.

Akkarin: Shit, I have a rival. Thankfully, Sonea seems unaware that he even exists, and I have a head start. Better tell him about Rothen to keep him from getting funny ideas.

Merin: * can't wait for Sonea to graduate so that Akkarin can't get in his way *
Lorlen: * can't wait for Sonea to graduate so that Akkarin can finally propose to her *
Regin: * can't wait for Sonea to graduate so that he'll finally get a chance to apologise *