#the ftermath

“Sentinel? I called your name at least three times and you didn’t reply. Is there a problem?” Sole shook her head and shook his hand off her shoulder. “I’m fine, Rhys. Why are you here? Doubt you’re that concerned about me daydreaming?” “ The Elder requested for me to join you to the Minutemen tomorrow noon.” Sole groaned. Really? Was that absolutely necessary? “He did, did he?” “ Yes.” “ Did you accept?” Rhys looked a little annoyed. As if she had asked him the most stupid question he’d ever heard. “When the Elder gives you a direct order…” Sole interrupted him before he could even finish the sentence; “ Fine. Have you been briefed on where we are going?” “Of course.” “ Good. Get your things ready, pack for about a week. I reckon that’s about as long as we’ll be gone.” Rhys nodded and saluted her. “ Yeah, how about we don’t start with…’ she spread her hand and gestured at Rhys’s “ …that. Just stay alive out there and have my and Corden’s back. That’s all I’m asking.” Rhys sighed. “ I am fully aware that we’re not likely to ever see eye to eye but when my superior gives me an order I am wise enough to obey. I will not cause trouble out there.” “You better don’t. Haylen will never forgive me if you end up dead. So do us both a favour and don’t.” “ Elder Maxson told me to protect you with my life.” “ I’m now in charge of you. And your life is as valuable as mine. Look after Corden. He’s a medic with less experience in the field than either of us. I would like to get you both back here in one piece. Is that clear?” “ Cristal.” “ Good. Dismissed.” Her head hurt. It made sense. She knew it made sense. She didn’t know too many other Knights personally. Rhys had always proven to be loyal to a fault to Maxson and the Brotherhood… and discreet when needed. On paper, he was a good call. But she had explicitly asked him to find someone else. So why hadn’t he? ---- After she had gotten into some cleaner and more casual clothes, Sole found herself pacing back and forth at Maxson’s office. Where the hell was he? Had he come back from the shower and was he out here looking for her? She felt like throwing things across the room. There was too much tension in her muscles, she could do with one of those training sessions they had done once before. She had healed enough to fight now. Or so she hoped. Eventually someone knocked on the door but it wasn’t him. It was someone bringing a few trays of hot food, followed by none other than Alice. “ Oh, you’re already here! Great!” Alice looked surprised but genuinely pleased to see her. Her hair was down this time and her clothes more loose and casual. She looked quite at ease. Sole wondered whether Alice had spent time there before….  In his room. During her time *with* Maxson. Before Ryon. Before her. She shook her head. All irrelevant now. “ Hi Alice. I’m already going to apologise if I seem a little bit distracted there’s just… a lot to worry about.” Alice gestured at the seat and took one across from her. How Alice had managed to make herself the perfect host to a place that she spent less time in than Sole herself was beyond her. But she’d done it. Part of Sole loved that she didn’t have to pretend around Alice, another part suddenly realised just why she was technically too rough around the edges for an Elder. “ I feel like I should apologize, actually.” Alice said softly. “ What? Why?” “ Ryon had warned me not to come here asking questions now. To do so afterwards. And that I should stay out of Arthur… Maxson’s love life because of our past. But as soon as I heard that your position was in danger and heard conflicting rumours of you having left him or him having left you I… “ Alice got quiet. “I didn’t want him to hurt like I hurt him again. Not just for the sake of the Brotherhood.”

Sole smiled a little, sadly. Reminded of Alice and Maxson’s past. Their relationship was arranged but only she was aware of that. Alice scraped her throat and continued, this time looking Sole straight in the eyes. “My relationship with Arthur was different from yours. We started seeing each other out of duty but with Rhys I found more than that. I’ve seen girls with him afterwards, but none of them seemed to matter. When you two were together at the Citadel I saw a spark I hadn’t seen before, you keep him on his toes. And then, when he was beside you after you were shot… I’ve never seen him so broken before. Not since Lyons… Anyway i… have learned to read him during our time together. I know that if he is the one who broke it off, that he regrets it already. He still adores you, it’s clear from the way he looks at you. Of the way he speaks of you when you are not there. He can be vindictive but he speaks of you as if you’re some sort of goddess. He keeps you near even though he pushed me and Rhys far away at first. Whatever happened… he is hoping it isn’t permanent. So please don’t… run from him. Not unless you don’t love him anymore.”

Silence fell in the room. Alice was visibly giving Sole time to think. To process the information. Their food had remained untouched in the meanwhile.

Sole spoke up after a good five minutes of silence. She grabbed her cutlery in the meantime. “ I sometimes have trouble with his blind faith in the Brotherhood. When he told me he had received those requests to remove me from the brotherhood. I told him to do it. When he refused I told him he would then have to perhaps let me go.”

“ I’m surprised he did.” Sole didn’t correct her. “Sole, do you love him?”

Sole went quiet. She remembered the moment he’d asked her to be his date. She remembered the sexual tension and her respect for him building. How in time his front crumbled and he allowed her to see the human side of him. The man who’d been through hell and back and didn’t have the luxury to show it.  She remembered their first night together. She felt her hand tingle as she remembered how he squeezed it whenever she needed reassurance or a sign that he was there with her. She remembered the way he looked at her before she passed out from blood loss. She remembered him asking her to come back to him, to not be in the party going after the man that cost him a loved one before. Next thing she felt was something hot on her cheek, trailing down.

Before she knew it Alice had gotten up from her seat and was crouched in front of her, shock and concern in her eyes.

“ I’m sorry I truly did not mean to upset you. I just hoped that perhaps… had I known you genuinely thought you also shouldn’t be with him and that this wasn’t just another idiotic duty-bound choice of his I…”

“ I do. I do love him. But my life was a lot easier when I had nothing to lose. If you don’t mind, I would like to go to him. We need to talk, him and I.”

“ Of course. I can ask my question to you tomorrow morning.”

Sole nodded and looked at Alice. “ I know I’m not the best company right now but… You’re a badass and one of the few people higher up who has immediately given me a fair chance. You’re a good person. And I genuinely appreciate everything you have done for me and for Maxson. I just want you to know that, all right? Thanks for having his back. For having our back. For catching the guys responsible for shooting me, too. “

Alice smiled a little again, still looking worried at Sole. “Anytime.”

Sole shoved her chair back. Breathed in and out loudly and wiped the few tears away before standing up. Alice stood up as well.