Chapter 300: The Same Thing I Told Orion

"I’ll tell you the same thing I told Orion," Sophia said to Brynhild. "I’m not going to let people fight my battles for me. I’ll fight, Brynhild. I’m not the six-year-old that let her mother abuse her, thinking it was love."

Brynhild smiled at her. "I knew you’d say that. There’s a reason we’re sisters after all."

Sophia laughed.

"We have to go now, but when you come out of this place and when you get better, please come over. We have a lot to talk about. Lysander told me all about what you experienced when you were younger, and I’m this close to finding your mother and killing her for abusing you," Brynhild told her.

Sophia laughed. "Get in line then."

She stood up from the chair just as Lysander picked up the satchel.

"If not for the fact that I have to take things slow and not exert too much energy..."

"Let’s not complete that statement and make me angry, resulting in another lecture about you taking better care of your health that’ll just make you fall asleep," Lysander grumbled.

Brynhild smiled at Sophia. "Blame Lysander for not letting me do what I want."

Sophia smiled back. "But really though," she told Brynhild, "you have to take care of yourself. I’m not sure I can bear the thought of losing you."

"Awwn, are we going to be lovers?"

"And leave Orion and Lysander behind?" Sophia asked. "Hmm, that isn’t such a bad suggestion. Orion is pretty much annoying on a regular basis. I need someone who is less annoying."

Brynhild laughed just as Lysander grumbled, "Too bad you’re going to have to stay with him. And besides, Brynhild doesn’t find me annoying."

"That’s very debatable, love," Brynhild said to Lysander, who stared at her in shock.

Sophia and Brynhild chuckled again as they hugged each other.

"I’ll see you soon. Get better soon, okay? I’d really love to hear about the training and your new friends," Brynhild told Sophia.

"That reminds me," Lysander spoke up. "They’ve been coming here every day to check up on you."

"Really?" Sophia asked in shock.

He nodded. "It seems you got the good ones as friends after all."

"It seems so."

Just then, they heard a knock at the door, and Orion opened it as he walked in.

"It’s been over ten minutes. Don’t tell me you’re ogling Brynhild’s breasts?" Orion asked Sophia.

"Really?" Sophia and Brynhild asked at the same time.

"I’m just wondering. I thought she wouldn’t waste time and would be back in the room in at least two minutes, but then I remembered she had short legs and thought it would take at least three more minutes. But then ten minutes passed, and she still wasn’t there," Orion informed them.

"You see what I mean when I say he’s annoying?" Sophia asked Brynhild and Lysander.

"He hasn’t been this happy for a while. Take pity on him and deal with it, okay?" Brynhild told Sophia.

Sophia nodded. "I’m only going to do it because you asked me to," she told Brynhild.

She waved them goodbye and then walked toward Orion, who extended his hand to her once she was within distance. She took it, and they began walking back to the room.

"You know," Sophia said once they were inside, "I’m getting really tired of being in this place. When can I go?"

"Shorty, you were literally with a healer some minutes ago. Why didn’t you ask him?" Orion asked her. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Maybe because I forgot?" she asked back.

He rolled his eyes at her. "I’ll ask. Honestly, I’m also tired of being in here with you. I’d rather you be in my home with your legs all over me while I bury my face between your thighs."

Sophia gave him a side-eye.

"Are you trying to suggest we do that here? Because if you are, get that out of your mind. I don’t want anyone walking in on us again," she told him.

Orion laughed at that. He moved his hand through her hair, his eyes roaming across her face as if taking her in.

"What?" Sophia asked.

He was behaving weirdly, and she couldn’t understand why. He had hugged her already and told her not to ever scare him like that again, but she didn’t understand why he was still looking at her like she was a piece of treasure he couldn’t part with... not that she hated it.

"I’m just glad I can see your eyes clearly now—not glassy and filled with memories of your past. I’m glad I can speak with you and tease you on a regular basis now, and that I can see your cute expressions. I’m just glad you’re here with me," he told her.

Sophia paused, taking in his words. They teased each other a lot, but moments like this always made her stop and become serious.

"I’m glad I’m here too. I missed seeing the snow," she told him.

Orion huffed a laugh. "I just told you I’m glad I can speak with you, and you’re telling me you missed seeing the snow."

"If you’d let me finish, then maybe you wouldn’t jump to conclusions," she told him.

"Alright, fine. Finish up," he said.

"I missed seeing Brynhild," she said, and he raised an eyebrow. She bit back a smile at his expression. "I missed Lysander too. I even missed Eldric, and he’s more annoying than you. I missed the training grounds—the sound of us running and breathing in exhaustion. But most of all," she paused and turned fully to him, "I missed you. Even when you left, I felt your absence. I wanted to see your face clearly while I was there. I was at peace when you were with me, but I missed the real you more."

"You know... at one point I wondered if you were my future husband. That maybe you had come from the future to help me, and that’s why I was so calm and at peace when you were around," she told him.

"You weren’t far off the mark," he said with a smile.

She chuckled lightly. "My mother told me no man would ever want me. I had only drawn a picture from one of the novels and showed it to her, and she claimed no one would want me. No sane person would want me. And she called me a slut."

Orion placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Shorty," he said softly, "I have to agree with your mother on one thing... do I look sane to you?"