Sophitz Forever

Chapter Thirty-One

After the announcement of the engagement, the entire population of the Lost Cities went wild. Sophie was so overwhelmed she shut herself in her room for a week and only let Fitz come in. Letters were being sent to her house, hundreds and hundreds, every single day, saying their congratulations and suggestions for the wedding and asking in a not-so-subtle way for an invite to the wedding. She received gifts before anything was cemented, saying that things like baby bonnets and a carriage would be "needed" once she and Fitz started a family.

Sophie shuddered to think of it.

It's not that she didn't want kids. It's just that she wanted them some time in the VERY far off future, maybe in a couple hundred years? She wasn't ready for that.

And she told Fitz so the next day he came over.

"I'm just not ready."

Mistaking it for being not ready for the wedding, Fitz closed off and announced that the wedding wouldn't be for a couple of years. After hashing it out with Fitz, Sophie finally convinced Fitz that that wasn't what she was talking about and that no, she wasn't having second thoughts, but she just wanted to take things slow. She thanked Fitz when their argument was over for postponing the wedding.

Being engaged was hard enough.

*****

TWO YEARS LATER

"Sophie Elizabeth Foster, soon to be Sophie Elizabeth Vacker, I still cannot believe you're getting married! To my brother!" Biana yelled as soon as Sophie graced her doorstep. Sophie sighed, though she had prepared herself for the inevitable yelling that always welcomed her when she went to Everglen. 

"Biana, you've known this for two years. And frankly, I'm hoping I can get my name hyphenated," Sophie responded, rolling her eyes. "Sophie Vacker just doesn't sound complete."

"What's that, Sophie?" Fitz asked, strolling into the room and sweeping her off her feet into his arms. Sophie giggled and swatted at Fitz.

"I'll tell you later," Sophie said and launched into a kiss that two years ago, would have made her blush to have Biana watching.

"Gross, I am so not watching this," Biana grumbled and turned the other way. "I'm out of here."

"Biana, wait!" Sophie called. She wanted to talk to her best friend. "Fitz, let me down!" She struggled to get out of his arms but his strong arms held her tightly and firmly to his chest. She gave up and waited patiently for Fitz to let her down. 

"First tell me what you were talking about with Biana," Fitz coaxed, or rather blackmailed. "Then I'll let you down."

Sophie groaned. "Ugh, fine. Why do you wanna know so bad? Wait, don't answer that," said Sophie. Fitz grinned, glad that he had gotten his way. "Basically, when we get married," she looked down and blushed as Fitz smiled wider, flashing his perfect white teeth, "I want to hyphenate my last names."

"What do you mean?" Fitz asked. "I've never heard of such things," he said, his eyebrows pulling together in a way that Sophie found cute. "Is that some human thing or something?"

"Well, yeah. Come to think of it, I've never seen an elf hyphenate their last name..." Sophie trailed off, thinking until Fitz nudged her to continue. "Well, what happens is, I get to keep my maiden name, which would be Foster, and just add a hyphen in between my original last name and my new last name. So I would be Sophie Elizabeth Foster-Vacker."

"Why would you wanna do that?" Fitz asked, furrowing his brow. Then a thought struck him and his face wrinkled up. "Would I have to do that?"

Sophie laughed. "No, only the women do it because it's their last name that's being taken," she explained.