The Council held a Tribunal for Della, and she was charged with poisoning Fitz, stalking Fitz, and a bunch more other things, but the poisoning was the main part. She had cost Fitz to lose out on a lot of education and made him spend months on bed rest.

But, when Della was finally allowed to speak, she charged Sophie was torturing her. She appealed to Councillor Bronte, demanding to know if that was even legal. Bronte, who had never tried torturing anyone to insanity before, just looked at Sophie, his eyebrows arched, a questioning expression in his eyes.

"I was mad. She'd just told me she'd poisoned Fitz!" Sophie defended herself. Then she lowered her head. "But I will accept any punishment. But not from Della," she added, when Fitz's mother perked up eagerly, "I will accept the punishment the Council decides for me. And I trust you will be fair."

"We will be," Councillor Oralie promised, twirling her blonde hair in her fingers.

"Well," said Councillor Emery, "then that leads us to a conclusion. Miss Foster, we will decide your punishment later. Mrs Vacker, it appears you have some very concerning charges, and I would like to ask Mr Vacker first if he wants you punished. Or was the Inflicting Miss Foster unleashed on her enough?"

Fitz's eyes were stormy. "If you're going to punish Sophie, then you're punishing Della again."

Councillor Emery nodded in acceptance, then turned to Councillor Bronte. "Do you have anything to add? How do you think we should punish Sophie- ah, Miss Foster?"

Councillor Bronte thought for a moment. "I daresay she lost control of her emotions, but acted as I would have in the situation. I wouldn't have tortured Mrs Vacker so long or to insanity, but... we will resume our Inflicting sessions, Miss Foster. Our Inflicting is slightly different, but I must teach you to rein in your emotions."

Sophie dipped her head politely. "Thank you, Councillor Bronte."

"Would that be all?" Emery asked.

The other Councillors nodded.

"Then, for Mrs Vacker," Emery turned to Della, "we are banning you from Everglen. You will be held in prison until we decide what to do with you."

"Oh, you couldn't!" Della said dramatically. "Alden wouldn't want that."

"I would, actually," Alden snapped from where he stood beside Biana. "I would like that very much. I don't know how I was matched with you."

Della snorted. "We were matched. So be it. And Biana? Don't you have anything to say?"

Biana shook and Alden squeezed her shoulder. "I - uh - "

"Biana," Della repeated, drawing out her daughter's name with contempt. Biana shied away from Della's eyes, looking faintly embarrassed and unsure.

"I... I'm sorry I ever followed you!" Biana burst out.

Della tutted, her fingernails drumming against the railing. "Well, that was unexpected." She narrowed her eyes at her daughter, blue eyes glittering with malice. "You'll pay, Biana." Then she turned to Alden. "I thought you'd be with me, my loyal husband?" she simpered, but Alden wasn't bought and continued staring harshly down at her. Della sighed. "Fitz. You know I didn't mean to hurt you, right?" she asked with a sweetness that seemed false, and Fitz stiffened beside Sophie.

"I know that," he agreed softly, and Sophie became very afraid for a moment until he said, "But you were trying to keep me away from Sophie, and that's worse. Stop pleading your case, Della. It isn't going to get you anywhere."

Della curled her lip. "Oh, so it's Della, is it? I'm not your mother anymore, am I?" Her lips curled further into a smirk, and she watched Fitz intently without speaking for a few more moments. 

"You're my mother. But I don't want you to be," Fitz said heavily. "Come... come on, Sophie, I... I don't think I can take this anymore." He offered her his hand, making Sophie wonder if everything really was okay between them. She considered declining, since she wanted to know what the Council was actually going to do with Della, and have her say. But the hope and pleading in Fitz's eyes stopped her from doing so.

Sophie slipped her hand into his, and was rewarded with a sad little smile. Fitz really did look like he'd missed her, and in that moment, she put aside the last month, trying to remember what they'd used to do together.

But that wasn't what they needed right now. They needed - or rather, Fitz needed - some space. But he also needed her.

She levitated them up, and Fitz barely had time to grasp what was happening before she Teleported them away to Calla's Panakes tree, where it was peaceful and quiet. Grady and Edaline didn't appear to be home, and she was fine that way.

She had Fitz by her side and everything was going to be alright. But Fitz looked disturbed and unsure of himself, unlike his usual.

"Fitz? Everything's okay, right? You're not... scared of me, are you?" Sophie whispered. She broke away from their hug, terrified. Maybe he was, and he didn't want to be alone with her.

"No! It isn't... no, it isn't that!" Fitz said hastily, and he reached for her again, his eyes as terrified as hers. She went back into the embrace, and she could feel Fitz trembling. In that moment, he needed her.

"It's about the Tribunal," Fitz said quietly. "I... I didn't want to be there, I didn't want to see the woman I used to love... my mother... turned nasty and being punished, but... I also asked for her to be punished. And that... That's wrong of me, isn't it? I'm as bad as her."

"No, you're not," Sophie whispered. "Please never think of yourself that way. You're way better than Della could ever be. What about me? I'm the one who tortured her until she almost became insane! And she would be insane if you hadn't stopped me. Her mind would have broke from the pain. You're the one who stopped me, Fitz. You showed her mercy."

"Edaline spurred me on," Fitz mumbled.

"Yes, but Edaline awakened the monster in me and made my Inflicting worse. And you did it anyway, because you knew your voice would snap me out of it," Sophie replied.

She didn't want to see him like that, weak and lost. She hugged him tighter, trying to give him some source of comfort. She didn't want to see him cry again. He also didn't tell her she wasn't a monster when she mentioned the torture she'd put Della through, and that alone was a red flag. He wasn't feeling like himself, and if Fitz was an Empath, he would be killed by her worry.

"I love you, okay, Fitz? And I'm always here for you." Sophie hugged him tighter. They both needed each other in that moment, and slowly, Fitz relaxed in her grip.

"Th... thank you, Sophie," he whispered. "I... I don't know how to thank you properly."

"You don't need to," she said simply. "This is what girlfriends do." She blushed as she said the g word.

But Fitz smiled at her, and it was like the day had just gotten brighter.