Mistborn #02 The Well of Ascension

Infatuation, perhaps? Either way, there are some of us who are far too quick to make martyrs of ourselves. We stand at the side, watching, thinking that we do the right thing by inaction. We fear pain—our own, or that of another."
    He squeezed her shoulder. "But. . .is that love? Is it love to assume for Elend that he has no place with you? Or, is it love to let him make his own decision in the matter?"
    "And if I'm wrong for him?" Vin asked.
    "You must love him enough to trust his wishes, even if you disagree with them. You must respect him—no matter how wrong you think he may be, no matter how poor you think his decisions, you must respect his desire to make them. Even if one of them includes loving you."
    Vin smiled slightly, but she still seemed troubled. "And. . ." she said very slowly, "if there is someone else? For me?"
    Ah. . ..
    She tensed immediately. "You mustn't tell Elend I said that."
    "I won't," Sazed promised. "Who is this other man?"
    Vin shrugged. "Just. . .someone more like myself. The kind of man I should be with."
    "Do you love him?"
    "He's strong," Vin said. "He makes me think of Kelsier."
    So there is another Mistborn , Sazed thought. In this matter, he knew he should remain unbiased. He didn't know enough about this second man to make a judgment—and Keepers were supposed to give information, but avoid specific advice.
    Sazed, however, had never been very good at following that rule. He didn't know this other Mistborn, true, but he did know Elend Venture. "Child," he said, "Elend is the best of men, and you have been so much happier since you've been with him."
    "But, he's really the first man I loved," Vin said quietly. "How do I know it's right? Shouldn't I pay more attention to the man who is a better match for me?"
    "I don't know, Lady Vin. I honestly don't know. I warned you of my ignorance in this area. But, can you really hope to find a better person than Lord Elend?"
    She sighed. "It's all so frustrating. I should be worrying about the city and the Deepness, not which man to spend my evenings with!"
    "It is hard to defend others when our own lives are in turmoil," Sazed said.
    "I just have to decide," Vin said, standing, walking over toward the window. "Thank you, Sazed. Thank you for listening. . .thank you for coming back to the city."
    Sazed nodded, smiling. Vin shot backward out the open window, shoving herself against some bit of metal. Sazed sighed, rubbing his eyes as he walked over to the room's door and pulled it open.
    Tindwyl stood outside, arms crossed. "I think I would feel more comfortable in this city," she said, "if I didn't know that our Mistborn had the volatile emotions of a teenage girl."
    "Lady Vin is more stable than you think," Sazed said.
    "Sazed, I've raised some fifteen daughters," Tindwyl said, entering the room. " No teenage girl is stable. Some are just better at hiding it than others."
    "Then, be glad she didn't hear you eavesdropping," Sazed said. "She is usually rather paranoid about such things."
    "Vin has a weak spot regarding Terris people," Tindwyl said with a wave of her hand. "We can likely thank you for that. She seems to give great value to your advice."
    "Such as it is."
    "I thought what you said was very wise, Sazed," Tindwyl said, sitting. "You would have made an excellent father."
    Sazed bowed his head in embarrassment, then moved over to sit down. "We should—"
    A knock came at the door.
    "Now what?" Tindwyl asked.
    "Did you not order us lunch?"
    Tindwyl shook her head. "I never even left the hallway."
    A second later, Elend poked his head into the room. "Sazed? Could I talk to you for a bit?"
    "Of course, Lord Elend," Sazed said, rising.
    "Great," Elend said, striding into the room. "Tindwyl, you are excused."
    She rolled her eyes, shooting an exasperated glance at Sazed, but stood and walked from the room.
    "Thank you," Elend said as she shut the door. "Please, sit," he said, waving to Sazed.
    Sazed did so, and Elend took a deep breath, standing with hands clasped behind his back. He had gone back to his white uniforms, and stood with a commanding posture despite his obvious frustration.
    Someone stole my friend the scholar away , Sazed thought, and left a king in his place . "I assume this is about Lady Vin, Lord Elend?"
    "Yes," Elend said, beginning to pace, gesturing with one hand as he spoke. "She doesn't make any sense, Sazed. I expect that—hell, I count on it. She's not just female, she's Vin . But, I'm left unsure how to