Mistborn #02 The Well of Ascension

react. One minute she seems warm to me—like we were before this mess hit the city—and the next minute she's distant and stiff."
    "Perhaps she's just confused herself."
    "Perhaps," Elend agreed. "But shouldn't at least one of us know what is going on in our relationship? Honestly, Saze, sometimes I just think we're too different to be together."
    Sazed smiled. "Oh, I don't know about that, Lord Elend. You may be surprised at how similarly the two of you think."
    "I doubt that," Elend said, continuing to pace. "She's Mistborn; I'm just a regular man. She grew up on the streets; I grew up in a mansion. She is wily and clever; I'm book-learned."
    "She is extremely competent, and so are you," Sazed said. "She was oppressed by her brother, you by your father. Both of you hated the Final Empire, and fought it. And both of you think far too much about what should be, rather than what is."
    Elend paused, looking at Sazed. "What does that mean?"
    "It means that I think you two are right for each other," Sazed said. "I am not supposed to make such judgments, and truly, this is just the opinion of a man who hasn't seen much of you two in the last few months. But, I believe it to be true."
    "And our differences?" Elend asked.
    "At first glance, the key and the lock it fits may seem very different," Sazed said. "Different in shape, different in function, different in design. The man who looks at them without knowledge of their true nature might think them opposites, for one is meant to open, and the other to keep closed. Yet, upon closer examination, he might see that without one, the other becomes useless. The wise man then sees that both lock and key were created for the same purpose."
    Elend smiled. "You need to write a book sometime, Sazed. That's as profound as anything I've read."
    Sazed flushed, but glanced at the stack of papers on the desktop. Would they be his legacy? He wasn't certain if they were profound, but they did represent the most cohesive attempt that he'd ever made at writing something original. True, most of the sheets contained quotes or references, but a great deal of the text also included his thoughts and annotations.
    "So," Elend said, "what should I do?"
    "About Lady Vin?" Sazed asked. "I would suggest simply giving her—and yourself—a little more time."
    "Time is at a premium these days, Saze."
    "When is it not?"
    "When your city isn't besieged by two armies," Elend said, "one of them led by a megalomaniac tyrant, the other by a reckless fool."
    "Yes," Sazed said slowly. "Yes, I think you may be right. I should return to my studies."
    Elend frowned. "What are you working on, anyway?"
    "Something that has little relevance to your current problem, I fear," Sazed said. "Tindwyl and I are collecting and compiling references about the Deepness and the Hero of Ages."
    "The Deepness. . .Vin mentioned it, too. You really think it might return?"
    "I think it has returned, Lord Elend," Sazed said. "It never left, really. I believe the Deepness was —is— the mists."
    "But, why. . ." Elend said, then held up a hand. "I'll read your conclusions when you have finished. I can't afford to get sidetracked right now. Thank you, Sazed, for your advice."
    Yes, a king indeed , Sazed thought.
    "Tindwyl," Elend said, "you may come back in now. Sazed, good day." Elend turned toward the door, and it cracked open slowly. Tindwyl strode in, hiding her embarrassment.
    "How did you know I was out there?" she asked.
    "I guessed," Elend said. "You're as bad as Vin. Anyway, good day, both of you."
    Tindwyl frowned as he left; then she glanced at Sazed.
    "You really did do a fine job with him," Sazed said.
    "Too fine a job," Tindwyl said, sitting. "I actually think that if the people had let him remain in command, he might have found a way to save the city. Come, we must return to work—this time, I actually did send someone for lunch, so we should get as much done as possible before it arrives."
    Sazed nodded, seating himself and picking up his pen. Yet, he found it difficult to focus on his work. His mind kept returning to Vin and Elend. He wasn't certain why it was so important to him that they make their relationship work. Perhaps it was simply because they were both friends of his, and he wished to see them happy.
    Or perhaps there was something else. Those two were the best Luthadel had to offer. The most powerful Mistborn of the skaa underground, and the most noble leader of the aristocratic culture. They needed each