Chapter Text
That morning would remain etched in his mind with fire, there would be nothing that could make him forget that birthday morning, while he held her letter as the only gift he would receive from her. It became impossible for him to ask himself if perhaps he had been lost in the communication they had, what part of "we will go together" had not reached port, what part had been lost and shipwrecked at sea? Had that been too much to ask? Was going together in itself too much? Doubts assaulted his head, they had arrived and they had started jumping one after another, as if it were a game of rope while he felt how his world was falling into darkness due to the abandonment of the young elf who had stolen his heart and left. He had taken it in the middle of the night, with only the moon as a witness to such a cruel robbery.
With Rayla now in his arms while she cried and he comforted her with calm words and whispers that for years he thought he would never say again, he asked himself, analyzing the situation, how had they come to this? What at the time, he, as an artist, had thought that their relationship would be the most beautiful masterpiece they could have had and built together, he wondered how it had come to be completely destroyed. He hugged her tighter at that reflection, because even though what was his could be falling apart, he had her, who was wrapped in his arms and it was something that years ago he never thought would happen.
When the elf's sobs ceased and silence enveloped them, Rayla confessed what she had kept for so long.
"I ran scared." She whispered almost inaudibly, but enough for Callum to hear her and his muscles to tense at her words. "The night I left, I ran away, I was afraid of what would happen to you if you came with me, if something would happen to you, I...oh Callum, I could never forgive myself, I had to go, Ezran needed you, and I couldn't stop thinking about if my nightmares came true and you..." Her voice broke, being unable to continue, because she still remembered it all too well.
Callum heard her words, as if they were a call to break him again after all those years, to break him like the silent promise they both made to each other under the cover of the night 3 years ago.
While they were still hugging, finding himself unable to let go, he felt the presence of that crumpled letter due to the times he had held it in his hands, that she had written to him and that was now found a few meters away from them, kept in a drawer. Because with that letter he remembered everything, Callum still remembered it all too well. But that only served to hug her tighter, as if he didn't want her to disappear or fade away and slip through his fingers.
They separated from the hug after a while, but Callum did not let go of Rayla's hands even when he guided her to sit on the sofa in his study, and after a long silence, he recited what someone had told him a long time ago:
"They say that when something ends something better comes." He said with his voice on a thread, too broken and too low to be a normal or comforting tone. "But I was through a hell of doubts and pain during these three years just by the idea that I had lost you Rayla, just the idea of thinking that I would never see you again made me want to die because I couldn't find meaning in anything without you, even if I forced myself to move forward, to continue, to attend all those parties, I always ended up crying just from the idea that you were not there or that you would never come back and not being able to live those experiences with you, not knowing if I would ever see you again, see your eyes or hear your jokes and sarcasm. After a while I understood why you left Rayla, but that didn't stop it from continuing to hurt me."
Tears were now streaming down both of their faces.
It was night and the moon was high again as Callum watched her with sadness sailing through his eyes, it reminded him of her. And today marked one year since her departure. He had spent the entire night there, on the terrace, watching the moon, thinking that no one would notice, but he couldn't have been more wrong.
He heard footsteps behind him, the footsteps of someone who had realized how long he had been there.
"Turning 16 is supposed to be fun.· His brother said without waiting for an answer, standing next to him. "Do you miss her?"
Silence. And a confession.
"Nothing is the same without her."
And even though he felt that time was not passing and he was still paralyzed in pain, with that 16th birthday it became a year anniversary of Rayla's departure.
They both looked at each other, and in the depths of both glances the desire to be what they were burned deeply, but no matter how much they wanted to, time had moved on and now they would have to rediscover what they had, if they could still save themselves and stop sounding like a sad song
"I'm so sorry Callum." Rayla said between silent sobs. "I shouldn't have left, I should have stayed and there is not a day that goes by since I came back that I regret, you were and are the best thing that has happened to me and I lost you because of my revenge and my fear..."
Callum squeezed her hands in a comforting way before extending an arm to invite her to come closer, the invitation was not denied and Rayla approached him resting her head on his shoulder while he put his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. so she could feel the heat that her body gave off and he caressed her to calm her down.
"It's okay Rayla, we don't have to do this now, we have time, I promise you." Callum whispered to her. Rayla who gave herself the freedom to smell the sweet aroma that Callum's old scarf gave off that reminded her of old times, that reminded her of the feeling of home that he had always produced in her and that she had never been able to get rid of, remembering him all too well.
There they were again, without having wanted to realize the moment of great feelings, just like when they had loved each other so much and before they had lost the only real thing they had both known. They were there and they remembered everything.
The night wind came through the window, letting them know that it was already too late, but neither of them cared, they both wanted to continue like this for longer, immersed in joint pain and in a comforting silence and contact, they were there and remembering everything.
Being there between sobs, they remembered everything. Between murmurs and whispers, between sad laughter and stolen glances, they remembered everything.
They may have both grown old and the pain was still there, but even though the skin and bones of their love had been broken, what they felt for each other was strong enough to become a soldier who came back after the blows, that their soulmates painted with sadness. Because that was what their love had become, a phoenix that was reborn with more strength and that never ended, that despite the pain knew how to find a way to become what it once was, despite the work that it did. would entail.
They both knew that the process was difficult, and that that letter and that escape had destroyed them both, but that did not mean that they could not rebuild together, as they had promised to do years ago.
Between them they remembered it too well and that was their help when they decided to walk the same path again, the memory of what happened and what they were, and the memory of what they promised to be.
They remembered each other too well.
With the wind in their hair, they remembered each other too well.
They had both been there, they were both there.
They remembered everything.
And one night far away, among the corridors of the Katolis castle, on the stairs that descend through the castle, the whispers and private laughter of the two young lovers were heard again, the murmured words that the walls of the castle thought would never be heard again. hear.
"I love you." Callum whispered after so long.
"I love you too Callum." Rayla whispered back.
They were both there.
They both remembered it all too well.
Because they were both there, together.
Because it was rare and they both remembered it all too well.