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“Do you think we will fall in love in the next life?”
Rose-colored eyes lifted from the grass surrounding them. “I’ve never doubted it. Why do you ask, Selene?”
A mass of starlight shook as she lifted her head and her hair, unbound, flew about her face. The Seat of Azem was known as Selene to her friends and family, and the man beside her. “I’m surprised by your confidence, my shepherd.”
“And you, my goddess, are trying to avoid the question,” he replied, sitting up and sifting grass out of his soft black hair. “Why are you asking about the next life, when we are enjoying this one?”
“Mayhaps I want to keep you forever, no matter who I am,” she teased. Her fingers entwined with his, and he kissed them. “My work as the Traveler puts me in danger frequently, so I have had my return to the star and the lives that follow on my mind.”
Her beloved smiled, his pink eyes softening. “I can’t imagine that any part of me would ever be anything less than yours.”
“You’re so sweet.” Selene laughed, but the blush on her cheeks showed just how touched she was. “What will I do? You’ll only inflate my ego.”
“Who, me? Not at all! I only speak the truth. No matter which life I live, I will always be yours. Your friend, your companion, your lover. Yours.”
Selene embraced him then, starlight tangling with the black of night, kissing him fervently.
The promise was engraved on his very soul, as it shattered into fourteen pieces. Her own soul was equally shattered, their love torn apart, but eventually they were able to reunite. Sometimes their lives were simple, but sometimes…
A sworn protector and his princess, a sword and shield fighting evil despite the fact they were hardly more than children themselves.
The chosen one and his best friend, trying not to die in a war of black magic.
A singer, whose melodic voice had a magic all of its own, trying to go home with the one she loved.
A vestal, the last vestal, not knowing who to trust except for a miraculous shepherd, who said, “You are my light, my ray of hope!”
The summoner and all of her guardians, but one of them…
“Let’s go to my home, when all of this is over. There’s so much for me to show you, and you’ll deserve it after all of this!”
“I want to go. Take me there!”
Except they never would, for he would sacrifice himself for her, and their world died in the next Umbral Calamity.
All the pieces of their souls sought one another, reaching across time, wanting to fill the space they knew was missing something. A desire that was felt on the Source with greater intensity every time an Umbral Calamity passed and they unwittingly were reunited with pieces of themselves. They could be happy on their own, but there was just something…
The day she met G’raha Tia, Moonflower’s heart skipped a beat. He was cute, with red hair and heterochromatic eyes of scarlet and teal. He was eager about everything, from meeting her to starting the expedition to studying the various artifacts they’d find inside. His voice was beautiful, especially when he sang, and he sang almost every night NOAH had dinner together. He was also incredibly intelligent and had an astounding memory.
Her green eyes were what attracted him, for his part. They were full of life and joy, although he could not know how much more they were, once upon a time millenia ago. Her cheerful smile accentuated them, making her dazzling. G’raha loved how Moonflower was happy to help, always ready to lend a hand or an ear if one should need something to be done. She thrived off her curiosity and was never too afraid to try something new.
They were drawn together and torn apart, then drawn together again. And when the dust settled, Moonflower knew that she had met her match, the missing piece of her life among all her friends, and G’raha knew he’d come home, the place he belonged.
They sat beneath a tree in Mor Dhona, days after the Scions were saved and he awoke again in the Crystal Tower. G’raha held his harp, strumming it absently as he cherished his beloved instrument again. Moonflower listened and enjoyed the breeze that rustled her hair and clothes, a book of fairytales on her lap.
“Do you think we will fall in love in the next life?”
G’raha almost hadn’t heard her, but when he realized what she was asking, he stopped playing. “Why do you ask?”
“We’ve had an awful lot of close encounters, my sun. It’s made me think about the lifestream and my next life. Also, knowing that there are other pieces of my soul out there…”
“Ah.” He nodded, understanding her point. “Well… we can’t know for sure what the future will be like, but as for me… I can’t imagine that the next version of me wouldn’t be able to find the next version of you. That is, if we are released from the lifestream at the same time. It might take a while to meet again… but I know, somehow, in my heart, that I am yours. Always. Then, now, and in the next.”
“Why did you give up being a bard?” she asked, in what would be a non-sequitur if it weren’t for her dazed expression and deep blush. “You say the most romantic things!”
“Only for you,” he teased, leaning against her. “If I were a bard, then everyone else would have to hear me.”
“Well, I can’t have that,” she agreed, tugging on his scarf to pull him down for a kiss. “I feel the same, you know. That I’m yours. Forever.”
It was his turn to be overwhelmed by her declarations. Forever was not really a word that miqo’te used, given how their societies worked. His harp was set aside as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her against the tree.
Names and faces faded in history, but the soul knew its match.