Work Text:
She isn’t your soul mate.
Commanders never have soul mates. Your spirit has walked alone for generations. Your duty is to protect your clan, nothing more. ‘Married to your work,’ Clarke called you.
Costia wasn’t your soul mate either. You bury that thought far away.
They say that when you see your soul mate, you know. Something changes. Old souls in new bodies, parts of a cycle as ancient as anything you know. Part of you thinks it’s beautiful.
Love is weakness, and she isn’t your soul mate.
You name her other things, brave, a good leader, a warrior. A friend. You protect her because you need the Sky People on your side, because you need an ally you can trust in battle. You save her life that night because her successor may not be so easy to work with.
You label your feelings respect and hide them deep inside you.
Maybe if you repeat the lie enough, you’ll start to believe it.