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The morning sun streamed through the window onto Cinder's face. It glowed on her face and her silk dress. She looked beautiful when no one saw her.
Except Neo saw her. Every day. She saw the moments of Cinder's beauty for what they were; unfiltered, untouched, undeniable moments of pure beauty that could only be for her.
For once Cinder slept in peace. Her one remaining arm on her chest, her long hair spread out on the pillow.
Neo smiled. She leaned over and kissed her wife's soft lips. Cinder smiled and opened her eyes. They kissed again.
They lay in bed together for a while, taking each other in.
Cinder rolled out of the bed, kissing Neo again. She smiled. A smile so pure, filled with love and safety, rather than hatred and malice. The past was long behind them.
Cinder moved around the kitchen so gracefully, as if she was only moving for Neo's eyes. She sat down on the bed again, hairbrush in hand. Neo took in from her, gently brushing Cinder's hair. Neo felt her relax at her touch. Years ago, that would have been a distant dream. Oh, how far they'd come. How different they were. But still, somehow, the same girls who had fallen in love with each other amidst war and destruction. Now they had settled in peace, letting the past go.
Cinder left for the village after that. They lived remotely enough that no one would recognise the sins of their past. She left wearing a hat and sundress, and she looked happy. Every time Neo looked at her simile or heard her laugh she fell deeper in love, as if that were not already possible. Love that could only be compared to that of the love between the sun and the earth, the moon and tide, or the wind and seeds of the next year. They loved as nature did, pure as fresh water, and complex as the roots under the earth.
Neo waited during the day. She collected water, wood, berries. She dressed and brushed her own hair, preparing for the return of her beloved.
When Cinder did return, the sun had begun to set. She began to unpack her basket, but Neo pulled her outside, down by the lake.
They fell into each other, stumbling into a dance. They danced to the music of the nature around them, letting the other guide their moves.
They danced until they were only guided by the moon, love pouring out of every pore, feeling it on every nerve.
They fell asleep in each other's arms that night. Nothing could tear them apart now. No pain of past betrayal, no burning responsibilities, no forced guilt, nothing. The only thing they could ever need was already there. It always had been. They had just been blinded by hatred. But that was over now. It was all over. And they had survived, and they had survived with each other.