Her heart may not flutter at the mere thought of his name, but it will always remember that it used to.
Sometimes, Farid would come and visit (like today), and he and Meggie would take a walk by moonlight, talking and catching up. They might not be in love anymore, but they had too much history to not enjoy each other's presence.
As Farid told wonderful stories about his journeys, filled with fire and bravery, Meggie's thoughts wandered to his old master. Dustfinger had finally settled down to a peaceful life with Roxane and Brianna, after a few years of slowly losing interest in the game of fire. But his protégé still lived on, breathing the fire for him. Fire-tamer, they called him, reminiscent of his old master, yet still his own. Farid had almost burst with pride after hearing the name for the first time. And now, he was looking more like Dustfinger with every passing day. Fire seemed to live in him, with sparks crackling in his hair and grass smoldering with every step he took. Jink perched on his shoulder just like Gwin still did on Dustfinger, and even his expressions seemed to be copied from his master.
But Meggie couldn't help but think about the one thing that made Farid different from Dustfinger. Farid didn't have someone to worry about, to bring him home after a long day of fire-dancing. Farid didn't have a woman who he loved and ultimately went home to. Farid didn't have a Roxane.
Meggie used to want to be his Roxane.
"I loved you." The words slipped out of her thoughts before she could stop them. It was slightly accusing, but it was just because of the words she spoke. The way she said them was almost indifferent, because it was all in the past and she was deliriously happy with Doria. And by the way she sometimes saw Farid chase after minstrel women when she visited him, it seemed that he had moved on too.
He didn't look at her. "I know," he sighed. Of course he knew. He knew that when Meggie had taken her heart from Farid and given it to Doria, it wasn't an easy exchange. A piece had broken off, and Farid would keep it forever. Meggie loved Doria with all of her available heart, but there was one part that she had no control over. That part was a part of her yet separate, and when her heart refused to beat erratically at the sight of Farid, the small piece he held ached and reminded her of how it used to be.
The heart in Doria's hands had accepted the fact that it couldn't stop loving Farid. But it changed into a love that was indescribable. The two parts of her heart were content with this agreement, because while her love wasn't romantic, it was still love. It was a Mo-kind of love, and a Resa-kind of love, and even a bit of Doria-kind of love, but only because of that small part that wouldn't let the memories go.
Yes, she could love two boys with one heart.