The wind is cool upon Amelie's face as she walks slowly through Founder's Square, meandering almost. The last time she had the chance to do this is almost gone from her mind—almost. She doesn't have the ability to forget, no matter how hard she may try.

(And, oh, how she does want to forget.)

The last time she was here, the last time she felt this wind here upon her face, felt the soft touch of flower petals beneath her fingers, felt as though a part of her humanity remains, she was with him.

To say his name, even within her mind, is too painful. She knows that she was wrong to leave his metaphorical side after his death, knows that if she hadn't the heartache of the past few months would never have existed—but she couldn't resist the happiness that her one-time enemy brought her. Yet even thinking of this makes her feel guilty, makes her wonder why she ever moved on; she should have known that he would make her feel guilty.

Even when he was alive, even when he never saw her, he managed to do that.

A brief memory flickers through Amelie's mind as she stops upon the very spot where he kissed her, their lips joining for the briefest of moments in a time long ago, yet almost like yesterday in her mind. This is her punishment for attempting to leave behind the pain of the man who brought her so many different emotions: no matter how far she tries to distance herself from him, she can never manage it. He's always there.

And yet she refuses to say his name, refuses to even think it, because she has to be strong for her town, for her people—and he could destroy her. Just his name has that capability.

Yet she allows herself to imagine being held by the red-haired man, just for an instant, for whenever she does that, she swears she can feel his presence beside her. As she walks through the Square, it feels as though he's beside her, him with his red hair and easy gait, never walking ahead or behind—merely beside her.

That's where he's always belonged. It just took her too long to realise that.


I've been really busy recently, and this is the first thing that I've written in what seems like forever!

If you like enough to favourite, please review!