"Don't get your hopes up, alright?"
"But Kiran, she has to come! That bouquet means I'm destined to be happy!"
"I- I know… but, well, I can't summon any more after this one."
"It's alright… I know it'll be her…"
Katarina was dazed by a bright light. Her head was pounding- where was she? She was standing in front of some sort of stone altar. "Huh?", she stuttered out, eyes trying to focus on the scene. Two figures were in front of her, one moving closer at a rapid rate-
"Ah!" A sudden impact released a startled cry from her mouth. "H-huh?" Someone was wrapping their arms around her.
"I knew you'd come!" A familiar voice she thought she'd only hear again in dreams rang through the air. "Oh, I missed you!"
"Sharena?" Katarina's eyes were burning a bit. "Wh-what are you doing?" She wasn't attacking her, but why not? She'd betrayed her…
But, Sharena embraced her closer. "I'm hugging you, silly! I missed you so much!"
"You… missed me?", Katarina repeated. "But why?"
Sharena drew away, looking down sadly. "Are… you not the same Katarina from before? Do you not remember me?"
"N-no, I- I remember you…", Katarina mumbled. "I just…"
"I told you I didn't blame you, you know," Sharena insisted. "Did you not believe me?"
Katarina couldn't bear to meet her gaze. "Ah, well… I- I thought you would change your mind… That it was just one of those things you say in the moment because it sounds nice…"
A hand took her own. Everything felt warm and fluttery. Katarina forced herself to look up and into Sharena's teary eyes. "I meant it with all my heart, alright? I haven't stopped thinking of you ever since! I kept wondering why you hadn't come yet… Clarisse and Legion didn't know either, but they said you might not trust me or feel guilty or something."
"Th-they're here?" She'd wondered why she hadn't heard from her "family" in so long. "I- I'm sorry…"
"Why are you sorry?", Sharena asked. "They've been really helpful!"
Katarina shook her head. "I mean, I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I- I didn't mean to keep you waiting."
"You don't need to apologize," Sharena assured her. "You're here, after all! Fate's brought us together again, and I promise this time I'll protect you for real!"
It felt as if a dam burst within her heart. Katarina couldn't stop the tears and sobs from flowing out. Sharena hugged her once again, pulling her into her lap and rubbing circles on her back. "It's alright… you're safe now, okay? You won't ever have to do anything you don't want to ever again… I'm gonna take care of you, okay?"
"I- I should be the one p-protecting you!", Katarina choked out. "You're a princess… If you're offering me asylum, it's proper that in turn I offer my service!"
Sharena giggled. "I'm not offering you asylum! At least, not exactly…"
She blinked. "Pardon?" Her heart sunk a bit. "Oh… of course… My apologies, I didn't mean to assume…"
A cluster of dried flowers was shoved into her hands. It looked like a wedding bouquet, almost. "No, I mean, I'm not just giving you a place to stay," Sharena elaborated. "Fate brought us together again, so I refuse to lose you this time! I want you by my side forever!"
"You- you're asking me to be your retainer?", Katarina squeaked. "I- I couldn't! I'm a common criminal, I'm not qualified!"
"That's… not what I meant," Sharena muttered. "Uh, I mean, if that's what you want, go for it! We don't really have retainers or anything but if it makes you feel better to protect me or whatever, I'm cool with that! But, um, I- I was asking you to be with me, actually. Like, romantically."
Katarina was certain she'd misheard something. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. "E-Excuse me?"
Sharena's face fell. She refused to meet Katarina's faze and just stared idly down at the flowers. "Oh… yeah, sorry. I, um, I guess that sounds really silly, huh? I- I'm happy just to be your friend, though! As long as you're happy, so am I!"
"I just don't understand," Katarina whispered, breathless. "I- I'm not… why would you w-want…"
"Because you're wonderful," Sharena assured her. "Because it makes me sick to think of everything you've been through. Because I don't want you to ever have to be alone again. Because, well, I believe in true love."
"True… love?", Katarina repeated. "I… I never thought anyone would dare think to find that in me, let alone someone like you."
Sharena huffed. "Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm all stuck up! I'll love who I want to love, and I love you!"
"I- I love you too!", Katarina exclaimed, heart pounding. It was impulse, but it felt undeniably right. "You made me hesitate, you showed me there was another way to live my life. I… I haven't been back there since we fought, you know? Sure, Eremiya would have probably killed me, but I didn't want to go back. I… wanted things to be different. I wanted to be a person worthy of your trust. And I… I guess that's why it took me so long to get here. I didn't feel ready, and I still don't… but, I want to try. I want to stay with you."
A gentle pair of lips pressed against her cheek. Sharena was bright red when she pulled away. "Um, I- I'm sorry! I should have asked first, right?"
Katarina shook her head. "I- it's fine! So… wow, I never thought my life would take this path. The lover of a princess?"
Sharena giggled. "You can stop calling me that, okay? It doesn't matter at all that I'm a princess. I only wanna be Sharena to you, okay?"
She nodded, and hesitantly took Sharena's hand. Lacing their fingers together made her heart pound. "Sharena… my Sharena… I never thought I would be so lucky as to have someone as kind and sweet as you in my life, let alone holding my hand…"
"Well, I never thought I would find my soulmate on the battlefield!", Sharena exclaimed. "Or well, probably a bit quick to say soulmate. But, I know us meeting is destiny, and I know that I've never been so happy about anything as I am to see you again."
"Me neither… Ah, do you think perhaps we should get off the summoning altar?", Katarina asked. "It's a bit chilly…"
Sharena bolted to her feet. "Oh, of course! Sorry about that! Here, we can go sit in the foyer!" She pulled Katarina up and squeezed her hand.
They walked together in silence for a bit, reveling in the whole event. Katarina's whole life had turned around in an instant. She was adored by her princess- no, by her Sharena. She would be safe here, her loved ones were safe here, and she had a future all but assured. No more hits to carry out, no more going to bed hungry, no more constant fear of being found useless and killed…
"Um, hey, I- I have a question," Sharena eventually asked.
"Yes?"
"What do you want me to call you? You… said your real name is Reese, so…"
"I want you to call me Katarina," she said, an odd sense of relief coming with the words. "I want to put all that behind me. Reese was what I was called… well… in less happy times. Katarina is the name I want to go by now."
"Alrighty, Katarina!", Sharena trilled. "But… what if I want to call you sweetheart or cutie pie or something? Is that fine too?"
Katarina laughed, for the first time in Naga knows how long. "I like that too."