The first life he remembers, she was a child, running and playing with him and his siblings, laughing and enjoying herself, her smiles given freely, no burden on anyone. He had frowned back, always. In his discomfort, he, the Lord's son, had demanded the pastor's daughter work in the family library instead of her, ignoring her hurt eyes. She had moved then, to work for her oldest sister's family and had gotten married to some local lad. He had seen her around a time or two, his heart acknowledging her presence by stopping and curtsying. As he moved through life like a ghost, she soon became one, a victim of the life of hardship he felt he condemned her to. He followed her to the grave, but found no solace.
The next life their roles were reversed, she lived the higher life, but in isolation. He was free to be the vagabond he wanted to be, she was held in her glass palace. He followed his pursuits, she just existed. He held her hand once, helping her descend the carriage, his eyes twinkling, hers demurred, ignoring him and thus protecting the poor servant from his master's wrath. She had been ready to escape, looking at him as a means to breathe free air, ready to suffer for that freedom. But he had balked, refusing to even consider. She had eventually gotten lost in oceans of silk and velvet, yearning for a feel of simple threads that would've bound them together.
This life they were equals, he was overwhelming, she was superior in quieter ways. He bulldozed his way, she picked her path through the shards left behind. He didn't realise she was picking pieces of him along the way, slowly having more of him than the sum of his parts. He tried to keep her away, pushed her away, finally turning to her in desperation. As always, she was his saviour. And just as always, he was too late. For everything. And now he was ready to pay the ultimate price, for a vow he made.
Till he thought he saw a faint glimmer of hope, thinner than a thread on the spider's web. He grabbed it, and made a promise. Took that final step that covered the distance of multiple lifetimes. When she smiled at him, he knew the journey had just begun.