[This is Steampunk AU, to save the question.]
For about five years Egill Gunnersson had been working for Iara Marcia de Sousa who had been dating Gilbert Beilschmidt. Those long five years ago, Egill had been part of the military under the terms MIA. Some say, he still is considered missing in action. For the full story, he couldn't take the violence anymore and just walked out during a battle, struggling but with the help of people he returned home and found a gorgeous spot to sit and watch the sitting in. That spot being Iara's sitting tree and that is how they met. Iara was a tinker, someone who worked in a workshop. Gilbert, Iara's boyfriend was a Sky Pirate. Nothing changed between any of them. Egill moved in with Iara and moved his house to that property to help her seeing as she employed him, Iara continued dating Gilbert and Egill never did quite meet the pirate. Only saw him once in awhile. He preferred to stay away, he didn't want to see them together because in truth, even if it seemed like nothing had changed between them.. Egill had fallen for Iara even though he kept telling his emotions and mind not to for he knew they'd never be together.
This went on for five long years.. until Gilbert finally proposed to Iara who happily accepted. She had returned to her workshop later on, who informed Egill. Who wasn't quite happy about it.
"Egill! Guess what! Gil asked me to marry him," It was clear that she had been excited.
"Did you say yes..?" Egill asked her, it was clear that he wasn't that enthusiastic about it. Matter of fact, somewhere in his mind was hoping that she had said no even though that would have been selfish of him.
"I did, can't you believe it?" That was her response, that happy tone not leaving her voice.
"Congratulations. I have some news myself, i'm moving out," Egill actually didn't plan to move out until almost a couple seconds after he heard her answer to his question.. that she had agreed to marrying Gilbert. He knew he couldn't stay anyways, it'd hurt him too much to stay.
He listened to her questions of 'why?' and 'are you quitting?' but Egill answered none of them, only walked out back and into his home which he put on wheels when he first was there and secured everything inside before walking out and locking it up. Egill pushed past her a bit before attaching the home to the hook on the back of his truck before going to the drivers side and climbing in. Iara of course, following as if she wanted an answer to the questions. "I can't answer your questions but i'll let you know, I have always loved you," Egill answered, leaning over and giving her a small kiss on the lips before closing the door, starting the engine and driving off. Not once did he look into the rear view mirror. He couldn't bring himself too. He choked back any emotion he had, soldiers felt nothing. They weren't suppose to feel anything. They were suppose to listen to orders and do what they were told. But that was the problem.. Ever since he met Iara, he could feel emotion again. He had a life again. He had someone close to him again.
It was a long, tortuous drive until he got to his destination. Where they first met, Iara's thinking tree. He parked at the base of the tree, untied the home from the truck and that was that. She never did come to that tree since she found out he moved there.
"It is twenty years to that day," Egill told his nephew. Or at least that was who the boy was to him. He was younger, a boy from the city who loved to tell his stories and sometimes spending the night seeing as his parents were a bit abusive to him. Tonight, Egill was him the story of why he wasn't married, why he didn't have any children. Something for the boy to think about while he tried to fall asleep- a bedtime story. "But that doesn't explain why you're not married!" The boy whined and Egill just nodded in response to that. "Well you are right about that. You see, I could never bring myself to date someone since that. I know she is with another man but my heart still belongs to her, if I dated or even married someone else.. even though it sounds silly, i'd feel like i'd be cheating," Egill explained to him, getting up and tucking him in. "Have you had anyone else here since then?" The boy asked quietly as Egill headed for the bedroom door. "No," He answered before closing the door.
In the morning after the boy left back to the city, Egill was outside and sitting on the porch.
Still sitting and waiting like he did every morning ever since he moved there.
Waiting for her to visit, to finally come back- just for a conversation.
But like every morning, no one ever came.