Death. It was inevitable. Nobody could avoid it. It was simply a part of life.

And Hector had gotten used to it. People died around him all the time. He hated it. He hated how everybody he cared for ended up dead. First it was his parents, then Leila, and then his brother. There were others, those who had worked for him, whose names would forever be etched in his mind. Kent, the loyal knight who had died for his Lady. The pirate, Dart, who had jumped in front of an arrow to protect the green-headed archer. The hopeful swordsman, Guy, who had burned to death.

But why, why did Death have to take her too? How? She was the always the tough one, the stubborn one, the one who refused to give up. How could Death have taken her too?

"Damn you!" Hector shouted at the blue sky as he shook an angry fist. Curse Mother Earth and Father Sky! They were supposed to protect those he loved, not take them! "What did I ever do to you?"

"Did a bird take a dump on you, Lord Hector?"

Hector twirled around. His eyes widened upon the sight of a green cloaked man, his raggedy hood pulled up to cover his face. He was standing quite still, as if he'd been there for a while. The two stared at each other. The wind whispered into Hector's ears, playing with his blue hair.

"What are you doing here?" Hector hissed, hands balling up into fists, eyebrows knotting.

"I came to pay my respects."

The man lowered his hood to reveal his rather plain face. He did not look Hector in the eye.

"You have no respect," Hector said in a low voice. "Not even for yourself."

The man smiled dryly and tilted his face so that his eyes met Hector's. He had, of course, considering the time they hadn't seen each other, aged. It still sent a jolt of shock through Hector at exactly how much he'd aged. He was younger than Hector, yet he looked a decade older. His eyes were hard and cold, as if they'd seen too much too quickly too young.

"Glad to see that you haven't changed at all."

Hector did not respond. He looked off in the distance for a moment, eyebrows knotted, before turning back to the cloaked man.

"I have changed greatly from the last time you saw me, Mark," he argued.

"Growing a beard doesn't really count. Or are you speaking of your daughter?"

"Do not talk about my daughter," Hector said, suddenly dangerous. "You have no right."

Mark did not respond immediately. "My apologies," he said. "I've always been so careless with my words, haven't I?" He paused, looking up in the sky. "Did she forgive me?"

Hector knew that Mark wasn't referring to Lilina when he said 'she'.

"Forgive you?" Hector boomed. "How could she have forgiven you if you never apologized?"

"It wouldn't have even made a difference," Mark murmured quietly. "She would've never spoken to me again, even if I did apologize."

Hector wanted to smack the tactician and tell him to leave, to never come back, to never show his face around here again. But he wouldn't. For her sake. He let out a shaky breath, trying to control himself. "Then you didn't know her as well as you think you did." Mark looked back at him. "And now it's too late to apologize." It hurt to say it. Too late.

Mark was silent for a moment as he stared at Hector, who had looked away. "L...She wouldn't have wanted you to have that kind of attitude."

"You can't even say her name," Hector spat in disgust.

"No. No, I can't."

"I can't believe you. What are you even doing here? You don't care for her, you never cared for her, or anyone! You're just that same old heartless jackass who only cares for himself."

Hector seemed to have crossed a line. Mark's eyes pierced alive, burning with rage.

"Insult me all you want, Lord Hector, I don't give a damn, but never, never accuse me of not caring for her. I cared for her more than I even cared about my own damned life."

"If you cared for Lyn so much, why the hell did you lie to her?" Hector roared. "You built up her hopes, made her wait and wait for you, while you pranced about Elibe! 'He's coming, I know he is', she'd say. 'He promised'. You left her, Mark. You left her."

"I broke my promise because I cared for her! Don't you understand? It was too dangerous for her to leave Ostia while she was pregnant so―"

"So you could've taken her before!" Hector shouted. "Don't give me excuses, tactician!"

Mark's nostrils flared. "Fine. Shout at me all you want. I promised. I broke my promise. But did you think, even for a second, that you could've taken her there? Just for a visit? I mean, you are her husband after all!"

"I had duties," Hector grumbled, "I would've but you said―"

Mark laughed scornfully. "Duties? Oh, right, I forgot! You're Marquess Ostia! You have to do this and that, make sure Ostia's thriving, blah blah blah. Oh, you seemed to have forgotten something, my liege! Your duties to your wife! Remember her?"

"I took good care of Lyn! Don't you dare accuse me of mistreating or forgetting my wife!" He strode up to Mark, his red cape flying in the wind.

"Too bad, because that's exactly what I'm doing!" Mark said in Hector's face, tip-toeing so they were face-to-face. Hector's face turned red from anger.

"You have no right!" Hector jabbed Mark in his scrawny chest. "I loved Lyn with all my heart and I did what I had to do! You were the one who promised to take her to Sacae, not me! You had all the time in the world. You promised. You could've came and taken her there after she had Lilina. If you gave a damn about her, you would've."

"Aren't you listening to me?" Mark screamed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I didn't take her because I cared about her, because I did give a damn!"

"That doesn't make any sense! If you cared for her, you would've wanted her to be happy. And for her to be happy, she should've went to Sacae!"

Mark let out a long sigh. He ran his fingers through his short and, Hector realized with wide eyes, graying hair. "That's the thing with you, Lord Hector. You don't see beyond the obvious." Hector said nothing. "Sacae has changed. It is not the same place she remembered it as. The Tavalier took over much of the plains. People were dying all the time. And the Tavalier only vanished because Bern has been advancing. I wanted her to remember Sacae as the way she grew up in it. Not how it is now."

There was a silence between the two men as Hector let Mark's words sink in.

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Hector asked quietly. "You could've explained. Or, if you didn't want to break it to Lyn, you could've just told me."

"Because you two were happy."

"No. Lyn missed the plains, and to see her like that...it hurt me, too. We weren't as happy as you think us to be."

"Too bad," Mark said harshly. "That's what happens when you're a Marquess and a Marquess's wife."

"...Yes, it does happen. Sometimes I wonder if she would've been better off with you," Hector murmured softly. Mark's face softened.

"I've thought that plenty of times. Even now, I sometimes thought it should've been me. Not you."

"She would've been happier if that had happened." Hector looked down at his calloused hands.

"I don't think so. As much as I wanted her, as much I wanted her to be mine, I knew she had to be with you. I'm not husband material. I'm no good for her. And..." Mark placed an arm on Hector's shoulder, and Hector looked up from his hands. "She loved you, Lord Hector. She loved you a lot."

"She cared for you too. Remember that."

Mark didn't respond. He looked up at the sky, then back down to Hector. "Where is she?" he whispered.

Hector took a step back and drew back his arm, gesturing to the tombstone ahead. Mark's face was unreadable as he strode up to the tombstone, kneeling by the grass where Lyn's body lay, layers of dirt and feet below. Hector looked away, and, after a stretched silence, Mark got up, and walked back the way he came.

Hector stared at the flying, raggedy green cloak that passed him. "You're leaving."

Mark stopped walking. He looked over his shoulder and gave Hector his infamous smirk.

"Of course. I have to keep on moving before the Bernese get to me, eh?"

Hector felt a small smirk tug at his lips. "What have you done this time?"

Mark shrugged. "I simply showed them how I felt about Bern's attempt to take over Sacae. The King isn't very pleased with me, you see, so I have to keep on moving so they don't track me down and find me." He turned and started to walk off again.

"Wait, Mark."

Mark stopped and looked at Hector questioningly.

"Thank you."

"For what?" Mark smiled, making his eyes crinkle and seem warmer. "I simply helped out a friend in his time of need."

"And if I need you again?"

Mark grinned, suddenly looking years and years younger. It was the grin he'd always worn when a battle was won, when there was a victory with no losses on their side. Hector himself felt young again, felt as if there was a long day of marching tomorrow.

"I'll find you. And I'm sure by that time, it won't only be your time of need—it'll be Lycia's."

And he turned and left, his worn out cloak flying behind him. Hector stared after him only a moment before looking at Lyn's tombstone. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw something by it, and stepped closer.

There was a single flower on the grass, sitting beside the chunk of stone that had Lyn's name on it. It was simple and white, Sacae's famous wildflower, but Hector knew there was more to it than meets the eye. He gently picked it up and eyed it carefully. On each white petal were little designs, intricate designs of swirls and shapes.

He remembered when Lyn had explained it to him when they were taking a walk about the castle premises. Simple and beautiful to the eye, but much more complex when taken a closer look at.

Just like her.

Hector smiled a true, genuine smile. He looked back toward the gates, where Mark had taken leave. He was no longer able to see the tactician, but it didn't matter.

He knew he would see Mark again. And the next time he saw him, he had a feeling he's see Lyn too.

So...how was it? I'm not so sure if I'm that good with the hurt/comfort, but I gave it a try. Your feedback would be great!

Happy reading!