The two hunters sat cross-legged on the floor, facing each other. The ship was dark except for the light of their ghosts, who rested on the ground next to their guardians. Shadows of the two guardians were cast crudely onto the curved walls of the ship, giving an ominous air to the main room. Amon continued to twiddle her thumbs, unsure of what to say next.
"I remember trying to get you to stop doing that. It makes you look unpoised; an unfavorable trait in diplomatic proceedings."
"How much do you remember?"
Looking away, he tried to hide the pain in his eyes.
"At this point, I believe I remember nearly everything. By that I mean the important things- I couldn't tell you what I ate for breakfast on a given day." Laughing nervously to himself, he shifted his eyes from her hands to her face. "You?"
"Only bits and pieces from that place, and one from right before my death."
"The Distributary." Telling her the name of their old home filled him with nostalgia.
"I have read about Guardians recovering small memories before, but to this extent? It should not be possible." Ghost stared at the two guardians, trying to comprehend the situation.
"Maybe it is because they are Awoken? Of the first Awoken, from the Yang Liwei." Pulled Pork didn't seem bothered by any of it.
"Perhaps." Humming, Uldren folded his arms across his chest.
"Tell me about myself."
"Are you sure you want to know? It isn't too late to forget about all of this." He did not want to forget about it but ultimately chose not to say as much.
"He's right, Guardian. Leave the past in the past." Hovering in front of her face, Ghost tried to reason with her.
"I want to know." She sat back on her hands and looked past him, waiting for Uldren to begin. Accepting her consent, he began to speak.
"I first met you while I was out shopping with Mara. You were trying to sell some gadget, a new weapon."
"I was a weaponsmith?" Cocking her head to the side, Amon considered the idea.
"Not quite You were just a brilliant tinkerer back then. Later on, I convinced you to study at the technical college. You graduated with honors and an excellent apprenticeship, going on to serve as a Eutech for the Sanguine until the Theodicy War."
"There was a war?"
"Yes. A story for another time." Looking into her eyes, she could see that he did not want to discuss the matter further.
"Okay. I won't ask about it again." She paused and looked at the floor, feeling awkward. "So when did we...you know."
"Become more than friends?" Eyes dancing with amusement, he watched a blush creep up her neck. "If my memory serves correct, you were smitten as soon as you saw me in combat. I, however, had always leaned more towards the other side of the fence, so to speak."
"You...preferred men?" Blush deepening, her eyes widened with understanding.
"For a very long time I was aromantic. On the rare occasion I did have a tryst it was always with other men and purely physical. Men were easier; they didn't get attached as often."
"So, you thought I was a creep."
"Of course not. You, Mara and I became inseparable within days of meeting. I had valued our friendship too much to hold your feelings against you. Besides, I was certain Mara had already called dibs."
"Queen Mara? She was interested in me?" Amon's mouth hung open and Uldren laughed at her shocked expression.
"Don't act so surprised. She pined after you until Sjur came into the picture. After that, she ditched the two of us in favor of her Paladin lover more often than not."
"What made you change your mind?"
"After spending less time around my sister, I finally grew up. I realized how much I cared about you, and that I enjoyed the person I became in your company. It's not like I hadn't wanted to fuck you from the day we met. I was just afraid of having more to lose."
"Uldren!" She buried her face in her hands.
"Please, woman. You were more than happy to let me once I finally offered."
"Don't call me that, asshole." She tried to sound angry but he could sense the smile tugging at her lips.
Uldren held out a hand and pat the space between them. Amon hesitated a moment before taking his hand and allowing herself to be pulled into his lap. She sat in the space between his thighs and he wrapped his limbs around her protectively, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"We used to sit like this all the time. I'd listen to you talk about your day and try not to think about your ass pressing against me." He laughed when she smacked him in the leg.
"Is that what you're thinking about right now?"
"It's only in the back of my mind. Right now I'm just trying to wrap my head around all of this."
"Me too." She traced patterns on his forearms as they sat in silence. Suddenly Ghost piped up.
"Guardian, ask him about the nightmare."
"What nightmare?" Uldren dipped his head down beside her and watched as he started playing with her fingers.
"I have this memory from right before I died. We are fighting about something and I leave to go to earth."
"What happens on earth?"
"I settle down in a small village. It is attacked in the middle of the night by a risen warlord." Her hands stopped moving and he felt her heartbeat quicken.
"Is that when you died?" Apprehension grew in his stomach when he felt her nod.
"They killed everyone. Men first, and then the children. They forced all of the women to watch it happen as they raped us. One of the risen was having his way with me and he slit my throat."
Swallowing a lump in his throat, Uldren wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. Her silver-blue eyes were watching an invisible trauma unfold- one that he had allowed to happen. He placed his hand over hers, rubbing circles into her palm with his thumb.
"I should never have let you leave. I'm sorry." Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes.
"Why did I leave?"
"We left the Distributary so that we could come back and help our ancestors. Help humanity. We arrived in the system and landed on Ceres. Mara immediately distrusted the Traveler and refused to let our people go back to earth. People began to freeze and starve to death as our inaction continued, and those who decided to leave were forbidden from coming back. You were so passionate about helping them, repaying our debt...you left, and I stayed with Mara. In the end, I was blinded by her attention, unable to see myself trapped within her claws. It had been that way since before the collapse, right up until the day you killed me."
Amon twisted around to look at him, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"All those times we interacted the past six years...did you know it was me?"
"Yes and no. Deep down I knew, but I had chosen to forget you long before you became 'The Guardian'." She settled back against his chest once more.
"Now what. Where do we go from here?"
"I don't know." Silence took over the room yet again. Uldren held her and wished he could start everything over. "What do you want to do?"
"Do you still love me?" She stared down at their hands.
"I don't think I ever really stopped. I doubt that I could." Deciding to be fully honest with her, he hoped for the same in return- regardless of what ended up happening as a result. "How do you feel?"
"I'm not sure. I don't have my memory to the extent you do, only small fragments. But...I think that I could. Eventually."
"That is good enough for me."
Pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder, he held her tight and she snuggled into his warmth. They eventually grew weary and moved to his sleeping pod, but stayed up talking for a while longer. He told her about the Distributary, their village, and the friends and family they had left behind. Still holding each other tight, they drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
They spent the next several days taking out the other Vex Transformers on Nessus and Mercury, handing over all the scraps to Osiris. He had dismissed them until he was able to finish repairing the Sundial- a few days to a week at most. Heading back to the Tower, they chatted over comms and prepared to report to the Vanguard about everything that had transpired.
It was late-afternoon when they arrived at the Tower. Securing their ships in the landing bay, they made their way through the wide passageways of the hangars, through the bustling and wide-open spaces of the courtyard, and at last they arrived in front of the thick metal doors of the Vanguard's headquarters. Amon glanced over at Uldren's mask, finding comfort in it despite being unable to see his expression. They paused for a moment outside and gripped one another's hands tightly to calm their nerves before releasing the hold and stepping side-by-side through the double-doors.
Inside the room Zavala, Ikora, and a male exo were having an intense conversation while huddled around the large metal table that claimed the center of the floor. All three looked up as they walked in, the Exo's bright blue eyes instantly catching Amon's.
"Welcome to the party." The Exo stared at her from under his hood with a single hand planted on his hip. "The newest Iron Lord graces us with her light!" He gestured dramatically in her direction.
"Shiro-4! Long time no see, brother." Amon smiled at the familiar Exo. "What's the occasion?"
"I could ask you the same, Lady light." Shiro looked Uldren up and down, sizing him up. "And who's is this? Surprised you managed to get 'er to give you the time of day." Shiro gave Uldren a thumbs up.
Amon cleared her throat and took a step forward. "This is Crow. He's a part of my fireteam now." Shiro-4 eyed him with suspicion, squinting his eyes as if to try and see past the other man's mask.
"Just who exactly-"
"Enough, Shiro. Quit wasting time." Ikora cut him off, removing her hands from the table and folding them behind her back, chin tilted in the air. Her brown eyes bore into the hunter before settling on Amon. "Forgive him. His new title seems to already be filling his head with grandiose notions."
"New title?" Amon glanced back and forth between Shiro and Ikora.
"That's right! You're in the presence of the new Hunter Vanguard, my lady." Shiro gave a slight bow.
"Temporarily." Ikora glared at the exo, who raised his hands defensively. "Anyways. Osiris contacted me and explained the situation. Unfortunately, you'll still have to file an official report. Anything else of note you can think to tell us?"
"Actually, Ikora, there is something else I'd like to discuss with you." Amon glanced nervously over at Uldren. "In private."
"Of course. Come, follow me." Ikora turned and strolled gracefully towards a red wooden door, holding it open to allow them to pass through. She snapped an arm out to stop Shiro-4 as he tried to follow his fellow hunters into the room. "Not now, Shiro. Leave!"
"Boring!" Shiro groaned and walked away from the door. Ikora pulled it closed, leaving them alone in her office.
"I apologize for the mess." Ikora looked at the scattering of books and artifacts with disdain. She nodded towards a small couch and sat across from it, hands folded in her lap. "Please, take a seat. What do you wish to speak about?"
Amon hesitated before answering. "Have you ever met a guardian that remembered their previous life?"
Ikora stood swiftly, moving to lock the door behind her before taking her seat once again.
"Not in a very long time. How much do you remember?"
"Not very much. However…" Amon trailed off, placing her hand on Uldren's knee.
"Crow, remove your helmet. You do not need to hide your identity here."
He obeyed, removing the armor and placing it on the floor by his feet. He met Ikora's eyes.
"I first met you before the Reef Wars. You were arguing with a bartender at a popular tavern, threatening to kill him and his hatchlings if he did not agree to teach you Eliksni."
"Das dis, dre sook has se." Ikora cursed under her breath in the Fallen's language.
"Shes e zes go ta ban." Uldren smirked at the Warlock.
"Okay, so you have your memories. I sense that there is something significant about that." The vanguard tapped her foot impatiently.
"We knew each other." Amon squeezed his thigh and he placed a hand over hers reassuringly. "Intimately. I was was close with Mara as well."
"She was a highly renowned Eutech in the Distributary."
"The Distributary?" A barrage of questions swirled behind the warlock's eyes.
Amon nodded and began telling Ikora what they knew, allowing Uldren to fill in the details when necessary. She listened intently, furiously scribbling down notes on a pad of parchment papers.
"I believe that my past knowledge and the use of my crows can aid the Vanguard immensely, should you allow it."
"I agree. However, I will need to discuss this with Zavala and possibly the consensus." Ikora rubbed her chin in thought. "I am grateful for your honesty. If you don't mind, I would like to meet soon with each of you individually- in the presence of one of my Gensym scribes- to run some tests and gather information."
"Of course." Amon was not keen on the idea, but did not wish to press her luck. Ikora stood and unlocked the door. The three guardians stepped back into the main room. Zavala was pouring over reports while Shiro-4 leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling in abject boredom, idly fidgeting with a knife. He jumped up upon seeing Amon.
"You guys done sharing secrets?" He let the knife clatter onto the concrete floor. Ikora winced and scowled at him when she heard the noise.
"They've had a long week and are going to turn in for the night." Ikora glared at Shiro before turning to face Amon and Uldren. "Guardian, Crow- good work. The Vanguard commends your effort. You are dismissed."
Amon grabbed Uldren's arm, hurrying him out of the building and towards her apartment.