He doesn't look any different, but she knows he is.
Her throat had begun to swell with tears when she asked if he remembered her, but he was so far from her, and she realized he wasn't meeting her eyes. In that split second, she decided she wouldn't cry in front of him, no matter how many times she had done so before. She wouldn't tell him.
He resented her. He had only found memories of their fights. He hated her for her failure, hated her for forcing this impossible task upon him. The familiar self loathing enveloped her, not unlike the malice she drowned in for the past century.
She wished she could take the question back.
As it hung between them, and as his stoic features made no move to answer, she felt her cold mannerisms returning, lifting from her chest like armor. It didn't matter. He completed his part of the deal. Her father was dead, she could dismiss him on her own. And anyway, his life long vow to protect her had been paid.
He had died for her.
Maybe she felt her powers waning after 100 years of constant use, but would it matter? She wouldn't tell him. She didn't need constant protection anymore. Leaning her head back slightly, as if to keep the tears from escaping she opened her mouth to convey his dismissal. It would be quick. She wouldn't tell him, and then she would never have to see him again-
"I remember enough."
"What?"
He was walking closer now, though his eyes still did not meet hers. No, they were too busy scanning over her form. A wave of nostalgia washed over her, and she wondered if he knew he had done this a thousand times before. Every time he saw her in fact, after any time they spent apart. Even in the mornings, when all she had done was wake, his eyes would scan her head to toe, searching for injuries to tend, before meeting her gaze.
"I remember enough." he repeated, glancing into her face suddenly.
There was a warmth there. Perhaps even a blush on his cheeks, though it was difficult to know for sure, as his time alone in this new world had hardened him. Though, maybe softened him too? He didn't stand so strictly, and she couldn't remember him ever so casually coming into her space as he was now, as she allowed him to fully inspect her. She bit her tongue as he moved her limbs to and fro to see if there was any damage from her long battle.
The tears were full force now. She swallowed hard, trying to choke them back. He looked up from his task, with her arm out stretched in his hands, alarmed that he had hurt her. A teary laugh escaped her throat and she shook her head.
"You do." She confirmed, wiping fat tears from her cheeks, though they continued rebelliously.
Confusion clouded his eyes, but he beamed at her anyway.
As he led her to his horse, he spoke freely, chattering away as she had never heard before. She struggled to concentrate on his words. He had taken her hand in his so naturally and she found herself stunned at the contact.
When they reached the heart of what was once Castle Town, she found herself breaking away from him, stumbling towards the center. She felt his ever watchful gaze follow her as she wandered. But, surprisingly, she did not cry. After a few moments, a breath escaped her lips.
Her home had been in ruins for decades. It would be silly to cry now. She could not get into the habit of breaking down at every pile of rubble or beloved home dashed to infinity. As she turned back to her companion, she recognized the sheepish guilt on his face.
Right.
He remembered enough. Be thankful he even knows who you are. Do not let him feel anguish because he no longer connects to the things you do.
His hand reaches for her again, and she allows herself to be led away, out of Castle Town, away from her home, and into whatever the still day might bring.
Might leave this as a very short oneshot not sure yet! First time posting here, having trouble formatting! Thanks for reading!