Work Text:
Only the rustle of the leaves beneath me can be heard. I’m far—so far I can barely make out your shape. Is it even you, I wonder? I sharpen my eyes, draw closer, just slightly, just an inch, and—
I wake up. Grasping for air as always. It’s as if reaching for you severs my connection with the fade. It’s been seven years since I last saw you. I wonder—can one live off a single moment? Can one love a single moment? Can one moment last a lifetime?
Some days are kind. The sun comes out and warms my face, and I smile. Sometimes the bread rises just right in the oven, filling my stomach with comfort. The mead is sweet, and for a while, nothing clouds my mind but joy. On those days, I cling to laughter, to the glow of the fireplace, to the scent of flowers, to the quiet company of friends, to the stars that shine and bathe my skin in silver.
On those days, your memory feels gentle. I remember your smile, your warmth, your touch—and those words. You always knew what to say to make me feel loved, to make me feel seen.
But some days are grey, and the world grows cold. Then your image cuts through me like a blade. The way you left—the final brush of your fingertips, your eyes… your eyes. They were so sad. That look, I can never forget.
I no longer know which part of you is real and which part my mind has conjured just to make it through the night.
All I know is I wish you hadn’t left.
All I know is I wish you had chosen me. Chosen us.
This love endures, Solas.
I kept my promise.
