Reunited

Glimmers of morning light pierced through my closed eyelids, painting a warm, reddish glow across my vision. A groggy sigh escaped me as the intrusion jolted me awake. Twisting and turning, I tried to angle myself away from the unyielding artificial sun, longing for just a few more minutes of undisturbed rest. The blankets shifted, softly grazing my skin, and that simple sensation caused my heart to skip a beat. It felt so real, so tangible.

My eyes snapped open, and I sat up abruptly. The tent was silent. Felya and Orryn were conspicuously absent, and a sudden realization set in. I wasn't floating in the nebulous realm of dreams anymore; this was reality. My heart raced, and in a half-disbelieving, half-hopeful gesture, I pinched my leg. The sharp sting that followed was strangely exhilarating.

Without another second's hesitation, I threw the covers aside and leaped out of bed, my bare feet touching the ground with newfound purpose. Bursting out of the tent and into the world, I felt the eyes of the camp upon me. Activity halted as heads turned, faces mirrored my own shock and disbelief. They had grown so used to my unchanging state, my reappearance seemed nothing short of miraculous. The weight of their gazes, mixed with my own soaring emotions, painted a surreal morning canvas.

Driven by instinct, I navigated straight to where I knew Orryn would be. Faces turned and gazes followed, the crowd instinctively clearing a path as I moved forward. Their stares and whispers meant nothing; my singular focus was finding him. The surroundings seemed distant and indistinct, my world narrowed to the path ahead.

Pausing briefly at the entrance of the war room tent, I inhaled deeply, attempting to quell the storm of emotions whirling within me. I braced myself, knowing that the next few moments would be overwhelming. Gathering my resolve, I pushed through the entrance.

"Who dares to intrude without..." Orryn's voice trailed off as our eyes locked.

The tent went silent, every pair of eyes turning towards me. But their presence faded into the background. All I could focus on was Orryn. He rose from his seat, his face awash with a mix of shock and wonder.

"It's... it's you," he murmured, his voice so soft I almost missed it.

"It's me," I confirmed, a teary smile tugging at my lips. The weight of his exhaustion was evident, his usually tidy hair a mess, shadows casting deep under his eyes. The burdens he'd shouldered in my absence etched clearly on his face.

His eyes searched mine, seemingly attempting to piece together the reality before him. The usually confident, composed Orryn looked lost for words, and it made my heart ache. The distance between us felt both monumental and nonexistent.

"When did... How did..." He stammered, the weight of the moment catching in his throat.

I took a few steps closer, the distance closing as I reached out to him, allowing my fingers to gently cup his face, mimicking a gesture he had offered me countless times. The familiar roughness of his stubble under my palm made everything feel a little more real.

"Shh," I whispered, my thumb delicately brushing away the tear that had managed to escape his eye. "It doesn't matter how or when. What matters is, I'm here now."

Orryn's embrace felt like a lifeline, grounding me to a reality I was still adjusting to. The warmth of his body against mine, his heartbeat thrumming fast and close, was a tangible reminder of all that had transpired.

"I heard it all," I murmured, pulling slightly away so I could look into his eyes, yet my fingers were curled tightly into the fabric of his shirt, as if releasing it would mean releasing this moment. "Every word you uttered, every plea... I heard it all."

"And?" His voice was a vulnerable mix of hope and fear, emotions he rarely displayed.

Drawing a deep breath, I admitted, "I love you too."

A slightly mischievous gleam flashed in his eyes as he countered, "I never said that."

My lips curved into a knowing smile, "You didn't have to. Your actions, they said it for you."

"Is that you... Nadya?" A voice, laden with disbelief and wonder, pierced through our intimate moment.

The interruption of a voice, unfamiliar yet deeply resonant, pulled me away from Orryn's embrace. I turned slowly, heart pounding, as memories surged. Though the tent had mostly emptied, one man remained.

As I gazed at him in confusion, the realisation hit me like a ton of bricks. The face before me, though visibly aged and bearing scars I didn't recognize, was unmistakably that of a person I'd thought I'd lost. The broad shoulders, the stance, the eyes that once sparkled with mischief. But he was different, transformed by whatever he had been through.

"Malcolm?" My voice was barely above a whisper, a mix of hope and trepidation.

His eyes widened a fraction as he saw recognition dawn on my face. "You remember," he breathed, a note of relief in his voice.

"How could I forget?" I responded, my voice filled with raw emotions, my heart heavy with a mixture of relief, joy, and sadness. The last memory I had of him was from what felt like a lifetime ago, when everything changed. When we had been separated, our fates veered off on different paths, and for the longest time, I believed he was long gone, never to be seen again.

Without hesitation, we closed the distance, enveloping each other in a tight embrace. Memories of our shared past, of our desperate attempts to survive, and of the day we were torn apart swirled around us. Finally, after so long, we were reunited.