Nice to see you again

[Seren]

The early morning sun filtered through the trees to dapple the forest floor with splashes of light and a solitary figure walked almost noiselessly through the wooded area. The only sound being the soft crunching of the leaves beneath her feet. Seren had come out alone that morning, it was early and many of the villagers were only just starting to get out of bed, it wasn’t unusual for her to leave her bed before the rest of her family had risen. If she waited until everyone was awake her father would probably want her to take a companion with her in case she came across something that could pose a threat to her, but that was not what she wanted. She enjoyed walking alone, it helped her to clear her head, to think without being interrupted and besides, she had her sword and was more than capable of defending herself if she needed to. She wasn’t a child and she didn’t appreciate her father treating her as if she was one.

She was tired of always having to prove herself, she was a good warrior and yet everyday seemed like just another battle to show everyone that she was worthy of her rank as a warrior. She’d fought in her fair share of battles, she’d killed enemies of her clan and defended those who could no longer defend themselves and yet somehow she still felt as if she hadn’t proved herself to some of the members of her clan. Her father still watched her as if he expected her to slip up, disobey orders like she had done once before. It had been two years since she’d disobeyed her mentor’s orders to remain in the village and instead ventured out in search of Sae when she’d heard that her lover had been taken by the mountain. Two years and despite everything that she had done since then, that was the thing that everyone remembered. She was now known to everyone as a warrior who would disobey her superior if she thought that somebody she cared for was in danger, it was not a highly sought after trait in a warrior who needed to be able to obey orders whilst in battle where death was inevitable.

Suddenly Seren came to a halt as she heard a rustling in the undergrowth ahead of her; she reached for her sword and slowly took it from its sheath. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as her gaze darted around as she sought out whatever had made the sound. It could’ve been anything, the wind or a member of her own clan however she couldn’t take any chances. Especially as she was on her own, deciding to determine whether or not it was a member of Trikru she decided to call out, if it was a Trikru villager then they would feel no need to hide and would reveal themselves to her anyway. “Who’s there?” she called, taking a cautious step forward with her sword held out in front of her in case whatever or whoever was hiding from her decided to confront her.

Sae

[Sae]

Fresh air... it was so good to feel it again on her face after spending two years locked in some cage. But Sae couldn't take the time to enjoy the breeze in her hair, she had to go as far as possible from the mountain and she should hurry because some mountain men had probably already put their combination to run after her, her escape being not unnoticed since she had to fight against some guards to make her way out. She couldn't let them caught her once again so she kept moving forward even if her strengths were limited but she had survived during two years and the only reason for that was Seren, the idea of seeing her again was the only thing that kept her alive.

Sae was still running when she fell heavily on the ground after catching her feet on a root and she rolled in some brushwoods which made enough noise to alert someone who would be near and as she wasn't armed, she couldn't defend herself if someone attacked her so she stayed quiet and motionless till she heard a familiar voice "Who's there?", Sae would have recognized this voice among thousands and she was so happy to hear Seren's voice again. "I don't think you will have to use your sword..." she said as she knew Seren was probably on her guard, her sword in her hands, ready to defend herself. Then, Sae tried to stand up because all she wanted to do right now was running into Seren's arms but apparently she had twisted her ankle when she fell so she couldn't stand.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

The warrior took another cautious step forward, her grip tightening around her sword as she prepared to fight whatever was lurking in the foliage, however before she had a chance to launch an attack a voice broke the silence ‘I don’t think you will have to use your sword’. That voice, she hadn’t heard it for so long, it was like a distant memory that was locked away inside her mind. It was the voice that she’d yearned to hear every day for the past two years, if only just for a second. She heard the dull thud as her sword slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground. This couldn’t be real, Sae was dead… She’d been taken by the mountain, nobody ever returned once they were taken and yet now she could hear her voice as clear as day in her ears. It made Seren wonder if she was hallucinating, or maybe she was dreaming, it wouldn’t be the first time that she’d dreamt about her lost love.

Sae was somewhere just up ahead, she didn’t know if this was real or not but she was certain of that and like in every dream that had come to her before she found herself stumbling forwards, unable to restrain herself and walk away like she should if she wanted to spare herself the heartache. Coming to the area where she’d heard her lovers’ voice, she brushed aside the branches and found herself staring at the girl whom she’d fallen in love with at the age of sixteen. There was something different about Sae though, in all of Seren’s previous dreams about her, she remained unchanged, a frozen picture of how she’d looked the last time the couple had been together. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the young woman that she thought she’d never see again and she felt her legs buckle as she collapsed to the ground beside her and instantly her hands reached for her, her hands brushing softly at her face as she rubbed at the streaks of mud that was on her skin.

“You’re dead…” were the first words that left her mouth as her hands cupped her lovers face and she felt the familiar sting in her eyes as tears sprang up and threatened to spill down her cheeks. Sae wasn’t as she remembered, she was older and she looked weak, weaker than Seren had ever seen her before. She was supposed to be dead and yet she sat in front of her and Seren could feel her hands shaking as she fought to control her emotions. “You’re supposed to be dead” she corrected herself as she swallowed the lump that was in her throat “But you’re here… How?” the words came out choked and barely audible as the young woman’s gaze swept over the woman’s body in concern at her weakened state.

Sae

[Sae]

The fact that she couldn't stand up annoyed Sae, she needed to show Seren that hearing her voice wasn't an auditory hallucination, that she was alive because if Seren thought that it was a dream or a hallucination maybe she won't come here and Sae needed her to come, not only because she couldn't walk but also and above because she needed to see her again. So when she suddenly heard the sound of a sword falling on the ground and then quick steps coming in her direction, a smile sketched on Sae's face and tears of joy came to her eyes.

When the branches had been brushed aside and she saw Seren who was as beautiful as she remembered, Sae couldn't hold back her tears anymore, she had waited this moment during two years and now they were together at last and it was so good. The way Seren stared at her made Sae sure that she had understood that it wasn't a dream and she was in shock which was understandable, who wouldn't be shocked to see someone he thought was dead ? When Seren collapsed beside her and she gently put her hands on her cheeks, Sae closed her eyes and smiled, she had forgotten how good it was to feel her hands on her skin.

Sae opened her eyes again at Seren first words "You're dead...", her eyes locked onto her lover's ones and she let her hands reached for Seren as if she wanted to prove her that she was wrong, that all of this was real. As Seren corrected herself and asked her how it was possible, Sae answered "I should be dead for a long time but I couldn't die without seeing you again... You gave me the strength to fight to survive." and she let her lips get closer to Seren's and she kissed her like she wanted to since two years.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

“I tried to find you” Seren choked out the words, her eyes glistening with unshed tears as she looked at the frail looking girl in front of her “but I couldn’t find you… They said that you were dead and for a long time I didn’t believe them, I couldn’t believe them” she explained, running her hands down from the girls face, to her shoulders and then along her arms as if she was trying to familiarise herself with Sae’s body once again. They’d spent two years apart and Seren never wanted to be without her again, the years that she’d been without her had been hell. The not knowing had been the worst part of it, not knowing for sure whether Sae was dead or alive, she could only assume that the mountain men had killed her. Moving on had been the hardest part, it had felt like a betrayal when she’d taken her father’s advice and tried to forget about the pain in her heart in order to try to fulfil her duties to her clan but ultimately it had helped her to process her loss. Only dwelling on her happier memories with Sae had helped her to tackle each day and now, against all odds, Sae had come back to her.

She couldn’t help but smile as Sae spoke of how she was the reason that she was still alive, the fact that she’d been thinking of her despite the life threatening circumstances that she was in warmed her heart. “I’m glad that you fought” Seren told her firmly as she brought a hand up to wipe away the tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. “I can’t think of anything worse than living the rest of my life without you” the dangers that they faced every day were extreme and they were sure to be confronted by even greater challenges but at that moment Seren didn’t care about any of that, all that mattered now was that Sae was alive.

As she felt Sae’s lips on hers, she softly kissed her back and she hated herself for shaking but she couldn’t stop the tremors that passed through her body as she pulled away. She wanted nothing more than to be able to kiss Sae and to forget about everything else but she couldn’t do that. “Are you hurt?” she asked her lover, concern shining in her eyes as she noted that Sae hadn’t risen from the ground yet and the thought of her being hurt terrified Seren. She didn’t know what the mountain men had done to her whilst she’d been their prisoner but she didn’t think it could be anything good and the thought of them hurting her angered her more than anything else.

Sae

[Sae]

Sae was happy that Seren didn't find her because the only way to do that would have been to be taken by the mountain too and Sae would have never wanted Seren to suffer as she had suffered. "They said that because they don't know me, I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily... And as you're the one who knows me better than anyone else, you couldn't believe them but time made you change your mind like it would have done to anybody..." Sae told her when Seren explained that they said that she was dead. Feeling Seren's hands on her skin was such a nice sensation that Sae wondered how she could have forgotten that, maybe it was too usual to be noticed in everyday life but after two years of separation it was magic. "I'm so sorry to have been away for so long..." Sae wished she had an opportunity to escape sooner but unfortunately she didn't.

As she saw Seren was smiling, Sae smiled at her in return and she said that she was happy that Sae fought, the latter one answered "Me too... I missed you so much..." and she noticed that Seren was crying which was rare because she was strong and brave but this was too much, nobody would be able not to let his emotions take over in a situation like this one. As Seren told her that she couldn't think of something worst than living the rest of her life without her, Sae felt like she had to promise that she won't have to do that "I swear that I will never let somebody separate us once again, that I will never be away from you again because I can't imagine my life without you."

The way Seren kissed her back made Sae feel like she was uncomfortable and Sae blamed herself for that, she knew that nothing will be as it was before. "I'm sorry, it's too soon, you need time... I should have known that..." she apologized very mad at herself. At Seren's words "Are you hurt?", Sae looked her in the eyes, she could see that her lover was worried about how weak she seemed "I have few scars made with a taser... And I have just twisted my left ankle as I was trying to lose the Mountain men who were after me... but I will be fine, I just need some help to get up." Sae explained a small smile on her face to reassure Seren and as she didn't want her to worry too much, she didn't tell her about the bullet which grazed her right shoulder when she was running away earlier.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

Seren smiled at Sae's words and a small chuckle escaped her, it was true that she knew Sae better than most people. A small part of her had hoped that she'd survived, for a long while she'd even believed that she was still alive inside the mountain. She was glad Sae wasn't angry that she'd eventually lost the hope that she'd been holding onto. "Don't apologise, I'm just happy that you're here now and you're alive" Seren assured her, she didn't want Sae to ever feel guilty for being away when she'd been held in the mountain against her will.

"I missed you too, so much" Seren sighed as she brought a hand up to wipe the tears from her face, the pain she'd felt at losing Sae was clear in her mind and she knew that she never wanted to experience it ever again as it was the worst pain she'd ever felt and it wasn't like a physical wound that could just heal easily. "I never want to lose you again, but you shouldn't make promises that you can't keep" she warned her lover as she looked at the ground. The world that they lived in was too dangerous to make such promises, so many things could go wrong and separate them again, even if they longed to stay together and never be separated again.

"No, I'm sorry..." Seren muttered in response to Sae's apology, shaking her head slightly. "It's just too much, too soon, a few minutes ago I thought I'd never see you again and now you're very much alive and sitting in front of me, I need some time to wrap my head around it" she explained, hoping that her words didn't hurt Sae's feelings because that was the last thing that she wanted to happen. Seren was glad that Sae didn't seem to be seriously hurt and her gaze flew instantly to her ankle when she said that she'd twisted it when fleeing the mountain men. "I'll help you" she muttered quickly before repositioning herself to lift Sae to her feet without the girl having to put much weight on her injured leg. It wasn't that hard to lift her, she'd lost so much weight when she was in the mountain and it surprised Seren with how light she felt.

Sae

[Sae]

Sae was very glad to see Seren smile again, she was so happy she could still make her smile after two years. Two years... a long time, too long actually but she had never forgotten her smile or the moments they laughed together. Two years during which Seren could have found someone else but she didn't because for a long time she thought that she will see her again and Sae was very glad about that even if she would have understand if Seren had moved on because she lost hope. "And I'm so happy to see you again" she said when Seren told her that she was happy that she was alive.

When Seren told her that she missed her too, Sae brought her hand up on Seren's face to wipe her tears, she couldn't imagine how hard it must have been for her not to know if she was alive or not but considering how much it had hurted her to be separate of Seren, it must have been very difficult for her. "I know but I wish I could be sure to keep this promise..." Sae said, she knew Seren was right but she wouldn' bear to be separated from her lover once again.

"It's ok, I totally understand. It's just... It's been so long... I'm so happy to see you again." Sae told Seren smiling at her to reassure her, she didn't blame Seren at all, her reaction was logical and Sae should have anticipate it. Seren seemed happy to see that Sae wasn't severly injured and when she spoke about her twisted ankle, Seren instantly gave her help to get up. Seren lifted Sae so easily that the latter one became aware of how much weight she had lost when she was in the mountain.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

Seren could hardly believe that Sae was in front of her now, after two years she'd started to believe that her lover had been killed and that she'd never see her again. Words could not describe the relief she felt at seeing her again, but they had a lot to discuss, Sae had missed so much and Seren was determined to catch her up on everything that had happened since she'd been taken. When Sae brought a hand to Seren's face and brushed away her tears, a smile appeared on the girls face, she felt stupid for crying but it seemed as though she had no control over the tears that fell.

"I'll help you keep your promise" Seren told the other girl, her smile broadening slightly, she'd only just got her back and she wasn't going to let anything take her away from her again. The pain of losing her once had been unbearable, she hated to think about what it would be like if she lost her a second time. She wouldn't allow anything to separate them again, they had two years of lost time to make up and Seren wasn't about to waste anymore time apart from her lover.

It was reassuring when she heard Sae say that she understood, it meant that she didn't blame Seren for distancing herself at first. She understood that Sae had missed her, she knew just how she felt but they needed to take time to get used to being back in each others company. "You must be starving" Seren muttered, her gaze scanning over Sae's body in concern for the other female, she felt so light and looked so small. Smaller than Seren remembered her to be, despite two years having passed. She wanted to get Sae home to Tondc so that she could be seen by the healers and have a decent meal, she hated to think how long it'd been since she'd eaten properly.

Sae

[Sae]

Sae wasn't aware of the feat she had accomplished by escaping from the mountain, actually she barely realised that she did it, all that mattered right now was Seren. She was as beautiful as Sae remembered, she was just two years older but she hadn't changed much physically but Sae didn't know what she had been through during the last two years and some things might had changed her psychologically. Sae will need Seren to catch her up on everything that happened to her while she was away. As Seren smiled when Sae brushed away her tears, the latter one smiled at her in return.

As Seren told her that she will help her keep her promise, Sae looked down and chuckled because she knew Seren will do that and she knew that her lover will do that. It was funny to see that even after two years, she could still know what Seren was going to say before she told it or how she will react before she did anything. Looking up to the other girl, Sae answered softly "I know you will.". They both needed to be with each other and Sae felt like being separated from Seren a second time will kill her. They had already lost too much time and after she nearly died without seeing her again, all Sae wanted to do was to enjoy every moment with Seren.

Sae felt really bad for making Seren uncomfortable when she kissed her, she had let the joy and the excitement to see her again take control and she was so mad at herself for that. They will need time to get back to their past life but Sae was scared at the idea that maybe their life will never be the same now, that maybe everything will be different. But this idea quickly got out of her mind at Seren words. "Actually I was starving the first weeks that I have spent in that hell but I got used to the little rations we had when we had some..." Sae explained. She could feel Seren's eyes scanning her body and all she could read in these eyes was concern. Sae knew that she was weaker than ever but seeing how much Seren worried for her made her think that it was worse than what she thought.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

Seren knew that they'd have to work to get their relationship back up to the standard that it had been at before Sae was taken, but Seren was willing to work on it, she loved Sae and would help her through whatever she was going through after being kept in the mountain. She wouldn't ask her exactly what had happened to her in that place, she didn't want Sae to have to relive those horrors, but she would be there for her if she ever needed to talk to somebody about it. "Your mother will be happy to see you" Seren told her lover with a smile, she was aware of how close Sae was with her last remaining parent. "She was devastated when she heard that the mountain men had taken you" that was one reunion that Seren was looking forward to seeing, if she'd been happy to see Sae alive again, she couldn't imagine how happy the woman that raised her would be. They'd believed that she was dead for two years, that was a long time to have hope.

"You have to eat" Seren insisted, when Sae spoke about having grown used to the rations that she'd been fed on for the past two years of her life. She didn't care if Sae didn't feel hungry, she was dangerously skinny, she'd never seen somebody look so malnourished and she was sure that she could see every bone in the girls body, although that could easily be an over exaggeration on her part. She was sure that the people in their village would be more than willing to feed Sae, it was a miracle that she was alive and had been returned to them, nobody else had ever returned from the mountain, they hadn't even found the bodies of those that were taken. Occasionally somebody resurfaced as a reaper, but they were no longer the person that they had once been, they were monsters that were beyond saving. She started to walk in the direction that she knew their village to be in, supporting the majority of Sae's weight so that she wouldn't have to put much effort into walking or have to put any weight on her injured ankle.

Sae

[Sae]

Sae was totally aware that one day she will have to tell Seren about what happened to her in the mountain, but right now all that she wanted to do was to live in the moment, to spend as much time as she could with Seren. As the latter one said that Sae’s mother will be very happy to see her because she was devastated when her daughter had been taken, Sae answered "I couldn’t imagine something better than seeing the two women of my life again… So now that I’ve found the one who stole my heart years ago, the only thing that can make me happier will be to see the woman who gave me life.". Sae was very happy at the idea of seeing her mother again, her family will finally be reunited but she was wondering how her mother was going to react, she couldn’t imagine how hard it had been for her.

As Seren told her that she had to eat, Sae smiled at her before saying "I will... I promise." she knew she had to gather strength because she was weak and skinny after everything that happened to her during two years. She also wanted to reassure Seren, that was why she promised. Her lover seemed very concerned about her, maybe too much but Sae understood that, she would probably feel the same if she was her. And Sae guessed that Seren will surely not be the only one to worry about her once they will be back to TonDC, she was the first one to escape Mount Weather or at least, she was the first one to come back from the mountain, it will bring hope to other families whose relative had been taken. When Seren started to walk, she was supporting such a part of Sae’s weight that the latter one could barely feel herself walking except when she had to put a part of her weight on her injured ankle.

Tag: Seren

[Seren]

Seren knew that Sae would be excited to see her mother as they had always had a close relationship. Watching as Sae's mother was informed that her daughter had been taken was almost harder than actually losing Sae. She'd seen her own pain reflected in the older woman's face and it was an expression that she'd never forget, she didn't know that it was possible for one person to feel so much pain, but apparently it was, she'd seen it. "You'll be lucky if she let's you leave the village ever again after this" Seren joked, knowing that she'd find it hard to watch Sae return to her duties as a warrior, she knew how dangerous it was to be a warrior of Trikru, So many things could happen, she'd already lose Sae once, she wasn't sure that she could handle it if she lost her again. At least she wouldn't be doing much at first, they needed to allow her time to recover her strength, once she was fully rested and had returned to a healthy weight, then they could worry more about her going back out there.

They'd grown up in the shadow of the mountain, fearing that anybody could be taken on any given day. They couldn't be fearful to the point of refusing to leave their village, Seren was used to living in fear, as were the majority of the people in her village, they couldn't allow fear to stop them or hold them back. "You'll be expected to answer questions" she muttered, knowing that the other villagers would want to know how she escaped and if their relatives were alive and even what the mountain men were doing in there and why they were taking their people. It had been a mystery... Until now and although she didn't want to pressure her lover to remember her experience in the mountain, Seren was also curious about what was happening to their people and why they were being taken in the first place.

Sae

[Sae]

Sae was very excited at the idea of seeing her mother again, she loved her so much but being with Seren made her happier. Her lover had waited for her and had been there for her mother apparently and Sae was so thankful for that, she couldn’t ask for more. As Seren joked about Sae being lucky if her mother let her leave TonDC again, Sae laughed softly "Luckily I like TonDC." she said before taking a more serious tone to add "But I don't care where I am, as long as you are not far from me I'm good.". Sae was aware that her mother will probably want to keep her close as long as possible but Sae needed to return to her duties as a warrior as soon as possible, that was the only way she could help the other Grounders locked in Mount Weather. So what she needed to do was to recover her strength as quickly as possible.

Now that she had lived the horror of the Mountain, Sae knew that the fear every Grounders was growing with was justified. But it wasn't a fear anymore for Sae, it didn't kill her but made her stronger and she will need this strength to save the Grounders who were still in the Mountain. "I know... And I'll do my best to answer them if it can help saving some of our people from this hell..." she answered her lover when the latter one told her that she will need to answer questions. Sae wasn't ready to speak about what happened to her in there, she wasn't even sure that she will be ready to do it one day but it was necessary if they wanted to attack Mount Weather to free the prisoners so she will take upon herself and relive the last two years even if it will hurt. As her story was probably going to be told in the whole village, Sae felt that Seren deserved to be the first one to know about it so she broke the silence that had settled "You can't imagine how awful it was..." she said, tears beginning to run down her cheeks as she was remembering what she lived there.

Seren

[Seren]

When Sae said that she liked Tondc, she found herself smiling because she couldn't see how anyone could dislike their village. It was their home and Seren had grown quite fond of it as she'd grown older. "I'm not going to leave you again" because last time they'd been apart, Sae had been taken and Seren wasn't about to let that happen again. She wasn't going to lose Sae again, not if she could help it, if they were together then she could protect her. Sae was a capable warrior, she didn't doubt her abilities as a warrior, all she knew was that if she had been with her that day when she was taken, then maybe the mountain men wouldn't have seen her as a possible target. "Maybe your mother will allow you out of the village if I'm with you, at least then you'll be able to stretch your legs" she suggested, knowing that any mother would be unwilling to let their child leave them again after they'd been put in such real danger.

"You don't have to answer any questions if you feel uncomfortable or don't want to talk about it" she knew that it was important for them to learn as much as they could about their enemy, but she also didn't want Sae to feel like she was being pressured to talk about anything. "It's important, but so are you and if talking about it makes you feel uncomfortable then you don't have to do it" she wouldn't allow anyone to make her feel uncomfortable, not after she'd just gotten her back. When Sae began to talk again, Seren closed her eyes for a second "I don't want to imagine..." she muttered, she didn't want to think about the hell that her lover must have gone through in that mountain. She'd had two whole years to think about what had happened to Sae and what was happening to her in the mountain, she didn't want to hear about what was happening in the mountain. If it helped Sae to talk to her about it, then she would listen but she wouldn't be able to guarantee that she'd be able to listen to the whole story.

Sae