[This post is from Thordin’s point of view.]
Thordin stiffened, blinking as he turned. “You? Sif, you’ve never needed anyone. You’re a one-woman army.”
“It’s a front,” she said, then smiled crookedly, stepping out of the doorway. One hand tugged the door shut behind her, plunging them into shadows, the forge illuminated by a single lamp and the glow of embers. “A game, in some ways. How many people can I fool—at what point can I fool myself? For a long time, I did. Even I believed I didn’t need anyone.”
Thordin’s heart gave a painful squeeze. “When did it stop working?” he asked quietly.
“It stopped twice,” she said, her voice still quiet as her footsteps carried her slowly from the doorway toward him. “Once when I lost in that forest all those centuries ago and then again when the lindworm…”
“I’m sorry,” Thordin said, and meant it.
Her fingers found his in the darkness. A current passed between them, sending shivers up Thordin’s arm. His eyes slid shut and he exhaled a sigh. “This hasn’t been easy,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy for either one of us, has it?”
“No,” Sif whispered, then wrapped her arms around him, drawing him tightly against her. Then as now, there was little softness to her, but Thordin sensed a warmth now that was almost unfamiliar—and would have been completely unfamiliar if he hadn’t always believed that she was capable of it, that it was buried inside somewhere. She tucked her head against his shoulder and he rested his head against hers. “But so few things are,” she continued. “This is worth the effort, though. You and I are worth the effort. These people—they’re worth the effort.”
Thordin pressed a kiss to her temple and exhaled, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. His throat felt tight as he held her.
“You chose exile to be with me,” he whispered.
Sif looked up, meeting his gaze in the forge’s dim. “And I would do it again.”
Her lips met his and he closed his eyes, holding her tightly, like this might be the very last time.
Every time could be the last time.
Make every second count.
I’m catching up a bit late.
Very nice, very human. I really like moments like this in your story.
One possible typo:
“Once when I lost in that forest all those centuries ago and then again when the lindworm…”
Missing a “was” between “I” and “lost”?