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A very large, very powerful arrow sliced through the air, slamming directly into the sword. It shimmered, draining the attacking weapon with half of it's energy, before it disappeared.

But the owner of the arrow was far behind, having stepped only one foot into the arena before she saw him. She lowered her bow, and stayed where she was. In her expression, there was more anguish, more frustration, and more absolute bittersweet desperation than there had ever been in her entire life.

Or as much as she remembered of it.

She just stood there, staring at the man that had changed every perception she'd clung to, and broken every wall she'd carefully put up her entire life. The same man she'd pushed away, when her walls returned. The same man who didn't give up on her.. even then.

Even then.

She stayed there, let out a choked sob, and raised her arms up in the hopes he'd return to them once more.

A fierce, protective screech left her when the monster dared to hit her Kettil, and her bow rose up once more, quickly unleashing a single arrow that cut through the offending monster. It sliced its already deteriorating shell, leaving it nothing but a mess of death and ash.

And then she was in his arms, and her weapon dropped just as his had, clattering uselessly on the floor. She let out the most pathetic little sound, burying her head as far into him as she could until she could smell him with every single breath. She whimpered, clutching him like a lifeline, and melted into his arms.

"Ja." She muffled into his body. "I'm okays."

She sniffed, hard, just once. "And I'm sorry."

He'd remembered her. But she hadn't remembered him until it was too late. It was clear which one of them had won the better love award.

And she so hated losing.

"Yeh idiot." She chuckled out, weakly slapping his chest with her hand. Her heart was threatening to burst. "Is not fair.. yehr not fair." Would she have fallen in love with him all over again, if she hadn't been hurt so badly beforehand? She was sure she would have. But those memories had always stuck with her, even in their real lives together. What was it about then, that was missing in this situation? What made the difference?

Oh.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, and her hands clung even harder to Kettil, suddenly far more acutely aware of how close she could have come to never having him in her life. Her reason for living. Her reason for continuing. She might have pushed him away, if someone else hadn't cracked the stubborn wall around her heart, first.

Tears started to fall freely down in jagged lines that marked her cheeks, and she shuddered, sobbing so hard it was becoming difficult to breathe.

But for just one moment, she managed.

"I loves yeh, Hooter."

"Shuts uuuupp," She muttered, leaning back just enough to wipe away her tears with hasty rubs, and grab his collar with her greedy fingers, pulling him down to her face. Her lips crashed against his, already warm and open and desperate, seeking him out with violent hunger. Now that she knew what she wanted; what he gave her; what they had, she realized how much time she'd wasted.

She never wanted to get too close, because every touch of her skin with his fingertips had electric shivers running through her, even when she didn't know who he was. He'd frightened her, because she was missing something she never knew existed. But now that she knew, now that she knew how much time she'd wasted, missing him - missing all of him -

Freya was, in every sense of the world, back to herself again.

It was slow, but she felt it happening. Every little missing piece of her puzzle snapped back into place, until the last one slid to form the full picture when his fingers pressed against the small of her back. She came alive, buzzing with electricity and sheer joy.

She pulled away from his kiss, her skin a blazing red blush, and grinned like a giddy child. In fact, she felt like a child again. In some ways, at least.

In others, she felt quite the opposite.

"Come on." She whispered, her grin widening as she pulled him away, practically skipping over to pick up the little pieces of loot that their long-gone monster had left for them. She waited for Kettil to pick up his, and then tugged him away. She wanted to make up for so much lost time. Her brain couldn't even focus until she sated herself with his love.