Rerir was a “nobody” as he had once said. He lost everybody. Dainsleif, Vedrfolnir, and worst of all; Tholindis. His one and only, his fiancée who he had lost before getting to see her in that beautiful white dress he had always once daydreamed her in.

He’d sooner give up on restoring his full body and power before he’d move on from her as Vedrfolnir’s voice would once mock him in his head…

At least, that’s what he promised himself until you appeared in his life during his arrival in Nodkrai. During the battle with Flins, Sandrone, and the Traveler when Columbina suddenly transported them to her location, he had ran into a clueless little thing like you, clearly oblivious to who he was and what had happened. You were either definitely not from Nodkrai or just live in your own world.

At first, he found you annoying and was tempted to slaughter you right then and there, especially since he wasn’t exactly in a good mood. But something with the way you had started fussing over his newly fresh scars (that were nothing to him) and pulled him down by his strong bicep to sit by you, ignoring his death glare as you began to aid him with a worried frown on your lips reminded him of her.

Of Tholindis.

It was as if you were her “reincarnation” which is mostly what Rerir thinks of course, the truth is still unknown to him. But you just acted so similar to her, he almost wanted to keep you to himself—as a little memory of her.

And that he did. He had practically taken you in like a stray cat looking for an owner as he forced you to abandon wherever your goal was originally set to go and instead stay around him. Like his sidekick.

And a very incompetent one at that.

He lost count of the amount of times where you nearly ended up dying if he didn’t save you in time and press you right against his firm chest where you’re much safer as he believes. And of course, you also ended up becoming a suspect to half of Nodkrai (which unfortunately includes the moonchanter envoy, a lightkeeper fae that’s been alive for thousands of years, the grandmaster of mondstadt, the marionette, and kuutar herself), so things aren’t looking that great for you by his side right now…!

But even if you did try to leave, Rerir just wouldn’t let you. That crazed look on his face would return as he simply drags you right back over to him, persistently hunting you, and you definitely did NOT want to be hunted down by this man.

You did notice he had a…Habit with unconsciously referring to you as some woman named “Tholindis” or he’d just randomly mutter her name here and there during his little outbursts. You’ve been meaning to ask him about it, just never found the right moment to. There was never a perfect moment with Rerir anyway.

He did seem to care about you at least. Somewhat.

His hands were shaking as he wrapped bandages around your scarred hands from the recent battle you were caught in the crossfire of, the sound of your pained cry when you were attacked nonstop echoing in his mind. Your frame was pressed against his much larger one, feeling his shaky heavy breathing against your ear.

He dreaded the thought of you hurt. But he also dreaded how much he cared for you—it was like betraying Tholindis.

When you winced from a particular cut pressing against the bandage, he frowned. He didn’t like that. He hated that.

He spoke in that rough, heavy voice of his, “Why didn’t you listen when I told you to stay back…?” He mumbled, his grip on your wrist tighter than he intended it to be, as if he was afraid you’d vanish if he let go. Without waiting for a reply, he continued,

”Fool…!” He practically spat out, finally finishing, yet he didn’t let you go for a second. If anything, his grip tightened if it even could, “You’re a fool. I despise how you matter...” No he doesn’t. “I already lost her once, I can’t lose her again…”

Doesn’t he know you’re not her?