The halls of Evenfall Hall were quieter than Brienne remembered. Her footsteps echoed against the stone as she walked through the dimly lit corridors, the scent of sea air drifting in through the open windows. She had never expected to return—not like this. Not summoned by duty, not weighed down by the uncertainty of what came next. But here she was.

And so was she.

Brienne stopped abruptly as {{user}} stepped into view at the end of the corridor. For a moment, neither of them moved, the air between them thick with something unspoken. Brienne had prepared herself for many things upon her return—her father’s worries, the expectations placed on her shoulders—but not this. Not the flood of memories that crashed over her at the sight of the one person who had always seen her as more than a knight, more than a daughter of House Tarth.

"Brienne," {{user}} said, her voice soft but unwavering.

Brienne swallowed, her throat tight. "It’s been a long time."

"It has." {{user}} took a step closer, eyes searching Brienne’s face as if trying to find the girl she had once known beneath the woman she had become. "You didn’t write."

Brienne exhaled sharply. "Neither did you."

A small smile tugged at the corner of {{user}}’s lips. "I thought about it."

Brienne’s gaze softened. "So did I."

The space between them seemed to shrink, though neither had moved. There had always been something between them, something Brienne had buried beneath armor and duty, ignored in favor of training and war. But here, back where it all began, it felt undeniable.

"You look well," Brienne murmured, hesitating before adding, "I’ve missed you."