Like a Sailor Lost at Sea
A warmth filled her body as she fell through the dark; A sense of peace followed it, blossoming in her chest. Somehow Shepard knew she was finally free, that she’d fulfilled some unknown service. For once in her life, she could rest.
No more wars to fight. No more people to save. No more expectations to fulfill.
Now she could be at peace.
At some point, the sense of falling became something different, almost like she was floating, suspended in some unknown reality. Soon enough the sense of falling became the opposite. She was rising but through what?
A light broke through the dark, beckoning her forward. Something about it drew her in with a new sense of longing, but it wasn’t her own. Finally reaching out Shepard broke out of the mysterious bubble that surrounded her.
The muffled crashing of waves filled her ears. Her eyes stung from the salt water that surrounded her and her lungs felt strained once more, a feeling she never wanted to feel again. Kicking off of the mysterious bubble Shepard propelled herself towards the light.
A ragged gasp of air filled her lungs as she surfaced. She was surrounded by water. As she began treading in place Shepard looked out across the seemingly endless sea. The darkness now engulfed her again, like a storm blocking out the sun. Heavy winds swirled around her as waves crashed against each other.
Something wasn’t right about this, there was no way she’d fallen back to Earth, she would have burned up long before she crashed into the ocean. No, something was different about this place.
Scanning the horizon Shepard caught sight of the tiniest glittering light, faint as it flashed in even intervals. She moved towards it, pushing herself to swim faster. As the minutes turned to hours and then to days she was left feeling like a sailor lost at sea, abandoned to the deep by the loss of her ship. It would have been disorienting if not for the light ahead of her. Shepard was never one to give up, no matter how small the odds, so she soldiered on like the true marine she was.
It seemed like forever but at some point, land appeared on the horizon. With renewed determination, Shepard surged forward and with each stroke, it got closer, and with it the light. It was almost blinding now, her beacon of hope.
That feeling of longing flooded her chest every time she stopped to stare at it, and with that feeling, she knew it was the home she’d fought her whole life to find. With one final push Shepard reached the warm shallows that surrounded the island and soon enough it was shallow enough for her to stand. So on shaky legs, she marched that final league to the warm white sands and once she reached dry land Shepard hit her knees.
With heaving breaths, her body began to shake. Sand clung to her hands as she braced herself against the ground, the sensation keeping her centered. Her eyes slid shut as she regained herself. The longer Shepard stayed there the stronger she felt, that sense of peace taking her over once more.
Warmth skated across her cheek when the barest touch of a delicate hand swept the wet hair from her face. Another hand came to rest on her shoulder, causing a burst of warmth to radiate through her body from that point
Shepard’s hand instinctively shot out to push the hand away but the other person caught it with an ease she didn’t expect. Lifting her head her eyes were met with the familiar gaze of a man she never expected to see again.
“Thane.” She barely wheezed out his name, her throat sore from her fight with the wild sea.
A soft smile brightened his face. “Hello Siha, I’ve missed you.”
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Forgive me for taking so long! January ended up being far crazier than expected. @gefionne I really hope you like it! When I saw you were also a FemShep x Thane fan I knew I had to put something together and I got a rush of inspiration to put this together.
Happy late Holidays!
