Cassien never liked being touched.

Even with his fractured memories, this was a certainty of who he was as a person. It wasn't that being touched triggered an uncomfortable sensation, or that he was disgusted by the foreign sensation of another person's skin on his after god knows what they've touched beforehand. He simply didn't crave it - and would prefer to avoid it altogether.

Yet now with his back pinned against the sand, a beautiful woman - that Cassien couldn't fathom was even possible to have ever forgotten her name - straddled his hips, silvery hair framing her face as her head dipped low for another kiss. And he didn't mind it, not one bit. There was nothing in the world but the sweet taste of her lips and the bare, lingering scent of citrus. His hands traced from her hair to encircle the small of her waist, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He hungered for her touch - savoured it.

And then the world around them snapped back into focus.

"Cassien!"

The three men that had been standing at the beach rushed over, wide-eyed and slack jawed at the sight before them.

"Well, that's one way to say hello," chuckled the one who appeared almost entirely of smooth silver.

One of the men - the broad shouldered one with curling brown hair - burst out laughing. "Okay, I'm no saint - but the two of you need to get a room."

The woman jerked away, face going cherry red at the realization of their blatant public affection. "N-no one told you to watch, Thom!"

She reluctantly lifted herself from him, brushing off the grits of sand and dirt that clung to the fabric of her dress. She stood, extending a hand to Cassien with an almost shy smile. It took everything in him not to immediately melt at her angelic sight.

Cassien took it, his hand large enough to swallow hers as he stood - though he didn't let go. "I think I'm the one who was supposed to help you up."

Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. "Well, you have caught me every time I've fallen."

It was a surreal feeling to finally be standing in front of the one person who had endlessly shrouded his mind for days. He looked at her - really looked at her - Cassien felt deep down that he knew the location of every freckle, every curve of her exquisiteness, her hidden quirks. But still, despite the fever of their kiss, his mind was a blank state. He couldn't remember her name - but he knew he remembered her.

He just didn't know how to say it.

The sound of hooves digging into sand interrupted the moment, and Cassien turned to see Daisy slide down from the saddle, straight golden hair swished to her sides. He felt the woman's hand stiffen beneath his almost immediately at the sight of Daisy, her pink lips almost imperceptibly tightening.

Daisy didn't notice, turning to Cassien. "Sooo I take it that you've found what you were looking for? Obviously."

Cassien didn't get a chance to respond before she threw a bright smile at the group, holding out her hand to the silver haired woman as she tilted forward on the tips of her toes. "I'm Daisy! Peasant villager of Pentley."

"She was the one who helped me find this place," Cassien added, as if he were vouching for her.

She flashed a cocky smile. "I've been keeping Cassy here out of trouble."

"Cassy…?" The woman echoed in a small voice, unfamiliar with Daisy's physical gesture but shaking it anyway. She cleared her throat, tilting the corners of her lips upwards. "My name is Naomi."

Her name reverberated through him, like he had always known it, waiting at the edge of his consciousness to be recognized once more.

Naomi.

Her name fit her perfectly, lyrical and sweet.

Rosenthorn…? The last name clipped into his mind, so familiar and unknown at the same time. But he remembered it. Now, he had to find a way to come clean about the rest of the missing puzzle pieces.

Just as Cassien was about to speak, the large man - Thom - stepped forward without hesitation to steal Daisy away from Naomi, lifting her hand to his lips. "Lord Thom Paldarin, at your service. I'll have to personally thank you for taking care of my dear friend here - I know it can't have been easy. He's a real handful."

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"Thom," The silver eyed man rolled his eyes as Daisy giggled.

"What? I'm sorry we can't all be as modest as the great Aryn Calypsa," Thom shrugged.

"Calypsa?" That got Daisy's attention as she looked Aryn up and down. "As in…?"

"The prince - future king - of the Kingdom of Calypsa," The man with the streaked hair grinned with pride at his friend. "Darius. Didn't realize we were doing titles, although there's nothing special about me, unfortunately."

"That's not true. You cook a mean kebab," Naomi offered helpfully, and Cassien felt a prickle of jealousy at how warmly she smiled at him.

"Gee, thanks," Darius laughed, the lines around his seafoam eyes crinkling a little too fondly.

"Huh," Daisy remarked. "A lord and a prince. And what about Cassy here? Don't tell me I've been dragging around, like, the king or something with me this whole time."

"Pft, as if he's that important," Thom scoffed lightheartedly. "He's just a duke. And Naomi's just a duchess."

"I'm sorry- what?" Daisy exclaimed, whipping to face Cassien and Naomi. "You two are married?!"

Naomi's face went scarlet. "No!"

Cassien blinked with disbelief - not minding the miscommunicated revelation. "We aren't?"

Naomi glanced at him with still reddened cheeks, though her expression had a measure of confusion at his response. "W-well, maybe someday we could talk about it-"

Daisy stared at Cassien, taupe brows arced in shock. "You're kidding me. I knew you were a little too goodlooking to be some random person from the countryside. Now you're telling me you're royalty too?"

The group looked at each other in confusion, Thom turning to Cassien. "Aw man, you always have to be mysterious, huh? Didn't even tell her you're a Rivain?"

"Rivain, hey?" Daisy waved her hand dismissively. "He barely even remembers his first name to this day, let alone anything else."

His blood chilled at the mistimed confession, body frozen. There was a sudden hush between all of them, and Cassien could feel Naomi's wide stare through the side of him.

This was not how he wanted to bring up such a tremendous reveal.

"What?" Naomi's voice was small. "You… You don't remember… anything?"

Cassien felt a crushing pressure in his chest at the sight of her crumpled face. Daisy's grin faded at the realization of her indiscretion, eyes darting to Cassien. "Oh, I- Cassien, I didn't mean to…"

Aryn cut in abruptly, a diplomatic smile etched on his calm face as he cut off the group's view from the duke and duchess. "Why don't we give Naomi and Cassien some privacy? I'm sure they'd appreciate some time alone."

He grabbed Darius and Thom by their arms without waiting for a response, herding them away like sheep. Aryn glanced at the golden haired woman, his voice kind but firm. "Miss Daisy, you should come with us - get some food and water."

"Yeah," Daisy said sheepishly, throwing one last apologetic look over her shoulder.

The others disappeared behind the thatched houses, a heavy silence settling between the two of them. Naomi fidgeted with her fingers, forcing herself to breathe.

Cassien cleared his throat. "We should talk. Away from everyone else."

She nodded, but remained wordless. He touched the tip of her elbow with his fingers, guiding her with his steps like the action came naturally. They headed away from the prying eyes of the village along the bluffs, tucking behind the jagged monolith of a cliff that acted as a privacy wall.

The crunch of gravel beneath their feet stopped, Naomi leaning back against the cliff with her head tilted back. He could see she was blinking back tears, her lips quivering. Still, he remained a step away, giving her space. Cassien explained the details of where he woke up and the fractured pieces of his memories - glimpses of a storm, Myron and Banner taking him in, the trek that he and Daisy took on to reach Harsbach. Otherwise, the memories of his past had been long to him, including needing to regain control over his magic.

"I'm sorry," Cassien said, voice low and rough. "That wasn't how I wanted you to find out."

She shook her head, a tear streaming down her face. "You don't need to apologize."

"Naomi," Cassien tested her name from his lips, flowing like silk. He wanted to reach out and wipe the wetness from her cheeks, unsure if he should. "Please don't cry."

Naomi looked at him, guilt burning in her eyes. "On the ship… You.. You gave me your life ring. If I hadn't let you, if you had kept it-"

The words faltered from her mouth, and she bit down on her lower lip. "It's always my fault."

"It's not your fault. It might've happened to me anyway, or it could've been you instead," Cassien said firmly, reaching out to swipe the tear away. She didn't flinch, and instead leaned into his touch.

She reached up with one hand, further pressing his palm against her cheek. "You lost everything to save me."

"I don't need to remember everything to know that it was worth it," Cassien murmured solemnly.

Naomi let out a small, strangled laugh. "But you don't even remember me. How can you know it was worth it?"

"I kissed you back, didn't I?" Cassien leaned in, pressing his lips to the top of her hair. "I might not have remembered your name, or what we've been through. But I remembered you."

His head dipped down to the crook of her neck, trailing soft whispers against her skin. Naomi's breath hitched, her collarbone protruding out at the tickle of his words as he continued.

"I remembered your laugh, the way you fidget with your fingers like rings. Your scent, like sweet citrus. I remembered that you prefer honey over sugar, that you sleep with the curtains drawn because the light keeps you awake - and god knows I remembered that you love your sleep."

Cassien kissed the sharp curve of her jaw, one hand moving to the width of her hip. "Every freckle on your body is committed to memory. I may not have remembered your name then - but I knew that I loved you. That, now, still - I love you."

"If you can forgive me for having left you by yourself, I would like nothing more than to know you again," Cassien finished, wrapping his arms around her lower body in a snug embrace, his body hunched down to rest his head atop her shoulder.

Naomi held back a hiccuped sob, pulling herself into him. She had never felt a relief so sweet that he was alive and safe. Never again would she allow what happened to him to repeat - a silent vow she held deep in her soul.

He could've forgotten her a thousand times and still, she'd never run out of patience to remind him of what they shared.

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