It wasn't supposed to be like this.

Words echoing in my mind, same as the fear echoing in my heart. The deep-seated anger turning to rage in my soul. Growing up, I had hid the tears that came when I looked at the mage-knight pairs that trained me in my craft. Hid the hurt when they whispered to each other, "If she only found her knight... she would be so much stronger."

One time I told them, "My knight is not here; I'll be strong without them. Just watch me! I will!" And I did, and the rumors started saying that I was the mage that didn't want a knight, like a princess who didn't want her Prince Charming. All that meant I tried harder to hide the tears; I did so well that no one knew.

No one knew that I didn't need her... him... them. It does not matter who or what they are. I do not need them. I want them. I desire them. I crave their presence in my life, but I do not need them to survive.

The other mages swoon over the mage-knight pairs, cooing over their deep bonds, and the knowledge that they'll be their for each other, that they couldn't form the bond without being a good match. I keep silent, and they think it is in admonishment over their fangirling. They miss the point--the best pair in the world forms not because they need each other to exist from the beginning, but when they form the bond from their own desire, that they create niches for the other in their own soul of their own volition.

I have already created those niches, my knight.

So where are you?

I will survive this hunt without you. I can do it, so I will do it. But the cornered prey alone is not as powerful adversary as the mated pair that is hunted together. And I never wanted to be on the losing side.

So I will hunt you as they hunt as both--the fools. They gave me a great deal of what they know, while no one knows that much about me, even myself. Maybe you know the things that I cannot seem to remember. We shall see.

Let the hunt begin--but I still wish it wasn't this way.

==========

And she speaks! My Mage actually speaks! And I may keep the names; one of my friends pointed out that with as many changes to the source material, I probably don't need to change the names to avoid copyright infringement. But my MAGE spoke! And... and... I think I was right, she's even more messed up than my Warrior. Or maybe not, it's just they're fucked up in different ways, and going to be damned if anybody will stand in the way of having the other in their life. And that's before the memories come back.