Tears fell down his face as did hers.

"I love you, brother," her voice shook. "I love you for never giving up on me, for accepting me as I am and not who you wanted me to be, for healing a part of me that had been bleeding since my first memory, for giving me another piece of my soul back."

His lips trembled at hearing the words, words he had lived his entire life to hear, words he had only heard once and never from his family, words that healed the part of him that had been bleeding for years too.

And, for the first time in his adult life, the words left his lips in a croaked, hoarse, broken whisper.

"I love you too."

His sister jumped up and crashed into his arms, crushing and holding onto him.

Morana began to sob by his side, and he turned to look at her, to see the most beautiful smile on her face, her eyes beaming with pride at him, her hand on his back, anchoring him in place.

And with one woman he loved beside him, having found the other who had been lost, Tristan finally felt whole.