ACOTAR one shots, imagines and short stories

Healing in the Ruins (Cassian x OC) - Part 1 - Sequel to The Vanishing Vow

Please note this is a sequel to a one-shot called The Vanishing Vow

Word count: 1854

Characters: Cassian x Elara (OC)

Warnings: Angst

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THE FUNERAL

The wind was cold and biting, carrying the weight of the moment as the Inner Circle gathered in solemn silence around Azriel's funeral pyre. There were no crowds, no grand displays—just those who had been closest to him, his family in all but blood. It was a traditional Illyrian ceremony, raw and intimate. The pyre stood tall, the wood neatly stacked beneath Azriel's body, which lay on top, draped in the familiar darkness of his fighting leathers.

Elara stood at the front, closer to the pyre than anyone else, her breath coming in shallow, uneven bursts. She barely registered the others, though she could feel the weight of their shared grief. But Elara's pain was different—deeper. The man who lay there, cold and still, had been her everything. 

Her world had narrowed to the pyre in front of her, to Azriel, laid out so peacefully on the pyre that it almost looked like he was sleeping. His dark lashes resting softly against his cheeks, his face untroubled. She had once found solace in that expression, in the quiet peace his face carried. Now, it was unbearable.

Her hands trembled at her sides, one of them feeling more foreign than the other. She glanced down at her right hand—at the place where the dark tattoo of their bargain - their vow - had once been etched into her skin. It had faded the moment Azriel took his last breath, leaving her hand bare, empty, just like the hollowed-out space in her chest.

Her fingers clenched into tight fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. The grief was a living thing inside her chest, pressing against her ribs, making it hard to breathe. Every breath felt too much, too painful. 

He was gone. Truly gone.

She took a step forward, her legs trembling beneath her. The world around her faded, her tunnel vision locking onto him. Azriel. Her Azriel. The love of her life. The one constant, her tether, the man who had known every corner of her soul, her strength, and her weaknesses. How could he look so peaceful when she felt like she was unraveling?

Her bare hand, trembling uncontrollably, reached out to touch him one last time. His skin was cold beneath her fingertips, so cold, as if the warmth had been stolen from him, from her. She stroked his hair softly, the strands still as silky as they had been in life. But there was no heartbeat beneath her hand, no rise and fall of his chest.

Her throat constricted as a sob threatened to escape, but she swallowed it down, leaning forward to press a kiss against his forehead—cold, so cold.

"I love you," she whispered against his skin, the words barely audible. "I will always love you, Azriel. Please... wait for me, wherever you are." 

It wasn't enough. How could it be? How could words express the loss of the man who had been her entire world, the one who had seen every corner of her soul? Her hands shook as she brushed his hair one last time, her lips trembling as she kissed his forehead again. How could she say goodbye to someone who had been her home?

Her legs wavered as she forced herself to pull away. She didn't want to let go—how could she? But the crackling fire behind her, the rising flames, reminded her that she had no choice. Azriel was gone, and soon, his body would be too.

A warm, solid hand settled on her back, and Elara knew it was Cassian without having to look. He didn't say anything—he didn't need to. His presence was steady, an anchor in the storm of her emotions, offering her silent comfort. In his other hand, he held the torch, its flame flickering in the wind, the fire that would take Azriel from her.