"I'll stay with you forever."
Those were the last words Astarion said to his husband.
He refused to bury Gale. He refused to burn his body. Instead, Astarion lay on the bed, wrapped around his slowly decaying corpse, wishing he could rot alongside him.
The heavy drapes covered the window, clouding the room in darkness. Yet, Astarion could still count every wrinkle on Gale's face. The musty scent was becoming nearly overwhelming, but if he pressed his nose to the juncture of Gale's neck, he could still smell the faint lingering of ink and parchment, of brandy and lavender.
Astarion hadn't been ready to let go, even though Gale was. His husband died with a smile on his face and a laugh in his chest. His eyes, perhaps a little more dull, still sparkled even in those last moments.
Yet, he didn't accept it.
Astarion ran his fingers through Gale's locks, now coarse and brittle. He smiled, remembering how slowly Gale’s hair had begun to gray, how it had gradually taken on the colour of storm clouds. Astarion loved it. In his eyes, Gale grew even more charming as he aged so gracefully.
Aging was inevitable, and Astarion was fine with Gale changing, even if he himself stayed the same.
But he never accepted the idea of dying. Astarion never believed that Gale should have died.
"A little unfair of you, darling," Astarion whispered, his hand trailing down to rest on Gale's chest, just above his unbeating heart. "Leaving me here after promising me forever." He chuckled, glancing at the ring on his hand.
Until death do us part. Astarion had refused to say those vows. Death would not part him from Gale.
He had tried all the ways to resurrect someone. Spent more gold than he ever had. Nothing worked.
"If the soul isn't willing…"
Astarion pinched his eyes closed and fisted his hand in Gale's shirt. Why wouldn't Gale's soul be willing? Why wouldn't he want to come back to him? It made no sense.
"Something is preventing your return," Astarion said, gazing longingly at his husband's profile. "But I'm going to figure it out. I'll bring you back to me."
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