Three Hearts Afire (Vestige!OC x Darien Gautier x Gabrielle Benele)
I really struggled with this one, mostly with writing Gabrielle's sister :[ but I dont want to fight with it anymore lmao it's good enough. It did spawn a lot of new ideas in my head (even tho i SHOULD be taking a break from writing but ehhh). anywayys yayy my ot3 <3. AO3 version
A year of research was paying off. With the help of Vastarie and Zerith, Aileth finally had a plan for a necromantic ritual to bring Gabrielle back. It took many experiments with animal souls, some chatting with Verandis about his old experiments, Azandar’s help tracking down various books, Vastarie's and Zerith's knowledge on necromancy and souls, and calling in a little favour from Hermaeus Mora for some extra knowledge.
Aileth didn't notice until recently how much of an affinity for Soul Magic they had. It felt so natural to use — and they even figured out how to mix it with Necromancy, giving them the opportunity to alter a Reanimate spell for the ritual.
She wasn’t proud of what she had to do to come this far in her research — they even went behind Vastarie and Zerith's backs to study the more dangerous side of necromancy with mortal souls for a better chance — but none of that would matter if Aileth could pull this off.
They had almost everything they needed. The only ingredient left was blood. Aileth figured the safest option would have to come from someone related to Gabrielle — as they didn’t have hers — which meant asking Gabrielle's sister for help, and risking this entire plan.
Their rounded sliver glasses sat on the desk in front of them. The dimming flame from the candle on the desk reflected off of the lenses. Aileth rubbed their temple and put their glasses on. She blew the candle out before leaving the house.
Aileth hurried to the Mages Guild in Wayrest, hoping Sara wouldn't be performing her duties outside of Stormhaven. They hesitated before entering. ‘Sara will understand … right? Or she'll at least not rat me out to Vanus. This can't go wrong… can it?’
They entered the guildhall. Aileth scanned the room, looking for Sara. She spotted her packing a bag on the second floor. They rushed up the stairs.
Sara looked up when she heard footsteps coming towards her. Her eyes widened and she dropped the book that was in her hand.
“What are you doing here?” Sara questioned.
Aileth put their hands up, “I … I was looking for you, Sara,” they replied.
She skeptically raised an eyebrow, “Why?”
“I'll explain later, could we talk somewhere more … private?” Aileth asked, glancing around nervously.
“Alright, but make it quick. Vanus reassigned me to the Spellscar to check its stability again and I need to get going soon.”
Sara finished packing the books in her pack. Aileth offered her their hand, but Sara swatted it away and stood up herself. She followed Aileth out of the guildhall and to an — honestly, quite sketchy — alleyway.
“You have the worst taste in spots to have conversations,” Sara sighed, “You know, I didn't expect to see you again after I got the news about my sister.”
“Do I really avoid people that often?”
She crossed her arms, “You avoided my sister many times. Broke her heart each time you disappeared again. So, yeah, you do,” she bluntly stated.
They awkwardly rubbed the back of their neck, “I— I didn't want to avoid her I just— I don't know. I'm sorry—!”
Sarah put her hand up, “Stop. You're … fine. That's not why you wanted to talk to me. So what did you want to say? Because I already know about what happened to Gabrielle, and if you think I blame you? I don’t.”
“You're right, that's not why I'm here. Well … maybe a little bit it is. Look, Sara, I need you to promise me something. I'll explain everything just— Promise me this will stay between us.”
“I promise.”
“That was quick…” they observed, surprised how fast she had agreed.
“Gabrielle trusted you, Aileth,” Sara explained, “So, I will too. Even if you're a little … strange, no offense.”
“None taken. Sara, I— well, I have a plan and I need your assistance. I believe I've found a way to … well, resurrect Gabrielle. Completely.”
Aileth fidgeted nervously with the ring on their finger while Sara processed their words.
“What?” Sara breathed, taking a step back.
“Just— hear me out. I got her permission to try this! You don't have to help, but I need — well, for this to go as smoothly as possible — … I need some blood from someone related to her. And you're the only person I know, Sara,” Aileth averted eye contact with her, “so I was wondering if you'd lend me some of yours?”
Sara was conflicted. Everything Vanus had told the Mages Guild about necromancy, everything she was taught — everything was saying this wasn't right. That this wasn't something she should be apart of.
‘They can't be serious. Necromancy is dangerous! And they want me to believe my sister gave them permission to do this? … Did she?,’ Sara thought, ‘No, Gabrielle would want me to trust them. I have to believe they have her best interests at heart. That she wants this…’
She sighed, “Alright, I'll do it.”
“You will?”
“I will. And I don't want to know the details, just— promise me that my sister knew what she agreed to. That you're telling the truth.”
Aileth nodded, “I promise. I— I care about Gabi. I never would do this without her permission, Sara. And if this doesn't work … well, I agreed to let go of her. Thank you. For doing this, Sara,” she smiled.
“Uh, how much do you need?” Sara inquired nervously.
They took out a small, empty vial from their pack. Aileth set her pack down and took out a knife.
“Just enough to fill this. I'm not going to lie to you, this will hurt — but I promise I'll make it as quick and painless as possible. And I'll heal you after too!” Aileth explained, popping open the vial.
Sara shakily held her hand out. She was scared, but determined to get it over with. Aileth handed the vial to Sara to hold on her other hand. Sara held it under her hand. They grabbed Sara's wrist gently and held the knife at the ready.
“Ready?”
She nodded. Aileth sliced Sara's palm and kept it held over the vial. Sara winced in pain. She gritted her teeth, sucking in air as her blood slowly dripped into the vial.
Aileth watched with a blank expression on their face as the vial filled. Their eyes flicked between Sara and the blood. They were studying her reaction.
Once the vial was completely full, Aileth let go of Sara’s wrist and took it. They closed the vial — chilled it with frost magic, and stowed it and the knife in their pack — then started healing Sara's hand. Her skin was knitted back together by Aileth's magic, the blue and yellow glow from it illuminating her palm. There was only a faint bloodstain left as evidence once Aileth finished.
“There,” Aileth guided Sara to sit down, “all done. How're you feeling?”
Sara traced her palm, “I'm … fine. Slightly dizzy, but fine. Is— is that all you needed?” she slurred.
“Yeah. Thank you, again, Sara! … Do you want me to sit with you while you recover?” she softly replied.
“No need. Thank you for the offer, but I'm a capable mage too. I'll be fine. And don't mention it. Seriously, don't. I don't want to lose my job,” Sara responded with a sigh.
“I won't. No one needs to know anything. Stay safe in Craglorn. If this works, I'll send word to you, soon. I promise!” Aileth replied before rushing back home.
Sara watched them leave. She felt a sense of unease as she picked her pack up.
-----
Aileth grabbed their notes off their desk — as well as Gabrielle's staff propped up against it — and headed down to the basement. They set everything down near their necromantic altar. She had set it up in a small area to study her necromancy when she first moved in.
They took off their glasses and read over their notes for the ritual. As they did, Gabrielle's soul gem glowed and her spirit emerged.
“Ail! You're back! Where'd you go?” she inquired.
They jolted, “Oh, just had to grab something … I believe I figured out how to bring you back, Gab!” Aileth exclaimed.
“You did?”
She nodded, “It took a while, but yes. I have everything needed for the ritual. Unfortunately, I've only been able to try the full process on animal souls — But I modified the ritual to theoretically work for a person's! We'll only have one shot at this. I'd rather not damage your soul, Gabi. If this doesn't work…”
Gabrielle placed her hand over Aileth's — the cold pierced through their gloves — and they looked up at her.
“It'll be alright, Thunderbug.”
“Right. Yeah. Can— Can you go back in the gem? It's safer to do this with you in it.”
She smiled supportively and went back into the soul gem. Aileth carefully picked it up from the blue cloth it was sat on. They took their promise ring off and set it down on the table. They grabbed the rest of the materials and began to set the ritual circle up.
First, Aileth placed the candles down. She followed each step carefully, making sure everything was placed perfectly. They placed Gabrielle's soul gem in the middle and set her staff down in front of it. Aileth walked over to the small vault. She unlocked the wards on it and took out the Light of Meridia. Its light didn't have much charge left after Mor Naril, but Aileth was sure it was enough. They set it down behind the soul gem. She continued placing the reagents down. All that was left was to draw the runes around the items with the blood Sara gave them.
‘I need to do this quick. The blood cannot be allowed to dry.'
She uncorked the vial and began to neatly draw the circle with her finger — making sure to get every little detail on the symbols that Vastarie had sketched out. Aileth took their glasses off and began the ritual. With a wave of their hand, they lit the candles up.
Aileth started casting the spell. A blue glow illuminated the room as their magic swirled around the ritual circle — the soul gem began glowing in the storm of magic. They kept their breathing steady as the poured all of their magicka into the spell. The blood started to swirl and a red mist formed above it as the ritual continued. Necrotic energy was being siphoned into the spell by the old bone chimes Aileth had set up.
The Light of Meridia started glowing. Its radiant yellow began to overpower the blue — Aileth squinted, trying to not be blinded by the light.
Every second they kept it up was draining Aileth. Their hands were burning as they continued channeling the ritual. It needed a catalyst. Aileth tried to stay focused as they racked their mind for some way to power the ritual further. They were too close to stop now.
She looked at the knife laying beside them, ‘More necrotic energy … I could— It's risky, but if it gets Gabrielle back then it's worth it. No matter what. Just gotta do this right,’ Aileth pondered. They picked the knife up. With a shaky hand, they stabbed themself in the chest.
The magic surged around the circle as Aileth let themself bleed out slowly to help power the ritual. They stepped back slightly so their “blood” wouldn't get mixed into it. Aileth felt weak as she pushed herself further. As Aileth lost consciousness, the room exploded in a blast of magic and a flash of light.
-----
Gabrielle gasped for air. She felt like she had just been torn apart and put back together all in an instant. The floor was cold against her hands — against all of her skin. It felt so surreal. One moment she was just existing as a spirit, feeling like her every move was fighting against a river’s current, and the next she felt like someone had pulled her out of the river. Like a weight had been pulled off of her shoulders. Her head was aching and she couldn't ignore the cold, sticky feeling of blood covering her body.
She looked around. Gabrielle's eyes landed on Aileth’s body. She crawled over and shook them gently.
“Aileth? Hey, get up. Please…” Gabrielle hoarsely called out, lifting their body onto her lap — getting more blood and their Azure Plasm on herself.
Their body dematerialized in her hands. Gabrielle was still disoriented from being revived. She just stared in disbelief at her bloodied hands. Her breathing was uneven as she just sat still for minutes and tried to deduce what had just happened. Gabrielle racked her mind for an explanation.
“G-Gabrielle…?” Aileth's tired voice snapped Gabrielle out of her trance.
Gabrielle looked up from her hands and saw Aileth standing not far in front of her. They looked exhausted as they stared down at Gabrielle. Aileth wasn't sure if she was actually seeing Gabrielle alive. They weakly grabbed their glasses off of the table behind them and put them on.
“Did … did it work? Are you actually alive again?” they whispered.
Aileth fought back tears as they slowly crept closer. Gabrielle stood up shakily and reached out, placing a gentle hand Aileth's cheek.
She smiled sweetly, “Yeah. You did it, Thunderbug. I'm alive,” Gabrielle reassured.
They hugged Gabrielle tightly and sobbed. Gabrielle wrapped her arms around them. She stroked their hair while they cried. Aileth snuggled into the hug.
The two of them stayed like that for a while. Aileth's sobs slowly turned into whimpers. Gabrielle pulled back from the hug and wiped their tears away.
“I can't believe it … I— you're back! How are you feeling? Are you alright?” Aileth rambled, “Do you need anything?”
Gabrielle hushed them, “Hey, hey. I'm fine. Breathe, sweetheart, everything's fine.”
Aileth sighed, “Sorry, I just— I'm just glad it worked. I'm sorry it took so long…”
“What? Sweetheart, for something like this, you didn't take long at all! I honestly expected to be in that soul gem longer … I'm proud of you, Ail,” Gabrielle admitted.
“Thank you, Gabi. I— I should have told you before everything that happened. I love you, Gabrielle. So much. And I'm—” Aileth choked back tears, “I'm glad I got to give you another chance at life. Like you did for Darien…”
“I love you too, Aileth.”
Aileth let go of Gabrielle. Blood stuck to Aileth's shirt. Their eyes widened when they realised just how much blood was covering Gabrielle.
“Oh! Divines, I'm so sorry! How did I not realise sooner? Let me fill the bath so you can wash off!” Aileth apologized. They grabbed the empty basin and went outside to fill it up. It took a couple trips, but the tub had been filled up.
They used their magic to heat it up. Gabrielle watched with an amused smile.
“There! All set! I'll let you get undressed and—”
Gabrielle laughed softly, “Ail, I hate to burst your bubble. But I came back to life without my clothes.”
Aileth blinked. She just stared at Gabrielle for a second, eyes trailing her body. The blood mostly covered everything. Everything except two — faint, but now accented by the blood — scars under her chest. Their face heated up as they realised Gabrielle had been naked the entire time, and that they had been staring.
She looked away quickly, covering her eyes, “Oh. I— I did not realise that,” Aileth squeaked, “I'll go find you some clothes too, sorry!”
“You’re fine, Thunderbug. With all due respect, I don't think any of your clothes will really fit me,” Gabrielle shrugged, getting to the bath.
“I wasn't grabbing my clothes. I have some spare clothes put up — they were here when I entered. I believe they belonged to my mother? I'm not entirely sure,” Aileth replied, walking up the stairs.
They opened a large wardrobe and rummaged through the clothes. There were multiple pairs of both black and white robes with golden metal accents, as well as some blue dresses. The designs on the robes looked familiar — scales covered parts of it, while the linework resembled rays of light and wings — but Aileth tried not to dwell on it. Instead, she grabbed a nice pair of dark blue robes with no design on it. Aileth headed back down to Gabrielle.
Aileth placed the robes on the seat of the vanity desk, “Here. These should work. I'm going to clean up the mess from the ritual while you finish and get dressed,” they commented.
They picked up the empty Light of Meridia and locked it back up in the vault — warding it yet again.
-----
When Aileth finished scrubbing the blood out of the floor, Gabrielle had stepped out and gotten dressed.
“Not my exact size, but pretty close. What do you think, Ail?” Gabrielle asked.
Aileth looked over and dropped their rag. They stared at Gabrielle, admiring how pretty she was. Her long blonde hair was still damp, but the streaks of blood had been completely washed out. The last time Aileth had seen Gabrielle — alive, not as a ghost — was a year ago in the Coloured Rooms.
They felt the tears coming back to their eyes. Aileth stood up and walked over to Gabrielle. She tucked Gabrielle’s hair behind her ear.
“You're as beautiful as always, Gabi,” Aileth breathed.
She blushed and pulled Aileth into a gentle kiss. One of her hands rested on their hip, and the other brushed part of their hair behind their ear. It caught Aileth off-guard at first. They hesitantly returned the kiss, slowly wrapping their arms around her neck, the tip of their ear twitched happily. Gabrielle's lips were soft against theirs. Aileth melted into the kiss, breathing in the scent of faint magic and lavender from the soap Gabrielle used. They'd wanted to do this for years.
Gabrielle broke the kiss for air. They both were panting — their faces red. Aileth grinned as she let go of Gabrielle. She put the ring back on. They then took Gabrielle’s hand and dragged her upstairs to sit down on the couch by the fireplace. Gabrielle watched with a loving smile as Aileth boiled a pot of tea. They poured it into two cups and sat down next to her. The tea smelled of mint and chamomile.
“Figured some hot tea might help your throat. Besides, I need to talk to you about a lot of things,” Aileth swirled their tea around.
“Is it about the whole “dying and coming back” thing you do?” Gabrielle asked.
Aileth nervously rubbed the back of their neck, “Well, not really, but I suppose I do still need to explain that to you. Though, I don't know much about it myself… can we discuss that later?”
“Whenever you feel like it, sweetheart. I won't push. But what else did you want to talk about?”
“This whole thing. You. Gabi, I didn't tell anyone other than Darien and your sister that I was doing this. You've been declared dead for a long while … will the Antiquarian Circle let you work for them again? Will the Guild?” Aileth asked.
Gabrielle shrugged, “Vanus is going to hate this, Ail. He won't be happy with you. But Verita probably won't mind. I'll need to speak with her about it later.”
“I could go with you! And we could talk to Galerion. Technically, I was the one that broke the rule of “No Necromancy” that Vanus has. Not you … We can get your jobs back. Together.”
She placed her hand on top of Aileth's, her thumb caressed the back of their hand, “I just might take you up on that offer, sweetheart. But don't let it trouble you. You brought me back to have a life again. And that’s more than enough for me,” Gabrielle set her drink down on the table.
Aileth blushed, "There is another thing. But, I'll wait for Darien to—”
The main door opened. Darien walked in. He froze when he saw Gabrielle. Darien's sword slipped from his hand, clattering onto the floor.
“You were saying?” Gabrielle whispered to Aileth.
Aileth chuckled, putting their cup down on the table, and she stood up. They offered their hand to Gabrielle to help her stand up. She took it. The two of them held hands as they walked over to Darien. He continued to stare at Gabrielle. Tears brimmed in his eyes.
“… Gabrielle?” Darien breathlessly called out.
Aileth touched his arm, “It's really her, D. I did it,” they nudged him gently.
Darien hugged Gabrielle. Aileth let go of her hand and stepped aside, watching their reunion. He held Gabrielle close and quietly cried. Gabrielle returned the hug with tears of her own.
“Gabs,” Darien muttered, “I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, Darien,” she smiled, “It's been so long since we got to have a moment like this. Together ... and both alive.”
Gabrielle pulled back and wiped Darien’s tears away. One of her hands rested on his cheek — the other rested on his shoulder.
Darien glanced at her lips. His gaze flicked back to her eyes, his brows furrowed, a silent question on his face. Gabrielle’s eyes widened when she realised what he was asking. She nodded. He leaned in, his hands on her hip and back, and kissed Gabrielle. She returned it eagerly, taking control of the kiss.
“I love you, Gabrielle…” He sighed happily, resting his forehead against hers.
She hummed, “I love you, too.”
The two of them pulled away — keeping one arm wrapped around each other, hugging sideways — and extended their free arms out.
“Thunderbug?” Gabrielle sweetly asked.
Aileth tenderly smiled and rushed into the hug. Darien and Gabrielle wrapped their arms around Aileth — their hands resting on each other. Happy tears fell down Aileth’s face as they snuggled into the hug. Darien and Gabrielle both kissed their head.
“We should go sit down to talk,” Aileth suggested through laughter.
She broke the hug and grabbed their hands. They dragged Darien and Gabrielle back to the couch. Darien and Gabrielle sat down next to each other while Aileth grabbed a cup of tea for Darien. They set it down by the other two cups and sat down on the other side of Darien.
Gabrielle tilted her head, “What is it? The idiomatic floor is yours.”
Darien looked at Aileth. They rested their hand on Darien’s arm, nodding at him. He turned his attention to Gabrielle and took her hands in his own.
“Gabby, we— Ail and I've been talking while you've been … gone. And I know you just got revived. And we never were dating, but,” Darien gently squeezed her hands, “You know Aileth and I both love you. And we want you to be part of our lives. As partners. All three of us. I don't have a ring for you — since someone neglected to tell me they were doing this today.”
Aileth sheepishly rubbed the back of their neck, “Sorry, I didn't want to get your hopes up…”
Darien continued, "But I just have to ask … would you— would you marry us? I know it's a jump, but with how our lives have gone so far? Ail and I think it's worth asking at least. In case there's not a chance to later... We both should have told you how we felt years ago. I’m sorry I didn't. But I love you— we love you. So, I guess this is two questions, would you be our girlfriend and our fiancée?”
Gabrielle choked back tears, “I would love to. I want to spend my life with you both, you— you mean the world to me. And I love you both. Marriage is a big jump, but I’m willing to do it for you two. Because you’re right. Life is unpredictable, I don’t know what we’ll face next … but whatever it is? We’ll do it together. As partners.” she accepted.
Darien kissed Gabrielle’s hand, “I promise I'll get you a ring tomorrow! I would have had a better speech prepared normally too, but…”
“Darien. You're fine. You don't need a prepared speech. Just being yourself is enough. That's what I love about you,” Gabrielle softly replied.
“She's right, darling. We fell in love with you for who you are,” Aileth agreed, “Besides, I think you did better than I would've. I … I’m glad we got this chance to finally be together.”
“Me too. Can we take this to the bedroom? I really want to lay down and just … be with you two. No worries, no responsibilities. Just us. Finally together. After all this time,” Darien breathed.
Gabrielle stood up, “I think that's a great idea. We've got a lot to catch up on...”
The three of them went upstairs — Darien took off his armour to be more comfortable — and cuddled together on the bed. Aileth laid in between the two, facing Gabrielle — snuggling into her chest — with their back against Darien. Gabrielle and Darien both wrapped an arm around Aileth and held each other's hand.
