ACOMAF Oneshots

Alternative Ending <3

Set when Feyre was dying in Childbirth because of Nyx's wings, after Nesta plucked the 26th string. 

The room was silent, it echoed with what might have been music in another lifetime. Nesta couldn't hear what sound the string made, there was none. The twine reverberated ever so slightly in her palms. Because it was time, the twenty-sixth sting was time itself. And no matter what was paused Nesta could feel, she felt her sisters give a shudder, slowly ever so slowly. As if content to die now, even though her child had just been born. Even though she was never going to get to be the amazing mother Nesta knew she could have been. 

It was her fault. 

All of it was her fault. 

She threw herself over Feyre's silent and unresponsive body, clinging to the scraps of the person she used to know buried beneath the flaky dead skin if the surface. 

"Please," she begged openly, to no one and yet everybody at the same time. "Please, I will do anything just tell me how to save her. Tell me how to save Feyre and Rhysand and the baby."

No one answered, not that Nesta could hear, but she felt in her soul. 

And she knew what had to be done, the power that resided within her, the stolen gifts. The things she took, and the things she was still taking. "Please," she begged. "I give it back." She couldn't count how many times she said the phrase, losing herself, to a choking death on her grief. Cassian shouted something across the room, only feet away but what seemed like miles.

"Shut up," Amren ordered, grabbing the Illyrian's jaw. "Look." A golden light seemed to seep out of Nesta, feeding slowly into Feyre's being. The light made the vessels beneath turn translucent and glowing. It fed into her heart until slowly...

Rhys's gasped. Her heart was beating again. the light flowed out and out, and Cassian could barely contain what he saw, he never Nesta had so much power. It radiated out of her very pores at times, split the sky's in half till he was certain the sun would never dart rise again. But it did, it happened. Over and over. 

The silver flames in her eyes. He caught himself so amazed at who she was, the absolute grace of where she would be. That he almost didn't catch the whisper within his own mind. 

I love you, said a voice. Beautiful and clear and unmistakably Nesta's. I love you too. He echoed in response to the joy thrumming his veins, she had accepted it. The bond that felt like a dull piece of architecture now an intricate bridge looping their souls together, entertaining their very essence, the things that made who they were were now as bonded as a star's sky. 

And almost as soon as it had come the golden light began fading, and darkness. Cassian had never noticed how dark the room had been before. 

"Feyre!" Rhysand yelled, yelled like he actually cared. And Cassian had to remind himself that they were mates. Just like he had a mate lying on the very same bed. He fought back the bristle of envy at the fact that Rhysand got there first. But it was brother who had almost lost his mate. 

"You did good." Amren praised, looking towards Nesta. The girl did not get up. She merely moved her head, blurry eyes scanning the room. 

"Cassian?" she murmured. And Cassian was there in an instant, holding her hand and placing so many kisses on her arms that Nesta thought she would die. 

"Cassian?" As if she couldn't see him. As if she was a lover going blind and the words cracked Cassian right in two, cracked him down the middle. 

"Here, right here, Nes." His voice breaking and broken on every word, and he was broken and bleeding and the pieces were right there, and why couldn't she see him? She where he was? see what he was worth? "Right here, and I'll stay." The entire room seemed to be holding its breath. But for what, Cassian could not guess. 

"Feyre?" It was a question. She seemed so weak so frail. Feyre breathed softly, "I love you Nes." And then took a shallow breath, and another. As if getting again used to the lungs that had died only moments before. And then Nesta was a broken record, going on repeat. "I love you, I love you, I love you. I'm sorry I didn't say it before, I love you." 

Rhys's knelt by her, his eyes watery. "Thank you. Thank you, Nesta." And Cassian looked at the tears filling his brothers eyes, and the ones that surely mirrored in his. And oh why was Az still in the corner. 

But his eyes were furrowed, the shadows curling around him seemed to sniff at the air and shake their heads. "Nesta." It was a choked word. A warning. 

"What did you give back?" and his voice cracked. "I was good." Nesta whispered and Cassian nuzzled her hand, cold against his own. "I was good right?" And Cassian recalled her words by the lake. Her words that had shattered his soul and faceted him in ways he thought he could have been broken before. 

"You were good Nes. You were so good." She seemed content with that and sunk into the pillows, she took a deep breath. 

And then didn't take another.