Warnings:

Contains spoilers for the Witcher 3 Wild Hunt and Hearts of Stone

If Tears Could Build a Stairway – Unknown

No farewell words were spoken,

No time to say "Goodbye".

You were gone before I knew it,

and only God knows why.

My heart still aches with sadness,

and secret tears still flow.

What it meant to love you -

No one can ever know.

Geralt didn't want to be gone from Yennefer's side for long. He knew that she would be safe with Ciri but with each step he took that put distance between them it became harder and harder to keep walking forwards, as though his essence was tied to her and the further away he was, the stronger the pain and guilt became as the chain tightened around him urging him back.

He instantly felt bad for leaving her, she needed him now more than ever, she always did when she slept. Only in the late hours, when the sky was dark and the moon shone in the sky did Yennefer truly need someone beside her, because it was in her sleep that she was vulnerable. Geralt felt remorse whenever he was away from her side at night, and when he slept beside her he made sure never to get up until she was awake and safe from the demons of her subconcious. He couldn't let her face the nightmares alone, he wanted to give her peace.

It wasn't a frequent occurrence, but each night, when he awoke to her terrified screams and thrashing, bed sheets knotted around her, when he had to gently hold her down and watch her violet eyes shining with fear, her heart beating frantically as she gasped for air, struggling to breathe through the panic choking her, the memory stuck in him like a shard of ice, painfully distinct, and the thought of Yennefer waking up alone, without him beside her to whisper tenderly in her ear, to brush away the hair clinging to her face, to wrap his strong arms protectively around her, to kiss the top of her head and to send her back to sleep, was an ineffable thought.

It was a thought almost as painful as the Witcher's own fear, the fear of waking up without his raven-haired beauty locked in his embrace and the scent of lilac and gooseberries to lull him back to safe dreams as he listened to her heart to calm his mind, as she placed affectionate kisses on his jaw, lightly running her fingers over his scars, violet eyes shining with a comforting warmth as she spoke softly to him, her words reassuring his worries as much as her presence. He was afraid of waking up alone.

Hastily he walked around the outside of the school, the gentle crashing of waves and the light sea breeze, once so inviting were now meaningless, he no longer felt touched by the moonlight shimmering off the beautiful blue water, he saw only nothingness. Geralt headed back to their room, he didn't want fresh air or a change of scenery, he just wanted wash and change out of his Witcher gear, to remove the smell of death and decay from his body, to wash away the blood staining his skin, so he could return to her side, comforting her, promising that he'd never leave her.

When Geralt reached the door he hesitated, leaning against the door frame as he took several deep, steadying breaths, before he slowly opened the door. He felt her presence there, he saw her figure in the room, a ghostly apparition conjured by his grieving mind.

She sat at the table, arranging her cosmetics neatly in a beautifully carved box on the dresser, a present from Ciri for her birthday. She opened the trunk at the end of the bed handing him one of the several bottles of wine from their vineyard which made his medallion hum, their taste magical enhanced by her careful spell work. She rifled through the black and white contents of the wardrobe in nothing but her undergarments. She sat with her legs outstretched on the bed, laughing as she read him passages from the book that had been lent to her by a young girl, the daughter of one of Corvo Bianco's workers, who she had saved from a terrible fall.

He closed his eyes as he stepped into the room, unable to look at the scene, to comprehend the closeness of Yennefer's presence when she was so far away. He removed his two swords and armour, placing them in his own trunk so they would be out of her sight, before removing a fresh shirt and pair of trousers from the dresser.

As he was about to leave, he saw something in the corner of his eye, something out of place in this pristine setting, something that hadn't been there before. There was a small wooden box sitting on his pillow. Hesitantly he walked over, perching nervously on the edge of the bed as he took the box in the palm of his hand and slowly lifted back the lid.

Two rings were cushioned inside, simple silver bands, he recognized them at once as their wedding bands. Yennefer had pleaded with him to allow her to get them, she wanted to make them special, just as Geralt had done with her engagement ring, he was happy to oblige her, smiling at the excitement in her eyes. But as he reached out for the smaller ring his features looked as though they were carved from stone, a lifeless mask of sorrow.

Very carefully he held the ring between his fingers, examining it. On the band, arranged in a circle, were three small gems, one white, one black and one violet, on the inside of the ring were the words 'Forever Your Geralt' and on the outside, carved into the silver, was the promise he made that night, 'I promise that I won't ever leave your side, that you'll never be alone and that I'll love you forever'.

He closed his hand around Yennefer's wedding band, bringing the fist up to his mouth as he shut his eyes, apprehensively reaching for the larger ring.

It was almost identical to hers, three gems arranged in a circle, one white, one black and one yellow, on the inside the words 'Forever Your Yen' were delicately carved and on the outside, the promise which had taken his love, 'I promise that I chose and love the man you are and that I'll love you forever'.

He felt as though the rings were burning a hole in his hand and he quickly put them back, slamming the lid shut the box shaking in his hands, but he couldn't put it down. Geralt ran out of the room with the box still clasped tightly in his grip. Your Yen…

I promise… He emerged at the top of the tower out of breath, the starlight lying as fragments on the floor as its light splintered in the glass dome. It felt like another lifetime ago when they were all here together, enjoying the night sky. Geralt rested his head against the cold glass dome, his warm breath misting up the panels like the fog clouding his mind.

I chose and love the man you are…He stared out over the school watching as the lights began to flicker and die, the grounds consumed slowly by the night. He wasn't sure why he had come here, until he felt a slight breeze tickling the back of his skin as though someone was breathing down his neck, calling him. He pushed open the glass door stepping out onto the balcony, the cold night air embracing him welcomingly as he leant against the stone railing, looking out into the enchanting darkness around him.

I'll love you forever…He swung his legs over the stones, precariously sitting on the railings, feet dangling into the nothingness below. The Witcher placed the box beside him, pulling out the two rings and running his fingers over the smooth metal, lost in thought as he repeated the inscription in his head, over and over, the words becoming more and more painful with each blow.

Your Yen…I promise…I chose and love the man you are…love you forever…forever….man you are…Your Yen…love you…I promise…love the man you are…I'll love you forever…Your Yen…forever…

If he could have screamed, then even the Gods would have heard his cry. Geralt threw the rings into the night sky, burying his head in his hands as the wedding bands and the promises fell out of sight. The wind was blowing fiercely around him now, but he didn't care anymore, surely death would be better than this abysmal suffering. Perhaps he should just let himself fall and be consumed by the darkness. He never got the chance to make up his mind.

Eyes lowered he didn't notice the figure shooting towards him until he heard the flapping of wings and looked up at outstretched claws and a blur of feathers as sharp talons dug into his hair, pulling him backwards, over the railing where he landed on his side on the stone balcony, glaring at the owl which landed inside the dome.

"What the hell Philippa!" Shouted Geralt clutching his head as he got to his feet snarling at the Sorceress who emerged before him. "What are-"

"Don't you dare do this Geralt!" She screamed cutting him off and taking him by surprise as she got right up in his face, jabbing a finger painfully into his chest. "Don't you dare throw this all away, all that Yenna has given you!"

"Leave me alone." He grunted irritably trying to turn away but she quickly blocked his path, forcing his back up against the dome with nowhere to go.

"No!" The Witcher was shocked by the sheer look of anger she was giving him, her hands balled into shaking fists. "I won't let you throw this all away, you idiot!"

"Throw what away?!" He contorted, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You don't know anything Philippa, you couldn't possibly understand you're shit at empathy. Leave me."

"Pull your head out of your own ass Geralt, do you honestly think you're the only one who lost something last night!?" She said coldly.

"But nobody else can say they killed her, nobody else has to live with that guilt." He grunted quietly, but the Sorceress only looked at him exasperated, his words fuelling her rage.

"For someone who's supposed to have superhuman senses, Witcher, you are remarkably fucking blind!" She shouted and he bared his teeth nastily at her. "How long have you known her, hmmm? Long enough to know that no one can make Yenna do something she doesn't want to. So, stop wallowing in your pathetic misery like a pig rolling around in its own shit and realise that you're not only throwing your life away but Yenna's and Ciri's."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Geralt, confused by her sudden change in tone as Philippa's voice seemed to crack ever so slightly. The headmistress considered him for a moment, stepping back slightly as her features became less sharp and intimidating.

"Yenna loved you Geralt. She chose to save you, because she valued your life before her own, how many people can claim to have a love like that? I'll be damned if you don't make the most of her sacrifice, I won't let Yenna die in vain, Geralt. Go, and don't let me see you up here again." She replied calmly, watching him with her arms folded across her chest.

The Witcher shot her another reproachful look before disappearing back down the steps, leaving Philippa alone with her thoughts as she leant against the stone railing, staring out over the school, unusually indifferent to the cold night air which stung against her bare arms.

By the time he got to the baths it was completely empty, peaceful. He quickly threw off his clothes and sunk into the warm water, emerging himself underneath for several minutes helping to relax his body as he mulled over what Philippa had said. Her words rung true.

Geralt became aware of how selfish he was being, how narrow-minded, so content to be wound up in how own suffering that he almost risked giving in and making her death worthless. Yennefer would want him to carry on, to be there for Ciri, to make the most out of his second chance. He felt stupid.

'I love you both, forever'. Her last breath. Was this any way to repay her. To drown in grief, to squander his life away, to abandon their daughter when she needed him most. How could he have thrown them away? He sighed. He'd search for the rings in the morning, but for now, he needed to emend things with Ciri, to start putting his life back together before it broke beyond repair.

As he flung open the doors to the small room he stopped, Ciri was sleeping on a sofa which had been pushed up close to the bed and sitting at her feet was Philippa, who was gently placing a blanket over the young woman. He carefully walked over to them, the soft rug absorbing his footsteps and he thought the Sorceress hadn't noticed him as she looked at the woman lying on the bed, but then she spoke.

"Don't throw this all away. Remember the promise you made, Yenna might not be here, but she still needs you beside her, Geralt." Turning her gaze to the Witcher she handed him two silver rings, dropping them into the palm of his hand. The wedding bands. He held them tightly in his grip.

He remembered her stunned face as he opened the box and the way she flung her arms around his, ecstatically speaking the answer he'd long awaited. He remembered her brilliant smile as he candidly complimented her and her melodic laugh as they joked about Ciri. He remembered her charming and sarcastic voice as she kindly mocked his fretting, and her soft tone as she tenderly whispered her love. He remembered her happy violet eyes, gazing at the ring as they sat under the stars, planning their future. The rings warmed in his hand. A reminder not of his loss, but of everything he had to live for, for her. He smiled.

"Thank you." He said quietly, looking up at Philippa who was watching Yennefer.

She nodded but didn't comment, sitting there for several more moments before rising to her feet and walking towards the door. Just as the doors were about to close behind her, she stopped.

"You're a lucky man, Geralt."

As Philippa left, the Witcher put the two rings back in their box which was sitting on one of the small tables beside the bed and vase of flowers and grabbed the fresh clothes which were neatly folded in the seat the Sorceress has just vacated. He quickly changed and put a blanket and some pillows down on the floor between the bed and Ciri. He kissed Yennefer on the cheek and lay down to sleep, at last, his body quickly giving into his exhaustion, leaving him no time to ponder Philippa's unusual generosity and concern.

When they awoke the next morning, they eat a hearty breakfast consuming the many gifts of food brought along by friends, they sat and had a lengthy talk. It wasn't easy, but it was a step forward. They planned the funeral. It took place three days after the incident.

A lot of the mages had stayed on to pay their respects, as did those who fought beside Yennefer. Ciri and Geralt were pleasantly surprised when Nenneke showed up a day before the funeral, embracing them.

"Triss informed me," answered the Priestess as she let go of Geralt, smiling at the pair with her kind, motherly face, "I came here as fast as I could."

"I'm so happy to see you, Mother Nenneke, but why are you here?" Asked Ciri quietly, sitting back down on the sofa next to the bed, looking at the older woman who sat down beside her.

"Because I wanted to be here for you two," she said, squeezing Ciri's hand, "and because I wanted to apologise to Yennefer." She looked at the figure sadly. "I thought I knew her as well as I needed to, but I was foolish, I wanted to apologise for ever doubting her, and you too, Geralt, and to say goodbye."

"Thank you, Nenneke." Said the Witcher, perching on the edge of the bed. "We could use your help, please, with the funeral."

"Anything I can do."

The funeral took place under the stars, on the large open balcony outside the central hall where the Gathering had taken place. On the edge of the balcony, in front of a large brazier bursting with fire and overlooking the sea, were a pile of logs neatly stacked to form a narrow rectangle and on top of this pile were soft, violet silk sheets that hung over the sides decorated with gold and silver thread upon which Yennefer's body lay, her head resting against the pillows as her elegant dress fluttered slightly in the breeze, her obsidian star shining on her neck. Thick, beautiful ivy grew around the logs, twisting around the wood in wonderful patterns and violet, white and black flowers of many varieties were embedded in its surface, as though the body was resting once more in her garden. The sleeping fairy-tale Princess.

A silent crowd formed around her, Triss, Nenneke, Eskel, Lambert, Keira, Zoltan, Dandelion, Priscilla, Philippa, Rita, Cerys, Hjalmar, Ermion, Roche, Ves, the Lodge and other colleagues, one by one laying more flowers down beside her, placing them at the base of the pile, on her bed, or in-between the logs until the air was full of their sweet scent of lilac and gooseberries, as magic burned on their petals. As the congregation grew still Ciri and Geralt stepped out from the crowd, to stand before Yennefer, to say their farewells. They took a deep breath.

"Yen, when you departed from this world, you asked Ciri, and I, to forgive you for leaving us." Said Geralt slowly, holding the younger woman's hand. "You valued our lives, our safety, before your own and for that, there is nothing to forgive. We could never be angry at you Yen, for being a caring mother, and for making this Witcher feel human again, your love does not need forgiveness." He took another deep breath, Ciri smiling at him encouragingly.

"When I proposed to you, I made a promise to always be by your side, to never leave you alone and to love you forever, and I'll keep those promises. I don't know what to do without you, Yen…I'm lost…but, I'll do whatever it takes to look after those you left behind, too care for them in your place, I'll keep my promise to you."

From his pocket, Geralt pulled out his wedding band which was hung on a delicate silver chain and placed it around his neck, glancing at the inscription on the inside, 'Forever Your Yen', and holding it tightly in his grip as he kissed her goodbye on the forehead.

"I'll never forget you, Yen, I am forever yours. I love you." He stepped back, squeezing Ciri's hand as he smiled reassuringly at her, she nodded.

"Mother, you were always there for me when I needed you." She said, nervously playing with the swallow on her necklace, which hadn't once left her side. "You never complained when I shouted out my worries and dropped in out of the blue, you always had time to listen and you always knew what to say. You always had faith in me, and I promise that I'll never forget that and that I won't let you down."

Slowly, tears stinging her eyes, she walked up to Yennefer holding her hand as she kissed her on the cheek.

"'Like Mother like daughter' that's what Geralt likes to say… I couldn't even dream of being half the woman you were, but I know I won't stop trying to be so and hopefully one day I will prove deserving of your unwavering faith and love. Goodbye, Mother, I love you."

As she stepped away she gladly walked into Geralt's embrace and they didn't want let go as Triss and Nenneke said their short farewells. The time for them to let go had come far too early. Ciri and Geralt walked over to the brazier, lighting their torches in the fire, walking over to the body, hand in hand as they lowered their torches to the pile of logs upon which the sleeping beauty, dressed in white and black slept eternally.

"Goodbye, Yen." Whispered Geralt as he watched the violet flames engulf his lost beloved, their gentle roar the only sound to relieve the mournful silence as they tried desperately to push aside the darker thoughts plaguing their minds because they knew this farewell was not final. Her body was laid to rest, her physical presence removed while her spirit burned in hell. She was not gone but impossibly far away. Geralt knew the thought would haunt him until his last breath.

So wound up in their own minds, lost in the darkness which had settled upon their souls since that night, none noticed the two unannounced guests, a man and a woman, sitting cross-legged on the balcony's stone railing, hands in their lap as they watched the scene before them unfold with inhuman indifference.

"They will unequivocally go after her, we can use them." Said the man, turning to face his companion who nodded.

"Of that I am certain. Let us return to the others, the plan must be formulated and approved. It will be a while before O'Dimm faces justice, let us hope her loved ones do not fall prey to their own mortality in that time." Concluded the woman, hopping down from her perch and walking through the crowd of people without drawing a single gaze.

"Agreed." Said the other as he followed suit. "I would question whether it would be safer to inform them now, but hope for them seems almost as dangerous as this pitiful sorrow."

As the two mysterious figures vanished, leaving no trace of their presence behind even in memories, the body they had created went up in fire. Yennefer's empty vessel rested elsewhere, under their protection. They would need it intact if they were to restore her soul back to her body or as these mortals would perceive it, to bring her back to life…

To Hope - John Keats: Chapter 1, Hope

And as, in sparkling majesty, a star

Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud;

Brightening the half veil'd face of heaven afar:

So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,

Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed,

Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head!

To Be continued in…The Realm of Glass

When Yennefer died, her body left empty, her soul willingly offered to O'Dimm to clear Geralt's debt, hope was lost, but now, there's a chance, a deal to bring her home. All they have to do, is go to hell and back.

Notes:

Hi guys, hope you liked the latest and final chapter of Promises of Love, and Death. Did I not say there was light at the end of the tunnel! Come on, you didn't actually think I'd kill her…right? (I mean though technically she is dead, but she isn't, but she is…I dunno :P)

Now, firstly I'd like to reassure everyone that I WILL FINISH THIS STORY! The reason I have split it in two is because (1) quite honestly, I was hoping it might help me get more readers…? There is a weird logic here I promise, and (2) I had the last six chapters of this story written six weeks ago, and in those six weeks I have written…one…chapter… 0_0

With Uni preparations, going out and working now 5 days a week (when I'm employed as a Saturday worker, so much overtime money!) I've not had the time and with my move to University on the horizon my life is in a bit of a (not necessarily bad) turmoil.

I want to be able to update on a regular basis, every week or two weeks and the fact that part 2 is going to be very complicated (for me) and the fact I like to be several chapters ahead of my published story (because I often change things around, add new things etc.) AND with the settling in with, you know, strangers and having to socialise (ahhhhhhhh!) I've decided it's best to postpone the story for a short while.

The Realm of Glass should begin around Mid-October, I urge people to follow my Tumblr for updates (Eileniessa is my everything blog and Eileniessa's Creative Blog is my just art and writing related blog, take your pick) I might also post snippets up there of the story and, if people would like, answer questions on this story, my other works and about the upcoming one, perhaps even talk about my…writing journey? I don't know how to put it… but anyhow I would absolutely love to talk about all this! Please…

My thanks to vic-of-thor and daisyofgalaxy11 (Tumblr) for all the kind words and support and to korbel05 (Fanfiction) for all the feedback and suggestions. This story would be nothing without you guys and I hope to see you soon in The Realm of Glass.

And thank you all so much for sticking with me, I cannot even begin to describe the ineffable joy I have felt reading all the lovely comments and messages, confidence has never been one of my strong points but I can say, with a hand on my heart, that you guys have made some changes in my personal life in that regard.

Until next time guys, love you all, Eileniessa xx