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rarepair_shortsAuthor: ???
Recipient:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rachelleneveu
Title: Love
Pairing: Druella/Cygnus
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: (Canonical) Character Death, Mentioned Character Death, Mentions of Miscarriage
Word Count: 1010
Summary: It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as she was his and he was hers.
Author's Notes:rachelleneveu, I really hope that you will enjoy this! I squealed a bit inside when I saw you'd requested older Black family generations, because Druella/Cygnus is one of my ultimate OTPs that I hardly ever get to write about. A big thank you to my lovely betas F. and K. and of course also to the mods for hosting this exchange!
Druella Rosier was no foolish woman. She was well aware that a thing such as love was only for the poor and the hopeless, that it was madness to fall in love—a process that had caused many people to abruptly take leave of their senses. Even her parents had never loved one another; they were merely bonded by a deep friendship that had been forced to come to an end the moment Father had taken to the bottle for the first time.
In all honesty, Druella had never had the desire to experience love at all. Wouldn’t it only complicate things? Her fate had been sealed from the day of her birth; she were to marry the man her parents had chosen to become her husband, become a mother and honour and continue their families’ traditions until the end.
She’d been too young to understand when they told her, too young to be afraid. But as the years at school went by, she grew to realise that there was no need to be afraid, that she could call herself incredibly lucky. How lucky she was indeed to know that with Cygnus Black she would wed her best friend.
It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as their relationship never changed, as long as they could still entrust one another with anything, as long as she could still look into his eyes and feel a happiness spreading inside of her that she’d never felt before. It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as she was his and he was hers.
But his kiss had changed everything. For a moment, Druella felt as though she were to drown in him; for a moment it felt as though she were to choke, but if this meant death she really wouldn’t care. How could she still care about anything if only they were together?
In good times as in bad, Cygnus had never broken his vow, had always been there for her, to support her, to give her strength. He’d been there when she lost her parents, had still held her until she fell asleep in his arms when even months later grief would overwhelm her. He’d been there when she miscarried their second child, forcefully suppressing his own grief in order to comfort her. He’d been there when their family had nearly fallen apart with Andromeda’s unspeakable betrayal, had been there to slowly stick the pieces back together. Even when they’d begun to speak of war, even when a man named Tom Riddle rose to power as the “Dark Lord”, he wouldn’t leave her for longer than a day, always noticing the fear in her eyes she so desperately tried to hide.
“You’re all I have,” Druella whispered into his ear one night, clinging to him as though she never wanted to let go of him again. “How could I endure losing you?”
It was true. Cygnus was all she had left; it was him and him alone she needed, only him she’d open up to, only him who knew how to comfort her. There was no need for words; he’d wrap his arms around her body and look at her, would only look at her, his deep blue eyes firmly resting on her until she was no longer able to hold back her tears. How much she despised herself for her own weakness, how much she despised herself for her emotions, how much... And yet she wasn’t ashamed of crying, not as long as they were alone.
Of course there were her daughters. But it seemed foolish to entrust herself to her children, foolish to even think about it. They had their own lives now, were suffering their own pains, and while she would always listen, Druella remained silent. None of the girls had ever seen her shed a single tear.
“Don’t even think about such a thing, Ella,” Cygnus had responded that night when she’d told him her secret, pulling her even closer into his arms and slowly kissing her. “I will never leave you. Never.”
It had been a promise impossible to keep. The battles became longer and fiercer with every day passing, and at first he would always return, sometimes injured, sometimes unharmed. He would always return. Night by night he’d be there by her side and only his quiet snore would make her fall asleep, too.
What he did was right. Of course Druella knew that what he did was right, that he fought to achieve what they all longed for, but still she wanted to scream, still she wanted to beg him to stop, to hide the terrible mark on his left forearm, but of course she wouldn’t. Of course she knew that he had no choice.
He’d always return… Cygnus would always return and she’d be there, waiting to enfold him in her arms and help him to bed before lying down herself, taking his hand and carefully squeezing it as if to ensure herself that he was still with her. He’d always return… It was always the same…
Until, one night, her waiting was in vain.
Instead a large black owl gracefully poised through her bedroom window, dropping off a small piece of parchment on the floor. Druella didn’t open it, did not have to read to know what was written in the letter. A letter… Just a letter… Nothing but a letter!
Cygnus had fallen. Her most precious was gone, gone forever and nothing would ever bring him back. She was alone.
Seconds passed, turned into minutes, hours… But she only stood there, motionless as though she had turned into stone, staring at what the owl had left her until she broke down, sobbing uncontrollable sobs, her entire body trembling like it had only trembled when she’d found their parents lying dead on the floor all those years ago, but this time nobody was there to hold her. This time, she was on her own, would be on her own forever.
How much she loved him…
Recipient:
rachelleneveuTitle: Love
Pairing: Druella/Cygnus
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: (Canonical) Character Death, Mentioned Character Death, Mentions of Miscarriage
Word Count: 1010
Summary: It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as she was his and he was hers.
Author's Notes:
rachelleneveu, I really hope that you will enjoy this! I squealed a bit inside when I saw you'd requested older Black family generations, because Druella/Cygnus is one of my ultimate OTPs that I hardly ever get to write about. A big thank you to my lovely betas F. and K. and of course also to the mods for hosting this exchange!Druella Rosier was no foolish woman. She was well aware that a thing such as love was only for the poor and the hopeless, that it was madness to fall in love—a process that had caused many people to abruptly take leave of their senses. Even her parents had never loved one another; they were merely bonded by a deep friendship that had been forced to come to an end the moment Father had taken to the bottle for the first time.
In all honesty, Druella had never had the desire to experience love at all. Wouldn’t it only complicate things? Her fate had been sealed from the day of her birth; she were to marry the man her parents had chosen to become her husband, become a mother and honour and continue their families’ traditions until the end.
She’d been too young to understand when they told her, too young to be afraid. But as the years at school went by, she grew to realise that there was no need to be afraid, that she could call herself incredibly lucky. How lucky she was indeed to know that with Cygnus Black she would wed her best friend.
It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as their relationship never changed, as long as they could still entrust one another with anything, as long as she could still look into his eyes and feel a happiness spreading inside of her that she’d never felt before. It wouldn’t matter if they loved each other as long as she was his and he was hers.
But his kiss had changed everything. For a moment, Druella felt as though she were to drown in him; for a moment it felt as though she were to choke, but if this meant death she really wouldn’t care. How could she still care about anything if only they were together?
In good times as in bad, Cygnus had never broken his vow, had always been there for her, to support her, to give her strength. He’d been there when she lost her parents, had still held her until she fell asleep in his arms when even months later grief would overwhelm her. He’d been there when she miscarried their second child, forcefully suppressing his own grief in order to comfort her. He’d been there when their family had nearly fallen apart with Andromeda’s unspeakable betrayal, had been there to slowly stick the pieces back together. Even when they’d begun to speak of war, even when a man named Tom Riddle rose to power as the “Dark Lord”, he wouldn’t leave her for longer than a day, always noticing the fear in her eyes she so desperately tried to hide.
“You’re all I have,” Druella whispered into his ear one night, clinging to him as though she never wanted to let go of him again. “How could I endure losing you?”
It was true. Cygnus was all she had left; it was him and him alone she needed, only him she’d open up to, only him who knew how to comfort her. There was no need for words; he’d wrap his arms around her body and look at her, would only look at her, his deep blue eyes firmly resting on her until she was no longer able to hold back her tears. How much she despised herself for her own weakness, how much she despised herself for her emotions, how much... And yet she wasn’t ashamed of crying, not as long as they were alone.
Of course there were her daughters. But it seemed foolish to entrust herself to her children, foolish to even think about it. They had their own lives now, were suffering their own pains, and while she would always listen, Druella remained silent. None of the girls had ever seen her shed a single tear.
“Don’t even think about such a thing, Ella,” Cygnus had responded that night when she’d told him her secret, pulling her even closer into his arms and slowly kissing her. “I will never leave you. Never.”
It had been a promise impossible to keep. The battles became longer and fiercer with every day passing, and at first he would always return, sometimes injured, sometimes unharmed. He would always return. Night by night he’d be there by her side and only his quiet snore would make her fall asleep, too.
What he did was right. Of course Druella knew that what he did was right, that he fought to achieve what they all longed for, but still she wanted to scream, still she wanted to beg him to stop, to hide the terrible mark on his left forearm, but of course she wouldn’t. Of course she knew that he had no choice.
He’d always return… Cygnus would always return and she’d be there, waiting to enfold him in her arms and help him to bed before lying down herself, taking his hand and carefully squeezing it as if to ensure herself that he was still with her. He’d always return… It was always the same…
Until, one night, her waiting was in vain.
Instead a large black owl gracefully poised through her bedroom window, dropping off a small piece of parchment on the floor. Druella didn’t open it, did not have to read to know what was written in the letter. A letter… Just a letter… Nothing but a letter!
Cygnus had fallen. Her most precious was gone, gone forever and nothing would ever bring him back. She was alone.
Seconds passed, turned into minutes, hours… But she only stood there, motionless as though she had turned into stone, staring at what the owl had left her until she broke down, sobbing uncontrollable sobs, her entire body trembling like it had only trembled when she’d found their parents lying dead on the floor all those years ago, but this time nobody was there to hold her. This time, she was on her own, would be on her own forever.
How much she loved him…
no subject
Date: 2014-01-01 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-02 05:59 am (UTC)Oh, mystery author, this is just lovely! I always love reading people's different interpretations of the Black family, and your take on Cygnus and Druella are no exception: I love that they start as friends, best friends, and how content they are to be that in a marriage, but how the fact that it turns into something more surprises them both. I love that they are a support system for each other: with Andromeda, with the miscarriage, with everything the First War throws their way. And I love that theirs is a marriage that fits the parameters of the society they live in, but how devoted and loving they are in the privacy of their own home.
This was great to read on a cold January morning, mystery author. Thank you for such a great gift! :)
no subject
Date: 2014-01-07 01:36 pm (UTC)