Ciaran refused to leave Artorias' grave.
Ornstein got quickly notified about Artorias death. After the initial shock was over, the burial had to be planned. Princess Dusk of Oolacile had agreed to erect a grave in the royal garden, so the Dragonslayer was on his way to pay his last respects to his old friend and companion.
Artorias was called the Abysswalker now. He was praised as a hero who had stopped the spread of the abyss. It was false. Shortly before the burial, Ciaran had took Ornstein to the side and told him the truth. Artorias had been corrupted by the darkness of the abyss, gone onto a berserking rage and was released from this state by the hands of an undead that coincidentally happened to be around.
The undead also finished Artorias mission and stopped the spread of the abyss. And they agreed that nobody would ever get to know this tale and all their deeds would go to Artorias. Undead were on the verge of hollowing all the time, so it was quite impressed that one of them wouldn't want to be praised for their heroic deeds. They must have been a really determined one. Of course they had to be determined when they were able to beat Artorias….
After the ceremony was over, Ciaran sat down behind the gravestone and refused to move. Sif, the wolf puppy of Artorias, joined her and laid down in front of the grave. The pup had inherited the belongings of Artorias, the great sword and his ring. They hadn't been able to find his shield, but the wolf wouldn't have been able to wield it anyway.
Ornstein tried a while to talk some sense into Ciaran, but to no avail. She needed her time to grief. He stayed a while until he had to return to his duties in Anor Londo and decided to check up on Ciaran later.
Even after weeks Ciaran hadn't left her spot at the grave. Ornstein made it a habit to visit her and Sif. He normally would bring some food for them, then sat down at Ciaran's side and they would talk. About their time in the dragon war, about the missions they did together, about their time in Anor Londo, about Artorias. They often would talk about Artorias. One particular topic, that come up often, was his love for cute things and animals. And of course how much they both missed him.
Enough time passed for Sif to grow from a pup into a great grey wolf. It was still a habit for Ornstein to visit him and Ciaran, but over the years, she grew less and less responsive. He would tell her about how things in Anor Londo where, the continued requests of Smough to become a knight and how the training with the silver knights went. Ciaran would acknowledge his presence and sometimes made a noise of approval, but she didn't really talk anymore.
Sometimes Ornstein would spar with Sif. It was quite impressive that Artorias had been able to teach his sword arts to a pup and more impressive how quickly said pup had picked up on it. Ciaran seemed to like watching those sparring matches between the Dragonslayer and the wolf. Ornstein enjoyed them too. Him and Artorias would challenge each other all the time. He remembered, that Ciaran would have always sat in a corner and watched their duels. During his sparring time with Sif, he sometimes would catch her in a motion that looked like she wiped away a tear.
One day Ciaran stopped reacting at all. She was just sitting there, staring into nothingness, didn't seem to hear anything Ornstein said to her. She also looked a lot thinner and run-down. He really hoped that she would get better at the next visit.
The day of the next visit came and Ornstein immediately knew something was off, when he saw Sif lying there, ears drooping down. He was at the side of the animal in a flash, checking for injuries, but the wolf seemed to be fine. But then… it had to be Ciaran. He dashed behind the grave to her usual spot and spotted a horrific sight.
Blood splattered on the ground and her clothes, Ciaran was dead with a sliced open throat. The dagger in her hand heavily implied that she took her life of her own free will.
Why would she do this?
No, this was the wrong question..
Why hadn't he seen that coming?
The signs had been all there. He failed to notice them. He could have helped her out of this, but he failed. His chest tightened. He felt like he was about to scream.
But then he felt some warm fur at this side. Sif. He simply stood there for a while, silent, just hugging the leg of the giant wolf. They both had lost another companion. They both felt the same pain. And Ciaran had felt his pain too. She had loved Artorias. It had simply become unbearable for her to live in a world without him.
After a while, Ornstein let go and took a closer look at Ciaran. She was wearing her hornet ring and the cut was masterfully done. It was kind of impressive that even in ending her own life she didn't make a single mistake.
Ornstein considered for a moment what to do with her corpse. But in the end, he decided to leave her be. Ciaran had refused to move from this spot for many many years. She would have liked to stay. Ornstein decided to respect her wishes and leave her be.
Now.. he was the last of the knights of Gwyn. He turned around, gave Sif a pat and returned to his duties in Anor Londo. He would stay a knight, especially in honour of his fallen comrades, until he would take his last breath.