Lily
She lay still as a rose frozen in time, arms folded serenely, eyes closed, expressionless. She lay as a rose in shade, shrouded in the embrace of death. He stood silently by, watching the flicker of his shadow over her beneath the candlelight.
She was cleansed of the stain of freedom, now clad in pure white, a rose bathed in alabaster waters. She was no longer rooted in black sand, absorbing its poison each day and night.
The Rose of the Black Sand was no more. He looked down at her and saw a flower of mourning. She would not be laid to rest here, as an eternal prisoner in this desert of thorns. She would be replanted, as a lily in her native soil.
He bore her in his arms without a spell to aid him; magic could not provide him with such strength. The crystal vessel glinted with the fractals of lily petals as he lay her down in its airless space. A whisper of power from the gauntlet blurred the air around them, and beneath his feet the dark stone of the Citadel turned into sand the color of flax. He breathed in the air of her place of birth, now her place of final rest. Resting his palm on the tinted crystal, he exhaled the fulfillment of his promise. He had freed her from the Black Sand for the first—and last—time.
A/N: This was inspired by the Elfen Lied theme song, Lilium. The rendition I prefer is the "saint" version, sung by an all-male chorus. Tragic and beautiful, like Raniye. Check out the lyrics as well.