The druid sat atop a cool rock in the midst of the smoldering ashes of Auberdine. The town was decimated, his friends were scattered, his heart was dark. Any link he had with anyone seemed tenuous at best. He did not know where she was, if she was, or how he could find her. He did not know if she even wished to be found.
She had gone for a few months to spend time with her new found sister, carrying her around the known worlds, training her, educating her, connecting with the last warm memory of their mother. They had met up a few times for dinner or on a particular task with which she needed help, but the times had been too brief and fleeting. Now she was gone. She had left her sister with her father again and disappeared on some personal mission. She had not told him about it, though he got a dim impression several weeks ago thatshe wanted him to take care of things until she returned. He feared he had made a mess of things. Love had the mind for organization, he had a mind for battle, together they did well, but without her he felt out of his depth.
Auberdine had been destroyed by Deathwing some months ago and the guild had come here to set some things right. They had done that and now he had returned here because it was familiar and one of the places she and he had spent much time, but there was nothing here anymore, and he was not too impressed with the new town nearby. He hopped atop his violet drake and flew to the Furlbog camp in Winterspring. He had first met the paladin here long ago. He remembered being captivated by her laugh. It rang through the halls of his memory like something silver, or a fountain splashing in the sun. But the day was dark and cloudy as landed in the Furlbog compound and the laughter was only heard in memory. He leaned against a tree conjured a chair against it and sat brooding in the gloom and snow.
Without her guiding the organization, there had been some loss of active folks, and he felt powerless to stop it. Perhaps had he moved faster he could have stemmed the tide, but he had not. Assassen was away on loan to another division, Nite was off on missions of his own and Mert was usually in the front lines somewhere battling for the Alliance, Brian had remained with him while they battled in Firelands and as they approached the timeless battle for the Dragon Soul, but even he needed to roll out and complete a few missions in far away lands. Orious had spent his time searching for an elusive mount or two and joining small groups as they traveled time on the wings of bronze drakes to prevent the devastaion that Deathwing prepared for this world. He felt useless, lost and alone like he had not felt since that fateful day many years ago when he regained concsiousness on the shores of Ruth'ran Village. It took months before he could remember anything, he still did not know how he had gotten there or what put him in that condition. The last thing he remembered was the Caverns of Time, but he couldn't remember what purpose had brought him there. The druid that tought fishing there in the village had pulled him from the waters edge and had him cared for and housed in the inn there. Tyrande had actually come to tend him and then assigned one of her attendants to take care of him until he recovered. Nyia had her hands full with him. He had never been one to lie about, so soon she was following him through the forests of Teldrassil as he herbed and investigated. She laughed at him telling the druid that he would poke his head in anything he could fit it in just to see what was there. It took a few months before his amnesia faded and he remembered who he was and what he was about. Then he bid Nyia goodbye and headed into the many historic battles from which threads great tales are woven. Nyia later joined the guild. They had been friends ever after. She was one of the few that felt comfortable enough with him to laugh at him openly...but she knew him sans memory so it seemed appropriate somehow as he stumbled his way towards remembering her laugh had followed.
So many memories and yet so many things fading like looking through a fog. Where was she? He had a dim shimmering thought or vision of a place in Quel'danas, it looked like the island, but he could not be sure. Hell, he was under no constraint or command at this point, so he hearthed to Dalaran, ported to Stormwind and then found the port to the Blasted Lands and flew into the portal to Outlands. From there he flew to Shatt and took the portal to the famed Isle of Quel'danas home to the Sunwell and Magister's Terrace. Orious began his reconoiter. He knew how to ask and whom to ask, he had investigated so many things in the course of this war that getting information was rarely a problem for him...though getting it from friendly folks was sometimes trying since you couldn't simply beat it out of them. It was largely just more time consuming. Finally Inaara, the innkeeper there remembered seeing her some 2 weeks before. She had spent a couple nights there but gave no forwarding address. It was customary if you were in a guild or a regiment to leave the innkeeper with some vague knowledge of your intended destination. Just a safty measure but Love usually obeyed the convention. The fact that she did not this time meant she was either unsure of where she was going, or....perhaps she never really left the island. Many times if they were scouting out an area or had business there, no innkeeper checkpoint was needed. They might or might not be back at that inn, but they were not going far. Further questioning yeilded a possible location...Halduron the Ranger General had seen her and said she had important family business in Magister's Terrace.
What business could she possibly have there? The place was full of Eredar demons. Orious called his little bird and sent it to find Ass, Brian, Mara and Rosin. He needed a real crackerjack team to find her. The little bird found them all (I'm thinking this is the origin of the phrase "a little bird told me") and they gathered at the Inn in Quel'Danas.
"Dunna worry old friend" said Assassen "We will find her if we have to kill everything in the place." All the others said the same and they ventured into the Terrace. They fought for hours until finally Orious felt a familiar yet strange presence and motioned them to a place in a courtyard and there at the end of the yard, sitting on a divan was the paladin, strangely garbed and an Eredar demon beside her. Orious looked upon the face of the demon and recognized him. This was the long lost husband of his paladin. What could he do? Obviously he was a demon and he had to be killed, but if he dispatched the demon then he would forever be estranged from Love, for indeed the demon was still her husband. Yet if he did not, he could see even from this distance she might well become one of the demons ere long. Even should he lose her affections, he had to save her soul and so he called out. "I know you demon! Why have you forsaken the light and would you take your beloved down into the darkness with you?" The Eredar snapped his head toward him "Druid, I know thee as well! You would have my beloved for yourself, would you not? Then come and take her, but know that I am Fate and I am your ending!"
Rosin waded in quickly and took the demon's attention. Lovetails sat on the divan as if amused and watched the fray. The battle was fierce. Orious poured his energy into bolt after bolt of starfire and then streams of wrath. The demon was weakening but then Ataracia stood up and retrieved a carved bone bow from behind the divan and notched an arrow, and pointed towards her friends. Several things happened almost at once. Assassen, who had been healing felt a burning at his side and looked in wonder upon the short sword the mysterious stranger had given him as a child. It was glowing blue and suddenly he knew that this was the fight for which it was forged. He grabbed it and threw it towards the demon Fate. Meanwhile Lovetails had loosed the arrow and it had found its mark beneath her druid's chestplate. The sword struck Fate and a blue wave of energy exploded from the strike. Fate fell dead, Lovetails was blown aside and fell where the druid could not see. The druids legs gave way.. Assassen caught the druid mid-fall and eased him to the ground. "There, there my friend we'll see you right" "You killed him Assassen?" "Aye, I couldna let you do it, that woulda messed everything up for you." Orious blinked and gasped. "Is she alright?" "Brian and Rosin have gone to see" Orious laughed and some blood bubbled on his lips.."It's Valentine's Day, my Cupid has good aim doesn't she?", Assassen looked upon the druid and the world faded and the druid knew no more.
She had gone for a few months to spend time with her new found sister, carrying her around the known worlds, training her, educating her, connecting with the last warm memory of their mother. They had met up a few times for dinner or on a particular task with which she needed help, but the times had been too brief and fleeting. Now she was gone. She had left her sister with her father again and disappeared on some personal mission. She had not told him about it, though he got a dim impression several weeks ago thatshe wanted him to take care of things until she returned. He feared he had made a mess of things. Love had the mind for organization, he had a mind for battle, together they did well, but without her he felt out of his depth.
Auberdine had been destroyed by Deathwing some months ago and the guild had come here to set some things right. They had done that and now he had returned here because it was familiar and one of the places she and he had spent much time, but there was nothing here anymore, and he was not too impressed with the new town nearby. He hopped atop his violet drake and flew to the Furlbog camp in Winterspring. He had first met the paladin here long ago. He remembered being captivated by her laugh. It rang through the halls of his memory like something silver, or a fountain splashing in the sun. But the day was dark and cloudy as landed in the Furlbog compound and the laughter was only heard in memory. He leaned against a tree conjured a chair against it and sat brooding in the gloom and snow.
Without her guiding the organization, there had been some loss of active folks, and he felt powerless to stop it. Perhaps had he moved faster he could have stemmed the tide, but he had not. Assassen was away on loan to another division, Nite was off on missions of his own and Mert was usually in the front lines somewhere battling for the Alliance, Brian had remained with him while they battled in Firelands and as they approached the timeless battle for the Dragon Soul, but even he needed to roll out and complete a few missions in far away lands. Orious had spent his time searching for an elusive mount or two and joining small groups as they traveled time on the wings of bronze drakes to prevent the devastaion that Deathwing prepared for this world. He felt useless, lost and alone like he had not felt since that fateful day many years ago when he regained concsiousness on the shores of Ruth'ran Village. It took months before he could remember anything, he still did not know how he had gotten there or what put him in that condition. The last thing he remembered was the Caverns of Time, but he couldn't remember what purpose had brought him there. The druid that tought fishing there in the village had pulled him from the waters edge and had him cared for and housed in the inn there. Tyrande had actually come to tend him and then assigned one of her attendants to take care of him until he recovered. Nyia had her hands full with him. He had never been one to lie about, so soon she was following him through the forests of Teldrassil as he herbed and investigated. She laughed at him telling the druid that he would poke his head in anything he could fit it in just to see what was there. It took a few months before his amnesia faded and he remembered who he was and what he was about. Then he bid Nyia goodbye and headed into the many historic battles from which threads great tales are woven. Nyia later joined the guild. They had been friends ever after. She was one of the few that felt comfortable enough with him to laugh at him openly...but she knew him sans memory so it seemed appropriate somehow as he stumbled his way towards remembering her laugh had followed.
So many memories and yet so many things fading like looking through a fog. Where was she? He had a dim shimmering thought or vision of a place in Quel'danas, it looked like the island, but he could not be sure. Hell, he was under no constraint or command at this point, so he hearthed to Dalaran, ported to Stormwind and then found the port to the Blasted Lands and flew into the portal to Outlands. From there he flew to Shatt and took the portal to the famed Isle of Quel'danas home to the Sunwell and Magister's Terrace. Orious began his reconoiter. He knew how to ask and whom to ask, he had investigated so many things in the course of this war that getting information was rarely a problem for him...though getting it from friendly folks was sometimes trying since you couldn't simply beat it out of them. It was largely just more time consuming. Finally Inaara, the innkeeper there remembered seeing her some 2 weeks before. She had spent a couple nights there but gave no forwarding address. It was customary if you were in a guild or a regiment to leave the innkeeper with some vague knowledge of your intended destination. Just a safty measure but Love usually obeyed the convention. The fact that she did not this time meant she was either unsure of where she was going, or....perhaps she never really left the island. Many times if they were scouting out an area or had business there, no innkeeper checkpoint was needed. They might or might not be back at that inn, but they were not going far. Further questioning yeilded a possible location...Halduron the Ranger General had seen her and said she had important family business in Magister's Terrace.
What business could she possibly have there? The place was full of Eredar demons. Orious called his little bird and sent it to find Ass, Brian, Mara and Rosin. He needed a real crackerjack team to find her. The little bird found them all (I'm thinking this is the origin of the phrase "a little bird told me") and they gathered at the Inn in Quel'Danas.
"Dunna worry old friend" said Assassen "We will find her if we have to kill everything in the place." All the others said the same and they ventured into the Terrace. They fought for hours until finally Orious felt a familiar yet strange presence and motioned them to a place in a courtyard and there at the end of the yard, sitting on a divan was the paladin, strangely garbed and an Eredar demon beside her. Orious looked upon the face of the demon and recognized him. This was the long lost husband of his paladin. What could he do? Obviously he was a demon and he had to be killed, but if he dispatched the demon then he would forever be estranged from Love, for indeed the demon was still her husband. Yet if he did not, he could see even from this distance she might well become one of the demons ere long. Even should he lose her affections, he had to save her soul and so he called out. "I know you demon! Why have you forsaken the light and would you take your beloved down into the darkness with you?" The Eredar snapped his head toward him "Druid, I know thee as well! You would have my beloved for yourself, would you not? Then come and take her, but know that I am Fate and I am your ending!"
Rosin waded in quickly and took the demon's attention. Lovetails sat on the divan as if amused and watched the fray. The battle was fierce. Orious poured his energy into bolt after bolt of starfire and then streams of wrath. The demon was weakening but then Ataracia stood up and retrieved a carved bone bow from behind the divan and notched an arrow, and pointed towards her friends. Several things happened almost at once. Assassen, who had been healing felt a burning at his side and looked in wonder upon the short sword the mysterious stranger had given him as a child. It was glowing blue and suddenly he knew that this was the fight for which it was forged. He grabbed it and threw it towards the demon Fate. Meanwhile Lovetails had loosed the arrow and it had found its mark beneath her druid's chestplate. The sword struck Fate and a blue wave of energy exploded from the strike. Fate fell dead, Lovetails was blown aside and fell where the druid could not see. The druids legs gave way.. Assassen caught the druid mid-fall and eased him to the ground. "There, there my friend we'll see you right" "You killed him Assassen?" "Aye, I couldna let you do it, that woulda messed everything up for you." Orious blinked and gasped. "Is she alright?" "Brian and Rosin have gone to see" Orious laughed and some blood bubbled on his lips.."It's Valentine's Day, my Cupid has good aim doesn't she?", Assassen looked upon the druid and the world faded and the druid knew no more.
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