Prologue

The sounds of fighting echoed all around Andrid Dawnborne as she fought her way through the combating warriors of Alliance and Horde. She was not scared, or even angry, just exasperated. When was this fighting going to come to an end? It was even worse than fighting with the Scourge at Northrend, it seemed.

The variously tinted green trees swayed back and forth over the jaded warrior's stumbling shape, headed nowhere in particular. She could see water in the distance, through the mist. The sun was setting quickly, sending bright explosions of magentas, yellows, oranges and purples shooting through the skies, like a world-sized painting. Andrid paused near a brazier, squinting at it. It was definitely of pandaren make. It stood beside a thin path, leading off into the trees. Straining her eyes even more against the distance, she could make out a small field of pink-blossomed trees and rotund shapes moving and weaving between the trunks. Clearly pandaren. Praying silently to the Light that her vision was not playing tricks on her, the high elf hurried towards the orchard, fighting off exhaustion that was nagging at her limbs.

As she neared, Andrid noticed that they were, indeed, pandaren, and not some beasts vaguely resembling the bear-like race. She slowed to a stop, peering closely at her surroundings from beneath her white cloth hood.

It was a beautiful place, especially during sunset, when the vivid pinks and oranges vastly complemented the blooming cherry blossoms. Numerous paths lead through the copse, one of them fading into a small village, riddled with pens and fences, as well as stacks of hay and barrels. Many, many figures, mostly pandaren, were seen moving to and fro, some followed by great, colorful beasts strangely resembling a mix between a dragon and a snake. Andrid had seen those before around Orgrimmar, albeit only a few, before it fell under siege.

With a grunt, she forced her legs to move towards the village. As she entered, Andrid was greeted by a surprisingly lean, leather-clad pandaren, her highlighted black-auburn hair pulled up in a tight bun. She chuckled at something, her jade eyes sparkling with hearty kindness. "Hello, traveler! I am Xio Mei Coalblossom, a rider from Order of the Cloud Serpent. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you want!"

A bit startled, Andrid blinked, pulling back her hood. Brushing her silver-blonde curls down, she offered the rider a smile. "Hello, Miss Coalblossom. I am Lady Andrid Dawnborne. Do you by any chance know where a tavern would be?"

Xio tilted her head slightly to the left, pointing towards a small hut near the cliff. "Sadly, we do not have an inn here, but that house is normally free, so you could rest there, if you wish."

The quel'dorei nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Coalblossom."

The pandaren let out a hearty chuckle. "No problem, Miss Andrid. Please, call me Xio. You seem like an interesting person. Are you…" She squinted, as if trying to remember, "A blood elf? Am I correct?"

Now it was Andrid's turn to snicker. She shook her head. "Me? No, no. I am a quel'dorei, or high elf. We are akin to the sin'dorei, yes. But we are not the same, although I do live among them now, with my sister."

Xio Mei nodded thoughtfully, scratching her head. "I see, I see. Well, I would love to talk to you again and get to know your kind better!" Her face flooded with a smile. "Well, I gotta go take my serpent for a ride! Good-bye, and see you soon!"

Andrid waved, stalking off towards the said hut. She rapped her knuckles softly on the doorway, peering inside. To her, it was rather strange that the pandaren preferred their homes without doors. As she heard no response, the woman stepped inside. It was nice and cozy, with a set of small stairs leading up into another room. The hallway was stacked with crates, barrels and haystacks, topped with buckets and other cleaning tools. A cushioned chair stood a bit farther off, by the window. With a content sigh, the woman hurried to vault herself over its back and land on the soft pillow with a puff of dust.

Curling up, Andrid closed her tired eyes and wrapped her soiled white cloak around her shoulders, not bothering to take off her boots or pauldrons. She didn't care if General Nazgrim was looking for her. He could go to hell with his war for all she cared. As she continued silently continued cursing Garrosh and his dogs, her mind drifted off into a deep slumber.

-A few days later-

Andrid yawned as she pulled on her boots, pushing herself off the bed. It has been several days since she had come to the Arboretum, and already they were working her to practical exhaustion. Now, she was in no way complaining, not at all. She liked helping the Order with duties outside of the grove; killing sprites and humongous wasps, getting ink and wood for the Inkmasters, and the rest of the tasks she was given. It was a good way to get her mind off things.

As every morning, the woman heard a knock on the wall. "Come in!" She shouted, fastening her belt around her waist, glancing up at the bulky shape of Xio Mei standing in the doorway, a large plate of steaming rice in her paw.

She handed the meal to the elf with a huge grin. "Good Morning!"

Andrid took the rice with a nod of her head, hurrying to sit at the small table. She tucked into the food with a grateful grin, pausing to motion towards the chair opposite of hers. "Go, sit." She mumbled through a mouthful of rice.

The pandaren rolled her eyes, plopping into the seat. She leaned her elbows on the table, tossing her long hair behind her shoulder. "Well, how do you like it here, Miss Andrid?"

The elf shrugs, swallowing her mouthful. "It is very nice, helps me forget that there is a war going on about an hour's ride from here." She grimaces, leaning back.

Xio nodded slowly, her brow furrowing. "Yes, yes. That it does." She sighs. "But it is there nonetheless, and we cannot stop it."

Finishing off her breakfast, Andrid pushed herself off the chair and out of the house, stopping to beckon Xio Mei over. The pandaren hesitantly followed her newfound friend, glancing to her right as her black cloud serpent, Coal, approached. She absentmindedly ran her paw over his steely scales. "I should leave you to your duties now. They need me for patrol."

Sensing the sudden finality in the rider's words, Andrid nodded silently and hurried away towards the cherry blossom trees. As she approached the nearest one, a pink blossom floated past her, getting caught in her silver hair. She untangled it, rubbing the soft, delicate surface between her fingertips before tossing it aside. It was rather gloomy today and the air felt moist and heavy with the promise of a storm. The others around her seemed to be affected by the weather, as well, and she was no exception. Something did not feel right today.

Andrid looked around, but saw no wasps to kill, and no branches and petals to collect. She sighed and began trudging back, just as the first drops of rain began to fall. A sudden pang of sorrow flooded her heart, fueled by anger at Garrosh and all those who follow him. Anger at General Nazgrim, who had so deliberately dragged her here, even though she was truly useless on this battlefield. She did not wish to fight, what they were fighting for was not even theirs, or anybody's, for that matter. The pandaren did not own the continent, as they had said, the continent owned them. Then why were the two factions so focused on getting a firm grip on Pandaria, so oblivious to the tremendous damage that they had already done?