Argent Vanguard, Icecrown

Most of Northrend was bitterly cold. It was odd to have a night where you weren't shaking in your boots. Several factors contributed to this. Obviously, the continent's northernmost position on the globe was the main part of it, but this was the least relevant in the minds of the soldiers in the Argent Crusade. Rather, the closer to Icecrown Citadel you were, the colder you were. It was like the Lich King was seeping the warmth from you before he took away your life…

Several armored soldiers were crowding together around a blazing fire. It was all they could do to stave off the Lich King's cold aura, which tugged at their souls at all moments. The wind howled, and the land was black and dead. Shamans would speak in horror that the spirits of this region cried out in pain, and Druids would refrain from speaking at sight of the desecration of nature that the Scourge has wrought upon this land. No matter your background though, all could agree that Icecrown was the closest to doom that they would all feel.

A Dwarf rifleman shuffled in place, hoping to jolt some warmth back into his body. Using a metal rod, he poked the timber around in the bottom of the flames, reorganizing it to burn more. It worked a little, but a little was better than nothing to the bearded Dwarf. He glanced at his comrades around him, who all eagerly held their hands out and watched the allure of the flames dance in front of them. There was an Orc shaman, a Tauren warrior, a male Human paladin, a female Human priest, and a Gnome mage, along with himself. This was their crew. All of them sat in silence, waiting to warm up, and none dared look in the direction of the pass that led further into Icecrown. Nobody was thinking about such a terrifying thing at such a happy moment of warming yourself up at a fire. In the background of their fire was silence, save for the quiet conversations of all the other tents and fires that were clustered around the Argent camp. In the far distance were screams of tortured prisoners, but the Argent Crusaders tried not to listen to that. The howling wind ironically kept most sound from outside the Argent Vanguard out.

The Dwarf placed the metal rod on the ground and rubbed his hands together over the fire. He coughed into his shoulder, before looking over at the Gnome mage. "I don' know what we'd do without your magic here, Tena. You'd make a fortune up here just lightin' fires."

The female Gnome chuckled and rubbed her hands together. "That wouldn't be a bad idea. Once we're done in Northrend, I'm gonna to need a job again." She then rolled her eyes, adjusting her feet on the dead ground. "I'd rather not return to my old job of being a barmaid in Ironforge. Drunk Dwarf men can be so irritating sometimes."

Tena's joke made everyone crack a smile around the fire. Such jokes were required to lighten the mood every once in a while. The Tauren warrior, who was covered in thick enchanted armor and sounded like a cart filled with metal whenever he moved, shook his head with a smile. "I'd take that over guard duty in Thunderbluff. I love my homeland, but you'd get sick of staring at the same store for hours on end too." His voice was deep, reverberating, and soothing all at the same time. He looked over at the old Orc, who was next to him. "I don't think I've ever asked you Thuzan, where did you live before you joined the Argent Crusade?"

The Orc with long braided grayish-white hair hummed. "I lived in the Barrens on my own private farm with my wife. I was the crazy old shaman that people would come to for advice but decided I should do my part to stop the Lich King from destroying the world."

The Dwarf turned his gaze over to the Orc while rubbing the frost out of his long facial hair. "Is the Barrens as barren as the name says? I've never set foot there."

Thuzan shrugged before scooting his creaky wooden chair close to the fire so he could sit. "It's not truly barren. There are plenty of animals and plants across the land. It's certainly no Mulgore though."

The heat of the fire licking at their warming bodies and the old Orc pulling his chair up prompted the rest of the battle-hardened crew to begin sitting as well. The Tauren warrior nodded, removed his heavy gloves, and rubbed his hands together. "There's no place like Mulgore. All who disagree just haven't been there yet."

"Now hang on there laddie," the Dwarf chided while pointing his stubby finger at the Tauren. "Have you been to Dun Morogh? Northrend may be pretty, but it is nothing to me mountain home."

The Human priest, who had been silent up until this moment, chuckled. "My family was originally from Stromgarde. I've been to the ruins. The land surrounding it is the most beautiful I've seen in my life." She looked at the male paladin who was sitting right next to her on a log from the Grizzly Hills. He too was rubbing frost out of his facial hair between bouts of rubbing his hands over the fire. "Did you ever go to the Arathi Highlands?" She asked him, a cheerful curiosity evident in her voice.

The paladin nodded, his breath condensing into mist in the bitter cold. "It's been a while, Sara, but yes, I have. I had to go through there once."

The old Orc looked up at the stars and sighed. The constellations and other cosmos were often the only natural comfort that Argent Crusaders had in this desolate land. "I still remember Nagrand from when I was young. It was much more pretty before the corruption of the demons plagued our people, but I would still recommend seeing it to any of you who haven't yet."

"It's still pretty," Tena agreed, gazing at Thuzan. "I took a trip there when I was studying in Shattrath. When was the last time you were there?"

Thuzan pondered for a few moments, shifting his gaze to the fire. In the pale light of the full moon and of the flickering flames, he caught traces of the green color of his skin. "Oh…it's been many years. I haven't seen it since we originally drank the Blood of Mannoroth. Haven't been able to bring myself to go back after we willingly received this curse."

"The Orcs that still live there would surely welcome such a skilled shaman as yourself, wouldn't they?" The Human paladin asked while leaning forward towards the flames.

Thuzan shrugged. "Maybe. Although my profession in life doesn't matter. My skin carries the taint of demons, and that's what they'll see, Arwin." The shaman and the paladin locked gazes for a few moments of silence before Thuzan chuckled. "It's ironic of you to say that though. It wasn't even that long ago that our people were bitter enemies."

Arwin smiled. "They still are. The presence of the Scourge just means that our petty wars were put on hold." He reached to his side to grab a canteen of water before meeting the Orc's gaze again. After taking a short swig of water, he spoke. "But that doesn't mean I don't respect you or your people. I personally like to think of you and I as friends, and I have no qualms with your Horde."

This prompted Thuzan and Muata, the Tauren, to grin. "Lok'tar ogar, Arwin." Thuzan replied. "When we get out of this frozen wasteland, I wish you nothing but the best."

Arwin replied with a grin of his own. "Same to you, friend." He looked over at the Muata then. "And I hope guard duty goes well for you too.

The Tauren gave a deep nod in reply just as the dinner bell sounded off. Not wanting to waste a second, this prompted most of the group to get up and stretch. Thuzan slowly got up from his old chair and cracked some of his old bones, but Arwin continued sitting and staring at the flickering flames. Sara nudged him on the shoulder. "Aren't you coming to eat? You'll want the energy if the Scourge attacks during the night."

Arwin shook his head and shifted his gaze from the fire to her. "Nah, I'll pass tonight. I'm not really feeling that hungry, surprisingly. Come back and join me when you're done eating though."

Deciding not to question him, Sara shrugged and began walking off. The rest of the group joined her, one by one, all voicing their hopes that the food would be both warm and good this time. As he was leaving, Krogus, the Dwarf sharpshooter called out "Don't let the fire go out, lad. I just got all the frost out of my beard, and I don't want any more!"

Arwin laughed and yelled out that he would in reply, before grabbing the metal rod that Krogus formerly had. He idly poked the fire a few times with the rod before deciding to throw another log on. With a heavy exhale as he got up, the paladin's steel armor clanked as he slowly walked towards the wood pile. He grabbed two logs and walked back to the fire, putting one in carefully and laying the other next to his seat for later. The paladin looked up at the sky then. The stars were something that he would often watch when he was younger. They were always there, and the mystery of what they were was something that always bothered his young mind. As he stared up at the constellations and galaxies that filled the night sky, a sound behind him alerted his mind to another presence. Thinking it was one of his friends from earlier bringing him food from the mess tent, Arwin turned his head around to see. Instead of seeing Sara or Thuzan, he saw one of the quieter members of the Argent Crusade.

"Galfrek…" Arwin acknowledged with a nod. His eyes glanced over the dark saronite-plated armor and icy blue eyes of his comrade. "If it wasn't for your Argent tabard, I'd think that you were the enemy."

"That's why I wear it." Galfrek replied emptily, the characteristic echo of the Lich King's knights reverberating just behind his voice. "I don't want someone thinking that I'm a common ghoul."

Galfrek was an odd case. He was a forsaken death knight, and those the sentences he just uttered were the most speech that Arwin had ever heard from his comrade. Arwin, being a paladin, used the Holy Light to fight the Scourge. Galfrek though, was a sight to see whenever he was in combat. He used the powers the Lich King gave him to battle the undead Scourge that he once commanded. It was terrifying, sometimes, watching him fight.

Not really knowing how to continue that small conversation, Arwin just hummed and looked back at the fire. A few seconds of silence passed and surprisingly, Galfrek walked towards the fire and actually sat down around it, where Thuzan was sitting before. Directly across from Arwin. The death knight's icy eyes stared deeply into the fire as soon as he sat down. The allure of watching the flames attracted even the undead, it seemed. Feeling slightly awkward in the silence and curious as to why Galfrek sat down in the first place when they had never interacted before, prompted Arwin to awkwardly clear his throat.

"Sooo… I've seen you with us many times before, Galfrek, but I'm a bit lost as to how long you've been a member of the Argent Crusade?"

Without giving a second of pause, Galfrek immediately answered. "Both the Knights of the Ebon Blade and the Argent Crusade wish to see the Lich King fall. I don't care who I fight with, just so long as the Scourge is reduced in number, one servant at a time." The echoes behind his voice give Arwin chills with every word he says, but the paladin hasn't reached the point where he would rather sit in silence yet. Socializing keeps people sane in an environment like Icecrown.

Not really satisfied that the death knight didn't answer his question, but also unwilling to press him about it, Arwin just nodded. A frigid wind built itself up in the mountains and howled down to the Argent camp, chilling the Human paladin and dampening the fire a little. Not wanting his fiery treasure to go out, Arwin mixed the fire around again with the metal rod, letting out a sigh of relief when he established that it wouldn't disappear.

Rubbing his hands together as a way to recover warmth from that recent gust of wind, Arwin tried again at conversation. "Without Tena here, I'd never be able to get this started. I haven't made a fire by myself since I was a teenager, and even then, that was inside a house. Not out in a frozen wasteland."

Galfrek said nothing and didn't even lift his blue gaze off of the fire. He didn't move one bit when that bone-chilling gust of wind made its way down from the mountains. It was as if the Lich King himself conjured up that wind, and Galfrek looked like it didn't bother him. "Pardon me for asking, but do you not feel cold?" Arwin asked cautiously.

This made the death knight finally shift his gaze from the fire up to the paladin, although he wished that he hadn't. His gaze made Arwin feel uneasy. "No." Was his short reply.

"No." Arwin repeated, acknowledging that he had heard. He quickly came up with something to say in order to fill the void in the conversation. "At least you don't have to worry about that then, right? The rest of us have to put on heavy clothing and stay by fires in order to fight. You can just do whatever you want."

Galfrek stared at the paladin with no expression, so it was impossible to discern what he was thinking. Arwin realized that he was talking about the undead lack of the ability to feel to someone who was already undead, and decided to cut his losses and not try to fix it. Instead, he sighed, and looked back up at the stars, while Galfrek turned his gaze back to the fire.

"This conversation isn't going that well…" Arwin thought inwardly as he stared at a particular constellation. He was at a loss as for what to do at this very moment and decided to just wait until everyone else returned from the mess tent so that he could have someone to talk to. Just as he was thinking that he should wait though, another thought popped into his mind. As a last resort, Arwin returned to talking to his death knight comrade with a supposedly simple question:

"Where were you from?"

Galfrek raised his head again and the icy blue eyes of the Scourge met the living blue eyes of Arwin. "What?" He asked, as if confirming that he had heard correctly.

Arwin panicked, realizing that this was probably a very difficult question for the death knight to answer. Instead of back peddling though, he just continued. "I mean, where were you from? Earlier around the fire, the other Argent members and I were having a conversation about our homelands, and I was curious to know where you were from?"

The death knight looked to actually be thinking about how to answer this question, and Arwin took this as a personal sign of success for his attempts at conversation. Galfrek thought for a few seconds and actually decided to answer. "I suppose I have spent most of my life and un-life in Lordaeron, so that is about as close to a home as I get."

Arwin raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Lordaeron? I grew up there, although I moved away when I was 12, six years before the plague."

"I say that I lived my entire life in Lordaeron before I was killed by the undead, and then I think I continued to live there as a guard in Tirisfal Glades under the banner of the Forsaken. That was before I became a death knight, of course."

Surprised that this conversation was actually both interesting and getting somewhere, Arwin continued, not wanting to give up on what he had so far. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you become a death knight?"

Galfrek waited for a few more seconds, pondering his reply, before he shifted his gaze back to the fire. It seemed like he thought every word through before actually saying it. "I don't remember much of it, but I think I was a guard at the Bulwark between Tirisfal Glades and the Western Plaguelands. Somehow I got killed again and then resurrected as a death knight by the necromancers of Acherus." Shifting his saronite boots in the snow, the death knight then surprised Arwin by asking him a question too. "Where were you from before you joined the Argent Crusade?"

The paladin smiled, appreciating the effort that his death knight counterpart was actually putting into the conversation now. For never really hearing Galfrek speak, this was quite the milestone to get to. "Like I said, I grew up in Lordaeron, but my family moved down to Goldshire, in Stormwind, six years before the plague hit. We had relatives down there, and my parents decided it would be a good idea to live closer to them." Arwin took the metal rod and adjusted the fire again. He contemplated putting another log on, but decide against it in the end. He'd wait until the fire was further down again

A few seconds of silence passed again before Galfrek asked another question. His echoing voice had no emotion in it, though if Arwin could guess, it would be filled with curiosity. "Which region of Lordaeron did you grow up in?"

Arwin smiled at his childhood memories that came back at that question. The farms, the neighbors, his parents and siblings, and his childhood best friend. "I grew up in Darrowshire. My family was a family of traders and merchants. They did a lot of business in Andorhal, selling their wares and taking part in the trade of grain." On a more somber note, Arwin lost his smile. "If we would have stayed in Lordaeron, we surely would have fallen victim to the plague then. Either that or been killed like the rest of Darrowshire was. I heard it was a vicious last-stand there."

After pausing for a few moments to allow the memories of his childhood to come back, Arwin looked over at the death knight. "Which region did you live in?"

The death knight didn't answer. At first Arwin thought that he was just thinking of how to reply, but as the seconds drug on, he came to the conclusion that Galfrek wasn't going to answer. His glowing blue eyes just continued staring into the fire, empty of all expression and life. Arwin took the opportunity to look over his comrade in the light of both the moon and the fire. He wore the usual saronite armor of the death knights, but decided to forgo wearing a helmet, which Arwin found odd. His armor encased his entire body, save for his head, but the Human could only guess that underneath lied the rotting body of an undead being. Galfrek's most notable feature on his head was his glowing Scourge-eyes, as he was completely bald, his hair likely having fallen out many years ago. His face did have scars though, which could have been from many possible sources. And he was missing an ea-

"I don't know." Galfrek finally answered, interrupting Arwin's inner monologue of studying the death knight.

"You don't know?" Arwin repeated, temporarily forgetting what they were talking about. Luckily, he quickly remembered though, and replied "You don't know which region you lived in?"

Galfrek took a few moments to answer again, keeping the paladin wondering in suspense, waiting for a reply. "Yes. I don't remember. Being raised into undeath twice destroys your memory. I can barely remember anything from before I was a death knight, let alone before I became undead. I don't remember anything from the time when I was alive. I took the name "Galfrek" after I became a death knight so that I had a name other than monster. I couldn't even remember something as simple as my name." At that moment, Galfrek reached behind him and retrieved a small pouch. Arwin watched with curiosity as he opened it and pulled out a small, worn piece of paper. Holding it so Arwin could read what it says, he continued talking.

"Made in Andorhal. I don't remember why I had this or what it was attached to, but it's all I have of my past life. My undead subconscious kept it for some reason throughout the stages of my un-life, and I keep it now as some form of connection to my past. Maybe I'm from Andorhal?"

Arwin nodded once. "That's true. Maybe you were." A few moments of silence passed as both men were thinking to themselves. "The Light saw to it that you should keep that paper as a reminder of your past. Maybe someday you'll truly remember who you were."

"The Light…I do know that I haven't believed in that for a long time." Galfrek commented distantly. "I hope someday that I do remember as well. It'll give me a purpose other than being a killing-machine."

Familiar silence returned again, and Arwin wondered where his comrades that were sitting around the fire earlier were at. Eating usually wasn't a lengthy affair, but maybe this time there was actually good food. Maybe Arwin should have eaten tonight. He glanced over at Galfrek, who was busy watching the fire. The emptiness of his gaze and the revelations that he had just confessed made the paladin feel pity for him. Arwin couldn't imagine forgetting everything about who you were, with nothing but a piece of paper as a reminder. Such is the price of undeath.

"Have you ever watched the stars?" Arwin asked in the frigid night, bringing the death knight's attention back to him.

Galfrek looked like he didn't know how to respond, or at least that's how Arwin interpreted his emotionless face. He pondered for a few moments again before responding. "Not that I know of."

"You should try it. Looking at the stars has always brought me peace. Maybe it'll work for you too." Arwin continued while looking up at the night sky. The same constellations that he was watching earlier, and for the past several months, greeted Galfrek as he too looked up at the sky. His gaze shifted from one portion of the sky to another as he took in the different stars and their shapes. They sat like this for several minutes, neither saying any words to each other. Arwin actually felt at peace, even with the death knight sitting right across from him. It seemed, he thought, getting the tormented soul of Galfrek to study the night sky actually brought himself more peace.

Finally, Arwin's peace was broken by Galfrek replying to the last words he had said several minutes ago. "There can be no peace for me so long as the one who took everything from me…twice…still reigns."

Arwin didn't break his gaze from the sky, cherishing the moment that he and the death knight were sharing by studying the stars. In that moment, he felt a bond that he hadn't felt for a long time, although he didn't quite know what it meant. Pushing it aside though, he spoke: "And the Argent Crusade shall not rest until the Lich King is defeated. I will use the full power of the Light bestowed upon me to help you avenge yourself…friend…"

Galfrek's face cracked a small smile; barely enough to be seen, but Arwin saw it. "Lok'Tar Ogar" He said, almost to himself.

Arwin grinned at the sky. "Victory...or Death…"

16 Years Earlier

Darrowshire

There was a knock at the door, and Arwin ran from one end of his house to the other in order to open it. It was an important night. A somber, but important night. The darkness of nighttime had enveloped the land, and the town was completely at peace. A soft breeze was the only disturbance on this quiet night in Lordaeron. The house was completely empty of all furniture and people, save for the 12-year-old boy and a candle to illuminate the dark room. The boy was impatiently waiting for someone. His feet banged on the wooden floors as he made it over to the door, and he quickly grabbed the handle and pulled it open. On the other side was his smiling friend, Jenik, who was a boy of similar age and stature.

"Hey Jenik, I was worried you weren't coming." Arwin said with a grin. "My parents are waiting for me and said I could wait a little bit to see if you were coming."

Jenik laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. In his hand was a torch so he could see on his way over through the dark Lordaeronian night. "My grandma wouldn't let me leave without helping her clean the floor of our house. She wouldn't listen to me, so I had to escape. Sorry."

Arwin stepped outside of the house and closed the door behind him, extinguishing his own candle in favor of using his friend's torch as light. Gazing at the house one last time before leaving, he started walking the other way with his best friend right next to him. "We packed all day today and got everything ready to move. I haven't seen my cousins in Goldshire since I was little. I hope they like us."

Jenik punched Arwin on the shoulder playfully as they continued walking. "They'll like you. There's no way they won't. Just don't show them your stupid collections and you'll be okay."

Both boys chuckled and Arwin pushed his friend in reply. "Hey! My coin collection is very nice, and if anything, they'll like me more because of it."

"Let's hope they do" An adult voice said jokingly. It was Arwin's dad, who was sitting at the front of a carriage and holding his own torch. His mother was sitting right next to her husband, looking through the belongings she had with her to make sure they didn't forget anything. "We have a very long journey though, so we should probably get going. They're expecting us in Goldshire. Say goodbye to Jenik."

Arwin and Jenik's smiles disappeared, and they embraced. While holding each other, Jenik whispered "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Arwin replied. "Thank you for being my best friend while I was here. Life would have been boring if it wasn't for you."

Jenik chuckled. "That's true. You wouldn't have anyone to take the blame for the stupid pranks we would pull on our neighbors." He patted Arwin's back. "I'll continue doing pranks on the Jensens for both of us."

As they separated, Arwin reached into his pocket and pulled out a small toy soldier, handing it to his best friend earnestly. It was a wooden replica of a Knight of Lordaeron. "I bought this yesterday for you. I want you to have it. To remember me with."

Jenik felt himself tearing up at the gift. He remembered the many times they would play with such toy soldiers, redoing battles between the Orcish Horde and the Human Kingdoms, and he took it into his hand. He looked up to see tears going down Arwin's face as well. The wind blew, but it was not cold. The warm wind after winter's end was always the best. Jenik wiped the tears from his own cheeks and looked at the small paper tag attached to the foot of the soldier.

Made in Andorhal

Jenik thanked Arwin and hugged him one last time, tears streaming down both of their faces. Arwin's parents watched the scene with sadness themselves. It was difficult for everyone to leave Darrowshire, as they had lived here for years. "Don't have too much fun here without me." Arwin whispered.

"I'll try." Jenik replied sadly, trying to keep himself from sobbing. "Remember the stars, alright?"

Arwin nodded, sending droplets of water to the ground beneath them. "Father Neras said that they are a constant reminder of the Light, and that no matter how far away from home you are, there will always be stars above you to guide you. I'll never forget it."

With that, Arwin turned around and started walking towards the carriage. He waved one last time at his old friend and stepped on board their ride south into the Kingdom of Stormwind.

"I'll never forget you Jenik! I'll come back and visit sometime!" Arwin yelled as the carriage started moving. He stood and waved for a few seconds, long enough to hear Jenik's reply.

"You'd better come visit! I'll never forget you either!"

The light from the carriage went further and further into the distance until it was out of sight, and Jenik was left alone. He sighed, and began walking home, but not before looking up at the stars. He knew that Arwin was doing the same thing, and that brought him peace.