The following letter came to her in a warm summer day, much to her surprise. It had the violet seal of the mage community of Dalaran: the Kirin'tor, supposedly an elite group that gathered the most talented mages under their wings.
To Miss Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Dear Miss Aiwyn,
It is with great pleasure that I bring my lady a resolution of the Council of Six, the most powerful and knowledgeable mages of Azeroth, which can change your life for the better. It has come to our attention that your lineage comprises some of the most skilled mages to master the talents of arcane fire manipulation Azeroth has ever seen. We are also aware of the services your honorable father did to keep your people safe - I personally wish to give my condolences for what happened to him while protecting the borders of your realm. It is known that your father was a formidable ranger before the gift of sight was taken from him by the wild and feral Amani trolls. But while some doors close forever, others may appear in the most unexpected places. I read Mr. Eleanor's notes on clairvoyance potions, and can most certainly say he is a brilliant man. You have a strong family name to uphold, be sure of that.
And it appears the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. The Kirin'Tor took great interest in your progress as a young mage and alchemist. You have a rich background of early studies and have bloomed as a scholar and as a person. As a result, we would like to invite you, Miss Aiwyn, to be an apprentice in service of the Kirin'Tor. Under our wings, you will have access to a higher level of learning that would never be possible for an independent mage to reach. Our library is one of the richest, and all the knowledge you could possibly want will be at your disposal. We are sure to be able to sate your thirst for knowledge, my lady.
The Council needs a fast answer, however. Will you join the Kirin'Tor as an apprentice, and enjoy all the riches we have to offer?
Eagerly waiting for your answer,
Archmage An'tharem Brightsun
Honorable member of the Kirin'Tor
She devoured the letter with a slice of bread and cheese forgotten halfway to her mouth, and then read it again, pondering over the general taste of ass-licking it left (the letter, I mean). The tea was still warm, so she took it while she ate her breakfast, the sounds of the noisy tavern around her muffled. She knew she didn't deserve so much praise for now; in a couple of years, sure… but now?
Slowly she handed over the letter to her Master across the table, his attention focused for the moment on another letter of his own. The various tasty morsels before him didn't seem to grab his interest, but the purple wax seal of the Kirin'Tor immediately claimed his attention.
Aiwyn asked for a refill of her tea, enjoying the benefits of being in company of a great mage, while he read her letter. The tavern was noisy and busy, polluted with the smells of the morning (toasted bacon, vegetable stew and a brown beer that, according to her Master, "tastes like piss, I like it here because of the view"). Perched on the edge of a rocky cliff, the tavern did have a great view: blue and clean skies, interrupted only by a mountain chain far off in the distance and a green valley spreading down there like a lazy cat. The window looked like a beautiful painting.
The inside? Not so much…
Sure it was cleaner than a regular tavern, and the stench of piss and beer wasn't as strong, but other than that… There were no pretty faces for her to admire, much less any nice asses (contrary to common belief, women do appreciate some physical features clearly underestimated by men). She assumed she couldn't expect more at a human tavern.
On the other hand she was treated like a queen, and she could get used to that. She wasn't so much sure if it was because her Master was a regular - more importantly a powerful moody mage - or if it was because she was the only elf they'd seen in a couple of months. Either way, in a matter of seconds she got her tea.
As he read her letter, a mocking smile managed to change his eternal grimace. It was kind of scary, actually, as his smile looked like a rip through his grayish face. He gave her apprentice the letter back with a snort.
"Tell me what you think of that," he asked.
It felt like a test, so she put a lot of thought into her answer.
"There is a lot of flattery," she started, carefully.
"Not truly lies, though," he said. "Although they forgot to mention your stubbornness."
"And this An'tharem also made sure to bring attention to their resources in terms of knowledge and access to it," she kept on as if she was never interrupted. He nodded. "They clearly want something from me."
"Hm-hum..." her Master mumbled as he turned his attention to the letter he was reading before being interrupted.
"And he put a lot of emphasis in what they have to offer me, but not in what my obligations to them would be," she continued.
"Hum..."
"There is nothing I can offer them now, and they didn't just suddenly discover all of that about my family," she thought to herself out loud. "There must be something else they want from me."
"Perhaps this An'tharem simply saw you at a distance and liked the curve of your ass," he suggested, without raising his eyes from the paper.
She raised an eyebrow at him.
"You," she suddenly realized, "it's not me they want - it's you!"
Her Master chuckled at that, and she continued.
"You're an independent mage, with independent research they don't have access to... unless you show them. Which is as likely to happen as it is for me to date a pompous ass, old man like this Archmage An'tharem," she told him.
"I've got some quarrels with them," he admitted, "to put it lightly."
"Which makes it very hard for them to hope to get some of your secret research. They acknowledge you're talented, they would be fools if they didn't," she still seemed to be thinking out loud. "But they can't hope to get any information from you... Unless they had a spy."
"It would be very rewarding for you to spy on me for them," he said calmly. "Make sure to be polite in your reply."
"Are you ever polite to them?" Aiwyn asked, amused.
"I'm not saying for you to do as I do," he shrugged, taking a gulp of his beer. "If I have issues with them, I just tell them to fuck off. You can't do that yet. You're just an apprentice. Just don't answer this prim high praise or they'll think you can be convinced and won't get out of your hair. They can be annoying."
Be polite but keep the praise off? Aiwyn thought she knew what to do with that. That morning, she wrote the following letter in her girly, beautiful calligraphy:
To Archmage An'tharem Brightsun of the Kirin'Tor
Dear Archmage An'tharem,
No.
Sincerely,
Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Apprentice of Hector Flamestorm of Lordaeron.
Over the next few days, while they spent some time at that reclusive tavern nestled between the mountains, they exchanged a few more letters. Another letter with a purple seal came addressed to her eventually, just like she expected. It read as it follows:
To Miss Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Dear Miss Aiwyn,
I wonder if my lady is truly declining such an advantageous deal, or if this old man didn't understand it right? Is this truly what you want, my dear?
The Kirin'Tor is a powerful group of powerful mages that can give a talented young mage what no gold can promise. I'm sure that even among your elven friends the name must be a strong one. The world's knowledge would be at your disposal and, in time, you could even reach a rank that few females can brag about having achieved: You can even become an Archmage like myself!
The Kirin'Tor begs you to reconsider this decision and properly weigh the pros and cons of this situation before reaching a haste conclusion. Take your time, my lady, we are patient. You may be too young to see the advantages of such deal, so trust the word of an old and experienced man: This would make your father proud.
Hoping to hear from you again,
Archmage An'tharem Brightsun
Honorable member of the Kirin'Tor
Now this An'tharem was starting to piss her off. When she passed the letter to her Master, he immediately spotted what made that sparkle appear in her eyes and laughed.
"What a prick. 'You can even reach a rank that few females can' bla bla," he recited and returned her the letter. "Unfortunately, most humans think of women as housekeepers and baby-makers. This An'tharem must be trying to pull his hair out for having to lick your ass. He'd rather be sucking my balls if he had the choice."
"I know just what he needs to hear..." Aiwyn said.
So she wrote another letter:
To Archmage An'tharem Brightsun of the Kirin'Tor
Dear Archmage An'tharem,
I pondered carefully about everything you exposed, Archmage. I set my studies aside for a day just to set my limited female capacity to weigh the pros and cons of such a great opportunity, just like you advised me (I guess I'll never be an Archmage like yourself, unfortunately).
My answer is still no.
Sincerely,
Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Apprentice of Hector Flamestorm of Lordaeron.
The letter that came in response seemed to be an angry one, as the writer even pierced the parchment paper where the dots where supposed to be. It said:
To Miss Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Dear Miss Aiwyn,
This is the chance of a lifetime you are being offered, young lady! Not everyone has the honor of being invited to the Kirin'Tor as an apprentice, so I'd ask you to think carefully if that is truly your final decision.
Does this really mean you'll decline such an amazing offer, and so everything the Kirin'Tor has to give?
Respectfully,
Archmage An'tharem Brightsun
Honorable member of the Kirin'Tor
Aiwyn forgot about being polite and wrote the next letter:
To Archmage An'tharem Brightsun of the Kirin'Tor
Dear Archmage An'tharem,
I know of men's troubles in learning this, so please excuse me if I didn't make myself clear before. You may find in the vast literature you have at your disposal as a member of the Kirin'Tor that "No" actually means "No", and "Get lost" can actually mean "Take your hands off my butt". I assure you the world will be a better place when men start to apprehend such obscure piece of information.
Sincerely,
Aiwyn Runesong of Silvermoon
Apprentice of Hector Flamestorm of Lordaeron.
After that, the letters stopped, but her history of disagreements and issues with the Kirin'Tor just began.
She never thought she would need the Kirin'Tor, until that day actually came.