Arinnah was a high elven Paladin in life. In death, however, she had been raised in the service of the Lich King; as had many of her fellow had all been so very long ago. She was not sure what had happened; and something told her she did not want to remember. She was a killing machine. When they sent her to Ebon Hold to aid in eradicating the last of the Crusaders from the area; her skin had tingled. Anticipation of bloodshed, of suffering, of death. It was something she was good at. Something she always prided herself on.
One day; though...Something changed. She was to be tested. Judged.
"I hope she's not too much for you, Initiate. Do your job. You are no longer one of them. Try not to get the blood everywhere, will you?"
Arinnah walked into the room and met the green eyes of another elven girl.
"Monster...Come to finish me off, have you?" Thalassian. She hadn't heard Thalassian in so, so long...It kindled...Something in her; and Arinnah stopped; one hand on her sword.
"A...Ari? It can't be..." the girl looked at Arinnah as if seeing her for the first time.
"Ari...It's me...Vahnyel. Do you remember me? We t-trained together...You, me, and Kethry...You were the best I'd ever seen. The most noble, kind person I'd ever met. Please, Ari...Don't let them do this to you! Don't let them make you into a monster! Please!" the girl was sobbing now. She took Arinnah's cold hands and sighed softly, seeing no emotion there.
"If this is what has to be done, do it quick, Arinnah. I don't want to suffer. Please. Not any more. Just...Remember me, remember Stormwind, remember Lorederon...Fight, Arinnah. Show them you're not this...Thing...That stands before me. Please."
Arinnah made the swing of her axe quick; and percise. Vahn probably had never felt a thing. The Death Knight walked out of the shack with only a few drops of blood on her.
"Good job."
"Leave me be." the first words she had spoken in a long time. To be left alone. It figured.
One day; she and a few others were sent to aid in the last stand...The final blow to the Crusaders...This was it. This was what they'd been searching for. But...Something went horribly wrong. Or right, depending on how you looked at it. As Arinnah stood, surrounded by ghouls and demons...Suddenly; a startled cry shook her to her bones. The Baron was...Being influenced by that damned Lightbringer's images...And...Giving in? What the fel was this? But...The longer Arinnah watched; the more she was hit with memories of her own.
Alterac. Wounded. Kethry. Badages. A kiss, whispers. Love.
Kethry. Smiling. Ring on her finger. Crying, happy. For her. For them.
Waking up; next to Kethry...The girl cuddling closer to her.
Plate armor, polished...Looking in the mirror and seeing bright red hair, green eyes; and the things that made her proud to be a Paladin.
Kethry...So close she could see herself reflected in those blue eyes she loved so much...
She could feel the heat of the kiss...Taste the girl on her tongue...
Kethryvaris. Her love. Her life.
With a sound that was almost like something breaking in her mind...The Lich King's control over Arinnah snapped. She was, for the first time in a long time...Free.
She did not know what to do with the newfound freedom; and wandered aimlessly around Silvermoon for quite some time. Then, to the Outlands...But...When she was strong enough; she took the first boat she could to Northrend; to Arthas. To avenge all those he had made suffer.
Including herself.
She joined with a band of...Blood Elves; they were calling themselves; but they were like her; or had been at one point--Alliance--But now Horde. Whichever. Their cause was such that she could stand by it; and proudly. Use her skills to aid, instead of to hurt...
She had made friends, and thankfully not been cast out of their ranks.
The hardest part of...Being free...Was remembering everything in her past. Remembering Kethry's betrayal...Her murder....Remembering murdering Kethry's wife...The blood on her hands, all of it was too much; sometimes. She often spent a lot of time alone, thinking.
Arinnah was hopeful, someday...Somewhere...Someone would make the hurting stop.
But, for right now...She was patient. To learn, to heal, and help.
Someday, she would be someone's Champion again.
Someday.
And then, she would finally be redeemed.