Prologue: A Spark to Shatter Time
Khadgar was gasping for air as he clutched the mane of the steed. He never knew how much the heavy thrashing on the saddle could hurt as he dodged rampaging orcs. There was so much happening around him that it became difficult to focus on which spells to use and where they were needed. He threw fireballs to cover his allies, but that left others open as well. In a panic, he sent out an arcane orb straight in front of him, inflicting pain to a group of charging orcs. He did not notice the orc at his side, knocking him off the steed. He tried to stand as he crawled back to avoid being trampled by his own horse. He created illusions of himself, confusing his attacker and allowing an opportunity to make himself invisible for a short time. He ran from the orc until he reached the closest rock wall. He leaned against it, trying to catch his breath. His mana was nearly exhausted, but he had to help his friends.
A shiver ran down his back as a piercing cry came from the sky. Then the heavy beat of wings blew air in his direction. It was a dragon. At the sight of the great beast, both sides turned and ran. When its jaw lowered, a dusty yellow air flowed out, like sand-fire, and scorched the battlefield. As it drew closer, it was obvious it was a small dragon. The wings seemed too big for its body and the fire, while effective, did not kill a single soul. Khadgar did not hear the call of retreat from his side since he was watching the beast with awe and curiosity. When the battle grew quiet, he looked about, confused. The orcs were cleaning the field of their dead as another entered his view.
Khadgar replaced his invisibility spell so that he would not be noticed. This larger orc held no decorum. He was dressed barbarically, even for orcs, and scratched his rear without a care. Khadgar scrunched his nose at the orc. He pulled hard on the heavy chain he was holding in his other hand and a cry of pain came from above. The dragon's neck was bound and pulled by the orc. The force threw off the imbalance already set by the unnaturally large wings and the majestic creature smashed into the side of the mountain. It groaned as it slid down to the ground. Now that it was beside the orcs, he could see clearly see how small the dragon truly was. It was about the same size as an orc. It was big enough for Khadgar to ride, but only him. They threw the human corpses at it and eventually left the field, letting the dragon guard the gorge.
He watched it in silence, forgetting about his invisibility spell. It did not eat the human corpses. At first, it pulled itself as far from them as possible, as if disgusted. Eventually, it began to move the corpses into a pile with its snout. Khadgar thought it was about to gobble them whole when its jaw dropped, but instead the sand-fire came and burned the corpse pile like a pyre. It continued to blow flames on it when they started to go out. Khadgar nearly choked from the stench of burning flesh and ash entered the air. The dragon made sure nothing remained of the corpses. Lost in thought, he emerged from his hiding place and approached the dragon. It did not seem surprised by his presence. It let out a heavy breath, sending the ash pile into the air. He stopped in his tracks. "Can you… understand me?"
The dragon tilted its head, "I have learned the common tongue." The voice was young, making him feel certain that this was a child dragon. "Is this your first time seeing a dragon?" He blushed in response. It did not seem happy with that, "I see. You should return to your people. The orcs will kill you if they find you."
He raised his hands, letting them glow with his mana, "But first, I can set you free."
It shook its head. A golden glow engulfed its body and shrunk. As the light faded, the large body was no longer there, but a small child stood, dress covered in soot. Her pointed ears were long and popped out from her dusty blonde and tangled hair. Her eyes were a vibrant green, but they did not glow like the race she appeared to be. Instead, they seemed hollow as if they saw nothing before her. Her small, delicate hands wrapped around the metal collar attached to the chain, "This is an enchanted shackle made with the blood of demons. It is not so easily escapable or else I would have done so from the start."
He stared at her openly and whispered, "You are so young."
Her brows furrowed, but her face was still devoid of emotion, "Dragons do not age as your kind does."
He was just too curious to stop, "How long have you been a prisoner?"
"I do not know," she answered simply.
"Do you know of a way I can help you get unchained?"
"I am always kept separate from the orcs so I do not know their battle plans, their bases, nor how many in number. I am no assistance to your cause."
He shook his head, "What? I was not thinking -"
"I can see that. Perhaps it should be a new hobby for you. Thinking is something that can be quite useful."
He blushed deeply and stuttered at some retort, "Well, there is always the danger of over-thought."
"I care not for what lies in that little skull of yours. If you will not leave until you try, then try." She approached him and pulled his hand to her neck, "Set me free and you will have a bronze drake indebted to you. If you cannot, then at least set me free from your annoying curiosity." He hesitated before he kneeled down and placed his other hand on the chain. He pulled at his mana, fully recharged now, and pushed the arcane energy into the chain. She said the demon's blood was infused in the chain and that was the very essence he sought. He felt the taint and cringed as he tugged at it.
Her eyes widened. "You're hurting yourself. Let go." He shook his head and tried harder. His eyes burst into a fiery blue and sweat dripped from his brow. At this rate, he could lose control of his powers, but he continued to try. She pulled his head down to hers and stole a kiss. His concentration was deep and he would not have noticed the act if his body did not react to the touch. His magic withdrew and he felt her take any taint that may have attached to him. His eyes were wide in shock as she smiled, "Stop. Thank you for trying. It was unfair of me to tease you. You know not of the future or past and I should not have taken out my anger on you. There is no need to free me. As thanks for your attempt, please accept this trinket. It will help restore your mana when you are in desperate need as well as block any shadow damage inflicted to you."
She held his hands now and then let them go. Inside was a diamond shaped jewel on a ribbon. He was confused, "Where were you keeping this?"
She gave a disappointed grunt, "A mage and he knows little of conjuring? How sad indeed. I am a bronze drake - our magic is our pride."
He stared at the jewel, "But, I could not free you."
She backed away from him, "You did enough." She shifted into a dragon again. The golden light blinded him and, in that moment, as large gust of wind shot at him and knocking him far back. His body did not hit the ground for a time, but when he did, he could hear the faint echos of humans calling his name. She had moved him close to his army.
A loud screech came from her direction and soldiers surrounded him. They shuddered, "I cannot believe the orcs have a dragon. How are we to ever defeat them?"
He shook his head at the soldier, "She won't be a problem for us." They brought him back to the camp and he was debriefed as a medic checked him for wounds.
When they entered battle again, there was no dragon. He hoped he would meet her again, but he was happy that she might have escaped. After the battle was won, they returned to Stormwind and, to escape the constant battle planning, Khadgar went to have dinner in the Goldshire Inn. While he had his mouth full, a woman sat down across from him and waved at the waitress with a smile. She turned that smile to him, tilted her head and ran her hands through her straight blonde hair. Her green eyes met his, but then immediately moved away, "I'm sorry to bug you during dinner, but you are Khadgar correct?" His mouth was full so he just slowly nodded, confused. She gave an embarrassed giggle, "I'm a big fan. I'm training as a mage, well, self-training. I do not have the connections or funds to undergo proper training. So I was hoping you might take me under your wing." It looked like she was holding in a laugh as she finished talking. The waitress came over with a large box and the woman stood and peaked into it. She breathed out, reached her hand in, and pulled out a fresh pie. He swallowed his bite as she took a plate from the nearby table. She cut the pie into slices, placing one on her plate and putting one on another for him. "Dessert is ready for when you're done with your dinner. I am not so hungry so I rather skip to dessert."
The waitress put the box on the floor of the bar and pulled out the many pies that were inside. He counted nineteen in total. She called out to her customers, "Fresh pies made to regenerate your stamina and mana. A must have if you are tired or just hungry!"
He looked at the woman across from him, "Did you conjure those?"
She looked away, sheepishly, "I am only good at conjuring. It was the only thing I could afford to learn since I can make a profit from it. That is why I need to learn from you, a guardian!"
"Look, I don't know what you have heard-"
She cut him off, "At the very least let me just shadow you. I will not get in the way, but I can learn from watching you. I may be weak now, but I need to develop my own magic. Please, I beg you, Khadgar." Her green eyes seemed faded, not vibrant at all. He thought of the young dragon he had met months earlier. He would have liked to have learned from that dragon. Instead, this human around the same age as himself wanted to learn from him. He did not like this twist of fate.
"I cannot promise anything. If I allowed every young mage to follow me-"
She cut him off again, "You do not need to make a promise. I hold promises as unbreakable bonds. I rather you not be tethered to such things. I will try shadowing you even if you would not allow it."
He raised his eyebrows, "So you are a stalker?"
She smiled, "You make me sound like some rogue. I am nothing of the sort. I am just desperate for you." Silence grew between them, "Um," she stumbled over her words, "What I mean, desperate to learn from the most educated mage, which is you." She looked to the side with an expression like she wanted to punch herself.
He laughed, "You are almost as ridiculous as I am. You can follow me all you like, but do not get in the way of the people around me."
She looked at him straight in the eye for the first time, "I am only concerned with you. No one else matters."
"Be gentle to me, Aeva."
They both looked up at the sound of an older voice echoing in their ears. She let out a soft sigh with the edges of her mouth turned up. He looked about, confused, "Who spoke just now?"
She seemed surprised, "You heard that? Well, I suppose there is no helping you from hearing that. The one who spoke was my master. He is someone dear to me that sent me here to find you. He is unable to teach me further due to some… unforeseen circumstances."
"So," he started, "Your name is Iwa?"
She nodded, "Yes, but it is spelt Aeva. It is a timeless language so the pronunciation is different than your common language."
He was confused, "So the language we are speaking right now is not your first language?"
She blinked, "No, it is my first. My family is just very obsessed with our lineage and I am named after an ancestor from that time."
He nodded, "I understand. What does the name mean?"
She gave a distant smile, "Eternities. It is not a nice name to give to your child. I wonder if my parents knew the true meaning behind it." She shook her head and stood from the table, "Guards are here to take you back to the keep."
"What?" After he asked, soldiers entered the tavern and went straight for him. He put the slice of pie in a cloth and followed them out with her close in tow. As they walked up to Stormwind, he asked, "How did you know they were coming?"
She tilted her head, "Magic?"
He smiled, "Ha ha, very funny." She gave a soft laugh in response, but stayed far from the soldiers.
"Who is the woman?" A soldier asked the mage.
"Um, my assistant to, uh, assist me… in my wizardry…" She bit her lip and eyed him from the side. He looked at her shrugged, "It is true."
"I cannot begin to fathom how the leaders of your species manage to take you seriously."
"What?"
She looked at him, "What?"
The guard nearest them grunted, "The commander is not going to be pleased that you are bringing your woman with you."
Khadgar blushed, "She's not my woman."
She bristled beside him, hand rubbing her neck, "If there is one thing I have learned, it is that I am no one's property." The guard raised his hands in defeat and they walked the rest of the way to Stormwind Keep in silence.
Once they arrived, it was just as the guard had said. A woman nearby glared, "Who is this woman?"
"My new assistant," he answered more sure now.
"This is a private briefing. Do you vouch for her?" He looked at Aeva and then back to the stern woman with a nod. She glared hard at the wizard, "I do not believe she should stay in the room. Have her wait outside."
What appeared to be her heavily armored superior silenced her, "Quiet. She stays." No one saw the girl beside Khadgar grin at the superior and slowly move her hand to lay a single finger against her lips. She did as she said and remained quiet and out of the way for the entire discussion. While Khadgar gave his opinion and the commander argued against him, Aeva moved to the side close to the armored man. She gave him a gentle smile. He nodded his chin towards the wizard, "You easily convinced him to be his assistant, I see. I am shocked he would be so quickly swayed by a pretty face."
She looked to the wizard as well, "Thank you for the compliment, but he is quite loyal and would never put you or the world in jeopardy. He simply cannot say no to me. He never could."
"Your presence must be an omen. What do you know of what is to come?"
She shook his head, "Not for you or your kingdom. What will happen must happen and I will not tamper with such."
"Suddenly obeying the rules? What happened to being a fugitive running through time?"
"Sire, I hope you know that I am not as foolish as you think. I gave up my birthright and my life to protect the one important to me. What interfering I do is to protect him."
"He is not such a delicate flower. He is much stronger than you think."
She chuckled, "Oh, he is even stronger than that. He is the first true guardian after so long. He is so much like the first. His very presence gives reason that a new world will be born. You want to know the future? You will not rule Azeroth. The world will finally see equality of civilization, but it will only bring constant war. People you oppressed or long forgot will require aid and your decisions will form alliances and enemies, both strong and weak. The world will never learn from past mistakes and Khadgar will be left to clean up the mess caused by idiots. Luckily, there are some who hold great understanding and wisdom in this world. Those are the ones who will lead us through the new world."
"So, Khadgar lives. Is there anything we can do to make the future better?"
"Yes, Khadgar will live, but the definition of living will become stretched. The future cannot be changed - I will not allow it to be tempered to give greater success and priviledge to your kingdom. I may have helped you in the past and the future, but I will not do more. I will only bow when the prodigal son sits upon the throne in this very keep and black and white rules harmoniously."
"Cryptic as usual, I see." She did not respond and he looked back to her, "Is there something wrong?"
She blinked and blushed, "Oh, sorry. I was thinking of that future and the beautiful rule between black and white. A girl who watches has to have her favorites, you know. They make the cutest couple, too." She let out a sigh.
Khadgar heard her loud, day-dream like sigh and turned to her. He smiled, "Is watching me that mesmerizing?" The man beside her grunted and left the room. His eyes followed him until he left. He looked back at her, "Was it something I said?"
She shook her head, "No, I just asked him what the map was of and he seemed annoyed by me. I am sorry. I will stay out of the way more."