Titan Primogenitus
Prologue
The rain pours on my exposed head and plate mail as I run through the mud filled field, I look left and right as arrows are shot over where I once was. I roll behind a cart of hay and peek my head around cover. Come on you sons of bitches, where the hell are you. The shots whiz past my head narrowly avoiding me. Remember what master Rivand taught you. Clear your mind, Guinevere of all other distractions and focus on what you wish to accomplish… I may only be a paladin but I know the inner workings of what it means to be a mage. And if you can combine your understandings of both the light and the arcane, you can accomplish great things. That's what I have to do then, combine the powers of a paladin and a mage in an all out attack. But am I ready for that kind of spell. My mind calls back to the time where I was found abandoned at the gates of Dalaran not knowing why, being taken in by the Kirin Tor, and the anger begins to boil inside of me. I can do this! I begin to cast the incantation for my fireball spell while I ready to unleash a blinding light to incapacitate the archers. I take a deep breath and run from cover and cast the blinding light while also casting the fireball, the fireball casts without incident but the searing light sputters and dies as I cast it, leaving only a small spark in it's wake. Uh-oh. I suddenly get hit by several arrows fired at my chest which ping off my armour. A tall man in the trappings of the silver hand comes forth from behind a large outcropping of trees. "You're dead, Gwen." He states with a disappointed look. "Again." He adds.
"I know master, I'm sorry." I reply bowing my head in defeat.
"Don't give me that attitude, I know you can do this but I can't let you into the order unless you pass the trial. And the more you run this course, the more I believe that you're not ready for it." He states angrily. "Have I taught you nothing of patience and controlling your anger?" He adds while furiously pacing.
"I can beat the trial, just give me a chance!" I bellow without thinking.
"I am sure you would do well, but you need to learn to control your emotions, serenity and the goodness of your heart are what must guide you, you need to learn to let go of your hatred before you can become a paladin. If you do not learn this then you are doomed for failure." He replies.
"It's so hard to control it though, how do you do it, master?" I ask.
"I think of happy thoughts, anything to take my mind off of all the doubts and sorrows of the past, by calming the mind with your thoughts of happiness your anger will lessen. Do you see what I am trying to tell you?" He asks.
"I understand, but what if you don't have many happy thoughts to draw on?" I reply with doubt in my voice.
"You have many a happy memory to draw on, my child." He states and puts a hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Everyone does." He adds with a warm smile.
"Thank you, Rivand." I say using his real name for effect.
"Now, we are done here for today. You have studying to do and I would strongly suggest you meditate on your anger problems, you must learn to control it." Rivand replies.
"Of course, and I'm sorry again, I will try my hardest master." I reply with a low bow.
"I know you will, girl." He says with a smile. "Now go before you lose track of time… again." He states with a laugh.
"I'll see you later then, Rivand." I reply and run back towards the castle. How do I learn to control my anger? There's just so much, I don't know what to do. I reach the main library building and enter when I hear screaming coming from up ahead and rush towards the noise. Someone needs help!
Chapter 1
Love at first sight
I run down down the corridor towards the source of the screaming and coughing to find a library burning, I see a girl in the corner of the library retreating from the fire. I have to do something. "HOLD ON!" I yell. I cover my mouth and incant a frost ray spell from memory and make my way through the burning library towards her, freezing the fires as I go, I reach her and realize for the first time since seeing her how beautiful she is. Priorities, Gwen I think to myself. I hoist her up and carry her bridal style towards the door, since I can't cover my mouth anymore the smoke begins to get to me, I start coughing and wheezing as I try to make it to the door, I feel a shift in the structure and I jump through the door just before the ceiling collapses behind the two of us. I set the girl up against the wall beside the library door. "Hey, can you hear me?" I manage to say through the coughs. I cast a holy light healing spell on her and nothing happens. Not this again, come on I have to focus. I push all other thoughts from my mind and remember what Rivand taught me. The most important thing when casting holy spells is to think of a happy moment, clear your mind of all else but that thought. Remember the role of a paladin is to never give in to anger. You have to learn to control it. I close my eyes tight and think of a happy thought. Let's try the time I first put on my diamond necklace that my parents left me. I cast the holy light again… Still nothing. Damn it. I can feel her life slipping away, I have to do something right now! I take a deep breath and clear my thoughts again. The image of Rivand giving me my first training sword enters my mind and I decide to go with that. Please work. I cast the holy light on her and a ray of light shines down brightly upon her and her eyes slowly open.
"Wh- (cough) What happened?" She asks clearly disoriented and confused.
"You were in a burning library don't you remember?" I reply trying to check for any wounds.
"I remember casting an incantation that was meant to summon a water elemental and all of a sudden I cast a fireball." She says. "Then I got hit by something and then I woke up in the middle of the fire, I couldn't even cast a spell with all the smoke around." She adds while trying to stand and quickly she falls back down from the pain.
"Woah there, I may have managed to heal you, but only physically you'll still be suffering from the shock… Just take it easy." I state and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I guess i owe you one... Who are you anyways?" She asks.
"My name is Gwen." I reply. "And yourself?"
"Jaina." She says as she extends her hand, I accept it in a handshake. I think to myself how beautiful she looks with her blonde hair that reaches her shoulders, her blue eyes that shine like the sun, It feels like my heart is pumping three times it's regular speed, I think I've just fallen in love. "Thank you for saving me." She says to shake me out of my thoughts.
"Your welcome." I reply awkwardly grabbing my elbow.
"JAINA." A voice calls out from down the hallway. "JAINA!" The voice yells louder. A man bounds the corner and nearly trips over himself. "Jaina are you alright?" He says as he kneels beside her.
"I'm fine Arthas, Thanks to Gwen here, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be sitting here right now." She looks at me with a smile, and I beam at being noticed by the beautiful girl. "Gwen meet my boyfriend Arthas, Arthas this is Gwen." My heart sinks at these words. Of course she's taken, A beautiful girl like that… I get shaken from my thoughts by Arthas pulling me into a bear hug.
"I am in your debt, thank you Gwen. Truly, I do not know what I would have done if I lost her." He released me from the hug and smiled towards Jaina and turned back to me.
"I am truly honoured, but you need not place yourself in my debt, I am simply trying to help where I can, and your thanks is reward enough." I say smiling.
"You are too modest, surely there is something I can offer?" Arthas asks.
"Arthas, You're smothering her, give her room to breath." Jaina jokes as she stands up unsteadily, Arthas and I steady her. "I'm ok, really I am." She says as she tries to shake free from our hold, Arthas and I reluctantly release our hold on her, she makes it a few steps before collapsing, I catch her before she face plants on the floor.
"Sure you are." Arthas says as he takes hold of Jaina and hoists her up bridal style and begins making his way down the hallway, I follow them closely.
"I guess I owe you again Gwen." Arthas jokes.
"Maybe you can get me a castle…" I joke.
"Good one." He replies. The rest of the trip to Jaina's quarters are spent in silence with the odd thank you again to me.
"Maybe we can all meet up sometime." Jaina suddenly says. "We all seem to be hitting it off pretty well." She adds.
"She has a point, what do you think Gwen?" Arthas asks.
I mull it over in my head for a moment, I gain two friends, but one of them is a girl that i'm in love with, and the other is a guy who she's dating… I've never had any friends before though, and I would be able to protect them both… and I guess we really do get along… why the hell not. "Why not? It'll be fun to finally have some friends." I say.
"Well then it's settled, we're all friends now!" Arthas declares in a loud voice, me and Jaina giggle at this.
"And here we are, miss Proudmoore." Arthas declares.
"Thank you mister Menethil." Jaina replies.
It clicks in my head at those words. "Your Arthas Menethil! Crowned prince of Lordaeron?" I yell out loud.
"Yep, that's me, heh, never get tired of people saying that." Arthas replies with a broad smile on his face. Arthas lays Jaina down on the bed and kisses her forehead. A pang of jealousy hits me as I watch this display of affection. "Now you get some sleep, and I don't mean a power nap and your back on your feet again." Arthas says firmly.
"I promise, I probably won't be able to do much anyways." Jaina jokes.
Me and Arthas move to the exit, then Jaina speaks up. "When I'm feeling better we should all do something together, what do you guys think?"
"I would love to." I reply with a smile.
"Me too." Arthas says.
"Well until then, goodnight." Jaina says with a wave goodbye.
I exit the room and wave back at Jaina as Arthas closes the door behind him. "Well I better get to bed as well, but it was nice to meet you Gwen." He extends his hand and I accept in a handshake.
"You too, m'lord." I say with a bow.
"Just Arthas will do, we're both equals here." He replies with a laugh.
"Very well Arthas, until next time." I reply.
"Until next time, Gwen." He says and departs down the hallway.
I return to the library wing to resume my studies on the arcane. When I'm there my mind wanders back to Jaina, how beautiful she looked even in the state she was in, and how nice she was towards me… but she's taken and I can't change that fact, so I won't interrupt or complicate things between the two of them. But at least I now have friends, and for the first time in my life I can take comfort in that fact. I have friends. Now back to studying, what is the total concentration level required for the summoning of an elemental…
I wake up with my head lying on the book, I look outside to notice that it's midnight. I wonder how even the darkness can look so beautiful and serene… Azeroth is but a small candle in a vast darkness, so fragile and can be snuffed out at any second but still we push on through this endless night and emerge victorious. That's what I have to do. I clench my fist and exit the room. I'm going to push on no matter what and emerge victorious, I will become a paladin! I approach the door to Rivand's room and bang on the door. "Rivand, it's Gwen." I yell through the door. The door opens slowly and Rivand emerges still in his paladin armour.
"Shouldn't you be studying?" He asks.
"I want to take the trial!" I reply.
"What?" He yells in disbelief. "You're not ready though." He adds.
"I don't care, I want to take the trial. I know I can do it… Please master." I reply craning my neck to look at him.
"(Sigh) you only have one shot at this you know." He replies.
"I know, master." I reply.
"Are you sure about this?" He asks, I reply with a simple nod. "Very well, meet me at the training grounds tomorrow morning, and we will see if you have what it takes, don't forget your training sword." Rivand says and re-enters his room. "Now you should be studying." He adds with a grin and closes the door. I begin my walk back to the library thinking about what compelled me to just do that.