Hey everyone! I am so sorry I haven't posted anything in a while, life has been super hectic! However, I'm still hard at work finishing up the sequel to The Adventure Begins, so never fear, it will soon be up. In the meantime, I thought that posting this little gem in the spirit of Hallow's End would be kinda fun. This is a little glimpse into Aelwynn's conversation with Esme in chapter 5 of The Adventure Begins, as well as her first official Hallow's End celebration with Sylvanas. Thanks for reading, and remember to review!
If there was one thing Aelwynn loved more than venturing out into the world, as long as it was her idea, then it was celebrating Hallow's End. She may not have the same values as the Forsaken, and the holiday may not have meant the same to her that it did to the race of undead, but she still celebrated all the same. The last couple of years she volunteered to gather candy for the orphans during her training, hoping to help the kids enjoy the holiday in a different way. Her guild had decided this year that the group would meet in Brill and celebrate with members of the Forsaken.
Aelwynn chuckled as her cousin, Tarin Proudrunner, told tales of the rogue's beginning years of training. "It got easier, but I can't tell you how many times I tried to disarm that damn trap. I could sneak past the most skilled trainers, I was great at using lock picks, my training blades were always at my side, and always coated in the correct poisons, but I was horrible at disarming traps. They had one that would explode with green powder if you did it wrong, and I can't tell you how many times I came back from the training grounds looking like I'd been attacked with green tailor's dye. I looked like a malformed orc!" She shouted in hilarious embarrassment, laughing along with the group.
Bulliam shook his head. "We had druids that would constantly shift into their travel form and couldn't get out of it. The worst were the ones that ended up in their aquatic forms. Nothing like a bunch of seals flopping around, barking and crying because they were too stressed to relax and change back. I got stuck in my balance form more times than I can count, and I can't cast to save my life."
Aelwynn stood up from her spot on the ground, checking the group over. "I'm gettin another drink, you guys want any?" She asked, brandishing her empty cup and wobbling. The group all passed, chuckling as she stumbled back to the innkeeper for another glass.
As she waited for her refill, she glanced over to see a young elf dressed in a succubus costume, the skimpy material leaving nothing to the imagination. The girl grinned and winked, grabbing her glass and sidling up to Aelwynn. "Hey." The girl's voice was husky, and had the hunter not been several glasses in, she would have gently let the girl down, but inebriation had set in and her judgment was nowhere to be found.
Esme nudged Tarin Proudrunner and gestured to the inn with wide eyes. They saw their guildmate in the doorway with a very young blood elf, possibly slightly underage and Tarin sighed. "Oh boy..." She said, getting up and heading over to the couple. "Hey Aelwynn...can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked.
The hunter looked at her with annoyance in her hazy eyes. "I'm kinda busy." She said, jerking her head toward the younger woman at her side.
Tarin nodded. "Yeah, that's why I need to talk to you." She said, turning to the would-be succubus. "This will just take a moment." The rogue said.
The younger girl pouted, turning to Aelwynn and stroking her cheek. "Do you really need to leave me? We were having fun together, weren't we?" She asked sultrily, smirking at the hunter's glazed look.
"Ohh-kay...look kid, there's no way you're the legal age, and if you are, congratulations, you look great. But, you're playing a very dangerous game with someone who isn't completely in control of her faculties. Trust me, you don't want to get into this with her. If you do, and she comes to her senses in the morning, because I'm sure you're just in it to get some gold, she's not going to be pleasant. In fact, if you're lucky enough, she might just let you live. So, I suggest you find some other inebriated person to swindle." Tarin said, glaring at the young girl as she saw a perfect red brow raise.
Aelwynn frowned, swaying slightly. "Now, wait just a minute..." she slurred, holding up a finger.
Tarin shook her head. "No, we're not arguing about this. I'm going to take you back over to the group, you're gonna sit down, and drink whatever we can find that passes for coffee around here."
Aelwynn stumbled out of her room in Undercity, pressing a hand to her forehead. 'Wow, what happened...' She thought to herself, coming into the main room that joined with the others. Everyone else was up and chatting with each other.
Esme looked up with a chuckle.
"Good morning, sunshine. Glad you decided to join the world of the living." Proudrunner snickered, grinning at her cousin.
"I don't know what happened to me, but please tell me I was at least...tolerable." Aelwynn muttered, dropping into a chair and burying her face in her arms on the table.
"Oh, you were tolerable...that succubus surely tolerated you." Loki said, barking a laugh at the look on Aelwynn's face as she looked up.
"A wha?" She asked.
Esme giggled, shaking her head. "It was a good thing Tarin got you out of there when she did. You would have been a slave for life."
Aelwynn sighed and dropped her head back to her arms as the group laughed.
Aelwynn leaned against the broken pillar in the courtyard, keeping an eye on the crowd as they waited for Sylvanas to make her speech. As she glanced across the grounds she heard the annoying sound of someone clearing their throat, loudly.
Aelwynn turned, eyeballing the young woman. "Can I help you?"
The girl scoffed and flipped her mane of red hair over her shoulder. "You can start by-"
"There you are!" Esme cut the girl off, grabbing Aelwynn by the arm. "Come on, Lady Sylvanas is coming to give her speech, let's get closer to the stairs."
"Okay, what was that?" Aelwynn asked, turning to her friend and raising an eyebrow.
"That was your succubus..." Esme said.
Aelwynn sighed, closing her eyes and dropping her chin to her chest. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
The priest chuckled and shook her head. "Nope, Happy Hallow's End my friend."
THREE YEARS LATER
It was day one of the Hallow's End festival and Aelwynn stood with the group, watching the stairs inside the Ruins of Lordaeron. They were waiting for Sylvanas to make her annual Wickerman speech. Even with the events of the Cataclysm, Aelwynn felt this was the first year she could completely enjoy the holiday. They decided they were going to take the visiting orphans trick or treating around the main cities, and the kids had gotten quite the haul of candy. Now they waited to end the night with the burning of the Wickerman.
She heard the soft scuffs of Sylvanas' footsteps before she saw the guard come around the corner, all thanks to her enhanced hearing, and the ruins fell silent. Even the children they had been taking trick or treating quieted down, all looking up at the Banshee Queen in awe. The young Sin'dorei girl that had practically glued herself to Aelwynn's side tugged on the hunter's leather gloved hand. She looked down, a smile on her face. She crouched, looking back up to the Dark Lady of the Forsaken, her lover. The young girl, Adria, leaned in. "She's pretty." She said quietly.
Aelwynn chuckled, nodding her head. "She is, isn't she." She replied, her smile widening.
The girl looked at her, a confused look on her face. "How come you're looking at her like that?" She asked.
Sif and Loki snickered. "She loves her." The mage answered quietly for his friend.
"Okay, everyone, hush." Aelwynn said as she stood back up, the girl resting on her hip.
"Children of the grave, heed my call." Sylvanas began, her crimson gaze looking out at the gathered races of the Horde. "In life, we suffered unspeakable tragedies. We watched as our homes were razed to the ground. We cried out in agony as our families were cut down before our eyes. Finally, in the face of such atrocities, we were denied even the release of death." She spoke loudly, her inflection showing the pain of her experiences. "Now, we burn this wickerman as a symbol of our victory against old enemies! We paint our faces with the ash to send a message to new enemies - a declaration to those who fear and revile us as monsters. To those who would question our place in this world... We are NOT monsters! We are NOT the mindless wretches of a ghoul army! No...we are a force even more terrifying... We are the chill in a coward's spine... We are the instruments of an unyielding ire... WE ARE THE FORSAKEN!" Loud cheers went up from all races there.
Aelwynn set Adria on her feet and walked to the base of the Wickerman, crouching and removing a glove before dipping her fingers in the pile of ash. She uttered a few words in Thalassian and spread the ash on her face. Sif and Loki were next, murmuring the same phrase before turning to one another and painting marks on each other's faces. Esme and Tarin followed, and Bulliam and Nikola were last.
Adria and the other children watched, and the young girl spoke up. "We know that we aren't old enough to fight, but we want our faces painted too, so we can help you."
Aelwynn turned to her friends, chuckling as Esme and Bulliam both nodded. "Alright." She said, crouching by the pile of ash and waved Adria forward. The girl smiled and stepped up, waiting for Aelwynn to brush the same design on her face.
Sylvanas watched her lover interact with her friends and the children they had been with during the day, her undead heart clenching as she watched the woman crouch and speak to the little girl. She headed down the stairs, her gaze meeting the arcane green of her lover's and she smiled softly, raising a silver brow.
Aelwynn stood, nodding and grinning. "My lady." She said softly.
Sylvanas chuckled. "Having fun, Dalah'surfal?" She asked quietly.
"Of course. We're going to take the kids back to Brill so the innkeeper and matron can get them ready for bed." Aelwynn said, gesturing to the group behind her.
Sylvanas tilted her head slightly, looking down at the young girl next to her and then smiled. "I'll join you." She said.
Aelwynn looked down as Adria yawned and went to rub at her eyes. "Hey little one, hold on." She said, grabbing the girl's hands. Adria looked up, startled. Aelwynn smiled softly. "Sorry kiddo, I didn't mean to scare you. You've still got the ashes on your face. I didn't want you to rub any of it in your eyes." She explained quietly.
"Oh, yeah." Adria said, putting her hands back down.
Aelwynn chuckled. "Okay guys, c'mon, let's get these kids back so they can get cleaned up and get some sleep." She said, turning to the others.
Loki and Sif both had their charges in their arms, a young female orc called Agadora clung to the mage, and a small troll girl named Bastet grinned at the paladin. Esme's little charge, a young blood elf girl named Kennidee, stood holding her hand. Nikola had charge of Kennidee's younger brother, Kaelon. Bulliam's young friend was a female tauren named Hathyr, and she idolized the druid. Tarin had her charge, a tiny troll boy named Zen'talon on her shoulders, his small hands stretching in the air as her pet bat flew around his head.
Bulliam shifted into his stag form and knelt, allowing Hathyr to crawl up onto his back before he stood. Nikola lifted Kennidee and Kaelon up with the young tauren, and the three giggled from their perch on the druid's back.
Aelwynn turned to Adria, gesturing with her head. "Do you want a ride?" She asked.
Adria shook her head, grinning. "I'm okay." She said, taking the hunter's hand.
Aelwynn chuckled and scooped the girl up, perching her on the hunter's hip before taking Sylvanas' outstretched hand. "Let's get these kids back to Brill." She said, grinning at her lover.
Sylvanas nodded, kissing the hunter's cheek. "Of course."
Sylvanas tugged Aelwynn into their quarters, backing her against the door and kissing her deeply. "You have no idea how attractive that was, seeing you with those children." She said, nipping at the hunter's lips.
Aelwynn chuckled, humming softly against the Dark Lady's lips. "Hmm...they were pretty cute, it's not difficult to be around them." She replied.
Sylvanas pulled back, shaking her head and looking deep into Aelwynn's eyes. "It wasn't that, Dalah'surfal." She said quietly. "That...that was the first time I've ever thought about our future and considered the possibility that this...relationship might actually work." She finished. "What we have isn't exactly normal."
Aelwynn shook her head. "Look at the two of us, Sylvanas...do we seem normal? You're the undead leader of the Forsaken, a former high elf who was murdered and brought back to be a slave to a madman. I'm a blood elf poisoned with the curse of the Worgen, and a woman who fell very quickly, and very hard, for a woman who deserves a lot better than me. Normal isn't exactly in our vocabulary."
Sylvanas raised a brow. "Some would say I deserve a lot less. I believe we're meant for one another. We complement each other very well, and although you may be living while I am cursed with undeath, we seem to...fit."
Aelwynn smirked, gripping Sylvanas' hips and pulling her closer. "We do seem to fit, don't we." She cupped the Banshee Queen's cheek, kissing her softly. "Happy Hallow's End, Milady."
"Happy Hallow's End, Dalah'surfal." Sylvanas replied, smiling softly.
Happy Hallow's End, everyone!