Author's Note: Please leave reviews even if it's to say the story is too boring. At least then I'll know I'm on the wrong track. Thanks! :)

Technically, this should be categorized as Romance/Adventure/Drama. just doesn't give a third category options.

Main Characters:

Marisa du'Paige: Former defias member who vows revenge on Stormwind after she is nearly killed working for Vanessa VanCleef. She decides to take things into her own hands and finish Edwin VanCleef's original vision.

Adam: A rogue avoiding his past while trying to make his own future.

Kristie Alexston: A fledgling sculptress content with her life in Stormwind. She finds herself quickly caught up in things beyond her control and on an adventure she never asked for.

Prologue

She was dying. Although she had put up a good fight, the end result was inevitable. After all, it only took five of them to kill her.

"Sweet! Check out these boots!" one of them exclaimed. As their voices faded, so did her vision.

Something touched the woman's neck. She didn't open her eyes. The darkness felt all too inviting. But the darkness would not last as a warm feeling enveloped her, and she slowly became aware of a voice whispering something. A sudden need to take a deep breath awoke her and she did so, arching her back as she gasped. There was pain from the previous fight, but she ignored it as she opened her eyes to see Grixil, speaking over her and healing her wounds. He had saved her. She was alive.

As she recovered, Grixil told her about how the adventurers who had attacked her had also entered the Deadmines and was able to defeat everyone, including Vanessa VanCleef, the one who had revived the old Defias Brotherhood recently. The Brotherhood was now disbanded once again. The woman scowled. "I put my faith in Edwin because I thought he would succeed. But he was cut down before his vision could come to pass. I had my doubts about the daughter, but pledged my loyalty because of her father's vision. As it turns out, Vanessa didn't care about his project in the end. She only wanted to lure people to their deaths."

Grixil nodded his goblin head. "What are your plans now, Mistress?"

She narrowed her steel-grey eyes. "There is nothing left but to do it myself." She clinched her fists, hatred spilling from every part of her. "Edwin VanCleef's vision will be fulfilled. I will be the one to make it happen. And I will be the one to make Stormwind fall!"

Chapter 1

Kristie Alexston stood on the bridge near the statue of Alleria Windrunner watching Foreman Wicks and Mason Goldgild argue about which was the best way to return the Trollbane statue to it's original spot. The statue of the famous hero fell in the recent surprise appearance by Deathwing. Everyone knew of the black dragon from the many stories and legends that surround the corrupted aspect of the dark dragonflight. But few, if any, knew he was still alive. The people of Stormwind were lucky that Deathwing hadn't laid the city flat when he appeared. Fortunately, for whatever reason, the dragon left soon after he had landed.

She glanced up at the two towers that flanked the archway into the Trade District of the city. They still bore Deathwings clawed marks, the stone scorched and, even now, still hot from his touch. There were more members of the Royal Stonecutters Union on scaffolding around those towers working to restore them to their original glory.

Kristie sighed and returned her gaze to the dwarf and human still arguing. At this rate, the Trollbane statue won't get returned to it's rightful place in a long time. Her father won't be happy about that. He was the one who hired those two. She wasn't sure why. The last time those two worked together, they argued all the time as well. Baros Alexston had only said that they were two of the best foremen in the union and that they needed to learn to get along. He had told his daughter not to worry about the statue, it'll get fixed in due time.

She pushed back some of her auburn hair behind her ear and turned to head back to the interior of the city. She decided that by the time they could get that statue put back, she could carve out a new one. Granted, it wouldn't look as good, but her studies and skill are improving every day. And in time, she could join the union and start working on the statues and intricate carvings herself.

She walked through the archway into the Trade District and almost stopped by Trias' Cheese shop for a bit of alterac swiss, but decided otherwise. Thomas Miller, a local baker, waved to her as he called out to passersby, "Freshly baked bread for sale!" She waved back and kept walking. She weaved her way through the Trade District, over a bridge, and into the Cathedral Square.

The Cathedral, as always, was beautiful to behold, but that wasn't why she had come here. She turned to her right and passed the orphanage, waving to a couple of the children as she did. They came running up asking if she was going to come visit today and she promised later when she had more time. They were disappointed, but understood as they walked away. Behind the large orphanage building sat the City Hall where her father worked. She walked up the ramp to the entrance and peeked in. Her father was there, studying charts and blueprints as usual and she smiled. Kristie entered and approached.

"Guess who's still arguing?" She gave him a peck on the cheek and moved to lean against the back of a chair.

"Hm?" He didn't look up from the papers in front of him. "Arguing?"

She gave a bemused smile. Baros Alexston always seemed distracted when he was trying to solve an issue. "Wicks and Goldgild. They still haven't decided which one of them is right."

Baros finally looked up at his daughter. "Oh? Well, no matter. They'll figure it out. They did for the new road to the harbor, remember?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as his stomach growled.

Kristie shook her head and chuckled. "You forgot to go home for lunch again." She reached into her hip pouch and pulled out a small apple, giving it to him. "Here, this should tide you over. Mom said she'll bring something by later."

Baros took the apple gratefully and gave his daughter's hand a squeeze. "I don't know where I'd be without you two looking after me." He sat down and bit into the fruit. "Don't you have a sculpting class or something?"

Kristie nodded. "I was just about to go. I need to grab my tools first." She waved to her father and stepped outside the building. They were lucky to live just a short distance away from where her father worked as the City Architect. It was a perk of the job that he found out about after he was hired. Count Erlgadin, the one who hired him, insisted it was because they wanted the City Architect to live within the city he was to take care of. Baros' wife, however, had been wary of the offer. If it had been mentioned before the job was offered, she would have considered it a bribe and insisted Baros refuse the job. Over time, they found Count Erlgadin to be one of the few honest and generous noblemen in the city.

The City Architect job had once belonged to Edwin VanCleef, but due to the nobles denying payment to the Stonemason's Guild, VanCleef had left, taking many workers with him and formed the Defias Brotherhood. What started out as a large band of architects and tinkerers robbing wealthy travelers to make up for their loss of pay, quickly turned into a large brotherhood of bandits, mercenaries, and thieves looking for any opportunity to steal from the citizens of Stormwind, Elwynn Forest, and Westfall.

With the break up of the Stonemason's Guild, the city needed to form a new guild. Count Erlgadin, who had tried to support the Stonemason's Guild and get them their pay before they instigated a riot, asked Baros to step in as the city's lead architect. Before the Stormwind riot, Baros had tried to convince VanCleef that he was going about his protests the wrong way. But the man wouldn't listen. Because of ideological differences, Baros refused to join VanCleef and accepted the new job. When VanCleef found out about Baros' new position, he considered Alexston a traitor to his cause and had Alexston's family farm in Westfall burned down.

After he accepted the job, Baros immediately formed the Royal Stonecutters Union made up half of humans and half of dwarves from Ironforge. As many of the talented humans had left to join VanCleef, Baros had no choice but to accept help from their allies. Although, this was not a problem for anyone as the dwarves were very talented in this area and many learned from them, including Kristie.

Kristie entered her family's townhome and ascended the steps to the second floor where her bedroom was. It was a simple room without much decoration, other than a few sculptures she had made when she was younger. Her only window included a view of another building, but if she looked at just the right angle, she could see Stormwind Lake. But there was no time to view the lake today. She grabbed the leather pouch that held her tools and took off for her sculpting class.

...

"Here's every last gold coin, I owe you." A bag that clinked was set on the table.

Sea Wolf MacKinley glanced up at the brown-haired young man in front of him and gave a half smile. "Payment on time, as usual, I see." He picked up the bag and weighed it in his hand before putting it away in his hip pouch.

"Not gonna count it? It's all there."

"Nope. You're good. And should I find otherwise later," His half smile broke into a full grin now, "I know how to find you."

"I'll bet. Hopefully, I won't be needing your services anymore."

"That's what you said last time...and the time before that." MacKinley crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Why exactly do you come here anyhow? You have other options."

The man wearing a dark brown leather vest and legguards shrugged. "Maybe I just like the ambiance of this place." His hand waved towards the open door where the waters of Booty Bay could be seen. The smell of freshly caught fish wafted in through the door.

"Yeah, sure kid." If the man wanted to be ambiguous about his reasons for being here, it was not unlike many others who have taken up residence or business in the goblin-run town. MacKinley ran a hand through his long black hair as he watched the rogue leave. After a minute he shrugged his shoulders and went back to what he was doing.

After leaving MacKinley's small apartment/shop, Adam returned to The Salty Sailor Tavern where he often spent his time. It was here travelers or locals will usually come in search of the kind of help he could provide...for a price. After entering the inn, he had to stop due to one of the patrons arguing about the service and quality of the drinks. The man was what Adam would consider a typical spoiled rich son of a noble. He had well-groomed blonde hair and was well dressed. His burgundy tunic was made of mageweave, his black pants were made from suede. The typical disdainful look was apparent on his face.

"I refuse to pay for service not rendered. When I order something to drink, I expect it to be in a clean glass! Not to mention the actual drink I wanted, not this dribble you call Junglevine Wine."

Adam exchanged a look with Innkeeper Skindle. Both of them were thinking the same thing. Where did this man think he was? Some fancy restaurant in Stormwind? The disgruntled customer turned to leave, bumping into Adam as he did so. Adam ignored the stranger's sneer and stepped up to the bar ordering a moonberry juice. A minute later, sipping his drink, he glanced towards the tavern's exit. The man was gone. Adam smiled and pulled out a somewhat heavy but ornate pouch of coins. "How much did he owe you, Skindle?"

The goblin named Skindle looked at the pouch then Adam. He grinned stating the amount and not asking where the pouch came from. He knew better.

Half an hour later, he gave a wave to Innkeeper Skindle and headed out of the tavern to a small boarding house a few buildings down. Although technically, the place was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Gant, it was only Mrs. Gant who ran the place. Mr. Gant was always off fishing somewhere. Adam gave her a nod as he started to pass her, but her hand, palm up in front of his face, stopped him. Adam flashed his most winsome smile. "Surely you trust me by now to pay my rent."

Her only response was to wave her fingers towards her palm to indicate she wanted the money now. Adam sighed and pulled out some coins and placed them in her palm. She stepped away, counting the coins. Adam couldn't help but grin as he moved over to the hammock he called home for now. Of the four hammocks in the back space of the building, he opted for the one closest to the back wall and on top of the other hammock, especially since no one else was sleeping below him. As a rogue, he wasn't comfortable having his back easily accessible for possible attacks. Lying down now, Adam sighed. He'd had a busy day helping a hunter and his sister and a good night's sleep sounded just about right.

He was about to drift off to sleep when his eyes suddenly popped open. Something wasn't right. Looking up at the ceiling above him, he saw a piece of paper wedged between two boards. He was sure that wasn't there this morning. Adam reached up and pulled the paper out. He opened it to find the words Scarlet Raven on it as well as a drawing of two circles. One circle had short straight lines around it, and the other circle was plain. With a little confusion, he turned the paper over to see another picture. This one was that of an open hand. Adam sat up. He knew that symbol. Just about every human rogue knew that symbol. The Stormwind Assassins Guild. Adam looked at the two circles again and understood what they meant. One was a sun. One was a moon. He was to meet a contact at the Scarlet Raven Tavern in Darkshire tomorrow night.

...

Baron Worthington turned his black stallion to the east road from Goldshire and continued on his journey to the Tower of Azora. Although he could easily have flown, he had just bought this beautiful equine and wanted to show it off. The trip would only take a few hours and the scenery was not unpleasant. The stone path was surrounded on each side by the thousands of beautiful trees that made up Elwynn Forest.

He said nothing to his escort traveling behind him. After all, he was only hired help. Although Bracen considered himself to be somewhat of an expert with a sword, he still felt the need to hire a bodyguard for the trip. The Defias Brotherhood had been disbanded, however, there were still thieves who lurked within the forest.

The continuous clip-clop sound of the horses hooves on the stone path had a sort of tranquilizing effect so he was slow to react when he suddenly heard his escorts mount speed up. He turned his head just in time to see the man take a swing at his head with the pommel of his sword. Bracen moved to avoid the blow. It still caught him, but it just didn't hit Bracen as hard as it had been intended. His stallion reared in sudden nervousness and Bracen had to fight to keep control of the animal.

"What are you doing! You're supposed to be protecting me!" He drew his sword as he felt blood start to drip from the cut on the side of his jaw. The escort said nothing as he once more came up to almost mechanically shove the baron off of his horse. This time Baron Worthington could not hold his animal under control and fight off his attacker. As much as he boasted to his skills as a fighter, he simply was not. He found himself on his back and on the ground, just barely able to hold onto his sword.

His 'escort' climbed off his horse and pointed his own sword towards the Baron, still saying nothing. His face was blank as though he wasn't quite aware of what he was doing. Bracen lifted his sword and tried to knock the other man's sword away as he also tried to stand up. The man merely moved forward, forcing Bracen to back up. Their swords clanged together over and over again as the man continued to force him back into the forest.

Then just as suddenly as he started, he stopped, lowering his sword to his side and just stood there. Baron Bracen Worthington felt a sharp object at his back and a gruff voice said, "Drop it!" He did as he was told, his sword making a dull thud in the grass.

The escort blinked and suddenly looked around as if he had no idea how he had gotten there. But that was all he did before he was quickly polymorphed into a chicken! Baron Worthington's eyes grew wide with astonishment as he looked around to see who had done that. A sharp jab in his back reminded him he had other things to worry about. "What do you want? Money? I don't carry much with me."

A female's laugh purred in his ear. "Oh my dear Baron, don't worry yourself over that. You'll soon give us all the gold we require, and quite willingly, I dare say."

He started to turn his head to see who had spoken, but the sharp object in his back quickly moved to his neck and he could see a black gloved hand holding a crooked dagger. Into his view, a shadowy goblin dressed in a simple grey robe approached. "This one will be perfect, my lady."

"Perfect? For what? What do you want with me?" His demands were left unanswered as the goblin spoke some words of a spell, and the baron suddenly found himself unable to control his own body. In fact, it almost felt as if his own mind had been pushed aside as another... no, not just another...the goblin's will invaded and took control of him. As the goblin's mind invaded, Bracen's consciousness slowly faded, and his face became just as blank as the face of his escort had been.

When he became aware of himself once more, he found himself tied to a tilted plank of wood in what appeared to be a cave of some sort. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, if that was what one could call it. The goblin was there along with a woman, he assumed the same one in the forest. She had shoulder length blonde hair and steel-grey eyes. The woman wore a black jumpsuit that was backless and had spaghetti straps holding the front up. The sides of the jumpsuit where the hips were revealed skin where the material split open and was held by three black straps. Her hands and forearms were covered by her long black gloves. She was a beautiful woman whom he might have taken a passing interest in, had it not been for her kidnapping him and all. Speaking of, "Where am I? Let me go!" He struggled with the ropes as if he really thought he could escape.

The woman in black smiled. "Where? Do you really think I'd be fool enough to tell you that? At least..." She slowly walked over to his side. One finger trailed up his arm, then tapped his head. "...not in your current...presence of mind."

Bracen glanced at her. Goosebumps raised in response to her touch. "What do you mean?" He struggled again to no avail. Various emotions crossed his features. Confusion, anger, fear, uncertainty. She turned to stand behind his table, putting her head next to his ear as she whispered to him.

"So many questions. Soon, my dear baron. Soon, those questions won't matter to you. Soon, the only question you'll ask is, 'What do you desire, my mistress?" She stepped away ignoring his protests and outrage. Instead she only gave the goblin a nod. "Please begin, Grixil." Bracen's cries of protests turned quickly into cries of pain. Marisa du'Paige smiled and almost reveled in the sound of the noble in pain.

*Author's Note:
Most of the Defias/Vancleef storyline is from Warcraft lore. I've merely told it from Baros Alexston's point of view with a couple of minor alterations for the purposes of my story.