The stone chamber was massive in size even by dragon standards.
Yet, in the middle of it, there was a small figure, only a fraction of a dragon's size. On a first look, she seemed to be a troll, a female with skin the color of burnt sienna and a mane of bright red hair, falling over her back unrestrained. She wore a red robe, the skirt embroidered with gold in complicated geometric patterns. A large purple medallion hung around her neck by a gold chain. And, as a very un-trollish detail of her appearance, she had a pair of black horns sprouting from her temples, arching backwards.
Alexstrasza poured water into a copper-colored tea kettle. Spread on a woven orange rug were various jugs and jars, holding leaves, flowers, fruit and powders which released a pleasant herbal smell in the air. There were also five empty cups, one for herself and the rest for her guests.
She set the water boiling with a minor spell and raised her head from the task. Voices carried through the stone corridors, indicating that her guests were just arriving. She rose to her feet to greet them.
Malygos and Neltharion were the first she saw, the two conversing and laughing as they made their way towards her. Shining lights danced around the blue dragon, a cheerful display meant to amuse and delight those around him. Neltharion listened to his friend closely, chuckling low at some comment. Grander in size than his friend, the black Aspect exuded the same sense of solidity as the earth itself.
Ysera followed, the elegant green unhindered by her closed eyes. She strode with the same grace and confidence in this realm as she would through the Emerald Dream.
Finally, trailing behind them and looking completely unhurried came Nozdormu. He acknowledged Alexstrasza with a nod.
The four dragons stopped before Alexstrasza, watching her with curiosity.
"Welcome, friends," Alexstrasza greeted warmly. "I am glad to have you all here with me. If I may request that you take on smaller forms, however...?" she asked, gesturing to the items she'd prepared. No doubt they looked to be an odd display to the dragons.
"Of course, of course," Malygos spoke. "But first... Horns, Alexstrasza?" He brought his head low to the ground and stared at the Life-Binder's chosen form. Had he the muscles to do so, he would have undoubtedly perked an eyebrow, but as it was, the perpetual smirk that rested on his draconic face seemed to deepen.
"True trolls do not have horns, do they?" he continued.
"That is well, then," Alexstrasza replied wryly, "for I am not truly a troll."
Neltharion laughed, his voice deep and rumbling.
"She has you there, brother," the black dragon said to Malygos.
Malygos laughed as well, his own voice resounding like the toll of a great bell.
"Indeed! A gesture of humility is in order, then," the blue dragon said.
In a flash of blue, the gargantuan blue wyrm was replaced by a goblin in a blue robe. Malygos' form came up barely to the knee of Alexstrasza's, and the sharp-featured face seemed uniquely suited for smirking, but it was interesting to note that this particular goblin had horns coming out of his forehead, short and stubby things that mirrored those Malygos possessed in his true form.
Alexstrasza laughed, touched by this gesture. In truth, she'd chosen to keep her horns in this form out of a sense of whimsy. She should have known, however, that whimsy was something Malygos appreciated.
"Such a small form you've chosen, brother," Neltharion commented with a playful twitch of the tail. "I would not want to choose one that towers over you!"
"Ah, let us see then what you would choose!" Malygos shot back, his voice magically amplified to reach Neltharion now that the height difference between them was exacerbated.
"Very well. Hm." After a few moments, Neltharion shifted as well.
He chose the form of an earthen: the stocky humanoid, black like volcanic rock, had small cracks at his joints, where veins of glowing ember hinted at the molten blood which flowed through the black Aspect. And he, too, had chosen to keep his horns, two jagged rows sprouting from his head like a wicked crown, the tips glinting sharply in the diffuse light of the chamber.
Nozdormu tilted his head-Alexstrasza noticed fleetingly-as if in worry. Malygos laughed as Malygos often did, his laughter filling those who hear it with his cheer.
"A bit overly-dramatic, brother," he said, pointing to the horns.
"I was compensating for you, Malygos," Neltharion replied, flicking the short ivory horns on top of the goblin head. "You were under-dramatic, I am afraid. Very uncharacteristic of you, I might say."
"I am not so clever today, ha ha," Malygos clapped his hands. "It seems it is everyone else's day to outwit me, yes?"
Ysera chose the form of a violet-skinned night elf, wearing a deep green cloak with the hood pulled low over her eyes; thick green braids tumbled down her chest from the recesses of her hood and thin emerald bracelets clacked delicately together at her wrists. Nozdormu chose the form of a large feline creature, a humanoid torso set upon the body of a cat, with fur the color of desert sands, dappled with black spots.
"Why have you called us, sister?" Ysera asked as Alexstrasza invited them to sit sit down around the rug. "You said it was not urgent, yet what matter could require the presence of all five Aspects?"
"Merely the strengthening of old friendships," Alexstrasza replied. "I have invited you here so that we may partake of a ritual that many younger races hold in high esteem: the sharing of tea."
"You invited us to... share beverages?" Malygos asked, giving a sidelong look to the kettle. "Is that all?"
"Is it not better, brother, to be called for something so innocuous, rather than on more grave matters?" Neltharion said, picking up the cup in front of him and inspecting it with a smile.
Alexstrasza gave Neltharion a grateful look. She could always count on the wisdom of the Earth-Warder.
"It is good to enjoy peace for as long as it lasts," Nozdormu spoke for the first time. "We must make time to do things we might one day wish we had done."
"True, true," Malygos nodded as Alexstrasza began filling cups, first with tea essences, then with water.
She started with Ysera, who was on her immediate right, then poured for Neltharion, who was next, continued with Malygos and finally poured for Nozdormu, who sat on her left. They each held their cups with fascination, sniffing at the pleasant aromas wafting up on the steam. Alexstrasza had chosen different varieties for each of her companions, trying to find flavors they would enjoy the most.
"Though I must say," Malygos continued, "I cannot imagine that one day, as either war or disaster rains upon me, I would stop and think: 'How I wish that I had imbibed some of that hot drink that the younger races so enjoy! It would make my problems seem so much lesser!'"
"Then after today," Alexstrasza replied, "perhaps one day you will think: 'How glad I am that I have drunk tea, for my life was so much better for it!'"
Malygos laughed, minuscule sparks of arcane popping in the air around him like fireworks.
"Perhaps you are the one who has stolen my clever tongue for the day, Alexstrasza," he said once he calmed down somewhat.
"Do not fret, brother," Neltharion grinned, "you have other talents, I am certain."
"Ah, good that you've reminded me, brother," Malygos said. "Do you mind if I liven this drab room, Alexstrasza?"
"Do as you will," Alexstrasza replied, genuinely curious as to what he would do.
With a few deft gestures, shafts of color poured out from Malygos' hands and into the air, surrounding the group. They coalesced around them, forming rectangular panels, fitted together from the floor to the dizzying height of the ceiling. There were dozens altogether, each representing some pleasing or colorful scene: here, an image of a fruit tree in full bloom, delicate pink petals drifting to the ground on the breeze, there, the image of a gently flowing stream, gleaming silver in the sunlight. Everything from massive mountains, their tips whitened by snow, to the gentle dunes of some faraway desert, to canyons and restless seas, the images captured splendors from around Azeroth and relayed them as if seen through a window; yet they could all see that these were illusions and not portals, portraits of Azeroth's beauties, painted by Malygos. For the Steward of Magic, the world was a canvas canvas and the arcane his brush.
"You have outdone yourself, Malygos," Alezstrasza said with wonderment.
Malygos preened under the praise. "It pleases me that I have not been practicing needlessly, then."
"Yet all of this... is it not a frivolous use of the Creators' gifts?" Ysera asked.
"Nonsense, dearest sister," Malygos replied, his hand moving as if physically swatting away her criticism. "What is the arcane, if not an outlet for the energies of the mind? And how can one use it effectively, if one does not continuously try to expand the borders of his imagination?"
"Eloquently said, brother," Neltharion grinned.
"Mm, well, I suppose you do make your case well, Malygos," Ysera conceded. She sipped from the cup of tea. Her head rose slightly, and she turned her sightless gaze to Alexstrasza. "Sister, this tea you have served is quite flavorful. It fills me with warmth."
"Ah, I had hope that you would like it," Alexstrasza said, a smile curling around her troll-form's fangs. "It is of a variety that the furbolgs call 'heart's fire'. It is made of a combination of powdered leaves."
"Mine is quite sweet," Malygos said, swishing his brown-colored tea. "I enjoy it greatly as well."
Neltharion nodded in agreement.
"It appears you have chosen well for us all, then," Nozdormu said.
"He speaks!" Malygos declared in a jocular tone. "Truly, this is a momentous occasion."
"Indeed," Neltharion agreed. "Nozdormu, I am afraid you have fallen much too deeply into the role of witness to time's passing."
"Perhaps you are right," Nozdormu agreed, a smile forming on his feline face. The tip of his tail flicked. "I shall endeavor to be a more active participant."
"Are all these teas from the furbolgs?" Ysera asked, gesturing to the containers on the rug.
"No, they are from many different races," Alezstrasza replied. "The young one who supplied them to me explained the origin of each one."
"Do so many races drink tea?" Neltharion wondered out loud.
"At this point in time, nearly all sentient species in Azeroth practice the habit of consuming tea," Nozdormu rumbled. "All that require drink, at least," he added, giving a long look to Neltharion's form. "They have also developed complex social rituals around its ingestion."
"Rituals?" Ysera repeated.
"For some species, tea-drinking is a social exercise," Nozdormu explained. "A pretext to deepen bonds between individuals by sharing in the same beverage." The others listened closely; none of the dragons knew mortals better than the bronze dragonflight, as no other dragonflight walked among mortals as often as the bronze.
"Such as we are doing now?" Neltharion said.
"Do you suppose there is an etiquette we should be following?" Ysera questioned.
"I do not suppose so," Nozdormu replied after thinking for a while. "We are not beholden to their traditions while we are amongst ourselves."
"And why worry of etiquette either way?" Malygos shrugged.
"We are Aspects, Malygos. We have great responsibilities towards this world and its younger races," Ysera replied, a soft reprimand in her voice. "A certain dose of decorum is required, do you not think so?"
Malygos grinned and raised an eyebrow.
"Bah, decorum," he said. "I would bother with it, perhaps, were there mortals here that needed to be impressed."
But before Ysera could reply, a snort of laughter came from an unexpected source. Ysera looked at her elder sister chidingly, but Alexstrasza seemed entirely focused on drinking from her cup, looking into the tea's black swirling depths with utmost gravity. Perhaps realizing that glaring has very little effect when one's eyes are hooded, Ysera simply shook her head and returned her attention to her own cup; a small smile curled the corner of her mouth.
"Your clever tongue, it is not missing today, Malygos," Ysera said, sipping. "I think it has instead sharpened. Be careful that you do not stab the roof of your mouth with it." Yet her voice carried no venom, and Malygos took no umbrage. He bowed his head to her, grinning lopsidedly.
"It is good, I think," Neltharion said, "that we have Malygos to remind us to be light of heart, and Ysera to remind us to be somber."
"Truly, they are as two forces that bring balance to each other, are they not?" Nozdormu grinned.
"Then I shall have to corrupt Ysera," Malygos declared gravely, "and bring her to the life of the merry-makers."
"Careful, sister," Alexstrasza warned jokingly, "he is capable of doing such a thing."
"This, he would never do," Ysera replied, "for he knows in his deepest heart that I would soon become his better."
Malygos laughed.
"Have you been looking into my dreams, Ysera?" he asked with a wink. "Into my nightmares?"
"Had I done so, you would have known, I am certain," Ysera shrugged. "You are not as one of the younger races, ignorant and vulnerable."
"Ah, yet ignorant and vulnerable as these younger races are, do you not still find their capability for learning impressive?" Malygos asked, for once completely serious.
"Not a day passes that they do not find some way of surprising me," Nozdormu agreed.
"True," Malygos nodded. "Sometimes, I find myself amazed at the uses they find for their talents."
"Would that you could teach them all- is that what you are thinking, Malygos?" Ysera said.
"Would that I could, indeed," Malygos nodded. "I derive endless joy out of seeing these creatures not only aspire to greatness, but strive for it constantly. The arcane is a thing of wonder, a gift I would willingly give to anyone that desired it."
"Would that not be dangerous?" Neltharion asked.
"There is danger in all things," Malygos said. "Especially for fragile creatures. There is danger of crippling disease or sudden and unexpected death in every moment of their lives. We forget, perhaps, that they are weaker than the least of out flights, than the youngest of our hatchlings."
"Yet life perseveres," Alexstrasza said softly.
"It does!" Malygos nodded firmly.
"Still, is it not with our aid that it perseveres?" Ysera asked.
"True," Nozdormu agreed. His cup empty, he placed it on the rug before him before continuing, "Ysera spoke of responsibilities. Indeed, we must always be aware of them, for the breadth and depth of our mistakes is in direct proportion to the power we wield." He looked at Ysera at first, but Alexstrasza noticed that his gaze shifted almost unconsciously in the direction of Malygos and Neltharion as he spoke. She did not know what to make of this.
"I would not have thought that you worry of such things, Nozdormu," Neltharion said. "In some ways, the powers you carry bear more burdens than ours, but in others, you are more blessed. You may correct your mistakes- a privilege the rest of us do not possess."
"We must not take eternity for granted, my friends," Nozdormu said softly, "for it does not belong to us."
"Of course not, I imagine time must end as well, as all other things do," Malygos said quickly.
"Yet even so, our twilight will come long before that milestone."
There was an uneasy silence for the next few moments.
"Ah, pardon me," Nozdormu said. "I am afraid I have brought a dark cloud over these proceedings. I speak of things too far in the future to bother us now." He shook his head. "Malygos, amend my mistake and lighten the mood, if you will!"
Malygos immediately came with some jest that returned laughter to them.
The rest of the gathering went on as smoothly and as pleasantly as Alexstrasza would have wanted. Eventually, however, it came to an end. Ysera was the first to excuse herself, citing a need to return to the Emerald Dream. Malygos and Neltharion left together, as they had come, and Nozdormu, who rarely hurried anywhere, remained last.
"I believe we should attempt such a meeting again in the future," Alexstrasza remarked off-handedly.
"Yes, we should," Nozdormu said slowly and, Alexstrasza thought, sadly. Before she could say anything, however, Nozdormu turned to her, his gemstone eyes boring into hers. "Thank you for this, Alexstrasza. I shall be happy in this place, always."
Alexstrasza nodded, momentarily speechless. Nozdormu left as well soon after.
She would not realize the reason for his sadness until years later and she would think that no, Neltharion had been wrong; Nozdormu was not blessed at all.
Author's Note: the existence of this fic can be blamed almost entirely on Rowan Seven and Weiila. THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DID.