Author's Notes: Collection of one shots, each corresponding to one of the songs of WarCraft 3.
Music: Last Days of the Alliance
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Candlelight
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He could hear the heavy footfalls of soldiers marching, straight and tall.
The priest bowed his head as he lit a candle. Rows and rows of candles, each one a dream, hope. Candles lined every curve of the chapel, candles standing straight and tall, not unlike the men and women marching to war. Each candle, lit by those left behind, burned. Each candle was a wish; every candle was a soldier, every soldier with family.
The rich voices of a choir bade the soldiers farewell. Heavenly voices rising in harmony, their prayers could not go unheard. They called upon the Light to protect these brave men and women, voices growing louder, louder, their chorus lifting the spirits of those present higher, higher. Fervent voices, weaving together in once song, lifted spirits towards those angels of the heavens – may the Light shine upon them! Imploring, they asked those angels to guide these men and women to victory.
The priest knelt before the candles. He could see their fires, pointed, rising with the voices. The candle flames reached for him, lending helping hands, bolstering his spirit. Raising his head and lifting his arms, the priest offered his own prayer, joining with the hundreds of others. His voice, straight from his heart, soared amongst the others' hymns, the others' songs. He could feel the soldiers' spirits rising with them, feeling the dreams, hopes, of the people they were fighting for.
The trumpets were fading, the soldiers had already marched out of earshot, but they continued to sing, he continued to sing. Those heavenly melodies began to crack as the choir's throats grew hoarse, as the priest's throat grew hoarse. But even when they could no longer sing, they still prayed, he still prayed.
Finally, he lowered his arms and rose to his feet. Hundreds of candles stood tall, candlelight burning. They were all little parts of one hope that would continue to burn long into the darkness. Turning, the priest left the chapel.
But the candles, left unattended, slowly melted. The candles, once straight and tall, shrunk into themselves, candlelight sputtering in pools of wax. Hopes, left unattended, slowly burnt out.
As the war dragged on, he could no longer hear the footfalls of soldiers marching straight and tall.
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Author's Notes: I'm afraid I don't know the WarCraft canon and lore as well as I should (this isn't my normal fandom). I haven't had the chance to properly dissect and analyse WarCraft (partly because I won't be able to get my hands on the books), and my writing heart is still dedicated to Ragnarok Online. If you find any mistakes, feel free to inform me.
Comments and criticism much appreciated :D