Chapter One: That's No Bear

Silverpine Forest

The bear initially appeared perfectly ordinary.

He was any ordinary big grey-black bear; Lynissara had already checked for markings- in the worgen-infested Silverpine Forest, this was always necessary- and found none; in the dim lighting, he appeared to be a black bear like any other, one whose (hopefully) undiseased guts would soon be delivered to that wretched, needy apothecary, and Lyn would be done with the whole business of harvesting animal organs.

The paladin charged forward with her battle-ax, alerting the bear to her presence. The fight would go as it always did with bears: a few blows exchanged, and then the inevitable death blow. She never drew it out; she respected the animals too much to see them suffer only to prove strength she already knew she had. She killed as few of them as possible.

But this time, when she charged, the bear caught her with intelligent eyes. When she was close enough, she swung her ax, only for the bear to catch the ax between both massive forepaws and release a mighty bellow. Surprised but undaunted, Lynissara launched herself forward in a flipping jump, the ax spinning in the bear's grip and forcing it to release the weapon. She landed and twirled around so she was facing her enemy once more; as she brought down the ax in a promising blow, the bear suddenly vanished- in its place stood a night elf: a blasted druid!

A new rage filled the blood elf at the sight of the Alliance man, and she launched herself at him; he caught every swing of her ax on a metal-plated staff. Lyn focused all her efforts, drawing from the Light to power her attacks. A golden glow emitted around her ax- she and the druid both saw it at the same moment. She drew back further for a more powerful swing, but before she could land it, the druid's staff swung around and caught her heels, and as she landed on her back another blow across her skull knocked her unconscious.

Immediately, her mind went blank.

When she came to, Lyn's vision was blurry. She could see she was in a small room with a fireplace, lying on a bed, and there were typical furnishing lining the walls- a table, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, the usual, all in human fashion, not uncommon for Silverpine. A tall, broad-shouldered figure stood before the fireplace, his back to her; her eyes focused slightly- the night elf. Lynissara leapt to her feet, reaching for a skinning knife by the door; her head swam and agony shot through it, but the night elf had turned at the sound of her standing. He whirled around, grabbing his staff, and stared at her with wide yellow eyes.

A moment of timeless wonder gave her pause. He was more handsome than any man she had ever seen, with angular features consisting of a long, straight-bridged nose; a wide mouth with thin, shapely lips; a stout, square chin at the end of a tapering jaw; and sallow cheeks overshadowed by bold cheekbones. His large, deep-set eyes stared at her from beneath long, feathery dark blue eyebrows that matched the waist-length straight hair that framed his face. His stout, tall figure was exposed by a tight, light-brown leather jerkin, matching padded boots and gloves, and close-fitting dark green pants.

Perhaps it was her head injury, but she had to admit something: he was beautiful.

It was only by years of training with the slightly-less-beautiful blood elf men that Lynissara managed to sustain a grip on her dagger, but her desire to fight had vanished. She would not kill him, but she needed and answers and may yet still have to fight.

"Wait," he said, in a voice smoky as the fire and deep as the roots of Teldrassil's famous trees, "Please, don't fight."

She gaped, lulled by his voice, but snapped back to composure. This man had already proven to be dangerous. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Please. For one thing, I just saved your life- I could've left you for the worgens, and I didn't have to heal you. That should be reason enough not to fight."

His voice was enchanting her. Must be some weird druid magic. She only barely managed to ask, "Why did you heal me, then?"

He looked away, lips parted, as if seeking a different reason. His amber gaze met hers again. "I- I couldn't leave you to die. Maybe I'm a traitor, a fool, or just plain mad, but I couldn't do it."

"Mercy, then? Or sympathy caused by self-righteousness?"

"Call it love at first sight."

Now true surprise rocked her. She floundered for a response, and found none. Had she heard that correctly?

"That aside," he continued, seeming abashed, "What is a blood elf doing involved with the Forsaken? That ax of yours tells me you are no mere hunter, and yet I cannot see your kind willingly fighting the undeads' war."

Lynissara's eyes shot wide at his words as something hit her, and she glared at him. "Where is my ax!?"

"Safe- put away until you aren't likely to use it on me. But you didn't answer my question yet, either."

She felt mocked, and continued to glare. "Will I get my ax back if I play nice and cooperate?"

"Yes."

She huffed; might as well tell the truth. What had she to lose at this point, having already been imprisoned by a night elf? "I'm looking for my mother; she disappeared in this forest long ago. My abilities as a paladin and my duty to the Horde drew me into this war, and I've seen too much death come of this to back out now. And what about you? What's a night elf doing out here?"

Curiosity softened her tone toward the end, and she saw the change register in his face. He cleared his throat. "I had a call from Elune to come out here, I assumed because of the war; now I wonder if you are the reason I was drawn to this forest. Tell me about your mother."

Lynissara was desperate at this point to find her mother, desperate enough to trust a night elf. "Her name is Adonyca. She has crimson hair, and would be middle-aged by now. She is a fearsome warrior, known throughout the Horde for her heroism and integrity. She disappeared in search of my father, a Blood Knight who had been rumored to be in these parts at the time. No one has seen either since."

He pondered this a moment. "Any other information?"

Lyn shook her head. "My uncle raised me, and would never tell me more. He, too, disappeared, having set off after my mother once he deemed me old enough to survive without him. He left me in the car of the Blood Knights of Silvermoon." She paused, wondering why she was giving away so much information to a complete stranger. Druid magic! At work again! "Why do you want to know?"

"The honest truth is that I want to help you. Have you no family at all?"

Lyn lowered herself back to the edge of the bed, setting down the skinning knife on the end table and looking at the floor. "Well, no, not that I know of. I've made a living on my own, though, and my own family."

His voice was gentle. "Then why do you so desperately still seek a family?"

Lyn looked up, feeling a boulder in her chest. Pity filled the night elf's expression in the soft downward curve of his mouth and tilt of his long eyebrows; he stepped forward, and then paused.

"May I-" he hesitated again, "You just look so incredibly sad; would it be too bold to ask if I may hold you for a moment?"

Lynissara composed herself and stood quickly. "It would definitely be too bold. I'm a proud member of the Horde, a Blood Knight fighting for the Banshee Queen herself, and you're a member of the Alliance. This is already beyond dishonorable, and it shouldn't have happened at all. I should have killed you earlier." She softened. "But I couldn't- I still can't. There's something about you stopping me from seeing you as an enemy, no matter how hard I try or how much I remind myself you're Alliance. You've made me vulnerable; perhaps I should run far away from you, or perhaps you'll kill me still- and yet I don't believe you will. Why is that?"

He walked to her, taking her hand. "Because you also feel a connection here, inexplicable and perhaps a bit wrong, but undeniable all the same."

She sighed, looking at his chest, and found a desire to hold him and be held by him. In a massive force of will, she stepped back, releasing his hand. She looked up at him. "Meet me tonight; if the connection is real, you'll find me. If not, well… I don't want to kill you." She changed tone. "Regardless, I must be going; they're bound to have noticed me missing by now."

Wordless and somewhat standoffish, he opened the wardrobe and withdrew her bag and ax; she took both and strapped her bag into place and held her ax in hand, and then looked at him one last time. Why him? Why a night elf? I've never had these conflictions about a blood elf, or even an orc or troll or tauren. Turning, she strode out, into a chilly Silverpine afternoon. She recognized where they were, in a small grove not far from the Sepulcher, up in the hills.

"Wait!"

Lynissara halted, glancing over her shoulder to see him standing in the doorway of the small building; she longed to touch his lips.

"What's your name?" He called.

"Lynissara. What's yours?"

"Aldonn. Farewell, 'Nissa- Elune willing, we shall meet again."

"Tonight."

x~x

Eversong Woods

Aladey Goldsong was at her limit of buffoonery. If one more novice asked in an agility elixir contained lynx blood, she would fireball the whole damn place. She wasn't even an alchemist! As it was, attempting to calm down by twirling a small fire orb over her palm was only further encouraging the idea of torching the academy.

"Goldsong!" Novice Renala called, "Headmaster wants you!"

"Finally," the mage muttered, rising to her feet. It had been hinted by higher-ups that she would soon be promoted, and thus freed of the idiocy now plaguing her. Staff in hand, she collapsed the fire orb and started toward the Headmaster's office, a short walk down the paved hallway. She entered the cool-colored room to see the headmaster, Magister Eronas, standing behind his desk with his back to the door; he turned at her entry.

"Ah, good, Aladey- I've been meaning to talk to you. You're eighteen now, correct? Of age?"

She nodded.

"Good, good! And you've been staying here with us since you were only seven- eleven years. Quite a long time for you to have still not contributed a whole silver to the school, isn't it?"

"Magister-"

"I know, I know- you're poor, your family is poor, you've nowhere else to go… But do you really think you're the only poor young mage to seek shelter here? Unfortunately, your free ride is over. You'll have to find someone else to freeload off of."

He paused while the words registered. Aladey stared at her feet in shock, and then looked up at him, feeling wounded. "You're… Kicking me out?"

"I am. I'll also need that robe back."

"You're kicking me out without even clothing? Do you want the staff, too?"

He smiled and nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes, I do! We need all of our supplies back eventually, you know this. As you've made no attempt to make something of yourself outside of the academy, we've come to a decision to rid our academy of you. Your kind- the poor, freeloading, searching-for-an-easy-ride kind- simply aren't welcome at Farthrian anymore. You may still keep your title of Assistant Professor, but you may not keep anything else. As a matter of fact, we will require you to sign this waiver saying you will not slander the school's name. Failure to sign it results in imprisonment, as you are still under our authority."

Shocked disbelief carried Aladey to the desk, where she signed the paper in frustrated resignation. There was no use fighting it; once the magister had decided something, the decision was made and would not be thought over anymore. She stepped back and forced herself into the quiet composure she had learned over the years among magisters far better than she. "May I keep my robe and staff until I can find a replacement? You may have them back by the end of the week if I can't."

"You may, in fact. That much I can agree to. But as your replacement arrives at the end of the week, if we don't have those items back, you will be branded a thief and, again, imprisoned."

She nodded stiffly. "Very well. I'll be going, then."

"Oh, Aladey- one thing. You have always believed your only family to be your grandmother in Fairbreeze, but we searched our records and that is not the case. I would advise a stop by the census; search for Reneiran Goldsong."

Reneiran? Ren- Mother had always called him Ren. "My father?"

"Yes! I believe the census office will hold your family tree, and you may or may not have a well-endowed cousin who can assist you. Farewell, now."

She was blasted out the door, where she landed against the far wall of the hallway while the door slammed. A few novices poked their heads around the corner of the hall. She glared at them. "Back to work, all of you!"

She started for her quarters, her mind reeling.

A cousin? Mother had never mentioned- but then, Mother knew precious little of Father. I suppose that's what happens when you're courted for a moon and then give yourself up like that. A cousin, though, really? Do they know about me? Do I know them? Who are they? Obviously a blood elf, but- are they from around here? He said they're well-endowed.

Only one way to find out.

"Here."

The secretary slammed a packet of parchment papers down.

"This is all records related to Reneiran Goldsong," the elderly woman said in a tone that spoke of her exasperation for Aladey's existence. Aladey took the papers and went and sat on the bench; night had fallen over the Eversong region, but it made no difference in Silvermoon, where the lights of the city and the close, bright moon kept the streets well-illuminated no matter the hour. Aladey took a close look at the papers, and realized the fine print and countless logs would do her no good. It would be a tedious task to find any information from this.

Some hours later, she found the name Lynissara Redwind, supposedly once in the care of Reneiran Goldsong. Lynissara had been left with the Blood Knights; that was the last record left- a document showing the exchange of guardianship. Would she still be there? The Blood Knights were in the city, not too far out. How late was it? Some must be awake still, surely. But then, as a yawn stretched her jaws, Aladey thought it better to rest at the nearby inn and search in the morning. But when the fee proved too much for her measly coinpurse, she retired on a bench.

Come morning, the young mage straightened herself up and returned the papers to the census office, and then headed out. It didn't take long to find the Blood Knight order's headquarters, a large building containing living quarters, training areas, a mess hall, and a visitor's center. She went to the visitor's center first, and saw a young, bored blood knight novice leaning against the wall. She approached him.

"Hi, I, um- I'm looking for Lynissara?"

She had said Lin-ih-sarr-a, which was apparently incorrect, as the blood knight corrected, "Lin-ees-er-ah?"

"Yes?"

"Redwind?"

"Yes! You know her?"

"Knew," he corrected. Aladey's hope sunk to her stomach, but rose as he continued, "She left some moons ago, helped out at Sunstrider Isle and then made off for Tirisfal Glades last I heard. You'll want to talk to her old mentor, Lord Irador. He should be downstairs; I'll go fetch him. Or would you rather sit down for breakfast? It's free if you're with us."

She nodded. "I would prefer to eat, if it's not too much trouble."

He smirked, a flirty expression on his face. "For you, nothing's too much trouble."

He headed off and she resisted a groan. Damned blood elf men, always flirting. She waited impatiently, arms crossed and foot tapping, for his return. After a moment, he ran back up and waved her over; she followed him downstairs and in the lower level saw the eatery. He led her to a table with a stately, older knight- Lord Irador, she presumed- sitting down for breakfast. Another plate was being set down by a servant as she approached. She sat and the younger knight winked and walked away.

"Ignore Bleswyn, he's insolent," the older knight said. "I'm Lord Irador. And who are you, that visits us so early asking about my old apprentice?"

She summed herself up, squaring her shoulders. "My name is Aladey Goldsong. Let me say this quickly: my mother was a young, inexperienced farm-girl and was wooed by Reneiran Goldsong, and I was born; Reneiran Goldsong's sister was Aldonyca Redwind, originally Aldonyca Goldsong, the mother of Lynissara Redwind. I have no family to speak of except a wayward grandmother who receives money from the city to sew gloves to keep her from going batty and leaving her house, and I only just learned this morning of Lynissara, who would be my cousin. I know nothing of her, though, except that we're cousins and she was raised by my father and then given to the Blood Knight Order. I'm hoping to find answers, and perhaps meet my family."

Lord Irador nodded once. "And it has nothing at all to do with her recent elevation of status?"

"I wasn't aware her status was recently elevated."

He nodded, and leaned forward. "Let me make you aware of something, miss. Lynissara Redwind was one of the most promising individuals to ever enter this building. I was hard on her, diligently so, from the start, because I knew it was the only way to discipline someone so eager. She trained harder than any other apprentice I've ever seen, including myself, and proved time and time again how determined she was to fight for the Horde, honor her mother and father, and eventually find her mother. When she was old enough, I arranged for her to travel to Sunstrider Isle and begin her real training, and told her she would never be required to return here afterward. Her mother disappeared when she was an infant, running off into Silverpine Forest in search of her father, one of our own Blood Knights- we've known for a long time that he is dead. The Order can feel it when one of their own dies. Nonetheless, Aldonyca would not listen to us, and chased after him. Now, Lynissara has gone off in search of her mother; she made a name for herself among the undead in Tirisfal Glades to ascertain she would be sent to Silverpine, and now she is one of the most prominent members of the Dark Lady's army, basically fighting the war for them. She is also a member of a very successful guild, and it's no secret that the higher-ups in that guild have granted her a large sum of money as well as supplies to better her trade. If your desire to meet with Lynissara is to gain money from her, then you are abusing the generosity of a paladin who wants only one thing from this world."

"That being?"

"Family."

Aladey cleared her throat. "Sir- Lord- I assure you, as someone who has grown up as I have, having lived ostracised in a magic academy for eleven years, I, too, desire family more than anything else. But as it stands, I have just been kicked out of my home, without even the clothes on my back. I have to return this robe and staff by the end of the week or I will be branded a thief and imprisoned. I would love to meet my cousin, and will repay her as soon as I can, but as it stands she is my last lifeline."

Lord Irador nodded once. "I will tell you this, then, mage. Sunstrider Isle is and likely always will be problematic, and the best advice I can give you is to send her a letter and then follow in her footsteps. Journey to Sunstrider Isle and do what you can there; I guarantee you will leave with a new robe and staff. In the meantime, the Order can supply you food for the journey until you can afford your own. Our Senior Officer Eisanor was also born in poverty, and he is now one of the highest ranking officers within the order. If he can make it, then I'm sure a Goldsong can. Go, make a name for yourself; here is the copper for postage. Send a letter to your cousin. Make things happen."

Aladey accepted the thirty copper with a nod. "I'll pay you back-"

He held a hand up. "Don't, it's fine. I ask only that you put it to good use. Finish eating, and eat your fill. You've a long journey ahead."

The way he said it implied more than simply to Sunstrider. Aladey watched him stride off, and knew he was right. There would be a long road ahead of her, and, poor or not, she would have to find a way.

With a sigh, she finished breakfast. Here's hoping Lynissara is less serious than that fellow.

A/N: I have recently rediscovered my love of WoW, and thus spent the entire past weekend playing and creating backstories for my new blood elves. Ah, I love them. 3

~This story will contain violence (It's World of Warcraft based, what do you expect?) and interracial relationships. Possibly a same-sex relationship, but I haven't decided for sure where that character is going yet.

Anyhow! Please enjoy. Don't forget to fave/follow/review!