Inara's Quest
Authors Note: I love World of Warcraft. I don't play it as much anymore but I got into it about 6 years ago. I remember how when I was fresh and new to the game how the starter zones were so much fun. I thought it would be fun to start a little story based on the starter zone and sort of loosely based on the life of my toon. Oh and I'm a girl gamer! Hope you like it! I look forward to reading the comments so that I don't fail at this even though it's just for fun!
Chapter 1
Inara could feel warm sunlight on her cheek. She couldn't believe it was morning already. She'd been up almost all night freezing in her room. It seemed as if she'd only been comfortable and sleeping for a minute.
The nights were always cold in her room. The small farm cottage she shared with her mother and little sister in the middle of Elwynn Forest could never hold a comfortable temperature. During the summer it was too hot in the day…and too cold at night. In the winter it was too cold all day and near freezing during the night. She couldn't wait until she reached adulthood and could lawfully leave from under her mother's protection. Inara thought that 18 was much old enough to take care of oneself, but since the war broke out King Varian Wrynn decreed that all young women must remain under family protection until they reach the age of 21, unless they marry beforehand in which case they are to fall under the protection of their husband and family.
Inara had no interest in marriage…so stay home it is.
She rolled out of bed and headed for her wardrobe closet. She paused as she passed her mirror. Her fire red waist length hair was a tangled matted mess as usual. She decided to tame her mane before washing up and getting dressed. She found her brush and stood before the mirror combing her bright red tresses. She always wondered where her peculiar hair color came from. There were many girls in the Eastern Kingdoms with red hair but not like hers. Their hair had more of an orange hue. Her hair was bright red like an apple, with several silver and ice blue highlights throughout. People either loved it or hated it. Inara couldn't quite decide how she felt about it. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and carefully created a perfect brad that fell just below her waist.
Her eyes were a warm chestnut brown that people often said looked a bit more amber or orange in certain light.
She dressed herself in leather pants, a linen top and boots. She pulled a small chest from under her bed and pulled out a set of brass bracers. She'd found them a few days prior while returning home from a supply run to Stormwind. The bracers had been covered in blood, but there was no body near them. There was no satchel and no trace that anyone had been in the area. Just a pair of bracers lying in the grass covered in blood. She's brought them home, cleaned them up, and hid them under the bed. For the first time she slipped them on just to see how they'd feel.
They felt…wonderful.
Inara had always wanted to be a warrior. Not a poverty stricken farm girl. She would have killed to be one of the guards of Stormwind, but she could never afford the training…nor did she have a reputable family name. Wearing those bracers was the closest she'd ever get to being a soldier.
When she walked into the kitchen she saw her gray haired mother struggling to light a fire in the hearth. Her mother was short in stature, frail although she wasn't very old. She wore a poorly constructed
simple white linen dress, with several tears near the bottom.
"Let me", Inara said.
"What are you wearing on your wrists?" her mother asked in a startled tone.
"Nothing", replied Inara.
"What do you mean nothing?" her mother replied angrily. "Let me see."
She yanked Inara firmly by the arm to get a better look.
"By the light…where on earth did you get these?" she asked. "You don't have the kind of money needed for these. Did you steal them?" she asked her eyes wide with fear.
"Relax mother", Inara said yanking her arm back. "I found them. Now where is the flint?"
"You found them", her mother hissed. "That's just as bad as stealing them if you didn't turn them in to the Stormwind guards. Take them off right now."
"No."
"No ?" her mother asked in surprise.
"I am not an infant. I found these, I will wear them if I want to. It's not like I EVER get anything of my own in the first place. It's not like I EVER get to DO anything for myself either", Inara yelled.
"Well I'm so sorry your life is so horrible Inara", her mother said. Her mother's eyes dropped to the floor as she walked away.
Inara knew she'd hurt her feelings. She knew her mother felt bad that they had nothing. She knew her mother was doing her best being all alone.
"Mom I…"
"I don't want to hear it Inara, just start the fire", she said quickly.
Just then Inara heard a loud screech. She hadn't realized that her 6 year old little sister Falinda had already been outside playing.
Both Inara and her mother jumped at the scream and ran outside.
"Let her go", yelled Inara.
A tall man with long dark hair had Falinda by her throat. Judging by the red bandana around his neck, and his all black attire, he was a member of the Defias brotherhood.
"Why would I do that, sweet girl?" he hissed. "This here is what I like to call a hostage. Now give me back what's mine and I'll be on my way".
"We don't have any money", Inara's mother pleaded. "Just please let my baby go…please", she pleaded.
"Your baby?" the man pulled out a dagger and pressed it firmly to Falinda's throat. Tears began streaming down the little girl's cheek. "What makes you think I give a damn about your baby? I'm here for what was mine but since you mention it, I'll take whatever money you have too."
"We'll give you anything you want, just please don't hurt her", Inara said.
Inara heard footsteps. There were others…the man wasn't alone. Before she could react, a man grabbed her mother from behind and a tall woman took Inara by her braid and forced her to her knees, while three others went into the house. They were all dressed in black and wearing a red bandana either on their neck, head, or arm.
The man watched Inara and her mother in silence as the others ransacked the house.
Inara was afraid but she dared not show it.
"Where'd you get those bracers?" the woman holding Inara captive asked. "Those are way too nice for forest trash like you."
Inara said nothing.
The woman delivered a swift kick to Inara's back. The force knocked her face first into the dirt.
"I said…where'd you get those bracers!"
Inara didn't speak or move.
The tall woman yanked her up by her braid and held her face up as close as she could get it to hers.
"You must not care very much for that kid Errol Van Cleef is holding there. At my command he can and will slit her precious little throat. So I advise you to answer me cow. I'm going to ask you one more time…where'd you get those bracers?"
Errol Van Cleef…brother to Edwin Van Cleef…they were in a lot of trouble.
"Inara, please just tell her what she wants to know", her mother begged between sobs.
"I…" Inara started.
Before she could finish the others came out of the house…carrying satchels full of goods.
"We didn't find what we were looking for", a pudgy bearded man said. "Barely found anything worth taking at all."
The dark haired man let out a sigh of irritation.
He slightly loosened his grip on Falinda.
The tall woman was not satisfied.
"Look again she said", her eyes not leaving Inara's.
Inara could see out of the corner of her eye the dark haired man yank Falinda by her long brown hair.
"I feel like I wasted my day. I might just slit your throat child just for the fun of it", he said.
Inara lunged after him.
"If you hurt her so help me I'll"…
The tall woman grabbed Inara and forced her into a headlock.
The man stared at Inara coldly and with one swift motion sliced the child's neck.
"Nooooooooooooo…my gods…no", Inaras mother screamed and passed out.
Inara felt rage building within her. Her eyes stung with hot tears.
A fierce wind began to blow through the forest trees. The sky fell dark.
The dark haired man and the tall woman seemed a little afraid. The irises of Inaras brown eyes turned stark white….
The tall woman let Inara go. Inara fell to her knees then rose slowly.
She let out a loud scream as she fiercely whipped both arms directly in front of her. Fire emerged from her fingertips.
The dark haired man and the tall woman ran. But they wouldn't make it far. Inara touched the palms of her hand together then slowly pulled them apart…forming a large ball of fire which she hurled with deadly precision at the fleeing bandits. Direct hit. She could hear their screams as the fled for the road fully engulfed in flames.
The other bandits ran in all different directions. Inara raised her arms to the sky and with another yell from deep within her gut she called shards of sharp ice to fall from the sky….knocking them to the ground.
Inara had never done anything like this. She felt completely out of control of her own body and mind. She was completely consumed in rage and had no idea where the power of fire and ice was coming from. She's read about mages in books who could control the elements but she'd never even seen one in life, let alone would ever dream of having such power come over her. She didn't know if she was under a spell or if this was truly something coming from within.
She calmed almost as quickly as she's angered. She fell to her knees…shaking from exhaustion and drenched in sweat. Her sister lay on the ground bleeding, but still breathing. Frosted and charred remains of bandits were everywhere.
She crawled over to her sister and held the dying child in her arms…rocking her. She didn't know what to do.
She heard something. It was a wagon on the main road.
Inara leapt to her feet and ran for the wagon praying it would be someone who could help her.
As she got closer she could tell from the attire of the passenger, he was a priest.
She ran in front of the wagon…forcing the driver to come to a halt.
"Please help me. You're a priest…you have the power to heal. Please help me", Inara pleaded.
"My child, I am a servant of the light. I can help if the light sees fit. What is troubling you dear soul?" the priest asked.
"My sister is badly...she's just a little girl…I mean I just…please just come with me…"
Inara lead the priest back down to her home. He saw the bleeding child, fell to his knees and took her into his arms. He then laid her flat on her back and placed both hands over the wound on her neck and he began to pray. The wound began to close and the color started to return to the child's face.
"Inara,? Where is my sister?" Falinda...while crying and gasping for air.
"She is here child. You were very near death. You must rest." The priest pulled out a small flask and poured a drop of liquid into Falinda's mouth. She immediately fell into a deep sleep.
The priest looked around at the bodies lying about. He looked up at Inara…"I think you need to tell me what happened here child…"