Jaina Proudmoore: Nightmares - Warcraft Hero Chronicles Part 2

Chapter 1: Nightmares

The endless sea is all around. A dive way beneath the sea level. Sunrays cast light in the dark water. A red and sandy ground beneath. Hundreds of dead bodies are floating upon the surface. Death is all around. As the sea slowly begins to move forward, more and more corpses fall into the water. They hit the surface with a hollow clash and their blood colors it red. Some of them miss arms or legs. Deep, gaping wounds cover their chests. Many of them face downwards, with inanimate eyes. Men and women of all races. Then, a dark silhouette appears in front. A manly creature floating in the center, also silently facing downwards, his arms lifelessly spread. The body comes closer. Bubbles rise from his mouth. And the silhouette becomes a clear appearance. A green orc wearing a robe, his mouth slightly opened, his lips pale, so are his blue eyes. Bruises cover his arms, small drops of blood center around many cuts.

The sea stopped moving. Only the body gets closer now. He quivers like a dead fish, showing a last sign of life. In the next moment, the orc starts turning and opening his eyes further. His mouth opens and speaks silent words. The whispering gets louder and louder. He is entirely visible now.

"Stop, stop it," he begs. "Please, don't do this."

His nose starts to bleed.

"It wasn't me… blame him," the voice whispers.

The mouth covers with blood and the skin turns white.

"You are killing me," he laments as he raises his voice.

"No… please. Don't kill me! Remember!"

His eyes widen in pain and terror.

"Ah. Jaina… Jaina!" he screams and drowns.

"JAINA!"

Jaina wakes up with a start. She gasps and straightens up. And in the moment she realizes it all was just a dream, she is overwhelmed by her fear. Jaina cries and collapses in despair. She screams and shakes, covering her deeply shocked face with her hands.

Somebody rapidly runs down the hallway behind the room and tears the door open. It is Kalec with his blue hair, wearing a fine, black cloak.

"Are you okay?" he asks with a sorrowful voice.

When he sees Jaina whimpering and huddled in her bed, he rushes to her and sits down.

"Hey… was it a nightmare again? Tell me what happened."

He leans over and kisses the teary cheek. Then he gives her a long hug.

"Tell me what happened."

Jaina barely is able to speak. The frightening images still daze her senses.

"I killed them. I killed them all. And I killed him. I saw him dying," she says with a chocked voice.

"Who, Jaina? Who did you kill?"

"Everyone. It's…It is Go'el. He…"

Jaina cannot talk further as she gets hoarse.

"It is okay. Everything is okay. I am sure he is fine."

Kalec tries to comfort her. Unable to do so, he pulls his head back and now looks in tear-stained eyes. The sun casts yellow rays of light on Jaina's face. They reveal the fear and the sadness.

"The nightmares get worse, don't they? We have to do something."

An idea comes into Kalec's mind.

"Shall I bring him here?"

"What?" she unbelievingly retorts.

"I know you are at odds with him… but maybe you should just talk to Go'el. Do you want to see him? To make sure he is alright? I could fly to Durotar and…"

"Yes. Yes, please do it."

Kalec, surprised by this positive answer, wipes away some tears and gives her a smile.

"Can I leave you alone for a while? And promise you will not hurt him, okay?"

Jaina nods and lets him go.

"I will be back as fast as I can," he adds and quickly leaves the room. Not without glancing at her one last time when he walks through the door. The sobbing fades as he closes it.

A watchman stands in front of the room. Kalec barely takes his time to instruct the young man in his uniform, who carries a long sword attached to his belt. After passing the guard, he quickly turns around. "I will be back soon. Please take care of her… and bring her a glass of water."

While speaking, he turns around again and begins to run. He throws the cloak at the wall. Then he gets rid of his boots and shirt. He runs down the steps at the end of the corridor, leading to the lower floor of the property. Just before he storms out of the front door, he grabs a big saddle.

The streets of the floating city of Dalaran are quiet and the light of the sun leads the way. Kalec starts to sprint. Suddenly, his skin grows blue scales and he becomes larger. Much larger. The cliff comes closer. The teeth grow sharper. His hands soon are claws. And before he lands on all fours, the mutating man jumps off the edge.

"Woo!" he shouts and spreads his wings. Now being the blue dragon Kalecgos, he turns westwards and gains speed.

The sun is still shining on the horizon when the dragon arrives the coastal line of Durotar. Uncommon rain soaked the ground. Being in gliding flight, he rapidly comes closer to Orgrimmar, the capital city. He storms through the southern gates beneath him with two flaps. Coincidentally, he spots Vol'jin leaving the hold and knocking off for today. After flying two circles around it, Kalecgos lands in front of his feet.

"Warchief, I come in peace. Please tell me where I can find Go'el," he demands in rapid words.

Vol'jin is concerned.

"Easy, dragon. He is in da Den. Came back from Draenor just two weeks ago."

"I thank you, Vol'jin. My apologies… but I am in a hurry. Farewell."

Kalecgos turns around and prepares to fly away. Vol'jin raises his hand.

"What's wrong?"

"Jaina needs him, urgently."

Vol'jin's eyes get bigger.

"Spirits be with her."

The blue dragon nods in respect and dashes away. Then he lifts off. Hovering only a few meters above the red land of Durotar, some orcs gaze at the big shadow and look up to him as he heads to the south of the country.

Kalecgos lands in front of a wooden hat. The door is closed but lights are burning inside. He looks around and knocks on the door with his huge fingers.

"Hey, Go'el. Are you there? Please open the door," the dragon whispers. His voice still drowns every other sound around him. Speedy footsteps from inside come closer. The lock opens with a click. Suddenly, a green orc only wearing pants stands in front of him. Thrall looks surprised.

"What is it?" he asks slightly annoyed. "We are about to go to bed."

Kalecgos nods but at the same time cannot hide the worry lines in his face.

"It is Jaina. She... I was not able to comfort her. I believe she cries because of you. Please, you have to come with me."

Thrall's jaw drops. He loses his face just like Vol'jin before. Overwhelmed by this message and the memories of the missed friendship, he quickly turns around.

"Give me one minute."

He rushes to the nearby bucket full of water. After a fast wash, he puts his shaman cloak on. Afterwards, Thrall grabs a small flask from the shelf above and applies some drops of a sweet smelling perfume to his chest. A very young voice calls from behind.

"Pa!"

Thrall smiles and walks up to the small bed at the other side of the room. He kneels in front of it. His wife Aggra stands there as well, preparing their son for the night.

"Yeah, pa will be back soon. Have a good night," he almost sings in a calming voice. Then he gives his little boy a kiss. The beard tickles Durak's nose. He giggles, so do his parents. The harmony in this room makes Kalecgos feel at home. In the same moment, he remembers his urgent task and fizzles.

"Oh right," the orc daddy remembers and stands up. Now looking at Aggra with a sad view, he takes her hands and squeezes them.

"You know how much she means to me."

She nods understandingly.

"I know, Go'el. Do what you must. Go now. Jaina needs you."

Thrall lets go and walks towards the door. As he watches Kalecgos adjusting the saddle on his back, something flashes up the orc's mind. His hand subconsciously reaches out for a ledge next to the door and lifts a small stone. He devoutly looks at it for a moment before he puts it in his pocket.

"I am ready. Let's go, Kalec."

"That indeed was only one minute."

Thrall jumps in the saddle and grabs the grip with both hands.

"No Hearthstone?" he asks.

"Even a dragon forgets his latchkey sometimes. Ready?"

Kalecgos prepares for the flight. He starts to run and flap with his wings. The saddle shakes the orc back and forth. After gaining enough speed, the dragon lifts his claws from the bottom.

Soon, being in a gliding phase, he hears Thrall confronting him:

"Now, tell me what is going on."

Kalecgos twists his head.

"Jaina did not feel so well. She told me she wants to take the afternoon off and go to bed early. So I left for a meeting, alone. I just came back and had a chat with the guards, when I heard her..."

He swallows the recurring images.

"She screamed, Go'el. Such fear and despair. I was not able to calm her down."

Thrall closes his eyes and breathes heavily.

"Jaina has nightmares. Recurring ones, I believe. They have gotten worse lately," Kalecgos adds.

He feels a gentle hand touching his back.

"Let me talk to her. I still know Jaina longer than she knows you," says Thrall and eases the worries.

As they talk, the flying city comes closer in the cloudless sky. The sun is slowly setting and the horizon changes its color from light to dark blue.

Kalecgos and Thrall enter Jaina's residence. The blue dragon stops in front of the stairs and looks into a worried face.

"Go ahead. I need to take that off first," he explains and points at the saddle.

Thrall does not feel convinced yet.

"I may need to talk about things only Jaina and I know."

"Do not worry. I will leave you alone for a while and keep watch behind the door," says Kalecgos in calm words. "I do not have a problem with that."

Thrall pats his blue-scaled shoulder and smirks. Then he jumps up the stairs.

Now standing in front of Jaina's chamber, he focuses the small guard. Their breath gets faster as if they know what the counterpart is thinking in this moment. Both nod in agreement. Without looking at the door knob, Thrall turns it around. The door opens a crack. He pushes it and steps inside.

Chapter 2: Confrontation

And there she sits on the edge of her bed, in her long and beautiful nightdress. Jaina stares at the floor, with folded hands on her knees. She looks apathetic. A large shadow appears in front of her, overlapping the fading sunrays in her face. Seconds pass. Only then she realizes somebody just entered her room.

Thrall cannot hide his worries. Gazing at her slowly lifting head makes him feel very sad. He sighs in sorrow. When Jaina realizes who is standing in front of her, she immediately runs towards him and falls into his open arms. They embrace for the first time in years. Thrall notices her sobbing. He softly rubs her back and dandles her to ease the pain.

"Why are you crying, Jaina?"

"I killed them all… all the people... I saw you dying… And it felt so real."

"But I am here. I am here for you," Thrall comforts her with a soothing voice.

"I will always be there," he adds. "Come. Let us sit down."

Instead of sitting on the edge, they instantly lie down on the pillows. Jaina places one hand beneath hers, so does her counterpart. Now they look at each other closely. The blue eyes are focused. Soon after, Thrall places his free, big hand on her cheek. It covers her entire face.

"I do not like your hair cut. It makes you old," Jaina whispers when she notices his shaved head and smiles for a moment. He retorts the smile and brushes a white strand of hair away.

"But I like yours."

"When was the last time we were this close?" Jaina asks.

Thrall presses his lips together and remains calm to think for a moment.

"I do not remember if we have ever been as close as now."

"No," she conforms, "however… When did we have a chat like this?"

"Must be long ago. Just before we fought at Mount Hyjal together. It was night. We sat at a camp fire, we were alone and we talked about our past. Remember?"

"Yes. More than 10 years ago. I miss this time."

"I miss it as well," Thrall affirms. "It was the time when we got rid of our hatred. When we started liking each other and noticed we have so much in common."

Sadness gives way to happiness for a short amount of time. Jaina smirks but cannot keep eye contact and looks down on his visible chest. It lifts and sinks in a slow rhythm.

"Have you ever thought about us? I mean, we… together?" she asks but feels uneasy.

"I did. There was a time this question came into my mind. After we defeated the demons. Even the old Eitrigg told me you would be good for me. But after all, I made you suffer. You did not deserve me. You, Jaina, deserved to be treated better."

"After losing Arthas…," she pauses to take a deep breath, "my Arthas, I felt so helpless. So alone. I felt bitterness. And then… you came into my life. Our first meeting couldn't get any worse."

Thrall giggles and nods.

"Oh, I still have that moment in my mind. The way you looked at me when the prophet demanded us to join forces. You hated me for no reason."

"My father only told me bad stories about orcs. So I could not like your people until I met you. Then… after some time around you and your men, I actually felt save. You made me feel save because of your unique, calm and friendly, behavior. Yes, after defeating the demons, I somehow thought we could be more than just allies."

Jaina stops and suddenly feels sad again.

"And then your father arrived…," he humbly continues and pats her cheek.

"Right."

"You have to believe me when I say: I wish everything turned out differently. It never was my intention to see him dying in your arms. The entire conflict back then… it annihilated a better future for us."

She remains silent but Thrall gives her a concerned view.

"Missed opportunity."

"Missed opportunity…," Jaina confirms.

Thrall aligns the pillow and widens his eyes to confront Jaina with the actual issue he had to come to this beautiful place.

"Now, tell me about your nightmares."

Jaina is unable to reply for a second. Horrible memories occur.

"They always concern the disaster in my life. Most of them are about pain, about death. Sometimes, I see my father dying in my arms again. Sometimes, I dream about being injured by you or your warriors and I do not know why."

"I would have never accepted or authorized something like that. You know that," Thrall comments.

"Yes, Go'el. I know. But that changed when you ignored my cry for help. Which is a specific situation I dream about from time to time. The dreams reflect the way you treated me after the Cataclysm. You just stand there. I shout at you… I don't know what I say but the words sound desperate. Then you turn around, without saying anything. And then I see a white glare…"

"The bomb."

"Then, I dream about Theramore and all the dead bodies around me. I dream about my guard Pained shattering in front of me. I sometimes just fall off Theramore tower and wake up with a scream. There are nightmares about my revenge. I can see what would have happened if Kalec did not stop me. A vision that merged with my dreams. All the water around me. The corpses. And then… I see you. You beg for mercy… but you decompose in front of me and you cry out in pain."

Jaina stops and gets very emotional.

"Go'el… I am afraid to fall asleep every night. The nightmares… I am so scared… I don't…"

Her breath caught. Suddenly, she is not able to speak further. Jaina's eyes get blurry. She sobs as she realizes how desperate she feels. Thrall is moved and holds her face with both hands now.

"No… no. Don't cry. Look at me. I do not want to see you so sad anymore."

While he speaks to her, his thumbs wipe some tears away.

"I want to see the smiling Jaina once again in my life. The Jaina who was happy and liked me, liked us, when we fought together. The Jaina who looked up to me, the old Thrall, and did not only see her enemy. Thinking about your sadness ever since you lost your home and what we, especially, lost, namely our friendship, makes me weak."

Thrall stares at Jaina's blushed face without saying a word for a while.

"Do you have nightmares sometimes?" she asks him after calming down a bit.

"I do. You are not alone, Jaina."

"Your turn now."

The confronted orc draws a deep breath before he is able to talk about them.

"I still dream about Taretha, my dear childhood love. As you know, she was my only real friend until I was mature. She was the one who convinced me that humans and orcs can be friends. Maybe even more. And… I could not save her, Jaina. I never can. Even in my dreams. She always dies no matter what I do. I try everything. In the end, I always have to look at her dead body. It is so horrible. And when I wake up, I feel the tears on my face. Yes, I still cry for her. Those are the worst dreams."

"You cried for Taretha, you cried for Grom, you cried for Cairne… you never cried for me."

Thrall squints his eyes. Memories of his deceased loved ones capture his mind. He shakes his head as he remembers the despair he felt after the Theramore events, when the Horde destroyed Jaina's home. His lips start to quiver, his breath jitters. And when he opens his eyes again, they are filled with tears. The pillow catches a drop.

"But I do cry now…" he confesses as more drops soak the soft fabric.

"I lost you three times. It hurt so much when I heard about the bomb. But I could not go back. I did not want to see you like this. Maybe I was afraid. Maybe I did not want to hold yet another dead body of a beloved friend in my hands. When you shouted all the bad words at me afterwards… and wanted to flood my Orgrimmar… I lost you again. And then, when you were so badly wounded during the chaos after Garrosh's trial, when I heard your heart stop beating… You cannot imagine how I felt... Believe me, it also broke mine."

Jaina places her hand on his shoulder. More tears run down his face.

"You should have listened to me."

"And I should have cared about you… Yes, you can blame me for this. You can hate me for not listening to you and everyone else. But we have to move on. We have to fight for peace again. Together."

"I lost everyone I loved. And you took them from me. How can peace between us be possible if I can never forget what Garrosh did to me?"

"But Garrosh is dead," Thrall emphasizes every single word. "I killed him. I even sacrificed a part of myself. For that peace… For my friends… For you."

After some silence, Jaina shakes her head and denies his statement. Believing Thrall, or anyone within the Horde, after all she suffered from, is nearly impossible for her.

"Hate the Horde as much as you want. Hate Garrosh for all he did. But stop hating me. I cannot stand it any longer. This is the worst I can think of and it devastates me. I do not want to quarrel with you anymore. Jaina… all I want is… that you forgive me."

For the first time ever, Jaina touches his jaw.

"Hey," she calls.

"Yeah?"

"Can you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Of course. Whatever you wish."

Jaina turns around and curls up on her side of the bed.

"Go'el?" she asks in a whipser.

"What is it?"

"Baine called for me last week. Have you talked to him in advance?"

"I have. He was very sad… and angry with me," Thrall explains but then a supplemental thought crosses his mind.

"You met him afterwards? Was he still emotional?" he adds.

"Go'el… he cried in my arms."

"Oh dear!"

"He wanted to comfort me. In the end, I needed to solace him. He apologized for his mistakes and fault. And… I am sorry for what I said to you and the orphans in Orgrimmar. All the angry reproofs. You have to understand."

"I do. But the only one who has to apologize… is me. Sleep now. I will be here if you need anything."

The moment Thrall ends his sentence, Jaina becomes quiet. While wondering why the bed is almost long enough for his size, he notices Jaina's breathing gets slower. Soon after, he also closes his eyes.

Something causes Thrall to start up. A nightmare? He looks around but cannot see anything besides the sleeping lady next to him. A peek out of the window tells him he must have fallen asleep for some time. He rapidly crawls off the bed and puts his shoes on. Now he stands in front of Jaina.

Thrall leans over and kisses her friendly cheek. The dried tears taste salty. He stares at his badly missed friend one last time.

"I pray for you, Jaina. I wish this was not our last encounter."

He quietly opens the door and leaves the room. Kalec, now in his human form again, sits outside but immediately jumps up when he beholds Thrall.

"I am sorry, I fell asleep. You have my word, we just talked... She sleeps now."

Kalec frowns but accepts Thrall's apology.

"More importantly, how does she feel?"

"She cried but I could solace her. I tried, at least. Jaina seems to be very exhausted and distressed. You have to cheer her up tomorrow. I hope Jaina will find her former self someday."

"I will do my best to make her respect you and your people again. It will take a long time though."

Thrall nods and bows in respect.

"Farewell, blue dragon. May we meet in peace again. I will use my Hearthstone outside to not wake Jaina up. And Kalec… you are a good man. If somebody can bring the old Jaina back, it is you. Give her a hug from me, will you?"

Kalec pats his back and gives him a confident smile. The big orc waves goodbye and rushes down the stairs. And when Kalec enters Jaina's room, everything is calm again.