With a massive crash a drunken troll came skidding out the tavern door and rolled to a halt, lanky limbs flailing. Whoops of laughter followed him from inside the tavern. He scrambled to his feet, gave a sloppy salute to the door, and stumbled off into the growing dusk. Hyara rolled her eyes skyward from where she sat on a barrel several yards away. That sort of thing happened with alarming regularity in this area of Ratchet near the docks, as she'd come to realize after a few hours of sitting here. Damn Gheris for picking this place… Well, she'd meet her brother here out front, but he was delusional if he thought he'd find her waiting inside.
Galmak had been uneasy about letting her come down here to wait with only Gink, but of course he realized why she wanted it.
She'd shrugged dismissively when he voiced his concerns. "It's just Ratchet."
"It was just Everlook too," he'd responded quietly.
But in the end he'd agreed to stay up near the inn and send Palla out with her, who could alert him to trouble in an instant. He'd made Hyara promise to scream bloody murder if she thought she might even possibly be in danger. Now she swung her hooves impatiently against the barrel and wondered how Gheris's "late afternoon" meeting time had magically decided to become "late evening." Her nervousness was growing greater each minute she sat here, but it wasn't nervousness about her brother's whereabouts; she knew he'd show up eventually. She was nervous about the news she was going to give him. How did one go about telling her big brother that she, a draenei, had married an orc? And then of course that reminded her that this was only the dress rehearsal for the real show, when she would have to eventually return to Exodar and tell her parents. And her grandfather. She rubbed a knuckle against her forehead, trying to dispel a faint headache. Hyara had written to Gheris asking him to meet her somewhere and he'd responded with this place in Ratchet. She hoped this would go well; she had a feeling she would need his moral support when the time came to tell the rest of her family.
Gink's form, ghostly and nearly invisible in the failing light, slunk around the corner of a nearby shop.
He's uhh… he's coming, Gink said. Hyara puzzled at her cat's manner, but was relieved that her brother had finally decided to show up.
There was a shriek one street away, heavy footfalls and snorting, and suddenly a giant kodo thundered into view. Bobbling precariously on its back , spiky dark hair swooshing in all directions, was Gheris. The kodo apparently decided it'd had enough of the draenei on its back because it swung its ponderous head to one side, rocking its body and tumbling Gheris hooves over tail in a heap on the ground. Hyara started to rush to his aid but he sprung up immediately and set about trying to grab the testy animal's reigns. The huge bulk of a tauren came sprinting around a corner. Gheris gave a shout and a wave, the tauren jogged over, and the two men laughed heartily. Hyara saw the glint of gold pass from her brother's hand to the tauren's. When the giant bull had led the kodo away and Gheris stood dusting himself in the street, Hyara finally strolled over.
"Well, fancy seeing you here," she said with a smile.
Her brother gave a whoop and crushed her in a hug. "Hyara! Light, how long has it been."
"About a year now, I guess," she said with a sigh, then raised her eyebrows. "And what was that all about?"
He chuckled. "Haven't you ever wanted to ride a kodo? I've always wanted one. That one sure didn't want me though." He gestured toward the tavern and his eyes twinkled. "Have you had a drink yet? Or haven't you been inside?"
She punched him in the side. "I should have known you'd pick a place that would appeal to my finer tastes."
"Oh well," he sighed in mock disappointment. "We can find someplace else if you'd like, but you know that place has goblin rocket fuel shots? Such a shame to miss out…"
Hyara wrinkled her nose. "Say… what?"
"Exactly!" He laughed. "Where're you staying?"
"The inn up that way on the hill… you know, the one near the edge of town."
"Ah, okay." He started to head that direction, but Hyara put a hand on his arm.
"Gheris… let's not go there yet. There's… uh, there's something I wanted to talk about first." She swallowed. He'd always been the best of older brothers to her, but she still couldn't predict exactly how he'd react. He frowned slightly, sensing her sudden unease, and led her over to the waterside. She held his arm as they walked in silence for a few moments in the darkness by the water. She'd missed him. She worried about him sometimes, afraid his penchant for mischief might take him too far someday, and even get him into some kind of official trouble. He was a vindicator, after all, and looked the part, but he certainly didn't always act like it.
"First off, how have you been?" she asked. He told her news of his recent visit home, some of the places he'd been. He'd even ventured a return to Draenor a few weeks ago through the Dark Portal. At this he sighed. "It's called Outland now, of course. Do you remember the Peninsula? I can remember some of it, as it used to be. There's nothing of its old self left. Now… how about yourself? And what is it that's got you so nervous?"
Hyara took a deep breath of sea air. She chose to ignore his first question. How she had been for much of the past year was not something she wanted to think about or discuss. "I'm glad to see you. I really am. But you have to be wondering why I asked you to meet me here?"
She saw him nod in the moonlight, but he remained silent and let her speak.
"Well… there are some things I need to tell you, things I'm going to have to tell mother, father, and grandfather soon… I'm not sure how they'll take it, but I wanted you to know first. The first thing is that I got married a few weeks ago."
Gheris's handsome face registered astonishment, but he soon broke into a delighted grin. "Hyara, that's great news!" He folded her in another bear hug, picked her up, and twirled her around. She laughed and was glad he wasn't offended that she hadn't told him sooner; she'd been afraid she would have to deal with that difficulty too.
"Is that why you're so jumpy? Afraid I'd come after the guy who married my sister without my permission?" He shot her another grin.
She smiled back weakly and tried not to picture what a fight that would be. "So… that's half of it. There's more to tell you." By the Light, she was becoming a master at stalling. If it was this hard telling Gheris, how bad would it be telling her parents? And Grandfather… "My… my husband is an orc."
To her horror, he roared with laughter. She supposed she should have anticipated it though.
"Gheris… Gheris! Cut it out!" She stamped a hoof in the dirt.
"Alright, alright. Well, can I meet him? Is he here?"
"Oh yes, he's here. He's at the inn." In the darkness she rolled her eyes and shrugged. This time the joke was on him. She didn't see the point in standing here all night trying to convince him she was serious. "Fair warning though, my dearest big brother… you had your chance to believe me."
"So I did. And if he's an orc, I'll kiss a kodo."
"You'll have to let me know if kodos are good kissers."
He whistled as they walked in the muggy night air, and Hyara felt a pang of homesickness remembering their night-time childhood walks together between Exodar and Azure Watch. Ahead, the inn spilled welcoming yellow light onto the road up the hill. Hyara's hunter senses detected Galmak's hulking shape in the shadows even before he stood and approached from his perch on the hillside overlooking the town. Gheris squinted in the darkness, his paladin's senses telling him little about the shape that approached… except that this man was too short for a draenei. Galmak came close, stepping into the light from the windows, and Gheris's jaw dropped in shock. His head swiveled toward Hyara, who was looking at him with raised eyebrows and a small smile playing on her lips. She took Galmak's hand.
"He didn't believe me," she whispered to the orc, who chuckled a little hesitantly. "Gheris," she said in orcish to her stunned brother. "This is my husband Galmak. Galmak, my brother Gheris."
"Uh," said Gheris. "I guess I need to find a kodo." Hyara burst into relieved laughter.
Galmak looked puzzled, but he extended his hand. Gheris still looked blindsided, but he took Galmak's hand and shook it firmly.
"I never thought I'd have an orc for a brother-in-law," Gheris said.
"I never dreamed I'd marry a draenei," Galmak responded. As if by magic, all tension evaporated and the three of them stood laughing together. Hyara grabbed them both by the hand and steered them inside the inn where they took a corner table. The common room was neither crowded nor deserted, only just full enough to give a pleasant hum of low conversations. Here in this bustling port town Horde and Alliance mingled almost freely, and the group paid no attention to the inn's other patrons.
"Do you know Common?" Gheris asked once they were seated. Galmak looked at him quizzically and Gheris grimaced. "I don't suppose you know draenei? Or even eredun?" he tried hopefully.
Hyara let out an exasperated breath. "No. Go back to orcish, you bum."
"My orcish is a little rusty," Gheris said in orcish. "But anyway. How did this come about? There must be quite a story here."
They told him of how they'd met in Felwood, how Galmak had saved her life. Hyara glossed over the exact nature of her injury, though. That topic came too near things better left buried.
"We were married by the druids at the Emerald Circle." Hyara was fairly glowing, remembering it. "They were very kind and understanding."
Galmak realized he'd been stroking her tail unconsciously and jerked his hand away. Gheris was staring at the ceiling.
The paladin cleared his throat. "It looks like I have you to thank for saving my sister's life and making her very happy." He turned to Hyara. "And I'm happy for you. Don't worry about the rest of the bunch back home. When you're ready to tell them, I'll be there."
Hyara hugged her brother tearfully. "Thank you for understanding," she whispered.
They drank to the marriage, they drank to each other, they drank to the future. When all was said and done they drank a little too much, but it didn't matter because they were alive, happy, and together.