Author's Note: Each chapter was originally written as a standalone story depicting a specific time in the lives of one of my characters. A friend and I RP the twin brothers, and his character also makes appearances in some of the chapters. Please, enjoy!

This chapter takes place roughly 300 years prior to WoW.

Melaria crept along the outer wall of the West Sanctum in Eversong Woods, silently watching and following her prey. The elf she was scouting, Thantys Dawnrunner, strode along the road completely oblivious to her presence. That was all to the good, she thought, as he probably would not take too kindly to anyone following him, especially as much as she had over the last few months.

As she enjoyed the view, she let out a small sigh and cursed herself for giving in to her girlish tendencies. What was she even doing, following someone around like this? What did she hope to accomplish? Her cheeks reddened as she thought about what she was doing. Thantys had helped her family out some months ago, they had a malfunction with their arcane guardian and petitioned the magisters in Silvermoon for help. They expected some novice mage barely out of their teens, as it was usually they who were sent out to aid in more mundane tasks.

But no, who showed up at their door but a fully grown male with the most striking and gorgeous hair Melaria had ever seen. Not only definitely not a teenager, but also a fully-inducted member of the highest caste of elven society. He introduced himself and asked to see the broken unit, and she just stood there staring at him! Her cheeks flamed even more as she remembered him gazing back at her for what seemed to be a long while before finally coughing politely and repeating his request. After she finally let him in and he introduced himself to her family, he took one look at the arcane guardian and told them it was a simple fix. Just a minor issue with the matrix core, he said. All he would need was some tools, some time alone, and a space to work. In what seemed like no time at all he had the guardian up and running perfectly. Waving off her parents' profuse gratitude and apologies for wasting his time, he said he was always happy to help put his magic to good and practical use whenever it would be most needed. Before he left, Melaria re-emerged from her hiding place to see him one last time. Spotting her, he smiled and nodded at her before walking out the door.

Something about him struck a chord with Melaria and she never forgot him. Oh, sure he was nice to look at (too nice, she sometimes thought), but it was not only that. Most magisters she knew would never deign to help a lowly citizen like he did, especially not when they had a kingdom to administer. From listening to her neighbors and other Farstriders, it turned out that he actually helped out with such simple tasks quite often, and always seemed cheerful and content doing "grunt" work. Such kindness was rare among the magi, and Melaria was determined to figure out everything about Thantys Dawnrunner.

Jerking herself back to the present, Melaria steeled herself for the inevitable confrontation and coached herself into playing it out like it was a chance encounter. She lightly jumped off the wall into the soft grass, hardly making a sound. Keeping a brisk pace, she cantered up the road behind the mage and called out, "Magister Dawnrunner?"

The mage stopped and turned around. His eyes widened in surprise and he replied, "Yes? And who are you?"

Thantys inwardly cursed himself for a fool. Here he was standing before the most beautiful elf he had ever laid eyes on and he answered her greeting with a question. Yes, he definitely remembered Melaria Ravensong. He helped her family with the arcane guardian unit, and could not stop staring at her when she answered the door. It was all he could do to speak his own name and ask to enter the dwelling, so engrossed was he in her beauty. She had stared at him, too, but likely in response to his own awkwardness. He remembered that at a century old he was definitely not a pubescent teenager and finally managed to ask again. He was glad she left him alone during the time he worked on the unit, or else he would not have been able to concentrate on the task at hand.

Present-day Melaria looked down at her feet and said quietly, "Melaria Ravensong, Magister."

"Of course, I remember you, Melaria! Please, call me Thantys. What can I do for you? How is that arcane guardian?" he said.

She blushed. "The guardian is fine, thank you, Magi – um, Thantys. I just saw you on the road going the same way as me and I thought I'd say hello."

He stared at her. Of course, that made perfect sense; why would she want anything more to do with him now that he went his own way? He supposed he'd been thinking about her far too much of late, even going so far as to ask about her to anyone he thought might know her. In his inquiries, he found out that she was an up-and-coming Farstrider, one of the best at field scouting. He even heard she managed to get valuable intelligence about the Amani trolls not too long ago, all by herself, without getting caught once. He thought that was remarkable and longed to know more, but refrained from asking too much lest someone suspect the truth: that he was hopelessly smitten with the young elf.

Melaria seemed to shrink under Thantys' gaze. That elf sure did have a penetrating stare, she thought grimly. Did he think she was just a silly girl? Of course he must, especially since she could not control her face and had to blush at him…again. She was even willing to bet that he only said he remembered her just to be polite.

At long last, he finally spoke. "I see." He said slowly. "Well then, hello!"

"Hello!" she blurted. By the Sunwell! She thought, This is just a man, NOT an Amani reconnaissance mission, just talk to him already! "What brings you here? Another malfunctioning matrix core?" There, that ought to do it. Nice and bland, nothing to give herself away.

Thantys visibly relaxed. "Not this time. A mishap with one of the translocator orbs in the sanctum over there." He said as he gestured to where he just came from. "And you? What are you doing out here? I was unaware of any Farstrider presence in this area."

She froze. Seven hells! He's on to me…oh well, nothing for it now. "Well, to be completely honest with you, I…I followed you here from Silvermoon, then waited for you to finish up here, then gathered the courage to meet up with you. And now here we are."

Shock instantly showed on his handsome face, then he grinned. That grin turned into the most melodious laugh she'd ever heard. "And now here we are," he agreed, "Tell me, Melaria, why DID you feel the need to follow me without saying anything?"

"Because it would be colossally stupid to follow you while telling you about it!" she snapped, more out of embarrassment than out of annoyance at him. Why was he laughing at her?

His laughter continued and became infectious. Soon she joined in, if no other reason than to keep her composure. "That is true," he admitted. He softened his tone and his gaze. "The question still stands though: why are you following me?"

Her cheeks reddened almost to the color of dark fire, darker than her red-gold hair for certain. "I was…drawn to you from the moment I opened the door that day. I felt I needed to get to know you but I was too nervous to ask you directly. You know, being a magister and all that! So I asked other people and found out more about you, and you piqued my interest enough that I had to get up the courage to meet you again. And…and now here we are." She finished lamely. She covered her face with her hands, wishing she could just disappear and teleport out of here on the spot. Here she would stay until he went away or until she died of hunger, whichever came first. Anything but facing him directly again.

She felt a gentle pair of hands take her own and pull them away from her face. Hesitantly she looked up. Thantys no longer laughed as he gazed down at her, his expression unreadable through her haze of confusion.

"I, too, have a confession to make, Melaria, since you boldly opened up to what I am certain was a difficult thing to tell me." His voice dropped to a low register, barely above a whisper. "When you opened the door I saw the most breathtaking woman, I stared so long I wondered what you must have thought of me! After I left, I asked around and found out your name, what you did for a living, and some of your more recent exploits. You managed to captivate me without having spoken a single word to me, and I felt as though we needed to see each other again. Alas, I would have sought you out myself had I not thought it inappropriate, since, again, you'd not spoken to me. And now here we are." His brow furrowed as he waited for Melaria to take in what he just said.

She stared up at him in disbelief. HE felt the same way about HER as she felt about him! Never would she have even dreamed of catching the attention of one such as him, and now she frantically worked her brain for her next move. Her brain refused to cooperate with her while he was holding her hands. She wrenched her hands away, and hurried to speak before he took offense and left.

"You…you thought I was pretty?" she asked timidly. Alright, that was definitely NOT what I had in mind, but better than nothing, I suppose.

He nodded fervently. "Pretty, gorgeous, beautiful, any adjective you like, it all fits. But much more than that, I want to get to know more about the elf who single-handedly snuck through troll territory unscathed!" His cheeks started to redden a little as he continued, "I…was heading back into the city to get something to eat. Would you care to join me?"

"I – yes! Thank you, Thantys, I would be honored." Yes, there, good. Smooth!

Thantys held out his arm, and Melaria took it, her nervousness melting away at his touch. They walked that way down the road and through the city, talking and laughing the whole way and not caring who might see them together.

That one meeting turned into several throughout the week, and then turned into seeing each other whenever they had a free moment from their respective duties. After five years, Thantys asked for Melaria's hand in marriage, which she eagerly accepted with no hint of blushing whatsoever. "And now here we are" became their motto at their wedding, and beyond.