Why is there a lack of Fanfiction centered around Liadrin and Lor'themar? Or.. well. Not really a lack. I haven't seen any to be honest. That makes me sad. And if it makes me sad, then surely there is someone else out there who is just as sad as me. So here you go, sad people. Enjoy! Oh, and do tell me if you want more one-shots.

Sometimes Rumors are True

Liadrin let out a content sigh as she plopped down on one of the benches surrounding the pool outside of the Sunfury Spire. Work had taken her away from her beloved Silvermoon for far too long and once she got the chance to return and enjoy her home, she was slapped in the face with more work. It had been a rough day full of dull politics and training the newcomers that she felt she needed a well-deserved break from it all. At times she had thought back to when she accepted the title of Blood Knight Matriarch. Yes, it was needed and she was quite inspired to take that position, but her duties took her away from what she wanted to protect the most - home. She would never give up her position, for she did feel honored to help her people in any way possible, but at times she had wished she hadn't taken such a powerful title within Silvermoon. So much was expected of her. Be strong, know what to do, always have a plan, never fail.. the list goes on and sometimes she felt so much pressure to be, well.. perfect. She was far from perfect.

Groaning inwardly, she stood from the bench and sat alongside the water, leaning back and using her elbows to prop herself up. It was probably highly unladylike, but she was sure cutting off the heads of trolls was even more-so. Besides, she thought to herself, it's near midnight and nobody was likely to be out at this hour. She had the night to herself, and she took every advantage of it. The sound of the water trickling and the silence of the city was enough to make anyone relax. It reminded her of her more simple days back as a priestess. She would sit here for hours on end just enjoying the peacefulness around her. It was home.

She was sure she could sleep in this position, but the obnoxious noise of her armor removed any fantasy of that in her mind. "Blasted thing.." She should have changed into a more suitable robe instead of dragging around her clunky, uncomfortable armor, but it was almost like a second skin to her. Without it, she felt naked.. exposed to the world. Ever since the destruction of Silvermoon, she felt the constant need to wear her armor almost everywhere, fearful of another attack. No. It won't happen again. He's gone... all gone. Liadrin shook her head slightly and unbuckled her spaulders, setting them on the ground next to her.

He wouldn't stand for another attack. With the thought of him, she found herself glancing up at the spire. Lor'themar always came to her to ask her of her condition and state of health she was in whenever she got back from a mission or Shattrath. She would have stated it was an annoyance, for she was fine on most occasions, but she had done the same to him.

She had such a hard time sleeping when Garrosh had summoned Lor'themar to Pandaria. What was Garrosh planning? It couldn't have been good. The fear she had gone through would have made her Blood Knights stick their noses up to her commands, for what was a ruler who had shed a couple tears and grew fearful for a friend in this dire time? Foolish indeed to lose your head in battle. But he wasn't just a friend, was he? Of course not. He was the leader of her people. She had gone through many events with him in her youth. He had helped her equally as many times as she him. He was simply a friend. A good friend. And her leader. But then why did she feel butterflies in her stomach when she was around him?

She let one leg dangle off the side of the pool while she propped the other on the rim, relaxing her body enough to rest back onto the pool's wrap-around. The Blood Elf released a small purr, happy without those spaulders digging into her shoulders. Sure the rest of her armor was uncomfortable, but it was nothing compared to those annoying spaulders.

She closed her eyes as she tried think about something other than the Regent Lord. Though she had to admit, with the rumors of his deep affection for the Blood Knight Matriarch herself, she couldn't help but wonder how those rumors even started. Him fancying her? It was laughable. He was just a dear friend! No more. No less. But what if they were true? Rumors can sometimes be true. And if they were true, would she accept those feelings? If her mind could talk, it would have screamed, "Yes." that very moment. Her heart sunk in her chest. Did she really feel anything for him?

Pushing the thoughts in the back of her mind, she tried to sway away from those thoughts once more. Maybe that's why she hadn't informed him of her return yet, though she was sure he knew. He always makes time in his day to visit her after each mission. They normally shared dinner together either in his quarters or hers. Liadrin chuckled to herself. Maybe that's how the rumors started. And if so, how did they feel about her going into his chambers late in the evening? The thought was puzzling to the red-haired female. Did they think of her a harlot? She grimaced and shifted her head to gaze at the fountain. She was supposed to be a noble Blood Knight, not some common mistress for the Regent Lord. People were supposed to fear her; not spread ill-fitting rumors about her.

She huffed and shifted her head back to stare up at the night sky. The way the stars sparkled in the sky relaxed her and made her stifle back a yawn. It was mesmerizing. Her eyes slowly closed as she hummed softly to herself. She was in such a peaceful state until a single thought crossed her mind that made her cheeks grow as hot as the sun itself.

It would surely not be so bad to be thought of as a mistress if my master was Lor'themar. Oh, how she wish she had not thought of that. Oh, how she wishes should could beat that part of her senseless. She was not in love, nor lust with her Regent Lord! It was preposterous. Insane, even! She did not want to bed her Regent Lord. She did not want him to touch her in any way. She did not fantasize about her Regent Lord. And she did not want him to fantasize about her.

At this point, she was truly relieved there was nobody around to see her in the state she was in. Her face flushed bright red, her eyes closed trying to erase the world from view, and her spaulders so carelessly thrown off to the side of the tired, flustered Blood Elf.

The only thing she could do to relieve herself of this miserable day she had put herself through was to visit him tomorrow and bring up the rumors to him... perhaps ask if there was any way they could share their meals in public instead of in a place so private and personal. Yes.. that's what she would do. She would walk gracefully into the Spire and stand in front of her Lord, her armor all in place and shining victoriously, and would request his company. It wouldn't hurt to apply more lip color, as well. But.. wait. No. Why would that matter? This would not be a date. Or anything of the sort! No, no, no.

She would not make a fool of herself any longer.

"Enjoying the view?"

Liadrin's green hues shot open to see her Regent Lord leaning over 'top of her. In her tired and shocked state, she found herself jumping in fright and accidentally falling sideways into the water, doing a fantastically, ungraceful tumbling roll once she hit the cold liquid. This was the fearsome Blood Knight Matriarch.

So much for not making a fool of herself.

Here she was, seemingly fantasizing - no.. pondering about her Regent Lord in the late hour of the night directly in front of his chambers, now currently drenched from head to toe in chilled water out of fright. Fright! It was so shameful. If the water had been any deeper, she would have welcomed drowning. Why was he awake at this hour?

Just as she was ready to stand up, she heard a large splash and glanced behind her to see Lor'themar wet from the knees down, walking towards the drenched female Blood Elf. She expected him to hold out a hand for her to use as leverage to stand up easier in the slick fountain, but was pleasantly surprised when his tall frame bent down and picked her up like a weightless doll, holding her in a bridal position. She had wanted to speak, but could not find the right words.. though she was quite sure her face was speaking for itself as she felt the warmth spread back to her freckled cheeks once again.

She was surprised at his balance, never once slipping or even acting like he was going to fall. When he stepped out of the pool, he gently sat her back on the rim where her embarrassment had spawned in the first place. She could not bring herself to look at him, even when she felt him shift and sit next to her.

"T-that wasn't necessary, but I thank you."

"It would only be gracious of me to help a pretty damsel in distress out, don't you think?" Lor'themar smirked slightly when she managed to glance up at him.

"Oh, but of course. Though I'm sure you know by now that I'm certainly no damsel that needs rescuing. I do that fine on my own."

"Mmhm." Liadrin became flustered once again, but this time out of anger, her entire body shifting away from him slightly as to look at his face fully.

"And what is that supposed to mean? Do you doubt me, Lor'themar?" It was such a petty thing to get annoyed with, but she was a Blood Knight! Joking or not, the rumors had gotten to her head and she didn't want anymore to blend into the mix.

"It means," His look turned more stern as he looked directly into her eyes, causing her to shy away, but only slightly. "That I think you're a beautiful woman who was in need of assistance for once in her life."

Beautiful? Liadrin snorted unladylike and followed it with light laughter. "If you're trying to woo me, you're failing." Her right ear twitched as she had an afterthought. "Epicly."

She was ready for a petty, fun-loving argument, but the stern expression never left his face. Liadrin frowned at the look he was giving her, almost as if she was a child about ready to be scolded. She didn't like it.

"Liadrin. Why didn't you come see me when you got back this morning?" Yep. She was a child to be scolded in his eyes, despite being a only a few measly years younger.

"I was busy for most of the day. I had a few meetings to attend to and new trainees to go over basic training with and instructions."

"And that kept you away from stopping for a single moment to tell me you were back and well?"

"Why are you so concerned about this? Obviously you knew I was okay, else someone would have informed you of my demise or injury."

Lor'themar reached out and grabbed her hands and held them firmly. "Because I worry about you, Liadrin. I've always felt closer to you than anyone else. We've been through so much together.. it would hurt to lose someone such as you." Lor'themar cleared his throat as if he said something he wish he wouldn't have. "What I'm trying to say, is that it eases my worries more when it is you that comes to tell me of your condition than if you were to, say, send a guard."

"I-I'm okay. Really, I am." She felt like a jerk all of a sudden. "My condition is favorable. No illness, no broken bones.. I'm about as healthy as a bloomed flower under the sun."

Her response didn't seem to please him. He grunted as he leaned back, his hand falling into the pool. Liadrin stifled back laughter and covered it up by clearing her throat as he raised a soaked, gloved hand out of the coolness of the water. "Hm.. of all places we decided to sit." He mumbled to himself as well as a few other choice words before Liadrin piped up.

"It matches your boots, now." She glanced down at his big, clunky boots that were still drenched from when he felt the need "rescue" her. He let out a loud laugh that echoed through the enclosed area they were residing in. She straightened her posture and looked around for a guard rushing towards them to inform them of their loud chatter or, even worse, one of those nosy gossipers lurking around and spotting them in a compromising situation; both soaked and sitting quite near each other well past midnight. Thankfully she seen no one and without thinking, reacted as so, letting out a loud sigh of relief. Lor'themar stopped his laughter and looked at her, arms reaching out to grab her shoulders so she'd face him.

"What is wrong with you, Liadrin? Did something happen? You go as far as not showing up for dinner with me tonight and then when we're finally together, you get defensive over the smallest of things and you act relieved as if we were going to attract attention." His brows furrowed together in frustration. "Is.. is there someone else taking your time away from me?"

Was that jealousy she heard? Why on Azeroth would he be jealous of her spending time with another friend? She wasn't, of course, and she did not lie. She had been busy all day. Of course she could have seen him and dined with him tonight instead of in her own chambers, but she had purposely avoided him. That he had right. She was a horrible liar to those she cared about.

"I have no other friend that I've seen today aside from Halduron." He stiffened and she quickly finished. "He was at the gates and wanted to walk me to the spire to see you and Rommath, but I declined. I had too much on my plate today, Lor'themar. Please understand that I did not mean to hurt you by betraying our friendship as such."

"I just worry is all."

"I know you do. I worry about you, too." It was silent for a moment before she came to realization. "Why are you out here and still in your armor anyway? And how did you know where to find me?"

"I haven't been back to my chambers to change. I've been out here since sundown, Liadrin."

"... no you haven't. I didn't see you, and I've only been out here for about an hour."

"I've been on that bench opposite of you. You were too preoccupied in your thoughts, it seemed."

She lazily looked over at the bench he was talking about. The shrubbery hid it from most of the view. A finger went up to tap at her chin. "Why didn't you say something to me earlier instead of watching me like a stalker?" Way to put it blunt, Liadrin. She could have smacked herself.

"I wouldn't exactly call it stalking. I was just minding my own business and you walk over and begin switching positions and fumbling with your armor, which I must say was quite amusing to watch. Are your spaulders that difficult to manage?" He had a grin on his face a mile wide. She wanted to smack him, too.

"Oh, shut up. We both know how uncomfortable spaulders are. You can't lay down in them, nor relax properly. The same could be said for armor as a whole, but I don't think anyone would fancy their Blood Knight Matriarch stripping in the fountain."

"It would indeed be a sight to remember."

"Mm. Indeed."

"Liadrin?"

"Yes?"

"You still haven't responded to me in full."

".. excuse me?"

"You seemed very tense earlier when you thought we were going to attract attention. At least that's what I'm gathering the tension is from. Why is that? Do you not wish to be seen with me?"

Sighing to herself, she figured this conversation couldn't wait until tomorrow. This would probably ruin her night speaking to her Regent Lord about this, but she couldn't shy away from it, nor lie to him any longer. She trusted him fully and she knew he wouldn't judge her fear.

"Lor.. to be honest, I'm just really concerned about the rumors surrounding us."

"Rumors? There are many rumors, Liadrin. Can you tell me which one?" She stiffened. Many rumors? Just how many rumors were there about her? She placed both of her hands on either side of her legs as she faced the side of the pool.

"Firstly, there are rumors of you having a deep affection for me." Weird.. that heated sensation was in her face again.

"That rumor has been around for many years, Liadrin. Why is it bothering you now?"

"Because... wait. You knew about that rumor?" Her head tilted to the side as she looked him in the eyes.

"Mmhm. I'm the one who spread it."

"... what?" Her confusion was evident in her fel-green hues.

"Don't give me that look. It wasn't on purpose. Some Priestess before I became Regent had asked if I would court her. I declined, saying that she was a lovely woman, but I had eyes for one woman and one woman alone."

"Oh?" That was news to Liadrin. She knew he had women throwing themselves at him long before he even had the position he currently held, but she never knew he had a woman he was actually interested in.

"The woman got defensive and asked me what kind of traits she would need to possess for me to be interested in her. I told her it was useless to even ask, but she persisted, so I told her everything. She must be able to carry herself through hardships, she would have to be an excellent fighter as to keep up with me in battles, and she must, above all have red hair." Lor'themar let out another booming laugh causing Liadrin to jump in surprise.

"Red hair, hm?" She was currently twirling a finger around her red locks and immediately placed her hand back onto the pool's edge when he mentioned it.

"The woman got so flustered and frustrated that she accused the woman I had affections for to be you."

"Why didn't you decline them and state that we were simply friends?"

"Rumors are funny, Liadrin. Do you know how?"

"How are they funny, Lor?"

"They're funny because sometimes they're true."

Liadrin almost forgot how to breathe as she whirled her torso around to face the male elf to her right. In the process she had once again made a fool of herself, the side of the pool soaked from their wet clothes and armor, causing it to be quite slippery. Unfortunately that meant she went slipping back into the pool, frantically grabbing onto anything for support. Unfortunately that object happened to be Lor'themar.

The Blood Elf Matriarch had pulled the Regent Lord into the pool with her.

When she regained her composure, she opened her eyes to see the Regent Lord himself, completely soaked with a steady stream of water pouring onto his head from one of the smaller fish adorned fountains. Forgetting the conversation, Liadrin burst out laughing so hard that her side began to get sore. She was no longer fearful of anyone hearing them or seeing them together, all she cared about was how humorous the entire situation was. It wasn't long before Lor'themar's booming laugh joined hers.

Minutes had past before their laughter had died down. Lor'themar had scooted himself to the red-haired Blood Elf, not attempting to even remove either of them from the shallow water. As if nothing had happened, he started to speak.

"What is this other rumor that has you so bothered?"

Liadrin had been embarrassed more times than she could count tonight with the Regent Lord, so why not express it to him fully? "I go into your chambers a lot in the evening and sometimes I'm not out until around midnight, such as right now. What if they.. start assuming I'm a harlot?"

Lor'themar stiffened at the mention of her ever being a harlot. "Liadrin.. is this what has been bothering you the most?"

She felt like a child being caught for playing in the mages quarters. All she could do was nod her head.

"Tell me more. Why does the idea of you being my lover bother you so much?"

There goes her pesky face going red again. Did he have to say lover? "I am the Blood Knight Matriarch, Lor. What would people think of me if I were to secretly bed the Regent Lord? I am supposed to be a figure everyone looks up to. Our people love me.. and I love our people. I don't wish them to think of me as a harlot. I don't want to look so weak."

Lor'themar groaned at that and was silent. Liadrin just sat there, puzzled by his reaction. He seemed.. mad? No.. he was fuming. The look in his eyes said everything. She thought for sure he was going to get up and storm away. He did it very rarely, but never because of her. Surprisingly, he did something Liadrin hadn't expected at all. He pulled her roughly onto his lap and hugged her tightly.

"Foolish Blood Knight."

Startled, she tried pushing against his embrace. "Who are you calling foo-" She was quickly interrupted in the rudest way.

"Shut up and listen to me for once." He brought her head up to his and at first, Liadrin had the stupidest thought that he was going to kiss her. Instead he touched the very tip of their noses together. "You would be bedding the Regent Lord. While you lead your Blood Knights, you would also be the lover and companion of me. I do not think of myself as much, but to them, I am their everything. You are a powerful woman, Liadrin. And beautiful. They would not be spreading rumors to talk bad about their Matriarch. They would be spreading them in hopes that it was true."

Liadrin was speechless. He spoke as if was reassuring his long-time lover. She was not his lover, nor did she... well. She could not finish that sentence. Her eyes trailed up his face and she brought a hand up to run a gloved finger along his jawline. His eyes closed and he made a small grunt. She wanted to kiss him. But she didn't dare do something as bold.

"My heart.. feels heavy when I'm around you. Perhaps it's the tiredness getting to me.. or the wine I drank earlier during dinner." A heavy heart as well as butterflies. She pulled her hand back and made to stand up, ruining whatever moment they were having. The only thing on her mind was how angry he had gotten with her for insinuating it would be a weak move of her to be his romantic companion and partner. And also..

They're funny because sometimes they're true.

Did Lor'themar love her? The feelings inside of her heart made her want to jump up and down while squealing in happiness. But she had to calm herself. That part of her couldn't be shown.. no. Not here. Not now. Lor'themar stood up shortly after and pulled her into his arms, lifting her up in a bridal position once more.

"Lor.. put me down. I can walk to my chambers on my own." She began protesting, but made no attempt to escape his hold on her. He didn't speak until they were out of the pool and walking towards his chambers, her body still in a bridal position as if he was afraid she would run away if he put her down.

"We're going to my chambers. You still have a couple of your Priestess robes stored in my storage room that you can change into. You're soaking wet."

"B-but what about-"

"Damn the rumors!" He growled and held onto Liadrin tighter as if she was going to fly away. "If they want something to talk about, we'll give them something to talk about."

Liadrin wasn't going to bring the rumors up. She was actually more worried about her discarded spaulders laying beside the pool, but all thoughts of that were gone after his little speech.

"Because sometimes rumors are true?"

Grinning out of the blue and nodding his head, he agreed. "Yes, Liadrin. Because sometimes rumors are true."