/AN

Hey! I'm back, with another story. Please read and Please review. How can I improve without reviews?

I OWN NOTHING!...sorta.

AN/

"Al! Hey, Al!" a voice shouted. "Al!" the voice cried out again.

The two boys were sitting in what appeared to be a forest. To one side of them, they could just make out a cave opening. One of the boys was lying on his stomach directly angled at the younger of the two, who was lying on his back at a ninety-degree angle from the first boy. This was Edward Elric, and the person he was shouting to was his younger brother, Alphonse.

Al groaned and looked at Ed. "Brother, you're alright."

"Al, it is you!" Ed sobbed, glad to know he was safe and sound.

"Why are you crying brother?" Wait. Al paused, before managing to look at himself. He was human. There wasn't any armor anymore. Al looked back at Ed and realized he had his arm back as well.

"Thank god," Ed muttered.

"YOU NO TAKE CANDLE!" something shrieked out of nowhere. The user of the voice, which looked very much like a giant rat, jumped out at Al and started beating up on him with a pickaxe.

"Al!" Ed cried, trying to stand. He got onto his knees, and tried running, but he collapsed from agony of his own body. "Al!" Ed screamed again.

Ed started sobbing softly under his own breath, wishing there was some way he could help his brother, but the pain in his body was too great. He couldn't move with it racking through his body. Ed slowly felt the world inching towards blackness…

Fwoosh! There was the sound and smell of something igniting and the rat. He fell over about a second later, dead. Al was bleeding from various points of his body now, and none of them looked safe to be left bleeding too long.

"Damn Kobloids," the female standing a few feet away muttered. There was still a little flame on her finger, but it didn't appear to be harming her. Standing next to her was an imp. The female ran over to the two and quickly examined them both. "Chonar, stay here and guard the other boy. I'll be back quickly." The imp nodded, hopping over to where Al was and stood guard next to the younger Elric brother. The female picked up the older Elric and turned out.

"Wait. What's your name?" Al managed to get out.

The female replied, "Brianha" before running off, and Al sunk into blackness as well.

"Oh, Master Brianha! What's going on?" A Draenei not far off asked. She abandoned her axe-throwing practice as she watched her master enter the clearing.

Brianha replied, "No time. Freewind, head in that direction. You'll find a boy with Chonar. Take him back to my father at once."

"Right!" Freewind replied quickly, bowing. She turned and ran in the other direction Brianha was going.

The people living at Eastvale Logging Company were curious about what was happening when Brianha ran into the village so fast, and didn't even stop to groom the horses, instead running right for her father's cottage. She entered without a word to anyone, and a few minutes later they watched as Freewind followed suit, but with Chonar following her.

Throughout the whole night, they watched the cottage, trying to figure out what was going on inside.

"This isn't going to work, father," Brianha tried telling him again. They looked very much alike, only Brianha was slightly taller. Freewind was in the room tending to the two boys they found.

Her father asked, "Why not? You can work magic; can't you use it to heal them?"

"There's a difference between warlock magic and a paladin or a priest's magic," Brianha explained hotly. "My magic only kills. If I were to try using it on either of them, they very well may not survive. I've already helped both of them as much as I can."

"Then what can we do?" Brianha's father shot back.

"Um…" a voice from the doorway muttered. They turned to see Freewind standing there, uncertain about if she should be interrupting. "Why not just take them to Stormwind? They've got plenty of healers there, I'm sure someone can help."

Brianha nodded. "Good idea, Freewind. Head out now to alert King Wrynn. I'll be behind you with them." There didn't need to be any explanation for the trio to know that by 'them' Brianha meant the Elrics.

"Yes," Freewind replied quickly, bowing. She ran downstairs and out the door. They heard a whistle as Freewind called her Deathcharger. It was quiet for a few minutes, but Brianha's father turned and left without another word. She heard him go outside, no doubt to prepare the cart.

Brianha walked back into the room. She looked at both of the new arrivals, one burning over from who-knew-what, and the other one covered in all the Heavy Frostweave Bandages Brianha had been carrying. She walked over to Ed and picked him up first, her outfit giving her the best resistance from the heat Ed's body had been sending out. Brianha turned and walked out of the house, setting Ed down in the cart. "Chonar," she muttered. Her imp nodded and jumped into the cart beside Ed. Brianha walked back inside and brought out Al a few minutes later. This whole time, the trio ignored their friend's curious gazes. As soon as Al was inside and looked comfortable, at least a lot more comfortable then Ed had to be, Brianha jumped into the front of the cart and called out, "Hyah!" The horses reared before running off, in the direction of Stormwind.

Freewind had gotten off her Deathcharger the moment she entered Stormwind, and had run the rest of the way to the King's chambers. This left her panting for breath, and when one of the guards asked what was wrong, Freewind replied, "We need help right now." The guard took Freewind the rest of the way to the chamber…into the middle of an argument. Freewind watched for a moment as King Wrynn and his advisor, the Grand Warlock of the Alliance (who was ironically a gnome), fighting over something again. Freewind stood by the door, uncomfortable about standing there.

"Chonar," Brianha called back. There was a series of shrieks and grumbles that could only have come from Chonar. Brianha nodded and told him, "Make sure those two stay in. We're taking a shortcut." She turned back to the front and jumped onto the leader horse, taking the reins the way she knew best. "Come on, go!" Brianha shouted, pushing them into the woods that provided the fastest way to Stormwind.

Freewind was still standing there after Brianha led the cart into the woods. She had listened to the argument going on between the two for a few minutes. Somehow it had gone from how they should be approaching the Horde with the situation involving The Lich King, and it turned into an argument about their personal lives, most of which Freewind wouldn't have minded not hearing.

She finally got irritated, and just as the Grand Warlock was about to make a smart comeback to the fact that his wife was a night elf where he was a gnome, Freewind snapped. "Could you two please stop arguing? We've got more important things then who's laid who!" Freewind shouted. She clapped her hands over her mouth, and quickly bowed, saying, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to say that."

"No, it's quite alright," King Wrynn told her. He looked at the Grand Warlock and said, "I would've tried to wrap the conversation up myself if I was given the chance." No one needed to look to see that he had liar written on his forehead. "So, what is it you've come here for, Freewind?"

"Around twelve hours ago," Freewind quickly started explaining, "Master Brianha thought she heard something. She came back a few minutes later, heading directly for the Eastvale Logging Company. She told me to find someone that her imp was busy guarding. When I arrived, I found a boy. He was covered in blood and…and…" Freewind shuddered, choking from some of her old memories that were rising to the surface. Memories of when she was under the Lich King's control.

The Grand Warlock ran up to her, which was quite odd to look at comparing the size differences. The Grand Warlock said, "Freewind, concentrate. What's the fate of these boys right now?"

Freewind shuddered again, but managed to get out, "Master Brianha is bringing both of them here for healing. We don't know what might be given, but the most we can hope for is to break one of his fever."

King Wrynn nodded. He instructed, "Prepare to meet Brianha at the front gates. Have any priests we can spare ready to help these two boys." He walked up to Freewind and told her, "Go and rest. It's clear these events have roused things that should have remained buried."

Freewind muttered agreement, managing to stand up and get to her Deathcharger again. She bowed to King Wrynn again, before setting off at a slow trot to the inn.

King Wrynn muttered to the Grand Warlock, "Microsak, be prepared to tell Brianha Freewind may still be too unstable."

Microsak nodded. "I'll alert her when we first get the chance to talk."

Brianha sighed in relief when she saw the group waiting for her at the entrance. Freewind had made good time and told them of the events. While going through the forest wasn't the smartest idea with the two ill Elric brothers on board, from what Chonar had told her, if they were to go around through Goldshire, they may not have made it. Brianha stopped the horses when they got to the group. The priests wasted no time in hurrying to the back of the cart, trying to move the boys to the Cathedral. When it proved evident Edward's fever was too high for anyone to touch him, Brianha picked him up and followed the priests to the Cathedral with him.

"You've got that motherly instinct already, Brianha," a voice said to her as she was sitting on the steps, waiting to hear of the boy's faith.

Brianha turned to see Microsak standing there. "No, it's not that," she muttered. She looked down at her hands and explained, "I only needed to look at them to know all of the trouble they've been through. They've been even worse off then me."

"What do you mean?" Microsak asked, knowing of Brianha's skill of predicting anyone's family.

Brianha looked up at the sky and replied, "Both their parents are dead. I guess it just brought up some of my old emotions as well."

Microsak nodded. He sat down next to her for a little while. Microsak finally told her, "Freewind may not be able to survive."

"I know," Brianha whispered. She smiled and said, "Ever since that time when I first started teaching her, I knew that she still had those old emotions the Lich King placed in her. The ones that were activated by the sight of blood."

"Then why have her fetch the one covered in it?" Microsak asked.

"I wasn't thinking. It wasn't until I arrived and felt we might be able to save the boy I had that I realized Freewind may loose it. I can't tell you how much of a relief it was to see her arrive with the other boy."

The two fell silent. They stayed like this for awhile, into the nighttime. Finally, one of the priests walked out and said, "Brianha. Come on. The younger one is asking for you."

Brianha stood, following the priest into the Cathedral. She was guided into the room where they placed Al. They had requested she place Ed in a different area in case the fever didn't break…

Brianha shook her head, not wanting to remember that right now. She smiled when she saw Al looking at her. "You gave me quite a scare," she told him.

"You saved us," Al muttered. "You didn't know us, yet you chose to save us."

Brianha nodded. "It goes against my conduct to abandon someone in need that I feel I can help." She paused, before asking, "What's your name?"

"Alphonse. Alphonse Elric," Al replied. "Is brother alright?"

Brianha's mind flashed to the young boy that was carrying such a high fever. "He appeared to be worse off then you, but I wouldn't put anything past the priests," she muttered, trying to encourage him. "They'll work nonstop until they can make him better."

Al sighed in relief, closing his eyes. Brianha decided he looked tired, so she slipped out of the room, trying to let him sleep. She walked back outside and agreed with Microsak it would be best to get some of their own sleep. They left the Cathedral behind them, unaware that someone was watching from the shadows the whole time…

The next morning

Brianha arrived at the Cathedral bright and early, just to receive a big shock. There were a lot more than just priests here today. She ran to the closest guard and demanded, "What happened?"

"We're not entirely sure. All of the priests that were trying to work on the young boy with the fever were found dead, and the boy is missing," the guard quickly reported.

Brianha didn't wait to hear any farther, choosing to run inside instead. "Khaamon!" she called out, as her loyal Felhunter appeared by her side. They arrived in the room where Brianha last placed Ed and, trying not to pay attention to all the blood, commanded, "Find the scent. We need to know who it was!"

Khaamon sniffed for a few minutes, before turning and running out of the Cathedral. Brianha was close on his heels, shouting for a group of guards to follow her as Khaamon ran…right for the boats? Khaamon stopped, sniffing the ground around the last dock with a working boat, the boat that went to Northrend. "But, the boats don't run at night," she muttered. She suddenly feared of what was happening and who stole Ed. She turned to the guards and asked, "Where's Freewind?"

This sent them into a riot. Where had the young Death Knight gone? Brianha crouched down and, patting Khaamon on the head, closed her eyes. She whispered in demonic quickly, picking up the scent trails that Khaamon did. There were two scent trails, one being stronger then the other. Brianha wrinkled her nose as she tried to define the smells. They smelled rotten, like dying corpses.

Brianha's eyes snapped open. She demanded, "Get a Death Knight here, now!"

The guards didn't wait to feel her wrath, and instead scrambled to find a suitable Death Knight.

A few minutes later, they returned with a Worgen. "I'm Gavaudan," the Worgen told Brianha, introducing himself.

Brianha nodded. "Thank you for coming. Khaamon." She turned to her minion and he walked up to the Worgen, sniffing. He ran back up to Brianha and made quick growls and other sounds.

"So that's what happened," Brianha muttered. She stood up and told the guards, "Cease the search for Freewind. She's the one that stole the boy." She turned to Gavaudan and bowed. "Thank you for coming. You've just helped us solve a big affront."

"Might I ask what's going on?" Gavaudan asked.

Brianha gave a quick rundown of the events, finishing with, "Freewind was my apprentice, but she wasn't as stable as some of the other Death Knights were. We had feared she'd snap for a long time, we just never knew how."

"So, how did I help?" Gavaudan requested, wondering what exactly happened.

Brianha replied, "All Death Knights smell of Death and Decay."

Icecrown Citadel

Freewind walked into the Citadel, carrying Ed as he was led on towards his destiny. Ever since he first arrived in Northrend, and the closer they got him to Icecrown, his fever has been subsiding. He was still alive, but conscious.

Freewind bowed in front of the Lich King, placing the child in front of her without a word. The Lich King chuckled and said, "I knew you would remain loyal, Death Knight." The Lich King walked forward and, looking down at Edward, muttered, "He truly will make a fine knight."

With those words, the Lich King set Ed on a different path than Truth had planned for him.

/AN

Thank you for reading the first chapter of this! Just so you guys know, most of the 'OCs' that appear in this are actually characters I either play/know in World of Warcraft.

Quick Guide:

Brianha~ A young warlock around the age of 16. She's a warlock of high quality, learning they ways of the world at a young age. Able to read anyone's family from looking at them, she grew up only knowing her father. Played by me.

Freewind~ A Death Knight that the Lich King never fully lost his grip on. She's been tipping closer and closer to snapping, blood sending her that much closer even faster. Played by me.

Microsak and Gavaudan~ Friends of mine. Microsak has a night elf wife that wants to someday kill him. Gavaudan pretty much seeks adventure, and when he was asked to help in this quest, he was quick to agree, mentioning about how he's been getting bored as of late.

That SHOULD cover all of the in-game OCs. The other ones like Brianha's father don't actually exist in-game, but rather to make it seem like the characters do have families.

Thanks for reading, and remember to Review!

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