Hello, everyone! Yes, I am still working on the Patchwerk and the revision of chapter 4 (which is almost complete) but in honor of Valentine's day, I decided to write this little thing between Arthas and Jaina!
Laughter filled the ballroom as couples began to dance and their friends cheered them on. Jaina itched to go over to Arthas and pull him onto the floor with her, but she knew that would be wrong.
He had expressed his feelings. He wasn't ready. Of course, it hurt the young mage, but she understood. She didn't want to force the man she loved into something he didn't want to do.
Sighing, the blonde haired girl turned away from the door, heading back outside into the snow. She didn't see a reason to stick around, not while she watched happy couples dance and laugh together while her heart was broken in two by Arthas.
She lifted her face, staring upwards at the lavender sky, snow gently falling on her head and piling up slightly into the pattern of a crown. She lowered her head before continuing off into the snowy night. She just wanted to be alone in her sorrow.
She walked for what felt like hours, but she knew it was only for a couple of minutes. Nearing the frozen bank of Lordamer Lake, she sat upon the snow, laying her head against a tree before closing her eyes.
Hopefully, she'd wake up and realize that all of this was just a dream...
The cold wind of Icecrown howled fiercely, whipping around Jaina's hair and cloak as she sat atop the glacier. Tears fell from her eyes as she cradled Arthas's lifeless body as a mother would her child, the locket she had given him years ago still somehow grasped in the cold dead fingers.
She wept as she never had before. Not even when her own father had died did she feel this fragile. She was like spun glass; one touch and she would shatter.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Varian's stern visage looking down at her. She expected to be scolded, but instead, his blue eyes held compassion and also something else that deeply touched her.
Understanding.
"Jaina, it's time to go back to Stormwind." His voice didn't betray his emotions, but it wasn't unkindly. Still cradling Arthas, she nodded and moved her fingers, weaving a spell. An azure blue light washed over the three of them as they teleported away.
For some reason, she had teleported them to the Stormwind Cemetery, the soft green grass bellow her comforting. Slowly, she began to rise, her eyes fixed on a coffin nearby that had no body inside, the seal of Lorderon engraved on the sides. A hand flew to her mouth as her lips trembled, a whirlwind of emotions greeting her.
"Is that...?" Her voice was dangerously soft and disbelieving. Varian held up a hand, gently cutting her off.
"Yes, it is. Arthas may have betrayed the Alliance, but he still deserves something. Who better than us to give it to him?" Jaina nodded silently and started toward the coffin, going up the stone stairs and lifting Arthas's body inside as she was right beside it.
With unwanted gentleness, she began to caress his cheek, brushing away the snowy white hair that had fallen across his once handsome face.
He looks...peaceful. Has he finally found his rest? Jaina silently wondered, then realized she would never know the answer. Arthas had committed many atrocious acts as the Fallen Prince of Lorderon, many more adding to the mound once he became the Lich King. The Light wouldn't let him off that easily.
She moved her hand away from his face before going down to his fingers, gently grabbing the locket and stroking it sadly. It had tarnished over the years, but the memory and the picture of her and Arthas she had placed in the locket was still there. She looked down at herself, noticing how bright she had been before the Scourge came.
Running her fingers through her own blonde hair, she continued looking at the picture sadly. She and Arthas were together, smiling happily. The younger versions looked so carefree, unknowing of the horrors they would soon face. Of the horrors that would soon separate them forevermore.
Closing the locket with extra care, she brushed her hair out of the way with a hand before opening the clasp that held the chain together. She put it around her neck before closing the clasp once more, tugging on it gently to make sure it was hooked correctly. Varian made no move to object, for he only neared the coffin and took the stone lid, gently sliding it into place.
The grinding of the stone shook her to the core. She wished she had stopped Arthas from going down his dark path. But she was no bronze dragon. She couldn't look into the future and see what chaos her decisions would bring.
She was mortal, just as Arthas was.
She moved her hand over the lid of the coffin, tracing the engraving of the name Arthas with a slender finger. Tears threatened to pour out of her eyes once more, but only a choking sob racked her body, making her knees buckle.
As if mirroring the sorceress's sorrow, thunder boomed in the sky as rain began to fall in a torrent. Rain pattered on the stone roof in a steady rhythm, the wind blowing some of the water inside, soaking Jaina and Varian.
She wiped away her tears with her drenched sleeve as they left, her hair soaking wet and dripping extra water onto her already drenched robes. As they walked back to Stormwind Keep for shelter against the fierce storm, one thought crossed her mind.
Arthas...I love you, and I always will...
Sorry that it's so short, but I sorta threw this together when I was laying sick in bed. Happy Valentine's Day! Also, I now have an account on Wattpad which I may use for stories I can't post here! The same is the same as my fanfiction one.