Hi everyone! I love Warcraft! I thought I'd try my hand at writing an original warcraft type story. There are actually Warcraft characters in this fanfiction, but there are original characters as well. I hope you enjoy this little "story" and please note that I have nothing to do with Blizzard, etc. I am just a major fan that reads all the lore and wanted to try my hand at adding my own little "seasoning" into the lore.

Prelude: The City

Stormwind. The Alliance stronghold. Although there were many allied cities that cohesively created the Alliance faction, Stormwind had the honor of holding the title as the veritable seat of Alliance territory in Azeroth.

While she had survived many upheavals in the past 100 years, she was still a beautiful city with white washed stone buildings, grey cobbled streets, lovely blue canals, impressive statues, and a melting pot of citizens and visitors. Stormwind guards, that perused the streets daily, were vigilant in their posts and protected the city from becoming a hot-bed of criminal activity. At least, on the surface. But everyone knew the safety of the city was teetering on a thin line daily.

The citizens of Stormwind, while welcoming, were also very careful about the visitors and heroes that graced their lovely city streets. They knew that the majority were good hearted and heroic, but there were the undesirable visitors that frequented the city only to wreak havoc and leave trouble in their wake. Sometimes they were Alliance visitors which were human or possibly Night Elves, Draenei, Gnomes, Dwarves, Worgen, or the Tushui Pandaren. Sometimes, however, the Horde found their way onto the fair streets of Stormwind.

The Horde. The opposing faction. It had been a fact for eons. While there were a few Horde that attempted peaceful negotiations with the Alliance like the goodhearted Orc shaman, Thrall the Alliance was the "enemy."

The Horde had left the world Draenor to find a suitable place to populate and rule. They came to Azeroth through the fel-tainted warlock Orc, Gul'dan's life sucking magic. Instead of attempting to live peaceably with Azeroth's inhabitants, the Horde fought with the Alliance to gain footholds that were already established by Alliance allies. In turn, the Alliance had no patience with the Horde, which were comprised of many different races, including Orcs, Blood Elves, Trolls, Tauren, Goblins, Pandaren Huojin, and the Forsaken Undead and fought back.

Undeniably, Stormwind was a majestic city with impressive structures, a fruitful economy, vast culture and history. To visit Stormwind was a dream come true for many Alliance races, but for some individuals Stormwind was their home. The place of their birth. Their life.

Hence, the premise of this story and the beginning of a Legacy.

Chapter 1: The Light

The scent of fresh baked bread and coffee wafted through the open window. At 5am, this was Adessira's wake-up call. She stretched and yawned opening her hazel eyes to peer out of the window just above her head. The beige tendrils of dawn were just beginning to peek into her room and she smiled a moment realizing how much she enjoyed waking to the wonderful aromas of Cut-Throat Alley.

The name sounded more sinister than it was. Nobody knew why the area was called Cut-Throat Alley, but Adessira always believed it was because the only way to this lovely spot was through the Shady Lady tavern in the Dwarven district of Stormwind. Unless you had the luck of owning a flying mount, or you were a demon hunter, you had to use The Shady Lady tavern to enter and exit Cut-Throat Alley. For some, they may have felt it was "cut-throat" to be so secluded, but to Adessira, it was her home.

Sliding out of the huge bed, Adessira dressed quickly. It wasn't a chore to make the bed, although it was considered about a foot larger than a King-sized bed. It had been her father, Alexander Smith's, bed before Adessira was born. Because it was so big, she barely made a dent in it when she slept, so it literally took three minutes to make the bed in the mornings.

Glancing at the mirror on the wall, she picked up her brush from the side table and brushed through her long, golden tresses. Her mother, Addie had told her when she was little to brush her hair with at least 40 strokes in the morning. "It will bring a natural sheen to your hair, Sira." Addie had instructed her, utilizing her pet name for her daughter. For twelve years, Adessira had completed this ritual every morning and evening.

As she brushed her waist long hair, her mind wandered back twelve years ago when she was eight. Her father and mother had been down at the harbor waiting for a ship of merchandise from Darnasus to restock their blacksmithing shop. When the ship came in, Alexander quickly boarded to help the crew unload the crates to the dock. He was totally unaware that the ship had been overtaken by Burning Blade Orcs. The siege was brutal, and her parents had lost their lives that day. The harbor dock was stained red with blood for months after that fatal ship landing. Adessira, and her older brother Jordan who was fifteen at the time, found themselves orphans.

They were placed in the orphanage in Stormwind run by a very honorable woman known as Matron Nightingale. Adessira had mourned and mourned for her parents and Matron Nightingale had consoled her and shushed her softly, telling her that everything would be alright.

Adessira never saw her brother Jordan mourn. The once jovial teenager was now very solemn and withdrawn. The Matron tried to reach him, but it was no use. He turned sixteen only a week later and ran away from the orphanage.

During this time, he had connected with their mother's brother, Wulf Hansreim a notable hunter who was also an SI: 7 operative. The children had no idea what SI:7 was or why everyone was so secretive about their relations with Uncle Wulf. They would begin to understand as years went by.

The rough woodsman took Jordan and Adessira under his proverbial wing and became a second father to them. Since Wulf was next of kin, he bought Alexander's blacksmith shop and put the money in trust for Jordan and Adessira and then introduced both children to his friend Lana Ashwin at the Shady Lady tavern.

Lana owned Cut-Throat Alley. She also owned the sole residence of the little niche in Stormwind, and she gave it to Jordan and Adessira.

Matron Nightingale seemed pleased by the arrangement and promised to tutor the siblings three times a week. Adessira was thankful because she liked Matron Nightingale and she didn't want to go to the Stormwind school where she would have to face so many other children and answer questions she did not want to encounter.

Although Lana was a very nice lady, she frequented the Shady Lady daily. And while they never saw Lana drunk, they knew she did drink. Why Wulf had placed the children in Lana's care, knowing her reputation, Adessira did not know but she was very thankful for her uncle's foresight.

Lana had been, for all intents and purposes, a motherly figure for them. It was she who baked the bread at the Shady Lady every morning, who clothed the brother and sister, and looked after their finances.

Uncle Wolf was constantly away on missions for Stormwind, but he always visited his nephew and niece filling their heads with stories of battle and far off lands.

Jordan never showed any interest in travelling. He was, however, very adept at running the blacksmith shop. He had become strong swinging a hammer, striking steel and smelting ore.

Adessira, on the other hand had acquired the desire to travel and learn to fight. Her Uncle Wulf had trained her in the ways of a hunter, and when she was eighteen, he had given her his trusty Bear Hunter's rifle as a gift. She knew how he treasured it, and she had hugged him fiercely, assuring him she would learn all the ways of a hunter and make him proud. He had chuckled, cupping her chin in his hand and replied with "You have already made me proud, Dessi. You remind me so much of your mama, God rest her soul. She and your papa would be very proud, too."

Placing the brush back on the table, Adessira looked at herself in the mirror. She turned twenty today. It seemed like yesterday that she was pulling the little step stool out from under the bed to peer into the mirror and brush her hair as her mother had instructed her. Now, standing five feet ten, her hazel eyes shown large in her tanned face. Her golden blonde hair became lighter as the sun's rays crept over the window sill and into the silken mass.

Running downstairs, she grabbed a piece of bread from the table that Lana had just placed there not even five minutes ago. It was still hot and smelled delicious.

"Well, happy birthday Dessi." The voice, though light, startled her and she whirled toward the back table where Lana was sitting and drinking a cup of coffee. "The coffee is ready. Want some?"

Adessira nodded brightly and crossed over to pick up the coffee pot and pour the amber liquid into a lovely Pandaren teacup that her Uncle Wulf had brought back for her two years ago on her eighteenth birthday. She took the seat next to Lana and brought the cup to her lips for her first sip and sighed as the caffeine started doing its job. Blackrock coffee. If made correctly, it could not only give you some much needed energy but seemed to fix whatever ailed you.

"Thank you, Lana! And thank you for the bread and coffee. No better way to start the day, in my opinion." Adessira thanked the woman beside her.

She never knew how old Lana was. She did not think anyone really knew. The woman looked like she could still be 28 years old. But she had looked this same age when Jordan and Adessira came into her care. Adessira had always wanted to ask her how old she was but feared that it would be offensive to this woman who had cared for her and Jordan these past twelve years.

"Do you have any plans today?" Lana asked curiously, taking another sip from her cup.

"Well, you know that Uncle Wulf wrote me last week and said he would be here to take me to Goldshire for my birthday dinner. He also said he had a surprise for me." Adessira giggled a bit and then sighed. "He's been gone almost four months this time, so I'm going to be so very glad to see him, Lana."

Lana's sympathetic smile was not lost on Adessira. "I know you miss him. I declare, that man is going to turn you into a trophy hunter." She laughed lightly. "I know the boys at the Shady Lady sure are excited about that boar you brought in for them yesterday. They have been roasting that thing half the night, so it can be ready for customers today. Quince is beside himself with excitement." Adessira joined in the light laughter.

"I'm glad I can help Quincy out. He's always been so very nice to Jordan and myself." Adessira explained. Quincy Cutler ran the Shady Lady. She always believed there was something between he and Lana though she had never seen the two alone together. But there were always implied remarks and smiles that Adessira could not read. It did not matter though. If Lana was Quincy Cutler's sweetheart, it did not bother her in the least.

"Were you going to go to work today?" Lana asked conversationally. She tipped her head to the side and her lovely brown pill hat with the beige sash tipped precariously.

"I was going to, but Jordan told me to take the day off since it was my birthday." Adessira gestured with her left hand as she held her coffee cup in her right. "But I know that next week is Children's Week here in Stormwind, and the shop gets so busy with heroes showing the little orphans their armor and buying them little trinkets and things. So, I think I'll go by the shop and just make one hundred percent sure that Jordan doesn't need me." Adessira finished off the Blackrock coffee before putting it down on the table in front of her.

"I believe Wulf should be here by noon from what his last letter conveyed. If you want to meet him down at the docks at noon, I bet he would love that." Lana stated, finishing her cup and standing gracefully.

"That's a great idea. If they don't need me at the shop, I think I will go down to the docks and mosey around for a while." Adessira stated with a nod.

"I'm headed over to the Shady Lady. I promised Quince that I'd buy a plate of that pork bacon for breakfast." Lana's smile was bright and Adessira smiled back noticing Lana had used her nick-name for Quincy a second time.

"I will walk with you, Lana. Let me get my gun." Adessira walked over to the side board and grabbed the Bear Hunter's rifle slinging it over her shoulder so that the gun hung from her back. It seemed weightless this way and she never wanted to be without it.

Walking the thirty-eight steps to the Shady Lady, Adessira could smell the pork bacon before she entered the tavern.

"Dessi! The lady of the hour! Happy Birthday, little dove." Quincy Cutler came around the counter and gave Adessira a bear hug. He wasn't a big man; Adessira was almost as tall as he was, but his arms were huge from cutting wood and hefting barrels of alcohol. "You know, you are twenty now. You are legal age to drink in Stormwind. Do you want your first taste this morning for a birthday present?" The ends of his red mustache were tilted up as he was smiling from ear-to-ear at her.

"Quincy Cutler! First, you are not going to give my girl any of your alcohol, and second, nobody should drink before 10 am. What are you thinking, sir?" Lana's rebuke did not have any ferocity, so Quincy took his place behind the bar once again, the smile still evident on his face.

"Well, alright – alright. But Dessi, if you ever want a little nip, you just come see Ole Quincy, alrighty lass?" He was leaning forward talking as if he only wanted Adessira to hear him, but he let his voice carry to Lana who, this time, gave him a stern glare.

"Okay Quincy. Although, I don't think I will be much of a drinker." Adessira giggled admittingly. Quincy bobbed his head up and down as if he understood but he was smiling the whole time as if he did not give much credence to her statement.

The tavern was starting to fill up, so Adessira gave a small wave to Lana and walked out onto the cobbled Stormwind street.