Eyes of the Phoenix
A World of Warcraft Storyline
Prologue - Twenty Years Ago
Late spring had arisen over the eternal autumn leaves of Eversong Forest. In the distance, Silvermoon's arcane spires towered over the canopy of trees. The grass was awakening, slowly becoming a verdant shade after a long period of colder weather. This spring was a bit colder than previous years, and while life had been renewing over the course of the season, the relief of warmer weather approaching was refreshing. The birds serenaded each other with more emphasis, and the wild cats put more effort into catching the birds to serve as their next meal.
The Phoenixsong estate was abuzz with excitement as well. The workers bustled about, preparing for the event of the day. The patriarch of the family, the treasure hunter Aryan Phoenixsong, was to arrive today from a long expedition into the Badlands, where whispers of a haul were said to have rested. Aurora Phoenixsong furrowed her brow with anxiety and excitement. At long last, her husband would be home after several months away. How she had missed him so! Tucking a raven-colored lock behind her pointed ear, she looked into her mirror to ensure that everything looked in place. An elf must always ensure she made the best first impressions, she said to herself in her mind. When she was satisfied, she turned towards the door of her quarters. Approaching it, a slender hand reached for the knob, only to jerk back in surprise when the door tore open of its own accord.
Four young children, all below the age of ten, poured in through the opening, giggling and squealing in utter excitement into their mother's arms. She nearly lost her balance as they swarmed her, but managed to retain her posture as she tried to settle the uproar. "Children, goodness! You're giving me a fright! I know you're excited, but remember yourselves!"
"But Mother," the eldest, Ethandiel, piped up. "We've not seen Father in so long, and to know he's coming back is hardly enough for us to contain ourselves!" Ethandiel was a boy of 12, blonde hair tied neatly behind his head. He was a fair child, bright-eyed and handsome. His mother smiled at the boy.
"Well, that's no reason to forget your manners, my dears," she gently chided as she hugged Adorine, the third-eldest, who managed to crawl closest to her mother's bosom. As the only girl, Aurora felt she might have coddled Adorine a bit too much. However, the girl was pure of heart and strong of mind, as a proper Phoenixsong should be, Aurora felt. She brushed a blonde bang out of the child's sparkling green eyes, those eyes full of hope and dreams.
"I bet he brought home something really cool this time!" the second eldest, Dorinaethos, exclaimed as he pumped his fists excitedly. "I can't wait to see what it is!" His raven hair was a little tousled, and Aurora made a note to straighten it out before their father arrived. He was only a year younger than Ethandiel, but was still a bit of a reckless child. Aurora had to keep maintenance over him the most, as Dorinaethos tended to get into the most trouble. She recalled the time he tried to ride one of the hawkstriders, and upset the poor bird so much that it bucked him off and nearly broke his arm. Aurora straightened herself up and was about to say something in reply to Dorinaethos' statement when she stopped and looked towards the door.
Standing there against the wood and the brass was the last child, the youngest. Bright red hair adorned his head, tied back into a ponytail. It was normal for him to be reserved, but this morning he appeared particularly downcast. "Gavinoth," Aurora spoke softly. "Is something the matter?"
Adorine finally spoke up, with a voice nearly matching her mother's soft tone. "Naethos told him he was adopted." Dorinaethos shot his sister a look. "Tattletale!" he hissed.
"What?" Aurora turned towards Naethos. "Why would you say that?"
"I only meant it as a joke!" Naethos tried to defend himself. "I just said that because of his hair. I mean, neither you nor Father have red hair, so that means that Gavin's adopted, right?"
Aurora sighed. "No, darling. He's not adopted. He's a much mine and your father's as any of you are. Now, I want you to apologize to your brother." Naethos sulked for a moment and turned to comply. However, before he could, a voice rang through the halls.
"The master has arrived! Milady, he has arrived!"
The children resumed their merriment, even Gavinoth, and Aurora knew the topic was forgotten. As the children tore through the house, the halls echoing with their shrieks of excitement, she hurried towards the front door and opened it, heading out into the air of the forest surrounding the area.
A carriage led by a pair of hawkstriders approached the main receiving area, coming to a stop as Aurora approached. Servants scrambled madly about, and out of the flurry came a young manservant, moving to open the door of the carriage. Aurora could hardly breathe as her beloved stepped out of the carriage. When he had solid footing upon the ground, she ran to his arms."Oh, my darling!" she cried out.
He laughed as they embraced for what seemed to be a very long time. When they finally parted, he gave his wife a loving kiss. "Hello, my love," he greeted her as they pulled apart. "I have missed you so much. Oh, hold..." he managed to say before she could smother him with hugs again. "..I've something for you."
"Oh?" she asked, her brow furrowing once again, this time in curiosity. "What could you have possibly found for me this time?"
He reached into the carriage and pulled out a satchel. Nothing new there, as it was one that he had owned for a while. However, when he reached inside and pulled out what was within, her eyes widened in awe at it. Her eyes met with the presence of a dagger. Sure, she had seen daggers before, but none so ornate as this one. It was clear the purpose of the dagger was either decorative or ritualistic. The handle was formed into the shape of a phoenix, the head adorning the hilt and the wings left to form the base of the hilt. The blade was erratically shaped, almost like a feather whose vane had been bristled outward. On each side of the blade were three sockets, six in total, she counted as she took the ornament from her husband's offering hands. Only one socket had a gem in it; a ruby that was cut in such a manner that it reminded her of a bird's eye. No doubt elven in nature, the dagger gave off a shiny gleam as it caught the sunlight filtering in between the leaves.
"It's beautiful," she breathed airily as she examined it. "And this was located down in the Badlands?"
"It would seem," he remarked, coming up behind her and wrapping her in a warm embrace from behind.
"It's a shame, however, that the rest of the gems are unaccounted for."
A worried look crept over Aryen's face. "Well, that's not entirely true-"
She broke free of his embrace and whirled around towards him, ever the more curious. "What?"
"Well, I know at least where –one- of the gems is."He tried to give her a suggestive smile.
"Oh, no, no, darling. I just got you back, I'll not have you go on another expedition now! What about the children? They're getting older, I'll need your help with seeing to their care! Please, please stay home!"
He breathed a heavy sigh. "Very well, my love. I should stay a while this time, but I don't feel that such a gift to my wife should be left incomplete. Such a word hardly describes my love for you. I shall go again, perhaps when the boys are older." However, he snuck again behind his wife. She believed him to be going in for another embrace, but jumped as he delivered a playful swat to her rear.
"Oh!" She whirled around and caught a quick playful slap to his cheek. "How inappropriate of you! I'll not indulge you right now, you letch! Get inside now, the children are absolutely a fuss waiting for their father!"She began frantically waving her arms at him, shooing him towards the house amidst the whirl of servants moving to unpack the suitcases from the carriage. A hawkstrider became agitated with all the commotion and nearly moved to upset the cart, but the driver held steady as the two moved inside the home and shut the door.