Author's note: I can't believe I actually had the guts to put it up but here it is! A scribbled down sample of... I don't know what. :P Please keep in mind that this has been forcefully pulled out of a 14 year old's head ^^

Enjoy!

Gentle sunrays loomed over the treetops of Quel'Thalas while the sun was steadily swept beyond the horizon by the evening winds. Somewhere by the banks of Elrendar River, in the meadow near its falls, a slim feminine silhouette could be seen. Maranae Sunbloom wasn't the one to stop training if she could help it. Ever since her people's homeland was destroyed, she had been pouring herself into training as hard as possible, always avoiding thinking too much of what once was. Loneliness turned to anxiety, anxiety turned to hatred and hatred turned to willpower. Refusing to acknowledge the few friends she had left after the war, she had been soaring through the ranks of the Blood Knights relentlessly. Well known among the troops for her fiery temper and lust for battle, she had made quite the reputation. For most adepts, having to learn, perform and perfect various stances and combat techniques could be tiresome, but not for her. Her will and stubbornness had, more than once, led to her being carried back to her quarters by her mentor out of lack of energy and exhaustion.

Gracefully moving through the air, her broadsword shining now and then catching some renegade rays of the setting sun, Mara struggled to remember the last move her mentor had shown her, leaving herself floating almost in a precarious balance. Little did she know how carefully she was being watched.

Above her, on his seat of observation, was Aldarion, a smirk all over his face. Silently, he swung down from the tree, prowling into the shadows of the forest like an animal stalking its prey, just waiting for the right moment to strike. Drawing out his sword, he swiftly began to creep up behind her.

Pushing her memory to work properly and remember what she needed to do, Mara was far too distracted to notice what was going on behind her.

'You're still lacking focus.'

Aldarion's voice was nothing short of a stab in the back in her concentrated state of mind, firing up all her reflexes. Almost without a single thought her body whirled around and he found himself trapped underneath her blade, the only thing between his neck and the end of his life being his own weaker sword.

With a slight pang of surprise, Mara wrenched her blade free from the contact, but kept her guard up. In the brief moment she had before she reacted, she half expected to see him there. This was Aldarion after all, her 'bigger brother' so to speak. Leave it to him to tease her and push her patience to the limit, and coming out of it all alive. But there was only one way he could have known she was here. She made a note to herself to have a word with Alanaa when she would get back to the city.

He didn't mean to wind her up... most of the time, but he couldn't help but grin to himself when he saw her there, trying so hard to be something she wasn't. Everyone else knew her as a madwoman who would tear to ribbons anyone brave enough to approach her. But he knew better than that; more than once had his simple words or gestures bottled up her rage. Growing up by her side, he was probably the only one who could stand his ground against her mood swings. He was always a cut above the others when it came to dealing with her, although, he'd been wrong before… The scowl on her face was never a good sign; here goes nothing…

Her voice was thick with venom while her eyes shot daggers at him;

'And since you are such a master in close combat yourself would you care to demonstrate?'

Her scowl slowly morphed into a mocking smirk as she spoke the words, she knew she had him on dangerous ground; no farstrider was ever built for close combat.

A mischievous grin passed over his chiseled features; just the way he liked his prey: fuming. He cocked an eyebrow as he readied his stance, steeling himself for the storm he was about to unleash.

'Are you sure? We don't want anyone getting hurt now do we?'

That was the last straw. Mara's nostrils flared, her temper off the charts. Urged by rage she charged towards him head on. Steel met steel, sparks flew. Aldarion being much stronger than her, overthrew her frenzied attack, sending her aback by a few yards, her blow easily deflected. Slightly disoriented, her balance was thrown off for a moment. He took his chance: a simple yet well aimed strike succeeded in disarming her. His arm reached out, grabbing her sword hand and twisting it painfully behind her back, his other hand gently pressing the tip of his sword against her collarbone. She stopped struggling the moment her sword was out of her grip and she was now standing almost helplessly against him.

'Giving in yet?'

She could hear the proud smirk in his voice as he basked in his (momentary) glory.

'Not quite yet.'

Out of the blue her heel dashed upwards, hitting him squarely in the groin. With a grunt of pain, he released her dropping his sword and writhing in agony. It was almost too late when he realized he had no time for such things. In the last split second he dodged out of the way of a blow that would have probably left him without his arm. A relentless flurry of strikes followed, each blow sending him back by a few steps. By the looks of her, she wasn't going to stop any time soon either.

Just when he began thinking things couldn't get worse, Lady Luck thought it amusing to shove a root in the way of his already stumbling feet. Doing fairly little to mitigate the damage of the fall, Aldarion landed squarely on his back. No amount of self control on Azeroth could hide his amazement when a feral Mara ended up on top of him, her previous blood rush still present in her flashing eyes. Fear began to prick at his heart, knowing full well just how far out of control she could get, given the chance. After what seemed like an eternity, fear had subsided, giving way to a much stronger feeling, but also a much more dangerous one.

There was a stiff pressure in his chest, one that had surfaced many times before in the past, whenever there was a moment he could admire her, when he could take in the full extent of her beauty, when he could relish in the sound of her voice calling to him and sometimes, at her mere presence. Yet for all of this, he could never fully understand it, or hope to anticipate it.

A moment later, cold steel briefly brushed his throat and he was thinking about everything else but her beauty. Her face was hovering above his, merely inches away. The darkness in her eyes had given way to a pride only victory could feed while her lips were curled into a triumphant smirk. It suddenly occurred to him that she might be enjoying this just as much as he was, even if for different reasons.

'You were saying?' She whispered softly into his ear, her breath swiftly brushing past his earlobe.

Amusement suddenly gave in to anxiety; having her so close to him yet being completely at her mercy, realizing that despite all he pretended to be, she was still the one pulling the strings. Even as they were younger, he found it hard to deny her anything she asked him. More than once he had stepped over his heart for her in the past. Now, she still had control over him in a way no other ever had.

Pulling back only by a fraction, her eyes locked with his, searching for something, but found his gaze empty, ethereal, void of any emotion she recognized. The smirk disappeared, replaced by concern as she swiftly removed her blade from his neck.

'Aldarion…?'

Slowly, she lifted herself from atop him and sat up, gathering her legs under her and allowing him space to stand up. At first, he only propped himself up on his elbows, only to steal a moment more to marvel at her. Mesmerized by the fierce glow of her eyes he found himself unable to move away, he felt himself drawn to them, into them. An invitation he happily obliged. He drew himself closer to her, slowly, praying she wouldn't run away screaming.

Her mind went numb. By the time he sat himself up beside her, she couldn't remember who she was. Hell, she couldn't remember how to draw a breath.

'How do you deal with this?' he thought silently. 'How do you tell your best friend that you love her? How do you set free feelings that you've spent your whole life hiding?'

Allowing herself to be swept off by the moment in a way she never thought herself capable to, Mara unconsciously bowed her head, ever so gently, her eyes slowly blinking, mentally cursing herself for being weak.

'What are you doing you pathetic lovesick puppy?!' some bit of her mind that still held fast to what she was taught to believe practically screamed at her. 'This isn't supposed to happen! Are you going to turn your back on everything you've come to believe just because –'

'Well, it's a little late for that isn't it?' another voice pointed out, literally sending her crashing into the realization that he was now a breath away from her. Resistance was futile. The moment his lips brushed hers, her will had crumbled to dust. Her eyes fluttered closed as she leaned into his touch, allowing the kiss.

He was nothing more than a fly in a spider's web. He watched, dumbfound, how the world itself seemed to mold into her shape, her scent swallowed him whole, drowning him in his own feelings, her warmth against him seemed to reach out to his very core, overshadowing every doubt, every worry that kept his feelings locked all those years.

All too soon she broke away, and bliss turned into desperation. What had he done wrong? His fearful eyes opened to a view he would never forget; euphoria was written on every line of her face, her eyes closed in blessed serenity, while her lips were curled in a tiny yet blissful smile. Why did he keep it from her for so long? Why did he deny it? When every inch of his body stiffened when she walked by. When he knew that, underneath it all, he had always loved her, and that he always will.

The smile disappeared. His head snapped back to an entirely different situation. Somewhere along the way, his arms wrapped around her in a protective manner, one that almost managed to mirror his feelings for her. Her hands now lay on his chest, weakly tugging at his shirt every now and then. Fear began to twirl in his heart as his hand slithered its way under her chin, his fingers meeting with a cold liquid that dripped down her jaw line.

'Mara?'

Her eyes said it all. Maranae Sunbloom was crying. At first, the image didn't register; he saw the tears, he saw her face, but to him they were two different images. No one had ever seen a tear on her face before, not even him. Where had the pride gone? Where was the strength he had grown to love so much? Had… had he done that? A painful knot formed in his throat at the thought. He pulled her close, burying his head in the crook of her neck. A small sigh escaped her lips, her breath brushing past his ear. He could barely distinguish words in it, but he could've sworn he had heard the most forbidden words in it.

'I love you…'

The frail whisper that passed her lips seemed the sweetest sound in the world. He closed his eyes relishing in the way she spoke the words, while he gathered everything he loved about her; her scent, her eyes, her voice, the smiles she gave him, and locked them away in his memory along with his heart, for her, and only her. Always for her.

Disclaimer : I do not own any Blizzard content.