Flight
The tram screeched to a halt at the Ironforge station, and Aleks was dismayed to see posters of his face already slathered on the walls. Probably conjured by the guard-mages. Pulling his hood up, he walked out onto the smooth floor of the Gnome quarter.
Passing through the tinker town, he jogged up a flight of stairs and into the Residential district. There were still some guards making patrols- more than the usual night crews, but it wasn't as bad as Stormwind had been. He hoped that he could go home- he knew he could not stay, but he at least wanted to pack a few things before he ran….ran wherever it was he could go. As he turned on to his street, he saw a pair of guards stationed in front of his door. Heart thudding painfully, he walked straight on past it with hardly a look.
He went down another alley, and then across the bridge and through the main avenue. He could think of nothing else to do, as he bounded up the stairs. He knocked on the door, shifting to and fro impatiently, paranoid and nervous. The door was opened a crack by Ma McTubbens, who promptly threw the door open and enveloped him in a fierce hug. "Aye lad, the guards came here pokin' their nose in me cupboards and rooms as ef I was their mam!" she exclaimed, ushering him into the living room. Sitting around the fire looking distressed was Stark and his father.
"Aleks!" he exclaimed getting up. "The guard said ye were wonted for attempted robbery of Lord Fairnesworth! Did ye not give him his sword? They searched ye apartment, and came and asked us about whens the last we had seen o' ya. Wot have ye gone and gotten yeself into now!" he rushed out in one breath.
Aleksander released a breath he did not now he had been holding. They believed him innocent because they knew him. He had been afraid they would have called the guards the second he showed up at the doorstep. He plopped down into one of the chairs and gratefully accepted the tea and loaf of bread Ma brought him, ignoring the butter and the knife, he began wolfing it down, explaining in between bites what had happened.
"So you see...its Lord Fairneworth...I just happened to hear of it, and now he wants me dead. I can't stay in any of the Alliance cities...he'll be searching for me night and day. I- I don't know what to do. They have guards outside my house. I was thinking of going to either Azhara- I have distant family there and in the wilderness I could build a home and not be bothered...or going to a goblin trade-town and making my life there, but they might find me. I just don't know." He withered, defeated, exhausted and out of ideas.
Stark turned slightly red. "Aleks, I wish I could help more, or have ye stay with us- yer family through and through...but the guards said they would watch us closely, in case you came by. Yer lucky they haven't knocked the door down yet." His friend looked at him with a deeply troubled face. Aleksander had been expecting this though. Starks was a loyal, good friend- but what could he do against the might of the Crown? What could anyone do? "Maybe I should turn myself in and try to plead my if they don't believe me, robbery is what? Outlawed to the far kingdoms? Sent as fodder to the front lines to battle the Horde? Seven years in prison? Can't be much worse than forever running can it?"
Suddenly, Pa Mctubbens stood up and cleared his throat. "None o' this talk of leaving the boy to those hounds. I've been here long before either of ye, n I've seen wot them nobles in that court are like. Wait right here a brew, and I'll show ye something that might be o' some help to the boy." He walked up the stairs into the bedrooms, as the two young men sat there looking morosely into the fire, and Ma McTubbens rocked back and forth knitting furiously, thinking.
"I thought of something." Ma said, beaming, as she put down her knitting. "When I was a younger, prettier lass a man used to court me." she began, a blush creeping on her cheeks. "He became a high ranking officer in S1:7, and still has a soft spot for me. They do all sorts of espionage and other shadowy things I don approve of a wee bit...but...when it comes to thing such as this, wots simple folk like us to do? I shall go see him tomorrow and tell him wot you've said. No, dun worry lad." she interjected as Aleksander looked alarmed. "I wont be telling him where you choose to hide...but theres been times afore when the Crowns been in danger, and thems the men who saved it." She picked up her knitting, now pleased she knew how to help.
Pa McTubbens sauntered back into the living room carrying a large, iron trunk. He took a key from around his neck and unlocked it, motioning the boys forward.
"I never did tell you this, but when I was a young lad, fresh from Menethil- I enlisted into the Stormpike Army." Aleks peered into the chest and saw medals, a crimson uniform and other sundry trinkets inside.
Pa gently pulled out a necklace that has a small carved piece of wood on it. He handed it over to Aleks who inspected it. It was smooth, probably of the Silverleaf tree, or maybe of the Darnassian purple heart trees. It was intricately carved with runes he had never seen, and smelled like the woods. He looked up questioningly. What was the necklace for?
Pa sighed and explained. "I am 98 years old...respectable by Dwarven standards, but not old. When I was a Stormpike soldier, we were told to go out and fight back a contingent of Kobolds that had infested the mine we used for supplies. Halfway through, we had encountered no Kobolds...because a small company of Horde had cleared them out for the same purpose. We began to fight inside the cave, when suddenly there was a shatter in the earth- and the cave closed in.
We realized quickly we would all die there, so we stopped fighting and tried to start shifting rock. From behind us came the noises of hundreds of Kobolds- they had a city in that mine, and we had set off their trap. We banded together best we could to stave them off- Forsaken healing humans, Dwarves saving orcs, we all fought to survive. It was a gruesome, bloody battle- but we've not time for it. We survived. It took us 3 days to heal and shift through that rock, and in that time we learned something our Kings and Commanders did not want us to know- we are all living creatures. We all were the same truly, and could get along.
Learning something new, we exchanged gifts of parting. A troll shaman there gave me that necklace lad- it cloaks you in the appearance of a Horde and gives you their speech. The same necklace they have….but it does the opposite." At Aleksander's and Starks gasp, he waved his hands to silence them. "Yes I know what they might be used for, but they were not like that. Many of us have died since then- other races are not as long lived as Dwarves and Night elves you see...but we all remember each other. I kept in contact with one of them, he is probably ancient by now. I quit the army that month." He turned to Starks "I didn't want ye to know son, that ye father got a dishonorable discharge from the army for allying and helping Horde. But its good to know we are all people."
Pa Mctubbens stood up. "Ye were right Aleks...ye can't stay in Alliance lands...but ye can go to Horde." He continued, ignoring the look of horror etched upon his face. "I know ye was brought up to think o them as lesser creatures- bloodthirsty and monstrous- I was too. But they have the same feelings as us, and it was with them we defeated the Burning Legion. And if Titans forbid- some other horror comes to plague us, its with them again we'd ally. The orc I kept in touch with was a shaman- one of the nature magic ones. He was a war shaman, not a healer type, but he was a good man. Ye can't waste no time now. Ye must be packed and out of Ironforge by dawn."
Stark spoke up "Wot about Uncle Loderdods?", Pa and Ma Mctubbens nodded their heads, and Ma walked outside quickly. "Whose Uncle Loderdod?" Aleks asked. "Uncle Loderdod is a family friend from a long time Aleks- he's a mage, and he'll port ye back to Stormwind's gates so you cut out some hours from your traveling'", Pa held up a hand to forestall Aleks's objections. "He won't talk none lad, he's near kin. Ma went to fetch him back here. Its no choice- if ye don't start from Stormwind, ye'd never make it alive through the Badlands." Aleks shuddered in agreement.
The door swung open and everyone jumped in surprise, but it was only Ma followed by a fussy little gnome. Uncle Loderdods wore a shocking pink robe and a tall, wizards hat bigger than he was that kept slipping unto his nose. He said nothing as he eyed Aleks, and just nodded to the family as he began to make the motions and murmur the incantations to create the portal.
Ma suddenly got up and began taking down things from the stores- bread, cheese, salt. Pa was handing him a map and explaining directions to him as he wrote them down, but Aleks felt like he was underwater. Everything moved slowly and nothing was making sense. "Lad, we won't be able to keep in touch- they'll turn the heat up on ye. When ye get to Stormblade, he'll know how to send us a message. Tell no one else what ye are, for they've no love for us Alliance. If he's dead, ye'll have to make your own way best ye can. I'm sorry lad."
The next thing he knew he had on a new set of clothes and a bag on his back. He said goodbye to the McTubbens. The look on Starks face was engraved into his mind. Suddenly walking into the portal.
Stepping outside the gates of Stormwind.
Into the forest.
He did not stop until morning.