Embrace of the Banshee Queen

Darkness then. A blessed release from the pain of her new unlife. Vevian cherished the first few moments of her time alone in that soundless, sightless world as she turned slowly gazing at the lovely void. The voice that drove her to the brink of madness had departed, she had a feeling it was gone for good. She harbored no ill will for the paladin that struck her down. He'd cleared her of the voice and for that she was grateful. She wondered how long she'd been under it's spell and couldn't remember.

Time had no meaning here however for there was nothing to judge it's passage. Her past actions, her horrible acts of betrayal were of no consequence, all her countrymen were dead. Even if they weren't, they could not reach her here. However these thoughts could not lessened the sorrow she felt when she realized she was alone. Not just for the night, not for a season, but forever. Forever and ever, doomed to drift out of time and space with nothing but her thoughts and shame.

"I don't want to be alone!" she shouted suddenly. "I don't want to be here!" She had no idea who she was yelling at or too but she couldn't help herself.

She expected no reply yet a voice called from beyond the dark in a soft yet hard voice, "Come to me then."

"Who are you?" she whispered in a barely audible voice for she feared the power of any intelligence that could reach her here.

"A queen among the damned. A giver of second chances to our kind and an enabler of vengeance." The voice called it's hard tone mingled with sadness and longing.

"Will I live again?" Vevian inquired hopefully. Second chances the voice had said.

"You won't live as you've know, but you will walk the earth again." The voice said.

The thought of another unlife, to become again a shambling corpse driven by some malevolent will across the hills of her birthplace filled her with dread. She suddenly wanted the voice to go away, she wanted to be alone again despite her earlier protests. She wanted to be driven mad by her own mind in solitude rather than rot in Azeroth under the control of yet another unseen force.

"Go away!" she shouted "I don't want to go back! Not like that!".

A pause. The voice then spoke in a soothing and understanding tone, "No child, you misunderstand me. I offer an unlife of choice, free of the Lich King's control. Should you return with me you will walk the earth of your own accord. No longer will your mind be bound to the will of another. Your thoughts and actions will be your own."

Vevian pondered what she had just heard. Was it possible to live an unlife of choice? Could she trust this voice? Could she even trust her own thoughts? Was this all merely some illusion created by her original death? Even if it was, this place was real enough to drive her mad. Centuries of mind games with yourself tended to do that.

"Why are you choosing me?" Vevian called to the voice.

"Because you were not given a choice. None of us were. We were all thrust into the ranks of the Lich King's army to dance to the tune of his war. Mindless puppets with our consciousness in tow, dragged behind like so much unwanted rubbish. We were wronged and I seek to make it right." The pain and anger in the voice were intense, genuine.

"Will it hurt?" Vevian asked already having resigned herself to this voice's cause. She HAD been wronged. She WAS angry and above all else, she wanted revenge. If this voice could make good on it's promises she would follow.

The voice chuckled lightly. "Most likely child." A pause, then, "You would seek to exact your justice on those who made you so?"

"Yes." she said into the black. The cold dark listened in stoic silence. "I'd make them pay for every pound of flesh and then thrice more."

"Very well, brace yourself my child. You might be a bit ... stiff."

Vevian closed her eyes and smiled lightly.

MY child the voice had said. It felt good to hear that again.