Opening a Wound
Calia led her future sister-in-law down the flight of stairs and through what felt to Jaina like many never-ending hallways until they came to a clearing. She looked around in awe at the Royal Gardens. Flowers of every shape, size, and color covered every square inch. Numerous gardeners ran from space to space water, fertilizing, and trimming every plant their was. Taking a deep breath, Jaina inhaled the wonderful scent that the flowers gave off, each one somehow complimenting the smell of the others.
Sunflowers, tulips, roses, lilies, orchids, and infinite other plants surrounded her. How was she supposed to choose one that signified their lives together. She had to select a single flower to represent everything between them, something that would go on forever in history as the plant of the prince and...princess.
Princess. The word sank into her brain like a heavy weight on clay. Soon she'd be the princess of Lordaeron, not just some mage that had a relationship with a boy. Balls, meetings, parties, and limitless other responsibilities would be on her shoulders once she walked down the aisle to the man she loved. Was she ready for all that? Could she handle it? Now all she had to do was worry about where she and Arthas were staying that night, but before she'd know it she would be worrying about royal ordeals and a family.
Family? What if he wants to start having kids right away? The thought scared her. She wanted to go to Dalaran at some point and start her magical training. If Arthas wanted to have kids right away, that would ruin any chance she had at pursuing her dreams. A set of panic began to set in and her breathing heavied. In an instant, she doubled over clutching her throat trying to open up an airway.
"Jaina?" Calia exclaimed running back to the doubled over girl. "What's wrong? Breathe!" As if all she needed was to be told she could, air rushed into her lungs, and Jaina was able to stand upright. "What just happened?"
"Do I choose roses, or are they entirely too fancy for our wedding? What about sunflowers? Wait, no, those are too poor looking and clearly not suitable for a royal wedding," she panicked running from flower to flower picking one up and then throwing it back to the ground. "Or what if none of these is right, and picking one of these plants actually just ends up causing the entire thing to burst into flames and destroying everything we worked for?"
Calia ran to the sorceress and hugged her. "Honey, what's going on?"
Jaina answered, "I'm just so concerned about what flowers to choose for the wedding? What if I choose the wrong ones?"
Her sister-in-law placed her hands on Jaina's shoulders and looked into her panic stricken face. "This isn't about the flowers is it?" she asked.
"Of course it is! There's just so many choices, and it's just all very overwhelming," she assured.
A brief chuckle escaped Calia, and she shook her head. "I know you, Jaina. We're best friends, practically sisters. I can tell something is bothering you, and I think it has to do with you marrying my brother."
She couldn't lie her way any further. Calia knew her as well as she knew herself. "I just-It's so much," Jaina admitted fanning herself with her hands. "Right now I'm just a sorceress engaged to a prince, but soon I'll be a princess. What happens if all of a sudden your brother and father want me to start having kids right away? Or what if all my royal duties get in the way of my studies? You know how much I want to go to Dalaran, and I'm just gonna let a man get in the way of that?"
Calia could tell Jaina was spiraling out of control. She always gets so worked up about the smallest of things. It's part of the reason I love her so much. "Listen, none of that is going to happen. Arthas loves you. You love him. The only person who is going to tell you what you can and cannot do is yourself," she insisted. "If you don't want flowers, look," with a stomp of her foot she crushed the daisies that were right beneath her and kicked dirt into the air, tearing petals from the tulips that were planted nearby, "you don't have to have them. This day is about how much you two love each other, not what everyone else thinks about it, or what might happen in the future."
Looking around at all the faces of the horrified gardeners made Jaina laugh, putting her at ease. Calia was right. They would tackle the future when it came, but for now all that mattered was that a man loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and that she finally had a sister. She sauntered up to Calia and wrapped her arms around her, the embrace being reciprocated. "Thank you so much. I do love your brother, and you're right this is about us not what other people think. When the future does come, we'll tackle it together, but no one is gonna tell us what we have to do. I have no idea what I would do without your brother, or you, Calia," she expressed.
"Hopefully you'll never have to find out," Calia laughed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Kalecgos," Jaina identified. "What in the hell are you doing here?"
The man took one step forward and instantly Jaina fell backwards a step. He reached out his hand as well as his condolences. "I heard about Theramore. I-I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through," he apologized.
She scoffed to herself and shook her head. "No," a deep breathe escaped her, "there's no way you could know what I'm going through, nor would you care if you did."
"What are you talking about? I still care so much about you, Jaina. No matter what you think of me I'll never stop loving you," Kalec retorted.
"Love me?" Jaina threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "You cannot be serious. A person who loves someone wouldn't do what you did."
Kalec sighed, "I apologized for that so many times. I never meant to hurt you. I thought I was losing you."
A tension filled silence surrounded them. Dust and rubble blew around them as the wind began to pick up. There was too much unfinished business between the two that it seemed to even make the lich, Kel'Thuzad, uncomfortable. Without really thinking about it, he made a sound as if he was clearing his throat although it had been years since he had actually had one.
"What do you want, Lich? What are you doing with him, Jaina?" Kalec snapped.
Kel'Thuzad pointed a bony finger at the blue-haired human and warned, "Watch your tongue, dragon. You're no longer an aspect."
"Are you serious?" the dragon asked. "You can't tell me you're talking to him because of how you feel?"
"Why not?" Jaina screamed. "Everything I've ever loved is gone. All of it. The Horde has had a hand in almost everything that has been taken from me. The only thing I ever wanted was peace. I tried and I tried, putting out fires wherever they started, and this is how I'm repaid. Kel'Thuzad can help me bring the bastard Horde to it's knees. Finally they'll be begging me for peace."
"At what price? Do you honestly think an ex-servant of the Lich King is going to give you this power for your revenge for nothing?" Kalec challenged.
Jaina's blood was boiling. Somehow this man knew how to push every single button that she had and get on the last nerve she had. Even without meaning to Kalecgos had a smug demeanor about him that angered her more than she thought she could be at this moment. Who the hell does he think he is? She took a few steps forward, stomping her feet each time until she was within touching distance of her ex-lover. "What does it even matter? I'll give anything to destroy them. I have to. What else do I have?"
He took one step closer to Jaina until their faces were a few inches away from each other. She could detect his aroma, and she inhaled it in. The scent of cologne, soap, and just an overall freshness invaded her nostrils and intoxicated her. Her hands quivered as she wanted to grab a hold of him and pull him closer to her. The only man I've ever loved other than Arthas. Kalec, the things you do to me. I miss you.
"You still have me, Jaina," Kalec whispered softly his words felt warm on her face. Ever so slowly he leaned closer towards her.
Maybe I can deal with all of this, if he's by my side. Softly, their lips touched and the dragon's hands cupped her face, and Jaina began to fall into it, until the brutal memories of who he really was came rushing back at her.
The young sorceress thanked the innkeeper and leisurely turned and headed towards her destination room. She giggled to herself as she ascended the one set of stairs the Dalaran Inn had in it. Being the leader of the Kirin Tor had it's perks, and if she wanted something most people would give it to her.
All she wanted this time, though, was what room her boyfriend happened to be staying in at the time. She had heard that the blue dragon, Kalecgos, was in the city and happened to be staying at the inn. There had been no word on why he was here, but Jaina had hoped to surprise him at his room.
Over the past few months of their relationship, they had began to drift apart. He had felt that her hope for peace between the Horde and Alliance was beginning to consume her, and that she was spending more time putting out fires than she was with him. Eventually she had thought about it for awhile and realized that she was doing just that. Now she realized that it had been a terrible idea and truly she did want to continue her relationship with the former Aspect. For years, I couldn't get over Arthas. I felt like it was my fault after leaving him in Stratholme. Truthfully, I never thought I would be able to fall in love again, but after being apart from Kalec, this is the right thing to do. I want to be with him.
As she ascended the stairs she waved her hands around her and watched her purple and white robes disappear, into an extremely tiny red dress. Much of it was lace that was all but see-through, the only two straps lying seductively upon her shoulders. More and more steps passed as the silk rubbed against her body, until almost instantly she was upon the little green wooden door with the number "2" centered on it. Haltingly Jaina reached for the doorknob, her heart beginning to pound so hard and loud that she was sure Kalec heard it from his room.
When the door finally swung open, she instantaneously wanted it to be closed and never opened again. The moment she saw the door open, there she saw the man she thought loved her, lying naked with a woman a top of him. It didn't even take but a second to realize who the woman was. Even though the entire world had thought she had disappeared with her husband and child during the scourging of Lordaeron, there she was lying on top of her boyfriend. Quickly they both tried to dismount and cover themselves up, but the damage was done.
"Jaina! Oh my god! I can explain I-" the woman stammered.
She could tell that her face was burning red, hot tears welling up in her eyes, but somehow she remained collected. "Calia, you need to get shut up, and you need to get out," Jaina demanded.
As Calia scrambled out of the bed, fumbling as she pulled on the teal blouse and cream-colored skirt she had been wearing, she tried to interject, "Jaina, I'm so-"
"I said, get, out," Jaina enunciated.
Instantly the terrified girl ran out into the hallway, and Jaina slammed the door behind her. When she turned back around, Kalec had pulled on a pair of shorts and was sitting on the bed simply looking at her, a dead stare in his eyes, and a look of shame on his face. Normally the sight of him, half-naked on a bed, his bare muscular chest gleaming in the moonlight from the window would have made her incredibly happy, but now all she wanted to do was cast a spell that would crush the dragon into a million little pieces that she could feed to a mana wyrm.
"I'm so sorry. It was a mistake," Kalec apologized shaking his head.
"A mistake?" she caught herself laughing out loud despite what she was feeling. "What the hell were you meaning to do then?"
He looked up at her, his periwinkle eyes filled with tears. "I thought I had lost you. We drifted so far apart, I didn't even know if you knew who I was anymore," he explained.
"You sure had a hell of a time thinking of me as an afterthought," she screamed as tears began to drain from both of the lovers' eyes.
The dragon jumped up from the bed and walked over to Jaina. He grasped her hands in his and just held them. "No," Kalec breathed, "it wasn't like that. I love you, Jaina. You were never an afterthought to me. Even now you're still my everything."
Silence crept into the room, and Jaina let them sit in it for awhile. Gently, Kalec leaned in closer and closer until he brought his lips upon hers. The soft sweet taste of him almost made her forget everything. His arm had sneakily wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her closer to his chest. A part of her wanted to stay like this for eternity, but Jaina knew she couldn't.
Faster than it had happened she shoved him in the chest, sending him reeling backwards and falling onto the bed. "No!" she screamed her voice cracking as she yelled. "No, you can't just kiss me and think everything is going to go away. My god, I used to think of you as someone who would never, ever, hurt me. Now-Now I just can't stop thinking about the fact that you slept with my best friend, who I've thought for years was dead."
Stunned Kalec cried, "Jaina, this-this can't be it for us. This can't be the end."
She wiped the tears from her face and placed her hand on the door handle. As the door gradually opened wide she muttered, "Then how come it is?" and sauntered out into the hallway leaving behind another lover.
Arthas. Kalec. Theramore. It was all gone, and she had nothing. She had no one. Despite the dragon being here with her now, Jaina still couldn't forgive him for what he had done, and it wouldn't make her feel any better. She wanted to bring the Horde to it's knees.
She channeled the spell in her head as she kissed the only other man she had loved. With a swift motion of her arms, she broke the moment and created an immense explosion of mauve magic around her. It sent Kalecgos flying away, and she watched as he fell to the ground and his head collided with a stray brick from a building. As he laid there, unconscious, blood seeping from the wound in his forehead, she felt nothing. The man had destroyed whatever loving part of her existed still.
"My, my, that was delightful," Kel'Thuzad condoned.
"Take me where we need to go. I have nothing left. I have no one left. I want my revenge, Kel'Thuzad," Jaina explained.
The lich waved his hands in a circle and in front of them a cluster of purple rocks formed. In a swift motion, they spun around and began to separate. When each one had found it's place, they had arranged in a large portal figure, and almost instantly a black hole formed inside of it. There was no indication where the portal led, or if it even led anywhere.
"This better not be a trick," she warned.
Kel'Thuzad responded, "You insult me, Jaina. My master is very keen on meeting you. This is the farthest thing from a trick I have ever pulled."
"Then tell me," she demanded, "where does this lead to?"
"Why to Xoroth, of course," he answered.
With one last look at the damage the Horde had caused, and her unconscious ex-lover she took a step into the portal. She was headed to the home of the Nathrezim.
The Dreadlords.