THE PRAXEUM CHRONICLES
"The Blessed Light : Book One"

A World of Warcraft tale
by Stephen R. Sobotka / © 2009

DISCLAIMER : This story is an original prose based on situations, settings, places and themes from the MMORPG game "World of Warcraft", by Blizzard Entertainment Ltd. All characters that appear within -- with the exception of all original characters created by the author -- are the property of said licenses, and are used here without knowledge or permission of same.

This story is the rightful property of the author; all original characters and the plot depicted within are protected by copyright law. This story was produced to entertain fans of the original game, and is in no way, shape or form intended to be published for monetary gain. Please do not sue.

-==-

Six

Sergeant Hobbs eyed the approaching group of individuals -- an armored man on a Darnassian sabercat, next two two dwarves on a wagon, with a horse tied onto the open buckboards following behind them. Looking over at his analog on the far side of the massive main gates that crowned the thoroughfare leading into Stormwind, he hitched up his shoulders and stepped out in front of them.

"Hold! Stand to, sir!"

Pulling up short on his feline mount, the auburn-haired man motioned to the dwarves on the wagon to stop. "Yes, Sergeant?" Liam said.

"I must ask that you present your papers, please?"

Nodding, Liam eased his 'cat mount up next to the standing guard, before reaching into a saddle bag to remove a leather-cased sheaf of papers. "My standing orders of Marque, Sergeant." he said, handing them over.

Hobbs took them and opened the leather flap to peer at the top-most sheets of parchment. After a moment, he nodded. "All seems to be in order, Sir. May I also ask your business in Stormwind today?"

Liam nodded to the wagon behind him. "My friends seek to use the Deeprun to return to Ironforge, while I myself must report to the head of my order in the Cathedral of Light, later this day."

Hobbs gave the two dwarves a short look, but he merely nodded. "Very well. Pass on, friend and welcome once more to Stormwind City." He handed the papers back to Liam, before nodding to the other guard. "Let them through." he said aloud, before waving both the paladin and the wagon forward.

.

oOoOo

.

Giving Sabine a nudge with his heels, Liam led the way towards the high arch of the main gate. Not looking back, he prayed to the Light that the guards were focusing on him and the dwarves . . . and not on the apparently empty saddle of the mare tethered behind the wagon.

Should they be so inclined, they may discover the two extra passengers there, and then this whole affair will become all for naught! He half-expected the guards to suddenly call out in alarm, but thankfully no cry was raised and they continued onwards, through the stone archway and into the stone-lined causeway beyond. With a soft sigh, he straightened up and wrapped the reins of his mount tightly around both fists. The first part is done. Now comes the hardest part . . . getting the rest of the way through Stormwind, to the Deeprun!

.

oOoOo

.

Sitting in the mare's saddle, Freaja had nearly been holding her breath for what felt like ages while Liam had spoken to the human guard. The blood elf woman's heart had been beating so loudly in her ears, she felt it had certainly given her away. When they started moving again, she couldn't help but fidget while holding on tight to the saddle of the mare.

"Be still, elf!" Trissa Twinblades whispered, pitching her voice low to keep from being heard by the Stormwind guards. "Give us away, and I'll throw you at the guards myself!"

Glancing at the guards as they rode past, Freaja gave the white-haired, leather-clad human woman sitting at her back an arched look.

Shaking her head, to reinforce Freaja's continued silence, Trissa focused on maintaining the stealth spell that enveloped them both.

This rogue must consider it a high thing to do, Freaja thought. To risk this much, just to settle a debt owed to this . . . paladin.s She scowled crossly. This whole affair is ludicrous! The fact that this human had sworn to protect me until I can be returned to Quel'thalas--! She bit back another angry retort, mindful of Trissa's arched look as she tried to maintain her silence.

Once past the gates, Freaja could see that they were now on a large, stone causeway; arching high over a natural basin that formed a barrier between the lands outside the gates and the massive walls of Stormwind City itself.

However, it was the massive, stone statues that flanked the causeway that made her gasp with awe.

"What, are, all of these?" she dared to whisper to Trissa.

Trissa flicked a glance upwards, following the blood elf woman's gaze, before she gave a short, soft laugh. "You're in the Valley of Heroes, Redhair," she whispered back. "These are all members of the expedition that went through the Dark Portal . . . to battle the Orcs on the shattered world of Draenor."

Freaja nodded. I remember the tales told of that--. Craning her neck to look upwards as they passed by, Freaja marveled at the huge statues -- the first two being a stoic-looking human and an armored dwarf in a heroic stance. A sharp look at the plaques at their bases revealed the names of them both: Danath Trollbane and Kudran Wildhammer.

Trissa caught the expression on Freaja's face. "You're probably one of the few Sin'dorei to ever see it up close, while not part of a Horde raid."

Freaja didn't reply. True . . . but, can I honestly say I'd be willing to be a part of such a--! She stopped thinking when they got close to the next set of statues, as her eyes were drawn to the tall, stately form of a female elf on the right. This statue was poised with a war bow in hand, while a spread-winged falcon perched on the elf woman's raised arm.

"By the Eternal Sun!" she hissed softly. "I . . . I recognize that woman!"

Trissa rolled her eyes. "Well you should, Redhair. Ranger Captain Alleria Windrunner; one of the chief members of the Draenor expedition." She nodded towards the center of the end of the causeway. "Hush, we're coming close to another guard checkpoint."

Freaja nodded, but it was her thoughts that kept her from speaking as the party rolled to a stop before a few more guards. She glanced up again at the regal elf woman's visage; seeing the calm strength the stone-carver drew from the gray stone. Alleria Windrunner. She was Lady Sylvanas' older sister . . . a legend to the people of Quel'thalas. How strange to see her image here, displayed with such reverence, in the human's capital?

Just then, Trissa nudged Freaja in the ribs, getting her attention. "Be still, Redhair. Something's not looking right here."

Freaja glanced at the rogue, before looking to where Liam was now dismounted and speaking to the trio of guards in front of him. That's when a large, commanding human in plate armor -- riding a powerful black stallion -- emerged from around the side of one of the stone walls and rode up to Liam.

From the tabard and the way this human carries himself . . . he's clearly one of those in charge of the city guards. Freaja thought. She also saw this newcomer's dark scowl, and the way several of the guards began to cluster nearby. That sight alone made Freaja suddenly fearful for herself!

.

oOoOo

.

"Liam mac Roi," the dark haired man said, staring down at the paladin.

Liam nodded. "General Marcus. What can I do for you?"

Marcus Jonathan, the General in charge of Stormwind City's garrison force, tipped his head in acknowlegement. "You must come with me, Knight." He nodded towards the direction he had come from. "I have orders to bring you to King Varian Wrynn, with all due haste."

That got Liam's hackles to raise, yet he asked calmly, "May I ask to what purpose, Sir?"

"You may not," Marcus said flatly. "You are also not permitted to refuse."

That statement alone made Liam worry. "Might I at least ask what my friends may do, Sir? I am duty-bound to escort then back to the High-Thane's seat in Ironforge."

General Marcus shook his head. "Your companions are free to continue on, but you must come with me. I must insist you do not delay further, Sir Knight."

Liam nodded. "I understand." He started to head for his mount.

"Leave your 'cat," Marcus said. His expression was unflinching in the face of Liam's questioning stare. "Your personal mount must remain with your companions, Knight, along with your weapons. With reports of raids among the outlying lands beyond the city, King Wrynn insists that security be tightened up."

"Very well," Liam said. Unlimbering his sword, he handed it over to another soldier. "As one of the King's defenders, I will always obey his orders. Please, allow me a moment, while I speak to my friends, General? I will come with you after I make certain where we may meet after my meeting with his Highness." When Marcus nodded, Liam bowed and turned to stride up to the side of the wagon. Looking up at the dwarves, he sighed. "It seems I am summoned to meet with the King."

Rhandall stiffened. "What th' devil does he want ye for?"

"I don't know . . . only that I am wanted, not any of you." Liam cast a slight look towards the horse tied to the side of the wagon. "It is best that you two continue on to the Deeprun, as we planned. I will catch up to you as soon as I have leave to do so."

Hanna pressed her lips together. "Not knowin' what King Wrynn wants from ye, Laddie, that might make for a long time for catchin' up wi' us."

"Aye that's a fact, Liam. Who knows what sort o' trouble we all could run into." Rhandall snorted.

"Nevertheless, I cannot delay further. You must continue on to Ironforge." Liam shot an almost-bored glance over his shoulder at the waiting General and his men.

"Well . . . there's an inn in th' Dwarf District, just around th' corner from th' Deeprun. We'll wait for ye there." Rhandall shot a discrete glance over his shoulder, muttering, "All o' us."

"Agreed then." Liam stepped back and nodded. "I'll be along as soon as I am able."

"Just see that ye don't get yerself tied up, Liam. We cannae go on wi'out ye." Hanna said.

Turning back towards General Marcus, Liam glanced at the seemingly-riderless horse before saying softly, "I will not abandon you, my friends. Until we meet again, later."

"Aye, that we will," Rhandall said, before he goaded the two rams and the wagon lurched forwards, heading towards the right side of the main entrance.

Moving to join the armed soldiers clustered near the mounted Stormwind defender, he said to General Marcus, "Sir, I am at the King's service," he said with a bow.

General Marcus turned and motioned to one of the soldiers. "Bring up a horse for the knight."

.

oOoOo

.

As the others started moving off towards the right-hand entryway into Stormwind City, Freaja glanced back at Liam -- catching him handing off his weapon to another guard. Tensing, she almost jumped out of the saddle when she felt Trissa jab her in the ribs.

"Watch yourself, elf," Trissa muttered.

"But, he--?" She hissed back.

"He's in no more danger than a rabbit kit with its mother, Redhair," Trissa said. "The King's probably going to congratulate him for stopping your kinfolk from ravaging Goldshire further." She didn't blink when Freaja shot her a dark scowl. "Besides, there's nothing we can do about this now . . . unless you want to be caught?! So, keep quiet until we can get to a safe place, then I can drop this stealth spell!

Freaja could only nod, keeping her silence as they waited for the guard to place Liam's weapon on his frostsaber mount; which Rhandall took charge off, tying it up to his riding ram.

I don't understand. she thought. Why do I suddenly feel . . . afraid. Not for myself, but . . . for that paladin?

.

oOoOo

.

Heading down the cobbled streets, Liam followed behind General Marcus' stallion in silence, until the paladin realized that they weren't heading towards Stormwind Keep. "General? Were are we meeting the King?"

Without looking behind him, Marcus said, "You'll see soon enough, Knight." That said, the cluster of armed men soon turned a corner, emerging before a tall, imposing stone edifice.

Liam blinked. "The Stockade?" Why would King Wrynn want to meet here? he thought. He flicked a glance towards one of the other streets, which led from the direction of the Dwarven District. No, they could not have been discovered this quickly.

Approaching the entrance to Stormwind's infamous prison, the escort stopped and formed a loose rank behind Marcus and Liam. The General and the paladin both dismounted, just as the two guards flanking the entrance snapped to attention. A moment later, an armored figure emerged into view; a dark-haired man with strong, chiseled features who had the stance of a hardened fighter.

Taking in the sight of him, every man dropped to one knee in respect for the one true King of Stormwind. "Your Highness," General Marcus said. "We've brought the paladin Liam mac Roi, as you requested."

"Good." Varian Wrynn looked to Liam, and said, "Rise, Sir Liam. It is good to see a champion of the Order returned to Stormwind."

Standing, Liam said simply, "I am honored, my King. Though I admit . . . I am uncertain as to the why?"

Varian replied, "I shall not keep you in the dark for long, Sir Liam." Motioning towards the prison doorway, he indicated for Liam to join him before turning to dismiss General Marcus and the escort.

Together, the two men headed down from the main guard room, deep into the bowels of the Stockades. Along the dimly-lit halls, the sight of the axillary rooms and barred cells gave way to ranks of condemned prisoners and stoic guards. Murmurs of discontent echoed from every corner and nook.

From the general appearance, the atmosphere of the place was dismal . . . one that did not bode well in Liam's mind.

Eventually, King Wrynn stopped before a heavy-barred and guarded door -- which was opened by a large, armored guard who merely grunted with a nod as both men passed into the room beyond. In there, five armed guards were standing in the middle of the round chamber, with four of them bracketing a single, bounded figure that was on their knees on the cold, stone floor. The fifth man turned to greet them with a salute. "Your Highness!"

King Wrynn nodded grimly. "Remain as you are, men." He glanced at Liam, who was staring at the prisoner. "You were just recently in Goldshire, Sir Liam. When the village was raided by blood elves, hm?"

Liam nodded, never taking his eyes off of the lone Sin'dorei ranger being held captive. "Yes, my King. Both myself and my dwarven companions gave aid to repel the attack."

King Wrynn said, "My patrols captured this rogue, as he attempted to slip into the Trade District. The pursuit forced General Marcus to commit nearly a third of the city defenders in his eventual capture." With a scowl, Wrynn added, "We've questioned him at length, but he refuses to divulge the true objective of his mission . . . that is, he did refuse, until he told us that we needed to bring you here to speak to him."

Startled, Liam looked at King Wrynn. "Me, your Highness?" A knot of ice formed in Liam's gut.

King Wrynn nodded grimly. "It seems he does remember you coming to aid the garrison forces in Goldshire. Though, it is curious to me as to why he would refuse to speak without your presence." He motioned for Liam to join him, stepping closer to the bound elf. "Ranger Dar'talos . . . my men have brought Sir Liam. Now, will you tell us what your purpose in attacking Goldshire was?"

The blond-haired blood elf did not raise his head, but from the way his shoulders dipped, he was clearly in acquiescence. "Yes, human . . . now that he is here, I will tell you." With a shifting on his knees, Dar'Talos raised his head to look up at Liam; his eyes faintly glowing green as he spoke. "My leader, Ranger Neph'anis Hawkfire, was ordered into your human lands to make certain that a . . . refugee of Quel'thalas' justice was properly disposed of."

"A refugee?" Liam and King Wrynn both shared a surprised look. "You came seeking an escaped prisoner?" Wrynn asked.

Dar'Talos shrugged. "Escaped, yes . . . we simply were told that this person was a sin'osa, and we were to make certain they would find no sanctuary, no comfort, before we were to end their life."

Liam shot the blood elf a black look. "What crime did this person commit, that was so vile that it required the additional killing of peaceful civilians, Ranger?"

Dar'Talos merely smirked. "The sin'osa committed a crime. I am not at liberty to say anything more, because my leader had been given all of the information prior to our departure from Silvermoon."

King Wrynn frowned. "You've said they are sin'osa? I've heard that word before." Looking at Liam briefly, he turned back to the ranger and asked, "With your raiding group scattered and mostly dead, what will happen now, that you've failed?"

Dar'Talos merely shrugged. "I cannot say. Yet, if our superiors are diligent, there will be others sent after the sin'osa . . . and they will track and find them, and when they do, there will be no escaping our people's final justice, human. You may believe in that!" Looking back down at the floor, the ranger snorted. "You may take me to my prison, human. I will speak no more."

Before Liam could say anything, King Wrynn nodded to the guards. "Return him to his cell, at once." Without pause, he turned on his heel and started for the door. "Come with me now, Knight."

"Yes, Highness." Liam shot one last look at Dar'Talos -- as the guards began to lead him away -- before he swiftly moved to follow King Wrynn out of the cell block.

Outside in the hallway, the King was marching along with swift, jarring steps. "Raiders for Silvermoon's justice . . . against a refugee that has vanished since the raid's end." King Wrynn glanced at Liam. "Did you see this refugee during your actions, during the raid, Knight?"

Liam shook his head, while keeping his face schooled into a passive mask. "No, Sire. If this person was another blood elf, I did not." He glanced back behind them, before asking King Wrynn, "The ranger kept using the word sin'osa, Sire. What does that mean?"

"It's a word a friend told me of once. It means 'blood traitor', in Thalassian." With out pause, King Wrynn pounded up the stairs that led out of the depths. "I've reports from the Marshall of Goldshire that his men are still chasing down stragglers from the raiders that escaped; heading towards Westfall." Upon reaching the guard room, the King stopped and stared hard at Liam. "This disturbs me greatly, Sir Liam. No matter what this refugee has done, I cannot allow neither a renegade Sin'dorei nor the justice-seekers from their people to run rampant over Alliance lands."

"I understand, my King." Liam's mind was working like gears of a whirling Gnomish device. The raiders were after Lady Freaja . . . that much is clear to me now. But, what crime could she have committed to demand such action from her own people?

"You swear that you saw no lone blood elf in Goldshire, nor anywhere prior to your arrival there, or your actions during the raid?"

Again, Liam kept his face placid. "No, my King. None that I could say that weren't already a part of the Rangers that attacked the village."

King Wrynn studied his face for a few moments, then he nodded. "I believe you, Sir Liam. As it stands, however, I want you to remain vigilant if you remain in Stormwind. I have a feeling that, for your actions against the raiders, their fellows that escaped will possibly seek you out in retaliation."

"I shall remain vigilant, my King."

Nodding, King Wrynn said, "Good. In the mean time, I must return to my duties. We are in preparations to assemble a force to head northwards. I may have need to call on you and other members of your Order, before the week is out."

Liam arched his eyebrows. "Northwards, Highness?"

King Wrynn nodded. "Not long ago, we were attacked by Scourge strikers; right on the slopes of the city that leads to Stormwind Harbor . . . the Lich King himself has declared that he will be taking action against the Alliance and the Horde, and that strike was merely a taste of what is to come." Frowning, King Wrynn said. "I will not sit here and wait for his armies to come to Stormwind. My advisors and I are preparing for an expedition to Northrend. I will take the fight to Arthas, and make certain the Scourge will never threaten my people again."

Liam nodded, before saluting. "If you call for me, my arms and sword shall be readied for You, and for Stormwind, my King."

King Wrynn nodded, smiling grimly. "Good, that call may come sooner than you might think, Sir Liam." Returning his salute, Wrynn said, "I can always count on good, honest men like yourself. You are dismissed." With that, the King turned and left the guard room, leaving Liam alone.

Watching King Wrynn depart, Liam sighed and shook his head. I pray to the Light for forgiveness for my small deceptions, My King . . . as I pray for the wisdom to learn just what I have involved myself with, protecting Lady Freaja?

.
.

-==- To Be Continued... -==-