Author's Note:
Hi everyone! Just so you know, writer's block sucks. Three weeks I've spent trying to write this chapter, with virtually nothing! It took going on a business trip for my block to come crumbling down, for the most part! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The trial went on. One after the other, witnesses from every race came forward in order to give their testimony about the atrocities Garrosh had committed. Some people broke down on the stand. Others looked shocked, just recovering from horrific wounds, as was the case for a young female troll who was just barely out of her teens. Faith recognized the post-traumatic symptoms in most of the speakers.
Throughout it, Garrosh remained indifferent, seemingly not caring about what was going on around him. He had apparently mentioned once, to Prince Anduin, that he didn't fear death itself. What he didn't want was an execution, a death where he would have no chance to fight.
Sylvanas had looked ready to spit fire when she'd heard that. It had taken the longer part of an hour for Faith to calm her down.
They were back at Windrunner Spire, waiting once again for Vereesa. Faith had returned there on her own, merely to get rid of the body in Sylvanas' wardrobe and to use a bit of magic to tidy up the place. She couldn't bear to see it in ruin any longer.
"You know we're never going to live here again, right?" Sylvanas asked her gently, smoothing her hair back and kissing her neck.
Faith closed her eyes, "I know, love. I just don't want this place to fall to ruin completely. It's a part of you. I fell in love with you here." She took Sylvanas' hand and walked a few steps down the beach until they reached a skeletal bush whose leaves had long since stropped growing. "I was hiding right here, and you were riding down the beach."
Sylvanas smiled, having heard the story so many times she could have recited it on her own. "If it means that much to you, I won't stand in your way, but Windrunner Spire is gone, honey. The memories we made here remain in your heart."
"You are my heart," whispered Faith, so emotional that she could barely get the words out. She looked up at her, and Sylvanas looked back. The kiss they shared was natural, right, their mouths fitting together so perfectly that for a moment, they forgot everything else around them, lost in each other.
"It can't be healthy for two people to kiss as often as you do," came a voice. "How do you have time for anything else?"
Faith chuckled into the kiss, pulling away from Sylvanas to find Vereesa looking at them. "Oh, if only you knew."
"I do know. I saw you more than once at the Temple, not to mention several other times. You're like… glued at the lips or something."
"We have to make up for the years we wanted to be together but were too scared to do anything about it," said Sylvanas.
Vereesa shook her head, "Oh, is that why you're always making out? You're like teenagers!"
It was Sylvanas' turn to chuckle. "Faith and I are both happy that we didn't spend our teenaged years together. Imagine, if you will, what it would have been like for the two of us if we'd actually grown up together."
"No, no… you would have had sex during your every waking moment, and I don't want to think about that."
"I like that idea," whispered Faith to Sylvanas, who laughed softly.
"Stop it," she said. "I won't be able to turn you off for hours." She grew serious and looked at Vereesa, "What have you found out?"
"I know what meals Garrosh has been getting. It was easier than I thought."
"How so?" wondered Faith.
"Oh, I told the cooks that the boys were interested in pandaren food."
Faith smiled, "You should get them to try some. I don't think they'll eat anything else. Smelling and seeing that food made me wish I was alive again, just to be able to taste it."
Vereesa nodded, "Anyway, they've allowed me access to the kitchens. They make pastries for Garrosh's breakfast."
"That won't do," said Sylvanas in a quiet voice. "We'd have to poison the grain beforehand."
"Poisoned grain," mused Faith. "Taking a leaf out of Ner'zhul's playbook?"
Sylvanas glanced at her, but otherwise ignored her comment. "What else?"
"I think his dinner will be our best bet," said Vereesa. "It varies from day to day. There is rice noodles with fish, some sort of stew, and green curry."
"You're going to have to learn how to make these dishes," Sylvanas told her. "I haven't eaten in so long I wouldn't be able to help with that."
"I'll have to be careful. I noticed that his guards are eating the same thing he does. I'll have to just poison his meal, so that I don't kill the guards as well."
Sylvanas blinked once, "Pardon?"
"I don't want to kill the pandaren guards."
"It matters not who dies as long as Garrosh does."
"Sylvanas," said Faith. "We cannot kill pandaren guards. Think about it for a moment. If we just kill Garrosh, not many people will question it. But if we kill pandaren guards, you can bet that Taran Zhu will personally look into it. And you two would already be the prime suspects in Garrosh's assassination."
"We're not the only ones who want him dead."
Faith chuckled without much humor, "Poison is a woman's weapon. More to the point, it's a Forsaken weapon. Garrosh killed me. He killed Rhonin. Tell me who they're going to suspect if not the two of you?"
"Jaina," said Vereesa. "And she agrees with this plan."
"You told Jaina about this?" asked Sylvanas, alarmed.
"No. But she wants him dead just as much as we do. Faith is right, though. Killing the pandaren guards is a bad idea."
Sylvanas ruminated on this point. Finally, she nodded, forcing herself not to roll her eyes, "All right. You'll have to be stealthy while you're in the kitchens."
"Don't worry. You're not the only one who knows how to sneak around." She looked at Sylvanas, her face betraying a hint of shyness, "I'm glad we are working together, my sister."
"So am I, Little Moon, so am I."
Vereesa made as though to hug Sylvanas, then thought better of it, simply offering a small smile before she left the beach to return to her hippogryph. Faith watched her go for a moment, then turned her head towards Sylvanas again, joining her as she sat on the beach.
"You've missed her."
Sylvanas glanced at her, "What?"
"Vereesa. You've missed her, all these years you've been apart."
"What are you talking about?"
"She's your sister, Sylvanas. Your family." Faith took her hand, "And you've missed her more than you care to admit. You won't even admit it to me, and I thought we were supposed to tell each other everything."
"Not everything… I have to keep some secrets from you, don't I? You keep some from me to keep me interested."
"Maybe, but not those kinds of secrets. It's okay to miss her, you know. It's okay that you want to have her with you again. She's your sister," repeated Faith. "I would give almost anything to have my siblings with me again."
"You have Taegan."
"As a shade. That's not the same, and I haven't seen him in a while, actually. Where's he been roaming?"
"Around Tirisfal Glades, I think. He only comes into the Undercity when you're around, and even then, he doesn't show himself."
"Why ever not?"
"He knows how much pain it causes you when you see him like that, because it reminds you of what happened."
"I'm reminded of what happened every time I look at you, Sylvanas. Seeing Taegan won't change that or make things worse."
"It's how he feels, baby," said Sylvanas gently.
"It's not really relevant to our conversation. Why are you afraid to admit that you miss Vereesa? That you miss Alleria? And Lirath?"
Sylvanas' gaze hardened, and she suddenly got to her feet, "Is that what you think? That I'm afraid to admit to something? I'm not afraid to revisit the past, but I don't believe in us trying to recreate it."
"Sylvanas –."
"No. I know you want me alive, Faith, and there are days when I would give up my very life if it could bring you back your own. But you and I didn't exist together back then. We were apart. We only kissed once, and that was the day I died."
"I know that."
"Good. Because, I don't know about you, but I really don't want to go back to a time when you and I needed each other so badly we nearly exploded from it."
Getting up as well, Faith brushed sand from her legs and went to wrap her arms around her lover. "Was it more exciting for you? Wanting me but not being able to have me?"
"Sexually, you mean? Sometimes, yes. But mostly seeing you made me want to crawl out of my skin." Everything had felt wrong back then, when she'd denied herself the simple pleasure of being with Faith. She turned around, catching Faith unawares and kissing her thoroughly. "I wanted you so badly. And I still do. Every day."
"Every day?" repeated Faith, stunned by Sylvanas' kiss. "Even now?"
"Especially now." She pulled her girl closer, "You consume my every waking moment."
"You don't sleep…" remarked Faith, her eyes flicking down to Sylvanas' lips.
"Therein lies the problem. If I weren't so busy with Undercity matters, I think I'd do little else than be with you in every possible way."
Faith smiled, intertwining her fingers with her lover's, "Let's go home. You can tell me exactly how that problem came to be."
A soft laugh, "All right."
"We're late," grumbled Sylvanas.
"You're the one who wanted to make love on the roofs of Lordaeron," said Faith, trying not to laugh.
"Seemed like a good idea at the time," said Sylvanas, embarrassed by the way she had reacted when she and Faith had made love. "I didn't expect things to get so… heated."
This time, Faith did laugh, burying her face in Sylvanas' shoulder. "You didn't expect things to get heated between us, when we sometimes have trouble keeping our hands off each other?"
"Be quiet." Sylvanas' voice was harsher than she'd intended it to be. After all, Faith had done exactly as she'd asked, and then some. "You know I hate losing control like that."
Faith shook her head, still smiling, "Love, you may have failed to notice that hardly anybody hears you when you're with me. And those who do really don't care. You're their queen, and you're taking pleasure from your lover." She kissed the back of Sylvanas' ear, "It's nothing to be ashamed about."
Sylvanas didn't answer, but remained tense. As incredible as it seemed, she felt as though she needed Faith again. She had come twice earlier, her muscles quivering wetly around Faith's fingers. She had nearly shrieked out her release, barely managing to keep it in, but still releasing some kind of strangled sob. Her body had convulsed. A tear had trickled down her cheek as she'd come down from that otherworldly climax.
"Are you okay?" whispered Faith as Ivory glided leisurely over the Dead Scar.
"Fine," snapped Sylvanas.
Faith blinked, a little hurt by Sylvanas' brusque response. She said nothing else, leaning back into the saddle until the two of them no longer touched. Sylvanas didn't seem to notice, merely guiding Ivory towards the beach, where they could see a lone figure pacing on the sand.
"There you are," said Vereesa as they touched down. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."
"Sorry about that," Sylvanas told her, hugging her quickly. "We got momentarily sidetracked."
Faith moved away from them, walking down the beach a little.
Going somewhere?
Not answering, Faith moved further away until she reached the outskirts of Windrunner Village. It was empty, but Faith could see the remnants of webbing that indicated that spiders or nerubians had been there. She touched one of the webs.
It was fresh, and the way it was cold to the touch told her that it wasn't ordinary spider webbing. She pulled out her spellblade, which glowed like fire in the gloom.
The attack came from her left. The nerubian was young, and very strong. Taller than her by several inches, it pounced. Faith gave a cry that resonated throughout the woods, and leapt out of way, casting a spell as she did so.
The Nerubian countered her spell with magic of its own, and advanced on her, scuttling on its many legs.
An arrow flew through the air, hitting the creature in the eye. Howling in pain, it receded for an instant, turning its body towards the new threat.
Sylvanas and Vereesa burst into the village. Neither of them had time to say anything as the nerubian attacked again, trying to go for Sylvanas. But Faith got there first, taking a running leap and landing on its back. Burying her spellblade in one of its shoulders, she called forth her black fire, which immediately began to consume it. It collapsed, and Faith deftly somersaulted through the air, landing in front of Sylvanas, who simply stared at her.
"Are you all right?" Vereesa asked her.
"Just fine, thank you. It took me by surprise, that's all."
"I didn't think there were any of those things still left around here," said Sylvanas. "I wonder where it came from."
Faith shrugged, "Nerubians probably laid their eggs all over the place. This one might have been a couple of years old, but I don't think it was under the command of the Scourge. Maybe I just startled it."
"Scourge or not, we can't let the village become a haven for nerubians," said Vereesa.
"We'll ask Tranquillen o send a patrol here to check things out," promised Sylvanas. She put an arm around Faith, "This is why I don't like you wandering away from me."
Faith looked at her, orange eyes wide, "Are you done being mad at me?"
"I'm not mad at you. You'd know if I were mad at you. Come on."
Slowly, they walked back towards Windrunner Spire. Sylvanas bent down to pick up a dark red flower that was growing just at the shoreline where the sand met the grass. Nightblood it was called, and tended to flower where a lot of bloodshed had taken place. Its petals were velvety smooth and came from its black center in nine spikes. Stopping for a moment, she threaded the flower in Faith's hair before kissing her gently.
Faith looked at her, "Apology accepted," she said softly.
"Were you two fighting?" wondered Vereesa.
"No," said Sylvanas. "I was fighting. Faith was just reacting to the fact that I was a bitch."
"You're not a bitch," said Faith in a low voice.
"Yes I am. Not to you, usually."
Faith shook her head and looked ta Vereesa, "Do you have anything new?"
"Before we heard you scream, I told Sylvanas that I had learned how to make green curry. I tried it at home, and it's actually quite good. The boys liked it."
"She also said that we don't necessarily need to poison the curry itself, just the fruit that comes with it," said Sylvanas, quickly explaining what she and Vereesa had talked about. "It's brilliant."
"We'll be able to execute the plan soon… even if Jaina seems to have had a change of heart."
"You must keep her heart dark, Sister," said Sylvanas. "We can't afford to have anybody against us when we do this."
"I'll work on her…" she said. She sat down, picking more Nightblood that grew at the base of the Spire, "Sylvanas?"
"Yes?"
"Do you…" Vereesa swallowed. "Do you think I could come live with you?"
"Live with us?" asked Sylvanas, sounding perplexed. "What do you mean?"
"I…" she thought for a moment. "I don't have a lot left in the Alliance. There's no point in staying there." She looked up at Sylvanas, "We were family once. We can be family again, the two of us."
Sylvanas looked at her silently, not knowing what to say. She glanced at Faith.
"You're family too, Faith," Vereesa told her. "Even if you're not married to my stubborn sister, you carry the Windrunner name in your heart."
"She's right, you know," said Sylvanas, wishing she had been the one to utter that statement.
Faith nodded, not knowing what to say. All she could do was lean against her lover, feeling too many things that she couldn't put into words. Sylvanas scratched her back lightly before looking back at Vereesa.
"You want to live with us? In Undercity?"
Vereesa nodded, "I miss you."
"I've missed you too, Sister…" Sylvanas' voice shook for the briefest of moments causing Faith to place a soft kiss on her cheek.
"So, what do you say?"
Sylvanas didn't know what to think. Vereesa wanted to come live in Undercity with her and Faith? It didn't make sense… and yet it did.
"What about the Alliance?" Faith asked her.
"They don't understand…"
Faith made to protest, but Sylvanas gave her a gentle mental nudge. She cleared her throat, "If you want to come live in Undercity, I see no objections. I love you like my own sister, Vereesa."
Sylvanas smiled, "I think you know how I feel, Little Moon."
Vereesa smiled back at her sister, "I guess I'll be able to move in after the trial, if that's all right."
"That would be fine," Sylvanas told her. She took a few steps and embraced her sister.
"I love you, Sylvanas."
Oh… nobody but Faith had told her that since she had died. She felt her heart opening to her sister, loving her more at that moment than she thought she ever had in life.
"The court recognizes Lady Jaina Proudmoore."
Faith felt herself tensing as she watched Jaina taking a seat on the witness chair. She knew what they would see, and she was in no mood for it. Her eyes sought out Sylvanas, and she found her queen looking at her intently.
We can leave if you want to.
She shook her head. No, she wouldn't leave the trial now. She had already relived her death, and she had managed it, so she knew she'd be able to sit through this. She just wished that Sylvanas were sitting close to her. She wanted – needed –to touch her.
It was brutal, listening to Tyrande questioning Jaina on what had happened in Theramore. But what was worse was seeing exactly how things had unfolded, how Rhonin had sacrificed his life to save as many people as he could.
Feeling sick, she tried to look away as, in the vision, Jaina touched her apprentice, Kinndy Sparkshine, who had been turned into a mass of violet dust by the mana bomb. Vision Jaina screamed as Kinndy disintegrated before her. Faith winced, focusing her thoughts on Sylvanas' voice in her mind.
It's going to be okay.
