There was no better way to know he had been told the truth than by testing the theory, himself. Leaving Darnassus to return to the Crusade was the perfect way in which to check, as well. He could always fly back into Northrend. His front lines wouldn't stop him. But, it gave him an opportunity and insight to test the way the Crusade claimed to have gotten in. This was, of course, a portal into Dalaran. Or, rather, to the ruins of the city. So, this is what Drakkon had done. It was both a relief and an annoyance that it worked. A relief that he had been told the truth, and understood it, But an annoyance with the simplicity of it. By this realization, anyone could get into Northrend. He assumed the Crusade had a strict watch on the matter, since no one appeared to be doing so, but the possibility of it was still there.
The rubble of the city, itself, was dangerous. The mage portals seemed to be specified to one certain area. This area was wedged in the large tree of Crystalsong Forest, along with many other broken, heavy pieces of the city caught above and below it. It looked as though, at any given moment, any of the pieces could break through the limbs of the tree and cause a catastrophic domino effect for the others. Even as he appeared on the jagged, cracked and broken piece, he heard more snaps and a creak from the branch at his sudden weight. He stayed still quickly, examining the area. Dragons swarmed overhead, and fights raged below, among the ruins on the ground. Some of his own, fighting the demons, phantoms, and tainted wildlife of the region. It was a true mess. No wonder the city hadn't been recovered, yet.
Drakkon took caution as he maneuvered himself through the suspended pieces and over broken and busted branches to reach the slightly safer side of the tree. Luckily, the vast majority of the dragons in the skies were frostwyrms, and the realization that they were aiding the knights and ghouls below told him they were still on the scourge's side. It was simple enough, from there, to call one down to fly him back into Icecrown. Honestly, it made it a mystery how the Crusade managed to make it out of Crystalsong at all. But, that was a question for another time.
He landed a ways away from the Vanguard, just out of their sight, and continued to walk the remaining distance. He knew having them see him riding in on a frostwyrm could prove problematic, and he didn't want to risk it. The sky was getting darker, and the guards would be switching, soon, anyway. Though it was still too dangerous. As he moved back into the camp and towards the area that had been assigned to him, something caught his ear that made him cringe in slight panic. That couldn't be Wolfe's voice, could it? He almost didn't want to turn to see, but he had to be sure. He grit his teeth as he looked over to see his brother talking to a group of the Crusade with a wide grin spread across his features. He looked proud. What had he done? Drakkon started over quickly, instantly angered.
"Excuse us a moment." Drakkon muttered to the Crusade soldiers, snagging Wolfe's long, elven ear with his claw and yanking it to force the paladin after him. Wolfe hissed in pain, grin falling to a grimace as he quickly followed. Once in a secluded enough area, Drakkon released him. "What are you doing here!" He demanded.
"Well I was looking for you!" Wolfe said, rubbing his ear and checking his hand for blood. "But you weren't here. So, I was having a nice, pleasant chat until you decided to try to cut my ear off!"
"Oh, relax, you're fine." Drakkon shot. "Tell me whatever it was you needed to tell me and get out!"
"They've asked me to stay." Wolfe said, proud smirk returning as he crossed his arms. At this, Drakkon twitched slightly, and though struggling greatly to keep from running a sword through the elf's chest.
"What?" He hissed, instead.
"I was talking to.. Oh, what's his name... Thad! Thaddeus Duxar, that's it!" He nodded. "Said I was welcome to join. Why should you be the only one to have fun with this?"
"Fun?" Drakkon scoffed. "What about this seems fun?"
"Oh, honestly. You know it's a bit of a rush, fooling these.. Oh goody." Wolfe trailed, looking to the side. Drakkon was interrupted just as he was about to ask
"Drak?" Solara called, as she noticed him, starting over.
"She's too young for you, knock it off. Drakkon commented, shooting a glare to Wolfe, who was watching Solara as though she was some sort of prey.
"Well if she's too young for me..." Wolfe started, looking to his brother.
"I wasn't going to try anything. You were." Drakkon huffed.
"Right. Forgot for a moment, there, that you're completely backwards, that way."
"What happened, today? You never came back." Solara spoke as she reached the pair, giving Wolfe a quick nod in greeting.
"How old are you?" Wolfe suddenly asked, earning an exasperated look from Drakkon.
"I'm... Nineteen. Who are you?" She asked, surprised by the random inquiry.
"She's nineteen, Drak, I-"
"No." Drakkon interrupted, turning his gaze back to Solara. "There were complications." He said. "It's taken care of." He added, noting the question in her eyes.
"And.. Ok. So, who's this?"
"Wolfe Men-" He was interrupted by a slight growl of protest from Drakkon. "Wolfman.." Wolfe corrected it. "Wolfe for short." He tried. Solara gave a slow, still inquisitive, nod. "I'm Drak's brother." He said with a smile, attempting to sling an arm around Drakkon's shoulders for emphasis. Drakkon, however, avoided it.
"Don't touch me." He grumbled, and Solara looked to him with a raised brow. "It's true... Unfortunately." He sighed, shooting a glare to Wolfe.
"Oh." Solara nodded, turning back to Wolfe with a hand outstretched. "Nice to meet you, Wolfe. I'm Mystique Solara." Wolfe smirked, taking her hand and lifting it to kiss the back.
"The pleasure's all mine, my dear." He said, making Drakkon scoff.
"Knock it off." He ordered.
"So." Solara started, turning back to Drakkon. "Complications?"
"The storm knocked us off our griffins." He clarified.
"Glad to see you're alright, but.. What about Faiyte?"
"She's fine. She went home." At this, Solara nodded.
"Who's Faiyte?" Wolfe asked.
"Our priest." Solara answered. "Well, it's not like we don't have more than one, but she's here the most often, anyway." Wolfe gave a nod in understanding. "Sorry, was I interrupting?" She asked, after noting Drakkon's stress.
"Not at all." Wolfe tried.
"Yes." Drakkon said, bluntly, looking from Wolfe to Solara. She seemed immune to the callousness of the answer, and smiled with a nod.
"Alright. My apologies. I'll let Mortecai know what happened so he doesn't come around asking later." She said, giving the two a nod in departure before leaving them along.
"That was rude." Wolfe muttered.
"It's fine." Drakkon said. "What did you have to come here to tell me?"
" Well, really, mum just wanted me to come make sure you were alright. Oh, and we've heightened security on the citadel." He said, lowering his voice and glancing around a bit. "It should stay fairly safe, for a while." Drakkon nodded, but didn't reply. "You are allowed back there, you know. Things have cooled down."
"And why did Duxar ask you to stay? Why was no one concerned when you came here?"
"Well, I based my story off what you said, in the council, room. About the portals into Dalaran ruins and all. I said you were my brother and I heard they recruited you, here, and I needed to talk to you about important family issues."
"And.. They just asked you to stay?" Drakkon seemed skeptical.
"It's a paladin thing." Wolfe said. "We're trustworthy, Drak."
"If you blow our cover and get us both killed-"
"What makes you think I would do that?" Wolfe asked, acting a bit offended. Drakkon paused with a sigh.
"Because I know you." He said. "For example, you nearly told Solara your real name." At this, he became a bit more tense. "Who else have you talked to? What did you tell Duxar?"
"I haven't said anything incriminating to anyone... Been introducing myself as Wolfe, nothing else, other than saying you were my brother." He took a moment, then gestured to Drakkon's arm. "What happened to you?" He asked, noting the claw marks.
"The dragonflight happened to me." He muttered. "One of them, anyhow." That reminded him of the need to properly repair it, and he started off, calling over his shoulder for Wolfe to behave himself, as he went.
The work on his arm lasted him through the night, and even into the morning. The point of it was that he'd gotten it successfully repaired. He was concerned when he hadn't seen Wolfe since their talk, automatically assuming he'd done something entirely foolish, as he was prone to do. Though, no one appeared to know anything they shouldn't. It wasn't long until the entire settlement was bustling and busy, as the somewhat more permanent members woke. Wolfe, after a while of socializing, wandered his way over to Drakkon.
"They're awfully polite, here, aren't they?" He chuckled. "They aren't all that bad."
"This is exactly why you shouldn't be here." Drakkon muttered, looking up from his work. Once his claw had been repaired, he had begun re-making the potions he had lost. "Don't get too attached to these people. I still plan to destroy this camp, and any others." At this, he returned focus to his potions, and Wolfe sighed.
"Why do you have to be so dismal, constantly? Look at the bright side, they're dwindling the numbers in Northrend that want to kill you, at least."
"They want to kill me, Wolfe." Drakkon said pointedly. "It hardly seems beneficial to keep them around."
"Have you even considered making peace with them?" Wolfe suggested, and Drakkon let out a huff of sarcastic laughter.
"Do you think about the things you say? Or do you just let the words spill out as soon as they manifest?"
"Drak?" Faiyte's voice caused him to look up, again, and Wolfe turned with a raised brow to watch her come over.
"What?" Drakkon asked, continuing to work.
"I thought I should check in, after everything that happened." She said, leaning against the table and lifting a potion to examine it, a bit.
"Don't worry about it. How's the ankle?"
"Much better, sonce I woke up. I can at least walk on it, now."
"Who're you?" Wolfe spoke up.
"Who are you?" Faiyte retaliated, setting the potion back in it's place and looking over to the blood elf.
"Wolfe." He offered.
"Faiyte." She said with a nod.
"Oh, you're Faiyte." Wolfe smiled, and Faiyte's attention immediately shifted back to Drakkon.
"What have you told him?" She asked, sounding slightly concerned.
"Nothing. Solara mentioned you." Drakkon announced.
"What's with the hood?" Wolfe asked suddenly. "Is there something wrong with you?" At this, both Drakkon and Faiyte looked to Wolfe.
"This is exactly what I mean." Drakkon commented. "Think before you talk, idiot."
"What? It's a valid question." Wolfe defended, looking to Faiyte for an answer.
"Yes, I'm actually completely hideous. It tends to be a distraction, so I've learned to hide my face." She said simply, looking back to Drakkon and continuing as though everything was fine. "You seemed upset about it and I just.. My mother doesn't exactly understand boundaries."
"Like I said, it's fine." Drakkon insisted.
"What happened?" Wolfe asked, and Faiyte gave him a quick glance.
"Who is this guy? I haven't seen him in the Crusade."
"This is my imbecile of a brother." Drakkon muttered, and Faiyte gave Wolfe another look.
"He's a blood elf." She said, a bit argumentative.
"Our mother is a blood elf." Wolfe said.
"And.. I take it that means your father is human?"
"More or less." Wolfe nodded.
"I see..."
"It's complicated, from the outside looking in." Wolfe gave a shrug.
"I'd imagine.." She looked between the two again, for a small while. "Alright. I suppose I can see some resemblance."
"Oh, don't be like that!" Wolfe huffed. "I'm handsome, don't say I look like him!" At this, Faiyte looked back to Drakkon.
"That didn't offend you?" She asked, noting his indifference.
"I've dealt with it for years. It's nothing out of the ordinary." He shrugged. "Take some time, get to know him. You'll find out just hot full of himself he is." At this, she gave a slight smirk.
"You're just jealous." Wolfe taunted.
"Not in the slightest." Drakkon argued, finishing the last of his potions and setting them aside. "There is no reason to be jealous of a complete idiot."
"Alright." Faiyte chuckled. "You've convinced me. You're brothers." At this, both Drakkon and Wolfe looked to her. "I've got to go. The Crusade is having another discussion about Dalaran and I want to be there. I just wanted to come make sure everything was alright." She said, giving them a nod in departure before taking her leave.
"So, what did happen?" Wolfe tried.
"Why does it matter?" Drakkon asked.
"Curiosity." He shrugged. "You dissappeared, yesterday, say you got knocked off your griffin to the mage, then tell me you got attacked by a dragon.. Then the priest comes in saying something about her mother and you imply something happened to her ankle.. And you expect me not to ask questions?"
"You know me well enough to know I won't answer them." Drakkon said pointedly.
"I'll find out, eventually." Wolfe said, determined. "So, what are you planning to do about Dalaran?" He asked, noticing a few others as they followed Faiyte's path into one of the larger buildings. "Do they really want it restored that badly?"
"Apparently." Drakkon nodded. "There's nothing to worry about. I've been to the ruins, our forces are strong enough to prevent them from doing anything."
"When were you there?" Wolfe looked back to his brother, raising a brow.
"Last night. I tested the theory of porting into the ruins to get back into Northrend."
"To get back into Northrend?" Wolfe repeated. "Where were you?"
"Again, not answering your questions." Drakkon said. "The city is too damaged from the fall, and there's too many of ours, there, for them to take any action."
"I'm going to go listen in, just in case." Wolfe announced, but he didn't move, as if waiting for Drakkon to protest. Noticing this, Drakkon gestured to the building.
"Go ahead." He said. "It's the first good idea you've had in a while." Wolfe seemed surprised at the agreement, and gave a nod as he started off. As long as he didn't say anything foolish, during the discussion, Drakkon saw no harm in it. Upon this thought, came a bit of regret. It was in Wolfe's nature to say foolish things. Though, it seemed too hypocritical to stop him, at that point. After the way the council meeting at the Citadel had gone.
~Nothing could go worse than that fiasco.~ Kil'sha's voice chuckled, and Drakkon growled, downing one of the potions he'd just finished and stashing another away, on his person. ~You realize, eventually, those potions will cease to work. You'll build up an immunity to them. But, of course, you know that's already started, don't you?~ Drakkon ran a hand over his face, feeling as though he'd like to yell out in anger. Kil'sha was right, which was the most upsetting part. ~You're needing them more often, am I right? In stronger doses? I can't imagine what it must feel like to be tired all the time. Depriving yourself of a full night's rest for more than forty years straight. And the past twelve without so much as a five minute nap.~ Kil'sha continued. ~What if I agreed to let you sleep for an hour, uninterrupted?~ He suggested.
"As if I would believe you." Drakkon muttered.
~Oh, Drakkonus, that hurts. Why don't you trust me?~ He cackled. ~What have I ever done to you?~ The laughing became more hysterical, and Drakkon sighed heavily. He needed to figure out how to deal with this particular situation. Kil'sha's haunting voice was becoming quite the nuisance. He drank another potion, then moved to his usual perch atop the tall wall surrounding the Vanguard to think. His eyes found the looming silhouette of the citadel in the distance. He hoped the specks he saw flying around it were frostwyrms of their own, and not the dragonflight.
~Go back for a little visit, boy. I'm sure they'd be glad to see you.~ Kil'sha taunted, and Drakkon looked away. As if the sight of the citadel was provoking it. ~Do you think Wolfe was telling the truth? That you're actually welcome back there? I can't imagine it, after your mishap. How delicious would it be if your own father was using it as a trap?~ He laughed. ~Lure you back to the citadel so the others could do you in and get rid of you? It certainly would be better for everyone else, wouldn't it?~
"Only in your twisted logic would that happen." Drakkon retorted.
~Are you sure of that? Remember, boy, I'm in your head. I know your true thoughts, even if you try not to voice them.~
"You know nothing about me." Drakkon argued.
~I know everything about you.~He said, drawing out the word. ~Everything you keep hidden. All your thoughts, wants.. Your fears.~ He chuckled. ~You can't hide anything from me, now. I know you would rather risk your own life, staying here, than go back to the citadel to face everyone you let down. I know you're afraid of what else could go wrong. I know you don't really think Wolfe's boasts about peace are stupid. Because I know you want to believe it. That someday it doesn't have to be as difficult as it is, right now.~ Kil'sha listed. ~I know your best and worst memories, and I could pull then to the surface at my leisure.~ As he said it, brief flashes of the citadel's dungeons, Kil'sha with Nyteshayde at his feet, and the pain he caused her, raced through his mind with relentless vividness. Drakkon flinched. ~I'm fairly sure I could allow you in on some of my memories, as well. Do you ever wonder what happened before you came down there?~ The next few flashes of memory weren't him, they were Kil'sha's. At the sight of it, Drakkon couldn't help the angered snarl that escaped him.
"Drak, you alright?" He hadn't even noticed Faiyte come onto the wall with him. He gave an attempt to speak, but the visions wouldn't stop, and Kil'sha's evil laughter racked his mind. Drakkon moved quickly as he remembered something. He snatched Faiyte's hand, who froze slightly at the action. Again, the contact caused Kil'sha to roar in pain, and the sights in his head finally ceased. It was calm, again. "Drak?" Faiyte asked quietly, confused, as Drakkon released her hand and rested back against the pillar, struggling to compose himself and maintain whatever shred of sanity he had left.
"Trust me, I'd explain if I could." He offered, then cleared his throat. He sounded shaken. He was. But he certainly didn't want to sound like it.
"You.." She faltered, shifting herself to sit and watch him curiously. "Why can't you? There's clearly something going on with you."
"I don't want to talk about it." He said.
"If you ever do.." She offered.
"I think I liked it better when you hated me." He said, looking to her. She smirked.
"Who ever said I stopped hating you?" She chuckled.
"Is the meeting over, already?" He asked.
"It's been an hour." She announced. "Everyone said what they needed to say."
"And?"
"I think I knew from the start it wasn't going to get anywhere. It never does.. I mean, I've been on every scouting mission to Crystalsong forest. The situation, there, only ever gets worse." Her smile faltered. "A girl can hope." She shrugged, looking away, to the skies. To where Dalaran City used to float.
"Why does it matter?" He asked. "If it can still be used to get into Northrend." He had to try, quite hard, in fact, to make it sound like he thought that was a good thing.
"It's the principle pf it." She replied, still watching the empty space in the sky for a moment, before looking back to Drakkon. "Dalaran was a treasure to everyone. It was a place that had everything you could need, where everyone got along. It was a place of peace and structure and understanding.." She trailed, looking back to it. "I lived there, for a while. I was practically raised, there." That was an uncharacteristically personal bit of information. "I'm just grateful my mother and I weren't there when it fell. My father wasn't as lucky, though."
"I'm sorry." He was a bit surprised at himself, for the genuine statement. It was, after all, his fault. She looked over to him, offering a smile.
"Thank you. It was twelve years ago, and I really just barely knew him, but he was still my father." She shrugged, looking down into the camp. "He was in the Crusade. I figured, maybe I could finally do something that would have made him proud by joining it, myself. It's a pity, that I didn't quite realize how important he was to me until I lost him. If i'd realized that sooner, I might have tried harder, or actually listened to him about things I should have done. It could have prevented a lot of grief in, in my life, if I had. He was right about everything, all along." She seemed, all at once, to realize what she was saying, and who she was saying it to, looking to Drakkon in a bit of shock. "I'm sorry.." She said. "It's.. Because of Dalaran. I didn't mean to go on like that." She didn't react the way Drakkon had expected. If it were him, he would have been angry at letting out all that personal information. Faiyte's apology seemed solely based on her own thoughts that listening to her was an annoyance to him.
"It's alright." He assured, and she seemed a bit relieved.
"You aren't entirely terrible, after all. You know that?" She smiled.
"See, it's statements like those that give the impression you've stopped hating me." He announced.
"Don't flatter yourself. I still hate you." She chuckled. "Your blood elf brother was looking for you, by the way. That's why I came up here." He gave a nod, then jumped from the ledge without another word.
"What did you want?" Drakkon asked, approaching Wolfe. The paladin gave a glance around, making sure they were secluded enough.
"They decided it was too dangerous. They said it's a lost cause." He announced with a smile. Drakkon gave a nod, glancing back to the wall where Faiyte still sat.
"The Crusade trusts you, right? Because you're a paladin?" He asked, watching the priest a bit before looking back to Wolfe. He nodded. "And they'll let you go off on your own, if you want? Without an escort?" Another nod. "Go pull our forces out of Crystalsong. Tell them to keep away from now on."
"What? But-" Wolfe began.
"Don't argue with me. It's an order." Drakkon said. Wolfe hesitated, then gave a slight nod before walking off. Drakkon waited, remaining at his usual station, until he noticed Wolfe return. He glanced around a bit before he spotted Drakkon and started over.
"Alright, it's done. I told them that Crystalsong is secure enough and doesn't need further guarding. Told them to help guard the citadel."
"Go convince Duxar to send out another scouting mission." Drakkon instructed.
"You do realize what you're doing, right? They'll raise Dalaran, again." Wolfe tried.
"That would be the point of it." Drakkon nodded.
"Well, if you're trying to be the good guy, here, why don't you have them re-scout the area."
"I'm not trying to be the good guy. And they're more apt to listen to you than me."
"So... If you aren't trying to be the good guy..." Wolfe was clearly confused. "What, do you plan to have them raise the city, again, get everyone there, then take it down again?" He guessed, and Drakkon sighed.
"No, Wolfe, just do as I say." He insisted, waving him off.
