Authors Notes: no reviews in awhile please let me know if there is anything I can do to improve my storytelling.

Disclaimer: As usual I don't own Blizzard


Chapter 9 - Turbulence

They walked past the inn together and Lylianna stopped him with laying a hand on his arm. "Where are you going commander?"

"You're not staying at the inn Lylianna, do you think I'm nuts. It's far too dangerous for a woman there alone, not to mention in the condition you're in." He tried to reassure her "Give it a few months and I'll have you able to whip any of them with one hand behind your back...but for now let's just take the safe choice."

She had started to get angry until he added the last part "So then where are we going?"

"Awfully chatty now aren't we all of the sudden?" he teased her. He was glad to see her mood improving and the defiant sparkle back in her eye. He didn't like seeing her sitting there looking broken and defeated and refused to investigate why.

"So sorry Commander if I don't look up at you with doe eyes, bat my lashes and simper at every word you say." She answered him sharply regretting it almost immediately. He stopped and turned around to face her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that every woman for some unknown reason treats you like you are some sort of god. It's sickening no wonder a woman who doesn't bend to your whim is an annoyance." She answered him honestly.

He threw his hands up in frustration speaking to no one in particular "Of course I take time from my night, to help you after you managed to get into a situation which I am sure is not rare, and I get yelled at?" He asked in disbelief. "Why is it that you and I can't go more than a few minutes without arguing?"

"I don't know honestly. Just personalities that clash I suppose." She looked contrite, after she had been the one to pick the fight. "Could you please tell me where we are going?"

"Better, Lylianna you are learning." He sideswiped a hit he had anticipated "We are going to my home not far from here." he laughed at her weak attempt to hit him. He failed to notice his words had stopped her in her tracks, in fact she had now turned and began walking the other way.

"What do you think you are doing?" he yelled once he noticed her walking, or rather trying to walk back the way they came. She was still drunk and swayed dangerously back and forth, threatening to go over at any point.

"I may be naive and I may be new to the city but I am certainly not stupid" She yelled back

"What's that supposed to mean?" he ran to catch up with her

"Hmm, let's see shall we? Taking me back alone and intoxicated back your house. That's what all the nice words were about! I should've known you men are all the same. I liked you better before I thought you were a jackass but at least you were honest!" She announced not caring in the least that she had just called her trainer and superior a jackass.

He had reached her and stopped her mad march back, by grasping her shoulders and turning her to face him. "First of all Lylianna, I don't seduce drunken woman. I don't need to!" He yelled at her not caring who heard him. "Secondly I don't plan to be there tonight with you, Ella has kindly extended an invitation I am more than willing to take her up on. My taste," he glanced down her body distastefully "runs a little more bawdy ,a whole lot less innocent, and just a whole lot..." he raked his gaze over her again clearly finding her wanting " ...more"


They both knew it was coming before it happened yet they were both still startled by the crack as her open palm met his fist. There was no way he could have expected to speak to a woman that way and not get slapped regardless of their rank. They stood there seemingly frozen in time. His hand touched his cheek as she gaped at him in open mouthed disbelief.

Without a word he scooped her up and over his shoulder. With purposeful strides he walked back towards his cottage. She pounded on his back furiously kicking as well yelling at him to put her down. Neither the blows nor the yelling seemed to even faze him.

"Drake I mean it put me down nooooowwww!" she screamed loudly in his ear. But he continued forward propelled by anger he moved at a furious pace reaching the cottage he owned faster than he ever had. Terrified now she held onto dear life, knowing she had pushed him too far. She saw the cottage and renewed her struggle Elune only knew what he had planned for her. If she could have seen the mask of rage his face had become she would have confirmed a good reason to be afraid.

He opened the door with one solid kick and moved to the back of the house still not slowing. He reached the kitchen, paused for a moment and turned into a small room off to the left. He let go of her suddenly letting her fall. One second Lylianna was over his shoulders the next she was sitting face down in a washtub full of freezing water. He had thrown her in a washtub!

Without a word he walked out of the cottage slamming the door behind him leaving Lylianna still sitting up to her neck in the freezing cold and dirty clothes water. She sat there a moment while it registered what had happened and then began to laugh. She laughed so hard tears began to stream down her face and she began to hiccup. She laughed for a good five minutes before she realized she was still sitting in the water.

She got out as gingerly as possible feeling reasonably sober now. She was not going to apologize to him, she simply refused. She would never had hit him if he hadn't have been so insulting. An insidious thought began to creep into her mind, did she hit him because he was acting like a pig the way he looked her up and down...or because he found her lacking?

Lylianna didn't put much stock in looks but from the compliments and appreciative glance she had received since arriving she was sure didn't deserve the look he gave her. So why did it bother her that he had? What did it matter if her jerk of a trainer thought her looks were lacking in some way?

Suddenly too weary to care she looked around his house for something to dry herself with. She found a soft towel in the bathroom and dried herself off. Not seeing anywhere to discard the wet towel wrapped it around her herself and went in search of some dry clothing.


Drake entered the Inn seething. How could he have possibly thought she was any different than the other beautiful women he had ever met. For one moment he had lowered his guard with her allowed himself to enjoy her presence only to find himself on the receiving end of a sharp tongue.

He stalked into the common room of the Inn eyes scanning for his busty barmaid. There were no complications with Ella. She was always up for a little fun without recriminations or attachments and that was what he wanted. He pushed the niggling voice that taunted him with the protective urges he felt towards his new student.

Ella was serving a group of rambunctious soldiers who had quieted some at the sight of Drake staring intently in their direction. Looking up for the cause , Ella turned and smiled when she saw Drake. He was the handsomest man she had ever seen ,each time taking her breath away with his intensity. He looked more savage than she had ever seen and guessed that she would soothe the raging beast in him tonight. Whatever had happened when he had run out of the inn after the red head earlier was none of her business. She would take care of him as long as he needed her and then move on to the next handsome soldier or farmer, she wasn't picky. Besides there were none that compared to her lush figure and she knew it.

She walked over to him intending to calm him in the only way she knew how. She was startled when he moved past her to the bar!

Drake had fully intended to take Ella upstairs and not leave until they were both exhausted and sated but for some reason he couldn't . Suddenly her hair was too golden, he smile to easy and her figure too lush. Instead he walked past her to the bar and order himself a bourbon which he took in one gulp. He welcomed the sensation as it burned it's way down his throat and ordered another..

"Don't you want to take it a little slower than that Drake?" He heard a sweet voice behind him

"Not now Ella." He replied not bothering to look at her

"Is there some reason you intend to drink yourself into oblivion?" She teased him. He slammed the glass down rattling the other patrons glasses who mumbled protests before seeing his face.

"I said not now!" He repeated and gestured his for his glass to be refilled.

"Alright Drake that's enough." she tried to pry the glass from his hand and he pushed her away. One of the braver soldiers seemed to take exception to the treatment of their favorite lusty barmaid and worked up the courage to intercede.

"I think you should apologize to the lady." he told Drake puffing himself up. Drake turned and stared at him. The stormy look on his face telling him he had clearly made a mistake. Not wanting to back down in front of Ella or his crew he took a deep breath and continued "You should apologize and then leave."

Drake sighed as he looked at the young soldier so like himself what seemed years ago. He was full of passion and vigor and most of all honor. "Do you really want to do this?" he spoke through clenched teeth.

The boy backed off a bit but remained defiant "We won't have to do anything if you apologize and leave." He stood firm, no one but Drake could see how his knees shook. Drake moved off the bar stool to stand over the boy dwarfing him. If he couldn't work off his anger with Ella and apparently he couldn't drink it away the boy gave him a way to do what he knew best ....fight.


Lylianna found Drakes bedroom easily, it was a small cottage with the basic amenities. She hated snooping but he had left her no choice. She opened his wardrobe and grabbed a soft looking linen shirt. The man's clothing was all black, how fitting, she thought to match his heart. She removed the towel and slipped into the shirt. Discarding her wet towel and clothing on the floor. Serves him right, she hadn't said anything done anything too terrible and he had dumped her in a washtub!

Had it been anyone else she would have enjoyed the sight of her open mouthed astonishment as he walked away saying nothing. Actually she had enjoyed it laughing a good deal after he left until their earlier words and the events proceeding them came back to her.

Honestly she couldn't think of a good reason she to bait him as she had done, and she knew she had definitely baited him. He just infuriated her so much , one minute cursing her the other washing her face after she was sick. She curled up under his covers, if he didn't plan to sleep here and his departure left her with no doubt of that, then she would take full advantage of the warm soft bed. Her last thought before she drifted off was that poor Rowena had no idea where she was and that she was safe.


Drake surveyed the damage to the Inn, not so bad , not like when he was younger and he and Baldric would tear up a place in a matter of minutes. Still he had done some considerable damage to his favorite get away. He walked to the innkeeper who had hidden behind the bar when the ruckus began. He handed the shaking man far more gold than it would take to repair the damage, then went to look for the soldier who started the fight.

He found him passed out under a table a short distance from where his buddies landed. He woke him and helped him to his feet "Not too bad cadet." He clapped his arm around the boys shoulder "Just next time know your enemy before charging in." He gestured to the group laying under the table still. "Now wake up your friends and I will buy you all a few drinks." he told the astonished soldier." You've given me a better fight than I have had in a long time." Not entirely true but he pushed the thought aside.

Ella came out of the back room "satisfied with yourself?"

He had the grace to look mildly sheepish " Not entirely but it'll do." He answered flashing her a charming smile. The was really unbelievable he had demolished the entire bar and he stood there smiling as if he won a prize

"I suppose it's not the kind of work out I would have preferred but as long as you've gotten whatever it was out of your system you can stay."

He put his arm around her and hugged her good naturedly "you're a good woman Ella"

"That's what they all say." She laughed saucily and winked then walked to the her sad looking champion "Come on soldier , what say I give you a better reward than this lout offered." his downtrodden expression quickly lifted as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stairs of the Inn.

Drake laughed at the boys giddy expression, Ella really was a good woman. They were halfway to the stairs when the door to the Inn was slammed open and a distraught looking Night elf entered.

"I am looking for my fiancée who has gone missing, her housekeeper informed me she didn't return last night. They last place she was seen was here in the company of a Paladin Baldric Westbridge a known philander."


This Chapter was actually part of Chapter 9 until I realized how long it had become so I had to split them apart