A/N: Hello, lovelies. So, I wanted to pause and address a few points made in a guest review, since I am unable to message them privately to clarify.
First of all, in my initial author's note, I had addressed making some lore changes. I know that Jarod is younger than Maiev, but liked the idea of her having an older, protective brother, so I flipped that around.
Second of all, if you go on the wow wiki for Maiev, the picture posted there shows her with pink hair, which is where I drew the inspiration for that.
Finally, the point of this story is that everyone is basically a child. They're young, and the events of WotA are what shaped each of the characters into who they eventually become after the war. Illidan might have been slightly more brooding, but he was nowhere near who we see in Warcraft 3 or Burning Crusade at this point, because he didn't have years of imprisonment and bitterness towards everyone to drive his motivation. The Maiev we are used to may be cold and ruthless and very strong as a female character, but no girl starts off like that. There are things they go through that cause them to close themselves off to others and to the emotions they perceive as weakness.
Another point I would like to make. Although, as I stated, I have not read the Knaak trilogy, I am familiar with the basic concept. The characters in the book go back in time and, I believe, alter the events of WotA, correct? Therefore, it's hard to really say what happened before it was altered. Just something I thought about, anyway.
That all being said, I thank you for your continued interest in my story. More chapters to come in the near future. Send me more reviews, yeah? I have no problems explaining my decisions to change anything from the original lore provided to us by Blizzard.
nine
Malfurion wasn't really all that surprised to find the house dark and empty when he came home. Since his return, he had been occupying his time practicing all the skills Cenarius had passed onto him. As such, he was fairly busy most of the time. And it seemed that Illidan was almost never around anymore either, though Malfurion wasn't entirely sure what his brother was doing that kept him away so often.
The moon trickling in through the windows was his only offering of light as he stepped inside and made his way towards the dining area, but for the night elves the moon had always been enough. If he was being honest with himself, the emptiness that he always seemed to return to made him feel somewhat lonely. He remembered wistfully the days when they had been younger and it had been a miracle to ever see one of their trio without the others. Now, it seemed he could barely find a moment to spend with either of them.
And he was overly aware of the fact that Tyrande had not spoken to him once since their kiss. He worried that perhaps he had overstepped some invisible line, that somehow in trying to bring them closer, he had only succeeded in pushing her away. But the fact of the matter was that he loved her, and the thought of having to deny that anymore was simply too much to bear. He knew there was at least some part of her that loved him back, or else she never would have spent that night laying out under the stars with him. She never would have kissed him back with such want.
Malfurion was sure that she was simply holding back because she was worried about ruining their long time friendship. But it wasn't such a big step to take, really, not if it was something they both wanted. And he had to believe that it was. He wondered if maybe she was just scared to come and talk to him, scared that he would turn her away when they both knew that was the last thing he ever wanted to do to her. Maybe he should just go and talk to her. At least it would be more productive than simply moping around alone in the dark.
He figured he wouldn't waste any time, and started right back towards the door through which he had just come, but not before a letter resting idly on the counter caught his eye. Usually he wasn't one to snoop around Illidan's business, but decided that if his brother had wanted to keep whatever it might be a secret, he wouldn't have left it so haphazardly abandoned where Malfurion could easily find it.
Crossing the room in a few easy steps, he lifted the envelope, feeling the weight of whatever was inside. He pulled it out carefully, turning it over in his hands and reading the beautifully written inscription. The words caused a slight frown to tug at his brows. Illidan was going to some formal affair at the Eternal Palace? Apparently, he really didn't have any idea what his brother had been up to.
Still, it must have been important, to have gotten the attention of the Highborne queen. Malfurion replaced the letter as close to where it had been as he could. He was proud of Illidan; it seemed that maybe he had finally started to find some sort of direction for himself. He hoped that maybe one of these days he could catch him long enough to find out what it was.
In the meantime, though, there were other things clawing at his mind, pushing any other thoughts aside. He left the house, making his way across the shaded expanses of Suramar to where the temple swelled across the skyline. He could hear the humming of the night breeze, the contented sighs of the grass as it caressed each blade. He felt connected to everything around him, offering a sense of peace to quiet the lingering fears about going to see Tyrande.
It was a short distance to the temple, so it didn't take him long to get there. He kept his head down and silently hoped he wouldn't pass any elder priestesses, because he had a feeling they would be a little suspicious of him trying to sneak into the living quarters this late in the evening. He still remembered exactly how to get to her chambers; once he was reached the door, he took a slow breath before raising his hand to knock.
He counted his heartbeats until the door swung open to reveal the navy haired girl. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, her eyes half-lidded and her hair hanging over her shoulders in messy, unraveling braids. "Malfurion," she greeted carefully, without stepping aside to let him in as he had expected her to do.
Tyrande stared up at him for a long moment, her fingers lingering on the handle of the door. She had been studying obsessively all night, trying to block out the thoughts that had tortured her day and night. She had cried for hours after her accidental run in with Illidan, at the way he had so coldly brushed her off in a way he never had before. She had cried until there were no tears left, and then she had forced herself not to think about it anymore, not about him or Malfurion or anything, because it was all becoming too much to bear. So, seeing him standing there simply wasn't helping matters at all. "Uh, hi. What are you doing here?" She asked awkwardly, when the drawn out silence had become too much.
Whatever he had been expecting, she could tell by his face that it wasn't that. "I came to see you," he trailed off in an obvious tone. "You haven't talked to me in over a week now."
Because, she thought, she hadn't the slightest idea what she was supposed to say. How could she confront him about what had happened when she herself wasn't even sure what she wanted? Malfurion had made it perfectly clear what he expected to come out of their relationship. But Tyrande just didn't know if she was ready for that. And what would happen to their trio once it was just the two of them. Not that Illidan seemed like he was exactly trying to keep either of them in his life at the moment... She had so many other things going on right now, and the overwhelming severity of it all was starting to catch up and weigh her down.
"I'm sorry," she said, though the words sounded a bit too flat to be sincere. "I've just been really busy. Studying and stuff," she added with a shrug.
Malfurion wasn't buying it, though. He saw the way her gaze shifted, unable to hold his. He wanted desperately to reach for her, but forced himself to keep his hands at his sides. "Tyrande, if you want to talk about it-"
"And say what?" She snapped, cutting him off harsher than she had intended. With a slight sigh, she offered up an apologetic glance. She finally moved aside so that he could come in, not wanting any chance passersby to overhear their conversation. Once he had stepped into her disaster of a room, she closed the door behind him. Ash'alah immediately came over to him and brushed herself against his legs, purring loudly.
"I'm sorry, Furion," she murmured; this time her voice was filled with sorrow and regret. "I'm just so confused, and stressed, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I'm drowning in my studies, trying to keep up and be the best priestess that I can. Illidan is apparently no longer speaking to me, and I have no idea why. And then you-"
Her wild ranting was cut off abruptly by the suddenness of Malfurion taking her into his arms and kissing her hard on the mouth. Tyrande whimpered against his hold, but quickly found herself unable to resist, and so she slid her arms up around his neck and kissed him back. It was gentle and careful and so full of love she didn't even know what to do with it.
She was breathless when they pulled away. "...did that," she finished.
Malfurion couldn't help but smile sheepishly at her. "My apologies," he said playfully. Then, more seriously, he added, "Listen, Tyra, if you're not ready, you only have to tell me. If you have to sort some things out, I'll wait all the time it takes for you. You're worth all my eternity. I'll never want anyone but you."
Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she listened to him talk. Each word he said made it harder and harder to breathe. His hand was still resting on her hip, still keeping her close to him, the light touch electrifying her skin even through the cloth of her gowns. Protective. He had always been so damn protective of her, trying to keep her out of harm's way when she and Illidan had always dove right into the dangers ahead. She moved so that she could link her fingers into his own and give them a light squeeze. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
She tried for a moment to find some way to reply, but no words seemed right when she played them over in her head. In the end, she simply pressed her body into his, enough to force him stumbling back into the wall, and kissed him again. This time, it was Malfurion who was caught off guard, but he quickly regained composure enough to tighten his hold on her, trapping her small body against his own. It was easy for them to get lost in the feelings of being so close together, finally crossing the line they hadn't dared to cross before.
Malfurion hoisted her up in his arms with ease, her legs wrapping around his waist to help support her weight as he carried her across to the bed. He paused to shove aside some of her books, pushing them off onto the floor so that he could lay her down. He gaze down at her for a long moment, admiring her beauty and the way the moonlight spilled in through the window like it was blessing them. "Tyrande," he murmured. As always, he loved the way her name sounded on his tongue. "Tyrande, I love you."
Her hands reaching up to grasp the fabric of his shirt, she nodded. Of course he loved her. And she loved him too; she really did. Their lives were so entangled it was impossible to imagine one of them without the others. So she allowed him to lean in and kiss her again, arching her back to press her body into his, feeling his reassuring weight over her body, comforting and protective.
When he murmured against the delicate skin of her neck once more that he loved her, Tyrande managed to repeat the words in a gasping breath. With his hands all over her body, leaving no inch of her untouched, she was able to lose control and give in fully to the pleasure, wordlessly bonding them to one another for all eternity.
...
Maiev all but skipped into her house, the giddy feeling still coursing through her small frame. Everything felt like it was happening so fast, and she was having a hard time keeping up. But she knew she wouldn't change any of it, not for anything. After weeks and weeks of wishing, hoping, praying to her goddess for some help, it seemed that Illidan was finally within her reach.
She was happy to find her brother still sitting at the table. His usual was armor was removed, leaving him dressed down in only standard clothing. He always looked like such a different person when he wasn't donning his typical plate armor that bore the Queen's crest. Maiev danced across the room to his side, and in an uncharacteristic motion slung her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
Jarod tensed up against her hold, but soon relaxed, letting out a breathy laugh. "Alright, who are you, and what have you done with my brooding little sister?"
Maiev couldn't even break out of her happy state long enough to tease him back. "Jarod," she cooed, drawing his name out into unnecessary syllables.
"What do you want?"
She couldn't help but smirk at how well her brother knew her. "Well..." She trailed off, a sudden self-consciousness seeping into her impeccable mood. She disentangled herself from him and began pacing the length of the room as she rambled. "There is this...thing, and I was asked to go, and I was hoping that maybe I might have some gold so that I could get a dress made."
Only when she had finished speaking did she dare glance back at him. Of course she should have known better than to think anything could have gotten past him, seeing as he could read her thoughts as though she had literally scrawled them out across the walls. Jarod arched a single brow at her. "This thing wouldn't happen to be the ball Queen Azshara up and decided to host, would it? Because I'm struggling to think of an alternative need for a new dress."
Her blush gave her away much too quickly. Jarod replied with a chorus of laughter. "My little sister has been asked on a date. And by a Highborne? Tell me his name. I'll have to take some soldiers over to roughen him up a bit."
This time when her blush deepened it was for entirely different reasons. Though it seemed foolish now, she hadn't expected her brother to ask so many questions. Then again, knowing how protective of her Jarod was, the interrogation she would get because of this should not have been a surprise. "He isn't a Highborne," she said at last. "Though, he is affiliated with General Ravencrest. And you will do no such thing to him, Jarod! He is a good person. He's been teaching me to use the weapon you got me, and-"
"Is that where you've been creeping off to all night long?" He interjected. "Don't think I don't hear you. You can't exactly sneak around in plate armor."
Maiev chose to ignore his playfully biting remarks. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest piece. She had tried to play the sickly sweet game with him, and since that had basically backfired on her, she resorted to glaring at him instead. "Are you going to give me gold or not?"
Jarod, as always, saw right through her icy demeanor. "Yes, yes," he drawled. "No need to be so pushy, little sister."
She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but allow a smile to tug at her lips. Everything she wanted was right within her grasp. She only had to reach out and take it, and pray especially hard that nothing would get in her way.
