Chapter 10: Taithias

(While Lania and company were sleeping)

The cold air of Ice crown never did bother him in fact he was quite used to it, the only thing he was adapting to was the new leadership which had him walking the ramparts; when he should be training the new recruits or checking on their holdings. He kicked a ghoul out of his way as he walked passed Necromancers eyed him nervously and they had a right to be so, He leaned on one of the pillars there and looked out. He was frustrated his skills were going to waste and guarding wasn't his duty he led armies not guard a stupid door.

Something perked his attention when a soft noise reached his ears on the left and he immediately went that way and smirked a lonely adventurer had stumbled upon him and he sneered quietly at the elf in front of him. The Elf attacked Taithias eagerly and Taithias knew that was the paladin downfall as he easily side stepped out of the way. "I'm going to give you..." Taithias didn't finish his sentence as he moved out of the way again, he smirked cocky elf. He pulled out his weapons and lunged at the Paladin knocking him back forcefully. The elf wasn't finished as he turned around and tossed his shield at Taithias making the death knight use one of his maces to block it and when Taithias moved to attack the paladin was right there and mace and sword clashed together.

"you're done for Death knight!" the Pally sneered using his weight to force Taithias mace towards himself. His spiked mace in his left hand was wedged in the wooden shield and he cursed his luck inwardly, smirked once more.

"I do believe you're the one done for" he says coldly and his foot came and kicked the blood elf away from him. He ran at the young elf using his wedged weapon first and the pally still trying to get his breath back, had not expect it. Cronos wheezed some air into his lungs as he starred at his opponent, He wanted the key that was rumored to be hidden inside the citadel, but did not expect to run into trouble. He had heard stories that his Uncle was a great paladin in his time, but had fallen when a death knight had killed him. Taithias didn't let up as Cronos was gathering his breath and as soon as that shield had broke from the previous impact that both his weapons where free and Cronos knew his mistake.

Cronos pulled out his actual shield and blocked on mace from hitting him and used the momentum to swing his sword toward the Death knight side, which the death knight easily blocked with other and using it to sweep it aside and swing into Cronos side instead. Cronos fell to the ground heaving his life invalid as the death knight stepped toward him, He threw his sword and Taithias ducked, but the sword had nicked the hood of the Death knight cloak and Taithias face was revealed. Cronos eyes widen this was his uncle standing in front of him. "Wait!" he shouted his breath ragged.

Taithias stood over him "I will show no mercy for you" he said and as he was bringing down one of his weapons to finish Cronos off Taithias stopped as a sliver of a memory slipped into his mind of a little boy looking up at him, which was no older then 2 years old. He shooked his head and glared down at the paladin as he stepped away. "Go before I change my mind" he said as the young elf got to his feet.

"I think I know you" Cronos breathed out and Taithias turned with glared and Cronos knew it was a bad idea to stick around. "You know where to find me if you have questions" he finishes and left on his blue drake. Taithias heaved a heavy sigh and walked back to the door in which he was to guard he was so tired of doing the same stuff every day, he yawned heavily the day was long and he was in a bad mood. He walked into the bunker grunting angrily at himself, the other death knights in the area gave him a wide berth away from him, he was glad they knew better then to strike a conversation with him.

Sleep didn't come easy for him that night his thoughts were playing with his head and as much as he tried to get them to go away, nothing helped. He tossed in turned all night and as he laid there awake giving up on sleep his thoughts winning, something came to his mind as he pulled out his momento, and in that moment he realized why the Paladin had come to the citadel, it was for what was around his neck nothing else.

He shooked that out of his head and laid there tucking his momento away and closing his eyes forcing himself to sleep, but it wasn't at all dreamless.

The seven of them gathered around the table celebrating their victory over defeating an army of the scourge that had plagued the land Taithias saw the huge ass grin on Aiden face as they celebrated. The human was young, but fought like a seasoned paladin with how he always went with the flow of everything. "Relax Aiden everything looks like we won, but something bothers me" he says tapping the table with a finger. Gorwin a Dwarf of the wetlands raised a brow as well as Torwick, they were skeptical about that reply.

"Whatever do you mean by that?" Sasha asked looking concerned for her elven friend sitting next to her. Taithias shrugged and looked down at his drink that was untouched.

"Just a feeling Sasha, it's not leaving any time soon." He said standing and leaving the table and outside, the air of the plaguelands hit him straight in the face and he frowned deeply. The scourge did a number to these lands and we wanted to see the lands healed from it, but he knew that the extent of all this damage would never heal fast enough.

"It'll heal Taithias as well as any living being it will heal." Tal'kael states coming to stand beside him.

"How do you know? It won't heal if the scourge is still a problem, which it is mind you." Taithias said crossing his arms the feeling in his gut still not leaving. He heard the others leave the tavern and off in separate ways to get things done.

"The scourge is still a problem yes, but with vigilance we'll deal with them." Tal'kael explained with a light smile.

Taithias woke with a start and as he sat up in his bed trying to get a hold of himself, he looked around and noticed that the other death knights had not waken to his stirrings. So he climbed out of bed, dressing, and grabbing his weapons walked outside to the same pillar he'd been leaning before heading to bed. If he remembered right the elf that was talking to him in his dream had died against the very scourge that he stood vigilance against. he just didn't remember what year he had died.

Taithias stood there trying to rack his brain for more information on the dream he had, but nothing. He didn't need the other death knights to know he was having a hard time with thoughts and repressed memories. He was going to find the answers, but he saw someone approaching. Someone who wasn't suppose to be here someone that was trespassing.

He met up with them wrapons drawn and brought it down on the human closest to him. The paladin brought up his shield to block his attack and Taithias swung his other weapon that wasn't wedged in the shield to the paladin legs swooping the human off his feet. As the human hit the ground he pointed his weapon to his neck. "What brings you here? " he demanded.

"A key or something I don't know, but we mean you no harm." the human replied

"You and your..." he wasn't able to finish what he was going to say, when a night elf came at him and for the first time Taithias was forced to take some steps back to put distance from his opponent.

"You okay Poteros? " the night elf asked as the others started to show up. Poteros nodded saying he was fine as Parzuel went to his side and tended to his injured leg. Juto turned to Taithias with a glare and before he could attack him Senillina did for him, only for Taithias to pushed back over the side, causing Juto to run and catch her arm before she fell.

Lania who wasn't far from seeing the scene frowned and reacted by pushing Taithias away from Juto and the others. Taithias looked at her face and saw a look he hadn't seen in a long time. "how dare you!" she exclaims angrily and Taithias lowered his look to a glare.

"I believe you attacked me first, this place is for me to guard" he states

"We know this Taithias,but they come seeking someyhing to stop someone. " came a voice behind him. he turned and saw Dorada standing there.

"I thought you lost to us? " he says somewhat surprised. She only shooked her head.

"not lost, freed from the lich king hold is all." she said bluntly. While Dorada had Taithias occupied Lania went to help Juto pull her sister safely back to solid ground. Sen hugged them both tightly to her as she eyed the blood elf death knight talking to Dorada. There was something about him that she had recalled in history.

"Taithias? Lania don't you remember an old story Grandpa used to tell us?" she stated

"I don't know, maybe, why do you ask?" Lania asks

"Well Grandpa was saying that him and 6 other paladins had saved the world from great evil once and even they saved it they couldn't kill the energy that was in her so they locked the power away. I don't remember with what, but at that time it was the only options open to them." Sen says Lania thought on that and watched Taithias speak with Dorada and watched carefully to his stance and notice he was still on alert like sleep had deprived him.

"The story was that the evil power they locked away was done by keys and the keys stayed with the 7 paladins that had defeated the necromancer." Lania finishes "but what reason is that for Cronos to kill Erons is beyond me." Taithias turned in that direction.

"Erons you say something about that name is familiar to me I don't know why, but there it is." he states "Look as much as I want to help you I can not, you must leave before the other death knights find you, I am showing you this one mercy, please take it." and the group did so leaving Lania with more questions than answers. Taithias sighed heavily as Dorada placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let's leave here, you have no obligation to stay" she says and he thought those words through and realized she was right he had felt his duties now were pointless and he could find purpose elsewhere. So he called his drake and the two took off no words were spoken for they already knew what the other wanted say. A few hours later they arrived in Dalaran and went to the Legerdemain Lounge for something to eat and drink, Dorada was welcomed by some of the people there as they waved, but starred at Taithias with wariness. The two of them found a seat at a small table for two and sat down, Taithias couldn't help, but feel that he wasn't welcomed and he knew that was common, but at the same time Dorada had said to act normal and which he did.

He locked eyes with an old fellow across the room by his standards just about 78 years old with two dwarves sitting with him at the table. Taithias raised a brow as the human got up from his table and started for his, he noticed the human had a slight limp to his step and he rose from his seat with slight concern. Where this came from he did not know as the human got closer Taithias had seen his face before, but when the human was younger and more reckless. He didn't get a chance to say when the human opened his mouth. "Taithias is that you?" The human asked.

"My name is Taithias, but who are you, am I suppose to know you?" Taithias remarked slightly confused the human looked surprised that Taithias didn't know him.

"The name Aiden Fairweather. The two dwarves over there is Torwick Goldvine, and Gorwin Ironweaver." The human name Aiden says. Taithias shrugged not knowing and he saw the human shag alittle bit in his stature.

"Aiden Leave the elf alone and come sit your old ass down!" Torwick says annoyed Aiden looked that way with an 'oh come on ' look on his face and Torwick only met it with a glare. Eventually Aiden went back to his table and sat down and Taithias sat down in his seat across from Dorada.

"That human is a strange one, somehow he knew my name." Taithias remarks curious.

"Maybe you should look into it." Dorada implies taking a sip of her drink. Taithias raised an eyebrow at that as looked over at the table again, only to see the human starring at him again. He tried imagining the human younger, but he couldn't his face was familiar to him.

"Maybe I should look into, but maybe you should look into who you are too." he states and he watched her shrug and he knew she was going to regardless if he had said anything. Dorada stood up and Taithias watched her do so and she nodded her head towards the table where the human was and he knew what she meant by it. He nodded and watched her leave the lounge and wondered if he was ever going to see her again, he realized he would see her again in the near future now he just needed to figure out what he was gonna do for the rest of his life. As he walked over to the table where the human and two dwarves where at he wondered what he would say, but nothing came to mind.

"Hey have a seat! I promise they don't bite." the human remarked kindly and Taithias ignored the remark and sat down in the only free chair at the table.

"you claim to know me, but have yet to say how you know me." Taithias says to the human in question Torwick leaned forward onto the table with a raised eyebrow.

"I never claimed to know ye lad, but ya do look familiar to someone I know, except he had dark hair at the time." Torwick said describing his best friend back then.

"Well how is very complicated to talk about considering we all agreed not to talk about it." Aiden said very seriously Taithias was getting the idea that whatever happened back then was a very delicate conversation. He needed to know what it was and the only way to do that was to obtain his memories any means possible.

A/n: Heyo! Sorry for the long wait hope you enjoy chapter 11 will come, just I'm on a hiatus from writing for the time being, but will come back