Uh, hello, guys :)

I'm not sure if there's any way I can apologize for abandoning this story for over a year (A year, three months, and seven days to be exact) but, well, I do. I've just been super busy this whole year; my grandfather was in and out of the hospital for a long few months there, before passing away, and I certainly bit off more than I can chew in terms of classes, though I have been managing fairly well. And on top of that, I lost my password. Life sorta hates me. Haha.

Also, I changed my pen name from Feareth the Kitty to Strawberry Alacrity, just cause I'm awesome like that.

However, this isn't my life story, it's an overly angsty fanfic :D

So I've been wrapping up a few loose-ish ends in the story, before I move on to the next part. The plot itself essentially starts in the next chapter; These first chapters have taken an excruciatingly long time to move into the plot (though if you can squint, you can detect it in Chapter 6. Not number, Chapter.) but I have the rest of the story planned out fairly well.

I also went back and edited Tashia's character again in, uh, 'the break up scene'. I just couldn't find any motivation for her to act like she did here, when she was sort of passive like that before.

So without further adieu, Chapter 8 :D

Blood Knights

Chapter VIII

Nalannai was lying still, curled into herself, in the massive chair that dwarfed her small frame. Her eyes were dull and unfocused as she stared into the blank wall, yet her hands were white as she pulled her knees tightly to her chest. For a moment she sat like this, before tears spilled out of her eyes for what seemed like the umpteenth time this morning. Her body ached, and she just felt helpless and empty and filthy. Not physically dirty, mind you, but mentally, morally, like there was a giant stain on her that would never go away.

The realities of marriage- or rather, the consummation of it- hadn't fully hit her until Brolius had taken her to his home, and led her to a bedroom. More accurately, their bedroom. Once there, she panicked, as he slid his lips over hers and clutched her tight. She had fought and fought, but to no avail. There was no other word for it, she decided, watching tears drip down onto her red silk robe, other than rape.

Legal rape, she supposed though, her mouth twisting into something that vaguely resembled a bitter smile, because a woman does have her duties. Remembering the events that had transpired just made her feel sick again, but she had long since emptied the contents of her stomach into the cold stone basin in the adjacent washroom. Now, all she could manage was dry heaves that made her knees shake and her body tremble.

Part of her desperately wished this was but a dream, a horrible nightmare that had permeated her sleep, but there was no avoiding what had happen. And there was no one to save her now, not Itheal, not Aleinia, not Vayria, not Mathus...

She began to shake with sobs when she thought Mathus. How sweet and wonderful he had always been, the gentle way he kissed her, how broken he looked yesterday in the chapel. She couldn't stand to see that broken look on his face, his eyes devoid of his normal cheer, replaced by what she could only describe as emptiness.

Once her tears had finally begun to dry, and she attempted to regain control of her emotions and even repress them, she had resigned herself to staring at the wall again. She didn't even look up when the door to the bed chamber creaked open and a dark haired figure stepped in.

"Are you going to lie there your entire life?" A crisp woman's voice asked, and Nalannai glanced at her briefly, before turning back to the wall.

"If I only could." She whispered. The woman made a dismissive noise.

"Then you, my dear, are a colossal waste of space." She stated pleasantly. Nalannai's eyes narrowed as she turned her head to glare at this intrusive stranger.

"What do you know?" She snapped, anger rearing up in her. The woman smiled, lighting up her sharp feature.

"I knew there was something alive in there." she said, before leaning in. "I know because I went through the same thing." She breathed. Nalannai was shocked but before she could get a word in edgewise the woman had clapped, summoning a servant into the room. "Fill the bath, if you would." she glanced at Nalannai. "Believe me, it helps." She said, pulling her off the chair.

"Wh-who are you?" Nalannai stuttered, her eyes wide as she was shoved into the washroom.

"Me? Zalithe. I suppose it's Zalithe Dawnstar now, seeing as I'm married to that bastard, but I prefer my old war name, Zalithe the Night Blade. Make me sound a bit mysterious, doesn't it? Too bad I can't use it."

"Zalithe the Night Blade? As in one of the greatest rogues from Silvermoon?" Before Zalithe could answer, Nalannai shrieked as one of the servants pulled off her nightgown, and she jumped into the bubble-filled bath.

"People still remember me? So I do have a legacy!" She stopped for a moment. "Though I suppose a rogue should probably lie low... well, either way, it's not like I'll be returning to fight any time soon. Or ever, for that matter." she shrugged, and then pulled up a stool next to the bathtub. Nalannai looked at her strangely.

"Just making sure you don't try to drown yourself." She remarked cheerfully. "Helynia tried to."

"Uh, don't worry, I won't." Nalannai finally said after a long moment of silence.

"Helynia said that too." Nalannai sighed and sank down so that the water came up to her chin.

"So," Zalithe began, resting her chin on her hands. "What's this about this Mathus boy?"

Nalannai let out a long sigh. "Long story short, I loved him, my parents wouldn't hear about him marrying me, now I'm married to Dawnstar, and I probably won't ever see him again."

"Sounds heartbreaking." Zalithe said, and Nalannai bridled at her dismissive tone. Before she could protest, however, Zalithe grinned. "But not everything has to end at the door to the manor." She said, her voice almost devious sounding. Nalannai glanced at her, perplexed, as Zalithe stood up, wiping her hands on her dress and strode to the door, seemingly convinced that she wouldn't drown herself at the current moment. She stopped briefly at the doorway.

"What, did you think I would give up on Salian because of a little ring? I'm a rogue, hun, we don't follow rules we don't like." Nalannai blinked. Are you suggesting adultery? she was about ask, but Zalithe cut her off yet again- it was becoming a habit. "The strawberry soap smells rather good. You oughta try it." She suggested, before breezing out the door, leaving a shocked Nalannai in her wake.

---------

On her day off, a few days after Nalannai's wedding, Aleinia could be found in the market in Silvermoon, examining a loaf of bread and frowning over the price. After a bit of a haggling for the rest of the food in her basket, she sighed, reluctantly handing over a few more silvers than she would have liked. However, another hand dropped money into the vendor's hand before she could manage to draw the necessary coin from her coin purse. Surprised, she glanced up to see a harshly beautiful woman leaning against the wall of the stall, brushing her short brown hair behind her ears. Her blood ran cold for a moment. Tashia scared her in the best of times, from the few times she had met her, and from the look in her eyes, Aleinia decided she would quite like to run right about now. There was something about warlocks that unsettled her, and Tashia more than most.

Aleinia put on a shaky smile, and offered her the coins she was about to give to the vendor, but Tashia held up a hand, refusing it.

"It was my pleasure to pay," She said, smiling in her cold sort of way. Aleinia returned the coins to the pouch at her waist, and watched Tashia curiously as she stared at her. Once she had drawn the drawstring tight, Tashia threw an arm around Aleinia's shoulder, causing the younger girl to flinch. "However, I would love it if you'd walk with me, and we can have a nice...talk." The fingernails digging into the flesh on her arm through the cotton shirt gave Aleinia no choice other than to nod and follow.

"So, I understand that you and Itheal have been , for lack of better word, courting these last few days?" Aleinia blushed and nodded, ducking her head as her face warmed up. However, remembering who she was talking to, she immediately covered up any trace of emotion resulting from the warmth that bloomed in her stomach.

"Er, I suppose you could say that." She finally agreed. Tashia let out a long, drawn out sigh, as though she were reluctant to say her next words. And, upon hearing them, Aleinia wished she hadn't.

"He doesn't really like you, you know." She said shortly. "I hate to be so blunt, but I just thought it would be beneficial for you to realize it." Aleinia gaped at her, feeling her heart plummet about three feet.

"What?" She finally stuttered out. Tashia shrugged.

"Oh, sure, he likes you as a student and his Blood Knight comrade, but...well, just not like a lover, if you know what I mean." Aleinia bit her lip and turned to the side, not sure whether to believe her words or not. On the one hand, this was Tashia she was talking to; there was little honestly that ever rolled off her tongue. On the other hand, part of her had felt the exact same way Tashia was talking about; that she was simply Itheal's student and nothing more, and that she was deluding herself that there could ever be anything there.

"I'm sure you remember that day, a few weeks ago, when Itheal and I had a bit of a spat?" Tashia continued, and Aleinia nodded cautiously. "Well last night, we sort of...made up." She tittered; the girlish expression seemed out of place on the older elf, but Aleinia was feeling to sick to notice. Feeling a bit dizzy, she could only swallow and nod as Tashia squeezed her shoulder, saying;

"So, I just thought that it might in everyone's best interests if you could simply let it drop. Do we understand each other?"

Aleinia meant to return home right then and there, but instead remained rooted to the ground, watching the scene unfolding before her. The warlock ran up to a man exiting a shop, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him hard. Noticing the features she knew so well as being Itheal, she stumbled back a few feet, before taking off past them, towards Murder Row.

-----

Itheal wasn't quite sure what had just transpired, but he was adamantly positive that it was nothing good. He had just stepped out of a shop after buying a necklace for Alei- because girls liked jewelry, didn't they? It was his first time pursuing a relationship with a fellow paladin, but he had common sense enough to know at least that- when Tashia had forcefully kissed him. Sputtering, and he had pushed her off, with a remark of "What the hell are you doing?" while she had simply smirked, replying that she was ruining his life. He was confused for a moment, but when Alei ran by like the devil himself was on her heels, everything had fallen into place. The glower he had sent towards Tashia was positively murderous, but he didn't pause to berate her before he wiped his mouth and ran after Aleinia.

She was fast, faster than him, but the heavy basket had slowed her down, and after a chase through twisting alleys, he finally caught up to her, cornering her against a wall, trapping her, his hands splayed on the wall on either side of her. For a few moments they remained like that, breathing heavily, as she glared up at him, hurt showing through her eyes. The basket clattered to the ground beside her, as she tried to duck out from underneath his arms, but he didn't allow her to.

"Let me go." She hissed, but he shook his head.

"Not ... until I explain." He responded, winded from the chase. She laughed bitterly.

"Explain what, Itheal? That you're a lying, manipulating man-whore?" Shocked, he stepped back for a moment, allowing her to squirm away from him. She didn't allow him to speak before launching into an angry rant.

"Was that really always the case, Itheal? Was I really just another girl for you to chase? Do I really mean that little to you?" She yelled, before kneeling down to pick up the fruit that had rolled out of the basket, ducking her head to hide the tears rolling down her cheeks, before standing back up. He took a tentative step towards her.

"Alei, I didn't..." He began to say, but she cut him off abruptly.

"Oh, don't make it worse by fucking lying about it. We all know that you're far too much of an egotistical brat to simply stick to one damn woman. You have to have everything right?" She snorted. "Well, I know all your other girls must have just accepted that in the past, but I'm not them Itheal, and you might as well get that through your thick skull right here and now. I'm not going to roll over and praise every aspect of your being and serve you." She spat, crying in earnest, though her voice was no less angry. Itheal attempted another step towards her, but she stopped him.

"J-just don't, Itheal." She said, backing up. "Just leave me alone and don't ever talk to me again." she finished coldly before running away, leaving him alone in the dark alleyway.

Oh gosh, Mathus didn't even show up D:

Zalithe did though, and she is absolutely one of my favorite characters to write, along with Mathus and Darthen (who will also appear sometime soon). Angry dialogue is failcake? I did sort of gloss over what happened with Alei and Itheal, but I really wanted to get on to LA PLOT. BECAUSE AS OF NOW, BLOOD KNIGHTS HAS NONE. ROFLCOPTER.

Haha, anyway, review maybeplease?

((and I mentioned Helynia in the chapter; I would just like to clarify that she is dead. Like six feet under dead, and murdered dead, though having her be a zombie could be lulzy.))