I got this one out quick! In the mood apparently! Finding myself in love with Celynar's history and backstory. Hope you enjoy as much as I did writing it!
Of course, thanks again to my amazing friends for the use of their characters and to Blizzard for their world.
-Paladin-
The forest was so quiet. Aedina almost felt like she was a child again. Though, instead of lush, green forests, she was surrounded by shades of yellow, orange and purple. She picked a tree in a small cluster and climbed as high as her nimble body could go without losing grip. She could see the white trees damaged by the arcane a few yards away. She was not curious to go into them with the spirits of fallen night elves lingering around. The air, despite cold, was much more clear then in Icecrown. Aedina could almost fall in love with this forest.
"You're rather beautiful, you know?" came a very seductive voice from below her.
Aedina quickly looked down at Laethynar. She scowled, not happy she left her weapon below her. He leaned against the tree, a long piece of frozen grass between his lips. Nimbly, she shifted and launched herself down from the tree. The blood elf landed a little too hard. She winced as she nearly twisted her ankle out from under her. Plate. Yeah. Laethynar chuckled, shaking his head, making sure his long, brown hair shifted around his face. He moved forward slow. Aedina could see his daggers at hand. With her weapon behind the rogue, she was at his mercy.
"What do you want?" she asked, limping back slowly, her hands up in a defensive stance.
"What any male wants. A prize."
Aedina laughed. "I'm sure. Too bad I will never be a prize for you to win."
"No, of course not. Your sister though," he mocked. "She would make a fine trophy for my bed."
Aedina growled. She waved her hand to send a small heal to her ankle. It eased the pain a little. Laethynar continued to move towards her. There was a determination in his eye. The paladin fared little against him without a weapon and it was clear he would not let her near it. Why did she go out on her own? The high elf chuckled. He brought a blade up to his mouth and slowly ran his tongue across it. Even if one blade wasn't poisoned, it did not ease Aedina's thoughts. What was his motivation for this? She stopped moving and stood tall.
"It is clear you're not here to kill me. What do you want?"
Laethynar smirked. "You know what I want."
"Your brother will not return with you and my sister is far more protected then you imagine."
"Oh, Sin'dorei," he cooed. "Celynar has no choice but to fulfill his task. He will do it by choice or I will do it for him. My master's service comes at a price. Even if you can remove some of the runes, you will never stop what will happen should Celynar fail to do his duty."
Aedina's ears perked up. "You would allow him to die."
"Yes."
"Know this, Quel'dorei," she proclaimed. "Your brother will live. I will see to it." She moved forward to get right in his face the best she could. "I will make sure he watches as I twist my sword in your writhing body as my companions place your master's head back on a pike."
Laethynar pushed the paladin from him and simply vanished with a growl. Aedina hurried quickly to her sword and back towards the Vanguard. They would attack and soon.
-Rogue-
Seeing Tirion Fordring again after she had left the Argent Dawn was almost too much for her. Saraphyn stood up quickly and bowed to him. He laughed at her gesture.
"Lady Sunhaven, I am the last person you should bow to," he said.
"Highlord, it is an honor to speak to you again."
"I am here to see the assassin," he replied simply. "Is this him?"
Saraphyn moved over to Celynar, a healing hand helping him to his feet. She made sure she stood next to him to steady his wavering body. Regintoko made sure to stay near despite Anni and Grave's appearance in the room. The high elf kept his head low, his ears down as well. He flinched when the Highlord touched his shoulder. Saraphyn looked at Celynar, worry clear across her face.
"What is your name, boy?"
Celynar looked up at him from behind his brown hair. "Celynar."
"Full name."
"Celynar Dawnblade," he mumbled.
Tirion motioned for Saraphyn to let him sit back down. "A chair please."
While the priestess got the suffering assassin back down to his bedroll, Edin came forward with a small stool. Tirion sat without much of a problem. He put a hand in his chin as he looked at Celynar. Lucien came into the room shortly after, his eyes gazing around at all that was in the room. His face twisted when he saw Saraphyn with the high elf. His arms folded across his chest. Anni noticed the newest arrival. She motioned to Grave. The orc moved her position to behind the priest just in case he tried something.
"So, Celynar. I have heard of the first attempt you made to reach freedom and the Sentinals that died defending you. What do you have to say about that?"
Celynar winced. "It was my fault," he mumbled. "I allowed them to die. I-"
"Did your weapon pierce their skin?" Tirion interrupted.
"I-I-I-"
"Answer, boy."
"N-no sir," he mumbled, his eyes turning to Saraphyn. "I was tied up."
Saraphyn looked at him with eyes full of concern. She shifted to sit on her knees. Her healing hand lightly rubbing his arm as he shook in fear. The Highlord of the Argent Crusade noticed this. He lowered his hand to his knee and leaned forward. His eyes looked at Celynar's face then at the runes all over his chest.
"The death knights tell me you are marked by an agent of the Lich King. Is this true?"
Celynar nodded.
"And that you suffer greatly for trying to escape."
"More then any can possibly imagine," he said, pain clear in his voice. "This priestess has been so kind to me. She's allowing me the only strength I have. Her sister and another paladin helped me as well."
"A certain death knight told me you seem to seek redemption."
Celynar looked over at Anni. Her eyes looked at him with no emotion. His gazed moved back to Tirion. "No, I seek closure. I seek death. I am a monster, a murderer. I regret everything. I do not deserve to live."
His words stung at Saraphyn's heart. She gasped and grabbed his arm tightly. Both of them noticed. Lucien shifted in the back of the room, suddenly enraged by this. He turned, glaring at Grave before leaving the room. Celynar grabbed her hand with his own. Tears filled his sapphire eyes.
"I have nothing left in this world," he said. "They took everything from me."
Tirion shifted. "If that is true, this priestess would not risk her own life to save yours." He motioned towards Saraphyn. "Her own life is in danger, a mark which you bear. It is your task to take her life, is it not?"
"Yes," he said through sobs.
"I don't see you a monster, Celynar Dawnblade. I see you a prisoner of your own body." He grabbed the assassin's shoulder and squeezed lightly. "And if you were the person you claim to be, then I would order your death against the wishes of some in this room."
"Sir, I-"
"But," he interrupted. "I see the same look they do. I see the suffering, the pain. I can tell you regret everything. Whether or not you personally killed members of the Horde or Alliance is none of my concern. If you plead sanctuary to me, I will see to it that you stay under the care of the Argent Crusade."
Celynar froze, unable to speak. He looked into Tirion's eyes. There was no lie in them. His head turned to Saraphyn. The priestess squeezed his arm again. She gave him a small smile. Eyes closing, he went deep into his thoughts. He could not deny this agreement. Not only would it save his life, but it would give him protection he needed from his brother just long enough to be free. Celynar nodded slowly. He did not feel like saying those words. A simple nod of his head would have to suffice. Tirion gave him a nice shake on his shoulder. The older paladin said nothing as he left the room. Saraphyn never let her hand move from his arm. He was thankful for that. She gave him strength when he was weak. His thumb gently rubbed over the back of her hand. He tightened his fingers around her palm.
It was done now. He would be safe from both the Alliance and the Horde as long as he stayed there. Celynar didn't know how well this idea would work. At the end of the day, it wouldn't take much for Laethynar to attack. How many more would die for him? He was sure that Anni and Aedina would. His heart regretted to know Saraphyn would do the same. His head turned, meeting the priestess' gaze. She was smiling. How he was growing to love that smile. It was infectious. He couldn't help but to return it. Shifting, Celynar took her hand from his arm, kissing the top of her hand.
"Sleep now. Rest knowing I will still be here in the morning," he said to her quietly. "I will miss your smile."
Saraphyn blushed slightly. "I have training tomorrow."
"I will be here all day."
"And I will be by your side from noon until the sun sets," she replied. "Good night."
Her lips lightly graced the top of his forehead before she slowly stood. Grave moved out of her way as she headed towards her quarters. Celynar watched her go. The pain slowly returned. As he lied down, he could feel the cold take him. How he hated for her to go. With the pain came sleep and Celynar allowed himself to fall into dream.
-Priest-
The sun was almost fully set. Saraphyn stopped just long enough to watch it fall beyond the horizon. Someone cleared their voice behind her. She turned to see Lucien. The priest had his arms behind his back, his face blank. She bowed her head in respect.
"A busy day, don't you think?" he said.
Saraphyn nodded. "Yes, very. Soon Lady Valinal will be here and we can get those runes removed. He should be safe then."
"Yes."
Saraphyn noticed how quiet he was. Lucien wasn't usually like this. It was worrisome. Once the sun was set, her eyes turned. She met his, rather close to her. He placed a hand on her arm. The emotion in his eyes was one she did not want to see. Not from him, anyway. His free hand brushed some of her blond hair from in front of her eyes. Saraphyn bit her lip and slowly backed a step away. She saw the hurt in his eyes.
"It is late. I need rest for tomorrow," she said.
"Yes. I guess it is." Lucien turned, starting to head towards his tent. "Goodnight Lady Sunhaven."
She waved before shivering in the cold. Pulling her cloak around her tightly, she moved towards her tent. A few Argent guards passed by her. Probably switching shifts. Once down the hill, her body made a quick right and straight into her tent. Gracefil was already there, sewing. The shadow priest was always sewing.
"They called Lord Fording," she told her companion.
"Oh really? How did that go?"
"Celynar is under the protection of the Argent Crusade. The Horde nor the Alliance may take him under custody as long as he is with an Argent soldier."
"Good. Good."
Gracefil studied the blood elf. She noticed there was something more. Most would press the issue from her, but she decided against it. From the short time she had been with the priestess, she learned that Saraphyn would speak when she felt comfortable to. It was probably because of her life with two older sisters. There was no doubt of that. She continued to sew instead as Saraphyn lied down.
"I think Lord Lucien is in love with me," she said quickly.
Gracefil smiled. "Wasn't it obvious earlier?"
Saraphyn shrugged.
"Many are in love with your beauty. I think he finds you attractive because of who you are," the undead said. "But watch out. I fear that he may also have a lot of jealousy. I'd be careful with how much time you spend around the high elf."
"No one else will take the time to care for him."
"I know, Sara. I know."
She sighed. "I just need to deal with this long enough to do my training and to make sure Celynar gets those runes removed. Once he helps my sister find and kill the rest of the assassins, my life can go back to normal."
Gracefil held back from saying what she wanted to say. Nothing would ever be the same. Saraphyn knew it though. She knew there was nothing she could do. And in the end, she would probably take an offer of marriage from Lucien. It was proper. It would be what her people would want. Though, it would not be what her heart wanted. She still had no idea where her heart was guiding her, but she felt it tug her towards Celynar. Wrapping up in her thick blanket, she thought of his lips on her skin and the way he touched her hand. A smile crept across her face before she drifted off to sleep.
-Paladin-
"Anni!" Aedina yelled into the death knight's tent. "You don't sleep, so don't pretend to. I need to speak to you."
"It better be important," Anni grumbled out. "And we do sleep when it is required."
Maybe they did sleep. She would have to apologize later. She didn't quite get the difference between the undead and death knights. Erogath usually never slept. She didn't think she saw Grave sleep an ounce before. After a few minutes, Anni came out of her tent, just wearing simple a simple cloth shirt and leather pants. Her brown hair was messy. Aedina was shocked to see her friend rub her eyes as if she was sleeping. She felt even worse now. A small grin crossed her lips as her ears drooped.
"Sorry. I didn't think death knights slept."
Anni stretched. "Only as a necessity. What's wrong?"
"Guess who paid me a visit in Crystalsong?"
The death knight just raised an eyebrow, not playing guessing games right now.
"Celynar's brother approached me."
"What did he want?"
"I think he threatened me, but I'm more positive it was a warning. If Celynar doesn't do the task that he was given, Laethynar would do it for him," Aedina answered. "He would allow his brother to die if the later becomes the case."
"This is not good."
Anni folded her arms across her chest and looked down in thought. Aedina sighed. This was getting more and more complicated by the minute. It was seeming more like they needed to take Celynar and her sister away from the Vanguard and to somewhere else hidden. Just until the runes could be cleared. Aedina shifted.
"With Celynar now under the protection of the Argent Crusade, I don't know if we would be able to just take him and go," Anni said.
Aedina nodded. "Glad to know our plan worked."
"Yes, but with a price. He must be under the eye of the Crusade. I'm not sure what that means for us if we have to remove him from where your sister is located."
"I'm afraid that we may not have much of a choice but to take her with us if the time came for us to make that decision."
"I agree," she replied. "But with this looming threat more of a reality, I don't know if we can risk waiting any longer, Aedina."
"I will talk to Lord Lucien about Saraphyn."
Anni nodded. "I will speak to Edin." She started to go back into her tent. "I'm sure the Alliance will be here any minute now. We may have more join us then we wish."
"Lovely," Aedina muttered before moving down a few rows to her tent.
She took in one last breath of the cold air before slipping inside. Tomorrow they would have to make their case. It would be highly unlikely either party would agree to this. But, they had no choice. Not now. Laethynar's threat was clear. Saraphyn's life was in more danger now then before. What made the matter worse was the priestess' presence near Celynar almost at every minute of daylight. Aedina would have to put a stop to that first. She sighed at the thought. The last thing Saraphyn needed was a confrontation with her big sister. It would have to happen. She would have to see to it.
-Rogue-
Regintoko had left for the night. Celynar knew he would be back before first light. The tauren took it upon himself to personally watch the rogue every second as long as people came in and out of his room. It was frustrating. He was barely alone and when he was, he found himself stuck without sleep when he needed it the most. If he did sleep, it was when Saraphyn came. Her gentle touch and slow healing gave him enough relief to gain some needed sleep. It was always peaceful. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips when he thought of her. His dreams always centered around the priestess. She was beautiful. She was kind. If any man or elf was lucky to be with her, they would find more beauty from within. He was jealous of the man that would make her his wife.
"Always were the dreamer."
Celynar sat up quickly, despite his aching body. "Laethynar?"
"Hello, brother," the high elf spat through clenched teeth. "Enjoying yourself?"
"H-how did you find me?"
Laethynar smirked. "I always know where you are at. Master linked us, remember? We are all connected."
Celynar looked down at the runs along his chest and arms. He almost had forgotten. The shallow rune shimmered blue for a second before going back to normal. His eyes turned to look at his brother as the older rogue moved the wooden chair in the room right next to Celynar's bedroll. He sat down on it backwards, his arms folding across the top. His grin never left, but Celynar could see the darkness in his brother's eyes. He could see the hate. No pain ever plagued Wintersteele's favorite. What a prize he had won when Laethynar was corrupted to join him. No one else would have been so perfect a choice.
"I won't kill her," Celynar said. "You will have to kill me first."
Laethynar erupted in laughter. "Oh little brother, what an easy target you would make. Sadly, that is not why Master sent me. Oh no. He wants me to remind you of your place."
"I will never serve him again."
"You see, Celynar, you have no option."
With a snap of his fingers, the deepest rune began to glow. Celynar doubled over in pain. He grabbed for the run. Body writhing, he looked up at his brother. Laethynar only grinned. It was clear the rogue was learning from Wintersteele. How much longer before he became a death knight as well? Then again, the apprentice was just as evil and twisted as the master. The Lich King's hold may never be broken from the Quel'dorei.
"Like my new trick?"
"S-s-stop it," Celynar whimpered.
He snapped his fingers and the pain stopped.
"What is he doing to you, Laeth?"
"He's teaching me! We are the superior race! In the end, we will all be saved before the Lich King while the rest of this world suffers in undeath!"
"Are you that blind?!" Celynar shifted, his chains just short enough to keep him from touching his brother. "We will all perish! He will turn us into those monsters and use our corpse's to slaughter the innocent!"
Laethynar leaned back in the chair and roared in laughter. He was starting to see now that speaking logic could never get through to his brother. Celynar knew better then that. Not even his parents could get through that thick skull of his. Somehow, he felt that this is what Laethynar wanted. He wanted to die. He wanted to be raised up as a death knight. He wanted more power. If he continued down the path he followed now, Celynar was most certainly positive that his wants would come to be.
"Oh, Celynar. I do love talking with you. You're wrong and you always have been, but it's fun. A blast, really," he mocked. "That is perhaps why you suffer the most. Celynar Dawnblade, son of a fisherman, skilled rogue, is nothing more then a puppet with a will. And when that will is broken, he will be nothing more then a slave."
Celynar scowled, wishing he had the strength to do something. "At least I have a will, brother. I have a heart and a soul. You sold yours the second the second gate fell and you ran like a pup with his tail between his legs."
He didn't feel the dagger cut across his chest. Celynar froze in almost a panicked fear. The chair his brother sat in was now on the floor. Laethynar looked down at him in rage.
"How dare you mock me!" He started to pace. "My own brother! The same flesh and blood!" Laethynar kicked his brother in the stomach, bending over him when the younger fell back onto the bedroll. "I can't kill you. Master won't let me. Said it's not the right time." He pushed the blade of his dagger against Celynar's throat. "I should, though. Watch your blood spill across the ground and my pain be over."
Celynar gasped for air, feeling poison seep through his veins.
"But it's not the time. No, no, you have a duty to perform. Your task is still not complete."
Laethynar forced his brother's mouth open. He bit off the top of a vial. Celynar felt the gray concoction be forced down his throat. He coughed roughly. Slowly, the dangerous poison was dulled in his veins. His hands grabbed for something. Anything to get his brother off of him. His chest was so heavy. Laethynar grinned before screaming loudly.
"Look at your prisoner! Look at him writhe! Look at this coward!" He laughed as shouts came through from the outside. "I bet she will be up here any second, won't she? How you love it when she does. Does she remind you of Rithelia?" He rubbed the bottom of his leather boot into Celynar's gash, smiling at the sound his brother made. "See you soon, little brother."
With that, he vanished. Two guards came running in quickly after.
"Quick! Get that priestess!"