"Sylnarri." Aylo whispered, nudging her, "Sylnarri, it's time to get up."

She barely cracked opened her eyes and shut them immediately; the sun was already up and much too bright for her liking. Sylnarri rolled over on her stomach and buried her face in the cloak that she had used as a pillow.

"Already?" She groaned, "Can I sleep just a little longer?"

"No." Aylo said, gently prodding her again, "If we leave soon we can get there before mid-day." Aylo stood up and walked back over to where she had slept, gathering her things together and packing them into her bag.

"Besides, I made breakfast and it'll get cold soon if you don't hurry up and eat it."

Sylnarri bolted upright, hunger over-riding her drowsiness. She pulled her hair into a short ponytail and scooted closer to the small fire that Aylo had made. Suspended above the flames was a small skillet, where a few small hunks of meat were sizzling.

"Sorry it's not much." Aylo confessed, "But it's not easy catching a squirrel with just a knife."

"I'm happy to just have anything." She smiled at Aylo, "Thanks."

"No problem." Aylo replied, pleased, "Oh yeah, here's some bread too." Aylo threw her a piece.

Sylnarri devoured the small meal. Even though she was grateful, she wished there was more. As if sensing her thoughts, Aylo spoke again.

"We can get some real food once we reach town." Aylo got to her feet and slung her bag over her arm, "Which means the faster we get there the sooner we can eat!" Sylnarri didn't need any more encouragement than that.

They packed up what little else they had, put out the fire, and were quickly on their way.

.


The morning air had a slight chill to it, reminding Sylnarri that summer was nearly over and fall would soon be coming. Even so, the cool breeze felt nice; it made her feel alive. Sylnarri trailed silently behind Aylo, watching the ground for potholes or any other tripping hazards. She touched the star shaped clasp at her throat and thought about yesterday's events, smiling to herself; she had known that Aylo had been watching the whole time she was undressing. She had wanted to see what Aylo would do, and she had not expected the draenei to let her nearly get completely naked! Sylnarri laughed to herself and looked up ahead at Aylo, remembering the look on her face as she stripped off her clothes piece by piece – she wished Aylo would look at her like that again.

"So Sylnarri." Aylo said, breaking the silence, "What's your sister like?"

Sylnarri picked up her pace and came up beside Aylo, "You mean besides over-protective?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, it's her job...she is your older sister after all." Aylo answered, "She cares about you."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She admitted begrudgingly, "I mean, I guess it's not all that bad. When I was little, she would play along with my make-believe games and stories." Sylnarri smiled, remembering, "And she would always be there when I needed her. Whether I scraped my knee or someone was bullying me, she would come running to save me."

"It sounds like she really loves you." Aylo observed.

"Yeah, she would always find time for me, and still does, even though she has a really busy job."

"Oh? What does she do?" Aylo inquired.

"Ohh, umm…" Her sister was a high ranking officer in Silvermoon, and she hated the Alliance – there was no way she would tell Aylo that. "She's, uhh, she's an accountant." She lied, fumbling with her words.

Accountant?! That's the best I can think of?!

"I mean, she is in charge of Silvermoon's treasury." She continued, "She oversees the city's finances." She quickly glanced at Aylo, hoping she would buy it.

"Really?" Aylo said, sounding impressed, "That's a great deal of responsibility. Your sister must be an important person."

"Oh yes, definitely!" She added quickly, relieved, "Very important."

Well at least that part isn't a lie, she is pretty important.

Sylnarri thought again about the sword she had found in Aylo's wardrobe – she looked at the draenei.

"Do you have any siblings?" She asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

"Nope, my parents only had one child...me." She answered, pointing to her chest.

Sylnarri frowned, Well that rules out it being her brother's…maybe she's a collector?

She wished she could ask Aylo upfront, but then she would know that she had been snooping around in her personal belongings. She would have to let the matter rest for now; maybe time would reveal the answer.

"So why did your parents decided to only have you?" Sylnarri asked, focusing back on the conversation.

"They died when I was little." Aylo said bluntly.

"Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be." She said flatly, looking at Sylnarri, "I'm not sorry. I got over it a long time ago."

"How did it happen?" She ventured.

"Disease." Aylo picked up a rock and tossed it in the air, catching it, "I nearly died too, but I survived somehow." She threw the pebble up in the air again, "After that, I was sent to live in an orphanage, in Stormwind, and that's where I grew up." Aylo hurled the stone into the woods; Sylnarri heard it smack loudly against a tree.

"It must have been tough, growing up on your own."

"Eh." She shrugged, "It made me the person I am today; for better or worse."

"I see." Sylnarri said, looking forward, not quite sure how to respond.

That's so sad, she thought, glancing over at Aylo. The draenei, despite the content and tone of her words, wore a somber expression. Sylnarri wanted to inquire further about Aylo's past but she didn't want to press her like last time; when she made Aylo cry. She decided it would probably be best to ask at a later time.

As they walked the forest began to thin out and the trail became wider, eventually turning into a road. Signs of civilization began to appear; A couple cottages, a lumber mill next to the river, and some grazing cattle. Sylnarri began to feel apprehensive, remembering the last time she had been in a city, when she had been attacked.

"Aylo?"

"Yes?" She asked, glancing at her.

"Um, what kind of town is this?"

"It's mostly human," She smiled, "But they're fairly tolerant of your kind."

She must not have looked convinced because Aylo grabbed her hand and said, "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

Sylnarri looked down to hide her blush, but she smiled. She stepped closer to Aylo, interlocking their fingers; she liked the way it felt. They walked like that the rest of the way to town.

They crossed an old stone bridge that spanned a small creek which marked the edge of the forest. Up ahead, atop a grassy hill, Aylo could see their destination – Hangman's Vigil. The town was ringed by a wooden palisade and there was heavy traffic flowing in and out of the small gate. Hangman's Vigil was the largest town for many miles, and farmers from the surrounding area were bringing their crops to sell in the market. Many had carts to haul their goods while others simply carried large baskets filled to the brim with produce.

Aylo reluctantly let go of Sylnarri's hand and pulled the hood of her cloak down over her face; she didn't want be noticed.

They merged into the crowd and began to make their way towards the gate. It had been a long time since Aylo had been around so many people and it was making her nervous. The cacophony of braying mules and shouting men was deafening to her, and the mass of bodies surrounding her felt threatening and claustrophobic. To her left Aylo saw two young boys chasing each other around a wagon with wooden swords. Aylo felt her pulse quicken as one of the boys pushed his stick into the others stomach, shouting in triumph as his foe fell to the ground, faking death. The 'dead' boy laughed and got back up, taking off at a sprint, taunting the other boy to chase him – it was too much.

I'm not ready for this! She began to panic, I can't handle this!

Aylo looked for way out but she wasn't finding any. She weaved through the crowd, desperately looking for an escape. She starting hyperventilating as she realized she couldn't get out, the living river forcing her ever closer towards the town gate. She was about to break down right there in the middle of the road when Sylnarri appeared beside her, grabbing ahold of her arm.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her expression worried and confused at the same time.

"Yeah." She said breathlessly, feeling herself start to calm down, "Yeah, I don't know what came over me." She smiled sheepishly at Sylnarri, slightly embarrassed at her behavior.

"Are you sure?" Sylnarri frowned, letting go of Aylo's arm and grabbing her hand instead.

"Yes, I am sure." She smiled, squeezing Sylnarri's hand gently.

She let Sylnarri pull her through the crowd. When they reached the gate the guards gave them a cursory look, they weren't used to seeing blood elves, but they didn't say anything, and let them pass unhampered into Hangman's Vigil.

The city was a bustle of activity.

Straight ahead, the entire town square was occupied by dozens of merchant stalls and vendors, the owners standing in front of their kiosks, advertising their wares and prices to the people milling about. The air was filled with the scent of roasting meat and various baked goods: bread, cakes, pies, and other pastries – Aylo's mouth began to water. To her left was a strip of blacksmith furnaces, black smoke billowing from the chimneys. Inside the shops strong, soot covered men worked the glowing steel; the ringing of their hammers provided a steady beat to the otherwise chaotic sounds of the city.

"Where should we start?" Sylnarri asked excitedly, looking at all the different stores and shops.

"I think we should mail you letter first, then we can go exploring." Sylnarri pouted at her.

"Oh fine." She sighed while rolling her eyes; but she grinned, letting Aylo know she wasn't serious.

They walked around for a while until Aylo spotted the mailbox; it was near The Meddling Murloc, one of the city's inn.

"I'm starving, are you ready to eat?" Aylo asked as Sylnarri dropped the envelope into the box.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing!" She exclaimed, "Let's go!"

They made their way back to the town square where all the merchant pavilions were set up.

"It all looks so good, I can't decide!" Sylnarri observed as they walked down the row of tents. Aylo had to agree, it was hard to choose. They passed a stall of smoked meat that nearly made her drool; she tried a sample and it was so tender that she didn't even have to chew it. Next, they came across of fruit stand whose owner boasted that the produce came all the way from Kalimdor. They saw many pastry stands and she couldn't help but buy a cinnamon muffin. It had been a long time since she had eaten anything sweet, so she could only get through half of it before giving the rest to Sylnarri. Eventually, she decided on a leafy salad thing that was supposedly a night elf delicacy and a slab of smoked beef from the butchers stall she had seen earlier. Aylo found a bench that was away from the bulk of the crowd and sat there. Sylnarri came up soon after and set her bowl down across from Aylo.

"What is that?" Aylo questioned, eyeing Sylnarri's food, "And what are you eating it with?"

"Oh, have you not had this before?" She asked, surprised, "It's pandaren food."

"No, I haven't." Aylo responded. It looked like little white grains, and she was using small wooden sticks to eat them.

"Here, try some!" Sylnarri said, grabbing some with her sticks and extending it towards Aylo. She eyed it suspiciously, and slowly leaned forward, taking a bite.

"Well?" Sylnarri asked expectantly.

"It's…" Aylo chewed thoughtfully, "… kind of bland." She said slowly.

"Well of course! You have to add flavor to it!" Sylnarri produced a small bottle from her pocket and from it poured a black looking liquid over the rest of… the rest of whatever it was she was eating.

Aylo forked some leaves from her salad and began to eat. She looked across the table at Sylnarri.

"So..." She began, "Your sister runs Silvermoon's finances…" She took another bite, "...What is it that you do?"

"Me?" Sylnarri mumbled, swallowing down her food, "Nothing special really, I just do whatever interests me at the moment."

"But you've got to make a living somehow."

"Well, I do kinda have an unofficial job." She said, poking at her food.

"Oh, what sort of job?" Aylo leaned forward, intrigued.

"Umm…" She shifted nervously in her seat "…I travel a lot and I… I occasionally sing at inns when I need the money."

"Really?!" Aylo asked, surprised.

"Yes, really!" Sylnarri blushed, "I'm actually fairly well known for my performances."

"I can imagine." Aylo grinned, "With that voice of yours, along with your pretty face, I can see why."

Sylnarri face went straight scarlet as she tried to come up with a response. Aylo laughed; she loved seeing how many shades of red she could make Sylnarri turn.

"Will you sing me a song?" She asked innocently, amused.

"Only if you have the gold for it!" Sylnarri responded, finding her voice, "No freebies, not even for you." They both laughed.

"So you like traveling then?" Aylo asked once their laughter subsided.

"Oh I love it." Sylnarri said, serious now, "Unfortunately, I haven't seen that much. I've been all over the northern Easter Kingdoms, and I've seen a little bit of the southern half." She took another bite of her food, "But what I really want...is to go to Kalimdor."

"I've done a fair bit of traveling myself." Aylo said, "And I've gone nearly everywhere in Kalimdor; from the sands of Tanaris all the way up to the foothills of Hyjal – it's quite an exotic land."

"I'm so jealous!" Sylnarri exclaimed, leaning forward with her chin resting on her hands, "Tell me about it."

"Honestly." Aylo chuckled, "I didn't get to sight see much, but it was beautiful: lots of wide-open tracts of land, sprawling forests, and rugged mountains."

"And?" Sylnarri pressed, hanging on Aylo's every word.

"Well, like I said, I didn't get to look around much while I was there."

"Oh…" Sylnarri mumbled, disappointed, turning her attention back to her food.

"Sorry I can't tell you more." She apologized.

"No, it's okay." Sylnarri said, picking at her bowl. A few moments passed and then Sylnarri looked at Aylo again.

"Why didn't you get to see much of Kalimdor?" She asked, interested again.

"It was because of my job." Aylo said, hoping that answer would satisfy her.

"What job?"

Damnit.

"Umm…" Aylo's mind raced as she tried to think of a plausible answer; she couldn't tell her that she had seen Kalimdor from the walls of the many forts she had been stationed at, "Cartographer! I was a cartographer." She felt proud of herself for coming up with that.

Sylnarri gave her a strange look.

"Isn't part of being a cartographer surveying the land?" She asked, confused. "Or am I just misunderstanding what it is that they do?"

"Uhh…"

Wow, I'm retarded; so much for cartographer being a great idea.

"No, you're right!" Aylo continued, thinking as fast as she could, "They do survey the land, but I mostly did the map drawing and detailing; my partner did all the landscape observations and measuring."

Sylnarri frowned for a moment, processing the information.

"That's interesting." Sylnarri said, "Sounds tedious though, drawing maps."

"Very tedious." Aylo affirmed, nodding.

She bought it.

Aylo looked down at her plate and realized sadly that she had eaten all her food; it was so good and she wished she had more. She looked at Sylnarri and saw that she was finishing up her bowl of mystery pandaren food.

"Do you want to go look around some more?" Aylo inquired.

"Yeah sure!" Sylnarri answered, downing the last bite. "I noticed a place earlier that I want to see."

They walked back over to the market and into the surge of people once again. Aylo had no idea what stand Sylnarri was looking for so she let her lead the way.

"There!" She pointed, grabbing Aylo by the hand and pushing her way through the crowd.

They came upon another merchant's pavilion, although this one looked much more exotic than the others. Fine, purple fabric was hung about the frame of the stall and a deep blue cloth was draped over the table. On display were many strange items that Aylo didn't recognize. Sylnarri was picking them up looking at them curiously; they were obviously foreign to her as well.

"Ah, greetings draenei." Aylo looked up and saw a night elf woman walk up to table, "Forgive me, I stepped out for a moment." Her voice was like silk, the words gliding effortlessly through the air and falling softly on Aylo's ears. She had perfect, long, dark blue hair that reached to her waist. She wore a simple white gown that hung loosely over her lithe frame; she wore nothing on her feet.

"Oh it's fine." Aylo said, "I was just looking."

The woman smiled and nodded. She turned her gaze to Sylnarri.

"Sin'dorei." She stated with a hint of reproach, acknowledging her presence.

Sylnarri merely bowed slightly in response, although Aylo could see a glint of anger in her eyes.

"Do you know what these are, draenei?" She asked, turning her attention back to Aylo.

"I have no idea." Aylo admitted.

"Well..." The night elf reached down and picked up one of the trinkets in front of Aylo, "…These are Kaldorei charms." She spoke softly, ponderously, each syllable perfectly articulated.

"This one in particular is for strength." She held it out for Aylo to see, "It's a tooth from a night saber, a ferocious animal."

"What about this one?" Aylo asked pointing at one that looked like a piece of wood.

"This…" She said, reaching over and picking it up, "…Is a piece of bark from a treant. It gives good health and longevity." She set it back down.

"Interesting." Aylo said, looking over the rest of the charms. She found one that seemed out of place and frowned.

"What's that one?" She asked the woman.

"Ah, that one." She mused, smiling faintly, "This one always attracts attention." She grabbed it and presented it to Aylo; she leaned forward to get a better look at it.

It appeared to be a miniature figurine carved out of some sort of black substance. It had two perfectly round holes for eyes but no mouth. It had an indistinct body, the only indication of it having legs or arms where some shallow scratches outlining where they should be. Aylo thought it looked a little eerie and she felt slightly uneasy as the figurine's empty eyes seemed to stare back at her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"It's a figure, carved from demon bone." She said, offering it to Aylo; she took it reluctantly. It was heavier than she expected and very warm, almost hot. "The demon lord Mannoroth, to be exact."

"Mannoroth?!" Aylo hastily handed it back to the woman, not wanting to hold it anymore.

"If what I've been told about it is true, then yes." The night elf replied, amused at Aylo's reaction.

"What does it do?" Aylo looked at it suspiciously.

"It bestows great power upon whoever wields it." She explained, "Although only if it wishes to."

"Only if it wishes to?" Sylnarri asked, jumping into their conversation, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said." The night elf answered, "It will deem whether or not you are worthy of its gift."

"And what gift would that be?" Sylnarri crossed her arms, skeptical.

"I can't say for sure." She responded, setting the black figurine back on the table, "I've never seen it choose anyone, but it's bound to be incredible."

"And evil." Sylnarri added, glowering at the night elf.

"Perhaps." The woman shrugged and pulled a stool from under the table and sat on it, "We may never know."

"I think I would be fine with not knowing." Aylo said, stepping away, "Thanks for showing us your wares, but we need to be on our way now."

"My pleasure." The night elf smiled mysteriously, "Come by anytime."

"Well that was odd." Sylnarri said bluntly as they walked away from the night elf's stand.

"It was a little creepy." Aylo replied, "Don't you think so? That little figurine was strange."

"Yeah." Sylnarri admitted, laughing slightly, "It was rather strange."

"To say the least." Aylo added. They walked aimlessly for a few minutes, looking at what all the different merchants had to sell.

"Well, where do you want to go now?" Sylnarri asked, glancing at Aylo.

"I'm not sure. I didn't really see anything that interested me… How about you?"

"Actually, I did see a few more places that I thought looked worth checking out." She pointed to a tent with a striped canvas. There was a large crowd surrounding it, blocking Aylo's view; she guessed that whatever was there had to be pretty good to attract such a large amount of people.

"Well let's – "

"Talyiah?"

Aylo felt the blood freeze in her veins. She turned slowly to see a burly man standing three paces from her, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at her.

"Talyiah?" He asked again, louder this time, taking a step closer and squinting at her.

"I believe you are mistaken sir." Aylo replied politely, trying to control the wavering in her voice. She put her hood back on; she had forgotten all about hiding.

"No." He said incredulously, and then shouted, "It is you!" He walked over to her.

"Talyiah, my old friend!" He laughed heartily, embracing Aylo in his large arms; she felt her back pop as he hugged her. He let go of her and stepped back, smiling at her.

"It's great to see you again friend!" He slapped her roughly on the shoulder and grinned widely, "Don't you remember me?" Aylo looked nervously over at Sylnarri; she had taken a few steps back and was wearing a confused expression. She turned back to the man.

"I'm sorry, I don't –"

"It's me, Harad, your old blacksmith back in the war!" He continued, laughing, "You always put me to work when you came back from battle! Your sword would be duller than a doorknob from all the work you put it though!" Aylo cringed visibly.

No no no no no… this can't be happening.

"Aylo, what is he talking about?" Sylnarri looked from Harad to Aylo, she was wringing her hands nervously and she was beginning to look worried. Aylo tried to go over to Sylnarri and talk to her but Harad grabbed her, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"So where have you been all these years? Everyone had thought you dead, but I knew better...no one could ever kill Talyiah! I told'em, but no one ever believed me." Harad suddenly seemed to realize something and began to yell.

"Hey everyone, Talyiah is alive!" He shouted, pulling her hood back down, exposing her, "Our hero has returned!"

People began to turn to see what the commotion was. Aylo could see them start to gape as they began to recognize her. A crowd began to from around them and Aylo could hear excited murmuring and her name being whispered.

Aylo closed her eyes, wishing to be anywhere but here – soon other people began to shout her name excitedly, telling everyone in the town that Talyiah was alive and well.

"Talyiah…" Sylnarri whispered, "… I know that name...Talyiah the Elf Slayer." She shook her head in disbelief. "Is it true?"

"That's right elf." Harad said, "The one and only! I'm surprised that your head is still attached to your shoulders!"

Aylo reached out to Sylnarri, but the elf flinched and recoiled away from her. She looked fearfully at Aylo.

Aylo felt a sharp pain in her chest as she looked into Sylnarri's frightened eyes.

She's afraid of me

Aylo felt a wave tears begin to well up, threatening to spill over.

"Aylo, is… is this true?" Sylnarri asked quietly, her eyes looking deep into Aylo's.

Aylo bolted, sprinting through the surprised crowd – she heard Sylnarri shout her name, telling her to wait. She just kept running.

Author's Note: Hey y'all, thanks for reading. If any of you are curious as to how long this story is going to be, if everything goes as I plan it this right here is maybe about 10% of the way through; I have pretty big plans for the story. Right now its pretty small scope, but I plan on opening it up a lot later on. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading, and have an amazing day. Also, one more thing, I'm considering writing a Diablo fanfic, or a Killzone one. Okay, have a great day!