WOW!

I'm so sorry it's been so long. I went on a mini-vacation and wasn't able to write, and then once I could write, I accidentally lost my chapter and had to re-write it all... Not to mention my second time writing it, I had so much difficulty doing so, and I've probably technically written this chapter three times over.

Hopefully I didn't do too much damage with the wait. :\ It's been weeks, I know...

Review responses:

Connet: Sarion has had rubbish luck... :3

Woe the Dead: Honestly, even I was a little choked up at Sarion. Poor widdle guy!

Peachycupcake: Ian will definitely be returning!

Zarabethe: Oh yes, Aitto's got to have his spotlight! :D

Aeschielle-Moonguard: Whoa! I'm a little curious as to what this bet was, but then again, I may just prefer to let my imagination run wild. Also sorry about the not-so-soon update... :3

ForGG: Well, he's certainly not happy, that's for sure. :[ And thanks for the encouragement! Sorry it took so long to update.

Hawkleaf: I'll try not to include too much sadness in this one, I wouldn't want to send you into fits. ;) I'm glad you like the story.

Tala: Indeed... As the author who knew about all this the entire time, I've been feeling sorry for him through it all!

Envie Rouge: Thank you very much! :) I'll try to keep the updates coming!

Also, I am going to be spacing the chapters out more because the 5.4 patch is probably coming within the next few months, and I want to be able to use details from that for the final fight/siege of Orgrimmar and the events leading up to it. Depending on how late the patch comes, I may -sadly- have to end up putting the story on a short hold, but that's worst-case scenario. I've heard the patch could come as early as late August, which means the updates may be smooth as butter.

Anyway, hope you enjoy. :)

No one was willing to speak up, because no one knew what to say.

"Where's Unaril?" Sarion had asked so brightly, as if he expected his other half to peek his head around the trees and welcome him back. When the world stood perfectly still, he glanced around and smirked, leaning back against the support of the tree nonchalantly and sprawling his legs out in front of him in the grass. "What? Something I said?"

Lucian opened his mouth to speak, hesitating a moment. "Sarion..." He raised a hand to his own head, brushing his fingers through his hair.

Sarion's smile faltered just barely as he registered the seriousness in the air. "...What?"

"Unaril is..." Lucian paused, taking in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. He tightened his jaw as his friend's face became very grave.

The raven-haired elf's eyes became tense, and he stood, gritting through his teeth, "Where is he?"

"Sarion," Lucian gave him a pained look, "He's... gone."

Sarion's shoulders tensed up and his face contorted in a look of both disbelief and dread. "Gone where?" he asked hesitantly.

The look on Lucian's face was apparently all Sarion needed as confirmation of his worst fears. Sarion violently shook his head, his eyes showing such sudden grief that he began to literally shake.

"How?" he choked out in a breaking voice, not caring that his eyes were threatening to spill obvious tears.

Norivana gritted her teeth. How was Lucian going to tell Sarion, who apparently had no idea, that Sarion killed his own brother? Lucian licked his lips once, looking at the ground and probably thinking the same thing as her.

"Do you remember anything from the past few weeks?" Lucian asked him.

Sarion blinked, his face switching from pained to confused. "Of course I do, up until last night, when we arrived in Stormwind through Edoril's portal."

Everyone sort of winced at this. Somehow, Sarion had no recollection of what had gone on since that fateful night they went to Stormwind, almost three weeks ago.

"Lucian," Sarion pleaded in a low, quiet voice, which was now a bit more level and his face was expressionless, as if he was trying to block out the pain, "He's my brother. I deserve to know what happened."

Lucian's eyes flicked helplessly between Sarion's, and he looked almost trapped, but he did answer. "You... remember how you got infected with fel energy?"

"How do you know about that?" Sarion creased his brow.

Lucian sighed. "It wasn't just fel energy, Sarion, it was an entire demon," he continued, "You've been possessed for nearly three weeks. You truly don't remember anything? Anything at all?"

Sarion scoffed, his mind forcing him into denial, but he didn't say anything, just let his eyes flick back and forth at the ground. "How is that relevant?" he finally mumbled, though it didn't look like he really wanted an answer.

"The demon that possessed you... It killed him," Lucian stated, "It killed Unaril."

Sarion's eyes suddenly flashed with both shock and recollection, and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He began frantically looking around, though it looked almost like he wasn't actually seeing anything, and he slumped back against the tree, sliding down until he was sitting. He put his hands to his forehead to brace it, but then yanked them away in disgust as he felt the base of his horns protruding from his head, now remembering how he got them.

He finally looked up at Lucian, pure agony etched across his face, "I remember. I remember it all," he almost began to show hysterics, starting to hyperventilate as he spoke, "By Elune, the things I did!" he hissed, "All those poor people, and Unaril-!" he choked a sob on his brother's name.

Lucian went swiftly to Sarion's side, kneeling and placing his hand on his friend's shoulder with concern, "Sarion, that wasn't you. You had no choice," he demanded, but Sarion shook his head.

"If I had no choice..." Sarion said shakily, his eyes spilling almost invisible tears, and he did his best to regain his composure but failed. He angrily slammed his large hands down onto the ground, gritting his fingers into the grass and dirt, and started to raise his voice, "If I had no choice," he repeated in a growl, then began to yell, his voice laced with anguish, "Why do I remember the thrill I felt as I wrenched my blade into my brother's heart?!"

Lucian winced, and the distressed elf took two painful breaths, then shouted again, "It was me! I enjoyed it! How could I possibly-!" His voice cut off in a choked sob and he let out a shaky gasp and slumped forward, letting his entire body quake with grief-stricken sobs. Lucian sat down beside him and placed his hand on Sarion's back, letting him vent his sorrow.

Norivana felt a large hand grip her shoulder, and she looked up at Aitto, whose face was contorted in a grimace.

"You should go," she mumbled to him, "This can't be easy for you."

He stared at Sarion, brows tense and jaw tight, but he finally inhaled a slow, deep breath before letting it out equally slowly.

"Night Elves' emotions are so concentrated," he muttered only loud enough for her ears, "Stronger than any other creature I've encountered. I feel like I'm drowning."

Norivana felt a rush of intensified pity for Sarion. If Aitto said it was bad, it was bad. She had no idea how she'd handle it if she lost someone that close. She recalled back when she thought Aitto had been killed, back when Krazak'Zul had tortured her. The level of horror and anguish she had felt had been to the point of going insane. She could only imagine how it must be like for Sarion, seeing as this time it was real.

All the other Druids had left, and Aitto chose to do so as well. Norivana was unsure whether she should go or not, but one glance at Lucian let her know she needed to stay. He gave her an injured look and pressed his mouth into a firm line, all the while still consoling Sarion. Sarion hadn't ceased crying, and he was still hunched over, head in his hands, unmoving save for the quake of his soundless sobs.

Norivana sat down next to Lucian, lacing her fingers into his free hand. He squeezed back and lifted her hand up, pressing his lips to the back of it and closing his eyes in sorrow. It was an interesting gesture, Norivana thought. Simple, yet held so much emotion that she felt her own eyes starting to well up. She blinked rapidly and wiped her eyes, giving him a delicate, sad smile, which he returned.

A few minutes passed, or maybe more, Norivana wasn't entirely sure, and it appeared Sarion had calmed and was now just sitting there, still slumped forward with his head in his hands.

Lucian stirred, squeezing Norivana's hand before letting go. He stood up slowly. "Sarion, I can show you where he's buried."

He helped Norivana stand up as Sarion raised his tear-streaked face. Sarion nodded and stood, following Lucian silently. They shortly reached the giant tree under which Unaril was resting, and Lucian quietly told Sarion of what they had done for the funeral. Sarion stared at the tree, his face almost completely stoic, and he walked up to it, delicately placing a hand onto the bark. He looked up into the branches, inspecting it, then knit his brows tightly, scrunching his eyes shut in pain. He leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against the tree, his own way of saying goodbye.

Lucian wrapped his hand around Norivana's again and led her away, giving Sarion his space.

They met up with Eko and Aitto, who were sitting next to each other on the ground, talking and eating. The two had almost immediately bonded, it seemed, and Norivana was so glad. It was nice that Aitto could have a friend now, even if it was a temporary visitor. And Eko appeared quite at ease around Aitto as well, as if they'd known each other forever.

Aitto had been telling Eko about what happened back when they'd been sentenced to death, of how they'd freed Lucian and whatnot. Eko was intrigued, listening intently as he ate a slab of spiced bread. When Lucian and Norivana arrived, Aitto held out his arms in a 'tada!'

"And here's the man of the hour," Aitto pointed at Lucian, patting the large elf's back while Lucian sat down beside him.

"You two talking about me?" Lucian raised his brow jokingly, reaching over and grabbing two slices of the bread, handing one piece to Norivana as she joined his side and popping a chunk of his in his mouth. He spoke through his mouthful, "Only good things, I hope?"

Eko raised one blue-skinned brow, eyeing Lucian mischievously, "Oh, nothing really," he flashed a grin, falsely accusing the elf, "Ya Tauren friend here was jus' tellin' me about how he caught ya prancing about in ya girlfriend's smallclothes."

At the troll's unexpected teasing, Aitto burst out laughing, and Lucian nearly inhaled the bread in his mouth, then coughed loudly, eyes watering both out of entertainment and the fact that he probably had spice bread in his windpipe.

Through sputtering coughs, Lucian finally managed to speak, laughing through his words, "What are you talking about?"

Aitto grinned and played along with Eko's outlandish accusation, raising his hands innocently, "I swear I didn't tell him about that, Lucian. I promised you I wouldn't." He then sent Norivana a wink.

"I never even did that-!" Lucian chortled, still obviously trying to regain his breath and laughing.

The mental image of Lucian doing that had Norivana in stitches, and once she regained some composure she crossed her arms with a smirk, eyeing him sideways, "Was it the red lace, or the black? I need to know so I can burn it."

Lucian, still grinning, placed his arm around her waist and pulled her into a hug, "Neither! If anyone saw me wearing those, it'd put all you women to shame." He bopped her nose with one finger.

Norivana jokingly sent a halfhearted punch against his arm, and he chuckled again and changed the subject. "So what exactly did you talk to the King about, then?" Lucian asked Eko, and Eko shrugged lightly, nibbling on a blade of grass between sharp white teeth.

"Not so much," Eko replied in his slight Zandali accent, "I informed him of Garrosh's and Vol'jin's plans. And that Vol'jin be needin' the King to help him overthrow the Warchief."

Aitto crinkled his furry brows. "You think Wrynn will actually help?"

"Hope so," Eko shrugged, "Garrosh be planning a full-on slaughter of Stormwind. He has a massive army hidden below Orgrimmar; that's where all his troops are disappearing to. In a few months, he'll be ready to invade Stormwind - which Vol'jin knows and be furious about. But if Vol'jin can put him down before he goes too far, we still got a chance to stop this Horde-Alliance war before it's too late. So, ya king wants ya to accompany me back to Sen'jin village in a week or so to discuss terms of their agreement. Varian would go himself if not for other issues forcing him to stay."

Lucian shrugged. "Whatever the king chooses, that's what I support. He's a very smart man. If he wants us to go with you, I suppose we should."

Norivana nodded in agreement. "I do what the King says." She then jerked her thumb toward Lucian, who still had his arm placed around her side, "Plus, where he goes, I follow."

Her white-haired elf gave her an affectionate look laced with something she couldn't quite place. Sadness? ...No, but his eyes did hold something akin to it. Perhaps he was still thinking about Sarion.

Eko smirked slyly at her comment, flicking his eyes between Lucian and Norivana, and he leaned over to Aitto and mumbled something under his breath, at which Aitto actually snickered. Norivana blinked at her Tauren. He seemed more at home with this Troll than he ever was with anyone else since they'd left Orgrimmar, even her.

"Hey," Norivana called out at them, jokingly scolding, "No secrets allowed."

Aitto winked at her, "I strongly doubt you want to hear what he just said."

Norivana pursed her lips, squinting her eyes between the Troll and the Tauren. "Hmmm... You're probably right..."

Eko grinned a toothy, tusked grin and stood up suddenly, brushing bread crumbs from his leathers. "Now," he began, "I don't know about the rest of ya, but I'm needin' a good drink and a nap. If anyone wants to join me for a drink, feel free."

Aitto stood too. "Sounds like a good plan." He too dusted off his armor and his gold-and-blue tabard and shook out his mane-like hair in a snort before following the young troll to the nearest tavern.

Lucian turned to Norivana. "A nap sounds amazing."

Norivana yawned in agreement. Her night before had worn her out, seeing as she had been tasked with dragging a demon through the desert, and she hadn't gotten all that much sleep. And by the looks of it, Lucian had barely slept either.

He stood, holding his hand down to her. "Before that, though, I want to show you something," he smiled, excitement showing through his tired exterior.

Norivana quirked a brow, taking his hand and standing, then let him lead her to the gigantic tree-building. As they neared the door, Norivana noticed Sarion was still in almost the exact same position he'd been in when she had last seen him: leaning against the tree, forehead and forearms placed onto the bark, and eyes scrunched shut. She looked away quickly, feeling like for some reason this was a very private moment for the dark-haired elf. Well, of course it was; he was mourning his dead brother, but still... It pained her to see him like that, not to mention he looked like he needed left alone.

Lucian must've seen it too because his hand squeezed hers a little tighter before they went ahead and entered the door of the tree.

She had to admit, this place was awesome. That tree back in Raynewood Retreat had absolutely nothing on this one. The entire interior was lined with a stained, shining wooden framework, and at one far end was a winding ramp much like the old tree. It was gigantic, seeming almost larger on the inside, and in the center rested a moonwell that was in the process of being built. Somehow, the wood in the floors, walls, and ceilings had been carved and engraved with tiny, detailed carvings of leaves, flowers, and murals of nature settings. The room was lit in a low light coming from tiny lanterns placed at small windows in the walls, giving the whole thing a very serene feel to it.

Norivana took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh scent of wood and rain that rode on the small breeze playing through the doorway.

"Lucian, I'm impressed," she breathed, taking in the sheer beauty of the building.

He glanced down at her, smiling. "Wait until you see your room."

Norivana's eyes widened. "My room?" she blinked a few times, unbelieving. "I have a room?"

Lucian grinned a wide, shiny grin and nodded, excitedly leading her up the ramp, past multiple levels of rooms as they scaled the massive tree. When they reached the level Lucian was aiming for, he beckoned her through a short hallway into a room that was almost shaped like a half-sphere, taking up almost one half of that level of the tree.

Her mouth hung wide open as she took in the sight.

Across the entire bowed wooden wall of this room was a line of large open windows that let in a cool, moon-like light that blanketed the smooth floor. In the center of that wall was a tall, curved archway that, from what Norivana could see, led out onto a small balcony overlooking the dark forest. A light northern breeze blew in from the archway as Norivana slowly walked in. Lucian stood in the doorway, leaning against a beam with his arms folded and a soft smile on his face. He didn't say anything, just watched her as she turned slowly, taking it all in.

One single low-lit lantern hung from the ceiling over a beautifully-adorned bed with white and pale blue sheets. Beside the bed was a tall armoire of the same wood as the tree, with the drawers and doors intricately carved with the same engravings as the ones on the base floor. Tentatively, Norivana padded over to the wardrobe and opened up the two large doors, and immediately felt her chest swell with gratitude.

There was an almost excessive amount of clothing in there, all finely tailored of silks and cotton, dyed and embroidered and knitted. Along with that, Lucian had sent for her things from her room in the inn to be moved into this one, all organized into their respective places. Not one item in there was to her dislike, and her mouth curled into a smirk as she cocked her head back to look at Lucian.

"Are you ever going to let me buy something for myself?" she clicked her tongue, reaching out one hand and running it over a particularly-silky ebon shirt.

Lucian chuckled, his voice rich. "Not if I can help it."

He stepped into the room, his sturdy boots clunking against the wooden floor as he did so, and inspected the place himself. This was one of the only places, Norivana noticed, that he didn't have to duck to enter the doorways or watch his head around the light fixtures.

And another thing was, this was the first time ever that she'd had a room of her own. Something about that clicked, and she felt at home. She'd been running all over the world, scattered like a leaf in the wind, but this, this place, it planted her feet. She knew this was where she wanted to stay.

And also, the tall silky-haired elf on display in the center of her room kinda made her want to stick around too.

Norivana laced her fingers behind her back, chewing on her lip and walking toward the balcony daintily, smiling as she peered at all the tiny details that had been put into making this room what it was. It was without a doubt the most impressive thing she'd ever received as a gift. And now that she thought about it, she'd recently received a lot of those.

Then, to Norivana's personal embarrassment, as she stepped out onto the balcony and leaned against the thin wooden railing, her eyes began to well up. Blinking rapidly, she began to wipe her fingers under her eyes, trying to will herself not to make a scene of it all, but it was too late. Lucian leaned over next to her, cocking his head in concern and holding a gentle frown in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" he murmured, leaning one arm down against the balcony and turning himself to face her, his long frosty hair hanging over his shoulder down toward the ground far beneath them.

Norivana shook her head frantically. "No! No, nothing's wrong!" she sputtered, almost laughing, "I don't know why I'm doing this. My eyes are being stupid."

Lucian's mouth turned into a subtle smile and he unspeakingly turned his gaze down toward the elves below who were working diligently to furnish their new home. After a moment, Norivana spoke again.

"It's just..." she began, sighing once and then waving a hand back and pointing toward her room, "That," she then reached a hand to her neck, retrieving the delicate silver necklace that adorned it, "And this, they're beautiful. I just... I don't get it! For some reason, everyone I've met has been so ridiculously kind to me, and for what reason? I'm nothing but a traitorous ex-soldier with nothing to my name, but all of you seem to have it in your head that I deserve all of this."

Lucian's brow tightened just barely, but his mouth and eyes still held a smile as he gave her a reassuring look. "Norivana," he said, removing himself from the railing and then turning his head up toward the sky, letting out a sigh before returning his almost twinkling gaze to hers. "Why is it so hard for me to get this into your stubborn head? We do these things because we care about you." He shifted his stance, speaking with a low, sincere tone, "I care about you. And yes, when I first knew you, I felt indebted to you for saving my life. I always will, of course, but that's not why I do this. I do this because I want to. Because you matter to me, and I want to see you happy."

Norivana felt a lump form in her throat and she tried to laugh to shake it off, but it ended up an almost strangled laughing sob. Lucian let an affectionate smile cover his face and he chuckled a warm, soft laugh, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a hug, placing a kiss to the top of her head.

"Don't ever think you're not worth it," he murmured, squeezing his arms one last time before pulling back and placing his hands on her shoulders, staring into her vivid green eyes. "You, Norivana Sunstepper, are the strongest, brightest, most brilliant creature I've ever known."

"That's quite a compliment," Norivana choked a laugh.

"I mean every word," Lucian smiled back, then glanced back out into the forest. He raised his brows suddenly, snapping his fingers. "Oh! I almost forgot something!"

Without further explanation, he left her side, leaping smoothly back through the doorway behind her and leaving her stunned. She smirked. Silly Lucian and his distracted moments.

She followed him back into the room where she found him standing, holding out his hand. Perched on his finger was that tiny owl she'd met in Darnassus. Her jaw dropped. She'd completely forgotten about this little guy! She grinned widely and skipped over to the pepper-feathered creature, carefully reaching out a delicate hand and running her fingers over the bird's soft feathers. He hooted in approval, the sound an almost flute-like song.

"Hey buddy," she cooed at the creature, holding one finger up as a perch, on which he hopped and wrapped his tiny digits around. She grinned up at Lucian. "I forgot about him! Have you had him here the whole time?"

"Yep!" Lucian reached up and scratched his now-furry chin, which had gone from stubble to a beard in the past few weeks. "He's been our own personal bug repellent. Or... more like exterminator."

Norivana giggled and held the owl up at eye level, speaking to him in an almost baby-voice, "Is that true? What a good boy! Yes you are!"

The owl let out an appreciative hoot and puffed out his feathers, blinking his gigantic eyes. Norivana smiled.

"I'm going to call you Argyle," she smiled, and Argyle hooted again.

Lucian raised his brows, "That's actually kind of perfect," he mused, reaching out a finger to pet the speckled bird.

"Perfect name for the perfect bug-hunter," Norivana chirped.

As if on cue, Argyle leapt off her finger and flew up into the air, chasing a bug straight out the balcony and into the treetops.

"I'm guessing he does that a lot?" Norivana asked, wondering if her owl would return.

"He returns sooner or later," Lucian grinned. "Now, let's go see what trouble Aitto and Eko are getting themselves into."

They found the two men exactly where they said they'd be. Eko and Aitto were sitting at a corner-table of the Golden Keg, and Norivana was surprised at the lack of attention the two of them had gathered despite their obvious racial threat. A giant Tauren and a Troll weren't the sort to get away with waltzing around Stormwind. Then again, Aitto had his Alliance tabard and Eko didn't exactly look all that threatening, other than the now un-muzzled tiger sprawled out on the floor by his feet. And, both of them spoke Common, giving them a certain level of trust that they wouldn't receive otherwise.

Both men looked quite relaxed and content, leaning back in their seats and lazily drinking from their tankards. When Aitto saw Norivana and Lucian, he grinned.

"Where've you two been?" he scolded, reaching out in front of him and lifting up a full, untouched mug of ale, then slamming it down onto the edge of the table nearest the two approaching elves. "Your ale's going flat!"

Eko wiggled his brows, "I know where they've been," he murmured, then made a very crude gesture with his hands that made Norivana's face burn red.

"My goodness!" Norivana squeaked, shaking her head at Eko but allowing herself to laugh as she sat down in her seat. Lucian apparently hadn't heard Eko and he looked confused.

"What'd I miss?" he raised his brows, sitting down beside Norivana at the table.

Norivana shook her head almost frantically, replying to him much too quickly, "Nothing."

Lucian opened his mouth to speak but then paused, letting his lips form a smile and then looking around between the three of them. "Okay," he said slowly, then turned to speak to Eko, "What's the plan for when we go to Vol'jin? And who all is supposed to go?"

Eko let his expression turn a little more serious as he recalled what Varian had told him. "Well, we can't be bringin' too many into the village. I'd say maximum five or six. Otherwise ya'd all be too much of a threat." He leaned back in his seat, "Vol'jin wanted to meet Norivana and Aitto, which is why they gotta come. Ya father, Edoril I think? He's supposed to come too."

Lucian nodded, looking thoughtful.

"When are we leaving?" Aitto piped up.

"The King said Thursday," Eko took another drink, "So that gives us nearly a week."

"Why Thursday?" Norivana wondered aloud, reaching out to pick up her own mug. Eko shrugged.

"Donno, that's just what he said."

Norivana sipped her beverage, and Lucian, to her shock, reached down to pet Eko's tiger pet. The vivid orange tiger woke with a twitch of its shoulders, then raised its massive head and stood up. Norivana tensed, but then rather than attacking, the tiger rubbed up against Lucian and began to make a noise akin to a tiger's method of purring. Norivana set down her drink in surprise. Normally, hunters' pets would never allow an outside party to approach them, let alone scratch their ears.

"How is he not attacking you right now?" she puzzled, cocking her head and watching the menacing tiger be reduced to nothing but a purring kitten.

Lucian grinned. "I'm part kitty."

Eko laughed. "That, and the fact that Zazel is the most laid-back tiger I've ever met."

The tiger, apparently Zazel, made a chuffing noise with his throat and sat down on his haunches, resting his big furry head on Lucian's knee. Lucian continued to scratch the cat's ears while he took another drink, then wiped his mouth with his forearm and listened to Eko talk. Eko had begun recalling how he'd actually ended up taming Zazel.

According to the Troll, Zazel was a somewhat peabrained feline and had stumbled upon Eko's camp in the middle of the night. The tiger had somehow managed to get himself tangled in the strings of Eko's tent, but rather than fighting and trying to escape, the poor cat had merely accepted its fate and fallen asleep. Needless to say, it was quite a surprise in the morning when Eko awoke to a massive sleeping tiger tied up at the foot of his tent.

Norivana felt the buzz of alcohol in her fingertips and ears as she listened to the men chatter. They joked and laughed and told stories, and Norivana enjoyed it immensely, despite the fact that she was more or less an observer rather than a participant in the discussion. That's how she preferred it; she'd always liked staying in the background rather than the spotlight, a trait that must've come with her being a rogue. Of course, occasionally she'd join in and it was all fine and dandy, but for the most part, she liked to listen.

A few times she'd yawn widely, realizing that in the excitement of getting her new room, she'd completely forgotten about that nap Lucian had mentioned. Lucian didn't look much better, but he was having so much fun with the guys that Norivana didn't want to bother him about it.

She wasn't sure how long she spent in that tavern, but by the time she finally decided to leave, it was nearly dark out. Lucian gave her a quick kiss goodbye, much to the entertainment of Eko and Aitto, who both jeered loudly in their drunken states. Norivana blushed and Lucian smiled a happy smile and rolled his eyes at the guys, then said he would probably stay a while.

Still blushing, Norivana quickly exited the building to make her way back to her own room. She reached the dark, shady forest of the elves, and made a beeline for the tall, almost artistic-looking Druids' tree. A few colorful elves she didn't know greeted her, along with Catalpa and Lena who were both sitting in the grass nearby. Norivana sent them a short friendly wave and then went up to her new room, closing the door behind her.

It was somewhat cool in the room, the perfect temperature. Argyle was perched and sleeping in one of the windowsills, and at Norivana's arrival, he twittered and fluffed his feathers before returning to his slumber. Norivana shuffled over and flopped down in the large bed, completely exhausted and extra-tired from the ale.

This had been one of the longest days of her life; that morning, she had been stumbling through the desert with a demon on a leash. She'd gone from one end of the world to the other, ridden a dragon for the first time, snuck a demon into Stormwind, killed said demon, brought its host back from the dead, and then spent the rest of the day drinking in a tavern with a Tauren, a Troll, and a Night Elf.

Weird. That's all she had to describe it.

Staring up at the living wooden ceiling, she chewed her lip, mulling over how her meeting would go with Vol'jin. She could only hope he wasn't like Garrosh, but then again, seeing as Vol'jin disliked the Warchief for the same reasons as herself, she had hope for the Troll.

And also, apparently Edoril was supposed to go. That was good. He somehow had a way of calming people down and getting along with anyone, not to mention the fact that he was one of the smartest people she'd ever met. If the King should choose anyone to oversee this important of a job, it should be Edoril.

A cool breeze wafted through the many windows and archway across the room, carrying the scent of earth and leaves and rain. It was quiet, the only sounds being the faint chirping of crickets and the wind rustling through the leaves of the trees.

Within moments, she was out cold.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and suddenly Thursday was upon Norivana's doorstep.

It was the night before they were set to leave, and Norivana had begun packing her necessities into a backpack and placed her armor out at the foot of her bed so it'd be ready when she woke up in the morning. Over the past week, she, along with Aitto and Eko, had been mostly just helping Lucian and his clan finish up what they needed in building their new home.

Honestly, Norivana thought, this place was even better than Raynewood. Not only was the tree itself larger, but because they were technically within Stormwind limits, they had the personal protection of the guards at their leisure, not to mention they weren't constantly under the threat of Horde attacks, nor did they need to send out scouting parties ahead of the hunters anymore.

They'd planted a massive orchard around the main tree, consisting of apples, pears, peaches, plums, and many fruits Norivana had never heard of. The trees themselves were tall, much more impressive than the ones that'd been there earlier, thanks to the Druids' plant-growing abilities. On the edge of the shady orchard, near the lake to the south of the woods, they'd set up a plentiful garden as well that had attracted a good amount of wild poultry.

These Druids had it better than half the people in the city.

Norivana took her necklace and placed it beside the backpack so it'd be ready for her in the morning, then realized she was done packing her things. With perfect timing, Lucian appeared in her doorway and visibly knocked on the frame, giving her his trademark smile. Norivana returned the smile, skipping over to him happily. His presence alone boosted her mood.

"What's up?" she chirped, and he shrugged.

"Not much, just wanted to see if you're ready for tomorrow."

Norivana nodded. "Got everything packed."

"Good," Lucian nodded once, then eyed her, "But what I wanted to know was if you were ready. We don't know what to expect when we go."

"Oh. Honestly," she admitted, pursing her lips, "I haven't thought much about it. Haven't exactly let myself."

"That's kind of what I expected," Lucian chuckled slightly, walking over to the other side of the room and looking out the archway into the leafy canopy. He glanced back at her, "I'm not just talking about tomorrow, either. If this goes the way it's heading, there's going to be a war. A big war."

Norivana joined his side, breathing in the cool, fresh night air and staring out through the trees. Moonlight peeked through the leaves and decorated the tree in a cold light. It was all so peaceful, so quiet and calm, and she wanted to freeze everything, to stay right here and forget about wars and battle.

"I wish we could pause the world," Norivana said quietly, chewing on her lip and listening to the crickets chirp far down below at the base of the tree. "I don't want this all to disappear."

Lucian cocked his head a little, staring up at the leaves above, "Even if we lose, we won't lose everything," he smiled, "Once the war is over, either way we'll always have this."

"That is, unless Garrosh wins and obliterates Stormwind," Norivana mumbled.

"I wasn't talking about Stormwind," Lucian shook his head once, letting one corner of his mouth keep his smile and looking over at her. His golden eyes shone through the dark like gemstones, his hair reflecting that light in odd flecks and shimmers. "I mean this," he nodded his head toward her subtly, "You."

Norivana took a deep breath, though she didn't reply. Lucian watched her silently for a while as she continued to stare into the night.

Finally, she spoke. "I don't really get that," she mused, quirking a brow and looking over at Lucian.

"Get what?"

"The whole..." Norivana fumbled for a moment, trying to choose her words, "This." She smirked, "You."

Lucian smiled to himself. "What don't you understand?"

"A lot," she sighed.

"That's not much to go on," Lucian chuckled, shifting his stance and leaning against the balcony ledge.

Norivana shrugged, elaborating, "I like you-,"

"I like you too," Lucian interrupted, glancing over at her and giving her a playful look.

"Let me finish!" Norivana giggled. "I like you, and although I don't know what this is," she waved her hand between herself and Lucian, "I can say that every good thing in my life, aside from Aitto, has come from you. Before I met you, I hadn't lived. I survived, yeah, but that wasn't living." She shrugged. "Whatever you and I have, whatever this is, I don't want it to end. This is all unfamiliar territory for me, but it's the best place I've ever been." She took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She never was the sort to voice this sort of thing, so this was a big move for her.

She continued, "And honestly, I'd rather fight beside you with the risk of losing everything, than live in peace with anyone else... Does that make sense?" she sort of mumbled, fidgeting and nervously picking at one fingernail.

She finally let herself look at Lucian, who to her surprise had the biggest grin on his face she'd ever seen. The next thing she knew, he was kissing her, wrapping his protective arms around her and actually lifting her up off the ground, letting her feet dangle in the air. Momentarily thrown off-guard, Norivana squeaked and jerked her head back, afraid she'd go off-balance and fall straight over the side of the balcony. Lucian was still holding fast, though, and he chuckled.

"I won't let you fall," he grinned, and Norivana smiled back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and returning to the kiss she'd pulled away from.

After a moment he finally set her down, taking his time in releasing her. He opened his grinning mouth to speak for a moment, closed it, cocked his head slightly, and then let out a laugh. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear that."

Norivana finally braved a smile. "So I'm not crazy for thinking it?"

"If thinking that makes you crazy," Lucian shrugged, "Then I am too."

Norivana smiled, feeling relieved and thrilled. Lucian got a mischievous look on his face and gave her a sly smirk.

He yawned dramatically, stretching his arms out wide and shrugging his shoulders. "Well, seeing as we got that out of the way, it's only logic that we should elope, have twenty kids and go live in the mountains somewhere."

"Only logic," Norivana agreed with a giggle.

Lucian wiggled his brows, "And you think I'm joking."

Shaking her head, Norivana smirked. "What's this? Is Lucian Silverpaw planning to rebel? What would the parents think?" She clicked her tongue.

Lucian drummed his fingers on the balcony ledge. "The parents of a bastard child? They'd applaud me."

Norivana raised her brows in resignation. "Oh right, I forgot about that whole... thing."

"The whole 'forbidden love' thing they pulled off?"

"Yeah, that," Norivana smirked. "Do you think your parents will ever get together again?"

"They actually are now," Lucian stated, "At least, it appears so. Though as far as, say, marriage goes, I have no idea."

"Hmm." Norivana raised her brows. "So... I've heard a lot about your dad, but tell me more about Catalpa. Like, from the beginning."

"The beginning?" Lucian stood a little straighter, taking in a deep breath. "Let's see." He began to speak in an overdramatic tone, deepening his voice, "In the beginning, a giant turtle sneezed, and the Night Elves were created."

"Lucian!" Norivana butted in. "That's not how it happened, and that's not what I meant!"

He laughed. "How do you know that's not what happened? You weren't there."

"You weren't either," she retorted.

"Which means both of our opinions on the matter are equally valid," Lucian smirked.

Norivana rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. "Regardless, I meant your mother's story. Not the Night Elves."

"Fine," Lucian smiled. "Catalpa was born into the 'main' Silverpaw tribe, if you could call it that. I have no idea where it's located; they move around a lot. When she was very young, the youngest of four sisters, she chose to break off of the primary tribe and found her own. Many of the other younger members followed her, and thus my clan was brought into existence."

"How long ago was that?" Norivana wondered aloud.

"Hundred years, give or take," Lucian shrugged. "Anyways, she's a thrill-seeker, very outgoing, happy-go-lucky type with a strong affinity for trouble. But when the time calls, she can be the sweetest, most profound person I know."

Norivana smiled softly, "Well, from what I've gathered, she's exactly that."

"She likes you," Lucian said, giving Norivana a happy look.

"She said that?" Norivana asked, surprised.

"Yeah; she said you seem to have yourself figured out fairly well."

Norivana blinked. "Well that's good."

Before she could catch herself, she yawned widely, holding a hand up to her mouth to try to hide it. Lucian did the same, then grinned down at her.

"Sleep is a smart idea."

Norivana laughed and nodded. "Especially if we're leaving early morning."

She walked back into her room from the balcony and flopped down face first onto her bed. She heard Lucian's rich chuckle behind her but wouldn't bring herself to move, seeing as the bed itself was ridiculously comfortable. She heard his heavy footsteps nearing the door to exit and raised her head.

"Lucian," she called out, curious, "Where's your room at?"

He was in the doorway and he paused, turning and leaning a forearm against the frame. "Ah, I don't have it yet. Right now I'm bunking downstairs in one of the empty rooms with a few of the guys. We've got cots set up."

"Cots?" Norivana was appalled. Here she was again on a comfortable bed, and Lucian was off doing who-knows-what kind of damage to his spine by sleeping in a cot.

"Yeah. You know, makeshift bed-," he began rambling, and Norivana cut him off.

"You could stay here. I don't bite," she smiled, scooting over to one side of the bed and patting one hand beside her. "But," she began, giving him a scolding look, "I might take that back if you try to wake me again with cold water to the ears." She eyed him sideways.

Lucian walked back into the room, kicking off his boots with a smirk on his face. "I can't promise you I won't do that." He chuckled, shucking his heavier armor so he was in his plain linen tunic and trousers.

"Fine, then I won't feel sorry for snoring," Norivana sniffed.

Lucian laughed and plopped down in the bed, causing the whole thing to jolt and make a loud creaking sound, almost sending her off-balance. Norivana gave him a speechless look and he shrugged.

"Sorry, I'm heavy," he smirked, then reached over and pulled on the sheet she didn't realize she was holding in a death grip.

She let go and they both curled down into the bed, sinking into the fluffy pillows. By now the only light in the room was moonlight, and Norivana let her heavy lids close, sending herself off into much-needed slumber.