True to his thoughts, Arthas was, indeed, rebuilding his forces. He was making massive fiends of flesh to try and topple the stone golem. If he knew there were now three golems added to the force, he would have changed his tactics. The Naga had been killing the scouts to keep him unaware.
"Something is very amiss," Kel'Thuzad sighed.
"Oh?" Arthas asked. They were standing in the middle of their new camp. They had retreated a bit to the north where the mountains were. It would be difficult to find them, but, if they were found, it would be even harder to get to them from all the traps they set up. The ghouls would have no problem, but the Naga were always ready. They knew where the camp was with all the ways in and out. In many ways, the undead army was trapped in until they moved in force.
"I've been sending out scouts. Not one has returned. Do you think that something is intervening?" the Lich asked. Arthas narrowed his eyes in thought.
"At this point, I'm sure of it. Send out a larger scout. Something harder to kill," he ordered mildly. "I'm still going over what maps we have from what we uncovered. My Master is getting anxious. I need to find her."
"Of course," Kel'Thuzad nodded. He floated over to where the necromancers were crafting together various parts of flesh to make a stronger ghoul. Two abominations would be escorting this one now. An hour later, the small group quickly left to see what was going on.
"So, they sent a group?" Lady Vashj frowned. She had finally regrouped with the Naga there after acquiring the aged woman. They had her carefully stranded on a boat with some supplies so she wouldn't starve or thirst.
"Looksss like it. What do we do?" a Naga warrior asked her.
"Let's set a trap. We have a stone creature nearby. Let's lure them to it," she mused. "Also, the woman in our midst. Is she still wailing about the end of times?"
"She keepsss sssaying that by usss befriending the female that our Massster likesss will ssspeed usss to our deathsss. I jussst want to kill her..." he growled.
"We shall let our Master make that call," she said and moved to slither quickly through the trees. She scented out for Rosalia's magic to find the stone golem nearby. The others couldn't fully speak yet, but they all understood. Rosalia would have to fix them up to speak like the first one.
When she approached it, it stopped in its path to look at her. She rose up her hand and said, "We are allies. The enemy is sending out an escort for a scout. The scout is to report where the girl is with hopes of kidnapping her. We have been lucky so far, but this one may prove troubling. We hope to lay a trap. Can you assist us?"
At this, the stone golem nodded. It would help. She was quick to direct it on where to be. Now it was her turn to pause when it bent down to send out a vibrating signal with its stony fingers moving over the dirt. Another golem appeared to assist. The one that Rosalia had helped in the Outlands was able to be sent back for more support. They both now looked at Lady Vashj with a sensation that they were ready to help. At the rather wide, wicked grin she showed now, it was only too obvious how pleased she was.
"This way," she told them. They moved slowly to follow her and set up where they had to stand. When the abominations moved into view with the larger ghoul, they moved out of hiding. Little did they know that the true scout was the gargoyle hovering in the air nearby. Now that it saw there were two golems out there, it was quick to fly back. It landed by Kel'Thuzad and relayed what it saw.
"Arthas. We have a problem," the Lich sighed.
"And?" the Death Knight growled.
"There is no longer one of those stone monsters. We have two of them..."
"What?!" his jaw dropped.
"We need to figure out what we can do."
"We need her in our fold. That's what we need," Arthas growled. "Do we know anything about this?! Just by her eluding me for so long...playing hard to get..."
"Hmm?" Kel'Thuzad looked at him with amusement. He had never seen Arthas so tense before. And he knew it wasn't from being angry at a war. This was a form of pent up sexual frustration. This kind of frustration was even worse than him being in a bad mood. Arthas was going to do whatever he had to do in order to catch her and keep her.
"I want to piss her off so much that she feels that she needs to find me. If the Menethil blood is true in her, she will be hard pressed to keep under control. She will want to confront me. I wonder...I don't think she knows my name," he mused. "I don't even know her name."
"You are becoming rather enthralled with her."
"I know. I'm letting myself become interested in her. It keeps my senses sharp to get her back. You could also call this a form of...hunting. She is my prey. And she will soon belong to me as a living trophy. I am doing what my Master is bidding me to do. He wants her to be at my side. He and I can...share her this way. So, we need to find out where she is."
"A question, though," the Lich said. At Arthas's gesture to continue, he said, "What do we do if she's pregnant with another?"
"Hmm. Good question. I would say to let her birth it. Depending on who fathered the child, it could be rather...beneficial if raised to think that I was the father. Any child from her would be exceptionally powerful, you'd think. Male or female. So, we'll let it live and train it for our uses."
"That would be interesting to see," the Lich admitted. "And, if the child is sired by one of the races here, or a certain Blood Elf, the magical potential in such a child..."
"Yeah. We'll let it live and become a tool for our causes," Arthas snickered darkly.
"And the same would be done for your offspring?"
"Possibly. It depends on how much the child pisses me off," he seemed to shrug. "So, for now, my main focus is to get her to either come to me, or I go in there and take her away with me."
"She would have to come to us," Kel'Thuzad said. "We will need to use something as bait."
"Fine. Find something," he muttered and closed his eyes to focus. "Or someone."
He nodded slightly and sent out the gargoyles. What they found was something they would definitely need to get. They found the ship that contained the old woman. They also saw the Naga that guarded the ship. A strike force was now set up to steal her away.
In the Outlands, Illidan was carefully rubbing his hand over Rosalia's belly. A good day had passed from the events happening in the main world. She just showed signs of being ill. His offspring forming was easily felt out. And he knew it was his from his magical imprint taking root in her.
"You need to shield your womb again. Just like I taught you," he whispered in her ear.
"Why?" she muttered and squeezed her eyes shut from the bought of nausea she felt.
"Because I just got you pregnant," he chuckled. She looked at him with surprise. "As much as I want you to stay here for another week to make sure it fully takes, I did promise to take you back. So, I will keep to my word."
"Thank you," she sighed and kissed him softly. He tilted his blindfolded head over to where Perhin was calmly standing. He was busying himself with the latest boar kill and cutting it up.
"She's finally pregnant with my child," Illidan said in a louder voice to be heard. "I need to take her back to the others. I want you to make sure no harm comes to her."
"You have my vow," Perhin nodded. "What do you plan to do when you bring her back?"
"I'll see if they try to force me to leave," he smirked.
"You think that Malfurion would have you leave?" she frowned.
"It's very possible. But, you may be able to be my bridge to come back. In fact, before I take you back, I need to speak with him in a small bubble. Perhin, are you able to find him? Actually, wait. Let me contact Kael'thas. I need to use him for something, don't I?" he grinned.
"Doesn't matter to me," Perhin shrugged. "But, I'm sure that Rosalia wants me to stay."
"And I do want him to stay," she nodded. Illidan only nodded and held out his hand to bring out the communication bubble. He found Kael'thas going over a map.
"Kael'thas. Do you see me?" he asked.
"Master! Ah, yes. I can. Now isn't really a good time to contact me from where I am. Our conversation might be seen and heard," Kael'thas frowned. "I don't know if I should move to a more secure location for safety. Do you think I should?"
"No. I want you to bring Malfurion into our conversation. I have an announcement to make to him. As well as a deal," Illidan said calmly. Kael'thas was now highly confused about this. While he was lost in thought, Illidan pressed a kiss to Rosalia's cheek and whispered, "I need to see through you."
"Okay," she smiled, and he kissed her rather deeply. When the kiss started to get more intense, he paused at how Kael'thas began to talk again. He gave a small growl from the interruption, but he'd deal with it. He now saw through Rosalia that the bubble was moving. Kael'thas was finding Malfurion.
"Kael'thas?" Malfurion asked.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but...well...your brother wants to talk to you..." he started and held out the small bubble. Within a few seconds, Malfurion stared into the bubble.
"Malfurion," Rosalia said softly to let herself be seen.
"Good. You're safe," he said gently. If he showed any surprise for her tone, it was hidden easily.
"And she's pregnant with my child," Illidan added with an edge to his tone.
"We had all figured that it was going to happen," Malfurion seemed to grind out neutrally.
"Of course. But, I did promise her that she would go back after she became pregnant. I have to stick to my vow. However, because I am the father, I will want access to her at all times. I will want to protect her as much as possible," Illidan said. "You could say that...it's a bargain."
"So...you would insist that...on bringing her back..." he started with narrowed eyes.
"Please, Malfurion. I know. It seems harsh. I do love him now. He has shown me nothing but kindness. Yes, he sort of...kidnapped me. I know this, too. But...he only wants me to be safe and to ensure my safety on his own personal level. And, if you think on this, my powers are becoming known. I need all the protection I can get," Rosalia pleaded gently. "I respect you so much, Malfurion. I see you as another father figure to me. I do want my baby to be safe, and Illidan can help with that. He still needs to train me, too. And, so you know, Perhin is here with me."
"It's good that he's there. And as for you needing protection...I don't know," Malfurion sighed.
"Maiev is also out here. She's still hunting me," Illidan grunted. "Should've let the stone golem kill her off when it had her in its hand..."
"It will next time," Rosalia nodded. He felt her squeeze him gently. Malfurion was calmly reading the signs of what he saw before him. Illidan truly did love her.
"Against my better judgment, I will agree to this. But, Illidan is restricted to your quarters only. If you go out to the gardens with him, that's fine, too. I know he has been training you. Also, I would highly advise to keep his coming back a full secret. I will have to tell Tyrande, as well as your parents, but no others. It will cause too much damage. Only a select few will be made known of Illidan residing with you. It would cause too many complications," Malfurion said sternly. "I had vowed to never let him come back to Kalimdor. If any know that I had...changed my mind..."
"Oh, I get it. Don't worry. I can still stealth," Illidan muttered out with a touch of boredom. "And what do we know of the Scourge?"
"We have them trapped in the northern mountains for now. I have no idea when they plan to descend back into the forests. Just by them being here...it's an outrage!" Malfurion growled.
"You must admit. Arthas is a crafty bastard," Illidan admitted. "Almost on my level, too."
"Arthas?" Rosalia now blinked at the name. At how the silence suddenly filled the air, she stiffened. "That's his name. Isn't it? The one that hurt my parents..."
"No," Illidan growled and sat up to hold her. "I forbid you to find him!"
"What?!" she asked with shock.
"Listen to me," he said in a rather stern, yet gentle tone. Malfurion was actually perplexed by his brother's attitude. "You are pregnant with my child. I can't let you find him. He will use any means he can to bring you to his side. And, think on this. He may use our baby for his ideals. I wouldn't put it past him to do it. Should he learn that it came from me if he catches you...no. I can't risk it. He's that kind of creature."
"So are you," Malfurion pointed out.
"Only to an extent," he retorted.
"Then I'll wait for this baby to be born," she started, but Illidan pressed a finger to her mouth.
"I can't," Illidan said with a touch of pain. "As much as I would fully agree to everything, I simply can't let you find him. Not now. Not ever. We are talking about something that will simply use you like a tool, Rosalia. I respect you and love you far too much to let you take that risk."
"And how do you know this?" Malfurion asked. Perhin was calmly listening in from where he was. Even Kael'thas was paying close attention.
"Because it was Arthas that told me where to find the Skull of Gul'dan. He is bound to the Lich King up in frozen northern lands of Northrend. My mission is to try and kill him, but I also know that he and I are evenly matched in strength. And, as I told you before, Rosalia, the Skull did transform me into this form. Once again, I sacrificed myself to not only gain power, but to save the forests from corruption. And, again, I got spurned away, and..." he found himself kissed hard by her to keep down his hatred.
"I know. You told me," she whispered and nuzzled his neck to calm him down.
"I would worry...far too much..." he muttered and let her kiss him again.
"Then teach me ways to defend myself against him," she murmured in his ear.
"It's not that simple," he sighed. "But...I'll try."
"And do be tolerable of your people. It will be hard for you. But, I know you can do this," she chuckled. He grunted, but he gave a small nod. "Do this for me."
He gave a heavy sigh and leaned into the calming touch of her hand to his cheek. "I'm only doing this, because I love you. You do know this, right?"
"You know I do," she chuckled and let him kiss her. He diverted his attention back to his ever-patient brother. He knew that Malfurion was likely very surprised over his new attitude.
"I will bring her back within one of your hours. I say 'your' hours, because time travels very fast here. I will also bring back Perhin and her stone friend. I also need to talk to you in depth about this stone friend of hers. Its...not what it seems to be," Illidan said carefully. Now Malfurion's interest was caught. "There was a lake not too far south from the main town. I can meet with you there."
"Very well. And, Rosalia," Malfurion said with a small, soft smile. "I welcome you to our family. I will help ensure that your pregnancy thrives."
"Thank you, Malfurion," she said with a small blush.
"So," Illidan started up. "how do you plan to tell this to Tyrande?"
"I think it may be best to simply let her arrive with me at the meeting point," Malfurion mused. "We are on neutral terms. This will help to solidify that."
"Good. We'll see how she handles it," he said with amusement. When the bubble dispersed, he pulled Rosalia close to simply rock her in his arms. "I shouldn't take you back."
"Why not?" she asked.
"I'll be putting you in danger. That's why," he muttered.
"She still needs to go back. She could go back to the forests she called home. If we do this quietly without anyone else knowing, it would buy us some time," Perhin suggested.
"It wouldn't work. The Scourge has spies everywhere. It would be a matter of time for her to be seen again. I'm sure you wouldn't want her to be caught, either," he growled. "And with Maiev being here hunting me..."
"She can walk into an empty castle," she chuckled.
"Ah, no," he grunted. "This is still my home. I'll have it properly defended at all times."
"I'm sure I can set up some traps," she mused. At his quiet laugh, she leaned into him. "So, should I get ready to leave?"
"Yes," he nodded and kissed her forehead. "O'ana surfal."
"O'ana surfal," she whispered back and smiled when he pressed a hand to her belly.
"Did you form the shielding yet?" he asked.
"I don't know if I did," she frowned.
"Focus with me. I'll teach you," he said and gently worked with her. Within the hour, he felt that her shielding was safely in place. Now he knew that he had to take her back.
:Child, I was curious about something.: the guardian said and flew to her shoulder.
"What's that?" she asked. The guardian was also projecting his thoughts to the others.
:I recall the discussion of your body repelling those you don't trust. It was happening in the land of the Night Elves. But, when you were captured before, they were not able to be repelled by you.:
"It's because she wasn't learning about her magic," Illidan said. "As of now, if she were caught, any of them would be repelled. Before, her magic wasn't fine-tuned. If someone touched her now, they would be blasted twenty feet away from her easily."
"Good. We can test it with Kael'thas," Perhin said bluntly to get them all laughing softly. Illidan grabbed his weapons, but Rosalia was able to craft a specialized carrying belt to have them settled neatly on his back. They were set in such a way that his wings were unharmed. Silneath watched them leave the bedroom, and the Satyr prepared to follow them.
"No. You have to stay here," Illidan ordered. At the small glare, Rosalia rose up her hand.
"In time, I am sure it may be safe for you to follow. Right now, though, we need your help here," she said gently. "It is confirmed that I am pregnant with Illidan's child."
"I should go with you!" the Satyr argued.
"For what purpose? To uncover my secret in staying there?" Illidan asked in a wary tone.
"Silneath," Rosalia said with a small smile. "How about this. Illidan will know how to fetch you. Once I am safely tucked away in my room, we shall make a small place for you to guard me unseen. Will this work for you?"
"Yes," he nodded his horned head. "I will wait."
"Thank you," she chuckled. Illidan was still grumbling slightly, but he went with it. "You would want me to be protected. Right?"
"That I would," Illidan muttered. He led her out to where the stone golem was waiting patiently. "It's time for us to go back. She's pregnant from me, too."
"COME," it said and extended out a large, stony hand. She hopped up with Illidan, and Perhin was lifted to sit on its shoulder again. The guardian moved to lock down on his shoulder for now. The stone golem carefully cupped its other hand over Rosalia and Illidan before trudging off to where the portal was. As they neared it, the golem suddenly stopped. It sensed a disturbance.
"What's going on?" Perhin asked. The golem said nothing. Instead, it moved to scratch out a rune. Rosalia was puzzled about this, but Illidan held her close to brace them both. He saw through Perhin what the golem was going to do.
"Brace yourself, my heart!" Illidan grounded at her and rested a protective hand over her belly to help shield his growing child that much more. The arcane explosion that happened next revealed various stunned bodies all around them. That was when the golem realized that it was a set up to make it vulnerable. What the attacker didn't count on was Rosalia being with them.
"Betrayer! Your heart is mine!" Maiev snarled out when she leapt to attack.
"I think not," Rosalia mused and quickly formed a shield around the golem. The Night Elf woman smacked right into it and seemed to slide down it in a comic-like way. When the woman tried to get up, she found herself smacked back down with a marble-sized ball of raw, arcane energy. It knocked her right into a form of unconscious shock. What Illidan now found hilarious from what Rosalia saw was that Maiev had a small symbol on her chest from Rosalia's magical attack.
"Ugh..." she started when she woke up. She now locked eyes with Rosalia and she faltered. She couldn't fight the urge to serve her. "What did you do to me?!"
"I solved a problem, I guess?" Rosalia chuckled softly. "Look. You're a great fighter. But, you need to stop hunting Illidan now. He's my partner. My equal. So, instead of hunting him, you could play the part of a silent guard. That's if you want to keep watch over him that way. But, you are not allowed to hurt him or cage him."
"That's not fair!" she said. She went to draw her weapon, but Rosalia sighed and shook her head. Now Maiev realized that she couldn't initiate an attack at all. She felt the need to serve under Rosalia. She was in complete shock. "You have to undo what you did to me!"
"I'm not sure if I can. It may kill you. So, I'll give you the choice. You can do a false report and say that Illidan has perished. You can go back to your life before you ever knew him, and you'll never have to serve me or do my bidding. Or, you serve me in full, guard over Illidan instead, and you can give up your fruitless fight for battle over his life. What do you choose?" Rosalia asked.
"It will be too ingrained in me to simply leave him alone," she admitted. "He is my prey."
"Not any longer," Rosalia said with a sad frown. Now Maiev's jaw dropped. I made my Mistress unhappy! When that thought hit her, she growled at herself. She was clearly fighting off this new urge to serve and obey. "He is now the father to my growing child. I am going to be hunted wherever I go. Even if Illidan is not with me, if you found out about me, you would likely get the urge to find me next. Maybe it would be best to have you follow and guard to protect instead of send you away."
"You let him create a form of demon spawn in you?!" she gasped with shock.
"Watch what you say," Illidan warned. "This is my child you're talking about!"
"I don't care!" Maiev spat.
"Maiev," Rosalia said calmly and got instant attention. "You are not allowed to insult my child ever again. If you do, I will be displeased with you."
Her jaw dropped. Perhin watched everything calmly and said, "Maybe it is best to send her on her way. She will only hamper us in the end."
"That she will," Rosalia said with a shake of her head. "Go back home, Maiev. Never hunt Illidan again. Never try to find him again."
"But..." Maiev seemed to panic. "I'll be forced to find you!"
At this, Rosalia only sighed. Then she had an idea. "I can order you to forget about me and Illidan. Maybe this can work..."
"It wouldn't. Many will ask her about me," Illidan frowned. "We should kill her off."
"Illidan!" Rosalia scowled at him. Now she looked at Maiev to regard her. "I will give you the choice. Do I have you leave and never come back? Or will you be the silent guard over my family?"
"I'm sorry. I cannot answer that question," Maiev said softly. "I want to. I really do. But, I simply can't. I'm at a loss."
"Let her come with us. Malfurion can help us decide," Perhin said.
:That he can. I will let him see how this happened.: the guardian agreed. Illidan wasn't happy, but the stone golem did grab Maiev in a semi-crushing grip to show she wasn't going anywhere.
"Who were the ones that laid the trap?" Rosalia asked.
"The Draenei. Some support me. Others don't. She must have found a small pocket of them and convinced them to aid her. Akama is one that does serve me. At least, I think he does. It's hard to tell these days," Illidan sighed. "Everything is a complete blur to me now."
"Don't worry. We'll figure something out," she said and leaned into him with complete affection. Perhin watched the portal gate come into view. Rosalia was able to fix it up to be much stronger in stance, and she had charged it up to accept her magical imprint. Her powers were formidable. Once the portal flared to life in response to the runes on the stone golems' body, it moved through it with its precious cargo of living bodies.
When it stepped through, Rosalia was quick to be set down and fix up the returning gateway. Once it was done, she turned to find Malfurion's speechless gaze. He now realized how powerful she truly was. At the sight of Maiev in the stony grip of the golem's hand, he was in even further shock.
"Hello, brother," Illidan said calmly. He walked over to Rosalia and put his hands on her shoulders in a full act of claim. "We have a lot to talk about. We had best get started."