25 - Home is Where the Heart Is
The evening's cool air sailed through an open bedroom window and onto Niveah's resting form. She started to wake and for a moment, forgot what had happened to bring her back home. Then it hit her and she sat straight up in terror. Laughter could be heard down stairs and filtering in through her closed bedroom door.
Her attention went from the door and to the other side of the room. There, draped over her bedroom's small table was a familiar black feathered cloak. Leaning against the wall next to it was the Guardian's great staff. All the events leading up to now flooded her and she sat, slouched over, on the side of her bed. She buried her face in her hands and grumbled out loud to herself.
Following the laughter was conversing. Davin could be heard asking, "What else can you do?"
Niveah pulled at handfuls of hair. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening." She heard her mother scold her little brother, but it was of no use.
"It's absolutely fine, Mrs. Hawthorne. He's just a curious boy, is all."
The out of character response coming from the Guardian was too much for the young woman to handle. She got to her feet and ignored her shoes by the bed to storm downstairs.
All fell quiet as the woman came into view. She stood there, soaking up every visual detail. Sitting in his chair in front of the fire was her father. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner while her brother and the great mage sat at the dining table. The latter's back was facing the young woman, but that didn't mean he couldn't feel her stare fixated on him.
Davin smiled and almost jumped out of his seat in joy. "You missed all the fun, Nivee!"
Medivh glanced backwards at the woman, her eyes cut down and stabbing into the man's smirking ones. He spoke. "Feeling better?" There was that condescending tone, again.
For her parents' sake, Niveah smiled but it was obvious there was no genuine emotion to it. "Why yes, I'm fine." She sat down next to Davin and continued to glare holes into the man.
Her mother sat a large metal plate down in the middle of the table. On it was the roast, steaming on a pile of boiled vegetables. "Glad you finally woke up. I was beginning to think I was going to have to send for a healer."
The young woman bit her lips together in curiosity. "How long have I been asleep?"
Her father answered. "Roughly three hours."
What all had happened or been said while she was passed out? Did she even want to know? Did she even want to continue pondering it? That arrogant glint in the Guardian's gawk brought rise to her anger.
She clenched her jaw and squeezed her hands into tight fists beneath the table. "Guardian, might I have a word?" His smirk furthered and his brow lower. "Outside," Niveah stressed in a growl.
"Of course." He shifted his attention back on Davin. "When I get back, I'll show you something wondrous."
The little boy clapped his hands and visually followed the great mage's every movement to the front door.
As soon as the two were outside and near the barn, Niveah spun on a heel to glare at the man. "What do you think you're doing?"
The man clasped his hands behind his back, his mischievous sneer obvious in the waning crescent moonlight. "What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Butting into other people's business! You had no right to-"
The man had a spell imbued hand held up and glowing inches from the woman's face. "No right to what?" Fear quickly flashed in the woman's eyes as her mouth hung open in mid sentence. She looked between the threatening spell and the man eye's reflecting the glow. "As long as you reside within my tower, I have every right to know as much about you as I want. If that means coming to your home to know what I want, then I will."
Niveah's body shuddered in rage. "Then you should have let me know of your intentions ahead of time."
"Why? So you could send word to your family? For them to do nothing, but put on a facade to try and impress me with?" Something about the Guardian's demeanor changed. That callousness he had taken a favor to portraying was replaced with hurt. He lowered his hand as the spell faded around it. They were now back to standing in the moonlight. "Perhaps I wanted to see your family in their true light, just as you had-" He stopped himself from continuing his outspoken thoughts.
She had told Shade so much about her parents and life before the Kirin Tor. If he were to tell her, whether intentionally or accidently, that he was Shade he knew the fire she kept bottled within her would explode.
"Just as I had, what? Hmm?" Blue green eyes insisted he continue his comment.
"You've spoken much about your family to both Moroes and Khadgar. Of course, at one point, I'd over hear."
Niveah scoffed. "You bastard! You've been eavesdropping! How dare you!" She slapped the man, not caring who or what he was at the moment. "Do you feel you are so entitled to everything that you have no regard for other's privacy?"
Medivh stood there, not surprised by her action. Not that he could blame her, really, though he was quite surprised she had managed to restrain herself for this long. He knew he had said plenty hurtful things to her since her becoming a more permanent resident within Karazhan. But he had also done plenty things to make up for it. She would never know this, at least not yet. She couldn't.
Her muttering, "I hate you," tore though him worse than any spell ever could.
She pushed past him to return to the house, but his speaking stopped her. "I meant what I said, earlier. About coming here to learn as much about you as I could." He could see her standing there, back turned towards him, from the corner of his eye. "I just wanted to know you better."
Niveah stood there, brow furrowed and eyes drawn up in tears. She thought hard on the words said and turned to face the Guardian still looking at her. There was a sadness and guilt in his somber gaze. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? She was always so bad about reading too much into things and misconstruing words and their meaning.
She tilted her head to the side. "If you're really wanting to know who I am then try coming to me as Medivh and not the Guardian. It might be your title and position, but you don't have to carry it with you everywhere you go." Medivh's head turned away and downwards from her. "I might be studying under your direction, but I am not a Guardian novitiate. That is Khadgar. Remember, you had me stay when I was well enough to return to Dalaran."
"If you want to leave, then you may do so. I will not hold it against you nor will I stop you."
Niveah shook her head. "Give me a reason to stay and I will."
Medivh huffed a laugh to himself. "Isn't it obvious?" The two locked intense stares and finally, it sank with the young woman what his intentions were about. "As it has been in the past?"
"What are you talking about? You've always been snide, arrogant and a complete jack ass."
A faint smile could be seen beneath his beard. "The bracelet...returning your horse from the thugs...all those blue roses left on your bed." He turned to fully face her standing some feet away. "The sketch book for drawing. Making sure, every morning, there were fresh apples on the table for breakfast."
"I thought that was Khadgar's doing."
Medivh shook his head. "No. He had no part in it. It was all my doing." His faint smile started to form into a frown. "I wanted Karazhan to be your home."
Niveah's chest tightened in a rush of emotion. "Where my heart lies is where I call home."
"And this..." he gestured around him. "This is still your home, though you haven't lived here since eight?"
"This is the only love I've known...my family. Dalaran was always more tolerated. It can always change, under the right circumstances."
The front door of the house opened and closed, Niveah's mother calling out, "Dinner is ready!"
Niveah waved at her in acknowledgement. "We'll be there in a minute!" She looked back at the Guardian and pressed her lips together in uncertainty. "I think I can find a permanent home within Karazhan, some day. But not how things are, currently."
"I understand," Medivh answered in a hushed voice. "Some day, then."
She nodded and subtly smiled with some hope. "Some day."