For three hours, Rosalia, Tyrande, Illidan, Perhin, Kael'thas, Malfurion, and Rosalia's parents were seated in a conference. Illidan was able to sneak into the Night Elf village with his cloaking rather easily. He had suggested to wait until nightfall for this precaution, and Malfurion had, with much reluctance, agreed to it. Rosalia had to gently persuade him to agree out of importance. Perhin had kept her at his side to protect her until they settled into the room they had to meet in. As much as they wanted to get her into her room to settle in, a secure meeting had to be done first to show where they all stood now. They needed some form of a plan.
Malfurion had Tyrande distract the guards to let Illidan's hidden form into the room before the others could get there. Maiev had to cloak, too, but she was now sitting not too far off under a strict order to observe and remain silent unless spoken to. Kael'thas was trying to remain calm, but just by seeing Rosalia again sparked a wave of excitement within him that he was barely managing to keep down. Rosalia's parents were overjoyed to see her again, and now they were there to learn what happened to her.
When Illidan saw Tyrande after so long from Rosalia's eyes when she walked in to settle with Malfurion, he actually ground his teeth together. She's still as beautiful to me now from when I remembered her from so long ago. And she still hates me for what I had done to myself. It was when Rosalia leaned back into him, as she was sitting in his lap at his mild insistence, that his mind came back to the present. I love Rosalia now. He let Tyrande go at long last. He may see her as a bit of a sister, and a part of his love would still be there, but he no longer felt so fanatic about her. He did vow to ensure that no harm would ever befall Tyrande, and he knew he would still honor that. However, Rosalia would always come first to him now.
"What do you plan to do now?" Tyrande asked Rosalia.
"Well...Perhin feels that I am safest with you. Illidan thinks I should be in a more secure location than here. I'm honestly divided. I don't know if I'm safe anywhere," Rosalia admitted. Illidan had a rather protective arm around her. He had no plans to let her go.
"And Maiev! I am surprised to see you here," Tyrande said to her.
"Your shock is the same as mine," the Warden said calmly. "However, I am not here because I want to be here. I simply have no choice."
"What I find surprising is that she ordered you to leave. And you ignored that order," Illidan said to her. "Do you know why?"
"Please answer him," Rosalia murmured. That had Tyrande surprised at the small order.
"Because of my need to hunt you down, it overrode that command," Maiev grounded out. "I simply cannot leave her side for as long as you are with her. Even for as long as you live. If you still breathe, I have to hunt you. It's instinct now."
"Why is she able to order you?!" Tyrande asked. Now the guardian flitted over and chirped for attention to show it wanted to speak.
:I shall reveal all.: it said calmly. Rosalia's parents were able to see the vision, and they were beside themselves with shock at how powerful their daughter was. And, of course, they were just as shocked to hear her voice so clearly after so long.
"You hit her with a ball of magic?!" Malfurion asked with wonder.
"I did. It's...easy to do now. As much as I feel...wary of it," Rosalia seemed to shiver. Now her mother saw her daughter again. A part of her old self was still there. At how Perhin sighed, Morissa realized that the Blood Elf Commander was her only link to keeping her daughter sane.
"Can you remove your magic from her?" Tyrande had to ask.
"I don't know if I can. I can try, but...oh..." Rosalia shivered and grimaced.
"She needs to rest. The pregnancy is affecting her. My pregnancy with her, that is," Illidan muttered. "So, yes, I'm going to be around for a while."
"Maiev, I would like to study the energy that Rosalia hit you with. Maybe we can come up with a way to help you," Malfurion offered. Maiev was all for it. Anything to free me of this new curse!
"As long as she does not hunt Illidan again," Rosalia said with a rather calm tone.
"I cannot make that promise," Maiev muttered back. "But, for now, as I have no option, I will agree. I cannot make promises if your magic is removed from me."
"I understand that. And, if it happens, I will be ready for you," Rosalia nodded. "You can roam wherever you want. But, you do not enter my chambers at any time. You can follow me when I'm out of my rooms. The line is drawn when I'm inside them. I would expect you to respect my privacy. And you are to follow me when I do leave them. You are not to follow Illidan. If he is with me, you can make yourself think that you are following him from afar. But, if it's just me, then you are to follow me to help protect me. You cannot try to spy on Illidan at any time. Agreed?"
"Yes. We have an agreement," Maiev mumbled out. Illidan was only grinning wickedly about the whole thing. My old nemesis couldn't lay a finger on me. When Rosalia rose up, she got hugged by her parents again. Her father clearly looked distressed over everything, but she smiled as she always did to show that she was going to be fine. It reassured him slightly, but he was going to want to talk to her alone about various things.
"I'm going invisible. I'll walk right next to you. Perhin, I need you to escort her," Illidan said.
"I figured that," he nodded.
"And you don't listen to her orders?" Tyrande asked him.
"I'm fully immune to her. She tried to hit me with her magic and nothing happened. I only agree with her, because of my relationship with her. I choose to accept her orders," Perhin chuckled at her look of surprise. Rosalia smiled softly and let him finish escorting her to their room. Once in here, Illidan reappeared to take her from him. "I'll see what there is to eat around here."
"That's fine. And make sure Maiev doesn't linger around us!" Illidan growled.
"I'll give Kael'thas something to do," Perhin smirked. Illidan only nodded and waited until he heard him leave. Then he pulled Rosalia close to kiss her gently.
"What's wrong?" she asked. He pressed his face against her neck and seemed to shiver. His wings flicked with a form of anxious worry before he folded them over her to keep her with him. It also muffled his talk with her in case any attempted to try and listen in. It was doubtful, but he was taking no chances in their location.
"I'm worried about being here. The enemy is so close to us! Both here and out at the mountains! Our child is going to develop much slower, too. It's very risky. Maybe you were right. To have you in our home while our baby develops..." he sighed.
"Would you give my parents the right to see me?" she asked.
"I would. For you, of course. I'm not sure about Malfurion or Tyrande, though."
"I wonder..." she mused. "do you think I can create a portal here? In this room? To go to our bedroom in the other dimension?"
"That would be very tricky. And very dangerous. Risky all around. But...hmm..." Illidan now mused aloud. "Malfurion would be livid, if he found out about it. Kinda funny, but, once again, risky. I was never one to really follow the rules, and you do need another way to safeguard yourself. To make a portal here could be hard to maintain without the right focus. It could be very draining, if you aren't prepared to handle the strain. But, if there was a way to destroy it from our side if something happened should you come to harm...it would be easier to do than the other way of making a portal from there to here. It's just like...leaving a door open. I have to wonder now..."
"I do need to learn more," she chuckled.
"That you do! Okay. I'll see what I can do to train you in making portals. I can make them, so you should be able to easily enough. It's risky making a portal there. But, from here to there, it's easier to do. We can definitely work on it. It may be best for you to study the existing portal so you can see the runes. I can help you with that."
"I would be delighted, Illidan!" she giggled and let him kiss her deeply. "We do need to get Silneath here. We promised him he would help protect me."
"True. And, with a portal, he can go in and out of at a moment's notice...hmm. If we need privacy, it can be done that way. Don't worry. I'll make sure you know what to do."
"I know you will," she said softly.
"O'ana surfal," he whispered.
"O'ana surfal," she whispered back, and he kissed her in a romantic, yet possessive way. When she caught him musing at a thought, she tapped him on his chest to get his attention. "What's on your mind? Should I know?"
"Oh, just wondering if the old home I had was still around. My old room. Of course, not here, but it would be nice to look into. I'll have to see if it's still in existence," he chuckled and moved to carefully lay back on the bed. He gestured for her and let her snuggle into his side.
"Well, if you do find it, I wouldn't mind seeing it," she chuckled.
"We'll see," he sighed and listened to the room. Now that he was letting her rest, Perhin was getting drilled by her parents as to what happened.
"She just started to conceive," Perhin said gently. "We all knew it was bound to happen."
"And you're all right with this?!" Bruen asked. "It's not yours!"
"I told her that I didn't care who was with her. As long as I could be around her to keep her safe was all that mattered to me. I keep you notified on what's happening with her this way. Am I a touch peeved that she's having a child that isn't mine? You know I am! But a child is innocent. And this child belongs to her. I see it that way," he said. "I will treat the child as though it was my own."
"Well, that's nice, but...I still worry for her! And her voice! Oh! I am so happy that she got it back!" Morissa said with a form of joy.
"Just a shame to know how she had to get it back," Bruen muttered out. "I want to see her."
"Illidan is with her right now," Perhin said. "But, I'll let her know that you want to see her. She will be able to appease Illidan enough to grant it."
"I thought this one was a bad guy," Bruen said.
"Technically, he still is," Perhin frowned. "But, because he loves Rosalia, he can be swayed to do a few things here and there. He hasn't lost that part of himself. He feels compassion for her. She won't try his patience, but she proves herself to him to show that he can trust her. That's more than enough for me. He can be a very powerful ally, if we let him become just that. Just don't ask him for favors directly. Ask for them through her."
"So...use Rosalia as the bargaining chip. Interesting," Tyrande mused from where she overheard the conversation in the doorway. Perhin felt a rather nasty vibe from that comment. It may have been unintentional, but Rosalia was pregnant. He had to defend her.
"Not as a bargaining chip. She is only the negotiator," Perhin had to correct her.
"Of course," Tyrande said with a slight, apologetic nod of her head.
"Illidan is on edge, because she's pregnant with his child. And I won't see her stressed, either. If she loses that child, Illidan may steal her away again. We all want his child to thrive. It was an agreement that we all want to see through. So, if you have something to ask of Illidan, tell it to me first. Then I will relay the message to her in my own way. I will know how to speak with her without any stress given," Perhin advised. "Let me be the mediator."
"I like that idea. We'll go with it," Malfurion said when he walked in to talk to him. "I did want to ask you something now. I saw the mark on Maiev's chest. She said she felt something akin to a boulder hitting her, but the ball that struck her was no larger than a small pebble. When Rosalia tried to hit you, how large was the sphere?"
"It filled her hands," Perhin sighed softly. Now the others gaped at him. "It was a purplish-green swirl of energy, too, I think. If I recall. When she tried to hit me with it, I felt it try to touch me. But...instead it moved around me. As though it didn't want to hurt me. I think her magic wanted to protect me. That's likely the best way to put it."
"What happened to it?" Tyrande asked.
"You just had to ask that?" Perhin frowned. At the stares given, he gestured to them to follow him. "I'll show you what happened."
"What's this?" Malfurion frowned back and followed him. He took them out to where the first stone golem was, and it looked at him. The moment it reached the village, it took up a stationary guard to be near Rosalia's room. It was free to do this with the other golems defending other areas.
"They want to know about the power that Rosalia threw at me and you took in," Perhin said.
"It took in her power?!" Tyrande gaped. Now the stone golem bent down to study them.
"VOW...YOU...WILL...SAY...NOTHING..." it said carefully.
"I vow," Malfurion nodded.
"As do I," Tyrande agreed.
"You protect our daughter. Your secret is safe with us," Morissa said from where she stood with Bruen. At the small nod her husband gave, the golem nodded back and stretched out its hand. At the sight of the powerful crystal core, Malfurion was in complete shock.
"That source of energy! Of power! I...wow...!" Tyrande gasped. Just by standing within twenty feet of it, the power washed over her in waves to leave her feeling weak and dizzy.
"It is able to absorb her excess power to charge itself with this. Originally, this was a crystal sphere that was made for the golem. It modified it," Perhin said in a careful way to explain.
"Wait. You are that golem?! The one that can make new sources of magical charges?!" Malfurion asked with complete shock. The golem nodded now, and the Archdruid grimaced. "I thought you were destroyed. That you were found and dismantled. It was reported that you were lost for good."
"LET...IT...BE...SEEN...THAT...WAY," the golem chuckled. "NOW...COME...CLOSE."
"For what purpose?" Tyrande asked.
"TO...TAKE...YOUR...CORE," it said and held the insanely power artifact close to them. Malfurion watched with fascination, as two small lengths of crystal now grew off of it. Tyrande was speechless, but Malfurion reached out and was able to claim the one that broke off for him. He nodded to Tyrande, and she was able to do the same. Now they both had a way to recharge and use their magic easier. And now they had to hide their priceless treasures from any others. Then it looked at Perhin when a third branch appeared for him. The Blood Elf was quite surprised.
"Are you sure?" Perhin had to ask.
"IT...MADE...ITSELF...FOR...YOU," the golem nodded. What Perhin did notice, as he grabbed his new core, was that it seemed a touch more powerful than the rest. He knew that the golem had a hand in that to protect him. He was always immune to Rosalia's magic, but when he touched his new core, he felt as though something within him bonded to it. This was his core of magic now. No one else would be able to use it. He didn't need magic anymore, but his attacks would be far more formidable if he had to fight for Rosalia.
"Thank you," Perhin said with a small swallow.
"WE...WILL...SPEAK...PRIVATELY...LATER," the golem nodded and withdrew the primal core to hide away again. Tyrande was already heading back inside to meditate to Elune to see what would happen. Malfurion was escorting Rosalia's parents back into the tree house. Perhin was about to turn and head to the main kitchens, but something caught his eye. He turned to look up past the trees and stammered. He saw something flying over them, and it wasn't a guardian.
The gargoyle scout had made the mistake of flying too close to get a better look at what was going on. And the moon was rather full, so there was plenty of light for it to be seen. It couldn't get a good look at what was going on, but it knew it was likely seen now. The worst of it was that it realized where the main Night Elf village was. It had to be stopped before it was able to head back.
"We have trouble!" Perhin growled. The stone golem now looked up and saw the scout. It raised up its palm and shot out a ball of pure arcane wrath. It was a direct hit, and the gargoyle fell around the outskirts of the village perimeter. "Secure it! I'm getting the others!"
"AGREED!" the stone golem ground out and marched over to where the gargoyle landed. Perhin ran in to sound the alarm. Illidan only swore when Rosalia was forced awake, but even he knew that any sign of the Scourge was a bad thing.
"What happened?" Rosalia frowned. He sat up in the bed with her to show it was bad.
"We were watched," he growled.
"What saw us?" she asked and rose up with him to stand.
"I'm not sure. But, you need to stay here for safety," he warned.
"No. You need to stay here. I'll go out there," she said.
"No!" he said and pulled her to him. "Please, Rosalia, don't go out there. We'll wait here together until we know it's safe. Is that fair?"
"Okay," she nodded and let him hold her. He could already hear the chaos going on all around him, and he refused to see her come to harm in her condition. Malfurion was the one that reached the intruding gargoyle first, and he glared at the thing. The stone golem had it pinned down with a large, crushing palm. Kael'thas was running up now with an idea in mind. He had to see if it worked.
"Wait!" Kael'thas said when Malfurion readied himself to destroy it.
"What?" Malfurion asked with mistrust.
"I just want to see if Rosalia can convert it to our causes. Like how she did with Maiev," the prince said carefully. At this, Malfurion pondered the idea. "Think about it. Other creatures are able to recruit other enemies with various means. If she can do this, we could gain an edge!"
"Or she simply converts over any enemies that try to find us. This could be beneficial. And dangerous, too. It can compromise our position, if enemies don't report back properly. And what I mean is this. They could have been sent out in various directions. If they suddenly stop reporting back in that direction, then there's a problem. Also, even if it agrees to work with us, she marks them. That mark will be seen. There's much to consider with this," Malfurion said in a wise way. The stone golem still had the gargoyle neatly pinned. It was also listening in closely to everything.
"We should at least try," Kael'thas persisted.
"We really shouldn't," Malfurion muttered. "It could be a horrible motive."
"Even with just one?" Kael'thas asked.
"Yes. But, as I see you are rather adamant on attempting this...hmm. We can't let Illidan be seen, either. There's no choice. We'll have to bring it into her bedroom. We'll need to blind it for now. We can't have it see where we are fully located. It can't be helped."
"Didn't it see us from the air?"
"From the air is one thing. We don't want to reveal how to reach us from the ground," Malfurion said. He called forth a couple treants to let them lift the gargoyle and wrap vines over its eyes. After it was secured, the stone golem removed its restraint to follow them back. They followed Malfurion easily, and Kael'thas was able to run ahead to send warning.
"Is he really bringing it here?!" Perhin gaped.
"It was my idea," Kael'thas admitted. "I want to see if Rosalia can convert it. We could make a spy in their ranks!"
"Hmm. Risky..." Perhin frowned.
"Malfurion said the same thing, but we should try it," the prince said. Perhin was still frowning, but he moved to where Rosalia's room was. He knocked on the door to warn he was walking in before doing so. Illidan was still standing with Rosalia. He was completely on edge.
"The intruder was a gargoyle that was seen. Malfurion was going to kill it after the stone guardian knocked it out of the sky, but Kael'thas delayed him. Kael'thas thinks that Rosalia may be able to convert it to our side. To work with us and become a spy in the ranks of the enemy. I'm not sure it will work like that," Perhin sighed. Illidan wasn't happy.
"She shouldn't. Because Arthas is one that may be able to detect her magic. If she converts it, it has to stay here with us. There's no other way," he frowned.
"You think he can detect me?" Rosalia frowned back.
"I know he can. He is a very powerful creature now. He was able to find me easily. I wouldn't doubt that he would be able to sense you, too. Damn it, Kael'thas! Idiot!" Illidan growled.
"Should I hit Kael'thas with an energy ball?" Rosalia asked with a small smile.
"No," both Illidan and Perhin said to make her giggle.
"He's already infatuated with you enough," Perhin snorted. "and he admitted that he fully fell in love with you. So, there is no need for him to get any more of you. Also, speaking of gaining more of you, the stone golem gave me a core."
"What?!" Illidan seemed to gape.
"It gave one to Malfurion and Tyrande, too," Perhin said.
"I don't want Maiev to get one," Illidan seemed to shiver with control. Rosalia gave him a comforting squeeze and sighed. "And what troubles you?"
"I'll never be safe," she whispered and felt him squeeze her back. At the next knock heard on the door, Illidan whispered softly to her. She nodded and let him look through her eyes.
"Rosalia, I'm sure you were told of what we want to try," Kael'thas said when the door cracked open. "We need your help! This thing is regaining its strength again!"
"Illidan..." she cringed.
"Lure the bastard here!" Perhin said. "We can't let Illidan be seen."
"Do as he says," Illidan growled at Kael'thas. The Blood Elf prince only nodded and left quickly. At the sound of screeching getting louder, Rosalia started to ready herself. Kael'thas dove back into the room with Malfurion taunting the creature with small projectiles of magic to further enrage it. When it burst into the room, Malfurion now watched Rosalia form the small ball of magic to hurl it at the gargoyle. When the ball slammed into it, a harsh scream tore from it, as it slammed into the wall behind it. Perhin was quick to drag the unconscious form into her room.
"Get out there and calm them down! The guards! They'll be here to see what happened!" Perhin said quickly. Malfurion wasn't going to question that, and he was quick to confront anyone that flocked to investigate the issue.
"I see a mark on it!" Kael'thas said with excitement.
"Shut up!" Illidan spat out at him. "If she gets put into any danger, you will be held responsible!"
"It's waking up," Perhin said and stood by Rosalia after that. The gargoyle slowly blinked its eyes open, coughed, and glanced up at Rosalia. It crawled over to her and seemed to cower.
"It's okay now," she soothed and bent down to give a comforting pat to its head. "I don't know what all you can do. But...I may be in danger."
It thought for a bit before moving to a corner of the room to turn into a stone statue to heal. It had to be at peak strength to help her. Illidan clearly didn't like it, but he knew it was no longer a true threat. Now it was just dealing with the guards. At the same time, they had a member of the Scourge on their side. He mused that she could easily convert any enemy that reached them.
"Where is it?" Malfurion asked when he walked back into the room.
"Over there. It's healing now," Perhin said and pointed at the statue.
"Hmm," Malfurion thought and studied it. "Look! There's a mark on it! It's visible even when it's turned to stone. Not a good thing, either. It can be recognized."
"I know. It's why I want it kept here until we know what we can do with it," Illidan nodded. "We also don't want her to convert too many of them in our general direction. It would give us away."
"I was thinking the same thing," the Archdruid sighed. He looked over when Tyrande walked in. The look on her face was extremely pleasant, as well as filled with a touch of excitement.
"Malfurion, my love! I just had the most extraordinary vision with Elune! She showed me something of vast interest! Ah, I need to reveal it to you alone," she beamed.
"Go, then," Illidan muttered. "We'll be fine here."
"Of course, brother," Malfurion nodded. "Kael'thas, I need you to keep an eye on Maiev. She was able to help divert some attention away at my request, but we need more support to keep tabs on her. She's still trying to find ways to check on Illidan without directly going around Rosalia's order."
"I'll look into it," Kael'thas nodded after Illidan nodded to him.
"I'll bring something for Rosalia to eat. I was doing that before this mess hit," Perhin sighed.
"Thank you," Rosalia nodded to them all. After the room cleared out, and she was alone with Illidan again, he moved to where the gargoyle was to regard it.
"Wake up. I know you're not that injured," Illidan smirked. The gargoyle was quick to respond, and the stone cracked away to reveal its living flesh under it. He tapped into her sight to ask it a few questions. "You vow to serve under Rosalia?"
It looked at him as though it was a crazy question to ask. That got him grinning, and he now asked, "Okay. We do have a mild issue. With you here, there is none to report back to where you came from. And you could be detected. What can you do?"
It focused on him and used Rosalia's magic to communicate. :False report. I hide here. Unseen. Can sense others. Give messages. Not found anything. Still searching.:
"So...you can report false reports to others scouts. What if they call you back?" he prodded.
:Fake death. Easy.:
"That might work! What if others not of your kind appear to find you?" he asked.
:Kill them.: It hissed out. Rosalia was able to hear what was going on, and she had a concern.
"You have my mark on you. Many are worried that I would be detected on you, if you are sought out for your report," she started.
:I protect Mistress! No need to see others. Report from afar. Special way.: It grunted.
"If you think so," she smiled.
"She's pregnant with my baby. If your old masters find out, they'll try and catch her," Illidan said carefully. It looked at him with a heavy snarl of hate at the thought. "You know what they will do if they catch her. Don't you?"
:I scout now!: It hissed and spread its wings.
"No! You'll be seen!" she said quickly to calm it down. "You need to go out another way. I can make you invisible for a short time, but it will be fleeting. And the window here is too small for you to leave. As long as you stay by my side, the invisibility will work until you get out of range of me. So, I can escort you to a safe area to let you fly off."
"Not right now," Illidan said. "Too many are on edge for your safety. Myself included. We can't let her be discovered through you. There's too much at stake."
It seemed to agree with that. Then Rosalia had an idea. "Let me make you invisible now to test my endurance. I want to see how long I can keep the spell up. The more I practice with it, the better it will be. And I'm not sure if you need to eat anything, either."
:Meat good.: It said calmly. Illidan nodded at that.
"Just remain on neutral terms, and I'll make sure to keep you invisible for as long as I can. It would be good training for me, too," she chuckled.
"Very well," he found himself chuckling and letting her lean into him. He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth and rested a protective hand over her belly. He was testing the shielding there, and he was quite pleased that it was still holding up. Nothing was going to hurt her or my growing offspring. Not the Scourge. Not my people. Not while I'm alive and at an all new peak of power. There would be hell to pay, and he'd gladly deliver it with no questions asked.