"Ow! If you are going to throw me off the cliff, then fine. Just stop squeezing my wrist!"
Darion Mograine laughed. The girl scowled, which just made him laugh harder.
"Don't worry, kid. I'm taking you to Tirion Fordring. No matter how much I want to toss you off this cliff."
Sapphire paled. "Tir...Tirion Fordring?"
She knew him. The girl whimpered.
"No, No please! Anyone but him."
Mograine looked at her, and let her go. He could see her fear. His voice took on a softer tone.
"He's not what you think, little lichling."
Sapphire frowned. The deathknight said nothing, but he put his arm around her shoulders. The girl followed. She felt like her father would go bestial at the sight of her with Darion Mograine. She missed her father, and hoped he was okay. He had looked like he was in horrible pain, especially when he had seen Mograine deathgrip her. He had looked genocidal.
They went to the cliffside, where a man stood. Sapphire tensed, because she saw the man's armor was Light blessed. She took a deep breath.
The Light was not as bad as she had been taught. That necklace had saved her a bit from the collar. She had touched the glowy book Matthew had in Valiance Keep. And Matthew served the Light. It was not bad.
That was she kept telling herself. Darion Mograine escorted her to the man who wanted to kill her father.
"Tirion, I have a new friend!"
The man turned around. Sapphire stared.
He could not be Tirion Fordring. The most powerful paladin. This man was old, his hair gray with age. He was very healthy for an old man, but still. An old man. How could the man that could, and would kill her father be so old? Her father was much younger, stronger, and more powerful. He was the Lich King.
"What are you talking about, Darion? Who is this child?"
The deathknight laughed, and looked at Sapphire. "Tell him your name, sweetheart."
Sapphire looked to Tirion Fordring. The man frowned at her.
"My name is Sapphire Menethil."
Surprise came onto Tirion Fordring's face. He looked to the deathknight.
"She's telling the truth, Tirion."
The paladin looked at her with pity.
"Oh, dear child," He said. His voice was so full of kindness, and warmth, that Sapphire burst into tears. That shocked both deathknight and paladin. Tirion Fordring looked at Darion Mograine.
"Perhaps you should go. I will take responsibility for her."
"Good. I hate children," Mograine said, walking away. Sapphire cried, and collapsed into Tirion's arms. He recoiled in shock, but quickly got over it. He patted her on the back.
"Shush child. You are all right. Here, come with me."
He took her to a fire in a ground brazier, and sat her down next to it. He found someone to talk to, and they left, returning with a blanket. He put it around her, and smiled at her warmly.
"Are you hungry?"
"No, I already ate."
"All right. There is a bed being made for you in the tower."
"Thank you, my lord," Sapphire said appreciatively.
"Call me Tirion, my child."
Sapphire looked up at the man, and grinned. "Only if you call me Sapphire."
The paladin chuckled. He asked her if she needed anything. She said no, and Tirion excused himself politely, after telling her that she could go to the tower at any time. Sapphire watched him leave, the girl unhappily fidgeting next to the brazier. The flames were warming. She was tempted to go lay down.
She hoped, once again, that her father was all right. She hated him, but did not like the sight of him in pain.
Sapphire sighed, and saw with horror that Matthew was walking nearby. The girl scrambled away, and hid behind a horse. The animal was living, and shied away from the smell of death on her. Sapphire scowled, and decided to go to that bed.
She went into the tower, and asked about it. A nice female paladin showed her to it. The bed was just a cot, but Sapphire thanked the woman, and laid down gratefully. The girl sighed, and closed her eyes.
Sniffing woke Sapphire up, and a small tongue licked her nose. The girl opened her eyes. Rot looked down at her, and woofed. He laid down onto her chest, and wagged his tail. The puppy panted.
The girl smiled, and pet the plaguehound, ruffling his fur. He whined.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I brought him to you," A voice whispered next to her ear. Sapphire gasped, sitting up. Ethan knelt next to her bed, hood pulled up over his head. His eyes glowed. He pulled her into a kiss. The girl flinched, but kissed him back, pushing his hood down with her hands. She ran her fingers in his hair. Ethan did likewise with her.
He spoke between kisses.
"You need...to come… back to Icecrown," He said.
Sapphire pulled away. "What?"
"Come on. We need to go, before they notice."
The girl frowned. Then she shook her head. "No. No, I won't go. Go away Ethan...Please do not come back. You killed your family."
The boy froze. He hissed, "How do you know about that?"
"Dad told me! How could you do such a horrible thing. For money?" Sapphire said, disgusted. She recoiled.
Ethan looked at her, confused.
"I did not...kill them for money. I killed them for your father. He told me to do it. I killed my whole family!" Ethan growled. He clenched his fists. Sapphire frowned, hurt. He looked agonized.
"I'm sorry," She whispered. The boy grunted, and looked away.
"It is all right. The Master-"
He choked before he could say anything else, and Sapphire looked at him with deathknight frowned, and kissed her on the forehead.
"I will return to the Citadel, and pay close attention to whoever the Master sends out to get you. I'll send Ni'kua to you. He's just a dog, not worthy of notice."
Sapphire looked down. "I am sorry, about believing Arthas over trusting you. I love you, you know that right?"
Ethan nodded wearily. "I love you too...But you are so much trouble. Worth it, but still."
He kissed her again, and snuck out again of the place. Sapphire fell asleep again.
She woke in the morning, and ate some only slightly stale bread. It was delicious to her. Darion Mograine found her, and scowled.
"Hurry up and eat, kid. Crusader's Pinnacle is not a good place for you, and I'm taking you to the Argent Tournament. It is still being set up, but there are plenty of people there anyway. Perfect to hide Tirion Fordring's daughter."
Sapphire stared at him. He was amused, and was restraining laughter.
"That's not funny. And Dad would not believe it."
"He won't hear about it, brat. Ever had your hair cut and dyed?"
"Cut yes, but what's that other thing?"
Darion Mograine smiled, and soon Sapphire was flown to the north, still wondering what dyed meant. She clung tightly to the deathknight as they flew on a skeletal gryphon to a collection of buildings up on a cliff. There were colorful cloths flapping in the wind, and Sapphire saw a covered ring around a flat arena. There were pavilions, and she saw small figures moving around, getting larger as they descended in the air. They landed in a flat, snowy drift. Mograine jumped off, and did not offer Sapphire help getting down. She clumsily got off of the bony creature.
He took her to the Alliance side of the Argent Tournament. Apparently, a tournament was a series of contests, especially types of sports. There was supposed to be a prize, but she did not know what it was. Both Horde and Alliance were there, but they kept to themselves for the most part. The Alliance part was to the northeast part.
The deathknight found her a group of night elves, and he went over to them, and talked to them, very cordially. They all looked to Sapphire, and seemed to come to some kind of agreement.
They took the poor girl unwittingly into a place with a warm bath. She was shoved into the water. The night elves giggled, and they poured stuff into her hair, a dark brown dye apparently. She was thoroughly violated as the elves messed with her hair, her beautiful golden hair. Then, to make it even worse, they cut her hair. Large bundles of her hair fell. She felt horrible. Sapphire was soon dried after the bath, and given nice elven clothes, of brown and green colors.
Darion Mograine was waiting, and when she came out, he smirked.
"Oh, you look very nice."
"Shut up. I look like a peasant."
"The dye is temporary, you vain little creature. And hair grows back."
Sapphire did not reply. The deathknight took her to where the Knights of the Ebon Blade had set up camp, and took her to a tent. He pushed her into it.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Fordring."
"Oh, go get eaten by a ghoul, you son of a-"
The deathknight left, chuckling.