"I heard the war was over." Stated Lady Alanna Swiftbook, as she gazed down at her baby boy who slept in her arms. "Apparently one of those colossal green beasts sacrificed himself to prevent a battle from erupting." She turned her focus away from the toddler to gaze at the paladin that was seated across of her in the carriage. The paladin's expression displayed disorientation at Alanna's sentence. "You know whom I am talking about;" continued the Kul'Tiran woman. "those ugly mongrels with tusks coming out of their mouths."
Tieria furrowed her eyebrows, attempting to untangle Alanna's words; Kul'tiran's had a strong accent which the young templar had trouble understanding – especially given how it was one of the few times she was ever talking to a person from the south seas.
"An orc?" Tieria replied with uncertainty – there are various races on Azeroth who could also fall into the category of 'green beasts with tusks coming out of their mouths' – but only few of them were involved in the recent war.
"Precisely." Said Alanna as she curled her lips into a smile.
Tieria did not pursue the conversation; she leaned back into the seat and focused on looking out of the view; gazing at the hills and mountains of the Tiragarde Sound. The breathtaking nature, the paladin witnessed through the window of the carriage certainly gave her a good first impression of Kul'Tiras.
"Does not that make you happy?" Alanna inquired. "The Kul'Tiras is part of the Alliance once again and there is no war for you to fight anymore."
"I do not serve the Alliance." Tieria stated calmly as she continued to look out of the window. "My order does not involve itself into the affairs of neither the Alliance nor the Horde; our purpose is to bring justice on Azeroth regardless of the races' origin."
Alanna pressed her lips together and exchanged looks with her daughter Valena, who was sitting at the mother's side. It seemed both women felt lost as how to pursue a conversation with their mainlander guest. Tieria theorized she made the women feel intimidated; traveling on ship from Eastern Kingdoms to Kul'Tiras was overlong and exhausting, especially since Tieria loathed traveling on water; The past days of constant traveling made her seasick and affected her mood - she replied cold and simple without a single smile appearing on her face. The paladin was hoping that the entire trip will be worth it.
After months of searching – Tieria has managed to discover that a Kul'Tiran man by the name of Therold Swiftbook owned a particular scripture regarding the history of dragons. It was rumored that the sacred book was a study of dragons recorded by none other than Medivh himself, the last Guardian of Tirisfal. Tieria has decided to reach in contact with the Kul'Tiran man and plead to sell her the particular tome. Swiftbook – to her surprise – has agreed to Tieria's offer, despite the paladin omitting to delve the reason behind her desire to claim the dragon book.
And so, Tieria hailed to Tiragarde Sound as soon as possible by sailing from Easter Kingdoms to the Kul'Tiras seas.
Therold stated in his letter that he lives slightly further from the capital Boralus, in a town named Vigil Hill; and that his wife - Alanna will greet her at the port of Boralus and will ensure Tieria arrives to their house safely.
Tieria appreciated the man's kind hosting; it furnished Tieria a good feeling that the trip will prevail smoothly and she will return home in no time.
Alanna's baby suddenly gave out a cough; some of the child's saliva spewed out and landed on his cheeks. Alanna lifted her right hand to gently wipe away the drool off her child; the long sleeve of her emerald dress slowly slipped itself away from her wrist, revealing the lady's tanned skin. Tieria furrowed at the sight of a large, ugly bruise upon Alanna's wrist. It looked fresh and ugly; as if she was held down tightly by her wrist; some would say she was even shackled.
The moment Alanna noticed Tieria's attention on her bruise, she once again pulled the sleeve of her dress beyond her wrist, covering the injury. She nervously gazed into Tieria's dark brown eyes and gave a polite smile.
"Mere accident." Explained Alanna the origin of the bruise. "I tripped upon some stairs…"
Valena looked up on her mother in silence. The girl, who perhaps was no younger than the age of thirteen, had discomfort displayed upon the words Alanna had just said. Tieria stared coldly at Alanna without replying; The explanation was unconvincing, nonetheless, Tieria had no authority to declare Alanna's word a bluffing.
Suddenly, the carriage has stopped. Causing everyone inside in it to lose their balance and grip to the edge of the seats. Alanna held her toddle tightly and sighed in relief when she realized that the sudden commotion did not cause her infant son to wake up. Tieria looked out the window once again, attempting to understand why did the ride cease so suddenly.
"We arrived." Said Valena, causing Tieria to glance at the child. The tone in Valena's voice had no enthusiasm – despite arriving home.
Valena was the first to get off the carriage in order to aid her mother to carefully step off from the transport while holding the infant child. Tieria followed them, exiting the last with only a small dark purple satchel and her longsword.
The moment Tieria was outside, she took in a deep breath – inhaling the air of the Kul'Tirans. The salty sea air filled her lungs and brought goosebumps to her ivory skin. The paladin felt refreshed by merely breathing the air and feeling the cool mountain breeze caressing her dark brown hair. The environment was nothing like Eastern Kingdoms; Kul'Tiras felt like an entirely different world.
The Swiftbook's house was situated further from the town of Vigil Hill and the carriage rider was kind enough to drop the travelers precisely on the Swiftbook's doorstep. Their house was on a hill overlooking, the port and Daelin's Gate, which were currently under heavy rebuilding.
Therold Swiftbook was the owner of some mines from within Tiragarde Sound; Given the outside look of his house, it seemed the man had stable wealth. It was a tall building, with the same architecture like every Kul'Tiran building was: green or brown tile roofs, a small wooden porch in front of the main doors. Nonetheless, the house seemed in a far better state than the other ones Tieria has seen on the way here.
As Tieria watched Alanna and Valena approach the house, she caught a glimpse of a figure inside the house, looking outside the window. Swiftly, the silhouette walked away and opened the large wooden door. A large man exited and stood on the porch. He had his silver hair kept in a long, silky ponytail and a smile was seen through his mustache. His clothes were simple but far more elegant than a mere commoner – his black pants were of fine leather; his red silk shirt was shining from being freshly washed; and his vest was decorated with golden buttons. The man rearranged his glasses on the bridge of his nose before clasping his hands behind his back.
"So, yer the templar I have been exchanging letters with." Spoke the Kul'Tiran man in his deep voice as he looked at Tieria. "Therold Swiftbook, at your service." Bowed the white-haired man, Tieria returned the bow. "I have to admit, you are not what I expected."
Tieria furrowed her eyebrows slightly as the corner of her lips curved upwards lightly.
"What were you expect, Sir Swiftbook?" inquired the paladin.
He shrugged before giving an answer:
"In many scriptures from Eastern Kingdoms – paladins are described as tall men with bushy beards, in silver armor and carrying a large mace. I did not expect a woman twice younger than my age, carrying a sword as big as her." Chuckled Therold as he motioned with his head at Tieria's golden sword which was attached to her back. Tieria released a small chuckle as well, but did not did reply in any sort of way. Noticing the silence from the paladin's part, Therold waved his arms and motioned to the door.
"Either way, come in, paladin! Welcome to my humble home." Said Therold, pushing the door to its limit, and entering inside. As Tieria's approached the porch, she could not help but notice Therold's passiveness towards his wife and children. Neither Alanna nor Valena receive any sort of greeting from her husband; he did even not offer to aid his wife with the infant.
The Swiftbook's residence was indeed, modest: oaken furniture with decoration of various sailing items: anchors, small statues of sirens, paintings of ships, there even was a large harpoon weapon was placed above the fireplace.
As Tieria's eyes went around the room, she removed her sword and the satchel she carried and left them at the entrance of the house. Therold signaled her to take a seat at the end of the room, right in front of a lit fireplace. Alanna and her daughter immediately retreated upstairs without exchanging a single word; perhaps to put the infant to sleep.
"Is this your first in Kul'Tiras, Lady templar?" inquired Therold while he approached an oak cabinet situated further from where Tieria was seated.
"It is." She replied warmly and took the liberty to sink in into the soft, admiral blue armchair; she watched as Therold proceeded to retrieve a black bottle from one of the shelves and picked up two small glasses with his free hand.
"Then allow me to welcome you to our nation with the finest Kul'Tiran drink." Chuckled Therold as he placed the glasses on the table planted between the two armchairs. "Bitter darkroot vodka. You can feel it warming your very bones."
Tieria watched as her host poured the crystal-clear liquid into the glasses, filling them only until half.
Therold took a seat in the armchair across Tieria and picked up a glass. He leaned in to toast his glass with the paladin before nearly chugging his drink. Tieria tasted the liquid, the taste of the bitter alcohol was so strong, Tieria felt her throat was one fire; she released a small cough and narrowed her eyes, the drink certainly woken her up after such an exhausting trip. However, after a couple of moments, the burning sensation ceased away and she released the vodka tasted quite well.
Therold exhaled loudly, and wiped whatever liquid remained on his mustache with his right palm.
"So, dragons." Began the Kul'Tiran man. "In your letter, you mentioned that you managed to track down that I am the current owner of the scaled tome of dragons."
"Indeed." Nodded Tieria, hoping Therold did not have the intention of inquiring Tieria the reason she desired to have the ancient book. So far – few people knew of her plan – and nobody agreed on it.
"Well, as we agreed upon in our correspondence - you shall have the tome. Frankly dragons do not interest me as much… they are bunch of flying reptiles." Therold mumbled as took another sip of the drink. "Now, Sea krakens! Those are magnificent creatures! However, since you so desire this tome – you shall have it." Nodded Therold. Tieria quietly exhaled in relief – perhaps she can get the tome immediately and swiftly return home; putting this trip behind her. "But of course, there is a price for knowledge, dear templar. There are some… difficulties I have encountered and I require your aid."
Tieria furrowed at his sentence, she placed her glass on the table and crossed her legs.
"Our letters stated that there will be a monetary price of hundred-fifty golden coins. There was never a talk of me completing your errands for you, dear sir."
"I am not asking for any errands of mine to be done, lady templar." Therold said. He poured himself another glass and took a sip. "Merely couple of days before your arrival, I was robbed. By some "mercenaries. The tome - among other of my family's personal belongings – was taken."
Tieria remained silent, she brought the glass to her lips and took another sip of the dark liquid.
"Why would mercenaries rob you?" inquired the paladin, attempting to hide her irritation and disappointment. It seemed this trip would not be so smooth after all. "Ordinarily, if you pay them after they complete their job, they take their leave without a single word."
Therold grunted and snickered in reply:
"Pirates." Spat Therold. "These men are in truth, pirates. Masking themselves as mercenaries that pretend to take up a job. I am confident you can take them out with that sword of yours."
Tieria flinched at Swiftbook's sentence – she did not enjoy the fact that he thought of her of some savage who would kill anyone for some pathetic reward.
"I will not attack unprovoked." Stated Tieria.
"Pirates are the scum of the sea! They deserved to be killed without any warning." snapped Therold, his fist angrily hit the table, causing the glasses and bottle to swing agitated. Instantly, Tieria placed her palm atop her glass to cease it from moving. "Did you not hear that the tome was stolen by them? You have as much reason as I do to chase after those bastards."
Tieria pressed her lips against each other and plucked away the strands of her hair that began covering her right eyes. Gently, she combed her side bangs with her fingers as she analyzed Therold's words.
She loathed the idea of merely showing up on a pirate ship and slicing everyone there left and right. Pirates may be simple lowly bandits, but it was not in Tieria's beliefs that she has the power to decide who deserves to live and die. The power that the Light has gifted her at the age of sixteen had also bestow great responsibility to her; and she was always cautions of how she used it, in fear of not accidentally abuse it.
Nevertheless – the paladin desired the dragon tome; and she was ready to go great length in retrieving it.
Tieria lifted her eyes at Therold and gave a small smile.
"I say we meet with these pirates first, Sir Swiftbook." Began Tieria; she already noticed Therold's great frown upon her but the paladin has elected to ignore it. "Surely, we can strike a bargain for them to return your possessions."
Therold grunted and leaned in into the armchair. He took a loud sip from the drink before speaking:
"If you want to waste yer breath with them – be my guest. But trust me when I say it is futile. Those men are savages."
"Let us meet with these pirates now. I wish to claim the tome as soon as possible." Declared Tieria. She chugged whatever was left of her drink. As she felt the alcohol burning up in her chest, she pushed herself to rise from the comfortable armchair swiftly. If she would drink another glass of alcohol while sitting in it – it would surely drive her into a slumber.
"At least you are straight to business, lady templar! I like it." Laughed Therold, then he proceeded to yell towards the stairs. "Woman! Get my cloak!"
Footsteps rapidly were heard squeaking from the wooden stairs. Alanna hurried herself on the first floor and grabbed the green cloak was resting on the coat hanger next to the main door. Tieria could not help but wonder how lazy the man was that he had to call his wife from upstairs instead of walking a couple of steps.
As Alanna was aiding Therold in putting on his coat - Tieria saw disturbance in the woman's eyes. Alanna's hands were slightly trembling as she arranged the coat on her husband.
"I will leave my belongings here." Addressed Tieria to Alanna softly. The paladin gave a smile in hope to appear less intimidating than their initial encounter. Alanna expression relaxed at Tieria and the woman gave a nod.
"I assure you; your items will be safe." Promised Alanna.
"Make sure there is food ready when we are back." Ordered Therold to his wife. Tieria gave a small glare to the man as she disliked the tone he used with his wife. But Tieria bit her tongue in order to cease from speaking; as much as she disliked his attitude – she had no saying in this.
Without a single word – Tieria and Therold took their leave towards the docks.
Vigil Hill was not in a great state at the moment Tieria was there. The town has suffered a pirate attack a couple of months ago. Many of the buildings, including the large gates that allowed entrance within the city, were being rebuild. Nonetheless, it was crowded with Kul'Tirians proceeding with their daily lives. Farmers were dragging their animals through the market, carriages were transferring goods from building to building, children were kicking balls around and flying kites. Tieria even caught glimpse of soldiers dressed in the armor of Stormwind City. It seemed the Alliance were taking care of their new allies.
The docks were stationed right down the hill, below Daelin's Gate. It was approximately twenty to thirty minutes away from the Swiftbook's house.
As they approached the docks, Therold pointed at a ship with velvet and blue sails. It wasn't as large as Tieria anticipated but certainly looked well taken care of; Far more presentable than a ship owned by any other mercenary she has met with and certainly not as dirty and cursed-appearing as pirates ship tend to be.
Together with Therold, Tieria walked on the plank of wood that joined the ship and the docks together. It seemed Therold was recognized by the sailors – hence they allowed the two of them to climb on the ship without any sort of identification.
The crew of the ship was made of various races. From orcs to goblins, dwarves, humans and even saurok. The appearance of each crew member was a clear indication that these people did not belong in any faction or order; Their clothes had the designs that came from various origins, same as their weapons. However, every piece of attire or weapon, the crew owned, seemed to be recently made. There were no visible cuts on broken pieces; which was odd for pirates – given how to travel weeks on seas and steal whatever they are able to.
Once Tieria and Therold were on the deck, a tall man approached them with a smirk on his bearded face; his shoulder-length hair had a black shade and a portion of it was kept in a high-bun. He wore white linen shirt which was unbuttoned, revealing his well-tanned chest and abdomen. The man's nose was decorated with a golden septum ring and underneath his lower lip, a golden sphere was pierced.
As soon as he saw Therold, the black-haired man extended his arm widely and laughed:
"Aaah, yer back!" Smirked the man. His manners and attitude indicated he was the captain of the crew. "And you brought someone with you this time! Who are you, sweetheart?"
"My name is Tieria." Began the paladin politely. Since Therold disapproved Tieria's plan of talking to the pirates, he could not help but stare at her bitterly. "I am here to-"
"Give back what is mine, Hawke!" interrupted Therold. Tieria rolled her eyes in annoyance and placed her gloved hand on Therold's chest to cease him from approaching the captain any further. Her dark-brown eyes glared at him and he was forced to take a step back.
"I told you to accept your losses, Therold Lossbook." Laughed the captain, his entire crew began joining in laughing at his joke. Tieria narrowed her eyes at the pirate's poor wordplay; it seemed traveling so much into the sea had dried out their sense of humor.
Therold stared angrily at Tieria and whispered to her:
"It is futile to even attempt to talk to them – strike them down!" ordered the man. Tieria glared at Therold and replied:
"I will not do that!" gritted Tieria between her teeth. "I do not kill without a purpose."
Tieria realized the pirates ceased their laughing; she tore her attention away from Therold to look at the captain. He continued to have a smirk on his face, as he stood with his muscled arms crossed.
"I want to create a deal in order to have Therold's possessions returned." Addressed Tieria to Captain Hawke once more. The man sized up Tieria up and down and gave shrug.
"We can strike a deal, if you wish…" agreed the captain in a sly tone. He began approaching Tieria to lean in close to her ear. "Something… physical, perhaps?" Hawke murmured as he began tracing alongside Tieria's jawline with his finger. Tieria gave out an irritated sighed and grabbed Hawke's wrist to stop his caressing.
"I am not whoring myself for some goods." growled Tieria. Hawked pulled away his wrist and shrugged as he walked away from her.
"Then you do not need those things so desperately." Said the captain in a teasing tone.
"There must be something you desire." Tieria said, as she kept ignoring Therold's blaring glare. "Something we can exchange."
"Therold knows what we want." stated Captain Hawke. "But he is too much of a greedy sour puss to give it to us."
Tieria turned to Therold, expecting an explanation from him. Hawke's sentence indicated that the Kul'Tiran man was not robbed as he confessed to be. Therold blue eyes pierced coldly at the captain. Tieria addressed to him, but the Kul'Tiran man merely ignored her.
"If you are not going to deal with them, templar – we take our leave." Said Therold icy. Tieria did not budge; she glanced between Therold and Hawke. Clearly, there was more of a history than a mere robbery.
Therold began getting off the ship, leaving Tieria no choice but to follow him. Stranding away from her host would be a foolish idea, especially since she has left her possessions at his house. Tieria glanced at Hawke again, who remained with a large on his face as always. Cursing in her mind, Tieria went after Therold while attempting to process what has just occurred.
The supper was deadly silent due to Therold's foul mood. He was greatly upset at Tieria's fail of bargaining with the captain and not agreeing to strike down the pirates. Tieria's ignored Therold's glares; she knew in her heart she has taken the correct actions.
The day was almost over and it seemed Tieria might have to remain in Kul'Tiras longer if she desires to possess the dragon scripture; and it might become slightly more difficult since she has enraged her host.
As the Swiftbook's family and their guest were eating the Redtail Loach stew with some garlic bread – Alanna has decided to break away the unpleasant silence by addressing to Tieria:
"You have mentioned to me that you do not serve the Alliance." Began the Swiftbook wife. "If I may ask… has it been that way your entire life? Were your parents also not part of the Alliance?"
Tieria took another bite of the bread before answering; it has been a while since she has talk about her family; but nonetheless – always pleasant.
"There was barely an Alliance when I grew up. My family is… was from a small village from the Lordaeron Kingdom but we were forced to flee after the Scourge's attack. We stationed at a small refugee camp built by the Silver Hand. My father was blacksmith, so we remained there – crafting weapons and armor for paladins. And that's how we begun building a new life- with the help of the Silver Hand. Not the Alliance." Tieria realized there was a tint of melancholy in her voice; so many things have occurred in her life since then - it was overwhelming for her. "The Silver Hand was suspended shortly after, but those who remained have formed a new order titled the Argent Dawn; an organization focused on protecting Azeroth from agencies that seek to destroy it."
"Being a part of that order must make you feel very proud." Smiled Alanna; her green eyes shinned at Tieria's story. It indicated that the woman desired to hear more of it.
"I am eternally grateful to the Light for guiding me to join the order." Said Tieria proudly. "Now, we have titled ourselves the Argent Crusade-."
A loud grunt was heard from Therold before Tieria could finish her sentence.
"'The Light.'" he spat. "It is an excuse for cowards not take any action."
Tieria clenched her jaw; clearly, the man was referring to the situation that has occurred earlier. Therold aggressively pushed away the empty dish and rose from the chair. He glared at Tieria simply walked away, without saying any gratitude for the meal or good night. As Therold walked up the stairs, Tieria glanced at Alanna who had her eyes fixated down on her lap.
Silence persisted for a long while at the table. The sound of the door being smashed loudly was heard from upstairs which caused Alanna to sigh.
"He desperately wants the robbed possessions returned, doesn't he?" inquired Tieria before taking another bite of the bread.
"He is lying." Murmured Alanna. She lifted her face towards the paladin, tears were shining in her green eyes. "We weren't robbed. He gambled our possessions to those men. And they are not pirates - they are treasure hunters."
Tieria found herself sitting on the edge of the chair. She leaned in closer to Alanna and attentively listened to the woman's explanation:
"The mines that Therold own, have a sealed door at the end of it. So far, nobody has managed to open them." Began Alanna, she talked quietly to avoid to be overheard by her husband. "The treasure hunters arrived a week ago, stating that they know about the sealed door long before Therold bought the mines; they claim that they have just returned with certain resources that would allow the gates to be opened."
As Tieria listened to Alanna, it became clear to the paladin why Therold was in such a hurry to leave the ship. He was afraid Tieria would refuse to aid him if she learnt the truth behind his "robbery".
"Therold did not permit the treasure hunters to enter the mine." Continued Alanna. "He desired to possess whatever is behind that sealed door. One night, Therold… after too much alcohol… began gambling with the treasure hunters; stating that if they win – they can enter the mines. He did not gamble with money however, but precious items we have: decorative weapons, ancient books, rare paintings…"
"Grandmother's golden locket." Added Valena, who had completely sunk in her chair and was swirling the spoon around in her soup. Alanna swallowed and nodded, she reached out to her chest where the necklace once sat on.
"Even after losing the gamble, he refused to allow the treasure hunters to enter the mines. He even hired mercenaries to stand guard at the entrance." Alanna untied her braid, allowing her golden hair to rest freely as she began combing it with her fingers. "He does not listen to me."
"He has done worst things." Valena mumbled. Her sentence made Alanna scold her daughter.
Once again, Tieria found herself staring at Alanna's bruise. She leaned in closer to the Kul'Tiran woman and spoke in whisper:
"This man obviously does not treat you right; why are lingering here? Take your children and leave him."
Alanna shook her head and wiped away her tears as she reached out to her wrist and gently wrapped her hand around it.
"I do not want to my children to grow up without a father like I did." She exhaled softly.
"I would rather have no father, than be related to a man that behaves like a rabid canine." Tieria replied while gazing at Alanna's wounded wrist.
Silent persisted at the dinner table. Alanna rose from the table and began collecting the empty dishes.
"You have choices, Alanna." Tieria continued to insist, careful as her words to be overheard by Therold. Alanna froze at the paladin's sentence.
"You seem like a capable woman, Lady Tieria." Stated Alanna. "Take whatever you need from those treasure hunters and return to Eastern Kingdoms. You do not need to trouble yourself with us."
The next day, Tieria was awake as soon as the sun was rising. She slept poorly that night due to the infant's continual crying. But also, because her conversation with Alanna during supper made the paladin overthink her plan.
She stood on the porch that morning, with her hair combed in a high ponytail as usual and already dressed in her matt-gold and white armor; which consisted of a long kilt and a chest piece that covered only half of her entire torso, leaving her abdomen exposed. Many found her armor impractical, but Tieria has always found her attire comfortable both for battles and traveling. Besides, there were other races on Azeroth who would fight even in more exposed skin.
As she laid her stomach against the edge of the fence, she began removing the dry herb out of the pipe to create space for the fresh ones. Once the pipe was cleaned up, she placed a small dosage of tobacco and some strong odor plants into the chamber of the pipe and lit it with matches. The scent of crushed, dried herbs began surrounding her. Tieria inhaled deeply from within the pipe, savoring the smoke.
Footsteps were heard coming from the door, they were light which gave a clear indication who was approaching her.
Tieria turned to see Valena staring at her. The blonde child's face was pale, displaying restlessness as well.
"Good morning." Greeted Tieria warmly. She attempted to hold the pipe as further as possible, in effort of ceasing the smoke from flying towards Valena. The Swiftbook daughter greeted Tieria with a small smile and approached her to stand by the fence. Noticing the silence, Tieria theorized Valena must be shy to talk. Hence the paladin has decided to pursue the conversation in hope relax the young girl. "Did you sleep well?"
Valena gave a short shrug.
"I only slept a little." She replied quietly. As Valena started emptily at the view of the mountains in front of her – Tieria inhaled again from her pipe.
"It may not be none of my concern…" began Tieria as she blew smoke out of her pink lips. "I can see something is troubling you, Valena."
Valena pulled a couple of her golden hair strands behind her left ear, keeping her eyes down. She pressed her lips against each other; It was clear she was hesitating from speaking. However, Tieria did not push. She remained quiet, smoking her pipe until Valena gathered the courage to speak.
"I read in a book that the Light aids those in need." Began Valena as she lifted her eyes at Tieria. "Do you wield that Light?"
"These is only one Light, Valena." Corrected Tieria gently. "And yes, I do – as many other paladins and priests do. Why do you ask?"
"Because I have been praying to it every night." Stated Valena with sorrow in her voice. "For it to help me and mama. For something good to happen to us… for dada to be better."
"To be better?" repeated Tieria, heartbroken at the child's confession. Valena tore her gaze away from Tieria and looked down at her feet. There was an unsettling silence between the child and the paladin.
By then, Tieria finished her smoke and licked her lips; the after taste of the smoke burned in her tongue. She looked at Valena and gave a warm smile.
"Good things will happen – you have my word." Promised Tieria, she reached out to brushed Valena's pale cheek, which made the girl blush.
Tieria entered the house alongside Valena to find everyone already awaken and starting their day. Alanna was busy washing some dishes in the kitchen, the infant boy was asleep in a bassinet next to her. Meanwhile Therold was sitting at the dinner table, scribbling on some parchment.
As Tieria approached Therold, she waved at Alanna as good morning and the woman replied with a nod; just like Valena – her face was pale and she had dark circles underneath her eyes. The poor woman looked exhausted.
"Sir Therold." Addressed Tieria confidently. "Your wife has told me of what transpired between you and Hawke."
Therold released a loud sigh and took off his glasses.
"That bloody woman does not know when to keep her mouth shut. I'll-" Tieria raised her palm in front of him to alert the man to stop talking. Therold closed his mouth, and silently waited for the paladin to speak.
"Slaying them on their boat will cause some unpleasant rumors among the townsfolk. Especially if other people know what has transpired between you and them." Began Tieria as she took a seat across Theron.
"Get to your point." Ordered Therold impatiently.
"Those scavengers desire the treasure from the mines – we hail down there together with them;" as she spoke, she saw Therold's eyebrow twitching at the mention of the mines but nonetheless, she pursed to explain her plan: "At the entrance, we insist for them to return your possession and slay them at the mines. We will make it look like an accident – that some stones collapsed inside the mine killed them. That way, we avoid suspicion and rumors surrounding your business. I leave with the tome as agreed and you have your mine and your possession returned." Tieria gave a smile at the end, genuine proud at her plan. Therold was silent as he analyzed everything Tieria has just said. He began wiping the lenses of his glasses with the end of his vest.
"What changed your mind, templar?" inquired Therold. "What about your Light?"
Tieria blinked at him and formed a smile on her face.
"I cannot wait eternally for a sign from the Light." Stated Tieria simply. "Sometimes, the hand of fate, must be forced."
Therold chuckled and pursued to put on his glasses.
"Very well." Sighed Therold unconvinced. "I put my entire trust in you, lady templar."
"You will not regret this choice, Sir Swiftbook"
The treasure hunters did not hesitate when Therold and Tieria returned and pleaded them to join them to the mines. However, not the entire crew has joined the expedition. Hawke has elected four members to traveling alongside him: a female orc, a male worgen, a saurok and a female goblin.
They walked west towards the location of the mines with little discussion in-between. It seemed everyone was eager to receive what they desired and carry on with their lives, including Tieria.
On that day, Therold ordered his workers to take a day off from the mines, including the mercenary guards he has hired – to ensure nothing would go wrong with Tieria's plan. Without the presences of the miners – the place seemed completely abandoned.
Once at the entrance, Therold ceased from walking and stood in the middle of the large opening. The Kul'Tiran man crossed his arms and glared at Hawke.
"We go no further from here until I see my belongings returned." Said Swiftbook coldly.
Hawke did as he was ordered; he whistled to the female orc who approached Tieria and Therold with a medium-sized wooden chest in her muscled arms. The key was inserted already in the lock and Hawke took the liberty to turn the key and unlock the chest. Inside the chest were various objects, everything according to Alanna's description. Tieria moved aside the jewelry and small statues to reveal a large, black leather tome at the bottom of the chest. She exhaled excitedly and as she was about to pull out the large book, Hawke aggressively shut the lid of chest, forcing Tieria to retrieve her arm.
"You will have this returned when we are at the sealed door, sweetheart." Smiled Hawke. Tieria bit her lower lip and nodded.
"Follow me then." She answered and alongside Therold, begun entering the mines.
The small group's footsteps were echoing in the cold and vast hallways. Therold had a lantern in his hand to allow them to see were they were walking. As Therold and Tieria led the group deep within the mines, Therold leaned in to the paladin and whispered:
"What are you waiting for?" whispered Therold to Tieria, careful as his words would not echo in the cave. "We are already going too deep within the mines."
Tieria was silent as she continued walking, her eyes were analyzing the walls of the mines. Part of her begun wondering the history behind it. Why would a sealed door exist at the end of it? And what secrets it held behind those doors?
But soon enough, she snapped into reality and focused on her task. Therold's voice continued to echo in her ears.
"Do not test my patience, paladin!" scolded Therold. Tieria ceased from moving, causing everyone else, including Therold to stop walking as well.
"You are a scum, you know that, Therold?" growled Tieria with a smile on her face. "It took me one day to be around you to realize you are nobody but a impudent bastard who abuses his wife and children, lies to people and has no honor."
Therold widen his eyes at Tieria's insult, he opened his mouth to reply instead he released a loud gasping of pain as golden shackled wrapped themselves around his entire body. It caused him to drop the lantern, it shattered in the processing – darkening the entire chamber. He watched in shock as the holy chains were being held by Tieria. Her eyes were glaring at him as she began to pull by the chains until Therold was nearly pressed against her.
Alarmed, the rest of the crews proceeded to draw out their weapons but did not know how to react to the paladin turning against her comrade.
"I am not a coward." Whispered Tieria in Therold's ear, recalling his words from last night. "I am unrelenting." She released her grip of the chain and with a strong kick, she pushed Therold into the wall, his back hitting strongly against the boulders. Therold collapsed on the ground and before he could even get on his feet – Tieria lifted her sword in the air and channeled a light hammer directed towards the stones. The light spell hit the rocks with large strength, causing them to collapse on Therold. Not even a scream of pain was heard from the Kul'Tiran man.
Silence persisted in the mines.
As dust was settling down from the collapse that Tieria's light caused, the treasure hunters began sheathing their weapons. Everyone stared in silence at the paladin; Tieria gripped tightly the sword in her left hand and pointed the tip of her sword at the female orc that carried the chest.
"The items." Ordered Tieria coldly. Hawke gave a nod to his comrade and slowly, the orc placed the wooden chest on the ground. "Take whatever treasure you find here and leave this place." Continued the paladin as she sheathed her sword. "Leave his body." She knelt down to pick up the chest and then turned to the group of the treasure hunters. "Never speak of what transpired here."
Nobody replied – it seemed everyone present were still processing what has just occurred. Some of the treasure hunters merely nodded at the paladin. It was only Hawke who dared to speak:
"Why did you do that?" inquired the black bearded man. Tieria glanced at the corpse of Therold Swiftbook and answered:
"The Light willed so."
Alanna flinched as the needle accidentally inserted in her thumb; a blob of blood appeared on her skin, to which she immediately reacted by bringing it to her mouth in attempt to suck the wound. As she felt iron taste at the tip of her tongue, Alanna gazed at her baby. He was in deep, slumber; sleeping peaceful.
Alanna lifted her green eyes from her child when she noticed a figure approaching the porch.
Tieria was walking slowly towards Alanna, carrying a chest with her both hands. Noticing the paladin returned alone alarmed Alanna. The Kul'Tiran woman put away the vest she was sewing and rose from her seat. The moment Tieria approached the stairs of the porch, she stopped her foot at the first step and look Alanna directly in the eyes. The paladin's expression gave an indication has happened – but Alanna waited for Tieria to speak.
Tieria first gazed down and after taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes and Alanna and finally said words Alanna did not realize how desperately she desired to hear them:
"Your husband did not make it." Stated Tieria; there was no sorrow in her voice, not even a tint of melancholy. It was just… cold. "There was a small earthquake. It was strong enough to shake some boulders and injured our group… the stones crushed your husband."
Alanna could not describe what she felt. Joy? Sorrow? Relief? She has spent decades with a man she thought she loved but did not love her in return. Regardless of what emotions were thundering through her body – tears begun streaming down Alanna's cheeks.
"I managed to recover your possessions." Continued Tieria, her expression softened at Alanna's but the icy tone remained steady in her words. "I would suggest you leave this place behind." Tieria placed the chest at Alanna's feet. Noticing the distress, Tieria walked up to Alanna and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I live in Hearthglen. It is a sanctuary for the Argent Champion's and those who seek refuge. It is a small town but anyone can have a good life there, if they desire." Spoke the paladin. "The ship sails this sundown."
"I thank you for your kindness, templar." Exhaled Alanna, she wiped away her tears and forced a smile. "The road to Eastern Kingdoms is far, and difficult with two children. In truth… I have family in Stormsong Valley. I will do as you told me – leave Tiragarde Sound."
Tieria nodded and watched as Alanna knelt down at chest and opened it. The woman's face softened at the sight of her goods. She reached out and pulled out a golden locket and gently held it in her palms.
"My mother warned me about him…" began Alanna. "But I did not listen… I thought it was true love. My last conversation with my mother ended up being a horrible argument…."
"Honor her by having a good life from now on." Pleaded Tieria as she lowered herself to face Alanna. "Be with someone who loves you and your children more than life itself."
Unexpectedly, Alanna began giggling but tears continued streaming down her cheeks.
"Your arrival, lady templar…. was a blessing in disguise." Stated the Kul'Tiran with a large smile on her face. Tieria gave a bow with her head and rose, she extended her hand to aid Alanna in getting up on her feet as well.
"A blessing in disguise, indeed." Thought Tieria to herself.
"Take the chest as a token of what has transpired here." Pleaded Alanna. "Besides my mother's necklace, I have no use of the items here as I intend to sell everything I own and travel as light as possible to Stormsong Valley."
"When will you leave?" inquired Tieria, she picked up the chest and as Alanna brought her infant child into her arms, the two women entered the house.
"As soon as I sell this house." Confirmed Alanna. "You do not have to delay your trip any longer; I can take it from here." She smiled.
"Very well." Nodded Tieria, heartwarming at Alanna's sudden shininess in her eyes. "Then, I shall take my leave."
The ship back to Eastern Kingdoms left without any delays. Tieria braced herself for another incoming seasickness with somewhat excitement.
As she rested on the bed on the lower level of the deck, she opened the chest. Her heartbeat increased – she felt like a child, who is about to open a gift on her birthday. This time, she took out the unnecessary items (but kind enough from Alanna's part to gift them to her) from the chest and took out the heavy leather tome. The book has certainly seen better days; its edges were scratched, there was even a scorch mark on the cover. As she flipped through the old, dusty pages, Tieria's eyes roamed through endless texts and drawing of dragons. Sadly, she noticed some missing pages and some of them were torn in half. It would certainly be a difficult read, once she gets home.
Tieria was well aware, reading the book on the ship would make her sensitive seasickness only worse; hence, the paladin has decided to place the tome back into the chest. That is when Tieria realized there was something at the very bottom of the wooden vessel. With her both hands, Tieria pulled out a large scale from the chest. She gasped at what she held in her hands.
It was an utterly pristine black dragon scale, the size of her entire torso – which indicated it belonged to a younger dragon. Tieria could not wrap her head around what she has stumbled upon.
Did Therold possess the dragon scale? Did the chest belong to the treasure hunters and they accidentally placed it in the wrong container? Did it come with the book?
Whoever was the owner of the scale – now it was in Tieria possession. And she would be a proud owner.
Agent Cullen walked in a rushed pace, he found himself nervously removing his leather gloves and inhaling deeply. The thought of reporting bad news to his master made him sweat excessively.
As he walked, his heavy stomps echoed throughout the hallways of Karazhan. Finally, he stopped in front a large, black door and took in a deep breath. He cursed at himself for losing a silly game with his partner and now, having to be the one to give this unsettling report.
Cullen banged loudly the door with his fist, he moved his hand and gripped the handle and waiting to hear the approval of his master to enter.
"Come in." came the voice from the other side of the door.
Cullen entered inside a small circular room, bookshelves were surrounding its walls and a small desk was situated in a middle of it.
Wrathion was seated in front of the desk, with a tome on his lap as his table was already clustered with maps, parchments and various books. The Black Prince rose an eyebrow, waiting for his agent to explain why he was interrupting the dragon's research.
"We have… failed to recover the black scale." Said Cullen, he attempted to hide his fear. He found himself pressed his back against the door as he nervously gripped his gloves in his hands. Wrathion's expression turned into a disappointed glare but a smile was forming on his lips.
"Now how did that occur?" asked Wrathion in his sly tone as he began stroking his goatee.
"The treasure hunters we were tracking, have given the scale to someone else. A paladin… I think." Cullen swallowed heavily, readying himself what he was about to say. "We were not sure if we should engage with her so … we did not."
Wrathion licked his lips and released an empty laugh.
"Have not I given the order to recover the scale?" asked Wrathion. Cullen nodded and wiped away sweat from his forehead.
"You told us to attack the treasure hunters in open waters at our first opportunity, my lord." Cullen said with a small pause in-between each word. "We were not sure if we should attack the paladin... she was not a part of the treasure hunters' crew." Wrathion's red eyes narrowed at his agent and he rose from his chair, slamming the tome on the desk.
"You think you can get out of it on a technicality?" hissed the dragon angrily. Agent Cullen shook his head.
"No, my lord! Give us time and we will recover the scale from-"
"Enough!" ordered Wrathion. He ran his fingers through his long, curly black hair and took in a deep breath. "Time is precious, my friend." Continued the Black Prince, in a much softer tone this time. "I cannot afford anymore failures, not when N'Zoth is about to surface."
Wrathion waved his arm, indicating his agent to move to the left side. Cullen immediately acted on his master's orders and watched as Wrathion opened the door of the study.
"My lord?" addressed Cullen while staring as Wrathion walking away. The Black Prince's voice, echoed within the halls of Karazhan:
"I will personally retrieve the black scale from this paladin."