Our Ever After
It has been almost a decade since the war the the Legion had ended, a decade since Alleria and Turalyon had returned to Azeroth and a decade since the death of the final Queen of Stormwind. Although a decade is still a long time, no matter what race you belong to, Athrodar and Sylvanas haven't been looking forward to today, the day they are to sail back to Azeroth's Capital and visit their daughter's grave and statue.
"Have you got everything?" Sylvanas asked, placing her hands on Athrodar's cloak and wrapping it around him a little. "Clothes for the week we'll be staying there, her bow, swords." She paused and looked down at Athrodar's pocket. A pocket that had become infamous with everyone that knew him recently. "Her necklace?" She asked quietly, knowing that was the one thing he didn't want to part with. But as tradition stood, at least for Windrunners, after the tenth year of their death, you buried all of the fallen loved one's belongings beside their grave, for them to carry on hunting and protecting the forests in the afterlife.
"I have it all." Athrodar said, placing a hand in the pocket and pulling out the Sapphire necklace. "I just... I don't know if I can part with it."
"Hey.." Sylvanas placed a hand on Athrodar's cheek, smiling at him softly and looking him in the eyes. "You can do this. It's time to let her go and be with our ancestors... Mostly mine, but still." She smiled a little wider when she managed to get a small laugh out of him, stepping forward and closing his hand around the necklace. "It's time for her to fully be at peace, with my brother Lirath and both of our parents. With Anya and Clea, Sera and Snow." She pulled back and smiled at him, not stopping the lone tear from running down her cheek. "With Elaria, Luna and Thalina."
"Tanadia said she is bringing Tahnir and Alleria from Elwynn Forest. Apparently they have been placed in the same company which could be one of two things... Good or bad." Athrodar placed the necklace back in his pocket, leaning forward and pressing his head to Sylvanas', having her move her arms around his neck shortly after. "They will either work together, or fight like a pair of siblings."
Sylvanas chuckled and closed her eyes, getting a feel for the moment and not wanting to break apart from it. "I feel sorry for whoever is in charge... Unless it's Alina, she will get them into shape fast."
"Let's pray that it is her then." Athrodar whispered, cupping Sylvanas' face in his hands and tilting her head up to kiss her. "Thal'ena should be here soon, she isn't looking forward to this day either, but she wants to help us and she knows how important today is."
Vereesa knocked on their bedroom door and waited outside for her sister and brother-in-law. "Thal'ena is here. She said Tahnir, Alleria and Tanadia are waiting for you all outside Stormwind Keep."
"Thank you, Little Moon." Sylvanas called out, feeling nervous and seeing Athrodar felt the same. "Come on, let's go. You'll hate yourself if you don't do it."
Arriving in Stormwind, Sylvanas and Athrodar hugged their three children waiting outside Stormwind Keep for them. Tahnir was now twenty and just an inch taller than his father, a fact he would tease him about whenever they were together.
Little Alleria had turned seventeen only recently and was in her first full year as a new Ranger Recruit, she was informing her mother of her new Ranger-Captain, which happened to be her auntie Alleria.
"That is not a coincidence." Athrodar said, hugging his daughter who hugged him tightly, always missing him more than anyone in their family. "Your aunt loves you a lot and wants to make you a better ranger than the rest."
"Even my brother?" Little Alleria asked, looking up at her father who chuckled at her question.
"Still angry at him?" He asked, watching her pout and look away from him.
"He embarrassed me in front of our company... I am going to be angry with him for a couple more months." Alleria watched Sylvanas hug Tahnir tightly. "She's not looking forward to this day, is she?"
"Are any of us?" Athrodar asked his daughter, having her shake her head. "Did you talk to Tana?"
"I did." Alleria said, looking over to her step sister. "She cried a little shortly after I hugged her, then again whilst we were waiting for you all."
"I'll go comfort her." Athrodar said, kissing Alleria on the cheek before making his way over to Tanadia and watching her already begin to tear up the second she looked at him. "Come here." He whispered, having the priestess run into his arms. "I know..." He muttered when she cried into his chest.
"This feels so... Final. Like she will be gone after we do this." Tanadia looked up at her father and didn't stop her bottom lip from wobbling. "I don't want to say goodbye yet."
Athrodar shook his head and held onto his daughter whilst she let out all of her emotions. "None of us do. It's just what we have to do."
Sylvanas walked over to them and kisser the top of Tanadia's head, stroking her hair shortly after. "Let's go. The shaman and druid are waiting for us. Its not really something we have done before, but it should make the process quicker."
Athrodar walked beside Tanadia and Cedani, holding onto their hands whilst Tahnir held onto his mother's hand. Talanas was the only one who never got to meet his sister as she died seven months before his birth. Now at the age of nine and taking a liking to bows and arrows, the ranger life like his parents, he is only seven months from leaving home and going to Stormwind to train to be a ranger, not Quel'thalas like his brother and sister.
Cedani on the other hand, turning twelve a month ago, never took a liking to the ranger life. She did however like the Pandaren way of life, the peaceful side of it at least. The crop growing, trading and interacting with your fellow Pandaren. She had taken a small part time job to help out at a neighbors garden and to learn how to grow her own fruits and vegetables.
The Pandaren she helped was called Lin and she loved every second with her. She didn't get paid much, only a few coins a week, but if she did a good job one week she would get a little extra in the form of some food or, if she was lucky, seeds to help start her own garden.
Athrodar and Sylvanas loved that she found something away from war that she loved. She still got her hands dirty, but in a more peaceful way, something both parents wanted for their youngest daughter.
"They have already moved the dirt for us." Sylvanas whispered, looking down at the hole beside Victoria's statue, the monument placed over her grave to not only protect her body, but to show everyone where she was buried. "This is it..."
Sylvanas placed Victoria's bow into the hole beside the grave first, holding onto it for as long as possible before she willed herself to let go of it. "Here, my sweet, sweet daughter. Your bow so you can protect us and the forests in the afterlife. To hunt with Snow again and to be one with your ranger side once more."
Tahnir and Alleria placed both of Victoria's swords into the hole next, managing to go more than five minutes without arguing as they both held onto each other's hands and said a few words to Victoria's grave. "I'll always remember you as my sister before I remember you as a Queen." Tahnir said. "How you would come home to us, make us all smile and laugh as well as taking care of us whenever mom and dad needed time alone."
Alleria let a lone tear roll down her cheek as she looked up at statue. "I.. I still have Paws with me. Actually..." She reached into the bag she was carrying on her back, taking out the stuffed lynx toy and kissing its head before placing it in the hole too. "I want you to have him now. You bought him for me and I have loved him... But I want to believe me placing him in here will bring us closer."
Sylvanas kissed the temples of both Tahnir and Alleria as they made their way back to the group, all of them looking up at Athrodar who held his hand in his pocket. "Honey?" Sylvanas looked at him closely as he hadn't yet moved from this spot.
"Can... Can Tanadia go before me? I'm.. I'm not ready yet." Athrodar said quietly, having Sylvanas hug his arm whilst Tanadia took a deep breath and made her way to the hole.
"Okay..." Tanadia placed Victoria's quiver in the hole, looking over to the staff she was given on Winter's veil by her sister and closing her eyes. "My staff... Can someone..?"
Cedani picked up the staff and handed it over to Tanadia. "Here you go."
"Thank you." Tanadia placed the staff in the hole beside her sister's grave. "I... I loved you so much, Vic. Our time alone on the Broken Isles was the best and worst times of my life. We lost Sera and Snow there, but... I grew so much closer to you over there that I never wanted to be parted from you." Once again she didn't stop the tears from streaming down her face. "I think about you every day, pray to you every day... Liadrin has even taught me how to use a sword so, if I ever get into a fight, I will protect myself and I hope you will protect me too. She told me it's for the best and I agree, I want you to see what I can become."
When Tanadia walked away from the hole, everyone now looked over to Athrodar. He had no other choice than to step forward, taking the sapphire necklace out of his pocket and extending out his arm until the piece of jewelry was dangling over the hole. "Can I be left alone? Just until I am done."
Sylvanas kissed him on the cheek. "Of course, my love." She whispered to him, moving their family away from Athrodar so he could be alone with Victoria.
"This past decade has been the hardest ten years of my life." Athrodar started, looking up at the statue of his daughter. "We had to bury you at the start of it, live at our home for two years before we couldn't do it any more... Find a new place to live and the entire time, I hadn't yet moved on from you." He closed his eyes and held onto the chain of the necklace tighter. "I have felt so guilty since that day... I should never have..." He opened his eyes and looked up at the statue again, watery eyed and broken. His chest tightened and his throat formed the biggest lump he had ever felt. "I... I'm sorry you died there... I shouldn't have told you to come with us."
The chain on the necklace slipped out of his hand some more until it was barely hanging in his fist. "I promised myself I would get through this day without making it any more difficult, that I would place your necklace in this hole and say a few words... But that wouldn't have done you justice. You were my little angel, my sunshine ranger." He closed his eyes and choked up a little, letting his tears fall into the hole. "They day you called me dad, I knew I could never love you as anything less than my daughter. My special... Special daughter."
Sylvanas watched Athrodar collapse down onto his knees and begin to cry, holding herself and the rest of their family back as they all wanted to go to him, but knew he wanted to be alone right now. "This... This necklace is all I have to remember you by. But... I would feel a lot better if I knew you had it with you in the afterlife whilst you looked over and protected us, it would make me even more proud than I already am."
He let go of the necklace and watched it land in the hole, slowly standing up and looking up at the statue looming over him. "I love you Victoria, so much and it makes me sad that you are gone, you were going to be the best of us and that life was cut short." He closed his eyes and placed his hand in his now empty pocket. "Goodbye, Victoria. We all love and miss you."
A few hours after the hole had been filled up by the shaman waiting there and then had grass and flowers growing on it immediately by the druid, they had all returned to Pandaria and their little village they now called home. Alleria and Tahnir took the spare bedrooms, Tanadia joined her sister whilst Cedani and Talanas kept their own bedrooms. At least that was the plan when they were waiting for the portal back home, what turned out to be the case was when Cedani and Talanas fell asleep in Sylvanas' and Athrodar's bed.
Athrodar went to their bedroom to tuck them in whilst Sylvanas told him she needed some time alone in the living room. "Vic..." She whispered to herself once alone, looking out the window and up at the two moons shining through. "I didn't want to say this in front of all of them, but your death has left a hole in my heart than I know will never be filled. Your father does all he can to fill it, I know he does and he knows it's there, but you were such a big part of my life the moment you entered it that... I know it will never be filled."
She looked over to their bedroom when Athrodar didn't come out to reunite with her. "I will still pray to you in private every day, even if we have officially said goodbye. I just.. I can't let go of you." She looked back to the the door of her bedroom and smiled a little. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Vic... I just need to check on something."
Making her way to her bedroom, she saw something that made her heart swell. Athrodar had fallen asleep in the middle of both Cedani and Talanas who both cuddled up to him. She smiled brightly at the sight and placed a hand on her chest. After all that had happened today, all the sadness that this day was going to give them all, she knew she still had one thing. She had her family, her home.
Her ever after.
The End.
There it is... The ending to a project that has taken me three years to complete. I have had my ups and downs with this story, though I have to admit, I did enjoy almost every words of it. There were times it wasn't so much fun, but overall I did enjoy this.
I kept this chapter small compared to many, if not all the other chapters I have written because I had only one plan for it and it was to try and make you get hit by them sad feels that this is both over and having them all to officially say goodbye to Victoria. She was a big part of my AU stories and I did stop a couple of times writing this to calm myself down because I have grown to love Victoria as a character as well as this story in general that, saying goodbye to both the story and the character did upset me a little. That's right, I'll admit it. A fictional character gave me the sad feels.
As for what I will be doing in the future, I have plans to finish "The Sacking of Quel'Thalas" as well as maybe doing a one shot or two from this AU universe I created, I am yet undecided. Overall, I am just happy you have gotten this far and a review on the entire story would be a great way to say thank you for reading everything, what you liked or didn't like and just your overall opinion of it.
I don't know how to end this now without dragging it on, so I'll just say this: These last three years have been something I never thought I would do before I started this journey and now that I have done it, I am so happy to have it end with, in my opinion, a satisfying ending to a family I created that has arguably been through too much for a normal family.
Again, thank you for reading everything (If you have) and I hope you enjoyed it.
Kris.
