Maiev

Maiev threw up for the second time that morning. A very painful ordeal since she hadn't eaten anything for the past three months and bile was the only thing coming out. She stood up from the corner she threw up in and wiped her mouth as she watched the waste disappear.

'How can I be sick when the Betrayer's spells are supposed to keep me healthy and alive no matter what? It's not that he is useless as far as magic is concerned. Whatever spell he cast is bound to prevent any kind of diseases native to Draenor. Unless….', she cast a diagnostic spell on herself.

'Mother Moon, I'm pregnant! Of course, I missed my cycles. That impetuous, insufferable, infuriating Demon Hunter got me pregnant, now that I am planning on killing him. Or at least, that's what Akama is planning. I just want to bring him back to Mt. Hyjal and keep him there for all eternity. I know that he should pay for the death of Naisha and the others, but ever since that night, I just can't bring myself to even think of a world without him.'

Every waking moment, every hour she slept, her thoughts and dreams revolved around him. The way he touched her, the way he kissed her, the way he moved inside her, it was as if he held her in reverence, that he was in awe of her. She could feel his hands exploring her body, his lips setting her soul on fire, even her dreams were plagued with images of them in the throes of passion. And those dreams were not only about their time together at the Warden's Cage, but they also gave a face to the black-haired man who's been visiting her dreams for the past two thousand years. The man who made love to her for hours on end one night deep beneath Mount Hyjal, though she had no memory of anything like that that ever happening. She would discuss it with him if he ever bothered to come to her cell, but he only came once and kept his distance, though he did ask about her state.

'But then again, how do you think he would react if you told him, Maiev? He said so himself, he never meant for that to happen, and there are plenty of females in Karabor ready and willing to bed him, why should he care if I was developing feelings for him. He would laugh at my face if I told him about my dreams, about my constant hunger for his touch. Why should I experience such humiliation? No, it's better that he kept his distance'.

"Are you ready, Warden?", Akama's voice brought Maiev out of her reverie.

"Ready for what?", she hissed at him and sneered beneath her mask. She hated the Broken former Priest, she blamed him for the death of her sisters as much as she blamed the Betrayer.

"To strike at the Betrayer, of course.", Akama scoffed, oblivious to the hatred that was emanating from Maiev in waves.

"You are coming with me. The Aldor and the Horde have been attacking Karabor for over a week, they may not have been very successful in their campaign so far, but they will be soon. My kin has been opening a secret passage inside the temple for months, and by tonight, they will reach the outer wall. We will guide you straight to the Betrayer, his reign will finally be over. Come, I will take you to the Horde Commander. A curious little thing she is, that Blood Elf. A Hunter, who spends half her time cooing at her pets, and the other half finding potential victims for them to maim."

Akama opened the cell and Maiev stepped out. She followed the former Priest vowing to kill Illidan aloud, while quietly devising a plan to bring him back home alive and well. It was fortunate that there was hardly any sunlight in Shadowmoon Valley, there was a reason why the Shadowmoon Orcs called it so. The large moon above it was in a geosynchronous orbit with the planet, staying thus in the same spot on the sky and casting its shadow over the valley forever, keeping it in perpetual twilight. Maiev was grateful for the dimness, it was easier for her eyes to adjust.

The Horde Commander was very kind, she offered Maiev plenty of food and water and a tent to rest and recuperate until the time of the final assault. When the time came, Maiev was ready. She followed the Commander and the rest of the Horde champions but parted with them as soon as she entered the sewers with the excuse that she will find her own way to the Betrayer. She wanted to determine for herself whether Illidan was truly fighting the Legion. And the only way to do that was to break into his chambers and search for clues. The Horde Commander had shown her a map of Karabor and Maiev was quick to memorize it. She was very careful avoiding detection from the temple's residents, but as she crossed the Illidary training grounds, she came face to face with a Demon Hunter.

'Vandel, his name is Vandel, I remember him from three months ago, it was he who managed to disarm and deliver me to his master.

"Well done, Vandel", 'Illidan said before he knocked me out'

"What are you doing here, Warden?", the Demon Hunter rasped.

"I have important business to attend to, Demon Hunter, and you're in my way."

Illidan may have been fighting the Legion all along, but until she was certain about his true loyalties, she wasn't going to let her guard down. As far as Vandel was concerned, she was his enemy and as far as Maiev was concerned, she was going to treat him as such.

"I am not your enemy, Warden. We are all fighting the Legion here. Just stand down. I will not fight you and I will not take you back to your cell. We have bigger fish to fry.", Vandel tried to reason with Maiev.

'I can't be certain of that, young one. I must reach your master's chambers to determine whether he guilty or not. I can't let my guard down now that I am so close to my goal.' Maiev frowned beneath her helm, she didn't want to fight the young Night Elf, but she wasn't ready to trust him either.

"Why don't you stand aside and walk away, Vandel", the Demon Hunter raised his eyebrows in surprise at that, he never expected the Warden to remember his name. "I was not born yesterday; I will never trust anyone who willingly took the Fel in his blood."

"And turn my back on you so that you can trap and kill me? Just lay down your weapon and walk away. Leave Karabor, leave Shadowmoon Valley and go back to Mt. Hyjal where you belong, Warden".

"Lay down my weapon and willingly turn my back on a Demon Hunter? I think not", she hissed and attacked him.

'I have to fight him; I can't be certain of their true intentions until I have real evidence in my hands. Perhaps I won't kill him, but rather maim him a little. Just enough to buy me enough time to search the Betrayer's chambers'. And with that, she threw the first blow.

"I don't want to fight you, Lady Maiev", Vandel pleaded.

'Neither do I, Vandel.'

"Then lay down your weapons and fly away, Vandel", she continued to strike.

'He may be telling the truth, perhaps I should stop'.

'She just won't see reason, I will have to scare her away', Vandel metamorphosized into his demon form, roaring. He charged at her, with no intention of striking at her.

A feign from Maiev tricked him into moving towards the left, leaving the back exposed to her, giving Maiev the chance to embed her Umbra Crescent into his skull. She knew that in his demon form, his skull would be much thicker, and she wouldn't' cause any serious damage to the Nigh Elf. Only enough to incapacitate him so that she could escape.

Maiev was tempted to finish him off when he turned into a demon because it confirmed to her that his true intentions were to harm her. Now she stood over him as he turned back to his Kal'dorei form. Her Umbra Crescent caused more damage than she expected, when she pulled her weapon from his skull, a fountain of blood sprayed her armor.

'Oh well, he shouldn't have turned into a demon, if he truly didn't want to harm me. Now I have no choice but to leave him to die, I have more important matters to attend to. It's in Elune's hands now. Though being a Demon Hunter, I'm certain that he has powerful regenerating powers, just like the Betrayer.'

She turned her back on the injured Demon Hunter and run. Karabor was vast, it took her hours to reach the Temple Summit where Illidan's quarters were situated, next to the terrace he loved to spend most of his time at. Breaking into Illidan's quarters was ridiculously easy. It wasn't even locked. She just turned the handle and walked in.

'Typical Betrayer, in his overconfidence, he can't even imagine that someone would dare break into his quarters', she chuckled and proceeded to ransack his chambers. And there they were, his battle plans, his journals, his maps. All about attacking the true enemy, the Legion. There were maps of Legion worlds, obliterated already by his forces or with detailed plans about how they would invade them, who and what they were expecting to find and how they would destroy the target or retrieve it. He even had plans to invade Argus and kill Kil'jaeden himself and all of Sargeras' lieutenants. His only real concern was how he could take on Sargeras himself, he was a former Titan after all. He planned to send his Demon Hunters to Mardum to retrieve the Sargerite keystone, an artifact that opened the way to all the Legion worlds, including Argus.

Nothing about working for the Legion. Nothing about conquering and subjugating Azeroth and Outland. Not even exacting revenge against those who have wronged him in his journals. Only forgiveness. Even for her. Especially for her. His dreams and thoughts were plagued with her images, she is always on his mind, no matter how hard he tried to forget her.

Even though he stated out loud to everyone who would listen that he was planning on executing her in the most gruesome of ways, he was planning on releasing her and expressing his feelings for her. He was going to give her a place at his side if she reciprocated, and train her as a Demon Hunter himself if she wished it. After all her skills are extraordinary, she would have made a very powerful Demon Hunter, perhaps almost as powerful as him. Or he would just allow her to leave Karabor if she rejected him. After all, he was used to being rejected by Tyrande, his brother, his family, his people, Azeroth and Outland. Despite the way they treated him, he only felt love for Tyrande and Malfurion and sadness for their disdain towards him.

"I know that I cannot make amends with them now, but I can make things right with Maiev. I will go to her as soon as the intruders are defeated, and my Demon Hunters return from Mardum…" was his last entry from this morning.

'Mother Moon, he is truly fighting the Legion. I was wrong, we were all wrong. He may have very dangerous plans that might bring the destruction of this and our world, but his intentions are pure. He was trying to protect us all from the Legion and not sell us out to them. He shouldn't be executed as a traitor today, but rather be contained and stand trial for the deaths he caused on his mad quest to destroy the Burning Legion. His plans are truly mad. He's been poking at the "hornet's nest" for years, and this will bring the entire might of the Legion on our head. Perhaps after he serves his sentence, I will make him see reason and he may just prepare for another Legion invasion rather than causing one. And he has feelings for me, just like I do. I must stop the champions. They can't kill him and his followers, they are just misguided, reckless and potentially dangerous allies against the Legion.' She run out of Illidan's chambers and headed towards the terrace. The sight of Akama stopped her in her tracks.

"Akama, good. We must stop the champions, they cannot kill Illidan, he's been fighting the Burning Legion all along. His intentions may be mad, but they are pure. We need to arrest him and his people, not kill them. They must see reason and just prepare for a Legion invasion rather than provoke one. I cannot kill him now that I know all this. I cannot murder in cold blood the father of my child!", she blurted out while touching her belly.

'Oh, I shouldn't' have said that. Mother Moon, why did I just tell him that?'

"So, not only did you change your mind, but you also spread your legs for him, like the whore that you are. I should have known that all Elves are alike, I haven' met one of you, who is not wicked to the bone. Night Elves, Blood Elves, Naga. All the same, just as wretched, just as corrupted as him. You have no choice in the mater, whore. You will help the mercenaries and you will kill him. Karabor will become mine again, one way or another."

Maiev didn't have time to reply, let alone defend herself, Akama lifted a small tube in his mouth and blew in it. A dart flew out of it and struck her neck. Her knees gave way, and she fell on the floor. "Not to worry, whore. I will not kill you. You have work to do. I just injected you with a powerful potion that stuns you and weakens your mental barriers. In other words, it will make it a lot easier to mind control you. You will go to him, say terrible things to him and you will kill him. And you will spend the rest of eternity with the knowledge that you killed the father of your child and the Betrayer will die believing that you hate him. He loves you; you know. He may not realize it just yet, but he does. It's your name he cries out when he beds other females and it's you, he always dreams about. I know this through the Shade. Soul binding can go both ways. And since I'm mind controlling you now, I know that you love him too, though you too you don't know it yet. This will be your punishment for bedding and loving him. The mercenaries are already there fighting the Betrayer, they think that I am fighting his minions, but in fact, I will be controlling you. Now go, whore. Do Akama's bidding and kill the Betrayer."

Maiev's mind went blank, she stood up and walked towards the terrace to kill Illidan.