My Elven warlord can't be this cute!
Tiffania Westwood needed a familiar, she just didn't know it yet. Who is a better familiar for an innocent elf maiden than a King of Elves? The Witch King, of course! To Malekith at least the trees didn't have eyes and no Chaos Daemons were in sight.
Warnings: see chapter 1
Disclaimer: Don't own shit except the belief that Malekith is entitled to tendies and Mommy's milkies
Chapter 2- Tiffania's moving house
If there was a darker time in the life of Alarielle the current Everqueen of Ulthuan, then it would be now. Her heart rend itself apart as she saw the sundragon of Tyrion plummet into the Sea of Dreams, wings ablaze with black fire as Malekith on his monstrous dragon steed Sepharon magically amplified laughter sounded the death knell of the Asur as the sinister armies of the Druchii assailed the Isles with Atamar itself turning against them and sinking their once proud fleets. Some faint hope remained in her heart, yet her memories of previous queens proved this to be false time and time again. Seeking solace within Isha's guidance, the Everqueen and her handmaidens rode forth in a doomed attempt to stem the tide of the Druchii.
If it had been any other host standing in their way, the Everqueen would have prevailed, but they faced Kouran Darkhand himself and the Black Guard of Naggarond, bolstered by Hydras, Black Dragons and his knights on their cold-blooded mounts. However, if the magic of the Everqueen was capable of dealing with the most of his host, Kouran had another ace up his sleeve. Death hags, sorceresses of Khaine bolstered the Darkhand's forces and it was only a matter of time until her defences broke. She had initially wanted to stay and face her end like an Everqueen, but the most of rebellious maidens had spirited her away from the battle. Mournfully they thought themselves safe and were ready to depart to their wilder, forest dwelling cousins to spare themselves of the Witch King.
Another insidious foe hounded their steps, an assassin cadre of the Morathi, the vile sorceress though herself above dealing with Alarielle herself, so in her stead she sent Urian Poisonblade and the blood crazed killers of the temple. While initially they held fast, the chief killer was aptly named as his poisoned sword and daggers brought down countless handmaidens in such quick speed that even her healing couldn't give them respite from the agonizing death.
Surrounded by her foes and no clear way out, she used a tactic she would have never before. In her desperation she broke and like the craven Witch King she hurled herself into the Realm of Chaos as a last resort.
Yet something went wrong. A power snatched her before she could enter the world of Daemons. Alarielle felt nothing as she hung in the void, her eyes saw nothing, her ears heard nothing. For a moment she herself thought that she was nothing in the horrifying world of void.
Once all hope was lost and she had surrendered herself to Isha's mercy. Tears fell for all her kin, for Tyrion and Alianthra, maybe even for Finubar, as she prayed to all her past lives and future ones so that the Asur would prosper once more despite the victory of evil.
The world around her shattered and the shards of her former prison was funnelled through a shimmering vortex before Alarielle was thrown on a ground before a crowd of human children.
With that begun her days of suffering in this strange world, where human mages were in abundance and elves were looked upon little less than daemons to be scoured from the face of this strange world called "Haggelkinia".
"Familiar" the voice called, and it was one of the chief headaches of this world. It was unsightly to feel particular emotions about lesser races, the potential notwithstanding. What galled her the most about this entire situation was that she had no way of doing her duties to her people and was made a thrall to a human girl, playing at the mastery of Dhar. However, it was in name only that she was bound to the mage girl, despite this her living arrangements negotiated with the human magi, Teclis had so loved were adequate. Especially since a human maid was assigned to her service. A rather large room with furnishings fir for a noble, even if by human standards.
However, in her dreams she dreamt of the chosen of Asuryan, who had been spirited away by the Eagle god to save their kin. Suddenly her bondage became a lot more bearable as she knew that she wasn't alone in the world or so she hoped. The Asur were long lived and once the human would die, she would be free. For now, she would have to make her legend known and hope that the champion would find her.
"FAMILIAR!" the little nuisance shouted as she waved her hand in her face. Alarielle sighed and willed away her hopeful thoughts, before addressing the pink haired human in front of her.
"Adress me by my name and title or do not speak to me at all." She spoke gently and calmly, letting her magic seep into her voice, pacifying the mage girl who looked like she wanted to say something.
"Do cease your attempts at punishing me" the Everqueen chided the child, who now had turned red with indignation "It is fruitless as it is distasteful on your part to continue to try binding me to your will instead of trying to reason with me. Or perhaps you are a mere beast?"
Her summoner sighed and sat down across her in silence. Apparently, the human could listen, it was good enough a start for her…
Across inexplicable distance the chosen of Asuryan was having a far more different problem.
The half-elf chit of a girl had fallen in love with the Witch King. In a grand jest imaginable in the most ludicrous fables, the girl believed that he was her true love and the mark of the Eagle god, a soul binding contract between the souls. She had conveniently forgotten that brief moment when he had seen her memories when she meddled with his meditation. It was clear that it was no coincidence or a whim that he was dropped into her proverbial lap.
Tiffania was a legitimate contender for the throne one of the human kingdoms of the nations. Despite the murky memories and the assassins and thugs sent to silence her painted a clear picture for Malekith as he himself was an expert in underhanded plots and a genius when it came to getting rid of his obstacles, Bel Shanaar and numerous ambitious dreadlords bearing the witness in the afterlife. In fact, what had happened to Tiffania's family was a mercy by Druchii standards, if it were him, no one would even remember that they had existed. It was clear that she couldn't remain here with assassins hounding her and even more so with the brand that was imprinted on her and him both.
The magic that coursed through the brand was an intricate spellwork containing so much power that it gave the Dark Elf a pause as it had the touch of Asuryan and who was he to doubt the god's will? Yet it made him uncomfortable for the reasons unknown for he couldn't decipher the intent of the magic that cursed through his right arm.
"Tiffania" the man sighed as he tasted another wonder of her limited cuisine "You know that you cannot stay here." However, the half elf didn't listen to him, instead she continued humming as she continued to cook. It was only fair that she didn't want to face the truth right now, but Malekith couldn't afford right now to be impatient. Standing up from the chair, he slowly strode towards her. The girl immediately continued to cook faster and with a trained eye he could spy the nervousness clearly. This didn't deter him at all as almost immediately he was upon her, his large hands grabbing her shoulders and turning her around to face him.
"Listen to me" he tried to keep the frustration out of his voice as he looked into her wide eyes "The people who killed your mother and father" the Witch King disregarded the flinching "They will come for you again and again. They will not stop until you will be killed."
Tears gathered in Tiffania's eyes and again Malekith remembered that he was dealing with a child. He had no skill in placating girls in anguish that didn't involve dark magic or threats or any positive interaction, well he had in the past but the millennia past had degraded that particular skillset of his. The best thing he could do in this situation was to brush her tears with his marked hand and cup her chin like he would a lover. Hopefully he would not add more fuel to the fantasy of the girl. While he was a prince, he would fit much better as the villain.
"Why?" she sniffled as her big blue eyes peered into his emerald ones with childish innocence and naivety "Why they just can't let me be? I haven't hurt anyone and just want to live in peace."
"You haven't, but you can in the future and this is the threat you pose to whoever killed your parents even if you never would, the threat would remain and I think that even the vilest of men would wish to sleep without a worry" Malekith continued to brush her tears with ancient patience as her body shook in silent throes.
"That is why you must leave with me" he continued "That you may discover why exactly your parents had to die and avenge them" while Malekith struggled to relate to a childish girl, he could without a doubt find rapport with a vengeful heiress.
"Your parents must have loved you dearly" he said and took her ringed hand in his own. The ruby shone with magical power and incidentally it was the only proof they had of her legitimate lineage, even if Malekith didn't have the highest opinion of human society seeing it from her memories. Much like the Empire, yet with a ridiculous concept that prized magic above all others with a religious dogma that was far insidious and cowardly than the Druchii cults.
"How would they feel that their murderers were left to reign free?" he asked, "How would they feel that their daughter has to live in fear and hiding so that their killers do not kill her too?" Tiffania shook her head and the elf smiled rather ruefully, reminded of his own vengeance filled rants before his trials in the realm of Chaos. Patting her cheek, he let her go, yet remained in front of her.
"Your parents deserve justice." Malekith spoke, his voice slightly above a whisper "You deserve justice for what has happened to you, Tiffania. If you wish it, I will be beside you until your parents have been avenged and reclaimed what was rightfully theirs"
Then the Witch King took another step forward and felt her breasts press against his abdomen. A deep red blush showed on Tiffania's face and she started to stutter, much to the male elf's chagrin, who took a step back and cocked his head. In her youth, he would have found her adorable, but even now some part of him, that lingered in the smidgen of what had remained uncorrupted after all this time and hardships felt nothing but elation at this simple innocence.
"I cannot bring them back even with my power, but I can make sure their souls rest peacefully. Just say the words and your kingdom will be yours again! Take my hand and grasp the destiny that manifests before you!" The Witch King of Naggarond urged as he offered her his hand, the violet brand on his skin shining in the sunlight. His eyes were now wild and hungry, like a rabbit before a snake, Tiffania stood there paralyzed.
"I would love to, but I can't!" she said fists clenched at her side "I can't leave this house alone for it would be ruins when I would return. Mathilda would be anguished and sick with worry if she couldn't find me!"
"Who is this Mathilda you speak of? She must be a dear friend of yours" the son of Aenarion spoke as he retracted his hand. Another obstacle to get the girl to join him of her own free will. Malekith knew hundreds of ways to get her to hang on his every word for eternity, but each of them would taint the light that shone from her, one Malekith had become quite fond of in the previous days.
"Yes, she is my big sister! She's very strong and smart, once I saw her make a golem of earth in size the trees outside" the half elf said proudly and then a flash of melancholy washed over her face.
"Where is she now?" the elf asked with mild curiosity and Tiffania rested against the now cold stove "She's working at Tristain's Magic academy" she said twiddling her thumbs and Malekith swore a headache was about to sneak up on him.
"Why don't we visit her first then?" Malekith asked and once more the half-elf evaded his look as she looked around at the small cottage that had been her home for a very long time.
"Before worrying about your home, how about we take her with us?" He offered with a slight smile and the Witch King could almost swear that he could see miniature suns from the depths of her eyes when he mentioned taking it with them. The girl's mouth was agape after the suggestion and then the rain of questions started.
"How are you going to do that?" she rambled "Will you shrink it and put it in your pocket? Transform into a cute animal? Oh, how about-" she wanted go on and on, but a finger on her lips silenced the unknown sorceress, who immediately blushed.
"No, nothing that grand" Malekith reassured her, but instead grabbed her hand and pulled her outside.
Standing ankle deep in the river, Tiffania was clueless what Malekith or 'Mal' as she called him inside her mind, would do as he was walking around her house and tearing up her lawn. What was he doing she didn't know, but for sure it looked important.
"Come here, Tiffa" the elf called her to him with this strange new nickname. The girl happily strolled out of the river and approached the older elf, carefully avoiding all the intricate signs he had carved into the stone.
"I'll let you call me that if I can call you Mal" she smiled and Malekith paled. He immediately straightened out and ignored the comment, focusing his magic to the goal in front of him. The air became charged with electricity. The water ran backwards in the river and the grass seemed alive. Tiffania had never seen such magic and immediately she grabbed the sorcerer by his robes, afraid of what might happen next. Lightning arced from his fingertips and danced harmlessly outside. Then her house started to creak and moan.
"What are you doing?! You'll destroy my house!" she protested and beat her small fists against the elder elf's chest, who seemed little more than amused at her antics. There was an earth-shattering boom and Tiffania closed her eyes almost as on instinct, waiting the inevitable disaster, but her mind and heart told her to trust the strange elf wizard.
Suddenly the creaking and cracking stopped, but the half elf girl was afraid to open her eyes.
"It has been done" Malekith's deep voice like smoky fire rumble in her ear and only then she dared to look.
They were flying!
The house was flying!
Marooned in the air with her small garden and lawn surrounding the cottage, they floated above the treeline.
"We're flying Malekith! We are flying, ha ha ha!" Tiffania laughed with joy as she carefully looked around and ran into the house, to check if everything was alright. Malekith, however, remained outside with a satisfied grin as he willed the mass of rock and dirt to float in the nearest direction of the greatest source of magic in the area. While it was no Black ark, the small cottage worked the same, however it was a hassle to redo the magic barriers that protected the house, but with the abundance of Dhar in the land had helped immensely. As they floated past the town, he could see the human rabble running outside to look at them. Sneering Malekith willed the house to float higher up in the sky and continued to enchant the house to siphon Dhar from the very world itself to keep it afloat. While it galled to admit that he wasn't the most powerful sorcerer of his people, the accomplishment was something to be proud for a little while.
In his head the Witch King's plan was flawless. First, they would make their way to the academy and find the answers that they sought, grab the human woman Tiffania thought her sister willingly or not, before starting her training as a proper sorceress. One that would be completely loyal to him.
For the second time the Witch King manifested truly on the handsome visage of Malekith as his eyes shone with poisonous green light as ambitions once more manifested in his sight. It all would be his. As soon as he thought this, his hand started burning.
"Gah!" Malekith snarled in pain as the brand had turned crimson and dripping blood. Well maybe not everything. The pain receded and the elf glared at the sun.
Nothing would matter once Malekith would get back home. Reclamation of colonies and projects of innovation, he salivated at the progress to be made and once more looked at the untainted world below.
As he walked inside Malekith, son of Aenarion, the Witch King of the Elves uttered a promise
"Just you wait Albion. I'll make your petty wars look like a schoolboy's brawl."
A.N: You'll probably have to wait some time for an update as I'm playing Total war Warhammer 2 as Lohkir Fellheart and now his spin-off is in the works, taking place in the same universe where Malekith is galivanting around in Haggelkinia and Morathi schemes to get her baby boy back. Leave a comment and you'll make my day a lot more better! Till next time, have a nice day folks!
-Spook
