A WarCraft Romance

He stood upon the battlements, gazing down upon the slaughter below.

The undead hordes were streaming out of the hills, an never ending flood. Creatures too hideous even for the tales to frighten children.

The only thing that was stopping them was the build up of bodies at the base of the castle, where the Princess Odentita WindScreamer and her loyal band of mountain giants was slaughtering the beasts with unmatched fury.

Truth be told, it was actually starting to get tedious and the smell was absolutely horrible.

The king James Lightbearer was standing to the side, one hand hanging in boredom over the side, occasionally healing one of Windscreamer's troops.

"My Majesty, may I go down there and fight alongside her?", he asked hestitantly. The king looked at him boredly and replied, "Sure laddie, just be sure not to get yerself killed yer hear?. This healing business is fine, but ressurrecting your sorry soul will give you kitchen duty for at least two weeks"

He unshouldered his giant curved blade and held it tight in his hand. He put one foot on the battlement sides, watching carefully for cross bolts and swooping gargoyle.

"And another thing laddie, use the stairs this time, not the", The king groaned as he looked to where the blade master had stood. "Blasted kids, always leaping into the fray".

The blademaster plummeted to the ground, but came out unscathed. Duck and roll always works, even if you plunge from a 15 storey battle tower. The sword came to life in his hand, feeding on the blood of the undead creatures, desiring more blood, more vengenance. The lust in his blades hands for souls was barely contained by his attempt to try and look sauve and calm in the eyes of the princess. She stood only meters aways from him, her bow rapid firing arrows into the crowd. Sweat, licked at her temples and kept her from shining as radiantly as she normally does. She turned her head to give him a quick grin, as her bow launched an arrow that went down the throat of a ghoul only inches from her side.

Her focus returned to the rather mechanical act of destroying her immediate opponents. WIth the blademaster's assistance, they were quickly pushed back but then unexpectedly withdrew. Immediately suspicious, the Windscreamer looked beyond the retreating undead to see the unmistakable hulks of siege engines.

"Damn. Sir? We might need some aerial support, " the Windscreamer called to the King on the castle parapet.

"Oh bother, if those siege engines fire upon the castle, it'll be the end!", yelled the King from on top. "Stop them! If any paint comes off the Queen will definately not give me supper for days!"

He turned around and spoke to the black raven, which served as the castles main messagener bird. "Denshi, goto the grphyon riders of Dul'Zadam and tell them our hour of need is great and to come with great haste".

The bird looked at the King strangely, stretched its broad wings and lifted off. It soared, higher and higher... until it saw a bit of glittering tinsel on the castle wall after the last christmas party and it plummeted like a rock to claim this treasure.

The blademaster shook his head in disappointment. "Damn, I knew we should have invested in some Voice over IP phones instead of that bird. That bird dealer looks so fishy".

"Not again," Odentita groaned. "Well blademaster-dude, looks like we're on our own."

Having trained with each other frequently before, without words they set off together after directing her forces to run interference as they attacked the machines.

THe enemy had not yet encircled the leading catapult, their stragglers lumbering conveniently slowly for the Windscreamer's party to fall upon them easily. With few undead protecting the device, a few blows from the Blade master was enough to destroy it whilst the Windscreamer ran cover with her bow.

A cry of dismay arose from a nearby catapult, and some of the undead rallied to attack this impudent half-elf and her bladed companion.

A fortunate happenstance, it appeared; the giants had routed the first catapult guard by then, and were able to support the two leaders, and again allow them to strike ahead at the catapult whilst it was undermanned.

"They sure train them well," the Blade master snickered.

The distances between catapults, and somewhat dimness of the undead troops, allowed the strike force to destroy the enemy's siege engines with little effort.Evidently, the undead army did not believe it worthwhile to press a counterattack, as the Windscreamer and Blade master were able to rather casually return to the castle.

Odentita tiredly slung her bow across her shoulder. She winced and faltered as she accidently laid her bow across the deep gash an abomination had managed to make. The blademaster quickly flung aside his sword to support her before she fell. He could feel the wetness on her back, even through the mithril mail armour. The stickiness on his hands made him realise it wasn't sweat. She was struggling to walk, the loss of blood starting to get to her.

"King Lightbringer, holy light please, healing for the love of elune!", he hollered as he gently cradled her in his arms.Her legs had collapsed down beneath her, so he lay down with her his arms holding her head. Unexpectedly she, she smiled at him, and he weakly smiled back. "You're going to be fine Odentita. The king should restore you soon".

She chuckled, and replied, "I know. You did well out there blademaster. I believe maybe you are worthy of my affections after all". He looekd startled and she continued, "oh please as if I didn't notice the stolen glances, the sighs of unrequited love as i have passed you. I am an elf you know. I notice these things.".

It must be the loss of blood, it must be affecting her mind the blademaster thought. Yet in his tortured heart, hope flared anew once more. She was finally returning the love he had kept for her, all these years as a blademaster for Sydney Keep. He brushed away the hair slicked to her forehead, and gently laid a kiss on her temple. "Hush Princess, rest before you commit to something you may regret".

"I do like such touching scenes of love", darkly boomed a slightly amused voice. He flung his head around, to see the vampire bat wings of the Dreadlord Mal-thanas behind him.

"Hmm those are pretty wings you have there, Malthingy," slurred the elf. Silence fell. Puzzled glances were exchanged around the gathering.

A rumble of disquiet emerged from the Dreadlord. "Um ... sorry?" he queried.

"Noo really, how do you get them so niiice and shhhiny? You know whut would look good with that? I founded this shinny thingg ... on the grouund. ... what do they calll it? Ummm that stuff you put around ummm ... thing with green bits and brown bits .... uhh what is that?"

"A .. tree?" Malthanas ventured.

"Yeah, a tree! Tinsel! That's what it is ... I found some tinsel. Can you wear some of it pweeaase?" the elf, unusually out of character, turned on the Bambi-eyes. Entirely unsure about the sanity of the elf before him, he complied ... after all, if she was in this state, just how dangerous could she be?

"There ya go, all shiny. DEEENNNSSSHIIIII!!!!!" A dark spot descended rather rapidly from the sky.

"What is the meaning of thisTM?" cried Malthanas, as it became increasingly clear that the rather large dark spot was growing rather quickly, and directly above him.

"Quick, Blademaster, finish him!" the elf commanded.

When it rains, it pours as they say. Odentita had given the dreadlord significant amounts of tinsel, and being a hilltop, the light reflected for miles. Denshi's cousins,aunts,uncles,extended family all saw the tinsel glittering. A swarm of ravens plummeted from the sky, dove in from every other direction unto the dreadlord.

In the fray, Denshi, the first to actually see it, was rudely bounced out of the frenzy. He landed awkwardly on his tail, shaking a curled wing-fist at the crowd. "Damn relatives, bunch of overgrown indian minaw-birds", he squawked out rudely.

The dreadlord was vanquished. Nothing survives a raven tinsel frenzy. Even the arch demon Balzthazar was taken out by a strategic Griffon Rider bombing of glitter. The blademaster smiled at the little raven, and let it perch on his shoulder. "Well done mi'lady", he smiled. The princess gave an exsparated snort and said, "I just took out a demon for you, don't deserve at least a single kiss?". The smile became a broad grin as he held her close and passionately kissed her, feeling her entire soul through the touch of her lips, and she could feel his.

The End.