The unforeseen
by Anne Shard (alias Odeena Skywalker)
Chapter twelve: Departures
It took Lady Vashj several days to assemble a force powerful enough to please her lord. Many of the Naga were reluctant to come to the aid of those who had once forsaken them, and so were the Blood Elves. As for the Draenei, Illidan had decided that it was better for them to remain in Outland, as their strength and skill in magic, strangely boosted by the chaotic energies of the world itself, made them excellent fighters there.
During this time, under Illidan's command, the united forces of the Naga, Blood Elves and Draenei obtained several victories against Mongrethod's forces, and reclaimed a large fortification in the vicinity of the Black Citadel itself. There, Illidan massed an important number of his forces, and left command to prince Kael, who was now making a fast recovery.
After the awakening of prince Kael, Maiev hardly saw Illidan any more. At first, she had wanted to take part in the battle against Mongrethod's orcs as well, but Illidan had firmly forbidden her to do so. To herself, she could not help but admire Illidan's courage and determination, as well as his excellent skills as both a leader and a warrior. On the other hand, the memory of his past deeds was still strong in her mind, and it reminded her that Illidan could not - and should not - be trusted completely, regardless of what he might have said or done. As it was, Maiev was uncertain about what she felt, and this confused her even more.
As the fourth day since their arrival dawned, Illidan entered the small elven hut which had been given to Maiev, only to find her fast asleep in a chair, a large tome resting on her knees. Although he could not see it, Illidan knew, from the faint aura of magic that it gave away, that it must have been an elven one, and this startled him slightly.
"Maiev", he said quietly. The warden stirred a little, and then awoke with a start. Illidan went on, "Come. We are returning to Ashenvale."
The demon turned and prepared to leave, but Maiev's voice stopped him. "Illidan..."
He turned half-way towards her, "Yes?"
Maiev seemed to hesitate for a moment. "My cloak and helmet", she said finally. "You said your Naga would retrieve them by the time we leave."
Illidan gestured towards a corner of the room, "So they have."
"I - see."
"I will be waiting outside." With that, the demon exited.
Maiev sat up and stretched, feeling her body numb from the uncomfortable position that she had slept in. Her helmet and cloak were covered with sand here and there, but otherwise they were in good state. She put the helmet on, wrapped the cloak around her shoulders, grasped her circular dagger, and hurried outside.
"Come", Illidan said, motioning for her to follow him.
They walked speechlessly, side by side, and soon they left the camp and reached a small stone highland. There, a small group of Naga fighters and summoners, as well as a several Blood Elven sorceresses and priests, were gathered, awaiting for their master.
"Is this all the help that you can offer us?" Maiev asked, despite herself.
Illidan looked down on her, although he could not see actually her. "Indeed, this is less than I had hoped", he said, his voice somewhat bitter, and suddenly Maiev felt guilty about what she had just said.
"Illidan... forgive me. I did not mean to--"
"It matters not", the demon cut her off rather briskly, and neither of them said anything more.
As they reached the gathering, Lady Vashj slithered before them. "All is ready, my Lord", she said. "We may go."
"Then open the portal, and let us be on our way", Illidan said.
The sea witch nodded her head, and soon a large portal glowed and shimmered before them. Maiev cast one last glance around, taking in to everything she saw - the sand, the red sun, the camp, and, somewhere far off, the Black Citadel itself, while at the same time she braced herself for yet another portal trip. To her surprise, as she and Illidan came before the portal, he placed a hand around her shoulders, and together they stepped through. Yet, as the world around her seemed to break into a thousand shards, Maiev could have sworn that she had seen Illidan give a faint, yet bitter smile.
Author's Note: I'm back! Did you miss me? Of course you did. Didn't you...? ...anyway, this chapter is even longer (I'm getting good at this! ...at least, I think so...) So, what do you think? Please R&R! And thanks for reviewing go to:
tom: True, we've all got lives to attend... and mine bites big time. I think I'll throw myself in the Danube one day... Yep, I'm a depressive maniac, don't be scared...
Hell-Flame-Narf: Thanks! I'm reading son-of-durotan's story, too... I just haven't reviewed in ages... by the way, I'm not a man, I'm a wom--err, I mean, a girl
Katylar: Request granted! And thank you!
BornIn1142: Illidan is ALIVE?! jaw drops Yay!!! throws a party ...anyway, yep, this is AU, so it doesn't matter... Still, ILLIDAN IS ALIVE! throws another party
darth: To be honest, I haven't planned anything about that yet... but I guess you're right, they could settle their differences.
Warp da Warp Liger: Welcome back! throws yet another party I'll prop up Son-Of-Durotan as soon as I get around to reading the last chapter he posted...
PS: I'm leaving for Italy, and I'll be back in two weeks, so don't worry about the lack of updates, I'm not giving up on the story! :)