Priestess In The Light

Prelude

It wasn't very long after my mother died that I started realizing I was different from the other children in Northshire. I was only six, but I started to see that bad things were happening whenever I was upset. After my mother died, the only thing I had left of her was the necklace she gave me. It rained for an entire week, nonstop, until my dad came back from the war. Then it stopped. Still, if I was angry, bad things would happen to my friends. They'd be sick, or hurt their ankle, or something. I never thought it was my fault, just coincidence, but they did. My best friends became the harmless wolves that roam the area.

By the time I was ten, the war had gotten out of hand, & they called my father back. It wasn't until later that year I'd received a telegram saying he was killed in a raid of Hordes. After that, things just started getting weird. I guess we were losing the war or something, because there were a lot of raids on Elwynn Forest, & Goldshire, & Sentinel Hill. Northshire was safe, though. & so was Stormwind. Stormwind, I can understand, would never be attacked because it's so big. They'd be killed in a heartbeat. It seems like everybody is training for war nowadays. But Northshire... I don't really know why it hasn't been attacked yet. But I don't ask questions. It's better that way.

After my dad died, I spent a lot of time in the cathedral. Six years, actually. & it wasn't until my sixteenth birthday that everything started.

Chapter One : Mireille's Beginning

"G'morning Mr. Weaver!" I responded to his wave as I jumped off to the cathedral for morning prayer. I wasn't the only one going, but there weren't many of us. & we all pray on our own.

"Happy Birthday there, Mireille!" Not many people knew it was my birthday. Only travelling merchants who stopped by often & weren't around for the weird things to happen, or people who've known me since before my mother died. Nobody else knew, or cared. Just that it was a beautiful day in Northshire.

I picked up a newsletter on my way out of the cathedral, & ran down to my favorite tree by the river. Nobody crossed over the bridge unless they were erally strong & brave or something, because there's a gang of thieves & their hideout directly after it, but I went far enough back where the thieves don't go. Plus, I was just BY the river, not across it. I picked an apple off a tree & began reading, soon accompanied by my lonesome wolf friends.

There was lots of booming & lights going off in the sky, which made it almost ahrd to concentrate, but almost immediately, I found out why. The Stormwind's Fire Festival was going on, & it was being held on my birthday. Ironic, I thought. It upset me a lot, because I really wanted to go. I've never been to Stormwind before. Actually, I've never ventured outside of Northshire. I didn't plan to, either.

The wolves seemed to know I was upset, because when I got up, they all got up & licked my legs. It didn't help me feel much better. I walked down to the town again & there was a big crowd in front of the Cathedral. Everyone seemed joyful, except for most of the mothers, who held their young kids close to them. Northshire was mostly women, except for the merchants & stuff, because all the husbands & sons went to fight the war. Nowadays, though, even women are training to fight in the war. Still, it was mostly mothers.

The moment Mr. Weaver saw me again for the second time, he ran up to me as if there was no time to waste. "C'mon, Mireille," he said urgently & happily at the same time, "we're going to be late." He said that with a big smile on his face.

"Late for what?" I said, almost on cue. I knew he was waiting for me to ask that. I also knew he was trying to act like I didn't know what was going on, even though he knew I didn't.

"For what!" he said, his smile getting ever bigger. "For the Fire Festival, you know that!" Even though his cheesy way of informing me was old & predictable, I still got excited up until the point that I realized I had no way of getting there. Seemingly on cue, Mr. Weaver said, "I'm giving you a ride, & then you've got all of Stormwind to explore on your own! Now c'mon!"

We got there quickly. We stopped at Goldshire to chat a little bit. Mr. Weaver had some business there. But we were soon back on our way to Stormwind. The closer we got, the louder the yelling & booming got. Eventually, we could see fireworks going off. Everybody sounded happy & loud & drunk as hell.

As we walked in, I began feeling sorry for the guards of Stormwind. There were a lot of them. I understood why. So many drunk people who wouldn't be able to fight, it was a magnet for a raid. Perfect timing. All these soldiers had to be on their feet, sober & everything, & they couldn't enjoy the Fire Festival. Mr. Weaver saw me looking at the guards & said, "Don't worry. They volunteered for this. It's what they wanted."

My sympathy soon went away when I saw the fireworks & all the people in the Trade Center. It was so crowded, it was unbelievable. My first time in Stormwind, & I'd have to say it was wonderful. Before we got into the crowd, Mr. Weaver said, "Oh k, Mireille. This is where I leave you. It's not a very far walk from here to Northshire, & I trust that you remember the way. If not, then just follow the trail to Goldshire & ask which way from there. Enjoy your first Fire Festival, & your first day in Stormwind!" Mr. Weaver went off to do some business work before he celebrated, so I was left all to my lonesome. Of course, I didn't feel very lonely!

I walked around, taking in all I could. So much excitement & so many shops. I remembered Mr. Weaver saying that my mother & father had some money left in the bank for me, so I went to retrieve it. Boy, was there money! So much gold & silver & copper, I didn't know what to do with it all. Eventually, though, as I reached the shops, I realized it wasn't that much. Just that everything in Northshire was so cheap, & once you hit the cities, it's so goddamn expensive. Oh well, I thought to myself. I still had plenty of money to enjoy myself with.

The first place I went to was a tailoring shop. They had the cutest outfits in the world, & all I had was ragged pants & a shirt. Well, I found a dress, a beautiful dress that I knew I couldn't live unless I had it. I bought it, & then realized that I had a little over half of what I started with. That was oh k by me. & it was the most expensive dress in the store. I immediately put it on, put my hair up in a bun, & I looked beautiful.

I walked out & decided to enjoy myself a little bit. I went to a winery & got myself some alcohol, not too much, but enough to enjoy the night. I tried so hard, & was so careful not to spill on my brand-new dress. I was lucky. I didn't spill anything. I walked around Stormwind some more & got out of the center of excitement. I walked along the canals & over the bridges & eventually found myself at the Cathedral in Stormwind. I was walking up the steps, & there were a lot of steps. But I didn't get halfway until I turned around & saw a man no older than 25 looking up at me. He had armor on, & a sword, & a red cloak that waved in the wind. He didn't seem at all flustered when he saw me looking at him. Instead, he continued to watch me with a stern look on his face. I was wondering what he was looking at me for. Then, quite randomly, he turned around & walked the opposite direction. I thought it was quite weird.

I shrugged it off & continued on my way to the Cathedral. It was open, but nobody was in it. Not even a priest. I walked around for a little until I realized it was empty, & then I walked out. It was a beautiful Cathedral, though. After that, I made my way down to the park. It was quite nice, there. All the birds & squirrels & rabbist were just so adorable. A few people were hanging out around the fountain, but not so many. I left the park, assuming they didn't want to be disturbed, & explored more of Stormwind.

I got to Stormwind Keep & I didn't bother to do anything but look at it. It was heavily guarded & I didn't even wanted to try. After watching it sit there, just like me, I turned around & walked some more. I went into little shops & got random things, mostly food. Eventually, it began to get dark & I walked back tot he Trade Center, & it was just as lively, if not more, than it was before. But the night would soon be over. After the fireworks display, I'd walk back to Northshire & finish my birthday off with a prayer & a good night's sleep.

The fireworks sounded, & it was a beautiful display. It would be a night to remember, indeed. Directly after the finale, the man who was looking at me at the Cathedral suddenly dashed by on his stallion. He didn't look at me or anything, but he seemed set on something. He left Stormwind through the gates & people began to go back to their homes.

I followed the trail back to Goldshire, & asked for directions. They pointed & I was glad to know I was going the right way. It took a little longer on foot, but as soon as I saw the gates I was relieved. However, once I looked above the gates, I saw lights wavering. It was a fire.

I ran through & saw the entire village in flames, everything but the Cathedral. There were men fighting Orcs & Shamans & Undead. All of the women & children were away from the fighting & the flames, most of them crying, others too scared. Several corpses lie on the bloodstained grass of both, Horde & Alliance. I immediately ran to the Cathedral.

I yelled, "How could you let this happen!" I was angry at whoever did this. The fighting outside could still be heard. "HOW COULD YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!" I shouted once more. Suddenly a voice was heard over the cackling of the fires outside.

"Mayella," the voice said. I looked around, startled.

"Who said that?" I said. With no response I shouted, "SHOW YOURSELF"

"Mayella." The voice said again.

"My NAME is Mireille, not Mayella! Who are you? WHERE are you!" I was irritated & angry & scared. All of a sudden, a bright light shone from the window above a statue & nearly blinded me.

Hidden in the light was a blue figure, & she spoke the name "Mayella," once more. Just then, my necklace broke off from my neck & let off an even more blinding light as it disappeared.

I ran away from the light which seemed to be affecting me, as well. Once I reached the entrance to the Cathedral, I saw an Orc. A really big Orc. He looked at me, & said something in Orcish, & laughed. I began to get a splitting headache. A loud screeching noise ran through my ears, & I couldn't bear it. Just before I felt like I would die, the man from Stormwind ran & put his arms around me, holding me tight to his chest, protecting me from the world.

I woke up the next day. All of the Horde were driven away, but most of Northshire was burnt to the ground. Reconstruction had already begun, though. I woke up & the man was still there, by my side. I didn't even ask him who he was. I didn't say a goddamn word. All I knew was I had a mace on my side, & a bow on my back.

"The Priestess of Light," the man began, "decided that you would be the one." Failing to specify what exactly the "one" was, Mireille decided not to believe a single word this man said. "You may not believe me," the man said, & at that Mireille began believing, "but we've got a lot of work to do. Whether you go or not, I'm going to be with you"

"Why?" It was the only thing I could think of saying.

"Because," he said. "It's my destiny to protect you."