~Thank you for all the reviews!! In case it wasn't really clear this story takes place before the battle at mount Hyjal. I have to admit though that I never really played the campaigns (I watched my brother do that) only the single player. Hopefully though my story still fits pretty well with the story line~
Carya found herself trailing behind her human companion. It was almost as if he was trying to avoid her but as they were now traveling together it was rather hard. She sighed softly wondering if she should say something or remain silent. Finally she could stand the silence between them no longer, "Agraelith…" he continued to walk, "Agraelith!" he turned around. "Why will you not talk to me?" she asked.
"It's all my fault you got exiled, I figured you didn't want to talk to me," he hung his head.
"You are all I have now…besides I think this might be for the best."
"What?" he looked at her confused, "You mean you wanted to be banished?"
She looked at him in disbelief, "No, do you think I would want to be banished from the only home I knew for over a hundred years?"
"Sorry," he shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure what she was getting at.
"It is just that I would have never been able to see the outside world if I had not found you. I used to dream of it sometimes, dream of leaving the darkness of my home and live in the world where the sun reaches out to it. I could not leave however; even if I were allowed to I do not think I would have." She could remember how as a child she would lie back and watch the stars with Galder and Elenna. The one conversation that they never exhausted was the outside world; of course she had never thought that it would actually come true, that she would actually be able to leave. When they had talked, they had always imagined that they would leave together on a grand adventure. The adventure she had dreamed of had finally happened, only not the way she would have ever expected, she was exiled and with a human.
"I understand, so you really aren't mad at me for being the reason you're now exiled?" he looked down at her and hoped that she was not. He did not know if he could stand her being angry at him.
"I am not. I have no regrets in helping--" Her delicate ears had picked up a noise and she motioned for Agraelith to be quiet. The forest was still, searching with her sharp eyes she could see nothing unusual. Still, she had heard something, she was sure of it. There! She heard it again, a slight rustling sound. Her head snapped up and she peered into the branches above their heads. Two shining eyes could be seen through the curtain of leaves. The panther cub catapulted off the branch landing on her chest, knocking her to the forest floor. Carya laughed and wrapped her arm around Star's furry body then lifted her gently in the air. "You have become a quit a little hunter," she brought Star down and kissed her between the ears. She pushed herself up and held up Star so Agraelith could take her.
"She won't bite me will she?" he asked studying the small cat.
Carya laughed, "You throw yourself into battles yet you are afraid to hold a kitten."
Agraelith scowled then had to smile, "Oh fine," he reached down and took the cub into his arms.
Springing nimbly to her feet, she saw that Star was gnawing on Agraelith's hand. "She likes you," she said with a smile.
"More like she wants to eat me," he grinned and lifted the cat into the air then rubbed Star's nose with his. Star purred loudly and he slung her gently around so that she was draped around his neck. He winced slightly as Star dug her tiny needlelike claws into his shoulder, but he did not mind. "Alright, so where is it that we're going?"
Carya looked at him blankly. She had not really thought of it, now that she did she realized she had no idea. True, she had dreamed of exploring but she never thought it would actually happen and she did not have any idea where she would go if she did. A sudden realization hit her; she could go wherever she pleased. No longer could she go only a short way from her home. She had no home. No one was expecting her to return from a hunt with food, no one was expecting her to come back from scouting to tell them what she had found, no one was expecting anything from her. She was free. Free from the never ending night. "I don't know really."
Agraelith nodded slowly, "Alright, I didn't figure you were headed anyplace in particular, for that matter neither am I."
Carya hesitated, "Are you not curious about what became of your town? There may be survivors…" she trailed off seeing the look on his face.
He stared at the ground. In his head he could hear the screams of terror and agony; he could see the red of blood and the fire that consumed everything he lived for. He could not go back; the thought of facing the aftermath of the attack scared him. His shoulders began to shake and he wiped away the tears that had begun. He could not cry in front of Carya, he did not want her to think that he was weak. After all, he was a soldier. "I, I don't think that there's much left."
Carya understood what he meant; she had seen the tears in his eyes even though he had tried to hide them. His body had been healed but a wound still remained. She felt uncomfortable, perhaps she never should have asked. It was too soon for him to face what had happened and she should have realized it. "I am sorry for bringing it up; I should have realized the pain it would bring."
Agraelith looked at her, there was sadness in her eyes as well, "It's alright, don't feel bad about it." Ever since he had first met her, the sadness in her eyes had been there, it was part of what made her so beautiful. He was not the only one who had experienced pain and had seen battles and men fall. She had told him the story of Galder and how she had watched her friend die and her race nearly wiped out. They were more alike then he had originally thought. "We are warriors I suppose," he said finally with a half smile.
Carya smiled sadly up at him, "At least you were able to choose that path."
"What?" he was somewhat surprised. He remembered her telling him that nearly all Night Elves were warriors; it had not occurred to him that it was not by choice. "You mean you never wanted to fight?"
She shook her head, "Not really, but I did not have much of a choice did I?" As a child Carya had been trained to fight, she had held a bow in her hands as soon as they were able to. After she had mastered the most important weapon to an elf she had been trained with a knife, short sword, spear, and staff. Fighting however held no interest in her; it was the weapons themselves that she found interesting. "I suppose what I would have really wanted to do was become a weapon artist."
"Weapon artist? You mean teach weaponry?"
She shook her head, "I believe that humans call them blacksmiths."
"Oh, you wanted to make weapons, why couldn't you?"
"Since our people are warriors weapons are very important to us. That is why making weapons has become an art, only those who are born into the position can make weapons." She unsheathed her dagger and handed it to him. The hilt was coated with silver and was in the shape of dragon wings. The blade itself was made of a light metal and matched the Night Elves perfectly. It was delicate yet dangerous looking with a slight curve and an intricate dragon design etched into it. He handed it back to her.
"My dagger's not nearly so nice, they're made for battle and that's all the thought that goes into it," He paused for a moment, "Should we get moving?"
She realized that they had simply been standing there talking, "Yes, we should probably find a place to set camp and decide where we should go."
"I agree. Know any good places to stay tonight?"
"There is a hidden clearing a couple miles from here, I have stayed there before during long hunts."
"Alright then, lead the way!" They started off once more, this time with a sure idea of where they were headed.
The sun was still shining when they made their way through the trees into a small carpeting of grass. Star leapt dropped from Agraelith's broad shoulders, landed neatly on the ground, and immediately began exploring the area. Carya swung off her bow and quiver allowing them to drop gently to the ground along with her cloak. She noticed Agraelith watching her bow with an odd expression, his hand went immediately to his waist and his face fell. "What is it?"
"My sword, I completely forgot about it. It must've been swept away in the river," he kicked at the ground.
"It will be all right, I am sure you will be able to buy a new one in the next town or city."
At her words he began frantically pat himself down and finally produced a small, jingling, leather pouch. He sighed in relief, without money they would not be able to get very far. With what he had they still would not be able to get very far. "You don't happen to have any money do you?" He was somewhat surprised when Carya nodded and pulled out a pouch of gold and tossed it to him. It was considerably heavier then his own.
"We Night Elves have Wisps to mine for us; we sometimes trade with outsiders but mostly just keep the gold for ourselves," she explained seeing his shocked look. Looking down at herself she could see why this may come as a surprise to him. Night Elves did look somewhat…primitive. A fairly short piece of fur was tied around her waist creating a makeshift skirt; another strip of fur was tied around her top to cover her. Agraelith had not commented on her dress and she decided not to worry about it.
The fire was lit, this time without the use of magic. Carya stretched out gratefully beside it, glad that Agraelith had decided to take the first watch. It was not long before sleep overcame her. It seemed only a few minutes had past when she felt someone shaking her gently. She was about to roll over and continue sleeping when she realized that it was her turn to take watch. Sitting up she rubbed sleep from her eyes and managed to smile, "I am ready to take watch." Without saying anything Agraeltih lay down beside her and soon she heard his breathing slow. Resting her head on her knees she stared into the darkness, her hand resting absentmindedly on her bow. A rustling sound came from her right and she turned only to find Star come running back, leaping on her playfully. Carya pushed the kitten off gently wondering how she could be so playful both day and night. The night began to fade into the dull gray of morning and Carya sighed relieved, the forest was still safe.
Agraelith felt someone tugging at his sleeve and he sat up groggily. "What is it?" he mumbled then realized it was Carya. "Sorry, couldn't remember where I was for a second." He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was just barely starting to rise; they had a full day ahead of them.
~Sorry I ended it there but I was kind of starting to ramble and I had to end somewhere. I know that this chapter was kind of slow but I promise my next chapter will be a lot more exciting~
