The sun was just beginning to sweep over the land as the Priestess made her way up the shadowed path.  She stood at the edge of the cliff and looked over at the forest below with a slight smile on her lips.  Her sharp eyes could pick out the two figures moving below her, a Night Elf and a human.  Her ears pricked as footsteps came from behind.  She did not bother to turn around; the even, heavy steps told her who it was.

            "There was no need to send the child away," a gruff voice said.

            "I know, it nearly broke my heart to see her in tears, but Carya was meant for something else.  She was perhaps one of our greatest warriors, excelling at every weapon..."

            "She is also beautiful...like her mother." Lyra smiled at this but said nothing.  "Did you tell her?"

            "If I had wanted her to know I would have raised her myself!" Lyra snapped.

            "I am sorry."

            Lyra sighed, "I just did not want her to have to follow in my path.  If I had let it get out that I had a child then they would have expected her to become a Priestess as well.  A Priestess is the greatest honor anyone could have, but...Carya is different.  I foresaw that she was destined for greatness in a different way."

            "Do you believe that she will be the one?"

            "No, no one can do that.  If our own race was split how can you believe that all can be united?"

            "I at least have hope."

            "And I will not be let down when that hope fails," Lyra turned at last to look at the Keeper of the Grove, his face was sad.  Her voice turned softer, "If you truly find hope in it then believe.  At least you have hope left."

            "Why has your hope faded Lyra?  We fought the Undead before, they can be defeated.  Do you truly have no faith in the other races?"

            "Look at us!  We hide in the shadows of the night, we have been forsaken by all else.  Why should I believe in those who drove us to skulk in the darkness?"

            The Keeper of the Grove shifted uncomfortably, it was best he thought to change the subject.  He cleared his throat, "Does the human know?"

            "Know what?" Lyra asked a little frustrated.

            He hesitated for a moment," Know that Carya is your daughter."

            "Yes, I could not have her wandering around unprotected.  He has become her sworn guardian...of course she knows nothing of it."

            "Can this human be trusted?"

            "I believe he can, he drank the waters of truth before I questioned him.  He is Agraelith son of Lillytha, the daughter of an honest farmer, and Arturae, a Paladin."

            "The son of a warrior, he is fit to be her guard."    Another thought suddenly crossed his mind, "Did you see Lyra?"  He was referring to the gift of sight that the ones' sworn to the Moon Goddess possessed.

            "Some...Agraelith and Carya will have their own small parts to play in this war."  There was silence for a moment, "Shall we go back?" Lyra asked finally.  Without waiting for an answer she disappeared down the shadowed path.  The Keeper of the Grove however did not follow.  Instead he went to the spot the Priestess had occupied a moment before and spotted the two fading figures.

            "Be safe my daughter." he whispered.

            The bright sun shone down on them and Carya squinted against its glare, unaccustomed to being in the light.  Her eyes were beginning to sting slightly and she looked overt at Agraelith to see if he was having similar problems.  He looked perfectly normal, in fact better then she had ever seen him.  He seemed well...happy.  The sun that was unwelcome to her was quite welcome to him.  He loved the warmth of it on his skin and the light that it spread out all around them. 

            Agraelith looked at Carya and noticed her rubbing a hand across her eyes.  It suddenly occurred to him that having never been under the sun like this before it was probably irritating.  When he had been sick as a child and forced to stay indoors for a week going outside again had been somewhat painful on his eyes.  He could not imagine how Carya must feel having never been out in the sun so much before.  He could not think of what to do.  Looking around him all he saw was yellow-green grass.  It looked almost comfortable.  That was when it fully hit him.  They did not have to be anywhere at any specific time…in fact they did not actually have to be anywhere.  He stopped walking and Carya looked at him puzzled.

            "Is something wrong?" she asked.

            "No…in fact everything is great!  Think about it, we don't have to be anywhere at all.  We can do whatever we want to!"

            "But aren't we going to the city?"

            "Well...yes...eventually.  We can take our time getting there though, can't we?

            Carya could not believe that this was coming from Agraelith.  She had never imagined that a human warrior would be like this.  He sounded almost like a child who did not have any chores to do.  "What are you proposing then?" she asked, still not completely sure what he was getting at.

            Agraelith flopped down on the grass and sprawled out grinning up at her.  "C'mon, I say we relax for a while."  He grunted when Star leapt on top of him and proceeded gnaw at his clothes. 

            Carya laughed and sat down next to him.  Agraelith reached out and pulled her down so that she was lying beside him.  Carya closed her eyes against the sun and sighed contentedly.  There was silence between them, but it was not a bad silence, it was a comfortable silence.  Finally she spoke, "Tell me of your people," if she was going to live with humans she may as well learn all she could about them.

            Agraelith wondered where to start and then proceeded to tell her a little of the humans history.  Of the humans ongoing battles with the orcs and now the new plague that had set upon them.  He then told her of Arthas's betrayal.  "It is said that when Arthas returned home from his journey rose petals were thrown to carpet the ground he walked on.  The people were overjoyed, their prince had returned.  He strode up the steps to the throne room full of confidence flinging the great door open to face his eagerly awaiting father.  The king, blinded by his love for his son was oblivious to the changes in him until it was too late.  Arthas threw back his heavy cloak revealing his new identity…a Death Knight.  With confidence he walked to his stunned father and before anyone knew what was happening the steps to the throne were stained the same color red as the rose petals littering the ground."

            "He…he slew his own father?" Carya asked shocked.

            "Yes, the great prince turned on his own people and killed their beloved king.  No one could believe it.  The once magnificent kingdom was broken, streets once filled with laughter and dancing was filled with screams and death."  Both he and Carya leapt warily to their feet as Star suddenly gave out a hiss and ran back to the protection of the human and night elf.  A large raven was sitting on the ground smoothing his ruffled feathers and eyeing the cat angrily.  To the surprise of Carya, Agraelith and Star the large bird was replaced by an old stooped man.  Agraelith's hand immediately leapt to his sword.

            The man spoke slowly and deliberately, "And all of that could have been prevented had those fools simply listened to me.  But no one seems to want to hear me out, they all think I'm a crazed old man…will you listen to what I have to say?"

~Sorry it took me so long to update, lots of computer problems…anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  I'll write more soon~