A/N: Okay, here's the actual first chapter!
The Pearl
Chapter 1, Let Go
Aranion sat on the blanket, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He was bored, to say the least. Very bored. His parents had made him come with his sister and her friends to a small picnic they were having just outside of Astranaar, across the lake that surrounded the city.
Aranel, her best friend Adlanniel, and her three other friends Daeralda, Suiauthon, and Tidurian all sat on the large, silk blanket that had laid out, and each had a piece of Moonbrook Bread with some blueberry icing on it in their hands.
Tomorrow was Aranel's fifth birthday, and everyone was overjoyed for the town's sweetheart. So far she was growing up beautifully, despite the war that was raging on around them.
"Happy early birthday Aranel!" Adlanniel was the first one to say anything like that to her, and Aranel looked over at her best friend.
"Thank you Addie!" The other children roused with a chorus of 'Happy Birthday's' as well, and Aranel just smiled gleefully.
Glancing over at Aranion, Adlanniel spoke up once again.
"Say happy birthday to your sister Aranion!" The girl with the long, sky blue hair said as she reached behind Aranel to poke Aranion.
"Don't touch me Adlanniel."
The others just giggled while Adlanniel just winked and stuck her tongue out at him before chomping down on her piece of bread.
"Tell your mother we say thank you for the bread, okay Suiauthon?" Daeralda, Adlanniel, and Tidurian also nodded to him.
Suiauthon, always modest, simply shook his head, saying, "It was no problem Aranel. She loves you, so it was her pleasure."
Aranel smiled at her friend, and he smiled back at her.
Vanya Herion, Suiauthon's mother, was the best cook in all of Astranaar-possibly Ashenvale, too-so for her to take the time out of her day to fix something special for someone who wasn't even in her family was a real treat. Not that Aranel or her friends minded, of coarse, of the gift they had been given.
Glancing around her, Aranel couldn't help but be happy. She was sitting here eating with her friends and her favorite older brother, and soon Vendethial would be coming to get her, Adlanniel and Aranion. Her parents had decided that for their youngest daughters fifth birthday, they would go to Darnassus and get her something special. What, she was not aware of, but she was excited anyways.
"Aranel! Aranion! Let's go you guys!"
Speak of the devil.
Aranel jumped up gleefully, as did Adlanniel. Aranion just watched his sister, clearly amused.
Quickly saying goodbye to and thanking their friends, Aranel and Adlanniel ran towards their hometown, both as excited as the next. Neither had been to Darnassus before, so it was understandable for them to be so thrilled.
Aranion just followed behind them, rolling his eyes. He loved his little sister, but she was just too perky sometimes…
But when he looked up, and saw how happy his little sister was, he couldn't help but smile. 'Maybe today won't be so bad after all.'
"Remember to be on your best behavior Adlanniel. Listen to Mr. Adan, Mrs. Silvrennial, Vendethial and Aranion, and please sweetie, don't be too much of a fuss." Adlanniel just crossed her arms, causing Aranel to giggle.
"Okay mommy…I know mommy…you told me a million times mommy." Adlanniel just kept repeating as her mother went on and on about her safety and well-being. Her father just watched in amusement.
"Okay, I packed you some shirts, some pants, some skirts, and two dresses incase you and the Anariels stop somewhere fancy along the way. There's some jewelry, some gold, your doll, a blanket incase you get cold, and I fixed you a canteen of moonberry juice. And don't forget to bathe every day, and when you do dear make sure you wash behind your ears…oh, and before I forget, I-" Glander Calanon put his hand on his wife's shoulder to silence her. Mirima glanced back at him before sighing.
"Have a good time in Darnassus, alright Adlanniel?" Glander told his daughter, and the young girl just reached up and hugged her father.
"Okay daddy, I'll see you in about a week. I love you!"
"I love you too dear, take care all."
"Yes sweetie, please do take care. I love you!" Mirima held her daughter close, a little too close for Adlanniel's comfort.
"Mommy-!"
"Dear." Glander pulled his wife off of his suffocating daughter. Mirima let go of Adlanniel before handing Silvrennial her daughter's backpack, which was filled to the gill with a variety of items.
"Thank you for watching Aefaradien for us Miri." Mirima smiled at the village's top priestess.
"It was our pleasure. Don't you worry about anything, he will be fine with us!" Adan nodded before he lifted Aranel up, and placed her in front of him on his Swift Stormsaber Horthien. Then he proceeded to also lift up Adlanniel, and the young girl sat in front of Aranel.
"Alright, we will see you all in a week." Adan finally told them when he looked over and saw his wife, Aranion and Vendethial set on his wifes Swift Mistsaber Erumara.
Saying their last goodbyes to each other, the Anariel mounting sabers took off at full speed, taking off towards the seaside town of Auberdine.
There was darkness all around, the only source of light being the lampposts that were stationed every other mile it seemed like.
If one listened closely, past the sounds of the quietly conversing parents and their younger son, the soft breathing of the three little girls who each were asleep (And had been for the past few hours), and the beating of paws on the ground as their sabers ran, then you could hear a numerous amount of noise. The sound of growling moonstalkers' as they ran and fought with one another or anything else that crossed their path. The silent cries of the moonkin, and even more heard was the sound of chirping birds and forest fledglings. Sometimes the family could even hear the battle shouts of their fellow Night Elves, whom of which were busy fighting in the dark, wooded area that was Darkshore.
Otherwise it was very quiet.
"Mother?" Silvrennial glanced over at her son, before turning her glowing silver eyes back onto the road.
"Yes Aran?"
"What is the surprise that you will be purchasing for Aranel?" His mother looked thoughtful as she smiled over at her youngest daughter, who leaned back against her father, sound asleep.
"The same thing that we purchased you, your brother, and your sisters when they were each five years old."
"Oh." Silivrennial nodded, and quickly turned her attention back onto the road.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the two sabers stopped in their tracks. The force of the stop woke up the three slumbering girls.
"Adan?" Silivrennial looked to her husband worriedly, and in return her glanced at her before dismounting.
Walking up to the front of Horthien, and began to gently stroke the cats head to calm it. Silivrennial, realizing that trying to calm Erumara would help, quickly dismounted and did the same with her Mistsaber. It was to no avail.
"Mommy, what is wrong with Erumara and Horthien?" Vendethial asked, before she too got off the back of Erumara and began to gently stroke the cat like her parents were doing.
"I am not sure, dear."
Vendethial nodded, and continued. Before too long, everyone was off of the alert cats.
"Mrs. Silivrennial?"
"Yes Adlanniel?"
"Um, will Horthien and Erumara be okay?" Silivrennial smiled over to the side of the road, where Aranel and Adlanniel sat side by side.
"Yes, they will be fine. Don't you worry about a thing." Adlanniel forced a smile, and nodded.
"Mommy, I'm hungry!" Aranel complained, and Adlanniel giggled.
"Me too…" Her best friend whispered. Adan grinned at the girls.
"Aranion, get some food out for your sister and Adlanniel." His son nodded, and walked over to a backpack and began rummaging through it for the box that contained their food.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, an arrow was fired.
Adlanniel and Aranel screamed, and everyone stood up and ran over to their fallen comrade.
Adan lay on the ground, an arrow painfully, deeply stuck in his shoulder.
"Adan!" Silivrennial screamed, tears coming to her eyes as she leaned down. Aranion gasped, and also fell down to his father's side.
"Daddy!" Vendethial and Aranel both said, tears immediately coming to their eyes, as well as Adlanniels', at the sight of the blood seeping out from wound.
"Silivrennial…"
"Oh Adan, are you alright love?"
"…Watch out…" He tried to get his wife out of the way, but the arrow had been poisoned and he was stunned.
"Adan, what are you-" Within seconds, Silivrennial was in her husbands arms, dead, a large throwing dagger in her back right where her heart was.
"Mommy!" Aranel stood up, pulling Adlanniel with her.
"Aranion, Vendethial…take the girls and the cats and get out of here…now." Aranion nodded, as did his elder sister, and they stood up and walked over to the children.
"Lets go, now!" Aranion screamed at them, before whistling over Horthien and pushing the two girls onto him before he mounted and took off. Vendethial mounted Erumara and did the same.
Tears flowed from the girls eyes as the mounts sped off hurriedly, and Aranion was numb, each too shocked or scared to do anything else. That was, untill a sudden scream from Vendethial had each Night Elf looking back at her.
Vendethial's body was on the floor, and her decapitated head lay on the ground a few feet away from it. Behind her, there was a smirking Troll with a large, bloodied sword.
Erumara was now following behind Horthien, but seemed to be distraught from the death that had just occurred a few moments ago.
"Aranion, we have to go back! We cannot leave mommy, daddy, and Vendethial! We have to go help them! Please Aranion!" Aranel began to shake her older brother, the tears flowing even more freely now.
Adlanniel clutched onto Aranion, and buried her head deep into his back as she sobbed. Both girls felt like they were going to retch at any moment, the sights they had witnessed too gruesome for their tastes.
Aranion never answered his sister, too numb to, and continued to race towards Auberdine.
"Aranion! Please!" He glared back at his sister darkly.
"No Aranel! I am not putting you or Adlanniel in danger!" But when his sister began to sob even harder and she looked away, wrapping her arms around her best friends waist for comfort, his gaze softened.
"Aranel, I'm sorry…I want to go back as much as you do, but you know we cant."
Glancing behind her, she saw the Troll still smirking in the distance. Two Orcs, another Troll, a Tauren, and three of the Forsaken now joined him. The Troll who had decapitated Vendethial stood in front, holding up the head of her elder sister by her long, wavy, silver hair.
They all laughed loudly, maniacally, and it could be heard from miles away…
Aranel knew that those laughs would haunt her for the rest of her life, and, unfortunately, they did.
As she held her best friend, crying, Aranel soon became numb as well, and slipped into unconsciousness.
A/N: Okay, I know the attack scene was kind of dumb, but I am no good at writing action scenes or death scenes. Just thought Id give it a try hehe. Plus, it was my first time ever writing something like that, so give me some props. Well, chapter two is going to be way be way better then this, and it should be up soon. Thanks for reading, now review! Flames are accepted by the way, just make sure that they aren't something like 'This story sucks' and 'I fell asleep half-way through'. If you are going to flame, please tell me what you didn't like, and how I could improve it if possible. Thanks guys, you all rock!
