Speech = ``….´´
Thoughts = ….
Inner thoughts = "…..."
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Jaina point of view:
Main port of Boralus: Kingdom of Kultiras
The cold winds of morning brushed softly against her face, the familiar scent of salt and fish freshly fished from the depths of the ocean slowly gluing to her clothes as her caped form made its way towards the docks.
Light steps echoed through the cold darken stones of the street, their surface now slim and slippery from previous rainy days, skies dark as far as the eye could see, where the very sun had not yet risen nor its beams would pierce through them until midday.
Dark enough for her to slip through the keep and reach her target with ease, keeping herself away from the light of the lamps and with her face covered by a thick blue hood she was sure that no one would recognizance her, she had even managed to enchant her staff to not be visible to the common eye if only for a while. Though Kultiras wasn't absent of their own magic users neither she nor her staff would be hard to recognize, and she would rather not bring herself the attention of the townsfolk if she could help it.
Not after her father had strictly told her not to wander out the keep when she had made her wish to return back known.
She stopped on her tracks, a tired sigh leaving her lips. She understood why he did it, she could empathize with it even, but that did not meant she agreed with his decision. Leaving under the cover of the night without saying goodbye wasn't what she had originally planed, in fact it was less than ideal….. but it will have to do. She could not just stay idle when she could make a difference this time.
She took a quick glance behind her back, her eyes looking at the looming silhouette of Proudmoore keep. In an hour a maid would take notice of absence and search for her whereabouts, alerting the rest of her family. She hoped that by then she would have put as much distance as possible.
She will apologize once this was all done though. She will make sure of it, its the least they would deserve after the undeserved worry she would cause them.
And if they don't? She chewed her lips, the grip over her staff tightening as the thought pestered her about, circling over the corner of her mind like a shadowy vulture. It wouldn't be the first time she would be wrong about someone…
She shook her head, a red shade staining her cheeks as she tried to fought back the shame. No, they were not him, they would understand, in time they would, they had to. She only needed to give them...time.
She soon found herself nearing the docks, the buildings may have blocked her view but she did not need eyes to sense how the scent grew stronger as she neared. Quickly moving away from the main path unto more, inconspicuous streets, avoiding crossing paths with some bartenders who were preparing their shops for another day of hard work.
She turned another corner, finally reaching a semi open field from where she could glance at the distant silhouettes of several ships docked. Rocking back and forth their massive frames as the waves splashed against them.
From what she could see there were not many men posted around the main area, more likely related to the fact she had arrived just as the change in turns was taken place. She had seven minutes before the next batch could arrive, it was more than enough. She could already see the plan come to fruition as she cautiously move forward. She just needed to—
``And where you might be going….?´´ Came a wayward voice to her left, cutting through her inner thoughts with the same ease a knife would through butler, but it wasn't its sudden intrusion that had disturbed her, not at all, well...not entirely she would admit.
It was who it belonged to.
Oh Tides….what have I done to deserve this? Her breath becoming shaky while her hands started to feel sweaty.
Of all the people she wanted to avoid, she was the one that filled her thoughts the most.
Slowly, she turned around. Timidly rousing her head so that she her eyes could meet hers instead of being lock in place with the ground, as she usually did when caught red handed. There, not more than two meters away from her, leaning against a wall stood an older woman. Her hair, once bright golden like hers now remained with cold, silvery tone, all pulled back in a short bun that allowed her to show off those sharp angles around her face that time had only improved.
A spotless, well crafted and cared vest surrounded her, not too ornamented or lanky nor simple or lacking, just right in the middle. White long trousers caressed tightly her lower body, followed by a pair of high boots, pearls of water still clinging to its the black leather, a memento of the tide from the port. Her right hand caressing softly the pommel of a saber resting on her hips. And lets not forget those steel like eyes that never failed to make even the biggest and strongest of sailors turn tail and flight as far their legs could carry them.
Sometimes she wondered how the two could have been so different from one another.
``My daughter…...I think that is a bit too early for a morning stroll. The sun is not even out´´ Came the soft yet stern voice of Katherine Proudmoore.
``Mother…..I-I...is not what it looks like´´ Even thought it really is what it looks like…. She replied flustered, her mouth opening and closing in rapid succession with barely incomprehensible sounds thanks to the now lack of cohesion between her mind and her speech, hindering her efforts to spurt out a sensible reply while she tried to make heads of the situation she had landed herself in.
``Is it not? Didn't you come here to give company to your aged mother as she gazed at the stars?´´
For all that it was worth she really did not know what to say, or if she had anything to say really. Not that it would have mattered anyways if her tongue glued inside her mouth as her fingers fidgeted with one another had anything to say about it.
For Tides sake...she was bad at this.
Luckily for her, Katherine did not seemed bothered by it, waving her hand in a placating manner. ``I thought it was worth the shot, Tandred has been nagging me for so long for been so dry and collected….I suppose that some of his sarcasm has started rubbing on me. Now, what really is troubling you? Apart from the obvious….´´ She said calmly though not any less annoying.
``You will not allow me to leave without explaining myself, wont you?´´ She muttered, brushing a lock of her hair from her eyes as she tried to recollect her thoughts for the more than imminent interrogation.
The answer laid bare in the minuscule tingling forming over her mothers lips or that dangerous glint in her eyes before she even spoke up ``You did not need any of your fancy tricks to know that, didn't you….?´´
Jaina could not help but sigh at that. ``I should had seem that coming….is my brother here as well? Perhaps hiding behind those fishy crates?´´ She said, pointing with her staff towards a bunch of boxes stack up with one another in a crude fashion.
It wasn't that she expected to find him right there, but Tandred had always a tendency to follow their mother like a lost puppy when he wasn't running away from her wrath, more so when it was her who was actually doing something wrong.
So it was worth to try.
Her mother shook her head. Well, at least hat was a relief. ``No, and I believe its better that way…..we both know that he would not let you live this one down, not for a long time...´´
She rolled her eyes, exasperated not at her mothers chosen words, but how accurate they were. ``I figured….so he is back at the keep I take?´´ At least that means I don't have to explain things twice
Her mother shook her head, a frown forming on her face as a thought crossed her eyes. ``No, he went out during the night, saying that he would take a look at the ships of the seventeen fleet to see what sort of damage they received from the last storm and try to see if he could aid the efforts to fix the lot.
Wait, did he said that he was gonna oversee the repairs? But weren't most of them already repaired and those that were not had been rerouted to Fort Daelin? How was he going to-oh! Oh brother….., what have you gotten yourself into?
``That sounds...´´
``To good to be true? Well, sometimes your brother have this moments of clarity between his thirst for adventure and bottle or rum, but I have the feeling this will not be one of those. I know very well that was just an excuse to go to the market district and get wasted with cheap company and cheap drinks on the furthers tavern he could find´´
That did sounded very much like what he would do.
`` One wonders where did he got those tastes. Anyway ….we will be lucky if he doesn't end up on the streets naked singing songs until the late morning´´
``You are taking this rather well...all things considered´´ She said quietly, looking over her shoulder for a moment in case there was someone closing in before glaring back at her. In most cases her mother would throw a fit before sighing in exasperation.
A ghost of a smile formed around her mothers lips. ``Sometimes you get tired of trying to educate the unruly dog for its bad behavior over and over again, much to Priscilla's disappointment….and there are better things that I have to do than discipline your brother about the same thing for what remains of my life I may add, thankfully your father has decided to take that mantle´´
She could not help but flinch at that, Tandred was for a morning of pain. Double depending on how much the hangover was weighing down. If her mother with her noble looks could silence the entire docks with one of her signature yells, then her father was a different monster all together.
No wonder the people around the keep were always expectant to see from which window the young sailor would jump in the haste of getting away from the rulers of Kultiras every time he decided to go "wild".
That perhaps did diminish a bit the regret inside her for leaving early without telling. Speaking of leaving….
``You should not worry about him Jaina, if he is smart this time his friends will at least carry him as far away from your father until he becomes sober again, that if they are not as wasted as our Little sailor...´´
Now that sounded most likely to be the way things would end by the end of the night. Though perhaps one could hope, right? She stood silent pondering that before she waved in denial.
No, not a chance, there was a far greater chance Lady Priscilla would start a diet to lose some mass from her body than seem her brother plan carefully his night escapades.
Especially knowing from experience how they tend to end, she shuddered in embarrassment at the mere thought. He just couldn't get a no for an answer that time….
A "little sailor" indeed…..
``Mother, about my reasons t-´´
``Not yet, daughter. Follow me….the moments before dawn are always the most impressive, it would be poor of me if you were to miss it ´´ She said, interrupting her before she started waking towards the docks, not looking back if she was actually following her.
She did so anyways, it wasn't like she had anything better to do, apart from leaving with no one knowing which she already failed.
The two walked over the cold stones, their path illuminated with the dim lights of the several lamppost scattered around them, their slim frames giving enough light to warn off the possibility of slipping in one of the many puddles of water that the tide had washed over yet not to bright to bother them.
The scent of salt and fresh air brushed against her as they walked merely a few meters from the sea, the waves obscured from view, mostly an endless dark miasma that rocked back and forth below their feet as the light of day were yet to grace them with their presence and turn their shade into silver.
The beams of light reflecting briefly over it until the sun managed to reach its zenith and the usual dark blue of the ocean returned.
This brought back memories as she breathed deeply, yes…, times long past when she used to ran over the street of Boralus everyday to see if her father would return that day and be the first one to notice him from the far distance.
The constant humming of sailors and merchants alike as they did their daily chores, or the way they laughed as she tried to walk over one of her father ships without him noticing. Or the slim yet tall form of her brother Dereck clad in a large trench coat sitting over one of the many boxes over the docks, barely aware of her presence as he tried to do inventory of the
Derek…
The memory of her older brother was not as strong as it should have been, his soft blue eyes and golden hair were prominent in her memory's, yes…. but no longer could she hear with clarity the sound of his voice or remember his mannerisms.
Anything else was just a blurry mess….
Perhaps it was for her lack of contact with him as he expend back then most of his days on the sea, working with her father as Daeling tried to groom him to be his successor that she had spent more time with Master Antonidas than her own older brother.
Ironic, isn't it?
Quick flashes of light crossed her mind as her eyes lingered over an empty spot on the water. Its form was mostly ethereal at this point, adding a new difficulty for her to collect her thoughts yet she still could perceive the outlying of the ship. A galleon, not as great or mighty as her fathers but the greed strikes with gold around the edges over its side had given it a rather iconic appearance.
She did not remember what year was when it happened, or what she was doing until then but she did know that he was inside as it was sailing away along side more ships. Who would have thought that had been the last time she would ever see him?
She was so lost in her thoughts that she had not noticed that her mother had halted right next to one of the many ships rocking back and forth by the waves, almost bumping into her as a result.
``You are more distracted than usual…., something on your mind?´´ It was statement rather than a question.
``I..was just taking a night stroll. Nothing else, you just surprised me a bit´´
``With your staff and your head cloaked?´´ She inquired, a brow barely raise at her attempt.
Tides...this is going to be difficult... She thought grimly as she slowly pulled down her hood, freeing her hair from its confinement as another blow of wind started to mess with it, not that she care as she tried to find away for her words not to quiver under the unblinking stare of her mother.
``Well, you know that mornings are quite chilly around here…..the last thing I need is for my hair to be drenched with the water of early morning waves and carrying the stench back to the keep….salt have a terrible effect on my books you know?´´
A low chuckled echoed from Katherine´s lips as she placed one of her hands over her hips. ``Jaina please….,you love the smell of the sea, and its not the salt that damages your books but the left overs of your candle wax after you fall asleep on your desk...much to my chagrin I may add, how many times I have told you to rest and take things easy?´´ She inquired the last word with no small amount of sarcasm, wiping away a stray mot of dust from her gloves.
Another wave of warmth started crawling out over cheeks, though not one she wasted any effort in covering, it would not hide away the way they had hit the spot. How she hated the way her mother found the way to shook her resolve so easily, it felt like she was still just the nine year old girl who held tight her fathers hands when the thunders boomed over their home and not a battle tested mage.
Focus Jaina...focus…
``People change...mother´´
``They do...though not you I guess…, or your brother for the matter, not yet anyways….´´ She replied matter of factually. The ghost of a smile warping around the edges of her lips.
She left an exasperated sigh. ``Is it that hard to believe?´´
``Very much, you could not lie even to save yourself….guess you inherited that from your father, he never found useful the need to play the game and its rules….. nor I think he would have known how to in the first place...´´ She muttered, the last words more directed to herself than anyone else as she started to gaze at the horizon, her eyes narrowed sternly for a few seconds before they started to soften, her lips taking the slightest of down strikes.
Shaking her head she glared back at her. ``Lets not wander about the past, did you had another nightmare? Is that what has you worried?´´ She muttered softly, worry slowly slipping on her features though not breaking her stance.
Waiting eagerly for her reply.
Her throat felt numb as she tried to find out a way to respond. Nightmare? Could she consider it just a nightmare? As something that wasn't really there?
She wished she could. She really did, but no words would come out as the landscape switched from the humid coldness from Boralus docks to the continental cold fields of Lordaeron, no longer was she accompanied by the regal form of her mother, but rather a more bulky companion. His expression set in stone as he glared at at the distance.
His lips did not move yet she did not needed them to, she already knew what he was about to say.
"We are too late, this city must be purge"
Her lips twisted into a scowl as she fought back the burning sensation emanating from her eyes, a coldness expanding within her chest. Purge, what an elaborate and elegant word to describe unchecked sanctioned murder of any living being they could find.
Just bloody, mechanical butchery of anything anyone was part of, what he stood for.
And she just let him….
She let him….
She was then pulled out of her thoughts when she felt herself pressed against her against a warm body, her mothers body to be exact. Her arms enveloping her body tightly though not too much, allowing her a small gap between the two..
``You did all you could….., no one could fault you for that´´
``But I could have….´´ She replied, not in anger or annoyance, but tired, tired of it all. Her voice cracking at the end of the sentence as flashes of pain pass through her eyes. I could have done so much more….
But she didn't.
Instead she choose the easy way out. She ran away, deciding to place herself as far away from the hot steaming corpses and the putrid smell of burnt flesh and now her choice was haunting her again.
She slowly freed herself from her mothers grasp, taking a few steps back as she tried to regain her breath, or so she told herself.
``I have tried, believe me I have….. to push out those memories from my mind as much as I could. Trying to help the people in the streets, going to the Sanctuary or just rehearsing my spells to points I thought dangerous before, anything that could keep me busy until the night comes, yet there is no moment of reprieve, there will never be...´´
``Every time that I close my eyes and drift into my dreams I find myself back at Stragholme, back to that moment….´´
To that choice.
That impossible choice
The towering forms of the building of the once mighty city slowly morphing into a broken wreckage, enumerable columns of smoke rising from every, carrying with them the suffocating smell of burnt flesh that was burning her throat.
The cries and laments of those that had survived the onslaught were extinguished by the humming of the flames.
He may had swung the hammer down, but it was she who allowed him the chance to do so.
All her fault.
Her grasp over the staff tightened, her knuckles turned a deadly shade of white as she did so. ``I just don't know what to do...´´ What do I have to do to make it right?
Sometimes she wished it all was nothing but a bad dream, the product of a meal in a bad state, one that she could wake herself up and find those two outside their tent arguing about the most mundane things.
But alas, that was not to be.
``Why not start with thinking things clearly? Even if you bother yourself with what ifs….the only thing you will manage is turn yourself crazy´´
A dry chuckled left her lips as Katherine´s words resonated inside her head one last time, of course she wouldn't understand. And how could she? How could she understand the pain that her prince had done such deeds, committed those atrocities so brazenly? That she had a hand on it all?
Deep down she knew she meant well, but that was not going to fix things.
``I am sorry...I shouldn't be dropping this to you, especially when there must be things more important for you to attend to...´´ She said, shaking her head before she tried to move away, only stopped by the tight grip of her mother.
``I have nothing more important to do than listen to my daughter...always remember that´´
She stated sternly, her eyes glowing with an unexpected fire behind such conviction before she loosened her grip, taking a few steps back.
``Mom...really is not-´´
``Did I stutter?´´
She left a tired sigh, there would be no way. Once the lady of Kultiras set her sights on something she would not leave it until she accomplished it. There would be no back tracking from this mess this time...
Why his has to happen to me….? ``Its hard, I know…., it feels like nothing will make sense anymore. That no one understands what you are going through and there are no words to express how you feel…...trust me, I know´´ She muttered softly, as her eyes hardened, wandering lost in the distance. `` When I lost your brother during the war my world came crashing down in a….metaphorical and literal way.
A gaunter look started to warp around her mother´s features, clouds of pain morphing in, slowly though ever steadily as splattered ink over a sheet of paper. It did not take her long to realized that she was relieving those very same moments.
``I thought that I was responsible for his death, for it was I who had allowed him to join your father when. I the one that had embolden his resolve when speaking about war when I should I had talked about caution. I regretted it then, and perhaps I still do...´´
Even with the nature of their conversation, Jaina could not help herself but feel enthralled by it, the words striking cords inside her that she did not know where there in the first place.
``I wondered about the things that had been left unsaid, the moments that had been forever lost by the flicked hands of fate, the things that I could have said, done better….not just as a ruler Jaina, but also as a mother. But..´´ Her words trailed out in the open, yet her lips dare not continue on as they tensed.
``But..?´´ She could not avoid to ask, the sudden halt bringing up both her desire to know and her reluctance to peer even further on such a delicate manner. Luckily, her mother felt no such thing for such question as she gave her a pained smile.
``But In the end I learned that I was not honoring Dereck for what he did in life but committing myself into a futile martyrism, blaming myself of what I did or did not would not bring him back, the only thing I could do was live on while I kept his memory fresh in my mind. He would not have wanted to see us suffer….´´
``Mom...´´
``I wish I could tell you that it gets easier with time and that the weight that is pushing you down will lift from your shoulders, making everything go back to normal…., but I won't lie to you. It won't, perhaps it never will...but that is life my dear daughter, sometimes the right thing is not the easiest thing to do ´´
``So I should just forget it? Give up?´´
Katherine shook her head. ``I didn't say that, all to the contrary….those memories will not leave you no matter what you do, but what you cant do is let this get the better of you. Grief has its place, but if you allow it ran rampart you will not be able to see that there are people who care and are worried for you´´
It was in that moment that any desire to rebuke or deny it any further left her. Her body starting to weigh more as the fire that had kept her going had been snuffed away by the well intentions of her mother, but most of all because she was right.
``Now….I believe that there is another there is a reason why you came down to the docks then, you wanted to leave...´´ It wasn't a question, but rather a statement, one that was greatly accurate as she flinched, looking away from those eyes gazing at her with some sort of curiosity.
She should have known that she would manage to see through that too.
``It feels wrong…...to be here, safe, among the lovely embrace of my countrymen when not so far away from here I know that death and suffering are going unchecked. People dying because I f-….I did not do what needed to be done….I thought that I could lend a hand towards those in need´´
``I see….and pray tell how a lone mage would change the outcome of what its going on in the main land? By all accounts what I have heard would shaken the soft hearted...´´
``I...I will manage, like I always do´´
``You are a gifted child, Jaina...of that there is no doubt. Yet surely you do understand that you are no god, wishing to help is good….but putting yourself between the kraken´s maws with no real plan behind it is something you should not endorse, let alone do it. You need to ask for help... ´´
``And you think I haven't!?´´ She could not help herself but lash out in the heat of the moment before she could reign her emotions again. `` If I were to share my plight with the sailors it would take too long, time that could allow him to hear about this and we both know that Father would never allow me to, not that he hasn't tried when he told me not to go out of the keep´´
Even though she shared their blood, and people would listen to her… at the end of the day they answered to Daelyn, to their admiral. If he said no then that would be it. And she could not allow that.
``You have to understand that your father will not stand for you to be in any sort of danger….real or imaginary, he is just that kind of man….´´
She could not help but left a tired sigh, as she chewed her lips. Her mother wasn't wrong, and perhaps that was the worst part. ``I do….but that doesn't make it any less annoying, the fact that I cant use a sword like him doesn't mean that I cant defend myself ´´
``Well, tried to look it this way. Magic can be useful to escape from certain plights…., but one doesn't know when it will ran out of your body, a sword in the other hand is simple and reliable´´ she then gave a soft pad at the saber hanging from her belt in an effort to sound far more reassuring.
`` After all it wont just disappear after some use when you most need it…..´´
Jaina could not help but shook her head, eyes rolling in her skull. ``Putting aside personal opinions on that matter, I don't need father to coddle me to death and keep me as far away from the shipyards fearing that I will despair at the news the sailors bring. I am no longer a child….´´
``You will always be our lovely little girl, is something that every parent feels when they see, no matter how much time passes, perhaps one day you too may know this feeling….´´
Her mother continued to speak, but at that point she was no longer paying attention, the world around her slowly fading away as her mind started to wander on its own, those last words echoing inside her over and over as a particular memory started to slip by.
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The sun sat height over the skies, a few dark clouds standing out from the rest of their white silk brethren, with a soft breeze blowing from the west that carried the faint smell of salt from the sea. From the far distance, it could be heard the chirping of the birds and see flowers blooming. The streets down below were also blowing with activity as people walked around the streets as they continued their daily lives.
By all means it looked like it would be just another beautiful and tranquil day in the Violet citadel. Had it not been for a certain pair of blonds that stood over one of the myriad of spires that rose from the grounds in their attempt to reach the skyline.
The sound of their voices been carried away by the wind.
``Jaina…, I am sorry, I truly am...but I can no longer in good faith carry this bond..the way you want it to be. I-...we must look to other possibilities, other things we may have...missed, before we regret them...´´ The owner of the voice said, a rather young looking man. A sorrowful look on his eyes, though one not yet aggravated by the passing of time, nor the challenges that would come up through it.
``Arthas..I-I don't understand´´ Was the only thing she could utter as her lips quivered in shock, perhaps not fully grasping the weight and severity of what he saying.
`` What I mean..is that we can not take that step. We can no longer be…. together´´
She felt her heart throb painfully inside her chest, every passing second turn into an eternity as everything around her dimmed on importance just like any other child would when their worlds come tumbling down by the most unexpected ways.
Today was meant to be the day they would agree to marry in the future, it was meant to be the very moment they would into each others eyes in public and swear to each other their union. A memory that would be held with great love and warmth by the time they grew older.
So why….? Why had this happened? What had gone wrong?
``Arthas..b-but why!? What did I do wrong!? If I can fix it- ´´ A myriad of thoughts started to plague her mind, trying to find out a reason, something, anything that could explain what was going on. Her tongue found itself under the heavy task to speak out a dozen different things altogether yet unable to express even one of them much to her shame. Whether by fate or mercy her words came to an abrupt halt as the young prince voice surge with rigid force from his lips, as he took a step closer to her before he recoiled back.
``No! That's…...that's the thing Jaina, you did nothing….you don't have to fix anything´´ He replied softly, an apologetic expression warping over his face, his eyes downcast as though he tried not to meet her own.
``Then why? I thought-…´´ Her words cracked, unable to continue without losing control of her already poor state, every ounce of her will placed to stop the tears forming around the corner of her eyes from an all out sobbing.
Luckily for her she would not be forced to wait for an answer.
``We are still young…. plenty of time for both of us to find out our place in this world. We do still have our duty's to uphold for both of our families before we take this any further….understand that this weights heavily on me´´ He replied solemnly, and with that he started walking away, unheeding of her cries and pleads for him to come back, to reconsider, to give her a chance.
Flashes of their future together tumbling down one after the other like feeble glass under the weight of a storm. In her mind it had been so simple, so beautiful, and now those very cherished memories burned her….
The very first day they met in that boring gala, away from the scrutiny of their parents as they spoke not from the position of heirs of their family, but children. Those days they had passed along side one another through the vast corridors of Dalaran, speaking about their chores...venting about what they found annoying and been grateful they had someone to share the burden. The vivid memories of the night of passion the two had shared under the burning embers of the wicked-man after Hallows end.
Had she been wrong? Had she searched for a mirage that was never there? Was she the one at fault…? No, it could not be, she refused to believe it. There was no way those moments were false, that the friendship and love that had groom during those years was nothing but a fickle fling. That the certainty of his eyes had been nothing but a veiled lie.
But if they were? The mere thought torn through whatever peace of mind she could conjure, leaving her with only bitter anxiety.
``Was it a lie...?´´
The words barely came out from her lips, a ghastly whisper almost drowned by the strings tugging fiercely her heart. And yet, there could not be words to describe the wretched feelings cursing through her veins at the very fact it was she who had utter them in the first place. She hated it, for those thoughts of doubt to linger within.
But she no longer had the strength to quell such things...
Blue sea glassy eyes, never wavering their sight from the back of the one they had thought their world as he walked away, he still was. Perhaps it was then that the fickle fire of hope remaining inside her burn brighter as she witnessed him halt his advance. Her words tugging a sore string inside him.
She could still fix this…, but the mixed features of her lover put a halt to such thoughts.
``What?´´
It took her a while to regain her composure to a more level headed state before continuing. ``What we did, the things you said….were all a lie?´´
``Jaina-´´
``Just...answer me...please´´ She croaked weakly at him, wiping away some of the tears sliding down her cheeks with one of her sleeves. She wanted to know, she needed to know the truth. It was a simple question.
Yes or no….
A scowl formed around the young prince face, shaking his head before taking a step towards her hands encased in metal plating closing tightly. ``Jaina…, don't make it more complicated than it already is. You must understand that I would not have take this decision if I were not serious, that this is hard on me…..´´
``And is not for me!?´´ She could not help but exclaim, a baffled look in her eyes before a feeling of dejection started to overcome her. This was not what she was expecting.
``I am sorry that you feel that way...but you are wrong to vent your grievances on me, even if rightly so….´´
``Its better this way, Jaina, perhaps one day you will understand….´´ And with those bitter words he left her side, never to return to those quiet, simple days away from the weight of their fates that the two had held so dear.
Long after their fateful meeting did Jaina realize that Arthas had never truly answered her question.
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``I..I don't think that would be possible….´´ She whispered, her voice ghastly as the memory still weighed heavily on her mind.
Her mother stood silent, an apprehensive look settling on her face as the two of them gaze at one another, a silent yet hurtful dialogue between them that needed no words to reach the deepest corners of their hearts.
``There is still time….., don't worry about it´´ She muttered softly, her lips slowly morphing into a pained smile, and with it she once again found herself in the calid embrace of her mother. This time her arms pulling her head against the empty spot between her vests collar and her neck, her gloved fingers giving soft strokes at her blond hair, keeping them in place wherever the wind may brush them away.
A slow steady hum parted from her mothers lips, one that mixed with the echoes of the waves rocking back and forth the ships around them brought a no small amount of relief. A reminder of times long past when the elder Proudmoore would soothe a much younger girls worry's when she thought the tide spirits would come for her.
A part of her wanted to part ways and leave right away, but her body refused, leaning even tighter against the eldest Proudmoore. Her mother was right, she really had not change.
``I am sorry….´´
``There is nothing to be sorry about…., Jaina. No matter what that little voice in your head says otherwise...´´
``You always know what to say...don't you?´´
``That is a mother secret my dear…., now about your plans to go out…..´´
The mention of her desire to leave shock her slightly from the small amount of comfort and relieve she had managed from this moment, but that did not made her move away from her embrace, instead she cocked her head to the side, preferring to gaze at the now faint scarlet spots coloring the sky beyond, fighting against the cold lumps of dark of the night before her lips open up once she found the will within to speak.
``I will not be deterred from going, mum...´´ She mumbled weakly, though she knew that Katherine had heard her with the way her grip tightened if ever so slightly.
``I know you wont…, and I know better than stay in the way of such a headstrong girl...Tides you remind me of me when I was your age... ´´ She muttered back with a laugh ``Perhaps is that very same stubbornest why I am going to help you...and what better way than granting you the tools to achieve your wishes?´´
``You will not stop m-wait..What!? ´´
``Indeed…., is it that surprising? Don't answer that...let me show you then...´´ Her mother then rose one of arms, and with the snap of one her fingers men and women started to come out towards the sides of the ships. Some she recognize, other she did not...
Why…? Why was she going this far for her?
``You...you really did not need to do that, I would rather not impose my problems into others if I can fix them myself...´´
``No, ….but I would help you anyway..and these fine men who have gathered here did not do so because I told them to Jaina. No, not at all...they came here not only because they care for you, but because they share your wish to help those in need….the Alliance of Lordaeron from the Second War may be nothing more than a shadow of its former self, but we are Kultiran´s, Jaina. We honor our promises...´´
``I-I don't know what to say..´´
``You don't have to...now go, before I come back to my senses and change my mind´´
For a moment that felt like an eternity, the weight that had been crushing her lifted in an instant. She would have been left in awe for a while had she not realized something. ``You will not come with me?´´
``No I don't think so, I don't know what fates may await for you but I have the feeling we will meet again my daughter, besides someone needs to keep your father occupied after all….´´