Terenas fell to the ground. He cried out as his knee scraped hard rock.
"You are doing better than you were," The deathknight said, helping the boy up.
Terenas trained with swordfighting every other day. He was not yet old enough to be a good fighter, but he had begged his father to let him start. Ethan had allowed it. Terenas worked hard, but he was not doing good. He could barely hold a wooden sword, much less any kind of real weapon.
The deathknight brushed him off, and walked away. Ethan watched the deathknight leave, and turned to Terenas.
"Good job. Much better-"
"I sucked."
Ethan looked at his son. "Yeah. You did. Maybe fighting with a sword isn't your style. I am not that good at it. Perhaps an axe."
"But...Great warriors use swords."
Ethan sat down next to his son. "Nah. They use whatever they are good at. Trust me, Terry."
The boy sighed. Ethan patted him on the head. "Hey, why don't you and I go on a hunting trip when I get some free time."
"What about Arty?" Terenas asked. He liked his little brother, and didn't want to exclude him.
"Arty can't even abide hurting a spider. He's more sensitive. I think he would be happier if we went without him. Don't worry. I can spend time with him in the kennels."
Terenas nodded. He thought about Serenity and Calia, but then decided they might not need to go. Serenity liked to read, and was easily distracted. And Calia...she was very impulsive and easily angered.
"What will we hunt?"
"Something small. Rabbits perhaps. Dorila can make a very good rabbit stew."
"Wish we could go to a brothel..." Marwyn whispered.
Sapphire frowned. "Is that all you think of? After we get what we came here for, you can do whatever you want."
"Hear that, Falric? Sapphire's paying."
"Lovely," Falric said, smirking.
The three walked down a wooden walkway of Booty Bay. The moon was rising over the cliffs. Ships were docked into the bay. Goblin bruisers, and others like Sapphire and her guards were out at this time. The bruisers were there just in case someone would try to kill someone else.
Sapphire was not worried. If anyone was going to be killed, it would be whatever idiot thought Sapphire was fair game. Not that they would know. She was covered up in a dark cloak. Falric and Marwyn were also hidden by cloaks. But their large bodies were evident that they were a threat. Sapphire felt safe.
They walked into a dark alley between some stores. Sapphire watched Falric and Marwyn take off their cloaks. She looked at their leather armor.
"All right. You guys look fine."
Sapphire pulled off her cloak. Marwyn grinned.
"Hey, we don't have to look at any prostitutes. Sapphire-"
The girl snarled at him, and the deathknight shut up. "Why am I the only one that takes this seriously?"
"You are the boss, Mrs. Calwood," Falric said.
Sapphire sighed. Maybe she should never had included them into this. But now they had to come, otherwise they were tempted to tell her father.
"Just do what I told you to do."
No one saw the white owl fly over the buildings in Booty Bay that night. No one noticed the two deathknights. They went silently. Sapphire was looking for their target, swooping between alleys and listening intently. She could see everything, despite the darkness.
She saw a man walking down below her. He was an undead. A forsaken. Sapphire hooted.
The Forsaken stopped walking when someone blocked the alleyway where he was headed. He looked back, and found the way similarly blocked.
Sapphire flew down, landing on the wooden planks of the walkway. They were in a place where the guards of Booty Bay did not go. They wouldn't see a thing.
The Forsaken was slammed against the wall. Sapphire turned back into her human form.
She wore a cloak of white feathers, draped over her body. Over her face was a mask that was shaped into a snowy owl's face.
She grabbed the undead and whipped out a dagger. She would have a saronite dagger, but she did not want to show anything tying her to the Scourge. Falric and Marwyn had to wear leather armor.
"Why do you want to go to Northrend!" The Owl snarled, pressing the dagger closer to the Forsaken's throat. He spat at the feathered mask.
One of the Owl's companions, with a helm in the shape of a hyena with an idiotic grin, laughed. A growl echoed out from the other's helm, which looked like a boar.
"Just kill him."
The Owl pressed her dagger harder. The Forsaken was ugly, with sickly green skin, one eye missing and greasy black hair.
"Why not? No one else is in Northrend! Why have we left that place? No one has been there in years..."
"Because I live there..." The Owl hissed. She released the Forsaken. He slumped to the ground. The Owl looked at her companions. "We should take him back."
The Hyena grabbed the undead and pulled him up. "You want to go to Northrend? You can go. You'll love it."
Sapphire pulled off her mask, and stuffed her feathered outfit in a chest. She was in her old bedroom in Icecrown. It was smaller than she remembered. How had she lived in such a small place?
The young woman picked up a book from a small shelf. She smiled. It was a beginner necromancy book. She had a few books like that. Sapphire looked around. Her old teddy bear. Some of her old clothes. There was a wooden horse statue from Marwyn. Pieces of bones sat on another shelf. Papers with drawings were scattered all over the floor.
Sapphire left the room, and found her children. They were sleeping in her new room, the one she used whenever she was over in Icecrown Citadel. Serenity was curled up around a book. Arty was using his dog as a pillow. Calia was still awake. She looked at her mother entering the room. She gasped.
"Aw! The Owl was out! I wish I could have came!"
Sapphire stiffened. She went over to her daughter. "Shh...That's a secret. How did you find out?"
"Marwyn told me."
The woman scowled. "I'm going to kill him. Calia, sweetheart. Don't tell your grandfather."
"What about Da?"
Sapphire shrugged. "He knows."
"Why can't Grandpa know?"
"Because. He has enough problems. He's trying to talk with the native inhabitants of Northrend. He doesn't need to know that I am...dissuading people from coming up here."
Calia smiled. "You mean killing them! Awesome..."
Sapphire scowled. "Not awesome. I am just protecting the Scourge. Killing is not awesome. Just necessary."
The young girl nodded. She hugged her mother. "Okay...But can I watch you kill Marwyn?"
"Sure."
Arty frowned.
"That doesn't look comfortable to sit on..."
He stared at the Frozen Throne. It was a chunk of ice, made into a shape of a throne. Autum and Sapphire had taken the children up to see it, but only Serenity looked impressed. Calia looked bored.
Arty looked down at his dog. Alfie woofed at him, and laid down. He rolled over, showing his belly. Arty knelt down and started petting him.
Angelica had come along too. She ran over to the Frozen Throne, and hopped up onto it.
"I'm the Lich King!" She declared.
Sapphire smiled at her little sister. "You are? Well, then what is your command?"
"Get me and my cousins ice cream!"
Angelica referred to Sapphire's children. To avoid confusion and headaches, Arthas had suggested the kids know each other as cousins. Technically, Angelica was their aunt and they were nieces and nephews. But that required a whole lot of explaining.
Autum giggled. "There isn't any ice cream here in Icecrown! Just ice."
Angelica frowned. "Oh...But Scourgeholme has ice cream!"
Arty grinned. "Yeah! Let's go visit Uncle Charcoal!"
All of the children started chanting for ice cream. Sapphire raised an eyebrow at Autum.
"Well, now we've done it. They won't be happy until we get them ice cream."
Autum smiled. "I wish I had a child. I suggested adopting to Fally, but he's stubborn."
Sapphire put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We'll try to visit more often. Better when they aren't your kids. You can have fun with them for hours, but not have to deal with them day and night."
"Oh...Good point!"
Serenity went over to her mother, and tugged at her cloak. "Hey, Mom. This book says that Scourgeholme looks like the human city of Stormwind. That true?"
"Yes, sweetheart. Only in Stormwind, you can actually swim in the canals."
"Oh..." Serenity read some more. Arty went over Angelica. Alfie followed.
"Hey, how's it like, being the only child here?" Arty said.
Angelica hopped off of the icy throne. "All right. I can't get away with anything. What's it like having siblings to play with?"
"Annoying. Serenity only wants to read, Calia and Terenas are both weird. All I have is Alfie here and my cat, Percy."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I don't even have a pet."
Alfie barked. Angelica knelt down, and pet the dog. Arty tilted his head. She seemed a little sad.
"Well, Rot and Terra could live here. Mom and Da love them, but I think you would appreciate them more. I'll ask," Arty suggested.
His cousin brightened up, and she lunged at him. Arty yelped at the hug he received from her.
"Angelica, Come on. We need to go ask our father if he's okay with you coming along."
Arthas sighed, leaning back in his chair.
The door opened, and Jaina came walking in. Arthas scowled. Splotches of blood covered her dress, and she was smiling. It was never a good thing for Jaina to smile nowadays. Arthas couldn't figure out why she ever smiled like that. Not ever a result from him without a great deal of effort on his part. Sometimes Angelica made the mage give a small smile, but this smile was big.
"Sweetheart. How are you?" He asked. He closed the book he had been reading.
Jaina looked over at him. "Fine. You?"
"Busy...Trying to learn the vrykul language. It's either that, or just kill all of the remaining population of vrykuls."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Killing them would be easier."
Arthas did not reply to that how he might want to. He did not say his real opinion to most comments like that spoken by Jaina. She was easily angered. Angelica didn't need to see her parents fighting.
"Perhaps."
Jaina turned to him as if to tell him off, but the door opened again.
Sapphire walked in. She looked over to her mother with a knowing look. Two blonde haired girls, a black haired girl and black haired boy ran over to Arthas. A fluffy dog barked at them.
"Daddy!"
"Grandpa!"
That brightened up Arthas's mood, and interrupted what Jaina was going to say. The man stood up, and let all of the kids hug him.
"Hello, Wolf cubs! What are you doing?"
Angelica buried her face into her father's cloak. "We're going to Scourgeholme for ice cream. Sister is taking me."
Arthas looked up and saw his daughter. She waved. He frowned. "When did you get here?"
"Yesterday. You didn't notice me?"
Her father shook his head, confused. "No, I did not."
Sapphire shrugged her shoulder. "That's fine."
Arthas stood up. "Actually it's not. Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone."
The girl frowned at the sudden request, but nodded.
Serenity went over to Jaina. "Grandma, What's your favorite spell?"
Having Jaina occupied, Arthas took Sapphire out of the room. He folded his arms, and looked at her.
"You look healthy, Sapphire," He said uncomfortably. His daughter blinked.
"Uh...Thanks? Is something wrong?"
Arthas sighed. He went over to his daughter, and hugged her. Sapphire stiffened in surprise.
"I miss you, sweetheart."
That tore up Sapphire, and she felt guilty for keeping secrets from him. She hugged him back.
"Don't worry, Dad. How about you come to the Howling Fjord for the Midsummer Fire Festival? Ethan is quite the pyromaniac."
"Sure, Sapphire. But that's not what I really wanted. Is there any chance that you could...Move back? Ethan could deal with his territory from afar-"
"Dad, But I am not leaving my new home. I will visit more."
"You're on the other side of the continent, Sapphire."
Sapphire kissed her father on the cheek. "I love you, Dad. I think you just need some manly getaway."
The girl left, and Arthas watched her in confusion. "Manly getaway? What does that mean!"
"Ask Lethumo!"