The quill scratched against the parchment as Bolvar signed his name. After he did so, he waited for it to dry. Then, the man folded the letter. He put it into an envelope.
Using hot wax and his signet ring, Bolvar sealed the letter.
The Governor of Scourgeholme stood up, and walked out of his office. Anduin Wrynn, the Prince of Stormwind, had found out how to heal great injuries and with the help of Sapphire, Bolvar could now walk with no pain at all.
He walked over to one of his helpers. The young cultist bowed to him.
"Governor Fordragon?"
"If you would, send this letter on the next zeppelin to Dragon's Peak. It is addressed to Lord Preston."
"Yes, sir."
Bolvar watched him leave, and then left his home as well. After the healing, Bolvar had walked everyday to strengthen his legs. Now, he did it for entertainment.
He walked over the bridges of the canals, through various streets. He visited the school in the religious section of the city, and even the museum. Some undead and cultists had decided to make a museum of the Scourge. There were plague cauldrons from the Third War, bricks from Stratholme and other things. There was a small model of Naxxramas in one area. Large plaques told visitors what each object was, and why it was significant.
Bolvar usually just passed by some of the artifacts, but this time he looked at some. He looked at an old flag from Lordaeron, studied its worn and tattered state. Next to it, was the old standard for the Scourge.
He also looked at a few old weapons. Then, he finally took a deep breath, and walked into the new section of the museum. Bolvar had contributed to this exhibition.
Ethan's old runeblade and ruined wolf armor were there. A model of Scourgeholme sat on a raised platform. Howling Keep was there too. A painting of the Glacial Split hung on the wall. That is what they called the great crack now in Icecrown Glacier. Some bones and fossils were shown here that had been found in the icy rift. An undead had gone down there, and found bones and seeds of plants. He found out that Icecrown might had used to look closer to Scholozar a long time ago. The plants and animal bones looked similar to the creatures living in the Basin.
Bolvar found that interesting, but he was more concerned with what was at the other end of the room.
He walked slowly toward it. He frowned.
On a pedestal, there lay two rings of metal. Saronite to be exact. Both looked seamless and solid. But Bolvar knew that they could snap open. They did not gleam in the light of the room.
He wondered how Sapphire would react if she saw this. One had been the first collar of Sapphire's. Her mother had gotten it off from Sapphire, but Arthas had another made for her afterwards. The second one was that one. Dried blood was stained onto the metal.
Bolvar sighed, and did not read what the plaque said. He turned away.
Then stopped. He looked back. Four books sat near the collars, under glass. Bolvar went over to it. He read the words under it, and smiled.
Frozen Sapphire. Written by Sapphire Menethil.
Frozen Redemption. Written by Arthas Menethil.
Frozen Cataclysm. Written by Tanomoan Preston.
Wolfy the Worgen. Written by Ethan Calwood. Illustrations by Sapphire Menethil.
Bolvar laughed, shaking his head. The only reason that last book was there was because Ethan was a hero, and King of the Northrend worgen. Why Ethan had decided to make a silly children's book Bolvar had no clue. But all the children in the Scourge loved it. There had even been copies sold in Stormwind, though no one knew who had wrote or drawn it.
Lethumo had also written a book, but that was not going to be shown in a museum. Bolvar left the museum, and walked through the trade district.
There, he was attacked by children. Not just any children.
"Uncle Charcoal!" They screamed. Angelica grabbed his leg, and would not let go. Calia jumped up and down. Arthas was grinning, his dog twirling around in circles. And Serenity had a book. Of course.
Sapphire came forward, looking as beautiful as she had for years. More so, Bolvar supposed. She had not aged a day. Everyone had grown worried about that. Neither Arthas nor Ethan aged either. They grew beards of course, and Sapphire's hair grew too, but their bodies were still the same as always. Bolvar had not really thought about it himself. In concern for them, Medivh had to be called upon. And Kel'thuzad. They had to guess just how Sapphire's blood worked. To see if the children would have it.
Medivh and Kel'thuzad had worked together, though neither liked each other. The children would get to the same age as their parents, and stop aging. That felt like a concern, for if the children had children...
But Medivh struck down that notion. Sapphire's children's children would not be the same. They would grow older, but at a slower rate, like an elf's or dwarf's lifespan. The blood would be too diluted from whoever they would reproduce with.
"Hey, Uncle Charcoal. We're here to get ice cream!"
The man looked down at Angelica. She squeezed his leg tightly. The girl giggled.
"Ice cream?"
The children all nodded eagerly. Bolvar looked at Sapphire. She shrugged.
"The Lich King," Sapphire said, pointing to Angelica. "She wanted ice cream."
Bolvar shook his head. "All right then. Better get her some."
Ethan lay in bed, exhausted. He was hugging a pillow, feeling cold despite his fur. Sapphire was still gone. She had told him she would be gone for a while. But Ethan could not help missing her. She was his constant companion. Whenever she left, Ethan would feel cold like he felt right now.
He knew what she did of course. But he felt like Sapphire was better off doing it with Marwyn and Falric instead of him. If both of them disappeared, Arthas would have noticed.
And Sapphire had been adamant that Arthas not know. He was having to deal with Jaina, and Angelica. He fought constantly with Kel'thuzad. When he had been the Lich King before, Arthas had never seemed stressed. But now, Arthas was stressed out a lot. Ethan sensed that Arthas had been affecting the undead in a negative way. In New Alterac, some had become short-tempered.
Better not add more pressure to him. Eventually he will snap.
Ethan sighed. He sat up, and scratched his ear. He definitely had some fleas. Sapphire tried her best to keep him free of the nasty insects, but they always found a way to get back onto him. Luckily, the cold weather killed off most. Only a few were hardy enough to stay on him.
Dropping down off the bed, Ethan walked on all fours to the window. He laid his head on the windowsill, making an whimpering sound.
There was a knock on the door. Ethan looked around. "Come in."
The door opened, and Terenas came in. He was holding a book. Terenas did not like to read.
"I miss Serenity...I hope she's okay."
Terenas loved all of his siblings, but Serenity was the second oldest. She and Terry shared a room, though their parents had asked if they wanted their own rooms. But Serenity suffered from nightmares sometimes. She would never tell Ethan or Sapphire what they were about, but Terenas felt like he needed to stay with her in case she woke up screaming.
Ethan gave his son a sad look. "I miss her too. Don't worry about it. Your mother used to suffer nightmares too."
"Really?" Terenas asked.
"Yeah. But she got over them. Serenity will too. She's too sweet to have nightmares. Go back to bed, Terry. How about I make breakfast tomorrow?"
Terenas grimaced. "No offense, Dad, but I don't really want to be poisoned."
"Fine, you little brat. Eat what the cooks give you then," Ethan said, mock anger in his voice.
"Good night, Dad."
Terenas was about to leave, but a deathknight came running in.
"King Ethan!"
The worgen had a very bad feeling about this. "What?"
"One of your hunters was found..." The deathknight trailed off at noticing Terenas. The boy frowned.
Ethan prodded the deathknight. "He's old enough to hear whatever you need to say."
The deathknight nodded. "Sorry, sire. One of your hunters was found dead in the Grizzly Hills. Killed by an arrow in the chest."
"An accident?" Ethan asked.
"Doesn't look like it. There was another arrow in his leg."
"Murder?" Ethan asked, bewildered. It was such a rare event in the Scourge, but there had been a few. He looked over to Terenas. The boy looked worried, but not like he was about to cry. The worgen turned to the deathknight.
"I will go investigate this."
The deathknight bowed, and left. Terenas looked at his father.
"Can I come?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. You stay here. Don't worry. Sapphire should come home soon. I will tell Juna to take care of you."