Author's notes:


2021-12-28: Hey, I would like to share a short preview with you. Though as I have mentioned recently, I will try to take more time to finish each chapter, rereading it a couple of times. So, please do not be surprised if some parts of the preview do not make it through into the final release. Besides that, enjoy the text :)

2022-01-01: Hey, I managed to finish the chapter a couple of hours before the end of 2021. However, you can freely consider this piece as the last chapter of 2021 and the first of many for 2022. Wish you a Happy New Year!

Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.

Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.

As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)

Changelog:
[2021-12-28]: A preview was released.
[2022-01-01]: The chapter was updated and its final version published.

Info: Overall, the current plan is for me to write 'My home is where my heart lies' and 'Family tree' alternatively. Between the updates of these stories, I will try to upload other texts. Maybe, just maybe, I will be able to finish some of the short stories. However, I truly doubt that. It seems that most if not all of the stories will be extended both in terms of the time and the number of chapters.

Info: I will try to rewrite some of the older chapters between releasing new ones. I expect to start working on that goal in the middle of January. So, please be informed that the new chapters might take a bit longer to be finished and published.

Bonuses' section:
A new story taking place in the Warhammer 40k universe.
Story of one lost soul: The war call: rewrite.
An entirely new story (possibly Akali x [Irelia, Syndra, Katarina]).
A new short story (Vi x Cait).
An entirely original story (possibly even 2 stories, one taking place in medieval times, the other in the far future)

References:
Wham - Last Christmas

*bonuses will be worked on when I don't feel like writing the chapters pointed out in the schedule :D


End of author's notes section.


It took Illidan a couple of minutes to get to the entrance. Of course, he could have quickened the process with the use of magic. However, he did not feel like overusing his abilities tonight. So, by the time he finally reached it, he already knew who was standing behind the doors. A very unique and specific kind of magic could have been detected. The unleashed essence of the void could not have been mistaken with anything. A small smile was allowed to manifest once he thought about the circumstances of Alleria obtaining that power. It was such a wonderful feeling to see Turalyon losing his mind over his then-wife using the power he had sworn to contain.

Although the oldest of Windrunner's sisters was undoubtedly an interesting persona, the same could have been said regarding the second guest. Even though the demonic stench had been taken care of, dispelled, its mark would last forever. All it took for Illidan to recognise one of his demon hunters was a moment. Kor'vas Bloodthorn could have been described, introduced in many ways. Though the previous master of Outland thought of her as an exemplary soldier who was willing to sacrifice everything to defeat the Legion. That fire, courage, devotion had allowed her to reach greatness.

For a brief moment, the raven-haired man considered allowing the women to wait a little bit longer. Then, however, the idea was removed from his mind as quickly as it had appeared there. After all, it would have inevitably postponed the supper.

"Welcome," the mage greeted the newcomers once the doors opened. "It is a pleasure to see you once again, Alleria," he spoke toward the blonde-haired woman. "How do you feel after the rite, Kor'vas?" he questioned the other woman immediately after.

The raven-haired woman kept silent for a few short-lived moments before providing the response.

"Master," Kor'vas whispered with a hint of ave in her tone. "I feel well. It is a welcomed change not to sense the demon within my head and soul," she added.

"Perfect," the man simply replied. "We can discuss the topic more later, of course, if you want to."

"Please, don't find it ungrateful, master. But, I don't feel like it's a good day for such a conversation."

"None was taken," Illidan commented. "You look wonderfully, Alleria. I am certain that Sammara will be pleased with your dress choice. And… before I forget, be prepared for teasing from your sister. She found out about you two tonight," he informed the Windrunner's oldest.

"Oh, well," the blonde-haired woman sighed heavily, simultaneously covering her face with the hand. "It's going to be a hell of the night, won't it?" she asked rhetorically.

"It is a rhetorical question, dear," the previous master of Outland pointed out. "But, let me answer nevertheless. Yes, it will be most likely a bit difficult for you."

"Splendid," Alleria responded in a heavy tone. "Anyways, it's good to see you too."

"Shall we come in then?" the black-haired mage asked.

It was only a matter of time before they reached the living room. To Illidan's mild surprise, the table was already prepared whilst the dishes were put into a magical lock to prevent cooling down.

"Hmm… it must have been Sammara's doing," the ex-master of Black Temple thought.

"Master?" the demon huntress called rather quietly.

"Yes?" the mage responded, unintentionally turning his voice silken. "What is on your mind, Kor'vas?"

"Shall we wait for the rest here, or can I go seek Stherani?" she asked, casting her sight downwards.

"Ahh," the raven-haired man hummed. "You can freely go seek my daughter," he added after a second or so of pause. "How long has she not seen Stherani?" he thought to himself.

There was no replay from the huntress. Instead, she simply bowed respectfully, then headed toward the nearest exit. A mere moment later, she was gone.

With nothing better to do, the previous master of Outland sat down. He allowed himself to relax a little. After all, he was the one standing behind most of today's preparations. So, a quiet yet deep exhale was allowed to happen. Then, he noticed that he was the only one sitting by the table. A quick look around enabled him to find Windrunner's oldest. She was standing by the chimney, starring into the alley of framed photos. The demon hunters' master did not need to come closer to know what had intrigued Alleria.

Tyrande had intended on putting the photos of young Sammara there. To some extent, it was a magnificent idea. Neither he nor the High Priestess could have been there next to her during his oldest's youth. These frames contained moments from the past, frozen in time, forever. Even though it was partially a bittersweet sensation to look upon young Sammara, it was the only way for them to relive these moments.

"She was raised up in one of the temples, wasn't she?" Alleria asked suddenly, not even turning around.

"Once again, it is a rhetorical question, dear," Illidan pointed out, smiling a little. "Yes, she was raised up in the temple in Winterspring," he added. "Why you do not sit beside the table? We can continue our contemplation whilst sitting and having some beverage."

"Ehhh," the void-touched elf sighed heavily. "Fine, let's have it your way," she spoke.

"Utter your question," Stormrage told the ranger. "Feel free to speak your mind."

"Why was she put in there?!" the blonde-haired woman asked, gritting her teeth. "Had too much fun with Tyrande or other women to take care of her?!" she hissed another question, barely holding her anger.

"It is common for our people to have their children brought up in temples," the man replied. But, even though he did not like his oldest daughter's partner's tone, he did not comment. "At that time, I was still held in prison under Mount Hyjal whilst Tyrande had her hands full of work cause my stupid brother had opted to enter the Emerald Dream. On top of that, soon, the war between Legion and us began. Its foreshadowing was a united effort of Alliance and Horde, a push toward our sacred forest, Ashenvale," Illidan began the story. "Then, I was banished from the Night Elves lands by brother's decree. More or less in that very time, Tyrande came to Winterspring, picking up Sammara from the temple. The rest of our story is more than bittersweet. At one point, I was an enemy my daughter sought to vanquish. She defeated my servants and me in the Black Temple with her allies by her side. I was only brought back to the realms of the living before our push toward Argus. For most of Sammara's life, I could not have been beside her; I could not have watched her grow. I would want our history to be a different one. However, I can not change the time. And… even if I could, I would have not done so. One good thing has come from my suffering throughout all these years. And that thing is Sammara," he finished. His voice, even though still silken, was filled with guilt.

Then, the dark-haired man allowed the silence to take back the reign over the room. Yet, sadness and guilt resided in his restored eyes of the molten gold. The pause lasted maybe a minute or so before it was broken by the demon hunter once again.

"And… before you ask," Illidan started speaking slowly, picking his words carefully. "Even though I am aware of a possibility of interacting with the stream of time, I would not have settled for that option, never. Every time someone was foolish enough to mess around the time itself, it ended in a disaster. The bronze Dragonflight sometimes needs to touch that essence. Though it is their sole responsibility to maintain it. Thus, the errors happen rarely, if ever," he finished with an exhausted tone.

"I… I didn't know," Alleria slowly spoke. Her voice was a barely hearable whisper. "I only knew that my ex-husband hated you with an unyielding passion. Even before we've met, he mumbled about a demon-like that we'd never seen before. And… the moment you'd been introduced to us, his hatred rose achieved a new peak," she added.

"Yes, I can picture that very clearly," the mage responded, whispering as well. "Your ex-husband was truly blinded by the Light, by the Naaru."

"That's true," the blonde-haired woman simply responded. "As much as it pains me to admit. Where were my eyes when I decided to develop that relationship? The truth is that I was as much blind as he was," she confessed.

"I assume Sammara helped you open your eyes?"

"Lord Stormrage," Alleria started formally. "It's a rhetorical question," she added, flashing a small smile.

"That it is," the raven-haired man agreed, returning a smile. "Shall we search your partner?"

"That is not required," Sammara's voice sounded. "After all, I am here. Thanks, father, for keeping Alleria's company. I will take it from here," she added, fixing her sight to her girlfriend. "You look absolutely stunning," the white-haired woman praised.

"I will not say that," Illidan uttered, muffing his laughter as best as he could.

The blonde-haired woman's face could tell the whole story.

"Yes… you were apparently right," Windrunner's oldest mumbled before bursting into laughter as well.

"I am certainly missing something; some context, maybe?" the snowy-white-haired elf asked, referring to her father.

"Oh, it is nothing meaningful actually," the previous master of the Black Temple uttered, shrugging nonchalantly. "I have merely pointed out earlier that you will love Alleria's clothing. That is all," he explained.

"Indeed, you were right, father," Sammara hummed. "I absolutely love that dress."

Soon enough, nearly everyone who had been invited moved into the living room and sat beside the table. The defined aroma of the Christmas dishes filled the air, making it unbelievably difficult not to salivate. Though they could not have started yet, for Ysera and Alextrasza had not returned from their little trip.

As expected, Merill was the most restless person in the room. Though nobody was bothered by that minor detail. The young girl was allowed to play around the smaller Christmas tree where the presents lay. But, of course, she was being followed and watched by one of her mothers. Tyrande and Veressa tried their best to entertain their little girl. However, it must have been admitted that the process would have been easier if Merill had not been scared of her sisters.

Illidan's daughters had chosen their seats beforehand. So, naturally, they all wanted to have their partners as close as possible. And… currently, small talks could have been eavesdropped on, happening all over the table.

The dark-haired man was delighted. He tried not to heed any words from his daughters' conversations as much as he could. However, old habits seemed to be dying hard. Thus, more than a few pieces of information were obtained. Nevertheless, the majority of Illidan's focus was on his youngest and the two women he was happy to call wives. The scene taking place before him could have been described as wholesome. However, he would prefer to call it funny, humourous.

With the setting set, the time was allowed to slowly pass by. Thus, before anyone could have noticed, the clicking sounds of the heeled boots could have been heard. The dark-haired demon hunter was brought back to reality instantly. His defined muscles tensed under the elegant clothing, preparing for action. Still, he relaxed after a mere moment. Considering that his wards did not alert him, the newcomers must have been the dragons. Nevertheless, he stood up, stretching a little. Then, Stormrage headed toward the corridor, opting to meet Ysera and Alextrasza beforehand.

Frankly, it did not take him all that much time to find the women. But, to be perfectly honest, if not for his unnatural agility and reflex, they would have bumped into each other.

"Welcome back," the mage greeted the dragons. "I take your little trip was successful?" the man asked, fixing his golden eyes on Ysera.

The mother of Green Flight held something decently sized against her chest. The item was covered with a warm pelt of snowy-white colour.

"Yes," Alextrasza simply spoke. "Though it's taken us more time than we'd anticipated," she added.

"I would have described it differently," Ysera sighed heavily.

"Cheer up, love," the mother of Red Flight whispered, putting her right hand on Ysera's shoulder. "Try to forget about that incident. After all, we're here with our friends," she tried to convince her lover.

"Ehh," another heavy exhale was allowed to sound. "You are right," the emerald-haired woman simply replied. "It is a gift from us to your youngest," she informed the dark-haired man. "It means a lot to us. So, I would expect you and your wives to take good care of it," Ysera added, allowing herself to harden her voice.

"Is it?" Illidan asked, shifting his focus to the item. "Ahh," he sighed. "But, of course, it is. We will do our best; Merill will be pleased. I think it will be a good lesson for her."

"Do I have your word?" the mother of Green Flight asked.

"Yes, you have my word," Stormrage replied, bowing slightly. "It will be an honour for Merill and us."

They returned to the living room after a couple of minutes. Then, nearly instantly, all three of them caught the gathered's attention. Some of them seemed to be conflicted, not sure whether they wanted to ask some questions or not. Nevertheless, the trio pushed forward, heading toward the Christmas tree. As expected, Illidan's youngest daughter was found near it, too focused on playing with Tyrande to notice them. It must have been admitted; it was an adorable sight.

"Merill?" the dark-haired man called his child. "Ysera and Alextrasza have a wonderful present for you, dear," he said as soon as the youngling looked at him. Then, he pointed out each of the dragons, introducing them again. "I would want you to take good care of it."

Then, he knelt beside the silver-haired girl. Her eyes were locked on the father's figure. Merill slightly frowned as if understanding some context locked behind the man's words. Soon enough, Ysera knelt beside her as well. The decently-sized gift was gently put on the floor. A moment later, the mother of Green Flight began unwrapping. First, the snowy-white pelt was discarded without an ounce of care as if it was dirt. Then, the true gift was revealed. Underneath the hide, there was an egg. Its surface was damaged, cracked in many places.

A long inhaled sounded. All of the gathered had already recognised what was going to happen. But, of course, excepted the silver-haired girl. Ysera starred for a couple of moments into Merill before averting her gaze. Then, as gently as she could, the shell started to be removed. The solid surface was being taken apart with every action, revealing what was hidden inside.

It did not last much longer. In the end, on the last piece of the shell, a small green-skinned dragon could have been seen. Its cries soon filled the air.

A pure, unbounded, unconditional love could have been spotted on Ysera's face. But, in the meantime, Alextrasza covered her mouth with the left hand. Her usually warm eyes of orange colour were glassy. Some words were being muffed before they would escape her throat. The mother of Green Flight gently grabbed her youngling with little to no hesitation, putting it against her ample chest.

"We have decided to offer you a friend for a lifetime," the green-haired dragon slowly started. "It is my child; thus, I expect you to take good care of her. For some time, she needs to stay with us. However, as soon as it is possible, she will come back to you," she added in a whisper-like manner. "We wanted you two to be introduced to each other tonight. I believe she, my daughter, will be your best friend."

With the last word uttered, the emerald-haired woman nodded toward Illidan. The dark-haired man reacted instantly, pulling Merill closer. Then, he guided her hand, petting the little dragon gently.

"Her name is Narethill," the demon hunter whispered into Merill's ear. "Say hello to your new best friend, Merill."

"Hello… Nare… Naret… Narethill," the silver-haired girl mumbled quietly, taken aback by what was happening.