As It Burns: Chapter 5: Lisabeth Cowell, Marik Alcutt, and Haeydenne Virial

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Hello everyone, I'm back! This will be another Neutral faction with Alliance bias tie in chapter! (Woo, I suppose, I do love my Horde-ies ho ho ho :D) Anyhoo, Lisabeth And Marik are Worgen (Druid and Death Knight respectively.), and Haeydenne is a forsaken mage. Enjoy this chapter, next up I think I'll be hitting up another Horde perspective to mix it up again.

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Lisabeth was trembling, she was so angry.

She had just ceased her pacing to take a seat, at Mia Greymane's insistence, and a cup of steaming tea had been placed in her trembling hands, but it did little to soothe the inner turmoil that threatened to loose what little control she had over her… other, form. She took a deep breath anyway and brought the cup to her lips, sipping lightly, so as not to be rude. The queen raised a brow knowingly, and Lisabeth scowled.

"Remember, child." Mia chided gently, her soft eyes looking on the druid warmly. "We are here to support our fellow Alliance comrades. Not to get involved in this squabble." Lisabeth looked down into her lap, chagrinned. She wanted to argue that it was the Horde who had started it, the reason she was fighting to keep control, but she knew, from the look in the queen's eyes, that it mattered very little how angry she was with whomever; The fact remained that her healing skills were invaluable here. With so many sentinels arriving with near fatal wounds, with druids of the claw coming in howling in agony, there was not time to feel this… hatred that boiled like a festering wound beneath her skin. But she did. And she was.

"Yes, my queen." Lisabeth answered softly instead, trying valiantly to hide her true intentions to the very sharp older lady. "I am honored to be able to assist in any way I can." The Queen's eyes softened, and she smiled sadly, placing a hand on Lisabeth's gently.

"I know it's difficult, to be up here while the fighting is going on down there." Mia said, her eyes seeming faraway as they focused on the many elves and worgen that surrounded them, most sleeping or resting under the priestess's cautious care. "But we have to remember why it's so important that we're here instead." Lisabeth nodded curtly, but made no reply. She still struggled with maintaining control over her cursed form, and she didn't want to, for lack of better terminology, explode into it on accident; it would give away her true intentions in seconds.

"My lady, there are more young ones coming this way." A young priestess said, her glowing eyes shining brightly beneath a sheath of bright indigo hair. "They could use some calming words, and they do so seem to love speaking with you."

"But of course." Mia Greymane replied, setting down her tea and gently raising herself off the short stool she'd been sitting upon. "Please, lead the way Lydia." Lisabeth watched her Queen follow the night elf off and set her tea down as well, a frown seeming to be permanently etched onto her face. Her hazel eyes followed the queen until she was quite far from view, before standing awkwardly and bowing slightly to the priestess kneeling beside on of the sentinels beside her.

"I need some air. I'll be back." She said roughly. The priestess barely acknowledged Lisabeth except for a slight nod of the head, and Lisabeth stiffly walked off towards the edge of the World tree. She just had this itching feeling that something was very wrong, and no matter what she did, she couldn't shake it. Too many wounded had come searching for shelter from the warpath the bloody banshee had cleaved. Stories of the wisps that charged through the cities in agony made Lisabeth's rage only rise, and she could feel her blood boil as the sounds of nocked arrows being loosed pervaded the otherwise tranquility of the World Tree. She peered over the edge, her feet steadied on a low branch as she strained her eyes to see further into the distance on Darkshore.

A flash of light caught her peripheral and she squinted, before her eyes shot open wide at the site. Large structures that she guessed were catapults were suddenly aflame. Had they won? Did they set the Horde on fire? For a moment, glee enraptured the druid. Served the beasts right, attacking innocents like this, unprovoked. But glee turned to horror in only moments as the catapults, as she had rightly guessed, reared back and sent the burning mass towards the tree.

"NO!" She shouted, nearly losing her footing on the branch that held her up. Other gasps punctuated her terror as the fire from the slag that had been thrown at the tree licked over the edges, catching quickly and without mercy.

Lisabeth wasn't sure when she'd shifted into her worgen form, but she couldn't find it in herself to think about it much. She was already running on all fours, her breath ragged as she headed back to the infirmary where Queen Mia was just turning to her, her kind eyes wide in alarm.

"Fire! We need to get them out of here!" Lisabeth's voice rasped out, gesturing behind her wildly. "There's no time! It's catching too quickly!"

To her credit, the Queen did not hesitate but for a moment before her back straightened, and her eyes became liquid steel with determination.

"Kelana, do you have mages here?"

"A few." Kelana confirmed, her glowing silver eyes trained on the Queen's face. "Anosus! Relendra!" Two night elves, one a light lavender, the other a springy green, rushed over at the urgency in the priest, their cloth robes bustling around them as they ran.

"Grab any more arcanists you can find, we need to counjure some portals to Stormwind." Kelana said grimly. The male night elf opened his mouth to ask when an explosion was heard from where Lisabeth had just run from. Screaming began, and voices carried over, screaming "fire" and "smoke" and pleading for help as chaos began its reign. Lisabeth snarled beneath her breath, glowering at the fire as it spread. It had to be elemental fire. No fire spread this quickly and choked so much life from the very limbs of nature itself.

A shimmering in the corner of her eye broke Lisabeth from her angered musings, and she turned to see the Mages already erecting portals for civilian's to step through. Mia Greymane turned to Lisabeth, her eyes sad.

"Can you assist some of the others around gathering anyone who hasn't already headed this way to the portals?" Her queen asked her, placing a gentle hand on her cheek. "We have to save as many as we can." Lisabeth nodded. The last thing she wanted at this moment was to run around searching for survivors. She wanted to climb down Teldrassil, swim across the bay to the Horde and then- But she paused herself in her thoughts. She would do as her Queen asked of her. She nodded, and took off running as fast as her legs could carry her.

...

"Will your Dark Lady wonder why you didn't answer her summons?" Haeydenne turned to face Marik, a grimace on her face as she folded another of her cloaks and placed it in her bag. Marik wasn't lounging per se, but he wasn't sitting stiffly either. Though, his large two-handed rune weapon was lain across his lap as if at any moment he might have use for it. He also sat in his human form, which, Haeydenne knew, was easier to maintain whilst being idle. There had been a time where he'd had not control over it at all, but undeath had enhanced much of his shapeshifting qualities, and now he remained in that form as often as possible. She stepped away from the bag and walked over to him, perching herself at the edge of his chair.

"I'm not one of her lieutenants, so I doubt my presence will be missed." She said with mirth. "There are much more engaging tasks then tracking down one lowly mage."

"You are much more than a lowly mage." He nearly growled, his echoed voice betraying his natural state. "Arcmage Haeydenne."

"The Kirin Tor could have asked for assistance. I could have been out of reach." She listed off her fingers as she went through reasons she could have been too preoccupied to report to Darkshore. "I could have been held mercilessly against my will by a rogue death knight worgen…" Marik grimaced but Haeydenne laughed, placing a hand on his cheek. "The point is, I'm sure she has many more things to think about then why I wasn't there to do whatever piece of her agenda she wants complete."

"I heard rumor that they marched on to Darkshore and are targeting the World Tree." He said gruffly, his cold glowing eyes training on her face, watching her reaction. Her face remained light, but impassive all the same.

"Marik… I'm all but neutral." She reminded him. "The Kirin Tor doesn't have time to be dealing with faction squabbles. And frankly… neither do I." She placed a kiss on his nose and stood back up, walking over to the bed at the inn they were staying at in Dalaran. She sighed as she felt his arms wrap around her chest, and she leaned her head back.

"I worry sometimes, you know." She said softly. "That with all this anger and hatred between our factions, people will forget to see that there is only one truth to fear." Marik didn't answer, and she didn't need him to. They both knew what she spoke of.

Death, came for everyone, eventually.

A knock at the door had Marik's arms leaving her as he traipsed to the door and opened it swiftly. Haeydenne turned her head slightly and noted the messenger, a page from the Kirin Tor's council, standing in the doorway, looking terrified at the tall Death Knight as he blocked the room from his view.

"Yes?" Marik asked him, his echoed voice causing the young man to shiver.

"Erm… I have a message for… Arcmage Haeydenne Virial? Is she present?" Marik side stepped slightly but kept his cold eyes trained on the boy, who scurried over to the forsaken mage hastily before bowing quickly to her.

"This was intercepted by the Kirin Tor for you. They said you must read it and report as urgently as you can." He sent a quick look at the Death Knight before handing her a scroll, the red waxen seal all too familiar. Another summons. The boy scurried out and Haeydenne frowned at the scroll.

"Presence wouldn't be noticed anyway, eh?" He asked her, quirking an eyebrow. She sent him a dirty look before breaking the seal, her eyes widening as they flit across the page. She looked up, abject horror on her face and Marik was at her side in a moment, hands gripping her shoulders to steady her.

"What?" He asked urgently, eyes moving back and forth from her and the parchment. "What is it?"

"They burned the Tree down." Marik's brow furrowed but he said nothing in response. Instead he guided Haeydenne to sit on the bed, sitting next to her and taking her small hands into his.

"What tree, Haeydenne?" He asked. She looked at him, the exhaustion showing in her face. The letter had taken so much from her already.

"Teldrassil has fallen to the Horde." She stated. "The deaths were… they were catastrophic." She handed the letter to Marik and he took it carefully. The first thing he noticed was that it was not addressed to Arcmage Haeydenne, but rather, Sister.

I am writing this to you of the upmost urgency.

The Dark Lady has torched the World Tree, Teldrassil. Many have been burned alive. The death bells have rung. The commanders and lieutenants of the Banshee Queen's armies have left the shore to fortify Undercity, to fortify our once beautiful home of Lordaeron. You know the Alliance will retaliate with no mercy for this transgression. What more could we lose if not our very home, our very identity to another war? I know you remain in hiding, avoiding the hatred of the factions as they go to war yet again, but I ask you, as your sister, to join me here, just outside Stormwind City-

"She wants you to willingly go to Stormwind?" Marik said, lifting his eyes from the paper, a slight shock running through him at the thought. He himself hadn't stepped foot in the city in almost eight years. But he knew, without a doubt, should anyone spot Haeydenne, they would not hesitate to decimate her on the spot, just for being who she was. Just for being unfortunate enough to have been raised by the Lich King to serve in his armies. Just for not being alive.

"Read the rest." She chastised him, but the mirth in her voice was gone. His eyes rolled back to the page and he continued where he'd left off.

-and assist me to aid those we so carelessly destroyed the home of. They won't want our help, and in some ways, they may hate us instead, but I cannot stand by idly while I watch the fruit of our labor beget nothing but death. I know you cannot heal, but you can assist in other ways, and it would be best if I didn't try to go alone, as selfish as it sounds. There are others, who will join me, but well, perhaps someone of the Kirin Tor could convince them we're not going to harm them.

All my love my sister,

Allie

Marik set the parchment down and wrapped an arm gently around the forsaken woman.

"Are you going to go?" He asked already knowing the answer. She frowned.

"She's asking for me to commit to suicide." She acknowledged. Marik frowned, tugging at a strand of her limp blond hair. She looked at him, her golden glowing eyes piercing. "But I will go. Because she asked me. You understand… don't you?" Marik took her hand and touched his nose to hers, exhaling softly.

"And I will go with you. Perhaps my presence will serve as a reminder that what was once dead does not always wish death upon others." Haeydenne's gaze softened and she leaned into his chest, closing her eyes and humming beneath her breath.

...

Lisabeth's eyes were closed, but no matter how many times she willed them to open, they remained closed. It was frustrating, to be constantly closed in by this darkness, but something tickled at the back of her mind, telling her that it was right to be in darkness, for now. Preposterous. How would she fight the Horde scum if she couldn't see them?

Not that she couldn't, her nose was a good enough tool to track down the Horde stench. Even in human form. She frowned. She couldn't smell anything either. What was going on?

Before the panic could really settle in her belly, she heard a shushing noise coming from beside her, as a soft gloved hand ran along her skin soothingly. She wanted to ask what was going on, to voice her discontent, to rise and fight, but nothing would respond to her.

"Fear not, I've given you an herbal remedy that might make your responses somewhat slow." The hoarse voice belonging to the gloved hand spoke, eerily sweet and crass all at once. It might be uncomfortable for the moment not to be able to move or smell, but I couldn't treat you with all the thrashing you were doing.

Lisabeth didn't miss the lack of mention of her sight.

"She's awake?" An echoed voice, low and familiar floated to her ears. She stopped struggling to reawaken her body and listened more intently. The other hoarse voice floated up softly.

"Yes, could you grab my sister? She might be able to help her… adjust, better than I could." Lisabeth frowned as she heard the second voice's footsteps echo off as he presumably went to find the first voice's sister. What seemed like only moments later yielded two sets of footsteps, before someone knelt before her and leant down to tug at something covering her eyes.

Pleased that finally she might be able to see, Lisabeth was met with crushing disappointment as her eyelids flew open, but the darkness continued to prevail. The panic began to bubble again, and she could feel her chest heaving as it began to spread throughout her whole body.

"What's happening?"

"Is she having a seizure?"

"No it's the shock-"

"Well stop her! Hold her down or something!"

"Marik! Talk to her!" Lisabeth gasped small panting breaths and her eyes wheeled around sightlessly. Marik was here? Why? Did that mean that she…

"Lisabeth." A stern, flat voice permeated. She stilled, her breaths still coming in fast. She felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "You need to take a deep breath and remain calm. You've been badly injured. I'm … I'm sorry, you've lost your sight." The low whine that came from her mouth was inhuman, and she could feel the stress starting the meld through her bones, willing a transformation. Two more sets of hands caressed her arms gently, both wearing silky gloves, and she felt the sadness overwhelming the desire to rip from her human form as tears fell from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry Lisabeth, I tried to heal them…" A third voice, one who hadn't spoken before, but sounded eerily similar to the first voice, said. "But the fire had completely burned away your optical nerves and damaged the tissue beyond repair. Even with extensive healing the most I could have done was reattach the nerve endings but it… it wouldn't have changed anything." Lisabeth whimpered, her hands over her eyes as the tears fell free. Why was this happening to her? Why? After all the things she'd done, tried to do…. She could feel herself beginning to hyperventilate again.

"Where- Where am I?" She asked, her voice smoky and clouded. She cleared her throat and tried to sit up. One of the females assisted her.

"You're just outside Stormwind's gates." Marik answered her, kneeling down before her. "You and about a hundred others who escaped the burning of the tree." The memories hit her like a tidal wave and she nearly fell back again as they assaulted her senses. The fire. The smoke. The tree branches falling and crushing homes and setting them aflame. Her frantic running and screaming, warnings and shouting. Had it been all for nothing? Would she ever know? She remembered running before hearing a large crack as a fiery branch toppled over on top of her, and she'd become unconscious, waking to no sight, her anger ebbed and her sadness overwhelming. The tears continued to fall and she felt as if her whole world was collapsing around her. A gentle hand rubbed her arm soothingly.

"We know this is difficult. But given time, you will recover." The first voice said, raspy as if she too had been through a harsh fire. Was it one of the Elf Priestesses? Had they managed to save so many as Marik said?

"The… Queen?" Lisabeth choked out, reaching a hand out as if to touch the face of the priestess, to know everything was okay. She was met with nothing but air.

"We… we're not sure. But I could ask." The first female said, her robes shifting as she stood, or what Lisabeth assumed was standing anyway. "Someone may know."

"Be careful." Marik said softly, and it niggled at the back of Lisabeth's brain why he would be speaking to someone else so gently like that? He was a Death Knight, known for their inflectionless and emotionless exterior. But he almost sounded… fond of the voice.

"Always." She replied before shuffling off. Lisabeth took in a gasping breath.

"That's- You brought-"

Of course he'd brought his forsaken lover. How could she have been so stupid? After all this time, had she really expected any less? Had she come to gloat? Come to preen the Horde's victory in front of her as she lost everything dear to her, including her sight? How low could someone stoop?

"Lisabeth, stop." Marik said sternly, his voice like hardened steel. She clamped her mouth shut, the anger boiling beneath the surface. "Haeydenne is only here to help. She took no part in the massacre at the tree. You know she's neutral, as an Arcmage of the Kirin Tor."

"How dare you lecture me on help." She spat, her eyes spilling forth even more tears. "Did you know their Queen is the one who made the order? Who slaughtered thousands of innocents to claim a little piece of land in a war that didn't need to exist? Does she know how many burned alive in the World Tree? Does she know-"

"She knows." The third voice said, lowly, sadly. "And she grieves for you and your people as much as any other. We know death intimately, and Haeydenne remembers what it feels like to watch your people senselessly murdered while you try anything and everything to stop those responsible." Lisabeth sobbed into her hands, not wanting comfort from any source. She'd let so many down, not been fast enough, not stubborn enough, not brave enough… Not enough.

"She lives." Lisabeth looked up, the shock tearing the sadness from her for the moment. Haeydenne had returned, it seemed, and Lisabeth felt her presence close to her. "Your Queen lives."

Lisabeth couldn't help but cry in relief. Though she felt as if she couldn't possibly have any more tears to cry, she was just so relieved to know that at least one life she valued hadn't been lost that day. Haeydenne's hand, without a glove this time, touched Lisabeth's arm one last time, and Lisabeth felt in that moment the rage that had been rising melt into the depths of her very soul. She sobbed into her hands and Haeydenne stood, stepping back from the blind druid.

"We should tend to the rest. She needs some time." Haeydenne said. "This is a terrible time for them all, but many will need your healing touch, sister."

"Yes… you're right." The other forsaken replied. Two sets of footsteps walked away and Lisabeth sniffed, smelling that Marik had yet to walk away.

"I truly am sorry for what has happened to you this day." Marik said, the inflectionless missing from his cold echoing voice. "I know we haven't spoken on good terms in years but… I know you are still strong. You will survive this like no other." Lisabeth choked out another sob, unable to respond to his words. She still held so much hatred in her heart for how she'd treated him when she'd found out he was undead, the guilt nearly consumed her.

"Marik…" She said as he turned away, to follow his forsaken love. "I'm sorry too. It doesn't change how I feel but… I'm sorry that I treated you the way I did. You didn't deserve that from someone you'd loved." Marik grunted beneath his breath, but rested a hand gently on her head before walking off, plate armor clinking against his body.

Lisabeth knew then that, though the horrors she had born witness to had made her the way she was, she had already begun her road to recovery.

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Alrighty and that is officially the end of that chapter! This one was a little bit harder to write, I want to really expand on Marik's story, but haven't had a chance to do so, but this might give you guys a little more insight to how things are on that side of the house. Those of you who have read some of my other Warcraft fanfictions should be familiar with Marik, Haeydenne and Lisabeth, and even Alstromerea.

I hope you enjoyed it! I'm not sure who I'm going to do next, probably another actual Horder perspective (Like someone who was at the tree when it happened or in the forest or something, I dunnno) Or maybe touch up on Molniia's Lightforged Draenei hubby dude. Who knows. Thanks for reading!