Chapter 18
We entered the city proper, finally passing through the archways of the entrance, and the crowds were so thick that it took us to a crawl as people had to clear the way.
"Welcome to the Trade district," Anduin said as I looked around in confused wonder.
Stormwind felt like a bleached Halfhill.
Merchants, citizens, mounts, and everything of the like scurried this way and that, filling the roads and spilling out of the buildings. Clothes lines hung above our heads, showing articles of clothing from various families. I could still smell bread.
"Eidthi Kotikei!"
I turned, hearing a Draenei speak in a native language that I didn't know.
"Epolani! Kotikei Soran!" Anduin yelled right back, and the woman jerked, white eyes widening as fanged teeth pulled back in shock.
"How many tongues do you speak, Princeling?" I asked, and he grinned at me, blonde hair flopping about.
"I told you, peacemakers compromise on languages."
"Focus, kids. We're crossing to the Cathedral District." Teir spoke in Thalassian, amused and calm.
I nodded, watching as our captain neatly gave orders, and more moved out of the way, watching me wearily.
"What did those words mean?" I asked, but his face went slack as a warm light enveloped us.
"Welcome, Young Prince!"
I looked ahead to see an old man in white robes ahead, on a mare of his own, holding a great tome and a staff. He was powerful.
"Archbishop." Anduin smiled, but when the old man's eyes turned to me, the face morphed.
"My…such power. What is her business? So many denominations…" His eyes were searching for a well of power in my aura, and I gave him a cautious smile, unsure.
"Benedictus, do spare her the sermon."
His eyes moved to Teir and sighed, a look of contempt passing over his face, "Hello there, Machination."
"Lovely that things haven't changed. Let's move along?" Teir suggested, and the captain urged our horses onward again, and we left Benedictus behind.
More priests and other citizens stepped out of the cathedral and the other buildings around the square, either regarding Teir with disgust, their prince with love, or me with confusion.
"Must we ride through this square always?" Teir whined.
"I am of holy denomination, so is Kenlora, so yes." Anduin said, and she groaned, gaining a laugh from me.
"But Jade's a warrior! We could go through Old Town!"
"Old Town's filled with racists," The soldier leading Teir's horse mumbled, and I barked a laugh, startled and amused by the comment.
Suddenly, the road was lined with kids of various races, and they were in awe.
"Whoa, a blood elf!"
"She's sparkly!"
"Hi!"
I looked down in shock, turning over my shoulder to look at them, and the women coming out to collect them.
"Orphans." Anduin said, and something clenched in my chest as I studied them.
So many dead.
A light mist surrounded the horses, causes them to whicker worriedly, and I brought my hands together quickly, startled.
"I haven't seen the mist since…" I stopped, looking at Teir, who shrugged.
"Statue or not, you're still the Mist Speaker. I can attest to that," She said, reminding me once again that she's dead.
"Standards Up!"
I jumped as soldiers that had previously gone unnoticed suddenly held up Stormwind standards, lining the road as we turned-
By the light.
Stormwind Keep was massive, with layers and layers of spires and statues and towers and so much blue and white.
Anduin's face looked like the meaning of joy as he said, "Home."
I smiled for him, aching for my own palace and court, but I retained my calm facade as I looked around.
The hordes were led up flight and flight of stairs-past an unnerving statue of the High King himself-until only an array of stairs stood between us and the entrance. The centre was marked with royal blue carpet and lined with gold, and at the top stood-
"Ken," Teir was off her horse in moments, up the steps and into her partner's arms, swallowed by the tall elf.
Kenlora nodded to me over Teir's head, and I nodded back, happy for her.
"Do you need help, milady?" My soldier asked, and I realized that it was time to dismount.
Nerves coiled in my stomach, and I bit my lip hard, looking at the ground.
"I've got her, soldier."
I was suddenly lifted off of the horse and brought down to the white cobbles by Anduin, whose arms were gently holding me up, and he rested my feet on top of his.
I wasn't touching the ground.
"If you don't want to, you don't have to," He whispered, and I thought for a very long, hard moment.
I reached a foot out and placed it on the sun warmed stones.
I felt the warm, unfamiliar wave of power move through me lazily, moving outward into the air like a sign of greeting. Stormwind's magic accepted me.
He set me down gently, relief like a cool breeze off of him.
"Welcome home, Prince Anduin."
We looked up to the top of the steps, where Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage were standing beside their daughter, who was holding Teir close.
"Fanass, Priestess. It is refreshing to have every part of my home here," Anduin said, and heat rushed to my cheeks as he tugged on my waist in gesture.
Tyrande seemed to just recognize me then, and a myriad of emotions flickered over her face, before one of reserved respect settled in place, "It is with pleasure that I welcome you back to the realm of the living, Reagent Princess."
I nodded to her, "Thank you, High Priestess. I trust your people are well?"
From there, I fell into political ballet, working my way up the steps with Anduin and exchanging pleasantries of the most coolly polite degree.
It was…unsettling to hear how common knowledge my condition had been. Moira Thaurissan walked up, black attire almost like that of a mist speaker, and asked to feel my hand.
I held it out in confusion, and she studied it, intrigued.
"Mind you, I mean no offense, but it's fascinating that your flesh can revert to stone based on such a thing as temperature," She said, accent thick enough that it took me a moment to register her words.
"None taken," I said coolly, retracting my hand decisively, and Anduin smiled as the dwarf walked away.
"Almost through to the chambers, then we can rest," Anduin whispered in my ear, and I gave a strained smile that didn't reach my eyes as more nobles closed in.
The large door shut behind us, and I sagged against Anduin, taking a deep breath and spewing a string of foul curses in Thalassian.
"Easy there, kid." Teir snorted, having left Kenlora to get me situated.
"Your stuff is already in the chamber for you…you'll be in my chambers with me. Is that alright?" Anduin asked, and I nodded without a second thought.
I missed him.
"I can see the tired. Come on kid-Nuh uh human, go out there and be pretty for the people," Teir shooed Anduin away.
He gave me a tired smile, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead before turning and entering the chaos again.
"Alright, up we go."
Suddenly, she was carrying me up a long spiral of stairs and corridors, until she kicked open a large door to a room that smelled of mint.
A large four poster bed stood on the far wall, clothed in deep blue sheets that I just wanted to sink into, but Teir demanded I changed first.
Snap. Cloth pants and a cloth shirt.
She rolled her eyes, "Sleep, I'll stay near the door and make sure you're safe."
With that, she was gone and I was out.
I was in Eversong Woods.
But these aren't my woods.
I felt adrenaline pumping through me, and my heart was racing. I was swinging tree to tree, the scent of rot clogging my nostrils, until I dropped down by a stream and gulped up some water desperately.
Accept my reflection didn't look back.
I'm Teir again.
I-Teir-Teir moved again, taking to the trees, and racing through the canopy with a grace that left me dizzy. The scent of rot grew stronger, until she peeked down and my heart stopped.
Arthas was standing there, frostmourne in hand, and he looked vicious. Sylvanas was there and very much alive, and they were on either side of a bridge.
"You think I'm running?" Sylvanas' voice cut through the crystal clear, and Teir nocked-bloody hell-she nocked half her quiver, aiming for a weak point in the bridge and whispering fire spells in rushed breaths, "Then you've never fought elves before."
There. Sylvanas' fingers twitched, like pulling a trigger.
Teir let fly, and the bridge came down, leaving a river between Arthas and Sylvanas.
Arthas roared, and Teir clung to her tree, shaking like a leaf, before she started firing at the front line of the unholy army behind him, taking down all that she could before she had to fall back.
She slipped.
She landed in a crouch on the opposite side of the river, in plain sight of Arthas.
"So you blew up the bridge." He called, eyes seeing through to her soul.
Though terror wanted to paralyze her, she knocked three more arrows and whispered explosion spells, then let them fly.
They hit frostmourne and blew up, knocking him back.
Then she ran like hell.
I sat straight up, breath coming in rushed gasps, I realized that it was nighttime. Anduin was no where to be found, but Teir was leaning on the door watching me.
"You need to rest, not crawl into my head," Teir said, and I flinched.
"I didn't mean to." I retorted, and she sighed, and I felt the hatch close with a thump in my mind.
"Would you like to join in on the private festivities?" Teir asked, and when I looked at her curiously, she rolled her eyes.
"Anduin invited you to decorate the tree with him and his father, as well as Kenlora and myself."
Realization dawned, and I smiled nodding, before looking down at myself.
"It's private, you look fine." Teir turned and left the room, and I followed her down stairs and through corridors, until we reached a big parlor room, which was full of life.
Rugs and pictures were everywhere, along with boxes of decorations. A fire roared in the fireplace, and Varian sat on the sagging sofa while Kenlora and Anduin bounced around.
Anduin looked up as I entered, and the smile he gave me turned my knees to jelly.
"Come on then, we have a tree to decorate," Kenlora said playfully, and Teir practically ran over, wrapping an arm around the night elf as she moved ornaments.
I stared at the tree in wonder, and Anduin placed an ornament in my hand.
I looked down and gasp-it was a Thalassian lily.
"For your personal touch," He whispered in my ear, and I grinned, mirth and affection warming my stomach as I stood on my toes to place it on one of the higher branches of the tree.
We fell into easy chatter, telling stories and decorating, until it was well into the night and we were all yawning and the tree was filled to the brim with twinkling ornaments.
"We need to sleep. Tomorrow night is the ball, and if all goes well…" Teir looked at me, and I smiled, an ache throbbing in my chest.
If all goes well, I go home.
Suddenly, a courier ran in, out of breath with a phoenix on his shoulder.
"Message from the Thalassian court!"
Teir and I moved together, ripping open the letter and scanning it.
The contents made my heart shudder.
Help. It's Accelerating.
Teir looked up, "Permission to have access to the medical supplies." She looked right at Varian, who nodded knowingly.
She ran, Kenlora going after her, while Anduin moved to keep me from falling over.
"It's…she's…" horror was curling up like a feral animal in the pit of my stomach, smothered by shock.
"Breathe, Teir's going to her now. You need sleep." Anduin picked me up when it was made clear that I wasn't moving.
"Goodnight Father."
"Goodnight, Anduin," came Varian's tired reply, and when I looked at him over Anduin's shoulder, old grief seemed to sparkle in his eyes.
My mother's dying must remind him of his wife's death.
I didn't think, and soon we were in Anduin's chambers again, and he put me down on one side of the bed under the blankets, getting in on the other side and curling up behind me.
"Breathe, Princessling," Anduin said, and I rolled over, curling into him and grabbing fistfuls of his shirt.
He's not allowed to leave me.
I was with Teir again, but it was real time this round.
She was running through Our palace, Kenlora close behind, and guards were leading the way.
Corner, Corner, up, corridor-
Into Mother's chambers.
My heart stopped as I took in the scene through the dead eyes. Father was sitting beside the bed, looking like death itself, and Mother…
Most of her hair was a sickly grey, and a large slab of skin had slipped off of her cheek, giving her a maimed look. Her eyes were a moldy green colour.
"Teir…my daughter…" Mother's voice was gruff and weak, and when she sat up and hacked, blood was intermingled with the spittle.
"Your daughter is splendid, Elynae. Now I need you to cooperate with me."
Time went on and on as she tried different rituals, with different pastes and leaves and glowing vials of liquid, until the room smelled rank, and Kenlora had fallen asleep against the wall.
Mother, for all of the pastes on her skin, looked somewhat better-the grey seemed healthier somehow, and the gash on her face was healed relatively well. She took in a deep breath, and fell asleep.
"I did what I could, Lor'Themar." She looked at him, and I saw that he was wide awake, and hadn't moved.
"What is it that you did?" Father asked, looking at his wife with a mixture of emotions that hurt.
"I used numbing spells, stasis spells, and clarity spells, as well as healing spells for the actual wounds. It should let her be comfortable, and when the memory starts going, it should be milder. They won't last forever…not even for long." Teir said, and I hung onto her words, little sobs shaking me to the core.
"Just long enough for Jadearra to say goodbye. That is all…that is all Elynae wants," Father's voice wavered, and my heart ached.
"Once Jadearra's home, the fight should be somewhat elongated…she'll fight off the mist as long as she can, you know that." Teir reached out and gently stroked Mother's hair, pity and old pain a knot in her stomach.
"Thank you for coming, Teir. I…I don't know how she would've lasted without." Father bowed low, "I trust you and your partner have to return. Give my daughter my love."
My eyes opened, and I sat up, Anduin's arm falling to my lap as I looked around his foreign room.
My mother is dying.
Come tomorrow night, I may get to go home.
That means she'll stop holding on.
That thought caused the mass of pain that had been growing on my heart to burst, the rupture rippling throughout my entire body and sending out sparks of magic along my skin.
Oh hell.
I fled the room, bumping Anduin and waking him up in the process, and I ran.
I felt like I was going to burst, the pain and emotion building, and I found my way outside.
Lake.
I ran for it, ignoring Anduin's cries, and I heard other voices mixing in.
Then I heard Teir.
"Get back! She's gonna-."
I jumped into the lake, barely sinking beneath the water before a burst of power so fierce ripped itself from my body that I screamed, filling my lungs and nose and mouth with water. I felt waves expand out of me, but no vortex formed. Magic chaotically bounced through the water, back through me, and out again. It was all different colours-earth tones, blinding white, glittering blues and purples and deep blacks and greens, and every shade in between.
I heard the moving of water above me, and I realized that my vision was tunneling.
I was drowning.
I felt my head loll to the side as two warm hands wrapped around my biceps, and I was dragged upwards.
I almost wanted to stay.
My magic launched itself at my savior, wrapping around me and trying to pull me back down to the bottom. Only small bubbles were escaping me now, and my chest was seizing up.
Goddamn it-
I was propelled upwards, Teir's words echoing in my head as both me and-by the light, Anduin-were shot out of the water like rocks from a sling shot, magic slowing our fall as we landed softly on the grass.
All at once, that force left again, and I sagged down to the ground, confusion, pain, and fatigue ripping at my senses.
I laid on my back, hacking up spurts of water as Anduin scrambled over to me, checking my pulse and my face and looking relieved and furious all at once. He was soaking wet, and so was I. As if to remind me, a cold wind ripped at us, and I shuddered.
"What was that?!" he yelled, taking in huge gulps of air and sitting on his knees.
"I-" I coughed up more water, the air burning.
"She haunted me as I went to tend to her mother. The shock of the news must've triggered a vortex. She was wise to run to the lake-the water diluted the magic and she murdered only fish." Teir walked up, furs shining in the moonlight, looking enviously dry.
Then she smacked me upside the head.
I squawked as she spoke, "She was, however, an idiot for letting herself nearly drown to death. I had to possess her and copilot her damn magic to get you two out."
So that's what that feeling was.
"What is going on here?"
I looked up to see Jaina Proudmoore standing at the crest of the hill, two blankets in hand, looking rumpled, sleep deprived, and pissed.
"I thought you had control of this." Jaina's eyes were locked onto me, and panic spiked my pulse.
"I-."
"Lady Proudmoore," Teir intervened, helping me to my feet, "She just received the news that her mother is very close to death. The emotional shock triggered a vortex. She leapt into the lake, and the water diluted the magic somewhat. She nearly drowned to protect Stormwind."
When she put it like that, I sounded like a damn hero.
Jaina descended the hill, accessing my aura as she handed Anduin and I a blanket each, "Very well then. I will still need to access your control in a public setting, so I will see you at the ball tomorrow night. Please do dry off." With that, she teleported with a pop of light.
Anduin got to his feet, and we shivered up into the castle, finally reaching his chamber with a fatigued Teir trailing us.
Kenlora looked up from her place at the door, "Thank Elune." She walked up and popped Anduin and I in the head, "Do that again and I'll drown you myself."
I smiled tiredly at her, "Never knew you cared."
She sighed and shot a blast of hot wind at us, leaving me staggering and Anduin blinking for a few moments.
"You priests and your bloody wind," I grumbled, stumbling past Kenlora and to the bed,
not giving a good god damn what I looked like at this point.
This bed and I will be having a third round tonight, and I will go to sleep dammit.
Anduin basically fell on top of me, rolling off only when I wheezed in surprise. I felt a blanket drop over me, and Teir shuffled my legs all the way onto the bed.
Kenlora was getting Anduin situated, and soon they had tucked us in, and I felt Teir's fingers threading through my hair.
They must've thought we were asleep, because they began to whisper.
"We need a more reliable way to contain her, should she ever…"
"Shush, surfal. She is trustworthy, and has been through much."
"Losing her mother will unravel her, I can't bear to see what she'll do."
"Her mist speaking ability and your power could save the woman."
"Ken, there is no cure. I spent decades looking for it-if I couldn't find in my first life, I won't find it in my second."
With that, they fell into Darnassian, and a single tear moved down my cheek.
