Forgot to mention that in the chapter1 author's note: The bladed ring Maiev use is a special night elf weapon called a moonsword (from the WoW tabletop rpg) hers is a particularly powerful one called umbral crescent
Everything was dark around her, was this death? She felt warm all of a sudden, comfy, she had definitely left the rocky ground of Outlands. Where was she then, why was it so dark? She hardly felt her body but slowly regained her ability to move; she started by the toes, working up to her legs, then…
She grunted from the pain, her stomach was horribly painful and that had nothing to do with hunger, this was right where Illidan had sliced her open. But if she could still feel pain, then she must have been alive, but why was it so…
Cursing her own foolishness, Maiev opened her eyes, not without great effort. The room in which she had woken up was mostly red and gold, the architecture and decoration reminded her of kal'dorei architecture, except that it seem unnecessarily luxuous. She was resting in a bed, or so she assumed, she had not the strength to move her head and confirm. She was not longer wearing her helmet of armor and her hair, usually held in a long ponytail were untied, the only cloth she whore seemed to be soft silk nightgown and bandages around her stomach and left elbow.
She stirred up the strength to move, but couldn't get herself to leave the bed, she did manage to turn her head slightly to her right when she heard another person's breathing.
Tall, thin, glowing green eyes, long blond hairs, oversized ears and eyebrows, wearing a red and black robe, this girl was clearly a blood elf, Maiev could even her unnatural arcane corruption.
"Where…" she tried to ask the blood elf where she was but realized how dry her throat was, she was unable to speak.
"In sunfury hold, the blood elf's main camp in Outlands, do you want some water?" she asked "just nod if you can't speak"
No matter how angry she was at knowing she was in the middle of the hated blood elve's main base, Maeiv couldn't deny that she was thirsty and reluctantly nodded, causing the young elf to pour water from a gourd in her throat.
"Why am I here." She asked coldly. Surely Illidan had had second though and realized it would be more fitting to keep her alive a little longer, probably to toy with her further.
"Hmph, I wish I knew." the blood elf girl answered "but that's Prince Kael's business, not mine apparently. Speaking of which, I have to go tell him you're awake. Please, if you do manage to stand and walk, don't try to walk out of here, most blood elves here will kill you on sight." she said, leaving the room and leaving Maeiv alone.
She doubted she could go anywhere in her current state anyway, unarmed and still wounded in the middle of an enemy fortress. What did that girl mean by "Prince Kael's business"? Had Illidan charged Kael'thas with keeping her prisoner, or maybe the blood elf had asked specifically to know when she woke up so he could mock her further for her failure. Damn him, damn Illidan, damn all these forsaken blood elves…
The doors swung open again to let the blood elf prince come into the room, he wasn't wearing his black and red armor as he usually did in battle, the only situation where Maeiv had ever seen him, but instead a red and gold wizard robe marked with the Sunstrider's crest on the chest.
"I am not to be disturbed by anyone for any reason, except lord Illidan or one of his envoy… or if Kil'jaedan decides to pay us a visit." He told the blood elf girl before closing the door.
"Death was too merciful for me, Illidan decided to keep me prisoner, I'm sure he loves this, the irony of jailing the jailer…" Maeiv said bitterly as Kael approached the bed. She tried to sustain his glare but in the end, fear got the better of her. She had seen firsthand the ravage arcane corruption could have on the mind and morality of even the noblest of her kind, and right now, she was alone in a place where no one cared with one of the most deeply magically addicted being alive today. What Kael might do to her sent chill down her spine, especially since she would be powerless to do anything about it.
"Illidan believes you are dead and buried and I don't intend to try and convince him otherwise. In his delusion, he probably wouldn't believe me anyway. Beside, you are not prisoner, you are free to leave, only you might want to stay under care of our healers a little longer." answered the blood mage calmly.
None of this made sense, if Illidan wasn't behind this then why the hell was she being healed?
"What? Then why am I here if not by Illidan's will?" she asked, confused.
"I have a will of my own, in case you didn't know; Illidan is too busy denying his defeat at the frozen throne to care about what I do." Kael answered.
"Then…you mean you're the one who brought me here to be healed, without Illidan knowing?" she asked. That wouldn't made sense, Kael had enlisted his blood elves as Illidan's lackey; surely he wouldn't do something that so openly defied his master's will.
"I sent a friend to pick your dying corpse in secret and bring you here for intensive care, yes." Kael admitted in the same neutral and rather distant voice.
"Why? Don't you realize that as soon as I'll be able, I'll resume my hunt of Illidan and all who dared to side with him, including you and your filthy magic addicted race!" she spat angrily, not caring that she was at Kael's mercy and sickened by the thought that it was the blood elf's pity that had probably kept her alive.
"You will never be able to hunt Illidan, even when you fully recover, you will still not have the strength to defeat him…or I for all that matter, and you certainly can't take down the thousand blood elves under my care by yourself. Harsh as it may be for you to accept, warden, this is the truth." Kael said coldly "How I had wish your close brush with death would have made you abandon this self destructive vengeance…" he added, sounding a bit more saddened.
"Listen to me carefully Kael, I don't believe in repentance, what you have done as not brought you my sympathy, whatever it takes, as soon as I'm able to stand, walk and wield my moonsword, I'll go after you and your blood elves, Vashj's naga, the "illidari" as they like to call themselves and Illidan himself, justice will prevail, no matter the cost to me, I will finish the hunt." She said with cold resolve, perfectly realizing how futile it was to so threaten someone who could end your life in a wave of his hand.
But as the words flowed out, as she delivered the same speech she had told everyone and repeated to herself times and times again, Maeiv started to doubt. She had never doubted anything in her life, but now she wondered: had she been right to hunt Illidan so recklessly, to sacrifice the life of her comrades, to track him down here, to swear vengeance against not only him but all those who stood by his side?
Yes, she had been, it had to have been the right decisions. Everything she had sacrificed, all the pain she had endured, all the risk she took, they where all worth it in the end, else this would all have been…futile.
No, she could not offer to doubt now. Her cause was true, her actions were in the name of justice and all the sacrifices were worth it, for recapturing the betrayer was more important than anything. As soon as she would be back on her feet, she would resume the hunt.
"Assuming, by whatever miracle would allow this, that you succeed, then what?" Kael simply said.
Then she would…
But she found no answer, she had never thought about this, she had already assumed that killing Illidan was now the best thing to do, but what would she do then? Return to Kalimdor and face the wrath of Malfurion and Tyrande? Neither of them would forgive her what she had done simply because she had killed Illidan and his followers.
"I…I don't know." She admitted, more to herself then the blood elf.
"You will be alone on a dead planet drifting through the twisting nether, with only a few draenei, fel orcs, demons and the ghost of your slaughtered warriors to keep you company until you crumble somewhere in the red dust." Kael said "no one will ever know of your fate, or that of your fellow watchers and just like this planet, you will be forgotten."
Maeiv had never though of that, it was true that since she had no arcane magical powers whatsoever, and surely didn't want any, she couldn't create a gateway back to her own plane. Her only hope of ever going back to Kalimdor where either somewhere in the outlands sinking into denial madness…
Or right here at her head of bed.
But she'd sooner drink demon blood than ask Kael for help. She wanted no help from the man Tyrande had forced her to help, from the man who had made the archdruid call her betrayer, from the man who had freed Illidan when she finally managed to cage him back and certainly not from the man who had denied her a death in battle by nursing her back to health.
"But justice will be served, what happens to me is unimportant." she answered with only a tiny bit less conviction than usual.
"Justice is it? It's justice that you should throw your life away for only a small chance to kill Illidan? Is that some sort of warden oath: "Your task is more important than your life"?" Kael asked, seeming a little upset with Maeiv's stubbornness.
"If you must know, it is." the night elf answered fiercely "I let Illidan escape and now it's my task to right my mistake, if it is to cost me my life…"
It might very well do, that thought was haunting her.
"…then so be it!" she finished, once again, a careful listener could hear the stubble hint of doubt in her voice, and Kael was had very keen ears.
He considered the night elf woman for a few seconds. She glared back with cold hatred but averted his dark eyes, for as calm as the blood elf might seem, she sensed arcane magic glinting in these featureless eyes. She had seen similar eyes before, those highborn who fell deepest into the corruption of queen Azshara during the war of the ancient had similar eyes, void of the night elf's usual silver glow in favor of seemingly endless abyss. Was it only Kael or did all blood elves wear such a distinctive heritage of those who brought night elf society to ruin 10 000 years ago?
Suddenly, Kael turned back and walked away, heading for the door.
"I could kill you here and now Maeiv, that would probably even be a merciful thing to do." he said with his back turned. "But as reluctantly as it might have been, many of my blood elves still owe you their lives, and it's true I had my part in your current situation. I will send a healer to take care of your wounds once in for all, then you may do as you please." the blood elf prince said. Then he left the room, leaving Maiev alone.
Maeiv was relieved to see the blood mage leave and laid her head back on the pillow. She noticed that the sheets of the bed and her hairs were filled with static electricity, but she had more immediate concern. Why, in Elune's name, had Kael'thas saved her? He had openly admitted it was not Illidan's order, which meant the demon hunter would have him executed as soon as he found out. Why then, would Kael take the risk?
To pay some sort of debt he had toward her? Unlikely, he had already filled in his part of the bargain when he helped her stop Illidan at the Dalaran ruin; they were even about her helping his people across the plaguelands.
To make up for the trouble he had caused her then? Did he really care about that? Did Kael care for those who suffered from the choices he had made to save his people, they seemed to have been driven by despair and thirst for power rather than malice.
Nonsense, these blood elves had fallen as low as their Quel'dorei ancestor who were now nagas and satyrs; how much longer before their still fair elven features turn as monstrous as their fallen cousins? The arcane addiction had corrupted them to the core, and Kael's actions were probably nothing short of madness similar to that of his new master.
Slaying Illidan would come first as soon as she was better, but then she'd have to deal with the blood elf prince too because if not, he might be just as dangerous as Illidan. They were both the same, driven by an endless quest for magical power they were becoming twisted by it, mad and evil beyond redemption.
If she would never see Kalimdor again, then at least she would make sure to take down the last and most dangerous arcanists in the world. Then maybe, she could make up for the lost lives of her comrades, for her failure at guarding Illidan…
But lying down here, reminding herself all that had just happened in the last month, Illidan's escape, his absorption of the skull of Gul'dan, the race to sargeras's tomb, the death of Naisha…
And this one was too much, Maeiv had tried long and hard to harden her heart beyond sorrowful mourning, but Naisha had been her closest friend for thousands of years and she had died crushed under a collapsing cave while she made her escape. Why did she only now realized how much she had lost in her relentless pursuit, why did she only now realized how horrible she had been of not even trying to find a way to free her friend…
A tear slid down Maeiv's closed eye, the first tear to be shed for one of her soldiers. The warden laid there, remembering the faces of all her fallen watchers, only now realizing how much she had lost in this battle. Had she really grown so cold, so distant that she only now felt remorse for what she had done?
All that introspection made Maeiv realize two things.
First, lost and trapped in the outlands, she had nothing to gain except for revenge on those responsible, Kael and Illidan.
Second, she had nothing left to loose.
The door slammed so hard Mel'nadin fell off his chair from surprise. He stood up to look at the one who dared interrupt the crucial task his prince had trusted him with, ready to give him a stern speech about the fine art of knocking before entering.
"Who the hell do you…" but the old elf became silent as soon as he saw who exactly he was addressing. He lifted his work goggles and bowed slightly.
"Prince Kael'thas…" he said much more respectfully at the newly arrived elf.
"Sorry to interrupt you so loudly, Mel'nadin, but I need your analysis report now." the younger elf said matter-of-factly.
"About the warden's equipment?" the old mage asked.
"Of course, what else?" Kael said, hinting that he was in a hurry. For reason he did not yet understand himself, Kael had asked his most trusted advisor to have a look at Maeiv's equipment. He had not told him what to look for, he didn't know himself. The warden was a walking enigma to the blood elf prince, and he wanted to understand where such an obsessive drive had come from. Then maybe, he could convince her to go home and not force him to be her opponent again.
He had hated that day…
"Well, there are a bunch of powerful magical items, especially her moonsword, armor and cloak, but one was particularly potent…" he explained, directing the prince through his lab while pointing out the objects that belonged to Maeiv Shadowsong. They stopped in front of a hovering sphere that seemed made out of pure darkness.
But the blood mage was hardly paying any attention; his thoughts were still with the warden. He had never seen Maeiv's face before, and her face was still haunting him, her fair elven features, pale silver eyes, deep purple skin, flowing dark blue hair…
These entire features twisted with cold hatred, for himself, his race and everything they stood for.
He wondered why he was being so foolish; he had so many other things to think about, why was this hopeless case of psychotic obsession now resting under the care of his healers the one getting all his attention?
"Behold my prince, the shadow orb." the older wizard said proudly, apparently not having noticed that Kael's attention was elsewhere.
But hearing about the shadow orb dragged the blood elf prince back to reality.
"This is the famous shadow orb, the artifact of the shadow council wielded by Gul'dan when he was looking for the tomb of Sargeras?" Kael asked incredulously.
"Apparently it was shattered in ten pieces at some point, but the warden as made a good job reconstituting it. It content several potent magic, but what worries me is that it seems to insidiously corrupt the mind of those who use it…" Mel'nadin said, worried.
"How so?" Kael asked, suddenly sounding interested.
"I have no idea my prince, but as I tried to take the orb in my hands, I felt it…as if it was whispering in my head… I dare not test my aging mind against such powerful magic." the mage admitted.
"Then I will." Kael simply said, taking a hold of the orb before the other blood elf could stop him.
At the moment he touched the orb, it started hovering around his head, the same way his green magical sphere did. And suddenly, his toughs that had so far been on the warden he had saved from death shifted to another face, a face Kael'thas hated with every fiber of his being: pale, corpselike skin, long white hairs, empty, soulless eyes… the death knight, Arthas Menethil.
And suddenly, he realized what a fool he had been, who cares about this warden, let her die drown in her own vengeance, he had greater concerns, the ghost of Quel'thalas howled for revenge!
He left the room as quickly as he had entered it, ignoring the old wizard he had left behind. Who cared about his protests, he needed to sharpen his sword, shine his armor and gather his troops.
They were going to assault the frozen throne and makes Arthas pay! The hell with how strong he had become!
Mel'nadin gave up on stopping the young prince. It was just as he suspected, the shadow orb had an insidious effect on the mind of its wielder and now it was affecting Kael'thas. Had the warden also been the victim of the corrupting orb?
Back in her room, Maeiv had quickly dried her tear as the blood elf healer came in. She remained silent even as the young woman healed what was left of her wounds magically. She felt her body mend and in seconds, she was once again able to stand, which she did promptly. She whispered a half hearted thanks between her teeth to the blood elf and set her mind to more important matter, finding her armor and weapons back.
At this moment, another blood elf woman erupted in the room and addressed the healer: "You, hurry, Prince Kael as commanded that all elves in fighting shape gather in the village." The newly arrived woman said in a voice that hinted dread.
"What? Why?" the healer wondered.
"I don't know. He's been striding around the fortress, summoning everyone to arms, there is a rumor that he wants us to assault the frozen throne." the other said.
"That's madness, we're just back from there; we can't assault it back right now, it's suicide!" the healer protested.
"Tell him that, he's the leader, now come on."
"What about her?" she was referring to the warden.
"I don't know, leave her here, he didn't look in a mood for disobedience."
Hesitating a second, the healer left with her fellow blood elf, leaving Maeiv alone once again.
"What the hell just happened?" she asked herself "All of a sudden Kael wants to travel to icecrown and engage the lich king? That blood elf was right; it was suicide, why would Kael be willing to send his troops to self destruction…
Revenge was the first thing to come to her mind.
She suddenly realized what was probably happening to the blood elf prince, he was about to send people who trusted and blindly followed him to certain death to hunt a monstrously powerful foe. This was too similar, too sudden, a pattern she knew only too well, there had to be some sort of connection.
And she would find out, she would discover just why, all of a sudden, Kael'thas Sunstrider was acting just like she had…