Disclaimer: Wheesht ye' eejit! Ah don' own Nar'to or Wahld o' Wahrcraf't
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
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"Gah!"
With this loud utterance, Uzumaki Naruto collapsed to backwards onto the soft mossy ground of the forest, gasping for breath. Pain, like liquid fire, surged through his body with each beat of his heart, making his gasps even more strained and pained, and the looks on Kira, Neera and Tyrande's faces all the more distraught. But, being who he was, this did not stop him from getting up and trying it again; "it" being his so far unsuccessful attempts to pull a thread of the Kyuubi's chakra from its source without overloading his body with it.
"Naruto, maybe you should stop," said Kira, worried for her friend.
"Yeah," said Neera, half horrified and half amazed that Naruto was still alive, much less still move, especially after letting enough demonic chakra to kill a dozen or so elves rush through his chakra pathways.
"Nah," the blonde said, gasping, and throwing both the three concerned watchers (for Tsuwabuki had long stopped watching) a weakened, yet still Naruto-esque smile. "I can't stop now. I've almost got the hang of it!"
It was a barefaced lie, and everyone present knew it. It had been nearly a week since Naruto had recovered enough to start training with his new abilities, and during that time, Naruto had discovered just how much help the Kyuubi had given him in manipulating it's chakra. The demon had been the control behind each of his uses of it, allowing it so that he had just enough for his body to handle, without ripping it to shreds; which Naruto felt like he might be doing now. He could hardly grasp even a bit of the chakra without pulling out a monstrous amount of it out, which nearly drove him to unconsciousness a few times.
Though he had improved. The first time Naruto had tried to manipulate the chakra, he had passed out from pulling enough to kill a normal man out. Thankfully Naruto's body was far more resistant, so he was able to recover in about a day. One would think that would have put him off it, even someone with Naruto's stubbornness, it only served to make Naruto try again; and when that failed, again, and again, and so on until they had reached this very point, a week later, where Naruto had made very little progress, but progress nonetheless, in his training with the Kyuubi's chakra.
But, not all was bad news. Naruto's own chakra was still quite easy to manipulate; in fact, it seemed even easier. The Rasengan seemed to come to him with a mere flick of the wrist now, and though he lamented the loss of its Kyuubi chakra counterpart, the Oodama Rasengan, it only served to make him more determined to recapture control of its power. His jutsu too, seemed easier to manipulate, and Naruto took great relief in the fact that he was not totally weakened. He just had to learn in a different way from now on.
Flexing his wrists and taking a solid stance, Naruto prepared to call the chakra again. Tyrande, however, laid a hand on his shoulder and said calmly:
"Let's take a break for now, Naruto. There are things we must discuss."
Naruto sighed, before frowning at his new mother. "Such as?"
Tyrande smiled. "Your training, among other things."
Naruto hesitated a moment, about to reply that he still had a few more tries left in him, but stopped when he saw the concern in Tyrande's eyes. It was still a learning process for him, having a mother.
"Okay," he said, slouching suddenly, his arms falling, dead, to his sides and his eyelids drooping nearly closed. He swayed, looking as if he was about to fall, but instead simply stumbled forwards towards the edge of the clearing, where they had entered.
'Good,' said Tsuwabuki, padding up behind the boy. She was now big enough to allow him to place a hand on her for support, which he did so gratefully. 'As much as I like your annoying personality, there is a limit even for you, moron.'
"I'm not annoying, you dumb fox."
'That isn't usually something you decide for yourself.'
While they bickered, Kira, Tyrande, Kylia and Neera followed behind the two. Kira looked a mix between grateful that he had given up, and worried at his weakness. Neera appeared, and was, simply relieved that Naruto was still alive. Kylia remained as impassive as possible, though she too had a little worry for the boy that her mistress held in such high regard. Tyrande was far more controlled, and while she worried, she saw less of the pain in the boy, and more of the determination. He really worked hard; a trait like that was like a diamond to Tyrande's eyes.
They left the grove that Naruto had been training in for the past week, and headed back towards the sunlit city of the night elves. The city, just two weeks before, had been silent and peaceful; almost like it had been a city trapped in an eternal sleep. But now, it bustled and sung like a true city. The streets were full of pedestrians, all of which now wandered with a purpose in mind. A great majority moved towards the Warrior's Terrace, where they planned to train, or retrain, in the arts of battle; others moved towards the groves, where they planned to study the arts of nature; or deep beneath the grove, where they hoped to learn the arts of the rogues.
Their spirits, Tyrande had said, had been reawakened from the same deep sleep that had arrested the city. They now had a reason once more to fight. But now it was not to preserve their way of life, but to change it, change it with the age and their new mortality. They would no longer stand to waste away in a corner of the world. Now they had to help, because they believed that it was right, and only by doing so could they re-attain their former glory as night elves.
Of course, Tyrande would not tell Naruto or Kira about the others. Not all had been motivated in such a way, which was not surprising. There was a group, a very small group, who had made their presence known just after the memorial service for the fallen night elves. They did not adhere to the Council's decision about the alliance, and while at the moment their presence was small, Tyrande could quickly see that they might become a problem.
But she would deal with it as it came. That was all she could do at the moment.
They crossed the shorter bridge to the Temple Gardens, heading towards the looming Temple of the Moon, which seemed to glow even brighter in the natural light of the sun. At night, as if using the captured sunlight, it shined as bright as a fragment of the moon, fallen to the earth. Naruto was of the belief that it appeared even more beautiful, cast in sunlight, just because it created such an amazing sight at night.
Inside, which was as busier than ever, for the Sisters were slowly taking on new apprentices to school and culture in their arts. Even the youngest of elves were starting their training, so that one day they might rise to the level of their idols: Tyrande and Shandris. They walked and weaved through groups of Sisters, dressed in white, who were leading groups of two or three younger elves around. The elflings were wide-eyed with curiosity in seeing the three humans and the silver fox.
It made Tyrande smile to see their fascination. If that was fostered, then a new generation of elves could be born, without the isolationist beliefs that had been fostered in elves since the Sundering of the World.
They arrived at the Moonwell room, where Tyrande held all her council now. She bade her charges, including Neera, to sit around the edge of the pool, while she remained standing, watching them impassively. When they were seated, she began.
"First, I want to talk about a solution to your recent problems," Tyrande said, looking at Naruto.
"A solution?" the blonde parroted, frowning.
"Yes," said Tyrande. "One that we have been developing this past week, while you were training. It wasn't difficult—we merely needed to adapt a currently existing technique to suit your unique case, as well as work alongside your seal. We have found a solution to your chakra manipulation problem; at least, for now."
Naruto leaned in, suddenly all ears. Though he would never admit it, he had been growing increasingly frustrated with his training. He new it foolish to think that he might master such a powerful ability in such a short time, but he had hardly made any progress at all! And Uzumaki wasn't the type to wait, either.
"What is it?"
"A training seal," the High Priestess said.
"A what?"
Tyrande sighed. She wondered, briefly, how many others had been in this same situation of explaining something to the blonde that both in words and context seemed obvious.
A world a way, two men with varying shades of white hair sneezed in the midst of their strangely similar hobbies; an Orcish chieftain, known to Tyrande, interrupted a speech made by his advisor with a booming sneeze that sprayed the other orc with a wave of mucus; and an undead elf released a delicate sneeze that froze everyone in her presence with heart-stopping fear. Had Tyrande been aware of all this, she would've stopped wondering.
"A training seal," said Tyrande, again. "It's rather basic; the seal was created to originally help those who had trouble with their chakra control it to the level required of most Sentinels and Priestesses. It takes quite a while, even with this, but it will certainly aid you, and help you learn to use the Kyuubi's chakra more effectively a lot quicker.
"It works like this: the seal places a gate of sorts around your chakra. Now, this is not unlike what keeps the Kyuubi's chakra at bay, but there is a special property to this that makes it so useful. It requires you to pull the chakra, with all of your will, through the 'gate' and into use. If you release your grip, it will immediately return to the seal. This will eliminate your problem of pulling to much chakra out; you will need to force it out, instead of trying to stop a flood of it from coming out."
"But won't it just make it harder to control?" Naruto asked.
Tyrande smiled. Perhaps he wasn't completely hopeless. "Yes, for a while anyways. But it will get you used to working with small amounts of the chakra. If you can control and mold a small amount, then, as you get better in controlling the demon's chaotic power, you will be able to draw out more and more of it. Eventually, you might not even need the seal."
Naruto nodded, his arms crossed. He did understand (a bit), and it did seem quite useful. He wouldn't have to learn about nearly passing out in training anymore!
"But there is a catch."
Naruto looked up. "What kind of catch?"
Tyrande stared directly into Naruto's eyes. "In battle, your body will, as it always has been, try to use the Kyuubi's chakra to heal yourself. With the training seal in place, your body will not be able to use it like that. Nor will you be able to enhance your senses. You will be totally cut-off, save for your conscious efforts, from the Kyuubi's chakra."
Naruto blinked. He looked like he might ask a question, but he held it in, and waited for her to continue.
"That is why I believe you might have to take it off if you want to fight. As long as you don't try to use it, you will receive the enhancements the Kyuubi's chakra naturally gives to your body, which is so accustomed to using it. We have already worked out the mechanics of the seal, and it will be easy to seal and release. I will spend the next few days teaching you that, and Kira as well, so you might have a back-up plan."
Naruto nodded, approving of the idea. Kira, however, detected that Tyrande had more to say, and listened closely.
"As soon as you have learned it, then I believe you should leave."
Naruto, as if he did not understand the words, tilted his head to the side and looked at Tyrande. For a moment, the words did not register. But as a look of shock impacted onto Naruto's features, Tyrande was already speaking again, her eyes focused straight on him.
"It is time for all of you to return to Stormwind," she said. "You have completed what you set out to do; you've done an incredible thing, and now it is time to tell your people, and to teach them how to accept it. It is time that Princess Kira Wrynn returned to her kingdom." She smiled at Naruto, with love in each inch of her pretty face. "You too, Naruto. You have journeyed far from that place, and now it's time you accompanied her back. I know that you will be an incredible asset in helping her people understand what a great thing you have done. You, Naruto, have been the cornerstone of this alliance for some time—now you just need to finish the cementing, and with hope, the alliance will last for years to come."
Naruto didn't respond. The boy's eyes were downcast and glazed. He scrunched up his face a little, as if still trying to understand that he was going to leave this place.
"Right," he said morosely. His voice was dull, lifeless.
Tyrande surprised everyone by bending down, pushing Naruto's goggles up onto the top of his head, and planting a soft kiss on his forehead. The gesture made Naruto look up, blinking, into Tyrande's eyes. The woman who he come to think of as motherly, as someone he could talk to about anything and not be judged, stared back at him with such kindness and love that Naruto was frozen for a moment by simply the sight. Never before had anyone looked at him in that way, with such intensity and sincerity.
"You will never truly leave this place, Naruto. You have already made your mark upon this place, and it will remain in our hearts forevermore. And you are always welcome here—you are one of us, no matter the color of your skin, or your height. You are part of my family. You will always remain so. So don't give me that look, okay? Call Matthias today, and spend the time he takes in getting here to learn the training seal. Then, depart this place with that same smile that we have come to love on your face. That is what you should do, okay?"
She had hardly finished before Naruto burst out loudly, "Okay! Let's start right away!"
Kira giggled at her friend's renewed enthusiasm, and cast a thankful look in Tyrande's direction. Neera laughed, clapping Naruto on the back. Kylia gave a small smile, but otherwise did not move.
And Tyrande gazed at them all with a bright, sunlit smile.
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The next few days became a blur.
The training seal worked out splendidly, as Tyrande had predicted. Though it was immensely difficult to pull such a dense chakra through the "gate" of the seal, it easily eliminated Naruto's problem of trying to pull too much out at once. Naruto's training sessions no longer became painful for his friends to watch, for he now looked not as if he were about to die of exhaustion, but rather as if he might be extremely constipated (and hence, they became almost a source of amusement for the group, much to Naruto's annoyance).
The seal learning lessons provided by Tyrande were straightforward enough, yet because of the relative complexity of the seal, Naruto had a little trouble. It was nothing like making explosive seals, and had to be made with the utmost care, as a castle of cards might. One wrong move or poorly placed card could cause the entire thing to collapse.
For Naruto, it was only the prospect of furthering his abilities with the Kyuubi's chakra (and his feelings for Tyrande) that kept him attentive. The work was tedious and incredibly frustrating, especially for someone like Naruto, who had little experience with seals, and was naturally impatient with techniques that weren't flashy or incredibly powerful.
But on he worked, nonetheless, in the days before he would leave Teldrassil.
But it was not all training. On the second day, Naruto summoned Gamakichi, with the intention of sending a rather delayed message to his friends, hoping that they weren't too worried by his lack of responses. What he learned, however, was that Sakura and the others were not present in Konoha. They had gone to the Sand, to take part in the Chuunin Exams once more.
The news cheered Naruto up considerably. But at the same time, it was a little distressing. Would they all become chuunin? What if he got back and he was the only genin left? Would he have to join a team of genin just in order to pass the exam and reach the same level as his friends?
That was an annoying thought.
But he did not let it bother him too much. He was happy, though, that his friends were getting stronger. He couldn't wait to see how they had changed, when he got back. Little did he know that he too had changed.
His free time, when not training or learning the seal; was occupied by his friends. Neera, who acted as though he would leave in a few minutes, every day, would drag him around the city, with Kira and Kylia tagging along (Tsuwabuki would generally forsake them to "romp in the forest with her furry friends" as Naruto called it, or as she thought of it, hunting). Neera wanted to spend as much time as possible with them before they returned.
Since Tyrande had mentioned it, Kira's mind was fixated, at every passing moment, on her kingdom at its people. She was anxious to return, to know what was becoming of the city she had left so long ago; but also was she distressed to leave this peaceful place. She knew she would miss the endless sea of trees, the calming orchestra of the forest, and the friendly, accepting disposition of the people of Darnassus.
But she could not wait.
Since she had left, she had been waiting for the day she could return, triumphant in her pursuits, to Stormwind. How proud Benedictus would be! He had been a supporter, and had even given her the means to realize this dream, all by simply putting his faith in it, and her. She could not wait to return, to show him that his faith was well put; that his hope was not unfounded in her and the dream that they had both longed to see realized.
And how happy, she thought, would her mother and father be had they lived to see the day their daughter and her friends create a means for peace in this darkening world.
She spent her last days in Teldrassil in this cloud made of memories, but still took the time to duck out of it, and enjoy the present. She would miss everyone terribly, especially Tyrande. Kira had so much respect for the woman; she was a true leader to her people, strong and fair, and knew exactly how to rule. She had also made Naruto one of the happiest people in the world, by accepting a position that Naruto had never before known in a family—a mother.
The days passed swiftly.
Naruto joked and laughed and was teased by Neera. He struggled in learning the training seal, and even more in learning how to manipulate the demon's wicked chakra using it. He ate his fill each day in the strange-colored en'mara noodles alongside Neera, Kira and Kylia. He trained and bickered with Tsuwabuki. He enjoyed many walks and long, comforting talks with Tyrande. He explored each nook and cranny of the city, courtesy of Neera. He sparred each day with the Sentinels he had become friends with in the last month. In his final days in Darnassus, Naruto solidified his place in the hearts of the night elves. It became a daily event to see the blonde, who had entered their lives so swiftly, and yet had established a firm place in their memories and affections. They would not forget Uzumaki Naruto. That was assured.
And all too soon, that time came, when a messenger came from the forest and told Tyrande that the mighty airship of Matthias Hindenborough had landed, and was waiting for their passengers on the very beach they had left them on.
The day was as sunny as ever. When Matthias Hindenborough stepped off his zeppelin, expecting to see Naruto and the two (or three if the fox was counted) girls, he saw instead what had to be at least the largest gathering of night elves he had ever laid eyes on. They came from the trees, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of dark, misty shapes that solidified as they touched the sun. It was a startling sight, especially because at the head of the procession of ghosts was Naruto, Kira, Kylia and Tsuwabuki, standing alongside the woman he claimed was the most beautiful to have graced this fair world.
"I win the bet!" Naruto said, with a playful smirk.
Matthias gaped a moment, staring in astonishment at all of the elves around him. He saw, not the ageless beings of fame, but a people of all different ages and sizes; he saw the young and the old, the small and the tall, the men, the women, and the children. He saw them not cast in shadows, as he had always seen them before, but illuminated in the brightness of the sun.
He gave a roguish grin to the boy. "Guess ye did, brat. Guess ye did."
He directed his crew to start preparing to set off, and after another longing glance towards Tyrande, he returned to the deck of the zeppelin to help.
Tyrande turned to Naruto, giving him the gentle, yet sad smile of a mother who is watching her child leave home for the first time. She reached into her luminous white robes, and produced something, which she pressed into Naruto's hands.
"A Hearthstone," she said, with a smile. "So you can return whenever you wish."
Naruto took the stone, staring at it oddly for a moment. When he looked up into Tyrande's eyes, once again a feeling of complete disbelief froze him in place. The love he saw reflected was strange and new, yet it felt completely natural. This, he knew, was what it truly meant to have a mother. His frozen body melted, and without a second thought, then threw his arms around the elf, hugging her tightly. Tyrande hugged back, with all her might. The entire population of Teldrassil watched as their leader hugged the human boy with everything she had.
To the side, Shandris smiled warmly at the two, glad for both. In the back, Fandral regarded the scene with nothing in his eyes or on his face. But even with this difference, they saw the reaction that Naruto's gesture had produced in Tyrande. They saw the tears trickling down her face like miniature waterfalls. Tyrande needed this as much as Naruto.
Kira had tears in her eyes as well. She gave a little sniffle and buried her head in Kylia's shirt; so happy was she for her friend. Kylia blushed at the gesture, but patted the girl on the head. Neera was openly wailing, both at the beauty of the scene, and the prospect that this was her last meeting with Naruto and his friends for some time.
When Naruto and Tyrande released their holds upon each other, Tyrande stood and took a step back. She turned to the rest of the elves, and gave a simple nod.
The elves began to sing.
It was in their own mysterious language, beautiful and ghostly. It was laden with emotion, not sadness, but hope and happiness. They sung not for the tears of their parting, but for the joy of their future meetings. The song made the sun brighten and the trees sway with the tune, and the creatures of the island sing alongside the night elves.
As Naruto gave Neera a final hug, and Shandris a formal salute; and Kira gave Tyrande a deep bow, acknowledging the formality of their status, and afterwards a powerful hug for their friendship, and then a fierce tearful hug to Neera; they boarded the zeppelin.
And as they rose away from Teldrassil, the sunken tree, where the beautiful, immortal night elves once lived, and now the true and mortal night elves lived, they listened to the song of the forest, the everlasting song of the world.
They heard the song long after they rose into the sky; and even when the clouds obscured their view of the island, they heard it it's beautiful words, and felt the joy of knowing how important they had become to these people.
Naruto smiled the entire time, with tears running freely down his face.
----------------------------------------------------
"Ah," said Benedictus, raking his eyes over the seated members of the Council of Stormwind. "We have arrived."
"Yes," said the harsh, sarcastic sneer of Lord Sevenius Coutrend, the city's keeper of history. "You seemed particularly excited to call this meeting, Lord Regent. Has something happened that deviates from the normal humdrum of violence that is sweeping this city?"
Benedictus was unfazed by the sarcasm. "No," he said. "I have not come to you to preach solutions today. I have not come to speak of what is happening in the city, for that is all too clear, isn't it? No, I have other things to talk about today. Things that are far more pressing, in my opinion."
His hawk-gaze swept the room. He was met with the distrustful stares of those who did not agree with him, and the questioning ones of those who did.
And, of course, with the completely impassive look of Lady Katrana Prestor, with her silky, jet-colored hair, and arresting purple gaze. Had he been anyone else, he would have lost himself in those eyes. But now, he merely moved on.
He had decided, not two days ago, that he would expose Lady Prestor to the rest of the Council. It hadn't taken him long to think of a good way to do it. He could, when the occasion arose, be extremely clever and shrewd. And it would take all of that guile to prove to the morons in his presence, at that very moment, exactly what she was guilty of.
"There is a traitor amongst our ranks."
The words, simple and direct, had the desired effect. An explosion of denials and inquiries, which raised a great clamor that was sure to have aroused the attention of the rest of the castle, possibly even beyond. Benedictus did nothing to stop them at first. He merely glanced at the pretty, soft features of Lady Prestor, whose lips had curved into a slight smile at the statement. Once again, she appeared an island amongst a torrential hurricane.
When he had had enough, Benedictus raised a hand. The gesture brought an end to the squabbling, and when he had everyone's full attention he said, with another sweep of his eyes, "I do know who it is. If they do not come forward at this point, then I will simply have to expose them." He looked around. "Will you admit the deed?"
There was silence, which Benedictus had expected. He glanced at Prestor—no reaction, save for a slight widening of the smile.
'I wonder if you will be smiling in a minute, my dear,' he thought. But he was a little worried. She appeared confident. Too confident. He looked around.
Though made of nobles, the Council was comprised of some of the strongest magi and warriors in Stormwind. Should she attempt anything, Benedictus had no doubt that they would be able to subdue her before she could cause too much trouble. He did not know her full strength, but it was highly unlikely that it would be enough to stop a large group of powerful people all gathered in the same area.
But he would not be a fool. He would play this carefully.
"Then, I shall begin," he said. He gazed at everyone in the room, his golden eyes like spotlights, exposing truths in the dark. He stroked his beard, and left his chair, slowly pacing back and forth at the head of the table.
"There are many reasons why I suggest a traitor to the cause, rather than simple bad luck. The first, and clearly the most obvious, is the prolonged violence in this city, which apparently had little reason for starting, and now seems to have little reason for ending. But I ask, why do they fight?"
"Because they are stupid," said Coutrend. "Isn't that obvious?"
"They are not stupid," said Benedictus, directing his raptor gaze to the man. "They are merely easily led. Gullible, if you will, especially when facing those stronger than them. But how did it start in the first place, I ask?"
"The death of the King," rumbled Reinhardt Schaun, "we all know that, Lord Regent. There is no hidden motive, and no traitor could have sparked the violence that his happening every day now."
"Why not?"
The simple question silenced the room a moment. In that time, Benedictus pressed on.
"Yes, I agree it is possible that it could have happened naturally. I agree that due to the death of the king, the people could have been lost, and my own weaknesses in this office could have contributed to it. But what if there was another reason? After all, if they are as stupid as Coutrend believes them to be, then why have those who oppose the crown and kingdom developed this strange ideology, this democracy? What gave them the idea? More to the point, why do they continue to fight, like barbarians, for something that they are not sure they want, or will work? What is sustaining this violence that we haven't been able to identify and reason with?
"We have made several attempts at compromise, have we not? We have acquiesced to many of their demands, and yet violence breaks out anew everyday. Something is sparking it. Those loyal to us would not do it, because they knew our intentions. I have heard talk that some of the Stormwind guard members have been at the scene of battles before they have even begun." He looked sharply at Schaun, who seemed frozen by the old man's words. He didn't give him a chance to deny.
"What I am saying is that no matter what compromises we make, no matter how much we try to stop this fighting, it continues."
"And you think that constitutes a betrayer?" growled a grizzled-looking council member, Rickard Kingsley, who had dark brown hair and beard, and was a battle master; the one responsible for training many of the new recruits in the army. "That is foolish, Lord Regent! Why make such a grave accusation for something that is not definite?"
Benedictus gave the man a thin smile. "But of course; it would be foolish to base my entire argument on this. I have other reasons."
He glanced swiftly towards Lady Prestor. She was unchanged.
"The second reason is the break-up of the First Alliance."
"What?" said Coutrend, giving a snort of laughter. "How do you know that?"
"Simple," Benedictus said calmly. "It is odd, is it not, that the Alliance broke apart with such rapidity? One right after the other—first the gnomes, the elves, and finally the dwarves. Why so closely?"
"Coincidence, I'm sure," said Coutrend, rolling his eyes. "And if I recall, it was our king himself who drove off the dwarves, with his foolish demands, wouldn't that be correct?"
"King Anduin's behavior before his death was exceedingly strange," the Archbishop said. "Prone to fits of anger. Restless sleep. A hidden prejudice that he had never exhibited before. What caused these things to emerge in an otherwise kind and gentle man?"
"The death of his wife," said Schaun, bowing a little as he mentioned the name. Others around the room followed suit. Kira's mother had been highly respected by every member of the council.
"Possibly," said Benedictus. "And I would agree that Lady Demi's death did unbalance him, but I identified several of these traits in King Anduin even before she was lost. He has always been a very restless man, but it was only after she died, and the gnomes left, that he began to change, wouldn't you say?"
There was a smattering of agreement around the room. Benedictus pressed on.
"Anduin was never an impulsive man. He was wise and kind. But he exhibited no foresight in banishing the dwarves, and acted apparently on complete emotion. He would have never done such a thing. His wife's death may have caused him to despair a great deal, but what caused such a radical change in a man, especially one who had a daughter that he wished to protect above all else? King Anduin, in my opinion, always made decisions that would benefit his people, and more importantly, his loved ones, and made them with the greatest care and foresight. I do not believe that his wife's death would cause such a change, especially when Princess Kira was always by his side, and in complete agreement with him. Something else changed him.
"But what? A spell? Perhaps someone was slowly manipulating him, toying with his thoughts and mind? It is not hard to believe, is it? You control the king's actions, and you control the fate of that kingdom."
"A bold statement," said Coutrend. "You have obviously given this a lot of thought, Lord Regent. But you argument is again obscured by facts and other possibilities, equally as likely as what you suggest. Maybe his wife's death unbalanced him to a point that he simply changed without noticing. Perhaps his guilt, and despair simply overwhelmed him. That is as likely as someone controlling his thoughts. As such, you have no real way of proving what you say is true."
"Ahh," said Benedictus. "Putting aside that I knew the King when he was but a child, and watched him grow, and knew how he thought, and I might add, was in possession of empathic abilities that let me feel what he did, I will accept you skepticism. After all, I am old, and I could simply be basing all of this on mere conjecture. I could simply want a scapegoat, someone I can blame the recent problems on.
"But I can prove it, can I not, if the betrayer admits the deed, yes? Those last two points were merely observations; possible motives, even. But if the admission comes from the one who I believe is the traitor's own mouth, then you cannot deny anything, can you not?"
Before Coutrend, or anyone else, could respond, Benedictus swung his raptor gaze to Lady Prestor.
"Lady Prestor, may I ask you where you went for your family 'business' not two months ago, when Stormwind was at the height of its despair and violence? What made you abandon, might I ask, your post as a member of the Council of Stormwind?"
"You can't…are you saying that Lady Prestor is your traitor?" roared Schaun, standing in a flash. "Preposterous!"
"Agreed!" roared another, Marcus Trenillias, a noble from an old and wealthy family of hunters. "Lady Prestor has been a part of Stormwind's affairs since King Anduin's youth! She has been nothing but loyal to us!"
"Answer the question, if you please, Lady Prestor," Benedictus said, ignoring these and every other fierce argument.
"My brother called me back," she said simply. "I returned to our ancestral home in Alterac. Is that so wrong?" The woman followed the words with a cultured, gorgeous smile that would have made any other man melt on the spot. Benedictus remained firm.
"You are lying," he said, calmly. "I received, several weeks ago, around the very time you were supposedly in Alterac, from a dwarfish scouting party near the Badlands, of a figure very much matching your description, moving towards the Burning Steppes. Care to explain that?"
And it was true. The report had come rather unexpectedly, forwarded from Magni himself. Though the report had not mentioned anything other than "a figure dressed in back that carried itself like a woman, heading towards the Burning Steppes" he had simply filled in the blanks. He had no idea what she was doing there, and no matter how hard he thought; he could not make a connection. What was in such a desolate place that interested her?
Lady Prestor raised an eyebrow in response, but was not able to respond, for nearly every other male in the room had.
"I won't believe it!"
"It's foolish! Lady Prestor is more loyal to the crown than anybody!"
"Preposterous!"
"Unbelievable!"
The only other man who had not spoken out, Lord Coutrend, frowned at Benedictus. Though cynical and sometimes difficult to deal with, Coutrend was as loyal as Benedictus was to the crown. He loved Stormwind with all of his heart. He questioned constantly, due to his nature as a skeptic, but he had never known Benedictus to lie without reason. He leaned forwards and said, "Compelling evidence, yet it proves nothing, Lord Regent. Perhaps she simply wanted to take a route that did not involve braving the blistering cold of Dun Morogh, in order to get to Alterac."
"Perhaps," agreed Benedictus, "but in such a dangerous place? The Burning Steppes are wrought with dangers of all kind; they are no place for a woman."
"They must have been mistaken," said Lady Prestor. "I traveled nowhere near such a horrible place. I traveled by zeppelin, as I always have."
"I see," said Benedictus. "Perhaps I was mistaken. But there is one last thing that interests me, Lady Prestor. If it comes to nothing, then I will concede, and will humbly apologize for making such a grievous error." He turned his back to the woman for a moment, gazing out the window into the sunny sky.
"In my musings, I wondered why someone would betray the crown, especially after years upon years of faithful service. I mean this not as a disrespect, Lady Prestor. I am merely concerned with the state of our kingdom. If you truly have nothing to be guilty about, then I will step down, and do anything in order to convey my extreme apologies for accusing you.
"After much musing, I decided upon what might have caused someone to betray. It seems the most likely thing, for emotions can drive even the kindest of men to beat their wives to death, or murder their children. So why could they not drive someone to betray their very country?"
He turned, and snapped his razor-gaze onto Lady Prestor's glittering violet gaze.
"How many of your family perished in the Theramore disaster?"
The room exploded at once. Insults and accusations and furious rebuttals were thrown at Benedictus like a hail of stones. The room became chaotic. But Benedictus heard none of it. His eyes were fixated on Prestor, who had shown the first sign of shock since Benedictus had known her. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung slightly open. She looked nothing less than stunned.
Then, the shock melted away. Her eyes lowered, and her mouth closed, and she seemed to draw into herself. Benedictus thought at first that she might cry, for she certainly looked like she would. She reached up and held her eyes and her long hair obscured the rest of her face.
He had come to the conclusion that the only thing that could have caused her to exhibit such a flash of emotion, if only for a second, that day months ago when the King had perished, was the loss of a family member. Benedictus could read emotions like a book. There had been pain in her eyes, pain of loss.
But his earlier words had carried not only the meaning he had intended them to. And it was unfortunate for him, and all the rest, that she heard that second meaning, and would react accordingly.
"All of them."
The words, softly spoken, stopped the storm of words that had been raging for the past few minutes in the room. It went dead silent, and drew everyone's attention to her. Some stared in shock, others in sympathy, others with the last vestiges of anger on their faces, before it slowly began to melt off, replaced with one of the latter two reactions.
She continued.
"All of them were killed. Destroyed," she said, a touch of sadness in her words, "before they even had the chance to be born. They had their heads crushed, their bodies burned; they were hacked to pieces before they could even hatch…all of them were butchered by the attacking force.
"I was tricked," she said. "They led me out. They were led by that damned fool of a nephew of yours, Lord Regent. When I returned; they were dead. They were all dead, Lord Regent. I can still smell their blood. It was everywhere. Do you know how painful that is? The pain of losing every child you have ever conceived? Of course not. You never will."
Benedictus had gone white as snow. His hands, hold and wrinkled, began to shake fiercely, and his eyes were wide. In their apparent light, Lady Prestor looked up. There was a cruel, monstrous smile on her face, and she was no longer the beautiful siren she had been before. She looked a demon in human form.
"I got him back, however," she said. "He was a bit bony, but revenge was sweet. I can still taste his blood and flesh, Lord Regent. But I knew that it wasn't enough. So I returned here, and I plotted. I drove the gnomes off by making the fool Thermaplugg betray his people. The elves followed quickly, drawn by their own problems. The dwarves were simple. I just slowly drove your king insane. He did the rest. Things just fell into place after that. The Scarlet Crusade played their part. So did your king, and even you. You have surprised me by finding out. Well done, Lord Regent.
"Well done."
Benedictus reacted without a second thought. He made a hand seal, and cried, "Purifying Bolt!"
A piercing blade of light-colored chakra smashed into Lady Prestor before she could react. She flew back from her seat, and smashed into the wall, a golden sword pinning her to the wall through the breast.
The other Council members were up. They did not react. Benedictus raised a hand, ready to deliver another strike, before someone grabbed it, wrenching it down.
He stared into the eyes of Captain Reinhardt Schaun, who was staring with eyes of stone at the old man. His hand gripped hard, and seemed to engulf Benedictus' entire arm. It was hot and clammy, and felt hard like armor, as if it were made of scales.
"There is no need to hide anymore," said Prestor. She was looking up. Staring at Benedictus with that same cruel smile. "I LOOK FORWARDS TO TASTING YOU, LORD REGENT. I MISS THE TASTE OF REVENGE TERRIBLY."
'No…this can't be,' Benedictus thought. He had miscalculated. He hadn't foreseen this. How could he have? But the answer seemed to glaringly obvious! Why had he not seen it before?
He suddenly knew what the event he had sensed was. He now knew that he was its cause.
Lady Prestor was changing. Purple lightning crackled over her body, morphing her from lady to nightmare. She grew massive, her skin becoming blacker than night and scaly as a snake. Bony spines erupted forth along her back and her face became elongated and reptilian; her mouth became filled with horribly long, dagger-like teeth, and horns pushed through on either side of her head, curved and wicked. Her hands and feet were claws, suddenly, and a massive tail appeared, that was studded with spines all the way to the end, where they became as long as swords. A spiny, purple frill unfolded upon the top of her head, and her neck was covered in light purple scales and spines that hung like a sack. Her eyes became massive, snake-like; but were the enchanting violet of before.
Benedictus looked upon the creature with horror in his eyes. Never before had he made such a grave mistake.
It was Lord Coutrend, recognizing the frill and the coloring from countless books and scrolls. He recognized her as the queen of the black dragons that had attacked Theramore, which had been responsible for the deaths of so many fellow humans; the daughter of the Black Dragon Aspect, the Earth Warder: Neltharion—Deathwing, to some; and the brood-mother of the last vestiges of the Black Dragonflight.
"Onyxia…" he whispered.
The dread dragon Onyxia let out a bellowing roar that shook the castle. It echoed throughout the city, and the fighting and hate suddenly stopped, as the people listened.
Listened to their doom.
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I know that some people will not be as affected as others due to this revelation. Sadly, it does lose much of its effect unless you know exactly who Onyxia is. Refer to Chapter 28 if you wish to find out about the Theramore incident (for that was when I introduced it), and for more mention of Onyxia. There are smatterings of her involvement in other chapters, as well—Philosophy of a King; Darkmoone Faire; Stories, Suspicion and Sayonaras; and of course, the previous chapter.
I am ashamed I even had to do that. Honestly, I know that I have done a poor job in keeping your attention on this issue. Forgive me.
On the other hand, even with this little information that you have, I hope it creates an effect of confusion (and shock to those who know who Onyxia is), just like it is causing confusion for the characters. This is what I intended. Lady Prestor was lurking in the background for this entire time, with but mere mentions or hints of what she might be. But to those who have read closely, even if you did not know who Onyxia was, I hope you got the impression that she was evil from the moment she was introduced.
You can't blame Benedictus for his overlooking this. He had little reason to believe what she was. He made a tactical error—and yes, it will cost him.
Let me know if I can do anything to change this chapter to better affect those who do not know who Onyxia is.
More of course, will be revealed soon enough.
Next week: Kira's return to Stormwind…a not so joyous occasion.
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Nozdormi is battling the effects of an oncoming hangover. Rasengan proves ineffective. We require more minerals.
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Bestiary:
Onyxia (Dragonkin)(Boss)- The daughter of the corrupt Aspect, Deathwing, Onyxia is a horrible monster of extreme power and many abilities, none of which have been revealed yet. She is cunning and clever, and has been manipulating the humans in Stormwind for generations. She is hateful towards them all, for they destroyed her children. Now, she intends to get revenge.