Chapter Five

"Aydeline."

The soft patter of feet filled the house as a small girl ran through the house, frantic for her mothers call, rushing into the bedroom where she lay, instantly grabbing a hold of her mothers hand's with her tiny fingers. She gazed up at her with wondrous eyes, shutting them softly and laying them against her mothers arm. Her mother patted her head softly, smiling wearily. "You are so beautiful.." she whispered lovingly. "I have no doubt you will find a handsome knight to be yours.."

Her mother coughed several times, the pain evident on her face. She exhaled softly and laid her head back, closing her eyes silently, fading away and taking her last breath. The small girl hardly understood, her mind confused as she watched her mother lay there motionless. A heavy hand wrapped itself around her shoulder, the owner kneeling down next to her, a red flame emblazoned on her white tabard. Bridgitte glanced over at the small girl, smiling kindly. "She's in a better place now." she said, trying to make the young girl understand. It took such a toll on her, to see this.. it was one of the main reasons why she strove so much against the undead, so that this would never happen again...

The girl nodded in slight understanding and glanced up at her mothers pale face, her surroundings fading and nothing left but white..

Like snow...

Wintergarde was silent this night, the patrols roaming the walls quietly, their breath coming out in white mist in front of their armored faces, their hands coated with frost and snow gripping their sheathed blades. The inn was even more quiet, albeit the creaking floorboards and sounds that sprung out randomly and ominously through the old inn. On a balcony on the far side of the inn was a man, bare from the waist up. It was cold and his sweat steamed upwards around him, but he ignored the chilling winds, his mind elsewhere.. on someone. His heart was thundered from moments ago and he grinned to himself, naturally looking over his shoulder to spot the person on his mind.

She smiled softly, her amber eyes twinkling with amusement as she leaned against the doorframe, her head tilted back as she gazed at him through the veil that partially covered her eyes. She was bare, too, except for a small shawl she held against her lithe frame. It was no doubt obvious why she was unclothed.. She raised a crooked finger to him, her eyes sending the message that she didn't have to speak. He smiled wryly, returning to her, pressing himself against her, their lips meeting for a moment before she drew away, letting the shawl fall to the ground. Her body was like fire beneath him, flaring up with anticipation and pleasure. His hands slid up her spine, sending shivers across her body, her eyes fluttering open and trailing towards the bed back in the room, its contents spewed about.. for good reasons. He grinned slyly and-

"Memories are such a precious thing.."

Aydeline's eyes flew open, her breath coming in pants and a film of cold sweat coating her skin. Her eyes darted around the room, trying to figure out where she was, and who was nearby.. Is it a dream? she asked herself.

"I would hope not."

Aydeline's breath hitched at the startling voice. "Tavin?" she cried out, her mind still hazed by the memory of him and her that night so long ago. Silence permitted for a few moments, her eyes slightly becoming adjusted to the dark. And as they did, she found herself staring at a pair of wicked green eyes, glancing over her lasciviously.

"If only."

Aydeline recognized the voice and instantly every memory rushed back to her, the hard realization of the present slamming into her harshly, her heart dropping severely. Her anger flared at this point, "Bastard!" she screamed, springing to her feet. "Take me back!" she demanded, breathing heavily. He only laughed at her empty demands however, "And deprive myself of this.. "fun"?" he asked, choosing his words carefully, but with leisure. He scoffed and turned his back on her, turning to gander out the window of the creaking ship. Tears of frustration brimmed in Aydeline's eyes. The man's head suddenly perked up, and he swept passed her and out of the room, heading for the deck. Aydeline sat there for a moment, but sudden curiosity, or courage, overcame her and she slipped out into the hold, now able to glance outside at the deck which was bathed in moonlight.

The shadow of the Warlock loomed near the doorway, and so Aydeline leaned against the wall between them, pressing her head against the wall and straining her ears to the sounds on the opposite side of the wall. Silence lingered for a moment before the sound of rustling wings filled the air, accompanied by a couple of soft thuds as two, or more, things dropped to the deck.

"Varian is on his way back to Stormwind." a deep voice rumbled.

"And our men are in positions waiting." an icy voice added.

Another pause, then, "We go meet our convoy then... perhaps we will enact the coup before Lordaeron can butt in." Aydeline instantly recognized the Warlock's voice. "I thought your puppet killed their King?" the icy voice asked, a worried note entering his voice. "Unfortunately she did not, however they are stalled for the time being.. enough time for us." the Warlock answered, relieving the owner of the icy voice.

"And what of the puppet herself?" the deep voice questioned. "I will leave the blood on her hands." the Warlock answered crisply, his words sending a shiver down Aydeline's spine. What does he mean by that.. she thought to herself, more worry settling into her heart.. along with fear. Aydeline sensed the two guest's nodding for they then said, "Very well, we will see you in due time, brother." Before the Warlock cared to answer, wings ruffled again and two shadow's swooped past the doorway, out over the sea and away.

Aydeline sprung to her feet, seeking to slip back to the room before the Warlock discovered her eavesdropping, but as she turned her back her motives were prevented as a soft voice drifted from the doorway. "Aydeline." he said crisply, a bit of aggravation entering his voice. She meekly glanced over her shoulder finding his tainted green eyes leering out at her, narrowing as they caught each other's eyes. He said no words, instead rose his hand and crooked a finger at her, demanding that she come out on the deck with him.

Carefully, she crossed the hold back to the doorway and exited out onto the deck, surprised to find herself gazing at thick forests on the coastline. "Ahh home." the Warlock said stepping up beside her and placing his hands on the railing, inhaling deeply. A silence lingered between them before he finally spoke up. "If you wish to live, which I would think you do, then I would suggest following my every order." he said sharply, reaching up to unclasp his robe, letting the dark garment fall to the ground, revealing pure white robes trimmed with royal blue underneath. "For, you see, I have some qualms against partaking in the way most men punish insolent prisoners, especially women..." he paused and let the comment soak in for a second. He turned his back to her and walked up to the Chest which sat on a crate against the wall. He flipped it open, revealing several stacks of paper and scrolls along with a pure gold bishop's hat with the symbol of the Holy Church upon it.

"However." he suddenly said, bringing Aydeline back to par with him. "My men have no qualms against said things." he slipped the hat out of the Chest and closed it carefully, turning to face her. "And so, I rest my case, for I believe you understand my words." he finished, smirking at her as the realization settled in and a few uncomfortable memories rushed back to her, her face growing pale with fearful understanding.

His smirk deepened at this and he slipped the miter onto his head and suddenly Aydeline recognized him. Without the dark clothing, the rugged face and green eyes, he was Reverend Tholomew, a prominent figure in the Holy Church and perhaps the Archbishop's closest assistant. To find out that he in fact was a Warlock was an interesting irony and obviously blasphemy. He wrapped several prayer beads in-between his fingers and grabbed a hold of the Chest. "Keep silent and all will pertain to be well." he said, regaining his quiet comforting tone he owned as a Reverend.

He slipped up the deck back to the helm, where the wheel was entirely controlling itself, obviously by some form of magic. The magic dispersed and Tholomew grabbed a hold of it, manually steering the ship around the coast. It didn't take long before they broke free of the green trees of Elywynn and the walls of Stormwind entered their view, along with the several ships that were anchored in the harbor.

It was late and only guards roamed the dock's, their lanterns held high as they swept patrols along the edge's of the harbor. The sloop easily rolled around and rode into the harbor, a deep splash of water crying out as their anchor was dropped. The sloop shuddered to a halt alongside the docks, the light ship needing only a small amount of weight to stop it. Several soldiers rushed towards them, some holding mooring line.

Aydeline watched silently as the soldiers attached the hawsers to the bollards, mooring the ship in place so it wouldn't drift while docked in the harbor. A plank was extended up to the deck and the soldier's stepped back, waiting on them to exit the ship. Tholomew appeared behind Aydeline and grabbed the back of her cloak, flicking up her cowl before seizing a hold of her arm, leading her down the plank and onto the pier into the waiting soldier's.

"Reverend Tholomew!" one of the soldier's exclaimed, seeming surprised at the arrival of the man. "Has King Varian arrived yet?" Tholomew asked abruptly glancing around for the King's flagship. The soldier nodded eagerly, "Aye sir! He arrived weary from the Barrens earlier in the day." Tholomew nodded in return, "I will meet with him shortly, however I need to return to my office." he declared. The soldier nodded, "We will escort you to the Cathedral, sir." he offered. Not wanting to raise suspicion, Tholomew nodded, raising his hand for them to lead the way.

Aydeline kept silent as she fell in, in front of Tholomew, as the group made its way through the night for the church. Aydeline could feel the cold gaze of Tholomew focused on her, his hand straying slightly behind her arm in case she tried anything suspicious or tricky. Casually, she glanced back quickly, catching his eyes, suddenly noticing they were back to blue instead of wicked green. His eye's narrowed slightly and she turned back around hastily. His hand grazed her arm, silently communicating with her.

For the remainder of the short trip she remained silent, a bit of anxiety and fear settling in her mind as the Cathedral came into view, where she and Tholomew would be in a closed space alone. Light only knew why he wanted to return to his office..

The escorts stopped at the foot of the church, turning sharply and saluting the Reverend. "Light bless you." he whispered, raising his hand peacefully at them, his prayer beads clacking against each other. The soldiers departed and Tholomew sharply nudged Aydeline up the stairs, leading her into the Cathedral which was silent and devoid of anyone.

Aydeline glanced up the sanctuary, her eyes filtering past the empty pillars and tapestry's, up towards the altar which held the Archbishop's staff upon it, glimmering with holy light and brilliance in the soft moonlight that filtered in through the stained glass windows. Tholomew scoffed at it under his breath, turning to the left into one of the corridors, down a flight of stairs and ending at a stained oak door. Tholomew pushed it open softly revealing his quarters and office, the walls lined with numerous bookcases, all filled with endless books, tomes and volumes.

Tholomew shut the door behind them, locking it shut and turning and walking to a wardrobe in the corner, flinging it open to reveal its contents. Aydeline remained silent as he removed his vestments, tucking them away into the wardrobe, in turn reaching into the very back to pull out a set of fine silk clothing that was pure black. He quietly slipped the trousers on, along with half calf boots. As he moved to put on the silk shirt, however, a piece of linen fell from the top pocket, floating to the ground.

Aydeline gazed at it;

A blood red handkerchief.

Anywhere else within Azeroth, that small piece of linen would have been normal.. however within the confides of the Kingdom of Stormwind, it was an abomination to carry it, especially if one had an intent or allegiance behind it.

Her eyes snapped back up to Tholomew, "Defias." she whispered, the word sour as it rolled off her tongue.

Tholomew bent down and gingerly picked up the bandanna, ultimately showing Aydeline his true motives. "You really are a two faced bastard." she commented, "A priest and revered person of Stormwind on one side... then a Warlock and a corrupt Defias thief the next.." she whispered, narrowing her eyes at him. Tholomew smirked, "We all live a lie in some way." he noted, tossing the bandanna over his shoulder and letting it rest there. He crossed the small threshold to a part of the bookcase, reaching for a crimson colored book. It read STONEMASONRY across its spine, almost making Aydeline laugh at it. It was hidden in plain sight, so clever. He grabbed it and pulled it out of its slot, flipping it open to reveal its hallow pages, cut out to make a small hiding space. It was so simple and cliche, yet so effective. Tholomew pulled a small key from its depths before closing the book and tucking it back away on the shelf.

He returned to his desk, placing a hand on it and pushing forward, the seemingly heavy wooden desk gliding forward on hidden hinges, leaving only the carpet that covered the stone floor. Tholomew brushed the edge of it with his boot, folding it back to reveal a silver key hole in the floor, no doubt the rest was obvious to Aydeline.

He inserted the key and turned it with a small snick, the fake stone coming up as the Reverend pulled it up, revealing a set of hidden stairs that expanded further down below. The echo of footsteps came from below and several figures appeared from the hidden stairwell, all in black leather armor with red bandanna's tied around their faces. Two men and one woman.

"Reverend!" exclaimed the women, gingerly kissing him on the cheek in a sultry manner. "Vanessa." Tholomew said softly, smiling at her. "Everything is in place for the coup.. at last we will have what once should have been ours." he said, a tone of bitterness touching his voice. The woman, Vanessa, placed a comforting hand on his chest, "Have patience, dear Tholomew.. in time we will strike and have success.. for now we wait and put our final pieces into play." she said softly, hushing Tholomew.

Vanessa.. Aydeline thought to herself.. the name sounded familiar and rang a small bell at the back of her mind.

"All my father worked for will finally pay off." Vanessa said, smiling with a bit of hidden mirth, reveling in how close she was to victory.

At her words, Aydeline realized who the woman was; Vancleef's daughter. She must have revealed herself and taken control of the Defias Brotherhood.

Vanessa took an interest in Aydeline suddenly, sauntering over to her, her leather encased hands softly flicking back her cowl to reveal Aydeline's pale and bitter tinged face. "Aydeline Wilhelm.." Vanessa said, letting the name roll off her tongue with leisure. "Such a.. a surprise." she said. "So far from home, are we."

Aydeline favored her with a small smile, "Displaced, I am." she whispered, struggling not the slap the woman, nor fling herself at Tholomew and attack him. Vanessa sensed this and grabbed her chin with two fingers, pinching it and lifting it up a bit. She brought her lips close to her ear, "Watch yourself." she said crisply, pulling back and lingering for a moment, waiting to see if Aydeline would respond.

Aydeline abated her emotions for the moment and remained still, her eyes, however, never leaving Vanessa.

Tholomew seemed slightly surprised, but he didn't comment on it.

Satisfied, Vanessa wheeled back around, placing her back to Aydeline and facing Tholomew. "We will strike for the heart first, but do we strike high or low is the question?" she asked, speaking in riddles to her fellow thieves. Aydeline's eyes settled on the back of her belt, which held two crossed dagger's in sheaths. It was tempting...

"If we strike low, it will only anger him further and he will fight to his dying breath for his late son." Tholomew commented, revealing what they were speaking of: Varian and Anduin.

Aydeline's eyes shaded over the dagger's again.. if she had speed she could do it...

She sprung forward, grabbing a dagger with one hand and wrapping her arm around Vanessa's neck with the other, pulling her back and whipping the dagger down, the tip whistling for he exposed collarbone. Vanessa suddenly twisted and released herself from Aydeline's hold, unsheathing the other dagger and raising it in front of her.

She smirked and didn't say a word, instead narrowing her eyes at Aydeline. Aydeline, in turn, crouched into a defensive stance, her eyes darting between Tholomew and Vanessa. "We can fight, or you can release me." Aydeline whispered, a bit of courage touching her voice... it was all she could muster. Vanessa laughed at her empty threat, "You sound lost, child." She said, edging closer to Aydeline.

Aydeline bit the bottom of her lip, watching the dagger weave in between Vanessa's hands, waiting for the flicker of movement so she could parry it. What she didn't expect was the whistling fist that came from another direction, slamming into Aydeline's temple, knocking her to the ground with stars splattered across her vision. The dagger skirted away from Aydeline's reach and she tried to dive for it, but Vanessa's foot connected with her rib's, kicking her across the office.

Aydeline groaned in pain, the disappointment of defeat settling in as she couldn't move. Vanessa stopped over her, seeming displeased. A silence lingered between them, before, "We will work on your insolence."

And her vision went black.

Our time has come.

For years, we prepared, we grew stronger.., While you rested in your cradle of power..

Tholomew glanced out over the city, hidden in the shadow of the statue, his eyes scanning the city, his scarlet bandanna fluttering in the breeze. A multitude of daggers shimmered at his hip as he shifted his feet slightly.

Believing your people were safe and protected this time..

His eyes crossed over another shadow, spotting the outline of Vanessa as she scanned the city as well, perfectly hidden to any other onlooker from the ground. Tholomew enjoyed the silence of stealth, the flawlessness of blending into the shadows.. it was exhilarating and at the the same time it fed his sense of power.

You were trusted to lead the Alliance, but you were deceived by your own people; as we perfected our powers in silence, accepting being outcasts, thrown out for being good.. the very thing you strive to be... You assumed no force could challenge you, nor we would ever forget the debt you owe us.

And now,

Finally,

We. Have. Returned.

Authors Note:

Plot twist! and yes I stole this last part from SWTOR... Reviews anyone..?