Chapter 16 – Stormwind
Everything about Stormwind was enormous. The entire city seemed to be built for giants. Inside the city gates the land fell away to form a natural valley. A lake, two hundred yards across had formed here, and the bridge that spanned it was at least fifty feet wide. The lake originally worked as moat of the defense, but it had been more than twenty years since the city had been attacked. Now it served as a local fishing spot, and wharf for dozens of small pleasure boats.
Huge statues rose on each side of the road. Towering effigies larger than Northshire's belfry overshadowed the everyday citizens. The first two were of a dwarf and a human warrior, weapons in hand. Fifty feet further the statues were of a female high-elf holding aloft an eagle, and human archmage with flowing robes. At the end of the road stood a final figure. A solemn human with a broken sword in his left hand and a book in his right. His cold stone face looked down in down in judgment at all who passed before his feet.
"Who were they?" Edwynn asked.
"Friends" Mallet said darkly. At the base of the final monument the road split and passed through a series of gatehouses and open portcullis. The paladin began to lead Star forward along the road towards the city.
"Did you know them uncle?" Myrista asked as they passed under the dwarf's shadow.
"Not all of them, at least not very well. They are the heroes of the second war. I never really met Kurdran or Captain Windrunner, but I saw them often in the command tent and at briefings. Duke Trollbane made it his business to see and know the men. He was a tactical genius, but he and I didn't always see eye to eye. Archmage Khadgar I knew from the tour I spent at Netherguard Keep. He was Medivh's apprentice, and at one time the most powerful human sorcerer on Azeroth. Now the only reason kids like you know his name is because of that damn weed they named after him. Khadgar's Whisker. But Turalyon… He and I went way back. We rose through the ranks together during the second war. The last thing he said to me before the fighting separated us was 'Hey Mallet, you still owe me ten crowns.'" The paladin stopped talking then. His eyes were wet and he swallowed slowly.
"Did they die in battle?" Edwynn asked.
"I hope so. No one knows for sure. They stayed behind on Draenor to seal the Dark Portal from the far side. You see, the leader of the orcs was a warlock named Ner'zhul. He had built a half dozen other Dark Portals, each leading to a different world. But these new gates would not open unless he had certain mystic artifacts the Horde had left behind on our world during the first war. So two years after Lothar died, the orcs reopened the Dark Portal and decimated Netherguard Keep. We thought the Horde had returned to finish what they had started. We didn't understand that it wasn't an invasion. So King Terenas of Lordaeron called the alliance together to form an expedition to Draenor. We built a base on Hellfire Peninsula called Hope's End. It was supposed to defend the portal and secure our supply line to Azeroth. From there we assaulted the orc's stronghold. Ultimately we failed. Ner'Zhul was able opened those other gates, but something went wrong and the energies released began to tear Draenor apart."
"What went wrong?" Brogan asked.
"Who can know? Maybe our assaults pressured him into acting too soon? Maybe he was missing an artifact or two? The last days of Draenor are a blur to me. The orcs were the first to discover that their world was doomed. The only escape was the portal to Azeroth. The entire orcish nation rose against us like an ocean. They swept over the walls at Hope's End and we were forced to withdraw to the central keep. We watched as they rushed through the gate by the hundreds. Khadgar realized that if the gate remained open. Azeroth would share Draenor's fate. He began casting a spell to seal the gate. Once the orcs discovered that we were trying to close it, they swarmed the keep. You can't imagine so many orcs. Tens of thousands. My squad and I held our position as the ground beneath our feet broke apart and sailed upwards. I called the Light again and again, until I could barely walk. My men faltered. It was the end, we all knew it."
"Then I saw Fordragon. Turalyon ordered him to round up as many men as possible and escape through the portal back to Azeroth. I thought of your father then, Myrista, and the families of the men under my command. I ordered the squad to abandon our position just as our position decided to abandon us. Our watchtower flew up into the air just as the last man stepped off of it. We ran for the portal. The orcs closed in all around us. The men in the rear were getting cut to pieces. I dropped my sword and helm, and carried the wounded instead. Twice I crossed into Azeroth, and twice I went back for those who couldn't make it without aid. The third time luck caught up with me and a troll axe split my breastplate. Fordragon himself threw me over Star's back. She carried me bleeding across the threshold."
"I awoke in the field hospital three days later. The Dark Portal was closed and Turalyon, Khadgar, and the others remained behind on the other side. Of the four men I carried back, three didn't make it. The last one was going to name his firstborn son after me. I told him to name it after Turalyon instead."
Mallet looked up at the statue of his lost friend. The lifeless granite eyes gave no response.
"By the Light I hate this road."
Beyond the gatehouse sprawled the trade district of Stormwind. Shops were set up as far as the eye could see. The air was filled with the cries of vendors and the smells of exotic foods. As the sun was setting to the west, it cast everything in a yellow-orange glow. People in every manner of dress imaginable hurried about their business.
"There she is!" Edwynn couldn't believe his luck. He pointed to a tall Night Elf selling enchantments in front of the cheese shop.
"That's not her. That doesn't even look like her." Myrista corrected. Closer inspection proved her right. This Night Elf was slightly less tall, probably only seven feet in height. She had much shorter hair and looked to be about thirty pounds heavier. Edwynn turned away and spotted a second Night Elf coming out of a nearby apothecary. He was about to point that one out to the group, until he realized it was male. 'HE' was also wearing chain mail and carried an enormous bow. Wherever he was going, he was in a hurry. In seconds he vanished into the crowd and was gone.
The main road terminated at a kind of bazaar. Mallet pulled Star to a halt and assisted Myrista down from her back. He then gathered the three children together, trying to keep their attention as a fight broke out between two stocky dwarves.
"First time in the city?" Mallet asked.
"Yes, sir." Edwynn replied.
"I've lived in Dalaron." Brogan answered. "But it was nothing like this. Look, Edwynn! That man is selling wolf pelts for five silver apiece! You couldn't get ten coppers for that whole stack back home."
"Yeah." The rogue answered. "And those crab cakes are nearly a gold!"
Mallet nodded stoically. "That's the first thing you learn about cities: everything here is more expensive. You can find anything you want, if you have the time and money. But realize that this can be a dangerous place. All this wealth attracts the wrong element. There are a lot of displaced people from the countryside who flock to the city seeking refuge, or opportunity. There aren't enough jobs, so people turn to crime. Don't listen to anyone who's trying to sell you something, or wants you to follow them down an alley. And watch your wallets while you're here."
"Lucky us, we haven't got any money."
"Is that so…" Mallet looked at the two boys carefully. "Well then, here's how this will work. We have about two hours of daylight left, and I can see that you're itching to do some exploring. I know I was the first time I saw this place. I'll get us a suite at the Gilded Rose. It's not as fancy as the Pig and Whistle, but Star likes the stables better. Something about the oats." Mallet patted the mare's flank. "I don't know how long it's going to take me to track down this druid, or if she'll even have the book, but you two are welcome to stay with Myrista and I as long as you want. It's the least I can do for you."
"Thank you, sir." Brogan replied. Edwynn didn't say anything. His eyes were following the bosom of a female warrior whose armor seemed to be missing pieces in certain key areas.
"Okay, pay attention. The Gilded Rose is right behind you. Here's a half crown each. Do some looking around, get yourselves something to eat, stay out of trouble, and meet me in the common room before ten tonight."
"Ten?" Edwynn gasped. "That's almost four hours from now!"
"I'm not your father lad. Besides, there are no bears or wolves waiting to prey on young children here. But there are other dangers. This city changes after dark, unlike Ironforge which is pretty much the same no matter what hour it is. Be careful, keep your wits about you and you'll do fine."
"Do I get to do any looking around, uncle?"
"No Myrista. You and I have work to do."
"Pardon me, sir" Edwynn said to the knight. "Do you know which way Old Town is from here?"
Mallet smiled. "Jorik gave you an errand to run, eh? Not surprising I suppose. Go that way, under an arch and across the canal. But don't stay there too late. It's a rough neighborhood."
"Thank you, sir." And without another word the raven-haired boy dashed and was instantly lost in the crowd.
"Spirited little rascal isn't he?" Mallet commented.
"Annoyingly so." Myrista replied.
Brogan excused himself to find a bathroom and get some food. He said his feet hurt from walking all afternoon, and he expected he would meet them in the common room in less than an hour. This left the Crownguards alone together. The two of them led Star in silence to the stables. There Mallet began to unhitch the wagon.
"You don't think I can take care of myself, do you uncle?" Myrista asked.
"I knew this was coming…" Mallet whispered under his breath. His horse seemed to snort a laugh at him. Mallet glared at the mare before answering his niece. "As a matter of fact young lady, I don't"
"It's because I'm a girl, isn't it."
"Nope." Mallet removed Star's saddle. "I'm met plenty of women who can fight and hold their own on the field."
"Then it's because I'm a priestess. Because I don't carry a sword or wear armor."
"That's got nothing to do with it."
"Then why uncle?"
"Because you're just thirteen years old. The world is tough enough…"
"I'm sixteen!" she said.
Mallet paused and looked at her. Indeed, the cherub-cheeked features he remembered from before he left had been replaced with the fine lines of early womanhood. Legs that had used to dangle from Star's flanks now easily reached the stirrups. Mallet frowned. He had been gone longer that he thought. His little niece who used to beg for candied cakes and piggyback rides was all grown up.
"I'm sorry, you're right." He said. "I'm treating you like a child and you no longer are one."
"Thank you, uncle."
"But you're still not coming. Now listen to me before you start up again. I've been on the front lines for most of my life. I've seen and done things too horrible to describe. But I did them because I knew it kept you and your father safe from danger."
"You were always a willful little girl growing up. You took after my brother that way. When I read in his letters that you had taken up the cloth, I was overjoyed. It's a noble thing, to be a priest, but it's selfless and far from easy. It means devoting yourself to the health and welfare of others. And there's little glory in it. Heroes are often portrayed as mighty warriors who stand in the path of the dragon's breath. No one sings songs of the humble priest who stood in the back and supported the others with the power of the Light. It's not a path to fame or riches. But it is a path to greatness."
"Without priests the alliance would be nothing. The Horde or the undead scourge would have overrun us years ago. It's only the power of the Light that holds them at bay. I can wield this power, as can other paladins, but you have devoted yourself wholly to it. You will gain a mastery of that power that I will never have. The feats and healing that you accomplished last night saved Edwynn and Brogan's lives, and you are just an apprentice. Imagine what you could have done if you were a fully trained priestess."
Myrista looked down at her feet. "I might have been able to save the manor. The DeTeems would probably still be alive."
"Stop it!" Mallet ordered in a forceful tone. "I've seen men drive themselves mad dwelling on the mistakes of the past. What's done is done. We have to look to the future now."
"I am thinking of the future uncle! I'm thinking about the next time those bandits decide to attack a house. I'm thinking of the next family that's going to get massacred. I can't stand feeling so helpless. I need to do something about it."
"You will do something, Myrista. You'll go to school and you'll study. Hard. You'll grow strong."
Myrista threw back her hair in frustration. "But it takes so long! You're going to need my help now!"
"I'll be fine. And you need to learn patience. Now come on. No more talk of this. Lets get some food and some sleep. You know the gnomes have installed hot water pipes in this inn. Tomorrow we'll take you to the cathedral and see about getting this business taken care of."
Myrista pressed her lips together tightly. It was obvious that her uncle would not change his mind. She resolved to stop arguing about it. She knew that he could not search for Mythril and keep an eye on her at the same time. She just had to play along, and wait for the right moment.
As they crossed from the stable to the inn, Myrista's mind retraced the events of the previous night. The bandits had been so brazen, so confident in their attack against the manor. They had known in advance that she was a priestess, and had a gag waiting for her as soon as she was captured. But they had not been afraid of her. No one was afraid of a healer. No one was afraid of the Light.
But there were other aspects of being a priest. More advanced magics, which were not taught to apprentices. Everything stuck by light casts a shadow. And in the shadows there were many things to be afraid of.