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After Dinner
Kaidie stepped into the room where Thrall had been previously and blinked at what she saw. There was a veritable buffet set out before her. It was only big enough to feed two people, but it was lavish and almost exotic. There were different kinds of meats, fruits and vegetables, breads, and wine. Thrall had already made himself a plate and sat at the end of the table, watching her as he took a large bite out of the plainstrider drumstick in his hand. He motioned to the food with the haunch of meat and swallowed what he'd been chewing.
"Please, feel free to help yourself, Girl." It was then he realized he'd never actually asked her name. Thrall chuckled to himself. "How unbelievably rude of me. You knew who I was the moment you stepped through the door, but I never had the pleasure of getting your name."
Kaidie pursed her lips together slightly as she heard him and grabbed her plate. She knew as a diplomat she should have introduced herself in the first place, but when she recognized him she had forgotten to properly state her name. She grabbed some pulled ham and a few pieces of fruit and sat at the only other chair at the table. Which just happened to be to Thrall's immediate right. She popped a grape into her mouth and smiled sweetly to him.
"My name is Kaidie, Sir." She still couldn't really get past calling him by a title of respect. She'd been raised show respect to others, and it was a surprisingly difficult habit to break.
Thrall sat the drumstick down at the mentioning of her name. It sounded so familiar, but why? Maybe it was a common human name. That had to be it. Though putting her name with her face, she reminded him of someone. Great. Now he'd be up all night trying to figure it out.
"That is a very lovely name, Kaidie." He finally said after a moment of silent reflection. "Please, tell me about yourself. What spurred you to become a paladin? Exactly how old are you?"
Kaidie took a bite of her ham and leaned back casually in her chair. Perhaps it would help her not be so nervous. "Well…" she said between chews. Thrall didn't seem to care that he was speaking with his mouth full, why should she? "I was 18 when I first joined the Knights of the Silver Hand. Wrynn had a lot of control over them and their missions. During the first year of my training, I would constantly hear of missions the paladins were sent on to kill bands of orcs and trolls. I understood his hatred, but I could not condone his zeal and desires for genocide. I almost quit."
Thrall listened intently, a smile curled upon his lips. "Why didn't you?"
She shrugged as she popped another grape in her mouth. "I wasn't sure at first. After all, the Knights of the Silver Hand were a part of the Argent Crusade. Why would someone like Tirion Fordring allow such things to happen? I just felt like something was telling me to stay just a little while longer. So I listened to it. Then one day, Tirion Fordring visited our temple. He was searching for recruits in the clean up of Northrend. Arthas had just been defeated and he needed able bodied soldiers to help cleanse the remainder of the undead from Icecrown. I volunteered. "
Thrall was thoroughly fascinated with her story now. "So young and fighting the undead? If Tirion hadn't sent you to me at such a young age, I'd not believe he'd have sent you to Icecrown so young either."
Kaidie couldn't help but grin at that. "Well, he didn't actually send me to Icecrown to fight scourge. He said I wasn't trained enough. I had this terrible urge to press the matter so I asked if I could speak with him privately. He agreed and pulled me to the side. I told him of my concerns for King Wrynn's sanity and that I wasn't comfortable with the tasks he sent his paladins on. That's when he told me to come with him to Icecrown and complete my training. He would induct me into the Argent Crusade and when my training was complete, he would task me with important matters. Such as cleansing the scourge from the face of Azeroth."
She paused to take another bite of her food and a drink of the wine. It was rich and sweet. She'd not had wine quite so sweet before. Thrall took note of the look on her face as she tasted the wine and chuckled.
"It's made from mageroyal seeds." He couldn't help but watch as she enjoyed her meal. Truly enjoyed it. And she seemed so comfortable with his company. Aside from Jaina, all of the other diplomats he'd ever seen seemed to think he would try to poison them or outright kill them. Was she that trusting? Or perhaps that naïve? Sure, he didn't intend her harm, but he knew plenty of orcs still believed in the hatred of others such as Garrosh Hellscream. He'd barely squelched that uprising. Garrosh was much younger than Thrall and had the endurance of youth that Thrall just didn't have. But it was Thrall's faith in the elements and Jaina's prompt intervention that had saved Thrall and his horde from following a path much like that of his Stormwind rival.
His thoughts were starting to trail. Time to get back on track. "Forgive the personal questions, Kaidie, but you have sparked my curiosity and I must ask." He paused to make sure he had her attention. She nodded as she grabbed a napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth, watching him expectantly. "Why, if orcs killed your family, do you act as an ambassador to them?"
Kaidie let out a slow breath. She had been waiting for this question. She wasn't sure how to answer it. "Well," she started, "Orcs took my mother and father from me. For that, I hate them. But they also saved me."
Thrall looked at her confused. "I don't understand."
"You see…my family was rather simple. We lived in a farming village. There was no militia or guard for us. The entire village was dedicated to raising food and livestock for Lordaeron. One day, a band of orc soldiers invaded. They ransacked the entire village. My father tried to hide my mother, sister and myself in the attic. Our basement had our family food supply and we figured that would be the first place the orcs would look." Kaidie had to pause for a second. This next part of the story was going to be the hardest. She took in a deep breath. "Daddy locked us in and went to face down the orcs. We all knew we'd not find him alive. We heard the orcs burst in through the door and Daddy met them head on with his pitchfork. It glanced off of their armor like grease on a pig. The orc wasted no time in skewering my father to the wall."
Another pause. Thrall seemed to ponder things for a moment. Why would she ever act so friendly towards an orc after something like that? He just didn't understand. But he didn't want to rush her. Let her finish on her own time.
Kaidie appreciated his patience. She continued though. "We waited for what felt like hours until the noise stopped. We thought it would be safe to come out of the attic. So we walked downstairs. My mother screamed when she saw my father hung on the wall like a painting, and she promptly fell to the ground in front of us. My sister and I thought she'd simply passed out from shock. Then we saw the blood seeping from the back of her head. We'd been wrong about the orcs having left. They grabbed myself and my sister…"
Kaidie stopped again when she saw the look on Thrall's face. It was a mixture of shock and disbelief. He spoke next. "You were the only two survivors of the pillaging?"
Kaidie nodded. "Yes. The orcs were going to sell us into slavery. We were 5 and 7. Good house slaves I suppose. I remember what they'd been saying. I couldn't understand it, but afterwards, it's what spurred me on to learn your language."
Thrall nodded, but remained silent as he watched her. She had a knowing look in her eyes. "Don't you want to know how we got away." She asked him as she watched his reaction. That look of shock still on his face as he looked to her, waiting.
"We were saved by another orc. He came into the village and the anger simply seethed from him. He saw the orcs carrying myself and my sister under their arms like barrels, and the death and destruction around the village, and it was like something snapped. He started shouting in orcish and one who had lead the plundering stepped forward. The leader didn't have time to react before the other orc pushed him to the ground and then brought his mace down against the orc's skull. The other two orcs dropped us as the new orc started shouting at them. They looked at us and started to leave, but that orc walked up to us and knelt down. My sister was terrified. She kept tugging on my shoulder, calling my name. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him."
Thrall looked to her with a suddenly guarded curiosity. "Why not?" He was almost nervous about what her answer might be.
She simply smiled to him. "It was his eyes. They set him apart from every other orc I'd seen. The other orcs' eyes were a glowing crimson. But his…his eyes were as blue as the ocean." She felt a soft blush rise to her cheeks as she spoke of the orc's eyes. Thrall just looked to her in amazement. He couldn't believe it. That was why this girl was so familiar to him. Her voice brought him out of his reverie. "I never got to thank him. He gave us food and sent a scout to a nearby village to deliver a message by arrow to the town magistrate. We'd been found in less than two days. I think, though, what really inspired my forgiveness was what he said right before he left us. He looked at us and said…" She didn't get the opportunity to finish before Thrall cut her off.
"I'm so sorry…" He bowed his head in an apologetic, almost ashamed manner. Kaidie frowned a bit and reached over to touch the top of his hand as it rested on his chair. The sudden contact caused Thrall to look up to her in bewilderment.
"It wasn't your fault, Thrall. I remembered every word that you spoke that day. I didn't understand it for a long time, but I remembered it. When I finally learned what you'd spoken to your men…" She trailed off as tears from the memories threatened to pour. She stood and bowed her head respectfully. "I'm sorry, Lord Thrall, but I need to be going. It's late and my men are probably worried about me."
He blinked and nodded to her, not saying a word as she turned and walked out of the building. He couldn't believe that was the same little girl he'd saved all those years ago. She'd not only grown up to be a beautiful young woman, but the liason between him and the Argent Crusade. The deliberate irony was not lost on him. He would likely discuss it with Tirion later.
He stood from his seat and looked to his plate. He'd barely touched his food. He didn't really want to anymore. He sighed and walked out of the building not long after her. He needed to clear his head. He presumed a nice long walk would do him good.
Kaidie walked up to the inn that she had been told to stay at. It was about 20 minutes away from Thrall's throne hall. She said a soft prayer as she dismounted from the divine steed she had rode in on and the horse seemed to poof in a shower of small golden lights. She loved dismissing her mount. It was one of the most reassuring gestures of the Light. Her reverie didn't last long however as the paladin, Zaratul, came back out. He was tall; standing at 6 feet with broad shoulders. He wasn't wearing his armor right now; just his under-tshirt and a pair of loose pants. His body was all muscle. He had a goatee that connected with a neatly trimmed mustache. His hair was a dark brown that stretched down to his chin. It was moments like this Kaidie remembered why she had been so attracted to this man. It was also moments like this that she remembered why she disliked him so much now. He loved to tease her about her feelings for him. It was bad enough that he never returned the feelings while she had them, but he had to openly mock her in front of others about it. Yeah. She was over him now. That crush ended quickly after that.
Zaratul watched her carefully as though he were thinking something over in his mind. She just scowled back to him. "What is so damned interesting to you, Zara?" Zara…it was what she had formed a habit of calling him. He smirked at the endearing nickname.
"I was beginning to wonder if the orc was ever going to let you come back. You know, it really isn't a good idea to get too friendly with these things. Wouldn't want Wrynn to chop your head off for associating with the horde leader." His tone was condescending and patronizing. It was as though she were a child and he was scolding her. She hated that.
"Let's get one thing straight here, Zara. You may out rank me normally, but right now, on this mission, I am law. I am leader. I am just plain in charge. Watch your tone and do not presume to know what is or isn't best for this mission. If I give an order, you follow it without question from now on. And if you EVER interrupt the target of a diplomatic mission again before they are ready to acknowledge us, I will dent your helmet onto your thick skull with my mace." Kaidie spoke with as much authority as she could, but it only seemed to irritate Zaratul more.
He grabbed her by the arm and before she could protest he dragged her up to their rooms. He all but threw her into her room and stepped in after her, closing the door behind him and locking it. Kaidie did not like where this was going.
"What are you doing? Get out." She tried to keep her voice cool and calm as Zara walked up behind her. His hand started undoing the straps of her armor over her shoulders. She spun around out of his grip and just looked at him with wide eyes. "I can undo my own armor, thank you. Now leave my room."
He rolled his eyes and yanked her back over towards him to undo the last strap on her right shoulder. "It goes faster if you have help for the chest piece. These buckles are hard to reach when you're in full plate."
Kaidie scowled. Not because she was angry at him, but because he was right. She could do it on her own, but it would take her at least a half an hour. With help, it took all of five minutes. Before she knew it her chest piece hung freely over her shoulders and she slipped it over her head and set it on the floor next to her bed. She looked to Zara once more with that irritated scowl.
"I'll get my pants on my own. Get out. Now." She was becoming very uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. She'd seen that look before. He gave her sister that look almost every night before they'd go to bed. It wouldn't be long before Kaidie would hear those familiar, awkward noises from their rooms. No, her brother in law did NOT need to be looking at her like that.
Zaratul all but ignored her order to leave the room. Instead he quickly moved up to her and wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her in and pressing her body to his. His grip was strong and steady, but there was no passion in it. Even when his finger traced the delicate line of her jaw, she felt no heat from him. No real desire.
"I wish I'd known how you felt about me before I met your sister. It had always been you that I wanted. She was a consolation prize. My excuse for being near you every night." Even as Zaratul spoke those words Kaidie felt as though she would be sick. She was no fool. He had never wanted her. He did not marry her sister to be closer to her either. No. She knew exactly what this was. He wanted control and this was how he got it. Seduction. She felt his lips moving lower towards hers. She deflected his advance with a hand on his chest.
"Get. Out. Now." She tried to push him away and move. Her legs felt shaky and she was incredibly uncomfortable with this situation. The only problem was that Zara wouldn't loosen his grip. He held her in his vice like embrace. His attempted lustful expression was replaced with something more sinister. It was beginning to frighten Kaidie. She began to struggle harder against him, but it only seemed to fuel his fire as his hand lifted and he landed a back handed blow to the side of her face. It knocked her to the side. She felt herself fall against her cot and tried to reach for her weapon. But he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her hard backwards and onto the bed. She could swear she felt half of his grip rip from her head. She let out a pained yell as he undid the fastenings of her leg plate armor and pulled them off with an almost expert swiftness.
She barely had time to think before he was on top of her, grinding himself into her. She felt the hard bulge pressed between her legs and began to panic. "Stop, Zara, please!" She pleaded with him to no avail. One hand pinned her wrists above her head as his other moved to unfasten his belt. Thoughts spilled through her mind. Why was he doing this? What purpose did this serve? What did this prove? How could she possibly escape?
He had apparently managed to free himself from the confines of his clothed loins and was placing himself back between her legs. His lips reached down to her ear to whisper, "This is to show you how little power over me you really have. This is to prove to you that if I wanted to, I could have you every night with or without your permission." He seemed to pause as though he wanted to let those terrifying words sink in. But he wasn't done tormenting her. He leaned down to her once more. "Tell me, Kaidie...I never did see you going out with any of the boys you trained with. They never amounted to what I was, did they? I'm willing to bet that you're still a virgin. Even at 23 years of age. Aren't you? Well, we'll fix that."
Something in the last thing he said set her off. She wouldn't let this happen. She was stronger than this. She felt as though she were on an adrenaline high as her left wrist twisted abruptly in his hand above her head. He must not have been expecting her continued struggle as her arm was easily freed and she brought her left elbow hard against his temple. He flew off of the bed and hit the ground with a hard thud. Kaidie wasted no time in sitting up and grabbing the cloth pants she wore under her armor.
Zaratul was out cold. It wouldn't last long though. She didn't even think to grab her weapon, she just wanted to get out of there. So she ran. She ran through the inn, past the rest of her men who were slovenly drunk at the bar downstairs. A lot of good they did her. She ran outside and started running down the street. Her mind was racing from what had just happened. She didn't even notice the group of orcs coming upon her. It wasn't until they grabbed her and yanked her into an alley that she realized there was nothing distinguishing her from a regular human and her diplomatic status.
A large green hand around her throat tilted her head so she could see the face of the orcs who had grabbed her. It was the guards from earlier. Great. They began speaking in orcish again. They were talking about how soft her skin felt and how lovely it must feel pressed against one's body. Then the one holding her by the throat grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it painfully. Kaidie tried to scream, but the orc's hand about her neck kept her airway almost completely cut off. She could barely breath let alone scream. She tried to struggle, but she was being lifted off of her feet. Then the other orc began to join in, grabbing her other breast. She stopped struggling. What was the point? They outnumbered her. She didn't have her weapon, nor her guards. She couldn't even scream. It turned out to be the smartest thing she could have done.
The orcs must have thought that she had just given up as the hand around her throat moved down to between her legs. She didn't need an invitation as she took in a deep breath and let out a scream loud enough to wake the dead. The orc quickly punched her across the face. Her head was spinning from the impact and she felt nauseous from the dizzy spell she was under. She felt as though she would pass out. She prayed she would. At least that way, she wouldn't have to remember what was about to happen to her.