I own no Warcraft.
Chasing Through Hell
Kindling New Flames
The camp was quiet in the early morning, the half-awake murmur of the waking Horde only just drowning out the drip and drone of Zangarmarsh. Maurus sat by a sullen fire, as one of the first ones awake who hadn't been on guard duty. The hard mushrooms that burned beside him made oddly-colored flames and belched out sour-smelling smoke, but the warmth was welcome after the surprisingly cold night they'd had and the cool breeze that wafted lazily through the camp.
Maurus turned into the wind, looking north, and imagined the twisted metal structure the scouts had spoken of, a gigantic, almost organic-looking body of massive pipes and machinery that rose from Coilfang Reservoir, out past the forest of mushrooms that blocked his view. Other scouts had reported what the structure had already wrought on northeast Zangarmarsh, to the great alarm of all, most of all the Cenarion Circle. The naga had drained it of water, turning it into a dead, brown mire where the mushrooms crumbled under their own weight and odd fungoid creatures roamed, as mad as the colossi in Hellfire.
There was, sadly, no doubt about it anymore: The naga were the enemy. They'd harassed the Horde since that first ambush, striking from the Reservoir and from Umbrafen Lake and they were killing the marsh. The sheer scale of both activities revealed that they were present in numbers that could only mean that they were united against the Horde. And from what little the interrogators had gotten from the captives, they claimed to serve Illidan, worrying, if not quite devastating news for the blood elves.
That the naga were fighting the Horde angered Maurus. That they willingly killing one of the few living places in dying Draenor sickened him. And the pain and uncertainty he saw behind the confidence of his elven companions fanned those emotions into something that he thought might be hate. He could still feel the weight of Arianna in his lap, where she'd sat the previous evening, subtly tense and with a quiet air of somberness despite her best attempts to seem disaffected.
The blood elves as a whole were showing much more reaction. The blood elf camp was stirring, the restlessness and nervous energy noticeable despite the elves' general reclusiveness. And with the old grudges, the fact that the blood elves were so recent an addition to the Horde, as well as the blood elves' openly stated goals and their general attitude, had the rumors flying with the speed of wind. There was open suspicion that the blood elves would desert or join the naga.
He sighed and shook his head. The only thing he could do about that was deny those suspicions.
He was jolted from those thoughts when he heard a light, rapid patter of feet approaching and he looked up as Widget came bounding into the camp. She was a paradox, covered with soot and sodden with water, making her look like a burnt and drowned rat, but her eyes and teeth gleamed with a manic joy. He considered, briefly, pretending that he had something important to do, but ignored the impulse and smiled tiredly at her.
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning, Boss," she said breathlessly, her eyes darting around the camp. When she reached him, she curled her small arms around his forearm, tugging, and said: "The others not awake? Can we wake them? They should see this!"
Maurus raised an eyebrow as Widget hauled at him to absolutely no effect and found his smile growing a bit. "I think they need their rest."
"You come then. Come on!"
Maurus considered for a moment, glancing around the camp. Several of his comrades were sporting grins, despite the tiredness written in their features. Sometimes it seemed that Widget was good for more than blowing things up and ruining his hearing.
With a shrug, he got to his feet and allowed her to pull him with her.
It was a little odd when she led him past the goblin enclave and out to one of the bigger ponds out past it. A small crowd stood along the shore, maybe a third of them non-goblins, spread on either side of a wide-wheeled wagon loaded with small barrels. The barrels were unremarkable at first glance, about the size of a goblin, but a second glance revealed that they had no visible seams or cracks and that their surface were a lot like the odd texture of the goblins' tents.
"Good, we didn't miss it," Widget said happily when they reached the edge of the crowd. Maurus frowned when she kept walking, going along the edge of the crowd, greeting some of the goblins and exchanging a wave with two of of the engineers at the wagon. She only stopped when she was two feet from the waters' edge and Maurus' hooves were half-buried in the mud.
"This is better?" Maurus asked. "We were closer before." Though come to think of it, the crowd were awfully close to goblin inventions, the closest, even those that weren't visibly engineers, standing within touching distance of the wagon.
"Just watch," Widget said excitedly. Humoring her, Maurus watched the goblins fiddle. He thought the engineers crowded suspiciously close around the barrels, blocking the view, and then, suddenly, one of them rolled a barrel down the ramp from the wagon. The goblin's eyes were wide and her movements hurried as she pushed the barrel over the shore and, with a great shove that made her trip face-first into the mud, sent it into the water, where it quickly vanished beneath the surface.
In spite of himself, Maurus felt himself lean forward a little, swept up in the intense curiosity of the crowd. The goblin pushed herself up from the mud, her entire front covered with dark mud and scurried back to the wagon. Nobody paid her any mind as the moment stretched out, the ripples slowly fading until there was only the soft waves that the wind made.
Maurus glanced down at Widget. Her sodden hair and her ears seemed to droop, but her posture looked confident, so Maurus returned his gaze to the engineers.
"What is this, gnomish?" one of the spectators jeered. One of the goblins, probably the leader, judging by the his overabundance of bewildering gadgets, barked out calmly: "Next."
Again, the engineers crowded in close and now Maurus was certain they were purposefully hiding what they were doing. Another barrel went down, pushed by a wiry little male goblin this time, who managed, barely, to keep his feet as he sent the barrel down into the water.
Maurus observed a little less attentively this time, which was the reason he nearly jumped when two heavy claps of sound hit him and the surface of the lake, fifty feet out, was violently disrupted, the water exploding up in what seemed a plume and a half that was easily twice as wide as the wagon.
A heartbeat later, some of the water came down in a brief drizzle over the small gathering. Maurus felt something squishy hit him just at the root of one horn and noticed the small, unrecognizable lumps that had also come down with the water. A quick glance at the water showed that it had darkened slightly out where the explosion had happened and he thought he saw small, scaly shapes and torn, spongy things appearing on the surface.
"It works!" Widget said giddily, the words almost drowning in the cheer of the goblins. Maurus looked down at her, shaking the bit of dead fish from his head. He was amazed at the achievement, explosions, underwater, but at the same time, he felt an edge of dread at seeing another problem with explosives overcome and a bit of revulsion at the obvious toll it took on the lake itself. Because, for once, it came to him immediately, how those bombs would be used and he knew enough about wildlife to know that ousting the naga with bombs could ruin much of the marsh or even set it on a course as catastrophic as the draining.
Widget only saw the triumph of her craft, judging by her grin. So, it seemed, did most of the crowd, including a few orcs and trolls that he vaguely recognized, by face and armor, as high-ranking officers.
"Isn't that amazing?" Widget said. When he didn't answer, she slapped his wrist and he glanced at her. "Be a little excited, will you? We lost a lot of sleep for that project."
Maurus dredged up his first emotion again and pushed his trepidation aside. "It is pretty incredible," he said, giving her a tired smile. "You had a hand in this?"
Widget wilted slightly. "Only a little. That's a different crew than mine, but we did exchange notes. A bit of stubbornness came into her voice as she said: "We would have gotten it eventually though."
Maurus returned his gaze to the excited crowd. He couldn't pick out any single words, but something in the leader goblin's bearing gave him the suspicion that haggling was going on. Then again, the saying did go that the way to know a goblin was haggling was to pay close attention to whether he was speaking or not.
"So, next up will be boats?" Maurus asked.
"Yeah."
"Going to be dangerous. Are you staying behind then?"
Widget blinked. "No!" Maurus felt a mix if relief and dismay, because her presence was always a mixed blessing, particularly for his ears. After a short pause, she continued: "I'm still technically attached to your little band, even if I've been absent a lot."
"I'm sure we could do something about that," Maurus replied easily and Widget gave him a glare.
"You'd regret it," she said. "I just know you'll need something blown up eventually and who's going to do that without me? The elves?"
Maurus inclined his head in a vaguely agreeing motion, though he wasn't sure what he was likely to meet that he needed Widget to blow up. She had after all already provided his comrades with a batch of the infernal-wrecking little bombs, so they were covered on that front. But then again, Outland was full of surprises.
"They'd do their best," Maurus said calmly. He clapped a hand over Widget's back, covering a good bit of both her shoulders. "But it's good to hear you'll be there to help."
"There you are."
Maurus looked up from his conversation, dropping a stray bit of fish he'd tugged out from his left pauldron, feeling his lips quirk into a smile. It turned into a full, surprised grin when he saw Arianna walk into the camp wearing the robe he'd given her. The more muted red of it was a little less striking than her usual blood red and gold, but it contrasted just as strikingly with her skin and hair, as well as with the bone decorations. The garment added just a slight edge of something more primal to her appearance, one he appreciated more than he'd expected.
"I told you it was better to wait," Calen said flatly before Maurus found his tongue. Maurus glanced back at him, only to see that both he and Wiven had gotten to their feet. Wiven was looking queasily worried, which was almost an improvement on the quiet gloom that had hung over him since the naga began attacking. Calen, on the other hand, had a look of intense distaste on his face, though that vanished so quickly Maurus wasn't sure it had ever been there, to be replaced with his usual grim aloofness.
Maurus grin faded a little and something sparked in his chest as he followed Calen's gaze back to Arianna, but he pushed it aside.
"You look incredible," he said earnestly, looking her up and down. She really did and to his relief and joy, the garment fit her perfectly. 'Gold well spent,' he thought and added: "What's the occasion?"
Arianna smiled, half-smug, as she reached him and put a hand on his shoulder. He felt a weight against his lower back and realized Ash was pushing his head against him. "We're visiting kin," Arianna said easily.
'Hardly a special occasion,' Maurus thought, feeling, little pinch of disappointment. 'Maybe she only finished charming it now,' came the immediate, reasonable thought. Out loud, as he raised a hand to Arianna's arm, he simply asked: "Want company?"
"If you don't mind," Arianna said airily.
Maurus blinked. He really hadn't expected that. He sought her eyes and thought he saw a tension lines around the green.
'I'm certainly in demand today,' he thought, giving a smirk, and feeling Ash tumble between his legs as he suddenly rose. "I guess I don't have anything better to do," he said, matching her airy tone and gesturing lazily to Mathias and Widget.
Widget looked curious and Mathias had his head tilted in a gesture that Maurus had come to recognize as a question, looking looked ready to rise as well.
Arianna's smile waned. "Thank you. But I doubt your presence would be appreciated."
Mathias grunted and shrugged, settling down fully again. "Best get going then. Mind you, if your kin take exception to your savage, I'll object. Right through their pasty, smug faces and out through their slender necks."
Maurus snorted, though inwardly he was a bit surprised at Mathias' vehemence and the slight tension he saw creep into Calen's posture. "You're one to talk about being pasty. Don't worry, I'll find my way out. They're supposed to be civilized."
A moment of skeptical silence followed, as the rest of the group simply gave him flat looks. Maurus added: "Too pompous for random violence?"
"Closer," Arianna agreed. As Maurus picked up his axe, slinging it over his shoulder, she opened her mouth, then shut it again. "Shall we?"
The trip through the camp was quicker, the muddy paths not yet as crowded or torn up as they would become later in the day, though there was plenty of traffic nonetheless and as they walked he noticed some odd things. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he saw hostility in the faces of many of the people they passed, expressions darkening when the elves came into view and in addition to that, he didn't see a single elf other than his companions.
"Sullen morning," he said quietly, as cloth snakes of blood red and gold came into view over the earthy tents. Vague sounds of agreement met his words. "What's going on?"
"You know most," Arianna said. Her tone was as airy as before, but she was walking close enough to him that he would bump into her if he stepped slightly to the side. "We're going to have a word with some of our elders."
A stray, wild thought appeared in Maurus head, startling and ridiculous, yet still a little worrying: 'Am I going to meet her family?' A much more reasonable voice countered that there was no reason for her to bring the other two if that was the case. Shaking the silly thoughts away, he asked: "What about?"
"Where we stand. And what we think of the impression they're giving."
They rounded a corner and for the first time that morning, he saw an elf who didn't belong to his little band. A group of six, half in plate, half in elegant robes, walked in front of them, accompanied by two orc shamans, by the looks of their runed mail.
A few more elves, all walking in small groups and most in the company of at least one orc, tauren or troll, were further ahead, traversing the clear area between the Horde tents and the red and gold expanse of the blood elf camp.
Maurus hadn't found cause to visit it, only noticing it in the distance before, but now that he was closing, he saw just how separate it was from the rest, in more ways than one. The aesthetic of the tens was far from the usual Horde style, only the forsaken coming close. Physically, it was far from the nearest tents, the distance only beat by the goblin camp and even that didn't have fortifications that ran all the way around. They were also very impressive for short-term fortification, a high mound of hard-packed earth rising within an actual moat, both of which ran around the entire camp, not just the side facing the mushroom forest of Zangarmarsh.
They followed the other small groups through the only visible entrance to the camp and Maurus quietly noted the dozen sentries standing just inside the moat. The almost plainly robed guards made no move to stop them, but their green eyes were hard and cautious, lingering briefly on each non-elf. As their gazes fell on Maurus, he wondered whether they were taking stock of what threat he represented or if they were simply displeased at his mere presence.
He told himself to ignore them, but his grip tightened a bit his axe and before he managed to drag his gaze away from the guards, he caught one of them, a small, dark-haired man, sneer and mutter something that made the expressions of his two companions darken too.
They left the guards behind, but the attention only dwindled slightly. There were a lot of blood elves awake and about in spite of the relatively early hour and it seemed there was least one set of green eyes on them at any given moment. Quite a few of those they passed gave some sort of greeting to Maurus' companions, who responded in kind but most of the elves merely observed them with varying degrees of unease. The path was relatively uncrowded, but Maurus felt more hemmed in by the constant attention than he did by mid afternoon in Ratchet and a rather more acute need to be wary.
It didn't help that the air held a very faint sting of fel, as if he'd moved into a valley where the heavier air was different.
"Your people are very attentive," he said eventually.
"There are many reasons to be cautious. They've taken the threat of shapeshifting and accident-arranging traitors very seriously," Arianna responded, lowering the hand she'd raised at a red-haired shopkeeper. Maurus glared at another elf who adopted a sneer, though the man didn't notice before he moved his gaze from Arianna to Maurus and his sneer only became more prominent.
"You'd think infiltrators would adopt less conspicuous disguises," Calen said flatly.
"Maybe they suspect a double bluff?" Maurus suggested. Calen didn't reply.
As they walked, Maurus began to notice something other than the elves' attention. Subtle variations in the tents and styles of garb hinted that the camp was a collection of distinctly different groups and the slim banners hanging above the tents confirmed it by their myriad designs. There were far too many banners for them to signify tribes though and for a moment Maurus wondered what the division was about.
The continued stares made him ask a different question though.
"Why are they giving you those looks?" he asked Arianna, a little growl rolling into his voice despite his best efforts. He gave two mages that looked like sisters a dark glare and got a better reaction than last time. They quickly looked away, though they made an effort to make it look like they weren't reacting to him.
Arianna rolled her shoulders in a subtle shrug. Her straight back was as much a statement as he unconcerned tone: "The staff. Ash. Maybe you."
Calen spoke before Maurus could reply: "Or maybe it's your clothes."
"They should spend their energy on something that actually matters," Arianna said, contrary amusement and a hint of satisfaction in her voice.
The words calmed the spark of anger and contrition that Calen's comment had sparked, but Maurus still asked quietly: "It really doesn't bother you?"
Arianna tapped her staff against his armored shoulder and met his gaze with an impatiently raised eyebrow. "It'll get tedious if I have to soothe silly worries all the time."
Maurus managed a snort. "Fine. I'll stop caring about your reputation."
"Good," Arianna said. "That's mine to protect. Besides, our rumor mill is as fast as yours and we aren't as isolated as we look here. I'd be riding you and stroking your mane if it got the message across without giving them fodder for calling you a pet."
As seemed to happen often with Arianna's assurances, her words sparked mixed emotions, both warm, soothing joy and a quick burst of anger. A moment later, he thought about her wording and chuckled. "Here? That would be a spectacle."
Wiven choked and Calen let out a sound that Maurus was disappointed to recognize as disgusted. Arianna's momentary confusion and following rough snort made up for it though. "Not like that and you know it, Cow. "
"I'd never presume to know. You do surprise from time to time," Maurus murmured, touching her side briefly with his free hand. "Like those poems. How was it they went?"
"Not here," Arianna said with emphasis, though an undertone in her voice told him she'd relaxed some.
They turned a path and passed a pen filled with strange, beautiful creatures that reminded him of more solid-looking wind serpents or maybe a mix between that and a wind rider, though with far more of a birdlike plumage of scarlet, gold and orange. As he watched, one of them leapt into the misty sky, carrying a blood elf, and quickly disappeared from view.
"Was that what your flame puppet was supposed to be?" Maurus asked, gesturing with the knob of his axe.
Arianna followed his gesture and a moment passed before she said: "Ah. Yes."
"Thought it was a wind serpent," Maurus said.
"That's unlikely. I've never seen one," Arianna replied. "We're here."
Like the other groupings of tents, this one had its own style, something more sinuous than its neighbors, that distinctly reminded Maurus of Arianna's robes. The design of the banners by the entrance into the camp-within-a-camp displayed the same style in their emblem, a rising fireball trailing three intertwined tongues of flame.
The mages at the entrance nodded at them with varying degrees of stiffness, except one. That one, a thin woman with hair almost as pale as Maurus' fur, stepped forward, a smile lighting her sharply edged face, and exclaimed: "Ari!" She clasped Arianna's outstretched hands between hers and added something that Maurus guessed was a warm greeting, mostly by the tone.
"You too," Arianna replied, with an air of long-suffering patience that failed to hide a genuine fondness as the elf bent down to pat Ash once on his bony head.
As the elf rose, her eyes ran over Arianna's robe before moving to Maurus again, turning curious. Then she glanced at one of the other elves by the entrance, who simply waved a hand at her. She saluted and fell into step beside Arianna, giving Maurus another look before addressing Arianna in their native tongue.
Maurus pursed his lips and gave the elf a flat look. She didn't react.
"Telinth, I didn't know you were here," Arianna said patiently. Pointedly she added: "And you are being rude."
Telinth blinked, raising almost transparent eyebrows.
Arianna sighed. "Telinth Stardown, this is Wiven Redspark and Calen Oakleaf." She gestured to each in turn before putting a hand on Maurus' arm. "And this is Maurus, of the Ragetotem."
Telinth's brows rose further and she tilted her head as if she thought the change in angle would make a difference, before glancing at Calen as well. Arianna let out another, if very minute, sigh and said: "This is my cousin, Telinth Flameweaver."
Wiven politely murmured a sentence that had the air of a customary greeting and when Maurus gave him an annoyed look, he simply smirked.
Maurus opened his mouth to greet Telinth, but before he could, recognition flashed in Telinth's eyes and she said: "Uncle Calen. How have you been?"
"Fine, thank you," Calen said. Maurus looked from him to Arianna and back to Telinth. "Trying, with varying success, to keep our waywards from straying too far."
Maurus blew out a breath, struck his fist against his chest and said, trying and mostly succeeding to hide his annoyance: "Well met, Telinth."
Again, there was that moment of confusion in her face and she began saying something in Thalassian, only to be interrupted by Arianna: "Manners, Telinth! Don't exclude my-" She trailed off, tilting her head. If it hadn't been for the half-smirk and the honest consideration and question in her expression as she glanced at him, Maurus would have been put off by the pause.
"Lover?" Telinth tried.
Maurus couldn't quite decipher her tone, but something he thought he heard in it that fanned the low burn of irritation all the looks had sparked. He shifted his axe to his other hand and wrapped his now free hand around Arianna's side. "Not quite yet, no," he said lowly, glancing around. Despite feeling dismay that some of those that had greeted Arianna was giving him hard looks, he also felt a defiant satisfaction while inwardly breathing a little sigh of relief that there wasn't quite the outrage he'd feared. A smirk curled his lips. "Not for lack of trying though. She's skittish as a doe sometimes."
Arianna snorted derisively, but leaned into him, matching his steps with a little effort. "Skittish? Hardly." Turning to Telinth, who now looked somewhat taken aback, she added: "I think, companion, fits for the moment."
"That doesn't translate much less scandalously," Telinth said. Arianna gave a slight toss of her head which seemed to mostly match Maurus' feeling on that matter.
"She always was adventurous," Telinth said, speaking directly to Maurus for the first time, gesturing with a hand to Arianna's staff and to Ash, who was bounding ahead. To Arianna, she added: "Though I didn't really believe you were getting that friendly with the exotic."
Maurus thought he finally figured out how to interpret Telinth's tone. It seemed she was actually trying to wrap her head around his and Arianna's situation and trying, somewhat ineptly, to be polite about it.
"Life is strange, but not without joy," Arianna said, shrugging. Her tone became serious as she asked: "Where do we stand?"
Telinth's expression grew more somber, though also more comfortable. She opened her mouth, hesitated, then said: "Some think we made a mistake with the Horde. Not that I blame them. No offense to you, tauren, but trolls, orcs and undead are the bane of our people. Dawnwing thinks they have a solution of course: Simply take off and find our Prince. They have a lot of support for the general idea."
"Because going roaring off into the unknown on this crumbling, void-blasted, felstained rock seems a good idea," Arianna said acidly.
"We don't have the dragonhawks for it anyway. Never had," Calen said darkly. "And we are far too few to go by land alone."
"And I guess it still ruffles everyone's feathers to be under Horde leadership," Arianna said. Telinth just nodded.
"Proud fools. More plentiful than dew at dawn," Arianna said.
Maurus snorted and Arianna elbowed him gently. In answer, he said: "You're one to talk."
"I respect my superiors and obey reasonable orders. You're worse, you grumble at every order you get."
"I've gotten better," Maurus responded mildly.
"True," Arianna said. She looked ahead, held up a hand and they all stopped.
They'd reached the middle of this particular section of blood elf camp, where a number of larger tents were arranged in a circle. Guards were posted around them, both robed casters and plate-clad fighters. The latter consisted mostly of blood knights, in armor almost identical to Calen's, but a few wore crimson helmets shaped like face-framing wings and wielded double-bladed swords. Maurus' eyes widened as he recognized the renowned spell breakers.
None of the guards showed even a hint of emotion and Maurus could only just see that the closest five had turned their gazes on the little group. If he hadn't been spending so much time with blood elves, he doubted he could have seen even that little change in the almost solid green of their eyes.
"Grand uncle will have gotten confirmation by now," Telinth said. Showing their relation, she said in exactly the same dry tone as Arianna: "I doubt he'll be as thrilled as I am."
"I appreciate your open mind," Arianna said, matching Telinth's tone and Maurus wondered for a moment whether he'd misjudged Telinth's opinion. He pushed the thought away, reminding himself that Arianna had told him to relax. Arianna added: "Were you supposed to hold us up?"
Telinth actually laughed. "No. And if I did, I did very poorly." She looked up, rolled her eyes and looked back at Arianna. "I should get back. It was good to see you. Please don't stay away so long the next time. And when you re-"
She cut herself off and after a moment of silent indecision, she again took hold of Arianna's hand.
"We are going west on the morrow," Arianna said, smiling. "So I make no promises. But I'll keep more of an eye out for you."
"Take care," Telinth said as Arianna withdrew from the hug. Nodding at Calen and Wiven, she added: "Take care Uncle. And you, Wiven. Discipline!"
Looking at Maurus she said, in the most calm and neutral tone she'd used in the entire conversation: "Be thankful. And bear in mind that blood is important to us."
"I am perfectly aware of my luck," Maurus responded calmly, his mouth curving into a faint smirk. It faded as quickly as it appeared and he added flatly: "And I don't need to be told the importance of family."
"Take care," Telinth said again, and began taking quick strides back the way they had come.
Maurus looked at Arianna. "Interesting, that one."
"She meddles in affairs that are none of her business," Wiven said crossly. A flicker of green-tinged light played briefly over his fingers.
"Yeah," Maurus agreed.
Arianna shrugged, but her expression flickered from exasperation and fondness to a smirk that seemed to contain a bit of satisfaction as she turned from the retreating Telinth to Maurus. "She's like many of us. But she cares."
She touched Maurus' arm again and she grew a little more serious, turning back to the tent. "I will ask you to be patient. Don't take what you may hear too much to heart. I haven't missed how we have a reputation for arrogance and it will show here, so err on the side of restraint, even if you take offense."
Maurus frowned, pursing his lips in displeasure. Arianna glanced up at him and her expression lightened a bit as she raised her hand to brush over his cheek. "Within reason of course."
"I can be reasonable," Maurus placidly.
Arianna raised a half-skeptical eyebrow, but just said: "Let's go."
The guards inquired quickly and brusquely to their purpose, confiscating their weapons, before letting them pass, but despite their seeming indifference, Maurus got the feeling they knew Arianna.
Moment's later, they entered one of the tents and Maurus ducked low to step into the most opulent scene he'd had seen since coming to Outland. It reminded him of that one time he'd been in the foyer of Boss Gazlowe's mansion in Ratchet. Beautiful rugs covered the ground and elegant little lamps lit the room in a warm glow that had a faint trace of green. The air had a caustic bite of fel and concentrated magic and sharp scent of smoke. Maurus wrinkled his nose as he knelt to avoid dragging his head along the low canopy, which was clearly intended for the elf-sized.
As they entered, the small group of elves in the room looked up from the collection of parchments, mostly maps, arranged between them. The elves were all some shade of blonde, their silken hair carefully styled to complete the image that their fine clothes and discreet jewelry presented. They were a vision of red and gold sober wealth and Maurus had never seen someone as elaborately and ridiculously well-groomed, especially not since the journey to Outland had begun.
They practically made Arianna look sloppy.
As the room's occupants spotted Maurus' little group, their expressions changed from varying degrees of bored annoyance. A couple looked slightly surprised, one reddish-blond looked amused and several others showed a restrained kind distaste. One man though, with something of Arianna's angular features and a finer hair of exactly the same shade, simply emptied his face of emotion, except for a slight narrowing of his eyes.
There was a moment of tense silence where the two groups just stared at each other. Most of the elves schooled their expression pretty quickly, but the amused-looking man's smile grew scornful as he glanced at the one Maurus guessed to be Arianna's uncle. Arianna's supposed relative didn't react to it though and instead spoke something that sounded like an uncommonly cordial order.
Rather pointedly, Arianna quietly translated: "They're stuck anyway. Might as well break up."
With little fuss, most of the elves frose, exchanged goodbyes, which Maurus was surprised to notice he pretty much understood, and left. They were followed by a group of attendants he hadn't even noticed standing at the edges of the tent, leaving just a small, pale-haired woman, a trio of attendants and the apparent leader in the room with them. The latter waved them forward with a gesture that gave the impression that he was being incredibly gracious.
They came forward, Maurus moving carefully to avoid disturbing anything. All three elves bowed at the waist and Maurus struck his fist against his chest, the salute awkward on one knee. They got a slight, imperious nod in return and another greeting Maurus didn't understand.
"My Lord Alneiden," Arianna said, somehow packing both politeness and reproof into the two words, and tilting her head subtly to Maurus. "We have a guest."
The lines of Alneiden's face got harder as he ran his eyes over the four of them and there was distaste in the set of his jaw when he said: "I bid you welcome." As his gaze returned to Arianna, sweeping disapprovingly from her booted feet and up to her face he added: "I'm afraid I am a stranger to some of your acquaintances, niece."
Maurus kept most of his indignation at the elf's manner from his face but his tone was calm and only brusquely cordial when Arianna introduced him and Wiven to her uncle. Alneiden's expression didn't grow any milder at either of their greetings and he studied them in silence for a long moment.
"So, this Ragetotem. He is?" Alneiden said significantly, drawing out the question as he met Maurus' gaze.
Maurus wanted to tell him exactly who he was, what he was doing and what he might do to an arrogant elf if he didn't change his tone, but he held his tongue as Arianna had requested.
"What is of consequence to you is that he is the leader of the unit I'm attached to at the moment," Arianna said, voice flat.
"So, you intend to continue this senseless wandering then?" Alneiden asked.
The set of Arianna's shoulders became more tense. "If you think I've been aimless, you need better birds."
"You have a duty," Alneiden said slowly. "And instead of doing it, you waste your time in the Old Lands and mingle with rabble."
"I came to tell you that I intend to fulfill my duty. And my obligation to our allies," Arianna said, voice growing cold. "So I'll be going west with the 27th. I thought I'd do you the courtesy of telling you in person."
Alneiden's eyes narrowed. "You call this a courtesy?" He asked, gesturing at Arianna with a sweep of his hand. "Eschewing the colors of your House? Showing up to throw ash at our need for unity?"
"I think we should remember our obligations. It would be wise for us to show our commitment to the Horde, rather than fan the rumors. Half the camp to expects us to desert and if you haven't noticed, the Horde is even less lenient with deserters than we are."
"And turning your back on our House will assuage that worry?" Aleiden asked, a low burn in his voice. "We joined the Horde for strength, not to let ourselves be absorbed by our former enemies. Our interests align, but there will come a time when they don't."
"I haven't turned my back on anything," Arianna said, voice hard and Ash's growl filled the tent. "The Horde will stand by us, if we show them our worth and loyalty. We have to do that, if we are to survive and find our Prince."
"By any means?" Aleiden snapped and fury became plain to see on his face. "It's not enough that we rub elbows with trolls, with orcs, with the dead that destroyed our kingdom? Was it not enough for you to take the fel into your body, but you must also welcome beasts? That depravity might make sense to your burnt-out brain but-"
Maurus struck a fist into his open palm, the smack of it loud and unexpected enough to stop Alneiden's tirade. Belly burning with anger, he growled: "Hold your tongue or I will rip it out!"
Aleiden's eyes glowed a shade brighter as he said, fire crackling in his voice: "I'd burn you from the inside out."
"Not before I pulp you brain, you filthy hypocrite," Maurus answered, meeting Aleiden's glare with a burning one of his own. Somewhere beneath his own fury, he noted that his kneeling stance was perfect if he wanted to spring forward at the elf. His only half-armored form was poorly suited to fighting a mage, but at this distance, he had a good chance if it came to that. "Your eyes are as green as hers and the fel is almost as thick as the smoke in here. And the only one talking addled nonsense is you." Maurus cracked the knuckles of one hand. "So consider your words carefully before you insult her again. She may be family. But I'm not."
Maurus could feel the shift in the tent, feel the ethereal flow as Alneiden breathed in more than air. Before he could speak though, Arianna spoke, voice low and intent: "I ask you not to insult Maurus. He cares about honor. Mine. And his own. And that of his people. Honor is the lifeblood of the Horde. They honor their allies and their promises." Very pointedly, she asked: "Shouldn't we be better than the so-called savages?"
Alneiden's silent glare encompassed all four of them. The woman at his side, her face milder if far from friendly, discreetly touched a hand to his arm. He took another deep breath and exhaled as if he'd shed a heavy weight. His voice was calmer, though it still simmered with anger as he said: "Honor. And what about the impact this dalliance has on ours?"
"I don't care," Arianna said, putting pressure on each word. A hint of angry flippancy came into her words as she continued: "That flame has caught hold anyway. And we got used to humans didn't we? No one minded a certain infatuation with Proudmoore."
Aleiden's lip lifted in a grimace that melted into a sour look, his eyes flicking to Maurus. Maurus met his eyes steadily, having to make an effort not to bare his teeth.
"The humans at least-" Alneiden began, but Arianna interrupted him: "I'm not here to hear your thoughts on my involvement with Maurus."
Alneiden's expression gained a shade of disgust.
"I came, as a loyal member of the House, to inform you of my intentions and give what aid I could."
"Aid?"
"I've given you my best advice. And made a statement to the camp." Arianna gestured to Wiven and Calen. "We are finding our place within the Horde. We're not the only ones."
"Don't let your misguided affection blind you. An alliance of convenience won't last," Aleiden said, his words gaining an edge of bitterness.
"Do not think so little of our motives," Calen said darkly. "We do what we think best."
Out the corner of his eyes, Maurus saw Wiven nod, his face as serious as he had ever seen it.
"Who knows?" Arianna said sardonically. "Maybe a campaign against our common foe is fertile ground for making it a lasting arrangement."
Alneiden snorted, but didn't speak. After a tense moment, he said, the words acerbic: "Is there anything else, niece? More scandal to confirm maybe?"
Arianna schooled her expression, but her eyes were cold. "No, Uncle. I've said my piece." She nodded at both seated elves. "I am glad to see you and yours well. I hope we live to see each other again."
"One sentiment we at least share," Alneiden said, his tone becoming more cordial, though not losing its edge entirely. "Anyone else?"
Both Wiven and Calen stated their intention to follow Maurus. Maurus himself considered speaking for a moment, but decided he couldn't trust himself to be anything close to polite and instead just shook his head.
Alneiden watched them for a long moment and then nodded. "If that is all, you can go," he said. His face grew dark and lined as he said, the words slow, heavy and admonishing: "Remember the fallen."
The three elves echoed him, bowing and Maurus repeated his Horde style salute.
A short while later found Maurus and Arianna walking back through the blood elf camp, having left Wiven and Calen to see friends and family before they set off west. They walked in silence, Maurus quietly trying to shrug off the seething urge to go back and beat Aleiden into paste and Arianna taking long determined strides, her face hard.
Figuring that he at least could do that much, Maurus asked quietly: "Are you alright?"
Arianna sagged slightly and as she glanced at Maurus, there was a mix of anger, relief and pain on her face, which only heightened Maurus' urge to go back for some violence. A little bitterly, she said: "Proud fools, I think I said."
"How is he the leader of-" Maurus frowned, wondering at the meaning of the following words: "your House?"
"He is usually more composed. Colder," Arianna said. The anger came forward again and Ash let out a low, almost imperceptible growl. "How dare he talk about you like that?"
Maurus blinked, surprise and warmth soothing his anger, though not quite quelling it. "I've heard worse," Maurus said, not quite managing to sound as nonchalant as he'd intended. He put a hand on her shoulder, one finger brushing her neck. Judging by how Arianna leaned into it, it was a welcome gesture. "Did I shame you when I interfered?"
Arianna's lips quirked up for a brief moment and she shook her head. "Not really. In truth, it gave me a welcome bit of breathing room. I didn't expect him to be that tasteless."
Maurus opened his mouth, an apologetic comment forming in his head, but he shut his mouth again, remembering her insistence that he stop worrying about the disapproval of her people. "I appreciate your standing up for me," he said somberly.
Surprisingly, Arianna's eyes flashed again. He just had time to wonder if he had said something wrong somehow before she shifted her staff to the crook her arm, grabbed hold of both of his horns and pulled. Caught off guard, he didn't resist and Arianna pulled his head down and into a forceful kiss. It lasted a couple of heartbeats, their mismatched lips pressing together as Maurus responded readily but making no effort to deepen the kiss, before Arianna withdrew.
Her features had softened slightly, but there was a sharp half-smirk on her lips as she wiped a hand over them and there was still a defiant glint in her eyes. Maurus found that he cared very little for the elves around them, except for the mirth their shock kindled in his belly. His mouth curled into a grin as gazed at his stubborn elf.
"Drills today?" Arianna asked, letting her hands fall from his horns, one to his throat and the other to grasp her staff properly again.
"A few this afternoon," Maurus confirmed. "A little free time makes for happier and better prepared marchers."
Arianna leaned in a little. "Make sure to indulge your fondness for bathing before evening comes."
Maurus' heart beat a little harder and a grin crept onto his face. It faded after a short moment though and he said: "I don't want this if it's out of spite."
Arianna's face grew a little darker. "I wouldn't do something so important just to spite him. Though I will admit he gave me the last little push I needed to overcome my reservations. At a good time too, we should indulge while we're as safe as we are now."
Maurus pursed his lips and Arianna sniffed. "What did I say about soothing silliness?" She asked, mock annoyance in her voice. She put a hand on his cheek, warm and soft around the scars, and she looked him up and down, adding in a sly voice: "Make no mistake, I am interested."
An expression somewhere between irritation and embarrassment appeared for a brief moment on her face. "But you are huge. And important," she said emphasizing the last word. "I needed to work up a little courage."
Maurus' lips split into a wide, wolfish grin as he discarded his reservations and worries, feeling his body thrum with anticipation. His hand found her cheek, enveloping that side of her head. "I have to reward that courage," he said, rumbling it low in his throat. He leaned in and kiss her lightly. "You deserve nothing less, Love."
Arianna expression was bordering on smug, but there was a soft fondness and a hint of anxiousness in her eyes that belied the self-assured expression.
"We should get the day over with," Arianna said casually, withdrawing and seemingly making the world come flooding back into Maurus' perception. Backs straight, with a grin and a smirk which dared anyone to comment, they walked back toward their camp.
I am late. So very, very late. I didn't even make my secondary deadline, which was before the Warcraft movie came out. And I so wanted to do that, because when I saw it, it coming out over here earlier than in the USA, I was so pumped and wanted to brag to you guys and wanted to write. But it wasn't enough to get the chapter done. I really struggled, as you might be able to see and I'm not quite satisfied with this chapter either. But I hope it was worth a read anyway.
You can probably see where this is going. I might just earn that M-rating now. To accommodate those that don't want to see this, the following bit will be on its own and no absolutely plot-critical information will be in it. Also so you can avoid it if you don't want to see me break my neck embarrassingly on writing a sex scene.
In all honesty, I'm not even sure I should post it here on . I'm unsure of the rules.
It will definitely come up on Archive of Our Own.
As always, let me know what you think. In particular, I would like to hear if the emotions here are too whiplashy. Or if I'm getting too mushy. Or too meandering with the plot in general. and if you think. Also, I'd appreciate your thoughts on whether this story will suffer from my planned M-bit. If you all are adamantly against the scene, let me know that too. Then I'll just post it on AO3.
As I said, I'm very unsure of this chapter, so please let me know how I did. I appreciate any kind of polite criticism.
Cheers.