It felt awkward coming here. Quel'Thalas itself, not so much, but the fact that my father was leading us to my mother's grave, and next to that my own, was unsettling to say the least. On the way there I turned to Shaestra and Lana'thel.
"If you want you really don't have to be here, you're free to go wherever."
"I'm okay," Shaestra answered, "I really have nothing to do and like spending time with you guys."
"Besides, I might be able to land you a hand in this matter." Lana'thel added.
"That's a fair point Lana, it might be helpful to have you around."
I knew deep down that she really didn't want to be separated from Shaestra. She hadn't left her ojt of sight since I talked to her in Silvermoon. I don't think Shaestra even noticed, Poor Lana. I doubt Shaestra would turn her down though if she were to confess directly.
We arrived at a cemetery. The place chilled me to my core, my mind was met by whispers of times past, better times. He led us to a secluded corner, a corner with only two gravestones. I read my mother's name Anariella Silverlight in silver letters on one of them. I tried not to look at the other one but found that I was compelled to look anyway. I hadn't expected such emotions at seeing my own grave, I knelt down and sobbed. Aelana kneeled behind me and hugged me. That's when I heard her again. For the first time in years I heard my mother's soothing voice again. For a moment I though she was alive, I stopped crying to look around.
"Poor Angel, I'm afraid you can't see me."
"Where are you mom? Please show yourself."
"I am right in front of you, sweetie."
"I can't see you."
"You can hear me, I am glad you can, your father and girlfriend can't."
I blushed, "You know."
"Yes, love, I felt your love for her in your dream."
"But how-"
"I do not know either, I felt attracted to something, something that reminded me of you, that's how I ended up there, I don't know how I found you. But as suddenly as I found it I was also expelled."
My father knelt next to me.
"Is Anariella there?"
"Yes she is."
"Tell her I love her."
"Tell your father I can hear him, and that I still love him too."
I turned to my father.
"She tells ne she can hear you, and she also still loves you."
He teared up.
"Tell your father that it's very unlike him to cry."
"You should have seen him when he found out I was still alive, well sort of."
"What did she say?" He asked.
"She says you should stop acting like such a pussy, that's not who she married!"
I could hear Anariella laugh softly.
I looked at my father, then at the direction of my mother's voice.
"Mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Always."
I had an idea in mind, a very rough plan of getting my mother's spirit back to us so she could at least interact with the rest, especially Loranis.
"Then please don't question what I am about to do."
I told everyone to take a few steps back. I then started pouring magic to the position where I believe my mother's spirit was, once I found her I started giving it shape and pulled her soul into this realm, causing her to appear sort of like a banshee, but white instead of the dark shade of purple that normal banshees had. I sat down and stared at the ground trying to focus again. I had to recover from the great deal of energy I just used. I heard my mother call out my father's name and my father replied with her name. Aelana helped me to recover with some of her own spells. I kissed her on the lips when she didn't expect it as thanks.
I looked my father's way and realized he had been staring at us, smiling.
"That was the best I could do with my powers as shocking as it may be. Your body is probably long gone so I couldn't use that to bind your spirit to. I doubt I could pull that off on anyone I don't have a connection with, this was hard enough as it was."
They seemed shocked at first, then understanding.
"Thank you Angel, for returning her to me."
"You got yourself to thank for that, you saved her soul from him."
"What about yours?" Shaestra interrupted.
"What about my what?" I asked.
"Ok, I am an idiot for saying this, please forgive me. Angel, I meant your body, last time I saw it, it was covered in ice, a kind that did not melt. Your body should still be preserved."
"No," Anariella clearly stated. "I won't do that."
"You're right, I was a fool for suggesting it."
"No you're not, I would have offered the same had I come up with that idea first."
"I still refuse to use my own daughter's body."
"That's alright." I concluded the topic quickly.
That awkward conversation left me baffled for a while. What the hell did we just talk about?
Oh, how my life, well 'life' got stranger by the day. Never would I have thought I would turn my own mother into a banshee. I just hated to see people suffer, and well, they were family after all. It was the least I could do for all the love and protection they had given me during my three hundred and three years on Azeroth. I guess this was one of the ways I could make up for the things I'd done while under the Lich King's influence. Even if that was out of my control. I managed to make two people happy now with the powers that brought nothing but sorrow at first. Well, three people, considering I liked to see them happy too.
"Come to think of it, where do you even live, dad?"
"I live in Fairbreeze nowadays."
"Really? We came through there a while ago, didn't you notice we were there?"
"I haven't been home for a while, went on a training mission with some of the Silvermoon guards. As soon as we were finished and heard you were out there somewhere I came straight for you"
"I see."
"What is it Angel?" My mother asked.
"Well. You see, I am not exactly welcomed by many with this body. I hope you can bear the looks you will get. Everyone used to love you after all."
She flew to me and kissed me on the cheek.
"I am so happy to be with Loranis again, I can live with that." She paused. "That does sound weird, doesn't it?"
"It does. I will never get used to it either." I shook my head.
"Also, please never tell anyone I can do this, please, before you know I will have half of Silvermoon chasing me begging to bring back their family members, and the other half chasing me who want me dead for being a scourge spy or whatever kind of monstrosity which I am not. Not to mention Sylvanas making me do things I never intended to do in the first place with these powers."
"You're right, well you can trust us, dear." My father reassured me.
"Thanks. Where are we anyways. I'm afraid I didn't pay attention when you instructed the mage on where to teleport us, and I did not think this cemetery was here before either. It just seems to new."
"You're right, it wasn't here before. Everyone buried here died in the invasion. Most people were burnt. I buried your mother here first, others joined me later, that's how this place came to be. As to where we are, about an hour's walk south of Fairbreeze."
"I thought I had recognised this place." Aelana mentioned. "My house isn't too far from here, to the woods west of Fairbreeze."
"Lovely place." My mother said.
"Yes, I had hoped to show it to Angel sooner but we didn't get the chance. I'm sure she would love the place, I had hoped she would live there with me, if she wanted of course."
"Go marry her already." My mother jokingly said.
I think I blushed, hard. I don't know how much it was visible to the others but judging from Anariella's giggling it must have been pretty obvious.
"Maybe I will, after this whole mess is over." I took Aelana in for a hug.
We started walking in the direction of Fairbreeze. Well, walking, that couldn't be said for all of us. My mother couldn't walk, and I had to stretch my wings too every now and then. Carrying Aelana while flying in front of my parents made her terribly embarrassed which was so lovable about her.
We arrived a little before dusk, the sun was still shining brightly but wasn't as warm as it was during most of the day. Entering the village and the inn was the most awkward thing ever for us and the people around us. It wasn't hard to imagine that we would get these awkward, and mostly scared looks from people. The innkeeper still remembered me from last time, which helped a bit, but I bet this guy had great stories to tell because of me.
The living among us ordered dinner and started eating as soon as it arrived. Soon after the waitress brought us some alcoholic drinks of which I whispered Aelana not to take too many. It didn't seem she liked the taste of it at all so she retorted to apple juice. Not that that was something inferior, though. I know from experience that the local variant was some of the best stuff I ever had when I was alive.
I took this time to silently explain to my mother what her current form entailed. No need to eat, breathe etcetera. From the corner of my eye I saw Lana'thel move to Shaestra inch by inch and beg for a piece of fish in a funny way, which Shaestra shared with a small laugh, before telling her to get her own if she wanted more.
"I don't need anymore than that." She replied.
It seemed they were getting along quite well. I looked at my father. He was talking with Aelana about me. He just had to bring up a few embarrassing youth stories, classic. Shame Aelana's parents weren't around any longer to share some of hers, I bet she wouldn't laugh so hard, and instead turn into that shy, blushing priestess I loved so much.
Nora came up and sat down next to me, wanting my attention now that its mistress was too busy with Lana. The cat tossed a look of interest at my mom before I let her know that she was a friend.
"Why, hello there little kitty, what is it?" My mother petted and scratched her.
She purred all too happily, it was still hard for me that this innocent kitty could turn into a fierce killing machine should her mistress command it.
After dinner we talked some more, mostly what happened in the meantime of not seeing each other, Lana'thel and I got to learn quite some new things about our home soil. Talking about soil, the topic of the druids trying to restore the lands came up. Apparently they made some progression in the Plaguelands, yet Quel'Thalas seemed a different story. Lana'thel and I decided that we should help them restoring our land someday, we, of any people, might be able to find out what is wrong with it.
After that we decided to call it a day as fatigue kicked in forsome of us. My father decided to take his banshee wife to his new home, while Shaestra and Lana sought their room upstairs, as did Aelana and I. We would finally be spending the night together again, just the two of us. I wasn't in the mood for anything intimate with her though. Fortunately, neither seemed she. I figured I had my parents to blame for that. So in the end, I just let her fall asleep on top of me, safely covered in my wings while I waited and thought.
