I rest awkwardly on these cold, stone steps of a large Alliance inn. From here I watch Sylvanas, Tirion, and a large man covered in gray armored outlined in bronze. A large yellow lion head is etched into the front of his long, blue tabard. You remembered! He knew what it was.

This tall completely armored individual is referred as Bronzeman -- well, I call him that anyway. Bronzeman has two rather loud soldiers near him covered in the same colored outfit. They all look strikingly familiar, despite the two lackey's lack of helm.

Anyway, Bronzeman, Tirion, and Sylvanas all stand together and plot some unknown plot. I am guessing from the rage the lady emits that it involves me. It wouldn't be surprising; she didn't make the walk up here, to Wintergarde, easy at all. You did deserve it. He had it coming!

Yeah, she did have all the right in the world.

About two hours ago we started the trek from the flaming ruins of what they call Venomspite. Tirion gathered the unconscious Sylvanas from the collapsing Inn while Mark slapped the Nathanos over his shoulder like a worn out mattress.

Jessica and Carlin spoke quietly to themselves about something. I am not sure what it was, but they seemed rather cheerful with each other despite the fact of what had occurred. You missed something there. He certainly did.

So, once all the wounded were gathered and everyone were motivated to move, we took off down the trail where the Scourge once was. All that remained of the once aggressive force were scorched ruins and dissipated hatred.

The road winded up against a cliff. Occasionally a Scourge skeleton or wandering ghoul would foolishly scamper its way to us, only to find its way back to the grave. We came across what I was told the lower portion of Wintergarde.

Sadly, the Scourge had overrun the vast majority of this section prior, but the bronze armored men seemed to be handling them quite easily. But is what looms overhead that drew my attention. It is the fortress of flight that caught my eye...

Naxxramas.

But enough with dull descriptions, what is important was the march. As we neared the border of the city's keep the pack had a rude awakening – quite literally. Sylvanas stirred from her undesired slumber and after a second of regaining her mind…she assaulted me.

Her hands locked to my throat; of course, she didn't really achieve anything by this, but a nice dose of warmth. She promptly let go of my sore neck and went for the helm on my head. Fingers hooked to the edges of my vision and shook my reality into an earthquake of existence.

Tirion tried to pull her off, but she just kept going at me. The first thing she actually said came a strange five minutes into the thrashing.

"Goldfish, smack me with your shovel, will you?!" She screamed, "I will wedge that spade so far up your back end you will be able to taste the tip of your metal!"

At that point she went for my shovel, but Tirion forcefully stopped her. The old man was able to get her arms and was strong enough to carry her away by her elbows. Thankfully Tirion was able to calm her a good distance from us.

Sadly, something else continued where she left off. It smacked the back of my head and laughed.

"Worm, is it 'beat on you' day again?" The cackle of the unbelievable Nathanos rained for me, "Because I will more than willingly take part."

I spun and saw the undead man standing. Mark seemed rather uncomfortable, and I got the feeling Nathanos didn't like being carried. You know your undead commanders. He knows Nathanos well.

It would seem, as we continued onward, that Nathanos had used the Inn's door to absorb the bulk of the blast, which would explain the splintering word raining from him as fell. He was knocked unconscious from the blast. Not killed.

What a cheater! He tried to tell me we were even! That undead creep used a door to take the death coil, while I took it to the chest! You are just a fool. He needs to carry a door with him at all time. You can call it your lucky charm! He can wear it as a necklace!

Nathanos was still alive, still disgruntled, and still annoying. Looks like I overreacted just a bit. You burned down a town. He almost killed Tirion Fordring! You would have been better killing a puppy! He would have killed thousands if allowed!

And that, despite its lackluster telling, was the march to Wintergarde and the only bastion that is its keep. You are no Carlin. He is the puppy-killing cousin of Carlin. Will you stop saying I kill puppies? You have to prove you never did. He has no evidence!

You live in my head! You see what I see! Never once have I struck a small, adorable dog. Actually, I don't believe I have ever seen a puppy before. You are a sad man. He hasn't cuddled a tiny furry love fluff before?!

Wait, now that I haven't seen a dog, it is sad and depressing. You didn't hear us say depressing. He does know it is true. When we finish this we will buy a puppy, ok? You are going to forget all about Wriggler?! He dares forget The Wriggler?!

Wriggler isn't a puppy! He is a giant, decaying Nathanos beast. That and you hate that dog. You put words in our mouths! He puts words in his own mouth that are put in our mouths.

What?

Suddenly a loud, welcome voice bellows from the discussing pack at the bottom of the sloping path before me.

"He must be dealt with swiftly and immediately!" An armored lackey of Bronzeman speaks.

"Swiftly? We don't even know the evil that stirs within. It would be foolish to strike even when he appears vulnerable." Tirion loudly counters.

A few responses flow from Bronzeman and the other lackey, but they are far quieter and alas, I cannot read lips. Especially through a helm that covers the man's entire face. You need to learn to metal read! He needs a useful skill besides digging holes.

The speaker switches occasionally. It moves from one person onto the other. Come on, what are you guys saying?

"Set the evil ablaze!" Sylvanas riles, "Take the sick and twisted fortress of darkness and engulf it in flames."

Whoa, I am flammable! That would work all too well! You need to stop jumping to conclusions. They might not be talking about you!

"Bring the evil no time to gather! Destroy hope!" A lackey speaks.

You see! They plot my demise. You don't know if that hope meant you. He could be hearing the actual word not your foolish self.

A sudden force jerks in my back, and I leap to my feet. Nathanos recoils his leg while the muscles on the sides of his face curl to a smile.

"You jerk!" I quiet my voice and shift to him, "Don't you see I am trying figure out how they are planning to kill me?"

An eyebrow of his rises.

"Flattering yourself much, eh, Worm?" He walks past me, "If they wanted to kill you, they would have asked me. And, well, you would be dead already."

He turns his head to me as he stands towards the bickering pack of leaders.

"And how easily I snuck up on you, I would have had time to kill you a dozen times before your thick head even realized it."

"No!" I raise my arm than lower, "Well, actually, yeah. Probably."

I sigh. My body begins relaxing and focusing once again, but a chirp from behind forces me to spin. Jessica barrels from the Inn with the look of determination slapped upon her face. Carlin lags behind…

She rushes to me and gives me a forceful shove. Unexpectedly I stumble backwards a bit and gawk at her. Her hands slip under my shoulder pads, allowing her to jerk me back and speak through gnarled teeth.

"Don't you ever do that again, sir!" She, like Sylvanas gives me a shake, "If you ever dare strike at Fordring again, I will personally stab you with your own shovel."

What is it with women and threatening to stab me with my own tool?

I shake my head, "Never again, Jessica…never…"

My body rattles, "And why didn't you tell me my uncle was here? Still alive?"

My eyes widen and I stare at her. Lips open but only quiver. It is then I glance up to Carlin of whom throws me a smirk. Then I shift my eyes back down.

"Ah, so, your uncle is Carlin?" I pause, "I didn't know I was supposed to know Jessica and Carlin was a family relation identifier."

Her eyes narrow on me and she gives me another shake, "Don't you think you will get away with this so easily."

Carlin chuckles and walks up beside her.

"Dear, go easy on the boy. Even if you had told him your last name, I doubt he would have thought about it long enough to piece it together."

She simply shakes her head before snorting angrily.

"What were you even thinking back there, Hope? What was going on in that crazy head of yours? You burned a town to the ground!"

Lips part to speak. Words wander in my mind. I attempt to form sentences, but the inability is apparent. My eyes drift to the ground. Visions of the horrible blur of an event span my vision. I can see every moment, but none of if seems real. None at all.

"Hope?"

Without looking I speak.

"Darkness. My nightmares of that terrible innocent seemed so wrong. They seemed to lure me from what was really going to happen."

I pause to sight.

"But in the end the nightmares showed the truth…"

Carlin wriggles.

"What nightmares, Hope?"

"On the ship and in the prison; they foretold a great battle between the Lich King and I." Again I sigh and my eyes close, "But each time, right as I neared the strike to destroy the sinister being…I fell…"

My eyes lift to them.

"I fell into darkness. It was the truth. It told me what was going to happen, and like clockwork the hands of fate aligned."

Jessica's eyes widen slightly as she speaks softly.

"What happened when you snapped? What was going through your head."

Orbs of determination lock with hers, and I speak loudly, "Darkness swept the corners of my vision." My eyebrows draw down, "Blue flames signified the rage burning within"

I take a step forward, not breaking my lock.

"Heat churned my soul, but made my flesh as cold as ice. All warmth was hidden by frosty death. I felt invincible."

I pause. Thoughts rattle my mind, but I keep focused.

"For a brief moment I felt it…I felt what it was like…"

A sweep of sorrow and concern stretches the young woman's face as I draw closer to her.

"For a moment…I felt as if I was the Lich King himself. Dark, cold, merciless and egotistical. A god of ignorance."

Fear sweeps her face. Her red lips separate and quiver gently. She makes to scream a story of agony, but only weak yelps of confusion emit from her mouth. Her eyes dance sadly upon mine.

"And our hero overcame the darkness!" A firm slap breaks my focus, and I spin to see a smiling Tirion. "This boy here is the prime example of the light!"

Nathanos grunts, and I cannot help but look upon the old man with the same enthusiasm as the undead jerk.

"Wait…Tirion…I attacked you. I could have killed you."

He chuckles and grips both hands on my shoulders, "Lad and I could have you. Moral of the story, we are currently alive and well."

After a shake he lets me go. However, I cannot help but keep on the topic.

"But, I heard you guys talking killing Hope. Destroying Hope…"

Oddly a deep, confident chuckle rolls from Bronzeman as he shifts into vision.

"Boy, my men are overzealous at times. We were not talking about destroying you as person," He points to the floating fortress overhead, "Naxxramas was our target. The fortress has been strangely active since an armored Zeppelin shot at it for some reason."

"Skippy…"

"What?"

I shake my head, "Nothing. But…so…no one is mad that I destroyed that post down there? That I went all evil?"

Again he laughs as well as does Tirion. Bronzeman shakes his head and puffs a large cloud of smoke from some unseen holes in his helmet.

"No, Hope, it was a Horde post. Horde. That meaning I don't care if you burned it." He chuckles, "Not only that, but you wounded that nuisance of death knight that has been continuing the onslaught upon this fortress!"

I raise an eyebrow, "You mean the Herald? Jon?"

He nods, "Yes, if I recall that fool kept screaming about ending the light, or something." His arm lifts past my head as he points at something unseen, "After a boat arrived on the shores a few weeks ago, death swept the shores like a unyielding, sick fad."

His vision darts back to me, "This said epidemic led by the Herald, the new monster."

He shrugs, "Would appear you did more good than evil. Dead zombies, beaten Herald," Bronzeman turns and motions to Sylvanas, "This woman here seemed rather pleased you took out the eyesore of the infamous Putress. The town, Venomspite."

Sylvanas swiftly walks up to the armored man and promptly kicks his shin. Of course she does nothing and walks towards a pack of giant white…rather beautiful birds. You twit, those are Gryphons! He needs to learn his giant winged creatures!

She turns to me and glares angrily with flaming eyes, "Do not assume you got away with this, Goldfish." In a flash she rushes to the bird and takes a position upon it, "Just be thankful the many distractions of this frozen waste keep me from maiming you."

At that the beast claws forward, and the woman whips the reins. She darts into the air, but not before she glares one last time at me. You know she wants you. He needs to go get a piece of that! What?

Bah, forget it.

Wait…I turn to Tirion and throw him an expression of confusion.

"Where is she going?"

He watches the Gryphon as it moves. After a second he frowns and shakes his head, "I believe she is headed to Dalaran and then to the Coliseum."

His vision diverts back to me, "Speaking of which, let us get on our way."

In a hurry he rushes past the Bronzeman and waves to Nathanos. He sighs and swiftly moves to the birds. Carlin and Jessica follow suit, and I figure I might as well. You act as if you have a choice. He will have to walk otherwise.

Tirion jumps on to the back of a Gryphon and he motions to a bird with a small, bearded man. Without hesitation I move to the man, and as I reach him he extends his hand.

"Lad, what an honor!" I grip his metal palm, "Captain Tighturn and Airbreeze at ye' service!" He slaps his grand bird as he says Airbreeze.

I give him a firm handshake and shift on the Gryphon, "Thank you, Captain. Hope Blackwood coming aboard your…Gryphon here."

He chuckles and points back. I watch Nathanos do the same. Carlin and Jessica swiftly board their mounts. Mark sighs as he nears the bird then shakes his head. Finally, after a moment of thought she slips upon the bird and gets as comfortable as he can.

I cannot help but glance to Nathanos and smirk, "Don't know how to handle one of these, eh, Commander?"

He turns and swings at the air.

"I will strangle you with my thoughts, Worm!"

Tirion chuckles from my side and loudly proclaims. "Ok, ladies and gentlemen, I will be heading to the frozen mountains of Storm Peaks." He looks to me, "Hope you will be coming with me."

Nathanos grunts, "Looks like I following you then, Fordring."

Tirion nods and continues, "Carlin, Jessica, Mark, head to Dalaran and then to the Coliseum. Get a little rest before the grand trial!"

The three nod in unison before the Tirion shifts his direction back to me. "You lads ready?"

Again Nathanos grunts, "Why, pray tell, are we heading to the useless peaks of the Titans?"

Tirion whips his reins and begins moving forward. Suddenly the beast whips its mighty wings to the sides, tearing snow in a circular frenzy. In a flash the bird shoots upwards before hovering upon the air.

"To meet an old friend, Mr. Marris."

At that he propels forward. The reins of the bird next to me whip, and I hear Nathanos groan as the bird starts the same motion as Tirion's mount.

Nathanos suddenly flinches and cries, "No, no! Wait, I am not read…"

Without letting him finish the rider takes to the air and the two of them follow quickly after Tirion.

My rider chuckles and cracks his leather, "Ok, Light Bringer, ya ready for the ride of ye'iife?"

I look to him, and simply nod. The tiny man laughs and the Gryphon moves forward. It wobbles side to side before coming to a majestic upright posture. Once there its wings whirl outward and beat heavily.

Wait…maybe I am…

Force grips my sides. My body rocks and sickness consumes me. Another quick jerk of movement pulls me other the direction then to another as we reposition. Ugh, I am not feeling well. You will be alright. He needs a barf bag.

Speed gathers at the bird's wings as he barrel forward. Mountains pass by underneath us. Figures ahead seem to not move at all. The world below, however, moves rapidly and unpleasantly.

I hate…flying!