A bare foot, skin blackened and wrinkled, sank in the mud. The undead creature lifted its head to the sky, and watched the rain fall down. Stars twinkled up in the sky, through the sparse clear patches through the clouds. The undead lowered its head in disgust.
Ner'zhul turned his attention down to the city below him. Toppled towers, ruined walls, and crumbling remains of buildings spread out in a circle below. The stone was dark marble, quarried out from the mountains around them Ogres had taken up residence in the perimeters of the city, and erected up crude shelters from the remains of old houses, and shops that used to be thriving with humans. Ner'zhul could see the flea-bitten mongrels that meandered through the ruins of Alterac City. Fires burned unsteadily underneath shelters as the ogres huddled closely to each other, trying to get warm. The number of fires showed the general population, which was not many. The humans of Alterac must have been harrying the ogres.
Ner'zhul opened his mouth, and a woosh of a breath came out, long held up. Skeletal fingers curled around the hilt of a broken, jagged sword, which sparked dangerously from uncontrollable magic. He moved his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out in the beginning, but then he spoke. The voice was creaky and grating like a rusty hinge of a door.
"I want Menethil..."
The undead army behind him rumbled with bloodthirsty agreement.
Ethan was walking with Sapphire, touring the hallways of the large manor, when a man came up. He was a nobleman obviously by the arrogant way he walked and the clothes he wore.
"Ah, my dear cousin! Ethan, is it?"
The boy restrained his disgust. The nobleman was large, clearly used to eating a lot. With a round stomach, and his quivering jowls, the man looked more related to a pig than Ethan. But the green eyes were evidence that he must be a relative from his father's side. No one else in Alterac had the green eyes, most having brown eyes or the more common blue eyes. Green was extremely rare.
"Yes...Who are you?"
"I am lord-governor Austric D'vary, your second cousin, twice removed on my mother's side. Hello, dear lady," The man said, nodding politely to Sapphire.
The boy raised an eyebrow, and was reminded that all nobles are related somehow. It was rare that someone noble married a commoner. Blood was no different when spilled, but most people don't understand that. Marrying a noble was one thing, but marrying one who was your cousin, or even sibling, was revolting. But it happened. With a bit of disgust, he wondered how much blood Sapphire and him shared. Hopefully just a single drop.
The boy noticed the nobleman was staring at Sapphire, a little longer than Ethan liked. He tried not to growl.
"Hello, Lord-governor D'rary. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He said, forcing out the words.
The man smiled, and Ethan saw perfectly white, straight teeth. Hmm, they would not be so white if Ethan punched him in the face. A little noble blood staining the teeth very nicely.
"I merely wished to meet my dear young cousin. We are all pleased that you have come home. There are a bit fewer of us than there used to be. Oh, but I must not be rude. Dear lady, what is your name?"
Lord-governor D'rary turned all of his attention to Sapphire, and it was like Ethan was not even there."
"My name is Sapphire, my lord-governor," She responded sweetly. Ethan saw a bit his disgust mirrored into the girl's.
"Such a lovely name. And you, what is your lineage?"
Sapphire smiled sweetly, "Oh, my father is a gravedigger."
D'rary was shocked, and had to force out a nice smile. "Well then...Have a good day."
When he was out of earshot, Ethan and Sapphire burst out laughing.
"Gravedigger! Hahaha! More like a grave robber, hahahaha!"
Sapphire giggled, and soon they were out of breath, but still laughing. They had to lean on one another lest they fall on the floor.
"I was going to...say mortician, but that would have been too hard a...word for that man to comprehend! Hehehe."
"Oh no! Hahaha..." Ethan leaned on her too heavily, and they both fell to the floor, the boy landing on her, and their faces close together.
Sapphire gasped, and her face went red. Ethan sat up, and cleared his throat.
"Sorry. I...I fell on you," The boy said obviously.
Sapphire got to her feet, and he followed. They both looked at their feet awkwardly. Ethan winced.
"Sapphire. I am sorry. About...you know."
The girl nodded, "I know. Not your fault. It would have been better if Dad had just not heard."
Ethan tilted his head. "Wait. He was right to interrupt before it went further."
"No, it would not have. I wanted to-"
The boy interrupted her, cutting off what she was going to say.
"Sapphire! We were wrong to try to-" The girl interrupted him as well.
"No! We weren't! I love you, Ethan!" Sapphire burst out, getting angry.
The boy held his hands up disarmingly. "Please, Sapphire. There are rules to follow-"
"Fuck rules. I love you Ethan Perenolde. Don't be such a prick."
Now Ethan grew angry. "I'll be a prick if it means keeping your honor intact. I'll not demaiden you before marriage."
"Then marry me, ass!" Sapphire hissed, eyes mere slits. Ethan felt a cold aura coming off her, and decided that it would be suicide to say anything else stupid.
"I have to get a ring first."
Sapphire calmed down slowly, and looked at him, confused. "Why?"
"Because...That's what you give a woman when you propose marriage to her? I would also have to get your father's approval, a marital contract drawn up by a priest, a dowry would have to be..." He saw the look on her face.
"That sounds like a lot of stuff. How long would that take?"
"Shouldn't be that long. The contract would be the most difficult I think. What would be the conditions?"
"Conditions?" Sapphire tilted her head.
"Certain obligations I have to fulfill as a husband, and-"
Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted by Lethumo, who was running toward them.
"Jaina Proudmoore is here!" He gasped out. The night elf must not be used to such physical exertion.
"What?" Both Sapphhire and Ethan asked incredulously.
Jaina was in denial. The man standing in front of her was supposed to be dead. He looked hurt, and confused at Jaina's attitude. They stood in the courtyard, alone, for Arthas had politely asked guards to leave.
"No! You are dead...I am just hallucinating!" She said firmly at Arthas.
Medivh was sitting on the steps that led up to the manor, watching the spectacle boredly.
He saw the boy, the Alterac, distressed, in rich clothing and his head hung low. A crown sat on his head, and two puppies, both undead, curled up next to his feet, equally distressed as Sapphire's screams reverberated through the hallway. They stopped eventually. Someone opens a door, and cries out excitingly to the boy, who sprung to his feet and asked what if it was a boy or girl.
With Jaina's reaction, the old man was seeing Jaina having a miserable existence, and Arthas a rather lonely one too, broken with happiness only when Medivh saw several little children playing in Icecrown Citadel. clambering over their grandfather who would be Lich King again. Green and blue eyed children with gold, black, and glowing white hair. One, the eldest of them all, laughing as he fought with his father with wooden practice swords.
A dam of dwarven architecture, crumbling and water bursting forth with rage. A city on fire and a statue toppling over, screams in the distance.
And again...the Alterac boy, flying on the back of a red dragon with a determined look on his face. Sapphire was lost in a desert with sand swirling into the beginning of a dust storm, with only a stubborn young tol'vir, one of the strange cat-like creatures Medivh had only heard about, as company. Sapphire again, unconscious in a cave, with large, scaly eggs that pulsated with a corrupt glow, and the ravenous creatures that broke their way out...hungry for the still living meat, and the magic inside of it. A swirling maelstrom in the ocean. The boy falling to his death...Sapphire's cry of anguish.
He put a hand to his forehead, a headache forming. He shouldn't look that far, or that long, into what could be. Nothing was definite.
"Please, Jaina...Listen to me! I am alive, but I am not that monster that hurt you so badly. I am-"
"No, you bastard! I don't want to listen to your lies," The mage shouted. Tears fell down her face, and she started sobbing. The puppy, a little creature, barked at Arthas angrily. She ran forward, and grabbed the cloak the man wore, growling and tugging at it with a passion.
Arthas winced at the sounds of Jaina being in such straits. He raised a hand as if to comfort her, but thought better of it. He looked over at Medivh.
"You know...you could have warned me."
"I did warn you, but you insisted on going to Stratholme, and travel down that dark path. I cannot make your choices for you. You must make your own destiny. Advise for right now? Get a better sword, and prepare for battle. And perhaps act like a submissive dog towards her." He gestured to Jaina.
Sapphire and the boy came running out of the large house. Medivh got his feet, groaning, and leaned heavily on his staff.
The girl saw him, and the black feathered mantle on his shoulders, and even the feathers on his staff.
"You...did you send the-"
"Not send the raven. Was the raven. And you need my help. Accept it, unlike your rock-headed father."
Sapphire was taken aback, and looked doubtful. She bit her lip. But the boy, Ethan was his name, gave the young girl a warning look.
"Better do it."
Hmm...He saw the boy in the cave of eggs now with a long bloody gash in his leg, and Sapphire conscious and desperately trying to find a way out. He was bleeding profusely, and the creatures in the eggs could smell it.
Medivh held out an arm to Ethan. "Would you please help an old man, boy? I might need to talk to you too."
Another mage woman came walking out of the house, and Jaina looked at her, and the way the other woman looked at Arthas.
The old prophet smiled, and suggested that they leave quickly.