Who is your favorite Frozen Sapphire/Frozen Redemption characters? I put a poll on my profile if you want to vote!
Sapphire's hair streamed out behind her, glowing in the gloom of the marsh. Invincible ran like the wind. It was always satisfying to hear how his sharp hooves hit the stones of a well-made road. The horse had found her as soon as she left the walled city, and Sapphire had eagerly climbed up onto his back.
Now, they sped on through the marshy forest. Lights glowed like her hair in the darkness, and eyes looked on as they past, and not all were animals. But even if the outlaws had wanted to attack, they would have had trouble. Invincible was fast, and did not tire. The marsh, however, was very dangerous. Sapphire could see that. She felt like she need to leave the area as soon as possible. South sounded good, although she really wanted to go north. Far north.
But south was better than not going anywhere at all. She hoped there might be something to the south, maybe a town. She had seen mountains surrounding the marsh, and while she could have let Invincible fly over them, she figured riding would be easier.
Invincible ran for a long time, but when a sign popped up in the middle of the road, he stopped. Sapphire blinked in surprise, and had to squint to read it.
"Caution. Do not go on...Ogres, spiders, and...raptors? That doesn't sound good, does it boy?"
Invincible snorted nervously, and fidgeted in place. Sapphire looked around for a diverted path, but this was the only one. She looked out into the marsh, and the horse did likewise. The water was oily, and black. Bubbles boiled forth, and now the bugs were starting to smell Sapphire's blood. She didn't worry much. The bugs in the Swamp of Sorrows had attacked her too, but they had instantly died when they had drank her blood. What makes undead living, kills the living, she had guessed.
Still, the bites had annoyed her to no end.
Invincible needed no goading, and jumped straight into the bog. He splashed into the water, and quickly jumped out. Sapphire laughed at the horse's exuberance, and then quickly did the spell that froze the water right underneath his hooves. They almost cut across the country as quickly as they had went through on the road.
They went for hours, only attacked once by a hungry crocolisk. A swift kick in the jaw had dissuaded the animal for trying again.
Invincible ran on, neighing in triumphant glee.
Lethumo ran toward Arthas and Ethan. They both sat at a deserted dock, legs hanging down over the edge. They seemed to be arguing, but it did not look like they would get violent. They were talking in normal, if annoyed, tones.
The night elf did not care about whatever they were talking about.
"Dog! Arthas...She's gone!"
Both looked up at him in confusion. "Who?" Ethan asked.
"Sapphire."
The humans were shocked. Arthas gaped, "But...how?"
"I asked around, apparently some people saw a white-haired girl leaving out of town. And later, a demon horse followed her. I assume that'd be yours?"
Arthas and Ethan both broke into a sprint. The boy ran off to the tower, and Arthas headed to the stables. Lethumo hesitated, tempted to go talk to Jaina. She should know where they had gone.
But what if they needed him? He was a lazy son of a bitch and proud of it, but an extra sword was always welcome. The elf ran off to the stables, and entered.
The stable master had been knocked on the head, and lay groaning on the ground. The elf raised an eyebrow and looked to Arthas, who was saddling a couple of horses.
"Well, at least you did not kill him. Do you really think those horses will be able to catch up with Invincible?"
Arthas grunted. "No."
Lethumo watched, and then removed his runeblade. He held it out to Arthas. The man saw the gesture, and looked at it in confusion. The elf shrugged.
"Take it. It's a bit too slender for you, but it is two-handed. And it won't shatter. Runeblades willingly given will obey the temporary owner."
"I...Thanks, Lethumo," Arthas said, taking it. The horses grew skittish, but a few calming words soothed them. The elf nodded.
"I will stay here, tell Jaina what's going on. Protect her if you want, although that woman hardly needs it."
Arthas gave the night elf a look of relief. "Thank you..."
Lethumo walked back out, and asked a nearest guard where Lady Proudmoore was.
Sapphire nervously looked at the house. It was in the middle of nowhere, and suspicious. She saw two people outside of the building though, picking some herbs from a garden.
Invincible whinnied softly in her ear, as she approached. She looked at them curiously.
"These will be perfect for the potions. I hope Autum is actually getting the fish oil for us."
It was the annoying mage girl's sisters, Sapphire thought. That girl she had met a long time ago in Dalaran. What were their names? Karanda, and Lily.
"Karanda?" Sapphire asked, standing up.
Both girl's looked up in surprise. Karanda blinked.
"Who are you?"
"Sapphire? I think we met once..."
"Oh!" The girl smiled at Sapphire. The other, Lily, scowled. She seemed surprised at the sight of Sapphire.
"This is the last place we thought we'd see you here. What are you doing here?" Karanda asked.
"Passing through. Do you know of any town nearby? I came from-"
"Theramore, I bet! And there is Mudsprocket. A goblin town. Did you see Autum in Theramore? She was supposed to meet us here."
"Sorry, no. Where is here, might I ask?" Sapphire questioned. Lily answered, surprising Sapphire.
"Tabetha's farm. Our teachers sent us here to get stuff, and learn from Tabetha."
"Oh...Well, I guess I will leave you two."
Lily hopped up, and grabbed the girl's sleeve. She was still scowling.
"Wait! We can come with you! I think it'd be much easier to take a gryphon back to Theramore than take a boat."
Sapphire hesitated, and shrugged.
"If you want."
Mudsprocket was a pitiful excuse of a town. Sapphire sneered at it in disgust, but entered it willingly. She wondered if her parents were frantic. She had not even left an explanation, or a note. She assumed that they were at that city. Theramore.
Lily was looking at her in a confused way, but the girl did not think anything of it. The mage girls were all weird. Sapphire just ignored it.
The three got some food from a vendor. Karanda left to go see how much two gryphons would be to Theramore, or if her and her sister could share one.
Sapphire just looked at the goblins that lived in Mudsprocket curiously. She had seen goblins before, but they always intrigued her. The girl was watching two fight, and Lily sat down next to her.
"So, Where's that deathknight of yours?" She asked, seemingly genuine in her curiosity.
Sapphire bit into some bread, and shrugged. "Left him in Theramore. Why?"
"...No reason. So, where are you planning on going? You said you weren't going back to Theramore."
The girl shrugged. "I need to get to Northrend, but I-"
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Northrend? Why would you go there?"
She might have given too much away. Sapphire smiled.
"I just need to. Okay?"
Karanda came back, and sat down next to the two.
"We can't get a gryphon until tomorrow. Will you stay with us tonight, Sapphire?"
Sapphire blinked, and shook her head. "No, I don't really-"
"Please?" Lily asked.
"...Fine. I'll spend the night with you."
The servant contacted the master quickly. Sapphire Menethil was in Dustwallow Marsh. In a place called Mudsprocket. It was to the south, and isolated. The girl had left Arthas and gone out on her own. A foolish mistake. If he was going to share a body with her, he would have to stamp out her naïve thinking. Hopefully, she will submit meekly. After all, he did practically raise her.
Arthas had taken his memories, wisdom, and mind and melded it into his. He knew the girl somewhat. The girl was gullible, arrogant, but sensitive.
Perhaps the girl would react positively to him if he acted nicely. She seemed to like how that deathknight boy treated her.
Ner'zhul had a deathknight make him a death gate to Dustwallow Marsh.
Arthas and Ethan were both stopped by the same sign that had stopped Sapphire. Ethan sat on a finicky mare, and Arthas had gotten an old draft horse, but they were better than nothing. Darkness crept up on them as night came over the marsh. Fireflies flew around, pulsing red and orange lights.
Ethan read the sigh. "Ogres, spiders and raptors. Well, great! Fuck!"
"Ethan..." Arthas warned.
The boy shook his head. "Sorry. What do we do?"
The man sat on his horse, thinking. He looked around the marsh, and scratched stubble on his face.
Something caught his eye. A gleam of wetness shone from the ground.
"Ethan...What's that?"
The boy looked where Arthas pointed, and lifted up his dog helm. It was intimidating to Arthas, the snarling head and the real teeth. He did not want to see what Medivh had made for his daughter if it was anything close.
Arthas ignored Ethan's helm for the moment, and looked at what he had found. Hoof prints, sunken into the soft moist earth. Ethan hopped down his horse, and looked at it closely.
"Can't have been but four hours ago. We'll never find her! We need flying mounts...Do you want to take deathgates back to Theramore and procure some gryphons?" Ethan asked.
Arthas growled in frustration.
"Seems we must have to. Sapphire did not make it easy for us."
Ethan smiled weakly. "She never does. I hope she's okay. Crocolisks and spiders can get very big in a marsh like this."