Twisted Fate
Chapter 10

"No….N…Th…F…..Y?"

A barrage of sounds hit Nariel like a battering ram to the head, alerting her painfully to the fact that she had regained consciousness.

"-'s improving." Said an unknown voice.

"Are you sure?" Came another voice she recognized as Solarius.

"Aye lad, t'was a nasty hit she took but she'll live." Said the unknown voice again.

"I should have warned her." Said Molikor.

"You had no way to know the elemental would react that way." Solarius said, comforting his friend.

"I've seen it before!" Said Molikor angrily. "I should have checked it first. I could have recognized it." He said. "She could have been killed!" he yelled as a loud crash accompanied his fist hitting a table.

The sound echoed like the roar of a dragon in her pounding head and she winced uncomfortably, though the pair did not notice.

"Molikor, this was not your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault." Solarius said. "Go get some fresh air. You've been in here all day." He said. "Go get food, play with Frostbite. Do something to take your mind off it for a little while."

Molikor sighed. "You're right." He said, adding. "I'll be back." Before turning and departing the tent.

After a few moments of silence, Nariel carefully opened her eyes, cautiously tempting them with light as her blurred vision slowly came into focus. When she had finally adjusted, she tried to sit up on her elbows, crashing back down to the bed with a whimper as pain overtook her. She lay there for a moment before opening her eyes again, glancing around. She didn't recognize where she was, but she was certain it wasn't Blackrock Spire, if for no other reason than because she could see the sky through the flap of the tent.

"Nariel!" exclaimed Solarius at the sound of her cry.

"S-Solarius…" she said. "Where are we?"

"Iron Summit" he replied, kneeling by her side. She looked around, noting a small female dwarf – the source of the unknown voice, she supposed.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, her voice strained. "All I remember is the totem…exploding…"

He nodded slowly. "It's good that you remember it at least. I don't know the details of it but from what Molikor said, it sounds like the fire elemental that inhabited the totem had been corrupted by years of abuse." He said. "When the Shaman died, he finally relinquished control over the elemental, which chose to destroy its totem rather than allow another person to touch it."

"Of course the one totem I touch would be more volatile than goblin dynamite." Said Nariel, coughing. "What happened after it exploded then?" she asked.

"We brought you here." Solarius said.

"And the totem?" she asked. At her inquiry, Solarius produced a few small wooden shards.

"This is all that was left." He said.

Nariel looked at the splinters with a frown. "So I get blown up and you two don't even get what we're after?" She teased.

Solarius gave a small laugh, happy to see his friend in good spirits.

"Not necessarily." He replied. "Molikor's friend really only wanted closure. We can give that to him now." He said.

"I suppose that's something." Nariel replied, testing her ability to sit up briefly again before deciding against it with a painful cry.

"How bad am I?" She asked, her breath ragged.

"Not good, but you're going to be ok." Solarius replied, his voice reassuring. "Rok'thor got you good – two ribs broken, and you'll be limping for a while from the totem."

"You're doing much better than when we got you here." He said. "Ilisandra – the priest" he motioned to the dwarf "is a miracle worker. She saved you from some pretty nasty burns.

Nariel glanced at the dwarf, who shrugged and stepped out of the tent.

"How are you feeling?" Solarius asked.

"Something – my ribs I guess – hurts a lot when I try to sit up." She said. "But otherwise I'm feeling better than a moment ago when I woke up."

"If you like, I can try to help there." Solarius said. "Healing isn't my specialty, but I'm capable of a little."

"Please do." She said, wincing as another jolt of pain shot through her side. "The quicker the better."

"Just relax then." Solarius said, bringing his hands up to her side.

She gave a small gasp as she felt his warm fingers connect with the side of her chest; the dwarf had removed her chest piece, so the only thing keeping her decent was the string of bandages that had replaced it. He closed his eyes and ran his hand down her side, and then over to her stomach before moving it back up her front and then to the side of her chest. He repeated the circular motion for a few brief minutes, and as he did she felt a slight tingle as the numbness was once again replaced by feeling.

She closed her eyes and focused on his touch. His fingers felt foreign, but pleasant. His touch was light, but she could feel the roughness in his hands that came with a lifetime of adventure. Wherever his fingertips moved, warmth followed. It spread over her as if it were water, and he massaged it in gently, hitting her injury perfectly but never aggravating it, and a few times she felt herself shiver from his fingers.

Finally he stopped, opening his eyes and breathing deeply. She could tell that the process had drained him, but she was thankful for it – she tenderly rolled to her side and swept her around, joining him where he sat on the edge of the bed. She looked sideways at him and for a brief moment she thought she caught his eyes trailing down her exposed torso before rising to meet hers, but she chose to ignore it, assuming he was just checking her injury.

"Thank you." She said softly.

He said nothing in reply but smiled and nodded as she rose, searching for her armor.

Eventually they made their way out of the tent. Her injuries were not fully healed, but between the dwarves and Solarius' healing, she was well enough to get around. Molikor apologized profusely when he finally returned, to the point where she had threatened to poison him again if he didn't stop blaming himself. That at least had brought a smile to the Orc, the first since she had been injured.

"So?" Molikor had asked her, finally in good spirits again.

"So?" Nariel replied, confused.

"One trip. It's over now." He replied.

"Ah." She said, understanding where he was going.

"Will you be staying?" Solarius asked nervously.

Nariel paused. She hadn't really given it much thought. Then again, it doesn't really need much thought. She said to herself, thinking back to all that had transpired.

"Yes." She said, nodding. "For now, I'll stay."


When the excitement had finally died down a few days later Molikor packaged up the remnants of the totem and left them with instructions to be taken by the next courier to Orgrimmar, and so the group had started on their way again, and their pace quickly left the Searing Gorge behind. It was nearly a week after departing Iron Summit that the group found themselves camping in the Badlands, having decided to trek north. As was her usual custom in the evenings, Nariel had wandered off to enjoy the night under the stars for a bit. She had grown so accustomed to being snuck up on by Solarius that when she heard his voice, it really didn't even surprise her.

"There you are." He called out, the sound of his footsteps growing closer.

She turned her head to glance at him. "Hey!" she said with a smile.

He plopped down beside her, glancing upwards to the sky. "It's a beautiful night." He said.

"Yes. Seeing the Sky like this reminds me of Silvermoon a little bit." She mused.

"I do miss it sometimes." He replied. "Though I never spent much time there anyways, since our home was in the woods."

"Oh?" she asked. "What part?"

"Fairbreeze Village" he said.

"Fairbreeze Village…" she echoed, her voice trailing off.

"Yes." Said Solarius. "Why?" he asked.

Nariel gave a small grunt.

"Fairbreeze Village is where one life ended, and another began for me" she said.

"I see." He replied. "That would be where you found Sath'rovok then." He said, almost whispering the name to test her reaction.

"Yes." She replied, surprised not to feel the familiar sting at hearing his name.

"Why did you leave?" she asked him, deciding her past was not something she wanted to dwell on tonight.

"I've always been sort of…wild." He said, choosing his words. "Fairbreeze was home, but there is only so much excitement to be had in a small village before you start...getting into trouble." He added.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"I didn't like the path my life was heading down if I stayed there." He replied. "I was always doing something; exploring here and there, trying to discover new things." He said. "But eventually you explore it all. Eventually there is nothing left to discover in quiet little Fairbreeze Village." He continued. "And when that happens you start turning to new things. Creating your own excitement. I made that mistake only once before I had someone wise recognize that I needed to get out."

"What did you do?" Nariel asked.

"I almost got my best friend killed." He said. "Worse than killed; turned undead." Solarius continued, a sad look spreading across his face.

"I was a child at the time. It was a boring day, and we had nothing exciting left to do. One of us got the bright idea to go explore the Dead Scar." He said, continuing "For whatever reason I decided it would be more fun to rescue someone from the Dead Scar."

"I told my best friend that his Sister had wandered down there. After he got a good head start, we gathered our practice armor and set off after him." Solarius paused briefly, sadly recalling the day.

Finally he continued. "When we got there he was surrounded by undead. Obviously we were no match for them. It was pure luck that a passing Ranger heard our cries and saved us. After that my Father told me that I needed to get out of Fairbreeze. Not because he was angry or disappointed, but because he knew that thrill-seeking was in my blood. I couldn't try to change it, but neither could I stay cooped up where I could get someone killed."

As he spoke, Nariel leaned her head on his shoulder. A great sadness had grown inside her at his story, and she realized that even he, as happy and friendly as he seemed now, had his past problems. As she sat there, she felt his arm go around her shoulder. At his touch her mind relaxed a little, but she felt her heart rate rise ever so slightly. As the revelation of her own reaction hit Nariel, it sent a shockwave through her, and she stiffened immediately.

Oh no.

This can't be what I think it is.

"Are you ok?" Solarius asked. "You seem uneasy all the sudden."

"Y-yes, I'm fine." She said, failing to hide her quivering voice.

"I know you better than that." He said.

Despite her best attempts, she could not hide her body language.

"What's wrong?" the Paladin asked as she sat up, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"I…Nothing." She said, staring down at the ground and knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

Solarius turned to her, his voice reassuring. "Nariel…you can trust me, remember?"

She sat in silence, her mind racing. How could she fall for him? He had done so much for her. He was an amazing friend, and certainly attractive. That alone should have been enough for a girl with any sense, but she was damaged. She had tried love before, and even through all he had done to heal her pain she wasn't sure that she could do it again.

And yet here I sit, heart racing at his touch. She thought, her mind suddenly uncertain.

She looked up, searching his eyes but remained silent for a few moments more. Finally, picking her words carefully she spoke.

"It's not something wrong Solarius." She said. "Just something…surprising."

"Can you tell me what it is?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not yet." She said. "But it's not anything wrong." She reaffirmed with a smile.

"Thank you. For everything." She said, replacing her head on his arm and closing her eyes.

Shit. She thought to herself. What now?

"When you're ready." Solarius said simply.

For the moment Nariel was content where she was. Her mind would have to unravel this new problem on its own but she knew that if it came to it, she could talk to him. Her own thoughts were racing through her mind so quickly that she did not notice the hidden uncertainty in his own voice, but if she could have put her head on his chest instead of his shoulder she would have heard the telltale thumping that might have reassured her that her feelings were not so one sided after all.

Indeed, as he sat there under the stars secretly marveling at the beautiful elf leaning against him, the simple act that let him know just how much of a comfort he was to her set his heart pounding, even as his mind raced.

Shit. He thought to himself. What now?