This chapter warrants the M rating due to some of the mature content. Read at your discretion


Chapter 14 – Pancakes & Syrup


She sat in the rocking chair by the window, looking out over the city towards the harbour. Her eyes were nipping from both tiredness and many shed tears. As Ocel continued taking his morning feed, she tried her best not to be sulky. But her two consciences were not making it easy.

"It is not befitting considering recent developments..." her little white naaru on her right shoulder chastised "... to dwell on such wanton pleasures."

"Well, considering recent developments I would have thought he would have wanted to engage in such wanton pleasures," said the red naaru on the left.

"Be reasonable, the very ground on which we walk could be nigh on destroyed in coming months, weeks, days even. The man has responsibilities," whitey replied.

"Huh! And she is not considered a responsibility? Nay! Scratch that. He did promise after all," red huffed.

"This hardly even warrants discussion," whitey tsked. "Pathetic, if you ask me."

"And he hasn't even bothered to come through and see her, nor his son this morning!"

"He has important things to see to no doubt. They will still be here when he's ready."

"Oh, will they now!"

"Stop! Now you are being simply petulant!"

She shushed the naarus on hearing the study door open and close. Red however, managed a quick flippant remark as the door to the nursery opened. "Talk of the devil."

This was not like Sarah. She was a sensible woman who understood the nature of his work and the effort required to do it to the best of his ability. So, why was she being so unreasonable about this? Was it hormonal? It didn't really matter what was at the root of it, to be honest, because it was how she felt and that was all there was to glanced down at Ocel. Lightly she stroked his cheek with her fingertips. Mummy is an ill-natured woman today, she was trying to relay her thoughts to the infant. I'm being really petty and I know it, but still...

Her naaru consciences vanished in a puff of empyrean vapour as Khadgar's hands gently squeezed her shoulders. He bent down and planted a kiss just below her ear. "Good morning," he said, his breath caressing a wisp of her hair. His voice was a tad somnolent.

"Hmm," was all Sarah could muster. She did not respond in her usual manner, trembling at his touch and offering her lips for a 'proper' kiss. Instead she kept her eyes on her son. She felt the fresh sting of tears biting under her lashes and chastised herself for being so irrational. A soft glow pulsed from under her top, its brightness growing slowly but steadily.

With another gentle squeeze of her shoulders and a soft massage she knew Khadgar had read the tell-tale signs. "I'm sorry," he said, ever so softly. "It was late when I returned, that's why I didn't wake you."

Furious at her mood being so easily deciphered, a tear escaped and was absorbed by Ocel's babygrow. Before she could stop herself, the bitter words dripped from her mouth. "Well, if you'd bothered to look in, you would have seen I was wide awake." Khadgar's fingers stilled then slipped to the back of the rocker.

Ocel had finished feeding and Sarah haughtily covered herself then lifted the babe patting his back as she moved across the room to his cot. Without fail, after every feed he snoozed. Normally she had sometimes an hour in the morning before he woke again, ready for his day ahead. She turned to leave the room to ready herself for an outing she had decided to take him on.

Khadgar stood in her way. She looked up, ready to be all defensive. In the blink of an eye, her foul mood was replaced by shame. He looked so tired, no doubt from his interviewing of the orcs and dredging through countless texts and books for solutions to the threat of the Void. How could she allow such selfish thoughts enter her head when he worked so hard at keeping everything safe, not only for the people of Azeroth but also for her and their son. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his chest. Guilty tears started to trickle now. How she hated being this way.

He held her close, allowing her to shed her tears. While she sobbed, his mind cast back to a few weeks earlier. Brillyn had taken him aside when Sarah finally gave way to a little snooze the day of Ocel's birth. She'd warned him that he may find himself living with a real demon of a woman for a few months. She'd explained all about how some women went through severe mood swings, sometimes crying for no apparent reason, or being uncharacteristically sharp and irrational. It would pass, but he needed to understand it was real emotions she would be going through, and very much out with her control.

She said, "It is efter a', anither monumental change for hur body. For nine months she hus nurtured the babe within. He wis physically and spiritually part o' hur, she surrounded him, the ultimate maternal protection. But now, havin' gone through substantial pain birthin' him, she hus brought him intae a world where things could harm him. Psychologically, a mother gans through a sense o' fear and helplessness yince their babe is born, for now he is oot with the safety o' hur womb. She initially feels inadequate in hur ability tae protect him."

The dwarf midwife then took a sip of tea and a nibble of a plain biscuit, before continuing. "Oo baith ken, Khadgar, that she is a strong lass, and she wid fight tae the death tae protect him – and you nae doot ana', but it will take time for that Sarah tae emerge again. So..." Brillyn placed a reassuring hand on his forearm, "...bearing a' this in mind, know that some days she might be a beast o' a wuman, other days an emotional wreck. Div'nae however, tell hur it's jist hur hormones, wimen hate that, an' in hur case, she might blast ye across the sea to Kalimdor wi' her demonic ability thingy. Jist be patient and understanding. You, efter a', had the easy pirt in a' this."

He had needed to remind himself now and again of Brillyn's advice, but mostly, he had found it easy to put up with Sarah's mood swings. They had not been too difficult up to now. But, this morning she was definitely tetchy and he knew why. "I warned you living with me would not be easy at times," he said, his voice still soft, with a little humour.

"No you didn't!" she mumbled into his tunic. A half sob, half laugh followed but she kept her face buried in his chest.

"Well - I meant to," he replied. He sighed deeply and pulled her tighter against him. "I do love you so, Sarah, never ever lose sight of that. But, when I romance you, I prefer there to be no distractions, so that I can be there in my entirety for you."

After a few moments, she mumbled again. "Even when you tell me I have to wait because you're preoccupied with the salvation of Azeroth, you still manage to make it sound sexy. So shut up, why don't you, other than telling me how things went with the orcs."

He couldn't help but smile. "Sexy, huh?"

She beat her fist on his chest and laughed lightly. "Now you're being cruel." Somehow, as he so often did, he had managed to completely defuse her grouchy frame of mind and pull her back from the brink of total emotional putrefaction.

He steered her out of the nursery and along the hallway to the kitchen. Once there he sat her down at the table, then proceeded to take simple flour and small eggs from a cupboard near the window and some ice cold milk from the cooler. He grinned as he heard her disbelieving laughter and soft mutterings of "Oh, sweet Elune, please no." His culinary skills had never been fully developed, however he had been practicing a surprise using a very reliable method which he was duly competent in. Magic. And it was a little treat he had been saving for a day such as today, when her mood had been so dour.

Finding the ingredients had been easy, the utensils were another matter. He stood, thumb and forefinger toying with his chin as his eyes scanned the cupboards, wondering where the things he needed were concealed.

"Bottom right," he heard her whisper. One crepe and grill pan found.

"Top, second left," she navigated. Mixing bowl detected.

"Drawer to the right," Spoon and spatula. All ready now.

He sat down beside her with a satisfied grunt. She raised a quizzical eyebrow. With a lop-sided smile and a nonchalant wave of his left hand, the flour, eggs and milk all sleekly found their way into the mixing bowl. Another twist of his fingers and the spoon started to mix them all together and a little seasoning was added.

He afforded himself a parabolic pat of congratulations as Sarah threw her head back, laughter tumbling easily from her mouth and her hands awarding him applause. He watched her intently as she ended up mesmerised while the batter mixture poured into perfect circles on the crepe pan and the spatula flipped them when it was time. The sound and smell of the bacon sizzling on the grill pan had her tongue running slowly across her top lip. That, had almost been a critical distraction from his magical demonstration, but he recovered nicely when she shot him a knowing look.

With a final flourish, he dished up layers of pancakes and bacon then drizzled them in snowplum syrup and presented the plate in front of her with two forks. The look on her face had been so worth the effort. Sitting opposite and picking up one of the forks, he smirked as he pushed it through the tower of his culinary creation and offered a bitesize portion to her. She leaned forward. He teased her a little by pulling back. Her eyes flashed up to his, a mischievous sparkle rippling over them. She tried again and this time her lips closed around the offering then pulled back taking the food, chewing slowly, her eyes fervently fixed upon him. The tell-tale glow of arousal pulsed softly from her markings. A soft sigh flowed from his lips as he watched the gentle movement of her throat when she swallowed. The corners of his mouth twitched. Suddenly, he wasn't so tired anymore.

She presented him with a forkful of deliciousness. He accepted with a wry smile. They continued feeding each other, in silence, their eyes only breaking contact long enough to replenish their forks. One mouthful resulted in some syrup dribbling down the side of her mouth. She made to wipe it away but stopped when she saw him shaking his head. He leaned over. Cupping her chin in his hand, his tongue took care of the wayward syrup before his mouth closed gently over hers. Her fork made a reverberating tinging noise as it fell from her hand and bounced off the plate.

Both stood, leaning into the kiss, a new, more voracious hunger rising within them. With one hand he pushed their unfinished breakfast aside and then pulled her onto the table's surface. She knelt before him, hands on his shoulders still engaged in the deepest of kisses. Her white-gold luminescence spread from her like angelic wings and it wrapped around him like a shield. Her fingers moved up, pressing into his hair forcing his kiss to deepen.

His hands tugged at the hem of her nightgown and slowly he traced his way up her inner thighs. He pulled back a little, his eyes drifting to the area he wanted exposed. "Sarah!" The urgency in his voice betrayed his longing.

He groaned as he found her lascivious opening ready to receive him. His fingers massaged her delectable clit, her shudders egging him on to do more. He acquiesced to her need, his need and he deftly lay claim to the taut bundle of sensitive nerve endings within her. He felt her grip in his hair tighten and release, kneading his scalp. As her orgasm hit her full force, she folded against him, weakened, panting. "I love you," she gasped.

He lifted her. Quickly glancing behind to ensure his chair was within reach, he coiled his foot round its leg and dragged it to him. He sat, positioning her low on his lap. His fingers fumbled with the ties of his britches. She took over, expertly unknotting the leather thong. Freed from the restraints of his garments he grabbed her buttocks and eased her up. She reached down and positioned him against her warm, moist sex, then she let him lower her onto him.

Their eyes locked, heat and desire plenteous as he controlled their love-making. She cried out, her head thrown back as he moved her hips against his, holding her firmly, possessively. Within moments she was ascending again to the dizzying heights of another climax, having still been recovering from her first. He felt her sex grip him from deep within, squeezing, wanting and it heralded a very quick and plentiful release from him. With a deep groan he buried his head between her breasts, inhaling her scent.

Gradually, they descended and met again in the familiar surroundings of their home. Her glow slowly etherized but her eyes were still bright, glistening from her desire. He watched her lips as they curved into a smile. Still a little breathless, she said, "I'd say you handle distractions very well indeed." He nuzzled her breasts planting small kisses and a sudden flick of his tongue across her still pert nipples caused her to tremble. "That was the most amazing foreplay ever," she continued. "You're cooking breakfast every day from now on."

He laughed and pulled her to him again. As his breathing settled back to a regular rhythm, he experienced a flush of guilt. Their love-making was, as always, incredible, sublime, but he had hid behind its divinity. It had removed broaching the subject of his meeting with the orcs, or more accurately, the argument with Illidan and the demon hunter's revelation. As always, Khadgar's main objective was to keep Sarah safe. And now, their son was added to his agenda. He would not allow anyone, or anything to jeopardise their survival.

He had to devise a way of finding out what she knew about the Void, if indeed what Illidan inferred was accurate. If so, it meant she was one of the key players in helping to defeat the Void. But it needed done in such a way that she would not go charging out to battle. Their son needed her, she could not, must not risk her life or leave Ocel.

As if fate agreed with him, Ocel's cries reached their ears. Both he and Sarah were a little reluctant to break their physical contact, but they equally knew their son needed her attention. A groan escaped him as she released him from within her. With a parting kiss, full of promise, she left the kitchen to tend to their son. He loosely fastened his britches and with yet another spell he sent the dishes to the sink where they were washed and placed on the drainer.

Weariness overcame him once more, and he moved through the house to their bedroom. Shedding his clothes he climbed into bed, enjoying how Sarah's scent surrounded him as he pulled the sheet over his abdomen. Arm behind his head, he lay a few moments glancing out of the window at the blue sky and its promise of a bright new day. He felt a tightening of his heart as fear washed over him. This enemy, this Void, was more powerful than anything they had fought yet. It could strip men of their their ambitions, their loyalties, their beliefs, their honour. Their hope. These were essential things which they had to possess in order to fight for their homes, families, friends. For Azeroth.

The Void was shadow, dark, rapacious, unforgiving, unrelenting and completely and utterly hell bent on snuffing out the light that represented Azeroth and her people.

For the first time in his life, he felt truly inadequate.


Sarah had lifted Ocel and placed him on the changing table where she started to undo his nappy. She had cleaned him and was folding a new nappy out on the table when she thought she heard voices, arguing. She looked around, trying to gauge where they came from. At first she thought it was someone in the street below, but on looking out the window she found no-one in the vicinity.

"Wait!" The voice was faint but there was enough familiarity in its timbre to recognise it as Illidan's.

"What!" She staggered back a little as she recognised Khadgar's voice. He was angry. With Illidan? Why?

She moved back to Ocel, who was chortling happily, his little bum free of a nappy. She was straining to hear more of this conversation she had somehow contravened. From where though? Illidan was not here and Khadgar was ... Couldn't be! Finally? Without effort?

She quickly fastened Ocel's nappy and finished dressing him, then with him held against her, she moved to the hallway. She saw the door of their bedroom slightly open. He must have went to lie down. Very carefully, she peered through the doorjamb. There he lay, looking out the window, a look of deep concern creasing his brow. She closed her eyes, hoping it would somehow help to channel his thoughts. In a moment she opened them again. How could she! It was as bad, well worse actually, than reading his journals back in Dalaran before the war with the Burning Legion.

She turned to go back to the nursery.

"You claim to be a forward-thinking man, Khadgar..." She stopped. It was Illidan's voice again.

"It is the Kirin Tor, Illidan, and the world's most powerful mages sit at its head." Why was Khadgar having to defend the Kirin Tor?

" And you do what? Sit in your pompous Chamber of Air in the Violet Citadel with your cronies around you, studying magic ..." Sarah was becoming unnerved. It seemed the two of them were not seeing eye to eye.

"You, little mage, know nothing about me nor of what I am truly capable of. I have an unsurpassed skill in arcane and if it came to the test, I would wipe the floor with your puny council." Sarah gasped, clapping her hand over her mouth. They could not, must not argue this way. They had to remain united.

She quickly returned to the nursery and started getting things together for her outing with her son. Glancing down at herself, she realised she was still in her nightgown. Oh, bugger! That meant she had to go into their room to get dressed. Not wanting to disrupt Khadgar's rest by asking him to watch Ocel while she dressed, she put her son back in his cot. "Mummy will be only a few minutes," she said to him, planting a finger kiss on his forehead. His little face broke into a smile.

She tiptoed back to their bedroom, thinking perhaps Khadgar was sleeping now. Having just reached the door, another part of the conversation invaded her mind. "Are you threatening me, Illidan?" Her breathing hitched.

"No, Khadgar. I consider you a friend and as such I should able to express my opinion without you taking offence..." She could not help but sigh with relief.

"Set your council the task of researching if you wish but, there are others out there Khadgar, out with your council, who know more about the Void than you can ever hope to find out in a book. I am one of those you need. And there is one more we will require, who will help us connect with the others." Her interest was piqued.

As inconspicuously as she could she entered their room and went to the wardrobe. She glanced over at the bed. His eyes were closed. She pulled on some soft blue hexweave pants and a matching tunic. Now she was betwixt hoping he was resting and yet wanting to hear more of the conversation. She tied a belt around her tunic, trying to delay her leaving the room. Nothing more was forthcoming. Resigned that he must have actually dozed off she moved back to the door.

"Who is this other then?" Khadgar's past voice startled her and she shot out the door on tip toes. Short rapid breaths passed her lips as she waited just outside.

Then she heard the demon hunter's laugh. "Sarah, of course."

She glanced back towards the door, stunned. But what she heard next, made her heart contract.

"I cannot, will not let her fight. She has to watch over Ocel. I must not let her know of this."