Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft. It belongs to the great team at Blizzard, who year after year, produces great games. Thanks you guys.

Chapter 1

As he walked through the streets of Northshire Valley, Tyrion can't help but admire the beauty of the hardwood trees that lined the streets. Elwynn Forest has always been a beautiful place, not to mention quite peaceful in recent years, and has a thriving community of fishermen, miners and loggers.

Of course, recently he heard his father say that there are rumors of kobolds and murlocs moving into the area, and of course since his father still have ties to the Stormwind military, even though he was retired, he has also heard of unsavory characters wearing red colored masks and clothes that has taken up residence in the area recently.

Making a note to ask his father's old friend, Marshal Mcbride about those things later, he slowly walked in the direction of Northshire Abbey, an old but impressive structure that

is the landmark of Northshire Valley. He was only a few steps away from the Abbey's entrance, when a footman bearing the armor and livery of the Stormwind army stood in his path.

"Halt, stranger! State your business in wanting to enter the abbey… this isn't where normal civilians are supposed to be… or are you planning to volunteer yourself to help defend Northshire against threats?" The footman said rather curtly.

Tyrion rolled his eyes at the deputy, knowing who this person is, and he said in a rather polite, but amused tone. "Deputy Willem… are you sure you are not tired in saying those words to every civilian that is trying to get into the Abbey? I'm Tyrion Silvermoon, son of Edgar Silvermane, retired Knight of the Silver Hand. I am here on the behest of my father, to speak to Marshal Mcbride regarding my own journey to contribute to the Alliance, like my father did."

Deputy Willem just smirked behind his helmet. Apparently, Edgar's son is still a bit irreverent as ever, but yet possesses a sense of humor that made people disregard his rather cocky attitude.

He just chuckled and then shook his head and said. "Still irreverent as ever, eh Tyrion? The more things change, the more things stay the same, I suppose. Well, you might be a young Paladin now, following in the footsteps of your father, Tyrion, but don't get cocky alright? In order to get to your father's level, there is a lot of work to be done, and you can start by contributing to the community here… and I don't mean farming, just in case you were wondering… it is a waste of your talents, not to mention that you would blanch at the thought."

Tyrion just smiled at the Deputy, who merely smiled back and continued speaking. "As you know the guards from Stormwind, myself included are hard pressed to keep the peace around here, with so many of my comrades being sent away in distant lands and many threats that are pressing closer and closer to home. So that is why we are recruiting volunteers who are willing to defend their home and the Alliance in general. But I guess you don't need me to tell you that right, since your father sent you to the Marshal?" The last part was said with an amused tone.

Tyrion just rolled his eyes again and said in a rather bored tone of voice. "You got that part right, Deputy… could I please go and see the Marshal right now, please?"

Deputy Willem just grinned and then cocked a thumb towards the abbey and said. "Sure… just go right on in, Tyrion. He has been expecting you anyway. "

Tyrion nodded with a smile and said. "Sure thing, Deputy… I'll do just that." He then turned to leave, but then felt the Deputy's hand on his shoulder, and then turned. "Yes, Deputy? Is there anything else I needed to know, before I see the Marshal?"

Deputy Willem just nodded and said. "I just wanted you to know that once you finished the task the Marshal has for you, come and see me as well. I might have a few things that you can do as well."

Tyrion nodded and said. "Sure, I will do that, Deputy." He then strode into the Abbey and marveled at the architecture for a moment, before seeking out Marshal Mcbride, which wasn't very difficult. After all, the Marshal was bald, though he was jovial person and an old friend of his father's.

The bald Marshal smiled warmly as he watched Tyrion approach and said with a warm and friendly expression on his face. "Ahh Tyrion… good to see you, m'boy! How is your father doing these days?"

"My father is well, Marshal … and he sends his regards. In fact, I was instructed by him to see you to perform some tasks for the community while I am still trying to find my feet in the world. He said it would be best to build a reputation of my own, rather than relying on the fame that my father has gained." Tyrion said warmly, and gave the Marshal an equally warm smile of his own.

The marshal just chuckled and said. "That's Edgar for you… but he is right, m'boy. Your father might be one of the surviving members of the Order of the Silver Hand, and thus is quite famous here in Northshire… though it is a pity he retired since… we could use his strength to maintain the peace around here. Anyway… relying on your parents' reputation will only bring about complacency and arrogance… and those are usually the precursor of a defeat or self destruction. Remember this lesson well, will you?"

Tyrion nodded and Mcbride smiled and said. "Good… now, listen up young Tyrion. I am sure you realize that the human lands are now in danger from threats that come from both the inside and the outside, and furthermore, our forces are stretched thin throughout the Alliance."

He paused for a moment before he continued with a slightly grim expression on his face. "This unfortunately has left some room for corrupt and lawless groups to operate rather freely within our borders. It is a many-fronted battle we wage, m'boy… so I hope that you have girded yourself for a long campaign, since I don't see this ending anytime soon."

Tyrion nodded and said. "I understand Marshal… do you have tasks that I can perform for the community for a start?"

Marshal Mcbride smiled and nodded. "It is good that you are eager to start… very well then. Your first task is one of cleansing, young Paladin… it seems that the Light is strong in your family after all. How well are you versed in the skills that your father taught you, Tyrion?"

Tyrion just chuckled sheepishly and said. "Fair enough, Marshal… I have only been taking short lessons from my father before I departed and I learned some basic skills of my father's profession."

The Marshal nodded and said. "Right… as it is, there is a small clan of kobolds that has infested the woods north of the abbey. Your task is to fight the kobold vermin there and reduce their numbers so that one day we may be able to drive them away from Northshire."

"Understood, Marshal… is there any specific number of vermin that I must slay before I report back to you?" Tyrion enquired before he decided to leave to take on his first quest for the community.

Marshal Mcbride nodded and said with a smile. "Well, besides you we have also enlisted other volunteers, so around eight or ten of them would do m'boy. Do let me know when you have completed your task."

Tyrion nodded and said. "Alright then, I will soon return after I have completed the task." He soon turned and left the Abbey, passing by Deputy Willem, whom he greeted before he made his way to the woods near the Abbey, and immediately he saw the kobolds, which are of a fair number.

They looked like a bunch of scruffy rat men with tattered clothing, and a small pack, and oddly enough a candle on top of their heads. They seem to bring some kind of stick as their weapon as well.

Before he attacked, Tyrion remembered the lesson his father thought about a Seal, and he invoked it, before targeting the nearest Kobold, catching it unawares and running it through with his sword, and it let out a gurgle, before it fell limp as its life fled its body.

Toshi shook slightly, pulling his blade out of the dead kobold, and took several steps back. He had made his first kill… which is the hardest. Even though he knew that this is a mere kobold, a life is a life, and there is no doubt that he would have to do this quite often… even to a fellow human being some day.

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he soon regained his composure, and then proceeded with his task of slaying nine more kobolds before he decided to report back to the Marshal. But before that, he searched the bodies of the Kobolds that he had slain, and relieved them of some copper coins, which he put into his money pouch.

Strangely enough, he also found some apples in the packs that the dead kobolds carried, as well as some water skins that contained some of the valley's refreshing spring waters, and of course, he took the melted candles from their heads, intending to sell them in town. Though he had to be grateful that these Kobolds don't seem to be very hostile and attack him en masse when one of them was in trouble, which is a good thing. Alone, he might have been able to dispatch these vermin, but if they decided to attack en masse, he might have some difficulty in fending them off, despite the presence of other volunteers that the Marshal and Deputy have recruited.

Though he had to admit that he was feeling slightly unnerved by the presence of some red robed men and women in town, although their numbers were not very high. Warlocks… the sight of them made him slightly unnerved, because of what they are. After all Warlocks deal with the shadow and darkness, not to mention the summoning of demons from the Twisting Nether, an antithesis to the Paladins and Priests who invoke the power of Light. Not to mention that it was warlocks that caused the Alliance grief during the first two wars in the past.

Shrugging to himself, he made a mental note to keep an eye on any human warlock that he came across, just in case any of them has any indication of being corrupted through the power they are now drawing from. He soon made his way back to the Abbey and reported to the Marshal that he had finished his task.

The Marshal smiled warmly and said. "Good job, m'boy!" He then patted Tyrion on his shoulder and said. "I am grateful for what you have done for a start, m'boy. Those kobolds are cowards and ordinary thieves, but in large numbers they might be a serious threat to us all." He then handed Tyrion 25 pieces of copper coins. "Here's the reward for the first task that you would help me do."

Tyrion accepted the coins, and put them into his coin pouch, before he asked. "Do you have anymore tasks for me, Marshal?"

The Marshal shook his head and said. "I am afraid not, m'boy… but you can look for Deputy Willem and ask him if he has any tasks you can perform for the community."

Tyrion nodded and was about to leave, when the Marshal called him back for a moment. He then asked. "Is there anything else, Marshal?"

The Marshal just smiled and said. "Actually there is…. M'boy. I was asked to bring one thing to your attention as soon as you returned. Brother Sammuel, our local paladin trainer has asked me to pass a letter to you, and I suggest you read it before you embark on any more tasks that you need to perform for the community here." He then passed the letter, which has a wax seal there to Tyrion.

He took the letter in his hand and said. "Thank you Marshal, I will do just that." He then left the Marshal and wandered into a secluded part of the Abbey and looked at the letter in his hand. He felt the holy aura that surrounded this letter, and then opened it, and read the piece of paper inside, which reads:

I hope this letter finds you well, paladin. I say that with great pride, because not many can profess such profound faith, but also know that they are among the most elite of Azeroth's protectors.

Always remember, first and foremost, it is your duty to go to battle against those who seek to harm our world and bring corruption into our homes.

I have been given authority over your training for the time being. When you are ready, seek me out inside Northshire Abbey.

- Brother Sammuel, Paladin Trainer

Tyrion closed the letter, and stored it in his storage plane, before enquiring the whereabouts of Brother Sammuel, and one of the acolytes inside the Abbey directed him to the interior of the Abbey, where a muscular looking man wearing scale mail and scale boots, holding a hammer stood there. He had brown hair and a mustache, and he looked quite experienced in his field. As Tyrion approached, the man looked in his direction, and once he was in front of him, the man spoke calmly. "Are you by any chance, Tyrion Silvermoon, son of Edgar Silvermane, whom I asked the good Marshal to deliver a letter to?"

Tyrion nodded and said. "I am, Brother Sammuel… you wished to see me for something?"

The other man smiled warmly and said. "Indeed… it is good to finally meet you like this, brother to brother. I am here to help you to learn things on how things are done here, as a fellow Paladin. Stormwind City is not too far off, and while I suggest you take the time to contribute and help out this community, it is inevitable that your path would take you to Stormwind… so please be patient for the moment, Knight of the Silver Hand."

Tyrion looked confused for a moment, and then asked. "I mean no disrespect, Brother Sammuel… but I have yet to be inducted formally into the Order. How could you say that I am a Knight of the Silver Hand?"

Brother Sammuel just chuckled and said. "Your father had already put your name into the enrolment list into the Order many years ago, young Silvermoon… and when you are of age, you are automatically considered a member of the Order. Why do you think your father has begun training you in the ways of the Order a year ago? It is to prepare you for your new status as a Knight of the Silver Hand."

Tyrion looked surprised for a moment, but then smiled to himself. Trust father to plan everything in advance… he never changes, wanting me to walk in his path… come to think of it, I did want to become a paladin when I was young. I guess he really made the effort to make my dream come true. He then said. "I see… then what shall I do as a member of the Order, Brother Sammuel?"

Brother Sammuel just smiled, and patted Tyrion's shoulder. "Nothing for now, young paladin, except that I am here to give you some advice. You should know one or two things that you need to remember. The first is that you are a symbol to many people in this land, you and your fellow brothers and sisters in the Light, so I expect you to act accordingly befitting your station. The Holy Light shines brightly within you, and it is obvious to your friends and enemies alike."

He paused for a moment before he continued. "Another thing you need to take note of is that as you gain power and wisdom through your experiences, you will need to train to unlock more of your abilities as a Knight of the Silver Hand. That is where I come into the picture… I will be here to teach you the things that I feel you are ready to learn, so do stop by and seek me out when you feel that you are ready to learn something new."

Tyrion nodded and said honestly. "I will do that, Brother Sammuel… could you teach me a few things right now? I really feel better if I was more prepared to face the tasks that lie ahead of me in the Valley."

The dark skinned man grinned and said. "My… aren't you eager, young Tyrion? But I suppose such enthusiasm is a good thing to have in a person. Very well then, I see no harm to teach you a basic aura that paladins use to help them better defend and fortify themselves. Now follow my lead… close your eyes and call forth the Light to surround you in its warmth."

Tyrion nodded and then did as he asked, and soon he felt the warmth of the Light surrounding him, and then he opened his eyes, only to see a light blue glow outlining his body, and a sigil was seen glowing softly below his feet.

Brother Sammuel smiled and said. "Well done, young Tyrion… you seem to learn quickly, which is a good thing. This is an Aura of Devotion… one of the many Auras a Paladin can invoke to strengthen himself and his allies. You have learned well… now go and continue to assist the people in the community. I will be here once you feel you are ready to learn something new."

Tyrion nodded and thanked Brother Sammuel before he left the Abbey and made his way to Deputy Willem. "Hello there Deputy… you said you wanted to see me once I have completed the task that the Marshal has given me?"

Deputy Willem nodded and said. "Indeed Tyrion… actually Eagan is the one that needs help here. He asked me to bring this to your attention… well anybody's attention that is willing to help him that is."

Tyrion raised an eyebrow and said. "Eagan? You don't mean Eagan Peltskinner don't you? What kind of help does he need anyway? Surely it isn't to help him skin animals now, do you?"

The deputy just chuckled and said. "Well I do not know if he needs help in skinning animals… he might, but actually he actually wants people to hunt wolves for him. I can't agree more with him, since we had a sudden increase in numbers of the wolf population in the woods lately."

He paused for a moment, and said. "Like I said, he is looking for help… that is if you are willing to do so. If you don't want to do it, it's fine… though I think it would be safer for the town if the numbers of those wolves are reduced somehow. He's around the side of the abbey, to the left if you want to find him."

Tyrion nodded and said. "Well, I suppose I can do that…. Thanks for the information, Deputy, I will go look for Eagan right now." He then turned and left, and followed the directions that the Deputy had just given him. He soon found a man dressed in leather armor, with the exception of his pants.

He then approached the man and asked. "Excuse me, good sir, are you by any chance, Eagan Peltskinner?"

Eagan turned to see Tyrion and he nodded and said. "Why yes, I am Eagan… is there something that you want from me?"

Tyrion nodded and said. "Well, Deputy Willem mentioned something about you needing help to take care of the wolf problem in the woods. I wonder if it is true, that's all."

The man smiled warmly and said. "It's true that I did put in a request with the good deputy to help me find somebody hunt those wolves. Are you that person, I wonder?"

Tyrion nodded and Eagan said grimly. "Thank you for lending your assistance young man… I have a serious problem in my hands right now, and it involves the wolves in the woods right now."

The young paladin nodded and said. "I know, Eagan… Deputy Willem had mentioned that the wolf population in the woods have increased lately… do you wish me to kill some of them, like the kobolds that the Marshal had me do earlier?"

Eagan nodded, but then smiled sadly. "Yes, my young paladin… but it isn't that simple as just killing them."

"Whatever do you mean by that, Eagan?" Tyrion asked rather curiously, since he could tell there was a regretful note in the man's voice.

Eagan sighed and said. "Just recently, I noticed that there seems to be some kind of illness that has struck the wolf population in woods. At first I thought it was a natural phenomenon, but after some time, I began to notice that whatever it is that is affecting these wolves doesn't seem to go away at all, and each day that passes only increases the number of sick wolves in the forest."

He paused for a moment before he continued, a weary tone in his voice as he looked at Tyrion, suddenly looking slightly older than he is right now due to the heavy feelings that had come upon him. "It pains me to ask this of you, since I am asking you to kill nature's beasts, but I am afraid we have little choice but to destroy the young wolves before this little outbreak turns into an epidemic."

He then took out a skinning knife and handed it to Tyrion. "Here… I am lending you one of my skinning knives for the moment. Once you have killed the wolves, skin them using this and bring their pelts to me. Oh, and you can have this pair of gloves too, for the moment. These are an old pair, and I won't be using them anymore, and you can dispose of them when you are done, since you don't want any disease that the wolves have to spread to the community."

Tyrion nodded and said. "It will be done as you ask, Eagan… I will return soon with the pelts that you require." He put on the old worn skinning gloves and strapped the skinning knife to his belt before making his way to the woods where the wolves are found.

He then remembered something and then returned to Eagan and said rather sheepishly. "By the way, Eagan, I almost forgot. How many pelts do you need retrieved for this task that you are giving me?"

Eagan just smiled softly and said. "You don't have to apologize, young paladin, tis my fault for not informing you of the number of pelts that I wanted after all. All I need is eight of those pelts, no more, no less."

Tyrion nodded and said. "Thanks for the information… I will get the job done, and return to you as soon as possible." He then turned and walked towards the direction of the woods once more.

It didn't take very long to find them, as it was obvious that the wolves that are sick have some kind of sickly aura surrounding them. He felt sad for them, as Eagan did to see such majestic creatures being affected this way. But it is just as Eagan said, this was necessary to prevent the small number of diseased wolves to increase in number.

With a heavy heart, Tyrion strode forward and started attacking the nearest diseased wolf, and killed it quickly, since he had the element of surprise. The others were not as easy, however, though he managed to avoid any major injuries, receiving only minor scratches, which he managed to heal by using his own abilities.

He then took the skinning knife out of his belt and then slowly and meticulously used the knife to skin and gutted the wolves. As expected, there were minor lesions and boils on the wolves' skin, though it didn't look like it was too serious. Still, he was sure that since Eagan was concerned, there is definitely something worthy to note, and why he wanted those pelts. Perhaps he is going to have them sent somewhere to be studied?

Shaking his head at such thoughts, and since he thought it was really his business what Eagan wanted to do with the pelts, or even where it is going to be sent, should his guess be correct, he decided to focus his attention in the skinning of the wolves. To his surprise and delight, some of the wolf meat did not seem to be affected by the disease, and so, he managed to carve some of them up, and cleaned them before storing them inside his plane, as well as some of the broken teeth and claws of the wolves, which he thought he is going to sell later.

Once he was done, he left the woods and made his way back to Eagan, who looked at him rather expectantly.

"Ahhh, you are finally back, Tyrion… how goes the hunt for the diseased young wolves that I asked you to do?" He asked with a grim smile on his face.

Tyrion just looked at Eagan grimly and said. "I have done as you asked, Eagan… here is the proof of the task." He soon took out the diseased wolf pelts, all eight of them and put them down in front of Eagan's feet.

The older man looked at the pelts and then back at Tyrion. "I see… well, this was a rather grim task you have just performed… but I am glad that you held up your part of the bargain. I have two items that I can offer you as a reward… wait here for a while, young paladin, I will go and get them."

Eagan left the place for a moment, and then returned with a pair of Fur Lined Shoes as well as a pair of bracers. He then looked at Tyrion and said. "These are the two items I am talking about. One is a pair of Fur-lined Shoes, and the other a pair of Wolfskin Bracers. But before you worry about these being diseased, you should not, since these used to belong to me a long time ago. All you need to do now is take your pick… whichever you prefer the most."

Tyrion looked at the two items for the moment before he set his eyes on the bracers and said. "I'll pick this one, Eagan. I think I would be better using this one, than the shoes."

Eagan nodded and said. "A good choice… though I'll give you the boots as well. To be honest, it's not like anyone is going to use them for a very long time… and you are the only one that even bothered to do this task for me. So go ahead and take them both." The last part was said with a grateful smile on his face.

"I… I see…" Tyrion said slowly, and looked gratefully at the pelt skinner and said. "Thank you, Eagan… but are you sure you are alright with this? I mean, shouldn't you give one of these two to someone else, or at least keep them for someone else? Who knows another person like me who is willing to do this quest for you is come by soon? You wouldn't want them to leave empty handed now, do you?"

Eagan just smiled and shook his head and said. "You don't need to worry about that, young Tyrion… I have several more pairs of those items that I gave you, and I am always able to make more once I ask the priests in this town to bless and purify these pelts. Now go… I can think that either the Marshal or the good Deputy would need your assistance once more, so you shouldn't stay too long here."

Tyrion nodded firmly and said. "Very well then, you have my thanks then." He soon removed his old shoes, and put on the new pair of shoes, which was quite comfortable, not to mention that the bracers were quite comfy around his wrists.

He then bowed his head gently in thanks in Eagan's direction before he turned and walked in the direction of the Abbey to seek out Deputy Willem and Marshal Mcbride once more to enquire about any more tasks that he can perform for the town, not to mention that he wanted to pay Brother Sammuel once more, to ask if he is able to learn some more new skills.

Eagan watched the young paladin's retreating back and smiled to himself. So, that is Edgar's boy, eh? He's almost like his father when he was that age. I can see that this one bears watching, as I can feel that he is one decent lad… and maybe is able to achieve great things in the future. I'll probably send a letter to my sister in Goldshire, just in case his path to Stormwind leads there.

He then made a mental note to get most of the diseased wolf pets to be purified so he could use them to make more bracers and shoes, leaving one for evidence to take to Stormwind if he had the chance to get it examined to find out what kind of disease that the wolves are suffering from. Or maybe he could ask the Marshal to request that someone would come and collect the pelt to Stormwind for further study, to save him some time from doing it himself.

Reminding himself to do that later, he then started to write a letter to his younger sister Helene in Goldshire, telling her about Tyrion and how he had been a good help to him, and to make sure that he is well taken care of, if he manages to pass by Goldshire one day.

He soon put the letter into an envelope, and sealed it wax, and assed a Stormwind Courier that passed by to deliver it to his sister in Goldshire, before he turned his attention back to the diseased wolf pelts that Tyrion had collected. There is a lot of work to be done, and there is little time to waste, as he put on a pair of old leather gloves, and asked a Stormwind Guard that happened to pass by to ask one of the priests from the Abbey to come.

The Guard nodded as he started walking towards the Abbey and Eagan waited patiently for the guard to return with the priest alongside him.

End of Chapter 1

Please Read and Review

Author's Note: Whew… this is my first chapter of my World of Warcraft fanfic which I am inspired to write again under the influence… or should I say the inspiration of Freedom Guard. The one thing I want to ask is, should I write this story in the assumption that the game has already used the Wrath of the Lich King Expansion or even Cataclysm, or should I use the original WoW game as a guide? If it is the former, which would mean that there, would be the Draenei and the Sin'dorei present. Any views on this? Please put your remarks and opinions in the reviews. Thanks.