But he's irresistible

Up close and personal

Now inescapable

I can hardly breathe, more than just

Physical deeper than spiritual

His ways are powerful

And irresistible to me

~Irresistible-Jessica Simpson~

Cordana Felsong removed the intricate helmet from her head, and the elaborate and heavy cloak from around her shoulders, being careful not to cut herself on the razor sharp blades attached to the edges. She hung them both from the carved wooden stand specifically created to house the encounter suits of the Wardens, of which she was a part. Beneath the cloak she wore an outfit with finely crafted plated armor, but did not remove that. Her umbral crescent, a large circular bladed weapon, lay on the ground beneath the stand, the sharp and deadly blades glinting in the flickering candle light.

Her thick, softly curling hair, a deep purple in color, fell in cascading waves around her face and down her back. It touched her waist and hung there, unruly, until she smoothed it out, took a deep breath, and turned and faced the man sitting at the desk.

The Kaldorei sire Jarrod Shadowsong was engrossed in his written work, dipping his quill in the ink pot rhythmically every few words. As Cordana approached the desk, he lay the quill down on a scrap of parchment and placed a lid on the ink. Finally he looked up.

"Greetings, Cordana. It is good to see you here at the Enclave. You are ready to speak with me now?"

She nodded and stood, hands folded respectfully before her, eyes focused on the leader of the Wardens.

"I wish to be released from the service of Archmage Khadgar of the Kirin Tor," she said. If she had expected some sort of surprise, or any reaction at all from the night elf sire, she would have been disappointed.

Jarrod leaned back in his chair, his eyes not leaving hers. His gaze was forthright and unjudgemental.

"I see," he responded. "I believe you have come to the wrong place to request such a change. Would not speaking to the man in question have been a better choice?"

Cordana shook her head. "As you are my superior, and set me this task, I do believe it is you who can accede my request, Jarrod. I do not wish to approach the Archmage with this."

He nodded. "You are correct on the former point. Present to me your reasons then, Cordana, and I will consider them."

Cordana closed her eyes for a moment and gathered her thoughts. The entire trip from the alternate timeline Draenor where she was currently serving, to the Enclave where the Wardens headquarters were housed, the night elf maiden had recited exactly what she would say to Jarrod. She was sure that she had every word, every inflection, every bit of intent perfectly rehearsed. It had been so well planned out, that he would be in no way able to refuse her request, of this she had confidence.

Taking a breath, she focused her eyes on Jarrod and recited her list of grievances on her assignment as the protector of the human mage, from the conditions of the world itself, to the most intimate details of the Archmage's personality. She made sure to include that man's inability to stay out of trouble, his impetuousness and arrogance. She finished her diatribe with her belief that the mission was in dire straits should he continue to be in charge of it, and how she did not wish to be attached to a failure of such magnitude.

When she had rehearsed her speech over and over in her mind, it had sounded vastly different to her than it did as the words poured from her lips. She had thought her reasons sound and logical, but hearing them now they seemed emotional and empty. Her hands were shaking, and she clasped them tightly behind her back and concentrated on keeping her voice slow and even when what she truly wanted to do was rant emotionally.

Jarrod did not move. He watched her intently and listened, nodding occasionally. When she had finished, he leaned forward on his desk, hands laced loosely together.

"It is never implied that a mission will include the creature comforts of home, Cordana," he began. "This mission in particular, with its utmost importance to not just our home and time, but the alternate as well, was fraught with the unknown. You knew this, and accepted the mission regardless of the perils you were quite clearly made aware of."

Cordana nodded, knowing better than to speak a single word until he had finished his assessment.

"Furthermore, it is not required that you like the assignment itself, just that you carry out your part to the best of your ability, and failure is always an accepted risk with any endeavor, is that not so?"

"Yes, Jarrod," she responded.

"It is also not required that you like or agree with the person you are assigned to, again it is your duty to carry out your task and nothing more, am I correct on this also?"

Cordana nodded again, a sinking feeling in her chest. It did not seem likely that her request would be accepted, and she did not blame Jarrod. Having heard her own words out loud, they had seemed flimsy and ridiculous.

Jarrod gave her a small smile. "Cordana, I know the assignments you have had up until this one have been vastly different. You did your time in the Vaults, which as a young Warden was unquestionably difficult. You have had assignments where you had been called upon to provide prowess and strength in battle which you have always excelled at. This time you are being asked to work closely on a personal

level and this is foreign territory to you, you feel unbalanced and out of your element, is there truth in these words?"

"Yes, Jarrod," she replied respectfully, wanting very badly to sit down and relieve her shaky legs.

"When you are with someone," he continued, his voice soft and kind, "working under such difficult and intimate conditions, you see the best and the worst of one another, much like a bonding between mates. The challenges and frustrations of such an assignment can wear away one's resolve and lead to a blurring of the lines and a loss of focus as to what the mission is about."

Cordana could not keep silent anymore. "Yes, Jarrod, all this is truth, I do not deny that. However, I have not lost sight of the mission objective and its importance. I am very aware of..."

He cut her off. "Cordana, you are not the first to fall in love with her charge."

Cordana's jaw dropped and she pressed both hands to her chest and stared at the floor. How on earth, out of all the negative things she had just told him about the Archmage, had he come up with that?

Jarrod stood and slowly came around to the front of the desk, and sat on it, one leg dangling and the other remaining on the floor.

"I shall accept your request, however, we must find a replacement for you immediately."

Surprised, she looked up at him. "You will? I am pleased, Jarrod. I thank you."

He noticed she did not deny what he had said. As old as she was, Cordana Felsong was a stranger to matters of the heart, a carbon copy of the human she had been assigned to protect. They had both always been hyper focused on their tasks; she on the Enclave and the Archmage on his magic. Jarrod had thought them a good match, and for all intents and purposes, neither should have been tempted by the charms of the other. The Archmage was a charismatic, powerful, and handsome man. The Warden was steadfast, strong and beautiful, but in her encounter suit her charge would never have seen her, and that would have eliminated the potential for interest. Wardens rarely if ever allowed themselves to be seen without their encounter suits, and Cordana was a stickler for protocol. She had never once shown any desire for a personal relationship with anyone, in all the years he had known her. Jarrod had sent Cordana to the Archmage with full confidence that she would give her all to protect him, ensuring that he was able to complete the mission that he had set out to do. Cordana had never once failed a mission and she had accepted this one without a second thought. However, something had changed, and that change had sent her into a tailspin. It was about time some emotion was awoken in her. It was long past due, and Jarrod had a plan.

The elf sire walked slowly to a bookcase and pulled out a tall, thin, leather-bound book. "I must see who is available to take over," he said, leafing through it. "How about Marin Bladewing?"

Cordana thought a moment then shook her head. "Marin is young, she has not seen much battle, her senses have not been sharpened by years of trials yet."

"You are correct, but Marin is passionate and quick to learn!" he replied with enthusiasm.

Cordana tightened her lips and shook her head again. "No, Jarrod, passion is the last thing a person needs in dealing with Khad...I mean the Archmage. Who else have we?"

Jarrod said nothing for a moment. He turned a page. "Ahh how would you feel about Shalis Darkhunter?"

Cordana didn't pause a moment before responding. "Absolutely not! Shalis wears her heart on her sleeve! The mission would go nowhere as she would not be immune to the Archmage's charms!"

Jarrod shrugged and scanned further down. "I have it...Sira Moonwarden. She is well seasoned in battle, and focused much like you are."

Cordana shrugged. There was no logical reason to deny any of her sisters for the task...but she did not believe any of them could carry it out as well as she had.

Jarrod put the book face down on his desk, sat down and faced Cordana.

"Child," he said softly. "Is there truly anyone out there you could trust to protect the life of the man you love?"

She gaped at him, then took a breath to speak, but the words fizzled. "Jarrod...that is ...I don't..."

He smiled. "When did you first realize it?"

Cordana forgot all protocols as she collapsed miserably in a nearby chair. "The first day we crossed the dark portal, and were camped in a ruin. I had taken a hit and damaged my helmet, so I had removed it as we all sat by the fire and Thrall repaired it. It was the first time I had ever removed it in his presence, and he looked up at me across the fire and smiled. Oh Jarrod...the look in his eyes...I never knew that a mere glance from someone could be felt so deeply!"

Jarrod nodded. So the Archmage had seen her. No small wonder he had been captivated. It saddened Jarrod to have learned it was due to many years of hard living that Cordana had no notion that she was a truly beautiful Kaldorei. As an elfling her mother had died, leaving a bereaved father as her only guardian, a man who could not see past his own pain to that of his children's. Cordana's brother had been forced to look after her, a task he loathed and as a result was often cruel towards his vulnerable younger sister, taunting her for being fragile and eggshell minded when she cried or showed any emotion.

The young night elf maiden had learned to hide her feelings, keep them buried deep so they could not cause her more pain. Her brother set her to work, taking her out of school to care for their father while he took off to Stormwind to seek fame and fortune. He never returned home, leaving young Cordana to care for a father whose grief was slowly making him go mad. As it was, she refused to give up school, and one day while she was away, he went hunting, and was killed by wild animals, or so she had always been told.

The young girl was then spirited off to Darnassus to be trained as a servant, and eventually found her way to Stormwind in the employ of a noble human family. That lasted only afew short years until Cordana ran away and tried to join SI:7. When Jarrod himself had found her she was a strikingly beautiful teenager, but a cold, emotionless husk. She had been quick to anger and strike, and he had trained her to fight and temper her flash fire emotions. It took many years, but little by little she shared her story with him, and his heart had warmed to the young elf. She grew up in the Enclave, raised by himself and the other Wardens, and it was never in question that she would become a Warden herself when she came of age. Cordana had done them all proud, achieving a reputation for her quick, focused mind and quicker blade. She had been a favorite of Jarrod's sister, the venerated Maiev Shadowsong before she disappeared.

"A look can say many things, the difficulty comes in the interpretation of it," he said. "Cordana, you must let the Archmage know your feelings. Such deep emotions can become dark and poisonous if not allowed to be expressed."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Jarrod, I could do no such thing! Besides, I am not convinced it is truly love. If it were, why am I always so infuriated with him? I spend most of my time seething about the ridiculous situations he gets us into!"

Jarrod laughed. "You are in such a state of fury because you love him, Cordana. If you did not care, you would not feel for him. We feel the most emotion towards those people and situations that touch us deeply. Heed my words and speak to the Archmage. Perhaps he shares your feelings, in that case you will decide together how to proceed. If he does not, then you may return to me, if you wish, and I shall remove you from the situation."

There was no way the Archmage shared her feelings, of that Cordana felt sure. Of his positive attributes he was a kind man, powerful but gentle, compassionate and generous. He laughed often and had a playful side that Cordana loved. But on the negative he was dominant and controlling, impetuous and arrogant, and often dismissive of her concerns about him. Cordana could no more share her feelings with him than she could tell him goodbye. She allowed herself to accept that even had Jarrod agreed to replace her, she would have asked to return before too long. The pull she felt towards Archmage Khadgar was powerful and insistent. She would return and carry on as though nothing had changed, keeping those feelings deep inside herself where they could do no harm.

Jarrod watched her don her encounter suit slowly, knowing he had done the right thing. The Archmage could be a stubborn old man, but point for point he was a match for Cordana and more than anything else in her life, she needed to allow herself to feel. He picked up the book on his desk and placed it back on the shelf with a smile. The Flora and Fauna of Darnassus by Gif Moonsong had never served a more noble cause!