And I will always do my duty, no matter what the price.
I've counted up the cost, I know the sacrifice.
Oh, and I don't want to die for you,
But if dying's asked of me,
I'll bear that cross with honor,
'Cause freedom don't come free.
~American Soldier-Toby Keith~
The little camp they erected was in a glade within a small forest. It was not a long trek for the mission specialists, but far enough away that Khadgar could protect them from any ambushes. He took to his raven form and flew high above them, seeking out any possible encounters. Cordana remained at the camp, not pleased at seeing him leave without her but not saying anything about it.
When he returned he reported that the entire road to Highmaul was quiet, and when he left them to continue on, the group felt confident that they would return victorious.
"How long do you think it will take?" she asked.
"I cannot say," answered Khadgar. "There is no way of knowing where the ogre's quarries lie within the complex. It could be several hours or it could be several days."
Neither of them wished to put voice to the sentiment that there was a chance that no one would leave the complex alive.
They tried to keep busy while they waited. Cordana cleaned and polished the armor bits on her encounter suit. Khadgar conjured various tomes and took to studying them. He also worked on his own tome, a dissertation on magic. He conjured a lovely sheepskin covered bed for them to sleep in.
Night fell, and still no word from the mission specialists. Against Cordana's protests, Khadgar took wing again and flew over the complex. He saw nothing.
Morning came and went, high noon brought the heat of the day, and another evening followed.
A third morning arrived and they practiced their magic, Khadgar still struggling between asking and demanding, and Cordana missing crucial steps in creating the wards she wished to learn.
As they sat down to the noonday meal, Cordana asked him quite plainly how long they would wait for word from the team. Khadgar ate, then took to the skies. Again he saw nothing.
Disheartened, Cordana went into the tent to rest.
It was approaching evening again when she heard Khadgar shout. "I see them!"
They both ran out onto the road, and soon a bedraggled group appeared. However it was obvious that there were two people missing.
"There were many traps in there," said the Dwarf. "Some we could see, and some we could not."
"Did they die fighting? Was it a courageous death?" asked Khadgar sadly.
The Death Knight nodded. "It was indeed. They did not go down without a fight, and they took some of those blasted ogres with them. We were separated in battle and Arvid got cornered. All of us tried to get to him but he was too far off and we had our own skirmishes to deal with. As for Shaara, she had gone ahead to scout out any traps. Her skill has never failed her, but these Ogres...they had lain traps on top of traps. She did a magnificent job but fell when a trap she disarmed set off a second one. However it also killed one of the ogres and two wargs."
A seasoned human warrior and a draenei rogue. Both much loved and valued members of Jaaral's mission specialist team. Shaara left behind a younger sister who was now alone in the world, and Arvid had a wife and two grown sons. He would have been a grandfather for the first time later in the year.
Khadgar hung his head, and Cordana took his hand, squeezing it gently in support. The Kaldorei druid Qiana transformed out of her cat form and lay a hand lightly on the Archmage's arm.
"Arvid and Shaara both knew, as we all do that each mission might be our last. But we all understand that freedom for the Draenei people, and for all of our people, will not come without a cost. We are all willing to pay that cost. We believe it is better to die for a cause then to die in vain."
"Aye!" cried the Death Knight. "Arvid used to remind us that we could trip over our feet and fall in a river and drown needlessly. In fact, he reminded us of that when we entered the Fortress...and the last thing I heard him shout was I will not be drowning in a river this day as those monsters took him down. He died well and will be remembered a hero. They both will."
They all stood in silence for a few minutes, to respect their fallen friends. Then they walked back to the camp and sat down at the fire, leaving two spots open.
The Draenei paladin handed Khadgar a very large cloth wrapped bundle. "I hope this is what you were looking for Archmage."
His excitement dampened by the losses, Khadgar unwrapped it. The ancient book was leather bound, but not very well. It was crudely put together, as one might expect from an Ogre's handiwork. They all expected to see some strange runic language, glowing pages, anything but what they did see.
The pages were blank.
However, the Archmage did not seem disconcerted.
"Did you get the Sorcerer King's sigil?" asked Khadgar.
He was handed a small pouch, and inside it was a rough hewn metal object, lacking any discernible design, curved into what looked like a ring to fit an ogre's finger. It hummed with power as Khadgar held it.
"Yes, of course!" he exclaimed. "See here, as you run the sigil over the page, runic lettering appears. Oh... this is really advanced. It may take some time to fully comprehend what you have discovered, but these initial pages appear to be dedicated to the nature of Fel magic. Exactly what I need! Great work!"
There were sighs of relief all around. Their friends had not died in vain. Their efforts had helped to move the mission forward.
The group sat around the fire that night and talked about their fallen comrades, rehashed the battles within the Fortress, and about the day that victory would be theirs and Draenor would be free.
"We have taken down several of Gul'Dan's lieutenants," said Khadgar. "And now a creature who holds the key to Fel magic's secrets. The Sorcerer King came from a long lineage of terror. To crush him in battle was no small feat and I am grateful to all of you."
The mood was solemn. No matter how many victories, it felt hollow when one remembered the cost. Khadgar and Cordana curled up on their sheepskin bed, grateful that things had turned out at least halfway right.
"I must spend the next while studying that tome," said Khadgar. "I fear I may not be very good company my dear. My knowledge of Ogre magic is scant, and their runic language can be difficult to decipher. I may even need to go to the great library at Dalaran. I hope that you will accompany me in my travels, for I will promise you that I shall make time to be with you, even if it is only in the evenings."
Cordana nestled against him. "You must do what you need to do Khadgar. I will be with you, as always. I only wish I could be of greater help to you in these matters."
"Your presence is all I need to bolster me, dear one. As long as you are by my side, nothing is amiss in my life." He kissed her gently, and caressed her arm. "Rest now. Tomorrow we return home to begin this next phase."
The Archmage had been correct that his studies would keep him deeply occupied. He often went to a pocket dimension to study, and while Cordana loved to be near him, and he would create worlds pleasing to her, she was often quite bored. She did not speak to him lest she disturb his train of thought and ended up dozing off in the warm sun on a sandy beach or a forest, whichever he decided to create for them.
Eventually she remained on Draenor, knowing he was safe, and spent time with Toriona in the Garrison, assisting her with her paperwork demands. She tried to train with Jaaral, but oddly she didn't take to it very well. She felt delayed in her reactions, her thought processes were scattered, and she was tired.
"Is everything alright with you, Cordana?" asked Jaaral, after he hit her rather hard with his training staff when she failed to move out of the way in time. The Warden at her best was often untouchable and a formidable opponent. It was never a guarantee that he would best her.
"Yes, I am fine Jaaral, although I am not at the top of my conditioning, as you are no doubt aware."
He nodded and offered her a cup of cool water to drink. "I am seeing that. You are perhaps worried about the Archmage? Concerns about the war?"
She smiled and nodded. "That must be it. We have been working rather hard since we first came here, and our downtime has been almost nonexistent."
"We will claim victory, and this shall be but a memory. Have you decided what you will do after the war?"
Cordana held out her hand and showed him the ring Khadgar had given her. He smiled broadly. "Ahh I know about this!" he said with a joyful laugh. "I remember having to learn about human customs when I wished to ask for Toriona's hand. She did not seem to understand what I was saying when I gave her an attunement crystal! So the Archmage has decided to end his solitude! I am glad of this, have you told my wife? She will be most pleased for you both!"
Cordana happily shook her head. "Khadgar and I had a bit of difficulty with this issue I must confess. While I did wish to be his mate, I was under the impression that things were as they always have been, where the joining of human and Kaldorei was not appreciated by my people. I had thought we would need to live apart, only to meet occasionally...to..." she felt suddenly awkward. This was not a subject one discussed with an outside person, least of all a sire.
"To be intimate," finished Jaaral. "I understand, Cordana, there is no need to feel shame. Toriona and I both felt the same initially. I was new to your world. New and quite different from anyone she had encountered before, and while we were mutually attracted to one another, there were some issues which prevented us from speaking out about our feelings. It took losing one another to time and distance that forced us to realize that love should never be withheld, that there is always a way to work things out if both parties wish it so!"
Cordana could see why Toriona loved the big Draenei. He was soft spoken and gentle, and for all his strength and power in battle, the warrior had a kindness and wisdom about him that put those around him at ease. He was easy to talk to and non judgemental.
"Thank you, Jaaral," said Cordana.
"You are thanking me? For what my friend?"
"I am rather awkward in social settings," replied Cordana. "You have made it easy for me to be here and I appreciate that. Truly both you and your wife have been wonderful."
Jaaral smiled. "You're most welcome, Cordana."
Toriona wandered up, a bouquet of fresh flowers in her arms. Her face lit up when she saw the Warden.
"Cordana! It's wonderful to see you here. Is the Archmage still studying the Ogre tome?"
"Yes, he is sequestered away in a pocket dimension somewhere, still trying to decipher it."
The Lady's eyes softened. "Oh it must be so hard for you to be away from him! He has an incredible mind, and will learn to read that book soon enough! I know that he prefers to study alone, or I would offer to help him. I know Jaina has offered as well and he politely refused."
Cordana agreed. "Yes he is solitary when it comes to his tomes and studies. Is that not the way with all mages?"
Toriona laughed. "Most of them yes! I prefer to have other mages around me when I study, to bounce ideas off of, and test out theories. Of course I am more gregarious then most which is why the solitary nature of magic drove me to seek other avenues. But I still practice my skill from time to time, especially now with the war."
Jaaral placed an arm around his wife. "My dear, Cordana has something she wishes to show you!" He indicated her ring.
Cordana held her hand out, and Toriona's eyes lit up. She gave a happy shriek, dropped her flowers and threw her arms around her friend.
"The Archmage finally found his one true love! Oh I am just ecstatic for you! When is the wedding Cordana? Will it be here on Draenor? Or have you decided to go back to Azeroth for it?"
Cordana blinked at the onslaught of questions. "Thank you. I believe we will go to the World Tree to make our declarations. As to when, well we had thought it was not something we needed to do until the war was over and we could return home."
Toriona was very excited. "Oh don't wait Cordana! You love each other, you can get married here, at the Garrison! It would be so perfect and lovely!"
Jaaral gently turned his wife to look at him. "Now Toriona, my love, we must not try and change Cordana and the Archmage's plans. They have chosen to be wed in their own way, we must respect that."
"Oh, Jaaral!" she said, sounding exasperated. "If I had waited for you we would never have gotten married!"
She turned back to Cordana. "Maybe we could all go the World Tree and celebrate with you then! But don't wait!"
Jaaral shook his head, smiling. "I cannot repress your exuberance draga mea," he said. "But do not forget we are at war and there is much work to be done yet."
Toriona stared up at him, an earnest look in her eyes. "Exactly Jaaral! This is why I think they shouldn't wait." Her voice grew softer. "We don't know what will happen with this war. Maybe all we have is today, maybe the only world we have is here right now. Cordana and Khadgar might only have this time to be together, maybe all of us do."
Jaaral knelt down, to be closer to her height. " Inimioara, you have a beautiful heart that speaks a profound truth. While I do not believe we shall lose this war, I agree with your sentiment."
Cordana watched them and found herself missing Khadgar. Toriona was correct. Why should they wait to become proper mates? Maybe this truly was the only time given to them. She had never been one for sentiment, and had found it foolish when she saw it in those around her, even her Warden sisters. Some left the Enclave when they found themselves with child, choosing a more mundane and predictable life with their mates. Cordana herself had never given it a moment's thought, believing the notion that a mate and children were never to be in her future. And while the latter still remained true, the former was a matter she now had to consider.
"I will speak to Khadgar. Perhaps once he has completed his study of the Ogre tome. Thank you, both of you, for giving me something to think on. I truly never imagined that my life would change in this way."
She smiled at them, and headed towards the portal to the Tower.
"I love her," said Toriona softly. "She is such a wonderful person, once you bother to get to know her. Poor thing, she hasn't experienced many positive events in her life."
Jaaral stood up and scooped his wife up in his arms. "You love everyone Toriona. It is a gift. Now come, let us see to matters of our own hearts. Do we not have a meeting with the little girls today?"