Never lose hope
Never lose faith
There's much too much at stake
Upon myself I must depend
I'm not looking for place or show
I'm gonna win
~Win-Brian McKnight~
When Khadgar finally emerged from his intensive study period, he looked exhausted and haggard. The lines on his face were slightly more pronounced, his hair dishevelled, most likely from his gestures of frustration, and he had several days growth of beard on his face. But to Cordana he was the most beautiful sight.
It had been several weeks from when he had started. The Archmage had emerged for short periods of time to clear his mind and be with his beloved, but aside from those moments, which began to diminish as he felt he was getting closer, he had lived exclusively to decipher those tomes.
Cordana had missed him terribly but kept herself as busy as possible. She was still constantly tired, and had decided it was due to the fact she was missing Khadgar so deeply. She had seen humans and Kaldorei alike grow despondent when away from those they loved; her own father had succumbed to it, and it amused her to think she had fallen under the same spell.
The Warden had been curled up asleep in the library when Khadgar had returned. He softly called out to her and when she opened her eyes and spied him, her heart skipped a beat. She leapt to her feet and into his arms, kissing him all over his bristly face. He had laughed and spun her around.
"My love, my beautiful Cordana, how much I have missed you!" he exclaimed. "Can it be that you are even more lovely then I remember?"
He caressed her face and gazed into her eyes. "I would take you to my bed this very moment, but I fear I am rather disgusting. My all encompassing focus on the tome left me with little time to see to the details of my own care. Please allow me to escape to the bath barrels, then we will go and see Jaaral and I will share all I have learned!"
He hugged her tightly again. "I did it, Cordana!," he said softly, his lips at her ear. "It was terribly frustrating at times, and I was quite nearly ready to throw in the towel so to speak, but I did it! I conquered the ogre's magical knowledge!"
His eyes were bright and full of joy. Cordana however was momentarily disappointed. She thought he would indeed take her to his bed once he had finished his bath. But he had reached a milestone and wanted to share it. The mission, as it always did, took a precedence over all else, and she had to admit pride in Khadgar's astonishing ability to solve even the hardest puzzles.
Cordana herself took extra time in grooming while he was bathing. She brushed out her hair and put on the dress Khadgar had given her. While it was only an impromptu trip to see Jaaral, she wanted to look nice for Khadgar.
Eyeing herself in the mirror, she felt something was missing. Often her Warden sisters would weave tiny flowers and leaves into their hair when they were headed off to a special occasion. She was looking at her image sadly, realizing she had nothing of the kind, when Khadgar came up behind her. He kissed her shoulder, then her neck and noticed her downcast gaze.
"What is it, my love? Do I look that terrible to you? Should I have left the beard?" He turned his head from side to side and peered at his own image, making a silly face, hoping to make her smile.
She told him about the things her Warden sisters had done, and how she hadn't the foggiest notion how to dress up and be glamorous.
Khadgar didn't say anything, just shook his head, and gently ran his hands down her hair. As he did so, he trailed delicate sparkling strands and tiny pale cream colored flowers. They remained there, clinging to her hair as she shook her head with a cry of delight.
"Oh, light," he breathed and closed his eyes. The depth and rush of pure adoration he felt for her at that moment took his breath away. He almost felt the sting of tears behind his eyelids as he gazed down at her. His insides were quivering and he was unable to speak or even move. An entire lifetime lived without the slightest notion that such a deep love, such overwhelming feelings, could exist for another person. The Archmage was now able to understand all of the people around him who had loved, and sacrificed and lost. He suddenly understood what it could mean to die of a broken heart. If I ever lost you, Cordana, he thought, I would know a thousand deaths.
"For this moment, my beloved," he whispered. "I resent my humanity and the wasted years of my life. Why was I not born a Kaldorei sire, so I might live forever at your side instead of being forced to count the years I may or may not have with you."
Cordana pressed her lips to his, silencing any further words on the subject. "Tomorrow will sort itself out," she whispered back to him. "We have right now, today, and that should be all that matters. I wish to be your mate, Khadgar, please take me to the World Tree and let me make my declaration to you. Let not another day go by without making me completely and wholly yours."
Her words surprised and delighted him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him, his nakedness against the soft, sheer fabric of her dress. His entire body was screaming at him to take her, right there, and show her every ounce of the emotion within him.
But the mission, and its complexities, and the time he had just spent studying, was dancing around in his brain, distracting him, niggling at him. Cordana deserved every fibre of his attention, 100%. He could not give her that at present and sighed heavily.
She sensed his hesitation and knew where his mind lay. "Your mind churns with what you have learned," she said softly. "Let us go and purge it away so we might enjoy one another when the moon rises this evening."
He marvelled at how dedicated she was, not just to the mission, but to him. She had a way of understanding the deepest nuances of his being, and supporting him just the same despite the fact that it must frustrate and annoy her.
"I love you, Cordana Felsong," he said.
She just smiled and helped him dress.
"The good news," said Khadgar to the assembled company, "is that I have managed to reach an understanding of ogre magic. I don't think I'll ever underestimate ogres again. One or two intelligent ones can mold the others into a formidable army. I am thankful that we have stopped that from happening for now. I never thought I'd turn to ogres for magical might, but those ancient Sorcerer Kings knew a thing or two about raw arcane energy that would keep Kirin Tor scholars busy for ages. I wish I had the time to delve deeper into it, but sadly that must wait for another time and place."
He tried not to focus solely on Cordana when he spoke, but everything about her kept drawing his eyes back. She watched him, her expression unreadable by others, but not him. Khadgar saw the pride and encouragement in her face. He hoped she could see the adoration and gratitude in his.
He cleared his throat and continued. "The way in which ogre magic is performed is slightly different to ours. We draw our power directly to us, while the ogres must use a conduit. For over a thousand years, the ogre Sorcerer Kings maintained an iron grip over their empire using a variety of artefacts. Trusted lieutenants were given magical gems that allowed them to enforce the emperor's will out in the field. These so called Abrogator Stones still maintain their power even today, and can be found scattered throughout the Highmaul complex and other ogre ruins and strongholds. Sometimes in clusters."
"What exactly do these stones do?" someone asked.
"They have a twofold purpose. They draw the energy to the channeler, who locks the power into the stone, which can then be given to a non magical entity, or simply stored for later use. It can also be used immediately. There is much more to it than that, but that is the basic function of them. They are similar to the Apexis crystals, but far stronger, and I have learned how to use the stones to nullify Fel magic."
The Kaldorei druid spoke up. "Are we to understand then, that the acquisition of such stones is our next directive?"
Khadgar nodded. "I will not ask any of you to return to Highmaul, but if you feel you wish to scour its depths than I give you my blessing. There are many other places we will search for them, and this search will involve all of us, as often as we are able to commit to it. I know we all have lives and responsibilities and cannot be involved in such an intensive mission on a regular basis, but whatever you can do will be appreciated. The sooner we find and stop Gul'Dan the sooner this war will be over."
There was talking amongst the group, maps were brought out, and plans made.
"Khadgar," said Cordana. "I could easily go into Highmaul and search on my own. My stealth tactics are flawless, and I am sure I can dig up several of the stones in one go. I work best alone, without concern for the safety of others. Of course I shall have to find someone to babysit you while I am gone."
He shook his head. "I will not allow you to endanger yourself in that place. We lost two people in there already. And really Cordana, I am perfectly capable of surviving a few hours without you. Physically anyway." He winked at her, but she was not in a playful mood. Cordana's mind was all business.
"As well trained as they may have been, they were not Wardens. My training and natural abilities far outweigh those of anyone else here, aside from you of course. I am best suited to a task of this magnitude. I am bored, Khadgar. As much as I love you, spending my days watching you read is not a test of my skill, and I fear I will grow lax and out of practice soon. In fact, it has already begun to happen and I do not like it."
"I wish to go with you," he said, but before she could launch her protest he added "but I understand what you are saying, and if you feel you can do this safely and return to me, than I will let you go."
He looked terribly unhappy and she smirked. "Interesting how you now know just how I felt all those times you did things against my better judgement!"
He gave her his lopsided grin, which meant he wanted to smile but his emotions were uncertain.
It would take them all awhile to gather enough Abrogator Stones to power one of Khadgar's seeker spells, so they decided the search would begin bright and early in the morning.
Khadgar prepared a wonderful meal for Cordana and himself. He dressed the table and chairs beautifully, poured some wine, and served them both. It smelled incredible and looked just as great. However, despite all of his grand efforts, Cordana could barely eat. She ate a few bites, then pushed the food around on her plate.
He lay his hand over hers. "My love, I know you do not like it when I fixate on you, but I have not seen you eat all day, and here you are barely nibbling on this grand feast! Are you concerned about Highmaul? You most certainly do not have to go, and I would still rather you didn't!"
She shook her head and forced herself to take another bite. "The meal is truly wonderful Khadgar, you outdid yourself. I hope you can forgive me. I am still suffering from my lengthy solitude while you were away studying. I suppose it will take some time to rebalance myself. As long as I can carry out my tasks you have no need to worry over me."
He didn't like it. Kaldorei were a sensitive race indeed, but they did not succumb to physical illnesses as humans did. Cordana had always prided herself on her ability to endure long periods of solitude. In fact, every Warden could. It was part of their training. They could stand stock still for days and weeks while on guard, ever vigilant, able to rest in ways unknown to other races and still never missing a thing. Cordana had not been herself lately in respect to her sleeping and eating habits, and Khadgar was growing concerned.
"Perhaps we should slow our pace. We have been working rather hard since we first arrived here Cordana, and it has been a different sort of assignment for you has it not? You are unused to such a hectic environment."
She sighed at him. "You are making too much of this, Archmage. I am fine. I am not training with Jaaral's men, nor doing any fighting. I do not require as much food when sedentary."
"You are also far more tired lately than a sedentary person should be," he said.
"That is due to pure boredom, Khadgar. With an uppercase B."
He laughed. "Alright Cordana. If you say so. But promise me that you will let me know if you feel anything is truly wrong."
"I promise, Khadgar. Now, could we retire for the evening?"
The expression in her glowing eyes told him quite clearly that her suggestion had nothing to do with being tired, and as she leaned in to kiss him, he was sure of it!