~We're In This Together-Nine Inch Nails~

Commander Jaaral's eyes widened but he did not stop to ask any questions. He shouted for his men to bring the healers to the Tower immediately, and he ran back with Cordana. The Warden was terrified that the assassin might have returned to finish the job, but she had had no other choice then to go for help.

Khadgar lay as she had left him, on his side, staring blindly ahead.

Jaaral picked him up almost effortlessly. "Let us get him inside."

Cordana heard the soldiers come through the portal, bringing the healers as instructed.

Not paying attention to the unfriendly wards on the battle gear, Cordana and Jaaral stripped Khadgar down to his small clothes and placed him on the couch in the library. A bright red stain bloomed on his mid back, an angry stab wound beneath it.

As Jaaral directed the men to stand guard outside, the healers lay their hands on the Archmage. Cordana stood, hugging herself helplessly. Again she had failed to notice the assassin before they attacked, moving slow as a bogbeast when she knew something was there. She had let harm come to the man she loved, and compromised his mission. Her slow and muddled senses had let her down. What is wrong with me? How could I have let this happen?

"Cordana, prietena mea," said Jaaral gently. "Let us leave the healers to do their work. They will draw out the poison and stitch up his wound. You must tell me what happened here ."

The warden wanted to protest, but she was emotionally and physically exhausted. Her back and head ached where she had been struck, and she felt nauseous and weak.

Jaaral led her to the sitting room. She collapsed gratefully on the settee. Jaaral pulled up a chair and did his best to sit in it. It was sized for a human, not a large Draenei with a long, thick tail.

"Now, tell me exactly what happened," he said in his quiet voice.

Cordana detailed the situation, and Jaaral listened carefully.

"I am not pleased by this," he said. "I am going to find that assassin and put an end to them." His voice was hard and determined.

"We should see what Khadgar wishes to do," she responded. "I would like to see them ended as well, but he may have other ideas. This person works closely with Gul'Dan and might be persuaded to share some of the warlock's secrets. We must catch them, of that there is no doubt."

Jaaral stood and awkwardly removed the chair from his tail. He poured Cordana a glass of water which she drank quickly.

"I need to be with Khadgar," she said, forcing her sore, tired body to stand. Jaaral nodded and helped her back to the library.

The healers had extracted the poison and given the Archmage an antidote. He was sleeping, the lines of pain on his face smoothed out.

They were preparing to stitch the wound and bind it.

"I don't know what you did," said one of the healers. "But it saved his life. This is a fast acting poison. From the time the Archmage was stabbed to the time we arrived was longer then it usually takes to kill a person."

"What makes you think I did anything at all?" she asked. "Perhaps the poison was weak."

"The poison was stalled in his blood. Only magical means can achieve such a feat."

He should never have needed saving in that way, she thought. If I had done my job correctly, none of this would have happened. Raw feelings of guilt washed over her. She reached out for the bandages, and the stitching needle.

"Please, allow me to care for him from this point," she said. "And what you think you saw should remain within the confines of your own mind, don't you agree?"

Even injured and weakened, Warden Cordana Felsong cut an imposing figure.

The healer nodded quickly and handed the items over to her, and Cordana gently and carefully stitched up Khadgar's awful wound and bound it.

"Even though we extracted the poison and gave him an antidote," said one of the healers, "there is a chance he will be weakened and suffer some after effects."

Cordana blanched. "Are these permanent effects, and what are they?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.

The healer shook her head. "Oh no, it will pass, but when exactly is unknown. There could be muscle spasms and loss of vision or balance. I would make sure he is back to full health before attempting anything risky."

They gave her a few vials of an elixir to soothe his pain, should he have any problems. She recognized those potions all too well.

Cordana sighed with relief and thanked all of them.

When everyone had gone, she sat down on the floor beside the couch, her head resting on Khadgar's arm, her hand holding his. She had covered him with a blanket and gotten a pillow for his head. The Warden was unable to get him to their chambers on her own, and no one else was attuned to the wards surrounding it to help her. As exhausted as she was, Cordana would not leave his side. She fell asleep in that position and awoke to Khadgar stroking her hair.

"Thank you, beautiful Cordana," he said softly, his voice hoarse.

"You should not be thanking me at all Khadgar. You should be angry with me and send me back to Jarrod."

He laughed weakly. "My dear, why on earth would you say that?"

"Remember when we were at Starfall Outpost, and this same assassin attacked you? I had an instinctive feeling that something was not right. I had this same feeling today while you were performing your ritual. I should have been quicker of mind to know it for what it was and been ready. Instead I pondered it until she attacked me."

Cordana felt traitorous tears welling up in her eyes and she steeled herself against them.

"I watched her stab you, Khadgar. I thought I was watching the man I love die because I did not carry out my duty."

He was in pain, and could not move much but tried his best to put his arms around her. "What is it you always tell me? That I am not a one man army. Neither are you a one woman army. You are brilliant, Cordana but not infallible. The only one to blame here is that damnable Gul'Dan, and we will have our retribution soon enough. And what have I told you before, sweet Cordana? I do not die that easily!"

She kissed his forehead, then his cheek, then his lips, and sat back down. She still felt nauseous and tired, and attributed it to the adrenaline wearing off. But what of her sluggishness, her inability to think quickly and react? Try as she might, Cordana could no longer ignore the fact that something was truly not right with her. She had promised Khadgar she would speak to him if she felt that way, but looking at him lying there, barely alive, she couldn't load his mind with another problem. This was her own personal situation to solve. However, with Khadgar incapacitated the only priority she had was his care.

"Khadgar, is there a way you can help me get you to your chambers?"

"Our chambers," he corrected her with a weak smile. "Help me stand and I will teleport us there."

It was a slow and painful process, but Khadgar eventually got to his feet. He leaned heavily on Cordana and cast the teleport spell. Even that small effort cost him and he sagged against her when they reached the room. She managed to get him into the bed and covered up, but when she stood straight up she felt a sharp pain in her side.

"Oh, ouch," she said, rubbing it.

"What is wrong my love?" he asked, concerned.

"I suppose you are such a heavy creature that I pulled a muscle." She sat down on the edge of the bed. The twinge in her side had become an ache in her entire abdomen. She did not want Khadgar to see her in any discomfort, or he would worry and it would impede his healing.

"I will not have you straining yourself again," he said firmly. "I am sorry Cordana I should have known I would be too weak to stand on my own. I am too proud a man at times. Are you alright? Come lie down with me."

She tried to walk upright to the other side of the bed but it hurt too much. Instead, she took to slowly removing her encounter suit. She had left the cloak and helmet somewhere in the tower but it mattered little. With the bits and pieces of her suit on the ground, she crawled onto the bed and lay down beside Khadgar, taking his hand.

"Now," he said gently. "All this nonsensical talk of sending you away...it will never happen my dear. I love you and I will have you only at my side. I know I cannot tell you not to blame yourself, or tell you that what you are feeling is incorrect. I can only tell you that I do not blame anything that happened on anything you did or did not do. Do you understand that?"

"Mmhmm," she murmured softly, her lips close to his ear.

He sighed. "My poor Cordana. Rest now my love. We are both in need of it."

Khadgar's recovery was slower than Cordana's had been after the Garrison attack. He was older, and human, a fact that he hated to be reminded of. Weak or not, he insisted that Cordana eat each meal with him, as he was still concerned about her, but she chose the food. Usually it was Kaldorei dishes as she had developed an aversion to human food. He teased her, saying he was hungrier after eating than he was before, but he was good natured and ate what she gave him.

She sat in the bath barrel with him each day, and took care of his terrible wound. Occasionally Khadgar did have muscle spasms and would become light headed, but she fed him an elixir without delay. The Archmage accepted her care suggestions and never argued with her. He was a far easier patient than she had been!

"Cordana," he said as they lay in bed at the end of another day. "When I have healed sufficiently, shall we go to the World Tree to say our vows? If you will still have me for your mate, that is!"

The Warden smiled. "Of course I will have you. I would like Jarrod to witness our declarations," she said.

"You are sure, Cordana? Even though I am old, weak and human?" he winked at her.

She nodded with a smirk. "I am young, strong and Kaldorei. I am a good balance for you!"

He laughed, than winced. "I cannot argue that, beautiful Cordana!"

He turned his head to look at her. "I am sorry I am taking so long to heal. You have needs that I am not meeting and this truly bothers me."

"I am fine, Khadgar. Your only goal is to get back to normal. There is nothing that must be done that takes a precedence over that at this time."

He sighed. "Aside from the obvious. Gul'Dan most likely knows I have not succumbed to his schemes and may accelerate his plans."

"Do you know where his lair is? Were you able to glean that information from your ritual before it was...disturbed?"

Khadgar looked unhappy. "Unfortunately I was not. He used my magic against me and prevented me from probing further. While I managed to get his attention, I was unable to get any location beacon from him."

"So we are no further ahead now than we were when we began?" Cordana was mortified. He had almost died and all for nothing?

"Oh we are quite far ahead," said Khadgar. "I have a grasp of Ogre magic, I can nullify most of what he throws our way I am sure, and with this knowledge, the other secrets of Draenor can be uncovered and learned. It is only a matter of time before we do find that demon's lair."

Cordana's voice was quiet. "We need to find that assassin, Khadgar. I am very ill at ease knowing she is still out there, and will try and get to you again. Jaaral was very angry about it, and he said he would find her and end her. I told him he must wait to speak with you first before doing anything."

Khadgar looked alarmed. "I hope he heeded your request! That assassin would know things about Gul'Dan, and possibly even where his lair is! We must capture her alive and try and find out what she knows. Please, Cordana, go to Jaaral and let him know that this is my plan. We must find a way!"

Cordana smoothed back his hair. "Ok, my love. Please do not get excited by this. I will handle it first thing in the morning. Perhaps you will be able to come to the Garrison yourself seeing as you are much better now, and able to walk about more easily."

He sighed with relief. "I would be lost without you, Cordana. I am so lucky to have you!"

She smiled at him and fell silent, encouraging him to fall asleep.