30 years later
Leaning back against the wall in my room, I stretched my long legs out with a sigh of pleasure. It felt so good to be able to relax, without anything more pressing to worry about than what I would wear to sparring practice with my friends. The last seven years had been a jumble of terror and bitter cold, my position as a fully fledged guardian having taken me to the snowy shores of Northrend. The battle to reclaim the land from the masses of scourge was absolutely grueling. Even with that done, there was no rest. The gates of the fabled Icecrown Citadel, home to the Lich King had opened, leaving us no choice but to venture inside to meet the horrors within.
We clashed with the endless stream of living bones and abominations, fighting our way slowly but surely to the frozen throne of the King himself. I could remember the fear surrounding us on that icy platform, not all of it our own. The pained screams from the poor souls being tortured within, nothing left to save but shades of their former selves. The final battle with the Lich King had been a personal one, the fight to save the tormented mind of Arthas from his glacial prison in the scourge king's body. That we had to kill him to achieve our goal was devastating, and even after it seemed to be over we got the horrible news that someone would have to replace him. Without a leader the remaining scourge would ravage the land unchecked...
Shaking my head, I fought back a shudder of revulsion at the memory and tried to turn my jaded mind to happier thoughts. It was getting harder as the years passed to cope with all the atrocities I had been exposed to. From dragons and elemental lords, to demons and the very servants of the corrupted old gods, I had fought alongside my companions and beaten them all. Of course, those victories came with a price, one that I was no longer sure I was willing to pay. The innocent mind that had dreamed of glory all those years ago on a sunny choosing day was long gone. I looked back sometimes to try and figure out when it happened. All I was certain of, was that if anything of my former self had remained when I reached Northrend, it had died there.
I was startled out of my gloomy thoughts, when a pebble came flying through my open window to land on the floor with a clatter. Launching myself to my feet, I decided to surprise my visitor, already knowing who it would be. Only the twins greeted me in such a way. I grinned and ducked down, keeping myself out of sight for a moment. Quickly changing my form to that of a large predatory cat, I leaped through the window, nearly bowling over a startled Talon. Only his quick reflexes saved him from being crushed beneath my large paws. He had leaped out of the way so suddenly that his heavy boots had left a small crater in the ground at the point he launched himself from.
"You're going to need to fix that," I said mock sternly, as I shifted back to stand upright before him. "An'ma hates it when her garden is messed up." Crouching, he began to shift the soft dirt with his hands, smoothing it level with a flourish.
"Sorry 'lanta." His cheeky grin belaying the sincerity of his apology, he dodged a swipe from my leather-clad arm before pulling me into a fierce hug. "Taren is on his way over with a new friend we met on our latest journey out. I can't wait for you to meet her! We were helping deal with a toxic waste situation over at Gnomeregan, and she leaped in out of the blue. A fellow warrior like myself!" We walked towards the training yard as we spoke, getting caught up on the many things we had been doing in the months between Northrend and now. Even in our resting period we still went on small missions to keep our skills up, for the land was never free of the little problems that exist in times of war.
Rounding the bend, we were almost to the clearing when I spotted Taren and, a child? next to him. I couldn't see much of the little girl besides her shockingly pink hair, like the ice cream we used to get on feast days as children. Turning to Talon for an explanation, I noted the excited smile on his face.
"Talon, you didn't mention that we would be watching a child today. And wherever is she from? I don't recall anyone around here having a young one." He stopped abruptly, his grin switching out for a look of confusion, followed by horror when he realized I wasn't joking. I didn't really see anything to joke about, so I settled for raising a questioning brow.
"Oh for Elune's sake, don't tell her that! She's a gnome, and a guardian like us. She's the friend I was talking about." I searched his face for a moment, looking for a sign that he was messing with me. Seeing only seriousness, my other brow joined the first somewhere in my hairline, and I turned to reconsider Taren's diminutive companion. Now that I was properly looking, I noted her plate armor with chagrin, certainly not the attire of a small child. Nor was the double edged broadsword that nearly matched her in size, yet she swung it with a strength and precision I knew even I would never hope to match, despite being four times her size. With a final parry to the wildly swinging target dummy she sheathed the weapon and turned towards our approach, nudging Taren's calf with an elbow. I saw him look down before following her gaze to ours.
"Alanta! You made it! I was worried Talon wouldn't find you at home."
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, my friend. Athene would have joined us, but she is at the city right now. More research I think. Something about a new portal perhaps." I smiled fondly at the thought of my little sister hard at work studying to be a senior mage. She had reached majority and the right to attempt the guardianship tests ten years ago. At first she had been a little disappointed to find that her talents lay in a different direction than my own, I well remembered her desire to turn into animals and speak to the trees. Luckily it only took a gentle reminder from me to make her realize that having multiple talents in one house would make us stronger. The sight of the two boys in front of me had helped her as well. They with their identical smiles and completely different gifts. Talon and Taren had been quick to assure her that her path was just as glorious as theirs, and I had gathered as many books as I could on the water elemental companions she could look forward to creating.
Interrupting me reminiscing, Taren moved forward to embrace me, ushering his companion closer. Idly I wondered if I should crouch to greet her, before rapidly dismissing that idea as being incredibly insensitive. Motioning to her, he introduced us with rapid ease. "Alanta, this is Gilly. Gilly, the druid we told you about."
"Pleasure!" she chirped, her sugary-sweet voice almost sending me into a fit of giggles. I extended a bow her way.
"Honored I'm sure." Without thinking whether of not it was rude, I blurted out the thought that had worked it's way through my brain. "You must give your enemies the surprise of their lives!" Luckily she chuckled, bearing sharp teeth in a feral smile.
"I try." I snorted at her modest reply, remembering the violent assault she had waged on the poor target dummy before noticing us. Introductions over, we began training. Sometimes in pairs, sometimes in a free-for-all style skirmish. It felt good to test my skills against the small warrior with her unfamiliar attacks. She was swift and agile, even under all that heavy plate armor, and I found myself shifting to cat often just to lessen our height difference. I couldn't help but feel that her small size gave her the unfair advantage. I found myself wanting to learn more about the little people who lived so close to Ironforge, the home of the dwarves, and resolved to find an excuse to travel there in the near future.
The harsh caw of a raven brought us swiftly out of our mock battle, and I held up my arm, creating a landing spot for the approaching messenger. "Morla, what news?" Her reply was rattled out with trained precision, even as she extended a leg to reveal the scroll attached. I was unsettled to see the royal crest of Stormwind pressed into the wax that held it closed. Removing it from the birds leg, I thanked her absentmindedly before she flew off. Breaking the seal, I crouched now, holding the note for all of us to see. It was cryptic, only a single line of text to summon all guardians that could be spared from home defense to the great human city. 'A new threat awakes. All who receive this are to report to Stormwind for briefing on order of the King.' We took a moment to digest the meaning behind the scroll, and I felt the sinking feeling that came before the storm. Rest time was over.
"I'll go tell Athene, she will stay behind and guard the village while we set off for the city." Nodding, my companions moved to prepare their supplies while I shifted, recalling wings and lightness. My raven form was comforting, the air up in the clouds gently teasing my feathers. I was much larger than my messenger friend, nearly big enough to carry one of my companions on my back if there were ever need. Grabbing a thermal, I winged my way over the silvery water below, headed for the woodland city of Darnassus.
A short flight brought me sailing over the treetops bordering the city, and I began to scan the crowds of elves in search of my sister. Today seemed busier than normal, and I wondered how many of those below were preparing to make the same journey as my companions. Finally spotting the blue-clad form of Athene weaving through the throng towards the portal, I headed in her direction. She was half buried under a pile of books, an impressively large water elemental trailing after her. She looked up to the sound of my call, smiling tiredly and halting her steps. I chanced a dive, pulling up right before I could hit the ground and doing a neat flip as I shook off my avian form.
"There you are, sister. We need to get home quickly. The king of Stormwind has issued a summons." Nodding, she tucked her books into the bag on her hip and dismissed her icy companion before pulling out a small enchanted carpet. Sitting astride it, she held the front two corners to guide the wriggling fabric in the direction she wished to go. I resumed my raven shape, gliding alongside her. We raced into the house together, and I headed to my rooms to pack the things I would need. Years of practice kept my packing efficient and swift, only taking those items that were necessary. I took a last look around, trying not to think of how long it might be before I would see it again, before poking my head through the doorway to Athene's room. I was startled to see her haphazardly throwing things into her satchel, and cleared my throat to get her attention.
"Oh, sorry sister. I'm almost ready to go." I froze, the implications of her statement sinking in. 'Oh dear, she thinks she's coming with us.' I knew I had to fix this fast, I should have told her from the beginning, but it had never occurred to me that she wouldn't see her place as here.
"Thee, you have to stay here." Her head snapped up, eyes searching for the joke even as hers filled with denial.
"I'm coming with you, I thought you said we were all summoned." She was close to panicking, and I struggled to keep calm, knowing she was visualizing the same thing I was. Our separation was agonizing, no matter how often it happened. Even though we knew we couldn't die, (at least not permanently), it was still so hard to be without the other for years at a time. I held myself stiffly, knowing I would have to be firm.
"Someone needs to protect our home. Protect an'ma and an'da. They cannot defend themselves like we do. Your job may be the hardest of them all, so you need to stay strong for them. I will be back as soon as I am able." My quiet words had the desired effect. She placed the bag down on her bed and folded into my embrace, accepting my command with understanding.
I hugged both my parents on the dock one last time before joining my fellow guardians on the ship that would make the long journey over the sea. Even if we were sent back home after this meeting, we would not see these shores again for another month at best. A week's travel by boat was the fastest route for getting across the wide sea, and had been much improved over the years as wise magi enchanted the hull and sails for speed and safety.
The boat started to pull away, my family calling out farewells that got caught in the breeze, barely reaching my ears. "Be safe! Come home soon!" I waved, a lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach. I felt a deep sense of foreboding, like this farewell was somehow more final than the others before it. 'You too,' I whispered, knowing they wouldn't hear me. Pasting a grim smile on my face, I waved until I could no longer see the shoreline.
I finally turned to greet the small ship's cat that had sat down on a crate nearby. My companions had gone below, and I decided to rest in solitude for awhile. My furry friend chatted with me for the next few hours, telling me about her days on the boat and the rats that she forcibly ejected whenever they came running across the desk. She didn't seem to mind my silence, needing no prompting to continue the one-sided conversation. Not that I could say I was surprised really, I had always found cats to be rather vain creatures. Despite the small ever-present personality flaw, I liked them immensely. They never cared what others thought, their regality and grace part of their every movement. That was probably why I enjoyed my own cat form so much, it enabled me to take on their essence for the time I was in it.
Joining my friends in the common room under the deck for the evening, we all settled in for the boring journey. Nothing ever happened on these boats, they were spelled not to sink unless we were outright attacked. As that was an extremely uncommon occurrence, we did not even bother to add it to our list of potential worries. Instead we distracted ourselves with drink, and food, and card games. Every day we would go on the deck, having cleared a large area of obstacles to create a training ring. The crew watched with delight while we sparred, or shifted, or in Taren's case brought out animal companions to aid in battle. Soon they were picking favorites, gambling on our bouts with jovial enthusiasm. I grew more skilled at defeating Gilly, my matches against the tiny warrior often ending in ties rather than my previous losing streak. I knew the possibility of having to actually fight her or her race was slim, but it was vital to gather skills where I may. The enemy had guardians of it's own, and rumor held that some were a match in size to the little gnome.
I was up with the dawn on the day we were to arrive at Stormwind harbor. Hurrying to the deck, I could already see the coastline in the distance, the shining towers of the great cathedral catching the early morning sun. I waited impatiently, sorely tempted to fly the rest of the way, but knowing it was too far. It rankled that I could cross the entire continent if I so chose, but go too far off the coast and some magical essence over the water would take hold. The fatigue was incomprehensible, and I constantly found myself wondering what force didn't want us crossing the sea. Always thinking of the lands that might be hidden out of sight, just over the horizon in the trackless deep. I no longer wondered what lay under the ocean, enough trips down there to catch crab and lobster had shown me nothing but darkness, and I disliked the odd feeling it gave me. I always hurried back from such trips, my courage failing me at the thought of slimy tentacles reaching out to pull me into the breathless shadows.
I pulled myself back to the present at the sound of boat hull scraping dock. My companions hurried up from below with the last of their belongings and we said farewell to the crew, promising to look them up for the return trip.
I gazed over at the formidable figure of Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind. He stood at the head of a long table, the summoned guardians and his personal council ranged around him. A map was open before us, the world of Azeroth in miniature, the two continents separated by a swirling icon. A maelstrom that remained fixed in the sea. I noticed crude drawings had been added to the map, and notes written beside the unknown lands south of Silverpine Forest. The king first pointed to the oblong shapes depicted near the maelstrom.
"Scouts report the discovery of two uncharted islands near this position. We were going to mount a further investigation, but their report included the sighting of horde warships in the area. As much as I do not want to leave possible resources to our enemy, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The first being the collapse of the great wall that separated Silverpine from the once thriving kingdom of Gilneas. It is said that the residents are still there, but that a corruption has twisted their appearances." I turned, eying my companions uneasily. We knew the rumors, that the people there were now half-man, half-wolf. That while in their human forms they were civil and mostly normal, but their wolf forms were uncontrollable and bloodthirsty. This news did not bode well, especially if the horde were to try and harness their power against us. I looked up as the king continued to speak.
"Despite the uncertainties, we plan to offer these people our allegiance. We will need plenty of help in the coming months to deal with the approaching threat to our lands. Which brings us to our second matter. Reliable sources had reported sightings of the great earth warder. However, they say he is coated in fire and fused with metal, and his mind twisted in insanity. He now calls himself Deathwing, and has vowed total destruction on our world. Several towns have already been obliterated in fire, and his rage is tearing fissures in the earth and sending great waves to swamp the coast." My stomach twisted, hoping my home was not already on the list of casualties. Varian's hand smashed upon the table, commanding our attention as he gazed upon us all with a fierce light in his eyes.
"We have not the power to deal with him yet, especially since he doesn't land. I fear that we must put this problem to the side for now in the face of more immediate dangers. Hyjal burns, and the rage of the dragon has destabilized the maelstrom, tearing a hole straight down to the core of the world. Our most powerful shamans stand now, holding it together with all of their power, but it is you who must go down into the core to mend the damage before it can tear the world apart." His face sobered even more, if that were at all possible. "If you fail, it will be the end of our world. All our hopes go with you. Go now, return to your homes to make any final preparations before you take your places on the front lines."
We scattered quickly, Gilly parting with us to check on her family as we headed back to the ship that still lay at port. We did not speak, the words becoming meaningless in the face of this new danger. The crew greeted us happily before taking in our now serious demeanor. They hastily backed off, setting forth with all speed. They all knew what our pensive silence meant, having seen it before too many times. I spent the next week pacing, dreading what I would find when we arrived.
I couldn't fight back the gasp that left my mouth at the sight of my home. The town lay in ruins, the dock broken and the houses that were still standing lying at angles between the fissures dividing the coast. A small amount of guards fought on the coastline, trying to drive back the water elementals that attacked. They had been driven mad by the disturbance to their ocean home. Others appeared to be scanning the coastline for survivors, and I despaired to see how few had been found. I threw myself off the deck of the ship, shifting mid air to speed towards the shambles that was all that was left of my house.
I found Athene sitting on the step outside the blocked door, her anguished gaze telling me all I needed to know. I could feel my knees hitting the ground as I collapsed beside her, my life shattered with the loss of my parents. "What happened?" I asked softly as I put my arms around her, not sure whether it was to comfort her or me. She looked up, eyes brimming with fresh tears.
"We heard news that the dragon was over Winterspring, headed straight south from there. An'ma insisted I go get extra supplies from Darnassus, just in case we needed to flee. I keep wondering if she knew, but no one thought he would come here. I wasn't even here to protect them! They were crushed when the house collapsed." She broke off with a sob, and I surrendered for a moment to the numb pain that had collected in my chest. We sat together for awhile, trying to get ourselves under control before Athene quietly led me to the shallow grave she had dug. I knelt to the ground in front of them, whispering words of love as I encouraged the ground to bloom with beautiful flowers. When the grave was covered in colorful shrubs I stood up, Athene giving me an appreciative squeeze.
"Oh, no. Not your parents too." I turned to the twins that had walked up behind us, unnoticed.
"I'm afraid so," I whispered sadly. "What about yours?"
"Drowned," Talon spat angrily. "We found them washed up on the shoreline with some of the others." He kicked a rock, his face roiling with barely controlled fury. In contrast, Taren was uncharacteristically silent, the more introverted brother retreating into himself. I gripped both their arms, my voice ringing with promise.
"We will avenge their memories, do not fear. I will never stop fighting until the Dragon has been cast back into the chasm whence he came." They nodded in agreement, Athene joining us now that there was no reason for her to stay. Holding hands for comfort, we once again readied our supplies before going to war...
Author's note: I was conflicted about how much angst to put in this chapter, but I felt that I had to show just how bitter and jaded Alanta is becoming by this point. I always wondered how the character I played really felt about the danger she was constantly put in. Especially since they cannot die, as guardians they are brought back again and again even through death to continue protecting the land. The stress of such a life must be incredible. I feel that this also will give good basis to her unwillingness to form any lasting emotional bonds with non-guardians. This specific tragedy will also give her much in common with Thorin once he is introduced to the story. The next chapter will be the last of the back story for Alanta before we say good bye to her sister and friends and head to middle earth. I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, please leave comments if you have the time. It would mean so much. May Elune be with you.