Hello there! First of all, I want to thank everyone who read, and specially those who Favorited this! I wanted to put the first chap. up soon, so people will know a little bit more about how the story's gonna go.
But enough about that! I let you to read it!
Chapter's warnings: Some violence (I don't think is that much graphic thou), I don't wanna say ooc as you don't really know much about the characters (this is mainly on Mara's PoV), minor OCs (original characters), a kind of big lore change (explained at the bottom notes), and ultra-fanatics of the orcs may feel a little offended in some parts (I don't think there's nothing really offensive here, and keep in mind that this is during the First War, so orcs are still under demonic control and blood thirsty).
Disclaimer: Names and places belong to Blizzard Entertainments, the rest is mind, bu I make no money from this!
Chapter I:
"The second time we met, the circumstances were anything but good.
I never thought, not even in my darkest nightmares, that our Kingdom would come to such a tragic end.
But then again, no one ever dreamed that the mighty Kingdom of Stormwind would fall against invaders from another world…"
/-/-/-/-/-/
The Church's bells were sounding the alarm, and their ringing could be heard over the people's screams and the sounds of battle. It served to increase the confusion and despair, and the distant voice of someone proclaiming that the enemies have reached the Keep made the truth all the more real in everyone's hearts.
Stormwind has fallen.
Bolvar was pushing through the people, trying to get to his mother, he needed to help her. He was wearing his training armor and holding his father's sword. He wasn't even twelve years old, but he just needed to do something to help the others.
"Barricade that bridge! Get the people out of here!" Mara's voice was barely heard over the sound of battle, and it was the only thing that kept the soldiers from breaking line.
Bolvar couldn't see the attackers from his position -his height wasn't really helping-, but he have seen some of them gathering before the City's gates before the battle started; plus, he have seen their ambassador, the half orc called Garona.
He has heard about the orc's ferocity in battle, and he saw nothing that proved otherwise, judging by the smoke rising from the Keep's direction.
There was no time to ponder about the King's fate or to worry about the Gate's defenders, he needed to get to his mother, and he needed to make sure she was alright.
He just has to.
"Mother!" he called as soon as he saw her.
Mara finished off with an orc that was trying to get pass their barricade, sinking her sword deep into the beast's neck –the weakest link in their armor-, and turned around to see who was calling her.
"Bolvar!" her heart almost stopped when she saw her son standing there, but she was sort of relieved, because he was alive.
"What are you doing here?! Get back!" she left her post, getting replaced immediately by another soldier, to go to him and grab him by the shoulder, pushing him away from the fight.
At that moment, a private came running towards Commander Saumell, her commanding officer, and seeing the despair in the soldier's eyes and posture, she decided to go see what was happening.
She took Bolvar with her, it was better to keep him by her side; it would make her feel calmer.
"…lost, only a few made it out. Sir…" they got in hearing distance half-way through the private's report, but they could imagine what he was talking about "…the King's dead"
A deafening silence felt upon them, not because the battle and the screaming people had stop, but because the news made their dire situation all the more hopeless.
"And the royal family?" Commander Saumell asked, wishing there was still some hope, something to fight for.
"We don't know, sir" the private shook his head and answered, breaking their hopes with that short sentence.
Mara swallowed hard, the sound of swords clashing and people screaming slowly coming back to her ears, and she knew she couldn't give up now.
There were still people that needed to be saved, citizens that needed to be taken to safety, and a city that needed to be evacuated.
She still had her son to protect.
"Sir, we have to get this people out of here!" she told Commander Saumell, trying to get the man out of his shock "Sir!" she yelled, grabbing his shoulder to make him look at her.
What she saw in his eyes was total and absolute lost, the man didn't know what to do, and they didn't have the time to wait for him to get a grip on himself.
"Round the people up, lead them to the port. Have at least five soldier with you" she pulled the private towards the masses, getting the attention of everyone around.
"Grab all the provisions you can get, keep the women and children in the middle of the group, stay together!" everyone followed her orders without a question, they needed someone to guide them, to tell them what to do so they could keep their minds distracted.
Mara got close to the soldiers defending the barricade, turning Sergeant Milles, the one in charge, around to get his attention.
"Anything you can do to buy us some time?" she asked with a serious expression, letting him know that whatever was needed would be done, no matter what.
Sergeant Milles thought for a while, looking around for something that may help them, and as soon as he got an idea, he communicated it to his superior.
"We have enough explosives to blow up that tower" he said pointing to the Church's left tower "But I'll need a few minutes to set them up" he said, sheathing his sword and going to get the explosives.
"You got them. As soon as you're ready, signal us from that window and we'll clear out the area" Mara helped him put the dynamite in a bag, for easy transport, and before he left, she took his arm and told him some last words "Once the tower's down, we'll meet back at the docks, understood?"
Sergeant Milles swallowed hard but nodded, continuing on his way without looking back.
Both knew that was an order he won't be able to fulfill.
Mara went back to the soldiers, ordering all those who knew how to use a gun to load them and form a line behind the rest.
"Mother!" the sound of Bolvar's cry had her turning around, fearing the worst, and she saw him struggling against the soldiers that were pushing him with the other children.
"Bolvar, get back!" she ordered, helping the soldiers to pull him away from the battle.
"No!" he freed himself from their restriction, and looked up to his mother with determination in his eyes "I want to fight!"
Mara swallowed, she understood the boy's wishes to join the battle, but she knew there was nothing he could do to help.
"Son…" she kneeled down and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her in the eyes "You need to stay with the people; you need to help them reach the ports"
"But…" Bolvar tried to protest, but she was not hearing it.
"There would be a time for you to fight for this city, so live to get to that day!" she was not letting her only son to die for a lost cause.
Today the city was lost, tomorrow they'll get it back, but they needed to live through this night.
Bolvar nodded, still a little reluctant, and went back to the people, doing his best to calm down the scared children.
Mara, once again besides the soldier at the barricade, looked up to the Church's tower.
It only took a minute for a little light to be seen on the window, and that was the signal she has been waiting for,
She called for retreat, and had the Rangers fire against the approaching Horde, giving the soldiers enough time to clear out before the explosion.
For a moment all she could see was the dust from the fallen debris, and all she could hear was an ear-piercing ringing.
She was able to distinguish a figure coming at her and a war cry in a strange language resounding in the distance, and she reacted right on time to block the axe coming down on her with her sword.
The orc seemed to have taken several gun-shots and was bleeding from a wound on his head –probably caused by a piece of the broken tower that had hit him-, but that didn't stopped him from attacking relentlessly.
Mara blocked the coming blows as best as she could, but her mind was still recovering from the explosion and fear was slowly overtaking her heart.
There was no way to stop them, what would they ever do?
One second she let the fear paralyze her, only one second it took for the orc to land a successful blow on her.
The orc's axe cut diagonally from her left hip up to her right shoulder, the strength of the attack piecing her armor and knocking her back a few feet.
She staggered and fell down on one knee, her sword falling from her limp hand to the floor.
She closed her eyes and surrender to her fate, only hoping that Bolvar had made it out of the city.
"Knight Fordragon!" but she didn't felt the pain from the killing blow or the numbing silence of death.
Mara opened her eyes and saw Commander Saumell standing in front of her, his sword raised and still dripping blood, and behind him, a beheaded body felt to the ground.
Commander Saumell turned around and grabbed her by the arm, giving her only enough time to grab her sword before pulling her up and pushing her towards the docks.
The run to the docks was longer than what they remembered, and the pain on her side made her sight blur. Her vision darkened for a second and when it cleared again they were already at their destiny.
Every single ship on port was letting people on board, regardless of the type of vessel, and she could see already two have set sail away from shore.
Soldiers have line up and were shooting against the orcs coming at them –there were two ways to reach the ports, Mara have just delayed the Horde's passing through one-, while every citizen that was fast enough boarded the ships.
"Stand your ground!" she screamed once she reached the soldiers "Get those cannons ready!" she pointed to the only war vessel on port, and a soldier ran to do her binding.
Commander Saumell let her go, sitting her on the floor ad checking on her wound.
He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to, she already knew.
'Light, grant me the strength' Mara closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
This could not be her end, she needed to see this through, and she needed to make sure this people would survive.
She needed to make sure her son would live.
'Just give me some more time' a soothing warmth surrounded her body and she was able to breath easily again.
"Mother!" her son's voice reached her ears and she opened her eyes.
"Bolvar!" she hugged him once he was close enough, holding him tight in her arms "Praise the Light" she kissed the top of his head, tears of relief on her eyes.
Mara would have loved to stay like this for longer, but reality demanded otherwise.
She released him and ordered him to board the warship, commanding the soldiers to slowly retreat and board as well.
Once the last two ships holding the citizens were at a good distance from the docks, she ordered the warship to get in position to bombard the nearby buildings, to bring the structure down and block the way to the port –at least long enough to scape.
The sounds of battle slowly faded away, and as the sight of the burning city grew distant, the adrenaline began to dissipate from their veins.
Several soldiers felt to the floor exhausted, mentally, physically or both. Now with nothing to keep their minds distracted, the severity of their situation weighed heavily on their hearts.
"Mom…" she kneeled down and extended her arms towards her son, who immediately hugged her with all his might, tears starting to slowly fall from his eyes.
She patted his hair, letting some of her own tears to fall.
What was lost would never come back, and she would forever have the burden of all those lives she was not able to save on her shoulders.
'Light guide us…' she prayed.
She prayed for safety, she prayed for a place to go, she prayed for a safe trip, she prayed to find an answer, and she prayed to find a way.
She prayed because there was nothing else to do now but to pray and mourn.
"Sir…" one of the soldiers neared Commander Saumell, he seem to be part of the ship's crew "Where should we head to?"
The older man looked at the soldier for a while, but then turned around towards the two Fordragons.
"It's not really my place to tell…" he said looking at Mara in the eyes, and she understood what he meant.
"Lordaeron" she said, still holding on to her son.
She didn't know what made her think of Lordaeron, but something told her that that's where they should go, that they would find refuge there.
And there was nothing but her instinct to follow now.
"Signal the other ships and have someone send a message to the capital cities of all the other Kingdoms, we're going to need all the help we can" the soldier nodded and went to do as she said.
Mara sighed tired and looked up to the sky. The sun have already hide under the horizon, it's last rays of light painting the world of warm oranges and pinks, and both moons where easily seen between the clouds, while one single star was shining high in the sky.
That start leaded north, and they would follow it to, hopefully, a better tomorrow.
To be continued…
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this.
All you know about Mara comes from a statue in Stormwind Keep (think it's still there, can't remember now), and all it says is that she guided the refugees in Lordaeron, but nothing more, so this is all my take on things, ok?
Lore changes: If you know about the evacuation of Stormwind during the first war, you may have noticed that neither Lothar nor Varian are with the rest of the survivors. Well, I do know how did they escaped from the city, I just wanted to make it a little different, all in all, there's not going to be a huge difference afterwards. How did they managed to escape and why I decided to change it will be explained in the next chapter, as I don't want to spoil it for you.
Well, tell me what you thought! Next chap'll be up soon (not extremely soon, but not in two months either), so I hope you'll like that one too n.n
Leave a review and tell me what you think!
Thank you again for reading and c'ya!