Chapter 12~ A Story Before Bedtime

"Are you a blood elf ?" I asked, my body involuntarily tensing.

He nodded. "Partly. My mother was a night elf, and my father was a blood elf."

The tension left my body, before it was replaced by wonder and curiosity. "Amazing..." I whispered, staring at his face, marveled by the mix of blood elf features, and night elf features combined together.

"Is that so ?" He then said, smirking once again.

My heart jumped. I looked away, suddenly feeling timid under his golden eyes.

"Even so, you cannot come with me, the risk is too great !" I insisted.

"You cannot stop me, Tuarwen. I'll come wether you like it or not." He said, walking past me, to his mount.

I followed him. "They'll see you're not one of them ! You might look a little bit like an blood elf- but not enough !" I said, trying to convince him.

He climbed on his mount. "Nothing a little disguise won't cover." He said with that same smirk. "So ? Are you coming or not ?"

Silvanus had wanted to go to the barber shop to get his hair dyed. It wasn't a bad idea, honeslty, but if he started walking in Stormwind with a hair colour that didn't resemble those of his kin, the guards and soldiers would most definitely get suspicious seeing him. So instead, I bought blonde hair dye from the gnome barber, along with the instructions, pretending it was for my "human friend", before Silvanus and I both left for the ship back to Ruth'eran.

...

"Is there no way I can convince you to change your mind ?" I asked, sitting across from him at the little wooden table.

"No, unless I can convince YOU to change your mind." He said, determined.

I sighed.

"...didn't think so." He mumbled to himself.

I looked down. I didn't want for his life to be endangered for something that might not even be worth it.

"You do not want me to accompany you ?" He suddenly said, his voice considerably softer.

I looked up to him, surprised at his change of tone. His expression was...a mixture of sadness, hurt...and fear ? Why ?

"That's not it !" I immediately said. "But what if something happens ? What if I was wrong all along, what if we find nothing- is it really worth the risk of endangering your life, knowing that my information might all be false ?" I said, anxious at the thought of something happening.

His face then turned serious, his eyes looking intently into mine. "Your life is worth risking mine, Tuarwen." My heart leaped at that. "Also...I wish to help my people, Tuarwen. Even if we do not know where this information might lead us- maybe into a trap, or nowhere at all, but if we have even the slightest chance of preventing what happened to my people- to others, then I wish to take this chance, no matter where it might lead us."

I was moved, but I hid it by narrowing my eyes at him. "Are you saying that even if I would've chosen to stay, you would've went alone, anyway ?"

He looked to the left, saying, "Maybe." A mischievous smile on his lips.

My jaw dropped, shocked. "How dare you !" I said reproachfully.

He looked at me, startled, before bursting into laughter. I stared at him, dumbstruck, taken off guard. From the moment I'd met him, this was the first time I had seen him laugh, and so genuinely too. He looked so gentle and pure as he did.

Before I knew it, I had joined in on his laughter, both of us laughing like children.

...

Once we arrived, we parted ways in order to prepare ourselves for the long journey to come, discreetly packing our bags with food and water- and anything that we might need on the road. I certainly couldn't go to Horde territory wearing the outfit that the king had given me- which screamed "ALLIANCE". I had to leave it behind. So I went and put it in the bank, where I knew my important belongings would be kept safe. So instead, I took two outfits that came from my homeland, packing one of the two, and wearing the other. I wouldn't be as suspicious wearing this- hopefully not suspicious at all. I wrote a letter to Teru, which I left on the bed. It was hard trying to be discreet in the day, especially since every house here were open to everyone. Anybody could see what I was doing, if I wasn't careful. Also, Silvanus wouldn't be able to take his tiger with him. It would be a dead giveaway to his true identity, so instead of making him wait for him indefinitely, he set him free.

When the sun set down, I placed my axes behind me, and ran to the meeting point, where Silvanus was already waiting at Darnassus's entrance. He usually wore a white robe whenever I saw him, but this time, he'd changed into a pair of brown boots, trousers, accompanied with a belt, and a dark shirt, a very human-ish looking outfit, commoner-like, but it would do. In his right hand, he held his staff, his mage staff, which was the first time I'd seen.

"Are you alright ?" He asked as I arrived, whispering in case somebody could hear us.

"I'm alright. I don't think anybody saw me." I said, adrenaline pumping in my veins from sneaking away.

"Me neither."

"Are you ready ?" I asked.

"As I'll ever be." He answered, smiling.

Careful to stay in the shadows, we departed on our journey.

...

We walked for three hours straight into the forest, neither of us saying a word, halfway out of it. I noticed the sound of water not far from us, and decided it was a good time to stop and make that disguise for Silvanus, before we reached horde territory. There was an orcish camp a few hours from here. I had to change his hair, before we reached it.

"Silvanus." I said, stopping, tugging on his sleeve.

He turned around to look at me.

"Let's take a break." I said, smiling. "By the sound of it, there's a river not far from here. It would be a good time to dye your hair while we're at it." I said, smiling.

He nodded. "Alright."

I made him lie down by the river, his head in the water so I could wash his hair first. The gnome had said his hair had to be wet first. His eyes were closed, his expression calm and peaceful. I was surprised at how comfortable he was with me touching him.

"When I think about it, you and I don't know much about other, do we ?" I said.

He opened his eyes to look at me, a little smile on his lips. "No, not very much."

"Tell me more about your parents." I said.

He shifted his eyes from me to up the sky. "I don't know either of them. Because of what they were and where they came from, my mother and father were chased down day and night. Their love was not something that was supposed to happen. To the horde, my father was a traitor, and their love was considered an abomination. To the alliance, my mother was a disappointement, and because of their strong feelings for each other, they were rejected from both sides, having to run for their lives, a bounty on their heads for anyone who might catch them, dead or alive. And then my mother became pregnant with me. Carrying a child inside her womb, it was much harder for both of them to survive the enemies that chased after them. But even so, they continued journeying, every single day, until one day my mother gave birth to me in a friendly inn. In order to protect the love of his life and his child, my father had decided to let himself be catched by his enemies, so that they would spare his family. The next morning, he was gone." He paused, closing his eyes. I didn't dare say a word. "But my parents were inseparable. They were soulmates, destined to be together, like the sun and the moon, neither able to shine without the other. My mother went back to the alliance, leaving me into the hands of her sister, my aunt. As soon as I left her hands, she turned back on her steps, and fought day and night to get back to my father, never stopping, crushing every obstacle between he and her. He was in a prison deep into the horde. But through days of endless of fighting and sleepless nights, she'd finally found him. She'd let herself be captured, which led her right back to her husband. They found each other, right before the night of their execution. Their mind and body was exhausted, no longer able to fight, but they were able to find each other right at the very last moment, finally able to rest in each other's arms."

"What...what happened to them ?" I asked in a quiet voice, afraid of his answer.

"They weren't executed, if that is what you're asking." He paused. "They killed themselves. They wished to die together, in each other's arms."

My jaw dropped from the shock of his words, breathless.

I gulped, taking a deep breath. "Why didn't they try to escape ?"

"My father had been tortured, and had lost a lot of blood. My mother was weak, no longer able to stand, even less fight. They were already dying when they'd found each other." My breath caught in my throat. "But they were happy, because they could finally be together again. The least they could do was end it, before their enemies had a chance to seperate them again. There was a well inside of their prison. Breaking out of their cell, they threw themselves into the well, holding each other until the very last moment." He gently smiled. "They loved with a love that was more than love. Or so would say my aunt. She used to tell me this story every night when I was ill, umable to even take a step out of bed. She said she and a lot of other elves who cared for my mother and father, watched them through a viewing portal. She saw them until the very moment they died. That is why she knows what happened."

I stood in the water, frozen, unable to move. Sensing that my hand had stopped moving, he sat up, and looked at me, worried.

He slightly tilted his head. "Are you alright...?"

I gulped, unfreezing, looking down as my eyes watered. "I don't understand..." I said quietly. "How could they call their love- something so beautiful and pure, an abomination ? How ??" I said, slightly overwhelmed by the sadness of his story. "Why are there even sides ? Why can't we all be united, and live together as one, peacefully ?"

He smiled sadly at me. "I do not know Tuarwen."

"There is nothing wrong with LOVING- and to think that two beings from opposite sides were able to fall in love with each other...that something so rare and precious was created...and yet having their lives threatened simply because they LOVED each other...it's just not right. It is tragic and wrongful."

His thumb suddenly went over my cheek, wiping off a tear, only now noticing that I was crying.

"Do not torment yourself for a story from the past, Tuarwen. I do not wish to see you cry." He said, his voice almost pained and sorry.

I laughed, rubbing my eyes. "I apologize, I am just not used to how this world yet works...I deeply wish that your parents had come to my homeland, Pandaria. I know they would've loved it there, and nobody would have blamed them for loving each other. There are no sides there, no alliance, no horde."

He smiled. "It sounds very pleasant."

"It is. It is a peaceful and beautiful place." I said, smiling back. "I am sorry about your parents...it...it wasn't my place to ask."

"I do not feel sad for my parents Tuarwen, because I know they are now together, and always will be." He said with a gentle expression. "And I am glad you asked. Do not restrain yourself if you have more questions."

I smiled, nodding.

But then I noticed his wet hair, which was getting his shirt more and more wet by the second. I hadn't finished dying it ! I asked him to lay back down, and continued on with the dye. Once it was done...goodness. He looked so much more like a blood elf now, the resemblance was uncanny, but there was also something else...I was taken off guard by how much that blonde hair looked good on him. Although he looked closer to a blood elf now, there was a few changes I wanted to make here and there, in order to make him more like a member of the horde. The more, the better. So I asked if I could cut his hair. He looked a slightly bit uneasy at the idea, but agreed anyway. I made long bangs by the side of his face, and attached the rest of his long hair into a low ponytail. Perfect. I'd seen a blood elf with that hairstyle when the alliance airship had crashed into Shen Zin Su.

"Now, all we need is to get ypu new clothes." I said, fingers to my chin as I observed him.

"Are these not good enough ?" He asked.

I smiled apologetically. "They look more like clothes human peasants would wear, rather than a blood elf...sorry."

He looked a bit disappointed, but laughed it off. "I suppose you're right."

Now that his hair was done, we could continue on with our journey. Although this time, it was anything but silent. We kept talking, like children on their first trip. Now that I thought about it...it might as well be !

"It is your turn to tell me about yourself." He said, smiling.

"There isn't much to say."

"I'm sure that's not true."

I sighed. "Alright then. But it's not interesting as your story." I warned.

"That's alright. Besides, it was my parent's story, not mine."

"Right. Well...I am able to be here now, because I was the strongest student of my time, finishing my training before anyone else. My seniors, Aysa, Ji, and Jojo were the best of theirs. Aysa is a prodigious monk. Ji is a talented fighter. And Jojo...well, Jojo relies on his strength, to break...and smash things." I said, repeating Jojo's words.

"What about you ?" He then asked. "What it is, that YOU are good at ?"

I smirked. "Fighting. I was meant to be a warrior." I said proudly.

"I agree." He said, a gentle smile on his face, and yet intense eyes as he looked into mine.

I looked away. "I, um...I have always admired Aysa since very little, watching her as she climbed to the top, and became the finest and best monk. She was respected amongst our people, and like me, many admired her. I'd always been watching her from afar, until one day I found my calling. I was an average monk, not too bad, but not great either...that is, until I found my calling, which was to be a warrior, rather than a monk." I looked at the two axes on my back. "My master had seen my hesitation in training, so he brought me to a little shack, full of strange weapons, made differently than ours. That's where I found my axes. I always felt out of place, until I found these. I then became a great student, that was able to stand by Ji, Jojo, and Aysa, as their equal. I was able to make my master proud. He was the one whom raised me, and the one who'd put me on the right path." I said, smiling at the memory.

"He helped you find it, but you put YOURSELF on the right path." Said, Silvanus.

I chuckled. "Now you sound like him.

He chuckled too.

"Now that I think about it, you and Aysa are the same age." I said, my eyes wide in realization.

"What happen to them ? Your friends."

"Well, Aysa is in Stormwind, teaching the Tushui way to all that wish to learn. Ji...Ji is in the Horde." I said, my expression turning grim.

"I'm...sure he is alright." He said, trying to comfort me.

"You know, the ironic thing was that ALL these years, Ji was in love with Aysa. But right before they made the choice, they had an argument, and they didn't even get to say goodbye ! Or that they had feelings for each other..."

"I'm sure they will get to, one day." He said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Will they ?" I said, unsure, remembering the story of his parents.

But he smiled reassuringly. "I have a feeling everything will be okay, since they have you as a friend."

I raised my eyebrow in question. "What's that supposed to mean ?"

"Everything seems to fall into place around you, Tuarwen. Like a force of justice."

I chuckled. "I'm flattered you think so."

We continued walking for a few hours more- two hours approximately, before deciding to camp for the rest of the night. We'd prepared a small fire to keep us warm, without attracting too much attention to ourselves. I'd slept outside in the grass, under the starlit sky a lot of times in Pandaria, so I fell asleep quickly and slept peacefully.

To be continued...