Reunited
Cedani frowned and tried to cast the ice spell Kalecgos told her about, hating that nothing was happening immediately. "I... Can't... Do it!" She strained, dropping her hands and letting out a long sigh. "I don't think I can do it, Kalecgos."
"Of course you can." Sindragosa said, helping Kalecgos with the training and placing a hand on the young elf's shoulder. "Just concentrate and try to tap in to your inner magics."
"Inner magics?" Athrodar asked, overhearing the training session his daughter was receiving. "Never heard of such a thing."
"You're a ranger, no?" Sindragosa asked, getting a nod from Athrodar. "Exactly."
"Wow..." Athrodar muttered. "Simulacrum Sindragosa is mean."
"I'm not mean." Sindragosa told him, looking back to Cedani who couldn't help but smile. "I was just proving a point. Inner magic is taught to those who know magic. Not those who decide to play with sticks and string." She glanced back over to Athrodar who was looking down at his bow. "Now if you don't mind, we have a lesson going on here."
"It's not just sticks and string..." Athrodar muttered, a little hurt at her comments and summing up of his abilities. "There are also swords..."
Cedani continued to smile, looking back over to Sindragosa and Kalecgos. "You've hurt his feelings." She said, chuckling lightly and casting an ice spell in her hands. Not the one they were trying to teach her, but it was close enough in her eyes. "I did it!" She exclaimed, though the faces of both Sindragosa and Kalecgos said otherwise. "R-right?"
"Not really.." Kalecgos said, trying to make her feel better, whilst Sindragosa had a different approach.
"That's the completely wrong spell." She told her. "I know you can do it, little one." Sindragosa then said, taking hold of her hands and smiling at her. "I can sense the magic inside of you, waiting to be unleashed. Just concentrate on the steps and I know you will be able to do it."
Cedani took a deep breath and nodded her head, closing her eyes and focusing on her inner magics. She didn't quite understand what that meant, but she was willing to understand and learn as long as it made her stronger and more comfortable with her ice magic. Something that made Athrodar smile as this was something he had seen from Tanadia and even Victoria before her when he was training with her. "You can do this, Cedani." He said, making Cedani smile whilst she continued to concentrate.
Sylvanas looked up at the sky, noticing it was clear out and knowing it would be a good day today. They were only a couple hours away from reaching the Azure Archives and she was moving at almost double the speed of the rest of their group, leaving Alleria, Tanadia and Liadrin behind. "I'm almost there, baby." She muttered under her breath jogging forward several paces and climbing up a small hill to get a better look at the distance between her and her destination.
"Just an hour or two tops." Sylvanas then said, taking a deep breath and making her way towards the Azure Archives again, not waiting for the other three to catch up to her.
"Do you think she remembers we're with her?" Tanadia asked, looking over to her sister and Liadrin, the paladin shaking her head and panting heavily compared to the two of them.
"No... I don't... Think so." She said, sucking in as much air as she could and cursing herself silently for bringing armour with her.
"She's excited to reunite with dad." Little Alleria told them, looking over to Tanadia who smiled at her. "As are we both."
"And me." Liadrin said, standing up straight and taking a deep breath in, letting out a long exhale shortly after. "Just so I can hit him for making us worry."
"Come on!" Sylvanas yelled, her voice carrying through the snowy valley they were in, waving them over and not hearing their groans in return. "We're almost there!"
"I love her, but mom is my least favourite elf at the moment." Tanadia muttered, getting a laugh from both Little Alleria and Liadrin.
"I feel that same way at this moment in time." Alleria agreed, pulling her bow up her shoulder when it began to slip down. "I hate climbing more than anything."
"I can't... Go on... Any.. Longer..." Liadrin panted, laying down on the floor and closing her eyes. "I give up."
Tanadia rolled her eyes and looked over to the Paladin. "I'll promise to get Cedani to warm up to you and forgive you if you get back up onto your feet right now."
Liadrin sighed and forced herself up onto her feet. "Okay, fine." She said, taking hold of Tanadia's hand and walking just slightly behind her. "Lead the way."
The four of them continued to travel towards the Azure Archives for a few more hours with Sylvanas having to wait for them to catch up every now and then, much to her annoyance. The trip went smoother than they were all thinking it would, so much so that they even questioned leaving some of their weapons and gear behind at the main camp. That was until they were stopped at the entrance to the Archives when an arcane image appeared in front of the four of them.
"Hello." They said, quickly taking the forming of an elf who raised an eyebrow at the four of them. "I have to say, I was not expecting guests. At least, not more than I already have."
"We're looking for two elves." Sylvanas told the image, noticing a twitch on the arcane image's lips shortly after telling her. "They're here, aren't they?"
"You must be both Sylvanas and mom I have heard them talk about non stop." The image said, laughing lightly when she saw relief wash over her face. "Come with me." She then said, watching all four elves follow her further into the Archives. "You're lucky you arrived when you did, I've noticed something deeper within this place that needs my attention. I would have locked this place down until it was dealt with, making it impossible to just walk up to this place like you did."
"So if we were an hour or two later, we wouldn't be allowed in?" Tanadia asked, watching the arcane image nod her head and looking over to Liadrin. "Look at that, we needed to be quick and we were."
"Don't start, Tana." Liadrin told her. "I love you, but you're going to start losing that love if you keep teasing me."
"Ahh, the infamous Tanadia." The elf said, looking over to the High Priestess and smiling at her. "Your sister talks about you so much, I think I miss it sometimes when she isn't talking about the rest of you." The elf began to frown when she noticed their group was smaller than she was expecting. "You're not all here."
"My sons are busy with their aunt." Sylvanas told her, placing a hand on Little Alleria's back and smiling at her when she looked over to her. "My daughters however, aren't as busy so they came with me."
The arcane elf just smiled at them, gesturing towards a nearby building. "Well, Athrodar should be in here." She told them, looking around her immediate surroundings. "I can't see Kalecgos or Cedani, so he must be teaching her a new spell, or they're studying."
The second she stopped talking, Sylvanas rushed passed the elf and made her way into the building, locking eyes with Athrodar when he looked up from one of the many books he had surrounded himself with ever since he arrived here with Cedani. "You're actually here." Sylvanas muttered, having her vision go a little cloudy when tears began to well up in her eyes. "When I saw that blast knock you off the ship, I..."
"Hey." Athrodar said softly after making his way over to her, placing his hands on her arms and smiling at his wife. "I'm here. You're here. We're both here."
Giving up on her weak fight with her emotions, Sylvanas let out a laugh and then hugged her husband tightly, crying into his chest and feeling him hug her back just at tightly. "What is it with you and getting yourself into trouble?" She asked him, both of them laughing lightly and squeezing each other just a little tighter. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm never letting you out of my sight."
Athrodar just smiled and continued to hold onto his wife, looking over to Tanadia, Little Alleria and Liadrin when they all walked in with their elf guide. "I see Sindragosa has led you all too me."
"Sindragosa!?" Liadrin yelled, making both little elves flinch as well as the arcane image of the blue dragon. "H-how? You were killed thousands of years ago... As well as recently." Liadrin looked over to Athrodar with a frown. "Right?"
"Right." Sindragosa told her, smiling at the Paladin. "Athrodar has already told me of my fate, as well as Kalecgos and Cedani."
"Wow. You seem to be taking it well for someone who has just been told they're dead." Little Alleria said. "Twice."
"I still have her memories, so she lives on through me." Sindragosa told them, bowing her head to both Athrodar and Sylvanas. "Like I have told you wife, I need to get going. The vaults below this place really need to be dealt with. So nobody comes or goes from here until that matter has been dealt with."
"Great..." Liadrin muttered, looking around the room they were in. "Stuck in a library."
"I am with you there." Alleria said, watching her mother let go of Athrodar and taking a step forward, only to stop herself when she felt her chest tighten and her heart ache.
"Are you not going over there to hug your father?" Liadrin asked after noticing her hesitation. "You're normally all over him by now."
"I..." Alleria moved her right hand onto her left arm, feeling awkward all of a sudden and knowing that although Liadrin didn't know, she wasn't ready to tell her either. "I think I'll just hug him when mom isn't dying to keep him attached to her hip."
Liadrin watched the little elf carefully, not fully buying that story and knowing something was troubling her. But she learnt over the years to not push any of the Windrunner children into doing something they find uncomfortable, especially if it comes at the cost of them hating her. Something she couldn't live with. "That's probably a smart move, to be honest." She told her, knowing she had to give her an answer.
Alleria smiled a little and nodded her head, having a sense of relief wash over her when Liadrin ask any uncomfortable questions. "I'm glad you agree." She said, trying to convince herself that that was the real reason and not the actual reason.
"Papa." Tanadia muttered, hugging Athrodar next and covering her hands in the Light as she held onto him. "When I saw both you and Cedani fall into the water, I was so scared. I thought I'd never see you again."
Athrodar just closed his eyes and smiled brightly, holding onto his daughter as if his life depended on it. He then thought about if she was the one to be blasted off the ship with him instead of Cedani, his life really would have depended on her and her healing abilities. "I'm just glad you're all here." He said, looking over to Liadrin and Alleria. "Well, most of you. I presume our boys are stuck with their aunt?"
"They are." Sylvanas confirmed, looking over to the entrance of the building when a blue haired half-human and an elf walked in, smiling brightly at the latter and feeling her legs go weak when she saw Cedani looked unharmed. "My baby.."
"Mom!" Cedani yelled, running across the room and throwing herself at her mother, hugging her tightly and having a torrent of kisses placed all over her face. "I've missed you."
Sylvanas let out a joyful hum the moment her daughter hugged her, pressing her cheek to the top of her baby's head and closing her eyes as she melted into the hug. "That's my line." She whispered to her, not realising until this very moment how badly she had missed her daughter.
"Oh, where are my manners?" Cedani asked rhetorically, pulling back from the hug and turning her attention towards Kalecgos. "Mom, Tanadia, Liadrin, Alleria. This is Kalecgos. Kalecgos, this is... Well, most of our family."
Kalecgos smiled and shook hands with all of them, minus Sylvanas who seemed to be in a hugging mood as she squeezed the blue dragon aspect tightly. "Thank you for looking after her."
"Well... It was only for a few days." Kalecgos told her, looking over to Athrodar who rolled his eyes and pried his wife off the Blue Aspect. "And even then, she looked after herself and her father. Especially with his injuries and all."
Sylvanas immediately looked back to her husband with worry. "Injuries?"
"Arm, leg, most of my body to be honest." Athrodar told her, watching the concern in her eyes as she roamed his body, trying to find any sign of these injuries. "Cedani patched me up the best she could, given her limited knowledge of healing." He looked over to his daughter who was hugging Tanadia now. "When the Green Dragons found us, just being near them healed me properly and now I feel fine."
"That explains why I can't find anything." Sylvanas whispered, walking her fingers up him chest and placing her hand on his cheek. "Now, I know we're not exactly alone, but it's been over a week, I was worried you were dead and I am very horny right now."
"Oh look, they're back to normal." Cedani said, overhearing them and getting a laugh from Alleria and Tanadia.
"How about we wait an hour or two, huh?" Athrodar suggested, smiling warmly at Sylvanas who let out a long sigh. "Relax, my love. I promise you that we will have our fun before tomorrow morning." He leaned forward and kissed his wife, chuckling into her mouth when she began to kiss him hungrily. "I knew that kiss was a mistake."
"Yes it was." Sylvanas purred, pressing her ear to his chest and moving her arms around him. "But I can wait."
"Good." Athrodar told her, kissing the top of her head. "I need to see Little Alleria. She looks like she is avoiding me despite coming all this way."
"She has been quiet about the whole thing with her feelings for you." Sylvanas told him, looking over to Little Alleria as well and noticing her standing by herself, occasionally glancing over to the two of them awkwardly. "I think she needs you to reassure her you're okay, that you love her and that you need a hug from your little girl."
"I know what you're saying." Athrodar said, kissing the top of her head once more and letting go of his wife. "Go be with Cedani, she was talking about you the entire time we were alone out there."
Sylvanas smiled at his words. "I know you're lying, but I want to hug her all the same."
Little Alleria looked around the building they were all standing in, catching a glimpse of her father making his way over to her and feeling her heart beat harder in her chest. "Oh boy. Here he comes." She muttered, smiling at Athrodar when he stood in front of her. "Papa." She said, slipping back into 'Little Alleria' mode the second he was close enough, stepping forward and hugging him tightly. "I was so scared."
Athrodar held onto his daughter who tightened her hug a little more. "When we were lost out there, I couldn't stop thinking about you, your siblings and your mother. I was worried I might not see you all again." He kissed her on the temple, noticing the smile on her face shortly after. "I never told Cedani that, but I found it difficult to sleep until the Green Dragons found us and sent one of their own to find you all."
Alleria continued to smile, keeping her arms around her father and just enjoying the closeness she was spending with him for the first time since she told her parents about her problem. "I don't want to leave your side ever again, papa."
"We're on land now, so there should be no more dragon attacks whilst we're on boats." Athrodar pulled back from the hug and placed a hand on his daughter's cheek, smiling at her. "I will be staying with you all throughout this expedition."
Alleria closed her eyes at his touch, smiling and stepping forward to hug her father again. "That makes me so happy, papa. I don't even want to think about losing you again."
"We won't lose him." Sylvanas said, placing a hand on her daughter's back and having her look over to her. "Let's go find somewhere we can all sleep when night rolls in." She glanced over to Athrodar and smiled at him. "Well, somewhere for the rest of you to sleep."
"I'll show you around." Kalecgos offered, getting a smile and thank you from everyone except Sylvanas and Athrodar.
"I'll go with them too." Cedani said, looking over to her parents. "I don't need to be told what's about to happen, so enjoy your time alone for the next half an hour."
Sylvanas watched them all leave, letting out an awkward laugh and looking back to Athrodar. "She is getting too knowledgeable about what we do when we're alone."
"I know." Athrodar said, chuckling and kissing Sylvanas on the lips. "And we're going to be taking her home with us once we're done here."
"Oh..." Sylvanas sighed and placed a hand on his face. "Can we maybe talk her into staying in the Capital for a while longer?"
"We can try, but she is adamant about coming home with us." Athrodar told her, moving his arms around his wife and having one of them travel down to her ass, squeezing it lightly. "I've been rethinking the whole baby thing by the way. Since I've had nothing to do except think, read and think some more." He looked into his wife's eyes and saw her patiently waiting for his answer, moving his other hand to her ass as well and slow dancing with her whilst her arms snaked around his neck and held onto the back of his head. "Other than Cedani, our kids are going to be busy for decades in the Capital. It might get a little lonely at times for our little girl and she might want some company."
"I'll think about it." Sylvanas told him, gazing into his eyes. "Right now however, I want you to spend time with my husband, on my back and have him worship me like the Queen he thinks I am."
"Thinks?" Athrodar asked, frowning and tilting his head at her, crouching down and moving his hands to her thighs, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. "I think you mean, a husband who worships you like the Queen he knows you are."
Sylvanas moved her hands so she was cupping his face, leaning forward and kissing him passionately now. "I love you so much."
"I love you too, my Queen." Athrodar whispered, making his way towards a different room, away from the open room they were in now.
"So what I've learnt is, that my emotions are strongly attached to my ability to control this frost." Cedani said, casting a ball of ice in the palm of her hand. "This is pretty much the best I can do right now. But if I was to ever get angry, sad, really happy or..." She cleared her throat, waving her hand. "Anyway." She said, getting a smirk from Little Alleria and Liadrin whilst Tanadia tilted her head a little at her baby sister.
"Or what?" She asked, making Cedani's face slowly turn red.
"I - It's nothing." Cedani said, looking over to Little Alleria for some help.
"I'll tell you later." Alleria said, placing a hand on Tanadia's arm. "Let's just see what she can do."
"Th-thank you." Cedani said, taking in a deep breath and letting out a long exhale. "Anyway. If I was to ever feel a strong emotion, my ability to use this ice, frost or whatever else I can cast, will be much stronger." She smiled at the three of them again. "Not to the power dad used to have. I mean, taking out an entire village because he lost control of this ability just sounds scary and not something I want."
"We're talking about Thelsamar, right?" Liadrin asked, watching Cedani nod her head and smiling a little as her mind took her back to that day. "I remember it well. Your parents more so."
"Yeah..." Alleria said, looking over to Liadrin. "They don't talk about anything before the Legion invasion."
"What, really?" Liadrin now asked, finding it both hard to believe but also understanding a little why they have said nothing. "They talk about Victoria though, right? At least, if any of you ask about her."
Cedani, Alleria and Tanadia all shook their heads. "They keep very quiet if a Victoria question is brought up." Tanadia told the Paladin. "I don't ask many, since I got to spend so much time with her before the invasion, but whenever these two or our brothers ask, they both say nothing."
"Sometimes they even leave the room." Cedani told her now.
"Wow..." Liadrin said, even more shocked than she was before. "I suppose they never really got over her death."
"I don't blame them." Tanadia said, taking hold of Alleria's hand when she saw her look downcast. "She meant a lot to all of us that knew her. Mom and dad were just really close to her and all of us there at the time saw her get ripped from us so easily."
"I learned to stop asking years ago." Cedani said, sighing and closing her hand, stopping the spell she was casting at the same time. "I just wish I knew her." Her attention went over to Tanadia who smiled warmly at her little sister. "I go to Tana if I ever want to know something about her."
"Can we change subject, please?" Alleria asked them.
"Of course." Tanadia replied, squeezing her hand lightly. "I know you don't want to talk about it either, so we'll move on."
"What are we going to do once we can leave this place?" Cedani asked, looking over to the exit of the building they were in. "I was thinking we go find some village or town or something where there are a lot of dragons." She began to smile brightly, looking over to Tanadia who tilted her head at her, knowing something happened. "I rode on the back of a dragon, okay? I want to do it again as well."
Liadrin gasped and began to pout. "I want to ride on the back of a dragon!" She cried, folding her arms and not noticing Athrodar and Sylvanas entering the building just as she finished speaking. "Stupid Windrunners... Getting everything handed to them."
"What did we get given now?" Sylvanas asked, standing beside Cedani who quickly shortened the distance between the two of them.
"Nothing." Cedani told her, looking over to Liadrin. "Just that I got to ride on a dragon with dad and I want to do it again."
"I'm sure you will, honey." Sylvanas told her, placing a hand on her cheek and smiling at her little girl. "First we just have to wait for Sindragosa to be done here, say our thanks to her and Kalecgos and then we can move on out to find your brothers and aunt." She looked over to Athrodar now and closed her eyes when he kissed her on the temple. "Then we can think about finding you a dragon to ride on, okay?"
"Okay." Cedani said, smiling at her parents. "I'm looking forward to it."
"Now however, I think I want your father to show me around the place. I may not be able to visit here again." Sylvanas hugged Athrodar's arm and smiled up at him. "When you're ready."
"Ooo, can I join?" Tanadia asked. "This place looks like it's just a big library of knowledge. I want to see what is here, if there's any interesting books about the Light or just history in general."
"Then come with us." Athrodar said, happy to spend more time with his daughter. "Some of these books are really interesting."
Tanadia's smile lit up the room. In the case, it was literally as the normally mild glow around her brightened up when she smiled. "I am looking forward to finding and reading some."
