I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter and World of Warcraft, all rights belongs to their rightful owners.
Hello everyone! I hope you're having a nice day.
This chapter will serve as a timeskip, two or three months, which is both necessary for the story to go forward as there isn't much that Amaria and Mightion can do right now storywise, and also because it will allow me to go back to slightly more interesting stuff, mainly N'Zoth in BFA.
As much as I want to follow the canon storyline, the whole war for Azeroth, last for quite longer than that. A year or more if I recall, so I'm speeding it up a little. I also sometimes get a bit lost with all the events going on and all the characters present. I read a few recaps of BFA and I think that I need a lot more research to really plan the next chapters.
I'm thinking of jumping perhaps just around the 'Black Blade', meaning just before Azshara and the rise of the Naga. It should let me have Amaria and Mightion meet Wrathion again, and start working on the Heart of Azeroth, as I remember that dragons played a part into this. From that point it would be mostly working with Wrathion, a few interactions with the Horde and the Alliance, the heroes of Azeroth. All this to end with N'Zoth defeat.
After? I am not fond of Shadowlands, I don't really see much point in going there, but it will still impact Amaria and Mightion from afar. If you have ideas, please write them down or send me a PM.
And Dragonflight is of course something where Amaria and Mightion could play a larger role. Though we're not there yet.
This chapter is quite bigger than usual, so tell me if it's too much or not.
I have no idea when the next chapter will come out. My schedule is lighter now so I can write more, but at the same time I need a lot more research and thinking for how I want to organise the next chapters.
Special thanks to Terra 1211, who's been an awesome support!
Please comment/review.
Thank you for your patience and good reading.
The next few days actually passed quite quickly, with me helping Roko settle into our mountain and Mightion giving me a hand by cleaning most of the floor we were living on. Numerous broken stones, debris, and lots of other things either got thrown into the lava or simply dumped away. It wasn't much, as there was now a small emptiness in the Blackwing Lair as well as a part of the spire of Blackrock, but we would soon add more furniture to make our home more comfortable.
Mightion was helpful, even if he admitted that he saw little point in adding all the possible things that I told him, such as paintings. He thought most of it was useless but didn't voice any concerns or opposition to me wanting them.
Back at Roko, the young Tauren quickly became an important part of my daily schedule. Not only was I happy to give him a hand to manipulate dangerous plants or go pick up some that were too close to lava for him, but he mainly helped me by dissipating the pain in my hand. In the time that passed, the pain became slightly more bearable, but the most significant improvement was that I was slowly able to go on longer without requiring his healing magic. Now fully settled, with a proper bed of a quite impressive frame that Mightion ordered for him, Roko's current project was attempting to grow vegetables using the earth from the Burning Steppes. He was also growing another garden with regular earth to make his own vegetables, but I was happy to see that despite the admittedly darker atmosphere and less friendly environment, he seemed to be genuinely satisfied to be here.
And soon, the day that I was, well, not exactly dreading, but apprehending, came. The day when I would return to Stormwind and start my sentence of helping the reconstruction of the castle. Mightion was certainly not happy about it, telling me a few times that I didn't have to do it, to which I replied that he was right and that I wanted to fix things myself. He also reminded me that I wasn't the one to blame for destroying Stormwind's castle, and I agreed with him every single time, but a small part of me kept telling me that I played a part in it. And this time I was certain that this wasn't the Old Gods whispering to me; it was simply me feeling guilty.
On that important day, I made sure to be a bit more presentable than usual. I brushed my hair when I usually didn't. I checked my attire, even if it was useless, as it was a part of me that I could change on a whim, and kept telling myself that it would go well.
Well, not really. I was expecting the people of Stormwind to hate me, so I wasn't sure of what to worry about, but at the same time it's not like they could really harm me.
I left the small mirror in our bedroom alone, crossed the corridor to the throne chamber and found Mightion waiting for me, a frown on his face.
"You know what I'm going to say." He started neutrally.
"Yes. And I appreciate it, but I already decided long ago." I replied with a small smile.
"In that regard, you're probably one of the more stubborn dragoness that I ever met." He said, forgetting to frown and smiling back at me.
"I assume that's a compliment?"
"Of course."
"Thank you." I said as I gave him a very brief hug. "Will you accompany me?"
"Obviously. I won't let anyone even raise a finger against you." Mightion replied dutifully.
I frowned a bit at that statement.
"I don't think it will go that far, but I'd like you to promise me something."
"What would it be?"
"No matter what happens, you will let me deal with it. Someone wants to insult me? I will let them empty their hatred and I will reply." I explained with an example, watching as, just like I expected, he wasn't pleased with my request.
"This passivity that you have against disrespect is truly baffling me, but I suppose it's not always a bad thing. I can tolerate words, but should anyone attempt to assault you, I will step in." He warned.
"I can accept that, but please act with moderation. It's not like they could truly harm me anyway."
"I will try." He begrudgingly accepted.
"Thank you." I smiled at him. "Should we warn Roko about our departure?"
"He knows already, we talked about this a few times. I think he won't mind being left alone." Shrugged Mightion.
I considered his words for a moment, entertaining the idea of visiting Roko, before dismissing it. Mightion was right, he probably wouldn't mind.
"Then we should be on our way, I think Anduin expects us."
Leading the way, I walked up to the open balcony, where I jumped in the air just as I started to take my dragon form. A powerful roar right informed me that Mightion was right behind me, and I graciously let him catch up to me, the two of us looking at each other in amusement as we set toward Storm wind city.
Our flight was quiet and uneventful, allowing us to quickly reach Stormwind, and I could already see from above that a lot of work had been done on cleaning the castle. A large part of the debris and ruins had been removed, and I noticed a few stonemasons at work, carving the old stones that were still good into new ones. Most of what had been removed were the burned wood, the broken roof tiles and the furniture that wasn't still under the rubble.
The castle's courtyard was busy with workers, lines of people busy removing stones with other charged to carry it away. A few wooden cranes helped to carry the heaviest blocks of stone, but it was clear that it would take a lot more time to remove everything. And then the second part would begin, with reconstructing the castle.
For now, I focused on my flight and wondered if we should land in front of the city or in the courtyard directly. But a few soldiers waving at us got my attention and I saw how they were pointing on the left side of the courtyard. So with just a glance toward Mightion who replied with a nod, we landed right where they indicated.
In seconds, whispers from the many workers could be heard through the courtyard, and it was clear to all of them that they knew or at least very accurately guessed why we were here. There were no kind words to be heard.
"Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion." Greeted us one guard stiffly, before I could even transform into my human form, without anger, but there was definitely a certain level of hatred in his voice.
Things were looking great already.
"Good morning. Do we need to go see Anduin first or should I get to work now?" I asked as I transformed.
"His Majesty will see you now." He replied tersely.
With that said, me and Mightion followed the man and the other guards as we were led inside the still standing part of the castle. Just like last time, Anduin was in the castle's library that still served as his temporary office.
"Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion, it's good to see you again." He welcomed us with a smile, contrasting with the many frowns that greeted us thus far.
"King Anduin." The both of us greeted him back with a small nod.
"Please, there is no need for formalities. I hope you're doing well." Anduin asked.
"We are. Before I begin, is there anything that I need to do?" I asked.
"No." He simply said.
"Do you have some stage or something? To make an announcement?" I continued, a bit confused.
"Now, why would I do that?" Anduin replied, amused.
"I don't know, to tell your people what I'm doing here? That kind of things."
"I see little need in doing so. Most of the workers are most likely already aware of your identity, and I don't plan to have all of my citizens come to my gates just to look at you." He explained, slightly more serious.
"King Anduin, I assume that there will be no danger for my mate?" Interrupted us Mightion.
At that, Anduin sighed, visibly annoyed or disappointed.
"While I ordered my men to stop any fights, I can't promise that no one will insult you or be even kind to you."
"Honestly, if it's just words, then I don't really mind. I'm already used to being thought of badly by the masses." I replied, recalling when Britain thought me crazy and foolish for warning them about Voldemort's return. Words wouldn't harm me, and to be fair, it would take a lot to harm me physically.
"I'm glad that you think of it that way, many wouldn't hesitate to retaliate against insults."
"Bowing down and letting them insult you is even worse of an insult. They don't know what you fought against." Added Mightion.
"And that's why I'm their better." I countered, trying to reverse psychology him. Not sure if it would even work.
He didn't reply, thoughtful in silence.
"Am I free to start?" I asked Anduin.
"Yes, simply ask Chief Architect Gizmo, and he'll tell you what to do." He replied before quickly continuing. "And you don't have to overexert yourself. Your help is appreciated, but not needed."
"Why does everyone think I'm going to work myself to the bone?" I groaned, annoyed. "I swear it's like this all the time."
"I don't think I know you well enough to agree with you, but from what I have seen so far, your diligence and your willingness to do well keep pushing you forward."
"I agree, you were so determined to see me free, that you injured yourself for the rest of your life. I think that says a lot about you." Concurred Mightion.
"Sure." I huffed, knowing he was right. "Well, I'd rather start now, if that's okay with you."
"Of course. Feel free to come see me for lunch." Added Anduin.
With another, thankful nod, I turned around, with Migthion right on my heels. We barely made a few turns through the corridors that he broke our silence.
"I noticed that you didn't warn Anduin about your need for a healer." He said.
"Honestly, it didn't brush my mind. But I wouldn't have bothered him with this anyway." I replied.
"And what do you plan to do about it?"
"Well, while I'm busy helping, do you think you could find a healer for me?" I asked.
"I'm certain that I could, but then why did we leave Roko back home?" He asked back.
"I could have, but I think he deserves a break. Plus, it will give you something to do. You don't plan to stay with me here every day, aren't you?"
"Only today. While watching you moving rocks might be interesting, I know it will quickly bore me." He replied.
"And what will you do in the meantime?"
"I'll try to summon some elemental guardians. Their presence alone will deter most potential intruders."
"Good idea." I agreed.
We were soon back at the entrance of the castle, and while not everyone was looking at us, those who did were not doing so kindly. But their mean or even hateful eyes didn't affect me much. I knew why I was getting them and accepted it, but I wouldn't let this distract me from my mission.
"Any idea who is that Gizmo that we need to find?" I asked.
"Looks like a gnome name, so it's probably the one over there, next to the board." Replied Migthion, raising a hand to point at a board covered with plans and where a gnome with horrifyingly light green hair stood, drawing on some of his plans.
"Oh. Well, I guess that's where we part ways." I said.
"I will shortly return with a healer." Assured Mightion.
"You can take your time to explore the city. Try to find something interesting."
"Humans don't have much that I would find 'interesting.'" The way he said it wasn't exactly hard, but it was still a slightly painful reminder of how dragons view themselves as superior to the other mortal races. He still had a clear disdain toward humans.
"Maybe something that could be useful in our palace? The bed you bought here was very nice, wasn't it? I'm sure you can find something." I tried to convince him to give this a shot. Removing his hatred of humans wasn't my goal, but I would like it if he could at least not act like if he was superior to them all the time.
He looked thoughtful for a second before nodding to himself.
"I will return shortly." He simply said before gently grabbing my hand and pulling me close to him. I had no time to react, that he hugged me gently and pressed his forehead against mine.
"Not in front of everyone!" I whispered quickly, blushing madly at how I could feel everyone looking at us.
"Let them be jealous of our love." He replied with a wonderful smile. "I'll be back soon."
We separated there, and I watched him go, a bit lost in thoughts myself, before shaking my head. I had a mission, I couldn't let him distract me, as nice as it was.
I walked toward him, and he turned around before I even stopped.
"Chief Architect Gizmo reporting for duty! What can I do for you?" He introduced himself quite happily.
Now that I could see his face, I had to focus really hard to not cringe at the small goatee that was of the same awful bright green as his hairs. He was wearing blue overalls and safety shoes, a pencil in his left hand and a rule in the other. I gave a very short look at the plans above him, and some details quickly caught my eyes, namely some parts of the castle that were the same as the old one, and some new parts as well.
"Nice to meet you, sir Gizmo. My name is Amaria, I was tasked with assisting you on the repairs of Stormwind Castle." I introduced myself with a short bow.
"No need to call me sir, boss is fine. And I'm glad that you're finally here, we could really use your help." He said, without an ounce of animosity.
"Oh, hum, how can I help?" I asked, not having expected to be needed that soon.
"Before we start the proper repairs, we need to remove all the debris and rubbles. Some has been removed already, but there's still a lot left."
"Right. How do you want me to help?"
"Well, what do you think would work best? Removing the rubbles by hand or with your claws?" He asked.
"I would probably be faster in my dragon form, but I wouldn't have much space to move around, especially with all the other workers everywhere." I answered.
"Right." He said, looking at some men and women in the courtyard, before sighing and looking at me again. "Were we not pressed by time, I would have asked you to do it by hand and have everyone else work at the same time. But, we're at war, and a destroyed castle is something that we can't allow ourselves right now. I'll tell the men to back off. I will guide you, but you'll mostly have to remove the rubbles and put them next to the carts.
"Alright." I agreed.
Gizmo waved to a few people, that I soon identified as construction forepersons, and essentially told them what he just told me. I, of course, got a few glances, but none raised any concerns as Gizmo finished commanding them. They soon returned near to the other workers, I got another wave of glances, and the workers started picking up their stuff to bring it aside.
It took a few minutes, but soon enough, the courtyard was empty enough for me to move around without risking crushing someone.
Not waiting for Gizmo's command, I walked a bit toward the centre of the courtyard and, with a last look around me, took back my dragon form. From my higher point of view, I saw a bit more of the destruction and the work ahead of me.
"Are you ready?" I heard below me.
Looking down at Gizmo, noticing how he looked more anxious, I gave him a nod.
"Yes, just tell me where to put the rubbles." I told him.
"Bring the carts!" He shouted to some of the men who had been waiting with their horses and carts. "Start with the upper parts, preferably those closest to us."
"Alright." I replied.
Ready to start my sentence, I used my injured hand to support myself and used the other to pick up a handful of broken stones. I only had to turn around a little to place them next to the cart, and I was about to do so, but realised that we might even go faster.
"Should I put them directly in the carts?" I asked him.
"Maybe a small handful, but no more. We don't need broken carts." He advised me.
With another nod, I carefully placed the broken stone in the first cart. It bent and creaked with the sudden weight, but nothing broke. Apparently satisfied with that, Gizmo waved the cart driver, who pulled the horses forward with a rope. The start was obviously quite difficult for the horses, but as soon as the wheels started spinning, the cart was on its way.
I turned around and looked at the small mountain of rubbles, aware that my job was merely starting.
Hours later, in the afternoon, I was satisfied with our work. The pile was quite smaller than it had been at the beginning, and dozens of trips were made by the carts. The work wasn't strenuous for me, but my injured hand had started acting up again, and the pain made me wish that Mightion would come back sooner. I didn't let it stop me, but it was growing more painful and distracting.
I had just put some more debris in one cart, and was reaching for more, that the pain suddenly peaked. My reflexes saved me from crashing head first on the mass of rubble, using my good claw to catch myself, and clenching my scarred claw as strongly as I could, trying to numb and forget the pain. I barely noticed the shouts raising around me until I felt the pain somewhat recede, allowing me to focus on what was happening around me once more.
"Lady Amaria! Is everything okay?" Asked Gizmo, standing at a dozen of meters away from me.
"I'm alright, it's just my claw." I replied, trying to quell his worries, but my claw standing above the ground instantly ruined my efforts.
"You're taking a break. We've progressed a lot already for today." He told me.
"I-alright." I conceded. As much as I wanted to continue, not only was I not capable of going on efficiently right now, but we also didn't have to finish this now.
Taking a step back, I transformed back into a human, and let out a small sigh as I clenched my hand once more, trying to dissipate the pain.
"So? How's it going?" Asked Gizmo, coming next to me.
"I'm not tired, but my scar is getting more painful." I replied, showing him my hand.
"Yikes. Nasty thing." He said, frowning at it before looking up at me. "Is it trying to corrupt you again?"
I was a bit surprised by how direct he was about this, but didn't find myself offended by it.
"Not really, but the pain is the price I have to pay for standing against the old gods. Though, it stops hurting as soon as a healer takes care of it. I asked my... partner, to find one for me, but he hasn't come back yet." I said, growing a bit frustrated. The pain wasn't helping, and I could tell that it was worsening my mood.
"Right. Well, as I said earlier, you can take a break. We already did the equivalent of three days of work. That's very nice for my schedule." Gizmo smiled at me.
"Thanks." I replied, stepping away from him and leaving him to his plans. Most workers returned to their previous work, now that I wasn't in the way.
And now that I was starting to leave the courtyard, heading toward the castle, I only had one thing in mind.
Where was Mightion?
Entering the still standing part of the castle, I made my way toward the library, hoping to find Anduin there. Disappointment was my only reward, as I was told by some bureaucrats there that he had left for lunch and hadn't come back since. Forced to go back, my mood was slowly getting worse. It took me a few turns, a question to the guard in the dining room, and I was again going in another direction, this time toward the entrance. Where I was just a few minutes ago!
Barely remembering to be polite, I knocked loudly on the door on my right, one of the meeting room and if my memory served me right, the same one where me and Genn had our heated exchange.
"Hey! Step back!"
And it seemed, in my hurry to find Anduin, I somehow ignored the two guards on the side of the door, who were now pointing their swords at me.
A few sounds came from the inside, and I was soon introduced to another guard, also a sword in hand. He gave a look at me and the other soldiers right behind me, before looking back inside.
"Milord, the black dragon is here. Should I let her in?" He asked.
"Please do." I heard Anduin's voice.
Stepping aside, fully opening the door, I didn't exactly wait for it and came in. A few things had changed since my last time there, many maps and other few things, but I didn't give it any attention, focusing instead on the people here, standing around a large table.
Anduin was the first I recognised, quickly followed by Mia Greymane, and Alleria who was another slightly familiar figure. The ones I didn't recognise were a rather tall, strict looking night-elf woman in armour, a male draenei on the thin side that wore an armour with electricity coursing over it. And lastly, a dwarf who stood arms crossed, a rifle resting next to him.
All eyes were on me and beside Anduin and Mia, there was no kindness in the others eyes. They were tensed and on their guard.
"Lady Amaria. To what do we own this unexpected visit?" Anduin asked me, and I could tell that even though his voice was calm and collected, there was a touch of wariness in there.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I really need your help." I said curtly, showing him my hand.
A sharp intake of breath made me look at the draenei for a second, watching as he stared at my hand like if it was the devil incarnate. The others, who hadn't reacted to it yet, seemed all the more wary at his reaction. Except Mia, who only frowned a bit at my scar.
"Of course. Were you not able to find a healer?" Anduin asked, seemingly relieved, walking around the table.
"Mightion went to find one, and he still hasn't returned." I replied annoyed.
"Well, let me take care of this." He said, placing his hands right above mine.
A golden light soon engulfed his hands and instantly spread to my own. In moments, the pain diminished until it was completely gone. The light show wasn't over that I sighed in relief, thankful.
"Better?" He asked.
"A thousand times. Thank you." I smiled at him, my bad mood having vanished alongside the pain. I clenched my hand a few times and appreciated the lack of pain.
"Your Majesty. If you could introduce us your friend?" Asked the draenei, who had kept his distances with me.
"Dear friends and allies, let me introduce you to Lady Amaria, Lady of Blackrock Mountain and Ambassador of the Black Dragonflight." Proudly announced Anduin, waving an arm at me.
The reactions to my titles were quite different. Where the night-elf now looked at me with a kinder eye, the dwarf looked like he barely restrained himself from spitting on the ground. And I'm certain he would have done so, were we not surrounded by royalty and obviously important people. And the draenei, a bit to my surprise, still looked at me with the same eyes, full of suspicion.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I'm sorry for barging in like this, but my hand gets quite painful if I don't have someone to take care of it." I apologised with a small bow.
"Ishnu-alah, Lady Amaria. I am Shandris Feathermoon, General of the Sentinel Army. It's an honour to meet you." Replied the now name Shandris, bowing her head slowly at me.
"I am Aradar, Ambassador of the draenei." Said the draenei, quickly stopping his talk with me.
I glance at the dwarf, and I could plainly see how he wanted to stubbornly stay silent, but was forced to answer.
"I'll be watching you, wyrm. My name's Beredin Stronganvil, and I'll put a bullet in your head if you do anything funny." Spat the dwarf at me, glaring as strongly as he could.
"A pleasure." I replied blankly.
"Good to see you again, Amaria." Smiled Mia.
"You too, Queen Mia." I said smiling back at her, happy to forget about that dwarf.
"How is the reconstruction going?" Asked me Anduin.
"Rather well. Gizmo said that we already did the equivalent of three days work. I'll return as soon as we're done here." I replied.
"Have you been working all day?"
"Yes. That's why I'm here." I replied, a bit confused, as it was quite obvious to me.
"I know that you're a dragon, but you are allowed to take breaks." He said, as he returned to his original position on the other side of the table.
"I'm aware. And beside my scar being painful, I am perfectly fine and ready to get back to work." I assured him.
"If you say so." Anduin replied.
"Anduin, if I may, could I be excused? I don't think my presence here is necessary." Intervened Mia.
"Of course, thank you for attending." Anduin instantly agreed with a gentle smile.
"Thank you. Lady Shandris, ambassadors." Replied Mia, giving him and the others a small bow before walking up to me, catching my arm at the same time. "Let's go dear."
Caught by surprise, I let her guide me out of the room.
"Queen Mia?" I asked her.
"Mia is fine dear. How are you?"
"Everything is fine. How about you?"
"Very well, thank you. I was only here to represent Gilneas, but I trust Anduin to take the right decision." She told me with a small sigh of resignation. "But enough about that. I heard that you found yourself a man?"
"I- ah I did. His name is Mightion, and he should be somewhere in the city. Though he should already be back." I frowned as I finished, still wondering where he was.
"A dragon, correct?"
"Yes." I said, not seeing where this was going.
"And how is he treating you? After all that happened to you?" She questioned me, a bit more seriously.
"I'm perfectly fine. And what do you mean 'all that happened to me'?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"Peace, Amaria. Please excuse my forwardness, but I'm merely concerned about you. Did you know I was here when you were corrupted?" She asked me.
Somehow, the thought never crossed my mind.
"No." I simply said, the embers that had started to heat up in me already cooling down.
"Though I wasn't there to witness your battle, I heard all of it, and later on was told exactly what happened. Amaria, please trust me when I say that I'm only worried about you. Seeing you coming in like you did, with so much repressed anger, and seeing that scar of yours, told me that I needed to talk with you." She explained, slowly making her way toward the courtyard.
I followed in her steps, heavily thinking about what she just said. A small feeling of shame rose in my chest as I realised that her questions were all well intended, and that I hadn't replied in the kindest way.
"I wasn't aware that I looked angry." I noted, thinking this to be a bit surprising.
"Perhaps to you, but I believe it was clear for everyone else." Mia replied. "Now, tell me what happened to you after your battle. I've heard tales of Anduin and my husband, but I know that they didn't have all the elements."
And so I did. I told her about waking up in the Black Sanctum, about finally meeting Mightion, our different trips between Stormwind and Blackrock Mountain. I told her about Roko, my plans for the near future, and my feelings for Mightion that kept growing. We had since long entered the courtyard, and I simply talked as I looked at the workers, hard at work, with some continuing my job and others already starting to carve the new pieces for the future castle.
"I see. I'm glad to hear that life is showing you its better side." Commented Mia once I finished.
"Yes. It was about time." I joked lightly.
"Indeed. And Mightion seems like a very nice dragon, I'm happy that you found him."
"Me too. Which reminds me, he still hasn't returned. Perhaps I should go look for him." I said, a bit more for myself than for Mia.
"It is quite curious that he hasn't- Is that him near the drawbridge?" Mia cut herself mid-sentence, looking at the entrance of the castle.
I turned around, looking straight at the drawbridge, and Mightion was indeed there, crossing the drawbridge and looking at us.
"What's he doing here?" I asked myself before waving at him to come closer.
He responded with a nod before walking up to us.
"Where were you? I've been waiting for you to come back all day." I asked him, a bit irritated.
"I'm sorry, my love. I went asking for a healer, just as I told you, but none wanted to come with me." He replied, sounding, genuinely sorry. He then looked to Mia, and his face took a more serious look. "I believe that we haven't been introduced. I am Mightion, Lord of Blackrock Mountain and Amaria's mate."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Mightion. I am Queen Mia Greymane. But you can simply call me Mia." Mia replied with a smile. "Me and Amaria were having a nice little chat. We were just wondering if someone should go look for you."
"Yes, yes. Can you please tell me how it is that you weren't able to find a healer? I had to go ask Anduin to take care of it as it became too painful to work." I told him.
"I went to the Cathedral Square, hoping to find a priest there, but all those that I asked refused. I believe that, unfortunately, telling them your name was the reason they refused. And even then, the few who agreed changed their mind when I said that it was to treat a wound left by the old gods." He explained, both a bit dejected and frustrated.
Well, that wasn't a nice thing to hear, but not totally unexpected.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I'll have a word with Anduin about this." Said Mia, a bit to my surprise.
"There's no need." I tried to reassure her.
"No, no. It's important that the matter of healers refusing to heal is to be brought to Anduin."
"Indeed." Agreed Mightion before I could put in another word. "I tried to look for other healers, even asking some adventurers, but they either refused or said they were too busy. Coming back empty ended wasn't acceptable, so I kept trying, but in the end I was forced to return when I realised that I wouldn't get any help from these mortals."
And now I felt a bit bad about my several comments on his absence. With hindsight, I should have known that there was a very good reason for him to be that late.
"I appreciate the effort. Thank you." I told him. I felt like doing something for him, but didn't know exactly what to do, so I simply gave him my kindest smile.
"Everything for you." Mightion replied with a pleasant smile. "Are you done for today, or can we return to our home?"
"I still have a couple of hours left. The sooner the reconstruction will be over, the sooner we will be free to stay together."
"I would like that." He simply replied.
"Well, I'm not going to keep you any longer. Thank you for the talk, Amaria." Said Mia.
"You're welcome. And thanks, for caring." I told her, sincerely grateful for her concern.
"It was nothing. Have a nice day."
With our farewells done, I briefly watched her return to the castle, leaving me alone with Mightion.
"What will you do until I'm done?" I asked him.
"I will watch over you. No one will even lay a finger on you." He assured me.
"You've been away most of the day and nothing happened. I doubt that they would try anything now."
He shrugged, acknowledging my words silently. With that said, I returned to work, under the watch of Mightion who was as busy watching me as he was watching over all the workers. I felt that his presence kept most people a bit more silent than earlier, so I was happy with that.
The rest of the day passed quickly, and I found myself returning to Blackrock Mountain. Roko was there, apparently having waited for us to come back, and sharing with me a few of the interesting discoveries he made regarding the flora of the Burning Steppes. To know that some plants evolved to be nearly waterless, like a cactus, but pushed to the extreme, was fascinating. Even if I had a small thought about Neville, who would have been far more interested than me by this.
I wasn't exactly exhausted after that day of work, but it felt better than before to get in our bed and enjoy each other's presence, in the silence and comfort of our private bedroom.
That first day of worked turned out to be the standard for the following week. It took more time than efforts to remove the destroyed stone and wood, along a few disturbing discoveries of a some soldiers who were crushed under the crumbling castle, their bodies already rotting and decaying. The day when we found these soldiers, I got an extra dose of glares and even a few insults.
Because yes, as time went on, both the lack of Mightion's presence and the fact that I wasn't reacting to insults and hateful comments, let people think that insulting me was possible. It didn't help that the soldiers did nothing to stop this, they stood completely still, which made people think that it was alright.
My scar did slowed us down one more day, before Anduin interved directly. A couple of priest were called from the Cathedral of Light, and this time they answered the call of their king. Anduin told a few words to some of the higher ranked members of the Church of the Holy Light, and I never had to complain for a healer since. Most helped me rather silently, but I was pleasantly surprised to see a few of them being quite talkative and kind.
But now, the reconstruction was taking a new direction. With the debris and rubbles removed, the next step had been preparing the foundations for the new castle, check out the old ones to see if they were still stable, and dig up some new ones. All of this took a some time too, and while I was helping there, more stone was being brought to start rebuilding the castle.
Half a week passed before we reached that step, and I was once again directed by Gizmo. At least the little gnome proved himself to be friendly and joyful at all times, and he always kept an eye on me, in case I ever needed a healer.
I was currently standing before him, looking at a map of Stormwind and a few plans of the new castle.
"See, we have uncarved blocks of stone that we need to transport from the harbour to this courtyard. It takes us hours to bring a single block here, but I figured that since you're a dragon, maybe you could fly there and bring the blocks here? There are two blocks scheduled every day, but with your help we might go up to three or even four." He explained very seriously, pointing at one marble block that was on the right side of the courtyard.
"What if I bring more?" I asked, feeling quite up to the task.
"It'd be useless. We wouldn't be able to carve them into smaller blocks otherwise, we wouldn't have enough stonemasons otherwise." Gizmo replied.
"Right. And I guess I can't assist to carve them?" I still asked.
"Do you know how to carve stone?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No."
"Then you can't help there. If you want to help that much, once you're done with the blocks of stone of course, you can go see how the lumberjack are doing, at Eastvale Logging Camp. It's in Elwynn Forest, toward the Redridge Mountains." He told me.
"I can do that." I nodded.
"Great!" He smiled brightly, clapping his hands, before grasping a few plans and walking toward one of the overseers.
Having my orders, I turned around, had a look at my surroundings to make sure that I wouldn't crush anyone, and then took my dragon form. I barely glanced at the workers and guards, who all stiffened when I did that, and jumped in the air, using my wings to send myself high enough to fly over the walls. I felt quite relaxed, since the morning hadn't be that busy, and flew straight toward the harbour.
The massive blocks of stone were easy to spot, resting on a few logs near one of the large transport vessel, and I was about to grab one of them, only to be stopped.
"Hey!" Came a shout from below.
Looking down, I found a rough looking sailor, waving at me to get down.
"Is there a problem?" I asked, hovering a bit above the ground.
"You'll break the stone if you take it with your claws. Give us a moment." He said, turning to speak with a few men that were looking at us. "Bring out ropes, the thickest ones we have."
It took a dozen of minutes, the time to bring out the ropes, tie them around the stone, and I now could lift the block with all of my legs. It required a lot more coordination from me, especially holding the rope with my back-legs, but it was far safer for the stone that way.
"I only have one more to carry today, I'll be back in a moment." I told the sailor, who grunted something inaudible, but that I took as an affirmative.
The trip back to the castle was fast, even if the weight of the stone made it far harder to fly. It was by far the most demanding work I had done yet, having to deal with the weight of the stone but also it's balance against the winds, which made it a small challenge to not lose control of the block. Having it falling on the streets would be a disaster that I certainly didn't need to have added to my name.
Thankfully, nothing happened, and I was able to place the block on a specific area. It took some time for the workers to remove the ropes, but as soon as it was done I flew back to the harbour with them in my claws. Once there, I gave them back to the sailor and his men, who got to work on the other block.
Feeling happy to have some hard work to do, and not just being a bored of acting like a shovel to remove stone, I landed near the quays of the harbour and took back my human form, stretching a little. I turned my thoughts toward Mightion, recalling that he told me how he'd work to improve the structure of Blackrock Mountain. There was apparently some problems on the east side of the Mountain, and he would work on reinforcing them before returning to the defenses of our home.
Because in the time that I spent at Stormwind, Mightion summoned some elementals to watch over the entirety of Blackrock Mountain. He showed me how to do it, and it was interesting to watch him summon a creature made out of fire, lava or rocks, until he let me do it. According to him, I wasn't good enough to summon guardian elements like him, especially for a long period of time, but my level was decent to call elemental spirits. These little things took the appearance of little flames, or a small pile of rock, and were lesser spirits belonging to their elemental planes.
Meaning that I could call for elementals that were barely capable of harming anyone but a child. They were useful as little servants though, capable of scouting with more discretion than their bigger versions, as well as being told to follow some orders.
Back to Mightion, he and me agreed to first repair the most damaged and vital parts of the mountain. From that point, we would focus on strengthening the mountain and fix a few bridges and doors, but it was clear to me that we would need more qualified workers to repair the built parts of the mountain. While me and Mightion could manipulate the earth to grow into a bridge or into pillars to support a falling ceiling, it was clear that we wouldn't be capable of repairing the mountain on our own.
And that would take a lot of money, which we didn't have. I had gold, Mightion had gold, but the amount necessary to repair Blackrock Mountain and its palace was far beyond our current reach. Not that it was a problem, we were not exactly in any hurry.
Roko, though, was hurrying to finish a few things. He asked me if he could return to Mulgore for a few days, mainly to discuss a few things with his teachers. There was apparently a type of plant that he hadn't encountered before, that was at the same time listening to his magic, but also refused to grow in the way it should. Since I had a healer in reach everyday in Stormwind, I allowed Roko to go. He was due to leave tomorrow, and thus was making sure all his plants, his garden and his studies, were all ready to spend a few days without him. Even if I told him that I wouldn't mind watering his plants.
Not only did I believe that it would do him some good so see the light of the sun and the grass of Mulgore again, but I was happy to know he was comfortabe enough to make such requests.
My musings were interupted by a small shock on my left thigh. A bit confused, refocusing on the present, I glanced down and saw a little stone on the ground, right next to my shoe. Looking up, it took only me to look slightly to the left to see how that stone ended up there.
Two children stood there, one boy and a girl, with the boy having another stone in hand, ready to throw. It only took me a few seconds, but I recognised these children. They were the ones that I met a bit higher in this very harbour, who convinced me to take part into the battle for Lordaeron. And where I could faintly recall the two of them looking at me with a bit of curiosity, there was now only hatred and anger in their eyes. The boy was the angrier of the two, and trembling a bit as he clenched the stone hard, glaring at me. The girl was glaring at me too, only that her eyes also held a share of fear.
"Can I help you?" I asked, not really knowing what to say.
"Yeah! Go away!" Shouted the boy, ready to throw the other stone but not doing so.
"Marcus!" Gasped the girl, looking at me fearfully.
"I'm not sure I understand." I told them, trying to figure out why they were that mad at me.
"You killed our dad!" Screamed the boy, throwing the stone.
It bounced on my shoulder, nearly painlessly. I stared at the stone for a second before looking back at the two children, just as the words of the boy settled.
"I- what?" I graciously said, almost losing my balance.
"You killed our dad! You said that you would keep him safe, and now he's dead!" Kept screaming Marcus.
I remember telling them that, right before leaving for the battle of Lordaeron. And, when recalling the horrors of that day, the many wounded that ended up before me and that I tried to save despite being a mediocre help, it was more than likely that their father died that day. But I didn't feel responsible for his death. I did my best, both to protect and to take care of the wounded. It doesn't mean that I was deaf to their anger.
"I'm sorry. Very, very sorry. I spent hours healing all those brought to me, and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take care of him. The battle was long, and the gas that the Horde unleashed " I told them, sadened and trying to stay solemn for them.
I could only imagine how this felt, since I wasn't old enough to remember the death of my parents.
"What? No! You killed him! He came back from Lordaeron, and he died when you attacked the castle!" Marcus started briefly confused, before quickly returning to his anger.
That quickly sent me on another train of thoughts, though this one was far worse. The bodies I had seen displayed around the courtyard, right after I destroyed the castle under the control of the Old Gods. The bodies that I dug out of the rubbles of the castle. Somewhat, I guess, I was aware that the soldiers who died that day had families. But I hadn't been confronted to that reality yet. Or perhaps I had, with all the glares and insults I already received before. Most of them either knew or were maybe family of those that died, and they too put, rightfully, the blame on me.
And unlike the dark glares, the insults and the dark looks I got from the workers and the guards, the words of these children once again took me straight to the heart. Their eyes, filled with pain and sadness, their face, changed by grief and hatred, were a dagger in my heart.
"I— is that true?" I asked the girl, shocked and not knowing how I could answer them.
"Y-yes. He was guarding the castle that day. He never came back." She told me, crying, her voice filled with emotion along with fear.
"You killed him! You stupid monster!" Shouted again the boy.
There was no making this right. I was aware that I wasn't the one to blame for killing those guards, but it still felt like I was at fault for letting the Old Gods take control of my body and twisting my mind. And as I looked at the two children before me, there was nothing I could do. Only words, apologies to give, that didn't felt nearly good enough, let it be for me or for them.
"I had no idea. I— I am so, so sorry for what happened. I wasn't myself back then, I never wanted any of this to happen." I tried to explain. And just as the words came out of my mouth, I heard how little they must have mean for the two grieving children.
"Then why did you kill him?! Why did our pa had to die?!" Asked me Marcus, as more tears pooled in his eyes.
"He didn't have to. He died doing his duty." I replied, with tears also starting to leak from my eyes. "I know that my apologies won't bring him back, but there's nothing else I can do to alleviate the pain. I've killed before, and it was always very bad people who deserved it. Your father and the other soldiers who died that day, they deserved to live."
"You should have never come here. Our pa would still be alive." He said, looking around at the ground, only to pick another stone.
"Marcus, trust me, I regret it everyday. I see the destruction that happened because of me, the anger that Stormwind has for me." I tried to soothe him.
"Don't say my name!" He threw the stone at me, this one directed at my forehead. My reflexes were faster though, catching it in the air.
Instantly, Marcus and his sister took a step back, terrified and glancing between me and the stone. I simply dropped it, watching as the two child looked at it fall before looking at me again.
"Can I ask what's your name?" I asked the girl as gently as I could.
"Cady." She replied, her voice shivering.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Cady. Not you nor your brother." I tried to reassure her. "Can I ask you two a question?"
"Shut up!" Shouted Marcus.
"Yes." Cady's voice wavered.
"Why am I here, where everyone hates me and wish that I'd be dead instead of the soldiers who died that day? Why am I here, when I destroyed Stormwind Castle and attacked Anduin?" I asked them.
There was no answer from Marcus, stubbornly glaring at me. Cady though, seemed to be genuinely pondering the points I raised.
"Because, because, you're a prisoner?" She tried.
"No, I'm free to go wherever I want. But I'm paying for my mistakes. I could have run away and never come back. I chose to stay and offered Anduin to help rebuild Stormwind. Not only that, but I can apologize as much as I want, it won't mean anything to many who simply wants to see me gone. But helping the reconstruction efforts is the only thing I can that can have any meaning, it's the only way for me to pay for my mistakes." I tried to explain, feeling a little more confident as I went on.
"You should have been executed." Still said Marcus, glaring at me, yet I could see that there was less anger in his glare.
The guilt in my chest only rose, as I witnessed his grief in full force, colouring his words.
"Yet, Anduin was one of the first to forgive me. Do you want to know why?" I pressed on.
"No. Come on, Cady, let's go home." Said Marcus, grasping his sister's forearm and trying to leave.
"Wait. I want to know." Stopped him Cady.
"Anduin knows that I never wanted to harm anyone. And that's the truth. It wasn't my fault, and Anduin will tell you the same thing if you ask him. Yet, I still agreed to help repair the city." I told them.
"But why are you doing it if it's not your fault?" Asked me Marcus, calming down a little.
"I feel responsible and guilty of what happened. I never wanted any of this to happen, but I unwillingly found myself doing it." I said.
"Is it your fault or not?" Asked again Marcus, irritated.
"It's complicated, but the simplest version would be that I played a part into the destruction of the castle. I never wanted this, but I was forced to do it."
The two children stared at me for a few seconds, before Marcus pulled on his sister's arm, and this time she let herself be taken away. I watched them go, a heavy, painful feeling in my heart as I realised that I failed them. I don't remember if I promised to bring their father back, but even then, I feel like I failed them.
It's only as I started to turn around, that I realised that a small crowd had formed around me. I looked at the people standing there, and didn't saw the same expressions as before. There was still quite a few glares and scowls, but some of them now looked at me with a more divided look, or a look of great reflexion. A few had weapons in hands, let it be swords or sturdy planks, and I was starting to expect them to beat me up.
But the sailor that I spoke with earlier stepped forward, frowing at me.
"Don't worry about them, they're kids. In time, they'll undersand." He said, and I almost wanted to point out that it was important to correct things now, especially because they were kids. But he didn't gave me the time. "And for what it's worth, I believe you."
"You do?" I found myself asking, quickly brushing off the few tears that had stained my cheeks. "Why?"
"It's a crazy world we live in today. I've seen many evils, monsters and demons, and they would have never done what you did. They'd probably rather die than apologise."
A few people nodded at his words, and I released a small breath of exhaustion. This conversation with Marcus and Cady, I wouldn't forget these names, took much more out of me than I thought.
"Now, we still have work to do. You hear that? Back to work!" Shouted the sailor to the people around us.
The crowd slowly dispersed, and I took back my dragon form to avoid any more looks. I didn't feel like staying here much longer. Even if the sailor's words had been kind and raised my mood a little, the faces of the children and their grief, Marcus' anger and Cady's fear of me, affected me in a far deeper way. In their eyes, I was the evil that took away their father. I was being punished for it, even if it wasn't my fault, so I could see how they thought me to be guilty.
Would I forever remain the great evil that took their father? The thought itself was painful. And as much as Anduin, Mightion and Mother, and maybe even Tyrygosa, told me that I wasn't to blame for what happened, I don't think I'd ever be able to not think of myself as the one who caused their father to die. The Old Gods started it, they took control of me, but it may not have happened had I been more careful of their whispers.
I didn't want to be here any more.
I was soon able to lift the block of stone and carried it above the city, quickly making my way to the castle's courtyard. I dropped it as soon as possible, and landed in front of Gizmo, but didn't change back.
"Gizmo?"
"Did something happened?" He guessed accurately. Was it in my voice? On my face?
"A personal matter. Is there something else I can do, or am I free to go?" I asked him.
"Yes, we have all the stone we need for today. Will you be here tomorrow?"
"I will, don't worry. I just need some time to think." I assured.
"Great! Now, shoo! Go enjoy your day!" He cheerfuly said.
"Thank you, Guizmo." I managed a small smile.
It may have been brief, but our exchange made me feel better. Opening my wings to their maximum, I flapped them hard and sent myself into the air. I could probably use a portal to go back home, but flying in the air would probably do me some good. Raising higher above Stormwind, I flew toward Blackrock Mountain, appreciating the wind on my scales.
As I flew, I started to think about what Mightion might say once I'd told him what happened and my worries. And I almost instantly realised that I knew what he would say: that these mortals had no idea what I had been up against, that two children's words shouldn't affect me so much, and that I shouldn't care about their view of me. In a way, I could agree with him. I suppose that I could ignore how people view me; I did that a lot back on Earth, but it wasn't exactly the same. It wasn't about people viewing me as a saviour, or a stupid child who dared to stand against the Ministry of Magic. No. Here, it was people viewing me as a monster and a killer for something that had partly been outside my control, even if most people didn't know that.
And when I put it like this, it made it easier to ignore them, as they were misinformed about the whole of what happened. But on the other hand, the fear that the people of Stormwind had in me was justifiable. I was a dragon that destroyed their castle and killed their guards, and even if I would never do so again, I had the power to do it. It wasn't helped that dragons had a rather bad reputation, especially after Deathwing destroyed part of Stormwind and created so much death and chaos around the world. That was a reputation that I had to deal with, no matter that I hadn't even been there when all of this happened.
I already had to deal with this before, when I arrived in Stormwind for the first time, and I hadn't done anything wrong then. Now, with what happened, I guess it simply justified their fears. Unfortunately, there was nothing that I could do for Marcus and Cady. Their father died under my madness; that was a fact.
The darker sky of the Burning Steppes announced that I would shortly reach my home, and I realised that maybe Mightion wasn't the best one to talk about all of this with.
As I approached the mountain, I noticed a few shifts of stone and rock on the left side, which I witnessed as Mightion was quite literally reshaping the mountain before me. This display was truly what made the strength and duty of the Black Dragonflight. The guardians of the world, capable of altering the face of the world according to their desires.
Reaching the open balcony, I shifted to my human form as soon as I touched the ground. A bit to my surprise, Mightion was sitting on the throne, eyes closed and focusing intensely. And next to him, on his left and right, stood two large, impressive drakonids, their scales matching the ones of the Black Dragonflight, standing guard with massive halberds.
"Mightion?" I called him.
His eyes instantly opened and it took but a second before they turned toward me.
"What is it, my love? Why are you back so soon?" He asked, standing up.
"Before I tell you, may I know where your new guards come from?" I stopped him, knowing that it would take a little while to discuss my worries with him.
"Our guards, my love. I wanted this to be a surprise for your return, but I suppose it doesn't change anything to do it now. Since our Flight is mostly broken, many of its members waited for a chance to be reunited with us. Black dragons may be rare and few, but our other members survived. I spent a few days exchanging with the other Drakonids of Wyrmrest Temple, and they told others of our presence. We now have a proper guard, counting not only drakonids, but also dragonspawns. They will ensure that our home is safe at all times." He explained, taking pride in pointing at the two drakonids, who stood at attention, also quite proud of their position.
"How many?"
"Seven drakonids and fourteen dragonspawns. I already gave them assignements, but they will absolutely answer any order you give them." He continued.
"That's great. It will be nice to have more people around." I replied, meaning it. Blackrock had a rather sombre ambiance, and having more people and creatures walking its corridors will perhaps make it livelier.
"Now, tell me what troubles you." He invited me, walking toward our private quarters.
"Is it that obvious?" I wondered.
"Yes. Your eyes and your face told me that something troubles you."
"I had a, maybe not troubling, but rather deep encounter that made me rethink a few things." I started, trying to word my thoughts correctly.
"What was it?" Mightion asked just as we reached a small salon that we had started to refurbish. In a short shimmer, his armour was replaced by a softer outfit of dark tissue. He sat down on a very large cushion, so wide that I sat down with him, letting him put an arm behind me that pulled me very gently, just enough to say that he cared and was listening.
"It started with a pair of children that threw a stone at me."
"What?" He growled, despite being in human form.
"Calm down. It didn't hurt and-" I started to reassure him.
"If they attacked you then their intent was to hurt you." He frowned, looking at me in the eyes.
"It was, but let me explain first, alright?" I had to wait for him to nod, even if I could plainly see how he wanted to continue. "As I said, it started with..."
It took me a little while to explain what happened, but I finally did.
"That sailor and a few around me listened to what I had said, and they believed what I told Marcus and Cady. After that, I asked Gizmo if I could leave and came back home." I finished.
"You'll have to excuse me, but I'm not sure if I understand what troubles you so. Was it those children's attack? Their words? That man?" He replied. I wouldn't call him daft, but living thousands of years thinking of yourself as superior to some other races certainly made his thought process quite different from mine.
"A bit of everything, I guess. I don't really care that people think of me as a mindless monster, because I know it's not true. But that's what they saw, and it was true at the time. I caused the death of many, including Cady and Marcus' father."
"They don't know what you had to go through." He said in a kinder tone.
"I know, but that doesn't matter. The fact is that people died because of me." I continued.
"They saw you attack their castle, that is true. And people died under your claws. But that's the thing: it wasn't you." Mightion kept going, pulling me in a slightly tighter hug. "The Old Gods are twisted creatures, cruel beyond measure and toying with our mind and emotions. What you did under their control, you will never do it again, correct?"
"Never." I assured. "I can kill, but not like that. Never like that."
"Then you have your answer. I don't believe that you should worry yourself about their comments and their fears, you know better than them what type of person you are."
"But what about Marcus and Cady? I can't apologise enough for what happened, nothing will ever take the pain away." I pressed on, that particuliar point being at the forefront of my mind.
"You apologised and tried to explain why you weren't at fault. Short of necromancy, there is nothing else you could have done to make it better. You even told them that you accepted to help repair what you broke." He reassured me again.
"There's no repairing a dead person. I thought of this before." I replied, remembering Sirius.
"Indeed. What I want you to say, is to accept that all of this was N'Zoth's fault."
"I know that, he forced me to do all of this." I agreed.
"No, it goes further than that. N'Zoth is the one who corrupted our Flight. He is the one who forced me to renounce to my power and duty to stay sage from him. He's the one who corrupted you. And that is only a very, very small part of all the evils N'Zoth is guilty of." Mightion explained, and I had to agree that it made sense.
"Isn't it a bit easy to put everything on him?" I wondered.
"Not when it's true." He replied.
"Right." I sighed, leaning onto him.
"What could I say to put your worries to rest?" He asked me.
"Nothing. You already helped a lot." I reassured him.
"Then should we take the fight to N'Zoth next time? If the opportunity shows up." He told me.
"No." I said adamant.
"Why not? With him gone, it would be an immensely great enemy that we wouldn't have to worry about. And it wouldn't be just us, the whole world would be free from a monster." He went on, a bit surprised at my instant refusal.
"He's a god. I've had to face monsters, horrible creatures and dark wizards, back in my old world. And here? After all I've been through, N'Zoth still had no problem taking control of my mind, with me barely noticing it. All that when he is still imprisoned." I replied, trying to impress on him why fighting N'Zoth was such a terrible idea.
"That is why me and Tyrygosa helped you improve your mental defences. You fell under his control because you were alone and unprepared. None of these will ever happen again." Mightion assured, very sure of himself.
"I know. But it doesn't mean that I want to go fight him and avenge the lives he ruined."
"Yet, we may not have the choice." He reminded me.
"I know. If we need to fight him, I will answer and fight. But I won't look for him." I told him.
"No one would dare to fight a being like N'Zoth alone. And I'm glad that my mate isn't scared of him. It shows your strength and your resolve."
"And what if I said that I was too scared to go find him?" I teased.
"I would have left you, of course." He replied, with the utmost seriousness.
My brain stopped for a moment, a small feeling of cold spreading in my heart.
"What? Do you really mean this?" I asked, feeling a bit shocked that he would so openly say this. Was it all it would take for him to stop loving me? Being scared?
"Absolutely not." He answered, grinning and pulling me tighter as he brought his head against mine.
"Don't do that!" I slapped his arm, a bit angry, but relieved beyond belief that he was joking.
"I swear that I will never leave you, my love. Should you ever want to flee, I want you to flee. I'd rather see you run away alive than having to find you dead because you stood against something too dangerous." He said with the same eyes filled with care and love that I fell in love with.
"It works for you too, you know?" I told the love of my live.
"I'm no whelp, I know which fight I can win and which ones I should avoid." Mightion replied, a bit offended.
"Good."
We stood in each other's presence, enjoying the silence and the proximity of the other. His warmth, his kindness and, perhaps surprisingly, his words, managed to destroy the worries and fears that I had. I didn't really know how to describe him, but Mightion was someone who didn't speak much, rather straight to the point, yet it didn't make his words less or more interesting. Sometimes, his opinions were so different, that it was hard to believe what he was saying, and to the contrary, he could also say things that seemed obvious to him but made a lot of sense to him. He was no great speaker, but I suppose he was capable of finding the right words.
And his presence, just being here with him, simply made things better.
Marcus and Cady would maybe hate me until their last breath, convinced that I was the one behind their father's death. And, should I meet them again, I'd apologise again. Every time. It might not be much, but there wasn't anything else to do about this.
And then my thoughts returned to what Mightion said, about N'Zoth being the source of my problems. That was true in more than one way. And, even further than that, Marcus and Cady's father would have been safe had N'Zoth been killed already. Something would need to be done about him one day. But I'd be happy to ignore him the rest of my life if needed. N'Zoth was a being far out of my league, and I'd gladly let other people take care of him, but I wouldn't refuse to fight.
Seeing how long I could live, and how the last few years went rather horribly for Azeroth, I was certain that I would face him and his minions again.