I do not own nor possess any right over Harry Potter and World of Warcraft, all rights belong to their rightful owners.
Sorry for the delay, I was working on a personal project that took me an entire week, where I couldn't write anything.
This chapter is shorter than usual, but it takes its time and I'm starting to plan the next chapters a bit more, so I know where I'm going a bit better.
Not much to say this time, but huge thanks to Loch Nessa for letting me use their character Leciea.
For those looking to see Leciea's armour, you can look for the Night Elves Heritage armour, blue version.
Please comment/review.
Thank you for your patience and good reading.
Just like we agreed, I and Mightion returned the next few days to help.
By discussing with the druids and shamans, we established a plan of action. There were currently three large cracks, too deep and too large to be taken care of by non-members of the Black Dragonflight, that slowed them down tremendously. Forced to focus on the smaller ones, their efforts were either reduced to nothing or rendered useless by these three main cracks that kept the smaller ones active. Our task would be to work on these very cracks.
Instead of having everyone work a bit everywhere, we would all focus at the same time on a single area. I and Mightion would work on a deep crack, while everyone else would be working to stabilise the ones surrounding it, so that it could be closed faster. All this was devised without Treesha, as she was at work collecting Azerite around the world, but we were told that she would occasionally come and help if she had the time.
Two days after our first meeting with Magni, after spending the previous one to plan, we met with the members of the Cenarion Circle and the Earthen Ring. Our attention was directed toward a first, very large and deep crack in the ground located on the northern part of the wound.
"So, this is it?" I said, staring into the abysmal crack before us.
"Yes. Are you ready?" Mightion asked me.
"I suppose. What about you?" I asked, turning around.
"We are all here, Lady Amaria." Replied Broll, towering over most of the druids and shamans around him.
"Then we can start. Together, my love?" Offered Mightion.
"Together." I nodded.
At once, we both closed our eyes and raised a hand toward the crack, connecting with the earth and the surrounding spirits. To be fair, even before connecting with it, we could already feel the hurt of the spirits and elementals, feel how this crack pained Azeroth as if this was on our own body.
And as we extended our senses into the crack, we both flinched as the pain briefly took us by surprise, feeling how intense it was. We could feel the broken stone, the magma ready to break through the earth, and the Azerite bleeding out of the wound. All of this, as if it was our own wounds.
"It's not as sudden as in the Burning Steppes, but the pain is still great." Grunted Mightion.
"We ourselves are not feeling it directly, but the spirits and the elements tell us of their suffering." Agreed Broll.
"Through them, we can feel parts of what Azeroth is experiencing. It is a… troubling sensation." Added Hamuul.
"That's one way to say it. Let's get to work." I said, grimacing under the pain.
I had previously been aware that it wouldn't be pleasant work, but if I had to deal with a pain like this constantly, I would soon come to despise this.
As one, me and Mightion used our power over the earth to start locating the most unstable parts of the crack, those which would undoubtedly slow us down if not taken care of now. There were so many of these, that it was almost disheartening, but we had to do it.
I felt Mightion's power reached the biggest point of instability, and I supported him with my own. Our magic started to find the parts of it that caused the instability, and then we worked to remove them. A foreign feeling, like someone else's touch, reached us, and I felt that it was connected to some druids and shamans behind us, helping us stabilise the crack.
Our power shifted around the instability, and sought to find and fix it. To envision this, it was easier to imagine a lightning strike, with many forks and divisions, starting wide at the sword and spreading toward us until it closed. And a bit everywhere on it, were points, nodes of connection, deep underneath the earth, that threatened to destroy the forks beyond it, which would make the rest diverge into even more divisions.
This was roughly what we had to deal with. A crack that threatened to explode into even more cracks if not taken care of now. And we had to do it while enduring the pain, just like Azeroth had for far longer than most of us had been alive.
It was hard, to both endure and work at the same time, but I felt our progress nonetheless, no matter how slow and little it was. It took time, but after spending what I guessed to be hours of pain and careful, delicate effort, the instability was no more than a small scar, invisible to the naked eye. There were no words exchanged between me and my partner, but we both judged our work satisfactory, and slowly pulled out of the wound.
A sudden sense of vertigo overtook me, and I let out a sharp gasp of both pain and relief as I fell forward, catching myself with a knee and a hand on the ground. Breathing quickly, I was briefly disoriented as I looked around me, quickly finding Mightion who was standing up with a hand on his head, using his mace as a support to not fall down.
"Lord Mightion, Lady Amaria! Are you all right?" Asked Hamuul, coming up beside us.
"I- I didn't expect to be so… shaken." I let out, my vertigo quickly disappearing.
"I don't remember the last time I was so deeply connected to Azeroth. Here, my love." Mightion offered me his hand.
I thankfully grabbed it, and he gently pulled me up. And as I stood up, I realised that it was nighttime already.
"Did we really spend an entire day on that single instability?" I asked, a bit amazed and a bit discouraged.
"Yes. Were you not aware of the time passing?" He asked me.
"Not really. It took me all my focus to ignore the pain and fix the crack at the same time." I replied.
"That is the burden that we need to bear." Mightion said in a resigned tone.
It dawned on me, not for the first time, that this would be a very, very long task. Sighing, I accepted Hamuul's flask and almost emptied it of its water in one go.
"Thank you." I handed him his flask back. "Did all of you also remain focused on the crack all day?"
"Me and Broll held on until an hour ago, where we shifted our focus on a few lesser parts of the instability. The others took several breaks throughout the day." He replied.
"Right." I nodded, before focusing on the crack once more.
This time, I kept a slight distance with the network node, and witnessed how the crack behaved around it. The effects weren't spectacular, but the pressure around the node we fixed was certainly lessened, and some smaller unstable nodes looked more treatable already.
It would be a long work, a very long one, but one that we had to do.
"Let's go home." I told Mightion.
"If that's your wish." Acknowledged Mightion.
"Will you return tomorrow?" Asked Broll.
I exchanged a look with Mightion, who nodded slightly, and I let him answer.
"We will. It would be unwise to leave our work alone so soon." He said.
"Glad to hear it. Rest well, friends. You will need all your strength in the days to come." Broll advised us.
With that said, he, Hamuul and the druids and shamans started to make their way back to Magni's camp. We watched them leave for a few seconds, and I called for my magic. I briefly shuddered as I connected too much with Azeroth, the pain flaring for a second.
"Are you alright?" Asked Mightion, concerned.
"I just went a bit too far. Nothing that can't be fixed." I assured him, reaching for the ley lines and instantly finding the one to reach Blackrock.
A couple of seconds later, a bright red portal showing our home appeared in the air. I went first, he followed, and we arrived in the throne room.
A couple of our servants and guards were there, despite the late hour, and they bowed down slightly at our arrival.
"Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion. Welcome back." Greeted us Fariath, our dragonspawn majordomo.
"Good evening, Fariath. I think we'll be going to bed early tonight." I told her, yawning politely with a hand before my mouth.
"Tired already?" Mightion asked me playfully.
"Well, I'm not exhausted, if that's what you mean." I replied, not seeing where he was going.
"Today was a bit taxing, but it shouldn't be enough to bring you down. I was wondering if, perhaps, you would accommodate me for tonight." He said, slowly and gently placing an arm around my waist before pulling me against him.
Blushing hard at his word and his very open display of affection, I glanced at the drakonids and dragonspawns around us, who either acted like nothing was happening or as if what was happening was perfectly normal.
And that was nothing to what was going on in my head, all traces of exhaustion replaced by ideas and suggestions coming from Mightion's words. I was equally filled with worry and excitement, wondering what he had in mind.
"Not here! I don't like it." I whispered a bit harshly, not feeling comfortable.
"What's wrong? Our love is pure and should be admired." He smiled at me, and I fell silent for a moment as I looked into his deep orange eyes, appreciating his pretty face.
"I- let's go to our bedroom." I managed to say, trying to extract myself.
"As you wish." He said, losing a bit of his smile as he let me go.
Taking the lead, I walked toward our bedroom and went to sit on our bed, while he closed the door behind him. He remained silent for a short moment, and then walked up to me, while I stared a little at the floor.
"Amaria. My love. I see that something troubles you. Almost every time I try to show affection, you put up a wall, as if you were ashamed of your feelings. I-" Mightion said kindly, kneeling before me and taking my hand.
"I'm not!" I quickly said, taking him by surprise a little. "I'm not ashamed to be with you."
"While I'm glad to hear it, it doesn't solve your problem." He pointed out with a reassuring smile.
I didn't know what to say. I hadn't noticed that I was shying away from him. Sure, he sometimes put me in embarrassing situations, but I never pushed him away.
"My love, I know that you're not yet comfortable with more than what we're doing. I can guess and understand why, and I'm ready to wait until you'll be ready to accept me entirely. But I feel like it doesn't explain everything." Mightion continued.
"The fact that I used to be a man?" I guessed.
"In a way, even if that's something I understand completely. My point was that you were perhaps afraid of what comes after cuddles, kisses, and hugs." He pointed out.
"I-" I started, only to stop as I started to think. Would I have been behaving similarly if I still was a man? I realised that yes, I would have been uncomfortable.
In truth, I didn't really like being touched. And I knew this, I had been like this for nearly as long as I can remember, but it never became relevant for a relationship before now. Years of being tormented physically, not molested, thankfully, but beaten up and insulted, made it that I was not comfortable with very physical interactions.
Being in my dragon form sort of cancelled this uncomfortable feeling, as it was simply so different that I couldn't compare it. And since I met Mightion, I changed, and hugging with him felt good and right in a way that I couldn't exactly explain. When I was with him, it was the best feeling in the world, as if all I needed was here.
But, just as he was saying, what came after kisses and cuddles… worried me.
"I know." I whispered.
"Good. All I want to know, for now, is if you think you can overcome this?" Mightion asked me, still holding my hand, smiling kindly.
"I don't know. But, I want to." I honestly replied.
"All I ask you is to not give up, because I know I won't. I want to create a family with you. I can and will be patient, our lives are long after all, but we don't know when death might separate us."
"Don't say that." I stopped him, frowning at his words. They made too much sense, despite being hard to accept.
"The times ahead of us are dark and unknown. I only want you to reflect on my words, so that one day this dream of creating a family may become reality." Mightion finished, standing up and changing his armour for a white shorts and a white shirt in a little flash of smoke.
Keeping my eyes on him, I was already thinking about what he just said. I wanted to have a family too, I wanted children of my own that I could take care of. But being a mother, being a parent, was also so, so frightening, that I didn't feel confident enough to be one.
Alexstrasza and a few other dragonesses already explained to me how dragons mated and what would happen after that. And while it seemed slightly less complicated than humans, especially eggs that could be laid relatively early compared to a human, it was still something that bothered me a lot.
I pushed these thoughts away, not wanting to think about that now. Transforming my clothes into a white night dress, I lay down beside him. Mightion's arm raised a little, but he didn't do anything.
Pressing myself against him, silently, simply enjoying his presence, gave him the approval he waited for, and his arm fell around my shoulder.
It's like that, both of us pressed against the other, that I fell asleep. It didn't come easily, especially since our discussion gave me a lot to think about, and when I did fall asleep, I was still as undecided as I had been at the beginning. Time, lots of time, would be needed before I was ready to cross the next step.
The next few days fell into a horribly long monotony of pain, patience, and work. Each node, each instability, was painstakingly long to fix. We were still focusing on the main ones of the first crack, and we hadn't even reached a fifth of our work on it after five days.
This was due to a few things. The number of instabilities and nodes that we had to deal with, in a precise order if we didn't want to lose the progress made, slowed us down tremendously. We were working our way toward the centre of the wound, and sometimes the earth would crack under our efforts, forcing us to start again.
After a week of work, we only managed to correct three nodes. One took two days to fix, as the number of corrections to apply and the power to put into it was so great. Another was fixed, but it destroyed itself during the night, forcing us to redo the whole thing.
The weekend provided us with a nice break, and I managed to send a message to Mother. She assured me that everything was alright on her side, even if signs of Twilight dragons became more frequent in the last few days.
This morning, we just arrived at the wound, and had started to feel the crack we were working on, looking for new damages, setbacks, or anything alike.
"They held on, thankfully. Though, there is a smaller node forming next to the third one." Mightion explained calmly. After a few days of going through the pain of the world, we were starting to be able to bear it a little more. Our own efforts were making it less painful, so that was a very good motivation goal.
Our talk a few nights ago was left untouched since then, not that it caused any problem between me and Mightion, but it kept coming back to me occasionally.
"Yes, I see it. Let's close it now." I suggested.
Once again, our powers mixed with one another, and we quickly attacked the node that had grown. Even if it wasn't too hard to fix, it still took us the whole morning. When I opened my eyes at noon, I stared at the gigantic sword that took most of my sight, glaring at it. The more we worked, the more I was hating the damn thing.
Azeroth must hate it too.
"Hmm." I stretched myself, removing some stiffness in my muscles. "Which one should we do next? The one on the right that is containing two nodes about to break, or the left one that will create new ones if we don't do anything?"
That wasn't a real choice, as both were problematic, and that ignoring one would undoubtedly make the other one worse.
"The left one, I would say. Even if we have to spend more time with the others afterward, I'd prefer that than having to deal with more of them." Replied Mightion, aiming with his magic at our targets.
"Alright then. Let's just take a break, I'm hungry." I said.
We stepped back from the crack, joining up with Hamuul, Broll and their troops, who were enjoying a small break as well. Sitting on the ground or on rocks, the makeshift camp was a poor sight for eyes, but we were working on necessity rather than comfort right now. And seeing how most of them looked tired, sweating a lot, I was reminded that being a dragon made me significantly more capable of handling heat. The ones before me simply couldn't stand close to lava like we did.
"I trust everything worked out nicely?" Asked Broll, sitting on a rock covered by his large coat, his staff standing to his side.
"It did. What about you?" Replied Mightion, taking place next to me as I summoned a few things.
"We finally finished on that stream of lava. It should ease your work a little." Broll said.
Being a mage really showed to be very convenient now, as I could summon a few things. Let it be teleporting things from far away to me, or creating temporary objects, it was something quite enjoyable.
Right now, I created a duo of simple wooden chairs and a table. They wouldn't last long, but for the time we needed, it would be enough. Then I summoned from our kitchen the meal that I prepared this morning, this being a rather large quantity of dishes of all sorts, let it be meat, fish or some mix of vegetables and grains. It may be way, way too much for regular people, but for us dragons it would be enough for a couple of days.
"Well, let's dig in." I invited Mightion, taking a seat.
"Indeed. Enjoy your meal, my dear." Mightion replied, sitting in the other.
"Do dragons dine as kings and queens wherever they are?" Asked a troll shaman.
"Well, not exactly." I replied, a bit embarrassed by the display of food when I realised that most of them had small bags of food, sandwiches, and things like this. "This was prepared this morning, I only had to summon it."
"A good hunt is just as good in my opinion. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, stalking my prey and bringing it to share with my mate." Added Mightion.
"So that's not what ya eat every day?" Asked again the troll.
"We only eat once every few days or weeks, and even then, I prefer to hunt my own food. But, I'll admit that having food ready and made for you is a comfort I appreciate." Added my beloved partner.
"I like to cook." I simply said, taking a serving of boar meat and curry rice.
"I'm curious about dragon cuisine. Some of the dishes here are unlike anything I've ever seen." Said Hamuul, looking at the curry rice with curiosity.
"Oh, these are not dragon meals. I do know some, but most of what I learned comes from humans. Would you like to try?" I offered.
"If it doesn't bother you, then I think I shall." Hamuul stood up.
A large spoon in hand, I served him some curry rice as well as pork stir-fry made with snow peas, mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers, onions, broccoli, water chestnuts, and soy sauce to season it all.
As I served him, I didn't notice Mightion frowning at what I was doing, staying silent but clearly displeased with the scene before him.
His plate in hand, Hamuul used his spoon, which was the equivalent of a large serving spoon, to pick up a bit of everything. And the serving I gave him, which would have been a good one for a human, looked quite small on his large plate.
He looked at his meal for a few seconds, trying to identify the different ingredients and enjoying the enticing smell. Satisfied, he brought it to his mouth where it quickly disappeared, and I watched amused as his eyes widened a bit, chewing slowly as he took the time to enjoy all the flavours.
"This is very good, Lady Amaria. The mix of vegetables and meat, along with this sauce, is quite delicious." Praised Hamuul.
"Thank you." I acknowledged with a small nod, blushing a little. Even years later, I wasn't used to being praised for my cooking skills.
"May I, my love?" Mightion asked, lifting his own plate.
"Of course." I happily said, giving him a full serving. There was maybe twice as much as for Hamuul, and just the sight of this seemed to satisfy him.
Strangely, I was a bit more attentive to how he would like my food. It wasn't the first time I cooked, even if the cooks in Blackrock were more than capable of matching my level, but every time I did cook, I was particularly attentive to how Mightion would respond to it.
Mightion quickly, but regally, took a bite of the curry fry, and then enjoyed it for a few seconds, before trying the pork stir-fry. I watched, a bit anxious, but also relieved, as I could tell by his facial expression that he was enjoying it.
"This is excellent, my love. As always." He complimented me, looking straight into my eyes.
"Thanks." I smiled brightly at him, feeling a small weight in my stomach disappear. "Now let's dig in."
With no more interruption, my love and I started our meal for real. We ate at a relatively normal speed, but our meal took longer because of the quantity of food we had. It was still less than if we had been in our dragon forms, but any regular person would have fainted from eating so much.
Though, when I say no more interruption, I noticed that quite a few looks were sent toward our meal, and it was clear that it was the envy of the entire group. Sorry, but the rest is for us.
We finished with some biscuits, made with a mix of regular ingredients but also mana, which helped replenish our energy. These I shared with the others, as I had a lot of them, and once again I didn't notice Mightion being slightly peeved at my action.
"Well, let's get back to work." I said at the end, simply sending the silverware and dishes back home, while the chairs and table were simply sent back to magic.
I and Mightion walked up to the crack and its lava, separating us from the druids and shamans who remained a bit further away and who started working on a geyser of lava.
Closing my eyes, I let my magic and power influence me, guiding me toward the node on the left, just like we agreed on earlier. Mightion's presence slowly registered to me as our powers mixed together to affect the node's instability.
"My love?"
Snapping out of my focus, not having expected him to call me, I quickly stabilised my magic and looked at my partner, who was looking at me with a new face. It was one of both small worries, of appreciation and jealousy.
"Yes?" I asked back, wondering what could possibly trouble him.
"In the future, could you maybe try to keep our meals for us?" He asked me, a bit slowly and warily. As if he knew he was treading on dangerous grounds.
"What? Why?" I replied, feeling a bit insulted by his words. Was there something wrong with my food, so much so that he didn't want to share it with others?
"Well, just like the prey I bring back is for you, it is for you only. I don't mind sharing with others or having a meal with other dragons, but the meals you prepare for us should be for us only." Mightion explained, and I could see that he was somewhat uncomfortable with this, which was quite rare for him.
"What's wrong with my meals?" I asked, still miffed at him.
"Oh, no. There's nothing wrong with the excellent quality of your cooking skills." He quickly corrected, which made me raise an eyebrow in confusion. "What I meant, is that I feel… conflicted, on others, especially males, getting part of your delicious food."
"Wait. Are you saying that you're jealous that I shared with Hamuul?" I asked incredulously and was a bit amused.
"I suppose so. This is supposed to be something to share only between us." Mightion replied, looking away from me and staring in the lava.
That made the fun rising in me crumble, and I frowned a little. I hadn't realised that it was such an issue of sharing like I did, though with some hindsight, I guess I could understand his point of view. I mean, he did make several gifts to me already, and seeing someone else getting them would most likely make me annoyed too.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." I let out after a few seconds, both focused on what we just said and on the task at hand.
"I do not blame you." He instantly replied, looking back at me. "I know your heart is big and your kindness great, let it be for complete strangers or our family. Our children will grow up with plenty of love and care thanks to you. But, I would like to keep some of that love for me, if that's not a selfish request."
"You can have it all for now, because you're the only one I love. And mother, but that's different. And I accept your request. You'll see, I'll make you the most unique dishes you've ever seen, for your eyes only." I smiled at him.
"Thank you, my love. This means a lot to me." He smiled back at me.
I gasped a little as I felt his magic engulf mine, letting the node go as it felt like a wave of pleasurable warmth flooded my senses. There was nothing physical, but the sensation of our magics melting together was unique, and I could feel how he felt. How he appreciated me, how he loved me, and I knew he could feel how much I loved him back.
"Let's focus on our work." I called him, accepting the warmth and the sensation of happiness.
"Alright. More fun for tonight." He teased me, making me blush madly as I felt his magic leave and focus on the node.
Filled to the brim with happiness, satisfaction, and feeling overcharged with energy, I resumed my work with more will than before. These feelings also dulled the pain that Azeroth felt, making our task far easier and comfortable.
We stayed until night fell once again, but at least the node we worked on wouldn't create more problems for us. As long as nothing happened, which wasn't guaranteed.
The next day, everything started out normally, with me and Mightion getting ready to go to Silithus with my portal. We already knew which node we would have to work on, and an estimation of how long it would take if there was no interference.
Yet, as I was about to summon the portal, a screech coming from outside got our attention. The guards reacted quickly, some staying near the doors while the rest converged toward the balcony, ready to receive whoever was coming.
Much to our surprise, a gryphon and its rider bearing the colours of the Alliance landed on the balcony. The animal wasn't exhausted, but it was clear that it had been pushed to go as fast as possible.
"Stand down." Ordered Mightion, walking up toward the gryphon as our guards stood aside.
"I bear an urgent message from King Anduin, for Lady Amaria and Lord Mightion." Said the rider, quickly dismounting and coming toward us, stopping a metre and a half before us, a sealed scroll in hand.
"Is there a problem?" I asked as Mightion grabbed the scroll.
"My apologies, I wasn't informed of the contents of this message. This is for your eyes only." The soldier professionally replied with a salute.
Intrigued, I looked over Mightion's arm as he showed me the letter.
Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion.
I, King Anduin Wrynn, require your presence in Stormwind in the shortest delays possible.
I'm quite aware that I do not have any authority over you two, but your help would be greatly appreciated.
More explanations will be provided once you arrive, but know that this is a matter of life and death.
Be aware that your help is required today and today only. It may be too late tomorrow.
Hoping for your presence,
King Anduin Wrynn.
Looking up from the ominous letter, I shared a small look with Mightion. He was definitely curious too, though I could see that something was annoying him a little. Ignoring this for now, I returned my attention to the messenger.
"Thank you for your quick trip, soldier. You're free to go down, take a drink for yourself and your mount, or to return to Stormwind."
"Thank you, Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion. I shall return to my king's side." The rider saluted once again, before jumping on his gryphon and taking off in Stormwind's direction.
As soon as he left, I looked at Mightion, aware that he was probably having the same thoughts as me.
"Do you have any idea what this might be about?" I asked him.
"No. And if you don't, then I suppose the only way to know would be to go see him." He sighed, rolling the letter up in a scroll once more and putting it in his pouch. "That human king certainly is cocky to expect us to come as his beck and call."
"He needs help, and we will respond. We both owe him our lives, remember?" I said, a bit angry at his remark, really feeling like this wasn't the time for such words.
"Right. If time is of the essence, I suggest we use your portal." He replied.
Remembering the urgency of the situation, whatever it was, I used my magic to create a portal to Stormwind. As soon as it was created, I stepped in and Mightion followed.
Arriving in the Wizard's Sanctum, the tower where all the portals in and out of Stormwind were located, I instantly recognised the mage that welcomed us.
"Hello, Miss Cannon." I greeted her.
"Lady Amaria, Lord Mightion." She nodded at us. "What's the purpose of your visit?"
"We are here by demand of King Anduin." Instantly replied Mightion, a bit rudely may I say, showing the letter with Anduin's seal on it.
"I see. Please, go ahead."
Without delay, we walked down the stairs toward the exit of the tower. A few people gave us some glares on the way, but we were far too busy to even care about them. Once before the outside ramp leading to the ground, Mightion took the lead and jumped in the air, taking his dragon form.
While I could agree that time was of the essence, perhaps scaring the whole city wasn't wise. It didn't stop me from doing the same, and I flew after him, quickly flying above all the houses, streets, and inhabitants of the city. Some didn't even look up, most likely used to see large flying creatures, but many pointed at us and some even screamed.
Ignoring them, we promptly arrived in the courtyard of the castle, still in repair. Some work had been done since my last time here, but I didn't give it much attention, going after Mightion, who took back his human form in front of the castle's guards.
What did get some of my attention was the bear and the nightsaber standing near the gate, apparently waiting for someone.
"We are here to discuss with King Anduin, at his demand." He said, once more showing the scroll to the guards.
"This way, please." Said one of them.
The man went ahead, we followed, and two more guards closed the way behind us. They took us toward the small meeting room near the entrance, and the guard knocked on the door.
"Your Majesty. Lady Amaria and Lord Mightion are here to see you." He said.
"A moment." Anduin's voice came through the door.
We waited a couple of seconds, right before Anduin opened the door. His face was grim, and he was wearing his full armour except for his helmet.
"Thanks the Light, you're here. Come in, there's no time to lose." He said, stepping aside.
We walked in, he closed the door right behind Mightion, and we were not alone in the room. Jaina Proudmoore was there and looked to be in deep thoughts, even if she did acknowledge our presence.
A man in brown and blue leather armour, with two large one-handed daggers at his hips, was also there, right next to the table in the centre of the room. His face was one of a man who worked hard all his life, and that was approaching a certain age, judging by the wrinkles on his face. Though, his hairs and moustache were still of a light brown colour.
Lastly, a woman Night-Elf, a huntress based on her large bow, was standing aside. Her armour was light and was of a white silver with traces of blue, covering her shins and calves, her hips with a large piece that had a long loincloth at the front. Her chest was protected by a piece that showed her curves and a pair of silver shoulder pads with blue feathers at the end covered the top parts of her arms, with gauntlets for her hands and forearms. A circlet with a blue gem at the front and going up her head like silvery deer antlers completed her look. Her blue skin, dark hair and purple body marks made her quite the beauty, and the way her armour showed her thighs, stomach, and arm only accentuated her beauty.
Were I still attracted to women, I would have fallen in love with her.
Refocusing on the room, my eyes were drawn to the large map on the table. A map with the name 'Orgrimmar' at the top. It seemed the situation was indeed far more serious than we could have imagined.
"We are here to help, your majesty." I assured Anduin.
"Please, forget the formalities. There are bigger problems at hand." Anduin said, walking around the table.
"And it required our presence?" Mightion asked, much to my annoyance.
"He has the right to ask." I tersely replied.
"But I am indeed not forcing you to anything. All I ask is for you to listen to me, and you'll be free to go after that. Regardless of your choices." Anduin assured.
"We're listening." I said, crossing my arms.
"Good. Before we begin, let me introduce you to Spymaster Shaw, my most precious source of information in this war." Anduin waved a hand toward the man.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, dragons." He bowed to us, his eyes keeping a serious expression.
"Also, it's my honour to introduce to you Leciea Moonsong, one of our best adventurers that took part in many fights both for the Alliance and our world when needed. I assume you remember Jaina."
"I do. It's good to see you again, Jaina." I smiled at her.
"Me too. Glad to see that you're alright, I didn't get to see you after saving Mightion." She said with a small smile, though I could tell that it was a bit strained.
"Thanks for your assistance, mage." Nodded Mightion.
"I swear to god. You're so formal." I sighed, finding that a little annoying.
"I have manners." He retorted.
"So do I." I countered. Shaking my head, I focused on Leciea. "Nice to meet you, Leciea."
"May the moonlight brighten your path, guardian of Azeroth." She replied with a smile.
"And may the night guard you, child of the stars." Mightion replied, a bit to my surprise and Leciea's.
"It's been a long time since someone that's not a night elf answered my greeting." She smiled a bit brighter.
"As I was saying, manners are important." He said with a small smirk.
"Gnagnagna." I grimaced, glaring at him. "So, Anduin, what's so important."
"About two hours ago, Spymaster Shaw brought us some dark news. Sylvanas has proclaimed Baine Bloodhoof a traitor, and plans to execute him shortly." Anduin started.
"Baine? What did he do? Is it because I met with him?" I asked, wondering if that was because of me.
"No." Jaina interrupted me. "Baine returned my dead brother to me, resurrected as an undead by Sylvanas, who planned to use him as a living bomb to destroy Boralus, Kul Tiras' capital. For this, she arrested him and declared him a traitor."
Sylvanas. The more I heard about her and the things she did, the more I despised her. She was already more deadly than Voldemort, having a real army at her command and guilty of several war crimes. And now, she wanted to kill Baine? I would not let that happen.
"Me and Leciea were in Nazjatar when we received Anduin's call for help. Our plan is for me, Leciea and Shaw to infiltrate Orgrimmar and set him free. Baine, contrary to many in the Horde, still has honour and is worthy of our respect. If we want to end this war without another bloodshed, his survival is imperative." Jaina continued.
"The division in the Horde is growing. Many are finding Sylvanas' orders to be too cruel or without honour. Her announcement of Baine's execution has made many reconsider their choice to support her, and most of the Taurens are now openly rising against her." Shaw explained.
"He helped me save Mightion, without expecting anything in return. His kindness and help are not going to be forgotten. If you need our help to save him, we'll come." I assured them, filled with determination and confidence. "And if it can piss off Sylvanas, then all the better."
Even as I said that, I was aware that we dragons were not supposed to take an active part in the conflict. While what we were about to do was dangerously close to crossing the line, I didn't care much. I knew I would be able to convince Alexstrasza of the righteousness of my decision, and I could only hope that there would be no retaliation against dragonkind from the Horde. Raising the tensions between the Horde and the Alliance wasn't my goal either; it was all about saving a friend.
"Thank you, Amaria." Sighed Anduin with relief. "I have no doubt that Jaina, Shaw and Leciea are enough to do this, despite the risks, but there was no one else I could call on such short notice."
"What do you have in store for us?" Mightion asked, arms crossed and looking at the map of Orgrimmar.
"Assist Jaina, Shaw and Leciea in their task. We can only send a small team, and you two can supply both firepower and an additional escape route if needed."
"No problem. Anything else?" I asked.
"If possible, it would be best to remain unseen from the Horde. I know how hard it sounds, in the midst of their stronghold, but it would be far better for us." Shaw replied.
"And if they see us?"
"Depending on the situation, we either force our way in or we will be forced to retreat." He said sombrely.
It was indeed not going to be easy. Just by looking at the map displayed before us, we would have to go down a few levels and go through several doors before arriving at the cell where Baine was imprisoned. The chances of being spotted by anyone would be very high.
"How do we get there?" Asked Mightion.
"I've been in the centre of Orgrimmar before, as well as its prison, so I will be able to teleport us directly inside. We will still have to go through the rest of the building by foot." Answered Jaina.
"When do we leave?" I asked.
"Now, if you're ready." She replied.
"We don't need anything else, we can leave as soon as you like." Mightion assured them.
"Let's go outside, I need to get my pets." Said Leciea, picking up her bow.
"My friends, know that your task is of great importance for the Alliance and the end of this war. Please, save Baine if possible, but don't take too many risks if your mission looks compromised." Anduin told us gravely as we walked toward the door.
"We will save him, Anduin. I promise." Jaina replied, as determined as I was.
"And we will remove as many of Sylvanas' followers on the way." Added Leciea.
"My King." Bowed down a little Shaw.
"We'll get him back." I said.
Mightion said nothing as he closed the door behind us. Our group of five made its way toward the entrance, where Leciea brought a hand to her mouth and whistled sharply. Instantly, the bear and the nightsaber rushed toward us, stopping in front of the night elf. My eyes were drawn to the saddle on the nightsaber, showing that it was more than a simple pet.
"These are my companions. The bear is Baro, and my nightsaber is Moonhaze." She introduced them to us.
"Impressive." I said, looking at the large animals and their deadly claws and teeth.
"That they are. Let it be against undeads, monsters or Horde soldiers, they know what to do." She smiled proudly, petting Moonhaze's shoulder.
"Are you all ready?" Jaina asked, raising her staff a little.
"Yes." Replied Shaw.
"Yep." Said Leciea.
"We're ready." I said for both me and Mightion.
"Then hold on and be ready to fight. We're going to arrive straight at the prison's first floor, so expect anything." She warned us, gathering magic in her staff.
As much as I hated saying it, she had a lot of magic for a human. Her mastery of magical arts showed through her focus and might as a purple glow quickly surrounded us.
Feeling for my magic, I watched as they got ready as well. Mightion was holding his large fiery mace in his two hands, Shaw had his daggers in hands as well and Leciea took an arrow and readied her bow.
In a flash of light, we vanished from Stormwind's castle's courtyard, on a mission to go save Baine.