Chapter 19: Volume 2: Chapter 2
Lost Lion
Disclaimer! I don't own WoW. Blizz does, and your soul too.
Volume 2: Chapter 2
***Loch Modan – Southern Gate ***
Mountaineer Brogdend Redbeer let out a soft yawn as he tried to keep himself from dozing off. It was past midnight, the most boring time for guard duty, but as a young spry dwarf of thirty years, he was regulated to unwanted stations until he could prove himself. However, guarding the massive southern gate to the Searing Gorge felt like a massive waste of resources to the young dwarf. It had been over three hundred years since any of the 'Dark Iron' dwarves tested its defense in any capacity. Still, the Dwarven kings have continued to wastefully spend money and manpower just to patrol the mountain pass.
"Keep those eyes open laddie," Mountaineer Agdag, an elderly dwarf and his direct superior, chastised the younger dwarf. "Night watch might be a shit duty, but it's still ours, ya hear?"
"Well, I hope the patrol gets back soon so it'll be our turn to stretch our legs," a third dwarf grumbled. Brogdend had forgotten his name as he just recently joined up.
Brogdend heard that it was something that had to do with disobeying his thane's orders during an ice troll ambush.
"Standing in one place dunna suit me," the surly dwarf grumbled but he wasn't the only one. More than a few other dwarves echoed his sentiment.
There were a total of a hundred mountaineers to secure the pass. Fifty would go and patrol the southern mountain pass to kill any wild creature inside while the remaining forces were used to hold the gate in case of a, thus far, nonexistent attack.
"Arrgh! This quiet is killin me!" the new dwarf complained again only to be thumped on his head by Agdag. Like most of the mountaineer dwarves, they wore chainmail coif instead of plate armor for mobility.
"Captain!" A shout from a higher-ranking dwarf's their leader's attention away. He followed his second-in-command's hand to see the patrol from the mountains pass limping their way forward. Even though it was dark and hard to make out, the torches that they had illuminated their body and the wounds visible on them. What was even more glaring was that only half of their numbers came back.
"Open the gate and let them in!" Agdag ordered and four dwarves began working the mechanism that opened the gate. "What happened to you all, lads?"
Brogdend saw the first dwarf who made it through the gate collapse face first. He rushed forward, having been closest to support another of his kin.
"I have yo-" That was when Brogdend noticed that the dwarf's face was darker than it should be, even in the night light. There were dark-skinned dwarves, but the dwarf before him had a duskiness to the one in front of him that stood out. There was a certain wrongness to it all that made him feel uneasy.
"Urk!" Agdag's voice could be heard in the night.
The sound drew Brogdend eyes to see a jagged knife had sprouted from his superior throat. The injured dwarves had stopped their limping and had gotten up to attack the other mountaineers. That was when he realized that these weren't his fellow dwarves but their cursed kin, the Dark Irons.
"You're- ugh!" Anything Brogdend was silenced as the last thing he saw was an Ironforge axe barreling toward his face.
It did not take long for the dark iron assassins to make short work of the unsuspecting dwarf patrol. The leader of the assassin turned back to the south gate entrance and waited as the sound of thousands of orcs could be heard echoing in the hall approached. The first orc that emerged was smaller than most of its kin, yet the dark iron assassin knew that this one was the most dangerous of them all.
"The way is clear, Great Warchief." The Dark Iron dwarf in front of Grom Hellscream bowed low. They had learned each other's language quickly and for those who couldn't, there were the fel magick of Gul'dan's warlocks to speed up the process.
Grom surveyed the lush green lands before him and was pleased. It was worth going north. Let Doomhammer contest with the humans in the south. Like an unstoppable tide, his orcs started to pour through the gate. Many of the first to cross the threshold picked up the well-crafted weapons of the dead dwarves that were slain. Others picked up the armor in pieces in hopes of getting it reworked later.
Once more, Grom was pleased with how helpful these Dark Iron dwarves had been. In a way, they reminded him of himself and his Horde. They both broke away from their incompetent leaders and were forging a new path on their own. Not only that they had managed to entice many more of their kin to their cause, thereby sapping the strength from those dark iron who still serve their king.
More important to the Warchief and the rest of the Horde was the impressive skill that their new allies had in crafting weapons. Many orcs now preferred a dark iron made axe to their stone ones.
"What did you say was the name of the place that is in the way of our conquest?" Grom looked down at the Dark Iron chieftain.
"Thelsamar, Great Warchief," the Dark Iron eyes shone with hunger and greed. "The name of their town is Thelsamar."
***Stormwind City – Stormwind's Keep***
The sun continued to shine brightly onto the world of Azeroth with nothing seemingly out of place. After my revelation an hour ago in the throne room, I kept a close, one could even say paranoid, eye out for any sudden world-ending ripples in space and time. Maybe all of the Stormwind royal guardsmen would suddenly turn into bronze dragons to ambush me.
But to my increasing unease… nothing happened.
So here I was, standing in the courtyard by a library in the west wing of the castle, a place that was well-known in the game. Like most things from game to real life, its size was much larger than what it was portrayed as. What was a small patch of land in the game could now rival the famous gardens of Versailles. The area could easily hold a thousand people if they wanted to.
Not only that, but I managed to locate the library entrance which was not public, judging by the two guardsmen stationed in front of it. From what little I was able to peek at, it seemed like that room would have dwarfed an entire local public library in the old United States easily.
Lastly, it afforded me a breathtaking view of Stormwind City. The scale was massive and even the movie version of the city did not do it justice. My position this high in the garden allowed me a view down onto the huge dock where dozens upon dozens of ships could be seen anchored. The city itself was divided into districts like the game had, but where there were perhaps a couple of dozen buildings in the game, there were instead thousands of building rooftops that dotted the landscape.
A girlish laugh drew my attention from sightseeing to my current companions waiting with me in the yard. The Stormwind royal guards were there, but not as my jailers; they came along as my protection detail. The girlish laugh came from a female royal guardsman who was chatting it up with Mara and Victoria. The girls seemed to be hitting it off until I caught Mara's eye whose expression asked if everything was okay.
I inclined my head before I resumed my view of the city, letting my mind wander in the process. It felt odd not knowing what was going on now that I let the cat out of the bag. Up to this point, I could still depend on certain canonical events happening, but now…? It was all up in the air. Honestly, I wondered if I may have fucked thing up beyond all recognition. Medivh's mommy was a game changer and what's more, she looked pretty healthy which meant this was pre-banishment by Medivh in the timeline.
"Copper for your thoughts, Callan?" A soft voice spoke up behind me, tearing me from my thoughts.
"Oh hey, Mara." I greeted. Looking past her shoulders, I saw that Victoria and the guardswoman were still chatting. "Made a new friend?"
"A possible recruit, actually." Mara's answer made me raise one of my eyes. "She wanted to confirm some rumors regarding the changes in the Abbey's beliefs and policies."
"What change in policies?" I asked, lifting my other eyebrow in surprise.
"It in regards to us, or rather what you've done," Mara gave me a soft smile and let her eyes flit over to the guardswoman. "Like many in our kingdom, she had always been pious in the faith, but she felt more inclined to take up arms. Now that we encourage both, it has garnered her interest."
Once again I gulped. "Uh… don't you think you might get in trouble for poaching from the army, especially the royal guard?"
"Abbot Winston told us to keep an eye out for those strong both in arms and faith." Mara's emerald-like green eyes held mine with a serious expression. However, her words made me nervous.
"What is the Abbot planning?" I asked, hoping it was not what I thought it could be. Was the Silver Hand going to be showing up five years earlier?
"Hmmm. Could I call it a new order?" Mara broke eye contact and cupped her chin daintily appearing in deep thought. "No. I do not believe I can."
Whew! So it wasn't the worst case scenario. "Well thats good-"
"Although," Mara turned her gaze back to me. "I do believe we will still be affiliated with the Brotherhood of Northshire. I personally see it more like a new division."
"Oh." I wanted to ask for more details. It was one thing if we did it ourselves; our order would have to be tiny since our resources were limited. That way, we could also easily merge with the larger Silver Hand order in the future. However, it would be a very different story if we had the full backing of the Abbey.
Unfortunately, further questioning was cut off by the sounds of a dozen metal-plated boots clanking in the hallway before a retinue of guards emerged, led by the Jaime Lannister expy.
Sir Callan." Jaime's expy tone actually was laced with genuine respect. That was new. "The King requested your presence and only your presence."
That last part was for Mara and Victoria who had taken up flanking positions to either side of me from behind. Their faces showed their protest, but they kept their mouths shut as to not gainsay the king. Still, I was touched that these girls had my back.
"Lead the way, Sir Jaime," I told him. With that, I went back through the familiar corridors to the large hallway. Once more, I crested the ramp and entered the massive throne room. Everything was the same as before except for the people in it. The King was listening to something Aegwynn was saying while next to them there were two new additions. One was a midnight dark-haired woman who I can confirm was one hundred percent of the same caliber as Aegwynn and Victoria in terms of beauty. However, as pretty as she was, it was the man talking to her that demanded my attention.
"Father?"
My father in this life, Lothar, spotted me and crossed the throne room quickly only to stopped before me a moment before he clasped both sides of my arm. His eyes held complicated emotions, but I knew he was trying to act strong. I saw them search me for any wounds before his body visibly relaxed.
"I'm fine, father," I reassured the man. However, while he was checking me for wounds, I too was doing the same. "I heard what happened in the Black Morass. Are–no–how are you holding up?"
It would have been stupid of me to ask if he was fine. No one would be fine after losing so many soldiers. My father looked stunned by my question before he gave a soft small smile when he realized my intention.
"I can only live up to their expectation," Lothar said as struck my shoulder gently with his balled-up fist. "But we'll catch up later. The King calls."
I nodded to my father before I walked to the throne and, doing as the Romans do, I knelt before the King with one hand striking my heart.
"I hear your call and answer your summon, my liege," I said by rote. "What would you command of me?"
"Callan Lothar." King Llane's voice took on a more grandiose tone. "The reward for your service and valor has been delayed much too long."
"...?" I was confused. Reward? Now?
"I had to wrack my brain on how to reward you for what you have done." The King now stood before me. "It was because of your defense in the Redridge Mountains that we now maintain a foothold there and managed to avoid total loss."
I wanted to show more humility and deny the merits, but one did not simply interrupt the king while he was talking. Luckily, he couldn't see the bead of sweat forming on my face from his praises.
"And your rescue of the Holy Relic in one on one combat against the foul orc Warlock is an inspiration to us all."
Yeah... let's say that was exactly why I fought the orc warlock. Technically, he's not wrong.
"However–" the king's voice was closer now. Suddenly his hand was on my shoulder. "You went beyond the call of duty and more was asked of you than of any other man when you excised the foul demon from our Guardian and my friend, Medivh. In doing so, you perhaps saved our very world."
'It was an accident…' I wanted to say but kept my mouth shut. Little do they know in the future, the world would be saved almost on a yearly basis.
The king stood back up and paced before me. I could see his arms behind his back and clasped together.
"A mere thank you and gold as a reward felt inadequate and most of all, insincere." The king stopped his pacing and turned back to him. "Thankfully, at your father's suggestion, we will give you a series of rewards. The first of which is something you will receive now."
'Oh?' I wondered before I heard a sword being drawn and felt a large blade tap both of my shoulders.
"I request that you now rise, Knight Captain Callan Lothar of Stormwind!" the king finished grandly.
My eyes widened. That was another two ranks I just skipped!
I tentatively got to my feet and was presented with the Knight Captain insignia from the king. To actually receive it from the king personally was a great honor that many knights dreamt of, something I only knew because Aloman told me as much.
"Now, I wanted to give you gold as a reward, but once more at your father's suggestion, he said you would be fine with a good sword to match your shield."
Personally, I felt gold would have been good, but I kept that to myself. I saw one of the royal chamberlains hand the king a sword with a golden lion's hilt that was still in its scabbard. The chamberlain swiftly retreated into the shadows as the king turned back to me.
"While it is not a rune blade like your father's, it is still very well-crafted and rare," King Llane said as he handed me the sword.
I took it as politely as I could and, after looking at both the king and my father for permission, I unsheathed the sword. The moment I did so, I was momentarily blinded by the bright reflection of the sun on the blade. It took me a few more moments to realize that the blade itself looked like liquid silver. No, correction, polished shiny liquid silver.
My mind immediately thought it was mithril, but I had to correct myself. I saw many high-ranking officers with mithril blades but they didn't shine like this. This sword was much, much more shinier and smoother to behold.
"It's made out of a very rare material called arcanite," my father spoke up for the king and smiled at me when he saw my eyes widen. He probably mistook my intention; I wasn't impressed that it was made out of arcanite. No, for me, it was the inner fanboy realization that I was holding the Arcanite Champion in my hand!
Sure, it wasn't as famous as the Arcanite Reaper, but I had always personally preferred the sword version of the Arcanite weapon set to its axe counterpart. I found it fascinating that even though I had been in this world for so long, little things like this could still make me geek out hard.
"I can see your appreciation." The King looked pleased. "Use it well in defense of the realm."
"Thank you, your majesty," I said sincerely. This was a huge step up from what I was using before which was forged steel. I shifted the weight of the sword in my hand and felt its balance and lightness.
"Now that we finished the ceremony," the King began once more, his tone serious. "It's time that we speak of our plans moving forward."
I nodded and made to back away but was stopped when my father put a hand on my shoulder.
"You will be here for this too. Lady Aegwynn said you might be able to provide further insight due to your seer abilities," Lothar said proudly.
It took a moment for me to realize what Lothar just said. It took another moment for me to begin panicking as I turned to the King and Aegwynn.
"But–!" I turned to my father hoping to get him on my side. "I'm not a seer or a prophet!"
"I did not say you were," Aegwynn injected and halted my ever-growing sensation of panic. "I told his majesty that you would be able to offer insight."
"Isn't that..." I trailed off and looked at her.
"I am well aware that based on your testimony, you saw a vision of the future," Aegwynn explained in a way that felt like she was looking down on me. "However, you still saw a glimpse into the future and that in itself is invaluable."
"How?" I asked, falling back on time-traveling laws hammered into me by fictional works. "What I did changed the future, didn't it? Wouldn't my knowledge be obsolete now?"
I really did mean that. The Bronze came after my ass which meant that I had messed with the canonical timeline. I couldn't depend on my future knowledge anymore, and I have read way too many stories about how people who were too cocky in their knowledge of the future ended up in a very, very bad way.
"Yes and no." Aegwynn gave an arch look at me. Damn, she pulled off that ice queen look so well, and it was aimed at me no less. I could feel her impatience in the fact that I was not quick on the uptake. "While it has been changed, that doesn't mean that everything you saw in the future is obsolete."
"Of course, that is not the only reason. Our upcoming plans will also involve you, my newly promoted Knight Captain," King Llane finished.
Oh? Did it now? There were plans involving me? "I'm… I'm not going back to Redridge battlefront, am I?"
"No." The king smiled softly. "But fear not. Callan's Fort will be held under Sir Gavinrad's stewardship while you are away."
'Callan's...Fort?' The king must have seen the dumbfounded expression on my face since he let out a soft chuckle.
"Yes, that is your settlement's name now. Fitting, I think, since you held onto it well." The king nodded in satisfaction. "Congratulations."
"I...Y-you honor me, my king..." I bowed to hide the fact that my cheeks were heating up in embarrassment or mortification. To have a place named after me was kind of an overwhelming feeling. It meant that my merits somehow warranted a monument of some sort. Objectively, now that I was removed from what transpired that day, I could see why my actions would look heroic, but my thoughts that day were more of desperation and survival.
I just...I just wanted to live.
"No more of that." The king waved his arms dismissively, and I felt my father place a hand on my shoulder to give me a reassuring squeeze. "Now, let us get on with it since we have put it off long enough."
I looked up to see the king turn to the dark haired beauty that I had somehow forgotten about. It was kind of odd that I saw her when I entered the room but did not pay attention to her presence the entire time until now. It was as if she made herself smaller so that Llane, Aegwynn, and my father's presence took precedence over hers.
"This is my wife, Taria, Queen of Stormwind." I could feel the pride in Llane's voice as he introduced her.
Now that I paid actual attention to her instead of a quick glance, I could see a much smaller golden crown on her head that was weaved into place by her hair. She also did not look anything like the actress from the movie which now made sense on why I never saw her. She wasn't Lothar's sister in the canonical timeline. Still, I couldn't be gawking at the queen too much; that would get my ass sent to the headsman so I quickly got on one knee and bowed deferentially.
"Forgive my tardiness in greeting you, my queen," I spoke in a highly formal way which elicited a super feminine giggle from her.
"You're so formal, like your father." The Queen continued to laugh softly in a good natured way. "Be at ease and stand. The time for the ceremony has passed."
"As you command, my queen," I answered nervously. Still, I got up to my feet and stood at attention. The queen let out a soft exasperated sigh at seeing me do so, but my father nodded in affirmation at my choice.
"Worry not, my love," the king said with a broad smile. "The Lothars would gradually thaw as you spend more time with them. There will be plenty of time to melt young Callan's rigid demeanor."
"Your majesty?" What? Did...did I hear that wrong?
"The diplomat that I sent to Lordaeron to ask for aid has been killed," the king explained patiently. "Not only that, but the ship that they were traveling on was also destroyed."
I blinked. Wasn't this too early in the timeline? "The orcs have a navy already?!"
I realized my mistake for speaking out of turn, but the king did not seem offended.
"It alright." Llane gave me a reassuring smile. "As my wife said, this is not the time to stand on formalities. You can treat me as your uncle so feel free to speak your mind."
"My–my thanks your majesty," I replied uncertainly but darted my eyes over to Lothar to make sure I was saying the right things.
The king saw the byplay between me and my father but merely huffed ruefully.
'Sorry, but I have watched enough medieval cinema to know better than to treat royalty too familiarly,' I mentally apologized to the king.
"To answer your question," the king began, but not before shaking his head in my father's direction. "No, the Horde has yet to take to the sea. Our coastal patrol could find no signs of naval build-up. According to the Captain who found that ship's wreckage, the attack on the ship appeared to be magical in nature. Lady Aegwynn will be examining the wreckage later to pinpoint exactly what kind of foul magic was used."
"Oh." Well...that explained a lot, but thinking about what I knew, the Horde at the current time had no magic that could destroy ships at sea. Something changed, and I didn't know what… Did they get a hold of Alexstrasza already?
No, that couldn't be. We would have already seen the red dragonflight on the field already since the Horde would have used them against Stormwind in a heartbeat...
"So, this brings us to why we called you here. Other than for your promotion and reward, of course." The king's voice shook me out of my musing. I saw his face turn grave as he looked directly at me. "The ugly truth is that we are losing this war. We have stalemated them for now, but based on the information you provided, we have concluded that Stormwind can only slow the Horde down. We cannot win. Not without help."
I felt my eyes widen as I realized where this was going as my eyes darted over to my father who had a serious expression on his face.
"We have to send another diplomat, but instead of asking for aid, we will also warn them of the true danger and threat you told us of." My father turned to the king and Aegwynn. "His Majesty and Lady Aegwynn believe that only with the combined might of all the Eastern Kingdoms can we push the Horde out of our world."
Hole. Lee. Shit! They were talking about forming the Alliance!
"However, I was at a loss as to who to send. Not only did I lose a charismatic noble, but I lost the only one who had any ties to the northern kingdom," the king continued as his eyes remained on me. "Any other high-ranking noble here would not be afforded the same respect as my diplomat… That was until I recalled your family lineage."
That was true. The bloodline of Thoradin still held some respect within the northern kingdom. No political power, of course, but respect was a good currency among the human kingdoms.
"I could not afford to send Lady Aegwynn who will be too busy reorganizing the conjurer order of Stormwind as well as taking up the mantle of the Guardian until Medivh recovers." The king's exhaled as his eyes turned to his queen and took a hold of her hand softly. "And your father is needed here to command the war effort with me. In the end, I can only show the northern kings how important this is by sending our kingdom's jewel to them."
Wait, this was a pretty damn big departure from known canon! Once more, I realized I was walking into the unknown.
"However, while I can send her with a royal guard retinue, I need someone who I know I can trust to guard her life." The king's gaze bore into me. "Someone who had shown himself to be favored by the Light and have fought foes far larger than himself. Someone with unmatched bravery and valor."
'Oh, fuck noooo~!' I screamed internally.
"Callan." The king walked down to stand in front of me. "I am asking you to protect my very heart. Please let no harm come to my wife."
What could I say to that? No? He laid it on too thick, and everyone was watching, even the royal guardsmen. There was only ever one answer available to me.
"Of course, my king," I answered with a confidence I did not feel. "I'll guard her with my life."
"Good!" The king clapped my shoulder and let out a relieved laugh.
"However, my king, if it is not too out of line to ask..." I left the last word hanging until I saw him nod his head. "Why not send the queen with a larger fleet? Why only a retinue?"
The king turned to my father and nodded in his direction.
"Because of safety, my son." Lothar stepped next to me. "Some way, somehow, out of all the ships in our fleet, the one that contained our diplomat was destroyed."
"You suspect saboteurs?" I asked incredulously. How? Alterac or Blackmoore were nowhere near us unless… Wait, weren't there bandits mercenaries in the first game that worked for the Horde? Small groups of bandits did exist, but I never really encountered them or felt that they were that big of a threat.
"We suspect the same." Lothar sounded extremely proud at my deduction. "That is why you and the queen will be leaving on another ship as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow. Speed is what is needed now before our enemies discover our plot."
"That soon?" That was really fast!
"Yes, so make ready to depart." The king looked at me gravely. "I leave my wife in your care."
"You can count on me, your majesty!" I gave a smart salute and elicited a smile from the king and a soft laugh from the queen.
"Good lad." The king grinned at me. "Report to 'The Stormy Wave' before dawn breaks–"
Whatever else the king wanted to say came to an abrupt stop when a man dressed mostly in high-end intricately designed leather entered and approached the throne casually to whisper in the king's ear before going to my father to do the same. I was guessing this was the spymaster, some version of the future Stormwind's intelligence division.
"All of them?" the king spoke out as he turned to the man with a grave expression. "An entire noble household gone just like that?"
"Yes, sire." The spymaster bowed. "There was no trace of their retinue nor signs of battle."
"Then there might be hope for their survival," my father interjected. He was probably the only man with the authority to do so. Well, maybe the queen too. "Though the Prestor's household might be small, we owe it to Daval to ensure that his house–what's wrong, Callan?"
The king too stopped and turned to look at me oddly.
Oh shit. Did my shock at hearing Deathwing's alias show on my face? God damn it, I knew I had a shitty poker face, but fuck.
"You know of Lord Prestor?" My father pressed. "To my knowledge, we never met or had any affiliation with anyone from his household."
I opened my mouth, only to close it. Should I tell them? However, before I could decide, Medivh's momma was now standing in front of me. She was pretty tall, I noticed, and made the mistake of eye contact with the new Guardian.
Aegwynn's eyes suddenly sharpened as she stared at me.
"You know of them. Perhaps through your vision?" Aegwynn deduced as she leaned her face forward, forcing me to involuntarily lean back. "There is fear in your eyes. Why?"
Well, no shit, Guardian lady! That household belonged to mother fucking Deathwing and his children's!
"Callan, if you know something, speak up," my father coax me gently.
I didn't realize that Deathwing had roots here, but once more, Azeroth's dodgy history reared its ugly head.
Well, shit. I already exposed the Bronze's crimes and the Infinite's desires so what's another dragonflight motive added to the mix? Taking a deep breath, I loudly exhaled and opened my mouth, knowing that I would definitely be derailing Azeroth history as I knew it.
"Well..."
TBC...
PERSONAL AUTHOR NOTE:
So for those that didn't know. The reason why I was on hiatus was my father ended up in hospice care and eventually passed away. So I was unmotivated and had a lot of estate things to deal with. I could have written a intermission or update thing on my fanfic but I didn't want to cause it would have counted as a story post. So when I take that down and load the actual chapter like now. No one would get that notification. So i made the choice to kept silent and for those that was nice enough that came form Spacebattle, they left comments on what happened.
Now, on to what you guys want to hear about, me writing the story. Every time I post a story, I am giving myself a leeway of 2 weeks a chapter. My editor show me how rusty I've gonna. Aka Icura my brother from another mother. So once I become better well oiled, perhaps it will get easier to write. Hopefully this is the last personal authors note I'll write in a while.
I noticed that the flame comment have gotten more savage than in time past but that's okay too, people like what they like. Likewise I noticed a lot more people joined in when I was on hiatus and like it. Much appreciated. I would take a peek from time to time and get a smile during the dark time. Thank you very much!