Disclaimer! I don't own Wow. Blizz does, and your soul too.
***Kingdom of Lordaeron – Northpass Road ***
"-rd Callan?"
I tore my eyes away from Zul'jin's head and saw that Haylea was in front of me, a bit shaken from her brush with death. In the distance, Alonsus and the Lordaeron delegates were rushing toward us.
"Are...are you injured?" the ex-royal knight asked as her eyes searched me for injuries. She must have called me quite a few times for her to be this concerned.
"I'm alright, Haylea," I assured her just in time for Alonsus' cart to arrive before us.
"By the Light, Callan, did you feel that?" The elderly man jumped off the cart as if he was a man three decades younger. "I felt the Light like never before! We all felt it!"
The priest in training next to the archbishop nodded as they searched for the source with their eyes. I was sure that if it weren't for my presence, they would already be searching with their legs and feet as well.
"Is that why you turned back instead of going to the Northpass Tower like I asked?" I raised an eyebrow at the older man who looked a bit sheepish.
"It was Lord Callan, your Holiness," Garithos said while staring at me. Lord? What happened to just calling me by my first name? "He...he brought the dead back to life!"
The archbishop whipped his head to the rest of us but noted that there were still some dead elves. However, he homed in on Emery's punctured breastplate. As a healer, he must have seen similar cases to know that it should have been a fatal injury.
"Y-You performed a resurrection?" Alonsus's eyes found mine and demanded an answer.
Being a bit tired, I couldn't think of any bullshit on the fly. 'Fuck it, I'll just tell them about my theory on how the spell work.'
"The body, I found, still lives on even after the soul has left it. At least for a little bit," I met his questioning eyes with my own. "As a priest, how many times have you seen a newly dead person with some embers of life left inside of them?"
The other priests had uncertain expressions on their faces, but Alonsus' own showed understanding. Surprisingly enough, so did the fourth Windrunner sister. I then held out my hand and focused some Holy Light into it, creating a golden ball.
"The Light can mend the body as we all know." I gave the same lecture I did to the clerics of Northshire. "However, what if we take it one step further?"
I began to pull more of the Holy Light into my hand, making the ball of energy denser.
"What if we put in as much effort for the recently deceased?" The ball in my hand expanded to the size of a baseball. "We know the soul exists, so if we can fill their body with enough of the Light's grace, I believe it can act as a beacon for their spirit to return, thereby reuniting the soul with their mended body."
"But...something like that would require an astronomical amount of faith and skill..." Alonsus's eyes shifted back and forth as he cupped his chin and pondered my words.
"The Light and its usage is no different than a soldier training for combat," I said. "The more you use it, the easier it becomes. After all, think about how much easier it is for you to heal someone now versus when you started off?"
The accounts from my girls and their experience with the Light attested to that. It was further proven to me when they switched to more combat-oriented holy spells.
"So you are saying anyone can bring back a dead person?" Alonsus eyed me incredulously.
"Yes, provided the conditions are met I would think," I elaborated. "I found the optimal time to bring back a fallen person is between six to twelve minutes after they'd died, and while most injuries could be mended, a blow to the head, no matter how fresh, ensures their death."
Alonsus and his priests looked at me as if I had just dropped a major revelation on them.
"Keep in mind," I warned as I looked at the three healers. "We can only bring back people who died unnaturally. Old age or certain diseases are beyond our abilities to cure no matter how much we would want it to be."
The disease part was a bit iffy; that actually depended on the priest's abilities. For my part, I knew with certainty that most diseases could be cured by me. Even the plague of grain from the third war could be cleansed. If I was on Earth, they would probably call me a miracle man since all of those diseases that people struggled with in my old life could be magically undone.
The archbishop fell silent then as did many of the others at my words, but the quiet allowed us to hear the sound of hooves in the distance. Sure enough, there was a column of at least fifty knights making their way to us. The Lordaeron flag was held high and with pride as they closed the distance between us.
I looked at my party and signaled for them to keep on guard just in case they were bandits disguised as knights. However, Garithos and Alonsus seem to recognize them, judging by their relieved expressions. The knights closed the distance between us quickly, and I got my first look at the group. The head knight, a brown-haired man in his thirties with one of the strongest jawlines I had ever seen, signaled to his knights to secure the area upon seeing the troll's dead body.
"Ah!" Alonsus said in a jovial tone as he walked to the head knight. "Glad you could make it, Uther!"
"–urrrk–cough cough cough–!" In an effort to suppress my laughter, I ended up sending saliva down the wrong area.
"Callan?" Alonsus came over me in concern. "Are you well?"
I waved him off as I coughed a few more times. "Errrrummmh! Hurrrrammh! Sorry, sorry. My apologies."
I wanted to finish the iconic lines and scenes, I wanted to so badly, but a foreigner knight butting in was just asking for trouble.
"Quite alright." Alonsus's eyes did show genuine concern before he turned to the dismounting knight with a large warhammer in his hand. "Uther, may I introduce you to my friend, Lord Callan Lothar of Stormwind?"
"Lord Callan Lothar." Uther's eyes shone with respect as he came closer for a brotherly arm clap between soldiers. "Thoradin's heir."
I returned the gesture and got a good grip on his arm. "Well met, Lord Uther."
"Please, you would honor me greatly if you just addressed me simply as Uther," he said. "I have read of your great deeds such as your marvelous defense at the Redridge mountains."
"Only if you can the formalities, Uther, and just call me Callan." I knew this was a serious meeting between knights and kingdoms in a way, but damn it, I couldn't help myself! "Also, nothing I did could compare to what my father achieved."
"I beg to differ!" Uther spoke up in my defense. "While he did win the greater victory, it was achieved through arcane arts. You, however, won the day through your faith and devotion to the Light!"
Now, I could see what my father saw in the second war novel. Uther was a man who was the very model of a knight, but upon closer inspection, his eyes almost shone with a fanaticism that could be considered disturbing to a worldly man. It was probably best to steer him away from such topics since I don't want to gain another student, especially since this man was one of the original five paladins.
"Let's just say we both won merits. Unfortunately, we're still losing the war." I sighed and saw Uther and some of the other knights give me sympathetic looks.
"Is it true?" another knight spoke up, taking off his helmet to reveal a man with neck-length red hair and a porn-like mustache. "Was the Brotherhood of the Horse destroyed?"
I felt a bit sad at that reminder. So many elite knights lost. The Brotherhood was a shadow of its former self now. I didn't think there would even be enough recruits to restart it.
"It is true." I nodded and took a closer look at the familiar-looking man. "Knight…?"
"Alexandros Mograine, Lord Lothar." The man flushed red when he realized he hadn't introduced himself.
'It's mother fucking Ashbringer!' I mentally shouted. I was able to keep calmer this time, but I could tell he was getting uncomfortable at my scrutiny of him. However, I couldn't help it, it was the fucking Ashbringer himself! The Ashbringer! 'I have your orb, man!'
"I apologize on Lord Mograine's behalf if he offended you somehow, Lord Lothar," Uther spoke up for his fellow knight.
'Shit,' I thought. I was making it awkward.
"Sorry, that was rude of me!" I hastily apologized to them both before turning to the future Ashbringer. "You just reminded me of another knight I worked with. He's a Brotherhood Knight by the name of Gavinrad. I think you two would get along well with him."
"Truly?" Alexandros, seeing he did not offend me, had his interest peaked. "I always wanted to meet a Brotherhood Knight."
"Alexandros..." Uther warned, but not in a stern way. In a manner that was more like he had done it a thousand times before. As if to confirm this, Uther turned to me. "Alexandros here always wanted to test himself in battle against a Brotherhood Knight, to see if our order is better or yours."
"Well." I smiled softly. "If you guys ever make it south, I think that can be arranged. It might be a little dangerous, though. With the orcs and all."
At the reminder of my country's plight, the two knights became serious. It was Uther who spoke up first. "Lord Lothar, the Knights of Lordaeron stand ready to fight with our Stormwind brothers. We look forward to the day the king grants us that permission."
"And we look forward to seeing your fellow knights in the north join us, Lord Uther," I replied before I heard someone moving behind me. Turning around I saw it was the fourth Windrunner sister. "Lady Lireesa?"
"We are ready to move when you are, Lord Callan." The elf did not seem to care that some of the knights were openly gawking at her. "I shall wait over yonder."
With that, the elf sashayed her hips hypnotically while making her way back to her group.
"Ahem." Alonsus coughed politely, bringing us three back to our senses before he turned to me. "It looks like we will part ways here, my young friend, but the conversation we had and the lesson you impart will be something I'll reflect on with great consideration."
"It hasn't been a boring journey with you around at all, Alonsus." I extended my hand out to the old man who shook it softly. With that done, he turned to the future Knights of the Silver Hand. "Now, come and ride alongside me, Uther, Alexandros. I have a few ideas I would like to discuss with you two..."
With that, Alonsus and the knights left me and the Lordaeron delegates behind. With a nod, I turned and walked toward the party.
"I shall accompany his Holiness, Lord Callan," Garithos said in a respectful tone. He and his men then straightened up and brought their axes to their faces in a salute. "It has been an honor fighting at your side, heir of Thoradin!"
I took my sword and held the blade up to my face to return the salute. My knights, following my lead, copied my action.
"As it was mine, Lord of Blackwood," I said sincerely. With that, Garithos' men got on their horses and left. With them fading from sight, I turned to Lireesa. "Shall we go?"
+++ Greenwood Pass – Borders of Quel'Thalas +++
The forest of Greenwood Pass was quite beautiful and with the way the wind was blowing, coupled with the scenery it made for a pretty pleasant journey despite us riding fast. We weren't riding at a dead run or anything, but our party kept a steady pace. Surprisingly enough, I could still smell the fresh pine leaves that permeated the air. I was pretty sure there were some magical alterations done to the forest.
Elwynn Forest, despite its beauty, still has an earthy feel to it with its various insects and spiders, not to mention the sometimes bigger man-size ones. I had to suppress a shudder at the thought. Despite that, the elf-governed forest was mostly harmless. There were no stray wasp hives, no spiders skittering, and no insects that would like to feed on you. It was too...clean.
"We are almost there, Lord Callan," Lireesa finally called back to us.
"My thanks, Lady Lireesa," I answered loudly as I signaled my party to be on alert.
Since we entered Greenwood Pass, the elves had not seen fit to entertain us. Of course, the Lordaeron delegates were irked by this, but I saw the way Lireesa kept her head on a swivel for attacks. After what happened with Zul'jin, more trolls popping out and ambushing them was a very real possibility. Most likely, once we have reached our destination, a larger elven presence would probably be sent out to hunt down any existing trolls on their lands.
Eventually, we got to a large wall that was clearly of elven make that stretched across the entire pass. The wall was a combination of white, green, and gold, somehow blending in with the surroundings. There was only one entrance through the thirty foot high wall, which was the metal gate grid in the middle. This was probably the famous elven gate from the third war, and just from looking at it, I could see why it would take an army to bust through.
"This is Thalassian Pass," Lireesa confirmed for me as she spoke up. "Beyond here is the home of my people."
The fort defenders, upon seeing their ranger general, opened the gate. There was no yelling, no affirmation of order; they simply recognized her at a glance. The gate, unlike human ones, opened silently to allow us entry. A soldier who was armored in plate walked out to take the cart of their dead that Alonsus left behind for us. Lireesa and the soldier spoke longer about something else, but that topic was made clear when she raised the wrapped-up head of Zul'jin to the surprised elf.
"My business is done," Lireesa said when she returned to us. She looked up to the sky between the trees. It was just midday according to my pocket watch. "Follow me and do not stray from the path."
Glancing at each other momentarily, my group made our way through the gate. The area was long and wide enough for most things to go through, but was probably designed to funnel enemies through in case of a breach. We followed it to the other end where bright light could be seen. The moment I exited the gate, my eyes widened as I took in the sight of Quel'thalas. In the future, this place would be called the Ghostlands. It would be filled with dying or rotted trees, the very land itself blighted and corrupted. However, for now, it was a lush forest that shone like a treasure chest with leaves the color of gold, emerald, and ruby.
"Welcome to Quel'thalas, Lord Callan," Lireesa said as she showed a pleased smile at the impressed looks on our faces. "Normally, we would keep to the main road to reach Silvermoon City. However, we'll make our way on this one to head to my home."
Now that she pointed it out, I noticed the wide main road we were on had paths that branched out. However, unlike the more uniformed ones I was used to, the elven paths were harder to spot. It made the road look like a tree trunk with the various paths being tree branches. I had to wonder if that was on purpose. The path the fourth Windrunner sister set us on was west of the main road.
"This is the southern forest of Eversong, as you can see, it's–" Lireesa began to act as a proper guide while we rode at a steady trotting pace.
Now that she was within her borders, Lireesa became quite vocal. She pointed out several villages that were so damn well hidden and camouflaged by the forest that if she hadn't pointed it out, we would have never known it was there. The pace was leisurely and by the time we reached our destination, the sun had visibly dipped lower in the sky.
"We are here, Lord Callan," the elf declared proudly. "Windrunner village."
It was once again, like all things of elven make, breathtaking. The Windrunner village wasn't a coast town, but it was seated over a cliff that allowed you to see the sea. The buildings were white with gold trims on their doors while their roofs, like the villages before, was a dark leafy green. As we entered the village, the denizens of the town spotted us, they were both familiar and unfamiliar. Familiar because the sight of children stopping to gawk at us was something we were used to. Unfamiliar because there were brooms that were moving by themselves, sweeping the streets. Others had buckets of water and a washcloth self-cleaning their building walls by themselves.
"It's magnificent," I breathed out and saw that the fourth Windrunner sister was pleased by what I said.
"Our destination is over there." Lireesa pointed at the tall tower-like structure on the other side of the town. "Windrunner Spire."
I couldn't help but let out an impressive whistle which made the elves look at me curiously at the gesture. Oops.
"You have quite the home, milady," I said. She nodded in response as she gazed at the building fondly.
"Come. I would like to get us there before nightfall," the blonde elf said as she beckoned us to follow. "I've already sent a runner to prepare a hot meal and the finest spirits to be served."
At the word, spirits, my party perked up, even I was curious as to what elven ale would taste like. Do they even call it ale or is it fancy wine? We continued to move through the town and I even waved at some of the more curious villagers. One thing for sure, the elves must be using magic to keep themselves clean, since every elf I said was practically spotless. Eventually, we made our way to the spire, which–I admit–made me feel a very real sense of giddiness.
A male elf in fancy robes walked out of the spire to meet the ranger general. Like the other elves, his face had an ageless quality to it, but he clearly was deferential to Lireesa. Either she was older than him or she was in a higher position than him.
"Lady Windrunner," the man said in a silky tone of voice before turning to us and wrinkling his nose at us. "Your orders have been carried out. Your... guests can clean themselves up before dinner. I have arranged…baths."
'Well, fuck you too, buddy!' I cheerfully cursed him out inwardly, even as I smiled at him. 'Sorry, we don't smell like a fucking meadows like you elves.'
"Biillan. " Lireesa sounded sweet, but the warning could be heard. She then turned to us. "However, the offer still stands if you would like to freshen yourself up."
Taking the lead, I got off my horse first. "I, for one, thank you for it. I can only imagine how bad troll blood smells."
Following my lead, the others got off their mounts.
"This way." The retainer, Biillan, led us into the spire.
When the Lordaeron delegates were made to follow, they were led somewhere else by a different retainer. That just left me and my party of five waiting for them to take the lead.
"This way, my lords," the second retainer said in a bored tone and led the Lordaeron diplomats back into town. I guess only those who directly helped Lireesa got to be guests of honor.
The first thought I had upon entering the building could be summed up to one word: opulence. I have seen high elven buildings designed in the game, but this blew that all away. For one there were crafted leaves made out of real gold and silver attached to the wall in an artistic way. There were green gems that I bet were emeralds, dotted on those leaves. Expensive vases and ornate statues decorated the side of the room. They were put on a pedestal for all to see and if not careful, to break.
I shot my party a look of warning to not even touch it. God knows how much it would cost to replace. Heck, even the carpet we were walking on looked to be of the highest quality comparable to the ones I saw in Stormwind Keep. On earth, this would be considered gaudy, but the Windrunner family displayed it in a tasteful way. It was still bragging to be sure, but it forced one to admire their skill for showing off.
The man led me up the stairs and started to assign rooms. My knights and Nestle had to bunk three to a room. While they split it easily into male and female, I was led to one that was only for me.
"If you find yourself in need of assistance, merely speak up and a servant will assist you," Biillan said before sniffing and leaving.
Alone, I took a moment to admire the spacious room with the open balcony. There, in the middle of the room was a fancy tub that would not look out of place on earth. There were little wisps of steam coming from the water indicating it was hot. There were also clothes laid out in elven design if we needed it. Luckily, I packed extra off-duty clothes so I wouldn't be wearing these. I noticed I could pull close a curtain by the balcony for privacy, but oddly enough it had a see-through design. Did elves just not care if people saw them? Whatever the case, I quickly took off my armor and placed my hand into the water to test the temperature. It wasn't scaling hot nor was it too warm; it felt strictly in the goldilocks zone, just right. With my thoughts confirmed, I put one of my legs in said tub and slowly eased myself into it.
I could have drifted off to sleep as the day caught up with me. However, my stomach growled, letting me know that it was time for me to finish up and get some food. I opened my eyes and finally noticed that there were weird leaves and flower petals in the water. There were also two jars placed on a table by the bath.
'It can't be...' I thought as I opened up the jar and saw two lotion-like liquid in it. After touching the two and seeing how it interacted with the water, I let out an involuntary laugh, but I quickly stifled it. Using two fingers, I dabbed some of the substance on to smell it and confirm my theory. 'It really is shampoo and conditioner...'
I couldn't help but wonder how many of my people would be confused by the product. We usually use scented oils, the women more than the men. I guess in any world, women are more meticulous about their hygienic care than the men. Smiling, I used the product as intended before scrubbing my body thoroughly and stepping out of the tub. The water had seen better days; I supposed this would perpetuate the dirty human stereotype, but I didn't care.
After I got dressed, I exited my room and made my way down the steps to see Lireesa talking to a male elf with similar blonde hair and a female with platinum blonde hair. She spotted me, as did the platinum blonde, the moment I entered the room. I nodded to the former, but my eyes lingered on the latter. The platinum blonde face was similar to that of Lireesa, though with much darker blue eyes.
"Ah, Lord Callan," Lireesa said as she approached me. She was no longer in her ranger outfit, but instead, a modest dress that did little to hide her curves. The two she had been talking with followed behind her while giving me watchful looks. "You finished earlier than your people. Come sit."
With that, she led me over to a large table with fancy-looking dishes already placed on it. I did a double take upon seeing something that resembled a whole roasted chicken or turkey. With Azeroth wildlife, you could never really tell if they were bigger chickens or smaller turkeys. Still, this was pretty unexpected. I thought we were gonna eat nuts and berries, being elves and all.
"Mother?" the male elf said to Lireesa as he gave her a pointed look. Wait, did he say mother?! "Are you not going to introduce us?"
"Lord Callan." Lireesa sounded put upon as only a mother could. "Let me introduce you to two of my unruliest children. This is Lirath, my musically talented son."
"Hail and well met, Lord Callan," the son of Lireesa said with an open smile.
The ranger general shot her son an endearing look before she gestured at her daughter.
"And this is my youngest daughter, Vereesa," she said as she gave her youngest a critical look. "Why she is at home when she should be at the Farstrider Lodge was something she was just about to tell me before you showed up."
"Mother!" Vereesa half whined as her face flushed red. "We have company. Can you not talk to me as if I'm a child?"
"Perhaps, when you stop acting like one," Lireesa replied flatly. Then, like all mothers, she decided not to relent. "I've been meaning to talk to you about the missives your trainer has been sending me regarding your progress."
"Mother!" Vereesa's eyes shot over to me before coming back to her mother. Lirath, meanwhile, was laughing at his sister's misfortune.
For my part, it finally dawned on me that Lireesa was not an alternate timeline fourth sister of the Windrunner, but was instead the mother of the Windrunner sisters. She was a milf this entire time! My thoughts were interrupted when my people made their way down the stairs.
"Lord Callan, come, sit next to me," Lirath said with an easygoing smile. "I heard many tales of the human kingdoms, but have not been allowed to travel to them. Tell me what Stormwind is like?"
"First, just call me Callan," I said automatically. "Your mother chooses to still call me Lord Callan, but I'd rather forgo the formalities, if that's okay with you of course."
That seemed to be the right thing to say as I saw the man smile wider. "Then just Lirath for me, and Vereesa would prefer the same. In fact, none of my older sisters cared much for them."
"Much to my ever-continuing disappointment." Lireesa proved that her elven ears were not just for show as she picked up our conversation. I noticed that, besides the two female servants, it was just the Windrunner family and my party.
"Mother..." Lirath sighed and shook his head before turning his attention back to Callan. "Now, care to introduce me to your people?"
"Oh yes, how rude of me." I smacked my hand to my forehead and heard a giggle from Vereesa at my antics while Lirath simply smiled a little wider. "This is my disciple's protege, Haylea, and my fellow knights, Emery, Harold, Wilhelmina, and Arabella."
I introduced my party and did a double take when I saw Haylea giving Lirath a dreamy-eyed gaze.
"A pleasure to meet you Lady Haylea. " Lirath smiled and, to my surprise, I saw the ex-knight blushed apple red.
"M-My pleasure, milord!" Haylea all but squeaked out.
"Harold, Emery, switch places with us," Arabella said to the two male knights.
The two men made to protest but saw something in their fellow knights' eyes that made them think it was probably a good idea to do so. The moment they switched, the girls pressed up against Haylea to lean over her shoulders and introduced themselves.
"It is an honor to meet you Milord Lirath," Wilhelmina said in a coy tone of voice. To the elf's credit, he gave what could be considered a lady killer smile and began to make small talk with them.
'What the fuck?' I thought in disbelief. Were these the badass knights I had been traveling with? They were fawning over the pretty boy elf! 'Damn girls, ya'll thirsty!'
I caught the eye of Vereesa who shared a look with me before rolling her eyes at her brother's antics. So, if I read it right, Lirath was a women magnet. Lireesa paid it no mind as if she was used to it.
"Lord Callan?" I turned to see Haylea and the girls looking at me. "Would you mind switching seats with Lord Lirath?"
I turned to see Lirath only giving me a helpless look while shrugging his shoulders. I looked to see if Lireesa minded, but all that she gave me was a resigned sigh and shrugged her shoulders. It was up to me it seems.
I exchanged the seats, allowing me to be closer to the head of the table and, in particular, Vereesa. The elf was prettier than what the game could ever make her out to be. It was always a surreal thing meeting your heroes. Looking at the platinum blonde, I knew more about her than I did most people. In another life, in an odd way, we had fought together.
"My thanks, Lor–no–you said you prefer Callan correct?" Vereesa asked. After my nod, she continued. "Then Callan, on behalf of my father and my sisters, thank you for saving our mother."
Lireesa gazed at her daughter with soft eyes upon hearing the statement.
"Where is the Windrunner patriarch anyway?" I asked curiously. My knowledge of the Windrunner family was wrong so might as well find out how much of it was incorrect.
"My husband is one of King Anasterian's advisers. As such, he is currently attending court in Silvermoon City," Lireesa said in a proud tone of voice. She clearly loved her husband. "You will meet him along with my two older daughters, Alleria and Sylvanas when you reach Silvermoon."
"Oh?" I asked, trying to hold in my excitement. It was hard to act like I knew nothing. "Are they rangers in training like Vereesa here or diplomats like your husband?"
Lireesa laughed suddenly, which oddly sounded almost musical. "My apologies, but my daughters are nothing like their father. I find the thought of them being advisers to the kings amusing."
"Alleria is a Ranger Captain and Sylvanas is training to take Mother's place as the Ranger General," Vereesa volunteered before she noticed my questioning look upon her. "I...I'm still training to be a Ranger, but I was told I have great potential!"
"If you stop being so reckless then maybe your potential would be realized. " Lireesa attacked her daughter savagely. That was a tiger mom; no mercy on her slacking kids!
"Mother!" Vereesa flushed red in embarrassment, and I could only give her a sympathetic look in response.
"So, is Lirath a ranger in training too?" I asked, knowing the answer. However, I was supposed to know nothing.
Lireesa and Vereesa looked over to Lirath immediately with concern. The male elf stopped his charm offensive on the human ladies before he turned and gave me a waned smile.
"Unfortunately, I have not been blessed with the bow like my sisters," the elf said with a sigh as he pulled out a lute. "As much as I wished it was not so, my strongest talent lies in music."
Vereesa came to her little brother's defense. "Lirath–"
"No, it's quite alright," Lirath said in a way that told us this was not the first time he had been comforted for his lack of skill in archery. "I'm happy that my three oldest sisters are prodigies, and I'm content with being a musician of some renown."
"The King named you the Royal Musician, and you are even training apprentices!" Vereesa exclaimed.
For me, it was fascinating to see the byplay between the older sister and younger brother. Vereesa, being closest to Lirath's age, was the most protective and sympathetic. I can now see how he was able to convince her to train him in the bow in the future. His meager skills with the bow gave him beer muscles and got him killed thinking he could take on troll veterans. If I remember the story correctly, Sylvanas never forgave Vereesa nor spoke to her again after that.
"Can you play us something, Lord Lirath?" Arabella's voice tore me out of my thoughts. Of course, it didn't help that she said it in a tone that gave me and the guys goosebumps.
"Please, milord?" Wilhelmina batted her eyelashes at him.
"Of course, anything for beautiful ladies such as yourselves," Lirath replied with a charming smile and took out his lute.
I couldn't believe the fucking cheesy line worked on the three girls as they gave him dreamy sighs. The mother and daughter duo also rolled their eyes at his antics. This must have been so commonplace that they were used to it by now.
"Now, let's see...ah, yes," Lirath got out of his seat and walked over to the head of the table. "Yes...I think 'A Dreamless Sonata' would be appropriate for the current atmosphere."
With that, he began playing the lute. Nothing I hadn't heard before, at least until I heard something that shouldn't have been produced with this world's current level of musical technology. Elves, to my surprise, did not just play music with their instrument; they had a magical light show too. My head perked up at seeing visible magical light dance around in the air while Lirath was playing. However, every time they collided, they produced a sound that should not have been possible.
"My son was the first to make use of magic to make music no one has heard before," Lireesa said proudly. "That day when he showcased his talent in front of the king, the entire court was enthralled by his abilities."
Lirath was definitely good, to be sure, but I wasn't enthralled like some people were. o, my mind was turning as Lirath continued to play. I turned my eyes over to Nestle and my special project that he was holding onto. Then turned my eyes back to the elf, who was winding down from his crescendo. In short, Lirath was a one-man symphony.
I needed his skill.
The moment he finished, we all clapped our hands while he gave us an elegant bow.
"Excuse me, ladies," I said as I put myself between them and the elf. "Lirath… I don't know how to put this delicately, so I'll say it straight. I need your help."
"Lord Callan, if there's anything we can assist with–" Lireesa stood up, hearing the seriousness in my tone. "Just ask me."
"This is something only Lirath can do." I turned to Nestle and beckoned him forward. "Your skill in composing music is exactly what I didn't know I needed for my project. Please, help me. The Lothar line will forever remember the Windrunner's help if you do."
Lirath was taken aback by my seriousness before he shook his head. "No, you saved my mother from certain death. If you say you need my help, then I will do my best. Tell me what it is you need me to do."
"I–" I began only to stop when I realized there were prying eyes. As if understanding my concern, Lireesa waved all the servers away and then, to my amazement, cast some type of spell.
"The silence spell, milord," Nestle whispered from behind me. "It prevents eavesdroppers, but I never saw it weaved that way… how interesting."
"It is as your magus said," Lireesa confirmed. Apparently, whispering didn't stop her from hearing our conversation, did it?! She didn't even have the decency to pretend. "No one will hear us and none here will betray your trust. You can speak freely."
"You honor me, milady." I inclined my head to her. It was a gamble, but with the stakes as it was, I had to roll the dice. "Nestle, show them."
After Nestle gave a presentation, everyone was stunned at first, but when I told Lirath what I needed him for, his eyes grew excited. Then, to my surprise, Lireesa pointed out something obvious that I had overlooked. Next thing I knew, she was drafted along with the rest of my party. By the time we finished, the sun had set and risen again. However, it was finally complete.
"We did it..." I leaned back into my chair at the same time that an exhausted Lirath did on his own. He had it worse than me. The Light helped me with my stamina, however the use of so much mana by him and Nestle's was plain for all to see.
Nestle was doing his best to stay upright as he took a pouch out to drink from. The room suddenly shimmered as if a pebble was dropped on the surface of a tranquil lake. A moment later the reason why Lireesa spellwork was disturbed was because Biillan, the Windrunner's retainer, entered the room.
"What is it?" Lireesa asked tiredly, though she didn't look any worse for wear. Mama Windrunner was Ranger General for a reason, I could see.
"The king had sent dragonhawks for Lord Callan and his retinue," the poncy elf stated in a bored tone.
'What? Now? Shit!' I mentally cursed before I looked at Lireesa. "Pardon me, milady."
With that, I turned to my party, but they were already on their feet and scrambling to their rooms upstairs. I rushed up the stairs too. Once in the privacy of my room, I put on my armor as I had done countless times at this point. By the time I was done, everyone else was ready. Even Nestle looked alert. I noted that Haylea and Emery's armor appeared to have been fixed. When that happened, I had no idea and neither did they, but now was not the time to question it.
We rushed down the stairs and exited the Windrunner's home to see six dragonhawks and their riders waiting for us. They were odd to look at, and my mind tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I could now understand why they were called dragon hawks. The scale and talon parts reminded me of a dragon, but the feathers that covered most of its body resembled that of a hawk. It should be ugly, but the hybrid combination works as the creatures let out a majestic screech upon seeing us.
Their screech made my men stop, giving the creatures a wary stare. Their riders, armored in gold and teal, eyed us for our hesitancy.
"How many people to a mount?" I asked Lireesa whose eyes were also on the birds or, more specifically, one of the riders.
"One for each," Lireesa replied after a moment. "It appears the Lordaeron delegates would have to take the long way."
"The king also requested your presence, Lady Lireesa," the captain of the dragonhawk spoke up politely. "Your bounty caused quite a stir among the courts."
Lireesa was silent for a moment before nodding. "Vereesa, you shall accompany me as well."
With that, we were assigned dragonhawks riders. Mine was a female rider with light plate armor who had her midriff exposed, showing off her toned belly. It wasn't quite the platekini, but it was quite eye-catching all the same.
"Well met, heir of Thoradin," the dragonhawk rider spoke up in a welcoming tone.
"You have me at a disadvantage, milady." Before I had a change to brace myself, we started to lift off the ground. "Woah!"
Even with my memories of flying on planes, it did not prepare me for flying in the open air like this. As we got higher, I realized the distance between me and the ground could be fatal if I fell. Would Aegis even hold up? Wait, didn't I have the slow fall spell?
"Please use my waist, Lord Callan. All of Lamsor's feathers would be pulled out at this rate." The dragonhawk rider laughed at me for gripping tightly on the feathers of her mount as it flew faster.
I looked at her tiny waist and looked back at the feathers. The feathers seemed sturdier, but because of the request, I let go. Gently, I placed a hand on her waist with a firm grip before I allowed my other hand to let go of the feathers completely.
"My thanks, lady…?" I asked politely, making small conversation as I noticed that the wind buffet was not bad at all. In fact, it felt like a pleasant breeze even though we were clearly going pretty fast.
"Did my mother and sister not tell you about me?" the dragonhawk rider asked in faux disappointment.
I blinked and leaned over to try to get a good look at her face, but her helmet was covering it up. Then it dawned on me that I was riding with one of the famous Windrunner sisters!
'Holy sheeeet!' I tried to contain my excitement. However, which one was this? Void Elf or Banshee Queen?
"Lady Sylvanas?" I hedged a bet mainly before her waist felt sturdy and Sylvanas had always been depicted as statuesque and thicker compared to her sisters.
"Wrong~" Came the amused reply. "I'm Alleria, though I'll take it as a compliment that you think I am my younger sister."
'I wouldn't be able to tell even if you two had your faces side by side!' I wanted to tell her. However, it struck me a moment later who I was actually riding with. 'Holy sheeeeeeeeeet, it's Alleria!'
"I would like to thank you, if Vereesa haven't done it already, for saving our mother," Alleria spoke up in a serious tone. "No matter what happens today, the Windrunner family will stand with Thoradin's line."
"Oh?" I asked. Canonically, during the second war, Alleria was only able to commit herself and a small group of rebellious elves to the cause. "Can you actually promise that on behalf of your family?"
"When Mother sent Zul'jin head along with a report of what happened, my father and younger sister, Sylvanas, had already decided to stand with you," Alleria replied and, this time, turned around so I could see her face fully.
I think my mind turned stupid because I kept staring and couldn't get a word out. Alleria had her mother's beauty for sure, but she also had her younger sister's fun demeanor. However, there were differences that set her apart from them. For one, her eyes were a lighter shade of blue while her hair was longer and much more golden than that of her mother. I might have been staring too much because a dusting of pink showed up on her cheeks before she turned back around silently.
'Shit!' I cursed myself now that my mind became less addled. 'Shit! Shit! Shit!'
Being familiar with Alleria and Turalyon's love story, I knew that one of the things that she liked about him was how he became tongue-tied around her like a fool. Fuck, did I accidentally pique her interest? While I could say that she was attractive–actually, she would put most women to shame–I still believed that she and Turalyon were meant to be together. I was not into cuckoldry, or as the modern-day slang called it, NTR.
She didn't turn around again, but she started to point out the sights to me. Like the rivers, the villages, and the Amani territory I saw in the distance. It was when we crossed into Northern Eversong woods that she straightened up and turned back around to face me again.
"We're here, Callan," Alleria said softly, dropping the formalities on her own. "You should be able to see it in the distance shortly."
"See wh–oh." There, with spires that gleamed gold like the sun, in all of its undamaged glory, was Silvermoon City.
TBC…
AN: Thanks for Icura for doing the edits despite his busy schedule and special thanks to all my patron supporter. Every little bit helped Much appreciated!
And Wow, simply wow, the feedback for the last chapter was crazy for me. That was a lot and I thank you all for taking the time out to do so. And now onto the chapter. Yeah, I went there. You saw it. I regret NOTHING! Much of this chapter speaks for itself, but I tell you now, the elf gates were funky as hell when I went in game to the blood elf lands to look for evidence of all three gate. I did not find it. So I made a creative decision to resolve the issue. Other then that, next chapter have me closing my eye and getting ready for the flames. It could be very much appreciated or go very very badly. Guess we'll see!
As always thanks for all feed back and discussions! Patron in the sig below.