Warcraft Fan Fiction ❯ Bloodstained Shadows - Chronicles of a Lost Soul ❯ Frozen Hearts - Chapter 4 ( Chapter 49 )

Chapter 4:

 

 

I have met many strange but still remarkable people since I had turned away from Arthas.

One of the most important encounters for me was seeing Alexstrasza, head of the red dragon flight.

Inside the little bag that was tied to my belt there was a red scale that I suppose belonged to one of her flight.

I suppose Keira once wanted to give it to me as a gift..., as a lucky charm.

She often told me of the flights, I remember this part of my life clearly again. The stories she told me. The things she tried to teach me and how Corren often could only shake his head towards our enthusiasm.

A scale from a sibling of the binderin of life herself. What a terrific present for an aspiring priest.

But now...

I didn't need it anymore.

Inside the little bag it lay next to the claw and tooth, mocking me every time I opened it to have a look at them, to have a look at my past.

I cursed it.

I cursed Alexstrasza and every single red dragon still living in this world.

This scale didn't help at all. Nobody helped Keira ... nobody at all.

I can't recall why I didn't just destroy it or throw it away, but I wanted to give it back. To return it.

The way to the Wyrmrest Temple was long, I had to pass through Dragonblight from the northern most point to the south.

It was a troublesome journey, not because of any resident creatures or minions of the Lich King, but because of the ghosts of my past that started haunting me every time when I was alone.

When everything was quiet.

When I had the time to think.

As I had left Crystalsong Forest, the first memories came to my mind. At first only the time with Keira and Corren, later followed by episodes of Darnys and Calystea.

I plunged myself into a dark well of sadness. It didn't take too long for my thoughts to settle again. Yet, the sorrow that I feel in such moments only turns to wrath. A kind of rage that will burst out on the closest target I can find.

Not too long ago, while I was staying in Orgrimmar over the night, this almost cost the life of an orc, and me the right to enter the city of Thrall. I'm sure the Warchief talked to Sylvanas about this matter, concerning me as her servant and not his, but nothing ever came back to me. Sylvanas is smart enough to realize and accept on her own that it would probably be easier to kill me instead of trying to punish me. But at that moment disposing of me wouldn't be such a good idea and she knows that.

They needed me. At least that was what I wanted to believe.

Besides... why should the Banshee Queen care about the life of one meaningless orcish slob?

With these things in my mind I started to be afraid that Alexstrasza could say something that would provoke me.

The anger I felt was already diminishing again, making room for clear thoughts. Yet still trying to kill the head of a dragon flight in the middle of the day and inside the halls of the Wyrmrest Temple could become quite troublesome.

On the other hand, I didn't really care at all at that moment.

Everything in my head was a mess as I rode on through the frozen wastes.

Coming from the Stormpeaks, a large road lead the way to the temple. At various points the stone was broken up and giant pieces were missing so we couldn't follow it the whole way, but still it eased travelling through Dragonblight a lot.

Abigore rode as fast as the wind.

Sometimes it even felt as if we were flying, the cold air in my face.

Even my rotten skin could feel the chill of Northrend.

Steadily the Wyrmrest Temple drew nearer and grew taller in its appearance. Those titans really knew how to built impressing cities, keeps, temples or whatever that building was intended for.

The signs of the waging war between the aspects showed themselves early. Dragons of the red and blue flights were fighting each other alongside the temple, devouring their opponents with magical flames of bright red and blue colours.

Other dragons lunged out at their opponents plunging themselves into close combat. With all their strength they tried to bite into the throat of the enemy or to disembowel them with the help of their sharp claws.

It was somewhat irritating to see a humble and restraint creature like a living dragon fighting just like the wild animals that we all are, fuelled by rage and fear.

The mangled bodies of the losers from the different struggles dropped towards the ground, but most of them didn't even come close to the pure white snow around Wyrmrest. The red dragons burst into flames as soon as they die and the blue ones vanished into thin air with a mild explosion of arcane energy.

I couldn't help to wonder how Alexstrasza, binderin of life, felt about seeing her beloved children die like this, fighting the siblings of a former companion.

At the foot of the old titan facility I dismissed Abigore to the realm of shadows and entered the ground floor. The merchants I saw there were of all kind of races, although you can never be sure if they weren't all just dragons in disguise so that one felt more comfortable with them around. The only person in the room, except for myself, where I was sure she was definitely not a dragon was the undead vendor in the southeast.

No dragon, no matter how much consumed by madness, would ever take the form of an undead. At least that's the impression I had gained over the time of those giant lizards.

As I had expected they were well informed. It didn't take long until a tall bloodelf came up to me. He greeted me in a friendly fashion and led me to the west side of the temple. He already knew where I wanted to go and Alexstrasza seemed to be daring enough to take the risk of having me in the top chambers.

A rather small red dragon landed next to the temple and the bloodelf told me that I could get on its back to travel to the spire.

I didn't worry that this could have been a trap... These dragons were all far too honest for setting up something up like that.

The little one had his problems flying with me in a full set of armour one his back. Even though the Saronitesteel is rather light, it still has a certain weight.

As we flew upwards I took my chance to watch the dragons fighting for a little longer. It seemed the blue dragons were the stronger ones, yet they were always outnumbered by the red drakes.

One of the larger blue ones bit the head of his opponent clean off.

Still if I had to take a wild guess, I would have said the reason for the red flight's lack of strength were their self-imposed shackles of being the 'good guys'. This may have been noble, yet their foolishness will lead to their defeat. They always tried to just beat the blue dragons and not kill them. The children of Malygos on the other hand didn't put the life of their enemy above their own. They were relentless.

From the moment I set foot onto the highest level of the temple, I felt the presence of Alexstrasza. To my surprise there was nothing pressing about it at all.

The young red dragon that had flown me to this level was apparently happy that he wouldn't have to carry me for a second time and took off back to the lower areas.

The spire of the temple was a small room with a bright blue orb in its middle. I couldn't tell what that device was for, but actually I didn't care about it too much either. The chamber had no real walls, only columns substituted for them and formed a circular room.

Standing around the orb there was a council of the various dragon flights. All of them were currently in their humanoid forms. I saw two bloodelves, one human and a little gnome additionally to Alexstrasza who stood out of the council.

She was in her typical high elven form. However, whilst the other members of the council tried to look like a real member of the race of their choice and blend in, Alexstrasza seemed a bit more extravagant.

The clothes she was wearing weren't as uptight as anything the other council members were wearing, leaving the impression that Northrend was actually a pretty warm country. On the other hand, there was no need to hide this body of hers, although it may have only been a guise for her.

She had a beautiful, lush body, not as unnaturally scrawny as you might expect from an elf. Her hair was of a fiery red colour. But still, the slightly pink tone of her skin gave her an awkward appearance. The two horns on the side of her head and her bright ember eyes distorted her looks even further.

As she spoke, the words were calm. Her voice was clear and rather light, a typical elven voice in my opinion, yet there was something special about it. It soothed my anger and restlessness, at least I wouldn`t have the problem of accidentally attacking her. Something about it also made me feel a warmth inside me.

It was as if her words were travelling directly to my heart, as if they were trying to give me a feeling of safety.

Oh, I did feel safe... a lot too safe when facing a dragon.

The iciness of my voice and heart drove the warmth of Alexstrasza's spell away instantly.

“What brings you here, Deathknight? What do you seek?”, she asked me, her ember eyes fixed upon me.

My hand reached for the bag hanging from my belt as I took a few steps towards her.

“I want to return something...”, I said without any emotion.

As I passed the blood elf who was completely dressed in leaf-green robes, he jumped to the side, trying to bring a few metres in between himself and me.

They all feared the cursed metal that my armour was made of. Saronite ore is drenched with the blood of the old god Yogg-Saron. Some people even say it was the crystalline form of the blood.

Most people who wore such suits of armour or wielded weapons forged from Saronite became insane sooner or later. They said they heard whispers of all different kinds. Promises, threats or even just mad uttering.

I have my own ghosts whispering to me, I just didn't listen to the other ones.

“And please...”, I continue, “don't ask your silly little questions. I'm pretty sure you already know why I came here.”, I didn't have a reason why I should treat her with more respect than anybody else.

The little gnome looked at me with a wink. Something was familiar about her, although I couldn't tell what. Later on I found out her name was Chromie, although this didn`t change anything about the situation.

Alexstrasza tilted her head sideways as I came towards her.

“Are you sure you want to return something and not just run away from your past?”, her voice still was offering the warmth of the life-binderin, but again I refused to accept it.

“Stop your little games and just take it.”, by the time I said these words, I had untied the bag and held it in my right hand stretched out towards the dragon aspect.

“Do you seek forgiveness? Or is it retribution?”, she also had the tone of a high elf by then.

There was something about her that I didn't like from the first moment I had seen her. I just couldn't stand it... this arrogance.

She calls herself the binderin of life itself. She holds the power of creation... and therefore she has the right to stand out?

The way she talks, every single word she speaks somehow gives you the impression she cares about you, no matter who you are or what you have done. But...

When I looked at her, everything in me rejected these feelings. I only saw another arrogant elf, or perhaps dragon, trying to be someone special.

Our eyes met as both of us had fallen silent.

If the stories I had heard about her were true then she had suffered a lot in the past, and still I started asking myself 'why'.

If she knew pain like that..., if she knew pain just like I do..., why did she still send her children into battle against `the Blue`? How could she just send her children into certain death instead of fighting herself? All around us red dragons died to the claws and teeth of Malygos' children as we were looking at each other.

I was rather sure that she could read my mind as long as we looked into each others eyes.

I felt how the anger started rising again.

“What do you want from me? Why are you asking questions like this?”, it burst out of me after a long period of silence.

The other members of the council looked at me for a short moment.

She didn't hesitate to answer, still she gave me a few extra seconds. It was as if she wanted me to alter the things I had said. As if she was giving me a second chance for something I didn't want.

“You are asking the wrong person the wrong things, deathknight. The really important question would be what do you want from me?”

Was she mocking me?

“Just take that damned scale of your kin! It was useless! Just a piece of trash!”, I yelled out at her while throwing the bag to her feet.

I had already opened it after taking it from my belt, so everything that had been in it was now scattered over the floor. The sharp claw glided over the smooth stone to the edge of the platform, so it almost fell off.

The red scale stopped directly in front of Alexstrasza as well as the ring I was carrying in the bag with me. She looked down at the two items lying in front of her.

With a slow but fluent movement she picked up ring. It bore the signet of the Kirin Tor. She turned the Ring in her hand.

“Give that to me!”, I demanded from her, making a step forward.

“I thought you wanted me to take these things?”, she asked in a pushing tone.

“Not that... Just the scale of yours!”, I hate it when somebody starts arguing with you in such a way.

“Scale? You mean this little scrap of one?” she pointed at the red shining piece of dragon skin on the floor and almost laughed out loud.

I didn't bother to respond, she already knew the answer after all.

“If that is supposed to be a whole scale, it wouldn't even be big enough to belong to any of my children.” She slightly shook her head. “Besides, I knew who I had given this to. I also know why. That women was also the one, who once wore this ring too, am I right?”

I silently looked at her from my ice blue eyes. Not a single emotion was visible on my face and still I felt as if Alexstrasza was able to read me without any problems.

“She was a beautiful and aspiring young women. A bit hot-headed, yet with a big heart. She wanted this piece of my scale as a present for a friend of hers. To show him the right way, to guide him. Sadly I see, it was too late.”, her last sentence almost sounded a bit sad.

“Most humans would take many lives for only meeting me once, for being able to ask a single question. And all she wanted was a scrap of a scale of mine for a friend. I could sense how she missed you at that time, but she lived in the present and for the future, not for the past... You should learn that too.”

The tall bloodelf next to Alexstrasza picked up the little bag as well as the red scale. He then took the ring out of Alexstrasza's hand and put everything into the bag before he came towards me.

“You should honour the dead with living your own life, with pursuing your own path for a better future. Living with the ghosts of your past won't turn you into a hero or whatever you want to become. Put the past to rest and let her live on in your heart.”, she makes a short pause, "Don't be so foolish to disgrace her and her sacrifice with hatred."

I remained silent as I took the bag from the bloodelf.

“I feel pain and sorrow to see a once so pure soul as yours now in a tormented state like this, deathknight.”, what nonsense she was talking that moment I said to myself.

I cannot really describe the feelings going through my head in that particular moment.

“I see everything you have went through, how you have suffered. And I can tell you: Be careful. Don't make the same mistakes so many have already made before you.”, her voice grew thinner with every word she spoke.

After a few minutes of complete silence I turned around. The tall bloodelf who had handed me the little bag again orders one of the smaller dragons to take me down to the lower areas.

Before leaving the spire I could see from the corner of my eye how the little gnome shook her head with a sigh as she looked at Alexstrasza.

On the way down I had to chance to watch the ongoing fights between the red and blue flight, just like on the way upwards, except this time my mind was completely empty. Not a single thought came to my head.

After having set foot onto solid earth again I just blindly took a few steps away from the Wyrmrest Temple before summoning Abigore.

Shadow's Edge shined in a bright, intense violet from the shadow energy pouring out of the weapon as my deathcharger came into this realm. The sight of the weapon slowly brought me back to reality. I then started to comprehend what had happened just minutes ago. I could even still feel the warmth in my heart that Alexstrasza had left there.

It took only mere seconds for my anger to vanquish this feeling.

Those treacherous dragons...

She had tricked me...

The moment I opened up for only a few seconds she cast her spell on me. I had let my guard down for only a short moment.

You can't trust the red dragon flight. That was the only thing I had really learned today.

I looked at the bag in my right hand before I tied it back to my belt.

This whole idea of meeting Alexstrasza was a failure.

How could I have been this naive?

I screamed out loud once. Every living creature near me should now be alarmed. If anybody or anything would cross my path now and only blink... I would want to kill him or it without restraint.

“Honour the dead by living my life?” I whispered to myself.

“What life...? I have already died twice.”