Ashal

"Sab...?" Chey called from the kitchen
Sabien stirred from the armchair with an affected sigh. "Yeah yeah I know" he said resignedly, then in a playful tone tone mimicked Chey "Be a love and nip to the market....."
Chey laughed.
"Don't suppose it matters what I buy?" he said grinning muckily "It's just an excuse to grab some erotic Kel time"
Chey laughed again and hurled a damp cloth at him, hitting him squarely in the face.
"Out!" she said pointing to the door. "Wild sage and parsnip salt and quick about it"
"Aye aye" he replied giving Kel a wink and Chey a snappy salute as he ducked out of the door.
"Parsnip salt?" asked Kel raising an eyebrow and pulling a distasteful face "What the fel's that and what the feck are you making?"
Chey walked to Kel and smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her slightly perspiring, heat flushed face.
"No idea..." she smiled as she straddled Kel's lap and draping her arms around his neck before pressing her lips to his. "Good luck to him finding any...."
Kel laughed as his arm's circled her waist and pulled her to him.

"Feckin parsnip salt..." Sabien grumbled as he tried the third vendor who, as the others had gave him a blank look. "I'll kill the flamin wench..."
He grinned to himself, Kel was a lucky sod....
Roughly working out time in his head, he calculated that if she'd jumped on Kel straight away, they'd be up to...well yeah....he laughed quietly, give em a few more minutes and walk back in at what he hoped would be the most inopportune moment.
"and serves yourself right...." he quickly bought a parsnip and some salt and turned to head back.

"Hey you Bloodelf..." a harsh orcish voice called "Stop in the name of Garrosh"
Sabien turned towards the shout, three huge armoured orcs were striding across the square towards him. He swallowed hard and tensed, the memory of his treatment in an Orgrimmar jail still easily recalled. He resisted the urge to run.

"Afternoon..er gentlemen..." Sabien started, fixing a grimaced smile on his face.
"Why are you still in Silvermoon Bloodelf?"
"I er..live here.." Sab was aware he was sounding glib, the orc also thought so and a gauntleted fist hit him squarely in the gut.
Sab doubled over holding his winded stomach and raised his head, glowering at the orc.
"All able bodied Bloodelves, male and female are to report to the Orgrimmar docks to be deployed to Pandaria, to fight for the Horde to claim this new land and the allegiance of its peoples...." The orc almost recited his speech.
"Well I ain't able-bodied..." Sab gasped "just had a fist in the gut..."
"Funny elf huh?" the orc growled clenching his fist before turning to the other two. "Take him now..."
Sab drew himself up to his full height only to be grabbed firmly by the two orcs.
"Bloodelf..." snarled the first orc "Consider yourself drafted into the Vanguard of Garrosh's mighty army, take him away"
"Whoa..whoa..." Sab protested as he was dragged across the square "You can't...I have to let people know...."
The orc laughed raucously "If your people are in Silvermoon, you can tell them yourself soon enough..."
Cursing and struggling Sabien was dragged to a portal.

"Sab should be back soon" said Chey as she brushed her hair and fastened her belt "better put your shirt back on..."
Kel nodded and quickly threw his clothes on, pausing only to kiss Chey and squeeze her backside playfully.
"Best starter to dinner..." he grinned as they headed downstairs.

A clashing of doors and harsh muffled voices made them stop and look at each other.
"Guess he couldn't find any parsnip salt" laughed Kel.

A loud hammering at the door "Open up.." a yelled orcish voice
"Stay back Chey" said Kel cautiously "I'll see what they want" and he went to open the door. The door caved inwards sending him reeling.
"what the...."he exclaimed as he saw the contingent of orcs on the landing, banging and opening the other apartment doors.
"Two here Captain" said the orc at their door.
"What have we supposed to have done?" demanded Kel, righting himself and placing himself between the orc and Chey.
"Nothing Bloodelf..and thats the problem, you have disregarded a direct order from the army of The Horde..." and he intoned the speech Sabien had heard just moments before.
"First Ive heard..." said Kel looking surprised.
"Well youve heard now..get your weapons and armour and fall in, youve been called upon to fight in Pandaria..."
Kel looked perplexed and uncharacteristically at a loss. The orc reached to grab him.
"Get out of my house!" Chey yelled striding down the last few stairs. "I will not fight anywhere for your precious horde..I am Sin'Dorei...." a savage slap to her face stopped her mid tirade as she was flung across the room. Kel leapt, fist clenched to her aid, kicking out at the nearest orc to her.
A harsh laugh from one orc.
"Show him who gives the orders here..."
Kel was grabbed by two orcs as they seemed to stream through the door. A fist flew at him, he dodged grinning. "That the best you got...?"
Another fist, this time from behind hitting him squarely in the kidneys, he arched back in reflex to the pain.
"Leave him, if he doesn't fall in line willingly we'll hit the woman until he does" grinned the orc determined not to be outsmarted by some puny, long-eared nancy boy.
A fist clenched and swung towards Chey
"NO!" yelled Kel..."I'll go..." and he raised his palms in surrender.
"That's better..." growled the orc "Better get used to hardship pretty-belf....you'll find the world outside your poncey city a real change..."
Kel was pushed out of the apartment to join a few other disgruntled Sin'Dorei, most wearing bruises and cuts from their call up.
"I will not go!" Kel heard Chey's defiant voice from inside. "You know where you can stick your precious horde..."
A slap.."and..let..my husband..." her words silenced by another heavy hand. Kel helplessly heard her cry out, restrained by heavy orc hands as he vainly struggled to get back inside.
"Chey.." he yelled
"She's only one female...take her to the cells, she will not be missed in Pandaria..she will be branded a traitor and serve her sentence in Orgrimmar.." Kel heard this with terror in his heart. He had spent time in Orgrimmars "justice" system, he still carried scars, Chey would not be able to stand up to the harsh treatment, he was sure of it..he couldn't even bear to think of her there."
"Chey" he called again in Thalassian "Chey please..not for the horde..but for me...I won't survive long if I'm worrying about you..." It pained him to ask her, he should be in there by her side, but the orcs held him fast and more than this, their threat to beat Chey until he agreed.
Chey heard Kel plead with her and knew he was right, if he was to fight he must be sure that she was safe and out of these savages hands. She raised her hands. "Ok" she spat "I'll go..." and elbowing her way out of the flat took her place at Kels side. At least whatever the future held they would see it together, and in the end she thought thats all that mattered.

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Pandaria took on a dream-like quality, she found it hard to believe this was really happening, it had been all so quick and bizarre, her and Kel snatched from their home and conscripted into Garrosh's army to be sent to conquer this new continent for the horde.
Oh they said it wasn't a conquest, they were here to assert their friendship to the native people and to protect them from the Alliance who -had- come to conquer. As far as she was concerned it was all propaganda, the only reason the horde was here was to prevent the alliance gaining a foothold, and as she saw it, the alliance was only here to prevent the horde doing likewise. Another pointless futile conflict, the two factions yet again fighting over land that wasn't theirs anyway. She was Sin'Dorei, and she felt a strange empathy for this new people, even though, as yet she had yet to see one. This race, whoever they were would be subjugated into the horde "for their own protection" and soon after they too would be puppets of Garrosh's regime, just as her own people were.

Soon after their arrival here and their induction into their ranks, she and Kel were separated, him sent to the main vanguard of the force, she sent to one of the smaller outposts where she was supposed to be scouting out the yet uncharted lands. She went through the motions, doing what was asked and no more, retiring to her bunk after duty, seeing or speaking to no-one. She was unhappy, she was angry but most of all she was lonely, she missed Kel more than she thought possible and everyday she worried for his safety.

Dawn and yet again she was roused from her fitful sleep by their captain, a muscular female orc. "Today" she shouted when they were all assembled on the makeshift parade ground, "We advance, no subterfuge, we march..." her voice rose with fervour. "Today we claim this land for the Horde, ready your arms, no quarter to anything that stands in our way. "For the Horde" she finished in a mighty crescendo.

It couldn't be called a battle, it was a free for all, no holds barred massacre and Chey felt physically sick, she hated herself for being a part of this, it was against everything she held true. "I cannot, I will not" she cried silently to herself that night as she rocked aimlessly, arms wrapped tightly around her drawn up legs.
"Awww the ickle belfy missing her fwends?" a hard malicious voice cut into her misery. The orc captain stood smirking in front of her. Chey didn't look up, she didn't respond. Yanked to her feet by her hair, the captain screamed and swore in her face, a dressing down about respect being shown to her rank, obeying orders, and a tirade of sarcastic vitriolic abuse of the Sin'dorei.
Chey's apathy was shaken, this grey green monstrosity of a female was degrading her and her people, using them all as cannon fodder, expecting them to slaughter innocents whose only crime was to say "No!" to Garrosh and the protection of his mighty Horde.
"At least I have friends to miss..." Chey retorted, raising her hand to block the incoming blow. She caught the orc by the wrist "Touch me again and I'll kill you..."
The orc laughed and easily shook herself from Chey's grasp.
"You will be punished..."
Something snapped inside Chey at that point, images of the people killed today, ordinary people, not soldiers, fighting for more than their homes and land..their identities and their freedom to be themselves, she was sorry..she was ashamed and she could do this no longer, she turned and she bolted out of the barracks, out of the compound.
She dimly heard the commotion behind her, voices yelling, commanding her to stop, she ran. A whoosing noise in her ear as an arrow flew past, then pain..searing pain in her back then in her arm and then in her leg. She stumbled then fell, a brief but agonising pain in her head.
As the ground rushed to meet her, her final thought was of Kel and how she would miss him even in death. Then darkness took her and she knew no more.

"Gruk'Thok P" the orc said in a dull droning voice as he threw and envelope to the said Gruk'Thok P. "Had a mail run, letters and parcels from home for some. Sundawn S" another letter thrown across the barrack room. The dull orc trudged around the hut, droning names and flinging letters and packets. Kel'dos sat in the corner of the room, lounging against the wall as he sharpened and poisoned his blades while waiting for the call out. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, true it was a harsh lifestyle but no more so than that of the orcs in the same batallion. He had expected to be treated unfairly being a Sin'Dorei yet there had been so signs or show of any favouritism to anyone regardless of race, all were treated with the same amount of disdain by the higher ranking, battled hardened officers. He allowed himself a brief thought of Chey, separated on arrival as the army did not approve of married couples serving together, he gave a slight smile as she popped into his head. He dismissed her quickly, he could not afford to think of her, if he did he would worry, if he worried he would make mistakes, if he made mistakes he would die, as simple as that. He was no use to her dead.
They had been assured that this tour of battle duty would only last half the year at most and even if it didn't they would be allowed leave for a few days after they had served three moons service. Kel'dos counted the days off in his head, surviving for the day he could go home and spend some time with Chey again.
"Lightblade K" the dull orc had reached the far end. Kel raised his head in surprise, who knew where he was to write to him? "Sab!" he thought. He had now assumed that Sabien too had been conscripted, this thought all but confirmed on arrival as he overheard two orcs discussing the previous contingent of draftee's.
"He swung for Captain Tak" one had said "Hard punch for one of them nancy elves"
"Queer lot them elves" the other offered "Evidently he got angry over a parsnip and some salt"
Kel had laughed aloud, to be immediately silenced by savage kick. That had to be Sab, angry elf with a hard punch and carrying a parsnip and salt..Cheys errand.

Once separated from Chey, with promises to keep safe and her to keep her anti-horde sentiments to herself, Kel'dos slipped into his routine with relative ease. Years on the run saw him used to hardship and rough living, he focused his thoughts on finding Sab mainly to stop him thinking of Chey.
"You want this letter or not?" grunted the orc, pulling Kel back from his thoughts. He nodded and reached up to take the mail.
It wasn't a letter, it was a rough sacking pouch, quite small with his name written on a tag, tied around the top. He looked at it curiously before opening it and tipping the contents into his palm. He looked at it perplexed, it was a small id tag and a small crumpled note bearing the insignia of the horde. He turned the tag over in his hand and looked closer "Cheyene Lightblade 3030150" was crudely engraved on one side. The room seemed to sway and a moment of irrational fear so intense it made him feel nauseous gripped at his gut, his hand shook uncontrollably as he opened the note.
"As next of kin you are duly informed of the regrettable death of.." here Chey's name had been penciled on what was obviously a proforma letter. "Know that he/she died doing their duty to the horde" There was an illegible signature.

The whole barracks turned to look as an angry, frustrated howl went up from Kel and his fist struck the wall. The pain jolted up his arm and into his shoulder, clearing his head. Chey..dead..Why her? of all people why her..?and her face filled his mind, not the gentle smiling face he loved, but a pain and fear contorted mask almost a parody of the beautiful face he remembered. "Why her for Fel's sake...Why?" he roared as his grief consumed him. The others in the barracks looked at him helplessly having now realised what his letter had contained, their looks were of sympathy and pity, there but for the grace of fate went they.
"I am sorry my friend..." someone offered quietly.
Kel spun on his foot, lashing out blindly at the speaker.
"Hey Elf..stop that!" a grunt hurried across the room towards him. Kel roared again, a sound not unlike a wild animal in pain, he picked up someones mace and swung at the advancing orc, his face a mask of fury and contorted with his grief. The swing went wide and hit the adjacent wall, shattering the wood with a crash. Again and again he swung the mace, the others ran and ducked out of his uncontrolled path as he took out his pain on anything within the range of his swing. The grunt held up his hands and backed off, calling back over his shoulder for assistance.
"Elf gone mad here..." he explained to the two others who ran in. As they advanced towards Kel he swung wildly, cursing in Thalassian, his eyes wild.
The orcs branished heavy clubs and grinned at one another.
"Leave him" came a Sin'Dorei voice "He's just been told his wife has been killed...."
The grins left the faces of the orcs, replaced by looks that almost resembled sympathy, so easily could it have been one of theirs.
Kel continued to smash and yell, no sign of easing. The orcs exchanged a look and nods.
"Oi elf..." said one stepping foward, and as Kel spun to face him, mace raised the other two barrel charged him, tipping his balance and quickly overpowering him with sheer muscle. Kel roared and struggled for a moment, the mace dropped from his hand and his shoulders slumped forward, his anger spent and in it's place a void of pure devastation and he didnt struggles as the orcs led him from the barracks. There was no mistreatment or violence as they led him away, the firm strong hands that held him were almost gentle in comparison to their usual handling of the ranks, especially Sin'Dorei. Although they had no love of the elven race, each one could sympathise and feel the grief this elf was enduring, a life mate taken...each of them knew how they would feel were it them.
He was unceremoniously thrown into a solitary confinement cell and the door locked, not that Kel would have noticed if the door had been left wide open, he slid down the wall and curled up in the corner, his face buried in his hands, for the first time in his life he wept.


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"Elf, out” spoke the orc gruffly at the elf sitting against the far wall, head bowed. The elf stood up slowly and walked from his cell, affixing his throwing knives and daggers back to his belt without a word.

“Go eat, then report in” added the orc without looking up from the ledger before him, “Released, no further action necessary” added alongside the name “Lightblade, K”. The elf turned and walked silently from cell block.

The following days passed by as if Kel’dos was in a dream. Orders were followed mechanically without thought or question, those who shared the barracks with him gave up trying to talk to him as any question or condolences were met with the same blank response, as if he hadn’t heard or didn’t care to speak. At night he lay awake, eyes closed but hardly sleeping as his jumbled thoughts tried to come to terms with his loss, the future obscured by a grey and heavy fog. It was almost a week later when sent on a mission to infiltrate and poison the supplies of a small Alliance encampment, his first solo mission since his loss, that the mists finally lifted. The encampment was a small and temporary base consisting of no more than twenty tents, a few stacked boxes of munitions and a few more more of medical supplies and rations. His task was to enter the camp at night, poison the potions that would be used to aid the injured and to drug the rations to enable the planned attack by the Horde infantry to pass with minimal opposition. Any that survived would be finished by the poisoned medicines. He’d been watching the camp for a few hours, the soldiers were like any other – they laughed and joked around the campfire until orders were given and they each retired to their tents to rest until only a couple of guards were left on duty. These were ordinary men and women, much like himself and Chey – most likely drafted in to fight a war that wasn’t theirs to fight either. Tomorrow, they would all be dead; husbands, wives, mothers, fathers would be getting the letter informing how their loved one died a heroic death fighting for the Alliance. There was nothing heroic about dying to the blade of an orc, drugged by a sin’dorei in the name of the Horde. But, he wasn’t Horde; it was Horde that had sent Chey to her death to fight a war they neither wanted or believed was needed. This wasn’t his war, his allegiance was to his people and not to some crazed orc named Garrosh who cared nothing for the sin’dorei.

Kel’dos pulled off his Horde tabard and dog-tag, dropping them into the mud at his feet and unclipped the vials of poisons and ground them under his heel. Let the Horde fight their wars, he would have no part of this any longer.

~~~~

The apartment was dark and silent, everything was grey and drained of colour, just as his life still felt to him. He made his way to the bedroom, the aroma of her perfume still lingered and the pain of losing her struck him as a physical blow once again. Picking up a backpack, he packed a few personal belongings, a few mementos of their short time together, he didn’t need much, he knew he’d never forget her. The rent was covered for another couple of months, after that the Landlord would reclaim the flat and deal with the contents, it didn’t matter anymore. Kel’dos left Silvermoon as unseen as he had arrived and made his way through Eversong to the ruins and the stash that he and Sab used to store the proceeds from the robberies of the past months. He’d lived off his wits before for long enough, he only needed enough cash to get him through the first few weeks while he renewed contacts and reinvented himself. He wanted to disappear, let them all think him dead too, Kel’dos died the night he was told of Chey’s death. He hated abandoning Sabien, but he knew he’d get by – Sab was a fighter and he’d survive and rebuild again after the war, maybe with the kid helping him. As he lifted out a pouch of gold, lying underneath was a spare comms unit. Kel’dos hesitated a moment then picked it up and slipped it into an inside pocket of his armour. The stash rehidden, he slipped back into the night and headed towards the borders of Quel’thalas.

Sabien would be the first to admit he wasn't an expert in hand to hand combat where blades were concerned, fist against fist was a different matter however, or a stealthy dagger in the back if necessary. This was soon noticed by the officers of the base he worked out of, and it wasn't long before he was hauled in and re-briefed for a new camp, further into the interior where subterfuge and general dirty tricks were the required standard.
Sab welcomed the move, couldn't be worse than here, rigid discipline and swarming with Orgrimmar troops. Also he needed to move on if he was to broaden his chances of tracing Kel, so it was with a lighter step he flung his few possessions into a backpack and shipped out.

The new camp was small, the barracks consisting of a few tents in a circle around a large fire, with a makeshift hut set back slightly which housed the three officers, the only orcs in the contingent of Sin'Dorei who left them pretty much alone.

Sabien almost enjoyed the first few days, the days spent with training exercises and the occasional drill, biding time until the orders came through, the nights spent around the fire in Sin'Dorei company, speaking Thalassian and smoking bloodthistle.
"Not too bad here" offered Sab as he passed the joint on "You all been here long?"
A response of various no's, Sabien realised that they werent a unit he was joining, they were all relatively new, drafted in from other areas to replace predecessors that hadn't returned.
It seemed a very fast turnover of personnel.
"Mainly suicide missions" grumbled one "That's why we're all Sin'Dorei, we're seen as expendable."
Sabien raised a brow, we'll see he thought to himself, if the mortality rate was that high, first chance he got he'd disappear into the forests and not come back, they'd not miss him. Damned if he was getting himself killed for this lot.
They swapped stories, not that they were dissimilar, all it seemed were conscripted,dragged from the comfort of Silvermoon and into the service of Garrosh.
They smoked in silence for a while, each with their own thoughts which for Sabien included his search for his friends.
"Anyone meet Kel'dos Lightblade on the way?" Sabien broke the companionable silence
Someone laughed and Sab turned to face him. "You know him?"
The other shook their head "No, not personally, know the name though"
"How?"
"His wife was at the last camp with me," he replied "Tried to chat her up to pass the time, she told me in no uncertain terms what 'Kel' would do.."
"Chey?" Sabien's eyes burned with hope. "She's here?Where was this camp? Where did they send her?" Already he was plotting his escape to find her. He'd make up some rubbish about an ambush or something to explain why he was off target and on a strange base. "Kel wasn't with her?"
The other Sin'Dorei looked into the fire, avoiding looking at Sabien.
"They split them up, they don't like couples serving together"
"Yeah, I hear you, but where was this camp?" said Sab a touch impatiently.
The sin'dorei shrugged and looked up at Sabien sympathetically
"She was killed friend..." he said softly "I'm sorry..I don't know about Kel'dos"
Sabien stared ahead, eyes unseeing as he took in the information. Chey..dead, nah, had to be the wrong person, Chey couldn't be dead. He tried to voice these thoughts but it came out a garbled croak.
Sabien shook his head then laughed, a forced laugh which sounded quite insane.
"Wrong one I think..." he said " Chey wouldnt be in a battle..."
"I'm sorry friend, it was Cheyene Lightblade, anti-horde and died because of it..." was the kindly reply.
"But..." said Sabien and no other words would come, but he listened as the speaker recalled what he knew of Chey's flight and shooting down.
"But.." said Sabien again and closed his eyes "She can't be....I have her shopping..." His voice tapered to nothing and he turned on his heel towards the forest. His head bowed and his shoulders shaking as he disappeared into the night.

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If looking at or tapping the coms unit would have got a response then Sabien would be yelling for quiet. He had fingered and stared at it since he had found it, hoping, willing it to crackle into life and he could speak to Kel.

He worried for Kel, since learning of Chey's death, fel it had affected him bad enough, feck only knew what Kel must be going through. It was more than that bothered him though, Kel wasn't a kid and emotional pain and hurt was par for the course and Kel would deal with it. It was the silence, knowing Kel from way back, he knew that he acted rashly and violently when hurt or angry, and he feared that Kel had done this and got himself killed. Selfish, he knew, but this made him feel desolate and alone. "Again..." he thought wryly.
He stayed on in Pandaria, nothing to go back for... and here..at least here he could keep vigilant for word or sight of Kel, although he felt in his gut that this was just an excuse to run from the possibility of his closest friends being dead. He couldn't face Silvermoon, he had loved Chey like a sister and he knew he would see her everywhere in the elven city she had loved.

His heart wasn't in any of the contracts he took, half-heartedly doing the bare minimum to get by then sloping off into the wilds, at least exploring the wonders of this new continent kept him from sinking into despair. He sat in the shadows of a tall tree and took a long drink of water and idly began to think about food as his stomach rumbled.

"Feck this thing..." a voice crackled in his ear, "Alliance made crap..." followed by more muttered profanities.
"Arli?Arli..kid that you?" Sab pulled himself from the stasis of shock and almost shouted into the unit, scared that if he didn't the voice would go.
"Sab?" came Arli's voice. "Where the feck...wheres Kel..where are you? Are you all ok?" His voice heavy with relief.
"Pandaria mate..." replied Sab flatly, "Got pressed into service," he closed his eyes, fel he was gonna have to tell the kid about Chey..
"You all still together? Did they split you up? or what..Sab..Sab..you still there?"
"Shut up kid..I need to see you, is it possible?" Sab snapped.
"Er..yeah I guess..." came the slightly rebuffed reply. "Where?"
"Shrine?"
"Sure..when?"
"Soon as..."
"On my way..inn?"
"Aye"

Sabien swallowed hard as he walked into the inn and saw Arli already there, sitting drinking what looked like a glass of water. Despite the gravity of what he was about to do, he found himself smiling slightly at the young elf not drinking bourbon.
"Hey Sab" hailed Arli rising "Good to see you mate" and slapped him on the shoulder.
"Aye you too Arli.." replied Sab meaning it and placing a hand on Arli's shoulder. "Sit down kid..."
Arli looked curiously at Sab, a small frown creasing his face as he noticed the careworn expression etched on Sab's unusually pale face.
"Whats up Sab?" asked Arli, his heart inexplicably pounding. "Not Kel is it?"
Sabien shook his head and looked at Arli, feck this was gonna be hard.
"No mate..it's Chey...she's..she's..." Sabiens voice cracked slightly, fel he couldn't say it..couldn't admit it, get a grip, he needs to know...
Arli shook his head slowly, his face showing traces of fear of what he was going to hear from Sab. "Not Chey..."
Sab nodded slowly unable to look at Arli's ashen face. "She's dead Arli...killed..shot down..." he looked up at Arli "I don't know about Kel.."
Sabien closed his eyes briefly as Arli's face drained of colour and his lips worked silently, struggling for words that just would not come.
"I'm sorry kid..I know you were good friends.." it sounded lame to Sabiens ears, but he felt the need to acknowledge the loss. A weak nod was the only response as Arli wrestled with his emotions.
"When..how..?" Arli finally managed to speak, his face contorting in controlled rage and hurt as Sabien explained the little he knew of how Chey had died, not in battle but at the hands of the Horde. Sabien wanted to rage at Arli, ask him how dare he grieve for Chey when he himself worked for the Horde willingly, wanted to accuse him of being capable of doing it himself if he had been ordered. He shook his head, it was no more Arli's fault than it was his, Arli was just doing what they all were, getting by the best they could in a war no-one wanted. He gave a wry dry laugh, just Arli was better at it than most, he almost envied the kid that.
"I'm needed on coms..." muttered Arli "need to go.."
Sabien nodded and let the obvious lie pass, kid needed to be alone, to do what he needed to in order to grieve, he guessed the kid didnt want to cry in front of him, didnt want Sab the hard elf thinking him weak or soft. Ha... if only the kid knew.
The two looked at each other and read each others expressions, not dissimilar, they nodded slightly as they acknowledged this.
"Take care kid..."
"Shadows protect Sab"
As Arli left, the room seemed to close in on Sab, he needed to get out. He rose, he spied the bar and two Sin'Dorei girls giggling drunkenly. He changed his direction towards them.
"Get pissed, get laid, pass out" he thought, that should help him sleep.

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The storm of emotions as Arli walked from the Inn threatened to overwhelm him and kickstarting his bike he roared away across the Valley. The guilt that he should have made sure she was safe, the anger that it was the Horde that had killed her and the grief at losing such a close friend. He was used to losing friends, many Thorns went on missions and never returned, and he accepted that as the friendship grew with some of them. But this was different and it hurt.

It was Krasarang Wilds before Arli slowed and killed the engine and shoving his tabard angrily into a bike pannier, he slipped to the shadows as he pulled up his mask. The heavy woodland made it easy for him to stay unseen and it wasn't long before he spied his targets; two female orcs standing in the middle of a path, seemingly deep in conversation and unaware of their surroundings. Arli edged closer, drawing his blades; he'd knock one unconscious while he killed the other, then finish off her dazed friend. As he was about to step through the shadows he paused, sudden doubt at his actions filtering through the red mist in his mind, what difference would killing two orcs make anyway? Garrosh wouldn't know, nor care if he did that two soldiers were lost and it would be assumed to have been at Alliance blades anyway. A rustle in the tree above and Arli froze as a three Trolls dropped lightly to land beside them.

"Ya lahdies don't attract no prey for us here. We move up the path, see if we get more foolish Alliance thinkin' they can attacks two lone lahdies" the troll laughed and slapped his thigh as the female orcs nodded solemnly. Arli swallowed and slipped away quietly, a close call...he was acting rashly, not thinking and he himself would end up dead this way. Back at his bike he pulled on his Thorn tabard and kickstarted the engine. He'd head to Silvermoon, see if anyone had seen Kel and then maybe a night home at Sunwing Spire and a chance to grieve alone.

It was close to midnight when Arli stumbled drunkenly as he was pushed out of the inn, his sorrows thoroughly drowned. The Landlord was used to Arli and could spot the warning signs, it was clearly not a celebratory drink and as every snipey comment got him closer to a fight with the other patrons, he had called time on the young elf and had him removed from the inn. Arli looked up Murder Row and towards the Sunfury Spire, towards the office of the Regent Lord......something needed to be done.

"Where do you think you're going then?" said the guard, stepping towards Arli as he tried to make his way into the inner halls of the Sunfury Spire.

"I need to speak to Lor'themar" replied Arli as he tried to push past the immovable barrier that was the Sunfury guard.

"He wouldn't want to speak to you Sunblade in the day, let alone past midnight" chuckled the voice behind him. "Come on, get your drunken hide home else you can sober up overnight in the cells".

Arli spun around to face the voice, swaying unsteadily as he squared up the Blood Knight Captain. "Tell them to move, I'm gonna go speak to him, someone feckin' needs to tell him a few truths about this so called feckin' alliance with the Horde!".Arli's voice rose in volume; "Now make them feckin' move!" He added almost yelling, his face a mask of anger.

"Right, that's enough" replied the Captain, reaching to take Arli's arm with the intention of steering the drunken young elf away from the Spire.

Arli snatched his arm away and took a few steps back, looking up at the Sunfury Spire as he yelled;

"Lor'themar your feckin' Horde don't care for the Sin'dorei, they think your people expendable and you feckin' condone it!"

"Sunblade! Enough! The Kor'kron hear you speak like that and you will be hauled off to Orgrimmar and you won't return" snapped the Captain, again trying to take Arli's arm.

Arli dodged the Captain, taking a few steps back again as he looked up and yelled "You don't even know what's happening, you're supposed to make us strong again now our Prince has gone!"

As he yelled, two of the guards had circled behind him and on signal from the Captain, grabbed Arli's arms.

"..she died at their hands.." yelled Arli, his voice cracking a little, struggling to break free from the Guards.

The Captain's expression softened a little, it was clear the young elf had lost someone close to him in the Pandarien war, a girlfriend or a relative perhaps.

"Sunblade, calm down. Our Regent lord knows that we are losing sin'dorei, the Alliance they-"

"No..no.." interrupted Arli, shaking his head. "She didn't want to fight for the Horde...wasn't Alliance that killed her...it was Horde". Arli paused, his eyes filling with tears, "...the Horde killed my Chey...". The fight in him was gone as the grief overwhelmed him and he broke down in tears.

The Captain stood in silence a moment, he'd arrested Arli Sunblade many times - the young elf was known for getting drunk and often got into fights or high jinks they needed to curtail. But he'd never seen him breakdown like this, but he could see why. To lose someone close is bad enough, but to lose them to those they fight alongside?

"Take him to the guard room, get him a strong coffee and sober him up a little" said the Captain quietly to the two guards. "Then escort him to Sunwing Spire, make sure you hand him to someone there.....no arrest".

"Yes sir" replied the guards.

The Captain watched as the three made their way towards the Blood Knight base, the young Sunblade giving no resistance to the guards at his side, and shook his head sadly.

Going solo again, hadn’t been as easy as Kel’dos had assumed it would be. He’d spent twelve years on the run, on his own and had already forgotten just how lonely that could be. There was an emptiness about his life now she was gone, that he tried to fill by returning to his previous life as Serrar, looking for contracts as well as working for himself. Often he had taken his comms from his armour, he always carried it with him but just couldn’t bring himself to switch it on, knowing she wouldn’t be there as she had always been. The pain at his loss was tinged with the guilt of abandoning Sabien; he’d been more than a friend, more like a brother and Kel’dos knew that he had to know of Chey’s death; but Kel’dos couldn’t say the words aloud, it would make her death too real, too final.

He’d got used to working as a team with Sabien, the two of them methodically stripped a place of valuables, getting in and out unseen and most importantly of all – covering each other’s backs. Should they be stumbled upon by some unfortunate householder, the two of them could quickly lock-down the threat and get away relatively easily. Had Sabien been there tonight, Kel’dos was in no doubt that they would have got away. He’d been over confident, carrying the confidence of his and Sabiens recent successes too lightly. It was obviously a wealthy household and his thoughts again distracted by her, he'd sensed the magical ward around the small ornate ivory box just a second too late. A flash of light and he'd been thrown back, dazed and temporarily blinded. The night porter had easily pinned him to the floor, arms twisted painfully behind his back and the sound of footfalls on the parquet floor heralded the arrival of others to help him. His vision slow to return, the voices in common muttering as they dragged him stumbling from the house and into the small rural village itself and towards a plan building, the crest of Stormwind above the main door. A brief hammering on the door and a bleary eyed middle-aged man stood looking at them, hastily dressed in the dark-blue trousers of the Stormwind guard, a jacket hastily pulled over a nightshirt.

"Look what we found then, Stannard" said the night porter proudly

Stannard furrowed his brow a moment then with a brief nod, walked back inside, Kel'dos and his captors following behind him.

"Where did you find that then?" he asked as he yawned, pulling out a heavy ledger and opening it mid-way with a thud, flicking pages until he found the one partly filled.

"In 'is Lordships 'ouse" came the reply, "robbin' little bastard" he added, dropping Kel'dos heavy leather satchel onto Stannard's desk.

Stannard peered at the elf and then wrote a line into the ledger. "Patrol will be by in two days, I'm sure they'll be more than happy to take one of them Hordies off our hands. And take the bag, don't need any evidence to lock one of them away" he replied as he pushed the satchel back towards the night porter.

Kel'dos stood silently and sullenly as Stannard removed his weapons and piled them onto the desk. His grasp of common was pretty good although he was finding it hard to understand all of what was said, he assumed it was common that they spoke but the accent was thick and it was hard to tell. Satisfied that the elf was now unarmed, Stannard unhooked a heavy key from his belt and with a yawn, headed down a short corridor, the night porter shoved Kel'dos in the back to follow and the three made their way to the end and stopped before a large heavy-looking metal door, slightly ajar.

"Untie him, he can stay in there until the Storwind guard come by. 'e won't be gettin' out of the box in a hurry" said Stannard opening the door to the small cell.

The night porter did a sharp intake of breath; "You'd better chop his fingers off then, one o' them belfs, bit of 'and wavin' and you're aflame there"

"Don't be daft Jack. Look at 'im, you think you'd have caught him so easy if 'e were one of them magic ones? No, he's a fight'r and a thief, don't know 'is arcane from 'is arse that one" laughed Stannard.

"If you says so Stannard" replied the night porter gruffly, unbinding Kel'dos hands and with a sharp shove, pushing him into the cell with Stannard slamming the door closed.

Kel’dos looked around the empty room as the voices faded outside of the cell. The door was solid and metal, it was well built with no lock visible from the inside of the cell, being only lockable – and pickable – from the outside. He looked up at the single source of light, a small barred window high above him. With a light jump he reached and pulled himself up, grabbed one of the bars and put his weight behind it but the bars were firmly embedded in the brick building. Resignedly, Kel'dos slid down the wall and sat on the stone floor; he'd been locked-up far too much of late and couldn't comprehend how Sabien had survived twelve years of loss of his freedom. The guard had said two days before the patrol passed by, which gave him two days to figure a way out before he was handed to Stormwind and certain execution.

The first light of morning filtered into the cell to find a dark-eyed Kel’dos still sitting in the same place, still and deep in thought. Screwing his eyes closed for a moment, he reached into his armour and took out the small comms unit. They had stripped him of weapons on imprisonment but thought him nothing more than a thief and having taken his bag of stolen goods, didn’t think to search him further. The comms was his only option now, if he was handed to over to the Stormwind patrol then he'd be facing far more than just charges of petty theft. With his heart pounding heavily in his chest, Keldos switched on the comms unit, a lump rising in his throat as he spoke in a low voice; “Sab..are you there, mate?"

Sabien tweazed open an eye as a thin shaft of sunlight crept through a crack in the curtains, quickly closing it again in an attempt to preempt the hangover he was expecting to greet him this morning. He grinned to himself, "worth it" he thought as he looked down at the naked redhead still sprawled across his chest sleeping soundly with a small smile on her lips. Next to him the pretty blonde stirred slightly and held his arm possessively. "totally worth it".

He was in no hurry to be any place else so closed his eyes and allowed himself to doze off again.

He didn't know how long he'd dozed but he was woken by soft lips on his and slim fingers running down his chest. Talk about being roused in the morning...gave it a whole new meaning he thought. Freeing himself from the sleeping redhead, he rolled onto his side and gave the kissing blonde his full attention. "Time to get up I'm thinking" he growled and the girl giggled as she pulled him onto her. Sab looked down at her as he took his weight on his elbows

"Sab...you there mate?" an unexpected voice in his ear. He stopped

"Kel!" he replied shocked.

"No..it's Melandria" huffed the girl.

"Shut up woman" Sab replied rolling off and getting out of bed, the girl forgotten. "Where are you mate? You ok?" the relief in his voice tangible then concern as he noticed the urgent hushed tone of Kel's voice. "You in trouble?"

A dry short laugh.

"You could say so mate..."

Sab dressed quickly, ignoring the protestations of the female and all the while speaking into the coms.

"Feck Kel..alliance, don't do stuff by halves do you?" Sab kept his tone light, however his face creased with a frown as Kel explained about the patrol due to take him to Stormwind. "When?"

"Tomorrow"

Shit, thought Sab, no time to arrange help then. He carefully questioned Kel on his whereabouts and whatever information he could gather on the security. Asking detailed questions that required Kel to do the minimum of speaking in case he was overheard.

"So, small village, jailhouse in the centre, fat old guard in charge and peasants playing law enforcers?" Sabien asked

"About it" replied Kel "But the local bigwig is a mage or something, need to be careful."

"Sit tight mate I'm comin'" Sab replied as he darted through the door.

"Aye" laughed Kel softly "I heard..."





He swooped his windrider low on the outskirts of the village and dropped lightly off its back into the cover of a hedgerow, letting it soar rider less into the sky over the village. He gave a nod of satisfaction as he heard the panicked cry from a watcher "Horde!" and watched as a few men and women ran across the fields in pursuit of the windrider. Keeping to the undergrowth where possible and the shadows of the buildings, he did a quick surveillance of the village centre, small but compact, he spied the largest house which appeared to make do as the magistrates house, the law enforcement centre and the jail.

For a small hamlet the town hall was bustling, in the few minutes he watched he saw several people go in and out. People of all ages, women with covered baskets, men fresh from the fields and children giggling and playing up. None looked threatening, all seemed to have a casual demeanour and Sabien wondered if the visits were social rather than magisterial business. It wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought, well not as pacifistic as he thought. He grinned humourlessly some skulls would be cracked this evening. He considered waiting until dark when people were tired and probably at home, then he remembered the small platoon of horsemen he had overtaken some miles back, he couldn’t rule out that this wasn’t the Stormwind patrol that would take Kel onward with them. It would be easier to take his chances in the daylight with the villagers than take on a troop of heavy armoured soldiers at any time. Still watching intently he began to rationalise his options.

Sab was a thief, a highwayman, an organised criminal, he wasn’t a natural killer, killing was not a part of his modus-operandi unless totally necessary, a them or me situation, he also had the mind-set that killing the guards or watch before pulling a job somehow dampened the adrenalin and high he got from a robbery. However looking at the situation he was now in, it seemed to be a case of needs must, it seemed that if he wanted this to go smoothly and quickly, as it needed to then bloodshed was going to be his easiest option. From his belt he took a heavy knuckleduster and slipped it over his left hand, on his right he armed himself with a fist weapon, four wickedly sharp slicing blades that would serve as the impact zone of his second punch. His daggers remained sheathed for now; he was a far better combatant with fists.

Sticking to the limited cover afforded by the neatly pruned rhododendron bushes which lined the avenue he inched forward. So far so good. Ah damn, some middle-aged old dear with a covered basket on her arm had stopped to chat with the young, green looking guard. He stifled a laugh as the woman reached up with a handkerchief and wiped a smudge from the guards cheek, who seemed to blush furiously, mutter something inaudible and shrug the woman off. She showed no signs of moving off. Sab sighed, best give her a smack, take the woman first and shut her up before she could scream, nothing brought guards quicker than a screaming female. As he prepared to strike, she thankfully bustled off, leaving the boy to his duties. Silently he sprung, the knuckledustered fist hitting home on the guards temple, San caught him as he toppled and quickly dragged him the the bushes. “Sorry kid” smirked Sab as he quickly bound his hands with his shoelaces, stuffed a sock tightly into his mouth and threw one boot a distance away. Then, for good measure smacked his temple again. Sabien then slipped inside the town hall. The captain of the guard and his you adjutant were sitting eating their lunch, a savoury smell of meat pie wafted across.

“Kel” hissed Sab into the coms “I need you to kick off, get these two separated.”

“On it mate” was the hushed reply.

Sab smirked with satisfaction as a moment later a string of thalassian obscenities came from the cell, pinpointing the position to Sab. A raucous bashing of boots on metal as Kel created the diversion. He hoped the guard with the key would head to the cell door to shut Kel up, follow, crack, sorted…they’d be out in no time.

“What’s up with our guest I wonder” frowned the captain “He allus starts at meal times”

“P’raps he’s ‘ungry , he don’t seem to like Ma’s tater pies much, allus leaves the crusts”

“Aye, and Nances cakes..he don’t seem to like them much either, praps he’s wantin’ ‘is nuts and berries”

Kels din increased and finally the older man rose and strode through the door towards the cell, as his back disappeared Sab struck the younger, a swift blow to the temple, this time followed through with an upper cut with the bladed hand.Sab lowered the body to the ground and speedily followed the Captain.

“Now now Floppy lugs..whats all the noise?”he tutted as he unlocked a small grille in the door. “Yer ‘ungry? Well Cath has made…”

They never found out what Cath had made, Sabien sprung from behind, grabbing the captain by the hair and banging his face off the door.

“Open it…” growled Sab fishing the bunch of keys from the belt and thrusting them to the captain. Easier and safer to beat the guard into doing it, than fumbling himself to either find the right one or pick it. The captain shook his head, Sab slammed it off the door again. “Don’t piss me about..” he growled and raised his right hand showing the clawed fist weapon. The captain nodded and after a few moments of nervous fumbling unlocked the cell door. Sab kicked it open and dropped the guard to the floor, grinding the heel of his boot into his throat, the captain gurgled pitifully then fell silent.

Sab grinned at Kel.

“Lets git..”

Kel nodded.

“Think theres only one of ‘em..can’t be sure…” a cacophony of raised voice and thudding booted footsteps running into the building.

“Stand back citizens, we’ll deal with this” a confident response.

“Shit…” cursed Sab as three armed and armoured militia ran to confront them. Sabs fists threw lethal punches and he kicked like a kodo, but he was outmanned, a drawn sword increasing any distance between him and the antagoniser.

Carefully but quickly, wielding his weapons as he went, Sab put himself between Kel and the soldiers, his back to Kel he raised his arms slightly.

“Blades…” he called shortly. He allowed himself a smirk as Kel anticipated the move and had already pulled Sabs daggers from their sheathes and , even as the word left his lips, had swung into the melee.

“Nice one Bro” grinned Kel

The tide soon turned, the two elves had desperation on their side, they needed to be out and soon. The local militia, although better trained and armed than the home guard were no match for the lean, lithe and impossibly fast melee thrusts of Kel and the raw powerhouse armoured punches and kicks of the taller stronger Sabien. A short while later and the two elves were leaping over the bodies of the soldiers and sprinting out of the building. No time for stealthy tactics, the whole village knew by now, mitigate and run was their quickest retreat.

The pursuit was almost non-existent, the villagers too shocked and stunned at what had happened in their usually sleepy and uneventful hamlet. A few female screams as they elbowed any in their path, urgent calls from the menfolk but more out of concern for their women and the victims of the fleeing elves.

Sabien gave a low whistle as they sprinted from the village, within a few seconds his windrider swept low.

“Jump…” yelled Sab as he took off in an agile leap to land sprawled across the beast, a similar “oof” from Kel as he too landed across the flank. As the rider soared they righted themselves and Sab steered for Horde territory.

“Thanks mate I owe you…” said Kel once they were relatively safe.

“Aye” grinned Sab “What the fel were you playin at…? You know..I don’t wanna know…but I have one question”

Kel frowned slightly

“Yeah..?” he replied warily

“Whats a tater pie?”

Kel laughed “Believe me mate, you really don’t want to know…”

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