'I'll come home' (Ledgic/Zech/Eothan/The Hawthorns)

‘I’ll come home’


‘I tell ye, seein’ this place at nigh’ remin’s me o’ wha’ Duskwood used t’be’
‘S’cause it were part o’ th’same bloody forest y’nobshite’

Zech smirked and shook his head as Ledgic stopped beside him, the pair of them now standing on the edge of a large hill overlooking Elwynn forest. They had been travelling for a while now; making their way from the floating city of Dalaran to the forests they were used to. ‘Y’know, if I knew ye were gonna be sa’ bitchy th’ole time, I wouldn’t o’ let ye come along’ said Zech as he carefully lit a cigarette.

Ledgic peered at Zech and sighed, it wasn’t as if he actually wanted to come along, he didn’t even think Zech’s “plan” was in any way a good idea. ‘Y’could o’ said tha’ befer, I only came ‘ere t’make sure ye didn’ get yerself killed’ he muttered as he turned his head to gaze over the darkened woodland.

It was true enough, though Ledgic knew he had deeper reasons for coming along with Zech. It wasn’t simply to make sure nothing happened to him, or to protect him, he wanted a glimpse of what they were facing. He had placed his own plan inside Zech’s without his knowledge, and he was hopeful that it would pay off. He’d certainly taken the measures that most would have in his position, facing off with an enemy you can’t measure in strength was never easy.

‘Na’ far from th’meetin’ spot then’ muttered Ledgic as he rested his hands on the hilts of his blades. Zech turned his head as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. ‘Nervous?’ he asked in his usual cocky tone. Ledgic smirked and shook his head ‘Na’, an’ thinkin’ abou’ it I prob’ly should be. This ain’ like most o’ me’ fights y’know, I’m walkin’ in blind ‘ere’.

Zech nodded and lifted a hand to take the cigarette from his lips, tapping some ash from its end to the ground. ‘Yeh, yer righ’. Feck, I ain’ done nothin’ like this befer, never even thought t’try it’ said Zech as he turned his head to look down at the meeting place. He’d chosen a spot in the middle of Elwynn, a circle of trees that he knew well and had fought in, in the past.

‘Yeh well, I reckon ye should never ‘ave thought abou’ it. This plan ain’ exac’ly smart is it? Th’feck would they jes drop a feud like this ‘cause ye’ve stood there n’ asked ‘em ta’? They’ve a’ready gone as far as t’bring back Kaden n’ Iriden’ said Ledgic as he lifted a gloved hand to rub his cheek. Zech nodded as he flicked the cigarette away, watching the glimmer of its flame disappear. ‘Yeh, I know… this ain’ all goin’ as smoothly as I thought it migh’, but… still worth a shot’ he muttered as he closed his eyes.

He wasn’t sure if he believed his own words anymore, the more time he spent thinking about his plan the less he believed it could work, but it wasn’t like he could back out now. He would simply have to walk into that meeting spot and see what he could do to prevent any bloodshed. The Caans that lived now, were not the ones these people feuded with and he had to make sure they knew that.

‘Prob’ly time we got down there, y’know’ said Ledgic as he nudged Zech with his shoulder. Zech opened his eyes as Ledgic started making his way down the hill. It was strange, the idea of walking into a potential battle with Ledgic at his side for once. He thought he’d arrived too late to ever experience it, and in a strange way he was excited to see exactly what Ledgic could do. It was no secret that he admired the man for what he had accomplished, for what he had become despite everything he had suffered through. He smirked and shook his head before setting down the hill himself, the creaking of his leather armour making him sigh slightly with each step.

--

They would be fighting for him, he thought, walking into a ridiculous plan that he couldn’t dissuade them from setting into motion. How many times had members of that family stepped in to protect him, how many times had they fought and bled for him? Well, there was definitely one in particular to whom he owed a great debt, and had done for all the years he had known him. He peered at the collection of parchment in his hand, the pages littered with runes and words he could barely understand.

He narrowed his eyes and threw the pages into a fire that flickered and crackled intensely before him. This wasn’t a time for him to consider undoing everything that Ledgic had done over the years; it wasn’t a time for sitting alone in a sewer trying to drink away all that he had recently discovered. He had been so full of words lately, he had stressed every point that he made and was slowly changing. He lifted a hand and placed it against his bare chest, sliding it across to the Caan crest burned into his skin.

Vanith Caan had placed the crest on his skin because he knew, this much Eothan was certain of. Vanith Caan had known all along of the blood that coursed through his veins and finally he had caught up with him. He wasn’t going to walk the road that Vanith walked, however, he was going to stand up and protect everyone this time.

There would be no self-destruction and there would be no sacrifice. There would be blood and fire; there would be risk and triumph. He would settle his debts and return to his son. The Hawthorns did not fear the Caans of Duskwood, but they had never experienced his rage. He would gladly show it to them.

Eothan stood up and grabbed a dark shirt, pulling it on and carefully buttoning it up. As he walked toward the door of his Eastvale home and opened it, he grabbed his cloak from the end of the banister and walked out into the Elwynn night, slamming the door forcefully behind him.

--

Zech stood in the middle of the circle of trees he had arranged to meet the Hawthorns in, peering around carefully into the dark. Ledgic sat in one of the trees, quietly observing the situation from above until he felt he was needed. He peered across the circle and lifted a hand to tap it once, forcefully, against the trunk of the tree. He listened carefully to the same sound echoing around the circle, twelve knocks in response.

Zech peered around sharply at the knocks, not having a clue what was going on. Ledgic felt it was best that way, if Zech wasn’t aware of what he had put into place, he couldn’t try to stop it. Being stupid and clueless was apparently best for Zech Caan right now.

‘Son of Revan Caan, boy of the crippled woodland’ came a voice from the darkness. Zech’s turned his head sharply to peer into the dark and watched as four figures stepped out into the moonlight lit circle. ‘Last I saw of you, son of Revan, you were cutting down one of my subjects’ said a man as he stepped a little further forward than the others.

Zech narrowed his eyes as he took in the man’s appearance. He was thin and tall, clearly wearing a robe yet some pieces of mail armour could be seen dotted around, he was incredibly pale and his skin and movements seemed to have aged far beyond his actual years. His hair was a mix of brown and grey, as was the tidy beard he sported. Zech folded his arms and simply stared at the man, waiting for him to continue with whatever he had to say.

‘Your tongue moves little for a Caan, doesn’t it?’
‘I didn’ count on ye comin’ ‘ere yerself, Landrus’ said Zech bluntly as he tilted his head back slightly. He was doing well to hide is immediate concern at the sight of Landrus, he knew him well from the past. Landrus had been the man beneath Delzen in terms of rank, and it would seem that with Delzen’s death… he had risen to a seat of power.

‘Well, what I can say, the temptation to observe the filth I hope to wipe out was too hard to resist. I shant be here for long, I wouldn’t dirty my own hands’ said Landrus with a sickening smirk.

‘Good thin’ ye don’t ‘ave t’dirty yer ‘ands then, ain’t it? I didn’ come ‘ere t’fight any of ye, I came ‘ere t’stop all this befer it starts’ said Zech as he unfolded his arms and took a step forward. ‘I’m well aware of your intentions, son of Revan, however… you were foolish in your beliefs’ said Landrus as he lifted a hand and motioned for the others to step forward.

The three figures were dressed in similar garb as Landrus himself, though they certainly weren’t sharing his physique or signs of premature aging. Two of them were young men, they at least looked younger than Zech, the other… a middle aged woman, who had a look on her face that suggested she was very sure of herself.

‘You did not come here to fight us, but we came here to fight you. However, I will spare you if you give me what I want, but I will not spare those you have waiting in the trees’ said Landrus as he lifted a hand. Zech raised an eyebrow and carefully peered toward the tree that Ledgic was waiting in.

‘Th’feck d’ye mean? I ain’ got anyone waitin’ in any trees’ said Zech sharply as he looked back at Landrus, his face contorting in a mix of frustration and anger.

‘Oh, fear not… you’ll soon be correct’ said Landrus, following his words with that same sickening smirk. He clicked his fingers and lowered his arm, simply staring at Zech with eyes that begged him to call out to them. Zech turned his head and looked yet again toward the tree that Ledgic had been waiting in, watching as runes began to appear on the trunk, he began turning on the spot, peering through the dim light to each separate trunk, seeing the same runes appearing. He took in a few sharp breaths and stomped his foot against the ground.

‘Ledgic, get out o’ tha’ feckin’ tree!’ he yelled as he reached up and grabbed the hilt of his sword, swiftly sliding it from it’s sheath. He held the large blade with one hand and pointed it toward Landrus as Ledgic landed quietly beside him. His eyes darted briefly to Ledgic as he stood up and began looking from tree to tree, making some sort of signal with his hand frantically.

‘Th’feck are ye doin’?’ Zech whispered, his eyes fixated on Landrus who still had that same horrible smirk slapped across his face. Ledgic carefully lowered his arm and grunted at the sound of the first thud. He slowly turned on the spot and watched as each of the people he had in waiting fell from their respective trees, hitting the ground with no life in their bodies at all. There was no sound; no blood… there wasn’t even any shadow flame.

Ledgic let out a deep breath and turned to look at Landrus. ‘Th’feck did ye do, ye feckin’ slimy wanker?’ he spat. Landrus chuckled quietly and waved a hand in front of his face. ‘No hope lies in the dark for you mongrels; I will take every slither of hope from your lives before my family crushes you into dust. Your associates were just the beginning’

Zech looked as Ledgic lowered his head and stared at the floor, his arms began to tremble. He was pretty certain that trembling was not out of fear, but due to anger. Ledgic had tried to make sure they would be safer during this exchange and it would seem that he had lost some friends in the process.

‘Led’… I reckon yer ‘urtin’ right now, but ye’ve gotta focus’ whispered Zech as he carefully turned to fix his gaze on Landrus once again. Ledgic slowly lifted his hand and stared at Landrus with eyes full of fury, it was a feeling that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time. Ledgic’s temper was possibly his worst attribute, but at least he was always able to keep it in check. It would seem that this time, he didn’t even have that.

‘Leave now, or I swear I won’ leave a feckin’ bit o’ ye left’ he said through gritted teeth as he yanked his daggers from their sheaths. ‘Well, would you look at that… I thought I recognised the face of Kaden Caan, you even have his temper, boy’ said Landrus as he grinned widely.

‘Ledgic Caan… the boy that murdered my teacher, you are quite the piece of work. You were quite the disappointment to him, and to your clan, how dare you even show your face here?’

Ledgic simply grunted and moved to take a step forward, only stopping as Zech lowered his sword and placed an arm in Ledgic’s path. He had thought Ledgic would be helpful if this meeting had become a battle, but without knowing what Ledgic had put into place, and the eventual outcome of that going wrong, he couldn’t have predicted Ledgic’s temper becoming a problem.

‘This ain’t th’time t’be losin’ yer ‘ead Led’, get it t’gether will ye?’ he said harshly as he turned to Ledgic. ‘Ye’ve lost people y’brought ‘ere, ye fecked up an’ they died, I feckin’ get it. Th’best thin’ ye can do is make sure they didn’ die fer feck all’

Zech turned back to look at the Hawthorns and watched as Landrus stepped backwards and clicked his fingers again. The middle aged woman stepped and turned, walking away into the darkness of the forest. ‘This is where I make my departure, it has been enlightening to converse with you, children of the crippled woods’ he said confidently, before turning and walking into the darkness as well.

Zech lifted his blade and held Ledgic in place as he moved yet again to follow Landrus. The two remaining Hawthorns lifted their arms and set themselves into a fighting stance as the hands became engulfed in a dark shadow flame.

--

‘When the battle is over, you are welcome to do as you wish with whatever is left. If you capture one alive, you are –not- to kill them, do you understand me?’ said Landrus as he stared at the middle aged woman. He received a simple nod in reply, before he turned and walked further into the darkness. The woman turned toward the circle of trees and simply stood there, a similar sickening smirk on her face.

--

The two Hawthorns simply remained stood in their fighting stance awaiting movement from Zech and Ledgic. Zech turned his head sharply at the sound of footsteps to his left and widened his eyes as a decaying looking figure shot toward them.

‘We’ve got company!’ he shouted as he pushed Ledgic backwards and turned to face the decaying figure. He lifted his sword in defence as the figure leapt toward him, his rusted daggers slamming down against the sword. Zech peered at the figure before pushing himself back, tossing his sword from one hand to the other before charging back.

Ledgic slowly turned his head and watched as Zech and the figure traded blows with their weapons, neither managing to cause any damage to the other. He took a step toward the fight and widened his eyes. ‘Kaden… they feckin’ brought Kaden’ he muttered quietly.

‘Zech!’ he yelled as Kaden booted Zech to the ground with force. He dashed forward as Kaden moved to bring his blades down and slammed himself forcefully into the decayed shell of his father. Kaden was sent tumbling to the ground as Ledgic quickly helped Zech up.

‘Feckin’ finally’ said Zech as he brushed himself off. ‘Y’got yerself t’gether now?’
Ledgic nodded before turning around sharply at the sound of more foot steps and growled before dashing toward them. ‘I’ve got Iriden, y’take care o’ Kaden!’ he yelled as Zech turned to watch Ledgic clash blades with the reanimated corpse of Iriden Caan. He grunted and cursed under his breath as he turned and swung his blade toward Kaden.

The Hawthorns stood and watched as the two men fought the corpses of their former clan members with no expression whatsoever, it was if their minds were not even present. The shadow continued to crackle around their hands, occasionally flickering toward the fight. Eothan stood peering around a tree, following the movements of their shadow and the movements of Kaden and Iriden. It would seem that his timing was as good as ever, and with any luck he would have time to make sense of whatever technique was being used.

Ledgic ducked beneath Iriden’s blade and swung his leg, taking out Iriden’s from beneath him. Iriden hit the floor with a slight grunt and Ledgic jumped up, swinging his dagger down at high speed, meeting Iriden’s shoulder and stabbing straight through it. Iriden didn’t make a sound; there wasn’t so much as a splatter of blood from the wound. Ledgic jumped back as Iriden sat up slowly and yanked the blade from his shoulder, tossing it to the ground beside him as he stood up.

He wasn’t fighting Iriden, he wasn’t even fighting a human, there was absolutely nothing left of his brother… and he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. ‘Look a’ ye, ‘ow far ‘ave ye fallen eh? Yer jes a feckin’ puppet now!’ shouted Ledgic as he shot towards Iriden and rammed his knee into his stomach, sending him lunging forward. Ledgic swiftly brought his elbow down and slammed it against Iriden’s neck, hearing a faint crack.

He stepped back a little and kneed Iriden in the face, sending him back to the floor with a thud. He walked past him, ignoring the fact that Iriden was slowly climbing to his feet again, and leant down to retrieve his lost dagger. He stood up slowly, listening only to the clatter of blades in the background; it was enough to know that Zech was still standing.

He turned as Iriden dashed toward him and threw his fist at Ledgic’s face, connecting with a strength that Ledgic had completely forgotten about. Ledgic’s body twisted sharply and he stumbled, almost losing his footing completely. Iriden attacked again, this time swinging a kick at Ledgic’s chest, connecting with a similar force. Ledgic stumbled yet again, just about maintaining his footing despite the force and the pain. This continued for a few moments, Iriden darting from one position, landing a blow, and then repeating the process. Ledgic simply stumbled from place to place, letting out groans with each blow.

Eothan sighed heavily and began running through the surrounding woodland, moving around the circle as quietly as he could given the lack of sight, he winced at the sound of every cracking twig or disturbed member of the Elwynn wildlife. Eventually he found himself behind Iriden, who had just knocked Ledgic to the floor and was walking toward him.

This was his chance to once again try and settle his debts, and though he knew it was risky appearing before any of the Hawthorns, right now the best thing he could do was keep Ledgic alive. He darted out of the bushes and ran toward Iriden, both of his hands engulfed in a thick and dark shadow flame. Iriden lifted an arm; the hand tightly gripped around a rusted dagger and began to hurl it toward Ledgic’s face. He stopped suddenly, inches away from Ledgic’s eye. Ledgic breathed sharply and looked up at Iriden’s lifeless eye, as the arm with the blade began to shake.

The shell of Iriden began to jerk and stumble as the sound of crackling flame filled the air around them, mere moments later, the shadow shot from inside Iriden, erupting from his eye and mouth. He remained stood for a moment, before falling to the ground with a thud.

Ledgic slowly sat up and blinked as Eothan held out a shadow-covered hand. ‘I think perhaps it’s time you let me help’ he said as Ledgic grabbed the hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. ‘Ye shouldn’ be ‘ere ye friggin’ idiot!’ said Ledgic as he waved his arms in the air.

--

Two slashes had connected with Kaden’s chest so far, and neither of them had made any difference. He continued to come back at Zech with all the force of the strongest Caan of the village. Zech lifted a hand and wiped some blood from his right eye, the cut on the side of his forehead was bleeding copiously. He had figured out easily that Kaden wasn’t at all himself, that there was nothing left of the man they had raised.

‘Yeh, ‘cept fer ‘is feckin’ fightin’ skill’ thought Zech as he dodged another stab attempt with a grunt. He let out a groan as Kaden swung his dagger and plunged it into Zech’s thigh muscles. He fell to one knee and growled as he reached a hand to remove the dagger, but was interrupted by Kaden’s fist connecting with his cheek. Zech slammed against the floor and let out a shout as the blade’s hilt connected with the ground, sending the dagger further into his thigh.

Kaden loomed over him, dagger in hand and grinned. Zech peered up at him with grimace and simply stared at his expression. He remembered being in this very position when he was a child, the night that Kaden and Kalec had murdered his parents. The night that was forever burned into his mind, he could remember each blow he suffered and the pain that had shot through him. It was a different pain this time, he was not an emotional child anymore, and he had bled enough in his lifetime to deal with it. He tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword and jabbed it upward, the blade stabbing through the bottom of Kaden’s mouth and straight up.

Zech watched with some satisfaction as the tip of his blade poked out of Kaden’s skull. Kaden’s arm drooped, the dagger falling to the floor and sticking into the wet mud. Zech growled and yanked his sword from Kaden’s head, lifting his still working leg to kick him to the floor.

‘They have fallen, the trap is set’ said the two Hawthorn men; they began repeating themselves several times. Zech sighed as he was helped to his feet by Ledgic and Eothan, the trio staring at the Hawthorns as they turned to face them. The shadow around their hands began to grow larger as they pointed their palms towards the Caans.

‘This doesn’t look good, we have to get out of here’ said Eothan as he gripped Zech’s arm tightly, trying to pull him away. ‘Yeh, ‘cause I can really feckin’ move righ’ now’ said Zech angrily. Ledgic peered around, looking for an easy way out of the situation but growled impatiently at the lack of quick fix.

‘Hold onto your hats then’ said Eothan before beginning to chant words unknown to Ledgic and Zech. Shadow began to crackle around all three of them, as the grass beneath them began to sway as though the wind had swept past them.

‘Th’feck are ye doin’?’ said Zech as he watched shadow energy dart right in front of his eyes. Eothan continued to chant, keeping his eyes fixated on the Hawthorns. Zech turned his head sharply as Ledgic suddenly flew away from him and Eothan, slamming into a tree. ‘Ledgic!’ he yelled as the shadow around them crackled loudly before vanishing.

The Hawthorns watched as Eothan and Zech vanished from sight, leaving nothing but a scorch mark on the ground where they stood.

‘We have one’ they both said loudly as the middle-aged woman stepped back into the moonlight, her gaze fixated on the crumpled heap that Ledgic had been reduced to. She smirked widely before letting out a shrill laugh.

‘Even a failure can be useful’ she said.

--

Eothan and Zech slammed against the ground, both groaning and coughing. They were covered in what looked like ash. Zech carefully lifted his head and looked around them, they were in Redridge Mountains. He turned and looked at Eothan who had lost consciousness. He growled deeply before lowering his head and unfortunately doing the same thing.