Catelyne Cerwyn: A Lady's tears

The story of my noble Lady of what happened during and after the Cataclysm, perhaps outdated but a large important part of her background.

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There was a cool chill in the air when Catelyne walked from the steps of the Cathedral, her soft white cloak tugged over her shoulders to shelter her body from the increasingly colder temperatures outside. The square before her already buzzing with life, watching the peasants and knights walk past she gave a courteous nod to those who were familiar but didn't speak a word. Her mind still wrapped in mourning, she had just come to visit the grave of her late sister and say her prayers to her and the stillborn child that had been the cause of her death.
It had hit her harder than one would have expected, as the sisters never showed much of their affections for eachother. Catelyne being the colder and least approachable of the two, the youngest and least favoured.

Melara's passing had left their parents devastated, their hopes of refound money and status being a concern that left a bitter taste for Catelyne. Finding their eagerness to obtain riches through her sister's wedding an atrocity now that she had found death in childbirth. Fights had risen on several occassions, of course behind closed doors while they upheld the mournfull appearance to the outside world. As if their child had been naught but cattle in their eyes, their greed and coldness sickening.

Catelyne did not shy away from wealth and luxury herself, finding herself more than comfortable within the higher ranks of nobles. Her husband himself a Lord-Knight whom she married out of a certain affection that had grown into love. Their match less diplomatic like it had been with her elder sister and having had a greater chance to bloom into something less platonic. Despite difficulties she had eventually gotten with child, a difficult pregnancy with several risks to lose the baby that had quickened inside her. But Alysane Taena Vyrwel was born a healthy and beautiful girl. The proud parents trying in vain to grant her a brother or sister for several years but their hopes dwindled as they aged and no results came. After the fouth miscarriage Catelyne and Moryn finally gave up, deciding to no longer waste effort and heartache on something that wouldn't happen, instead putting all their energies into spoiling the girl that grew up fast.

They had a modest manor in the park of Stormwind, living an unburdened life untill the first strike of her sister's death came. Sudden and unexpected, the pregnancy had been smooth without any worrying complications. Little did Catelyne know that things would not turn for the better after that.

As she made her way from the Cathedral Square to the bridge that would lead her home the darkness fell over the city. At first she did not make much of it, the weather could be quite unpredictable, but as the screams of terror and fear rose around her she finally raised her own eyes to see what the cause was of the overcast. The sight froze her in place in sheer terror, the gusts of wind that caused her gown to dance around her legs strong and powerfull. The creature flying over the city a massive looming dragon, metal armour adorning his reptilian body as it flew across with it's wide wings stirring up the winds. Deathwing the Destroyer, she did not realize yet that her eyes were beholding the former Earthwarden as he made his way into the exact same direction she was headed.

Fear pumped through her, the city in chaos and panic, everyone running as far as they could get from the monster that decided to reign havoc upon the population of Stormwind. The unfolding events became a blur over time, the memories vague. Yet Catelyne remembers his downwards spiral, the fire that spat out of his gaping maw and set the city ablaze. No not the city, the park, her home. Amongst the many voices screaming her own wailing sound of horror got drowned out, a guard who was trying to evacuate the citizens holding her by the waist as she trashed and kicked in the most ferocious instinct she had ever felt.

It was burning inside her, the paralyzing fear that kicked up the most deeply rooted reaction a human being could ever experience aside from it's own will to survive, the instinct to protect your own blood, your child.

That is exactly what Catelyne did, she fought for her freedom so she could go where her heartstrings ordered her to. Nothing and nobody could make her snap out of it, even the guard eventually stopped trying to ensure his own safety with an aggrovated “You're on your own M'lady!”

At the very moment that she was no longer restricted by plate-clad muscled arms her feet carried her across the streets, running into the fleeing citizens and bumping into walls. Never losing sight of her goal when the blackened smokes rose over the roofs above the park, The flames crackling while it spread and wreaked havoc upon the district. Not even registering the change of tour of the dragon-aspect of death as it made for the Stormwind gates and perched atop it's towers. Overseeing his destruction and drinking in the pain and fear of the small, insignificant humans.

For probably the first time in her entire life the middle-aged woman did not care for her garments, her appearance or anything that would suggest her heritage. In this moment of chaos she was exactly the same as the poor and middleclass that were experiencing the same terrors. Names being called out, children crying and screaming for the parents they lost amongst the rampant crowds. Nobody was more than another, they all were humans who were feeling fear, loss, panic and most of all wanted to survive this disaster.

She had been asked several times after the events how long it took her to get there, what she did and what she saw. But Catelyne Myrielle Cerwyn-Vyrwel did not remember, everything a haze during her desperate run towards the burning park. Those that were not running away were working rapidly to hoist water from the canals, everyone united to work together and extinguish the fires that threatened to devour all of Stormwind. And Catelyne got halted, not allowed to pass a single step further.

“You can't go there no Ma'am, it's too dangerous”, one of the many faceless guards urged her back, his hand firm yet she could faintly distinguish the tremble in his voice. The eagerness to be rather elsewhere. The frantic “lady” couldn't recognise her own voice, it was shrill and not even remotely as composed at it was normally. “My child! My daughter, husband! MORYN!! ALYSANEEE!”

Just like many others she began to scream their names like a desperate prayer, brown-golden eyes searching and searching some more. Minutes past, then hours as the chaos remained exactly the same. Yelling growing thinner as voices no longer managed to raise higher than hoarse whispers. Exhaustion washing over the citizens of the city as they began to gather themselves in this time of need to help eachother. Search parties spreading out in the city looking for the ones who had gone lost in the crowds. Several were never found again, some had died in their attempts to flee. But all that went by unnoticed by Catelyne herself.

The moment a guard stepped up to her and pulled off his helmet she recognised him as one of the closest friends of her husband, a member of their own household guard.

Thomson's expression was grim, eyes casted downwards in respect as he adressed the Lady of the house he had served loyally for so many years.

“My Lady...we've gone out to the manor...-”

There was no need for him to continue, the tonality of his words and the fact he couldn't continue without a choked splutter of emotions washing over her told Catelyne enough. Not wanting to hear the words she ran away, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Having found an endless supply of energy she wasn't even aware of she possessed. Yet this day she ran more than she had thusfar in her entire life. Ignoring the protests of many when she passed in her rush to prove them all wrong, prove that none of this was happening, making her way to where once stood her house. The delicate fabric of her robe was torn, shredded and stained. Her descent and climb across the fuming ruins of the park difficult yet she persisted in her desire to see for herself.

Probably one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made.

Where once stood their rising manor now was nothing but a charred ruin, still fuming and sizzling from the fires that had taken hours to be put out, various mages had combined their spells to pour water across and ward the rest of the city, putting an end to them. Some parts were less ruined than others yet it was clear that nothing could be salvaged. The dragon's breath had effectively brought a great part of the city down. Including her house, her home.
And with that everyone inside it.

As if she was dreamwalking the woman stepped across the treshold. There was no longer a door blocking her path, the hallway had come down for a great part and was blocking the stairs. To her left the charred wood of the second floor had fallen down but she managed to worm her way past into the large diningroom. None of the furniture was spared, everything shaded a blackened colour, the smell of burned wood and flesh invaded her nose, twisting her stomach but she did not register it or wouldn't let it stop her either way.

Her heart wrenched, her throat clamped shut and the tears began flowing down her cheeks at last. After hours of fretting and being caught in the maddening state of chaos she finally let her emotions break free, alone and secluded, the rest of the world had already begun mourning for their lost ones. In the far corner of the room, sheltered behind now burned curtains were the remains of her family.
She needed no second glance at their broken and burned corpses to know that her husband had tried to shelter them from the attack to which they had no defenses. Both had found their demise at the destructive fire and the falling construct of their home around them. Finding death's embrace in eachother arms, and all Catelyne could do was stare. Before her mind could even properly process the sight she was being tugged away. Distantly she could hear the sound of a woman's voice, muffled through her helmet and the buzzing of her own mind.

“Not safe..ground is shifting...”

Again her conciousness wrapped itself into a self-preserving shelter, unaware that she was being guided away to safety. The ground breaking and falling apart underneath their very feet. The final collapse that would take even more lives on this dramatic day.

Eventually the days passed, picking up from nowhere and alone Catelyne did not find comfort in the pressence of her parents or any of her friends. Instead she retreated into the Cathedral even more frequently than she did before. Desperatly trying to find the warmth that she once felt by dedicating her prayers to the Holy Light. All in vain.

The day that Deathwing came had left her empty and cold, the side of her that loved and cherished had been destroyed together with the Park itself. Taken away and ripped out of her like her husband and daughter had been ripped away from her.

Like she had been taught she carried her loss with dignity, a mournfull mask to the outside world while at night she wept in the chambers of her parental home. Her cries always going unheard and her tears unseen while the face of her beloved and her daughter haunted her in her dreams and nightmares.

Befitting for her status, a lady of noble bloodline, she moved on with her life. By now the years had passed since the dreadfull attack and she was once more part of a wellstanding house back on the rise. The husband of her late sister had given her the position to be Lady of his house to continue the standing between both their houses. She had accepted without much hesistation, knowing quite well her parents were hoping for her to soon be wed to the husband of her sister to make their unity eternal and share their wealth but Catelyne did not bulge for such thing.

Instead she worked through the required chores and tasks of her position without a single complaint or anything that could show her dishearted and dispassionate emotions. Untill the young Lady became a part of her life. Shy and insecure, with thick red locks that more often than not would hide her visage from the world. Large blue eyes that would look at everything and everyone in fear at the start.

Yet Merissa Drackenrise bloomed, with the aid of the elder Lady who worked patiently on improving the lowborn girl to fit into their society, harsher than she intended at times to correct her speech and posture yet it was deemed nessecary. It was who she had to be and she would fulfill her role untill she too would draw her final breath to find peace in death.

The final notes of a song echoed through the chambers, Merissa's lithe and small fingers falling still and no longer plucking the strings of the harp that rested in her lap, a timid smile shown towards Lady Cerwyn that was sat across of the scrawny girl. Making the elder woman snap out of the painful and sorrowful memories the song her made her reminisce. A lullaby she once played for her own child, not much younger than the girl sat before her now.

“You've learned much My Lady, your lord father shall be most proud of your progress. I am certain it will please him to see his daughter possesses such talent for such wonderful instrument.”

If anything was bearing down heavy on Catelyne it didn't show, nor did it ring through her words as she spoke, her smile distant yet polite enough to pass as genuine. She was welcomed with a stuttered response, a blushing face and resisted the urge to step over to the girl that had managed to make her heart wrench on several occassions.

“I believe it is time for you to make your way to your chambers Lady Drackenrise, I shall see you come the morrow to break fast together and continue your lessons.”

Both women rose from their seats, one young and at the brink of growing into a noble lady once overcoming her insecurities, vivid red hair and a blooming figure. The other aged and pale, her once golden hair growing with streaks of silver, the depths of her eyes revealing the age and sorrow that had become a part of her.

“G-good nn-night L-lady Cerwyn”

“Pleasant dreams Lady Drackenrise”

She watched the young girl leave, pulling the heavy door shut behind her to leave Catelyne alone in the now very silent and empty room. Willing herself not to cry as she stared at the door, wishing it was a blondhaired girl instead that just closed it after hugging her and kissing her goodnight. Perhaps even going after her to tuck her in bed and tell her of the many plans they would have. With a deep and heavy sigh she sank back onto her chair, staring at a wall yet her cheeks remained dry. A lady does not show her tears, a lady remains strong.

Oh my days... I love it. I love it I love it I love it.

T_T So saaad!