The Trap.

[Llucia]

Llucia paced through the grass in Moonglade, wringing her hands nervously.

"Prove to him you are not a coward and everything will be just fine... I hope."

The druid sighed and jumped suddenly as two gruff looking elves stepped up to her. They gave her emotionless stares as one of them spoke, "Azurik sent us to take you to him, druid."

Llucia stared back at them, uncertain. She glanced behind her, seeing the guards and relaxing somewhat. She nods to the elves and follows them. They walked quickly out of Nighthaven, Llucia in tow. Her stomach tightened again as she watched the guards fall from view, and she gripped the pendant around her neck, running a finger over the inscription, Barke.

"Please don't worry about me, Barke. I'll be back. I promise. I hope."

The elves led her far to the south of Moonglade, near the tunnel entrance to Felwood and Winterspring. They motioned for her to wait and disappeared inside. Llucia stood there for what seemed an eternity, gripping the pendant so hard she thought it might shatter. She almost burst into tears at the fear welling up inside her, however she steadied herself as she saw her uncle come up from the tunnel, his faithful white wolf at his side. He stops in front of her, shaking his head.

"Have you not learned anything? Do you just follow anyone blindly?"

Llucia was taken aback. "But... they said you sent them."

Azurik laughed, cruelty bleeding through his voice. "And just how did you know they were telling you the truth?"

Llucia scowls at him. "If they weren't then I would have killed them."

The tall, white-haired hunter laughs even louder, bringing his hand up and resting it against her cheek.

"Oh my dear, sweet niece. You're still the sweet, innocent young girl I knew. You cannot think I would believe that," he says, his stare pinned Llucia down, making her swallow down her moment of bravery.

Azurik took his hand back, smiling down cruelly at her. Llucia turned her head slightly, squeezing her eyes shut and preparing for a blow, when a memory of Barke flashed across her vision. She quickly opened her eyes and ducked down, watching as her uncle's hand slammed through the air. Looking up at him, she saw her surprise mirrored in his gaze. The druid clenched her fist and leapt up, returning the favor. A flash of red filled her eyes, however she was knocked back against the ground, a heavy weight on her chest. The wolf. The animal opened its mouth, showing Llucia his fangs as it bit down on her neck, pinning her. She widened her eyes, realizing she might not get out of this alive.

"Get him-" her voice was cut off as the wolf tightened its bite slightly, blood trickling down the sides of her neck.

The hunter wiped his mouth, glancing down at blood in his hands.

"There it was," he said quietly, walking slowly over to his niece. He looked down at her searchingly.

"That rage... that was what you felt in Quel'Thalas, wasn't it?"

Llucia looked up at him pleadingly, not chancing a word lest the wolf finish her off.

"Tell me, Llucia. What did you hope to achieve by coming here? Did you think to kill me? Prove to me you aren't the coward I know you to be? Raven, let her speak. Just a little."

The wolf, Raven, let up slightly, though kept his teeth touching her neck. Llucia swallowed, still staring up at him.

"I wanted us to be a family again, uncle. I wanted you to be at my wedding. I want you to be in my life again. I have missed--" Llucia was cut off again as Raven tightened his bite down on her neck. The hunter patted his pet gently.

"So, you think I will forgive you that easily, hm? Don't think I will show pity on you because of a supposed wedding. You should know by now I don't care for you."

"But you did!" Llucia cries out as the wolf bites down even harder. Pools of blood start to form on the ground.

Azurik sits down next to the druid, gazing down at her with cool malice.

"I did, before you betrayed the Va'Lore name. You deserve every punishment the Cenarion Circle has to give." Azurik's malice suddenly melts away into a smile as he leans down, kissing Llucia on the forehead.

"But let's start with my punishment, shall we?"

Llucia stares up at him, horror flashing across her face. Her uncle laughed cruelly, enjoying her fear as he pulled Raven back off her.

"Raven hopes you enjoy being put to sleep just as much as he enjoyed it, my sweet niece."

Confusion flashed across Llucia's face as she started to sit up, only to lie back down as drowsiness overcame her. She watched as Azurik pulled the pendant from her neck, inspecting the inscription and rolling his eyes. He tossed it behind him and picked Llucia up as her world went black.

[Upae]

(( But.. the pendant.. lost?..))

[Barke]

(( *Sigh* My poor Llucia.

*Gets his hunting supplies*

Just have to kill the uncle I guess.))

[Rhowen-Prea]

(( And all because I was willing to take a resto-specced druid to Scholo instead of a priest. <3 Llucia. ^_~ ))

[Llucia]

(( See what happens when you settle for resto druids? you make friends!!! :P ))

[Llucia]

Llucia was not aware she was awake until her hand slammed into a rough wall, shooting pain up her arm. It was completely black in her prison, not a single shaft of light no matter where she looked. She had no sense of time, and so sat there for ages, unable to break her way out.

Finally, a door creaked open, sending painful waves of light upon the druid.

"Awake yet? Good. Let's begin this." A knife flashed in Azurik's hands as he stepped inside.

Her uncle's voice rang through her head as she finally remembered how she got in here.

"Wait, uncle. Wait. Why are you doing this?" Llucia pushed herself back against the wall.

The white wolf padded into the cell, which Llucia could now make out as rock and tree roots. She thought she must be inside the tunnel near Moonglade still. Raven sat next to her, panting happily, much to Llucia's dismay. She closed her eyes, pretending not cower in fear as she channeled a spell out at the wolf. It immediately lied down, enveloped in sleep. A sharp blow to the side of her face caused Llucia to look up at her uncle.

"What did I tell you about doing that?" Anger returned in his voice.

He kneeled down, fighting passed Llucia's frantic struggle and tied her hands together, as well as her feet. The hunter rolled her onto her stomach and slowly cut diagonally down the back of her robes, exposing the long, ragged scar.

"Now let's see... if I remember correctly, this scar was brought upon you in the Emeral Dream, yes?"

Llucia lied still, keeping silent. Azurik pulls her head up by her hair, speaking loudly.

"Wasn't it, little niece?"

Llucia clenches her teeth and yells out, "Yes, just stop it Azurik!"

The hunter smiles and drops her head back down.

"I remember that day you came back. Just you. Everyone else who was sent to deal with that dragon never returned, did they? Just a little coward like you did. Pity you didn't die there."

Llucia turns her head to look at him, "But you were the one who was most worried about me Azurik. You. You loved me then, why can't you forgive what I did and return to that man?"

Azurik hesitates a moment as he stares down at her. He shakes his head, "Stop talking Llucia. It will not stop what I must do."

"But you don't have to!" Llucia's cries become muffled as Azurik presses her face against the ground.

He runs his across across the scar, running the cold, flat of his dagger down it, making Llucia shiver.

"This is a rogue's blade, Llucia. Poison will course through your body as I reopen this wound. You will also be paralyzed just long enough so that you can heal yourself without dieing."

Azurik starts to slowly press his blade into her back, running it deeply along the scar. Llucia cries into the ground, sensing the poison running through her. She notices a numbness following along the blade, and turns her head slightly, trying to speak.

"Uncle please. Why can't you forgive me? What can't you..." Llucia's words drift off as incoherent mumblings as the numbness begins to set in.
Tears continue to fall to the ground. "Lulu..."

Azurik jerks his head up from his work. He stares down at her for a long time, watching her eyes close and breathing even out. He looks down at her back as he removes the dagger, the cut only halfway down the scar. Azurik sits back and closes his eyes, reliving a memory he could never forget.


"Uncle Azy!"
A younger Azurik scoops up a small elven girl with dark green hair.
"I missed you Azy! Where did you go?"
He smiles at the child, spinning her around in the air, causing her to burst into giggles.
"I'm sorry little one. I had some training to do with Shadowsong. You remember her right?"
The little girl smiles.
"Of course I do! That's the one you like!"
The hunter laughs and sits down in the grassy field, pulling the child into his lap and ruffling her hair.
"I think little Lulu is getting bigger," he says, hoping to divert her attention.
'Lulu' pushes Azurik's hands away and glares up at him.
"I hate that name so much Uncle. Father calls me it sometimes now too. It's all your fault!"
The hunter chuckles as he smoothes out her hair.
"All right, all right Llucia. I'll tell him to stop. But you know, I won't."
The young Llucia growls playfully at him and pushes with all her weight against him. Azurik grins and falls onto his back.
"For that, you have to carry me all the way home now," Llucia says, with one last slap on his chest.
Azurik continues grinning.
"Why, it would be my honor, little Lulu."


The bloodied dagger crashes against the stone wall, echoing endlessly in the small chamber. Azurik gets up, a mixture of emotions playing across his face.

"Raven, come."

The wolf remains still as Azurik steps up to the door. He glances back, slamming his fist against the wall, and goes over to the wolf, picking it up. He looks down at Llucia for a moment, seeing the little child he loved, and moves to the door, shutting her in once more.

[Llucia]

Llucia lied in the dark, paralyzed. Her sense of time was lost again as the door closed and blckness enveloped her. She dozed off many times, waking violently from nightmares from her past. Her last dream however, brought her some solace.

Her father dressed her wound carefully, ridding her of the poison that coursed through her. He took her up, resting her head on his shoulder and squeezing her gently.

"Father..." Llucia whispered, the effects of the paralysis finally wearing off. The druid wraps her arms around her father's neck.

"Sleep, Llucia," he whispers back, gently running his fingers through her hair. "You're safe now."

Llucia relaxes in his embrace and closes her eyes.

"Please don't be hard on Azurik, father. I know I can work it out with him. You know he's always tried to uphold justice, and what I did was --"

Her father placed his finger on her lips.

"Stop Llucia. You did nothing wrong. Despite what you may think, I loved your mother just as much as your father."

Llucia frowned and pulled back. She looked up into the eyes of her uncle, not her father.

"Azurik..." she whispered. "What... Was all that true?"

Azurik pulled her back, squeezing her tightly. "I'm sorry Llucia. I don't expect you to forgive me, but know that I'm sorry for what I've put you through since your father died."

The druid closed her eyes, tears falling down her cheeks. "What made you change your mind?"

Azurik chuckled slightly. "You won't like it."

Llucia pulled away from him, looking up at him questioningly. The hunter wiped her tears away as he said, "How could I ever live without the smile of my little Lulu."

The druid wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I hate that name," she whispers, giving him a small smile.

The hunter smiled down at her and reached behind him, pulling up her pack.

"Go ahead and change and I'll take you up to Nighthaven for something to eat."

Azurik stood up and moved over to the door.

"Wait. What about that pendant I was wearing?"

He looked back at her, shaking his head.

"I went to check for it, but it's gone. I'm sorry."

Llucia shakes her head, "No, it's okay. Maybe it will turn up somewhere."

Azurik nods and leaves Llucia. She starts to search through her bags, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Barke."

------------------------------------

Up in Nighthaven, the two reminisced of the past and spoke of the future. Llucia forgave Azurik, and insisted that he not call her Lulu in front of others.

"I won't tell you where the wedding is if you do," Llucia warned, giving him a smile. He laughed, finally giving in.

"All right, all right. I promise I won't. But I want to meet this guy who has you so smitten. I'm surprised he isn't a druid."

Llucia rolls her eyes, "Would you really want to live with some boring man who talks about history and..." Llucia's voice trails off as she scratches her cheek. "I mean..."

Azurik bursts out laughing, "You mean, someone like you?"

The druid dips her finger in her tea and flicks a drop across at Azurik. "Maybe," she admits quietly.

The hunter grins at her. As they finish up their meal, Dendrite Starblaze walks up to the table.

"Llucia Va'Lore?" he says, eyeing Azurik.

Llucia looks up and stands quickly, bowing. "Master Starblaze. Can I do something for you?"

He waves his hand slightly at her. "No, I actually have some information for you. A young druid I'm training found a pendant that I think you may have been carrying. A black leaf with the name 'Barke Daertha' inscribed on it."

Llucia suddenly smiles. "You have it? Where is it?"

Starblaze shakes his head, "Upae returned it to it's owner. Though, I have been wondering what a druid like yourself is doing with a man like that."

Llucia nods her head with a small smile, "Thank you for your concern, but he's not an evil man. Upae, she is your new druid? I'd like to thank her sometime."

Starblaze nods, "Of course. I'll leave you to your meal. Farewell."

Azurik watches Starblaze walk off and stands, "Well, you better go get your pendant back."

Llucia smiles and wraps her arms around his back, "I will. I'm glad I've got you back."

The hunter smiles and kisses her forehead, "I as well, Lulu."

Llucia pushes him back and sticks her tongue out at him. She takes a few steps back and waves at him. "We'll talk again soon," she says with a smile and runs off, in search of Barke.