Erysi, the Blade Dancer

[Saelia]

Prologue
Thorns

Hello there once again, kind reader! It's been a while, or has it! No bother, I'm Saelia, Saelia Windrunner, do you know who I am? If you do, go ahead and skip on ahead, you won't learn anything new about me here, or practically anywhere in the tale I set out to pen this time around. For the tale which follows is not my own, no, indeed there is much to be learned, but precious little of it is about yours truly.

And who is yours truly for those of you who did not cease to read this prologue when warned? I am but a humble Dwarven female, a hunter for a living who leads a group of fellows who work closely with the Argent Dawn. We're a close-knit group of law-abiding Alliance-folk working to rid the lands of Azeroth of the Scour-- Ah, who am I kidding? Except for the lawmakers that is, they don't have a clue what we really are, and don't pass anything written by anyone but themselves as lore, thus what you're reading is most certainly fiction in the right eyes.

Truth be told of yours truly, and not yours falsely is that I'm a lowdown scoundrel. I'm the ringleader of a group called Thorns and Roses. Oh so is that name of our group suited to myself, and all of us. Damn the corrupt lawmakers of the Alliance, we make our own way in this world. We make our own rules. We are the roses who refuse to be what the world tells us we should be. We rise from our roots and our thorny stems to bloom into our own beautiful things, no matter what the world tells us.

I grew up unloved, unwanted, and just barely cared for, I wouldn't be put down. My father was a hunter himself in his younger days, got into politics later on. Decided he was getting old and it was time to go about making himself a legacy, a son to carry on for him in this mortal realm, and what he got was me, a lovely, allbeit female creature who he wanted nothing of. Who, as fate would have it, killed her mother on the way into the world. Never had too much trouble with killing since, natural born killers I think they call us? Ah, but I'm no murderer either, you'll find I'm many a things. I'd be anything for the right price, afterall.

I grew up hated by him, and I knew it, but kept my own. Learned really quickly I couldn't count on anyone at all but myself. He kept me out of his life as much as he could until he died, then I set about proving myself to him and the world, truly making my own way. I took his rusty shotgun out of its case and went to prove I was worth a damn, prove I could do anything his damned would-be son could have done only better. I became a hunter.

Wasn't long after I got good with the gun that I learned I could make quite a bit of coin with my skills. Not just selling meats and skins, but doing what needs doing, you know? I took to doing anything, any job for the right price. And there were oh so many, and the coin did flow! I became a mercenary, a delivery girl, an assassin, whatever I needed to be.

One day I came across a job offering a hefty reward! A job for killing a bear that'd been terrorizing the locals in the mountains. Perfect job for a hunter, seemed many had died trying. A long adventure made short, I found the beast, Trebloc he was called. I fell in love with him at first sight, such a beautiful creature he was. And I immediately felt a kinship with him, he was just like me in his bearful way. I saw the rose he was, I saw his thorns, I know he saw the same in me. It pained me to raise my gun to him, but hey, a lot of coin was involved. About that time I found myself buried in the snow of an avalanche before I'd even known what was happening. Trapped in darkness, I settled into the fact that maybe I wasn't as lucky as I thought, that I'd met death's icy embrace at last, and now I'd be sent on to whatever's after and have to face that bastard father of mine again. But of course, it wasn't my time!

That beautiful beast saved me, tugged me by my boot from that awful prison. I owed him my life, so of course I repayed him with his own. Never raised my gun to him again. In fact, he took to following me afterwards. Must have been as interesting to him as he was to me. We became quick hunting companions, not that folks having animal companions is a rarity in this world, especially hunters, but having a great white bear as one is quite a rarity.

We worked together from there on, jobs became easier, coin came a lot quicker, and it was through him I learned something. Though I'm right that you can only really count on yourself, working with others is damned profitable. I came up with the concept of Thorns and Roses through him. A group of beings just like he and I, Thorns and Roses, making our own way through the world, making our own rules, and sharing the wealth. And that's what it's become.

That's my tale in short, but as I said this is the tale of another. A lady quite as interesting as yours truly. The unique tale of a night elf named Erysi, one of my most cherished companions, partners. One I wouldn't trade for anything. The third Rose after Trebloc and myself.

The fourth, who appears in this tale as well is Aendra, but her tale is her own to tell. I have offered to tell it for her in this same way, but she'll have none of it. Perhaps one day she'll commit it to writing herself. But for now just expect that she's here in these pages, and look to have a glimpse of the fourth Rose, my greatest sentient friend.

So now journey with me through the past once again, kind reader, and learn the tale of the night elf Erysi through my eyes and her voice as it was heard by my ears. We have a long road ahead.

[Saelia]

"My home is far but the rest it lies so close,
With my long lost love under the black rose.
You told I had the eyes of a wolf,
Search them and find the beauty of the beast."

-Nightwish, Beauty of the Beast

Chapter 1
New Friends

Thorns and Roses was not by any means put together in a day, in fact, it took me several years of wandering and work as a mercenary before it even began to begin.

I knew from the beginning that the first step was to make a name for myself. And so I did so, through my work as a mercenary, and through my writing. I'm not a terribly good writer, as I know, and as I have stated before, many do not even believe I'm a real being. They believe I am a work of fiction, which I am quite happy to pass for in most cases! Helps me to maintain a low profile, you know? But there have been many since who have sought me out just because of my writing.

Those early days however were an almost unbearable chore. The idea beat in my head like a song which had goten stuck in it. This song was by no means ever going to end until I listened to it. Listened to it again and again until I could stand it no more. But how can one listen to a song that doesn't exist? A preconceived song they had to create themselves? I had to create it, I had to see to it this song was born into reality. I had to get it out of my head, had to unleash it upon the world.

I got my chance at last on the shores of Kalimdor, Darkshore to be more specific. It was nearing twilight, the sun shone brightly on the waters as I ran northward up the coast, my faithful Trebloc at my side, in search of a murloc I had heard was wanted dead for the killing of quite a few fishermen on the coast. Bad for their business of course, but good enough for mine. Simple task, moderate reward. Pity I was beaten to it.

I came at last two the encampment this murloc was rumored to make its home on the northern coasts of Darkshore. Two night elven women were there in the midst of an intense battle with the murloc. The largest of which lay dead off to the side, the first to fall it would seem. That one could only be the one who's head I was after. Their kill, their reward, ah well, at least I'd get to stop and enjoy the show.

I watched at first with a smirk, which began quickly to fade to a look of awe, and utter amusement. The two fought, protecting one another with a grace that I can hardly describe. One was a hunter, standing afar, her gaze focused down the sight of her gun, one similar to my own, skillfully shooting into the frey, careful not to miss and hit her companion, or the great black cat I saw then. The cat could only have been the animal companion of the hunter, as Trebloc, who waited patiently at my side was mine.

The other night elf was deep in the frey, fighting in a style which I can hardly describe. The swiftness with which she struck, the grace of her movements, it was beyond anything I had ever seen before. Completely unique in every aspect of it. It was as if she danced with her blade, the setting sun striking it, gleaming into my eye and blinding me before it cleaved across the neck of one murloc and plunged headfirst into the heart of the next. And the look on her face throughout it all. She was enjoying it, oh, how she was enjoying it.

It was one of the more beautiful things I have ever seen, and soon it was over. As soon as all the murloc lay dead, the two moved to the large one which had been slain before my arrival. The setting sun and the angle from which I now saw them making them appear not but a dark sillouhette of their true selves. A sight alone which was nearly as beautiful as their fight had been. The hunter's cat enjoyed a nice meal of murloc flesh in the distance as the hunter herself leaned in to her fighter companion and kissed her gently on the lips. Then the fighter rose her sword into the air and swung it down, cleaving off the head of large murloc and quickly wrapping it up inside a bag.

As she finished, she glanced up and at last noticed me. I stood my ground, and after a moment's conversation between the two, they began to head my way.

"Care to paint a picture, dwarf?" said the fighter, looking down at me.

"Nah, jus' watchin' two'a the best fighters I ever saw takin' down the whole camp o' murloc. I was just gonna wait 'til the big one seperated 'imself enough fer me ta get a clean shot o' 'is neck then me bear 'ere would go in 'n grab the head before the others e'en knew wha' a gunshot was. But yer slaughter was somethin' o' beauty." I explained, honestly.

"Flattery will get you.. Everywhere, friend." she replied, the other giving a soft giggle.

I smirked, knowing right away these were definitely my kind of people.

"S'rry if it offends ya, me watchin', but I just couldn' take me eyes offa it." I said.

"No matter at all. Sorry to have stolen away your kill." she told me.

"Think nothin' of it, I got tons o' jobs I can be doin'. Not the bes' reward fer that'n either, was it?" I said with a laugh.

"Enough to buy a few rounds of drinks on, that's plenty for us, we're in it more for the thrill anyway." said the hunter in the first words she had spoken.

"Exactly, care to join us, dwarf? You seem plenty interesting." the fighter asked.

"Sure thing! Ye can't possibly think a dwarf'd turn down an offer fer some drink, do ya? But I'll only come on one condition!" I exclaimed.

"And what's that?" they nearly both said in unison, the other stopping in that uncomfortable way people do when such things happen.

"Gotta gimme yer names! Can't be drinkin' with ya without knowin' yer names." I said.

"Of course, I'm Erysi, Erysi Lath'un, and this is.." the fighter began.

"Aendra, Aendra Lilewyn. Pleased to meet you." interjected the other.

"Lovely names ya both 'ave. I'm Saelia, Saelia Windrunner, no relation ta those cousin elves o' yers of course, if ya know all that lore 'n pish posh." I said.

I took this moment as twilight set in and the setting sun stopped playing tricks to see the full likeness of the two. Truly beautiful, the both of them. Aendra's skin pink, her green hair tied back into a cute ponytail, something I cannot blame her for at all, my own long red hair is such a mess to deal with, nearly as long as I am. Her pink tinted skin looking polished and everso delicate, yet I could tell even if her gun failed her she could easily take down attacker with the blades attached to either side of her hips. Erysi was simply stunning. Her blue tinted skin in the twilight was indeed something to behold, seeming just as polished and refined as her partner's, yet her body was much more toned and refined, she had obviously been at her work with her blade for quite some time. Her long flowing blue hair blowing gently in the wind. Examining her face more closely I noticed a scar which extended from her forehead down, across her left eye, and to her cheek. It was nearly identical to the one on my own face, a trophy given me by a murderer I took down several months previously. The matching scar struck a nerve with me, I was sure we were meant to meet.

"Let's be off then." Erysi said with a smirk, and we all headed southward down the shore, the two talking together about various things, as I, Trebloc, and the cat companion all three followed shortly behind. We headed to the inn in the town of Auberdine where we settled in for some drinks, and one of the longest conversations I can ever remember having with another being.

[Saelia]

"I was born amidst the purple waterfalls.
I was weak, yet not unblessed.
Dead to the world. Alive for the journey.
One night I dreamt a white rose withering,
A newborn drowning a lifetime loneliness.
I dreamt all my future. Relived my past,
And witnessed the beauty of the beast."

-Nightwish, Bless the Child

Chapter 2
The Early Life of Erysi Lath'un

We certainly hit it off, those two and I, we talked about our lives, our work, everything. I believe I told a slightly drunken version of the entire tale written in my short auto-biography. Of course I told them of my Thorns and Roses. I sang the song of them trapped in my head, and they loved the idea. They new exactly what I meant, exactly what I was getting at, and the idea was a very good one. They were perfect for it, I knew even before hearing their stories how perfect they were. They would be the first Roses.

"So, tell me more about yerselves. Ye know about all there is ta know o' me." I begged of them, desperately eager to know more.

Erysi nodded and Aendra smiled softly, leaning over and whispering something into Erysi's ear, and kissing her cheek gently before turning back to me.

"I'm goin' to head up to bed if all's the same. Ery's always eager to tell her story, and I've heard it many a time. I'll tell mine another day. It's been great meeting you, Saelia, and this idea of yours is a terrific one. I'm sure you can count us in, we'll help you bring this thing together." Aendra said with a soft smile.

"O' course, Aendra! Been great meetin' ya! G'nite t'ya!"

She grinned and nodded as she lifted herself gracefully and headed up the stairs, turning her head back and smiling softly and something that seemed rather seductively at Erysi.

"Yer lovers, ain't ya?" I asked as soon as Aendra was completely out of sight.

"Well, something like that. I care for her, that's for certain. And we do many of the things lovers do, but.. Bah, damn the drinks I shouldn't be talking about these things." she said as I offered a genuine laugh.

"As much as I like you, that story's really none of your business." she followed up with a wink of her non-scarred eye.

"Well'n, tell me whatever stories ye want ta!" I told her eagerly.

"Where else to begin but the beginning.." she said, with something of a gleam in her already naturally glowing eyes.

"I was born shortly before the war with the Scourge, making me quite possibly one of the youngest full grown members of my race. I was born immortal, raised a mortal, allbeit I was practically an orphan. My parents were both hunters, rangers, whatever you like to call them. I was an accident, and my mother giving up the time it took to birth me was more than the time my father and mother wanted to give. I lived the young life of an immortal orphan. Raised to cope with the complications of immortality. No one of my kind of any other's kind could have guessed what would happen.

"My people, as you surely know," I nodded as she continued, "Sacrificed their immortality in that war, severed the link to the Well of Eternity to save it from being corrupted by those demons which sought it. This happened just as I came of age. There's not a lot to tell prior to that, when you're raised to be an immortal, when you are an immortal. Time progresses differently, not as much is accomplished as in the life of the human who knows their life is limited.

"It was hard for us all to adjust, you can't imagine. Especially those like myself, I was robbed completely of that immortality. We do not grow in a human way, we grow from the infant to about the size I am now, then cease. This is what I meant by 'coming of age,' it is when I reached this fully grown stature. Suddenly I was mortal, and completely alone as everything was changing around me. My parents, I came to find, had died as so many did in that final battle at Hyjal. My people began to scatter all around Azeroth, most stayed to Kalimdor, I didn't have a clue where to go, but the burden of immortality being lifted, and the weight of the new burden of mortality settled in soon enough. I realized, I didn't have eternity. I had to make something of this mortal life. But, as I have said, I didn't have a clue where to begin.

"I simply became a wanderer. I knew enough to be able to live off the land, and that's what I did as I wandered. I'm not sure how much time had passed, as I didn't have any real concept of mortal time at that time. It didn't seem long however until I came about the Darkmoon Faire. I don't know if you've ever been, but it's quite wonderous. Silas has really put together quite a spectacle. There's much fun to be had by all. The Darkmoon Faire, if you don't know, is a simple celebration of the wonders of the world. I was intrigued from the beginning. I began to follow them in my wandering, got to know several of the faire attendants. It wasn't until I happened to meet with Silas Darkmoon himself that I had even considered joining with them.

"'You're a wonder of the world yourself, my dear.' he told me. I believe for the first time in my life I blushed a mortal's blush. He took me in, I became a part of the faire. I learned to sing, I learned to dance, I learned to entertain. That became my life, and remained my life for several years.

"It came naturally to me, I have something of a natural grace in me, the dancing in particular was my specialty. I loved the simple life, loved traveling the world with them. Though something continued to burn inside me, I felt it wasn't where I belonged. I was mortal now, my life would not be terribly long, I couldn't spend it so simply. The burning I felt was ambition, desire to make something more of myself. Make my own way, to use your words.

"Maybe it was fate, maybe just dumb luck, but the opportunity soon enough presented itself. The faire came to Goldshire and we set up as usual. All sorts came, as they usually do to participate in our festivities, enjoy our entertainment. A crowd gathered for my usual dance routine, and I began. Something was different this time, however. In the crowd was a man wearing a black cloak, his hood was up, so I couldn't even see his face, but I couldn't help but feel his eyes piercing me like no one else in any audience had ever before. Amongst the masses this one man stood out, watching me, studying my movements. The cheers and gasps of awe of the crowd which I usually reveled in were completely drowned out by his silent, piercing stare.

"My routine concluded, I took my bows, and I left the stage. I returned to my dressing tent flabbergasted. I had to sit down, I had to think, what was that feeling? Why did I.. Still feel that way? I saw him in the corner of my eye, standing there in my tent. With a gasp I turned to him, my eyes wide with, believe it or not, more wonder than fear.

"Who.. are you?" I asked.

"'Who I am is of little importance, deary, what I have to offer is what is of importance.' he said to me, I still could not make out any face beneath his hood, though he spoke with the voice of an old man.

"Wh-What do you want?" I asked nervously.

"'I require a hmm.. Service of you. There is a certain relic I require from a cave to the south of here in the Duskwood Forest. It will be dangerous, but I sense your burning desire for adventure within you, my dear, and you have just the skills this will require, though I am certain you will deny this.' he explained to me, his eyes seeming to burn my insides.

"How.. Do you know so much? How can you? But.. You're right, I deny it, I don't have any skills for performing any such task, why is it me you're coming to for this?!"

"'You are more important than you know, but far be it from me to reveal these details to you. You will find them yourself in time. For now, as I said, yes, skills..' he said as he reached into his cloak with both arms, pulling from it two blades, one he held by the hilt, the other he took by the blade, offering the hilt to me.

"'Now, take this,' and I did, 'Hold it out, and I want you to dance.'

"This was an endlessly strange request to me, but I did as he asked, almost hypnoticly as if his request had some sort of spell behind it. I held the blade tightly by its hilt and began dancing one of my usual routines. The blade was light as a feather, so it was quite easy to maneuver with. I entered into a series of twirls, and then suddenly I heard the clang of metal against metal. He had held out his blade and blocked my own with it. I was taken aback for a moment, but I continued on all the same, kept to my dance. Before I knew it more of these clangs came, and I began to realize what was happening. I began to adjust on my own with my movements to accompany his, and he danced with me, fought with me. I learned quickly to control and adjust as I traded blow after blow with him. It all came so naturally.

"'Good, good.. That's quite enough, my lovely Blade Dancer.' he said to me as I felt the familiar heat rising to my cheeks.

"I was dumbfounded, but he remained unchanged, he expected it the entire time. He then went about explaining the details of the task he wanted me to perform, you know the score, it was little different from the usual mercenary's task. A group of the Burning Legion fanatics inhabited a cave to the south, across the river. Their leader held a relic which he sought. He claimed he was too weakened to go about the task on his own, that seemed somewhat unbelievable to me, but no matter. I was eager for my first adventure, and I inherited the confidence he had in me, developed it in myself.

"The costume I had worn for my dance was made of a fine chainmail, I had always thought it just a costume, never really considered its protective attributes, but I realized them after he pointed them out to me. He gave me the last of the details, where to leave the relic, where to receive my payment once the task was completed, and in, I swear to you, the blink of an eye, he had disappeared.

"I'll spare you the fine details of my mission, as I'm certain you've gone on many yourself," and I would spare you as well, good reader, if she had given them to me as I'm certain most anyone who is reading this has had their own such missions. "I left the faire immediately, the sword he had given me clasped firmly in my hand. I completed the task with relative ease, my movements blinded those simple-minded Burning Legion fanatics. I sliced through them with ease, their attempts to fend me off were hardly any sort of challenge. And I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so, the more I continued on, the more I thirsted for more of it. I didn't even whipe my blade of their blood. I enjoyed the sight of the bloodshed, revelled in the sounds of their dying breaths.

"I reached danced through the carnage, and had reached their leader before I knew it. He cowered before me, dropping to his knees and holding up the relic, a small glowing red stone, he knew it was what I had come for. I snatched it from him and did one of the twirls from my routine, cleaving his head cleanly from his neck. And I left, skipping gracefully over the fallen bodies of my kills. I knew that I had found a new life in this.

"I took the relic to the drop point he had instructed, and found my payment already there, but the payment was nothing compared to what he had already given me. Such confidence he had in me, such confidence he had bestowed unto me. He gave me so much, but yet, I have never seen him again. I have sought him, yes. Sought him desperately, but he has been nowhere to be found.

"It's why I'm eager to tell my story as Aendra had told you, I see by the look on your face you know nothing of the man, but one day, I'm sure I'll find him again, I just know it. Such a mysterious event cannot go unfinished.

"I left the faire the very next day. Silas was upset, I had become one of his favorites, but he knew that it was coming. Knew the day would soon come when I would leave them.

"I spent the next many years working as a mercenary, an assassin, whatever was needed, much as you have, my friend. I met Aendra in much the way you met the pair of us this evening. We became quick partners, companions, lovers, if you must." she winked at me, I chuckled softly. "We worked together from then on, as you and your animal companion there." I smiled softly down at Trebloc who layed on the floor at the feet of my chair, leaning down to pat the mass of white fur. "And now, my new friend, I hope we'll be working together with you as well. I'm both intrigued and eager at once to become part of this idea of yours and help you bring it into reality. Allow me to be the first of your Roses."

And it was so, I was drained by her story, so mysterious it was, yet so fitting because she herself seemed just as mysterious and unique as her story. I made for bed shortly afterward, and the next morning came the true beginning of Thorns and Roses. The three, (or five of us if you will, as Maern, as I came to know Aendra's cat beast was called, and Trebloc are just as much members of Thorns and Roses as we are,) became fast companions. We spent the next years travelling and working together, and before I knew it, all preperations were made, and we became official. We became Thorns and Roses.

[Saelia]

"Fare thee well, little broken heart,
Downcast eyes, lifetime loneliness.
Whatever walks in my heart will walk alone.
Constant longing for the perfect soul,
Unwashed scenery forever gone.
No love left in me,
No eyes to see the heaven beside me,
My time is yet to come,
So I'll be forever yours."

-Nightwish, Forever Yours

Chapter 3
Another Day in the Life

The three, five of us, whatever, spent the next few years together, we worked together, bringing in at least ten times the wealth that the typical mercenary could alone. Each of us had our role, and we fit them so well. I with my natrual ambition and ingenuity became of course, the leader, coordinating all of our jobs, efforts, missions, all down to the last detail. That's not all I did however, I've always done a bit of everything. I think that I would get bored if I did things any other way.

Aendra became something of a diplomat, an informant, our agent in the world. She has some natural people skills and has always used them. No charm I've ever known can rival her's, it really is quite a gift. We gained many allies and informants through her in our ongoing efforts to form this organization and make it something resembling official.

Erysi became primarily our information gatherer. Seems she had a knack for finding good paying work where good paying work was to be found. Never was there a dry time when she was around. We became terrifically rich in a short ammount of time. The strangest things had begun to happen revolving around her however. I would see her places that later she would swear she had never been. It happened more than once, and when I enquired her about it, she would of course deny it, remind me I never was good at recognizing the differences in other races. She was right, damn if all of those elves don't look the same to me. I'm getting a bit ahead of things though.

With all the coin we had earned we set about seeding the roots of our Thorns and Roses all throughout the world. Those who Aendra couldn't charm into being on our side were seduced by the alluring sound of gold rolling around in a large bag we offered to them. It wasn't long until we met Father Gavin, a priest working with the Argent Dawn. He's a good man, don't get me wrong, just once that's certainly easily seduced by that sound. I already had many contacts with politicians, former affiliates of my father, or better yet, their children who had taken their places. They were the greatest, they only knew the rumors of my father, not the actual man himself, so none of course knew of my story or what I was truly after through them. Gavin, however, was the mask which would shroud us from all who would ever try to stop us. For the right price, good money which he does put to good use, helping out the Argent Dawn, he gives us cover. Makes us appear as nothing but their own agents to all who may ask.

It was all pulled together, we all played our parts perfectly, and Thorns and Roses became official. It became its own finely tuned machine, and began to not even need our assistance to grow and flourish, though we gave it the greatest attention imaginable.

All was set, and we were ready to truly begin gathering members, but first, a new and important job was fated to fall into our laps.

I sat on the stone steps leading up to our guild hall, as I had for some time, watching the wind blow snow about the mountains in drifts. It had happened again, just recently, I had seen her, out in the distance, peeking her blue head up from a far away rock. A difference this time, however, I knew she was inside the guild hall right behind me. I began to think someone craftier than we was spying on our business, one who appeared strikingly similar to our Erysi. Such a person couldn't be good for business. As soon as I had seen her I rushed out from the hall to the rock she had peered toward me from behind. Of course nothing was there, of course the snow had already blown over any tracks, but damn it, I knew I wasn't going insane. Or was I?

Suddenly I awoke from my thoughts to the sound of a screech in the sky. Looking up I saw the large form of an owl descending toward me. I knew this creature, it was Erysi's messenger, Moonlit. She purched herself upon the stone rail next to me, peering down at me with her large yellow eyes, offering a friendly hoot as if she were saying hello. I nodded to her then stood, dusting myself off, moving to the entrance of our hall to shout for Erysi.

"Hey, Ery! Yer owl's come back, looks like she's got us some work!" I yelled, refering to the parchment which was tied to the owl's ankle.

It didn't take her long to come out, nodding to me then smiling softly to the owl she moved to her, untying the parchment from her leg and offering her a bit of meat she pulled from her pocket as she unrolled the parchment.

She scanned the parchment, reading over it quickly and said, "Hmm.. Word from one of our Mages' Guild contacts in New Stormwind. Seems there's a Rogue Wizard they want taken care of quietly before he can bring any more shame upon them."

"Ah! Good then, I could go fer some actual work! The guild ain't goin' anywhere, we can get 'er goin' soon as we're back." I said. "What're they offerin'?"

"Quite a hefty sum if we do the job right. Seems this is quite a powerful one from what they say. We'll have to be careful with it. Looks like all the information's here, I'll go let Aendra know and we'll be ready to go as soon as you are."

I had been grinning since the word "hefty", nodding to her as she headed back inside, whistling for Trebloc as I quickly checked for my belongings then headed inside for just a moment to grab some simple supplies out of the foyer. I was ready to go by the time Trebloc came, and before the others came up from the depths of the hall.

"What took ya so long?" I said, grinning as they came up.

I laughed, waving off the answer before it might have come, not really wanting to know anyway.

We made our quick trek to Ironforge to take the tram's ride to Stormwind, then headed out from there on a long journey to the Silverpine Forest, where this Rogue Wizard was rumored to have set himself up with a tower someplace. Our journey was fairly uneventful, but when we reached our destination, things were set into place which I'm not going to be able to describe to you as nearly as well as I would like to.

[Saelia]

"Where have all the feelings gone?
Why has all the laughter ceased?
Why am I loved only when I'm gone?
Gone back in time to bless the child.
Think of me long enough to make a memory.
Come bless the child one more time."

-Nightwish, Bless the Child


Chapter 4
A Friend Lost in Time

A storm had set in when we reached the tower we were looking for. Danger was all around us, we were in enemy territory in all senses of the words. We weren't about to stop and rest or wait this storm out, we had to get in and get this job done quickly.

The tower itself was massive from my Dwarven perspective, and I'm sure hardly smaller from the perspective of any of the larger races. Bones and bodies lay strewn about hither and tither all around the area. Looked as if the Horde hadn't taken kindly to this Rogue Wizard setting up shop in this tower, or perhaps, they had been its previous owners, who knows. We moved upon the tower quickly and silently, the darkness and the storm providing us more than adequate cover. I had the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since we'd arrived there. I couldn't explain it, was I nervous? No, couldn't be, I'm never nervous about anything. Something just plain didn't feel right. Aendra seemed in complete agreeance with me from what I could see on her face as we positioned ourselves to break into the tower.

Erysi, on the other hand, looked nothing of the sort, I would say she felt something completely different from what the two of us had. I would call the look flooding her face excitement. It was strange, it seemed quite unlike her. She enjoyed her work, yes, enjoyed the thrill, enjoyed the death, but she was always quite calm and collected before the fighting came.

Erysi made her move on the door while Aendra and I waited, Trebloc and Maern both ready to pounce on anything that may attack. We had decided it best to begin quietly, and so she was going to attempt to pick the lock. She didn't have the skills of a master thief, but they were nothing to be laughed at. Then the first of many strange events happened. Just as she was about to begin picking the lock, the large iron door swung open, crashing against the inside stone wall, and remaining open as if it and the warm light inside were welcoming us in. Erysi began making her way inside with not but a nod to Aendra and I. We cautiously followed, motioning for our animal companions to follow us. Erysi was already well inside when we reached the door.

A loud crash of thunder came, startling us both in our surreal state, and then quickly we realized as the sound passed, the warm light was gone, and in front of us was nothing but cold wet steel. The door had slammed itself back shut, barring us from Erysi.

"Damn the silent approach!" I shouted, "What the bloody nether is goin' on?!!?"

I pounded on the door desperately, but to no avail, the sound of my pounding was completely lost in the storm, and the door was too thick to hear anything inside, surely my knocks weren't even being heard even by Erysi who was surely on the opposite side doing the same.

"Now what d'we do?!?!" I cried to Aendra who looked just as worried as I, but was already being quite a bit more constructive.

"Quick, there's a window a ways up! I'm sure we can climb this, we HAVE to climb this, Ery might be in danger!" she yelled, looking up at the tower from further back.

"Oh, of all the.." I muttered.

If there's one thing I'm not, it's a climber. Aendra sent Maern off into hiding in the woods, and I did the same to Trebloc as Aendra began running at the stone wall of the tower, leaping up a good bit of it and quickly scaling her way up it toward the window I now saw, which was a good eight Aendra's height away from me.

"Bah!" I shouted as I began trying to climb, failing at even beginning my first couple of tries as Aendra scurried into the window.

"Hurry up!" she shouted down as I finally got my footing and began to climb the slippery stone slowly.

"I'm comin'!" I muttered likely not loudly enough for her to hear me as I made my ascent.

It took some time, but I finally reached the window, only able to squeeze my body through it with her assistance. Shaking myself off as I stood and got my orientation I saw this place was VERY well kept. Yet it seemed almost as if no one were here at all.

We stood on a large circular staircase which seemed to go up and up into the tower. Candles and torches lined the walls, giving it quite a light, a red carpet lined the stairs all the way up them. As I said, a very well tended to place. Surely this couldn't have once belonged to the Horde. Whomever or whatever occupied this place must have made it to be this way.

We noticed a pair of wet footprints moving up the stairs which could only have belonged to Erysi. Following them, we made our way quickly up the steps which seemed to go on forever until we finally reached a large wooden door at what I can only assume was the top of the tower.

I rushed at the door, fully intent on breaking it down, only to find myself suddenly paralyzed just before my shoulder struck the door.

"Now, now, don't be so rash, my little friend." I heard a voice say, simply ask and you may enter.

Stunned for a moment as I felt my limbs returning to me I stood, quite bewildered and completely unsure of what was going on or what could possibly be expected.

"Let us in you bastard!" I heard Aendra shouting as she pounded on the door.

"Very well, my lovely," the voice said, "Enter."

The wooden door swung open slowly, revealing to us a large room, the walls completely lined with books, and two figures standing in the center of it. One, the figure of a male, wore a completely black cloak, the hood thrown over his head, hiding his face completely from view, and the other. The other was Erysi, her head lowered, looking down to the floor, not appearing as if she noticed or cared we were there. Around her waist was the arm of the male figure who stood slightly behind her, holding her to him.

"Welcome, my friends!" the male figure spoke, "You're in for quite a show!"

Looking up from her trance and at last to us, Erysi smiled, simply smiled.

"Aendra.. Saelia, this is the man I've told you about! The one who first put a blade into my hand! The one I owe who taught me how to take on the life I now live!" Erysi exclaimed.

"Indeed, that I am." said the cloaked male figure who then gave a wave of his hand, leaving me feeling once again stunned and bound in place before I could make any sort of reply or move.

"You are not meant to be here, my little friend, only these other two. Though I will grant you a dazzling show which you will not comprehend. My time guiding this world in my direction has come to its end. What did the Guardians think when they left this world unattended? That none would step up to take their places?" he paused to cackle, "The beings of this world were never meant to guide themselves."

"Yer... mad..." I struggled to say, "Yer no.... Guardian..."

I noticed a very strange thing beginning to happen behind the man and Erysi, what I could only describe as a crack in the world was beginning to open. Something like a portal like the mages often create, but something rather different.

"Oh, my little friend, my little anamoly, I am indeed a Guardian! I have watched over and guided the fates of everso many! I am the only Guardian you'll find left in this world anyway! Tonight however it comes to an end, tonight I leave this wartorn land to fall back into the chaos from wince it was born and witness its destruction from the Nether!" he cackled again, "But I wouldn't dare leave my most gorgeous creation, my great killing machine, my beautiful Blade Dancer to fend off the chaos, confused, lost, and only half complete! No, I am sending her on a journey before I go!"

"Ye.. Bastard.. Ye don't.. Have the right.. No one does.. We.. all.. Make our own way.." I said, straining my eyes, willing them to turn to Aendra to check on her. I saw then that she seemed completely free, that whatever bound me had nothing on her. "Aendra... 'e's... Stallin'..."

With that I saw Aendra make her move, first making a quick leap half across the room to get a better position on him from the side opposite Erysi, and grabbing for her gun, taking quick aim with it. The main raised his hand and the gun flew from her fingers, the heavy pieces of wood and metal ricocheting off the ceiling and flying back and down, straight to where I was bound. The wooden stock slammed into my head causing the entire world to spin.

I am not certain of everything that I saw, and in the state I was in I could hardly tell what was reality even if I hadn't just taken a blow to the head. Aendra took to her blades as I saw the large crack in reality widen. She dashed in on him only to find her blades blocked. Not by him, but by Erysi's large sword she unsheathed from her back. I heard him cackling again, and I think that I momentarily lost conciousness.

When I reopened my eyes, I saw Aendra fighting fiercely against the man, I realized my binds were broken, but my body couldn't move anyway. I didn't know if I had imagined the fact or not, but Erysi was nowhere to be found. Vanished completely from my previous images, as had the crack in reality.

I faded in and out, but I knew the fight continued on. A loud crash roused me from a fit of unconciousness as I saw Aendra's body falling down one of the bookshelves, spreading out limply as it reached the floor.

"Your time ends now, Aendra! Lovely as you are, as I always thought you to be, you are a complete failure! You have not become at all what I had intended for you!" he shouted.

"Never... Seen you.. before.." she whimpered.

"Exactly! A fool I am for not having stepped in as I did with Erysi! She will learn where I've sent her, she will accept her fate I have given her!" he cried.

"Mad.." I think I heard her say, "We make.. our own fate.."

He cackled, and Aendra must have lost conciousness. He began gathering the elements around him, creating a spell which would put an end to my friend's life.

And I was helpless, I felt the darkness coming again, in and out I continued to fade. I must have been dreaming by then, reality had lost its grip. I saw the door explode into splinters, and through it burst a female Night Elf who charged inward, her sword poised to run the man who had almost readied his spell through. I saw the sword do just that, ramming into his midsection then slicing its way up through his torso then out his upper back. I heard screaming, I saw his blood spatter. I saw the spell he was casting backfire, setting his body aflame. What was all of this? Who was this elf, surely I was just dreaming. It looked just like..

I think I even said it as I lost conciousness once and for all, "Erysi.."

[Saelia]

"Where have all the feelings gone?
Why is the deadliest sin - to love as I loved you?
Now unblessed, homesick in time,
Soon to be freed from care, from human pain.
My tale is the most bitter truth:
Time pays us but with earth and dust, and a dark, silent grave.
Remember, my child: Without innocence the cross is only iron,
Hope is only an illusion and Ocean Soul's nothing but a name...
The Child bless thee and keep thee forever."

-Nightwish, Bless the Child

Epilogue
Roses

Fear not, kind reader, you're not reading the written word of a ghost. I did not perish there, nor did Aendra. Those who lead normal lives would have perished right then and there. But no, not us! Not the way we live. We make our own way against even death. Its rules will never apply any more than any government's, god's, Guardian's, what have you. We will not be stopped!

No, we did not burn as the fire consumed that man and spread to all that was flameable in the tower, or will you believe me when I tell of how we escaped our deaths. Certainly you will not believe me when I tell you that Erysi is here with us, once again. In fact, you will believe little of what remains to this story. Welcome, dear reader, to apparant fiction, the mask of confusion by which I live and write by.

I am quite real, I am the living flesh of Saelia Windrunner, writing the tale of a dear friend from within the halls of Thorns and Roses. I laugh that none believe what I write could be real. I dare anyone whether they believe or not to find me, to find us! Join us if they would, as I'm certain many who would have read even this far may! Or try to stop us, you cannot! Luck is with me, luck is with Thorns and Roses.

But that's quite enough preaching, onward to the end of our tale.

I awoke in the woods outside the tower. Trebloc and Maern sheltering and protecting Aendra and I respectively. I returned to the tower to find it in pieces. The fire had consumed all that was flameable within it. Had the structure been weakened and the storm took out the rest? I could only assume so. How had we come to be out here?

I was flooded with all the strange memories of the previous night. I fell to my knees remembering it all, remembering Erysi. What had happened to her?

I shook my head, forcing myself to rise back up and return to the woods. Aendra had regained conciousness, and she was spending it in tears.

"Aendra.. I.." I started to say, but decided better to avoid words and moved over to her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders and holding onto her tightly.

She sobbed for some time, laying into me, muttering things such as "..Erysi.." and "Gone.." between sobs. She didn't know what was real any more than I did, but she knew for certain as I had that that was certainly a fact.

"We dinna know that she's dead, Aendra! That madman said some crazy things, but none of 'em seemed ta be lies from his insane pointa view! 'e didn't seem ta have any wantin' o' killin' her." I said, still holding her.

"No! She's DEAD, don't even try to convince me otherwise, Saelia! She's dead and gone and the sooner I accept that the sooner I can move on!" she yelled, pushing away the comfort of my arms.

I sighed as she rose to her feet, rushing off into the woods and away from me at a speed I couldn't possibly have followed. Maern followed her faithfully, though I could tell reluctantly, leaving Trebloc and I behind and alone.

I patted him on the head, stroking the fur on the back of his large neck gently.

"I guess it's jus' you 'n me again fer now, my friend." I said to him as I continued stroking the fur.

"Let's be goin'.." I said with another sigh.

The two of us made the journey back to the mountains, back to our home at the guild hall. I waited for days with no word, doing little actually but recouperating from the whole ordeal. It was a week or two before Aendra returned, thankfully, to us. She didn't want to talk of Erysi when she returned, I could tell that. Instead she just wanted to get down to guild business. And we did so, never even mentioning our lost friend.

Another year must have passed, things returned to something resembling normal. We got the guild going into full swing. People of all sorts were seeking us out to join us. Some hearing from the grapevine, others reading my first bit of writing telling the story of my own life and the very beginnings of Thorns and Roses. I always love it when the believers come along and confirm the myths I've created and join with us. It's a great feeling.

We grew to a decent size, the wealth just flowed in. The seeds we had planted were all growing on their own without any help at all anymore. New Thorns and Roses were sprouting up all over the place.

We got our first big guild-wide contract, and Aendra and I decided a guild gathering was in order. We called together all the others and set about explaining the situation, but something quite unexpected happened there.

"Let me jus' say again, yer all gonna hafta be damn careful on this'un, we don't want anyone gettin' caught with their 'ands in the wrong places, y'know? There's nothin' we can do if'n ye d--- What the?" I was distracted by something swirling in the air.

"What's.. Nah, it kinna be.." I shook my head then looked back up, partially blinded by the setting sun. Something was definitely there.

Then I heard it, the familiar screech of a familiar owl. It landed in the spot Erysi's owl had landed nearly a year ago to deliver us the note directing us to that fateful "job" was it even a job? Or were we tricked into going there? Memories flooded back into me as I looked into the large yellow eyes of the owl. We never had gone to seek any reward for that job, it never did seem right. Various cries from our gathering of Thorns and Roses about the owl shot up. "Nuisance.", "Jus' kill the damn thing.", things of that nature.

"No, no! Leave it be!!" I cried, continuing to look into the owl's eyes, looking over to Aendra who stood beside me uncomfortably.

"Aendra! Don't ye know what this is!?" I all but shouted at her.

"No?" she asked, casually.

"Don't ye remember?! It's the owl Ery a'ays used ta send messages abou'!" I think I really shouted that time.

"No, it can't be. Erysi's dead, Saelia! She's.. dead.. It can't be, it's just some random suisance, send it away!" she cried, fighting the memories from returning to herself.

I spied the parchment tied to the owl's leg and snatched it up, clutching it and holding it up to her, silently pleading for her to look and see, but she wouldn't let down her defenses.

I knew, absolutely knew it was the owl, and that she was alive. I brushed off everyone and rushed inside to find a quiet place to read.

The letter was absolutely from Erysi, I recognized the writing. Though it seemed a bit more refined than I remembered. She explained simply that she lived and she had much to tell us, and she would meet us at the inn in the town of Southshore as quickly as we could come.

"Aendra!!!" I shouted excitedly as I returned to the gathering outside the guild hall, grabbing onto her wrist and tugging as I continued on running, almost pulling her off her balance, but being stopped instead.

"C'mon, we hafta go!!" I cried.

"What? To where??" she asked in confusion.

"To Southshore! C'mon, Ery's alive!!!!" I think it finally sunk in with her with those words.

"If.. If that's true, then let's go, we haven't got a second to lose!" she exclaimed.

"S'ry ta cut the gatherin' short, guys! We've got more importan' business ta take care'a now! I'll explain to ye later!!" and with that said, we rushed off, sparing all expense in favor of speed.

The journey was long but seemed so short. Neither of us hardly said a word as we made the way to Southshore. As we arrived, neither of us had any clue what to expect.

We came to the inn, and I smiled up at her as we made our move to enter, trying to silently reassure her that no matter what we found, it would be okay. With heavy boots we stepped inside and there she sat at a table, her feet propped up on another chair, her legs crossed, biting into the remainder of an apple. The blue tinted skin, the blue hair, the scar across her eye. It was Erysi.

Her eyes, eyebrows, ears, her whole face lit up and perked up as we entered and she saw us.

"Erysi!" I shouted and ran to her, wrapping my arms around her waist and clinging tightly onto her as Aendra remained behind, standing dumbfounded.

"It.. It c-can't be.." Aendra struggled to say.

"It can and it is, Aendra. Come to me." Erysi said to her.

I had happy tears streaming down my face, and Aendra had the same the moment she came across the room and wrapped her arms around the neck of Erysi, the familiar neck to her. She knew it was her the moment she felt her. Though we both knew something was different, much had changed. Neither of us cared however, we were just ecstatic to have her returned to us. I broke away, simply staring at her in awe as she and Aendra shared a long, deep kiss, the tears streaming now from both of their sets of eyes.

"I can only guess what you both are thinking." Erysi said as the kiss was broken. "Sit down, I will tell you all that's happened."

We both did as she said, taking seats on either side of her and staring at her intently and expectantly.

"I should begin with that night I was lost to you. It was all I who you may or may not have seen in all that happened. Aendra, it was I who blocked your first blow against him. I am so very sorry for that. I thought he was something else, something greater like he claimed to be. He was powerful, yes, but nothing wise. It took a century for me to realize it."

"A century?!?!?!" I almost shouted, but held myself back from saying at all.

"A century to realize what it took you less than a lifetime to, Saelia." she paused a moment, smiling to me, "It turned out he was not but a fool and a madman, but I still owe him for what he gave me. Though his second gift was one I could have even done without. I thought it was something I longed for, I grew up believing my life could never be complete without it, I was absolutely wrong.

"It was I who killed him, who saved you from the impending flames. It was I who made my own fate.

"Unforunately," she laughed, "It was also I who you had seen those days, Saelia. I was careless, those incidents should not have occured, though in the end that made no real difference, thankfully.

She took a breath before continuing on, "Perhaps starting there was actually a bad idea," she laughed softly. "I'm only creating confusion. I will just come out with it.

"The bastard, in his final act of playing Guardian and guide to me created a rift in time. He sent me back some one thousand years in history. To a time when our people, and, consequentially, myself, were immortal. I lived the immortal's life I was raised into. I watched history unfold. I spent lifetimes attempting to take part, to alter things here and there, but I found, no matter what I did, though I may now be in a history book or two, nothing I did made any real change in the world. I will let you know, events have been set into motion in the present world which will allow for most anyone to share in the experience I have, and many will attempt to change history as I did, but all will fail. Nothing will change.

"I learned much, I saw many, many a thing unfold, but that is all that history does, unfolds. What's written has been written, and it cannot be truly changed. I became something more of a watcher in my many years allowed to me once I discovered that important fact. I learned as much as I could, long awaiting the return of the present so that I could rejoin you, my loved ones, and together we could write our own fate. Make our own way as Saelia would say.

"It's funny, I longed for immortality when it was stricken from me as with the rest of our people, but when it was given back to me, it was but a burden. I longed to return to my old mortal life, to my present, to you.

"And here I am.. At long last.." tears began to stream down her cheeks, "Returned to you."

The tears of Aendra and I had never stopped as we listened to the explaination, we listened, speechless, though believing every word of her tale. We conversed for hours after that, a conversation reminiscent of the first we had had when we met. We became reacquainted with one another. She happily answered all of our questions, ones I had such as why she had waited a year now to return to us. She replied only that it was adequate time for the shock to completely settle. Had she approached us that very next day we never would have believed her. She was right.

It became quite late, I quite tired, and I felt a year's pain being lifted from me, a new incredible reality settling in all around. And I felt ready, ready to enter into it and be the mistress of my own fate. A whole new meaning had been given to my term "Making our own way." it applied to so very much more as of then. I left them to their own, I knew surely they would have more private amends to make. I went to sleep, anxiously awaiting the morrow, more powerfully than I ever had before.

And now I will leave you once again, my kind reader. I thank you for coming on this journey with me and hope you have learned from it, no matter what you make of it. Until next we meet.




~Saelia Windrunner

[Saelia]

((Still a work in progress, but it'll all be here within the next week or two! I'm just getting started..))

[Erysi]

((Enter, me! Though I'm Saelia too for all those who may be concerned. Just introducing my new character here in the most elegant fashion I know. ^_^ Ery's pretty complex, and the most interesting part of the story is yet to come. Saelia's always going to be the story writer for everything I put here as a story though, it's just what she does..))

[Fenyremir]

( Deleted by poster. )

[Aendra]

(( Personally, I think this is some of your best writing. You always have great ideas, but in this you really pump up the delivery. I especially like the tent scene.. it makes me want to go get a sword and dance with it in front of the mirror... not that.. I would do that. But now I can never write Aendra's story.. you've already shown me up.))

[Erysi]

((There you go, everyone, as promised.. The story completed.. ^_^))