Alnarra sat quietly, a book in her hand, the sheets of the bed bunched up at her feet. The gentle light of the candle beside her seemed to illuminate every word and illustration, a pair of reading glasses sat gently on her nose. She flipped the page, pulling out a small feather quill and making notes on the notepad that nestled next to her. With an exhausted sigh she sat the book down having not found any of the answers she was looking for. She had scoured for every ancient signet, any connections to the terrible illustrations that had marked the walls of the inn just a few hours prior, but she could find nothing.
Looking over to the candlelight a small pink elekk sat on the dresser, clear evidence that someone had sewn it back together recently. The fatigued druidess picked up the small stuffed animal looking it over, observing every small strand of hair and bit of fluff that seemed to make it whole. Shaking her head she set it back down hopping out of her bed. Alnarra went to find a small and rapidly growing bookshelf to place her most recent reading adventure in; a thought eating away at her mind.
Once she had found a location to place her book she turned to face her bed with a yawn, walking forward she stumbled over one of the many small crates in the room. Her belongings were slow to unpack and she still had them scattered about the floor, looking down this crate seemed like any other, crammed full of books, family heirlooms, and the like. Something caught her eye though and she began to lean in, moving the objects in the small box around before she found it.
Pulling from the crate another small stuffed animal, this one though was a small brownish nightsaber, it eyes were poorly made buttons and a tattered silken collar was wrapped about its neck. Its midsection was lined with stich work as if it had been sewn back together. Alnarra sat down quietly studying at the object for a moment, going to sit down in the floor, her eyes met the little button eyes of the animal, her mind recalling events she had long since buried.
It was a warm spring day in the Forest of Ashenvale, Alnarra sat by a stove making a traditional elven dinner. A stew of rabbit and liola root adorned with just the right seasonings, she stirred it slowly dipping her finger as if to taste at it, “Veral! It’s almost done”, she shouted across the house, stirring it just a bit more.
Her husband giddy as a school child even for his age came bounding down the stairs, quickly sneaking up behind her to plant a wet kiss on her cheeks, “Lynx you do make the best stew,” he grinned.
“You’re still in trouble for killing my kingsblood Veral,” she said not taking her eyes off the stew.
A knock came at the door, and both the Stargroves turned their head, “Go get that Veral, I bet it’s the Silverblooms coming by with some more saber feed. Oh and be sure to give them that vase we borrowed”.
Her husband gave a simple nod, wrapping his arms around her waist before making his way towards the door. The druidess gave a smirk going back to her cooking, a roll of her eyes as she spooned a bit into a bowl. As she was going to spoon the second bowl a shattering noise came from her doorway, a most alarming of noises even on the strangest of days. Putting the bowl down she walked out into the small living room to see her husband standing before two heavily armed sentinels, on the floor the shattered remains of the vase she had asked him to take out, “Veral… what’s going?”
“Alnarra Stargrove?” one of the Sentinels asked, her voice unwavering and without any sign of emotion,
“Yes.. that’s me… what is this about?” she stepped forward slowly being careful to avoid the shattered glass.
“Alnarra we will need you to return with your husband to Astannar to assist in the identification of remains,”
“I don’t… understand,” she said, her eyes growing increasingly cautious, her eyebrows rising wearily. Veraldan simply turned to her, in his hands a set of three Kaldorei dog tags. At the very sight a lump began to gather in Alnarra’s throat, her eyes going wide. Her usually calm, collected, and always astonishingly well humored Husband’s eyes were fighting desperately against tears and pain. “What’s happened?” stepping forward her mouth slightly a gasp.
“Alnarra please simply accompany us to Astranaar,” they said before making their way back to their frost sabers.
She quickly went to grab at the dog tags that her husband held, contained on them three names that rang with devastating clarity to her
Talgrath Stargrove
Mirrodin Stargrove
Alaanah Stargrove
As she began to shake with a mixture of rage, sadness, and emotions she could not even begin to comprehend Veraldan came to her side holding her in an embrace. Her stomach seemed completely turned, any and all thoughts wiped from her mind. All that she could see were the small dog tags engraved with her children’s names, the chains which held them soaked in Kaldorei blood.
The travel to the Night Elven city did not take long, but to the grieving couple each step along the path seemed to take an eternity, every step a hope that they would be greeted a collective apology or perhaps confirmation of some kind of mistake. Alnarra clutched at the small chain in her hands as she walked, her steps heavy and tears streaming down her face, Veraldan solemn and unspeaking, his eyes only on the road ahead.
As they were ushered into a large makeshift hospital area, inside the soldiers that made the War of the Shifting sands possible lay, many of them so covered in wounds that it was only by the grace of Elune that they still walked, still more were missing limbs, parts, and suffering from unspeakable damages. There were no scorch marks, no arrow wounds, no saber slashes, the only thing that dotted the surface of these proud soldiers bodies were the ravaging’s of some great and terrible monstrosity, nothing Kaldorei or even demon was capable of such barbarity.
The wailing druidess held her husband closer as the two were pulled further and further into the depths of the makeshift hospital, finally coming to a small curtain that seemed to divide the room. The sentinel that had brought them this far pulled back the curtain holding at her nose as she did. The stench of death from the room made the already uneasy Alnarra throw up immediately.
“There was a surprise attack during the night,” the sentinel said calmly escorting the two back, Alnarra stumbling along the path her eyes trying to avoid the sheet covered corpses which littered the room, her mind praying that this was all some grand mistake.
With a heart crushing stop, the Sentinel stopped between two of the sheet covered beds, a simple, “I am sorry,” escaped her lips as she pulled back the cover.
For what seemed like an eternity Alnarra tried to close her eyes, tried to avoid seeing what was before her. Like a rabbit trapped by a predator her mind tried to flee but nothing could save her from this place, nothing could save her form this time. Before her lay the remains of two individuals who meant more to then the world to her, if asked to choose between all of Azeroth and this she would have easily offered the planet.
Alnarra rushed over, her mind convinced that it must be some illusion, some mistake; she went to wrap her arms around the mangled corpse of her oldest.
“WHY!?” she cried out before turning to the sentinel, the anger rising in her voice, “THEY WERE DOCTORS!” she screamed, “THEY WEREN’T FIGHTING ALONG SIDE YOU”
The sentinel could only shake her head, “I’m sorry mam, As I am made to understand the enemy managed to breach the defenses and attack the camps behind, this,” she said pointing around the room, “Is the result.”
“No!” Alnarra shouted, calling on every last ounce of her druidic magic, sinking it into the already long deceased corpse, “NO!” she screamed once more, “Come back!” she began to scream and shout kicking at the structure of the bed, her eyes filled with a blood rage.
Veraldan walked over quietly, holding her tightly and restraining her as she sunk to the floor in a heap, slamming her fist against the ground, “Why?” her weeping continued as she felt the world collapsing around her.
The sentinel began to walk over, “We couldn’t find Alaanah amongst those who were killed; however, the enemy is not well known for leaving remains.” She set a small box down in front of Alnarra, “These were the belongings found near them when our forces arrived”.
Contained inside a few assorted pieces of clothing, all of them covered and soaked in blood, a thin blood soaked silver and ironwood ring, and a small stuffed Brown Nightsaber, the little creature torn in two its stuffing soaked with blood. Alnarra could not bear the sight of it anymore simply closing her eyes and rocking back and forth on the floor
Veraldan picked up one half of the small stuffed animal, his voice cracking as he began to utter his words, “Mirroden…” a large gulp was heard, “He used to sleep at night with his little stuffed ‘Intera’”. No longer able to bear the weight of his emotions, her once proud, confident, and boyish husband collapsed to her side, the two sat holding against each other all of time and space drifting by them.
Wounds that seemed so unspeakable that perhaps the two of them would never recover.
Alnarra mind stopped it’s drifting the horrors of the present quick to drag her back. She stared blankly at the little stuffed animal in her hands, its own wounds long since patched and mended. A light rain began to tap against the window of her small inn room. With a quiet motion she returned doll to its place back in the crate a simple nod escaping her, “We’re going to find that woman’s child”.
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