Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Into the North

"Seona! Seona, you in there?" Fandren's voice carried through the open doorway into the women's dormitory at the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind. The young priest dared not enter the dormitory, off-limits to men with dire consequences if they entered, but if he had heard the rumor right his friend wouldn't be in Stormwind much longer.

As it was, the young paladin was inside, packing the rest of her things. She sighed, knowing that Fandren missed her. They never got to see one another anymore, what with her being so busy with the Alliance army. She was needed by so many and had less and less time for her old friends. Checking one last time to ensure all her things were squared away, she shouldered her pack and closed the door to the small room behind her.

The dormitory door was standing open to allow the fresh breeze inside and Seona could see her young friend framed in the doorway. He's so young, she thought. He still has so much to learn, too. I wish Brother Benjamin would just let him do as he pleases. He'd be so much better off.

"Seona! There you are. Is it true? Are they finally sending you north? Are you taking the ship to Northrend?" Fandren's eyes were filled with a fearful excitement. He knew what awaited those who went into the cold north, but only the most well-trained warriors and soldiers went there, and he was jealous. Seona just sighed and nodded.

"Oh, Seona, be careful! Is there anything I can do for you before you go? Or maybe we can visit a nearby tavern and have a drink together before you leave." Seona, surprised at the suggestion, actually thought it was a good one.

"Aren't you a bit young to be drinking, Fan?" She asked, jokingly. Fandren laughed.
"Come on, Seona! I'm a man grown now! I can do as I please, no matter what others want to think." She hid a frown. He makes comments like that more and more often now. I know Brother Ben can be difficult, but he certainly seems to not take this seriously. She shook her head. No, can't think about this now. He's my friend, not my student or my responsibility. Plus, as he said, he's a man grown. Whatever he does is his choice. I'll not mother him.

"Come, then, Mister Fandren," Seona joked. "Lets get me squared away for my journey and we'll have a goodbye drink at a nice pub. Maybe I'll introduce you to some good dwarvish beer." With that, the two of them walked out of the grand church to the streets of the Cathedral District. The square was relatively quiet this time of day, but Seona had business to attend to.

They made their way to the canals. A well-known leatherworker there had agreed to repair Caliburn's tack and fit it with fur lining. She paid him the remainder of his fee after looking over the craftsmanship and had him deliver it to the Cathedral stables. Her next stop was an armorsmith where Fandren nearly knocked over a display of a full suit of armor. After his apology and a hasty clean-up, she spoke with the blacksmith.

"You'll be ready, m'lady. I've nearly gotten all your steed's armor fixed up and ready. I've tightened a few of the looser bits as well, without changing the fit, so you'll be safe against anything you come across, whether it be Scourge or a simple beast." Seona nodded, handing over the gold for the work. "I'll just have it delivered to the stables for you, then, m'lady Lightstone."

Seona thanked him and continued to her last stop, a small tailor shop at the end of the canal. "I need new blankets for Cal. It's going to be cold up there and I can't have him freezing to death." Fandren frowned. "Didn't you purchase a gryphon? Why bother with Caliburn's tack when you've a way to fly?"
"Unfortunately flying in cold weather like that is much harder than in warmer air, both for the rider and for the beast. On top of that, Zephyr is less protected against the freezing temperature. It takes more than a blanket to keep a gryphon warm in the sky. It will be some time before I'll be able to afford to prepare him for flight in Northrend. Besides, Caliburn could use the exercise. I spent nearly all my time in Outlands in the sky on Zephyr. He deserves a rest."

With that, she pushed open the door of the tailor shop and finalized her purchase of the new and much warmer saddle blankets and armor lining for her charger. With a smile and a nod of thanks, she was nearly done. Fandren, beginning to look terribly bored, smiled when she emerged from the shop and asked, "So, we finally ready for that brew?"

"One last thing, and then yes, we'll go for a drink."
"What could you possibly be still missing? You've packed, Caliburn is resting and will soon have entirely new tack and repaired armor... what am I missing?" Fandren asked, ticking off the places Seona had been on his fingers, confused.
Seona giggled. "I have to meet with my estate manager, Ziir. He'll meet us in the Dwarven District, near the tram station. Let's not keep him waiting, Fan, he's an intimidating fellow when annoyed."

Seona made her way through the streets of the human capital with the young priest on her heels. The Dwarven District was easy to distinguish from the rest of the city, both from the billowing smoke from the many blacksmiths and engineers' work, but also because most of the people were her height. For once, she wouldn't have to crane her neck to speak to people, though poor Fandren would no doubt have to stoop or even kneel, if he wanted to talk to any gnomes he may pass on the streets.

The archway entrance to the station came into view through the smoke. Near the entrance, a tall, heavily armored man stood, his bald head easily visible, his spiked helmet held under his arm. The few people moving to and from the tram gave him a wide berth. When he turned, Fandren gasped, realizing just what he was and why people avoided him. Cloistered in the Cathedral as much as the young priest was, he hadn't seen any of the Death Knights of the Ebon Blade up close. Seona smiled reassuringly and strode confidently up to the tall human.

"Ziir! Good to see you, my friend." She reached out and the death knight turned her way, stooping to take her hand.
"M'lady Lightstone. A pleasure, as always. Who is your companion?" Ziir turned his blue-glowing eyes towards the very nervous-looking Fandren, who, to Seona's pleased surprise, stuck out a trembling hand. "F-Fandren, sir. Forgive me... I haven't met anyone like... um... with your... condition."

Seona sighed, but Ziir seemed unaffected by the young priest's rudeness. "Quite alright." He turned to Seona, "M'lady Lightstone, I understand you have a great deal for me to process, correct? If it's all the same, I dislike Stormwind and will take the packages back to Ironforge straight away." Seona nodded and reached into her large traveling bag for a few smaller, but obviously heavy packages. "Ziir, I've picked up all this in Outland. The second bag is filled with nothing but skins. I had to send the ore shipment separately, so expect that in a few days. Did you have anything else for me?"

The death knight took the heavy packages and shook his head, handing over a small note and a bag of coins. "No, just the funds you requested. I'll do my best to keep you posted, but mail has a difficult time getting to and from Northrend as I understand it. Godspeed to you, m'lady Lightstone," he turned to Fandren and bowed, "Fandren. May we meet again."

With that, he turned back to the tram station and entered, his back fading into the darkness of the tunnel and out of sight. Fandren sighed, relieved, and Seona smiled. "Well, I guess that's that. Let's go get that drink now, Fan. First one's on me." Fandren nodded, still trying to shake off the strange feeling he got from meeting a real Death Knight, and followed his short friend into the nearby tavern.

They found a nice, secluded table and ordered drinks, reminiscing about old times, when Fandren was a young child, an orphan like Seona, and how they became friends. She told him stories of Outland and the things she had done there, of Zangarmarsh and it's strange, etherial beauty, of Nagrand and the strange, floating islands and waterfalls, and of the ogres, orcs and draenei that made there home there. He told her of the rumors in the church, about his simple life as a student in the Cathedral, about the troubles of Stormwind and the people living in it.

They laughed and talked into the night, the dwarven paladin and the young priest, but in the end, Seona had to end it. "I'll be boarding the ship before dawn, I think," she told Fandren, his smile slowly fading. "I'll miss you, Fan. I don't know when I'll be getting back, either. You should focus on your studies more, so you can eventually leave the Cathedral. Brother Ben doesn't want you as a student forever!" she joked, only realizing after that it may be in poor taste, considering their strained relationship. Fandren, luckily, was slightly drunk and waved it off.

"That would please him, no doubt. Eh, don't worry about me, Seona. I'll be fine. You're the one that has to be careful, now. Up north, it's a different land, or so I've been told. Strange people up there, and strange dangers. The Scourge, some kind of half-giant people, terrible beasts... no. You watch yourself, I don't want to have to say prayers for your spirit, or come down to the docks to pick up a coffin, something the priests are doing far too often these days."

She reached across the table to her friend, and he grasped her smaller hand in his own. "Thank you, Fan." She said, a tear escaping to roll over her cheek. "Oh, look at me, you're going to make me cry!" she chided, a smile on her face again. Fan laughed too, though it was only half-hearted.

"Write to me, Seona. Sometimes I feel like you're the only person in the Church that understands me." Fandren gave her hand one last squeeze, then let it go. "Oh, one last thing before we head back to the Cathedral... where in all the hells did you find that Death Knight to care for your finances?! I thought I was going to piss myself, he scared me so much!"

Seona laughed, draining her mug. "I'll tell you on the way back to the church. It all started when I was patrolling Elwynn Forest, months ago..."

----------**----------

Seona stood on the dock, the strange, dim light of the false dawn illuminating the wooden planks just enough for her to see. Caliburn snorted, restless after being ridden so little over the last weeks and knowing that great change was coming. He pulled at the reins a bit, but Seona gave a small tug and a look that would melt steel and he settled, not ready to face her ire this early in the morning.

There were no other soldiers waiting for the ship, and Seona was beginning to wonder if she had walked onto the wrong pier. A dockhand finally appeared from the shadows of the nearby boxes and crates stacked for shipping and walked over to the paladin. "Waitin' for the ship to Northrend, m'lady paladin?" she asked. When Seona nodded, the dockhand pulled out a small ledger. She checked it, turning pages quickly until she found what she had been looking for. She bent down a bit to get a better look at Seona's face, then nodded. "You're Seona Lightstone, Paladin?" When Seona nodded, she continued, "I've got it down that you have a single pack and will need space for one horse. Looks like you're all set, then. If the seas weren't too rough, The Kraken will be here soon enough."

The woman walked closer to the end of the peir. "Speaking of..." Seona followed her, telling Caliburn to stay where he was. There, on the horizon and quickly getting bigger, a ship was coming in. It slowed as it got closer to the harbor, and the dockhand quickly moved to the large bell that was situated at the end of the pier. She rang it, the clear sound carrying over the water and around the harbor, letting everyone within earshot that the ship was coming in.

It was huge, much larger than the ships Seona had ridden on before. The dockhand came back to stand beside the short paladin and pointed to the ship that was now preparing to dock, slowly approaching the pier. "They covered her prow in metal armor to allow her to break through the ice up north. She's powered by a steam engine, too, thanks to the gnomes and dwarves, so she makes good time." She stooped to pick up Seona's luggage and placed it near the crates of supplies that would be going along as well.

The ship was at least twice the size of the sailing ships the Alliance used to get from the Eastern Kingdoms to Kalimdor. The armor that covered the prow was beautifully shaped to form a gryphon's head. Seona could see scratches, though, near the water's edge. She couldn't imagine ice on the water that could scratch metal like that, but she imagined she'd find out soon enough. The steam engine made a terrible racket as well, nearly spooking Caliburn, but her hand steadied him. "Come now, Cal. That engine can't be worse than all the things you've seen at this point."

Finally, the enormous ship came to a stop at the end of the pier and the dockhands quickly unloaded its cargo. Seona was sad to see that some of the things unloaded were coffins. She sent a prayer to the gods for the dead and prepared to board. As she led Caliburn up the ramp onto the ship, she turned her head to the wind. Strangely, it smelt of winter, salt, and ice.

She was ready. She was ready to face the cold north, to fight the Scourge where it lived. She was ready to become stronger than ever before. She was ready to finally find Arthas... and help bring him to Justice.

Northrend, Seona is coming. Are you ready?

No comments:

Post a Comment