Chromie winced at my harsh tone, glancing up at the Naaru floating serenely above us and I felt a heavy hand on my arm. Sebbat's hand, no doubt trying to keep me from doing anything rash. The chiming voice in my mind was once again calming, but I was not so easily soothed this time.
{Purah Bloodblade, as one of the undead, you know that the connection to soul and body is tenuous at best. Yrovi's soul is shattered, pieces of it already swallowed up by the Twisting Nether. I have the power to make it whole again, but if I do, the undead body will reject it. Her body will be a corpse, an empty shell, and her soul will move on.}
My face fell as I knelt by her side. Surprisingly, Chromie patted my arm, comforting me as she could. "Don't lose all hope, Purah. A'dal did have another idea..."
{Yes, which is why I called you. Though death is not a terrible end, as all things must die in time, Yrovi was not meant to find this kind of death, not now. As you said, Chronormu, Yrovi's timeline has been tampered with, and this was not supposed to be her fate. The other side of this coin, then, is to change her timeline again, to prevent this from befalling her.}
The gnome-dragon nodded. "Precisely. Yrovi was not meant to come into contact with whatever it was that sucked in her soul. There is a very good chance that I can alter her timeline to ensure this fate does not occur, it's just... well..." Chromie's face fell.
"What is it, Chromie?" asked Tyra, the worry obvious on her face. I stared down at the warrior, wanting anything except her death. "Tell us."
The dragon sighed. "I'll do another sweep of time, just to be sure of my calculations, however..." she paused again, wincing. "However, from what I can see, the only way to ensure that Yrovi never meets this fate is to go pretty far back in her timeline. Far enough that I'd be changing more things than just this unfortunate end. In fact, there's no telling what may happen if I meddle in her fate, or the repercussions it will have in all of our timelines, since Yrovi has touched us all."
So that was the choice, then, I thought to myself. Either she dies, or she is never here. But A'dal had said the choice was between... It hit me then, like a punch to the gut, just what the Naaru and the dragon were saying. "Oh, gods..." I groaned.
Sebbat and Tyra understood it too, as I heard gasps from each of them in turn behind me. Karrim grunted and turned away, seemingly disgusted with the whole affair. Cobb, on the other hand, seemed strangely still. It's so damn hard to read him, I can't even tell if that fool warlock even understands what A'dal has said.
"Let her die. The Yrovi I know wouldn't want to live again. She was a proud member of the Forsaken," Karrim said coldly over his shoulder. "I wash my hands of it. If any of you lot need me for anything, you know where to find me." He moved away and then disappeared in a flash of light, teleporting away.
"Damn him for leaving like that!" Tyra said angrily, but Sebbat gestured for her to calm herself.
"Karrim is a true Forsaken, Tyra, and cannot understand the position the rest of us are in. There is little room in his heart for compassion. Besides, I think this has hit him harder than he expected. He told me once that Yrovi had given him the willpower to be more than just a tool for vengeance. She taught him to enjoy his life after death, to explore and learn and become a better mage, not just for the glory of the Dark Lady, but for himself. I think the thought of her being gone for good frightens him a little, and he cannot bear to stay here any longer."
Tyra seemed satisfied, but I wasn't. I sat beside her and held one of her bony hands in my own, wondering if the pain in my chest would ever ease. What would I wish for her? No, that's not the question I should be asking... What would Yrovi want for herself? I thought of the days we would ride through the plaguelands, where she would tell me stories of her youth in Lordaeron. I thought of the days that we would fight, side-by-side, slaughtering Scourge, reveling in our power and skill. Of the stories we traded over the campfire of our experiences with the Lich King and how we escaped his power to be free again... Free again.
"There are worse things than death, you know," Tyra finally said, quiet. "I have seen terrible things, and terrible fates for men and women who fight the wars of this world. As a healer, I often must try to save them from their own foolishness, pull them back from the brink of death, even revive those who have passed beyond the reach of simple healing or the skilled touch of a field medic... and I've come to realize that death is probably pretty peaceful." I saw a single tear on her cheek before she wiped it away. "Yrovi was strong, and brave, and bold. She didn't fear death, or undeath. I think she'd want to go out fighting, like any good warrior, but I also think she'd enjoy peace."
With that she looked up to A'dal and nodded, and I knew she had told the glowing being to make her soul whole again and let her pass on. I found myself hating her for it. Sebbat and Cobb still hadn't made their choices for Yrovi. It suddenly seemed so wrong that this was how her final fate was determined, by us and not her.
Sebbat shook his head. "While Yrovi would no doubt like peace, I think she would like life better. Yrovi was always curious to me. I found her fascinating, her interest in life, in protecting others. As a Druid, I wanted to nurture that in her, and she spoke to me of her life and how she sometimes missed it." He turned to Chromie and continued, "If you can alter her history so that she does not die in the first place, I think she would be pleased."
The tauren's words echoed in my own heart. To live again... what I wouldn't give to feel my heart beating, and the air in my lungs, and the sun on my face. "I agree," I found myself saying. "Yrovi wasn't afraid of anything. And she'll find peace. One way or another. As you said, A'dal, all things must die, and humans in particular have such short lives. Let her live hers as she was meant to." I realized, then, that I would never meet her if she lived, and part of me regretted my words, but I didn't say anything more. I would rather she live and be happy having never met me, than have her die like this, in the darkness of that evil, her soul shredded and marred, even if A'dal can make her whole again. I would rather have never met her, than have her die like this.
I realized that it was Cobb's decision that would determine her fate. He realized it, too, it seemed, as his eyes were shut tightly. His imp minion tugged lightly on his tattered robes in concern, his squeaky voice uttering words I couldn't make out.
{He would have you hear his words, Purah. Will you listen?} Surprised, I turned to look at the warlock, and for the first time I saw the undead man as more than just a rotted, walking corpse. There was emotion in his eyes, one I knew was echoed in my own, and one that I was shocked to find there: Love. Love for Yrovi. Love that ran so deep that it was beyond the reach of the numbness that came with undeath. There was fear there, too, though, and I was afraid of what he'd say.
{I don't know what to do, Purah.} The voice wasn't the chiming of the Naaru. It sounded young, and scared, and... almost fragile. It was nothing like what I expected. {I know that you love her. I do, too, though she would never have... well. It doesn't matter now, does it? Karrim and Tyra say to let her die, to find everlasting peace, and I want to. I want her to feel happy again, but...} the voice in my mind trailed off as Cobb looked away, his yellow eyes glazing over, his hand clutching the soulstone he had used in the failed attempt at saving Yrovi.
"But you fear what will happen if she dies... If you know that her light, her energy, is gone from the world forever."
He nodded. {The thought of Yrovi not existing in the world makes it a much darker place. She was meant to help others, to protect others, just as she has helped and protected each of us. How many will die if she's not in the world in some capacity or another? I would have fallen in to madness without her guidance.} He turned to the Naaru and the gnome, his voice silent again. I looked at him with a new respect, not realizing just what kind of mind he had, the thoughts and emotions locked inside a body long past repair.
{It is decided, then.} A'dal's chiming voice finally said. Cobb and I looked at one another, and I could tell we both hoped we made the right choice. Tyra turned away, unable to watch, and Sebbat did his best to comfort her.
A little fearful, I moved back as Chromie reached out and touched Yrovi's pale face. The gnome-dragon shimmered and Yrovi seemed to fade in and out as the time-traveler adjusted the timeline: pale bones were suddenly covered with flesh that changed from deathly pale to rosy and lively, and her golden eyes, almost dark, flared with life again, changing to a hazel hue that fluttered open and blinked, seeing me. She smiled, though it seemed sad.
{You had better say your goodbye. The timeline is changing and all of you will be changed with it.}
I leaned down and looked her in the eyes. She seemed confused, and suddenly very fragile. "I love you, Yrovi Greenfield of Lordaeron. Remember that, always." I brushed my cold lips against hers, now red and full of life. I was surprised and pleased to feel her return the gesture and whisper "I'll remember."
Cobb shuffled closer as she sat up, my hand supporting her as she stood, still fading in and out as the time-stream started to take her back. She stared down at hands that were whole, then looked up to A'dal. "Thank you." She whispered, and turned back to us. "Thanks to all of you." She looked at Cobb as she said it, and reached her hand out to him, which he took gently. "Don't ever be afraid of who you are, Cobb."
Sebbat and Tyra nodded to her in farewell, and she turned to me one last time, her eyes shining with tears. "Where I go, you can't follow, death knight, but it doesn't matter. Part of me will be with you, always." She placed a warm hand on my chest, over my heart. "Remember that you are not the Lich King's and never will be again. Remember that undeath is just another way of saying a second chance. Remember..."
She was gone, as was Chromie. I stood under A'dal, the Naaru's light cascading down all around me, and felt the sorrow wash over me. I embraced it, letting it fill me, knowing that it was an emotion I shouldn't be able to feel, and loved the fact that I still could, no matter how painful it may be.
{The only gift I can give you now, is a memory of her to keep. Because she never became one of the undead, when you leave my light, you will forget you met her, forget she was once your ally. Think of how you want to remember her, and go with my blessings.}
Sebbat and Tyra left first, sad, but content. I thought of all the moments we had shared together, all the times we found peace in each other's company, and I found it impossible to choose only one. I realized that I didn't want to remember her as I had known her, that it would be an insult to consolidate our friendship into a single moment.
"Let me remember her as she left, as a living, breathing woman, rather than the Forsaken I knew. Let me remember her parting words." I felt the chiming song in my mind, and closed my eyes to see her living face imprinted on my mind as clear as if she stood there now. If I was still capable of tears, I would have shed them.
Cobb nodded as well and we turned to go. I glanced at him, wondering what memory he chose.
"None of 'ya business, what the Master chose, elfy," his minion said, voice high-pitched and grating. I considered kicking the little demon, but simply shrugged and nodded to the warlock. He summoned his fel charger and rode slowly away towards the lower city, his eyes blank, his hand still clutched around the soulstone. As I watched him go, I felt tired and worn.
I glanced back one more time to the glowing chamber of the Naaru. A'dal hung there, serenely, the swirl of light the Naaru created illuminating the city. It felt so strange to be standing here... I was supposed to be in Northrend, wasn't I? I had tasks to complete...
I shrugged it off, the feeling slowly passing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chromie entering A'dal's chamber, and wondered what she was up to, and if she was the reason I felt befuddled. Damn bronze dragons, always meddling in the affairs of the mortals. As I lifted off into the night sky, I stared up at the stars and thought they were beautiful, and wondered why my lips felt so warm, and the echo of a woman's voice sounded in my mind.
...Remember.
((And that's that! Yrovi will get a few new stories that deal with her human self and Purah and gang will get different stories, too, now that Yrovi doesn't exist in the same way as before. That's not to say that they'll never meet again. I mean, Dalaran is neutral, you know!))
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