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| Details |
| Author: | Saaron |
| Summary: | Eldau, assessing the situation in the Ghostlands, meets with Briyanthe, a priestess claiming to be chosen by the Light itself. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Eldau kneels on the ground of the Ghostlands. He places both hands on the grey, lifeless earth. He burrows his six fingers like roots, reaching into the dirt as far as he can. He feels life, somewhere, deep down, it’s there. This place has not been separated from the Earth Mother like a gangrened limb that had to be cut off. Her heart is still beating all throughout this land. He raises his hands, palms down, holding onto some of the dirt. A green halo lights up around his hands as he attempts to grow something. Anything. He who can usually grow small plants effortlessly, sometimes even without thinking about it, is feeling helpless as not even a bud would sprout here.
The Tauren focuses more of his energy onto the ground, whispering prayers to the Earth Mother. As his sweat leaves his fur and hits the ground, small, thorny vines come out. It’s not the colorful flowers he usually grows, but briarthorns will do today! Eldau speaks softly to the plant, a physical manifestation of his goddess’s presence.
“That is as much as I can do for this land, I’m afraid. I wish I could gather more druids here, but…” he sighs. “I’m afraid the Night Elves don’t make the homes of their distant cousins a priority. Elves and their pride…” He looks towards the buildings of Tranquillien that he can see from afar. “And I’m not certain the Blood Elves and Forsaken know what they’re doing here.”
“We’re doing our best, thank you very much,” says a woman standing right behind him. He shifts to look at her – a very young blood elf with dark hair, circles under her eyes, and a soft smile on her face. She’s wearing a brown shirt and blue pants – a bit too simple for the extravagant and detailed outfits Eldau has seen from her people in the past. “Greetings,…” The woman looks past him to watch his interlocutor… and raises an eyebrow at the plant. She turns back to him “Druid. May I help you?”
Eldau nimbly gets on his feet for a person his size, he now towers over the woman. “Nope, I’m good. May I help you? You look exhausted.”
The elf smiles at him softly. “No, thank you. I was on my way home, actually. I happened to hear your voice and…” she chuckles. “Well, even though you’re in a surprisingly safe part of these woods, I’m glad I followed it. I know you druids like to make friends with forest animals but somebody should warn you – here, they carry the Plague.”
Eldau exhales loudly through his nose in a scoff, setting his nose ring in motion. “Oh, you don’t say? I should have known. It’s very uncommon for lynxes to lose rotting paws when you try to cuddle with them.” He winks. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re going to get some rest… Miss?..”
“Lady Briyanthe, temporary Head of the House Roseshine,” she says, insisting on the ‘lady’. She doesn’t comment on the ‘getting some rest’ part.
“My apologies, Lady Roseshine. I’m Eldau Wildmane,” he says, mimicking the way a blood elves bow respectfully, an amused smirk on his face. “And may I ask why a lady such as yourself is walking from Tranquillien back to… Silvermoon, I guess?”
“Well, I think you have some misconceptions about nobility, and it’s completely understandable as our people haven’t interacted much yet. Us nobles, we do much more than have… tea parties, or feasts. See, I was helping my people by fighting the Sco—”
“No, no, no I’m sorry that’s not what I meant. I meant why are you walking? Why didn’t you book a flight back to the city?”
Briyanthe looks completely taken aback by the question. She opens her mouth to give an explanation, but instead, only a few, incoherent sounds come out.
Eldau looks worriedly at her. “If… I can pay for the flight if it’s silver you need. I’d be happy to know you’re taken home safely and swiftly.”
“How dare you?” She takes a deep breath. “I do not need your silver. I’m walking home to… make sure… to see if people need me!” she says, shaking her head vehemently. “If I fly back to Silvermoon, it’s possibly dozens of people in need I’m not meeting. People who need protection, or healing, or a prayer to get them through a difficult time,” she narrows her eyes, and the speed at which she shakes her head decreases. “Flying home would be selfish of someone like me, for you see, I was chosen by the Light itself. As someone with such a great destiny awaiting, it behooves me to help those who did not receive a blessing as I did.”
The Tauren blinks. “Chosen by the Light, you say?”
“Disbelieve me if you so please, call me names – you wouldn’t be the first…” she says, dramatically turning her back to Eldau. “But I have seen the Light in my dreams.” She joins her hands in prayer. “I felt it call to me. It laid a path to greatness right under my feet.”
Eldau rubs his lower jaw, thinking. After a long pause, he says. “I believe you.”
“You do?” she says spinning around to look back at him. Now she’s the one not believing.
“It isn’t uncommon for the Earth Mother to send us, shu'halo, prophecies in our dreams”, he shrugs.” Why wouldn’t An’sh—the Light do the same for you?”
Briyanthe nods, smiling with her tired eyes. “I can’t believe it took a Tauren to finally find someone who believes me!” Eldau furrows his brows and a brief pout appears on his face. “Most of us believe the Light abandoned us when the human prince attacked our city, but they’ve got it all wrong! We are still here because the Light has guarded us against the Scourge. I will be the one to remind them of the truth.”
“And you think you’ll achieve that by saving the Ghostlands?”
“How else?” she asks immediately. “With the powers I have earned, I will obliterate the agents of the Scourge with one hand and bring back life to this place with the other.”
“Listen…” he almost calls her ‘kid’ but remembers most of these blood elves are a lot older than they look. “I’m not saying all the good you’re doing by fighting the Scourge isn’t invaluable… I’m sure you’re doing great with all that righteou—rightfully placed confidence in the Light.” Nope, given the way she’s looking at him, she definitely heard the righteousness comment coming. “But I don’t think any one of us will be enough to heal this land. It needs more than… arcane magic and apothecaries. It’d take hundreds of druids, perhaps just as many shamans, and I don’t think this is a priority for either group, as much as I wish it would be. I’m not sure your… path to greatness stops here, Lady Roseshine.” He smiles sympathetically.
“I… you think I should search for my destiny… away from here?” she asks. He nods, and Briyanthe shakes her head. “I can’t. I can’t travel too far. I have…” she looks in the general direction of Silvermoon very dramatically, again. “Family who need me. Who need my care. I have to stay near. Maybe once I’m done here, I’ll…” She shakes her head, then grows silent.
“Very well,” Eldau breathes out loudly through his nose. “I say it’s worth giving it a try. You can’t hurt the Ghostlands any more than they’ve been hurt…” He pauses and raises an eyebrow, looking directly at the green glow of her eyes. “Can you?”
Briyanthe clearly understands where his eyes have landed and what his question is referring to, and knows exactly why he’s asking it. She closes her eyes and pauses as if she could make him forget them, mulling it all over. She only slightly opens her eyes and whispers “I won’t.”
Silence settles once more as he stares at her with serious and scrutinizing eyes. “I asked if you could, not if you would,” he takes a deep breath. “But I think you knew that already.” He shakes his head. “Just remember that the Light you worship will not turn its back on you if you make your path to glory… more profitable. The Earth Mother still graces me with her love even though I get the coins I need to live from my work with the Cenarion Circle, you know?”
The elf frowns in thought, thinking about what he’s saying. “What is it you’re suggesting?”
“Have you considered becoming a mercenary?” Eldau asks earnestly. He gets an answer to his question in Briyanthe’s loud chuckling.
“Please,” she says with a surprisingly heartfelt smile on her face. “I said I’m destined for great achievements. Remind me when was the last time a mercenary accomplished anything worthwhile.”
The Tauren shrugs. “I don’t know, I’ve heard a company has been doing incredible things for the Alliance… and some say we now have a Horde counterpart.”
Briyanthe’s smile disappears as she shows a much more serious expression. “The Crimson Coterie. Led by Elowel Aro’ephel, if I’m not mistaken.” She pauses to think, then nods. “Perhaps I shall consider this, indeed.” From the frown on her face, it seems she still feels quite conflicted about the idea.
Eldau places his large hand on her tiny shoulder and squeezes it gently. As gently as a giant like him can, at least, given the grimaces she made for a split second. “I really think you should. You’ll get rewarded for your actions, work towards that destiny you’re pursuing, and will get some weight off your shoulders.” He realizes the irony and lets go of her shoulder. “Priestess of the Light guided by a prophecy, head of a noble house, and caretaker of her family, that’s a lot of work for one person, If you ask me.”
Silence settles once more as Briyanthe simply looks up at Eldau, not knowing what to answer.
“Or you could just ask your servants to do all the work for you. That’s what nobles usually do, right?”
“See, again, that’s a misconception about us, we don’t delegate every—” Briyanthe notices the cheeky grin Eldau is throwing at her, revealing his feline-like fangs. “Okay, very funny,” she says sarcastically although the smile on her face reveals that she may have enjoyed the joke more than she’s letting on. She shakes her head. “I should really get going. May the Light guide your path, Eldau Wildmane.” She delicately raises her right hand surrounded by a golden halo and warmth spreads throughout the Tauren.
“Oh, blessing the Tauren with the Light, uh?” he chuckles, raising his hand to gently pat her on the head. “May the Earth Mother protect you.” Some of the thorns from the plant Eldau grew earlier detach themselves and begin floating to Briyanthe’s side. At first, she believes she’s being attacked by the plant and reflexively moves her hand, reading to summon a bubble of protection around her, but she quickly notices that the thorns float far too gently to be any kind of threat, and she stops herself from casting the protection spell. “An honor to meet you, Lady Roseshine.” The Tauren takes a few steps back and deeply bows to her, and not in a mockery of Blood Elves practices, but he bows as he should according to his own culture. She answers with the proper sin’dorei bow.
“As it was for me. Farewell.” Briyanthe doesn’t wait for his answer and begins running toward the Eversong Woods. Eldau waves goodbye, even though she’s not turning back to look at him. It takes a second for him to remember something.
“Hey, wait! You’re still not going to let me pay you that flight back to—ah whatever, she’s ignoring me,” he turns to the plant he grew, speaking to it once more and shaking his head. “What did I tell you? Elves and their pride…”