(2023-06-04) A Sword Returned

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Author:	Aly
Summary:	Ralaea's missing weapon is returned, and Ben, Sabitha, Rae, and Aszera discuss the fate of the Scourge.
Rating:	T for Teen

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Grief, mentions of death knights, lost loved ones

Ben doesn't leave immediately but stops by Tiernan Anvilheart to admire the dwarven smith's work.
A cloaked figure comes up behind one of the tents, peering in at the bonfire.
Ralaea shifts uncomfortably. That feeling of being watched.
The figure sighs, and picks up a small rock. She tosses it at Ralaea, making sure not to actually hit her.
Sabitha just sits quietly. She glances at Rae but doesn't say anything.
Ralaea jumps, and glances around.
Sabitha: Are you all right?
Ralaea: I think someone's…watching us.
Ben turns at the sound of the women's voices and surveys them. He raises a brow at Sabitha.
The figure steps away from the tent for a moment, trying to gesture her over.
Sabitha looks around the crowded campsite. "More than one, probably."
Ben: What's up? Somethin's up?
Ralaea catches sight of her and pales. "Oh…"
Ben turns sharply, following Rae's gaze. He reaches for his sword.
Sabitha does the following-gaze bit, but not the sword bit.
Aszera whispers, "Oh for fel's sake, Ben, it's just me."
Ben blinks and lowers his sword. He peers.
Ben: … Aze?
Ben: What the f*ck you doin' all -
Aszera: Yeah. Aze. C'mere.
Ben sheaths his sword, looking exasperated.
Ralaea hesitantly walks after Ben.
Ben: What the hell you doin'? This ain't lyin' low.
Sabitha follows Rae, confused but by gum, she's there.
Despite wearing two blades in sheathes, Aze is carrying another sword. It matches Rae's.
Aszera: Look, I'm trying not to cause an incident. Rae, do you ever go anywhere alone?
Ralaea tries not to look at her missing sword. "I…try not to…"
Sabitha: She has friends.
Ben bristles. "She don't got to."
Ben nods at Sabitha.
Aszera: Yeah, well, good for her. *Aze shakes her head irritably, and raises one hand to adjust her blindfold.* I just wanted to return this.
Aze holds out the sword toward Rae.
Ben looks from the sword to Rae and steps slightly aside.
Ralaea finally looks at it, but reacts as if the weapon itself has become tainted. Her hand shakes as she reaches for it.
Aszera: I get how it can be embarrassing the morning after, realizing you left your weapons in a strange room and all, but…
Sabitha 's eyes widen. Oh my.
Ralaea flinches at Aze's comment.
Sabitha looks elsewhereish.
Ben eyes Aze.
Aszera hands over the sword. "Who's the warlock? Trustworthy?"
Ben: Yeah. She's Cobalt.
Sabitha taps the tabard. Yeah, I'm Cobalt.
Ralaea: I…I won't go back, so do what you want!
Sabitha steps a little closer to Rae, bumping shoulders.
Ben holds his hands up, narrowing his eyes. "Hey, hold up, whoa. What's goin' on here?"
Sabitha says to Rae, "You're not going anywhere you don't want to go!"
Aszera takes half a step back. "I just came to see if you were alright. And to give you your sword. And okay, tease you a little, but I sort of thought you'd set them straight."
Ben: Rae ain't havin' a great time lately.
Aszera: Yeah, no sh*t.
Ben: So as much as I 'preciate you, Aze, maybe lay off. Yeah?
Ralaea reaches over and takes hold of Sabitha's sleeve. Just to hold it.
Aszera: Fine, sure. I just thought I'd be more welcome, since I have a pulse and all, but… *Aze sighs again.* Ben, did she talk to you about the Argent stuff?
Ben raises his eyebrows. He looks from Aze to Rae. "The Argent stuff? She did not." He regards Rae mildly.
Sabitha puts her hand on Rae’s and squeezes it little.
Ralaea: They want to free the death knights… *She stares at the ground.* But I told them…it's impossible. They aren't free…
Aszera: Oh, okay. I see. Or I don't, but… Rae, did you actually ask anyone? Or did you just decide.
Ralaea: Even your sister isn't free! Maybe she thinks she is, but she's not!
Ben looks at Aze.
Aszera shifts closer to the side of the tent, to be less visible. "Because you're the ultimate expert on unlife, sure. What I was told was that Rae was supposed to be asking the Argent Crusade if they could do it again. What happened at Light's Hope."
Ben: With the — huh.
Ben looks back to Rae. He raises his eyebrows.
Ben: You ask anyone, Rae?
Ralaea shakes her head. "He needs to die. Then he'll be free. But I couldn't do it."
Aszera: Like, what do I know about it, right? And the other… the other death knights, they don't really understand what happened back then.
Ben: Okay. First off I am like three steps behind here, I get it. Second off, why is it Rae should be askin'? Can someone else ask? And Rae are we talkin' about… Harvey, or what is goin' on now?
Ralaea: They have my squad. The Scourge.
Sabitha doesn't know either, but she keeps her hand over Rae's.
Ben: Your squad? No, we are all -
Ben stops. He considers Rae.
Aszera: We're talking about Mevlin. The one she trapped.
Ben: Ah.
Ben: That squad.
Ralaea: I should have killed him then.
Sabitha gets part of it now. "But you couldn't. Because he was a friend. Or used to be."
Ben: He is Ebon Blade? Or Scourge?
Ralaea: They're all…working for Kaela Mondragon.
Ralaea: And they want me to…join them.
Aszera: I came in like two steps behind, Ben, so I'm not on top of everything. I just agreed to watch the thing while we waited for her to sort it out.
Ben: So Scourge, then.
Ben: Rae, you ain't gonna join 'em, you know we ain't let that happen.
Aszera nods. "She's not joining them. Obviously."
Sabitha: Absolutely not.
Ben: If the thing is Scourge, not Ebon Blade, you want to put it down? Or you are hopin' to free it, like at Light's Hope? Or you don't trust it gets freed even if what happened there happens again?
Aszera: But, like, can you? Have you done it? Freed an undead thing from the Lich King? You are a paladin.
Ben: I have not. But I ain't Tirion Fordring, neither. I been a paladin for less'n a year.
Ben: The way I reckon to free a undead thing from the Lich King is by puttin' it down. But the Highlord… I dunno what.
Sabitha: What Tirion Fordring did didn't free all the undead that were there. Just the Death Knights. Right?
Ben: Yeah. That's right.
Sabitha: I've… I mean, I've only read… I wasn't there.
Aszera: Me neither.
Sabitha: So if he could have, wouldn't he have?
Aszera: Unless they got to him after the battle? Lich King can still raise people.
Ben: Got to who?
Aszera: Mevlin. *Aze gestures to Rae* I don't know the history.
Ralaea: I didn't see them at Light's Hope…
Ben: I mean maybe they wasn't there. You reckon he had all his Death Knights there?
Ben: Only the ones there got — whatever happened, I reckon.
Ralaea: But I've been telling them…the Ebon Blade aren't free either.
Aszera: Yes, they are. They hate the Lich King. Why would you say that?
Ben looks between the two in silence.
Ralaea: They still have to kill. They have to. That's not freedom.
Sabitha nods her understanding.
Ben: I ain't here to defend Death Knights. But I also ain't clear what all we are arguin' this about. You got one of 'em hostage, Rae, and he ain't Ebon Blade, just straight up Scourge?
Ralaea nods.
Ben: So why you ain't killed him? Because he was one of your people? *The question is not unsympathetic.*
Aszera: I guess, I have him hostage now. Since she's not going back.
Ralaea: I tried. The Ebon Blade stopped me. They want to make him one of them if they can.
Ben: Yeah okay but the part I ain't clear on, Aze, is why we ain't killin' Scourge.
Ben: Which is kind of what we are come up here to do.
Sabitha blinks. "They want to turn a scourged person into a Death Knight?"
Ben: The Ebon Blade is just gonna adopt 'em, now?
Aszera: Oh, come on. Syarra argued with you, but she stepped aside. You could've killed him if you wanted.
Aszera: Maybe? I don't know. They were on about how he probably knew a lot about the Scourge, if we could get him to talk. Which he would if he was free.
Ralaea bites her lip. "She… let him talk…" she mumbles.
Ben: I mean I got my doubts about the Ebon Blade and you tellin' me they are tryin' to adopt Scourge like feral kittens they think they can milk-feed into housecats is not makin' me any easier about 'em.
Sabitha: You think. What if he were freed and dropped dead?
Aszera: Then… well, one less problem in my life.
Ben: We ain't here to convert Scourge, we are here to stop 'em.
Aszera: But anyway, it was only meant to be short-term. To ask the Argent Crusade if they could do it.
Ben: Ebon Blade, if they are what they say, should f*cken know that, too.
Ben: You want someone to ask the Argent Crusade? I will ask 'em.
Ben: You want me to ask 'em, Rae?
Ralaea: He needs to die…somehow. Before Jenzelle finds out…
Ben: … oh, hell. This is Jenzelle's — sh*t.
Ben rakes a hand through his hair.
Aszera: Oh, it's her you don't want to talk to? I could rip that bandage right off…
Ralaea: Don't—!
Ben: Hold the f*ck up, Aze.
Aszera: I guess he was Jenzelle's… what, lover?
Sabitha informs Aszera, "You know what, I don't like you."
Aszera turns to Sabitha. "What? Why? I'm trying to help."
Ben: You got a real weird definition of helpin', Aze.
Aszera: I brought the sword. I brought the question. I was worried about Rae. And okay, kind of pissed off at Rae, because she threatened to kill my sister.
Ralaea: I told you…I promised…
Aszera: Yeah, you told me after. And I appreciate that.
Ben looks back and forth, lost again.
Aszera: …that she wasn't going to kill any Ebon Blade. *Aze supplies*
Ben: Yeah. Rae is a good girl.
Ben: Rae. Mevlin is Scourge? Jenzelle can't know about it?
Aszera: And you're all looking at me like I set all this up. I didn't catch him. I didn't tie him up.
Ralaea: Mevlin…Alver…Taya…all of them. But Mevlin was Jenzelle's…
Ben: I know. Okay.
Ralaea: I don't want her to have to go through what I am.
Ben: Okay. So he gets put down. He is Scourge.
Ben: Jenzelle don't go through it.
Sabitha: If she ever finds out, though. I don't know her. What would she say, or feel?
Ben looks at Rae, waiting for an answer to Sabitha's question.
Aszera: Like what I went through. *Aze mutters* Am going through.
Ralaea: I… I don't know. She's…stronger than I am. But even so…
Ben: Your sister is Ebon Blade. Mevlin ain't, it sounds like.
Ben: You gonna tell a lady her husband is Scourge? Like, straight up Lich King Scourge?
Sabitha: Would you rather find out your friends knew he was and killed him? I … I can see how someone would be grateful but someone else might not.
Aszera looks distinctly uncomfortable.
Ben: That is fair too. We ain't in an easy place, here.
Ralaea glances between Sabitha and Ben. "Then… what should we do?"
Sabitha says quietly, "We support you. You know everyone. You're the only one who can say."
Ralaea 's shoulders sag, like she might be crushed under the weight of it all. "I…I only know what I've experienced…"
Aszera hunches her shoulders leaning slightly against the tent. "Whatever it is, you don't have to go back. I'll be the runner."
Ben looks at Aze. "Y'all are holdin' him?"
Sabitha squeezes Rae's hand again. "Would you want to know? Or would you rather it had been taken care of without you knowing?"
Aszera: Not 'y'all'. Mourn and the other Ebon Blade. I know where.
Ralaea: I relied on him… The dead him…and it got me into this mess. It might have been better if I had moved on, somehow…
Ben: How long you reckon they can go on holdin' him?
Aszera: Not forever. Even dead, they can only go a few days before… changing guard. Been more than a week already.
Ben exhales. He sounds distinctly exasperated, and casts Rae a look.
Ralaea: Sorry. I'm sorry. For my part in this…
Ben: Rae. It's okay. We just got to figure out now what to do. Okay?
Ralaea: Roper is scary, so…I tried to do it while he wasn't there. I think he would be mad…
Ben: He'd be mad? If you killed f*cken Scourge?
Aszera: If he can't be freed, I'm sure they can handle it. Or I can. You don't have to kill him. Leave the damage to the people that're already damaged, Rae.
Ben: Yeah so here is my vote. Someone is got to kill him. It ain't Rae.
Sabitha waits, watching Rae.
Ben: He is Scourge. He ain't up for adoption.
Aszera: So we're not even asking the Argent Crusade? Got it.
Ben throws his hands up. "I reckon if the Argent Crusade could just go around convertin' 'em, they'd be doin' it, don't you?"
Sabitha: Ben is Argent Crusade. You've asked. You want to ask Fordring, you go do it.
Ralaea: I… I could do it if he didn't talk…
Ben: They ain't got a magic wand. They are up here to put down the ones that Light's Hope ain't saved.
Sabitha: You don't have to, and I don't think you should. You can't even talk about it without wincing; if you did it, I think you'd hurt yourself even more than you already are.
Aszera: Okay, then I asked. I got an answer. I'll take it back.
Ben looks at Rae.
Ben: You good with that answer?
Aszera points at Sabitha. "See? I'm not always full of sh*t."
Sabitha: Just spite.
Ralaea: Just…do it so he doesn't see it coming? Mevlin was always…k-kind. Even now, he just wants everyone to be together again, even if that means…we're all…you know.
Ben looks at Aze.
Aszera flinches at Sabitha's words. Then she nods at Rae. "I won't let them… you know how death knights are. When it's time, I'll do it for you. Like you wanted."
Aszera: And you can blame me for that, too, if it helps.
Ben 's manner softens a little. He nods curtly at Aszera. "Thank you, Aze."
Ralaea holds Sabitha's hand tighter. "You're doing us a favor. I wouldn't blame you for any of it."
Sabitha tries to look mollified. She manages a little because she is.
Aszera: I should… probably go. Before one of your militiamen decides I look like a target. I'll take back the answer.
Ralaea nods.
Ben nods again. "Be safe."
Sabitha: Thank you.
Aszera: And I know… *Aze hesitates, then turns to Rae* I know I'm not always easy to be around. But I do know some of what you're going through.
Ralaea: You're not the problem. After all…you are alive…
Aszera nods. "Just. If you ever need. I've got nothing but time."
Ben: You want me to tell Sil I saw you?
Aszera quirks a smile. "Yeah, probably better. I'm supposed to get in touch. Tell him the death knights didn't get me yet."
Ben: I will let him know it.
Aszera pulls her cloak more tightly around her, and backs away from the camp.
Ralaea exhales like she's been holding her breath since the encounter began and sinks to her knees.
Ralaea: I…I don't know what I would have done if you both hadn't been here…
Sabitha kneels down.
Ben moves over toward her and stands gazing down.
Ben: Well. That is why you got friends, Rae. Yeah?
Sabitha: I can't imagine going through something like that alone. And I only barely understand the gist of it.
Ben: I wish you told me this sh*t a lot sooner.
Sabitha: But… why don't we stay here tonight? I'll camp out with you.
Ben: I ain't yellin', mind, I am just sayin'.
Sabitha shoots Ben a Look.
Ben: But sooner — all right, all right, now I am shuttin' up.
Ben holds his hands up in surrender at Sabitha.
Ralaea: I'm so sorry…I should have told you. I just…felt like I needed to handle it somehow. They were my people…
Ben 's tone softens. "I know, Rae. I get it, I do."
Ralaea: They taught me everything I know, and I couldn't do anything for them…
Sabitha: You can live. I think they'd like that. I know I would if … if something happened to me and Ben was the last one standing.
Ben nods at Sabitha.
Ben: You can let 'em go now. Ain't that what they'd want? Back when you knew 'em, yeah? Would Mevlin want — what he is? The Mevlin you known?
Ralaea: No…he even said, he doesn't like feeding.
Ben settles on the grass before the two women.
Ben: So, then.
Sabitha nods somberly.
Ben: You done okay, Rae. I think you hurt yourself with it more than you had to. You got friends could help you, whenever. Okay? But I am just sorry you been hurt and holdin' on to it by yourself.
Ralaea lifts her goggles to wipe at her eyes. "He did say…one interesting thing."
Sabitha: What's that?
Ben raises his eyebrows.
Ralaea: One of them…Jothran? He said Jothran hasn't been raised yet. That Kaela was waiting for us all to be death knights before having it done. But I don't know why only him.
Ben: Somethin' was different about him? When y'all was all alive together?
Ralaea: He was like a big brother to us all. Her second in command almost? But…that's all I know.
Ben frowns.
Ben: Okay. Well.
Sabitha: What'd he do? What was his specialty?
Ralaea: He was a paladin.
Sabitha: Maybe that was it, then.
Ralaea: But she raised Harvey….
Sabitha: Did she? Or did Arthas?
Ralaea: They all died in the same place. And everyone but Jothran was raised at some point…
Ben sighs.
Sabitha shakes her head. "I don't know. We may never know. But for now… I guess take a night to know you've done a right thing today."
Ralaea: I hope so…
Ben: Listen. We ain't gonna figure this out right now and yeah, you have had a time. Get some rest.
Sabitha nods.
Ben: You stay with Sabitha?
Ralaea nods. "Okay. Yeah. I'll stay here. Camping."
Ben: I ain't kiddin' you can come back to Southshore if you want. But I think Sabitha's got you.
Ben gives Sabitha a fleeting, grateful smile.
Ralaea: Just, if you hear screaming, I'm fine.
Sabitha pffts. "I'll still come running."
Ben: Both of y'all know how to reach me, yeah?
Ralaea: W-well then…I'll try to do it quietly.
Sabitha heads off to find a tent for two. "Go away, Lieutenant Worry."
Ralaea nods at Ben.
Sabitha: We have this.
Ben snorts at Sabitha.
Ben: Yes'm, okay.
Ben: Y'all two take care.