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| Details |
| Author: | Saaron |
| Summary: | Sandy moves to Dalaran to be closer to the people he knows. Ekorenine helps him settle in her old room, but this place brings back some painful memories for her. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
An arcane servant takes the second-to-last box out of the room, as Ekorenine finishes stuffing a pillow into its pillowcase. Sandy – who’s done making his bed, finally sits, resting his weary leg. He looks at a nearby box and picks up a frame resting on it.
He looks at the painting, in silence. It’s the painting of a young man, with long, dark hair, and a chiseled jawline covered by a full beard. His lips draw into a playful smirk as he places his arm around the waist of a young woman – Sandy recognizes Ekorenine’s bright smile instantly. Both of them are wearing Dalaran robes. He finally notices the hand she holds against her chest, and the ring on her finger.
“You are awfully quiet, Sandy. Are you sure coming to Dalaran is what you want?” asks Eko, slowly making her way to the bed, dropping the cushion, and sitting next to her son.
“Yes, yes! Everyone’s here, and even if don’t fight, I want to be there with them!” He runs his finger on the side of the frame. “I found a… painting, here.”
“Oh, you did? I could not even tell you what I have left in this room – ever since my mother passed away, I went from this one to the bigger one here. It has been a sort of attic for years, now,” she chuckles.
“That’s a painting of you and a man! You’ve got a ring on your finger.”
Ekorenine nods, looking in the direction of Sandy’s voice. “I… think I know which one you are talking about. That has to be a reproduction of my engagement painting, with my first husband.”
“You never talk about him…” Sandy turns his head to look at her. He’s looking a lot more healthy than he did in the past, most of his wounds having healed. “I didn’t even know what he looked like!”
“Well of course I don’t,” she smiles. “I… It is not your role, as my sons, to hear all of the sad parts of your mother’s life. I barely even want to think of them myself! That is a… burden. A burden that a parent should not place on a child.”
Sandy shakes his head. He leans forward and begins detaching his prosthetic leg, the sensation of pressure around his ankle having bothered him for a good hour now. “I’m not… asking for your sad stories, mom. I’m sure you had good moments with him too… didn’t you? And I don’t know about the others, but I’m sure Estoine would like to hear you talk about his dad too, from time to time…”
Ekorenine’s brows furrow as Sandy mentions his brother. She takes a big, sudden breath through her nose. “I… do not understand why you would want to hear me speak of him. What would this conversation bring to you?”
“I don’t know,” Sandy shrugs, removing his prosthetic and leaving it next to the bed. “Since you never talk about yourself, I just… I want to know more about your story, mom. You never know what…” he interrupts his own sentence there.
Her gaze softens. The arcane servant comes to pick up the last box, but Sandy holds onto the frame. “Well, if you really wish to hear me talk about him, we have to go back many years.”
Sandy crawls back further into the bed, and leans against the bedframe, listening attentively.
“After my grandfather died, we Spellbonds were going through difficult times. He had secretly indebted the whole family, and this was going to impact, well, several generations…” She stays on the edge of the bed, her back straight, while her hands join between her knees. “So, my parents looked for solutions. They sold much of our lands, but yet it still was insufficient,” she turns her head slightly towards Sandy, moving one of her shoulders sporadically. “My parents were all about prestige, so it was a heavy blow for them.”
“So… what did they do?” He asks, crossing his leg under his knee. “How did they get free from the debts?”
“Well, the Hearthleigh family got involved,” Eko nods. “See, the Hearthleighs are a rich family of merchants from Gilneas – as far as I know, some of them are still alive, behind that wall. Anyway, they exported wool all around the human Kingdoms. My… first husband was a Hearthleigh. Adrien Hearthleigh.” She pauses. She hasn’t said that name in years. She’s thought of it many times but never has the woman said it out loud since Adrien’s death. “He was studying at the Kirin Tor with me, although we only knew each other in passing. His parents came to mine, with a marriage proposal. Their son would take our first name, earn his title, and we would get more than enough money to pay my grandfather’s debt. My parents accepted their offer, of course. No one in Stormwind nobility would marry me – we are a minor house, but more than that, no one else wished to take on this financial responsibility,” she raises her finger, feeling Sandy was about to say something. “And they were right to, of course. Even if unbeknownst to them, the First War was coming, and it would destroy our homes… as well as so much more.”
“An arranged marriage? I thought you liked him,” Sandy says frowning.
Eko scoffs at the question. “I had seen many of my friends get into terrible arranged marriages, and I was intensely wary of him. I was absolutely against the idea of marrying a man I barely knew! The issue is, it was not up to me. I was extremely obedient to my parents – they expected of me no less than perfection,” she shakes her head, then smiles fondly. “I suppose I was lucky. Adrien was wonderful. He was kind, funny, and a great listener! A bit… too focused on his studies sometimes, but that defines almost everyone at the Kirin Tor.” She tilts her head, throwing a knowing look at Sandy. “Almost.”
Sandy doesn’t really know who she’s referring to, so he just looks back at her silently. He grabs the cushion, holding it tight with one arm, resting his head, and looking at the painting. Ekorenine waits for him to say something – anything, but he doesn’t, so she proceeds with her story.
“We got married, paid off my family’s debt, fell in love, and had our little Estoine. It was all wonderful. Then, the First War happened, I took refuge here with my mother and Estoine as the orcs sieged Stormwind – again, I did not have a choice here, really. I could… probably have fought, I was trained as a mage already, but most if not all of my decisions were not mine,” her eyes well up. One thing about losing her sight is that the images in her mind are more vivid, even when she doesn’t close her eyes. She can see him telling her goodbye as he steps into a portal. Eko’s voice shakes. “Adrien went to fight the war without me… and he never came back.”
Sandy looks at her, seeing the pain on her face, and sharing it to some extent. He leans forward, hoping to hug her, but the weight on the bed shifts suddenly as she springs to her feet. She chuckles, her voice still breaking.
“I’m sorry, Sandy,” with one swift move, she wipes the tears from her eyes. “The servant will bring you your boxes right away.” She sniffles. “I am… in a rather nostalgic mood, and there are so many memories in this house. If you need anything, I’ll be in the study, looking at my old school books.”
“Mom, I’m…” he looks up at her, his eyes getting teary as well. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked…”
“You do not have to apologize for anything. You did not do anything,” she shakes her head. “Forget about me – you should rest. I suppose now that we are in Dalaran, Gwen come could visit you any time, and… I told Estel we were moving here today, so she may come to check up on your health!” She nervously dusts her robe. “Just… rest. I will be fine.”
Before Sandy has any time to answer, Ekorenine blinks outside the room, and moves down the hallway, faster than Sandy has ever seen her exiting a room.
He looks at the painting of her and Adrien, smiling sadly at her eyes lit up with joy.