Ryleen's stories

A soft raind drizzled down on the roofs of Booty Bay. Ryleen lay awake, following the faint ray of moonlight shining in through the door and it's slow march across the wall as the hours passed.

She had murdered someone tonight.

It wasn't the first time... But I had been different this time. She hadn't been angry at him, or afraid. But she had known he had to die, and she had done what was needed.

No, that wasn't true.

She had been angry. She had given him a slow death, when she had been perfectly capable of ending him instantly. Why? Why wasn't it until afterwards that she had questioned her own method of killing him?

"What are you doing to me?"

She whispered it into the darkness, not expecting an answer. There never was. But she had been given other answers this evening. Afterwards, back in Booty Bay again, she had been alone with Taupod. She had been near tears, trying her very best to hold it back. She had asked him "Will it ever get easier?".

"Yes. Unfortunately, yes."

And there had something about the way he said it, that scared her more than anything else tonight.

What would she have become, by the end of this war?

Ryleen sat watching the moon over Booty Bay. She felt restless, the remains of all the magic she had used earlier still running through her body and preventing any tiredness. She glanced over her shoulder in through the door. The big tauren was still sleeping on the bed, and she didn't have any plans on waking him up for several hours yet.

He was going to live.

The evening had been chaotic, she still hadn't managed to think it all through properly. She had thought at first that she had gotten rid of Daidrax easily, and that perhaps a small show of kindness would help in the future.

Oh, how wrong she had been...

The shock at realising not only that Taupod had been shot with that poisoned arrow, but also that it had been aimed at her, had been bad. She didn't remember exactly what had happened. She had been so angry... She remembered flames, and trying to get to the elf. But there had been two of them, and Taupod had been hurt. In the end, she had dragged him through a portal to Orgrimmar, leaving the two elves lying on the ground. She didn't think either of them had been dead, but at least not in any shape to pursue them.

She leaned back and closed her eyes with a sigh. It had been worse when they got back, realising how badly poisoned Taupod actually was. How had Haelas known about the attack so fast? How did he find them? And why did he choose to help them? Something wasn't right.. But at this moment, she was mostly just grateful that he had saved her friend.

He would live.

She relaxed, almost enough to feel tired. Then it came back to her... What she had done to get the spider venom needed to save Taupod. It hadn't been planned, but it was the first thought that came to her when Haelas told her he needed a poisonous spider in order to save the tauren.

Somehow, she had known just exactly what to do. She couldn't remember ever being told, but it was all there. She had left, finding a large fire to kneel by and speak to her goddess. The right words had been there, knowing exactly how to ask in order to get a response. She didn't even recall drawing her dagger, but she knew that a few drops of her own blood was needed to make the request valid. And it had been answered... The spider had appeared in front of her, docile and tame.

And the only reason Shadra did this was because of what had been promised in return of the favour... But that was a later problem.

The important part was that Taupod was safe.

((If your patron goddess is a spider, then getting spider venom should not be a problem. ))

((True.. But Ry's relationship with her goddess isn't the best. She had to promise to give something in return for the help ))

Ryleen woke up early. The light of dawn was colouring the entire room golden. She didn't move at first. Memories of last night flashed before her eyes. Corigo, his life slipping away under her hands.

There has been no other option, she told herself again. It had been the right thing to do. She sat up, carefully freeing herself from the embrace of her lover. He was still deep asleep, and she saw no reason to wake him yet. Instead she dressed quickly and went outside on silent feet.

She'd go buy food and prepare a nice breakfast for the two of them. Outside was what looked like the beginning of a nice, sunny day. The memories of the horrors of last night faded a little as she walked. There was still things to do, but they could wait until later.Before going to get food, she decided to stop by the bank and the mailbox, checking if anything had arrived for her.

"I was starting to wonder if I'd have to send someone out to deliver these to you! You need to check your mail every day, this is no storage facility!"

Rickle the banker was his usual grumpy self, and slammed a stack of envelopes down on the desk. They were tied together with some strings, and some of them seemed to have been really badly treated somewhere on the way. Curiously, she picked the stack up and pulled the top letter free. It was adressed to her, and she recognised the handwriting immediately.

She mumbled a thank you to Rickle and left immediately. Lyranne... She hadn't seen her sister since that day in Silvermoon, when she had been too busy to have time to talk to Ryleen. It had hurt, to see her sister rather talk to those other people than her. But at the same time, it had given a bit of hope. Perhaps she'd be fine, after all. Taupod's words were still fresh in her memory, how he had explained that it was probably best for all if she just let her sister leave. That no one would win anything by her forcing the others to accept her, making her stay despite the conflict it caused.

She hadn't liked it, but knew he was right... In the long run, it would be better for all. So she had let her sister go. She wanted to see her, but had no idea where she had went. She had waited for her to make contact. And from the size of this stack of letter, Lyranne had tried..

She had now come back to her house, and sat down on her usual place on the balcony. She opened the first letter, and read it.

I find myself drifting. Trying to find my place in the world as a forsaken. And thus far have had little success. I was accosted by a goblin who asked me questions about myself and the Tribe, including the fate of Corigo and an altercation between you and a House of Sylvanas representative.

I can only imagine that my constant movement has hampered any attempts to contact me, as the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

Goblin? Sounded like it might have been one of those reporters. But so far, she hadn't heard of any articles like that... She pulled at the string to free the other letter, but they slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. She gathered them up, but had no idea in what order the had been. She picked the next one at random and opened it to read.

I still care about my family, and if ever any harm befalls them, I shall make it my priority to return to them with haste. It's been so long sister, since I've had contact with anyone approaching a modicum of decorum.

I digress, and for that I apologise.

She felt a pang of guilt as she read. Lyranne still thought of them as family, despite having left them the way she did...

I often lay awake at night, looking at the stars from my forsaken eyes and wonder if this is indeed what Shad'ra wished of me, or if there was some nefarious scheme in place to curse me to this existence. Is it for us to question the loa? Mayhaps, I know I still feel her embrace. My tattoo pulses rhytmically at times, almost as a way of reminding me she's still keeping watch.

Shadra... The little elf had always had a better relationship with their shared goddess. Ryleen couldn't believe what had befallen her was the work of Shadra, or any other loa. They wouldn't do anything like that. Not to her.

So, it's been a little longer now, and I again wonder just how to get out of this situation. I don't want to be forsaken, but the alternatives are death or taking anothers body. I refuse the latter, and part of me is still too determined to allow myself to fade away.

Death. The memory of Corigo begging her to take his life, to save him from what he had become, came back to her. Would Lyranne ever end up like that? Would she ever hate her existance so much that she decided to end it? Her hand trembled as she reached for the next letter.

It's been another week, and I'm starting to wonder if these letters will ever reach you. I'm still holding on, and I hope you're well. So too do I wish the tribe the very best, and hope they're thriving.

I had a dream last night. It was vague but I swear it involved Quin. Maybe I'm losing my mind?

I am sure you're not ignoring these correspondence and am hoping beyond hope that they're merely slow in arriving. I've spoken to few people, though Kadris has still been comforting. Despite knowing I'm alive, she has protected me from the House. Even though it's a risk, I fear what will happen if she decides I'm too much trouble to leave alive. She referred to me as being beautiful as forsaken. I think she's trying to affect me...

Maybe not.

The letter slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor. Kadris. So she really had turned to her for aid. But why? Why would she turn to one of the very people that have caused her to become what she was now? Why would she turn to one of them, rather than to her family, her sister?

And she knew the answer, but couldn't bring herself to put words to it. Instead she opened the next letter.

It feels like much longer than I'm sure it has been. But one can't help losing track when away from easy-to-reach outposts or else civilisation. I've spent some time meditating, contacting Shad'ra and other Loa in a desperate plea. I want to know what I'm to do, sis. All feels lost in a sea of woe. And as trite as that sounds, it is the truth. "Suffer well" they say to me, when I walk past my new brethren. Oh how true those words are, I do suffer -so- well.

Tears were running down her cheeks now, making her vision blurred and the letters hard to read. With each sentence she felt pangs of guilt and regret that verged on physical pain. And still she had to read them all. She ripped the envelopes open of the last three letters.

I fear things have gone wrong. Teeboppity has helped at times, and Til was of some use. But the latter's been away, and so too has Tee now. The two people who were keeping me grounded are gone. And I don't know what to do. I wish the Heritage hadn't become hostile. I wish I'd not felt that hate... No matter, I fear I've not long left before the hunger consumes me.

There's a pain with the hunger now. It's almost unbearable. Still I remain stoic and hope I can somehow beat it. I swear the forsaken are calling me... Taunting, encouraging... I don't want to think about it.

I've been told about the hunger that befalls all my kind at some point. I've felt it, but pushed it deep down. I'm weak, frightened and never felt so alonge. Idon't know if I'll become what Corigo and Jimar called me... I'm fighting it with every ounce of my being. I refuse to hurt another person for my own gain... Nor do I wish to be like a jackal, feasting on the flesh of the deceased.

I wish none of this had happened.

She stared at the last sentence of the last letter, until it was nothing but a grey smudge behind the veil of her tears.

She should have been there.

She should have taken care of her little sister.

But she had'nt... She had allowed them to drive her away, she had allowed her to leave. And now.. She didn't even know where to look for Lyranne. And if she did find her, what would she do? How could she ever hope to help her? She knew that there was no way back, that the dead could not regain life.

It wasn't fair! Why would all this have to happen to Lyranne, who had never done a thing to deserve any such things? Why did it have to be something that couldn't be fixed, something there would be no end of? No hope at all... She gathered the letters into a stack again and wrapped the string around it again, just to do something. No hope... There was really only one way out of it.

The same thing that she had given Corigo.

No! That was not an option. She would never do that, not to her sister! Never...

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It was so dark and cold.

She couldn't see, no matter how hard she tried, it felt like someone had poured her eyes full of little glass shards. She tried to move but nothing seemed to happen, it felt like her body was disconnected from her mind.

Perhaps it was?

There were voices around her. Laughing, mocking her. Telling her that she would never get away, that this would go on for ever. Telling her that she would die, that there was no escape. Telling her that she could end this whenever she wanted.

It was all so very confusing, and she didn't seem to be able to think straight.

Wait... She could end this?

How? Who said that?

"Surrender. Surrender and you can go home, this living hell will end."

Surrender what? There was nothing left of her... She was broken, dying... What could there possibly be left for her to give them?

"Never surrender! They will make your friends and family their slaves! You will betray them all if you surrender! Never!"

With mild amusement she realised that it was the sound of her own voice speaking to her. How did that happen? Was she dead, was that why? Or had the darkness driven her mad?

That might be it.

Then the darkness was ripped apart by blinding white light, all her thoughts shattering into nothing but pain.

She woke up.

She still couldn't see, her eyes were still as if filled with glass shards. Her body was burning. Every muscle and every bone aching, each injury seamlessly blending into the next one.

But she was warm. There was a blanket over her and under her was a soft bed rather than cold stone or snow. Someone was talking to her. A gentle, soothing voice that she didn't recognise. She was given water, the person beside her holding her head to help her drink. There was a bitter aftertaste to the water and for a short moment she thought it might have been poison. But then the pain gradually faded and she fell into a deep sleep as the numbing drug worked.

The warsong shaman stayed waking beside the broken form of the troll warlord all night. Conquest Hold was silent, most of it's inhabitants asleep, only the steps outside of the night guards and the crackling of the fires broke the peace.

Pain was the first thing she realised aas she woke up.

It always was nowadays.

She could guess by the noises from the rest of the building that it was daytime, footsteps and voices revealing that most of the hold's inhabitants were awake.

She, on the other hand, felt like curling up beneath her blanket and not waking up again for a year or two. The pain removing drug was wearing off, but she resisted the urge to ask for more. It numbed the pain, yes, but also her thoughts. She needed to be aware at least for a while and think things through.

She knew Taupod would be nearby, so she remained still and hoped he would think she was still asleep.

He was so kind to her. He tried to pretend not to care, but he could easily have handed her care over to one of the healers. She felt safe knowing that he was there, but at times she felt guilty to constantly ask for his help, for food, water or a new damp blindfold to protect her eyes.

How he must hate that task... She had noticed him recoiling as he removed the protective cloth. She must look truly awful. She had never considered herself pretty, but repulsive? At least it would heal. Scars would perhaps be left behind, but not bad enough to make her difficult to look at.

For a brief moment, she wondered if that was why Graan was avoiding her. Was his feelings for her that shallow?

She avoided that though. She had enough other things to worry about now. Alasters words about how she would be betraying her people if she gave in to the pain now still rang in her ears. She had thought it would all be over when she was saved, but after hearing his words she now knew she had been wrong. She still wasn't sure she had the strength.

Actually, she very much doubted that she had the strength.

But that was no reason to give up. If she failed, no one should be able to blame her for not trying. She had chosen to become Warlord... Now she would have to act the part too.

Somehow.

Steeling herself before the pain she managed to sit up in her bed, ready to start making plans on how to end the war, and save her people.

((excellently written once again ))