WoA later

[moonshadows]

 

“Okay, I lost them, but we have to hurry up and-“ Azureon broke off, staring at the young night elf in disbelief. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”

The night elf boy stared back, chin raised in adolescent defiance at the blue dragon touching delicately down with a minimum of backwinging. “I’m not leaving him.”

The scaled blue head dipped down for a closer look. “He attacked you, Malfurion. And he’s got demon taint all over him.”

“He’s my brother.” One hand crept up to brush ineffectually at his hair, light blue shading to teal and turquoise from the demigod’s influence, and encountered one of the nubby horns he still wasn’t used to. “I’m not leaving him.”

Azureon eyed the writhing, cursing boy bound hand and foot with thorny vines. “The blindfold is a bit much, isn’t it?”

“I didn’t blindfold him. He was already blindfolded. Now are we going, or what?”

Muttering in draconic, the Blue reared back slightly and snatched one night elf in each scaly hand. Malfurion was silent, but the black-haired one – and how much demonic energy had it taken to tint his hair that much in such a short period of time? – only cursed louder as the dragon hopped awkwardly on his back legs and launched himself into the air. Empty threats and incoherent tirades ranged in subject from his twin, to the dragon, to the world in general while the fledgling druid tried to alternately calm his twin and identify himself. Azureon did his best to ignore both brothers until they’d reached what he considered a safe height, but once he’d settled in for the long flight back, the squabbling started to get on his nerves.

“You’re not going to get through to him,” he snapped finally.

“How dare you say that! He’s-“

“-your brother. Yes, I know. But regardless, he’s incoherent, and nothing you or I can say will snap him out of that.”

“But…” Malfurion slumped in the dragon’s grip. “But then what can we do? I won’t just sit here and watch my twin rant like a madman.”

“You could take a nap,” the dragon said archly. “Until we get back to the camp, that’s about all you can do. I know you’re worried about him, but the best thing we can do is get him to that priestess of yours as soon as possible and hope your goddess likes him.”

“…she’s not my priestess.”

Azureon rolled his eyes. “Fine. You’re her druid. Whatever.”

They flew on in silence broken only by Illidan’s mad ravings.

“Okay, I’ve had about enough of that.” A few whispered words, and the demon-tainted boy fell silent – but kept mouthing obscenities through the sound-dampening spell that blanketed him.

Silence again.

“Do we have to fly so high? It’s cold up here.”

The whine in Malfurion’s complaint set the dragon’s enormous teeth on edge. “Oh, no,” he said lightly, “we could go lower – if we wanted to get caught and die horribly.”

“What?”

“The entire Black Dragonflight is looking for us.” Pause. “Well, maybe only half the Flight. The other half is no doubt chasing that Highborne who got away with the Demon Soul. Regardless, there’s a lot of very angry dragons out here who are bigger and stronger than me – but all the way up here, they can’t hide so well. Earth is their strength, and they show up splendidly in this nice blue sky. Did you happen to notice that my scales are a very similar color to the sky? Yes? Well then, there you go. Harder to see one little Blue against the sky if we’re all the way up here, easier to see a big, lumbering Black – not to mention that up here, the air is going the same direction we are. You did want to get your brother back before all of his brains dribbled out his ears, right?”

The druid nodded.

“…then why don’t you take that nap and let me do the flying?”

 

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A dragon flying into an armed camp would cause a stir under even the best of circumstances, which this absolutely was not. Three mages, six swordsmen, and Commander Shadowsong ran up as the Blue landed and set his passengers on the ground.

“Did you find it?” Shadowsong demanded of the dragon, ignoring the young night elves. “Do you have it?”

“Yes and no,” Azureon said, shrinking to night elf form. “We found it, and we had it, but-“

“We were attacked by forces from Zin-Azshari,” the more awake of the two boys interrupted. “One of them got away with it – assuming the black dragons didn’t catch him. “ He kicked the bound night elf, rolling him over so that his face was pressed into the dirt. “I captured this one. He may be able to give us information if he can be healed.”

Shadowsong frowned at the budding druid. “Very well. Report to me when you have something. This is ill news indeed…”

“Quick,” Malfurion whispered as soon as the disappointed elves had stalked out of earshot. “Help me get him to Tyrande.”

Azureon frowned even as she hefted the weakly thrashing form over her shoulder. “I thought you were worried about him.”

“I am,” the teen huffed as he led the way impatiently.

“That’s why you kicked him and told Jerod he was a prisoner?”

The stripling druid’s back stiffened defensively. “Like you said, he attacked me and he’s got demon taint all over him. We won’t know if we can trust him until we see if Tyrande can make him stop raving.”

Still frowning, the dragon set his burden down as they reached the section of camp reserved for the Priestesses of the Moon and Malfurion ran off shouting for his friend and lover. She came at a run, worry on her narrow face that doubled when she saw the bound form on the ground. Illidan’s thrashing stilled as she stepped closer, her demeanor shifting in the way that meant she had become the vessel of her Goddess’s will. She knelt, hands going to Illidan’s blindfolded temples, and suddenly he screamed, a raw sound that cut to the bone and went on and on long after he should have run out of breath. Suddenly, the scream cut off and he went utterly limp.

Tyrande swayed, and her worried lover caught her with a cry of alarm.

“Will he be okay?” Malfurion demanded, eyeing his silent twin anxiously.

“I…” The young priestess took a deep breath. “I don’t know.” Suddenly she lunged for the thorny vines binding her friend, and Malfurion hastily loosened them before she could prick her fingers prying them off. “What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, irritated.

Slender fingers fluttered at the cloth binding Illidan’s eyes. “Why did you blindfold him, Furion?”

“I didn’t. He was already blindfolded when he attacked me, but it didn’t seem to hamper him at all.” He ran one hand through his hair, absently fingering his budding horns. “I almost didn’t recognize him, but then he called me by name and I knew him from his voice.”

The fluttering fingers stilled and dropped to the limp boy’s cheeks. “He saved my life. Oh, Furion, what if I didn’t heal him?”

Startled by the young priestess throwing herself into his arms, suddenly insecure and worried by the concern in her voice, Malfurion swallowed. His eyes met Azureon’s in a pleading look.

“Why don’t you two go rest?” the dragon suggested. “I’ll stay here and watch over him.”

Both young elves nodded mutely and Malfurion helped Tyrande to her feet. Shaken, they moved slowly off, leaving the Blue alone with a slumbering, demon-tainted Illidan.

“At least you’re quiet,” Azureon sighed.

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“Azureon?” a tentative voice asked.

Startled, the dragon jerked out of the dose he’d fallen into and looked at the source of the question. The boy’s bound eyes were unerringly aimed in his direction. “Yes, Illidan?”

“You’re a dragon.”

Wearing a night elf’s shape, Azureon smiled. “You were sort of gone when I revealed that, but yes.”

Uncertainty and fear flickered across the boy’s face. “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

Illidan shook his head. “Everything is jumbled.” His voice was high and tight, as if only noticing this for the first time. The fear returned, crawling steadily towards terror.

“Illidan,” Azureon said sharply, breaking the night elf out of whatever tangle of thoughts he was trapped in. “Why are you wearing a blindfold?”

“So my eyes don’t scare anyone,” he answered, distracted.

“Why would your eyes scare anyone?”

“Because they’re demon eyes.” Illidan spat the words out, loathing thick on every syllable. His hands fluttered over his biceps  and across his chest in a nervous motion.

“Can I see them?” The dragon chirped with all of his habitual oblivious curiosity.

Illidan looked startled. “I…guess? Although you’ll probably wish you hadn’t,” he finished darkly.

He reached for the blindfold, but Malfurion and Tyrande rounded the corner before his hands touched cloth and the priestess’s joyful cry of “Illidan! You’re awake!” caused him to whip his head around, blindfold forgotten. When his covered eyes saw his brother and friend, he froze. Horror and rage suffused his features, but not before Azureon caught a glimpse of bone-wrenching pain. The scream Illidan let out was equal parts denial and sheer, primal fury, and it stopped the other two in their tracks. Alarmed, Azureon watched as the black-haired teen descended into mad raving again, this time every word aimed squarely at his twin. His hands crooked into claws with which he flailed futilely in Malfurion’s direction – futile because at the first lunge, Azureon had dropped his disguise and was now holding him firmly in one blue-scaled claw.

“He was calm just before you walked up,” the dragon said apologetically over Illidan’s threats of physical violence. “Maybe you should go let Commander Shadowsong know that he’s not going to be able to give us any information for a while.”

Uncertainly, the young druid nodded. “I’ll see you tonight,” he half-asked Tyrande, who nodded. Giving his brother one last confused look, he backed up and walked off.

As soon as he was out of sight, the fury drained out of the elder Stormrage, whose bound eyes ceased following his twin and moved to his friend. A howl of anguish ripped itself out of his throat and his hands, no longer claws, flailed in her direction. Alarmed, she took a step forward and caught his fingertips in both hands.

“Tyrande, why?” Illidan asked brokenly.

She flicked a scared glance to Azureon, who shrugged. “Shh, Illidan, it’s okay. I’m here for you.”

Emboldened at the way he seemed to calm at her touch, she stepped closer and took his face between her hands, then kissed his forehead. Illidan let out a long, trembling whimper, hands going to his eyes where they pressed as though he were fighting back the urge to claw them out.

“Illidan, are you okay?” Tyrande asked gently.

“No,” came the muffled response.

“Where does it hurt? I’ll do my best to heal you.”

“Don’t waste your time,” came the bitter response. “I’m not worth the effort.”

“Illidan, how can you say that?”

A broken laugh answered her. “You don’t know what I’ve gone through…what I’ve done. They…did things to me, Tyrande.” His hands fluttered at the cloth over his eyes.

“What did you do, Illidan?” Tyrande asked, slightly alarmed.

“I had no choice. The demons…” He trailed off, bound eyes searching her face desperately. “Tyrande, you must believe me. Everything I did, everything I do – it’s all for you. I will never harm you Tyrande. Even if-” Looking frightened now, Illidan swallowed. “Even if I lose myself completely.”

“I believe in you, Illidan,” Tyrande said firmly. “Now, what can you tell us about your time in Zin-Azshari?”

The demon-tainted elf scrunched his face up. “I don’t know. It’s all a jumble, but…things are clearer now than they have been. Maybe…maybe in a few days they’ll settle down.”

“Alright,” Tyrande said with forced calm. “I have wounded to tend to – Azureon, will you stay with him?”

The dragon nodded, then released the boy and shrank to a blue-haired kaldorei female. “Let’s find someplace quiet and talk magic, Illidan,” she suggested.

Illidan shook himself slightly. “Yes, of course, Shan’do.”

His bound eyes followed Tyrande as she walked away.

 

==================================

 

"I need to see the Life-Binder!"

The hulking Reds guarding the door did not move. "The Aspects and their Consorts do not wish to be disturbed."

Azureon stamped his feet in irritation. "But I have to- ooooog, you're so thick-headed. Look! I'm a Blue! I'm not dead! Don't you think they want to be disturbed for that?"

One Red looked at the other. "He's got a point."

The other rolled his eyes. "Hey, you want to let the little squirt in, you can take the heat from the Aspects."

One side of the door opened ponderously. The lithe Blue was through in a flash, before the Red could even get his shoulders through. All heads turned to watch as he scurried defiantly towards the massive ruby bulk of the Dragon Queen and sat back on his haunches. Mutters of outrage sounded from all sides, but Alexstraza looked…startled.

"A Blue! I thought Deathwing destroyed the entire Flight. How did you survive?"

"Not the entire Flight," Azureon sidestepped the question. "There's at least one more. Azuregos."

One of the Red Consorts bent his head to examine the Blue. "I don't recognize you. What's your name?"

Azureon shifted his weight nervously from foot to foot. "That's...not important."

"How can we be sure you're not a spy?" An emerald head lowered suspiciously.

"Don't be silly," Ysera chided her mate. "Alexstrasza?"

"He's a Blue," the Life-Binder said. "But...how old are you?"

"Ten thousand, Dragon Queen," Azureon answered, trying not to look at Nozdormu as the Aspect bent his head to peer at him.

"Ten thousand. Korialstrasz, my love, do you know this Blue?"

"I do not." The other consorts nodded agreement.

"Where did you come from, little one, that none of my consorts have seen you in a hundred centuries?"

Azureon ducked his head in a nervous bow. "Life-Binder, where I come from is not nearly as important as where the eggs came from."

The Aspect of Life frowned. "What eggs?"

With a flourish, the Blue produced one of the pocket-realms that were the trademark of his Flight and held it open for her to peer into. Dozens of blue-shelled eggs nestled inside.

"It's not all of them," Azureon said miserably. "Not even most of them. Just the ones that were still alive."

Korialstrasz craned his neck around to peer into the gaping hole. "I was just going to go see if they could be salvaged."

"No offense to your consort, Life-Binder, but it wouldn't have worked. Even if he'd figured out where the eggs were."

"I know the wards wouldn't have let me in," the Red male said indignantly, "but once the wards died..."

"...the eggs would all be dead. The wards are designed to power themselves off the eggs if the guardians aren't there. Better for the eggs to die, than that they fall into enemy hands."

Korialstrasz hunched over miserably and said nothing. Azureon lifted the opening to the pocket dimension, offering it to the Dragon Queen, who took it reverently. The Timeless One smothered a smile of satisfaction.

"The Blue Flight will be restored," Alexstrasza vowed. "I will care for these eggs as though they were my own. Thank you, little one...whoever you are. I owe you a great debt for this. When you are ready to tell me your name, tell me..." She broke off, thinking, then smiled and bent her enormous head to whisper something to him. "...tell me that, and I will know it is you."

Azureon ducked his head in another bow. "Thank you, Life-Binder. I will."

 

==================================

 

Commander Shadowsong wasted no time in running up as soon as the Blue landed. “Where have you been?” he demanded.

“Dragon stuff,” the now-female-kaldorei said airily. “You wouldn’t understand.”

The other elf scowled. “Was it more important than-“

“Yes,” Azureon interrupted. “Whatever you were going to say, yes.”

“-making sure your student didn’t do something like re-create the Well of Eternity?” Shadowsong continued grimly.

“Oh, he did? Good for him! Where did he put it? Wait, don’t tell me – that lake at the top of Mount Hyjal?”

Jarod looked incredulous at the Blue’s cheerful dismissal of any hint that this was a bad thing. “He re-created the Well. The demons-“

“-won’t be back for a long, long time after the sound beating they got.”

“The dangers…” Jarod tried again, but Azureon shook her head firmly.

“You want to talk to me about dangers? How about the danger of an entire race suddenly going through withdrawals because the source of magic you all have been suckling on for generations went piff? How about the danger of the entire magical system of the planet going haywire because the Well got exploded? Don’t talk to me about danger, little elf. I’m sure you’re very afraid because the entire world changed overnight, but you’re not thinking. You’re not seeing the big picture. What good does it do to ban arcane magic and hide yourself away and be all safe and secure in your forests if those forests sicken and die? Where will you go if the planet bleeds to death from the wound it’s just suffered? What will you do? What will you eat?”

The other elf looked grim. “You’re saying he did a good thing.”

“No. I’m saying he saved your entire stuck-up race, and probably everything else that survived this war.”

Commander Shadowsong didn’t bother questioning the word of a dragon. “They want to execute him.”

“Nooooooooo, that would be bad,” Azureon said, all seriousness gone as though it had never existed.

“Let me guess. The Well will explode if we kill him, or something equally dire?”

“Well, no…but it would be horribly rude to kill him after he saved you all like that. Besides, your goddess likes him, and your High Priestess likes him, and she really likes his brother, and the demigod of the forest really likes his brother, and…” The Blue let the moment stretch. “If the demons come back, well, he’s a demon hunter.”

Shadowsong groaned. “Great. How do we convince the metaphoric howling mob not to kill him?”

“We don’t.”

“What, you’re going to do it?”

“Don’t be silly, I’m a dragon.”

“Then what?” Jarod asked, holding his temper in both hands.

Azureon grinned. “Who’s in charge? Who leads what’s left of your people?”

The elf frowned. “The nobles aren’t very popular right now, nor are the mages. Public sentiment is swinging away from all things Highborne, and towards…”

“…the Temple, and the forest?”

“You’re suggesting that Tyrande and Malfurion take over leadership.” Silence. “I suppose they can’t do worse than…” he sighed. “People are still going to be unhappy about the Well.”

The dragon grinned again. “Don’t worry, I’ve got that taken care of.” She bounced happily. “The Lifebinder, Timeless One, and Dreamweaver are going to bless it, and I’m pretty sure that if Tyrande asks nicely, Elune will bless it, too.”

Jarod looked startled. “That…yes, that would make it more acceptable to the people. Yes. With all of that, I think it would be easy to slip Illidan’s death out of the public mind…as long as we also slip him out of the public eye.” He looked uncomfortable. “He…hasn’t exactly been a model of sanity and stability. We’ve got him locked away for now, pending his trial. Maybe you should go see him.”

Azureon nodded sadly, and Jarod nodded back.

“I’ll go talk to Tyrande and Malfurion about leading our people.” He turned and strode off.

The Blue took one step to follow, and found himself back in his lair with a flash of bronze fading from his eyes.

That’s enough for now, a spectral voice echoed.

The kaldorei woman crossed her arms and pouted. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye!”

There was no answer.