"Ma, I'm hung'y."
She closed her eyes against the memory of the voice, instead concentrating on carrying her daughters away from that place, towards her freedom. The debts caused by her attempts to appease that memory had been paid, in her blood and in the mysterious diamonds that had been sent to her.
She was never going back to this place.
Her son, Davon, walked quietly beside her, looking just as regal as his father did, though his father had never cleaned bedsheets and prayed that the cough that his mother occasionally had was just a cough and nothing worse. His father never feared for their health, not when he was a paladin of the holiest order. They never feared for bandits when his sister was one of the greatest rangers.
It had been such a blessed life.
And... it was all over and in ashes, and she was left with her son and niece and little in the way of places to go.
At first she went to her sister, who was married to a sailor. But food was already scarce for the small family, adding three more mouths was nearly too much.
She had gone to the brothel at first to sell her old jewels and dresses, thinking that the women there would...
Within a month, she had joined them, having nothing else to sell, nothing else to offer. She took pride in it, if she was at the bottom of the barrell, might as well be good at it.
The children were fed. They were safe... for the most part at least.
She never expected to fall in love again, most certainly not there.
But then... he walked in. A silly man with silly romantic notions.
He was nothing like her lord husband. He was a human, he was a rogue, he was loud, he was cursed...
He was alive.
It wasn't until Doolow was born that she allowed herself to admit that she loved him. When he accepted the little half-orc as his own, even though...
She closed her eyes. He was long gone, conscripted into the Alliance navy, and once again, she had nothing to show for falling in love. She had gambled and lost.
This time at least, she'd be free. A farm somewhere, the note with the diamonds spoke of one, a boat that could take her and the children to Pandaria. Merry and Doolie would love that, they could run and be happy.
"Ma. Are y'sure?"
She broke out of her thoughts to look at Davon, "They deserve better than I was able to give you. And a farm is good honest work, I trust Leona, she wouldn't send us anywhere dangerous. Is your boyfriend ready?"
"He's meetin' us at t'do... you knew?!?"
She smiled at his surprise, "Of course I did Davon. She tried so hard to help when she was here, and somewhere along the line, someone really should have told her how much her rock collection is worth," she took a deep breath and adjusted Doolie on her shoulder and put Merry down, the older girl rubbing her eyes as she blinked awake.
"Come on," he gave his sister his hand and she yawned as they continued walking through the town, "We're going to be at t'Kiss soon."
"Davon!" a boy his age yelled, an elf with pale complexion and silvery blond hair, "Davon! Y'not gonna believe it! An Alliance ship just..."
"Merry!" Davon yelled as his sister let go of his hand and started running, "Wait!"
She paled, then started running after her daughter, It couldn't be... I told him to never come back...
Both mother and daughter came to a screeching halt at the end of the dock, to see the Captain of the Kiss talking in hushed tones to...
"DA!" Merry cried and she was running again, her mother right after her.
"MY GIRLS!" he yelled happily, running towards them.
Davon and his boyfriend reached the dock just as they collided into a happy embrace.
...perhaps... it was worth it to gamble just once more.
