When the Student is Ready (Part 2)
[Continued from part 1 here... And we learn more about Ourrin Highblade’s past when he was alive...]
“Turn your wrist more like this…” Myung demonstrated the move in question to a Sentinel having issues with it as the taller female watched with laser focus on the Pandaren’s wrist as she held the sword.
True to their words, several Sentinels, both Kaldorei and Worgen had shown up the next day for training with Myung as she was flattered by the turn out. They were all eager and well disciplined students, probably some of the best she had ever worked with as they gobbled up what she showed them and taught her a few new tricks too; who ever said an old Panda couldn’t learn new tricks? Once more she had gathered bystanders who could spare the time from helping to run a busy stronghold who watched all the warriors working together with her but she was keeping an eye out for a certain someone who had yet to show up. Well, if said person of interest did show up and if, just IF he was the one, the wind would let her know, otherwise she focused at the task at hand as she helped show a Worgen how to execute a better, more powerful kick.
Training time drew to a close for the early evening as it was once again time for lunch (lunch at Midnight! It was a good thing she kept varied hours herself) and most of her students left for their meals as a gentle breeze blew threw the practice area as she scented someone new hanging off to the side of the sparring ring. Turning around she beheld a tall young male, he had to be young as his wide-eyed face spoke of still trying to find some semblance of maturity despite having more years on him than she ever would. He had long flowing silver hair, all tied back in a long braid and he wore simple, light clothing favoring green hues, one interesting note she had to make was he wore no shoes; Curious, she mused to herself briefly. His lambent silver eyes brimmed with hope and barely contained eagerness mixed with complete uncertainty.
“Good Eve, Sir, can I help you?” Myung smiled warmly as she noted the wind tugging at his stray locks.
“Uh, um, Ishnu’alah,” he started, “Um, can you… teach me? You know… some stuff…” as he spoke he seemed to lose initiative as she could almost see the second thoughts descend upon him.
Interrupting him smoothly before he talked himself out of it, “Of course I would teach you,” she answered calmly as she walked over to a weapons rack and pulled two swords off of it.
Tossing one at him to see what he’d do, she happily noted that he caught it smoothly by the hilt but didn’t let it register on her face whatsoever. He seemed to go on automatic as he moved into a ready position as she took up her own stance with her sword.
“I see someone has already taught you some ‘stuff’,” and without further ado she launched into an attack.
The boy was good with a blade as she tested him which way and that to see where he was in his own training. Someone had taught him very well, but she noted it was the same style she had seen around here, this was a Sentinel’s training shining through him right now. Yet she thought Night elf males weren’t allowed to be Sentinels? Maybe he picked up some lessons from the trainers around here? No, he seemed to have a good foundation of the fundamentals of swordplay as they traded blows, there was tapped potential here, but now that it was found it needed to be polished. Her eyes narrowed as she ramped up her attacks, seeing how he’d react and adapt, she was scoring more hits on him, but she noted he was learning. The same trick did not work with him thrice at the most, but also he’d occasionally come up with a creative solution to an attack that didn’t always work, yet pleased her in that he could be versatile.
The wind blew again, swirling around the two dueling in the circle as a realization hit Myung square in the face. Was he the one? A Kaldorei? Well, all in all it made sense she supposed knowing her style’s history for things to come full circle like this. He certainly had the proper mindset, he didn’t get angry or upset when she scored a hit, he obviously thirsted to learn from her, but would he break from this life to join her? That was the question…
“MYTHLLEASS!” a screeching voice made even a fighter as hardened as Myung jump out of her skin thanks to her being so caught up in her revelation.
It also made the male jump as well, and jump right into one of her incoming attacks. Myung pulled up, but not enough in time as she socked the boy with the flat of her blade on one side of his face, his nose making a crunch noise that made her wince. He went down with a subdued whimper and watering eyes and he grabbed his now bleeding nose and looked past Myung up the hill to a Night elf female storming towards them. The Pandaren instantly was at the boy’s side helping him up and checking his nose. Thankfully the damage wasn’t that bad, she had just walloped him pretty good as she popped his nose back into place and she was pleased when he didn’t even make a noise as she figured a healer would be able to fix him up as right as rain in no time.
“I am sorry,” Myung winced apologetically, “At least your nose is back in position, but you might have black markings like mine if we don’t get you to a healer fast enough…”
A bit of a chuckle wheezed out of him, but as the irate female finally neared their position as Myung witnessed the seven foot plus tall male visibly shrink in front of her as the woman eyed him harshly.
“Hrmph, that’s what you get for doing something so stupid. Why aren’t you in the kitchen where you belong?” she asked, and while she wasn’t yelling, her tone was just as bad as if she was howling at the male.
“M-Min’da… I…” he tried to talk, but his broken nose muddled his words and she wasn’t having any of it either.
“No excuses,” she snapped and then pointed in the direction towards where the Mess Hall and the kitchens lay.
Looking to Myung the boy mumbled an apology for wasting her time, which was backed up by a nod from the woman as he was marched back to where he ‘should’ have been. So was that his mother? The Pandaren was shocked to say the least, Spirits, how did they raise their children around here? She usually didn’t judge other cultures so, but why was the boy denied? Somebody had obviously trained him in sword-fighting, there had to be something more going on. Myung noted the wind had died, the air around her quiet and still, pregnant with waiting for something… a decision to be made.
Just then one of the senior officers walked up from the other day and flashed an apologetic smile at Myung, “Sorry you had to see that, ah… Milyurae can be a bit rough on the boy, but she means well…”
Myung’s kept her face calm, placid even though her thoughts were screaming with disdainful things. That was being a ‘bit rough’? Granted, it was her own fault that he got his nose broke, she should have been more aware of her surroundings and been more in control. Although the moment was now past, that was then, this is now and this was just something to learn from and move on.
“Would you like to go get something to eat?”
Letting her aggravated emotions drain out of her, she regained her inner balance as she turned and nodded to the Huntress with a reassuring smile and motioned she would follow in a moment. Putting the swords back on the rack near the sparring ring she ran a thumb over the hilt of the boy’s sword and wondered what her next steps should be. She was a stranger in a strange land who had no business sticking her nose in such business, yet her own mission was on the line here. Obviously she must tread carefully here… and somehow get some more information about Mythlleass and his dear mother before making any further decisions...
“Elune, Myth, who beat you up?” the Healer-Priestess Elae Amberspear quipped as she entered the back door to the kitchens to find a miserable kitchen boy and head cook near the crates of stored foodstuffs, Myth sitting on a crate and Jioren fussing over him like a mother hen.
Cookie sighed, “Myth wanted to go spar with the Pandaren and during the bout dear Min’da attacked.”
Her eyebrow raised a hair, “Milyurae hit Myth?” Cookie noted her voice dipping several notches into icy disapproval.
“No,” Myth moaned around strips of cloth stuffed up both his nostrils, “Nee urpised us boff an’ I ‘ot ‘acked with a ‘word in na ‘ose.”
“Milyurae found them sparring and apparently interrupted the match and in the chaos he got his nose broke by the Pandaren’s sword. It was an accident,” Cookie supplied translating for the broken-nosed male.
The explanation did not make the Healer’s face lift in the least as the head cook watched her sigh and then kneel down in front of Myth as her hand glowed with a silvery-white light as she reached up and touched Myth’s face.
“This will pinch,” she said as she grabbed his nose and gave it a gentle pull as the light infused into his face making all the redness and swelling disappear leaving behind a perfectly fixed face, “You might have a couple spots of bruising, but otherwise you’re fixed.”
“Thank you Healer,” Myth said in the most apologetic tone as she just waved him off and got back up.
Cookie locked eyes with Elae with an unspoken request to stay so they could talk, he patted Myth on the leg, “There’s some turnovers that need making, get at em,” he instructed as his pseudo-apprentice nodded and went to work away from his two elders.
“Cookie…”
Rubbing the bridge of his nose he eyed Elae, “We have got to do something about Rae.”
The Priestess sighed, “Cookie… Jioren,” she used his real name to emphasize her point, “You know, despite everything, Rae would never intentionally hurt that boy.”
“Elune Elae, he’s not a boy anymore, he came of age a decade ago! Rae is holding him back! He’s emotionally stunted for his age! He needs to get away from her. You’re one of the Head Healers around here, you have the medical authority and are high up enough in the Sisterhood to help get him from under her thumb.”
“Rae was in my unit back when she was active, she’s a damn fine Sentinel and considering what she’s been through, she’s done an amazing job raising Myth and his brother Lhor.”
“Lhor’s situation is completely different from Myth’s…”
“Jioren, we’ve argued about this before, multiple times in fact. I will not use my authority to take Myth away from Rae. She can’t lose anyone else or she will break.”
The head cook was pissed now, “So we have to sacrifice one’s emotional health for the other’s mental health? How under Elune does that even equate? Rae’s lived her life, Myth’s never gotten a chance to live his. She needs to get her head straight and Myth is just a crutch to keep beating herself up over a bad decision, thus what the both of them needs is space from each other. Myth is not his father and needs to quit being punished for it.”
Elae threw up her hands as she shook her head and walked off, “I’m a busy woman and not repeating myself, find someone else’s ear to perpetually twist over this.”
Watching the Priestess stalk off, Cookie ran his hand through his hair as he throttled his temper. Goddess, why was everyone blind around here? He knew the reasons why, and the fact that they were so ingrained at this point that no one saw the inherent problem anymore. Personally he’d love to make Myth his official apprentice, everyone knew he pretty much was unofficially, but Myth couldn’t really take over his job with his unhinged mother stalking him at every turn. Even moving Myth out of her apartments and into his, which he had offered once to Rae only to get his head nearly chopped off by a good third of the senior staff of the military base, he realized that small of a move wouldn’t change anything really. Many of the Sisters here still saw Rae as one of them, especially those who had served with her and now they were mostly in positions of power, like Elae and they acted only to protect Rae for the most part and not her son who looked too much like his father for his own good. Everyone saw Ourrin Highblade, not Mythlleass Wildsword it seemed except for him. Cookie knew Myth had to get out of here, but it wasn’t like he had joined the Sentinels and they could transfer him to another stronghold.
A breeze erupted through the open doorway, making some papers with delivery receipts on them nearly get sucked out with the retreating wind as he flailed grabbing them before they got too far. Taking out his fleeting aggression on them he slammed them down on a crate and stuck a potato on top to keep them from flying off again and then nearly jumped out of his skin as he noticed the Pandaren standing there. Goddess above, how long had she been there?
“Ishnu-dal-dieb?” she said slowly, trying out his people’s more formal greeting, “I do apologize if I startled you.”
“Ah, it’s okay, I’ve been a bit distracted of late,” he waved her off with a good natured smile, “Can I help you with anything, um, Miss? I’m sorry, I never caught your name.”
Nodding her ursine head she peered up at him, “Call me Myung. I was just coming to check on Mythlleass to see if he was okay. I do regret what happened earlier.”
“That’s kind of you, he’s all better, the healer already stopped by and fixed his nose.”
“Oh thank goodness,” weariness crept into her eyes as she looked relieved.
He flashed an understanding look at her “I’m Jioren Summerwing by the way, I’m sure you’ve heard my other name I go by, ‘Cookie’.”
“Yes, the master cook here,” her head bobbing in a nod with a polite smile, “I also came to speak with you as I was wondering if I could interest you in some authentic Pandaren tea?”
She pulled out what looked like a small gourd with a hinged top and opened it to reveal some dried herbs and leaves whose scent did intrigue Cookie. Raising an eyebrow and nodding appreciatively he looked over the female panda in front of him with a calculating eye. She was an older specimen of her species, there was grey in her black and white fur, especially around her face and streaked through her black hair. Her blue eyes were bright with friendliness and curiosity as she had a motherly air wreathed about her, yet there was an undertone of danger to her due to her fighting skills. This was one ‘mother’ you did not want to start something with because she would finish it, Cookie had no doubts about that.
Quickly looking over his shoulder he could see the kitchen was running smoothly enough that he wasn’t needed quite yet as he looked back to Myung musing himself. He had an inkling the Pandaren had not stopped by just to offer him tea, especially with everything that had happened and who would know the most about what was going on in a military base outside of the senior officers? The cooks, who overheard everything spoken in the Mess Hall, especially the head cook whose job it was to keep a bead on what was needed and wanted for nourishment of all these warriors. Granted it was none of her business, but something buzzed in the back of his mind, an odd compulsion to just tell someone; unburden himself. Plus, Elae had told him to go twist someone else’s ear, so why not?
“I would love a cup of tea Master Myung,” as he waved for her to follow him.
She nodded again, although it looked more like a bow this time when she did it, “Just Myung, we are both Masters in our respective arts, so formalities are not needed with me.”
Smiling he led her to a wooden staircase in the back as they went up into his personal apartments above the kitchens. He wasn’t in them much, so they were rather stark, some knick knacks here and there as his life was in the kitchens below. However his office was upstairs, and that was where he brought her, where a big wooden desk with paperwork piled in a couple of spots sat and on either side two comfortable chairs. There was a small stove in the corner, one that was attached to the stove piped from below so that the escaping heat would not only be used again after cooking something to heat his office as well as make himself a hot cup of tea or warm up some food to have while he worked. Getting out a teapot, he got some water boiling as he put out another more ornamental kettle with a mesh inside and two matching cups. These were family heirlooms, covered in swirling silver vines that framed amazing enamel inlays of scenes from an older Azeroth.
The Pandaren knew instantly what to do as she measured out the right amount of her tea from the gourd into the metal mesh inside the pot as he came over with the hot water, giving it to her and then sitting down as she started what looked like a mini-tea ceremony in making their drinks. He watched her with great interest as she moved with practiced ease in everything she did reminding him of Priestesses during moonrise ceremonies around the Moonwell here. The hot water went into the smaller pot, letting the tea steep as she then put the top on it with a flourish of her paw and then swirled the more ornate pot one, two, three times and set it down for a moment, looking up at him with those knowing eyes. Swiftly she took the two cups and lifted the pot, deftly pouring two cups perfectly, the intoxicating smell wafting easily to his nose as she presented him with a cup.
They both raised their cups to one another in salute, but didn’t let them touch as Cookie spoke, “To new friends.”
“Indeed, both new and old friends,” she bowed her head as they both sipped from their cups.
“Mm,” he was pleasantly surprised at the delicate flavor as he cleared his mouth and then looked at her seriously, “Okay, what would you like to know?”
Pausing for a moment, she had the manners not to look surprised, instead she chuckled, “Oof, I guess I am getting too old for my own good if I am being that obvious. Well, fortune favors the bold, so yes, you’ve read me correctly, I’d like to know more about Mythlleass.”
“Can I ask why first?” Cookie said around the brim of his cup.
Smiling again her eyes twinkled, “I’d think you remiss if you didn’t. As you’ve no doubt noted I am old for my kind. I am looking for an apprentice, actually I’ve been in search of one for a few years now, but no one has… met the requirements of my Way to be the one to take over from me.”
Lifting an eyebrow he caught on, “No one except Myth?”
Tilting her head to one side she nodded, “Yes, I feel he is the one. I see more and more signs when he is around. However…”
“Ah, yeah, then you met Rae…”
“Rae?”
“Erm, that’s Milyurae, his mother. Former Sentinel, everyone who knows her calls her Rae for short.”
“Is it she who taught him to fight with a sword?”
“Actually yes, shocked us all as he wanted to learn for a long time and then started to teach him after his older half-brother Lhor’jhonei left for druid training in Moonglade,” he explained after a sip of tea, “She taught him well, he knows his way around a sword. Bow, not so much.”
The Pandaren frowned slightly, “Then why be adverse to our sparring?”
The male sighed and looked a bit worn suddenly, his long years finally visible upon his near-ageless features, “Well, to explain that I’d have to tell you the full story, so feel free to interject when you have a question,” he paused to wet his whistle again and then leaned forward to launch into a story that needed telling very badly.
“Milyurae… before… was a damn fine Sentinel. When you think of the ideal Sentinel, that was her as she lived, ate and breathed Sentinel life. That’s how most of her Sisters around here remember her, as that Milyurae. Eventually she found love outside of the Sentinels in a nice druid that got stationed here, they eventually married and had a son together, her oldest boy Lhor’jhonei. And… everything was great up until her husband was brutally murdered by satyrs. It was not pretty and she took it very hard. To try and escape from dealing with the loss she threw herself into raising Lhor and being an even better Sentinel and it worked for a time. So much so it convinced everyone she was getting over it just fine.”
He paused, his bushy eyebrows drawing together as he mulled over something and then asked Myung a question, “Uh, have you heard of the name Ourrin Highblade per chance?”
She shook her head no as he nodded and continued, “He’s a bit… infamous among us Kaldorei. The guy’s been, er, had been around since before the Sundering. Always been a roaming warrior, never embraced the druidic ways most of males of our kind did back then. However that’s not why he’s known among us, that’s because he’s something of a wandering lover too. Needless to say he’s been with many, many women and he’s made many, many children due to this.”
“Fertile,” she commented, blinking in disbelief.
“You have no idea,” Cookie shook his head, “The issue is usually when the woman gets pregnant he up and disappears. No one knows why he does that for sure, but that’s why he’s got the negative reputation he has.”
“I take it this man is Mythlleass’s father then?”
Sitting back he nodded, “Yes he is. He blew into town with a caravan, they hired him to help provide protection. I met him then, he had quite the carisma, really likeable person. I can see why women like, er, liked him… Rae met him and instant kismet. They loved to spar with one another, challenge one another. Everyone thought, hey, maybe it would work out as it was good to see Rae actually happy for once. He seemed good for her, they seemed happy together. Honestly looking back I think he was, but the moment she told everyone she was pregnant… he changed. Nothing bad, he was still very himself, very personable, just… his eyes took on this weird haunted look,” he shook his head at the memory, pausing to recall it for a moment as he sighed and looked back at his guest, “Needless to say history repeated as one day, he was just gone.”
He shrugged sighing, “Rae… did not deal well. Between her husband and then Ourrin… she broke down finally. It was a long time coming, she should have been seen to earlier really, so between her break down and the pregnancy being rather hard on her… She was discharged out of the Sentinels for medical reasons. That really broke her. Healers helped her as best they could… I wish I could say it got better when Myth was born, but not so as he looked exactly like Ourrin.
“Thankfully she did have support as this is a large stronghold and everyone pitched in, even Myth’s older brother Lhor, so Myth didn’t have a bad childhood overall. Rae does love him, she’s never raised a hand to him… but I know when she looks at Myth, especially these days, all she sees is Ourrin. She gets weird because I think she fears Myth will turn out just like his father, just up and leave one day, which is why she keeps him under her thumb at all times. One of the few escapes he has is when he’s in the kitchen with me.”
He took another sip of his cooling tea, looked at the cup and set it down on the desk. Looking up at the Pandaren he noticed she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts digesting the whole story. It was a quite a tale to take in as he was at his own whit’s end with the whole ordeal, Elune help him.
Finally she seemed to come back to herself as she regarded him for a moment and then spoke in her soft tone, “You kept correcting yourself, from present tense to past tense about Myth’s father. I take it he is… no longer alive?”
Cookie had to really think about how to reply to that for a moment, well, since they were both being so blunt… “Yes, he’s dead. He died during the Third War, or so I’ve heard. However, I’ve also heard he’s… a twice-born now.”
“A what now?” she was rather confused at this term.
The head cook got a bit uncomfortable speaking about it as if it would summon thing Ourrin now was here before them somehow, “Its what we call Death Knights. He was raised by the Lich King, as many others were. Apparently he showed up in Darnassus after the Human King there pardoned them all and was promptly escorted out. Many of our kind… have difficulties being around such unnatural creatures and I know a few got similar treatment here when they showed up.”
Myung looked sad for a moment, but kept her thoughts to herself on the subject.
Cookie couldn’t help himself and broke the silence that started to stretch between them, “With that all said, what are you going to do now if I may ask? I have asked Rae in the past for her permission for Myth to become my official apprentice and move into these apartments with me and I nearly got my head chopped off by her and all her Sisters in charge around here. I thought if I could just get him away from her, even if a little, she’d stop being so focused on him and they could both finally move on with their lives in a healthier manner. Now I fear the only way for that to happen is just to get Myth out of Feathermoon for a while.”
The Pandaren female just nodded silently as she ran a finger around the rim of her teacup seemingly deep in contemplation.
After a long moment, her head rose to look into Cookie’s eyes as she said, “I am going to go speak with Milyurae.”