#zariasona

[zariasona]

Idle thoughts, Idle Hands

It was late in the evening, and the fire was roaring in the hearth and the Archon sat in her chaise lounge chair relaxing with a cup of herbal tea. She wore a loose fitting night gown upon the chaise lounge chair, leaning back against a flurry of fluffy pillows as she let her eyes linger upon the fire, to her stomach, and back to the fire. The gentle kicks brought forth faint giggles and chuckles from the Archon. She used her left scarred hand to let her lithe fingers trail over her stomach that held the faint marks of 'tiger stripes'. She cared not for how the pregnancy altered her form. The immense pride she had for this rare accomplishment meant she happily took each mark with joy and pride much like the scared hand she had.

"Little ones... You'll get to come out soon. And there are so many people who are excited to meet you. Ann'da Teremath.. Mommy Fey.. Ann'da Vya.. Big sis Lee Lee.. Auntie Lani.. Uncle Lytholas and Auntie Zaza.. Even Uncle Leo and Uncle Tristy..." The mention of all these names and voices they knew brought forth a dark purple glow around her stomach. Faint gold glimmers could be seen mixed with the purple glow, and Zariasona gave faint grumbles of uncomfortableness. "I know.. You're so excited to meet everyone.." From Zaria's own hands came a vibrant purple smoke that mixed and swirled with the twins shimmering smoke. As she melded her magic with theirs, she could feel their excited squirms within her and could hardly contain her own excitement.

"You even have family and friends at the tavern. Uncle Raleigh. Auntie Maevess. Auntie Seli. Auntie Bimbas and Auntie Tinu. You already have an army of people behind you two..."

The mixture of dark smoke and the glimmers of gold expanded around Zaria's form, and her own violet smoke came to match in theirs. The mixture of their clouds created this beautiful cloud before Zaria's own face where she could vividly see the two babes within her own womb. The two of them were holding each other tightly as they nuzzled into one another.

As the twins held each other, Zariasona began to hum gently, letting her voice carry to them gently. Soon, her lips opened and a melody flowed freely from her..

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger May you never take one single breath for granted Gods forbid love ever leave you empty-handed As her words continued, the glittering smoke that had come to envelope her form swelled down to almost nothing as she continued to lull the children into a sense of calm. It was peace they deserved. And it certainly wasn't long before Leandra, her 11 year old daughter came into the room. "Minn'da.." She whispered softly before crawling onto the chaise with Zaria.

I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

By now, Leandra knew this song well enough and her own tiny, sleepy voice came to join in with Zaria. Together, the two of them sung together until the song was finished, the final words soon becoming nothing more than a faint whisper. I hope you dance..

Leandra, Zariasona, and the twins all soon were fast asleep as the fire crackled in the hearth. It didn't take long for Agnes, the head servant of the House, to come in and find them fast asleep. The old woman gave a warm smile, happy to see the two of them curled up like so. She dared not disturb them, and instead went to fetch a blanket.

When she came back, she carefully placed the blanket over them so that they could sleep peacefully on the chaise together. It was these moments that Agnes loved most about the House, and it was why she stayed so long. "Good night, Mistress and good night Little Lady.." Agnes' voice was soft as she spoke to them before carefully putting own the fire on the hearth and heading to bed herself for the night.

[zariasona]

In the very distant future...

The woods of Drustvar have become familiar to Leandra. It was comforting to her, while being different enough to suppress the memories of Duskwood. She loves the woods, the wolves, the crows, the boars. The crimson forests were still recovering from the massive influx of drust that had inhabited these ruins. Blossoms on the trees started coming in, but the grass was forever red as it was stained with blood from eons of battles.

Striding through the dark woods, Leandra clutched her sword tightly in her left hand as the tip of the blade dragged across the ground. It wasn't that the sword was too heavy, quite the contrary, it was a habit that she never broke out of from her days as an young paladin wielding such a large sword.

"Matriarch Blacksorrow, the men cannot keep up like this. They are not used to-" A male voice pipped up. "I'm not interested in stopping. You and yours can stop, but I will not. I will find them." Leandra spat out. The tone was cold, callous.

"Yes Matriarch. We will continue on with you then. Your father would be disappointed to know that we left you alone." No further words were spoken as Leandra continued to lead the charge forth. As they proceeded further and further into the thicket, the sky grew darker and darker. The brush and trees became more and more lifeless. Dead, crumpled leaves littered the ground as the trees were now devoid of life. A gust of wind made the branches of the dying tries move, and the creaks of the dead trees echoed in the forest. Dark was upon them, and it was coming fast. Under the blanket of night did Leandra finally decide to stop for the day. She didn't stop because she wanted to, but because she had to. Shoving her large sword into the ground, she looked to the captain of the squadron. "We camp here tonight." The words were said forcefully, and the men who accompanied her seemed relieved for the opportunity to finally stop. "Thank you, Matriarch. My men thank you." the captain said.

"Thank me once the job is done, Captain. And not a moment sooner." Leandra stormed off into the woods. Within moments the men of the campsite began to set up camp.

As Leandra strode off into the woods, she kept her blue eyes shifting left and right as she heard the low growls of the wolves that threatened to prey upon her. Not once did they dare try and lunge at her, for beside her stood her long term companion. Songclaw, the large snowy white frostwolf had been beside her. What the wolves of the forest didn't know, was that Songclaw was nothing more than a ghost. But she still persisted beside her lifelong companion to protect her even now.

Once safely away from the men she was escorting, she found a large, olden oak tree and let her back collapse against it before sliding down to the red grass beneath. The blade came to rest across her lap, and her chain link glove came off of her hand. Those lithe fingers with sapphire blue nails came to her neck and pulled out the worn, gold crescent moon pendant. "Minn'da.. I miss you. Why did you have to leave me alone? You promised you'd never leave me." The steady trickle of tears came down her cheeks. Even as the sounds of wolves closed in, they dared not move while Songclaw watched over her.

In the early morning, the Captain who had been leading the charge beside Leandra found her. "Matriarch. It's time to go." The Captain said, gently shaking Leandra awake.

Leandra jolted awake, the tears still try upon her cheeks from the night before. "Right. We should go back then, Reynard." "Matriarch you have a little-" Reynard then brushed his own cheek, indicating to the dried crusty tears that were upon her cheek.

"Oh-Let me just-" With a quick hand, Leandra brushed the debris from her cheeks and slipped her glove back on. Moments later, the blade that dragged behind her was pointed to the sky and resting upon her shoulder. "Let us go, Reynard. And Reynard-" Reynard has started to turn back towards the path, suddenly finding himself peering over his shoulder at Leandra.

"You never saw me crying." "I don't know what you're talking about Matriarch. There's dirt upon your face. It is my duty to you to ensure you look your best."

Leandra gave a smug grin to the Captain before heading back to the campsite of the night before. Upon seeing the Matriarch, the men and women who joined her quickly straightened up in her sight and loudly said, "Matriarch" in unison.

Leandra gave a nod to the group, having found the campsite to be sufficiently dismantled. "We are almost there. By my calculations, we'll be there by noon. Do not be afraid. The beast we are fighting should still be sufficiently weak, making it easy prey. Come. We have much ground to cover and no time to waste."

The march resumed upon the crimson forest until Leandra led them to a beach front. To the group who followed her, this seemed quite strange and not at all what she had told them. Before they had a chance to take in the entirety of the sight, Leandra turned abruptly to the right down the sandy water front. In the distance was a large cave, and from within that cave came a terrifying howl. The men and women shivered from the sound while Leandra remained seemingly unphased.

Upon reaching the cave, Leandra's grip upon her sword grew tighter. Orbs of light began to swirl around her as the light began to imbue in the sword, causing it to glow vibrant yellow. Tears were streaming down Leandra's face, her free hand clutching the crescent moon pendant that was once her mothers.

Suddenly, a swirl of blood formed seemingly out of no where and created a portal for the manor in Duskwood. Stepping out of it was an elder Teremath. Despite everything, his hair was silver, his red eye still as vibrant now as it was when Leandra was a young girl. "Leandra stop!" Teremath bellowed out.

"I have to bring her justice, Ann'da!!" The new Matriarch screamed.

"Sweetheart, this isn't how you do it. She is gone, but she is never forgotten. Your mother loved you, and would never want you to go down this path."

Leandra stood there, determined to finish her task. Her eyes shifted to the dark cave before her where she knew the thing was living, the thing that ended her mother's life.

"Leadra. Come home. Let this go." Teremath's voice was pleading with his daughter as the men behind Leandra were relieved to have her Father here. They hoped she'd listen, hope she (and they) would go home.

Collapsing into her father's arms, the sword fell from her hand as the yellow glow diminished from it and her form. Together, Teremath and Leandra fell to the sands crying over the loss of the Archon.

[zariasona]

I'm coming home.

Zariasona had been settled into her home in Duskwood for the night. The hustle and bustle of Stormwind and the political work she had so immersed herself in was relaxing to her, yet it was also taxing. The only thing she had to look forward to was going to the Manor to see her beloved Feylonis, and their precious daughter Leandra. Leandra, who was now age five, still didn't quite understand why her Minn'da was gone all day, leaving her home with Feylonis whom she came to call mom. Feylonis wasn't alone with Leandra all day, for the manor still had the head servant, Agnes Cooke.

Feylonis had just entered into the parlor, having just put the young Leandra to bed for the night. Plopping down on the couch she sighed heavily as she buried her face into her arms on the armrest of the couch. "I am so glad she's asleep now.." The Magistrix chuckled as she set down the book she had been reading. "I know. She was a little terror today. Refused to leave my side even when I came home. I think she's still trying to get acclimated to our life. It's a shame that-" She paused, not wanting to think about the recent passing of her husband.

"Dalah'surfal.. I know. But we will be alright. The person who killed him is in the stockades for life. And thank the Light for that." Fey had been quick to move to the floor before Zariasona, grabbing hold of her hands so that she could offer any comfort she could to her.

"I know, darling. It's just-" She sniffed, her gaze shifting to the ceiling. It was clear she was trying to not cry again. "I need to get back to work. I cannot let this stop me." "Oh come on Zari, You can't bury yourself in work every time something happens like this. You do this every time."

At that moment, a heavy pounding upon the front door was heard. It was loud enough that it echoed in the foyer, and came into the parlor where Feylonis and Zariasona sat. The silence was deafening between them. Thankfully, Agnes was still up for they heard the scurried foot falls heading towards the door.

The large doors creaked open, and mumbling could be heard between Agnes and another female who stood outside. "I'm sorry, you're who?" Another mumble of words came, and there was silence in the foyer. "Let me consult the Mistress. One moment." The door closed gently and Agnes was quick to stand in the entry-way of the parlor. Clearing her throat, she softly spoke. "M-Mistress. There's someone claiming to be your-" She fell silent, trying to conjure the words. Clear cut confusion was written all over Agnes' face.

"Spit it out already, Agnes. Who is at the door?" It was late, and Zariasona hated late night guests.

"Your sister."

"Impossible. Both of them perished. What is her name?"

"She says it's Kinadra, a sin'dorei of the Ebon Blade."

Zariasona was frozen, her eyes locked to Agnes. Feylonis peered up at Zaria with the same confusion as Agnes. "Surfal.. I thought you said your sisters perished? How is this-" "Send her in. Send her in now." The words were spoken so quick that they cut off Feylonis' words.

Agnes gave a quick bow before scurrying towards the door once more. As the large oak doors creaked open, both of the women could hear Agnes speak. "The Mistress will see you in the par-"

The black-cloaked figure pushed passed Agnes upon hearing it was alright to enter, not giving her the chance to finish. For a moment, a flurry of disorientation filled the woman as she sought out the room with the crackling fire. Within seconds, she was standing where Agnes had just been with her black hood covering her face, and water dripping down her form from the rain that just ended.

Zariasona was quick to lift herself to her feet, eager to see the face of the woman who claimed to be her sister. Feylonis moved just as quickly, planting herself just behind Zaria.

The hood lowered, and the straight black hair fell out of the hood with pointed ears springing to life. Blue lich fire eyes, and the same silken complexion that Zaria remembered her to have always had.

"Kinadra.." Zaria said nothing more and rushed to her sister to hug her tightly. "I thought you died." "I did." Kinadra's cold voice came. "But the Lich King brought me back. I now live under the banner of the Ebon Blade. And Zari.. I've come home. At long last, I have come home."

"Kinnie.." Zariasona hugged her tighter, and together the two sisters sobbed together before the roaring fireplace.

@daily-writing-challenge

[zariasona]