Arabellia clasped her hands together, as she watched him leave the tent; her eyes fearful as he does so. "By the gods... keep him safe, please keep him safe," she murmured; her eyes wide as she ran to the tent door.
She watched him ride away swiftly on his steed; her hand resting on her still flat stomach, she ran back inside of the tent, gathering her supplies. Hearing the drums playing, she ran swiftly to the stables and her own mount; she knew her sister would need her this night. Primal screams, cries of terror echoed throughout the camp; she saw hellish faces in the dim lit night. Demons, with sharp piercing horns, and strange war-cries running rampant throughout the camp. Lavendar hued elves, their faces tattooed with the strange marks of their kind, riding along side of them. "Soldiers beware! We have the Draenei and the Kal'Dorei among us tonight," a voice yelled amoungst the crowd.
Arabellia cried; she stopped, preparing to cast a spell. All of a sudden, it was as if she was stunned; a Kal'dorei Druid was casting a strange spell over her body, making her imobile. She struggled; hissing and spitting at him, her eyes began to glow until their color became an unholy shade of green. The Kal'dorei froze momentarily; shaking his head, he spat out a few words. Arabellia felt weak and started to become drowsy. Trying to struggle, she began to slump forward... her mind going dark. The last thing she remembered, was weakly calling for her beloved... "Dreyden!.... Save me.... save us."
Dreyden was riding in the thick of battle. He faced opponent after opponent, downing them as if they were nothing more than small barriers; their screams and cries echoed in his ears. His mind though was focused on one thing; keeping his beloved Arabellia safe. As he watched the rather large Draenei Warrior fall before him, he heard his worst fear; a high pitched scream, so much like his beloved Ara's voice. He rode towards the tent, to see a Druid trapping his beloved. Roaring in anger, he slid off his horse and charged the Kal'Dorei quickly; his fingers reaching out to claw at his opponent. The Druid countered by wrapping Dreyden in a thick set of vines; they began to entangle Dreyden. He struggled as they tightened on his body... he was unable to remove himself. He growled in anger as he watched Arabellia being carried away over the Kal'Dorei's shoulder; she was so limp, so quiet at that point, he feared for her and the baby.
The vines tightened tighter; he struggled, trying his best to escape, but feared he would not be able to... until he felt the very ground beneath his feet shaking violently. He knew not what it was, but the vines fell away from him; they seemed to sink beneath the very ground. Blinking in suprise, he looked to see an Orcess Shaman. He ran up to her; his hand clasped her shoulder in gratitude. "Thank you Shamaness.. because of you, my soon to be wife and child shall live," he said quietly; his eyes glowing; suddenly his face hardened.
"I have to go after her."
"By yerself, Lad?" the shaman asked, suprise showing in her light blue eyes.
Dreyden nodded slowly; he started to head for his tent, calling out, "I want the element of suprise... I have to rescue her."
The Shamaness nodded her head in understanding; she called after him, "I shall come with ye then. I will help keep yer wee one an' your beloved safe."
Dreyden nodded in gratitude; heading into the tent, he picked up his satchel, and headed to his horse, Mordecai, at an almost gallop. Mounting quickly, he looked to watch the Shamaness kneel; her bones popping as her form took the look of Lo'Gosh. She peered at him with her sky blue eyes; he swore she nodded at him, as he clicked his tongue; his horse took off swiftly.
Arabellia was in and out of consciousness; she saw brief glimpses of landscape passing her by as they rode hard and fast. Could this really be happening? Finally, they arrived at a small encampment; it was filled with savage looking Kal'Dorei warriors, their eyes staring at her as if they were starving, and she was the last woman on Azeroth. She shuddered, though quickly disguised her reaction; she dared not show fear in front of these now distant cousins of her own people. Her head held at a haughty angle, she looked down her nose as best as she could [the males she were surrounded by were at least six foot in height, compared to her own delicate five foot, five inche frame.]. The Kal'Dorei laughed, pointed, and jeered at her; some stared at her with abject lust in their eyes. She stared back at them, burning their very souls with a look, or so it seemed; she was more than determined to show she was not afraid of them, though deep inside, she was shaking. "Beloved.... I need you... I am so very scared..." she spoke softly, barely above the whisper of the wind... she wondered if any could hear her voice, if she would ever see her beloved again.
Dreyden and Ari'Celia rode along swiftly; they barely rested, wanting to stay close on her trail. That night, they made their camp; they were not far off from where she was encamped... with those... Dreyden shuddered, his face darkening in rage. Ari'Celia placed her hand on his arm. "Dinna let them cloud yer mind with anger. Ye got t' have your mind clear, for what tis ahead." Ari said quietly, looking towards the small encampment that seemed a few hundre yeards off.
It was a small glimmer in the darkness. Having scouted it earlier, they had counted ten to twelve there; but had seen at least two to three getting ready to leave camp. "T'will even t' odds, I think." Ari said quietly, watching the three Kal'Dorei riding off, a few supply horses trailing behind the warriors.
Dreyden's eyes narrowed; his mind focused on finding his beloved Ara. His ears perked up, having heard something. It was a whisper in the wind, or so it seemed; soft, low, and sweet. He shook his head; he moved closer to the camp, muttering, "I am coming for you, my love... I will not let anything happen to you."
Ari and Dreyden moved silently closer to the camp. Arabellia was sitting on a small, dirty mat; her hands were tied behind her back. Her chin was angled in a regal point, her dark emerald eyes burning brightly as she looked around her surroundings; she noticed the three seperate tent rings, each having a small blaze built in the middle; and a bit larger tent in the middle, where she was currently tied up to the pole, holding the tent door open. "You may let me go now," she said quietly, with dignity.
The dirty Kal'Dorei male laughed; his eyes raked over her form, absolute hunger, that was a look she had only seen in one man's eyes. Shaking her head silently, she said, "You will not lay hands on me, beast." She spat on the ground, to emphasize her point.
His eyes widened; growling, he began to move around the fire, murmuring something in an un-intelligible language. "Don't... don't you -dare-!" she cried out; scooting back, the small of her back brushing the tent pole, holding up the tent's front.
He moved closer, his eyes darkening. He spoke softly, but she could barely understand... when she heard his words, she wished she did not still. "I like a fight in my women... it makes it more fun, when I tame them." His silvery eyes darkened as he knelt before her; his hands on her shoulders, as he leaned forward.
Muttering un-intelligably, he began to touch her body; she cried out, trying to pull away. He spit on the ground, muttering something very angrily; her eyes widen as she shivered violently. "What do I do? By the gods... help me..." she cried out silently, though her lips never opened.
As he came closer, he stood suddenly. A grin widening on his thin lips as he stood; he began to strip his armor off his body. Her eyes watched him, as she shuddered in revulusion. His body was disgusting, to her eyes. "You may touch my body... but you will not break my soul. Never!" she cried out; her eyes briefly showed her fear, before they lit a dangerous dark green.
He stood before her naked; taking a small dagger out that he hid in his boot, he cut the bonds from her legs, before holding it up to her breast bone. "Enjoy what I am about to do to you, girl," he muttered, kneeling down.
Reaching his left hand, he went to try and spread her legs open, to view her treasure. She screamed, a high pitched sound; the other males laughed as they watched. It was nothing new to them. Like two men fighting, the others did nothing but encourage the Kal'Dorei's actions. There was a pause and then the flames of the fire shot up high; as though the fire itself was reaching to the sky above. The Kal'Dorei male stood up, looking around in abject confusion. Muttering as he straightened himself, a painful cry escaped his lips; as a fiend comes from the darkness, gripping the Kal'Dorei's leg. The male screamed in fear; his male part shriveling as his terror became more apparent. The fiend continued its asault as the male slashed at it with his small dagger, yet the fiend dissapeared just as quick as it came.
Dreyden stepped from the shadow that enveloped him; his eyes burned with hatred, as his lips curled to a grin. This grin though was not one of humor, but of evil contemplation of this man's death.... the one who tried to lay claim to what was his. The Kal'Dorei's eyes widened in terror; he had seen demons before, but this male before him had an aura that only spoke of death. The other males stood; their naked bodies flashing in the light as they went to circle what they thought of as the "Demon Elf." They were very afraid to get close, in fear he would taint them with his madness, but knew they had to protect their leader. The Kal'Dorei leader walked closer to Dreyden, his face showing fear, yet he would not let the Elven male get his prize so easily... not without a fight.
"You... you will fight me, if you want this girl," the Kal'Dorei spat out as he pointed to the bound Ara.
He had two of his men draw a crude circle on the ground as one of the men gave him a loin cloth to cover up with. Dreyden watched as the last of the circle was formed and stepped within its confines with the other; his feet was stanced wide, his hands at ready. "Let's see what you got," Dreyden said, confidence in his voice.
The Kal'Dorei laughed; they looked the Elven male over, seeing his robes and state of dress they thought to themselves, "He does not stand a chance... he is but a weak Elf." Snickering as they watched the two take starting stances. The other males stood around the ring, three on each side; they stood silently now, watching the two. As the men were busy gathering around, Ara had been twisting her wrists constantely and noticed her ties were becoming much looser than before. Her eyes widened as she turned to look behind her the best she could. She made out a figure, one that appeard to be Orcess, the braid of her hair laying neatly on her left shoulder. "Farseer...." she muttered; she blinked her eyes in disbelief.
The Shamaness held a finger up to her lips; grinning, she quickly untied the bindings. "We are gettin' ye out o' here Lass," she said very quietly as to not draw any unwanted attention.
Her eyes were trained on Dreyden and the Kal'Dorei leader, as she tugged the Elven girl's hand, leading her away. She followed the Shamaness willingly, until she saw Dreyden in the circle with the Kal'Dorei leader. "No! We cannot leave him here with them," she said quietly, fiercely.
"Lass, we willna do him any good, if we are here. Let him have his vengance; you were almost violated."
Arabellia shuddered in rememberance. Nodding slowly, they slipped out of the tent circle, seemingly undetected. Dreyden, seeing his beloved and Ari'Celia moving out, growled to the Kal'Dorei leader. "You dare lay hands on my beloved... you dared to attempt to taint her... you disguist me," he said coldly, his eyes burning deeply, like two flames in a lit skull.
An unholy color of green; a deep, protective look glimmered in the depths of Dreyden's eyes. The leader shivered in fear; he knew he was looking Death in the face. Shaking the feeling of foreboding, he charged Dreyden. Taken off guard, Dreyden was knocked off his feet, his boots danced in the dirt beneath him as he slid back then fell to the hard gound. Short of breath from the Warriors blow, sucessefully standing back up; he charged, aiming a shoulder at the Kal'Dorei's exposed midsection. The Kal'Dorei grunted as he was almost knocked off his feet; snarling, as he stood and reached for his sword, running towards Dreyden at a high rate of speed.
Stunned, Dreyden was caught on his side briefly, knicking himself to where he began to bleed a bit. Seeing Ari and Arabellia escaping the encampment, he stood straight; despite the pain of being cut. Having appeared before them, the long strands of his hair slashed his face with midnight black shadows. He glanced toward the Kal'Dorei, a fiery look swept over his face as he began to murmur an incantation. It was second nature to Dreyden. From the feet up a thick swirl of shadows began to swarm around him until it enveloped his body; seemingly swallowing it whole.
"By the Gods... he will kill us!" The other men screamed, running away madly, stampeding to escape this new, dark, almost black shade of death they saw engulf the Elf.
Dreyden moved forward, his boots grinding against the rubble, the long folds of his robe danced in the wind as his lips steadily repeated an incantation. The Leader's eyes widened, as a silent scream left his lips as he felt his flesh literally being eaten away from his frame; it was almost as if a plague was devouring his very body, his very soul. A dark amythest beam emmited from Dreyden fingertips; his eyes glowed in his covering darkness, as he seemingly sucked the soul out of the Leader's body. The last thought the male had, was his regret of touching the female that was tied to his tent post; for this demon was now eating his very soul.
As the Warrior gave a final scream, what was left of his body gave way, crumbling into a pile of ash. Dreyden's eyes scanned the horizon, selecting his next victim, and did a very similar treatment to him. When all was said and done, his body was covered in bruises, welps, and cuts... but his victims laid in indistinguishable piles of burnt human flesh. He drew in a deep breath, the smell of death swirled between his nostrils as he looked around the tattered camp.
Ari and Arabellia moved swiftly; they slipped from shadow to shadow, determined to move hastily and silently. Suddenly, they were surrounded by three males. Ara's eyes widen as she backed up against Ari's own back. "What do we do," she whispered fiercely, calculating the odds in her mind; she knew she was far too weak to summon one of her minions.
"We shall fight... s' all we can do, Lass," the shaman growled softly; she murmured an incantation as she tossed down a Wrath of Air totem, a small wisp of wind circling around it.
She seemed to not toss down her Earth or Fire totems, yet Ara did not think of why she did not; she was more concerned about how to fend off these Kal'Dorei... they were so close to escaping to be stopped now. So close to seeing her beloved Dreyden again... she stood, her back against Ari'Celia, as she tried to come up with a plan. All of a sudden, Ari began an incantation; tossing down two totems. A Fire elemental crawled from one of the totems depths, almost as if to appear from thin air. It was soon followed by a heap of dirt, small rocks grinding together to form a rather large Earth elemental.
The Kal'Dorei cried out, backing away; how could they fight such evil magics? They thought to themselves; they bolstered their courage as they began to charge, attacking the Earth Elemental's totem, attempting to bring it down. The Fire Elemental began to attack; Ari'Celia began to chant faster under her breath. A rumbling, small at first, started to shake the very ground; building quickly into an Earthquake. It shook the Kal'Dorei men off their feet briefly. Ari took the opportunity to grab Ara's hand; they ran off quickly into the woods. As they did so, they heard the whinning of two horses; startled, they look at the roadway; the shamans elementals shredding the men apart.
"Aubrea!" Arabellia called out, running to the road; Aubrea pulled up on the reins, stopping her horse.
"Talivan! Here she is!" Aubrea called out; sliding off the back of her horse, she wrapped her sister in her embrace.
Ara leaned against Aubrea, sobbing, "You... you have to go help Dreyden! He... stayed behind, so I could escape," her eyes were strained, her cheeks stained with her tears.
"Farseer... get her away from here. Talivan and I will go help Dreyden." Aubrea stated, as she went running for her mount; slipping up on its back in a fluid motion, she spurred it to a running gallop, heading off.
Talivan rode off after Aubrea, his mind set on helping his brother... his friend. Aubrea rode into the middle of the camp; her eyes widening as she saw Dreyden standing in the midst of the camp. Six piles of ashes laid in scattered heaps around him; he was covered in cuts, bruises, and minor wounds; smoke bellowing from a turned over fire. "Dreyden!" Aubrea called out; sliding off her mount, she ran to him.
He stared at her in shock; his hand touching her cheek as he murmured, "Arabellia..."
"No Dreyden, its me, Aubrea. Arabellia is safe," Aubrea said, clasping his arm.
Talivan ran up behind her; seeing Dreyden, he pulled Aubrea aside gently. "They are heading toward our camp. Her and the Farseer." Talivan said, gripping Dreyden's hand.
Dreyden looked to him, his eyes unbelieving at first. "They made it to safety... Oh thank the gods..." Dreyden murmured.
Whistling softly, he called his loyal horse to him; trying desperatelly to mount it. He placed his foot in the sturrups and summoned what little energy he had left, to lift himself up into the saddle. He waited for Aubrea and Talivan to mount up as well, not caring how long it took them, he was exhausted afterall. After a few minutes of looking around, Aubrea and Talivan mounted; all three glanced back at the camp as they turned toward the road. It appeared as they thought. Tattered tents, cloth strown about, and the deep smoke of the fire puffed ashes in little eddying showers. Slowly, they began to make their way back to their own camp.
Ari'Celia and Ara made it back to their small camp; as they rode up, Ari'Celia helped Arabellia off her mount. She could feel the poor Elf girl shaking; placing her arms around the girl in a comforting matter, she said quietly, "Let's see what I can make ye? Ye are shakin' like a leaf in the wind... no' so good fer ye an' yer wee one."
They both made their way toward the tent. Ara sat down in front of the fire; she was still shaking, her eyes conveying her worry for Dreyden. The last time she saw him, he was wounded; was he alright? She wondered to herself; her fear was apparent. Ari'Celia found some food stores; bringing them out, she mixed them together, to make a restorative broth for the poor girl. "This should help ye get t' rights... ye ha' to keep you an' the wee one well fed," she smiled as she ladled the soup into a small wooden bowl.
The girl took small bites, though she did not feel like eating much herself, she forced herself to slurp the soup for her unborn child. Her eyes kept casting out to the dark area surrounding the camp, her sigh heartfelt. "He will be alright. Yer man will be by yer side, an' soon Lass," Ari'Celia promised, a soft smile on her lips as she patted the Elven girl's arm.
Arabellia smiled up at Ari in gratitude; she settled in moreso, her body relaxing slowly "Did... did the Kal'Dorei men..." Ari' started, watching the girl's face.
"No... thank the gods, no," she murmured lowly, rubbing her hands over her arms, cold from the night as well as the thought of what the Leader almost did to her body.
"Dreyden... he saved me," she smiled softly.
"Aye.... he knew where ye were. It was a miracle, I ha' t' say," Ari murmured, as she ate heartily of the soup; her own light blue eyes trained on the dark horizon.
"He will be here soon," Ari said quietly, as if the earth itself was keeping track of Dreyden's movements.
Her voice was sure-sounding. Arabellia smiled softly at the Orcess; slowly she stood, heading toward tent. Opening the flap, she stepped in eyeing the nearest place to rest and laid down, starring up at the top of the tent, her mind racing. Her body begins to shake again, finally realizing... she was safe. Soft sobbing sounds emitted from her as she laid there, hugging her arms close to her body ever so often a small shake would tremble her frame. Dreyden, Aubrea, and Talivan finally made it back to the site; Dreyden's eyes, adjusted to the night enviroment, looked to the camp, looking for signs of them being there. He saw a shadowy wolf form; walking swiftly to the site, he kneeled down beside the Orcess. " Is Ara.... is she..." he began; his voice trembling in worry, though he did his best to hide his distress.
"She is in the tent... be gentle with her, Lad." Ari'Celia murmured low.
Dreyden gave her only a nod as he headed into the tent. Seeing her there, shaking, he gasped; he immediately gathered her close to his body as gently as he could. Despite his own aches. At first, she gasped; feeling his embrace, smelling his scent, she started sobbing. "Dreyden.... oh god, Dreyden..." she sobbed, burying her face into his shoulder; his eyes became damp, as he stroked her hair and then her back slowly, reassuringly.
"Arabellia, my love... you are safe. You are within my arms again," he murmured over and over, making soothing sounds to his beloved, all the while trying to hold his own composer.
All he cared about was making the shaking in her body lessen. Aubrea and Talivan stepped into the tent; seeing Dreyden holding her, she tactfully grabbed Talivan's hand, pulling him back out of the tent. "Leave them be.... she needs him right now," Aubrea said wisely; Talivan nodded, pulling her close.
"I am just glad we found her," he said quietly
"Tomorrow, we ride. We shall head back to the main encampment, then the Farseer shall look you both over." Aubrea smiled softly; leaning up on her tiptoes, she nodded as her lips meet his chin.
"Indeed.... for tonight though, they need one another," Aubrea said, nodding to the tent that Arabellia and Dreyden were enclosed in.
They went to the other tent that Talivan had erected and laid down on the soft bedding inside, holding each other close; slowly, they both drifted off to sleep.
