The Burning

Note: This is just a short background/foreshadowing piece before the next "real" chapter, in Part Two.

Note 2: Also, once again, please, please, please, PLEASE leave reviews! I'd really like to know what everyone thinks! Any comments at all that you have, I would greatly appreciate receiving. :)

Chapter Twenty
History 1 - The Legarde Family

The Legarde family is known for very little, with the most prominent of those few bits of notability being the predictability of their occupation choices. They have always been soldiers of some fashion. The earliest records of the Legardes show that they participated in the First War, enlisting in Stormwind's forces. The Legardes are not solely melee fighters, and there is also a history of magic in the family. It seems that the Legarde bloodline contains a hereditary affinity for the mystic arts. There have been some notable magic users in the Legarde family in the past, but they have not been robe-wearing Mages, instead being a sort of hybrid between a Mage and a Warrior. They are skilled with a sword, and have the ability to cast spells. Some Legardes have been more specialized with either the sword or with magic, causing their skills in one or the other to suffer, and some have possessed merely average skill in both. Very few have been exceptional as both Warrior and Mage, and those few have rarely lived very long, having one brief moment of glory as they gave their all, and then becoming burned out completely.

The magic of the Legardes had first manifested -- as far as anyone knows -- in the form of Lionel Legarde, a common footman of somewhat above-average skill, who had elected to stay behind during the retreat from the Kingdom of Azeroth at the end of the First War, along with a small contingent of other troops, as a rear-guard, to ensure the ships departed safely on their way to Lordaeron. They fought the Orcs with all their might, and though they were outnumbered greatly, and the odds against them were something ridiculous, they managed to distract the Old Horde's warriors sufficiently that those sent to stop the ships from leaving were prevented from completing their mission. Lionel was not in possession of any special rank, but when the officer Lionel and his companions had had in charge of them fell in the first few minutes of fighting, the common footman had taken charge of the remaining troops, and directed them in battle. It was not a simple battle, however, as Lionel arranged things such that when the soldiers of Stormwind found themselves unable to reach the shore where the ships were departing from in time, he devised a plan to throw all the pursuers into confusion. Using hit-and-run tactics, rather than engaging in a stand-up fight, the Old Horde became convinced that there was a much larger force in the area, and turned valuable resources and fighters towards destroying the enemy, instead of pursuing their original objective.

Unfortunately, the place that Lionel had selected for the final stand of himself and his men, in the Wetlands, was also near a small fishing village, in Bluegill Marsh, and the boats the villagers had been preparing for their own retreat from the Kingdom of Azeroth were not yet ready. Thus, Lionel found himself helping a second group to escape with their lives, but this time he was surrounded, and could not try to draw off the enemy forces to somewhere else. They had already been drawn off. The Wetlands were a difficult place to battle, due to the terrain, but clever use of that same terrain managed to slow the Orc advance, even as the defenders fell under the blades of the green-skinned warriors. Eventually, the rear guard could fight no more. They were moments away from death, and the prospect of failing the villagers. That was when Lionel's desperation and determination to not allow any more innocents to die awoke in him his inherent mystic powers, and he called up a mighty tidal wave from the ocean that swept into the Wetlands, sweeping away much of the Orc forces nearby, but also drowning Lionel and his remaining troops in the process. The fishing village was strangely untouched by the massive amount of water, and they safely sailed to Lordaeron, where they shared the tale of Lionel's noble sacrifice, and the strange powers he had displayed at the end.

The mystics in the Legarde family appeared more than once following that, as they realized that they must too have the power within them, and managed to draw it out with some practice. Many did not manage to accomplish this, seeming to have less of a connection to their family's abilities. However, the greatest strength of the magic-capable Legardes was typically only realized when they sacrificed their life, turning all of their energy into mystic might. Not all of the Legardes were noble and honorable, as two of them became Death Knights in the Scourge's forces, and another left the service of Stormwind and her position as a knight, to pursue her own desires, with loyalty to no one. But those three -- Dartanian and Kara Legarde, and Serene Legarde, respectively -- are thought to be no more than aberrations, who can be erased from memory by the actions of the remaining family members. And thus the Legardes, common soldiers all, strive to prove themselves worthy so that they may wipe the blemish of Dartanian, Kara, and Serene from their familial records, and finally be recognized for their years of loyal service.

One of the goals many of the younger Legardes set for themselves is to slay Dartanian and Kara so that they can not befoul the family name further. There are some who feel it prudent to locate Serene as well, but the objective behind doing so varies between the family members. These range from using the guilt of her departure from tradition (that they believe Serene has) to force her to share her knowledge of tactics and swordplay so that true Legardes can make use of them, all the way to dragging her back to Stormwind and ensuring she re-enlists, even if it is as a simple soldier. None seem to agree on what the proper course is to take if one encounters Serene Legarde, but most of these young ones believe she must be a weak-willed and weak-minded woman if she couldn't handle being a knight, as well as that she can easily be made to follow the path they set before her. Thus far, there has been no success in locating Serene. A little over five years ago, though there had been rumours of Serene helping to fight against the Scourge, and using magic in the process which she had not previously displayed a talent for, all traces of her presence vanished, and none know where she is now, or even if she is alive. For now, Dartanian and Kara, still very much active in trying to expand the Lich King's reach, are a more immediate concern. Though a number of his own family have come to slay Dartanian in the Eastern Plaguelands, he remains elusive to most, and of those who have encountered him none have succeeded, and very few have made it back alive. Kara is not known to have been met in battle by either other Legardes or anyone else, as the last time she was seen was on her expedition to Northrend, to seek out and destroy the source of the Scourge. Clearly, she did not succeed.

--------------End Chapter Twenty--------------

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End Part One~~~~~~~~~~~~~~