The Legion - Prologue

Author’s Notes:

This is my first WoW fic, but not my first piece of fiction. Characters based loosely on people in my guild and others, as well as my own characters. This piece itself is basically a prologue, introducing various characters and my take on the WoW-World. The Legion will be a series exploring various relationships, their histories and how they play out in the world since the mass expeditions to Outland.

Enjoy!

Side note - text within [these] indicates thought.

--

Jade eyes that shone with inner fire flicked casually up and down the alley of Shattrah city, before again re-reading the nameplate on the Guild House door in front of her, as if it would magically shape itself into other words as her gaze scanned the surrounding area.

[Now or never], the young Blood Elf told herself, closing her eyes and drawing in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, trying to summon up some calm in the midst of a butterfly stomach, then reaching out and pressing a palm against the oval stone against the door that would announce her presence. Squaring her shoulders and mentally reviewing the armour she wore was her best, the weapons her finest, because to fail now would be to throw away so many years of hard work and training…

“Kittanya Celastin.” The deep baritone snapped the woman from her reverie, gaze slowly climbing the tall figure in front of her. “Welcome to the Legion.”

--

The Warrior, Clenhoof, eyed the Blood Elf he had just admitted to the Guild House with some amusement. She was clearly trying to give a good impression to her new Guild Master, easily matching his long stride as he took her on a brief tour of the facilities. Many of the Legion’s new members did not need such a trip, having been in one Guild House you had been in them all, but Kittanya was not a seasoned Hunter, instead she was fresh from training on Azeroth, dispatched to the Outland to finish her sponsored training and start her trial within the Guild proper.

The Tauren had to bite down a sigh; if her sponsor had not been one of his best Mages, he might have turned her down. The girl was so green, albeit not literally, save for her eyes which had been darting this way and that as they walked. Her hair was raven black, shoulder-length but usually constrained by her headgear. Short, as were all of her race, barely reaching five feet four on a good day, and petite; with slim shoulders and hips, but he could not deny the wiry, powerful muscle she carried. Indeed, the Elf put him in mind of a cat, and it was no coincidence to him that she had been given the nickname of Kitty.

They had paused at the start of the residential section, Clenhoof preparing to explain about some of their more… unusual residents, when a tall streak of purple and silver dashed past, hotly pursued by a shorter and more muscular green bullet. A deep sigh emanated from the Tauren as he watched the two sprinting up the stairs at the opposite end of the corridor, shaking his head as he turned to a rather slack-jawed Blood Elf at his side.

“Lyelleth and Orannis, one of our members,” A pause, “And yes, that was a Night Elf.”

“I… uhm… Sir?” Kitty managed, still staring at the spot the rambunctious pair had disappeared from.

“Kittanya, the trainers and others on Azeroth have a very… simplified world view.” Clenhoof explained patiently. “They are so used to waging war on the Alliance, or the Alliance on us, that they seem to forget that, for the most part, we fight common enemies.” That drew the girl’s full attention, “In the older times, that was Ragnaros’ forces, Nefarion’s Dragonflight, Onyxia… Kel’Thuzad - before your time, but the point stands. Now we battle to stop that which uses the Dark Portal to seek to conquer Azeroth. Did you not see the joint forces holding the line when you first stepped through?”

“Yes… But, Master, a Night Elf in Horde quarters?” She seemed to have difficulty grasping the concept, so alien it was to her.

“Take a moment after you have settled in to talk to the Naaru, A’dal, or Khadgar the human Mage that stands by him. Then take a look around Shattrah a little more. We mix freely here, my young Hunter. For a long time, many on both sides have hidden secrets that would have scandalised their people, or worse, caused much death and destruction. Too many have been forced to hide, to lie, to live not as they want, but as they must.” He paused. “Understand this Kittanya Celastin. The Legion may be a Horde force, but any and all are welcome here, as long as they call a Guild member friend… or lover. And we abide by the Naaru’s rules – Shattrah is peaceable and respect for all is expected.” Clenhoof’s voice brooked no argument, but his expression softened as he began walking again. “Come. I will show you to your room. For now, you have one of the smaller ones, but once your training is complete, we shall see about altering that.”

--

A short while later, after having settled his newest member in her quarters, Clenhoof let himself into the chambers he shared with his partner, the Troll Priest Shasta. Amber eyes met his as she glanced upward from some paperwork, and gestured towards a note on the table by the door. “A few new applications and we’ve taken in another couple of sponsored. I doubt many of them will be aiding us when we hit Kharazan, I think it’s mainly ‘train and send home’.” A pause, mischievous smile dancing across her pale blue face, “How’s the latest batch doing?”

“Not a batch, just one for now,” Clenhoof replied wearily as he was settling himself down in a large chair to read through the applications, “Seems a bit… overawed to tell you the truth. Damn Blood Elves, their isolation these past years makes their prejudices harder to break, even the younger ones.”

“Unless you’re Silverwind,” Shasta quipped, causing her mate to groan loudly. “I swear, if Lahle doesn’t take her in hand soon, we’re going to have a problem. Girl’s too damn excitable. Whoever decided she’d make a good Aldor agent needs shooting, she’s spending all her time on the rise reading the notice boards and flirting with anyone she can. Yes, I know, as an Officer of the Legion it’s her duty to keep up to date with goings on. And before you give me the ‘well being Aldor has exposed her to the Alliance and made her see how similar we are’ speech, she didn’t need teaching that.” Her expression mixed between rueful and bemused, the Priest sighed. “I kinda feel sorry for Lahle.” Looking back up from her paperwork, she frowned, “What’s with that expression Clen?”

The Tauren was looking at a letter as if it were trying to poison him. “She’s to go home.”

“Who, the new girl?” Shasta replied, wide eyed. “She only just got here!”

“No, no. Silver is. She’s… Shasta, Silverwind is to be married.”

--

Kitty had left the quarters she had been assigned to wander around the house and try and get her bearings. She also needed to find the nearest stables and see her pet had arrived safely. It was now she noticed the rooms had discreet plaques, and the majority bore two names, even in the supposedly single bed quarters. She was surprised to see one room occupied in a bank of empty ones, the nameplate bearing the designation “Lahle – High Priest & Silverwind – High Mage.” The second name was familiar, after all, it had been Silverwind who had sponsored her to join the Legion and complete her training, but the two had never actually met.

“Lahle’s not in right now, but if you come back later… Wait, Kittanya, is that you?” A soft voice interrupted her thoughts, and Kitty whirled around to take in the sight of the red-head in front of her.

“Aye, Silverwind, I’m here at last.” The hunter replied, a small smile crossing her face as she studied her fellow Blood Elf. The Mage was a good foot taller than she, with the same glowing green eyes - except Silver’s lent more toward jade than Kitty’s own – and sharply defined features, complete with long, pointed ears. Realising she was staring, the Hunter’s eyes flicked to the floor. “I was just…getting my bearings.”

“Hmm,” Silverwind replied, humour colouring her tone, “I bet you were. Won’t you come in?” The question was asked as the Mage laid her hand on the door, briefly closing her eyes as the magic touched her, recognising her arcane signature and unlocking the door.

Kitty nodded, and followed her sponsor into her room, which turned out to be a well appointed suite, the main reception area directly behind the door housing a comfortable-looking sofa, as well as a small but well used dining table flanked by four chairs, a large throw rug and several decent-sized cushions dotted about the floor. It was clear the Mage and her Priest room-mate were used to entertaining. Silver gestured toward the seating area while heading toward an alcove.

“Want a drink?” She called over her shoulder, dropping her bags near the sofa and disappearing through the alcove into what Kitty guessed was a kitchenette, her thoughts confirmed by the sound of rummaging through cupboards, the clink of glassware and soft curses over the lack of anything reasonable within them. “I’m afraid all I can offer at the moment is tea or Moonberry juice.”

“Tea is fine,” The Hunter replied softly, looking around the room with undisguised curiosity. Various pictures dotted the walls, including a large picture of the guild standing over the Black Dragon Onyxia, clearly slain.

“One of our better days,” Silver said quietly, handing Kitty a mug, “Please, sit, I’m about to fall over.” Collapsing back into the sofa, the Mage eyed her visitor with open curiosity. “So, Kittanya Celastin, how are you finding the Legion so far?”

“A little confusing,” Kitty confessed, “There’s a Night Elf downstairs with an Orc, I heard the Guild Master has a Troll consort despite being Tauren, you have Moonkin and Feral Druids… This Guild, on paper, should not exist, let alone work, yet it survives and indeed succeeds!” The words came out in a tumbled rush, as if the speaker feared being interrupted before the end. “How? How does this work?”

“Simple.” A pause, “Our Guild Master is a great believer in the old principle – a happy worker is a productive worker – except he applied it to conflict. If you have someone, or something, to fight for, you are more likely to put more of yourself into your efforts, and likewise, try to come home in one piece.” Tucking her legs up beneath her, she continued. “There are a lot of strange bedfellows here Kittanya, both literal and metaphorical. Off the top of my head; Clenhoof is mated to a Troll, yes, our co-leader Shasta; Orannis, that’s the Orc, is partnered with the Night Elf Lyelleth – that’s a complicated story and not mine to tell; Thundaar our Blood Knight leader has a male interest but he’s keeping quiet on the name front; and then there’s myself and Lahle.” A tender smile spread over Silver’s face, her eyes becoming slightly unfocused as she reminisced. “It wasn’t meant to happen, we denied it forever and a day, but it did, and I refuse to apologise for loving her purely because she’s a Troll, or my own gender.”

Kitty found herself nodding. “I suppose the principle is sound, albeit very different from the others.”

Silverwind laughed, “Sanctum would shoot the lot of us if we were their members, Dischord would write us all up to the small-minded idiots back home, Logican would try and “Liberate” Lyell and any other Alliance members who we sheltered… We are a band of misfits, malcontents and rogues Kittanya, never forget that.”

“What does that make me then?” Kitty mused aloud, brow furrowed slightly.

“Whatever you want it to. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to sort things out before Lahle gets back. It’s been an age since we’ve seen each other.” Her voice indicated a deep regret at that fact, as well as a tinge of promise that it would be rectified shortly. “If you need any help with anything, just shout up, whenever a guild member is free, or just feels like talking, they’ll sign on to the communication’s network. Tap your Hearthstone once, you’ll sign on, tap it twice to sign off. Just don’t do what I keep doing and hold on too long or you’ll activate the homing spell.” Silver laughed, “Which I think just about everyone has done at an inopportune moment.”

As she exited her sponsor’s quarters, Kitty nearly walked headlong into her Guild Master, both seemingly utterly distracted.

“Oof! Apologies Kittanya,” Clenhoof murmured, eyeing the door the Blood Elf had just exited. “Were you calling on Silverwind or Lahle?”

“Silverwind, sir,” She replied, neck almost straining with looking up so high at her Master. “She was… most helpful.”

“I imagine she was at that.” He replied sombrely, touching his hand to the doorplate. “If you will excuse me?”

“Of course sir,” Kitty bowed slightly, and headed off.

--

She’d later heard that Silver, having spoken with Clenhoof, had taken off for Silvermoon City, clearly distressed and angry. As she lay in bed that night, Kittanya wondered what had prompted such an outburst. Staring at the ceiling of her single bed quarters, the Blood Elf mused upon her position on the general accepting nature of her guildmates, as well as the situation as a whole.

Deciding that it was all too much to try and take in, in one day at least, the Hunter rolled onto her side to sleep, her mind wandering to the possibilities the new day would bring.