Pure of Heart

Although I have written a lot of fanfic, I have never written an erotic story before, so this is something of a challenge for me. I hope you enjoy and I love, love, LOVE feedback.

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Night came early to Northrend. It was always this way, before the Lich King made it his home, but now, darkness seemed to choke the light out earlier and earlier. The people who lived there managed to keep it at bay with many fires, but looking out in the darkness, they knew there was something forbidding out there.

Only a few dared to travel alone at night. Among them, was Meleager, Paladin of Kingdoms of Stormwind. Around him the darkness could not penetrate, like it was afraid to touch him, because his light was so pure.

Meleager was considered to represent the best of Stormwind and of the Paladins that came from there. He was a fierce and cunning warrior, likely to use his wits as well as his strength, making him a formidable opponent in battle. This was tempered by a compassionate nature, which more than not stayed his hand from a killing blow, and lended help to those in need. Nor was he boastful and arrogant, like a lot of paladins become, he was as modest and humble as a monk, and treated everyone as equals. Even those who may be tempted to hate him as there are many who hate perfection, could not bring themselves to do so, for his soft, balanced nature won everyone over.

He was not overly righteous, he partook of drink and company, be it male or female, Human, Night Elf, Dwarf, Gnome or Draenai, but was not lecherous. He chose his partners with great care, was honest when not interested, not forceful when he was. Many had felt attracted not only to his warm nature, but his handsome face framed by short dark hair. His eyes were a dark brown and build was athletic and graceful. But he had settled on any partner, seeking only the occasional recreation, for he was far too committed to his cause.

Which was why he was here, in this land of darkness. The Howling Fjord was not quite as tainted as the rest of the land, but danger and evil lurked here. He was searching for settlers who had disappeared, and even though there were many who would choose to work for higher goals, like those in Icecrown, Meleager believed in protecting the innocent.

He had followed the road which the settlers had taken, carefully watching the ground for tracks. Although not a great tracker, he could at least follow the hoof and wheel tracks left behind three days earlier. Luckily there had been no snow, but now the sky threatened to let loose, so he had to find them soon.

As the sky darkened and the first flakes began to fall, he heard something, voices off to his right, some distance away. He stopped his horse and waited, in perfect stillness. The voices sounded guttural and familiar. Trolls, he thought and his eyes narrowed. Then a commotion, shouts and the rustling of trees, followed by a short scream and the sounds of a chase.

Without a seconds hesitation, he turned his horse and plunged into the woods off the road towards the sound. The noises were definitely a chase and he could see torches now bobbing towards him, and a shadow ahead running desperately through the brush.

He saw her now, a girl, no older than 18 was running as fast as she could away from the Trolls which were now howling with the delight of the chase. Meleager wasted no time. He veered his horse to intercept her and leaned over in the saddle with one hand outstretched. Soon he was upon her and grabbed her by the back of her dress, swinging her onto his horse in front of him. Then he turned back to the road and away from the trolls who were now howling in frustration and confusion.

The girl shrieked when he had picked her up and struggled feebly, but he held her firm in front of him and focused on getting out of there. She was breathing rapidly and he could practically feel her heart pounding even through his armor. After a few minutes, the sounds of pursuit died down but Meleager was sure to get more distance between them. Once he was certain they were safe, at least for the time being, he went off the road, towards a cave he knew was in the area.

His passenger was still breathing hard but at least had stopped struggling. She turned slightly in the saddle to see who her rescuer was and seemed relieved that he was a fellow human.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Y-yes...I think so...I don't-” she broke off, her teeth chattering and her whole body shaking, but not from the cold he thought.

“My name is Meleager, a paladin from Stormwind. And your name milady?”

“Calyn,” she said shakily, “My name is Calyn.”

She suddenly moaned out a sob and began to cry, her whole body shaking. Meleager put an arm around her to hug her closer, and she gripped it for dear life. When they arrived at the cave, he slid off his horse and lifted her off to carry her in. He sat her down on a rock and wrapped his cloak around her. Then he set about the business of setting up a fire, and was glad that there was plenty of dead wood near the entrance of the cave, so he would not have to wander far.

Once it was going, he turned his attention back to Calyn, who had stopped crying and was staring into the fire, looking exhausted and despairing. Now that he had a chance to look at her, he realized that she was indeed a lovely young woman. Her hair was tangled and dirty, but was long and thick, and auburn. Her skin was now grubby and flushed, and she had cuts and bruises on her, but it was a clear complexion, light colored, but a healthy pink. She had vibrant blue eyes, full lips and ears that stuck out a little, which added a sense of uniqueness about her. Her body was slender, sturdily built with long legs, and athletic judging by how she was running.

For a moment, he was breathless at the sight of her, thinking she was very beautiful, even now.

He quickly came back to himself and gently moved a hand to her the cuts on her face. She didn't react when he healed her wounds, only stared into the fire.

“Calyn,” he started gently, “I was sent to look for a group of settlers who had disappeared, were you among them?”

She stirred every so slightly, and looked him straight in the eyes.

“I....” she furrowed her brow in concentration, “we left the fort...I don't remember when, seems like ages ago....we....we were told there would be land...that we would be protected....but the trolls...they came upon us when we were camping...and....and,” she wailed and buried her head in her hands sobbing. Meleager quickly took her into his arms and held her close, whispering soothing words into her ear until she stilled, asleep. He carefully laid her down and got blankets from his saddlebags, which tucked around her. He then sat down and tended to the fire, listening to the wind moan outside.


The next morning, a weak dawn spread light into the snowy lands. It crept through the trees, nervously running along the ground and grew in silence. It didn't illuminate the cave, but Meleager knew it had come. He dressed himself with a sigh, the snow last night would cover their tracks but it would also make it harder to track the trolls, if they had moved on, if not he would have a fight on his hands. What he really needed right now was more information.

He took some food out of his saddlebags, along with some extra warm clothes he kept with him, and just coming back to the dying embers of his fire when Calyn stirred and woke up.

Meleager smiled at her as he handed her some dried fish and bread, which she took with a quiet “Thank you”. They ate in silence for a few minutes, which he spent studying her. She was frightened, in shock, probably traumatized, but he needed her information.

When they finished, he got up and gave her his extra clothes.

“They may be a little big for you, but you can't go anywhere in that state.”

She looked down at herself and seemed to realize how torn and tattered her dress was.

“You can get dressed further in the cave, I promise I won't look,” he said with an honest smile. She smiled and got up, while he squatted over the remains of the fire, his back to her.

“In the meantime, you can tell me about yourself, like where you're from.”

“Westfall,” came the reply, sounding more steady than she had the previous night, “my father had a farm in Westfall...we raised pigs there, grew potatoes, went fishing in the ocean. It was a good place...until the bandits came. They drove us all out, took all our belongings, killed anyone who resisted.”

Meleager nodded, he remembered this and regretted not being able to be there to help. That it was still going on pained him greatly, and he wished his city could or even would do more for the peasants. He had gone there a couple of times to clear out some of the bandits, but there always seemed to be more.

“Well..my father and mother were devastated, they tried to get work in Stormwind but, it was hard. So when they heard that there was opportunity up here they decided to chance it.”

She came around his side, fully dressed in a simple shirt and trousers that were quite big on her, but would do. She still had her boots from the previous night and had stuffed the pant legs into them. Her hair was done up in a loose do above her head with some string she had pulled from her dress. She smiled somewhat weakly, but looked better than she had the night before.

He smiled back at her and got up to pack his belongings into the saddlebags.

“Then what happened?”

She shifted uncomfortably, but continued, “Five days ago, we set out from the fort with all the other settlers to a location designated for us. It was fun, like a new adventure. On the second night, we went off the road to make camp, everything seemed fine and then...” her face crumpled, “I was woken up by screams, I-I looked out of our wagon and I saw...fire and everyone was running around in a panic. The wagon caught fire and my sister dragged me out and we tried to run but...they were so fast and strong, We were grabbed and...and....” she broke down again.

Meleager went to her and pulled her into a close hug, patiently waiting for her to recover.

“They raped us,” she sobbed loudly, “they were laughing and killing and raping all the women! They slaughtered all the children, but kept a few of us alive to be...used, like we were pieces of meat.”

She sobbed again, great wracking wails of pain and despair. Meleager felt a cold feeling in his gut, and an anger rise up in him. He would not act on it, for that could be foolish, but he could not help but feel anger and disgust for what had happened to his girl, to all the innocents.

After a few minutes she sniffed and said into his chest, “I was tied up, I don't know what happened to the others, but soon I was alone with a bunch of them. Last night, one of them didn't check my ropes and I was able to get free, and ran.”

Meleager stroked her hair absently, “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

She nodded, sobbed one more time and gently pulled back.

“What are you going to do now?” she asked.

“I need to find this trolls, and any survivors if I can. I must first go to where the camp was and see what I can find there.”

She nodded again, “I will show you,” she said firmly.

He briefly considered arguing with her, but decided against it. He couldn't send her back to the fort, nor could he leave her alone here. She would have to stick with him for awhile. He felt an odd thrill at this but ignored it, there was important work ahead.


As they neared the camp, the small of burning wood and flesh filled their nostrils. Meleager stopped every now and then, listening for trolls, but there was none. Either they were waiting an ambush, or had cleared out. There were no challenges as he entered the camp, no sign that anyone was there.

“They may have fled,” he said sliding off the horse and giving Calyn the reigns, “stay here.”

He drew his sword and investigated the nearest wagon, or what was left of it, and found a burnt body, but nothing else. The other wagons he searched also revealed nothing more. Occasionally he would spare a glance in Calyn's direction, and when he saw the pain on her face, he felt moved. It wasn't just her emotion, he realized, it was her sheer loveliness, even now, when she was dirty, exhausted and in pain she was breathtaking.

There was only one place left to look, a larger wagon on the far side of the camp. It was wooden, with some carvings on the side, indicating perhaps a family crest, and had not been burnt. As he observed it, Calyn said, “That is where they kept us.”

He spared her a concerned glance and then said, “Alright, stay here, if anything happens to me, my horse will take you out of here, just hold on tight.”

She nodded quickly and gripped the reigns, as he drew his sword and approached the last wagon. Carefully, he listened at the door, and thought he heard something moving inside. He took a step back, took a deep breath and then kicked the door in with one powerful thrust.

The three trolls who were inside jumped up startled and tried to bolt. He quickly hit the nearest one with the flat of his blade, knocking it into the second one who was trying to fumble over a bed. The third growled at him and charged him, knocking them both back out into the open again.

Meleager was quickly on his feet and ready to defend himself. His opponent was big and had a nasty looking sword in his hand. He noticed that the other two were stumbling out and we're getting ready to surround him.

Meleager felt the holy light fill him as he cast a seal of light on himself and then unleashed it on the troll in front of him. It reeled back in pain and swung wildly which he easily evaded. The other two rushed in to attack, and he unleashed another wave of light, consecrating the ground around him. They screeched in pain and fell back, waiting for another opening.

The large troll swung at him again, this time with more precision, but Meleager was able to deflect it with his own sword. Still he could feel the force of it ringing through his whole body and realized how strong the troll was. He quickly ducked and countered just under its arms, slashing its chest and getting in position behind it. It howled in pain and tried to spin around, but Meleager had already swung again, this time catching it under at the knee. He heard a crack from the force of the blow and a good sized cut had formed.

The troll fell under his own weight, and crashed to his knees. Meleager then hit him again with the flat of his blade on the head, and it went down completely, but still breathing. The other two rushed in to help their comrade, but we're easily scared back when Meleager spun around with his blade outstretched.

There was a tense silence as they faced each other, the other two knowing they were no match for him face to face. Suddenly there was a flash of light and he was momentarily blinded. When he could see again, he couldn't see them anymore. Rogues?, he thought. To be sure he let another consecration go, but there was no one around. He heard the sounds of running and realized they were trying to get away.

He turned to the third who was coming back around and looking up at him expectantly.

“Where are the people you attacked here?” he asked roughly.

“Burnt...eaten...we ate their souls mon.” It let out a cackling laugh.

Meleager let anger flash across his face, and the troll noticed and added, “but some we be givin to our masters, in Zul'Drak...they be on their way now mon. We be rewarded for our service to the new king of these lands.” It laughed again, and then suddenly began to splutter and cough, blood coming from its mouth. Meleager realized it had poisoned itself, and moved to clear it, but it was over too quickly.

Meleager looked up from the twisted visage before him, and saw that Calyn was still there, staring at the troll in sheer horror. All the color had drained from her face and she was shaking.

He went up to her and gently put a hand on her thigh. She started but then calmed herself.

“Calyn, I need to go after them, to try to free the survivors, I'll drop you off at the next outpost.”

She shook her head, “No, I want to go with you. I-I need to see if they're still alive.”

He let it drop for now, and got back on the horse, taking off towards the fallen empire of the trolls.