Musings of an Azeroth Mage Book 3

Musings of an Azeroth Mage (Book 3)
:- by Archin
==-9-==
And so, I have done it. I have left Dalaran. 
<BR>
<BR>I have thrown away over twenty-five years of my life. 
<BR>
<BR>And I dont regret it. I fear it, but I do not regret it. 
<BR>
<BR>That arrogant worm Higord, trying to muscle me around and make my personal decisions for me. I would have expected that he would respect my decisions a bit more, but clearly I was wrong. 
<BR>
<BR>I should have known better. I should have known that a superior Mage would never consider the situation or beliefs of an inferior Mage. 
<BR>
<BR>Inferior Mage! 
<BR>
<BR>The mere thought of being considered inferior burns in my chest with a fire that cannot be dispelled. Inferior Mage! If I was inferior, it was only because those blasted Mages were keeping me down! 
<BR>
<BR>The immediate aftermath of my leaving has not been felt, but I do feel that there will be reverberations from behind the dome, whether I am there or not. I was a man of some respect in the schools I was a respected and liked teacher perhaps the students will come to my aid. Perhaps the young people will rally around their cantankerous professor. Or perhaps, theyll be squelched by the Magocracy, much as their misguided teacher was. 
<BR>
<BR>In any event, I am on the outside now. Im an outsider. 
<BR>
<BR>Never before in my life have I been considered or classified as an outsider. I dont like it, that is for sure. 
<BR>
<BR>I did not have the courage to tell Yumeko of my leaving. I was worried what she would think of me. Would she think me a coward? Would she think I could not provide for the family now? Was there the off chance that she was attracted, not only to my person, but to my prestige as well? 
<BR>
<BR>I cannot help but think these thoughts, though in my heart Im fairly certain that the aforementioned motive is not the case. 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko has been teaching me more of her ways. Shes been showing me the practices of the Warlocks and guiding me, as it were. Slowly, she has been teaching me the very wretched tongue that I originally hated: Demonic. Oddly enough, I catch on very quickly and after speaking it for a while it is somewhat beautiful. 
<BR>
<BR>Can a tongue be wretched when there are words for love and dear? For even in Demonic, those words do exist. I feel a bit of a darkness slide over me when I speak the words of the Legion, I do admit, and I catch myself speaking Common to her whenever I have the chance. 
<BR>
<BR>My native tongue instead of the Demons. 
<BR>
<BR>Oh, but the smile upon her face as I speak to her in that newfound language. How happy she becomes! Through her happiness do I grow happy as well! Gazing upon her, watching as our child, be it male or female, grows within her brings such pride and hope to my heart! 
<BR>
<BR>During the past few days, however, I have noticed an underlayer of Stormwind that I had never seen before. A dubious and treacherous layer of trouble that I find myself becoming increasingly mired in. 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko is a headstrong and capable woman. She is proud of her heritage, proud of her practices, and will not listen to anyone when it comes to controlling her demons. I try, oh how I try, not to speak Demonic in Stormwind with her, for it merely draws negative attention. Even if I am saying the sweetest of things to her, people cast downtrodden stares at us. 
<BR>
<BR>As we exited the Jester the other evening, Yumeko uttered some words to me in Demonic, and we rapidly gathered some attention. An Order Ordo Hereticus, I believe that was their name, claimed they wished to arrest and inquisition Yumeko. 
<BR>
<BR>Needless to say, I was not going to let my child and my companion be left in any danger. We were quickly surrounded by about four individuals, all of which stared at us like we were animals, not people! Standing my ground with my love, I argued each and every one of them down, until it was the two of us striding out of the Park. 
<BR>
<BR>Bastards some individuals think theyre above the law. A Holy Order does not grant one the power of justice and jury. Logic, facts, and documents do! 
<BR>
<BR>Nevertheless, on the evening of my newfound ouster from Dalaran, we had yet another run in with a group of religious zealots. My concern about speaking Demonic in public led us to a small, hidden tavern in the Mage District known as the Slaughtered Lamb. Unbeknownst to me, there was a crypt of some sorts beneath the tavern, and an entire Demonic Cult! 
<BR>
<BR>I was uneasy and felt out of sorts. Why, just that morning I was striding down the pristine hallways of the Violet Citadel and that evening I was walking through a dank, rotten crypt full of burning pyres and demons! 
<BR>
<BR>We encountered a peculiar trio that evening, a young girl, perhaps fifteen years of age, an older female, and a male who was dressed in a Priests garb but the shadow hung over him. The girl was sobbing in the corner as the other two leered over her, and Yumeko and I were quick to ask as to what was going on. 
<BR>
<BR>I admit, I was torn. I wanted to call the guards, to get the authorities into the crypt and have arrests be made. But then, I remembered that just the other day I was nearly arrested by the very guards I would call. 
<BR>
<BR>What a quandary what a change! 
<BR>
<BR>As we sorted out the situation altogether, the crypt was stormed by another religious order, known as the Order of the Fiery Cross. Haughty and powerhungry, the brigands wanted to arrest the Priest without any proof! The charge: possession of the small girl in our presence. However, even the girl herself asked that he not be arrested! How can the proof, so to speak, speak against the authorities and yet the charge still stands?? 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko and I defended the priest and his companions. I argued reason and duty, I argued dignity and honor, but they did not listen to me. As Yumeko stepped forward, one of the guards slapped her. 
<BR>
<BR>Slapped her! 
<BR>
<BR>Flung into a rage, a grabbed the Night Elf guard by the collar and shook him, screaming in his face. 
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<BR>It was a moment of great rage and weakness. 
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<BR>I wanted to hit him, hit him with all the strength in my arm and my heart. I wanted to dash his skull against the floor and spill his cerebral matter across the crypt. But I didnt I I couldnt. 
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<BR>Without the weight of Dalaran behind me what am I? Without the power and the prestige, I have no one to protect me from the unjust powers of Stormwind. Striking the man would have brought me great trouble 
<BR>
<BR>I pray Yumeko does not fault me for not doing more I pray she does not hate me or see me a coward. 
<BR>
<BR>As the situation spun more and more out of control, I opted on the side of caution and told Yumeko we were leaving. We were strangers, unsure of our surroundings, unsure of the players in this wretched game, and had no right to get in the way. Also, I did not want either of us arrested. 
<BR>
<BR>With a young female mage and a bartender from the Jester, a good fellow named Ilmare, we found ourselves in the basement of the Jester talking about the nights events. 
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<BR>Words like Heretics and The Other Side were used to describe us those that were being oppressed. 
<BR>
<BR>Is Archin Brey a heretic? Is he part of the Other Side? Ive always been on THE side Stormwind, the Alliance, the Light 
<BR>
<BR>now, I find myself shifting and yet, I do not mind. 
<BR>
<BR>We slept on a bed, propped up by beer barrels at the bottom of the Jester. A Mage of Dalaran in the morning a homeless rogue Wizard by evening. 
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<BR>But, as I lay in that bed and feel the warm skin of my love beside me I know I made the right decision. 
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<BR>After all, Im Archin Brey. No matter who I am affiliated with, I always make the right decision! <BR>
==-10-==
The immediate aftermath of the previous nights events were immediately felt the next morning. The moment that I awoke, I was reminded of how much my life had changed. I awoke in a cool basement, with streams of light shining through the floorboards above, which served as my ceiling. 
<BR>
<BR>This truly was not the way in which a Dalaran Mage would live. 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko lay huddled up against me, gripping my shoulder as if I was going to disappear at any moment and not come back. Brushing her hair from her face, I gently kisses her forehead and slid out of the bed. I had work to do I had to get my bearings. 
<BR>
<BR>I took a long, slow walk around Stormwind and gazed upon the capital with eyes that I had not possessed two days ago. I looked upon the guards with trepidation. Nearing the Cathedral District made my skin crawl. The moonwell outside of the Jester was a treacherous and dangerous thing. Those damnable children, who constantly run around Stormwind while their parents undoubtedly drink themselves into an early grave, served to do far more now than just annoy me. They enraged me. 
<BR>
<BR>I was wary of any member of the Crimson Hounds that I walked by and felt safer in the presence of Shadow Priests and Warlocks as they jogged past me. What a reversal! What a transformation! 
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<BR>I agonized over how to tell Yumeko that I had left Dalaran. It ate at my heart in such a way that my soul seemed to writhe inside of me. 
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<BR>I resolved to tell Yumeko as soon as she awoke. Turning and walking back to the Jester, I found the bed empty and Yumeko gone. She had left a note, telling me that she had business to do in Felwood, and that when I had returned I was welcome to join her. 
<BR>
<BR>Teleporting to Darnassus and then traveling to Astranaar, I resolved to ride to Felwood on top of my steed. As I took the northern road from Ashenvale Forest towards Felwood, lo and behold the fair Yumeko was riding in my direction. Dismounting our horses and embracing one another, I never wished to let her go again. My heart pounds with pride in my chest as I look upon her fair face. 
<BR>
<BR>However, Yumeko is no fool. She could tell almost immediately that there was something wrong. I lied I lost my nerve I told her that it was nothing. In which she asked me a very pointed, but honest question: 
<BR>
<BR>How can I be with a man how can I bear his child when he cannot tell me the truth? 
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<BR>I have been dashed to the ground by the largest ogres. I have been blasted with the fiercest arcane energy imaginable. But nothing, nothing caused more pain and sorrow in my being than that simple, honest question. 
<BR>
<BR>She was undoubtedly right. 
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<BR>I told her that Dalaran had issued an ultimatum. That if I did not retire to the Citadel and abandon her, that my order would instead abandon me. I told her that I opted to leave my old life behind and start one with her anew. 
<BR>
<BR>She was shocked, overjoyed, and dismayed all at the same time. She felt guilty that I would sacrifice so much for her, but on the contrary, it is a good thing. Though I feel a bit lost and unbalanced in my new surroundings, is it not better to be in a world in which youre in control, as opposed to being in a world in which groups of Mages control you? 
<BR>
<BR>I embraced her as I talked to her, and probably squeezed her too hard. I admit, it was a moment of great weakness, for the world around me has changed so much that I clung to her. She is the only thing solid, the only thing substantial, and the only thing I care about in my long life now. 
<BR>
<BR>I did give her a talking to about the Demonic speaking and how it could be dangerous. She was stubborn and did not want to listen, but ultimately she gave way to my request. Particularly after noting that not only could we get in trouble, but our unborn child could be in trouble as well. 
<BR>
<BR>I swear to protect her and our family at any cost no doubt about that! 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko was in the process of garnering control of one of the most powerful demons in the Legion: The Infernal. She believed that it would be helpful, perhaps, to have me accompany her and learn the ways of the Legion. I do admit, the shadow continues to look more and more appealing. 
<BR>
<BR>The established order, the one which chewed me up and spit me out, is a wretched and horrid establishment. I now understand why there are those that hide in the shadows and plot the downfall of all that is good. For after all, who is it that determines what is good and what is not but the established order. 
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<BR>That order, the Alliance and all of her machinations, have proven more than once to me that theyre nothing but a grinder of bodies and a destroyer of souls. 
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<BR>However, the machine failed to destroy this man. A warlock has saved him and has begun to show him the way. 
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<BR>I swear Ill harm the Alliance and those that dare to stand in the way of Archin Brey. 
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<BR>Just as they valued my mind on their side, they will trembled as it is poised against them 
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<BR>If there is one thing that I know, Im not a Priest, nor am I a doctor. 
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<BR>I had alluded before that I had been trained, though somewhat superficially, in medicine. But clearly I do know nothing about childbirth, nor anything pertaining to such a process. 
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<BR>I only feel comfortable writing about a lack of knowledge in my journal, surely I would never admit such a thing in public, particularly not to anyone that Im not totally and wholly comfortable with. And with that thought in my mind, the only person in which I feel truly comfortable with is Yumeko and Yumeko alone. 
<BR>
<BR>It is hard living day to day with a cynical look in my eye, but I have to nowadays. The past week has shown me a world that I did not know existed, and I have seen people that deserve not an inch of the respect or friendship that I could give. 
<BR>
<BR>However, there was a pressing matter at hand, particularly considering this childbirth: Its progressing quickly. Very quickly. I believe that the birth of a child is to span multiple months, however this process seems to be moving quickly by the week! It brings to question several queries: does it have something to do with the physical makeup of myself and Yumeko? Perhaps something to do with the union between a Mage and a Warlock? 
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<BR>Or is there something else at work here some other type of power that Im not aware of. 
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<BR>I cant believe it! In the course of one page, I have twice admitted ignorance! I really have to stop this 
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<BR>Anyway 
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<BR>It worries me to think that some other power, like the Burning Legion, is working through Yumeko and our childs physical growth inside of her but I guess it is premature to guess that, and judgmental as well. 
<BR>
<BR>Needless to say, it does appear that very soon, I could very well be a father! 
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<BR>My chest swells with pride at the prospect of fatherhood! I had sworn not to have children until after the fighting between the Alliance and the Horde was over. I wanted to bring a child into a world that was peaceful and lacked overt bloodshed but that was not how things have played out, and I am not worried or ashamed of that. It spurs me on to try to right all that is wrong in this war torn world, it gives me another goal, another compass, another direction. 
<BR>
<BR>However, I am a traditionalist and as such, so is Yumeko! I do admit that I would not have guessed her as such, but there was a nagging thought in the back of my mind and she actually brought it up! The question of marriage. 
<BR>
<BR>Far be it for anyone to expect that Archin Brey, High Mage of Dalaran, would marry a simple Warlock. But I am not the High Mage of Dalaran anymore, and I am more learned now that I was when I was stuck in the Citadel. Yumeko nervously and humbly asked the question of marriage, not just for us but for the child as well. 
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<BR>I think back to all the orphans in Stormwind and how many families have been destroyed on account of this war. I think about all the pain and suffering they must have gone through. I think of myself, losing my family when I was but a teenager, and I know the damage and emptiness that one can feel. 
<BR>
<BR>I happily obliged to marry this beautiful woman. Not just for the child, but for our hearts as well. 
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<BR>For when I look at Yumeko, my heart beats strong and my mind is at ease. I do love this woman with all of the love that I can give and I would make a proud and dutiful husband to this fair Warlock. 
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<BR>And while I am a man of ceremony, of large gatherings and very long speeches, we chose to get married quietly on that night: The Third of October. We asked a priest, Galaphile was his name, if he would marry us and though the gentleman had never done such a ceremony, he happily obliged. 
<BR>
<BR>Excitedly, Yumeko and I rushed to Stormwind. As she hurried to get changed into her dress, I put on my best Mage robes for the occasion and the two of us met Father Galaphile at the Slaughtered Lamb, in the Mage District. 
<BR>
<BR>We gathered lower in the tavern, near a large fire and amongst some of Yumekos teachers. I do admit I was slightly ill at ease with my surroundings, but Yumeko was wearing a beautiful, pristine white wedding dress which shone like a beacon of beautiful light. The contrast against her dark, comforting skin was the most pleasant and consoling contrapositions I have ever beheld. 
<BR>
<BR>We had one sole, independent onlooker: A friend of ours from a previous guild known as Siobhana and other than that, we were alone. 
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<BR>Galaphile gave a simple, yet fitting ceremony and we briefly took time to tell one another our vows. 
<BR>
<BR>How I love to speak spontaneously! I was not prepared for that portion of the ceremony, but I was proud and happy to tell Yumeko my feelings. I told her how I would forever protect her, how I was indebted to her, and how I would make the best father she could ask for. I told her how I loved her, and how I would be by her side no matter what happened. 
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<BR>She held my hand as I spoke and squeezed it occasionally what a wonderful feeling it was! 
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<BR>It was a shorter speech had I been prepared I would have made a suitable speech of around three hours, but I suppose it was better that I speak my words in a mere few minutes. 
<BR>
<BR>My how I HAVE changed! 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko then spoke to me, in the Demonic tongue, and while it threw me off once again, I grow more and more accustomed to it and I grow more accepting of it. I was happy that she would speak to me in such a way, in the tongue that she is proud of and the tongue that she feels comfortable with. She apologized for her treatment of me in the past, and she told me that she was wrong about me. She was nervous, I could tell, and was not used to speaking in such a way, but knowing that she would for me made me so happy! 
<BR>
<BR>She told me that she loved me and wanted to have a family with me, and that I was more than she had ever expected. 
<BR>
<BR>Shortly thereafter, under the authority of Galaphile, we were married and I held Yumeko in my arms not as a companion, but as my wife! 
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<BR>Siobhana took her leave and Galaphile spoke to us briefly. It turns out that after a vengeful attack on the Defias, who had murdered one of his friends, Galaphile was exiled from most of the churches in the Alliance! 
<BR>
<BR>I find it a fitting and interesting correlation with my own ouster from Dalaran, and it made the entire ceremony even more fitting. 
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<BR>Galaphile took his leave, and Yumeko and I stole away to a bed nearby to hold one another as husband and wife. 
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<BR>And while I write this, she lays in the bed silently sleeping, her lips curled in a slight smile, her hand resting on her tummy. 
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<BR>After all of this, I can safely say that I am a proud man, and more importantly: 
<BR>
<BR>I am a happy husband. 
<BR>
<BR>Mr. Archin Brey 
<BR>Rogue Wizard, Proud Father, and Loving Husband <BR>
==-11-==
What a fantastic break! 
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<BR>Utterly and absolutely fantastic! 
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<BR>I rose from my bed this morning recharged, reenergized, and ready to face another day with the positivity and sureness that I am so very accustomed to! 
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<BR>It has been so very long since Ive been able to relax and let my cares go away and thankfully, I have had the company of the my most beautiful wife, Yumeko, to spend that precious time. 
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<BR>Even if a problem does arise, the repercussions are lessened by such a degree because her fair smile and wonderful countenance is just an arms length away. 
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<BR>The past few days have been spent in the company of one another, without anyone to interrupt or interfere in our celebrations. To reflect on how problems can arise and yet I do not care, just the other evening her and I were walking through Stormwind, and I was reprimanded by a guard for having my weapon drawn in the Cathedral District and was given a fine. 
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<BR>Normally, I would be beside myself with rage and distraught over such a ludicrous charge, but I looked over at Yumeko and smiled, accepted the fine, and went about my business. 
<BR>
<BR>This is not to say that I have been unable to relax, quite the contrary. There were plenty of times during my first marriage in which I could relax and let the world pass me by. However, there was always the off chance that some brigand, a jackal, as I would call them, would start courting my ex-wife and try to steal her away from me. 
<BR>
<BR>She was a very kind soul indeed, and very tolerant of these advances, which tended to goad the jackal even closer. Meanwhile, I am not a tolerant man when it comes to my loved ones, and I would fight back and work myself into a frenzy until my stomach would burn. 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko, however, is quite different in this regard. There is an edge, a very slight, almost unseen edge to her that appears to be so very safe and rounded, but could actually slice you in half if she put pressure behind it. 
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<BR>Thankfully, I have not had to endure such a fate, nor do I believe I will ever have to. But she appears to be intolerant of others that move close towards myself, or towards herself, and it makes living life all the easier. 
<BR>
<BR>While she is able to have this edge, she also is able to be so very sweet and caring and loving at the same time! Not an easy feat! Not in the least! 
<BR>
<BR>Had someone asked me a month ago if Yumeko would make a good mother, I would have laughed and disregarded such a heinous notion. However, I see in her eyes and feel in her heart a want and need to be a mother, and a fine one she will be, of this I am sure! 
<BR>
<BR>And so Yumeko and I spent our days together in love, enjoying the brief moment of freedom from the wartorn world outside of the walls of Stormwind. 
<BR>
<BR>Yet, a duality exists inside of me. A duality that I have not experienced before. I credit it to the change of standing that I have experienced, but nonetheless it confuses me. 
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<BR>I see inside of myself, still very much a man of purpose and a man of justice. Whenever I see someone wounded, or hear someone that needs help, my first reaction is to help them. 
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<BR>Then, my second reaction is to scorn them and go about my business. 
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<BR>This internal wrestling match that I have to endure is very treacherous and taxing, and I struggle to discern which is the genuine reaction and which is fake. 
<BR>
<BR>This duality covers many layers of my life as well. I find myself wanting yearning to hurt those in Stormwind that had so carelessly thrown me aside. I find myself wishing that I could scare them all harm them all and make them wish they never were so stupid as to go up against Archin Brey. 
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<BR>And yet I think of my child and I want to be a law abiding citizen not someone that harms innocent people. 
<BR>
<BR>But are the people so innocent? 
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<BR>Dont they deserve to be punished for what they did to me? 
<BR>
<BR>Argh! Precisely the point! I cannot seem to tell just what I should do! 
<BR>
<BR>In any event, life moves ponderously on. The lad that works at the Jester, known as Ilmare, has turned out to be quite a friend and a novice Mage! He asked that I help train him, that he be my apprentice, and that I teach him the Mages craft I was flattered by the offer, though I wished to speak about it with Yumeko first. 
<BR>
<BR>Ilmare praised me up and down and spoke of how I was a great Dalaran Mage. I didnt have it in my heart to tell him that I had left I cant believe that I was worried about telling a very young Mage the truth, particularly a truth that was created through my actions. 
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<BR>Perhaps I wished not to appear a fool I am unsure. But I believe I will train the lad, Ill teach him the correct way to be a Mage, none of the nonsense that I had to endure in Dalaran. 
<BR>
<BR>Yumeko lies quietly in bed and I sit here writing in a chair. The light of a lamp casts a beautiful shadow over her flawless face, and I smile with pride as I gaze upon her. He tummy is so round now, it appears as if shell give birth soon. 
<BR>
<BR>Oh dear give birth I dont know a single thing about such a process and Ill probably be the only one around to help her. 
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<BR>In any event, I am happy. Happier than ever before. And by the looks of the future, no matter what transpires, my happiness will continue to grow just as my loves tummy and our budding family. 
<BR>
<BR>Mr. Archin Brey 
<BR>Rogue Wizard
End of Musings of an Azeroth Mage Book 3
<BR>
 [<--- Book 2] [Book 4 --->]
Category:Story