A Leave Taking

The night elf sat curled up on the chair in front of the desk. Her glowing eyes stared pensively at the items lying upon the desk and her fingers toy with a Knight-Lieutenants Alliance insignia. The insignia lay atop a pile of tabards for the various Alliance forces that she had worked for since the night elves had joined the human Alliance. Her eyes travel from the pile of Alliance items to the second pile on the desk. Her Sentinel’s armor lay folded or arraigned neatly in the second pile, a Darnassus insignia setting atop the pile.
A pair of white paws was suddenly set upon her leg and she blinks turning to look. Rupert sat up on his hind legs, his ears turned forward as he looks at her.
“Not this time my little friend, you must stay here for this mission. Tis past time I left the Alliance. I cannot follow a leader who cannot see that a war on two fronts will only loose the most important one. I cannot follow one who tells me I must kill my friends.”
She reaches a hand out and gently rubs between the white ears. The little rabbit sneezes at her and then pushes off with his back feet to land in her lap. Setting his paws on her chest and looking up at her. Merlet smiles a moment and dropps a quick kiss on his head.
“No Rupert, you’re not going.. I need you to stay here, and watch over the others for me. Fang goes with me this time, I’m not going alone, nor am I going to do something stupid there is just too much at stake to do something stupid. I am going to Stormwind and resigning my commission, and then to Darnassus.. Tis time to leave the Sentinels as well.”
She hugs the little rabbit for a moment, resting her forehead against his ears. With a soft sigh she puts him down on the floor and stands up from the desk. Quickly dressing in her armor, she slids the tabard of the Ebon Blade over her head and places the items on her desk in two separate packs. Slinging them over her shoulder she leaves the room to head up on deck. Quickly making her way to the small shrine she had made for Elune and kneeling to say a prayer.
Standing back up she looks out over the seas the Stormreaver road on. A chuckle draws her attention and she turns to see Hukari and Mioria who were standing at the prow of the ship. The tiny Forsaken woman was holding a ball of yarn in one hand and shaking her other fist at the troll for one reason or another. The snippet of conversation that flowed on the wind to her made her grin. Hukari must have threatened to use Hope as a cannonball again. The troll squatts down and sets a hand on the little brown rabbit and wraps his other arm around Mio.
Nothing and no one was going to make her kill those she cared about. The Alliance thought themselves so high and mighty and the Horde so evil. She snorts her eyes narrowing. Twas Alliance men, who had treated Mioria so horribly, made her life a living hell before she was killed by Arthas’ men in Stratholm. In the last few months she’d spent time amongst the Horde, she could even speak passable orcish without her translator, and they were no more evil than any member of the Alliance. Shaking her head she whistles for Hathir. The violet netherdrake appears and flies down to land on the deck with a shake of his great head. Scratching his nose once she smiles at him and turns to secure her pack to her back before climbing upon his back. With a wave and a big smile to the two on deck she urges Hathir into the air. On swift powerful wings the pair fly to Darnassus. With a powerful back wing, Hathir lands at the flight point once they arrive.
“Home my friend, I’ll return soon.”
She dismounts and rubs his head ridge before stepping back. The massive nether drake snorts and lifts off, turning towards home. Merlet turns and at a run, makes her way to the portal room. Stepping through the portal to Stormwind she appears in the tower in the mage district, quickly descending from it. Once on the ground she closes her eyes and calls Snowpaw and Fang to her. Snow’s swift feet carry her to the keep quickly wher she dismounts, leaving him to stand outside as Fang follows her inside. She didn’t even spare King Wrynn a glace as she runs past him and into the room which held the various battle masters she’d worked with over the years. In silence she hands each of them the tabard she had worn for their various factions. Finally she turns to the commander who had awarded her the rank she held. To him she hands over the insignia and a letter of resignation. Looking down at the items in his hand he lets out a sigh, then looks up at her, arching an eyebrow.
“There’s work for me in Icecrown. The Argent Dawn and the Ebon Blade have need of my services, tis to them I will look for my orders now.”
He nodds and attempts to hand her Alliance insignia back to her. She holds her hand up to him and shakes her head. He eyes her for a moment and with a sigh nods his head.
“Watch your back Darkendale, I hate to loose a good soldier, but from the colors you now wear, I see you’ve other duties to keep you.”
The elf blinks at him for a moment before nodding and saluting him with the utmost respect.
“Aye, I do. Keep yourself safe sir.”
Spinning on her heel and walking out she breaks into a ground covering lope, using her gifts as a hunter to move with greater speed. As she moves into the light outside the keep she draws a deep breath, setting her hand on Snowpaw’s head as Fang butts against her.
“Alright you two.. One more place to go before we get to go home. That may be the hardest..”
Sighing and sliding into the saddle on Snow’s back she runs a hand over his neck as the massive cat takes off for the harbor. Guiding him with her knees as she looks at the city around her and just shakes her head. Trying to turn the cat to follow the path she eyes the cat's head as he ignores her and leaps from the wall to the ground below in the harbor. With a growl he shakes his head and continues running down to the dock and straight onto the waiting ship. He turns his head and snorts at her.
“Missing your mate eh? Don’t want to be gone long?”
He snorted again and turned his head to look out over the ocean as the ship slides away from the dock. The trip to Auberdine was swift and as soon as the ship bumped along the dock the cat was off again, making all speed straight at the boat to Rut'theran Village. It was already starting to leave as Snow makes a mighty leap, landing them neatly on the deck. The elf arches an eyebrow at her cat but says nothing. Again the trip was swift, and again the cat was off down the dock before the boat had stopped moving. The battle saber increased his pace, racing through the portal to Darnassus. The transition didn’t slow him down, and his claws dug into the earth and stone of the paths taking them straight to the Sentinel barracks.
Merlet pulls back on Snow’s rein, forcing him to stop. Dismounting slowly from the cat and looking around at the building that had been home more than once she drops her head and says another prayer. Letting out a deep breath she raises her head and walks inside. The room held a number of beds and chests in a sort of dormatory style. In the far corner was the bed with a chest at the foot of it that she’d called her own for many a year. After today it would no longer be hers. Walking over to the chest, she stops and dropsg to her knees she begins to pull her belongings from it, stuffing them into her packs. Once it was empty, she stands and pulls her armor from the second pack. Tipping the chest lid closed, she makes her way to the Sentinel’s command center.
Sitting in her usual desk was the woman she’d called commander for countless years. Taking a deep breath she squares her shoulders and steps forward. Carefully seting her armor and insignia on the desk she steps back and salutes. A pair of stunned glowing eyes looks up from the armor to Merlet.
“What’s this Merlet? Your armor and your commission?”
“I’m resigning my commission. I’ll better serve Darnassus and her people by working with the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade against Arthas.”
The woman eyes Merlet closely. Her aged eyes did not miss the lack of any Alliance insignia, nor the new tabard.
“It’s come to this; you disagree with King Wrynn and his edicts, so you’re walking away from it. I can’t say I’m surprised.. You’ve long been one to follow only that which you felt was right.”
“He’s not -my- king, and I’ll not follow his edicts. I’ll not betray the Alliance or my people, but I’ll not kill Horde for the sake of killing them.”
“Doesn’t have anything to do with that troll does it?”
“He’s part of it, the rest is that I’ve walked amongst the Horde, they are not evil monsters, they are just people trying to survive, just like we are. Fighting a war with the Horde, the only other group strong enough to help us defeat Arthas will sign the death warrant of every living thing on the face of Azeroth. I cannot abide that, nor can I live with those orders. I may be branded a traitor for leaving, and I’ll not bring that upon the Sentinels.”
The night elf shakes her head and stares at Merlet.
“Long and long you’ve fought the corruption of the Legion, you’ve worked hard to ensure that they did not take over Azeroth. I cannot envision you doing less in regards to Arthas. I’ll take your resignation, and your armor but I’ll not file it. I’m putting you on leave, dispensation to work with the Argent Crusade and the Ebon Blade. Continue the work that you have done for your people on a different front. Tread carefully within the walls of the Horde cities.. Not all will abide your presence when they learn of your true identity. When this is finished, come back to your place with us.”
Merlet blinks at her former commanding officer, opening her mouth to speak and closing it, nodding and bowing her head.
“I’ll not shame you or the others. Should it come to pass that I can return to these ranks, I shall, if not.. May Elune shed her grace upon you and light your path.”
Raising her head she looks at the sentinel and two women stare at one another for a long moment before Merlet turns, places a hand upon Fang’s head, and triggers her hearthstone, disappearing.
Category:Merlet