Broken Captain

The Night Before

It was late at night, when the world was still and slow. The midnight sky was dark and vast; little specks of innocent light dotting its black expanse. One bright light hung above, pouring its silvery rays onto the land below. Many believed that light was sacred and pure. They worshipped it and called upon its power to augment their own. Talondressa used to be one of them.

Now, however, she stood on the balcony staring out at this sky, her arms folded and leaned against the metal railing. The only thing keeping her from jumping to her death. What would be the use, anyways? She would just come back afterwards. So there she stayed; several hundred, maybe even a thousand feet above ground, taking in what she could of the ebon night. If she focused, she could make out the faint energy of the stars. But the moon...there was no denying its power. Gentle and frigid, yes; but also strong. Thriving. Pulsing. The Moon Goddess she once served was still just as luminous and breath-taking as she had always been. The man she now served paled in comparison to her--she knew that well.

Regardless, she would always be indebted to Illidan. Nothing she could ever do would be enough to fully remunerate him. Many called him The Betrayer. A heretic. A criminal. He committed many crimes against the Night Elves, yes. But Talondressa, the others--they knew the truth. They knew the reasons behind their master's seemingly ill-meant behavior. He was the only one out of them all who would even take action. Nothing would have changed; hell, most of the elves would not be alive now if it weren't for him. His followers knew that. That's why they served him. Because they knew they could unquestionably rely on him to follow through, unlike anyone else. He alone could and would change things. Born with amber eyes, Illidan Stormrage had always been destined for greatness. And here he was even now, after everything, still doing his damndest to make things right. Talondressa admired him so for this.

But it was more than that to her. Not only did he save the Night Elf race as a whole; she felt he had also saved her, personally. He'd dragged her out of the hopeless and desolate abyss she'd found herself in--that everyone found themselves in. He told her, and many others, to get up and brush herself off, and learn to fight for what needed to be fought for: Azeroth's safety, and that of its inhabitants, great and small. Even after being labelled a criminal and a betrayer, and called a monster by the woman he loved after being rejected by her as well, his grand plan at the end of the day had never changed. Protect Azeroth, no matter the cost. After Talondressa lost her entire family and everyone she held dear, she felt as though her entire purpose for being alive had slipped away, too. But Illidan gave her a new purpose. And she became one of his Illidari.

With all this in mind, Talondressa had begun to wander the castle in silence. By now, she had ventured from her chambers and up the many tall, wide staircases of the Black Temple. Up she climbed, lost in her thoughts and worries. Visions of the past filtered through them, and she sent them away without a care. Those were old and irrelevant now. She held her head high and reminded herself of her ultimate goals: protecting her home, and obeying her master. It was all that mattered now.

Eventually she found herself at the very top of the citadel, the sky open and endless above her. The many torches were lit and blazing brightly, guiding her way across the large roof before her. She wondered why she had ended up there, but didn't think much of it. That is, until she was suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of another. She stopped dead in her tracks, eyeing the dark, shadowed blob a few hundred feet away from where she stood. The silhouette was difficult to make out, but after focusing her gaze a bit harder, she was able to recognize the energy signature. The swirling emerald power radiating off of the figure was so great and terrifying, it sent a shiver through her. It was her master. The demon within her quietly chuckled to itself.

Still afraid of him, are we? it taunted her. She ignored it. Squaring her shoulders, she took step after step towards him in a cautious but precise manner. If he were to send her away, she would not argue. But perhaps...perhaps he wouldn't mind some company? Never had he laid a hand against one of his Illidari, despite being rather rough with the demons and the Broken Draenei. He was strong and very powerful, and was definitely not a pushover. But he never used force unnecessarily. So, though her demon was technically correct in its musing, she wasn't truly afraid of him. Just...extremely intimidated.