Beneath broken stone and warped metal, a solitary raven panics as it senses imminent danger. It escapes certain death mere seconds before the structure finally crashes to the ground. On soaring above the devastation, the bird spies a wet-eyed woman...
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"Apologies," Illidan entered the room. "The beasts are fed. Now you have my full attention."
"Beasts? You have more?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. I have embraced some long-forgotten memories recently, and a love of the Sabers was one of them. Beautiful creatures."
"What do you do with them?"
"I simply rescue those orphaned or injured from the Legion attacks and ensuring they are in good health before I release them to the wild again."
Silence prevailed. Strangely, I found myself at a loss for what to say next. There was so much I needed to convey, but knowing where to start was eluding me.
"Why don't you two go catch up while Arcaena and I see to Ocel," Sarah suggested. Sarah could read a situation as well as my mind.
Illidan nodded in agreement and he then led me to another courtyard.
On our way, we met the young girl who Arcaena had sent to get refreshments. Illidan grabbed a couple of goblets and a bottle of wine, apologising that she would need to replenish her tray for Arcaena. The girl smiled and said it was not a problem.
"Early for wine is it not?" I asked him.
He laughed softly. "It is never too early for such a wondrous vintage."
He stopped beside a raised flower bed where some benches, draped in soft throws offered us a place to sit. A stone structure served as a small table for our drinks.
We clinked goblets and took a sip. It was sublime.
"A very fine vintage indeed," I commented. "I must add it to my cellar."
"I have ample, you will take some with you."
"Thank you." We sipped again.
A moment or two passed before I could utter the words I needed to say. "I cannot thank you enough for what you did for me. And for Sarah, of course."
Illidan's amber eyes flared slightly and he smiled. "It was the least I could do, my friend."
"But I was so... well, dreadful."
"You were merely influenced by a force more powerful than most, and you were not the only one. That aside, however, I owed you. You and Sarah, for bringing me back and reuniting me with my wife and my Ill..." He stopped; a wan smile stretched his lips.
It offered me the opportunity to ask what I was curious about. "How does it feel, Illidan? To be as you once were, without the demons, the fel?"
The Night Elf looked up and surveyed his surroundings, gathering his thoughts before answering. "Odd, sometimes; almost as if I am... incomplete. By being purged of those abnormalities, those scars and my suffering, I have somehow... lost myself."
