A Struggle

She made her way back to the room where she had left Lance. Before walking in, however, she turned and thought to herself. "A couple of drinks...couldn't take me that long. He'll understand..." She turned around and made her way to the bar in the Military ward and quickly surrounded herself with many empty mugs. Her mask and hood came off and she lay sprawled on the table, sitting in the chair. Apparently, her ability to hold her liquor had lessened as of late. She was not unconscious, but she was not alert.

Lance's charger was pressed to his limit. He was worried that his conjured steed might falter...but he had never failed him before. He turned back just for a moment, seeing the apparition still pursuing him...diligently. He knew not where it came from...or why it came for him. He had simply been on his way through Duskwood. He'd helped a friend face VanCleef, and after being held up in Ironforge for so long...he'd felt like a good ride through memory lane.

He had not anticipated being on the wrong end of a vicious pursuit. His steed began protesting, and he could sense his hold on the Light, on the power he drew from it to hasten his pace, slipping. The apparition, the black, shrouded entity that now chased him seemed mere inches from the threads of his waving cloak. It came up next to him and Lance tried to ride into it, to run it off the road, the rotting, skeletal hand lashing out at Lance's face, but then the dark form simply pulled back into pursuit, edging up behind him.

Suddenly, it surged ahead, a horrible, guttural, rasping noise emitting from it as it overtook him, flying overhead and then descending on the path only a few yards in front of him. The shadow took on a shape, standing on two legs and stretching out two deathly limbs, one holding a long staff. The black robe it wore shrouded everything from view. It tilted the head of the staff towards Lance, the power glowing in the orb mounted at the end of it, but Lance didn't have time to stop, to slow down, to avoid it.

Lance's charger was struck by the dark power the apparition cast at him and as his steed crumpled in front of him, into the ground, Lance flew, flying over his steed's head and hit the ground hard, rolling. He felt bones in his arms and shoulders snap as he landed, and the pain...the agony of his crash...He tried to look up, to see...He wanted to know who...or what...his attacker was.

A bony, rotting hand outstretched, holding its palm in front of his face...and then all was darkness...

Lance's world was a blur, an unvivid haze. He thought about Mags...remembered how he'd found her, what the blood elf had done...to both of them. Images of his past, and what seemed like his future, floated around in the haze of his mind. The dark apparition, that had attacked him, appeared, looming...but his world was too dark to tell where the being ended...and the outside world began. He groaned loudly, realizing how weak he felt. His body, his mind, his voice, even his resolution seemed taxed and on the verge of dissipation.

"Who are you...what do...you want...from me?"

The being said nothing, simply floating in his mind. He felt his composure crumbling next, foreign emotions plaguing him, too much for him to bear. He tried to resist, to numb away the feelings of intense despair and sadness.

Lance sat up in his bed, a gasp, severed into two breaths, pulled into his lungs. He sighed with relief, but felt his heart rushing, felt his bedding soaked with his perspiration. He let out another deep sigh. It had merely been a dream. A horrible...vivid...terrifying...dream. As he lied back on the bed, looking over to see Mags asleep next to him, he smiled, glad to have her near.

He wanted to hold her, so badly, but he refused to wake her simply because he had had a bad dream. He rested his head on his pillow, closing his eyes, for only a moment. He frowned and whined quietly. He had no desire to go back to sleep...He felt vulnerable, and violated. As he moved a little, adjusting in his bed, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He wrinkled his forehead and pulled back the material of his black shirt. His shoulder...was black and blue...bruised and tender.

The discovery sent a fearful chill up his spine. He looked over at Mags, frowning. For the first time since being back with her...he felt truly scared...and alone. He felt determined to wait for her to wake up on her own. At least she was there...in his bed...safe...

"So, this...this person...she is attached to the blood elf...to the rogue who...to him? Why have I not seen her before? Do you know her name? I...I mean, I've never..." Lance sighed. He realized he had also never seen Bal...

No...no that wasn't true. He had never seen Bal...while he was sober... "What does this...well, for starters, what is her name? What does she look like?"

She bit her lip looking at him squinting. His questions came so quickly, she was not really wanting to relive the moments again...with him. She sighed and looked down. "Yea...I don't know...she seemed more attached to him than he to her...I mean...I really couldn't tell much...I was in and out of consciousness so often." She looked at him and then down again and continued. "He called her Ethriall...or Eth for short. She had flaming red hair pulled back...and was ...she had the cruelest eyes I had ever seen." She leaned back and lied on the bed staring at the ceiling as the memories rushed over her.

Lance frowned at her reactions, closing his eyes as he lied next to her. He wrapped his arm around her abdomen and pulled her close, nuzzling her cheek with his own. "Ok...I'm sorry Mags...I just...wanted to know." His voice dropped as he finished his thought, almost quiet enough for her not to hear. "Two rogues will be more difficult, than just one, to take down..." He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear. "It's ok Mags, remember? I'm here, and nothing is going to happen to you ever again. We're going to figure this out...just hang on..." He tugged her a little closer, as if to remind her that he was in fact there with her...and would not be leaving her side.

She snuggled close to him, closing her eyes. "Yea...I know...but you better not go after them without me...I don't think I could forgive you. If you went ...and didn't let me share in my own vengeance...you just can't do that..." She opened her eyes and leaned up slightly to look into his eyes. "Promise me...promise you won't go after them without me. I have to be there." Her eyes were begging him, her mouth was closed tight, and she sighed waiting for his answer.

Lance frowned, sighing. "It's very important to you...having a part in...their demise, isn't it?" He shifted uncomfortably. He shook his head. "I cannot promise you that when I find them...I will just...wait for you to come with me. I- ...I do not even know if my powers will be enough to take Bal...never mind Bal and Ethriall. I refuse to put you in harm's way again, Mags. I won't do it...I'm sorry...I...I can't make that promise. Hate me...never forgive me...whatever you want...but this is not something I am willing to negotiate."

She scowled at him. She leaned away from him, pushing out of his embrace. She sat up and faced away from him, swinging her legs off the bed and folding her arms. "You may not have the power to defeat them both...all the more reason to have me with you, but I certainly have the will, the motivation and the power to defeat both of them by myself!" She sighed loudly and ran both her hands through her hair and looked back over her shoulder at him with a very angry face. "Fine...if that's the way you feel...fine..."

Lance wrinkled his forehead at her, and grabbed her arm turning her to look at him. "With everything that has happened, with how reckless you have been, with how little you have heeded anyone's words, and how you have risked your life without any consideration as to how your loss would devastate those around you, are you truly going to stand by your narrow-minded stubbornness? Are you really going to just...disregard everything everyone around you says and just...plunge into danger as you seem so prone to doing? Or for once, Magdalia, are you going to consider the risks, the consequences, and consider someone other than yourself?" He stood and began to dress, all the while glaring. "Fine, if that is your decision, then go, run back to Eversong looking for trouble and death. You obviously believe that I am just trying to be callous and over-protective, that I don't just want to keep you alive and keep you safe. How could I possibly have any other motivation than just being a stubborn, worrisome old man whose powers are fading? If you really think you can take on two rogues better than you did the last time...fine, go ahead...but I...can't...keep trying to save someone..." His voice wavered a little, cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and finished his thought. "Someone who has no desire to live out their days with me..."

He armed his shield and truncheon last and started walking towards the staircase, tears in his eyes as he trembled with frustration...

She glared back at him and watched him dress. His words cut her deep and her eyes began to tear and as he headed towards the door, she leapt to her feet. "NO...Lance...wait..." She held out her hand and ran to him and stood between him and the staircase putting her hands on his chest to keep him from moving. She looked up into his eyes with tears in hers. "Lance...you're right..." She shook her head, "You are so right...I'm sorry...I just...the whole situation....I just want my vengeance...I feel so helpless...I'm just trying to make myself feel strong..." She blinked and a tear fell down her cheek along side one of her scars. "Please...don't leave me...I need you...I need your protection."

Her words stung, striking his nerves like a harp player playing their strings. It made him wince and tremble as he watched her break down. He reached out and pulled her into an embrace, just holding her against him. He helped her face find the cushioned cloth of his tabard where she could shed her tears. "OK...ok...I'll stay...I'm sorry Mags...I just...this whole thing...I just want to keep you safe...but I need your help...I need your help...to protect you...Please...just don't leave me...and don't let your desire for vengeance blind you from reason and prudency. You have to be careful...and you have to be rational, ok?"

She let a few more tears fall as her face found his tabard. She composed herself and leaned back to look at him as he asked the question. She nodded and wiped the tears out of her eyes. She still had her hands on his chest as she spoke, "I will try my damnedest to keep myself in line...I'll just go back to drinking instead of running back to trouble..." She let out a smile and winked at him. She grabbed at his tabard in her fists and pulled him forward for a kiss, pressing her lips tightly to his as she closed her eyes.

He smiled at her remark and grunted, then let himself get pulled into the kiss. She could feel the mail mesh of his glove on her cheek as he reciprocated her affection, his left arm pulling her closer as he turned his head to let his tongue search for her own, inhaling deeply, always eager to receive her lips.

She tilted her head in complement to his own and parted her lips to receive his tongue, kissing him deeply as she breathed heavily. Her arms reached around him and pulled herself closer...

When Lance awoke, he lied awake, just thinking. He leaned over to check his things, making sure they were accounted for. He realized that his herb bag was running dry. If he was going to adequately protect her, he needed to be able to make use of his skills in potions and elixirs. He kissed Mags on the forehead...and wrote her a note:

Magdalia,

I am going out...I am out of alchemy reagents and I need to replenish my supply. I will be back before the day is over. Please...wait for me. I promise to return as soon as possible.

I love you, without wax

--Lance

He rode to the gryphon master and made his way to Nethergarde Keep. He picked the various gromsblood and sungrass he was able to spot on the way up the road into the swamp of sorrows. He ran back and forth, collecting whatever he could find. But...then he came to the area where he usually picked most of his goldthorn, near Itharius' cave. Every time he had been there before, no one had occupied the space inside the cave...but for some reason, that day, someone had chosen the place for their hide out.

He rode up to the mouth and walked inside. A blood elf...Itharius was a blood elf? He held up his hand, speaking common, and told Lance that he meant no harm. He was simply looking for people to assist him...

But with what? He listened to his tale, and it sounded more and more like...he wanted to free the dragon Eranikus. Lance felt his blood surge at the thought of being able to free a dragon, to liberate the entity that guarded the sunken temple. "I need your essence of Eranikus, the capsule that contains it that you use to poison your enemies."

Without thinking, Lance agreed, and handed it over. Itharius then told him he needed to find a medium to help him communicate with Eranikus, someone in eastern Winterspring. Lance nodded and used his hearthstone to travel back to Shattrath. It was faster to use the portals to get to Darnassus instead of taking the trip directly across Azeroth. He rode out of Darnassus and down to the hippogryph master. He took the flight to Everlook and headed southeast.

He searched all day, for hours, running up and down the east side of Winterspring. He was unable to locate the person that he had been sent to find. He groaned inwardly, shutting his eyes tight. He felt like a fool. Since when did a blood elf's ability to speak common make him reliable and trustworthy? He sighed, and sat in the inn, conversing with the soldiers of the Argent Dawn while he waited for his hearthstone to cool down...

When Lance left Everlook, he was a little tipsy. The soldiers had bought him a drink or two in honor of his work that he'd done for them. He used his hearthstone to travel back to Shattrath and then used the portal to return to Ironforge. He slowly climbed the stairs and made his way into the basement in search of Magdalia.

When he'd left, it had been mid morning...it was now late evening. He only hoped that he would find her there when he returned...

Mags sat up and stretched, rubbing her eyes. She yawned loudly and ran her hands through her hair looking around. She saw the empty spot beside her and found the note that her husband had left. She held it in her lap for a moment, folding her legs under her. She contemplated what to do. She could leave and come back before he returned...but he really didn't specify when he would be back. She remembered what happened when she left the last time and the time before that. Nothing seemed to go right for her lately. She looked around the cellar that called "home" and sighed in despair.

"What a prison..." She rubbed her eyes again and put the note back on the bed while she stood on her feet. She grabbed for her armor and put it on. "I'm so sick of these walls...I'm so sick of this city...I miss...I want to go back...I miss being alone...without his..." She rolled her eyes at the thoughts going through her head. "A rogue...with a bodyguard...how pathetic." She grabbed her mask off the ground and stared at it as she raised her hand to her face to feel her scars again. They seemed so large. She gritted her teeth as she wrapped the cloth around her head and slipped the hood over the top. "I suppose it is all well deserved..." She sighed again and grabbed at the note on the bed and turned it over to write her own message:

My dearest Lance,

I know you mean well, but this prison kills me...I have gone to clear my head. You'll find me at the bar in Old Town of Stormwind. Don't worry I'll take the tram so there will be no chance of anything happening to me. Just, come find me there when you get back.

~Mags

She put the letter on the bed and grabbed the remainder of her things and headed out towards the tram station.

Lance looked around the room and felt his heart stop, his insides lurching again. He looked at the table. She had found his note...but, but why had she left?! His fingers interlaced into the strands of hair on his head as he began to pull. He groaned loudly and hurried back up the stairs. He knew where to start looking...but he could only hope that he would find her. It did not occur to him to more closely examine the parchment he had written his message on...

Once he reached the top of the stairs, he summoned his charger, made his way into the military district, and over to Bruuk's Corner. "Bruuk, have you seen Mags today?"

"Magdalia? Noh. 'Aven't seen 'er all day. Is somethin' wrong?"

Lance frowned and shook his head. "I...I don't know yet. Thanks anyway." And before Bruuk could ask another word, he was out of the bar, riding off again.

He made his way out of the military district and around the curving path that lead to the gryphon master. "Gryth, have you seen Magdalia today?"

He furrowed his forehead, thinking about it. He frowned and shrugged. "'Onestly, I see soh meny pehple, I dun't think I cud 'onestly say if she 'ad come through 'ere. But, I dun't remembr seein 'er today."

Lance frowned. This had not been the answer he was hoping for. "Ok...well, if you see her...let her know that I am out looking for her? I'm heading to the tram next. I figure...if she isn't at the bar, and she hasn't seen you...then she is probably somewhere in Stormwind. I can't think of anywhere else she'd go to around here. If Haggle hasn't seen her...I'll just do a more thorough search of Ironforge...see if maybe she is hiding from me?"

Gryth nodded. "If I see 'er, I'll tell 'er yer lookin for 'er"

"Thanks." He turned, and summoned his charger again, running back through the military ward, into tinker town, and into the deeprun tram.

He ran over to Haggle. "Hey, Haggle. I need some information...and there might be some gold in it if you end up telling me the truth..."

Haggle turned around to see Lance standing there. "Well.....how much will you give me....just to loosen my tongue to begin with, hmmm? I'm sure...a person of you're abilities can spare a few coins for a panhandler like myself..."

Lance huffed and rolled his eyes. He held out a few pieces of silver for him to see, but pulled them back when he went to grab for them. "Let me remind you...a person of my abilities...with no soldiers or onlookers here to witness...would not feel inclined to show you mercy...should you try to swindle me."

Haggle's eyes went wide. "Swindle? Me? I don't think you know me very well if you think I'd just...try to cheat a servant of the Light like yourself." He huffed and continued to express how offended he was by such an accusation. Lance...just folded his arms and arched an eye brow at him. Haggle pursed his lips and looked sideways at Lance. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh very well. Ask me what you need to know and...then we'll see."

"I am looking for a girl...a rogue. She has black hair, a hood over her face, and probably wore a set of Draenic armor. Would have come through here...today?"

Haggle's eyes lit up, but then he caught himself and turned his nose in the air. "I...might have seen someone like that today...but uh...I just can't seem to remember..."

Lance thinned his eyes and held out the coins. He then folded his arms and looked at Haggle, waiting for a better answer.

"Well, come to think of it...I did see a girl like that today."

"Oh? Did um..." Lance cleared his throat and shifted a little. "Did...did she smell like...like uh..." He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking how best to inquire. "Did she have an aroma...like...I mean...did you...catch anything...like that?"