Journeys - 1 (Edit/Expanded) (Patreon)

A/N: Sorry about the repost, but in order to get back into things I needed to re-do this chapter. The ending segment is entirely new and what was causing hangups on writing the next one; I struggled, hard, with the transition to being on the ship.

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I hummed lightly as I ran my fingers through the hedge's leaves, twigs and branches curling at my touch, trying to latch on and bind me – before they recognised who I was and became almost affectionate. "Another pass, I think." I murmured, noting how well the new blackwald thornvines winding their way through the hedge were doing; the vines were healthy despite the different conditions, but hadn't reacted as quickly as the hedge had. "Needs to be just a tad more aggressive."

Reaching the riverside I tied the enchantment into the reeds that decorated the waterfront of my home before turning around to reinforce it further; nothing I did here would be enough to stop someone determined, but I could at least deter idle intrusion. The memories I had made here were worth that much effort at least.

Coming home had been peaceful, a chance to relax properly without any looming task that had to be done that had been absent for... far too long. The changes that had been made, the additions, had only made that length of time more blatant.

Frazzle had well and truly made herself at home in my absence. A new loft had been added over the workshop, which itself had been reorganised and expanded again, fitted for a gnomish inhabitant; the water tower had been redesigned with a more efficient lifting screw rather than buckets, and I had a small pier on which a miniature steamboat had been moored.

From summer to harvest, my trip to Dalaran, aiding the refugees at the wall, the godsdamned Scourge, and the rebellion... besides a few days here and there, when I'd been too exhausted to notice or care, I'd been gone for most of the last year. My gnomish friend had lived here more than I had in that time.

Looking back at my cottage, homely and comfortingly simple with its cheerfully smoking chimney, the softly creaking waterwheel... I wondered if I'd ever have the chance to again.

My heart ached a little and I ran a hand through my hair, pulling my ponytail over my shoulder to fiddle with it. The thought of never coming back niggled at my mind; could I really justify spending my time in Crowford, wandering out to heal bruises stemming from bouts of boyish stupidity? Afford to walk through fields to bolster the flocks before shearing season? Take the time to talk with farmers, advising them on the weather and blessing their crops? We had survived the Scourge, managed to defang the Worgen early, come out of the Northgate Rebellion well – even if sodding Liam was proving far more like his father than I'd hoped for – and plans were already underway to mend more broken ties. 

Yet, that was barely the start of the troubles that threatened our world. Knowing what I did, knowing that while hardly a match for the greats of the world I was not weak, how could I justify going back to a simple existence being a village witch?

"At least I've stopped something already." I huffed, finishing up my work with the protections. Alterac valley should be derailed now; the world didn't need the endless conflict between the Alliance and Horde and that was one, minor, step in the right direction. But there was so much else that I knew I was missing, and, with how much of a mess the timeline I vaguely knew was, any thought of when something might happen was little more than guesswork.

I found myself frowning. Thinking of the orcs got me thinking about how I had ended up in that situation. Sure, getting Princess Tess a wolf had been fine, and adorable – almost as cute as Trix with Tricks – but Liam had been such a bastard about things.

Tulvan I had understood, in its twisted and distrusting way, had been a test. A way to ensure that I was, at least nominally, under the control of the king. To make me clean up my 'own' mess in the form of the woman I'd escorted back to her base of power and lent myself to her victories in the north. 

It hadn't even been the killing itself. I couldn't even try to count how many had died by my hand, to my magic, at this point. Death... wasn't the problem. I fought, I killed, and people died. It was the premeditated way I'd had to go about it: Watching and listening to her speak with her men, waiting until she was alone and defenceless, and then exploiting that.

How many people in Gilneas could have done anything at all to stop me doing the same to them? Violating any sense of safety they might have, coldly killing them in their own homes?

That was an application of my skill-set, an aspect of what I was capable of, that I would have been perfectly happy never exploring.

Still, whether or not I thought that I needed to be the one to perform the deed, I understood both why it had been done and why Liam had wanted me to do it. It made our relationship uncomfortable, stifled the possibility of closeness, but not killed it.

No, what soured my opinion on the king had been when he wanted me to undermine Celestine and Aderic's authority. To use my reputation to gift him some minor applause without care to what it would do to my relationship with my aunt, Speakers, and the Order of Amber as a whole.

I was radical enough without adding more fuel to that fire, thank you so very much.

My loyalties were to Gilneas, but not only Gilneas. The Order I'd helped found, my friends and family, Vivi, Trix and Tricks... Lord Renard, Rokri, even the Alliance and Azeroth as a whole. Gilneas was my home, my country, but the authority of the crown came far behind so much else. Liam could go stuff it. If he wanted to be beloved by the people he could manage on his own merits, not by riding on the coattails of 'The Miracle Witch'.

"Not worth thinking about." I huffed, shaking my head and putting Liam out of my mind. There was nothing I could do about who he was, and at least he was taking the right steps for Gilneas. "More than enough else to worry about as it is."

"You would know better than I." Darius said, stepping up beside me and looking out over the river. "Deep thoughts before our journey, Gwyneth?" He asked, though he didn't give me much of a chance to answer. "I must admit, I've found myself melancholic of late. I care little for my family's legacy, not when it compares to the well being of our people, but to be without my daughter..." He trailed off, a wistful smile on his face. "It is a truly wretched joy to see one's child grow and thrive, to watch them depart and make their own path. Proud as I am, my home feels empty."

Humming in agreement I looked up at my liege lord. Lorna could, physically, visit quite easily at any time. Donovan saw to that. The problem, as I'd heard from both her and Darius already, was that he couldn't be seen to have too much influence over her lest it seem like the rebellion had won and drive the royalists into an uproar.

They still conferred, Lorna writing to ask for advice from her father, or simply to keep in touch. But a pretence of distance was distance enough for the close-knit Crowley family to feel dearly.

He would get a chance to say goodbye before we left at least. Too much was hanging on our mission for the king and queen to be absent, and some measure of pageantry was inevitable to go along with the christening of the ship. It would, much like at Tal'Doren, be wrapped in the business of Darius' role as Gilneas' chief diplomat, however – forcing them to stay at arms length whenever onlookers might be present.

"Our lives move on, whether we want them to or not." I said, with no little melancholy of my own. 

Darius chuckled lightly, glancing down at me with a wry smile on his face. "We have certainly come a long way since the days you entered my home and sought to prove yourself useful with your magic and win my trust. From taming gryphons to befriending savages, fighting demons to winning wars, enacting miracles and now being sent to bargain with kings."

"The bargaining with kings part is all you." I shot back, eyes narrowed even as his eye sparkled with amusement. "No one wants me making treaties, they'd be dire." I tossed my ponytail back over my shoulder as he started chuckling again. "Honestly, I'd rather settle down, teach my students, and just... live." Home. This really was home to me, just like Robin's farm had been. Peaceful, comfortable, and simple. 

I would like nothing more than to live a life of waking up in Vivi's arms, coming down to a cosy kitchen where Trix was begging for lessons, only to be interrupted by someone asking for help. Not against monsters, demons, or dire dangers but simple hurts and needs.

"Being a village witch again, not having to worry about the world..." I sighed wistfully. As much as I might want that life, I didn't want to be the person who would abandon the world to pursue it. "It would be nice."

Darius patted me on the shoulder, his smile growing fonder. "Power may grant freedom from many things, but it does not grant freedom from one's own sense of duty and morality. "Our country needs us still, how are we to refuse without hating ourselves?"

Averting my eyes I huffed. "Yeah, yeah. The reward for a job well done is more work." It didn't matter that I couldn't snap my fingers and solve all the problems around me. It didn't matter that there were those stronger, those more powerful, or more skilled. It didn't matter that there were enemies that I couldn't fight alone. My words and Darius' aid had saved tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people. "That doesn't mean I have to like it!" I grumbled for the sake of complaining. "And what about you, anyway? Not worried about neglecting Crowford for so long?"

"The town will be in good hands." He answered, an amused rumble still lingering in his voice. "Howard has served as my steward long enough that he can manage the duties, and he shall have his wife to support him. I fear your presence will be more dearly missed than mine – Sister Roper has found her stride with the Light thanks to Sir Magroth, yet that leaves us without a witch."

My lips quirked into a smile easily, belying my real emotions beyond the faux-annoyance I was trying to project. People wanting a witch around was a change I was too proud of to not be happy thinking about.

Having thought of a solution, I turned back towards my house again– "Oh! Vivi!" I exclaimed, spotting her lurking. 

My smile expanded across my face at the sight of her shining red hair and gorgeous eyes, I skipped up to her and grabbed her hand, my train of thought thoroughly derailed. "How long've you been standing there? I didn't even notice you!" I blamed the wind, it really enjoyed helping her sneak up on me for some reason.

So long as it was Vivi, it was fine. She could sneak up and surprise me all she liked – if it let Trix do it, we'd have problems.

"I didn't want to interrupt your talk." Vivi said softly, an equally soft smile gracing her sweet lips.

I puffed up my cheeks for a moment, then pulled her into a hug and rested my head on her shoulder. "You're my girlfriend, Vivi, and this is my house. You can't be interrupting when you're supposed to be here!" Her arms pulled around me, holding me close, and I luxuriated in the warmth and safety of her embrace. "It wasn't a private conversation anyway."

"Indeed it was not." Darius' agreed with me, and also prompted me to pull back slightly, shifting so that I was only holding Vivi with one arm – sad as that was. As was often the case, he watched my improper affection with a fond eye. "Merely idle conversation before our journey begins. Though, with the day drawing on, I believe we should complete our preparations."

Annoyingly, he was right. "I've secured the garden as much as I can now, so I'd best get back to packing." Stretching, I gave Vivi a peck on the cheek. "Gotta talk to Mama too." I told her before skipping away, my day feeling better from Vivi's presence in it.

Hopefully Mama hadn't gone overboard in helping me pack... and, more importantly, she wouldn't be too adverse to my new idea. Weak as she might be she knew how to be a witch, had the ability to provide for those who needed the skills or knowledge of one, and she wouldn't be alone. My apprentices, Sister Roper, it would be enough in my absence.

She could teach them the lore, which I hadn't been comfortable teaching prior to the Order's founding, that I'd been neglecting too! Like she had when I was a child. All I'd need to do was get her to agree.

-oOoOo-

"Mama," I huffed, wrapping my arms around her reassuringly, stop fretting, you'll be fine." She immediately returned the hug, and, after so long it finally felt right again; I think I was finally forgiving her. "Merigold'll help out like I used to, and no one's stupid enough to try and run you off – they all know better than to try!"

If someone didn't they'd quickly come to regret it, even if I wasn't here, even if Darius' power had been cut back severely, his household guard still respected me and would step in. If that wasn't enough, Heather had started talking to me again and could cause more than enough issues on her own – and then there was Richard, who could pull down noble influence on any ne'er-do-weller.

She breathed sharply. "But–"

"Nuh-uh!" I cut her off. "You'll be doing me a favour, and someone needs to teach my kids the stories and myths like you did for me. I left it alone for the longest time, you not being an official witch, but... that's past. Even if you can't teach them magic, you can teach them our history." 

Letting go I smiled at her, taking a moment to take in the oddity of Mama being of a height with me – we were both short, but she was still tall in my mind. A child looking up, literally, to their parent. "You taught them to me, after all."

Mama shook her head slowly, but despite her clear worries and misgivings she managed to smile. "Not all of them, and you knew so many stories before I ever told you a single one..." She took a deep breath, her hands clinging to mine and tightening until they shook, but slowly nodded. "But I'll do it. For you. I... there might be better, but they have their own duties, don't they? I'll help as much as I can."

"That's all I ask." I said, beaming happily. No matter that she was scared, almost terrified, at the thought of returning to being a witch in any capacity, it felt right  to see her returning to her roots. "I wish I could stay longer and help plan lessons, but..."

"You have a carriage to catch." She finished for me. Leaning forward, a nervous and hesitant pause slowing her somewhat, she placed a kiss on my forehead. "Safe journeys, my little blessing. May... may the Dreamweaver watch over you and the fox guide you through danger to return home once more."

I puffed out my cheeks indignantly. "It's not like we're going anywhere dangerous!" Travelling through Hillsbrad, even with the Alterac Mountains between them and Lordaeron proper – and the Scourge – had been far more dangerous. "Even if the ship sinks, which it won't, I can fly!"

Her smile faltered as I mentioned the ship, her mouth opening to speak but the words sticking in her throat. I was having trouble puzzling out exactly why when we were interrupted.

"Gwen!" Vivi called from the garden. "I've finished packing and loading the horse, are you ready to head to the manor? Darius'll be waiting for us by now!"

"I'm finished, just talking to Mama!" I called back. I could easily just fly to Keel Harbour, catching up even if they set out a day or two ahead of me, but I wasn't about to refuse to sit next to Vivi for hours on end, though I had packed numerous books. Cuddling up in a carriage was good, cuddling up with a book to read was better.

Mama looked out towards Vivi,  her expression flickering between regret, pain, and a deep-seated worry. After a moment she swallowed loudly. "Gunther never said much. Not about anything." She spilled out in a rush. "But, but he talked about Drustvar, the forests there. If... If." She quivered, blinking away tears. "If you want to look." She sounded so small as her eyes fell, and it clicked why she was acting the way she was.

She was scared she was going to lose me. That I'd find my father and... abandon her, like he abandoned her, like she... abandoned me.

I wasn't sure what I'd do if I actually found my father. But knowing how much he'd hurt Mama, how little care he'd given to a young woman he'd seduced on a foreign shore, I certainly wasn't going to be kind. "I'm not going to choose him over you." I said softly, my hand going to her shoulder and squeezing. "If I look for the Wicker Men–" That was what Jaina had called them, if I remembered right. "–it won't be for him. It'll be for the Order, to strengthen our knowledge of the Old Ways, to broaden the horizons of not just me but all witches."

"If... if you do..." Mama blinked away more tears, old hurts welling up anew. "Don't let... don't let me get in the way of using him. He owes you for not being there. For not– for–" Her hands clenched around mine, trembling again. "Just– make it worth something."

Nodding seriously, I squeezed her hands back. "I will." Now I had to find them. "Love you, Mama. Take care of Triss, Merigold, Merrie, Trent, and Howard for me."

Mama pulled my hands up to her chest, holding them tight, and started to cry in earnest. "Of course. I love you, Gwen. So much."

We stood like that in silence for a minute or more before Vivi started calling after me again and more insistently, demanding my attention and time. I was glad for the goodbye  – for the days we got to spend together preparing for my trip; cleaning and packing everything away, sorting out my clothes for the cold mountain winter, practising bits of a khazud phrasebook with each other... It was so much like the older, more peaceful days, when we had been travelling alone and each day had been a lesson on something new.

-oOoOo-

As Vivi and I reached the Crowley Manor and our awaiting carriage, my fingers trailed along my scarf, which Mama had poured all her heart and soul into making. We'd stood together for some time in silence, a sad yet comfortable goodbye. I was truly glad she had been there to help me prepare – even if it had just been cleaning and packing, helping prepare proper cold-weather clothes for a mountain winter – it had reminded me of the old, more peaceful, days when we had been travelling.

Where everything had been something we did together, from cooking our meals to stitching worn down clothes into something new.

"I told you we were holding them up!" Vivi scolded as the staff secured our luggage along with the rest atop the carriage's roof. "What do you think would happen if we were late for the ship?!" 

I rolled my eyes at her. "That's why there's leeway in the schedule, Vivi."

"Still! The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get there! We're sailing across the sea and going to see the world, Gwen!" Vivi exclaimed impatiently as she climbed up into the carriage, showing off the same infectious excitability that she'd had when we were going to find the Frostwolves. "And with so many people working on this you shouldn't keep them waiting!"

"We appreciate your concern, Lady Mistmantle." Rodger said politely as he held the door open for us. "However it has been of minor inconvenience to have our Lord present for a little time longer."

"We will arrive before our day of departure regardless, and I will not begrudge a young woman saying goodbye to her mother." Darius said, his eyes closed as he relaxed peacefully. "Were the circumstances different, Irwen would be able to travel to Keel to say her farewells alongside others – however, so long as Speaker Celestine calls that area her home, she cannot. "

Humming happily at Vivi's – adorable – pout, I followed in after her. "Thank–" I stopped halfway inside, blinking in confusion as I stared at Darius – or, rather, the person sitting beside him. Trix, a bag clutched to her chest with an expression that could only be described as defiant terror etched onto her face as she met my eyes. "Trix?"

Tricks' presence, tucked in at her side, was less baffling than hers. I'd half expected my foxy friend to show up at some point – she'd stopped sticking by my side religiously, but she was still around more often than not. Trix, on the other hand, hadn't given any indication she wanted to come with me. Even when I'd said goodbye to my apprentices, told her how Heather had offered to take her on while I was gone, she hadn't said a damn thing.

She tensed, pulling her bag tighter but not averting her gaze from me. "I'm your apprentice! I'm supposed to stay with you!" She blurted out loudly. "Even if it means going far, far away!"

My heart lurched uncomfortably. With how long she'd been away from her family already, trapped by the king and helping me with so much else, I'd have thought she wanted to spend time with them. "What about your parents? And your little brother–" Her face flashed with disgust, which rather declared her opinion of the toddler. "–they'll miss you."

"I'm twelve, nearly thirteen." Trix stated flatly, though it sounded as if she was trying to convince herself as much as me. "Apprentices go to live with their masters at my age. It's normal."

I nodded slowly. It was normal... for tradesmen. And, for the most part, for boys, while women lived with their mothers for longer rather than travelling away to live with another. The perils, and stupidity, of puberty carried greater consequences for girls, after all.

That and Gilneas being somewhat equal, but hardly perfect, when it came to the sexes.

Letting out a long breath I looked at Darius, whose eyes remained closed but a faint smile rested on his face. He was aware, and at the very least accepting then. There was just one more thing beyond that. "Well, if you're set on coming..." I paused dramatically, waiting for her to smile. "And you have your parents permission, Twix, then you can come."

"It's Trix!" She blurted out indignantly. "I'm not a sweet!" Beside her, Tricks yipped her agreement – Trix was more sour than sweet to her nose. It took a moment longer for Trix to process my question, puffing up her cheeks angrily as she did.

Before she could snap out an answer, Darius did so for her. "Mister Rhys has given his daughter into your care for the duration of our travels, with my assurances as to her well being." He said, nodding to the girl at his side. He was staking his reputation, at least amongst the villagers, on her being in good care – not that I needed much encouragement to treat my apprentice well. "In truth, he and his wife were reluctant prior to witnessing Miss Rhy's friendship with Princess Tess. They have little understanding of, or ability to provide, what is necessary for one whose life is now attached so closely to high society."

As he explained more clearly what was going on, Trix flinched and looked down, an irritated pout forming on her lips. One only made deeper as Tricks chirped with clear amusement at her predicament.

"Mother looks at me like I'm posh now. Even asked me if I'm gonna get betrothed to a noble and become a lady or something." Trix grumbled, abandoning her tension to gesticulate wildly, almost smacking Darius in the enclosed space. "I don't wanna be a lady! Just a witch! A fox like you, and learn magic and– and they'd have me go to parties instead of learning!"

"So, part of your reasoning is to escape from troublesome princesses?" I asked, an amused smile tugging at my lips.

"Yeah!"

Her response, swift and without thought, was perfect. 

I burst out laughing, Vivi giggling alongside me, and I reached out to pat her on the head – Mama was my height, but Trix was... almost there. No Emmaline, shooting up like a weed, but she'd beat me out eventually. I wouldn't be able to do that much longer.

"It isn't up to me whether you can become a fox." I told her, still grinning as she pouted. "But I think you'd make a wonderful fox. Isn't that right, Tricks?"

She lifted her head, taking a moment to examine Trix carefully, then hissed out that she was missing something. Her tails swirled in and out of focus around her as she focused, then, from atop Trix's blonde head, sprouted a pair of ethereal, almost electric blue, illusionary fox ears. Just like the ones Tricks herself had.

Satisfied with herself she chirped her agreement that Trix would make an excellent fox, planting her head on Trix's lap almost possessively.

It was adorable.

"What're you looking at?" Trix asked as Vivi and I started giggling again. As we shook our heads she looked at Darius, but he had turned his head to hide his smile and stare out the window. "Tell me!"

"Nothing of consequence, dear Patricia." Darius said, though even he had a tremble of laughter in his voice. "Driver, if you would kindly take us away." 

A moment later we started trundling down the road, all the while Trix tried to wheedle out of us what had happened. I definitely needed to practise my fox illusions more, enough to catch up with Tricks at the very least. And... seeing Trix's indignant pouting I couldn't help but wonder about the ethics of inflicting – I mean introducing her to more royalty.

King Magni had a daughter, didn't he? I vaguely remembered something about a kidnapping. Then there was Jaina, who was technically a princess – and awesome besides – and though Anduin might be a prince, he was, well, pretty enough to be a princess from what I remembered.

It was an idea that'd provide a good portion of my entertainment for the days long stagecoach ride.

-oOoOo-

"–now, with the commissioning of the Indefatigable, the first of a new breed of Gilnean ships, we chart our return to the waves! Not only to remind the world of Gilnean brilliance, of the resilience and ingenuity of our people, but also to seek to set right wrongs committed against the brave sailors of our nation!" Liam called out over the crowd, Lord Candren standing proudly at his side – a wide and satisfied smile on his face visible even from our high perch. "First, to Kul Tiras, to call home those that fled – rightly and wisely – the loss of their livelihoods. Let the sons of Gilneas, of Keel Harbour, come home, and let it be known they are welcome as they always ought be!"

The crowd roared in approval at his words. Despite the return of shipbuilding to Keel Harbour, the shipyards expanding to replenish what had been lost, the return of those who had fled Genn’s order to dismantle all Gilnean vessels would be the return of Keel Harbour’s prosperity.

It would be hard to find something the people cared about more than the thought of their sailors returning. 

Liam stepped back, letting Lord Candren take the fore for a moment. "I can say, without question, that none could have exceeded my expectations more than the people of Keel! Here we stand–"

Tuning out the beginnings of the patriotic speech, and the detailing of the mission I already knew intimately, I turned to the smallest of my fellows sitting in the crow's nest of the Indefatigable. "I'm still impressed you managed to design a full ship, Frazzle." I told her. "I know I saw the prototype back home, but when did you even find the time?"

"If she made the small one, couldn't she just make it bigger?" Vivi asked, her eyes still on the ceremony below.

"Not at all!" Frazzle chirped, her head shaking wildly. "There's so many things different between a proof of concept like the Riverspinner and a full scale model that I couldn't even begin to describe them! Just the material tolerances alone took weeks of calculations, and if Gilneas' steel wasn't up to standard it wouldn't have even been possible at all. Why, if the tensile strength was just six taums less I wouldn't trust the pressure vessels one bit.

"And then there's machining the parts." She continued babbling, to the rising distress of Trix whose eyes were going wide at the rapid fire explanation. "Easy enough when each one can be mounted on a lathe and cut precisely, but for the ducting with pipes as big as a gnome? Why, if La– Queen Lorna hadn't had her people assemble a full workshop in the capital the engine would never have been made at all.

"Not to mention other considerations, supplying fresh water for the boiler means a Waterstone like those the Kirin Tor use at sea for–"

"Okay, okay!" Vivi put up her hands, almost ready to cover her ears. "It's difficult. I should've known, Gwen always talked about how hard making things was. The steam-engine thing is complicated."

I giggled as Frazzle crossed her arms and huffed at being interrupted. There was a lot that went into making the ship work, but work it did. We weren't setting out on something that was untested.The naming and sea trials had been done weeks ago, and if worse came to worst, there were still masts and sails. "But really, when did you get the time?"

"Oh," Frazzle hummed, "I can't take all the credit, I had a lot of help with the planning. The Ironhome went with the Kalimdor Expedition, you know? There were plans, they just needed to be adjusted. And..." She paused, nodding to herself. "Gilneans aren't half-bad engineers, really. If a bit boring."

"High praise." I snickered, knowing that boring was also what dwarven engineers got called by gnomes. Before I could start a new topic, Liam's voice rang out from below.

"And, lastly, Lord Darius Crowley is tasked with bringing the Gilnean cause to the Alliance, to renew our bonds!" Liam spoke over the hubbub of the crowd, presenting the man beside him. "United we shall push back the monsters beyond the wall, strike back at those that stole from us, and reclaim Gilneas' place in the world! Let us remind Kul Tiras of the power of our cannon! Stormwind the cleverness of our generals! Lordaeron the weight of our guns! Dalaran the wisdom of our witches! Gnomeregan and Ironforge the might of our industry! We shall show them all what it means to be Gilnean as we prove ourselves once and for all!"

I didn't like the rhetoric much, the push for Gilnean superiority, but if it certainly stirred the pride of the onlookers. Painted our return to the Alliance less as us begging for aid and security and more as the 'bigger man' offering a hand to our fellows. Those furiously taking notes, scribbling down the speech, would no doubt spread the words far and wide; like it or not, it should do what it needed to.

By choosing to not take part in the ceremony, by deciding against standing beside Liam as he gave his speech, I didn't have much room to complain over the contents anyway.

Darius bowed to our young king, and again to the crowd. "We who have survived much, endured the horrors of the Scourge, fought for what was right and become all the stronger for it have little to prove. Save our honour and forthrightness, which with the Light and Old Ways as my witness I swear to do as I always have."

Signal given, Archbishop Rowan glowed with Light. "Go with the Light's blessing, bring our sons and daughters home and mend the brotherhood of the Light's people."

With a huff, Celestine strung a knotted rope around Darius' arm. "You go far from home, but Gilneas goes with you. Remember home, remember your people, and remember our ways. I bid you safe travels and fair winds till you return."

As she stepped back, Celestine looked up to me, a sharp nod telling me what was going to happen next. She held my gaze as she let out a breath of will, the breeze tickling my ear as it surged into a gale and filled the Indefatigable's half-furled sails – straining the mooring ropes holding the ship to the pier.

I held up a hand to wave goodbye. We'd spoken properly the day before, saying our farewells. It had been an awkward and sorrowful thing, seeing the farm and the Tolbeckers again. I had to explain to Robin, no matter that he already knew, what had happened to Thomas in person, to his wife why their child would grow up without a father. 

There had been no way I could save him, not then, not now, but I had grieved his loss again all the same. 

And, past the loss we all felt, the ramifications of my decision to bring the orcs to Tal'Doren had left a tension between me and Celestine that neither of us much enjoyed. She hadn't approved of my actions, of the orc's presence, of their existence at all – that much was plain enough, for all she couldn't say it openly. Not with Lord Renard's interest in them and their people.

Yet it was clear she still cared. With my journey taking me to Kul Tiras she'd made the assumption, that I was going to seek out my father's people. Warning me of potential dangers, offering support to open a dialogue – weary and reluctant support though it might be – and embracing me before saying goodbye.

I could've done without the unsubtle warnings about not following in Mama's footsteps, though. I wasn't about to leave Vivi!

As Darius began making his way up the ramp onto the ship Celestine nodded once more and our eyes parted. She wasn't looking forward to more changes to her way of life, to more things that would upend the order of things, but we were still family.

"Goodbye Howard!" Vivi yelled, waving furiously at her sibling and his wife on the shore. "I'll tell you everything when we get back!"

The ship's whistle, a release of steam from the engine screeched fiercely and the crew shucked the mooring ropes holding us in place. In moments the sails unfurled and caught the full force of the wind, pulling us away from the port. Thousands of voices called out their well wishes, ribbons and flags waving back and forth along the shore.

Joining Vivi in her waving I felt her excitement infecting me. I'd been to Dalaran, crossed the Hillsbrad Foothills, and even climbed into the Alterac Mountains to find the valley. But now... Kul Tiras, Gnomeregan, Ironforge... this was a real journey.