Cambrian
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A Savage Nature Ch. 21 (Warcraft Insert)
🕑 Added 2023-05-08 22:00:03 +0000 UTCA/N: We're back for Week Four, woohoo!
EDIT: I have edited a portion of this chapter in the hopes of making Illidan's characterization a little bit better while not sacrificing the pacing/vision I have for this fic.
Basically, in the original version Illidan tried to kiss Tyrande in front of everyone. In this version, he doesn't do that but Tyrande still catches on to his assumption that she and he will eventually be able to get together now with Malfurion out of the way.
-x-X-x-
Shandris was right. The moment Tyrande heard of their plans to free Illidan and other Night Elf prisoners who could be counted on to stand up against the Legion’s Invasion, she found the strength to pull herself free of her grief. At least temporarily anyways. She was in no way over Malfurion’s loss, and she would always blame herself for not being fast enough to save his physical body… but this was an opportunity to correct another injustice.
Ten thousand years. Illidan had committed crimes against their people, to be sure. They called him the Betrayer for his actions during the War of the Ancients. And even once all was said and done, even after he’d returned to them and helped them beat back the Burning Legion’s invasion… he’d followed up his redemptive actions by creating a new Well of Eternity, proving that he’d learned nothing.
When Malfurion decreed Illidan was to be locked away deep beneath Hyjal, Tyrande had not stopped her mate from punishing his brother so severely. She could scarcely believe what Illidan had become, the actions he had taken and the things he’d done. Before he was the Betrayer, he was one of her closest friends… but no more.
Of course, she was aware that every so often, Malfurion had visited his brother over the past ten thousand years from time to time. Her mate had not kept these visits secret from her, telling her each and every time that he had once again failed to convince Illidan to repent for his actions. But Illidan never had and Tyrande… Tyrande couldn’t bring herself to visit him, to have her view of Illidan Stormrage tarnished even further.
Now though, she regretted her decision. Ten millennia was long enough for anyone to languish in chains. If they weren’t going to free him earlier, should they not have just killed him? After what had happened to her beloved, Tyrande found herself looking at the world with new eyes. Illidan’s actions might have been unjust, but the punishment must still suit the crime. Leaving him locked away for so long… freeing him now was the right thing to do. And it wasn’t just her guilt saying that.
And so she descends deep into the Barrow Deeps alongside Shandris, Lord Cenarius, and their allies. The orc druid Rognak, along with the Orc Warchief Thrall and the Human Leader Jaina Proudmoore. And… a few others that Tyrande wishes were not following them.
“I still say this is not the correct path to take. The Betrayer languishes in prison for crimes he committed the last time the Legion tried to invade our world. Let him remain in prison. We do not need his help.”
Archdruid Fandral Staghelm. Tyrande’s jaw clenches as the stuck-up, egotistical, bull-headed male speaks up as they all journey deeper into the caverns beneath Hyjal, having entered from a hidden path found on the edge of the Moonglade. Tyrande has long had an ill-opinion of Fandral Staghelm, though she’s done her best to keep it to herself. As the High Priestess of Elune, it was not her place to speak ill of one of their people’s greatest warriors. Even still…
A rumbling echoes from the hulking druid at his side as Broll Bearmantle rolls his shoulders and grunts.
“Hmm… while I am inclined to agree with you on this matter Archdruid, it is not our choice. Lord Cenarius has made his decision.”
Fandral scowls mightily at that but falls quiet. And indeed, that’s the biggest issue the egotistical Archdruid is currently wrestling with, isn’t it? With her Malfurion removed from play, Fandral likely imagines that he will be the obvious choice to take her beloved’s place. That he is now the most capable druid among their people. That is debatable, but one thing is not debatable… Lord Cenarius stands above them all.
Tyrande answers only to Elune of course, and the Moon Goddess has not spoken to her either way on this latest path they’ve started to walk. But even still, Lord Cenarius was alive long before any of them, and was a druid before the first of the Night Elves, her beloved mate, had even begun walking that path. In the end, there was nothing that the Forest Demigod could do that would diminish their people’s respect for them. Fandral would likely gain her mate’s place in due time, but for now he answered to Cenarius so long as the Lord of the Forest walked among them.
Fortunately, a commotion takes place a little deeper into the Barrow Deeps, when they find themselves accosted momentarily by furbolg desperate for aid. Perhaps sensing that Fandral is nothing but trouble, or merely sending the most capable among their number to take care of the issue, Lord Cenarius orders Fandral and Broll to peel off and assist the furbolg tribe in saving their shaman. Fandral’s huffy, poorly concealed offense at the ‘menial’ task is amusing to say the least.
Tyrande even cracks a smile for a moment as she watches the egotistical Archdruid walk away with Broll at his side, grateful to see the back of him. Then, she remembers all that she’s lost a heartbeat later, and the smile drops. They continue onward from there, with Tyrande’s shoulders set and determination in her eyes. Until finally…
“We have reached the prison. Hold for a moment.”
Tyrande frowns as Lord Cenarius holds up a hand of branches, calling for them to halt. Every fiber of her being vibrates with urgency. After how Malfurion was lost to her, she hates the idea of being ‘too late’ yet again. But… no. There are no undead here. Illidan has languished in this prison for ten thousand years. He will not die in the next five minutes.
Still, when nothing happens for a moment, Tyrande shifts from foot to foot, mirroring the impatience of the mortals with them funnily enough. The way that Rognak, Thrall, and Jaina all shift back and forth and look around in curiosity and anticipation is to be expected for such a short-lived race… and yet, here she is, involuntarily mimicking them. Letting out a quiet huff, Tyrande forces herself to stay still… even as a Keeper of the Grove steps out into view just a moment later.
“Lord Cenarius. What are you doing here?”
The Keeper sounds surprised, something that Cenarius acknowledges with a bow of his head.
“Keeper Califax. Long have you held to your duty and watched over the prisoners kept here deep beneath Mount Hyjal. Unfortunately, we come with grave news. The Archdruid Malfurion has lost his physical body, and the Burning Legion invades Kalimdor once more. If we are to fight them off, we will have need of some of your prisoners.”
The Keeper of the Grove inhales sharply at the news, his eyes widening in shock. He looks truly dismayed to hear that her mate is dead… but also uncertain of Cenarius’ orders.
“My Lord… the Watchers have kept these prisoners chained beneath the earth for many, many centuries. As far back as the last time the Legion invaded, as far back as the Sundering. Many of them are not fit for release, not even for battle against the Burning Legion.”
Tyrande grits her teeth at that. She can tell immediately… Califax numbers Illidan among those who are not fit for release. But she holds her tongue. If Cenarius were not here, it would fall to her to speak. She was the leader of the Night Elves after all. However… whether Califax would listen to her or not, the Priestess of Elune could not say. The Watchers had originally been organized to watch over Illidan Stormrage… by her beloved. But they had long since formed their own mandate, taking it upon themselves to lock away the worst offenders they could capture without killing over the past ten thousand years.
By all rights, Keeper Califax SHOULD have listened to her if she spoke. It rankled her something fierce that Tyrande didn’t know for certain that he would. But… better to let Lord Cenarius do the talking in any case, since they had him here with them.
“Indeed. Not all are fit for release. But some are… enough to perhaps make a difference.”
The Lord of the Forest’s tone brooks no argument and the Keeper bows his head in deference after only a moment more of hesitation.
“Very well, Lord Cenarius.”
From there, they begin freeing the prisoners who Cenarius deems trustworthy enough to do battle. There are some ancient horrors that the Watchers have managed to shackle in the depths of the Barrows beneath Hyjal, but there are also some Night Elves who might still fight for their people… and of anyone, Lord Cenarius is decidedly the best for picking and choosing between them. He’s an excellent judge of character, after all.
But then they come to Illidan’s prison… and Califax interposes himself once more, the Keeper of the Grove clearing his throat.
“Ah… perhaps you mistake which cell this is, Lord Cenarius. The Betrayer lurks behind this gate. A terrible evil that must remain here at all costs… I’m sure you’d agree.”
Here, Tyrande finds she can no longer stay quiet. Growling, she strides forward.
“Illidan was one of our people’s greatest heroes once! He can become that again, if you would just give him a chance! Surely ten millennia is more than enough time to hold anyone in chains!”
The Keeper scoffs, shaking his head.
“You are distraught, Priestess. I am so very sorry for your loss. But Illidan Stormrage is nothing but a monster and we do not free monsters, we chain them.”
Before Tyrande can respond… Cenarius’ hand falls upon her shoulder.
“Hold. The Priestess is right, Keeper. Illidan Stormrage has an opportunity here for redemption. We shall see if he takes it. Stand aside.”
Here, the Keeper looks… quite aggrieved. His eyes flicker between all of them, and he grimaces.
“… I would feel much better if the Warden were here to give her approval on this matter. Maiev Shadowsong and her second are both away on a mission right now… they will not be pleased to find their original prisoner missing when they return.”
Tyrande almost blows up at that, but before she can launch into a tirade about how little she cares about Maiev’s pleasure, Cenarius’ branches tighten on her shoulder and he speaks in her place with a level tone.
“Illidan will not be missing. He will be in my custody and Warden Shadowsong may take it up with me if she feels personally wronged upon her return.”
For a long second, Keeper Califax looks like he STILL might try to stop them. But in the end, a Keeper of the Grove’s loyalty to the Lord of the Forest runs deep… deeper even than Califax’s loyalty to the Watchers it would seem. Tyrande can’t help but wonder when they became so… fractious. Was she not the leader of their people? Was Lord Cenarius not their shepherd, a Forest Demigod who had helped lead their people down the right path for so very long?
Thankfully, Califax finally steps aside, bowing his head in silence, allowing for Tyrande to step forward and fire a radiant arrow at the lock on Illidan’s prison. The gate flies open and suddenly… he’s there.
“Tyrande…”
Tyrande smiles shakily, even as tears well up in her eyes. Illidan steps forward, free for the first time in ten thousand years. His eyes, burnt out so long ago and replaced by flame, are hidden behind his blindfold but he looks upon her all the same, as though she is the most beautiful thing he’s seen in far, far too long.
And yet, a shadow is cast over their reunion, one of massive proportions.
“Illidan, I…”
He steps forward then, and reaches up, brushing a finger across her cheek and the tear away just as it falls from her eye.
“I know. I heard. Malfurion is… dead?”
Lord Cenarius is the one who answers that, intoning deeply.
“Trapped, young Stormrage. His physical body was slain by the Scourge and raised as a shambling undead. It had to be destroyed. But his spirit lives on in the Emerald Dream… for now.”
Illidan takes this in, tilting his head in Cenarius’ direction to show he’s listening for a moment, but never taking his eyes off of her. His hand remains on her cheek and Tyrande leans into his touch, letting a shaky breath leave her lips.
“I see… I never thought… it is much too ignoble an end for a brother of mine.”
A watery laugh escapes Tyrande’s lips at that. It’s the sort of thing Illidan would say. She can tell he’s grieving just as much as she is though. He has to be. For all their quarrels, for all their heartache… they were brothers. He loved Malfurion as much as she did. Tyrande knows this to be true. She-
Tyrande blinks, her thought process brought to a jarring halt as Illidan moves his hand from her cheek to her chin. Tucking his fingers under her chin against the hollow of her throat, he lets out a low sigh.
“Tyrande…”
He’s looking at her like… well, like he hasn’t seen her in ten-thousand years. Which is fair. But she would have expected more grief in his eyes. He did just lose his brother, after all. Instead, Tyrande sees a flash of something else in her old friend’s gaze. Something akin to triumph. To lust. It’s gone as quickly as it comes, and Illidan leans forward, pressing his forehead to her own.
“Do not worry, Tyrande. I am here for you. Now and forever. My brother might be lost to us… but at least we still have each other.”
Tyrande’s heart seizes in her chest. Surely he didn’t mean what she thought he meant, did he? But… no. The worst thing was, he probably meant it both ways. For her, Illidan clearly intended the words to mean one thing, but she can tell that inwardly, he means something else entirely. He meant… he meant to replace his brother. He meant to have her at long last. Maybe not now. Maybe not this moment… but some day he would try and claim her.
In that moment, Tyrande feels something ugly and twisted well up in her chest. Her facial features contort and she pushes herself away from the brother that she didn’t choose.
“N-No… No, Illidan.”
He looks at her, shocked… and then anger spreads across his features.
“What do you mean, no?”
Tears prick at her eyes, but it’s best that she say this now, even if she does have quite the audience. She wishes they could have talked this out privately, but it’s obvious this needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. In the end, they simply don’t have the time for her to be gentle.
“We will never be together in that way, Illidan. Malfurion was my mate. You… you are my friend.”
Those last words are thrown on in an attempt at a soothing balm, but even Tyrande can admit that she says them almost as an afterthought, in an effort to assuage the pain she knows she’s likely causing him. But even still, she can’t let him think that there’s a chance between them. Just because Malfurion is… just because her mate is lost, does not mean she loves Illidan Stormrage.
For a long moment, Illidan Stormrage just stares at her. And then, with a snarl, he whips around… and flees. Tyrande chokes as the Demon Hunter runs from the prison, vanishing too fast for anyone to react. There are some aborted attempts of course, chief among them Keeper Califax who lets out a low growl.
“Damnations! Lord Cenarius, I would remind you that you said the prisoner would remain in your custody! That he would help you fight the Burning Legion! And now he’s fled!”
Before Cenarius can reply, someone else speaks up, surprising everyone in the room, Tyrande included. It’s the orc druid, the one called Rognak who clears his throat.
“Well… we’ll have to go after him, of course. But if we chase after him too loudly, he’s only going to go to ground all the faster. Let’s follow… at a distance until he’s calmed down.”
The Keeper of the Grove looks ready to ask just who Rognak thinks he is, only for Cenarius to nod his head in agreement.
“The young druid speaks true. Come. Illidan will not get far. The woods above are still mine after all, no matter how demon infested they have become.”
And so they leave the Keeper fuming. And Tyrande is left reeling, wondering if letting Illidan free was a mistake after all.
-x-X-x-
A/N: How do people feel I did with Illidan's characterization, even with what little screen time he got? Did I do him dirty here? I feel like this was pretty in character for him given his obsession with Tyrande, but I'm curious to hear what people think.
As always, hope everyone enjoyed and leave me a comment voicing your thoughts if you could!
Comments
Cambrian
good catch thanks, fixed!
xydra22
"Demon invested" should be "demon infested"
Cambrian
Good catch thanks! Fixt now. And glad you're enjoying it so much~
Void Walker
"She could scarcely believe what Illidan had come" forgive me but is this Become* for this part? or something else? and Fantastic work yet again! i cant wait to see what happens next!
Thunder
I kinda suspect that, out of everyone, Illidan's path would change the least, even with the death of Malfurion. 10,000 years of nothing but stewing and withdrawal is not an easy thing to overcome, especially when one doesn't want to overcome it.
LordMarksman
Yeah this is better and you are right that I did read old version in my email. Granted I couldn't help but wince seeing how Illdrian got instantly turned down and friendzoned. 10,000 years locked up, brother dead, and still brutally shut down. Well at least there are still plenty of enemies to work out all that aggression from his rejection. Besides he'd still want to avenge his brother regardless even if Tyrande did turn him down.
Cambrian
Not sure if you're talking about the old version or the new version tbh. You might have only written the old version of the chapter via email, make sure to check out the new edited version where the kiss has been taken out!
Cambrian
Glad to hear it!
Cambrian
Glad to hear it!
Cambrian
You might have only read the old version of the chapter via email, make sure to check out the new edited version where the kiss has been taken out!
Cambrian
You might have only read the old version of the chapter via email, make sure to check out the new edited version where the kiss has been taken out!
LordMarksman
I don't know much of WoW, but I feel it was too fast too soon. I don't doubt Illdrian would do something like this from what I read of him but I think he might try something like this after a few battles. Right now I think he'd actually grieve for his brother and want revenge first. For all the problems Illdrian and Malfurian had with each other Illdrian did care and love his brother. He also as others said respected Tyrande's choice, he had opportunity to kidnap her once for his own yet instead chose to return her safely to Malfurian. Also Malfurian did visit him several times, considering he has been stuck in prison for 10,000 years with everybody else hating him. That does indeed mean something, even if Malfurian's efforts failed to convince his brother. I do think Illdrian a part of him at least, appreciated his brother showing up to talk to him. Even if they did probably just end up stubbornly arguing with each other. Plus Malfurian's sorta death just happened, he would have given Tyrande at least some time to grieve before making a move. For now, Illdrian probably be focused on avenging his brother and ripping out various demons spines out in his fury. Anyway rather than kiss, I sort of feel he'd go for hug and grieve with her. Sure Illdrian may be kind of obsessed with Tyrande, but he truly does love her and isn't the type to force himself on her. Because he wants her to accept him and love him back not just own her.
I think Illidan was fine. Yes the kiss may have been too much too quick but he has been in prison with Maiev for 10 millennia. Maybe have him calm down and realise it was a mistake. He was obsessed but he has never been an idiot.
Durrandon
I like the edited version much better. It is far more subtle and the only reason it was instantly caught by Tyrande is because she knows him so well. The change respects Illidan’s intrigue abilities while allowing for a plausible reason why it doesn’t work (their long history between them).
Faury Vincent
I think you did Illidan dirty. He is a war criminal, a traitor and a tyrant. But I always felt that he respected Tyrande's choice. That Tyrande choosing Malfurion meant Illidan was not good enough yet. I didn't read the War of the Ancients books, but that's what I felt from Warcraft 3 and Legion
T4ndoris
Edited version work better imo, illidan is still creepy sounding tho (i guess that's what 10 000 years of friendzone does to you)
Gromweld
Yup, new version works!
Cambrian
The kiss is gone now, so when you have a moment please re-read the chapter for me and see what you think of the edited version! Would love to hear your new reaction!
Gromweld
To echo the others: he likely wouldn't go for the kiss, it's too soon and at this point he still does care for Malfurion and would be legitimately grieving. If you still want him to run off, you could just have him get angry about how they're wasting time (there are still other prisoners they need to free) and just bolts off to go fight demons and undead himself as a way of coping.
TheSinful
Yeah, works better.
Cambrian
Glad to hear it, means a lot =)
Josh
Love this story btw. Just sayin
