About

The clink of weapon against weapon mingled with the sounds of the injured as they fell. The battle had been raging for hours - had it been days? - and the death toll was unfathomable from both sides of the fray. It seemed as though the Horde was winning, though their victory had been promised practically before the start.

A paladin was running around in the fray, tending to the wounded soldiers who fought valiantly for the Horde. While many had already had the light of life extinguished from their eyes, there were still many who were facing a much slower death. She had taken time to perform last rites for many of the deceased, though it was the still-living that had most of her attention.

She had kneeled down next to many wounded soldiers; some begged her to end their wretched lives while some begged her to heal them and make the pain stop. For both, she allowed the Light to flow through her and mend what wounds she could. Once the soldiers were stable enough to walk off either on their own or with the help of another, she sent them on their way to the already overflowing med bay.

This battle between the Horde and the Alliance was but one of many in recent times. Tensions between the two factions were rising, and they were rapidly approaching a drastic breaking point. Thrall had left the Horde under the command of Garrosh Hellscream, an orc of brutish nature. He was a sharp contrast to the welcoming Horde that the Sin'dorei had joined. The elves were now regarded as outcasts, barely even worth the time of day. Then again, so was anyone of any race other than the orcs.

This sentiment did not sit well with the paladin, but she was loyal to the Horde and would do her duty to protect the soldiers, young and old alike.

By the time night had fallen, Fiernia was exhausted. She had become used to this however; everyone on the battle field felt the wear and tear nightly. It was her job to fight as well, though her main task was to heal and make sure the death toll did not rise higher than it needed to.Grabbing a bowl of gruel, she joined the other healers at their campfire. There were a few soldiers around - she gave a nod of greeting to the shaman, warlock, and hunter seated with them - before turning her attention towards the druid next to her.

"Bal'a dash, Naralex. It is good to see you still healthy."

"As it is, you," came the rumbling reply. The Tauren had been a dear friend to the paladin's sister and had become a brother figure to her over the years. When Akamria had offered to remain stationed at a post in Northrend, Naralex had been the one to console Fiernia and see to it that she completed her training. "I can only hope that this battle ends soon. The Earth Mother is beginning to feel the toll of the bloodshed," he said, lowering a hand to the ground. It briefly glowed as he communicated with the seedlings, before one slowly started sprouting.

Although she was no druid, Fiernia could see that the sprout was sickly looking - it was hunched over, not fully standing.The paladin gave a small sigh and looked up at the sky. "The Light has granted us much aid as well. I am beginning to worry about when we will lose the blessing. There is only so much to be given, and we have already called upon a great amount." She paused a moment to take a mouthful of her gruel. "However, the fact that we have been granted so much aid is a sign that we are fighting for a just cause."

The druid gave a rumbling nod of agreement. "That is how I feel about the Earth Mother. I am worried about asking too much from her too soon. It is my duty to protect her, and I am uncertain that Hellscream would appreciate such an answer."

The Sin'dorei let out a quiet chuckle. "This is very true. I can only imagine the look on his face as he is told that we cannot ask anymore than we already have..." Her mood turned somber then. "I pray this ends soon. Victory is assured; all that is left is the surrender of the Alliance forces." Her words were greeted with nods from all around the fire.

Falling silent, she turned towards the fire and began to eat. As she did so, she prayed to the Light that the end would come before there were no more standing members of the Horde. It was all she could do for now. When morning came and the battle resumed, she would be back on the field, taking care of the wounded and deceased.

For now, though, she could pray. And so she did.

--------------------------------------------------------

All places, characters, and items belong to Blizzard Inc.

Friends

Akamria [ sister ]

When they were younger, all Fiernia wanted was to be best friends with her older sister. What she didn't understand why was from the beginning her older sister was cold towards her, refusing to engage in any conversation past simple greetings when required. It wasn't until she had finished her schooling and finally saw the world on her own for the first time that Fiernia began to understand the magnitude of the hatred that their parents shared for her sister. From that moment on, she did everything within her power to rectify the situation, and prove to both her sister and herself that she wanted nothing more than to support her and help where she can. Eventually breaking through her sister's walls, the two are now extremely close. Akamria won't be so willing to speak highly of her sister in public, but Fiernia knows that her sister swells with pride at each of her accomplishments.

Anhya [ friend ]

Hearing of the Pandaren from one of her regular letters with her sister, Fiernia found herself meeting up with the newcomer before the start of a major battle against the Sha. Finding herself immediately drawn to the Pandaren's easy going way even in the face of battle, Fiernia understood what it was about this new friend that had her sister's approval. Sharing meals and discussing the similarities and differences between their magics over the food, the two formed a close bond and it wasn't long before they considered each other as family.

Naralex [ mentor ]

The similarities and differences between Fiernia's and her sister's relationship begin and end with befriending the Tauren Druid and finding themselves under his wing. Where Naralex helped shape and mold her sister's anger into something constructive, he helped to draw out Fiernia's fire in the face of battle. When the young Paladin still hadn't chosen how she wanted to weild the power granted to her by the Light, the Druid worked with her to discover that her true passion laid with healing, and helped her to build upon those skills and grow more confident day by day.