“You always knew me best.”
He did. He always knew Her best. It was his job, after all. To do what She wanted. To provide for
Her. Did it matter how he did so? No, it did not matter at all. But when they lost everything….
“I’m so tired. I’m so tired.”
Then rest, he had told
Her. Rest. The former Knight had patiently waited for
Her
to slip into sleep before securing the area. Ensuring her comfort? Check. Activating the protective defenses, sealing Her away from the world and those that would seek Her harm. He was Her knight. Her defender. Loyal beyond all others. As he had been for…how long? Time had ceased to have meaning in the world away from Azeroth. Not that they were truly away. Just deep below.
“You won’t leave me, will you?”
Only for a short time.
“You’ll wake me up when we’re ready.”
Of course.
Once, long long ago he had been a Knight. A guardian and a defender of the weak and downtrodden. Now, he wasn’t sure what to call himself as one heavily plated foot picked itself up. one after the other. Vague memories of the world above Her place offered him very little. In truth it could have been years, decades, or even centuries since he had entered here and he still would have felt unease as he walked up the dusty stone stairs. Spiders ran along their cobwebs as he swatted them aside, breathing in. Plate armor felt _so heavy_ after he had failed to put it on for so long.
But She needed his care without Her worshipers there. No others remained now, lost to the ravages of time and magic. Passing on of their remains , a nod was given to the crumbling remannant of the disciple-turned-to-stone. What was their name? It escaped from his mind like water through a sieve. Not important then. What was important was leaving.
The telltale signs of long ago combat grew more evident as he got ever closer to the end. There was no magic to ease his ascent upwards. Just the anxiety twisting his stomach with the prickling feeling in his chest. Orders pushed him forward despite the growing feeling he should be heading back down to guard Her. It was his job and nobody else was there anymore.
The door.
The door was a slab of stone, sealed and hidden with magic. He raised his hand, feeling the weight of the plate gauntlet he wore. Too heavy. Soon this armor would slow him down rather than keep him safe. Hesitation made him pause. resting his hand against dusty stone. The small space which he stood in was barely enough to stand in.
“Go.” Her whisper came from nowhere but he could feel the cloying smell of violets. “You waste my time.”
There wasn’t any need for her weakened whisper to come again. The stone moved at his touch, wavering and twisting until it finally disappeared. Soft sounds from the entryway at the cave promised- stones? Dirt? Recalling the name for water from the sky eluded him. Before she could speak again he forced himself to take one step, then another, and another. What did the sky look like?
It was blue. But colors changed. Was the sun bright?
The cloying smell of violets returned as he reached the cave. The hidden entryway he had left through had become hidden once more. Solid as stone and just as hard to pass now.
“Rain.” That was what it was. Rain. Not drips of water or droplets coming from the stone. Rain. He savored the way the word sounded in his mouth. “That is… rain.”
What was the word for him? The identifying word that made up his name. It lay on the edge of his tongue. A name was important.
“Mal.”
Mal sounded right.
Tyleril Silversword 