#frozen shadows

(Written to the above video)

Title: Midnight

It was midnight and all was silent and most of the manor had long gone to sleep. Aela was the exception. The first couple of weeks, her insomnia had taken a vacation, allowing her to remember what it felt like to be well-rested. The comfort of having Nolavar hold her as they fell asleep was indescribable. This night, however, the insomnia that had hounded her for as long as she could remember, returned with a vengeance. Try as she might, the mage was unsuccessful in her attempts to relax herself. Gently tucking her lover’s arm off of her side, she slid out of bed and retrieved her robe and with a brief glance sent to the bed, Aela slipped out of the room and quietly shut the door.

There was a faint shine of moonlight in the hallway and the gentle ticking of a clock somewhere else in the bowels of the manor. The peace defied the presence of the undead and other nightmarish creatures that lurked outside the Estate’s well-fortified walls. Aela shivered at the thought and quietly made her way to the nursery. She walked in and made sure her babies were sleeping peacefully. She spent a bit more time with Meri because he had developed a case of the sniffles and it worried her. He was sniffle free and both infants were sound asleep. Satisfied with the wellbeing of the twins, Aela made her way out of the room and headed off to wander.

Her bare feet carried her down the stairs and into the library. There was a slight chill to the air and though she didn’t mind the cold, the mage made her way to the fireplace and settled a few pieces of wood within it, taking her time to light the fire without the use of magic. Aela’s lips quirked slightly, picturing her sister’s look of exasperation if she had seen her younger sister manually start a fire. Once the flames were licking steadily at the wood, Aela stepped back and found a place on one of the heavily cushioned chairs that sat in front of the fireplace. As luck would have it, there was a blanket to pull around herself. It appeared to be made for someone much taller than her because she was able to wrap it twice around her petite form.

The fire crackled and popped and the distant clock chimed that a half hour had passed. Aela shut her eyes, an ear twitching as she listened to the natural creaks and groans the house made. Her thoughts strayed over the events of the last few weeks. From stark loneliness to a life filled with people and babies once again; it was quite a bit to take in. Aela pulled a bit of the blanket over her head, concealing her features like it was a hood. Once again, she shivered, but it was not the cold. It was the thought of a future in this house, in the Ghostlands, that gave her a shiver. Could she really make this place a home? She knew, in the logical way of things, that it wasn’t the house that made a home, but all of her instincts were constantly and stubbornly screaming at her to change things. Aela scoffed at herself. Like I can move the entirety of this manor and estate and everything that lies beneath it to a more vibrant environment.

Shaking her head, Aela brought her gaze to linger on the fire. Perhaps she couldn’t lift up Nolavar’s home physically, but she could at least brighten up the interior and maybe, just maybe convince him that a second home in a brighter climate would be just the thing to balance out all the darkness. Even as occupied by war and the planning needed for it, he too needed a place of refuge. A place to escape the violence that characterized a life lived in the Ghostlands. Her thoughts wandered to the few places on Azeroth that might offer such an environment. The only place that appealed to her was Pandaria, the Jade Forest in particular. A slow smile crept on her lips.

The renovation of the manor would come first. It would take some time and resources to fully finish what she had in mind. Aela curled herself tighter into the chair, her eyelids growing heavy. Such were the heaviness of her thoughts. Drifting off, the mage silently thanked the hand of Fate for delivering her safely into the possibility of a stable and expansive future.

Frozen Shadows - Hantises (Osmose Productions, 2025)

Frozen Shadows - Dans Les Bras Des Immortels (Osmose Productions, 2025)

They were out on a walk on the beach when it happened. An Abomination had somehow found its way to the shoreline in Eversong Woods. Nolavar was quick to engage the undead fiend and Aela was quick to squash down her panic and shock. She stayed on the periphery, summoning a water elemental to aid in the fight. Casting slowing spells and keeping the thing from using that chain to grab at her lover’s body, the mage lent her aid to bring the creature down.

All of a sudden, the advantage was given to the Abomination as its mallet made contact with Nolavar and he was flung a few feet to the side. Intent on its kill, the creature stormed over and was about to bring its weapon down on his head when Aela, already blinking and running as fast as her legs could carry her, interrupted the killing blow with a shield of ice. It cracked into pieces a few seconds later, but it gave enough time for Nola to roll out of the way. Aela was quick to send a crippling ice bolt to the Abomination’s leg, sliding out of the way Iceman style.

Nolavar was able to finish off the undead fiend with an aggressive series of sword blows. Aela tried to catch her breath, sweat running down her forehead, freezing instantly mid-drip. She looked to her lover, “That was ...an intense walk, am I right?”