#maeressa

Most of all, though, she had Alaion. He saw past her pale skin (cool to the touch), her icy blue eyes, her hidden scars, her nightmares that haunted her, and her nervousness around other people. He saw her as a person who had had a rough life, as a woman who needed help, as his lover that he wanted to protect. It brought a warmth to her heart that she missed after years in the cold wastelands of Northrend, and it drove away all her regrets during that time. To him, it hardly mattered that she had been a death knight, for she was simply his. Truly, that was all that mattered to her.

But the one thing that they both forgot in that time… was that no one stops being a death knight.

At first, she thought it was just another nightmare. She had often had dreams of that voice whispering to her, calling her back to his service. It took Al’s comfort to settle her back down these days, to remind her that that was all in the past. But even as she awoke in a cold sweat, the feeling of dread in her stomach, that voice had not stopped. It kept calling to her, sending shivers down her spine, as it beckoned her back to service. That he needed his army once more, to fight off the return of the Legion. She clutched herself, muttering softly that it was all it bad dream, it had to be, but as the voice continued on she knew it was no mind trick. It was too familiar, even if it was a different voice. All these years, it still felt just like yesterday when the Lich King was always looming over her, speaking his commands to her.

Even though she knew she still had control of herself, she knew there was little choice in this matter. Was he going to force her to come if she denied him? What if, in losing her free will again, she hurt Al? Or worse, if she… No, there was no choice once again. She was not about to let that option happen. Forcing herself out of bed, and out of Al’s range, Mae began to slowly dress herself. She tried to keep her sobs contained, for fear of waking her lover up, but it proved harder then she imagined. Luckily, Alaion was not a light sleeper, so she was able to step away from him without alerting him of her actions. She almost left her room, but stopped as she turned her gaze towards her desk. She had to at least… leave him with something. Anything. It was too cruel to just leave without anything for her lover to hold onto. She had to be quick, dawn was fast approaching and she needed to be gone before anyone noticed. Grabbing a piece of parchment and drawing her inkwell, Maeressa wrote a quick note for Alaion to find that very morning. The ink smeared as her tears hit the paper, but she worked through it. She had to go, there was no time left.

Dear Al,

I’m so sorry. I know this won’t be much comfort to you, and you don’t deserve this, but I had to go. I can’t explain why, just know that this isn’t about you. No matter what happens, I love you. I always will.