Archon Zariasona Blacksorrow

There was one place on all of Azeroth that brought the Archon the most peace in the world. The sound of the waves, the way the gulls cawed out in the afternoon, the faint sound of the wind and the rustling of the trees. There was no place like Krasarang Wilds.

It still amazed her in how she acquired the property. She would have never guessed to have been able to take it for herself, yet she knew the work it took to keep an maintain it.

The house was quiet. Leandra was out in the ocean, excited to be able to be free for a bit from her paladin training ventures, to be free of books and learning. For the next two weeks, she was just an ordinary twelve year old quel'dorei exploring the world around her.

The twins were fast asleep upstairs, kept quiet from the dangers that loomed in the big cities around. Her goal was now to keep them safe. Her family was everything to her. And yet..

Sitting upon the table before her lay her diary, complete with fresh ink upon its pages. But that was not the only thing that was upon the page. Spots now dried from the tears she shed, to droplets of wine, all found home upon the pages. On the table was a broken wine glass, blood, spilled wine, a half drank bottle of wine. Her scared hand was coated in blood and cuts. Her right hand held a new bottle of Zandalari tequila that she just cracked open.

Blood shot eyes, disheveled hair, her gown anything but pressed, mascara running down her eyes. She was the epitome of depressed. As she sat up in her chair, the bottle found its home upon her lips once more as she took a might swig of the drink she considered downright vile.

"Maybe.. Maybe if I finish this bottle..." The words started, and yet she dared not finish them. Her mind was a blur as a multitude of options to complete the sentence arose. Much like a rolodex, she flipped through each one several times before groaning in agony.

To her, there was nothing more painful than ending a relationship with someone she held so near and dear to her. Sullivan Appleton. A man she came to know deeply, and yet a man she had to walk away from.

Slowly, she'd push herself to her feet and eye the vile concoction of alcohol in her hands. Before she could even stop herself, the bottle was thrown from her hands against the wall across from the writing desk she sat at. Glass shattered, liquid sprayed, and more ran down the wall.

One of the servants came into the room upon hearing the splatter. He sighed, not out of frustration but worry. "Mistress.. You should-"

"So help me.. If you say stop drinking.. I'll-" She stammered. She didn't even know what kind of idle threat she could throw out at him, her own servant. So rather than even attempt to say anything more, her body gave out beneath and she collapsed to the ground. Her hands came to her face and the harrowing sobs that came from her did nothing more but cause the servant's heart to break for her.

Rather than go and clean the mess the Archon made, he came to sit upon the floor and hold her close. She was in no position to deny, and merely curled into him.

"Teremath is gone.. and I almost lost the twins.." She sobbed into her hands. "And I-I-" She heaved heavy sobs, and all he could do was hold her tight. "I now Madam.. I cannot soothe you fully, but I am happy to sit here as long as you need." The kaldorei servant said.

The glass flew across the tavern, full of tequila, until it smashed into pieces against the wall. What was left of the contents trailed down the wall to the floor. She was thankful the tavern was empty. Her harrowing screams could hardly be contained in the confines of the tavern.

The glass of the tavern windows rattled, and some of them even cracked under the strain. The pictures that hung upon the walls rattled, shifted, and one or two of them fell. The curtain rods rattled in their holders, with some even still falling off the walls entirely.

What was once a clean, clear tavern soon came to look like a warzone. The pain that the Archon felt was evident, at least it would be to whomever would come to the tavern in the morning to see the mess left behind. "I gave EVERYTHING." As the last word was bellowed out, her hair tripled in lenght and turned a deep purple. The tips of her hair remained that familiar green hue. Even her skin darkened, her nails grew in length. Wings erupted from her back, even going to far as to knock some of the pictures off the walls because of the length. In one hand, she held her sword. The other held the Zandalari tequila. With a quickness, she bolted from the door. To the skies, she took to with wetted eyes, drink, and weapon to match. She didn't know where she was flying to. All she knew was she needed to get away. Teremath: Missing. Linesela: In charge. Sullivan: Furious at her. There was no winning tonight.

In the sky, she felt free. It was one of the few places she could feel free. This time, she was escaping. Away from the pain. All of it. She just needed to leave.

What she didn't expect, was for the tequila to hit her so hard. One moment, she was flying through the skies. The next, She was soaring downward. Through several thick trees, into several branches, and finally into the ground she fell. The bottle was gone, having been broken upon hitting the first tree. The sword only in her hands by the grace of the Gods. It wasn't until morning light when a dwarven man found her. "Well Wot do we 'ave 'ere?" He said to his donkey, who was pulling the ale cart. "I think she be neein' some help boy.. Lemme jus' try an' get 'er in da cart 'ere."

Through sheer determination, the dwarf managed to load Zariasona into his cart, and take her back to his tiny house in the Wetlands, where it would be days before she woke up.

Instantly, she felt the pang of pain. Her left arm was in a cast. The only way she even felt it was when she attempted to sit up. The shrill cry of pain sent the dwarf running to the room. "Miss.. Miss! Please!" He came to coo gently to her. "Yeh broke yeh arm. I dunno how yeh ended up in tha' crater, but yeh did. I also had me wife try and fix up your hair. But she also said yeh gonna hafta stay 'ere a few days until yeh can get your strength back." Zariasona's right hand came to her head. Her hair. Her precious teal locks. Reduced to a shorter cut that came to her shoulders. Tears welled up her eyes as she tried to cope with the reality that her hair, her precious hair, was gone. And with that, she curled back up in the bed that was much to small for the ren'dorei, and cried herself back to sleep.

The newest secret she kept was one that pained he deeply. She dared not so much as speak on it, not to a soul. She trusted her husband, and if he said he was coming home, the he'd come home. Get that fear still lingered in her mind.

"What if he doesn't? What do I do then?" She stared out the window were the raindrops tricked down as the water still continued to rain down from the sky.

In her hand was the letter he wrote to her. She lifted it back up before her, her eyes scanning over it once more.

"...I am placing Linesela in the position to ensure such things are carried out swiftly."

She was less than amused with this. Linesela was the bane of her existence. A woman who fought with her at every turn. She wanted to take the notes, and throw it into the fire but she thought better of it.

Instead, she left her bedroom and headed to her office. She passed Linesela on the way to her study, and sneered at her as she walked past her. Linesela held that snarky grin that Zariasona loathed.

Once inside her study, she closed the door briskly and leaned against it and allowed herself a moment to melt into her feelings of despair. How was she supposed to do any of this without her husband? They had children together. How could he just leave? How could he expect a note to just be okay?

Sitting at her desk, she pulled out a clean sheet of parchment and a fresh quill as she wrote a letter. The quill moved quickly, each letter coming effortlessly, easily. Her handwriting growing more and more frantic as each moment, each letter was written down.

The moment it was done, she folded it delicately before placing it within the black envelope. The red wax that had been getting warmed as she wrote was ready, and with a shaky hand poured it over the envelope flap to seal it. The Blacksorrow emblem was embedded in the wax and soon after, a black raven came to collect the letter through the open window.

"Minister Sullivan Appleton." It was all the raven needed. Like lightning, the raven took off black night.

Once the letter was sent off, brisk footsteps echoed down the hallway until she was safe in the confines of her bedroom again. With the door closing behind her, she leaned against it and fought to maintain her composure.

That illusion shattered mere moments later when an arcane portal opened, and the Minister stepped into the room.

"Dearest.. what happened?" He said.

The final words from Maevess Faerbrooke came, and Zariasona managed to pull away from her stating she needed to be get home. But what actually happened is she heard Anzhin say, "Go." Immediately after, watched Ithilios leave from sight.

She already knew she had damaged everything with GiGi. And now things were more than likely more than damaged beyond repair with Ithilios too now. What was supposed to be her getting her own emotions out, to try and move past her pain, ended up costing her more than that. At least, that's what she perceives.

The moment that Ithilios vanished from sight, Zariasona was left feeling hollow. Not that she hadn't felt 'whole' since then. She had much to live for, and she knew that. More than what her former friend had. She had a loving husband, and three children. Yet she knew she was being selfish.

The broad emotions that overwhelmed her left her feeling numb. They felt too big for her to handle. With a sharp whistle, she summoned her winding green slither drake who eagerly came to her beck and call. As soon as she was mounted upon the drake, she snapped the reigns. With effortless movements, she guided the drake due north. There was only one place she could stand to be in Pandaria right now. She navigated to the temple in Kunlai Summit, where snow and rose petals littered the ground. Upon landing, she slipped from the drake and quickly dismissed the drake.

Once alone, she collapsed to the ground.

"Selfish.. Heartless. What am I even doing anymore.. I have everything, yet I feel as if I have nothing.."

It didn't matter to her that she was cold, freezing on the cobble stone of the sacred temple. Hours had passed, and not a soul was seen. Suddenly, a pandaren woman came into the square. "Oh my.. This is bad.. this simply won't do." Scooping the Archon up, she brought her into the safety of the temple and straight to the medical wing to be tended to. It would late morning before Zariasona would wake from her cold-induced slumber. "Wh-Where am I?" Her mind was in a fog, her vision blurred. "You are in the Shado Pan Monsastry. You were passed out in the courtyard when I though you here." That same woman who had scooped her up said. "Here, eat this soup. It will help.."

Reluctantly, Zariasona took a bite of the soup, and immediately tasted the chicken in it. "Is this.. chicken?" "Yes. It is good for you. You need to eat."

"I don't eat-" "You do today. Eat." The pandaren woman wasn't going to take no for an answer. "You have quite the storm in you. You must learn to control it." The words took Zariasona by surprise. "What do you-How do you-" "You see, I know things. They don't call me Madam Brightlight for nothing!" The hearty chuckle came from the pandaren woman, who seemed to know a great deal more than what she was letting on. "If you believe he won't come back, he won't."

Stunned, Zaria sat there in silence as she contemplated her next words. Setting the spoon back into the bowl, she parted her lips to speak. "But Madam, I have done nothing but continue to ups-" THWACK.

Suddenly, a stick of bamboo had hit Zariasona upon the top of her head. "No. I know what I said. Stop making excuses."

The words hit Zariasona harder than she thought they would. "You will stay here for now. Your children will be fine. One week. You stay." "Yes Madam Brightlight.." Zaria was reluctant to say otherwise, lest she be thwacked again.

It was a solemn day in the Blacksorrow Manor. The only people who were sad, however, were the fellow servants, Leandra, Archon Zariasona Blacksorrow, Feylonis, and the flurry of animals that were in the house.

"Oh come now. You all act as if I am moving out. I will still be here for the time being!" Agnes huffed, a wide smile on her face. Earlier in the week, she had gotten approved by Archbishop Varric Dwyer to be the Bishop of Duskwood. So out of all the people in the house, she was glowing.

"But Aggy.. You've been here my whole life. Who am I supposed to come to for waffles now?" The meek voice of Leandra said. She was 11 going on 150, as the elven saying goes.

Agnes laughed heartily. "Well, Little Lady, I'm glad you asked." Lifting her left hand, she'd motioned for someone to come into the foyer from the dining area. "This is Miss Sira Dewsinger. She will be the one who is in charge of the Manor now." Sira's eyes went wide, seeing all the faces now looking directly at her. "I-I-Miss Cooke, Are you sure about this?" The kaldorei's eyes were wide and in shock. "I would love to take up the mantle in your stead, but what about-" "Now now, Sira. I have been training you for this moment. You may not have realized it, but I have been." Agnes let her hand rest upon the slightly taller woman's shoulder. "Be it because I passed onto this realm, or moved on from the House, I have watched you soak up everything that I did. No one else has done that."

Zariasona managed at this point to flash a smirk. "For what it is worth, Sira, I have noticed it too. There is a reason I left Agnes in charge of choosing her replacement. Not only is it because I, admittedly, do not know my help as well as I should, but also because I know that she would be able to pick the person most suited to tend to not just my needs, but the House too." "But Mistress, Miss Cooke has been one of your confidantes for years. I couldn't dream of taking her place." Sira said with a soft spoken tone. "I do not expect you to take her place, Sira. I merely expect you to stand beside her." Zariasona let her silver eyes rest on the blue hues of the kaldorei before her. "Truthfully, no one could replace Agnes. She's left quite the large imprint upon us all. All I could ask is for you to do the best you can. I've seen you move about the manor. You know exactly how I like my tea." "You may not know it, Sira, but there was a reason I've asked you to make the tea." Agnes chimed in.

This revelation seemed to leave Sira in shock. "M-my tea?!" Her jaw fell open slightly, staring at the two women as she shook her head lightly side to side. "I had no idea.. I just thought you had your hands full.."

"So will you do it Si-Si?" Leandra asked. "Please?"

Sira had always adored Leandra, even if she didn't get to spend a lot of time with her for a number of reasons. "Of course, Little Lady. I would be honored."

Leandra roared in excitement, soon parading around the foyer with her worn out red dragon plushie, Miss Dragon. Zariasona even seeemed to give a deep sigh of relief, and Agnes hugged her tightly whispering into her ear.

"Agnes, You're welcome to stay here in the manor. I could hardly push you out after all you've done. You're welcome to take up the east wing, so that you may have the space you deserve. It will make it easier for me to adjust to our new Head Servant." Zariasona looked to Sira, extending her hand out so that she could squeeze it tightly.

As Sira's hand landed in Zariasona's, she let herself have a girlish giggle of joy. One would have thought it was Leandra that made that noise, but when Zariasona saw it was Sira she allowed herself to chuckle loudly.

"Sira, Once Agnes has moved her belongings to her new room, you're free to take her old quarters. You've earned yourself a pay raise too." Zariasona soon handed her a hefty bag of coin, ensuring Agnes got her own too. "Agnes, I won't take no for an answer on this. You've earned this coin, and you know it."

"I am sorry for the pain this will cause you." His words resonated in her mind. Anger could hardly scratch the surface of what she was feeling. How could it? There were so many words that fit: Betrayal, Heartbreak, Misery, Despair.

The moment she was able to leave, she flew. The violet strands that were her wings carried her far. She knew not where she was going, nor did it matter at this moment. As she flew, the harrowing cries came from her as her eyes grew more red from crying, her throat sore as she screamed.

Time was lost. There was no way for her to have known how far she traveled, what time it was, or even where she found herself.

Landing in an abandoned town in what she could only pin down as a remote of Feralas from the trees, vines, brush, and ancient kaldorei structures, she lost herself entirely. Her skin stayed purple, and her eyes shifted from silver to purple too.

It was no longer Zariasona in control.

When she did regain consciousness, she found herself in the middle of a small village of no more than several wooden huts. There was no sign of life, and all that was left were the remnants of the fire. The huts were completely charred, decimated, and extinguished. The only silver lining in this was there was no sign of life around. Whoever was here managed to evade whatever it was that had happened to her in her upset.

It was just another thing to add to her list of growing pains. Hearing rustling in the brush, she gasped and her eyes snapped to the movement in vain. Finding nothing, she took this as her cue it was time to leave.

Tears continued to stream down her face, her agony growing. She flew from the remnants of the town, unsure of where to go now. All she knew is she was going anywhere but home. There was no way she could return after that.

The twins were in the bassinettes that were still near the bed. The new mother hardly could swallow the thought of putting the twins in their actual room yet. She wasn't ready. She just couldn't do it. The sad cries started coming from the twins, and Vy'thea's shadows soon came to leave a cloud around Zariasona's head. It was how he tried to wake her. Thankfully, she was receptive enough to the shadows now that Xeria didn't have to step in. Her tactic was worse: Tiny starts of pure Light flew from her tiny fingers and landed on Zaria's skin and left tiny burn marks upon her.

Slowly, Zariasona stirred from her slumber. Teremath had long since left, and Feylonis had been sleeping in her room since the twins came. She didn't like being awoken numerous times at night. Zariasona was quite content with this time alone. She needed it.. Especially after.. She sighed deeply, the sounds of the crying twins escalating. They could feel her pain, and that killed her inside. She knew there was a strong bond between blood, but this was unreal to her. "I know, little ones.. I know.." She cooed softly. One by one, she scooped them up and held them close to her as she gently swayed back towards the bed. Once upon the bed, Vy'thea's little hands wiggled and a small bit of shadow magic came from his finger tips. The image that formed in the void dust resembled a rose. "Shit.." Zariasona sighed deeply, holding her twins close on her chest now and fell into an uncomfortable silence. Rather than speak up, she merely let the silence linger until Xeria's fingers lit up gold. It didn't take long for Zariasona to start talking, and once she did the golden baby fingers stopped.