Third P.O.V
The Holton Home
"Ludwig!" Alyssana heaved in her demonic voice, getting back on her feet and quickly getting over the pain from Ludwig's kick. "You can still come back and be a father!"
Sure, Alyssana did want to kill Ludwig and end the Lich King's dark reign over his mind, yet she still had some love for the miserable soul that is Ludwig. Besides, she had a son that wanted his father home so instead of out right killing him, Alyssana has to somehow try and overpower the Death Knight and quickly put an end to this ridiculous quarrel they've gotten themselves into. Both the warglaive wielding mage and the delusional Death Knight begun to attack each other again and after yet another flurry of attacks and both fighters having cuts and small wounds upon their skin, Alyssana had put Ludwig into a lock where they were both face-to-face with each other and a little too close for each other's liking!
"Why would I want to come back after everything we've been through?!" the Death Knight fumed at Alyssana, spitting at her face.
"Because I'm willing to give you a chance, Luddy!" Alyssana blurted out in a mix of angry and sad tones, retaining her demonic voice. "A chance to redeem yourself completely and be a soldier for the Alliance and the Ebon Blade again! To be the Ludwig I fell in love with!"
"There's no redemption for me, Lyssa! The Ludwig you knew is gone forever! He's been gone for a very long time, even before you killed me!" Ludwig argued with the internally suffering mage. "Don't you-" he paused and thought for a moment about how he was fighting Alyssana. "N-no! H-how? How are you doing this?!"
Before Alyssana could respond, Ludwig's body began to twitch, causing him to scream in pain and Alyssana released Ludwig from the lock and watched him in horror as he was brought to his knees.
"R-run!" Ludwig struggled to say until with a snapping sound that sounded like a bone being broken, he went limp, still on his knees with his head drooped down.
Alyssana dropped to her knees too, her demonic form fading away back to her regular form that she first appeared in. Her warglaives faded away as well and she crawled over to Ludwig to look for any signs of life.
"Luddy?" she snivelled, her voice becoming normal and reaching out with her right hand to touch his face. It was cold to the touch! "Luddy, answer me! Wake up!"
She studied his facial features carefully, holding his face with both hands as she sat up on her knees and she traced her thumbs over the severe burn marks that she left on him when she burnt him in Fel Fire 5 years ago. Her bottom lip began to tremble in panic and she went to open his right eye and gulped, fearing that maybe the eerie glow would be gone and there would be just be an empty eye socket.
She lifted up the eyelid of Ludwig's right eye and she saw that his eye was normal like a human eye! She recognised the brown colour of his eye and began to remember how she fell in love with Ludwig in the first place a long time ago. It was his eyes that drew her to him and he was kind to her. But the one thing that always makes it worse is knowing that he betrayed her for the priority of the Cult of the Damned and for 5 years, up until she met Illidan, Alyssana always wished that things could've been different. Tears began to fall from her brown eyes as they turned pale and she leant her forehead on Ludwig's and her sobs emerged.
"If only you knew how many times I've replayed the moment we met, the moment our eyes locked onto one another." Alyssana began to lament to the lifeless body of Ludwig. "I've always wondered; If I had known you were a part of that ridiculous cult, maybe I could've talked you out of it? Maybe then, I wouldn't have agreed to be your beloved in the first place."
Her tears began to fall on Ludwig's facial burn marks and all Alyssana could do was cry and cry as she cradled his head in her arms. "I know it's against my own morals, but maybe if I used my magic back then, maybe you'd stay and never do such horrible things again! Maybe then I...I...no." she wept until she looked at his face again and shook her head slightly, retracting as much of her tears as she could and swallowed her sorrow.
"No. No matter what I want and no matter how much I want to change the past...I don't want to change and lose what I have now. After meeting Illidan, the memory of us meeting each other for the first time faded away and when I gave into Illidan's affections, the memories of us, Ludwig...that faded away, too. That's why I can never get back with you, not only because of what you had done in the past that's too much to tolerate, but it was also because I finally found the courage to set myself free of the pain I suffered from you."
She wiped her tears away from her face and she shuddered as she pulled away and took one more look at Ludwig's face. She thought she saw his nose twitch a little and for some reason, it made her smile sadly.
"I love you, Ludwig. And I forgive you...but I can never, ever be yours again." she quietly consoled and she went to softly kiss Ludwig's cold lips, a memento of the love she once upon a time had for him.
Prior to Alyssana pulling away from the kiss, she felt a pair of hands grab her shoulders and squeeze them gently. Then, Ludwig's lips began to move with Alyssana's and she quickly opened her eyes to see Ludwig's eyes moving underneath his eyelids and his eyebrows were furrowed as if he wanted the kiss Alyssana was giving to him. They both slowly pulled away and Ludwig opened his eyes! His right eye remained brown while the other was completely white, the iris and pupil included.
The look in his eyes said it all, however, that he finally got to hear what he wanted to hear from Alyssana. That she loved him and forgave him, yet it hurt him knowing that she could never be with him again. However, Ludwig is more than willing to accept that, as long as he was forgiven by the woman who he did wrong by. What Alyssana never knew was that Aliya's spirit was smiling upon her, thankful that now Alyssana has helped Ludwig see reason and be a better person, like herself.
It was only after 20 seconds of looking into each other's eyes that Ludwig's right eye went back to its undead glow and his entire body began to convulse as he howled in pain!
"Ludwig! No! Oh my god, no!!!" Alyssana screamed in horror as she quickly got to her feet and took 4 steps away from Ludwig.
Then a ghostly mist started to arise from within Ludwig's body as it arched while Ludwig kept shouting bloody murder! The mist then formed into an image of Arthas without his helm and Alyssana's expression of horror quickly changed to one of anger and disgust!
"Took you long enough to forgive him!" the image of Arthas laughed. "Too bad he's close to his final death. How tragic!"
Alyssana's P.O.V
"Release him, you Lich fiend!" I shot at Arthas, feeling the Fel burn within my veins but I retracted it to go into the Peridot jewel I wore around my neck. "He's no longer yours to control! His mind is free of your filth and his will finally his own! Give up!"
"Now why would I do that?" Arthas chuckled with evil in his voice and an image of his hand moved and I felt my chest begin to tighten from the inside and I fell to my knees. "I can't believe Ludwig only had to realise until last minute that he wasn't fighting the real you."
I quickly sent a telepathic message to Illidan, Faralana and my parents to warn them about Arthas!
"He knows! Arthas! He knows I'm not really there!"
"So you're still pregnant with that disgusting demon's spawn, eh?" Arthas taunted me as his image physically manifested in front of me. "Tell you what, I'll make you deal."
"No, fuck you and your fucking deals, you son of a fucking cunt!" I spat venom at Arthas, trying to work through the pain of the hold he has on my chest.
"Silence, you rude wench!" Arthas shouted at me, making the pain even worse on my chest. "Now, where was I? Ah yes, the deal! I will spare poor Ludwig from my control if you pledge your life to me and I will make you become more powerful than even Illidan could ever dream of. Resist and I'll take control of Ludwig again like the mindless puppet he is, as he was in life, destroy your mirror image and kill you on your deathbed! And I'll take Marenus under my wing and raise him as the servant he was meant to be!"
I screamed in agony as I felt my mirror image begin to shift to my present body back at the Lookout and I felt the baby begin to thrash around in my womb!
"You might want to make a swift decision." Arthas taunted me with an evil smirk. "Baby wants to come out and meet their dead mother!"
Before I could respond, I suddenly felt my consciousness begin to meld with another's consciousness! But...who?
'Dalah'surfal! I won't let him take you from me...and I won't let him take you from our child!'
"Illidan?" I spoke to him telepathically.
'Yes, my love, it's me! Now listen to me very carefully as I'll make this as quick as possible! The sword Ludwig has was made in the Icecrown Citadel itself! The wounds the blade left on you can be used as a magical locator to Arthas' position! Do that and we'll finish him together! Just you and me!'
"But how?" I asked him frantically. "The baby's coming soon and I have to be conscious in order to give birth!"
'Just do it! We will swiftly end Arthas once and for all! Now hurry, my love and do what I asked of you!'
Third P.O.V
"My patience is running out, mage!" the image of Arthas groaned. "I need you to make a decision now, I've got company!"
The body of Ludwig began to come back to life again and he harshly coughed in recoil. The image of Arthas looked back at the wounded death knight and chuckled.
"So...you've gone soft as soon as Alyssana declared that she did love you after all this time." He taunted Ludwig. "Surely, it's romantic but...she still won't take you back."
"Good!" Ludwig coughed as he struggled to get onto his feet but he slipped and fell onto his left knee! "Knowing what I have done in the past and how I made her felt is crystal clear to me that Illidan deserves her more than me! As much as I've tried to earn her love, I know now that it's hopeless. Besides, how can you expect to take someone back after all the shit they put you through?"
"It takes a gullible idiot to fall for that!" Arthas scoffed at Ludwig, stepping over to him. "Since your ex wife is unresponsive, your mind is once again mine to take. But first...I'll need to put an end to her misery since I know you don't want to see her suffer during childbirth."
As Arthas manifested his blade Frostmourne, he held it up in the air, ready to strike down the unconscious mage who had her head hanging low. But little did Arthas know that Alyssana would have one last trick up her sleeve! As the blade made it's way down onto striking at Alyssana, she quickly lifted her hand up and stopped the cursed blade from striking down at her with a small but powerful Prismatic Shield!
As Alyssana's head lifted to look at Arthas, the only thing that was different about her was her eyes that had completely turned into a flaming Fel green. To Arthas, there was something familiar about those eyes. He's seen them before, but where? But then he figured it out!
"But how is this possible?!" Arthas blurted out in anger. "I thought the soulbind was only meant to bind your souls, not give one complete possession over the other!"
With a smirk, Alyssana had replied but it wasn't in her voice! "Alyssana had already given me permission to take over her body when absolutely necessary so of course it's possible what I'm doing!" Illidan chuckled. "Besides, how do you think she's been able to fend off Ludwig's attacks just back then? I taught her how to fight with those blades, I taught her everything!"
The image of Arthas retracted his blade from the prismatic shield that the now possessed Alyssana had wielded and took a few steps back to observe the mage standing up on her own two legs. "I taught her to be better than she was when we fought on the battlefield for the first time, the very day we met. And I couldn't have been more proud of my apprentice. Of my wife!" Illidan continued to taunt Arthas through Alyssana's body. "At the end of the day, Alyssana is just as powerful as me!"
"I don't give a damn either way, demon!" Arthas spat. "Both of you will die by my blade and I will make sure neither of your souls will be restored in this world!"
To just add to the insult, Alyssana began to laugh but her voice was a mix of hers and Illidan's at the same time. "Boldly said! But we remain...unconvinced."
Suddenly, Arthas' image began to fizzle out and Alyssana quickly regained possession of her own body but only for a short time to check on Ludwig.
"Are you alright?" Alyssana asked him, helping Ludwig get back on his feet. "Sorry that took a little long."
"It's fine!" Ludwig coughed again, struggling to talk. "Are you going to be okay? With taking down Arthas? What about the baby?!"
Within a flash, Alyssana's human eyes turned back into the flaming Fel green! Ludwig almost stumbled backwards, but he quickly knew who he was talking to.
"Soul connection problems?" Ludwig joked with a chuckle.
"No! Alyssana just wanted to talk to you and make sure you're okay." Illidan scoffed then using Alyssana's body, he performed a healing spell on Ludwig and healed his wounds instantly! "She's also asked me to do that."
"I gotta tell ya, she's one heck of a woman!" Ludwig commented as he looked all over his body to find all of his wounds from his confrontation with Alyssana are completely gone. "Pity it only took me being revived by the Lich King to realise that. But you, Illidan, I'm glad you've noticed that about her the moment you laid your eyes on her."
"It took a bit of time to get to know her to realise how much alike we are. I honestly didn't expect to have so much in common with her." Illidan acknowledged, smiling and shaking 'his' head. "Except, she's more mature than me in almost every way!"
"Isn't she always?" Ludwig replied with a laugh. "What's going to happen to Alyssana when you're gone?"
Illidan's smile immediately disappeared and took a small moment to think. "The pain won't be pleasant for her and she's going to need all the moral support she'll need because once I'm gone...all the hell within her might be released all at once." He stated with a look of regret. "You were right about me however. What I did was just torture for her and it wasn't until it was too late that I realised that I have endangered her life."
The Death Knight would've gone off his head about Illidan proving him right about their soulbind but he knew that Alyssana would've been a completely different person if it weren't for the soulbind. "I'll promise you this, Illidan." He spoke as he opened a Death Gate to the Archeus. "I may not be around in Alyssana's life after she gives birth, but I promise that she'll never be in harm's way. I will be there for my son, however!"
"Just make sure you're there for her too." Illidan stated as he began to cast a teleportation spell to the Frozen Throne.
"I'll try to be Alyssana's moral support." The Death Knight chuckled. "Even though I'll probably be last person she'll want in her life."
"I'm not talking about Alyssana." Illidan snickered and once the teleportation spell was finished casting, Alyssana's body began to slowly disappear into thin air.
Ludwig tried to confront Illidan but Alyssana's body had already vanished. "What?! W-wait! Illidan! Who were you talking about?! Gah, dammit"
The Frozen Throne
Alyssana's P.O.V
I suddenly regained my conscious and control of my body and I realised that I was at the very top of Icecrown Citadel. The Frozen Throne itself! I looked forward and saw the Lich King sitting on his throne! To my upper left, I saw Tirion Fordring in his full Armor and I soon again realise that me and him are the only ones here aside from Arthas on his wretched throne.
"So the Light's vaunted justice has finally arrived?" Arthas chuckled with evil in his voice as he stood up from his throne and walked down to the platform me and Tirion were standing on. "Shall I lay down Frostmourne and throw myself at your mercy, Fordring?"
"We'll grant you a swift death, Arthas!" Tirion snapped. "More than can be said for the thousands you've tortured and slain."
Arthas simply laughed at the paladin. "You will learn of that first hand! When my work is complete, you will beg for mercy and I will deny you. Your anguished cries will be testament to my unbridled power..." he replied, pointing his sword at Tirion, then he cocked his head to look at me. "Ah, look who has arrived! Alyssana Runelight; The Mage of Mercy, Mate of the Betrayer AND The Insurgent of the Alliance! You are a disgrace to your king and to the Alliance, but you will make a fine servant to the Scourge along with Ludwig and your children!"
"You will never lay a hand on my children and Ludwig is free of your control!" I exploded, taking a few steps forward. "You have no power over him anymore! And you cannot defeat me, as my husband had said that he trained me to be just as powerful as him."
"Did you forget, girl, that he lost against me?" Arthas taunted me, but I held my ground.
"Our battle isn't over yet, Arthas!" Illidan's voice sounded as he physically manifested by Tirion's side far on the left. "We may have fought all those years ago and I had fallen, but through Alyssana, vengeance will be mine!"
"Glad you two could come around!" Tirion said to me with a nod.
"It doesn't matter anymore. You will all fall beneath the might of the Scourge and there's nothing you can do to stop what's coming!" Arthas raged at all of us and both me and Illidan got our weapons ready for battle and so did Tirion.
"So be it! Both of you, with me! Attack!!!" the Paladin shouted as he charged towards Arthas with the Ashbringer in hand.
Before he could strike at Arthas, he was suddenly frozen on the spot by the wretched Lich King himself!
"Tirion!!!" Both me and Illidan yelled out in unison and a truly evil sneer grew underneath Arthas' helm.
"I will keep you alive to witness the end, Fordring." the Lich King bragged to the frozen Tirion. "I would not want the Light's greatest champion to miss seeing this wretched world remade in my image."
"You fucking monster! How much more cruel could you possibly be?!" I screamed at him, the blades of my warglaives flaring up with Fel Fire.
"More cruel than your beloved putting you through this soulbind!" Arthas shot back at me and began to charge towards me and Illidan.
Illidan's P.O.V
When Arthas began to charge at me and my Alyssana, with a roar, I blocked his blade from hitting my beloved wife and pushed him back and away from us. I quickly turned to her and the look in her eyes was the very same look I saw when she battled alongside me at the summit of The Black Temple. She's itching for a fight!
Once she looked at me, she smiled and I nodded at her with a smile as well and we both looked at Arthas and shouted a war cry in the language of my people. "Tor ilisar'thera'nal!"
We both swiftly charged at the Lich King and once our blades had hit the cursed blade of Frostmourne, both me and Alyssana had begun to combine our attacks as one. Alyssana was able to hit Arthas by slicing into his left arm but that wasn't enough to bring him down. Even my flurry of attacks was being blocked by Arthas' blade and he even begun to summon his undead minions to attack me from behind!
"Alyssana, handle them!" I shouted to her in command. "I'll hold him off!"
"Yes, shan'do!" she responded with a shout back and started mowing down all of the Scourge minions with her magical blades.
"How can you hope to survive through her when she's dead?" Arthas ribbed, pushing me away from him. "When she becomes my ally?"
"She'll never be your ally!" I growled at him. "Like I've said, she's just as powerful as me and she knows better than to join a death ringer like yourself!"
"You have confidence that she will be able to handle herself." the dead king taunted me yet again and went to strike at me but I blocked his sword with my warglaive and I kicked him, knocking him away from me. "But...will she be able to live with herself when she finally gives birth? When contact with you from the Twisting Nether will cease?"
I quickly glanced over at Alyssana and although she was doing just fine, fighting back Arthas' Scourge minions, I could tell that every now and then, she would wince as if she was in pain! I had a bad feeling that I knew where that pain could be coming from and I focused on fighting the Lich King.
Alyssana's P.O.V
I kept holding off the endless amount of Scourge that came after me and I even caught glimpse of airborne Scourge and I had to shoot a quick Fel Fireball at them to bring them down. I swiftly looked at Illidan and he seemed to be fighting well against the Lich King, however, with all this fighting I've been doing, I've been feeling fleeting shots of pain in my abdominal area and I knew where it was coming from and I knew why! The baby's due, today! But I need to hold on for a little longer, I can't back down from this kind of pain. I've dealt with it before, I can do it again while I still have some fight left within me! Then I felt a sudden hit on my left shoulder, like a blade had cut into it and I landed on my right knee, groaning in pain. Yet, I heard the same sound come from behind me, so I looked back and Illidan was on one knee with his left shoulder trickling demonic blood!
He looked back at me with the same expression of concern and worry and we both instantly knew what was going on! "Keep fighting, we can do this!" my voice boomed at him.
Then, Arthas began to laugh at us, mocking us for our shared pain. "Isn't this delightful? If I destroy his soul, that means that I will kill you and bring you to my side as my champion! No questions have remained unanswered! No doubts linger! You, Alyssana, are truly Azeroth's greatest champion. You overcame every challenge I laid before you. My mightiest servants have fallen before your relentless onslaught... your unbridled fury." He began to boast and I quickly summoned a shield around me and I used my magic to teleport Illidan closer to me within a flash. "Is it truly righteousness that drives you? I wonder..."
Illidan began to cough up blood and I felt helpless, unable to have the power of healing him like he does with his magic. I tried to look through my small satchel to find some sort of healing solution for him, but all I could find were potions and elixirs for enhancing one's strength, then I felt a hand on my wounded shoulder! I yelped in pain and I looked at Illidan who had a sad smile on his face. Then I suddenly knew why he was making that smile! It was the same smile that he had at the summit at the Black Temple, when he was telling me to escape while I could...before he died!
"No!" I shuddered a whisper to him. "No, we cannot give up, not now! We can still fight, come on!"
I started to get off of my knee but then, I was dragged back down by my right wrist being pulled by Illidan and I ended up facing him, our faces right up close to one another and I looked at him in wonder and worry. Without warning, Illidan gently pulled me into a loving kiss and I felt my left shoulder's wound begin to heal, as if the kiss itself was healing me. After that kiss, I noticed Illidan's blindfold had disappeared and his eyes were in Fel Flames, yet he still kept that smile that makes me feel fuzzy all over! That night when we were almost all over each other, it was not only his sleepy voice that caught me but the love within his smile, that's what captured my heart. I looked at my left shoulder to see that the wound has healed and Illidan grabbed my face by the chin and made me look back at him but this time, he had a regretful look on his face and he nuzzled our foreheads together as a sign of affection.
"I cannot fight in this form anymore right now, my love..." he groaned. "The rest will be up to you."
"W-what do you mean, Illidan?" I fretted to him in panic. "Don't tell me you're-"
"I can feel our connection fading away in this realm...can't you?" he wheezed, then he coughed horrendously, as if he was sick.
It took a small moment, but I did begin to feel something within me was becoming...emptied? "Illidan?"
Illidan's P.O.V
My body started to feel very sluggish at this point and even though I felt like absolute shit, I still couldn't keep my eyes off of my beloved wife. Alyssana...my dearest love! My sight was beginning to become blurry and my hearing had slowly started to muffle. Although I couldn't hear her properly, I could read her beautiful scrumptious lips. But what broke my heart the most was seeing the tears in her eyes well up and fall down her face like rain drops on a window pane!
"Illidan?" she spoke again, but I still couldn't hear her properly, yet I had to try and speak.
Alyssana's P.O.V
"Alyssana, listen me closely as my hearing is also fading!" Illidan croaked as he held my hands in his, massaging my ring finger with his right thumb. "I will give you the rest of my power that I still have here and it should help you defeat the Lich King. This is our only shot at victory!"
I felt my lower jaw trembling as I held his face and kissed him again while my tears fell down my cheeks. I nearly forgot that the Lich King was still monologuing and I heard thuds on the Arcane shield which would've made me flinch but I still kept holding on to the kiss I was sharing with Illidan. Prior to slowly pulling away from our smooch, his image faded and morphed into a gaseous ball of Fel! Then the mist from the ball began to flow into my body and I felt a sudden refreshing surge of energy! Then I heard Illidan's voice at the back of my head.
'Finish this for us. For all of Azeroth!'
Third P.O.V
The Arcane Shield shattered with one final blow and before Arthas could strike at Alyssana, she used her Fel magic, given to her by Illidan to hold the Lich King in place! Just before Alyssana could inflict the magic she'd use for torture, Tirion had begun to speak whilst staying still in the frozen ice.
"Light, grant me one final blessing." He started to pray. "Give me the strength...to shatter these bonds!"
Tirion's icy prison started to glow with the Light and it broke the ice! Alyssana saw the Paladin begin to charge at Arthas and as she let go of Arthas, he too continued to attempt to attack Alyssana but suddenly, the Ashbringer clashed with Frostmourne and it broke the cursed blade! As the blade broke, a mist with thousand of spiritual orbs began to swirl in the air, circling into what looked like a tornado of souls!
Shocked by this, the Lich King stumbled a little in his footing. "Impossible..." he marvelled.
"No more, Arthas!" Tirion exploded with rage. "No more lives will be consumed by your hatred!"
Then the spirit of King Terenas Menethil manifested from the tornado of souls and appeared beside Alyssana! "Free at last! It is over, my son. This is the moment of reckoning!" he shouted at Arthas.
All of a sudden, the Lich King was lifted into the air by the souls he had slain! "Now I stand, the lion before the lambs...and they do not fear." he marveled in shock with a twinge of fear in his voice. "They cannot fear!"
Alyssana was almost stunned at this sight but the voice of Illidan brought her back to reality!
'It is time! Do it! Kill him!'
With a bursting surge of energy, Alyssana leaped into the air and with the ends of her warglaives, stabbed the Lich King in the guts, piercing his armor as if it was nothing but flesh! The Lich King has finally been slain and he was dropped to the floor on his knees and as his crown of evil fell from his head, Arthas tried to reach out for the helm of domination but instead, he fell to his side, still glancing at the cursed crown.
"It is done. It's over!" Alyssana panted as her warglaives disappeared.
But before she could fall to her knees in exhaustion, she felt a sudden pain shoot through her lower back and harsh movement in her womb and she screamed out in pain! Before Tirion could react, Alyssana's astral image faded into nothingness and even the Paladin was shocked by what he just saw and he even tried to reach out to Alyssana as she faded away.
Solitude Lookout
Back at Solitude Lookout in Alyssana's bedroom, her consciousness finally came back as she screamed in pain, startling and alerting her parents and Faralana!
"Alyssana!" Faralana shrieked. "By the Sunwell, what happened?! Did you confront Ludwig?"
"It's done!" Alyssana managed to shout out as she tried to breath in and out to soothe the pain, but it was too much for the mage to comprehend. "Shit!"
"Auralithia, look at me!" Duron tried comforting his distressed daughter. "Just breathe in and breathe out, we can talk about Ludwig later but we have to deliver this baby now!"
"Mother!" Alyssana wept in unspeakable pain.
"It's alright, my daughter, I'm right here!" Amari comforted her daughter, holding Alyssana's left hand in her bony hands. "You've done this before, so you can do it again. I believe in you!"
"Wait..." Faralana pondered at Alyssana. "Where is he? Where's Lord Illidan?! He disappeared sometime ago when you were unconscious!"
Amari took off the blanket that was covering Alyssana and exclaimed in shock. "Duron, are you getting everything? Her waters have broke!" she shouted to her undead husband.
"Yes, I've got it all!" Duron shouted back as he got the things needed for a home birth.
More sharp shooting pain went through Alyssana's body and her screams were that loud that it could be heard from the outpost of Astranaar!
"Alyssana, where's Illidan?!" Faralana questioned the birthing mage.
"Can't you fucking see I'm having a baby here?!" the mage screamed at Faralana but then realised that she was swearing at her best friend. "Sorry Faralana. I'm so sorry!"
"No, don't be sorry! Baby comes first!" Faralana squeaked.
"Alright, Fara, I need you to pay attention!" Duron commanded. "Here's the lip balm, since Alyssana will be breathing in and out a lot, her lips will become dry! And I need you to be her support so hold her goddamn hand! Amari, get the wash cloths and help Alyssana get in a position to properly give birth! Make sure to dry her forehead frequently as the process of pushing will tire her out and she'll break out a sweat! Alyssana, it's time!"
Before Alyssana could say another word, another contraction shot through her entire body, causing her to scream yet again! Prior to Duron asking Alyssana to start pushing, a crow started shrieking outside on the balcony and Faralana had to quickly let go of Alyssana's right hand to find out why said crow was making a lot of noise.
"Oi, shoo!" she barked. "Can't you bloody see a woman is giving birth?!"
"Yeah, Tyrande asked me to check on her!" the crow suddenly spoke, startling Faralana.
"What the fuck?" she squeaked. "You can talk?!"
"Yes, of course! I'll let her know that Alyssana's in safe hands but we'll be coming here for support!" the crow spoke again.
"Fara! Get back in here! She needs you!" Duron called from the bedroom where a wailing Alyssana could be heard from the balcony.
The demon hunter nodded at the crow and ran back inside to Alyssana's side.
"Alyssana, you need to breathe, you're hyperventilating!" Amari warned Alyssana as the mage began to panic.
"Your mother's right, you need to start breathing properly!" Duron agreed. "Breathe, Alyssana, breathe!"
The distressed mage closed her eyes and focused on her breathing patterns until it was under control.
"Atta girl, my queen!" Faralana praised her. "Alright, you're doing well! Duron, can she proceed with the birthing?"
Duron nodded in agreement. "Yes she can! Alright, you've done this before, Lithie. You know how to push so on 3, you push! Ready?"
Alyssana, fearing for what will come after she gives birth, and although she had fear in her eyes and she was terrified, she nodded in understanding.
"Alright, on 3! 1...2...3! Push!" her undead father commanded and the mage listen, letting a painful groan as she pushed.
20 minutes have gone past and Tyrande, Shandris, Seanna and Broll Bearmantle had arrived at the Lookout! Broll transformed into his flight form again to go check on Alyssana's progress and not a moment later, he swiftly came back!
"She's started pushing 20 minutes ago!" he wheezed as he transformed back into his night elf form. "Duron said he can see the head and Alyssana's opened the way for us to get inside the tower!"
Tyrande nodded in understanding and the four night elves ran into the house and already they could hear Alyssana's screaming from pushing. Being so close to her screams was almost haunting as if they were hearing a banshee's wail!
Tyrande quickly ran upstairs and shouted for Alyssana. "Alyssana!"
"Tyrande!" she replied with a cry that was followed by another groan. "Where's Marenus?!"
"He's at Teldrassil with the other priestesses! We've let him know of the situation you're in right now!" Tyrande shouted to Alyssana, letting her know of her son's location which relieved the mage for a bit but the pain of the current childbirth quickly came back. "I'm so sorry, Alyssana! For making you think I've abandoned you."
"Childbirth first, talk later!" the mage screamed at the top of her lungs and Tyrande winced at the sound but she understood the mage clearly.
Another 20 minutes have gone past! Seanna was sent back to Teldrassil to let Marenus and all of the community of night elves know of the progress Alyssana was making. The head was almost out and Alyssana felt like she was pushing out a watermelon out of a peach and the pain was almost heart-stopping for Alyssana! Beads of sweat dripped down Alyssana's forehead as she kept pushing and pushing to only little avail. The pain of pushing started to overwhelm the mage to the point where she bawled her eyes out, just wanting the baby to be born already! With Faralana gripping her right hand, Duron repeating the countdown for Alyssana to push the baby out and Amari rubbing her back to help soothe the pain, it all became too much for Alyssana to handle as if she was being hovered by the only three people she had in the room.
Then she began to lose it. "Fucking hell! Just get this fucking thing out of me! Get. It. OUT!" she screeched and wailed at the same time.
Broll, Tyrande and Shandris were downstairs in the living room as they kept hearing Alyssana's cries and screams. Tyrande was trying to keep it together, Shandris was biting the nail of her thumb and Broll was trying to keep calm by breathing in and out slowly but it was starting to irritate Tyrande.
"Could you breathe quieter?!" she snapped at the druid.
Broll just widened his eyes at the priestess and she rolled hers and looked away from the druid, balling her left hand into a fist. With an angered grunt, she strode to the kitchen and stopped in front of the sink and looked out the window in helplessness. As she heard Alyssana make yet another scream, she cringed at the sound and began to quietly weep to herself.
"Oh Elune..." the priestess sobbed, hanging her head over the sink. "May Alyssana have the strength to end this quickly as I cannot bear to hear her pained cries any longer while I'm stuck here! Before all this, I've made her feel abandoned by my duties as the leader of my people and the worries of my beloved Malfurion who dwells within the Emerald Dream. I pray that she'll forgive me when this is all over!"
Whilst in the midst of a little rest before beginning to push again, Alyssana began to think to herself about the outcome, trying to distract herself from the pain. 'Although I have done this before with Marenus and what I'm feeling now is how I felt when I was giving birth to him, all I wanted was for my baby to be delivered soon and I pray to the Light that this one is healthy when they come out. From what I know about Illidan, he was born with amber eyes! What if this baby is born with them too? Will they have a destiny ahead of them as soon as they're born? What if they don't have the eyes?'
The mage quickly snapped back to reality as she heard her father talking to her. "Alyssana, you need to keep pushing!" Duron informed Alyssana and his constant informing began to annoy her.
"Dad, I know what I'm fucking doing!" Alyssana roared in a demonic voice. "I'm trying to the best of my fucking ability-aaaaaa!!!"
She made yet another push and the look on Duron's undead face was one of shock and excitement! "The head, it's out! I've got the shoulders, so Alyssana, I need you to listen to me one last time." Duron declared to Alyssana whose eyes shot open to this new information. "You've gotta make the big push! Are you ready?!"
She was almost stunned at this revelation. The baby's almost here! She felt afraid to push but the voice of her beloved encouraged her to get to the finish line.
'You can do this, my love! Just one last big push! I love you, Alyssana! I believe in you! Now push!'
After that last push, there was one thing that could be heard all throughout the Lookout. The cries of a newborn baby. Duron quickly cradled the half night elf-half human baby and presented it to his daughter on her chest while Faralana moved away to make room for the undead man. Alyssana swiftly reacted to this and cradled the newborn in her arms and she wept with joy at the sound of the baby's cries!
"It's a girl!" Duron sniffled with joy. "Congratulations, Alyssana! Well done, my daughter!"
"Liryissa..." was all she could say as she looked at her little bundle of love in her arms.
"Lithie, I need to make sure she's alright and get her cleaned up." Amari cleared her throat with a smile as she motioned for Alyssana to let her hold the baby. "Duron, go let them know about the baby...and tell them the name Alyssana's given to her."
Duron happily nodded and patted Alyssana on the right shoulder then he made his way downstairs.
"I'll go help your mother with the little one." Faralana finally spoke with a happy tone. "You did so well, bestie! Illidan would be so proud!"
'Yes he would be proud...' Alyssana thought to herself with a smile which was one of joy but it later turned to sadness. 'Oh Illidan...I hope you saw everything...'
Both Amari and Faralana cared for the baby girl by using the same device Alyssana has to check on her heart rate, appearance, breathing, reaction times and more. This was called an APGAR test where they check for the appearance of the baby's skin tone, their pulse, response to stimulation, activity and respiration. Once the test was done, little Liryissa had passed the first test and Faralana helped Amari record the baby's footprints and using the device that had a feature for taking pictures, they took a picture of Liryissa for Alyssana to keep. Once that was done, the little halfling was cleaned and wrapped in a towel and finally, Amari handed the baby over to Alyssana to hold while Faralana came to her right side. Downstairs, Duron had told Tyrande and the other two about the safe delivery of Liryissa and all were happy and relieved that Alyssana had made it through all the pain to birth a beautiful baby girl. The undead warlock, using his communication device sent a quick message to his leader Sylvanas to let her and other leaders of the Horde know of the amazing news!
Although Liryissa was crying up a storm in Alyssana's arms, all she could do was smile at her little bundle of joy and love that both her and Illidan made.
"My goodness, she's beautiful!" Faralana cooed at the sight of the adorable baby. "She looks so much like you, Lady Stormrage."
Alyssana went to touch Liryissa's face and her finger with the ring was suddenly grabbed by the baby's tiny hand, gripping it tightly. She began to breastfeed Liryissa to ensure she's fed and after that, she yawned and went quiet, sleeping peacefully in Alyssana's arms. She quickly took notice of the baby's features! Liryissa had the same nose as Alyssana as well as her round chubby face and she even had a lot of black hair, now slowly beginning to dry out and become fluffy like a lion's mane. Alyssana also noticed Liryissa had her father's ears although they were a little bit smaller than the average night elf's ears. What the mage was most curious about was the eyes but she didn't want to disturb the little sleeping baby beauty. All of a sudden, Alyssana felt very lightheaded and began to groan as if she felt sick. The groan was enough to wake Liryissa and make her cry again and Faralana noticed what was happening!
"Alyssana? Are you alright?" she stuttered in slight panic. "Do you need water?"
"Fara...t-take Liryissa. Quickly!" Alyssana slurred as she motioned for Faralana to take Liryissa into her arms.
Once the blood elf demon hunter took the crying baby girl in her arms, Alyssana went instantly limp! Faralana gasped in fear of what she was seeing and before she could begin to burst into tears and cry, she quickly put Liryissa in the cot that was prepared for her, prior to the childbirth.
"Duron! Amari! Come up here, quickly! Something's wrong with Alyssana!"
...
She awoke within a field of white light. It was really bright at first but her eyes had adjusted to focus on her surroundings. Behind her, a large Elven home in front of a small private beach with bleach white sand. The waves were calm and the sea was a deep sapphire blue. She was wearing an off-shoulder long red dress that had an opening for the left leg, sandals on her feet, her wavy dark brown hair was free from any hair ties and she was also wearing the Hearthstone Illidan had given to her. At first, Alyssana had wondered how she got here, but then she suddenly remembered what happened that had brought her here in this plane! She realised there was no wildlife in the forest behind the house which gave her more proof of where she really was.
"Hello? Am I dead?" She called out, her voice echoing in the wilderness, but she had no courtesy of a response. "Where am I? Hello?!"
Then a faint whisper entered her mind with a voice all too familiar to her heart. "Alyssana..."
"Illidan?" She called out for her demonic lover, her voice still echoing. "Illidan, is that you?!"
She heard more whispers in his voice but she couldn't make out what she was hearing. However, she was able to pinpoint where his voice was coming from! The house! The door to the entrance invertedly flung open and the inside had begun to glow in a golden light and suddenly, the whispers of Illidan grew into a chorus of echoes which almost drove Alyssana insane. But once she looked into golden light, she felt serenity and peace...then she could've sworn she saw a familiar figure of a male night elf, walking inside the house.
"Illidan?" She called out again to the figure, but he didn't vocally respond.
However, he looked at Alyssana but his eyes were too blurry for the mage to see nor recognise. The figure beckoned for Alyssana to enter the home and he disappeared further into the light!
"W-wait!" She shouted, holding out her hand as she ran into the house, squinting her eyes from the glaring golden light.
Back at Solitude Lookout
"Is she breathing?" Tyrande panicked.
"Yes, but I cannot wake her up! I've tried everything!" Faralana stressed to the priestess.
"She must be in a coma, minn'do, if she's still breathing." Shandris consoled her adoptive mother, putting a hand on her shoulder.
The priestess began to weep yet again in sorrow, but as soon as she heard the baby's cry, she turned to the cot and looked over to see the newborn. She gasped with shock as she saw Liryissa was perfectly fine in terms of appearance. Her ears and skin tone were one of a night elf yet her little eyes were still closed. She began to thrash her tiny hands in a fit as if she was in distress, as if she knew what was wrong with her mother! Tyrande hushed the little baby and she gently grabbed her tiny hand and Liryissa gripped one of Tyrande's fingers tightly, but she was still crying.
"It's alright, little Liryissa, you're alright. Your mother's just resting." she consoled the newborn halfling while trying to hold back a sob.
Then, Liryissa started to calm down to the sound of Tyrande's voice and the baby finally opened her eyes!
Meanwhile, Alyssana's parents were downstairs in the living room, all panicked about what's happening with their daughter.
"Duron...was this meant to happen?" Amari worried to her husband.
"I..." Duron stuttered before continuing. "I just hope enchanting those rings was the right thing to do..."
"What do you mean 'the right thing'?" Amari questioned Duron. "Duron?"
The undead warlock was too emotional to speak, knowing the damage he may have unintentionally caused. All he could do was cover his face and quietly sob to himself, as if he was regretting putting the enchantment on those rings. Amari too was emotional and she as well cried as if she figured out what Duron had done and she embraced his bony figure, holding her undead husband closer to her and he responded by hugging her tightly and smothering his face into the crook of her neck.
"I did what I had to do, Amari! Just so she could live!" he cried, looking up to face his beloved wife. "We've lost her once by giving her away and I was not about to let her be lost to us again by death and I'd rather die again if she were to be risen as an undead like us if Sylvanas got to her!"
Amari understood what he was saying and she tried to hush him to help him calm down. "It's alright, my love. We'll help her get through this as her parents." she consoled him and hugged him tightly again, comforting her husband.
Her comatose
A piercing noise entered her ears, the poor mage almost losing her hearing. The light was so bright that she felt as if she was blind and it would hurt to try opening her eyes! But then, her hearing swiftly came back yet she was still blinded by the bright golden light.
"Alyssana..." Illidan's voice sounded, almost clear and very near. "Use your magic to see like I did. It's alright my love, I'm right here."
His voice was a sudden comfort for Alyssana and she began to use a small portion of her power to see the environment around her. The first thing she saw was Illidan Stormrage himself, before he became a demon and before he lost his amber eyes. Immediately at first sight, they embraced each other tightly, showing one another the love they have for each other which had become so much stronger than before. From the day they announced their love for each other to the day the mage had given birth to their child. Alyssana had begun to bawl in realisation, knowing that this is all but a dreamlike state as she remembers again that she is currently in a coma. She looked up at Illidan with a wet face full of tears and he looked back with a sad smile, caressing her face with his hands and wiping away her tears.
"Dalah'surfal." He cooed with a loving smile. "You know what is to come."
Alyssana couldn't speak as not only did she know what Illidan was talking about but she also couldn't find the words to describe how she felt about this situation. However, the overwhelming emotions of sadness, panic and confusion took over her mind and her thinking.
"This place..." was all she could say with a whimper.
"Your coma must've put you in this place. This place is one of your own making, meaning this is what you desire the most." Illidan stated as he looked at his surroundings with Alyssana still within his embrace.
She looked around as well and the once bright light began to fade and settle into an elegant lounge area. The floor was entirely made of wood but the couple was standing on a burgundy red rug. There were stained glass windows and they were covered with green and purple patterned curtains and when Alyssana looked behind Illidan, she saw stairs leading up to the second floor but she didn't want to move from where she was.
"A beautiful home by the beach, me...and our daughter." He chuckled, caressing Alyssana's face as it was still wet with tears. "How many times have I expressed how much I hate it when you cry?"
Alyssana chuckled at his remark then it turned into giggles. "So many times, I've lost track!" she smiled, wiping away her own tears then she gazed into Illidan's eyes again. "Did you...did you see her?"
Illidan nodded with a smile and he looked as if he was about to cry tears of joy. "She's so beautiful! You did so well in giving birth to her, aside from all the screaming." he responded and the couple began to laugh out loud.
"Oh my poor dad!" the mage cackled but it was a half hearted cackle as she was still overburdened by the realisation of where she was.
She stopped smiling and leaned her forehead on Illidan's chest and slowly started crying again. "Illidan...tell me this. I...I must know." she wept, looking back up at Illidan who also had tears in his golden amber eyes. "Is this...is this...truly goodbye?"
Illidan had to hold in a cry to prevent himself from breaking down in front of her as it truly hurt him for what he was about to say next. "For now..." he sobbed and it was enough to break the both of them.
Illidan grabbed Alyssana by her waist almost immediately and held her against him tightly as he smothered his face into her left shoulder and lost all control of holding back his tears and cried loudly! Alyssana did the same thing and both lovers tightened their embrace as if to comfort one another in the current situation they're in. Alyssana rubbed the back of Illidan's head as he softly stroked Alyssana's wavy dark brown hair and after a while of sharing their sorrows with one another, they both began to slowly come down from their tearful outburst.
Illidan put Alyssana back down on the ground on her feet and lifted up her chin to make her face him. "My love for you will always be limitless!" he shakily stated to trembling mage. "Even as I dwell in the Twisting Nether, know that you and our children will always be on my mind. Yes, even I think of Marenus as my son."
The last comment made Alyssana shed even more tears, making her eyes sting and the sclera within her eyes turning a faint red. "When you say 'for now' do you mean-"
Illidan interrupted her sentence. "We won't be able to communicate and we won't be able to see each other at all." he sighed with regret then he lifted up his left hand to show Alyssana the matching ring he was given by Duron. "The only things that will connect us are our rings. I...have no idea what purpose they have in the long run but...all I know is that I'll always be with you in mind, heart and spirit."
The already grieving mage wept even more, hanging her head low, not being able to look at Illidan in the eye.
"Are you upset with me, my rose in the dark?" he softly asked her.
She quickly shook her head and looked back up at Illidan who had a sad smile on his face. "I just wish things didn't have to go this way!" she admitted with a sob. "Remember back at Dalaran when we were talking about how I have the power to go back in time? And how I said that if I did that, I'd get into a lot of trouble and it would cause a lot of problems?"
"Yes, I remember that, dalah'surfal!" Illidan sighed with a sad smile. "But time must flow as it should and even mending what was broken will never be as important as protecting this timeline and many others. Even if I wanted to change the past, our love can never be more major than saving Azeroth, our home."
Alyssana, still in tears nodded in agreement and understood what Illidan was talking about. Then Alyssana began to feel that she was gradually fading away from this plane as objects within the house started to vanish!
"You're almost close to waking up." Illidan acknowledged with sadness in his tone of voice, as if he didn't want Alyssana to get out of her coma yet. But he knew that they have a daughter who's waiting for her mother to hold her in her arms again! "My love..." he began, still having the same sad tone in his voice. "I need you to promise me this. Promise me that when you wake up, the only thing that you will focus on is taking care of Marenus and Liryissa. Whenever Azeroth is in danger, aid those who are willing to stop such threats, but most importantly, stay alive for our family and keep me in your thoughts as I will keep you in mine."
The mage instantly began to hyperventilate in panic as more and more household objects and furniture faded away! "Illidan! Tell me this, please!" she cried, holding Illidan's hands and interlocking their fingers. "Will we ever meet again?"
Illidan's face contorted as if he was trying not to cry at Alyssana's question as he didn't want to torment her even further, but it felt like he was doing it anyway by not answering her.
"Illidan! Will we ever meet again?!" she repeated, now shouting with tears streaming down her cheeks and her throat becoming dry and course from crying so much.
"Just promise me you'll take care of our children and ensure the safety of Azeroth." he sobbed as it was now Alyssana's turn to fade away swiftly but gradually.
Before she could vanish from this plane of existence completely, she gave Illidan one last kiss and as she felt her form begin to lift up into the endless sky, losing grip of Illidan's hands. Then, she shouted an 'I love you' in the Darnassian language. "Kene'thil surfas! Illidan!!!"
Back at Solitude Lookout
She woke up with a gasp and began to scream in terrible pain! Her scream alerted everyone in the tower, including Tyrande and Faralana who were in the room with her and they tried to hold Alyssana down as she began to convulse on her bed!
"Alyssana! What's happening? What's wrong?!" Faralana panicked as she held down Alyssana's right arm while Tyrande held down the other.
"Alyssana, control yourself!" Tyrande shouted at the violently twitching mage.
The gown Alyssana was wearing began to glow a Fel green on her chest area and Faralana quickly took off the piece of the gown that was covering the chest area! The symbol of the Illidari started to slowly form on Alyssana's chest just above her breasts and the mage began to now scream in total agony while Fel tears slowly fell from her eyes which scarred her under-eyes, but instead of bloody scarring, it turned into green markings under her eyes leading up to her bottom eyelid. The screaming from the mage had stopped and although Liryissa was the only one screaming, Alyssana collapsed on her bed whimpering in pain and with sorrow. Faralana and Tyrande looked at each other and both elves sat down on opposite sides of the bed with Fara being in front of Alyssana and Tyrande being behind her. The priestess rubbed Alyssana's back in comfort as she could sense the human woman was crying and Faralana got off the bed to kneel in front of Alyssana to look at her face.
The mage opened her eyes to see Faralana for the first time without the eye mask and even though her Fel eyes were fiercely flaming, Alyssana could tell that Faralana was worried. "What happened?" The worried blood elf asked her. "You were in a coma..."
Alyssana sniffled and sat up to look at both elven women who looked at her in wonder.
She still had tears flowing down her cheeks like rain but then she spoke with a broken voice. "He's...gone..."
"What?!" Faralana squeaked, her heart beating really fast in panic. "What do you mean he's gone?!"
Tyrande was about to say something but realisation quickly settled on her face and she looked away to try and hide her tears. In her youth, even though Illidan had made romantic advances towards Tyrande whenever Malfurion wasn't around and even though she kept rejecting Illidan, she did care about him. She turned back to face Alyssana who covered her face with one hand and wept silently while the other hand was holding Faralana's right hand tightly as they both cried in despair. Soon, Tyrande gave in to her tears and put her left hand on Faralana's right shoulder and her right hand on top of Alyssana and Faralana's hands that were holding one another, all three women sharing their grief over Illidan. Shortly after grieving, Liryissa started crying loudly and the trio of women stopped spilling their tears. Tyrande went to cradle the baby night elf human girl in her arms and walked over to Alyssana who was eager to hold her baby girl again.
"How was she while I was under?" She asked the priestess.
"She knew what happened to you so she was screaming and crying out for you." Tyrande responded as she lent over to Alyssana. "Look! She opened her eyes."
With a look of surprise, Alyssana swiftly took Liryissa in her arms and saw her opened eyes for the first time. The golden eyes! Although Alyssana was glad Liryissa had her father's eyes, she also felt worried that a lot of pressure will be on her daughter to fulfill her destiny when she's older. Little Liryissa looked up at her mother and smiled with a small giggle and began to coo at her. This made Alyssana smile warmly at her daughter who looked happy at the sight of her mother and she went to kiss the baby's soft pink head. She then felt something on her face and realised Liryissa was touching Alyssana's face and as the baby looked deep into her mother's eyes, Alyssana began to hear a faint voice in the back of her head.
'Our love will last forevermore.'
She could tell it was Illidan's voice but she once again held back her misery and focused on her daughter, Liryissa who made a big yawn and started to close her eyes. Alyssana chuckled at this sight and began to start getting off the bed. Tyrande and Faralana were about ask Alyssana to stay in bed due to the worry of her legs being sore because of the childbirth, but Alyssana was able to stand up and walk just fine!
'She should be in pain by now!' Tyrande thought to herself. 'How is this even possible?'
It seemed as if Faralana was thinking the same thing as both elves looked at each other and shrugged. Alyssana had put Liryissa back into her cot and covered her up so she could go to sleep. She looked over on the top of a dresser she had and there was a paper that contained the results of the first and second APGAR tests for Liryissa. Thankfully, she passed both tests meaning that Liryissa truly is a healthy baby! With the back of her hand, she caressed Liryissa's right cheek as she slept peacefully and Alyssana felt like someone was watching her so she looked behind her and saw her parents, Broll, Seanna, Marenus and Shandris.
"Mummy, are you okay?" Marenus asked his mother whilst holding his grandmother Amari's hand.
It took a while for Alyssana to answer as she had to think to herself for a moment before speaking. "...I'm okay, sweetheart. Really, I am!" she finally answered her son. "You wanna meet your baby sister?"
While Marenus was super happy to meet the new sibling, both Tyrande and Faralana went over to the exit of Alyssana's room and went downstairs with her parents, Broll, Seanna and Shandris. Tyrande sat on the couch with Broll and Shandris while Seanna went to the kitchen to brews some tea and both Duron and Amari were at the entrance of the stairs to the second floor holding each other closely.
"I'm...worried..." Tyrande mumbled aloud as she stared into the fire of the fireplace in the living room.
"Why are you worried, minn'do?" Shandris inquired her adoptive mother.
"I don't understand why she's able to walk around and not be in pain." Tyrande responded, looking to her left to look at Shandris. "Usually, after six weeks postpartum, a woman can walk normally after some physical exercises during those six weeks. But with Alyssana, she just got out of bed and started walking normally like the pain was nothing!"
Duron was hugging Amari from behind and he buried his head in her left shoulder and Amari scratched his head in comfort. "It's going to be okay...just as long as we keep an eye on her." she whispered to Duron and it earned her a smooch on the left cheek.
Alyssana's P.O.V
1 week later
After the celebration of the defeat of the Lich King, everything seemed normal to the point that everyone just went back to their regular lives. Yet, I feel like something has been missing this past week! Tyrande and Faralana still keep in contact with me, Marenus has been doing well in school and Liryissa has been keeping me up almost every night but I know that I must attend to her every need because that's what a mother does. I've always kept Illidan in my thoughts and sometimes I thought I could see his shadow in the corner of my room, but then later I would find that he's not really there. Tyrande even pointed out for me that after I came out of my coma, markings under my eyes and on my chest above my breasts had appeared! She also went into detail, saying that as they were forming, it was like it was being branded into my skin. I looked in the mirror and I saw the markings and the symbol of the Illidari on my chest, yet I feel...nothing. Like I don't mind that they're there because it doesn't bother me, but I don't remember the pain! All I remember is the look Illidan made when I asked him if we'll ever meet again and I suddenly felt a slight affliction in my chest where my heart is and I expected to cry and get upset at such a feeling, but I didn't! I heard Liryissa crying again from behind me and I went over to the cot to hold and cradle her in my arms to calm her down. I suddenly had an idea and I carried Liryissa to the balcony to get her to look at the stars with me and teach her how to point out constellations! As we were stargazing, Liryissa began to make happy noises as she pointed at a constellation at the starry night sky and when I went to look at said constellation, it looked like...Illidan?
'But how does she know what her father looks like if she's able to point him out?' I thought to myself. 'Odd...'
However, I paid no heed to it as I smiled to myself, looking at the constellation of Illidan. As I kept looking at the constellation, I could've sworn it turned Illidan's usual frown into a smile, like he was smiling at me! For the first time, for the past week, I finally shed tears as I smiled back and cuddled Liryissa closely and I heard her make noises at me, as if she was asking me if I'm okay.
I nuzzled her forehead with mine and kissed her tiny nose. "We're going to be okay." I stated to her and I looked back at the constellation of Illidan. "Your father is watching over us. He promised..."