Arriving in a smoking state not by his ability Logan used his other hand to pry the burning blade hilt from his skin. The blade fell to the ground and he knelt to catch his breath from the heated battle on the floor of the throne chamber. Arriving not long after him was Colossus who warped to his chair and gripped the armrest for support as he clenched his side, badly wounded from the battle for the stones.

“Well that was unfortunate,” Colossus groaned

“Unfortunate! We got our asses kicked Colossus” Logan shouted strapping off his body shield and putting it tight to his hands Logan slammed it to the ground hard “I got the highlights already from a fleeing Drow commander in Sophie’s army, your army was incinerated by the ruins protection ability, Sophie was blown sky high into the ocean, I LOST! My invulnerability power cause of that idiot Artanis finding my dagger somehow, Sephinroth is missing presumed dead, and lastly…oh yes you only able to retrieve one of the two stones!” Logan finished breathing hard from trying to get all the words out at once.

“I’m very much aware of the losses Logan but thank you for restating them to me” Colossus scowled to him still holding his side and closing his eyes he took a breath. “But you’re correct about Sephinroth, where did she go. She should’ve met up with us after the battle”

“Maybe it wasn’t worth her while after killing off Lalandra,” Logan gasped

“No, she’d not have walked out on this deal willingly unless…” said Colossus thinking to himself then took to his feet to his chamber containing his books.

“Unlesss…?” Logan said following him “I lost my entire Vampire army, we both lost nearly our lives and you go off down here like someone with an attention disorder” Colossus stops his pace and turns to Logan, looking down to match eyes. “Sometimes these introductions don`t always go as smooth as one would hope, but they are a necessity”

Logan blanks a look back, void of thought for a moment “Introduction! Listen bullyboy I didn`t have a damn herald riding up to me with an invite to a dinner party out there…I went for War!”

“Then you went for the wrong reason Logan, this wasn’t a battle” nods his head “Well yes it was but not for what any of them or you knew for, this was a battle of wits…of knowledge. You see I needed to see and know what they did and now that I do, the next phase of the plan can go through, the loss was great but it was a necessary loss. You’ll have to replenish your memberships”

“Hey, I’m no breeding pit for you Colossus, those men had training and skill, for recruitment and mind state alone I’ll need years plus training locations” Logan snapped back

“From what I saw you`ll need decades, they were cut down in mere hours”

“That was no house warming party we went up against you moron”

“Oh stop you’re sniffling, this always was a possibility”

“Not for me Colossus, I won`t do any more until you tell me the whole plan” Colossus again stops his walk, turns to him with a deep stare that rendered Logan silent and a bit nervous.

“You talk as if this fight wasn`t a fair one, that`s what I never got with you Paladins, your code of ethics and honor, It means nothing in the grand scale. You want a fair fight go into a practice ring, you wish to win battles and wars…eliminate the opposition from time and lore, you win any way you can. By any means available, you wish to know my plan do you, you plan on alterations and I have, you keep your focus and I will, but what you never do is share command…” gets close in Logan`s face “It`s never a good idea!”

Logan watches him take from his face back down the hallway “Where are you going”

“To conform a suspicion my dear boy” Colossus ends wafting away into a puff of red smoke. Logan grips tight his blade and with a roar of blustering anger throws it into the hallway stone still with rage of the outcome that the talk never subdued.

Water trickles against the steady rocks of a waterfall and folds back toward the ocean as Captain Stryker of the Drow and his elite guard search for their missing Queen, told from a scout that he witnessed her fall from the tower down to this area.

“Captain…Here Captain I’ve found her!” said a searching guard who pointed out to the ocean at a glimmering peace of armor floating on the surface of the water, Stryker judged it to be about a quarter mile out from the shoreline and stripping his armor off he dove in swimming quickly toward her. Nearly reaching her body her knew about her evil curse over men and slowly put his hand towards her body from a close proximity. Seeing that nothing had happened he feared the worst had come to pass and swimming beside her folded her arms around his neck and backstroked to the shoreline with her clenched to his torso. He pulls her from the watery tome she was left to as water runs free of her body draining off to the wet salty sand.

She was a cold as ice and seeing the bludgeoned red marks under her skin indicated to the Captain bleeding under her skin, he drug her to the sandy shore and checked her lifeline.

“She’s alive men!” he announced with a happy tone, he then ordered the striping of her armor to allow her more air as the Captain ripped his cape from his back to wrap her in. Stryker looked helpless to her emotionless face to see only a peaceful sleeping sight residing on it.

He pulls back her soaking wet bangs covering her face to get a momentary glimpse at her stunning beauty; leaning over with a shocking look from the guards he places a light gentle kiss to her blue tinged lips.

“She must be in some sort of deep trance” he says to the guards as he orders them to prep his horse to carry them both to Shadowell city, he places his hand on hers and holds it to his chest

“Stay with us my Queen, the city needs you, the men need you…I need you” he whispers holding his deep gaze to her slumbering state when the guards tell him his horse is ready, picking her up in his arms he climbs to his horse holding her cradled in his grasp.

“Retribution will be yours when your strength returns Matriarch…I swear this to you, and if not from your hand it will come from my own” he says as they ride off and away to the city.

Throughout the next day and then another following grew an unsettling silence in the encampment that no amount of joy or hope could ever shed. People worked as needed but showed no emotion for interest in it at all. A cold front wind blows and shivering icy clouds grew in the sky as winter and the first snowfall were finally here. Taking almost a day to himself to get over the initial shock of his brother’s death, Cloud was visited by numerous parties who witnessed his miracle heroism, bearing thanks and unlimited waves of gratitude. Kind it was to see but not in need for as big as the compliments were it showed no sway to his heavy heart from the loss of his brother. Comforted by his wife and sister who also had a hard time trying to work through the difficult time, their time and skills were needed greatly. Dawn’s abilities were relied on heavily over the next few days so she had to do as much as possible to bury her feelings to show rightful hope to the group as a whole; but time to time Dawn found herself breaking down at her personal exclusive sanctuary in the mausoleum. As well as in the mist of some curing sessions, but during any heartfelt time she was supported and comforted by her new expressed love; Artanis. He as well blames himself from time to time over the days on his part that he felt he could have done more in Rain’s security, although no one else second-guesses him being able to have done any more than he did.

Stark stayed to aid with the clearing and burying of the bodies from both sides as well as the traditional funeral burnings, laying down fresh soil that was it covered with the natural chilling snowy white blessing of the realms condolences. Stark and less than half of what he brought with him reconvened back to the Mere from whist they came and wished the enclave well and if they needed anything in the future not to hesitate on the call of nature’s aid.

Looking to the common places she retreats to for time alone, Cloud looks for the one who has spent days steering clear of everyone’s path. Cloud looked to the pond and the riverside where she and Rain spent most of their time together, but coming up empty, he goes to the one place he had yet to look.

Entering the opening of Rain’s study he finds her, huddled like a child in the corner of the room leaning against a bookshelf with her hair blanketed over her face.

“This was his favorite spot, to be when no one would listen to him or if he was tired of the task,” said Cloud to Elanee’s folded figure, walking ever slowly but closer to her “There is a dinner plate with your name on it that when you’re ready can be heated for you”

Catching a glimmer shine from his sheathed blade it reflects off her face. Cloud sees that she has not even shed a tear since the hearing of the tragedy or during the emotional time of Rain’s funeral; he focuses to her hands gripped around a thick blue-glassed crafted bottle that he knows holds the contents of the harsh Drowish drink blood wine.

“Elanee did you drink that whole bottle, that stuff is not meant for human consumption, especially in the amount you had…was it full?” he questioned her concerned

“As long as it doesn’t touch your tongue going down your throat, you can dilute its effective strength allowing you to even drink a dwarf under the table” Elanee replies in a defeated soft mono tone voice

“That’s right” Cloud responded going around the work table to see a clear view of her and looking up to his approach she smiled.

“Rain taught me that on the night of the Shadowell Ball, he showed me a lot even though he didn’t teach it to me in direct words I watched him…I learned a lot” she said getting to her feet and walking around Cloud’s figure to the openness of the chamber. Strolling up and down the book shelves Elanee walked and bared thoughts quietly to her mind.

“The first time we met we hated each other” Elanee laughed and Cloud smirked “He called me a bitch even though he thought I didn’t hear him, and under my breath back I said he was a arrogant prick, I never thought that it would lead this far” she said looking upon Cloud’s saddened face.

“He has always loved you Elanee, even when he first spat out your name in a harsh sense it sparked in him an undying love for you” Cloud said to her as she again smiled to him running her hand across the dusty books lining the shelves of her fallen love’s study. Then perching her rear against the study table side she held the bottle in her hands.

“It’s ok to hate him Elanee, you can hate him for what he did” and looking to Cloud again she smiled a straight cut smile,

“I don’t hate him Cloud, I’m proud of him” she replied swallowing hard air down her throat “It took a lot of eternal strength to do what he did even knowing what the outcome could be…what he’d be leaving behind. I admire his courage, I really do” and holding a moment of silence to her thoughts she just said she then goes for another taste of the harsh drink to find the bottle empty, pulling it from her lips she looks to it and her left eyes draw a single tear, quivering her lips she throws the bottle to the wall smashing it into pieces. She buries her face to her hands while letting out a stomach turning cry, Cloud races to grab her trembling body and going limp to his grasp she leans heavy on his chest. Groaning cry after crackling cry she takes her strengthless hands, pounding them without any force against Cloud’s chest “HE PROMISED!” rang to his ears gasping for air to speak

“I know Elanee…I know” Cloud whispered slow

“He looked right at me and promised he wouldn’t do this to me. Why! Why did he do this to me” she ranted as a river of tears ran down his cloth shirt soaking it along with her escaping saliva from her mouth.

“To save us… to protect us…to protect you” Cloud said calmly as he held her vibrating body

“I don’t care, I want him back, I want him in my arms!” she barked brokenly to Cloud, and holding her firm Cloud calmingly shushed her and gently rocked her like a enfant back and forth as she continued her tearful assault. She could nothing but cry and as the emotion came to Cloud again a tear of sorrow came to his cheek side.

They hear footsteps approach from the entrance and sniffling up her draining mucus Elanee wipes her tears to see who was there. Alisianna stands with Elanee’s adopted enfant cuddled to her arms, walking into the room Alisianna looks to the two grieving separate from each other at her sight.

“Hey” Alisianna whispers softly “This little one was wondering if her mother was going to be ok” Elanee walks to her child and being passed to her Elanee grows a warm smile to her face.

“I’ll be ok don’t you worry none” Elanee says to the child squirming in her arms. Going to her husband Alisianna embraces Cloud while watching Elanee with her baby, Cloud looks to Alisianna’s belly and rubs it with a smile,

“I want ours Cloud” she said

“So do I” he replies and looking at the child while Elanee was smiling brightly thinks to herself,

“I had asked Rain to be the father for this child before we left to intercept Malice, he had not given me an answer before this” she blurted out to them.

“I think we know what he would have said Elanee” Alisianna smiled to her and grinning back she nods,

“Have you chosen a name for the child yet Elanee?” asked Cloud

“Yeah, I want to name her Kityana”

“That’s pretty” Alisianna compliments

“It means “Eternal strength” Elanee adds, and having a silence Alisianna reminds Cloud of the walk they were going to take and extending the offer to Elanee she declines, saying that she would like some more time alone to think. Thanking Cloud for the talk, Cloud and Alisianna leave Elanee to her solitude. Sitting to Rain’s desk with baby Kityana in her arms she looks around the room to its elusive presence that Rain left behind and then looking to her child she thinks to herself, it won’t be that bad as tears stream again down her face.

During the next two days emotions start to lighten up a bit as both Penelope and Tristan leave to settle in the city of Silverspire for a permanent home, he puts his commission to join the army there and is offered the leading position for his past assistance as the new head Captain of the guard, gratified by the honor he accepted it.

Down in the temple, sectioned off from the rest of the sick and recovering was Cynn, lying peaceful on a quilted stone laid pad for her motionless comfort. She was visited upon daily by Dawn in tending to Cynn’s flowers and recanting Cynn’s water scents in the fountain nearby, but none were at her side longer than that of Straud. Day in and day out Straud would watch her body in a feeling of sheltered howled mourning for there was nothing he could do to help her sleeping state. Every day he would go to her side in the morning and place his blade point down in front of her, kneeling to say his traditional prayers he gripped his blade tight with his bare hands until blood from his palms would run down the folded inlay grooves of the steel. Dawn was never allowed to heal the reopened daily wounds for they were a constant reminder to him of what was important in his life. “I will find the wisdom to reverse this crystallize state your beauty has been frozen to my love, until the last breath in my body is taken I will make this pledge…this vow” he would say to her at the end of every prayer session and everyday grew more impatient with not having the wisdom come to pass.