In Honor... [Open - before Under Siege]

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae had been fairly silent the past few weeks. She didn't do anything out of the ordinary; went to work every day, did her time, came back home, spent some time with loved ones and made dinner before bedtime. If anything, it all felt like it was going too well recently, which meant it was high time for her thoughts to drift into more unpleasant memories.

There was a lot that had been nagging at her head, the missions, their 'sponsors', the ship, the enemy... It all felt as if more and more weight was being put on everyone's shoulders and she wondered when she too would succumb to the overbearing feeling that it was to be a member of this crew.

This is why during one of the days that she had off, she packed her bag, grabbed her massive weapons and set off towards Religion Row. She had never been one to pray, or hope, or rely on the gods of yore. But she needed something familiar, something that held a very important place in her life... And when she had scanned the files on the City a long time ago, she had made a mental note of the location of a place that struck true and sounded very familiar.

Light's Hope Chapel.

Even as she neared the location, she could see the singular bell tower that made up the front of the Chapel and instantly recognized it. It really was it wasn't it? Her steps took on a hurried pace of urgency, as if she expected to see familiar places in the location. but she knew better... Even as her heart raced, her steps slowed down once the place came into view. The old and war torn building still bruised and battered, just as she remembered during the wars she took part of.  Even now, in this close proximity, Shadowmourne hummed violently as if warning her to not go there. And she couldn't blame the runeblade... Light's Hope Chapel had once held the most holy of grounds in Azeroth. Even the Lich King failed to take it down with almighty Frostmourne, so it was no surprise that Shadowmourne felt the same way about entering.

But this was both hers, and its destination, whether on the ship, or back in Azeroth. It was here that she had intended the final resting place for the Runeblade to be at... She made her way slowly towards the Chapel, each step causing the Runeblade to curse at her in her thoughts, to hum violently and begin to glow in that eerie purple aura from the thousands of damned souls inside the blade and yet, the counter balance that had been gifted to her aboard the ship by Daja and Aibghalien seemed to be working to keep it from becoming too overwhelming. While the legendary Runeblade was vastly more powerful, the opposing forces and elements canceled each other out a great deal, enough to make it easy for Ronnae to continue on even against the powerful influence of the blade. Ironic that she had named her new weapon Light's Hope, in honor of the place she was just visiting.

Tattered Argent Dawn banners still decorated the Chapel and the stained windows seemed to be intact. Images of the heroic acts of the great heroes of the Light depicted on them. Images of stories that she grew up on. Stories told by her father, an elven Paladin of the Silver Hand and devoted follower to the Argen Dawn. This was a place of peace for her, and it was exactly what she needed.

The young, half-orc girl knelt in front of the altar and placed her Runeblade in front, much to it's dismay and hatred. It almost seemed as if the blade was burning just from being in the hallowed place. It was here that Ronnae closed her eyes and placed her hand upon the cold burn of the angry Shadowmourne, wincing a little as the pain from the freezing burn began to leave it's mark on her hand, but it mattered not, she knew of the pain, and she had carried the burden for long enough, it would heal over soon enough... After a deep breath, she began her prayer;

"I come here to honor those who have fallen, and for those who will still fall during this war. Allies and enemies alike. I bear the burden of thousands of lives and if fate deems it, there will be countless more until I fall... It's the way of my trade, of my people, the ways of a world where war is never ending and it seems as if those ways will follow me wherever I go. As such, I pledge my blade once more to keep those I care for safe, those that are unable to fend for themselves, those that are caught in between the warring sides even as I do my duty for my own.

I see my foes as equals. Souls intertwined in this on-going war, same coin, different sides. They deserve as much honor as those who fight beside me for it is them who my blade is meant to cut down just as it is theirs that is meant to end my journey.

I see my allies as my wards, meant to be protected and defended against those that mean to harm them. They deserve my protection no matter how different we my be for it is them who are at my side and my back, protecting me just as well.

I see my friends and loved ones as my strength. They deserve my everything for without them I'd be lost, alone, and caught in the void that is inside. They are the ones who I fear for the most, they are my life line, they are my driving force and I'll do anything for them.

It is for all of them that I will continue to carry on the burden bestowed upon me when I pledged my life to this until I fall and cannot get up no more.

Today I reinforce my pledge, my promise, my dedication, my word given when I first became a warrior. In honor of the fallen the past, and the future."

With that, she gripped the cold, burning Shadowmourne once more and strapped the massive axe to her back once more before standing up and staring at the large stained glass image of the bearer of the Ashbringer. One of the many heroes she admired.

Comments

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi was only in the area by chance when he spotted Ronnae, but once she started her intonation, he was caught in a bit of a quandary. On one hand, it seemed like a rather private moment to be intruding on, but on the other, well. It was a little hard to leave the current atmosphere, somehow. In the end, he remained, listening to her words. He'd never actually seen anyone praying -- and whatever her faith, this moment seemed to have quite a bit of significance to her.

When she'd finished and begun staring up at the stained glass, he cleared his throat quietly to alert her to his presence. "Whose image is that?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae did jump a bit, not having caught his presence as she was too involved in her thoughts, but at least she was refreshed enough that her cheeks only tinged a little red as she faced him.

She then turned to look back at the stained glass and nodded,

"That's Alexandros Morgraine, the Ashbringer. He was the wielder of the greatest weapon ever forge in the fight against the undead Scourge and one of the greats heroes of the Silver Hand."

She turned back to Zouichi before giving him a bittersweet smile.

"Sadly, he was betrayed by his son and raised as the very thing he was fighting... Even the blade itself got corrupted until more recent times."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi frowned, not understanding. "Raised? What do you mean, 'raised'?" He wasn't really familiar with the particulars of Azeroth, though he'd been picking up a thing or two from its various (former) residents.

He looked back up at the stained glass figure. "You mean as a zombie?" Zouichi had had some experience with zombies himself. In that he killed them all the time okay no

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae shook her head. "Worse... He was raised as a Death Knight, a champion of the Lich King and the very thing he was fighting against."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi frowned. "Okay, I'm not really sure what either of those are, but it does sound... unfortunate. So what ended up happening to him?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae crossed her arms and looked up as she recalled how the events happened;

"Once he was raised as a Death Knight, he served under Kel'Thuzad, the most trusted general to the Lich King and one of the most powerful liches in Azeroth inside the dread citadel Naxxramas. There he became the leader of the Four Horsemen and lead the armies of the undead against Azeroth from inside the citadel."

She sighed before looking back at Zouichi, "During an assault into the citadel, he was killed by his youngest son who was trying to free him from his new curse... Must be painful to die to your sons twice, one seeking power and betraying you, the other seeking to free you and save you..."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

He looked grim. "Well, I guess if I were in the same situation, I'd rather be taken out before I could do any more damage than avoid getting my feelings hurt. I hope his last moments were peaceful, at least."

Zouichi had never really had to worry about being compromised back on his own world; he was more or less immune to N5S, and thus unlikely to become some kind of unholy, ridiculously strong Synthetic Human zombie.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

[So let it be,] Nehaalista finished the prayer. Usually, she finished her prayers in silence, considering her condition and the fact signing everything out for hours on end would cause the most unholy finger cramps known to all draenei-kind.

[Hello, Ronnae.]

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

At first, Ronnae couldn't recognize the amplified voice, but as soon as she turned the figure was unmistakeable and she promptly nodded her head in a respectful bow.

"Hello Nehaalista, I wasn't expecting company... but it's nice to see you seem well."

She had heard much of the woman but had interacted little with her, nonetheless she had immense respect for her due to the things she did know from listening to Nokosi and Ellistree.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista looked over Ronnae, and the Runeblade. [I didn't mean to interrupt your prayers, I was merely wondering if anything of Shattrath had made it here.] The high holy city of the draenei, second only to lost Karabor. She sincerely hoped nothing of the Black Temple was here on the ship. [Instead, I found the Chapel, and you.]

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"I... was actually surprised to find this myself. I had made a note of it when I was going through the files on the ship, but never really came to check on it since my arrival..." Which she felt bad for, but it wasn't here, not there.

"I haven't seen anything of Shattrath no, but if I do find it, I'll make sure to let you know since I explore a good deal of the City weekly."

She had visited Shattrath frequently during her travels through Draenor, but she knew that it would mean a great deal more to the female in front of her.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista seemed pleased by this, though it was hard to tell if the upward flicker of her lips was a smile of a twitch. [Thank you, that would be very kind of you.]

[Did you serve with the Aldor, or the Scryers?] she asked. It wasn't an uncommon question. Nehaalista had naturally chosen the Aldor, having good memories of them through the centuries when she'd been a shy youngling trying to become a Vindicator. But this girl, with her green skin and her blood elven features might have chosen her parents people.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded, "Actually I served with the Shattered Sun Offensive. By the time I trained in Draenor, the... split was barely noticeable between the Aldor and the Scryers... Though, there was still a bit of that in-fighting."

As it was with most things involving Azerothians... It seemed as if it was ingrained into their very essences to quarrel with any other race or faction.

[morphitudinous]

Billy was, of course, working for at least part of that day. He tried to arrange his schedule to give himself and Ronnae the same days off every once in a while, but this was both inefficient and an abuse of his position, so he'd backed off recently. That had left him working and training constantly, with the thoughts of war steadily building in his mind.

After all that Kaya had said to him...her revelation, what things meant to her...who was he in this war? That was something he still needed to discover.

He happened by on his way home for some supplies, head unconsciously tilting in a certain direction when he almost heard something. A step closer, and then he did. Ronnie was active here, wasn't she? There was a hushed voice.

Aware of his ignorance regarding customs about who may enter such a place, he waited outside, head bowed in thought. Just who am I becoming?

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

After a while of looking around and writing down notes, Ronnae felt it was time to head off. She had a lot of personal plans now, including the fixing and repair of this building. One last look back into the Chapel before she stepped outside fully, only to notice that Billy was out there.

A faint smile spread over her lips and she made her way towards him before wrapping her arms around him in a loving embrace.

"I didn't expect to see my knight around these parts~" She mused happily. "Pray tell, good knight, what brings you to these parts and what seems to be worrying you my love?" Because she had noticed and felt that his mind was in turmoil, even if there was reason for everyone aboard the ship to be in a state of constant worry, she wanted to appease the ones she loved the most whenever she could.

Especially the most important person in her life aboard this ship.

[morphitudinous]

There she is! Billy thought he might have to force himself to smile when he saw her, but that was always genuine. He gladly burrowed into her arms, smiling down at the sweet face he was so fond of. She seemed at peace, and secretly he envied that.

"We're not too far from home, remember? Just across the river. I was heading there to do my working from home. I thought I'd take the scenic route. And I heard your voice, and I wanted to wait for you."

He shifted his eyes guiltily. "How do you know?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"True enough, jus' like you to want to continue workin' at home~" she mused before leaning up on her tip-toes to kiss his lips lovingly, settling back on firm ground after a moment.

"I'm glad you did then! It'll be a much nicer walk with you around for sure."

At his inquiry however, she smiled warmly, "Stance, heartbeat, the feeling surrounding you, the way your eyes gave you away. Different things for someone who has been around you long enough to pick up, especially when I lots of attention to my sweetheart."

[morphitudinous]

Ronnae was so good at coaxing him. He let himself enjoy kissing her, smiled down as best he could, and gestured at the road ahead questioningly.

"Should I tell you on the way, or did you want to sit?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"Well, if you're tired, we could take a seat inside the Chapel. But if you're feeling like you wana start the trek back home, I'm good for that too love. Jus' lemme know what you want, kay?"

[badluckbabe.livejournal.com]

Jinx had taken a little trip through the city, exploring, scouting out potential safe houses for the future when she spotted a familiar face with a look of determination.

She set to stalking Ronnae from the rooftops as silently as possible and even crept up behind her during her prayers. The pink haired girl had to admit while she wasn't particularly religious the building had a very spiritual feel to it.

Not that she wasn't above pilfering anything useful that could be found here.

Finally she spoke surprisingly close to Ronnae, "Friends of yours?"

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

If it hadn't been for the quick recognition of the voice, there might have been some blood spilled at that moment out of sheer instinct, but it simply got a small shiver from the half-orc girl as she turned to face that mysterious pink haired girl she had met before.

"Jinx," she said it more of a confirmation to herself than anything else before continuing.

"Not really, a hero from my world and someone I looked up to." she paused and looked at her curiously, "What brings you to this area?"

[badluckbabe.livejournal.com]

"Why, you of coarse." Jinx teased and strolled past with a wink, She noticed there was more strength in Ronnae's voice today, maybe it was this place? Or something good had happened since their last talk.

"Who is it?" She asked meaning the hero.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

Ronnae looked at the girl and smiled, a slight blush forming on her cheeks but she definitely seemed more confident than before.

At the inquiry, she looked to the image and nodded. "That's Alexandros Morgraine. The Ashbringer. He was the wielder of the legendary weapon by the same name and one of the heroes of the Argent Dawn, a group dedicated to protecting the people from the evils of the world. During that campaign, it was the undead Scourge whom they were focusing on."

[badluckbabe.livejournal.com]

"Oooo~" Jinx made a noise of interest watching Ronnae's eyes as she explained, "Sounds impressive." She wasn't being sarcastic but rather fishing for Ronnae to continue.

[ronnae.livejournal.com]

"He really was, he was the first. I'm sure if it hadn't been for his untimely demise, he would still be the wielder of the Ashbringer and renowned hero of the Light."

She paused and looked back to Jinx. "After the big battles, including the one for this very Chapel, Tyrion Fordring became the new wielder of the blade and the new Highlord of the Argent Crusade." And one of Ronnae's all time heroes.