“Auntie Tan!” squealed a child, a young sin’dorei, as the priestess approached the modest home at the edge of Eversong. The youth took off into a full-on sprint in his hurry to give her a hug. She caught him and scooped him up, hugging him and holding him close, a large smile on her face.
“Hey booger, what have you been up to?” she asked him, trying her best to mask the exhaustion on her voice with overwhelming enthusiasm.
The boy hugged her and wiggled in her arms to get her to set him down. “I’ve been learning how to magic!” he said, full of glee “I learned how to catch a mana wyrm and I learned how to cast a spell and I ate a bug!”
Tanthelara smiled “You learned how to cast a spell! You’ll have to show me sometime!”
The boy hopped up and down, “uh-huh! I used it to cook the bug I ate!” he exclaimed, being oddly proud of the last part. “I did it like this!” he continued, squinting his eyes and scrunching his face together in intense concentration. Moments later, as if on cue, faint sparks coalesced around his hand into a small fire which immediately sputtered out.
“See!” he said, beaming with pride. “I’m gonna be a powerful magister when I grow up!”
She smiled and chuckled quietly to herself, tussling the boy’s hair. “Where’s your mom at, squirt?” she casually asked.
“Over here!” came a voice from the doorway. It was her sister, Renari, standing at the threshold and heavy with child. “Tan, what brings you home these days?”
She responded with a smile that hinted at a pains of sorrow in her heart. “Well, it’s squirt’s birthday, isn’t it?”
“Squirt?! You know that’s not my name, Auntie Tan!” he said, protesting the unofficial title.
“Would you prefer booger, then?” she asked him, kneeling to be face to face with him.
He shook his head. “No, and I’m not a squirt either! I’m going to be a powerful magister like what I showed you!”
Tanthelara grinned, “would Sparky be fine, then, oh great and mighty magister?”
The boy nodded in delight and ran off inside the house. Tan watched him until he was out of sight and then turned her attention to her sister.
“Well, this is a surprise.” she said, gesturing to Renari’s pregnancy, “does Senniar know yet?”
Renari smiled with a big grin “No, he hasn’t been recalled yet. He’s certainly in for a surprise!” she hugged her sister’s neck, “it’s so good to see you, Tan. I heard what had happened in Lordaeron and have been worried sick about you.”
Tanthelara pulled back. “Didn’t you get my letter?” she asked.
Renari shook her head. “Ever since the Undercity fell, Silvermoon and the surrounding areas had been forced to be self-sufficient. There were rumors going around that Saurfang was leading an uprising against the Warchief and you know how the Forsaken venerate their Banshee Queen…” she sat down on a bench outside the door. “They’ve had us on lockdown since then.”
The priestess hugged her sister again and sat down next to her. “There was, and he paid a terrible price for his mutiny.” her voice grew somber “but with his sacrifice, he may have granted us an even greater gift. The war is over, Nari.”
A heavy pause filled the air and then Tanthelara continued, “Anduin himself bore the weight of Saurfang’s body as they brought him inside the gates of Orgrimmar. He, along with Thrall and others.”
“Thrall’s back?” Renari exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with hope in memory of the welcome their people had gotten at the behest of the orc and former Warchief.
Tan nodded and looked away towards the ground. “But I don’t think we’ll ever have another Warchief. Baine and the others are against the idea of putting that much power into one person…”
“I see… anyway what is the real reason that brings you here?”
“…you know the reason. The warm winds are beginning to blow again - another year is starting to pass- and there’s just been so much going on with the war and everything that I need some time with him to clear my mind.”
Renari smiled warmly and rubbed her sister on the back. “I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you. He always was.” she wiped a tear from her eyes. “Hard to believe he’s been gone for a decade now.”
“…yeah…” Tanthelara replied with a sniffle. “I need to change clothes real quick if you don’t mind. These robes are just going to get destroyed in the brush if I wear them.”
“Of course. Look into my wardrobe and grab whatever you think would work best. I don’t want you looking shabby for your fiancee.”
She smiled and hugged Renari. “I’m pretty sure he’d find some way use that to pick at me about it if I was. Thank you, sister.”
((This one is meant to lead into the events of the “cleared head” prompt, so the full story can be had by reading it. As always, thanks for reading and apologies if it’s too long. Sometimes these stories just start flowing and its hard to keep them concise.))
))
))