Tanthelara took the scarlet-on-ebony helm from the Argent Crusade messenger who offered some brief condolences before continuing on to the keep and examined it, searching for the telltale filigree of what was to be her new family crest. It was heavily damaged - several deep claw marks, numerous dents, and countless scratches dotted its surface caked with blood and filth.
Maybe it’s someone else. It has to be. Fahr’s too cunning to get caught off guard by a mindless ghoul. He’s too powerful of a wielder of the Light. M’uru’s power will protect him. This can’t be his. It can’t be.
Her mind was racing as she desperately wiped away the grime with her sleeves, smearing dark crimson on her healing robes. After some more cleaning, her eyes caught the faint glimmer of gold on the inside of the visor and her heart sank.
“No…” she squeaked, her arms falling to the side and tears welling up in her eyes, “no! no, please -by the light of the Sun- please no…”
She could feel her lungs tightening up, her vision starting to blur from tears.
“…please, no…” Tanthelara sobbed, dropping to her knees and clutching her late fiancee’s helm, “Light, please… please just let this not be happening…”
One of the other healers noticed her as she wept in the frozen wasteland and motioned for help in bringing the grief-stricken priestess to the nearby tower - the same priestess who, not even an hour ago, had launched a valiant defense of the outpost against a group of rogue ice elementals. One by one, they approached and congregated around her, shielding her and offering their assistance. As they grouped around her, Tanthelara felt her world begin to collapse in on itself.
“…please… just leave me be… this can’t be real…” she meekly cried out in-between sobs.
“Miss, please, come with us. It’s not safe out here.” one of the Argent healers softly said to her, placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to console her. She just shrugged her shoulders and let it slide off.
“Miss, you’re going to catch your death of cold out here.”
“…please…” her voice was barely audible over the wind.
The crowd only huddled closer, as though they were to take her back to the tower - whether she liked it or not.
“…please…” she meekly cried out, only to be drowned out by the snowstorm that now had settled over the encampment.
Tanthelara closed her eyes and curled up over the destroyed helm of her beloved. Was this all she was to ever have for closure? The thought tore at her heart, burning as though she were stabbed by a branding iron. It was all too much to take in…
“Get back!” she hissed, readying a smite spell to launch at the first person to catch her eye who would not grant her request. The Argent Crusade - soldiers, guards, archers, and healers such as her self - stood its ground and forced her hand. The first smite spell landed on another healer, whether it was the one from earlier or not she could not tell in the throes of the commotion, and sent him reeling. She let another one fly - this once catching a guard in the chest and collapsing his breastplate. She readied a third one, only to get caught from behind by a rogue’s blackjack. In an instant, the world suddenly went silent and the ground turned into the sky before everything went black.
She awoke to the sound of chains and the oppressive warmth wrought by a restraining jacket trapping the heat of the braziers in the tower. As her vision adjusted, she surveyed her surroundings. A rather large orc was kicked back in a chair off to the side, likely assigned to be her guard, lightly snoring. On the desk in front of him were her belongings as well as the only remnants of Fahr she’d ever have - his badly damaged helm and a few shards of his broken ranseur. Her stomach churned as she recollected her most recent memories and what they could mean for her future.
What future, though? Her future was to wed Fahr after the fighting here in Northrend was over. They were to go back to Silvermoon once all this was over and have their ceremony at the shores of the Sunwell. They were to have a quaint little house near Farstrider’s Square and start a family and live out their lives together. But what now? How could this have happened?
How could the Light have allowed this to happen?
Tanthelara gritted her teeth in equal parts anger and sorrow. Is it because of what the Blood Knights did to M’uru? Is that why he died - so the Light could have its vengeance against us? The thought struck her to her core.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath to calm both her heart and her mind, she reached out to the Light for answers. The same Light she channeled with unparalleled fervor yesterday, and had served for decades.
The Light did not respond, leaving instead an intense feeling of emptiness. She reached out again, but could no longer feel its presence. Only the quiet, empty stillness of the tower. The Light had abandoned her. Fear and panic started to settle in her heart. Without the Light, what use was she for the Crusade? For the Horde? Would they just leave her here in Icecrown, being a healer that couldn’t heal, or would they execute her for the outburst she had caused yesterday? Even if she could miraculously just go back home to Silvermoon, what then? Struggling against her restraints, she began to grow desperate for something - anything - that would assure her everything would be alright. That her defense of the outpost would outweigh the outburst and she’d just get sent back to Orgrimmar for debriefing. That Fahr was really alright and was just taken prisoner by the Scourge, that he could still be rescued. A million different possibilities and timelines blossomed and withered in her mind as she struggled to cope with her impending fate, a million different whispers all reassuring her that there was nothing to worry about…
…come, and be freed…
A voice, simultaneously thunderous and ethereal, resonated in her mind. Horror descended upon her as the realization set in.
“The Void” she whispered to herself.
((tried to keep this concise for prompt purposes. its also a work night so there was definitely a time crunch. doesn’t feel like my best work. Might edit later, idk. Hope you enjoy!))