Checkmate part seven

"...Where is it," Nenunial quietly whispered to herself, looking through the shelves one by one. Arieanne sat at the table, staring at a open book, hoping to spot something. "Find anything yet," The girl quietly mumbled, but loud enough for the death knight to hear. "No, sorry,". Turning away again, Nenunial quickly picked a book she saw on the shelves, then nodded, heading back to Arieanne who sat at the table. 

"Here it is, look at it," she handed the book to the girl, sighing. Reading through it, Arieanne stared at the words on each page, looking for a start. "Here!" She pointed at the page, it showed someone who had seen the demon that killed her parents. Grabbing the book and Nenunial's hand, she dashed out of the room and back onto their mount.

The death knight, still a bit shocked, hopped onto her mount, the guards behind them. Arieanne laughed as she made a loud whistle which startled the horse. making him run. Nenunial stared at Arieanne, who was facing the guards, blocking their way with a spell. "Finish them," Arieanne said grimly, she only nodded. Summoning the undead, she raised them out of the ground and they started to eat away at the guards, their screams filling the air. 

Sebastian was waiting back at the camp for them, petting a kitten. He looked up at them and saw them panting, he chuckled and got up, picking Arieanne off of his horse and carrying her bridle style. The death knight got off the horse on her own and sat by the fire, warming her hands until she saw Sebastian come out from the tent. "Young mistress is asleep, please be quiet," he slowly said, looking away from her. "Why do you stick by her, butler?" Shooting a glance he said, "Because once we start, you can never stop." Suddenly, he reached over and grabbed her throat, his eyes turning a dark red. "Why do you stay by her side, death knight." He spat at her, his grip loosening a little. "I-I want to h-help her," Nenunial said, choking as she desperately took a hold of his hand, yanking it off of her neck. 

A noise came from the tent, it was Arieanne. "Hmmm? What's going on?" The girl lazily walked outside, only to let her knees give out on her. Sebastian ran out to her, holding her closely. "Nothing mistress, please rest," He vaguely let a smile trace his lips. Arieanne reached a hand up, letting it trace his perfect features until she reached up and closed the space between their lips. "Goodnight then Nenunial, Sebastian." she walked back into the tent, out of his grip. His smiled faded quickly until he started to laugh quietly. "What's so funny?" Nenunial tilted her head, almost smiling at his reaction. 

"Young mistress always acts like that when she's tierd, luckily you weren't the one near her." He put a hand behind his head and went serious again, all sparks of emotion vanishing. "You can go to sleep now, miss," Nenunial nodded, and headed into her tent. "Maybe she's not bad after all.." Sebastian muttered to himself then shook his head, "No. She is a possible threat." The moon then shone brightly as Sebastian laid back and looked at the stars, sighing.

Checkmate part six

Nenunial spared a quick glance over her shoulder, eyeing Arieanne distrustfully, as the death knight tightened the various buckles and straps of her mount. The offer of healing last night had sent a pang of fear and sorrow through her. Once, she had been able to accept that. Once, she had been the one to offer it. But, now she lived in fear of the Light, something that she had once sworn to protect. The dead horse whickered, the sound coming from a ruined muzzle. Nenunial gave a brief smile as she patted her companion's head. The steed had served her in life, as it now did in death. Long ago, she would have though the gesture was of friendship, bringing the horse back. But now, farther away from -his- grasp, the thought made her grimace. The draenei leaned forwards, crooning a whisper into it's ear "How I wish I could set you free. Your tormented soul deserves that, my friend. We've been through too much, you and I, for you not to deserve a release. But, if HE ever knew-" She surprised herself, the whisper carrying more emotion than she had shown altogether for the past few years. -I thought that being a part of the Scourge took away your emotions-, she told herself, silently and bitterly, -Now it has just made the return of them more surprising, and no doubt more dangerous, then they ever were in life-.

Arieanne held up a worn leather backpack, checking to see if there was room among the saddlebags. It didn't seem like it, so she shrugged the pack on, patting the head of her mount. The giant cougar purred, leaning into her hand. The girl giggled, scratching under the massive cat's ears. A kind of excitement burned through her veins. Was it the bloodlust, the thought of finally taking her revenge? Or the prospect of finally traveling again, with a new companion, someone who didn't seem to want to kill her? She shrugged the thoughts off, thinking only of the road. As her mount stretched luxuriously, she clambered on, readying herself for the long ride. The girl settled in the saddle, caught hold of the reins, and turned to Nenunial. The Death Knight returned her gaze, but seemingly tentatively, with a distrustful look in her eyes.

Arieanne's brow furrowed in thought. What could this mean? Was Sebastian right, that Nenunial was not to be trusted? She looked over at the Death Knight again, saying "All set?"

Nenunial nodded, the strange look disappearing from her eyes. Her mouth curved upwards into a tiny and brief smile, motioning for Arieanne to take the first steps of their journey. A journey that, though they didn't know it, would take the two women through countless dangers, many leagues of hard travel, and succeed in igniting the spark of friendship between them.

Arieanne returned Nenunial's smile, albeit with a much larger grin. Any thoughts of the trustworthiness of her newfound companion were tucked away into the back of her mind. Tucked away, but not forgotten. With a nudge of her feet, the cat let out a roar, and set off down the cobblestone road, the sound of hooves thundering after her.

"Roads go ever on and on..."

Checkmate part five

The death knight slept uneasily that night, tossing and turning rapidly. "Nenunial? Wake up," she awoke to the sound of a chiming voice, Arieanne. She heard a faint sigh of defeat and walked down the stairs, gripping the railing tightly. A demon was beside her, 'who is that?' the thoughts in her head searched for the answer, only to retreat by the searing pain that came intact in the back of her head. 

Rubbing it gently, she sat up, dusting herself off. "Down-..stairs," Nenunial silently limped, holding onto the railing as well. She sat down beside Arieanne, her hair stubbornly in the girl's face. "Hmmm, look who is up," Arieanne whispered quietly to herself.

"Your highness, would you like something to drink?" The demon glanced at Nenunial, sending a death glare. "No thank you. Nenunial, this is Sebastian.. my butler," he bowed as the death knight got up. 

"Where were you last night? You didn't come to bed until late," the draenei spoke once again, her brow furrowing. "I-I.." she tripped midsentence before Sebastian caught her, luckily. Rolling her eyes she looked at her arm, it had a deep gash in it. "Oh! Let me heal that for you," Arieanne headed towards her, the right hand glowing. Quickly getting out of Sebastian's arms, she hurried away from the faint light. "N-no! It's fine..." running off, she went upstairs to get bandages. 

Arie tilted her head, questioning, "I wonder what's wrong with my healing," her face turned into a pout as the demon chuckled icily. "Ma'lady, do not trust her for the time being," she never heard her butler speak like that to her, why now of all times did he tell her not to trust this death knight? "May I ask why?" He frowned, shaking his head. "I am sorry, but I will politely refuse that offer," 

She crossed her arms, rolling her eye, mumbling a "fine" before walking upstairs to see if Nenunial needed any help. Sebastian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tsk Tsk, I forgot to make dinner,".

Checkmate part Four

The chess game still replayed over in Nenunial's mind. The death knight had left Arieanne upstairs at her room, assuming that the girl would be able to wobble to the bed by herself.

In a need for solitude, as this was the only thing she was used to, Nenunial strode from the inn. The cool night air calmed her, a balm for all the blabbering of Arieanne. Though the other draenei might not be very talkative, chess had certainly changed that. The rambling about chess rules proved too much for Nenunial, and she welcomed the familiarity of silence and loneliness. Though, chess was not the only thing Arieanne talked of. There was something about a demon, one that the girl was hunting. Nenunial guessed that a confrontation had taken place a few days earlier, when she had found the girl lying half dead on the ground. She brushed away such thoughts, dismissing them to be no more than distractions, and continued on.

Crossing over the cobblestone path, her hooves barely making a sound, the death knight tried to make her way past the town. No sooner had she passed under the shadow of the nearest tree, when -he- came.

At first it was a presence, pushing on her mind. Then, he entered her mind, tearing down the fragile barriers that had been constructed due to her great distance from his throne.

"You tarry in this place, why do you not attend to your task?" Arthas boomed, his voice as loud as a crack of thunder. To a passerby, they would have heard nothing. To Nenunial, his glorious voice sent her flying backwards into the tree trunk. Without waiting for an answer, the Lich King toyed with his servant. The death knight writhed on the grass in agony, feeling icy runes burn themselves into her skin. They would disappear in a matter of hours, unless Arthas continued his torture. This she knew from past experiance.

She bit her lips until they bled, knowing that to scream aloud was to invite more pain. Arthas did not use death as a threat, only the exquisite agony that she now felt. Her master watched, amused at the determination of his subject. "Enough," he said, and she felt the pain trickle away slowly, until only a stinging sensation around the runes remained. Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through her head, and she let out a small whimper. As Arthas perused through her mind like an open book, Nenunial sat quietly, not moving an inch. Her muscles screamed in pain, and the runes continued their slow burning, but she said nothing.

"You will travel with this girl," said Arthas, a pleased expression on his face. "She is looking for a demon, which I would be interested in having killed. Let her lead you to him, kill him, and continue with your assignment. I will be watching, you are not above frequent 'reminders', assassin," said her master, and she didn't dream of questioning or arguing with him. Though his hold on her might be weak, the pain was certainly not lessened.

"Yes master," she muttered, having no choice but to agree. Once she felt the presence leave her mind, she slowly got back up, using the tree as a support. Limping forwards, she continued on her way through the forest. In this condition, she wouldn't go far, but the death knight knew better than to return to the inn in her present condition.

"Interesting... very interesting," muttered a voice, which came from a male blood elf. He had heard nothing but Nenunial's words, but the entire affair seemed quite suspicious. "Her highness will be pleased," he smiled, looking up towards an inn window. The black silhouette of a draenei stood there, sitting at the window seat.

"Yes, she will be very pleased indeed."

Checkmate part three

"Chess?" asked Nenunial, tasting the word on her tongue and finding it altogether unfamiliar. The years in servitude to the Lich King had drained most of her memories of her previous life. Her assignment was to gather information about infiltrating Dalaran. This wounded girl was of no importance to her. Why was she, a death knight, still sitting at the beside of this girl? Then Nenunial remembered, the horse. Of course, she had not thought that the horse would still retain some of the memories of its past life, that it would still retain its soul. It never once occurred to the silent death knight that she too, might still retain her soul.

"Yes, it's a game. You don't know of it?" asked Arieanne, her brow furrowed in disbelief. Nenunial shook her head, her time as a living being on Azeroth was too short to learn of fanciful trifles, like games. "This won't do at all," said Arieanne, struggling to stand up. The death knight watched as the wounded girl wobbled towards the door, her expression blank. Then, Arieanne's legs gave out, sending her tumbling towards the floor. Nenunial's arm shot out, catching the girl in mid fall, and pulling her roughly back up. Arieanne winced as all the muscles in her body screamed in pain, but otherwise said only a quiet "Thank you". Stubbornly pushing on, the girl made it all the way to the top of the staircase. Nenunial thought that she would hear a defeated sigh coming from the girl, but Arieanne only squared her shoulders.

Grabbing onto the railing, Arieanne tentatively put one cloven hoof onto a step, then the other. Nenunial watched in almost amazement as the wounded draenei made her way down the staircase. Step by step, Arieanne looked almost about to faint, but stubbornly kept on going. Once she reached the last step, Nenunial helped her to a table.

One of the barmaids hurried towards the two women, looking the wounded Arieanne up and down. "Could I have the Smoked Desert Dumplings please?" asked Arieanne, collapsing into her chair.

"You'll do no such thing, young miss," said the woman, shaking her head, "With that condition there, the only food you're fit to eat is some Nightfin Soup. I'll ask cook to make you some Goldthorn Tea as well, the sooner you get all healed, the better." Leaving to time for Arieanne to argue, the waitress turned and walked off towards the kitchen.

"She's right, you know. You need to eat something that you'll be able to keep down," said Nenunial, receiving a small glare in return. Changing the subject, the death knight asked, "So how do you play this, 'Chess' game of yours?"

"Well, it's simple," answered Arieanne, who then proceeded to go off on a long rant about the many intricacies of Chess. She paused only for a moment to point out a chess set on a nearby shelf, and asked Nenunial to fetch it for her. Once the wooden board was all set out before her, she helped Nenunial learn how to move the different pieces, and then started a small match with her.

The wooden pieces make small 'clack'ing sounds as the met with the dark wood of the board. The two Draenei bent over the game, each evaluating the situation they were in. Nenunial put a hand fowards, about to move one of her pawns to the side. "No, don't do that!" protested Arieanne, trying to help out her new pupil.

"Why not?" asked the death knight cautiously, trying to figure out what danger she was about to walk right into.

"Because if you do, I can move my queen right there," explained the girl, pointing to a free space on the board.

"And...?" responded Nenunial, still clearly not quite comprehending all aspects of the game.

"Checkmate," grinned Arieanne.

Checkmate part two

                            Nenunial wiped the cloth over the girl's arm, slowly wiping the blood off. "Tell me, why were you passed out there?" Nenunial slowly asked as she cleaned Arieanne. "A demon attacked me, so I bled and wounds were fatal.. my vision faded because of the lack of blood." The girl flinched at the pressure of the cloth, pulling her arm back a bit. "Sorry.." 

They sat there in silence. "Why did you save me?"
"The horse." Arieanne blinked, "What..?"
"He told me to help you... you could've died out there." Arieanne shrugged. "Where are your parents? I can drop you off at their house." Arieanne bit her bottom lip. "They're dead. The only thing I have left of them is the ribbon I had on the horse and the eye patch I got from the demon." Nenunial blinked. "S-sorry for asking you such a question." the death knight said coldly.
"It's ok... It doesn't matter anymore. Nenunial...?"
"Hm?"
The girl grinned wickedly. "Would you like to play a game of chess?"

Checkmate part one

Arieanne ran out from the battle between her and the demon.

"...Help.." her vision faded in and out until she slowly lost her consciousness.
A death knight came by, glancing at the body, her horse beside her. "Troublesome.." she walked away until her horse nudged her side, pleading her to take the girl with them. The death Knight sighed. "Fine." she grumbled.
She put the girl ontop of the horse and they headed to the river, where the horse drank. In the girls hand was a ribbon. "It must be valuable if she kept onto it this whole time..." She reached her hand out towards it. "Don't touch it!" the girl snapped as she awakened. "Sorry... anyways who are you?" The girl looked down. "Arieanne.." The girl looked up, she had a eye patch on, but why? "Who are you...?" The death knight shrugged, "Nenunial." she then bowed her head. Arieanne lost consciousness again, the eye patch falling off as she fell hard against the back of the horse. Nenunial tilted the girls head up, seeing that she had no eye there... just a empty socket.

YAY =D

Ok ok ok, I just made this.. Just for Nenunial and my use  really, so... yeah =3.


Well, we are both from deviantart.. so, our profiles are right here... ----v


http://nenunial.deviantart.com/

http://kathrind.deviantart.com/ 


Well, ok... We should be updating this very often xDD.. Ok, bye. (Just wanted to post somethin.)