The moon casts eerie shadows upon the buildings within Silvermoon, giving the courtyard a feeling of tranquility, with no sound but a nearby enchanted broom sweeping away the invisible dust on the marble stone street, and the gentle breeze dancing along the the artificial pond.
Suddenly, two shadows break through the moonlit scenery, making their way towards a nearby house, and slip through one of the open windows. After a few more moments of silence, the two emerge from the house, and continue towards Murder Row. Once they near the Tavern, they turn down a side alley, which turns into a maze of corridors deep within the depths of the city. After several twists and turns, they hit a dead end. The leading figure nears the brick wall, tracing his hand along the bricks, and pushes one within itself, causing the wall to open into a dimly lit hallway.
As they make their way inside, the wall closes in behind them, and the dimly lit corridor suddenly glows brighter. The source of the light came from a massive hall of what appeared to be an empty house, with pillars towering overhead, and polished marble floors and walls reflecting the light, which seemed to radiate from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Neatly trimmed shrubbery decorated the walls, along with several tapestries of past owners, including a large painting of Kael'thas on the second story, which stood before a gigantic pair of stairs leading to the bottom floor where the two dark figures stood. The painting seemed as though it were alive, for the Prince moved freely within the portrait, and narrowed his eyes at the two intruders.
The two intruders, now exposed to the bright light, wore matching assassination garb, with kunai knives hooked into every open spot, along with delicately carved daggers within their hilts, and matching dark cowls covering their faces. The lead person, clearly distinguishable as a High Elf due to its long exposed ears, turns slightly in response to a high pitched wail that broke the silence from upstairs. They make their way towards the source of the noise, coming to a vast, bright room with a baby's crib.
Inside the crib lay a now sleeping infant, with ears that already began to grow into a long arch. The two near the crib, with the taller placing a gloved hand upon the railing, and removing his cowl, exposing a dark haired High Elf male with piercing bright eyes, who peers down into the crib, a slight smile appearing on the side of his mouth.
"Look at him sleep, Draenna.. Isn't he precious?"
The other figure removes her cowl as well, revealing a beautiful young female High Elf with auburn hair that fell like silk down her back. Her bright, pupiless eyes gaze down at the infant as a smile graces her lips as well.
"Oh, Taeldar... Why must we kill in order to afford a normal life?"
Taeldar wraps an arm around her, pulling her close.
"We must do what we can..Just think, though.. Soon we will not have to worry too much, and can spend more time with our son.."
The two embrace in a kiss, and then return their gaze towards the sleeping infant. Draenna nuzzles against Taeldar's shoulder, melting into his arms.
"Our son..."
* * * * * * *
"Hey, give that back!"
A small group of children play near the fountain within the Court of the Sun, with the setting sun casting shadows along the walls. A group of elven boys are tossing a rag doll back and forth, while a little girl chases after them, tears streaming down her face. A younger child sits alone in front of a nearby house, dragging a stick along the marble stones. The girls' cries attracts the child's attention, and he makes his way towards the group, ensuring his subtlety by remaining within the shadows. As soon as the doll sails through the air once again towards the opposite end of the group, the child lept from his hiding spot, snatching the doll from midair, and lands without a sound in front of the little girl, handing the doll over with a smile. The group of boys let out a groan of disgust from the sudden loss of entertainment, and draw their attention towards a stray cat that wandered nearby, taking chase. The little girl searched for the little boy to thank him for his help after the crowd thinned, but he was nowhere in sight.
* * * * * * *
Draenna was preparing the evening meal when her son entered the room. She places a freshly baked loaf of bread on the table, and lifts him into her arms.
"How was your day, son? Did you play nice with the others?"
"Yes, Mommy.."
She carries him into the main hall, and sets him down, allowing him to play with the house cat. Taeldar enters from a side room, and lays an arm upon Draenna's shoulder. The two watch their son with adoration, and Taeldar turns his gaze back to Draenna.
"Do you think he is ready to come with us this evening?" he asks as she rests her head upon his shoulder. The house cat yowled playfully at the child, and pounced on him, knocking him on his rump. The two laugh in response to the child's antics, and come to a mutual decision.
"We will take him tonight."
* * * * * * *
The family makes their way towards Farstrider Square, careful to keep themselves out of sight by staying within the shadows. As the made their way towards their destination, Taeldar informed his son on many techniques and skills used in their Profession.
"Now son, one of the greatest techniques in assassination is the element of surprise. That is when you leap out into the open, and totally take your opponent by surprise, which leaves them open for attack."
The child pointed at something behind his father, eyes wide with curiousity.
"Ewement of supwise? Wike dat, Daddy?"
Taeldar slowly turns around, and is frozen in shock by what he sees. A giant portal was suspended in the air about fifteen feet ahead of them, and out came a monstrosity that easily towered over them. The demon was a dark mauve in color, with gigantic wings spread on her back, and in place of feet, hooves clicked upon the marble courtyard. Among all this, an eerily beautiful face and chest clashed with her looks, giving beauty to pure evil. The demon glanced from the two adults, and then set her eyes upon the child, pointed a long clawed finger at him.
"You.. I have come for you... my preciousssss."
The child's parents stood in front of him, stretching their arms out in an act of defense towards the demons progress, and unsheathed their blades. The demon only reacted with a shrill cackle, and waved a gigantic clawed hand, causing a massive wave of demons to pour from the portal, rushing towards the terrified Elves with mad hunger. The parents shoved the child to safety, just as the demons overtook them, enveloping them in a massive tidal wave of bodies.
The child struggled to his feet, watching the demons overtake his parents, and felt a sudden rush of anger and rage surge from within. His vision became a deep red, and he charged into the fray, tearing his way through the demons with unreal strength and agility for his age, and takes his father's dagger, plunging it deep into the heart of a nearby demon, an evil smirk spread on his face as it let out an eerie howl of pain. The sudden rush of adrenaline allows him to dash among the horde of demons, dropping them by the hundreds. After the dust settles, the child stood on top of a pile of slain demons, drenched in their blood.
He dropped his father's dagger, and ran to Draenna's side, tears streaming down his eyes. His mother wearily clenched his small hand, struggling to sit up, only to fall back down upon the cold ground.
"Son... You have made us proud... We love you.. and will always be here for you in spirit.."
Her hand slowly became limp, and he fell over her body, weeping heavily. His cries were suddenly drowned out by the eerie high pitched cackle of the female Dreadlord. He turned his attention back towards her, clenching his fists.
"Yesssss.... Red..flare.. You have fulfilled your prophecy..Sssssoon I will take control of you, and you will help me dessssstroy the High Elvessss!"
Redflare rushes at her in a blind rage, screaming at the top of his lungs. He lunges at her, clawing her in the stomach, and biting her leg, leaving a deep gash. She howled in anguish, clawing him on the face, leaving a deep gash down his left eye. He backs away, holding his face in his hands, blind from the blood and overwhelming pain. As he fell to his knees, he felt a heavy hand press upon his shoulder.
"Come now.. You have no chance againssst me.. Accept the inevitable.. Now issss the time we become one.. You are under my control now, little one.."
The female Dreadlord's eerie cackle was the last sound Redflare heard as he plunged into darkness.