"Where is she?!"
"I don't know! She was in bed with me when I fell asleep last night?!"
"In WHAT-?!"
"No! Not like that! Literally just-"
Swatting at her brother with a limp wrist Taria took her frustrations out on her duped brother who simply flinched at each thwack she gave him.
"I don't know where she is I was so rudely awakened by you!" Lothar pushed off his sisters meager slaps only to have Taria whisk past him into his room.
"What is this?!" Taria held up the drained bottle of scotch from Lothar's desk. Shooting her brother a death glare with this dark brown eyes Lothar groaned.
Rubbing his palm over his face trying to wipe the sleepiness from himself Lothar only groaned once more, "It's a bottle of wine ok we-"
"I am no fool Lothar I can clearly read the label," Taria snapped angrily thrusting the bottle into her brothers chest with a huff.
"Yes alright it was a bottle of scotch," Lothar grasped the neck of the empty bottle and shook off his sister's berating tone, "We had a few drinks, she's a grown woman. The little monster and I just drank, talked and went to bed. That's it sister."
A tiff of a sigh and Taria closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "Did you sleep with her brother?"
"No, on mother and fathers gravestones Taria. The little monster even through up the scotch and I just helped her clean up and insisted she go to bed." Lothar shook his head as he right hand clasped over his chest resting above his heart.
"Then why were you in bed with her?" the pledge scrutinized by the Queen as she knew her brother's habits with women.
Groaning Lothar through his arms up in defeat and walked by his sister towards the chamber doors, "Because she was drunk and insisted. I was going to sleep in the chair over there," Lothar's finger pointed to the chair he'd spent part of the evening in with Fain, "What the-" A scowl crossed his weary face and Lothar turned on a dime to walk over to the chair by the fire place.
"Lothar?" Taria cocked a slender eyebrow at her brother.
"The book," Searching around the chair in case he'd sat it on the ground or it'd been knocked off, Lothar came up empty handed realizing his book was snitched while he slept, "The old parchment Khadgar had dug up from Karazhan, it's gone. I swore I-"
Taria came over to her brother inquiring what he was looking for, "Book?"
"Yes," Lothar's back was to his sibling as he knelt down stifling through any chance it'd slipped under the chair, "Text that the boy had found that mentioned all of these portals in Azeroth along with annotations on 'green magic' users such as the girl. It spoke more of these creatures in our world beyond our times."
Taria looked surprised at the existence of such a book and as she came around the small reading nook she shook her head, "I don't see any book at all Lothar, had Khadgar given it to you before he stormed off?"
"Yes of course," Lothar scratched his head, the King's mind easing awake now even after his sister had so rudely woken him at hardly past the ninth hour, "I was reading it last night while the little monster sat in the bath." The look he knew would be send his way was quickly cut down with a curt shake of the head, "She'd thrown up scotch on herself sister, I sat out here while she cleaned up."
Decidedly when the recollection of the King's heated moment with the intoxicated warlock cleared in his foggy mind, it was something he would tuck away in his mind and through away the key for no one to find out. That is if the woman had in fact been as drunk as she'd seem and the kiss would be forgotten like it never happened.
"Would Fain take it?" Taria's voice broke Lothar's mental revival of the scenario and the King looked up quickly at his sister.
"What's that?"
"Would Fain have taken it?" Taria repeated enunciating clearly to her groggy brother.
Lothar scrapped his fingers through the beard hair on his cheeks, "She wouldn't have been able to read it, the text is in old elvish manuscripts. It's missing pages, scores of blemishes, its so old the cover is even bound in some hide I can't identify."
"It's not here," Taria spoke quite frankly. Skirting past her brother she returned to the side of the bed Fain had claimed the night before. Examining it closely she could only frown feeling the fabrics cold from hours of not being touched, "And neither is she."
Running his short nails along his scalp brushing the bed head of brown hair back from his face Lothar gave a long sigh and walked past the tray of empty tea and stale conffections, "She couldn't have gone far, it was pitch black outside by the time I got her to settle down and sleep. The little monster probably just walked around to clear her head."
"It's nearly ten o'clock now Lothar," Taria shot him a stern look of a mother, "If she went out to search for Khadgar the girl is going to get herself hurt."
"She's a grown woman sister leave it-"
"She is a stranger in our world and hurt she can't just-"
"She can and obviously has searching for that idiot mage-"
"That 'idiot' mage is the only thing we have against the Horde Lothar you need to be-"
"Babysitting constantly eh? They won't even stay in their rooms, Khadgar's room is constantly-"
"His room!" Jumping up Taria swept past her brother without hesitation.
Lothar glowered in his sister's direction, "What?"
"I didn't check his room!" Taria responded excitedly as she hurried out of the room.
"Really?" Lothar grimaced at his sister's narrow vision of Fain's whereabouts but followed the Queen regardless.
With purpose Taria marched herself across the keeps canal being asked by multiple guards if the Queen was in need of something. Lothar dismissing them one by one insisting he and his sister were just taking a walk even at Taria's frantic pace. Extending his stride to catch up with her feverish pace Lothar cast a look of confusion to his sibling, "Why are you so worried about one woman?"
Jerking up to lock eyes with him she exchanged a bit of a dirty look with a huff, "I'm worried about a very upset woman, because a Queen cares about her people."
Getting the royal duty talk thrown at him only earned a long groan from Lothar. Dusting off every thing she said about rights and duties of kings and queens made him roll his eyes. Disregarding her Lothar strode in front of Taria just enough so as they entered the mage quarters barracks it was him to lead Taria to Khadgar's room.
Expecting it to be empty entirely, Lothar and Taria shared different hopes for when the King was able to jostle the door open.
"Oh thank the gods-" Exhaling deeply Taria held a relieved hand up to her chest and flew over to the curled up woman on Khadgar's bed.
"Hmph," a small snort left Lothar as he found it slightly irking that the woman left his bedroom not only in the dead of night but also without a trace of waking him up.
Entwined in her arms Fain clutched to one of the two bed pillows firmly in her sleep. Taria approached not wanting to startle the sleeping girl. A quirk of a smile broke on her lips as she saw Fain's face mostly covered up in the hem of the blue cape. The majority of the woman covered except her ankles and feet peaking out from under the beryl cape. Careful to seat herself on the other edge of the bed, Taria reached out gently stroking the hair from Fain's pale forehead.
"Fain, dear, it's late...how did you get in here?" Taria's soft voice and gentle touch stirred the woman. When those grey eyes creaked up to the world she didn't see the queen sitting next to her but Fain spotted the King leaning against the door frame, arms crossed looking over at her.
"Lothar..." Fain mumbled, mouth drier than cotton as she tried to sit up rubbing her head, "Ow, wow my head-"
"I told you to eat more than a cookie little monster," Lothar regaled her with her resistance to eat the night before after drinking, "Hangovers aren't as bad on a full stomach."
Grimacing Fain propped herself up in bed even as she nursed a throbbing head, "My head-"
Lothar had come over to the other side of the bed and passed his fingers subtly through her hair. Earning an estranged glance from Taria how still questioned her brother's truth in the night before. But quickly dismissed it and laid a hand on Fain's covered thigh, "Fain how did you get in here? Was Khadgar here?"
Contorted with a frown on her face Fain shook her head slowly in repsonse, "No...I, I just came by looking for him...but he wasn't, and I just....I'm sorry I came in through the window, I didn't mean any harm I just-"
"Shh," Taria reached up to cup the worried woman's cheek, "It's quiet fine dear, but you should have stayed in Lothar's room like he asked."
Tossing a look back to the King standing behind her, Fain gave a small frown and lowered her eyes, "I...yes, I apologize Human King, if I worried you at all."
A minor snort but before Lothar remarked anything Taria glared daggers at him, "It's alright dear, we just worried you'd wandered off is all."
Sniffling a bit Fain took Khadgar's cape in her hands and squeezed the warm fabric she'd curled up under from the early morning on, "...I would like to be the one to go find him. Please."
"Oh no no dear Fain you aren't familiar enough with our world. It would be too much to ask please just-" Like a mother hen Taria was quick to shoot Fain's request down.
"Take Atiesh with you," Lothar spoke over his sister's nervous nattering, "She'll keep you safe and she knows where to go."
The Queen disapproved instantly, "Lothar she can't-"
"I need to find him," Fain projected firmly to the queen. The woman's mothering instincts appreciated but Fain knew she would leave the city one way or another, "I have to Queen Taria, I need to."
Shifting brown eyes from the forward woman sitting in front of her up to her brother standing behind, Taria was hard to budge on the request. It was evident all over her face as Lothar nodded to Fain, "Atiesh likes you warlock, we can saddle her up with a few supplies and you can go look for the mage but," Lothar squatted down level with Fain, his hand resting on her crossed leg as she locked eyes with him, "Three days, then you let Atiesh bring you back here in case he's come back. Deal?"
"Yes, very much yes Lothar you have my word," life infused the spellcaster's face for the first time in the past few long hours, something the King couldn't deniably smile at.
"Three days?" He restated as he stood.
"Three days you have my word Atiesh and I will return," Fain put her right hand up in her unofficial oath before clasping it over her chest above her heart.
The unease on the poor Queen's face was obvious but she caved with a small nod, "Be careful even with a gryphon alright? Azeroth can be dangerous."
"My Queen Taria no harm will come of me, my home is much less hospitable than this beautiful world is," A smile broke on Fain's lips and Taria sighed like any worried mother would.
"Be careful dear," Taria leaned in to kiss the top of Fain's hand, "I have my own flesh and blood telling me that, don't give me another reason to be the evil mother."
Smiling Fain rubbed her thumb and forefinger over the cape she held onto as the Queen fretted over her even as she got up from the bed. Exhilaration filling Fain as she knew in three days she would be more than capable to find Khadgar and apologize for everything. Thrumming with thoughts Fain jumped when she felt Lothar's heavy hand on her shoulder, "You'll have to get dressed though little monster, you can't ride Atiesh without pants on."
A laugh left Taria when Fain realized she was still in the sleepwear she'd dressed in after the lengthy bath the night before. The queen had left the room satisfied enough that she was sure Fain was safe but not wanting to stress over the young woman going out on her own. Lothar gave a chuckle at his sister and squeezed the hand on Fain's shoulder.
Eyes down at her covered lap Fain spoke softly, "I'm sorry I left....I woke up and I just...I couldn't sleep...well because..."
"Hush little monster," Lothar looked down at Fain as she turned around to the King, "Did you at least enjoy reading my book?"
Furrowing her brows Fain lagged a bit thinking what he meant but jerked suddenly recalling what she'd taken. Amazingly it had been covered by the robe and she fished it out for him. A snort and Lothar took the book as she handed it to him.
"I'm so so sorry, I didn't mean to steal it. I just couldn't see in the dark room and couldn't make out what it was," Fain answered honestly, afraid the man would be upset.
"It's about your kind," Lothar thumbed through the pages, only being able to decipher half of it, "Those portals you said you came through, and other mentions of 'green' magic."
Curious Fain pushed her way off the bed and came to stand beside him peering in at the drawings that she didn't see last night. Scanning through the unreadable literature and trying to make sense of the old chicken scratch of drawings, Fain recalled some of the illustrations looking like the runes on the old portal she'd come through to Azeroth.
"I don't understand the language, but the pictures," Fain reached over to point of the runes she recongized, "Those are some of the incantations on the portals, your people must have found some of them."
"This is old elvish dialect, older than even Stormwind," Lothar flipped through a few pages showing Fain the similar runes on different illustrations on what seemed to be a map, "They're marked like the portal Gul'dan summoned. Do you know anything about these?"
Thinking hard Fain reached out and traced the parchment with a light touch until her fingertips met with his. The woman gave a small nod, "Yes, or at least it's similar to somethings my teachings reflect. It looks to be a location map for all the old portals my parents spoke of when our world needed life."
"Would you be able to shut them down or at least find them so we may destroy them?" Lothar's green eyes moved from the book to Fain scrutinizing the page beside him.
"I'm not sure, I don't know what some of these shapes are here," pointing out the jagged continents etched in the page she still gave him an assuring nod, "I could shut them down or at least seal them, if we can find them all."
With that he snapped the book shut and tucked it under his arm, "Then that's how you'll repay me for spitting up on me little monster."
Having blacked out her mishap with the scotch Fain's face flushed red even the tops of her ears ruby red, "I- I didn't I mean I've never before with any-"
Laughing at her expense Lothar reveled in her embarrassment before leaning in and kissing the woman's hairline tenderly, "That's enough out of you little monster. Come, I'm sure you have an idea where that mage is, some magic or trick or something." He motioned to escort Fain to where she needed to go so the woman could be off before noon, "Let us get you proper clothes and Atiesh ready to see one of her favorite beautiful women."
The crimson blush stained Fain's cheeks worse than before as the woman huffed and marched herself out of the bedroom with Lothar following suit chuckling to himself the entire time.
"To the left little monster," he called out when she came up to a hall way and Fain remained glued to her spot before receiving his helpful tip. A bigger huff and Fain marched off still thankful not just for Lothar's offer but more than anything that by the end of the day she may be able to see Khadgar for herself.