Like My Hero

The three men laughed, the sound echoing off the stones of the Cathedral of Light and carrying their mirth throughout the training wing of the structure. Each stood in pristine plate armor, bright tabards draped over the glinting metal showing their allegiance to the Light. Candlelight sparkled as they shifted and talked, a thousand little flames glittering from the highly polished metal they wore as the chandeliers above them gave off a brilliant glow.

One of the men opened his mouth to tell his friends another joke when he saw something beyond them that made his jaw stay open in a look of utter surprise. There, at the far end of the long chamber, a night elf practically bounced through the doorway, heading towards the three at a quick pace with a brilliant smile on her face. Dressed in tight fitting designer pants and cinched shirt, her thigh high boots echoed loudly and her pigtails bounced as she made a beeline for the three men. In her arms were clutched a stack of books, and a quill rested against them, pressed to her chest as she carried the materials.

She stopped short of the three and gave them a rather wobbly bow, "Hi! My name is Malandrae Moonwhisper!"

The three paused for a moment, one in the back elbowing his friend and nodding towards the elf with a smile. The man closest to Malandrae, an older looking gentleman with a scar across his cheek and wisdom in his eyes, gave her a soft smile and nodded, "Greetings Lady Moonwhisper, how may we be of assistance to you on this glorious day?"

Malandrae practically bounced up and down in her excitement, "I want to be a paladin! Can you train me?"

All three of the men looked at the elf as if she had suddenly sprouted a few extra heads. After an awkward moment of silence, the older of the trio spoke again, "Ah...Lady Moonwhisper, it is extraordinarily rare for one of your kind to join our order. In fact, I'm not familiar with any kaldorei paladins. This is a...most unusual request."

Seeing Malandrae's ears droop at his response, the man hurried on, words spilling out, "Ah...maybe if you told us why you were interested in this course it would allow us to...ah...evaluate your qualifications...?" Behind him, the other two smiled, one of them actually snickering a little before the older paladin raised his hand to silence his companion.

Malandrae's head tilted as she considered the question before she smiled and said, "I want to be a hero, like Miss Varenna! Maybe you've heard of her? Varenna Sungale? She's an amazing person and I want to be just like her!"

The men blinked, not expecting the response. Again there was a pause and then the older man answered, "Ah...yes, we are familiar with Varenna Sungale. And it is a worthy goal to try and emulate one that you respect. Tell me though, do you understand what it means to be a paladin like Varenna?"

Malandrae's nose crinkled up as she thought REAL HARD about the question. The expression on her face almost made the men wince in sympathy for her poor brain. "U-uh...w-well, you protect people. Y-you stand up for those who can't defend themselves, and you fight for justice for them, even when there's danger to yourself. A-and you don't do these things for glory or fame, b-but because you can, and you are the only one who can. That's what makes Miss Varenna so amazing! She doesn't even admit how brave she is, she just IS! I want to be like that!"

This time the men had genuine smiles on their faces, nodding at Malandrae's words. The older paladin spoke again, softly this time, "You understand what it means to be a paladin then. To stand against darkness. That is a first step, but that is not all there is to being a paladin. There is much more; both physical and mental discipline."

Malandrae nodded, taking a deep breath and swallowing hard. "I understand. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I just...I want to help. I told Miss Varenna I would follow her into danger if I had to so that she wouldn't get hurt and she told me no. She must think I'm not ready so I want to BE ready, because she's always looking after other people, but she needs people looking after her too. I know there are people who do, but I want to also. The more people the better!"

The paladins looked at each other with amusement as the words gushed out of the elf. The oldest paladin raised his hand again, keeping the others quiet as he spoke, "Very well then Miss Moonwhisper. There are two tests you must pass for us to determine if you're suitable for training. The first is mental discipline. It involves calling forth the Light, even in a small display, so that we may see that you have faith in it and that it will come to you. Close your eyes and focus, drawing for the the power. Like this."

The man closed his eyes and a faint radiance surrounded him as he called upon his faith. Malandrae smiled and nodded, having seen Varenna do such things before. She quickly walked to a nearby table and set her research journal and other materials down before coming back to the men. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating.

As the men watched first with amusement and then with alarm, the elf seemed to strain, her face taut as she concentrated very hard. She shook with intensity, and was rewarded for her efforts. Unfortunately, instead of a radiance of Light, small embers began to appear in the air around her, glittering with dangerous magic. The candles in the room flickered as their flames lept up, the chandelier becoming a roaring inferno over the heads of the men.

The oldest of the paladins gasped and stepped forward, grabbing Malandrae's arms and gently shaking her. "Lady Moonwhisper, please cease this at once!"

Silver eyes snapped open and the flame effects died down as her magic faded. She smiled, her head bobbing. "Did I do good?"

The three men looked at one another, one muttering something about 'impure highborne magic'. Malandrae frowned, her ears drooping as her sensitive hearing picked up on the man's words. Seeing her look, the oldest of the three gave her a reassuring smile, "You are talented, but not in the ways of the Light it seems. There is one last test; one of physical strength."

He reached to his belt and took out a heavy war mace, offering it to the elf gently. With wide eyes, Malandrae reached out to take the spiked weapon. As it was passed to her, the massive weight of the mace's head dragged it down, and her arms did little to stop it's fall. It slammed into the tiled floor, the spikes narrowly missing one of Malandrae's feet and taking a chip out of the stone. She wilted, realizing she'd failed that test too.

"S-sorry, it's just very h-heavy," she muttered.

The paladin laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, reaching out with his other hand to tilt her chin up so she could look him in the eyes. "It's alright Lady Moonwhisper. Very few are qualified to begin training amongst our order, and even then, many of the trainees do not successfully complete the training. It is a difficult path, but a noble one. Your inability to meet the requirements does not lessen you as a person though."

Malandrae looked at him with a hopeful expression on her face, "It d-doesn't?"

He smiled warmly, "Of course not. The Light chooses to gift each of us differently. Not all can wield it directly, but that doesn't mean that you are of no value to the world. You said you wish to be like your hero, like Varenna Sungale, yes?"

Malandrae nodded enthusiastically, "She's the bravest woman I've ever seen."

"Well then," the paladin said, still smiling, "Your path is simple then. While you cannot be a paladin, that does not mean you cannot emulate her, and hold her actions in high esteem. As she aids the defenseless, so too can you. As she stands against the darkness, so can you stand beside her, using the gifts that the Light has given you. Support her, encourage her, and you will help her to do the things that you admire so much. Do you understand Lady Moonwhisper? A hero does not just wield the Light, it is the heart behind it all."

Malandrae looked down and was silent for a long time before she finally smiled and looked back up at the paladin, "I think I understand Sir. Thank you for your wisdom, and for your patience. I may be a Highborne, but I can certainly do something to help those who are doing the right thing. And I'll use my talents to do it, just like you said. Thank you so much."

The paladin opened his mouth to speak only to find himself suddenly being embraced by the rather enthusiastic elf. After he managed to untangle himself from the mass of pigtails and perfumed high fashion, he smiled and simply patted her arm. "Light bless you Lady Moonwhisper!"

Malandrae giggled and bowed, "Elune bless and Queen protect!"

With that she ran over and gathered up her things, heading for the door with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face. The three men watched her go, eyes still blinking in surprise at the strange encounter.

"I think you made the right choice," one of the men said. "That one....that one would have been a distraction and potential disaster."

The older paladin smiled softly, still watching the door where Malandrae had disappeared. "A distraction? Maybe. A disaster though? For who I wonder. Light help whoever stands in that one's way, for her enthusiasm for doing what is right will certainly rush over them like a tidal wave. As long as she emulates such good examples, I think the world is quite safe indeed."

The other two nodded and smiled, before resuming their earlier conversation.