Biara lay atop the mound of fur blankets that covered the primitive bed in her private chambers attached to the fort's command center. The room was small, much smaller than her quarters at Sunfire Estate, however it was one of the only private rooms in the entire fortification and literally the only sleeping area that did not consist of a rough hammock tied up between two support pillars. It served its purpose well, and there was always the guilty thrill of 'roughing it' out in the frozen wilds of Frostfire Ridge.
She lay on her belly, her head propped up on two hands and her fire red hair hanging down around her face. Her bare feet kicked lazily in the air behind her as she perused a pile of reports and various documents that was strewn out across the surface of the furs she was laying on. Here was a scout report about nearby ogre activity, there was a logistics report detailing the garrison's food stocks and other important resources. All of it was fairly routine and boring, and Biara found herself yawning and wishing she had more direction as to where to pursue her objectives next.
Of Telatha there had been no word or even hint. None of her scout reports had shown the presence of a blood elf group in the nearby wilds. Biara had begun to fear that her half-sister had been lost immediately once she passed through the portal, but there were eye witness accounts of a Sin'dorei matching her description making it to safety aboard the vessels that the Horde had seized in their retreat, so it was likely that Telatha was still alive.
Biara reached down, lazily tracing a column of numbers with one manicured nail, only half paying attention to the detailed report of mana potion stocks that her Senior Apprentice had provided. She reached out and turned the page, reviewing the Senior's report on the apprentices that had newly arrived, her eyes only scanning over the detailed document as her mind began to drift away and onto other topics, daydreaming as she did from time to time when boredom took her.
It would be no surprise to anyone if Biara told them that she often daydreamed about true love. When one is alone for so long, especially when one is separated from one's family and alone in a frozen tundra, the thoughts of having someone by one's side to warm them and keep them company would only be natural. Such a daydream would not only be common for the Magistrix, but usually of the same format and involving the same familiar faces.
Almost always she was in battle, enemies all around her and a champion at her back, protecting her with his own life, standing side by side with her to make a difference. The elf would always be a hero, always there to rescue her and finally allow her to be free of the constant bloodshed that her life had become since the fall of Quel'Thalas. He would sweep her enemies from the field once and for all, before taking her hand in his and leading her away, perhaps the two riding away on a hawkstrider together towards a magnificent palace that was his residence.
It was perhaps an adolescent's daydream. A princess fairytale where a hero comes just for her, to complete her and become her other half. It was a silly nothing, a mere fantasy that she'd had since she'd first started to think of love, and it was no surprise that such a dream would linger on when Biara had tasted so few tender moments in her years since taking on the burdens of House Dayfire's and later House Sunfire's rule.
For many years, the hero had worn Aeranor's face, his dashing features smiling at her as he brought his bow up to smite their common enemies, words of encouragement and love on his lips. As she daydreamed, Biara's glassy eyes looked at nothing, a half-smile on her face as the familiar scene replayed in her fantasies.
And yet, this time something changed, her thoughts drifting through the idea, the fantasy again. This time another Sin'dorei stood by her side, and wielded not a bow, but powerful magic. His spells lashed out at those around them, combining with her own magic to make a symphony of power the likes of which she only dreamed of. In the fantasy, she felt the sweet harmony of it fill her, felt her heart race as the other's raw power mixed with her own, fire and ice and arcane all flowing together to the sweetest, most perfect example of the art that was her soul. In the daydream she turned to look at the elf standing beside her, a smile on her face. He turned and smiled back at her, his short black hair messy but adorable, the glasses he wore perched on the end of his nose and his fel green eyes meeting hers in a moment that would spark a storm of magic.
He didn't carry her away on a hawkstrider, he tore a hole in space and time with his magic, his hand coming out to take hers and carry her away....
Biara snapped out of her daydream, her eyes widening in shock as she realized that she'd just been thinking of Rayleth. She shook her head to clear the rest of the foggy thoughts from her brain, her eyes drifting back down to the stack of reports that had so bored her into daydreaming in the first place.
She began to blush furiously when she saw that she'd doodled little hearts in the margin of the apprentice performance reports, particularly around Rayleth's name.
"Oh no.." She murmured to herself. "Not an apprentice...that's...quite inappropriate Biara'thiel Dayfire. Stop that this instant."
With that she quickly sat up, shuffling all of the papers into one rather disorderly pile and picking them up as she rose from the bed. She set the whole mess down on the nightstand beside the bed, swearing to take care of it later. She slipped on her shoes and headed towards the door, intent on putting her mind on other matters as quickly as possible.
As she reached the doorway she paused, a hand on the door frame. She turned and looked back at the stack of papers sitting beside her bed and a smile played across her lips. After a moment she shook her head and sighed at herself before heading out to find some tasks to accomplish.
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