The Bond of Sisters

The sun slanted down from behind drifting clouds, the fading afternoon light creating brilliant shafts that cast shadows across the ruins of Silvermoon's outskirts. Sitting beneath a huge, ruined statue, Biara Dayfire held her knees close against her chest, staring at the patterns the light made on the grass, her thoughts a blur of conflicting emotions.

Her fire red locks had come free of their pins, framing a pretty face marked by tears and the glimmer of arcane blue wards shimmering gently on her right cheek. Her fel green eyes were unfocused, her attention turned inward to the battle that had been raging within her for the past two days, ever since her unfortunate encounter and first meeting with her newly discovered half-sister, Telatha.

The statue beneath which she brooded was as familiar to her as her home. Commissioned by her father Tel'athar long before the fall of Quel'Thalas to the Scourge, and the site of her father's assassination and mother's subsequent homicidal suicide, it was a place that she always returned to whenever heavy thoughts weighed on her mind. It was here, in this place, that her life had taken a turn for the worse all those many decades again. It was here where she had first had to shoulder the burdens of being the sole heir of House Dayfire at an age where she had only just begun to explore what being an adult really was.

From that time until now, thousands of events had unfolded which had shaped her life, guided her actions, and fundamentally changed who she was. The young Quel'dorei who would later become a Sin'dorei Magistrix was as different from her now as a complete stranger might have been, yet here in this place she could remember who she once was and where everything had first started to unravel.

Is Telatha right? Have my actions wrought nothing but destruction over the years? Am I as much a terror to those around me as my mother was in her final days and in later days, when she was nothing more than a hateful wraith? What legacy will I leave, if others see me in such a way?

It was difficult for her to think such thoughts; difficult to accept that her vision had not always been perfect or her aims justified. She shifted in place, releasing her knees and allowing her legs to slide down to hang over the broken lip of stone at the statue's base. Absently she smoothed out her richly embroidered silken dress, picking at non-existent specs on the fabric as she considered the thoughts.

For years now she had served Quel'Thalas. Served as a Magistrix, served as the ruler of a House, and served as a battle-mage. She had fought, bled, and lost loved ones against the Alliance and against other dangers which threatened her homeland. She had been as a zealot, crusading against anything that threatened the supremacy and magical might of the Sin'dorei. And in the end, she had gained precious little but scars, the loss of House Dayfire's ancestral spire, and the pain of knowing that her actions had cost so many lives.

They won't even give me acceptable apprentices anymore. I have caused so many deaths that they send only the fodder unsuitable for training or too disobedient for the other Magisters to handle. It is not just Telatha that has seen the damage I have taken with me everywhere I go.

The tears that ran freely down her face were not for her reputation. No, she would have sacrificed that and much more in a heartbeat for the greater good of Quel'Thalas. It was instead the thought that she'd failed. Failed her father's honorable memory, failed the name of Dayfire, and failed to truly do what she'd set out to do all those years ago as she first began to navigate the cut-throat politics of the nobility.

"Supported Quel'Thalas? How many have died as a result of your actions, sister? How many Sin'dorei now lay in their graves, cold and forgotten because of your 'mistakes'?" Telatha's voice seemed to whisper in her mind.

No justification, no amount of alcohol or screaming into the empty ruins around her would erase the voice and the little nagging part of her mind that told her Telatha's words had been right. Her current legacy would be nothing more than terror, than the loss of many Sin'dorei lives for little to no gain. She would be set side by side with her mother, someone considered to be a mass-murderer.

A sound in the ruins behind her caught Biara's attention, and she quickly wiped at her face, turning in the direction it had come from. Standing some distance away she spied a blonde-haired Sin'dorei in a flowing golden dress. Fel green eyes, tan skin and a pattern of what many considered to be adorable freckles met Biara's gaze, a half-smile forming as Kyliska approached.

Of all of the people in Quel'Thalas, Kyliska was the one solid rock that Biara could always count on. No matter what the circumstances were, Kyliska had been there fighting side by side with her adopted sister. Legally made a member of House Dayfire long ago, and now one of the heirs and the current leader of the combined House Sunfire, the Blood Knight was always someone that Biara had considered to be her best friend and her true family. That she had avoided Kyliska for the past several days was simply Biara's attempt not to burden her sister with her own worries.

Kyliska said nothing as she nodded at her sister and moved closer, jumping up onto the statue's base and then taking a seat beside Biara. She looked out towards the distant setting sun, the light making her hair nearly glow as dusk came on. When she spoke, she did not look at Biara, and her tones were soft, "I knew I would find you here. You always come here eventually."

"I'm sorry, Kyli. I couldn't...I just needed some time alone. I know I missed dinner and-" Biara began.

Kyliska interrupted her gently, shaking her head, "No, it's alright, really. Braeth'el told me about the meeting between you and Telatha. I understand why you needed to stay away for a while. I would have done the same if I'd been in your position."

Biara nodded, saying nothing and simply watching the sun set in the distance. Although she still felt miserable, the fact that Kyliska had come looking for her had bolstered her spirits, as it always did. No matter the problem, the two sisters had always found a way to continue on over the many difficult years since Quel'Thalas's fall.

"She's wrong, you know," Kyliska said finally, breaking the silence. "Braeth'el told me what she said, and what he also said to you. Telatha is wrong."

"No, Kyli, she's not wrong," Biara said, her voice miserable. "She's not wrong at all. How many have died due to my actions? How many have died following my orders, or in battles that I lead? I know as a Magistrix I will take on great duties from time to time and that there are risks, but maybe I'm the risk that is too great in this equation."

Kyliska gave her sister a sharp look, her voice stern now, "Don't you ever talk like that! You're letting your losses overshadow what you've done, what you've become. I remember the day your father passed. I remember that night. You came to my mother's estate, lost and broken. Do you remember what we did that night? What we swore?"

Biara sighed, looking away, her mind lost in distant memories. Her voice was soft when she replied, "I cried all night, until I was sick with it. You stayed with me, held my hair out of my face. I remember...our blood oath, yes."

Kyliska grinned, reaching out to take her sister's hand in hers, "We were young and stupid and cut our palms too deeply. Do you remember? I swore then that I would always stand beside you, through thick and thin, no matter what. I told you that you were my sister, even if not by birth, and that we would never allow the world to harm one another."

Biara smiled, nodding, "I remember. Those were difficult days, but you helped me through them."

"And I'll help you through these as well," Kyliska replied, squeezing her sister's hand. "No matter what Telatha said to you, she doesn't know what you've been through. She has not faced down rival Houses as they threatened to take your properties. She has not faced the scorn of the Magistrate, or worked tirelessly to advance magic even when others stood against it. She was isolated, living in safety and luxury while you fought, you bled for this nation. She did not have to overcome the legacy of a mother whose final act was to slaughter hundreds of innocents. You did all of that. You survived that, and became stronger for it."

Biara paused, considering her sister's words. Under the guilt, pain, and shame was a small stirring of pride at what she'd accomplished. Yes she had failed many times, but they were alive. Their House was thriving. They had defeated enemies of the Horde countless times and returned home with the glory and honor of their victories.

"On top of that, you are brave, Biara," Kyliska said, seeing the glimmer in her sister's eyes as the sorrow began to fade. "Who led us into battle countless times? Who rained fire and ice down on our enemies, or stood back to back with me and fought through situations that we should never have walked out of alive? How many assassins were sent screaming to their deaths when they dared to accost you?"

Biara's back straightened as she remembered the countless battles. The countless failed blades that had sought her heart. When she looked at Kyliska now, the fire had returned to her gaze. She had fought dragons and monsters, traitors, undead and countless other foes. Though she had wanted a life of peace and study, she had set that aside for the needs of her people, and her enemies had burned for it as a result.

Kyliska nodded, seeing in her sister the confidence that she'd been hoping for, "And finally, on top of all of that, you have corrected your mistakes. Does the ghost of your mother still haunt us? Does Selun'athiel stalk our House and seek our lives any longer? No, because you returned at the most opportune moment, tore down her wards with raging fire, and allowed us to lay her and her plans low. Her estate is a blackened ruin, being reclaimed by Eversong even as we speak."

Biara nodded, her voice confident when she replied now, "You're right, Kyli. I have done those things. I have mended my errors. And our House is prosperous now and has many allies. Oh, Kyli, I fear I've been terrible, sitting here brooding and making you worry when I should have been ignoring Telatha's barbs and brushing them off. Who is she to judge me anyway? Until she has faced true danger she is nothing more than a bastard upstart."

Kyliska grinned, releasing her sister's hand and rising, looking down at her, "Good! Then what are you going to do about it? Are you just going to sit here?"

Biara rose beside her, looking once again the proud and powerful Magistrix. She shook her head, reaching up to fix the few errant strands of fire-red hair that had come free, her voice hard now, "No, I'm not. I will continue on my path, continue with my magical research, and if Telatha wants to be difficult about it then she will live at my convenience on the properties owned by House Sunfire. You're absolutely right! I've had quite enough of this! And another thing, if they think that I'm not going to get at least intelligent apprentices to train, they have another thing coming. I will deliver a tongue-lashing to whatever committees require it in order to get a decent supply of personnel and supplies!"

Kyliska smiled, reaching over to hug her sister, "I love you, Biara. I'll always be here when you need me, you know that right?"

Biara returned the hug, feeling invigorated and revived thanks to her sister's words and comfort, "I do know that, and I love you too. No matter what, nothing will ever stand between us or against us, for as long as my blood still flows."

Kyliska released her sister and smiled. Biara grinned at her, the magical wards on her face glittering brightly as arcane power grew around her. "Enough of this brooding! Come, Kyli, let's go home. I have work to do. And the nether take anyone who stands in my way!"

Kyliska laughed as her sister tore a hole in space with her magic, the portal glimmering and leading back to their estate. As the Magistrix stepped through, Kyliska glanced once more at the setting sun over the now-peaceful ruins on the outskirts of Silvermoon. Biara's oath had not been in vain, and she knew full well the power that would face any who stood in her sister's way. And on top of that, they would face her blade as well, for the bond of sisters went both ways, and woe to any who would challenge them. Their enemies would join a long line of the dead waiting for their final judgement.

With a happy laugh Kyliska darted into the glowing portal, leaving behind the silent ruins and Biara's cast off sorrow as she headed home.