Elin-9

Late at night, Elin investigated the guards' patrol routes. Glocara stayed alone in the tent until Niaes entered.

"Good evening," Niaes said. "What are you doing?"

"Just passing time," Glocara replied.

"You have a booklet in your hand."

"It's a medical reference book borrowed from the medic. Just browsing."

"Are you a doctor?"

"Not exactly. I do some nursing at the hospital."

"I see."

"Are you here to see Elin? He's out..."

"I know. I'm not here for him. Actually, I came to apologize to you."

"No need to apologize. You were just doing your duty, didn't harm me."

"If it were solely duty, I wouldn't have rushed to decide to detain you. Elin and you came here with sincerity, but my guard was up."

"As you all like to say, it's a battlefield, right? And speaking of being guarded, I spend all day watching a man from the Seventh."

"I agree with that. By the way... are you two planning to get married?"

"Well... nothing's certain. And I don't really want to talk about it here."

"Fair enough."

They fell silent for a moment. Glocara wondered why Niaes had come here when Elin wasn't around; it surely wasn't for trivial chatter.

"Do you have something else to discuss with me?" she asked.

"Not really. I just wanted to ask about someone."

"Who?"

"Crecyda."

Glocara placed the booklet beside her. "Did Elin say I met her?"

"Yes. He mentioned you saw her during your time at Stromgarde."

"I can only say I saw her once or twice, didn't exchange many words. I wouldn't say I know her well."

"That's okay. I just want to know if she's still alive. She stayed here before and we were friends."

"In that case, you could ask Elin."

"He said if I wanted more details, I should ask you because he wasn't here three years ago."

"Sorry, Niaes. I don't know if she's still alive."

"Then... what happened?"

"Another person, the one who rescued me from Stromgarde, also tried to save Crecyda. He took her to the coast, gave her a small boat and an escort, hoping she could land west of Stromgarde. He did that because Galin wouldn't allow Crecyda to leave the city at the time."

"Did she make it?"

"I don't know. We waited for her at the beach, but... she didn't show up. Perhaps we should've waited a bit longer."

Though Niaes simply described their relationship as "friends," her demeanor and willingness to inquire about the prisoner from twenty-four hours ago conveyed genuine sincerity and complex emotional drive to Glocara. She knew her response had left Niaes troubled, triggering recollections and reflections.

"So, at least you can confirm she left Stromgarde," Niaes said.

"Yes. She made it to the sea."

"That's good. I've been to those waters too, nothing too dangerous."

"I don't know. I suppose it's better than Stromgarde, otherwise Jorgen wouldn't have arranged for her to take the sea route..." Glocara realized she mentioned Jorgen's name but figured there was no need to conceal it. She didn't dwell on it. "If her husband was with her at sea, things might've been different."

Glocara noticed Niaes's widened eyes not directed at her but seemingly focused on the words she had just uttered. Niaes's gaze was bright yet lacked confidence, appearing surprised but not nervous.

"She saw her husband?" Niaes asked.

"I heard so. Jorgen arranged for them to meet."

"That's wonderful... Glocara, thank you." Niaes turned her head to the left, pondering with her knuckles against her lips for a moment, then added, "Truly, thank you." Glocara could see Niaes's chest rise and fall in a relieved manner.

"I must go," Niaes said. "It seems you and Elin will stay here with me for a while longer. If you need anything..."

"I won't trouble you too much, but if necessary, I'll let you know. Thank you for your kindness."

"Alright then. I'll leave you be. Good night."

"Good night."

Niaes exited the tent. Glocara realized their conversation wasn't just idle chatter for Niaes. This prompted Glocara to start recalling everything from six months ago, not just about Crecyda. She recalled the last time she delivered food to Tusha at night, the dilemma of holding Crecyda's long hair in her hands, and the slap she received from Jorgen at the beach without gaining anything in return. After experiencing completely different events, she found herself close to the locations of those events again, which gave her a strange sense of urgency. This urgency pushed her thoughts in two completely different directions, indicating she needed to either return to Stormwind City quickly or immediately approach Stromgarde, but she couldn't stay in this quiet tent. Refuge Valley had no spiritual connection to her.

Glocara recalled Niaes's sincere gratitude from earlier, which improved her impression of the female captain, though she didn't dislike her to begin with. But minutes later, a sense of unease began to surface from deep within her, like the ebbing tide revealing seaweed entangled around rocks. She exited the tent, traversed the slope to the cliff, and asked the guards about Elin's whereabouts. With skeptical eyes, the guard informed her, and Glocara headed in the direction indicated. The night wind on the cliff was much colder than she had felt just outside the tent, and she could faintly hear unidentified creatures rustling in the bushes nearby, and these suspicious sounds seemed to have never left her. After realizing she was out of sight from the guard for some distance, she quickened her pace. She inadvertently glanced westward, spotting the dark silhouette of Stromgarde in the distance, then refocused her gaze ahead. About twenty minutes later, after several pauses, glances around, and doubts about the chosen path, Glocara spotted Elin. He was crouched down, examining something.

"Elin," Glocara said, approaching quickly.

"How did you get here?" Elin stood up. "Who brought you?"

"I came by myself. I asked the guard where you were."

Elin pinched Glocara's scarf, which had loosened slightly from running, and adjusted it tighter.

"It's dangerous here, you should go back. Nothing urgent, right?"

"Nothing."

Elin glanced behind Glocara, then back at her. "You went too far alone. Anyway, wait here. I'll be back with you shortly. Tonight's been fruitless, and it looks like it will stay that way."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to squat down again, but Glocara patted his back.

"Elin."

"What?"

"What did you tell her?"

"Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about."

"Glocara..."

"What?" Glocara interrupted. "Answer my question."

"Niaes has a good relationship with Crecyda and wanted to know if she's still alive. So, I let her come ask you, considering you've seen Crecyda."

"Shouldn't these things be kept secret? My time at Stromgarde wasn't something I intended to casually share with anyone."

"It's harmless, and it could benefit you..."

"Will you tell her everything next time? Like about Varokar? Or everything I've experienced at Stromgarde?"

"That's impossible, and you know it."

"And when did you tell her all this? You were just arguing with her last night because of me, and now you're sharing all this information so quickly?"

"You're overthinking it, Glocara."

"I'm not. I just don't want you casually revealing my past to strangers."

"Niaes isn't a stranger. We're cooperating with her, and she's against Garrosh."

"I don't care. If you need to cooperate, that's your business."

"You can share some things related to Crecyda to comfort Niaes and build trust, which would benefit our cooperation."

"So, you're using me to win her favor?"

"Okay, that's a bit too much."

"I don't know. Some people never change their ways."

"Fine, let's call it a night. We're going back. Hey, I also think you and her shouldn't stay at odds, after all, we'll be here for a while. Do you want to go back?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"I can have one of my men accompany you back. But judging by the current situation, you probably won't like it. Also, if you're not happy about this, don't hold it against her."

"I really don't hold anything against her."

"She's been through a lot, a woman facing treason charges all by herself, and her father even gave me a rusty sword, asking me to chop off her head..."

"I said I don't hold anything against her. You don't have to tell me so much."

The two fell silent for a moment. Glocara's gaze passed over Elin's shoulder, observing the tents, soldiers, and campfires below, listening to various indistinct sounds emanating from there. Several branches protruding from the cliff obstructed her view partially, and the scene before her seemed to split into irregular fragments of a puzzle. The branches trembled slightly, and she thought it was a bird flying up from the darkness.

"Sometimes I wonder," she said. "Am I too ordinary for you?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm just saying... your lifestyle, these investigations, tasks, and all that. I don't understand any of it and can't help you, and I also don't have anything—like her—that's not straightforward."

"Of course you do, Glocara. You definitely do. Just leading troops into battle isn't anything special; there are plenty of people in the world who do that. But what you do isn't something an ordinary person can do. Like what you did in Booty Bay, let's not talk about that. Let's talk about Stromgarde. With just a few moves, you deceived a king and saved a woman. Who dares to say they can deceive a king? Forget actually doing it, most people would wet themselves just thinking about it. Moreover... look at me, Glocara." He made her look directly at his face. "You're thinking too much today, but I'm glad you're willing to speak up; it's better than keeping it all inside. Perhaps you'll have similar thoughts in the future, although I hope not, but you never know what life throws at you. If these foolish things pop into your head again, remember what I said to you today: you're the one I'm looking for. The only one."

After he finished speaking, he waved his hand in the air between them, as if scooping something up, then tapped Glocara's forehead with it.

"Got it? I've drilled everything I just said into your head. So, you'll never forget."

"Oh, come on."

They kissed for a while. Glocara's left hand rested on his shoulder.

"Let's go back," she said after they parted. "I mean, back to the tent. Not to Stormwind City."

"Of course."

Glocara's gaze passed over Elin's shoulder again, surveying the landscape below. At that moment, she heard a voice she was once very familiar with.

"Hey. Good evening, you two."

She saw Tusha standing beside a boulder about a dozen steps away. He was lowering a body from his shoulder.