Even in the early hours of the morning Gai'vahros did not feel the fatigue inflict upon his body. Even though parts of his body began to feel numb with the lack of blood oxygen flowing through, his brain was still working well into the day. The still somewhat troubled blood elf thought about how he could change his life to live a more peaceful yet still dutiful life, one that didn't involve the continuous fighting and killing that he had become so accustomed-- if not addicted-- to. He imagined a time, perhaps not so far off into the future, where he would be at peace with his more brutal half. He imagined that he would be a married to a beautiful elven lady, not so much younger than him-- by a few decades at most-- whom he would be devoted to, whom he could direct his devotion and sense of duty towards. He imagined having kids who he would train as priests or paladins of the Holy Light, just as his father had done to him. But he knew that there would be no conceivable way for him to put aside his love of fighting.
The blood elf stared at the large diamond he held in his hand, with a thin yet durable blade in the other. Slowly, carefully, Gai'vahros cut along the edges of the diamond, shaping it into a more symmetrical and rounded shape. As the steel edge of the knight cut through the gem it began to bring out the clarity and shine of the gem; the surface of the diamond was scratched and tarnished from the time it had been in Rarity's chest, being thrown around as she shifted through her gems, causing the other gems to scrape and damage it. All of the trimming that were being cut off fell into a small pile inside the jewelcrafter kit, kept aside for Spike as Gai'vahros had promised yesterday.
"Anar'alah," Gai'vahros cooed in a soft and slow tempo, his voice carrying the harmonic words of a traditional elven tune. His hands moved along the surface of the diamond as though directed by an orchestral conductor, following the stead of his voice. "anar'alah belore… sindorei…"
"That's a good voice you got there," a quiet yet strong voice teased from a few feet of Gai'vahros. Applejack, looking restless, looked to Gai'vahros. The elf quickly turned back surprised to see Applejack still awake, who only met with his eyes with half-closed eyelids and tiny bags under them. The pony gave an open yet quiet yawn before sitting down beside him. "You ever thought of singin' when you retire?"
"Not if I was the last vocalist on Azeroth," Gai'vahros responded with a sarcastic tone in his voice and a smirk on his lips. The elf kept his gaze upon the sleep deprived Applejack, concerned about her condition but didn't think to voice it. "but I thank you for the encouraging words." His thumb began to stroke a few of the many facets of the gem, wiping away any excess chippings or dust from it. The two of them stared into the gem as Gai'vahros began to move and rotate his hand. The ember glow from the campfire caused the diamond to glisten and shine an array of colours from the fieriest of oranges to the most divine of golden yellows. "What do you think of it so far, my Lady Applejack?"
It was a rather bewildering question for Applejack as she began to think of a reply. The pony tried moving her head forward, squinting, tilting her head-- anything to try and make out a shape in what was only a large spherical gem with diamond facets around it. "It's uh… pretty," Applejack blurted finally, moving her head back and giving an awkward smile to Gai'vahros, "but what's it supposed to be?"
"Oh, nothing at the moment," replied Gai'vahros, bringing the gem up to his face to inspect it. "I had to cut away the excess and reshape it to a more workable shape. This way It will make it a lot easier for me to cut it into a more symmetrical shape by using the facets as a guidelines to know where to cut and how much I need to cut off."
"Sounds mighty… fiddly. But you know what yer doin', so it's no big deal for you, right?"
"Ah, not quite," Gai'vahros spoke admittedly while using his thumb and fingers to rotate the diamond orb on its axis, "I still haven't really decided on what shape I should craft this into. I usually cut gems into Round Brilliant, Trilliant, or Square cuts, but I thought that perhaps I should do something a little more unique, something that people will embed itself into the memories of those who see it."
"Hmmm…" Applejack thought for a moment, thinking of various different shapes that would stand out and reflect Gai'vahros' magnificent craftsmanship. "Well, since you're a knight an' all, why don'tchya make it into the shape of a shield? I think that'd look mighty impressive as a necklace or a brooch, or even a bolo tie."
"I think you may be on to something there," Gai'vahros envisioned it within his mind's eye; a large two inch gem encased within a solid gold socket used to fasten the garments of an ambassador, or hung around the neck of a fair elven maiden by a thin, glistening chain of truesilver. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. You've been a great help to me this evening, my Lady Applejack."
"Aw shucks, it was nothin'," said Applejack with a little bit of red in her face coupled with a small grin. "But do ya really think you'll get it done now?"
"Oh of course not, but I'll have the whole week to get it done. I just hope that Lady Rarity will like it."
"A little present for her?"
"Well, it was her diamond to begin with. I just asked for it so I could cut it for her. She said that it was too large and too unworkable for her to be able to do anything with it, and she was right, too. I thought that, maybe, this could be a good way to thank Rarity for fixing up my clothes."
The fire crackled as the twigs and branches fuelling it smouldered to a blacken char. Applejack gave a small yawn as he head lightly drooped down in front of her chest; she hadn't slept for long before waking up in the middle of the early hours of the morrow. However, a few footsteps caused her to bolt awake as she began to doze off, as well as drawing the attention of Gai'vahros. The two of them turned towards the origin of the noise.
"You're still awake, guys?" a soft voice of concern came from Rainbow Dash as she made her way to the two of them. Her wings were ruffled a little from the tossing and turning in her sleeping bag, while her hair puffed up in a few spots. She didn't look like she had much of a good night's sleep, either, for what little time she had spent sleeping. "I thought you'd be hitting the hay by now."
"Ah, yeah, I couldn't get much sleep either, Dashie," responded Applejack with a trying smile, "I guess my body just don't wanna turn off."
"Yeah, your yawning gives it away terribly so," teased the blood elf, noticing that Applejack was obviously tired but yet remained awake. "So why are you still up at this time in the morning, my Lady Applejack?"
"Well… I guess I just wanted to try an' get to spend as much time with ya before you leave," Applejack began to feel a bit embarrassed and silly for saying such thing, having known the elf for only a couple of days. "I mean, no one knows when yer gonna leave, right?"
"I don't even know if I'll ever be able to leave," responded Gai'vahros quickly, "considering that my hearthstone doesn't work here and I have no other way to get myself back home. The only options I have are either; wait for someone to figure out where I am and to come pick me up through another portal; or hope that somewhere in this "Canterlot library" there's a spell that can get me back home. If neither one of them works then… I guess I'll be stuck here."
"Now there's no need to be too down in the dumps, Gai," Applejack placed a hoof on the shoulder of the blood elf, comforting and assuring him as best as she could. "You just' gotta have a lil' faith in yer friends. Why, I'll bet that they're tryin' to find a way to find ya as we speak."
"I guess so," replied Gai'vahros, "but how will they find me? They probably don't even know how the hell I got here in the first place. But thanks for being so optimistic, my Lady Applejack." Gai'vahros wasn't buying it, but he didn't mind all so much. A part of him wanted to stay here and experience this world a while longer.
"Heh, can't blame a gal for tryin', right?" Applejack shifted from the log onto all fours before heading back to her sleeping bag. "I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll see y'all in the mornin'."
"Now that's a point," spoke Gai'vahros as he turned to look back at the cyan pegasus standing behind him on the other side of the log. "Why are you still up, my Lady Rainbow Dash? Can't you sleep either? Or do you just want to spend some quality time with me?" he teased with a smirk across his lips.
"N-no!" exclaimed the flustered pegasus. "I was just… on my way to the bathroom! Yeah, that's it."
"Oh the bathroom?" Gai'vahros thought he'd humour her and play along. "It's just down the path there. It's the second tree on the right," he said as he pointed in front of him towards a small group of trees. "Oh, wait. That's the men's room." He gave a small laugh as Rainbow Dash looked away in embarrassment. "So what is you want to talk about?"
"I, uh, just wanted to talk to you 'bout stuff." Rainbow Dash turned back to Gai'vahros as she spoke. With a flap of her wings, she lifted from the ground and casually plonked herself beside him on the log where Applejack once sat. "You know. About you." She was a bit dubious in making such a comment considering how Gai'vahros had shown great anxiety whenever his personal life, such as his past, was brought up.
"Well, what do you want to know about?"
It was a shock to Rainbow Dash that Gai'vahros would be so open about letting himself be interviewed about his personal life. It was only a few hours ago that the blood elf was so distraught and distressed at divulging some of his more guilt-ridden experiences, but now he showed no such emotion or restraint. "Well… uh…" It was an unexpected curveball from out of nowhere for the pegasus. Gai'vahros' response wiped her mind blank, and all of the questions she had vanished from her thoughts. "so what kinda weapons have you got?" she finally spoke, asking the first question that popped into her head.
"I didn't think you were one for weapons," smiled Gai'vahros, "but I always thought you as the fighting type." Rainbow Dash gave a large grin as if to show her enthusiasm in all things martial. "I have a few weapons-- all of them acquired throughout the years of adventuring. I carry two different weapons with me, however; Quel'Serrar, the "High Blade"; and Quel'Delar, the "Sister Blade". Both swords were created, at different times, by the kaldorei and the children of the Aspects. Quel'Serrar was created many thousands of years ago as a symbol of unity between the dragonflights and the kaldorei. It had been kept hidden, protected, by the Shen'dralar Ancients, awaiting the day for the blade to be restored. I was able to forge and temper this prismatic blade with the use of the fire and blood of the dragon brood mother Onyxia. It was then that the sword was born fully."
"And what about the "Sister Blade"?"
"Ah, a tale much longer," replied Gai'vahros as he shifted himself to get more comfortable, swinging his leg over the log as though riding it, positioning himself so he could give Rainbow Dash his full attention without having to turn his neck all the time. "Quel'Delar was forged at the same time as Quel'Serrar-- several thousand years ago, even before the War of the Ancients. The blade had been passed down from father to son until it was finally bestowed upon a high elf by the name of Thalorien Dawnseeker. I remember him well-- dedicated to the pursuit of justice and even more so to his people. He wielded the sword in both the Troll wars three thousand years ago, and again during the Scourge Invasion. It was a crushing blow for all of us that he had fallen against the death knights."
"You mean… he died?"
"Unfortunately so." Gai'vahros sighed as he leaned back a little. "It was only after the attack that the sword would appear again. A young warrior by the name of Lana'thel stumbled upon the sword and took it as her own. She was a close friend of Thalorien, apparently, so I guess it was fitting that she would wield it in his stead. That was when Kael'thas Sunstrider joined forces with Illidan Stormrage to lead an assault on Icecrown-- Arthas' domain on the frozen continent of Northrend. It was a lost cause; the battle was lost and the few survivors were scattered to the four corners of Northrend, only to be hunted down one by one by the Scourge. It was there than Lana'thel fell and was risen as a powerful undead in the service of the Lich King."
"That's… that's horrible," muttered Rainbow Dash, terrified of this "Lich King" that Gai'vahros had constantly brought up during his stories. "How could anyone be so evil?"
"Sometimes it's better to not think about it and to just fight it," replied the blood elf. "So, it was said that Lana'thel could not stand the sight of her sword. It was said that every time she turned to look at her sword she would cry out in anger as she remembered her life before her turn. In her rage, she shattered the sword and flung the pieces as far as she could. I was able to recover a small piece of the sword; the hilt was found carried by one of the Lich King's necromancers."
"So you were able to reforge the sword?"
"Eventually. No one was able to recognize the sword by its hilt alone, and so I was tasked to retrieve a book on prismatic weapons. We learned soon after that the sword was, indeed, Quel'Delar. I was tasked to reforge the sword by using a dark metal called "saronite" and a tool called "the maker's hammer". With both of these, the blade was created, but could not be used. I was then instructed to temper the sword within the Crucible of Souls, to temper it with the fury of thousands of restless dead. It was then that we discovered our folly."
"Your folly? Something went wrong?"
"Indeed. You see, Rainbow Dash, saronite is the hardened black blood of an evil entity, an Old God. The Old Gods are creatures of utmost evil, chaos, and destruction. The blade had become tainted and, as it dwelled within the halls of Icecrown Citadel, or anywhere else under the Lich King's influence for that matter, was slowly taking in the evil presence surrounding it. The blade had to be cleansed. I took it to the Sunwell for it to be bathed in its holy waters, and cleansed it was. That was how I came to acquire, and be chosen by, the sword."
"That's totally awesome!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash as she put her fore-hooves to her cheeks. "Hey, that reminds me; weren't we supposed to be searching the forest for your equipment?"
"Ah, that's right," agreed Gai'vahros. The blood elf leaned forwards, placing his hands on his knees, before standing up and giving a stretch of his arms, "but I think we should leave it for daybreak; it will be much easier to find what we need with a little bit of sunlight. Besides, you need to get some sleep."
"Pfft. Who needs sleep when we've got a job to do?" asked Rainbow Dash rhetorically. "Plus, you talkin' about that sword has got me totally psyched to try and find it as soon as possible!"
Gai'vahros couldn't help but let out a rather loud and tired sigh. "Fine, fine," Gai'vahros reluctantly agreed to Rainbow Dash' insistence, "we'll go take a look, but only for an hour or so."
The pair quickly made their way towards the opening that lead towards the deeper, darker areas of the forest. Even the shine of the moonlight could not fully pierce through the thick, dense barrier of twisted and contorted branches, with only a few streaks of silvery light managing to pierce and break through the canopies. It was the only source of light for the two of them, which made locating anything that wasn't rock or bush even harder. The only things that either one of them could identify with certainty was the hardened dirt underfoot and the rough bark of trees. It appeared to be a lost cause for the two of them.
"You know what? I'm beginning to think you had the right idea," Rainbow Dash called out to Gai'vahros, admitting that what he said was beginning to look like the better alternative. "I can't see anything in here! What about you?"
"I'm finding it a little bit impairing if I am to be honest with you, my Lady Rainbow Dash," replied Gai'vahros as he knelt down onto the ground, trying to feel for anything that felt like cold steel. "Even with low-light vision I'm still having some trouble trying to depict anything. Everything just looks like a smudge of dark upon dark."
"You wanna give it five more minutes before heading back?" Rainbow Dash began to look up into the trees, thinking that any of Gai'vahros' lost items could have gotten stuck within the branches, hoping that what little moonlight there was could help make them stand out.
"Wait," Gai'vahros yelled out, "Rainbow Dash! I think I've found something!" The blood elf quickly made a sprint towards a small yet sharp glow of pale turquoise, pushing aside low hanging branches and bushes that got in his way. Thankfully for Rainbow Dash, the moonlight reflected brightly off of the gold of Gai'vahros armor, making it easier for her to find and keep up with him. Eventually the duo came onto a small circular clearing, staring down at a large object. The large gem embedded into it let off a strong light that revealed its shape; the large piece of gold was crafted into the shape or a large ornate helmet much like a royal guard's helm, but with large "wings" on both sides. "Ah! My shield." Gai'vahros knelt down, grasping at his shield with a hand on each side of it before turning it to face him.
"Wow, Gai, that's one impressive shield," spoke Rainbow Dash, looking down at the shield with a look of impression and admiration. "I've never seen a shield like this before, or even this size."
"It's served me for a long time," Gai'vahros responded as he ran his hand across the face of it, wiping away some dirt and soil from the metalwork. "This was a gift given to me by Lady Liadrin after I had done my duty alongside the Shattered Sun Offensive. This beauty has seen almost as many battles as I have."
"So should we head back now?"
"Yeah, I think we can call it a night. In any case, if we don't find the rest of my stuff we could always come back here and take another look-- with sunlight, preferably."