A/N: Hello and welcome. After finishing four fics set either in Middle Earth or a galaxy far, far away I have ventured into my favorite game, World of Warcraft. For those of you familiar with the game I have tried to dig into the lore as best as I can to get things as accurate as I can but there are discrepancies in the timelines so I'm going with the timeline that sets "Vanilla" World of Warcraft as happening in year 25. Characters we know will appear throughout the story along with my OC. I hope you enjoy and will click the follow button and leave a review every now and then. I usually try to post once a week but life can get in the way occasionally. :)

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All known characters, races, places, etc belong to Blizzard. Anything unfamiliar is from my brain.

Summer was coming to a close and its heat was gradually giving way to autumn's crispness. A warm, gentle breeze blew through the trees, the rustle of the leaves mingling with the rhythmic lapping of water on the small pond's shoreline and the various noises from the few remaining farm animals. It's tender fingers brushed across her face as she entered the small fenced in coop and after dropping the corn for the chickens she stared towards the northwest. The tall white gates of Stormwind were just visible through the trees. Raegan had always wondered what wonderful things were hidden behind its massive stone walls. There was a pretty little trinket box on her mother's dressing table that had come from the city that she loved to try and touch. She knew her parents and older brother had been there but she and her younger sister had never gotten closer to its gates than standing next to the gryphon master on the edges of Goldshire. Not many months went by without her begging her father to take her with him when he went into the city but his answer was always the same.

When you're older, Rae.

She gazed back down at the now content chickens. How much older did she need to be? Lane had been going since he was about ten but her father always said it was because her older brother helped him with selling their few crops. When she told him she would help as well he had just smiled, patted her on the head, and said such things weren't for little girls. She tossed the few remaining kernels of corn to the ground. It was aggravating. Just the night before she'd tried to convince her mother to let her go on the next trip into the city but had been gently rebuffed. Rae just couldn't understand their resistance but they would never explain their reasons. What could be so bad in the city? She'd heard folks in Goldshire talking about the shops in Stormwind, the magnificent Keep where King Varian lived, the canals. She just couldn't see what wasn't for 'little girls' in all that.

With a sigh she headed back to the house, dropping the basket by the front door, and continued down the path to the road headed towards Goldshire. When she reached the crossroads she found her usual spot at the base of a tree across from the gryphon master, settling in to watch the travelers on the road. Anytime she felt despondent she would find her way there, watching the adventurers in shining armor or fantastically embroidered garments, weapons glittering on their backs or at their hips, as they hurried to and from Stormwind. She would always make up stories about the ones that really grasped her attention, imagining the amazing places they had traveled to or the monsters they had slain. It helped her feel less isolated. She had heard of and learned about the different areas of Azeroth: the mighty dwarven city of Ironforge in the north, the jungles of Stranglethorn to the south, Darnassus, the home of the night elves, and even the Horde city of Orgrimmar far away across the sea. Ever since hearing of all these places the desire to see more than the dirt roads and trees of Elwynn Forest had filled her. It was a strange feeling. There was no real reason for her longing to see more of the world. Besides her parents' refusal to let her go to Stormwind City she had never had any reason to be upset at home. Her parents were loving and provided for the family as best they could from their small farm. She and her siblings got along. It was a good life, certainly better than some of the children she'd seen from Westfall, but still ... she was young and she knew there was a lot to see out there. Those unknown wonders continuously called to her. One day she would find a way to see what was hidden behind the walls of Stormwind and beyond.

"Rae?" Her mother's gentle voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Watching the travelers again?"

"Yes," was her short answer. There was a soft sigh and her mother squatted down next to her, lightly touching her chin to make her look up. She met Evelien's kind and surprisingly sympathetic gaze. "The world is not as amazing as you want to believe, my dear. There are horrible things out there." The jangle of metal interrupted her and they both looked up to watch two horses gallop up the road, a paladin in gleaming gold and white and a hunter in brown leather. "Those two face unimaginable dangers every time they are sent out by the king's command. It is not an easy or glamorous life despite what it may look like on the outside."

Rae returned her gaze to the road, her mother's words playing over in her head. There was sense in it - she was not so naive as to think there wasn't danger beyond the borders of Elwynn Forest - but that desire to see it for herself just would not abate.

"I understand, mama, I do. It's just ... I want to see what else is out there, not just believe that it is."

Eveline smiled. "I know, my dear." She held out a hand, which Rae took after another moment of staring towards the gates of Stormwind, and the two made their way home.

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Rae pattered carefully down the steps; she had woken up thirsty and the small pitcher by her bed was empty. There was just enough of a glow left from the kitchen fire that she could fill a cup with water from the jug on the counter. After drinking her fill she quietly made her way back upstairs, hoping to slip back in bed without waking her little sister. However just as she was reaching her room Rae heard her parents' voices, caught her name, and, even knowing she shouldn't, she crept closer to their door. It was just cracked enough that she had no problem listening.

"We can't keep her here forever, Durrant."

"We must keep her here as long as possible. You know what dangers walk hand in hand with that path. The older she is the safer she will be."

A pause. "Her questions are getting more pointed and frequent."

"I know and it hurts me to continuously deny her but we agreed this was for the best. When she is finally too old to be considered then we can give her more of the freedom she desires. She's almost past the age when it would manifest."

"If it is in her it won't remain hidden."

"All we can do is hope that it isn't there."

Evelien sighed, there was the rustling of blankets, and then the lantern went out. Rae stood there in the darkness, a frown on her face. What in the world were her parents talking about? Why would they want to keep her locked away? What was in her that scared them so much? Was something wrong with her? She wanted to go in and wake them, ask them what they were talking about - she didn't like the thought that there was something bad inside her - but she knew better. Not only would she be punished for eavesdropping she somehow knew that what she'd overheard wasn't something that would be talked about. Biting her lip in thought she carefully went back to bed though it was a long time before sleep finally overtook her.

Those overheard words stuck with Raegan for months. She began listening closer to what her parents discussed when they thought she wasn't paying attention. The quiet conversations of the denizens of Goldshire were no longer ignored. Things she had not paid attention to in the past were puzzled over. She would gaze over her family at meal time - her father, so strong and wise, his dark eyes full of amusement as he argued with the son that was so similar to him; her mother, calm, gentle, the real head of the family, watching with equal amusement as she kept Brynn occupied - and knew things weren't as simple as they had always appeared to be. Her parents were hiding something and she had yet to figure out what it was. The more she'd gleaned from her observations in Goldshire, eavesdropping Evelien would say, the more she believed whatever the secret was it was only kept from her and Lane ... and it didn't seem to be a bad secret. That fueled her curiosity even further.

Everyone deferred to Durrant for his thoughts on most decisions and called on Evelien for comfort and help in any type of situation. And while it was obvious her parents were greatly respected by those in Goldshire and Elwynn Forest, Rae got the distinct feeling it was her mother that commanded a majority of that respect. There was just something different about Evelien; Rae had always thought so, especially when her mother was around other ladies. They all seemed so ... rough in comparison. There was a grace, a confidence about her that made everyone else appear much more primitive.

Those thoughts filled her mind as she peered at her mother over her school book. Evelien was mending some tunics for a sick friend, her attention momentarily not on Rae, giving her the chance to observe without being noticed.

She'd always thought her mother was the prettiest woman in Azeroth, her gold-red hair still without a touch of silver, her green eyes always full of light, her gentle voice with that slight accent that was different from everyone else in Goldshire. Rae had always wished she had taken after her mother in looks but Lane and Brynn had inherited Evelien's lighter coloring while she was the only one with Durrant's brown hair and eyes. However as she studied her things she'd never thought twice about began to stand out. Her mother was remarkably strong, she could still pick up five year old Brynn with ease, and the sleeves of her dresses and tunics didn't hang limply on her like so many of the other ladies. Somehow she'd built up strength and muscle others hadn't. Why did she have an accent and way of talking unlike the others in the village? Then there were the scars - a rather long one on her right arm and another, much fainter, across her forehead. These things that had always just been a part of her suddenly had Rae wondering over their origins.

"Is something the matter, Rae?"

She jerked slightly from her thoughts, realizing her mother was no longer looking at her mending. "No. I was just thinking about my lesson."

"I never knew geography could be so diverting."

An idea sparked in her mind. "But it is, mama! It isn't just learning about the Redridge Mountains or Ironforge." She pointed towards a page. "It's learning more about Kalimdor and Mount Hyjal and the elves! Have you ever met any of the night elves?"

Something flashed across Evelien's face. It was so fleeting Rae would've missed it if she hadn't been watching for a reaction.

"I have but it was years and years ago."

"What were they like?"

"I couldn't tell you a thing besides they're tall with strange eyes. It was just a quick encounter; I never spent any time with them."

"How did you meet them?"

A slight hesitation. "They were in Stormwind one day when I had gone in to do some shopping."

She was lying. Rae didn't know how she knew it but she did and it was a bit irritating. What could be so important that it needed to be kept a secret?

Seeming to sense her daughter's disbelief, Evelien changed the subject. "What would you like for your birthday?"

"To visit Stormwind," was the quick response.

"I will talk to your father," she said with a sigh. "Your birthday is still a couple weeks away so we'll see."

Rae tried not to frown but her mother caught the expression anyway. With another sigh she put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her in for an embrace. Despite her irritation at being lied to Rae couldn't help but relax against her mother, breathing in that comforting scent of soap.

"I understand, Raegan. I want you to see all that you desire and one day I'm sure you will but please believe me when I say the time is not right yet. We don't deny you just to be cruel. We do it to protect you, my dear." She ran a hand through her hair. "There are amazing things to see out there but there are also unimaginable dangers."

"It's not like there are orcs hiding in the bushes," she quipped but her attempt at a joke did not work. Evelien's eyes darkened and she frowned.

"They were here once."

"Orcs? Here? In Elwynn?" Her mother nodded. "When?"

"Many, many years ago."

"There aren't any here now. What happened to them?"

"They were eventually pushed back and left these shores for Kalimdor." She was going to ask another question but her mother cut her off. "I need to get our dinner started. Please run out and fetch me a pail of water." Rae stared at her for a moment, debating saying more, before closing her book and grabbing the empty bucket by the door. She wanted to be mad at her mother, wanted to be angry about being kept in the dark about whatever it was, but found she just wasn't. Annoyed, yes, but she just couldn't be mad. Her mother had always been there for her, had always been a gentle word, a soothing touch, a solid and comforting presence and even though she was irritated she knew there must be a good reason for the secrecy ... but that didn't help ease her curiosity one bit.

Evelien was putting herbs and food in her basket when Rae came in from feeding the animals the next morning. She knew what that meant and directed her steps to the cupboard where all the bandages were kept, grabbing a handful to put in the basket. Her mother gave her a smile of thanks.

"Where are you headed today?"

"Mayci has been ill for days. Her eldest boy came by a little while ago asking if I'd come check on her."

She nodded, not surprised. Mayci Long was constantly ill or having a baby and her mother always hurried to help her closest friend in those - very frequent - situations. It was the one thing she'd ever heard her parents argue about. Her father did not like how often Evelien was pulled from home but nothing he could say would change her mind. Mayci had been her friend since they were girls and she could always help someone in need.

"I already have bread in the oven and stew over the fire. Make sure Brynn eats some of it or she'll wake up hungry in the night." Her basket full, Eveline grabbed her cloak and headed for the door. "I should be back by sundown." A quick hug and kiss then Rae watched her hurry towards the southeast, the basket swinging slightly on her arm.

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As darkness fell Evelien still had not returned and Rae could see her father's mounting concern. He paced back and forth through the front room, stopping every so often to peer out one of the windows. With Lane's help she was able to get supper on the table and they settled Brynn at her spot before taking their own seats. They dared not bother their father; when he was hungry he would eat. When he did finally sit down Rae hurried to place his plate in front of him. He tore off a bite of bread but stirred his stew absently. The rest of them ate silently, slightly afraid to say the wrong thing and set their father off.

"That's it. She's been gone too long." He shoved back from the table and stomped to the door, pulling his cloak and sword from the hooks nearby. "I'm going to head east towards the Cooks'. She may have stopped there on her way home from visiting Mayci. Hopefully she'll return before I get back."

"Get Otto and Marshal Dughan to go with you, Papa," Lane called after him. A slamming door was the only answer he received. Rae shared a worried glance with her brother.

"Where's mama?" Brynn asked.

"Just visiting a friend," she told her. She'd never seen her father so concerned and that caused a sick feeling in her stomach.