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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea	By : ShigeSato Category: +S through Z > World of Warcraft Views: 997 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The locations and some of the spells and characters described herein belong to Activision Blizzard. I do not own World of Warcraft and I make no money from this work.

Chapter List
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Farlin could hardly believe what he was about to do. As he stood there, the entire hall of people staring up at him expectantly, silent but for the faint music of the wind chimes outside the door, he swallowed in trepidation and opened his mouth. Before he could begin to speak, the events of the last seven days came to the forefront of his mind, burning images into his brain. He remembered the direct line of eventualities that had led to this very moment.
They had arrived back a week ago. James Taylor had arrived before them, and had told the tale of his capture and rescue to King Wrynn, who had personally requested an audience with the captain whom everyone had believed to be dead at sea. When he heard of the paladins' actions inside Nespirah, he had sent Prince Anduin to the docks to greet them from their vessel, which he did amid a storm of cheers and flowers from those spectators who had gathered for their return after the heroic story had been told to the masses. With Taylor's personal recommendation, Farlin and Jared had been promoted to lieutenants, and each had received a medal of honor from the King himself. They were still heroes, hailed in the streets and given discounts at every store. Ted had clapped Farlin heartily on the back and given him an ale on the house. Everyone in Stormwind loved them. Taylor himself had been given a handsome veteran's benefit and his own house in the newly created farms by the Earthshrine, and a healer was sent daily to tend to him. Though he was still slightly in shock and distraught about the loss of his limbs, he was getting accustomed to his new life and was enjoying the fame that the excursion had brought him. Jared, being fairly quiet by nature, was unused to being lauded in such a way and had mostly kept to his quarters in the last seven days.
Despite their newfound glory, Farlin was still distraught from the emotional sorrows that wrung his heart. Tamri's sacrifice had left him so confused, in a whirl of emotions and pain, that he had not known what to do – just that he wanted to be out of that cave. The event had been a catalyst to the sequence that had followed, leaving the poor paladin in one hell of a mess. He had made a very unwise move on Jared, only to be rebuffed, and left in disgrace. Though Jared had not told anyone of his true sexuality yet, Farlin was certain that soon enough he would spill the truth. He lived in fear of that moment all the time, causing his sleep-deprived nights to return, except now he was too afraid to wander Stormwind because he was scared of being discovered. Far from helping him further accept himself, Jared's rejection had thrown his whole life into question, and now he could not rest easy in fear of what he was and what people might say. Every time he saw the other paladin, he gulped and looked at the floor, unwilling to meet his eyes and see the hatred in them. He could feel the palpable awkwardness between them and Jared was clearly no longer comfortable in his presence. They had not spoken, both still confused and upset about the experience on the island. Every day he cursed himself for his rash actions, but there was no turning back time, and he knew he could never expect Jared's forgiveness.
It was this realisation that had convinced him to do what he was about to do. The knowledge that his best friend and the love of his life was for all intents and purposes dead to him, and that he could never exist in such a society where his career, his family and his soul all fought each other and were tearing him apart. He had to get away, to go somewhere else, away from the city. And so he had decided to tie up all his loose ends. He had sorted out his finances, withdrawn everything he owned from the bank, gathered and packed his possessions, and said his goodbyes to Ted and Taylor. He had asked them not to say anything about it, merely claiming that it was a pilgrimage to Darnassus in order to give Elanna the amulet and find peace in the Temple of the Moon. They had accepted that story without question. He wanted so desperately to say goodbye to Jared but the thoughts of what the other paladin would have to say to him had made him quail. He was sorry to leave with the last memory being of Jared's fury, but he did not feel there was anything to do about the situation now. It was a lost cause. So, he had marched up to the Cathedral of Light, bag outside on the steps, and flung open the doors, and now, he was ready to say his final goodbye.
There he stood, in front of twenty-five senior officers and commanders in the Order, and his father, who was standing at the back of the hall looking down at him sternly. He drew a breath, let it out slowly, and looked his father full in the face. "I'm leaving."
There was a collective gasp of shock around the table as they absorbed this, but Farlin wasn't done. He let them take this in for a second, then launched into the rest of his hastily prepared speech, which all seemed to be rushing out very fast as he faced his father and his worst fear.
"I'm leaving Stormwind and I'm going elsewhere. First, I plan to go to Darnassus and fulfil Tamri's dying wish, and to find peace in myself. Then, I don't know where I'm going. But I know now my calling lies outside of Stormwind, outside of this city and these people. I came, father, to say goodbye."
At first Greystorm said nothing. He turned his back on his son and his form slowly expanded and deflated as he breathed heavily, trying to control his anger. Then, he turned back, anger blazing in his eyes, and hissed, "Why?"
"I can't be a paladin anymore, Greystorm," Farlin said steadily. Inside he was trembling as he had done as a child, forcing down the fright that would turn into tears. Externally, he steeled his jaw, and taking a glance around the table, Tamri's face before him as he had come to terms with himself, he finally announced the sentence that would change his life forever. "I'm gay."
The entire room went deathly silent. All eyes turned to Greystorm, who stood indecipherable at the back of the chamber, fixated on his only son, breathing quietly and slowly. When he spoke, his voice was one of barely controlled calm. "Everybody, out."
People began to shuffle, drawing back chairs and picking up swords. "I SAID OUT!" yelled Greystorm, finally losing his temper, and they scattered, barely glancing at Farlin as he stood in the doorway, pushing past him in their haste to get away from Greystorm's wrath.
Then it was just Farlin and his father, alone in the huge cathedral, and strangely Farlin felt very calm and placid.
"What – the – FUCK – are you trying to do to me?" shouted Greystorm, marching up to Farlin and screaming right in his face. In his eyes Farlin could see unbridled anger mixed with embarrassment and sadness. There was not a hint of empathy, and in that second he knew he had made the right decision – this man did not care for him. He cared only for his own reputation.
He whirled around, cloak flying behind him, pacing back and forth, his feet stamping on the stone floor and creating echoes upon echoes that reverberated from the walls of the building. Then he stopped and resumed his position right in front of his son's face. "How DARE you embarrass me in this way! How DARE you come in here and say such things in front of such people! How DARE you tell me, ME, your own father, that you are..." he spat the word out viciously, "gay."
Farlin still said nothing, just met his father's gaze solidly.
"You have disgraced yourself and the whole Order. Our family name is tarnished forever! By now those gossiping busybodies will have told the whole city. We're ruined! I'll be demoted. And you," he advanced on Farlin menacingly, "you have no idea what kind of punishment I have in store."
"That's the thing, Greystorm," Farlin said, swallowing his nerves. "You can't punish me. I'm no longer a paladin. I've renounced my ties to the order. You have no hold on me anymore."
"After all I have done for you, boy," Greystorm hissed, eyes slitted, "this is how you choose to thank me? To throw back my training, my advice and my tutelage, and choose a life of sin and debauchery with the scum of the world? To reject a father's love?"
"You never loved anyone but yourself," Farlin spat. "Not...even...Mother."
At that, Greystorm cried out in rage and drew his weapon, swinging it directly at Farlin's throat. He brought up his own blade to parry the attack, shocked that his father would draw his blade against him, but energised by the adrenaline pumping through his veins and the thrill of a final confrontation with this vile man who he now saw was selfish, egotistic and had never cared a jot for Falin or his future – only for upholding his own precious family name.
The two duelled around the chamber, dodging and blocking each other's blows, each intent on overpowering the other. Greystorm had the advantage of strength and experience, but he was much older and Farlin had more agility. He could see where his father would strike – Greystorm was predictable and used the same sequence of attacks on every foe; it was the sequence he had taught Farlin when he was a young boy learning to become a paladin. Now, younger and older faced each other in battle, roaring in fury, their blades a whirl of metal and flashing light as they imbued their swings with retribution and vengeance. The sounds of fighting echoed around the chamber.
Alarmed at the noise, the sentries outside had called for aid, and now the twenty-five officers and commanders, as well as a handful of guards and a large proportion of the population of the Cathedral District were standing at the doorway, open-mouthed, unable to do anything but watch the titanic battle unfolding before them, in which neither could outmanoeuvre the other. More and more people congregated, but there was nobody who dared intervene – the fight was ferocious and there was nobody who had enough skill to pull them apart.
Eventually, Farlin could see his father beginning to tire. His swings became heavier and he was slower on his feet. He had never had this much trouble fighting anyone before, Farlin thought with pride, and knew he had proved to himself what he needed to. That even with the way he was, he could be a good paladin – a good fighter – and draw blades against the best of the best. Just then, Greystorm stumbled, and instantly Farlin backhanded him with the pommel of his sword, knocking the man's weapon from his hands, barged him down with his shoulder and brought the point of his blade to his father's throat. He had won.
Greystorm looked up at him, the anger not abating from his eyes, snarling in fury and with the sting of embarrassment in his face at being beaten by his own son – at being beaten by someone like that. Slowly, Farlin drew his blade away, sheathing it, though he kept his foot on his father's chest. "I am the only one worthy of the surname Greystorm now," he said, keeping his eyes locked on the man beneath him, before kicking him away heavily. The defeated man rolled over, coughing, and Farlin turned to the door.
About fifty people stood gaping at him in the entranceway, a crowd of soldiers, citizens and paladins all amazed at the spectacle they had just witnessed. At the head of the crowd, staring at him in disbelief was Jared. Farlin walked slowly up to him and took him by the shoulder, and the other man was too stunned to respond. "Friends 'till the end, Jared," he said, and handed him Taylor's logbook, which he looked down at blankly.
Then, with a last longing look at the man who he would have loved, Farlin pushed his way through the crowd and, slinging his bag over his shoulder, walked out of the District and out of the city, a hundred eyes following his receding figure. Well, he thought, at least I've gone out with a bang. He turned his eyes to the horizon and followed the path winding through Elwynn Forest towards the Duskwood.
What he didn't see was, later that night, Jared lying awake. He didn't see the other paladin get up and pick up the captain's log that Farlin had given him. He didn't see him read through it, and find the marked page at the end, that had two things written on the blank sheet – "I will always love you," along with Elanna's address in Darnassus. He didn't see Jared reading it over and over, before slowly packing a bag, putting on his armour and slipping out of his door. He didn't see him leaving the city, the logbook still in his hands, and treading the same path Farlin had earlier that day. He didn't see Jared following his footsteps, determined to see out the rest of this story with him.
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea