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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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The seahorse dropped them off at Silver Tide Hollow, a small cave fashioned into a headquarters by the Earthen Ring in the region. Farlin found himself being lifted off its back by Jared and set on his feet, and he wobbled over to a congregation of varied shaman, all of whom sensed what had transpired within the demi-god's shell. He dropped to the ground beside them and took some food that was offered to him wordlessly. He felt Jared slump down beside him and sit silently. Nobody offered them pity, or empathy – they simply understood. And Farlin was thankful for that.
A few minutes later, a splash at the entrance of the cave stirred Farlin from his reverie, and he saw Duarn pulling his heavy body through the water, bearing James Taylor in his arms. The human looked fragile next to the mighty tauren, but the shaman's eyes were soft as he gently knelt and placed the captain beside his comrades. "He will live," the tauren said sadly, "but at a price." He indicated Taylor's left leg, which had been severed below the knee. "His lacerations from the shattering of the orb were too great. I did what had to be done to save his life."
"Thank you," was all that Farlin could muster. He was still distraught by the loss of Tamri, still raw and fresh, but he was grateful that only one of their company had to be sacrificed. At least they had not lost Taylor as well. And Jared, Jared had survived – he was sitting beside Farlin, whole and alive. This, Farlin was truly thankful for – as stricken as he was with grief for Tamri, it would have been multitudes worse if he had lost Jared. He probably would have followed him into the Nether.
Duarn nodded and left them to themselves, Taylor still unconscious beside them. Dimly, Farlin remembered he still held the Captain's log, and he found himself pulling it out of his pack and leafing to the end. He searched around for something to write with, suddenly with an urgency. A shaman noticed him and among the supplies in the cave found a quill, which he presented to Farlin along with a bottle of enchanted ink. The paladin nodded in thanks, still unable to speak properly, and set to documenting the horrific events that had transpired in Nespirah. Reliving it all as he wrote it down, he felt hot tears slide once more down his cheeks, but steeled his resolve. He had to finish this, to honour the elf's memory. He had to follow his duty.
When he had finished, he laid down the quill and silently passed the book to Jared, who took it and read the pages that Farlin had hastily scrawled out. The other paladin nodded and handed it back. He had not known Tamri, Farlin realised at that moment, and could not be feeling the same as he. Yes, Jared owed the mage a life debt, and he had met him briefly in Nespirah, but he had never truly known who he has as person. With a shock, Farlin realised he should have seen this coming. He remembered snippets of the conversation from days before, by that crackling fire as the shadows danced on the cave walls. "Had the ceremony gone ahead, I would have survived this trip, and returned to Darnassus to live out my life." Only now, looking back, did Farlin see the true meaning behind the elf's words, and as this new realisation hit, a fresh wave of grief rolled over him.
Another splashing at the entrance announced the arrival of Erunak. He looked worn and broken, and he came straight over to the trio of men. "I have gathered the remainder of our allies, and put them on a merchant ship bound for Stormwind. They deserve a hero's welcome. Many have been apart from their families for some years." He spoke slowly and steadily. "The sailors on the vessel told me they have another convoy that will be passing by in two days' time. I would like you to take Captain Taylor and bring him home. I think your time here has come to an end. There has been too much loss already." With that, he stood and left them. It had been an order, not a request.
Jared spoke for the first time. "At least we'll be out of here. That much we have to be thankful for."
"Yes," replied Farlin quietly. His mind was not only on Tamri, as the man he loved sat beside him and shared in his sorrow, purely for his sake. His mind drifted into thoughts he had not allowed himself to consider since his admission of his sexuality to Jared. He felt that there was a void in his life, now that the elf had gone – he had only known him a few days, but the impression he had left on Farlin had been so monumental. He had taught Farlin to accept himself, and for that he would always remember and honour the man's memory.
With a jolt, he remembered the small object Tamri had given him, and fished about in his pockets, hoping that it was still there. When his fingers closed around it, he sighed with relief, and drew it out to inspect it. Jared leaned in curiously. It was a beautiful gem, dark onyx with a shimmering gloss on it that had a touch of magical mana energy. It had no words on it, but it emanated an aura akin to Tamri's, and Farlin felt the mage's loss afresh.
"It's a mana gem," Jared whispered quietly, taking it from Farlin to roll it in his hands. "I've seen these before. They're formed of a mage's pure essence, his life energy. A little of Tamri is still in that gem."
"So..." Farlin looked up hopefully, but Jared shook his head. "It isn't a soulstone. He can't be brought back. It's just a reminder of what he once was, and in some form he'll always be in it." He handed the gem back to Farlin and stood up, walking over to the supplies on the other side of the cave and selecting two pieces of meat from the pile. He brought them back to where his friend sat and they munched on it together, Farlin beginning to recover from the shock of Tamri's death but his emotions still whirling and roiling inside him.
Two days passed in a mix of wild, blurry activity and long periods of stillness. The Earthen Ring catered well for their charges, bringing them food and water and caring for them. Jared's arm healed up well, and as time passed Farlin found that each morning brought a little more reprieve from the aching hole that Tamri's death had left. Taylor had awoken a few hours after being brought in, and though he was still recovering from the shock at the severity of his injury, he had accepted his fate quietly and was content to wait for the boat, wrapped up in his own thoughts, occasionally flexing the stump of his leg experimentally.
Eventually, though, the morning of the third day dawned, and the men were all awoken early by Erunak peering down at them. "Come," he said, "we must depart."
Jared and Farlin stood, yawning, and gathered their possessions. Farlin had strung Tamri's mana gem on a piece of rope he had salvaged from the supplies in the cave, and hung it around his neck, ensuring he didn't misplace it. Neither of them wore their platemail armour, feeling there was no need to, and instead slung it in their packs. Taylor sat up and gratefully accepted their help as he levered himself up, and took hold of the makeshift crutch the shaman had crafted for him. He would be able to obtain a real one when they arrived back in Stormwind.
Erunak, too, prepared a pack, and when questioned he replied, "I, too, have a journey to make from here. I must join Neptulon in the battle against the naga who are taking control of the Throne of the Tides. The plane of water must be protected from their takeover, or the elements will be angered beyond control. The elemental planes are in enough turmoil after the collapse of the World Pillar in Deepholm – any more and we could find Azeroth ravaged by angered spirits."
Farlin raised an eyebrow. "That's all we need."
"Quite," Erunak replied, and after that the little company were silent. Each had his mind on something different, some monumental idea or niggling thought that had finally been brought to bear – something they would all have to tackle.
The shaman took them to his seahorse which remained outside of the cave, snuffling gently, and placed all three men on its back. Sadly, he waved goodbye to his pet as it raced away, swimming hard and fast for the surface of the ocean many miles above them. Farlin, seated at the back of the beast's saddle, watched forlornly as the sanctuary of the shaman grew fainter below them, and Erunak's form became tiny, until he stopped waving and dived away below the cave. He wondered if that was the last he would ever see of the Earthen Ring Broken. He hoped not – Erunak had become a valued ally and he prayed to the Light for his friend's victory against the naga forces.
After an hour or so, the seahorse arrived at a small island situated far, far above the cave, and watched them all silently as they disembarked. Farlin assumed this was where the ship would arrive to pick them up, and helped Jared lift the Captain off of the creature's back, setting him gently on the shore of the little sandy beach, ensuring he was stable with his crutch, before turning back to the seahorse to thank it – but it had already disappeared beneath the slowly rolling waves, leaving only a ripple in its wake.
Farlin turned to the other two men. "This is it, then," he said, gesturing at the plot of land. It was bare, apart from a single palm tree, and covered in hot white sand. The sea was turquoise surrounding it, and he felt almost like he was in a tropical paradise, if not for the lack of any real vegetation. Jared smiled wearily and sat down beside Taylor, and Farlin crossed to join them. Not much was said between them as they waited for the ship to arrive – each man had his own problems to worry about. Particularly Farlin, who couldn't help glancing over at Jared every two minutes, determined to find a time to tell his friend the truth. He owed it to the elf who had helped him see it.
Not long after they had been dropped off, the sound of a horn in the distance made them all look over to the horizon, where they were greeted with the welcome sight of a boat sailing towards their little island. Jared and Farlin stood and jumped and waved frantically, and it changed course to aim for them. However, as it got closer, they could see it was a very small boat – only enough for five or six people to board. It rolled up onto the shore and they went to greet it, exchanging worried glances. Would it be able to carry them?
"'Allo, there, mates," one of the crew shouted from the deck. "You be needin' a-rescuing?"
"We were supposed to be collected here by a merchant ship today," Farlin told him.
"Aye, I know o' the one you mean. You's the paladins, ain'tcha? See, thing is, we was goin'ta come an' getcha, but the damn Horde shot a bloody cannonball through our ship. So we 'ad to abandon 'er, and here we are but we only got room for one 'o ya. The others is gonna have to wait till later on – there's another merchant ship passin' by here then."
Farlin and Jared exchanged a glance, both knowing without a doubt who had to go first. "Take him," Farlin said, voicing both their thoughts as he gestured to Taylor. "He needs to get home fast."
When they explained the situation to Taylor, he was very upset, claiming he wouldn't leave his men until they were all to safety, but eventually they talked him round, and he agreed he needed to seek attention from a qualified priest. Jared supported the commander as he climbed onto the deck with a soft expression on his face, like that of a nursemaid. He smiled as he saw his charge was comfortable, and stepped back, pushing the boat back out to sea with his foot, as Farlin watched silently. The crewman grinned as the ship steered its way out of range of the island and sailed off into the sun, Taylor waving frantically at them as he disappeared from sight.
Then they were alone on the island. Farlin knew that this was his chance. But before he could say anything, Jared stood up and walked away to the edge of the island, staring out to sea. "What's wrong?" Farlin asked him in concern.
"I don't know," Jared replied without turning round, his voice betraying confusion. "You know that feeling when, you think your life's mapped out for you, and you realise that actually, that's not what you want?"
"I know it very well," replied Farlin.
"I have it now. I keep thinking, am I really meant to be a warrior? I know I'm destined to follow the Light – but – I'm not good in battle. Only with you, really. I don't like fighting or killing. I like looking after people – being with Taylor these last few days made me realise that. It's got me thinking that maybe I should look into becoming a priest – a healer." Jared still hadn't turned round.
"Maybe you should," Farlin replied, and before his friend could say anything else, he blurted out, "I need to tell you something."
"What is it?" the other paladin queried, still looking out to sea.
"I..." Farlin found he was lost for words. Taken by a sudden urge, he stood up, and started walking towards his friend, and suddenly his mind flashed with deja vu.
The crashing waves broke on the sultry white sand, forming a beautiful cascade of water and shimmering light. The entire surface of the sea glimmered in the scorching sunlight for miles around, causing Farlin to shield his eyes against the glare. Turning, he saw behind him a long strip of beach, bare and red hot from the heat of the unforgiving sunlight. A figure stood at the end of the island, his back to the paladin. Farlin began to walk slowly towards him, and as his feet burned on the sandy surface he realised he was wearing only his leather hunting pants.
It was his dream. Except, now, it was becoming reality – and finally Farlin knew what the ending would be, as he gazed at himself and slowly took off his hunting shirt. The figure was Jared – but instead of it turning dark, the sun was still high in the sky, and as the figure turned towards him like it always did, he knew what to do. He was right in front of his friend now, shirtless, and he stared in Jared's slightly suspicious eyes. Now, or never, Farlin, he told himself.
"Just let me try something," he said quietly, and before Jared could respond he gripped the other paladin's silky hair in his hand and brought their faces together in a demanding, passionate kiss. He lost himself completely in the feeling of his hot lips against Jared's, the feeling he had craved for so long. He pushed his body against the other paladin's, feeling his manhood come alive with fire at the other man's body touching it, running his arms up and down his friend's back, feeling nothing except himself, and Jared, and their heated embrace. It was heaven. He felt Jared struggle against him, and presuming his friend needed air, broke the kiss and stepped back, his expression heated.
He got the shock of his life.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Jared yelled, his face bright red with embarrassment and anger.
Farlin felt himself deflate, his heart falling a hundred storeys through the floor and back down to Silver Tide Hollow. "I thought..."
"Yeah, well, you thought wrong, didn't you?" Jared interrupted him, his face livid, as he drew his fingers across his mouth, flicking the saliva to the floor contemptuously and spitting at Farlin's feet. "I'm not fucking QUEER like you!"
"Shit," Farlin said, dropping to his knees, and placing his head in his hands, unable to face Jared's fury. What had he done? He had convinced himself that everything was following a path...the dream, and Tamri's death, and the island...he thought everything was coming to an end.
Jared stormed away, furious, shouting back over his shoulder, "Don't you ever come near me again. I trusted you. I trusted you," he spat, "and you..." he couldn't even finish his sentence, hissing at Farlin and turning his gaze away.
Farlin was in turmoil. He had been so sure that this was his chance, and that Jared would accept him – but he had been wrong, so very wrong, and now the man he loved wanted nothing to do with him, and his only other friend in the world was dead. He didn't know what to think, or do – he wanted to get away from this island, and go home – and from there he didn't know. He wouldn't be able to stay in the order – he was sure now that Jared would reveal his secret, and he would be shunned. Perhaps he could start again, in Darnassus; he would go there to give Elanna the gem, and he would stay there and build a life for himself away from the judging eyes of Stormwind. But Jared would still hate him. And that thought pierced him like a knife in his chest, burning a blade of sorrow into his already broken heart.
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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea