The Chosen Ones

*** Let me just say I couldn't resist the title; The Chosen Ones by Dream Evil was running through my head (and my media player)***

The procession following Marshal Reginald Windsor through Stormwind drew many eyes, especially after Lady Katrana Prestor and Highlord Bolvar Fordragon's outbursts over the champion.

Melian, the druidess, led the adventurers, her long blue hair blowing in the sudden breeze, her large mace strapped to her back. Elwe, the rogue and Melian's husband, walked beside the druidess, his mask preventing his hair from mimicking his wife's. Aiwendil and Betty followed behind the pair, Aiwendil's silver hair whipping about his face while Betty's unruly bun threatened to come undone; Pandora remained in her faithful place at Aiwendil's side. Luceria, the Night Elf priestess, her long green hair caught in the wind, walked behind the rest calmly.

As they made their way to Stormwind Keep, they were all acutely aware of the avid attention of the denizens of the city, as well as other adventurers who happened to be in town. The solemn procession entered the Keep, the guards keeping out the curious followers.

Windsor and Fordragon sent the prince out of the main room as the group enters. The party watched in trepidation as Marshal Windsor confronted the Lady, speaking in an unknown tongue to reveal the truth; Katrana Prestor was none other than the broodmother, Onyxia. They watched in horror as she shifted to her true form, then felled Windsor as if he were a fly.

The room filled with black dragonkin as the broodmother turned her attention to the party. Melian immediately shifted to bear form and began to work on getting the attention of the massive blacks. The men aided in downing the dragons, Pandora helping to keep the attention of the creatures off the priestesses in the corner.

Onyxia laughed. "You pathetic mortals hope to take on me, the broodmother of the might black dragons? I will show you what your insolence will bring!" With that, she swung one of her massive claws, catching Aiwendil square in the chest. Everything seemed to slow down as his limp body sailed through the air to slam into a wall. The second he slumped to the floor, Betty rushed for his prone form. "Aiwendil! No!" she cried, pulling his lifeless body into her lap, cradling his head as tears began to fall.

Muttering seemingly incoherently, she rocked back and forth for several moments. The rest of the group suddenly kicked into action; Melian cast Hibernate on Pandora before the massive cat could join her master's fate, Luceria rushing to her friend's side while Elwe finished off the last dragonkin. Suddenly a blinding light filled the room, even the massive broodmother wincing at the intensity. A low moan sounded from Aiwendil, surprising everyone in the room.

As the light faded, they could barely make out Betty at the center; she seemed to glow brightly, her countenance surprisingly terrifying. She stood, laying Aiwendil carefully on the stones where Luceria began to tend to him. She strode toward Onyxia purposefully, pure hatred in her gaze. "You... you hurt my love. You threaten everything and everyone I care for. I will not stand for this," she said slowly, her voice resonating strangely.

She stopped just short of the massive dragon, who snorted in disbelief. "And just what do you plan to do about it, mortal?" she replied, scooping up the priestess in one claw. The broodmother brought Betty before her maw, inhaling briefly before loosing a molten blast on the tiny figure. The group against the wall watched in horror, helpless. From the smoke, they amazingly heard a voice chanting. Onyxia looked in her claw, surprise clear on her face. As the smoke cleared, a golden glow could be made out.

The priestess, encased in a holy shield, temporarily stopped her chanting, turning cold eyes on the massive dragon. "This cannot be!" the broodmother shrieked in disbelief. She eyed the human suspiciously, caught offguard when the woman said a simple word and an explosion of light expanded from her. Her friends suddenly felt renewed and energized, and Onyxia let out a bellow of pain. "Y-you..."

Suddenly, the dragon's eyes widened, and her nose wrinkled as she sniffed Betty. "Of course. I cannot believe I missed it before... You're a red! No, not full-blooded; that must be why I did not realize it. Do not think this the end, dragon; I will end you for this!" With that, she dropped the priestess before saying a quick incantation and teleporting herself from the room.

As Betty stood, whispers began. The human, a dragon? Of the red flight, no less? Could this really be true? Suddenly, as if in a panic, she turned to everyone in the room. "You cannot breathe a word of what happened here today to anyone! I do not know if it is true, but I mean to find out! Everyone nodded; after the priestess had saved everyone except poor Windsor, they certainly would not betray her. And if it turned out to be true, who would want a dragon angered at them?