Commander Braghaman Larethian

Inquiry

Braghaman was tired. He sat on a bench to the side of the room, his back resting against the wall behind him. His head drooped slightly and his eyes stared at the floor as he attempted to listen to the meeting going on around him. It was hard to stay focused, though, and his mind would go blank from time to time, which when noticed caused the paladin to give his brain a “mental shake” so that he could try to catch up on what had just been said.

The battle at Hope’s Landing had been a long one. The Eredar and their demonic allies had pushed against the defenses there for several hours. There were some injuries, both minor and serious, before the enemy was eventually repelled and forced to retreat. There had been one casualty. And that was why they were in this stone lined room in the Cathedral of Stormwind.

“Based on our findings,” the man in the center of the room spoke, “It is likely that Brother Rasman died almost instantly when the combat unit fell on him.”

“Could he have survived if proper attention was given to him immediately?” another voice asked.

Braghaman lifted his head a little and scanned the room again. At the back end was a long table behind which three people were seated. At the center was a woman wearing white, priestly robes. To her left was another priest, wearing the robes of someone who has been on the field of combat. To her right was a paladin whom Braghaman recognized but at the moment could not put a name to.

The man giving the medical report paused for a moment before cautiously continuing. “In a perfect situation, if Brother Rasman had survived the initial accident, and if there were a full medical team, and if it happened in a relatively safe and calm environment, then there is a slight possibility that he could have survive. But I would add, ma’am, that since this did happen on a battlefield where there was no fully manned medical team, and we cannot say that the brother did survive the initial injuries, that it would be highly improbable in my opinion.”

“Thank you,” the priestess responded. With a nod from her, the man giving the report bowed to the table, and then returned to his seat on the other side of the room. The priestess glanced around the room, looking at the men and women who were present for the inquiry. Braghaman sat up a little straighter and cast his eyes around as well. In the room were at least three commanding officers that Bragh recognized, as well as some of the men who had fought at Hope’s Landing including Heradus and two other Draenei. There were others in the room as well, such as the medical examiner who had just finished his report to the committee sitting at the table. As Bragh glanced around, his gaze moved to the front of the room just in time to see the priestess looking back at him.

“Brother Larethian. Would you please?”

Braghaman nodded and stood up slowly. He had been sitting so long that his body had stiffened. He moved to the center of the room and bowed to the committee.

“Brother Larethian. Your report of the situation at Hope’s Landing was very detailed. We are appreciative of this, and only have a few questions.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You were the first to see what had happened to Brother Rasman, correct? You are certain that he had passed on by the time you got to him?”

“Yes, ma’am. I checked for his pulse and found none. When I checked to see if he was breathing, I could feel that several of his ribs had been caved in.”

“Did you try to revive him?” the other priest asked, his voice non-committal.

“I did not. Given that he wasn’t breathing and had apparently received fatal wounds, I determined that it would be better to refocus our efforts to fending off the enemy and prevent and more casualties.”

“Brother Rasman didn’t like you much, did he?” the priest asked, staring at the paladin.

“I wouldn’t know, sir.”

“Could that have played a part in your decision?”

“I fail to see how that is an appropriate question,” the paladin at the other end of the table interjected. “No one there has accused Brother Larethian of any malfeasance.”

“Please answer the question, brother,” the priestess said calmly, looking directly at the paladin standing before her.

“No, sir,” Braghaman answered quietly. “Brother Rasman’s thoughts of me did not play a part in this. He was injured on the field and I assessed his injuries, as I was trained to do.” Braghaman paused, leaving unspoken the remainder of that statement: by this very Cathedral.

“Brother Larethian has participated in several conflicts, over several years,” the paladin on the committee spoke up. “He has performed as a field medic and a unit commander for us, as well as some private organizations, and the reports all bear out his ability to perform those duties.” The paladin shifted in his seat so that he could better see the two priests beside him. The priest at the far end returned the look to the paladin before finally giving a shrug and sitting back in his seat.

“Agreed,” the priestess finally said. “Brother Larethian, thank you for your service at Hope’s Landing and for answering our questions here today. Do you have anything you wish to add to the record?”

Braghaman looked first to the paladin, who nodded slightly back, then to the other priests before silently shaking his head.

“Very well. Thank you again, brother. We would like to hear from Brother Heradus now.”

Braghaman, recognizing his dismissal from the floor, moved back towards his seat on the benches. As he passed the Draenei, Heradus smiled at Braghaman and patted him on the shoulder before moving to the center of the room.  Bragh sat back on the bench and leaned back against the wall. The paladins sitting to either side of him leaned over and whispered their thoughts of encouragement and support, but Bragh only vaguely heard them. It had been a long day, and he was still tired.

Explanations

(This was a second story that happened immediately after. I decided to combine the two here into one post.)

Braghaman stepped out of the Stormwind Cathedral into the midday sun. Blinking a couple of times until his eyes got used to the bright day, the paladin stopped at the top of the steps and looked around. Below, next to the water fountain in the couch square, Valiant was laying in the sun with his eyes partially opened. Bragh knew it would be a waste of effort to try and get the winged lion to stay in the city stables, and figured that he was well behaved enough that it wouldn’t matter regardless (though a guard walking by might have disagreed). Bragh grinned slightly as he watched several boys staring intently at the lion, no doubt daring each other to get closer and closer to the mighty beast.

“Commander Larethian?” a young voice called out from behind him. Turning, Bragh saw a young squire coming towards him with an envelope in his hand.  “Sir, I was told to give this to you.”

“Who is it from, son?” 

“I don’t know, sir.  I’m sorry.”

“Its okay,” Braghaman said with a smile. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a coin and handed it to the boy. He took the coin and bowed, turning and walking away before looking at what he had been given. Bragh grinned again as he saw a stutter in the boy’s step, assuming that the boy now realized that it was a gold coin in his hand and not the copper he was likely expecting.  Turning back to the steps, he watched for a moment longer as the boys below would creep closer and closer. Valiant would then shift his body slightly, causing all the boys to move back to safer distance. Doing that on purpose, Bragh thought to himself. 

Braghaman opened the envelope and pulled out a sheet of paper. Unfolding it, he found a note from Lord Shadowbreaker. 

Braghaman,

Good work on Argus. I assume things went well in Stormwind as well. After you have had time to recuperate, please come speak with me.

Regards,

Grayson Shadowbreaker

The paladin looked over the note a second time before folding it and putting it back into the envelope it was delivered in. But before he could start down the steps, another voice called to him.

“Brother Larethian.”

Turning, this time Braghaman saw the priest that had been sitting on the committee that he had just left. The paladin gave a slight bow to the priest.

“Sir.”

“I was hoping to have a word with you, Brother. If you don’t mind.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I feel that an explanation is owed for my questions today.”

“That’s not necessary,” Braghaman replied with a shake of his head. 

“It is, brother. It was well known that Brother Rasman was very upset with you and your actions. Personally, I disagree. I think you did the right thing, going after your former students. And personally, I’d hate to think that they’d have been left to fend for themselves due to a sense of expedience.”

“I’m not sure I understand then, sir.”

“As I said, it was widely known. If we didn’t ask those questions today, inquire about those matters, then people would wonder why not. There would always be an air of uncertainty as a result; did we let you get away with something? Now the matter is on the record and has been settled.”

“I see,” Braghaman said quietly. 

“Anyway, brother, thank you. For what you did today and for what you did on Argus.” The priest held his hand out to Braghaman. The paladin, caught a little off guard, hesitated a brief moment before taking the hand and shaking it.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“Enjoy your afternoon, Brother Larethian. I’d recommend getting some rest. You look like you could use it.”

“Definitely, sir.”

Braghaman turned and started down the steps. Letting out a brief, loud whistle, Bragh watched as Valiant hopped up without any warning, sending the boys scattering down the street by his sudden movement. The lion padded over to the bottom of the steps and waited until the paladin finally climbed onto the saddle.

“Let’s go home, buddy.”