Commander Braghaman Larethian

On The Road Home

(Originally posted Nov 11, 2008)

It was a cold night as Braghman rode through the forests of Duskwood. It had been weeks since he last stepped foot in the place. Or rather, it had been weeks since he spent any more time than it took to ride towards the haunted towers of Karazhan. He glanced around as his charger slowly paced down the street, his eyes keen for any trouble that might appear.

With the retirement of so many members of the Dawn, Braghaman had found it difficult to continue his duties in Duskwood. The last remaining councilor, he thought sadly. Almost the last officer, a soft voice added in his mind. It had been hard. At first he continued his duties the best he could, patrolling the forests and helping where he could. But as time wore on, his responsibilities elsewhere laid greater hold on him. Aside from the calls to enter Karazhan and Zul'Aman, places that would never be cleansed it appeared, he found himself being called by other friends to other places.

And that, of course, was nothing compared to the calling of his own family. Ana was as vibrant as ever, routinely keeping the paladin on his toes. Their small home in Zangarmarsh was comfortable. And for the most part, it was fireproof, which was necessary for the experiments that Ana was constantly attempting. At least, the experiments she was attempting before she started getting sick in the mornings again. Soon after, she found out that she was pregnant again. Ana had been so excited about the prospect of a new child. So much so that she seemed to have forgotten their loss the first time.

At least, that's what Bragh hoped. There were moments when the past seemed to catch up to his kitten. But those moments passed quickly for her. Bragh tried to dote on her, but she wouldn't have any of it. Unless he brought ice cream, at which point she fairly well demanded the pampering. Bragh did his best to hide any fears he had. Honestly happy at the thought of a new child, the past seemed to try and force its way into thoughts when he least expected it. Bragh tried to keep those moments to himself, not wanting to burden Ana with his fears. But lately, he had begun to think that she was more aware than he'd hoped. Lately, the young warlock had taken to bringing her husband on outings and picnics. More times than not, she'd walk right into the middle of a mess, which always resulted in the paladin barreling headlong to protect his family. More recently, though, Bragh had started to wonder if she'd been doing that on purpose, giving the pally something to do. That'd be like her, he thought with a slight grin on his face.

 Thoughts of Bragh's family fled like the fog before him as he rode into Darkshire. He'd received many communications from the Ebonlocke family over the weeks. Mostly to inform him on the business in town or to inquire when he'd return. But two nights previous, Bragh had received a letter from the commander asking for a favor. Realizing the infrequent nature of a request from her, Bragh was intrigued enough to actually return to this place. As he rode into the village center, he could see Commander Ebonlocke passing her normal rut.

"Commander," Ebonlocke called to Bragh as he drew closer.

"Please," Bragh said as he dismounted. "Just Bragh. I've not much to command these days." Ebonlocke frowned slightly, but did not pursue the comment.

"We needed a favor and thought you might be able to help."

"Of course," Bragh replied, glancing around the village. It was the same. Always the same. And that's part of the problem, the voice in the back of his mind said.

"One of Niviene's students has decided to follow in her footsteps," Ebonlocke began. "Unfortunately, with her retirement, there is no one here to really train her appropriately."

"Sure," Bragh said as he nodded.

"She wishes to go to the Abbey in Northshire. We don't have the men to spare. Could you take her there?"

Bragh stopped for a moment and stared at Ebonlocke. It seemed to take a moment for her request to sink in.

"No men to spare?" Bragh repeated. Ebonlocke shook her head. "And it certainly isn't safe to travel there alone," Bragh said, more to himself than anyone else. Ebonlocke simply stood quietly, watching him.

"When does she want to leave?" the paladin asked, focusing again on the commander again. Ebonlocke smiled.

"We were hopeful when word came back that you'd be coming," Ebonlocke began. "She began preparing to leave right away. I imagine she'll be ready to go in the morning?"

"That'll be fine," Bragh said with a sigh. "I guess I'll be spending the night here then."

"Would you like to stay at the inn? We'll certainly pay for a room since you are doing this favor for us."

Braghaman thought for a moment, gazing at the door of the inn he'd spent so many nights in. It seemed another lifetime for him. Then, his gaze began to slide towards the east. Finally, Bragh shook his head slightly.

"No thank you. There's a chair near a fire that should be good enough for me again. Until the morning," Bragh added, looking back to Ebonlocke. He bowed slightly, then with slow deliberate movements, the paladin turned and walked away from the commander.