"And this one?" Came the stout man's voice over the din of children. He'd come here for one purpose, and he was going to fulfill it. The matron turned to look at the young girl the man had pointed at. A sullen, waif of a thing with dark hair and dark eyes. She didn't play with the other orphans, nor did she seem to care that the couple were talking about her as if she weren't there.

"She's a recent addition to our family. Doesn't speak much, but also doesn't raise a fuss. May I ask what you do for work, Mr...." The Matron trailed off as the man's gaze wandered around the broken down, bare room.

"Bolero, Mr. Bolero." The man commented sharply, "I'm sure you've heard of my tailor shop, down in the Mage Quarter."

The matron seemed to straighten slightly, suddenly recognizing the important merchant. "Of course Mr. Bolero! Now, if you'd like, her name is Isabella, she's about 12 years old..."

~~~~~

From that day on, Bela belonged to the Bolero's. From sunrise to sunset she worked in their tailoring shop. She would clean, take care of customers and even sew orders well into the night. Years passed this way, and Bela knew there had to be more out there for her. She'd made a good show at being obedient, doing as Mr. Bolero and his son bid her to do. But at night, when the house was asleep, she'd slip away.

She'd never tried to escape the city, because where would she go? Besides, most of the guards knew her by now, and there was no way she would be able to get out of Stormwind without being spotted.

As she did on most nights, Bela tucked her hair back into the hood of her cloak and stepped out onto the ledge of her window. With a quick shimmy down the drainpipe, she landed on the soft grass silently.

She did many things at night on her adventures, but her favorite thing was to visit the library in Stormwind Keep. Open to everyone, Bela couldn't understand why more people didn't visit it. She especially loved it around this time of night, there was hardly ever anyone there.

With a smile, Bela headed for the cobbled streets. Only a few guards and thieves roamed this late, and it afforded Bela the opportunity to find hidden treasures on the street. She nearly tripped over a basket of half over-ripe apples, but with a smile scooped them up and continued on her journey. She munched happily as she entered the keep, tipping her head to the royal guards stationed at the entrance.

It wasn't long before Bela was curled up in one of the alcoves outside of the library, a pile of books beside her as she enjoyed her apples and looked over the sleeping city of Stormwind.

"Aurora, if you could wait outside for a moment. Lord Calder and I need to speak." Sir Destrey spoke to his squire, leaving Aurora alone in the keep, and to her own endeavors if she desired. In truth, Destrey and Calder hardly spoke about issues at hand when they met. They were both veterans of past battles fought long ago, and friends for even longer. Their meetings were often between them and them only, evident by the laughter and hearty chuckles echoing from behind the closed door. Aurora's presence was hardly required at such meetings, but as Destrey's squire, she was to be at his side for most of waking hours.

And so, Aurora waited, like an obedient squire. A few minutes of silence passed, feeling as if hours clicked by while Aurora began to grow tiresome of standing around absently. Aurora was often allowed to explore the keep's chambers as Destrey and Calder spoke, but she always felt an invisible tug to stay in sight lest she end up getting Sir Destrey in trouble with the royal guards that protected the keep. That was, until a cloaked figure skipped past Aurora, happily munching on an apple as it darted towards the open library within the keep. Aurora had loved books--having read many as if she was a scholar, but her training had allowed for so little free time, and now, a moment presented itself for her to check out the library in all its glory.

In reality, Aurora was somewhat interested in the person who had made their way to the library. Dusk had clouded the sky over Stormwind, and some unusual people often came out at night. The person may have been such a person, but Aurora was more interested in the apples the figure had. Her stomach had been growling as she waited, and Aurora wondered if she would be able to buy one off whoever the person was. Best to ask, Aurora thought, making way to the entrance of the library. A mage had left as Aurora entered, each of them sharing their greetings as they passed by each other.

Once inside, Aurora marveled at the massive amount of bookshelves and books that had existed within the library. Aurora had been inside many times before she was made a squire, but it was still enough to awe her each time she visited it. Approaching a bookshelf, Aurora gazed over the many books--tales and legends about ancient battles, empires and the like, until she heard the familiar crunch of an apple. Searching for the culprit, Aurora soon spotted a girl curled up in alcove outside the library with a number of books and apples beside her. "Hey there," Aurora called out to the girl as she approached the alcove. "My name is Aurora, but you can call me Rory. What are you reading? Oh, and are those apples for sale?" Aurora asked, making friendly conversation with the girl. Perhaps, with luck, the apples would be for sale.

---

A silent yet gentle breeze blew through the library and its alcoves, ruffling both cape and hair alike. Reaching upwards, Aurora took a second to fix her hair as the girl realized that she was being spoken to. The girl tilted her gaze towards Aurora, meeting the squire's golden hazel eyes with the dark irises of her own. Now noticing Aurora, the girl moved away her stack of books elsewhere, allowing the squire to sit--which she gladly obliged to. "Thanks for the apple." Aurora replied, taking an apple from the basket that sat between them, her eyes carefully inspecting the apple for any sign of a worm. Thankfully, the one she picked had no sign of a worm infestation, and Aurora sunk her teeth into the juicy red apple--her taste buds enjoying the ripeness of the fruit.

Idly swaying her feet as they sat, Aurora swallowed what she bit off the apple before responding to Isabella out of politeness. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Bela." Aurora explained, gracing her new companion with a smile of her own too. Following Bela's gaze, Aurora looked back to the lake behind them, taking in the wonderful sight. The water was still, uncontaminated by movement except the occasional cast of a late night fisherman or darting of a fish. Her companion was in agreement to what Aurora thought, commenting about the peacefulness of the library at night, to which Aurora nodded. "It is peaceful, truly. One of the most calming spots in all of Stormwind." Aurora spoke, following her comment with another bite of her apple she selected.

Then, Isabella spoke of the book she was reading, asking Aurora if she had heard of Barthas the Broad. The name was familiar to some, and Aurora had heard it before. "The prophet, right? Everyone believed he was crazy--a lunatic. However, perhaps Barthas' words had meaning. Have you noticed the similarities between his prophecies and our world's history? I think the most alarming prophecy would be the one of the endless cold. Obscure like the rest, but winter and death is worrying, to say the least." Aurora explained, alluding to one of the many prophecies Barthas had wrote of. Some had been proven false, but while they were obscure, many had related to the history of Azeroth in a way that the similarities were simply shocking. Shocking enough for some to turn ignorant, in fear of what truth Barthas the Broad truly knew of.

---

Once Bela had finished fluttering through the pages, she had found the prophecy Aurora spoke of. As her companion cleared her throat, Aurora listened, reminded of past evenings when she had tried to understand the obscurity of Barthas' texts. The prophet's words--as obscure they might be--were always dramatic, like how a fearful man might beg to someone, only to have himself labeled crazy as a result, which had been Barthas' fate. "I could just imagine a mage shouting a quote from that passage as he blasts someone with his magic." Aurora replied, laughing along with her new companion. The passage was depressing as much as it was confusing, but Aurora tried her best to ignore the awkwardness that filled the air after Isabella read the passage.

Then, Aurora noticed Bela tightening the hold around herself with the brown cloak she was wearing. Unclasping her nicely trimmed cloak, Aurora gently wrapped it around Bela in hope that her companion would be warm. The squire shivered as the fresh cold air hit her body, but it was a small price to pay, and Sir Destrey would have been proud of Aurora's self-sacrifice. "I'm a paladin. Or, I'm training to be one. I'm a squire to Sir Destrey--in other terms, I'm his student and he is my mentor. Training to become a paladin takes knowledge and strength, both physical and mental, so most paladins have acted as a squire in their past." Aurora explained, looking to the entrance of the library as she wondered if Sir Destrey was done with his meeting.

"What about you, Bela? That is, if you don't mind me asking. You don't see many people in the library these days, and I don't think I've seen you before. Where are you from?" Aurora asked, turning her attention from the door to Isabella. As she spoke, Aurora hoped that her words weren't too pushy or unkind. Isabella had seemed to hide herself underneath the cloaks that were keeping her warm, but perhaps there might have been another reason. However, it was often impolite to delve into someone's history upon their first meeting, therefore Aurora waited patiently, hoping that she didn't distance Isabella from their previous friendly chatter.

---

Like before, Aurora had politely listened to Bela, focusing on what she had to say. However, Aurora was soon concerned by the atmosphere Isabella was putting off. Everything had seemed strained, from her smile to her laughter. It was wrong to be suspicious, but Aurora couldn't help but to be as Bela spoke. "I'm.. sorry to hear that." Aurora replied, nodding solemnly as her companion spoke about her parents' death. "If you need someone to talk to, I can see if I can convince Sir Destrey to allow me to visit Bolero's store." The squire went on to explain, having been taken by what Bela might be hiding. If something was wrong, Aurora wanted to be there to help Bela, despite having only met her tonight.

"Perhaps we haven't crossed until today, but maybe something had drawn us together. We both love books, for sure. Not only can you experience lifetimes, but you can also learn different skills from holding a sword to cooking an egg." Aurora spoke, laughing along with Bela as she poked fun at Barthas. It may not have been the brightest idea to laugh in the memory of a dead person, but Aurora was more interested in Isabella, especially when she seemed to need a friend. A moment then passed, with neither of them speaking. The clock tower rang, signifying the hour to the sleeping city of Stormwind. Aurora thought little of it as Sir Destrey and Calder were most likely still conversing the night away, but Bela jumped as if she saw a ghost, bringing concern to the squire.

Luckily, Bela had just realized how late it was and needed to return to her home to get some sleep before the early day. "Understandable, Bela. I'd walk you home, but I'm not sure if Sir Destrey would want me slipping away like that." Aurora explained, soon shaking her head as Bela began slipping off the squire's cloak. "You can keep it, Bela. I don't mind if you borrow it for a bit." Aurora smiled as she spoke, allowing Bela to take the cloak. For all Aurora knew, Isabella had appeared in need of a heavier and surely better quality coat, as she had shivered underneath the brown cloak she was originally wearing. "Don't worry, Bela. I believe our paths will cross sometime in the future. I'll see you again when they do." Aurora nodded once more, her smile still evident. Yet still, something had felt wrong, and the squire had just the inkling that there was something she could do to help Bela.

---

The day should have went smoothly, as they've always had. The paladins and priests would say their prayers to the light to protect them during the day before eating breakfast, but Aurora struggled to focus. Her mind was set on Isabella as she thought about her new companion. Isabella had seemed to hide something that she clearly didn't wish Aurora to know, and it was disrupting the squire's concentration. Aurora barely touched the breakfast that was presented, but Sir Destrey didn't think much of it, shrugging it off as if his squire was in a fasting mood.

Training came soon, and both paladin and squire picked up their wooden blades and training shields. The art of combat needed full concentration, but like breakfast, Aurora was off in her dreamland. While Destrey was clearly the superior fighter, Aurora left her guard open more than she normally did, which would have surely resulted in some nasty injuries if they were training with real blades forged by a blacksmith. By the tenth exchange of blades, Sir Destrey called off the fight, finally taking in his squire's clouded mind into consideration. Walking through the Cathedral Square, the paladin brought Aurora to a more secluded section of the city, allowing them to look off into the distance and in to the ocean that housed the Stormwind dockyard.

"Ah, so you're worried about someone. I am only familiar with the situation from what you told me, Aurora, but remember your training." The paladin turned to Aurora, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Aurora, you have shown your desire to be a paladin. Ask this... Isabella what seems to be the matter--gently, not too pushy, I should add. You have the heart and training to help. I believe Isabella would be certainly welcoming once she understands your worries." Sir Destrey explained, to which Aurora had nodded and thanked her mentor. His guidance was hopeful, and Aurora was appreciative. Remembering that Isabella loved books just as she did, Aurora made a mental note to be at the library. The squire wanted to help Isabella, but she needed a place hardly disruptive and calming to the both of them.

---

Time ticked by slowly, like an eternity for one of those fabled bronze dragons. Sir Destrey had let Aurora off earlier than the usual time they finished training, and she had waited for Isabella to show in the library. What meal she allowed herself was already gone, as Aurora was unsure of when her new companion would show herself in the royal library. All that remained was an apple core--Isabella's treat of apples the night before bringing them into the squire's list of cravings. Still and all, Aurora had been satisfied for the time being, and she focused on the book in her hands. A detailed history of the former Arathi Empire, or otherwise Arathor, Aurora had been saddened to see great conflicts shatter kingdoms, as they always had.

Closing the book gently as to not damage the pages, Aurora sat the book down on a nearby table. It was, at the time, only barely dusk, and the sun was still setting a nice orange evening sky. Leaning back in her chair, the squire gazed off into the distance, watching the few boats from the harbor melt into the orange horizon as they floated out to sea. The view was almost intoxicating, and Aurora had been fixated on it for some time. So long, that Aurora found herself dozing off in the chair, but luckily for her sake, no one was around to notice that she had fallen asleep in the library.

"So... herbal remedies or... Perhaps I should learn blacksmithing..."

A few hours passed, and Aurora awoke to someone loudly speaking and chuckling as they scanned the bookshelves for a book they wished to read. The voice was familiar as if the squire heard it before, but Aurora's senses were weakened by the taunting aroma of a fresh pie. Standing up from the chair, Aurora stumbled to where the fresh scent of the pastry was coming from, until she realized that it was her companion from the previous night. "We meet again, Bela. Looking for a book to read? I have one over here about the ancient Arathi Empire, if you'd like to read it." Aurora commented, acknowledging her companion with a friendly smile, although she could be clearly seen still trying to rub sleep from her eyes. Even more so, Aurora struggled to hold in a yawn, attempting to keep it in lest her yawns become contagious.

---

Aurora was ecstatic with a smile when Bela revealed the steaming pie from underneath her cloak. They had only been friends for two days now, and Isabella was slowly becoming her favorite for all the food she would bring during the night--first apples, and now a warm and steamy pie. Still, a part of the squire made note to bring something the next time they met (if they ever did again), lest her companion grow upset that they were the only one bringing goodies to their meetings. It hadn't felt right, at least in Aurora's thoughts, that Isabella was the only one bringing gifts of food.

Soon the two friends walked outside, and towards a tree in the gardens. Aurora took a seat next to Bela, both of them using the tree as back support despite the roughness of the bark. "Thank you, Bela." The squire responded, taking the offered section of the pastry. With a smile of her own once again, Aurora took a bite of the steaming pie. It was delicious, and Aurora was left amazed at the taste. Full of spices that were surely exorbitant and expensive, the squire was sure the pie had to be one of the best she ever had.

Sitting her section of the pie back in the large tin it came in, Aurora grabbed the book she was reading moments ago before Isabella's arrival. "There are a number of battles in this book, Bela. Did you know that the Arathi Empire partook in the Troll Wars with the elves of Quel'thalas? With their aid, humans were allowed to learn magic because of the alliance the two races formed." Aurora stated, cracking open the old book. However, the squire hesitated to read anything from the lines written inside. They was something Aurora needed to know, and that was if Isabella was alright.

With the book still open and flat on her lap, Aurora looked towards Isabella, and proceeded to lock eyes with the girl. Taking her hand and clasping it between both of hers, Aurora wanted to make sure her companion knew she was there for her. "Bela, I don't want to dwell on the matter too much, but... The squire spoke with great care, her tone soft and gentle as if not to alarm Isabella. "...there is something I must know. When we first met, you hardly seemed to be at ease. How come?" Aurora went on to state, referring to the forced laughter and chuckles from the night before.

"Don't worry yourself, Bela. I won't tell anyone of what bothers you in any sort of sense, but I'm worried for you." Aurora stated, still with the gentle tone from earlier. She needed to get down to business with whatever Isabella was holding back from the squire. Not for Aurora's sake, but for Bela's sake. Aurora had studied to be a paladin, and if there was anything she could do to help Isabella, she would be willing to help a friend in need to the best of her ability. Even if it was something way out of her league, Aurora would want to help. A paladin needs a strong will to harness the Light, after all.

---