Frozen Justice

[Elestera]

Once, a very long time ago, Tallow had been a human. Not just any human either, a Captain in Stromgarde's army. His career had ended on a sour note with an arrow through his neck, but not every hero gets to go home to claim their glory. In fact, not every hero remained one forever.

It had been eight years since his first death, and he'd felt others since. Nothing had yet ended him so completely as to destroy him, but that had been a matter of his good fortune to remain intact and the insistence of necromancers in his subsequent revivals. He didn't often muse on such topics, but tonight, it was a thought that flitted back and forth across the borders of his conscious thought as he rode off into the night, another dead family and burning husk of a farmhouse in his wake.

Blood ran down the tattered remains of his jaw, but in truth hunger had long ago ceased to be the reason for his forays. It was the look. The wide-eyed fear only seen in those who knew their very bodies would be desecrated once they expired. Meals, minions, sport... he killed for all these reasons now, and no one was his master. Not the bastard Prince, not Mograine and not King Wrynn.

The hooves of his steed dug into the earth as he gripped the reins and guided the monster towards the river, riding easily down it for the next few miles to throw off pursuit before veering towards his camp. The fire was already lit, a figure idly prodding at the embers with a long stick, body tall and thin, hidden beneath a heavy cloak.

Tallow cautiously made his way closer, climbing down from his steed and walking into his camp, hand resting on his axe as he stared the figure down, "Who goes there? If you have stolen anything of mine, then I swear to you your life is forfeit."

"Be at peace, brother," the voice was feminine, and carried a few hints of an elven accent, as well as the tell-tale rumble of somone counted in the ranks of the undead, "I simply wished to warm myself by your fire for a moment. I hope you do not mind me starting it without you."

Tallow's eyes narrowed, walking closer, "You are no sister of mine, and it is time you left. Get on your way before you force me to remove you."

The woman in the cloak simply laughed, "Oh, but we most certainly are related, brother. You show no courtesy to a sister of the blade? You don't even offer to share in your meals? Tsk." She stood, and armor rattled with the motion.

Tallow tensed immediately, a few inches of steel glinting in the firelight as he started to draw his blade, "Leave. Now. Or what happens will be entirely on your head."

The woman turned, blue eyes glowing from beneath her hood as she spoke, "As the lives of those you've destroyed these months rest on your own? This is no mere chance encounter, Jonathan Tallow. I know exactly who and what you are. And by the authority of Highlord Mograine, you are to stand down and face tribunal, on pain of complete destruction should you resist."

He resisted. They always did.

----------

Elestera Thornbreeze sighed to herself as she stirred the coals of the fire, dawn was breaking over Elwynn and only now was the body finally reduced to cinders and fragments of bone. Tallow had fought with everything he had, but in the end he'd simply come up lacking. Truth be told, she mused, he was even lacking in taste. Dead for far too long, the fingers she'd cut off to snack on had hardly been worth the effort, although his marrow hadn't been half bad.

Satisfied that his body was in no shape to return to the world once again, she rose from her position beside the firepit and picked up the murderer's head by his hair. She paused just long enough to smother the flames in ice before striding victoriously through the portal to Acherus.

[Elestera]

It had been four months since she'd first been tasked with this duty. Four months of hunting and extermination. Four months of purging murderers, thieves and cannibals (or rather, cannibals without the good sense to show restraint, she corrected herself). Four months of protecting the Ebon Blade from the monsters in its own ranks that threatened to break their fragile alliances against the Lich King.

But today was not one of those days. Today, she faced an even greater danger than the rogue death knights represented.

Babysitting the young children of Chelody Smallwing.

Fortunately for her, neither of the children seemed terribly disturbed at the changes that had occurred for 'Auntie Ele' in the last year. In fact, to some extent she wasn't even certain they fully grasped the fact the Kaldorei was dead. She was as free with her smiles around them as she ever was, and did her best to stop by and aid their mother in watching them whenever her duties to the Blade let up enough to give her moments that couldn't be spent with her husband.

It was exhausting work, and the slightest taste of bittersweetness came with it, but she was glad to do it. Besides, she had already learned the trick to getting them to sit down. A few of their mother's cookies, a glass of juice, and a story. Legends and heroes of the Kaldorei, the mythologies of the dwarves, the tamer stories of swashbucklers Set had shared with her, the heroics of old human kingdoms of antiquity, she'd studied them all and she passed them on to the newest generation. Years later she'd find herself wondering in hindsight if, with these particular children, adding even more of such stories into their heads was a good idea, but for today she was content to simply go through the telling.

Until the raven landed in the windowsill, weathered parchment tied with black string to its leg.

Her words paused for just a moment as the bird landed, but she quickly put her mind back on the children and finished her tale, the noble warrior striking down the qiraji monstrosity and saving the day, before ushering the children over towards their beds, preparing Priscilla for her afternoon nap.

She returned a few minutes later, opening the window just long enough for the large, magically charmed bird to hop onto her hand. She took the note and sent it on its way back to Acherus.

There is a new target.

Name unknown. Human female, believed deserter of the cause. Seen with ghoul attacking supply caravans all across Northrend. Locate and administer swift justice.

The death knight sighed. It seemed today was meant to become one of hunting after all.