The Ceremony of Bonding <<Malvalen>>

[Trinea]

((A little backstory before the actual story begins:

Aomaho, being a Draenei currently stuck looking like a Blood Elf, has taught Mal'valen about a bonding ceremony that his people sometimes go through. It's basically a marriage, but it goes much deeper than that. Aomaho and Mal'valen's hearts, bodies and minds would be forever intertwined, and what one felt or thought, the other would feel or think as well.

To do this, however, they had to get the permission of O'ros in the Exodar, which they've done. They were then instructed to seek out K'ure, a dying Naaru in the depths of the Oshu'gun ship in Nagrand, who then explained that in order to overcome some of their current barriers - such as the fact that Mal's not a Draenei and dead to boot - they had to find a special tome that would explain the ceremony. However, it was in the Auchenai Crypts.

This morning, Mal and Ao went to the crypts and got the tome. Aomaho opened a portal to Stonard, then collapsed as soon as they were out of the portal. Before he fell unconscious, he told Mal'valen that he was cursed by removing the tome, and that he would have to speak to A'dal on his own about the tome as well as return it to where they retrieved it from. That's where the story starts.))

Part 1

The day started out trying at best, and what had seemed like a good thing turned out to be practically disastrous. Aomaho and Mal'valen had headed to the Auchenai Crypts as instructed by K'ure, and they found the tome they'd needed. Unfortunately, by removing it, Aomaho had been struck by a terrible curse. He'd managed to teleport them back to Azeroth, but collapsed under its effects.

The Priest now rode full-speed through the Swamp of Sorrows with the Mage sitting limp in front of him. He kept one arm wrapped around the living Elf's waist as the other grasped his skeletal warhorse's reins. "I don't know where else to go right now, I'm afraid..." he murmured, knowing full well that Aomaho was unconscious and wouldn't hear a damn thing he said. It didn't matter though. It was comforting to Mal to speak aloud. "My old room in Brill is still vacant, as far as I'm aware, so we'll lie you down there." That way, at least there would be people nearby who could help take care of him, if they were so inclined.

They traveled for what seemed like days to the weary Priest, but in reality was just a couple of hours. The horse ran as fast as it could to Grom'gol in Stranglethorn Vale, where they boarded a zeppelin to Tirisfal Glades, making the trip at least a little easier on both Mal'valen and his steed.

It was only a few more hours left of travel before they got back to Brill. Mal carried his lover upstairs in the Inn and lied the old Elf down, tucked him in, then slumped down in a chair right next to him, resting his head in his hands despairingly. "What am I to do..." he whispered to himself. "I can't go back into the Crypts by myself..."

The Priest rubbed his forehead, then looked over at Aomaho, who was in a tumultuous slumber. His breathing was labored, his brow was knit and eyes tightly shut. All the color had drained from his face, and beads of cold sweat dripped down his pale forehead and cheeks. Mal'valen took a soft cloth from his pocket and gently patted down the Mage's face, dobbing up as much sweat as he could.

Sighing softly, he sat back in his chair and thought a moment more. "I guess the next step is to head back to A'dal," he murmured to himself as he pulled the tome they'd retrieved earlier from his pack and looked it over. "Then what? I have to put it back... but who here would help me?" He sighed and put the book back in his pack, then placed his hand over his face in frustration. "If I ask for anyone's help with this, they're going to want to know why, and if I tell them why, they'll find out who Ao really is, and if they find out who Ao really is... oh, Light help us both should it come to that..."

The Forsaken half-Elf stood and paced around the room a bit as he thought. "Surely Trinea would assist. She already knows who Ao is, I know she wouldn't have any issues with assisting him... Ishbaneer--... well, maybe he'd help just because he's my friend. I don't know... I almost feel like anything I do will be seen as wrong in his eyes," he thought aloud as he walked back and forth across the floor. "Erier would help me out, no questions asked. Though if Erier came along, I know Ish would refuse..."

Mal'valen paused and rubbed his chin lightly. "Veladrys might come along, if only to cause a bit of bloodshed. I could just tell him it's to help him train up, I suppose." He smiled slightly to himself. "And I know Nuhwoti would help me out without any second thoughts. Even if he knew Ao was really a Dr--..." He paused and looked around nervously, as if someone might be in the room. "Better not to say that aloud, someone might be listening in..." he told himself. He still had no idea why he was saying these things aloud. It just felt better to him, for to be alone with only his thoughts was to delve into a deep, merciless depression and feelings of complete and utter loneliness after what he had experienced before with his lover.

"Nuhwoti would help no matter what," Mal'valen said softly as he looked over at Aomaho. Seeing the old Mage in such a state absolutely broke his heart, and he knew he would have to act quickly if he wanted his love to come out of this alive.

Stepping up to the side of the bed once more, Mal'valen kneeled down and took Aomaho's hand in his own, squeezing it gently, reassuringly - though moreso for himself than for the sick Mage. "I won't let you die..." he whispered. "After all we've been through... if I lost you, I don't know what I'd do. Just know that you won't die." He closed his eyes and kissed the back of Aomaho's hand, feeling tears well up in his eyes. "You'll be safe here. I'm going to go see A'dal."

The Priest stood up and took his hearthstone out, gazing at the Elf lying in his bed as he concentrated on returning to Dalaran. "Hang in there. The Light will protect you while I'm away. I have faith in that much," he whispered before he was transported back to the floating city in Northrend.

[Trinea]

Part 2

Mal'valen returned to Dalaran and quickly made his way to the nearby portals, stepping through the one that lead to Shattrath City in the world once known as Draenor. A'dal, the great Naaru leader who floated in the middle of the city, turned to the Priest, as if anticipating his arrival.

The dead half-Elf called for his drake companion, Vrenormu, and flew up to speak to A'dal face to face (kind of). "Please, A'dal, you must help me..." he pled with a worried look. The fear in his eyes at the thought of what the Naaru might say to him or of what might become of his lover back on Azeroth was quite evident as he regarded the powerful energy being.

"I know why you have come, Mal'valen Sunspeaker, rest assured of that," the creature projected straight into the Forsaken man's mind. "Trials such as these must be overcome if we are to endure the hardships yet to be."

Mal'valen nodded, wringing the drake's reins in his hands nervously. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that statement. Was it supposed to be reassuring? Was A'dal telling him that Aomaho would be okay?

"Show me the tome," the Naaru requested, and the Priest nodded quickly in response. After fumbling around a bit for his pack, Mal'valen quickly fished the cursed book out, then held it out for A'dal. Slowly, the tome rose from his hands and floated before the Naaru.

"With your current state, this will not be easy," A'dal stated, and Mal'valen lowered his head shamefully.

"I know... but I will do whatever it takes to see this through, A'dal," the Priest responded softly. "If bonding with Aomaho in such a fashion would kill him because of who I am though... then I will simply tell him we can't go through with it."

A'dal paused momentarily, then almost seemed to shake its head, despite not having any sort of definable feature. "There are ways to prevent that, but you must be willing to train yourself to do certain things and act certain ways. There is one thing though that must be done before the bond can take place," it stated.

Mal'valen tilted his head curiously, then watched as one of the shards floating around the Naaru's "heart" reached out, holding itself right before his own heart. "You have no heartbeat," A'dal said in a matter-of-fact manner. "Should you bond with Aomaho at this point, his body may become confused and cause his own heart to stop. However, this is not something that cannot be rectified."

The Naaru's armlike shard began radiating a soft Light that it poured into Mal'valen's body. The Priest hissed momentarily in pain, but slowly grew accustomed as the creature's Light seemed to meld with his own. Several long minutes passed, and as A'dal concentrated, the Forsaken man started to feel a slow, steady pulsing within his chest. It was very faint at first, but grew to the point where, when he reached up and placed his hand over his chest, he could sense what felt like a heart beat.

Mal'valen opened his eyes and looked up at the Naaru in slight confusion. "Make no mistake: your heart is not beating, just as it has not these past nine years and shall not ever again," A'dal stated, causing the Priest to lower his head dejectedly. "However, your Light has been retuned in such a manner that it replicates a heartbeat, and will pulse in rhythm with the beating of Aomaho's heart should you complete the bond."

The dead Priest seemed to be satisfied with that, looking up at A'dal and giving a faint smile. From there, the Naaru explained to him the rest. He would need to focus on breathing at all times for a while until it became natural for him, and he would have to force himself to eat and drink on a regular basis. There were other details Mal'valen really didn't want to have to deal with, but he understood the reasons, and when A'dal was finished speaking, the Priest instructed Vrenormu to return him to the ground so that he could get back to Aomaho in Brill.

Upon returning to his old room, Mal'valen sat down beside Aomaho and took his hand. "We'll get through this," he said softly as he placed the Mage's hand on his chest, right above his beating "heart." "You'll be well again soon. I promise."