No Taste Left But Blood, No Word Left But Hate.
Diederich wandered the streets of Dalaran for a more cheerful change of pace from his usual circuit through Undercity. He thought of Lainiram and felt warm and fuzzy inside. Walking down the Gold Road in the Barrens together, just talking... It had been peaceful. He'd never enjoyed the orange and rose light of the sun setting across this golden expanse of dry grass and stone so much as when it gilded Lain's blonde hair and dark armor. The hot, dry air, and rhythmic melody of Lain's wolf panting, his feet padding down the cobblestones, and Lain's soft voice through his cowl had been meditative and soothing. At that moment, Diederich had been completely happy.
Everything in Dalaran the next morning seemed brighter and more beautiful. He even smiled and waved at loitering mages as he passed by.
He strolled past a group of Blood Elves and waved and said good morning. Some of them returned the greeting, some didn't, and a man whose back had been to Diederich turned to look and Diederich was face to face with Matthias.
Diederich stopped mid-stride and blinked. Matthias was nearly unrecognizable. His strawberry blonde hair, once lustrous and eye-catching, was dull. It hung all the way to his mid-thigh and was ragged at the ends as though he hadn't bothered to cut it the whole time Diederich had been gone. He had dark circles under his eyes that were wrinkled and sagging, and his pale skin was almost grey. The light in his eyes looked like it was burning out.
"Matthias?"
Matthias blinked. He stepped away from his group toward Diederich.
"...Diederich?"
"Are you sick?" Diederich fretted.
"Are you Diederich?" Matthias demanded again.
Suddenly Diederich remembered what Augusten had told him, and the concern for his brother soured in his stomach.
"Why don't we go talk someplace private."
"Yes," Matthias agreed, mood as dark as Diederich's was getting.
Matthias told his group he would catch up with them again later, and Diderich led him into the sewers.
"You are, aren't you?"
"Are you trying to hurt my son?" Diederich snarled, grabbing Matthias by the neck of his robes.
Matthias chuckled. He looked like as much of a corpse as Diederich did in the dim greenish light of the sewer.
He dropped Matthias' robe as his anger cooled into sorrow. He could tell just by looking into his eyes. His brother had gone mad.
"Matt, what happened to you?"
"Have you seen Leda?"
"No, I haven't. Is she missing?"
"They killed her," Matthias said, so hysterical he nearly laughed when he said it. "You're a Death Knight, right? Did they take her? Did you see her?"
"She's dead?" Diederich said mournfully.
"Did he take her?" He was talking about the Lich King.
"I don't know."
"I watched her die. They were breaking into the house. Father was so certain they would never make it that far, he was so certain we were safe. But they clawed the walls apart, Diederich, they flooded in and they tore her apart, right there in the front room. Father grabbed me when I tried to get to her and he forced me to make us a portal. He forced me to make a portal. He forced me to make a portal, Diederich!"
Matthias grabbed Diederich's shoulders, eyes wide and devoid of rationality.
"They were eating my wife and Father made me open a portal. He shoved us through it, all of us, and left her there."
"I'm so sorry, Matt."
"And your son." Matthias let out another diseased laugh. "You died, and all Father can talk about is Diederich, his son who died in the war, who died defending Silvermoon City. What about Leda? She died in the war, what about her? What about me? I saved his whole family. I did. Where were you, huh? I saved his family, but who does he thank? His wife is alive and well because of me, and where's mine? Whose wife did I save? Where is my family? Where is my wife, where are the children I should have had? But who does he thank, who does he praise? You."
Matthias shook with manic rage.
"I don't want him to have an heir. I don't want him to have anything. I'm going to wipe out your line, Diederich, and then who will he praise, then who will be the hero of the family? Maybe then he'll notice the son whose wife he killed, whose life he ruined, maybe then he'll notice me."
"I don't want him to have my son to pass his name to, either."
Matthias blinked, having been braced for a death match with Diederich.
"What?"
"I don't want him to have that, either."
-to be continued-
Mood music: Runs In The Family, by Amanda fucking Palmer
Everything in Dalaran the next morning seemed brighter and more beautiful. He even smiled and waved at loitering mages as he passed by.
He strolled past a group of Blood Elves and waved and said good morning. Some of them returned the greeting, some didn't, and a man whose back had been to Diederich turned to look and Diederich was face to face with Matthias.
Diederich stopped mid-stride and blinked. Matthias was nearly unrecognizable. His strawberry blonde hair, once lustrous and eye-catching, was dull. It hung all the way to his mid-thigh and was ragged at the ends as though he hadn't bothered to cut it the whole time Diederich had been gone. He had dark circles under his eyes that were wrinkled and sagging, and his pale skin was almost grey. The light in his eyes looked like it was burning out.
"Matthias?"
Matthias blinked. He stepped away from his group toward Diederich.
"...Diederich?"
"Are you sick?" Diederich fretted.
"Are you Diederich?" Matthias demanded again.
Suddenly Diederich remembered what Augusten had told him, and the concern for his brother soured in his stomach.
"Why don't we go talk someplace private."
"Yes," Matthias agreed, mood as dark as Diederich's was getting.
Matthias told his group he would catch up with them again later, and Diderich led him into the sewers.
"You are, aren't you?"
"Are you trying to hurt my son?" Diederich snarled, grabbing Matthias by the neck of his robes.
Matthias chuckled. He looked like as much of a corpse as Diederich did in the dim greenish light of the sewer.
He dropped Matthias' robe as his anger cooled into sorrow. He could tell just by looking into his eyes. His brother had gone mad.
"Matt, what happened to you?"
"Have you seen Leda?"
"No, I haven't. Is she missing?"
"They killed her," Matthias said, so hysterical he nearly laughed when he said it. "You're a Death Knight, right? Did they take her? Did you see her?"
"She's dead?" Diederich said mournfully.
"Did he take her?" He was talking about the Lich King.
"I don't know."
"I watched her die. They were breaking into the house. Father was so certain they would never make it that far, he was so certain we were safe. But they clawed the walls apart, Diederich, they flooded in and they tore her apart, right there in the front room. Father grabbed me when I tried to get to her and he forced me to make us a portal. He forced me to make a portal. He forced me to make a portal, Diederich!"
Matthias grabbed Diederich's shoulders, eyes wide and devoid of rationality.
"They were eating my wife and Father made me open a portal. He shoved us through it, all of us, and left her there."
"I'm so sorry, Matt."
"And your son." Matthias let out another diseased laugh. "You died, and all Father can talk about is Diederich, his son who died in the war, who died defending Silvermoon City. What about Leda? She died in the war, what about her? What about me? I saved his whole family. I did. Where were you, huh? I saved his family, but who does he thank? His wife is alive and well because of me, and where's mine? Whose wife did I save? Where is my family? Where is my wife, where are the children I should have had? But who does he thank, who does he praise? You."
Matthias shook with manic rage.
"I don't want him to have an heir. I don't want him to have anything. I'm going to wipe out your line, Diederich, and then who will he praise, then who will be the hero of the family? Maybe then he'll notice the son whose wife he killed, whose life he ruined, maybe then he'll notice me."
"I don't want him to have my son to pass his name to, either."
Matthias blinked, having been braced for a death match with Diederich.
"What?"
"I don't want him to have that, either."
-to be continued-
Mood music: Runs In The Family, by Amanda fucking Palmer