Originally written May 30, 2012.
I recover from my newest set of injuries. It has been some time since I fought so passionately and in truth, those desperate moments and how my reason simply evaporated still unsettle me. Taldrus tells me again and again that the end result is what matters, but I realize now that my life is built upon scrutinizing each step toward each end.
Since the defense of Theramore, my time has been spent away from the field and at the diplomacy table. I have thrice admitted my weakness for diplomacy and distaste with politics, but I am beginning to realize that in these times, the sword is simply not enough. The Rose was founded to find common ground between the two factions, and our path was simple in the face of a common enemy. But it has been months since the fall of the Destroyer and no common enemy has risen. Even before the fall of the Lich King, Azeroth trembled with the first hints of the Shattering, we simply just did not see what approached.
Is it that we do not see what approaches now, or there is nothing at all? Perhaps there is another common enemy on the horizon, one that will strike when the Alliance and Horde are at their weakest. Divide and conquer is the simplest strategy, but the Horde and Alliance were only briefly united at best to begin with. However, it may be that nothing lurks at all, and all there is is simply a lion and wolf eying, posturing, snapping and biting at one another.
Standing at the diplomacy table, I heard and saw many things. Some were expected, others not. I discovered voices of reason where I previously would not have guessed, and it is a comfort. I also saw the shortcomings in many things, including my own and those I lead.
The Rose has come to rely on the sword far too heavily, far too long. We have grown fat on the battles with the common enemy, where uniting Alliance and Horde was simple. In these times, such things are far from simple. It was the common enemy that inspired the unification – or coerced it, really. Without the shared threat of death, the Alliance and Horde cannot co-exist. Relations always devolve to old hatreds. The sword unites nothing.
I have spent many nights writing during my rest and recovery, but what I achieve is still unknown to me. The words appear to be arriving at a conclusion, but the end result is still unseen. However, it feels as if with each written word, it is closer to grasp.
Taldrus bids me to rest. I should be truthful to him, and tell him my thoughts still linger on that battle. I cling so hard to reason, I at times wonder whether that is a reasonable notion at all.
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