When that dreaded pressure left him Danny knew something was wrong. No way Alric would have that brewing inside him without some serious need for drastic measures. Danny needed to talk to his brother, for Alric’s sake. Almost instinctively, Danny was up on his feet during the chaos following Alric’s ‘revelation.’ Who in this forsaken town expected that muscle headed idiot to internalize the essence of tides? Not to mention how incredibly vivid it was, clearly showing some great amount of potential or affinity with the water domain. Which figuring Danny’s knowledge of Alric, only made things worse.

At this point Danny had made his way into the wings that ran around the chamber proper, separated only by a series of columns. Glancing around worriedly, Danny spotted the back of Alric’s fancy new cloak trailing deeper into the maze that marked the faithful’s quarters in the back of the temple. Hurrying after him, Danny rounded the corner only to stop dead in his tracks.

Danny found Alric, but it seems he wasn’t the only one looking for him. Looming before Alric and standing a full head shorter, Bruno seemed about ready to tear his throat out where he stood.

“How dare you,” Bruno screeched in that petulant way he always did, making sure to work himself up into a fury. Practically shouting at the sheer arrogance of Alric for existing, “The nerve of you to try and outshine me on my Nameday? Don’t you know how powerful my family is compared to you lowly upstarts, you’re practically like that street rat servant of yours compared to me,” spittle was flying up onto Alric’s face now. Danny had to force himself to stay hidden.

Gritting his teeth and grinding out the words Alric spoke deliberately, “Tell me, Bruno. What exactly is it I did?”

Bruno, not quite aware he was dealing with a different Alric than usual, seemed encouraged by the prospect of someone seeing reason, “Think for a moment you ignorant hammer swinging metal monkey, there was a reason why the Riverfrosts went first, we were destined to lead this city to greatness. This was supposed to be my moment, my time to shine in front of the whole town. Yet you strut in there and steal it away from me like you always do. Going on to internalize the one essence my family has always tried and failed to internalize, that I failed to internalize.”

Danny saw Bruno’s facade finally crumble, all anger seeping out of his body as he sat down suddenly with his knees against his chest. “You don’t know what it's like,” Bruno muttered, “the expectations, the pressure of having to live up to your family name. To constantly be compared to someone who couldn’t even care less about you,” it was like someone smashed the ice that was Bruno, leaving only jagged shards adrift in turbulent water.

Alric looked down on Bruno, seeming to finally fully realize he was there. With much more humility than Danny could have mustered Alric remarked simply, “that’s just about every day of my life. You’re not the only one with parents who want them to do great things, doesn’t mean you get to act like an absolute ass about it. Besides you won’t have to worry about me anymore, there isn’t any way I can stay in Northrend any longer. Can’t make the Ironforge name proud if it isn’t my name.”

More was said, but none of it registered to Danny, he was too busy processing what he overheard. Alric was leaving, and that meant Danny had the perfect chance to hightail it out of this town, with his brother beside him too. That meant he had to act fast or else miss this opportunity. Quickly scurrying towards the front door, Danny skipped going through the ceremony. After all, he already knew he had the lute essence, what did it matter if the temple did too? Who was going to stop him from being Daniel Lute anyways?

Joining the still steady throng of people moving through the festivities under the afternoon sun Danny made his way from the hill where the temple stood to the south gate that marked the slums. Everywhere Danny looked people were loose with their purses and laughter. Personally, Danny found the joyous atmosphere difficult to plan in; it’s hard to think when practically everyone else isn’t, but Danny made due anyways.

So Alric was leaving town. This in itself would be bigger news if not dwarfed by the fact Alric was apparently a water elevated. First things first, Danny had to figure out how Alric would leave in order to join him. Obviously, Alric would be suitably dramatic so that ruled out him taking the time to properly pack as he would need to make sure he stayed ahead of his family. This also ruled out him taking the carriage or buying passage on a boat, because Alric would see any of that as taking from his family, and ‘real men stand on their own.’ The only question is which gate would Alric flee on foot from?

As Danny contemplated this his body naturally darted through the gaps in the ground before finally making his way into a familiar alley. Arriving at his home of sixteen years greeted Danny with all sorts of mixed feelings. This was it, he was finally breaking free of his fate, but that also meant he’d never get to spend his afternoons with Jov, get lectures from David, or silence from Ran. For once in his life, Danny was completely without words as he ritually slammed his shoulder into the door. The once small room felt enormous now, Danny feeling lost as he made his way towards the stairs for what might be the final time. No, he would return, he would make sure of it.

The bedroom was devoid of that certain quintessential quality of life, the evening sun illuminating forgotten memories through the window. Danny felt his throat stick as he bit down his emotions and got to packing. Obviously, they would be traveling so that meant no fancy clothes, not that Danny had any to begin with. Stuffing any and all clothes that Danny felt could withstand the stress of the road. His boots would be a problem, considering they pinched at his toes constantly but they could work that out later. Reaching under his straw mattress, Danny grabbed the considerable coin purse he had earned performing at the Squeaky Hinge. That would last him a while, but he would need to get a lute whenever possible to earn some more. Finally, he stuffed his scheming journal into the bag, making sure to hide it within the clothes. A bedroll would be nice but he had no way to but one and catch up to Alric in time.

Danny realized he was stalling, just lingering in the doorway as he tried to hold back the tears. This would be hard, but all good things were hard and maybe he’d get a story or two to sing out of it. Danny closed the door behind him as he began his solemn march down the stairway. He only made it halfway before he realized two things. One he left the door open, and two, just because Danny decided to leave without saying goodbye, didn’t mean that his family would agree to that. Standing against the open doorway stood Josh with arms crossed, looking the angriest Danny had ever seen him. Shadows danced around Josh’s cloak with the afternoon sun like children.

All usual levity was gone from Josh as he threatened, “and just where exactly do you think you’re doing here instead of at the ceremony?”

Danny could only say the only excuse he could think of, “I just packed to leave. Alric is having some sort of crisis and leaving town. I need to be there for him to make sure the idiot doesn't do something stupid."

Danny saw the hurt evident on Josh's face. The glare that accompanied the sadness drove daggers in Danny's heart. "So that's it huh?" Josh claimed with an unsettling amount of calm in his voice, "You finally found your ticket out of here and decided to leave us without even a goodbye?"

The worst part was how true it rang to Danny's ears. Even, he knew his big mouth would only dig himself deeper. Danny would be the bad guy now and hold out hope that this bridge he was burning could be mended eventually. Preferably once he came back with carts filled with suns. Leaving his words unsaid and tears unshed, Danny muscled past Josh and out the door, in a defiant gesture of dramatic tension.

At least that was his intention until Danny felt his body shudder to a halt at his brother’s words. “Stop, blast it Daniel stop! since when did you have to be so infuriating?” Josh called out from behind him in an exasperated sigh.

Brainstorming potential ways to get out of this inevitable argument, Danny turned to face his brother for one last time. Josh seemed internally conflicted, as if mulling over an argument in his head, dispersing those thoughts with a shake of his head. Danny dropped his bag with a start when Josh began to loom over him, groaning internally for a fight, only to be rendered speechless for the second time today. Rather than deck Danny in the face, Josh unfastened his black cloak and clasped it around Danny.

“There, that should help along the way with the rain and cold nights,” Josh said absentmindedly as he straightened the cloak on Danny’s shoulders, “make sure you come back so Davi and Mom can screw that head of yours on straight. Now get out of my sight you giant knobhead before I really do decide to deck you.”

Danny was too stunned to realize he was no longer facing his brother and instead stood at the mouth of the alley joining the main road. Then his brain kicked itself in motion all at once. Now was not the time to sort through his emotional baggage, he had a friend to catch up too. So Alric would be leaving through either the west gate or the southern gate. The only question was which gate? Danny hoped Alric would try to keep his trail to a minimum, at least Danny figured Alric would if he was behaving at least half rationally, which was a gamble but the only thing Danny could go off of. So assuming Alric would be trying to be stealthy, Danny connected that Alric would either go with the southern gate that had a steady stream of lumber from the Grendale logging camps or the west gate that rarely gets peddlers from the northern coast. Danny knew if he himself was really trying to blend in he’d bribe a lumber hauler to say he was part of the caravan then escape in anonymity through the southern gate.

Danny started heading towards the western gate, at as brisk of a pace he could manage, his pack bouncing uncomfortably on his back. He was gasping for air once he arrived in front of the almost deserted guard post. It seemed like the two guards on duty barely even bothered to dust the stone table that stood in the middle of the open archway of the doorway. Danny quickly passed through with only a slightly interested glance from the one guard that wasn’t asleep.

It only took a quarter-hour of Danny waiting on top of a fence by the roadside with nervous second-guesses as company before he saw someone hooded with a suspiciously luxurious furred coat try to make their way through the guard station. Obviously, they were halted on grounds of suspicion, but once the stranger announced their name to be recorded, they were let through.

Danny could only sigh at Alric’s antics. Of course, he wouldn’t bother with an actually sensible decision, Danny would have to make sure he did any future getaways between the two of them. Moving forward toward the center of the worn dirt road, Danny tried imitating his brother in what would be the last of today’s dramatic confrontations. Crossing his arms, Danny called out, “and where exactly do you think you're going?”

Danny nearly lost his facade at seeing Alric jump at the sound of Danny’s voice. Looking up from his feet, Alric forgot all sense of hiding his identity as he cried, “Danny what in the high court are you here?”

Deciding it would be way more fun to hold this over Alric’s head for a while, Danny left the mystery alive, “What? I thought we were brothers through thick and thin. You know, climb through fire and over swords and all that rubbish bards spout. It’s simple really, you leaving means that I leave as well. Now we better get going if we want to be long gone before nightfall,” Having already begun walking down the road Danny called over his shoulder, “You coming?”

Danny could help but laugh to himself at the sounds of a sputtering Alric who eventually collected himself well enough to catch up. They were almost certainly well in over their heads, but Danny would be lying if he said he wasn’t comforted by having his brother right next to him.