Keda Bloomblade

Keda Bloomblade is a night elf Sentinel and the protagonist of the short story "Stones, Moss, and Tears".

Biography
Tradition dictated that every man in Keda's family take up the mantle of druidism, and the line of Bloomblade druids was one of the oldest of all kaldorei. When Keda was born as her parents' only child, they saw her as a boy and expected her to continue the tradition, but she instead chose the life of a female and joined the Sentinels. Her family could not see past the broken tradition and estranged her, leaving her alone in the world but for her sisters-in-arms.

When one of her fellow Sentinels fell ill, Keda traveled down the slopes of Mount Hyjal to the reclusive alchemist Elyrion Fogsong for an antidote. The two became friends, and she frequently returned to him for wares and conversation. She often tried to invite him to visit her in the nearby village, with no success.

Long after her and Elyrion's first meeting, Keda fell in love with the Lorekeeper Toreth Bluestar but lacked the boldness to confess her feelings for him, instead often turning clumsy and awkward in his presence. After she single-handedly defended a shrine from a bog beast, Keda was honored with a Sentinel ceremony where she received embellishments on her facial markings. After the ceremony, Toreth approached her to ask questions about the battle with the beast, explaining that it was his duty to record notable deeds. This gave Keda the idea to impress Toreth and work up the courage to confess her feelings by performing feats of heroism, later explaining to Elyrion that being a good soldier was her only desirable quality. The alchemist disagreed, telling her that she was a remarkable person who deserved love simply for who she was.

Keda began throwing herself against increasingly dangerous foes: first an escaped void hound, then a stone giant she killed in a bog where she nearly drowned, and then a band of harpies attacking a village at the edge of Hyjal. She got to speak with Toreth after each deed and he started inviting her for tea, but she continued to feel too embarrassed to accept his offers. Elyrion offered to brew Keda a potion that would let her see herself as worthy of Toreth's attention, if she collected the last few ingredients for him: three crescent stones, two moss bunches, and a nightsaber's tear. When she returned with the ingredients, Elyrion warned her that pursuing what she wanted also meant that she had more to lose. He revealed that he himself had once lost a life of happiness and now preferred to live alone in the bog and find purpose in helping others with his potions. Keda responded by returning the advice Elyrion had given her earlier: that he had value beyond his usefulness.

The potion caused Keda to feel more confident, to the point where she finally agreed to have tea with Toreth. They began meeting regularly, with Toreth one night inviting her to the roof of the Sentinel barracks to watch a migration of glowmoths. He told her that there was more to life than service and battle, and the two shared a kiss. Weeks later, Keda revealed what it was that caused her to start courting Toreth, but he in turn revealed that all the ingredients she collected for Elyrion were useless. He added that he was familiar with the alchemist's history: his wife and daughter were killed in battle. Keda and Toreth sought out the alchemist, who explained that he'd kept his tragic past a secret because doing so helped alleviate the pain of losing his family. Keda invited Elyrion to return to the village with her. He initially refused, saying there was nothing there for him, but Keda retorted that visiting him had begun to feel like coming home for her. She then offered him a bundle of three crescent stones, two moss bunches, and a nightsaber's tear, saying that the mixture would help him see himself as worthy of having a family again, and added that she had "love enough" in her heart for a father of her choosing. After a moment, Elyrion smiled and accepted the bundle.

Quotes

 * "Every man in my family has given himself to druidism. I am neither of those things, but my family could not stomach the broken tradition. According to them, I ended the line of Bloomblade druids, one of the oldest of all kaldorei. Their only child choosing instead to become a Sentinel... I am alone in the world but for my sisters-in-arms."
 * (To Elyrion) "A wise elf told me my value lay beyond my usefulness. You may think of yourself as just an alchemist, but I see you as more. Just as you see me as more than a Sentinel."
 * Toreth: "There's more to life than just battles."
 * Keda: "So people keep telling me. Family and such."
 * Toreth: "Not all of us have families. I was orphaned very young."
 * Keda: "I'm sorry. I—me neither. I mean, they live. But they had their hearts set on a son to carry on our line of druids. But their daughter did not want that life."
 * Toreth: "Perhaps that is why we understand each other. But I only meant that life is more than service and glory. There can be moments of beauty, too, and us lucky enough to witness them."
 * Keda: "So I am discovering."


 * (To Elyrion) "I am just one Sentinel, but I have love enough in my heart for a father of my choosing. If he will have me."