Chapter 1: Prologue

Snow was falling out of the dark sky upon him but he didn't care that it landed on his thick grey armour. The howling wind was toying with his long ashen-white hair but that didn't bother him either. Neither did the cold. The layer of snow that covered the ground was not huge, meaning that his shoes didn't sink in as he walked.

He stopped in the middle of the area and bent down, wiping away the snow. He could see something through the thick ice. The creature he was looking for. It was trapped beneath the thick layer of ice for thousands of years but this day will be the day where it will be finally freed.

The man got up again and slowly drew his sword, keeping it beneath his waist at first. Suddenly he lifted it up until it was at his chest level and pointed it straight forward. It was a rune-inscribed two-handed longsword. A mourneblade. A very powerful weapon that imprisoned the souls of its victims.

Nothing happened in the first few moments but then the tip of the blade began to glow bluish. The glowing spread out quickly, covering the rest of the sword's blade. The man turned the sword so that its tip pointed at the ground and brought it close to his chest before he rammed it into the ground, creating a shockwave that pushed the snow away and caused the ice beneath it to crack. The cracking became heavier and spread out quickly.

He didn't need to wait long until the ice behind him was broken by the head of the creature that had been trapped beneath the ice. The creature slowly emerged from the water, its front legs came after its head and then its upper body followed. Once its backside was no longer in the icy cold water, it moved forward, reaching the end of the top of the mountain range.

The armoured man watched the creature spread out its skeletal wings, the blue glowing essence that had appeared inside its chest spread out quickly. It filled its ribcage and spread to the other parts of the creature's skeletal body.

The skeletal dragon looked down at the tens of thousands of undead creatures that were gathered at the foot of the mountain before it jumped down and started to fly for the first time after thousands of years, coming dangerously close to the heads of the gathered creatures. Nevertheless, it didn't hit any of the undead creatures as it flew over them.

The creatures looked at the dragon, the same blue essence came out of their mouths and enlightened their eyes as the dragon roared out loudly. The man watched the creature, a small smile could be seen on his pale lips.

"It's magnificent," a female voice said.

"No one asked for your opinion, Windrunner," another voice hissed.

The elf glared at the other but decided to say nothing in returning, knowing their master wouldn't appreciate an argument between them.

The man turned around and looked at his commanders. His voice was deep, cold and didn't reflect any positive emotion. "You know what do to."

"We do, master," replied the female whose hair was pure white.

"We won't disappoint you," said the other female who had spoken first.

His gaze fell on her. "I hope you won't. I hope you will be more useful to me than your whore of a mother."

"I will, master."

---

"How are you feeling?" Kelrian asked as he sat down on the chair opposite the man he was visiting.

"I've been feeling better."

"The Kirin Tor tries their best to help you, father. You just need to allow it."

"I allow them to help me but it doesn't seem to work," Kael'thas replied, a frown could be seen on his forehead, his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"Well, the fel no longer clouds your mind but..."

"It left marks that cannot be undone," Kael'thas said to complete the sentence his son started.

Kelrian nodded. "We cannot let you go without knowing how the long-term effects might affect you."

"You cannot imprison me forever," the former king of Quel'Thalas hissed.

Kelrian sighed and reached out for his father's hand but Kael'thas pulled it away at the last moment and turned his head, looking at the wall instead. He refused to look at his son.

"We do not keep you as a prisoner, father. We are trying to help you, we are doing this for your own good."

"You are doing this because the Alliance is afraid of what I could do. They are right to be afraid, I'm the most powerful mage Azeroth has ever seen."

"But you won't hurt anyone, right?"

Kael'thas didn't respond. He continued to look at the wall, the expression on his face let Kelrian believe that he was sulking. He was not happy at all, Kelrian was sure of that at least.

"You might believe that but the rest of the Kirin Tor doesn't. Jaina, Rhonin and Vereesa still think I'm a threat to everyone. Your family and friends pretend to be nice but in truth, they are the worst. The Kirin Tor are the most pathetic mages I ever met."

Kelrian sighed and shook his head, running his fingers over his forehead. "You are not making things better, father. Insulting them doesn't lead anywhere."

Kael'thas turned his head suddenly, his piercing green eyes fell on Kelrian. He unfolded his arms and put them on the table, leaning forward. "I want you to tell them that I'm no danger. I'm sick of this room, cell or whatever you want to call it. I want to be free again and search for your mother."

"Mother is dead, there is no point in looking for her."

"She is not," Kael'thas responded loudly. "She is not confirmed dead. She is still out there somewhere. I'm sure she is."

Kelrian tilted his head a little. "No one has seen her for over nine years. It's very unlikely that she is still alive. The chances are higher that the Scourge has her just like Sylvera. We will free Sylvera one day and maybe we will find my mother as well but I wouldn't count on it. There is no point in looking for her, especially if we don't know where to start. She could be anywhere."

"You are ungrateful. Your mother did everything for you and now you leave her in the lure."

Kelrian sighed. "The sin'dorei are searching for her since the fall of Quel'Thalas, if she would be still out there, they would have found her already. Not all of Sylvanas' best rangers died when Arthas invaded our home. The best of those who survived searched everywhere in the Eastern Kingdoms but they didn't find her, not even a single trace. We need to be realistic. It's very unlikely that she is still alive."

"She is out there, I'm sure of it," Kael'thas said insistingly.

"Even if you find her, she broke up with you, didn't she? She fell in love with someone else. His name was Varo if I remember correctly."

"Varo Silverstar is dead," Kael'thas replied dryly.

"Is he?" Kelrian asked surprised.

"He is."

"You didn't kill him, did you? I know that you killed some of your followers who turned against you when you allied with Kil'jaeden. I just hope that Varo wasn't among them."

Kael'thas chose to say nothing in return. He just stared at his son indifferently.

"It won't change anything even if you killed him because of pure jealousy. The Kirin Tor agreed to help you but that doesn't mean they forget what you did. The destruction of Kirin'Var Village, the assault on Tempest Keep, the forcible expulsion of the draenei, not to mention your attack on Quel'Thalas and much more. We won't let you leave even if they find a way to help you. Only if you tell them that you regret what you did and that you want to make up for the horrible things you did, they might consider releasing you and allowing you to fight with us against the Lich King."

"Arthas has to pay for what he did to my kingdom," Kael'thas hissed, anger and hatred could be clearly seen in his narrowed eyes.

"He will, I will make sure of that."

"I have no doubt you will."

"At least you didn't lose your faith in me," Kelrian said, giving his father a small smile.

"I would never lose faith in you but I lost it in everyone else."

"Even in Sylvanas?" Kelrian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She is not different from the whores she calls sisters. All Windrunners want to see me locked in the Dungeons of Dalaran forever. They want me to rot there forever. Especially Alleria. First, she steals my throne and now she wants to keep me in there so that she can still rule over my kingdom. What a power-hungry bitch she has become."

Kelrian frowned. "But you were the one who chose her to rule our people while you are on Outland. She didn't steal anything and she only still rules Quel'Thalas because she is the best choice of all people. She has more experience in leading our people than anyone else, except for Sylvanas but as a Forsaken she cannot lead the sin'dorei. Not to mention that she already leads the Forsaken."

"A Sunstrider should lead our people and not a Windrunner," Kael'thas responded. "You should lead them or maybe Raesh but not that whore Alleria. Someone who chose to mate with a human and defile her bloodline by giving birth to a half-breed bastard is not fit to rule the sin'dorei. Neither Alleria nor Vereesa should have any influence over our people. Sylvanas was the only one of Windrunner siblings who was fit to rule the sin'dorei. She chose an elf as a lover and not a dumb human as her sisters did. Arthas took the wrong Windrunner sister from us. He should have taken Alleria instead, so Sylvanas could have ruled the sin'dorei."

Kelrian ran his fingers over his closed eyes and took a deep breath. It took a lot of effort to hold back and not give his father the slap he deserved. The anger he felt was strong but he was able to keep himself under control. He took another deep breath before he opened his eyes again and looked at his father who didn't seem to be sorry for the harsh words he had said. He didn't seem to care that he had heavily insulted Kelrian's family. His own family.

"You don't make things better if you insult the ones who are close to me. Alleria does a great job at leading the people you abandoned. Her choice of partner has no influence on her leadership style. She is doing a better job than you have done since the fall of Quel'Thalas."

Kael'thas huffed. "You only say that because you fuck her sister. You don't want to make Sylvanas angry by speaking negatively about her sister. You don't tell her what you really think because you still want to fuck her. You are an egoistic narcissist who only thinks of himself and doesn't give a damn about what is best for our people."

Kelrian shook his head, disappointment could be seen in his eyes. "If only you would listen to yourself... You have no idea how much bullshit you are talking."

"I'm just saying the truth."

Kelrian thought about telling his father what he was honestly thinking of him and the things he had done in the past but he was aware that it wouldn't lead them anywhere, so he decided to be quiet. He got up from his chair and made his way to the room's exit, looking one last time at his father before he opened the door. "I will visit you again soon, hopefully, you won't be so mean then, otherwise, I doubt I can help you." With that said, he walked through the door and closed it, leaving his upset father alone.

---

The throne room of Undercity was filled with dozens of undead creatures that wanted an audience with their queen. It was another one of these days where a large portion of the citizens of Undercity needed the advice of their queen, wanted to ask her for a favour or for permission to do something. Even with Nathanos and Verena's help, the queue didn't seem to shrink. Sylvanas was already listening to her people for hours and she had the impression she would sit there for a few more at least.

Sylvanas didn't really want to do this, it bored and annoyed her. But she still did it because the Forsaken were very important to her. They were her people and she would be a bad queen if she wouldn't listen to them. They had the right to be heard, so she listened to their matters and did what she could to help them.

Without them, she would have never escaped Arthas' wrath after she had broken free from the Scourge. They broke free together, fought the dreadlords and conquered the ruins of Lordaeron together. They created Undercity out of mere ruins. They went together through thick and thin. Without them, Sylvanas wouldn't be in the position she was now. She was thankful for having her Forsaken.

They only deserve to get the attention of their queen. Sylvanas listened to them one after the other, most of them had banal matters but there were also a few who had extraordinary matters that seemed very important to them. Sylvanas and her advisors helped when they could but they couldn't help everyone. Some couldn't be helped but there were also a few ones Sylvanas refused because of various reasons. Some of those showed their anger but most remained quiet and didn't pull a face, accepting the decisions of their queen.

Sylvanas just dismissed a female Forsaken whose request she had approved as one of her royal guards stepped to her. She turned her head and looked at him. "What is it?"

"Your husband had just arrived, my queen."

The annoyed expression on Sylvanas' face was replaced by an excited one. The small smile on her lips was unmistakable. "Tell him to wait in my office."

The guard nodded. "As you wish, my queen." He walked away quickly and left the room. Sylvanas' gaze fell on her niece who stood not far away from the throne. She made a gesture that signalized her to come to her.

"What can I do for you, aunt?" Lyndia asked.

"Can you take over for me while I speak to Kelrian?"

The girl, who had died at the age of fourteen, nodded. "It will be my pleasure."

" I will try not to be away for too long."

"Take your time, we can handle this," Lyndia responded. "Right?" she asked, looking at Nathanos and Verena. The grim looks on their faces were clearly visible, they said nothing in return and just nodded. Nathanos and Verena weren't happy about Kelrian's arrival, but they knew better than complaining about it in front of their queen or any of her relatives. They turned their attention back to the Forsaken in front of them and continued to listen to them.

Sylvanas put a kiss on Lyndia's cheek, near her mouth. "You are the best." She quickly made her way over to the exit, following the bordering corridor. She arrived at her office, noticing that Kelrian was not there yet. She glanced in the mirror on the wall, checking how she looked. She looked as perfect as she always did.

Her pale blonde hair was partly covered by her hood, the black marks beneath her crimson red eyes stood out from her pale blue skin. High cheekbones, blue full lips and a perfect nose made up her beautiful face. Her eyebrows were very long and so were her ears that came out of her purple hood.

She wore a purple version of her former Ranger-General uniform. The upper body armour was made of solid steel that was not too heavy, it covered her whole belly, which meant that the scar left by Frostmourne could not be seen. She wore shoulder plates and gauntlets but the rest of her arms were not covered. This armour was just for show, it didn't serve her in battles. Her battle armour covered her whole body and gave her the best protection, while the purpose of the ranger outfit was to look good and feel comfortable at the same time.

A satisfied smile formed on Sylvanas' lips as she stepped away from the mirror. She walked over to her desk and sat down on the edge, her gaze rested on the door. She waited patiently, her smile became wider as she heard knocks after a few minutes. "Come in," she shouted loud enough.

The door was opened a few minutes later and Kelrian came inside. He wore a golden and blue pair of trousers, his long-sleeved shirt had the same colour. His golden blond hair reached his chin and was thus shorter than the hair of most sin'dorei. . He had worn long hair in the past but ever since he had become the Avatar of the Sunwell and the Chosen of the Light, he was wearing his hair shorter. It suited him, Sylvanas had to admit that.

"Hello, honey," Sylvanas greeted him happily. She smiled at him but remained on her spot, wanting Kelrian to come over to her. Kelrian closed the door and made his way to his wife, putting his hands on her cheeks once he reached her. He didn't hesitate to close the distance between their faces and press his lips on hers. Sylvanas didn't hesitate to return the kiss and put one of her hands on the back of his head, running her fingers through the soft hair.

The kiss they shared was soft and sweet, making Kelrian's heart beat a little faster. Even though Kelrian really enjoyed the kiss, he had to pull away eventually because he had run out of air. He took deep breaths, supplying his body with the necessary amount of oxygen.

"I missed you," he said after his breathing had become normal again.

"I missed you too, my dear," Sylvanas said, running her fingertips over Kelrian's left cheek. "I always miss you even if you are only a few minutes away."

"Same counts for me."

"How are you doing?" Sylvanas asked, brushing the fingers of her left hand over Kelrian's other cheek. "Well, despite the fact that I just had a draining talk with my father, I'm fine."

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow. "Draining? What did he say this time?"

A quiet sigh escaped Kelrian's lips. "I don't really want to bother you with that."

Sylvanas stared deeper into Kelrian's golden eyes. "You can tell me everything, honey. Don't keep any secrets from me."

"The first thing my father brought up was that he wants to be released. I told him that is not possible as long as we don't know if he is still a danger to everyone. Of course, he didn't like to hear that, so he started insulting the Kirin Tor and your sisters on top of that. He said many mean things which I don't want to repeat."

Sylvanas frowned. "What kind of things."

"As I said, I don't want to repeat them."

"I still want to hear it."

Kelrian sighed. "He said that Alleria is not fit to rule the sin'dorei because she mated with a human and gave birth to a half-elf. That's my choice of words, not his. His choice of words was more insulting and mean. He also said that Alleria should have died in your stead and she should have become the queen of the Forsaken and you should have become the ruler of Quel'Thalas. He thinks you would make a better leader but probably only because you chose a high elf as a mate and not a human."

"Your father is still an asshole and he still hates humans."

"Well, after what Garithos did to me and our people, who can hold that against him? Not to mention that Arthas was also a human. He has every reason to hate humans. Nevertheless, it doesn't allow him to speak about Alleria like that."

"Not to mention that not all humans are like Arthas or Garithos," responded Sylvanas.

"That too."

"What shall I say? The fel made a true asshole out of your father. I can only hope that the Kirin Tor manages to help him."

Kelrian nodded. "They give their best but the current results are not promising."

"Fel energy is like a drug and like all drugs, it's not always possible to correct the after-effects. The chance that he will never be his old self ever again exists. It is possible that he will always be like that."

"I know but I still hope the Kirin Tor finds a way to help him."

"So do I."

"Any news from your side?" Kelrian asked his wife.

"The Scourge became more active in the Plaguelands. The Alliance sent out men to look into it. It's not unlikely that we have to send more troops there."

"How many soldiers can you spare?"

"Not more than a few hundred. Too many Forsaken lost their lives in the battles against your father and Illidan."

"Did you manage to replace some of them?"

"You mean if I raised new ones?"

Kelrian nodded.

Sylvanas tilted her head a little and raised an eyebrow at him. "I thought you hate it when I do that."

"I wouldn't say hate. I was not the biggest fan of it at the beginning, but I realized raising the fallen is the only way to prevent the extinction of the Forsaken."

"I recruited a few dozen over the past weeks. And before you ask, no, I didn't have them killed first. We found them in a hidden cave in the west. They belonged to Garithos' men according to the banners we found with them. My theory is that the dreadlords lured them into an ambush and killed them. That probably happened before Detheroc came to the idea to mind-control Garithos."

"Garithos' men hated the undead, is it wise to let them serve you?"

"Most of those have already gotten used to their new lives. They swore to serve me as I told them that I got rid of the dreadlord who killed them."

"I doubt they will be happy about Varimathras' presence in Undercity. Not to mention that Balnazzar serves Danara."

"I told them that it was Detheroc who killed them and they believed me. I even made Varimathras lie to them about that."

"Don't you feel bad about lying to them?" Kelrian asked her. "I thought you were always honest with your people."

Sylvanas sighed. "I want but sometimes white lies are necessary. We need every soldier we can get if we want to defeat the Lich King. I'm lying to them for the sake of the Forsaken and the Alliance. Also, I spoke the truth when I told them that I avenged them. Detheroc was killed, Varimathras works for me for nine years and even Balnazzar met his end. They might not be truly dead but they got what they deserved. Those Forsaken are fine with that."

"As long as you don't lie to me," Kelrian replied.

Sylvanas caressed his cheek and stared into his eyes. "I would never."

He smiled at her. "I know you would never."

Sylvanas did not show that she had a guilty conscience. There was something she had not told Kelrian yet. She had always wanted to tell him but she didn't know how. Also, she didn't want to put additional weight on his shoulders. He was already busy enough, there were many things he had to take care of. She didn't want to burden him, especially because there was nothing he could do about it anyway. It would only make him sad and she didn't want him to be sad. She had made up her mind to tell him when the right moment had come.

"Is something wrong?" Kelrian asked when Sylvanas remained silent.

Sylvanas shook her head. "No, everything is fine. I was just thinking about something."

"About what?"

"Nothing important," Sylvanas replied, giving him a smile.

Kelrian put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer to him, kissing her cheek. "Alright."

"I would love to spend more time with you but I have work to do."

Kelrian glanced at her desk, raising an eyebrow when he saw that there were no documents on it. "Work?"

"In the throne room. There are too many Forsaken for my liking. All of them want something and I have to see what I can do for them."

"I also want something from you," Kelrian replied as he wrapped his arms around Sylvanas and pressed her against him. She quickly found out that his grip was very tight and she wouldn't be able to free herself so easily.

She chuckled. "I know you want to spend some time with me but I really have to work. I will let you know once I'm done."

A disappointed sigh escaped Kelrian's lips. He didn't move for several moments but then he let her go and stepped away from her. "Fine, I will let you do your work. I will return to Outland and look after Illidan."

"How is he?" Sylvanas asked interested.

"He is making better progress than my father. The naaru even allow him to leave his room regularly to spend some time with Tyrande and their child."

"I'm happy for them."

"So am I. Tyrande deserves to be happy after everything she went through."

"She does indeed. Any updates about Maiev?"

Kelrian shrugged. "All I know that she is locked in a cell in Darnassus but I have no idea how long they will keep her there. It's not unlikely that they will let her out once she shows regret and admits her mistakes."

"I hope she realised that her actions were wrong and she changes her mindset so that they will let her out one day. We could really need someone like Maiev to fight the Scourge."

"You are right," Kelrian said and put a quick kiss on Sylvanas' lips, making a few steps backwards once the kiss had ended. "I should go now."

Sylvanas followed him to the door and left her office with him. They shared another kiss which was much more passionate and lasted longer than the previous one. "I'll come to Outland once I'm done. See you later, my love."

"See you later," Kelrian replied.