Chapter 16: The End Of The Line

Kelrian's gaze wandered. He looked around in panic, realizing that the undead would break through the remaining rows of defenders sooner or later. There were too many undead out there and too few Silvermoon Guardians, Farstriders and other soldiers who fought the undead bravely. More and more high elves soldiers were dying but most of the civilians had survived so far. They were gathered on the landing stages and waited that they could get on one of the remaining rowing boats.

There were only three left but thedeparted empty rowing boats, other refugees had used, were returning with the help of magic. That way it was possible that each of the remaining civilians could be evacuated but only if the defenders would be able to buy them enough time.

It was only a matter of time until the undead would break through the rows and pounce on the scared refugees. Kelrian was glad that no gargoyles were in the harbour's near. They would grab citizens, carry them away and drop them elsewhere. Many would die before the undead would break through the rows if gargoyles would be there. Fortunately, they weren't.

Instead of them, they were other creatures Kelrian had never seen before. They looked like skeletons with long robes, chains were rotating around their bodies and they were hovering above the ground. Kelrian had heard that the mages of Dalaran called them liches. These liches seemed pretty powerful and deadly. They were able to cast spells. Fire spells, frost spells and even arcane spells. But they were also able to use necromantic spells and dark magic. They were able to raise the fallen and that was a big problem.

The mages and spell casters focused the liches, but they were able to protect themselves with barriers that held out too long for the defenders' liking. A few liches were destroyed by the spell casters but there were still too many of them. Too many undead were attacking the harbour.

Kelrian was still busy searching for his family while more and more defenders died and were raised. He had already checked the first two landing stages and the boats docking there. He was on the way to the third as he heard a loud scream. He turned his head, his eyes widened when he saw that a dozen undead had managed to break through the last defence row. They were running towards the second landing stage and nobody was in the near to stop them.

Kelrian knew that they would kill the inhabitants but there was nothing he could do for them. He knew it was his duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves but he had no mana left and he wouldn't be able to deal with a dozen undead at the same time. They would kill him and then the civilians. There was nothing he could do for them. He felt bad about abandoning them but he had to find his children, his niece and her mother. He had promised Sylvanas to make sure they would survive. He had made that promise and he didn't want to break it.

He ignored the bad feeling that was spreading in his body, ignored his pounding heart and rushed to the third landing stage. There were dozens of civilians who were waiting for the return of the empty boat. Kelrian looked at it, assuming that the civilians would have to wait for a few minutes before it would arrive.

The gathered people were worried, afraid of the undead or panicked. They wanted to leave the island as fast as possible but they couldn't do it yet. They were impatient but there was nothing they could do but wait. Panic and fear were written all over their faces.

Kelrian took a closer look at the gathered persons. He didn't spot his daughter or any other member of his family among them. He was about to walk away as he heard another loud scream.

He looked in the direction where the scream came from, his eyes widened as he spotted Camillia and Lyndia who were running away from a banshee. Kelrian didn't hesitate to run over to them, ramming his sword through the banshee's chest. He stared into her eyes as he pulled the sword out, beheading the creature before she was able to stun him with her shrieks.

A moment later, a ghoul pounced on him and intended to bite him. Kelrian tried to push the ghoul's jaw away with his hand but the foul, ugly and bad smelling creature was stronger than he had expected. The ghoul pushed his hand away and managed to bite him in the left shoulder. A loud, painful scream escaped his lips. His screams became louder as the ghoul buried its sharp teeth deeper in his flesh.

Kelrian gritted his teeth, pulled a dagger from his belt and rammed it right between the ghoul's eyes. The ghoul pulled away and tried to bite Kelrian in the neck but it was beheaded before it was able to do that. Kelrian pressed his hand on his bleeding shoulder, looking at the person who had saved him. It was Turalyon whose armour had seen better days. Black and dark red blood stuck on it and on his runeblade.

"We need to get them on the boats," said the human paladin after he had helped Kelrian up. "Make sure they don't die while I search for your daughter and my son."

Kelrian clasped Turalyon's forearm, staring into his eyes. "I will protect them by any means."

The middle-aged man regarded him for a few moments, wishing him good luck before he ran towards the approaching undead, killing three of them with a single precise swing. Kelrian turned around and regarded Sylvanas' niece and her mother. They looked scared but they didn't seem to be injured.

"We need to get to the landing stage. You don't have to wait until the boat's return for too long, so you can get off the island as soon as possible," Kelrian said and pointed at the third landing stage from which he had come from. The dark-skinned human and her daughter nodded and began to run towards it. Kelrian followed them, letting his eyes wander to look out for any undead creature that may come out of nowhere and attack them. Fortunately, no creature appeared, so they managed to arrive at the landing stage without incidents.

Kelrian looked at the boat, assuming that it would arrive in two minutes. Two minutes were too long for the Ranger-Lieutenant's liking but there was nothing he could do to speed up the process. His mana reserves hadn't recovered yet, which meant he was still unable to cast any spell. All he could do was to wait until the boat will arrive.

His gaze fell on Camillia and Lyndia who were hugging each other tightly. Lyndia's head rested on her mother's chest who ran her fingers through her daughter's hair. The middle-aged woman was much paler than usual, her hands were shaking a little and she looked like she hadn't slept properly for days.

Kelrian understood how she felt. Like him, Camillia had seen horrible things over the past weeks. She had survived the purge of Stratholme where tens of thousands of innocents had been brutally murdered by the same man who had murdered Sylvanas. She had witnessed how innocent men, women and even children had been killed by Arthas and his men or had been bitten to death by ghouls and other undead creatures.

Kelrian assumed that she couldn't forget what she had seen. He assumed that these memories were haunting her in the form of horrible nightmares. He was sure that she must be feeling pretty bad. He had had terrible nightmares in the past, so he knew what it was like to be haunted by them. After the first siege of Zul'Aman fifteen years ago, the first nightmare had occurred.

He had seen horrible things during the battle. Lots of his comrades had been burned by the dragons of the Red Dragonflight who had been enslaved by the orcs back then. What he had seen there had left marks on him. The nightmares had haunted him for a while and he hadn't been able to get rid of them in a natural way. He had been able to make the nightmares disappear forever only with the help of a special recipe. He wished he could give Camillia something that would make her feel better but he had nothing with him at the moment.

Kelrian sighed out in relief as the boat finally docked at the landing stage. There were so many people in front of them that he feared Lyndia and Camillia may not be able to get on the boat. He was about to pave a way through the crowd for them as his ears recognized loud, deafening roars. He turned around, spotting the massive abomination that was charging at the crowd. The people screamed loudly and panicked. Each of them tried to get on the boat quickly, which resulted in many of them bumping into each other. Some of them fell to the ground, others were accidentally pushed in the water while most of them got on the boat.

Kelrian pulled his sword from his belt, intending to attack the abomination if it would come any closer. Fortunately for him, the creature's feet were frozen to the ground and its body was set on fire. Orange flames consumed its body, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

Kelrian let his gaze wander, spotting Magister Rommath who was sending dozens of undead in the air with a massive shock wave. Kelrian also spotted Zendarin in his near who froze the feet of several creatures to the ground and let sharp ice splinters rain down on them.

Kelrian's gaze fell on six ghouls and three skeletons that were coming closer. He was the only person on the landing stage who had a weapon. He wouldn't be able to kill all nine creatures, not without magic. He turned around, pushing Camillia on the boat. The dark-skinned woman nearly fell but a woman with green-dyed hair caught her at the last moment.

Kelrian turned to Lyndia and intended to grab her to push her on the boat too but he was thrown away by a spell before he was able to do that. A painful hiss escaped his lips as he got up slowly. He spotted the lich that floated over the ground at the beginning of the landing stage. It cast another spell, hitting Kelrian again. He was thrown away once again and landed in the water. He was stunned for a few moments and sank a little. But then he got control over his body back and started to swim towards the landing stage.

He knew he wouldn't be able to reach the stage in time, so he hoped that the half-elf would get on the boat before it would depart. But Lyndia was too shocked to move. She had no control over her body and could only stand there and watch as these horrible creatures came closer.

She didn't hear her mother's shouts. She didn't notice her mother's attempts to gain her attention. Camillia screamed her daughter's name, telling her to get on the boat but the half-elf didn't react. The undead were coming closer and closer but she didn't react. She was too scared. Too scared to move.

Tears formed in Camillia's eyes, she stepped forward and intended to leave the boat that was about to depart but the elf with the green-dyed hair held her back. She did that because she knew Camillia wouldn't be able to save the young teenager. The undead had already reached her and there was nothing her mother could do. She would only die if she would jump on the landing stage. She tried in vain to get free but a male elf had stepped to her and helped the female to hold her back and save her life that way.

Camillia was unable to get free. All she could do was to cry while watching her daughter who got surrounded by ghouls and skeletons. But they didn't pounce on her and bite her to death as she had expected. They waited because they had been ordered to spare her. The man who had ordered them to not kill her stepped onto the landing stage and approached her.

His hair was pale blond, his blue eyes emitted an unnatural glow and his skin was very pale, almost white. He was one of them, an undead creature who served Arthas Menethil. He wore a priest robe that was covered by his own blood and the blood of the defenders he had slain. Kelrian's eyes widened as he recognized that man. He was no other than Xenarion. The man he had thought to be his father for most of his life.

The man, who had mistreated his mother and considered him as a piece of shit and a worthless creature, was no longer in his prison cell and served Arthas in death instead. Kelrian was wondering if Arthas had just killed and raised him or if Xenarion had joined him voluntarily. He knew Xenarion pretty well, so he assumed that Xenarion had joined the death knight voluntarily. Kelrian couldn't know that his assumption was right.

Arthas Menethil had offered Xenarion freedom and power if he would serve him. The priest had accepted his offer without thinking twice. He had been killed by Melisandra Sunstrider and then had been raised by Arthas Menethil after he had defeated the queen. Xenarion was much more powerful than before and the hatred he felt for the man who was not his son but the son of his former wife had been increased with his rebirth.

He gave Kelrian a mischievous grin as he came out of the water. Kelrian was standing on the other side of the landing stage, his sky-blue eyes were narrowed and rested on the former priest. Xenarion stepped to Lyndia and wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her closer.

Kelrian's eyes narrowed further. "Let her go," he shouted demandingly.

Xenarion's voice sounded like a cracking crypt door. "Why should I do that, 'my son'? My new master ordered me to kill as many living beings as possible and he promised me to reward me for each Windrunner I kill. The more I kill, the more power I receive from him."

"Power? That's what you are hungering for? You betray our people again for the promise of power? What is wrong with you?"

The undead man grinned. "Our people locked me in prison for sixteen years and they would have let me rot there. They would have never freed me. I would have stayed in prison until the end of my days. I would have stayed there for thousands of years and no one would have cared. No one would have tried to free me. Nobody cared for me, so I don't care for anybody in return. That's just fair, don't you think? An eye for an eye."

"Nobody cared for you because you gave them no reason to do that. You mistreated my mother and forced her to do things she didn't want to do. You manipulated my older siblings and turned them against me. You betrayed our people by convincing the Horde to attack Windrunner Village and Windrunner Spire and then you let Lirath Windrunner die instead of helping him. You are a monster and now you even look like one," hissed Kelrian.

The ranger had lost his runeblade as the lich had thrown him into the sea, which meant that he only had his sword left he could use to defend himself. He was alone, he was unable to use magic and there were too many undead creatures. It was not looking good for him but that didn't worry him. He didn't break out in panic and remained calm instead.

He made a few steps forward but stopped as Xenarion tightened his grip around Lyndia's neck, causing that a few painful noises escaped her lips. Tears were running down the teenagers' cheeks. She had realized she would die. She didn't want to die but there was nothing she could do to prevent that. She had no weapon which she could use to defend herself. Even if she had one, she wouldn't be able to kill the former priest and his minions.

"Let her go, Xenarion. This is about you and me. She has nothing to do with the conflict we had in the past. She is innocent."

Horrible sounding laughter escaped Xenarion's lips. "I think you haven't heard me correctly. My master promised me to make me stronger for each Windrunner I kill. She is a Windrunner, isn't she? Isn't she the daughter of that looser who died sixteen years ago? She is, right?"

Xenarion's mischievous grin became wider as he noticed that Kelrian's eyes narrowed. Seeing the very angry face of the ranger satisfied him. Kelrian was speechless because he didn't know what he should say in return. He knew Xenarion would kill her if he would come closer. But he would kill her if he would do nothing. He would kill her anyway, no matter what he would do.

Kelrian would be able to save her if he would be able to use spells but he had no mana left. He was powerless. Useless. There was nothing he could do for her. There was nothing he could do to stop Xenarion and prevent the inevitable.

Kelrian turned his head a little, noticing that the boat was already out of his range. He wouldn't be able to jump on it to save himself. He was not able to save Lyndia either. He was powerless and he hated that.

"I assume you are asking yourself how I know that she is the niece of the whore you once called your wife. Dar'Khan informed me about her descent. You can thank him for that. Without his tip, I wouldn't have a reason to kill her. On the other hand, I assume it is better for her if she dies by my hand than being torn to pieces by ghouls. I can't imagine a worse death than being eaten alive. I do her a favour that way." He grinned at Kelrian once again.

The hatred that was reflected by the Ranger-Lieutenant's eyes amused him. Xenarion enjoyed making others suffer. He enjoyed making Kelrian suffer. He enjoyed making anyone who had lived their lives and didn't care about him while he had been locked in prison and suffered there for sixteen years suffer.

Kelrian tried to appear as dangerous as possible but he was unable to impress or scare the freshly raised man. Xenarion found his attempts amusing and didn't consider him as a threat. He was curious what Kelrian would do to save the half-elf.

Kelrian's voice reflected determination and self-confidence. "Let her go and I will grant you a quick and painless death."

Xenarion shook his head amused and put a hand under Lyndia's trembling chin. She was still crying, her hands were shaking and her skin was very pale. She was afraid. She was afraid of dying. She was afraid of never seeing her mother or any other member of her family again. She didn't want to die but there was nothing she could do to prevent the inevitable.

Xenarion's eyes still rested on the ranger. "You will join your beloved whore of a wife soon and serve our master for all eternity. You will serve just like this abomination of a hybrid. Humans and high elves shouldn't mate and produce children. Her existence is a shame for our people. Her father ashamed our people because he couldn't take his hands off a dark-skinned female human. Their relationship was doomed from the start. I still don't get why elves mate with humans. We high elves live much longer than these weak humans. The human partners will die eventually and the elves will be alone. I don't understand it. In my opinion, high elves should only be allowed to mate with high elves and not with humans or other inferior races."

Kelrian shook his head. He couldn't believe what Xenarion had just said that. He knew he was an asshole but he had never thought he would be racist. "The reason they came together was love. Something you are not capable of. You are unable to love anyone except for yourself, you egoistic bastard."

Xenarion tilted his head. "I loved my children."

"But they no longer love you. They stopped loving you when they realized what kind of a person you are. You are a monster. You are an abomination and a shame for our people. No. They are no longer your people. You are a shame for my people. I still can't believe that my mother had once loved you."

Xenarion didn't respond to him and just looked at the boat which had gotten further and further away from the landing stage in the meantime. His gaze shifted back to the ranger who was still staring at him with narrowed eyes that reflected nothing but anger.

"I'm tired of talking. Let's end this."

"You wouldn't dare," said Kelrian. Xenarion smirked mischievously as he pushed Lyndia's head to the left side but her jaw to the opposite side until a loud crack could be had broken her neck with ease. A loud, furious scream escaped Kelrian's lips as Lyndia's body landed on the ground.

Tears ran down his cheeks, he was no longer able to control himself and charged at the undead, intending to pass them and ram his sword through Xenarion's head. But he was thrown away by a small shock wave that had been created by a mage. A certain mage he knew quite well, unfortunately. He was another man Kelrian wanted to see dead. And he was not the only one who wanted the man's death. Every high elf knew the man's name and knew what he had done. He had betrayed the high elves for power, just like Xenarion.

Dar'Khan Drathir walked over to the motionless body of the teenager and regarded her for a few moments before he began to cast a spell.

"Don't worry," Xenarion said, smiling mischievously. "She won't stay dead for long."

Kelrian watched in horror as the hybrid's limbs started to twitch. A few moments passed and then the twitching became wilder. It stopped suddenly, the body remained motionless for a few seconds before it straightened up by itself. The freshly raised half-elf stood up, her light-brown skin became paler and the blue glow of her eyes changed. The blue colour of her eyes became as unnatural as the colour of Dar'Khan Drathir's, Xenarion'sand the eyes of every undead creature Kelrian had seen so far. She was no longer Lyndia Windrunner. She was just another servant of Arthas Menethil.

Kelrian noticed that his heart was beating much faster than before. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He couldn't believe that Lyndia had died and was forced to serve the evil human from now on. He had promised Sylvanas to take care of her. He had promised it. And he had failed her.

Lyndia was dead, Lireesa was probably dead too and he had no idea where Turalyon and Sylvera were. He had no idea if they were still alive, already dead or safe on the ships already. He could only hope they were safe somewhere.

The other possibility would break his heart. He had already lost too many friends, comrades and family members, so he didn't want to lose more of the ones who were left. He knew he had no control over who will die and who will survive, so he could only hope for the best outcome.

His son was safe, he knew that. But he was only one of many persons he had promised to save. Zendarin was still fighting, Alleria was still missing and Turalyon was somewhere out there looking for Sylvera and Arator. He had no idea where Elena was nor did he know if the king or the queen were still alive. He had no idea what was going on. He had no clue who was dead and who was still alive. He wished he could join Turalyon in the search for Sylvera and Arator but he wouldn't be able to do that. The undead on the landing stage would never allow him to pass.

The remaining boats had departed already or had been destroyed by the undead. He was alone and nobody would be able to reach him in time to save him. There was only one way for him to escape. He pulled the hearthstone, Sylvanas had given to him, out of his pocket and wanted to use it but his hands were frozen before he was able to do that.

Dar'Khan Drathir looked at him and grinned mischievously. "There is no escape for you," he said amused. It was clearly visible that he and Xenarion were enjoying this. Their unholy resurrection had turned them into sadists. They enjoyed making others suffer. "Don't worry, Kel. This is not the end. The master has plans for you," said the undead shadow priest. "Death is not the end. Death is only the beginning."

Kelrian gritted his teeth and stared at the traitors, preparing himself for this inevitable death. He didn't want to join Arthas' army but it seemed that there was no way to avoid it. These bastards will kill him, raise him and make him to a loyal servant of the Scourge. The only positive thing would be that he could reunite with Sylvanas in death but he didn't want that. He didn't want to serve Arthas Menethil and his undead army.

He could only hope that his loved ones would make it out alive. He was convinced that they will kill him. He wasn't even able to defend himself with his hands trapped in ice blocks. He was defenceless and he hated that. He wanted to go down fighting but all he could do was to try to crush the heads of the undead with these ice blocks. But he doubted he would be able to kill many that way.

He saw the undead coming closer. Even Lyndia was running towards him, her arms were stretched out and her eyes reflected nothing but anger and hatred. Kelrian took a deep breath, dedicating his last thoughts to Sylvanas. He was ready to die.

But fate had other plans with him.

He heard the loud cry of a dragonhawk. Sharp claws dug in his uniform, he was lifted in the air and brought away from the landing stage. He lifted his head, spotting a large green dragonhawk that was carrying him. His heart skipped a beat as he caught sight on the two women that were sitting on top of it.

Elena was guiding the beast while Alleria was sitting right behind her. She was alive. Injured but alive. Elena was looking at him, a relieved expression could be seen on her face. A similar expression could be found on Kelrian's face. He was still shocked about Lyndia's death but he was glad he made it out alive and didn't become a member of Arthas Menethil's vile army.

He was safe.

---

Elena entered the room and walked to the table, stopping in front of it. She let her gaze wander through the room, spotting a familiar man who was sitting in an armchair. Elena turned up her nose, noticing the pungent and strong scent of alcohol. She had gotten used to it over the past weeks, so she was able to bear it.

She squatted down next to the blond man who wore a dirty shirt and a pair of blue trousers which he hadn't taken off for days. His hair was messy and he was smelling bad. He hadn't left his room for days. His weak blue glowing eyes rested on the opposite wall. He held a bottle in his hand which was already half empty.

Elena looked at the man worriedly. "Kelrian?" she asked quietly. "Can you hear me?"

Kelrian didn't react to her. He didn't turn his head to look at her nor did he say anything. He just stared at the wall as if something was projected onto it. A sad sigh escaped Elena's lips. She got up and sat down on the right armrest, running her fingers through Kelrian's messy hair. Kelrian didn't stop her. Normally he had always stopped her because he didn't like it when someone who was not Sylvanas toyed with his hair. But he was absent-minded and didn't realize that she was doing that, so he didn't do anything against it.

Elena put a hand under his chin and turned it so she could stare into his eyes. His gaze was empty. She doubted that Kelrian knew that she was mind was somewhere else. Elena assumed that he was thinking about his deceased wife, his most likely deceased mother-in-law and his daughter who was still missing.

It was clearly visible that Kelrian had not yet managed to come to terms with the events of the past weeks. The fall of Quel'Thalas, the deaths of most high elves and the unholy rebirths of so many citizens were still too much for Kelrian. The loss of the love of his life and the losses many friends and comrades didn't make things easier for him. She couldn't hold that against him because she had needed weeks to come to terms with everything.

She no longer moped and lived her life instead. She had accepted that she had to move on and try to do the best out of the current situation. She had lost her best friend and many of her comrades but she knew they would have wanted her to move on andtry to live a normal knew her life would never be normal again. It would never be the same again but she could try to make it as normal as possible. But first, the remaining undead had to be driven out of Quel'Thalas.

It hurt Elena to see Kelrian in that condition. Everything was too much for him so he tried to drown his problems in alcohol. Elena knew it was the wrong solution because it wouldn't work in the long run. It was only a temporary solution but there was nothing she could do for him.

He had to accept everything but that was easier said than done. She had needed weeks to accept everything and she had lost far fewer beloved people than he had. She hadn't lost a single member of her family while Kelrian had definitely lost two members of his family and more were still missing.

His mother, his daughter and his younger siblings were still missing while his niece-in-law had been raised and turned into a servant of the Scourge. She understood that it was not easy for him to forget everything that had happened. Too much had happened and it would be impossible to forget everything. He had to come to terms with the events of the past weeks and accept the current situation somehow, no matter how hard it would be and how much time he would need. He couldn't stay in his room forever and do nothing but consuming alcohol all day.

Elena assumed that Sylvanas had told him to move on but he was doing the entire opposite of it. He was sitting there and wasting his time instead of helping others who had also lost beloved persons. Like his son. The alcohol made him forget but only temporarily. It was not a permanent solution. Elena had to make him realize that somehow but she had no idea how to do that. She had no idea how she should help him because he was not listening to her or anyone else. Not even to his son. He ignored anyone who tried to speak to him.

Another sad sigh escaped Elena's lips. She put her hand on one of his, caressing its back with her thumb. As expected, he didn't react to her. He took another large sip from the bottle and kept staring at the wall. Elena shook her head, giving him a sad look before she got up. She regarded him for a few moments, pressed a kiss on his cheek, near the corner of his mouth, and then walked towards the door. It was not easy for her to reach the door without stumbling over one of the empty bottles that laid on the floor but she managed to left the room without falling or hurting herself.

She followed the corridor and arrived in the living room where Raesh sat on the sofa. He held a photo album in his hands and flicked through the pages. Sadness was reflected by his eyes while he did that. Elena walked over to him and regarded the photos on the open the left page were photos of Kelrian and Sylvanas with a big baby bump. They were happy in these photos. The photos on the other page showed Kelrian and Sylvanas with their twins who were only a few months old. Raesh sighed and turned the page, regarding the next photos.

That was his way of coming to terms with the sad truth. Elena was not sure if this way was effective but it was much better than Kelrian's way. Trying to drink away any problems was never a good solution while what Raesh did was at least a good start. Elena regarded the teenager for a few minutes before she left the room. But not only the room. She left the house and entered the backyard.

She followed the plastered path until she came to a pavilion where Vereesa and her husband were sitting. They were having dinner but none of them was saying anything. They just stared at their food while they ate. They didn't communicate with each other.

The pink-haired woman stepped to the table and looked at Rhonin. "Should I leave you in peace or can I join you?"

Rhonin lifted his head and looked at Vereesa who did the same and nodded before she looked at Elena. "You can," responded the archmage.

Elena gave them a thankful nod and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. Her gaze fell on the pregnant silver-haired woman whose face reflected anything but happiness. She was anything but happy for a woman who had found out days ago that she was not only expecting one child but two instead.

Elena assumed that she hadn't come to terms with her sister's death yet. Not only with her death but also with her unfortunate fate. She had been shocked when Alleria had told her that Arthas had not only murdered their beloved sister but also turned her into a wicked creature that killed high elves and other creatures with pleasure.

Elena filled a glass with moonberry juice and drank it, watching the couple who were still eating in silence. "How is Kelrian doing?" Rhonin asked eventually.

Elena shook her head slightly. "Not too well. He is still drinking and I still have no idea how I can reach him. He ignores me most of the time and just sits there like a wet blanket in his armchair and does nothing."

"People grieve in different ways. Some try to think about something else while others do something to distract themselves. And then there are those who try to forget."

Elena's gaze fell on the archmage, she tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Alcohol is not a solution."

Rhonin sighed. "I know but it's his decision. You know how he acts when we take away the alcohol from him. He already devasted his room one time, I don't want him to devastate it again. Not to mention that he could destroy the furniture in other rooms if he gets really angry."

"We can't allow him to behave like that. He has a serious drinking problem. We need to find a way to help him. He has to accept how things are now. He needs to stop drinking. The alcohol is not good for him," responded Elena insistently.

"I know," replied the redhead and put his cutlery next to his empty plate. "But I don't know what we could do for him. Speaking to him is meaningless so I doubt a therapist will help. He will most likely ignore them too."

"You are probably right," admitted Elena, her voice reflected sadness. "But we need to do something about it."

Rhonin nodded. "You are right but I have no idea what we could do."

Elena was silent and regarded Vereesa eating up everything on her plate. She got another portion and ate it in silence while Elena and Rhonin watched her. Worry was reflected by the archmage's eyes. He was worried about his wife. Hearing about the devastation of Quel'Thalas, the deaths of at least eighty percent of its citizens and the death of her dear sister had shocked her. She had lost her role model, the sister she had looked up to the most.

She had already lost her little brother sixteen years ago and now Sylvanas was dead too. But Sylvanas' fate was worse than death. She was forced to serve the man who murdered her and committed numerous crimes against the people of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. It was clearly visible that Vereesa had not yet come to terms with the horrible fate of her sister. Fortunately, she had Rhonin who would do anything to comfort her, provided she would talk to him.

"Where is Alleria?" Elena asked eventually.

"She went to the Violet Gate to meet Ranger-Captain Lor'themar Theron, Ranger-Captain Halduron Brightwing, many other Farstriders, mages and servants of the light. They want to reclaim Quel'Danas and reconquer Quel'Thalas piece by piece. She told me that Prince Kael'thas will lead the mission," answered the redhead.

"I should join them. Arthas and most of his disgusting, undead creatures left Quel'Thalas. Our scouts reported that there are still many undead creatures in Quel'Thalas but they are scattered all over the kingdom. We should be able to deal with them and free Quel'Thalas."

"I hope everything will work out as planned. Too many high elves died already, we cannot lose more."

Elena sighed. "We can only hope for the best. We have no idea where the butcher went but at least he left our kingdom. We have to retake it because we can't stay here in Dalaran, in Ironforge or in Stormwind forever. We have to reconquer our home. We waited for weeks but Arthas didn't return. It seems he achieved his goal and now chases another. It's our duty to retake Quel'Thalas and rebuild it."

"You are absolutely right about that. It's time to retrieve Quel'Thalas. I wish you good luck with that," said Rhonin

"I wish I could join you," responded Vereesa. "But I can't because I'm pregnant. The risk is too high, I need to stay alive and healthy for the twins in my belly."

Elena gave her a small smile. "It's okay, Vereesa. I will kill a few undead in your name and release as many of our people as I can from Arthas' service. They should no longer be forced to serve him."

"Let's hope Turalyon, Liana and Kelrian's younger siblings are not among those who died. I hope they are somewhere safe. Hopefully, they are still alive and will come back to us one day. I haven't heard of them since the undead set foot on Quel'Danas. I fear the worst," said Vereesa and played with her fingers nervously.

"Maybe they are busy fighting the undead somewhere. Who knows? We can only hope for the best. Hope always dies last."

Vereesa nodded. "Hope always dies last," she repeated.

"I will go now. See you soon," said Elena.

Vereesa and Rhonin nodded to her and wished her good luck. Elena thanked them and wished them a nice day before she left them alone and walked towards the backyard door.