Chapter 23: Recovery

She opened the door and entered the room without hesitation. Her heartbeat was fast. Very fast. Her throat was dry and her skin tingled nervously. Her heart stopped beating for a moment as she saw him. Noticed his condition.

Kelrian was lying in a hospital bed, his eyes were closed, his skin was paler than usual. His head was dressed by bandages, same counted for half of his exposed upper body. She also saw lots of fresh stitches here and there. Not even his face was spared. He had a broken nose and a stitch right under his left eye.

Sylvanas heard his quiet breaths as she arrived at the bed. Her face reflected worry as she regarded her lover. Countless thoughts wandered through her mind. She couldn't believe that this had happened. She would have never expected that mercenaries would attack a Farstrider, especially not elven mercenaries. Kelrian would never harm a fly, it didn't make sense that someone would pay mercenaries to attack him. Sylvanas had always feared that Kelrian would get into troubles but she had expected that would only happen if the public would find out about their relationship. But no one had found out anything. The attack and its purpose were still a mystery for her.

Sylvanas wanted to know who had paid these mercenaries and for what reason. She promised to herself that she would find the responsible person and bring him to justice. Whoever was responsible for the attack will pay. Sylvanas regarded Kelrian for a few minutes, wondering if he was still unconscious or just sleeping. She turned her head, looking at the door as soon as she had recognized that someone had entered the room.

She saw two familiar persons. One of them was Liadrin and the other was a woman Sylvanas' didn't know. She regarded her closely, assuming it was Kelrian's mother. She looked very similar to him and her left forearm was missing so she could only be his mother. They made surprised faces as they spotted Sylvanas standing next to the bed. They walked over to her, lowering their heads in respect. "I didn't expect that you would visit him, Ranger-General" said Liana.

"I didn't expect you to visit him either" responded Sylvanas, regarding Kelrian's mother with narrowed eyes.

"What do you mean? He is my son. Of course I'm visiting him"

"As far as I know, you haven't given a shit about him since he failed the priest examination for the second time"

Sylvanas noticed the hurt look on Liana's face but she didn't feel bad nor did she intended to apologize. She had just said the truth, at least she was believing that it was the truth. She hadn't met Kelrian since he had rescued his mother, so she couldn't know what Liana had said to her son. She couldn't know that Liana was caring for her son like every normal mother. She couldn't know that Liana had only pretended to hate Kelrian because her husband had forced her to behave as he had wanted. She couldn't know that Liana was a completely different person, that she cared for all of her children and didn't hate or favour any of them.

It wasn't surprising that Sylvanas disliked her and she didn't even try to hide it. Liana was regarding her with a frown on her forehead, wondering what Kelrian had told his superior about her and the rest of their family. Liadrin was also making a surprised face, wondering why Sylvanas was saying these things.

"I'm afraid I have to tell you that you are wrong about this, Ranger-General. I've never hated him, on the opposite, I love him the same way as my other children. I have no favourite child because I love all of them equally"

"Kelrian told me something different" replied Sylvanas, staring at the other woman. She knew when someone was lying and when someone was telling the truth. She knew that the woman wasn't lying but she didn't accept it. Kelrian had told her how the older members of his family treated him. She believed that Kelrian's mother was a very bad person. She did that at first. The longer she listened to Liana's explanations, the more she got convinced that she was not as bad as Kelrian had told her.

Sylvanas looked over to Liadrin from time to time when she was unsure if what Liana said was right. Liadrin had nodded to her and helped Liana to explain everything. Sylvanas was silent after the former paladin was done with explaining. She had her eyes closed, taking a deep breath before she opened them again.

"To sum up everything, Kelrian helped you and his younger siblings to get away from your abusive husband and a few days later he was attacked by mercenaries who were probably hired by your ex-husband"

"He is not my ex yet but we are not together anymore. Anyways, I have no proofs that Xenarion hired them but it would make sense that it was him. First of all, one of his friends was among the attackers and he had disliked Kelrian since he had failed the first exam. He hated him so it's not a surprise that his hatred has grown after he has helped us to get out of this house. Kelrian is a good boy, he doesn't deserve to be treated like that" explained Liana, her voice and her face reflected sadness. Liadrin put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her by saying the right words to her.

Sylvanas was silent, regarding Kelrian with one eye while the other rested on his mother. "How is he doing?" she asked eventually, hoping that his wounds weren't that bad.

"It's difficult to say. He is stable and no important organs were damaged. That's a good thing. The bad thing that he hasn't woken up yet. He has three broken ribs, his nose is broken, his left upper arm is sprained and he has a weak form of a concussion. The healers did their best but they could only heal the worst wounds. His ribs are mostly healed, so is his forearm but the other wounds have to heal by themselves. He has to stay a few days up to a week in bed, hopefully, he will wake up soon" responded Liadrin.

"I hope that too. He belongs to my best rangers, so I hope he doesn't have to suffer long-lasting after-effects. I hope everything will turn out well" she responded, regarding Kelrian for a few minutes. "An attack against one of my rangers is an attack against me. I will make sure that Xenarion will pay for this as soon as I can prove that he hired these mercenaries"

"Good luck with that, Xenarion is not the type of man who reveals his secrets. It won't be easy to get the information you need" spoke Liana.

Sylvanas' lips formed a small smile. "Don't worry, my rangers and I will get the pieces of information we require. Thanks to you, we can interrogate those who attacked Kelrian"

"Well... To be honest, we didn't do it alone. Someone helped us"

"Who?" Sylvanas made a curious face.

"A human archer"

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow "A human archer?"

Liana nodded.

"A human appeared out of nowhere and helped you?"

Liana nodded again. "He slowed them down with precise hits, allowing us to defeat and capture them. Kelrian also did a good job at beating them after they had stopped hitting him. He managed to take down one or two before he collapsed"

"Did the human tell you anything about himself? For example, why he is visiting one of our towns at night"

"He said he is travelling from the east of Lordaeron to Silvermoon because he wants to meet the best archer in the world"

"He wants to meet me? Are you sure?" asked Sylvanas, rubbing her forehead with the tips of her fingers.

"He didn't say your name but there is no other person in Quel'Thalas who is as good as you. There was no need to ask him who he wants to meet because you are the best in everything so there is no way that he wants to meet someone else"

"I should meet up with that human. At least to thank him for saving one of my rangers" said Sylvanas more to herself than to the others.

"You should do that. He deserves to speak to you after he travelled the whole distance from Lordaeron to Quel'Thalas because he wants to meet you. Nobody asked him to help Kelrian but he did it anyway even though he had nothing to do with him or the mercenaries" said Liadrin.

Sylvanas nodded her head.

"I'm pretty sure he is travelling to Silvermoon at the moment. Maybe he will wait for you in the headquarters of the Farstriders if they allow him to stay. I'm pretty sure he will inform your subordinates that he wants to meet you"

"That could be possible" responded Sylvanas. "Did he tell you his name?"

"He said his name is Nathanos. Nathanos Marris"

"Nathanos Marris... I wonder why he wants to see me. Maybe he wants to learn from the best. Who knows? Let's say, I'm curious. But let's not forget that the most important thing is that we have to find evidence that Xenarion is responsible for Kelrian's condition. I will meet this human at the earliest when Kelrian has woken up" responded Sylvanas.

"I hope everything works. Xenarion deserves a just punishment for everything he has done to our family. Without him, our family would be united and could live happily together. But because of him, our family has split and is now living in different places. I'm still angry at myself that I didn't notice earlier that he has changed. I never tried to stop him and allowed him to treat Kelrian like rubbish. I wish I would have been braver back then. Maybe I could have convinced Xenarion that his point of view is wrong. Maybe..." sadness overcame Liana but Liadrin comforted her. She pulled her in a tight hug, whispering soothing words in her ear. They pulled away after a while, smiling weakly at the other.

They turned to Sylvanas, noticing that she had a tense expression on her face as she regarded Kelrian. They called her name but she didn't react. She was lost in thoughts so she didn't hear their attempts to get her attention. The two women could touch her to get her attention but they didn't. Instead, they regarded Kelrian with her.

Liana even came very close to the bed and caressed his cheeks with her hand. They stayed here for a few hours, looking at Kelrian without saying anything. Liana pressed a kiss on his forehead before she left the room with Liadrin, leaving Sylvanas alone in the room. Sylvanas snapped out of her thoughts after some time, wondering where the others were as she checked her surroundings.

Sylvanas pulled her pocket watch out, looking at the time. It was almost ten in the evening, which meant she had spent at least six hours in the room without realizing. She took one of the chairs in the room and moved it to the bed. She sat down, leaning forward to inspect him up close. She even held one of his hands as she watched him. She didn't leave his side nor did she stop holding his hand. Not even when she got tired and ended up falling asleep, her head rested on the mattress.

---

A few days had passed since Sylvanas' visit. If it was up to her, she wouldn't have left his side until he would have woken up. But there were two reasons why she had left him. First, she had a lot of work to do. Second, it would be pretty conspicuous if she would stay by his side for so long. She didn't want that rumours would be spread, rumours which would include him and her. There would be people who would interpret things right and start to believe that Sylvanas and Kelrian were an item which would only lead to more trouble for Kelrian. Kelrian didn't need more trouble than he already had.

It was the best to leave him alone and only visit him from time to time. It was not the best solution and Sylvanas didn't really like it but it was the only solution she had if she wanted to keep their relationship secret. Keeping it secret to leave Kelrian out of trouble was the number one on Sylvanas' priority list. Nothing else mattered than his safety.

Even though she was very busy with paperwork and other necessary tasks, she couldn't stop thinking about him. Sometimes, it was pretty hard for her to focus on her work because he didn't get out of her head. She was fearing that he might never wake up. The doctors and healers had assured her that he will wake up sooner or later. Nevertheless, she was afraid that the experts would be wrong in this case. It was not impossible that something opposite to their expectation would happen. Sylvanas could only hope that everything would be alright.

Another week had passed were lots of things had happened. The campaigns Sylvanas had planned against the trolls, who had become more aggressive over the past weeks, had turned out to be successful. Her rangers managed to defend the borders of Quel'Thalas and drove out all invading trolls. They haven't yet dared to invade the troll territory, but sooner or later they will.

High King Anasterian Sunstrider had ordered Sylvanas to not lead any aggressive campaigns, not until the negotiations with the humans and dwarves were over. Sylvanas had attended every single meeting with the other leaders of the Alliance of Lordaeron. Most of the times, they had tried to work out a strategy to deal with the threats together. The humans wanted to take care of the orcs first, who were threatening them, while High King Anasterian insisted on dealing with the trolls first. The factions have held many discussions but they hadn't found a strategy yet which was accepted by every faction. For now, the humans and dwarves dealt with the orcs while the high elves took care of the trolls.

High King Anasterian was hoping that the humans would agree on helping his people one day so he had told Sylvanas to not plan any campaign which included attacking the trolls in their territory. If it was up to Sylvanas, she would send half of the army to aid the humans and dwarves while the rest would defend Quel'Thalas' borders. She knew that the trolls wouldn't be able to get very far if they would concentrate their attack on one point. They might break through the outer defensive line but they wouldn't be able to pass the first and the second elfgate because they were protected by ancient spells. It was impossible that the trolls would conquer Silvermoon City or destroy it as the orcs had done with Stormwind City.

Sylvanas may be the highest-ranked member of the elven army but it was the High King who decided when to attack and when to hold back. He was in command. Sylvanas was only in command when he gave her permission.

At this very moment, Sylvanas was sitting in her office. As usual, she was busy doing paperwork. She read the reports of her captains and lieutenants, noting down the numbers of slain enemies and lost allies. She was also creating an overview of the resources which had been used. Food, raw materials like wood, iron and other materials which were used to forge weapons, armours and other items which were used for battle.

During the past week, Sylvanas had lost twelve rangers but no inhabitant had died. In return, they had managed to slay forty trolls and even managed to capture five of them. They were held as prisoners but they hadn't told them any useful information yet. Even torturing them was useless. Alleria had reported to Sylvanas that the interpreters, who had learned the troll language, had only been insulted by the trolls. Every single interrogation technique had failed. Not even Sylvanas herself had managed to lure out information about Zul'jin's plans.

Sylvanas finished another stack of documents as someone knocked at her door. She sighed as she got up and walked to the door, wondering who was it this time. It turned out that it was Liadrin whose facial expression, which had always shown worry over the past days, reflected delight and hope. Sylvanas didn't hesitate to let her in, giving her a curious look after she had closed the door behind her.

"What happened? I hope something good"

Liadrin gave her a happy smile. "Kelrian woke up yesterday"

"He did?" asked Sylvanas, raising an eyebrow. She noticed that her heartbeat became a lot faster and her skin tingled in excitement. She was hoping that Liadrin was saying the truth. She hoped that Kelrian was alright. Her stomach cramped up whenever she imagined what would happen if Kelrian would never wake up. She couldn't imagine her life without him. She didn't want to imagine how things will change if Kelrian would die. She was sure it would affect her negatively.

Liadrin put her hand on Sylvanas' shoulder, nodding to her. "He is awake and he wants to see you"

Sylvanas' heartbeat became faster once again. "At least he remembers who I am which means he hasn't lost his memory"

"Is that what you have feared the most? That he won't remember you and the relationship you two have"

"I have been afraid of lots of things over the past weeks. Thoughts about losing him entirely have plagued my mind. It was pretty hard to fulfil my duties as Ranger-General while being worried about the man I love"

"But you managed to do your tasks and now you don't need to worry anymore. He is awake and his condition has gotten a lot better over the past days. He needs some rest but he will be fine" explained Liadrin.

Sylvanas sighed out in relief. "These are some good news. You know, the skirmishes with the trolls which will soon lead to war are really worrying me.I can't allow myself to get distracted so I'm glad Kelrian is doing fine"

"Are there any news about the mercenaries who attacked him?"

A sad sigh escaped Sylvanas' lips. She shook her head. "Not really. None of them has told us anything so far. I can't accuse his father because I have no proofs at all"

"That's unfortunate. But we will find the necessary proofs one day. I'm pretty sure your rangers will manage to lure the necessary pieces of information out of the mercenaries"

"I hope so" responded Sylvanas. "We have already charged them with grievous body harm and attempted murder. They will talk if they don't want to be convicted for attempting murder"

"I'm pretty sure Xenarion didn't want to kill Kelrian, he only wanted to teach him a lesson. So, if the mercenaries are wise, they will make a statement and tell us who hired them" spoke Liadrin

"I hope it will work that way" replied Sylvanas.

"And hopefully they will tell us the truth" added Liadrin.

"Don't worry about that, our mages know a spell which tells us if they are saying the truth" explained Sylvanas.

"I almost forgot about that"

"Am I allowed to see Kelrian?" Sylvanas asked after she had been silent for a half a minute.

"Sure, you are. Are you travelling through a portal?"

"I'm riding on my horse. Taking a portal would be too conspicuous. I've always visited my subordinates when they were injured but I've never taken a portal until today. I have to do it like that, even though that would mean I would have to ride for two days. You also travelled by horse, didn't you?"

"I thought about it but then I decided to wait until the next morning and pay a dragonhawk trainer to bring me to Silvermoon. I need to do something else in Silvermoon so I'm killing two birds with one stone"

"Nevertheless, I will ride to this place. Flying still makes me feel uncomfortable" admitted Sylvanas.

"It's not everyone's cup of tea. Some people like it, others don't"

"I'm not the biggest fan of it. My stomach turns around whenever I'm flying on the back of a dragonhawk or a gryphon"

Liadrin laughed, smiling at her friend, "I didn't expect that you have a weakness"

"It's not a real weakness... But it's the proof that I'm not as perfect as others think I am. I have never claimed that I'm perfect but people regard me as the perfect high elf, the perfect woman in general"

Liadrin regarded the Ranger-General from head to toe "I can understand why they are thinking that"

Sylvanas smiled about the compliment. "Anyways, I should go. I can't wait to see him" she said as she walked to the door, waiting until Liadrin had left her office. She stepped out of the room, closed the door and locked it. She said goodbye to Liadrin as she hugged her, then she regarded her for a few moments. She waited until she was out of her sight before she walked in the opposite direction.

It took two whole days for Sylvanas to travel from Silvermoon to Suncrown Village. The hospital in which Kelrian was treated was not the largest but it was equipped with all necessary things so the healers could treat the patients as well as possible.

For Sylvanas, it would have been better if Kelrian would have been brought to a hospital in Silvermoon. But bringing him through a portal would have been bad for him, it would have only made his condition worse than it already was. Bringing him in a carriage to Silvermoon would have taken too long. It had been the right decision to bring him to the hospital in Suncrown Village, especially because the doctors and priests in the villages and towns were as good as the healers in the capital city. It made no difference who treated him. The only reason why Sylvanas wanted him in Silvermoon was that she could visit him more often without needing to travel two days or taking a portal. But she was fine with the current situation because she could still see Kelrian.

Sylvanas entered the hospital, knowing exactly where Kelrian's room was. She followed the corridor, stopping in front of the second last door. She didn't hesitate to knock at the door, waiting that a familiar voice would tell her to come in. Her heartbeat became faster as her ears recognized Kelrian's voice. She opened the door and entered the room. She closed the door and rushed to the bed Kelrian was still lying in.

She sighed out in relief as she noticed that he looked far better than the last time she had seen him. He was still pale but not as pale as he had been a few days ago. It seemed that the healing methods and medicine were working on him. His wounds weren't fully healed yet but his condition was by far better than it had been days ago.

The first thing Sylvanas did as she approached her lover, was to carefully wrap her arms around his upper body. She was too afraid she could hurt him so she didn't hug him tightly as she normally would. She remained careful, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. She pulled away after a while, regarding Kelrian who was giving her a small smile. "How are you doing?"

"The left side of my upper body still hurts but, thanks to the medicine, the doctors gave me, I'm able to bear the pain. I'm lucky that no inner organs have been damaged" he responded, giving her a weak smile.

Sylvanas sat down on the edge of his bed, grabbing his left hand. She intertwined their fingers, caressing the back of his hand with her thumb. She was silent for a few minutes, doing nothing but staring at him. But then she broke the silence. "I have felt fear for the first time in my life. I didn't fear that something might happen to me, instead, I feared that you will never wake up. I was afraid of losing you. I don't want to imagine what would happen if you would have died. I can't imagine life without you". Sylvanas eyes rested on their hands, her voice was low and reflected sadness.

Kelrian lifted his upper body a bit so he could put his other hand on Sylvanas' cheek and caress it. "We are rangers. Our lives could end every day because of the many threats we have to deal with. It's not unlikely that a group of trolls or orcs could ambush us. We always have to consider that the current day might be our last day. The life of a ranger is a dangerous life"

"I know, you don't need to tell me that. The risks of this life are well known to me. I have seen friends and colleagues die by my side during battles. Children lose their parents and parents lose their children. War is what it is. It's cruel but we can't change that. We have to protect our people which means we have to eliminate every threat" She took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments. Her eyes narrowed and reflected anger. "But you didn't get injured by our enemies. Our own people did that to you. These elven mercenaries were probably hired by your father because he hates you"

"Not only probably"

"What you mean?" asked Sylvanas, raising an eyebrow.

"One of the men, who attacked me, told me that the attack is a punishment from my father because I kidnapped HIS family. These were his words, not mine. Basically, my father's friend confessed that my father is responsible for the attack. But I don't think they wanted to kill me. They only wanted to teach me a lesson, otherwise, they would have used daggers and knives instead of clubs" explained Kelrian.

Sylvanas frowned. "Are you sure about that?"

Kelrian nodded his head. "I am"

A quiet sigh escaped Sylvanas' lips. "At least we have the proof that it was your father who hired these mercenaries. I'm pretty sure your father's friend will confess if you tell the judge what he had said to you"

"I hope so"

"I hope they will receive their just punishments as soon as possible. Nobody knows that you are my lover. But they know that you are a ranger, a ranger of my regiment. You are also a member of my elite group which means that an attack on you is also an attack on me"

"I don't think my father attacked me to hurt you. Nobody knows about us except for Verena and Liadrin"

"I know but it still hurts me. Seeing you like this makes me feel sad"

"I'm getting better. The doctors even told me I can leave in two days if my condition becomes better and better. I think they will tell me to hold back for a few days or maybe even a week. But other than that, I'm able to train again soon and fulfil my duties as a ranger"

Sylvanas caressed his cheeks, staring into his eyes. "I hope so as well, I can't wait to work with you again and spend more time with you. But take your time, I don't want you to rush things. Just wait until you have fully recovered and then you can tell me if you feel ready or not"

"Okay, I will be careful" responded Kelrian, smiling at her.

Sylvanas returned the smile, leaning in to seal her lips to his. She smiled into the kiss as she noticed that Kelrian returned it, then she inserted her tongue in his mouth, allowing him to do the same. They held the kiss for a few minutes, only pulling away when they were out of air. They took deep breaths, staring into each other's eyes.

Kelrian put his hands on top of her head, pulling her hood down slowly. He admired her golden-blonde majestic mane, which was mostly hidden under the piece of fabric. But now it was free so Kelrian could run his fingers through it while he caressed her scalp softly. He toyed with her hair, with her ears and he even touched the tips of her ears.

Sylvanas smirked. "If you don't stop, I will get horny and ravage you, which will not improve your current condition. So, either you stop it or you keep doing it at your own risk"

"Normally I wouldn't shy back from taking a risk but in my current situation, it's better to not overdo it" spoke Kelrian, giving her a wide grin.

Sylvanas nodded. "You are absolutely right, my love"

They stared at each other for a while, holding hands while doing nothing except enjoying the presence of the other. From time to time, Kelrian brought her hands to his lips to kiss them gently, sometimes Sylvanas caressed his cheeks and planted kisses on them. They enjoyed the pleasant silence, sharing kisses from time to time.

"Can I ask you something?" Kelrian asked after a while.

Sylvanas noticed the curiosity which was written all over his face. "Sure, you can"

"Liadrin and my mother told me about a human who helped them to defend me. Is that right?"

"Yes, it is" replied Sylvanas.

"Do you know anything about this human?"

"His name is Nathanos Marris. He is a human archer from the kingdom of Lordaeron. He travelled from the east of Lordaeron to Quel'Thalas because he wants to meet me"

Kelrian frowned. "Why does he want to meet you?"

Sylvanas shrugged her shoulders. "I have no clue"

"Why don't you meet him? He saved me so it would be a nice gesture to allow him to meet you"

"I was very busy the whole week, not to mention that I was thinking of you all the time which didn't make working easier. It was not easy to concentrate on my work while being afraid that you will never wake up" she explained.

"I'm sorry then, I guess"

Sylvanas shook her head, caressing his cheeks with her hands. "You don't need to be sorry, you didn't choose to be attacked by mercenaries. You did nothing wrong"

"In my father's eyes, I did"

"Your father is an asshole and you know that. Don't listen to him"

Kelrian sighed. "You are right"

"Am I not always right?" she joked.

Soft laughter escaped his lips. "You are"

Sylvanas poked his shoulder playfully. "See"

Kelrian smiled at her, so did Sylvanas. "Fine, I will meet Nathanos and see what he wants from me. Do you want to thank him personally or shall I tell him you are grateful that he defended you?"

Kelrian made a thoughtful face for a moment. "You can tell him that I want to meet him one day and thank him personally. Maybe you can even ask him to come to the hospital"

"That would work as well"

Kelrian smiled, caressing her cheek. "Good"

They spend more time together, talking, kissing and even cuddling until Sylvanas decided it was time to go. She would love to spend more time with him but couldn't because she had lots of tasks to do. It was almost impossible for her to take a day off because she was so busy. The trolls and the orcs were still out there and planned something while she was sitting in Silvermoon and did paperwork. She knew she had to fulfil her duties and she knew it would take a while.

She was only hoping that the High King would manage to come to an agreement with the other leaders of the Alliance of Lordaeron. The sooner the war against the trolls and orcs will end, the sooner Sylvanas can have a normal life where she didn't need to work ten to fourteen hours every day. The less time she had to work, the more time she will have for her family, her friends and her lover.

She wanted to stay but unfortunately, she had to leave him already. She kissed Kelrian goodbye, regarding him for a few moments before she left the room and closed the door behind her.