Chapter 44: Return

'abc' --> Exadius speaking through telepathy

---

"It's good to be on Azeroth again," said Kelrian after he had stepped out of the portal. He let his gaze wander and checked his surroundings. He was in Quel'Thalas, in the desolate part in the south which was mostly occupied by the Scourge. At least it had been mostly occupied by the Scourge the last time he had been there. He had no idea if that was still the case.

The soil beneath his feet was grey, no signs of vegetation could be found in this area. At least no plants that were still alive. He saw dead trees and bushes, bones, skulls, bodies, weapons and armour pieces that were scattered all over the ground.

'This place looks desolate.'

"It does," Kelrian said quietly.

'I bet these Ghostlands have been beautiful once.'

"They have. But everything changed when Arthas came. This area once belonged to Quel'Thalas. The soil has been naturally brown and covered by green grass. The trees have been alive and their barks have been brown. Now even trees that are still alive do not look healthy at all. Their barks are grey and there are no leaves on their branches..."

'Do you think nature can be restored in this place?'

"You are the one who claims to be so smart, Exadius. Why don't you tell me what you think?"

The voice in his head chuckled. 'I'm not a specialist when it comes to vegetation. I bet there are creatures who know a lot about it. The Dragon Queen or the mighty archdruid Malfurion Stormrage. I think they can do something about it.'

"I doubt Malfurion will have the time for that. And even if, my people can't just contact him and ask him to help them."

'Why do you think that?"'

"Why should he? He has other things to worry about."

'Maybe because he and your people are allied and it's one of his duties as the archdruid to take care of all life forms of Azeroth, especially nature.'

Kelrian's eyes widened in surprise. "Allied?"

Exadius chuckled. 'I wonder why you are so surprised. You worked with the night elves before. With Malfurion, Tyrande and Illidan.'

"I know but our cooperation was never official. We never signed a contract. We just worked together to achieve a common goal," Kelrian said to Exadius who heard him clearly due to telepathy, although he was far away from him.

'It seems a lot happened in the last four years you've been away.'

Kelrian's eyes became much wider, causing that the demon chuckled again. "Four years?"

'While you searched for my allies and helped them to get rid of Kil'jaeden's agents who tried to kill them, four years passed on Azeroth. Time passes much faster on Azeroth than on the planet you have been.' Exadius explained.

"What happened in these four years?" Kelrian asked the demon.

'If I would tell you, where would be the fun in that?'

"Exadius," Kelrian said in a low but dangerous voice.

'What?' Exadius asked amused.

"If we want to achieve our goals, we should work together. You making fun of me or fooling me won't help us. This is outrageous."

The nathrezim sighed. 'Fine, I will tell you what I know. As you know, I have my eyes and ears everywhere.'

"I know that already. Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you know." Kelrian's voice almost sounded demanding.

'Nothing big had happened. The Scourge is still around and active but they have not made any big successful offensive."'

"What about my people?"

'They formed an alliance with the night elves, humans, dwarves, gnomes and even with the undead.'

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "The undead? You mean Sylvanas' people?"

Kelrian could not see Exadius, he only heard his voice due to the demon's telepathic abilities but he was certain for some reason that Exadius had nodded. "I can't see you if you remember." Kelrian sounded a little frustrated.

Soft laughter escaped the nathrezim's lips. 'Your wife and those who follow her work with the mortals for four years."'

"Were they successful?"

'Depends on how you define successful. The sin'dorei managed to reconquer seventy percent of their lost territories but the rest still belongs to the Scourge. The largest Scourge base in the Ghostlands is Deatholme in the south. The Dead Scar begins there.'

"What about the territories of Lordaeron?"

'Do you mean the Plaguelands?'

"Plaguelands? Is that what the territories are called these days?

'They are. The Western and Eastern Plaguelands.'

"Tell me about them," Kelrian said impatiently.

'There are many bases of the Alliance in the Eastern Plaguelands. The Scourge bases are in the north of this area. In the so-called Plaguewood. The biggest of the bases is Stratholme which is occupied by thousands of undead creatures. There is also a Scourge base in the east. There is some sort of a flying citadel in the Eastern Plaguelands but I have no idea how it is called and what its purpose is. I assume that lots of undead are in there.'

"The best would be that you and your servants find out what is in there."

'I'll see what I can do.'

"What about the Western Plaguelands?"

'There is not much Scourge activity there. The Alliance reclaimed these territories as theirs. The Scourge attack some of their bases from time to time but the Alliance repelled all of their attacks so far.'

"That's something at least," Kelrian muttered, letting his gaze wander. He spotted dozens of undead that were scattered all over the section of the Dead Scar he had in his sight.

"What about my people? Are they alright?"

'They seem to be fine.'

"Are you sure? Has my father found a solution for our hunger for magic?"

'I haven't paid much attention to the sin'dorei, to be honest. I can't tell you how they dealt with their addiction. You have to find that out by yourself. You want to return to Silvermoon, don't you?'

"I want but I want to see someone first."

'Who?' Exadius asked interested.

"Guess who."

'Your wife.'

"I'm not sure I can still call her that but yeah, I want to see her."

'What stops you from going to Lordaeron and meet her?'

"Nothing but I don't want to meet her again without having a gift for her."

'A gift?' Exadius asked interested.

"Yes, a gift."

'What kind of a gift?'

A small smile appeared on Kelrian's lips. "You will find out soon enough what I have in mind."

'I'm curious.'

----

Kelrian was standing on top of the tower and regarded the base from above. He spotted hundreds of undead creatures that walked around the base, worked on something or stood around and did nothing at all. There were too many of them. Even with his newly gained power, he would not be able to take out an entire base alone. He could kill dozens before they would even reach him, he was sure of that but he also knew that the Scourge had powerful spellcasters that would attack him from afar. He had not forgotten about the nerubian poison that had prevented him from casting spells.

He knew better than doing any foolish moves. He was not alone but he would still not attack the base. He wouldn't risk the lives of his four companions. He wouldn't have to attack the base to achieve his goal. He was only there for one man. One man, he wanted dead for a long time. It was not Arthas. It was another man who was a thorn in the eyes of the sin'dorei. His name was Dar'Khan Drathir. Kelrian no longer felt the same anger for that man he had felt before he went to Northrend. He was no longer furious whenever the traitor's name came in his mind.

But that didn't mean he had forgiven him. Dar'Khan still deserved to pay for his treason and Kelrian will make sure that he will pay soon. But not by his hands. He was not there to kill that traitorous bastard. He was not the only one who wanted to make him pay and see him suffer. His brethren wanted him dead too and he assumed that the same counted for the Forsaken. He was sure Sylvanas would like the idea he had in mind.

Kelrian turned his head eventually, looking at his companions. He knew they would follow him everywhere he would go. They trusted him with their lives. He noticed the determination in their eyes as they looked at him. "Are you ready for some action?" he asked.

Danara nodded. "I am, Lord Sunstrider."

Kelrian smirked. "Perfect. You know what you have to do."

The female nathrezim nodded and started to cast a spell. "They will never see us coming," she said a moment before she was done. A transparent, barely visible dome was wrapped about her and the four others. Danara cast another spell together with her companions.

Kelrian just watched her, turning his head a little as he noticed that their location had changed. They were no longer standing on top of the tower, instead, they were standing in the middle of the base. They were in the middle of Deatholme and were surrounded by hundreds of creatures who were still minding their own business.

As expected, the undead couldn't see him and the four demons. They couldn't hear them either. They weren't aware of the intruders. Kelrian gave the order to move out and the demons obeyed, following him without hesitation. They passed lots of undead creatures as they walked to the middle of the base. There were nerubians, banshees, shades, abominations and lots of other ugly creatures but the group ignored them. They were not here for them. They were here for Dar'Khan.

Kelrian was no longer intimidated by the scary looks of these monsters. He no longer felt his innards getting cramped when looking at these ugly monsters. He assumed that fighting undead creatures for over a year and a half had made him resistant to their horrible looks. Maybe it was just the fel and Exadius' power that was responsible for that. Maybe it was a positive side effect or something like that.

The group reached the huge main building that stood in the middle of the base. On the building's top was a huge skull made out of stones. The ground around it was covered by green slime. Kelrian assumed it was a bad idea to step in the slime, so he made sure the demons avoided it. They came to the entrance that was guarded by several skeletons and two shades. No creature spotted them, not even the shades. The group entered the building, following the thin corridor. The floor was covered by grey tiles, the walls were grey too. Just like the entire base, the colour scheme of this building was dull and monotonous.

They came to a path that led to the next lower level. They followed the path and the next corridor until they came to a small side room. Dar'Khan Drathir stood in front of a table on which a map was spread out. Several undead creatures stood around him. Skeletons but also undead cultists. Dar'Khan was taking a closer look at the map as if he was trying to plan something. Maybe an attack. But Kelrian would not allow him to execute whatever plan he had in mind.

Kelrian turned his head, looking at the four demons. He received nods from them which told him that they were ready. "Take care of skeletons and spellcasters, I will take care of Dar'Khan."

"As you wish, milord," Xatorious said.

Kelrian walked over to Dar'Khan, examining him for a few moments. The traitor had changed so much. His skin was pale, his eyes were ice-blue, his hair was long and grey. Death hadn't done him any favour. He had once been handsome but now he was anything but that. He was ugly.

The undead mage had not noticed Kelrian's presence or the presence of his companions yet. He was unaware of those who came for him. Kelrian's facial expression reflected disgust when he was done examining him. Looking at this traitor made him sick. He was glad he wouldn't have to spend too much time with him. He only had to kidnap him and bring him to Sylvanas. He wouldn't have to deal with him for too long. On the other hand, he didn't just want to kidnap him. He wanted to make him suffer for his betrayal.

Dar'Khan was responsible for what happened to Kelrian's kingdom, to his people and to the love of his life. Without him, Arthas would have never managed to deactivate Ban'dinoriel. Without Dar'Khan's actions, Sylvanas would still be alive. His daughter, his niece, lots of members of his family and lots of his comrades and friends would still be alive. Kelrian will make him pay but he won't kill him. He was sure others would do that for him.

Kelrian counted to five and then grabbed Dar'Khan by the collar of his black robe, lifting him in the air. Dar'Khan's eyes widened in surprise as he noticed the tall, muscular man who had appeared out of nowhere. His eyes rested on him as he tried to figure out who that man was. His eyes became wider as he recognized him. "Sylvanas' manwhore," he spat out and tried to grab his wand from his back but Kelrian flung him against the opposite wall before he was able to do that.

Dar'Khan rebounded and landed hard on the ground, a painful groan escaped his lips as he got up slowly. Kelrian had walked over to him in the meantime and kicked the traitor in the face when he managed to get onto his knees. Dar'Khan's head snapped back, dark red blood flowed out of his broken nose and burst bottom lip. He was lucky that Kelrian's kick had not been very strong. The blood elf had not wanted to squash the traitor's head, so he had only given him a soft kick. Nevertheless, Dar'Khan's nose was ruined and his jaw was slightly dislocated.

Dar'Khan needed more time to get up this time. "I thought you were dead," he hissed and began to cast a spell. Kelrian didn't allow him to finish his spell, sweeping him off his feet before he was done. Dar'Khan landed on the ground once again but this time, Kelrian didn't wait until he had gotten up.

He kneeled down and grabbed the undead elf by his collar, pulling his upper body up. His face was only inches away from Dar'Khan's, his green eye started into one of Dar'Khan's ice-blue ones. Kelrian's other eye was still covered by his hair. Half of his face could not be seen due to the long green hair that hid the right half his face.

"As you can see, I'm not dead but you are." He punched Dar'Khan hard in the face, breaking his jaw. A painful scream escaped the traitor's lips, making Kelrian smile. He enjoyed making Dar'Khan suffer for all the lives he had destroyed. He was not a sadist nor did he like torturing and hurting people. Normally, he only used violence when it was necessary.

It was not necessary in this case, because he could knock out Dar'Khan with a precise swing but he didn't want to do that. He knew that Sylvanas and his people would execute Dar'Khan as soon as they got all the information they wanted. He knew he wouldn't get the chance to make him suffer once he had brought them to Sylvanas. That was one of the reasons why he made him suffer now.

He hit him over and over again until nothing but a bloody mess was left of Dar'Khan's face. He threw him a few times through the room, kicking him while lying on the floor and even smashed his head a few times against the wall. He caused pain to him until he felt satisfied.

He stepped away from the traitor who laid on the floor and writhed in pain. Kelrian stared at him, a wide smile could be seen on his pale lips. He made sure that Dar'Khan wouldn't stand up before he turned his head and looked at the four nathrezim.

"Zenon."

The nathrezim with the dark blue wings looked at him. "What can I do for you, Lord Sunstrider."

"You will disguise as Dar'Khan and take his place. I want you to find out what the Lich King plans for Quel'Thalas. You have to inform me as soon as you get any useful information. Every piece of information matters if we want to destroy the Scourge."

The nathrezim put his fist on his blue chest plate, lowering his head in respect. "As you wish, Lord Sunstrider."

"Raise the undead you and your siblings killed so that nobody will notice what happened here. Stay careful."

"I will," assured the demon.

Kelrian turned his head, looking at Danara and her younger brothers. "Bring us out of here."

"Where do you want to go?"

"To Lordaeron of course."

'Your wife is not in Lordaeron, or Undercity as she calls the capital city of the Forsaken.'

"Where is she then?" Kelrian asked quietly.

'In Silvermoon.' Exadius responded.

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "Silvermoon? Why should she be in Silvermoon?"

'Seems she and the other members of the Alliance have some sort of a meeting. I assume they're discussing how to take actions against the Scourge. You could wait until she returns to Undercity.'

"I don't want to wait for so long. Also, I can present Dar'Khan to Sylvanas and my people if I go to that meeting. I guess it's time to announce that I'm back. I wonder how they react when they see me. They probably declared me dead after one year or two. I doubt anyone would expect me to return after four years. That makes the surprise even better."

'If you say so. I'm not sure that your idea is the best. If I were you, I would wait until she returns to Undercity.'

Kelrian smiled, his voice clearly reflected self-confidence. "I don't see anything wrong with my idea."

'It's your choice, Kelrian. I won't stop you.'

"You can't stop me, Exadius. Not after I gained so much power from you and Kil'jaeden's agents. I am so powerful."

'Be careful, Kelrian. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. The nathrezim's voice sounded warningly.'

Kelrian grinned. "I'm not overconfident. I know my limits, I know how powerful I am. I have no doubts that you saw what I did to that traitor. He had not the slightest chance against me."

'He was not as powerful as other creatures that serve the Lich King.'

"I know, Exadius. I know. I'm not a fool. I know I can't defeat the Lich King alone, that's why I seek out those who want him dead as badly as I do."

'Alright, partner. Do whatever you must do. Just make sure my children won't be harmed. Remember, you promised me to protect them.'

Kelrian's gaze fell on the four nathrezim. Zenon had already taken on the appearance of Dar'Khan but the others had not changed. There were still in their original forms. "I always keep my promises, Exadius. You don't have to worry about them."

'Good.'

"Bring us to Silvermoon," Kelrian said to Danara and her brothers. The nathrezim nodded and started casting a spell, creating a portal within half an hour. Xatorious wrapped Dar'Khan in clothes, picked him up and flung him over his shoulder. Kelrian looked at the three nathrezim who had not changed yet. "You should probably change your appearances too. I don't want our allies to break out in panic when they see you. No offence."

"It's okay, milord. We understand what you mean," responded Xatorious.

Kelrian was silent as he watched them altering their forms. He was used to seeing them changing their forms, so it did not shock him when he witnessed the distortion of their bodies. All of them looked like blood elves when they were done. Blood elves with green glowing eyes and armour that looked similar to his. He regarded them for a few moments and gave them an appreciating nod. "Follow me," he said and went through the portal.

---

Sylvanas massaged her temple with the tips of her fingers to relax a little. She hated official meetings. She had never liked them in life because they had usually endured for several hours. She hated them even more in death even though she had more time in general because she didn't have to sleep. She had never been a fan of politics but she knew how important these meetings were so she had always attended them. She had attended more meetings in the past four years than she had in the fifteen years after the end of the Second War before the Third War had started.

She knew the importance of each meeting, so she attended them without complaining about them. The Alliance wouldn't be able to defeat the Scourge if the separate kingdoms wouldn't work together. And to make their cooperation as efficient as possible, they had to meet often and discuss what to do. Meetings with only two or three other parties were much easier to bear than meetings with much more parties. All leaders of the Alliance were present. All of them had different ideas, opinions and requests. Such meetings usually endured at least five or six hours.

Sylvanas' mood was not the best on that day. It had not been the best before the meeting and it hadn't changed to the better in the past two and a half hours. They had spent too much time talking about Illidan Stormrage and his evil intrigues. The Alliance had not even managed to catch him and the leaders were already debating if he should be killed or imprisoned.

The parties had a disagreement. One half wanted him dead because they thought that the risk to try to take him captive would be too high, the other half didn't want to kill him. Sylvanas didn't care if Illidan would stay alive or die. All she wanted was that the problem with Illidan Stormrage would be solved soon so that they could focus on their main problem. The Scourge that had gotten stronger and stronger over the past years.

Sylvanas opened her eyes again, looking at the man who had addressed her. He was an old man with short grey hair and a goatee. He wore noble brown leather clothes just like the young man next to him. The man looked like a younger version of him, his hair was fire red and he had a chin beard. Sylvanas believed that his name was Liam. She had been a little distracted when Genn Greymane had introduced his son to the others, so she was not a hundred percent sure how he was called.

She had been distracted the whole time. She had often caught herself being lost in thoughts. Verena had nudged her gently with her elbow whenever she had noticed that her queen was absent-minded. The reason for her distraction was the date. It was on the seventh of June. For others, it was not a special day but for Sylvanas it was. It was the day where Kelrian had last been seen. A year later, he had been declared dead after Forsaken and sin'dorei scouts had searched for him in vain.

Sylvanas remembered the day as if it had happened yesterday. She had been so furious that she had destroyed every single piece of furniture in her office. She had ripped the books in pieces, destroyed the shelves, chairs and her desk with her sword and had blown up her armchair with dark magic. She had been so furious and broken. Her rage had been beyond her control and only Lyndia, her uncle and Verena had managed to calm her down together after a while.

She had cried thousands of dusty tears when she had been alone with Lyndia. She had cried and screamed his name. She had gotten very emotional for the second time since she had gotten free from the Scourge. The seventh of June was the only day where she allowed herself to be emotional. But she didn't show it to others. She needed all of her strength to keep up her poker face and pretended that she was alright. Verena and Lyndia knew she was not alright but they didn't say anything to her, at least when others were around. They remained silent and didn't show their queen that they were worried about her.

"Are you listening, Lady Windrunner?" Genn asked her again, his voice reflected annoyance.

Sylvanas stared at him for a few moments before she gave him an answer. "I am."

He raised an eyebrow. "What did I say?"

"You asked me if I have any proofs that the Scarlet Crusade attack my people from time to time," responded Sylvanas.

Genn raised an eyebrow and gave her a curious look. "And? Have you?"

Sylvanas regarded the human for a short moment. He was the only human leader she didn't like. He was annoying, always grouchy and he often questioned her and doubted what she said. He always demanded a proof for everything she said about groups of humans who were attacking the Forsaken. He didn't trust her even after the past two years where the sin'dorei, kaldorei, dwarves, gnomes, Forsaken and all human kingdoms had successfully worked together against the Scourge. She didn't expect him to ever trust her and her people. But she didn't need his trust. The trust of the other members of the Alliance was enough for her. They trusted her and she trusted them.

"I have," she responded and made a gesture. Verena stood up and took three scrolls out of her backpack. She walked over to the King of Gilneas and handed him the scrolls. "We captured one of their generals and found these documents in his backpack. The general received orders from High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane to attack all Forsaken bases near their territory. They still see us as their enemies and they even killed the ambassadors I sent to them. They were unarmed and carried white flags with them but the Scarlet Crusade didn't care. They killed all five of them and sent me their heads."

Genn unfolded the documents and read them with his son, handing them to King Varian Wrynn, who was sitting next to him, as soon as he was done. "What do we do about them?" asked the King of Stormwind. "We cannot just send an army to them and capture their leaders. They are also fighting the Scourge."

"You are right about that, your majesty. But we can't just let them do what they want. They are sabotaging us. The Scourge is getting stronger and stronger with each passing day and the Scarlet Crusade are making things more difficult for us. We don't have the biggest army, so we can't afford to fight against two enemies. The Scourge comes from the south-east and the Scarlet Crusade comes from the north-east. The Scarlet Monastery is not far away from our borders. They don't need long to reach Tirisfal Glades and attack the nearest base."

"That's a big problem indeed," said Malfurion and made a thoughtful face.

"We should send more ambassadors to the Scarlet Monastery but they shouldn't be undead," suggested Tyrande.

"Most of the members of the Scarlet Crusade are humans so we should send a human ambassador but one who is known to the Scarlet Crusade," suggested Alleria.

"But we shouldn't send a member of any royal house. I don't trust the Scarlet Crusade. It's not very unlikely that they kidnap the ambassador if it's one us. The worst what could happen would be that the Scarlet Crusade would try to blackmail us if they have a hostage of great importance," said Jaina Proudmoore.

"We should meet with them outside their base. That way, they should not be able to take us captive if they are only allowed to brin' a certain amoun' of men with them," suggested the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard.

"We could send them a message but we cannot be sure that they will reply," said Sylvanas. "We can only hope they do. Even if they agree to a meeting, I don't think they will change their minds, no matter what you say. They are too stubborn."

"That may be possible but we will never find out if we don't try," said Rhonin. Sylvanas looked at her brother-in-law, noticing the determination in his eyes. He was convinced of this idea, so was his wife. Vereesa gave Sylvanas a small nod as she noticed that her crimson eyes on her. Sylvanas turned her head to look at Alleria who sat to Vereesa's left. "Maybe we should send members of the Kirin Tor if the Scarlet Crusade agrees to a meeting," Sylvanas said.

Rhonin nodded. "I will volunteer to meet with them. We can even invite them to Dalaran under the pretext that we want to talk about the campaigns against the Scourge. That wouldn't be a lie in our case."

"Even if it would be a lie, I don't care. I want the Scourge gone by any means but I can't fight them if the Scarlet Crusade is sabotaging us all the time. We need to solve that problem so that we can deal with the next. The next of many that will follow," said Sylvanas.

"I will write a letter to the High Inquisitor. Does anyone have any objections?" Rhonin asked. The other members of the Alliance shook their heads. Rhonin sighed. "Alright, let's go to the next topic." He paused and looked at his notes. "Kael'thas Sunstrider..."

He paused for a moment and then put his notes aside, letting his gaze wander. He noticed the tense expressions on the faces of the others. He knew that the next subject was delicate. Everyone had been shocked when they had found out what the king of the blood elves had done. The blood elves and the Forsaken had been shocked the most that their king had turned against them. Rhonin could see the hurt in Vereesa's, Alleria's and Sylvanas' eyes. Even Malfurion and Tyrande, who had once worked with the blood elf king, had been very shocked by the news.

Rhonin had known Kael'thas because he had been a member of the Kirin Tor just like him. He had been a member of the Council of the Six. Kael'thas had been an honourable man who would have done everything to save his people. After the devastation of his homeland, he had left the Kirin Tor to help his people. He had followed his own path to damnation. Rhonin was disappointed in him. Disappointed and a little angry. He knew they had to stop his plans. They had to stop them by any means, otherwise, something bad will happen. He was certain of that.

Rhonin opened his mouth, wanting to say something as a portal just appeared out of nowhere. His face showed confusion as he regarded it. But he was not the only one who was more than just surprised about the sudden appearance of the portal. Everyone was as surprised as he was. A frown could be seen on Sylvanas' forehead, one of her brows was raised and her crimson eyes were narrowed.

Her gaze rested on the portal. She was wondering who would come through it. She couldn't believe that this had even happened. The Kirin Tor had promised that the wards they had placed in the room would prevent the creation of portals or the use of teleportation spells and items. Even hearthstones didn't work there. She could only assume that the spell was a very powerful one that was spoken by a very powerful person. Maybe even by more than just one person. The spell must be very powerful to overcome the wards.

She noticed that the edge of the portal was not was green. Fel green. She could only assume that someone who was capable of using fel magic was responsible for the creation of that strange portal. Like all the others, Sylvanas was patiently waiting for someone to step out. None of them had any weapons, meaning that they would have a problem if any foe would step through that portal. At least, Rhonin and the two mages he had brought with him were able to do something. They had already begun to cast spells in case a demon or any other foe would arrive and attack them. Sylvanas noticed that Malfurion was also casting a spell.

The only weapons Sylvanas had with her was a pair of small daggers which were hidden beneath the soles of her shoes. She could also use dark magic to attack whoever would appear through the portal. She was not defenceless. Nothing happened in the first two minutes but then a man stepped through the portal.

The first thing he did was to check his surroundings quickly, a surprised look appeared on his face. It seemed that he had not expected to come out in this room. Three creatures appeared shortly after him. Two males and a female. All of them were sin'dorei. Their eyes were fel green just like Alleria's and Vereesa's eyes. One of the males carried a person wrapped in cloth on his shoulders.

Sylvanas had never seen the two men and the female before but the man who had come out of the portal first seemed familiar to her. Sylvanas' crimson red eyes regarded him from head to toe. He wore fel green armour which covered his whole body. Only his head was unprotected. He had long pale blond hair, the strands of hair that covered the right side of his face were green.

He was unshaved but there was not enough hair on his face to call it a full beard. He might grow a full beard one day but Sylvanas doubted it would suit him. Only a small amount of sin'dorei wore beards because beards did not suit most elves. Especially full beards didn't look good on most sin'dorei. Sylvanas was sure the man would look much better without a beard.

Because of the beard and the hair that covered half of his face, she needed a few moments longer to recognize the familiar features. The familiar chin, the forms of his lips and his nose. His eye had a different colour but she could still recognize the special form of the iris. The way his hair was combed was special too. She had no doubt who that person was.

It was him.

She was sure of that.

She was sure it was him.

The love of her life.

Her everything.

Her husband.

Her Kelrian.