Chapter 56: More Than One?

"The result is unequivocal," the mage said as she wrote something on her writing pad.

"Are you sure?" asked Kelrian. Doubt was clearly hearable in his voice.

"I am," responded the mage.

"I still can't believe it. It sounds so surreal. My family consists only of priests and paladins for centuries. We never had a mage in our family. I don't understand why I should be capable of using magic. It doesn't make sense to me."

The mage shrugged her shoulders. "I have no idea but the test is a clear proof that you are capable of using magic."

Kelrian was silent for a few moments because he didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think about it. Being able to use magic was not a bad thing. On the contrary, it was a good thing. Learning how to use magic would give him advantages in daily life but also in battle. He knew that he would have to spend a lot of time on training if he wanted to become a good mage. He didn't know if he would have the time. He was working as a ranger and had a pregnant girlfriend. He wouldn't have that much time once the baby would be born.

He didn't even know if he wanted to learn how to use magic. It didn't seem real to him. Everything seemed more like a dream or a hallucination to him. He still couldn't believe that the results were positive. He would have never expected that he would be able to use magic. He had thought that Zetai had been mistaken when he had seen him throwing a fireball at the orc.

He had thought that someone else had created the fireball but now he was sure that it had been him who had done that. He still couldn't believe it. It was impossible that he could create a fireball while being throttled. He had never cast a mage spell before. The only spell he had ever cast was a spell every ranger was able to cast. Disappearing into the shadows was not easy to learn but most rangers had perfected it.

Kelrian didn't know much about science but he didn't doubt the credibility of the result of the test. He had heard people talking about the test and he had heard how the reaction of the dust had looked like. He knew that the result was legitimate and the mage was right.

"The arcane dust glowed and dissolved a few moments later when it came in contact with your skin. You are capable of magic, that's for sure. There is no other explanation why the dust reacted like this. It even reacted a lot faster than it did with others. The magic inside you is much stronger than I would have expected."

Kelrian frowned and rubbed his forehead. "I still can't believe it. My parents are servants of the light. My father is a priest and my mother is a paladin. There are no mages in our family."

"Do you know your entire family tree?"

"Well... To be honest, I don't know about the first three generations but I know about the rest."

"I assume that there must have been a mage in these three generations. And you inherited your capability of magic from that person."

Kelrian nodded at the mage. "That's the only explanation that makes sense."

"What are you going to do now?" asked the raven-haired woman.

"I have no idea, to be honest. I need time to think about it."

The mage approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Whenever you need someone to talk to, come to me. If you decide to start your training as a mage then come to me as well. Or you go to Dalaran and look out for a teacher. There are many powerful and friendly mages there that would love to train someone like you. It doesn't happen every day that the dust dissolves so quickly. That has to be a sign. I'm sure you can be a powerful mage if you want. Just think about everything and make a decision then. Take your time"

Kelrian gave her a small smile. "I will think about it and keep your offers in my mind. Thanks for testing me."

"You are welcome."

"I'm leaving now. My girlfriend is waiting for me."

The mage nodded. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you. You too."

Kelrian left the room without hesitation, walking through the bordering corridor until he came to the staircase. He climbed it down and walked to the next exit as fast as possible. He left the academy and followed the course of the street until he came back to the main street. The streets were still overcrowded but most people looked a lot happier than they usually looked.

He had expected that. The war was finally over after so many unnecessary lives had been taken. No soldier of the Alliance had deserved to die but many died nevertheless. But they didn't die in vain. They had given their lives to stop the Horde.

The fallen would never know that the Alliance had been successful. They would never know that those who had survived could live in peace and rebuilt everything that had been destroyed. The fallen soldiers would never be forgotten. The building of the first memorial had started a week ago. It would be erected in the middle of the Bazaar in the east of Silvermoon City.

Kelrian knew that many were still mourning for their fallen loved ones. He could see it in their eyes that they were still coping with the loss of their loved ones. But they will accept their deaths sooner or later, Kelrian was sure about that. He had mourned for his brother for a while but he had managed to accept the truth.

He had accepted that Seitor was no longer among the living. He had accepted his death and was looking forward. He still missed his brother. He missed him very badly but he had to let him go. He wouldn't be able to focus on the important things if he would always think of his brother. He had to stay focused and find out what the future was holding.

He will become a father in four months.

Everything will change after Sylvanas gave birth to their child. He would have to spend much of his free time with the baby but he didn't mind that. He was looking forward to raising a child with the woman he loved more than anyone else.

Maybe it was even more than one child. It was Alleria who had noticed first that Sylvanas' belly was much rounder than the bellies of other women in the sixth month. They couldn't exclude that Sylvanas was expecting more than one child. They had to find out how many tiny hearts were beating in Sylvanas' belly.

To do that they had to go to a doctor who would make an ultrasound with Sylvanas. And they were doing that. Kelrian was already on the way to this confidential doctor. He only had to walk for about ten minutes to reach the house he was looking for.

He came to a building with three floors, white walls and a roof covered by dark brown tiles. He didn't hesitate to walk to the entrance and entered the building quickly. He followed the corridor until he came to the reception. A young woman with short blonde hair sat there. She wore a white blouse and white trousers. She got earrings that looked like a purple crystal and a bracelet made out of small gems. Kelrian found out that her surname was Firegem.

"How can I help you, sir?" asked the receptionist.

"My partner and I have an appointment with Doctor Silverear. I assume she arrived earlier than me."

"Give me a moment, I will be back soon."

"Take your time," Kelrian said in return. The receptionist nodded and stood up, walking through the door right next to the reception. Kelrian regarded the pictures that hang on the white walls while he waited for her return. The woman returned a few minutes later and pointed at the door out of which she had just appeared. "Follow this corridor until you reach room sixty-nine. Doctor Silverear and your partner are already waiting for you."

Kelrian gave her a nod. "Thank you."

She smiled. "I'm just doing my job."

Kelrian didn't say anything in return. He just followed the corridor until he reached the room the woman had told him knocked at it, hearing a modulated voice that told him to come in. He obeyed and closed the door behind him. His gaze fell on the desk behind which a person was sitting. It was a woman with long, curly brown hair and round glasses. She wore a white doctor gown and white trousers, a stethoscope hung around her neck and a pencil stuck behind her ear.

She was leaning forward, her arms rested on her desk and she gesticulated as she talked to Sylvanas who was sitting on one of the two chairs in front of the desk. The doctor turned her head to look at Kelrian, so did Sylvanas who turned her upper body to the left so she could have a better look at her lover.

Kelrian nodded to her and sat down on the chair next to her, giving her a smile. She enclosed the distance between their faces and pressed her lips against his, greeting him appropriately. Kelrian returned the kiss even though he felt a bit uncomfortable kissing her in front of a person he didn't know.

He still hadn't gotten used to their decision to make things between them official. He would be able to kiss her in public as soon as everyone knew about them. They wouldn't need to hide anymore and could show their feelings for the other even outside a closed room. They could show everyone that they loved each other. Kelrian loved that idea. Nevertheless, he felt a bit uncomfortable at the moment but he was sure he would get used to it sooner or later.

He felt the tip of Sylvanas' tongue licking over his bottom lip. He couldn't resist her so he parted his lips and allowed her to insert her tongue in her mouth. The passionate kiss they shared was only a few seconds long but it was enough for them for the moment. They parted and turned their heads to look at the doctor who was smiling at them.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about you. My lips are sealed so are Liviana's."

"Liviana is the girl at the reception," explained Sylvanas.

"I guessed that," replied Kelrian.

"Now that everyone is here, we can start."

"Yes, please."

The doctor got up and pointed at the daybed. "Feel free to lie down on it, Ranger-General."

"Please call me by my first name."

"As you wish, Sylvanas."

Sylvanas smiled. "Better."

The doctor returned her smile and walked to the daybed. Kelrian guided Sylvanas over to it and helped her to lie down in a comfortable position. The doctor put a small pillow beneath her head so Sylvanas could lie more comfortably. She waited until Sylvanas had opened her coat and pulled her top up to reveal her swollen belly. The doctor spread a transparent gelon her belly and laid a pink coloured crystal on it. She closed her eyes and muttered a few phrases, opening her eyes once she was done.

Kelrian turned his head and regarded the projection on the opposite wall. He could see something but he couldn't tell what it was because the projection was unclear. Doctor Silverear moved the crystal a little until the projection was clear. Sylvanas' eyes widened in surprise. Her sister's assumption had turned out to be true. There were two well-developed foetuses. She could see their tiny heads, their arms and even their legs. She couldn't see their genders because the babies were holding their hands between their legs.

Sylvanas' heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She was happier than ever. She was allowed to have two babies at the same time. Two babies would mean more stress and she would have to feel the pain of giving birth two times in total but she didn't care about that at the moment. She was so happy at the moment that she didn't think about anything else but the children she would have in a few months.

Kelrian was holding Sylvanas' hand and running his thumb over the back of her hand. He was also happy but too surprised to say anything. He was silent and just stared at Sylvanas who regarded the projection for a few more minutes before she averted her gaze and looked at him. She mimicked his smile and stared into his eyes. "There are no words that can explain how happy I am at this moment."

"I feel the same, my love."

Doctor Silverear also smiled. "I'm happy for you. I'm sure you will be excellent parents and your children will be happy to have you."

"I hope that," said Sylvanas.

"I can't determine the genders at the moment. You can come to me in a few days and we can see if the babies reveal their genders to us this time."

"No, I don't want to find it out. I want to be surprised," responded Sylvanas.

The doctor nodded. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Sylvanas looked at Kelrian who shook his head. She looked back at the doctor who was giving her an expecting look. "Not at the moment."

"If you need help or have any problem just come to me. You don't even have to make an appointment first. Just tell Liviana that you want to see me."

Sylvanas gave her a thankful nod. "We will do that. Thank you, Doctor Silverear."

"You can call me Ferea if you want."

"I will."

"If there is nothing else you want to talk about, then you can go if you want," Ferea said.

"Thank you for your service, Ferea."

"You are welcome, Sylvanas."

"We will go then."

Ferea smiled. "I won't stop you."

Sylvanas shook the doctor's hand. "Have a nice day."

"You too."

Sylvanas nodded to her and stood up from the daybed, wrapping her coat around her body. She signalized Kelrian to go to the door. He did that and opened it, allowing Sylvanas to go through it. He waved the doctor goodbye before he left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Should we leave the building separately or do we go together?" Kelrian asked.

"We decided to not hide anymore, didn't we?" Sylvanas asked as she stared into his eyes.

"We did. You are right, my love."

"We will go to my house together. I don't care that people will see us together. They will find out soon that I'm pregnant and count two and two together. They will find out at the latest when I appear at the victory celebration in an outfit that can't hide my belly. I don't mind them finding out about us sooner."

"I'm glad about that. I don't want to hide any longer. I want to be able to spend time with you in public and even kiss you or hold hands with you in public. I'm tired of hiding and being your secret lover. I don't want to brag about you in front of others but I don't want to keep our relationship secret. I just want that everyone knows you are already spoken for. You are mine and they have to get used to that. Your admirers should stop trying to chat you up."

Sylvanas smiled and put her hands on his cheeks. "Don't worry, their attempts are always unsuccessful. I just ignore them most of the times or tell them politely that I'm not interested. But don't forget that you will get more unwanted attention once we make it official."

"I'm sure I can handle it."

"I think the same."

Kelrian put a hand on her belly. "These tiny little creatures will change everything. Our lives won't be the same after you gave birth to them."

Sylvanas smiled widely. "I know but I don't mind that. I'm looking forward to raising them with you."

Kelrian lowered his head and placed a soft kiss on his lover's right cheek. "So am I. I'm sure we will be good parents."

"I believe the same, my love."

Kelrian mimicked her happy smile.

"Does your family know about me and our future children?"

Kelrian shook his head. "I haven't told them yet but I will tell them soon."

"Shall I come with you then?"

Kelrian made a thoughtful face and was silent for a few moments. "Now that we want to make things official, I can introduce you to them and we can tell them about our babies."

"That's a good idea, Kel. Why don't we have dinner with them?"

"Sounds great. So, you want to invite them to your place?"

"Yes, that sounds good. We should do that."

"My mother already knows that I have a girlfriend but she doesn't know who it is. I will tell her that my girlfriend is inviting her and the rest of our family to dinner. I will tell her that I want to introduce you and your family to them"

"Yeah, say it like that. I hope your mother accepts the invitation."

Kelrian put a hand on her cheek as he spotted the small amount of insecurity in her eyes. He stared into these blue orbs and made all worry and insecurity disappear. "I'm sure she will. She wants only the best for her children and she told me several times that she wants to get known to you. She is still coping with Seitor's death so is the rest of my family, that's why I believe hearing such good news will cheer them up. I'm sure my mother will be happy when she finds out that she is going to be a grandmother. She always told me she wanted to have grandchildren."

"I hope your mother will accept and like me."

"You are the Ranger-General of Silvermoon, of course, she likes you. Everybody likes you and I'm sure she will also like you as a private person. She will also like Sylvanas and not only the Ranger-General. I'm sure about that."

Sylvanas smiled and stepped on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against Kelrian's. The ranger didn't hesitate to return the kiss, putting one hand on the back of her head as he deepened the kiss. They heard quiet footsteps but they didn't stop kissing. Normally, they would have pulled away to hide their relationship. But since they had decided to no longer hide it, they didn't need to pull away. They didn't stop kissing, not even when no more footsteps could be heard.

They only pulled away when they ran out of air and their lungs started to hurt. They took deep breaths, staring in each other's eyes for a few moments before they turned around to look at the person who was standing not far away from them. The person had turquoise coloured hair and her eyes were widened. Kelrian was unable to tell if they were widened in shock or in surprise.

He only knew one thing. Elena hadn't expected to see them kissing. Her mouth was open but no words escaped her lips. She was just standing there and staring at them as if she had seen a ghost.

"Is everything okay?" Sylvanas asked as she came closer and waved her hand in front of the ranger's eyes. The female ranger came back to reality and blinked a few times as if she was testing whether she was really seeing what was in front of her eyes or if everything was just a hallucination. Unfortunately for Elena, what she was seeing was not a hallucination. Everything was real. The man she loved had just kissed the Ranger-General in front of her eyes.

She realized that he had said the truth when he had told her in the past that he was in a relationship. Elena was not angry but jealous. Jealous and shocked. Her mind was blank. She didn't know what to say so she just stood there and did nothing except staring at the Ranger-General who gave her a curious look. Sylvanas wrapped her arm around Kelrian's waist and pulled him closer to her. "Can I help you somehow, Ranger Elena?"

Elena didn't react at first but then she shook her head and turned around, walking away as fast as possible.

"Weird," muttered Kelrian as he watched her leave. He turned his head, spotting the amused smile on his lover's lips.

"At least she won't chat you up anymore. I hope that at least."

Kelrian placed a kiss on her forehead. "Even if she would try it, I would reject her and tell her that I'm already spoken for."

"I hope she stops trying to win you for her and looks out for someone else. I don't want her to keep trying to make you fall for her."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "Are you jealous?"

Sylvanas' lips were pressed together. "A little maybe," she admitted.

Kelrian chuckled. "You have no reason to. There is already one woman who keeps me on the go. I don't need another one who just wants to make love with me whenever she can," he joked.

Sylvanas hit his shoulder playfully. "I'm only so horny because of the hormones. You know me very well. Normally, I don't need to have sex that often. But since I became pregnant, I want to do it way more often than usual."

Kelrian ran his fingers over her jawline. "I know, my dear. I didn't say I'm not enjoying it, did I?"

The pregnant woman smirked. "I noticed that you enjoy making love to me. I enjoy it the same way as you do."

Kelrian leaned in until his mouth was very close to her ear. "I know. The way you scream my name when you come and the way you look at me when you are horny prove that."

Sylvanas grinned but didn't say anything in return. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, placing kisses along his jawline. She pulled away eventually and smiled at him. "We should leave the doctor's office and go to my house."

"I will follow you wherever you go, my love. I would follow you until the end of the world."

"You are so sweet, my dear."

"So you are."

Sylvanas took his hand and they walked through the corridor until they came to the waiting room. They ignored the surprised and curious expressions on the faces of the waiting men, women and children. Janette stood up from her chair and walked over to her boss. "Are we leaving?" she asked.

"Yes, we are," responded Sylvanas.

"I got everything you wanted from the pharmacy," Janette responded and pointed at the bag in her hand.

"Thank you, Janette."

The redhead gave her a smile and blushed a little. She didn't hesitate to follow the Ranger-General and her lover as they walked out of the room hand in hand. They left the office and walked through the streets of Silvermoon.

As expected, most people were surprised to see them acting like a normal couple. Their gazes rested on them but Sylvanas didn't mind that. She was used to getting the attention of everyone around her. She was used to that but Kelrian wasn't. Usually, he never was in the limelight. He was not used to hundreds of pairs of eyes resting on him.

They heard whisperings. People were talking about them quietly. Sylvanas turned her head and looked at Kelrian, on whose forehead a frown was visible. She noticed that he had no idea what he should do. He was overtaxed with the entire situation. Sylvanas' eyes wandered over the crowd that had formed around them. Numerous curious pairs of eyes rested on them.

She looked at Janette who gave her an understanding nod. Her favourite employee cleared a path for them so the couple could continue walking without being stopped by the spectators. They walked and walked until they arrived at her house.

They didn't hesitate to go to the second floor and follow the corridor until they arrived at Sylvanas' room. They entered it and walked over to the sofa, lying down on it. Sylvanas was lying on Kelrian who had wrapped his arms and legs around her. His head rested on her shoulder, his hands laid on her belly.

"Twins," Sylvanas said eventually. "I can't believe we are getting twins."

"Are you happy about it?"

Sylvanas turned her head so she could look at the man who was holding her. "Of course I am. And you?"

"I'm happy too. Two children will be more stressful but I'm sure we can handle them."

Sylvanas smiled. "I think the same."

"Now that the Horde is defeated, we can plan our future together."

"Yes, we can do that and we should do that. We decided to make things official so there is nothing which speaks against you moving in. It's better for us and the babies if we live together."

Kelrian pressed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love the idea of living together with you."

"I'm glad my dear. There is much more we have to talk about."

"You mean who stays home with the babies?" he asked curiously.

Sylvanas chuckled. "You are reading my mind, my dear."

"The war is over but there will still be plenty of work for you, right?"

"Probably. I had the idea that we take turns, depends on how much I have to do. If I have much to do, I go to my office and work while you stay home. And when I'm not too busy I stay at home. If I don't have to do much, I will do my work at home even with crying babies that will distract me from time to time. I only need my peace when I have lots of work to do," Sylvanas explained.

"I understand that."

"Do you agree with my suggestion?"

Kelrian put a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I do."

"So we have cleared everything up, right?"

"Yeah. There is something I want to inform you about," Kelrian responded.

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow and gave him a curious look. "Go ahead."

Kelrian exalted. "It seems that I'm capable of using magic."

Sylvanas' facial expression was full of surprise. She couldn't believe it at first but the serious expression on his face told her that he was not joking.

"Magic?" she asked, doubt was still hearable in her voice. "Are you sure?"

Kelrian nodded. "I was as surprised as you are now. The mage who tested me told me that the results are unequivocal. Zetai also told me that he saw me creating a fireball when the orc throttled me. He told me that he wouldn't have been able to save me if I wouldn't have ignited the orc and distracted him that way. Nevertheless, I can't believe that I created such a complicated technique without having learned it. It's also strange that I managed to do that while I was close to death. Normally, mages need to concentrate themselves to use magic like this. But I didn't. It's so weird..."

A thoughtful look could be seen on Sylvanas' face. "That's...very interesting."

"It is. I have no idea what to think of it. I mean, it's not a bad thing. It only has advantages when I learn how to use it. On the other hand, I have to spend a lot of time if I want to learn how to control my magic properly. Time will be lacking elsewhere then."

"The war is over so not every ranger will be needed as soon as the villages and bases are rebuilt. Other rangers can go on patrols or stay in the villages and the bases and look over them. If you want you can seek out a mage teacher who teaches you how to control your magic. You can even go to Dalaran if you want. You find the best of the best there."

"I will think about it. Thanks for the advices, my dear."

Sylvanas smirked. "You are always welcome."

"I'm glad I have you."

Sylvanas pressed her lips against his. "So am I."