Chapter 9: No Escape

Author's Note: This chapter will be the hardest chapter of the story. I would lie if I would say it was easy to write. It was not. But it's inevitable. I already mentioned that this story will have ups and downs. This is chapter is one of the biggest downs but there will also be lots of ups. Stay strong guys and remain patient. The chapter will be very emotional.

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Sylvanas stared at the horizon, watching the army of undead that was coming closer and closer. Numerous thoughts came in her mind. Thoughts about her family, her friends and her husband. The chance was pretty high that she would never see them again. If what Alleria had said was true, then they wouldn't stand a chance against this gigantic army. She had hoped that they could burn many of the undead before Arthas realised that he couldn't surpass the barrier. She had hoped that he would leave Quel'Thalas when finding out that there was no way for him to pass the second gate.

But if it was true that Dar'Khan Drathir had betrayed them, they wouldn't be able to hold the gate for long. She assumed they could buy their people hours, maybe even a few days but not longer than that. They had not enough mages to pose a threat to the undead army. They would only feed his army with more men, that was all that would happen. They would die but they would buy enough time for the citizens, so they would be able to flee to Quel'Danas where the undead army wouldn't be able to harm them.

Sylvanas noticed the anger that was built up in her when she thought about the traitor Dar'Khan Drathir. She couldn't believe that he betrayed the high elves and helped this butcher. She didn't understand why he did that and even if she would know the reason for his betrayal, she was sure she wouldn't understand it. Dar'Khan was a twisted person who had no moral values or honour. She assumed that Arthas made Dar'Khan promises and he was dumb enough to believe that the fallen prince would keep his promises. It wouldn't surprise her if Arthas promised him power and a high position in his undead army.

Sylvanas assumed that she wouldn't make it out alive but she was hoping she would find this traitor before her demise and kill him. She wanted his death and she hoped that someone will call him to account for his betrayal if she couldn't be the one to kill him.

Sylvanas put a hand on her belly, wondering if she was carrying a foetus inside her. A few weeks ago, she had wished nothing more than being pregnant, now she was hoping she wasn't pregnant. She had no proof if she was pregnant or not, she just had this premonition, this feeling that she was carrying a foetus in her belly. She had vomited less than a week ago which was an early sign of pregnancy but that was not proof enough. It could also be possible that she had just eaten something bad that day.

She hoped she was not pregnant because she didn't want her unborn baby to die with her. But she couldn't just leave her men at the front and die for the safety of their people while she would hide on Quel'Danas. It was her duty as Ranger-General to protect her people. Her presence will motivate her men and give them the strength to endure as long as possible and fight until their last breaths without fearing what was awaiting them.

She had to be there and fight with them. It was her duty. She was no coward. She hadn't participated in most battles of the Second War because she had been pregnant. She was sure fewer of her people would have died if she had been there and fought alongside her men.

She didn't want to abandon her people again. She would fight with them until the bitter end. Even if she would know that she would be pregnant, it wouldn't change much for her. She couldn't risk thousands of lives for only one life. And because she didn't know if she was pregnant, it had been much easier for her to make that decision. She might be a terrible mother in that case but a good leader instead. She was putting the interest of her people over her personal interest. She had to do this even if that meant she would never see her husband and her family again.

Knowing that Kelrian would take care of her family and bring them to safety comforted her. She was still worried but she was not afraid anymore. She had accepted her destiny and could only hope she and her men would buy as much time as possible.

Sylvanas turned around and looked at the rangers, mages, paladins and priests that stood at the top of the large and long gate. Lots of them stood on the walls and on the mountain chains that bordered them. She looked into the faces of many of them. They were scared, worried but also determined. Many seem to have accepted their deaths while others were still afraid of dying.

They didn't want to die. Nobody wanted that but death was inevitable. Many of them will lose their lives, only a small portion might be able to save themselves once the gate would be overrun. Sacrifices must be made for the survival of their people, their families and their loved ones. Sylvanas was sure that every single soldier wanted to protect those they loved.

There was only one thing Sylvanas could do at the moment. Cheering them up, motivate them and give them the strength and the courage they needed so badly at the moment. She knew she couldn't talk loud enough for everyone to hear her, so she told Verena and Alleria to go to the left and right sides of the mountain chains and gave the soldiers there a small motivating speech. They nodded to her and hurried away.

Sylvanas cleared her throat and started to speak as loud as she could. Her voice reflected determination and strength. "I know that many of you are worried about the inevitable. I know that many of you are scared. I know everyone doesn't want to die. I don't want to die either but we have sworn to protect our people. We have sworn to protect the defenceless and we will always keep what we have sworn. We can only protect our families, friends and loved ones if we hold the second gate as long as possible.

We have to buy the sent-out units as much time as possible, so they can evacuate the villages and towns and bring the inhabitants to Silvermoon where they will be transported to Quel'Danas. That's the only way we can guarantee that our race will not be extinguished by the butcher and his army of rotten corpses.

I don't want to lie to you so I have to tell you that many of us will die. But we won't die without a purpose. We will make sure our race will survive and can recover one day. We will burn as many of these undead creatures as we can. We won't go down without a fight. We will make our ancestors proud of us by fighting until our last breaths. We will show this butcher how fearsome we are. We will show him that we don't fear death and that we would die for the greater good.

We will meet each other in the afterlife and witness how the other kingdoms will make Arthas Menethil pay for all the crimes he had committed. He will receive his just punishment one day. That's inevitable. I expect from everyone that they will give their best and fight until they can't stand anymore. I want the mages to burn as many of these undead creatures as they can. I want everyone to burn the corpses of our fallen comrades if that's possible. We can only hope we don't end in the ranks of this butcher."

Sylvanas turned around, her eyes fell on the army that had gotten closer and closer in the meantime. She assumed that they would need less than twenty minutes to reach the gate. She could only hope that Arthas didn't have the keys. Something told her that Arthas had them which would mean that Dar'Khan Drathir had given him. They had been hidden in special places behind the second gate, meaning that Arthas would have never gotten them without help.

Not many high elves knew where the keys were. Unfortunately, Dar'Khan Drathir belonged to the ones who knew about them. And that traitor will pay for his betrayal one day. Sylvanas only wished she could be the one who could kill that bastard but she was sure he was hiding somewhere and waiting until Arthas' army had dealt with the defenders.

Sylvanas turned back to her people, noticing that most of them looked more confident, determined and less worried and scared than before. They were ready for battle. They were ready to fight and buy their people as much time as possible. They were ready to die for Quel'Thalas and its inhabitants. Sylvanas gave them the signal to make themselves ready. The mages started to prepare spells while the rangers knocked arrows and aimed at the approaching army. The undead were not in range yet but they will be soon.

Sylvanas let them wait a few minutes longer. She was sure that the army was in range, so she lifted her arm and signalized everyone that the battle was about to begin. "FOR QUEL'THALAS!" Sylvanas shouted and lowered her arm rapidly.

She took her bow from her back, drew an arrow and aimed at the front line of the enemy, smiling weakly when she noticed that hundreds of these undead creatures had been killed already. But these hundreds were nothing compared to the number of mindless servants the death knight had.

The army came closer and closer, undead fell or were burned to ashes but that didn't bother the death knight. He was still sitting on his horse and riding behind the front line. Two massive abominations stood in front of him and blocked most of the arrows that would have hit him. Also, he destroyed all the arrows, which weren't blocked by the two massive three-armed creatures, with his sword.

His army reached the barrier eventually. Hundreds were taken down while they stood there motionless but not all fallen creatures were burned. Half of the cultists raised the unburned fallen while the other half tried to extinguish the flames before they spread out. They had moderate success.

But Arthas Menethil didn't care about losing a few hundred or thousand creatures. He knew his army would be a lot larger than before once he would be done with Quel'Thalas.

The abominations moved forward, blocking more arrows for him. He followed them and pulled the key out of his saddlebag. Dar'Khan had brought him the three mooncrystals that make up the Key of the Three Moons. The key was able to deactivate the barrier around the second gate, Dar'Khan had promised him that. Arthas could only hope that the mage hadn't lied to him. He would be pretty angry if it would turn out that the elf had given him false information.

Arthas Menethil was not far away from the barely visible barrier as he lifted the key in the air and spoke the words Dar'Khan had told him. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips as he noticed that the barrier became clearly visible and dissolved quickly.

He lifted his head, a cocky smile could be seen on his lips as he looked up at Sylvanas who was firing arrow after arrow at the undead. Like all of her rangers, she held the tip of each of them in the flames of the fire pits before she shot them. The arrows of her and her rangers were more effective that way and made sure that lots of the creatures couldn't be raised again. But Arthas didn't care. It didn't bother him at all because he knew he was going to win anyway. He was convinced that he will be victorious. He didn't count on the possibility of losing.

He was certain of victory.

---

"That doesn't look good," analysed Verena as she regarded the wound in Sylvanas' left hip and started to dress it. One of her former comrades, who had been raised by the death knight, had stabbed her.

"Our entire situation doesn't look good," hissed Sylvanas and tried to get up but Verena held her down. "You are wounded, Sylvanas. The bandage won't hold long if you continue fighting. We have to get you out of here," she said worriedly and stared at her best friend and former lover.

"I don't think he will allow us to escape," said Alleria and stepped to her sister, squatting down next to her. Sylvanas turned her head and looked at the direction Alleria was pointing.

There was the man she hated more than anyone else. She hated him even more than Xenarion, who had let her brother die instead of helping him. She would put a curse on him if she could if she would be able to use this kind of magic. All she could do was to hide in the shadows but that wouldn't be possible with her wound.

This wouldn't be possible in general, because she would have to concentrate to do so, and it was impossible for her to concentrate while she had to hear these loud and annoying noises. The sounds of battle, the cries for help, the loud noises the undead produced.

It was impossible for her to focus on anything. The smell of the undead stung in Sylvanas' nose and the noses of her comrades. She fought hard not to vomit but she managed to keep the content of her stomach inside her. There wasn't much that would have come out of it anyway. The battle lasted for two days and she hadn't eaten at all during these two days. But she wasn't hungry. She was sad and angry. Angry at Arthas and sad that she couldn't stop the inevitable.

Sylvanas looked at her sister who had taken her bow and fired arrows at the few ghouls that were running towards them. She was not the only ranger who fired at these miserable creatures. Nathanos and Zetai were behind her. They didn't have many arrows left and there was no mage in their near who could refill their quivers. They had to go with the small number of arrows they had left.

Sylvanas also had a few arrows left. She signalized Verena to let her go, the Ranger-Captain hesitated for a few moments but then listened to her superior and best friend. She got up and allowed Sylvanas to get on her feet. The wound was still hurting but she didn't care. She picked her bow up and drew an arrow from her quiver, firing at the nearest ghoul. The arrow pierced through the creature's skullcap and its brain, making it stop. A few seconds passed and then it fell forward and landed on the blood-covered ground, remaining there motionless.

The death knight's horse stopped next to the freshly slain ghouls. He still held his sword Frostmourne in his hand and regarded the creatures for a few moments, then he looked at the Ranger-General. A triumphant grin appeared on his lips as the ghouls got up and started to walk towards the rangers.

Sylvanas, her friends and her five rangers fired all of their remaining arrows and before they drew their swords to attack the approaching monstrosities. They slew ghouls, skeletons and their risen comrades but they were too many.

The ghouls and skeletons took care of the five rangers. They were either bitten to death or torn apart. Seeing their comrades being torn limb from limb was horrible to watch for anyone. One of these massive, three-armed creatures had lifted one of her rangers and squashed her body with ease. Her painful cries still rang in Sylvanas' ears.

Only she, Alleria, Verena, Nathanos and Zetai were left. They were surrounded by undead creatures. Ghouls, skeletons, abominations and even these bat-like things. Sylvanas had heard Arthas addressing them as gargoyles. They had killed most of her dragonhawks with their riders and they had even kidnapped some of her rangers and dropped them elsewhere.

One of these creatures was flying towards them. Sylvanas wished she had arrows left. She had found out in the past days that the gargoyles' bodies were invulnerable against arrows but their eyes and the insides of their mouths weren't. Sylvanas rolled away at the last moment and avoided getting picked up by the creature.

Her sister was not as fast as her and got caught by the creature. She was lifted up in the air and carried to the nearest river. Sylvanas shouted her sister's name but there was nothing she could do for her. Alleria was at the mercy of this creature and everyone knew that this creature had no mercy. It would bring Alleria somewhere and drop her from a large height, which would break every bone in her body.

Alleria tried to get free, she even hurt the gargoyles' feet with her swords but the creature didn't let her go. But it stopped suddenly as a dragonhawk attacked it. The dragonhawk had come out of nowhere and its rider was missing, nevertheless, it managed to make the gargoyle drop the Ranger-Captain. Alleria fell and landed in the wide and deep river but she managed to get to the shore before the raging current took her away. Unfortunately, she was on the other side of the river and there was no way for her to get over it. She had no arrows left so she could either watch or run away.

Sylvanas told her sister to run but the older Windrunner just stood rooted on the spot, her widened eyes rested on someone. Sylvanas followed her gaze until she looked at the same person. Arthas Menethil had dismounted from his horse, he held Frostmourne in his right hand while he slowly approached the remaining four rangers.

Sylvanas snarled as she saw him coming. Her fighting style became more fiercely as anger and despair started to overwhelm her. She wanted to kill as many of these creatures as possible even though she knew it would make no difference. They had no mage or source of fire to burn the fallen. Arthas would raise them later. Fighting was pointless but she wouldn't give up without a fight. She wanted to go down fighting like a brave warrior.

"This is pointless," shouted Zetai after he had beheaded two more skeletons with one strike.

"We have to kill Arthas. We have to try it", shouted Verena.

Sylvanas cut through two ghouls, squashing their heads with her boots. Her gaze wandered to the death knight who was smiling mischievously at her. He was coming for her, but he had to get past her three comrades first.

Her gaze fell on Alleria who was still standing at the other side of the river, tears were forming in her eyes as she watched Arthas getting closer and closer to her precious little sister. There was nothing she could do for her. She had no arrows left and she couldn't get over the deep and wide river without being carried away by the raging current. She knew she should flee but she couldn't move. All she could do was watching the happening on the other side of the river.

Arthas came closer and closer. He shoved ghouls and skeletons aside as he approached Nathanos. The human ranger's eyes reflected hatred. He was standing not far away from the former prince of his kingdom who had only needed a few days to ruin what his father had built up during his reign of over fifty years.

"That's for Lordaeron, you traitorous bastard," Nathanos cried out as he charged at the death knight. Arthas blocked his attacks with ease, pushing him away. Nathanos didn't hesitate to attack again but he didn't manage to hit Arthas who avoided or blocked all of his attacks. The ranger's blades shattered eventually but Nathanos was still not unarmed. He drew a dagger from his belt, intending to stab his foe's neck with it.

Arthas was not impressed at all. He was bored, so he rammed his sword through the human's chest. Nathanos spat a large amount of blood out, his heart was hammering and his eyes were widened in shock. The death knight put his hand on Nathanos' shoulder and pulled him closer, impaling him on his cursed runeblade.

Nathanos heard his name escape Sylvanas' lips before everything went dark around him. Arthas' smile became wider as the human ranger's body became limp and his soul was absorbed by Frostmourne. He pulled his sword out of Nathanos' lifeless body and flung it away, then he walked towards the next person who was standing between him and the Ranger-General. Sylvanas had made him pretty mad and taxed his patience over the past days, so he enjoyed killing her rangers in front of her eyes.

Zetai walked towards him, both hands held his swords tightly. He was pretty muscular and one head taller than the death knight, so it really surprised Arthas that his opponent was pretty fast for his size. Zetai tried his best but even he had no chance against the death knight. He belonged to the best rangers Sylvanas had but Arthas was much stronger than him. Zetai shared Nathanos' fate and ended up as a motionless corpse on the ground.

Arthas commanded his servants to stop fighting and step away. They obeyed him because they had no other choice, forming a circle around the remaining elves and their master. The circle was large enough so that Sylvanas and Verena had enough space to fight the death knight.

The elven women looked at each other, tears formed in Verena's eyes but she stayed strong and held them back. She knew that they were going to die because they had no chance against him. Verena knew she would never see her best friend and former lover again, so she did something she had wanted to do for decades. She approached Sylvanas, pressed her lips on hers and closed her eyes, allowing the tears to run down her cheeks this time. Sylvanas returned the kiss but pulled away after a few seconds, wiping her best friend's tears away.

She looked at Verena for a few moments before she looked at her sister who sitting on her knees in front of the river, tears were running down her cheeks. She looked back at Arthas who was also looking at Alleria for a few moments before his gaze shifted back to the Ranger-General and her second-in-command.

"Are you two ready or have you planned on making out for a while before you face the inevitable," Arthas said bored.

Verena's eyes narrowed. "Unlike you, we are capable of loving another person, monster."

Arthas smirked. "There was a woman I once loved but she betrayed me. She let me down and broke the promise she gave me. Love is nothing more than a weakness and a pure waste of time. You may be able to love someone but that makes you weak. I'm not weak. That's the difference between us."

Verena snarled and looked at Sylvanas who gave her a small nod. The two women sprinted to Arthas and attacked him at the same time. Arthas avoided their hits and pushed them away but they didn't hesitate to attack him again. They were pretty fast, so they dodged his first attacks but Arthas didn't lose his patience. He remained calm and kept fighting.

He had himself under control until the red-haired elf managed to slit his cheek with her dagger, leaving a deep cut. Arthas roared out in anger and pushed both elves away, focusing his power for a few moments. A green glowing sphere was created. He sent the blast of unholy energy at Verena and hit her.

A loud cry escaped her lips as she landed on the ground. Sylvanas rushed to her and turned her around, a shocked cry escaped her lips as her eyes fell on Verena's torso. Her chest was open, a massive amount of blood was flowing out. Whatever had hit her had heavily wounded and nearly killed her.

It was not looking good for Verena. She was bleeding to death and there was nothing Sylvanas could do for her. There was nothing she could do to save her friend or herself. She had accepted her death days ago and she had also known that Verena might die too. Nevertheless, she was churned up. She was losing her best friend she knew from an early age. She knew her since they were little girls and had played together in the sandpit.

She was the best friend she ever had. Even though Verena had always wanted Sylvanas, she had always supported her and helped her to forgive Kelrian for the occurrence that had happened fifteen years ago. She had put in a good word for him and helped them come together again. She had always been there for Sylvanas, especially during her pregnancy and after the birth of her children. Sylvanas could have gotten no better friend than her. She loved her. Not in the same way she loved Kelrian but she loved her. She had been together with her for ten years, fifty years before she had met Kelrian.

And now she was lying there and was dying in her arms. Sylvanas sat next to her, her arms were wrapped around her upper body. She put Verena's head on her lap, caressing her head. Tears ran down Sylvanas' cheeks. She had promised to herself that she wouldn't break out in tears in front of that monster but seeing her best friend like this made her very sad. She couldn't control herself any longer. Tears ran down her cheeks and dripped on the woman she knew for over one hundred and eighty years.

Sylvanas' watery eyes rested on her best friend who was also looking at her. Verena put a hand on her face, caressing her cheek weakly. It was clearly visible that Verena didn't have much strength left. And not much time. She was dying faster than Sylvanas had expected. The unholy sphere had drained most of her life force.

"Sylvanas...," whispered Verena. Her voice was weak and barely hearable. Sylvanas leaned in until her right ear was very close to the redhead's mouth. "Sylvanas...Remember...That...I...That I have...always...," Verena made a long pause, it was difficult to speak for her. But she managed to complete her sentence before the blue glow faded from her eyes. "I have always...loved you...and always will..."

Verena's body became limp, her lifeless eyes rested on Sylvanas who had pulled away and was now regarding her dead friend while more tears ran down her cheeks. She kept holding her friend in her arms for a few moments before she pressed a kiss on her lips and another one on her forehead. She wiped her tears away and got up eventually, regarding the body of her best friend one more time before she turned to the butcher who was regarding her with a sadistic smile on his lips.

"Now, it's your turn, Sylvanas," he said, anticipation was reflected by his eyes.

Sylvanas gritted her teeth and lifted her swords, holding them in front of her chest. Her hood was missing, her cape was ripped in shreds and her blonde hair was dirty and tousled. Her armour was damaged and covered by the blood of undead creatures but also covered by the blood of her best friend.

Sylvanas knew she would have no chance against him. She knew she couldn't defeat him but she wouldn't go down without a fight. She was a warrior and she would go down like a warrior. She would die fighting and show this butcher that he could take her life but never her fighting spirit.

She held her swords tightly which blades were covered in blood. Her hands were shaking slightly and the blood was flowing out of the wound in her hip because the provisional bandage had become loose. She ignored the pain she was feeling and the blood that ran down her legs.

Sylvanas was ready for a fight. She was ready to die. She didn't want to die but she knew there was no way she could avoid death. This monster will strike her down. She was just glad that Kelrian wouldn't see this. She was glad that she had convinced him to bring their children and their families to safety. She only wished that Alleria wouldn't be standing there and would run away instead but she was in a state of shock. She couldn't take her eyes off the horrible scene. Sylvanas had tried to get her attention but the raging current was too loud, so Alleria couldn't hear her.

Sylvanas wished her sister would run away, so she wouldn't have to see what was about to happen. Unfortunately, Alleria just sat there and watched her, more tears ran down her cheeks. Sylvanas was just glad that none of these undead creatures was able to cross the river. The dragonhawk and the gargoyle had killed each other so no winged beast was there to attack Alleria. Both winged creatures had landed in the river and had been carried away by the current, meaning the death knight was not able to raise them.

"You want a piece of me, butcher? Come and get me, coward."

Arthas smirked. "Coward? Who has been running from me since we met? I'm sure it was you who avoided fighting me. But you already told me that its normal for you and your disgusting people to run away. But you can't run away from the inevitable. Not this time."

Sylvanas' facial features didn't change at all. Anger, hatred and sadness were still reflected by her eyes. She thought about Kelrian, about the good moments they had shared before she started to move towards Arthas.

The death knight pointed the tip of his sword at her but he didn't attack her. Instead, he used the necromantic power Frostmourne granted him and raised the fallen. Sylvanas had expected that he would do that but it still shocked her to see her fallen comrades get up and turn around to face her.

Sylvanas knew she had to strike them down to reach the butcher who did nothing but regarding the spectacle. The five rangers fell quickly. Sylvanas whispered all of their names as she rammed her swords through the chests of the freshly raised Farstriders. Velonara, Leorielle, Veran, Basmun and Valine.

They had been turned into mindless creatures. They weren't as skilled and agile as they had been in life. They were no challenge for the Ranger-General. Nathanos, Zetai and Verena, on the other hand, were different. Their movement hadn't changed at all. They were still pretty fast and deadly but Sylvanas managed to take them out too. Nathanos' body fell first, Zetai was much harder to take down but she managed to ram her swords through his chest.

The freshly risen Verena the hardest of the three but Sylvanas knew her friend's fighting style and her movements inside out, so she managed to disarm her and end her suffering by ramming her sword through her chest. A quiet sob escaped Sylvanas' lips as the undead woman's body became limp and fell to the ground. She regarded her slain friends for a few moments before she turned to the man who was responsible for all of this.

Arthas was just standing there and looked at her. He even showed Sylvanas that he was impressed by her combat skills. She lived up to her reputation. She was the best high elf ranger he had ever seen. He was looking forward to bolstering his ranks with her. She will make an excellent servant who would help him to defeat everyone who would get in his way.

Sylvanas didn't hesitate and sprinted to him. Arthas took a swing and struck but Sylvanas dodged his attack by jumping to the side. Sylvanas dodged his first few attacks and tried to hit his head but he blocked or dodged all of her attempts.

Sylvanas realized soon enough that Arthas could have hit her already if he wanted but he didn't. He was toying with her and that amused him. He didn't consider her as a threat and the worst was that Sylvanas wasn't able to punish his cockiness. She would have loved to wipe that cocky grin off his face. But she was not able to do that. She was not strong enough to defeat him alone.

She was wounded and losing stamina with each of her moves while Arthas moved as if he was not afraid that he would ever get tired. He was a death knight, which meant he had much more stamina than most living creatures. A few minutes had passed and Sylvanas was already out of breath and exhausted.

Normally, she would never get exhausted so quickly but she had fought for days without having been able to eat or sleep. She had constantly fought against his servants and her raised comrades. These combats had cost a large portion of her stamina and the past minutes had consumed her reserves.

She barely had the strength left to keep standing. She was breathing heavily and was pressing her left hand on her wound. Her body was hurting. Her limbs, her lungs and her head were hurting pretty badly. Her feet were swollen and hurt with each step she made but the condition of her body didn't stop her from moving. She knew her body couldn't take it anymore but she kept fighting.

Arthas didn't even have to do much to dodge her attacks. She was moving much slower than before, so he foresaw each of her attacks and just made slight steps to the side to avoid them. Arthas was convinced that she had no strength left. He was sure that she would collapse soon. He was all the more surprised that Sylvanas' movement suddenly became much faster.

She focused the remains of her stamina and strength in her next attack. She was faster than a lynx and managed to graze his cheek with her sword. A long and deep cut was left on his cheek. The cut began near the left corner of his mouth and ended beneath his left eye. Together her cut and the cut Verena had left made a cross. Arthas snarled out in anger, his blood was boiling and his eyes were narrowed.

"How dare you, filthy bitch," he snapped and hit her across the face with the back of his gloved left hand. Sylvanas staggered backwards and fell to the ground. Blood was flowing out of her nose and her bottom lip. A triumphant grin could be seen on her bloody lips. She was not able to kill him but at least she had ruined his handsome face forever.

Sylvanas didn't need to look twice to know that a scar will be left once the wound had healed. She had marked him forever. It was only a small and meaningless victory but it was better than didn't want to let the butcher go unharmed out of the battle. He should never forget her and all the lives he had destroyed. He should always remember Sylvanas Windrunner.

"That's for Verena and every life you have destroyed, butcher," Sylvanas spat out.

Arthas gritted his teeth angrily and walked over to her. "You will regret that," he hissed and picked her up, lifting her in the air. He started to strangle her, a sadistic smile could be seen on his lips as he regarded Sylvanas struggling for air. Her face turned blue, her grey-blue eyes were widened and her mouth was open. Her suffering satisfied him but he was not satisfied enough yet. He dropped her and kicked her in the stomach. One time, two times, three times in total. Sylvanas was writhing in pain and coughed out blood.

Arthas squatted down next to her, pulled her up and put his hand under her chin, lifting it. He gave her a mischievous grin. "You are as good as dead and your sister is an emotional wreck. Look at her. She could have fled already but instead, she is still sitting there and does nothing. What she has seen must have really shocked her. Don't worry about her, she will join you soon." Arthas laughed evilly and got up, putting the tip of his cursed runeblade under her chin, lifting it so she was forced to stare at him.

Her eyes still reflected anger. She wanted to look at her sister but she couldn't because she couldn't turn her head. She only saw her out of the corners of her eyes. Alleria was still staring at her, she had stopped crying but she was sobbing loudly.

There was nothing Alleria could do to help her sister. There was no way to pass the river. She couldn't swim through it because the current was too strong. Even if she would be able to cross the river, she only would die like the rest of Sylvanas' rangers. There was nothing she could do. She couldn't even run away. She was too shocked to get up and move.

"You fought well, I have to admit that. You are indeed the best ranger in Quel'Thalas. But not good enough. Is there anything you want to say, Sylvanas? Any last words? For your lover who is somewhere out there and hides from me? Don't worry about him. You will meet him soon."

"You may slay me now but you won't conquer the capital city. My people will defeat you and make you pay for all the crimes you committed.

Arthas' lips formed a provocative smile. "I doubt it, woman. Nothing can stop me and nobody can defeat me."

"You will be put to justice one day. You can't slay all life on Azeroth."

Arthas' raised an eyebrow. "Can't I?"

Sylvanas spat at him. "The kingdoms and nations will unite, defeat your rotting army and end your worthless life."

"We will see, woman," he said and pulled Sylvanas on her feet. He stared into her eyes as he pressed the tip of his sword against her exposed stomach, drilling it into her flesh. A sharp, pained cry escaped her lips. The cry became louder as he rammed his sword through her abdomen.

*Flashback

"But you want to become a Farstrider, right?" Sylvanas asked.

"Yes, I do," answered Kelrian determinedly.

"Why do you want to become one of us?" Sylvanas asked, giving him a smile, which signalized him that he didn't need to be afraid.

"I want to do something useful for the citizens of our kingdom. Protecting those who cannot fight from dangers like orcs, trolls or wild beast counts as useful."

*End of Flashback

The pain was immense and barely bearable. Her vision blurred for a few moments but then became clearer again. She was lying on the wet ground, blood was flowing out of the huge wound in her abdomen. The runeblade had pierced her upper body. It was pointless to press her hands on the wound because she couldn't stop the bleeding. She heard the cries of her sister but she didn't turn her head to look at her. She felt too weak to do that. She felt too weak to do anything. Her strength had left her. Life was leaving her slowly. She was not dead. Not yet.

He hadn't finished her, instead, he let her bleed to death. Sylvanas put a hand on her belly, covering the yawning wound. She was not been sure if she had become pregnant or not. But she no longer had to ask herself that question because the foetus, if it had existed, was gone for sure after Arthas had rammed his sword through her abdomen. Arthas may or may not have killed her baby, she couldn't know that. She only hoped she had not been pregnant because imaging Arthas killing her child pained her.

Weeks ago, she had hoped to get pregnant as soon as possible but at this very moment, she was just hoping that she had not been pregnant and she had just vomited a week ago because she had eaten something bad.

A quiet curse escaped her lips but the death knight didn't hear it. He was regarding the blood on his blade while she was lying there and struggled to stay awake. She was feeling cold. She noticed that her skin had become very pale due to high blood loss.

All she could do was to remember the good moments of her life while she was dying slowly.

*Flashback

"I do. I will get a lot better within these four years. I promise."

Sylvanas smiled. "I hope you do. We can always need someone who is as motivated as you are. We need more motivated recruits."

Kelrian returned her smile. "I'm glad that you think that I can pass the next examination. I will give my best."

Sylvanas chuckled and nodded. She patted his shoulder softly and gave him another smile. "I guess I will see you in four years. Farewell, Kelrian Sunsinger."

"I will give my best. Farewell, Ranger-General." He waved and looked at her for a few moments before he turned around and walked away, leaving the training area behind him.

Her vision began to become blurry. "Finish it! I deserve... a clean death..."

"You invited me for a date?"

"I did. If you consider everything, it all makes sense. The remote hut which is not easy to find if you don't know where it is exactly, the dress and the fact that I have forbidden you to mention anything to anyone. You are the only one who received such a letter." explained Sylvanas, smiling at him.

"You planned everything just for me? "

"Of course I did. We are unofficially dating for half a year, so I finally want to spend some time with you."

"Don't we see each other every day?" asked a still-confused Kelrian.

Sylvanas rolled her eyes. "Yes, we see each other every day but we don't have much time for us. We can't really spend time together when the others are around. Seeing you every day during the training is not enough for me. I want to do so many things with you but I can't do that most of the time. Mainly because I'm very busy but also because we want to keep our relationship secret to prevent that we get unnecessary attention. You know that I have a lot of jealous admires who would do things to you once they are alone with you. This is the best way to protect you."

"I don't need your protection, Sylvanas. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

She chuckled. "I know. But is it wrong for me to worry about you?" She put her hands on his cheeks, caressing them carefully as she stared into his blue eyes. He returned the staring, smiling at her. She closed the distance between their faces, pressing her lips on his. He didn't hesitate to return the kiss, wrapping his arms around the smaller elf.

*End of Flashback

Arthas' mischievous smile became wider the longer he watched her.

*Flashback

Sylvanas put her hands on her mother's left hand. "I understand you. You are afraid of losing us but you don't need to. We have participated in so many battles and survived every single one of them, so we will survive this war as well."

"I believe that too but I'm still afraid...," Lireesa said quietly.

Sylvanas gave her a comforting smile. "You shouldn't let the worry consume you. You need to think positively if you want to live through the time where we are out there and fight for our kingdom and for the Alliance. We will return to you, all three of us."

"I know, I know," replied Lireesa. "You are the best ranger I have ever met and Alleria is the second best. I believe that all three of you make it, just do me the favour and watch after your little sister. She is not as experienced as you are so I'm worried about her the most."

Sylvanas put her hands on her mother's cheeks, caressing them. She looked at her younger sister, giving her a comforting smile before she looked back at her mother and gave her the same smile. "I will always keep her close and I promise that nothing will happen to her."

Lireesa was still worried a bit. "I hope so."

Sylvanas didn't respond to her. She just gave her a calming smile. She turned her head to look at her father. "Is there anything you want to say?"

"I believe you will lead us to victory Sylvanas and your sisters will support you as best as they can. Many of our people were killed by trolls and orcs, so it's time to hunt these bastards and get rid of them once and for all."

Sylvanas smiled at him, then she looked at Lirath. "You will protect our family while we are away, okay?"

Her brother nodded. "I will"

Sylvanas smiled. "Good, then I don't have to be worried."

*End of Flashback

"After all you've put me through, woman, the last thing I'll give you is the peace of death."

*Flashback

"Your hair smells good," Sylvanas said before she pressed her nose against the back of Verena's head. She closed her eyes and inhaled the lovely scent. It smelled after roses.

"I used a new shampoo," responded Verena and put her hands over Sylvanas' hands which rested on her belly. Sylvanas was sitting right behind her, her arms were wrapped around her upper body.

"I like it," the taller woman said and kissed her girlfriend's neck softly, trailing up kisses until she reached her right ear. Verena giggled softly. "That tickles."

Sylvanas paused for a moment. "Should I stop?"

"Of course not."

Sylvanas smiled. "Good." She kissed every inch of her ear and took the tip in her mouth, rolling her tongue around it. It was already stiff, telling Sylvanas that her lover was already aroused.

"Look who's already excited by my mere presence."

Soft laughter escaped Verena's lips. "You are the most beautiful woman in the world. It's impossible to not get horny when seeing and being so close to you."

Sylvanas smiled and blushed a little. "You are flattering me."

Verena turned her head to look at her lover. "I'm only saying the truth." She stared into her eyes, smiling when Sylvanas did the same. "I love you, Sylvanas."

"I love you too, Verena."

*End of Flashback*

"No!" Sylvanas shouted out enraged. "You can't do this."

"Can't I?" were his last words before everything around Sylvanas became dark.

---

She turned up her nose, noticing that the foul scent of the undead was no longer in the air. The cold had disappeared too. It was warm. As warm as the climate in Quel'Thalas before the invasion of Arthas and his undead could feel the grass tingling her feet because she was barefooted. The grass was soft and green. It was the entire opposite of the grass in Quel'Thalas after Arthas had invaded it. Arthas had ruined the beauty of nature in Quel'Thalas with his presence and the presence of his army. The leaves of the trees around him had become wilted even though he hadn't even touched them. He had brought death to the land.

But the place in which Sylvanas found herself was beautiful and reminded her of the Quel'Thalas before the invasion. Before the Second War, during which the orcs and their enslaved dragons had burnt many forests and destroyed the infinite beauty of nature in Quel'Thalas. It was idyllic.

Her ears heard the cheerful twittering of the birds who had their nests in the crowns of the surrounding trees. There was a small stream in the near in which lots of ducks were swimming. She turned her head, checking her surroundings. It seemed that the idyllic landscape would never end. She saw more trees on the horizon.

Her ears twitched as she heard a familiar and beautiful melody. Somebody was playing a lute. She followed the sound of the melody until she came to its origin. There was a bench on which a familiar person was sitting.

It was a man who was much younger than her. He wore green trousers and a brown blouse with long sleeves. He had brown boots, long blond hair which reached to his shoulders and a cape was wrapped around his shoulders. Sylvanas' grey-blue eyes widened as she recognized the man. It was her younger brother Lirath who was playing the lute while his eyes were closed.

She couldn't trust her eyes. She believed that this just an imagination. She needed proof that this was real. She drew a dagger from her belt and cut her wrist a little so that a small amount of blood flowed out. She felt the pain. This was real.

Lirath stopped his song and opened his eyes, a sad look was reflected by his handsome face. "Please, don't spill any of your blood. Too much of your blood has been spilt already," he said. Like his eyes, his voice reflected sadness.

Sylvanas came closer to him and touched his face carefully. Lirath smiled weakly and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. He looked at their hands for a short moment before he lifted his head again.

"Are you real?" Sylvanas asked.

Lirath nodded.

"Where are we?" she asked and checked her surroundings once again. Nothing had changed.

"We are in the Bastion."

"What is the Bastion?"

"One of the many areas of the Shadowlands."

"Shadowlands?" Sylvanas asked irritated.

"This is the afterlife, Sylvanas. The realm every creature goes when it dies."

"So, I'm dead?" she asked, not sounding surprised at all.

Lirath nodded his head slowly. "I didn't expect to meet you here so soon. I thought that thousands of years would happen before you would join me in the Bastion." A sad sigh escaped his lips. "Unfortunately, you came here too soon."

Sylvanas was silent and did nothing except staring at her brother. It was hard for her to assimilate everything her brother had told her. She was dead but she was still able to walk around and do stuff. She was in a realm where the dead come after their demise. She had no idea what she should think about it. She couldn't think clearly. She had so many questions in mind that she wanted to ask her little brother. She had no idea where to start.

But first, she checked her surroundings again. If she was dead and in this strange place, this would mean that Verena had to be there too. But she didn't see her. Nor did she see Nathanos or Zetai. She was alone with Lirath. The only creatures that were in their near were the birds and the ducks.

She looked back at her brother who was regarding her curiously. "Have you seen Verena?"

Lirath shook his head.

"What about Nathanos and Zetai?"

He shook his head again. "I haven't seen them."

"They must be somewhere in this place unless..."

"Unless what?" her brother asked.

Panic started to overwhelm Sylvanas. "Unless he raised them again..."

Lirath exhaled loudly and stood up. "Let's hope not. They deserve peace. We should look for them," he responded and offered him her hand. Sylvanas wanted to take it but her hand slipped through his. Her eyes widened, a confused expression could be seen on her face. She had been able to touch Lirath a few moments ago but now she was no longer able to do that. She was so confused.

"What's going on?"

Lirath's eyes rested on her form, noticing that her legs were starting to dissolve. He shook his head sadly. "It seems that he doesn't allow you to live a peaceful life in the afterworld. I'm sorry that this is happening to you, Sylvanas. I'm sorry for everything that will happen in the future," he said, wiping a tear out of the corners of his right eye.

"Lirath... I...," she said but she was unable to complete her sentence. Everything around her blurred out and became dark very quickly.

Lirath watched Sylvanas' form fade. He was alone again.

---

'Can't I?'

'Can't I?'

'Can't I?'

His voice was echoing through her head. She was hearing his cockyquestion over and over again. She wished she could drown out his annoying voice but she was unable to do that. She was unable to ignore the pain that was overwhelming her. But she was not only feeling pain. She also felt anger.

The pain faded eventually but the anger became stronger and stronger. She didn't know why she was angry. She only knew that she was angry and that she needed someone on who she could take her anger out. Someone had to suffer the same way she was suffering.

Sylvanas recognized that she was back on Azeroth. Back in Quel'Thalas where the butcher had slain her. She was standing in the middle of a circle of withered grass and flowers. The radius of that circle was about ten meters long. The grass around the circle was green but the ground was still covered by blood and separated body parts.

Sylvanas' head was hurting, the anger she felt was uncontrollable. She needed to make someone suffer to satisfy her thirst for violence. She turned her head, looking at the nearest person. Arthas Menethil was standing there and regarded his newest creation with a pleased smile on his pale lips.

Sylvanas wanted to attack him so badly. She wanted to make him pay for what he did to her people, to her friends, to Quel'Thalas and to her. She wanted to make him pay for everything but she found out quickly that she was unable to attack him even though she wanted to tear his head off so badly.

She was unable to move towards him no matter how hard she tried. The smile on his lips became wider. "You seem pretty frustrated, Sylvanas," he said cockily. "What is troubling you?"

Sylvanas looked down at her hands, noticing she no longer wore her brown leather gloves. Instead, she wore gloves made out of iron which looked like claws. Her bracers were made out of the same material but coloured in purple instead of blue like the bracers of her Ranger-General uniform.

Her gaze wandered downwards. She was wearing a dark-purple coloured skirt and she had no feet. She was not standing in the circle of dead grass and flowers. She was floating above it. She looked up from her lower body, her gaze landed on the amused death knight.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, her eyes widened as she heard her voice for the first time. It was much higher than usual and echoing a little. Also, it was not pleasant to hear. She couldn't believe that this was her voice. It had changed so much but it was not the only thing had changed. Her skin colour had turned dark blue and she felt weird. She was still angry and wanted to hurt someone so badly. She couldn't recognize herself anymore. She barely remembered how she had been before Arthas had rammed his sword through her abdomen but she was sure she had not been like this.

Her eyes rested on Arthas who was still standing on the same spot and regarded her curiously. "I turned you into a banshee."

"A banshee?" she asked irritated. Her voice reflected confusion.

Arthas didn't respond to her question. "From now on you will serve me and do everything I ask of you."

Sylvanas' face reflected anger. "I would never..." but she couldn't finish her sentence as her head started to hurt very badly. The pain was so intense that she thought her head would explode the next moment. She even wished it would so that she wouldn't have to serve him. Unfortunately for her, her head didn't explode. The pain faded but the anger started to consume her again.

The anger overwhelmed her. She wanted to make someone suffer. She wanted to kill someone to feel better. Someone had to pay for what Arthas did to her. Someone had to die. The thirst for blood was too strong. She couldn't fight against it. She wanted to kill someone so badly. She wanted it more than anything else.

She looked at Arthas again, noticing the tip of his sword was pointing at someone. It pointed at her sister Alleria who had gotten up in the meantime but was still unable to avert her gaze from the creature that had once been her beloved sister. Her eyes were red from crying, her skin was pretty pale and her hands were shaking. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She was terrified and still unable to move. She was easy prey. Killing her would be an easy task for the banshee.

"Prove your loyalty to your new master, banshee. And kill that elven whore over there," commanded the death knight.

"As you wish, master," responded Sylvanas. She didn't hesitate to float over the river. She approached her terrified sister, intending to dig her claws into her flesh but the Ranger-Captain broke out of her state of shock at the last moment and jumped to the side, avoiding her attack.

Alleria was too shocked to say anything. She wanted to tell the banshee to stop and fight against the death knight's control but no words escaped her lips. She was still too shocked and she couldn't believe that the creature who had once been her sister was trying to kill her.

She could see the pure anger and hatred in Sylvanas' eyes. Alleria knew that Sylvanas wouldn't stop until she would be dead. Sylvanas was gone and all that was left of her was this undead woman who was trying to kill her. She realized that there was no way she could convince that creature to stop. She had seen how Sylvanas' friends had attacked her. They hadn't been themselves after Arthas had raised them, so she believed the same counted for Sylvanas. She was no longer Sylvanas, but a servant of that butcher.

A tear ran down Alleria's cheek but she didn't care at the moment. She had other things to worry about. She had to get away from the banshee and make it out alive. She had to get to safety and report what had happened. She had to go to Dalaran, inform the prince and then tell Vereesa what had happened.

Another tear ran down her cheeks when she imagined Vereesa hearing the news. She will be devasted. Vereesa had always looked up to Sylvanas the most. Hearing about her death will crush her. But she must hear about it. She had every right to know the truth.

Alleria avoided Sylvanas' next attack and the next. The banshee got impatient her fearsome red eyes glowed sinisterly and rested on Alleria. The creature had Sylvanas' face but there was nothing left of Sylvanas. She had always been her role model.

The banshee may look like a twisted version of Sylvanas but her sister was gone. Alleria had to accept that but she didn't have the time for that now. She could think later about everything. For now, all she had to do was getting out alive by every means.

Sylvanas got impatient. She wanted to murder her sister so badly. She wanted to make her suffer. She wanted that Alleria would become a banshee like her. She wanted to be united with her sister in death. She didn't want to go through this suffering alone. She parted her lips, opened her mouth and let a loud scream escape her lips.

Alleria flinched and pressed her hands on her ears. The scream had really hurt her sensitive ears. She was deaf for a few moments but her hearing returned slowly. Her head hurt pretty bad, but she was able to bear the pain.

A cry escaped her lips as sharp claws dug into her forearm. Sylvanas had grabbed her and was pulling her towards her. She wanted to kill her. She wanted nothing more than that. She wanted to kill her beloved sister. She wanted to kill the person she had always looked up to.

Deep inside her, she didn't want any of this. She didn't want to kill her sister. But Arthas' control was too strong. She acted as he wanted her to act and thought as he wanted her to think. She was his servant. His puppet. His proudest creation. And she wanted nothing more than making her creator proud.

Sylvanas extended her other arm, trying to touch Alleria's face but the brave woman turned away. Sylvanas snarled and tried to pull her closer, digging her fingers deeper in Alleria's forearm. The Ranger-Captain saw no other option than resisting. She pulled a dagger from her belt and rammed it in the arm that was holding her. A loud, pained and deafening scream escaped the banshee's lips. She let go of the ranger who didn't hesitate to run away.

Alleria ran as fast as her tired legs allowed her. She turned her head and looked back from time to time to check if Sylvanas, or what was left of her, was following her.

She was not.

It seemed as if she was lost in thoughts. She was thinking about some of the best moments she had shared with Alleria. Many memories of her youth, the first hunt they had done together, their first sleepover and many other good memories. But the memories faded eventually and the thirst for killing someone started to overwhelm her again. A frustrated scream escaped her lips as she realized that Alleria was no longer in her sight.

She turned around and looked at Arthas whose face showed a neutral expression. "Don't worry about her. We will catch her sooner or later and then you can kill her. You will be united with her in death. You will have your sister by your side soon enough."

Sylvanas nodded. "What will we do now, master?"

"You and your 'friends' will help me conquering Silvermoon City," he said and pointed at the eight bodies he had just raised. Verena, Zetai, Nathanos, Velonara and the other four rangers were standing in their near. The males didn't change at all but the females did. Arthas turned them into banshees. They were wearing long dresses, their hair were long and floating.

Sylvanas' gaze landed on her dead body on which her own dried blood and the dried blood of the creatures she slew in the past days stuck. The sight was horrible. A tear ran down her cheeks before she was able to take her eyes off her slain body. The tear turned to dust before it reached her chin.

Arthas just chuckled and ordered his servants to take her body and throw it on one of the many meat waggons. He raised his sword into the air and pointed to the north. "Follow me, my undead servants. Let's show these elves what will happen when someone rejects my offer and provokes me instead of surrendering to me."

He looked at Sylvanas, his mischievous grin was very wide. "You could have prevented what is going to happen now if you would have surrendered. Now your people have to suffer because you didn't want to accept the truth. You had already lost before the invasion had begun. You can't stop the inevitable. Nobody can. I will bring death to this world and it will claim them all."

He walked back to his horse, mounted and spurred it. He rushed past the undead creatures until he had passed the front line. He was leading the army to the north. Every creature was following him. Even Sylvanas who had no other choice than to obey his orders.