Chapter 33: Eye for an eye

Sylvanas and Kelrian arrived in the dining room. There was a large table in the middle of the room on which at least twenty people could sit. Sylvanas' aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives were visiting them from time to time so such a large table was necessary. Often, not all guest could sit at the same table which meant that a second, much smaller table was needed. That table stood not far away from the large table, near the right corner of the room.

The table was set already, the dinner stood at its head. There were three plates. One at the table's head, one to its left and one to its right. But the table and the chairs around it were not the only pieces of furniture which stood in the room. There was a cupboard which contained the plates and the cutlery. There was a blue carpet which was made out of the best fabrics of Quel'Thalas and covered the entire floor.

A few paintings hung on the walls. One painting showed Windrunner Village from afar, one showed Windrunner Spire and another one showed Sylvanas, her siblings and her parents. It was a family portrait. There were three more paintings and all of them looked better than any other painting Kelrian had ever seen. Whoever had drawn these must be a very good artist.

Kelrian regarded the paintings for a few moments. He turned his head as he felt that his hands were placed in the hands of someone else. Sylvanas gave him a smile, guiding him over to the table. She signalized him to sit down on the left seat while she sat down on the opposite seat. The first thing Kelrian did was to take a closer look at the meal which had already been served.

There was a plate on which a turkey was lying, a bowl with lots of peeled potatoes and there was a small can with a brown sauce. Lireesa came in the room at this very moment, carrying a bowl full of cooked vegetables. She placed the bowl next to the turkey, turning her head to look at Kelrian.

Kelrian stood up so did Sylvanas. He approached Lireesa first, lowering his head in respect as he shook her hand and greeted her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Windrunner. I'm Kelrian." He regarded her from head to toe, noticing that her dress was made out of the same material as Sylvanas'. The only difference was that it was coloured in blue instead of purple.

Lireesa smiled at him. "It's a pleasure for me too, you can call me Lireesa if you want."

Kelrian kissed her hand, looking at her for a few moments before he sat down on his chair. Lireesa did the same, glancing at Sylvanas who gave her a small smile. She looked back at the man Sylvanas wanted to introduce to her.

"I'm sorry for your loss," said Kelrian. His voice was quieter but sounded very emotional. He was really sorry for what happened to Lirath, even though it was not his fault. His voice expressed his feelings perfectly.

Lireesa's eyelids flickered, her eyes reflected grief and sadness but only for a short moment. She nodded her head, not saying anything. Sylvanas put her hand on her mother's, giving her a comforting smile. "Kelrian wants to put Xenarion to justice, just like us. He is on our side."

"I know," responded Lireesa. "You told me a couple of times that he doesn't like his father."

"That's an understatement. I hate him. I hate him more than anything else. He is an inferior abusive asshole who doesn't care about others. He only cares about his own interests. He forced my mother to do whatever he wanted and he threatened her whenever she disagreed with him. I can't wait for your oldest daughter to catch him and bring him to the prison of Silvermoon, where he belongs for the rest of his pathetic life."

Lireesa gave him a sympathetic smile. "I agree with you. But we shouldn't talk about him, we only ruin the mood if we do that. He won't escape his fate forever. We should rather speak about you. Sylvanas told me a lot about you but she never told me that you are her lover. Nor did she tell me how you met."

Sylvanas answered for him. "We met fourteen years ago. He came to the entrance examination and showed great potential even though he failed. I knew from that day that he will become an excellent ranger one day. He failed the second examination but he passed the third and trained hard under my lead since then. He became one of the best rangers of the current generation and I'm pretty sure he will become better than everyone else."

"And then did you two become a thing?" Lireesa asked curiously, smiling at the couple.

"I've developed feelings for him since the first day we met but I haven't realized them until the third examination. I needed a few years to admit to myself that I love him and then I told him about my feelings. And then... we came together. That's our story."

Her mother smiled as she looked at Kelrian. "You must know that Sylvanas always talked about you whenever she visited us. There was not a single day where she hasn't mentioned your name."

Kelrian didn't know why he was blushing. He didn't say anything, he just looked at Sylvanas' mother and gave her a smile.

"Sylvanas always told me how good you are but that was all she said about you. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions? I want to know more about the man who is making my middle daughter happy. I'm not the only one in our family who noticed that Sylvanas has become much happier over the past years. Not to mention that she doesn't visit us that often than she used to do. I expected that she found someone but I've never dared to ask her," said Lireesa.

She stood up and picked up a large fork and a large knife, cutting off parts of the turkey. She placed a wing on Sylvanas' plate and a leg on Kelrian's. She put a wing on her own plate, then she spread the potatoes, the vegetables and the sauce equally. She sat back on her seat and looked at Kelrian, signalizing him that she expected an answer.

"Sure you can. I'll try to answer everything I can," he said, smiling shyly.

"Tell me about your hobbies."

"Well, I love hunting and doing ranger things. I practise my shooting and close combat skills, follow traces in the woods and stuff like that."

"I was Ranger-General before my lovely daughter. I know exactly what you are talking about. Keep going."

Kelrian rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I love reading. That's everything you have to know about my hobbies. What about you?"

"I love reading as well," she responded.

"Really? Which genre?"

"Romance and adventure."

"Romance, that's interesting. Now I know from who Sylvanas got her love for books and her beauty," he complimented.

Lireesa chuckled and blushed a little. "Thank you. What do you read?"

"Mostly, adventure and fantasy novels but I have started to read one of Sylvanas' favourite books. I have to say it's better than I have expected."

"Which one?" she asked curiously.

"Love to the end of the world," he responded, taking the cutlery in his hands as he noticed that Sylvanas had started to mash her potatoes with her fork. He did the same, shoving a fork of mashed potatoes in his mouth.

"That's a very good book. The author is an old friend of mine. I rarely see her these days because she is very busy but I meet her two or three times a month."

"That's cool," replied Kelrian as soon as his mouth wasn't full anymore.

"I've heard that you are living with your mother and your younger siblings in your cousin's house."

"Yeah, I live in her house since my father has thrown me out because I didn't pass the priest entrance examination twice. My mother and my younger siblings live there too since I freed them out of my father's claws. They are a lot happier since they don't have to live in my father's house anymore. Unfortunately, my older siblings haven't noticed yet what a monster my father really is. They stand by his side, for whatever reason."

"I hope you can open their eyes one day," spoke Lireesa.

"I hope that too," replied Kelrian.

"I think we should eat first before the meal gets cold," Sylvanas threw in. "We can continue to talk as soon as we are done with the meal."

Lireesa smiled at her daughter. You are right, my dear. I wish you both a good appetite."

"Same," Kelrian and Sylvanas said in unison. The three started to eat, not saying anything while they enjoyed their meals. Sylvanas and Kelrian stared in each other's eyes all the time, they didn't even avert their gazes to look at their plates. Lireesa observed them with a happy smile on her lips.

She was glad that her daughter was happy and she didn't mind at all that she was in love with the son of the bastard who let her son die. It was not his fault that his father was an absolute bastard. No child should be blamed or punished for the crimes and faults of their parents. She thought that way so she didn't hold a grudge against Kelrian.

She knew Kelrian hated him the same way she did. Like him, she couldn't wait that this bastard would receive his just punishment as soon as Alleria would catch him. It was only a matter of time until Xenarion would be locked in the cell he should have been locked in the first place.

She had only met one of Sylvanas' former lovers so she could only compare Kelrian to her. Kelrian was a very nice guy. And good looking as well. She couldn't deny that Verena was also very beautiful. She had needed some time to accept her but then she had really liked her. It had been a shock for her when she had found out that Sylvanas had broken up with her after they had been together for ten years. On the other hand, it had also been a relief to her because she had hoped Sylvanas would marry the prince one day.

She was still hoping her daughter would marry him. Nevertheless, she had accepted Sylvanas' decision that she would never marry Kael'thas. She was happy as long as Sylvanas was happy so she accepted Kelrian. He made her happy and he was also very popular among the Farstriders. Lots of people knew his name and had heard of his believed it was just a matter of time until he would do a heroic move which will make everyone remember him.

A glorious future awaited him. Sylvanas knew that so did her mother. Like her daughter, Lireesa knew when someone had the potential to become one of the best. She had never seen Kelrian in action before but she knew her daughter never overstated when she told her about her rangers and their skills. She trusted Sylvanas' judgement so she suggested that Kelrian will become one of the best.

The meal was very delicious. They were silent for a few minutes after they were done eating but then they started to talk again. Lireesa asked Kelrian about his life as a ranger, the experiences he had collected so far and where he would see himself in ten years.

He answered honestly and told her that he enjoyed the life of a ranger, helping those who couldn't defend themselves and that he enjoyed killing those who tried to harm his people. He also told her that he had no clue what the future would hold for him but he would be happy if he could still work with Sylvanas and be her lover.

Kelrian also asked Lireesa a few personal questions which she answered honestly. He found out that Lireesa had met Sylvanas' father on a Lunar festival hundreds of years ago. It had been love at first sight. They had talked a lot, started to meet oftener and then started to date. He also found out that Sylvanas' grandparents were not the biggest fan of Alleria's decision to mate with a human. They regarded Alleria's son Arator as a pollution of their bloodline and that was the reason why they didn't visit Alleria. They only visited Sylvanas' parents during the week because they knew Alleria would only visit her parents on the weekends.

That reminded Kelrian how his own family treated certain members. He drew parallels between Sylvanas' grandparents and his father and older siblings. The only difference was that half of his family hated him because he wasn't able to become a priest while Sylvanas' grandparents didn't like Alleria and because of her mate and her half-breed son. Nevertheless, both parties were intolerant and that was unacceptable. He knew he wouldn't be able to change their minds no matter how hard he would try. His father would never listen to him and his older siblings had been manipulated by him which meant they wouldn't listen either.

Family was the most important thing in the world. Sylvanas' family had lost a few members which could mean that Sylvanas' grandparents might have noticed that there were worse things to be upset about than the choice of a human mate. He was only hoping they would realize that they were wrong.

Lireesa served the dessert eventually, which was homemade vanilla pudding. All three elves ate the delicious pudding with joy, getting another portion eventually. Kelrian and Sylvanas thanked Lireesa for the meal, telling her that they had enjoyed eating and talking to her. Lireesa smiled at them, thanking them after they had helped her clearing the table and washing the dishes.

"We spent more time talking than I have expected. It is already dark outside," said Sylvanas as she looked out of the window. Lireesa stepped next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder as she looked out of the same window. "Why don't you offer our guest to stay the night in our lovely home?"

"That's a good idea," said Sylvanas and turned around to look at Kelrian who stood next to the table. He nodded to her, signalizing her that he would love to spend the night with her. "We would go to my room then."

Lireesa nodded to her, giving her a small smile.

"Good night, mother."

"Good night, honey," responded Lireesa. She ran her fingers through Sylvanas' hair, kissing her left cheek and her forehead. "I see you tomorrow then."

Kelrian wished Lireesa a good night too, then he followed Sylvanas through the corridor. They climbed the stairs, arriving on the second floor. Kelrian expected that they would go back to her room but instead, they stopped after they had put half of the distance behind them.

Kelrian frowned as Sylvanas turned around and looked at the door right next to them. She grabbed the doorknob but she didn't open the door. Kelrian regarded her curiously, wondering what she was doing. He didn't know in front of which room they were standing. Sylvanas opened the door eventually, tears formed in the corners of her eyes as she looked into the room.

The room had been tidied up since the last time Sylvanas had entered it. There were no rubbles, no pieces of destroyed furniture, no blood and no orc corpses. Lirath's room looked exactly as it had looked before the orcs had raided the house. She could only assume it had taken a lot of willpower and strength for her parents to refurnish his room.

Even though it looked exactly as it had looked before, it appeared more like a shrine than an actual room. It was treated like a shrine at least. Sylvanas' mother didn't allow anyone to enter Lirath's room. Not even her daughters. Sylvanas would love to go in his room and remember the good old times. She had hoped it would help her to cope with his death. But the truth was it didn't help at all. On the opposite, it made it only worse.

She remembered that she would never be able to see Lirath again. Never be able to see his smile again, watch him perform on a stage or practise for a performance. She would never be able to help him practise aiming again, train him in close combat or teach him how to hunt animals.

She would never be able to listen to his sweet voice again when he would talk to her or sing for her and she would never be able to hear him playing on his panpipe again. There were a lot more things she was already missing and will always miss. She had believed she had accepted his death. She had believed that from the middle of the day until the moment before she had opened the door to his room. The truth was that she hadn't accepted his death yet and she was not sure if she ever will.

It hurt so much to remember him. She wanted to have him back but it was not possible. The orcs had taken her brother away from her. They had taken his life and Xenarion had helped them and let Lirath die. She was sure he would pay for his crimes but catching him wouldn't bring Lirath back. Nothing could bring him back and she knew that. She could only hope Alleria will catch the traitor soon and put him to justice.

She was unable to avert her gaze from Lirath's room, noticing that tears ran down her cheeks. She was unable to move, so she couldn't wipe the tears away. Fortunately, there was someone who did it for her. Kelrian hugged her from behind, whispering comforting words in her ear. He managed to calm her down and walk away with her after he had closed the door against her protest. They arrived at her room, silently entering it. Sylvanas walked over to the bed, falling onto it. She buried her face in her palms and started to sob quietly. Kelrian sat down next to her, rubbing her back as she cuddled up to her.

He managed to pull her onto his lap, so she could press herself against him, resting her head on his chest as she kept sobbing. He ran her fingers through her hair and kissed her cheek and her neck from time to time. He didn't say anything but he didn't need to do that. His mere presence caused her to calm down.

"I'm sorry," she muttered after a while. Her head didn't rest on his chest anymore and she had the opportunity to stare into his eyes but she didn't because she was too ashamed.

A small smile appeared on his lips. "You don't have to be sorry."

"The day was perfect but I've ruined it because I cried once again like a little girl... I'm such a disgusting person."

Kelrian frowned. "You are not. It's okay to cry, especially when you lose someone who means a lot to you. There is nothing wrong about showing emotions."

"I know but I have to stay strong for our people, otherwise, they won't believe in me anymore. They think that I'm the perfect ranger who deals with every situation no matter what happens. That's a lie. I'm not perfect, I'm an emotional wreck. How can I help my people when I can't even help myself? How can I stop the enemy when I can't even stop myself from crying? How can I lead my people to victory if I am not able to cope with my brother's death and refuse to leave my room for two weeks? Tell me how can I be a good leader if I'm not even able to fight after losing only one person. What happens if I lose dozens of persons during a battle? Tell me how I can do this."

Kelrian was silent as he thought about what Sylvanas had just said. What she had said about herself was not true but he had no clue how he could convince her of the opposite. At first at least.

He spoke to her, telling her whatever came in his mind which could cheer her up. After an entire hour of a one-sided dialogue, Sylvanas silenced him by sealing her lips on his. The kiss was short but it was enough to make Kelrian understand that she was fine.

He looked at his lover whose eyes were still wet from crying but other than that she seemed to be fine. She smiled at him as she rubbed his cheeks. "Thank you, my dear. I don't know what I would do without you."

He didn't respond to her, he just smiled at her, pulling her in for another kiss which lasted longer and was more passionate. "Remember that I will always be there for you. I will never leave your side."

"Promised?"

"Promised," he replied, pulling her in another tight hug.

"We should get some sleep," he said after a while. Sylvanas agreed with him, getting up to walk to her wardrobe. She removed the purple dress, which had been crumpled while they had hugged for so long, and put on green undergarment and a green pyjama. Kelrian removed everything but his shorts, smiling at Sylvanas as she crawled over to him. They laid down, wrapping their arms around the other. Sylvanas put her head on his shoulder, intertwining their fingers as they held hands.

"I really enjoyed the dinner with your mother," he whispered.

"Me too and I'm pretty sure my mother enjoyed it as well. I think she likes you."

Kelrian gave her a curious look. "Are you sure?"

Sylvanas nodded as she stared into his eyes. "I am."

"Good. I've expected that she wouldn't like me because... I'm Xenarion's son, you know."

"She hates your father but that doesn't mean she hates you automatically. We can't choose our parents and she hasn't chosen hers either. She quarrelled often with them and disagreed with them about numerous things. She knows that children are not always in harmony with the older generations."

"Are you sure she sees it that way?" he asked quietly.

"She knows your father is an asshole and you are not. She knows you are not like him so she has no prejudices and doesn't bear a grudge against you," Sylvanas explained, kissing his cheek.

"Will you introduce me to your father and tell your sister that we are in a relationship?" he asked after he had been silent for a few minutes.

"I will but first I will see if my father is alright. I will probably invite you for dinner again when the rest of my family is gathered. I mean Vereesa, Alleria and my father. I don't want to invite my uncles, aunts and cousins too. I assume that it would only be possible after we have defeated the trolls and orcs. We will return to the front in a few days which mean we won't be home for a while."

"I'm fine with that, responded Kelrian.

"Anyways, we should really get some sleep right now. Good night, my love," she said, pecking him on the lips.

"Good night," he whispered. He regarded her for a few moments before he closed his eyes and relaxed, falling asleep eventually.

---

Xenarion spurred his horse, commanding it to move faster. The animal was moving as fast as it could, which was not very fast compared to others. He hadn't allowed his horse to get enough rest while he had ridden for days. His horse was very exhausted but it gave its best to leave as much distance as possible behind in a short time. Xenarion ignored the heavy breathings of his mount and spurred it again. He didn't care that he hurt the horse whenever the heels of his boots came in contact with its ribs.

As he could have expected, the horse became slower with each passing hour. He spurred it over and over again but he didn't manage to make it move faster. It was too exhausted to do that and the pain it was feeling didn't make it better.

He came to a forest in which the distances between the trees were not very large so the horse couldn't move as fast as he wanted. He had to slow down the tempo otherwise, the horse might have run against one of these thick trees. He cursed silently as he realized that he had to guide the horse through the forest slowly. There was no other way to get to the other side of the forest. There was no way around it, which meant that crossing the forest was inevitable.

The forest seemed to never end. He was about to lose his patience. He wanted to leave this damned forest as fast as possible but he wasn't able to leave much distance behind him within one hour. He had no clue how large the forest was, he was only hoping that he could leave it as soon as possible.

Suddenly, his horse stopped and looked forward. He regarded his horse with a frown on his forehead, wondering what it was doing. He spurred it, not caring that he was causing more pain to it. His horse had sensed something and he knew that but he didn't care. He didn't care that his horse refused to move because it seemed to be afraid of buried the heels of his boots in the sides of the mount but it didn't start to move. Xenarion became very angry, continuing to mistreat his mount. Despite the pain he caused, he didn't manage to make it move.

He cursed loudly, checking his surroundings. He was afraid that his pursuers were in his nears. But they weren't. There was no one near him. He was alone in the forest, alone with the horse which didn't want to move. He pulled hard on the horse's reins, kicking it again and again with the intention to make it move. An angry snort escaped the horse's snout as it reared up and threw its rider out of his saddle.

Waves of pain rushed through his body as he landed on the ground. He got up after a while but everything around him was blurred out as he opened his eyes. He was pretty sure he had hit his head when he fell. His vision became clearer until he was able to recognize everything around him. His head was hurting but at least he wasn't seriously injured.

He looked around, noticing that his horse was gone. He assumed that he must have passed out for some time, otherwise, his horse would have never managed to get out of his sight in a short time. He checked his surroundings again, noticing that he had no clue out of which direction he had come from. He stayed on the same spot for nearly a minute, consideringin which direction he should move. He chose a direction eventually, hoping it was the right direction.

He walked for a while, not knowing how much time had passed as he spotted a small camp. He hid behind a large tree as he spied it out. There were five tents and a campfire around which three trolls and two orcs were sitting. He pulled the small totem, Leth'al had given him, out of his pocket as he approached the camp. The orcs and trolls turned their heads to him as soon as they heard his footsteps. They drew their weapons, one of them was about to throw a spear at him as the big troll noticed the totem in his hands and called his men back.

The muscular troll, who had called his comrades back, walked towards Xenarion and regarded the totem curiously. He took it out of the elf's hands, showing it to his comrades who lowered their weapons. He handed it back to the priest who nodded to them. Xenarion tried to tell the orcs and trolls that someone was pursuing him but none of his allies understood a word. He cursed silently as he realized that none of them was able to speak thalassian. He tried to communicate with them with the help of sign language but none of them found out what he was trying to tell them.

He pulled the scroll out of his bag, which Leth'al had given him, and unfolded it. He regarded it and was about to say something as he heard a quiet noise. He looked around but didn't see anything nor did he recognize where the noise came from and what or who had produced it. He looked back at the trolls and orcs, realizing that they hadn't heard anything.

He heard the same noise again but he realized too late what it was. He couldn't have warned the trolls and orcs anyway because they couldn't understand him. The first troll fell and landed on the wet ground. He was dead. An arrow stuck right between his eyes. Blood flowed out of his forehead and was spread all over the ground. A moment passed. Another creature died. A bald orc.

Panic started to overwhelm Xenarion. He knew exactly who was killing these orcs and trolls. That person was not here for them. She was here because she wanted to catch him. He didn't see the person but he knew it was Alleria Windrunner. He had seen her several times in the far distance during the past weeks. He had always managed to escape her because he had had a large lead. He assumed Alleria had managed catch up to him while he had been unconscious and now, she wanted to capture him. He turned around and started to run away but the muscular troll followed him and tackled him, pushing him onto the ground.

Xenarion got up quickly, his widened eyes rested on the green-skinned creature which facial features were distorted in anger. The troll pulled two large knives from his belt, walking slowly towards the priest. Xenarion assumed that the troll thought that he had betrayed them. He couldn't know that it hadn't been Xenarion's intention to bring Alleria to the camp. He'd been on the run from her for weeks. His intention had not been to lead her to his allies but the troll couldn't know that because there was no way Xenarion could tell him the truth.

The troll sprinted forwards, trying to cut the priest in halves. But Xenarion managed to avoid his attack at the last moment. He dodged another attack, slipping through the troll's legs, who was at least three heads taller than him. He got up and focused his power, allowing the shadows to empower him before the troll was able to turn around.

The large troll with the bluish dyed hair and the pierced nose turned around, his eyes narrowed as he recognized the change of his former ally's appearance. The changing of the priest's eye colour didn't worry the warrior nor did the black glowing tattoos that had appeared on his skin from nowhere. The troll remained calm, watching every movement the shadow priest made.

Xenarion muttered a few words creating a void bolt which he threw a moment later at the troll. The troll tried to dodge it but he was too slow. The bolt hit his left hip, causing that a painful cry escaped his lips. But the pain didn't stop the troll from charging forward and ramming the shadow priest who had tried to cast a spell before the troll would have reached him. Xenarion was flung to the ground but he got up and leapt backwards before the troll could have rammed his large knives in his chest.

Xenarion created two more void bolts, only one hit the troll but it was enough to injure him and make him really angry. Xenarion realized that making the troll angry had not been a good idea. He was enraged. He was faster than before and appeared more terrifying than before.

Nevertheless, Xenarion managed to avoid all of his attacks with more luck than skill. He managed to hit the troll over and over again, slowing him down whenever he managed to hit his legs. He even managed to lay a curse on him which caused pain to him. The pain got stronger the more time passed.

The troll was still able to stand, he focused the last remains of his strength for a large leap. He landed next to the surprised shadow priest, ramming his elbow in his face. Xenarion cried out in pain as the troll's elbow was rammed in his stomach, his cries became louder when the troll's foot came in contact with his upper body and pushed him away. He landed on the wet ground, his upper body hurt like hell so did his head. He tried to get up but the troll threw him back onto the ground.

The angry troll dropped one of his knives, grabbing the shadow priest by the neck. He lifted him up until their heads were at the same height. His narrowed green eyes stared into the elf's blue ones. He started to throttle the priest and smiled at the poor attempts of his opponent to get free.

But his grip was too strong so Xenarion had no chance to get free. The troll lifted his knife up, pressing its tip against his cheek. A scream escaped Xenarion's lips as the troll left a deep cut on his handsome face.

The troll was about to ram his knife through the elf's upper body as three arrows pierced through his head. The troll was not able to scream because he was dead immediately. His grip loosened so Xenarion managed to free himself. He landed onto the ground and was unable to prevent that troll's massive body fell forward and landed on him.

The pain he was feeling was too strong so he was unable to gather enough strength to push the dead troll off him. He tried hard but the troll was too heavy and he was too weak to get free. He turned his head as he heard footsteps which became louder and louder. A person he knew suddenly appeared next to him. The person was no other than Alleria Windrunner whose arms were crossed in front of her chest. Her eyes reflected hatred, her facial features were distorted in anger.

Three rangers stepped next to her, regarding him with the same expressions on their faces. Together, they lifted the troll up and pushed him away, freeing Xenarion. Xenarion's body still hurt so he didn't manage to get up. Alleria looked at her rangers, receiving nods from them. She sat on Xenarion's upper body and didn't hesitate to connect her clenched fist with his jaw. A pained scream escaped his lips followed by another as she hit him again.

The lips of the rangers formed pleased smiles as Alleria hit him over and over again, breaking his nose and jaw in the process. But she didn't stop hitting him. She screamed at him as she let out all anger and grief which had built up over the past weeks. His vision turned red and blurred out eventually but he didn't pass out. The amount of pain he was feeling increased whenever he got hit. The pain was unbearable.

He wished he would pass out soon so he wouldn't have to feel the pain anymore but he stayed conscious. He couldn't stop Alleria from beating him up, nor did any of her rangers stop her. He was hit by her bare fists, over and over again.

He didn't know how many times Alleria had hit him already nor did she. It made a lot of fun for her to punch this asshole and it also helped her coping with Lirath's death. He had let her brother die, so he deserved everything she did to him. It made her really happy to punch him, to connect her fists with his head. She didn't care that her knuckles became bloody because she knew her wounds would heal sooner or later. His pained cries were music to her ears and the sight of his blood on her clothes made her even happier.

Alleria was not satisfied yet but she stopped eventually after she had realized that his face was nothing more than a bloody mess. She got up and allowed her rangers to kick him until he passed out.

Alleria regarded him for the moment, then she turned her head and looked at her best friend.

"Are you okay?" asked Lindara.

"I am. Beating him bloody is not enough to make him pay for what he has done to my family but it is a good start."

The raven-haired woman gave her a small smile. "This asshole deserves it."

"He hasn't suffered enough yet. But for the moment he has. We will bring him to Silvermoon and lock him in a cell where he belongs for the rest of his pathetic life. I will make sure he never comes out."

"I can't wait to lock him up," said Lindara.

"Burn the corpses of trolls and orcs before we depart in ten minutes," ordered Alleria.

"As you wish," replied her friend.