Chapter 5: The Warning

Silence.

No word was spoken, no noises could be heard. Everyone was silent in the room. The only sound he heard was his own heartbeat which was much faster than usual. He was worried. Worried and shocked. Shocked about the news the priest had just told him.

He felt depressed. He was burring his face in the palms of his hands but he didn't cry. He was feeling very emotional at the moment but he didn't cry. He didn't want to express how he was feeling at the moment because he didn't want anyone to see him like this. He didn't want to appear weak to anyone, so he managed to control himself.

"Prince Kael'thas, are you okay?" a quiet and sympathetic voice asked. Kael'thas didn't look up at first, not even when someone put their hand on his back and caressed it carefully. He heard quiet breaths, assuming that the person was sitting right next to him.

"Kael, honey. Look at me," said another voice. The voice was much softer and much more pleasant to hear. Kael'thas lifted his head eventually and looked at his wife. Her beautiful eyes reflected worry but her lips formed a small smile. Her expression changed, a look of comfort appeared on her face.

Kael'thas barely reacted to her. He was still absent-minded and could only think about what the priest had just told him. He couldn't think about anything else. He tried to think about something completely different. He tried to think about his wife, about the numerous good moments they had shared but he could only think about the bad news.

His wife put her hands on his cheeks, trying to gain his attention. She turned her head as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Her mother-in-law was looking at her. "You should give him time to think about everything, Alina. Forcing him to talk to you won't help you. It won't make him feel better."

Alina nodded and stared at the brunette woman, noticing the tears in the corners her eyes. She averted her gaze eventually and looked back at her husband who was still sitting on the chair, his back was bent forward and his ears hung low, just like his head.

Melisandra regarded her stepson for a few moments before squatted next to Alina "We should leave him alone," she whispered.

"Are you sure if that's the best idea? I don't want to leave him. I want to be there for him. He is shocked. He needs me. He needs someone who comforts him."

A sad smile appeared on the lips of the queen of Quel'Thalas. "You are right. He needs you. He will need you more than anyone else but not now. He needs space and time to think about everything. We should give him time. It's best if we leave him alone with his father. I don't want to leave my husband either but I have to. He needs rest and Kael'thas needs time."

The blonde woman nodded hesitantly, her gaze fell to her shoes. She didn't say anything. She didn't protest or discuss with her mother-in-law. Instead, she allowed Melisandra to guide her out of the room. The Queen looked one last time at her motionless son, who was still sitting on the chair next to the bed before she closed the door quietly.

Only Kael'thas, the doctor and his father were left in the room. The priest, who wore a blue robe, was silent as he used a few objects and cast a few spells. He was making tests and wrote things down on a clipboard.

The prince lifted his head after a while and looked at the priest. He was a high elf with long, dark brown hair, blue glowing eyes and a full beard. He was busy writing down his results, so he didn't notice the prince's staring. "How much time does he have?" Kael'thas asked eventually. His voice was cracked and sounded everything but secure.

A sad sigh escaped the priest's lips. It was not easy for him to tell the prince the truth while seeing him like this but he had to tell him. He was the affected person's son, so he deserved to know the truth.

"Two or three months. Maybe half a year at maximum."

Kael'thas was silent at first. Sadness threatened to overwhelm him but he didn't allow it to happen. He managed to control himself and not let his emotions overwhelm him.

"What does he have?" the prince asked after a while.

The priest came closer to him. "A very rare heart disease."

"How long has he had it?"

"I have no idea, my prince."

"Why don't you know that. You are a priest and a doctor, you should know it," hissed Kael'thas. His eyes were narrowed and reflected anger, his teeth were clenched.

The priest regarded his feet embarrassedly. "I'm sorry, my prince." His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

The anger quickly disappeared from Kael'thas' face. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I didn't want to scream at you."

The brunette man lifted his head and looked at the prince who sat down back in his chair. A small smile appeared on the priest's lips. "There is nothing you have to be sorry about, my prince. I understand that you are not happy with the news."

"Happy...," repeated the mage quietly, shaking his head slowly. His eyes reflected sadness.

"I would also be very emotional if I would find out that my father would have a rare illness for which nobody ever found a cure."

Kael'thas was silent, not wanting to say anything in response.

"As you know, your father is very old. The oldest man in the kingdom. It was very likely that he would have gotten sick eventually. He lived much longer than I have expected. I once told him that he wouldn't get older than three thousand years. I was wrong about that back then but I'm not wrong with this assumption. This time, I'm not the only one who thinks that the king doesn't have much time left. High Priestess Liadrin thinks the same. She gave her best but she couldn't help him. All she could do was to ease his pain."

A sad sigh escaped the mage's lips. "I know that he is pretty old. It shouldn't surprise me at all that he has a disease. He lived much longer than anyone expected but it still shocks me even though I could have known that something like that might happen one day. I noticed over the past decades that his health became worse but his medicaments always helped him and kept him on his feet.I never thought about the possibility that there might come a disease one day against which his medicine would be useless. And it seems that day has come."

Kael'thas stared at his father who was lying in his bed with his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful as if he was already dead but he wasn't. The quiet breaths which were barely hearable proved that he was not dead. Not yet. He looked exhausted and weak but he was still alive.

Anasterian Sunstrider wasn't aware of his son's and the priest's talk. He was sleeping at the moment. The disease was taking most of his strength, making him feel tired and weak most of the time. He was forced to lie in bed and rest. There was nothing else he could do in his current state.

Kael'thas' eyes rested on his father's face. His skin colour was not as grey as the colour of hair but it didn't look healthy either. Thick veins were visible on his neck. It was clearly visible that the king was past his peak and his days were numbered. The rest of the king's body was covered by a thick blue blanket, a wet flannel laid on his forehead but it didn't help him at all.

"Do you have any suggestions about what I could do for him?"

The priest shook his head, showing the prince how sorry he was. Kael'thas got up suddenly and walked towards the door. "Where are you going, my prince?"

"Dalaran. There has to be a way to heal his disease. I won't stop until I find a cure, even if I have to read every single book of the grand library."

"But that would take ages. No, centuries, my prince."

Kael'thas looked over his shoulder at the other man who was walking towards him slowly, intending to stop him. "I won't do it alone," replied the mage quietly and left the room.

He stormed through the corridors, arriving in the throne room where the throne of his father was standing. He didn't pay any attention to it as he walked through the room absently-minded. He bumped into a person and landed on the ground. He ignored the pain but didn't manage to control the anger that was building up in him quicker than expected.

"Can't you watch out?" he screamed at the stranger. He was unable to control his emotions. Normally, he would have never behaved like that to a person he had walked into but at this very moment, he didn't care about anything. His father was terminally ill, so he only had that in mind at the moment. Even if he would try to think about something else, he would end up thinking about his father again. He couldn't stop thinking about him no matter how hard he tried.

He felt sad, worn out, exhausted and powerless. He couldn't think clearly even if he wanted to. There was a lot going on in his mind and he didn't have the time to deal with the stranger in front of him. He wanted to leave the room but the stranger blocked his way.

Kael'thas gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his narrowed eyes bored holes in the man's face. The person was an old man whose outfit looked more like rags than real clothes. He wore a brown cape to which a hood was attached, green trousers and dirty boots. The man had a long grey beard and his face was wrinkled. He carried a brown, wooden staff in his hand which tip looked like a raven.

"Who are you?" asked the prince in a very unfriendly tone. He was irritated that this strange human didn't allow him to pass.

"I'm just an old man who wants some of your father's time."

"My father is indisposed at the moment."

"It's urgent, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider. I need to speak to your father now," the man said insistently.

"I said that my father is indisposed at the moment," the prince repeated angrily.

The stranger remained calm. "When can I speak to him?"

"Not in the near future," hissed Kael'thas and tried to shove the man away but he was stronger than expected and remained on the spot.

"Why?"

Kael'thas became more impatient than he already was. "I have not the time to explain it to you. I demand you to let me pass."

"If I can't talk to your father then I want to talk to you. There is a certain matter about which I have to talk to someone with influence."

"I don't have the time now."

The stranger put a hand on the prince's shoulder, staring into his angry blue eyes. "Listen to me boy, the fate of your people will depend on what I have to tell you. They are in great danger but you can save them if you listen to me."

Kael'thas mood hadn't changed but he made a gesture, signalizing the strange man to speak. He was only hoping that he would be brief.

"A terrible fate is awaiting your people if you don't do anything against it. Hundreds of thousands will die if we don't stop what is coming soon. Your kingdom is in danger but you can save if it if you act quickly."

Kael'thas raised an eyebrow, doubt was clearly visible in his eyes. "Danger? What danger? The Horde? They are nothing. The Horde is nothing but a shadow of its former self. They will never be a threat to us again. Not in thousands of years."

The corners of the stranger's lips formed a weak smile. "I'm not talking about the Horde."

Kael'thas tilted his head. "What are you talking about then?" he asked, sounding much louder and more aggressive than before. Some of the people around him startled, surprised expressions could be seen on their face. None of them would have expected that the otherwise calm prince would react in such a way. He had never been so angry in his life as he was now.

Normally, he was a very kind man who was able to control his emotions and didn't bark at anyone. But he was not himself at the moment. The bad news he had just received made him behave differently. He was not himself but he didn't even notice that he was acting strangely. Only those around him noticed that but nobody dared to say anything.

The stranger took a deep breath. "I am talking about the end of the world, which will come unless we work together and do something about it. The Veil of Darkness intends to envelop Azeroth. We will be doomed if we don't stop the great evil that wants to destroy everything and kill everyone. No child, men or women will be spared. It will take our loved ones and everyone we have sworn to protect."

Kael'thas shook his head, signalizing the stranger than he didn't believe any of his words. To him, everything the man had said didn't sound plausible. He thought the man was mentally deranged and said nothing but random bullshit. He didn't take him seriously.

The prince was mad that this old fool was keeping him from searching for a cure for his father's disease. For him, he was nothing more than a confused, old man who was talking nonsense. And he hated dealing with such guys.

"You are talking nonsense. Let me pass. This is my last warning," hissed Kael'thas and stared into the old man's eyes.

"You have to listen to me, prince. There is a danger that is coming from Lordaeron and your people are not prepared to deal with it. You have to believe me. We have to work together if we want to save your people and the other kingdoms of the Alliance. You and your people have to leave Quel'Thalas and travel to the west. To the ancient lands of Kalimdor."

Kael'thas shook his head and gathered his strength, pushing the stranger to the side. He didn't look at him as he told his guards to remove him from the throne room. A disappointed look could be seen in the stranger's eyes as he regarded Kael'thas walking away. "I've tried it. I really did but you don't want to listen. A grim destiny is awaiting you and your people. I have warned you but you didn't believe me. The fate of your people will be your fault. We could have prevented it together."

"Whatever, old man," whispered Kael'thas. He was looking in the opposite direction, so he couldn't see that the man shrank and transformed into a raven before the royal guards were able to reach him. The raven rose in the air and flew over the prince's head, leaving Sunstrider Spire before the prince could reach the exit.

---

*Knock*

*Knock*

Lyndia lifted her head and looked at the door, noticing that her cousin stood in it and smiled at her. She got up and put the book aside, signalizing her to come over. Sylvera didn't need to be told twice and approached the daughter of her deceased uncle, hugging her once she had gotten up from her bed. Her hands rested on the half-elf's back and caressed it slowly.

The hug only lasted for a few seconds but both girls were fine with that. They looked at each other once they had pulled away. Lyndia wore white hot pants so her smooth light-brown legs were exposed. Her top was a blue blouse with short sleeves. Sylvera wore green leggings and a white top with long sleeves. Her blonde hair was not fully dry and not combed at all. It had similarities to a wild mane of a lion. Lyndia's dark blonde hair, on the other hand, reached to her shoulders and was combed, she even had a hair clip in it which looked like a flower.

Lyndia regarded the high elf from head to toe, inviting her to sit down on her bed. Sylvera waited until her cousin had put the blue blanket aside and sat down on the white mattress. Lyndia didn't hesitate to pick up her hairbrush and comb her cousin's hair. Sylvera sat in front of her, her back was turned to her while she stared at the opposite wall which was pure white. Unlike most rooms in Windrunner Spire, Lyndia's room was not decorated by mural art or paintings that hung on the walls. She preferred it simple.

She also only had pieces of furniture in her room that she really needed. A bed with a bedside table, a wardrobe, a table, one armchair and a small shelf where her favourite books were standing.

Lyndia ran her fingers through the soft golden-blonde hair of her cousin as she combed it and made it look perfect. Sylvera's hair was similar to her mother's hair. She didn't need to do much to make it look perfect. Lyndia, on the other hand, usually needed much longer than her.

"I haven't seen you for a week, where have you been?" Sylvera asked once her cousin was finished with her hair. She regarded herself in the nearest mirror, a pleased smile appeared on her lips.

"I watched the stage play by my mother's theatre group and then I stayed a few days in the city. They performed at least three times a day, so I could only spend a few hours every day with my mother."

"What did you do in the meantime when your mother was busy?" Sylvera asked curiously.

"I spent time in the city, even in the area around it. I have to say that Stratholme is a very beautiful city. I found out that many of these buildings are pretty old but they still look good. The citizens told me that some of these buildingshave been restored over the past years. They also told me that spells have been cast on lots of buildings to preserve them should visit Stratholme one day," told Lyndia.

"I have to ask my parents first but I don't think they would be against it. How long does your mother stay in Stratholme?"

"Three or four days, probably. She promised me she will return soon and we will visit Silvermoon City together."

Sylvera leaned back and rested her head on one of Lyndia's pillows, closing her eyes as she relaxed. "Your bed is as comfortable as mine. I wish I could stay in bed all day but my parents wouldn't allow that. They want to spend time with me and they also want me to train every day."

Lyndia laid down next to her and stared at the ceiling. "I'm glad they're spurring us on, otherwise I wouldn't do anything but lazing around in bed all day. I want to become a skilful ranger like your parents. It was my father's dream to become a ranger but he never had the chance to fulfil his dream. He died before he could ever start an apprenticeship as a ranger. I want to live his dream and become a ranger one day."

Sylvera opened her eyes and looked at the brown-skinned girl. She hadn't missed the sad tone in her voice so she regarded her worriedly. Lyndia was still staring at the ceiling but it was clearly visible that speaking about her deceased father was not easy for her.

Sylvera took one of her hands and intertwined their fingers. She gave her cousin a weak smile but Lyndia didn't see it. They remained silent for a few minutes, doing nothing but lying there and staring at the ceiling. The high elf cleared her throat eventually, catching the hybrid's attention. Their blue eyes meet but they didn't say anything for a few moments.

Sylvera cleared her throat again, putting a few strands of dark blonde hair behind the half-elf's ears which were much smaller and thinner than hers. "Does your mother often speak about your father?"

Lyndia hesitated for a moment. "She tells me about him from time to time. She told me how they met, how they fell in love, how he was and much more."

"My mother also told me about him. Uncle Lirath was a pretty nice man who wanted to become a ranger but also an actor at the same time. He was a good guy and still pretty young for a high elf. He died way too early. He was taken away from your mother and our family. I'm still so sorry about what happened to him."

Lyndia just nodded and looked at her fingernails, sadness was reflected by her blue eyes. Sylvera noticed that and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her in a tight and comforting hug. A few tears ran down Lyndia's cheeks but she wiped them away. She had already accepted that she would never meet her father but it still hurt to think about it.

She will never be able to meet her father and get known to him. She had grown up without him but she had a happy life. She lived together with her mother and the family of her father. Everyone loved her and nobody discriminated her because of her skin colour or her origin. She was a half-elf just like her older cousin Arator who was the son of her aunt Alleria and her uncle-in-law Turalyon. She was happy with the life she had but she was still wishing she could grow up with two parents instead of just one.

Sylvera was there for her and held her tightly, comforting her until she felt better. Lyndia pulled away eventually and gave her a thankful nod.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked worriedly.

The half-elf nodded. "I'm good but I would prefer if we would talk about something else."

Sylvera leaned against the wall and gave her a curious look. "What do you have in mind?"

Lyndia shrugged. "Nothing in particular."

The high elf turned her head, checking if the door was closed. It was. She leaned forward and took Lyndia's hands, intertwining them. "Why don't we talk about boys?"

Lyndia frowned but didn't say anything in return.

"What?" her cousin asked.

"I'm not sure if I'm in the mood for that right now. Maybe later, when I feel better," Lyndia said quietly.

Sylvera gave her an understanding nod. "Alright, we will talk about something else then."

"We don't have to talk. We can also just sit on my bed and relax," suggested Lyndia.

"Not a bad idea," the younger girl admitted. They sat there and did nothing for a while but relaxing and enjoying the presence of the other. But they didn't lay there forever. They got up eventually and left the room, locking the door. They walked downstairs and went to the kitchen where Sylvera's twin brother was sitting. He was eating a banana at the moment but he also had slices of smeared bread on his plate.

Raesh greeted Lyndia but not his sister. He didn't even look at her. He ignored her and only paid attention to his cousin. Lyndia regarded him with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her forehead for a few moments before she turned her head to look at his sister. "Is something wrong?" she asked them. Raesh gave her no answer.

"We had a little... argument yesterday and he's been ignoring me ever since."

The half-elf looked at her cousin who was still regarding his plate while eating. "Seriously, Raesh?"

The teenager refused to give her an answer. Lyndia shook her head. "And now you are ignoring me too because I'm spending time with your sister?"

Raesh took another bite and remained silent.

Lyndia rolled her eyes. "What a child," she muttered and took a few slices of bread from the middle of the table, handing three to Sylvera who gave her a thankful nod. They smeared their slices and ate them, talking to each other in the meantime. Raesh had gotten up and left the room as soon as they had started talking, even though he was not finished with his breakfast. He had taken his plate with him, intending to eat his bread somewhere else.

They kept sitting on their chairs even though they were finished with their meals. They got up after nearly half an hour, putting their plates on the kitchen counter. Lyndia was about to walk away but Sylvera reminded her that they had to clean their plates and the cutlery they had used. The half-elf was not pleased to do that but she did it with her in the end, putting the dried things in the kitchen cupboard.

They left the kitchen and entered the living room. They wanted to walk over to the couch and sit down but they stopped in their tracks as they spotted Lyndia's mother who was sitting on the couch and looked very distressed. Her skin was pale, her hair tousled and there was a dark-red ugly bruise under her left eye.

Sylvanas was sitting next to her, an arm was wrapped around her shoulder as she tried to comfort her. Camillia was absent-minded and just stared at her feet.

"Mother?" Lyndia asked. The massive amount of worry was clearly hearable in her voice. She walked over to her mother and sat down next to her. She took her hand and tried to get her attention but her mother didn't react to her. Lyndia's gaze wandered from her mother's head to her feet. The blouse and the trousers she wore were ripped. Brown skin could be seen through the many holes in her clothing. She didn't need long to spot the hematoma on the back of her mother's head.

Panic was written all over the half-elf's face. "What happened?" she asked. Her voice was much higher than usual and trembled.

Sylvanas, who was sitting right next to Camillia, turned her head and stared into Lyndia's eyes. Worry was reflected by her eyes. "Zendarin came with her through a portal and told me about the horrible news."

"Horrible news? What do you mean? What happened to her?"

"She didn't talk yet so I have no idea what happened to her. I only know about the tragedy that happened."

Lyndia's eyes widened, her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. "Which tragedy?"

Sylvanas took a deep breath, considering what she should say. She exhaled loudly as she had found the right words. "Prince Arthas Menethil and his men slaughtered the population of Stratholme."