Chapter 7: The Beginning of the End

*

"I told you that you cannot run away from the inevitable," said the man with the grey hair. The blonde woman's blue eyes were narrowed and rested on him. Her face reflected anger. She knew it wasn't looking good for her but she didn't lose hope. She was surrounded by undead creatures and then there was that man with his massive sword who was coming closer slowly. It didn't look good for her but she trusted her skills, hoping she could do something against him.

His armour seemed to be too firm for her swords. The only uncovered body parts were his head and his neck. She could only defeat him if she would pierce her swords through these spots but that wouldn't be easy. He was pretty tall for a human. He was half a head taller than her and he was pretty fast even though his armour seemed to be pretty thick and heavy.

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

The man's pale lips formed a provocative smile. "I doubt it, woman. Nothing can stop me."

*

---

*

The blond man turned his head, checking his surroundings. It was totally dark so he didn't see much at first but his eyes got used to the dark pretty quickly. His surroundings became clearer over time so he could recognize the thick and large pillars that were supporting the ceiling high above him. The room was totally empty except for the large throne in front of the other side of the room.

It took a while for him to reach that throne. As the man had expected, nobody was sitting on the throne. He had noticed that he was the only person in the room but he could still feel a strange aura. He sensed someone's presence but he didn't see anyone. He turned around, checking his surroundings once again but he didn't spot anyone. He was alone in the room, he thought that at least.

A green flame suddenly appeared above the throne's seat. The man took a closer look at it, recognizing facial features. He recognized two eyes and a mouth which formed a satisfied smile. The man was speechless and couldn't avert his gaze from the flame that was blazing brightly.

"I have waited for you," said an echoing voice. The voice didn't come from the flame, even though its mouth was moving. The man had the impression that the voice came from everywhere.

"Who or what are you?" the man asked irritated.

The flame's smile became wider. "You will find out soon enough who I am. Find me and I will tell you more."

*

Kelrian woke up and checked his surroundings. He was lying on the same mattress he had laid down before falling asleep. Sylvanas was lying next to him, but unlike the last time he had a weird dream, she was not sleeping. She was awake and her blue glowing eyes regarded him curiously.

"Is something wrong?" she asked and put a hand on his cheek, caressing it carefully. She sat up and came closer to him, wrapping her arms around him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kelrian responded and put his hands on her back. "I just had a weird dream."

Sylvanas stared into his eyes. "A weird dream? Tell me more about it."

Kelrian shook his head slightly. "I don't remember much. I saw a woman fighting a man in grey armour. I don't remember how he looked like, nor do I remember who that woman was. She was a high elf, I know that for sure."

A small amount of worry was reflected by the Ranger-General's eyes. Her eyes kept resting on Kelrian when he told her about the second part of the dream, he remembered much clearer.

"It was just a bad dream, honey. It's nothing you have to be worried about," she reassured him and kissed him on the lips, putting her head on his shoulder once they had pulled away.

Kelrian nodded but didn't say anything in return. He remained silent and stared at the tent's exit while thinking about the dream he just had. He was worried about what he had seen but he had no idea why. He had a bad feeling about what might happen in the future but he didn't know why. His sixth sense told him to be careful and he planned to do that.

---

Sylvanas' eyes were narrowed. Her ears were pricked up so she could hear better. She turned up her nose as she smelled the foul stench. She could smell the undead from afar. She could hear them. They were coming. Alleria had already confirmed that an army of undead creatures was coming closer.

Her sister had not arrived yet but the raven with her massage had. Alleria was still somewhere out there. Sylvanas was worried about her. She had no idea when Alleria would return nor did she know how large the army was.

She turned her head and looked at the rangers that lied on top of the first elfgate. It was a massive construct made out of stable grey stones, the huge doors were made out of solid wood that had been enchanted to hold out much longer against any attacker.

'Arthas Menethil would need more than a few ghouls or skeletons to break through our doors. He would need a miracle to do that. It never fell before. Nobody managed to pass it. Not in thousands of years. He would need to look for another way to get into Quel'Thalas but our borders are secured. Unless he shows up with dragons, like the Horde fifteen years ago, I doubt he will enter Quel'Thalas.' Sylvanas thought.

She was worried about the inevitable. Arthas Menethil and his undead army would show up and they would have to fight them. She only had more than two hundred men, most of them were rangers but she also had a dozen mages and two dozen priests and paladins. The people in Dalaran had found out that the holy light was very effective against these creatures.

The ghoul which Alleria had caught, had been dead when the people in Dalaran had experimented with it. Nevertheless, had they found out that the light had left much more grievous wounds than any sword, spear or arrow. The wielders of the light will be pretty useful during the upcoming battle, she was sure of that.

Sylvanas wished she had more men. Two hundred were not enough. Many will die but she was convinced that they would fight off Arthas and his army. Their numbers wouldn't matter because the gate wouldn't fall. Hails of fire arrows would rain down on the dead while they would try to break the gate. Arthas' army will burn to ashes and he will join them. Maybe she would even capture him so he could be judged later for the crimes he committed against his own kingdom. Sylvanas was not sure what she should do with him yet.

She knew that reinforcements were coming. They would need a few days but Sylvanas was sure that the battle will not be over when they would arrive. The battle will be long and bloody but she was convinced her men will have the upper hand. Her rangers were fearless and would fight until their last breaths. They had been trained well and most of them had gained much experience during the Second War and in many battles before the Second War. She could rely on them and trusted them with her life. They trusted her with their lives and wouldn't shrink back from sacrificing their lives for the greater good. Everyone would fight to their last breaths and would sacrifice their life to save the Ranger-General.

A swarm of ravens rose from the nearest forest and flew away rapidly. "The ravens are scared," mentioned a familiar voice. Sylvanas turned around and spotted her lover who had just arrived on top of the gate. He didn't hesitate and lowered his body until he laid next to her. His presence immediately comforted Sylvanas and reduced the worry she was still feeling.

He put a hand on her left hand, caressing it softly. The corners of his lips formed a small smile, his eyes reflected worry. Like all of her soldiers, he was worried as well. He was not looking forward to the approaching battle but there was no way to avoid it. They had to stop the undead army by every means.

"How are you feeling?" Kelrian asked.

"I'm worried."

Kelrian leaned in and pressed his lips on hers. The kiss was short but good enough to satisfy her. "And now?"

Sylvanas smiled at him. "Much better. Thanks, my love."

"You are welcome, honey." Kelrian intertwined their fingers and brought her hand to his lips, kissing its back. Then he let loose of her hand and put his hand on her left cheek, caressing it while staring into her eyes. He noticed that the tension in her body loosened a little.

A lot of weight rested on her shoulders but she bore it without complaining about it. She was responsible for the safety of her people. She was responsible for the men and women who followed her. She was responsible for a lot but she still managed to stay cool. The pressure would be too much for others but not for Sylvanas. She was used to be under a lot of pressure. It was not the first time she led her people in battle and it wouldn't be the last time.

Her men believed in her skills as a ranger, as a tactician and as a leader. She also believed in herself. She was sure she could lead her people to victory and defend the first gate.

"The stench is unbearable. I hope it won't get worse. I don't want to spew out the food I ate earlier that day," Kelrian said after they had been silent for a few moments.

Sylvanas' gaze still rested on him but then she turned her head as another swarm of ravens got scared and flew to the north. To Silvermoon. "The ravens are the only animals I have heard within the past few hours. The forests are unusually quiet. The howling of the wind is the only sound coming from the south that I hear from time to time."

"The animals probably fled. I would do the same if I would be an animal. There is nothing they can do against an army of undead creatures," replied Sylvanas.

"I wonder how large his army is. I wonder where Alleria is. She should have returned already."

Sylvanas toyed with the ring on her finger. "I'm asking myself the same. We can only hope that he doesn't have too many of these disgusting creatures."

"If the rumours that he turned most of the citizens of Lordaeron into undead creatures are true, then his army must be large."

Sylvanas looked at Kelrian, noticing that he looked much more worried than before. She put her hands on his cheeks and caressed them while she stared into his eyes. She managed to comfort him but she knew it was only temporarily. He would get more worried once the enemy will arrive but she was sure he would pull himself together and focus on the battle.

"We can only hope that as many citizens of Lordaeron as possible survived the slaughter. I've heard the survivors fled to Stormwind and travelled with Lady Proudmoore to a new placebut I have no idea where that is," she said.

"I still can't believe that Arthas did all of this. I can't believe that the friendly boy, I got known to fifteen years ago, turned into that monster. How could he doom his own kingdom and kill his own father? What has he become and why has he done all these horrible things?"

A quiet sigh escaped Sylvanas' lips. She noticed the disappointment and the small amount of sadness in his eyes. "I have no idea, my love. I wish I could convince you of the opposite but I can't. I'm afraid that we will soon find out what he has become. I'm sure he will arrive at our gates in a few hours. Are you ready for battle?"

Kelrian's hand wandered to his spellblade that hung on his belt. He turned his head, looking at the bow and quiver that laid next to him. He looked back at the love of his life. "I am. Are you?"

There was not the slightest sign of doubt in her eyes. "I am."

The horrible stench became much more intensive over the following hours. The stomping of feet became louder and louder.

The undead army came in the sight of the defenders eventually. The army was gigantic, much larger than Sylvanas had expected. Nevertheless, she was not worried. She believed in the impassable gate on which she was standing. She believed in her rangers, mages and wielders of the light that will fight by her side.

Sylvanas' heart was beating rapidly in her chest, her stomach was rebelling but she kept composure and stared at the army which frontline consisted out of skeletons and ghouls. She even spotted creatures that were as tall as ogres and looked as if they had been stitched together from different bodies. They looked horrible as if they had come directly out of a nightmare. No, they looked much worse than that. But Sylvanas remained calm and didn't show that these horrible things were actually scaring her.

She kept cool and showed the enemy and her men how fearless she was. That way she encouraged those who would defend Quel'Thalas with her. Some of her men looked scared, others looked worried and but most looked determined. Everyone was ready to defend their home. They had their arrows nocked but held their bows below their waists.

Sylvanas turned her head and looked at Kelrian who gave her a comforting smile and held her hand. She caressed the back of his hand with her thumb before she removed her hand and looked back at the leader of that army. He was sitting on an undead horse with fiery-red eyes. Sylvanas guessed that the distance between the gate and the army was over one hundred feet long. The man was still in her hearing range but she didn't speak to him yet.

She was scrutinising him closely. Arthas Menethil still looked human, even though his skin was very pale and his hair was as white as chalk. He wore a thick dark-grey armour that had lots of decorative elements that had something to do with death.

Many skulls and bones could be seen. The shoulder plates were massive. His armour looked very stable. Sylvanas had the impression that a simple arrow wouldn't be able to pierce through it but Arthas' head and neck were unprotected. Sylvanas recognized them as his weak points.

Her gaze wandered to the weapon he was holding. It was a massive sword with runes engraved in its blade. The sword had a similar colour scheme as the armour. Sylvanas stared at the sword longer than necessary but then she averted her gaze and looked at the hooded persons who stood not far away from him.

They were casting spells while the undead just stood there and did nothing. Sylvanas even noticed constructs behind the lines of ghouls and skeletons. She couldn't recognize them because they were too far away but she assumed that they were Arthas' siege engines.

Sylvanas looked at her mages, receiving a nod from the leader of the group. They were preparing a spell together. A domed barrier which they would wrap around the gate. Sylvanas knew that such a barrier wouldn't hold for too long. She just hoped it will buy them enough time.

Sylvanas looked back the fallen prince who hadn't moved an inch in the meantime. She stepped on the edge of the wall, making sure she had the death knight's attention before she started speaking. Her voice was loud and reflected strength, self-confidence and authority. "You are not welcome here. I am Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon. I advise you to turn back now and leave our holy lands."

She saw that the corners of his lips formed an amused smile. The amusement turned into arrogance as he replied to her. His voice was bursting with self-confidence. "It is you who should turn back, 'Sylvanas'." The way he pronounced her name told the Ranger-General that he had no respect for her. He didn't even mention her title. "Death itself has come to your lands, little elf," he added.

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed but she ignored his provocation and remained calm. "Do your worst. The elfgate to the inner kingdom is protected by our most powerful enchantments. You shall not pass, butcher."

The death knight chuckled amused, raising an eyebrow. "Butcher?"

Sylvanas' facial expression didn't change nor did Kelrian's. They stared at the human just like every other man and woman on top of the gate. "It's a fitting title, isn't it? Considering what you did to your kingdom, your people and your father."

Arthas made no comment but he looked unamused. He looked like a defiant kid. The sound of his voice gave Sylvanas another proof that he was not amused. "I give you one last chance, 'Sylvanas'. Surrender, open the gates and let us pass. I promise that I will spare as many elves as possible."

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed again. She didn't even intend to think about his offer. "I don't trust the words of a man who betrayed his own kingdom, murdered his own father and killed own his people. You will die if you dare to attack us."

The same arrogant grin from earlier appeared on Arthas' pale lips. "We will see who will die in the end, elf."

A hiss escaped Sylvanas' lips but Arthas was too far away to hear it. But the tensed facial expression she made was enough to amuse him. He didn't say anything else. He just sat on top of his horse, a provocative smile could be seen on his lips. He didn't expect that he would lose. He was assured of victory. Like Sylvanas had been before she had seen his gigantic army. She still thought that they would be able to defend the gate but she had become much more worried since the arrival of the army.

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest, her skin was tingling nervously and her stomach was cramping up. She feared she might vomit again at the look of these ugly, partly decaying, walking corpses. But she managed to control herself and prevented that she would disgrace herself in front of her men and her enemy.

She turned her head a little, looking at her men who were waiting for her orders. She looked at Kelrian who made a serious facial expression. His narrowed eyes rested on the death knight, one of his hands held his spellblade. She knew he would draw power from it to cast spells once the battle would begin. He would probably use fire techniques. Fire will be necessary if they wanted to deal with the undead.

Sylvanas looked back at the former human, noticing that he didn't intend to attack. He was waiting. Waiting for something. Sylvanas realized that he was waiting until these weird-looking siege engines were close enough to bombard the gate and destroy the barrier around it. She also noticed that the hooded men and women, these cultists, were casting spells. They were trying to weaken the barrier, she was sure of that.

She didn't hesitate to draw an arrow from her quiver, aimed at the human's unprotected head and fired. Arthas' smile became wider as he noticed the arrow that was meant for him. He blocked the arrow with his sword, splitting it in half. Soft laughter escaped his lips as he saw the surprised expression on her face. "Nice try, Sylvanas."

Sylvanas' rangers hadn't been idle in the meantime. They had released their arrows a moment later, so a hail of arrows had rained down on these cultists, killing every single one of them. An arrow or two had been enough to kill most of them, only a few individuals had survived more than two arrows. But they had fallen in the end. All of Arthas' cultists were dead but that didn't seem to bother him. He just looked at Sylvanas and smiled as if nothing had happened.

The next wave of missiles were fire arrows that were meant to kill and burn the undead. Many undead got ignited, the fire spread quickly and killed dozens of them within a short amount of time but the army was still too large for Sylvanas' liking.

The loss of these creatures didn't bother Arthas in the slightest. He lifted his sword in the air and pointed its tip at Sylvanas. "Attack, my minions. Kill them all. Let none of them alive," shouted Arthas and ordered his undead horse to move forward. The undead creature with the fiery eyes obeyed its master and moved so did the undead army.

They were coming closer, the siege engines were firing, weakening the barrier that was still intact but Sylvanas knew it wouldn't hold out long. She fired arrow after arrow, focusing on the undead creatures. She held the tips of each of her arrows in the flames of the fire pitthat stood next to her. Dozens of these fire pits had been put on the top of the wall so every ranger could fight the undead with fire. That way the mages didn't need to use spells to ignite the arrow tips. Instead, they could use spells to kill as many undead as possible.

Sylvanas didn't aim at Arthas because she knew he would block her arrows again. Instead, she was taking out undead creatures. Each of her arrows was a hit and killed one of these ugly creatures. But they were still enough of them. Enough was an understatement. 'Too many' was the fitting expression. Each creature that fell at the front was replaced by another creature that was as fearsome as the previous one.

The creatures were very fast. The barrier had already been destroyed so nothing was stopping them from running to the entrance. It was still closed so Sylvanas was wondering what they were doing. Her eyes widened in horror as she noticed that these creatures started to climb the smooth walls. She couldn't believe that they were able to do that. It should be impossible for them to stabilize. Sylvanas expected that they would slip and fall eventually but to her horror, they didn't.

The archers and mages did their best to keep them down. Frost mages froze the claws and feet of these ghouls and skeletons to the wall, preventing that they could continue moving. Fire mages sent rays of fire, fireballs and over fire techniques at them. Even shock waves were used to knock the undead off.

Kelrian created a small fire sphere and threw it at the approaching enemies. It was one of the techniques his mentor Kael'thas had shown him. The sphere bounced from creature to creature, igniting each of them, until it expired. Kelrian had ignited several undead creatures, their loud and horrible screams echoed through the air.

These sounds were not pleasant to hear for the elves but there was no way of drowning them out. There was only one way to silence these creatures. By killing them. But that was easier said than done. There were too many of them. They couldn't kill all of them before they would arrive at the top of the wall. The mages, archers, priests and paladins gave their best but the swarm of undead was too big.

The first ghouls arrived at the top, pouncing on the nearest rangers. Sylvanas saw that one of her comrades landed on the ground. A ghoul jumped on him and sank his sharp, yellow teeth in the ranger's neck. The ranger's painful cries were loud, he tried to defend himself but another ghoul jumped on him and bit him to death.

Sylvanas felt grief as she witnessed the demise of her comradebut she didn't have time to mourn yet. She had to kill as many of these creatures as possible. She saw that one of these creatures jumped on Kelrian's back and tried to bit his neck. Sylvanas couldn't allow that her lover would be hurt by any of these creatures.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She pulled a dagger from her belt, throwing it at the creature. The dagger hit it in the eye, making it stop of a moment. That moment was enough for Sylvanas to nock an arrow and fire it, piercing the creatures' head. A loud cry escaped the creature's lips but it fell silent and its body became limp after Zetai had separated its head with a clean swing.

Kelrian was able to shake that creature off and drew his sword from his belt. He held the spellblade in one hand and the sword in the other, beheaded and cut through the undead creatures that dared to approach him.

But it didn't matter how many they killed because more and more were coming. Several of Sylvanas' men had already been killed and more would follow, she was sure of that. Nevertheless, they were able to hold the gate for the first few hours.

They lost good men and women but the undead creatures were unable to gain the upper hand and drive out the defenders. They weren't able to gain control over the top of the gate. Arcane spells and shock waves were pretty useful to get the undead off the top, while the fire was ideal to kill them before they reached the top. Ice spells only stopped them temporarily. But every second matter. Every second the frost mages bought was important for the defenders.

For a moment, Sylvanas thought that the mages got everything under control but then she spotted creatures, that looked like giant bats, in the air. They had massive wings, long and sharp teeth and large feet which talons were sharp and long. Sylvanas shot an arrow at one of these creatures. To her horror, the arrow didn't bother the creature. It didn't even injure it. The arrow had rebounded off the creature's thick, stone-like skin.

These creatures flew to the top of the gate and dove down. A few of them picked up rangers, sank their claws deep in their flesh and lifted them up. Sylvanas ordered the mages to attack these creatures. Six of these giant bats were taken out within a short amount of time but there were still enough of them in the air. They kidnapped rangers and mages, flew away with them and dropped them somewhere. The horrible noises of breaking bones could be heard.

For a few moments, Sylvanas' eyes rested on the several large bloodstains on the ground in which the shattered bodies of her comrades laid. She averted her gaze and turned around to chop off the head of a ghoul that had tried to attack her from behind. Three ghouls and two skeletons were coming closer to her. Sylvanas dropped her bow and pulled her second sword from her belt, approaching these creatures.

One of these ghouls managed to hit her left hip with its claw. The mark it left was not deep but it hurt very badly. Sylvanas gritted her teeth, ignored the pain as best as possible and didn't stop fighting, slaying all five creatures in a short amount of time. More creatures were coming but they were taken out by an arcane blast created by Kelrian.

Sylvanas gave him a thankful nod, turning her head a moment later to look at Arthas. He was still sitting on his horse and observed the siege. A pleased smile could be seen on his lips. He raised his sword, his smirk became wider as the engraved runes started to glow much brighter.

Sylvanas' gaze landed on the corpses of the cultists next to Arthas. She watched in horror as they got up even though several of them were spiked with arrows. There was one cultist that pulled an arrow out of their head as if it was nothing.

Sylvanas noticed that not only the fallen cultists were brought back from the dead. Those ghouls and skeletons which hadn't been burned stood up as well and pounced on her men again. A cold shiver ran down her spine when she realized that Arthas had also raised her fallen comrades.

The painful cries of her people became louder, much more blood was spilt and more dead bodies landed on the cold stones. She lost more and more men while Arthas bolstered his ranks with her fallen comrades. Sylvanas realized that her efforts to defend the gate only made his army larger. There was no point in defending this gate. Her men were dying for nothing.

They couldn't win this battle, not with less than one hundred men. She would need more to pose a serious threat to the undead. She needed more mages, more wielders of the light and more rangers who could shoot fire arrows at these creatures.

But she couldn't just give up the gate. She couldn't allow that Arthas would break through it. Her people wouldn't be safe if they would allow the undead to enter Quel'Thalas. Thousands of people would die because the undead would overrun the villages that laid on the way to the next gate. She couldn't allow that to happen. She couldn't retreat. She had to stay and fight. She could only hope the reinforcements would arrive soon.

Her ears twitched when evil laughter escaped Arthas' lips. She regarded him out of the corner of her eyes while killing more of his undead servants. Arthas stared at her, watching her fighting bravely. He had to admit she was good. She was an excellent fighter and was very skilled with two swords.

He knew that the Farstriders were known as the best archers in the Eastern Kingdoms but he hadn't expected that they were that good in close combat. Especially Sylvanas who had no problems dealing with three ghouls at the same time. She had even taken out a gargoyle in flight. She had rammed her sword through its head when it had dived down to pick up Kelrian.

Arthas watched her for a while, then he parted his lips and spoke a few provoking words which were directed at her. "As you can see, Sylvanas, your efforts are meaningless. All you do is making my army stronger. You should have surrendered when I offered it to you. Now it is too late. All I'm offering you now is a quick death."

Sylvanas' facial expression distorted, anger and hatred were reflected by her eyes. She snarled at him but didn't say anything in return. She turned around, her eyes widened in shock as she saw one of her fallen comrades walking towards her.

It was her friend Velon.

Blood was flowing out of a huge yawning wound in his stomach, his innards could be seen and one of his arms was twisted at an unnatural angle. He was approaching her but he was not very fast because a sword stuck in his left upper thigh. He was coming to her and Sylvanas was sure he would try to kill her.

He was no longer her friend. He was no longer one of her rangers. He was one of them. He was a member of Arthas' army. His skin was very pale, his eyes had a different blue colour than when he had been alive and an empty expression could be seen on his face.

Sylvanas hesitated. She wondered why she didn't attack that creature and just kill it before it would hurt her. Maybe because it looked like her friend or because she was still shocked that Arthas was using her own men against her. The creature stepped to her but it was beheaded before it was able to attack her.

Kelrian grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, shaking her until she broke out of her state of shock. He put a hand on her cheek and stared into her eyes. "They are overwhelming us, Sylvanas. We can't hold the top much longer. What are your orders?" His voice reflected panic. He was as shocked as her. He couldn't believe that he had to fight against his fallen comrades but there was no way to avoid killing the freshly raised elves.

Sylvanas could hear Arthas' evil laughter in the background but it was soon drowned out by other sounds. Sylvanas noticed that the gate was shaking. The creatures, that were made out of various bodies, were banging against the double doors. Most of them had three arms that held massive weapons with sharp blades. There were also ugly spider-like creatures who were attacking the defenders at the top. They shot threads at them, bound their limbs together or snatched their weapons away.

Sylvanas realized that these huge creatures and the siege engines would break through the gate sooner or later even though it had been enchanted. There was no way to deny the truth. The impossible had happened. The elfgate was about to fall for the first time in elven history. There was no point in trying to defend it any longer.

She would only lose more soldiers than she already had if they would keep fighting. She would lose Kelrian too. She would lose her own life. She would lose the baby she assumed was growing in her belly. She had no proof that she was pregnant but she had the feeling she was. She wouldn't have vomited in the middle of the day, before having seen any of these undead creatures, if she wouldn't be pregnant.

The battle was lost. There was no way to defend the gate. All she could do was to save as many lives as possible. They had to retreat and fall back. They had to regroup with the reinforcements and defend the inner gate.

"We have to fall back and regroup," she hissed. She noticed the worry in her lover's eyes but she didn't say anything else to him. She turned her head and looked at Zelen. "Recruit Zelen, I want you to go to Silvermoon and tell them what happened. Take one of our remaining horses. Tell the Council of Silvermoon to mobilize our army and send it to the inner gate. Inform the mayors of the villages that lay on the way and tell them to evacuate everyone. You have to hurry."

Zelen nodded and climbed off the gate, mounted a horse and rode away. Sylvanas looked at her remaining men, noticing that she had lost more than half of them. "Shindu fallah Na! Fall back to the second gate! Fall back! Run as fast as you can and regroup."

The remaining Farstriders, mages, paladins and priests picked up the wounded and started to flee. What they were doing didn't look like a tactical retreat, more like a frantic escape. Sylvanas' remaining men ran as fast as they could. Sylvanas followed them, turning her head from time to time to make sure that Kelrian was still behind her.

She couldn't lose him, especially not after losing so many already felt bad. She had failed her people and her men. She hadn't been able to defend the gate. Not with so few men. She had never expected that Arthas' army would be so large and that they would be able to break through the gate even though it had been enchanted.

She was asking herself where her sister was. Alleria had sent her the letter in which she had told her about the undead army but apart from that, Sylvanas hadn't heard of her yet. Alleria hadn't returned yet. She was wondering if Alleria was alright. She was hoping her older sister was still alive. She didn't want to lose her.

Sylvanas heard that the double doors were busted open. The undead were coming for them. Sylvanas turned her head to look at their pursuers. The distance between her and the undead was not too large but there was a wall of fire which had been created by one of the remaining mages. Sylvanas knew that this wall wouldn't stop the undead for long but it would buy the survivors enough time. They made use of the bought time and ran as fast as they could, arriving at a bridge that allowed them to pass the wide river.

Sylvanas' men had already crossed the bridge and were waiting for her at the other side of the river. Sylvanas was still standing in front of the bridge. Kelrian stopped next to her and regarded her worriedly. Sylvanas turned her head, looking at him. He was scared. Sylvanas knew what she had to do.

She put her hands on Kelrian's cheeks, staring into his eyes before she put a quick kiss on his lips. "I want you to cross the bridge and tell the others that they should retreat to the second gate."

"I won't go without you," he said insistently.

"I know, that's why you will wait for me on the other side of the bridge."

"So we will go together?"

She nodded. "Promised."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "And what will you do now? Why don't we go together with the others?"

"Because I want to buy as much time as possible. I want you to blow up the bridge once I crossed it."

Kelrian nodded and pulled her in for another short kiss. Sylvanas signalized him to go once he had pulled away. Kelrian didn't hesitate to cross the bridge and walk to two familiar persons. Verena regarded him for a few moments before she looked at her best friend who was standing in the middle of the bridge and waited for some reason she didn't know.

Kelrian regarded Verena and Zetai closely. Verena was wounded. There was an ugly-looking wound on her left forearm. It looked as if one of these undead creatures had bitten her. It looked horrible but she would survive it. She was still able to move her arm, it hurt every time she did that but she could bear the pain.

Zetai was uninjured but even he looked scared. Kelrian had never thought that anyone or anything could scare him. He had always considered Zetai as the bravest person he knew. He had always thought that Zetai didn't fear anything. He had even thought that Zetai wouldn't know what fear was. It seemed he had been wrong but he couldn't hold that against him. It was only natural to fear such horrible creatures.

"What is Sylvanas doing?" asked Verena and regarded her best friend worriedly.

"She wants me to blow up the bridge once she had crossed it. She wants you to lead the survivors to the second gate," Kelrian said. The redhead didn't react for the first few moments but then she gave him a nod and turned around, signalizing Zetai to follow her. Zetai put his hand on his friend's shoulder and looked at him for a few moments. "Stay safe, Kel."

The blond man nodded. "You too, Zetai. I will see you at the second gate."

The man with the blood-red coloured hair nodded and turned around, walking away with his superior. Kelrian's eyes rested on them for a few seconds before he turned around and looked at Sylvanas who was still standing in the middle of the bridge. He knew she was scared but she didn't show it. She appeared strong and showed Arthas Menethil, who was coming closer and closer with his undead army, that she was not afraid of him.

Kelrian knew he would arrive in a few minutes, so he didn't hesitate to do what Sylvanas had requested. He drew his spellblade from his belt and held it in his left hand while preparing the spell.

The huge army stopped not far away from the bridge. Arthas was still holding his sword in his left hand, his face was still reflecting arrogance and a triumphing grin could be seen on his pale lips.

Kelrian noticed the furrow left by the undead. The land around them was dying. The ground on which the undead had set foot, had become grey and infertile. Like all high elves, he had a close connection to nature so he knew that no plant will ever grow again on the wide and long furrow the undead were leaving behind them wherever they walked. He could only hope that the mages would be able to do something about it once the death knight and his terrifying army had been driven out of their lands.

"Your pathetic little gate didn't stop me, Sylvanas," Arthas said eventually.

Sylvanas didn't respond to him. She just stared at him in the most frightening way but that didn't impress him at all. She showed him how fearless she was but he knew she was just pretending. He knew that she was afraid of him and his army. He knew that she was afraid of what was awaiting her people.

Arthas' gaze shifted to Kelrian who was looking at him the same way. Kelrian was very angry at Arthas. He couldn't believe that the young boy he had met fifteen years ago had turned into this monster that commanded these creatures to slaughter his friends and comrades. He couldn't believe that this man, who would have done anything to protect his people, had turned into a monster and doomed his people. The same monster was now planning to do the same with the high elves.

Rage started to overwhelm Kelrian but there was nothing he could do at the moment. He had cast too many spells during the battle. He was too exhausted. He had invested the last remains of his power in the preparation of the spell that would blow up the bridge.

He wished he could attack Arthas somehow but he had not enough power left to do that. He would need time to rest. Time in which his power could recover. He had no mana potions left so he could only wait for the recovery of his power.

Arthas was still regarding Kelrian, an amused smile could be seen on his lips. "If that's not Ranger Sunsinger. It has been a long time since I saw you last."

"Ranger-Lieutenant Sunsinger," corrected Kelrian.

"It doesn't matter which rank you have, Kelrian. Your rank won't save you."

"Don't you dare to take his name in your dirty mouth," hissed Sylvanas.

Arthas chuckled and looked back at the brave woman. "You should have told your lover to run away like the rest of these cowards you call soldiers."

"I will never leave her side," replied Kelrian. Arthas' gaze shifted to him. "Then you will die with her."

Kelrian didn't respond to that. Instead, he said something which was meant to provoke the death knight. "What would Jaina say if she would see you now? I doubt she will recognize the man she once loved. I feel bad for her. I think she is regretting now that she chose you over Kael'thas. Prince Kael'thas would have been so much better than you in all things." The corners of his lips formed a small smirk when he noticed that his provocation had worked. Arthas was biting his bottom lip hard. He was very angry.

An angry scream escaped his lips. "I will kill you, son of a dirty elven whore." He lifted his sword and ordered his minions to attack. The first rows of skeletons and ghouls moved towards the bridge. Sylvanas didn't hesitate to cross the bridge, waiting until enough undead foes were in the middle of the bridge.

She gave Kelrian the signal and the ranger-mageblew up the bridge, killing twenty-five undead creatures at the same time. A loud roar escaped the death knight's lips. "You son of a whore. I will kill you slowly when I catch you. Your death and the death of your whore of a lover will be inevitable. You cannot outrun the inevitable. Remember my words."

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed, a frown appeared on her forehead. "You think that we are running from you?" she asked confused, tilting her head. "Apparently you've never fought elves before. Anyways, I suggest you turn back now because you will never get through the second gate."

Sylvanas' eyes rested on the angry death knight, out of whose mouth nothing but insults came out, for a few moments before she averted her gaze and looked at Kelrian. Kelrian was still angry but the anger faded quickly as he stared into Sylvanas' beautiful eyes. "We should go."

Kelrian nodded and took her hand. He looked at Arthas for the last time before he turned around and ran away with Sylvanas.