Chapter 45: Reunions

Author's Note: Just like in the last chapter, everything between single quoations marks ( ' ) is what Exadius telepathically says to Kelrian.

He was alive. Kelrian was really alive. He was not dead as she had thought. He was healthy and very much alive. He had finally returned after all these years. She couldn't believe it. For the first time since she broke free from the Scourge, she felt something she would consider as happiness.

If she would be alive, her heart would have hammered in her chest and her skin would have tingled nervously. Her eyes were widened in surprise, her lips were parted, her mouth was slightly open but no sound escaped her lips. She was stunned and she couldn't think clearly because too many thoughts crossed her mind. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She closed her eyes and opened them after a few moments but Kelrian was still standing there. He was not a dream or an imagination. He seemed to be real but she still couldn't believe it.

She had thought he was dead. She had thought that he had gotten killed in Northrend by the Scourge. She had thought that he would be undead if she would ever see him again but he was neither dead nor undead. He looked more alive than ever. He was also much taller than she remembered.

Sylvanas' face reflected surprise, her widened eyes still rested on him. She couldn't avert her gaze nor could she say anything. She wanted to say something. She wanted to say his name and get his attention that way but she didn't need to do that. She already had his attention. Kelrian was staring at her, he was not surprised by her look because he had already seen her in the vision.

His gaze rested on her for nearly two minutes, then he turned his head and looked at the others. He saw familiar faces but also people he had never met before. The people who recognized him were as surprised as Sylvanas while those who didn't know him were shifting their gazes between him and the others. Kelrian looked at Rhonin and the mages by his side who directed their prepared spells at him.

'I wonder what these mages are going to do. I doubt they can do you any harm as long as you wear the armour. Exadius said to him.'

Kelrian lifted his hands to signalize that he didn't have any bad intentions. "I don't want to hurt anyone. There is no need for violence."

Sylvanas' voice was thinner and quieter than usual but at least she was finally able to say something. "Kelrian... Is it really you?"

'Someone missed you. Seems you are still important to her.'

Kelrian turned his head and looked at Sylvanas, giving her a small smile. "Yes, it's me. The one and only."

"We thought you were dead," said Alleria. "Your entire unit didn't return to Outland nor did they return to Silvermoon."

'I wonder if they know about the massacre that happened in Northrend four years ago.'

Kelrian looked at his sister-in-law. "My entire unit died that day. Our plan horribly backfired. We have underestimated the Scourge and they tricked us." He looked at Tyrande. "They had dragons, gargoyles and flying nerubians neither our scouts nor your owl spotted."

"We already know that," responded the priestess. "But we have no idea how you survived."

'Now I wonder how much you will tell them, Kelrian.'

"I don't know it either. Arthas was about to kill me as someone or something teleported me away. I found myself in another place."

Tyrande made a gesture, signalizing him to continue. Kelrian let his gaze wander, letting it rest on Sylvanas who was still surprised and a little nervous at the same time. "I needed some time to get out of this place. I'm already aware that four years passed on me, eight months passed. I fought agents of the Burning Legions, made new allies and became stronger. And now I am here, ready to fight the Scourge. I assume you wouldn't trust me for now, that's why I brought you a gift."

Kelrian made a gesture and Xatorious dropped the body wrapped in clothes on the ground, removing the white material. The eyes of the sin'dorei and Forsaken widened as they recognized the man despite his bloody and disfiguredface.

"Dar'Khan Drathir... How... How did you manage to get him?" Sylvanas asked. A mix of surprise and doubt was seen on her face. She had never expected anyone to catch the traitor because he had never left Deatholme since he had been put in charge of the base.

"My companions and I sneaked in the base and kidnapped him but we didn't only do that. We left one of us behind who disguised himself as Dar'Khan and took his place. That way we can find out what the Lich King is planning. We will be informed early enough if the Lich King plans another assault on Quel'Thalas. We will have more time to do something about it. Also, I'm sure Dar'Khan has a lot of useful information. We just have to make him speak," Kelrian explained, a confident smile could be seen on his face. His gaze didn't leave Sylvanas' face. They stared at each other.

'You can't take your eyes off each other, can you? asked Exadius. Kelrian ignored him again.'

"So you went into the base and kidnapped him? Just like that? There are thousands of Scourge minions in the base. How did you manage to do that?" asked Varian. His face reflected doubt.

'He doesn't believe your story yet. If I were him and would have a human brain, I wouldn't believe it either. I'm not sure if he would believe you if you tell him the truth. I doubt his human brain is capable to understand what we can do with our power. If only he would know how powerful we are.'

Kelrian averted his gaze to look at the King of Stormwind. "My companions and I created a powerful spell which allowed us to sneak through the base without getting seen. Even their shades didn't see us. We reached Dar'Khan and captured him. He resisted so I hit him until he stopped resisting. I could have killed him for his treason against my people but I thought that he would be more useful to us if I let him live."

Rhonin cleared his throat, getting Kelrian's attention that way. "How did you manage to get into this room. We put wards in the room which purpose is to prevent anyone from entering or leaving this room by using magic."

Kelrian shrugged. "I told Danara to bring us to Silvermoon but somehow we landed in this room. Seems she miscalculated a little."

'Indeed she did. I did not expect my sweet little girl to mess up this simple spell.'

"But that doesn't explain how your spell ignored our wards and broke the barrier," responded the leader of the Kirin Tor.

"Fel magic is the reason," Danara responded. "Your wards protect you against teleportation spells based on the use of arcane magic but I combined fel magic and arcane magic to create the portal. Seems that I underestimated the effect the fel would have on the portal. I think that's the reason why we landed in this place and not in front of the spire as I have planned."

Kelrian took the floor. "Anyway, I didn't plan to disturb you at your important meeting. I will wait outside if you don't mind. You can ask me anything anytime. I could bring Dar'Khan to the prison in the meantime if you want."

Alleria who had organised this meeting looked around, noticing the mixed expression on the faces of the others. "I think it's best if you do that. We have much to talk about. We will see you later."

Kelrian gave her a nod and looked at Sylvanas, noticing the passive expression on her face. Her gaze didn't leave him as he and his companions walked over to the room's exit. Kelrian gave her one last look and winked at her before he left the room and closed the door behind the guards that were following him. They guided him to the prison of Silvermoon and locked Dar'Khan in the darkest cell they had.

Kelrian and the disguised demons left the prison and walked back towards Sunfury Spire. Kelrian was about to enter it as he spotted a familiar person sitting near the fountain. It was his son who looked older and more mature. Raesh was a head taller and more muscular than the last time Kelrian had seen him. He wore an expensive red-golden robe, his blond hair was made up in a ponytail. His green eyes rested on the book he was holding in his hand. A man stood not far away from him. Kelrian recognized him as one of the royal servants who had served his father.

'He looks like a younger version of you. He has Sylvanas' eyes but they are as green as the eyes of the other sin'dorei. Seems that the even the eyes of those who didn't consume fel energy changed. Fel magic doesn't only affect its users but also those who are near them. These days, most sin'dorei have emerald eyes. Just like your son.' Exadius told.

Kelrian regarded Raesh and the servant for a few moments, then he walked over to them and stopped in front of his son. He wanted to put a hand on his shoulder but the servant stepped between him and prevented him from touching his son. Kelrian raised an eyebrow and regarded the servant curiously. He had blood-red hair and was very tall but not as tall as him.

"How dare you trying to touch the prince without his permission," the servant snarled.

'Who does he think he is? If only he knows who you are.'

Kelrian remained calm, tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Prince?"

"Don't you know who that man is? How dare you? What an insolence. This is Prince Raesh Windrunner, son of Sylvanas Windrunner and Crown Prince Kelrian Sunsinger. He is the grandson of Kael'thas Sunstrider which makes him to the Crown Prince of Quel'Thalas after the death of his father."

Kelrian gave the servant an amused smile. He turned his head and looked at Raesh, noticing that he was also looking at him. Raesh's eyes were widened, the expression on his face told Kelrian that he recognized him.

"Father...Is it...Is it really you?" stuttered the young man.

Kelrian pushed the servant away and pulled his son in a tight embrace, putting a hand on his back. "It is me, my son."

Tears of happiness formed in Raesh's eyes. "I can't believe it... It is really you... I...I thought you were dead."

"Fortunately, I'm still alive, my son." Kelrian held the hug for a few minutes and then pulled away, giving his son a smile. "You have grown into a splendid young man. You look good."

Raesh blushed. "Thank you." He regarded his father from head to toe. "You have changed. Your face, your outfit..."

"My appearance might have changed but I'm still the same. The same man who wants to destroy the Scourge by any means."

Raesh gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you are back. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Raesh sighed. "The past years have not been easy. I got my mother back but I lost my father and then I heard about the fate of my sister... I heard about our bloodline which didn't make things easier. Suddenly, I was in the centre of attention and lots of people wanted to see me and speak to me. Aunt Alleria and Aunt Vereesa helped me to deal with the new popularity. Mother also showed up from time to time and spoke to me and even trained me."

Kelrian put a hand on Raesh's shoulder. "We will find your sister and we will free her from the Lich King's control. Your mother broke free so I have no doubts that Sylvera can break free too if we manage to weaken the Lich King."

"I hope we can accomplish that."

Kelrian regarded his son once again. "Prince Raesh. That doesn't sound too bad. So the king told you that I'm his son and you are his grandson."

"He did. I was very surprised of course. I would have never imagined that your father is the king himself. At first, I have been confused and overtaxed but the more time passed the more I have gotten used to it. But now that the king turned away from us and followed his own path... The reputation of our family has suffered."

"I don't care about reputation. I want to defeat the Scourge and kill Arthas for everything he did to our kingdom, to our people and to our family. I will do anything necessary to achieve that goal."

Raesh smiled. "So will I, father."

Kelrian returned the smile, his gaze fell on the book he was holding. It was a study book for mages.

"You are interested in magic."

His son nodded. "The Kirin Tor noticed that I'm capable of using magic. They suggested me to go to Dalaran and get trained by an archmage."

Kelrian gave him an interesting look. "Who is your mentor?"

"Archmage Aethas Sunreaver."

"That's a good choice. He is a very powerful mage. After your grandfather, Magister Rommath and me, he is the most powerful mage of the sin'dorei."

Raesh nodded. "He is doing a great job. I really enjoy our lessons."

Kelrian smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. I'm proud of you."

His son's eyes widened in surprise, his face reflected joy. "Thank you. Your words mean a lot to me."

Kelrian just smiled and said nothing in return. Raesh stared at him and then formulated a question that didn't want to leave his mind. "Where have you been in the past four years?"

Kelrian told him the same story he had told the leaders of the Alliance. He didn't want to reveal his pact with Exadius yet. Not when so many people were around him. He might tell Sylvanas about it or his sisters-in-law but only in private. He had to keep it secret from the public.

"You have missed a lot in the past years. A lot happened."

"I already know a few things but it wouldn't hurt to know everything."

"Why don't you sit down and I tell you everything I know. You should ask mother or Aunt Alleria and Aunt Vereesa for more details. They didn't tell me everything."

"I will ask them once their meeting is over," Kelrian responded and sat down, giving his son a curious look. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

---

Kelrian put the cut throat razor under the jet of water and cleaned it. Then he put it on the washbasin and looked in the mirror, regarding his face. He ran his fingers over his clean, flawless chin which was free of any hair. He hated beards, so he was happy to be shaved again. He regarded the tattoos on his upper body and then looked at his gloved left hand.

He removed the glove and took a closer look on his demonic hand. The golden symbols glowed stronger than the last time he had regarded them. He had no idea why they did that nor did he know what that meant. He could ask Exadius but he doubted the demon would answer him at the moment. He knew that the nathrezim was busy which meant he was not looking after him. The demon wouldn't hear that he would say, so he wouldn't answer.

Kelrian appreciated the demon's telepathic absence. Exadius comments and advices were mostly useful but he felt more comfortable when the nathrezim was not regarding him from another dimension. Also, he still had not gotten used to hearing Exadius' voice in his head.

He appreciated that the demon lord supported him whenever he could, but sometimes it annoyed Kelrian to have to hear him. He couldn't even turn the demon's voice off. All he could do was listen and hope his partner wouldn't get on his nerves. Fortunately for him, Exadius usually did not say too much.

Kelrian put his glove back on and pushed the strands of hair out of his face, revealing the right half of his face. His golden eye started to analyse his surroundings. He noticed the thin layer of dust on the window-sill and the dirt in the gaps between the blue tiles that covered the floor. He noticed his essence on the washbasin, in the shower and on the toilet lid.

Kelrian turned back to the mirror above the washbasin, taking a closer look at the right half. The golden symbols beneath his eye and on his cheek were new to him. They were as golden as the symbols on his left hand and forearm. He had no idea where they came from. His only assumption was that the demon blood that ran through his veins was responsible for their appearance.

Kelrian regarded himself for a few more moments before he covered the right half of his face with his hair and walked out of the bathroom. He went to the cupboard in the guest room and opened it. He examined the content, spotting many pairs of trousers and many shirts and blouses in different colours.

He put on a white undershirt and a green blouse. He walked to the bed and was about to lay down as he heard knocks at the door. He looked at the door and waited. The same person knocked again. He still waited. A third knock could be heard. This time, Kelrian walked to the door and put his left hand on the handle. He was wondering who was disturbing him at this late hour. He opened the door, his green eye widened a little as he recognized the person in front of the door.

His gaze hung on her crimson red eyes, fell on her pale blue lips and then moved to her breasts that were covered by a purple chest plate. His gaze wandered over her thick armour to her feet. He raised his gaze again, looking at her beautiful face. "I did not expect you to come to my room. At least not at this late hour," Kelrian said.

Sylvanas turned her head, checking her surroundings. No creature was in the same corridor as her but she knew that could change. She knew that someone might appear sooner or later and see them. She didn't want to be seen by anyone.

She looked back at Kelrian, taking a closer look at his handsome face. It was the only thing that had not changed, at least not too much. His hairstyle was different, his eye had a different colour, he was taller and appeared to be more muscular. She stared into his eye for a few moments and then cleared her throat. "Can I come in?"

Kelrian gave her a curious look and stepped aside. "Sure."

Sylvanas entered the room without hesitation, letting her gaze wander. The room was nicely furnished like all guest rooms in Silvermoon. She spotted his armour on the table on the left side of the room. The sword he had carried on his back laid next to it. The handle was a golden crystal which was shaped like an eye. She could not see the blade because it stuck in the sheath.

Her gaze fell back on Kelrian who was regarding her curiously. He had his arms crossed in front of his chest, a small smile could be seen on his lips. Sylvanas had waited hours for this moment. She had not been able to think about anything else. She had only thought about him during the meeting.

She had hardly been able to concentrate on the meeting and had just sat there and listened more or less. The other leaders of the Alliance had discussed the different matters and made suggestions on what to do. She had just sat there, listened to them and agreed or disagreed with their ideas. She hadn't spoken too much. She had only thought about him. About the smile, he had given her before he had left the room.

"What can I do for you, Sylvanas?" he asked, his voice was calm and low.

Sylvanas was silent for a few moments, considered what she should say. Should she tell him how much she had missed him? How badly she had wanted to see him since he showed up? How devasted she had been when he had been declared as dead? How his declared death had affected her?

"I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you right after the meeting but you haven't been outside as you have said," responded Sylvanas.

"I waited for hours but the meeting was still not finished, so I decided to go to bed because it was already late. I informed one of the guards and went to this room," he explained.

"The meeting endured longer than expected. We had much to discuss. Your return for example."

Kelrian raised an eyebrow, giving her a curious look. "What did the others say?"

"Not everyone trusts you. King Greymane is one of those who told the other leaders to be careful. He wants you to prove to us that we can trust you."

Kelrian frowned. "I brought you Dar'Khan Drathir. Isn't that proof enough?" he asked irritated.

"In my eyes it is, but the other leaders of the Alliance have a different opinion about that..."

An annoyed sigh escaped Kelrian's lips. "Seems I have to prove myself again. What do they want me to do?"

"Nothing for now, but we will inform you whenever you will be needed."

"Alright. I will do as they say."

"If you prove to us that we can trust you, you can join the meetings. As the son of Kael'thas you are the rightful ruler of Quel'Thalas now that he turned against us and made a pact with the Burning Legion," Sylvanas said.

"I can't believe my father did all of these things... Our son told me everything he knew. I can't believe my father changed so much..." Hurt and disappointment were hearable in Kelrian's voice.

Sylvanas' eyes reflected a small amount of sorrow. "Many think it was the fel magic that drove him crazy."

Kelrian was silent for a few moments. "Illidan Stormrage promised us that the fel will help us. He didn't inform us about the side effects it can have on creatures who consume too much of it. If I would have known that back then, I would have convinced my father to not consume it. We should have looked for another solution to satisfy our hunger for magic..."

"Your father was a good friend of mine. He was a good man who would have done anything to help the sin'dorei... His fate makes me sad... I am glad the same fate has not happened to you... I wouldn't know what to do if the fel would have driven you crazy too..." Sadness was reflected in her eyes, her voice was low and weak.

"Fortunately, I didn't."

Sylvanas gave him an agreeing nod. Her gaze still rested on his face, regarding it closely. They didn't say anything. The silence was uncomfortable but none of them said anything because they didn't know what they should say. They just stared at each other. Sylvanas' facial expression was neutral while a small smile could be seen on Kelrian's lips.

"My appearance doesn't seem to scare you," Sylvanas said eventually. "I thought it would. I feared you would be disgusted by me. I feared you would be shocked to see me like this but you aren't. You look at me as if nothing has changed..." Her voice reflected insecurity.

"I saw you in a vision, so I already knew how you looked like before I returned to Azeroth. To be honest, your appearance doesn't scare me. I'm not disgusted by you. On the contrary, I think you are very beautiful."

Sylvanas' eyes widened a little. It was obvious that she was surprised by the compliment she had not expected to get. "You really do?"

Kelrian nodded. "You were beautiful in life and you are still beautiful in death."

"So you don't see me as a monster?" she asked. She was more insecure than ever. She was rarely insecure about herself. She had always been very confident. She had never been so insecure in life before. Her death had changed that. Since her death, she was only insecure about herself when she thought about Kelrian. She was insecure when he was around. She was afraid he wouldn't like her. She was afraid he would push her away and choose another woman over her. She was afraid he would never love her again. If only she would know what Kelrian felt for her.

"You are not a monster. You may be undead but you are not a monster. I have fought at the side of a half-demon who I would rather call a monster than you. In my eyes, you are anything but a monster."

If Sylvanas' heart would still beat, it would have stopped beating for a few moments and then it would have started to beat rapidly in her chest. Sylvanas was stunned. Stunned by his confession. Stunned but happy at the same time. She was relieved that he didn't regard her as a monster. That had been her worst fear. Her worst nightmare. She was more than just glad about the discovery. Sylvanas made a step closer to him but didn't say anything.

Kelrian remained on his spot and tilted his head a little, regarding her curiously. "I have to say that you look good with your blue skin, your red eyes and your pale blonde hair. You are a true beauty. You were always beautiful and not even death managed to change that."

The corners of Sylvanas' lips formed a smile. She was blushing like a teenage girl who had received a compliment from a person they liked.

"You look good too," Sylvanas said in return.

Kelrian smirked. "I know. Thank you."

Sylvanas was silent for a few minutes, regarding her fingers. She looked at him again eventually and cleared her throat. "I'm glad you are back and alive. I feared the Scourge got you and turned you into one of their mindless minions. Your entire unit died, so I expected the worst."

"I survived but not without help. Someone saved me and brought me to a strange place where I fought against demons. I fought for months," he responded. He knew that this was not the entire truth. He left out some information so it was just a half-truth. He didn't want to lie to her or to anyone else but he had promised Exadius do not tell anyone about him and their pact. Not until he would be free and join him fighting the Scourge.

"Who is this person? I should thank them in this case."

"You will meet him soon, that's all I can say for now. He prefers to be anonymous until he gets rid of the agents of the Burning Legion who want him dead."

Sylvanas gave him a small nod. She was silent again but the silence didn't last as long as the last time. Speaking out the following sentences was not as hard as she had expected. "I missed you. I missed you since I got free from the Scourge. For a long time, I denied that to myself. I told myself that it's best that you wouldn't see me like this. But the more time passed, the stronger became my desire to see you again."

Kelrian's smile became wider, joy appeared in his eyes. "I missed you too, Sylvanas."

Sylvanas was unable to hide her surprise. "You did?"

Kelrian made a step closer to her, putting a hand beneath her chin, lifting it. He stared into her eyes and she returned his gaze. His heart was beating much faster, his skin was tingling nervously and excited at the same time. His body told him to give in but his mind told him to be patient. He didn't want to ruin anything by doing any rash moves. He was a patient person and he had no doubt that she was too.

"I did," he said, his gaze didn't leave hers. Her eyes widened again but her gaze still rested on him. She didn't say or do anything. She just stared at him, wondering what he will do next. She was wondering if he would kiss her. She was wondering if that would be too soon or if it was the only right thing he could do at the moment. She didn't want to rush things because she was afraid any wrong move would ruin everything.

She didn't do anything but he did. He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tightly against him. He closed his eyes, ignoring the scent of death. He muttered a few words, casting a spell on himself which allowed him to bear the stench. "I missed you so much," he whispered.

Sylvanas closed her eyes and pressed her head against his chest, inhaling his scent. She smelled fel. His scent was similar to Varimathras'. She assumed it had something to do with the fel that was running through his veins. The scent stung in her nose but it was still bearable.

Sylvanas felt his warm lips against her forehead. He kissed her forehead as he had often done in life. Whenever she had been upset or emotional, he had kissed her forehead to calm her down. For her, it felt as if the kiss had endured for hours but she was certain it had only endured a few moments. A minute or two at maximum.

Sylvanas felt much calmer once he stopped pressing his lips against her forehead. Calmer and happier. Nevertheless, she noticed small tears running down her cheeks. Happy tears which turned to dust before they reached her chin.

Kelrian said nothing about it. All he did was hugging her tightly. Feeling her cold body against his warm body didn't bother him at all. The cold in Northrend had not affected him at all due to the effect of the fel energy in his veins. Sylvanas' body temperature was nothing compared to the low temperatures in Northrend. The cold of her body was neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It didn't bother him at all, so he hugged her as long as he wanted. Nevertheless, he pulled away after a while, his eyes fell on Sylvanas who looked conflicted.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sounding a bit worried.

Sylvanas nodded, her expression became neutral. "I am. It's just... I sense demonic energy coming from you. My mind tells me to stay away from you but I don't want to do that. I don't want to be away from you."

"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not your enemy."

"I know, my dear. I know."

Kelrian smiled at her and she returned the smile. They stared at each other, not knowing how much time had passed as they averted their gazes eventually. Sylvanas looked at her feet for a few moments before she looked at Kelrian again. "What happened to the right side of your face? Did you get injured or why do you hide the right half?"

Kelrian hesitated for a few moments, considering what he should say. "The right half of my face is not injured or covered by scars. My eye is not missing if that's what you are afraid of. It's just... I don't really want to show the right half to anyone."

Sylvanas raised a brow. "Why?"

"Because I don't want to justify myself to everyone and tell everyone why I look like this."

Sylvanas gave him a small nod. "I understand." She paused for a short moment. "Would you show it to me? Only to me?" She gave him a comforting look.

Kelrian nodded without hesitation. Sylvanas expected him to pull his hair to the side and reveal the ride side of his face but he didn't do that. He just stood there and regarded her. Sylvanas waited for a few moments before she stepped to him and put her hands on his face, caressing his cheeks slowly and carefully. She looked directly into his handsome face as she moved her hand and brushed the strands of hair out of his face.

Her crimson eyes widened in surprise as she noticed the golden glowing eye that was staring at her. The pupil had a different form than the pupil of his green elven eye. It had the form of a slit. It was similar to the pupil of a cat. She noticed the golden symbols beneath his eye. Due to Varimathras, she was able to read some demonic symbols and runes but she was not able to translate all symbols beneath his eye. She was only able to translate bits and pieces which made no sense on their own.

"Is everything okay?" Kelrian asked as he noticed that Sylvanas had stopped moving her hands. The Banshee Queen was silent for a few moments but then nodded at him. "Everything is fine, my dear. I'm just curious, you know."

"I guess you want to know what happened to my eye?"

Sylvanas nodded.

"I met Sylvera in Northrend. She wore a mask as we fought and I was about to kill her as I destroyed the mask and saw her face. I couldn't kill her... Of course, I couldn't... She is our sweet little girl. No matter what Arthas did to her, she is still our Sylvera... She took advantage of my hesitation and rammed one of her daggers in my eye. My new ally gave me this replacement."

He noticed the pity in her eyes. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said in a low voice.

"You don't have to be sorry, Sylvanas. You did nothing wrong. The only person I blame is Arthas. He will pay for his crimes. He will pay for destroying Quel'Thalas, killing most of its inhabitants and destroying our family. I will make him pay for what he did to you. And even if I have to give my life to kill him...I wouldn't hesitate. As long as I can avenge you, it's worth it. I won't stop as long as he is still alive."

Sylvanas noticed the determination in his eyes and voice. He wanted Arthas' death more than anything else. Just like her. He would do anything necessary to achieve his goal. Just like her. They had a common goal.

"We will kill him and free our daughter from his control," Sylvanas said determinedly.

"No matter the costs."

"No matter the costs," repeated Sylvanas. She stared into his eyes and he returned her gaze. They did that for a while. Only when Kelrian yawned loudly, Sylvanas noticed how tired he looked. She turned her head, looking at the clock on the wall. It was four o'clock in the morning.

"You should get some sleep," Sylvanas said.

Kelrian nodded. "You are probably right."

"I am right," she said with a self-confident voice.

Kelrian chuckled. "You are. Always." He remembered that Sylvanas had always claimed that she was always right when she had been alive.

A small smile appeared on Sylvanas' lips. "Your answer is correct."

Kelrian smiled too. "I see you tomorrow then, right?"

Sylvanas nodded. "I hope so."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you again," he said and stepped to her. He lowered his head and pressed his lips on her left cheek. He kissed her cheek softly and pulled away, giving her a charming smile. A small blush could be seen on her cheeks, her skin tingled in excitement and she felt a lot calmer and happier than before.

Her body screamed for more but she ignored it, not wanting to ruin everything by rushing things. She rather took the slow way than the risky way. She would do anything necessary to restore their relationship.

She didn't want to screw things up. Not with him. She still loved him, she was sure of that. She had no idea how he felt about her but she assumed she would find it out soon. She had the impression that she was still important to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hugged her and kissed her. She could only hope he felt the same for her.

She didn't want to leave him but she knew she had to. He was obviously tired and needed sleep. She wanted to ask him if she could stay the night but she knew it was too soon for that, so she didn't ask him. She had to wait and see how things will turn out between them. Then she might ask him if she could stay the night with him and watch him sleep.

"I will go then, my dear."

Kelrian caressed her other cheek and kissed it. "I see you tomorrow, Sylvanas."

"Good night, Kelrian."

Sylvanas' gaze rested on him for nearly five minutes before she walked towards the door, giving him one last look before she left the room and closed the door behind her.