Chapter 5: Difficulties

"It has to be somewhere" muttered Kelrian as regarded the large board in front of him. He looked for the lists which contained the names of the candidates who had passed the tests. Sylvanas had already told him that he had passed the exam but she hadn't told him which regiment he would join. He wanted to know so badly in which regiment he will be and who will train him. He hoped that Sylvanas would be his instructor but he had a bad feeling that someone else would become his instructor. Someone who wasn't Sylvanas.

He was already excited but at the same time, he was afraid that he wouldn't get Sylvanas Windrunner, the best archer of Quel'Thalas, as his mentor. He assumed that he would become a very skilful and successful Farstrider if he would be able to learn from the best ranger. Another reason why he wanted Sylvanas as his instructor was that he was attracted by her beautiful appearance. He hoped to be able to admire her beautiful face and her well-formed body every day if he would become a member of the group she will train.

He was already glad that he had been accepted so he wouldn't be disappointed if he would get someone else. But getting Sylvanas as his mentor would be the cherry on the cake.

He was still looking over the many documents which overfilled the board, trying to find the lists he was looking for. But for some reason, he didn't find them even though he had been looking at the board for over twenty minutes.

"You are standing in front of the wrong board" said a familiar voice. He turned around, his eyes widened and a blush appeared on his face when he caught sight of Sylvanas Windrunner who was standing right in front of him.

She was wearing her casual blue Ranger-General uniform. Her hood was pulled down which allowed Kelrian to observe her exposed golden-blonde hair. The sunbeams which fell on her hair made it look more majestic than it already was. Her hair was so beautiful that it would even make the sun envious.

Kelrian needed a few moments to pull himself together so that he was able to speak without stuttering.

"Ranger General, it's nice to meet you. Is it just me or do you get even more beautiful with each day passing day?" Kelrian asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. His blush became redder when he realized what he had just said to her.

He had met her just four times in eight years but he had spoken more often with her than other candidates had. Still, he had never complimented her looks before. He hadn't intended to compliment her. Of course, he thought that Sylvanas' beauty deserved to be complimented but still he hadn't planned on doing it to prevent that things would become awkward. But now it was too late. The words had already left his mouth and had reached her ears. Her perfect, long and pointed ears.

His body relaxed a little, his heartbeat became slower until it beat with normal speed as he noticed the smile on Sylvanas' perfect lips which were covered by a thin layer of peach coloured lipstick. It didn't seem that she was mad at him or hated him for saying that. Why should she? It was only normal for her to receive lots of compliments from numerous admirers every day.

Kelrian was just hoping that she wasn't regarding him as one of her numerous worshippers. He didn't want her to think that he only admired her because of her appearance or her reputation.

He also found her really likable. He had met her only four times in eight years but he had talked enough with her to know that she was a very kind, smart and funny person. He had heard that Sylvanas was mostly serious whenever she talked with someone who didn't belong to her family. So, it had really surprised him that she had been relaxed and very open with him at their first meeting. He had never heard that she had behaved like this to someone else, who didn't belong to her family, so he was wondering why she was behaving like this when he was around.

"Thank you, Kelrian" responded Sylvanas. Her perfect smile became wider, as she put a strand of hair behind her left ear while looking directly at the young elf. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. How are you doing, Ranger-General?"

"I'm fine as well"

Kelrian returned her smile, giving his best to look at Sylvanas' beautiful face without needing to blush. It didn't work quite well as he had hoped but at least he didn't look strange.

"Are you looking for the lists where you can find out who joins which regiment?"

"Yes, I do. How do you know that?

Sylvanas laughed amused. "Because there is no other explanation why you would visit the Farstrider Enclave the next day after the examination"

"You are right" responded Kelrian, laughing nervously about his own foolishness.

Sylvanas chuckled. "It's not on this board. I can tell you where you can find it but I can also just tell you right now in which regiment you are"

"That would be nice, Ranger-General"

"You are in regiment one"

His eyes widened and his heart began to beat faster when he remembered that regiment one was led by Sylvanas herself. Could it be possible? Could it be real? Could he become one of Sylvanas' recruits? He would be more than happy if that would happen. He had hoped for that since he had decided to become a Farstrider. He was silently praying that Sylvanas had chosen him for her group. He knew that there were a lot of candidates who had been better than him. Still, he wasn't losing hope. He prayed to the light that Sylvanas had chosen him.

"I'm in your regiment" statemented Kelrian. "I'm proud to become a member of your regiment"

"I think you can be also proud that you made it in the new squad I will train" responded Sylvanas, smiling when she spotted the surprised expression on his handsome face. She chuckled, put her hand on his right shoulder and brought him back to the present.

"Sorry, I was lost in thoughts" muttered Kelrian, lowering his head ashamed.

"It's okay"

"I want you to know that I'm very happy that you allow me to be trained by you. I have always dreamed of this for eight years. I'm so excited that I don't really know what to response"

"You don't need to say anything. I'm glad that you managed to pass the examination. Not every person would have tried it again after failing the examination two times in a row. I admire you for your staying power".

Admiring him.

She was admiring him.

SHE was admiring him.

Sylvanas Windrunner - THE Sylvanas Windrunner - was admiring him.

He had heard the words but he didn't trust his ears. He must have misheard. Or didn't he? Was she really admiring him? Had she really complimented him?

This was too much for him. His heart was pulsing rapidly in his chest, his breaths were fast and short. His skin was a lot warmer and tingled nervously. He still couldn't believe that she had complimented him. This was the best day of his life. He was about to become a member of Sylvanas' squad and had received a compliment from her. This was more than could ever dream of.

Sylvanas was still smiling at Kelrian who had become silent after she had made this compliment. Kelrian returned her smile and stared into her beautiful eyes. He turned his head eventually, checking his surroundings.

A lot of people were standing in front of the board on the other side of the room. He was asking himself how he could have missed it. Maybe because he had been too nervous. Maybe because of something else...He wasn't able to find a logical explanation.

He looked back at Sylvanas, finding out that she was still smiling at him. For some reason, nobody was paying attention to them so he was able to smile back at her without being pierced by dozens of glances.

"Have you filled out the agreement?" she asked curiously.

"Of course, I did" he responded and pulled the backpack from his back. He opened it and fished out a folder. He opened the folder, took out a document and handed it to Sylvanas.

She took it carefully, reading over it. A frown appeared on her forehead.

"Is something wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"You can't sign with your own name. You are underage so a relative has to sign for you"

"Seriously?"

"Yes" responded Sylvanas. "I can't make an exception for you because our laws say that you need a relative to sign any vocational training contract as long as you are a minor"

"That sucks, I didn't know that"

"You should speak to your family and ask them to sign for you"

"My father and my mother would never sign. They want me to be a priest and not a Farstrider"

"Even after you failed the exam twice?" she asked doubtingly.

"They want me to practice harder. The pride of our family makes them blind for the truth. I have no talent when it comes to the use of light. The light has forsaken me. But I'm not sad about that. Of course, I don't like that my parents and my older brother despise me. Not to mention that my father has thrown me out of our home and only allows me to return when I become a priest. But other than that, I'm fine. I want to become a Farstrider so badly... But my parents or my siblings will never sign. My younger sister and brother may support me but their still minors so they can't sign for me. My aunts and uncles are very too close to my father. They wouldn't want to risk that he would get mad at them"

Sylvanas made a thoughtful face as she listened to him. "Isn't there anyone who is not so close to your parents? Is there anyone who would sign for you?"

This time, Kelrian was the one who made a thoughtful face. "Well, I'm currently living in the house of my distant cousin. I guess you know her. Her name is Liadrin"

"Yeah, I know her. She is also a famous servant of the light, like every other member of your family"

"Liadrin is not in Suncrown Village at the moment. I know she travelled somewhere to take care of the apprentices of a friend but I've no clue where she could be"

Sylvanas put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile. "Don't worry. I will find her and ask her to sign for you. But first, I will speak to your parents. Maybe I can convince them to allow you to become a Farstrider. You have a lot of talent. It would be a waste if you couldn't join us"

Kelrian's face showed a small smile for a moment before his expression became worried. "My parents are very stubborn. I don't think they will change their minds, even if you give them convincing arguments"

"Don't worry, I am pretty good at convincing stubborn people. I can try it at least. Even if I won't manage to convince them, I can still look for Liadrin and ask her"

"That would be great" responded Kelrian, giving her his brightest smile.

Sylvanas returned the smiling, patting his right shoulder softly. "Don't worry. You will be able to join us. Promised"

She regarded him for a few moments. "I will invite you to my office when I have solved the problem. Would that be okay?"

Kelrian nodded, giving her his brightest smile.

She smiled as well. "See you soon, Kelrian"

"See you soon, Ranger-General"

----

"You are allowed to enter" shouted a strong male voice behind the door. Sylvanas did as she was told, opening the door and entering the room. She came into an expensively furnished office in which half a dozen shelves were standing in front of the left wall. Lots of painting hung on the right walls, even a blue tapestry decorated the opposite wall. In the middle of the room stood a large desk made out of the rarest wood in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Behind this desk sat a man with long blond hair. The colour of his expensive robe looked similar to the colour of his blue glowing eyes. He had defined, handsome facial features which hid his age perfectly. He was over six hundred years old but he looked much younger. Compared with a human male he looked like he was at the age of thirty. Like all high elves, aged slowly. Very slowly.

Sylvanas was pretty sure that he already knew that she had entered the room, still, he refused to look up from the document he was reading. After a few moments he finally looked up, a small smile appeared on his lips when he spotted her.

He got up and walked over to her, bowing down in front of her. He took her left hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it softly. He held her hand longer than necessary, rubbing its back with his thumb. Sylvanas frowned but didn't do anything. She just regarded him, wondering when he will finally let go of her hand.

The man stood up after two minutes of having held her hand, allowing her to draw her hand back. "It's an honour to meet you, Ranger-General. I welcome you in my office and in my home" he said.

"Thank you, Mister Sunsinger. It's an honour for me as well to meet the head of the Sunsinger family, the best priests of Quel'Thalas, in person for the first time" responded Sylvanas politely, giving the priest a small smile.

"Come take a seat" he said as he pointed at the chair in front of his desk. Sylvanas nodded and sat down, crossing her left leg over the other. She put her hands on her lap, looking at Kelrian's father who walked to the nearest cupboard which reached to his hip.

He opened the first drawer and pulled two glasses and a wine bottle out of it. He returned to his desk, putting the bottle in the middle of the table while he put one glass in front of Sylvanas and one next to the stack of documents he had been working on. He lifted the stack and put it on the ground then he sat down on his chair and filled both glasses with enough wine.

He seemed to be a very friendly and welcoming person. That was the first impression Sylvanas had gotten from him. But lots of persons she had met had left a good impression at first before they had revealed their true natures. Sylvanas had enough life experience to know that looks can be deceiving.

Kelrian's father Xenarion seemed to be a very friendly person. But Sylvanas knew that he was not the friendly man he seemed to be. She knew that he had thrown his own son out of his house because he didn't pass the priest examinations. He was regarding Kelrian as a shame because he was not good enough to be a priest.

Kelrian had to live in his cousin's house because his family, at least his parents, didn't want him around. Sylvanas didn't want to judge too quickly but she was pretty sure that this man was not the sort of a father everyone wanted to have.

Sylvanas didn't care if Xenarion was caring for his other children and would do everything to make them to excellent priests. She didn't care if he was a good husband and a good father to his other children. She thought that there would be nothing which would change her opinion about him. He had rejected his own son, there wouldn't be any explanation for his decision which could justify it.

But Sylvanas didn't want to be prejudiced against him so she decided to listen to him and speak with him about Kelrian. She was hoping that she could convince him to sign the agreement for Kelrian's admission.

Xenarion brought his glass to his lips and took a sip, signalizing Sylvanas that she could take a sip if she wanted. Sylvanas wasn't sure if consuming alcohol was right in this situation but as long as she didn't drink too much, she should be fine. She mimicked him and took a sip as well.

Xenarion gave her his brightest smile as he put the glass back on the desk. "I've seen you a lot of times from the far whenever you and your rangers made a short stop in Suncrown Village or when you looked for recruits. You are way more beautiful than the last time I've seen you"

Sylvanas placed her glass in front of her, putting her hands on her lap. "Thank you, Mister Sunsinger"

"Please call me, Xenarion" he responded, smiling widely.

"As you wish, Xenarion"

His smile became wider. "It's a shame that we never met before because we're are always busy"

"It's a shame indeed"

"So, what gives me the honour to finally meet the most beautiful women of Quel'Thalas?" he asked curiously, giving her a playful smile.

'He's charming, you have to give him that. He knows how to speak to a woman' thought Sylvanas. But she knew better than getting manipulated by him. She knew better than getting manipulated by his charming words. Maybe he was not as bad as she thought. She had to listen to what he had to say and then she could form an opinion about him.

"I'm here because of your son" she responded simply.

"Do you mean my oldest son Seitor?" he asked, wondering what she could want from him.

"No, not him"

"So, my youngest son Sindor?"

"I didn't mean him either"

His facial features derailed when he realized that she was speaking of Kelrian. He leaned back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He didn't look like the super-friendly guy anymore. He reminded Sylvanas more of an upset child. A very upset child.

He was chewing on his bottom lip as he stared at her. She had the impression that he was thinking about something. Maybe he was, she couldn't know that because she couldn't read his mind and she was glad about that. She didn't want to know what he was thinking about at this very moment.

"Are you sure you want to talk about HIM?" he asked as politely as he could. At least he wasn't rude. Not yet at least. Sylvanas didn't respond verbally, she just nodded.

"Why him and not Seitor?" he asked, sounding upset.

"Because I'm not here to look for good priests for the Farstriders. I'm here because your son Kelrian has a lot of potential..."

"He does not have any potential" interrupted Xenarion, not allowing Sylvanas to complete her sentence. "He failed the priest selection two times and as far as I know he failed the Farstrider examination two times as well"

"He passed the examination this year" added Sylvanas before Xenarion was able to say negative things about Kelrian.

"Did he?" If he was surprised, he didn't show it. He was regarding Sylvanas with narrowed eyes, signalizing her that he was not believing her.

"He did. He was better than expected. He was so good that I've decided that he could join my regiment. He can also become a member of my new squad, which means that I can personally train him and make sure that he will become one of the best Farstriders one day" explained Sylvanas.

"I don't really care" Xenarion muttered, staring angrily at his hands.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want him to become a Farstrider" he responded, looking directly at her this time.

She tilted her head, regarding him with narrowed eyes. "But why? He would become a well-respected and successful Farstrider"

"I don't want him to become a Farstrider" he repeated louder this time. "He is supposed to become a priest or a paladin. I don't want that he becomes an archer who rummages through the dirt to find the footprints of trolls and wolves"

Sylvanas bit her bottom lip hard, trying to hide that she was obviously offended by his statement. It didn't work quite well but Xenarion didn't care that he had offended her and all other Farstriders.

"You know that we protect the inhabitants of our kingdom, right? We don't rummage through the dirt and follow traces. We do much more. We make it possible that our people can live in peace without needing to fear that orcs or trolls would attack them"

"If you say so" responded Xenarion. He didn't feel sorry for having insulted the Farstriders. He didn't intend to apologize for his behaviour. He behaved as Sylvanas had expected. He was a complete asshole which didn't pay the necessary respect for the Farstriders and the necessary work they were doing to protect the citizens of Quel'Thalas.

"How it comes that I still have to take care of so many injured people if you and your Farstriders are protecting our home?" he asked.

Sylvanas assumed that he thought he was better than the Farstriders. She assumed that he blames the Farstriders for not being able to save everyone. It could be possible that he thought the Farstriders didn't do their task properly because people were still getting killed or injured and ended in the hospitals where he was working most of the times.

The truth was that the Farstriders were doing their best to save as many lives as possible. But they couldn't save everyone because Quel'Thalas was too large and the Farstriders hadn't enough rangers to protect every single village and important street. From time to time, trolls and orcs sneaked in their land and attacked villages and farms. Most of the times the Farstriders managed to kill these intruders before something bad happened.

But sometimes, the attackers were faster and killed inhabitants before the Farstriders even knew about their presence. Sylvanas and her Farstriders did everything in their powers to protect as many inhabitants as possible but it was impossible to save everyone. Without them, tens of thousands would have died over the past years by troll or orc attacks.

Sylvanas hated it that Xenarion didn't respect what she and the Farstriders did. He was despising them for whatever reason. But Sylvanas knew better than arguing with him about the necessity of the Farstriders. Kelrian's father was too stubborn to give in. She decided to let him think whatever he wanted. She was here to convince him to sign the agreement, not to argue with him.

"I don't want to argue with you about what we are doing right or wrong. I'm here because I want to tell you that Kelrian would make a good Farstrider"

"And?"

"I want to ask you if you would sign his agreement so that is allowed to join us"

Xenarion leaned forward, regarding Sylvanas with narrowed eyes and a strict face. "As I've said, I don't want him to be a Farstrider. He is my son so he will either become a priest or a paladin. He is not suitable for shooting arrows and hunting boars and wolves"

"I decide if he is suitable to be a Farstrider. Not you. I've witnessed his development over the past eight years. I put my trust in him and he has not disappointed me. He told me that he is not good enough to be a servant of the light. Trying to make him a priest or a paladin would be a waste of time. You know there is nothing wrong about being a Farstrider. He won't shame your family if he becomes one of us. He..." spoke Sylvanas but she was interrupted once again by the rude male.

"He has already ashamed our family by failing both priest selections. He is unable to use the light in general so he can't even become a paladin"

"I would like to argue with you about this but this would lead us to nowhere. Your son won't be a shame for your family if you allow him to become a Farstrider. He will defend the innocents and defenceless and he will help us defeat the trolls and orcs one day. He will honour your family by receiving victory with us. Think about it" spoke Sylvanas, hoping that this was enough to convince him.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. Xenarion's facial expression hadn't changed at all over the past few minutes. He was still having this upset look on his face and he didn't look like he wanted to cooperate.

"I want my son to train harder until he will be good enough to become a servant of the light. I would go so far and try to speak with the human paladin and priest trainers. Maybe they are able to show my son how to use the light correctly. My son is too weak to use the light even though I've tried to train him. Maybe I was not strict enough. I should have trained him harder"

He made a pause, looking at her. His eyes widened as if something has come in his mind. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms in front of his chest, smiling at her dirtily. Sylvanas tilted her head, regarding him with narrowed eyes. She was wondering what was going on in his mind. She was sure that she didn't want to know what he was thinking at this very moment.

He spoke eventually after being silent for two minutes. "Maybe we can solve this little problem in some other way" he spoke, smiling mischievously.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sylvanas. She didn't seem to be convinced that Kelrian's father would have a real solution to solve this problem. She could only assume that he had something dirty in his mind.

"I could see myself signing this stupid agreement if I get something in return" he spoke, still smiling at her like this.

"What would that be?"

Xenarion's smirk became wider. He leaned forward, putting his hand under her chin. He lifted it a bit and caressed it with his fingers. "You"

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed once again, her lips were pressed together to a thin line.

"Do I look like a common whore to you?" she snarled aggressively. She was unable to hide her anger and the disgust she was feeling.

He laughed. "Of course not. You look much prettier than a common whore"

This was enough for Sylvanas. She had shown lots of patience with this man. She hadn't said a word when he had insulted Kelrian and the Farstriders in general. She had kept her mouth shut about everything he had said so far. But this was too much for her.

How could he dare to offer to sign the agreement in exchange for sex? First of all, he was married. He was the father of the young man Sylvanas admired so much and she was the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. She was not a common whore who worked in a brothel. She was no whore in general. She didn't sell her body to achieve what she wanted. She always got what she wanted without needing to use her gorgeous body.

This man wasn't taking her serious nor did he pay the necessary respect for her. Sylvanas hated only one thing: Being taunted and insulted by others. She stood up abruptly and connected the palm of her left hand with his cheek. The slap had been so forceful that a red mark in the form of a hand was left on his cheek.

"Don't you dare to ever insult me or the Farstriders again or I will hit you again but harder next time" she hissed. She stared at Xenarion whose face was distorted in pain but in anger as well. She stared into his hateful eyes for a few seconds before she turned around and walked out of his office, slamming the door behind her.