Chapter 17: The New Campaign

"Do you have a moment, Kael'thas?" asked a familiar feminine voice.

The elven prince turned his head and looked at the woman who stood in the door of the assembly room where the Council of the Six met to discuss certain topics. She wore her usual outfit which consisted of a white pair of trousers that was combined with a purple skirt, a purple cape and a chest guard made out of iron. She carried her wand on her back, her hood was pulled down so that her blonde hair was exposed.

Kael'thas regarded her for a few moments, admired her beauty and walked over to her. He looked down at her, staring into her blue eyes. The expression on his handsome face was anything but friendly at this moment. His blue eyes were narrowed, a frown was visible on his forehead and his lips were pressed together. It was clearly visible that he was not amused.

Something was troubling him. Jaina assumed that the prince was often thinking about the events of the past weeks. She assumed he couldn't stop thinking about the devastation of his home and the death of most of its inhabitants. She assumed that he was blaming himself for not having been in Quel'Thalas when the attack had happened.

She was glad that he hadn't been there when the undead invaded Quel'Thalas, otherwise, he may have been killed too. Arthas had killed the king and the queen and he would have killed the prince too if he would have been there. Jaina still couldn't believe that Arthas had done this. She couldn't believe that the man she had once loved, the man she still loved, had done such horrible things. Not only had he killed his own father and doomed his own kingdom but he had also done the same with Quel'Thalas. His undead army had slain most of its citizens and Arthas had killed the rulers of the once glorious kingdom.

She still couldn't believe that the man who would have done anything to protect his kingdom, had done the entire opposite. She had no reasonable explanation for his actions. She wanted to understand him. She wanted to understand why he had done that but she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried and how she looked at it, nothing made sense to her. She couldn't comprehend his decisions.

Jaina knew that she was not here to think about Arthas. She didn't go to Kael'thas to stand in the door and think about Arthas and his actions. She came here to speak to the prince, to find out how he was doing and comfort him as best as she could. But only if he would let her. Jaina noticed that he didn't seem to be in the mood for talking.

Kael'thas regarded her from head to toe, his head was tilted and he raised an eyebrow. He sounded impatient as he asked her a certain question. "What do you want, Jaina?"

The human bit her bottom lip softly, giving Kael'thas a comforting look. "I'm here to look after you and find out how you are doing," she said softly.

Kael'thas snorted angrily. "How am I doing? I'm not doing well, as you can see. Your 'lover' left my home in ruins, killed most of its inhabitants and even my father and my step-mother. This monster killed my family and you let him in your bed."

Jaina opened her mouth, wanting to say something but Kael'thas was faster and already formulated the next sentence while his fists were still clenched. "I can't believe you loved this monster who slew hundreds of thousands of innocents with the help of his vile army." His voice sounded very threatening, his eyes reflected a mix of grief and hatred. He hated Arthas Menethil for what he did. He hated him so badly that he wished he could just teleport to him and kill him. He wanted nothing more than justice. Justice for his people.

But he didn't know where Arthas was. He didn't know what was Arthas doing at the moment nor did he know what he was planning. He could only hope he would meet the traitor again one day so that he could kill him.

He couldn't hurt Arthas because he was not there. He couldn't let his anger out on him. He couldn't physically harm him. Arthas was out of his reach but Jaina wasn't.

Something told Kael'thas that it was not right to let his anger out on Jaina. The archmage wasn't responsible for anything but still, Kael'thas had chosen her as his scapegoat. He couldn't let his anger out on the death knight, so Jaina was the unfortunate person who would have to witness how angry the prince could get.

Jaina knew he was letting everything out on her to make himself feel better. She didn't hold that against him because she understood how desperate and lost he must feel at the moment. There was nothing he could do to punish Arthas for his crimes. He must feel powerless. Powerless and very angry.

Jaina remained silent for a while as she stared at the prince whose sparkling eyes still rested on her. She put a hand on his shoulder but he bashed it away, not caring that he had hurt her that way.

"Kael'thas...," she began but the furious glare she received silenced her.

She tried it again a minute later. "I know he did horrible things but..." She paused. "Your people suffered a tragic fate..."

"You have no idea what suffering means, child," the prince shouted angrily. His reaction surprised and shocked Jaina at the same time. She had never seen him so angry before. He had always behaved like a polite man who was able to control his emotions but at this moment, Kael'thas was the entire opposite of the man she had gotten known to over the past years.

"You are nothing more than a child. An inexperienced, foolish, naive and dumb child. You know nothing about the suffering this butcher caused to my people. He slew them all, Jaina. He and his vile army overran my kingdom and killed anyone who crossed them. Elders, women and not even children were spared. Not even newborns were shown mercy.

He slew Sylvanas Windrunner and defiled her by raising her and forcing her to serve him. He killed my father after he killed his own. My step-mother died too. He slew my parents and many of my friends. I doubt that any words out of your naive mouth are going to change anything. You better be quiet and leave me alone. I have no time to talk to a kid about the events of the past weeks. About loss and justice. I don't need you, Jaina."

Kael'thas noticed that his words had really hurt her. He noticed tears in the corners of her eyes but he didn't care. He was feeling a little better after he had told Jaina everything that was going through his head. He was still mad but he was not as mad as he had been before the archmage had entered the room.

"I shouldn't have left Quel'Thalas. I should have been there when that monster set foot in Quel'Thalas. I should have fought with my family and supported them in the fight against Arthas."

"You would have died if you would have been there, Kael'thas," responded Jaina, sounding as compassionate as she could. "If you would have died with them, nobody would be left to rule Quel'Thalas once you have reconquered and rebuilt wouldn't be able to help your people during these dark times if you would have died with your parents. You wouldn't have helped anyone if you would have lost your life. What happened is not your fault. You couldn't have prevented their deaths and the fate of your people."

Kael'thas facial features became tense, his eyes narrowed and his lips were pressed together. Jaina realized that she had said the wrong thing and had made the prince angrier than he already was. "You are underestimating me, foolish girl. I could have stopped 'your prince' if I would have been there. But now it's too late. This bastard left Quel'Thalas and went somewhere else. I don't have the time to talk to you about nonsense and listen to your fake apologies. Do everyone a favour and crawl back to the city you and all these other useless humans are currently building. I was a fool to think humans like you could help me.

A corrupted death knight destroyed the kingdom my family built over millenniums and Stormwind did nothing in the meantime. Gilneas did nothing in the meantime. Humans are such weak and useless creatures. I don't need your help, Jaina. I need you to leave me alone and let me do my thing. I will gather all those who are still able to fight and get back what is ours. We will reconquer Quel'Thalas and rebuild it. Do not make the mistake of standing in my way. Do not try to tell me what I should do and what I shouldn't. I can think for myself, Jaina. I'm not as stupid and naive as you are."

Kael'thas regarded her one last time. "My people need me now, because my father...," he fell silent. "I have to go to them. To the few who survived the slaughter. To those who were reborn by the blood of those who now serve your 'lover'." Kael'thas shoved her aside forcefully and left the room, not caring about the effect his words were having on the young archmage.

---

Kael'thas clearly remembered the conversation he had with Jaina a few days ago. He was sorry that he had behaved inappropriately and very rudely. He had had no right to talk to her in the tone he had used and to treat her the way he had treated her. She had only wanted to help him, to comfort him and to give him hope and he had pushed her away, insulted her and hurt her feelings.

He felt bad for letting his anger out on her. She hadn't deserved it. Arthas deserved it but Kael'thas was unable to hurt the death knight and make him pay for his crimes. Because of that, he had let his anger out on the wrong person. Jaina had been that person because she cared about Arthas and he had once cared about her. She had wanted to be there for Kael'thas, for her friend, and he had treated her badly and had let out his anger on her. She had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings but it was too late. He had spoken the words and he had felt relieved afterwards. He hadn't meant it that way. The words had been spoken. He couldn't take them back. All he could do was to apologize to her. He wanted to do that but first, he would retake what he and his people had lost. They would reconquer Quel'Thalas. Kael'thas will have enough time apologizing to the young woman once his people were able to live in their home again.

His gaze fell on the dozens of high elves who were gathered at Runeweaver Square. He counted four dozen Farstriders, twelve mages, six paladins, five priests and eight warriors. There were fewer people there than he had hoped for, but they were better than nothing. He wished he had more but he understood that not everyone felt ready to fight again.

He had heard of many who still hadn't come to terms with the horrible events. Many didn't leave their rooms or their houses. Some of them even refused to speak to anyone. They needed more time to accept what had happened if they would ever be able to accept it.

Kael'thas knew it was possible that some people would be traumatized forever. It was very likely that the events had changed lots of people. It was possible that some could no longer continue their old lives. Lots of people had lost their entire family or at least some members of their family. They had lost their loved ones, their friends and comrades. Kael'thas hadn't received the official numbers yet but he assumed that at least three-quarters of his people had lost their lives.

Most high elves died and half of the survivors were crippled, badly wounded or still weren't able to handle what they had seen. The prince knew it would take a while to reconquer Quel'Thalas with less than one hundred capable fighters but he had no other choice. The earlier they would start their mission the earlier his people would be able to return to their homes. He guessed it would take weeks, maybe even months or years to retake all areas of Quel'Thalas but he had sworn he wouldn't stop until they had retaken every single area.

Kael'thas walked over to Lor'themar Theron and greeted him. The Ranger-Captain wore a new uniform which gave him more protection than his former uniform. The leather was much thicker and the chain vest beneath it was much firmer than the old one. His uniform was not the only thing that was new about him. His left eye was covered by an eye-patch. He had lost his eye during the invasion. He would have lost more than his eye if his friend Halduron wouldn't have saved him.

Lor'themar lowered his head in respect. "It's good to see you, my king."

"King...," repeated Kael'thas quietly, sadness was reflected by his eyes. "My father was the king, I'm not."

"With all due respect, the death of your father makes you the rightful king, your majesty," responded Lor'themar.

"You are right about that, but until I'm crowned, I refuse to be called king. I'm your prince as long as we haven't retaken our home. Is that clear to everyone?" he asked strictly.

Everyone nodded. Kael'thas' expression didn't change. Nothing but determination and seriousness could be seen in his face. "We will reclaim what is ours, no matter how long we will need. It may take weeks, months or maybe even years. Time doesn't matter. We have to make sure that our losses are as small as possible which means that nobody should take risks as long as it is not necessary. Stay safe and rather wait for reinforcements instead of trying to fight a greater number of undead creatures. The survival of our people is most important in these dark times. We can't afford to lose more people. We already lost so many. Too many. I forbid you to take any unnecessary risk. Is that clear to everyone?"

The elves nodded. Everyone was determined to reclaim Quel'Thalas and take out as many undead as possible. They had to expel the undead if they wanted to make it possible for civilians to return to their former homes one day.

"Did all the volunteers arrive or are more coming? asked Kael'thas.

"It seems that everyone is here," responded Lor'themar after nearly a minute had passed.

"Wait for me," shouted a tipsy voice. The prince turned his head, spotting his secret son who was obviously drunk. Kelrian had just arrived at the square. He wore one of his older uniforms, his bow and quiver hang over his shoulder but it looked like they would slip off his shoulders at any moment. He was swaying as he walked over to the prince and Lor'themar. Both knew that he wouldn't be useful at all in this condition. It was very likely that he would endanger himself and his comrades. Kael'thas couldn't allow that.

But it was not the prince who spoke to Kelrian. Lor'themar had taken the floor and told the Ranger-Lieutenant that his condition was unacceptable. He reminded him that he would endanger the entire mission if he would fight in his current state.

Kelrian tried to convince his superior that he had himself under control but Lor'themar didn't believe him nor did Kael'thas. "I can fight," proclaimed the Ranger-Lieutenant. "I want to join you when you go to Quel'Thalas and slay every undead creature which remains there. The fallen must be avenged and those who were forced to serve the Scourge have to be released. They would do the same for us." Kelrian slurred, his eyes rested on Lor'themar. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol and his gaze became empty from time to time, enduring for a few moments before his expression became normal again.

"I appreciate your offer but we can't take you with us. At least not while you are drunk."

"I'm not drunk," replied Kelrian, sounding much louder and harsher than he had intended to.

"You are, obviously."

"I'm not," repeated Kelrian insistently.

Lor'themar tilted his head, regarding Kelrian from head to toe. "Are you sure about that?"

"I am," he replied.

"Walk in a straight line without swaying," Lor'themar demanded.

Kelrian nodded. "As you wish." Kelrian tried to balance over the kerb. It had been much easier in his imagination than it was in reality. He was swaying heavily and his vision even blurred out from time to time. He felt dizzy, his heart was beating rapidly in his chest and his head was hurting. He was not feeling too well but he didn't want to stay in Dalaran while the others were fighting for their home.

He had once sworn to protect Quel'Thalas by any means and he didn't want to break this promise. He had already abandoned Quel'Thalas once when the dragonhawk had carried him away, so he didn't want to abandon it a second time. He wanted to join the others and fight by their sides.

Kelrian tried hard to prove the prince and Lor'themar that he was able to participate in the mission but he failed. He swayed and waved his arms around widely, hoping he could convince his superior and the prince that he was still able to join them but he accomplished the entire opposite.

He lost his balance and fell to the left side, landing on the ground. Elena didn't hesitate to help him up and steady him. Kael'thas rubbed his forehead and shook his head slightly. Disappointment was visible in his eyes but only for a short moment.

"I appreciate your willingness to help but we don't need anyone who can't even walk in a straight line and smells like a pub," said Kael'thas. "You are allowed to join us when you are sober and able to think clearly."

"But I want to join now," hissed Kelrian. He gritted his teeth, his eyes were narrowed and rested on the prince. Shocked and surprised expressions could be seen on the faces of the others. They couldn't believe that Kelrian had behaved in that way towards a member of the royal family. He was his prince, his king basically, so Kelrian had no right to behave like that. His behaviour towards the rightful heir of the throne had been anything but respectful. People who didn't show the royal family the necessary respect were usually punished but Kael'thas exempted him from punishment at that moment. Nevertheless, he let the ranger know that he wouldn't forgive him a second time.

Kelrian stared at the prince, his facial expression changed as he realized what he had done. "I'm sorry," he muttered after nearly three minutes had passed.

Kael'thas didn't respond to him. He turned his head and looked at two guards from Dalaran. "Bring Ranger-Lieutenant Sunsinger to his accommodation and tell Archmage Rhonin and his wife to watch over him. If he stops drinking and remains sober for a few days he is allowed to come to Quel'Thalas and help us to deal with the undead."

"As you wish, Prince Sunstrider," the man and the woman said in unison. Kael'thas' gaze rested on them as they put their hands on Kelrian's shoulders and brought him away.

The prince turned his head, looking at those who were still determined to retake Quel'Thalas and couldn't wait to fight the remaining creatures Arthas had left behind.

Kael'thas made sure that everyone was ready, then he gave the mages a signal. They walked over to him and helped him with the creation of a portal that would be large enough that more than two persons could step through it at the same time. The creation of the portal didn't take too long because thirteen mages were combining their power. Kael'thas ordered the first four persons to step through the portal and they did that without hesitation. The next four followed and then next and so on until only Kael'thas, Archmage Rommath, Liadrin and Alleria were left.

The prince regarded them closely. "You know which areas your groups have to clear once we arrive at the Sunwell Plateau?" he asked to make sure everyone knew what they had to do.

"We know what we have to do, my prince," they said in unison. A small smile appeared on Kael'thas lips. It had been a while since anyone had seen him smile. He was not happy at all but the thought of recapturing Quel'Thalas cheered him up a little. He knew what he had to do and he was convinced he would achieve his goal.

He had to lead his people through this crisis, give them hope and make them believe in themselves. They could only retake Quel'Thalas if they would work together and give their best. They had to be motivated and stay positive.

He hadn't expected to have to lead his people through a crisis of this dimension one day. He had always hoped that the peace, that had been established after the end of the Second War, would last forever. He had thought his father would live much longer and rule over their people until the Horde would be completely extinguished. He had always thought the doctors would find a way to let his father live forever.

He had never thought he would become the king of Quel'Thalas one day. He was not the king because he hadn't been crowned yet, but in fact, he was the king of the high elves because he was his father's only heir. He was the only son of Anasterian Sunstrider. He was the only one who could lead his people through this crisis and he would do everything necessary to guarantee the survival of his people. He would do anything to protect the survivors and allow them to return to their homeland.

Anything.

He took a deep breath and exhaled a few moments later before he stepped through the portal with the others. They came out in front of Magisters' Terrace in the north-east of the island. They couldn't have teleported to the Sunwell Plateau because too many undead foes were there. The risk that they would come out in the middle of a large group of undead creatures was too high.

They had to start from this place and fight their way to the plateau. Kael'thas knew that a small group of Farstriders and mages had already killed any undead creature in the building. They had also taken care of the creatures near the building. He wanted to be on the safe side, so he sent one group in the building and two to check their surroundings and kill any creature that would cross them.

Liadrin's group entered the building while Lor'themar, Halduron Brightwing and their groups checked the surroundings. They didn't have to kill many creatures. Only a few had come to the once magnificent building after it had been freed of any unwanted undead creatures the day before.

Magisters' Terrace laid in ruins. The entrance had been completely destroyed, the outer walls were heavily damaged and the roof was full of holes. Arthas' vile creatures hadn't spared the building where the best mages of Silvermoon went to train, share knowledge or do other things. It was much larger than the mage academy in Silvermoon. The apprentices went to the academy and trained there while only the best mages were allowed to enter Magister' Terrace. Kael'thas, his advisor Astalor and Magister Rommath had often trained there together and talked about new combinations of spells and other things.

"This looks worse than I've expected," said Kael'thas quietly.

"It does but it's still fixable. We will rebuild it once we have driven the undead out of our kingdom," said Astalor. The prince turned his head and looked at his advisor.

He wore a blue robe, his upper body was protected by a chest plate that had massive shoulder plates. It was untypical for a mage to wear armour but the blond magister preferred it that way. He wanted to be better protected in case an undead creature would approach him and force him to fight in close combat. He carried a long silver wand in his hands which tip was a long, pointed blue crystal. The wand would also be pretty useful in close combat if he would need it.

Most high elf mages wore blue robes. Kael'thas was one of the few exceptions. His robe was blood-red, his shoulder plates were extraordinarily large so was his spread collar thattowered over his head.

"Am I the only one who feels weaker since Arthas conquered Quel'Danas?" asked Rommath. Kael'thas looked at the black-haired magister, noticing that he was paler than usual. Everyone who joined the prince appeared paler than usual. "I assume you are not the only one, Rommath. I feel weaker, my hearing seems to be worse than usual and even my vision gets worse from time to time for a few minutes. Sometimes, I'm seeing things which are not here. I don't know what is wrong with me.

I have the bad feeling that something is wrong with the Sunwell. Some survivors reported that Arthas entered the palace, so it's very likely that he went to the Sunwell and did something with it. We have to find out what is going on with the Sunwell and how we can fix the problems we have. That is our first goal. We have to reconquer the palace, check on the Sunwell and then we will see what we do next."

"I hope we can fix this. I hate to feel so weak,"said Astalor.

"We have to get to the bottom of it to fully understand what is going on, then we can act. Acting without knowing what is going on is unwise," replied the prince.

"You are right, my prince," responded Rommath. Kael'thas nodded and stared at the entrance of the building until Liadrin's unit returned. None of them was injured, none of them had fallen. Blood stuck on their weapons, telling the prince that they had met undead creatures and killed them. "The building is safe, my prince."

The corners of Kael'thas' lips formed a small, barely recognizable smile. "Good. We can go now. We will split up when we reach the palace and the established groups will go to their assigned places. Is everything clear? Any questions?"

The gathered high elves shook their heads. They were ready to retake the Sunwell Plateau and find out the reason for their current condition. They wanted to find out why they felt so weak. They were ready to free their home from the undead. They were ready to reconquer their home.

Kael'thas led the way and the seventy-nine high elves followed him without hesitation.