Chapter 40: Long Anticipated Encounter

"The tracks are fresh. They must have taken this way," said Kelrian and pointed at the mountain range to his left.

Tyrande stepped to him and looked at the tracks, then at the mountain range. "Climbing these mountains will cost them a lot of time. They are not very wide, so it will take Arthas' undead army some time to reach the end. We should be faster if we cross the frozen river."

Kelrian gave her a questionable look. "How do you know? This frozen wasteland must be as strange and unknown to you as it is to me."

Tyrande pointed at the magical owl that was sitting on her forearm. "My companion scouted the area. I can see through its eyes."

Kelrian's gaze fell on the frozen river. "Let's hope the ice is thick enough, otherwise... We might have a little problem."

"We have enough shamans and mages who could cast spells to make the ice firmer. I have no doubt we can cross the river without breaking the ice."

"I trust your word, High Priestess. Your word and your ten thousand years of experience."

Tyrande looked at Illidan. "What do you say?"

"We should cross the river, otherwise, we wouldn't be able to catch up with Arthas before he reaches the Frozen Throne. We have to prevent that by any means."

"I agree with you, Lord Illidan," said Kael'thas and stepped to his son. "We should take this way."

"Alright, let's go then," ordered Illidan and set foot on the ice. Mages and shamans cast spell on the ice, making it thicker and stronger. The ice held the weight of all creatures that were following Illidan. He guided them over the wide river to the other side.

The ground on the other side was covered by a thick layer of snow but that was nothing new to the naga and elves. They were already used to the cold climate in Northrend. They wore very thick clothing that was stuffed with animal fur. Those who wore plate armour wore fur clothes beneath it. It was not enough to fight the cold but with the help of some spells, the cold was bearable.

They walked for a while until they came to a crossroad. Tyrande sent her magical owl out, closing her eyes. She was looking through the owl's eyes and scouted the area. She opened her eyes after a while. "Arthas and his undead creatures are moving towards this area. They might arrive in an hour."

"An hour might not be enough to prepare a well-planned ambush but we will give our best," said Kelrian.

"You have to buy us as much time as possible," said Illidan. "Killing Arthas is optional but our main goal is to destroy the Frozen Throne. When the Lich King is gone, Arthas will no longer be empowered, which makes him an easy target for us as much time as possible and kill Arthas if you can. If you won't manage to kill him, you will get the opportunity once we have destroyed the Frozen you kill him when he arrives, it's good too."

"We still have a score to settle with Arthas, so we will give our best."

Illidan looked at the love of his life. "Are you ready, my dear?"

Tyrande nodded, her eyes reflected determination. "I am. Let's go."

Illidan, Tyrande and half of their forces headed to the north while Kelrian, Kael'thas, Lady Vashj and the remaining men took position and made themselves invisible. They hid behind rocks, climbed on the nearest mountains or hid behind erected barriers that will protect them from some spells at least.

Kelrian was on the ground, standing next to his father who carried Felo'melorn in his hand. The ancient runeblade had been reforged half a year ago and Kael'thas had taken practice in close combat since then. As a mage, he didn't have much chances against a death knight in close combat. That was the reason why he had practised every day so that he could keep up with Arthas.

He was looking forward to meeting Arthas again and making him pay for the crimes he committed. So was Kelrian. He wanted to make Arthas pay for murdering his wife and killing ninety percent of the population of his people. Arthas was also responsible for the destruction of the Sunwell and the consequences it had for the sin'dorei. He was responsible for their insatiable hunger for magic and also for their addiction to fel magic.

They had lived in peace but now they were at war because of Arthas' actions. He could have had a peaceful life with Sylvanas. He could have had the life he had always dreamed of. He could have raised a big family with Sylvanas. They had planned to get another child but Arthas had prevented that by killing Sylvanas.

Arthas was not even here and Kelrian already felt the anger rising in him. He wanted nothing more than to rip Arthas' head off and bring it to the capital of Lordaeron where Sylvanas most likely was. He didn't know if the fel was responsible for him feeling so furious, even though he hadn't seen Arthas yet. He doubted it was normal to feel so angry. He knew he had to be careful that the anger wouldn't overwhelm him and let him do something he would regret. Kelrian closed his eyes and took deep breaths until he felt calmer. His heartbeat slowed down eventually.

He opened his eyes and looked at his father who was holding Felo'melorn tightly. His father was nervous, so was everyone else. All of them had waited for this day for so long. They will finally have the chance to bring Arthas to justice. Kelrian wished that Illidan wouldn't have taken half of their forces with him but he understood that he needed them. It was very likely that lots of undead creatures would defend the Frozen Throne. Illidan wouldn't be able to succeed without enough men.

Kelrian waited patiently. Nearly an hour had passed as he heard footsteps. The footsteps became louder. Lots of pairs of feet were hearable. Creatures were stomping through the snow. Hundreds of creatures. A foul smell hit his nose. The smell of death and decay. The stomping became louder and louder until a familiar person came in their sight. Kelrian's eyes narrowed and fell on the death knight.

It was him. Arthas Menethil. A year and a half had passed since he had last seen him. Except for the scars on his cheek, Arthas hadn't changed at all. He had the same silver-white hair and his skin was still pale but Kelrian had the impression that it was a lot paler than the last time he had seen him. Arthas wore the same armour and had the same cursed runeblade on his back.

His facial expression was different. The last time he always had this overconfident, arrogant look on his face. This time, he looked worried. Kelrian was wondering why. He was wondering if Arthas knew about their presence. He was wondering if Arthas knew that Lord Illidan and the High Priestess were in Northrend to destroy the Frozen Throne.

Next to him was a huge creature which had similarities to a scarab. It was larger than any other creature in Arthas' ranks and it looked very dangerous. It had sharp teeth and huge sharp claws. Kelrian knew he should stay as far away from this undead insect as possible. There were smaller versions of this bug in Arthas' ranks. Kelrian had no idea what these creatures were but he had the assumption that Arthas had found them on Northrend. It was not unlikely that they had already belonged to the Lich King's forces before Arthas had set foot on Northrend.

Kelrian turned his head and looked at his father who had a tense expression on his face. The king raised Felo'melorn and started to cast a spell. Kelrian and all the mages in the area did the same. The archers knocked arrows and aimed, waiting for the king's signal. Kael'thas threw a large fireball at Arthas but the death knight noticed it and managed to protect himself with a green barrier he had created at the last moment. The fireball didn't do him any harm to him but Kelrian's arcane blast hit him and threw him off his horse.

Arthas fell and landed on the ground but the thick snow layer softened his fall. He got up quickly and blocked another arcane blast at the last moment. His blue eyes fell on Kael'thas and Kelrian. "Prince Kael'thas," he hissed. "It has been a long time since I last saw you."

"It's King Kael'thas for you, butcher," Kael'thas shouted and prepared the next spell.

"King Kael'thas?" Arthas asked and raised an eyebrow. "Ah, I forgot that I killed your father. And now you're following in his footsteps, aren't you? If that's your wish then you can follow him to the grave." Arthas gave his minions the order to attack.

Kael'thas shouted orders, telling his men what to do. Spells and hails of arrows rained down on the undead, killing dozens of them immediately. Fire spread out quickly and ignited creatures which collided with others and ignited them as well. Lots of creatures were turned to ashes quickly but there were still too many of them.

The first undead creatures approached the frontline of the elves and naga, jumping on several creatures. Kelrian cast fire spell after fire spell, he even created felfire which was much deadlier than normal fire. The felfire burned the undead faster and spread out faster. It was a pleasure for him to see these undead creatures burning but his expression was tense nevertheless. He knew he had to be careful. He knew the battle will be bloody. He knew that lots of his comrades will die.

Suddenly, Gargoyles, flying nerubians and even skeletal dragons appeared out of nowhere and attacked the archers and mages on top of the mountains. The elves and naga were either picked up and dropped somewhere by the nerubians and gargoyles or they were frozen by the undead dragons' ice-cold breaths. No one had expected them to have undead dragons. Neither the scouts nor Tyrande's owl had seen any flying creature when they had spotted Arthas and his army. The only logical explanation which came in Kelrian's mind was that the Scourge mages had managed to hide them with spells.

Kelrian had expected the battle to be very close and bloody but now that these flying creatures killed lots of his brethren and allies in a short time, he doubted that his father's forces will be victorious in the end. At least if they wouldn't be able to quickly take down the winged creatures. "Focus the flying beasts first," cried Lady Vashj.

Kelrian focused his power and created a huge felfire pyroblast. He threw it at one of the dragons, hitting it in the chest. The skeletal being cried out in pain as the flames started to consume its body but it was not dead yet. It was able to freeze three naga before it was hit by a lightning strike from Lady Vashj and a fireball from Kael'thas. The dragon was turned to ashes but the sky was not clear yet.

"Clear the sky with the archers and mages, I will take care of Arthas," Kael'thas shouted to his son. Kelrian nodded and prepared the next spell, focusing a gargoyle. One fel fireball was enough to kill it and burn its body. Kelrian killed more of these flying creatures, absorbing energy from felstones whenever he felt exhausted. He had brought enough felstones with him in case the battle would endure longer than a few days.

Kelrian had no idea how much time had passed as he, the remaining mages and archers finally brought down the last flying creature. He wanted to cheer but he knew the battle was far from over. Enough undead creatures remained and he had already lost too many comrades for his liking.

He took a deep breath and turned his head, spotting his father and Arthas in the middle of the battlefield. His father was able to keep up with Arthas. He didn't manage to wound the death knight but at least he managed to block his attacks. To the death knight's surprise, Felo'melorn didn't break like the last time. Reforging it had made it much stronger than before. The two runeblades clashes, both fighters moved quickly and skilfully.

Kael'thas was a great swordsman but he was not as good as Arthas who had been trained by Uther the Lightbringer and Muradin Bronzebeard. The elven king was a powerful mage but he was not as good in close combat as he was in casting spells. He endured for quite some time but he got more and more exhausted the longer the duel lasted.

Kelrian wished he could help his father but too many undead creatures were standing in his way. It was impossible to hit the death knight from his position. All he could do was to fight his way through the mass of undead creatures. He cast spell after a spell, igniting creatures and knocking them away with shockwaves. He got closer to his father and the man he hated more than anyone else, but he was still too far away for his liking.

He knew his father wouldn't win this duel in the long run but there was nothing he could do for him. The undead were in his way. Suddenly, a dozen ghouls were lifted in the air and thrown away. Kelrian turned his head, looking at the creature who had done that. Lady Vashj stood not far away from him and cast the same spell again. "What are you waiting for? Go and help your father," the naga hissed.

Kelrian was surprised that Lady Vashj knew about them being related but he didn't say anything in response. He had not the time to figure out how she could know about this. He had to help his father. Lady Vashj knocked more undead away, so Kelrian was finally able to run to a spot where he had Arthas in his sight. No creature was standing between him and the death knight whose back was turned to him.

Kael'thas laid on the ground and Arthas stood above him, Frostmourne was raised. Arthas would kill his father if he wouldn't do anything. Kelrian didn't hesitate to cast a spell but he was not able to finish it because he was hit by something. Something sticky. A web. One of the nerubians had shot a spiderweb at him which wrapped itself around his body like a cocoon. He couldn't move his arms nor could he walk. Only his head was free. Kelrian tried to get free but it was impossible.

He looked around widely, noticing that a few undead creatures were walking towards him. They were coming closer and closer while he was still trapped. They would kill him if nobody would save him. Arthas would kill his father if nobody would intervene.

Kelrian looked at them, noticing that his father was no longer lying on the ground but he was not standing there either. Kelrian couldn't see him. It seemed that Kael'thas had teleported away. But he hadn't left the battlefield as Kelrian had feared for a moment.

He stood not far away from his son and cast a spell, creating a thick ice wall which divided the battlefield. Arthas and most undead were on the other side of the wall. Kael'thas ordered Lady Vashj to come and help him. The naga obeyed and reached the king and the prince within a few moments. Together they quickly cut the sticky threads and freed Kelrian who quickly realized that he was unable to use magic.

"Dammit, I can't feel the magic inside my body... I can't cast any spells...I'm powerless..."

A worried look could be seen on Lady Vashj's and Kael'thas' faces. "I bet the threads were poisoned. The poison prevents you from casting spells," said the king. He turned his head, noticing that not many of his men were left. "The undead dragons and the other flying beasts killed too many of our men. We're outnumbered."

"We should retreat for now," hissed Lady Vashj.

"The wall won't hold for long. They will chase us... The ghouls are faster than us. They won't take long to catch up to us," said Kelrian, sounding very worried.

"We have no other choice than running. I've examined the effect of nerubian poison that sticks on their webs. The effects should last for a few hours, then you should be able to cast spells again. You have not been bitten by a nerubian, so you won't die. The special poison that stuck to these threads is not mortal. Its only purpose is to prevent the spellcasters from casting spells. That's all it does. You don't have to be afraid that it kills you," explained Lady Vashj.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

"We should split up and go in different directions. Arthas will never expect that. Maybe we can use that to our advantage. Remember that we have to buy as much time as possible."

"Where do we meet again?" Kelrian asked.

"Teleport to the base as soon as you can. We will wait there for Lord Illidan's return," explained his father. He gave the order to retreat and the remaining naga, blood elves and kaldorei ran to him. He informed them about their plan to split up and started moving.

The remaining soldiers formed three groups of similar size. Each group followed one of these paths. Kelrian took the one in the middle, noticing that Elena was in his group. She was injured but still able to run fast enough. He didn't say anything to her nor did he look at her for too long. He averted his gaze and looked ahead as he kept running and running.

---

They were surrounded by mountains which they couldn't climb. They were in front of a dead end. There was no way out. All they could do was to go back but that would mean they would run right into the Scourge minions that had been following them for quite some time. They had no other options. They had no other choice than to fight them.

Kelrian felt uncomfortable. He was still unable to use magic. He couldn't feel the magic in his body even though hours had passed since the poisoned threads had come in contact with his body. He felt insecure without his magic. He was very skilled in close combat but he wouldn't be able to do much against a horde of undead if he would only be able to use his spellblade and his sword. He could deal with dozens of undead if he would be able to use magic but without it, he had a big problem.

Kelrian let his gaze wander over those who accompanied him. They looked worried and scared. None of them wanted to die but there was no way to avoid fighting the Scourge. They couldn't run, they couldn't hide and the remaining mages wouldn't have enough time to create a portal to the base. If Kelrian would be able to use his magic, they might have been able to create one in time. They might have been able to escape. Now all they could do was to fight.

The undead caught up to them quickly. There were hundreds of undead creatures. Nerubians, skeletons, liches, necromancers, freshly raised elves and naga and many other ugly creatures. They were led by a masked woman. She was five and a half feet tall and wore black leggings and a black vest. Most of her face was covered by a black mask, only her ice-blue eyes and her long elven ears could be seen. She had pale blonde hair that was made up in a ponytail. The woman carried two daggers in her hands which pommels were skulls.

Kelrian noticed that the woman's gaze rested on him. She didn't say anything as she walked towards him. The creatures she was leading followed her. Kelrian gave the order to attack and drew his sword and his spellblade from his belt.

In this situation, he wished he had taken his bow with him. He had left it on Outland because he had expected to cast spells all the time. He had not expected that this special poison would prevent him from casting spells for several hours. That had been a mistake but it was not the right time to reproach himself for this foolish mistake. He had to remain focused if he wanted to survive. He had to buy as much time as possible and hope the effects of the poison would stop as soon as possible. He needed access to his magic if he wanted to survive.

The battle was bloody and lasted longer than Kelrian had expected. The mages and archers took out the necromancers first and then attacked the liches but there were too many of them. His fellow spellcasters fell one by one until no one was left. Even the archers didn't survive for too long. Only paladins, warriors and rogues were left in Kelrian's group. They fought fiercely so did Kelrian.

He beheaded a ghoul with his spellblade and blocked the attack of a skeleton at the same time. He dodged the skeleton's next attack and cut it in halves. The next enemy approached him. It was a raised naga who tried to skewer Kelrian with its trident but he was too fast for it. The fel had not only made his spellwork deadlier but also made him faster and stronger. He tricked the naga and beheaded it swiftly. The naga stopped moving, collapsed and laid motionless on the ground. Two ghouls ran towards him but they were no match for him. He dispatched them with ease.

He checked his surroundings quickly, noticing that most of his comrades had fallen. The corpses of his comrades and of the bodies of several dozen undead were scattered over the ground. The snow beneath his feet was red. Blood red. His gaze fell on the two remaining members of his group. A myrmidon and Elena.

The male naga charged at the masked woman who avoided his attack with ease and jumped to the side, ramming one of her daggers in his neck at the same time. A loud cry escaped the naga's lips as it turned around and tried to hit the woman but she dodged his attack again. She rammed her other dagger right between the naga's eyes and pulled both of her weapons out.

The naga stopped in his movement, spat a large amount of blood out and then fell forward. His body became limp after the last sign of life had left it. The masked woman jumped to Elena who dropped her bow and pulled her sword from her belt. Elena blocked her first three attacks and even managed to land a hit. She cut through the leather armour of the woman and left a deep cut in her left upper arm. An annoyed hiss escaped the masked woman's lips.

Elena attacked her again but the masked woman dodged successfully. She was moving faster than before and avoided Elena's third attack. She attacked Elena who had problems avoiding her attacks. One of the daggers grazed her face, leaving a deep cut. The other grazed her right forearm, cut through the leather and left a cut as well.

Elena had no chance against the masked woman and Kelrian couldn't help her. Ghouls and skeletons were attacking him, he took them out one by one but there were too many between him and Elena. He couldn't reach her. He couldn't help her. She was on her own.

The masked woman wounded Elena more and more. Even though the fel ran through Elena's veins, she had no chance against the woman who was even faster than her. Elena was one of the fastest rangers who had accompanied Kelrian but she still had no chance against her opponent. The masked woman grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head back, ramming one of her daggers in her back. A loud painful cry escaped Elena's lips but she was silenced as the masked woman put her now free hand over her mouth and nose and cut off her air supply.

Kelrian shouted Elena's name but there was nothing he could do for her. He couldn't reach her because the undead were attacking him. He killed more and more undead creatures but there were still too many around him. He couldn't reach her. All he could do was to defend himself. He noticed out of the corners of his eyes that Elena was getting weaker and weaker. She tried to get free but the masked woman was too strong. Elena stopped resisting eventually. She stopped moving, her body became limp.

The masked woman let go of her and pushed her to the ground, regarding her for a few moments before her gaze fell on Kelrian. Kelrian's eyes were widened in shock, his face was as white as chalk and his heart was hammering in his chest. He couldn't believe that had just happened.

The woman had just suffocated Elena. His ex-girlfriend. Elena might have acted like a total bitch in the past weeks but she didn't deserve such a slow and painful death. Nobody did. Kelrian was devasted but he had no time to mourn. He was still surrounded by undead creatures.

He tried to create a fireball but nothing happened. He was still powerless. Alone and powerless. He knew he will die. There was no way he could escape his certain death. He looked around quickly, noticing that the undead minions were not doing anything. They didn't approach him nor did they intend to attack him from afar. They just stood around him in a circle and regarded him. They were not too close to him but not too far away either.

The masked woman stepped in the circle and lifted her daggers on which fresh blood stuck. The blood of many living creatures she had slain. Elena's blood stuck on them too. "What are you waiting for, Scourge whore? You want a piece of me, right? Come and get me, bitch," Kelrian hissed.

The masked woman didn't hesitate to rush over to Kelrian who blocked her first combination of fast attacks. He didn't just block them but he countered them at the same time. He managed to cut through her leather armour with his sword, leaving a long cut in her left hip. A loud hiss escaped the woman's lips.

She was not pleased that he had managed to hit her. She attacked him again and managed to score a hit, leaving a deep cut in his right upper arm. Kelrian bit his bottom lip hard, preventing a painful scream from escaping his lips. She attacked him again, causing him to drop his spellblade as the tip of one of her daggers grazed the back of his left hand.

The masked woman tried to hit Kelrian again but he was still faster than her. He ducked beneath her daggers and hit her head with his elbow, causing it to snap back. He tackled her and threw her to the ground, jumping on her. He pinned her down and prepared a strike with his sword to finish her. The woman dropped her daggers and grabbed his arm, pushing against it with all of her strength to prevent the sword's tip from coming any closer to her masked face.

She was stronger than Kelrian had expected. She managed to prevent his sword from coming closer but she was not strong enough to push it away entirely. Kelrian clenched his free hand and hit her head, hoping she would stop trying to push his arm away.

Painful noises escaped her lips and even blood flowed but she still prevented the sword from coming closer. Kelrian knew that throttling an undead was pointless so he tried to weaken her by hitting her head over and over again. He damaged the mask, cracks appeared in it which became larger the oftener he hit her. The mask broke eventually and the woman's bloody face was revealed.

Kelrian's eyes widened as he recognized the face. It was a familiar face. Her cute nose was broken and her jaw was dislocated but she was still recognizable as the beauty she had been in life even though her skin was pale blue. Kelrian stopped hitting her and he stopped bringing the sword's tip closer to her face. He did nothing but staring at her. He was stunned and the woman used that for her advantage. She picked one of her daggers up and rammed it in Kelrian's right eye.

A painful cry escaped his lips. He was so shocked that he dropped the sword. The woman managed to push him off her but she didn't attack him. She got up and regarded him with narrowed eyes. Kelrian pulled the dagger out of his eye, ignoring the blood that was flowing out and running down his cheek. His good eye was narrowed and rested on his daughter who was giving him a cold look.

He gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the pain as best as possible. He pulled a felstone out of his belt bag and consumed the stored energy. Sylvera allowed him to do that. His destroyed eyeball didn't heal but the pain vanished at least. "Sylvera...I thought you were dead," said Kelrian eventually.

Sylvera tilted her head. "I am dead as you can see. You will be dead too soon."

"Then finish me. I rather die by your hands than by one of these mindless wicked creatures."

"I can't. I'm not allowed to take your life," she responded coldly.

Kelrian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked irritated.

Sylvera was silent as she continued to stare at him. She turned her head eventually to look at the person who had just arrived on the battlefield. She knelt down and lowered her head in respect.

"Arthas...," Kelrian hissed and as he noticed the death knight approaching him. A cocky smile could be seen on the human's lips. "Look who's here. Sylvanas' fucktoy. It has been a long time since we last saw each other."

"You will pay for your crimes today, bastard," hissed Kelrian and picked up his spellblade from the ground.

Arthas tilted his head, raising a brow. "Bastard? My parents were married when I was born, just you know."

"You are an abomination Arthas. You destroyed so many innocent lives for nothing. You are responsible for the deaths of over a million creatures. You are no longer the man I have known. You've become a monster, Arthas."

"Abomination, monster, traitor...Do you seriously think I care about these insults? Your harsh words mean nothing to me. All I care about is serving the Lich King and I will kill everyone who dares to get in my way. I will kill everyone who tries to stop the Lich King."

"You may have defeated our forces here but Lord Illidan marches upon the Icecrown Glacier in the meantime. You will never make it in time to save your precious Lich King. Even if you kill me, Lord Illidan will succeed."

Arthas' blue eyes narrowed. "You are bluffing."

Kelrian tilted his head, giving Arthas a sneering grin. "Am I? Are you sure about that?"

Arthas gritted his teeth. "I already wasted enough time with you pathetic elves. It's time to finish this. I wonder how Sylvanas' expression will look like when I send her your head."

Kelrian raised his spellblade. "I wonder how she will react when I bring her yours."

A sound of frustration escaped the death knight's lips as he sprinted towards Kelrian. "FOR QUEL'THALAS," cried Kelrian as he met Arthas in the middle and attacked him. He was fast but not fast enough to hit Arthas. He blocked his attack with Frostmourne, attacking him in return.

Kelrian jumped to the right side at the last moment. Arthas attacked him again and Kelrian blocked it but his spellblade shattered in the process. It was not easy to fight with only one eye, no magic and no useful weapon. He still had Sylvera's dagger but he knew it wouldn't be very useful against a huge sword like Frostmourne.

Nevertheless, Kelrian tried his best. He feinted an attack from the left side and tried to attack him from the right but Arthas had expected that and swung Frostmourne, cutting through flesh and bones. A sharp and loud cry escaped Kelrian's lips. Blood splashed. He staggered backwards, his good eye was widened and rested on his left forearm that laid in the cold snow. Arthas had moved so fast that Kelrian had not seen it coming. The death knight had separated his forearm before he had been able to react.

Kelrian pressed his hand on his arm stump but that was not enough to stop the bleeding or slow it down at least. He was losing blood. Too much blood for his liking. The corners of Arthas' lips formed a mischievous smile as he came closer.

Kelrian backed off, but he had nowhere to run. He was cornered, heavily injured and desperate. He couldn't believe that this was happening. He had put his trust in Illidan's plan but it had backfired horribly. His group was dead. Elena was dead too and he will be dead soon. The worst thing would be if Arthas would raise, which was very likely to happen. He would be forced to serve him just like Sylvera. He would have to kill in the names of Arthas and the Lich King. There was no fate worse than this.

Kelrian had expected that numerous thoughts would go through his mind in the last moments before his death but he could only think about one person. Sylvanas. He had disappointed her. He had sworn to avenge her but he had failed. He wouldn't be able to do that if he was dead. His death would mean that the vision he had seen the previous night would never come true.

He would never meet Sylvanas again, at least as a living person. He may see her again but they would be on different sides then. He would have to fight her one day and he didn't want to do that. He didn't want any of this to happen. He didn't want to die but he had no control over anything. His life was in Arthas' hands and there was no way the death knight would spare him.

Kelrian had his eyes closed, expecting Frostmourne to pierce his flesh and end his life in the next moment. He expected to die in the next moment but nothing happened. Neither did a cold weapon pierce through his body nor did waves of pain rush through his body. Nobody ended his life.

Kelrian opened his good eye, surprise was reflected by his pale face as he noticed that neither Arthas nor any of his minions were around him. He was no longer in the cold lands of Northrend. He was in a dark place. He was still wounded, warm blood was dripping on the floor. What had happened in Northrend had really happened. It had not been a vision.

His comrades and Elena had been killed and his daughter had destroyed his right eye with her dagger. Arthas had cut off his left forearm and had tried to kill him. But he had felt no pain and no weapon that had pierced his body. He was still alive but he had no idea where he was and how he got there.

He heard a voice. A loud and deep voice. It was shouting his name.

'Kelrian.'

'Find me, Kelrian.'

'Find me and I will help you.'