Chapter 41: Three Sisters

The main road was not overcrowded but it was not empty either. Lots of citizens stood along the road, their faint blue glowing eyes rested on him. They looked worse than the blood elves who had accompanied Kael'thas. Malfurion knew that the lack of arcane energy was responsible for their bad condition. Kael'thas had explained their problems to him, he had told him about the consequences of the lack of energy. He had told them what would happen to them if they wouldn't be able to absorb enough energy. It was only a matter of time until the first bad withdrawal symptoms will occur.

Malfurion knew that their king was looking for a cure. He knew that he was on Outland with Illidan but he hadn't heard of him since Tyrande went to Outland with the sin'dorei. He had no idea if Kael'thas found a cure nor did he know how Tyrande was doing. He had no idea if her reunion with Illidan had gone well.

He was wondering what she felt for Illidan. Even though Tyrande was his wife, he hoped that she and Illidan would be happy. He knew he couldn't make Tyrande as happy as she had been thousands of years ago. Their feelings for each other had changed, they no longer loved each other. They were friends and that was okay for Malfurion. It was okay for him if his brother and Tyrande would come together. All he wanted was Tyrande to be happy. He was happy as long as she was, so he hoped Illidan would make her happy.

Malfurion stopped thinking about those who mattered most to him and looked around, noticing that the citizens were giving him expecting and curious looks. He checked his surroundings again, realizing that he still stood in the middle of the gate. He hadn't moved since he had entered Silvermoon City. He had no doubt that the citizens were wondering what he was doing here. They were wondering who he was and to which race he belonged.

Malfurion had no doubt that most of them had never seen a night elf before. He knew that blood elves didn't get as old as their ancestors, as his people. None of the kaldorei that had been turned into quel'dorei due to the influence of the Sunwell was still alive these days. They were dead for thousands of years. Only their descendants were alive these days but most of them had never met a night elf before.

Malfurion gave the curious citizens a gentle smile, signalizing them they didn't have to be afraid of him. There were still mixed expressions on their faces, but most of them were positive. Malfurion's gaze fell on his adoptive daughter who was standing next to him and giving him an expecting look. "We should start moving, father. I have no doubt the Regent Lady is already awaiting us," said Shandris.

"There is no need to rush," said the man who had welcomed them. "Lady Windrunner wants you to take all the time you need. Feel free to regard the surroundings as long as you want."

Malfurion's gaze fell on the man. He wore a blue uniform, his hood was pulled down so that his magnificent, long blond hair was revealed. His left eye was covered by a red eyepatch. "I appreciate the offer of the Regent Lady but I don't want to let her wait for too long, Ranger-General. We have important things to discuss."

Lor'themar gave him a small nod. "I will guide you through Silvermoon and bring you to her. You can regard the city in the meantime. It's not as beautiful as it had been before the invasion but we are working on it. It will take a lot of time to rebuild it and restore its glorious sight. If it's ever possible to make Silvermoon as beautiful as it was before."

Malfurion's eyes roamed over the nearest buildings. "Your architects seem to be very capable, so I have no doubt they will make it as beautiful as it once was."

Lor'themar sighed. "Unfortunately, some of our greatest architects died during the invasion."

"Have faith in those who remain," said Shandris.

The Ranger-General gave her a small smile. "I have. I'm sure they will make the best out of the remains of Silvermoon."

The following silence didn't last long. "We should go," said Malfurion eventually.

Lor'themar nodded. "Follow me."

Malfurion, Shandris and the twelve night elves that came with them to Silvermoon were following him. Lor'themar guided them through the streets of Silvermoon, saying a few sentences about certain sights, buildings and places. The kaldorei just listened to his explanation and didn't dare to interrupt him.

Lor'themar brought them to Sunfury Spire which had once been called Sunstrider Spire. The royal family had lived there. Ever since King Kael'thas and the best warriors of Quel'Thalas had left the kingdom to find a cure for the insatiable hunger for magic, Regent Lady Alleria Windrunner had moved in there and ruled the sin'dorei in the king's absence.

Lor'themar told them that, he also told them about the Council of Silvermoon that had advised the deceased king Anasterian. He told them about the Sunstrider family but also about the Windrunner family, which most promising members had always become Ranger-General. The title had passed from generation to generation and remained in the family since the foundation of Silvermoon.

"You are the first Ranger-General who is not a Windrunner. That is very surprising. It must be an honour to you to be Ranger-General," remarked Shandris.

"It is. I was very surprised when the king offered me to become Ranger-General. When Alleria accepted the king's offer to become Regent Lady, I expected her younger sister Vereesa to become Ranger-General. But Vereesa has just become a mother at that time, so the king asked me. He told me it was best if I become Ranger-General because I'm the most experienced ranger after Lady Alleria. Vereesa may be a Windrunner but she has not as much experience as other rangers. She is quite young for an elf and her sister feared she would not hold out under the pressure, so she suggested the king to ask me," told Lor'themar.

"I don't know much about you but I have the impression that you are suitable for this position. I'm sure you can handle the stress that comes with it," said the druid.

Lor'themar gave Malfurion a small smile. "I try my best."

Lor'themar brought them to a room. "Here it is." His gaze fell on Shandris. "Will you join him, General Feathermoon?"

"Unlike my father, I'm not good at politics. It's best that he speaks to the Regent Lady alone."

If Malfurion was surprised by her answer, he didn't show it. "What will you do in the meantime?" Lor'themar asked her.

"There is much of Silvermoon, I haven't seen so far," responded the secondary leader of the Sentinels. "I might take a closer look at the areas I haven't seen so far."

"I can accompany you if you want," offered Lor'themar.

Shandris gave him a small smile. "I like that idea." She looked at her father. "Are you okay with that?

Malfurion nodded. "Go, Shandris. I will see you later."

Shandris nodded and turned to Lor'themar who pointed in a direction and started to move. Shandris and six of her rangers followed her, the other six stayed with Malfurion who signalized them to wait in front of the room.

Malfurion waited until his daughter and the Ranger-General were out of his sight, then took a deep breath and stepped to the door, knocking at it.

A few moments later a soft voice which told him to come in could be heard. Malfurion didn't hesitate to open the door. He entered the room and let his gaze wander, noticing that the room was furnished like an office. There were shelves full of books on the left side of the room, paintings hung on the yellow walls. Some of the paintings showed placed in Quel'Thalas which either had been beautiful before the invasion or were still beautiful.

There were paintings on which elves with bright blue eyes could be seen. There was even a portrait of Alleria's family which had been painted before the First War. In the portray, Vereesa and Lirath were very young and Sylvanas was a Ranger-Captain like her older sister. They looked so peaceful and happy.

Malfurion regarded these paintings for a few moments before he averted his gaze and looked to the right side of the room. There was a desk behind which a woman was sitting. She had golden hair, faint glowing blue eyes and a blue tattoo on the left side of her face. She wore a formal, golden-red uniform which accentuated her slim but muscular form.

Alleria regarded her guest curiously. It was the first time she saw Malfurion. It was the first time she saw a night elf. She had heard a lot about the kaldorei but had never met one of them before. She had heard they were taller than the sin'dorei but she had never imaged them to be that tall. Malfurion was two heads taller than her without considering the antlers on his head. With them, he was more than four heads taller than her.

He wore his casual archdruid outfit, his muscular upper body was almost entirely covered by his long green beard that reached to his waist. His turquoise eyes rested on Alleria. "You must be Lady Windrunner. It's a pleasure and an honour to see you in person after hearing so much of you."

"The same counts for me, Archdruid."

Malfurion's lips formed a small smile. "We don't need to be so formal. Please call me Malfurion."

Alleria nodded. "You can call me Alleria then."

"Very well."

Alleria was a bit nervous but she had no idea why. She had no idea what she should say so she just said what came in her mind. "I didn't expect you to be so tall, Malfurion."

The druid chuckled. "People often say that to me. The antlers let me look like a giant but in truth, I'm not that much taller than the average male kaldorei. Being tall has its advantages but also its disadvantages."

"I'm taller than the average female sin'dorei but I'm not as big as the average male sin'dorei. Nevertheless, I can understand you. Hiding in the forests is not easy for a tall person, so I'm satisfied with my size," responded Alleria.

"Kaldorei archers are very talented and they can hide in the forests even with their tall size but you are right. Being smaller as a ranger has its advantages. Anyway, there is much we have to talk about so we shouldn't spend more time debating about body sizes."

Alleria agreed, pointing at the chair in front of her desk. "Feel free to take a seat, Malfurion."

He did.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" she asked politely.

"I'm not hungry but I'm a little thirsty. I heard lots of your people going into raptures about moonberry juice from Silvermoon. We kaldorei also love to drink moonberry juice so I'm curious how the moonberry juice your people make tastes."

Alleria pulled two glasses out of a drawer and grabbed the jug from the small table near her desk. She filled the glasses and handed one of them to Malfurion who didn't hesitate to take a sip. "I have to say that's very delicious. It tastes so different compared to the moonberry juice we make. Nevertheless, I enjoy it."

Alleria smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." She took a few sips and sat down on her chair, putting her hands on the top of the desk. Malfurion's gaze wandered from her hands to the pictures on the left side of her desk. He leaned to the side and turned his head a little so that he could see them. There was one picture of Alleria and two other women who looked similar to her. One of them had silver hair, the other had golden-blonde hair like Alleria and wore a blue uniform. It looked almost identical to the one Lor'themar had worn. Malfurion assumed that these women were Alleria's sisters and that the one with the golden hair had been the previous Ranger-General.

Alleria was standing in the middle, the Ranger-General sat on a small rock to her left and the sister with the silver hair sat on the ground next to her. Alleria's hand rested on the shoulder of the Ranger-General. Malfurion had no doubt that this was Sylvanas who had been killed during the invasion.

He recognized them in another picture where they were standing next to each other. To the right of the silver-haired woman stood a young man with blond hair who was one head smaller than her. "These are your siblings, aren't they?"

Alleria nodded and pointed at the silver-haired woman and the young man. "This is Vereesa and this is Lirath... He died during the Second War..." Malfurion noticed the sadness in her eyes and her voice, so he expressed his sympathy for her.

Alleria made a small pause before she pointed at her middle sister. "This is Sylvanas. I think you have already heard about her."

Malfurion nodded. "I know she died protecting your people. I know that Arthas brought her back and forced her to serve him."

"I assume you are not aware that she has apparently managed to get free from the Scourge."

Malfurion's face was full of surprise. "She did?"

"She sent someone who delivered a message to me. The woman she sent is my niece and she brought me the head of one of the two traitors who betrayed our people. She told me that they attacked a Scourge base near the capital of Lordaeron. She told me that they killed every Scourge minion they found."

"Have your scouts confirmed that?"

"Yes, they did. My scouts told me that they saw a small army under different banners attacking the Scourge base."

"How did these banners look like?"

"The banners were purple and the crest on them looked like a broken porcelain mask that sheds purple tears and is pierced by three arrows with purple fletching."

"So it's quite different from the crest on the Scourge banners," concluded Malfurion.

"It is."

"And your sister is leading these undead creatures."

"She is."

"Do you think she is on our side?" he asked interested.

"From what she wrote to me and what King Sunstrider told me, she wants the Scourge gone as badly as we do. I'm not sure if we can trust her because we can't imagine what the torture Arthas put her through did to her," explained the sin'dorei woman.

A thoughtful look appeared on Malfurion's face. "Did she ask you for a meeting?"

"She expressed her interest in working with us. The king believes she is not our enemy so I see no reason why I shouldn't meet her and find out what she has to say. We have the same goals, so I see no reason why I shouldn't give her the chance to prove that we can trust her and her people."

"I'm not sure what I should say to that. Working with the undead sounds wrong to me. Druids like me would see them as an insult to life. They would see them as something that shouldn't exist but..."

"But they exist. They were created by foul, dark magic just like the death knights that had been created by orc warlocks in the Second War. But Sylvanas and her people didn't ask for this. I assume that those who were raised would have preferred to stay dead but Arthas forced his will upon them. He did this to them and they had no other choice than serving him.

We shouldn't push them away only because they shouldn't exist. They do exist and we have to accept that...I guess. We have to find out if they are trustworthy allies and then we can consider working with them against the Scourge. We need more capable soldiers if we want to defeat the Scourge."

Malfurion was silent as he thought about her words. He needed a few minutes to formulate an answer. "I guess you are right. We should give them the chance to prove themselves... Even though I still don't like the idea of working with walking corpses."

He paused for nearly a minute.

"I think we just need some time to get used to them. I want to meet your sister if it turns out we can trust her. It would be nice if you send me a message after you met her. Tell me if you think we can trust her. If you do then I would want to meet her too and get known to her."

Alleria nodded at him. "I will." She was relieved that Malfurion was not against her idea of meeting Sylvanas. Him disagreeing with her idea would only make things complicated. An alliance with him and his people would be very complicated if he would not want her to meet her sister. Fortunately, he was not against it.

"The more allies we get, the better are our chances against the Scourge."

"You are right," said Alleria. "I already sent letters to Stormwind and Ironforge but I didn't get any reply in return yet. We fought side by side with the dwarves and humans against the Horde in the Second War. We shared the same interests in the past and I'm sure we share the same interests these days. I see no reason why Stormwind and Ironforge shouldn't work with us against the Scourge. They have to deal with the undead sooner or later if we can't stop them."

"There are humans on Kalimdor too," responded Malfurion. "They helped us repelling the attacks of the Burning Legion. They assisted us in the Battle of Mount Hyjal and so did the orcs."

"The orcs?" Alleria asked irritated. She raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I've bad experiences with orcs. They were our enemies for decades..."

"I'm not sure what I should think about them. They helped us to defend our lands and protect our world tree Nordrassil but... The leader of one of their clans killed my mentor..." Sadness appeared in Malfurion's eyes. He was still not over the death of his mentor, the demigod Cenarius.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Malfurion."

The sadness vanished quickly. "I appreciate that the orcs helped us but I do not trust them."

"Was the clan leader brought to justice or is he still alive?"

"As far as I know, he died after killing the demon who enslaved the orcs and made them serve the Burning Legion. The demon's name was Mannoroth. He was one of the demon generals who invaded Azeroth ten thousand years ago. My master fought him back then but he couldn't defeat him. Fortunately, Mannoroth didn't survive this invasion."

"What do the humans of Theramore think about the orcs?" Alleria asked interested.

"Their leader, Lady Jaina Proudmoore, doesn't regard them as an enemy. They worked together but they went separated ways after we defeated Archimonde. They are not allied but they agreed on not attacking the other."

A thoughtful look could be seen on Alleria's face. "Basically, we can ally ourselves with Theramore without needing to ally with the orcs," she concluded.

Malfurion nodded. "As long as we don't attack the orcs and they don't attack us, an alliance with Theramore should work."

"I have no intention to attack the orcs. The Scourge is already causing enough problems for us. We don't need to create more."

Malfurion nodded. "I agree."

"Now that you worked with Lady Proudmoore in the past, you could meet up her and convince her to join us."

"I will do that," the night elf responded.

"Good. Is there anything else we need to talk about?"

"I don't think so. We will work together from now and assist each other when the Scourge or anyone else attacks one of us. We should plan our offences and defences together and inform the other about possible new allies," responded Malfurion.

Alleria handed him the document she had written in the meantime. Malfurion read it carefully, giving her a nod when he was done. "That's perfect," he said and put his signature on it. Alleria did the same and offered him her hand. "May our alliance be successful. May this new Alliance destroy the Scourge and every enemy that comes in its way."

Malfurion took her hand and stared into her eyes as he shook it. "May our alliance be successful."

"We should announce it to my people."

"Yes, we should," responded Malfurion and let go of her hand.

"If you have no problem with staying longer, I would speak to my people this evening."

"I don't mind staying for a few days. That way, I can get known to your people and take a closer look at Silvermoon."

"We should celebrate the foundation of the new Alliance."

"I like that idea," responded the druid.

"We will combine the celebration with the announcement. I will tell my servants to organise a feast."

"Very well."

Alleria stood up from her chair and so did Malfurion. They went to the exit and left the room together.

---

Alleria regarded the ruins in front of her for a few moments, then she averted her gaze and looked at her sister who was also looking at her. "What a shame that nothing is left of Liadrin's house."

Vereesa nodded. "It was magnificent. Now nothing but burned wood and ashes remain. The Sunsinger villa has been destroyed as well. It was beautiful too."

"We will rebuild them soon. Malfurion promised to send us enough resources soon," responded Alleria and averted her gaze, looking at the surrounding houses. Half of them had been completely destroyed and the others were either still intact or only slightly damaged. They were still habitable.

"I'm glad that you managed to establish an alliance with the kaldorei. We won't be able to get rid of the Scourge alone. We need more allies if we want to pose a threat to the Scourge. There are still too many creatures in Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron," said Vereesa.

"I wonder when the humans and dwarves will reply. We have once fought by their side against a common enemy, so I don't see a reason why we shouldn't do it again. The Alliance of Lordaeron defeated the Orcish Horde and I have no doubt the new formed Alliance will defeat the Scourge one day. But we can only achieve that if the humans and the dwarves join. I have faith in Stormwind and Gilneas but I'm not sure about Theramore."

"What's wrong about Theramore?" asked Vereesa. She raised an eyebrow and gave her sister an irritated look. "As far as I know, Jaina and the survivors of Lordaeron live there. I don't see a reason why we shouldn't ally ourselves with them."

A quiet sigh escaped Alleria's lips. "I know. It's just that... Theramore worked together with the Horde. They might have done that to defeat the Burning Legion but still... I don't like orcs and trolls. I have nothing against the tauren but... What happened in the past..." Alleria paused and sighed loudly. "I do not trust the Horde."

"What did Malfurion say? Does he trust the Horde?"

"He doesn't trust the Horde but he still tolerates that Theramore is at peace with them. The Scourge is our main enemy. They are already causing enough problems for us, so we don't need to create more problems. We have no reason to start a conflict with the Horde. Live and let live. As long as they don't attack us, we don't have to fight them," explained the Regent Lady.

"You are right about that. I think it's best if we send a letter to Theramore and ask Jaina for a meeting," replied the silver-haired woman.

"You are right, Little Moon. I will do that but first, we have to get through this meeting and see what happens."

Vereesa regarded her sister from head to toe. "You are nervous, aren't you?"

Alleria nodded. "We are going to see Sylvanas again after one and a half years. Of course I am nervous. Nervous but curious. I want to find out how much our sister has changed. I want to find out if a part of her still exists or if the Sylvanas we have known is completely gone. I want to get known to the Banshee Queen. I have so many questions but I doubt I will get an answer to all of them."

Vereesa put a hand on Alleria's shoulder, giving her a comforting look. "You are not alone, sis. We will go through this together. Keep in mind that I will always be there for you and support you whenever I can."

Alleria smiled, giving her baby sis a thankful nod. "The same counts for you, Little Moon. If you have any problem, just come to me and ask for my help."

"I will."

"It seems you two are closer than ever," said a strange voice.

The two blood elves turned their heads in the direction where the voice came from, spotting its owner. They took a closer look at the undead woman who stood not far away from them. They recognized familiar facial features. The woman had been breathtakingly beautiful in life and was so in death. She didn't look horrible like most undead creatures Alleria and Vereesa had seen so far. The woman's light blue skin was flawless, her crimson red eyes rested on the sisters.

Alleria and Vereesa couldn't take their widened blue eyes from their sister who was just standing there and regarding them as well. The silence was uncomfortable but none of the three sisters said something. Alleria wanted so say something but she had no idea what she should say. Her mind was blank and she was speechless. The same counted for Vereesa who was also at a loss of words.

Unlike her sisters, Sylvanas was not surprised to see them. She was not stunned by their appearances which hadn't changed much, unlike hers. She was not speechless but she remained silent nonetheless, wondering when Alleria and Vereesa would say something. She had expected that Alleria would be one who would break the silence, so it really surprised her that Vereesa was the one who spoke first. "It seems that the tales about you are true."

Sylvanas titled her head a little and raised an eyebrow. "Tales? What tales?"

The sound of her voice was unpleasant to hear but the sin'dorei didn't let Sylvanas notice anything. Their facial expressions remained neutral but their eyes reflected a small amount of hope. Their hearts were beating much faster than usual and the hairs on the back of their necks stood up.

Alleria cleared her throat. "She means the rumours we've heard about you. You know... We already knew that this bastard made you his servant and we heard that you have gotten free from the Scourge but we had no confirmation that you drove the demons out of Lordaeron and claimed the capital of Lordaeron as your territory. King Kael'thas told me that he met you but... For some reason, I doubted your existence and your allegiance from time to time. Even when Lyndia came to me and told me that you sent her... I still had my doubts...But only sometimes... But now we finally have the proof that you are no longer a servant of the Scourge. It's good to know that you are no longer forced to serve that bastard."

"You don't know how relieved I was when I found out that I no longer have to hear Arthas' voice in my head. When I realized that I no longer have to serve this mass murderer... I wouldn't call it joy but I felt something similar to that."

"I think I understand how you must have felt," said Vereesa.

"No, you don't," said Sylvanas sharply. "No one can understand what I felt in the past one and a half year. Trust me, you don't want to know how I felt. You're lucky you didn't go through what I went through."

The youngest of the three hesitated for a short moment. "I guess you can say that."

Sylvanas didn't say anything in response. She just stared at her baby sister, her face reflected nothing but coldness. Her eyes looked dangerous.

Alleria cleared her throat, catching Sylvanas' attention. The Banshee Queen's gaze fell on the Regent Lady, one of her pale blonde eyebrows was raised. "Do you have anything to say, sister?"

"Well... There is much I want to say to you but I have no idea where to start... First of all, I'm so sorry about what happened to you. I wanted to save you but I was..." she stopped speaking, a sad look appeared on her face.

"Overwhelmed by fear," completed Sylvanas.

Alleria nodded. "You are right about that. The fear stunned me and made me motionless. I was afraid. I was afraid of dying and becoming one of Arthas' servants. I was weak and a coward, I admit that."

"I wouldn't go so far," replied the undead elf.

Alleria tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I was afraid too but I didn't show it. I was not strong enough to kill Arthas but that didn't mean I was weak. You weren't weak either. You were powerless, just like me. Nobody was strong enough to kill Arthas. Not even the king and the queen. I was not able to kill Arthas but I'm no longer the same woman I used to be back then. I became stronger. Strong enough to kill Arthas if I see him the next time. I nearly had him but... Kel'Thuzad saved that bastard."

Alleria was silent, not knowing what she should say in response. The awkward silence between them didn't last for too long. Vereesa was the one who ended it. "Arthas will pay for his crimes. One day, we will bring him to justice. He will pay for everything he has done."

"I hope so," replied Sylvanas, a small amount of hope was reflected in her voice which had been very monotonous so far. "I won't stop until Arthas gets what he deserves."

"Nor will we. What he did to you, to our homeland and to our people... Is unforgivable," hissed Alleria through gritted teeth. Anger and hatred were reflected by her gorgeous eyes. Neither Sylvanas nor Vereesa had ever seen her so angry before. She had a murderous expression on her face but the expression disappeared when Vereesa put a hand on her cheek and caressed it slowly while giving her a comforting look.

Alleria relaxed eventually, a quiet sigh escaped her lips. She saw Sylvanas smirking at her. "Good to know that we want the same," said the Banshee Queen.

Alleria tilted her head a little and raised an eyebrow. "Of course we do. There is no way that I would not want to bring Arthas to justice. I will kill him myself when I find him."

"That makes two of us."

"Three," Vereesa replied determinedly.

"Three," repeated the undead elf and gave her little sister a small, barely recognizable smile.

This time, the uncomfortable silence between them lasted almost ten minutes. Alleria cleared her throat after a while, putting one hand in the other. "How are you feeling, sister?"

"Usually, I feel very angry but I feel better than I felt when I have been forced to serve him. You can't imagine how I felt when I was forced to kill our brethren... When I was forced to kill...," Sylvanas stopped speaking and averted her gaze, looking at her feet. That way, Vereesa and Alleria couldn't see the sadness and grief in her eyes. They couldn't know how devasted she looked at the moment.

Sylvanas was always getting emotional when thinking about the one person she had been forced to kill. The person whose death she mourned the most. Causing her death had hit Sylvanas much harder than finding out that her daughter had been killed and raised by the Scourge. She still felt guilty even though she had not wanted her death. She had not been able to prevent it. She had no reason to feel guilty about the woman's death but she still felt guilty from time to time. This moment was one of these rare moments.

Vereesa was about to walk over to Sylvanas and put a hand on her shoulder but Sylvanas looked up again before she was able to do that. For the first time, Alleria and Vereesa were able to see grief in her sister's eyes. "Who did you have to kill?" Vereesa asked carefully. She gave Sylvanas a comforting look, signalizing her that she didn't have to be scared.

Sylvanas was silent for nearly three minutes but then she gave her baby sister an answer. "Mother... Arthas forced me to kill our mother. I didn't care about her fate when I fought her because Arthas turned off my emotions. I was still affected by his mind-control when I fought her. After I stabbed her in the heart, he removed the mind-control and made me witness her death with my emotions turned on again..."

Alleria and Vereesa were speechless. Speechless and shocked by this confession. They would have never imagined Sylvanas to be the one who had ended their mother's life. They had thought that Arthas or one of his servants had killed her. They had thought that anyone but Sylvanas had killed their mother. The cruel truth was that it had been Sylvanas. They knew she hadn't done it voluntarily, so they didn't harbour a grudge against her. The anger they felt was directed at Arthas.

Alleria clenched her fist and bit her bottom lip hard. Her facial features were distorted in anger, her eyes reflected nothing but pure hatred. Vereesa's expression was totally different. There was no anger or hatred in her eyes, her facial features didn't reflect these emotions either. There was sadness. Sadness and grief.

Sylvanas' facial expression turned into a neutral one. She regarded her sisters, not saying anything until their expressions had changed. Alleria calmed down after a while, the anger was still visible in her eyes but it was not as clearly visible as before. Vereesa was still sad and she didn't even try to hide it. But she didn't cry. She remained strong and returned Sylvanas' gaze.

"It was not your fault, Sylvanas. You don't have to feel guilty for something you have been forced to do. You didn't want to kill her," said Alleria with a calming voice.

Sylvanas nodded. "I know but I still feel guilty whenever I think about her."

"Her death will be avenged when we kill Arthas," responded her younger sister.

Sylvanas nodded again but didn't say anything in return this time.

"We have a common goal. A common enemy who we want to kill," said Alleria.

"We have," was all Sylvanas said in return.

"Nothing speaks against us working together," said Alleria.

"Are you sure about that?" Sylvanas asked. "What about the sin'dorei? Are you sure they will accept my people and me? I fear that they won't trust us." Sylvanas' voice was thin, insecurity and doubt werehearable.

Alleria nodded. "Our people already know that you attacked the Scourge base near Agamand Mills and killed the Scourge commander who was in charge of the base. My advisors told me that more and more people are beginning to trust you. Of course, there will always be people who have doubts but that doesn't have to mean anything. There will always be people who won't agree with the decisions we make. We can't please everyone with our decisions. All we can do is to try to convince the majority of our people. If we gain their trust, nothing should stand in our way."

Sylvanas gave her older sister a curious look. "And how do we do that?"

A thoughtful look appeared on her sisters' faces. They were silent as they thought about it for several minutes. Alleria cleared her throat eventually, not knowing how much time had passed. "You should visit Silvermoon. You and some of your most trusted followers. We have to convince the sin'dorei that you are not evil. You have to speak to them and convince them that you are on our side."

"That is not a bad idea," Sylvanas admitted.

"I see things the same," said Vereesa.

"Why don't you come with us to Silvermoon?"

If Sylvanas was surprised by Alleria's offer, she didn't show it. She had to admit that she missed her homeland. She missed Silvermoon and her former people. She missed seeing the admiration on their faces. She was certain that she wouldn't see admiration on most faces when she would return to the capital.

She assumed that most blood elves will be shocked to see her. They might even be afraid of her. Some may show pity for her or even mourn her. The sin'dorei would need time to get used to her, accept her and later trust her but she will do everything necessary to earn their trust. She will prove to them that she was on their side. She will prove that she was not their enemy.

"You mean right now?"

Alleria nodded. "Yes."

"Didn't you offer me to take my most trusted followers with me? If we go now, I will be the only undead in Silvermoon."

Alleria chuckled. "But they are here already, right? They are somewhere in the forest to our left, aren't they?" Alleria chuckled again as she noticed the surprised expression on her sister's face. She didn't give Sylvanas the opportunity to answer. She was sure Sylvanas would have asked her how she knew.

"Your appearance and your character might have changed but not your habits. In the past, you never went to a meeting without back up. You usually brought your best rangers with you and told them to hide somewhere. Old habits die hard. I have no doubt that they are watching us at the moment."

Sylvanas was impressed and she didn't even try to hide it. "You are right, Alleria. I have no doubt your rangers are here as well."

"Rangers and mages," told Vereesa.

"Mages of the Kirin Tor?" Sylvanas asked as she looked at the silver-haired woman. Vereesa nodded.

"So you have them on your side too. I should have expected that. Your husband is still one of them. Who else is on your side? The humans? The dwarves?"

"Neither the humans nor the dwarves but the kaldorei," responded the tattooed elf.

Sylvanas gave her older sister a surprised look. "Really?"

"Archdruid Malfurion Stormrage visited us a few days ago. We talked about lots of things and then agreed on forming an alliance. The sin'dorei and the kaldorei are the first members of the new Alliance. I hope Stormwind, Theramore and the dwarves will join too. Maybe even Gilneas and the gnomes."

"You should inform the archdruid that I will consider joining your Alliance if your people accept me and the Forsaken."

"He already knows that I might allow you to join. He told me that I should send him a message when you are in Silvermoon so he could come there and meet you personally," told Alleria.

"First, I need to get your people's trust and then you can invite him."

Alleria frowned, one of her brows was raised. "Your people? Why do you call them like that? They are not just my and Vereesa's people, they are yours as well. You might be undead. You might be a Forsaken but you are still an elf. You were born a high elf just like us. They are also your people and you have sworn to protect them. If that promise still means something to you, then you should consider them as your people and protect them by any means."

Sylvanas nodded slowly. "You are right, sister."

The silence didn't last for too long this time. "Shall we go?" Vereesa asked.

Sylvanas nodded and made a gesture with her hand. Ten dark rangers came out of the forest a few minutes later. They brought eleven skeletal horses with them. Alleria also made a gesture. Five of her best rangers and five mages of the Kirin Tor came out of the opposite forest. They had twelve horses. They were eyeing the dark rangers suspiciously but they didn't say or do anything. They were ordered to take no action without orders from Alleria.

Two rangers brought the largest and strongest horses to Alleria and Vereesa. Sylvanas looked at her dark rangers, receiving a nod from Verena. The raven-haired woman grabbed the reins of the largest skeletal horse and brought it to the Banshee Queen. Sylvanas looked at her sisters as soon as she sat steady in her saddle. They sat in their saddles and gave Sylvanas expecting looks.

"I'm ready," said Sylvanas.

"So are we. Let's go," announced Alleria.