Chapter 45: Lordaeron

Lordaeron.

A massive city which looked more like a fortress than a capital city of a human kingdom. Thick and large walls surrounded it. Every ten miles along the walls stood a thin but gigantic tower. The defensive system was well has been enhanced to withstand the orcs for as long as possible. Lots of soldiers patrolled through the streets of the city every day and every night. Numerous stood on the walls and the towers and looked out for enemies.

There were dozens of spies which were riding through the kingdom and looked out for the orcs. They would return to the capital city once they had spotted the enemy. The last time, the orcs had been seen in the middle of the kingdom near Andorhal. The scouts guessed they would only need a week or two to reach the capital city.

But the humans were prepared. They had produced more weapons, armours and ammunitions for bows, guns and cannons. They had also asked the other kingdoms for troops. Quel'Thalas, Ironforge, Gilneas and Stromgarde had promised Lordaeron to send as many soldiers as they could spare.

Nevertheless, King Terenas Menethil was worried that the army wouldn't be large enough to stop the massive army of the orcs who raided one village after the other. His kingdom was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it.

The high elves were following the army of the orcs and would approach them from behind once a battle will start. He knew that more soldiers were on the way to their aid but he wasn't sure if they would arrive in time. It was possible that they would arrive too late. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if the orcs would break through the main gate. Tens of thousands of innocents will die if Lordaeron's gates would fall.

He wished he could evacuate them but he didn't know where. The capital cities of the kingdoms of the Alliance were the safest places for the civilians. There were no other places where his people were safer than in the capital. The other capital cities were already overcrowded so he couldn't send his people there. They had to stay in the capital city of Lordaeron and hope the defenders will be able to hold the city until the reinforcements would arrive.

He didn't fear the orcs nor did he fear to die. He would fight for his people if he must but he was not sure if he would be a great support. He was over fifty years old, had grey hair and aching bones. He had been a talented fighter in his youth but he was no longer young. He was nothing more than an old man who would be too slow to keep up with his much younger enemies. But he will not hesitate to grab his sword and fight if he must. Even if he would die in battle, he would at least die fighting and not die while fleeing.

Terenas ran his fingers over his eyelids, taking a deep breath. He opened his eyes after a while, his mood brightened up a little as he saw his only son standing not far away from him and regarding him curiously. The corners of the king's lips formed a smile as Arthas came closer.

"Ah, my son, it's good to see you. Where have you been all day?" he asked and got up from his throne, walking towards his son. His tired bones didn't allow the King of Lordaeron to walk as fast as he wanted. Fortunately, the blond boy came to him so he didn't have to walk the entire distance.

"I trained with Prince Varian," responded the eleven-year-old.

"How was it?"

Arthas smiled at him. "It was awesome. I'm becoming better and better with each passing day thanks to Ambassador Muradin's training. So does Varian. He still beats me but that will change one day. Hopefully."

Terenas chuckled. "He is two years older than you so it's understandable that he is better. Not to mention he started training at a young age. You don't have to put yourself under pressure. You don't have to become the best swordsman in the Eastern Kingdoms to make me proud of you. I'm already proud of you my son.

Maybe you will do something which will have a huge impact on the Eastern Kingdoms. Maybe even on the whole world, who knows? Maybe you will win a great battle, conquer an enemy kingdom or just defend our people. You don't need to purge all evil to be remembered. I'm pretty sure everyone will remember the name Arthas Menethil, even in hundreds of years. Your name will not be forgotten nor will the name of our family be forgotten. Our family will always rule over Lordaeron and do its best to protect our people from all threats. Always remember that you don't have to do extraordinary things to be admired and loved. You just have to make sure that your people are happy and don't have to live in fear. That's all you have to do."

Arthas gave his father an understanding nod. "I will remember that, father."

Terenas put his hand on his son's right shoulder, patting it softly. "So tell me, my son. Why did you come to me this time?" he asked curiously.

"I wanted to tell you that we have guests who are waiting in front of the door," responded Arthas.

Terenas raised an eyebrow "Guests?"

Arthas nodded his head but didn't say who it was because he didn't know these persons. But there was a person in the room who knew the visitors. A man in silver-coloured iron armour that wasadorned by golden and blue stripes came closer to his king and prince. "Am I allowed to say something, sire?" asked the man.

Terenas turned his head and looked at the man. He had short red coloured hair, a sharp chin and green eyes. He was over six feet tall and had broad shoulders. "You are allowed to speak, Lieutenant Falric," spoke the king.

Falric nodded at him. "The visitors are two Ranger-Captains from Quel'Thalas. They just arrived with their companies of at least two hundred rangers. I assume they came to us to support us while the Ranger-General and her army are still in the south of our kingdom. I also assume they will arrive a few days after the orcs."

Terenas gave him a thankful nod. "Tell them to come in. I want to speak to them."

Falric bowed in front of his king and hurried to the large door. The guards, which stood next to it, opened it and allowed him to slip through. The door was opened again after nearly three minutes. Three rangers entered the room. One of them wore a green uniform while the other two wore blue uniforms.

Terenas noticed that his son regarded them curiously. He had been very little the last time he had seen an elf. He didn't remember how they looked like so he regarded them curiously. The excitement Arthas felt was reflected by his face. He still stood near the throne on which his father had sat down before the elves had entered the room.

The elves came closer and pulled their hoods down, bowing before the king to show him their respect. Terenas made a friendly gesture with his hand. "I welcome you in Lordaeron, rangers. I'm glad you answered my call for aid and came to help me defend the capital city and its inhabitants."

"It's a pleasure for us to fight with you against these green monstrosities," spoke the ranger with the green uniform. "My name is Alleria Windrunner. I'm pretty sure you have heard of me before."

Terenas grinned at her answer. "I have, indeed. I've heard that the Windrunner siblings are very capable fighters. I've heard that you and your siblings slew hundreds of trolls during the last years." He regarded her for a few moments, his face showed sympathy. "I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. I will help you as best as I can to make the orcs pay for what they did to your family and your people. I am no longer able to fight but I have an army of very capable warriors."

Alleria nodded at him. "I'm looking forward to killing as many of these bastards as I can."

Terenas didn't respond to her. He looked at his son for a few moments before he looked at the other female ranger. "And who are you?" he asked curiously. The ranger had middle-long blonde hair, some of her strands were dyed blue. She was beautiful. Not as beautiful as Alleria but still much more beautiful than most women Terenas had ever seen in his life.

"I am Ranger-Captain Vara Sweetblossom. It's a pleasure for me to meet you, King Menethil," she said and lowered her head in respect.

Terenas chuckled. "Please call me Terenas. We are on the same side and have the same goals. There is no need to be so formal."

"As you wish, your highness."

Terenas chuckled once again but didn't say anything this time. His gaze fell on the last ranger. A handsome male with long blonde hair. The king made a gesture, signalizing the elf to introduce himself.

"My name is Kelrian Sunsinger. I'm just a normal ranger but Captain Windrunner decided to take me to such important meetings so I could learn about politics and strategic planning. It's an honour for me to be allowed to join the defence of your capital city."

"We need every capable fighter we can get. I'm glad that you are here, Kelrian," responded the older man.

"My bow is at your service."

Terenas nodded and pointed at his son. "This is my son Arthas. You may know that I have a daughter too but she is busy doing things with her mother. If you don't mind, I would allow him to listen to our meeting."

"We don't mind," replied Alleria. "As the crown prince of Lordaeron, it doesn't hurt to come in contact with politics at an early age. He will need the knowledge one day when he rules this kingdom."

"You are right, Alleria. He will be a good king, I'm sure about that."

"He will make you proud and bring honour to your family. I'm pretty sure you will raise him to a just and honourable man," spoke Vara.

Terenas nodded. "I share your opinion. I think he will do great things in the future. He will handle every threat and will only act in the interest of our people. He will make sure they will be protected from any danger. No matter who will cross his way, he will protect his people and his loved ones."

Terenas looked at him, noticing that Arthas' cheeks were reddened a little. He was happy that his father spoke so highly of him and put so much trust in him. He wanted to make his father proud of him. He had sworn to train hard and become a just king. He had sworn to protect his people by any means and make sure they would lack nothing.

"Do you have children?" Terenas addressed the elf with the facial tattoo.

"I have a son. His name is Arator," replied Alleria.

"Arator...I've heard that name before. Turalyon is his father, isn't he?"

Alleria nodded her head.

"Turalyon is one of our best paladins we have. He is one of the students of the legendary paladin Anduin Lothar. He fought in numerous battles and slew dozens of orcs so far. He can be really lucky to have such a charming woman as his lover."

Alleria smiled. "He is a great man. I love him with all my heart."

Terenas nodded at her and regarded her for a few moments before he turned his head to look at Vara. "What about you?"

"I have a daughter at the age of twenty-three."

"So, she's been considered as an adult for a few days now, right? I've heard your king changed the laws. Every high elf over twenty years is considered as an adult now, right?"

Kelrian was the one who responded to him. "You are right, your highness. Since this change, the law now considers me as an adult. Before that, I was considered a teenager, even at the age of sixty-nine. Now, I can join any club or buy certain things without needing to ask my parents first. Some of the laws we have are still unnecessary but I understand that our king has other things in his mind. We are at war, after all. He gives his best to protect our people so we understand that he doesn't have the time to change the laws which need to be changed. I just hope he'll have the time once the war will be over and we have defeated the orcs."

"Let me tell you one thing. Being the king is more difficult than it looks. I have a lot of tasks to do every day and a lot of pressure rests on my shoulders. The crown is a burden but I wear it with pride. The people expect from me that I am always doing the right thing. I will do everything for my people and protect them as best as I can," replied Terenas. He paused for a few moments, clearing his throat. "But we didn't meet to have small talk. Go ahead and tell me what you want to say or what you want me to do."

Alleria came closer to him and pulled a rolled-up scroll out of her sleeve. She handed it to Falric who didn't hesitate to bring it to his king. The king unrolled it and read it carefully. He handed the scroll back to Falric who folded it again. "So, the Ranger-General returned to Silvermoon and won't fight in the upcoming battle for health reasons. That's unfortunate. She is the best archer of Quel'Thalas, isn't she?"

"She is," admitted Alleria. "But we have to fight without her. We have numerous capable fighters. We just have to plan everything to the last detail. The upcoming battle will be rough. A lot of people will die."

Terenas' eyes reflected worry. "That's unavoidable, I think. We can only hope that we lose as few soldiers as possible," he made a small pause and ran his fingers over his forehead. "Who leads the army in the Ranger-General's absence and how many soldiers will come to our aid?"

"We withdrew half of our forces from Silvermoon City and put them together with the rest of the main army so we have about twenty thousand soldiers, mostly Farstriders and Silvermoon Guards, who will attack the orcs from behind once they try to siege this city. Ranger-Captain Sunbather will lead the soldiers. She has a lot of experience and my sister's trust because she is her best friend. She knows what she has to do."

Terenas nodded at her. "That sounds good. The rest of my army which is still outside will come to our aid. Hopefully, they arrive before the orcs. I also hope the Ranger-General has nothing serious so she will get better soon," he said and made a small pause, taking a deep breath. The elves knew that he had something on his mind. They could see it in his eyes which rested on his son who still stood on the same spot and followed the conversation curiously. "I have a favour to ask you," he said eventually and looked at Alleria.

"I'm listening."

"I'm not sure if we can hold this city so I want to make sure my family is alright in case Lordaeron falls. I want you to bring them to Silvermoon City if that's okay. It's by far the safest place at the moment so it's the best if they remain there until the war is over,"he said, his voice and eyes reflected worry.

"There shouldn't be a problem with that. We can escort them to Silvermoon through a portal. You just have to tell us when," said Vara.

Terenas looked at his son, receiving an understanding nod. He knew his son wouldn't be the biggest fan of leaving him but he was smart enough to understand that he had to go. His father just wanted his safety and the safety of his entire family. Every father wanted his family to be safe. Arthas wouldn't contradict him. He would never dare, especially not in front of such popular guests. He knew he will return as soon as the war will be over.

"You should take Prince Varian of Stormwind with you then. He came to us after the destruction of Stormwind City. He is our guest and a friend of Arthas so I want to make sure he is safe too."

"We will take him with us," responded Vara.

"Follow me to my office then so we can talk about battle tactics and over other important topics," the human king said as he got up from his throne. The elves waited until he had walked over to them and followed him out of the throne room.

---

Another night without nightmares. The mixture really worked, for the moment at least. He had no clue if the nightmares would be gone forever. Five days had passed since Kelrian had arrived in Lordaeron. Five days in which he hadn't taken the mixture. It looked good but he didn't want to leap into hasty conclusions. He had to be patient and find out what would happen.

He didn't know much about the mixture so everything could be possible. He hoped that no side effects or withdrawal symptoms would occur. He hoped that taking the mixture for a week would have a positive long-term effect on him. He never wanted to have nightmares again. The last time he had dreamed of his father hitting his mother over and over again. He had also done other things to her in his nightmare. Unspeakable had been horrible to watch. The worst was that Kelrian assumed that something like that had most likely happened in the past. He was just glad that his father was locked in his cell and will never get out. He deserved it after everything he had done.

Kelrian closed his eyes for a few moments, took a deep breath and opened them again. He looked at the small package in his backpack. He wanted to open it and consume a portion of its content. He wanted to do it so badly that it was not easy to hold himself back. His skin was itching and the tips of his fingers tingled softly. It was not easy to not take the package and open it. It took a lot of effort to control himself.

He gave his hands another task to do so they wouldn't try to open the package. Instead, they were adjusting his ranger uniform until it fit perfectly. He had to look perfect because he will meet the entire royal family of Lordaeron. Ranger-Captain Sweetblossom, a few other rangers and he will bring the royal family of Lordaeron to Silvermoon City soon. The orcs had been faster than anyone expected. They were only a march of five or six days away from the capital city. King Terenas had decided to evacuate his family and hisprominent guest before it would be too late.

Vara's group will bring them to Silvermoon City and return the following day. They will stay in Silvermoon City for one day, so Kelrian would have enough time to speak to Sylvanas if she wanted to see him. He hoped that and also hoped that she was alright. King Terenas had mentioned that she had returned to Silvermoon City because of health reasons. He hoped these health issues weren't serious ones. He was worried about her.

He wondered why Alleria hadn't mentioned anything to him and let him find it out this way. Maybe she had just forgotten to tell him what had happened. A lot happened in these times of war. Everyone was very busy these days. Especially the higher-ranked rangers like the lieutenants and captains. Alleria must have a lot in her mind, so it was not unlikely that she had just forgotten to tell him.

But he still wondered why no one else had told him about Sylvanas' return. He will find out himself what was wrong with Sylvanas if he would get the chance to talk to her. He hoped he could talk to her. He had to make things up with her and explain what had happened. He hoped she would forgive him.

He didn't want to participate in the defence of Lordaeron without knowing if she had forgiven him or not. He also didn't want to participate in a huge and important battle, knowing that the woman he loved was still mad at him. He could die during the battle so he wanted Sylvanas to at least forgive him before he would return to Lordaeron and risk his life. He didn't want to die knowing that Sylvanas was still mad at him. The following few days could be his last days so he wanted to see Sylvanas and speak to her one last time before the battle will begin.

Kelrian checked his uniform in the mirror one more time before he turned around and walked to the door. He left his goods in the room and locked it once he had walked out of it. He followed the bordering corridors until he came to the throne room where lots of people were waiting. Ranger-Captain Vara was busy talking to King Terenas. They spoke about Quel'Thalas and Silvermoon City. The king told her to greet the Ranger-General from him when the conversation was over.

Not far away from them stood the other three members of the royal family. Terenas' wife Lianne wore a beautiful beige dress. She had long brown coloured hair, brown eyes and a beautiful face which didn't reflect her age. Like her husband, she was over fifty years old but she still looked like she was in her forties. She had expensive and magnificent earrings and a necklace around her neck which was made out of small diamonds. She had decided against taking her crown with her. She would live in another capital city of an allied kingdom for a while, so she wouldn't need it.

She was talking to her kids who had mixed feelings about the departure. Arthas was worried but also excited to see the capital city of Quel'Thalas. He had only heard positive things about it. For example, that it was the most beautiful city in the Eastern Kingdoms. He wanted to see much of it while he would stay there and hope he could return home soon. He believed his father and his men would fend the orcs off and defeat them once and for all.

Next to him stood his sister Calia. She was two years older than him and had the same blond hair like him. But hers was longer than his. His hair was rather short while hers reached to her shoulders. She wore a blue coloured dress but no jewellery. She was only thirteen years old so she didn't need any accessories yet.

She was more worried than excited. She was worried about her father, the kingdom and its inhabitants. She was afraid the orcs would storm the capital city and kill everyone who gets in their way. But like her younger brother, she believed her father would handle the situation and protect their people.

Not far away from them stood a certain guest who lived in Lordaeron for three years. After the destruction of Stormwind City, Prince Varian Wrynn had been brought to Lordaeron. He will live there as long as the orcs weren't defeated and Stormwind City wouldn't have been rebuilt. If it would ever be rebuilt. Nobody could predict the war's outcome. Many guessed that the balance of power was in favour of the Alliance but that didn't mean anything. Nobody knew what the orcs were capable off and how many aces they had up their sleeves. Everything was possible.

Varian Wrynn was the prince of Stormwind. Technically he was the king but the kingdom no longer existed and could only be re-established when the orcs would leave the territories which had once belonged to Varian's kingdom. He would be king then because his father died during the first war. Varian was the last of his bloodline. The last lion.

He was a year older than Calia. He had dark brown hair, wore a blue tunic and matching trousers. Like the shoes of all present royals, his were made out of the finest leather of the Eastern Kingdoms.

There were several servants who carried suitcases, bags and other pieces of luggage. It didn't seem that the queen had only packed the essentials in the luggage but nobody cared. There were enough servants who would bring everything through the portal on which three mages were working at the moment.

About ten rangers and ten of King Terenas' personal guards stood next to the mages and were only waiting that it would be fully opened. Terenas' guards would also stay in Silvermoon City and accompany the royal family wherever they would go. It wasn't really necessary because Silvermoon was a very safe place but Terenas feared that the orcs might have smuggled a few assassins into the city. He just wanted to know his family safe so he had insisted that his men would follow them everywhere.

Kelrian walked through the room and nodded to Captain Sweetblossom who nodded to him in return. He was not late. He had arrived at the exact time. Ten o'clock in the morning, as Vara had told him. Kelrian stood behind the captain and regarded the scene in front of him.

Terenas hugged his children, kissed their foreheads and then hugged and kissed his wife who shed a few tears but wiped them away quickly. The king asked his children to take care of his mother in his absence. They promised him that they would do that before they hugged him once again. The farewell was not as emotional as Kelrian would have expected but it was clearly visible that the royal family was worried about the well-being of the king and the people of Lordaeron.

Terenas spoke a few comforting words to his family and to Prince Varian before he ordered Lieutenant Falric to bring them through the portal. The young male obeyed without hesitation, guiding them to the portal. The high elves followed them and walked through the portal once the humans had disappeared through it.

They came out in the middle of the throne room of Sunstrider Spire, the palace where the royal family of Quel'Thalas lived. The guests and the rangers had expected that High King Anasterian Sunstrider would sit on his throne and welcome them but he was not in the room. But his son was.

Kael'thas stood near the throne, a smile appeared on his face as he noticed the visitors. A happy and excited expression could be seen on his handsome fine features as he came closer. He wore a purple robe, his golden hair was so long and that it reached beneath his shoulders.

He stopped in front of the royal humans and made a curtsey. "It's a pleasure see you again after so long, Queen Menethil," he said and gave her a wide smile. He took her hand and kissed it softly, holding it for a few moments longer than necessary. He let go off her hand and looked at the queen's children. "And you two must be Calia and Arthas Menethil. It's also a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kael'thas Sunstrider."

"The Prince of Quel'Thalas," said Calia as she looked at her brother.

Kael'thas nodded his head. "You are a smart girl, I see." He regarded them for a few moments, then he turned his head to look at Varian. "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Prince Varian Wrynn. Don't worry, we will defeat these green monsters soon enough and rebuilt Stormwind City. My people will contribute some of the necessary resources once the war is won."

"Thank you, your majesty," replied Varian.

Kael'thas looked back at the queen. "We will also send more supplies, weapons and soldiers to the capital city later that day. The orcs will regret the day they came through the Dark Portal."

Lianne nodded at him and gave him a small smile. "I hope that everything works out for the best."

"I hope so too. Let me allow you to show you the beautiful palace, your rooms and later the city," he said and signalized the middle-aged woman, her family and her companions to follow him. They didn't hesitate to follow him. He guided them to the room's exit but he didn't leave it yet. He walked over to a certain woman and whispered something in her ear as he pressed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Alina nodded to him and took the envelope, he had pulled out of his sleeve, out of his hand. He stared into her lovely eyes for a few moments, gave her a barely recognizable smile and whispered something to her. She whispered something in return and smiled, waiting until he and his guests had left the throne room.

She turned around and walked towards Vara's group which began to split up and walk into different directions. She stopped in front of Kelrian and gave him the envelope then she walked away without saying a word to him. Kelrian's face showed confusion as she stared at the beauty with the mid-night coloured hair.

He averted his gaze and looked at the item in his hand, recognizing Sylvanas' seal. He walked away until he was alone and broke the seal. He opened the envelope, pulling a sheet of paper out of it. There was a short message on the paper.

'We have to talk.

Meet me in my office as soon as you can.

S.W.'