Chapter 51: Painful Truth

Kelrian had his eyes closed, ran his thumb and index finger over them and exhaled slowly and loudly. He kept his eyes closed as numerous thoughts crossed his mind. Thoughts about his brother, his family and Sylvanas. He couldn't stop thinking about his brother who died recently. He died a hero's death and gave his life for the safety of the citizens of Lordaeron. But not only for them. He also fought for all the other kingdoms of the Alliance. He had fought until his last breath, killed many orcs and saved the lives of numerous wounded soldiers. He was a true hero. A hero who died with all the other fallen heroes to save others.

Kelrian opened his eyes and stared at the corpse which laid on the table in front of him. His skin tingled nervously, his body felt cold but his heart was beating rapidly in his chest. He felt sick. Seeing the corpse of his brother made him sick and sad. He had never wanted Seitor's death, even though he hadn't got along with him for almost two decades. He had still considered him as his brother even though he had hated him for quite some time.

Kelrian had loved him no matter how he had behaved. But Seitor had changed and become a better person since he had stopped listening to their father's lies. They would have become close again if the war wouldn't have happened.

The war had prevented that Kelrian and Seitor would have rekindled their war took his brother and shattered his heart at the same time. But not only his. Sydori, who had had a close bond to her older brother, was also affected by his death. Her heart had been broken as well. Like her brother, she couldn't believe that Seitor was dead.

She couldn't believe he had been taken away from her and her family. She couldn't stop imagining the best moments they had shared. She couldn't stop herself from crying. She wanted to look away, wanted to stop regarding her brother's dead body but she was unable to avert her gaze. She couldn't take her eyes off nor was she able to close them. She could only stand there and regard him.

Kelrian felt his sister cling to his arm. She was clinging to him and holding his hand. He didn't say anything, he just allowed it to happen. He just wanted to comfort his sister even if he had no clue how he should do that. He had helped Sylvanas to overcome the death of her brother. He had known what to do back then and acted without thinking about what he was doing. He had just acted and comforted Sylvanas.

He had hoped he could do the same with Sydori but for some reason, he had no clue what to do. His mind was blank and his body felt stiff. He was still too shocked by his brother's death. He was too shocked to be able to do anything. He could only stand there and stare at his dead brother while his sister clung to him and cried on his shoulder. Zetai was standing not far away from them but he didn't say anything. He just stared at the corpse.

Kelrian regarded the body from head to toe for the hundredth time since he had caught sight of it. The body was very pale, the upper body was exposed so the deep yawning wound in his torso could be seen. Kelrian was not an expert at examining corpses. He was not good at establishing the reasons for certain wounds but he had seen enough corpses and wounds to know that the yawning wound had been caused by a weapon with a huge blade. Zetai had already told Kelrian that Seitor had been hit by a battle axe, so he assumed that the axe must have been very large.

He was sure the axe had been pulled out forcefully and his brother had received a few elbow thrusts in the face. His nose was broken so was his jaw. The orc had demolished his face before she had hit him again with her axe and had cut a deep wound in his left hip. Kelrian could only imagine that Seitor's death had been slow and painful. His left forearm was missing and the other was broken so he had not been able to heal himself. He had saved others from death but he hadn't been able to save himself. That was pure irony.

Life was an irony sometimes. Life was not always fair, it was cruel very often. People die for no reasons. Innocent people like Lirath Windrunner. He had done nothing wrong. He didn't participate in the war but he died nevertheless.

Sometimes Kelrian asked himself how the titans could allow that innocents died for no reason. How could the titans allow that their creations would fight against each other for power, resources and territories? It felt for him as if the titans had abandoned their creation. He saw no reason why the titans would tolerate what was happening on Azeroth.

But he was just a mortal so he couldn't understand what the titans were doing and what was going on in their heads. There were other worlds in the universe so he could only assume that they were too busy with other things, so they had no time to deal with the situation on Azeroth.

The titans wouldn't help them so the Alliance had to win the war alone. They had won the battle of Lordaeron and weakened the Horde by a lot. Things were looking good for the Alliance. They had more warriors left than the Horde so it was not unlikely that they would defeat them in the next battle. The Horde would return to Blackrock Spire and the Alliance would follow them and attack them.

The victory was not guaranteed but things looked good for the Alliance. They had more men and their morale had been boosted because of the recent victory while the morale of the orcs had been fighting spirit of the Horde still existed but this victory had made Alliance hungrier than ever for blood and justice. The soldiers wanted to avenge their fallen comrades, friends, family members and loved ones. They wanted to defeat the orcs and make them pay for everything they did. They wanted to end the Horde invasion once and for all. They wouldn't stop until the last orc had been killed or imprisoned.

There was no way to ever make peace with them, not after everything they had done. Their Warchief would never surrender so another battle was unavoidable.

Kelrian regarded his dead brother for a few moments, then he walked over to the head of the table and lowered his head, putting a kiss on his brother's cold forehead. He looked at Seitor for the last time before he turned around to look at his sister.

"We should bring his corpse to Silvermoon and burn his body as soon as the war is over."

Sydori didn't respond verbally but she nodded her head instead. Kelrian regarded her from head to toe. Her blonde hair was messy, her skin still dirty because she hadn't been able to take a bath since the end of the battle. She was smelling badly so were Kelrian and Zetai. All of them needed some rest and a hot bath.

"I wonder how long we will stay in Lordaeron before we return to Silvermoon," said Zetai.

Kelrian turned his head to look at Zetai, noticing that he looked pretty tired.

"A few days maybe. I think they'll give us one or two days off to get some rest. Then we will see what else we have to do before we are allowed to return to Silvermoon. Maybe we will help cleaning the mess and repair what has been damaged or destroyed," Kelrian responded.

"I hope we will return as soon as possible. I don't really like being around humans longer than necessary. They are so arrogant and think they are better than think they are stronger and more important than us only because they have more soldiers than us," replied Zetai.

"I haven't talked with many humans yet but I didn't get the impression that they think they are better than us. They were very friendly to me and didn't look at me the way you look at them most of the time."

Zetai was silent for a few moments. "Maybe I just encountered the wrong humans. Who knows?"

"Maybe," Kelrian repeated quietly. "Anyways, we should leave the hall and find rooms where we can rest."

Sydori and Zetai nodded to him. Kelrian regarded the corpses on the nearest tables for a few moments before he walked to the exit and left the hall with his sister and his best friend.

---

Kelrian regarded the house in front of them for a few moments before he opened the garden gate and allowed Sydori to walk through it. He followed her and closed the gate behind him. They reached the door of Varo's house but they didn't knock. Kelrian turned his head to look at his smaller sister. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a nod and a sad smile. "I am. We have to tell mom what happened. She deserves to know the truth even though it will break her heart."

Sadness was also reflected by Kelrian's eyes. "You are right. She deserves to know the truth and we will do our best to comfort her. We have to break it gently to her and our siblings."

"Do you think we should tell mom first and then our siblings? Or should we speak to all three of them at the same time?" his sister asked.

A frown appeared on Kelrian's forehead as he thought about what his sister had just said. He was not sure if he could explain a second time, on the same day, that his brother fell in battle. It wouldn't be easy for him to break it gently to his mother because thinking and speaking about his brother made him very emotional. He still hadn't come to terms with Seitor's death and speaking about it two times wouldn't make it easier.

"I think it's the best that we tell all of them at the same time and not first to our mother and then to Cincia and Sindor. I don't think I can keep my composure if I have to talk about it a second time," he explained. His voice was low.

Sydori gave him a small nod. "I think it's better that way. I'm glad that you are telling them the bad news. I don't think I'm able to break it gently to them without breaking out in tears. They wouldn't be able to understand anything if I break out in tears in front of their eyes and start to stutter."

Kelrian gave her a sad smile. "Don't worry, I will handle this."

Sydori patted his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"I am."

Sydori didn't say anything in return. She just knocked at the door and waited until someone would open the door. A woman with silver coloured hair opened the door. She was one of Varo's daughters. The woman in front of them was either Sinyelle or Tenjena. It was impossible for Kelrian to determine who she was because she looked exactly like her twin sister. They had the same hairstyle and the same face.

Kelrian greeted her so did Sydori. "You must be Kelrian if I remember correctly," said the woman with the silver-coloured hair."

"I am."

The woman turned her head and looked at Sydori, giving her a small smile. "And who are you?"

"I'm Kelrian's sister Sydori."

The woman's gaze shifted to Kelrian and then back to Sydori. "You two don't look alike," she commented.

"I know," responded Sydori. "Lots of people say that but that doesn't change the fact that we have the same parents."

The woman smirked and looked at Sydori. "I'm Sinyelle, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," responded the blonde woman.

"Can we come in?" Kelrian asked as he looked at Sinyelle whose gaze still rested on his sister.

"Sure," she said in return and opened the door entirely, stepping away so the Sunsinger siblings could enter the house. They removed their shoes and put them in front of the shoe cupboard, then they followed the beautiful silver-haired woman. Sinyelle brought them to the living room where Varo and Liana were sitting next to each other on the sofa. Cincia was sitting not far away from them and was reading a book while Seitor was sitting at the table opposite to Tenjena and was talking to her.

Liana turned her head and got up as soon as she noticed the arrival of her children. She regarded them from head to toe as she came closer, her eyes widened and her face reflected worry as she saw the plaster cast. She was also surprised to see Sydori at Kelrian's side.

"You are injured," she said as she stopped in front of him.

"It's nothing, really."

His mother raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

Kelrian swallowed. "Well...It could have been worse, to be honest."

"What happened?"

"An orc grabbed me and lifted me in the air. He tried to strangle me so I fought back, then he broke my arm. Fortunately, I got free because of the help of others and the orc was killed," explained the ranger.

"Are you okay?"

"I am."

Liana turned her head. "And you?" she asked her oldest daughter.

Sydori was silent for a few moments but then she gave her mother an answer. "I'm not sure, to be honest. A lot has happened and... I don't know how to describe it. I feel...It's hard to explain it properly... Mostly I feel...Shattered..."

Liana's eyebrows furrowed. Her voice sounded confused. "Shattered?"

Kelrian cleared his throat, causing that his mother's attention fell on him. "There is something we have to tell you, Cincia and Sindor." He looked at Varo who signalized him that he understood what he wanted. He gave his daughters a signal and left the room with them. Kelrian waited until they had closed the door, then he looked at his younger siblings whose facial expressions reflected worry.

He looked back at his mother whose eyes were widened. He assumed that she had a premonition of what he wanted to say but she was hoping it wouldn't be true. Of course, she was hoping that. She was Seitor's mother so she only wanted the best for him. She would never want that something would happen to him. No mother would ever want that something would happen to their children.

Kelrian didn't say anything because he was not sure how to approach this difficult topic. He had thought about how to tell his mother about Seitor's death since he had heard of it. He had thought about many different ways of telling her but he hadn't found the perfect way to break it gently to her. He had realized that there was no way to tell her without making her break out in tears.

He wished things were different. He wished his brother was still alive so he wouldn't have to break his mother's heart by telling her the truth. The reality was cruel. His brother was dead and his mother wouldn't be happy about it. It was his task to break it as gently as possible to her and comfort her then. He wouldn't be able to hug her tightly with his broken arm but Sydori could do that. And she would do that for him, he was sure of that.

Kelrian took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a few moments and opened them again. He didn't feel ready to tell his family the bad news and he was sure he would never be ready. But he had to tell them because they deserved to know the truth.

"You know that war always takes many lives. Lives to which it has no claim. Wars are cruel so is life... There is no guarantee that everyone returns home. I think we are all aware of that..." Kelrian could see in his mother's eyes that she was almost certain that her assumption was right. She knew he would tell her that Seitor didn't make it. She knew that but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want it to be true. Her worst fear had turned out to be true.

She had always been afraid of losing one of her children during the war. She had always prayed to the Sunwell that all of her children would return to her alive and in one piece. Her prayers hadn't been answered. Seitor was dead, she was sure of that. Kelrian wouldn't look so sad and he wouldn't be so nervous if Seitor would still be alive. She could read Kelrian's face like an open book. He was mourning for someone he had recently lost and it was very likely that this person was his brother.

Kelrian saw the tears in his mother's eyes but he averted his gaze because he could no longer look at her. It was so hard for him to not get emotional and break out in tears while he was looking into her shocked face. He felt bad, he was grieving because he hadn't come to terms with Seitor's death yet. But he had to be strong and tell his mother what had happened. He had to be there for her, support and comfort her as best as he could.

"I guess you already know what I'm trying to say," Kelrian said and looked at his younger siblings, noticing that they also had an assumption what he was trying to say. Their eyes were widened and tense expressions could be seen on their faces. There were no tears in their eyes but they looked anything but happy. They were afraid of what Kelrian was about to say.

They had every reason to because Kelrian's face reflected sadness so did Sydori's. It was clearly visible that it was not easy for the ranger to say what must be said. He took another deep breath, lifted his gaze and stared into his mother's grey-blue eyes.

"Many people lost their lives during the battle. People I knew but also people I never met before. Everyone gave their best to fight off the warriors of the Horde. We killed many but also lost many soldiers. Seitor dragged me away when the orc broke my arm. He told me to hide in a wardrobe and wait until the end of the battle. If it wasn't for him, I probably would have died. Then Seitor returned to battle to help the others." Kelrian made a pause, taking a deep breath.

He still stared into his mother's eyes which were still widened. Tears formed in her eyes and the expression on her face told him that she knew what he would say next. She knew that Kelrian would tell her that her oldest son was dead. She knew it but she didn't want it to be true.

"Seitor... He...," Kelrian lowered his gaze and stared at his fingers. He noticed that tears ran down his cheeks and his bottom lip quivered. His voice sounded thin and was unable to stare in his mother's eyes much longer so he stared at his fingers as he finally said what had to be said. "He didn't make it..."

Silence.

The truth was finally spoken out.

Silence.

He had finally said the truth but he didn't feel any better.

There was still silence. Nobody said a single word or made a noise. The room was dead silent but not for too long. The first noises which could be heard were quiet sobs. Kelrian didn't need to look up to know who was sobbing. It was his mother who was shocked even though she had already known it before Kelrian had told her. Her reaction was only natural.

Her oldest son was dead and she had every reason to cry. Her beloved oldest son had been taken away from her. She would never see him again and never be able to talk to him, interact with him and spend time with him. He was gone and there was nothing she could do to bring him back. There was only one thing she could do. She could only accept his death because she couldn't change the past. But accepting his death wouldn't be easy. Coping with the death of a familiar person was never easy. Coping with the death of a family member was even harder.

Kelrian knew the next few weeks wouldn't be easy for her. She will be an emotional mess and cry a lot. She would mourn for her son and feel nothing but grief. Her heart would be shattered and she would need a lot of time to collect all its fragments and put them back together. At least she was not alone. There were enough persons who would try to comfort her. The company of another person would make accepting her son's death much easier. She wouldn't feel lonely and could seek comfort in the arms of her children or in the arms of her childhood friend Varo.

Kelrian knew she will need all of her children more than ever within the next few weeks. She will need them so badly and they will be there for her. Kelrian had sworn he wouldn't leave her until she would feel better and he knew that Sydori had sworn the same. Together they had sworn to keep their mother company and comfort her as best as they could. Kelrian always kept his promises and he was sure Sydori would also keep hers.

They only wanted the best for their mother so they would stay with her as long as she would need them. They wouldn't leave her before they weren't sure she would be okay. They would be there for her, no matter what would happen.

Kelrian looked up eventually, spotting the tears which ran down his mother's cheeks. Her face was pale, her eyes still widened and her bottom lip trembled. He wished he could pull her in a tight hug but he wouldn't be able to do that with his broken arm. Fortunately, Sydori was there and did that for him. She wrapped her arms around their mother's upper body and spoke comforting words in her ear. Kelrian was sure that Sydori would give her best to comfort their mother.

He turned around and walked towards his younger siblings. They were in shock. They didn't cry, they just stood there and stared at random spots in the room. Their faces were also pale and their eyes were widened. It was unmistakable that they couldn't believe what Kelrian had told them. They didn't want to believe it. They wished their brother would still be alive but the sad truth was that he was no longer alive. He was dead and he would never come back.

Kelrian didn't say anything to them because he had noticed that they were lost in thoughts. They wouldn't hear what he would say to them so he remained silent and regarded them for a while. He noticed that the sobs and cries of his mother became quieter after a while but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop crying no matter how hard she tried. Sydori gave her best to comfort her and make her stop crying but she was not successful. At least she was able to convince her mother to go to her room and rest.

Sydori glanced at Kelrian but didn't say anything before she left. Kelrian had returned the gaze but hadn't said anything either. He had watched them leaving and stared at the door for a while. He turned his head eventually and looked back at his siblings who were anything but happy.

Cincia sat on a chair, her upper body was bent forward and she buried her face in the palms of her hands. She was sobbing quietly. Sindor was still standing on the same spot and stared at his feet, not saying anything. Kelrian approached his sister and squatted next to her. He put his hand on her back and caressed it gently. He spoke soothing words to her but they didn't seem to have an effect on her. The younger elf was still sobbing and didn't seem to stop any soon. Kelrian remained patient and waited, not leaving her side.

After a while, Sindor started to walk towards the door without saying a word. Kelrian looked up at him as he did that but he didn't stop him. He was sure Sindor wanted to be alone and assimilate what he had told him. He understood that he needed some space, so he didn't do anything and just watched him leave.

Kelrian still tried to comfort his younger sister but she didn't stop sobbing. That was only natural. He didn't expect that she would stop sobbing any soon. She needed time. Lots of time but he will be there for her and do everything in his power to make her feel better.

He was not sure if she wanted to be alone or if she wanted him around her. As long as she wouldn't say anything, he would remain next to her and caress her back, reminding her that she was not alone. He told her that it was okay to cry and that she should let it all out. And she did that. She cried for hours but he didn't leave her side. He didn't leave her even when he became tired nor did he leave her side when Varo came to them after a while and told him about his mother's condition. Kelrian just gave him a nod and remained silent.

Sydori came to him after some time, telling Kelrian that their mother had fallen asleep. She squatted down and talked to her sister, offering her to bring her to her room. Cincia was silent for a while but then she told her older sister that she wanted to go with her. Sydori's gaze rested on her brother as she guided Cincia out of the room. Kelrian regarded them as long as they were in his sight.

He turned his gaze and looked at the silver-haired man whose face reflected worry. "I should go to my brother," Kelrian said more to himself than to his mother's friend.

Varo nodded. "You should do that."

Kelrian didn't say anything in return. He just got up and left the living room as fast as possible, walking towards his brother's room.