A/N – This is 'just' a short story, but it turned out longer than I expected so I've split it into three chapters. This is complete so don't expect any more to be added on. Sorry!

Truth Be Told

Chapter 1

Ranger General Sylvanas Windrunner woke slowly. She was lying on her side with her back to the balcony of her childhood bedroom in Windrunner Spire. She could feel a gentle heat warming her shoulder that gradually spread as the rising sun bathed her skin. She shifted slightly, causing a soft murmur of complaint from the woman in her arms. Alyna's hair was short and spikey again, and she pressed her lips tenderly against her lover's exposed neck, receiving a different kind of murmur in response. The corner of Sylvanas' lips rose in a small smile.

Today was a big day for Alyna. They had arrived at Sylvanas' family home a couple of days ago, and today Sylvanas was going to formally promote her lover from lieutenant to captain. It was a bittersweet moment, as it meant that Alyna would no longer be part of Sylvanas' company as she would be at the head of her own. They had come to Windrunner Spire because the company Alyna was about to take over was the one based nearby with the responsibility of protecting south-west Quel'Thalas. Sylvanas was essentially entrusting Alyna with the protection of her own family, which was no small matter for the ranger general.

Alyna shuddered in her arms, and she pulled the dreaming woman close, pressing her body into the back of her lover's. Alyna's form immediately relaxed, as did Sylvanas. She rested her cheek on the pillow, her nose picking up the scents of their love-making from the night before. She very much enjoyed waking up next to Alyna, but it only happened as often as they had sex.

That was entirely her own fault, Sylvanas knew. She had always insisted that they sleep alone when they were not being intimate so as not to stir up trouble amongst the traditionalists who were carefully watching them. While their relationship was considered to be based on sex, they would be left alone. Unfortunately, Sylvanas' stubborn resistance to marrying any of the men her family had paraded before her had raised suspicions, and that had resulted in her keeping her distance from Alyna of late. The week they had just spent together travelling home had been the most they'd spent together in four months.

She pressed her lips against Alyna's shoulder blade, needing the contact. She knew the younger woman thought she was increasingly detached from her emotions, but the truth was Sylvanas felt things deeply. She just did not believe in overtly showing them. The more pressure she had felt from society to move on from Alyna, the more she had tried to outwardly control how she felt for the woman so as not to give her enemies anything to work with. It was not something she could switch on and off though, and the awful side effect was she knew Alyna was feeling neglected and unloved.

She just had no idea how to fix that without jeopardising what precious little they had.

Now wide awake, Sylvanas was feeling restless. So as not to disturb Alyna, she gently extracted herself from where she had lain, wrapped around her lover. She padded across her room to a chest of drawers and dressed herself in a simple tunic and loose linen trousers. She watched Alyna sleep as she meticulously brushed her lengthy golden hair, her eyes enjoying the soft curves and lean muscle of the other woman. There was no doubt in her mind the distance between them as she took over her own company was going to hurt them both. She wondered if Alyna knew how much Sylvanas would miss her, and realised she should probably be a little more open about such things.

Remaining barefoot, Sylvanas left her bedroom and navigated the softly spiralling stairs down to the main level of the spire. She moved past the larger entertainment rooms and entered what was commonly called the Morning Room, as the windows faced the sunrise. The sun was on its way to climbing the horizon though it was still very early. Despite the early hour, Sylvanas was not the first person to occupy the room. Sitting in her customary chair overlooking the treetops of the forest with a warm fruit tea was Ya'dana Windrunner, Sylvanas' mother.

They quietly acknowledged each other before Sylvanas went to a long table pushed up against the back wall where the flask of tea sat. She poured herself a helping, and joined her mother by the large windows. They sat in silence as Sylvanas slowly sipped the soothing tea, the liquid infusing a gentle warmth into her body.

After giving Sylvanas some time, Ya'dana opened the conversation abruptly. "She's in your room."

Her tone had been carefully neutral, which made Sylvanas nervous. Regardless, she decided that if her mother was going to start the conversation in such a blunt manner, she was going to be just as brutal.

"She's in my bed," Sylvanas replied casually. Her mother frowned at the blunt reply and Sylvanas felt a childish rush of glee at the minor victory. She knew her mother had only intended to show that she knew they had slept together last night, but by somehow not stating it precisely Sylvanas figured she could almost delude herself into believing that nothing inconvenient had happened. She was tired of lying to everyone she met; she was not going to lie to her mother. "You know what she means to me, Mother."

Ya'dana pointedly avoided her daughter's strong gaze by looking out of the window. "I wish she didn't."

Sylvanas sipped her tea slowly. "I thought you liked her."

Her mother's face softened. "I adore her," she started gently, and Sylvanas knew by her tone she meant her words, "and if things were different, I would happily accept her as a daughter, but you know that's not possible. I don't see why you carry on this delusion."

"I love her," replied Sylvanas very softly.

Ya'dana sighed sadly for her daughter. Sylvanas had not admitted as much before to anyone other than Alyna. She knew her mother had suspected her feelings but the sadness in her eyes as she confirmed it hurt. She had deeply wished to have seen happiness for her instead, but knew that had been too much to hope for.

Her mother rose wordlessly to refill her mug. When she returned, she had brought the flask back with her.

"Where do you see it going, Sylvanas?"

"I don't know," she replied honestly. She took a slow drink. "It is what it is."

"And that makes you happy? Being stuck in this limbo between sex and a loving relationship?"

"I'm as happy as I've ever expected to be." Sylvanas' eyes twinkled briefly. "I certainly can't complain about the sex."

Her mother rolled her eyes before she turned serious again. "What do you mean by as you ever expected to be?"

Sylvanas mulled over her answer, her words slow when they eventually came. "My feelings for Alyna aside, I'm sleeping with her because she's a woman." Now it was her turn to look out of the window to avoid eye contact. "I ... am attracted to women."

"And men?" came the hopeful question.

Sylvanas paused before she flicked her eyes back to her mother's briefly. "No, not men."

"I see." Ya'dana leant back in her chair and cradled her mug as if its warmth could chase away whatever she was feeling.

"Do you?" Sylvanas challenged, putting her mug down on a side table. "Because I'm not sure you see the implications of it for me." That got her mother's attention and their eyes met. "You all want me to marry a man I will never be attracted to, and lie with him against my will in order to procreate." Her mother blanched visibly as Sylvanas continued. "Yes, I know our people arrange marriages all the time and they are successful for the most part, but that's because they grow to love each other and are at least capable of mutual attraction. But I never will be."

"How can you be so sure if you don't try it?" Ya'dana protested.

Sylvanas felt her temper flare and she stood up in an effort to control it. "Don't you think I have?" she said irritably. "I'm no stranger to intimacy with men, Mother." She crossed her arms and then uncrossed them, unsure what to do with herself as she kept talking. "I tried, and I felt physically ill after each time. It felt wrong and ..." She paused, her words caught in her throat. Her voice dropped as she painfully admitted, "I felt violated."

"You were raped?" Ya'dana began to rise from her chair but Sylvanas waved her back down.

"No! No." It took a moment for her mother to believe her, but when Sylvanas saw she did, she explained, "I allowed it, and I even initiated some of it. I was trying to figure myself out because I knew I felt differently to the other girls. I've never looked at men the same way, and I've never felt attracted to them."

"But you are attracted to women," Ya'dana quietly finished.

"Oh, yes. I'm definitely attracted to women." She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. "I know you think it's wrong, but it's what I feel."

Her mother sighed. "I don't think it's wrong, Sylvanas." She gave Sylvanas a shy smile. "Before I married your father, I had my own encounters with women." She chuckled at Sylvanas' shocked expression, the typically stoic general not normally so completely surprised. "I had just hoped, for your sake, that you could settle down once it was required of you. And be happy."

"She makes me happy, Mother." And she knew it was the truth. As little of Alyna as she saw, the moments they had together made her deliriously happy.

Her mother looked distressed. Sylvanas knew she just wanted her daughter to be happy, and the realisation that her own idea of happiness would not come to pass troubled her. Happiness in their society was family, which required marriage and children.

"I ... understand," she eventually said. "As much as I wish it were different, I do understand." Ya'dana sighed deeply. "I can't say your grandfather will though, and he's the one you ultimately have to convince."

Sylvanas grimaced. Her paternal grandfather, Ra'thanar Windrunner, had recently succeeded her great-grandfather within the ruling Council of Silvermoon. Unlike most of her family, he was a mage. And not just any mage, but a politically savvy magister. He thrived and enjoyed the political manoeuvring of the nobility, and he was very keen on his ranger general granddaughter marrying the right man.

"Does he know?" Sylvanas asked tentatively as she moved to sit down again.

"Your avoidance has angered him, but if you're asking me if he knows why you're deflecting the issue of marriage, I don't think so." She snorted derisively. "You know how he likes to control things; if he even suspected it was because you had alternative inclinations he would have made his opinion on the matter very clear by now. No, I don't believe he knows."

Alternative inclinations. Sylvanas shuddered internally at the words. She knew her mother had not meant them offensively, but she couldn't help but feel sickened by the distinction. She hated the fact that her private life was so heavily scrutinised, and that her grandfather was more interested in using her as a bargaining chip than in her happiness. Unfortunately, her rapid rise through the Farstriders had only served to increase her value in his eyes.

One thing was certain, and that was she could not hide her relationship with Alyna from him indefinitely, no matter what lengths she went to hide the extent of it.

Her mother leant over and patted her forearm softly, seemingly sensing the theme of Sylvanas' thoughts. "I'm sorry. I wish things were different for you."

Sylvanas nodded gently to acknowledge the sentiment. "Me too."

Ya'dana sat back, and then smiled. "So, you're promoting Alyna today. Does that mean we'll be seeing more of you? You rarely come home anymore."

Sylvanas chuckled. "I suppose I could be convinced to swing by a little more often. For reports, of course."

Her mother nodded enthusiastically, "Of course. You should keep on top of things."

I very much do need to be on top of Alyna, thought Sylvanas with a slow grin. She heard her mother choke slightly on her tea and Sylvanas realised her thoughts had been interpreted accurately through her unguarded facial expression. She blushed deeply as her mother scrubbed at a damp patch of tea she had spilt on her trousers.

"Oh, dear! Look what you've made me do." She picked up the flask to refresh her tea but it was empty. Smiling softly at her daughter's red features, she stood up and breezily asked, "More tea?"

Sylvanas buried her face in her hands and nodded.