Lightning struck above the Black Temple, a shock of toxic green standing out against the deep, granite black sky. A boom of thunder came afterwards, cracking the sky and shaking the ground beneath the great hooves of the Betrayer. He stalked among the shadows, head down, waist length raven locks swinging around his shoulders as he walked.

His wings lay folded flat against the slick skin of his back, rustling in an almost eerie merriment as he rounded a corner, and began ascending the great staircase before him. Before he even reached the door he heard the voices. Pleading, rising and falling in groans and cries for help. A wolfish smile folded his features, his eyes lighting up behind his tattered blindfold.

Oh, how he relished in the sound of agony...

His clawed fingers came to rest against the slick metal door, cool to the touch, sending a shiver up his spine. Pressing forward, he nudged the metal door with his shoulder, throwing it open and opening the gateway into the Den of Mortal Delights.

His eyes adjusting to the change of light, he glanced around the room, taking in the sights before him. Curtains hung in every corner around him, various shades of red and blue, reaching from the black ceiling, to the floor, covered in delicately crafted ancient Sin'dorei rugs, woven with silk and glistening silver and gold threads. In the middle of the room, atop the highest platform and surrounded by hordes of giggling blood elves, lay his prize.

A thick, black chain hung from the silver and blue Chandelier in the middle of the room, trailing to the figure hidden among the bodies, writhing and attempting in vain to pull away from his , the figure would release a yelp of surprise or a groan of annoyance, shooing away the gaggle of Illidan's servants, but alas, they stood strong, laughing and pointing at the once Mighty elf in their midst.

"Sin'dorei!" Illidan's voice thundered across the hall, instantaneously drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "That is enough. I thank you for entertaining our…" His lips curled into a snarl "...Guest. But I am ready for him now"

Simultaneously, the elves around him bowed their heads and did as they were told, quickly and silently leaving the room, revealing the figure that lay on the bed in the middle of the room, his pale skin shining in the light of the candelabra that surrounded him, his arms shackled above his head, a thick chain wrapped tightly around his neck, leashed to the chandelier above him.

"Kael'thas Sunstrider" Illidan muttered, making his way forward. "So I see my faithful servants have finally been able to find you"

"Get away from me you… you filth!"

The voice that broke through the throng of giggles and soft murmurs was venomous at best, unbridled by rage and trembling due to his restraint. The last time he'd been so foolish as to step foot within the Black Temple, Kael'thas knew it should have been his last, but no, he was here and now, from the sudden hushed silence, so was the Betrayer. Spitting at the face of a lingering male servant, Kael'thas' eyes flared a brilliant green, anger swirling within the pitiless hues, demanding an attention he knew wasn't going to come.

"Found me. They didn't find me, Betrayer. I found them."

In all reality, a being in his position didn't have room to talk, physically or theoretically as every word had the chain around his throat shifting, threatening to pull the air from his lungs or tear the skin of his delicate throat. He had been found, and his capture had been almost as glorious as the day the Betrayer had learned of his own traitorous actions. Many had fallen but in the end, even he had been overwhelmed.

"And now you, the winged mongrel of the Black Temple has come to deliver me to my death himself? I should feel so honored."

His voice was snide as he spoke, lips baring over a slightly sharpened canine and his ears twitching against the pillow that his head had all but been trapped against.

"It's a shame that I feel nothing, not for you, Betrayer."

Kael'thas had passion behind the drive of his betrayal, there had been a time when Illidan and himself had worked together, but the promise of salvation of his people had lead him astray and had eventually driven him mad. Intent on freeing Kil'jaeden from his unearthly prison if only to save his people, Kael'thas had used those who had trusted him, and now it seemed he would pay the price.

"Speak Betrayer! I grow weary of your gaze. Staring down at me as if you are so much better than I. You too, would have done anything to save your people. To stop the Legion, now look at you, playing a God among mortal men. My death will not bring you back that which you have lost."

Kael'thas had all but spit the last words, his body jerking against his restraints that his captors had wound tightly enough to bruise and tear every time he moved. A rumble of laughter growled in Illidan's throat, echoing around the vast, empty room. Turning quickly on his heels, he reached for the door, his hands working quickly as he flipped a lock and reached for another.

"I find it quite...amusing...that you simply assume it is your death that I have in mind, Sunstrider" His voice was low, and to the point. No forceful words, no venomous remarks, no yelling or screaming. His calm was horrifying in and of itself, and he knew that. Like the eye of a hurricane before the fury of mother nature herself was unleashed. "I can assure you, Kael'thas…that if your death comes, it will not happen swiftly, nor will it happen tonight"

Turning back towards his victim, Illidan looked around the room, searching for the words to say. The Den of Mortal Delights was an open, hollow room, where he had had countless night of pleasure and lust, surrounded by his servants of flesh. His mortal playthings. But tonight, on this dark and empty night, pleasure was not first on his list, though it was there.

This night was made for claiming.

For revenge.

For bringing blood to mar the whiteness of flesh.

"To put it simply, my old friend…" illidan began, making his way to the middle of the room, his hooves clattering across the floor as he walked, "You fucked me over…and I plan to return the favor…" He left his words hanging in the air, as hollow and cold as his heart.

Hissing quietly, the Betrayer's subtle intonations had no trouble painting a clear picture for the Blood Elf that lay chained to the large bed. Old friend was a phrase he hadn't heard in years and now Illidan surely used it as a form of revenge, to drive the nail into the proverbial coffin. Even to this day Stormrage had a way of making even the strongest of men weak; though many assumed it was his massive size, however Kael'thas knew that even his voice alone could bring a lesser man to the ground to pay his reverence. Not he though, he would not be such a fool.

"You mean to tell me your idea of revenge is claiming my flesh with your own? If you truly believe that will cause me suffering, you are more blind than I had originally thought."

Despite being chained and at the other's mercy, Kael'thas was just as sardonic as he had always been, even when the two had shared a kinship, and a bond that others had found unreasonable. "Get on with it then, Betrayer, take your rage and lay it against my flesh. If death comes, surely it won't be until I do." His voice spread like liquid honey, purring as he pulled at the chains that so deftly bound his pale wrists. Tonight there would be blood, and pain that was unimaginable, but all the same, the Blood Elf never let on that he felt anything but indignation toward the 'punishment' that Illidan was setting forth to inflict.

"You are so quick to assume Kael'thas" The Betrayer muttered, unblinking as he allowed his dark orbs to rove dark patterns over his partner in war.

"You know what they say about assumptions, don't you?" He asked, his voice as cold and calculated as ever before. One thing Illidan was good at was tricks of the mind. In 3 quick strides, he made it to the top of the platform, eyes stuck to the image of the fair young blood elf among a plethora of silk and satin throw pillows, his golden hair a subtle contrast to the garish purple sheets upon which he lay.

One thing was certain...blood elves had tacky taste.

Watching Kael'thas, Illidan made his way to the head of the bed, wrapping his rough and calloused hands roughly around the chain connected painfully to Kael'thas' swollen throat.

Seeing the hot, reddened flesh of his victim forced a bark of laughter from Illidan's pursed lips. Soon the outside of the blood elves throat should match the inside…

Still grinning, he gave a quick tug on the chain, dragging a yelp from Kael'thas.

"Thats a good puppy, bark for your master"

Face reddening as the involuntary yelp was torn from his throat, Kael'thas met his captor's hidden gaze with his own, a withering glare that would have done the job had looks been able to kill.

"I am no dog, Illidan, you will gain nothing of the sort from me."

Kael'thas would never stoop to such a level, and should Illidan kill him for his insolence, then that would be his fate. Rattling the chains which bound his hands once more, Kael'thas managed to tear his gaze from the male that loomed over his long enough to realise that his bindings weren't imbued, nor were they etched with any sort of spell. Those damnable blood elves had chained him with ordinary iron chains and it made him laugh, a wheezing sound that was more painful than it should have been.

"Your mortal souls have displayed a great ignorance, Betrayer. Did you spell it out for them and they simply forgot, or are you really so foolish to think that simple chains could hold me?"

Iron was known for negating power, and in his weakened state Kael'thas would never be able to achieve the dream of tearing the great Betrayer's heart from his chest, but he would be able to free himself, if only one hand could be free, he could manage the rest.

"Was this part of your plan? Letting me free myself only to reign your power over me? Silly mongrel."

Power coursed through his palms where he had reached to grip the chain that bound his wrists, the iron trembling almost as if it had no intentions of giving but shortly after the metal warped, a link weakening just enough for Kael'thas to break his hands free of the bed, his neck still bound but his new found freedom quickly used to wear down the chain, this metal giving just as the last, the snap in the chain leaving the excess to swing from the chandelier above the bed, the slack loosening around his throat as Kael'thas drew in his first free breath.

"I am no dog, Betrayer. I will not be chained like one." His voice was rough and his throat felt as though he'd swallowed fire, but now he lay there on his own terms, not trussed up like a seasonal trophy.

Illidan stood unmoving, his arms crossed across his chest as he watched, one eyebrow cocked menacingly. He made no move and gave no protest as he watched his dog get loose.

Links of broken chain clattered to the ground below his feet as he watched, but he paid them no mind. It didn't really matter. Free or chained, Kael'thas would not leave this room. The magical seals he had placed on the doors had made damn sure of that. He watched as Kael'thas righted himself, his breath calm and steady, never faltering.

"So…are you quite finished?" He asked finally, dropping his hands to his sides. Without waiting for an answer, he reached down with both hands, moving quickly like a viper striking. He grabbed a fistful of Kael'thas' golden hair, pulling him forward and dragging him down from the bed on which he lay.

"You may be unchained, but you are far from free, you know" he mumbled, slowly and carefully making his way down the staircase, still dragging the elf behind him.

"We can play this game one of two ways, Sunstrider" He stated Matter-of factually, stopping when he reached the bottom of the platform. He looked around the room, his cold, fiery eyes searching. Maybe it was better this way. More room for…activities.

"You can submit and take your punishment as it is dished out to you…or" He looked down at the mage, his eyes narrowed. "Or you can fight me every step of the way. Choose now, because it's gonna be really hard to change your mind later"

He pulled hard on the hair in his hand, dragging Kael'thas to kneel before him. He grabbed his chin roughly, forcing him to make eye contact, driving his point.

"Well?"

Kael'thas had known that freeing himself of his bindings meant that in no way was he truly free, but to breathe on his own again was a step in the right direction.

"Quite done? I simply wanted to breathe."

His voice had taken on that same sardonic tone as before and he offered a wry smirk, his chest rising and falling in tune with the Betrayer's own. That smile however was quickly wiped from his face when his precious hair was snatched up like some prey animal the Betrayer had caught to feast on, a startled, strangled yelp emerging from his throat as he was yanked from the bed and down the stairs of the platform on which it sat, already feeling the blossoming bruises of Illidan's less than careful handling. He wasn't expecting gentle, but he was hoping at the very least he'd avoid hurting his face too much.

Upon being brought to his knees, the Blood Elf sucked in a breath through clenched teeth, peridot eyes flaring up as if they were made of flame. "My punishment? My you do speak so very eloquently, Betrayer. Let me have it then, even I know when I have been bested."

Illidan might have wanted fear, or anger, but Kael'thas was bold in the face of his old friend, and adversary. Perhaps the Illidari knew not of what Kael'thas had suffered at the plight of his people but whatever he had planned, surely it wouldn't be as agonizing as that had been.

"What are you waiting for, Betrayer? Do your worst."

Golden waves of silk spilled over the Elf's bare chest, his hands having reached up to grip the thick forearm that belonged to the hand at his jaw and his eyes never leaving his captor's, glowering with a mixture of hatred and excitement.

"Before we get started…I simply have one question" Illidan began, his claws digging with a newfound ferocity into the elves fragile, sinewy throat. He yanked hard on the tendrils in his fist, pulling Kael'thas to his feet. At the very least he wanted him standing when he spoke to him, as cowardly as he seemed to be.

"After everything I have done, or tried to do to you…this is how you repay me? Is it truly I who am the betrayer?"

His anger sprouted forth in his words, taking his voice and twisting it, morphing into something sinister and otherworldly. His muscles tensing, his wings bursting forth from their resting place, slowly, methodically flapping behind him, kicking up a tsunami of chilled wind to whip through the chamber, the curtains in every corner dancing as if possessed.

"I want you to tell me you don't deserve what I'm about to do to you"

Kael'thas knew indeed when it was better to admit defeat than to fight the power of something stronger, he had survived this long for a reason, and despite his people having come to hate him for doing something he did to save them, Kael'thas regretted it not. He would have done anything to save his people, even if it meant swearing his fealty to the burning legion.

"You misunderstand, Stormrage, you all misunderstood!"

Kael'thas voice was a pitch higher due to his air being forcefully cut off by Illidan's enraged grasp. "Kil'jaeden promised! H-he.." Coughing violently, the Blood Elf dug crescents into Illidan's muscular forearm, nails sinking into the rigid flesh. Sucking in what he wished was a full breath, Kael'thas met Illidan's eyes once more, his brow furrowed in anger. He knew better than to try and explain. No one had listened and he doubted, among anyone, that Illidan would be the first.

"I do not deserve this, Stormrage."

If it would quell the creature's anger, even Kael'thas could lie. He didn't deserve to die, or to suffer, all he had ever wanted was for the Sin'dorei to be free once more! If that meant siding with the legion, or becoming something he had never dreamed of, then he would be forced to do just that. What was done, had come to pass however, Kil'jaeden had never been freed and his people… they were the ones to suffer for his misguidance.

"On with it Stormrage! Show me your wrath! I tire of this game, you and I both know that we have both done things others would never dream of doing to save this piteous planet." Spitting the words left the Blood Elf's lips damp, his chest heaving with the exertion due to just how tight those claws were holding.

"If only you would listen first." Those were the last words he uttered, meeting Illidan's gaze head on, fear unknown to him despite the fine tremble that ran down his spine. He mentally blamed it on the painful position in which he was being held, but deep down he knew otherwise. Everything he had done, everyone he had betrayed, he had done it for nothing.

"I am so glad that I allowed myself time to listen to your reasoning, instead of pushing ahead blindly" His lip curled up in a maniacal smirk, his gaze taking on a more sinister, demonic appearance than ever before.

"Now I don't feel quite so bad about what's about to happen to you." He said boldly, his eyes venturing even lower than before, taking in every inch of the elves bright, porcelain skin, and lower, his rippling abdominal's.

He pressed his thumb into the elves bobbing adam's apple, and once he was sure he had cut off the air supply all together, he straightened, lifting his enemy into the air and off of the ground, his wings beating faster, harder, until their clawed tips beat against Sunstrider's back, effectively whipping him into submission.

"You lie! I helped you! After everything I did for you! To help your elves, this is what you chose to do to me? This is how you show your gratitude?! You dare betray the Betrayer?!" he bellowed, his voice a vicious roar, mingling with the beating of his wings.

Trembling, he released his grip, his anger shaking every muscle in his body. Kael'thas fell to the hard stone floor below them with a thud, the sickening crack of his head colliding with stone sounding through the room.

Grasping almost frantically at the arm that held him as Illidan took flight, Kael'thas' eyes widened and their previously defiant embers showed fear as his legs dangled, body held above the unforgiving ground by only the Betrayer's mighty grasp. All thoughts of mirth and sarcasm had gone and as he hang there, grasping to the other's arm as best he could, Kael'thas could see his fate burning within his captor's eyes.

"Illidan...don't!"

Before Kael'thas could say anything further, he could feel the whip of icy wind as his body fell, helpless onto the cold stone below and when he collided it felt as if every bone had shifted, broken or shattered completely. The almost wet sound of his skull hitting the ground is what rang in his ears though, eyes glazing and hands twitching as he lay there, prone on the Temple's floor. He remembered the other saying that his death would not come quickly, and wondered then if he had been lying. He had assumed and perhaps that is what Illidan had meant.

The taste of copper was strong on the back of his tongue and Kael'thas put everything he had into moving his hand, the limb heavy and unresponsive as his vision swirled before him, fading from black to the brilliance of the glowing green of rage-fueled eyes above him. Before Kael'thas could determine the origin of the taste pervading his senses, his vision faded completely, all senses dulling and his previously ill-respondent hand crashing back to the floor almost unceremoniously.