The Prisoner

Stormwind was in the middle of summer, the sun was shining and there were birds in the sky throughout the whole city. Stone Masons got working on repairing the parts of the city Deathwing had destroyed whilst the rest of the city continued with life as if nothing happened.

Though scars of the past were still fresh on their minds. Especially those that came to seek refuge after Ironforge fell to the Horde.

Stormwind Keep seemed less peaceful these days as well, at least that's what Prince Anduin believed as he slowly walked through the long corridors of the keep.

"It's been three years since Ironforge fell." Varian told his Generals and Advisors. "So why haven't we been attacked by the Horde? They made it clear Stormwind was their main priority."

"Do we have any reports on the Banshee Queen's whereabouts?" Genn asked. "Have our scouts found anything?"

Anduin walked into the closed meeting after the Royal Guards let him in, sitting in on the same discussion they had been having for the past year. "They tell us she doesn't leave Orgrimmar unless it's important, and only then she leaves with twelve guards."

"The same twelve?" Marshal Dughan asked, riding in from Goldshire to take part in the meeting.

"Yes. Apparently she doesn't leave without them, they follow her everywhere." Varian looked over to his son who looked down at the map of the Eastern Kingdoms. "We've had skirmishes with the Horde on the fringes of Redridge, but not once have they pushed further in."

"Do we know why?" Dughan asked.

"We don't, no." Genn replied, looking over to Varian who was still holding a grudge over him from the incident in Dalaran.

"Have we asked him?" Anduin asked, speaking up.

"He has been in the Stockades for two months and hasn't said a word." Varian looked over to Muradin who sat on the opposite side of the table to him. "He won't speak now."

"What if I tried to speak to him?"

Varian shook his head. "You're not going down there to see him. It's too dangerous."

"But he's shackled up and his cell is magic dampened, he's harmless."

"No, Anduin." Varian stood up from his chair and looked down at him. "You're not going to -"

"But father, he might-"

"Enough, Anduin! I am your King but most of all I am your father! You are not to step foot into the Stockades unless I say." Varian watched his son look down at the table, letting out a sigh and waving his hand to the door. "Everybody out."

Without needing to be told twice the whole room was emptied, leaving both father and son, Prince and King. "I could talk to him, father. He might listen to me."

"I don't want you alone with him because, although his legs are chained to the wall, he still has free use of his hands." Varian looked at his son. "He will do whatever he can to inflict damage on the Alliance, even if that means killing you."

"I know, father."

"So you also know why I don't want you there."

Anduin nodded slowly. "I know."

"Good." Varian sat down. "Call them all back in, we still have things to discuss."

Anduin left the room and told all the Generals and Advisors to return to the room, though he chose to leave Stormwind Keep altogether. "I can get him to talk." He muttered to himself, making his way to the Stockades and telling any guard that questioned him that the King gave him the all clear.

When the Prince reached the Stockades, he asked the first guard for directions, being pointed the way to the cell. "Thank you."

Anduin walked through the Stockades, having all sorts of words slung at him from the prisoners and ignoring all of them the best he could, focusing on getting to the one person in the Stockades he was looking for.

"Hello?" He whispered when he reached the cell door, noticing just a small window of bars at the top of an almost completely wooden door. He looked through the small window and saw just the back of the prisoner.

"It's Prince Anduin, I have come to talk."

There was no response, just the sound of chains moving as the prisoner laid down on the thin mattress that was his bed. "It doesn't have to be about the Horde. It could be about whatever you wish."

He saw little to no movement, sighed and sat down by the door. "It's Athrodar, right?" He heard the chains move a little, looking back at the door. "I heard you're Sylvanas' consort."

The prisoner began to walk to the door, looking through the small window to try and find Anduin. When he saw the same damp, dark corridor of the Stockades, he shuffled back to the bed.

"Wait!" Anduin yelled, standing up and looking through the small window. "I am right, right? You're Athrodar?"

"He is." A guard said, though he didn't have the usual attire the guards wore. He had no helmet, just a sword and a knife with a Dark Ranger hilt on his belt. "Good luck getting him to talk though, this bastard has been mute since we caught him in Lakeshire."

"Lakeshire? Why was he there?"

"We don't know. But he was recognised whilst he visited the inn, didn't put up much of a fight once we surrounded him and has been in here ever since." The guard walked to the door and looked in the cell.

"Was that knife his?" Anduin asked, eyeing the blade on his belt.

"It was." The guard took it out and banged the hilt on the bars in the window. "Hey, guess who's back?" He saw Athrodar turn around and run at him, being stopped by the door when he charged into it.

"Get to the back wall." Athrodar growled at the guard who just laughed. "You're an animal now? That's fine, because I'm still the Sergeant who will make sure you don't see the light of day."

"Sergeant... That makes sense." Anduin thought when realised it wasn't a normal guard.

"And to start with, you're going to stand by the back wall." The Sergeant unlocked the cell door and walked inside, leaving it open as he approached Athrodar who stood up against the back wall. "Are you going to talk now?"

Athrodar had his back to him, looking at the wall and waiting for the same daily punishment from the Sergeant. "No?" He chuckled and cracked his knuckles. "Good, because I've been waiting all day for this."

Anduin flinched when the first punch landed on Athrodar's ribs, looking away when the second hit the opposite side to the first.

"You shouldn't be down here." A feminine voice said, followed by a gentle hand on the Prince's shoulder.

"Valeera? How did you..."

"Your father knew you wouldn't listen to him." The Sin'dorei woman looked over to the Sergeant and Athrodar. "Williams has been trying to break him for two months straight. I think he gave up after two weeks and now just does this for his own pleasure."

Anduin looked back to the assassin on his right. "Does my dad know?"

"He does, but at this rate, this is the best course of action to get him to talk." Valeera laughed lightly. "Though that won't happen. It takes a lot to break this particular type of prisoner, you just need to find out his weakness and exploit it."

"Do you know what it is?"

"If I did, do you think the Sergeant would still be in there?" Valeera took hold of Anduin's arm and began to drag him out. "Come on, you've seen enough for today."


Victoria sat on the throne in Grommash Hold, waiting for Sylvanas, the woman who took her in and later adopted her, to come back from her hunt in Ashenvale.

"How long?" The Banshee Princess asked, looking over to Serathea, her chosen Captain of the Royal Guard, who looked towards the entrance to the Hold.

"A couple minutes." She told her Princess, walking over to her. "Has she spoken about it?"

"That my father has been captured?" Victoria shook her head. "No. She avoids the topic, even if I'm the only one in the room." She let out a long sigh. "You'd think she would talk about her husband and getting him back, but instead she..."

Sera frowned at the usually calm and happy Princess. "She goes hunting for the Alliance in Ashenvale instead of dealing with losing her partner?"

"Yes!" The Princess stood up and began to pace. "And with Viraleth in Underity, her list of friends and advisors are shrinking to just me and whatever Generals are in the city." She looked back at the throne. "And I'm nowhere near as experienced as Viraleth or my dad."

Sera placed a hand on her shoulder. "She doesn't need you here to give her advice, she needs you here to keep her calm and make sure she doesn't lose her mind." The Captain smiled at her when she looked up at the Night Elf Death Knight. "You're her emotional anchor now more than ever."

Sylvanas stood at the entrance of the Hold, overhearing their conversation and looking down at the floor below her. Her heart ached after overhearing them, knowing they were both right, but she also knew she couldn't stop and talk about it.

She had the Horde to lead, she couldn't afford to lose her mind thinking about Athrodar's capture.

"My Lady?" Seliana asked, Sylvanas' Captain of the Royal Rangers. "Are you okay?"

Victoria and Serathea span around and saw Sylvanas handing Seliana her bow. "I'm fine." The Banshee Queen walked towards her throne, placing a hand on Victoria's cheek. "We had a successful hunt, more Kal'dorei spies have been eliminated in Ashenvale and we have taken back Splintertree Post."

"Congratulations, mom." Victoria said, smiling at her.

Sylvanas waved her Princess over, nodding to Seliana who nodded back, taking the Banshee Queen's bow back to the armoury. "Has it been quiet whilst I was gone?" The Banshee Queen asked her daughter.

"It has." She stood in front of the Warchief, looking over to the entrance of Grommash Hold. "It's practically been the same as it is now."

Sylvanas pulled on her arm, dragging her down until she was sitting on her lap. "Nothing on your mind?" She whispered, stroking some hair behind her ear.

Victoria looked back at her. "Nope." She smiled, hoping that would cancel out any thoughts the Banshee Queen was thinking. "Just been waiting for you to come back."

Sylvanas believed the second part, but knew she was lying about having nothing on her mind. "Well I'm back now." She told her, hugging her from behind and kissing her cheek. "And we have all day together."

"You said that last time." Victoria said with a sad tone. "Then you had to leave after an hour to go into Ashenvale again."

"I'm not going to leave you now, I promise." Sylvanas looked towards the entrance of Grommash Hold when Saurfang walked in. "Though we may be interrupted by an old war veteran." She whispered.

"Warchief, I see your hunt was a success?" Saurfang saluted to both Victoria and Sylvanas, though he mostly kept his attention on the Warchief.

"It was." Sylvanas stroked Victoria's hair, looking the old Orc up and down. "I take it there's a real reason as to why you're here?"

"Some of the Orc warriors have travelled to Menethil Harbour and are making their way down to Ironforge to join the skirmishes."

Sylvanas narrowed her eyes at Saurfang. "How many is some?"

Saurfang looked her straight in the eyes and told her the truth. "Half of Durotar's forces and a third of the forces in the Northern Barrens."

"Damn it..." Sylvanas tapped her fingers on the arm of the throne, which caught Victoria's attention. "Have any of the other leaders experienced the same thing?"

"The Forsaken are waiting for your command, as well as Lor'Themar and his elves. The Goblins have sent in engineers to help as well as make money."

Sylvanas made a sound of disgust. "Goblins..."

"Vol'jin has allowed his best sailors to join the Horde navy at Menethil Harbour as requested and Baine has kept his Tauren in Southern Barrens to claim the rest of that zone." Saurfang looked as if he was about to add more, but said nothing.

Sylvanas saw this and tapped on Victoria's back. "Get up for a second." She whispered, standing up when Victoria did. "Show me on the map where exactly the force of orcs are."

"Here." Saurfang pointed to the middle of the map, just outside the Maelstrom. "They should be at Menethil Harbour in two days."

"I'll send word to Undercity, telling them I didn't send those soldiers." Sylvanas looked back at Victoria who had a slight hint of sadness to her, knowing already what she was going to say. "Sera, fetch me a runner."

The Captain bowed her head. "Right away, my Lady."

Sylvanas smiled at her daughter when she perked up. "Thank you, High Overlord. There's not much we can do now, but I do need you to make sure nobody else leaves unless I have given the order."

Saurfang saluted Sylvanas. "Warchief."


"Why aren't we on the counterattack?" Genn asked, a slight anger in his voice. "We have their weapon locked up in a cage, their Warchief doesn't leave Orgrimmar and Ironforge isn't as defended as it was three years ago. We have chance here."

"And risk them attacking our backs whilst we lay siege to the city?" Varian equalled out Genn's height. "Not to mention a wavering relationship with Darnassus and Exodar."

"Reports tell us the Night Elves are losing ground in Ashenvale after retaking it during the Horde's siege on Ironforge." Mathias Shaw told them, giving a nod to one of his SI:7 agents who had handed him a parchment.

"Who led them?" Varian asked, watching Mathias read through the report.

"Apparently Sylvanas and her ten Rangers took out an entire company on their own." Shaw looked up at them in disbelief. "Sixty soldiers over two days."

"How did this happen?" Varian asked the spy master. "We were told she was crippled by the loss of her consort!"

"She must have slipped our spies, my King." Shaw looked back at the report. "But we are certain she never leaves the Grommash Hold."

"Are you sure that's not her daughter?" Valeera asked, fingering the tip of her dagger. "She has one, you know. Adopted her three and a half years ago now? Looks a lot like her too, her hair is a pale blonde like hers and her armour is very similar, though hers is more of a red than the Banshee Queen's purple."

"How do you know all of this?" Shaw asked, stunned at the lack of information his spies actually knew.

"Because I'm good at my job. I can tell you who is the leader of her guard and their family or friends." Valeera looked over to Varian. "Or do you want to know where the Banshee Queen really is? Where she goes and who she relies on?"

"You know all of this?" Varian asked this time.

"I do. After you captured Athrodar, I knew you wouldn't break him, so I done some digging and found out a lot about the Banshee Queen." She looked over to Shaw. "Like how she can identify your spies and lose them so easily."

"Let me guess, she knows what they look like?"

"She knows their names." Valeera told Shaw. "She has a spy or two in Stormwind who warn her before your spy has even left the city." She flipped her knife in her hand, throwing it at the map of Stormwind on the wall. "They're somewhere there."

Varian looked at the map. "Old Town?"

"It's where the SI:7 are, located." Shaw said, looking over to Valeera. "Are you sure?"

"It makes the most sense, I just can't pinpoint who." Valeera looked at the map closely, moving her hands behind her back. "I have yet to do a door to door sweep, but I gather they're well hidden and have an exit plan."


"Free drinks on the house for an hour bitches!" Elaria yelled, standing on top of the bar and handing several mugs of ale to the patrons of her inn.

"El, I told you to stop doing that!" Luna yelled up at her, filling up several flagons quicker than she could clean them. "We still have to make last months payments!"

"Come on, Luna! Where's your sense of fun?" Elaria sat on the bar and leaned back to the closest keg, pouring Stormwind's finest into three flagons and serving the three guards sitting on stools by her side. "There you go boys, tell your friends."

Luna took hold of Elaria's arm and dragged her off the bar. "A word?"

"Emily, watch the bar." Elaria told the human behind the bar with her. Once she was in the back room with the Draenei, she smiled at her and bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "What's up?"

"Look, I know that you're getting paid on the side by the Horde, but this..." Luna smiled at one of the barmaids when she walked into the back room to pick up a few things, continuing her train of thought once they were alone again. "But this is losing us money, this constant on the house, party, thing."

"Luna, look." Elaria placed her hands on the Draenei's shoulders. "I have years of savings from before Northrend. I just need to pick it up sometime soon and we will be set for money for a long time, okay?"

Luna sighed, lowering her head and nodding slowly. "Fine, okay. Just... We worked hard to get this place, I don't want to lose it within a year."

Elaria kissed her lightly, brushing a thumb across her lips. "We won't, okay? I made a promise to you that I will take on the world if it meant you had what you wanted, and we both want this inn."

Luna looked down at her hands the moment she took hold of them. "Have you gone to see him yet?"

Elaria shook her head. "There's never a good window of opportunity. Too many guards and I'm certain somebody is watching the inn."

Luna frowned at her. "Still? I thought you dealt with them?"

"I thought I did too, but this might be somebody new." Elaria shrugged. "I'll keep a low profile for a while and try to find a window of opportunity to talk to him, see how he's doing."

Luna looked passed the Night Elf and towards the front of the inn. "Let's go, we have patrons to entertain."


Athrodar lifted up his ragged tunic, closer to a burlap sack than anything he thought, inspecting the new set of wounds that he had gotten the day.

His silence had cost him a lot. They took his armour and weapons the day his was captured, but over the next two months, they had taken personal belongings that he had managed to hide from the guards.

The arrowhead Sylvanas gave him when he gave her a ring in return. It looked like nothing to the guards at first, but after Sergeant Williams saw the Death Knight's emotional attachment to it, they took it from him and he hasn't seen it since.

Shorty after the arrowhead was taken, they took the ring Sylvanas gave him when they eventually married. It was a small event, nothing traditional and not at all memorable for either one of them, they were just happy it was out the way.

Much like the one he gave his Queen, the ring had a sapphire on it though it didn't glow like the one he gave her. That was taken two days after the arrowhead, enraging Athrodar so much that he injured three guards and killed another.

It eventually took ten of them to keep him down, but the damage was already done. He vowed to himself that day that he wouldn't break his silence unless he saw a friendly face.

Or was free, which seemed the more likeable option after two months of nothing.

Pulling his ragged tunic back down, he laid on his bed, or thin mat, he wasn't sure, and stared up at the ceiling he had become all too familiar with. The cracks, shapes and cuts of the stone as well as the points of leakage.

The other prisoners in the Stockades gave him a wide birth when they were all let out of their cells to wander around. The brave few were left with injuries when they taunted him, advising others to not make the same mistake they did.

Over time, he did begin to make his way to the door and look out at the other prisoners who were allowed to roam freely for their half an hour a day, regretting the decision he made on the first day.

He knew he shouldn't have broke the kids arm, he was barely out of his teens, but he had it coming. The foolish boy didn't know who he was, so when Athrodar was on his own, inspecting the ring he held in the palm of his hand, the kid stole it from him, instantly regretting it within two seconds.

Athrodar grinned at the memory now, swaying one leg off the side of the bed and making a sound with the chain that attached him to the wall.

These moments of peace never lasted more than five minutes for him though, as he began to feel the hole in his heart open up when he missed his family.

He hoped a rescue team would come soon, or he would lose his mind in this place. The constant beatings he got from the bastard who taunted him with his Dark Ranger Knife were fine, he had taken worse in his life, but the silence was killing him.

Still, he had to see this through. Even after Prince Anduin's surprise arrival had shook him a little, he managed to stay silent, save for the growls and other feral noises he made to the Sergeant.

He wondered if the Prince would return. He might just break his silence then.