Disclaimer:
The world of Azeroth belongs exclusively to Blizzard Entertainment. I am merely a visitor in the wonderful World of Warcraft, and I've only created a few of the characters mentioned here.

Songbirds weaved melodies with the wind, carrying their sweet sound over the village nestled at the southern end of the kingdom. The calendar stated that summer had ended some time ago, but where they were, the seasons only changed through magic, when the mages of Quel'Thalas cast their spells for special occasions.

Everyone in the village was awaiting such an occasion, where, for a fortnight, summer would change into late autumn. Leaves would turn brown and fall to the ground, and the air would cool, signaling the beginning of Hallow's End.

People all over Quel'Thalas enjoyed Hallow's End. It had been a tradition that had begun in Lordaeron, but that the elves had adopted, always loving to have a reason to celebrate. During this occasion, people across the magical kingdom dressed up and held theme parties, while children ran from door to door, asking for candy and playing all sorts of games.

In one of the many houses that made up Everstone Village, a girl completed the final preparations for the costume she would be wearing for the first celebration of Hallow's End. Around her were scraps of material in various shades of blue and white – leftovers of the costume she had sewn herself.

It was comprised of a floor-length dress made of an ethereal material that was cobalt blue in color, and which had been overlaid with lighter shades. A spell on the cloth had turned the entire gown into a sparkling wonderland that caught the light at every angle.

But if the dress was something to behold, the gossamer wings that had been attached to it were breathtaking. They looked so delicate that one could have thought that they were going to take flight on their own. Obviously magical, the girl had made them with the help of a tailor, and the two of them had come up with a magnificent design.

She had worked hard on this particular costume. Oh, she had others, of course, all of which hung in her closet: a sensual cat costume, a fire dancer outfit, and finally, a lupine creature. But the costume she would wear at the first celebratory dance was the one she had worked on the longest.

There was a knock at her door, and moments later, her sister Ravenna entered her room.

"Oh wow, Faith!" she cried. "Look at that dress, it's beautiful!"

"Thanks," said Faith, smiling.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you wanted to impress someone. Is that the case?"

Faith smiled, not needing to say anything.

Out of all the people in her family, her sister knew who she was in love with. Her general.

Sylvanas.

She and her family would be arriving that very evening, and her stomach fairly quivered at the thought. It was the first time in three years that the ranger-general of Quel'Thalas had been able to take a vacation during Hallow's End.

"What about you?" asked Faith after a while. "Aren't you going to try to impress Lord Santoran Ravenblade?"

Ravenna blushed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No idea at all, I'm sure," said Faith, winking. "That's why you didn't get an amazing costume. What are you dressing up as again?"

"A raven," said her sister, looking anywhere but at her.

Faith chuckled. She had seen Ravenna's costume only the night before. A black dress that would have been almost unremarkable, except for the fact that it was covered in glossy feathers. It had been tailored to fit her perfectly, and made her look absolutely gorgeous.

"My sister Ravenna, hoping to seduce Lord Ravenblade, dressed up as a raven. I see a pattern forming."

"Oh, stop it. I know that the second you see Sylvanas tonight, you're going to completely panic, even though she's general and you're not supposed to be in love with her."

"Keep your voice down!" hissed Faith. "If Mother and Father hear you…"

"Does she even know how you feel about her?"

That was a question Faith had asked herself time and again. Every time she saw her, she tried acting as though Sylvanas was just one of the Farstrider officers of Quel'Thalas. It was impossible to maintain the charade long, although the fact that they saw each other so seldom helped.

But did Sylvanas know? Faith thought back of the other times they'd seen each other, remembering how sometimes, she'd been very enthusiastic in her greetings. But she'd never disclosed her feelings to her.

"I don't think she knows," said Faith quietly. She looked at the clock on her nightstand, seeing that it was getting late. "I should wash up and get dressed."

"What's wrong with what you're wearing now?" wondered Ravenna, cocking her head to the side.

"For one thing, it's full of thread from the costume."

"And the other thing?"

Faith didn't answer, going to her closet and pulling out a long cloak, which she draped over her costume. She then turned back towards her dresses and robes, thinking about which one to wear for the evening.

Ravenna shook her head with a sigh, and walked over to the closet. Seemingly at random, she pulled out a red dress that had been embellished with dark brown leaf patterns. "This one." She patted Faith's back and left the room, humming a slow song.

Looking at the dress, Faith nodded to herself. She'd never worn it before, but had bought it the previous year for this exact occasion.

Half an hour later, she was ready, and was applying light makeup to her face when the doorbell rang.

Her heart leapt in her throat when she heard her mother greeting Sylvanas and her family.

Oh, I can't, she said to herself. I can't see Sylvanas, I'm not ready!

Except that she was always ready to see Sylvanas.

She took a deep breath, walking out of her room and down the stairs, arriving in the living room just as Sylvanas came in.

Faith's breath caught in her throat.

Sylvanas wasn't wearing her customary attire, but instead had on a blue cotton tunic that revealed her shoulders and white linen pants. Her golden hair, normally hidden under a hood, had been coaxed into a fluffy braid that hung over her right shoulder.

Oh…

"General," she whispered. Sylvanas was so beautiful that Faith found herself wanting to cry. She didn't feel that she could look at her directly, and yet she was incapable of looking away.

"Hi, Faith," said Sylvanas, her face breaking into a smile that nearly shattered the younger elf's defenses. She crossed the room and wrapped Faith a tight hug, enveloping her in the scent of sweet spices.

Faith was stunned for a moment, incapable of speaking. Her heart was beating so wildly that she was certain she was making the entire house shake. Had the world stopped turning? Had time mercifully stopped so that she could stay in Sylvanas' embrace forever?

She blinked, and Sylvanas pulled away, "Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine, General," said Faith quietly, managing to smile back at her. "Hello. Welcome back to the village. We missed you around here."

"I missed this place too. I wanted to bring your brothers back, but they're running naval exercises around Quel'Danas. They might manage to make it here for the final dance of Hallow's End."

"You couldn't have given them the time off, seeing as you're their boss?"

Sylvanas laughed, "I could have done, but they've been stubborn. I told them three months ago to renew their naval training, but did they listen?"

"Knowing them, they didn't," said Faith. Her eyes were fixed on the end of Sylvanas' braid, which had been decorated with cute black bat wings. "That's adorable," she said, nodding to it.

Glancing down at it, Sylvanas smiled again, "Thanks. I actually got one for you too."

"You… you got me something?"

A nod, "I did." She reached into the pocket of her pants and pulled out an identical set of small bat wings. "The mages at Sunfury Academy made those for Hallow's End. They also had tiny pumpkins and candles, but I thought these were the cutest, so I got us some." Her hands brushed against Faith's forehead as she put the wings in Faith's hair. "There. We match."

"Thank you." Faith cleared her throat, glad when her mother walked in with Sylvanas' parents and sisters, for it made it easier to stop herself from doing something insane.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair. Sylvanas sat across from her, and Faith caught herself glancing at her every few seconds, until Ravenna kicked her under the table.

"So, what are you girls dressing up as for the dances?" asked Lord Pellien, Faith's father.

"Oh, you'll see tomorrow," said Sylvanas. "But my costume's real good."

"So is Faith's," said Ravenna. "Just wait until you see it."

Sylvanas caught Faith's eye, "I'm sure it'll be amazing."

Faith's heart skipped several beats. Forcing herself to just smile and not leap over the table to kiss her, she listened as Alleria, Sylvanas' older sister, spoke of how she would be dressing up as a pirate.

"I managed to get an eyepatch and everything," she said. "It pays to be able to see so many of them when we go out."

"You're supposed to arrest pirates, not want to be like them," Sylvanas told her, shaking her head.

"It's just for one night," said Alleria. "And it's going to be a lot of fun, you'll see."

Sylvanas and her family took their leave half an hour before midnight. She was grateful for it: she didn't think she would have been able to stay any longer without giving herself away.

She had hoped that being away from Faith for the past few months would have diminished her feelings towards her, but that hadn't been the case at all. And Faith hadn't helped, looking at her like that and making her practically taste her desire.

"Are you okay?" Alleria asked her as they returned to the inn.

"Of course I am."

"Oh, sure. I can definitely see that." She cleared her throat, "Faith looked pretty tonight, don't you think?"

"Stop it."

Alleria grinned, "Wow, you still like her."

"Alleria, please."

"Honestly, you should tell her. She has no idea that you have feelings for her."

Feelings. Sylvanas felt like a furnace of emotions when it came to Faith. She constantly thought about how she was doing. Sometimes, at night, she…

She shook her head, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Uh huh. Don't think that I don't know what you're going to do now, dear sister."

Sylvanas stared at her, "What are you talking about?"

"You can't fool me. You need some release."

"What I need is for you to go to bed. Good night." She went to her room, hearing Alleria's laughter as she closed the door.

Leaning against it, Sylvanas closed her eyes. Faith's face immediately came to her mind. She had been almost unbearably lovely that evening. She'd nearly given in more than once, and had held on by sheer force of will.

I'm ranger-general, damn it. Why can't I just have her?

The answer was right there in front of her: her parents would never allow it. They expected her to marry a noble lord and have children, and were positive that she would find her match, just like Alleria had done.

"But I don't want a lord…" she whispered, throwing herself on her bed. "I want Faith. My Faith. My love…"

Her body craved the girl. She felt herself getting more and more aroused as images of Faith flooded her. She imagined them in bed together, Faith naked beneath her and smelling of lilac and honey. She imagined Faith kissing her and running her fingers over her body. Imagined the way she would sound as they made love, stroking each other to a climax so intense it would shake the foundations of the world.

Sylvanas cried out, biting her hand as she came, her body shaking in its release. She said Faith's name once. Twice.

When she next opened her eyes, early morning sunlight filtered through the curtains of her window. Her right hand still rested between her legs, one of her fingers still nestled in the folds of her flesh.

She chuckled. If this was what she was reduced to after just one evening with Faith, she shuddered to think of what the rest of the fortnight in Everstone Village would bring.

Stretching, she got up, and went to wash herself in the small bathroom that adjoined her room. When she was done, she pulled out the costume she would be wearing that day, along with all of the accessories that went with it.

It took her almost two full hours to get ready. She dyed her hair a silver color and applied gray powder to her entire body, which would last for twenty-four hours, even if she washed herself. She painted her fingernails black and applied black lipstick and eyeshadow to her face.

Finally, she put on her costume.

It was a black leather jumpsuit with a plunging neckline, that was practically molded to her body. Here and there, the suit had been artfully torn, and she applied more makeup to the skin that showed beneath. The knee-high boots she wore with the jumpsuit had been made to look worn and torn as well.

To complete the outfit, Sylvanas put on a shredded black cloak, and switched her silver hoop earrings for jewelry with skulls on it.

"Perfect," she whispered, looking at herself in the mirror.

She had turned herself into an undead ranger.

Eversong Woods had changed overnight. As people slept, the mages had cats their spells so that the sky turned a pale gray. Leaves had fallen from the trees, and when people left their houses, most of them already in costume, they saw that decorations had also sprouted up in their villages.

Faith couldn't help but laugh as she stepped outside her house. The air was chilly, but not unpleasant, and children already ran around, chasing imaginary creatures and eating apples.

Her costume looked amazing. More than once, during the day, she felt people looking at her appreciatively. It was a good feeling.

The dance was to start at lunch time. It wasn't a traditional dance like the ones held in Silvermoon City, but a festival with various booths and games, and, of course, candy.

There was also a costume contest, both for children and for adults, which Faith had entered.

As she stepped onto the festival grounds, she noticed the costumes all around her. There were several fairies, as she had expected, along with dragons, dancers, princesses, and various animals. There were also people dressed to scare others, especially ghosts and vampires.

An undead archer.

Faith did a double-take, her mouth dropping open. "Sylvanas?" she cried. "By the Light, look at you! Wow!"

Sylvanas blinked, "Look at me, Faith…" she reached out a hand to touch the material of Faith's costume, pretending not to hear the mewling sound that came from the younger girl's throat. "You look fantastic."

"That… your jumpsuit is very…"

"Binding, I know. I had to give up on wearing underwear."

"What?" Faith's eyes immediately flickered down Sylvanas' body. Heat rushed to her face as she saw that, indeed, Sylvanas didn't seem to be wearing anything under her costume. She couldn't breathe properly all of a sudden.

She wasn't wearing underwear…

"I know," said Sylvanas, aware of what Faith was going through at that moment and trying not to think about it. "It's a little gross, I guess, but I had no choice."

"I… I suppose it would have shown under the costume…"

"Exactly. Come on, walk with me. We'll eat as much candy as possible and spend the rest of the day being sick. What do you say?" She linked her arm with Faith's.

"Well, you know me and candy. It would take an exceptional amount of it to get me sick. But first I need to stop by the contest."

"That's right, you entered the costume contest! I saw some of your competitors, and they don't hold a candle to you. You'll definitely win something."

She wasn't wrong.

There were thirty contestants that year that made it to the final round of judging. Faith was among them, her costume edging out all of the other fairies there. Her biggest competition came from a girl who was wearing an amazing dragonhawk costume, and who ended up winning the general contest. However, Faith won first prize in the White Magic category, which included princesses and dancers, as well as fairies.

Sylvanas watched from the first row, happy to have an excuse to stare at Faith for over an hour. She committed her face to memory again, thinking to herself that this girl was the most beautiful of them all.

"You should have entered the contest, Sylvanas!" Faith told her as she hopped down from the stage. "You would have won!"

"Only because the judges would have been very distracted by, you know… this. Anyway, congratulations. You deserved that." She put an arm around Faith's shoulders without thinking about it, and after a few seconds, Faith slipped an arm around her waist. "Besides, I've entered the archery contest."

Faith laughed, "I'll tell them to just give you the first prize now," she said.

"I don't know about that. Alleria and Vereesa have entered too, although I have no idea how Vereesa's going to shoot anything with the way she's dressed."

"Why?" wondered Faith. "What is Vereesa dressed as?"

"See for yourself," said Sylvanas.

They came to a booth that sold various Hallow's end decorations. Bedecked in leaves that had been painted orange and black, it was a popular booth, in front of which had congregated about ten people, including one dressed as a satyr, complete with horns, cloven hooves, and fierce makeup.

The satyr turned around, and Faith burst into surprised laughter. "Vereesa! Hi! Wow!" she said breathlessly. "Your costume is awesome! I'm wondering now whether I shouldn't have dressed like you."

Sylvanas had a sudden vision of Faith dressed as a succubus and felt her mouth drying up. "People are having a hard enough time as it is keeping their eyes off you," she said, sounding quite unlike herself.

Faith glanced at her, "You don't think I'd look good?"

Oh, she wasn't touching that one. Instead she picked up a small black lantern, which flickered on the moment she touched it, "This is pretty."

Faith came closer to Sylvanas, examining the lantern. "It is."

"I'll buy a few," she told the vendor. "Could you set them aside? I'll pick them up later."

The vendor nodded, taking Sylvanas' money and placing her purchases in a bag. "Enjoy the rest of your day!" he said.

Sylvanas thanked him, and led Faith to where Vereesa had wandered off.

"You two are looking close," said someone behind them. It was Alleria, and she was dressed as a pirate wench, with a lopsided hat and a beat-up eye patch that had a skull and crossbones on it.

"Close?" asked Faith, her voice catching in her throat. She immediately let go of Sylvanas, feeling empty as she did so. Sylvanas also dropped her arm from her shoulders, looking at her sister.

"We're just celebrating," she said, her eyes flashing a warning.

"Actually," Faith told her, "you should all be getting ready for archery, it's going to start."

Sylvanas started, "Well, come on!" she said, beginning to stride over to the archery range that had been set up. More than twenty targets hovered in midair, held aloft by shimmering orange spells. She looked at Faith, "Cheer me on?"

Faith wanted to kiss her so badly that her lips tingled with it. "Of course," she said, trying to sound casual about it.

"You've gotta kiss me good luck, then."

Kiss… what? Had she read her mind? Faith's world spun, and she didn't catch Alleria raising her eyebrows at Sylvanas. "I'm sorry?" she managed to ask.

Sylvanas tapped her cheek and leaned down a little, waiting, a smile on her face. Slowly, Faith moved closer until her lips touched Sylvanas' cheekbone. Her heart stuttered in her chest, and her breath caught.

"Good luck," she whispered.

Glad she was wearing enough makeup to conceal her blush, Sylvanas flashed Faith a smile. Outwardly, she appeared confident, but inside, she was a stormy ocean. She had asked Faith to kiss her, and Faith had done it. She'd finally felt her lips against her skin.

I love you, she thought.

She went to her station, picking up the bow and arrows that were there. A whistle sounded, and the competition began. She shot her first arrow, and it hit her target before disintegrating in a shower of sparkling black bats. The number 1 appeared above the target, made up of orange wisps of smoke.

The targets began to move backwards and forwards, up and down and on a diagonal. It was no problem for Sylvanas, who moved in time with the target, hitting it almost dead center every time. Her score kept rising and rising, and the only thing she was aware of, besides what she was doing, was that Faith's eyes were on her.

The competition ended five minutes later. There were five clear winners, but Sylvanas was in the lead with fifty points. Alleria, in second place, had forty-one points. Next to her, Vereesa was laughing because she'd barely been able to shoot thanks to the boots on her feet, which had been expressly made to resemble satyr hooves.

"You know what that means," Alleria said to her when they got back to where Faith was. "The fairy princess needs to give you a congratulatory kiss."

Another one?

"A real kiss this time," said Alleria, winking.

"Don't be ridiculous," snapped Sylvanas, her heart hammering both from the exercise and her sister's suggestion.

Faith rolled her eyes and, standing on tiptoe, kissed her cheek again. "How's that?"

Sylvanas was momentarily stunned. Faith had kissed her. Twice. "This is turning out to be a very good day," she whispered.

"Glad I can be of service," said Faith, looking at her. The sparkling blue makeup on her face made it hard to judge, but Sylvanas could have sworn that she was blushing as well.

They spent the rest of the day together, meeting friends and neighbors, but never straying more than three feet away from each other. As the evening drew to a close, they walked back towards Faith's house, Sylvanas carrying the bag of lanterns she'd purchased. Faith jumped at every noise, still scared because of a haunted house they had traversed, and only calmed down when Sylvanas put an arm around her.

"Today was fun," she said quietly.

Faith nodded, "I love your costume, by the way. It makes you look so… dark."

"That was the whole point. I do have a dark side, you know."

"No you don't," whispered Faith.

Sylvanas leaned in closer, "You sure about that?" she asked.

Faith opened her mouth. Who knew what they would have done right there and then had a noise not broken them apart. Sylvanas pulled Faith into the shadows and watched as two people appeared, walking drunkenly down the path. They were laughing, and Faith recognized Ravenna and Santoran, who was wearing a prince's costume. As they watched, he leaned towards her and kissed her deeply.

"Score," said Sylvanas in a low voice.

Faith giggled as quietly as she could, but part of her felt jealous. Her sister could give in and be with someone she cared about in every way, while she had to force herself to act as indifferently towards Sylvanas as possible. "We should give them some privacy."

"I suppose you're right. Come on, I'll take you home."

They reached their destination a few minutes later. The lights were on in the kitchen, but the rest of the house was dark.

"Do you want to come in?" asked Faith tentatively.

A soft smile, "I should really get to bed. But I'll see you tomorrow for the hawkstrider races."

Faith looked at her, wanting to beg her to stay… but she didn't. "Good night, General."

"Good night, Faith," said Sylvanas. She caught the note of desperation in Faith's voice. They would see each other the next day, and the one after that. She knew it, but it felt wrong to leave her, as though she were leaving part of herself behind. And in a fortnight, she would be leaving her for good this time, or at least until her next leave came through.

The thought was unbearable. She looked back at the house, seeing the light come on in Faith's room as she activated the lanterns there. She saw Faith at the window for a split second, and the sight of her wiping the tears in her eyes nearly caused her to run back to her.

You can't, she said to herself. Not yet.

Morning would come soon enough.

The End