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.

The sound of soldiers playfully bickering around the campfire was a joyful one. They tested their swords against each other, making sure to be gentle in their sparring, and told each other dirty jokes that sent them into gales of laughter.

Sylvanas watched them, a half-smile on her face. She loved evenings such as this one, when they were all together, talking and having fun. What made it better this time around was that her sister Alleria was there with her, having brought some cookies from home.

"These are good," she said, biting into one. Chocolate and apple cookies were her favorite.

"Don't thank me," said Alleria. "Thank Faith. She's the one who gave them to me to bring over."

Sylvanas nearly choked, "Faith? Faith Everstone? You've seen her?"

"Yeah, I passed through Everstone Village on my way here."

Sylvanas smiled a little more, "Sweet of her to give these to you."

"Of course she gave them to me. She knew I was coming here to see you."

A turn of the head, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She made these for you. I think she misses you."

"Misses me? What do you mean she misses me? What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know? Sylvanas… Faith has liked you for years."

This time, Sylvanas did choke on the cookie she'd been eating. Alleria pounded her back while someone quickly passed her a cup of water.

"Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah… what did you just say?"

"I said that she likes you. A lot."

"Faith does?" Sylvanas had had her fair share of boyfriends over the years. It had never been anything serious, not lasting more than a month or two because she was always so busy that not many people elected to stay with her once she went on duty. And she'd heard of both men and women liking her, although she'd never considered anybody of her own sex before.

"How can you not have noticed? It's completely obvious. As a matter of fact, I think it's more than just a crush."

"Faith Everstone. The girl I practically saw born, that Faith?"

"Honey-blonde hair, amber eyes, tall, cute as hell, I think, nubile body –."

"Stop, stop," implored Sylvanas.

"Yes, that Faith."

"But… how?"

"You really haven't picked up on it," Alleria sounded amazed.

"Years?"

"At least the last three or four, yes."

"You've known all this time, and you're just telling me now?"

"I thought you knew! I'm telling you, it's obvious when you pay attention. The last time she was with us at home, she could barely hold your gaze for more than a few seconds. She watched you whenever she thought none of us would notice. I thought Lirath was going to laugh himself silly about it."

Sylvanas was staggered. Her heart was beating a little too fast for comfort. Faith liked her? More than a crush? Years? She got to her feet unsteadily. "I'm going to bed," she said.

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, sure… Good night."

"Night, sweetheart," said Alleria, looking thoroughly amused now.

Liked her. Faith liked her. Cared about her. Wanted to be with her.

Sylvanas shivered as she made her way inside the building in the Farstrider Enclave where her room was located. She dropped her leather armor on the floor as soon as she closed the door behind herself.

How can she like me? Why does she like me?

She felt blindsided by what her sister had told her, having never even considered the possibility that Faith, often referred to as Little Faith, because she was the youngest one out of both their families, could like her.

She slid between the sheets, only wearing her underwear, thinking back to the last time she'd seen Faith. It had been a little over a month since she'd passed through her village, and she did remember Faith being happy to see her. She'd been formal with her, something she always did when they first saw each other before she relaxed enough to talk to her more normally. But she hadn't thought anything of it. Something to do with her being shy.

I never imagined that she cared about me as anything more than a friend…

Confusion swirled inside her. Should she do anything about it? The last time she'd found something like this out about someone she'd known, she'd immediately gone to that person to let him down as gently as she could, but that had been different. It had been someone she had hardly known.

This was Faith. A girl she had held in her arms as a newborn.

She remembered that day. She'd heard of the birth and had hastened to the village to welcome the newest member of the Everstone family. It had been a difficult time, for Faith's mother had nearly died, and had been with healers. Faith had been unattended, so Sylvanas had gone to her, picking her up and soothing her. Almost immediately, Faith had gurgled and wrapped her tiny fingers around her own. She remembered smiling down at her. She'd given her a bath, and Faith had promptly fallen asleep in her arms afterwards.

Oh, this is a nightmare, she thought. I should just go there and tell her how things are. I can't, she's too young… I knew her as a baby, it's weird!

She elected to forget at that moment that her own parents had been born sixty years apart.

She'd go to Everstone Village in the morning, and talk to her. It was the best course of action.

Shortly afterwards, she was asleep. She dreamt of Faith as a toddler, who had learned how to swim with her. It seemed more memory than dream. In it, Faith paddled along in the water, Sylvanas' hands holding her carefully. Suddenly, she morphed into the young woman she was now, and turned around in her arms, kissing her lips softly. The kiss hardened, and Sylvanas took her into her arms, kissing her back and holding her close.

When she woke up, she was drenched in sweat, her pulse having shifted to a point between her legs.

Although the sun hadn't risen yet, she got up, washing quickly and getting dressed in her official general's uniform. Alleria was up and apparently waiting for her.

"So… how did you sleep?" she asked when she saw her.

"Perfectly fine, thank you."

"Is that why you're up at four o'clock in the morning, in full uniform?" Her face grew serious, "Wait, you're not going to go see Faith, are you? Sylvanas, you'll break her heart."

"She needs to know that it can't happen."

"Whoa, slow down, she knows already. You didn't know how she felt about you because she's never made a move on you. So you don't need to go talk to her about anything."

"Oh, but I do. And by the way, I blame you for my current state of mind."

Alleria, who perhaps knew her better than anybody else on Azeroth, smirked, "You had a dream about her."

"It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't mentioned anything!"

"Honestly, Sylvanas, you would have noticed it yourself if you'd only bothered to look. Don't go to Everstone Village. Let Faith dream."

But her mind was made up. Everstone Village was only half a day away, and since things were quiet, she could make her way there without problem. "I'll be back by tomorrow."

Alleria watched her sister riding away, and stifled a bout of laughter. Oh, this was going to be interesting. She'd never seen her sister react quite so strongly to anybody liking her before.

Sylvanas rode through woods that she had known for years. She knew the paths and streams like the back of her hand, and was able to navigate them easily, even in the darkness. She reached the village a few hours after sunrise, finding it already full of activity, the morning market open to everyone.

She couldn't help but smile. She'd always liked Everstone Village, which was only a day away from her home at Windrunner Spire. Life there was simple, but the people were happy. Faith's father, who was the mayor, saw to that.

"General Windrunner?"

Sylvanas looked down, her eyes catching the amber ones of the girl she'd come here to talk to. A nervous tingle went down her spine as she took in the wide surprised eyes, the full mouth, and the pretty ears that were adorned with three gold hoops each – a new addition. Why in the world was she nervous?

"Faith. Hi." She dismounted and wrapped her arms around the younger girl in a quick hug. She heard Faith gasp. No, no, she didn't gasp. "When did you get these?" She released her and touched one of the hoops.

"Just… just after you left last time. What… what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I had some time to kill, and thought I'd come here to see how everything's going."

"Did you want to see Father? I think he's got meetings all day today."

"I don't want to disturb him if he's busy."

Faith swallowed, her eyes touching Sylvanas' for just a second before looking away, "Where are you stationed now?"

"Farstrider Enclave. It's not that far."

"You came out of your way," she said quietly. "Is something wrong?"

"There were some troll incursions nearby."

"Three months ago. I thought you had taken care of that?"

How did Faith know that? She hadn't discussed that business anywhere near her.

"We did. And I want to make sure that doesn't change." She knew for a fact that it hadn't, but now that she was here, she might as well check it out.

"I'll pull Father out of his meeting. I don't think it was that important anyway."

Sylvanas caught her hand as she turned from her, "Honestly, Faith, it's all right. That's not even… I can catch him afterwards."

"Are you sure? I don't mind." Was Faith's voice trembling, or was she imagining it?

"I'm sure. Why don't I go say hello to your mother while I'm here?"

"Oh, sure. She's home, and she'll be happy to see you."

"Lead the way," said Sylvanas, dropping Faith's hand and putting an arm around her shoulders. It was something she'd done countless times, but now, the gesture had a different connotation. Faith looked at her, her face getting paler and paler by the second. Hoping she wasn't going to faint, Sylvanas gently poked her in the ribs, "What's wrong? Are you embarrassed to be seen with the old general now? Since when?"

"Old… you're not old…" said Faith indignantly.

"All right, so you're embarrassed to be seen with the young general?"

"What makes you think I'm embarrassed to be seen with you?"

"You're looking anywhere but at me, and you seem eager to get rid of me."

Faith really looked at her now, her eyes wide, "I'm not!"

Sylvanas smiled, "I know." She squeezed her briefly as they walked, her horse trotting obediently behind her. "To be honest, I came here because I wanted to see you. I missed you." Where had that sentence come from?

She saw Faith's cheeks redden, "You did?"

"Yeah. Alleria gave me the cookies you baked. They were delicious, thank you."

"You… you came here to thank me for baking you cookies?"

"In part. I had a day off."

"You must have left the Enclave early to get here at this hour."

Sylvanas looked at Faith, wondering when she'd become so observant. "I like to get an early start in the mornings. Did you forget?"

Faith shook her head. "I'm happy you're here."

"So am I. It's good to see you." And it was good to see her, she noticed that even as she berated herself for saying those words aloud.

They reached Faith's house on the outskirts of the village a short while later, but it looked empty. Sylvanas wasn't sure whether she wanted to be in a locked house alone with her, but she didn't say anything. You've spent time alone with her dozens of times. Why would this be any different?

Because she knew how Faith felt about her now. She was jittery. A little nervous, although she couldn't figure out why that was. She had no reason to be nervous. It was just Faith.

"I can make you some breakfast if you want," she said as the entered the kitchen.

"That's okay, I'm not really hungry," she lied.

Faith smiled, "Sylvanas, I can hear your stomach rumbling from over here."

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You're not, I'm offering." She pulled out a loaf of bread, "I made some apple chocolate bread yesterday after Ravenna wolfed down whatever cookies were left over."

Sylvanas was too fond of Faith's baking to refuse, "All right, if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all." Sylvanas was still looking like she wanted to leave, so Faith went on, "You have to see this from our point of view."

"Whose point of view?"

"The general population's." She cut two slices of bread, their delicious smell reaching Sylvanas' nose and making her mouth water, "General Sylvanas Windrunner is in my kitchen, and she's hungry. Nobody would refuse that."

Sylvanas began to laugh, "I don't think so!" she said.

"But I do. People love you. I know of a few men who want to make it their life's mission to make you happy."

And what about you, Faith? What about how you feel about me?

"Be that as it may, I'm not here as Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner. I'm here as Sylvanas, as your friend. As the person who taught you how to swim, and nearly drowned you in the process."

Faith grinned, "I don't remember that."

"Well, no, you wouldn't, you were only four years old when it happened." She sat down, accepting the plate Faith handed her, "Thank you."

Faith watched her with a small smile on her face. Feeling a little warm, Sylvanas ate the bread, nearly melting at the taste.

"What did you put in this to make it so moist?" she cried.

"Applesauce." Faith looked amused now.

"Well, it's official, I'm coming here every morning for breakfast, and that's final."

"I'd love that, actually." Faith's voice was soft, and with a blush, she turned away quickly.

Sylvanas stopped chewing for a second. Should she say something now? She didn't want to. She didn't want to ruin the moment and hurt Faith. She decided to keep quiet, for the time being.

As she finished the slices of bread, the front door opened and Faith's mother walked in.

"Sylvanas!" she called from the entrance hall, "I didn't know we had the pleasure of your company!" She quickly walked to the kitchen to give Sylvanas a hug.

"Hello, Velariel. I hope I'm not intruding."

"Of course not! How are you?"

"Fine, fine." She made idle chat for a while as Faith cleaned up. She watched her out of the corner of her eye, noticing that the younger elf glanced at her every once in a while.

So… it really is true. You like me. A lot. She wasn't ready to think about Faith's feelings being stronger than that. She couldn't. It made her feel odd inside.

After some time, she got up, saying that she wanted to talk to the guards that were stationed around the village, and asked Faith if she'd accompany her. Faith agreed right away, and together, they stepped out into the bright sunshine.

Sylvanas never forgot that day. It was one of those perfect days that ought to be bottled up and put on a shelf, to relive when things got gloomy.

The two of them talked about nothing and everything. They sampled fruits at the market for lunch, with Sylvanas letting Faith have a bite of her apple. Faith blushed scarlet at that, but Sylvanas pretended not to notice. It was cute, the way Faith was behaving, and she found herself feeling warm inside.

The sun began to set, and Sylvanas realized that she had better find a room at the local inn to sleep in that night. Her horse was stabled at Faith's house, but she refused to sleep there as well, because she really didn't want to intrude on the family's privacy.

"You're not intruding, I promise," Faith told her. "We'd be happy to have you stay over. Besides, we've all stayed over at the spire a bunch of times."

"I know, but that was your family being invited. This is just me."

"And we're inviting you to spend the night at our house. As a friend, not as General Windrunner."

She had been in such a hurry to get to the village that she had forgotten to take any spare clothes with her. She blinked and explained her predicament, "It's fine, really. I'll stay at the inn, and buy a robe or something here before the market closes."

"Don't be silly. You actually… you left one of your nightgowns at home last time you were there."

"I did?" Sylvanas couldn't remember that at all. She hadn't slept at Faith's house in a couple of years, but it was a possibility.

"Yes. So, you see, you can come sleep over anytime you want."

Faith was so insistent that Sylvanas had to smile. "All right. I'll come over. But I'll have to leave early tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

As it turned out, Sylvanas had left a nightgown at Faith's house. The fact that it was freshly laundered made her suspect that Faith might have used it once or twice, but surprisingly, the thought made her smile.

You should be creeped out by this, she said to herself. If anything, she felt flattered.

The nightgown was slightly shorter than she remembered, exposing so much leg that she wondered what Faith would think about it. But she didn't say anything, just blushing and looking anywhere but at her again.

"Sylvanas, you wouldn't mind sleeping in Faith's room, right?" asked Faith's father. "I'll move the cot from my office so that you don't have to sleep in the same bed."

"That's fine," she said, briefly catching a look of panic on Faith's face. "Is it all right with you?" she asked her.

Faith nodded slowly, "Of course."

Her father moved the cot to her room, along with fresh sheets and a blanket.

"Thank you, Mayor," she said quietly.

"Good night, girls," he said, kissing Faith's forehead.

"Good night, Father," said Faith.

Sylvanas closed the door after he left, and pretended not to watch as Faith nervously got undressed and put on her sleeping clothes, linen shorts and a cropped top that made her look twice at her.

"Are those new?"

She nodded and got into bed, shyly pulling the covers over herself. "Good night, Sylvanas."

"Good night, Faith. Sleep well."

"You too."

Sleep took a long time to find Sylvanas that night. She felt too warm one moment, and cold the next as she thought of the girl in the next bed, unaware that Faith was wide awake as well.

She felt as though something was simmering inside her. Pleasure, yes. There was pleasure in knowing that Faith obviously liked her as much more than just a friend.

But did she like her back?

Well, obviously, she cared about Faith, and always had. She'd taken care of her sometimes, when she'd been a toddler, and she'd always looked forward to seeing her, even then.

But the dream she'd had the previous evening… Faith kissing her. She'd felt the kiss in her dream, felt how soft and pliant Faith's lips had been. She'd almost tasted the kiss.

And she wanted it.

Oh no… not this. Anything but this.

She was going to get over this. She knew it. And Faith would get over it too. There was no way she either of them were going to keep having any kinds of feelings for each other. They couldn't. It wasn't possible.

However, no matter what she told herself, she found that leaving the following morning was difficult. Faith was there, and she hugged her tightly in the chilly morning air.

"Go back to bed, Faith. You can sleep another three hours easy."

She shook her head, "Don't be a stranger," she said. "Oh, here, this is for the road." She handed her a wrapped package, the bread.

"Thank you," said Sylvanas quietly. She smiled at her, and a moment later, she had turned on her heel and climbed onto her horse, riding away.

There was no reason for her to feel like crying. None at all. She didn't want to entertain any kind of notion about being sad to leave Faith.

They were friends, nothing more.

Nothing more.

The End