"At the hour of her third death, she ushers in our coming." - Il'gynoth, Heart of Corruption
Several weeks later, Warchief Sylvanas Windrunner was locked in battle in Ashenvale with Night Elven as well as the Gilnean forces, lead by King Genn Greymane. The fragile peace between the Alliance and Horde after the Legion's defeat had been fragile indeed. It seemed as though Sylvanas had the upper hand and was pushing the Alliance forces deep into Ashenvale, all the way to Astranaar in fact. Hundreds maybe thousands of Night Elven and Gilnean troops died that day and Night Elven corpses were even being raised to fight against their brethren. Soon the tides would turn when Greymane would make an appearance in person.
"Enough, Sylvanas! You will go no further!" he called out.
The fighting soon stopped but everyone was ready to resume at a moment's notice.
"How cute, the half-human mongrel wants a truce... This should be amusing," Nathanos Blightcaller whispered to the Banshee Queen.
"Let us see what he has to say before I kill him and take Astranaar for the Horde," Sylvanas replied.
"Too many of my people have died today! What is it that you want, you cold hearted banshee?"
"Cold hearted? Is that what you think of me, King Greymane? I am Warchief of the Horde. Do you not understand why I fight you?"
"So you can become like the Lich King?"
"The lives of my people also matter, worgen, including that of the orcs, trolls and tauren who inhabit Kalimdor. Your people have been repeatedly warned to stop attacking our lumber camps and gold mines in Ashenvale."
"Those are not your resources to take. They belong to the Alliance!"
"Do they now? Durotar and the Northern Barrens have been decimated due to the Legion's invasion, many of our crops destroyed. People in the Echo Isles and even in the capital of Orgrimmar struggle to feed themselves and their families. Exports from Mulgore barely cover a tenth of my people's needs and I've had three separate riots just in the past week. You think diplomacy is going to put a stop to any of this?"
"You think of yourself as the legitimate Warchief of the Horde? Very well then, Sylvanas, let us see you live up to that ideal here and now, not just in front of your forsaken people but in the front of the orcs as well, in front of the entire Horde. I challenge you... to Mak'gora! Nobody else needs to die today, just one of us. If you win, you can keep everything east of Astranaar. If I win, your people must leave Ashenvale forever and never return. You may of course decline and forever lose your grip on Orgrimmar."
Sylvanas smirked.
"Mak'gora! Mak'gora! Mak'gora!" The orcs started chanting and soon the rest of the Horde joined in as well.
"No need to be concerned, King Greymane, I accept your challenge. I hope you do realize what you're up against."
The two leaders prepare to duel to the death.
"You will die this day, Sylvanas, but not before you confess to your crimes..."
"My crimes?" she sarcastically asked.
"Gilneas... You invaded her, you decimated her, you killed my son, say it."
"Enough talking," she said and dealt her first blow. Her arrow missed.
Greymane changed into his worgen form and lunged at her but the Banshee Queen evaded his attack as well.
"Sylvanas, you will confess!" he kept yelling, "You invaded her! You decimated her! You killed my son!"
"I plead the fifth!"
"No! You invaded her! You decimated her! You killed my son! Confess! Confess and we can end this!"
"I deny it! It was manslaughter, I motion for a mistrial!"
"Denied!"
The duel went on for hours and hours with Greymane trying desperately to get her to confess but it was no use. At some point they both grew tired and started making mistakes, but only sustained minor wounds. Eventually Sylvanas gained the upper hand when an arrow struck Greymane in the shoulder, but he kept going.
"Just... a flesh wound."
The fight continued for yet another hour or so with Greymane on the verge of losing several times, but he would not give up. Eventually Greymane took an arrow in the knee and was forced to kneel, unable to fight any further. Sylvanas prepared to deliver the killing blow.
"Any last words?" she asked.
Greymane only looked up and said...
"You invaded her! You decimated her! You... killed my son!"
"If it will make the pain easier, yes," a part of her feeling pity for him, "is that all?"
"Only this... A thousand deaths... or... one murder?"
"Enough rambling. Goodbye, King Greymane!"
"Now, Nathanos!"
Nathanos struck swiftly with his dagger and before anyone knew it, Sylvanas was down on the ground, dying. The Horde was in shock. "Traitor!" someone in the Horde crowd yelled.
Greymane mustered the strength to stand up and looked over the dying Sylvanas. Three Val'kyr appeared over her, ready to revive her and send her back into battle.
"This... was not a fight you could ever win! Have you learned nothing? Have you not been paying attention?" Sylvanas said.
"I've learned enough. Unfortunately for you, this ends here."
At that moment, Eyir herself appeared over the war torn skies of Ashenvale and recalled her Val'kyr to the heavens leaving Sylvanas to die for the final time.
Magni Bronzebeard emerged from the crowd and stood alongside King Greymane looking over the dying Warchief.
"Nathanos, you traitor! How could you? After all we've been through. Was it all a lie too?"
Nathanos seemed genuinely sorry.
"I am so sorry, my Banshee Queen, but a pact was made. It was the only way to... to ensure my salvation..." he said before vanishing in a flash of light, raptured by Eyir up to the Halls of Valor.
"And you... Magni... you treacherous snake. You were supposed to be above Alliance and Horde politics in your new station... How could you stab me in the back? How could you go along with this charade? After all we've been through in Silithus especially."
"I serve only the will of Azeroth's Titan Soul... And you have run rampant for far too long. You've become a menace to everyone, Horde and Alliance. Arthas did terrible things to ya, lass. I feel sorry for you. But it was time to put you down."
"Lies! All lies! Without a Warchief, the Horde will fall into a crisis the likes of which you've never seen before."
"No," another figured interjected, a human in the Alliance crowd by the name of Lord Jerief Edon, "without a Warchief the Horde will end. It is the only way to ensure peace in our life time. And I am proud to have been part of it."
"Keep telling yourselves that..."
"When you are gone, Sylvanas, we will round up and subdue what's left of the Horde. The beast races will be put in their place, we will burn the Tirisfal Glades to the ground and remove the forsaken abominations and we will bring back Silvermoon into the fold. We will be the undisputed power on Azeroth but we will also ensure peace and stability," Lord Edon continued.
"Our Warchief has fallen! What are you fools standing about? Avenge her! Death to these honorless Alliance!" an orcish commander could be heard in the background.
The armies grew restless and prepared to continue the fight, but were stopped again.
"No!" this time a young female voice could be heard on the Alliance side.
"Be quick about it, human! You have mere seconds to live before we crush your pathetic forces," the unnamed orcish commander said.
"Do not listen to Lord Edon's harsh words," she pleaded.
"Lady Fanita, what are you doing? We have this covered, stay back," Lord Edon asked.
"This Alliance scum killed our Warchief and threatened my people with slavery and genocide! Why should I stay my hand?" the orcish commander demanded to know.
"Because there's no need for further bloodshed today."
"And just who are you to make that decision for us?"
"Then allow me to introduce myself, I am Lady Fanita, historian, healer in the Alliance army, and priestess of the Church of the Holy Light. I make this promise to you, members of the Horde. Turn away now and you will not be harmed."
"Why should we listen to the humans who dishonor Mak'gora? And what do we have to return to anyway? A dying leaderless kingdom riddled with disease and hunger. Our people rot in the streets while your leaders unfairly target our mining operations, which we need to provide for our people."
"Lady Fanita, they are bluffing. They are clearly demoralized and we have the numbers to defeat them, kill them all now before they regroup and return stronger than ever before," Lord Edon kept whispering pleading for Lady Fanita to stay out of it but she ignored him.
"The Alliance never intended to commit genocide against the Horde. All my leaders have ever sought is to protect Alliance interests. This battle was all about protecting Ashenvale from Horde incursion. I myself as a follower of the Light wished that my companions had fought with more honor and justice, but that was not my decision to make. Now, it is. I make a promise to you now, members of the Horde, on my honor as a priestess of the Light, leave now and you will not be harmed. On my family's honor I make another promise. Orgrimmar will receive foreign aid from Stormwind for one month time. We hope this soften the coming crisis and allow room for future dialog. On my personal honor, I make to you my final promise. Nobody from the Alliance is to touch the body. You will be permitted to return her body to Orgrimmar, or wherever you wish to return it to, for a proper burial. I know we have not acted with much honor today, but it's the least we could do."
"Lady Fanita, that is not your decision to make. You've no real authority to negotiate on the Alliance's behalf."
"It's done, Lord Edon. You got what you wanted. Sylvanas is no more. Ashenvale is safe. Now is the time to show some compassion."
"Perhaps, she is right," King Greymane interjected, "Truthfully, my beef has always been with Sylvanas, not the entire Horde. And now finally she has been made to pay for the crimes she inflicted upon my people. We have accomplished our objective. Let's go home for a well deserved rest."
"But..."
"Zip it! We're going home. King Anduin Wrynn and all of Stormwind should be more than pleased once they hear the news, we not only saved Ashenvale but we also struck a blow against the Horde," Greymane stopped him.
Meanwhile down in Hell, I mean the Shadowlands...
"I told ya to stay away from da voodoo..." Vol'jin said when he saw Sylvanas arrive.
"At least Arthas isn't here this time," she thought. Too soon.
"Did someone mention my name?" Arthas asked.
"Oh God..."
