His Perfect Queen; an Arthas Menethil Love Story
Name: His Perfect Queen
Author: HollyEmpire00
Rating: T (may change to M as the story progresses)
Summary: As his army prepares for war, Arthas must fight his own battle. With his heart, a lady and his destiny. Arthas/OC, angst! Reviews wanted!
Warning: Rated T for language (not so much), blood, some gore, character death, and overall theme. Warcraft Themes~!
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, Warcraft 3 Reign of Chaos or Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne (obviously~ If I did, I'd be like…supermegafoxyawesome rich!) . You think I'd be writing this if I did? No! Anyway, they belong to Blizzard Entertainment, the gods of MMORPG's. All of the things you don't know are mine, so characters, creatures, abilities, lands and places and buildings you don't know about are all mine~! =]
Thank you all so much for choosing to read this story, I really appreciate it. Reviews are welcome, flames are not (unless they're constructive), and I want feedback please!
HOLLY: 12/02/13: I just managed to get this chapter on, I am however SO tired it isn't funny. I just came back from Music Camp; four straight days of singing and working with the juniors and helping them with singing. My voice is completely stuffed, and I have an audition in two days for a Jazz ensamble…so, don't expect much talking from me in this authors note…
This chapter is dedicated to Ariaelyne, who gave me my first correction of the story! We discussed the time problems that were mentioned in the first and second chapters concerning Ner'zhul's legacy as the Lich King; I'm so glad I had that, because it's helped me in the next few chapters! This chapter is for you.
Amy95200, 782 and Firedragon99, as well as any others who read (I didn't get many reviews…only three, and I'm meant to have more, but thank you for the follows and favourites!)
Caerys- Thank you once again!
GaarasMyBoyz- Lol, thank you! Hope you enjoy this chapter, have you recovered yet? I have, but now my voice is shot from Music Camp…
HISPERFECTQUEEN
Chapter 6: The Solitarius…
The wind whistled in his robes as the Lich stood watching over his encampment, his sharp eyes boring out from his flesh-stripped skull and over the desolate landscape below. What little life had been left in the hills of the Plaguelands had most definitely been stripped when he had ordered this camp to be built; the final trees, long dead, being stripped and dragged from the earth to supply his troops with lodgings and places of refuge for some in the day.
Kel'Thuzad was simply thrilled. He had been on a perpetual high since Arthas had ascended the throne; and his troops were no different. In fact, many continued to serve him with more vigour than before, laying down their lives against the wretched 'Forsaken'. Had the Lich been able to grind his teeth, he would have; so instead he simply settled for letting himself feel anger.
Sylvanas Windrunner…the witch had betrayed them. Of course, he had expected at least one rebellion from a higher ranking undead, however it was not anticipated to come from one…quite so high in the rankings Arthas had provisioned. Sylvanas had been deemed a loyal servant, and regrettably that false understanding had been their downfall.
Raising his head high, the necromancer looked out over the large encampment which made up the main branch of his forces, which he had spread over the western coastline of Azeroth, and the inner towns on the western side of the continent.
Slowly, he was encroaching on the people. Those very few who remained, the foolish mortals, he simply recruited for their own; and he intended to find each and every one of the humans before the witch could send her banshees to take them.
Kel'Thuzad let out a small, amused hum, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction. By now, his students would be greeting Arthas, the Lich King himself for the first time. Indeed…they would help Ner'zhul and the ex-paladin quite well in their quest-to-come.
The Lich would be lying if he were to say that he did not know the Lich King's intentions; he had known all along that at some point…the search for the 'Jewel' would come to fruition. It could not come at a better time; with rebellions rising against Arthas' rule in Azeroth in the form of Sylvanas, and the forces in Kalimdor of the elves, the orcs and the final remnants of the human alliance, their lord was in need of great power…and soon.
Calis Wraithson would be a great asset to his king; that Kel'Thuzad knew. He was the best and brightest of his students…if you could call a Lich 'bright'. The other two, while brilliant, intelligent and cunning, were not quite as useful as Calis. Kel'Thuzad had so many times predicted it before; his students would help Arthas on his way to greatness…and with him would rise the Scourge, to finally take its place atop the world where they belonged.
Mortals would soon have no place in this world. And neither would rebellion; the Lich King's rule would be absolute.
HISPERFECTQUEEN
When the Lich King had left his fortress to walk among his servants, it caused quite a stir in the makeshift city below. Their king seemed to almost waltz his way through the streets, his steps carrying him with an air of supremacy and dominance that made many a lowly undead crumble and move back so as not to be seen by their lord.
Arthas himself made his way slowly towards the port that had been practically carved into the glaciers towards the southern side of the glaciers, observing his surroundings as he went. Most of the southern side of Icecrown had been forced underwater, flooded completely by the force his ascension had created. And so, the surrounding un-flooded area was perfect for a harbour, the area curving much like a bay. It was a rather convenient location; after all, the now open sea area led towards the Daggercap bay by a rather large river channel that was just large enough to fit their largest battleships through. The double bayed system would surely work to their advantage in the future.
The Lich King moved rather easily towards the docks, his head held high as he moved. Carrion beetles scuttled around his feet; Anub'arak must have sent them to keep an eye on him, which most likely meant that he was also being guarded from underground by some crypt fiends. Arthas dismissed this as he looked over the new flag ship that was being built in his honour; for the journey ahead.
The skeletal warriors and his ghoul's had been working over two days and nights without end, along with some of Anub'arak's best spinners in order to create this masterpiece.
It was based rather loosely on the elven design of ships which he had always rather admired; Ner'zhul had agreed that the rather sleek, fast design would be useful in a flagship. And so, he supplied a heretic with a simple plan, drawn up in mere minutes, and he had manipulated it and turned it into…this massive, beautiful monstrosity.
'I believe that the infidel have done a rather appealing job on your transport,' Ner'zhul said quietly, hissing out a laugh from one corner of his mind. 'It is…impressive to say the least.'
Arthas let out a hum as he took in the high masts, black sails, long structure and deep hull. 'Yes…I agree, master,' He replied, stepping closer to examine his ship. 'I think this will be a rather wonderful vessel to make a statement to the people of Elemire, if anything…and if it is equipped for battle, all the better.' Arthas gave a slow chuckle after he noticed the large cannon ports.
'You shall be fine in terms of both combat and stature, Arthas,' he replied, pushing himself towards the front of their shared mindscape, watching through Arthas' eyes.
As the two of them spoke, Arthas had boarded the ship via a large ramp, his hands clasped behind his wolf-cloaked back as he looked over the ship's exterior. It was indeed of excellent make; for undead. The strongest wood from the icy glacial forests of Northrend had been utilised; most likely some of the wood having been gathered from many leagues away. When webspinners were in charge of building operations, only the best came out as a result.
"Master…" A darkly cloaked acolyte, taller than the rest, moved out of the small line of those upon the ship. He held his hands together under the sleeves of his cloak and bowed his head, his eyes glinting from beneath his hood. The heretic raised his head, his back hunched. "What would you prefer your vessel to be called? It is your flagship, after all," He bowed his head once more. "There is very little left for us to do; we shall be ready to cast off whenever you see fit."
Arthas looked down at the heretic, his eyes a sharp and luminous blue. "Hmmm…yes, I believe that you shall be ready to cast off at my wishes," He replied, turning from him. The king gave a small smile, raising his gaze to the bow of the ship. "The ship shall be dubbed…" Arthas began, his eyes narrowing, "The Solitarius."
'Ah…' Ner'zhul intoned in amusement, the feeling flooding through Arthas' form. 'Interesting…'solitary, by ones self'. Very astute, young one.'
Ignoring the Lich, the king turned with a flourish of his cloak, nodding towards the heretic. "Tell the Lich Generals to ready the troops I spoke of yesterday; we shall cast off by morning's light in the morrow." And with that, the Lich King was gone.
HISPERFECTQUEEN
That night, as the few fires burnt in the city below, Arthas sat inside his fortress, in his quarters to be proper. He examined the map the wraith had created, turning a simple navigating tool over the parchment, before he pulled it back; twirling it between his fingers. Ner'zhul's presence seemed to rise from the small slumber he had enacted before nightfall, and he gave a low hum to alert Arthas to his presence, not that he needed it.
'Examining the routes, young one?' Ner'zhul asked rather curiously, examining the map through his vessel. 'Hmm…perhaps other things need your attention at this moment…'
Arthas sat up slightly straighter, his curiosity peaked. 'What kind of things?'
'Perhaps rest,' the Lich replied with a small chuckling tone to his disembodied voice. 'Or perhaps some form of relaxation; a break from your near endless squabbling over the excursion to Elemire.'
'Excursion?' Arthas asked incredulously, his glinting eyes narrowing. He turned his head to look towards the open balcony doors. 'Why do you say such things about the quest which you put me up to? What do yo-'
'Arthas, Arthas…' Ner'zhul breathed in his ear, his voice filled with amusement, and had the creature had a body Arthas realised he would be smiling. 'I jest, young prince; I simply mean that you need to rest yourself before the morrow. The journey shall be long and quite possibly you will encounter opposition on the way. You cannot forget that Illidan does still control the Naga.'
Sighing, Arthas sat back, lowering his gaze back towards the map. '…yes, I had not forgotten. But what shall I do about resting…it is nigh impossible, and I myself do not believe in meditation.'
'Hmm…' the Lich King contemplated, remaining silent for quite some time. When his answer came, it was somewhat cryptic. 'Then perhaps not 'rest' as it were; I do not mean simply resting your head, or sleep. I mean doing something other than planning for the trip away from the Frozen Throne…I believe that you should revisit Icecrown, Arthas. There are some things there that I wish to show you…'
'…What kind of things?' Arthas asked, his curiosity once again peaked. 'Something useful, I hope?'
Arthas had taken the bait, as he had expected. The Lich knew his vessel had heard that particular thought, but Arthas was by now used to thoughts such as that. 'Yes…very useful indeed,' Ner'zhul replied. 'After all…perhaps you could use with some armour that matches your helm; the armour of a king.'
HISPERFECTQUEEN
12/02/13
HOLLY: Please read and review! I just had a very long weekend, I'm extremely tired, and I only just managed to get this chapter on in time; I have to go to CLASS now and I just want to SLEEP! Make my day; help me keep myself awake with happy thoughts, knowing that my work is being read!
Just thought I'd mention it one more time! My updates will be in fortnights; this is on the condition that I get at least TEN reviews each new chapter. This number may…grow, hopefully as time goes on :) I need interest! It fuels my imagination!
I need some inspiration guys! Fuel my mind with reviews! I beg of you!
Thanks again!
EDITED 29/02/13- added better page breaks!