Sylvanas was reading a letter, attempting to feign interest in it, when she felt Faith's presence nearby. She looked up, and a minute later, her wife walked into the main room of Grommash Hold.
Something stirred within her. Even after all this time, seeing Faith gave her an inordinate amount of pleasure. It was uncanny, really, the effect this one person had had on her life. The way she'd made her discover love and hope.
"Welcome back," she said, wanting to add more, but acutely conscious of the fact that they weren't alone. She wished they were in Undercity, surrounded by her guards who were used to her displays of affection with Faith. The guards here, orcs and trolls, for the most part, didn't see things the same way.
Faith walked right up to her and knelt, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "Thank you, my general."
"I'm guessing things went well in the Glades?"
A nod, "Yes, for the most part. Avelin and Raina got the artifacts, which is the important part. They lost a few companions, though."
"These things happen, I'm afraid." Sylvanas hesitated, then got to her feet, "Come with me."
Faith got up as well, following Sylvanas to a concealed alcove behind the throne. "What is it?"
"I just want to kiss you," said Sylvanas, doing just that. Her lips were soft, cold, and Faith wrapped her arms around her neck, enjoying the moment.
"Mmm, thank you, love," she whispered. "You're catching me by surprise."
"Good. I'm always trying to think of new ways to surprise you." Sylvanas kissed her again, more softly this time. "There is something else I'd like to talk to you about, and I'd like to do it in moderate privacy."
Nodding again, Faith touched the animal skin that hid the alcove, magic seeping through her fingers. Suddenly, neither of them could hear a sound coming from the other side. "We're alone," she said.
"Thank you."
"What do you need to tell me?"
"A few more people have found their artifacts. It appears whoever chose the wielders did a very good job of it, because as far as I've been told, nobody has yet failed to retrieve one."
"That's good news," said Faith, wondering why this had to be shared in private.
"It is, and it isn't. You see, one of the artifacts retrieved was Ashbringer."
Faith stared at her, "Tirion's weapon."
Sylvanas gave a nod, "That's right. We all thought that he had died on the Broken Shore, but the Burning Legion kept him alive for whatever reason."
"Alive?" asked Faith, her voice strangled. "Tirion survived what happened to him?"
"For a time, yes. The paladin charged with retrieving Ashbringer was Lathos Highsong, you'll remember him, I think."
Faith inclined her head briefly, "Sure, his family owns a huge armory in Silvermoon."
"Exactly. Anyway, he went to the Broken Shore, and found Tirion alive, but only just. The Burning Legion was torturing him, I think because they wanted to try to turn him into some kind of demon."
"Sounds like what the Scourge used to do," said Faith in a hollow voice. "I'm assuming that Lathos had to kill him? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
Sylvanas brushed back a lock of Faith's white hair away from her face, "I'm sorry. I wish more than anything that you'd been there. Maybe you would have been able to do something to help."
A tear shimmered in Faith's eye for a second before she blinked it away, "I don't see how I would have been able to do anything. I would have probably killed him as well if he was so far gone that the Light couldn't heal him. I'm sure Lathos did everything he could…" she shook her head, then stepped forward to rest for a moment in Sylvanas' arms.
Holding her, Sylvanas kissed her ear, "They brought his body back to Hearthglen for burial. I know that he would like it if you could be there."
"Do you know when the funeral's going to be?"
"In a week from today. I'll come with you if you'd like."
"I'd welcome that."
"Good. Then I'll be with you." She kissed Faith's forehead, "Are you all right?"
"I'm rather getting used to hearing about the deaths of people I care about. It doesn't make it any easier, but…" she nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. Have you heard from Garia?"
"I have. She's fine. Frostmourne is hers. Or, as I understand it, it's actually two blades reforged from Frostmourne's shards."
"I'll have to ask her what happened when I see her next," murmured Faith. "How many more artifacts do we still need?"
"I believe that we've recovered half of them so far."
"So we still have eighteen left?"
Sylvanas gave a nod, "Yes, including Thas'dorah."
"Thas… Alleria's bow?"
There was another nod. "I got word from Velonara a couple of hours ago. She's settled down in Trueshot Lodge with other rangers, and has been speaking to Velien and Vereesa." She pursed her lips, "According to something they've found, Alleria's still alive."
Alleria was still alive.
Alleria was still alive!
Faith's head swam, and she thought for a minute that she was going to faint.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"No, but Velonara said that the intel was very good. According to her, Alleria's being held on some other planet called Niskara."
"Held? As a prisoner, you mean? And you're just standing here without doing anything?"
Sylvanas looked at her, eyebrows raised, "You want me to suddenly abandon the Horde to go to another planet on the off-chance that my long-lost sister Alleria is there?"
"You just said that Velonara's intel was good. Why are you so calm?"
"I'm calm because I won't believe it until I see it for myself. There have been too many false alarms, honey." She held up a hand, "Don't try to sway me on this. If Vereesa goes there, I hardly need to show up."
Faith only blinked before she shook her head, "You disappoint me, Sylvanas."
"You're the one who told me to look out for the good of the entire Horde and not just the good of an individual. Even if it is Alleria and if she turns out to be alive, which I doubt, I really can't go running off to find her, and you know it. Besides, how in the name of the Sunwell are we supposed to get there?"
"I have a feeling that the Dalaran mages have made a lot of progress when it comes to traveling between planets and dimensions. In any case, I'll go check in with them and see whether I can lend them a hand."
And before Sylvanas had even opened her mouth to order her to stay in Orgrimmar, Faith disappeared, landing back in the magical city.
She made her way through the streets quickly, paying very little attention to the way people were eyeing the blade at her waist. A few minutes later, she was at Krasus' Landing, requesting a portal to Trueshot Lodge, where all of the hunters and rangers were to be headquartered during the campaign against the Burning Legion.
"I know it's unconventional, but I do have a matter of import to discuss with the rangers there."
The person in charge of transportation looked at Faith, clearly ill at ease, "It's just that we are not supposed to send people other than rangers and hunters to that area."
Faith nodded, "I understand your predicament, and take full responsibility for any consequence that may take place afterward."
It took the tauren a while, but finally, she consented, giving Faith the coordinates to Trueshot Lodge so that she could create a portal there.
There was snow in patches on the ground. At the top of a steep hill, surrounded by lofty pine trees, was a beautiful lodge that had been constructed along night elven lines. Several guard towers stood there, and it was from there that Faith heard her name.
"Faith? What in the world are you doing here?"
Turning, lowering the hood on her head, Faith saw a familiar figure walking towards her.
"Halduron!" she exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were going to be here! I thought you in Silvermoon still."
"Lor'themar gave the order for half of the Farstrider forces to be dispatched to the Broken Shore in order to help against the Burning Legion, so I decided to come with them." He looked at her carefully, "You shouldn't be here, though. No offense meant at all, but you're a mage, not a ranger."
"I know, I know, and I won't be long, believe me. I was just wondering whether Vereesa and Velien had left yet to get Thas'dorah."
"They're just making their final preparations for the trip. Why do you ask?"
"You know why I'm asking, Halduron."
"You want to go with them?"
"Of course I want to go with them. If Alleria's alive… we should all be going."
"I daresay they would appreciate your help, especially now that you've managed to get Felo'melorn back from the clutches of the Scourge. You went back to Icecrown?"
"I did, and I never want to go back there again."
He nodded, "I'll check with the other members of the Unseen Path to see whether you can stay."
"I'll understand if I can't," she said. "I'll wait here if you don't mind." She walked to a tree and leaned on it, looking away from the picturesque lodge that rose several yards away from her. She itched to explore the area but understood the need for privacy.
Halduron returned with Vereesa a short while later. Her sister-in-law was dressed for battle, in full mail armor, with her bow in her hand.
"You want to come with us, Faith?" she asked without preamble, her voice conveying no warmth whatsoever.
"I'd love to, if you'll have me."
"And this isn't a ploy for the Horde to be involved in the retrieval of the artifact weapons? Word has it you were involved in securing two weapons other than your own," she nodded towards the blade at Faith's waist.
Faith frowned, "Word travels fast, I see. All I did was secure a passage for them through Tirisfal Glades, and I kept a team on standby in case something went wrong. I assisted them in no other way." She looked at her closely, "You've been talking to Greymane, haven't you?"
"He makes a persuasive point."
The smile Faith gave her was cold, "Yes, I'm sure he does. The only thing I want to do is help you find Alleria."
"We don't need your help. You're a mage, this isn't your fight."
"I'm your sister by marriage, right, which means that I'm her sister as well. This concerns my family, which means that it very much is my fight."
"And I'm telling you that we don't need your help."
It took Faith a few seconds to compose herself enough to nod, "Suit yourself." She turned to leave.
"Look, as Sylvanas' wife, you're now co-warchief of the Horde. Involving you means –."
"You've known me for over a century and you think that I came here for political purposes? You forget who I am, Vereesa. But if you'd rather trust a wolf rather than the woman who was executed for sparing your life in Theramore, that's fine." She focused for a few moments, and a second later, landed in Undercity, feeling a mixture of dull rage and deep sorrow, a combination she didn't like. She began to pace around and around the throne room, glad when no guard came to bother her.
What had Greymane been saying about her?
"Faith," came a voice. A voice she knew, a voice she loved.
"Not now, please."
Sylvanas didn't say anything but walked to her and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. "Yes now. You're angrier than I've felt you in a long time."
"You felt that?"
"I did. You weren't happy with me, and you left suddenly, so I've been monitoring you."
"Monitoring me," repeated Faith quietly.
"I don't like it when we fight."
Faith leaned back against her wife, closing her eyes, "Were we fighting?"
"It felt like an unhappy disagreement."
"A disagreement is not a fight," said Faith in a low voice as she turned her head slightly to kiss Sylvanas' chin.
"No, it's not. What's wrong?"
"If you've been monitoring me, as you say, then you know what's wrong."
"I could have told you that Vereesa wouldn't want your help."
"Could you? Could you predict that she would speak to Greymane and that he would fill her head with nonsense, making her think that we abandoned Varian at the Broken Shore?"
"I don't know what he told her. But he's got no love for us, and you know it."
Faith shook her head sadly, saying nothing. Sylvanas, with a small smile, turned her around to face her, smoothing her eyebrows with her thumbs.
"Look, you have a big heart. Even now that you're undead, you keep loving the way you did when you were alive. I know you want nothing more than to help everyone, but you need to accept that many people don't like others meddling in their affairs." She pressed a finger to Faith's lips, "Yes, Alleria is my sister, and that makes you love her because she's an extension of me, and therefore, you feel like it's your responsibility to find her But it's not your place. Not now."
"So you just want me to sit here and do nothing?"
"Of course not. You have a job to do, like everyone else. You have Felo'melorn. Can you think of nothing to do with it?"
"But Greymane –."
"Is a flea-ridden bastard who hates us because I killed his son. You need not worry about him. What you need to worry about is helping me lead the Horde and defeat the Burning Legion." She kissed Faith's forehead, "Come on, my darling. Pull yourself together."
"It's not fair," murmured Faith.
"Nothing about our situation is fair, is it? We were happy in Quel'Thalas together, then suddenly, our world died and we ended up here."
"Happy, is that what we were?" Faith chuckled. "Dancing around each other until we practically imploded upon ourselves with lust?"
Sylvanas grinned, "We did nearly implode with lust, didn't we?" Bending her head down, she trailed a series of kisses over Faith's neck. "I never told you this, but I pleasured myself often when thinking of you."
Faith made a strangled sound in the back of her throat and turned around, "You did not!"
"Oh, but I did. There were so many nights I was alone in my tent, longing for you… I had to get relief."
"You could have come to me at any time… taken a portal or something…"
Sylvanas laughed softly, "As if I would have wasted money on a portal. Remember how ridiculously expensive they were?"
A nod, "Thirty gold crowns per person, I know, and that was just one way. But it's not as if you didn't have the money for it."
"I would have ruined myself coming to you every time I needed you. Every time I wanted to taste your skin…" Sylvanas groaned and kissed her, a hand on the back of her head, holding her in place.
Faith moved slightly to press herself closer to her, kissing her back hungrily. Heat rose between them so fast it left them dizzy for a moment, forcing them to pull back and regain their composure.
"By the Light," whispered Faith, sounding nearly breathless despite the fact that she wasn't attempting to breathe. "You still make me react the same way, you know that?"
"I know. You get to me too, beautiful."
"I love you."
Sylvanas' fingers ghosted over Faith's cheeks, "I love you."
"Will you marry me?"
Sylvanas bit back a grin and pressed her forehead to Faith's, "I already did."
"It wasn't a dream?"
Shaking her head, Sylvanas reached down to take Faith's hand in hers so that their rings touched, "You see? I am yours, and you are mine."
"Forever?" asked Faith, her voice small.
"Forever. I promise." She kissed her again, and once more, Faith kissed her back, snaking her arms around her neck. "Mmm, you want us to go to our room for a bit?"
Faith looked at her, "You're offering me sex?"
"Shocking, isn't it?"
"Sexy is what it is."
"We'll have to make it quick as I need to be back in Orgrimmar soon."
"How soon?"
"Twenty minutes."
It wasn't much time, but the two of them knew exactly how to make things count between them. With her fingers, Faith made Sylvanas scream for mercy, loving it when liquid suddenly spilled from her. Paying her back, Sylvanas, in turn, reduced Faith to a quivering bundle of ecstasy, crying out into a pillow to keep from alerting the entire city to her pleasure.
Faith had to admit… Sylvanas was good at making her forget about her anger…
Author's note:
Hi everyone! I'm back from my holiday in the States, where I very nearly froze my nipples off. I hope to be able to update on a much more regular basis from now on! Thank you for waiting so long for this part! I hope you enjoyed it!
Love,
Lunarelle