My shoulder hurt, but the pain of losing was unbearable. I stared up, eyes wide as I saw the skeletal horse followed its master's urge to trot up next to me. The undead battled around us. I felt the magic buzzing through the air as the magisters cast spell after spell. I heard my mother's grunts of frustration as another defender undoubtedly fell. But though I felt and heard much, I saw only one thing in my sights. The prince himself stared down at me, a smirk playing on his face.
"You look like a kid, elf. Whatever business you had on the front lines is over now." He pointed his runed blade to me. "Let's see one more swing. Come on. It'll be entertaining." The smirk stretched into a wide grin.
My head rolled to the side, seeing another of the fallen defenders convulse before rising, bones protruding from their flesh, blood dripping from the rips formed. The defender's jaw dropped, detaching from the man's skull. He had transformed into another of the disgusting, smaller creatures, joining alongside the others who had been raised into the army. My mind raced to the thought of the same fate awaiting me next. I would not live through this. I would not die, either. I would be thrust into limbo, turned mindless, losing my body. I looked back to at the prince above me. All I could do now was bargain. My tongue wetted my lips, wiping the ash from them before I spoke.
"…You win. I will serve… I will serve willingly if my appearance is kept intact. And I will be the most loyal servant of all."
Arthas smiled. I clenched my eyes shut as his blade sank through my chest. Minn'da, ann'da, you will not lose your son… I won't become a monster… You'll see me… You'll know me… A voice flooded into my head, stopping my thoughts in their tracks. It was a comforting voice, but commanding all the same. It was a trusted advisor to me now. I listened intently, standing at its command. I looked around. So ugly! The world was so despicably unsightly now! The golden forest was nothing but a lie. It was alive. Life! I couldn't stand it! But as I looked away from the forest, I saw the path the army had left. A jagged black scar on the land. I smiled. It was dead. All of it, the wake left by the army, it was all dead, never to return to life.
Never. Never was true. Never was forever. Never was immortal.
I was now immortal.