Snow in Tirisfal glade lay in thick blankets along the ruins of Lorderan. Under the ruins, the inhabitants of the forgotten city sat by roaring fires, safe and sound from winters icy breath.
Even wasting away and crumbling, Lorderan looked enchanting covered in the powdery flakes.
Sylvanas walked slowly through the ruins, clad in heavy silver clothes she almost appeared to blend in with the gray and whites, as she nimbly avoiding jutting pieces of old debris that lay nearly hidden.
Long, long ago when she was ranger general of Quel'thalas, and the blood elves were in the Alliance, she liked making trips to the human kingdoms in the winter. Snow was a rarity in the elven lands.
She had enjoyed the sights of smoke billowing from the fireplaces of the neat little cottages in the human villages and hearing the bells on horses pulling carts loaded with people, their voices muffled behind heavy wraps of scarves and cloaks.
Vanessa loved snow…
The Dark Lady donned a sad smile remembering the first time Vanessa had actually seen snow. It was the year she had come to live in the Undercity.
Vanessa blue eyes widened in awe and she stopped to gaze at the white flakes drifting down from the clouded sky. She instinctively drew closer to Sylvanas unsure what was happening.
"What is it, mistress?" She asked in surprise.
Sylvanas chuckled stroking the girls long raven hair tenderly. "Snow, Vanessa. We usually get a lot of it in the winter time. The young girl took off a glove and held out her hand, a few flakes landed on her open palm and dissolved instantly.
"It's cold." She revealed to Sylvanas who couldn't resist a smile.
She nodded looking around the ruins. "Yes, and very soon all you see will be covered in heavy blankets of snow."
A light dusting had already coated the ground and Vanessa looked up to Sylvanas expectantly. "Could we come back up to see when that happens, mistress?"
"Of course, child." Sylvanas replied, as they continued walking on.
The memory faded and Sylvanas shook her head slightly. From then on, Vanessa had been enchanted by snow, when ever she had a few free hours always going above the Undercity to play.
Sylvanas could recall clearly, watching the girl from a dark corner, and laughing quietly at her antics as she tossed handfuls of snow into the sky and threw snowballs at rats that scurried about. Even as she grew older she would come up here to simply stare at the quiet beauty of it all.
A pang of guilt hit Sylvanas and she stopped in her tracks. For two years now, the girl had been missing, and still not a day went by she didn't cross her mind at some point. The feelings of guilt were instantly replaced by anger against herself and Vanessa. Why should she feel guilty about a slave? The girl had no right to her freedom. She was lucky Sylvanas had shown her the privilege that she did!
Sylvanas cursed herself for not seeing what Vanessa was up to sooner, she was just waiting for a chance to bolt.
The crunch of snow under plate boots alerted the Dark Lady to another presence, and she sighed. "Really Kenton, why does it always appear you follow me, even in the safety of my own kingdom?"
"My job is to protect you, My Lady; you of all people should know danger can lurk behind every corner." He replied humorously stopping a few feet behind Sylvanas.
He shrugged looking around the ruins. "Oddly enough I wasn't following you. I came up here to look at the snow."
Sylvanas snorted disdainfully. "You hate snow; it turns your armor into an ice box and makes your bones ache. Your words, not mine."
The warrior took a handful of snow bringing it close to his face, making out a few singular patterns in the flakes. "Over the years I learned to like it." He laughed before turning to Sylvanas raising a hairless brow. "You're thinking of Vanessa as well."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Sylvanas replied icily, turning away from Kenton. "I came out here because the court was stifling with all those filthy orcs wandering about and their smell didn't help."
The warrior gave a quiet sigh; tilting his head up to a few flakes that were beginning to drift from the sky. "I remember when Vanessa would always come back shivering cold and wet, from playing up here, but with a smile on her face."
As much as Sylvanas was loath to admit it, they were endearing memories, ones that made Sylvanas want smile but she fought through dwelling on her anger.
A disturbing thought entered Sylvanas' mind and she furrowed her brows slightly. "Now that you mention her, do you think by me, wanting to keep Vanessa close, I inadvertently pushed her away?"
The warrior was silent for a moment before nodding. "I think she was confused that you showed her so much kindness, and you knew she would always be loyal. Yet when life became something more than staying in the Undercity…"
"I pulled her in instead of letting her go." Sylvanas concluded with a dry, humorless laugh.
"You were afraid." The warrior stated evenly drawing a sneer from Sylvanas.
Before she could comment, Kenton shrugged. "There is no shame in admitting it. You were afraid, all those emotions that bubbled up inside you when Vanessa started living here, would die away again, and you would become that cold numb person that you hate."
Sylvanas curled her fist angrily, snapping at the warrior. "I don't fear anything, Kenton. Besides, I had every right to keep Vanessa close to me, she is my property, and that's all she ever was. Now she is simply an escaped slave. I'll admit she made me grow fond of her briefly, I didn't see her for what she was, probably due to her demon lineage. Now that she's gone I know the truth. "
"You don't believe that." Kenton replied calmly with a shake of the head. "She meant more to you than a simple slave girl. You prove it now by allowing anger to combat the loneliness and sadness that is dwelling in your heart."
Sylvanas stared at Kenton in disbelief, to have the warrior speak so bluntly and seemingly in no fear of her wrath.
"Shut up." The Dark Lady growled pushing past the warrior, and striding angrily back into the depths of the Undercity.
When Kenton was out of sight, Sylvanas ran a hand through her silver hair, fuming silently as she walked back into the crumbling upper court of the ruins.
The dim light that filtered through the old court and the eerie, quietly echoing noises, triggered a memory from years ago.
Vanessa dragged the Dark Lady eagerly by the hand through the ruined court. Every now and again she would give an extra tug as if Sylvanas wasn't going fast enough. Sylvanas held back a sigh as she allowed the girl to pull her through the Undercity.
"Really Vanessa, I am the Banshee Queen. What would people say if they saw me playing in snow like a child?" She hid a smile at the girl who tilted her head up to the Dark Lady.
"You promised if I learned my Blessing of Kings Spell correctly, you'd go out and play with me, mistress." The girl stated with all the seriousness a seven year old could muster.
Vanessa had been trying to get Sylvanas to come with her for days. In a fit of annoyance, Sylvanas had promised her she would go if she learned the spell, something she had been sure was far beyond the girl expertise. Amazingly, she had accomplished it in a matter of days.
The girl ground to a halt looking up to Sylvanas with her azure eyes pleadingly. Sylvanas sighed shaking her head, and letting a smile creep to her black lips. "Let it never be said, the Banshee Queen did not keep her promises. I suppose 30 minuets wouldn't be terrible."
The memory faded, and Sylvanas couldn't resist a smile, 30 minuets had turned into the rest of the day. Playing with her, and teaching the young girl how to track and survive in the snow, skills Sylvanas never truly needed, but as a ranger general, had none the less.
Shaking the memory off, Sylvanas frowned. She should have never allowed the slave to get so close to her. Making sure the girl stayed a tool for her own ends should have been the extent of her contact with Vanessa.
Murmuring something incomprehensible, more than likely a curse, the Dark Lady continued to make her way back into the Undercity.
Orc guards glared at her, but saluted as she passed. The ride down the elevator seemed to last forever and Sylvanas nearly ran out when at last it opened at the bottom.
The sharp glint in her sanguine eyes averted any of her loyal subjects from addressing her as she walked leisurely through her city. It would give her time to conjure up more anger to combat the memories that seemed to be plaguing her today.
The shouts and clashes around the war quarter made Sylvanas smile, the thoughts about Vanessa fading briefly. It did her proud to see so many of her people training for war against the Alliance.
Garrosh was a barbarous idiot but he did have a certain goal Sylvanas agreed with him one hundred percent. Azeroth belonged to the Horde.
As she came into view of the soldiers working their techniques against training dummies, her mind roved back to Vanessa.
Teenage Vanessa… the thought caused Sylvanas grimaced. That had been a challenge; she had never been so confounded by anything.
Most days she was perfectly fine, but others…well, she was a teenager. Truly, it had only been some days in her training, where attitudes and rebelling appeared the most, but it was those times that lines of master and slave became vividly drawn.
Back then Sylvanas had hated throwing her weight around, as it were. She didn't like reminding Vanessa she was a slave, but sometimes it appeared you couldn't get the girl to do anything without tacking on some type of threat.
Another memory resurfaced.
Not every memory Sylvanas had about Vanessa were happy ones; a few, especially in her teenage years, were less than pleasant.
"Again." Sylvanas order the paladin, her arms crossed as she looked over Vanessa who was attacking the battered training dummy.
Vanessa uttered a low grunt as she preformed her Crusaders Strike for what felt like the thousandth time.
The satisfactory muffled thump of her sword hitting the dummy's extra padded torso was lost on Vanessa who grit her teeth in agitation but said nothing.
"Again." The Dark Lady repeated only to have Vanessa throw her blade down.
She turned to Sylvanas glaring angrily; sweat dripping from her forehead and breathing heavily. "You've had me at this for an hour. Doing the same move I know by heart, over an over, an over! Why?"
"Again." Sylvanas said calmly, but there was no mistaking the dangerous icy tone beneath the words.
"Give me a reason first." Vanessa growled, her fist curled in anger.
The Dark Lady flashed Vanessa a sly grin, nodding. "Alright."
With in seconds Sylvanas had her daggers drawn leaping at the weaponless paladin. Vanessa feinted to her left, dropping low to grab her blade, raising it up just in time to parry one of the daggers. The other, however managed to break through, sending a slash of pain through the paladin's arm.
Vanessa hissed in pain, parrying like a mad woman to avoid the stings of pain Sylvanas was causing on her person. With every parry one blade got through.
"Wait…stop…I cant…" Vanessa tried to speak but it seemed every word was met with another lash of pain.
"You're in the Arithai Basin, traveling the road north to the mine. All of a sudden, you're beset by the enemy, a warrior and a druid. Rushing up behind them is a warlock, and nearby in the brush, a rogue has been trailing you." Sylvanas said in that same calm voice, her onslaught never lessening as she continued her example. "You've been fighting all day, your near exhaustion. What ability are you going to use the most? The one you know best." She began to move faster now, her blades almost a blur. Vanessa arms felt numb and she bled from several wounds and still Sylvanas continued. "You cannot afford to be sloppy, you must be precise with every move." If possible she went even faster, now every move bringing back a trail of Vanessa's blood. "They wont wait or stop, they will attack with everything they've got. You must be, faster, stronger, smarter, better…"
Sylvanas stopped suddenly, dropping her daggers, in a flash she grabbed Vanessa by the front of her shirt. With one good pull she sent Vanessa flying across the training room.
Dazed, the paladin looked up to the stone ceiling, blood oozing from many wounds. Her breathing came out in sharp painful gasp and back screaming in pain. Sylvanas stood over Vanessa shaking her head. "That's why."
She knelt down offering a hand to Vanessa. " I make you train like this because I don't want to see you in that situation completely doomed." Looking over the girl swiftly she nodded. "No permanent damage, your wounds may hurt now but none of your injuries are life threatening. Heal yourself and lets continue with your training."
Once again the memory receded, it dawned on her instantly that some of her people were beginning to stare. With a quiet cough, she continued walking.
Another blunder on her part, explaining herself. Sylvanas explained herself to no one, not even Kenton. To have her do so to a slave no less… She should have had the girl punished for all her teenage rebellion antics.
As she finally entered her private chambers, Sylvanas sat on the edge of her bed. She didn't come here often, once every week or so. But even undead, her body needed sleep of sorts. Right now, it was just a place to be alone.
She opened a nightstand next to the bed, a yellowing piece of folded paper catching her eye around all the knick knacks.
Picking it up, Sylvanas smiled widely as she unfolded it. A faded drawing of two stick figures holding hands, one far smaller than the other. Under the pictures words written in a child's handwriting. 'Me and Sylvanas.'
The Dark Lady sighed, her emotions roiling in turmoil.
Kenton's words came back, and Sylvanas uttered a low strangled cry. All the warriors' words were true.
To lay the truth down bluntly, Sylvanas missed the girl.
"There's nothing you can do about in now, Sylvanas." She talked to herself fighting back the sadness. "She's gone and you cant do a damned thing about it."
Crumpling the paper in her fist, she scolded herself harshly for feeling like she did.
Who knew the memories of one slave could hurt so?