Chapter 14

Alyna knew she was pushing the limits of what her body was able to take. The arrival of the army had broken the siege, but that had not been the end of it. The army was tired from their rush to save the village, and the twenty-eight rangers left from defending the siege had fallen asleep in minutes. They had no time to rest though. Sylvanas allowed them four hours before taking most of the army north west to chase the trolls. Zul'Aman was in the south west, but scouts had reported most of the trolls were crossing the river to attack northern Quel'Thalas.

Her shoulder ached. Liadrin had done a great job, but the soft tissue damage had to heal naturally for the best results, and she had no time to rest. Her ability to wield magic was almost completely drained, even with Felo'alann. That was in large part due to her exhaustion. It would take days to recover and that was if she did nothing at all for the duration. That was not going to happen.

The siege had become a matter of pride for those who had survived it. Despite their weariness, all had volunteered to join the army in the chase. She knew what drove them: revenge. As they raced through the ruined villages and devastated forest, the rest of the army began to burn for vengeance as well.

As good as victory had been for the elves' morale, it slowly became apparent the defeat had been taken badly by the troll leadership. The forest troll tribes had begun to fracture from Zul'jin's control, with each tribe starting to do their own thing. They were scattering. Some were trying to escape Quel'Thalas, and had run into the rangers and their ultimate demise. Others were on a rampage, trying for their own glory. It had forced Sylvanas to split the army down into smaller sections to go after the worst of them. Sylvanas had kept a full company's worth with herself, and their target was Zul'jin.

He knew they were after him and was fleeing, leaving his tribe to try and slow them down. Determined not to let him escape, Sylvanas broke off an elite group to stalk him through the trees. They were within the influence of the Runestones, so they did not have to worry about troll shaman. The forest was also still relatively intact, allowing them to track through the trees silently, avoiding most of the trolls. The main section of her company made enough noise to attract the trolls and they were not expecting their small group as they slipped through the various lines.

They pursued him to the banks of Lake Elrendar. The eight elves stood just inside the treeline trying to observe the area.

"I don't see them," reported Halduron.

Sela paced slightly. "Their tracks led right here. They couldn't have gone far."

Sylvanas shushed them all, trying to listen to the ambient sounds around them. None of them picked anything up that was unusual. Even the birds were singing. She turned to them and said, "Halduron, take three and scout around to the north. See if you can pick up any additional tracks before we step out into the open. I'll take the rest south and do the same. We'll meet back here in twenty minutes."

"Aye, General." He took two of the rangers, and Liadrin, while Alyna, Sela and Raynin went with Sylvanas.

They stayed within the trees but kept their eyes on the beach looking for clues as to where the trolls had gone. There were no footprints, or signs that a boat had been pulled up onto the shore. After ten minutes they stopped to turn around and make their way back to the rendezvous, when Alyna realised the animals had gone quiet. She turned to alert Sylvanas at the same time as her general let out a small grunt and fell to her knees.

Sela raised her bow and Raynin his shield as they looked around as Alyna knelt beside Sylvanas, helping her lean against a tree. Sylvanas' eyes were wide but she seemed unable to speak. Alyna had put her hand at the back of Sylvanas' head and realised there was a projectile piercing her hood. She pulled the dart out of her general's neck and gasped as she saw the tinge of poison. Before she had a chance to sniff it to identify what it was, several trolls dropped down out of the trees.

Alyna had been holding Felo'alann and began casting rapidly, trying to protect Sylvanas as much as she could. She managed to kill three trolls before she found her magic would no longer respond. She sheathed her runeblade and unslung her bow, but not in time as a large green body slammed into her, sending them both out of the treeline and sliding down the beach.

The force of the fall split them up and she rolled to her feet, coming face to face with a troll she instinctively knew was Zul'jin. His armour was heavily decorated with bone and other trophies, including elven ears. She snarled at him and he drew a blade, brandishing it with deadly ease. Her bow was a few feet away, and she realised if she reached for her own blade he would attack before she could bring it to bear.

He feinted a couple of times to test her reflexes, and when she was sure he was about to attack her properly, she threw her own feint in, taking a couple of steps back towards the trees. He leapt to block her path and she dived towards her bow. She grabbed it, rose to a knee with an arrow already in her hand, and shot it into his leg, her shoulder screaming in pain with the effort. He grunted and stumbled slightly, but kept coming towards her. Ignoring her shoulder, she reloaded her bow and fired again, this time piercing his neck. He dropped his blade and grasped at his throat, gurgling blood as he collapsed to his knees.

Halduron came running into sight at that point with his group and they converged rapidly. Alyna made eye contact with Liadrin and pointed towards Sylvanas, who was just about visible against the tree she had left her, guarded by Sela and surrounded by dead trolls. Raynin's body lay nearby.

As Alyna stood, Halduron strode over to Zul'jin, who was still struggling with his wound. He back handed the troll leader viciously. She was too stunned to intervene immediately, and the other rangers cheered him on as he beat the troll angrily. She felt her own hatred, her rage, and her spite rise up inside her and she wanted nothing more than to push Halduron aside and to take his place with her fists.

Be wise.

She heard the dragon's voice reverberate through her mind as if he were there, and she knew she had to rise above her baser instincts. She had to push her deep violent urges aside.

"Stop this!" she cried, finally regaining her senses.

Halduron whirled on her, Zul'jin's blood splattered against his gauntlets and armour. "Why?" he shouted angrily. "What mercy has he shown our families? Our friends? He has wiped entire villages from existence! Innocent blood soaks into our soil!"

Alyna strode up to him, letting him know she was not afraid of him. "You don't think I know that? I've seen just as much as you have, if not more. I know what he has done." She looked around at the others, making eye contact with each of them. "I understand your pain. I feel your anger. I want revenge too. But if we do this, we become them."

"Utter nonsense!" the ranger lieutenant spat in her direction.

She ignored him and pushed past him. She grabbed Zul'jin's wild white hair and pulled him back up to his knees. Viciously, she grabbed the arrow shaft and snapped it, and then pulled the rest of the arrow out of the wound. His blood squirted out briefly before she saw his natural regenerative ability kick in. He breathing was still difficult, but the external wound healed in seconds.

Still holding his hair, she raised his chin up to accuse him directly even as her words were intended for the rangers gathered. "What they've done … what he's ordered … that is what they are." She looked back at Halduron. "I won't let him make you, or any of us, monsters like he is."

She drew her runeblade and took a step back from Zul'jin. Realising what she was about to do, Halduron screamed "NO!" and tried to reach her before she could finish. With both hands on the hilt, she swung as hard as she could down into the troll's neck, beheading him cleanly.

Halduron howled his rage and frustration at her before storming off down the beach.

The next morning, Sylvanas and Alyna took a portal to Silvermoon. They had spent half the night rounding up what was left of Zul'jin's tribe, and Sylvanas felt bound to report to the council as soon as possible. She felt she might as well get the report out of the way, and then re-join her rangers to finish mopping up the rest of the trolls. She had brought Alyna with her because there was something else she was going to break to the council, and she figured it would be received better if Alyna was there as well.

Sylvanas was still feeling the effects of the paralysing poison she had been attacked with. If Liadrin had not reached her when she had, she would have rapidly suffocated as her organs stopped working. It was another reason to have someone else along with her as she wasn't entirely steady on her feet just yet.

Sylvanas had witnessed Zul'jin's execution silently, having been unable to even speak from the poison in her veins. She had also not been able to clearly hear what had been said between Alyna and Halduron. As a result, she had deeply disagreed with Alyna's actions at the time, her own losses still achingly raw. Strategically, the troll chieftain could also have held vital information about the numbers and rough whereabouts of his remaining forces. By executing him, they had lost their best source. They had also lost their chance for personal vengeance.

In hindsight, she had realised it had been the right thing to do. She had been furious with Alyna but what she had thought was naivety had perhaps been wisdom beyond her years. When she confronted her lover she was told Alyna had killed him to save them from themselves. She had known their outrage and pain at what the trolls had done to their home could have driven them to do unspeakable things. Somehow, she had just known. She had risen above her own anger and saved them in a way Sylvanas was sure many would never truly realise.

She had only to look at Halduron to see what could have been if the troll had not died when he did. His wild behaviour in the aftermath had convinced her that once they'd had the information they needed, he would not have swiftly executed his prisoner as honour would have demanded. A necessary evil would have become sadistic revenge and she would not have been able to stop it. She trusted her rangers to maintain their honour through such moral quagmires, and felt no need to oversee such matters. She would have trusted him, and she would have been mistaken. It would have cost a good man his soul, along with any others who would have trod in his footsteps. For now, he could not stand to be near Alyna. She hoped he would heal in time and realise what Alyna had been brave enough to do for him.

Sylvanas had expected to spend half the day waiting for her superiors to assemble, but was surprised to find that despite the early hour of their arrival they were all prepared to see her very shortly. To her even greater surprise, the meeting would not be in the council chambers on Quel'Danas, but in the throne room of Sunstrider Spire in Silvermoon with the king also in attendance.

He sat resplendently on his throne, his fine gold and red robes exquisite and no doubt expensive. Beside him was his own runeblade, Felo'melorn, also known as Flamestrike. It had been the first runeblade to become part of their society, and had been passed down through the Sunstrider dynasty for ten millennia. Sylvanas had been disarmed before entering the room, as had Alyna, though Alyna had been allowed to keep her own runeblade. This was partly because of the logistics of handling a weapon that didn't like to be out of its owner's hands, but also as a small recognition of their achievement. The king was powerful enough in his own right to deal with any single threat.

Both elves bowed as they approached the centre of the room before their king. There were three smaller chairs to each side of him, and each held a council member. Sylvanas' grandfather sat to his immediate left, and Alyna's grandfather to his right.

"Welcome home, General," intoned the elderly king.

"Thank you, your Majesty," she replied. More pleasantries were exchanged and Sylvanas began her report. While Vereesa had given them a brief rundown of the events in Lordaeron, she expanded on what they already knew, making sure that Alyna's role in everything did not go unnoticed. She then described the events at Tranquillien, and the subsequent chase and execution of Zul'jin.

"I must say, my dear," began Belo'vir to his granddaughter, "I am surprised but extremely pleased with your progress."

A second voice interrupted. "Surprised? I'd say it's a bloody miracle." The councilman's words dripped with scorn. "Pray tell us, how does an apprentice achieve such feats that even some of our more accomplished magisters struggle with? Across more than one school of magic, no less."

Alyna gave Sylvanas a nervous look, and received a reassuring nod. She slowly reached for the hilt of Felo'alann, and drew the blade. The collective gasp of those assembled bounced off the walls of the throne room as the runes lit up, and Sylvanas had to lower her face to hide her grin. She would never tire of that reaction, she realised with great amusement.

Belo'vir recovered quickly to hurl a reply at his colleague. "Does that answer your question? Felo'alann's knack for magnifying and focusing innate ability has always been known. If it's anywhere near as powerful in Alyna's hands as it was in Falcar's, she'll be running rings around most of us in no time." Alyna stiffened slightly, and Sylvanas was aware of her surprise. Her mentor was generally a very quiet man, and despite wielding a runeblade he had never boasted of the honour. It would appear his discreteness had also extended to his abilities as Alyna had not been fully aware of the greatness of the man she had been tutored by.

The grand magister turned to Alyna with a brilliant smile on his face. "Congratulations, Alyna. I am deeply proud of you. I'm sure you will do great things with your blade. You are clearly an apprentice no more, and once we've got you fully attuned to fire you can call yourself an Arcanist. Of course, that will just be a temporary position. You'll be a Magister in our own right within the next decade I imagine. One of our youngest ever."

His pride was evident in how animated he had become. Sylvanas wondered if he had aspirations for his granddaughter to succeed him as grand magister one day. She realised he was about to be greatly disappointed.

"I will not be attuning, Grand Magister," Alyna announced, softly but strongly.

The room erupted with protests and High King Anasterian Sunstrider was forced to call everyone to order. He leant forward in his throne and addressed his question to Alyna, his voice diplomatically neutral. "It is a requirement for all apprentices to go through attunement to graduate to the next level. Those of us present who are mages have all been through the rite, including myself. Why would you purposefully restrict your progress, Lady Salonar?"

"Ranger General Windrunner has offered to reinstate my position as a Ranger Captain within the Farstriders. I have accepted. Any rite of attunement would nullify my ability to utilise the natural magic of the rangers and render me ineffective at my job."

The noise in the room exploded again. Sylvanas was impressed with her lover. Her voice had held no hint of nerves as she spoke. She wasn't sure if it was her own fear, or the remaining poison in her body, but it was taking great effort for the general not to shiver with the amount of nervous energy coursing through her body.

"Enough!" ordered the king, "or I will have the room vacated!" Two of the council members had stood from their chairs, and now reluctantly sat back down. Their outrage remained on their faces. Both grandfathers were glaring angrily at Sylvanas, and she was the target for the king's next question. "You should know better than to offer such a thing, General. She certainly cannot accept."

Sylvanas pulled on all of her experience in dealing with those gathered for the courage to say her piece. "I beg to differ, your Majesty." She glanced briefly at Alyna before continuing, "The mage contingent were absolutely vital to our success these last few weeks, as were the priesthood. Both of us would not be standing here before you now if it wasn't for magic, or the Light." She let that knowledge sink in before speaking again. "We all know that there are many in our society who spend their lives doing menial tasks within the magocracy because they show too small a talent for magic, but just enough for us to consider them dangerous and remove them from their families, their friends, their very lives. What of them? Don't they deserve the chance to make something of themselves? Even their small talent can make a difference within the Farstriders if they showed an aptitude for our way of life. I am willing to open our ranks to include any who pass our tests and prove themselves worthy."

This time, it was her own grandfather who spoke up. "But Alyna is no small talent destined for life as an apprentice."

Sylvanas inclined her head in agreement. "You're right. She is quite the opposite. Before her magic manifested she was an extremely gifted ranger, in my opinion second only to myself in talent. And now, as a mage, the Grand Magister himself believes she will eclipse even some of your esteemed selves present here today." She ignored the scoff from off to the side. "It is my understanding, as a layman in these things, that attunement is normally required to unlock abilities that cannot be accessed without the rite. I put it to you that Alyna has already proven she does not require this unlocking as Felo'alann has already done it for her with her primary element. All the rite would accomplish now would be to limit her ability to perform other types of useful magic. You would effectively castrate her." She held back her smile as the males reacted to her intentional analogy.

The king gazed impassively at Sylvanas before turning his attention to Alyna. "I concede the General's argument is a logical one. What I don't understand is why you will not embrace life as a mage, instead of being a ranger."

The two women looked at each other for a long moment before Alyna replied, "I admit that I have taken more enjoyment from my magic in the past few weeks than I ever have in three decades, but that is all it is. A fleeting joy, a temporary fulfilment of a task that gets me what I want. It's a useful tool to me, not the lifeblood that drives me like I know it is for those of you who are magisters." A few reluctant nods could be seen. "Being a ranger is what I am. I have lived and breathed that existence for over a century, and the thirty years I have been in Quel'Danas have felt like exile; a punishment instead of an honour." The grand magister shifted awkwardly in his seat. "Being back with the army lately has only just affirmed my true calling to me. I am a Farstrider who can throw fireballs. Not a mage who can use a bow."

The throne room remained quiet as the king contemplated her words and the emotion behind them. Finally, he smiled. "I envy you, Alyna Salonar." The councillors turned to look at him in surprise as he reached for his own runeblade, the runes responding to his touch. "When my father handed Felo'melorn to me, it was the happiest day of my life at that point. It took years, but the blade eventually bonded with me." His eyes flickered up to meet Alyna's. "That was the saddest day of my life." He chuckled without mirth as he set the blade down, his voice taking on bitter tones. "My destiny was already set for me – I was to become High King upon my father's death. My life revolved around being prepared to lose a man I loved, and to rule my people. When the blade bonded with me, I knew the other possible paths my life could have taken that were closed to me. The potential of a runeblade is immense." He sat back in his throne and gazed intently at Alyna. "But you are not bound by such things. As such, I will have you realise your potential as you see fit, Lady Salonar."

Sylvanas felt her knees weaken so she could only wonder how Alyna had not collapsed to the floor with her own relief. She could feel her tremble with gratitude, and it showed in her shaky reply, "Th-thank you, y-your Majesty."

"I do ask one thing of you, Flameheart." Alyna blinked at him. The king never asked for anything; he ordered. "Your blade has chosen you for a reason, and the gifts it grants must be explored and realised for you to meet your full potential. That requires training, and guidance." He nodded at Sylvanas, "You already have the best possible with regards to your ranger training, and I submit to you that there is no one more suited than Magister Falcar to guide you in your unique magical talent. While you may be tempted to shun all things connected to your time on Quel'Danas, I urge you to consider continuing your formal training under your mentor." He smiled. "I hereby grant you the rank of Arcanist, whereby no one will have need to require you to attune should you not wish it. But I do ask you to continue to explore this side of you, Captain Salonar. It is now an inescapable part of you, but at least now you can embrace it on your own terms. If anything, I believe you owe it to yourself to see what you are truly capable of."

Alyna seemed thrown by his words. As much as Sylvanas hated to admit it, he was right. She had no idea what that meant for them as a couple, or for Alyna's life as a ranger, but she had faith they could figure it out.

"I will consider your words carefully, your Majesty."

The king turned to Sylvanas. "I expect you will be flexible to any decision she makes in this?"

Sylvanas nodded her agreement. She would support Alyna in any way required. She was not about to make that mistake again. "Yes, your Majesty."

"Good."

They spent a few more minutes discussing details of the continued efforts to clear their land of trolls. Once the deed was accomplished, the king wanted to hold a parade through the streets of Silvermoon and honour those who had gone above and beyond the call of duty. He expected Sylvanas to submit a few names for a medal ceremony. She wondered if he realised what an awful task that could be, as she was of the opinion that everyone deserved recognition.

When the two women left the throne room, they stood outside together shaking with the release of nervous energy and tension. They looked at each other and grinned.

"We did it!" exclaimed Alyna.

Sylvanas chuckled, "It appears we did."

Alyna flew into her arms and they held each other tightly. Sylvanas could hear Alyna sob quietly before whispering, "I'm free."

Sylvanas stroked her hair softly, a lump forming in her stomach. Neither of them were free quite yet. She still had to deal with her blackmailer, and until that was done they would not be left alone.

Alyna pulled back slightly and they kissed passionately, not immediately minding where they were for the moment. Sylvanas felt a familiar stirring inside her, and broke their embrace. She kissed Alyna's nose apologetically for pulling them apart. "Let's get our bows, and then how about a tour of your room on Quel'Danas?"

Unsurprisingly, Alyna agreed to her plan.