Zul'Aman

"You don't think they'd notice if we're late, do you?"

Athrodar chuckled, pulling Sylvanas towards him by the waist of her leggings and kissing her. "I think they would notice something was up if we turn up half dressed."

Sylvanas bit her bottom lip after he kissed her again, almost letting go of the breastplate in her hands and forgetting about the attack on Zul'Aman entirely when Athrodar moved his hands around her. "I need you to put this on for me." She whispered to him when he leaned in for another kiss, placing a hand on his chest to keep him a couple of inches away. "As much as I want to continue our fun, I don't think Lor'themar will be too pleased with us."

Taking the breastplate off her, he shook his head when she span around and held up her hair. "You've done this countless times on your own." He stated, getting to work on placing the armour piece over her chest. "I don't know why you need me to put it on now."

When the breastplate was placed on her, she felt him begin to tie up the straps on her back. "Because I would be here for a lot longer if I done it myself." Feeling him kiss her shoulder, she span around to face him once more, knowing it wouldn't fall off. "Besides... This way we can spend a little more time on our own before we have to meet up with everyone else."

Athrodar watched her put on her shoulder guards, throwing a cloak around her and strapping it to the shoulders shortly after. "Are you sure you just don't want my hands to leave you?" He asked, looking down at himself. "I'm still half dressed as it is."

"I'm not complaining." She said with a grin, tracing a finger along his scarred chest and admiring how well built he was. "Are you sure they will notice if we're late?"

He looked down at her finger that began to trace a line towards his ranger leggings. "You just stopped me from kissing you, my Queen." He took hold of her wrist, stopping her hand just as her finger hooked the top of his leggings. "I don't think it would be fair if I allow you to do what you're thinking."

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow at him. "You would deny your Queen what she wants?" Her tone was serious, though Athrodar remained neutral which made her sigh, lowering her head. "You're right... Besides, it would make us a lot later than I planned."

Throwing on his tunic, Athrodar glanced over to her when she made her way over to her boots. "Albeit true, we have literally just had our brief moment of fun for the past hour. I'm sure you can wait a while before our next... session."

Slipping her feet into her boots, she smirked at his sentence and fell backwards on the bed, looking up at the ceiling of her chambers. "I have to ask, since when could you make a gateway to my chambers?"

Athrodar pulled up his hood once his cloak was secured on his person, picking up his belt that held his knives and dagger. "The second week I joined you I figured we would need a quick getaway to here if we ever needed to release our frustrations. So I left a rune stone here that would allow me to open up my death gate to this room." Once his belt was strapped to him, he made his way over to the bed and his boots. "I think it worked out for the better."

As soon as Athrodar sat down on the bed to put on his boots, Sylvanas sat on her knees behind him and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek. "You're going to regret telling me about that trick." She pressed her cheek against his, watching as he kissed the top of her hand. "This Queen will make use of it whenever the opportunity presents itself."

"And this Death Knight won't always allow you to make use of it." He told her, glancing over his shoulder and seeing her pout at him. "Don't give me that look, it won't work on me."

Sylvanas began to bat her eyelashes at him, sitting down beside him. "Please..."

Athrodar continued to look back at her, slowly smiling as she stared back at him. "Since you asked so nicely..." He said, standing up and over his Queen. "I may allow you to make use of it."

She got up onto her knees once more, placing her hands on either side of his face and giving him a quick kiss. "Thank you."

"Whatever my Queen wants." He told her, placing his hands on her waist and returning the kiss.

"Mmm.. If only I could actually believe that."

"Oh? And why can't you believe that?"

Sylvanas smirked at him. "Because you like to make things difficult, especially for me."

Athrodar chuckled. "That's only because you like a challenge." Just as he began to lean closer to her, there was a knock at the door, quickly followed by Viraleth telling them that it was almost time to leave for Zul'Aman. "So close, my Lady." He quietly told her, separated by mere inches and hearing her sigh. "Perhaps next time we should talk less."

Sylvanas got off the bed, walking over to desk and picking up her swords. "Perhaps... In the meantime, we need to get this Amani problem sorted."

Athrodar made his way towards her, kissing his Queen on the cheek before making his way towards the door. "I will meet you in the ruins. Alonso will be waiting for you in the throne room with the rest of your guard."

A messenger from Silvermoon rode through the dark forest of the Ghostlands, arriving behind Ranger-General Halduron Brightwing and Vol'jin who had also been summoned there to help deal with the Amani. "I bring word from the Regent Lord of Silvermoon." The messenger said, climbing off his mount. "Lord Lor'themar demands an explanation for the presence of this... exile in our lands." He pointed his finger towards Vereesa who glared back at him.

"Quel'Thalas is as much my home as it is yours and I would not see it fall to our ancient enemy. Now, you tell your cowardly regent -"

"Vereesa, please!" The Ranger-General begged, wanting her to stop before she said anything she may later regret. "She is here at my invitation." Halduron said to the messenger, turning to face him. "Most of my Farstriders are away and cannot be recalled easily. Vereesa's rangers know the land and they are experienced combatants."

Athrodar appeared through the forests first, listening to Halduron and Vol'jin share a few words between each other before the Darkspear chieftain explained what was going on. He began to scan the rest of the group outside the troll city, looking over to Vereesa who was listening to the troll speak. "This... might not be good." He muttered to himself, looking behind him when he heard Sylvanas and her rangers approaching him.

Although she both saw and heard Athrodar address her, her attention was fixed on her younger sister, slowly taking several steps towards the group and having her presence there known when one of her royal guards snapped a twig under their boot. "Ah, Lady Windrunner... You are finally here."

Vereesa looked over to Sylvanas, widening her eyes upon seeing her there and not hiding her surprise when she spoke. "Are you sure you need us here, Brightwing? It is becoming a bit crowded now."

The Ranger-General chuckled lightly. "This is more than I had hoped, but that just means we can get this over with quicker."

Athrodar stood next to his Queen, glancing over to Vereesa who tried to keep her gaze off her sister. "To think she is surprised to see you here is an understatement, my Lady." He said quietly, watching her nod slowly to his sentence.

"I'm not too thrilled she is here myself." She told him, glancing over to him and seeing the weapon in his hand. "Since when do you use a glaive?"

He chuckled at her question, trying his best to listen to the plan that was being said by Halduron and Vol'jin. "Look around and tell me how many rangers you see." When she began to look around, he leaned a little closer to her. "And then tell me how many melee units you see."

"I get your point." She told him, glancing over to Vereesa who looked distracted. "I need you to do something for me before we start the attack." She looked back to Athrodar was waiting for her command. "Speak to my sister. Tell her I would very much like to talk to her. If I go over to her, I know she will try to find a way to keep herself busy." Her fingers brushed past his, watching him look down at her attempt to hold his hand without drawing attention to it. "Please."

Athrodar nodded. "I will speak to her, my Queen."

She smiled, a reaction Vereesa didn't think she would see from her sister ever again. "Thank you." Sylvanas whispered to him, hooking her pinkie finger around his.

The planning went on for some minutes, the four commanders eventually going back to their groups and relaying the plans back to them whilst Athrodar went over to Vereesa, clearing his throat to get her attention. "Yes?" She said, not looking over to him until she was asked to speak with him alone. "Oh, it's you." She sighed, lowering her head a little. "It's my sister, isn't it?"

Athrodar nodded his head once. "It is. She wants to speak to you, though she didn't tell me what it was about."

Vereesa laughed a little. "She has always been secretive. Though I suspect not so much with you as of late, if the rumours I have heard are true."

Athrodar rolled his eyes. "More rumours... What one is it this time?"

Vereesa began to walk away from her rangers, Athrodar following her when she told him to follow. "I hear you have been named her consort." She glanced over to him. "Is that true?"

Athrodar nodded slowly. "It is."

"Do you love her?" She asked almost instantly.

He slowly began to smile, looking over to his Queen. "I think I do."

"You think you do? So you're uncertain?" Vereesa let out a small laugh. "I may not speak to my sister, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see her hurt. So if you do in fact hurt her -"

"I don't want to hurt her." He responded, cutting her off mid sentence. "I may not tell her as often as other people tell those they love that they love them, but that doesn't mean it's any less true."

She looked him up and down, noticing a figure moving closer to them from the corner of her eye and realising it was her sister. "Just don't hurt her." She told him quietly, just before Sylvanas made it over to them.

"Little Moon." The Banshee Queen said quietly, looking over to Athrodar who nodded at her, looking to leave the two of them alone. "You can stay."

Although he wanted to turn down her offer, not thinking it was appropriate for him to stay and listen to what could be a very private conversation, he decided to take her up on it, bowing his head once more and staying by her side. "If my Queen insists."

Vereesa shook her head. "No."

"Yes." Sylvanas quickly said, taking hold of Athrodar's arm. "I need you here."

"To help you talk to me?" Vereesa asked.

"To prove a point, dear sister. And if I'm not mistaken, you never once came to visit me." Taking hold of Athrodar's hand, she stepped closer to him. "But I didn't ask him to take you away from your rangers so we could argue." She let out a small sigh, squeezing the Death Knight's hand tighter. "I have missed you, Little Moon."

To both Athrodar's and Vereesa's surprise, she sounded honest and truthful. "Well... I have missed you too.. Lady Moon." She looked over to Athrodar, nodding towards him. "Why is he here? What point do you need to prove to me?"

"That I am not the cold-hearted bitch you or the Alliance paint me out to be." She smiled a little, seeing the small change in her sister's expression. "I understand I was unbearable at the beginning, my rangers like to point it out to me whenever the opportunity presents itself. I was a ruthless leader that wanted to vent out my anger on anything living." She looked over to Athrodar who returned her gaze, smiling a little brighter when he squeezed her hand this time. "But after Arthas was killed, and I had finally got my hands on this one, I guess I just didn't need to kill everyone and everything."

Vereesa stared at her sister, hating what she had become after the sacking of Quel'Thalas, that she wasn't given the peace she had deserved in death and instead was brought back as a banshee. But at the same time she was finding it hard to hold on to that hate when she saw happiness in her eyes. Something had also crossed her mind that confused her, trying to understand the part after she mentioned Arthas' death. "What do you mean finally get your hands on him?"

Sylvanas smiled some more, lowering her head. "I never told you, but I had arranged to marry Athrodar if, and only if, he didn't have feelings for someone else." She looked up at her sister. "To cut a very long story short, I had a deal with Athrodar's father, grandfather and great grandfather to marry him if he didn't love somebody else. Due to having no children of my own or a suitable husband in sight, I went to a powerful family and looked at the most appealing male they had." She looked over to Athrodar who smirked at her. "After seeing his achievements at such a young age, I knew he was the one."

"Why have you never told me this before?"

Sylvanas shook her head. "I didn't think I had to. You were almost never home after the Second War, running off around the world with that human husband of yours." She stepped closer to her sister, seeing her hesitate slightly and stopping her movements after a couple of steps. "I don't want you to be afraid me, Vereesa. I am still your Lady Moon."

Despite preparing herself for the eventual conversation they were now having by making herself emotionally stronger, she began to feel a lump form in her throat the longer she looked at Sylvanas, slowly shaking her head at the only family member she had outside her sons, husband and nephew. "I am sorry for everything that has happened to you." She said, choking up at the end and stepping closer to her.

When Vereesa stood in front of her, Sylvanas hugged her and quickly received one back, listening to the younger sibling gently cry in her arms as she began to stroke her hair. "It's okay... You are not to blame." She wiped away her sister's tears when she pulled back to look at her, seeing the same look from her she would always get when they were younger. The look of awe a younger sibling usually gives their older siblings.

Athrodar stood nearby, looking around for any approaching messengers until he felt a hand being placed on his arm, looking over to his Queen. "My Lady?"

"We should return to our rangers." She told him, looking over to Vereesa. "I will see you again on the battlefield, Little Moon."

As Sylvanas began to walk away, Vereesa stood by Athrodar just before he followed her. "Keep her safe." She said, looking up at him. "Can you promise me that?"

Athrodar grinned. "We both know she can protect herself. But yes, I will keep her safe."

"Da Zandalari are reuniting da tribes." Vol'jin shouted at the entrance to the Amani city. "We are here to stop dem from completing such a task!" He looked over the army of elves, both Sin'dorei and Quel'dorei as well as the Dark Rangers the Forsaken have brought. "Da Amani are your ancient enemies. I was approached by dem myself, and I turned dem down. Now I have come here to help you in defeated dem!"

Athrodar looked around as all the living began to cheer, not stopping himself from smiling as the need to cheer with them began to slowly take over. What distracted him however was the lack of a few key rangers, one in particular he had thought would lead the Dark Rangers with his Queen. "Where is Clea?" He whispered to Sylvanas who stood as far back as she could from the rest of them.

"Leading the assault on Hillsbrad as we speak." She whispered back to him, glancing over at her consort. "We will join them soon, my love. As soon as we kill every last troll in this city."

He raised an eyebrow at his newly appointed nickname. "My love? When did you start calling me this?"

Sylvanas smiled. "Well, you are mine and I love you." She took hold of his free hand as his other held onto the glaive standing up by his side. "Unless you don't like it?"

Athrodar smiled too, squeezing her hand. "It will do, my Lady." He glanced over to Vereesa who looked to have a fire burning in her eyes. "Your sister looks like she could tear down this whole city by herself."

Sylvanas nodded her head slowly, looking over to her sister as well. "Thank you again, for giving me the opportunity to speak to her." She looked down at their hands, brushing a thumb over his knuckles and just under the claws of his gauntlets. "I didn't think I needed it as much as I really did." She smiled under her hood. "I had missed her."

"Even though you said you weren't too thrilled she was here?" He felt her let go of his hand, smiling a little under his hood and gripping onto the glaive with that hand as well. "It's okay, my Lady. Some people have a change of heart when they confront those they thought they didn't want to talk to."

"Although correct, I didn't need you reminding me." Placing a hand on the hilt of her sword, Sylvanas saw several of the living fighters begin to charge into the Amani city, looking over to Athrodar once more who was waiting for his Queen to give them the go ahead to join the attack. "Take a handful of rangers." She told him placing a hand on his arm. "Stay hidden and give aid to my sister whenever she needs it. I will keep my guard with me and the rest of our forces, pushing straight through the middle of the city."

Athrodar nodded at a handful of Dark Rangers who ran over to him, standing by him as he looked back to his Queen. "We won't let you down, my Lady."

Sylvanas watched Athrodar leave with five other rangers, sighing in relief when she saw Viraleth was amongst them and knowing she would keep an eye out for him whilst he kept an eye out for her sister. "The rest of you, with me!" She commanded, looking back at her rangers and forsaken troops. "The Horde are watching us this day, fighting with us this day. We shall show them that the Forsaken, my new Forsaken, will not be pushed aside so easily."

Athrodar heard the Forsaken cheer out from behind, glancing back to them before pushing the five rangers with him into the Amani city. "What is our task?" Viraleth asked once they were inside, the four other rangers with her nodding their heads to her question, wanting to know the same thing.

"We are to remain hidden and pick off stragglers whilst also watching over the Dark Lady's sister." He looked directly at Viraleth who frowned at him. "This order comes straight from the Queen. She has spoken to her for the first time since she was alive and now wants to build up their relationship once more."

Viraleth nodded her head. "I understand. We will keep her safe if that is what our Queen orders."

As they ventured further in, Athrodar, Viraleth and the other four rangers remained high up in the tribal city, killing any of the Amani that made it up to them whilst making sure Vereesa's back was safe, staying hidden from her in the meantime. "We will hold this ground." Athrodar told them, pointing towards the large city below. "We can see everything from up here and send messages down to each of the leaders if the Amani are on the move."

"And how would you like to do that exactly?" Viraleth asked, looking down at the city. "It's not like we can shout down to them."

"No. But we are six rangers, I'm sure one of us can be a runner if we need to send down a warning. We can even send several if there is more than one attack happening at once." Athrodar pointed his glaive down towards Halduron and Sylvanas, the pair of them launching an attack straight down the middle of the city. "We don't have to worry about our Queen or the Ranger-General of Silvermoon. There are enough of them to ward off any flanking attack."

Viraleth looked over to Vol'jin who attacked the left side of the city. "Maybe not, but the Darkspear chieftain may need our help. He is running into a section of the city we can't see."

Athrodar looked over to the Darkspear Chieftain, sighing deeply when he realised what Viraleth said was true. "Take two rangers with you to see where he is going. We may not have been tasked with over watch, but I'd be damned if we lose a potential ally for our conquest of the Eastern Kingdoms."

Viraleth ordered two of her rangers to move west, looking over to Athrodar who looked down at the city once more. "You don't think he will come willingly?"

Athrodar shook his head. "Only Lor'themar answered our call, and even then it's on the back of helping him. Our Warchief is busy fighting the Kaldorei whilst Baine is struggling to keep the Alliance out of Mulgore." He looked over to the Chief Scout. "And with reports of the Barrens being split in two, the Alliance are concentrated on the great gate more so now than ever."

"Ideally we would need all of them if we were to secure this continent." She told him, glancing over to her rangers that were in place. "We should discuss this with the Dark Lady when we're not in the middle of a hostile city."

"Go." He said, nodding over to the two rangers on the western side of the city. "Report anything down to Vol'jin that could be of help." He looked down at his Queen's sister once more. "No..." He thought, remembering back to what Sylvanas called him. He was looking down at his lover's sister, someone he may have to get to know if Sylvanas does in fact want to keep in touch with her.