Nearly four weeks passed. Sylvanas sent her letter to Anduin, but she was fairly certain that it wouldn't do any good, contrary to what Faith believed. However, following her wife's advice, she added a note to him about his father's death.

Unbeknownst to people, she still thought about what had happened on the Broken Shore. About how Atalo had died and how everything had changed.

I really never meant for Varian to die, she thought, allowing herself a rare moment to think about what she felt.

Gentle arms surrounded her from behind. She closed her eyes as Faith kissed her ear, gently suckling on one of the earrings there. She leaned back into her wife's embrace. "Hi," she murmured.

"Hi." Faith moved a little, kissing her cheek, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I'm just wallowing."

"Wallowing? You?"

"Yes, me. It happens. I wallow sometimes."

"No, you don't." Faith turned her around, "Has something happened?"

"Nothing in particular." She cleared her throat and turned around, placing a chaste kiss on Faith's lips. "What are you doing back here? I thought you were in Azsuna helping Garia with the Tidestone."

"The trail's gone cold, I'm afraid. We have people in Dalaran processing some clues we found, but in the meantime, she's gone over to Faronaar to help push back the demons. I can't believe how many of them are still there despite the work we did to drive them out three weeks ago."

"They're nothing if not determined," said Sylvanas. "So you're looking for something to do?"

A chuckle, "Hardly. I came back because I missed the feel of your kiss on my lips."

Sylvanas opened her mouth, but found that she had absolutely no answer for that comment. She simply stared at Faith, feeling warmth blossoming in her chest. Falling in love all over again.

She kissed her gently, molding her lips to hers, pulling her close. Her skin tingled, veins thrumming with something that wasn't just passion, wasn't just lust.

Fire.

She felt a fire for this girl, the woman in her arms.

Her wife.

They were married.

Picking her up, she twirled her once around the room, grinning.

"Whoa!" squeaked Faith. "What –? Are you okay?"

Sylvanas gave a nod, "We're married. You're my wife."

"I know. I took your name and everything."

"It's unreal…"

Faith put a hand on her cheek, stroking the skin there gently, "In a good way?"

"In a great way." Another kiss, "Thank you for marrying me."

"I had nothing else planned that day," said Faith. "Come here."

They kissed again, wanting to be more intimate, but knowing they couldn't, not then. Faith wrapped her arms around Sylvanas' neck, deepening the kiss and making a low guttural sound in the back of her throat.

"Okay, okay…" Sylvanas pulled back just enough for the kiss to stop, "Gods, that felt good. But if you keep this up, I'm going to get turned on and not let you go for days."

"I really won't argue with that, you know."

"Ah, I know, my darling. But we have a war to fight, and we can't beat back the Burning Legion if we're constantly making love."

"We're not constantly making love," whispered Faith. "That's part of the problem."

Sylvanas laughed softly, rubbing Faith's sides, "I'll concede that point." She licked her lips, "Come on, we need to discuss what's going on in the Broken Isles. You can give us a more thorough report on Azsuna."

"You won't like it," Faith said to her.

"I'm sure I won't, but you'll tell me anyway."

They walked back into the main room of Grommash Hold, where people of every race were waiting for them. Faith waved a hand so that the map of the Broken Isles was enlarged, hovering in midair for everyone to see.

"Azsuna is facing attacks on two fronts," she said. "The Burning Legion is in Faronaar, attempting to decimate our forces there. We have death knights, warlocks, and demon hunters fighting them as we speak."

"How big a force are they facing?" asked a tauren brave.

"Hundreds," said Faith. "More come every day to replenish the ones we've killed."

"And they are coming directly from Argus?"

Sylvanas nodded, "That seems to be the general consensus."

"Do you want to send more troops there?"

"The Argent Crusade is working on that," said Faith. "They've dispatched two hundred additional soldiers to the area. Most of them, as I understand, are human paladins. One hopes that the Light will help in this instance." She cleared her throat and pointed to another area of the map, "In the meantime, we are dealing with naga forces here, around Nar'thalas Academy."

A blood elf sergeant peered at the map, "What do the naga want?"

"The same thing we do, the Tidestone of Golganneth. Although I suspect they want it for Queen Azshara's nefarious purposes and not to use against the Legion." She paused, looking at everyone, "I cannot stress how much we don't want her to get her hands on it."

"And what's being done about it?"

"As I told the warchief earlier, the trail for the Tidestone has grown cold. We have people working around the clock trying to figure out where it is, being as our forays into the academy, where it was rumored to be last, have come up empty."

"What does the Tidestone do?" asked an orc, tilting his head to the side.

Sylvanas turned her gaze on him, "We can only guess that it controls water, which would make sense, considering the fact that Azshara wants it. It is said that the rivers and seas of Azeroth flowed from it. I imagine that if Azshara gets a hold of it, she will use it to flood the entire planet, and that would be the best case scenario."

"So, what, you want us to go to Azsuna and kill every naga we see?"

"That's not a bad idea," Faith told him. "Why don't you get on that?" She shook her head, "I'm just letting you know what's going on there. Yes, we will be sending more troops to Azsuna to deal with the naga. But their empire is vast, and if by any chance they have the Tidestone, it'll take us quite some time to locate it."

"Didn't Senegos say that the Tidestone was shattered?" Sylvanas asked Faith.

"Yes. Azshara shattered it millennia ago. Why?"

"And nobody's found any of the pieces?"

"Nobody came looking until now," said Faith. "The pieces could have been lost during the Sundering for all we know."

"But if the naga had those pieces," said Varok Saurfang from the doorway, "they wouldn't be attacking in force like that."

"Not unless it was a distraction," said the tauren.

Faith held up a finger, "No, he's right. The naga are continuously attacking the area, it's not just a distraction. We caught a band of them within the academy walls, rifling through old papers that crumbled beneath their claws. They were looking for something, maybe the same clues we have."

A Forsaken stepped forward, a man Faith only knew by sight but had never spoken to. "We've been fighting the Legion for months, and we haven't gotten anywhere at all. How long do we think this is going to go on for?"

Several people echoed his statement, forcing Sylvanas to raise her voice.

"Hey! We are doing everything we can against them. But this is a full-scale invasion, the likes of which we have never seen before. The people who were alive during the War of the Ancients have said that this makes the invasion back then look like a rehearsal." She walked around the room slowly, "We don't know how long this is going to go on for, but rest assured we will not stop fighting until every single one of them is dead. We will not let them take Azeroth."

"What if we all die?" asked a troll.

"Then we all die," Faith told her. "We'll die fighting for our home, as we have done many times before."

They had died fighting for their home many times before. But Faith had to admit in the weeks that followed that it was a tedious thing to do day in and day out.

She was stationed in Azsuna, going back to see Sylvanas at least once a day, even if it was just for a few minutes. Those stolen moments together reminded them of the times they'd needed each other so badly when the two of them had been alive. It wasn't enough, but it was oddly thrilling. And it sustained Faith through the harsh times of the fight against the naga and the Burning Legion.

"You would think they'd coordinated the attacks," she muttered one evening as she lay in Sylvanas' arms, the two of them having just had a quick and completely satisfying bout of sex.

Sylvanas kissed her neck, not wanting her post-coital bliss to ebb away just yet, "The naga did, maybe."

"What do you mean?"

Resigning herself to talking about strategy, Sylvanas traced patterns over Faith's bare skin with a forefinger, "Maybe they saw that the Legion was freakishly active and decided to launch their attacks at the same time to keep us from focusing our attention fully on the Tidestone."

"That's calculating," said Faith, "even for them."

"Nobody ever said that Azshara was a simpleton, love."

Faith made an affirmative sound. "I suppose it makes sense. What bothers me though is the sheer amounts that we're facing. They don't let up. I mean, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that someone was raising them as undead or something."

Sylvanas frowned. Undead naga was a thought that was anything but pleasant. "Bite your tongue, sweetheart, lest you give someone ideas." She ran her hand down Faith's leg, "Oh, I really don't want to get up, but we're going to have to."

"You enjoy having me home, don't you?"

"Very much so. Even though Orgrimmar is hardly home."

"You know what I mean," said Faith, kissing her. She went to get out of bed, but Sylvanas grabbed her, kissing her again and wrapping her arms around her. Far from protesting, Faith settled into the kiss, wanting nothing more than to indulge in her wife.

There was a knock at the door.

A sound of frustration escaped Sylvanas' throat as she slumped back against the pillows. "One day… one day you and I will be able to make love as much as we want without someone interrupting us for something." She pulled the sheet over herself and Faith, "What?" she called.

The door opened and an orc poked his head into the room, only to yelp in embarrassment and close the door again. "Begging your pardon, Warchief…" he said.

Faith summoned robes for the two of them before calling the orc back in.

"What is it?" she asked.

Speaking to the floor, he told them that there had been word from the druids in Val'sharah. "They sent this for you." He dropped a bit of parchment on the bed and left again, clearly mortified at what he had seen.

Faith picked up the parchment and handed it to Sylvanas, who read it quickly. "Huh. I thought the druids were handling the situation in Val'sharah."

"They are," said Faith. "Has something happened?"

"You're being called to the front there. Apparently, there's something happening with the demons and the Emerald Nightmare."

"Emerald Nightmare," repeated Faith. "Xavius?"

"It doesn't say, but I guess it's a pretty safe bet." Sylvanas rubbed her temples, "I owe my history instructors a massive apology."

Faith smirked, "You thought you'd never use what they taught you?"

"Precisely. How was I supposed to know that we'd be dealing with all this?"

"There was no way to know. Seeing the future is damn near impossible because there are so many possibilities. Just ask Chromie."

"I'll get right on that. I guess you're going to have to go."

Faith inclined her head in agreement, "I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?"

Sylvanas smiled a little, pushing a lock of white hair behind Faith's ear, "I know you don't want to leave."

"Do I ever?" Faith kissed her, then got to her feet, putting on comfortable dragon hide robes with a high collar and slits on the side to allow her to run if needed. The entire outfit was inky black, but the lining of the robes was white. She smiled when Sylvanas stopped whatever she was doing to stare at her. "What?"

"That dress hugs your body exactly the way it should," she said.

"The way you should, you mean."

A chuckle, "Yes, the way I should all the time." She took her hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing it, "Report back to me when you can. Oh, and before I forget." She produced a white object from the folds of her cloak, "Here."

"Another hearthstone?"

"Yes. This one will lead you here, since I happen to be in Orgrimmar more than Undercity at the moment."

Faith took it from her. "Thank you. Will you be going back to Undercity anytime soon?"

"I try to go back once a week, you know that. It's my home and I miss it. Things are too bright here."

"Don't I know it. The sun blinds me every time I come to Durotar." She crouched down to pick up Emmigosa, who had been sleeping under the bed. "Hi, sweetheart," she said. "Are you going to be good for your other mommy while I'm gone?"

"Other… what? Faith."

"Well, if I'm her mother, then so are you."

Emmigosa rubbed her face gently against Faith's, making an odd purring sound in the back of her throat.

"Right. That's exactly what I wanted… to be the mother of dragons."

Faith couldn't help but smile, "Come on, you've been treating her well. She's grown over the past few weeks."

"Of course she's grown. She's a dragon and she eats like one. That, and she gets plenty of exercise around here, flying around the city."

"That's good, isn't it Emmi?" She scratched the skin around the dragon's horns before handing her to Sylvanas. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

"Report back to me when you can," Sylvanas told her, pulling her close and kissing her, only to move away when Emmigosa, jealous, poked her snout between them. "Hey!"

Faith laughed softly, "She just wants attention too."

"She doesn't need that much attention!"

"She's just a baby," said Faith reasonably.

Emmi was trying to snuggle up to Sylvanas, burying her head in her neck. "Don't you try to butter me up, little one."

"You love her, you love her, you love her!" exclaimed Faith, fairly bouncing in excitement.

Sylvanas glanced at her, one eyebrow arched. She didn't say anything, only keeping her eyes on her until she'd sobered up a little.

"I'll leave you two here so you can get to know each other better."

"We don't need to get to know each other better," said Sylvanas. "What we need is for you to come back to us quickly, and in one piece, if you don't mind."

"I'll be back as soon as I'm able," Faith told her. "You'll barely have time to miss me."

"Speaking for myself, I miss you the second you're out of my sight, and you know it. I love you, Faith."

"I love you." She kissed her again, making sure that Emmigosa wouldn't interrupt them this time. "I'll see you both soon."

Birds were singing to one another, their melodies weaving together into a complex song that was beautiful, yet seemed to hold a hint of sadness. The flowers, which were exceedingly vibrant in all other parts of the forest, also appeared to be withering a little, as though sad.

"I've never seen sad flowers before," commented Faith as she stepped into the grove, looking around. A great emerald dragon stood in the center of the grove, surrounded by druids of every possible race. And looking odd among them, the only one of her kind there, a draenei stood, cradling a small bird in her hands. She looked familiar, but Faith couldn't place her immediately.

She looked up, "Oh, Faith Everstone," she said, releasing the bird, who flew away from her.

"Windrunner, now," she said, nodding. "Hi. I know you, right? I want to say we've fought together before."

The draenei nodded, "Yes, we have. My name is Xara. We fought together when we went into the alternate future, do you remember?"

"Oh! Yes, of course, I remember. How have you been? Are you an artifact wielder?"

"No, I am still not experienced enough for that. But the Order of the Silver Hand thought that I could still be of some help around here."

"Hey, the more help we get, the better." She walked over to the dragon, recognizing her as Ysera the Dreamer, former Aspect of the Green Dragonflight. She gave a bow, "Ysera," she said. "It is a pleasure to see you again, although I wish the circumstances were better."

"Thank you, Faith," said the dragon. "I hear that you have recently adopted a dragon whelp. How is that going?"

Faith couldn't help but smile, "It's going well. She's sweet – even Sylvanas is smitten with her."

"Maybe the dragon will soften her a little," said Ysera.

Giving a nod, Faith grew grim, "What's happened here?"

"Cenarius has been taken by the Burning Legion."

Cenarius had… what? "Pardon?"

"We couldn't believe it either when it happened. At first, we merely thought he was sick, but it seems as though it was the Emerald Nightmare."

Faith shifted uncomfortably, remember the last time she'd dealt with the Nightmare. "Is something being done to recover him?"

"Malfurion has gone after him, though we know not where."

"You let him go alone? I know you think very highly of him, Ysera, and I know he's powerful, but he cannot stand alone there."

"No, he cannot, which is why we have asked you to come here and help us."

"I can't take care of the Emerald Nightmare by myself either," said Faith slowly. "Though I'm willing to try, of course, if it'll help."

"You will not be alone," said Ysera. "I will work directly with you and Xara."

"What about the druid artifact wielders?" asked Xara. "Why can they not help?"

"They are. They just happen to be busy dealing with a demonic invasion at the moment. We're all stretched thin."

"They're invading here too?" asked Faith. "So much for our hope that they would keep it to one massive invasion at a time."

"I heard the invasion of Azsuna was calming down," said Xara to her.

"Calming down? I was just there, and if that's them calming down, I'd hate to think of what a full-scale invasion would be."

"How come Dalaran sent you here if you were dealing with demons in Azsuna?" asked Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem.

"Because as Ysera rightly said, we're all stretched thin. I'm also commander of the Horde Forces on the Broken Isles. I go where I'm needed to assess the situation and report back to Sylvanas so that she can make an informed decision about where we should send our troops."

"Will you report back to her about this?"

Faith shook her head, "No, but I would appreciate it if you could while we go see what's going on."

"I could do that," he said.

"Please do. Tell her to find any novice druids and send them here. They can have their trial by fire, since we have no time to lose."

"I do not know how many novice druids we have, though."

"How many are in training in Thunder Bluff?"

"About twenty or so."

"All tauren, I presume?"

He nodded.

"Perhaps we have the same amount of troll druids in training. Regardless of that number, though, please let Sylvanas know that we need them to come here. Maybe they can take over some of the more menial tasks, which will then free up the experienced druids for the fight." She turned to some of the night elf druids in attendance, "I hope that we can count on the Alliance druids to do the same."

"We will see what we can do."

"I can make you a portal to Dalaran if you would like."

"Thank you, but we can make our own way," said the archdruid.

"Very well then, I'll leave you to it," she said. "Ysera, I'm ready to leave when you are."

The dragon lowered her neck, "Climb on, both of you. I'll take you on an aerial tour of Val'sharah."

Most of Val'sharah was green and more beautiful even than Eversong Woods had been in the height of Quel'dorei civilization. Faith supposed that was completely normal, considering the fact that druids had remained there for millennia, tending to the wildlife.

But there were several spots where the vegetation wasn't green, but dark. Corrupted trees that had lost most of their leaves, their trunks turned black and spiked with veins of red and violet. It was a striking sight, but one that gave little hope of anything good happening there.

"The Emerald Nightmare did that?" asked Xara, staring at the patch of forest below them. "That looks more powerful than it's ever been."

"Oh, it is," said Ysera. "The demons are feeding it and making it stronger."

"The demons?" asked Faith. "Isn't Xavius the one controlling the Nightmare?"

Ysera chuckled darkly, "That's right. And yes, his allegiance is towards the Old Gods, but from what we have gathered, he has renewed his ties to the Burning Legion somehow."

"I thought the Burning Legion had been formed to get rid of the Old Gods," said Xara. "How can one be an agent of both?"

"That is an answer I do not have for you, Xara, not at this moment."

Faith gave a low whistle, "The Nightmare has spread quickly," she said as they kept flying. "This whole section of Val'sharah is corrupted. Even the treants are affected."

"Treants, animals, and dryads as well. This is not good."

No, thought Faith. It isn't…