Siege of Lordaeron

They had arrived in Orgrimmar during what looked like an evacuation in progress, yet none of them were orcs. The two of them looked around to see many undead fleeing from Grommash Hold, more than the building could actually fit. "I don't have a good feeling about this." Athrodar whispered to her, the pair of them walking towards it soon after.

Athrodar had found Saurfang in the middle of Grommash Hold, guiding several Forsaken out the building as well as sending several guards through the portal and to what looked like Undercity. "High Overlord," Athrodar begun, dodging and weaving through the fleeing Forsaken. "What's going on here?"

"General, you're here. Good. The Alliance are attacking Undercity, we need all the hands we can get to defend it for as long as we can. Just until the rest of the city has evacuated."

The three of them watched a pair of Dark Rangers carry a third back through the portal and lay her down near a necromancer who began to patch her wounds. "I didn't come here for a fight, Saurfang. Where's the Warchief?"

There was a small flash of anger in the old orcs eyes at the mention of their faction leader. It was small, but it was there. "She's in Capital City, looking over the soon to be battlefield." Saurfang sent another group of orcs through the portal, looking over to Athrodar and Thalina who were talking amongst themselves. "I don't mean to interrupt General, but we could really use your help. The SI:7 have infiltrated Undercity as well, trying to steal as much Intel as they can."

Thalina placed a hand on his arm when she saw him making his way towards the portal. "You're in no fit state to go through two portals in such quick succession. Doing so may greatly sap your energy, making you useless in there."

Athrodar shook her hand off his arm, walking towards the portal once more. "Civilians will die if I don't." He closed his eyes when he stood directly in front of the portal, turning around and looking at Thalina who stood in the middle of Grommash Hold. "I can't let that happen again."

She walked towards him, standing just in front of him and looking at the portal next to them. "No, we can't."

He smiled a little when she walked through it first, following her close behind and arriving in Undercity, hearing Saurfang tell them to get to the Apothecarium on the other side of the city, stating: "It hasn't been cleared of civilians yet." And that: "I will join the rest of the Horde shortly once I know all the other districts are cleared of Horde so we can begin our defence."

The two of them raced through the Mage Quarter, dodging the many Forsaken citizens running towards the portals to Orgrimmar as well as many other Horde races that were in the city at the time of the siege. The next district they reached was the Rogues' District, seeing many Dark Rangers evacuating civilians as well as killing any SI:7 they came across.

"We're one district away and there are still a lot of Forsaken left in the Rogues' District." Athrodar looked down to Thalina who focused on the district ahead of them. "We're on our own, far away from any real back up. Are you sure you can hold a portal open long enough for them to all make it through, as well as holding back any Alliance spies that come towards us?"

They both stopped running when the city shook after being hit by a bombardment of artillary fire. Athrodar caught Thalina when she was about to fall over, diving out the way of falling debris in the meantime. She lay underneath him, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before looking up at him. "Good to see you still have your reflexes, my love."

Athrodar got back up onto his feet, pulling Thalina up shortly after and hearing her conjure a ball of fire before launching it behind him, hearing the screams of a human on fire who came to claim their lives. "I see you're still watching my back."

She placed a hand behind his head, kissing him lightly. "See? We're perfect for each other. Now come on, we have a whole district to evacuate."

As they reached the Apothecarium, Thalina magically enhanced her voice so it carried throughout the district, telling everyone to get to the throne room. "Anyone who can fight, stand on guard at the entrance!" Added Athrodar, splitting up from Thalina so they both could cover more ground. "The Alliance are at the gates and we need to evacuate everyone now!"

Thalina came across a couple of Tauren Druids, offering them a hand in packing up their things when they refused to leave without them. "I need you all to get to the Throne room and try to ward off the place so everyone inside can remain safe, got that?" She saw them all collectively nod, giving them a warm smile in return. "Good, now get going. Tell anyone you see to get into the throne room and get ready to leave." She looked around the part of the Apothecarium she was in. "Once I find Athrodar..."

The city shook again, causing more rubble to fall from the roofs and crash into the floor. Only this time it was a big piece of debris and it trapped Athrodar and five other Forsaken with him inside a room. "Perfect." He muttered, slamming his fist on the stone.

Baby are you okay? The city shook again and I heard a loud crashing sound.

He smiled, resting his forehead on the stone blocking him in the room. I am fine, just a little trapped. He looked around the room, locking eyes with one of the Forsaken. "Where exactly are we?"

"It's my apothecary, General." Replied one of the Forsaken, looking towards the others with him. "Will we make it out of here?"

"We will, don't worry." Athrodar looked back towards the blockade in front of him, pushing a few pieces of debris out the way and creating a small hole to see through. "Well, the good news is we're not completely buried in here."

"And the bad news?"

"The Alliance are now in this district." He looked down at his hand when it started shaking, placing it on the debris in front of him to try and stop it. "We're going to be here for a while, at least until some form of backup arrives." He leaned up against the wall, sinking down until he was sitting on the floor and closing his eyes. We're in an apothecary, blocked off by some fallen debris and surrounded by Alliance.

Thalina had shut the doors to the throne room after the last civilian had entered it, sealing it with some magic. Everyone is in the throne room apart from you. I'll create a portal to send them back and get a small group of reinforcements to come and get you out, okay?

"General, if I may. I think I have an idea." One of the Forsaken walked over to his apothecary table, picking up several vials and mixing them together. "I can create an explosive that will blow out the debris and free us from this building."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. We're surrounded by Alliance spies, only one of us can fight as far as I know and I don't have enough arrows to kill them all on my own."

All of them frowned at him, his former title becoming infamous to the Forsaken. "Aren't you the Prince of Death?"

Athrodar massaged his bad hand, glancing over to the Forsaken with him. "You've got the wrong guy." He looked back at his hand that he continued to massage, hoping it would stop it from shaking for a few hours.

The braver of the five Forsaken shook his head, taking a couple of steps towards Athrodar. "Really? Because you match his description a lot. Death Knight, Blood Elf, former ranger and now General of the Horde."

He glanced over to the five of them again, more specifically the one that spoke up. "Sheer coincidence." He looked back down at his hand, opening and closing it before leaning back against the wall once more and closing his eyes. "Wherever he is, he's no help here."

"Why wouldn't he be? We've all heard the story of how he single handedly took out Scourgeholme." He looked back to the other alchemists with him. "We could really use his help to get out of here."

Athrodar paid no attention to them or their attempts to bring out the side of him he has kept locked away since the death of Arthas. "The Dark Lady used speak about him often."

This time he did listen to what one of them had to say. "The Dark Lady just burnt down a World Tree." He glanced over to them. "If this Prince of Death was smart enough, he wouldn't have anything to do with her." He looked back to the wall opposite him. "Not after she murdered innocents."

There was no response from them after that, amusing the General a little as he closed his eyes once again, waiting for Thalina to come back with some reinforcements. How goes the evacuation?

Thalina waved through the last couple of Forsaken before looking back to the throne room doors she sealed with magic. They've all gone to Orgrimmar. I'm going to go back with them and see if I can get a group together to get you out of there. Okay?

Alright. Just be quick. I don't know how much longer I can be in here with these Forsaken. They're asking for me to go Prince of Death on these Alliance.

She laughed lightly in his head. Poor you, having them ask you to kill the Alliance outside.

You know I don't use that side of me any more.

Yeah, yeah. I know. Just sit tight, my love. I'll get to you as quick as I can.

Back in Eversong, Tanadia had been shadowing Liadrin for better part of half a day, learning a new spell that would leave a symbol of Light on the target, healing them over a period of time and renewing their energy. At this very moment, they were both at the Dawnstrider Orphanage where they would heal, teach and occasionally play with the kids.

The young priestess had always enjoyed going there just to be near people closer to her age than everyone else she knew. Though the oldest was eight years younger than her, everyone one of them had something in common with her. They all had golden eyes.

Whilst she enjoyed playing their games, showing them her spells and occasionally teaching them about the world, her favourite pastime was reading to the younger children at bedtime as they all huddled around her, just like they were doing right now. They had picked out the story for her to read. The same story she had read to them time and time again, smiling as always when it was given to her. "The Ranger and The Daughter."

Liadrin smiled as the priestess in front of her finished reading the book, as well as smiling at the four tiny elves sleeping on her. "That's about your parents, did you know that?"

She looked down at the first page, only just realising after reading it to the children several times that 'The Daughter' in question had the same shade of hair as her mother did when she was alive, as well as the ranger having the same hair colour as her father in the rare pictures she saw of him when he was alive. "I hadn't noticed..." She looked over to Liadrin who had a kid of her own sleeping on her arm. "They never told me it was about them. It was my favourite book growing up."

"I don't think your mother saw the need to tell you." Liadrin stroked the hair of the little blood elven girl who now slept on her lap, smiling a little when it reminded her of the priestess sitting opposite her. "She and I would always read it to you whenever you asked about Athrodar, knowing you missed him." She shrugged her shoulders. "It seemed to work as you loved that book."

Tanadia looked down at the book, closing her eyes when she felt them watering up, feeling the children around her hold onto her tighter when a tear dropped onto the book, seemingly knowing to comfort even though they were asleep. She sniffed, trying to hold back the wall of emotions that hit her. "Yeah.. well.. He was never around, y'know?"

Liadrin tilted her head a little. "Yet you never stopped loving him."

"Because I knew he wasn't running away from his family. He was doing his job." She sighed a little, looking down at one of the elves on her arm. "I just wished he was there more often. When I needed him."

"He's here now. Has been for two weeks yet you've spent most of your time with me."

"You're my mentor, I thought -"

Liadrin placed up her hand to stop her from talking. "It doesn't matter what I am, he's your father. Despite never being there, he still outranks me in terms of family and I know he could really use your company."

The priestess looked at her mentor wide eyed before lowering them to the orphans around her, remembering something he had told her a couple weeks back. "They want another kid." She looked up at Liadrin who didn't seem too surprised by the confession. "My parents, they want another kid and they came to me after thinking about adopting one from here."

"And? Will you let them adopt one?"

"I... I don't know. It wouldn't be right to let them adopt one when the child won't love them back." She looked down at one of them elves on her arm. "But at the same time, it hurts to tell them they can't adopt one at all."

Liadrin couldn't help but smile, knowing a solution that may solve their problems with a small chance of failing. "Why don't you let them adopt a newborn? We get a few every month dropped off here that have no name whilst not knowing the difference between the living and the undead." She thought about that point for a few seconds, adding: "Though that may be a tad wrong, you didn't seem to care that your father was undead when you two first met."

"I was young, I didn't know any better."

"And that's my point. If they adopt one so young that it won't know the difference, who's to say it wouldn't love them unconditionally?" Liadrin slowly began to stand up, picking up the little elven girl on her lap and taking her to bed. "Just think about it, okay?"

Tanadia looked down at the four children around her, leaning back against the wall behind her and closing her eyes. "I promised them all I'd look after them and find them a home." She opened her eyes momentarily just to look at them again. "And that's a promise I look to keep."

Twenty minutes had passed since the debris trapped Athrodar and the five Forsaken in the apothecary lab as well as the SI:7 coming by to search for any Intel in the area. The General didn't get any word back from Thalina after she went back to Orgrimmar to find reinforcements, knowing that he had to hunker down until they did eventually show up.

Thalina on the other hand was in Grommash Hold, looking to find anyone that would help her free the last five Forsaken in the Apothecarium as well as Athrodar. Saurfang had already gone through the portal that would take him to the Mage District along with twenty of his best men just to clear out the SI:7 and to bring reinforcements to those fighting on the surface.

She wanted to go home and pick up Hroki, Taylor and if need be Liadrin and whomever would want to join, but she didn't know exactly where they were and that would mean running around to find them. Leaving Grommash hold, she looked around the Valley of Honor, hoping to come across any member of the Horde that would help her out.

"You! Come here I need your – Wait!" She ran after the Orc climbing onto a Wyvern, watching as he took off before she even got close to him. "Damn it!" She hissed. "I liked it better when nobody could just fly away like that..."

"Do you need help with something?"

Thalina turned around and saw two orcs, a blood elf and a goblin standing there behind their leader who was a Tauren. Unlike Hroki however, this one was of Highmountain, given away by his antlers. "Yes, actually. My fiancé is trapped in Undercity whilst it's under siege. Some debris fell from the ceiling and caved him and five Forsaken in an apothecary."

The Tauren turned around to consult with his group, most of them nodding to what he had to say before the goblin spoke up amongst them. Thalina could only guess that slimy green bastard was trying to squeeze some money out of the deal, seeing him grin wickedly at the rest of them. The Tauren turned around to face Thalina, nodding his head once at her. "We will help you save your fiancé."

"For a hefty sum of course!" The Goblin blurted out. "We're heading into a war zone sweet cheeks, I want to be compensated for risking my life."

The Blood elf with them slapped the goblin around the back of the head, speaking for the rest of them. "Although he speaks out of turn, our goblin friend here is right." The Blood Elf looked over to Thalina who had only just noticed that not only was it a woman, it was also a warlock. "We will help as long as we are also compensated for the troubles."

Thalina nodded, waving off anything else they had to add. "Done, just help me get him to safety."

They all looked at each other momentarily, having expected to haggle at least a price to help out, looking over to their leader when nothing was being said. "Very well, lead the way."

They had arrived back in the throne room, the two orcs running to the door as soon as Thalina had released the spell to keep it shut whilst the blood elf summoned a succubus to aid with their attack. Thalina looked over to her briefly, smiling a little. I think I have found Elaria's warlock.

Athrodar grinned a little under his hood that he had pulled up to keep the Forsaken from talking to him. Oh? You just so happened to stumble upon this elusive warlock that Elaria had narrowed down to somewhere on this planet?

Yes! She's a Blood Elf just like you said she was and she has a Succubus with her. Thalina averted her gaze when the Warlock looked over to her, concentrating on the path ahead of them whilst they ran to the Apothecarium.

Well done Thal, you have narrowed it down to any Sin'dorei warlock that can summon a succubus. He shook his head, grinning some more. Since you've supposedly found her, I take it you're on your way back here?

We are, yes. We're just making our way out of the throne room then we will search for you. She reached the end of the long corridor that led to the throne room, looking left and right to make sure the coast was clear before they began their search. "He's in an apothecary somewhere in this district, trapped behind debris. Look out for Alliance spies as they're supposedly everywhere."

The Tauren looked over to her, frowning a little. "You talk as if you're uncertain on a few things, yet you do seem certain that he is trapped."

"Ah... yes." She scratched under her chin, trying to think of a way to tell them they could talk to each other in their minds without sounding a little crazy. "It's a long story, but we can hear each other's thoughts and he told me everything I just told you."

Once again they all looked at each other, thinking exactly what she hoped the wouldn't think. "I'll humour you, only because I want to see if this is true." The Tauren replied. "For now, let's just look for the apothecary whilst being on the lookout for any Alliance that are coming our way."

The whole city shook again, only this time it was completely different. There was a piercing scream that was louder than the explosions that rattled the city. Athrodar looked through the small gap in the debris he created, seeing several Alliance all group up before being teleported out of the city by their mage. Thal... Whatever that was, it has the Alliance down here spooked. They've all left.

Well that's good, isn't it?

I don't think so. They seem to be leaving empty handed whilst only checking half the buildings. He looked around the best he could, seeing a green smoke come seeping out of a crack in the ceiling. "That's not good..."

One of the Forsaken looked over to him. "What's happening?"

He turned around to look at the one that spoke up. "I need you to blast us out of here now!"

"But you said -"

"Fuck what I said. If you don't we're all going to die down here."

The five Forsaken got to work on a short range explosive that will clear the debris and set them free without having to worry about the Alliance catching them. Thal, listen out for another explosion. We're going to blow up the debris.

"Wait!" She shouted, stopping everyone in place with her. "Listen..."

They all looked around, trying to hear something, anything that would give them a reason to stop running. "I don't hear -"

"Shh!" They all stood around for a few seconds, trying to hear anything. Just when they were about to give up, a small explosion could be heard from four buildings away, followed by a small plume of smoke and five Forsaken. "There!"

The six of them ran over to the Forsaken that came stumbling out the building, Thalina running into it to find Athrodar safe and sound at the back of the apothecary. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly, receiving a quick kiss in return. "Thal, we've got to get out of here now. We're going to die if we stay here long enough for that green smoke to catch us."

They ran outside to meet up with the now ten Horde members left in Undercity, Thalina noticing the green poison cloud coming their way. "Everyone group up and hold on!" She yelled, standing directly in front of the poison cloud and creating a wall of fire that would hold it back for a while, being aided by the warlock with them when she created a ring of fire around them.

She moved to stand in the middle of the group, forming an arcane circle underneath all of them before clapping her hands together, creating small arcane sparks in the process and mass teleporting all of them away and into the middle of the Silvermoon City. Athrodar looked around momentarily before catching Thalina who had suddenly felt weak. "Odd choice of location." He whispered to her as she fell forward onto him.

She smiled. "They wouldn't come unless they were paid. It was also the closest city to where we were that wouldn't drain my energy completely."

"I turn my back on you two for one day and you get yourself in trouble. Again."

The five Forsaken had already left as soon as they arrived, saying their thanks in the meantime. The remaining seven all looked towards Liadrin. Thalina sighed, holding onto Athrodar tightly as her legs began to give way. "We're in trouble.." She whispered to him before locking eyes with Liadrin. "Heeey Li Li."

"Don't Li Li me. What were you two up to now?" She looked at the five newcomers with them. "And who are your friends?"

Athrodar frowned at her, a little surprised that she seemed to be in the dark. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Lordaeron was under siege. And now if I had to guess at what I just saw, it has fallen to the Alliance." He looked back down at Thalina, pulling her up onto her feet when she started to slide down him slowly. "Can you take her home? She's not in the best of conditions right now."

A little stunned about what she had just heard, she nodded after a few seconds of being asked. "Y-yeah, sure." She walked over to Thalina, putting one of the mage's arms around her shoulders before carrying her off home.

"Hey, what about our payment!?"

Athrodar looked down at the goblin, rolling his eyes at his predictability. "Follow me, I'll get you your payment."

Liadrin and Thalina had made it back home without incident. "So," the paladin began. "You want another little Dawnstrider running around?"

Thalina smiled, sitting down on her father's armchair. "I do, yeah. Only this time I want to be there for them, more than I was with Tanadia." Her smile faded a little, looking over to the picture of her father on the table next to her. "But it's going to be more difficult than I had first imagined."

Liadrin walked over to her, patting her knee. "Move over." She sat down on the same chair when Thalina moved over to one side, throwing an arm around her and watching as the mage rested her head on her shoulder. "I have spoken to our little priestess and I have floated the idea of allowing you two to adopt a baby. Seeing what happened with Tanadia when she met Athrodar for the first time, she fell in love with him and he was undead."

"So you're saying if we adopt a baby, there's no way she can say it doesn't love us because babies love everyone?"

"Precisely."

Thalina smiled brightly. "You're a genius Li Li." She kissed her hard on the cheek, hugging her tightly. "What will I ever do without you."