A/N - Sorry about the late update, everyone! I hope you enjoy this chapter!


The snow was falling thickly as the zeppelin made its way through the storm to Icecrown Glacier. It was absolutely freezing, and no amount of warming spells helped me keep the chill out, even though I was wrapped in thick furs.

The pendant around my neck, the broken mask of the Forsaken crest, gave off some warmth, reminding me of the way I felt when I had been with Sylvanas before being called back to the front by the Argent Crusade.

I closed my eyes, seeing her. After returning home from Thunder Bluff, she and I had only had a few precious days together, and we had made the most of them. We had made love. It hadn't been anything new – most people would have found it boring – but it had been good. Soothing. She had told me that she loved me. I had almost asked her to marry me again.

"We're almost there, Captain," said a goblin to me.

I nodded, going back inside my cabin to prepare my bags. The trip had taken longer than usual from Dalaran. We were loaded with supplies to bring to the Argent Vanguard, where I would be stationed for who knew how long. I didn't relish the idea of fighting in Icecrown, but I had to be somewhere, and I knew that the soldiers there probably hadn't had any new supplies for a while.

Nobody else I knew was with me. Hamu had been called back to the Borean Tundra, and wouldn't be in Icecrown, as far as I knew, and the First Magi Corps were now in Grizzly Hills, fighting the Vykrul. For this mission, I was on my own.

The zeppelin touched down in a large guarded area, not far from the actual vanguard, which was nothing more than a barricaded camp in the snow.

I was just disembarking when someone quickly ran over. A night elf by the looks of him.

"Captain Everstone," he said in his deep voice. "Forgive me, but there's been a change of plans. You are wanted elsewhere." He handed me a piece of parchment.

I looked over it quickly, "The Argent Fortress?" I asked.

"It should take you a half hour by zeppelin. It's north of here, just past Scourgeholme."

"Half an hour if this blizzard weren't happening, Lieutenant." I turned towards some of the goblins, "Please unload part of the supplies How soon can we go again?"

The goblin captain looked uneasy, "I don't know that we can go immediately. We need rest, I'm sorry."

"You cannot stay here," said the night elf. "The Scourge attacks this area every few hours, and they'll do it faster now that you're here. You could lose the zeppelin if you don't move quickly."

"But we can't leave!" said the goblin, aghast. "We were promised high pay, food, and shelter!"

"You'll find death if you stay… INCOMING!"

I turned around at the night elf's roar, only to see a monstrous Nerubian coming for me. It was bigger than any of the others I'd seen before, and I could tell immediately that it was a strong one. And it was there for me.

The spell flew towards the creature even before I had fully formed the words for it. The fire hit its legs, and it began to burn, but far too slowly for my liking. It effectively stopped it in its tracks, though, allowing the night elven lieutenant to bodily toss the goblin back onto the zeppelin. "Just go!" he cried. "We'll keep them busy!"

We took off quickly and shakily, the wind buffeting us in every direction. I held onto the side, casting spells as we went. It felt like I was running away, and I hated it.

"We weren't supposed to leave right away!" cried the goblin to me.

"I'll have Lady Sylvanas double your pay as long as you shut up and get me to where I'm supposed to go! Skirt the mountain to avoid getting too close to the Scourge once we get near Scourgeholme." I glared at the goblin, and he must have seen something in my eyes because he quieted down quickly after that.

It wasn't easy, but we got over the plains that separated the Argent Vanguard from the horrible Scourge city.

"I ain't ever seen anything like this, and that's the truth," said the goblin captain to me as we flew over Scourgeholme.

I nodded, "I know. It's horrible."

"Why couldn't you just teleport there?"

"I can only teleport to places I've been to before, and even that's not easy. I have to be very fresh in my spellwork. I won't be able to teleport if I'm too tired. Besides, some places, like Dalaran, are easier to teleport to than any other city. For example, I can teleport, or create a portal to Undercity without too many problems, because it's my home. But if I tried to teleport to, I dunno, Stormwind or something, I'd have a lot of trouble."

"Isn't that because it's Alliance?"

"Yes, in part. Some places safeguard against direct teleportation. Other places have specific areas to where someone can teleport or create a portal."

A smaller goblin came towards us. She had vivid red hair, done in dozens of short tails all over her head, "I think that we're almost there," she said in a trembling voice. Clearly, she hated being here as much as I did.

I made my way towards the edge of the zeppelin, looking out. All I could see was the dark green expanse of the city of Scourgeholme, but on the horizon, nestled into the mountain, I could just make out something that might have been a fortress wall.

"I didn't know that it had been built into the mountain," I said quietly. The Argent Fortress had been built a couple of years previously as an attempt to keep an eye on Arthas' troops in this part of Northrend. I knew that the Argent Crusade was looking to create another fortress to aid the first one, but it wasn't so easily done.

As we got closer, I noticed that the sky was getting a little darker. We needed to get to safety soon. I didn't like the way the Scourge was more active at night. Not that we could tell whether it was night or day here, the skies were too black.

"I can just see a landing strip over there," I told the goblins. "Make your way there, quickly."

"Yes ma'am."

I hoped our presence would go unnoticed, but I wasn't fool enough to think that it was going to be the case. The Scourge knew I was back, which meant that Arthas would stop at nothing to get me. I didn't know whether to feel flattered or completely terrified about it.

We finally landed, finding that people were waiting for us. Half a dozen humans in full battle armor, wielding axes and swords were at the ready when I disembarked from the zeppelin.

"Captain Everstone?" asked a tall man with a trimmed black beard and moustache.

I nodded, "That's me, General."

"I'm General White, the commanding officer for the Argent Fortress. Welcome to Icecrown. We should get inside. We were expecting you yesterday."

"I didn't realize I was coming here until I got to the Argent Vanguard. We had trouble crossing over because of the storm."

"Yeah, it's given everyone trouble, even the Scourge dragons."

"Imagine that," I said. I couldn't imagine the Scourge having problems in these conditions.

"This way, please, all of you."

The goblins didn't need to be told twice. All six of them raced inside while I took slightly longer, looking at my new surroundings.

The fortress had been carved into the mountain, its façade nearly indistinguishable from the snow-covered wall of black rock that made up Icecrown Glacier. It looked high, I could see windows that went at least ten stories up, and could only imagine how big it was inside. But it worried me.

"Is there only one way in and out of this fortress?" I asked the general.

"That you can see here, yes. But there's a tunnel that leads out into the Storm Peaks, and another small exit at the side. We wouldn't want to find ourselves interred into the mountain by a siege."

Relieved, I followed him and his men inside. I had already been getting claustrophobic at the idea of being there, which was strange considering the fact that I lived in Undercity, which had no windows.

The main door closed, and darkness descended upon us, broken only by torches spread at even intervals along the walls. I was used to such sparse lighting, but it wasn't really comforting to me, so I used a spell to cause a small mist to light up above us, following us where we walked.

"That's handy," said General White, looking at the mist. "You don't like the dark?"

"I was held in nearly total darkness by the Scourge while they tortured me. I try not to stay in unlit places for any length of time, if I can help it."

"That's understandable." He turned his gaze towards me, "I trust that you're fully recovered now?"

"You might say that." I still woke up screaming every night, even when Sylvanas held me tightly, and had started using my spells to keep others from being alerted to my terrified cries. For some reason, however, the banshee queen was immune to that, and always knew when I needed her. I didn't want to know how I was going to manage without her now.

"When did you come back to Northrend?"

"Just now."

"Oh. So this is an adjustment for you."

"Don't worry, General, I adapt quickly to these kinds of situations."

"Which situations?"

"Being away from home and thrown in against the Scourge." We were arriving in a large room, which was lit by more torches, and had the advantage of having a fireplace in which was burning a roaring fire. It was much warmer in there than in the stone corridor. Various bits of artwork were on the walls, possibly to make the room feel as though it wasn't a grave.

Comfortable armchairs were strewn around, along with a couch and a long table, which was presently laden with food and drink. The goblins were already eating, indecently so, and I had to look away to keep from laughing at their horrible table manners.

"If you would like to eat or drink anything, please feel free. We have some hot tea and salted pork and fish. I'm afraid they're the only things we can eat here. We can't really keep fresh food around."

"We brought some supplies from Dalaran on the zeppelin," I said. "Blankets, fresh fruits, medical supplies and even newspapers if you would like to know what's going on outside Icecrown."

"You didn't! Really? We've never had a new recruit bring us supplies before. Thank you, Captain. I'll have my men bring everything in immediately." He gave a call, and several men appeared from behind concealed doorways. They stared at me for a moment, a little surprised to see me, and then listened to their instructions before disappearing into the corridor.

"We were supposed to be getting supplies, but the runners were attacked, and we haven't been able to send anybody else."

"You don't have any mages here?" I asked, startled.

"I'm afraid not. We have several shaman and warlocks who take care of the Scourge with fire, and paladins, of course, but our last mage died when there was an incursion. It was one of the reasons we needed you so desperately."

"I see. Well, if you'd like, I can make periodic runs into Dalaran via portal in order to get more supplies. I think you'd benefit from something like that."

"We all do, but we can't keep a portal open too long in case the Scourge comes back in."

"Do they do that often?"

He nodded, "They try, anyway. And we wouldn't want to just leave our post. It's too strategic to be able to attack Scourgeholme on two fronts."

"From what I saw of the Argent Vanguard, General," I said, "they're under siege, and not really able to attack anybody." I walked towards a large map of Icecrown Glacier on the wall, "It seems that both of these are defensive positions. Sure, we're keeping the Scourge busy, but it's not enough. How many men do you have here?"

"About three hundred."

There were over seven hundred Scourge forces in that city, and we were too far from the Argent Vanguard to count on a lot of help if things went badly. "Could I please have a tour of this place? I want to know everything about it so as to help strategize."

"You don't want anything to eat or drink?"

"I ate in Dalaran, thank you."

He nodded and we left the comfortable room, venturing deeper into the cold heart of the fortress.

It was made up of twisting corridors that led to various areas: armories on every floor, the first-aid station on the third floor, various dormitories, a small chapel, kitchens and storage rooms, and finally, a refectory large enough to accommodate everyone in the fortress. It was obvious to me that it was actually meant to hold twice the number of people it did.

"How come you don't have more people here, General?"

"We did, but they've all died. They're in there, somewhere," he gestured out the window towards Scourgeholme, which was clearly visible from our vantage point.

"How many have you lost?"

"Let's see, I've been here for two years, ever since we managed to build this place, and I think that we've lost over one hundred people to the Scourge. Others died and we sent their bodies back to Dalaran, or we cremated them on site. We have a crematorium in the basement. Shall I introduce you to everyone? There's a general assembly every day at this time, mostly to ascertain who's still with us."

Ascertain who was still with them? I shivered.

"And it's also a way for everyone to let off steam. We generally offer food and drinks at these things."

"Sounds good, general. I'd love to meet everyone."

The assembly was held in the refectory, which was like the first room I had encountered, but instead of couches and armchairs, held several long tables and wooden benches, each with a long red cushion on it to make sitting there more comfortable. The refectory was filled with men who were already raising mugs of ale to their lips and having what appeared to be a good time.

There wasn't a single female in the group that I was looking at. Males of various Horde and Alliance races, from orcs to dwarves, were there, some of them with bandages around their heads or limbs, and others who looked so fresh-faced that I wondered whether they had ever seen battle.

"Men!" cried the general.

The talk and laughter died down suddenly, and everyone stood up to the best of his ability.

"This is Captain Faith Everstone, and she will be staying with us for some time. Some of you might know her as Blackfire."

The dozen Forsaken men who were there saluted me, and I saluted back with a nod, "I would say that it's good to be here, but I think that we all know what a lie that would be."

Everyone chuckled.

"Nevertheless," I continued, "I am happy to be serving with you against the Scourge. I trust that we'll be able to show them all what we're made of."

"Yeah!" cried someone.

"We'll kick their putrid asses!" cried someone else.

I forced myself not to laugh, especially when I saw the Forsaken shoot some people several odd looks.

"Now, some rules," said the general. "As you'll see, Captain Everstone is the only female in the fortress. I will not tolerate any unwanted advances towards her."

This time, I did laugh.

"Unless you want Lady Windrunner to come crashing down on this place like the banshee that she is," said a Forsaken private. "Everyone in the Horde knows that our queen and the Captain are… together."

"Is that true?" General White looked maybe too interested in my answer.

"Whether or not it's true isn't the question," I answered. "Understand, though, that if any of you touch me in an inappropriate way, I'll take the necessary steps to ensure that you will never reproduce. Other than that, please feel free to approach me."

I noticed that some of the men had put their hands protectively close to their genital area, and the thought nearly made me laugh again. It wasn't the first time that I'd been thrown into a group of males, but this situation was dire enough to deserve a warning. Males of any race in this type of situation were on edge, aware that the Scourge was apt to come into the fortress and raise anybody it could get its misshapen hands on. A common way to release tension during times of war was sex.

"I trust your men will know enough to respect boundaries, General," I told him quietly.

"I'm sure that they will. But you may defend yourself in any manner you can think of. You can even kill them if there is the need."

"Let's hope that it never comes to that, but I'll keep it in mind."

It took me some time to acclimate myself to life in the fortress. I was used to being in cold and dark places, but I had always been in them with people I knew and trusted, Naxxramas not included. This was a whole new experience.

And the fact that I was the only female there had me looking over my shoulder every once in a while. A couple of men, both of them from Darkshire, kept following me around, trying to be covert about it. I wasn't really worried, because I could hold my own, but I didn't want to be ambushed by two antsy soldiers looking for an easy lay.

"You know," one of them said after ten days of my being there. "You're a very pretty woman. Quite a sight for sore eyes, I have to say."

I was busy imbuing a new spellblade with magics, and looked up at him. He was a man of about thirty years of age, but whose face was prematurely lined with the worries of war. "Thank you. That's very kind of you to say."

"I wouldn't mind you keeping me warm at night. It's so cold here."

"It'll be even colder when I freeze you," I stated mildly, a warning for him not to come any closer than he already was.

"I like them feisty," he murmured. "One of the girls I had back home used to fight me every single time I went to her. But she liked it, I know she did, even when I had to hit her to keep her still."

A chill ran down my spine, "You're admitting to me that you're a rapist?" I cried loudly enough to alert several men who were passing by. "What the hell's the matter with you? How did you even get into the service?"

"I'm good at what I do, in bed and out. I was given a choice, to either serve against the Scourge or end up in the Stormwind Stockade."

Getting to my feet, I swung my spellblade, checking to make sure that it worked well. It did, the faint blue and violet glow creating interesting patterns in the air, "Let me tell you something, soldier. If you come near me again, I'll make sure to kill you. If you do so much as look at me the wrong way again, I'll kill you. And if you dare to touch me, you will wish that it was the Scourge who had caught you, because I'll make what they do look like child's play."

I was inches from him, my blade resting against his throat. Had he done so much as sneezed, he would have been killed right there and then.

"What's going on here? Captain?" It was the general.

"Soldier Pike was just getting acquainted with the boundaries that we've already set, weren't you, soldier?" I waited, but since my blade, sharper than most, was still leaning across his throat, he couldn't make a move. "I think that he'll remember now not to test me. And remember this as well, I don't need my blade to defend myself."

I moved away, seeing little drops of blood pearling up against the soldier's throat. He was pale and scared, knowing better than to say anything. He simply bowed to me, murmuring an apology after a while.

"Oh, and, soldier?"

He looked up at me.

"That girl you raped back home, you will write to King Wrynn and tell him that you will allow the entirety of your salary to go to her. Not just this month's, mind you, but what you have made for the past year. Does that seem fair to you?"

"Yes, my Captain, that… that's very reasonable."

"You may go, soldier."

He left, and everyone stared at me, seemingly stunned, as though they couldn't believe I had actually forced someone to give up a year's salary.

I smiled, but I knew that it wasn't reaching my eyes, "A month ago, I was held hostage in Naxxramas. I was very nearly killed and turned by the Scourge, as they tortured me for days on end. Do not think that any of you are going to scare me."

Naxxramas had fallen while I had been in Thunder Bluff. A team of Forsaken and Sin'dorei, along with a team of dwarves, had invaded the necropolis with the single aim to bring it down. Apparently, they had killed Kel'Thuzad, but hadn't been able to find his phylactery, so I had my doubts about whether he was really dead.

I hadn't been happy about not being able to partake in the attack. Kel'Thuzad had been the reason Arthas had invaded Quel'Thalas in the first place, and I still felt that I owed it to Sylvanas to make sure that his evil never again tainted Azeroth. But it was done.

My main focus now was Arthas.