Into The City

Ironforge gates were quiet except for the wind that was blowing. Elaria waved Athrodar and the other eight towards her whilst she kept her eyes on the guards outside.

"How many?" Athrodar whispered to her.

"I count... Four? Maybe five?" Elaria stroked the fletching of the arrow in her hand. "We're all using bows, I reckon we could take them all out before anyone is alerted."

Athrodar moved his hand to the quiver on his back, stroking the fletching of one arrow too. "We could, but we may need to wait for the winds to slow down a bit first."

"Are you sure?" Halduron asked, crouching next to the both of them. "There are ten of us, half of them and we're all good shots. We could take them."

Athrodar looked back at the group, nodding slowly at the Ranger-General's assessment. "Okay, you take four and move left. Elaria and I will remain here with our group and we will take them out together."

Elaria watched the Ranger-General move to the left with his group, looking over to Athrodar when they were in place. "I didn't say it before, but you got yourself a good kid back in Kharanos with Sylvanas."

"Why are you telling me this now?" He asked, taking out his bow and nocking an arrow in place.

"Just in case I don't make it. I wanted you to know I like her, she will make both of you happy." Elaria nocked an arrow in place on her bow, peering over the rocks they were crouched behind. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

Athrodar whistled over to Halduron, recieving a whistle back and telling his group to nock their arrows. "Draw and hold." He whispered to them, drawing back his arrow and waiting for the winds to die down.

"When you're ready." Elaria whispered, aiming at one of the guards.

"Loose!" As one, all ten rangers let loose their arrows into the guards, rushing over to them as soon as the projectiles hit their targets. "Lean them up against the walls. Elaria, start the climb."

The Night Elf nodded, gathering two more of their group and three from Halduron's, handing them some tools to aid them with their climb. "And remember, don't fall."

Athrodar handed Halduron and the two rangers with him some climbing tools as well. "We will figure out where to go once inside that tunnel." He told the Ranger-General, recieving a nod in return.

It took the whole group a few minutes to climb the gates, reaching the hole above the doors that allowed the gryphon's to come and go. "This is a lot bigger than I thought it would be." Elaria told Athrodar, looking around the inside of Ironforge.

"Any plan on getting down?" Halduron asked, noticing how high up they were when he looked down.

"Ah... Right." Athrodar scratched under his chin, trying to conjure up a plan. "We will have to be quick, but we can climb down onto the roof of this building below us."

"We could get caught." Halduron warned him.

"Do you have a better idea?"

Without waiting for confirmation, Elaria began to climb down, landing on the roof of the building just as the rest of them noticed her absence. "Come on!" She whispered, waving her hand towards the cheese shop. "Our safe house is just there."

"In a cheese shop?" Athrodar questioned the location, not knowing if Elaria even made cheese.

"Of course! Luna knows how to make the best cheese." The Night Elf widened her eyes, suddenly realising something. "Oh Elune, save me..."

"What?" Athrodar whispered to her once he was by her side.

"I forgot about Lunarii... That Draenei is going to kill me." She glanced over to Athrodar who was trying to hold in a laugh. "It's not funny! She scares me when she's angry."

"That's nice, but how do we get across to the shop?" Halduron asked, keeping low when several Dwarven guards walked passed. "There may as well be an army between us."

"We go now." Elaria told them, seeing their puzzled faces. "That same patrol goes passed every ten minutes. We have a two minute window until the next one, so go!"

Athrodar was the first to climb down and run across the open to the safe house. He beckoned the rest to follow, being dragged inside by Lunarii once the next member made it over to them.

"Stay inside and hidden." The Draenei told them, pushing them into a back room. "I'm guessing Elaria is bringing you all here?"

"Yes." Athrodar told her, watching her roll her eyes. "The Horde are two days away from attacking, we're here to open the gates for them as well as scout out the city."

The Draenei sighed when two more rangers entered the shop. "Wait here." She walked out the room, silently cursing to herself and saying she should never have helped Elaria.

Elaria and the six remaining rangers all pushed into the shop, the Night Elf smiling up at her as they all collapsed on the floor. "Heeeey, Luna."

The Draenei held onto the end of her ears, picking her up despite the cries of pain. "Don't 'Hey Luna' me. You left me alone in here!"

"Ow! I'm sorry! I got distracted by my sister and Athrodar. I should have come back for you." She closed her eyes tightly to try and drown out the pain of having her ears pulled, tapping the Draenei on the arm when I became too much. "Please stop, it hurts!"

Lunarii let go of her ears, watching the Night Elf cover them with her hands. "Don't leave me alone again. I was worried."

"I won't, I promise." Elaria rubbed her ears, wincing a little. "I don't know what you done, but they really hurt."

"Come here." Luna said softly, looking at her ears and slowly moving her hands towards them.

"No... You're going to hurt me again."

The Draenei rolled her eyes, watching Elaria pout and look away from her. "I won't hurt you, just let me heal them."

Athrodar leaned up against a nearby wall, watching the Draenei heal Elaria's ears. "You have made her soft." He said, catching their attention. "She used to beat anyone who went near her ears to pulp." The Death Knight blinked slowly. "Why do I surround myself with dangerous women?"

"Because you like it rough." Elaria told him, laughing at herself.

"Luna."

The Draenei glanced over to him. "Hm?"

"Hit her."

Without needing to be told twice, Lunarii hit the Night Elf over the head, going back to healing her ears. "That's it, take his side."

"Then don't be... You."

"Don't be me? What sort of advice is that?" Elaria folded her arms and looked away from the two of them. "Sera wouldn't be like this..."

"Well she's not here." Athrodar ducked when a patrol walked passed. "Did you have to get a place out in the open?"

"Of course." Elaria said, remaining sat in a chair when Luna began to give her a pony tail "That way, we can see what's going on in the busiest part of the city, as well as an easy place to hide."

Athrodar watched the back of Elaria's head the whole time, suddenly interested in her personal life. "When did you start wearing a pony tail?"

"If you really want to know," Elaria said, waiting for Lunarii to finish, "ever since I met Luna and she has taken care of me."

"You could say it's because you can't take care of yourself." Luna told her, poking her arm as she spoke.

Athrodar nodded. "That's more accurate."

"Either way... Whenever she decides to give me a different hair style, Luna just does it." The Night Elf looked out the window. "So now what? We're inside Ironforge."

"Ah, yes." Athrodar looked over to Luna when she went behind the counter. "Halduron and his Rangers will stay here and wait for the Horde to attack, whilst you, me and our three Dark Rangers search this city for anything that could help us in the attack."

"Like a route that we could use to outflank the Alliance?"

Athrodar nodded. "Precisely that, yes. Why, do you know of any?"

"No, but it's nice to know why we're here."

Athrodar smirked. "Then we leave in twenty minutes."


Liadrin slowly walked through Kharanos, bowing her head to many soldiers that saluted her upon recognising the Paladin. She was stalking a group of Royal Guards that had a ranger in the middle of them, trying to talk to her alone.

The moment Victoria stopped walking, the six guards fanned out and made sure she was well protected, catching Liadrin off guard as her gaze caught one of them.

"It's Laidrin, correct?" Serathea asked, being Victoria's favourite and personal guard.

"It is." She looked passed Serathea and towards Victoria. "I would like to speak to you alone, little one."

"I know you haven't been here long, but she is a Princess, not a little one." Serathea commented, educating the Paladin.

"My apologies." She said, bowing her head.

"It's okay." Victoria said, smiling at her and waving off Serathea. "She won't harm me, Sera. You can stand down." Her gaze returned to the Paladin. "I'm still getting used to it myself if I'm honest."

Liadrin let out a small laugh. "I understand." She looked around, trying to find Sylvanas and hoping she wasn't anywhere nearby. "I was wondering if I could speak to you in private?"

"Of course." The young Banshee placed a hand on Serathea's arm. "Stay here. I'll shout for you if I need your help."

Serathea nodded once. "We won't be far, Princess."

Once they were alone, Victoria spoke up first. "You don't like my dad, do you?"

Figuring she was talking about Athrodar, she shook her head slowly. "There was a time I did, years ago. He was alive then and a Lieutenant Ranger of Silvermoon, someone I looked up to before Arthas' invasion."

"What changed?" She asked the Paladin.

"It's hard to look at him now without seeing Arthas. At least, for me personally." Liadrin shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think that will ever change."

Kalira stood several yards away, watching both women talk from a distance. She was tasked by Viraleth as the new Scout Captain to watch over Victoria whilst she was busy helping Sylvanas plan for the attack. She was also told to report in to her Dark Ranger-General if it was urgent, something she was considering to do now.

"So why did you want to talk to me?" Victoria asked the Paladin.

"I just came by to ask why. Why did you ask to be raised?"

Out of all the reactions Liadrin expected from her question, a smile wasn't one of them. "Because I wanted to be closer to the two people that cared for me after my parents died."

Liadrin frowned at the answer. "Wouldn't you have wanted to be with your parents in the afterlife?"

"I believe a part of me is." She told the Paladin. "But I didn't really know them. I was young when they died, all I remember is little bits about my parents. But with Sylvanas and Athrodar, I could spend countless years with them as their Princess."

Liadrin sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get a different answer. "Very well, thank you."

"Wait." Victoria said just as Liadrin turned to leave. "I have a couple of questions to ask you."

Kalira had been getting closer to them the whole time, overhearing a name she knew was a red alert in terms of telling Viraleth or even Sylvanas about. As soon as it left the Princesses lips, the Dark Ranger bolted through Kharanos, trying to find Viraleth.

"What is it?" The Ranger-General asked her.

"Victoria is speaking to Liadrin. I don't know how it came up, but she's asking about the Magister who Athrodar used to be with."

Viraleth nodded, placing a hand on her Scout Captain's arm. "Thank you. I'll go inform Sylvanas."

Meanwhile, Liadrin was shocked at the question that was asked. "You want to know if you can meet Thal and her daughter?"

Victoria nodded. "Yes. I heard she and Athrodar used to be with each other, I want to know why things changed."

"Why don't you ask him?" Liadrin asked.

"He doesn't talk about his past, least of all the women he has been with." Victoria shrugged her shoulders. "Plus, he had a daughter with her... I wanted to know if I could see my sister."

Liadrin frowned at her, confused by her innocence even in her undead state. "You are different to the rest of them..." She muttered, making the Princess smile. "I suppose, sometime in the future, I could arrange it."

"Great! And don't worry, I won't tell Sylvanas or Athrodar."

"Somehow, I think they already know." The Paladin told her. "The two of them are very similar, and if I know Athrodar, he had someone listening in to this conversation. So I wouldn't be surprised if Sylvanas did too."

And that was something the Banshee Queen did, having Kalira and a couple of other Dark Rangers listen in and follow Victoria around.

"Where is she?" Sylvanas asked Viraleth once the Dark Ranger-General told her what she knew.

"In the middle of the town." Viraleth said, bowing her head slightly when Sylvanas stood up.

"Thank you."

By the time Sylvanas made it over to Victoria, she was alone with her guards, inspecting a few weapons that were on a rack outside the blacksmith.

"Warchief." The Orcish blacksmith saluted, bowing his head.

Sylvanas ignored him, her attention fixed on Victoria who turned to face her. "Are you done with the reports?" She asked, thinking that's why the Banshee Queen was there.

"For now." She stepped into the circle of guards, placing a hand on Victoria's cheek and brushing her thumb across it. "What have you been up to today?"

"You know what I've been up to." She said suddenly, catching Sylvanas off guard. "Your Dark Rangers have told you everything, haven't they?"

Sylvanas smirked at her. "Clever girl."

"Why are you spying on me? I'm your Princess, not your enemy."

Sylvanas pushed a few strands of hair back into her daughter's hood. "We're scared of losing you. They're not spying on you, they're trying to protect you should the worse happen."

Victoria moved forward and hugged her, recieving a tight one in return. "I'm fine. Sera won't let anything happen to me, I trust her."

"I just worry, that's all. With Athrodar in the heart of the Dwarven army, I am losing my mind." Sylvanas pulled down her hood and began to stroke her hair. "I needed to know that you're safe, one hundred percent of the time."

Victoria closed her eyes and melted into the hug, both of them not wanting to part ways just yet. "Athrodar will be okay. He was built for this sort of thing."


"What are you thinking?" Elaria asked, seeing the all too familiar steeled concentration on his face.

"If we avoid the Great Forge until the last day, we can cover all the entrances to the centre." He looked over to her. "We won't be in danger if we stick to the outer ring."

"The Great Forge is an open area, so it's not a bad plan."

"But?" He asked, knowing she had a counter point.

"It does leave us with a lot to cover in a day. I don't think we can fully establish a plan on how to get into the middle without risking a total blockade." She pointed to the few entrances on the map. "They can form a four man wide phalanx in several corridors and block off our entrance points."

"What about the main entrances, connecting the different sections together?"

"They're wide, sure. But it gives them ample opportunities to outflank us if they break one side of our attack."

Athrodar grinned at her assessment. "Or it gives us a chance to break through their defences." He pointed towards a couple of small corridors near the Great Forge. "They will set up a phalanx here. If we can hit the back of it, we can use this small passage to funnel our troops through."

"If we can break through their defences." She told him, sounding unsure of such a task. "The Dwarves are known for strong shield walls and phalanx, the best on Azeroth. Once they're in a unit, it's difficult to break it."

Athrodar sighed, tapping a finger on the map. "They've pulled back into Ironforge and not engaged us at all because this is where they will hold out the longest."

Elaria nodded. "They're the strongest in this mountain. You will need a fucking brilliant plan to break their lines."

"We have siege engines." Halduron told them, listening in to their conversation. "We could set them up so they fire over our troops and into theirs."

"It could work." Elaria told Athrodar.

"We still need to find a place to set them up. We could get them into the city, but they're slow and will be set upon if we don't protect them."

Elaria sighed, leaning back in her chair and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why couldn't I have been a Priestess of Elune in life? I wouldn't be here getting a headache."

Athrodar patted her leg. "You love this life and you know it. If you stop, the women of the world will go crying."

Elaria smiled. "That is true. They will miss out on some Elaria loving."

"Can we get back to this, please?"

Both Athrodar and Elaria looked over to the Ranger-General, nodding at him. "Right, sorry. That siege engine idea might work, but it will require us to have a group of soldiers defending the machines."

"The Grand Magister and his mages." Halduron suggested, folding his arms and looking down at the map of Ironforge. "They're the best mages we have and they could set up a defensive perimeter around the siege engines."

"We will need melee units if they get close." Athrodar told him.

"Baine and his Tauren." The Ranger-General suggested next. "They're big, scary and can hold back any attack if they have the company of mages with them."

"It could work." Elaria told Athrodar, keeping her voice low as she saw him thinking. "We still have two days until they attack, if we spread out we can scope the entire city within that."

"Two days..." He muttered, looking to the back room and towards the seven Rangers inside. "We need to use both groups."

"What about opening the gate for the Horde?" Halduron asked him. "Isn't my group here for that?"

"It was, yes. But now you're here to help us scout out the city." Athrodar let out a long sigh, wishing he had a couple more days. "The Horde are going to have to wait whilst we get as much information as we can in the little amount of time."

"Sylvanas is going to hate that." Halduron told him.

"I know. But she's going to have to go with plan B."

Elaria tilted her head. "Which is?"

"Attack the gates as if we weren't in here."

Luna, having remained silent the whole time, sat forward. "I thought that would have been the initial plan."

"Ironforge is close to impenetrable." Elaria grinned, placing her hand on Athrodar's back. "Until we came along."

"Yeah, well... This is going to have to be the plan for now. We don't have the time or the manpower to scout this entire city." Athrodar stood up from the chair he was given, walking over to the nearest window. "It's too late to postpone it now anyway."

"We'll be fine." Elaria said, glancing over to Halduron who nodded in agreement. "I think as long as we all stay hidden, we can cause some serious damage inside."

"It's just staying hidden which is the difficult bit with ten people, nine of us being Horde." Athrodar hid when a Dwarven patrol walked passed. "It's not as risky with five."

"Then we will stay here." Halduron told him. "It just means we don't scout the entire city."

"No, we will all scout the city and report back here in five hours." Athrodar picked up his bow and slung it over his shoulder. "Just try not to get caught."

Halduron let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "It's like I'm not a Ranger-General."