Sylvanas hadn't made many changes to Orgrimmar since she had relocated there. Part of her had wanted to model a section of it after Undercity, but she was fully aware that the city's inhabitants wouldn't have appreciated that.
So she had created her own living quarters underneath Grommash Hold, which were connected to the Cleft of Shadow by a tunnel as well as to the new portal room that Faith had gotten built close to the gates of the city. This allowed her to be present within the capital city of the Horde without having to expose herself too much to the sun.
She'd had several such underground areas built for the other Forsaken who now resided in Orgrimmar to make things easier for them. And while she knew that all of them missed Lordaeron as much as she did, none of them had complained to her, performing their duties as admirably in the orcish city than they did at home.
And she had to admit, living there was much better for Emmigosa, who didn't really thrive in Tirisfal Glades or even in Silverpine Forest.
"You've done some good things for our people here, Sylvanas," said Faith as they walked around. "Have you refurbished Garrosh's massive lair for the Forsaken or something?"
A chuckle, "Hardly, it's too warm for us down there."
"Oh, that's not really a problem. A good bit of magic and we can turn that furnace into an icicle."
"It would take a considerable amount of magic to do that, Faith, and even you aren't capable of it. Not yet."
"Hey! My magic is getting stronger by the day, you said so yourself."
"Yes, it is, but that doesn't mean I want you to overdo it. You heard what the magisters said, it'll take some time for your full strength to return, and until it does, I don't want you to overexert yourself."
Faith smiled a little and shook her head, loving the way Sylvanas worried about her. "Okay, I won't overexert myself. But you have to remember that the more I use my magic, the more my strength will return."
"You can use magic for everyday things. But you still can't conjure your black fire, and until you can do that, I'm not letting you go back to the front, and that's final."
Biting her lower lip gently, Faith made a thoughtful sound, "I wasn't asking to go back to the war."
"Good, because I won't hear of it. Besides, the people we have in Highmountain are more than capable of handling things without you. You got two of the Pillars of Creation. Let the others have a turn."
Faith ran a hand over Sylvanas' forehead as though checking for fever, her eyes wide, "Are you feeling all right, Sylvanas?"
Moving her forehead away from her wife's hand, Sylvanas gave a sinister smile, "Perfectly. Why?"
"Because you always want the Forsaken to have the upper hand in any battle. Now you're suddenly telling me that you'll be content keeping them on the sidelines while others do the dirty work?"
"You're the one who has been telling me to think of the Horde as a whole now that I'm warchief, so that's what I'm doing. The Horde team in Highmountain is doing excellent work, so I see no need to move them. They have a direct line of communication to me if they need reinforcements, but for now, they haven't asked for anything."
A blink. Although Faith was happy about this development, which to anybody else would have made it sound like Sylvanas was learning something, she knew better. "You're worried that Greymane's going to attack me again, that's why you're keeping me close to you."
"You're my wife, that's why I'm keeping you close to me," snapped Sylvanas.
Faith nodded, saying nothing but squeezing Sylvanas' hand and giving her a soft kiss. Slowly, she walked away from her, giving her the chance to follow her if she wanted to.
She did.
"What do you want me to do, Faith? You want me to sit back and pretend that none of it happened and that I haven't been worried sick over you?"
No answer.
"Your subtle letter to Anduin apparently had no effect whatsoever on Greymane, so yes, I'm keeping you here until things settle down. The worgen have three main camps in Highmountain and I don't want you anywhere near them."
Faith turned, facing her wife directly, "Next time, just say that instead of rambling on about my magic when you know perfectly well that there's nothing wrong with it." She held out her hand, showing Sylvanas the black flames flickering just above her palm.
"I do think that all of us should learn not to rely on you too much. On that point I'm grateful to the Alliance because they've taught me a valuable lesson."
"That I'm disposable?" Faith asked her, tilting her head to the side innocently.
"Like a diaper," she said, causing Faith to burst into laughter. "I love you."
"I love you too." They kissed, enjoying the moment together.
The two of them had been in Orgrimmar for nearly a month, and as Sylvanas had said, the members of the Horde were doing just fine without them. They got periodic reports from Garia, who was still working with Nathanos but checking in with the other artifact wielders every once in a while.
"How long has it been since the Legion invaded?" wondered Faith that same evening. "Almost a year?"
"Give or take a few weeks, yeah. Why?"
"I'm just trying to figure out what we've accomplished in that year, that's all."
"We got three of the Pillars, I think that's quite an achievement. And as far as I know, we're about to get the fourth."
"That's going to depend on a lot of factors, though. And isn't there another one that we're neglecting?"
Sylvanas shook her head, "I spoke with Lor'themar about that. The Eye of Aman'thul isn't lost at all. It's just been hidden in Suramar City this entire time."
"Suramar," murmured Faith. "You know, along with Zin-Azshari, that city is legend. It's weird to know that it survived the Great Sundering."
"Makes you want to open your history books, doesn't it?"
Faith chuckled, "Estelien was the one who loved the history of the night elves. He would study it for hours on end and tell us stories about them by the fireside."
"I remember," said Sylvanas. "He did that with us too. It used to drive the soldiers crazy. Being as he was a captain, they had to listen to him, whether they wanted to or not."
"I miss him. He'd love all of this, you know?"
"Yeah, he would. So would Ravenna."
Faith made an incredulous noise, "Ravenna… you're not kidding. A chance to visit Suramar, the place where Tyrande Whisperwind is from? She'd lose her mind if she were alive."
"What about you, Faith?"
"Pardon?"
"Are you excited at the idea of going to Suramar?"
"Part of me is, yes. Of course, another part of me wonders what we're going to find when we get there."
When they got there. Faith thought about that a lot in the days that followed as she and Sylvanas got news that forces of the Horde and the Alliance had banded together to get the fourth Pillar of Creation and restore a modicum of peace to Highmountain.
"It was anything but easy," she said to Sylvanas one evening as they studied the map of the Broken Isles. "I can't believe we managed to do this much."
Sylvanas nodded, "Everyone worked really hard. I wish I could say that things would get easier, but my sources tell me that the Legion is now concentrating on other areas."
"Suramar and the Broken Shore."
"Yeah. You said that Khadgar had been to Suramar before, right?"
"Yes, he went there when he had to retrieve Light's Heart, the one that contained the message from Turalyon." She glanced at her wife, "Have you tried to figure out what's going on with that?"
"I was, but then you ended up being attacked and my priorities shifted a little."
"Maybe we should think about that again. Did you talk to Vereesa about it?" She watched as Sylvanas shook her head slowly, "You should. If Turalyon's alive, it means that Alleria –."
"I know what it means, Faith. But if that thing came from the Felstorm, which is the Legion's portal into Azeroth, it means, for all intents and purposes, that Turalyon is somewhere in the Twisting Nether. And it's really not that easy to get out there." She put a hand on Faith's shoulder, "Let's get through this invasion first, then we'll see what to do about Turalyon."
"Sylvanas, this fight against the Burning Legion is bigger than what's happening here."
"It is," agreed Sylvanas. "But we're already stretched thin on Azeroth. Do you really think that we'll be able to try fighting the demons on a front that's away from here?"
Faith laughed, "We've done it before."
"But not on this scale," she paused. "Look, I'm not an idiot."
Faith's laughter abruptly stopped, "I wasn't suggesting that you were."
"I know that we're going to end up fighting the demons away from here. It's probably the only way to stop them once and for all. But I hope you realize that this means fighting Sargeras, and if you have any idea how we can do this without destroying everything here, I'm all ears."
"You have a point…"
Sylvanas walked over to her desk and leaned on it, crossing her long legs in front of her in a manner that was so like her that Faith couldn't help but smile a little, remembering the countless times she'd watched her that way when they'd been alive. "We've done a lot since the demons invaded us."
A slow nod.
"We've lost a lot too. I realize that I've been a little distracted lately and haven't put my focus where it needed to be, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to what the Horde's been going through."
Faith hung her head, "That was my fault, I'm sorry."
"Greymane attacking you wasn't your fault, Faith, it was his. Yes, what happened to you most definitely distracted me, but you're the one who kept focusing on the bigger picture. Honestly, I don't know where we'd be if you hadn't stepped in the way you did." She gave a rare sigh, "I wonder whether Vol'jin was right in appointing me to be warchief. You should have been the one to lead us."
"That's a good one. No one in their right mind would appoint me leader of the Horde. Not now, not ever."
Sylvanas raised her eyes to meet Faith's, "I would."
"You're a little biased."
"Maybe I am, but I'm not the only person who thinks this."
Faith walked to her, settling between her legs and kissing her lips softly, "I'm your wife. I wouldn't be objective either."
"You were plenty objective when you went to the Halls of Valor with a team comprised of members of the Horde and the Alliance." She kissed Faith back, placing a gentle hand on the back of her head. "I made you co-Warchief for a reason, and I'm glad I did, sweetheart. Thank you for what you've done."
"I just did what you would have done. Once upon a time."
"Once upon a time when I was alive and had a better grip on my responsibilities?"
"Once upon a time when things were simpler, yes. Nobody can blame you for being distracted. If the situation had been reversed and your life was the one on the line, I would have been absolutely incapable of thinking about anything else, and you know it."
They kissed, taking a little time despite the fact that they both had places they needed to be.
"Oh, I really don't want to leave you tonight," whispered Faith, snuggling up to her.
Sylvanas chuckled softly, "We'll be together again before you know it. But you need to get to Silvermoon to discuss Suramar with Lor'themar and Liadrin."
"Yes, but I'll still miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
Faith left Sylvanas a little later, taking a portal to Silvermoon with Emmigosa perched on her shoulder. She found Liadrin waiting for her in the portal room with a book in her hands, looking a little sleepy.
"Oh, there you are, Faith. Were you with the warchief?"
"You know it. Sorry for the delay, we were trying to figure out what our next move should be now that we have four of the Pillars."
"We're going to go for the fifth one, right?"
"It seems to be the smartest move, although I understand that a team will be going back to the Broken Shore to assess the situation there."
Liadrin snorted, "Not much to assess: it's overrun with demons swarming over the Tomb of Sargeras."
"Well, as Sylvanas said, we can only do one thing at a time, and we cannot attack the Legion until we have all five of the Pillars in place. We'll get there."
"We will?"
"What alternative do we have?" asked Faith as they walked out of the portal room and into the heart of Sunfury Spire. "Let the demons take over everything?"
"Of course not. But it would be nice to have a plan."
They walked into Lor'themar's meeting room, which had been redecorated since the last time Faith had seen it. Larger, there were several couches along the walls in addition to the oval table and cushioned chairs in the middle of the room.
"Love what you've done with the place, Lor'themar," said Faith to him, smiling.
"I seem to spend more time in here lately than anywhere else, so I thought it was time for a remodel."
"No arguments here."
He nodded towards Emmigosa, "She's certainly been growing."
"Tell me about it. She eats like… well, a dragon."
Everyone laughed.
Faith sat at the table while Emmigosa went to rest on one of the couches, falling asleep with her head under her wing.
"So," said Lor'themar. "We're going to Suramar?"
"We're looking into it. As far as I know, the Alliance is doing the same. We know that the final Pillar is there, and we need to use it in conjunction with the others in order to get rid of the Felstorm."
"We don't know anything about Suramar, though," said Liadrin quietly.
"We didn't know anything about the Broken Isles in general, yet here we are," replied Faith. "Have we not done any research on it at all?"
"We don't need to," said a voice that caused Faith to jump, although she recognized it as Khadgar's. "They contacted us."
"Master Khadgar," said the regent-lord, half-rising out of his chair. "We were not expecting you here."
"My apologies for the intrusion, but I thought it was best to come and alert you right away. Kalec has gone to Stormwind to let them know that we received a message from someone in Suramar."
"What do you mean?" wondered Faith. "What kind of message?"
"The kind you need to hear and see for yourself. We got it when the barrier around Suramar City came down."
Liadrin let out an exclamation, "The barrier came down?"
A nod, "I'm not sure what caused that to happen, but we've been sensing waves of arcane energy coming from there, and detected some kind of pattern that we translated into a message."
"A message from Suramar that comes just as we're thinking about going there," mused Faith. "It's too easy. What's the catch?"
"I don't think there is one. It was a call for help."
Faith chewed on her lip thoughtfully, "Do you have the message?"
"In Dalaran, yes. I think you guys need to come over. All the leaders of the Horde."
"You want the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance to see the message together?" asked Lor'themar incredulously. "After everything that's happened, I don't know if it's such a good idea to gather everyone in one place."
"We don't have time to argue," Faith told him. "If Khadgar figured something out, one can assume that the Burning Legion has as well."
"Yeah, I hadn't thought about that…"
Faith nodded, "I'll go check in with Sylvanas and meet you at the Violet Citadel in Dalaran in a half-hour."
The tension in the Violet Citadel was palpable, with members of the Horde on one side and members of the Alliance on the other.
Faith had had the hardest time convincing Sylvanas to let her go, but in the end, she'd had to agree to it.
"If Greymane so much as breathes in your direction, I will have his head on a spike," she had said as they'd set out for the portal room.
King Anduin was there as well, standing between Greymane and Velen. Faith was saddened to see that he looked older, more burdened by his responsibilities. She guessed that his father's death still weighed heavily on him. She would have liked to talk to him, but it wouldn't have been wise.
Someone growled—Greymane. Sylvanas snapped her head towards him, her hand moving to the handle of one of the long knives at her waist. Faith reached down, interlocking their fingers together, praying for calm.
"Thank you for coming over on such short notice," said Khadgar, eyeing both sides of the great hall warily. "I know tensions have been running high on both sides, but this is the time to work together, not apart."
"The sooner we figure out what's going on, the sooner we can leave," growled Greymane. "It stinks of undeath in here."
Sylvanas shifted and Faith squeezed her hand in warning, hard.
"You said that the pattern you had uncovered was a message, Khadgar," she said gently. "Could you tell us more about it?"
"Let me show you." He waved his hands and a ball of floating pink arcane energy appeared directly in front of him. Reaching out a hand, he touched it and it coalesced into a ghostly figure that looked vaguely like a night elf.
"Ith'el kanesh!" it said. "I am Thalyssra of the shal'dorei… the Nightborne. First Arcanist in the court of Suramar."
Faith blinked at the figure, then locked eyes with Anduin for a second before turning her attention back to the message.
"My people have made a dire pact, one that spells doom for this world. Time is short. If you have found this message, you are capable of finding me as well. Make haste for Suramar. You may be our last hope. Ith'nala kanesh!"
