The Shard
Athrodar stood at Krasus' Landing, replaying the events of the Northrend war over and over again in his mind, in particular when Sylvanas shot his shoulder with an arrow and falling off the side of the city, being caught by a Frostwyrm and returning to Icecrown shortly after. He slowly placed his hand over where Frostmourne had pierced his chest, feeling nothing more than a scar that had refused to heal, even after being brought back to life, visiting countless healers and spending a lot of time near the Sunwell. The rest of his scars healed the day he was brought back, but Frostmourne's scar had remained. "I know you're still out there." He whispered, looking out towards the ocean. "I know your eyes are watching me this very second."
Just as he stepped away from the edge, he felt a sharp sting in his scar and collapsed to one knee. He knew exactly what this meant - The Lich King had woke up once more from his slumber. "Damn you..." He said with gritted teeth, thanking the Titans that nobody was there to see him as it was the dead of night. "Cursed to feel your blade even after I have been cured of your curse."
He slowly made his way off Krasus' Landing and further in to Dalaran, holding himself up against a nearby wall and holding onto his abdomen, specifically over his scar that had remained dormant for years until today. He took a couple more steps forward but then stumbled as the pain became unbearable, having a couple nearby Kirin Tor Guardians rush over to him and ask if he was okay. "Healer... Get me to a healer." He muttered, falling unconscious as his body couldn't take the pain.
Whilst Athrodar was taken to the infirmary, a Kirin Tor Guardian split off from the group helping the ranger and made his way to Sylvanas, knocking on the door and calling out her name, waiting for her to answer the door. "What is it?" She said, rubbing her eyes after falling asleep beside her daughter Alleria.
"It's your husband, my Lady." The Guardian said, bowing his head to her. "He has been taken to the infirmary after we found him collapsed in the middle of the city."
Sylvanas widened her eyes in horror. She and her entire kin knew elves didn't just collapse unless something was terribly wrong, reaching for her cloak and throwing it around herself. "What happened?" She asked, closing the door behind her.
"We are yet to know, my Lady." The Guardian said, keeping up with the agile, lithe elf who made her way to the infirmary with haste. "He looked in pain, but we have sent for our healers to help him."
Sylvanas entered the infirmary and saw many of the injured soldiers all looking over to the sound of Athrodar yelling out in pain, including Tanadia who didn't look as worried as she would have thought she would have. Maybe she didn't see who it was. She thought, making her way to the yelling and being held back by a couple of priests when she got close enough. "Let me by, he's my husband!"
"I can't, my Lady. We don't know what is causing this, but he is in great pain and is difficult to keep calm." The priest looked behind them, watching as his brothers and sisters struggled to keep Athrodar on the bed as he was thrashing.
"Help him!" Sylvanas roared, pushing her way through the priests and standing beside Athrodar's bed, only for him to pass out once she took hold of his hand. "Athrodar?"
The priests got to work on examining Athrodar now that he had become unconscious once again, searching his body for any wounds or damage that would explain his sudden outburst of yells and screams. "There is nothing..." One of them muttered.
"Except this scar." Another said, being gently pushed aside when Sylvanas stepped forward after being pulled back so they could examine him.
"Scar?" She asked, looking down at the Scar of Frostmourne and closing her eyes. "Oh... He hasn't said anything about it for years, I had almost forgotten." She placed a hand over his scar, suddenly sucking in air through her teeth and holding onto the scar she got from Frostmourne too with her other hand. "Gah!" She breathed, collapsing to one knee.
"My Lady!" One of the priests exclaimed, helping Sylvanas up onto her feet. "What's wrong?"
"I... I know what... What hurts in him." She removed her hand from her scar, expecting to see blood on her hand and finding none. "The Lich King has awoken." She said, looking up at the priests who now all stared at her, wide eyed and a little scared. "His scar is what is causing him pain, and now me. It happened when he was undead, but I never -"
"Lady Windrunner." A chilling voice said, standing behind her and the priests. "I need to speak with you."
Sylvanas looked back to Darion Fordring, the Ebon Blade Champion standing still, completely unmoving and cold. "He's back, isn't he?"
Darion looked passed them all and towards Athrodar who remained unconscious in the bed. "He has contacted the Ebon Blade on several occasions and has shown us to some powerful weapons we can use against the Legion." He looked back to Sylvanas. "I am here because he has asked for him."
"No." Sylvanas said, standing directly in front of Darion. "He has sacrificed enough of his life fighting against the Lich King. I'll be damned if you are taking him so he can serve the Lich King once more."
"He's not being called back into action." Darion told her. "He has a mission for him," the Death Knight looked over to Athrodar who hadn't woken up yet, "once he's fit and ready to leave."
Sylvanas frowned at the Death Knight, well aware the priests were still around them when she asked her question. "What mission?"
"The mission is for him, not you."
Sylvanas smirked at the Death Knight. "You must not get a lot of updates in your floating fortress, but we do everything together. So whatever the mission for him is, I am also going on the mission."
Darion sighed. "I'll be back when he wakes up."
Victoria looked around her bedroom, pulling back curtains, pillows and opening the occasional door. "Where are you?" She asked herself, hearing a giggle in the distance and smiling when she had pinpointed her sister's hideout the second the game started, but wanted to keep this game going. "I am dealing with a master ranger. Someone who is very good at hiding."
When the giggling continued, Victoria rolled her eyes at how bad her sister really was at hiding, but found it also very adorable at the same time. "Unless... She is here!" Victoria opened the door to the bathroom, on the complete other side of the room to where Alleria was hiding. "Wow, you are really good at hiding, Alleria." She said out loud, hearing the excitement in her sister's laughter shortly after.
"I don't think I'll ever find her." Victoria said, feigning sadness and letting out a long sigh, walking towards where Alleria was hiding and standing directly beside it. "I think I may have to just give up."
Alleria jumped out of where she was hiding, letting out a cute roar and jumping at her sister. "I win!" She said, hugging her tightly.
"Yes you do, little one." Victoria said, laughing. "The cutest, most bestest hider ever."
"I am the bestest ever!" Alleria cheered, giggling when Victoria kissed her on the cheek. "Where's mama and papa?" She asked when she had stopped giggling.
"I.. I don't know." Victoria admitted, kissing her on the cheek again and standing up, picking up her sister and carrying her on her hip. "Let's go look for them, okay?"
"Okay." Alleria said with a beaming smile.
The two of them searched all over Dalaran, though mostly stuck to the inn's and the Violet Citadel, having to ask one of the guards where her parents were and following them towards the infirmary. "Thank you." She said, bowing her head to the guard who bowed his head back to the Queen before leaving. "Come on, let's go see them."
"... So it just started hurting?" Victoria heard her mother ask, dropping in to the conversation halfway through.
"It did. I wasn't expecting it to, especially after it being nothing more than a scar for years." Athrodar looked down at it the best her could, being restrained to the bed so the healers could examine him a lot better. "What about you? Has yours done anything?"
"When I placed my hand over you scar, mine did start to hurt. But clearly not as bad as I didn't need the entire priesthood to hold me down." They both laughed with Sylvanas smiling down at her husband. "I'll talk to someone soon, okay? For now, I just want to keep an eye on you and make sure you're okay."
Athrodar closed his eyes when Sylvanas leaned down and kissed him, wanting to move the kiss even further but couldn't due to his situation and hearing Victoria clear her throat as she stood behind her mother. "This is exactly what it looks like." He said, wiping the grin off his face when he saw their middle daughter, Alleria, stand beside Sylvanas.
"What happened here?" Victoria asked, looking down at Athrodar and the bindings on his wrists and ankles to keep him on the bed.
"The Lich King has returned." Sylvanas told her, placing a hand on her arm when she saw Victoria didn't know he was dormant over the last decade or two. "It's not Arthas, it's Bolvar now. He took up the mantle to save the world from the undead after Arthas was killed." She looked over to Athrodar who felt a little guilty at keeping this secret between the select few who were there. "They didn't tell anyone there was still a Lich King to bring hope back into the world. Turns out the news is about to spread very quickly."
"Partneree with the Legion attacking us, some might think this is the end time." Athrodar muttered, being slapped on the arm by Sylvanas. "What?"
"Is now really the time for doom and gloom?" She asked, shaking her head at him.
"No, but I would really like to be free of these bindings." Athrodar looked at his wife with pleading eyes, making her feel guilty and hearing her sigh.
"Okay, I suppose you're fine now." She undone both wrist bindings, yelping when Athrodar yelled and launched himself at her, hugging his wife tightly. "Don't do that!" She exclaimed, thinking for a second she had made a mistake.
Victoria cleared her throat, trying to get them to stop what they were doing before it started. "So why is dad in here?"
"Because his scar, the one Frostmourne gave him, started to hurt. A lot." Sylvanas looked over to him and took hold of his hand. "It happened last night and I have been here since, worrying and looking after him."
Alleria climbed onto the bed and hugged her father, being hugged back by him. "I'm okay." He whispered to her, kissing the top of Alleria's head. "Your papa is okay."
"Hey." Victoria whispered, placing a hand on Sylvanas' shoulder. "Have you slept yet? I can only imagine you were up all night worrying about him."
"I'll sleep later." Sylvanas told her, looking back down at Athrodar and now Alleria. "Has Khadgar returned from the Exodar yet?"
"Not yet, no." Victoria told her. "Apparently he should be here later today though."
"Then I will sleep once he has returned and the meeting that will surely come after his return." Sylvanas stroked the top of Alleria's head and smiled when she and Athrodar saw her yawn. "Though this one will sleep before hand."
"So what did you find out from Velen?" Rhonin asked, looking down at the shard laying down on the table in front of both him and Khadgar.
"This is from a Prime Naaru. It holds a message that I have seen and came straight back here the moment I saw it." Khadgar looked up at Rhonin who was waiting for his answer. "You may want to sit down for this."
Listening to his fellow mage, Rhonin sat down on the opposite side of the table as Khadgar who placed his hand on top of the crystal in the middle of the shard, projecting an image of someone he had not expected to see. "Turalyon?" He asked, sitting forward and looking at the image.
"Azeroth," the shard said, echoing in throughout the room. "I pray that this, the final plea of the Army of the Light, has reached you intact. The thousand years' war has reached its peak, but the nightmare is far from over. This vessel represents our ultimate sacrifice. It must reach the prophet. He... is the key. None of us asked for this burden, but it is what fate deemed. Succeed, and the light may yet endure. Fail, and all worlds will burn."
The image faded away back into the shard, leaving Rhonin awestruck by the event and Khadgar with a smile of certainty painted on his face. "We are not alone in this war." He told the Archmage, watching Rhonin collect his thoughts. "This, Army of the Light, it could be what we need to push the Legion off of this world for good."
"If Turalyon is still alive, do you think Alleria is too?" Rhonin asked, thinking about Vereesa in this situation more than the defeat of the Legion. "She and Sylvanas will want to see this."
"We will show them. For now, I need to examine this more." Khadgar placed one hand on his chin, rubbing it whilst looking down at the shard. "If you want, you can go get them now. Perhaps they will see something I have missed."
Rhoning nodded his head, opening the door to leave and turning back to face Khadgar. "This is a big jump in the right direction. We have almost all the Pillars of Creation and now there's an entire army fighting for the Light against the Legion, with Turalyon in its ranks? This war might just be over before Winter's Veil."
Khadgar smiled and nodded his head. "It just might."
Whilst Rhonin had left to gather his wife and sister-in-law, as well as the rest of their family, Khadgar examined the shard laid out in front of him and only getting the same message from Turalyon over and over again, watching it fade away just seconds before Rhonin returned with everyone. "What did you find?" Sylvanas asked, sitting down at one end of the table, looking at the shard in front of her.
"What I found was very -" Khadgar's sentence was interrupted when the image of Turalyon appeared in front of them all the moment Arator got close to it.
"Arator, son." The image of Turalyon said, making everyone there look up at it. "If you can hear this, I have an important message. For ages, I have hunted the Burning Legion across the stars. In retribution, the dreadlord Balnazzar has been sent to Azeroth to destroy all that I hold dear. You must gather the defenders of the Light, Arator. Keep the Light alive. Fight, or ALL is lost." Everyone except Arator all looked around at each other, not liking the grim sounding news from this message. "Farewell, son. Do not lose faith, for it is in the darkest moments that the light shines brightest."
As the image of Turalyon fades away, Vereesa looked over to her nephew who looked down at the table in front of them, lost in thought. "Are you okay?" She asked, watching him look back at all of them gathered around him.
"You heard my father. We must act!" He told them, looking back at Khadgar who gave him a single nod. "I will take this message to the Paladins of Light's Hope Chapel, they will get the word out to all the far reaches of Azeroth, to gather our armies."
"And where will we go?" Victoria asked, having a nod or two in agreement from Thal'ena and Vereesa.
"The Broken Shore." Rhonin said, looking over to Khadgar. "The Tomb of Sargeras is where the Legion draws its power on our world. If we can take that, we will deal a major blow to the Legion on our world."
"There is another target." Khadgar said, speaking up when they all began to agree on the Tomb of Sargeras as their target. "We may need more allies in this fight, and Suramar is close by, but it is overrun by the Nightborne who follow Grand Magistrix Elisande. She and her followers are loyal to the Burning Legion, but we have made contact with a resistance force who mean to put an end to her reign."
"Who?" Sylvanas asked for the group.
"A Nightborne named Thalyssra. Liadrin is helping her out now, but if we all show up to aide them in taking Suramar back and making it main port for which we will launch attacks on the Legion from, we will swing this war greatly in our favor." Khadgar saw them all begin to think about it, smiling at their uncertainty. "I will send word to Tyrande, Lor'themar, Nathanos, Baine and anyone else who leads an army to meet us here in Dalaran to discuss it more."
"I am all for this." Athrodar said, standing at the entrance of the room they were all in.
"You're supposed to be resting." Sylvanas told him, shaking her head and walking over to him.
"I know, but if you're all summoned to a secret meeting, I would like to know what it's about." He looked over to Khadgar who nodded once at him. "This Suramar place... Will it be the key to pushing the Legion off our world?"
"I believe it will be a start, yes." Khadgar told him.
Athrodar nodded slowly, looking down at Sylvanas who had a hand placed flat on his chest and looking up at him, gazing into her eyes and knowing she was waiting for his confirmation more than anything. "Then I am all for this plan."
"And so am I." Sylvanas said, looking back at Khadgar. "If he believes in this, then so do I."
"Then that's the plan." Victoria said, looking over to her parents. "We go take Suramar with Liadrin and this Thalyssra person. Get us a new ally and a port to launch attack on the Broken Shore." The Queen smiled. "Seems like a good plan. Hopefully we get an update on Turalyon and the Army of the Light in the meantime.
Vereesa smiled at the plan. "Alleria is alive." She said, looking over to Sylvanas and only Sylvanas. "We both know she is stronger with him. If Turalyon is alive, then she must be too, right?"
Sylvanas smiled and nodded her head. "She's alive. I believe it too." She looked up at Athrodar who kissed her lightly. "I love you." She whispered, closing her eyes when he hugged her tightly.
"I love you too." He whispered in her ear, both of them swaying back and forth whilst looking at the rest of them, Sylvanas safely secured in Athrodar's arms. "When are we leaving to meet up with them?"
"Soon." Khadgar said, looking back down at the shard. "Once the rest of the leaders of Azeroth get back here, we will conduct a meeting and inform them of the plan."
