Isle of Quel'Danas

"Belo'vir."

The Grand Magister looked over to the elf calling his name, locking eyes with his King and making his way over to him quickly. "Your Majesty." He said, bowing his head to him. "We need to protect the beach, stop them from getting over here."

Anasterian nodding and placed a hand on the Grand Magister's shoulder. "We will need to hold them here. If they get onto the island, we won't have enough to hold further in land as they could spread across the island, surround us and kill us all."

Belo'vir nodded his head in agreement to his King's assessment. "Already ahead of you, my King. I have instructed my mages to prepare many shields to stop their spells, though I don't know if it will stop them." He saw Anasterian look a little troubled by this bit of news, but figured he could cheer up the King a little. "I have also sent Rommath to the barricade the young Sunblades have set up. He should be there soon to help them evacuate the civilians from the City... I just hope he gets there in time and safe."

King Anasterian began to smile and placed a hand on Belo'vir's shoulder again. "Good. If we can keep them safe, they will be our future should we fail here."

"No offense, your Majesty. But we won't fail here." Belo'vir looked confident in this and it gave the King some confidence too. "We weren't prepared for the assault on the city, especially when the Ban'dinoriel was down and we didn't know about it." Belo'vir looked towards the large body of water between them and Silvermoon. "We are prepared for them now."

"Keep working on the defences." Anasterian told him, making his way further in land and coming across Dael'Thaelas, gripping his arm tightly and having the Sunblade Lord do the same back to him. "Well, this was something I wasn't expecting. Not in my life time."

"Another great war for us to fight for the future of our Kingdom." Dael'Thaelas told him, both him and the King being close friends over the years, growing up together and keeping their strong bond throughout the centuries.

"Except this time, I am getting my hands dirty and not leaving all the glory to you and your rangers." The King said, laughing lightly with the Ranger-Lord before looking around at the small amount of troops they had left. It was half of what was normally on duty, not including those who were usually off duty. Including those numbers, they were at close to a third of their usual strength. "I hope this is enough."

"That Prince won't know what hit him the second he arrives on this island. We will show him how big of a mistake he made coming here today." Dael'Thaelas looked up at the sky and saw an unusual storm starting to form. It was still minutes out, but the dark clouds rolling in, especially over the Sunwell, was a very unique thing. "That can't be good."

Everyone looked up at the storm clouds rolling in from Silvermoon, knowing that the fight was coming to them a lot sooner than they were expecting. "Prepare yourselves!" Anasterian yelled, having everyone look over to their King. "This will be our final stand. As a nation, as a people. The evil coming towards us will not succeed today if we stop him here. And we will stop him here!"

Dael'Thaelas smiled and nodded along with his King's speech, hearing the elves around him cheer as their courage was renewed by their leader. "I'll fight beside you, my King." He said, having Anasterian give him a slight nod of acceptance.

"Let's go." Lor'themar whispered, moving towards Silvermoon and having Halduron and their ranger groups follow him.

"We'll need to climb up onto the walls and make our way in that way." Halduron told him, all of them stopping beside the wall and looking up at the breach in the wall. "If we go through the breach and follow the undead until we find an opening, we might be ambushed by remnants that stayed back."

Lor'themar nodded in agreement. "I know. Which is why I think your plan to climb is a sound one. I was about to suggest the same thing."

"Good." Halduron said with a grin, standing with his back against the wall and interlocking his fingers. "Up you get."

Lor'themar shook his head but run up to Halduron, placed one foot on his interlocking fingers and pushing himself up onto the wall, holding onto one of the many pieces of the wall protruding out over them. By the time he had climbed to the top, he looked over at the scar on their lands, a long, black road that was only formed when the army of the Scourge walked over their lands. "Belore.." The Ranger-Lord whispered under his breath. "They... They have scarred this land."

Halduron pulled himself up and stood beside his friend, having the same reaction as the Ranger-Lord the moment he saw the scar in the land. "Light... How are we going to stop an army that can do that?"

"The King will." Lor'themar told him, believing in their leader. "They would have gone to the Isle of Quel'Danas now and are in the middle of setting up a defence."

"Come on." Halduron pulled on Lor'themar's arm. "We need to check the city. There has to be people still trapped inside buildings or hiding out until this is all over."

The Ranger-Lord nodded his head in agreement, following the Ranger-Captain across the wall until they found some steps and climbed off the wall and were now in the city.

Tahnir stood at one of the barricades, letting his son rest by giving him and many of his rangers permission to sleep until something happened. He looked out at the city and found it extremely disheartening to see empty roads, buildings and market stalls before him. He had never experienced such a thing before and it didn't sit well with the Ranger-Captain, forcing him to look back at the many civilians huddled around each other, fearing for their safety or sleeping beside one another, waiting for someone to save them.

"Captain!" A ranger shouted, making their way through the groups of civilians who were all sitting or laying on the city floor, making sure not to stand on any of them as they made their way to Tahnir. "Captain... We've got company."

"Where?" Tahnir asked, having several rangers waking up at the yelling the ranger was doing.

"Southern barricade. And it's not the dead."

Tahnir frowned at the ranger, but began to follow them to the southern barricade. Once he arrived at the barricade, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw Rommath standing there with three of his rangers beside the mage. "Captain... Am I glad to see you."

"Are you alone?" Tahnir asked, signalling for his rangers to let Rommath in.

"I'm afraid I am, but I have come to evacuate you all from the city." Rommath told the Captain, looking at the three to four thousand civilians still inside the city and let out a long exhale. "This is going to be tough though."

"Where are we going?" Tahnir asked the mage, watching him begin to conjure a portal.

"The Isle of Quel'Danas. It's the only place that is safe for all these people." Rommath saw the Captain didn't agree with this plan but said nothing about it. "I know, the dead are marching to that island as we speak, but what can we do? Dalaran won't take us all, Gilneas has closed its borders from everyone. Stormwind is just getting back onto its feet and Capital City has been destroyed by the very Prince who is marching on our lands."

Tahnir sighed and nodded his head slowly, looking back at the many civilians who were now standing up and helping up their friends, family and kin. "Looks like the Isle of Quel'Danas will have to do." He looked over to his son who was slowly walking over to them, smiling a little at the Lieutenant. "Let me inform my second and the rest of my rangers."

Once the Lieutenant made it towards his father, Athrodar frowned at the look of concern on Tahnir's face and began to grow concerned himself. "What's going on?" He asked, looking over to the Magister in the background. "Are we getting help?"

Tahnir sighed and lowered his head a little. "We are moving everyone to the Isle of Quel'Danas. It's the only place where it's safe for them all. Our entire army is there and we are only at half our numbers. If the undead find us here... We won't hold them off."

"We... We have to fight them again?" Athrodar asked his father, sounding and looking worried at the prospect. "I don't think... We can't..."

Tahnir placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "We have to, I'm sorry. The King has ordered us all to retreat to the Isle of Quel'Danas, the civilians will be looked after but we will have to go to the front to help hold off the dead." He sighed and looked over to the civilians being rounded up by their rangers. "I'm just happy your mother got out before it was too late. She hasn't had to see her home get destroyed the further north the dead got like we have."

Athrodar smiled a little at his father, looking over to the civilians they were protecting. "I hope they are in Dalaran or somewhere equally as safe. I know Grand Magister Dawnstrider will look after her along with the rest of his family. Vilandil too, I trust him to look after his family and my mother."

Tahnir moved an arm around his son. "Come on, let's inform the rest of our company of our next step. Just like us, they're not going to like it, but it will be safer with them than stuck in the city. We don't know how many of the dead are still in Silvermoon."

"Quiet now, aren't you?" Arthas glanced over to Sylvanas who was seething with anger as they all crossed the giant body of water between Silvermoon and the Isle of Quel'Danas. "Didn't know I could create a path of frost, did you? Very handy for, I don't know, getting from Silvermoon to the Sunwell."

Sylvanas held in the Banshee Scream she could feel growing in her gut, knowing that the last time she let one out, Arthas made he feel like she was on the brink of dying every time, knowing that although she was dead, she didn't want to keep having the feeling of almost dying over and over again whenever she let her anger take over. A task that was difficult as she had not yet found out how to control the scream when it decided to take over. "You won't win..." She grumbled, floating beside Arthas as he rode on his horse across the path of frost.

"So you have said." Arthas mused, grinning the entire time he could feel Sylvanas' anger begin to take over. "Tempting, isn't it? To just let out a scream and cripple me and my army for a few seconds before I force you to stay silent. Knowing that for those few seconds you would hurt me and possibly kill a few of the undead, but not wanting to do it because you know how much pain I can inflict back."

"All worth it, just to see you in pain." Sylvanas told him, almost laughing at him when she felt his slight annoyance to the lack of care she had about his threat. "The King will stop you here. The Sunwell powers our mages, you will be destroyed before you get inside its walls. We will crush you."

"Is it still we, Banshee?" Arthas chuckled darkly. "I hate to break it to you, but it will never be we for you and your people. It will just be them and you." He forced her to float closer to him. "You are one of is now. Forsaken, undead. Perfection."

"Perfection? I'm an abomination." Sylvanas told him.

"Abomination? Oh no, my dear. You are just how I want you." Arthas grinned at her. "A vessel of war. You will bring so much death to my enemies, that you are perfect. Don't sell yourself short, you will be powerful. Obedient, when the time comes, but powerful."

Sylvanas glared at the Death Knight Princeling, not containing her anger and letting out a piercing scream that was quickly silenced once more when Arthas choked her.

"I told you I would torture you if you did that." Arthas spat, narrowing his eyes at the Banshee and holding onto the reins of his mount tightly. "Looks like I know who I am sending in with the vanguard." He told her. "Time for you to put that voice of yours to good use."

"Nnngh... No!" Sylvanas struggled against her new master as he forced her to the front of the army against her will. "Damn you!"

"Here they come!" Anasterian yelled, pulling out his sword and holding onto his staff with his other hand. "Don't let them pass! Should we need it, we will fall back. But don't let them into the Sunwell!" The King enchanted his sword, Felo'melorn, with flames, looking out at the ocean and the army of the dead walking across it on the path of frost. "We have never lost this island. I will be damned if we lose it now. The Amani couldn't break us, the almighty Horde couldn't break us." The King looked back to Dael'Thaelas and the other Lord and Officers behind him. "We will not break here today."

Aerinan looked back and saw his son and Grandson, Tahnir and Athrodar, join them with their company just before the army of the dead arrived on the beach in front of them. "Tahnir, my son." He hugged the Ranger Captain and smiled at him. "I am glad you are here. I was worried neither of you had made it." He looked over to Athrodar and placed a hand on the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Now we need to hold back the tide of death coming this way."

"Should be fun." Tahnir said, looking over to his son who looked a lot less enthusiastic.

"You're alive!" Liadrin yelled, running through the groups of rangers and hugging Athrodar tightly. "I thought I had lost you."

"I'm here, Liadrin." Athrodar whispered, returning the hug to the High Priestess. "Can't leave you alone in this fight."

Liadrin pulled back and smiled at him. "Good. Vilandil and Thalina are safe with their family and your mother, away from here. It's up to us to protect our home before they come back."

Athrodar looked away momentarily, something the High Priestess picked up on but didn't address right away. "I.. I don't know if we can. I've seen what they can do when the tide of the battle turns in their favor. It happens quickly and we will be overrun just as fast."

"We'll be fine." Liadrin told him with a smile. "Trust me. We will get through this, we will rebuild what has been destroyed and push back that Princeling and burn his army to the ground."

Athrodar began to smile at the fire burning in the High Priestess' eyes. "I like this side of you."

"Well get used to it Sunblade." Liadrin said, clenching her fist tightly. "I am going to be like this until we have cleared our forests of the dead."

Athrodar looked over to his father and Grandfather, taking out an arrow from his quiver and nocking it on his bow. "I will be beside you, Liadrin. We will push them out of our forests together."

Liadrin looked over to her adoptive father, High Priest Vandellor, who stood beside Grand Magister Belo'vir and King Anasterian in the front lines. "We will all push them out of our forests." She said, looking up at Athrodar and smiling at him. "I trust in the King. He is a very experienced mage and fighter. He will slay that Princeling."

"Spellbreakers, to the front!" Anasterian commanded, watching his soldiers move to the front lines and put up a shield wall to stop the tide of death charging towards them. "Rangers, mages, priests. Deal with them before they reach land!"

The first couple of minutes went to plan. The elves held back the tide of death, losing very few of their own and gaining confidence with every passing second that they could in fact, win this. Anasterian was leading from the front, cutting down the dead with ease and steeling the heart of his army as they fought side by side with their King. What quickly began to change the tide of battle was the arrival of their former Ranger-General in Banshee form, entering the battlefield against her will and being forced to use her Banshee Scream to stun the front line of Spellbreakers.

"General..." Liadrin muttered, looking over to Vandellor who watched the Banshee wail and scream at their front lines, quickly turning the tide of the battle as the dead began to break through the ranks of the stunned elves. "We need to stop her!"

Vandellor looked over to Sylvanas who let out another Banshee Scream, casting a holy spell at her and making the former Ranger-General stop in her tracks and momentarily imprisoning her in a holy spell. "I have her..." He glanced over to the army of the dead flooding onto the Isle of Quel'Danas and running passed their front lines. "But not for long."

Prince Arthas made his way onto the Isle of Quel'Danas, being flanked by two abominations who quickly ran into the battle, taking out many elves within the first few seconds of the fight and allowing Arthas free range to ride further in land on his steed, Invincible. "This is the final step to my plan." He told himself, summoning Sylvanas back to him when the spell around her broke. "Watch my victory, General. You will witness what all of this was for and how easily you could have avoided all this bloodshed."

King Anasterian watched Arthas freely roam the battlefield without being challenged, holding onto Felo'melorn tightly and glaring at the Prince who dared corrupt his Kingdom. "You!" He yelled, standing directly in front of the Prince once he made it off the beach and onto the grass and outskirts of the first set of buildings on the island. "You dare come here, to this sacred land with your tainted army?" He span his sword around in his hand and glared at the smug Prince. "You will pay for all the lives you have taken."

"Your Majesty. You can stop this bloodshed now if you so wish. Just allow me free access into your Sunwell and you won't have to lose another elf." Arthas saw Anasterian didn't want to give him access to the Sunwell, sighing and pulling out his sword, Frostmourne. "Fine. I'll just add you to the countless dead before you."

The sound of Felo'melorn and Frostmourne clashing made both elves and undead stop fighting, watching two legendary swords and the leaders of both armies clash in the middle of them. Every time the elven blade clashed with the runeblade, sparks of fire and frost appeared between them. "Get down from there and fight me face to face." Anasterian yelled, watched Arthas ride away on his steed and laugh as he turned it around and began to ride towards him at fall speed.

What happened next had stunned the Prince and invigorated the hearts and minds of the elves, relighting the fire burning inside them. As Arthas charged towards the Elven King, Anasterian crouched down and dodged the attack from Frostmourne and slashed his blade across the front legs of Invincible, severing them from the undead horse and forcing both Arthas and Invincible to fall forward, the Princeling rolling several times before looking back at his mount.

"No!" Arthas yelled, looking up to Anasterian and not finding him where he thought he would, hearing him appear behind him after warping there with the spell Blink and raising Frostmourne to clash with the Elven blade Felo'melorn once more. He got up onto his feet after parrying a couple more strikes, swinging a couple of times back at the Elven King and forcing him to stumble back as his great age began to play against him. Although he had the many centuries of experience in battle and command, it was completely different now that his great age mace his body slower.

Swinging once more at the King, Arthas shattered Felo'melorn with his Runeblade, swinging again and severing the right leg of the Elven King. "Gah!" Anasterian cried out, looking over to the many faces of his elves, his people, look on in horror as he was seconds away from being defeated. He looked back to Arthas and raised his shattered blade and forced it into Arthas' thigh. He looked up at Arthas who barely flinched at the action, having Frostmourne swing down once more and shatter Felo'melorn some more and burying itself deep into his neck, killing the Elven King on the spot.

"My King!" Belo'vir yelled, charging forward and first towards Arthas, having the Prince parry and repel his spells with his Anti-Magic Shell and Frostmourne, deflecting a swing from his staff and shattering the weapon with one swing from his Runeblade, sinking it deep into the Grand Magister's abdomen.

Watching his best friend fall to Arthas, Vandellor rushed towards the Grand Magister, followed by the rest of Silvermoon's army, though the High Priest wouldn't make it to his target as one of the Abominations the stood by Arthas intercepted the High Priest and stuck him with his hook and chain, bringing him towards the giant meat cleaver in the Abomination's other hand, killing him just as quickly as his best friend.

"No..." Liadrin muttered, feeling her heart shatter and eyes water at watching her adoptive father get slain before her, too quickly for her to say goodbye and too quickly for her to do anything to stop that. She had also watched her King die and her father's best friend, someone she cared for dearly, Belo'vir die too, all within a matter of minutes between each other.

"Retreat..." Dael'Thaelas muttered, watching several elves get slain with every passing second and knowing they had lost the moment their King was slain.

Not wanting to leave her father surrounded by the dead, Liadrin began to run to Vandellor but was quickly stopped when an arcane shell surrounded her. She looked over to the caster and laying eyes with a dying Belo'vir. "No... Let me take him!"

"Sorry... Liadrin..." Belo'vir choked, coughing up blood and looking the High Priestess in the eyes. "You need... to get... to.. Safety..." He strained, finishing the spell around the High Priestess and teleporting her to safety, away from all this death.

"Mages!" Dael'Thaelas yelled. "Get us all out of here! Those who remain inside the walls of the Sunwell... I pray for them." The Ranger Lord looked over to his family who ran to his side. "Take us away from here." He said, looking to the head mage of his families army, watching all the elves around them be ported away seconds before he watched the Isle of Quel'Danas disappear before him and return to the forests of Quel'Thalas.

Author's Notes: This took longer to upload (And write) than I wanted, but not because I was stuck. Quite the opposite actually, I was dying to write this chapter as I love the last stand of Anasterian against Arthas, one of the few if not, the only fighter to take the fight to Arthas and almost win... If only he wasn't so damn old, he could have stopped him.

This took so long because I have had some personal family things to deal with for the past month, so that has taken priority over writing this (And maybe the next couple... I think I can write two more Chapters to finish off this story, maybe three to round it to an even 10...). I will try to upload a lot more frequently, but real life problems come before writing this all the time, just know that I am not giving up on this story!