Scouting South

A month had passed since the assault on Silvermoon and the Sunwell, enough time for the Sin'dorei to take back the entire East side of Silvermoon City, most of the West side including the bridge connecting Sunstrider Isle to Falconwing Square. The forests just South of the city and Farstrider Retreat, where they had now retrieved most of their weapons and what supplies they had stored there.

Right now however, Lieutenant Ranger Athrodar was leading a small group of scouts further south and towards Southern Quel'Thalas, something that was quickly being named the Ghostlands. "Are you sure you want to be here?" He asked, looking to the now former priestess by his side.

"I've told Thal and I'm going to tell you. Lor'themar and Halduron didn't train me for no reason. I want to help take back our land and kill any undead or Amani I can find." Liadrin held onto the sword Halduron had given to her a couple of days before they left the Capital. "Even if I have to be out here for days on end just to find them."

Athrodar sighed a little and watched Liadrin walk with the rest of their scouting group further south and across a reconstructed bridge, over the Elrendar River. "I know you've lost a lot Liadrin, we all have, but that's not a smart move."

Liadrin stopped and allowed the rest of the group to walk passed her, spinning on her heel and gripping the Lieutenant Ranger's tunic tightly in her hand when he got close enough. "You know nothing of my loss!" She yelled, piercing his soul with her fiery glare. "You still have EVERYTHING! I have NOTHING!"

Expecting tears or some sort of look of sadness behind her glare, Athrodar quickly looked away and gulped when there was nothing but pure hatred and rage. "I'm sorry, Liadrin." He said quietly, keeping his focus off her. "I know I am fortunate to have my family and close friends. But I have lost all of those I have fought with. The group with us now are all that's left of my unit. My father's company has only double that. One hundred and twenty rangers, one hundred and twenty brothers and sisters, reduced to just twenty-six of us. So I know loss, Liadrin. I still see their faces when I sleep, I hear their screams, see their bodies..." He closed his eyes and shook his head, looking back to Liadrin who had softened her glare and started to feel a little guilty now at her outburst. "I lost Ninety-four brothers and sisters over those two days. I will never get them back, but I will be damned if I left this place to rot away without trying to reclaim it."

"Athrodar.. I-I'm sorry." Liadrin stepped forward and hugged the Lieutenant. "I forget how close you rangers are. You spend months, if not years together as a company in the forests. You all eat, sleep and fight together."

A soft kiss was placed on Liadrin's head by the Lieutenant Ranger, smiling down at her a little when she looked up at him. "I forgive you. You lost your adoptive father to the undead, your real parents to the Amani and close family friends to both. I don't want you to overdo it, but I will be with you every step of the way if need be."

"Good." Liadrin told him, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it. "I didn't train with Halduron and Lor'themar the last few weeks just to stand by. I want to kill everything that threatens this land as much as anyone. Even if that means I am out here until they're gone."

Athrodar smiled at her again. "I know you will, Liadrin. I've known you long enough to know when you're serious."

"Do we know where the undead are?"

Halduron shook his head, looking down at the map of the Eastern Kingdoms. "Other than at a place we're told they're calling Deatholme, the necromancers we have captured have said nothing about the bulk of their army. Nor whomever is in charge of their forces."

Lor'themar sighed and looked over to Tahnir who rubbed the back of his neck. "And the Amani?"

"Taken most of Eastern Quel'thalas. They've got back most of their old villages and have put up camps in their ruins, there have been increased attacks further inland and we are running out of rangers who aren't injured or killed." He looked over to Lor'themar who pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know it's a difficult subject, but we need to do something about our numbers and the only way -"

"No." Lor'themar said, interrupting the Captain. "I can't ask them to do that."

"If training the remaining civilian population as fighters helps us keep our forests, why not?"

"Because they've been through enough." Lor'themar looked over to Halduron who was indifferent. "What do you think?"

"I think we have mages and priests sitting back trying to find a source of power." Halduron told them. "Grand Magister's Dawnstrider and Rommath believe they are close to a new source of power, but need a bit more time."

"How long?" Tahnir asked now. "My son is out there, day and night, fighting two enemies with a very reduced unit. There's only ten of them, including Liadrin. They can get by unseen for the most part, but the Amani know of our tactics. It's always a risky fight when they're involved."

"We know of how much the units on the front lines are doing." Lor'themar said, pacing back and forth next to the table they all gathered around. "I'll push both Grand Magisters for an estimated time on their studies. We need both mages and priests on the front lines as much as the rangers." He looked at both the Captain and Ranger-General. "Anything else to discuss?"

"The Prince has made contact with a group of humans who have also survived Arthas' attack." Tahnir said, looking down at the letter they had received from one of the rangers with the Prince. "Apparently, they don't take too kindly to others outside of humans and are making them feel unwelcome... At least their leader is." Tahnir handed over the parchment to the Regent Lord. "For a Grand Marshal, he seems like an ass."

"And that's all they have as a leader?" Halduron asked, looking over to Lor'themar who read the parchment, getting a nod from him in return. "Fantastic..."

"It says he is the highest ranking officer left and is leading something called the Alliance Resistance." Lor'themar placed the parchment down and looked back at the table of Quel'thalas in front of them all. "Right now, we have to focus on securing more of our forests."

"My son should be nearing Tranquillien soon. He and his unit will give us an update on the village before coming back here. If it's in good condition, we may have a forward operating base deep in the Ghostlands."

"Good, looking forward to the report." Halduron said, looking down at the map of Quel'thalas. "This is looking better than it did the first week after Arthas attacked."

"We still have a long way to go." Lor'themar said, sighing and pacing around the table. "Sunsail hasn't reported in for a week."

"I'll gather the rest of my company and check it out." Tahnir said, leaving the room shortly after being dismissed.

"You were here during the invasion at one point?"

Athrodar nodded slowly, looking at Tranquillien and the lack of buildings standing compared to when he was last here. "We uhm... We held here for a few hours. It was just me and my unit and whatever guards were placed here until an hour before Arthas showed up with his army. Next thing I know we are retreating back to beyond the river."

Liadrin walked over to some debris, pushing it out of the way with her foot. "There are no bodies."

"Arthas probably used them as ammunition or as fodder in his army." Athrodar sighed and flinched when some unpleasant memories began to rush through his mind. "We should report back and tell the Regent Lord what is left here."

"Okay." Liadrin agreed, looking over to Athrodar who looked distracted by his memories of the fighting that went on here. "Are you good?"

"No, but I will move on from this." Athrodar, looking over to his rangers, nodded at them and had them fall in towards him and Liadrin. "Let's go."

Wanting to soothe her friend, Liadrin focused on engulfing her hand in holy magic and began to get frustrated when nothing happened. "Can we find some undead or Amani to kill before we retreat fully? I came out here for a reason."

"Yes, okay." Athrodar threw his bow over his shoulder and walked side by side with Liadrin as their unit began to look for anything for them to kill. "We'll play this smart though. No rushing into a fight if we will end up dying or losing someone."

Liadrin nodded her head in agreement. "Sure thing. Just remember, I don't need your help. I have been practicing with Lor'themar and Halduron, they taught me how to stand on my own out here."

"It's only been a couple of weeks -"

"Means nothing." Liadrin said, interrupting the Lieutenant Ranger. "I'm not stupid, I know what to do."

Athrodar held up his hands. "Okay, just don't get yourself killed."

Liadrin chuckled. "I can say the same for you."

The two of them, along with the rest of the Lieutenant Ranger's unit, delved further into the forests of the Ghostlands, nearing Deatholme but knowing that if they got any closer, they would be in mortal danger. Instead, they stayed on the outskirts of the black zone, something they had named the immediate area surrounding Deatholme. Both because of the scorched, dead land surrounding it, and the high rate of death that came to anyone brave or foolish enough to go into it.

"Those gargoyles will be a problem." Athrodar pointed out, hiding in a nearby tree and looking down to Liadrin who stood under it, but still hidden from the group of undead patrolling passed. ""We should wait for a less threatening patrol."

Liadrin shook her head. "No. This will do."

Before Athrodar could stop her, Liadrin charged towards the patrolling group of undead, cutting down two with relative ease, but quickly getting overrun by the gargoyles that the Lieutenant Ranger was warning her about. "Damn it!" He hissed, quickly ordering his rangers to engage with the undead and help Liadrin out of the bind she had got herself in. "I told you we should wait!" He yelled at the former priestess the moment he picked her up off the ground, being knocked over by a swooping gargoyle.

"And I said we are not leaving until we kill some more undead!" Liadrin yelled back at him, snatching her arm out of his grip and picking up her sword. "Now leave me alone and kill them!"

The fight lasted only two minutes, but once it was over and they fell back to safer ground, Athrodar pulled Liadrin aside and glared at her the moment they were alone. "What was that!? I said we should wait! Now we have to call this scouting mission off a little early because two of my rangers are injured, something that could have been avoided if you listened to me."

Liadrin rolled her eyes. "What do you want from me? Nobody died, we cleared out a patrol that could have killed others, what's the big deal?"

"The big..." Athrodar sighed and shook his head. "You're not even part of the military, Liadrin. You're a scholar and a priestess, you shouldn't even be out here. If anything was to happen to you, it would be my neck on the line and not yours. I am the ranking officer here and you not only defied my orders by charging in recklessly, you got two of my rangers injured and all they will see was me not controlling the one person I have to protect."

Liadrin groaned and began to walk away, being stopped by Athrodar after two steps. "I don't need protecting. I can handle myself just fine."

Knowing she could be stubborn at the best of times whilst training as a priestess, Athrodar knew he wasn't going to get through to her. "Fine. We're heading back anyway, but this has to be reported in because two rangers were injured. Can I trust you to at least take some of the heat off me?"

"I suppose so." Liadrin muttered, looking over to the two rangers being treated by two other rangers. "I take it we're going back now?"

"We are, yes." Athrodar slung his bow over his shoulder and walked beside Liadrin as they made their way back to the group. "You'll be fine, but taking some of the heat from this would still put my neck on the line, they just won't cut it off... So to speak."

Liadrin rolled her eyes. "I'll talk to Halduron and Lor'themar. I know what to say to them." She stepped away but then stopped and looked back at the Lieutenant. "Listen. I'm sorry, okay? You're the only one I can talk to about all of this. Thal won't understand and her brother is trying to keep things together whilst their father helps run things." She held out her hand and waited for Athrodar to take it, smiling a him when he did. "Like I said, you're all I can talk to about all of this and... I think I'm losing it. Nothing helps anymore other than just killing the undead and whatever Amani we come across."

Athrodar sighed a little and gave Liadrin a smile back. "Come here." He whispered, smiling a little wider and hugging Liadrin when she hugged him tightly. "We'll get through this, Liadrin. It will take time, but we will be back to where we were before Arthas' invasion. Or as close to it as possible."

"I know." Liadrin muttered, shedding a couple of tears and trying to hide them from the rest of the group who were pretending not to notice them. "If you didn't sleep with every woman that looked at you, I would have jumped on the opportunity to be yours the day we became close friends."

Athrodar chuckled and shook his head. "Please... Like you would put up with my family. I hear what you and Thal talk about when you think I'm not listening."

Liadrin rolled her eyes but kept her arms around the Lieutenant Ranger. "Please, there are times when you can't stand your family."

Looking over to his rangers, Athrodar nodded at them and watched as they began to make their way back to Silvermoon. "We should go. Thal will want to see you, after you've helped lessen the blow from the Officers waiting for my report of course."

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." Liadrin pulled back and patted Athrodar on the cheek. "Let's go."

"Two rangers were injured?" Thalina frowned at Liadrin who kicked her foot back and forth. "Come on, Li Li. I said it was a bad idea for you to go out there, especially since you got two rangers injured. One of them could have been Athrodar for Light's sake."

"Oh please, like I would get that buffoon injured." Liadrin rolled her eyes when she heard the mage gasp. "Fine, he's not a buffoon. But you know, you really have to tell him one day. You could have lost him during Arthas' invasion, then what would you have done?"

"I know!" Thalina groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I... I just don't know how or what to tell him." She moved her hands from her face and gave Liadrin a set of puppy eyes. "Help me."

Liadrin sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Fine."

Thalina smiled brightly at her best friend. "Really!?"

"No."

The mage watched Liadrin walk to the door, opening it and seeing Athrodar about to knock on the same door. "Good, there you are." He looked behind the former priestess and smiled at Thal who smiled shyly at him and gave him a small wave. "Hi Thal, how are you doing?"

"G-good." She said, smiling and looking away.

"What do you need?" Liadrin asked, standing in front of Athrodar to block his vision of the mage.

"Just to say thanks for whatever you said to Halduron or Lor'themar. My father may have helped lessen the blow, but overall. Thank you." Athrodar smiled and bowed his head a little at her. "I'll see you around. Being a part of one of the three scout groups means we get little rest between missions. I'll pick you up tomorrow for your next mission if you want to still go?"

"I do." Liadrin said, shaking Athrodar's hand when she offered one out to him and he took it. "Just don't get angry at me again, or I'll hit you."

"Deal."

"You know it's going to take months for us to get anywhere near what Quel'thalas was like." Tahnir looked over to his wife who was laying down on a nearby sofa. "I don't know how long it will take for us to get back our home either."

Illana stood up and made her way to her husband, cupping his face in her hands. "We'll get our home back." There was a smile followed by a frown when Tahnir pulled away and coughed into his fist. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Tahnir said, rubbing his neck lightly. "I've been told it's a side effect of the Sunwell being destroyed. It's nothing to worry about, Telramar told me I will be fine when we find a new source of power. Or the priests find something in their studies."

"So you'll be okay?" Illana asked, looking at her husband who nodded his head at her, smiling back at him. "Good. Athrodar and I still need you, my love. After everything we have been through, I am just happy you are both still with me."

Tahnir smiled and hugged his wife tightly. "I am happy you were all safe and made it out of Dawnstrider Village." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. "Athrodar has been working hard with his scouts to take back our lands. They have been spotting villages that are still in working condition and has helped in taking back a good portion of Eversong Woods."

"As long as it's not just him." Illana said, watching her husband shake his head. "Good."

Tahnir let out another cough and looked out the nearby window. "I think we'll be okay. The Prince is working hard to find us a new source of power, he won't fail us."

Author's Notes: I am going to stop this here, mostly because the "Sacking of Quel'Thalas" has ended by now and it's becoming the "Rebuilding of Quel'Thalas" as well as Kael'thas' story in W3 to help get his people a new source of power after the Sunwell's destruction.

This took longer than I wanted to finish in both chapters and time to upload the chapters, but I think I am happy with how it has come out, though I can understand if you may or may not be. I originally wanted this to be 5-6 Chapters long, but I think 11 Chapters sums up how distracted I can get when telling a story. (My AU was meant to be a one story thing and blew up into 3 stories... I like telling a story I'm invested in, sue me).

As for how long it took to upload each chapter, I have to admit I had IRL problems the last two months that I won't get into here, though if you want to know for whatever reason (I'm not that fussed, just like to keep things private and not out in the open here) I won't mind telling you. Though if you don't want to know why, just know that I am sorry it took so long to do these last few chapters! I do feel guilty despite what I just said.

As for what I will do next (If you were thinking that), I have no idea. I have had a few ideas ranging from a story in my AU universe (Which may or may not have a cameo or two by my OC's) or to stick with the original universe and choose a specific expansion. (That being said, I am looking more towards an Alliance story this time, seeing as my last two, the Nightblade and the AU stories, have been Horde focused).

Long Notes short, thank you for reading this story and I hope I have both taught you something about this dark time in the Blood Elf/High Elf history as well as kept you entertained or at the very least intrigued with the 11 Chapters.