***SEVERAL YEARS AGO***

It looked bleak. Nathanos studied the war table, and when he looked up at Sylvanas he knew she'd reached the conclusion he had while he'd still been studying the situation.

"We're going to lose this war."

"Yes, we are." Sylvanas leaned on the table, moving pieces around. Some options were better, others made the situation worse. Supplies were stretched beyond their limit, reinforcements and equipment in short supply; even Azerite had been exhausted. Orgrimmar was starving.

Nathanos picked up an Alliance flag, flipping it between his fingers as he spoke. "The Alliance does not fare well either. The campaign in Westfall burned most of the fields there."

"That was not our intent," Sylvanas murmured. "We needed those fields too."

"We cannot surrender," Nathanos declared. "And we cannot last long enough to wait for the Alliance to collapse first."

"I have been thinking about this, Nathanos." Sylvanas stepped away from the table, stepping around Nathanos on his right. "If our people are to survive, the Horde must survive. We are stronger together. We always have been."

"I understand." The survival of the Forsaken had always been Sylvanas's priority. Her dedication to her people had been one of the things that had attracted Nathanos to her side, both in life and in death.

"I fear that you may not. And that others will not as well." Sylvanas turned to face him. "Walk me through it, my friend. Start with the Alliance."

"Riots, to start." Nathanos studied his lady. "Orgrimmar. Stormwind. Everywhere. There's a good chance Wrynn loses his head. The Alliance splinters. Whisperwind and Velen go their own way. Greymane's fate is that of Wrynn's but his people would follow the Kaldorei." He paused, then corrected himself. "Most of his people; almost all of the Worgen but fewer humans. Others are fanatics, there will be a rift. Civil war among the Gilneans is unlikely but not impossible. The dwarf kingdoms will war amongst themselves. Dalaran remains neutral."

Sylvanas gave Nathanos a shake of her head. "Close, but you forget one thing, Nathanos. The Exodar bathed in the ashes of Teldrassil and the screams of the dying carried across the sea. They will not soon forget, nor abandon each other." She waited for Nathanos to nod his head in understanding, then asked. "And their newest allies?"

Nathanos considered it. "Kul Tiras would abandon the Alliance first. Their allegiance is the most tenuous of threads. The Ren'dorei and Lightforged are … at the whims of their leaders."

"The Ren'dorei are tied to my sister, and therefore to Wrynn, and the Lightforged most closely to Velen." Sylvanas pointed out.

"Regardless, the Alliance ceases to exist."

"The outcome we wished for. Now walk me through the Horde."

"Again, riots. Silvermoon is already dangerously close to that, and my spies in Suramar tell me of growing unrest, and multiple challenges to Thalyssra's right to rule. There have been concerns that she chose the wrong side. Orgrimmar is obvious." He gestured around them. "The people are hungry. And hungry people become desperate."

"The bond between the Darkspear and the Orcs is strong, is it not?"

"The strongest of all the Horde, Warchief. And the Mag'har would likely join them." Nathanos clasped his hands behind his back. "Whisperwind would court Baine. The Tauren and the Kaldorei have always been more alike than not. Where Thunder Bluff goes, Highmountain will follow. Zandalar will stand alone. Silvermoon may attempt to reconnect with their Quel'dorei brethren."

He said nothing of the Pandaren on both sides. In his opinion they would all likely split in every direction, and many might seek solace and shelter on Pandaria itself.

"And that leaves us forsaken," Sylvanas said. There was an angry, tense look on her face, her eyes reminding Nathanos of dripping blood. "Our people would be besieged on all sides. Many will blame them for my decisions. As new alliances are forged, the Forsaken will be ignored, cornered, swept aside. If the Horde falls... I started this war to ensure the Horde survived. To ensure the Forsaken survive. It is inevitable that the Horde or Alliance will destroy the other, and we must ensure we are the ones left standing."

She locked eyes with Nathanos, and continued. "We must consider the long game, Nathanos."

"What is your long game?"

"We will broker peace." At Nathanos's expression, Sylvanas laughed. "Time. Time to rebuild. Time for those rifts in the Alliance to turn into cracks for us to pry apart. We will use peace, and the Alliance may very well fall without us firing another shot."

Nathanos started at her, then closed his mouth for a moment before speaking. "What happens if peace works?"

She walked back to him, lifting her hand and touching his cheek. "I have considered that as well. The peace will be real. It must be or this will be for naught. It may not last, but if it does, that still serves our goals. The Horde survives."

Without asking, Nathanos could see the peace treaty laid out before him. The only way for it to work would be not just for hostilities to cease, but for the barriers between the factions to come down. He doubted the people could set aside all their old hatreds, but there was potential. "For this plan to work, I suggest we exchange hostages. Important and popular figures. Should one side step out of line, their hostage dies."

Patting his cheek, Sylvanas smiled. "I agree. But we will only need a single hostage."

Nathanos shook his head. "You were right. I don't understand."

"I will marry Jaina Proudmoore," Sylvanas stated. "And she will hold Orgrimmar hostage. But by living here, she will learn to love our people. And then, the Alliance will not have a hostage with which to bargain at all."

****NOW****

The skies were dark, rain pouring from black clouds. It made Sylvanas vaguely uncomfortable; that sky looked familiar.

And Kul Tiras was already under attack. Naga had managed to commandeer a battleship and turned the guns on ships still in drydock while their mages flung fire into the city. It would have been more effective without the storm.

Sylvanas calmly took in the scene. "I'm sure that's embarrassing. Daughter, take our Shaman and deal with that battleship."

"The mages will be easy pickings," Nathanos observed, hitting one between the eyes without aiming. "But they're just testing the defenses. With the seagate closed these Naga would be overwhelmed eventually."

"Then I suggest we end this quickly so we are prepared for the next assault."

"Lady. Why did you leave Proudmoore in Orgrimmar?"

"I … suppose I trust her." Sylvanas dropped down from the walls to the dock below, and casually strolled down it, putting arrows into Naga and occasionally drawing a blade to deal with one in a more personal manner. The two Rangers with them took up positions on opposite towers, picking Naga off one by one.

The captured Battleship burst into flame, and Sylvanas paused to watch a wolf jump off the ship, Kalira diving into the water after it. They surfaced, then began running across it towards Sylvanas as explosions rocked the Kul Tiran ship.

Before Sylvanas could compliment them on their efficiency, the dock shook under her feet, and then the wood splintered and broke. She flipped back, landing on a mooring as a sea giant burst through the dock where she'd been standing. An arrow struck it in the eye before she even realized she'd fired it. Sylvanas sounded bored. "They've got giants now."

Movement drew her attention her left and she turned in time to see Vereesa standing there. Vereesa's arrow cut a gash in Sylvanas's cheek, and another giant collapsed into the water.

Sylvanas touched her face, then inspected the black blood on her finger tips. "I'll assume we're even, then. You've got quite a fetching scar now."

"Oh, we'll never be even," Vereesa promised. She leapt up to a mooring of her own as Sylvanas drew another arrow.

Giants were throwing themselves at the walls, destroying the docks and everything in their path. The Naga had returned en masse, leaping up through the hole created by the giants and engaging the defenders in close quarters combat. She spied her Shaman fighting one with her own elementals.

"Up here!"

Sylvanas lifted her head. Alleria stood atop a wall, joined by Kalira and Nathanos. She narrowed her eyes, then jumped up, landing easily and turning back to the sea as the gates cracked and fell. These were the best archers in the world, and she was better than all of them combined. "Let me show you how it's done, sisters."

The wall rocked, and Alleria's skin began to pulse in blue and purples. She grasped her head and screamed.

A shadowy tendril whipped out of the water, grabbing Sylvanas by the neck and tearing her off of the wall. She was pulled down into the water, where there was no light, and the sounds were muffled. Eyes watched her, claws tugged and slashed at her. But she was Sylvanas Windrunner and this was nothing compared to her rage.

She burst out of the water in smoke and fury, her banshee's cry echoing across the waves. There was something large surging through the water, and a tangle of tentacles surfaced, mouth lined with massive teeth gnashing as a squid-like leviathan the size of the Valley of Strength launched itself onto Boralus.

It smashed and thrashed at the walls, shattering them like children's blocks and began to move slowly through the city, dragging itself with its powerful tendrils.

There was something else. Something dark and foreboding that remained in the water, but when she stared down at the waves it retreated from her, as though it were afraid.

Rejoining her sisters, Sylvanas gave Alleria a condescending look. "Are you going to help, or scream helplessly the rest of the day?"

"I'm having a bad voice day," Alleria said, rolling her eyes. "But if you've got an idea on how to deal with that thing, I'm listening."

"We are Windrunners," Sylvanas said. "By blood or by bond. Nothing can stand in our way."

"There was a time that meant something."

Vereesa put her hand on Alleria's arm. "We need to fight that thing, not each other."

To Sylvanas's surprise, it was Kalira who answered. "Make it mean something again."

All three turned to look at her. Kalira didn't shrink back from her adoptive mother and 'aunts.' "Being a Windrunner meant something, before. Something I aspired to be. Not this mockery of life. You were protectors. Besides, we're all here for the same reason." She looked between them, and Sylvanas could predict her next words before they were spoken. "Am I so off the mark as to assume we're all here because of Jaina Proudmoore? The world is bigger than whether or not we hate each other today. There was a time we understood that."

"This is all very nice," Nathanos interrupted. "But there's a monster to slay."

"Let us discuss this after the battle," Sylvanas said. She stepped past Kalira, putting her hand on her head for just a brief moment before continuing, something she'd not done in too many years to think about.

The Leviathan was getting closer to the keep. Sylvanas charged forward, stepping through shadows until she appeared in the air over an eye the size of a table. The massive creature recoiled, one tree-sized appendage swiping at her. Sylvanas used it to propel herself higher, drawing another arrow. Black energy pulsed around the tip and she loosed it.

On the other side of the creature, Alleria appeared to shimmer in the shadows, each arrow turning into a volley that impacted the leviathan's side and forcing it back towards Sylvanas. The sisters ping ponged the gigantic beast between them, as Vereesa landed on the stairs to the keep and unleashed her own hypocritical version of a shadowy arrow.

It gave Sylvanas an idea. "Alleria, let us join our little moon. I have a plan."

"I hope it's better than what we've been doing, Lady Moon."

Alleria had onced dubbed her sisters lady and little moon, but Sylvanas had not been able to use either after Alleria had disappeared through the Dark Portal. Alleria's stress on the nickname affected her more than she anticipated, but she ignored it.

With the beast momentarily distracted, she quickly laid out her idea. "We must combine our strengths. We, all of us, can tap into the shadow." Her eyes flicked to Kalira for just a brief moment. "We are Windrunners, and that means something. Let's save my wife's city."

"I can't believe I'm working with you," Alleria said.

The sisters fanned out into a V, Alleria on Sylvanas's right and Vereesa on her left. Kalira chose the left, leaving Nathanos to take the right, behind and beside Alleria.

By blood and by bond, Sylvanas thought. Even if one bond was defending Orgrimmar.

Knocking one of her last arrows, Sylvanas drew it back. Shadowy energy oscillated in front of her. It grew weak, pulsing and vibrating in irrational patterns as Alleria's void energy circled it. The power seemed hesitant at first, as if everything about Sylvanas was repugnant to it. Sylvanas couldn't tell if that was Alleria, or the Void she'd become, but it didn't matter. "Control it, sister. There is a time and a place to fear me. This is not it."

Everything snapped into place suddenly, Sylvanas's shadowy bolt twice in size and strength. The energy pulsed as she felt Vereesa lend her strength, and Kalira, and finally Nathanos.

"No. It is that thing that should be afraid. It and its masters."

The arrow struck true, cleaving the Leviathan in half and shooting out across the sea to impact what remained of the seagate, obliterating it. The wake of its passing left a six meter wide gash in the ground from the steps of the Keep all the way to the docks. Water began to pour in, creating a shallow canal.

Vereesa wiped blood from her nose. "The Naga are retreating."

"Cowards." Alleria took a step forward, until she was even with Sylvanas.

Sylvanas nodded, as people started to gather around them. She supposed there was some amount of shock over what had happened. Not just her presence, but the entire assault. It would take weeks to clear off the remains of the leviathan; years for the city to rebuild.

And it would have been much worse without Sylvanas and her sisters. She glanced at Alleria. "Kalira is right. You both came here for Jaina."

"So did you."

She just shrugged, and spotted a bloodied and battle-weary woman approaching. "And speaking of, here comes her mother."

"I don't know what you thought you were doing here, but I'm glad you came." Katherine said, apparently too proud to actually thank Sylvanas. "Where is my daughter?"

"Defending Orgrimmar," Sylvanas replied, inclining her head. "If I might humbly request the services of a mage? I'd like to find out if I've a city left to return to."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "If something has happened to Jaina, the wrath of Kul Tiras-"

"Kul Tiras's wrath is spent," Sylvanas said, sweeping her arms wide at the devastation. "There would be nothing you could do. And contrary to popular opinion, I do actually have some concern about my wife's well being. After all, I'd not intended to spend our anniversary this way."

Either conceding the point about Kul Tiras's strength, or seeing some truth to Sylvanas's words, Katherine relented. "I'll have a mage return you to Orgrimmar."

She glanced around at her people, then looked at Sylvanas again. "On behalf of my people, I thank you and your sisters. This would have been much worse otherwise."

Sylvanas inclined her head with a faint smile, and chose to let the conversation end with Katherine's pride intact. She turned to her sisters. "Care to join me?"

Vereesa nodded too quickly, and Alleria followed suit.

"Very well." Sylvanas looked around until she spotted her Shaman. "Champion. Tohkayu, was it not? I'd like you to remain behind and help out here. If the situation is not too dire in Orgrimmar, I will send you additional help."

"As you wish, Warchief."

An old, ragged battle-mage limped up, eyeing Sylvanas with suspicion. "One portal to Orgrimmar, Warchief."

She gave him a too kind smile meant to unnerve him. To his credit, he summoned up the portal without wavering, and Sylvanas stepped through.

Her boots splashed in muddy water. The desert before Orgrimmar resembled a shallow, salty swamp. Debris was everywhere, including what remained of a Horde airship and Alliance gunship. There were other signs of battle; holes and craters blasted into the ground and a broken gyrocopter smashed against boulders.

She looked around, seeing no bodies and noting that even the pig farms had been washed away, then turned her attention to the city. Energy crackled on a dome that covered the entire city; an impressive effect even as it was clear from a glance that the dome had lost most of its strength. Her sisters arrived in time for it to flicker, and fade away.

Orgrimmar lived.

Sylvanas glanced back at Nathanos, then started jogging for the ruined gates, moving past soldiers that had come out to inspect the damage. One of them stopped and stared at her, wide eyed. He looked away when she stared back.

She found the Valley of Strength filled with people. Healers had set up a triage tent for the injured, and soldiers and civilians milled about, helping wherever they were directed. Alliance and Horde healers worked side by side on the most serious cases regardless of race or faction.

Sylvanas took it all in, clasping her hands behind her back as she watched her Horde at work. Something like pride swelled in her chest.

"Warchief." Nathanos nodded towards the tent, where Tyra was setting Galnir's arm while Minuial worked on another orc with much more grievous wounds.

She looked up when her Warchief approached, then said something to Galnir before hobbling over.

"Status, Champion."

"Warchief! We're still countin' the wounded an' dead, but the city stands. Jaina saved us all!"

"Where is she?" Vereesa asked, looking around and taking everything in.

Tyra flinched, the action almost imperceptive.

Sylvanas frowned, and repeated her sister's question. "Where is my Consort?"

Again, Tyra didn't answer immediately, seeming to be searching for words. Sylvanas's eyes narrowed, and then flicked around to everything within view. The injured and dead, the troops, the civilians and the controlled chaos of the post battle scene. And yet, Jaina was not where she was supposed to be. Not where Sylvanas expected her to be; in the center of the chaos directing the efforts.

Ice settled in her chest, and she grabbed Tyra by the front of her armor and pulled her close. "Where. Is. Jaina?"

"Warch...Lady…" Tyra shook her head, again at a loss for words. Strained, she said, "She's…she's dead."