Hello everyone, happy belated Thanksgiving and early merry Christmas, and welcome to my take on the one of the more aggravating missions for the Humans and then the most controversial event in all of the Human Campaign for Warcraft 3; "The Culling."

Also sorry for the wait, but I was getting ready to and actually meeting an uncle that my family, aside from my grandma, and I never knew about, while still dealing with School. I was also asked to co-write a fic with YinShadow that he has already started called "Overlord of Nothingness." Which I recommend checking out as it is a Kingdom Hearts/Overlord/mass X-over. On top of all that, I also decided to edit ALL my chapters and stories to fix the grammar errors that were strewn throughout them, so I apologize for not updating sooner.

Of course I also suffer from the bane of all writers, the evil known as writer's block. *Ques the music from the shower scene in psycho* But yeah, I am being tied up with a few things so bear with me here.

Also, I have thought of a few topics and questions that I can't find an answer to regarding Anime, games, movies, or some such. So, at the end of this fic is a topic of discussion that I am posting and I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

A head's up, in this version of the defense of Hearthglen, there are 5 villages outlying it that the plagued caravan is trying to infect before they attack Hearthglen as well.

Lastly, if I forget to mention it, all the weapons of Arthas' allies, himself included in that as well, unleash a burst of fire when the weapon hits something. So if I fail to mention fire coming from an attack and hitting an enemy, then I apologize.

Now, let's get to what y'all are all here for.

Disclaimer: I don't own Warcraft, Blizzard, or a great many things that will be in this fic except for some OCs. If I owned Warcraft than the Lich King/Arthas would have been a major badass from Day 1 and the Protagonist of the entire series.

(Author's Notes)

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

'Language other than common'

(Mental conversations)

"Non-Humanoid (Demons, spirits, etc. etc.) speech"

"Above's thoughts"

'Above's speech in other language'

(Mental conversations)

Chapter 4: The Purging

2 days later just outside the town of Hearthglen

Arthas, Jaina, and their soldiers moved as fast as possible with a purpose. That purpose? To reach the town of Hearthglen before the plagued grain arrived or at the least to arrive before anyone used the grain.

They had been slowed by native creatures and beings as well as some undead groups they came across, but Arthas and his company would not be slowed and crushed anything that got in their way. Along the way, they picked up a few Footmen returning to Lordaeron, some Riflemen that had permission to hunt, and some priests and sorceresses of the Kirin Tor. Their entire thoughts were on making it on time to stop the town from becoming breeding ground for the dead.

A few minutes later, they arrived to see people start unloading the crates and emptying them into silos. Before they could shout out a warning, the people at the crates groaned before their flesh started paling and they started attacking people. Without a word, Arthas leapt forward throwing Leechbane into one enemy, before moving and throwing Stone Wrecker and Blood Cleaver into two more. He then grabbed Light's Vengeance and slammed it on to the ground while channeling holy magic through it.

Like all the other times he did this, the holy magic exploded out and started burning the undead. Before anyone could do anything, the watch towers at the three entrances sounded the warning bells and there were shouts of undead coming from all three, "Dammit! Jaina, go and find Uther and bring him here. I'll stay and hold this location."

He stated and Jaina widened her eyes in horror, "Arthas no! I can help here."

She pleaded and Arthas came and put his hands on her shoulders, "Jaina, listen to me. We can't hold this position with the troops we have. We need reinforcements and you're our best hope to get them here. Now please, go and take Shadow with you to help find Uther faster."

He stated and Jaina teared up slightly before kissing him and teleporting away. Arthas turned to his men, "I want 30 Footmen, 10 Riflemen, a mortar team, 2 priests, and a sorceress at each entrance. Falric, you take the North with 15 archers, Marwyn take the Northwest with 15 archers, and I'll take the West with the remaining 10. We must hold these positions."

Arthas ordered and the men moved out while Arthas turned to the townspeople, "I want you to get all explosives and ordinance you have to our lines and then barricade yourselves within the Town Hall and arm yourselves with anything you have."

The townspeople nodded and began following instructions while Arthas moved to the silos and smashed his hammer into them which cracked the foundations before setting the silos ablaze. He made sure they would burn entirely before he moved to the West entrance to the town. He didn't have to wait long before the gunfire rang out from all three entrances, "We got undead coming lads, stuff 'em full of lead."

One of the dwarves shouted before explosions rang out too from the Mortar teams. Arthas then saw a horde of Ghouls and skeletons start charging at his position before he took hold of Blood Cleaver and threw it like a buzzsaw and watched as it cleaved through the undead before embedding itself into the tree… after cleaving through 3 others. He had to stop and smirk when he saw the trees smash down on top of more undead and made the roads to the entrance harder to maneuver.

Seeing this as advantageous, Arthas threw Light's Vengeance and Stone Wrecker into more trees thereby barricading the paths even more and squashing a few more undead. The reason this was advantageous was because the trees ahead were so clustered, that the undead would have to cut down a large quantity to get to the town. That meant that to crush the town quickly, they would need to take the main roads… which were now blocked. While their foot soldiers would be able to get through with a little trouble, the heavy units would be slowed considerably.

However, his thoughts were broken when a large skeleton dressed in robes and a headdress with an ice cold deathly aura approaching him, "Foolish mortal, this world will burn and all will bow…"

It started to speak before it was cut off, "Oh will you shut up!" Arthas yelled before he threw his hammer and it slammed into the skeleton's torso hurtling it back. It got up to see Arthas appear already mid-swing with Blood Cleaver before Arthas brought the blade down through it while channeling holy magic through it.

The body burst into flames before the skeleton's soul launched into the air and dispersed. Arthas turned and saw his men had finished off the Ghouls and skeletons, "Men secure the area and gather some of anything the villagers had available. I'm going to check on the other two entrances."

His men nodded and five Footmen moved to the town hall while the others checked their ammo and weapons. Arthas made it to the Northwest entrance and found several dozen corpses of the Undead there and Arthas channeled holy magic into his hammer before slamming it down on the ground and watched as the magic destroyed the corpses and healed his troops. He then destroyed a few trees on both sides to block the main roads and help buy time.

He nodded to Marwyn before heading for the North entrance and repeated the same process as he did at the Northwest before he went to the Town Hall and moved some explosives to the areas by the trees that he fell and retook his position. He arrived just in time for a new wave of Ghouls and skeletons to come charging in and he and his troops accepted them in kind and Arthas used more magic to help even the odds and was once again thanking the me for giving him those items as he doubted that he would have this much mana if he hadn't gotten those items.

He sent out another shockwave of holy magic and decimated their forces before breaking more trees down to block the paths more. As he heard a horn call, he and his men all felt a cold chill go down their spine and it was confirmed as a horde came pouring out from the woods with ghostly women now as well. Arthas channeled his magic into his hammer and slammed it into the ground shattering the skeletons and Ghouls while the women screamed and vanished. Arthas ran and got to the Northwest entrance before he used more magic and destroyed a few more trees and then did the same actions at the northern one.

He came back to his area and directed 10 Footmen and 3 Riflemen to go to each entrance and reinforce them as his magical abilities would make up for their absence. The soldiers, knowing not to doubt him or his claims, saluted and moved out to reinforce their comrades' positions. Arthas turned and waited while inwardly praying that Jaina would return soon.

At Lordaeron [The Capitol]

Jaina had just arrived at the Capitol and quickly began searching for Uther, "You! Where is Lord Uther? It's an emergency!"

She told to a soldier stationed nearby, who recognized her, "Oh! Lady Jaina, Lord Uther just left on an assignment from the King. If you hurry you may be able to catch up to him."

He stated and Jaina nodded before riding away on Starfire with Shadow keeping pace with her and going as fast as possible through the city while she internally was cursing her mana reserves as that far of a teleport dropped her reserves to just barely a newbie's and that pissed her off as she needed to get Uther and the Silver Hand Knights to Hearthglen quickly. Of course, now that she was exhausted, they would have to ride the distance. However, she first had to find him.

(10 minutes later)

Jaina was riding hard and fast trying to find Uther and save her love before she came to split in the road with both sides having fresh tracks. She stayed there a minute trying to decide which way to go while Shadow was smelling the ground before he perked up and looked towards the woods by the fork. She was confused about his behavior before she spotted a man dressed in black with crimson designs pointing to the right path, (If you want to save Arthas, then ride that way, fast).

She heard echo in her mind and for some reason felt the need to listen, and Shadow seemed calm regarding him, and rode off in that direction while the man in black disappeared in a burst of black fire.

She rode for another 10 minutes before finally catching sight of the Silver Hand Knights. She urged Starfire forward to get closer, "LORD UTHER!"

She shouted as she rode forward and caused the group to stop as she arrived in front of them and Uther saw her before seeing Shadow and knew something must be wrong, "Jaina, what are you doing here girl?"

Uther asked and noticed she looked exhausted and so did her horse, "It… It's Arthas."

She gasped out as the adrenaline she felt from her worry for Arthas was wearing off and her body caught up to the loss of mana she had experienced. Uther moved up and kept her horse calm while he held his hand up to her, "Easy there, lass. Take a moment to catch your breath and then tell me what's going on."

He stated calmly, while internally was worried about what could have happened that Jaina had to leave Arthas and find him here. Jaina listened and took a moment, "The plague, it turns living people into the undead." She stated and the Knights widened their eyes in shock, "Arthas and I tracked the source to Andorhal and destroyed the source, but we were too late and some infected grain was sent to Hearthglen. We killed the leader of the cult that is the cause of this mess and rode to Hearthglen, but by the time we arrived the grain was distributed and people were infected."

She stated before having to stop to take a breath, while the Knights were all shocked, "Breathe lass, what happened then?"

Uther stated, while getting a bad feeling, and Jaina regained her breath, "We killed the infected, when they turned, and found Hearthglen was surrounded. Arthas told me to come find you while he defended the town, I argued with him but he told me there was no other way and I transported myself to the capitol where the soldiers told me you had just left, so I rode to find you."

She stated and Uther gripped his hammer tightly, "Damn fool of a boy." He stated, while internally feeling proud of Arthas for defending the people and ensuring help came, "Everyone mount up! We ride for Hearthglen!"

He ordered and his second in command, a woman named Minerva Malorian, spoke up, "Sir, the king ordered us to patrol the northern borders."

(A/N Minerva is an OC so don't try to google her as you won't find her).

She stated, while not really caring what the king ordered but felt she should inform her commander about it. Though if she were honest, she would admit that she loved Uther, but would never get him in trouble or jeopardize his command by seeking his love.

Uther sighed and nodded, "Yes, I know. We are on a bit of a double-edged sword as we can either listen to the king and leave his son to die or ignore his orders and save his son. I for one am not going to leave the boy to die and anyone with me can prepare to ride while the rest proceed as ordered."

He stated as he got ready to ride and turned to Jaina, "Do you think you could transport us to Hearthglen?"

He asked with hope, before that hope was crushed when Jaina shook her head, "No, I used too much mana transporting the three of us to Lordaeron and can't do another one for a while."

She stated and Uther nodded, though inwardly he wasn't surprised as she had transported herself, her horse, and Shadow from Hearthglen to Lordaeron so it was natural for her to be exhausted. Uther turned to his soldiers, "Let's move out!"

He ordered and they all began riding east towards Hearthglen, while hoping they wouldn't be too late.

Back at Hearthglen: An hour later

Arthas was getting annoyed and his troops were getting tired, of course he fixed that with some rejuvenation spells but even he had limits, and were running low on ammo/mana for a few of them. Now, he just had some villagers from a neighboring village come and warn him that a convoy of plague carrying undead are raiding villages and bringing back their victims.

Arthas grit his teeth at that thought and smashed a few more trees down and moved the explosives to a better point for his riflemen to hit if needed while he moved to hit the caravan. While many would argue it was exceedingly dangerous for him to do this solo, only a few enemies in that caravan could be a real threat as he could use his holy magic to destroy the real undead and then he could deal with the siege weapons and Necromancers.

Blaze, sensing his master's urgency, ran fast and hard through the trees trying to make it to the next village and cut off the convoy. He rode and made it to the third town in line and sat there with the villagers looking at him with curiosity and respect on their faces, "All of you, pack up everything vital and proceed through the road to the next few towns and have them leave as well and keep traveling until you get to Hearthglen. Any and all soldiers get your armor and weapons ready and defend the civilians and then reinforce the soldiers at Hearthglen, there is an enemy force attacking the town and they may try to ambush you all. NOW!"

He stated and then shouted when no one moved and then watched as they started scrambling. A soldier approached and Arthas turned towards him, "You! You're in charge of the convoy, get everyone out regardless of the items you have to leave behind but take as much ammunition and explosives as you can without jeopardizing the convoy."

Arthas ordered before riding off towards the second village. A few minutes later, he arrived just as the second village was getting attacked. He leapt off Blaze and charged his hammer before hurling it at the ground where the magic erupted out in a wave and burned the undead while the Meat Wagons burned from the fire erupting from the attack. Arthas turned sharply as he landed and beheaded a Ghoul with Blood Cleaver before he threw Leechbane into a Necromancer and then contorted slightly to smash an Abomination with Stone Wrecker.

He stood there with his Blackrock clan weapons at the ready as the few undead left advanced on him. He threw Blood Cleaver like a buzzsaw and watched it cut them to shreds before he recalled it and his other weapons back. When Leechbane returned, he was happy to feel his mana reserves refill slightly and his muscles lose some of the ache. He turned to the remaining villagers and debated what could happen if they turned while on the way back to Hearthglen before he heard a voice, (Use your holy magic on them. If they are infected then they will burn, if not then they are clean and can live).

Arthas stiffened hearing my voice, (How are you talking to me and how do you know that will work?)

He replied while being skeptical, (The more you question me, the longer Hearthglen is under attack without you there.)

I replied and Arthas begrudgingly agreed before he channeled magic into his hammer and slammed it onto the ground. The magic went out like a wave and hit the villagers before a few dozen villagers burst into flames and a few villagers tried to help them, "DON'T TOUCH THEM!"

He yelled and saw the villagers freeze and he looked sadly at the villagers, "They are infected, there is nothing to be done except keep them from becoming the monsters that attack our home."

He stated and the few villagers stopped burning and laid there dead, "All of you pack and leave for Hearthglen." He stated before a large explosion echoed out from near Hearthglen and Arthas bit back a curse before mounting Blaze and looked to the villagers, "Follow the road to go up and around to the northern entrance, I have to get back immediately to help with the defenses." He ordered before riding off.

A few minutes later, he arrived at his entrance just in time to smash another of those headdress wearing skeletons and destroy more of the undead. He found his men in dented armor and tired with few rounds let to keep loading. Using his regained mana, he used rejuvenation on them before moving to the other entrances and found a few soldiers had fallen and he healed the surviving troops before moving back to his entrance and praying Jaina and reinforcements would arrive soon. If not, then he was completely prepared to order an evacuation and stay behind to fight.

Hours later

Arthas was breathing heavily and was getting tired as they had struck down thousands of undead and they just kept coming at the town. He was starting to consider the fallback plan and his only grateful item at the moment was the outlying villagers had arrived safely with more ammo and some more bodies to defend with. However, even that was not lasting real long in their current situation.

Arthas was about to order a retreat before he felt a ping in the back of his mind that he somehow knew meant Jaina was getting close to them and he started gazing at the trees and tower before an idea came to mind, "Men fall back to the Hall!"

He ordered and his men didn't question him as the Riflemen moved inside the Town walls and fired as they moved. Arthas flung his sword, hammer, and mace and toppled down the last few trees that would be beneficial before setting them ablaze when Ghouls started crawling over them. He then ran inside the wall and started slamming his hammer into the tower before it finally gave way and fell over blocking the western path.

He fell back with his men before moving to the northwest and north entrances and doing the same method. He then placed the last few explosives on his side of the three piles of rubble and turned towards the hall. Said hall was a large stone building sitting within a walled courtyard and a gate at the front. Arthas looked over his men, "Riflemen and Archers, take up positions in the Hall, Men create a shield wall in front of it and close the gate, Priests and Sorceresses take up between the Hall and wall. Mortar teams inside the wall, I want you to fire over it at my signal and don't stop unless ordered or you run out of ammunition."

He ordered and his men looked at him curiously and Falric spoke up, "Sir, where will you be?"

He asked and the men were curious as well as they knew there was no way their leader was going to sit out of this fight, not after everything he went through to ensure they made it this far. Arthas kept his face straight, while Blaze entered the gate, and he simply said, "I will be outside the gate holding them back."

Silence echoed as even the undead hordes trying to breach the makeshift walls could not be heard as his soldiers stared at him in shock and outrage. Falric and Marwyn looked at their commander and future king with the same level of respect they always had as they knew fully well why he was doing this, one man's life vs the lives of his soldiers and people? It was an easy decision for Arthas to make and it made their decision all the easier to follow.

Falric and Marwyn shared a look before nodding to their men. When the shield wall was formed, they closed the gate as the men barred it and took their places beside Arthas, "Gentlemen, I don't believe I ordered you to stand beside me."

He stated and they both smirked, "That's true milord, but you never ordered us to do otherwise either. Thus we are standing by our commander as is our duty."

Falric stated and Arthas smirked as he readied Light's Vengeance and Blood Cleaver as he could hear the hordes getting closer, "Been an honor, gentlemen."

Arthas stated and the two saluted him, "The honor was ours, sir." They stated and took their stances as they gazed at the three entrances before they noticed Ghouls and Skeletons climbing/crawling over the rubble. Arthas smirked before he stabbed Blood Cleaver into the ground and threw Leechbane into one of the explosives and then recalled it before it detonated blowing the undead apart and the rubble backwards crushing more undead from the force. Arthas then did the same with the other two entrances before sheathing Leechbane and taking Blood Cleaver into his hand.

They didn't have to wait long before the undead began swarming their position, "Mortar teams, now!" Arthas ordered and the mortars fired over the walls and rained death down onto the undead inflicting heavy casualties on them. Unfortunately, they did not have many rounds remaining and had to dump the mortars before they took out war axes and joined the shield lines while the archers and Riflemen continued firing while some of the villagers began throwing oil, beer, and wine barrels on to the undead.

Arthas smirked seeing this and threw Blood Cleaver like a buzzsaw and watched as it cut through the enemies and set them aflame which then set more aflame when the other undead just walked over them. Arthas noticed Abominations and threw his hammer and then spun and chopped through Ghouls as they came upon him and noticed his hammer smash through the Abominations and set them on fire.

He noticed Falric and Marwyn were holding their own and putting their shield training to good use by bashing one enemy while they stabbed or cleaved through another. However, he knew they wouldn't be able to keep this up. He could as he had been getting better and better ever since he used those scrolls and potions, but his men could only go for so long.

With that in mind, Arthas channeled as much magical power into his hammer as he could before slamming it onto the ground. The shockwave that went out obliterated all the undead for over a 20 yards and his men felt their wounds and fatigue fade away while Arthas stood there panting having felt even more drained then at Andorhal.

It was then he heard more coming and looked up just in time to put Blood Cleaver in front of him and block a blast of ice that encased the blade into his hand. Arthas looked up to see the skeleton that he had cut in half there, "I told you, mortal, that there would be no hope for…"

He was cut off by being smashed in the… skull by the frozen Blood Cleaver, which then freed itself by the fire being released. Before the Lich, which was its proper title, could react, Leechbane was planted firmly in its skull and was feeling its powers draining into the blade.

Arthas moved his hand a few times to get the numbness out while noticing his bracer had shattered from the cold before he recalled Leechbane and felt his mana refill. He surveyed the area as he swung both of his weapons through the undead and noticed Falric was surrounded. He spun cutting the enemies around him before throwing his hammer through the mob and clearing a path for Falric to regroup.

However, Arthas was then sent into pain as his back felt like it was ripped open and he was suddenly propelled forward. Falric saw this and charged through to get to him, while Marwyn was trying to keep the undead from the gates. Arthas got up and turned to see an Abomination standing there with a now bloody sickle in one of its hands.

Arthas grit his teeth and got up before throwing Leechbane into its head only to feel claws bite into his side and he grabbed the offending Ghoul's head and crushed it before pulling the claws out of his side and threw them into another undead. Arthas glared at the gathered undead and ripped off his now torn cloak and removed his now destroyed chest plate before he recalled Leechbane back to his hand and felt his wounds heal slightly before he threw it again into a Necromancer and then started smashing and cleaving through more undead while Falric, seeing his lord was ok, moved to back up Marwyn.

Arthas threw his sword and hammer into the masses while spinning and taking Stone Wrecker into one hand and calling Leechbane back into his other hand and started carving a way back to the gates. He then threw Leechbane into another Necromancer and Stone Wrecker into a Meat Wagon, before Blood Cleaver and Light's Vengeance were back in his hands.

He sent Blood Cleaver out again as he channeled his newly restored mana into his hammer and sent it out again. Before he was smashed in the side and sent flying into the gate, which dented on impact. He got up and noticed the second Lich he faced there and also noticed that the shield wall was split slightly because some of the Ghouls climbed the walls and the soldiers had to break off to fight them.

As Arthas stood up, the Lich could only stare in wonder, "This man is powerful. Multiple times now, he has used high level magic and brought down many undead, taken hits, and still gets up to deal and take more damage."

The Lich thought before Arthas appeared before him in mid-swing with his hammer and he smashed the Lich into the ground as its skull shattered into pieces and the soul shot into the air again. Arthas moved back by the gate and used the last of the mana he had retrieved with Leechbane back in his hand before he slammed the hammer one last time on the ground.

The wave went out and destroyed the undead but there wasn't enough to rejuvenate his soldiers and they were all exhausted and the gates were hanging on by thread, so to speak. Falric and Marwyn were barely standing and Arthas was still bleeding from his wounds from earlier as there wasn't much vitality to get absorbed from the undead and the Necromancers were low in that area as they had traded a large part of their life to whatever being gave them their powers in the first place.

Arthas now stood, albeit barely, while having trouble breathing as he was exhausted and drained at the moment but his determination wouldn't let him fall. He stood straight and held his weapons at the ready as more undead came. Arthas charged forward and smashed aside a group of Ghouls before blocking a sword from a skeleton and then kicked it into a group behind it before he bit back a yell as he felt claws rake across his back. His response was to spin and decapitate a group of undead before he grabbed the claws of a few and threw them into more of the undead.

He then threw Blood Cleaver and it cut through the undead before planting itself into an Abomination and he drew Leechbane and threw it into another one before drawing Stone Wrecker and throwing it into some Meat Wagons. He bit back another yell as a Ghoul slipped past and scraped its claw across his chest and hit his legs too. Arthas grunted and grabbed the Ghoul before throwing it into a few more. Arthas took a few breaths and held his hammer at the ready, "Light, give me strength."

He stated before getting another swing off as a Ghoul dove at him and cut him diagonally across the face with three claws before Arthas dived backwards away from where a Meat Wagon fired on him and he landed in a heap by the gate again and got to his knee by planting the hammer in the ground and pulled himself up slightly.

A Ghoul came at him and he managed to get a fist into it and knock it away before he had to catch himself. He watched the approaching undead army and sighed slightly wishing he had more time with Jaina, but before any could get close, ice started raining down and impaling the undead. Arthas saw this and smirked knowing his love had arrived with aid if the hoof beats he heard were any indication. Arthas took a breath of relief as he saw the mass of knights ride the undead down and Uther striking the Abominations and destroying the Ghouls while Jaina came up to him with a worried expression, "Arthas! Are you alright?"

She stated while his hunched over appearance hid his wounds from her and Arthas bit back a witty reply and just simply pulled her into a kiss, with her head turned so her eyes wouldn't see his wounds, which she gladly returned, before he pulled back, with her eyes still somewhat closed and he had his head down, "I'm better now, but you need to help Uther and the knights finish this."

He stated and she nodded before beginning to cast spells again at the undead horde. The knights rode down the Ghouls, skeletons, and Necromancers, while Sorceresses and Priests destroyed Abominations and Uther attacked the Liches and Meat Wagons. Within 10 minutes, the undead were… dead and the now ruined town was safe.

Uther and Jaina turned to address Arthas before they froze at getting a better look at him, which Jaina didn't get in the heat of the moment and ensuring Arthas was alive. A good portion of his golden blonde hair was stained red with blood and more of the red liquid was going down his face, his torso was free of his armor and bleeding badly, his back was probably just as bad if the slight pool of blood directly behind him was any indication, and his pants were bloody as well.

Arthas smiled at them before he started falling over only to be caught by Falric, who was in dented and practically destroyed armor with a shield just as bad and a sword that was chipped all over, and Marwyn, who was in similar attire as Falric and both of his swords were chipped, with Shadow pushing him from behind, "We got you, sir."

Falric stated and Arthas nodded slightly as he was starting to get weak from blood loss before they set him down into a sitting position. Uther and Jaina ran up to him, "Get those Priests to the soldiers and townspeople and get the wounds fixed then split your rations among them. They've been through Hell and deserve some respite."

Uther ordered as he came to Arthas and hit him with a Holy Light spell. Arthas sighed slightly as he felt his wounds heal partially before Uther hit him with the magic again and he felt the wounds heal the rest of the way. Arthas then flexed his hand and stabbed Blood Cleaver into the ground, followed by Leechbane, which gave him some strength back, and then dug Stone Wrecker into the ground. He looked up at Uther, his new three scars showing on his face with him being lucky enough that the claws missed his eyes, "Thank you Uther, but I feel the others could use your abilities more than I, at the moment. You should also have some men burn the corpses as the plague may come from them too."

He stated and saw Uther about to speak, "I am not going anywhere for now Uther, we can talk when you're done." He stated before being tackled backwards with a pair of lips on his and drops of water hitting his face.

Noticing it was Jaina that was on top of him; he wrapped his, still very sore, arms around her and deepened the kiss before being momentarily surprised when she pressed her tongue against his lips. Naturally, he let her in and then had a bit of a battle with her before she pulled back with tears still flowing from her eyes, "Never do that again, you jerk. I could've lost you!"

She nearly shouted before Arthas smiled apologetically at her and pulled her into his chest while she continued to cry into his chest and he began running his hand through her hair, "I'm sorry, my love. But it had to be done to protect the others."

He stated and just held her as she lay there, while the three others smiled at the sight and moved to check on the men. Jaina cried for a few more moments before she settled down and looked up at him, "Next time, I don't care what you want, I am staying with you. I did not go through all those years to finally get you in my life just to lose you again."

She stated and Arthas kissed her again before pulling them up to sit against the wall, "I understand my love, but if I lost you, then I fear I may have been lost entirely and then you, me, and this entire town and our soldiers would be dead. The Town I would feel guilty about, the men would haunt me, myself I don't care, but you, if I lost you then I don't know what I would do. I love you Jaina, and I can't ever lose you or it will be the end of me."

He stated with his eyes never leaving hers and she smiled at him as more tears came from her eyes and she just held him and snuggled deeper into his chest, loving his warmth, "I will love you always, Arthas. Though I feel I may have to share you in the future, I can live with it so long as you love us equally." She thought happily with a blush forming on the last part.

Next day: ruined town of Hearthglen

The next day gave way to a few people with gob smacked expressions on their faces. Why you ask? Because Arthas was walking around like nothing happened, heck if it wasn't for the new scars then no one would have even been able to tell that he was involved in the fighting the day before. He was also decked out in a cerulean blue armor that had shown up the night before with a message saying, Should do for now, least till the right armor comes along. Arthas and Jaina had a feeling on who left it but didn't question it and he wore it.

Right now, Arthas and Jaina were walking, arm in arm, to find Uther as they were heading out in a few hours for Stratholme and Arthas wanted to give Uther his items before they left. A few minutes later, they found him directing a few of the Town Guardsmen to prepare to escort the caravan from Hearthglen to Lordaeron that was transporting the refugees, "You stay on the main road unless absolutely necessary, these undead retches are dangerous enough in the open and there is no telling how they would do in a more confined space like the forests."

He stated and the soldiers nodded and Uther turned to see Arthas and Jaina, which caused him to smile slightly at seeing the two together at last, "Uther we need to talk."

Arthas stated seriously and Uther merely nodded and followed them to just outside the town with Blaze right behind them. When they got to the outside, Jaina let go of Arthas and he took a bundle off of Blaze's saddle and handed it to Uther, who raised an eyebrow at it before seeing a note attached. Grabbing the note, he began to read it Greeting Uther Lightbringer, yes I know your name and your exploits. I am Damon Corvus and beyond my name, anything else about me is unimportant and irrelevant. In the bundle, that Arthas has just given you, are items that will aid you in your travels and also aid Arthas. Before you ask, no, Arthas has not read this letter as it was keyed to your magical power. More importantly, stay with Arthas. He has a destiny you cannot even begin to imagine and will need your help to deal with different matters, and enemies, that arise. I wish you the best of luck. We will meet in the future when I need to see Arthas again.

Uther read the note and then gave an 'are you serious' look to Arthas. Arthas nodded and motioned him to read the items. Uther shrugged and pulled a wrapped bundle out that had his named on it. He unwrapped it and revealed an ornate ivory handled claymore style great sword sitting in a sheath that was black lacquered and from the feel was extremely sturdy. He pulled on the handle to reveal the blade which appeared to be made of pure silver and slightly serrated on both edges. He gazed at the beautiful sword and moved to the other items and found a silver helm that had a pair of angel like wings swooped back over where his ears would be and a bundle of scrolls and potions tied together.

He took the blade up and read the note attached, Champion's Light: The Blade of Will's Fire: This blade was formed from silver blessed by the archbishop, high priestess, and high inquisitor to be made as the ultimate weapon of light and was forged with a phoenix feather placed at the core of it. It will never harm an ally of its user and will strike down anyone who is against them. This blade does not only cut, it shreds, stabs, saws, and tears when committing an injury, what that injury is depends on what would be most effective against the current enemy. Only the wielder may use it effectively, but an ally of the user may use it so long as their intentions are not harmful towards the user. This is done through the blade binding itself to the first person who draws it, which was insured to be you as only you could unwrap the items.

Uther widened his eyes and looked at Arthas, who just smirked and motioned for him to continue. Uther laid the blade down and opened the note attached to the helm, Helm of Insight: This Helm was crafted from the goddess of the hunt's blessings and greatest game. The helm increases the user's intuition and tactical mind and increases the natural senses of the user while also granting the ability of foresight up to 5 seconds into the future. Another boon granted is the ability to project your mind and vision to allow you to see a distance away, with complete clarity, if the distance is within your sight. Note: Nothing in the area will see your projection and there may be disorientation upon ending the second ability. Recommended to be kept to short distances until user has mastered/adjusted to the disorientation.

Uther had a slack jaw and twitching eye as he read the note and immediately grabbed the note attached to the scrolls and read it, These scrolls serve a strong purpose. Place them on your torso for them to engrave runes upon it. It will NOT be painful, if you doubt it then ask Jaina and Arthas. The first will increase your muscles to be able to gain power but they won't become bulky and uncomfortable. The second enables magic to be sent through your weapons and released upon impact/contact. The third will bind your other items to you and will allow you to bind a person to you that will stay by you forever, who this person is will be your choice, but, naturally, this is meant for the woman you love. You know of whom I speak. The fourth will increase your spell powers and control over them. The fifth will empower your body; becoming stronger, faster, more agile, smarter, becoming immune to poisons and toxins as encountered, and faster at analyzing a situation. The last one is important, it will make it so any weapon that has accepted you as the user will be locked on to you so it will return if thrown simply by flexing your hand and channeling a small bit of mana to the hand.

Uther let a silent whistle out before he set them aside, while internally sighing knowing who the third scroll esd meant for, and read the potions note, while noting that there was a red, blue, silver, black, and white potion in the bundle, These potions are permanent and will never fade away no matter the order you drink them nor if you drink another potion not of this bundle. Blue will increase magical power to that of a High Mage and the powers grow the more that magic is used. Red is a concoction that will permanently allow the body to heal minor wounds while stopping some of the more serious ones from becoming too life threatening while also making it so the more you fight, the stronger you will get. Case in point, the reason Arthas was still breathing while in the state he was in. Silver will increase your movement and attack speed, which in addition to your body being empowered will make you quite fast. Black will increase your fighting ability and destructive spells and abilities, while you may believe you don't possess destructive spells, I promise that you do possess them especially against your current enemies. Finally, White increases your beneficial spells and the auras you generate. WARNING: They all taste HORRIBLE, so you may gag or feel the urge to vomit!

Uther chuckled a bit at the last part but then saw Arthas and Jaina shake their heads indicating that he wasn't exaggerating. Uther shrugged and downed them all in one go apiece, while coughing slightly, "By the light, I haven't tasted something so foul since that strange brewer talked me into tasting that stormsnout brew."

He stated before he took his cuirass off and placed the scrolls against his chest and the runes implanted on him. Like Arthas, his muscles bulged before restricting back. Uther took a few deep breaths while getting used to this new feeling before he placed his cuirass back on and then placed the helmet on and widened his eyes as he felt his mind expand and his senses kick up a gear.

He braced himself against a tree as he allowed his senses to adjust before he picked up his new blade and strapped it to his back. Before leveling a patented 'mentor' glare at Arthas. Arthas sighed and leaned against a tree while Jaina leaned against his chest, "He met me on the road from Strahnbrad to the encampment of Blackrock Orcs. He gave me items as well and we had a talk too, he said he was my ally and he was ensuring that I, and anyone I cared about, survived to fulfill my destiny."

Arthas stated while both he and Jaina handed Uther their notes while Uther handed them his. Uther widened his eyes to dinner plate proportions and Jaina and Arthas smirked and whistled respectfully at reading it, "Arthas, who is this man?"

Uther asked as he began getting over his shock and saw Arthas shrug, "Someone powerful that apparently wants me and those I care about to live and fight something that is coming. There is a bundle for Muradin too, but it says to keep it until we run into him somewhere next."

Uther frowned, "And was there a similar note for Jaina and I?"

Uther asked inquisitively and Arthas nodded, "I was told to give Jaina's to her when I met her on the King's Road and to give you yours after Hearthglen. That tells me that he knows at least some of what is going to happen, which means that we will definitely meet up with Muradin at some point. Though he seems to be careful not to inform anyone of any future events. He leaves hints and clues to it, but doesn't come out and say it and he even gave me a bit of advice to finding out if someone is infected by the plague or not."

Arthas stated and Uther decided to file that last bit of info away for later and Jaina looked up at her love, "Arthas, what does this man look like?"

She asked and Uther nodded as well and Arthas closed his eyes for a moment, "I never saw his face, but his armor was a cross between metal and leather and was black with crimson markings and trimmings on it."

Arthas stated and Jaina widened her eyes before looking up at Arthas, "I saw him! He showed himself at a fork in the road I arrived at while trying to find Uther. He told me which way to go to find him."

She stated and Arthas and Uther shared a look that said all that needed to be said, He may be our ally, but that doesn't mean he isn't also an enemy. Arthas then sighed, "We'll worry about him later, for now we should prepare to head for Stratholme and catch the leader of this damned Scourge."

The two of them nodded and they all moved to gather their forces.

3 days later: Just outside Stratholme

Arthas, Uther, and Jaina were riding at the front of their small army, which had grown on the way as, when they passed villages and towns, every soldier or able bodied man rushed to join the march that had Uther the Lightbringer and Prince Arthas leading it.

They had arrived just outside of Stratholme with appropriate weather, meaning lots of rain, and the three of them were on a hill overlooking the city while their commanders, as a few Kirin Tor operatives came to support Jaina when she had not returned yet, were organizing the troops to get a basecamp set up for any possible refugees that needed to be taken out of the city.

As they gazed over the city, the three thought back to meeting that strange prophet again and his repeated attempts to get them to leave and go to Kalimdor. They had shrugged him off, though they all felt power from him, and continued towards Stratholme.

Jaina gazed over the city, "It seems relatively peaceful and calm."

She stated while Arthas grunted, "So do the seas before a terrifying storm." He stated and Uther was about to ask about the plague before Arthas noticed something and grit his teeth, "DAMMIT! The grain has already arrived, Uther we have to go through and destroy the infected. I know it seems heartless, but I promise you that there is no other way. We won't kill the innocent and uninfected, but we can't allow the infected to join up with the other undead forces."

He stated and Jaina trusted Arthas when he stated there was no other way as that one scroll had connected them and she could tell when he was nervous, lying, or enraged. Uther sighed when he saw that Jaina wasn't saying there that was another way, "Alright Arthas, but how do we tell if someone is infected or not?"

He relented and asked and Arthas nodded his thanks for his support, "Our Holy Magic burns them to ash. All we have to do is gather citizens and then release bursts of Holy Magic. Those that burn are infected and those that don't can be moved to the refugee area."

He stated and Uther nodded and they started down the hill, "Jaina, I want you to stay in the refugee area as it will need to be defended and, while you can learn any spells we use, you can't just charge Holy Magic and then release it."

He stated and Jaina pouted before nodding, "Alright love, but if you get injured then I am coming to get you and that is final."

She stated and Arthas nodded before they reached the camp, "Alright, a third of the army will stay here and escort/protect any refugees that we get out of the city. Another third will be going with Uther and I each to clear out the city and save who we can."

He stated and the soldiers saluted before they began dividing themselves. However, everyone stopped when Arthas suddenly turned and threw his hammer through a tree. They watched as a demon slightly larger than Arthas stepped out. It had a humanoid head, pale skin, black eyes, no hair and two horns on its head, a pair of large bat-like wings, and had a green glow about him, "I have been waiting for you, young Prince. I… am Mal'Ganis."

The now named Mal'Ganis stated before the sounds of crashing and screaming echoed out, "As you can see, your people… are now mine! I will now turn this city household by household… until the flame of life has been snuffed out forever!"

He stated before vanishing in a swarm of bats when Arthas threw Blood Cleaver at him, "Dammit! Everyone move out, Uther, you take the east side of the city, I'll take the west, and we'll meet in the middle."

Arthas stated before he and his brigade moved while Uther nodded to Jaina and moved as well. Arthas and his group moved in and his men started clearing buildings of people and gathering them in front of Arthas where he would channel magic into his hammer and send out a wave of magic and sent the ones who didn't burn to the refugee point as fast as they could and Arthas then set the buildings aflame to burn out any plague that may be left and mark the area as cleared.

He then turned and flung Leechbane into a Necromancer before throwing Blood Cleaver and cut through an array of Ghouls and skeletons that were approaching a house. His men moved to intercept them while Arthas leapt over and smashed the door down before he entered and got the family out as Meat Wagons fired on the house. He channeled and released his magic again before hurling the hammer at the Meat Wagons. He recalled his hammer and his men checked the other buildings and homes before Arthas did his check and then sent the remaining ones on their way as he set the cleared buildings on fire and moved deeper all the while praying that the city wasn't lost yet.

Uther was following a similar method and was saying prayers over the fallen before he broke the supports of the buildings. He was stalled when a group of Abominations and a pack of Ghouls came at his group. Uther, reacting on instinct, threw his hammer at one before drawing his new blade and cutting down the Ghouls while the civilians fled out of the city with his soldiers blocking the undead.

Uther dodged a sickle before planting the blade in an Abomination's gut where the serrated edges grew into full blades and shot out of all the sides of the Abomination before shrinking back as Uther pulled his blade out.

He then spun and brought the blade up and saw as the serrated edges vibrated and sawed through another Abomination. He then spun again and sent out a wave of Holy Magic, which lit the undead on fire, before he froze at seeing zombie-like beings approaching him and he grit his teeth, "Push forward men, they are converting the infected and uninfected too quickly."

He shouted as he continued cutting down the undead and his men pushed the undead back and cut them down while Uther took a page from Arthas's book and channeled energy into his hammer and slammed it onto the ground. They pushed forward faster with his men clearing the buildings faster before he brought them down. Uther regrouped his troops and pushed farther inside the city while praying to any god, goddess, or almighty being in existence that they were not too late to save at least most of the city.

Both he and Arthas were thinking the same thing as they moved, "The buildings can be remade, the walls can be repaired, the crops can be replanted, but the people cannot be replaced and must survive." They both continued through the districts getting increasingly agitated when they found more zombie figures.

Later on with Jaina, she was watching from the hill top and directing escorts to ensure the refugees reached the camp safely. She and the other magi were providing support from the hill by casting spells on any undead that approached. She would signal for another escort to go to the gates whenever she saw a flash of gold light which signified that Uther and/or Arthas had used their magic to check a group of people.

However, she was feeling her heart sink when a light would fade and then minutes and minutes later, no people came out. Sure they had gotten a few hundred civilians out, but over 50% of the town had been destroyed/cleared by Arthas and Uther and there should have been more than that low a number of people. She sighed sadly having to accept the fact that the grain had gotten a head start on them by at least 2 days and could have been spread and infecting most of the city.

Back with Arthas, he was currently smashing a Ghoul into the ground before beheading a zombie and launching the torso back into a group of Ghouls. He turned and blocked a sword strike from a skeleton before grabbing it and moving it in front of him where it was skewered by arrows from other skeletons. Arthas threw the skeleton into the archers before slamming his hammer on the ground again and destroyed the undead around him.

Arthas sighed as he looked around at the burning buildings and bodies from his advancement as he had cleared out 5 districts of the massive city and had been striking down undead and zombies left and right and the zombies were severely outnumbering the living. To top it all off, there was no sign of Mal'Ganis and that sent a very bad feeling down Arthas's spine since if the demon wanted the city turned and added to the undead horde, why was he allowing Arthas and his group destroy his forces as they were.

Arthas then froze, unless his forces weren't sent to kill them but merely delay them as the far side of the city was untouched by them yet and thus Mal'Ganis could be transporting the undead converts away from the city. Arthas gripped his hammer and started destroying the undead faster while his men moved to clear and round up areas to keep up with him.

Uther was known as a calm man, a man that could be counted on in a crisis to keep his cool and plan everything out, a man that would keep calm and calculated in the face of adversity… Yeah, that crap was out the window. He was pissed and on a rampage against the undead at the moment as they had found far more infected than there should have been and it was starting to get to him that so many innocents had to die this way in order to save them from a fate worse than death.

Half an hour later, Uther and Arthas met in the middle of the city and were advancing on the northern district, which was connected to the rest of the city by a bridge. As they approached, Mal'Ganis appeared, "Now Mal'Ganis, now we finish this."

Arthas stated as he approached and Mal'Ganis chuckled, "No, dear prince. If you wish to face me, then come to the frozen wastes of Northrend. It is there, that we shall settle this."

He stated before bursting into a swarm of bats and flying away while Arthas grit his teeth, "I WILL COME FOR YOU, MAL'GANIS! I WILL HUNT YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH! DO YOU HEAR ME?! TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!"

Arthas shouted as he turned and trudged back to camp with Uther and their combined forces in tow. They returned to the camp to find the townspeople both happy and sad as their city burned to the ground. Arthas approached his troops, "We have dealt a blow to our enemy this day, men. But our enemy now lies beyond the sea to the north, where he sits and mocks us while he rebuilds his forces. I intend to hunt the demon down and end it, those who wish to follow me may do so, but there may be no going back should you choose to go."

He stated and saw his men salute him, while Jaina moved beside him and held his arm while laying her head on his shoulder, "I'm not leaving you again, Arthas."

She stated before kissing his cheek and Uther nodded to him, "Aye lad, I am with you as well. This bastard needs to be put down before he can do more harm and your father is obviously not handling it." He stated before he knelt to Arthas, "I pledge my metal to you, your highness."

Uther stated before the Knights of the Silver Hand knelt as well. Arthas nodded, grateful to his mentor and friend staying by him, "I thank you, Uther. Now rise, I will not have a Paladin of your renown kneeling so easily." He stated and Uther rose with the others, "We head for the port at first light and sail for Northrend."

He stated and the men saluted and prepared while Arthas stepped by Uther, "Don't wait too long to tell Minerva, I know from experience the pain of waiting to tell your love how you feel."

He stated before walking away with Jaina still on his arm, while Uther sighed and merely nodded his head to no one.

3 days later: Lordaeron City: Throne Room

King Terenas sat on his throne barely containing his fury as one of his soldiers reported that his son had taken a portion of the fleet to the north with Uther, Jaina, a portion of the Kirin Tor, a majority of the Knights, and a large portion of his elite soldiers (ignoring the fact that they were all in Arthas's brigade to begin with). But the thing that made him the angriest was not that his son had left, that he had taken that peasant girl Jaina with him, that Uther and his Knights had defied his orders, or that a section of his forces left. No, it was the fact that they had the audacity to leave without his permission. HE was king, HE was ruler, HE was the leader, and HIS word was law.

He growled and looked at his guards, "Get me my best captain available and tell him to prepare an expedition to go and get my son back here and do it NOW!" He stated and then shouted as his guards left to do as ordered while wondering if maybe they could volunteer to help the Prince and get away from the madman that had become their king.

Done, Arthas and his soldiers have left for Northrend and the King is furious. Next time we get 1-3 of the Northrend Missions depending on how much inspiration I have, so obviously a certain dwarf will be joining the fun.

Also, I wish to point out that the KNIGHTS of the Silver Hand are with Uther, not the other paladins or officers that have soldiers of their own.

Another shout out to METALHELLSPWN who has some interesting challenges up. I have an interest in one, but I have 190+ stories on my 'to write' list so I can't do it for now/the foreseeable future. Check them out and see if any are for you, an author you know, or if you have a suggestion on what you think may make another author want to do it.

So here is the question for any/everyone to answer as you will, "In Yugioh, why does Dartz, a villain from the original Yugioh that was part of Atlantis and tried to call forth the Great Leviathan, have the same eyes that Jaden Yuki, main character of Yugioh GX, has when he uses the combined powers of Yubel and the Supreme King?"

Was he Jaden's predecessor? Was he trying to harvest the powers of Yubel and the Supreme King for himself? Was Yubel using him for some plan or goal? Were the Yugioh creators just forgetful and then messed up badly?

Let me hear your thoughts and ideas, while I will try to get chapters out as soon as I can. Also, whoever can give the most believable answer, besides that the artists just dropped the ball (which is entirely believable but I like hearing the conspiracy theories), can give me a question to ask on here if they want so long as it will not offend anyone.

Arthas' Auras: 1) Devotion Aura: Paladin ability: Grants increased Defense under the game rules, but I am making it so that the people can guard and block better.

2) Endurance Aura: Gained from Gloves of Haste and Boots of Speed: Grants increased attack and movement speed.

3) Critical Strike: Gained from Sanjaro: Increases likelihood of a fatal strike on an enemy.

4) Burning Aura: Gained from Orb of Fire: Makes weapons release a burst of fire on impact.

5) Brilliance Aura: Gained from Jaina Proudmoore: Increases Mana Regeneration.

6) Healing Aura: Gained from the fountain of Health: Heals allies.

7) Slowing Aura: Gained from Orb of Slow: Attacks slow an enemy's movement and attack speed.

Arthas' current forces: Not counting Blaze, Shadow, or himself.

1) Commanders: 1 Archmage, 1 Paladin, 3 Captains, and 1 Lieutenant.

2) 150 Footmen

3) 75 Riflemen

4) 15 Priests

5) 5 Mortar Teams

6) 50 Knights

7) 15 Sorceresses

8) 40 Archers

9) 25 magi

Please note that the counts will stop once Arthas becomes a Death Knight

Also, I'll take any recommendations for Blood Cleaver and Stone Wrecker's talent(s)

Do you want to see a lemon in the future?

Last item, do you all want to see a Good Arthas, a Grey Arthas, or an Evil Arthas? The first means he avoids killing those who need not die and he is generally a hero, the second means he kills anyone in his way but does not harm the faithful/loyal and is seen as a respectable person, and the last is his Warcraft 3 version but even more cruel, brutal, and punishing. So let me know as I can write him in all forms.

NOTE: In the first chapter, I merely put that his loves and commanders kept him from going insane, not evil. So he can be any side and will still be accurate to what I put there.

Anyway, that's it. Later everyone.