SOVEREIGN by J CAE

A/N: Sorry for the delay. I'm still alive. Just busy studying for my midterms and reading Jarka Ruus (fans of Terry Brooks' Shannara should know what that is). Ok, back to earth. Forgive me this chapter isn't perfect, but I've written five versions of it, and it's still not getting any better. Blame it on my muse. She's packed up on another trip to Bangladesh. I could replace it if you all think it sucks.

CHAPTER TEN: FEARLESS

Varimathras was given the charge to immediately follow Vashj as she escaped from the Naga base. Not daring to miss any signs of the possessed Naga, nor wanting to alert her either, he tried to get as close as he could safely get. Their chase went on for a few hours, and finally, he cursed out loud as she plunged into a river and disappeared under the currents. None of his few troops could swim, and even if he could bring about the boats, they would never match the speed of the sea witch. He sent his flyers to try and track her from above, but they soon lost sight of her. The only option he had now was to have his ground troops guard both banks of the river in hopes that she might resurface.

But the longer they waited, the less likely it became.

Naga were ocean creatures, and his best guess was that Vashj would return to the sea, which meant she would escape downriver. Yet she had been possessed by a banshee--and maybe she would not think like a Naga any more. These suspicions, however, were of no avail. He needed to find the snake, no matter where she intended to go.

It must have been another two hours or so before the dreadlord finally admitted failure, that he had lost the sea witch. Still struggling between waiting and returning empty-handed, his thoughts were intruded by a song.

"Do you hear that?" he asked a necromancer.

"Hear...what?"

"A song."

The necromancer listened. And indeed he could. A song was floating in the air--a magical song! And though the undead had no heart to appreciate music, the melody was alluring--so seductive that many began throwing themselves into the river despite their own will. The rapids took them downriver...

"A Naga's song! Hold your ground!" Varimathras was quick to realize. He had heard the legends, saying that the magical voices of the female Naga were so powerful they could lure ships to the rocks. He could see it now, that it was true.

"Stay with me!" he yelled. "Hold your positions!"

And almost at the same instant, dark shadows emerged from the rivers and crawled onto land, lunging themselves at the Forsaken army. Naga!

There were so many of them!

Varimathras tried putting some of the creatures to sleep, but there seemed to be no limit to the number that emerged from the river. They advanced, vile and aggressive, upon the undead army. The Forsaken warriors tried to hold their ground, but in they hearts, they knew fear.

A siren surfaced and blew an abomination midair with a conjured cyclone--Anna. She gave the dreadlord a dire warning, "Vashj is the Naga's business! Stay out of it!"

"Why you!" Varimathras gasped, surprised that his foe was merely a young Naga, and only a third-rank siren. "Who gave you the order to strike at us?"

"Master Illidan," Anna replied, and said no more. "Now, turn back, or you will regret it."

"Never!" Varimathras commanded his own army to stand their ground, even though knowing his forces would stand little chance against the crazed Naga that she brought with her.

Aniyllu-a-domi-nah! Trust in my power, forsaken ones!

The voice of the Dark Lady! She was there to save them!

The forsaken felt her presence, heard her heartbeat and breathing as though they were their own. Their eyes began to fill with her darkness. They gave over their own bodies and thoughts completely to her will, as they had many times before.

"For the Dark Lady!"

The Forsaken mutilated, and improved--like enraged animals, they tore their enemies apart.

Varimathras gripped a water minion in his huge hands and squeezed the breath out of the parasite with inhuman strength. The ghouls ripped their enemies into bloody shreds with frenzied jaws and claws. The air was suddenly filled with the stench of Naga blood and Naga cries of pain.

"For the Dark Lady!"

Fire rained down from the sky, hammering the serpent army mercilessly. The Forsaken advanced, pushing their enemies back into the water. Pushing them to their deaths.

And when the battle was done, the Forsaken had triumphed. Anna was nowhere to be found.

"You've just crossed a threshold, Illidan," Varimathras shouted to the noonday sun.

But the Naga's song was lost in the wind.

*~*~*~*

Alanen slept.

Demons never needed sleep, but his human part was wearing him down. His powers were hardly enough to sustain him, and he felt hollowed out inside. He needed more--so much more than he knew he could ever have. After Kil'jaeden's defeat, he was left to stand alone against Ner'zhul and his foul minions who captured his daughter. He had been feeling so inadequate, almost drained. It was only the hope of seeing Elma again--for that one precious second when he would hear her call him again, that got him through.

He was worn out, and many times his defences were completely down. Much of his strength was spent using tracking magic in attempts to locate Ner'zhul. When his powers exhausted, he would collapse unconsciously anywhere. A few times gnolls and bandits came to steal his money and food--he could not even rise. He just let them take whatever they wanted.

But he had already sensed that the loathed lich king was no longer in Northrend, but instead, returned to what remained of Lordaeron. He knew he was getting close. Perhaps so close that he would find Ner'zhul by nightfall. Or by evening...

He awakened to the noonday sun. He realized he had fainted upon a desolate place. No trees were there to shield him from the heat. When he tried to stand, supporting himself on the ground, his hands came in contact with dead soil. Blight.

Undead domain. He grimaced at how close he might have gotten himself killed, if not for the mercy of his enemy--there were only two possibilities. The Scourge, or the Forsaken.

It never occurred to him that either side would try to simply take his life and bury him. Both Ner'zhul and Sylvanas knew he was too powerful to discard of. They would probably race to convert him into their own servitor. The lich king would probably win since he still had Elma captive. Alanen did not know yet how he would respond when he came face to face with him. Perhaps he would serve the lich king if that was the only way he could get his daughter back. But perhaps he would kill him.

Casting all unnecessary thoughts aside, Alanen fought his way through the defiled lands and continued tracking the lich king when he alerted to a female voice. The hair on the back of his neck pricked as he realized that it did not come from around him. It was in his head.

"I know you are here, Alanen. And I know what you wish to do. Find the Naga named Vashj for me, and I will help you track the lich king."

"Who are you?" he asked, but there was no answer. He looked around. Nothing could have been concealed in this desert-like place--wait. Could someone been burrowed down under the soil?

"Poor confused creature," said the voice without meaning any sympathy.

Suddenly, something struck a cord, "Are you the Dark Lady?"

"Yes, and as commanded by our master Kil'jaeden, I would help you rescue your daughter."

For a moment, he did not believe her. She had been rescued out of her prison before the ritual was complete. And now, Kil'jaeden himself was dead. How could she still be loyal to him? But recalling what the demonlord had said, there was a seed of evil darkness implanted within the elven woman, could there still be a possibility...that Sylvanas were to continue with his legacy after he was gone?

"Why? You do not trust me?" she seemed to read his mind. "A pity."

"You are right, I do not," he admitted.

"But you should, because I am the only hope you have." Before he could answer, she began again, "Let's see. Where were we? I have a small request I ask of you. Help me find the Naga, and I will get your daughter back. Do we have a deal?"

And he stood remembering the shock he received when the Dark Lady took over Dalaran and massacred Garathos's forces. There was no promise she made that he could trust. Yet he had little choice. Perhaps with her aid, he would find his daughter quicker. But if he made a mistake... "Deal," he muttered. "But you just keep this in mind, I do not, for a split second, trust you."

"Done," and even though he could not see her, he knew she smiled. Suddenly, he realized in shock that nothing he thought had escaped her.

*~*~*~*

When Kael told Sylvanas of the deal he made with Illidan, he thought she would get mad at him. But she had not. Instead she had just marched to Illidan's base to confront the undead night elf--an act of impulse. Kael followed her--but now he wished he had not.

Why Vashj?

She had always come across as a person with a strong will. For her to break and succumb to the banshee's enslavement, something must have gone terribly wrong. And it was not just because Illidan caged her out in the open. This was too much, too devastating. A fresh blow above all the pain he had tried so hard to either heal or conceal.

But why her?

Though she had been a good warrior, she could not hope to take on Quel'dara alone, if that was what the Lich King intended. Her Naga soldiers would not listen to her now. She was the enemy. What could she possibly do?

But he knew Ner'zhul was cunning. There was no telling what he had in mind.

Now they were back in his garden. Kael sat on a bench and Sylvanas on the grass. Now fully attired in midnight blue elven ranger uniform and equipped with a golden bow, she looked exactly the same as the way she did before he left Quel'thalas. Sometimes, he wondered how was this possible? Who could have brought her back to life? She seemed to know, though she would not tell him. Yet somehow, although her looks was restored, there was something about her that seemed totally off. It was as if she became a different person altogether, though subtle.

"I knew that banshee had been around for some time already," Sylvanas sighed. "I should have sent Varimathras to deal with her."

He did not want her to put the blame entirely on herself. He was responsible as well. He should have kept an eye on Vashj instead of leaving her exposed to danger. He knew how much she would hate him for it, thinking that he had no confidence in her abilities, but anything--just anything else would be better than this!

If there was something he could do for Vashj, he would gladly do it. Well, Vashj was dead. She was gone. All that remained of her were memories and a shell that was now walking for Ner'zhul only. But he needed to fight to protect these last bits of his friend.

Sylvanas seemed quicker to recover from her grief. She became business-like again, "I will take the Forsaken to track Vashj. But I will also be keeping an eye on Alanen."

"Alanen?" he snapped out of his misery.

The Dark Lady nodded, "Yes. He is close by." And she lied, "What his intentions are, I do not know, but leave him to me, Kael. The Forsaken and I will handle him."

He hated the idea that she would exclude him from whatever she was planning to do, "But..."

"Stay out of this," she said, her tone was suddenly cold. "I did not go to Kil'jaeden to get you into worse trouble. You are now free, and I mean for you to remain this way."

He raised his voice, "But it was I who brought you out of his torture chamber!"

"Not without the help of Illidan and Vashj," she reminded him. "Listen. You are now king of the Blood Elves. Your people are your responsibility, Kael. You have to keep them safe from the line of fire."

"My people are warriors. Let us help." Sensing that they were about to argue, he caught himself, though he made no attempt to back out of what she intended to do.

"You must not run the risk of emptying Quel'dara's defences," still, her stance was firmer than his. "With the Forsaken gone, Illidan would be more likely to make his move. If you and your warriors leave, then your city will surely fall."

"But you can't face Alanen alone! It is far too dangerous!" he recalled what that bastard of a human did to her when they last engaged in battle. He would never forgive himself if Alanen hurt her again.

"Don't worry," she said, however, there was still steel in her voice. "I have become much stronger. I am a match for Alanen." And before he could even answer, she turned and left him alone.

All of a sudden, he felt more like a prisoner than a king, caged by his own duty and the peril around him. He knew she was probably right, though it offered no comfort.

He watched as she disappeared into the shadows, and a bitter feeling crept upon his mind. After Vashj was gone, Sylvanas would be the only friend he could rely on now.

*~*~*~*

Kael'thas of Quel'dara, open your eyes. She had no intentions of fighting Alanen at all.

The Dark One smiled and whispered soundlessly to him, your Dark Lady is no longer who she used to be. Don't be too hasty in placing your trust. Though her power has grown, it might not be intended for your protection.

Patting the sheathed Frostmourne that hung by his belt, he moved quietly amid the shadows of the trees, still watching. Waiting.

What Sylvanas planned to do seemed to be a mistake to him. Leaving Kael'thas unguarded alone in Quel'dara would fuel Illidan and his vile ambitions. After not having touched magic for six months, her elven king had become so weak, that it would take only a little effort to remove him.

Or was that what she intended?

Well, good luck, Kael'thas. Good luck.

The elven king was in a far more complicated situation than it appeared to be. Danger did not only come from Illidan or his satyrs and naga. There were other predatory eyes as well. Others, waiting for a chance to take him out.

I fear your Dark Lady would not find you here when she returns.

*~*~*~*

Anna gazed in amazement at the bow that once belonged to Vashj. It was a beautifully forged weapon, made from polished coral and hides of sea snakes. It had accompanied the great sea witch for many millenniums and won countless wars by her side.

"You are giving this...to me?" her eyes turned upon Illidan who sat on his throne.

The undead king nodded, "That is what you've been wanting, isn't it?"

The young siren, too preoccupied in marvelling at the weapon, did not seem to notice the hostility in his tone--or if she had she made no sign of it. Well, she had done it. She had unveiled the fault of his most trusted general. She was the reason he lost a friend--no. He corrected himself. Vashj was already lost to him, and it would not matter sooner or later. But Anna had aggravated his pain...

"Come now, sea witch," he said, standing up. "Along with this bow comes new responsibility. You have done well in delaying the Forsaken. But you must triumph over them with this bow. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand," she replied, excitement glistening in her eyes.

"Go make yourself known to King Kael'thas, now that the Dark Lady is gone."

An attack? Anna considered it with shrill delight.

"Make him regret the day he was born," he gave her his command.

*~*~*~*

"We are on our own now, Varimathras," Sylvanas rejoined her lieutenant at the Forsaken base and started giving instructions to her minions to move out of Quel'dara. It took him a few moments to realize what she was doing.

"What about King Kael'thas?" the dreadlord asked.

"We leave him," she merely said. "He cannot help us."

For some reason, he could hear from her tone that it was not a question of ability. Rather it was of permissibility. She did not bother to explain, and he guessed it had nothing to do with him.

"My lady, where are we going?"

"To find an old friend," she said, and urged her minions to follow her.

By midnight, the Forsaken were already a few miles north of Quel'dara. Sylvanas told them to set up a base camp around an abandoned gold mine they found. There did not seem to be a lot of resources left, but it would have to do.

She had Varimathras and a handful of her warriors go and look around in search of their 'friend'. Though she never mentioned the name, the dreadlord had a bad feeling about it--and his bad feelings often came true.

"My lady," he approached the Dark Lady when they stopped for a rest with a question that had been bothering him. "You realize that Illidan would most likely attack Kael'thas during our absence? Why did you choose to leave him there?"

Sylvanas looked away, as if she was annoyed with his question. He bit his tongue and wished that he had not asked, but she gave him an answer, "My only cause is to destroy Ner'zhul. That is--and will always be the only thing that matters. I promised him freedom. Now he has it, and has helped me in return. I owe him nothing more."

You did not think that way before, he thought.

"Varimathras," she glared at him. "Do not forget I can read your mind."

"I'm sorry."

"Just keep this in your head," she gave him an angry warning. "I have my own reasons for doing the things I do, and it is not any of your business."

But she caught herself quite suddenly. What was she thinking? Why was she saying things like that? Was she making a mistake?

Of course she knew Illidan was going to attack Kael when she was away from the base--she had foreseen it. So why was she here? Why was she leaving the elven king exposed to danger intentionally?

Kael...he had gone through hell to get her back from Kil'jaeden's torture chamber. He tried his best to shield her from any harm that might come her way. He had faithfully waited for the last six months, waiting for that moment when she would come back to him. Why was she deserting him to his death?

Why?
But earlier, when she was making her decision, it had felt so right. She was certain killing the lich king would be the only thing she ever cared to do, and the only thing that she would regret not doing. She had thought that tracking Vashj and gaining Alanen's allegiance would be the key to her plans. But as the feelings flooded back to her numb mind, she suddenly knew she was wrong.

But she could not go back. She had already chosen this path. She must finish what she began, and hope that Kael would be strong enough to hold on until she returned.

*~*~*~*

Tugging insecurely at the cloak of shadows about her slender shoulders, Anna awaited in the darkness. The elven guards had caught no sign of her when she slipped past them, yet she was still afraid. Assassinating the elven king would not be an easy task. And if she made a mistake--well, she would not even be there to see the end of it. She must be very careful.

It seemed that the elves were having another council of theirs. She was too nervous to hear what they were saying, but it was unimportant anyway. They would have to change their plans once their king was dead.

She never thought it could all come so easy--all she needed was to put the poisoned arrow through Kael's heart and then conceal herself again. They would never find her. They would never catch her. She thought of the approval that Illidan and her people would give her when her task was done. A warm feeling enfolded her heart.

It was all going to happen if she was careful enough.

And she would be.

She waited for her chance to strike the blow--until the council member who was speaking moved cleared from view. There was nothing between herself and Kael--wait!

A dark figure materialized out of thin air and calmly pressed his blade to Kael's throat.

How could this be? Another assassin?

She watched the terrified council members as they recognized their king's attacker. Some tried to run, but none got past the door. They were incinerated by green eerie flames.

Kael's face twisted into a grimace of agony as the cold steel was pressed closer to his ear--so close that he could begin to hear voices whispering in his ear, tempting him, threatening him and rending his sole. He recognized the weapon now.

It was Frostmourne.

In fright, Anna backed away, and revealed herself--though no one seemed to notice her. No one but Ner'zhul perhaps.

The lich king addressed the remaining members of the elven high council, "You go on and tell the Dark Lady--she took your king away from battle once. I'm getting him back now."

No one attempted to answer. It would not be necessary anyway.

"Come, Kael'thas," Ner'zhul began dragging Kael away from the scene. "Let us away...to afterlife!"

*~*~*~*

Teaser: Ah...so sad *sniff...grabs a tissue* I'm actually crying over my own story. Is Sylvanas gonna come back and find Kael dead? (*ANGEL: shakes head* *DEVIL: nods furiously and drools like crazy*) Or would she come up with ways to alter fate?

*~*~*~*

J NoBo (actually, J CAE'S NOTICE BOARD ^_^):

Ooh. TONS of reviews. Thank you guys ^_^. It might take you a while to find my response to your review...

Just to let you know that DAWN CAN WAIT and RAIN RIVER are removed as you have been forewarned. If you feel bad about their absence, I apologize, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for liking them. No, wait! Don't go yet. May I assure you that unless ff.net decides to take RANGER GENERAL down, it won't go away. More notes in my profile about what I'm gonna do with DCW and RR.

Can't resist a short review on Jarka Ruus...I LOVE AHREN ELESSEDIL!!! He threatens to take Kael'thas's place as my favourite elven prince...oh wait. He already did. But sure, Kael'thas can stay my favourite Warcraft elven prince ^_^. Probably I shouldn't be placing my judgement so early in the series, but somehow I feel that the book wasn't as good as, say, the Elfstones, or the Voyage series. There aren't really any other interesting characters in this new book O_o. But just for all the scenes that Ahren's in, the book was worth the money. Yeah, I know I'm like crazy. Feel free to hit me. 7/10.

Rowan Seven: Thanks for the b-day present. That's so sweet of you!! I love it!!

Cybaster: Oof! Keep tripping over this...damn tail O_o. Garona?! She's half-Orc????? I wouldn't know, cuz I've never played War I before. When I played War II many years ago, I skipped all the story parts and just concentrated on kicking ass with mass elven archers ^_^. I love them!! Guess they started my fetish for elves. I WANT BLIZZARD TO BRING THE MALE ELVEN ARCHERS BACK!!!! Ugh, where was I?! Oh yeah, Ner'zhul. It's amazing he's doing all these things just to mislead everyone, no?!

wingchumonZERO: Thank you. Appreciate your support ^_^. When I first started writing online, I could get really upset when I get flamed. But yeah, I learned that there are many people who are, sadly, bored with themselves and flaming happen to give them some purpose in life. Ah well, never mind what they want to do. You're right I should ignore flames.

Ira Poon: Who killed Meris? *flips back to previous chapters frantically*...er, Alanen...Indeed, there is something VERY wrong about Syl coming back to life. The world is NOT perfect, and neither is Ner'zhul. He has some very vile intentions behind all these...

San: Mwahahahaha. Yes, Vashj is going to get as far away from Illidan as she can, and then come back with a vengeance. She's gonna get Anna pretty soon, and pretty cruelly too. Illidan x Maiev = ex-lovers??! Me and my lil bro sorta came up with something like that too, for fun ^_^. Hey, think with Illidan immobilized in chains, Maiev could *MATURE CONTENT CENSOR*. Why else was she so enthusiastic to get him back? A few things she did/said in TFT might work for M/I fans: Maiev hated Tyrande all along. You think it's just cuz she murdered the Watchers? Think again ^_^. Tyrande was IN THE WAY. In 'The Search for Illidan', Maiev actually said something like, "Illidan will be mine." Mwahahaha. If you twist the meaning, it works fine...Okay, me and my brother are sick minded, and we admit it proudly.

ToughPreacher: Thanks for your support ^_^. Yup, I noticed that Sylvanas has Trueshot Aura and Cold Arrows, but um...Holy Light?! I remember the scene when she removed the bridge, she has something like a Starfall rune on her head. Curious. Oh...and another thing which is kinda freaky. One time in the ROC Undead mission where I'm supposed to kill Sylvanas's runners, I cheated and ignored her when she came to attack my base. I marched straight into her base and bashed it, so she became a banshee. Supposedly, I have taken over control of her, right? BUT THE WEIRD THING is, when I look back at my base, the ranger Sylvanas was STILL there, chasing my poor acolyte who was still trying to get out of the way!!! Programming error...um, I mean, like, I know I'm not supposed to cheat, but this is...

Eternity: Thanks for your compliment ^_^. You're quite right I'm thinking of concluding the story now before I bite off more than I can chew. I have definitely scared myself with plot twists *hides under blanket*. The Vashj thing suddenly came up 3 am in the morning. I literally had to climb out of bed and crawl to the laptop to write. But yeah, it would take me at least 3 chappies to be able to end it. Or maybe 5 ^_^. I hope you continue writing the story where Illidan got Arthas killed and took the runeblade. That one's so cool.

I)void: Thanks for reading. There are still many things you can do that you don't need a tongue for...^_^ mwahahahaha.