Do undead sleep? They do now ;) A chapter slightly longer than the others! Stand in awe before the perhaps 2000 words! Lots of scene changing.
Arthas woke abruptly, realizing he must have fallen asleep when he had finally gotten a moment of peace. He rubbed his eyes and sat, grimly remembering his episode from earlier. Gazing outside through the open double doors he saw not much time had passed; the sun refused to show itself. Though he had just rested, he felt worse than before. His power seemed to be slowly slipping away from him. He gripped the armrests as he struggled to raise himself out of the chair. 'This must look incredibly pathetic,' he fumed as he finally got on his feet, glad no one else was around to see. Wondering if Kel'Thuzad had returned yet, he stepped out into the courtyard.
The lich and ranger walked side by side silently as they passed over the drawbridge into the palace. She turned slightly to look at him, wondering what he was thinking. They hadn't said a word besides him asking if she was well enough to walk on her own. After listening to his words, she mulled over her situation. 'What he says is true, but if I'm not here for revenge, what else can I do?' she sighed, uncertain of the future. They entered the courtyard just as Arthas staggered down the steps.
"We have returned, my king," Kel'Thuzad formally greeted him. Arthas simply nodded as a reply. Not wanting to say anything, Sylvanas quickly bowed her head. He made no move to confirm her existence, not so much as looking in her direction. She didn't mind, still unsure of what he knew. Feeling she had no purpose with the two, she touched Kel'Thuzad's shoulder and walked towards her quarters.
Arthas raised a brow at the friendly gesture, but chose to ignore it. "What news of the dread lords?" Arthas inquired gruffly, not sounding particularly interested. They were merely nuisance to him without their masters. The lich's jaws clenched.
"They have been taken care," he stated stiffly," I have seen to it that they will no longer be of concern."
Arthas tensed visibly but relaxed quickly to hide his surprise. "Come into the throne room, there are matters we have to discuss," he turned and entered the throne room once again, followed closely by his servant.
Sylvanas peered into the darkness of the spiral stairs leading up to her room in the tower. She hated climbing them. Resting a hand against the cold stone, she dragged herself up the obscenely tall set of steps. Light seeped out from a thin crack between the wooden door and the floor. She sighed as she opened the door to find Lira needlessly tidying up her quarters. The maid's face lit up as she greeted her mistress. "Hello, sister," she cheerfully exclaimed," I heard you were returning home so I spiced up your room, just a little." The girl giggled as she finished dusting a shelf.
She tossed her bow and quiver into corner, "This isn't home Lira," she stated matter-of-factly, but strained to keep herself from sounding upset. Lira was a farm girl that had been her servant even before Sylvanas had become a ranger. They had known each other for a long time, but the girl's constant chipper attitude sometimes bewildered her, especially after the fall of Quel'Thalas. She had fallen victim to the plague of the undead but she was anything but a dull, mindless zombie. Sometimes her anger got the better of her and scolded the girl for her simple, easy going attitude and always felt terrible afterward.
She inspected her spacious and lavishly furnished room, noticing all the new decorations Lira must have found in the ruins. Her eyes stopped on a covered object near her bed. As if she knew what Sylvanas was looking at, she literally jumped with giddiness. "Oh, how could I forget? I have such a wonderful surprise for you!" she hopped over to mysterious item and gripped the cover," you won't believe I found one of these intact!"
She pulled aside the cover to reveal an exquisitely framed mirror as tall her that stood on four wooden legs. "Isn't it wonderful?" she chirped," I found it in the palace ruins and I thought you'd love it since we had something like this in Quel'Thalas and it would make this place more like home!"
Sylvanas grimaced and turned away quickly, barely catching a glimpse of her reflection. Shutting her eyes, she quickly cried out," Lira, please cover it!" The girl put the cover over the mirror before giving her a hurt expression. "I'm sorry, these are so hard to come by these days I thought you'd like it," she turned away and continued dusting the same spot on the shelf which was already spotless. Sylvanas sighed, knowing she had disappointed the poor girl. Shucking off her muddy boots and dirt stained clothes, she crawled onto her bed and stretched, her feet and hands dangling over each end. She still felt stiff from the frost spell.
"I'm sorry Lira. I'm just... I-I don't like seeing myself," she apologized before smothering her face with a pillow.
"You don't have to be sorry sister. I remember when you shot an arrow through that big piece of glass I found," she giggled softly," I should've known better, but I just think you should look at your pretty self sometimes." She turned around, showing the large patch of flesh missing on her cheek, showing a section of her skull," After all, most of us aren't in as good of shape as you after the turning."
The girl brought Sylvanas a black shift. As she pulled it over her head, Lira noticed the dried blood on her hand. "Oh, sister you're hurt," she gasped as she grabbed it and began to search for the wound.
"It's alright Lira," she reassured her friend," it's not my blood."
Eventually Lira had grown accustomed to Sylvanas' murderous tasks and chose not to ask anymore of the matter. "Well you most certainly are not sleeping in those sheets covered in blood and grime. I'll go fetch some water for you," the girl grabbed a large bucket and headed out the door. Sitting on the side of the bed, she heard Lira's foot steps fade away. She picked at the dried blood under her nails finding not much else to do.
'I try to remember what I still have...you should look at your pretty self sometimes...'
The words repeated themselves in her mind. She stared uneasily at the covered mirror once more. 'Damn those two,' she thought grudgingly while actually considering a quick peek in the mirror while Lira was gone.
"Tell me you know what's happening to me Kel'Thuzad. These seizures, migraines, and constant fatigue, what's your best guess," Arthas interrogated the lich for answers as he sat on his throne.
"It seems as though the Lich King is focusing his power elsewhere. I have not heard his call for nearly a day. I would assume your pains are caused from a lack of energy Ner'zhul channels to you through Frostmourne. Your body is consuming power too quickly. You are not accustomed to the sudden shortage of it, much like a drunkard who cannot afford more ale," he bore a grim look on his face," I predict you will feel incredible pain at the peak of your withdrawal unless the Lich King feeds you power soon and also... disturbing side effects may occur from the withdrawal."
For once, the confident king was troubled over his own health. "How much time do I have? "
"It... is difficult to say."
"Tell me, damnit!" Arthas roared at him, pounding his fist into the armrest and shattering the stone. No sooner did the chunks fall to the ground before he began coughing and wheezing uncontrollably. Kel'Thuzad obediently rushed to his side," Do not strain yourself my king, you must rest," the lich sternly advised his master. Arthas roughly pushed him aside, "This is a time for conquest, not idling around". He drew Frostmourne and leaned on it for support. "To hell with the Lich King! How dare he ignore me, his greatest champion? I don't need his power," he proclaimed, still wheezing out of breath.
Knowing Arthas might permanently cripple himself if he continued to push his frail body, Kel'Thuzad summoned his thick spell book and smashed the spine down on his king's head. Grunting, Arthas fell on his face and lay motionless while the runeblade tumbled down the steps, the clanging muted by the red carpet. Kel'Thuzad called in several necromancers," Carry him to the infirmary and barricade the doors. Have the others vacate the room, there is nothing they can do to ease his suffering."
Arthas groaned and turned to glare at the lich with overwhelming fury, "Traitorous bastard!" The last thing he saw was the book coming down on his forehead before darkness.
The lich looked at his minions," That one doesn't count." The necromancers glanced at each other unknowingly before carrying the unconscious king underground. Kel'Thuzad bent over to retrieve the cursed sword. The skull imbued in the hand guard spewed a cold haze from its open maw much like him. 'Why didn't he grant me any powerful artifacts,' he pondered before retiring to his tower. Unknown to others, Lira had witnessed the whole scene.
Giving into curiosity, Sylvanas slipped out of her shift and gripped the cover. She closed her eyes before uncovering the mirror. Throwing it aside, she slowly opened her eyelids. Starting from the bottom, she found her still shapely legs. A smirk on her face while moving up slightly, glad to know she still had her sensuous hips and pert breasts. She stopped at the neck and hesitantly continued, but flinched away once again at the sight of her smoldering red eyes. 'Damnit. Everything's practically the same except for that.' She cursed in elvish under her breath as she heard footsteps quickly ascending the stairs. Fumbling with the cover, she quickly tossed it over the mirror and snatched up her gown, pulling it over her head quickly. The door burst open just as she finished dressing. Lira bustled in, carelessly dropping the bucket by the door; obviously something had her excited. "Sister, that scary skeleton man just beat the prince unconscious," unexpectedly she burst into laughter," and- and the look on his face was just precious!"
"Wait, what?"
"That skeleton man, you know, the one you're always grumbling about. He just clubbed the king senseless and had him dragged downstairs to the infirmary. I saw the whole thing and almost laughed-"
"But why?"
Lira shrugged unknowingly and giggled," I guess I didn't see the whole thing." She picked up the bucket and a cloth and brought it to her. "You can clean yourself up now. I'm going to go see what's the others are doing in the Undercity." Before leaving, the convivial girl turned at the doorway and teased, "Your gown is on backwards sister," she laughed as she quickly pulled the door shut, a dagger buried on the opposite side. "I knew you'd like the mirror!" she called, her voice muted by the thick wood and stone.
Sylvanas sat on her bed, irked by the fact Lira figured out. "So what if I did look just once? Why does she have to tease me about it," she asked no one in particular. She grunted and dunked the cloth in the bucket. Rubbing harshly, she managed to get all the dirt and dried specks of mud off her face. Next, she soaked her hands in the bucket to get the caked blood loose. After some tedious picking and scraping, all the blood was gone and her hands were as clean as they would get. She glanced at the mirror once again. 'Lira already knows, so who gives a damn if I look at myself,' she marched over to it undaunted and ripped off the cover. Instead of averting her eyes, she stared right back at her reflection, straight into the ruby pits and glared menacingly. "I'm tired of looking away. I am what I've become and I won't deny it anymore. I won't be afraid of you," she assured her mirror. Backing away, she smiled and reached for the cover but hesitated. Deciding to stick to her own words, she left the mirror uncovered.
Moving towards the window, she observed Kel'Thuzad's tower. She spotted the explosions of light escaping out his window; he was in there. It was time for her to find out what had happened down there between the lich and Arthas. She exited her room, pulling the dagger from the door and tucking it away in her loose sleeve.
2133 word count!? Amazing isn't it ;)
Ahem, well I'd first like to thank the two new reviewers and their kind words. Really helped me get going on finishing this chapter. I tried my best to keep going but my mind went blank at this spot.
To Gafgar: You've put pressure on me! Now I'm worried I won't pull it off right, but thanks for reviewing.=P