More reviews make the Pizza happy.

I'm not sure I used the word empathy right in this chapter. I hope I did. I've never seen the word used much before :- Not a very long chapter but seems like people actually want to read my story :o so now I guess I should update as often as I can.

On with the story!

Sylvanas: point knife at Arthas I hate you!
Arthas: I hate you too, but let's have sex!
Sylvanas: Fine!
Kel'Thuzad: Can I join?

Haha, no ;) I just had to tease Gafgar.

Kel'Thuzad inspected Frostmourne carefully. After bringing the artifact up to his tower, he laid it out on a dais. The macabre skull on the crossguard seemed to leer at him with it's gaping eye sockets. Suddenly, the runeblade began to glow and tremble violently. Unsure of what was happening, the lich quickly encased the dais in a thick layer of ice, the sword trapped inside it like a bubble. He watched intently as it continued to vibrate steadily. To his shock, the sword unexpectedly shattered beneath the ice, causing cracks to creep across the ice casing. Ner'zhul had abandoned Frostmourne. Turning away from the small platform, Kel'Thuzad sat in his chair and began to meditate. He knew now the weight of the Scourge would fall upon him and him alone...
The red carpet felt soft under Sylvanas' bare feet. She curled her toes, savoring the velvety feeling. Standing in the center of the great throne room, she looked around to the empty balconies and towering statues that seemed to be gazing down on her. Just as she was about continue to Kel'Thuzad's tower, she heard a faint scream. Her pointed ears twitched, trying to pick up the source of it. Her eyes fixed upon the small set of stairs behind the king's throne that lead down to the lower levels of the castle. 'Are they torturing someone? But that can't be, there's no dungeon down there, only the kitchens and infi-"her thoughts cut short as she realized who it was. Pushing aside her task of questioning Kel'Thuzad, she was driven towards the sound of the agonized screams.

As she silently descended the stairs, the wailing grew louder and echoed off the stone walls, giving it a tinny quality that made the girl shiver. The hallway was dark and none of the torches were lit, but her elven eyes could see perfectly. The door to the infirmary had a thick wooden beam placed on the steel brace to keep it shut from the outside.

As she placed her hands under the beam, the screams stopped, replaced by something softer. Putting her ear against the door, she gasped and pulled back. 'He's crying!' she realized, bewildered. She lifted the beam quietly off the brace and set it down on the ground. The rusty hinges squealed while the door opened to reveal Arthas writhing on a straw mattress in the middle of the room. Shutting the door behind her, Sylvanas crept up to the man, studying him from the dark. He didn't seem to know anyone was in the room despite the loud creaking of the door.

"S-so cold... I remember... god, I'm so sorry... everything... all gone," Arthas muttered incoherently. She knelt down next to him, looking into his crazed eyes, just as she had looked into them as he struck a fatal blow to her outside of Quel'Thalas. Those eyes, once filled with arrogance, hatred, and malicious bloodlust now called out to her for pity. His cheeks caved in like a starved child and his skin was a horrible shade of green and white that made the rest of the undead seem alive. In his mental trauma, he finally noticed her hovering above him.

"Sylvanas, forgive me," his voice pleading," Please, kill me. I don't want to remember". He continued to mourn and groan in misery. Sylvanas was taken aback by his request. 'What's gotten into him?'

The dying fire in his soul flared up as his hand lunged for her wrist and wrenched her closer. "I know you've wanted to ever since that day, now finish me!" he snarled menacingly. She grimaced at the feeling of his dried blood rubbing against her skin before slapping him harshly across the face. To her amazement, he simply went limp and released her. She backed away from reach and watched as he continued to cry weakly. The dagger felt like an iron weight in her sleeve.

'Why shouldn't you kill him? After all the pain and suffering he's caused you. Isn't this what you wanted?'

The dagger hilt slid into her palm as she gripped it tightly. Could she kill him in cold blood in his miserable state?

"Sometimes we choose a purpose, and it turns out it's not the one we wanted"

She threw the dagger into a dark corner where it clattered sharply on the stone floor.

'No. I won't throw away what I have left for vengeance, even as what I am.'

Crawling close to him, she gripped his head in her cold hands, staring down on him from above. He struggled weakly trying to spare himself of her unforgiving glare.

"How does it feel Arthas? How does it feel to be the one that's suffering? I asked you that day for a clean death. I thought for my dedication and persistence in battle, I had earned at least that much, but you showed me no clemency. And now that our positions are reversed, you have the gall to beg me to end your suffering when all you've done is made me endure mine? You plead for my forgiveness?" she paused, her breath shallow as she fought back tears of rage.

"I will not give you the luxury of peace. You will live, and you will bear the burden of the millions like me who have been enslaved by your reckless lust for power." She sat up and moved towards the door. She spoke without turning,"I don't know what's happening to you Arthas, but I hope it makes you experience some empathy for everyone, especially me." She left the room, leaving him to be tortured by his inner demons. The sobs reverted back wails as she trudged back to her room, her original intentions of questioning the lich completely forgotten.