Solace For the Highborne.
After the fall of the Lightbringer…
Sylvanas, Vereesa, Jaina, Alexstrasza and Medivh returned to the throne room, finding Ysera still tending to Alleria.
"Have you had any luck?" Sylvanas asked, kneeling beside her sister.
"Her mind is greatly traumatised by terrors beyond comprehension, I am doing what I can to soothe and heal her mind before it shatters." Ysera said softly.
"What evil could have done this to her?" Vereesa asked, kneeling beside Sylvanas.
"An army without end, a great darkness that consumes all life," Medivh stated. "The Legion."
"Are you saying she was captured by the Legion?" Sylvanas asked. "Why? For what end?"
Medivh knelt down and began chanting, his hands hovering over Alleria. Thin letters formed in the air, slowly falling across Alleria's hairline.
"What have you done?" Vereesa snapped, fire flaring to life in her hands.
"Calm yourself," Medivh said, getting to his feet, though Sylvanas' eyes caught a glimpse beneath the neckline of his robes.
Etched clear against his pale skin, was an unbroken scar across his neck, with no signs of healing. Sylvanas remembered what Uther had told her about the Last Guardian; how Sargeras had tried to enter their world through him, and Lothar had beheaded Medivh to stop the fallen Titan. Whatever, or whoever, had brought Medivh back, had not bothered to hide the evident sign of the Guardian's return from the grave.
"I have simply put a small charm to suppress any evil within her; none of you would want to kill your beloved sister, especially after so long apart." Medivh stated. "I am all too aware of the Legion and their fondness for influencing others."
"You certainly are ahead in that area of expertise," Vereesa said sarcastically, and Sylvanas had to bite back a snigger.
"Charming," Medivh stated. "Perhaps I should speak with the Aspects, to learn about the current situation, and what measures that can be taken to defend Azeroth."
"And us?" Sylvanas asked.
"Care for your sister, there is no stronger bond than family; use it to restore the ranger you remember." Alexstrasza smiled.
Sylvanas and Vereesa carried their unconscious sister down to Sylvanas and Uther's former chambers, near the middle of the temple. The room was untouched, and as Vereesa led Alleria over to the nearest bed, Sylvanas asked one of the Drakonids to bring her a bath.
"Thank you," she said as it returned a moment later.
As the lone Drakonid carried the metal trough into the room and laid it down, her eyes caught a glimpse of something that tugged at her heart. The one addition to the room was a pair of practice dummies for resting their armour on, one for her, and one for Uther. As she hung her tattered ranger robe on her dummy, its bare partner made her realise how Uther was gone, at least for now, and that things had forever changed.
"Care to help me here sister?" Vereesa called. "Get her out of these tattered robes, while I fill that trough."
Suddenly Alleria sprung to life, grabbing a blade from her hip and holding it to Vereesa's throat, a look of fear and anger in her eyes.
"You will not defile me with your demonic filth!" she snarled, before her attention was caught by Sylvanas slamming the door shut and locking it.
Alleria threw Vereesa aside, sending her flipping over the bed and out of sight. She then lunged at Sylvanas, dagger in hand and a look that made it clear she was going to garrotte her own sister. Sylvanas had mere seconds to unsheathe her daggers before her sister attacked. Their daggers clashed, sparks flying in all directions, whilst Vereesa slowly got to her feet, only to hesitate at what she saw. Both her sisters seemed to be fighting to kill the other, and she seemed to be the only person able to save them.
She hurled ice at them in an attempt to break up the fight, but the skilled duelling rangers dodged the attacks. Were it not for Sylvanas' presence, the enraged Alleria would have attacked Vereesa again.
"Do something to calm her down!" Sylvanas said through gritted teeth, as Alleria was beginning to overwhelm her, and get the upper hand in their duel.
"Anar'alah, Anar'alah belore" Vereesa sang, and this made Alleria freeze. "Quel'dorei."
"Sindu fallah na, Quel'dorei" Alleria breathed, dropping her dagger as the song seemed to put her in a trance. "Anar'alah shindu Quel'dorei."
"Shindu fallah na Quel'dorei," Sylvanas continued, cautiously sheathing her daggers and motioning for Vereesa to approach.
"Anar'alah belore, shindu Quel'dorei," The three sisters sang, with Vereesa and Sylvanas gently ushering Alleria toward the bath, and out of her clothes. "Shindu fallah na Quel'dorei, Anar'alah belore..."
"Belore," Alleria breathed, returning to her senses as she was lowered into the trough, with Vereesa summoning warm water to fill it. "I'm so sorry I attacked you... I don't know what came over me."
"It's alright sister, we understand your pain. You were gone for years, and were likely put through hell by the Legion," Sylvanas said, kneeling down and helping Vereesa to wash their sister. "But we're here now, you're safe with us, with your family."
"How did you know that song would bring me out of that... state?" Alleria asked, relaxing as she was washed by her sisters, her aches and pains being washed away in the warm water.
"Because it was your favourite song growing up in Silvermoon, we sang it over and over again," Vereesa chuckled.
"I remember how we almost drove our parents mad," Sylvanas laughed, which made them all burst out laughing. "'Don't wish ill will on us by singing that song!' They'd say over and over."
"Anar'alah belore," Alleria breathed when they managed to stop laughing at the fond memory. "Memories of home were what sustained me in that hellish place."
"Will you ever tell us what happened?" Vereesa asked quickly, without thinking.
"Not now little sister, the pain is still too fresh," Alleria replied, her eyes drifting across her multiple scars. "But one day, when the time is right."
"Could I ask how you came back?" Sylvanas asked tentatively.
"I saw an opening when they were holding me and I escaped. I managed to leap through a portal before it closed, not knowing where it led, but I prayed that it would lead me home." Alleria said, staring into the distance. "I had to warn you of the Legion's treachery, I could not allow them to..."
"We understand," Vereesa said softly, putting her hand on Alleria's shoulder. "You came home to protect those you care about, and you succeeded."
"Not entirely, Lord Uther is lost, and Ner'zhul is free to sow chaos before the Legion's arrival." Alleria said, bringing the mood crashing down.
"We'll save Uther, stop Ner'zhul and protect Azeroth from the Legion, that's a promise," Sylvanas said, making eye contact with Alleria.
There were several moments of silence, broken only by the splashes of water as they bathed Alleria, cleansing the dirt and grime from her elegant, but scarred, skin.
"So how did you befriend the dragons?" Alleria chuckled, striking up a new conversation with her sisters.
Over the next half hour Sylvanas and Vereesa told their sister everything that had happened across Azeroth since the Portal closed, focusing on their adventures against the Lich King and then the corrupted Aspects. Alleria hugged Vereesa when the death of Rhonin was brought up, and she sympathised with how her sister was feeling.
"I guess I have one last question, who the hell is that wizard in the brown robes?" Alleria asked as she dried herself off, her sisters watching from the nearest bed.
"Medivh," Vereesa said plainly.
"What?" Alleria exclaimed, turning sharply and staring at her sisters. "The monster who brought the Orcs to Azeroth is alive, and worse than that he's free?" Alleria threw on her leather ranger garb, and grabbed her dagger from the floor. "I'm going to correct that mistake!"
"Wait!" Vereesa exclaimed, hurling a ball of ice past her sister's head.
"Why?"
"Because much like your beloved Uther, I was not myself when I opened the Dark Portal," Medivh said, suddenly appearing in the doorway.
Alleria charged at Medivh, but before she could relieve the Guardian of his head again with her dagger, Sylvanas tackled her from the side, sending them both to the floor.
"Please Alleria, don't be rash, there is so much we do not know about the oncoming Legion, and at this time we are so vulnerable," Sylvanas said, pinning her sister down as she tried to resume her attack. "For the moment, at least, we need his help."
"Fine, but the moment the Legion are defeated, I'm removing his head!" Alleria snarled, pushing her sister off and moving as far from Medivh as she could get. "Why the hell are you here?"
"The Dragon queen wishes to know if you are all well, I offered to see how you were doing," Medivh said plainly. "I was curious to see if there were any signs of Legion corruption, but it seems that you were not tainted."
"Of course I am not tainted!" Alleria snapped. "We resisted their torture for years, and I escaped when their attention turned to invading this world!"
"Thank you for the information, the Legion are clearly focused on taking this world, we will need to prepare everything we have to resist, or all will be lost." Medivh smiled, as he turned and walked away.
"Does he give you an uneasy feeling?" Vereesa asked.
"Dead men are not natural sister," Alleria retorted. "I would be worried if you were not uneasy when he is around."
"Anar'alah belore," Sylvanas sighed.
"By the light of the sun I will never trust that 'Guardian', and look forward to taking his head as a trophy," Alleria said, looking out the window at the vast Dragon Wastes.
"I realise that this may seem like an odd time to bring it up," Vereesa said cautiously, moving closer to her sister. "But I am very glad you're home again, we both missed you terribly."
Alleria smiled at her sisters, as both cautiously approached her.
"I missed you both too," Alleria laughed, delivering a bone-breaking hug to both her sisters in one fell-swoop. "I only wish it came at a better time, when we weren't facing shear doom."
"We'll beat it, we have before," Sylvanas smiled. "The three Windrunner sisters will save the world together."
"Anar'alah belore," Vereesa smiled, as they separated and Sylvanas' hands began to glow.
"Quite literally," Alleria smiled, before they all burst out laughing again.
Sylvanas smiled at the memory, but it faded when she remembered there had only been one other moment like that since Uther's fall. She laid down, resting her head on the silk tabard, and closed her eyes, seeing that Ysondre was taking the next watch.