Hero of the Quel'dorei.

Yrel's presence in their group naturally drew many eyes, but as she was in the company of their prince and the vaunted Lightbringer the people of Lordaeron did not impede their progress. They made good time in reaching the Thalassian Pass in just under two days, but they found their efforts to be in vain as the gates into Quel'Thalas were closed and magically sealed.

"Is there any mountain passes we could use?" Yrel asked, placing her hand on the elaborately decorated gate.

"Even if they aren't guarded by Rangers, the borders of Quel'thalas are protected by magical barriers," Alleria sighed. "It appears the Prince has activated the runestones to ensure no Alliance armies can march into Quel'thalas and stop him."

"Will sailing around these mountains be possible?" Jaina asked cautiously.

"We have no choice but to try, and to hope that he hasn't mobilised the fleet." The former Ranger said as she climbed back into the saddle. "We could requisition a boat from Stratholme and sail along the coast to Quel'Danas."

Uther glanced over to the prince, seeing the conflicted expression on his face at hearing their destination.

"We need to move," he declared. "The longer we stand around, the closer Kael gets to enacting his plan."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They entered Stratholme through the eastern gateway, and as they entered Elder's Square, Arthas pulled his hood up and kept his head bowed. The city had mostly recovered from the purge the Prince had inflicted, with the main indication now being the amount of buildings clad in scaffolding that they passed. When they reached the city port, it did not take much for Lord Uther to ask a fisherman to sail them up the coast, promising to repay their kindness, and the protection of the Light from the Quel'dorei fleet.

"Your homeland is beautiful," Yrel said, taking in the beauty of the Eversong Woods as they sailed along the coast.

"It hasn't been my homeland for what feels like a lifetime," Alleria sighed, leaning on the railing as she took in the land she'd left behind. "I feel like a stranger to it now."

"Be thankful there is a homeland you can return to. For my people the only place we can truly call home is the Exodar."

"What happened to your home?" Arthas joined them on the starboard side of the ship.

"Lost to the Legion centuries ago," the Draenei lowered her head at the thoughts that rose to prominence in her mind. "It was beautiful once, the stories of my people say, but two of our leaders chose to ally our people to the Legion for power, damning themselves and all who follow them to a cursed existence. The Prophet led those who still believed in the Light to safety, leaving behind a world that is now little more than a forsaken, blighted shadow of what it once was."

Jaina put a hand on Yrel's shoulder to comfort her.

"Let us pray such a fate does not befall Azeroth." Uther said stoically, turning his attention to the horizon. "No signs of the fleet, they are likely centred around protecting the Sunwell."

"Doesn't mean there may not be patrols," Arthas noted. "What's that spire we're approaching on the right?"

"Windrunner Spire, my family's ancestral home." Alleria turned her gaze away. "We need to keep moving."

"Are you sure?" Jaina asked gently. "We could stop…"

"There'll be time for me to return home once my sister is saved and the Legion are defeated!" she said hotly,

"No good can come from hiding from your past," Arthas counselled, but the older Quel'dorei was in no mood to be lectured.

"Is that why you hid your face as we rode through Stratholme?"

"You weren't there!" Arthas confronted her. "You didn't see what the plague did to my people."

"So you felt that slaughtering a city was the right response? Sylvanas told me what you did."

Everyone else had fallen silent, watching the two argue without interrupting or getting involved.

"You are trying to hide from the happier parts of your past because you feel unworthy of embracing those memories again," the prince calmed down as he spoke, before looking back the way they had come. "What I did at Stratholme was a reckless mistake I will spend the rest of my life attoning for, and if I could go back and change history I would, but I can't. You could have gone home at any time since stepping through the Portal, but you chose to stay away."

Alleria had no argument to this, letting out a growl of frustration and venting her anger by turning it on someone else;

"Is there no way for this boat to move any faster?"

"I'll see what I can do," Jaina moved to the stern of the ship, leaving the three Paladins and Alleria alone at the prow.

Using the spells she had learnt from the tomes of her nation's Tidesages, Jaina increased the speed at which they were sailing, meaning they passed Falthrien Academy as the sun began to set. But as they rounded Sunstrider Isle, their progress was halted as they encountered the full might of the Quel'dorei fleet illuminated by the full moon, which was patrolling the strait between Silvermoon and Quel'Danas.

"What should I do now, milord?" The fisherman asked nervously, as they slowed their speed again.

"Continue our present course, if they engage in hostilities, take cover below deck until I inform you the coast is clear."

"Yes milord." The man bowed, before returning to the wheel. "My wife's not going to believe this story when I get home."

As expected, they were spotted as they drew closer, with several Quel'dorei ships breaking away from the others and approaching them. When the largest moved to draw alongside, the leader of its crew effortlessly leapt onboard.

"Identify yourselves and your reasons for intruding into Quel'dorei waters." The man declared.

Uther nodded to Arthas to take the lead, thinking the word of a prince might curry more respect than a lord or lady.

"I am Prince Arthas Menethil of Lordaeron, and these are my trusted associates; Lord Uther, and Lady Jaina." He noticed Alleria and Yrel were nowhere in sight, so omitted their names from the introductions. "I have been sent from Lordaeron to investigate why the gates to your kingdom have been closed and clarify if the messenger's tale was true."

"And what tale did this messenger weave?" the Quel'dorei crossed his arms.

"That King Anasterian and his supporters had been overthrown by his own son, and Sylvanas Windrunner was tricked into returning home, contrary to the orders given by the King." Uther answered. "The leaders of Lordaeron felt it best to determine the truth as quickly as possible, given that we are at war for the sake of Azeroth, and cannot afford any costly distractions."

"It seems this messenger was a little premature in informing Lordaeron of our situation," the man rubbed his chin. "While I know nothing about why Lady Windrunner has been recalled, I regret to inform you that the Prince has declared marshall law after King Anasterian was assassinated by a Legion spy."

"What?" everyone exclaimed, but none were louder than Alleria.

"Who are you?" she demanded as she moved to confront him but froze as he turned to face her. "Halduron?"

Halduron Brightwing was equally stunned to see who had challenged him.

"Impossible." He breathed, before embracing his fellow Ranger. "How…"

"That's not important right now. What happened to Anasterian?" she interrupted.

"About a week ago, the Prince warned the king and Ranger-General Lor'themar that there were traitors within the city, claiming the city would fall unless he was given the freedom and power to act decisively."

"I'm guessing that Anasterian didn't listen," Arthas laughed dryly.

"He did, but Lor'themar ensured him that the city was secure, and that he was already working to route out the traitors." Halduron informed them. "Two days later, the Prince summoned the leaders of our people to Sunfury Spire, where he told us the king had been murdered in the night, and presented to us a charred corpse which he told us was the assassin he'd caught attempting to flee. The Prince then declared that our armies and navy should remain within our borders to protect against further acts of subterfuge, and the gates to our lands closed to protect against the coming invasion."

"What happened to Lor'themar? Surely he or someone spoke out against these decrees?" Alleria pressed.

"Lor'themar hasn't been seen since he assured the King we were safe, and we were all too stunned by Anasterian's death to argue with our Prince."

Uther and Alleria looked at each other, silently conversing with each other, before saying to Halduron;

"You have to let us reach Quel'Danas, there's more going on than you realise and if we don't act soon, our people will be the first to suffer."

Halduron laughed at this notion;

"The last time we let Uther near the Sunwell, his corruption destroyed it. Why should I believe you can save us from further calamity now?"

"The Sunwell was not destroyed, its energy survives within Sylvanas," Uther quickly explained.

"Impossible."

"How else could a Ranger-General become such a powerful Paladin so quickly?" Alleria pointed out. "She had no affinity with the Light before she stepped into the Sunwell before its 'destruction'."

"Has the Prince mentioned the Sunwell at any point?" Jaina asked quickly. "Any plans to reinvorate it? Or perhaps claimed he has a means of ensuring your people have a bright future?"

"He…" Halduron's face became a mask of dawning realisation. "He said he would do whatever it took to protect Quel'thalas from being destroyed by the Legion, promising no demons would set foot on our soil like the Orcs and Trolls did during the last war... You don't think…"

"Anasterian made it an informal royal decree that Sylvanas was to stay away from Quel'thalas and the Sunwell," Alleria informed Halduron. "He knew that our people were safer with the Sunwell remaining inactive, as it would not be a target for the Legion. If he plans to reignite it, then he either naively believes its power can protect Quel'thalas from the Legion, and plans to leave the rest of Azeroth to its fate…"

"Or he is the true traitor to your people, and he will use the Sunwell in service to his Legion masters." Uther finished. "At full strength, it could be used to summon armies of demons into our world, or worse, one of the Burning Legion's lieutenants."

Halduron paced back and forth across the deck of the fishing boat, weighing the options before him; obey the orders given to him by the Prince, or believe what he had just been told, and risk betraying his people.

"What would you recommend?" he turned to Alleria.

"Come with us to face Kael'thas. We're not going to march in there and simply accuse him of committing treason without indisputable proof, but we will demand answers for his actions."

"But… If the Prince has turned…" Halduron said the words he was clearly trying not to believe were true. "If he now acts against his own people… Against Azeroth…"

"Then we must stop him."

"But he's our Prince! Without Anasterian, he's the last of the Sunstrider bloodline, who will rule if you strike down our prince?"

"A problem you can decide once this danger has passed," Uther urged. "We must act now before we are too late to stop him."

"I cannot allow you to pass if you intend to harm the Prince."

"But he's going against his father's instructions without clear reasoning! Surely you're loyalty does not blind you to that," Alleria snarled at him. "Let us pass, or I will…"

Uther could see her going for her dagger, and was about to step in and stop her from acting rashly, when they were all distracted by another voice;

"Pardon me, but I have been listening from down below," Yrel slowly ascended from the lower deck, surprising Halduron and the Quel'dorei watching from their ship. "I have a strategy for confronting your renegade Prince that will appease both sides."

Halduron turned from gawking at Yrel standing before him, towards Alleria again, clearly seeking answers.

"It's a long story," Alleria sighed. "The short version is that this is an ally from another world whose people oppose the Legion, she has sworn to join our fight and offered to accompany us here."

He was clearly satisfied with this summarised explanation, as he turned back to Yrel and bowed graciously.

"General Halduron Brightwing, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Vindicaar Yrel. A pleasure to make yours." Yrel gave a curt smile but kept her back straight.

"What plan have you come up with?" Arthas asked, and the Draenei quickly laid out a rough plan for confronting Kael'thas.