Coming Clean

Kael'thas sat in one of the many libraries in Dalaran, reading up on several spells he already knew off by heart, yet he enjoyed such things because it kept him both busy and allowed him to be close to a particular human mage. Jaina was her name and the Prince of Silvermoon was smitten for her, so much so, that he spent weeks, if not months in Dalaran just to be around her.

He hadn't moved from the room in over an hour, making it easy for the messenger from Silvermoon to find their Prince and relay a message. "Prince Kael'thas, your father has ordered your immediate return home."

Kael'thas sighed and looked up from the book in his hand, locking eyes with the messenger who looked away the second the Prince's gaze was on them. "What does he want this time? I've told him I'm not going to leave this place and forget about it."

"With all due respect, your majesty, that's not why he has ordered your return. You are to come back for your own well being. Quel'thalas was just attacked by Prince Arthas and his army of the dead, they were held off and have returned to Lordaeron, but the King fears you staying here might put you in danger."

"Quel'thalas was attacked?" Kael'thas closed the book in front of him and began to think to himself. "Does he have reason to believe that this city will fall?"

The messenger looked away. "I..."

"That's a no then." Kael'thas then said, letting out another sigh and standing up, stretching his back and looking at the messenger. "Alright, I'll see what he wants. Find Jaina and Antonidas whilst I'm gone, will you? Explain to them why I've gone back and what has happened."

The messenger bowed to their Prince. "I will get on it right away."

"How many in total did we lose?" Sylvanas asked, looking over to Velonara, her new Viraleth whilst she was in Tahnir's company and Athrodar's unit.

"You were almost correct in your assessment, General. It was one hundred and fourteen, not one twenty." Velonara handed the General the list of names of the dead from that battle of Tranquillien, waiting for her to read through them all before getting her next command. "I suppose the Convocation will be happy as it's six people cheaper."

"Tight bastards." Sylvanas muttered, glancing over to Velonara who laughed a little. "You can go. I'm expecting company soon and I'd rather be alone than have company when they arrive."

"General." Velonara said, bowing her head and leaving the room shortly after.

Whilst she was reading through the names, Sylvanas felt anger slowly begin to boil as she noticed many names in the list, most she had served with in the past and others she had heard about from reports. The ones that affected her the most were the rangers who served in her current company. She couldn't save them all and she knew that, but she was kicking herself a little at not being able to keep them alive. "Another year with depleted companies." She muttered to herself, placing down the report and looking out of her Office window, focusing on the many spires and clear blue skies behind them.

When there was a knock on her door, Sylvanas told them to come in and took a deep breath when the door opened, turning her attention to the newcomer and smiling a little at them. "Lieutenant. I'm glad you came."

"When you get told by the General to meet after the battle in her office, you go to see them the moment you can." Athrodar said, closing the door behind him. "Can I ask what this is about?"

Sylvanas began to walk towards the other side of the room, away from the window and towards her desk, slowly stroking her hand across the back of the chair at her desk and stopping when nothing but silence filled the air between them. "There's two reasons why I called you here. One was to praise you and your bravery during the whole ordeal. Doing your job with such professionalism and bravery, not backing down even if the odds were hundreds to one in the enemy's favor. I know you said it's your job and anyone would have done it, but I think we both know that's not true." She looked down at her desk and saw report she was writing before Velonara came into her Office, one that she was going to sign soon enough that awarded the Lieutenant and his unit with medals of bravery in the face of certain death. "You're here because I wanted to warn you that you and your scouting unit will all be rewarded with medals of bravery in the next couple of weeks."

"I.. I'm honored, General." Athrodar said, placing a hand over his heart and bowing to her. "But... I don't feel worthy of such a medal. I was just doing my job, anyone else who was in my shoes would do the same."

Sylvanas smiled but kept her focus on the letter she was going to give to the King sometime later today for the medals to be approved. "There's no need to be so humble, Lieutenant. You've earned the medal, be proud of that." She looked over to him and saw the Lieutenant smile a little when it finally hit him that he and his unit were being honored. When he looked over to her, Sylvanas looked away from him again and back down at the desk. "The second reason you're here is..." She began to laugh a little when the nerves began to hit her. "Well, this part is tough."

"General?" Athrodar asked, waiting for the second reason why he was here and quickly realising she had become really nervous. He took a couple steps forward and saw her begin to fan her tunic to get some cold air on her face. "Do you want me to open the window or get you something to drink?"

"The window, please." Sylvanas told him, watching him make his way over to the window and open it wide just to get some air in the room. "Thank you."

Athrodar looked back to the General and frowned at her. He had seen her over the years and her usually stoic nature in front of everyone, how she was the deadliest ranger and one everyone had the utmost respect for. So to see her flustered, nervous and needing a window open for some fresh air had thrown the Lieutenant off a little. "Is everything okay, General?"

"Please, call me Sylvanas. It will make this a whole lot easier if we weren't professional about this." Sylvanas told him, looking over to the Lieutenant who looked confused. "I'm just going to say it and I will need you to stay silent until I'm done, got it?" She saw him nod and took a deep breath before blurting everything out to him. "Your great grandfather Dael'Thaelas and I made a deal several decades ago that when the opportunity arises, I will tell you how I am in the market for a suitable partner and potential husband and have chosen you to be the one. Yes, you heard me correctly, I made a deal with Dael'Thaelas that says if you wanted, we could spend our lives together and make a family if you wanted and I really hope you want that because if I'm honest, I don't want anyone else." She saw him stand there in silence and began to get immediate doubts on everything. "Say something." She said meekly.

"I... I don't know what to say." Athrodar told her honestly. "You... You have feelings for me?"

Sylvanas swallowed and nodded her head slowly. This was the most scared she had ever been, even after all the battles and wars she had been in. The Second War was nothing compared to this, right now she would rather fight trolls and orcs and red dragons again than stay in this room and hear what could potentially be the end of the arrangement before it's even come to life. "I do." She said quietly, watching him look away and think now. "I wanted to tell you the moment I knew I did, but your father blocked every opportunity and told me to wait whilst your made up your mind."

Athrodar frowned now, tilting his head at the General. "Made up my mind about what?"

"Thalina Dawnstrider." Sylvanas told him, tilting her head at the Lieutenant now. "Wait, were you even told to make up your mind about her?"

Athrodar shook his head. "No. She's the sister of my best friend. In some ways, I see her as my little sister that I care about, but I've never had feelings for her like that."

Sylvanas let out a frustrated sigh, clenching her fist tightly. "So I have waited two, almost three decades to tell you this because your father was waiting for you to make your mind up about someone you don't even view as a potential partner." She looked over to Athrodar who looked lost in thought and quickly unclenching her fists when she saw he was troubled by something. "Listen, I know this is a lot to take in right now and I have so much more I need to tell you." She looked over to her desk and at the letter she was going to hand the King. "Wait here until I return, think things over whilst you're alone and I will answer any question you have, or we can sit in silence or you can leave and think about things on your own." She made her way over to the desk and picked up the letter, looking back to the Lieutenant who sat down on her couch. "I hope you do stay here so I can talk things over with you, but I fully understand if you want to be on your own for a while."

Athrodar watched the General pick up the letter and open the door, calling out her name and making her stop and look around to face him. "I'll stay to talk things over. I just... I have one question."

"Shoot."

"Why me?" He asked, watching her look down at the letter in her hand. "There are hundreds, if not maybe thousands of potential candidates to grab your attention. Why me?"

Sylvanas kept her focus on the letter in her hand and began to smile a little. "You stood out to me for two reasons. Your commitment to the people and the city of Silvermoon and never wanting to take credit or be rewarded for what you have done." She held up the letter so he could see it. "Which is why I am forcing this through so you can finally get the recognition and praise you deserve." Her smile left her face when she saw he wasn't fully onboard with that reasoning. "I suppose another reason is because of Viraleth."

That caught his attention, making him look over to the General now with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I put her there to get more accurate reports on you and your unit, but mostly so I can get to know you more without upsetting anyone in the meantime. Your father took some time to convince, but Viraleth managed to convince him that she was only placed there to boost your unit's capability." Sylvanas closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. "I know it sounds bad, that I put her there to spy on you, but from her I learnt so much about you that it only bolstered my feelings for you. How kind and caring you are to those you help, how you'll go out of your way to make sure they're safe and how brilliantly you lead your rangers." She looked him in the eyes when they both looked at each other. "That's why I chose you. Because you're the one who stood out and made me more or less fall in love with you."

Athrodar looked away again and saw she continued to stand at the door, waiting for his response to her answer. "You'll understand if I say I don't feel the same way, right? I mean... This is a lot to take in in a very short amount of time." He tapped a finger on the arm of the couch. "It's not to say I won't eventually feel those feelings for you, it's just... I don't know you outside of being my General. I don't even know if there's some sort of law or something that forbids you from dating anyone under Ranger Captain or maybe even Ranger Lord rank because of your status."

"Not that I know of." Sylvanas told him. "Besides, coming from the second most powerful family, only behind the Royal family, I think you can get away with it if there was a rule." She took a couple steps out the room, standing beside the frame of the door. "Again, I would like it if you could stay so we can discuss this more, but I fully understand if you leave and choose to be alone."

Athrodar watched the General smile a little at him before closing the door, leaving him alone in her office so he could think about everything that he had just been told.

"The Gatekeeper held and even repelled most of the attacks from the undead." Belo'vir told the Convocation and the King, sitting on his chair around the council table. "Although on the face of it, there was nothing to worry about, some of the undead still managed to get over our walls and the spells and into Tranquillien, if only for a few minutes."

"If a more professional army were to attack, they could use that weakness to cause some real damage." Vandellor added, sitting opposite the Grand Magister as another member of the Convocation. "We may have to look into changing the spells that protect us so that sort of thing doesn't happen again."

"What do you suggest?" Anasterian asked, looking over to the High Priest then towards the Grand Magister.

"I can get our best mages and those we can trust to study the crystals and work on a spell that will improve them." Belo'vir suggested, looking around the Convocation. "We would have to vet everyone who we choose, to make sure they can both be trusted and that they wouldn't tell a soul of their locations."

"Who knows already?" Anasterian asked, needing to be refreshed on such a thing.

"Other than those here, Ranger Lord Theron knows as well as those chosen to protect them." Belo'vir told his King. "We could use Ranger Lord Theron to protect and guard the crystals when we do our studies of them, to make sure nobody follows us or finds out about their locations."

"And his company?" One of the Convocation asked.

"They will think it's a routine guard mission once we tell Lord Theron of the task." Belo'vir told them. "They won't go directly to the crystals, only close enough to protect them, without knowing that they're protecting them."

"Works for me." Vandellor said, looking over to his King.

Before the King could answer, the doors to the council chambers were pushed open and Kael'thas walked in, slowing down when he saw there was a meeting in progress. "Well, clearly I am interrupting." He said out loud, spinning on his heel to leave.

"Wait." Anasterian said, standing up from his chair. "Come, sit. You're here now, maybe you can learn a thing or two from us."

Kael'thas sighed and span back around, making his way towards the council table and sitting on the spare chair they had always left for the Prince if ever he was to join them. "Or maybe I'll become bored sitting here listening to some old crones talking about the same drivel they have been talking about for decades."

Whilst none of them wanted to speak up against their Prince, many of them were offended by his words whilst the rest found it amusing and a change of pace from their usual meetings. "If you must know, we're discussing how to upgrade our defenses and the keystones that power the Gatekeeper." Belo'vir told him, being one of the minority that found his words amusing.

"Didn't we just hold back Arthas and his army of undead?" Kael'thas asked, looking over to his father. "Which, I might add, I have just found out was a thing. Why wasn't I updated sooner on this?"

"If you were here, you would have been told the moment we all knew." Anasterian told his son, looking at him and only him. "Instead, you spend time in Dalaran with the humans and not your people."

"Are we really going to have this discussion again?" Kael'thas asked, ignoring the rest of the council. "I told you -"

"Yes, I know why you're there. But the fact of the matter is, you weren't here so you weren't a priority at the time. Now that we've pushed Arthas and his army back into Lordaeron, he could quite easily change his course of action and attack Dalaran and the other human Kingdoms that don't have our level of defenses." Anasterian saw Kael'thas look away and held back a sigh of frustration. "Which is why I have called you back home."

"I think you underestimate the Humans, father." Kael'thas told him. "They're more resourceful than you all give them credit for. Their magic has advanced far quicker than we thought too." As soon as he finished his sentence, the doors to the council room were opened again, making them all look over to the newcomer to this meeting and laying eyes on the General. "Ah good, a like minded peer to at least try to tip the scales in my favor."

"Prince Kael'thas? When did you return?" Sylvanas asked, a little stunned on his return home.

"About ten minutes ago, General." He said, standing up from his chair and shaking her hand. "Thank you for what you have done, by the way. I found out by the same messenger who came to Dalaran to summon me back home. I don't know where we would be without you after all these years."

Sylvanas smiled and bowed her head to the Prince. "Thank you, your majesty. But it wasn't just me, our rangers are an elite fighting force after all, anyone in command would have had the same outcome."

"Since when were you humble?" Belo'vir asked, getting several laughs from the Convocation. "If I remember rightly, you love to flaunt your achievements and everything else to the world."

"I have recently had my eye opened by one of my rangers and realised humbleness isn't always a bad thing." The General told the Grand Magister, looking over to her King who was waiting for the reasoning behind her interruption. "I have something for you, my King. A recommendation of sorts and hopefully an opportunity to praise those who deserve it."

Anasterian took the letter off Sylvanas and read through it, smiling a little when Athrodar's name came up. "I see." He said out loud, glancing over to the General. "You want to award the Sunblade pup and his unit for their continued bravery with medals portraying just that." He placed the letter down and let the Convocation take turns reading it as well as who was getting the medals. "When do you want the ceremony to happen?"

"If it can get approved, two weeks time." Sylvanas told him, looking over to Kael'thas who stood before her. "How long do you plan on staying here?"

"Bored of me already?" Kael'thas asked, getting the reaction he wanted when he saw Sylvanas open her mouth but say nothing. "I'm kidding." He told her, letting out a small laugh. "You're easier to tease than normal, maybe I have been away for too long."

"No, sorry. I've just got a lot on my plate today, I didn't expect you to be here either, so now there's more on my mind." Sylvanas watched the Convocation pass around the letter, waiting for their general approval, even if the King had the final say and seemed like he was going to approve anyway. "That and I have some personal problems to sort out." She said, looking over to Kael'thas. "My sister is still in Dalaran with Rhonin, right?"

"Since I saw her only yesterday, I would presume so." He quickly glanced at the Ranger-General and smiled a little. "Want me to send word to her?"

Sylvanas shook her head a little. "If you're here, then no doubt the rest of Dalaran will find out soon. She'll come here to see me in her own time, probably soon though knowing my sister."

Kael'thas smiled and nodded his head, watching the Convocation continue to pass around the letter to the last couple of members. "How do you put up with them all?" He asked her now.

"I spend most of my time either in my office or out in the forests, so I see them once a month, if that." Sylvanas folded her arms when the last member began to read it. "It's times like these that annoy me. It's an obvious yes to my request when your father asks when I would like it to happen, yet they all take their time reading through it, word for word and then judging me because I would make one mistake here or there." She let out a long sigh. "It's exhausting putting up with them."

"Now you know why I spend my time in Dalaran." Kael'thas told her. "I know they all whisper to each other about me and how I don't like our people, but it's not true. I love my people, I just can't stand them." He told her, nodding over to the Convocation.

"Your wish has been granted." Anasterian said, snapping the Ranger-General's attention back to him. "In two weeks we will award Lieutenant Athrodar Sunblade and his unit for their unrivaled bravery in the face of our enemies."

"Thank you, my King." Sylvanas said, bowing to him and then bowing to Kael'thas when she was about to leave. "My Prince."

"General." Kael'thas responded, placing a hand over his heart and bowing his head a little to her.

Athrodar had remained in Sylvanas' office since she left almost an hour ago, thinking about what question he would ask her on her return and coming up short every time. He had also gotten nowhere with his thoughts as he did have a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but couldn't get them to formulate properly in his mind whenever he thought about asking her when she would return. All he did know was that his family and the General had been planning this for decades behind his back, stopped him from even pursuing this path because it was kept a secret and having his father lie to everyone about something that wasn't even true.

When there was a knock on the door to the office, he was confused at first as he didn't think the General would knock on her own door to be allowed entry into her own office, but then figured she must have lost the key to it or something, forgetting that she hadn't locked the door on her way out when he began to make his way over to it and opening it slowly. "Uh, yes?" He asked when an elf stood there that wasn't the General.

"Unless my sister has changed drastically in the last couple of years since I saw her, you're not Sylvanas." Vereesa said, looking up at Athrodar who moved out the way for her. "So now I have to ask, what are you doing in my sister's office without her being here? I've known her for over a century and a half and I know she doesn't like me being in her home without her there, let alone someone who wasn't family in her office alone."

"I don't think I'm at liberty to say..." Athrodar muttered, watching Vereesa make herself at home in the office whilst he waited for Sylvanas to return. "I think it's best it comes from her instead of me. But she did tell me to wait whilst she went on an errand and will be back soon." He looked out the window and frowned a little. "Which was about an hour ago, so... Any minute now."

Vereesa folded her arms and sat down on the nearby couch. "My sister must either really like you, or she has changed drastically to have allowed you to stay here for almost an hour unsupervised." She looked over to the door when she heard it begin to open, smiling at her sister who noticed her first then Athrodar second. "Oh good, you're here." She said, standing up and making her way over to Sylvanas, hugging her tightly. "I heard everything and I'm so happy you're alive, Lady Moon."

"Little Moon..." Sylvanas muttered, kissing her sister on the cheek. "I didn't expect you to be here so soon." She glanced over to Athrodar who she was glad was still here. "Actually, can you meet me at home?" She asked, pulling back to look at her little sister. "Please?"

Vereesa glanced over to Athrodar then back to her sister. "Okay." She said, going in for another hug but then whispering into her ear. "I will want to know why he was left here alone though."

"I'll tell you everything." Sylvanas whispered back to her, kissing her on the cheek again. "Love you, Little Moon."

"Love you too, Lady Moon." Vereesa said, glancing over to Athrodar again before leaving the room.

Once alone, Sylvanas looked back to Athrodar and saw the same look of uncertainty and confusion on his face. "I'm sorry about that. If I had known she would be coming over, I would have scheduled this for tomorrow."

Athrodar smiled a little but looked away and out the window again, watching the people of Silvermoon go about their day like nothing had happened the few days. "It's okay. She seems nice."

"Vereesa is the only family I have left and the nicest out of the bunch, so she can be a little innocent at times, or a little fireball if she's angry." Sylvanas began to laugh to herself at the memories of her little sister that flooded her mind. "She's unpredictable basically, but I love her all the same no matter what."

Athrodar smiled wider a little but kept his attention on the city below. "I can only imagine what it's like to have siblings. I got friend who has a sister and I treat her like my sister, but outside of that, I have no experience in such a thing."

"I'm sorry." Sylvanas said quietly, hoping that the conversation about her sister would ease up the mood, but it was quickly shot back down to awkward and nervy. "Did you have any questions for me?"

"Thousands and none." Athrodar told her honestly, looking back to the General. "I have so many things I want to ask you about this, but every time I try to think of something to say, I get nothing."

"Just say what comes to mind then. The first thing if you want, it doesn't have to be a question." Sylvanas told him, sitting down on the chair beside her desk and turning to face him. "Take as long as you need too, I don't want to rush you or make you more stressed than you probably already are."

Athrodar began to laugh a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "Decades fighting the Amani on the front lines, more than most in their life time in fact and this is what is stressing me out. I just..." He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning forward a little and pressing his head up against the window before opening his eyes again and watching the world go on in front of him. "I wished someone had just told me so much sooner than today. I mean... You said decades had passed since this whole thing started, Viraleth has been with us for some time now after you placed her there to spy on me... This could have been avoided if I had just been told outright what was happening."

"I need you to know that I tried." Sylvanas told him, crossing one leg over the other and resting her chin on the back of the chair. "The day I was going to tell you, Dael'Thaelas intercepted me and made me make a deal with him, your father and grandfather. Since then, I've just been waiting for your father to allow this day to happen. I knew the longer it would take, the more awkward it would be. I was banking on a few years wait, not almost three decades." Her ears began to droop a little, suddenly getting a sadness wash over her when she thought about that fact and how she practically lost almost three decades of a potential life with him. "A lot could have happened in those three decades." She then muttered out loud, not fully meaning to but now she was curious on his reaction to it.

Athrodar smiled again, sitting on the windowsill in front of him and leaning his body against the window now, looking over to Sylvanas who was watching him from her chair. "Maybe you could have had that family. Or you'd be where you are now." He turned his attention to ring on his finger that had the Sunblade house emblem on it, two snakes wrapping around a ruby jewel and a sword through the middle of the gem, spinning it around slowly on his finger. "Knowing that you've waiting almost three decades for this has made this more difficult. I feel bad for knowing you feel that way about me and I just see you as the Ranger-General and nothing close to what you want me to think." He looked instantly felt guilty for wording it like that, closing his eyes and sighing. "That's not what I meant..."

"What did you mean then?" Sylvanas asked him almost instantly, feeling hurt by his words.

"I.. I don't know." Athrodar told her, placing his hands on his face and rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "I can't think straight at the moment with the sudden rush of information in the last couple of hours and I'm saying things that aren't what I mean." He looked up and over to Sylvanas who was waiting for his answer. "What I meant was, I haven't had three decades to watch you from afar like you've done to me, so I don't have those same feelings towards you." Hearing what he had just said, Athrodar pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh. "I'm going to stop talking now before I offend you or say something stupid."

Sylvanas smiled a little, finding it cute that he was stuck on how to word what he was thinking but at the same time, feeling hurt by his words still. 'Understandable' she thought to herself. 'He wasn't wrong, I have been thinking about it for three decades and falling for him more and more the longer it went on.' She stood up and made her way over to him, crouching down beside Athrodar who was focusing on his family ring again. "Listen. I want you to go home, okay? Think about everything in the comfort of your own room. I can even allow you a week or two off until you're okay with it all, or just want to get back to work, alright?"

"Can I come back here if I have any questions?" Athrodar asked, getting a smile and a nod from the General.

"Of course." She said softly, placing a hand on his knee just to test the waters and feeling happy that he didn't push her hand away, or even more his knee so her hand fell off. "If you have any questions at all, you can come to me, or get Viraleth to come to me if you can't find me or are too busy to make the trip." She saw he didn't feel comfortable with that last option and squeezed his knee a little to get his attention. "Trust her, okay? She was only doing what I asked and she has been invaluable to both of us. One in keeping you alive and being the best scout in the entire army, but also to me so I don't get fake or wrong information about you." She looked at the ring of his finger when he went back to look at it too. "I know it must feel like you're in the complete dark when it comes to me, but I want to help change that." She smiled a little to herself when something crossed her mind. "I don't let anyone stay in here for more than five minutes, so I suppose you have that and some conformation on my feelings for you."

Athrodar smiled too and looked over to the General. "Thank you, by the way. I know it's a weird thing to say thank you for, but I'm happy you told me face to face instead of having, well, anyone else tell me. Even if you did have to wait as long as you did."

Sylvanas' smile softened. "I didn't want the others to tell you before me either, so I figured I'd tell you now whilst we're alone. Because in all honesty, I couldn't wait any longer."

Athrodar laughed now and stood up, having Sylvanas stand up shortly after. "I can imagine." His face softened when he looked at her and offered her a hand, watching her look down at it. "I don't know if I should shake your hand, or what?"

Sylvanas continued to look down at it. "What would you normally do in this situation?" She asked, realising how stupid the question sounded when she said it back in her head.

"I'll be honest, I've never been in this situation." Athrodar told her, both of them laughing a little.

"No, that's fair. I don't think anyone has." She responded.

"I guess I'll be going then." Athrodar told her, opening the door to the office and taking two steps out of it before looking back at the General. "I'll come find you tomorrow if I have any questions." He then said, looking at the door. "Open or closed?" He asked.

"Huh?" Sylvanas tilted her head, watching Athrodar nod at the door. "Oh. Closed please." She watched him close the door as he left and waited almost a minute before letting out the longest exhale of her life, pulling down her hood she kept on all the time unless she was sleeping in her bed and running her hands through her hair. "That could have gone better... Or a lot worse." She told herself, looking over to the window where he was just sitting. "At least he stayed for as long as he did." She then added, looking out the window. "I couldn't have asked for more."