Escorted To Ashenvale

"You're about to enter Ashenvale." Elaria told everyone, looking back towards the leaders of each race following her and her escort. "Two rules, touch nothing in these lands and you'll be fine. Get lost and you're on your own, nobody is to deviate from the path otherwise you'll have to find your own way back."

"Strict rules, but they make sense." Athrodar muttered, standing beside his General who smiled and nodded her head.

"You heard the nice lady, not touching things." Sylvanas told him, nudging his arm with her elbow and getting a sigh as a response. "Good boy." She teased, taking hold of his hand when she heard him groan this time. "You're really easy to tease, now I can see why they like to do it."

"And you're very easy to embarrass." Athrodar told her, moving in front of his General and placing his hands on her thighs, lifting her up and grinning when she let out a surprised yelp. "You're mine, General." He told her, spinning around and ignoring all the whispers and occasional smiles they had coming their way.

"You better put me down." Sylvanas told him, though whatever seriousness there was to her sentence was lost due to her smile.

"I don't think I can." Athrodar told her, hearing her giggle. "My hands... They seem to be stuck."

Sylvanas shook head her and laughed a little more. "I love you." She told him, placing her hands on his face and leaning down to kiss him. "Even if it's making me uncomfortable having everyone stare at us as they walk by."

Athrodar smiled and kept the General up in his arms, gazing into her eyes and feeling his chest tighten the longer they looked at each other. "I love you too." He whispered to her, feeling a presence beside the pair of them.

"I don't mean to interrupt." A deep, calming voice said, making the two elves look over to the owner of it. "I'm Cairne Bloodhoof, Chieftain of the Tauren of Mulgore. I wanted to get to know you and your people some more."

Sylvanas tried to stand on her own two feet, sighing, rolling her eyes and hitting Athrodar lightly to get him to let go of her. "Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger-General of Silvermoon." She glanced over to Athrodar and gestured towards him. "And this rebellious elf is Athrodar Sunblade, Lieutenant Farstrider and my Chief Scout." She looked back to Cairne who placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head to them in a salute. "What do you want to know?" Sylvanas asked, watching several Tauren walk passed them as they followed the column.

"Your people's hatred for the orcs. I have heard from Thrall about the differences between your peoples and his and what has happened in the past." Cairne looked over to Thrall who was leading his orcs behind the Tauren. "Talking to him and fighting by his side against my people's ancient enemy, he doesn't feel like he would do what they have done." He looked back to Sylvanas and Athrodar. "He is honorable and just wants to keep his people alive."

"His people killed a good portion of ours during the Second War." Sylvanas told him. "My mother and brother and his great grandmother were killed by the orcs." She took hold of Athrodar's hand and smiled at him. "It's hard to forgive them and we've not got the power to forgive them, but if he does want to just keep his people alive and not fight anymore, I will respect that and make sure my rangers don't bother him and his orcs."

"Why are you working with them?" Athrodar asked him. "I heard the Tauren are peaceful creatures."

Cairne smiled at the Lieutenant. "I mentioned it before, but he and his orcs helped my people defeat the Centaur who were at constant war against my people. We were on the verge of being wiped out when Thrall and his orcs came to help us." He looked over to Thrall again. "I know you see them as monsters, but the orcs following him are anything but that."

"I'll take your word for it." Athrodar said, looking over to Sylvanas who smiled a little at him. "I'm going to return to the front."

"I'll be there soon." Sylvanas told him, squeezing his hand and watching him leave her and Cairne. "Don't judge his character from this one conversation." She said, looking over to the Tauren Chieftain. "He lost someone very close to him when the orcs attacked." She looked back over to Athrodar and watched him continue to walk away. "A part of him died that day and he has hated the orcs ever since."

"He has you though." Cairne said, watching Sylvanas face brighten with a smile but then quickly noticing it change into embarrassment. "I can see that you love him, even if you're now trying to hide it. It's a calming feeling, knowing you have found someone you can spend your life with and not have to worry about being alone."

Sylvanas smiled and bit her bottom lip when it began to quiver, closing her eyes and ignoring the couple of tears rolling down her face. When she heard Cairne ask if she was okay, she nodded her head and began to wipe her eyes. "Yes, sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that."

"It's okay." Cairne told her softly. "It will be our secret." He added, getting a laugh from the General.

"Thank you." She said, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. "We should be getting back, that Captain Elaria is probably serious about leaving stragglers behind."

"Lady Proudmoore?"

Jaina looked over to the voice who called her name, smiling a little at the owner of it before looking back out at the forest they were camping in. "There are wolves out there."

Athrodar stood near the mage and smiled a little, nodding his head. "I've experienced them first hand." He told her, looking over to Jaina who kept her focus on the trees. "I don't mean to pry, but is there a reason you're still awake?"

"After today and everything that has happened, I can't bring myself to sleep." She looked over to the orc and tauren camp beside theirs. "I don't feel comfortable being so close to them. Not after everything I have heard about them."

Athrodar looked over to the orc camp and smiled a little. "That tauren who leads them, Cairne. He seems to think they are different to the orcs we faced during the second war." He shrugged his shoulders and looked back to the mage beside him. "Maybe he's right, but I can't see it. Not yet."

Jaina looked down at her hands and frowned to herself. "The humans of Lordaeron had the orcs in camps for years and I would sneak off to look at them and feel compassion towards them. But they were locked behind bars and we were safe whilst they were in those camps. Now that they're just a stone's throw away, I feel scared that they might attack at any minute."

Athrodar smiled and tapped on the pummel of his sword. "If it means anything, I am on watch tonight. I'll wake you up should anything like that happen."

Jaina laughed and waved away his offer. "No, it's fine. I know they won't do anything, but there will always be that small part of me that believes they will."

"Well... Again, if you need anything, I'll be patrolling the camp tonight." He smiled and bowed his head to the mage. "Lady Proudmoore."

Jaina glanced over to Athrodar just as he turned and took two steps away. "Lieutenant, wait." She said, watching him stop and turn back around to face her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." Athrodar said, waiting for the question.

"The Tauren. Can they be trusted?" She asked him, watching Athrodar look down when he began to think about his answer.

"I.." Athrodar frowned and looked over to the orc and Tauren camp. "They have a gentle nature, that's what I've always heard and read. He told me his people were almost wiped out by the Centaur and now he wants to focus on keeping them alive. I think in that way, he can be trusted to do what he thinks is necessary to keep the Tauren from being wiped out, even if that means he has to ally himself with the orcs."

Jaina nodded her head slowly. "So... We can rely on them to not stab us in the back?"

Athrodar let out a small laugh. "I.. I'm not in a position to say, my Lady. I don't know them well enough and my rank doesn't give me the privilege to make such judgements. I only know that the General has some respect for him after their chat."

"How are things between the two of you?" Jaina asked him, smiling when she saw him smile. "I know you've probably been asked that a lot lately, so you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Athrodar waved away her concern and looked over to the General's tent. "It's fine. Everything between us is great and she, as well as I, are loving every second of our time together."

Jaina's smile widened at his confession. "That's great to hear." She said, looking over to Prince Kael'thas' tent. "Prince Kael'thas is doing a lot to help me." She said, looking over to Athrodar. "I'm not sure if he wants something to come out of this between us or not. I know how he feels about me, but after everything that has happened with Arthas, I don't know if I can right now."

"I'm sure the Prince will understand if you tell him that." Athrodar told her. "If he does seek something after all of this is done, I'm sure he can wait until you're ready, if you want it too." Athrodar shrugged his shoulders and pulled on the bow string across his chest a little. "Listen, I know she loves me, but Sylvanas is pretty strict when it comes to ranger duties and the longer I stay here talking to you, the higher the chance she'll find me not doing my job and yell at me."

Jaina laughed and nodded her head. "It's okay, you can go."

Athrodar bowed to the mage again. "Thank you, Lady Proudmoore. And you should get some sleep whilst we're camped here. Who knows when we will be able to rest again."

"I'll return to my tent, Lieutenant, don't worry." Jaina told him, watching Athrodar walk away from her and looking back to her tent. "He has a point..." She whispered to herself. "Better to get a couple of hours of sleep before we hit the road again."

Athrodar continued to patrol the camp they had set up for the night, stopping outside the General's tent and peering inside. When he saw Sylvanas, he smiled warmly when he saw she was asleep and holding onto a pillow tightly as if her life depended on it. "Cute." He told himself, closing the flap of the tent shortly after.

"Wait." Sylvanas said weakly, waking up when she felt a presence at the entrance of her tent and noticed Athrodar the last second she saw him. "Come back." She told him, yawning and stretching.

"Do you need something, General?" Athrodar asked, standing at the entrance of the tent again.

Sylvanas shook her head and stretched her arms out to him. "Only a hug." She said, smiling and closing her eyes when he crouched down and his arms went around her, holding onto the Lieutenant tightly and pressing her ear to his chest. "I just want to hold onto you for a bit. I miss you sleeping beside me."

Athrodar chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "You put me on the night watch for tonight." He told her quietly, pressing his cheek to the top of her head and holding onto her a little tighter. "Though I do wish I could be here tonight." He admitted, feeling her hold onto him tighter.

"Any news?" Sylvanas asked his quietly, keeping her arms around him and smiling when he went from crouching down to kneeling down in front of her.

"Nothing to report." Athrodar told her, pulling back from the hug a little just to brush her hair behind her ear. "Other than I love you."

Sylvanas laughed and placed a hand behind his head, pulling it down so she could press her own against his. "I love you too." She told him, picking up the blanket she was sleeping under and wrapping it around herself. "Can you hold me until I sleep?"

"If that's what my General orders me to do, I won't refuse an order." Athrodar told her, laying down beside the General and wrapping his arms around her when she cuddled up to him.

"I'm happy I have a Lieutenant who is willing to do all the tasks I give him." Sylvanas muttered, burying her head in his neck. "Especially when I get to do this."

Athrodar smiled and continued to hold the General. "I'd be a terrible Lieutenant if I didn't listen to the General."

"Yes you would." Sylvanas whispered, drifting off to sleep after several more minutes of cuddling.

"Wait here." Elaria said, looking back to column of orcs, humans, tauren and elves following her. "I need to report in and see if my messenger is back."

Kael'thas watched Elaria leave them outside Astranaar, glancing over to Sylvanas who stood beside him after the Captain had left. "General." He said, looking back over to Elaria and Astranaar in the distance.

"I need to speak to you." Sylvanas said, placing a hand in her pocket. "It's important but it needs to stay between us."

Kael'thas looked back over to Sylvanas and noticed her hand in her pocket. "Very well." He said, glancing back to the rest of them behind him. "Come with me."

Sylvanas followed Kael'thas away from any curious eyes and ears, taking the folded parchment out of her pocket and handing it to the Prince when they were far enough away. "This needs to stay between us, so everyone can remain focused on the task at hand."

Reading through the parchment, Kael'thas began to frown and then widen his eyes, looking back to the General who looked visibly conflicted. "Does he know?" The Prince asked, watching Sylvanas shake her head. "Why not?"

"He's our best scout here. If he finds out and I tell him he has to stay here, he will be thinking about home more than whatever task we give him." She opened and closed her hands, looking over to Athrodar in the distance and watching him talk to Melonara, Anya and Clea. "If I let him go, anyone else we put in his place won't do as good of a job as him." She looked back to the Prince when she heard him sigh. "I received the report four days ago now and I have kept it from everyone to keep their heads in the right frame of mind. The only reason I am telling you this now is because you're the Prince and you should know what has happened."

"I fully understand why you don't want to tell them. We don't exactly have an army here and the Burning Legion could be thousands in number by the time we find them, so every body counts." Kael'thas folded up the piece of parchment and handed it back to the General. "But as for Athrodar... I don't know what to tell you. On one hand he should definitely know, but on the other hand, I understand why you're not telling him. He was the Lieutenant and lead scout in the vanguard unit and the only other one here with that sort of experience is Melonara, but she's not been in the lead position before." Kael'thas tapped his finger on the back of his other hand. "I'll keep this a secret for now, but he will have to know sooner rather than later."

Sylvanas nodded her head in agreement. "I will, it's just finding a good time to tell him."

"Let's go back." Kael'thas suggested, getting another nod from the General and leading her back to the rest of them.

Athrodar looked over to Sylvanas and Kael'thas as they both walked back from their private talk, feeling his ear twitch when he heard a twig snap, turning his attention to the location of the noise and narrowing his eyes when he saw movement. "We're being watched." He whispered.

"Not again..." Melonara muttered, looking over to where Athrodar's attention was fixed and noticing some movement too. "Orcs." She said, looking over to the back of their column and noticing the orcs at the back. "And not the ones we are working with."

"There are more than one group of orcs?" Clea asked, reaching for the bow slung across her shoulder.

"Apparently." Athrodar said, looking over to Sylvanas who returned to the front of their group and whistling a bird call to her, catching her attention and pointing at his eyes and then at the trees to the left of them.

Sylvanas noticed movement in the trees too, ordering everyone to equip their bows and nock arrows in place. "Be ready." She told Lor'themar, telling him to watch their backs.

"What's happening?" Kael'thas asked, standing beside the General.

"We're being watched. We've had reports of orcs in this area and I don't think they're as reasonable as the one's we're traveling with." Sylvanas told the Prince. "Hopefully they'll see how many of us there are and leave, but we best stay alert."

"I'll inform the rest of them." Kael'thas told her, moving over to the humans behind them.

Making her way through her company, Sylvanas stopped beside Athrodar and looked out towards the trees his gaze was focused on. "How many do you think there are?" She asked, watching Athrodar narrow his eyes.

"I think it's only a small party of five, maybe six." He said, looking back to Sylvanas. "Not enough to attack us, sure. But probably a scouting party for a larger group." He frowned and looked back to the trees. "I'm just not sure why they're lingering. They can see we're too big in numbers to take on, so why stick around?"

"To find a weakness." Sylvanas told him. "It's what I would have done. I would send you here to find a weakness and hope to exploit it. Whether it's a lack of fighters, or in our case, one of the groups peeling off and being left behind for easy pickings. Or we have a conflict between two of our groups and the scouts report back to their main force and return here with the full force and sweep through us during the commotion."

"Then we best make sure the humans and Orcs don't go at each others throats." Athrodar said, placing the arrow in his hand back in its quiver. "And we have to keep an eye out for the orcs watching us. Who knows what they are planning."

"As long as we all stick with each other, they won't attack." Sylvanas told him, looking over to Astranaar when she saw Elaria making her way back to them. "Wait here." She told him, making her way towards the Kaldorei Captain.

"Get your Prince and Lieutenant." Elaria told her. "Also the human mage, tauren chieftain and the orc leader. High Priestess Tyrande and Archdruid Malfurion are here and want to talk to you all."

Sylvanas opened her mouth to speak but saw Elaria was waiting for her to do what she was told and resorted to nodding her head. "I'll get them." She told her, leaving to gather everyone on that list.

"Why me?" Athrodar asked when Sylvanas told him what was happening.

"Because you were requested. I'm not sure why, but maybe it's because they feel they can trust you seeing as you've spoken to some of them before." Sylvanas made her way towards the tauren and orcs, leaving Kael'thas to get Jaina. "If it means anything, I'll be happy you're there. I don't really like these type of meetings and having company that I love should make it easier."

Athrodar frowned and continued to follow her. "Now I think I am only going because you requested me to be there, not them."

Sylvanas laughed. "If that's what makes this easier for you, then keep saying that." She told him, stopping beside Cairne. "You're needed for a meeting that is happening soon, as well as Thrall." She said, looking up at the Tauren Chieftain who nodded his head.

"I'll go get him, General." Cairne replied, respectfully bowing his head to her slightly.

"You've made a new friend." Athrodar said, grinning when Sylvanas looked back at him. "Cute."

"Stop saying cute whenever I do something!" Sylvanas cried, making Athrodar laugh when she began to pout.

"Come on, surely that's deliberate now, right?" Athrodar asked, finding it almost impossible not to say cute again when he saw she was looking away from her. "Fine..." He said, placing a hand on her face. "It's adorable. Better?"

"I hate you." Sylvanas told him, making Athrodar laugh again and not hugging him back when he briefly hugged her.

"I love you too." Athrodar whispered back to her, kissing her on the temple. "Come on, let's go talk to the big Kaldorei leaders in a meeting we'd both rather not be in."

"This is everyone you requested, High Priestess." Elaria said, looking over to General Feathermoon and saluting her.

"Thank you, Captain. You can go." Feathermoon said, watching the Captain leave and turning her attention to the rest of them. "Thank you for coming."

"How certain are you that the Burning Legion threat is real?" Malfurion asked, looking over to Thrall who stood beside Cairne at the back of the group. "And how do you know we can work with these beasts?"

"We don't." Athrodar said, speaking out of turn and remaining silent when everyone looked over to him.

"Speak your mind." Tyrande said when she saw the Lieutenant look uncertain of what to say.

"We..." Athrodar looked over to Thrall and Cairne and then over to Sylvanas, feeling her take hold of his hand. "We don't know if we can work with them." Athrodar said, looking over to Tyrande and Malfurion. "But we may have no other choice. The Burning Legion are here, it's only a matter of time until we come across them. You can't stand alone against them and neither can we."

"And what about the attacks on our people?" Feathermoon asked. "Will they stop the moment this meeting is over?" She then asked, looking over to Thrall.

"What attacks?" The Orc asked, looking at the Kaldorei General. "My people haven't attacked anyone this far north. We have only helped Cairne and his people defeat the Centaur who were slaughtering them. Anything that has happened in these forests were not my doing."

"Then you're telling me there is a second group of orcs up here?" Feathermoon asked him, watching Thrall suddenly realise what was happening in these forests.

"Hellscream..." Thrall muttered, looking over to the General and then Tyrande and Malfurion. "This isn't my doing, but I know who it is."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem stopping them." Feathermoon told him, looking over to Prince Kael'thas and Jaina. "Where do you think the Burning Legion are?"

"We were going to check Azshara." Kael'thas told them. "We have reason to believe that's where they will be gathering their numbers."

Tyrande and Malfurion both looked at each other, the High Priestess nodding her head slowly whilst they discussed things with each other. "It would be the first place I would check too." Tyrande told them. "But we would need clarification before we even think about joining the fight against them."

"So you're asking us to scout Azshara for you?" Sylvanas asked just to make sure she knew what they were asking.

"You have scouts." Tyrande told them, looking over to Athrodar. "Why else do you think we asked for him to be here?"

Sylvanas stood in front of Athrodar and narrowed her eyes at the High Priestess. "He's not your scout." The General told her. "He won't do something for you unless we are the ones who give him the mission."

"I fear your relationship with your Lieutenant is clouding your judgement." Tyrande told her, watching Sylvanas' face change from anger to shock. "What, did you really think none of us here knew?" Tyrande stood up and made her way over to them, looking over Sylvanas and towards Athrodar. "Scout Azshara and find us proof that the Burning Legion have returned and we will stand beside you all in the fight against them." Her attention turned to Thrall. "If the other group of orcs are stopped, it will also sway our decision. We can't fight beside the orcs if they are still killing our forests."

"I will see to it myself." Thrall told them, looking over to Cairne. "But I will need some help."

"I'll also help." Jaina said, making everyone look over to her. "I want to help stop the Burning Legion and I can't exactly scout." She looked over to Thrall and Cairne. "I will help you so we can stop the Burning Legion together."

"Jaina, are you sure?" Kael'thas asked, watching her nod her head. "Then I will support you if you need the help."

"Thank you." Jaina told him softly, placing a hand on his arm for a couple seconds before removing it.

"I'll scout Azshara." Athrodar said, looking down at Sylvanas who turned to face him and smiling a little at her. "It's what I'm here for, remember? I'm better at this than anything else, I'll find them quickly and remain hidden."

Sylvanas sighed and pressed her head to his chest. "Fine." She whispered, taking hold of his hand. "But don't be reckless, stay hidden and find them."

"Good." Tyrande said, returning to Malfurion. "Astranaar is open to you for two weeks. If you can't prove the Burning Legion are back and the orcs are still harvesting our trees, then I will wish you all the best and escort you out of my forests."

"I'll find them." Athrodar told the High Priestess, getting a nod from her and bowing his head to her and Malfurion in return when they both stood up.

"Come on." Sylvanas whispered to him, slowly pushing him out of the door that was opened by Elaria who stood on guard outside. "Let's go get your group ready."