Kingdom of Quelthalas

Vereesa point of view:

The travel from the village had not been long, its closeness to her home allowing one to reach it with a little more than half an hour of march by foot and a few minutes with a mount. She had not arrived yet, though not by long. Not far away from her, white blue polished walls could be seen from where towers made of glass were erected on top of the main structure, standing tall on a small round hill at the end of the way. The sun high on the horizon, just on top with the beams of light being refracted by the reflective panels gave it the appearance of a cubic diamond.

A peculiar sight for a cemetery.

Sad that she wasn't there to bask in the art work as she took another step on the paved ground.

In truth she was not very thrilled to do it, not anymore like she had at the spire, that as well as the effects of the liqueur had already ran out, leaving her with an even stronger headache. Though it did not matter anymore. She was already here, it would be a waste of time to go back now. With another breath she forced herself to lighten her pace, the faster she did it the faster she could get back.

At the distance she spotted other people coming out from the main gate, dressed in dark clothes, their faces too far away to get a proper look, yet she could imagine their expressions as they dragged their feet away. Apathetic and sorrowful. She found herself coughing, the numbness of her throat leaving her a burning sensation creeping down her body as her eyes continued glued at the backs of the retreating elfs.

Death. It seemed, it was a constant in her family.

Whether one liked or not to admit it there were many more ways to die behind the safety of Quelthalas walls be it by poisoning or daggers in the dark of the night rather than outside threats in the thick of the forests. One could die just as easily if not faster by poisoning that a bad case of ax to the head.

As a family dedicated for the protection of the kingdom they knew the risks. They had as many supporters as they had foes withing and without, dying in a sense was no longer a matter of if but when. Yet even with these setbacks they had always managed to get by…

It wasn't like there were many who would openly oppose them, minus a certain someones….

Then that cowardly attack reached the spire. Her teeth grinned with one another to the point that they threatened to snap. There was no strategic advantage, no resources to acquire from taking the location, nor it seemed logical the use of such brutality. It was merely a blow to cause harm, to twist their bloody knives at their souls through the corpses of their brethren as they knew themselves too weak to ever achieve anything against the ones that had earned their grudge.

``And they said they were great warriors...´´ She cursed to herself. No matter how many times those monster boasted about their strength or those weak claims of courage from green leaf rangers who had never seem their wickedness. She knew better. They were all cowards, from the youngest to the eldest.

The gates started to make themselves bigger as she got near, to the sides of the road, a set of flowers and sculptures welcomed her. Most of them portraying valiant warriors of ages long pass, each one of them in a different position or attitude. There were angelic sculptures too, though rare. Between each one, stood a tall cypress.

After the war, it should have been so easy to put a clean end to this long, bloody story of violence, to wipe them all out from the face of the planet and live their lives peacefully. The orcs had been defeated and the portal had been destroyed after all, and that foolish decision to leave them be in those camps was something that they could not change, not without mayor repercussions…. but the same couldn't be said about the Amani.

Why allow them to grow their strength only for them to defy them a few years later? That had not been an ambush or a skirmish between their outskirt troops…. it had been a full bloody war. Villages had burned, cities obliterated….and even the capital had suffered for a while the effects of the war. They had even managed to breach the second gate. A feat on its own.

It should have been so simple….but alas, things were not meant to be.

"No" they had told her. "Enough its enough" they said.

"Do you really thought things would work for once? Foolish girl..."

She brought her hands up, trying to cover her ears from the eerie laughter ringing inside her head, a futile gesture on its own. Still, she should have known better. Fools, every last one of them, of course, those that took that decision had not experienced the war at all, basking in the protection of the capital. But who was she to change their minds?

As she pondered about it, she didn't notice a figure that started to grow closer with every passing second until only seven paces separated them.

Standing in front of the gates of the cemetery stood a man in the traditional blue, gold rangers colors of the Fastriders with the only difference of those red golden wings over his shoulder plates, stating proudly his rank as a Ranger Lord to anyone in eye sight. Something that few had achieved, anyone could have mistaken the man, but it was impossible for her to not recognize the only human in the Fastriders.

``Nathanos?!…... I dint think that you would be here´´ She muttered calmly as she regained her composure from her surprise, only to realize that she had addressed him by name only and not his station. A blunt mistake, especially taking into account that he was dealing with him.

He turned around to face her, his face was mostly hidden the shadows of his hood, his composure was neither stern neither soft. Holding his head up, he gazed at her, his eyes meeting with her. Even after all the time that had passed since the day he had first been conscripted in the Fastriders he had aged very slowly, his immaculate beard and his brown half orange eyes shined like old honey on a dark day. Yet there was no warmth from them, cold and stern as steel they gazed at her with disinterest at best. A stark contrast with the rest of his face, warped in an eternal expression of disgust or mild annoyance which seemed unabated by the passing of time. In fact, one could say that it had grown, if that was even possible.

To call him a grumpy old man would not do him enough justice. Though now that he was face to face, she could see that he was holding a bouquet of flowers, roses to be exact in his right hand. A rather curious detail.

``It seems that you are surprised of by my presence, captain. Why so?´´ Came his aloofness reply yet she perceived a strange glint in those eyes.

``Well, perhaps it has to do with the fact that I did not expect you here to begin with, Ranger Lord´´ She said bluntly, perhaps a bit harsher than she intended, but if the human felt slighted by her tone he did not show it. Though who could blame her, of all the people she could have come across he was the last one she had in mind. It seemed that she was wrong.

``I see, apologies for such meaningless question. To answer your query…., I usually avoid this place. Too far away from my office, and with all of those….´´ His face turned into a scowl ``Vermin plaguing me at every step its more of a hazel to come here than staying at my desk back in Silvermoon. Surely you can understand yourself´´ He stated matter of factly, his gaze never wavering from hers.

``Not quite, I don't have as much as paper work as you or my sister does. Also, you didn't answer my question, Marris´´

`` Fair enough. I came here to give him a bit of company and waste the day at a firing range, and I have already run out of arrows´´ He growled with annoyance, as if he was talking with a child before he signaled the empty quiver on his back to make matters clearer.

``Stephon….. ´´ At the mention of his name Nathanos merely nodded, his face still unfazed but his brows were slowly narrowing. A signal that he wasn't very thrilled about it. She could sympathize with that, neither she or Sylvanas was thrilled to speak about their lost siblings, it only brought pain in the long run.

``I see…., then I will leave you to it´´ She did not wait for him to answer, deciding to walk by and left him to his own directives…. but before she could get past him he grasped her shoulder tightly. Keeping her lock in place.

`` Would you mind if I accompany you?´´

``W-what!?´´ Was the only thing she managed to spit out. Not really sure if she had heard him correctly or just imagined it.

``Would you mind if I accompany you?´´ He replied mechanically, not an ounce of emotion on it.

``Why?´´ She could not help herself but ask. It wasn't a secret that Marris detested going with anyone in public, minus her sister, right. That strange duality the two had beyond commander and commanded was something not lost on her. So why ask her? What changed?

``Why not?´´ He countered, dry as ever, offering his hand in the process, his gauntlet fingers remaining stiff like a statue in an open gesture, waiting...

Her eyes blinked a few times, trying to understand what was transpiring before her eyes. Why not indeed. She could think about a couple of things, why such offer was out of place, something was wrong. Was this a trap? Did he hit his head this morning? Was he drunk?

She decided not to voice out such thoughts, Beloree knew that they would only bring more problems to her. Instead she decided to...sort it out?

She placed her hand over his and softly pushed it back. ``I don't want to disturb you in such private matter, Nathanos. I am sure that you would rather go…. alone´´ She said as politely as possible, putting as more emphasis on that last word as she averted her eyes from him. Not wanting to waste both their times.

An uncomfortable silence remained between the two for a while, he spoke up.

``Perhaps…..but he is near to the location you are planing to, two birds with one stone´´ He simply said, dragging his words in the process. It was difficult to tell whether he was trying to sound as mechanical as possible or if he was incapable of sounding emotionally shaken even when talking about his dead brother.

``Still is not my p-´´

``Please, I insist´´ He interrupted her, this time more forcefully than before, extending his hand forward once again.

She looked at him and then at his hand for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. It was not lost on her that something like this had happened before. A different life. A different Marris. Now that she took a better look she could see some of the similarities between the two, the similar facial features. It had been twenty five years, how would he loo-. A cold shiver started to crawl under her spine as she tightened her fist. This was not the time to ponder about it, she had come to mourn her dead, not his. There would be another day for that.

Still, she needed to write a line between them.

``If these are your ways to try to sweep me off my feet, let me tell you: I am not amused...´´She said with half a grin, eyeing him curiously. In truth, she did not mean it, just a small joke to break the ice, now Marris could either ignore it or-

``There is nothing to fret, my good captain. The general would have my head if I had such frivolous thoughts in my head. My only goal is to serve, nothing else´´ It was a statement, one that felt overly rehearsed.

``I see, good to know´´ She said before she shook his hand. Her slender hand grasping momentarily his own. The coldness emanating from it was strangely comforting under the heat bearing down on them. Yet she could not help herself from feeling awry, the wrongness of this event, so out of place from the usual that every inch inside her told her not to go with this, yet why was it? What kind of danger lurked around her that wasn't already inside her?

She took a step back when she realized that she had been staring.

``Well, if you are so sure you want to do this then I won't stop you. Now lets go, we are not getting any younger by standing here in ceremony´´ She replied with haste as she started walking away, she waved at him to follow her. She only hoped she wasn't making a mistake.

He did not answer back, nor he had to, instead he gave her a weak nod. She appreciated it, she wouldn't know what to say if he didn't.

The two of them walked through the cemetery in silence, neither of them desired to partake in small talk, there was no need of it either. As they made their way through, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of their footsteps on the paved ground and the soft passing of the wind that ruffled the leaves of the trees.

As they delved deeper their surroundings started to change, the empty pathways slowly started to gain traffic, there were other elf's, some like them, Rangers that had lost family or friends others were civilians. They did not linger to observe them as they gave their offering and respects to the fallen.

For most races the dead were treated with respect, though sadly their places of eternal respite were somehow lacking. Too grey and cold would be the best way to address them. However, such matters were slightly different with the Queldorei. Trees loomed around the pathways, the flowers on the tops in full bloom. Green grass surrounded the tombstones of the fallen, acting as a soft carpet.

No matter how great their cities may be or where they come from, their lives were fully entangled in the trees and the land they lived in. This was meant to portray their roots.

It surely wasn't something as incredible as their precious Sunwell nor the famed Arcane arts taught from the Dath'Remar academy and its massive scarlet walls, or the castle spires made of glass, only held together by the strongest spells. No, this place had none of that, yet it felt far more important. More…..worthy of mention.

More personal.

Finally their path ended when they reached their destination. Not much than a few meters forward stood the Windrunners rest. Their own private mausoleum. The building was beautiful as it was tall. Bright blue walls with slender scarlet columns at its sides, an intricate set of decorations made of gold that crossed the entire surface of the massive vault placed at the middle of the structure, between two miniature towers of glass from which the beams of light, of the day made them shine extremely bright. There before her, embedded on the front of those dual doors stood the flaming crest of her family.

``We are here….´´ She muttered softly, more to herself than him.

The sound of their footsteps came to a halt at that. He, like her, was gazing at the mausoleum as well. For a second she swore she caught the faint glimpse of either awe or sorrow before turning back at her with the same stoic face.

``I see….its...colorful´´

She fought back the urge to chuckle, it was hard to imagine a battle hardened veteran only words to describe her families eternal place of rest would be "colorful". ``Indeed it is, your deduction skills are unprecedented my lord´´

``How sharp of you, captain….´´ He replied with barely concealed petulance, his eyes shining with annoyance yet his glare did not hold for long as he looks back at the building. And then he stood still, his eyes narrowing in contemplation, a scowl deepening on his features as he did.

Something was wrong.

``Is there a problem?´´ She couldn't avoid asking, looking first towards the possible object of his attention before switching her attention back at him when she could not find it. It was rare to find him lost in thought.

``No, nothing….. the time has come for this to come to an end….go forth, now´´ He stated, though more to himself than her.

That left her partially dumbfounded if not taken back, it took her a few seconds before she tried to inquire his reasons yet the only thing that came out from her lips was a short gasp of surprise, though whether it was out of relieve or shock was yet to be seem.

``Come on again….?´´

Nathanos glared back at her, before they switched around her, perhaps looking for interlopers that may ear drop their conversation. He was wasting his time, but she was not gonna be the one to tell him. By the time he was satisfied with his analysis of his surroundings, he looked at her, that thin line that he called mouth twisting itself before he spoke. It sounded like he had a rock stuck in his throat.

`` I did what I promise you, I accompanied you to their place. From this place forward...your on your own...now go before you waste more of my time´´

Was he serious? It seemed that way, which only increased her annoyance.

Was this some kind of sick game? Perhaps, though she did not took him for the comedy kind.

Was he being an ass? Absolutely

All of these left her a strange taste in her mouth, she did not know what the man was playing at, it would be inconceivable be thought that he had just gotten cold feet at the sight of the mausoleum. For a few seconds she was almost tempted to ask, why….but she doubted that he would answer her truthfully, if ever.

Like a certain weasel that she knew.

``Besides, I have things….to do, no need to waste my time babysitting you´´ He stated with more a snarl than words.

In a moments notice annoyance and intrigue soon left room for anger and disappointment. Well, if he didn't want to come he could better burn out under the unrelenting heat of the sun. Who was she to deny him such honor? She thought with sarcasm.

``Fine, have it your way, stay out of my business then´´ She hissed at him.

With a tired sigh she walked away from him, not looking back to see what kind of expression was on his face as she approached the door. His eyes surely were throwing daggers at her back if the wretched feeling in her stomach was to go by.

It would be for the best, though that did not wash away the bitter feeling inside her mouth. What madness had drove her to believe he would be better because of where they stood? Of what this day meant for her?

Marris wasn't Stephon, nor Sylvanas, no…, he was just a cold, dry, cruel man...he knew how to follow orders and kill with proficient accuracy, nothing said that he was useful in anything else.

He was Not a shoulder to cry on, but another arrow to use against their kin enemies, her sisters words rang in her mind.

And he should be consider as such.

She stretched her arm forward until her fingers caressed the symbol on its surface.

Thought her kin respected the dead with such fervor, such opinion wasn't always followed by all Queldorei. There were those who craved for power and richest and would stop at nothing to obtain them, to plunge the resting place of the fallen would seem trivial compared to the shit she had saw.

Yet there were ways to avoid such things.

The humming of energy going through the structure interrupted her musings as the magical wards around the structure recognized her bloodline. In a few seconds the doors opened up completely. A soft push of wind brushed the back of her head as the path opened before her, as if daring her to come inside.

Her legs moved forward without command.

The interior remained mostly unchanged from her last visit, with the addition of a few more specks of dust floating around aimlessly before her as she walked through. The coldness of the interior, bringing a stark contrast with the heat from the outside, she almost could see the clouds emanating from her breath.

It was as big as it looked like from the outside, the main path was surrounded by a series of massive pillars, the light of day reaching the interior from a dozen different directions thanks to the massive windows placed over the second floor.

To the sides, she could spot other tombs, some older with their inscriptions worn by the passage of time, others more recently as the metallic smell of gold still came from their decorations….. yet those were not the ones she was looking for.

At the far end from the main entrance stood the main three statues that she was looking for. Made of white marble, in great detail, it almost felt like they would one day move from their pedestals and step down. Below them three white marble slabs with words embedded on its white surface as well as a set of now dried roses from the last time she had come to visit their tombs, that time in the company of her sister.

"Here lays Liraath Windrunner. A sweet and kind soul. May your music reach the vast confines of the afterlife" The sculpture was sitting on some kind of oak, very similar to those he used stay on in life, when he played on the edge of the forest. His face stuck in an expression of peace and comfort while his fingers were intertwined in a very fine lyre. A small plushy with the form of a whale rested below the boys statue, its soft blue color lightly tarnished by a mantle of dust.

"Here lays Alleria Windrunner. Steadfast defender of the Queldorei. May your. Your sisters and friends miss you dearly" Standing tall and ready for action. Just as in life, her bearing was majestic at the same time as threatening. Thas'dorah in one hand and a large blade in the other. If one was careful enough you could see cracks and even the dripping blood of his enemies. His ancestors would be proud of such a piece of art.

"Here lays Lieressa Windrunner. May your courage and honor light on Quelthalas as bright as the Sunwell for eternity. Your deeds will never be forgotten" The final statue represented her mother in a commanding scene, the frame of her body could not compare with the other ones, yet its strength relayed with the way the artist had managed to catch her signature glance and frown that she usually portrayed to those around her. He had managed to even portray some of her wounds, giving it a rather nice touch of reality.

The three of them had been placed together, to commemorate their generation. Her father's statue was absent as a result of his decision prior to his demise to rest with his original ancestors. There were two spaces vacant on their left….

A heavy breath escaped her lips. Absent-minded she brought up her free hand and grasped tightly the ruby medallion hanging from her neck. Her fingers caressing the cold surface of the gem as she chewed her lips with apprehension. Her eyes incapable of looking away from those empty spots.

The sensation of emptiness was always there. Crawling around the edges of her mind, taking small bites of her very soul as she stood before her family remains. It hadn't changed back then when she had seem their bodies burn in the pyre, nor it seemed it would any time soon.

"Afraid are you?

She grimaced, halting her breath as she shook her head. Good thing then, that she has ample of time to learn how to grieve.

Sooner or later it would be her turn too.

Carefully, she retrieved the dried up flowers from the ground that she and her sister had set the last time, placing them within a bag on her back before she replaced them with the ones she had been carrying. She then gazed at the now unlit candles before she extended her hands at them, manna whirling around her thin finger tips. She wasn't a mage, but as an elf and one of noble status her body was more prepared to cast spells, it also helps that her bloodline did have some mages in their family tree. Even though they were a rarity.

[Flare]

Suddenly ten diminutive yet bright flames appeared, it took a few seconds before they stabilized and started to grow. The cloying and deep smell of the incense slowly reaching her nostrils before it started to dissipate around the room.

Much better…. She hummed. Slowly she sited on the floor. Its surface cold and slippery to the touch, her clothes not managing to isolate her from it completely. She Placed her arms around her legs, grasping them tightly before she tucked her head forward. As if she was listening to some kind of story from them as she had done when she was little.

``You will probably be wondering why Sylvanas is not here with me…..no, nothing bad happened just work, like always…., which shouldn't be that surprising at this point. One of these days I am sure I am either gonna find her immersed in a mountain of paperwork or her desk burning´´ She chuckled at the thought, it wouldn't be the first time she had entertained the thought.

It took her a few seconds before she finally came to a halt as a grimace took place on her face, wiping out that faint mirth. Talking to statues? What kind of madness had befell her? What would someone say if they were to see her like that? Probably something akin to her finally loosing it, or else…..

She had lied, back at the spire. She had said that it was just a dream, that she was fine…. She was not. Not after the slaughter, not after she saw their remains burn away at the pyre.… and not now. Her nails dug deeply on her legs, her knuckles turning a pale shade by the effort yet she felt nothing. Her gaze returned once again towards the sculptures.

Yet, what could she do about it? She hated the silence, she hated dealing with them alone, to feel those immovable gazes stuck on her. She may as well fill that emptiness of these halls with her own voice. It was not like someone was gonna interrupt her.

``Apart from that things have been rather uneventful around here, patrolling the woods, making sure some assholes don't stay away from jail, and of course the uncommon yet annoying moments when we have to deal with the shit of other nobles and their useless blabbering..….yeah, I can get it, it feels like things have not changed at all. Right? If only that was the case….´´

No response came from the static statues thought that was expected. They continued their vigil in their imperturbable silence, standing still on their podiums of stone. It was a bit unnerving if she was honest. She shook her head, taking another deep breath. Now it was not the time to ponder whether she wished for them to move or not.

``How surprising that it was only a few years when we were all together at home…., it still feels like it was yesterday when Lirath was trying to catch that cat that had gone stray at Alleria's balcony. Him crawling his way through the fences as he tried to reach that prankster of a feline, only to fall down. We almost had a heart attack, good thing that Minna managed to grab him mid air with one arm from a window of the floor below before he reached the ground….´´

``It was the first time he ever got in trouble, even though it was for a good cause I can still remember with clarity the argument Minna had with him, only to be multiplied for three with the rest of us... ´´ A small tear started to but she managed to catch it with her hand. It was one of the few times the three of them had been in agreement about something.

"Time waits for no one"

``I—no, we have tried to get things back together´´ She corrected herself `` To focus in our duty's, to those that remain and…. try to go on with life, but it feels…..wrong, We just can't forget that it happened, each time that I wake I find myself longing to open your doors and call you out only to realize that no one is there. That every night that I go to sleep, I fear what I would find in my dreams, drowning myself in pills and concoctions, crossing my fingers and hope if I will be granted a dreamless rest or…...´´ She stops, her face taking a deadly shade of pale as she no longer is able to continue, quickly placing her hands over her mouth as she tries to quell down the rapid vomit that was climbing through her throat. Some of the slippery and sticky substance trailing down her fingers in the process before they fell to the floor.

Memories of bloodshed and carnage flashed before her eyes in a rapid stream of scenes, the screams, the strong scent of fresh blood and burned flesh and used gunpowder filled her nostrils to the point of unbearable.

What they had done to him, what little they had left of him to carry on her arms.

It took her a few minutes to regain her strength, her breathing hard and laborious as her heart throbbed strongly inside her chest. The taste of acid and filth still remained in her mouth, a bitter reminder of the past. How touching.

She wipes away the tears that had threatened to fall with her sleeve, her eyes should be starting to redden by now. The scar on the side of her head started to burn, the marred flesh itching as if insects were crawling out from it.

``That… ´´ She mutters with disgust a the small poodle on the floor, her head hanging low with shame as she took ragged breaths. It was not long before she brought out one of her handkerchiefs and cleaned it.

``It feels…...It feels like a fools errand to find peace with the past, with everyone just expecting the very best of you, to put on a smile and go on your merry way….., ignoring that I.…..that we have our problems to deal with´´

Each word that came out did so with great struggled, their weigh alone crushing her down in place.

`` I—I don't know how to explain it, its just….. a cold emptiness, a relentless shiver down my spine that keeps me awake at night….but the worst part are the voices…..those bloody voices….´´ She spatted hatefully the last part, her teeth grinning with one another as her hands tighten into fists before she hit the floor below, a soft thud echoing over the room.

`` I—I...th-this thing is maddening! She said with annoyance, her fingers grabbing her head tightly as she rocked herself back and forth. `` Its been twenty five years, yet it feels like it was yesterday that I saw them burn…. why?´´

"Said it!"

``Why does it still hurt? After so long?´´

"That's very simple girl, it will never end..."

Slowly, the headache started to crawl its way to her forehead, a high pitch noise trying to burst through her skull. She cursed under her breath for being careless and took half of that bottle. It had seemed like a good idea at the time. Her hands trailed down her pockets frantically, only to find nothing. Where were the pain killers when one needed them? She huffed in exasperation

`` What can I do? What are we suppose to do? I don't want this to continue, buy I have no idea of how to fix this. How I am suppose to help others when I can't help myself? She cried out in anger, bitterness sweeping through her voice as she no longer could hold it back.

`` Please, if you can hear me…... say something´´ She whispered, holding her hands together as she looked pleadingly at them.

``Perhaps seeing things with another perspective…..´´

Jaina point of view:

Not even two days ago, the city had been a hub of life and merchant activity only second to Andorhal, a place where families could still live calmly, even with the chaos that was taking place around their kingdom, all thanks to the safety of the mighty walls surrounding them.

Now only rubble remained.

The destruction that had brought doom and death to Stratholme could still be seen, the fires that they had seemed in the distance still burned brightly, the flames consuming entire blocks of buildings with hunger, the wind caring their cinders all over the streets, making it hard to breath. Other buildings had been smashed or torn apart by some kind of supernatural force. And the bodies….

Oh Tides…..the bodies, men and women of all ages had filled the streets as all she could see. Families who surely had come out of their homes to welcome their prince and the soldiers marching alongside him as saviors, now they laid limp on the cold stone floor, their bodies eviscerated, or torn to shreds, their faces showing a cold mask of agony and shock, their eyes still open yet their gaze lost in the endless dark.

They must not have understood what was going on

Her heart throbbed strongly inside her chest, ache coming with each beat, tears swelled up around the corners of her eyes as her gaze lingered on the tiny and frail bodies of what once were children, she had thrown up the contents of her breakfast when she had found the body of a little girl with a simple dress with flowers attached to it, her head, or what remained of it smashed open like an egg, her brains sprayed all over the cold stone, only her lower jaw remained.

A cold shiver had run through her spine when she realized the wound looked very much alike to those caused by a hammer.

The carnage had shown no mercy for the denizens of the city. None had been spared. It was a scene so dantesque that she had needed to pinch her arm to realize that she was indeed awake, that had not made it any better.

They had come to try to save the people of the city, even as they saw them march into the city with side way glances as they rode as fast as they could towards Lordaeron to warn the king and get his much needed support.

Not once they stopped for rest, she and Uther had coming abruptly inside the throne room to the dismay of the present nobles, their slander felt trivial compared with what was at stake. Even as they marched down the city they all had held that naive hope that he would not start right away, even that he may had back down at seem them both leave...

How foolish they had been.

How foolish of her that with a few words she could postpone the slaughter.

I could had saved them… The words echoed in her mind with the force of a hammer. She could not deny the truth behind them, at the very least someone could had made it.

Now the only thing they could do was retrieve their bodies. Yet even after this massacre the fallen would not be given a proper burial, the men and woman around her were to afraid to dig graves for them if there was the smallest chance of them becoming fodder for the Scourge. So, they had piled them up in grotesques mountains of flesh, blood still pouring of their wounds before they had set them on fire, adding more columns of smoke to the already darken skies, only that this time the smell of cooked human flesh was everywhere.

"Arthas… I cant watch you do this" The words she had uttered that dreadful day before giving her back on him, on her prince still came back like a winter shiver, freezing her from the inside out. How could they had allowed this? How could she? They were supposed to protect them….yet she chose the easy way out.

To not confront him about such madness in a more stronger way, to leave him alone to stew in darkness, to leave him with them…...

She chose wrong.

``We should had stopped him….´´ She muttered softly, her words lost in the constant crackle of the flames or the cough of the men around her.

``What?´´ Said Uther perplexed, taking a step closer to her.

``We should had stopped him….´´ She replied again, this time more strongly, her nails digging into her bare palms, her knuckles turning a pale shade of white yet she ignored the pain. She still did not dare to hold his gaze, her eyes stuck on his chest, where she could see a pale reflection of herself.

``Jaina! He had the full might of the first Legion, even if we were to add to ourselves the paladins of the Silver Hand it wouldn't had been enough to match them in numbers, he would had try to capture us or kill us if we had tried to stop him. We had to warn Terenas of this, there was no other way….´´ Replied with sadness the elderly paladin.

Her grasp over her staff grew stronger as her eyes hardened, a scoff left her mouth as those words gave her a terrible sense of deja vu.

"This entire city must be purge…."

"What!? How could you even consider that!? There must be another way!"

``You don't know that! She cried out, hurt drawled in every word she uttered, her knuckles turned to a deadly shade of white as she gripped tightly her staff. Even now, she refused to believe it, to even imagine that he would hurt them. Inconceivable, impossible, foolish. Those were the only words she could make heads of in her mind. After all, he would...he would never do that, right?

Uther stood still, his tired blue eyes gazing at her softly before he placed a hand over her shoulder, the soft fabric of her Kirin Tor robes shifted in his grasp. Her anger quickly vanished, leaving way to embarrassment and shame of herself. She should had known.

Who was her to lash out her grievances at the only soul who understood her pain, whose heart felt torn apart by the actions of his student like a father would.

``Uther...I-I am sorry…., t-this was wrong, I shouldn't have don-´´ Her words died out when her eyes met his. There was no anger to be found on his face, instead a deep shade of sadness had washed over him. ``Its okay lad…...I know you meant no wrong´´

``I used to believe that my prince was a troubled yet sweet young boy, one who had before him a long path to walk through and a heavy load on his shoulders yet loved ones to help him carry on…., I never doubted that he would know from right from wrong.…, no matter how bleak and hopeless the situation may be….´´ He replied slowly, his caring voice showing a deep searing pain ``But now….now I am not so sure´´

``Still, we should had done something...´´ She replied, almost in a childish manner, tears falling down her cheeks without control, their bitter taste appearing soon after on her mouth. Her head hung down, she could not bear to look at him on the eyes. It was a surprise when suddenly she found herself pulled forward, right against the plated chest in a tight hug. One of his arms warped on her back, while the other one caressed her hair softly.

``Shss….is okay Jaina, its okay…..I know the pain that grips your heart, lad, its the same agony that its tearing apart the soul of this old man seem the boy he grew like a son burn without remorse the kingdom of his father….., but no matter what, you cant allow it to blind your judgment, we both know what will come out of it´´

She was tired, tired of things not going the way they should had, tired of seem innocent people being cut down like wheat on the fields, tired of failing. Slowly, she returned the gesture in kind, her slender arms wrapped around Uther, then she pressed her head over the spot between his pauldron and his neck, softly weeping against the cold metal, her tears trailing down the cold silvery surface before they fell do the cold ground, silently.

They simply held each other for a while, saying nothing. There was nothing else that had been left unsaid. The horrors of the city partially ignored as they did.

She did not know with certainty how long it had been before they had finally withdrawn from each others embrace. At some point they had found themselves on the ground when her legs grew tired of standing, as such they had ended up sitting beside each other on a clean spot of cobble stone. Uther remained silent by her side, something that she was grateful for.

Giving her ample time to reflect on what had happened, what she had just done.

``I know its not much, but I hope that this gives you some peace of mind….Lights knows that we need something to lift up the spirit after….this´´

``No I...its I who should thank you, Uther….truly….I needed that´´ She replied sheepishly, wiping away her tears with her sleeve before she gave him a pained smile.

``I am glad to hear that, know that I will always be there for you if you need it, Jaina´´

`` Did you find out where did he go?´´ She found herself asking, her words drawing out in a hoarse voice as the smoke forced to caught.

He shook his head, a gaunt look taking place on his once gentle self. ``No, no I did not….. but I don't think he remains in Lodaeron, all the ships stationed at the docks have vanished, and no one says to have seem them on the other roads…. I believe they set sail, but where I don't know...do you think he is running away?´´

The idea had crossed her mind, of the wayward prince being afraid and conflicted for this gruesome and cruel deed he had committed and his wish to put as much distance between him and them. The thought of finding him and holding his head over her arms while she tried to sooth his agony away had been to enticing…

But deep down she knew it was not the case. She shook her head while one of her hands grasped tightly her heart, each throb of her heart bringing forth pain. No, he would never ran away like a criminal, he was too stubborn and prideful for that. More so when she had to assume that the entire first Legion had followed him to wherever he had set sail.

It was possible that her grimace had appear on her face as she felt Uthers hand rest over her shoulder, trying to give her some reassurance.

``Don't worry about him, I will try to get him back, no matter the cost´´

``I don't think that he would….comply with your wishes´´

He snorts ``Perhaps, but if he wont listen to me then only his father might be able to crack that shell he has placed himself within, but that will be it, I have to set things right over the surroundings lands. Light knows that the common folk are growing afraid of not only the dead but also of their own people. For all we know they might be suffering even as we speak somewhere else´´

``Do you believe that this nightmare will end soon, Uther? She finds herself asking, incapable of allowing those thoughts to be locked inside her mind to fester.

The elderly paladin looks at her, his gaze soften up. ``The Lights will is hard to understand, even for a devoted…..Jaina, but I have no doubt that we will bring back the light of day over the darkness that has slipped through the kingdom, that I swear to you´´ He replied firmly, not a shroud of doubt in his posture, no frailty on his words.

She envied that.

It did not soothe her worries, not at all, in fact they managed to intensified further as she gazed back at the pires, the bodies no longer for her to catch a good glimpse as they were engulfed by the flames, their crackle echoing through the distance.

How could they go better from...from this? Slowly she started walking away, her legs moving forward without any direct command.

``Where will you go now, lad?

``Home, Uther….I am going home...´´