To say that bad news travel fast was an understatement. By the time I reached the capital a week after the Culling of Stratholme, my father was already informed about everything that has transpired before, during, and in the aftermath of the tragedy. And he was extremely displeased. As soon as I set my foot at the palace gate, I was promptly summoned to his office.I was exhausted, I rode the whole way back, stopping only in towns and villages on the way to check on the people and make sure that there were no plague outbreaks. Fortunately, there weren't. My clothes were dirty, my hair was matted and unkempt, I resembled more a stable boy than a princess, but nevertheless, my father's advisers insisted that I should answer my father's summons immediately. So, I went straight to his office and knocked on the door.

"Enter", a frail and unusually cold voice answered. The guards opened the doors for me, and I entered the office. My father was standing by the bay window looking at the lake, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Father", I curtsied as gracefully as my leather outfit allowed me to.

"So, you have finally decided to grace us with your presence, daughter.", he rasped without turning to look at me.

"What do you mean by that, father? It's a week's ride from Stratholme and I also needed to check on our subjects.

"Stratholme? There's no Stratholme anymore. You and your brother made sure of that. How could you two put thousands of our people to the sword? Men, women, children. None was spared. How could you kill so many innocents? Why did your brother so callously disregard Uther's counsel? Why did you not change his mind?Since when have you become so ruthless? Clearly, being married to Deathwing has taken its toll, his corruption has affected you as well. There is no other explanation for your behavior. Killing so many people and then sleeping with an Elven ranger like a common tavern wench. Oh yes, I know all about yours and your brother's indiscretions in the aftermath of such a tragedy. You took Halduron Brightwing in your tent and Arthas took Thalia Lightcaster in his. A Ranger Lord of low birth status and a High Priestess of equally low descent, who also happens to be the consort of the crown prince of Quel' 't your brother ever stop to consider what an international incident his indiscretions would cause? What is Kael'thas going to think when he discovers that Arthas not only bedded his paramour but also took her with him to Northrend? This entire situation is completely unacceptable. The deaths, the fires, the indiscretions. I cannot even look at you right now, after what you and your brother have done. I want you to leave now and stay in Dalaran until further notice. You will stay there as punishment and Arthas will be stationed at Durnlholde Keep for his, as soon as he returns from Northrend.", he rasped again without looking at me.

"But father…", I tried to plead with him.

"Not another word from you, Calia, or I will make your banishment permanent as I did with your sisters'. Guards!", he shouted.

"Escort the princess to her chambers and then arrange for an escort for her to Dalaran along with all of her belongings. Dismissed.", he ordered, and we were all quick to comply.

It was dusk when I arrived in Dalaran and settled in the terraced house my father bought for Arthas when he announced that he wanted to study in Dalaran a few years ago, though his true intention was to be closer to Jaina. As soon as I was settled, I went to look for her, but I discovered that she was not in Dalaran anymore. Archmage Antonidas informed me that she had heeded the call of a strange prophet that claimed that the Eastern Kingdoms were doomed and decided to move west to Kalimdor. Even Kul'tiras did not feel safe for her anymore. She was currently traveling around Lordaeron to gather as many people as possible in order to save them from impending doom. And strangely enough many have believed her and were heading to Southshore to board one of the many boats she hired for the trip. I made a mental note to head to Southshore as soon as possible and bid her farewell and went straight to Kael'thas' mansion to see how he was faring.

Kael wasn't faring well at all. As soon as I walked into his study after a servant escorted me there, I caught the whiff of wine. He was drinking all day.

"Calia, it's very good to see you. Forgive me for seeing me in such a poor state, but the matters of the heart, especially when said heart is broken into pieces cannot be ignored or hidden.", he shook his head and handed me a glass of Suntouched special reserved.

"So, you've heard about Thalia and Arthas. I'm so sorry, Kael", I took the glass for him and sat down.

"No, not that. I know all about them and I'm happy that my darling Thalia got her heart's desire. We separated a year ago when we decided to spend a few decades apart from each other in order to pursue other interests. I managed to start a relationship with Jaina, now that she became of legal age and my little Priestess finally caught your brother's eye", the Prince smiled somewhat bitterly.

"Not only caught it, Kael. He is head over heels with her. He told me that when they return from Northrend, he's planning to propose to her and ask your father for her hand, since she is of low birth status and a prince can't ask a merchant if he could marry his daughter.", I intended to drink the wine slower this time around, but recent events forced me to drink an entire goblet in two sips.

"He doesn't need to ask anyone for her hand. He only needs to ask her. She is her own person, no one owns her, not her father, mother, brother, my father, or myself. Those are Human customs, not Elven. Everyone is a master of his or herself. I will dance at her wedding though, that I promise", he poured more wine into our goblets.

"So, if Thalia was not the one who broke your heart, then it must be Jaina. What happened?", 'oh the wine was superb, I couldn't get enough of it.

"After we spent almost a year of blissful happiness, she decided to move to Kalimdor for no good reason, just because she believed the words of a raving lunatic. Yes, there was danger in the form of the plague of undeath, but you all took care of it when you discovered the culprit and purged Stratholme and whatever settlement was infected. Oh, yes, I know about all that and I totally agree with your decision. I would have done the same thing if I were given such a choice. In any case, Jaina had no good reason to leave Dalaran, but she did. She's been roaming your countryside and is recruiting anyone foolish enough to believe the prophet's words. She told me that she will never set foot in Dalaran again, not after how the council of six laughed at her decision to leave. I didn't laugh though, I pleaded with her to change her mind, but she wouldn't listen, she turned her back on me and left for Northern Lordaeron to gather all the plague refugees. She is sending them to Southshore, she arranged food and shelter there until it is time for all of them to set sail. She didn't even ask me to go with her, Calia. Not that I would have ever considered abandoning my duties as a member of the Six or as a crown prince, but it would have been a nice gesture. Now she's gone and I will probably never see her again.", Kael shook his head and finished his goblet.

"I'm certain that she will change her mind and will return to you by Winter's Veil, Kael. You'll see. She spent a year with you, which means she's over Arthas and ready to move on, or else she would have never started something with you. She obviously cares about you deeply, she always has, but she felt intimidated by your power, status, and age difference. You are over three hundred years old and she was only seventeen when you first expressed your interest in her, but since she started a relationship with you, that means that she overcame her doubts and followed her heart.", I placed my hand on his shoulder. He cupped my hand with his.

"I hope so, dear Calia. I really hope so. You are so kindhearted; you always know what to say to calm one's spirit. You are so much like her, both in kindness and beauty. You look so much alike, you could be sisters.", he cupped my face and traced his finger across my lip. Had it been any other man making such a gesture after admitting that he was in love with another woman, I would have walked away straight away. But this was Kael'thas Sunstrider, the Archmage Crown Prince of Quel'thalas, by all accounts the best-looking male in all Azeroth, the Eastern Kingdom's most eligible bachelor. My breath quickened, and I leaned to his touch. That was all the permission he needed to pounce on me. He crushed his lips to mine and lifted me off the ground. Before I even knew it, he had teleported us to his chambers and cast all our clothes aside. There he stood in all his male glory, and by the Light, was he glorious. The finest male specimen I have ever seen in my short life. And by the way, he was looking at me, it didn't take a genius to realize that he was thinking the same thing about me.

"By the Light of the Sun, you must be the most beautiful female I have set my eyes upon!", he growled in primal last and he pounced on me as a man possessed. If Halduron brought me to new heights of ecstasy a week ago, Kael surpassed them within a few minutes of laying his hands on me. His long fingers, his lips, and tongue set my body and soul on fire and by the time he entered me for the first time, I was already reduced into a pile of primal want, after he brought me over the edge several times. Elves did not need time to recover after they spilled their seed, they were instantly ready for more, I learned that from Halduron. And they could last for hours. He took me in every surface of the room, both horizontal and vertical, and every conceivable position. And when there was no surface left in the room where we didn't make love, we moved to a different room. Oddly, there was no one in the house but us two. All the servants had disappeared.

It was a terribly busy time on Dalaran in autumn with new students pouring in from all the corners of the Eastern Kingdoms to study magic and between teaching them and researching the plague of undeath with his colleagues, Kael'thas had little time for me, other than occasionally sneaking into my bedroom late at night and leaving at the crack of dawn. That left the days free for me to roam the city. And roam I did. I explored every part of Dalaran and discovered wonders that I could not fathom that even existed. Lordaeron and Alterac cities didn't hold a candle before Dalaran, I came to that conclusion within a week. As the Princess of Lordaeron, it was my duty to visit dignitaries from other kingdoms and attend functions and ceremonies with them, and while attending one of those ceremonies, I found my true calling and met the love of my life. Magic never held any interest for me, whether it was of the Arcane variety or the Holy. But as I attended mass that fateful morning, a week after I arrived in Dalaran, Archbishop Alonsus Faol invited me after the ceremony for tea in his office.

"It is a great honor to have you here, Princess, I was surprised to see you at the mass this morning", he smiled as he poured tea.

"I'm surprised to see you here as well. What brings you here, so far from the Lordaeron Cathedral of Light, Archbishop."

"The Annual "Children of the Light" Convention. Priests and Paladins from all the Kingdoms gather here every year and we discuss a great many things. You should really attend, Princess. It is very interesting and highly informative."

"I'm not a Priestess, nor a Paladin, Alonsus. I see no reason to attend such meetings."

"Oh, but you are, Calia. You just don't know it yet. The Light works in mysterious ways, for years I could feel it stirring inside you, and today you shone like a star. You're a late bloomer, my child. The Light calls to you, open your mind and heart and listen to its music."

I was confused, I didn't feel any different, but again, this was Alonsus Faol, one of the most revered Priests of the Light in the world, for him to claim that I had an affinity for the Light, it must be true.

"Close your eyes, child. Take deep and even breaths and open your senses. What do you feel?", he whispered. I did as instructed. At first, I felt nothing, but then…

"Warmth, a brightness, peace, tranquility, happiness. And that melody. Βy the Light, I've never heard music this glorious".

"Good, good. Continue.", I opened my eyes and looked at my reflection at the mirror, behind the Archbishop. I gasped. I was bathed in Light; it was emanating from every pore of my being. Could it be? Could I be a Priestess? Never in my life did I ever imagine that I could have such talents, but there it was. I just might be a Priestess. Wow! Wait till Thalia hears about this. And Kael. Alonsus took a paper cutter from his pencil holder and cut his finger.

"Heal it", he instructed.

"How?", clearly, he must be joking. I just discovered that I possess this kind of power, I can't possibly heal someone so soon.

"Say the word "Heal" like you mean it and it will happen."

"Heal…", I whispered.

"Not good enough"

"Heal!"

"Still not good enough. The Light flows through you, tell it what you need.", he growled.

"HEAL!", and a flash of light came out of my outstretched hand and the wound closed, leaving no scar behind.

"That's more like it. Well done! Now let us try some more spells". We spend all afternoon practicing new spells, and I was thrilled to discover that soon I will become a real Priestess just like my mother. Did I, a Huntress, an honorary Farstrider, a Ranger Lord in all but name, had missed my true calling? Well, who could have imagined? Now everyone in my family served the Light.A knock on the door put an end to my lesson.

"Enter", Alonsus commanded, and in came the most imposing Paladin I had ever laid my eyes on, besides my brother. Just as tall and big, with dark green eyes, and shoulder-length jet black hair lightened to a dark auburn from years spent under the sun, judging by his tanned skin. His handsome face and sensual lips were partially obscured by the trimmed auburn mustache and goatee. All in all, he was exquisite. He took two large strides and bowed before me.

"Your Highness, your Grace,", he nodded at Alonsus,

"Please forgive the intrusion. I am Bolvar Fordragon, a Stormwind Knight, I was sent by King Terenas himself to talk to you about an urgent matter. Is it possible to speak to you in private?"

"Of course, Please forgive me, Archbishop, I will take my leave now. Shall we continue tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, yes, of course, your Highness. Goodnight", he bowed to me and I walked out of the office, the Paladin in tow. I found a quiet alcove in the temple and turned towards him.

"Alright, Knight Lord. What is the urgent message", I smiled at him.

"I am not a Lord, your Highness. At least not anymore. I was stripped of rank and title by King Wrynn at the behest of Lady Katrana. And the reason for that is your son."

"My son? How?"

"I am…I was a close childhood friend of the king. I was a member of the council and was named Regent Lord in the off case something happened to the king. For that reason, I was approached by a member of the Blue Dragon Flight, Kalecgos. He told me that your son was in great danger in Stormwind, his siblings were ordered by Nefarion, Deathwing's eldest child and leader of the Black Dragonflight, to retrieve him and deliver the young Prince to him. We needed to protect him, and the only way was to give him to the Blue Dragonflight so that he can hide him where his kin could never reach him. The Dragon Isles. For some reason, the Black Dragonflight and even Deathwing himself will not go near it. He told me the only other place with the same effect on the Black Dragonflight was Highmountain, wherever that is. He told me to not tell anyone else because we were closely watched by Nefarian's Agents."

"I believed him after he revealed his true form to me and I delivered young Edmond to him, late at night when everyone was sleeping. As you can imagine, the King was furious and at Lady Katrana's suggestion, I was stripped of all rank and privilege, demoted to footman status, and sent to Lordaeron to explain to you and King Menethil the reason why I delivered a Prince to a "fire-breathing" Dragon. King Menethil named me a Lordaeron footman and sent me here to explain my actions to you in person and serve as your bodyguard until King Wrynn deems it wise to recall me back to Stormwind."

I had to sit down for several moments, to allow everything to sink in. I understood the Knight's actions of course, but that meant that I would be separated from my son for an awfully long time. Perhaps forever. As soon as I was able to recover and compose myself I stood up.

"I understand the reasons why you delivered my son to Kalecgos, but it will take time for me to come to terms with the fact that I will probably never see him again. But if by doing so, he will be safe, then so be it. Come Knight Lord, oh, I will always call you by your true rank, you will escort me to my home and my servants will show you your new quarters."

Another week passed faster than I allowed myself to admit. I spent the mornings with Alonsus, learning more about the Light and practicing new spells, the afternoons with Bolvar learning about the combatant aspect of the Light and the evenings crying about the loss of my son in Kael's arms. Bless that Elf, he kept telling me that I will see Edmond soon, that him hiding at the Dragon Isles was a temporary solution and soon the Aspects will come in terms with the fact that they will have to deal with their brother's brood permanently and destroy them with the help of the mortals.

The pain had begun to dull if only a little and Kael's visits became more infrequent. At first, I thought that he grew tired of my grief over my son's absence, I mean who would sneak into someone's bedroom with the intent of having sex, and end up comforting a weeping pile of mess, before she calmed down enough to initiate the act. I was certain that I was quite the sorry sight with bloodshot, puffy eyes, and runny nose. When I asked him about it, he vehemently denied it and reassured me that that was not the case and it was silly of me to even consider such a thing. The reason was quite different. He and his colleague had a breakthrough with the plague of undeath and were doubling their efforts to reach success. They still had a long way to go before they could discover a cure, but with the help of the Priests, he believed that they will in a year's time.

Though I would miss his comforting presence, I encouraged him to focus more on his research and not to worry about me anymore. He reluctantly agreed; he had no other choice. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, he needed to discover the cure for the plague before it returned to our lands.

Kael's absence allowed me more time to get to know Bolvar better, I no longer spent time with him only when he was training me or when he escorted me to different functions and activities. I began to invite him to my table, first for dinner and eventually for lunch and breakfast. We talked about everything and everyone, his experiences with the Light, how he found his true calling, how he trained day and night, first as a Priest and then as a Paladin.

His adventures with Varian, while they were growing up, were entertaining and quite amusing I was in stitches most of the time, there was no place in their kingdom they did not explore, no mystery they did not solve and no "treasure" they did not unearth right under Lothar's nose.

Bolvar's kindness and charm were captivating, I was head over heels for him within a month of knowing him. And judging by his behavior and the way he looked at me, he felt the same. I wanted to approach him and broach the subject, but I didn't know how.

Despite being married and having engaged in sexual relationships with two men since Daval's death, I was still very inexperienced when it came to flirting. As if sensing my reluctance, Bolvar took the initiative one night after dinner. As I stood by the fire, he approached me.

"A penny for your thoughts, my Lady"

"I told you a million times to not call me that, Bolvar."

"And what should I call you instead?"

"How about Calia?"

"A beautiful name, indeed. One fit for a Queen. And the most beautiful woman that I have ever set my eyes on. I can't remain silent any longer, Calia. From the moment I saw you, I can't stop thinking about you. You are beautiful, brilliant and the kindest person I know. I realize that I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I am truly and deeply in love with you, and nothing would make me happier than to be with you. If you would have me."

"Oh, Bolvar, I thought you never asked. Light, if you didn't ask me, I would have jumped your bones by the end of this evening. I confess, I'm head over heels with you too.", that was all he needed to hear, he crushed his lips on mine and pulled me closer.

It was different, he was different. I've been with a dragon and two Elves, Bolvar was the only human I've ever kissed. And it was glorious. His lovemaking was even more so. Perhaps it was because I was so in love with him that I enjoyed every single minute I spent with him.

We became inseparable. Weeks turned to months, and during that time, Kael stopped calling on me completely. He did send notes apologizing for his absence, but they didn't include a promise to come and see me soon. And that was a blessing in disguise on its own because he would not fail to notice the bump on my belly that was growing bigger by each passing week. Bolvar and I were going to be parents. My diagnostic tests revealed that he was the father and not Kael. I was six months pregnant when an unexpected visitor knocked at my door. A heavily pregnant Thalia waddled into my parlor and Bolvar and I helped her sit down. It had been nine months since I last saw her, holding my brother's hand and waving goodbye at me as Arthas' fleet was sailing to Lordaeron from Stratholme harbor. Looks like they've been busy. She was very distressed; she couldn't stop crying.

"Thalia, what happened? Where is Arthas? Is he here with you? Is he in Lordaeron? What happened in Northrend?", I stroked her hand as Bolvar poured her a cup of herbal tea.

"Oh, Calia. Arthas is still back on Northrend, most likely feeling abandoned and betrayed. We spent months searching for Malganis, we explored every nook and cranny of that place to no avail. It was during that time that I discovered that I was pregnant. Arthas was ecstatic and insisted that we should get married right away. One of the Battle Priests officiated the wedding and I became a Princess of Lordaeron."

"That's wonderful, Thalia. We are sisters now.", I squealed in delight.

"Or so I thought too. Weeks later we stumbled upon Muradin Bronzebeard by chance and he informed us about this Legendary blade named Frostmourne. Arthas became obsessed with it and they would leave our camp for weeks on end searching for it. It was during that time when he was away that an envoy came from Lordaeron along with some Mages from Quel'thalas. They insisted that we should pack up and head for the ships because the King ordered that the expedition was over and he should return to Lordaeron at once, while I should report to my King at Quel'thalas."

"That's nonsense, you're married to Arthas now, you are a citizen of Lordaeron.", I protested.

"That's what I told them. I strongly protested and refused to cooperate. I insisted that this expedition was Arthas' and it was his call to cancel it or not. Before I knew what was happening, I lost consciousness and woke up at Sunstrider Spire a day later. One of our Magi had cast a sleeping spell on me, and they teleported me back home to a furious Anasterian, who upon looking at my swollen belly and the Lordaeron wedding ring on my finger, called me an opportunist and banished me from his court."

"He didn't!", I was shocked.

"Oh, but he did. I was sent to Lordaeron to my father-in-law to suffer his judgment, he said. Well, your father upon looking at me, decreed that he would annul the wedding as soon as Arthas returned and banished me in turn to Dalaran."

"Oh, father…", I lamented.

"Well, thankfully, Kael welcomed me with opened arms and is now at Quel'thalas to plead my case to his father, in order for him to allow me to return to my home at Sunstrider island and give birth to my children in peace. I'm having twin girls, your nieces, Calia.", she smiled.

"Well let's hope he's successful with that, Thalia. But even if he's not, you are more than welcomed to live with us. And Arthas will put an end to this madness as soon as he returns. No one is going to annul your marriage. Not when you are carrying his children. By the way, I haven't introduced you yet to my beloved. This is Bolvar Fordragon, the former Regent Lord of Stormwind. He is a Paladin in service to Lordaeron at the moment.", I squeezed Bolvar's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, my Lady. Bolvar kissed Thalia's hand."

"Lord Fordragon, Arthas spoke very fondly of you. It is a pleasure to meet you in person. So how did you two meet and when did you get married."

"We met the week I arrived in Dalaran, we fell in love instantly, and became an item not long after. But we are not married yet."

"That can be remedied immediately, my dear. Why don't you allow my Thalia to officiate the wedding, while Rommath and I bear witness to the wonderous occasion.", Kael and Rommath stepped out of a portal.

"No need to worry, my dear. I spoke to father and he agreed to allow you back home, just as long as you never set foot in his court for as long as he lives.", Kael gave a chaste peck on Thalia's lips and turned to kiss my hand.

"My dear Calia, you look radiant! Pregnancy does become you. And it's good to see you again, Bolvar. I'm sorry to hear about all this mess in Stormwind, but at least, you have a new life here and a new family.", Kael shook Bolvar's hand.

"It's good to see you again too, Prince Kael'thas", Bolvar gave the Prince a genuine smile.

"Excellent, let us begin. I suggest you two go and wear something more appropriate for the wedding, while Rommath and I decorate the room. Thalia, rest, my dear. Soon Rommath will escort you back home and you'll be with your loved ones. No one will take your lands and fortune away, I made sure of that.", Kael kissed Thalia's hand.

I returned to the parlor dressed in a long powder blue gown embroidered with gold thread and pearls. I chose to allow my hair to fall free down my waist and covered them with a long white veil made out of lace. I placed a peace bloom flower wreath on my head and I was ready. Kael knocked on my door to check if I was ready and handed me a bouquet of flowers as he escorted me to the parlor. Bolvar was waiting for me under the flower arch Rommath conjured in front of the fireplace and Thalia stood in the middle. The way Bolvar looked at me, dressed in his Stormwind Paladin dress-armor made my heart stop. As soon as I stood by him Thalia begun the sermon. It was by far a much better wedding ceremony than my first one. Because this time it was with someone I loved.

As soon as it was over, we all had a small dinner party and by midnight Thalia announced that she was too tired to continue, so Rommath created a portal and escorted her back to Sunstrider island. Kael announced that he too needed to leave to continue his research and bade us farewell.


A/N:

I stirred clear of the original plan of the story, now that we know what happened to Calia after Legion and BfA were launched. That's why she's now a Priestess and had a family with Bolvar. I know it's a long shot that she's Taelia's mother, but please bear with me. I extended the timeline between the events of Warcraft 3 and BfA to fit it.