Might of Lordaeron

by K2JC

The Black Dogs. A mercenary company that would rape and pillage anything they could get their hands on. Their numbers, unrivaled. There was no hope of stopping them. They will rule over all. Unfortunately, a certain Prince will not stand idly by while this injustice runs amok. The Black Dogs will learn to fear the Might of Lordaeron.

3. Might of Lordaeron Ch 3

"My Lord, orders?"

"Fire the Cannon Towers. Unleash Hell."

"CANNONS, FIRE!"

The towers flanking the outer gate adjusted the angle of the cannon and fired. Cannonballs sailed through the air before crashing into the ranks of Black Dogs in a fiery explosion. Chunks of their forces were destroyed as the cannonballs hit their marks. Unfortunately, the Black Dogs still kept their charge on the gate despite the cannonballs raining down their heads. A roar sounded in their ranks and three, heavily armored Ogres charged past the mercenaries. As they got close to the gate, Rifleman atop of it began firing at the Ogres but to no avail. Their armor too thick to pierce through.

"No use wastin' ammo, lads. Shoot the mercenaries instead!"

"Aye!"

The Riflemen redirected their fire to the mercenaries, who were using the Ogres as shields. Pretty soon, the Ogres have reached the gate. Using their spiked clubs, the beasts slammed it against the gate in hopes of breaking it through brute strength.

Behind the army of mercenaries, Hicks stood atop a large rock and surveyed the battle. A mercenary ran to him and said "Boss, that gate is strong but it looks like it'll give up soon. Those fucking dwarves are pounding us to Hell out there. What should we do?"

"Get our archers and tell them to fire at those midgets. That'll distract them at least."

"But what about the cannons?"

"Once that gate comes down, I want you to storm those towers and take control of it. That'll show them not to mess with the Black Dogs."

"Sure thing, Boss."

Hicks smiled as he looked at the city beyond the gate. Feoh will be theirs soon and so will the rest of Eostia.

Back to the gate, the Ogres finally managed to break the center of the gate. One of it stepped back before charging and slamming it's armored head into the weakened structure. The gate gave out and the Ogre fell to it's knees as it grabbed it's head in pain. Shaking off the dizziness, it looked up just in time to see a hammer swing towards it's face. The force of the attack was strong enough to throw the helmet off it's head. The beast roared in pain before it's head was struck again, this time under it's jaw and sending it back.

Arthas harrumphed at the fallen Ogre and glared at the charging mercenaries. The other two Ogres joined the charge, not bothering if they stomped on some of the mercenaries.

"Shields!"

A shieldwall formed in front of Arthas, taking the brunt of the charge and holding the enemy back. An Ogre roared in front of them and raised it's club to strike them down. Unfortunately for it, there were still Riflemen on top of the gate and saw the beast's exposed back. They quickly seized this opportunity and fired their rifles at it, pelting the Ogre's back and killing it.

"Look out!"

The Riflemen looked to the sky and saw the arrows about to rain down on them.

"Take cover!"

The dwarves scattered to take cover inside the towers. Some weren't so lucky and were struck with arrows. The lead Rifleman, Borghar, grit his teeth in pain as he looked at the arrow sticking out his knee.

"Damn bastards!"

"Borghar, the Dogs are trying to break in the towers!"

"Well then barricade it you idiots!"

He stood up and managed to limp his way towards the tower. His Riflemen used whatever they can to barricade the doors. He looked up at the spiral staircase and yelled "Oi, cannoneers. Don't stop firing. Ya hear!"

"What do you think we've been doin' the whole time?"

"Just shoot those Dogs!" He then turned to his assembled Riflemen "Don't let those dogs take this tower. If they break through those doors. Ya shoot them down. If you run out of ammo or they get too close, use your damn bayonets and axes. We're dwarves of Khaz Modan and Riflemen of the Alliance. We'll show these bastards not to mess with an angry dwarf!"

"Aye!"

"Now that's the spirit! Now where the bloody hell is me drink?"

"Here ya go, Boss."

Borghar caught the waterskin and laughed "Oh, there it is."

Back to Arthas. The Prince ducked from the last Ogre's swing and swung his hammer at the side of the beast's knee. The knee bent, accompanied by a loud crack and a cry of pain from the beast, from the force of the Maul's strike. The beast fell to it's knees and five Footmen jumped on it and stabbed it repeatedly with their swords. One managed to stab the beast in the nape and force it down on the ground. The Footmen kept stabbing until the beast was staring blankly to the side.

Falric parried a strike from a mercenary and quickly run him through with his blade. Without looking, he raised his shield and blocked a mercenary that charged him. The mercenary slammed face first into the shield, breaking his nose and sending him down on the ground. The Captain didn't give him time to recover as he quickly stabbed his sword into the downed mercenary's heart. He kicked the body of before ducking to avoid a swing from a longsword. He quickly slit the man's calcaneal tendon, forcing the mercenary to fall to one knee. Before he could recover, Falric's blade ran through his nape and out his neck. The Captain pulled the blade out before kicking the body down and looked at the battlefield.

The Ogres were taken care of but the sheer amount of mercenaries would overwhelm them soon. A mercenary screamed as he prepared to cut down the unsuspecting Captain only to have his head cut off by Alicia. Falric turned around to see the Princess Knight atop her horse. Blade and Lance stained with blood from the battle.

"Thank you, Lady Alicia."

"You're welcome, Captain. My Knights are getting tired. We'll have to fall back soon or else we'll be overrun. We'll make another pass on the enemy before we retreat. Hyah!"

Falric watched her go before blocking a mercenary and pushing him back with his shield. On the other side of the field, Valerius was crossed swords with a bulky mercenary. He grit his teeth as he pushed back the man only for the mercenary to slam his head to his. The force of the blow threw his helmet off and he was slightly pushed back. He glared at the mercenary and kicked the man's knee. He heard the man scream in pain before punching him on the side of the head. The mercenary fell to the ground before Valerius chopped off his head.

The Captain breathed heavily for a bit before grabbing his shield. He looked to the center of the battlefield and saw Arthas surrounded by the mercenaries. Each swing of his Maul took out at least tow or three men but sometimes he would crush a man's skull or punch him to death. Valerius sheathed his sword and took out his Hand Cannon.

"Footmen, forward!" He ordered as his company of Footmen assembled around him, taking out their Hand Cannons "To the Prince!"

They charged towards Arthas, shooting down the mercenaries that got in their way. The roar of Hand Cannons forced some of the mercenaries to flee only for them to be shot in the back. Those who tried to charge the company were pushed back by the Footmen's shields. Valerius shield bashed a mercenary down and was finished off by a Footman behind him.

"My Lord!"

Arthas slammed the mercenaries heads together before turning to Valerius, who blocked a strike with his shield before unloading the Hand Cannon on his attacker's abdomen. He pushed the body off and ran towards Arthas.

"We are getting overrun. We must retreat and regroup with our forces in the city."

Arthas looked around him and saw the overwhelming number of mercenaries. They have dealt a large blow on the enemy forces but his men were growing tired. They will be overrun soon if they don't retreat now. He sighed in frustration and nodded to the Captain.

"Fall back."

"Yes, my Lord." Valerius turned to the battlefield and waved his Hand Cannon "FALL BACK! FALL BACK TO THE CITY!"

Captain Falric struck a mercenary down before he heard the call for retreat. He looked to his men and yelled "FALL BACK! WE ARE LEAVING!"

Alicia rode her mount and stopped beside the Captain "Ride with me!"

Falric nodded and climbed up the saddle. The two retreated together with the Knights. They passed by the Footmen and Valerius, as they cleared the path for Arthas with their Hand Cannons. The rain had yet to stop and it seemed to grow stronger as the battle turned to the Black Dogs' favor. They rode past the abandoned farms and neared the city's doors. The large doors opened and the soldiers made way for the Knights to pass through. Falric and Alicia dismounted and was met by Jaina and Joan. The Archmage looking around for the Prince.

"Where's Arthas?"

"Behind us, my Lady." Falric replied "They'll be here."

Jaina nodded while Joan turned to her troops "Rifles, get ready!"

Two rows of Riflemen and Riflewomen marched towards the gate. They made a pathway when Arthas and the others reached the city doors. Behind them, the Black Dogs were charging at them. Swords, spears and axes held high and waiving them in the air as they neared the gates.

"Rifles, ready!"

The first line dropped to a crouch. The Black Dogs were halfway across the field.

"Aim!"

As one, the Rifles aimed down the sights of their weapons. Picking out their targets and fingers moving over the triggers.

"FIRE!"

~Line Break~

Hondo couldn't believe it. They were actually pushing the Lordaeronians back. He knew joining the Black Dogs was the right choice. The girl of his dreams in his bed and a fine selection of other women to choose from. No one can stop the Black Dogs. But they'll make an example of this bastard of a Prince first.

The mercenary laughed out loud only to hear the sound of a hundred thunders. The next thing he knew, everything around him was a mess. His comrades lay dead on the ground, some of them were still alive but had a large chunk their torso missing. He felt a pain in his left arm and screamed as there was nothing but a bloody stump there. The motherfuckers blew off his arm!

"Aaaaaaggghhhhhh-"

The mercenary was cut off as a second volley fired from the lines of Rifles. One Riflewoman was aiming at his throat before the Rifles unleashed their volley. Hondo fell to his knees while holding the bleeding hole in his neck. Mercenaries ran past him, bumping into him and almost made him fall face first into the ground. He tried calling for help but nothing came out.

A third volley came from the Rifles and Hondo knew no more.

~Line Break~

Sarah watched in slight satisfaction as she watched the man she shot in the neck choke on his own blood. The Rifles readied for another volley and she set her sights on the man once more, her finger anxiously waiting to pull the trigger. She knew this man. Hondo. The bastard had been eyeing her sister for a long time and when she heard that her town was sacked by the Dogs and Abby wasn't among the refugees. She knew Hondo would have something to do with it. Seeing him in the ranks of the Black Dogs. She knew the answer to where her sister is and what happened to her.

"Volley!"

She pulled the trigger and smiled as she nailed him right in the head. She felt satisfaction as she watched his head explode. If she could do it again and again, she would but right now. They still had more Dogs to put down.

"Volley!"

That was their final volley before the Black Dogs reached them. She ducked from a sword swing and stabbed her rifle's bayonet under her attacker's jaw. She pulled her rifle free and stabbed it in a mercenary with a spear before firing the weapon, throwing him back with the force of the blow.

"Shields!"

That was their sign and the Rifles pulled away from the fight, letting the Footmen form a shield wall to keep the Black Dogs under the open gate.

~Line Break~

Valerius and his Footmen formed a shield wall as they let the Rifles fall back and run to the top of the wall. The mercenaries were held back just below the city gates. The plan was to keep them from entering the city while awaiting for the Prince to give the signal.

"Hold steady!"

More of the mercenaries joined the charge to try and push the formation back but to no avail.

"Come on! That best you can do!? Rragh!" Valerius taunted as the formation held the enemy back. Before, the mercenaries were slowly pushing them back but now they could feel the effects of the battle and was starting to grow tired. Once Valerius felt the enemy's push weaken, he took advantage of it.

"Now!"

With one mighty push, the Footmen threw the Black Dogs back and quickly impaled them with their spears. They raised their shields once more and held the enemy back just below the gates. Arthas looked at the top of the wall and gave a Footman the signal. The Footman nodded and ordered the Militia to pour the boiling oil down on the Black Dogs.

Four, large cauldrons of boiling oil were poured down from the top of the wall, bathing the mercenaries below and eliciting painful screams as the oil burned the skins of the unfortunate mercenaries.

The Rifles made their way to the top of the wall. They aimed their rifles at the mercenaries below and fired. Soon, the Black Dogs were in disarray and was slowly being pushed back to the field. As the oil stopped and cooled, the Footmen started to advance towards the Black Dogs.

Behind the shield wall, Arthas casted Divine Protection and faced the Black Dogs. He leapt high into the air and over the shield wall before slamming Light's Vengeance on the ground. Cracking the earth beneath it and throwing away the mercenaries around him. The weapon glowed as golden lightning seem to emit from it.

Arthas looked at the eyes of the Black Dogs and the mercenaries were shocked to see his eyes glow bright like the morning sun. Even the rain has stopped and the sun began to peek through the clouds, shining a beam light at the Prince. He tightened the grip on his Maul before charging at the Black Dogs ranks.

"FOR LORDAERON!"

The mercenaries in his way screamed as the Prince swung his hammer and sent three of them flying. Behind Arthas, Valerius and Falric followed after their Prince with the an army of Footmen. Joan stayed close to the Footmen as she let her Devotion Aura wash over them. Jaina raised her staff and summoned a Water Elemental. This one was as big as an Ogre and let it wreak havoc among the Black Dog ranks. Alicia stayed back as she watched the Lordaeronians fight with renewed ferocity. Her Knights were eager to join in but she wouldn't allow them. Not yet. A plan was starting to form in her head as she thought of the devastating power of the Hand Cannons and Rifles. She looked down at a Sergeant beside her.

"Sergeant, can you spare my Knights and I some Hand Cannons?"

"Certainly, milady." The Footman replied with a nod before handing her his Hand Cannon and ordering some of his men to do the same. As soon as her Knights were equipped with Hand Cannons, she made them for two columns with her on the front and told them of her plan. Soon they were formed and ready to charge, hands in their swords and lances. The Hand Cannons safely tied to their saddle. Alicia raised her sword before pointing at the battle.

"For Feoh!"

"For the Goddess!" Her Knights roared.

"Charge!"

Valerius impaled a mercenary by the mouth before kicking the body away. He heard Lady Alicia's battle cry and turned around to see her Knights cavalry charging.

"Disperse! Mame way for the Princess!"

The shield wall made a hole in the center of their lines, letting the Princess and her cavalry pass through. As soon as they passed the gate, the cavalry turned right and made enough distance between them and the Black Dogs to prepare for a different charge.

"Double line formation!"

The Knights cavalry formed two lines. Twelve Knights in each line.

"Charge!"

The Knights rode their mounts and gained enough speed to trample the mercenaries in the Black Dogs' exposed flanks. The Black Dogs were trampled and crushed by the Knights cavalry, helpless to stop them as they were flanked and cut down. Alicia swung her blade down as on a mercenary and saw it bury itself in his skull. She pulled the blade free and turned her mount the other way to stab a mercenary in the back. All around her, Lordaeronians, Black Dogs and her Knights were crossing swords and spilling blood across the battlefield. She looked to her city and saw the Militia charging out, intent to dish out vengeance for their loved ones. The Rifles at the top of the wall began picking their targets and firing their weapons, being careful not to hit their allies.

"Alicia, look out!"

She heard the warning too late as a mercenary with a spear thrust his weapon at her. Fortunately for her, the spear tip managed to hit the oversized pauldrons rather than her tender parts. Though she was pushed off her mount and into to the muddy ground. The same mercenary thrust his spear once but Alicia moved her head to the side. The spear's tip buried itself on the ground and the mercenary struggled to pull it out.

Alicia saw her opportunity and kicked him on the back, forcing the mercenary to the ground. She rose to her feet and ran her blade through the mercenary's back. She wasn't given a chance to recover when another mercenary tackled her to the ground. The man hit her in the head before raising her loin cloth and ripped a part of her pants off. The man smiled lecherously as he saw her white underwear. He ripped the underwear off and unzipped his pants, taking out his manhood before drawing it closer to her exposed womanhood. She punched him on the side on the temple and the mercenary retaliated by wrapping his fingers around her neck and started choking her. The Princess struggled to push the man off her before her she was starting to see black spots. Her eyes searched for anything she could use before landing on a piece of rock. She reached out and struggled to keep her eyes from closing. Her fingers grasped the rock and she quickly slammed it on the side of the man's head.

Alicia gasped for air as she let it fill her lungs once more. She struggled to her feet before making her way towards the dazed mercenary. She straddled his back before raising the rock high then slamming it on the back of the man's head. She slammed the rock again and again, not noticing the man was already dead and the amount of blood, mud and brain matter staining her armor and gauntlets. She barely noticed someone grabbing her shoulder and shaking her until she looked into a set of glowing blue eyes.

Jaina stared at the young girl in concern as she slowly took the bloodied rock from the Princess' hands. She gently helped her off the dead mercenary and up to her feet. She looked the girl in the eye and said "It's over, Alicia. It's over. He's dead. It's over."

Alicia looked up and noticed the circle of mounted Knights surrounding them. Some were facing away while others were looking at her with worry. She looked back at Jaina and enveloped the woman in a hug.

The Archmage was shocked at the sudden action before wrapping her arms around the girl. She felt tears soaking her cloak as Alicia cried in her shoulder.

Outside of their little circle, Arthas crushed a downed mercenary's skull with Light's Vengeance. He felt empowered by the Light. Taking out enemies left and right on his own. The Divine Protection preventing anything the mercenaries throw at him from doing any damage. Beside him, Falric stood over a kneeling mercenary. The Captain held the man by the collar with his right hand whole furiously bashing his shield on the man's head. When the mercenary fell limp in his hands, Falric let the body go and grabbed his sword which was planted firmly on the ground beside him. The Captain then turned to Arthas.

"We're thinning them out, my Lord. But I still haven't seen the one giving them orders. Perhaps the coward fled."

"No." Arthas replied with a shake of his head "He's here. Just not in the front lines."

"My Lord."

The two turned to the voice as one of Alicia's Knights run towards them, the expression on her face made Arthas worry.

"It's Lady Alicia. She... "

"What happened, Knight?" Arthas demanded. His tone hard.

"She was almost killed, my Lord. A mercenary tried to rape her before deciding to kill her instead. Lady Alicia managed to kill the man but... "

"Where is she?"

"She's with Lady Proudmoore. I'll I'll take you to her, my Lord."

Arthas nodded before turning to Falric "Finish this. No prisoners. No mercy."

"It will be done, my Lord." The Captain nodded before running to the battle.

Arthas watched him go before following after the Knight. They passed by the dead bodies of Lordaeron and Black Dogs troops. Though, the number of Lordaeronian bodies were scarce and others were simply sounded. They reached a cavalry circle and a horse parted to let the Prince in. Arthas was greeted with the sight of Jaina and Alicia on the ground. The younger girl was asleep in the Archmage's arms.

Jaina, who had her hood down, looked up at him. Arthas knelt down and brought a hand on the Princess' shoulder before looking at Jaina "Will she be alright?"

"I don't know. She was so close to getting raped, Arthas. That's not something she'll easily forget. She's still young. Barely in her twenties. All we can do is be there for her."

Arthas grit his teeth in anger as his eyes landed on the dead mercenary. He looked back to the same Knight that called him. A redhead with brown eyes.

"Get Alicia back to the castle. Now!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

Arthas gently took the sleeping girl in his arms and placed her on the horse's saddle. The Knight mounted as well and secured the Princess before riding off towards the castle. The Prince watched them go before turning to the battlefield. Their forces were pushing back the Black Dogs into a retreat. The Knights sheathed their swords and took out their Hand Cannons. A Knight with neck length, faded purple hair took command of the cavalry and began a charge on the retreating Black Dogs. Their aimed their Hand Cannons and fired as soon as they were close enough before tramping over the other mercenaries.

The routed mercenaries were separated into two. One half made it to the outer gate only for the Riflemen there come out from their cover and open fire on them. The other half was encircled by a shield wall that was slowly closing in, cutting down the mercenaries until there was none left. Seeing the Black Dogs run, Valerius and his Footmen gave chase. Firing their Hand Cannons at the backs of the mercenaries. They would've followed after them if not for the fallen trees blocking them from reaching the Black Dogs.

Valerius cursed as he saw the mercenaries retreat to safety. He then spotted a brown haired man in an open, green vest and blue pants. The man was standing on top of a rock and was sneering at him. The Captain narrowed his eyes before grabbing a Lordaeron spear on the ground. He dropped his shield and inhaled as he reared the spear back. He exhaled the same time he threw the spear.

The man on the rock turned to run but the spear managed to embed itself on the man's right thigh. He screamed in pain before falling off the rock. Two mercenaries ran to his side and dragged him away.

"Damn, I missed." He then pointed at the fallen trees blocking the path "Come on. Let's get these off the road."

The Footmen pushed the trees away, clearing the path just in time for the Knights cavalry to arrive.

"Captain Valerius." The purple haired Knight called out "Can your men still fight? We plan to lead one final attack against theirs encampment."

The Captain looked at his men and saw their tired faces but they looked back at him and knew they will not rest 'til the Black Dogs are slain and the prisoners freed. He stared back at the Knight and nodded.

"We will fight."

~Line Break~

Hicks screamed in pain as the spear was removed from his thigh. Fuck that son of a bitch! He's gonna make that bastard pay. Volt's gonna-

'Shit!' He cursed internally 'Volt's not gonna be happy with this.'

"Boss, we're gonna patch you up now. This'll hurt."

Hicks sneered at the mercenary and grabbed him by the collar "You think I don't know that? Just fucking do it!"

The mercenaries around him were getting worried. Hicks never loses his cool. They waited in silence as the medic tended to their Boss' wounds. A few moments later, Hicks walked out of the tent and stomped towards the horses. He struggled to climb the saddle but he managed. He looked down on the mercenaries.

"Pack everything up, we're outta here."

"Got it, Boss."

And with that, Hicks left to tell Volt about the bad news. Honestly, he wasn't feeling so confident about doing that. Unfortunately and Fortunately for him, he didn't hear the screams of his men as they were slain one by one. He was lucky that he was already a distance away and was saved from that slaughter.

~Line Break~

Valerius sighed as he sat down on a tree stump. All across the encampment, dead mercenaries littered the very ground they walked upon. The fight was quick. Most of the Black Dogs were packing up and were caught unaware by the Knights cavalry charge. Add to the fact the Knights were equipped with Hand Cannons before switching to their blades to strike down the mercenaries. Him and his Footmen tool the brunt of the enemy's force while the Knights made hit-and-runs on the Black Dogs' flanks. Luckily, no one was killed. Injured, yes, but nothing fatal.

'Just a flesh wound.' One Footman told him and he believed it. He looked over to the Knights and saw them taking whatever they could find to cover up the liberated prisoners. He would've offered his cape but he had already given it to a prisoner on the first attack.

"Are you well, Captain?"

Valerius looked to the speaker and saw the same purple-haired Knight from before. She handed him a waterskin and he nodded his thanks.

"I'm fine, Fair Knight. I'm just tired is all. Tell me, what is your name?"

"Eve, Captain."

"You have my thanks, Eve." He drank the waterskin and savored the feeling of cool water running down his dry throat "Ah. That hit the spot."

He handed the waterskin back and the Knight felt that it was almost empty. The Captain chuckled sheepishly before standing up.

"That's enough rest for me. Let the prisoners ride the horses. You Knights help them up. It's gonna be a long and slow walk back to Feoh, Knight Eve. I just hope you have the legs for it."

Valerius' gaze found itself along a path that to a cliff side where he could see a tent larger than the others. If he had to guess, that must be where this army's leader stayed in. He was accompanied by Matthias and Eve as they made their way there. The three walked to the cliff side, passing by smaller tents and freeing the prisoners chained to wooden posts. They made it to the large tent and Valerius entered first.

There was a weapons rack to the left, a large bed farther in and some barrels of what he assumed was ale. His eyes then caught sight of the limp form of a woman on the table in the center. He moved towards her and saw that she was covered head to toe with semen. He would've thought her dead if the woman didn't slowly look up at him with faded, dull eyes. She struggled to say something but all that came out were gasps of air as semen leaked out the side of her mouth.

"By the Light."

He looked over his shoulder to see Matthias and Eve had entered the tent. Eve looked at the woman with wide eyes, he hands covering her mouth. Matthias looked on with shock, frozen in place. He had seen the state of the prisoners from before and now but this one was worse than any of them. She was lying on her back in a puddle of semen on the table. Liquids leaked out from her womanhood and arse. Her whole body covered in the same liquid.

"Matthias." The call of his Captain snapped the Sergeant from his frozen state "Find something to clean her with. A bucket of water and a cloth. Anything!"

"Yes, sir."

The Footman set about in finding what he could inside the tent. Valerius then turned his eyes to Eve.

"Knight Eve, help me with her."

Matthias returned to them with a bucket and a cloth. Together, the three helped the young woman up and sat her down on s chair. They then proceeded to clean her up. She didn't say anything. Didn't utter a word. She simply stared blankly at the ground.

'How many times do I have to see this? The carnage the Black Dogs leave.'

~Line Break~

Celestine and Olga looked around them as Footmen dragged and piled the bodies of the Black Dogs before burning them. Smoke filled the afternoon sky as piles and piles of bodies were burned. The Goddess looked to her right and saw the bodies of the Lordaeron's and Feoh's soldiers were gently carried away while Lordaeron's High-Elven Priests blessed them with the Light. She didn't know what happened, all she knew was that Alicia was brought back to her room near the battle's end and had stayed there the whole time. A little while later, Prince Menethil and Lady Proudmoore entered Alicia's room. Celestine wanted to go in and find out what happened but chose not to and decided to see the end result of the battle. She wished she didn't.

During the years she fought against Olga, not once did she had to see the aftermath of a battle in person. Most of it were simply reported to her. Olga, on the other hand, was indifferent. It was war. She knew the cost. But she didn't care. These were not her people. Not the ones she was willing to give her life to protect. They can burn for all she care. The two spotted Captain Falric hold a parchment and shook his head. With their elven ears, they could hear him muttering to himself from where they stood.

"...nearly 3,000 Black Dogs dead at the cost of 200 good men and women add thirty plus from Valerius' preemptive strike and the ones lost at the field... Damn you, Volt. We were already shorthanded as it is. At least the people are safe."

Celestine's ears dropped as she sadly looked at the ground. If this was just the beginnings of Volt's conquest of Eostia, how many more lives will be taken before this war ends?

"Captain, look."

Falric looked up from the parchment and saw a Footman pointing towards the Outer Gate. The first to enter were the horses, women with mismatched clothing that were too big for them. They were soon followed by the Knights and Footmen. He spotted Valerius and the other Captain made his way towards him.

"How many?" Valerius asked.

Falric simply handed him the parchment and the Captain sighed at the numbers.

"Damn it." Valerius cursed "Where is the Prince?"

"Lady Alicia's room. Along with Lady Proudmoore. One of the Knights told me of how the Princess came so close to being raped and killed." He shook his head in disgust "The bastard was willing to rape her in the middle of a battle. These Dogs worse than I thought."

"You have no idea."

The two watched as the liberated prisoners were reunited with friends and family. The Knights brought their horses to the stables before helping reunite the prisoners with their loved ones.

"Do you ever wonder... " Valerius began "What would happen if the Undead came with us or the Horde?"

"I tend not to Valerius. This war with the Dogs is bad enough. I'd rather not think about fighting the living dead and the big, green bastards while fighting these mercenaries."

"Good point. There's one thing I miss about the Horde."

"And what is that?" Falric asked. Curious to what the other Captain would find appealing to the Orcs.

"When you fight them, you fight them. They don't bring the dead back to life or turn women into sex slaves. Strange as it is, the greenskins have Honor... or at least most of them." Valerius stared blankly into nowhere as he remembered the first time he met an Orc more honorable than some of the people he met and served with.

~Flashback~

"Why did you help them? Why did you set those villagers free?"

Valerius can't believe he was talking to an Orc without the two of them trying to kill each other. The same can be said for the Footmen with him. As much as they hated Orcs, their Captain ordered to stay their blades. It had been three days since the villagers were freed from a group of deranged cultists and so far, there have been no accidents. They had made camp yesterday and today was the day they would part ways with the Orcs. The black armored Orc, who was about to mount his Dire Wolf, stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"There is no Honor in letting innocents be slaughtered when you have the power to stop it. Make no mistake. We did not do this for your Alliance. I interfered because I can't, in good conscience, allow such fate to befall on others even if they are Human, especially to one so young."

They were interrupted when a young, golden haired child made her way to the Orc. The young girl fidgeted before handing out a small doll that was made of straw and painted green to the Orc. Said greenskin knelt down and gently accepted the gift.

"Thank you, young one. What is your name?"

"Teri."

The girls smiled brightly at the Orc. Valerius noticed a small flicker of something flash in the eyes of the Orc before it was gone. The Orc smiled down at the beaming child, surprisingly not scaring her when his teeth bared, and patted her head with his gigantic hand. The child giggled and held on to the Orc's hand, her own set of hands tiny compared to his.

Valerius didn't know what to think after seeing that. When he started as a Footman, they drilled this little thing in his mind. 'Grab your sword and fight the Horde.' It stuck with him for a long time. Even when he became a Captain. They told him Orcs were evil. They will kill innocent people and boast about it. They cannot be reasoned with. The only action you'll take is to kill them. His training told him to do so when they first met but his gut instinct told him otherwise. His gut was right.

"What about you, mister Orc?"

"Thrall. My name is Thrall. Warchief of the Horde."

~Flashback End~

Valerius was snapped out of his reminiscing when Falric shook his shoulder. The Captain looked to him and gestured to the city.

"Come on, it's time to return. We still have to give our reports to the Prince."

"You're right." Valerius nodded "Let's go."

"Captains."

The two looked to the speaker and saw Ladies Celestine and Olga approaching them. The High-Elf smiled kindly at the two as they bowed their heads in greeting.

"Can you escort us back to the castle? We wish to talk to Prince Menethil and Lady Proudmoore."

"Of course."

~Line Break~

As the quartet made their way to the city, Celestine decided to ask a few questions.

"Captain Falric, what kind of person is Prince Arthas?"

The Captain looked at her with a raised brow before indulging her question "What kind of person is his Highness? Well, he is many things. A man of action, if you will, Lady Celestine. Brave, impulsive and straightforward. A born leader and easygoing with those under his command and around him. The people of Lordaeron love him. Soldiers idolize him. It is considered an honor to fight by his side."

"Hmm. What of his relationship to Lady Proudmoore?"

Olga chuckled in the guise of a cough but the High-Elf heard it and a small bit of pink dusted her cheeks. The Captain looked away nervously as he cleared his throat.

"That... is a little too personal, Lady Celestine. What I can say is that Prince Arthas and Lady Proudmoore were close, very close, back then. They still are today. F-Forgive me but that is all I can say."

Beside Olga, Valerius was glad he wasn't Falric. Things like that were definitely not his forte. After all, most of the stories he heard about Prince Arthas and Lady Proudmoore were rumors from the markets. He wouldn't trust those rumors. Last time he did, he thought he would win a new house after helping clean up the town's stables and barns. Unfortunately, when he finished, he didn't win a house. He won a mouse. Why? Why the hell did the town use that as a prize? At the end of the day, he realized that he was the only one cleaning the stables and barns. Well, at least Mr. Chucky was living the life. Being constantly spoiled by his neighbor's daughter.

Celestine slightly puffed out her cheeks and stopped asking questions. Olga, on the other hand, had a few of her own.

"Does Prince Menethil care for his people?"

Falric's answer was immediate.

"He loves his people. He would do anything for them if it meant their safety is assured. Before we came to this land, Lordaeron was struck with a plague. A plague of Undeath."

'A plague of Undeath? Necromancy, perhaps.' Olga thought as she nodded for the Captain to continue.

"Those infected with the plague were soon turned into crazed, monsters. Ghouls. Prince Arthas loathes himself every time he saw his people turn into one of those things and was forced to kill them. Add to the fact that there's the Necromancer that we suspect brought this plague to the land and Orcs summoning demons by using human sacrifices. The death of his people weigh heavily on him, Lady Discordia. Years of soldiering taught me that failure and guilt can break one's mind. Twisting them into something they're not." The Captain's eyes shadowed over "I fear that... Prince Arthas might be twisted in a way. I have a feeling that, no, I know that Prince Arthas blames himself for the deaths of his people and drowns himself in sorrow and anger. As much as we want to help him, we are not the right person to."

"So you are saying his self-loathing may push him over the edge. Push him into doing something he wouldn't normally consider unless someone talks him out of it?" Olga asked with narrowed eyes. That monster cannot, MUST NOT, be unleashed on Eostia. The land would never survive such an encounter. Falric was about to reply but Valerius beat him to it.

"If push comes to shove, yes. The Prince will do something drastic. Like Falric said. Prince Arthas is brave but he's also impulsive. It would do well to remember that."

~Line Break~

"How is she?"

Arthas and Jaina looked up from the bed as Prim entered the room. The two were currently sitting beside Alicia, flanking her both sides as they had an arm each around Princess Knight. It was surprising that they managed to fit in the bed with how large Arthas was. Thankfully, Arthas left his shoulder armor in his room.

"Still asleep." Jaina sighed "The Priests can heal wounds of the body but not the mind. Only Alicia can heal her own mind."

"But that doesn't mean she can't have s little help along the way." Arthas added.

Prim nodded before moving to sit near Jaina's side of the bed. She gently grabbed hold of Alicia's hand and squeezed. A little while later did the pinkette lay her head on her cousin's lap before falling asleep. Soon the adults followed suit. Blissfully unaware of the world around them. Not hearing the sounds of knocking on the door.

"My Lord, you-"

Falric stopped halfway from opening the door when he saw the four. He muttered a quick apology and quietly shut the door. He let out a breath before turning around, finding his companions give him varying looks. Celestine was giving him a curious look with a slight tilt of her head. Olga had a raised brow and crossed arms while giving him a look that said she was expecting an answer on why they were still outside. Valerius had a tired look about him. His eyes were slowly closing but the Captain tried to keep it open every time it was starting to shut completely.

"I'm afraid you'll have to schedule for another time, your Highnesses. The Prince and Lady Proudmoore are currently resting. The battle was hard on all of us. I believe everyone needs to rest for the day. If you'll excuse me."

The Captain bowed before leaving for the Barracks. Valerius yawned before bidding them farewell and following after his fellow Captain. The two Elves were left to their own devices in the corridor. Celestine looked at the the door. Olga saw this and shook her head.

"Don't even think about it."

Celestine placed her hands behind her back as the Dark Queen glared at her. The High-Elf whistled as she slowly, inch by inch, moved to the door. Olga felt her brow twitch annoyance.

"You know I can see you shuffle right. And whistling like it's nothing isn't helping your case either."

Celestine stopped whistling and continued to move towards the door. Olga rolled her eyes at the High-Elf's childishness. For goodness sake, they were at least several centuries old. She sighed and walked over to Celestine who had bent over and was silently opening the door. Olga couldn't help but let her eyes wander towards the bent over High-Elf and found herself unwillingly smile.

'Wow. No underwear.'

Her eyes widened before shaking her head furiously, trying to shake away those thoughts. She then heard Celestine gasp and the Dark Elf found herself peeking to the room as well.

"Maybe we should reschedule for tomorrow, yes?" The High-Elf suggested.

"Agreed."

~Line Break~

On the top a mountain that overlooked Feoh, a lone robed man with a staff looked down at the land. His eyes staring directly at the castle in the city.

"The path which you now take, young Prince, has saved you from a fate worse than death. But your future here is... uncertain. What does it hold for you, Arthas?"

He looked farther away and into the direction of the city of Thorn. A distance away. A purple beam of light cast down from the heavens.

"Another one? Hmm." He looked to the sky where a gigantic shadow flew above the skies, emitting purple lightning as it soared.

"What are your plans for them... Realm Lord?"