Chapter 10

Two hours later …

Sylvanas raised her blazing red eyes to assess her captain carefully. She had summoned Talnia into her office as soon as she had heard of their unexpectedly quick return and had listened to the full report without interrupting. That had not meant she had nothing to say.

"When I ordered you to bring Beve Perenolde to me I had expected you to be discrete about it," she observed bluntly.

Talnia shifted in her seat opposite her queen. "Alyna directed her portal here; a fact I was not aware of until I had already stepped through."

Sylvanas skimmed through the hastily written report in her hand as she asked, "Did you not discuss the location of the exit portal before you infiltrated the city?"

Talnia shook her head. "The portal was not planned, or expected, considering we only had one mage and I did not assume our kidnap target would cooperate so … fully." She pulled a piece of parchment free from a tube attached to her belt and placed it on top of the pile on the queen's desk. "I had planned to extract her and deliver her to a courier for a more discrete arrival."

Sylvanas did not even glance at the new parchment. "What went wrong?"

Talnia growled her frustration. "Food poisoning, my Lady." The unexpected answer caused Sylvanas to minutely raise both her eyebrows in mild surprise as Talnia continued, "Your source was correct in that the Stromgardians had planned a full attack that we could take advantage of. What no one knew in time was the Syndicate had served something tainted for dinner and they were not in any shape to fight. Instead of fighting to a stalemate as they always do, the Stromgardians actually managed to break through, and quickly. They had reached our position faster than we could remove our target."

"So you're telling me that Alyna saved your asses and completed the mission, with a minor complexity of having been seen by a few Forsaken."

Talnia looked uncomfortable and Sylvanas enjoyed it. "Yes, my Lady."

Sylvanas nodded slowly in reply. "Good. I'm keen to get her involved in other missions." The captain hesitated briefly but enough for Sylvanas to notice. "Surely you think she's ready?"

"I cannot deny she was useful in this mission, but when it comes to her ranger training I believe she is not quite ready in some areas." Red eyes met Sylvanas' evenly, Talnia being one of the few who dared to look at her directly. "She also still lacks discipline and respect. I am having to continually educate her in those areas."

"Are you now." They stared at each other before Sylvanas accepted the explanation. "I want her ready in a week." Talnia moved to object but Sylvanas held her hand up. "One week, Captain. Just make sure she's ready."

A flash of a smile graced Talnia's lips. "I will, my Lady." She paused. "Will there be anything else?"

"No. You're dismissed."

Sylvanas began shuffling through the rest of the reports on her desk when something on one of them caught her eye. She picked it up and skimmed through it quickly as Talnia reached the door.

"Wait," she commanded, and Talnia obediently turned back to look at her queen. She read the details on the report again and let her scowl show as she looked up at her captain. "Bring Alyna and Kyala to me. Now."

Talnia's surprise passed quickly through her fine features before she hesitantly replied, "Kyala is still being treated by the priests."

While the news irritated Sylvanas, she did not let it show. She would catch up to her agent soon enough. "Fine. Just Alyna."

The captain bowed her head in acknowledgement. "As you wish, Dark Lady."

Alyna inspected the arrow carefully before adding it to her quiver and selecting another to scrutinise. She had not expected it to be below her required standard, but it was a routine she found comfort in. Sometimes, it also helped pass the time. Now she was no longer in charge of countless Scourge, she found she actually had some free time occasionally, and it was a strange notion. In life she would have spent it eating and sleeping, but now she was not entirely sure what to do with it.

"If you find any that are short of perfect, I do hope you'll let me know so I can have the fletcher re-educated." Alyna ignored Talnia as she entered the armoury, opting to finish her inspection of the arrow. This raised a low chuckle from the captain. "Still being obstinate I see. And here I thought you'd show some gratitude for helping you in the woods earlier."

Alyna stowed the arrow angrily and turned on her captain. "You call what you do helping me?" She scoffed. "Kyala would have helped. You abused your position!"

Talnia smiled slowly. "I didn't hear you objecting." Alyna stepped forward to protest, but was stopped by Talnia's smile turning serious. "We can talk about this later. Lady Sylvanas has summoned you and I'm to bring you to her immediately."

Alyna was not sure what to make of the summons, but it distracted her enough for her anger at Talnia to subside, for now. For a moment she wondered if the queen had followed up with the tauren and realised Alyna had not fully confessed as ordered. She had no idea if Sylvanas would do that, but was not willing to put anything past the distrustful queen.

Knowing that delaying the summons was pointless, she just nodded and obediently followed Talnia to the royal quarter. When they arrived in the throne room, Sylvanas' posture told her immediately that her queen was angry as she stood rigidly before her throne, her arms crossed as she watched the two rangers enter. Four royal dreadguards were also in the room, their queen's demeanour raising their alertness.

Never one to delay the inevitable even when still alive, the queen got right to the point.

"You disobeyed a direct order, Alyna."

The former blood princess did not visibly react as Talnia glanced at her warily. Wanting to see what Sylvanas knew about the tauren first, she asked, "How so, my Lady?"

Sylvanas eyes narrowed almost unperceptively. "My apothecaries are a curious lot, as well they should be, and like to test everything they find. Your habit of burning bodies after you have fed on them to hide your proclivity has had them falling over themselves to analyse the residue you leave behind. To their dismay, it has not proven very useful to their concoctions as of yet." Alyna felt the cold spread of realisation move through her body as Sylvanas continued, "But, imagine my … disappointment … when I read a report detailing your unique signature was found within a group of civilian humans thought to have died accidentally a week ago. Would you care to explain why you killed them against my orders?"

Alyna could feel two pairs of eyes burning into what was left of her soul and she glanced between them. She knew Talnia had put the timeline together and was now silently threatening Alyna with her gaze. She turned her eyes back to Sylvanas but found she was unable to look at her directly.

"I … lost control, my Lady," she muttered quietly.

"You lost control," Sylvanas repeated slowly, clearly not believing her. "So, you travelled alone a couple of hours out into Tirisfal, no doubt moving past a Scarlet encampment or two as they're everywhere at the moment, and then you suddenly lost control around a human gathering to such an extent you could not double back to find a Scarlet one?" Her tone was bordering on sarcasm and Alyna knew how weak the explanation sounded. "If I don't hear something plausible in the next minute you'll have plenty of time to come up with something in a cell."

Alyna felt something inside her shift and she realised she had just made up her mind about her future. She straightened her back and raised her black eyes to meet Sylvanas', and she could see the queen had not been expecting her sudden courage.

"You want something plausible?" She paced slowly as she kept her eyes on Sylvanas. "You don't give a shit about plausible because nothing I say can take away from the fact that I disobeyed an order, regardless of whether I was in control of my own actions or not."

Talnia stepped forward angrily, "How dare you speak t—"

"Stand down, Talnia," Sylvanas interrupted strongly before turning her attention back to Alyna. "It would appear Alyna has a few things to say. What kind of queen would I be if I did not listen to my people?" The captain nodded slightly before moving away somewhat, seemingly understanding something Alyna did not.

Nor did she care as she decided to let her anger show. "So what if my skills go to waste by collecting mushrooms, or your captain grinds me into the ground because she hates me, or tries to bend me to her will because you've given her the power to believe that she can? Do you even know what happens in your own barracks, or even care?" Alyna grit her teeth as she practically shouted each word. "I came here because I was free to do so after suffering for years under a violent tyrant who didn't care how things were done just so long as they were. What did it matter to him if we were sacrificed in the process, or tortured, or abused? All that mattered were results. What makes you any different?"

Sylvanas blinked, momentarily stunned by the implication of Alyna's words. "You're comparing me to … him?"

Alyna caught a pair of the guards glancing at each other in shock as she felt her body shake with her fury. "You're blind to what you've become, aren't you? All that matters to you is revenge, and if those you have driven to provide it for you suffer intolerably under your rule that's acceptable to you because at least it gets you closer to your goal!"

The Banshee Queen's features darkened as she replied angrily, "Arthas must pay for what he has done to us all!"

"At what cost? Because you're currently damning us all along with yourself! I've existed too long under one tyrant to willingly serve under another now I have a choice. You walk this path alone, Sylvanas. I will not follow you!"

No one spoke for several long moments before the queen's voice chilled the room with her words, "You pledged yourself to me, Alyna. I am not about to release you from your word."

Alyna felt a sense of dread spread through her body at the implication that she would be somehow forced to serve. "I pledged myself to my former General and lover; a woman I trusted with my life, and a woman I would have given my life for." She shook her head in disgust. "You … are not that woman. You're nothing but a wannabe Lich Queen, and you're almost there."

Sylvanas eyes flared furiously as she screamed, "Arrest her!"

The guards sprang into motion, but they were not as fast as Talnia who had already drawn a dagger and raised it to Alyna's throat. Instinctively, Alyna knocked it away and the captain spun around and sliced the blade at Alyna's thigh. The wound was superficial, but Alyna was familiar with what weapons Talnia carried and she knew it was poisoned. In moments she felt her leg grow heavy as the paralysing agent spread rapidly through her body.

As bony hands clawed at her wrists to prevent her from using her magic, she shot a glance at the queen who had not moved through all the action, her words tinged with deep regret at what could have been, "You have become the creature you're hunting, Sylvanas Windrunner, and perhaps worse. He forced me to damn what's left of my own soul, but you've gone and damned your own, Banshee Queen. When your end arrives, know that what you suffer after is of your own doing!"

"Get her out!" cried the enraged queen.

Insistent hands dragged the now mostly paralysed undead elf from the throne room. As she watched the paving stones move beneath her, Alyna decided she had done the right thing. She had decided back on Acherus that she would rather die free than exist as a slave, and she had made the same decision again. It was time to live with that decision, though she doubted that would be for too long.

A few hours later …

Sylvanas gazed impassively at the woman in the cage. Beve Perenolde was a striking woman, she idly observed. She was also shrewd, and fiercely intelligent; two traits that had helped gain her the attention of the Queen of the Forsaken.

"Let me get this straight," started the human woman, "you want to help me gain control of the Syndicate?"

"Yes," replied Sylvanas.

"And what do you get out of it?"

Sylvanas nodded at the nearby Nathanos who stepped forward with a sheet of parchment, handing it to the still manacled mage. He was nowhere near as decayed as the rest of the Forsaken, and Sylvanas had reasoned that the natural ranger magics she had taught him to wield in life had protected his body in a similar manner to how the innate magic the elves were infused with protected theirs.

"An ally, Lady Perenolde. It may not have escaped your attention to see that my lands are bordered by the Alliance on several sides. By helping you gain control of the Alterac Mountains and some of the Arathi Highlands, I gain an ally instead of an enemy as a neighbour."

"And a buffer against the Alliance," Beve replied succinctly.

Sylvanas inclined her head in acknowledgement of the fact. "You would be in between us in places, yes. I would also be prepared to help you defend against any attack they may attempt on your new lands."

The mage held the still unread parchment as she looked curiously at the queen. "I'm the enemy of your enemy, and you want us to be friends."

Sylvanas hesitated at the implication of friendship. "Something like that. I don't pretend to believe we could become friends."

"Because you're all dead and we're not?"

Sylvanas knew her eyes flashed angrily at the bluntness the human displayed, but she managed to hold her temper in check for the sake of future negotiations. "I have found the living races to be less than forthcoming with overtures of friendship to us because of our unliving state, yes."

The mage leant casually against the bars in her cell. "I think you'll find most of us in the Syndicate like to defy convention, Lady Sylvanas. I admit to being interested in your proposal, though I will need time to read your conditions and think about it."

"Of course. Take all the time you need. In the meantime, if you require any comforts please let your guard know and it shall be brought to you."

The human held up her wrists. "I do feel more like a prisoner than a guest at the moment."

Sylvanas raised her eyebrow. "I can have the manacles removed, but the cage is for your own protection. I cannot have a human walking around Undercity, no matter her allegiance. My people won't ask questions first before they kill you."

The woman appeared to consider the words before she nodded her agreement. "All right. I'll remain in the cage. I'd appreciate being able to use my hands though."

As Sylvanas signalled for Nathanos to remove the manacles, Kyala entered the room and immediately moved towards the queen, throwing a look of anger towards the human mage that Sylvanas fully understood.

"Your Majesty, you asked to see me as soon as I was released?" Sylvanas nodded and guided the fidgety ranger into a nearby office, closing the door behind them. She looked Kyala up and down to ascertain her health and was pleased to find no residual injuries from her ordeal.

"I assume you have heard about what I've had to do to Alyna," the queen opened.

Kyala's shoulders slumped as she nodded. "Talnia told me you've had her taken to the dungeon."

"You were meant to be my eyes and ears, Kyala." The ranger looked away from Sylvanas, immediately raising her suspicions. "You knew something."

"I … knew something, yes, my Lady." She sighed. "I didn't tell you because I thought it was an isolated incident and she deserved another chance after the work she'd put into her training."

Sylvanas stepped closer to Kyala and she knew the ranger was trying hard not to flinch away from her queen. "You are to tell me everything! It is not for you to decide what she deserves!" She growled her irritation and managed to calm herself down enough to ask, "Why did she lose control?"

"I don't know … she didn't tell you?" Kyala asked in surprise.

"She was too busy accusing me of being a Lich Queen," Sylvanas retorted.

"She … w-what?" stammered the stunned ranger. Sylvanas realised Talnia's version of events had not been entirely forthcoming. Kyala looked around the room as she thought about what to say. "She's in the dungeon now?"

"The lower cells, yes."

Kyala's jaw dropped. "My Lady, does she really deserve something so extreme?"

Sylvanas snarled. The lower cells had specially designed crystals embedded into the walls that caused the occupants to hallucinate. They particularly targeted the fears of their victims, and they also had a habit of forcing them to relive traumatic events. It had been a useful tool. She just had to torture someone once and then let the crystals force them to relive it until their will was broken without risking further physical harm.

"She's in the lower cells until she learns to obey orders. Should I be putting you next to her for your own failure to report?"

Kyala pulled her hood back and brushed her fingers through her dark hair. "Maybe you should, because I think I agree with her."

Sylvanas recoiled as if she'd been hit. "What?"

The ranger was clearly nervous. "You of all people know what she was put through before she was killed, and though she doesn't talk about it, we can all imagine what he has done to her over the last few years. And you're forcing her to relive it all?" Kyala's disgust was evident on her face. "You're torturing the woman you love!"

"I haven't loved her in years!"

"You weren't alone when we broke free from Arthas, my Lady! I saw your grief at her loss when we couldn't get to Northrend, and I saw you try to eradicate how you felt about her just to survive. But she's not lost anymore … she's here! And you're destroying what's left of her! And I can't help but wonder if that's because there's nothing left of you …"

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Sylvanas snapped.

Fully committed to her path, Kyala looked at her desperately. "You cared about us when you created the Forsaken. Yes, you wanted revenge against Arthas, but you also protected us and nurtured us into becoming what we are. We all looked to the future, and many of us planned for the day Arthas would be brought to justice, and we could look past it to what we'd do after. And we had you to thank for giving us that hope – that despite our wretched existences we had a chance to make something of it. But many of us now believe we'll never realise our plans because you'll have us die for something trivial before it happens. You've stopped caring about our wellbeing. We're nothing to you but tools, and tools can be repaired and replaced. We're now expendable. In your drive to stop loving Alyna, you stopped caring about everything in the process. How can you stand there and say you're not as bad as Arthas when you're torturing the one person who can change everything for you, and for us?"

Sylvanas knew she was gaping at Kyala, but she could not help herself. It had been a very long time since anyone had stood up to the Banshee Queen so passionately and boldly, and Kyala was now the second to do it within hours. She had always relied on the woman's blunt and honest appraisal of every situation, and for hundreds of years she had never been wrong. What were the chances that she was wrong now?

"Please, my Lady," Kyala begged, "let Alyna go."

Sylvanas hesitated and found herself unable to look at Kyala. "I … can't. I can't let her go, Kyala. She wants to leave and I can't let that happen."

The moment Alyna had said she wanted to leave Sylvanas had panicked. She had spent the past few weeks avoiding Alyna because she hadn't wanted to deal with the emotions the woman had threatened to release, and in that moment she had known what a waste it had all been. For years she had wanted Alyna to be back with her, and the concept of letting her go threatened to tear her apart in ways she hadn't realised were possible.

Kyala looked at her with what only could be described as pity. "You two really need to talk it out honestly, as equals, my Lady."

"How can she be my equal? I have to rule our people!" wailed Sylvanas.

The ranger approached tentatively and put a hand on the upset queen's arm. "You managed it for over a hundred years, my Lady. You were always professional in public and we had no doubt as to who was the senior officer. How you two conducted yourselves in private was none of our concern. Talk to her alone, and stop being her queen in private, and perhaps you two can work out your differences and she will want to stay." She shook her head sadly. "If you force her to stay by breaking her will, there will be no going back for either of you, and I fear what it will mean for our people if you finish walking down that path."

"Arthas doesn't care, Kyala, and he uses that to his advantage. If we are to beat him, I have to be as ruthless as he is!"

"I agree to a point, my Lady. But we have spent a lot of effort trying to convince the living races not to exterminate us because we are different to the Scourge. If we become as bad as they are, when the time comes and Arthas is dead, they will turn on us before his body hits the floor. We have to show them we are truly different, and we do that by showing the living that we are more like them than we are like him. We can do that by giving a damn about each other and planning for a future instead of rushing headlong into mutual annihilation with Arthas."

Sylvanas turned to stare thoughtfully at the shaking ranger. She realised Kyala was scared at how Sylvanas would respond to her words, and it finally dawned on her that if someone as close and valuable to her as Kyala could be frightened for their life, then her people must be terrified of her. The idea would not normally have bothered her, but when coupled with the realisation that Arthas also engendered the same kind of fear within the Scourge, it made her feel sick.

Alyna.

What had she done?

A/N - I don't just write fanfiction, I also like to read it, and like quite a few of you I enjoy reading Lunarelle's work. She has a scene in there where she uses magic within a cell to torture her protagonist, and quite frankly I loved the concept. When I was trying to figure out a way for Sylvanas to inadvertently break herself, I just couldn't get the idea out my head to use such a cell. While I've adapted it for my own use, I did ask Luna's permission to use the concept and she graciously said yes. So my thanks goes to her, and if you haven't read her work already, go check it out.

As for Alyna, things will get better for her, I promise.