Chapter 15

Alyna strode over to the map table in Sylvanas' office on board The Windrunner. They had spent the past couple of days at the arena going over plans for the invasion of Northrend. She had done as she was instructed to, and she only told the warchief what her queen believed he should know. They were now at sea, having left Kalimdor behind just a few minutes ago. Their destination was Silvermoon, the capital city of her former people. They would need to be convinced to join the war, and Sylvanas had told the warchief she would get their commitment.

The warchief had decided a two-pronged attack was best. The Forsaken would lead the attack through the southeast of the continent, and Garrosh would lead an attack through the southwest. It had certainly come as a surprise that they were being trusted with an entire warfront, but Sylvanas had relished the idea, as Alyna knew she would. Alyna also found she was relieved the brown orc would be literally a continent away from her. She was quite sure he wanted to kill her. She smiled slightly. He could try.

A presence stepped close to her shoulder, her queen's voice interrupting her thoughts. "Something has amused you."

Alyna looked over her shoulder at the intense red eyes of her queen. A familiar urge nagged the back of her mind, and she sighed inwardly. She supposed it was about that time again. "I was contemplating the potential outcome of my next encounter with Garrosh Hellscream."

A pale-yellow eyebrow raised slightly. "While I have no doubt you would prevail, I would urge caution with that one." Disgust laced her words as she continued, "I cannot imagine what Thrall sees in the fool, but he somehow keeps his favour, even after challenging him."

Alyna turned her body to face Sylvanas. She kept her voice light, though the impulse to tease rose within her. "I challenged you. Do I not hold your favour, my Lady?"

Red eyes narrowed slightly. "Our situation is hardly comparable to theirs. Garrosh challenged Thrall's position for no reason other than he was told no. You …" She paused slightly, the words not easy for her, "… raised valid concerns. Albeit with the subtlety of a charging beast." The narrowed eyes started to frown. "You're squirming."

The dark ranger closed her black eyes and sighed. "I'll require your … aid. Soon. If you are still willing to assist. My Lady."

Sylvanas' lips quirked up slightly. She raised a gloved hand to gently stroke Alyna's cheek, causing her to open her eyes. "I have a question for you first, now we finally have some privacy. If I do not object too strongly to the answer, then yes, I'll bed you."

Alyna quietly asked, "What do you wish to know, my Queen?" She despised herself right now for how she felt. Her body very much wanted to be taken to bed by Sylvanas, and if she was very honest with herself, she had enjoyed their two liaisons. But she still didn't trust Sylvanas. She also despised the fact she currently still needed Sylvanas in such a way. She wondered if the queen would be interested in her sexually once Alyna's uncontrolled urges stopped. She felt that time was close. Would she even want Sylvanas?

"What did you do to that necromancer?"

Alyna heard an edge in the queen's voice. She realised Sylvanas was angry she had to even ask the question, but was trying to control it.

"I fed from him." The ranger lowered her head slightly. "There are two ways I can take the sustenance I need from the blood of the living. Biting them is easy, though it is time consuming and … personal." She sighed. She hated just how personal it really was. "I can also pull it directly out of them, as you saw, and I don't need to touch them. It takes a lot more effort on my part, but it is faster. It is also excruciatingly painful for my victim. They tend to die from the shock of extraction before I finish if I don't intervene."

Sylvanas thought on the information for a few moments. "You get more from biting, but can get a quick fix from a distance if required."

Alyna blinked at the succinctness of it. "I … yes. That is well put, my Lady. I prefer for my prey not to suffer, for my own reasons, but in that particular instance it seemed appropriate. He would have had magical protections for most conventional spells, but my vampiric nature is not something that is easily countered."

The queen tilted her head, thinking. Alyna knew she was already contemplating how such an ability could be utilised in her favour. She resisted the urge to sigh. Sylvanas had already changed somewhat since their bargain, but it was clearly going to be a long road for both of them. She had to try and have patience. Pushing Sylvanas into anything would be disastrous.

The thumb across her cheek moved, gaining her attention. Sylvanas' eyes had dilated slightly, and Alyna gave her a raised eyebrow. It would appear Alyna had given her a satisfactory answer. Her queen was aroused. The queen stepped forward to move her lips past Alyna's cheek to her ear. As she spoke, her thigh also pressed between Alyna's legs.

"You made me very proud during the battle, Alyna. I enjoyed watching you embarrass the orc." She pulled her head back so their eyes could meet. A gloved thumb brushed over Alyna's lips, sending shivers down her spine. "I reward those who please me. Would you like your reward?"

Damn you, Sylvanas. She knew exactly what to say to disarm her. One day, when she had more control over herself, Alyna promised she'd make sure the queen not just knew, but felt, she was bedding an equal. Not just another subject.

Unable to resist, Alyna gave her queen a slight nod. The thumb was replaced by a searing kiss. It was all the permission she needed to grab Sylvanas and pull herself onto the waiting thigh as their mouths pressed hungrily together. Her enthusiasm raised a husky chuckle in the queen.

She broke their kiss, her lips hovering over Alyna's. "I've always enjoyed your eagerness."

Alyna held the red gaze as her hands rose from where she had grabbed Sylvanas' hips, to almost tenderly pull the queen's hood down, making sure not to tug at her ears. She threaded her fingers into the pale-yellow hair. No one saw the Dark Lady without her head covered. Only Alyna ever got to see the queen like this. She seemed more vulnerable somehow. It just enticed her further.

She grasped the queen's hair and smirked shamelessly, displaying her fangs. "I can think of better things for your mouth than talking."

Sylvanas snarled, but Alyna knew it was not in anger. Their mouths closed the bare distance to resume the kiss as the queen's strong hands deftly worked at removing the leathers and clothing that Alyna wore. She smiled as she felt her pants be tugged down, and then gasped when she was lifted into the air. Countless small clay pieces were swept off the table before Alyna was sat on it, her pants and boots tugged off in a violent tug.

The queen stood between her legs, and grasped Alyna's throat with her still-gloved hand. She was naked, before a fully-clothed Sylvanas. She knew it was meant as a message, to prove she was the one in control and not Alyna, regardless of the taunt. As they stared at each other, she admitted to herself that was the truth of it. For now.

She found she didn't really mind.

When Sylvanas started lowering herself to kneel on the floor, she bit her lip in anticipation. And when she felt the queen's tongue on the sensitive flesh between her legs, she allowed herself to drop back onto the table with a deep groan.

She definitely didn't mind.

The rest of the pieces adorning the map did not remain on the table for much longer.

Eight days later …

The Banshee Queen sat tall in her saddle as she guided her undead steed through the streets of Silvermoon. Alyna was to her right, and rode slightly behind her as was befitting her station, with two royal dreadguards behind them. They had been met at the harbour, and were now being escorted by half a dozen sin'dorei guards riding brightly coloured two-legged hawkstriders. The large birds had squawked and fidgeted the entire way, the undead nature of the four Forsaken and their mounts unsettling them deeply.

Everyone in the streets stopped to stare at the entourage as they passed. Forsaken citizens riding through the city was not the oddest of occurrences anymore, but the former ranger-general making an appearance was a rare sight for the sin'dorei. When someone finally recognised Alyna under her hood and mask, the small smattering of onlookers started to become a crowd.

As they neared their destination of Sunfury Spire, a large square opened up before them. In the middle, a sizeable monument rose into the sky from a fountain. Sylvanas cursed silently and looked over at Alyna. She had forgotten the monument existed, and realised Alyna had not been warned as a result.

It had certainly gained the ranger's attention, and her eyes were glued to it to such an extent she had not noticed her mount had stopped walking. Sylvanas pulled back on her own reins, watching Alyna as she took in the monument.

The large statue was of them. Their once-living likenesses stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder, holding hands. Alyna's statue held Felo'alann, while Sylvanas' mirror had her old bow. Their affection for each other had been captured perfectly by the sculptor. Even their betrothal rings had been carved out on their fingers as a cruel reminder that the two lovers had been slain in defence of their nation before they could marry.

Sylvanas felt something stir inside her, before she quashed it. The monument was one of the reasons why she didn't visit the city often, despite her lingering fondness for it and her former people. Too many memories remained that she did not want to have to deal with. The monument had been built before the people had known of their true fates. The official story given by Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron stated that the Ranger-General and Ranger-Captain had perished during the defence of Quel'Thalas, having fought valiantly against the undead Scourge. There had been no funeral as their bodies had been burnt to ashes in the fires that had devastated most of the capital and the Isles of Quel'Danas after the attack had finally ended. Or so the people believed.

Idly, Sylvanas wondered if the monument would have even been built if they had known of the true fate of their supposed heroes. The Banshee Queen, and the Blood-Princess. Lofty titles, but what they represented was horrific. It sounded insane even to her own ears. She looked at the statue. It had partly disgusted her the first time she saw it, because she knew how hypocritical it really was. Their love had divided the quel'dorei, and yet here they immortalised it. They had been so desperate for heroes in the aftermath of the invasion, they had turned to a pair of dead women whose relationship they had despised.

The joke was on them. Not even death had managed to keep them apart.

Sylvanas turned to look at Alyna, to find a pair of deep black eyes looking back at her. Many dozens of eyes had watched the pair as they took in the monument. The women had kept their expressions carefully neutral, and Sylvanas was quietly proud of Alyna's lack of visible reaction. She knew the woman was raging inside.

Alyna gave her the barest of nods, and Sylvanas knew she was ready to continue.

As they rounded the monument, Sylvanas raised an eyebrow at a single bouquet of fresh flowers that had been recently laid onto the plinth. She briefly wondered who would leave such an offering, before the reason for why she was here began to take over her thoughts.

Alyna stood near Sylvanas as they waited for the arrival of Regent Lord Lor'themar Theron. The grand hall where the rulers of Silvermoon met their visitors was not as grand as Alyna remembered it, and as she looked around at the red and gold drapes of the blood elves, she tried to put her anger at the monument behind her. She didn't know if Sylvanas had been testing her by not warning her, but even if she had been told she realised her reaction would not have diminished. She knew it was not a monument to their love or sacrifice. It was their guilt that drove the construction of such a thing. And now how would they feel knowing her own ultimate fate? She knew her presence had already caused quite a stir outside.

She could hear several pairs of boots approaching, and she turned her head to look past the grand chair the former King had utilised before his death at the Sunwell. When Lor'themar entered, he was looking directly at Sylvanas, perhaps just assuming Alyna was one of her usual rangers. Two other male elves were with him, and Alyna knew them both. Thankfully, Sylvanas had warned her of their likely presence. Grand Magister Rommath, her grandfather's successor, was very clearly not happy to see Sylvanas and was not ashamed to show his disgust. The other, was Sylvanas' successor, Ranger-General Halduron Brightwing.

"What brings you to Silvermoon, Sylvanas?" opened Lor'themar. Alyna found his deliberate omission of any of her queen's titles to be interesting.

As Sylvanas spoke, the grating tones of her undead voice echoed through the hall. "I have just returned from Orgrimmar." She paused for effect. "Arthas has dared to strike at the heart of the Horde." She let the words sink in, but there was no reaction from the regent lord. "The attack was successfully repelled," she continued. "But Arthas is only toying with us – we must bring the war to him. Warchief Thrall at last sees what we have long known. The Horde prepares for war. And the sin'dorei, Lor'themar, constitute a portion of the Horde."

The queen's words hung in the air. Still, Lor'themar did not speak. Sylvanas' voice now had a notable edge to it. "Lor'themar. We go to destroy Arthas – once and for all!"

Slowly, Lor'themar shook his head. "I appreciate that you and Warchief Thrall wish us to—"

"Alyna?"

Lor'themar blinked and turned to Halduron who had blurted out her name. The ranger-general was staring at her in shock. As both men followed his stare to her, she felt three pairs of eyes examining her closely.

The regent lord couldn't hide this particular reaction, and his jaw dropped slightly. "You're ali—" he caught himself before finishing the word, his eyes catching the finer details of what he could see of her skin, and her eyes. He gasped. "By the Sunwell! What has she done to you?"

Alyna looked at Sylvanas. She didn't want to offer any response without her queen's permission, considering they were here officially and not for an informal catch up about her last few years. The queen was impatiently glaring at the regent lord.

"Alyna was recently liberated from the Scourge, Lor'themar. I have offered her a home, seeing as we both know how welcome she would be here."

The three living elves were clearly shocked, and very uncomfortable. Alyna had been told of the relationship the Forsaken currently had with the sin'dorei. While Sylvanas offered troops to keep the remaining Scourge at bay in the south of Quel'Thalas, they were treated with disdain and distrust wherever they went. The undead elves were not treated as the heroes they were for dying for their people, but with revulsion and hatred.

For Alyna's part, the last time Lor'themar and Halduron had seen her, she had saved their lives at the risk of her own. Her act to save them, had condemned her to Arthas. It appeared they were not aware of that fact.

Halduron mumbled, "We thought you were … truly dead."

Alyna's eyes bored right into him. She and Halduron had not got along the last years of her life, and she was sure he had wished her ill will many times. She wanted to reply to him, but she could feel the impatience of her Dark Lady radiating, so she reined in her tongue.

Sylvanas replied for her. "Did thinking that alleviate your guilt at how you treated her before she saved your life, Halduron? You believe what you want to because none of you can handle the truth of what too many sacrificed so you can now stand here and refuse to make the same sacrifice."

Lor'themar whirled on Sylvanas, fury crossing his features. "How dare you! We have just fought a civil war! The Magister's Terrace has been all but destroyed, and we're still collecting the dead from Quel'Danas. My people are exhausted. We cannot go to Northrend, Sylvanas, because we have nothing to give."

Alyna frowned very slightly. She knew there had been heavy fighting on Quel'Danas very recently. Sylvanas had told her the Legion had turned some of the more power-hungry elves into creatures that were more demon than elf. All elves had been connected to the Sunwell at some level, and when Arthas destroyed it they had suffered from its absence terribly. The Legion had offered fel energy as a solution, and many had accepted. They had taken over Quel'Danas and tried to summon one of the Legion's lords to trigger another invasion of Azeroth. It had been stopped, and by some miracle Alyna didn't understand, the Sunwell had been reborn in a pure form. It had clearly taken its toll of the beleaguered sin'dorei though.

Sylvanas didn't care.

"This is not a request, Lor'themar," she said. Her eyes flashed red in anger. "You will send troops. They will accompany the Forsaken." She sneered at him. "You have clearly forgotten who is responsible for the state Quel'Thalas is in, and you have forgotten who is responsible for making sure you still have any control over most of it."

Lor'themar shook his head in surprise. "Sylvanas, don't do this."

She ignored him, and kept going. "I do not tolerate cowardice. Arthas will not be content to ignore you while you let others die for your security, again. If you do not stand with the Forsaken, you stand against them. And those who stand against us do not stand for long. If you do not aid us in Northrend, I will recall my troops currently holding back the Scourge in Quel'Thalas and leave you to it."

Rommath made a sound of disgust. Halduron looked ill. Alyna understood the threat as well. If Sylvanas withdrew the Forsaken, southern Quel'Thalas would fall to the Scourge. The sin'dorei did not have enough people to push the Scourge back.

"You're blackmailing us," Lor'themar stated flatly.

"Simple logistics, Lor'themar. If you do not provide the troops we need, I will have to find them elsewhere."

"Send my exhausted people to find more death in Northrend, or risk losing Quel'Thalas to the Scourge once again." He laughed hollowly. "There is no choice here, Sylvanas."

"I will expect your forces at the Undercity in three weeks, Lor'themar," she replied. "I will not be disappointed in this."

"Yes, my Lady," came the empty reply.

Sylvanas turned to leave, and Alyna moved to follow.

"How can you follow her?" came the desperate, and angry, cry. Both women turned to see Rommath looking at Alyna. "Can't you see what she has become? She has no love for her people anymore if she would force us to march to our deaths when we're not ready!"

Alyna glanced at Sylvanas, who gave her a slight nod. She turned to Rommath, and pulled down her mask to show her fangs. All three men showed their surprise.

"Can't you see what Arthas made us into? Do you care, or have you removed yourself so far from reality because you cannot cope with the truth, Grand Magister?" Alyna took a step forward and allowed her anger to show in her voice. "You have no idea what we have suffered because of that monster, and you have the nerve to stand here in your cosy bright city and refuse us the vengeance we deserve!" She slowly moved closer to Rommath, her rage building. "You think you know sacrifice? You think you know suffering?" She stopped, barely a half a meter from the shrinking grand magister. "You … have … no … idea."

The three men were transfixed. She could hear their living hearts pounding in their chests, calling to her to feed and sate her unending hunger. She closed her eyes for a moment and forcefully calmed herself. When she opened her eyes, she shook her head slowly, her voice full of the pain she had endured. "If you did … you would not hesitate to come to Northrend. No matter the cost, Arthas must be stopped."

She turned and strode back to stand beside her queen. She felt Sylvanas looking at her, but she couldn't make eye contact with her at that moment. Thankfully, the queen chose not to query it. Without looking back at the three most powerful men in Quel'Thalas, the queen left the hall, with Alyna following.

They were met outside by a pair of sin'dorei guards, and they were led through the Spire to an atrium. Several rooms branched off it, and each held a large orb in the centre. Alyna could feel the magic coursing through them, and she instantly recognised them for what they were; teleportation orbs. She recalled Sylvanas mentioning there was one in the ruins above Undercity that allowed for instant transportation between the two cities that would otherwise take weeks of travel through Scourge lands. The twin for that orb must be in one of the rooms, she realised. They would be home very soon.

As she followed Sylvanas towards one of them, she heard several gasps. She glanced over her shoulder to see what it was about, and then stopped. Coming out of another room, was her father, Magister Athanos Salonar, and older sister, Lylias, also a magister. They were staring at her open-mouthed.

"Alyna?" came the impatient voice of her queen. She felt Sylvanas at her shoulder, and turned to look at her queen. Her face was hard as she realised why her ranger had not followed her. She looked down at Alyna and said matter-of-factly, "I'll wait for you inside. Be quick."

She nodded, and turned to regard her family members.

Her father managed to recover his voice first. "We … were told you were dead."

"I am," returned Alyna. The sound of her grating, undead voice made Lylias wince and look away.

"Where have you been, Alyna?"

"Enslaved to the Scourge. Until very recently." She examined her father's face for any reaction, but his centuries of politicking had made him very good at hiding his emotions. What he did allow himself to show, was confusion.

Athanos shook his head, "Why didn't you look for us?"

Alyna narrowed her eyes at her father. "So you could welcome me back into the family with loving arms? You shunned me in life, Father. I was never good enough for you, and you never accepted who I was then. Why would I ever expect you, or my precious, perfect, sister, to accept what I am now?"

The words hit both of them like physical blows, and they recoiled.

Lylias appeared quite content to let her domineering father do the talking. "So you run back to her? That's it? She's better for you than your own family?"

Alyna sneered at her blood relations. "She is my family." She gave them a bitter laugh. "You still think everything is about you, don't you? Your precious reputation and legacy. My choice to join the Forsaken has nothing to do with you or your wishes. Where else could I have gone?"

Having had enough of the pair, Alyna turned to join her queen by the teleportation orb, but then stopped and half-turned back to her father.

"Whatever it means to you, because I genuinely believe it doesn't mean a thing to your selfish heart, the girl that was your daughter is gone. Forget I exist. I have already forgot that you do."

Alyna finally entered the room to join her queen, leaving her stunned relations behind.

They didn't speak until they reached Sylvanas' office. As Sylvanas moved to stand behind her desk, she realised she didn't really know what to say. The audience with Lor'themar had gone mostly as she thought it would, though Alyna's words to them at the end had been a nice surprise for the cause. The chance meeting with Alyna's family, had been unexpected. The last she knew, they spent all their time in Dalaran.

She frowned at the sight of her desk as she looked down. Or rather, the lack of sight of it. She enjoyed getting away from the city occasionally, but she abhorred the paperwork that waited for her inevitable return. She looked up at Alyna.

"Are you okay?"

Black eyes widened in surprised at the question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Your family …" she left the sentence unfinished, unsure how to. Thankfully, Alyna had no such difficulty.

"… abandoned me long before Arthas came."

"Not all of them. You were close to Lirea and Calduros. Are you not curious?"

Alyna tilted her head slightly in thought. "Honestly? No. I used to wonder about them years ago, but it did nothing but hurt. I have been otherwise occupied since gaining my freedom."

Sylvanas nodded slowly. She understood perfectly. She had not looked for her sister Vereesa when she had gained her own freedom. She had been too consumed with trying to come to terms with her situation. By the time it had crossed her mind, it hadn't seemed important anymore. Living family was for the living.

"Will you be sending me to Northrend, my Lady?"

Sylvanas brought her mind back to the present. She chuckled lightly. "You're the one who knows what we're in for. Of course I am."

Curiously, Alyna looked relieved. "Does that mean I will be attached to a company?"

The question answered her curiosity. Alyna wanted to finalise her integration into the dark rangers. She had made the decision as to the woman's status on the voyage to Silvermoon, but had not managed to discuss it yet. She saw no harm in doing so now.

"I will not attach you to a company, because you will be fully joining one." Black eyes twinkled with excitement. "I have promoted one of Areiel's lieutenants to take the vacancy Talnia created. I am going to install you as the replacement for that lieutenant." As she spoke, she reached into a drawer in her desk to retrieve a small metal disk. She moved to place it on the desk, only to realise there was no space. She eventually placed it on top of one of the piles of paperwork.

"Me?" started Alyna in surprise. "Not … Kyala? Or someone else?"

Sylvanas waved away the suggestion. "Kyala is exactly where I need her. You are more than qualified to be an officer, and more importantly, I trust your instincts as one. What I can't have is an existing officer ignoring your invaluable insight because of something petty like rank and personal issues."

In that explanation, Sylvanas had told her new lieutenant two vital things. Firstly, that she trusted Alyna. And she really did. The past couple of weeks of travel with her had given her insights she wished she had taken the time to get when she had first arrived on her doorstep. She had also told Alyna that not all her rangers were going to be happy at Alyna's presence at all, whether she was an officer or not. She doubted that was going to be news to her, but she wanted to forewarn her. She owed her that much after her less than rule-book training.

Alyna regarded the disk for a few more moments before she took it, and pocketed it. "Thank you, my Lady."

"You're welcome." Sylvanas nodded over towards her Northrend map table. "Your first task is to update the table here while I send for your company to report to Undercity. We'll then sit down with Areiel and the Grand Executer and figure out the finer details of the invasion. I want to be setting sail in three weeks."

"Understood, my Queen."

Sylvanas watched as Alyna started her work at the map table. While she was looking forward to finally going after Arthas, she realised she felt immeasurably happier knowing it was going to be with Alyna at her side. She then sighed, and sat down to start going through her paperwork.

A/N – The meeting with Lor'themar happens in the short story "Lor'themar Theron: In the Shadow of the Sun" by Sarah Pine. It is one of the official Blizzard short stories written for notable characters, and it is available via . While I did not use all parts relating to the meeting, I saw no justification in rewording certain things as all I would be doing is making them worse. There are direct quotes, and indirect ones, and I take no credit in them. I just wanted to see how things would be different due to Alyna's presence and their history together. Anyway, it's a great story and helps to flesh out a lesser known leader of the Horde, so I highly recommend you go read it.