Revenge of Kael'thas

Chapter Five: To be Continued…

At nine years old I first saw the man,

Veins black as pitch but Father squeezed my hand.

King Terenas—always so forthright, put fingers to thin lips,

Told me to respect the Elves. I put fists to my hips.

The fathers of two princes then shook hands,

Embraced like brothers, I yawned and planned,

On how to get this shrimp-boy to play some games,

While the Kings talked war and an ancient pact,

I asked Kael'thas to play cards. He smiled back.

I was old enough to know, Uther had already said,

The son of Terenas was destined for certain things.

Kael'thas looked up from a losing hand, he laughed and shook his head,

"My father promised too, that I would be King."

"No you're not.

You stink at cards,

you stink at jokes,

and your father's mouth has got scars."

"Nuh uh." Kael'thas went,

"I'm letting you win,

Cause Father says that's polite,

And I have respect for him."

Did he know, then, that I would come to hate and cull my own father?

Kael'thas grew up, and many say that I did not.

He got perfect marks, but I always got caught.

He had a beautiful home,

But there were worgen in my fields.

Then he looked at Jaina, and I did too.

Saturna you know the rest. Would you believe me, could you agree with me now,

If I said back then, I took her, for you?

Saturna was in tears. She caressed Arthas' face. "I do."

Of course… you do.

Jaina felt so too, when I told her… when I held Frostmourne before her.

When I said I adored her,

"Darling, I flattened Quel'thalas all for you. Because the Elves broke the pact and abandoned our kingdom. Do you really hate me for that justice?"

She said, "I do."

And so I made her a promise, that I would find a way out.

Come hell or high water, some day, I would get our love another chance.

But I began to do what Frostmourne said was right, and the world turned against me.

He did wrong, listened to Illidan and your legs opened up—

"It didn't happen that way!"

Oh yes, it did. You broke your first marriage, gave up your life, bore him a child, became his wife, all while he burned and murdered and pillaged exotic lands.

"Arthas, let go of my hands!"

I will not. No one leaves The Game without a speech… say, do you want my gold? And I suppose I could hand my Guild over to you too…

"Shouldn't Zabran get all that?"

Ah yes, that's true.

Zabran, my old charter, it goes to you.

"Ugh. Yes, Masta Arthas."

Somehow, Kael'thas was evil and won,

But I did not.

I am a paladin at heart—and he should rot!

For all that evil, and he didn't really change.

And I'd done good. Time to exorcise the stain,

On Azeroth's soul.

Arthas took Saturna by the elbow and they walked up to Magnus the Unmaker. He was chained down with frosted links of metal. His teeth chattered, and Arthas leaned in to hear better.

"How… did you find me?"

Arthas laughed. "El. Oh. El. How about that, he doubts that I am a Death god and omniscient, omnipotent… A BODY SNATCHER!"

The Bloodknight flinched and his chair jolted against the stone floor. Magnus saw that Arthas only joked with him, but while the once Prince of Lordaeron laughed, Magnus leaned over and cried.

"Are you pleased, Saturna? Zabran did an excellent job finding him. He was comfy and cozy at the Sunspire, a royal advisor to King Nathaniel Blaize-Sunstrider and Queen Celestia Blaize-Sunstrider."

"WHAT?! But, how did that… I don't understand?"

"All part of Kael'thas' plan. The scapegoat. At some point, your husband was going to blame all the crimes in Outland on him. Magnus was the runner, who got Blaize and Celestia together and pointed them back at Silvermoon with a new political agenda. Not bad, for a brainwashing Unmaker. Then, Kael'thas planned to come back and retake the city, as a liberator. Because, who wants to live under the General dictator's regime? Let Blaize get in, let Blaize take the fall when certain foul evidence is released, then kick Blaize back out."

"But Blaize isn't a horrible man. He may be arrogant, and selfish, but he doesn't deserve that!"

"Now do you believe me, that your husband is evil?"

"I did already, but this is… Blaize is just a man, it's disgusting to abuse a person who served with hardly a question, pushed the Sunfury to sacrifice in Kael'thas' name? It's too much."

Arthas crossed his arms. Zabran unchained Magnus and forced him to his feet. "You do what the Lich King tell you to."

"Saturna, what happens at the end of every fairy story? What does the princess get?"

She banished fear. "I… I live happily ever after."

"Good. But your fairy godmother has to do a little work first, doesn't he? I think… you know what to wish for. Magnus, you unmade her. Get ready to clean up your own mess. Saturna, go on."

She wiped her eyes. "I… I wish for you to put me back."

Arthas clawed the top of Magnus' skull, made him pay attention. "Back to what, Saturna?"

Her heart raced. She pulled at her hair, looked up at the crystalline ceiling. Icicles dripping and freezing again to get narrow and sharp like so many hanging daggers. "Back to… I don't want to be… that is, I've tried to stay away from Kael'thas, but I can't because of what you did to me…"

Magnus breathed harder.

"But Arthas says you can fix it so that… so that I don't feel that way anymore. And that's what I want. With all my heart, I want to be free of this terrible man." She opened her mouth and pearly teeth parted quivering lips. "My husband… he has always been a villain and evil. Even when I tried to save him, Magnus, for the good of our order, he wouldn't stay saved. He fooled all of us."

And then Kael'thas could be heard yelling, from outside the chamber. The sounds of fighting carried with it.

"Just in time." Arthas smiled.

Sylvanas Windrunner appeared in the doorway, and let fly an arrow. Her sister Vereesa came at Arthas with sword raised. Arthas was laughing wildly until he saw those two. Jaina Proudmoore blinked into the room and stood beside him, frowning.

"Kael'thas, somehow, you got the whole Kirin'Tor to support you… why do YOU deserve all this? Jaina, I thought you were going to bring him straight here."

Jaina apologized to her Master.

Kael'thas entered the room last, and summoned Illidan. Mavia and Fennore flanked him and conjured foul magic.

Kael'thas explained, "I was in a disguise at the time. But the Windrunner sisters were very grateful to be reunited, so they weren't too upset when they learned the truth. And they both wanted a bone to pick with you, especially, when you weren't expecting an assassination attempt. Saturna, come."

Saturna stood, wringing her hands.

Arthas chewed a thumbnail, looking from her and back to Kael'thas. Meanwhile, Zabran was busy trying to keep Arthas from being pummeled by all the angry people in the room. Impressive and capable Deathknight!

Fennore was worried. "Mother Whiteblade, are you under some spell? Get away from Arthas!"

"No… I don't want this life."

Kael'thas heard it. His long ears twitched.

"Magnus, I do not wish to be a fangirl anymore!"

ARTHAS HAS EARNED THE ACHIEVEMENT: SCREW OVER ALL OF MY FRIENDS.

There was shouting all around, scuffling and confusion. Arthas grabbed Jaina in a romantic sweeping off her feet and asked her if they could 'Log Out together.'

"Saturna, don't do it—How can you do something like this to me, when we still love one another? Magnus, don't you dare obey. I own you, remember? Your only role in this was to deliver Blaize and Celestia to Silvermoon."

"What the—I don't work for you. I work for a powerful sorcerer with a secret identity who knew all of Blaize's weaknesses and promised that he would help me achieve my goals to overthrow the Silvermoon government… Oh."

Kael'thas had even set up the wayward member of the Blood Nexus. Up until now, Magnus had not even realized who he was really working for.

"Oh no, Kael'thas, it's too late to get the Douchebag of Azeroth title." Arthas warned. "Life's just a game, I figured that out before anyone else, which means… Server first, over here!" a fist pump. Arthas held Jaina round the waist in one roguish arm, and pointed the other, with Frostmourne at Magnus' throat. "Do as Saturna says."

Kael'thas' face contorted with frustration at all the sense this didn't make.

Magnus raised hands overhead, and released his spell. Saturna clutched her stomach and fell to her knees.

"Arthas, what did you do to her?!"

He laughed as Jaina held onto him. They both began to fade.

"The only way to win the Game is to stop playing it. Got boring after a while, practically sucking my soul, and it didn't do to play by their rules any more. Why linger here and suffer any longer? I've gained every level, completed every quest. When you see life like that, as something you can master and overcome, then it is possible to quit all this and start over. And, if I was going to leave, then why not just go out with a bang?"

Jaina's eyes sparkled. "I just adore this man. He found a way for us to be together, finally. Just pick up and leave all those who judged us and said he'd broken too many rules. Kael'thas, you may have had a clever plan, but Arthas had the best one. And this suits me just fine."

Jaina has gone offline.

Arthas has gone offline.

Kael'thas ran to help Saturna, but she slapped his hand away.

"You can stop pretending, that jabbering fool is gone and he can't hurt you or anyone else."

But Saturna wasn't pretending. He watched as her blue aura dissipated, her face flushed with life. Mortal flesh solidifying and returning again. Magnus had really done it. Everything he knew to be real was unraveling.

Illidan said, "I always knew I never liked that stupid, stupid woman."

To be Continued…

Author's Note:

If this is confusing and rushed (whyever am I sitting here, pretending that it couldn't be?), then it's because I already have 10 chapters of another installment already set to go. MLFMP4: Fall of Quel'thalas takes place in the future and I wanted to set the scene, and fast. Why has everything been so wild and crazy lately? Well, it was very hard to find a story I actually wanted to tell—I got tired of this one. I'm still eager to end this series in a way I feel really good about, though. Guess third time's the charm!

So, what happens when Saturna gets her wish to have never been a fangirl at all? Fall of Quel'thalas is a mystery that will eventually answer that question.