His Perfect Queen; an Arthas Menethil Love Story
Name: His Perfect Queen
Author: HollyEmpire00
Rating: T (may change to M as the story progresses)
Summary: As his army prepares for war, Arthas must fight his own battle. With his heart, a lady and his destiny. Arthas/OC, angst! Reviews wanted!
Warning: Rated T for language (not so much), blood, some gore, character death, and overall theme. Warcraft Themes~!
Disclaimer: I do not own World of Warcraft, Warcraft3 Reign of Chaos or Warcraft3 Frozen Throne (obviously~ If I did, I'd be like…supermegafoxyawesome rich!) . You think I'd be writing this if I did? No! Anyway, they belong to Blizzard Entertainment, the gods of MMORPG's. All of the things you don't know are mine, so characters, creatures, abilities, lands and places and buildings you don't know about are all mine~! =]
Thank you all so much for choosing to read this story, I really appreciate it. Reviews are welcome, flames are not (unless they're constructive), and I want feedback please!
HOLLY: 17/02/12: Updates will be every week for this story at the moment until further notice, thank you for all your patience, bear with me, I'm having a little internet trouble at the moment. Thank you all for your support! Also, my other stories will be updated every two or three weeks :P
HISPERFECTQUEEN
Chapter 2; The Cold Sun…
As light streamed down through the thick, grey cloud cover over the Icecrown Glacier, the Lich King sat and waited. What he was waiting for, he did not know. He'd realised soon after the demon hunter, Illidan, had been slain that his body would be taken and he would be resurrected. After all, the prince of the fallen kingdom of Quel'Thalas was among them, and with him the remains of their once proud order. That meant that he would soon be healed. Also, the wretched naga, with their dark elf heritage would also have great healers among their sea witches. But no matter; Illidan wouldn't dare attempt to try and overthrow him so soon after his defeat, no, he would retreat and gather his forces.
The air atop the mountain-like glacier was bitter cold and harsh, but he felt nothing. He was Undead to the core; there was no mortal feeling left in his body. He was but an entity with a shared conscience, a joining between man and immortal; between Arthas and Ner'zhul. Between the two of them, Arthas was the dominance. He demanded power, and he got it. While the two were together, one being, they were still…separate in a way.
'This place…' Arthas thought, his icy blue eyes surveying the land and sea below. 'At first it seemed…damned. But now it seems so…'
'…quiet?' Ner'zhul commented, his wispy voice echoing through their mind. 'It's somewhat peaceful, isn't it?'
'Yes,' Arthas was quite surprised at the answer. It was true. For all of Northrend's icy ferocity, when all was said and done, it was calm and rather beautiful. The wind whistled through the hair hanging over his shoulders and he let out a breath, the air clouding in front of him.
They had been seated upon the Frozen Throne for many days now. Arthas had lost count of how many times night had fallen over Northrend, only to disappear when the sun rose and shone through the clouds with its white rays. Arthas could see the bright light shining down upon him, but he could not feel it. 'The sun may be bright here, but it is not warm,' he mused, 'that is strange.'
'The sun here shines brighter than it does in anywhere else, but the deep cold that this place emits does not allow the heat to reach us. So, I suppose the sun does not bother to try and warm this place, and in exchange for heat, sends more light. The extra heat is probably sent to other places. Like Azeroth, for example.' Ner'zhul replied, his tone thoughtful.
Arthas chuckled. 'That would explain the harsh summers we used to have in Lordaeron.'
Small flakes of snow fell from the sky, landing over the ancient stone platform that had been built into the glacier. A single, perfect snowflake landed on Arthas' hand and he lifted it to his face, looking through his helm with those cold eyes to admire it. 'It's beautiful…how is it that something so small and perfect can exist in such a place?'
In the back of his mind he could sense Ner'zhul's amusement. 'Even in the most desolate of places, the most incredible flower can bloom, Arthas.' He spoke astutely, his ancient voice layered with wisdom. 'Such as here, in a place where the snow and ice rule over the delicate balance of life could there be such a perfect, delicate phenomenon such as the snowflake in your hand.'
Arthas snorted in amusement. Of course he'd say something like that. Arthas closed his fist around the snowflake, and it flattened immediately into a small pile of snow. When he opened his hand, it joined the rest of the snow at his feet, He breathed out heavily. 'Why are we still here, master? We have conquered the parts of Northrend that were taken from you, defeated all of the enemy forces and have done nothing since. I may have left Anub'arak in charge of the Scourge down below, but I'm anxious to get back to my men.'
'Ah,' the ancient spirit smiled in the back of his mind, 'you wish to travel back to Azeroth… to regain Lordaeron as soon as possible…am I right?'
Arthas didn't even have to admit the truth; Ner'zhul already knew that he was right. Their shared consciousness prevented them from keeping their feelings hidden. 'While my father was a corrupted fool, it does not feel right to have his kingdom in the hands of that banshee and the legion's pets.' He spat bitterly.
'…the dreadlords do not have any claim over the Plaguelands any longer, Arthas.' Ner'zhul told him softly, 'While you were fighting your way through the underground kingdom of the arachnids, Sylvanas Windrunner, the banshee you speak of, was overthrowing the dreadlords and usurping the throne of what was once Lordaeron. The dreadlords are no more. She is now the queen of the Plaguelands.'
'What!' Arthas yelled. His rage was building. 'How dare she take Lordaeron for her own? What could that witch be up to! I cannot believe I used to regard her as any friend of mine! She shall pay for this! Lordaeron is mine and mine alone!'
'Patience, young one.' Ner'zhul warned; his voice firm. 'Kel'Thuzad is gathering the forces from the fallen and is building a resistance against Sylvanas. The others that were scattered over Azeroth are joining him. We shall regain Lordaeron soon, child, but there is much we must do before that.'
There was momentary silence in their shared mind, and Arthas felt the truth in his words. His master was right. They could regain Lordaeron soon enough, but… 'Master, what must we do?' the prince asked curiously. What was left to be done? Arthas could think of nothing that was left unattended. The forces in Azeroth were led by Kel'Thuzad, and were gathering together. The forces here in Northrend were being overseen by Anub'arak and his followers. Illidan and his forces had been neutralised for the moment and the rest of his bases on the island eliminated. Any survivors found were slaughtered. There was nothing else.
The spirit of Ner'zhul smiled, slipping forward in their conjoined mind, his shadowy hand reaching out to his knight. 'We must travel east, young prince…to the eastern kingdom beyond Azeroth…Elemire…'
'Elemire?' Arthas asked incredulously. 'I remember…when I was young my father sent out an expedition to find the land of Elemire, and they returned not three years ago. They came back with many things from their trades, but they claimed that there was no use in returning. They had given them all they ever would. It's said they're-'
'Completely neutral, yes.' Ner'zhul cut off the young prince. 'They are, young one. They have several…ideals that, years ago, I would have found quite admirable. Given the times, however, I believe they are…rather tedious to maintain.'
Arthas thought for a moment. 'What…kind of ideals do you speak of?' he asked tentatively. He wasn't sure what to expect.
Ner'zhul chuckled dryly. 'They have sworn never to interfere in the affairs or conflicts of any other land, and to be entirely neutral in all campaigns. They also have sworn never to war with any other continent. They won't fight anyone, but they still maintain complete military forces…and they won't side with anyone, preferring to keep to themselves and their own affairs.' Arthas was confused at this notion. Why would this be a tedious thing to maintain? If a nation was completely at peace and would not fight alongside any nation, what would be the-
-Suddenly, he realised.
'Ah, so that's how it is. As they haven't fought alongside anyone, or fought at all, maintaining their military forces to full capacity must be difficult when everyone expects there to be peace forever. That is rather tedious.' Arthas smirked inwardly.
'No, Arthas, that's not it.' His other half told him softly, his tone layered with amusement. 'Although that is quite a valid point.' Ner'zhul suddenly felt Arthas' confusion. He didn't know what else could possibly be wrong with this…
'It's quite simple really,' Ner'zhul commented lightly, 'I just believe that it would be difficult not to become involved with the conflicts of other nations. If they ever were to be attacked, they would be obligated to fight purely for defence purposes, but they could not go to war because of their ideals. They have always maintained that if attacked, they will simply strive for peace, and fight in order to protect themselves until it occurs; never fighting back. Also, being a completely self-sufficient nation, they do not necessarily need to trade. Elemire is a fairly large continent, and trading between national areas is common. Occasionally they trade their finery with some parts of northern Azeroth, but other than that they do not have anything to do with us.
'This is strange because Elemire does not have the variety of grain and livestock that Azeroth does, and if they were going to be maintaining full military forces, it's easy to assume that they would need some kind of external force to support them with supplies. This, however, is not the case in their minds. To them, they can develop perfectly fine on their own. Even after numerous attempts by both Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron for a union of allegiance, they have blatantly refused every offer, even though it would mean a huge expansion in imports, exports and knowledge. I believe it's a waste of time resisting change. Their ideals are simply not up with the times of the day.'
Arthas was quite surprised at his lord's answer, as well as his obviously widely ranged knowledge on the subject, although it all made perfect sense to him. It is easy for a nation to say that they will only fight in defence of themselves and that they are completely peaceful, but there will always be those who wish to seek the knowledge and produce, and even though they say that they do not need the change that comes with trade, it would be difficult for the land's ruler to put off the eventual need for more. Arthas smirked in realisation.
'Mortals are greedy, murderous beings,' Arthas began, 'they constantly desire more than they truly need. As Elemire is self-sufficient, everything moves in circles, and their own advancements must come all too eagerly for those who desire change. There are always some who would wonder what it would be like to know the knowledge that other nations have, to share their creations with other places. If this were to start, if trading were to suddenly flare up, then the people of Elemire would begin to demand more and more, their greed being too much for them after so long being self-sufficient. They would demand more contact with other lands in order to gain more, be it knowledge, advancements, magic, supplies or whatever else they may want. Also, it could lead to other kingdoms taking advantage of its exports, whether it be weaponry or supplies, and in war it would be all too easy to manipulate a kingdom that is so far away into sending more support supplies. And, if the enemy were to get wind of this, it would lead them to attack Elemire, as it would be an 'ally' of another nation, thereby rendering its ideals faulty.'
'Very good, young prince.' Ner'zhul was pleased with his vessel. He truly was an intelligent one. 'That is why they are self-sufficient, and why they do trade, but only every few years and only things that are beneficial to their nation, only things that are similar to their own developments.' The Undead lord chuckled. 'The king has a great influence over his people if he can keep the land in constant peace.'
There was silence between them for a moment. The Lich King slowly breathed out in the cold air, his breath fanning out before him in a fog. Arthas took this small silence as the opportunity to think on what he'd just been told. Why was Ner'zhul telling him this? Did he need to know the politics of this place? What was so significant about Elemire? Perhaps it was to gain more troops from a land completely untouched by the Undead. Or it may be to infiltrate their capital and take have a banshee take control of their king, or kill him and have a necromancer raise him from the dead. Whatever it was, he wasn't sure.
'The best thing to do when you are unsure is to ask, Arthas,' Ner'zhul was still amused. Everything about this boy amused him, he was good company after many years of being stuck inside of an icy prison.
Arthas breathed out heavily through his nose, the air freezing and fogging before him. 'Master, why are you telling me this?'
Ner'zhul breathed out slowly before he spoke. 'We are travelling to a foreign land. I thought it would be good for you to know the basics of their everyday politics and lifestyle.'
'And why are we going to Elemire? For power? For reinforcements before we head for Lordaeron? Or is it for something else, are we after something else entirely?' When Ner'zhul was silent, Arthas knew he had guessed right. 'What are we after master? Is it some sort of artefact, or jewel, or we-'
'Yes, Arthas, it is a jewel.' The Lich replied, his voice calm and serious. 'In Elemire, we will find a jewel, one like no other. It is said that it is unimaginable to any that have not seen it, and we will need it if we wish to conquer Lordaeron again.'
'A jewel?' Asked the prince a little curiously, 'What jewel do we seek?'
'Like I have told you, the jewel is like no other. We will find it in the capital city of Hervana,' Ner'zhul spoke with a hint of something that Arthas couldn't quite place. 'There we will find the Jewel of Elemire.'
HISPERFECTQUEEN
17/02/12
HOLLY: Please read and review! Love you all~! The next chapter will be up sometime next week!
EDITED: 31/01/13
EDITED 29/02/13- added better page breaks!