It took me more than a few days for me to get over what had happened. I was vehemently opposed to going to Quel'Thalas, and even more opposed to being alone in the same room with Sylvanas.

She didn't feel guilty at all about what she had done to me, and I supposed that I could have forgiven her for imprisoning me had she not made it quite so dramatic.

Felicity was a great help to me in the two weeks that followed my altercation with Sylvanas. She went with me everywhere so that I wasn't alone too long and didn't disappear when Sylvanas walked into a room we happened to be in.

But she did tell me that I was making a mistake.

"The Dark Lady really wants you to go to Quel'Thalas, Faith. You have to. It's not doing her a favor, it's helping your people. We would have already been there had you consented to go when she first asked you to."

I started to say that she had no idea what I was going through, but realized that I couldn't keep saying that to people. "I just don't think I can face everything again."

"Don't you face it every day, though?" she asked me. "When you see us? When you see her?"

"Yes, but I don't relive it every day, you know what I mean?"

She shrugged at me, "We do. We relive what happened to us every single day. We were dead, then all of a sudden, we weren't, either because of the Lich King, or because of Sylvanas. Just this morning, I remembered what it had been like. I'd been one of the few survivors after the first wave hit. I was the only one left alive from my family, along with my uncle. And just like that, the Scourge hit our camp. There were sixty of us living there, and they slaughtered us like animals. I was one of the first ones who was raised. My uncle was still dying when I came back."

I contemplated that horror in silence.

"Don't you want to avenge your people and destroy the Scourge that's still in your home? I thought that's why you were here, to kill the Scourge. That's all Sylvanas is asking you to do."

"I'm not being selfish," I said. I wanted to cry again, as I'd been doing so often lately.

"No, of course you're not being selfish. You're trying to protect yourself, and I understand that. But think of the people who need your help."

I looked at her, her eyes blacker than night, her cracked paper gray skin that hung off of her in places and had been torn away in others. To know that I was friends with such a creature would have been repugnant to me a long time ago. "Sylvanas put you up to this, didn't she?"

She smiled as much as her mouth would allow, "She asked me to talk to you, because she knew that you wouldn't listen to her. But I do believe in what we're supposed to do over there. Don't think about it as doing Sylvanas a favor. Think of it as helping the people who were left behind to fend for themselves after their homeland was destroyed."

I couldn't leave my people alone. If I had the means to help them, I had to. And I knew I had to. I sighed. "Fine. I'll go."

"That's good, Faith! I'll go tell the Dark Lady now."

"No, Felicity. I'll tell her. I know she'll gloat, and she'll probably have a word or two for me, but I'll talk to her myself. And you'll come with me."

"Of course, I'd be honored to."

I nodded and went to find Sylvanas, who was in her office. She was reading over what appeared to be a report, and glanced up when I knocked at her door. Her face registered no emotion as she saw me.

"You've made up your mind to go," she said.

"Yes. But know this. I'm not doing it for you."

"I don't care what you're doing it for, as long as you do it." She put her report down, "Who are you taking with you?"

"What did you promise Lor'themar?"

"Just you."

"Then I guess I'll take Felicity and another nineteen people from the First Magi Corps. I can send for more once we're established there."

"Will you come back afterwards?"

"I don't know, Sylvanas. Should I? Is there anything you and I still have to say to each other?" I hadn't told her that I loved her in two weeks, having broken one of the many promises I'd made to myself. I'd heard that she had been a lot more irritable with others since we'd fought. "Are you going to want me to come back?"

"I'm asking you want you want to do."

"You could just issue another order compelling me to do whatever you want, regardless of my feelings. You were good at doing that in life, and I guess that hasn't changed. If you want me back, you know where to find me, assuming I decide to stay in Quel'Thalas. I could stay in Silvermoon, or maybe live in Fairbreeze Village, what do you think?"

She didn't rise to the bait, "Just let me know what you've decided, and I'll base my decisions on that. When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

If she was surprised by my words, she didn't show it. "Will you be ready on time?"

"I'm going to Silvermoon, not to the Plaguelands. I can pack minimally, and if I'm not mistaken, you've had a ship ready to go ever since you decided to send me there."

She nodded, "You'd best be off then."

We left the following day. Neither Sylvanas or I attempted to seek each other out to say goodbye. I didn't like being so angry with her. It hurt me, no matter what I told people. Yes, the Sylvanas I'd known and loved had died. But part of her was still inside the Sylvanas who ruled Undercity. She remembered everything she had lived through and everything she had felt. She just didn't really care as much as she had before.

The seas were calm as we set out. Me, I felt a wreck. I was seasick for the first time in a long time and spent most of the voyage in bed. Except that it wasn't seasickness. Prince, who was making the voyage along with several skeletal horses, was acting funny as well, neighing and stamping as we got closer and closer to the Port of Silvermoon.

"You really didn't want to go back," said Felicity to me. Already, we could see the Quel'Thalas coastline, and I felt something stir within me that was both good and dismaying.

"I'm about to relive my worst nightmare," I said to her. "And I don't want to."

"You're not alone, Faith, I promise."

And yet, I was. I had to face my nightmares alone. I had already survived them, so the memory of them shouldn't have been overwhelming. In theory.

The Port of Silvermoon had been rebuilt on Sunstrider Isle. It was large, with two grand ships currently anchored there, and another one patrolling the waters between the mainland and the island of Quel'Danas.

A delegation of elves was waiting for us when we approached. Between them, I saw Lor'themar Theron, and Halduron Brightwing, whom I'd met a couple of times and who was now Ranger-General of Silvermoon.

"Faith Everstone," said Lor'themar, as I stepped off the ship, leading a reluctant Prince by the bridle. "I can't say I was surprised when Lady Sylvanas wrote to me to tell me that you were coming."

I smiled a little, going to him to greet him formally, but he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug that lifted me off the ground.

"You saved my life, you know," he said. "I wouldn't have made it out of there if you hadn't come to me."

I shook my head, "Anybody would have done it."

"But you're the one who took the initiative to go to Quel'Danas to see whether you could rescue anybody," said Halduron, squeezing my shoulder. "Welcome home, Faith."

"Thank you, General," I told him. It felt unbelievably weird to give that title to someone who wasn't Sylvanas. "I'd say that it's good to be back, but I haven't been here since everything fell apart."

He smiled sadly, "I understand. But you'll find that we've rebuilt Silvermoon quite well after what happened to it, for the most part. The western part of it is still in ruins, but the rest is bustling with activity. You'll see."

I gave a nod before introducing the members of the magi corps who were with me.

"Welcome to Eversong Woods," said Lor'themar. "Were… were any of you here before?"

Several of them shifted uncomfortably, "We didn't have any control over what we were doing," said one of them, a male who had been older when he had been raised.

"We know, Jasper," I told him.

"Still. We –."

"You were fodder for the Scourge army," said Halduron. "We don't hold your actions against you. You broke free from the Scourge and, from what I understand, you've been working against it ever since, isn't that right?"

The Forsaken nodded.

"Well then, you are more than welcome here. Come, we have some accommodations for you within the city. We'll have to go through the Dead Scar to get to Silvermoon itself, but it's not bad if we stick to the wall."

"The Dead Scar?" I asked.

Lor'themar looked at me, "Do you remember when the Scourge invaded?"

"With every breath I take," I replied. "What of it?"

"You saw how they left a trail of blackened land wherever they walked?"

"Of course." It had been horrible. The land had died under the Scourge's feet.

"Nothing's grown there since, so we call it the Dead Scar. It's quite fitting, considering the fact that the Scourge walks up and down it, from Silvermoon to Deatholme."

I felt nauseated. "I suppose you clear them out regularly?"

"Yes, but more come every day, which is why we're in desperate need of help."

"And they don't just stick to the Scar," said another ranger, "I once found a group of them near Farstrider Retreat."

"It's worse in the Ghostlands, though. Southern Quel'Thalas isn't what it used to be at all. They're everywhere, from Suncrown Village down to Windrunner Spire."

I ran a hand over my eyes, "One thing at a time, please."

"Let's get you all to Silvermoon first, then we can discuss the situation," said Lor'themar.

"Thank you, that would be great," I replied.

I had only been to Sunstrider Isle once in my life to visit some friends of my parents. I had no idea if they were still alive, but I looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. Yet, I knew the Scourge had hit everything in Quel'Thalas.

"Did the Sunfeather family survive, do you know?" I wondered.

"Their son Caenor is one of my rangers now," said Halduron. "His father survived as well, but that's all, I'm afraid."

"Nobody got out of this unscathed," I whispered.

"Some families were hit harder than others. You lost how many people?"

"In my family?" I asked. "fourteen people, including my brother-in-law. Fifteen, if you count the fact that my cousin was pregnant when she died."

"And you're the last one left, correct?"

"Yes."

"Everstone Village was completely wiped off the map when the Scourge invaded, and you were the only survivor. I think that the Windrunner family was hit worse than yours was, because they were more numerous. Then there's the fact that Sylvanas was turned into a banshee."

"That was the real tragedy of it, wasn't it?" I asked. "It would have been bad enough for her to die, but for her to be turned was something none of us saw coming, except maybe for her."

We were quiet for a while. I rode on Prince, the Forsaken on their horses, and the others on beautiful hawkstriders. I smiled briefly, a memory tickling the back of my mind, of watching hawkstriders races on a day Sylvanas had come for a surprise visit.

We left Sunstrider Isle, arriving in Dawning Lane. Around us, the city that had formerly been a part of Silvermoon lay in ruins. Here and there, we saw creatures that walked upright and almost looked like Forsaken elves.

"I've heard of the Wretched," I said. "Are they a threat?"

"Not as such, no. We can generally take care of them, although they've been known in great numbers, to suck a mage dry of arcane magic. They're a nuisance more than anything."

It was sad. Elves corrupted by arcane magic so much so that their appearance had changed them into almost unrecognizable creatures.

"Nothing can be done to recover them?"

Halduron shook his head, "We've tried."

We reached Falconwing Square, which had been a small center of activity before the fall of the city. Now, there weren't many people living there, except for some guards who watched over travelers who came from the island, and who kept the Wretched at bay.

One of them came forward, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

"Pardon me, miss," he said. "But are you Taegan Everstone's sister?"

I snapped my neck so hard to look at him that it was sore the next day, nearly falling off of Prince. "Yes." I glanced at Halduron, "Wait, is my brother alive? How?"

Before Halduron could say anything, the guard quickly waved his hand, "Oh, no, no, miss, I'm sorry, I… I didn't want to give you that impression." His cheeks colored, "It's just… I knew him well. We were good friends."

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded, "I'm glad you were."

"I was so sorry to hear about your family."

"Thank you," I said. "I hope you fared better than I did."

"Yes, miss. My whole family survived because we lived on the coast. We were able to get on our boat and leave when things got bad."

"That's very good." My smile, I knew, didn't reach my eyes, "Farewell, soldier. And good luck."

We kept riding. Felicity rode next to me, looking at me with some concern, "Are you all right, Faith?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks. That was just a bit… unexpected."

"You might find a few people who remember your family, Faith. They'll be glad to see you."

I wish I could have said the same. Seeing the trees as we left Falconwing Square reminded me so strongly of the past that I almost couldn't breathe. One memory after another assailed me. Sylvanas and I riding together on Prince, with her behind me. Fishing with my brothers at the small river that had coursed a little outside the village.

Sylvanas and I kissing each other goodbye.

One tear fell from my eye, then another one. I cleared my throat and wiped at my cheek quickly, not wanting anybody to see that.

The trees began to thin, and a faint smell of decay reached my nose. Prince's ears flattened themselves on his head.

He remembered too.

I stroked his neck, but far from calming down, he became more nervous as we got nearer to a desolate area. Suddenly, he reared, and I was nearly unseated.

"Steady, baby… steady!" I wrapped my arms around his neck as he reared again, neighing in terror.

The source of his fear became apparent less than a minute later. Several ghouls appeared, snarling and staring at us as though we were dinner. They were followed by two skeletons, clothed in robes that had fallen apart in most places.

I hopped off Prince and immediately began casting my black fire at the fiends, while some of the rangers engaged a couple of ghouls in hand-to-hand combat. Next to me, Felicity and Jasper were fighting as well.

We dispatched the undead quickly, burning the corpses where they were. There wasn't anything different about killing the Scourge here and killing the fiends in Tirisfal Glades except for one thing. I'd grown up in this part of the world. To fight the Scourge here brought back horrors that I would have rather kept buried.

In the back of my mind, I heard Arthas taunting Sylvanas again. I saw gargoyles descending from the sky and killing rangers right in front of us before we'd even managed to cast a spell or fire an arrow to take them down.

I went back to Prince, climbing back on top of him. "Should we hurry in case they attack again?"

"It's never a good idea to linger this close to the Scar. Even animals avoid it," said Halduron. He raised his voice, "Let's go! And stay close to the wall!"

We rode, fast. The Dead Scar flashed before me, a wide expanse of dead earth that crumbled as we galloped across it. I could swear I saw a skull or two staring up at me from the ground. Two dozen rangers stood guard in the middle of the Scar next to the wall. They watched us pass with grim looks on their faces.

"It's the Scar Guard," called Halduron to us. "Rangers who volunteers for Scar duty. They rotate every five hours to make sure that no Scourge infiltrates the city."

He began to slow down, and we followed suit. Prince's panic seemed to have subsided, and he bent his head down, beginning to graze on the soft green grass that was now all around us.

"My cousin's kids are always making bets to see who can get closest to the Dead Scar without running away," said one of the rangers. "They say it's fun, and gives them a good scare."

I nudged Prince to a trot, "You should teach them that the Scourge is nothing to be taken lightly," I told him. "Take them close to that someday, and see what they think when they see ghouls and skeletons marching towards them. With any luck, they'll see a lich."

"Oh, you won't see a Lich in Eversong Woods, Faith," said Lor'themar. "Although there are a few in the Ghostlands we haven't been able to kill."

"A few?" I cried.

"Well, two that we know of, although I'm sure there's another one we haven't found."

I stared at him, "Have you told Sylvanas this?" I asked him.

"I don't think she would have sent you if I had. I didn't mean to deceive her."

"You misunderstand me, Lord Theron. Sylvanas would have come here herself if she'd known that there were Liches still left in Southern Quel'Thalas."

I felt more than a little sick by the time we reached the Shepherd's Gate, the entrance to Silvermoon City. The area there was absolutely beautiful, filled with vibrant blooming flowers and trees that seemed to grow to an impossible height. Looking at them, it seemed impossible that just a couple of miles away lay the Scourge, still shambling about.

"Welcome, everyone, to Silvermoon City," said Lor'themar. "Home of the Blood Elves and the magical center of Quel'Thalas."

We passed through the gates, every single guard first bowing to Lor'themar, then saluting Halduron. I recognized one of them as the guard I'd given the little girl to as we'd fled to the ships. He seemed to recognize me too, because he stared at me as though I were a ghost.

"We've put you all at the Wayfarer's Rest Inn, one of the best inns in the city."

"Are you sure they don't mind having us in the inn?" asked Felicity immediately. "I mean, we are undead."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. We've had to come up with several magics in order to clean some of the mess Arthas and his Scourge left behind. It won't be a problem. Faith, you'll stay with us at Sunfury Spire."

"It's okay, I don't mind staying at the inn. I don't want to be treated any differently than the rest of the corps."

"I understand that, but it's not because you're an elf that I'm treating you differently, it's because you're a friend."

I knew I couldn't refuse, but I still felt uneasy as I watched the Forsaken go into the inn on their own while I went to Sunfury Spire with Lor'themar and the others. But I was tired after the long journey, and while I knew that I wouldn't get any rest because my nightmares would keep me awake, all I wanted to do was sleep.

"I've set aside a room for you next to Halduron's. There's running water, so you'll be able to draw yourself a bath and get changed before dinner."

"Thank you, Lor'themar," I told him. "You have no idea how weird it is to be back here after all this time.

"Yeah. I figured it would be difficult for you. When did you get to Undercity?"

"As soon as I found out that Sylvanas had broken free from the Scourge, I knew I had to go looking for her."

"And you won't leave her." It wasn't a question.

Despite my current differences with Sylvanas, there was no way that I would ever be able to leave her. She felt like an addiction I couldn't shake, someone I had to be with as much as possible. Even when I fought with her, I craved being with her.

"It sounds crazy, I know. But I can't. You know why, Lor'themar. You knew me before all this happened."

"And I knew her. She spoke of you on occasion when we were alone, and I could tell she was holding back. She loved you so much, but I guess you figured that out."

"She died to save me. There's no better proof than that, I guess."

"I'd say that qualifies as the ultimate act of love," said Halduron. "I wish I had someone who loved me like that."

"You're the Ranger-General. How do you not have women falling at your feet?"

"Have you smelled my feet at the end of a day's work? The women fall all right, but not for the reason you think."

I let out a surprised laugh, "Oh, honestly!"

He grinned at me, "Honestly, I've had a few girlfriends here and there, but nobody really serious. It's not the kind of love we're talking about here."

We dismounted from our horses, guards coming to take them from us.

"Don't worry, they'll take good care of Prince," said Lor'themar. "Getting back to love, it's not easy to find the kind you have with Sylvanas."

"Had," I told him. "She's the banshee queen now, it's kind of hard to have a relationship with someone who's undead."

"Are you sure about that?" He pushed a door open, gesturing to the a figure that was seated on a plush velvet couch.

Sylvanas.