The next day dawned bright and cold. We left at first light, although Rotvine and Eliza insisted on my staying behind. I wouldn't hear of it, and rode at the front of the column, Hamu by my side.

"I don't think you understand just how badly Sylvanas will kill us if anything happens to you," said Eliza.

"Nothing's going to happen to me. Why does everyone think that something's going to happen to me?" I was getting thoroughly frustrated with this. I understood Sylvanas' fears, but she had to let me do my job without trying to interfere all the time. Otherwise, what the hell was I doing there?

Talramas wasn't too far away from Taunka'le Village. We rode past mammoths so sick that they could barely walk in a straight line, stumbling in mad terror and colliding with each other, making the land tremble around them. Maybe we'd have time later to put them out of their misery.

"Scourge," said Rotvine quietly as we neared the fallen necropolis.

I had seen the risen dead. I didn't even give an order, I just charged, and everyone followed me. Lady's claws slashed through the fiends while I cast fire spell after fire spell, bringing down a dozen members of the Cult of the Damned at the same time before we made our way inside the fallen city.

The smell in there was unbearable, even with the spell I had put around myself for that purpose. The ghouls and other undead were busying themselves with nefarious deeds in a closed space, making it damn near impossible for any kind of fresh air to circulate. I gagged, bringing up my breakfast before I had even summoned the willpower to keep it down.

Hamu, looking a little ill himself, put his hand on my back to steady me, but I was already casting a fire spell, catching one of the ghouls, who gave a rattling wail as he went up in flames, colliding with several other undead and setting them on fire as well. We started moving through the necropolis, killing as we went, only stopping when we saw a couple of gnomes being held in cages.

"We're not here to rescue Alliance soldiers," said Rotvine to me.

"I sure as hell am not about to leave them here at the mercy of the Scourge," I snapped back. "Move to the back of the cage!" I cried to the gnomes.

They complied, covering their faces as I sent a bolt of arcane energy crackling towards the lock of the cage, neatly disintegrating it. The gnomes, both female, came limping out, looking at us warily.

"What are you going to do with us?" asked one of them in a tiny voice. She looked emaciated and very close to death. Her skin was deathly pale, and I could only guess at the torture she and her friend had been through.

I conjured some bread and water for them, "Take this, and get out of here if you can," I said.

"Are… are you here to rescue those tauren?"

I nodded.

"Nobody was able to rescue us. Everyone who was with us was killed."

"I'm sorry," I told her. "Now, go, both of you. Your area shouldn't be too far away." I had sincere doubts as to whether they'd be able to make it very far, but we couldn't do more for them. They quickly ate the bread and drank some water before they left us. I watched them for a spell, before turning back towards my soldiers, who were watching me with a mixture of amusement and disgust on their faces.

"They're Alliance."

I didn't answer that statement. "Keep going."

We found the tauren locked in cages just like the gnomes had been, except that their outcome had been different. My heart broke as I saw their lifeless bodies lying there, their wide eyes seeing unseeingly at the dark ceiling. They were already beginning to decompose, so I guessed that they had been dead a couple of days, at least.

Hamu made a broken sound in the back of his throat. "We are too late."

"They fought hard," said Rotvine. "Look at their hands."

I shook my head, "Damn them," I whispered, struggling against tears. I murmured a few words in Taur-ahe that belonged to the funerary rituals that I'd attended while living in Mulgore, and set all three bodies on fire. "The Sun guide you back to the Earth Mother, sons of Mulgore."

We left through another doorway killing more members of the Scourge as we went. I was angry now, and set about burning as much of the dead city as I possibly could. Nobody tried to stop me.

By the time we were on the way back to the village, the necropolis was a smoking ruin, and would certainly never fly again, no matter what kinds of magics the Cult of the Damned used on it. But we weren't done fighting the Scourge that day, not by a long shot. As we got to the village, we saw a huge wave of undead beginning to attack. We saw immediately that this was going to be the last attack the village would be able to endure. Already, several buildings had been set on fire.

"Let's go!" I cried.

We charged in, barely managing to get into the village through a breach in the wall. A haphazard evacuation was underway, but nobody seemed to know what to do.

"Organize them, Hamu. Make sure they get out of here!"

"Where do we take them?"

"Agmar's Hammer for now! Go!"

It was risky, I knew, because we were more than two days away from there, but there was nothing else we could do. I screamed out spells in every direction, feeling very confused as to what was going on. The Scourge was swarming in from all sides, nearly overwhelming us. The most I could do was create a wall of black fire to keep them from reaching us. They were coming around, but it was easier to fight them that way.

I heard people screaming and saw a taunka woman, the same one who had given me tea the previous night, being savaged right on some stairs. Blood, unbearably bright, poured from her throat and abdomen. Even as I killed the ghoul that had fastened itself to her, I knew she was dead, and so set both her and the fiend on fire.

I felled a couple of gargoyles who kept diving in and out of the fray, clawing at the taunka who were trying to bat them away. One of them fell on top of me and I was enveloped in its dry putrid scent. I coughed, dry-heaving on the spot as I pushed it away from me.

"Get out of here, everyone!" called Chieftain Wintergale from outside a nearby hut. "Go, just go! The village is lost!"

I pulled Lady to a halt in front of him, "Chieftain! Get to a mount!"

"No, Faith. I'm staying here. I have to defend the village."

"You're mad. They will kill and raise you, you know this!"

"I know. Faith, please… save my people. Get them to safety, I beg you."

I sent a bolt of black fire towards an oncoming Nerubian, "Come with us!"

"I can't. I'm old, Faith, I wouldn't survive that kind of journey. I was born here, I should stay. But you… you should go. Go now!"

My eyes were filling with tears as I remembered another evacuation I'd been a part of. For a second, past and present blurred together to form a horrific image that nearly ended me. I looked at the elderly chieftain closely, "Get to the black fire. If you're fatally hit, get to the fire and it will consume you before they can turn you." I murmured a spell on him, one that would speed up his death if he got to the wall of flames.

"Thank you, child. Now, please… go."

There was nothing else I could do. Giving a sob, I fled, making sure to get any remaining survivor evacuated with me. I set fire to everything, hoping to catch any dead body so that they couldn't be reanimated afterwards.

We reached the cover of the trees as we crossed into Dragonblight, chased by hundreds of snarling zombies. All of a sudden, we heard an explosion coming from behind us.

"The chieftain is dead," I whispered.

A taunka who was riding next to me gave me a look of pure anguish, but neither of us stopped. I kept sending black fire spells behind me, hoping to deter the Scourge, but they kept coming. For a full day, we rode through the frozen forests of Dragonblight, noticing how the creatures there were also afflicted with the Plague. The animals with us were getting tired, but with the Scourge on our heels, they didn't dare stop. I kept speaking to Lady in Thalassian, encouraging her along until, finally, we began to see banners of the Horde signifying that we were getting close to Agmar's Hammer.

In a whirlwind, we all passed through the heavy gates of the fortified settlement. I heard shouts to close the gates, and saw orcs climbing upon the ramparts, ready to fight if necessary. But no attack came. The Scourge had stopped chasing us for the time being.

I gave a groan and stumbled off Lady, who collapsed to the ground in sheer exhaustion, panting heavily. The journey, which should have taken at least two days, had been cut in half because of how quickly we'd been running.

"What in the name of the Horde happened here?" called a voice I recognized at Koltira's.

Haltingly, we explained what had happened, and several orcs swore under their breaths.

"It must have been some attack to force Blackfire to flee."

I looked up, seeing a large orc covered in wolf's furs, peering down at me. He offered me a big meaty hand and helped me to my feet, supporting me. "It was. I wouldn't ordinarily run from the Scourge, but… there must have been thousands of them. They must have emptied the entire city during the attack."

"There's no shame in running. Where's the chieftain of these people?"

I shook my head, "Chieftain Wintergale fought for his village until his dying breath. I made sure he had a fire to step into so that the Scourge wouldn't raise him as one of their own."

Some of the taunka were openly grieving, and the few tauren who were there tried to offer them some sort of comfort.

The orc looked at all of us, "Come inside. We can have some hot food for you all, and water and rest for your mounts. You can tell us everything that's happened."

"You are Overlord Agmar, I presume?" I asked him.

"That's right. Welcome to the Hammer, as we call it. The Scourge won't attack us here, we're too well protected."

"The bastards waited until we went on a rescue mission to strike at the village," I hissed. Although I privately doubted that we would have been able to do anything if we had remained at the village. The numbers had been far too great. I could still hear the terrified screaming in my ears, where it mingled with distant memories of the fall of Quel'Thalas. An image of my sister dead on the ground flashed through my mind, and I closed my eyes suddenly. I couldn't allow myself to feel fear.

I needed Sylvanas.

The inside of the hold the overlord took us into was warm and as cozy as it could be with the wind slipping through the hides that had been stretched over it. I accepted a bowl of hot grain and swallowed it, barely tasting what I was eating, which was good because I would have probably been unable to eat it otherwise.

"This is the second time I've allowed the Scourge to beat me," I said, feeling something akin to humiliation.

"You did good to run away. You know what they would have done to you, and I'm sure nobody would ever want you to become a member of the Scourge. Who knows how we would beat you."

"The same way we'll beat Arthas."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"I'm still working on it."

He gave a dark chuckle, "Make sure you work fast. We might be enduring the attacks here, but not everyone's been that lucky."

"I gathered that," I said quietly, sipping on some lukewarm ale. I got to my feet and walked over to where a map of Northrend was pinned to the wall, "We got rid of the Scourge in the fallen necropolis of Talramas here. But this area's still very active. As I said, they must have had over a thousand members attacking us that way. We didn't stand a chance against something like that. We need to go back there and finish it."

"Oh, I don't think you're going to be able to pass through that area for some time now. You've riled them up, and it's a fair bet that they've alerted the Scourge down in Azjol-Nerub by now."

"Azjol-Nerub," I repeated. The mere idea of that city terrified me. "There's a place I want to see in a hurry."

The overlord began to laugh, "Don't like spiders, do you? I'm not surprised. Most elves don't."

I glanced at him, wondering whether or not to be offended by his comment, but decided to let it go. I was too tired now to get into a battle over my arachnophobia.

After sleeping for ten hours, I felt better able to cope with everything that had happened over the past couple of days. We had a memorial service for the fallen chieftain and for everyone else that had been killed in the village. Surprisingly, I found that not one member of the First Magi Corps had perished, which I was happy about. I wrote to Sylvanas about it, praising the soldiers for their hard work. I wasn't being effusive, but felt really grateful to have had them at my side throughout this ordeal.

I got a reply back from her a few days later.

My dear Faith,

I heard about the evacuation of the village. I'm sorry you went through something like that. Do you want to come home for a few hours? I'll make sure to take care of you so that you can forget about it… until you have to go back anyway. In all seriousness, if you feel that you need a break from the front, come home. You know how much of a difference getting back from the lines can do for someone. I won't think any less of you, and neither will anybody else.

And I know you. I know you're going to feel bad about having needed to evacuate. Don't. Sometimes, it's the best thing we can do. Be proud of what you were able to do. Because I'm proud of you. Stay safe.

Your Sylvanas

My Sylvanas. Just seeing her handwriting gave me hope and strengthened my resolve. "I love you," I whispered to the letter. I closed my eyes and saw her suddenly, my love, my Ranger-General, as beautiful and golden as she had ever been.

I got up, put on the only other dress I had, since the pack kodo that had been carrying my stuff had been killed on the way, and went outside.

"You're going to freeze in that," said one of the orcs, looking at me as I huddled under my cloak.

I already was, "Unfortunately, there's nothing else I can wear for now. Most of our supplies stayed on the beast who died on the road. The only other thing I have to wear is my Argent Dawn tabard. I'll get some new clothes later."

"You won't last long in these lands without decent clothes, Captain." Overlord Agmar was staring at me.

I thought for a moment, "Look, why don't I make us a portal to Dalaran so that we can get some supplies? I'm sure you can use a few things here, like new blankets and more food."

"Dalaran pastries!" cried someone.

"Spices for the stews!"

"Something other than grain!"

I laughed.

"You have a good idea, Captain," said the overlord. "All right. I'll send ten people with you to Dalaran, as long as you come back before nightfall."

"Hang on. I can't just make a portal out of the blue. I need to prepare for this."

"How?"

"Maps. I need a detailed map of this area, or I might end up in Azjol-Nerub when I return, and I'd rather like to avoid that."

It took me twenty minutes to figure out exactly how I'd be able to make a return portal to Agmar's Hammer. I made sure to precisely calculate the coordinates that I needed, so that I wouldn't end up completely off-course. I could have asked the Dalaran mages for help, but I liked doing this on my own. Hamu would be coming with me to Dalaran, never having been there before, and so would nine orcs, who would be getting supplies for everyone.

A few minutes after that, we landed in the vibrant city, breathing in its fresh air, and needing to wait a while for our eyes to get accustomed to the brightness of it all.

"It's so… big," breathed Hamu. "And shiny."

"It's definitely a beautiful city," I told him.

"You know, you could steal over to Undercity for half an hour."

I smiled, "No. Last time I did that, it was even harder to leave her. I'd rather not run back to her every time I get scared or frustrated. I need to be able to do things without her."

"I suppose I should go home then."

I jumped out of my skin, a scream of complete surprise wrenched out of me. I turned around, my eyes wide, and there she was. My love. In Dalaran. How…

"What…" I looked at her. "How did…" I kept looking at her. Had she always been so tall? "Sylvanas."

A smile was playing at the corner of her lips, "It's handy having mages around," she said. "Especially when the leaders of the Horde and the Alliance call a summit to Dalaran to discuss the Scourge problem. I'm here until this evening."

Was she real? I had just seen her two weeks previously but… I reached out a hand to touch hers, and felt as though a current had gone through me. She took a step towards me.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

I nodded, even as I burst into tears. She put her arms around me, talking to me quietly. Soothing me.

"Come on, honey, you did everything you could to help them, and you helped the chieftain end his life so that he wouldn't be raised by the Scourge. You couldn't have asked for anything more than that."

"He shouldn't h-have had to… d-die!" I cried.

"He chose to stay, and died a hero's death. Come on, now, pull yourself together." She got me to stand up straight, wiping my eyes. She looked stricken, and I wondered if I looked that bad.

"I'm sorry. I'm crying a lot more lately. I have no idea why."

"The Scourge evokes a strong response in you, Captain. I think that if I'd gone through something like what you went through with them, I'd feel the same way. And you should always take the time to grieve for people you have lost, whether old friends or new."

It was Thrall, and at the sight of him, the orcs who had accompanied me, along with Hamu, stood at attention. I wiped my eyes further and did the same.

"So, you stand at attention for the Warchief, but not for me," said Sylvanas quietly. "I'll remember that."

I ignored her. "Warchief. It's a pleasure to see you."

"Likewise, Captain, although I wish the circumstances were different. Are you in Dalaran for anything specific?"

"Supplies," I answered. I took money from my pocket and handed it to Hamu, "Here, my brother. Get anything you might need for everyone. Fresh food, armor, weapons, whatever."

"New pillows?" asked one of the orcs hopefully.

Sylvanas hid a snort of laughter as a cough. I gently elbowed her.

"Yes, new pillows, if that's something that would make you more comfortable. Go ahead."

"Are you paying for all of that?"

"What else am I going to do with my money? Just go, we'll figure out the details later."

"Don't you need new clothes too?" Hamu asked me.

I just looked at him and he left, trying not to laugh. Sylvanas was in Dalaran. I wasn't about to waste my time shopping when I could spend precious minutes with her.

"That was generous of you, Captain. I'm sure Agmar's Hammer could have paid for the supplies," said Thrall, watching my brother going.

"We're at war. I don't mind contributing this way."

"What about you?" asked Sylvanas. "How come you need new clothes? You don't have enough?"

"I did, until the pack kodo that was carrying most of our supplies up and died on us during the evacuation. And before you freak out, they were just clothes, nothing else."

"It just fell over dead?" asked Thrall.

"Yeah. After five or six ghouls caught up to it and started eating it. Poor beast."

"So, you need clothes," said Sylvanas. "Go."

"Our meeting doesn't start for another hour," said Thrall, looking up at the sky in the most obvious manner possible. "I think you have time to do some shopping with her if you'd like."

I cleared my throat, blushing to the roots of my hair, "I… I think I can shop alone. She's got weird taste in clothes now that she's dead."

"Hey!" cried Sylvanas, playfully hitting me.

"Ouch!"

She smiled at me, and I grinned back. I felt better than I had in weeks. Thrall was still looking at the sky, but I could see a smile on his face as well. I wondered what was making him happy.

The smiles were wiped off our faces a second later, when an angry voice shouted Thrall's name.

I immediately tensed. The voice belonged to Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind, and he was looking murderous.

"What in the Light are your forces doing, decimating my forces in the Howling Fjord?!"

"Good morning to you too, Varian," said Thrall calmly. "What's going on?"

"Her forces at the Howling Fjord," he jabbed a finger in Sylvanas' direction, "are killing my sailors! I thought we were all fighting the Scourge?"

"Your forces ambushed us as we landed, your Majesty," I said to him, trying to keep my tone as quiet as possible, even though I could feel myself wanting to scream. "All we did was defend ourselves."

"Defend yourselves. You killed my officers!"

"And you sank our ships."

He glared at me, and I glared right back, standing as erect as I could.

Sylvanas pulled me back gently, "Might I remind you, Varian, that Faith is the one who helped your people at Farshire, and that she recently saved two gnomes from the Scourge, although I haven't a clue as to why she did that."

I blinked, "Because I wasn't going to let the Scourge kill them and turn them into…." I waved around. "We were too late to save the three Longwalkers we'd gone there to rescue. At least we were able to do something." I looked at the king, "Did they make it back?"

King Varian seemed to calm down a little, "Yes. Word reached me about that."

"I wouldn't leave a damn worgen to the Scourge, and we all know how much I hate them. It wasn't a problem to help the gnomes."

"Why do you hate the worgen so much?" asked Thrall, looking at me with a frown.

I looked at Thrall, "They didn't help us when we needed them the most."

"When?" Sylvanas sounded perplexed.

I swallowed and blinked quickly. "After you… after we evacuated Silvermoon." My voice shook. "The city was lost, and we took whatever ships we could to get out of there. We went to Quel'Danas first, as you know, to try and find people before Arthas…" my voice trailed off.

Sylvanas squeezed my hand, right there in front of Thrall and Varian.

"Anyway, we lounged the coast of Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron for weeks after that, trying to find survivors, but there were none. We were running out of food and water. I could conjure some water, but not enough for everyone, and I hadn't learned to conjure anything edible yet. The seas were too rough for us to catch much fish."

I paused for a minute, wiping at my eyes.

"Anyways, we got to Gilneas, meaning to drop anchor there for an hour or two. We just wanted to be able to hunt and get some fresh water, but they fired on our ships, even though we had white flags up."

"They were dealing with the Worgen Curse," said Varian. "They probably didn't want to give it to you."

"The curse only works on humans," I said. "They were afraid of the Plague that they knew had ravaged everything. They hid behind their walls while we all died. They did nothing."

"Neither did the elves –."

I bounced, meaning to unsheathe my spellblade, but Sylvanas quickly wrapped an arm around me, "We tried! We sent priests to Lordaeron to see what we could do! Sylvanas wanted to go, but King Anasterian forbade it!"

"Shh, Faith. Calm down." Sylvanas held me close. "Calm down."

"Be that as it may," said Varian, "I want your forces to lay off mine, Thrall, I mean it. Or there will be hell to pay."

"We have enough to deal with," I snapped at him. "Isn't that why you're all here? To discuss what's happening with the Scourge?"

"Captain Everstone." Sylvanas' voice was very low, but it carried perfectly. "You will stand down this instant."

I looked at her, wanting to argue, but I knew better. "Yes, my Lady. My apologies. I just mean that we stand a better chance against the Scourge if we can all pool our resources and work together."

"Noted," said Varian. He turned to leave, "Thank you for helping those gnomes, and my people in Farshire."

I simply nodded.

"You still get carried away," said Sylvanas to me as we watched him go.

"I'm sorry. People should know better than to say stuff like that to me." I glanced at my watch, "I guess I'd better go help round up the supplies. I'm not sure if you'll be out of the meeting by the time we have to leave so…"

Sylvanas leaned down and kissed my mouth gently, lingering for a second, "Be safe."

"I will."

"I mean it. Safer than you have been as of late."

"I'll try."

"There's no 'try', Faith. Just do it."

I mouthed 'I love you' to her, and she mouthed it back, smiling a little. Seconds later, we were separated, and my heart was breaking all over again. I feared that leaving her would never get any easier.