A/N - Hi everyone! I'm sorry it took so long to update ths chapter. I've been busy with preparations for going on holiday, and I didn't have as much time to write as I've wanted, also because Star Wars came out, and my world pretty much narrowed to that for a bit! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think I proofed it well, so there should be minimal typos, but feel free to tell me if you spot one. I'm on my work laptop, so it's possible that I typed in some gobbledegook in there. Happy holidays to you all!

Whatever passed for daylight on Icecrown Glacier filtered through the window. In my arms, Faith was still asleep, but I was going to have to wake her up soon, as it was almost time for me to leave. I looked at her, examining the shape of her mouth, her cute nose, and elegant cheekbones. The feeling within me would have caused me to burst, had I been anybody else. As it was, all I felt was a dull ache within me at the thought that I was going to leave her behind. Again.

"All this business about us being apart is ridiculous," I whispered softly, gently brushing a lock of honey-colored hair from her face. "You're the only one I can still be myself with. Around everyone else, I have to act like the Banshee Queen of Undercity, cold and ruthless, which I guess I am, but with you… I can just be Sylvanas."

"Sylvanas…"

Amber eyes, tinged with the purest emerald green, opened and looked at me, "Is it morning already?" she asked. "It can't be."

I smiled, "But it is, my love."

"Do you have to go?"

"Not right away. I think I can stay with you another half hour or so."

"A half hour…" wrapping herself around me, Faith placed her head on my chest and closed her eyes. Her shoulders shook briefly. "Thank you for coming to me."

I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else but with her. I looked down at her, and her eyes met mine. Heat simmered as we kept looking at each other, not doing anything else. Her breath was warm on my skin, her face pale and drawn. She hadn't had much color to her since I'd died, something I was only realizing now as another memory flashed through me, one of her in the sun, sampling a fruit at the market as I stood nearby.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, her fingers on my cheek.

"Nothing particular. Just… memories."

"Which one?"

"One where you were at the market, trying a slice of green apple."

"I don't remember that."

"It was a normal moment in your life, Faith. Nothing was really special about it."

"Were you there?"

I nodded.

"Then it was special. Any moment of my life when you're with me is special."

I could have sworn that I felt my heart beating at that second. "Don't say things like that. You're making it difficult for me to leave you."

"Good. I don't want you to leave me."

I chuckled softly, kissing her, "Come on, get up."

"It's only been five minutes."

"And you need to take a bath. Come on, I'll wash you."

"You will?"

I got to my feet, pouring some water into the wooden tub in the room, which she heated with one of her usual spells. She stepped into the water, and for several minutes, I washed her gently, kissing her damp neck every once in a while.

"Can I come with you?" she asked.

"Soon," I replied.

Our time together came to an end once she was dressed. I gave her a lingering kiss, and she made a strangled sound in her throat when I pulled away from her.

"Ready?" I asked her.

"No."

"Me neither." I pulled on my gloves, and she tied my cloak around my shoulders, pulling the hood over my face. "I love you."

"I love you, Sylvanas."

We left her sleeping quarters, walking over to the portal chamber that had been organized within the fortress. Several mages were there, as were the Forsaken and Sin'dorei soldiers.

"Have a safe trip, my Lady," said one of them.

"Thank you, Soldier. Undercity will wait for you when you return."

The soldier bowed deeply, and I noticed Faith suppressing a smile. I turned to her, "Should I even bother asking you to be careful?"

"Hey, I set out trying to be careful. It's not my fault if danger always finds me." She took my hand and kissed it, "Be safe, my queen." Releasing me, she began to focus, holding out her hands so that arcane energy started crackling through her fingers. The other mages in the room lent her their own magic, and in no time, a small portal appeared, growing large enough to admit me. "It won't hold," she warned.

General white shook my hand, "Thank you for coming. Good luck to you."

"And you," I replied. With one last look at Faith, I stepped through the vortex, landing a second later in Venomspite, feeling strangely like I had when I'd been out of breath. My chest felt compressed, and it took me a second to realize that I was feeling the weight of loneliness. I missed her already.

"Lady Sylvanas!" cried someone. "We weren't told that you were coming!"

I turned towards the voice, and its owner bowed.

"Grand Apothecary Putress knows of my arrival."

"Oh! He's here, my Lady. Right here." The eager man, who obviously wasn't a soldier, but probably someone who manned the Plague cauldrons, quickly led me towards one of the buildings, fairly skipping with glee. He announced me loudly, causing everyone inside the building to jump. I saw Cindera there, along with Putress and a junior apothecary, who had renamed himself Vileson after he had died.

"My Lady," said Cindera, her eyes wide with shock. "You're here!" She came to me and attempted to hug me, but I took a step back. "Is everything all right?" she asked, trying to come to me again. I held out my hand, keeping her at bay.

"Everything's fine." I gently pushed her aside, going over to Putress, who bowed to me. "How's the Plague coming along?"

"Perfectly, my Lady. We have been able to test it against the living and the undead alike, and I think that it's ready."

"Good." I turned to glare at Cindera, who was standing much too close to me, "Back off," I snarled.

She did so, looking down.

"You've heard that the Horde and the Alliance are planning a joint attack at the Wrathgate?" I asked him.

"Yes, my Lady. That was why we wanted to perfect this latest batch of the Plague. I daresay that you will find the results excellent."

"Good work," I told him. "Captain Everstone will join you at the Wrathgate. She will be in charge of the Forsaken forces there, so obey her every command is if it were mine. She doesn't know it yet, but her battlefield commission will be official by next week."

"So she will be… a major?" I couldn't fail to notice the incredulity in Cindera's voice.

"Is that a problem for you, Soldier?"

"No… of course not."

"Good. I know the two of you have your differences, and I know why."

"Well… I know she has your favor –."

"You're jealous of her, which is something I do not appreciate. If you were to work with her, you'd find that you can accomplish a lot together. You might even be able to kill Arthas together, if you were to put your mind to it."

"Oh, I don't know about that… he's powerful."

"So are you. And more importantly, so is she. Learn to work with her." I stared her down, "Consider it an order."

Cindera looked affronted, but she had the sense not to say anything. I had a feeling that things between the two of them wasn't over by a long shot, no matter what I said about it. But I had done my part. The rest was up to them.

Cindera didn't say anything else to me for the rest of the day, keeping to herself while I walked around Venomspite, inspecting samples and talking to soldiers. I came to understand that it had taken long while for the new Plague to be perfected. It was very powerful, and while Faith hadn't had much to do with it, the little bit she had done had been crucial.

"So, what I'm hearing is that the new Plague is ready to be used," I told Putress.

"Yes, my Lady. We can use it as it is against the Scourge."

I nodded, "Good work. You will be alerted to the time of the battle. But make sure that you've got enough to take out a full Scourge battalion."

"We have at least one-hundred units ready now, my Lady, and another fifty on the way. Once it's released, the air will be toxic to the Scourge."

I felt my lips curl into the kind of smile I'd never shown Faith before. She might have run away from me if I had, "Good."

I ended my visit to Venomspite a few days later, reviewing the troops before me. Some of the Forsaken there had been in Northrend for far too long, and I decided right there and then to bring them home so that they could have a rest. Many people tended to forget that, even though we were dead, some of us grew weary of war after a while.

"I'll be sending more troops over in a few days," I told the troops still assembled there.

"Will Captain Everstone be coming back?" asked High Executor Wroth, one of the three leaders there.

"Not for a while. She's needed where she is, but you'll see her when the Battle of the Wrathgate happens." I noticed him actually looking disappointed, and nearly smiled, happy to see that she had friends even here.

However, not far from us, I glanced at Cindera, seeing a completely different expression on her face. She looked relieved.

I wonder what's going on there. What is she planning? I had no time to ponder it, as a zeppelin was already landing, ready to take us back to Vengeance Landing, then back to Undercity. The Forsaken who were coming with me were nearly giddy about leaving, but I couldn't tell whether this was because they were going home or because they would be with me.

In my mind, I heard Faith laughing and saying that it was only because of me. I rolled my eyes at myself, as I began overseeing the Forsaken boarding the transport. All of them saluted me as they boarded, despite the fact that they had been around me for the past three days. Again, I nearly smiled.

Being around Faith always made me soft.

Rotvine walked over to me, having just come back from Sholazar Basin, where he had gone to see what had happened with an avalanche from Icecrown, which had spilled countless Scourge fiends into the area.

"Hop on, Rotvine," I told him. "You've done good work here."

"Thank you, my Lady," he answered, bowing deeply. "But I would rather stay here. Captain Everstone might need me whenever the battle happens. If you were with her just now, she's probably feeling lonely. I would appreciate being allowed to go to the Argent Fortress to make sure she's all right."

"I can assure you that she's perfectly all right," I told him, mostly to convince myself that she wasn't feeling the same debilitating helplessness I felt, "But thank you for suggesting it." I nodded, "Permission granted. I'll write to General White about this now."

"Thank you, my Lady," he said. He hesitated.

"What is it?"

"It's her brother Hamu."

Instantly alert, I stood straighter, "What happened?"

"He's been hurt, my Lady, rather severely. He's alive, but he… he lost his left arm."

My mind reeled. Hamu was a hunter, and without a left arm, he would never be able to use a bow again. Faith would be absolutely devastated to know of something like that. "Don't tell her. You'll destabilize her."

"But she has to know, my Lady."

"When did it happen?"

"A week ago."

"Her family would have written to her if they thought it was something she needed to know immediately. If they didn't, it means that he's out of mortal danger. Do not tell her, Rotvine. That's an order."

He nodded, clearly not happy.

"I'll write to her Tauren parents and see how he's doing. Them, if they're okay with it, I'll tell her myself."

"She would rather hear something like this from you, it's true," he conceded.

"She'd rather not hear something like this at all." Faith adored her Tauren brother, and I could only imagine how she would take this kind of news. "Look out for her, all right?"

"Of course," he said, bowing again.

A couple of hours later, the zeppelin was arriving in Vengeance Landing, where we picked up some additional troops before going on our way again.

It was a pleasant trip, as far as trips go, and while I would have infinitely preferred having Faith with me, I was glad to have this moment alone so that I could write to her family.

Dear Atalo and Taisha,

One of Faith's friends who was at the Avalanche site in Sholazar Basin told me what happened to your son Hamu. I was sorry to hear it, as Faith told me that he's always been a most capable hunter.

Take heart. I understand that this is a very difficult time, but Hamu is strong. The loss of his arm will certainly affect his use of bows and arrows, however, he could become excellent with a spear. I'm sure that people in Thunder Bluff could help with that, but if you are in need of counsel on this matter, feel free to write to me.

It occurred to me as I was penning the letter that I wasn't writing as the Banshee Queen of Undercity, but rather as Faith's lover. The thought made me pause, and I nearly crumpled the letter. After all, the only reason I was writing to them was because I knew that Faith would have wanted it.

I continued writing.

Faith is doing well. I saw her not too long ago, and she's turned into a very capable leader away from Undercity. As a matter of fact, I will be promoting her to Major in a short while. She deserves it.

I'm aware that she doesn't know what happened to Hamu. I would rather you didn't tell her until you've determined the best course of action for your son. When the time is right, I will break the news to her myself, if you don't mind.

I wasn't sure whether they would be happy with getting such a letter from me. Maybe they wouldn't think twice about it, or maybe they would hate it. Anything was possible. But I hoped that they would understand why I had taken the time to do this.

Sending the letter to Thunder Bluff through a mage who happened to be on board with us, I settled down, watching the landscape out the window. We were already reaching Tirisfal Glades, after a full day of travel, and it felt good to be home.

Varimathras was waiting for us when we reached the catacombs beneath the ruins of Lordaeron. The smile on his face was as false as anything I had ever seen, and I resolved right there and then to stay in the city a lot more. I didn't want him to get too comfortable ruling without me.

"The battlefield commission for Captain Everstone has just been approved, my Lady," he said to me right away. "I suppose we should call her Major now."

I nodded, "We should, and thank you. You've taken care of my city remarkably well."

"I'm getting used to it, my Queen."

Yes, that's what I'm afraid of, I said to myself.

It took a little over a week for Faith's parents to write to me. The mage had come back almost immediately to tell me that he had delivered the letter for me, but that Taisha and Atalo had been too busy taking care of Hamu to do anything else, which I understood. According to the mage, Hamu's arm had been completely amputated at the shoulder. I doubted even a prosthesis would be feasible in his case.

Lady Windrunner,

Sylvanas,

Thank you for writing to us. We were grateful for your letter. Faith has always told us that you were a generous person, and we're happy to note that she wasn't exaggerating.

I snorted as I read that line. Exaggerating, not at all. Not when it came to her, anyway.

Hamu has been wondering what he's going to do now that he only has one arm. The loss of his hunting skills really shook him, but he's getting over the initial shock now. He had never considered using a spear before, but when we told him about your suggestion, he seemed to light up. He had been wondering how he was going to help people now, and he has been refusing to let us help him with anything, wanting to learn how to do everything on his own.

We haven't told Faith about Hamu because we know that she needs to keep herself focused. He's not in danger now, but if he had been, we would have sent word to her, of course. Please feel free to tell her at your earliest convenience.

We don't want to keep you, as we're sure that we have much to do. When the war is over, we will all come to Undercity for a brief visit, if that will not be too much of a bother.

Thank you for telling us about Faith. She sends us regular news, but we suspect that she doesn't quite tell us the whole truth about her situation, so we never know whether we should take her at her word when she says that she's doing all right. We hope that she will keep herself safe, and that you will do the same.

I read the rest of the letter quickly, composing a few lines of my own in reply. But as I was about to sign the letter, I looked up, my eyes catching a picture of Faith I had on my desk. I missed her. I wanted to return to her – it would have been easy to do – but I couldn't always be at her side. Both of us had to learn how to live without each other. We were capable of doing it, and had done it our entire lives.

But that doesn't mean that you want to continue living without her, said a voice in my head.

Ignoring the voice, I went to the postal area of Undercity, preferring to send my reply the normal way rather than use a mage, as the matter was no longer urgent.

For the next few weeks, I worked on the preparations for the Battle of the Wrathgate, which had been pushed back, due to supply shipment being incinerated by the Scourge somehow. The loss of hundreds of weapons had severely crippled us, but we had managed to find several caches of weapons within Northrend that had helped us resupply the troops now assembled in Dragonblight.

Faith and I had started writing to each other again. She had been more than a little stunned, according to Rotvine, when she had been named major, but so far, everything had gone well. Everyone seemed to accept her authority without question. Well, most people, because I'd received word from Garrosh Hellscream of all people, telling me that while Faith was competent enough against the Scourge, she wasn't a capable leader at all.

"He doesn't know what he's talking about," said a new Forsaken who was currently serving as my assistant. He looked older than most of the other Forsaken because he had been killed when he had been over sixty years old, but he was fresher than most corpses, as he had been raised only a few hours after his death in the Plaguelands.

I looked at him, "How are you finding yourself, Hodge?" I asked him.

"Oh, I'm all right, my Lady." He shrugged, "I have to say, it took me some time to get used to being alive after those gargoyles killed me."

"It'll take you a little longer before you feel a bit more normal, but the time will come."

"I heard of you and Faith," he said, looking at a spot on the wall behind my ear. I was tempted to turn around and stare at the same spot, so that he would look at me directly.

"Everyone's heard about me and Faith."

"People say that your love withstood the test of death."

"That's one way of looking at it."

"I wonder sometimes if my wife would want me to come back in this state. Would my children accept me? My sister? My brother would, if he weren't somewhere in Stratholme right now."

I gave a nod, "It's not easy to die and be reborn. I'm unique in that the person I loved more than anybody in the world chose to stay by my side even though I look like this."

"From what I've heard, she wouldn't leave you because of the way you look."

I found myself laughing, "No, I don't suppose she would. Although now that I think about it, part of the reason Faith fell in love with me so quickly must have been because she was physically attracted to me. She was only twelve when it happened."

"Twelve years old… Is that as young to an elf as it is to humans?"

"Younger still, I suppose. She probably didn't know any better."

"Is that what you really think? That she fell in love with you because she didn't know any better?"

"No. If that had been it, I don't think she would still be with me."

"Everyone thinks of Forsaken as unfeeling creatures, because we're not technically alive, but that's not really the case, is it?"

"No, it isn't."

I went back to my correspondence, reading over a message from Thrall. "The Battle of the Wrathgate will be happening this week. Word has been sent to everyone about it."

Hodge nodded, "Will you be going?"

"I can't. I don't want Faith distracted. And she will be distracted if I'm around."

"Not if she has to battle, surely?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"Not that! I just mean that she'll protect me first, and I need her to battle, not act as my bodyguard."

"You want her to battle."

"No, I want her home with me. But I need her to battle. She's the best one we've got."

"I'm sure she'll do an amazing job."

The door to my office opened, and Varimathras entered, carrying a heavy glowing sword in his hand, "We're all sure she will. But unfortunately, you won't be around to see it, Sylvanas."

He stepped into the room.