I feel sick, deeply, deeply sick. I helped her do it, I helped Sylvanas Windrunner burn down the World Tree, the place of the Night Elves birthright.

This is what I get for not paying attention. This is what I get for mindlessly doing what I was told and killing everything I was told to kill. Destroying everything I was told to destroy and taking everything I was told to take. Never paying attention to why! I was honored when she asked to work with her, she was my long-time hero. I wanted to see how she fought, how she would deal with every impossible obstacle and she did and I wanted her to see what I could do too, that I could do the rest. It was just another day, another job, for some lukewarm rewards and a few handfuls of gold. But I was enticed by the thought of putting Malfurion Stormrage in a world of pain.

And I did.

I told my friend from the second day I was in the Horde to throw his ax at Malfurion back. He knew what he did was unhonorable but I told him that this was lesser evil and he saved our warchief.

Malfurion looked up at me while he was on all fours as he was knocked down with an ax stuck in his back, "Wait, I know you. I saved you and your father, the alcoholic Highlord Perf-."

I ran and soccer kicked him in the crotch with my plate boot and heard him let out a high pitched cry of pain, "And every-zing you say just pisses me off. I'm not an alcoholic and you sent me into slavery! You did me no service zat day, druid!" I went for another kick but Varok Saurfang stopped me.

I looked up at him and was a little surprised he wasn't laughing, he usually thought it was funny when I did that, "What? It's not like 'e was using it anyway." I looked at him and he looked back at me disappointedly. I wanted to tell him to lighten up but he was in no mood for jokes. I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Fine, pull out your ax and bind 'is limbs. I'll stop ze bleeding. A clean death is too good for 'im."

He nodded and as soon as Saurfang took out his ax, I used the Ashbringer to cauterize the wound, and I reveled in his pain convulsions as he screamed. While Saurfang held him down.

"Get away from him, harlot!" A familiar feminine voice came running toward us.

I pointed the Ashbringer at her now, "So ze 'usband comes to save 'er wife like always. Come to 'parlay' Tyrande?"

She looked down at Malfurion, "I don't know what that means, but you didn't kill him, why?"

Saurfang sat on his knees looking at the blood on his ax. "I struck without honor, I did not deserve to end him."

"But we will take 'im prisoner." I said.

Saurfang grabbed me by my arm and shook his head.

I looked up at him, shocked, as he held my sword arm, "We can take er together."

"No. We shed enough blood so the Horde can endure." He said.

"We need im." I looked down at the hand that was holding me, "Let go of me, I'll deal wiz 'er myself."

"I'm going take my… 'wife' now, attempt to stop me or let that paladin go and I end you both." Tyrande said.

I turned my head to her, "TE VA MERDE!" In Thalassian

I heard Tyrande snicker, "You kiss your mother with that mouth."

I looked back at Saurfang, "Don't make me do zis Varok. I need zis, ze Horde needs zis. LET ME GO!"

He looked away from me, "If you take him to Darnassus and I won't be able to stop her as we conquer it… so flee somewhere far from here, and survive."

Tyrande activated a teleport spell all the while I was trying to pull, twist, and bite, but he wasn't budging. Then, they were gone, and he let go of me. "WHY DID YOU DO ZAT?! We were supposed to bring Sylvanas is ed, what are we supposed to say when we walk to zat beach empty 'anded?!"

"You can tell her the truth."

I slapped him across his face but he barely flinched, "I will."

I walked aggressively toward the beach toward Sylvanas and Nathanos. Sylvanas was giving orders to secure the beach and seemed to have caught a high ranking Night Elf general. I grabbed Sylvanas by the shoulder, "Warchief, Saur– "

She put a finger on my lips and looked me up and down, "Shhhhhhh… child. The grownups need to have a discussion." She said like a pandering mother.

"A discussion?" The night elf general coughed, "To negotiate? Why? You've already won. Only innocence remains in the tree."

Sylvanas came down lower to her but still loomed over, "This is war."

"No… This is hatred." I saw her peek over at me and look back down, "Rage. . Windrunner, you were a defender of your people. Do you not remember?"

Sylvanas came close, seeming to try to whisper in her ear, "I remember a fall." I heard. The rest was too weak for me to hear as she whispered in her ear. She withdrew from her and said, "Life is pain, hope fails, now you understand." I saw the general's tears fall and I wondered what Sylvanas might have said to her that made her upset, "Don't grieve, you'll soon join your loved ones."

"I grieve for you, you've made life your enemy and that is a war you'll never win, you can kill us, but you can't kill hope."

She looked away and back at her, "Can't I?" And turned the generals head toward the World Tree. She stood up and gave the order, "Burn it."

"But she said there are only-" I tried to say.

"BURN IT!" She screamed in my face.

I saw Nathanos grab torches and light the catapults that were sent off. "...Children." I looked toward Saurfang, "Varok, there are…"

"I know…" Saurfang said he looked up as the first volley landed.

We both looked at Sylvanas as she seemed to be reveling in it, almost seeming to be fighting an urge to dance in the music of screams, "There is no honor in this." Saurfang stepped forward, "They will come for us now. All of them!" He was ignored and he walked toward me. "You can 'tell' on me, if you still want to."

I shook my head no, and he walked away, seeming to be headed back to Orgrimmar.

I have always disliked Tyrande Whisperwind, for her uncompromising nature, but no one deserves that, I know just how that feels. If the World Tree is anything like the Sunwell, the elders and the children will die. I pray that it's not, pray that some people will be able to survive, pray that the night elves will never know the pain of losing their heritage, but most of all, I never in a thousand years, thought I would do something, help someone to do something that would be so similar to what Arthas Medivh did to me.

She gave the order to burn it down and I took two water skins and filled them as I watched the tree take flame next to Sylvanas. She ran to me and grabbed me by my hand, "What are you doing, child?!" She asked with rage in her eyes.

"I zhought we should save some of it in case we needed it." I explained.

Sylvanas shot me a grimace smile still holding my arm, "And why do you think we would need that?"

I looked away from her gaze, "When ze Night Elves are finally under our thumb, zey will eventually need the World Tree again." I explained.

She put my arm down, "I appreciate someone that thinks in the long term, but the Kaldorei will never forget this defeat, it's better if they are eventually completely eradicated." She held out her hand. "Give it to me, child."

I was hesitant to hand her the water, but I still held one in my bag that she didn't see, and I handed it to her. She moved the wooden piece that held the water, took a few gulps of it, and tossed it back to me half full. I saw her eye's change to green almost like she was a common blood elf and then change back to red. "Interesting vintage, not like the Sunwell but not like the water from Mount Hyjal either. You know I've never actually tasted any of the water from the Well of Eternity but I'll bet it tasted a lot like this. Try it." Sylvanas ordered. I touched the water to my lips and felt the thirst of arcane magic leave me, with a sense of relief. "All of it." She ordered.

I lifted the water skin over my head taking gulps of the nature magic that the night elves were keeping. It was different, a light hum of bees entered my ears as I drained the water skin and felt energized by its magic. I looked at my own skin and green glowing runes showed up on my forearms and legs. I put my hand over my eye's, saw that the gold that my eyes had taken while seaborn had changed back to green. "Try not to make that a habit, you're not much use to me as a Wretched elf." Sylvanas stated.

I looked down at the water as the desperately burning World Tree soaked up the water in clouds of steam, I looked around at the water and breathed heavily as I thought about diving into it, drinking every drop I could and lapping it out of the mud to feed this unending hunger.

The thought I felt was going to take action, as my body shook with pains in my sides, but I could taste all the nature magic on my tongue, I just needed to dive in and take it. Sylvanas touched the side of my shoulder and I tried to break away suddenly as she startled me, but she held on strongly. "If you are thinking about doing what I think you're thinking, that water won't cure your hangover."

I looked at her confused, "Warchief, I haven't been drinking."

"Child, I can smell it from the sweat on your clothes and admitting to the problem would be the first step to recovery and the damage that water would do to you would be irreversible." Sylvanas explained, "You don't want to be a Wretched, do you?"

I shook my head, still breathing heavily and shaking. "I don't have a drinking problem."

"Sure you don't, don't worry my dear." Sylvanas said, speaking to me as if I was a child, "Soon this will all be gone, you won't feel tempted anymore and besides you still have the Sunwell and…" She stepped a little closer to me, "Garrosh kept a jug of sour goat's milk stronger than anything you find in a tavern. Come by and I'll give you some to celebrate."

"No thank you." I stepped away from her touch and the destruction, I pulled my hearthstone out of my bag and lined my fingers on the magical blue spirals. An arrow was shot through my hand and crumpled the stone into pieces. I looked over at Sylvanas as her bow was drawn, "Did I say you could leave child?!" she drew another arrow and locked it in place, "There is still work to be done, more Night Elves to kill, and I know you're hiding something."

I pulled out a small piece of Azerite and concentrated on it and summoned the Corrupted Ashbringer fast enough to block Sylvanas's next arrow. I held it out slightly tilted to block any incoming arrows to the face or body. Nathanos drew his bow and pointed an arrow at me, "Do you think that sword scares us anymore. We know what happen to the Ashbringers that came in contact with Sargeras's sword, worthless now."

Sylvanas put his hand in front of Nathanos's arrow, "That is not the same sword the adventures wield. Stand down." She ordered

The worthless one was still on my back, drained of power, but the one I held was even more dangerous, but I was still scared and shaking like a leaf. "What are you hiding, child, I know it's something, so hand it over." She ordered.

I shook my head.

Sylvanas let out a sigh, "Listen to me little girl, if you fight us here you will surely die. You may be able to kill me and or Nathanos but the Horde will cut you down." She spoke reasonably, held out her hand, and looked above me and down at my face, "What is Mograine telling you right now, does he really want you to die here."

The Corrupted Ashbringer disappeared and for a second what I was holding in my hand was revealed. I held it close to me, "Let me see that." Sylvanas ordered.

I held out my hand revealing the shard of the rainbow-colored gem.

"That doesn't belong to you, child." Sylvanas stated.

I closed my hand and held it at my side, "I need it." I said.

She crossed her arms and shook her head, "Let me ask you then." She began, "What did it show you when you first put your bare hands on it?" She asked.

I gripped it tightly and let the flood of memories come over me, "Numbers." I answered.

She laughed to herself, "Numbers, okay. Would you care to elaborate?" She asked.

"I can see exactly 'ow much every single person will sell for on ze slave trade." I explained, "Who would want to buy, who would sell ze most, and 'ow much for travel and confinement would cost." I pointed at her, "You Sylvanas, would sell for 800 zousand gold alive for a public execution but I would only get a tent of zat if I just bought zem your body or ed."

Sylvanas rolled her eyes and sighed, "Both me and Nathanos speak Thalassian so just speak it, your accent is really starting to annoy me."

I nodded, licked my lips, and spoke in my native tongue. I pointed at Nathanos, "You Nathanos would sell for 200 thousand for a ransom, but would double when an exchange actually happened, else they would cut you up in pieces. I would only be able to take 25% for people that could pull the exchange off."

"Really, have you been drinking again?" He asked.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have a drinking problem. Anyways the Alliance might give me 50 gold for a job well done, but they usually don't trade with blood elves."

Sylvanas looked at Nathanos and laughed, but looked back at me, "So you want to keep the Azerite, so you can be a better slave trader, that doesn't seem very paladin like."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head, "Sylvanas, I think you knew what my families' reputation was before the undead invasion. The Dawnlight's built boats, but we also had a large hand in the underground slave trade of magicless high elves. The Azerite has shown me a vision, a vision of a massive army obedient to the lash of the whip, allies loyal to the clang of gold, and I am depicted as a golden goddess." I explained. The truth of the matter was that this was actually true, but it wasn't something that I really desired, but I think it's what Sylvanas wanted to hear.

Sylvanas crossed her arms and looked down, "I see. I had a similar vision when I first held it as well, not as grandiose as yours, but what I thought at the time, effective ways of dealing with the Alliance."

I gestured at the World Tree, "And look at all the money we could be making, look at all those Night Elves running around in flaming skimpy outfits, body slaves would sell for about 20k a pop to anyone in la Venture Company. At least until they ran out of gold that is." I explained.

Sylvanas sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry child, but this is my Horde, we're going to run it my way, and the Kaldorei need to die." She took the Azerite away from me and walked away.

I shrugged, "Well I guess you'll need the extra parts for Forsaken limbs I suppose." I explained.

She stopped, looked back at me, smiled, shook her head, and tossed it back to me. "On second thought, I think I might need your expertise when the Alliance is ultimately defeated, keep it. Stay in touch, Ashbringer."

"That is not my title anymore." I stated.

"I wasn't referring to you." Sylvanas looked at me and then looked above.

I looked down at the Azerite as Sylvanas walked away, "Sylvanas!" I raised my voice.

She turned around.

"What would Lirath say if he knew what you were doing right now? If he were alive, I mean." I asked.

She gave me a slight look of shock, thought back for a second and looked at all the destruction she had caused, "He would be disappointed that I had begged allegiance with the bloodthirsty orcs that killed him." She walked toward me. "He would be disappointed at the transformation that has become his sister." She put her hands on my chest piece and pulled me forward. "He would hate me if I didn't take revenge on the bastard that killed our people and ravaged our lands, and most of all he would spit at the fact that I took advice from a family of slavers!" she yelled.

I met her red eyed gaze and felt as if the glow I was putting on her face had changed from green, back to gold. "You didn't see him when you jumped off the top of Icecrown Citadel, did you?" I asked.

I saw a rage come over her face.

"YOU PROMISED!" A loud voice rang in my ears, a familiar voice, I flinched holding on to my ears, hunching over, and yelled in pain. "You promised, Perfectia Dawnlight!" I looked over where it might have come from. It was a transparent image of Lirath.

Sylvanas looked around somewhat confused, "Are you always this melodramatic," She asked, "I didn't even hit you." She picked me up on my feet, "Besides, what would you know about Lirath, I don't think you were even born when he passed away."

"I… "I mumbled trying to keep my heartbeat down.

The image of Lirath pointed at me and I looked at him, "Not another word, paladin. Do not forsake your oath to the Light. Remember your promise." He said. I looked at him and back at Sylvanas.

"I'm sorry, warchief. It's nothing." I looked away and said, "It won't happen again."

Sylvanas shook her head and sighed, "We accomplished a great victory this day, child. Try to take some solace that the Night Elves will not be a threat for very long." She explained. "Maybe introduce yourself to our rehabilitation therapist soon? I would hate to have to chain you up in Ragefire Chasm again."

I nodded. "Of course." I finally surrendered.

I whistled for my dragon Protecto, kissed the piece of Azurite, put it in my pocket, and got on Protecto's back. "Did you really help her burn down the tree?" Protecto asked as we flew.

I looked down and nodded, "I'm trying to make up for it, I stole some water that came from the Well of Eternity, all hope is not lost."

Protecto turned his head sideways so he could look me in the eye, "A lot of people died because of you.. Because of us. The Horde, do you really hate Night Elves that much?"

I shook my head, "I've always disliked them, but they didn't deserve this. I'll find some way to make up for it." I explained. "So can you just insult or make fun of me like you always do?"

"No. I don't even want to speak to you." He said blankly.

"Fair."

We made our way to Outland for one of those hot bath's that Haris showed me. "Just use your Hearthstone to go back when you're done…" Protecto told me, "I need to be alone."

I nodded, "Yeah, you're fine."

And he left. I still have one water skin of the world's tree water, I am tempted to drink it myself, but I need to give it to somebody that knows how to use it. I hold onto the Azurite as I write, the vision I was given was true, disturbing, and what I thought was truly evil, but I would have died if I tried to fight Sylvanas there, I'm going to hold onto it for a while.