Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Celebration - Part II
'Come closer and find it out'
These had been her words. He had obeyed her and come closer. And now he was standing right in front of Sylvanas Windrunner who was leaning against the balcony's balustrade. Her hands rested on the balustrade, her perfect lips formed a teasing smile.
Kelrian didn't know what to think at this very moment nor did he know what to do. Sylvanas had asked him to follow her and brought him to this place for a reason. A reason he wanted to know so badly. He was curious about what would happen next.
There were only a few reasons why Sylvanas wanted to be alone with him. She wouldn't have needed to bring him to this balcony if she just wanted to chat with him.
Did she want to talk to him in private? If yes for what reason? About what she wanted to talk? Was it something about important? Or did she just wanted to have peace? Maybe she just wanted to relax and talk a little without getting disturbed by others... There were so many questions on his mind but he couldn't find an answer for any of them.
Kelrian had no clue what was awaiting him. She just stared at the Ranger-General, returning her wide smile. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask Sylvanas why they were here but no sound escaped his lips. He frowned as he realized that his throat was not producing any sound. He closed his mouth, looking away ashamed. He assumed that the expression he had made had looked pretty silly. Sylvanas chuckled about his embarrassment, walking to him slowly.
At this very moment, she was standing in the middle of the balcony, right in front of the nervous Kelrian. She took a glass of wine from the tray he was still carrying in his hands. "It's nice that you have brought drinks with you"
"Well, as I have said, these drinks were originally meant for Zetai. But I guess you won't leave me until we have done whatever you have planned"
"I'm not forcing you to stay, Kelrian. You can leave whenever you want. You can go to Zetai and watch him getting drunk or you stay with me and talk to me. It's up to you" she responded and gave him a likable smile. He returned the smile, staring into her beautiful blue eyes. He thought he would get lost in them forever if he would look in them for too long. These were by far the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. It was always a pleasure for Kelrian to stare into them, sometimes even longer than necessary.
He didn't know how much time had passed when he finally managed to stop himself from just looking into Sylvanas' eyes without doing anything else. He cleared his throat and shifted his gaze from Sylvanas' gorgeous face to her hands which looked untainted even though she had to use them every day for doing ordinary tasks.
As a ranger, it was normal to get his hands dirty while doing the daily stuff every ranger was doing like training, preparing traps or making arrows. Sometimes a ranger had to check the ground for hidden and almost unrecognizable tracks. Cracked or broke off fingernails were usual for a ranger, especially for an apprentice. But unlike most recruits, Kelrian knew, his fingernails were clean and not broken most of the times.
Sylvanas blue-painted fingernails always looked perfect. Kelrian had never seen that they had been cracked or missing. He didn't know how she managed to always look perfect. He had never seen her looking differently. She was always perfect. Kelrian thought that her middle name was perfection. Of course, he wasn't believing that but he found that this name would fit for her.
He found himself staring at Sylvanas once again. This time he regarded her entire upper body and not only her face or her hands. He noticed that she had almost emptied one of the glasses while he had been busy staring. He returned her curious smile, putting the tray on the balustrade so that he and Sylvanas could reach it. Sylvanas took another glass, offering it to Kelrian.
The younger elf wanted to reject the offer but he found out that he was unable to refuse Sylvanas anything. He accepted the glass even though he didn't want to drink anything. Sylvanas emptied her glass then she took another. She took a sip, signalizing Kelrian to try the wine. He nodded to her, taking a sip as well.
The alcohol tasted worse than he had expected. He had never liked the taste of alcohol so he had never enjoyed drinking. He had only drunken one or two glasses whenever his family had celebrated something important like the birthday of a family member.
Whenever he had drunken a glass or two, he had done it slowly and hadn't emptied within a few minutes. Not like he had done at this very moment. For a reason he couldn't explain to himself, he had emptied the glass within a few seconds. Maybe he had done that because Sylvanas had given him an expecting look. Maybe he had done that for another reason. He couldn't explain that to himself.
He was not used to consume high-proof alcoholic drinks so the effect of the drink quickly set in. He didn't feel tipsy nor did his senses become murky. But he felt different, at least a bit. He regarded his empty glass before it was taken out of his hand and replaced by a new full glass.
He looked up at Sylvanas, his heartbeat became a bit faster as he noticed the smile on her lips. It was not like her usual smiles. It looked different. Kelrian was not sure if he was imagining this but for some reason, he had the impression that this smile was supposed to be a seductive smile.
Maybe he was wrong about this. Maybe he had misinterpreted her smile. There was no way that Sylvanas Windrunner, THE Sylvanas Windrunner, would try to seduce him. He was thinking that at least. He couldn't know what Sylvanas was really feeling for him. He couldn't know that she had developed feelings for him over the years.
She hadn't been sure about her feelings for the first eight years but the more time she had spent with him, the stronger her feelings for him had gotten. She wasn't denying her feelings anymore but she didn't tell anybody about her heavy crush. Not even her sisters or her best friend Verena. She kept it as a secret since she had realized her feelings for him.
During the past two and a half years she had been able to observe Kelrian a lot. She may have not found out if he was feeling something for her but she had gotten to know him better which had increased her feelings for him. Watching over him and the other recruits had been more fun than she had expected. She had always enjoyed training others but she had never enjoyed it as much as with her newest group. The main reason for that was Kelrian who was becoming better than better with each passing week. But training Zetai was also more fun than expected.
Zetai had by far the most talent of all current recruits. He was a lot better than anyone else. He was the best in everything. Hitting fast-moving targets with arrows, chasing enemies, beating others in close combat, following tracks and many other disciplines. It was clear for Sylvanas that he will be the best of the newest generation of recruits.
Kelrian was also skilled but not as skilled as Zetai. But Sylvanas believed that he could become the second-best recruit if he would train harder. He was already giving his best but Sylvanas believed that he had more potential. He could do better if he would focus better. Sylvanas had noticed that he could get easily distracted sometimes. She was pretty sure that she was the reason he got distracted. She felt flattered about that but at the same time, she remained strict with Kelrian. He had to learn to not get distracted by anything if he wanted to become one of the best Farstriders.
Sometimes she was scolding Kelrian for getting distracted and it worked wonders. Whenever she scolded him, he didn't get distracted for the rest of the day. Sylvanas had thought about changing her outfit and dressing up in a uniform that didn't reveal too much of her cleavage and her flat belly.
She knew that this would cause that Kelrian wouldn't get distracted so often. One the other hand, she loved it when she caught him staring at her and ogling her gorgeous body. In the end, she had decided against changing her outfit because she loved her uniform. It made her look gorgeous and she loved to impress others with her look. Of course, her main goal was to impress Kelrian but she also loved to see the impressed faces of other men and even women.
And Kelrian was more than impressed by her looks. At this very moment, he was secretly ogling her cleavage, trying to not make it too obvious. Sylvanas had noticed what he was doing but she didn't do or say anything. Instead, she drank more wine. She managed to engage him in a conversation eventually, talking with him about the training, about the Farstriders, and about hobbies. They talked for a while, emptying the one or other glass during their conversation.
She asked him about his family but he didn't give her many informative answers. She noticed quickly that he didn't want to talk about his family so she stopped and switched topics. They began to talk about Sylvanas' family. She told him about her sisters, her brother and her parents. She told him about their hobbies, about their behaviours and their quirks. She even told him that her mother had handed her bow to Alleria while Sylvanas had followed in her footsteps as the Ranger-General of Silvermoon.
They kept talking for a while. Kelrian found himself staring into her gorgeous blue eyes without being able to look away. These blue orbs demanded his attention, they forced him to look into them as if they had control over him. Even though he was forced to look into Sylvanas' eyes, he didn't resist. He loved staring into her eyes.
He got the impression that he could get lost in them forever. He would love to stare into Sylvanas' eyes as long as possible, even if that would mean that he would be standing with her on the balcony until the end of time. He had no desire to avert his gaze nor did he wanted to be away from her. He was happy to be around her.
He was not sure if it was some sort of a supernatural power Sylvanas was possessing or the effect of the alcohol which made his body move of its own. Kelrian had lost control over his body which made him walk forward until he was standing directly in front of Sylvanas. It was obvious for the two elves that Kelrian was more than just a bit tipsy. He could barely walk forward without needing to put a hand on the balustrade.
Sylvanas put a hand on his shoulder, helping him to stand steady. He gave her a thankful smile, his eyes found hers once again. He could smell that the alcohol hadn't left Sylvanas unaffected. She behaved as if she was sober but her breath betrayed her. Kelrian didn't mind that her breath was smelling of alcohol. He assumed that his breath smelled worse so he was glad that he couldn't smell it.
The effect of the alcohol made him realize too late that Sylvanas' face had gotten very close to his. Her lips were only a few inches away from his lips. He could kiss her if he would lean in but he was too afraid of the consequences. He had always imagined sealing his lips with the lips of this goddess. But he had always feared to ruin their friendship if he would do that. He had had a few opportunities to kiss her when nobody was watching them during the past years but he had never seized such an opportunity. He had been too afraid that Sylvanas would turn him down so he had never tried it.
Sylvanas had had similar thoughts over the past years and like him, she hadn't dared to try it. She had been too afraid as well about what could change if her attempt would backfire. She had been too afraid that Kelrian could turn her down. Him having no interest in her had been her greatest fear over the past years. This fear had held her back from taking a risk.
But at this very moment, she didn't feel any fear. She was not afraid of anything. There was no pressure on her shoulders. There was nothing which held her back. It was the effect of the alcohol which freed her from all insecurities. It was the effect of the alcohol which strengthened her back and gave her a lot more self-confidence than she already had. It was definitely the effect which led her to the next step.
She leaned in, her lips came dangerously close to his. She could feel his hot breath and smell the alcohol in it but that didn't bother her. She was about to put her lips on his as she heard a sound coming from behind the door. She pulled away quickly, looking at the door. She was curious who or what was making these sounds and she was wondering how someone had managed to find them.
She had made sure that nobody had seen them when they had left the main hall. There was no way someone could know that they were on this balcony. Maybe someone had gotten lost and randomly found the corridor which led to this balcony. This was the only logical explanation which came in Sylvanas' mind.
At least the door was locked so no one could come in and interrupt them. Sylvanas turned back to Kelrian, wanting to finish what she had started. But she didn't get to it because someone was knocking loudly on the door. The two elves were sure that it was the same person who had made these strange noises. The person knocked heavier against the door, shaking the doorknob as if he or she was hoping that it would open if he or she would continue doing it.
Sylvanas' eyes rested on Kelrian, signalizing him to stay calm and don't say a word. Kelrian also looked at her, pressing his lips together. He obeyed her command and didn't say anything. He didn't move an inch, he just stood there and looked at the Ranger-General.
"Kelrian" shouted a familiar voice. "Kelrian open the freaking door. I know you are on this balcony. I can smell the alcohol, you wanted to bring me, from here"
Now they knew who was the intruder. It was no other than Zetai who was standing behind the door and asked for entrance. Kelrian already knew from the way he was speaking that he was heavily drunk. He assumed that his friend had emptied a lot of glasses over the past hours. And with a lot, he really meant A LOT. He didn't want to know the exact number of glasses Zetai had emptied. He had watched Zetai drinking lots of glasses and bottles of alcohol whenever they had celebrated something. So he was pretty sure that Zetai must have really drunken A LOT to sound like this.
Kelrian looked at the door for a short moment before he looked at Sylvanas, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a curious look. He was not sure what to do at this very moment so he was hoping that Sylvanas would decide what to do.
"I won't leave until you give me the drinks you are owing me" he shouted, shaking the doorknob heavier. Sylvanas looked at Kelrian, then at the tray and at the door. Kelrian nodded, signalizing her that he had understood what she wanted from him. He took the tray, noticing that only three of ten glasses were still filled. The rest had been emptied by them over the past hours. He walked over to the door, unlocked and opened it.
Kelrian wanted to give Zetai the tray but the best recruit rushed past him to the balustrade and leaned over it. He vomited. Sylvanas turned away, making a slightly disgusted face. Kelrian walked over to his friend and propped him, making sure he wouldn't fall over the balustrade. The balcony was two hundred feet over the ground so falling from it would have fatal consequences. Zetai thanked him after he was pulled back, wiping his mouth clean with the back of his hand.
He put his arm around Kelrian's neck, pulling him close. "Thank you, my friend" he shouted as he staggered a few feet forward. Sylvanas regarded him with narrowed eyes. She knew how most of her subordinates behaved when they were drunk but she had never seen someone who had been as drunk as Zetai and had been still able to walk. Walk was not the right word in this case. Zetai was staggering with every step he made. It was a miracle that he was still able to stand upright.
Sylvanas covered her nose as she noticed his breath, which smelled strongly after alcohol. She smelled it although she was standing in the middle of the balcony. She kept regarding the two friends but she didn't do anything.
Zetai let go of Kelrian eventually and took the tray Kelrian had put on the balustrade. He took a glass and emptied it in one gulp before Sylvanas or Kelrian were able to say something.
"Do you think it's wise to drink more after you... emptied the content of your stomach?"
"Don't worry, little one" responded Zetai, patting his friend's head. "I know what I'm doing"
"You are drunk. You don't know what is good for you and what is not. You can barely walk without staggering" said Kelrian. He tried to convince his friend to stop drinking but he didn't listen to him. Zetai emptied the remaining glasses and flung the tray with the empty glasses off the balcony.
Kelrian frowned as he looked at Sylvanas who was shrugging her shoulders. Zetai walked to Kelrian, putting his arm around his shoulder. "How are you doing my friend?"
Kelrian had to put his hand over his nose to bear the strong smell of alcohol which was coming out of Zetai's mouth. This was the reason why his voice sounded muffled. To say that the smell was unpleasant was an understatement.
"I'm fine, I guess" he responded. He was not fine at all because Zetai was disturbing them during their private conversation. Zetai's grip around Kelrian's shoulder began to hurt him but he didn't say anything because he didn't want to be rude. Nor did he mention that Zetai's breath smelled worse than a pigsty. He just kept standing on the same spot and hoped that Zetai would loosen his grip a bit. But he didn't and Sylvanas realized that he didn't plan on doing it.
Sylvanas walked to her subordinates, putting her hands on her hips as she gave Zetai a strict look. The large male grinned at her as if he had no clue what was going on and what Sylvanas wanted from him.
Sylvanas said his name with the same strict voice she used whenever she trained her group. Zetai stared at the Ranger-General for a few moments but then he finally let go of Kelrian and saluted to her.
Kelrian backed off and walked to Sylvanas, stopping behind her. Sylvanas regarded Zetai from head to toe before she formulated a question. "How did you find us?"
"Kelrian accidentally stepped... in a piece of cake which was lying on the floor...I...I just follo...wed the prints of his shoes until I came to this corridor. Then I checked ev...ery door until I came to this. Not to mention that my sense of smell is much better than...than... the senses of... other people"
"So, you followed my scent?" Kelrian asked irritated.
"No... I smelled the Ranger-General's lovely rose perfume so I knew that you had to be here"
"How did you know I was with her?"
"I was the only one who saw you leaving... The others..." he randomly paused for some reason. "What I wanted to say?" he asked. His bleary eyes regarded Kelrian who was still frowning about his drunkenness.
"You wanted to tell me... Ah forget it, it doesn't matter anymore"
"You wanted to tell us that you want to go back to the others and leave us in peace" replied Sylvanas.
"Did I... Did I really wanted to say this? I'm not so sure... B...B...But on the other hand, I have no clue what I'm doing here. I think you are right, Lady Windrunner. I should go" he said laboriously. It was unmistakable that he was so drunk that it was hard for him to speak clearly and coherently. Sylvanas came to the conclusion that it was better for him to go to sleep in one of the many guest rooms.
"You should rest and get some sleep, Zetai. We won't train tomorrow so you have enough time to sleep off your drinks. But I think it would be better for you to stop drinking for today. You will be knocked out for days if you keep drinking. I need you to be fit in two days. The training will continue with or without you being well-rested. I would suggest that you go to sleep now, Recruit Zetai"
"As you wish... Ranger-General" responded Zetai and saluted before he turned around and left the balcony. Kelrian walked to the door, peeked out of it to make sure that Zetai really walked to one of the nearest guest rooms. He closed the door as soon as Zetai had entered one of the rooms. Kelrian turned around and walked back to Sylvanas who was leaning once again against the balustrade. Sylvanas smiled at him as she stared into his eyes.
"That was awkward"
"Do you know what wouldn't be awkward?"
"What?" he asked curiously.
"This" she whispered as she leaned in and attached her lips to his. Kelrian's eyes widened when he felt Sylvanas' lips, which were a lot softer than he had imagined, on his lips. His heart stopped for a few moments, the same counted for his breath. His mind went blank at this very moment so he wasn't able to react to her kiss. She kept pressing her warm lips against his, smiling into the kiss as she noticed that he was returning the kiss.
Sylvanas was the one who had initiated this kiss so she took the lead. She pressed her lips harder against his, chuckling when her ears heard the low moan which came out of Kelrian's mouth. She put her hand on the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Kelrian did nothing except returning the kiss. At first at least. He put his hands on her hips after a few moments and caressed them carefully but other than that he didn't do anything.
Sylvanas pulled away eventually, smiling widely while breathing heavily. Kelrian was out of breath as well. It took a while for him to realize what had happened. His brain began to work again, slowly assimilating the awesome kiss they had shared. Kelrian had never expected that kissing the Ranger-General would feel that good. He hadn't initiated the kiss, and he would have never found the courage for that, but he was happy that it happened.
He wasn't angry that Sylvanas had kissed him and it didn't seem that Sylvanas regretted what she had done. She wouldn't give him her brightest smile if she would regret having sealed her lips to his.
"So..." said Kelrian after a while.
"So..." mimicked Sylvanas, giggling softly. They stared at each other, observing the other's facial features. Sylvanas chuckled when she noticed Kelrian's reddened cheek and his slightly trembling bottom lip. Her facial expression, on the other hand, didn't change at all. She still had a satisfied expression on her face.
"We should go back to the main hall before my sister gets suspicious and looks for us"
"We should probably do that" Kelrian responded quietly. He was still stunned from the kiss and his brain was still had troubles handling the hundreds of thousands of thoughts which were in his mind at this very moment. He didn't know if Sylvanas had kissed him because she had really wanted or only because she was drunk. He had no clue how much impact the alcohol had had on Sylvanas' decision. He only knew that she had enjoyed the kiss the same way he had.
There were many unanswered questions in his mind. Will they be able to kiss again one day? Does she feel something for him? Was it only the effect of the alcohol which led her to kiss him? Will the kiss change anything between them? If things will change, will it become better or worse?
He was brought out of his thoughts when he felt Sylvanas' soft hand caressing his cheek. "You will wait here for a few minutes and then you will walk back to the hall. People will get suspicious and ask questions if we return together, so we should return separately. And do me a favour and do not tell anyone about what happened between us. This will be a secret only between you and me. Only us and no one else should ever know about this kiss"
Kelrian nodded. Sylvanas smiled at him, caressing his cheek a few times before she left the room. Kelrian walked to the door and peeked out. Sylvanas was swaying her hips in the sexiest way as she walked and Kelrian was not able to avert his gaze from her well-formed butt. He kept staring at her until she walked out of his field of vision. He obeyed Sylvanas' request and waited for a few minutes, then he started to walk back to the main hall where the celebration was still taking place.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
PoweredbyDarkness
PoweredbyDarkness Only energy drinks kept me awake/alive when I edited this chapter so please don't mind any spelling and grammar mistakes. Enjoy the chapter. Thank you for reading and commenting this story so far.
Like it ? Add to library！
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone