Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Time to say goodbye
Sylvanas walked down the stairs and followed the corridor to the dining room where her family was gathered. They were sitting at the table which was set for a meal but they hadn't started eating yet because they were waiting for the last missing member of their family. Sylvanas walked over to her chair, taking a seat. Her gaze wandered from one member of her family to the other until it landed to her mother.
"You could have already started without me, you know," said Sylvanas. She took the jug in front of her and filled her glass with moonberry juice.
"This will be the last meal, we will have together, for quite some will be away for a while soI want to enjoy the delicious food with you together," responded Sylvanas' mother. "This is the last time where we can enjoy the meal together as a family before the war against the trolls and orcs will begin. You and your sisters will be very busy and we won't be able to see you at all so I want that we spend as much time as possible together before you have to go. Nobody knows what will happen in the future, you know."
Sylvanas put her hands on her mother's left hand. "I understand you. You are afraid of losing us but you don't need to. We have participated in so many battles, we will survive this war as well."
"I believe that too but I'm still afraid..."
Sylvanas gave her a comforting smile. "You shouldn't let the worry consume you, you need to think positively if you want tolive through the time where we are not are capable of taking care of ourselves and we will return to you, all three of us."
"I know, I know," replied Lireesa. "You are the best ranger I have ever met and Alleria is the second best. I believe that all three of you make it, just do me the favour and watch after your little sister. She is not as experienced as you are so I'm worried about her the most."
Sylvanas put her hands on her mother's cheeks, rubbing them. She looked at her younger sister, giving her a comforting smile before she looked back at her mother and gave her the same smile. "I will always keep her close and I promise that nothing will happen to her."
Lireesa was still worried a bit. "I hope so."
Sylvanas didn't respond to her. She just gave her a calming smile. She turned her head to look at her father. "Is there anything you want to say?"
"I believe you will lead us to victory Sylvanas and your sisters will support you as best as they can. Many of our people were killed by trolls and orcs, it's time to hunt these bastards down and get rid of them once and for all."
Sylvanas gave him a smile, then she looked at Lirath. "You will protect our family while we are away, okay?"
Her brother nodded his head. "I will"
Sylvanas smiled. "Good, then I don't have to be worried."
Her brother returned her smile, staring at her. Sylvanas picked up the cutlery next to her plate and cut a piece of meat from her steak. She put it in her mouth, watching her family do the same as she chewed on the meat. All members were silent for the first few minutes but then they started to talk about casual topics. Sylvanas was glad that neither her mother nor her father asked her if she had changed her mind about marrying Prince Kael'thas. They wanted to spend this last meal together without arguing about anything so they didn't dare to ask her. Sylvanas could see it in her mother's eyes that she was afraid of losing one of her children, so she held her mother's hand while eating, calming her down effectively.
Sylvanas had promised her mother to make sure that none of her siblings will be harmed. Alleria was able to take care of herself but Vereesa was not as experienced as her older siblings. Sylvanas was pretty sure she could also take care of herself because she was a skilled ranger after all. Nevertheless, Sylvanas had decided to always stay close to her and take care of her whenever Vereesa joined her on a mission. She intended to keep all of her promises, especially those she had given to her family.
The dessert was served after the main course. It was the most favourite dessert of the Windrunner siblings - Vanilla pudding with strawberries on top of it. They ate it with joy, getting more and more until nothing was left. They didn't stand up even though they had eaten up everything. They remained on their seats, enjoying the presence of the others while they kept talking. They knew they wouldn't be able to sit together at the same table for a while, so they spent hours talking and joking.
Even though they had really enjoyed the time they had spent, they stood up eventually. The rangers returned to their rooms to pack their things while their parents and Lirath walked to the living room. Sylvanas didn't need to pack much because everything she needed was already in a bag in her office in the headquarters.
She walked over to her bed table, opened the top drawer and pulled out a necklace which was made out of little gems which were coloured differently. It was a gift Verena had given her on the occasion of the ten-year anniversary of their relationship. It served as a lucky charm. Sylvanas always wore it when she went to battle with her rangers. She regarded the item for a few moments before she put it around her neck. That was all she needed. The rest was in her office.
Sylvanas almost bumped into Alleria when she left her room a few moments later. "That was close," said Sylvanas as she managed to avoid colliding with her older sister. She noticed that her sister was nervous and worried as she scrutinized her.
"What is going on?" asked Sylvanas, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"You have never been worried before a battle. You have never been afraid of risking your life for the greater good at least not until today. Something has changed," spoke Sylvanas, eying her sister curiously.
Alleria took a deep breath, looking ashamed at her fingers for a few moments before she looked back at her baby sister. "I'm not afraid of losing my life. I want to defend our people with my life. I'm afraid that my son would lose me, would lose his mother. I don't want to leave him alone. I..." she stopped speaking and lowered her gaze and looked at the floor.
Sylvanas put her hand under her sister's chin, lifting it up so she could stare into her eyes. "You are the best ranger I know. You won't die if you keep your head clear and focus on your surroundings and on your enemies. We will defeat the trolls and orcs and you will return to your son in one piece,"
"You can't know that. Everything is possible. What if we get ambushed like the mother of one of your rangers? What if they catch me or kill me? Who will take care of Arator?" Her sister's voice was louder than usual, her bottom lip was trembling and she was playing with her fingers nervously. Sylvanas soothing words hadn't comforted her at all.
Sylvanas put her hand on her sister's shoulder. "Even if that would happen, he still has his father, not to mention our family who would raise him. You have much more experience than me and you have fought in more battles than me, you have survived every battle you have attended and you have killed every enemy who dared to attack you. I know you will make it again. You just have to be confident enough and trust yourself, sis," she pulled Alleria in a tight hug, caressing her back with her hands. "Everything will be fine. Promised," she whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek softly.
Alleria pulled away after a while. "I hope so."
Sylvanas regarded her from head to toe, noticing the necklace around her neck. She grabbed the necklace, running her index finger over the three gems. An emerald, a ruby and a sapphire. "That's your lucky charm isn't it?"
"Yes"
"It's the necklace our parents gifted to you when you became the youngest Ranger-Captain in elven history, isn't it?" said Sylvanas.
"It is" responded Alleria, caressing her sister's cheek. Sylvanas stared at the necklace for a few moments before she looked back at her sister who regarded her with an amused grin on her lips.
"You are wearing yours as well, I see" spoke Alleria. "You still have feelings for her, don't you?"
"She is just a friend to me, my best friend to be exact," explained Sylvanas. "Why are you asking?"
"I just thought you still have feelings for her because you are wearing her necklace after all this time"
"It brings me luck. I mean, I don't really believe in luck because it's my skill and experience that makes me defeat my opponents and not luck. Nevertheless, I do feel safer when I wear it"
Alleria smiled at her little sister. "Anyways, let's pick up Vereesa before we return to our family to say goodbye."
Sylvanas nodded. "Go ahead"
Alleria did the first move and Sylvanas followed her. They came to Vereesa's room, knocking at her door. Vereesa opened the door without hesitation, letting her sisters in. Her room looked similar to the rooms of her older sisters. She had the same pieces of furniture. The only difference was that they were arranged differently. For example, her bed stood on the left side of the room while the beds of her sisters stood in the middle of their rooms.
Vereesa walked over to her wardrobe and picked up the backpack which stood in front of it. She turned back to her sisters. "I'm ready."
Sylvanas gave her a nod, signalizing her to follow. The three sisters walked out of the room, followed the corridor and climbed down the stairs so until they reached the first floor. They walked to the living room where their family was already waiting. But not only Lirath and their parents were present. Their uncles, aunts and cousins were also there to say goodbye to them.
It was not easy for them to say goodbye, especially because their mother got very emotional when she said goodbye to their children. She had attended lots of battles and skirmishes with her children but these battles had only endured for hours or days at maximum. None of them had attended a battle or a war which had lasted longer than a few days. Lireesa knew that her children were the best rangers Quel'Thalas had and that they could take care of themselves. Nevertheless, she was afraid that something might happen to them. She didn't want to lose any of her children.
She would be more relaxed if she could join them and fight by their sides. But she couldn't fight because of her disease. Going to war with her daughters would only lead to her death. She couldn't move very fast and her reactions had also suffered under her disease. She was not a fighter anymore. She was a mother, housekeeper and vendor. But she was not a ranger anymore and that plagued her and made her sad.
She had loved being a ranger, she had loved being responsible for the safety of her people and she had loved to fight for those who couldn't. She had loved to be the Ranger-General, the leader of the Farstriders. Everyone had looked up to her and admired her. She had been a very popular person. She was still popular, lots of people visited her store and spent time with her. She got lots of friends she had met during her days as a ranger. She was not forgotten. She never will no matter what will happen. Nevertheless, her greatest wish was to be a ranger once again.
Lireesa had hugged her daughters longer than necessary, tears had rolled down her cheeks when she had embraced her youngest daughter. Her daughters had comforted her, promised her that everything will be alright and she believed them. She knew her descendants will lead the high elves to victory and get rid of the troll and orc problem.
Lireesa regarded her daughters as long as possible, accompanying them to their horses after they had said goodbye to everyone. She stood at the door of their front garden, waving at them as long as they were in her sight. She remained there for a couple of minutes, even though she couldn't see them anymore, then she returned to the house.
Her husband approached her, rubbing her back as he hugged her tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the body contact with him.
"Don't worry, love. They can take care of themselves. I know they will return in one piece."
"I know, my love. I know, you are right," she whispered and put her head on his shoulder.
"I've brewed your favourite tea. I hope it helps you to calm down and relax," he said, giving her a small smile.
"Thank you, my dear," she responded, kissing his cheek softly.
A smile appeared on Zalien's lips. He wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, slowly guiding her to the living room.
---
"You are nervous" diagnosed Liadrin as she regarded her cousin.
Kelrian placed the cup, he was holding, in front of him, and looked at his hands which were shaking a bit. "We are going to war, of course I'm nervous. I have never been to war before. I may have killed a few trolls but that happened years ago. I haven't killed an enemy for a while. A real enemy at least. I don't count lynxes and bears as enemies. Killing orcs and trolls will be a lot harder than killing lynxes or bears, not to mention that they are a lot deadlier."
"I'm pretty sure you won't hesitate to kill them if they approach you. You have to kill them if you want to survive and defend our people," mentioned his cousin.
"I know, I know. I will give my best. I will have no mercy with these creatures and slay as many of them as I can. They crippled my mother and they will pay for that." announced Kelrian, sounding far more determined than he had sounded before.
Liadrin walked over to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "You got this. I believe in you!"
A small smile appeared on his lips. "Thank you, Liadrin."
She returned his smile. "Don't worry, I will look after your family as long as you are away. I will make sure that your father won't kidnap them."
"So, I don't have to worry about them which means I can fully focus on the upcoming war."
"You have to remain focused during the war, otherwise...," she paused for a moment. "You can't allow yourself to be distracted, not even for a short moment. Every single moment can decide between life and death. You have to be careful."
"I know and I will" he responded, sounding self-confident.
Liadrin regarded him for a few moments. "You should go to your mother and siblings to say goodbye to them. You have to go soon if you want to reach Silvermoon City in time," she reminded.
"You are right. I don't have much time left. I should visit them for the last time before I will be away for a while," said Kelrian, getting up quickly. He hugged Liadrin, kissing her left cheek. He pulled away and walked out of the living room.
He took the stairs, arriving on the second floor. He moved to his siblings' room, knocking at the door. Sindor's high-pitched voice told Kelrian that he was allowed to get in. He entered the room, spotting his siblings on the floor. They were sitting there and played a game of chess. They got up as soon as they saw him, scrutinizing him from head to toe. They didn't need to ask what he wanted. They saw the clothes he was wearing so they knew that he was about to join the other Farstriders and go to war with them.
Cincia rushed to him, wrapped her arms around his upper body and hugged him tightly. Kelrian smiled as he regarded her from above, running his fingers through her hair. Cincia pulled away after a while, allowing Sindor to hug him as well, who didn't let him go for nearly five minutes. But he let him go eventually, knowing he had to leave soon.
"I wish you didn't have to go," said Cincia, making a sad face.
"I wish the same but the other rangers and I have to fight the trolls and orcs. We have to defeat them to make sure they never attack our people again."
"I wish there would be another solution to end this conflict. War always means the loss of good men and women. War only leaves death and destruction behind. Widowers and widows, orphans and broken people. There is nothing good about war" spoke Sindor, his voice was low and sounded sad.
"But it's still necessary for the survival of our race. The High King had tried to negotiate with the Horde but all of his suggestions have been rejected by Zul'jin and Orgrim Doomhammer. They don't want peace so war is all we can offer them if they don't let us and the other kingdoms of the Alliance in peace," explained Kelrian.
"I still wish there would be another solution. We don't want to lose you"
A sad smile appeared on Kelrian's lips. He was imagining what his family would do if he would die during the war. They would be shattered but they would accept his death sooner or later. They would mourn for him and they would curse all trolls and orcs but they would get used to his absence. They had to if this case would ever occur.
Kelrian didn't want them to be sad nor did he want to die. He would give his best and kill as many trolls and orcs as possible. He would even risk his life if necessary. He wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his life for the greater good but only if it would be necessary. He knew that his family and Sylvanas would mourn for him so he would give his best to not die. One life was nothing compared to thousands. Winning the war had top priority, surviving was second. Nevertheless, he would give his best to survive.
"I don't want to lose you either. I can take care of myself and I will return alive in one piece."
"Promised?" asked Cincia, her voice trembled so did her hands.
Kelrian put his hand on her shoulder, giving her a comforting look. "Promised."
He stayed in their room for a few more minutes, talking to them until he decided that it was time to visit his mother. He told his siblings he will meet them again before his departure, then he walked to his mother's room, entering it as soon he got the permission.
Liana was sitting on her bed and put aside the book she was reading until this very moment. She got up and walked over to her son, hugging him immediately. She rested her head on his chest and started to sob. Tears ran down her cheeks but she ignored them. But Kelrian didn't ignore them. He wiped them away. He hugged her tightly, caressing her back softly. He whispered comforting words in her ears, managing to calm her down eventually. She didn't pull away, hugging him even tighter than before.
"I don't want you to go," she whispered.
The corner of his lips formed a sad smile. "I know but I have to."
"There are so many other rangers, they will win this war without you."
"We outnumber the trolls, that's right. Nevertheless, we need every skilled person we can get. The more soldiers we have, the larger our chance of victory is. The Ranger-General counts me to her best rangers so my presence will make a difference. At least I'm hoping that."
"You haven't killed a living intelligent creature for years. You are not used to killing others. How can you be sure you will be able to kill them before they kill you? What if you hesitate to end them and they take advantage of that?" Her face was full of worry, her skin was very pale and her hands were shaking.
Kelrian put her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks softly. "I will never spare any of these miserable creatures, not after what they have done to you. I will avenge your fallen comrades and the arm you have lost. They have ruined your carrier and crippled you. I will make sure they will pay for everything they have done to our people," he spoke, sounding very determined. Liana could have been mistaken but she assumed that she might have noticed a small amount of hatred which was reflected by his eyes. He had every reason to hate orcs and trolls. Nonetheless, she didn't approach him about what she had seen.
Liana was silent for a few moments. She was an emotional wreck but he managed to calm her down as he had done with his siblings. He was very good at comforting and calming down people. His mere presence was often enough to reassure others. Not even Kelrian himself knew how he was doing that. He just did it whenever someone needed comfort and it worked almost every time. That was his special talent.
His mother pulled away after a while, wiping tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I understand that you have to go. You want to protect our people. You want to protect us as well. I understand that even though I don't like the thought that you might get in danger."
"I have chosen this life, I have chosen to become a ranger, knowing the risk this life entails. I'm a fighter, risking my life every day is normal for me. I managed to free you, Sindor and Cincia out of father's grasp. I survived his revenge and I will survive this war as well. I wouldn't belong to the Ranger-General's elite if I wouldn't be able to take care of myself. I also belonged to the best of the newest generation of rangers."
"But that doesn't make you immortal or invulnerable" interrupted his mother whose eyes still reflected worry.
"I know, I have never indicated that. I'm just a man after all but I know what I am doing. I may not have the same amount of experience others have but I will become more experienced with the time. I will always be careful. Promised," he gave her a small smile, patting her shoulder softly. Liana didn't say anything in return, she just looked at her son, silently praying for his safety. He returned her gaze, clearing his throat after a few minutes.
"I need to go now. Will you accompany me to the door so I could say goodbye to you and the others?"
"Of course I will" she responded, walking to the door. Kelrian followed her to the entrance hall. He picked up his backpack, which was lying there, and swung it over his shoulder. He hugged every single member of his family for the last time before he left the house, waving at them as he walked to his horse which was tied to the nearest tree. He mounted the horse, glancing back at his family who was standing in front of the house. His gaze rested on them for a few moments, he waved at them for the last time before he spurred his horse and rode off, staring straight ahead.
---
Kelrian arrived at the tent he had been ordered to, greeting the two rangers who were standing in front of it. They greeted him in return, signalizing him to enter the tent. Kelrian knew he was awaited so he didn't hesitate to enter the large blue tent. He walked to the table in the middle of the tent around which Sylvanas, Alleria and three other familiar persons were standing.
To Sylvanas' left was Verena, to her right was a man with the name Lor'themar Theron. He was one of Sylvanas' rangers, he didn't belong to her elite team but he was a member of her regiment which meant he had to be pretty good. Neither he or Verena let show that the presence of the last person was annoying them. They weren't annoyed because of the way the person behaved. They were annoyed by its mere presence because the person was different than them. That person was also a ranger like them but it was not a Farstrider. It was not an elven ranger. Not a high elf. That person was a human.
Nathanos Marris gave his best to ignore the unpleasant stares Verena and Lor'themar were giving him from time to time. Sylvanas, Alleria and Kelrian were the only ones who tolerated the young human. Sylvanas respected Nathanos because she knew that he was a very skilled ranger, better than most of her rangers. He was also better than Lor'themar who he had defeated in a training fight not long ago. That was the main reason why Lor'themar was not pleased about his presence, but also because he didn't understand why a human was accompanying them.
Verena didn't seem to like humans either, especially not those who come out of nowhere and spent too much time with her best friend. Alleria was the entire opposite of her. She liked humans, she had never hated them. Unlike most high elves, she didn't think that their race was superior to the human race. She was in a relationship with a human and she even had a half-breed son with him.
Kelrian didn't mind Nathanos' presence. It was Nathanos who had saved him that day when the mercenaries had attacked him. Without him, Kelrian's wounds would have been worse. In the worst case, he wouldn't have been able to attend the war if his wounds would have needed more time to heal.
Kelrian came to the table, greeting every present person. All of them returned the greeting, looking at him for a few seconds before they looked back at the table. There was a map of Quel'Thalas and its bordering territories on which many figures were standing. Some of these figures looked like troll warriors, some of them looked like humans, dwarves, high elves and even orcs. Kelrian knew that the purpose of these figures was to show everyone where allied and enemy troops were stationed.
Kelrian's eyes rested on Sylvanas as she explained her plan. She told them that she didn't want to attack the trolls with their entire army, instead, she wanted to send out groups which would clear smaller troll bases and camps before the army will take care of the capital city of the trolls. Zul'Aman - The city where the coward Zul'jin was hiding after he had been freed from his prison by the orcs.
A third of the rangers and a third of the reinforcements from the Alliance should strengthen the borders of Quel'Thalas while the second third of the Farstriders should patrol meanwhile and look out for invading groups who had managed to sneak in the elven territory. The last third should attack the troll bases and camps.
"Alleria's and my team will sneak into the nearest troll base during midnight and kill all sixty trolls there. Ranger-Captain Verena's and Ranger-Lieutenant Lor'themar's teams will wait outside the base in the nearest forest. They will give us backup if something goes wrong. Just watch out for a fiery arrow which I will shot in the air if we need help. Other groups will do the same with the other bases and camps near the border," she made a small pause to check if everybody understood what she had said.
"If everything works out, we can force the trolls to retreat from our borders and give up a quarter of their territory. We will continue until they can only hide in their capital city which will also fall, sooner or later. The second regiment will take care of the forest trolls in the east. Are there any questions or does someone else have a better idea?"
Sylvanas looked around, finding out that her companions agreed with her plan. A pleased smile appeared on her lips as she shifted her gaze to Kelrian, noticing that he was smiling as well. Her gaze rested longer than necessary on him but he didn't mind that. He loved to stare into her gorgeous blue eyes so did she.
Verena cleared her throat. She was the only one in the tent who knew about Sylvanas and Kelrian, so she did her best to prevent that someone would interpret something out of their behaviour. The others were wondering why these two individuals were looking at each other for so long. Verena had acted correctly and brought them back to reality before any other present person would have noticed something.
"Okay," said Sylvanas, not knowing what else to say.
Luckily for her, Alleria took over. "If there are no questions, I interpret that everyone understands what he or she has to do. If that's the case, we will meet in near the base two hours before midnight."
The others nodded to Alleria, so Sylvanas dismissed everyone. Even Kelrian who walked away with Verena.
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