Chapter 130: Chapter 70: Reorientation
"What do you want?" the woman hissed when Kelrian entered the small room.
Kelrian said nothing at first, all he did was to remain on the spot and regard the woman. Neither her white hair nor her clothes were dirty. She no longer wore her usual outfit. No blood-red armour and no chapeau. She wore a white dress instead. Her outfit didn't let her look like a prisoner. She was much cleaner than any prisoner in Undercity, Silvermoon or in any other capital city of the Alliance. She was better accommodated than any other enemy of the Alliance. She should be grateful but she wasn't. Her face reflected nothing but disgust. Disgust for the man in front of her.
"How are you doing?" Kelrian asked.
"Why do you want to know that? You don't care how I feel."
"I care about all servants of the light. Even for those who follow the wrong path."
"The wrong path? You are the one who follows the wrong. Not me."
Kelrian shook his head slightly. "You had time to think about everything and you still didn't come to the conclusion that your point of view is wrong. The Forsaken are not our enemy. The Scourge and the Burning Legion are."
"The existence of the Forsaken is an insult to life. They should not have existed in the first place."
"They didn't ask to be killed and raised, did they? They didn't ask to be brought back. It was not their decision. It was the Lich King who did this to them. You must accept that the Forsaken don't want to do any harm. All they want to do is survive and bring down the one who is responsible for their suffering. They want to stop the Scourge, just like you do."
"So you say that the Forsaken are not evil?" Whitemane asked. One of her brows was raised, her eyes reflected doubt.
"I do."
Whitemane spat on the floor not far away from Kelrian's feet. "Blasphemy."
Kelrian titled his head a little. "You have no arguments that support your thesis. The Forsaken fight the forces of the Lich King since they broke free. They are a part of the Alliance for six years and they have never left them in the lure. They helped us to stop the Burning Legion from taking over Silvermoon, they helped to reduce the influence of the Lich King in the Plaguelands and in Quel'Thalas. They didn't do any evil things."
"They didn't do it yet but they will do it one day. The Forsaken only pretend to be on your side to gain your trust, but in secret, they are still loyal to the Lich King. They will betray you one day and many good men and women will die because of it. Remember my words. The Forsaken are our enemies and your whore of a wife is the Lich King's mistress who has been ordered to seduce you and win you over for the Lich King. She will cause our downfall if we don't stop her before it is too late." Whitemane's voice was full of venom, her eyes reflected hatred.
Kelrian rubbed his chin, a thoughtful look could be seen on his face when he considered Whitemane's words. "All you do is accuse the Forsaken and warn me about things you think will happen. You have no proofs nor do you know the Forsaken at all. You have never spent time with them, you never had a serious conversation with some of them, so you cannot know how they truly are. They are just like us. Some of them might be full of hatred but who can hold that against them after everything they have been through?" He made a small pause.
"Lots of them had seen their beloved die. They lost their families, their friends, their homes, their kingdoms and so much more. They had been tortured, slaughtered, raped and defiled. They had suffered a lot before their death which had made the suffering even worse. Many of them are not very friendly but they are still not evil. They might be jealous of the living but they do not wish their deaths as the Scourge does. Many Forsaken would sacrifice their lives to protect the living and prevent them from enduring the same suffering. They might no longer be the same creatures they were before death, they might be irascible and sometimes violent but they are not evil. The sooner you accept that the higher are your chances to seek redemption."
"Redemption," Whitemane repeated quietly. She was silent for a few moments, thinking about what she should say to Kelrian. Her voice was louder than before when she gave him a reply. "Redemption is not what I seek."
Kelrian tilted his head. "And what do you seek?"
"The purge of all undead creatures."
Kelrian sighed. "You will never change your mind, will you? No matter what I will do or say, no matter what the Forsaken will do, you will always regard them as abominations."
"Because they are abominations. That's not my personal opinion, that's a fact," hissed the priestess.
"Talking to you is like talking to a wall. It leads to nothing and is just a waste of time."
"I'll not listen to your false words and the false gods you worship. If the naaru tolerate and trust the undead, they are not so smart as they claim to be. They are nothing but idols."
"They are the purest expression of light, they are much older and smarter than we are. The only one who worships false gods is you. You and your followers are blind to the truth. But don't worry, Whitemane. There is still hope for you. I'll lead you on the right way and make you see things as I see. I'll make you believe in the true light."
"And how do you want to do that?" Whitemane asked. "You know that I will never listen to any of your words. I will never follow you. You will never convince me."
"I don't need to convince you. The naaru will open your eyes and show you the truth. They will make you see the same things I saw and make you understand."
"So you will force the naaru's will on me? You will put me under their mind-control and let them do the same thing to me that they did to you? You will allow them to brainwash me, won't you?"
"Brainwash? No. As I said, they will make you understand everything and guide you on the right path. They will save you from eternal suffering. They will give you a new purpose. A second chance. They'll give you the chance to redeem yourself and make up for your sins."
"I will not be the naaru's puppet. I will not worship your false gods."
Kelrian's expression was neutral. "Seems you have no choice in this matter." He made a gesture with his hand and two draenei guards stepped closer to Whitemane.
"Blasphemy. I will not obey."
"The choice is not yours. We all serve a higher purpose. It's your time to serve the true light."
"This is not right."
Kelrian's expression remained neutral. "Sometimes the hand of faith must be forced. It's not yours to decide what is right and what is wrong. That's the task of the naaru."
He looked at the one guard he knew better than the other. "Bring her to the naaru."
"As you wish," Yuri and put her hand on Whitemane's shoulder.
"Take your filthy hand off me, you dirty goat."
"Shut up, racist," barked the other draenei. It was a male with blue skin and brown hair
"Silence her," ordered Kelrian. The male cast a spell on Whitemane, preventing her from throwing more insults at the heads of the present persons. The draenei brought Whitemane out of the prison cell and lead her through the bordering corridor. Kelrian followed them without hesitation.
They came to the main hall of the Terrace of Light in which two sentient creatures were already waiting for them. A'dal and Z'eru stood opposite to each other but they turned around when Kelrian came closer. Kelrian's gaze fell on Whitemane whose eyes widened at the sight of the naaru. She was more than just surprised to see them. Kelrian had no idea if that was a good sign or not. All he could hope for was that Whitemane would stop denying the truth and making things harder for them.
"The false prophet has arrived," said Z'eru as it flew closer to Whitemane and removed the silence spell that lasted on her.
"False prophet...The only ones whose sermons are false are you. You are foolish if you think that the living can coexist with the undead. The undead must be purged from Azeroth and I will not stop until I achieved my goal," shouted Whitemane angrily.
"If only you would know how wrong you are," responded A'dal. "But don't worry, child. We will open your eyes to the truth and bring you back on the right path. The only path."
"I will never serve you voluntarily. Never," hissed the human.
The naaru said nothing in return. The fragments that formed their heads were directed at the human. It seemed as if they were looking at her, although they had no eyes. They could see her due to their magical powers, so they didn't miss the expression on her face. They didn't miss the way Whitemane's eyes widened again when golden bindings were wrapped around her body.
The guards stepped away from the High Inquisitor, their eyes reflected curiosity. They were not worried or distrustful. They knew what the naaru were about to do was right. They knew that they had no reason to doubt their actions. They couldn't stop the naaru even if they wanted to but they had no reason to do that. Nobody said or did anything when Whitemane was lifted in the air. She hovered between the naaru, her facial expression was a combination of anger, worry and even fear.
There was nothing she could do except for watching. She was powerless. Even if she would not be tied and would be able to move her arms and cast spells, there was nothing she could do to stop the naaru. Their power was far greater than hers. They were on a completely different level.
Kelrian observed the spectacle in silence. The naaru slowly rotated around Whitemane who didn't say anything. She could throw insults around her but she didn't. She didn't even try to get free. It seemed she had accepted that she was unable to change anything. All she could do was watch.
Kelrian listened to the voice of M'uru in his head and walked forward, stopping in front of the spot where Whitemane had been standing before the naaru had lifted her in the air. His head was tilted back, his gaze didn't leave the woman above him. He had no idea how much time had passed when Whitemane was finally lowered. He noticed that she was unconscious when he caught her.
He didn't notice any visible change when he regarded her thoroughly. He averted his gaze and looked at the naaru who had increased the distance between them. They were on opposite sides of the room.
"Did it work?" Kelrian asked.
"The ritual was successful. You will notice the change as soon as she wakes up. She will no longer be a problem for you and the Forsaken."
"These are some good news. Thank you."
"No need to thank us. We had to do this to prevent her from bothering you any longer. There are more important things which need to be done. You no longer have to deal with the Scarlet Crusade, so you will be able to focus on Illidan and stop his evil plans from now on," said Z'eru.
"So you want me to go to Outland again."
"Yes. Illidan must be stopped as soon as possible."
"Can I visit my wife first?"
"You can but you won't have much time. We want you to go to Outland tomorrow," replied A'dal.
"So be it. What will happen to Whitemane?"
"She will return to the Scarlet Monastery as soon as she is awake. She will keep her followers at bay and only send them to battle against the Legion and the Scourge."
"Sounds good to me."
"There is something else, Chosen."
"What is it, A'dal?"
"Whitemane's destiny is tied to yours."
Kelrian raised an eyebrow, a small amount of confusion could be seen in his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"She will play an important role in the future."
"An important role? What will she do? Why is she so important?"
"We are afraid that we can't tell you more about it because we have not seen enough yet. All we can say is that you should look after her. She needs someone who will guide her and train her," replied the other naaru.
"You want me to be her trainer?"
"Yes."
"Is that really necessary?"
"Yes. It is the light's will."
Kelrian nodded. "I will do everything you ask of me."
"Good. Do you have any other questions?"
"No."
"You can go to your wife then. Goodbye"
"Goodbye," repeated Kelrian.
---
Sylvanas looked up from her desk as soon as she heard the squeaking of the wooden door when it was opened. Her lips formed a warm smile when she caught sight of the man who entered the room at the same moment. She got up from her chair and walked over to the man, welcoming him in a tight embrace. She kissed his cheek and then his lips, causing him to return the kiss.
"I'm so happy to see you, my love."
Kelrian put his left hand on her hip, the other caressed her cheek. "So am I."
"You have been away longer than I expected," Sylvanas remarked.
"Convincing Whitemane was harder than I thought. I had hope that I could bring her to reason by mere talking but she was too stubborn to listen to me."
"What did you do to convince her?"
"I didn't do anything. The naaru did. They opened Whitemane's eyes for the truth and made sure she wouldn't follow the wrong path any longer. She follows the right path now. The path where the servants of the light tolerate the Forsaken."
"So she stops trying to purge my people from now on?" Sylvanas asked curiously.
Kelrian nodded. "She does. It has been weeks since we completed the ritual which turned out to be successful. She no longer hates the Forsaken and no longer wants to extinguish them. She pursues the goal to stop the Scourge and so will the Scarlet Crusade from now on."
"So Whitemane will lead them again?"
Kelrian nodded again. "She will. She will convince the members of the Scarlet Crusade to follow the true path of the light and worship the true gods. The naaru."
Sylvanas' smile became wider. "These are some good news. Now I no longer have to be worried about what these fanatics might plan."
Kelrian pulled her closer to him and put a kiss behind her right ear. He felt her breasts on his chest and her nether region against his but he didn't give in to the urge to touch her and make love to her. "Now we can fully focus on Illidan and his remaining forces."
"I assume you are happy to hear that we reduced his influence on Outland again. We managed to conquer a large part of his territory and forced his troops to retreat to the Black Temple," said Sylvanas.
"This is great," responded Kelrian. He took Sylvanas hand and guided her to her desk. He sat down on her chair and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. He removed her shoulder plates and began to massage her shoulders softly. "Your muscles are tensed," he remarked.
A barely hearable moan escaped the Banshee Queen's lips. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted while she enjoyed her lover's soft touch. "The past weeks have been stressful. I helped to plan the offensives on Outland and I even joined a few skirmishes."
"You are the Queen of Undercity, you don't have to join the fray," Kelrian reminded her.
"I know but I hate hiding in Undercity while others are risking their lives for the greater good."
A soft chuckle escaped Kelrian's lips. "Hiding... That's not what you do. You have other responsibilities. You have a city to run."
"I know but I also want to look after our son. I want to protect him."
Kelrian began to massage her muscles a bit rougher than before. "He is a grown man, he can take care of himself. He doesn't need your protection, my dear."
Sylvanas sighed. "I know. I know he is strong but I feel better when I know that he is alright. He is our only child that is still alive. I don't want to lose him too."
"You will not lose him. He is a powerful mage and he is never alone. His boyfriend looks after him and his unit protects him by any means."
"He is not immortal nor is he undefeatable. No matter how powerful he is, he can still die."
"So can I and you don't stick around with me all the time and look after me."
"You are different. Not only are you the Chosen of the Light but I also know you can take care of yourself."
Kelrian pressed a kiss on her temple. "Our son can also take care of himself, trust me. But if you feel better when you join him in battle, then do so. Just take care of yourself. I don't want to lose you either."
Sylvanas turned her head to look into his face. Regarding his handsome face was enough to calm her down and reassure her. She had the impression that a heavy burden was lifted from her shoulders. She felt more secure than before and more self-confident. She knew she could trust her husband but also her son. She could trust those who were important to her.
She leaned in to press a soft kiss on Kelrian's lips. The kiss was neither very long nor very passionate but it was good enough to satisfy both elves.
"I really missed you," said the undead woman. "More than ever before."
"I was only away a few weeks," Kelrian responded.
"Still too long for my liking," admitted Sylvanas.
Kelrian kissed her temple and didn't stop to massage her shoulders. "Unfortunately, I cannot always be there for you. I have my duties as the Chosen and you have your duties as the ruler of Undercity. I have to impose the naaru's will and protect the Sunwell, Quel'Thalas and the Alliance. To be exact, I have to protect Azeroth and Outland. I will always be busy but I will visit you whenever I can."
"How long can you stay this time?" Sylvanas asked.
"Just today. I will go back to Outland tomorrow. I have to join the forces that will overthrow Illidan."
Kelrian didn't miss the disappointment in Sylvanas' eyes. She was not happy about this news. "So only one day," she said quietly.
"I would stay longer if I could but duty calls."
"I understand that. I don't like it but I must accept it."
"Do you have much to do?"
"Yes, but that can wait. I want to spend the rest of the day with you before you go. I'll see if I can go to Outland with some troops if I have time. I don't really have the manpower but if Whitemane withdraws her forces from my borders, I might be able to send a few hundred Forsaken to join your cause."
"That would be great," Kelrian whispered into her ear and then kissed it softly.
"I hope you will at least make love to me before you go. I'll be pissed if you don't."
Kelrian chuckled. "Don't worry about that. We will do that later. For now, I just want to cuddle with you and kiss you."
"Sounds fine to me," replied Sylvanas.
---
Kelrian sat up and turned his head, looking at his wife who laid right next to him. She was stark naked, her body was covered in sweat and her pale blonde hair was messed up. He put his hand on her cheek and caressed it, the smile he gave her was as wide as hers. He said nothing when he let his hand wander to her breasts and then to her stomach. He grazed the scar with his fingertips before he brought his hand back to her face. Sylvanas pressed her face against the palm of his hand, enjoying the pleasant warmth that was radiated by it.
"You know what I'm wondering about?" Kelrian asked.
Sylvanas raised an eyebrow curiously. "About what?"
"I can touch you without causing you any pain, I can even be inside you and make love to you but I'm not able to touch other Forsaken without hurting them."
"You have touched other Forsaken?"
"Accidentally, yes. I bumped into Nathanos when I was on my way to your room. Let's say that hitting his head on the floor was not the worst pain he felt today. I wanted to help him up but his facial features distorted in pain when I grabbed his wrist. I know that the holy light is the greatest weakness of the Forsaken but I didn't even use the light on him. Even though I wore my gauntlet, my touch still hurt him."
A thoughtful look could be seen on Sylvanas' face. "That's not good at all."
"Nobody gets hurt as long as I don't touch anyone but still... This is not how things are supposed to be."
"Did you talk to the naaru about it?" his wife asked.
He shook his head. "No. I just noticed it today, so I didn't have the chance to tell them my discovery. Nonetheless, I'm still wondering why you are not affected. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hurt you. But it makes me curious about why you are immune to my touch. I want to find out why so I can find a way to spare other Forsaken pain."
"Let's hope you will find a way."
"It only has advantages, especially in battle. I don't want to hurt those who fight with me if I want to pull them off a line of fire for example."
"At least you don't hurt me when you touch me," she said as she took his hand on put it on her chest.
"We wouldn't be able to have sex. That would be bad enough. Not to mention that I love to kiss you, cuddle with you and touch you in general."
Sylvanas smiled when she sat up and leaned in to put a soft kiss on her husband's lips. Kelrian returned the kiss without hesitation. Their tongues met and danced, they fought for dominance but the fight didn't end with a clear winner. They pulled away eventually, smiling at each other. Kelrian was aware that Sylvanas was still too exhausted for another round, so he just wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"I should go, it's already morning."
"Stay a little longer, my love," begged Sylvanas.
Kelrian ran his fingers through her hair. "I can't, my love. I have to go to Outland and assist our forces there. Illidan must be stopped."
"Just one more hour."
Kelrian shook his head. It was not easy to deny Sylvanas anything, especially when she was nude and bathed in sweat and love juice. She was too sexy but his will was stronger than his lower desires. He was able to resist her and refuse her requests if he really had to.
He knew he would never leave her bed if he would give in. He had to stay strong and ignore his tickling stiff manhood. His duty was the most important thing. Protecting Azeroth and Outland was more important than anything else. He would have enough time to make love to Sylvanas once Illidan's plans were stopped.
"I wish I could stay with you for one more hour but I really can't. I have to go to Outland."
"Fine, I'm no longer disturbing you then," sulked Sylvanas and got up from the bed. Kelrian sighed and got up from the bed too, stepping to Sylvanas. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck. "We will be able to spend lots of time together once I return."
"I hope so," Sylvanas said and smirked as she rubbed her ass against a certain area.
"Fiend," Kelrian whispered before he kissed her cheek and stepped away from her. Sylvanas said nothing and just gave him a small mischievous grin, watching him getting dressed. "I already miss you inside me, honey."
"You will have to survive a few weeks without me, my dear."
"Can't you leave one of your clones here? Just in case I get bored or aroused."
"Very funny, my love."
Sylvanas said nothing in return as she got dressed. She stepped to Kelrian and kissed him on the lips. "Give my regards to Raesh."
"I will."
"Stay safe, my love. I will try to assemble a squadron of my best soldiers and send them to Outland. I assume you'll need every capable fighter you can get."
"You are not wrong about this. Illidan's influence might have been weakened over the past months but he still has many warriors left. We shouldn't underestimate him."
"I'll come to Outland if I can but I can't promise you anything."
Kelrian nodded. "Did you manage to make Balnazzar speak?"
Sylvanas shook her head. "Not yet but Varimathras is on it. If he won't get any information, then I will interrogate this traitor."
"I have not spoken to Danara yet but I will as soon as I can. I know that Tyrande doesn't want to cooperate with her but I think Danara will prove useful for overthrowing Illidan. I'll send someone to find her and deliver a message to her. I hope she will show up soon."
"And the naaru are fine with you wanting to cooperate with her?"
"It was their idea."
Sylvanas' facial expression reflected surprise. "Really?"
Kelrian nodded. "Yes. They believe that we need her to stop Illidan. I wish the High Priestess would give Danara a chance to prove herself but she still refuses to work with any demon. Things would be so much easier if her hatred for demons wouldn't influence her actions and decisions. I don't really like doing things behind Tyrande's back. I consider her a friend. Not a close friend like Marcus, Velsana or Vissia but still a friend. We worked together since the fall of Quel'Thalas until our paths split when we went to Northrend to stop Arthas. I don't want to get on Tyrande's bad side but I have no other choice than working with Danara behind Tyrande's back. If Danara wants to work with me."
"I have no doubt she will. And about Tyrande, I think she will forgive you as soon as the realises the true value of Exadius' daughter. She has to realize that not all demons are evil. Not all demons turn mad like..."
"Illidan?"
Sylvanas nodded. "I'm sure she wouldn't hate all demons if Illidan wouldn't have rejected her and pushed her away from him after Arthas defeated him."
"I wish I would have gone with Illidan that day instead of staying with my father. We could have defeated Arthas together... Instead, we lost many soldiers, our daughter escaped and so did Arthas..."
Sylvanas put her hands on Kelrian's face as soon as she saw small signs of grief and regret in his eyes. These emotions had been only visible for less than a second but Sylvanas had noticed them nonetheless. She knew Kelrian better than anyone else and she had keen powers of observation. She knew when he was sad even when he didn't show clear signs.
"We will free Sylvera from the Lich King's control. I'll do anything in my power to get her back."
Kelrian put his hands on hers and caressed their backs with his thumbs. "So will I. We will free her and make Arthas pay for his crimes."
Sylvanas nodded, her expression reflected determination. "We will."
"I really have to go now, my love," Kelrian said after several minutes of silence.
"Kiss me goodbye," Sylvanas demanded.
Kelrian obeyed her happily, noticing the way her ears twitched during the passionate kiss.
"May you succeed and return to me as soon as you can."
"I promise. Farewell, Sylvanas."
"Farewell. I love you, Kel."
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