Tyrel Sunstrider

"My son, the day you were born, all of Eversong Woods whispered the same name—Tyrel. Even the Sunwell cheered and sang." —Anasterian Sunstrider

The Sunstrider family of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas had always been thin-blooded. Since Dath'Remar Sunstrider, the line had been passed down through a single heir. Old King Anasterian Sunstrider had only Kael'thas Sunstrider as his bloodline before this. Fortunately, Prince Kael'thas, heir to the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, not only possessed unparalleled talent as a Mage and surpassed his mentor, Archmage Taelen, soon after coming of age, but had also formed a contract with the legendary Phoenix God Ao.

At a young age, Kael'thas represented the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas in Dalaran. Through his outstanding strength and his contributions to the Kirin Tor Council of Dalaran, he became a member of the Six Council of Kirin Tor.

More important than his strength, however, was Prince Kael'thas's love for his people. He placed the interests of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas above all else, even above his own life.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, old King Anasterian Sunstrider, already in middle age, fathered another Little Prince. Though the Queen of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas died as a result, the Sunstrider family had gained another bloodline. The entire Kingdom of Quel'Thalas fell into celebration. That year was four years before the Dark Portal.

Anasterian Sunstrider named the Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider.

That same year, Terenas Menethil II of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, humanity's most powerful kingdom, also had his second child—the prince of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, Arthas Menethil.

Time passed swiftly. With the nearly endless magic of the Sunwell, the Quel'dorei of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas altered the climate, leaving the entire kingdom forever in a beautiful autumn, eternally immersed in crimson splendor and prosperity.

The Sunwell gave the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas more than mysterious magic and a constant climate. The magical barrier that covered nearly the entire borders of Quel'Thalas also firmly protected the proud Quel'dorei. They believed that under its protection, the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas would enter an age of everlasting prosperity.

The magical barrier indeed did not disappoint the proud High Elf Quel'dorei. During the two Orc Wars, it kept the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas from being attacked by the frenzied orcs who had drunk Demon Blood. Only a small number of High Elves living along the border suffered attacks from the Warsong Clan.

With its magical barrier and the Sunwell, the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas gradually grew arrogant, self-assured, and hostile toward outsiders. Though King Anasterian Sunstrider sent Ranger-General Alleria Windrunner to join the Alliance expeditionary force during the Second Orc War, after the victory, Gilneas, Stromgarde, and the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas withdrew from the Alliance one after another.

In the blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth year after the Dark Portal. In Starfall Village on the Isle of Quel'Danas, a High Elf Warrior in the prime of his life, exceptionally resolute and powerfully built compared to ordinary Quel'dorei, was instructing a High Elf who had clearly just come of age and still appeared quite immature in swordsmanship.

"Very good, Tyrel. Your swordsmanship has improved rapidly, and your strength has reached a respectable level. Even at your age, I did not possess such strength. But you are still too impatient—one could even say you are too eager for quick success. I do not understand why." The one before him, who had just turned eighteen, was Tyrel Sunstrider, the Little Prince of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas.

Having lived within the Arcane Weave of the Sunwell for generations, the Quel'dorei had gradually developed bodies attuned to arcane magic. Even children could use magic.

As the royal family of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, the Sunstrider family possessed unmatched arcane affinity and talent for magic. Yet every Sunstrider began honing their swordsmanship in childhood. In the beginning, the Sunstrider family had become renowned among the High Elf nobility for its swordsmanship, and the family also inherited Flaming Strike, a legendary artifact-quality weapon.

Elves had long lives. Though they did not possess the nearly eternal lifespan of their distant Night Elf relatives, every High Elf still lived for several thousand years. Long-lived races shared a common flaw: laziness and decadence. Such lengthy lives had given them a slow and unhurried disposition.

Thus, High Elf swordsmanship emphasized refined techniques developed through long periods of training. It suited High Elves perfectly, but it did not suit the young Little Prince Tyrel before him. Since he began training, the prince had never acted like a child, avoiding practice or slacking off. He had always completed every training task at two hundred percent.

His studies had never fallen behind either. At such a young age, Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider particularly enjoyed studying languages and history. His other mentor, Scholar Prophet Volethal, had repeatedly praised the prince to Anasterian Sunstrider for his intelligence and love of learning. He had mastered the Common Tongue, Thalassian, Dwarvish, Gnomish, and nearly every major language of Azeroth. He had even actively learned Orcish, the language of the orcs who had invaded Azeroth.

However, the Warrior before him rarely praised Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider, because Salorian Dawngrasper, the foremost Warrior of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and wielder of the High Elf Holy Sword Seradell, was almost harsh to the point of being demanding.

Though he rarely praised him and wore a stern expression most of the time, Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider deeply respected this mentor. He sheathed his training sword and explained, "Mentor Salorian, I carry the bloodline of the Sunstrider family. Since childhood, my father has taught my brother and me that the people's interests stand above all else. For some reason, I always feel that our kingdom and people will face a crisis in the future. So I must strengthen myself quickly, so I can protect my people from disaster."

Seeing the utter seriousness on Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider's face, Salorian Dawngrasper knew that every word was true. Given the current state of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, almost no one possessed the same awareness of danger in times of peace as Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider. Though even Salorian Dawngrasper did not believe that any force could shatter the prosperity of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, as a Warrior, he still admired Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider's actions.

Salorian Dawngrasper had no children, nor even a spouse. He had devoted his entire life to the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas and the Sunstrider family. When Salorian Dawngrasper was young, the war between the High Elves and the Forest Trolls of Zul'Aman was at its fiercest. It was in that era that Salorian Dawngrasper rose to prominence alongside Ranger-General Alleria Windrunner, the previous Ranger-General.

As he looked at the handsome Little Prince before him, warmth rose in Salorian Dawngrasper's heart. Yet his face remained as stern as ever.

After a long while, he said, "King Anasterian Sunstrider has agreed to your request, Tyrel. However, your other mentor, Scholar Volethal, is clearly very unhappy about it."

Little Prince Tyrel Sunstrider ignored everything after that and said joyfully, "Wonderful! Father has finally agreed."

In the blink of an eye, he vanished from Starfall Village, riding a White Gryphon reserved for the Sunstrider family toward the Magister's Terrace.