Kael'thas's Plea for Help

Beneath the dome of Dragonblight Temple, the Eternal Flame burned quietly, casting Alexstrasza's red hair in the glow of flowing molten gold. She was bent over a dragon egg, Life Fire gently circulating in her palm as she checked the whelp's vital pulse within the shell.

Suddenly, a rapid patter of footsteps came from outside the temple, accompanied by the crisp clinking of metal—like someone dragging a huge sack of gold coins while sprinting across the stone floor.

"Lady Alexstrasza! I came to see you!"

Chromie's little face poked out from beside the doorway, her golden twin ponytails tousled from running. Behind her, she dragged a burlap sack nearly bigger than she was, stamped with the eye-catching Blackwing Fertilizer logo. A few gold coins leaked from the bottom, rolling across the floor with cheerful clinks.

The Red Dragon Queen slowly straightened, her dragon eyes narrowing slightly. "Chromie? What... are you doing?"

"It's been so long since I last came to see you! These are gifts for you." The young Bronze Dragon eagerly dragged the sack to the center of the temple, then dumped everything inside onto the floor with a crash—

Piles of gold coins rolled everywhere across the floor.

Dalaran-made magic candy, with tiny stars dancing across the wrappers.

Dwarven Spirits, with "Blackwing Exclusive" carved into the corks.

Several brand-new Legends of Azeroth picture books, their covers depicting exaggerated battles between the Dragon Race and demons.

Several red dragon whelps had been dozing in their nests, but now they all perked up their ears, their little noses twitching as they sniffed the sweetness in the air.

Alexstrasza's expression froze in rare astonishment.

"Chromie..." Her voice carried a note of confusion. "What is all this? You suddenly brought so many gifts. Do you need something from me...?"

"No, no!" Chromie stood on tiptoe and hung a necklace strung with shiny Glass Beads around the head of the nearest little red dragon. "I made a bit of money recently! Since we're all dragons, good fortune should be shared!" Dividends, dividends!

The little red dragon blinked, reached up with a claw to touch the glowing beads on its head, then held onto them tightly, reluctant to let go as it happily rolled over.

The other whelps immediately swarmed in. Some pawed at the candy, some tried to bite open the liquor bottles, while others flew wildly around the temple with picture books clenched in their mouths, pages fluttering noisily behind them.

Alexstrasza watched the sudden chaos, and the corner of her dignified mouth twitched slightly. She reached out to catch a picture book falling from the air and happened to open it to a certain page—an exaggerated illustration of the Red Dragon Queen battling a Pit Lord, with elegant lettering beside it that read, "The Life-Binder Saves the World!"

"These..." The Red Dragon Queen's voice suddenly softened. "Who drew these?"

Chromie was busy rescuing a liquor bottle that had been bitten out of shape from a whelp's mouth. Without looking up, she said, "Stories about the Aspect Dragons saving the world are spreading throughout the human lands..."

Alexstrasza gently stroked the page with her fingertips, then suddenly laughed softly.

"How interesting." She lightly placed the picture book beside the Eternal Flame, where a pile of "treasures" offered by the whelps had already accumulated—several shiny scales, a strangely shaped rock, and now, a childish hero story.

"Next time..." The Red Dragon Queen paused, a hint of mischief flashing in her eyes. "You can bring a few more sequels."

"Sure, sure, no problem!" Chromie teased the whelps. "I still need to go see Ysera later."

"Oh? Isn't she asleep?" the Red Dragon Queen asked curiously.

"It's the thought that counts when giving gifts. Someone else can pass them along for me," Chromie said magnanimously.

"Hm? You really don't need my help?" the Red Dragon Queen confirmed once more.

"No, really, I don't." Afraid of further questioning, Chromie hurriedly made her escape. "I'm going to find Ysera."

"What a strange child!" Alexstrasza watched Chromie leave.

Pandaria · Emerald Forest Coast

The beach was scorching beneath the noon sun, fine white sand flowing between Deren's toes. He floated on his back in the sea, a straw hat covering his face, with half a cup of Pineapple Juice resting on his belly, complete with a tiny umbrella.

"Now this is living..."

Before he could finish his sigh, a high-pressure jet of water blasted him head-on.

Splash!

Deren plunged into the sea with his limbs flailing, his straw hat and juice cup tracing graceful arcs through the air. When he surfaced in a fury, the culprit was sitting atop an Inflatable Crocodile, laughing so hard she trembled all over—

Onyxia wore a bikini as black as night, its dragon-scale pattern gleaming like pearls beneath the sunlight. She sat with her legs languidly crossed, faint traces of water magic still curling around her fingertips.

"Only the weak need rest." Her red lips curved upward, and with a hook of her finger, another waterspout formed beneath Deren's feet.

"Cheating! This is cheating!" Deren floundered as he tried to flee, only to be spun around by the current like a top. "We agreed not to use magic!"

Splash!

Chromie suddenly burst from beneath the water, seaweed hanging from her Frog Goggles. She grabbed Deren by the waistband of his swim trunks. "Time Acceleration—"

"Ah—Chromie, you little brat! My pants!" Deren desperately covered his lower half with one hand while trying to snatch his swim trunks back from Chromie with the other.

Suddenly, a blue arcane glow flashed as a Portal began to form on the beach.

The three figures instantly froze.

Whoosh!

In a flash of blue light, Jaina appeared on the beach. Theramore's ruler was dressed in formal mage robes today, her blonde hair pinned up impeccably, meeting notes still in hand—just in time to see Deren burrowing naked into the sand, Onyxia instantly transforming into dragon form and blinking away to the side, and Chromie pretending to be an innocent message in a bottle.

"...Did I come at a bad time?"

"No! You came at the perfect time!" Deren's muffled voice came from within the sand pile. "Tell us what happened!"

Jaina took a deep breath and forcibly tore her gaze away from the farce. "Kael'thas Sunstrider has arrived. Quel'Thalas's defenses have collapsed, and he is requesting aid."

Splash!

Onyxia instantly returned to human form and stepped out of the sea, droplets sliding down her perfect curves. Under her Dragon Awe, the beach automatically formed a dry path.

"Should've said so." She snapped her fingers, and a black evening gown appeared on her body out of thin air. "Make that canary wait. I'm changing."

Deren finally pulled his head out of the sand. "Wait! Where are my pants?!"

The blue velvet curtains in the Theramore Council Chamber had all been drawn shut, leaving only the Crystal Chandelier to cast its cold light. Kael'thas Sunstrider stood before the long table, his slender fingers pressed against the unfolded map, his fingertips trembling slightly.

His once sun-bright golden hair had now lost its luster, with even the ends bearing scorch marks. A vicious crack split the phoenix-crested shoulder armor, exposing the unhealed burns beneath—the traces of Fel Recoil.

"Dar'khan betrayed us."

The elven prince's voice sounded as though it had been scraped raw by sandpaper. His finger passed over the magical projection of Silvermoon City, and the image suddenly warped, revealing dense waves of Undead.

"He handed the Sunwell's defensive runes to Arthas... Now the Scourge is attacking Silvermoon City's final barrier. They won't hold out for long."

"Theramore doesn't have enough troops to send aid across the sea," she said softly, her gaze passing over Kael'thas's cracked nails—the mark of mana depletion from excessive spellcasting.

Kael'thas suddenly looked up, the despair in his eyes nearly solidifying into tangible flames. "But you have allies!" His robe sleeve slipped down, revealing the unhealed scars from Mana Shackles around his wrist. "Black dragons, Bronze Dragons, even that... that..."

The council chamber doors were suddenly shoved open.

Deren staggered inside, sand still clinging to his pant legs, his tie hanging crookedly around his neck. Onyxia followed behind him, her high heels clicking ominously against the marble floor.

"That 'Agricultural Advisor' you mentioned is here," the Black Dragon Princess said with a half-smile, toying with a strand of black hair around her fingertip.

Kael'thas's Adam's apple bobbed. The pride innate to elves made him instinctively straighten his back, but Deren noticed mud and dust on the soles of his boots—this prince had likely fled here in disarray using the most basic Teleportation Spell, without even having time to cast a cleaning spell.

"Arthas's next target is Quel'Thalas." Kael'thas forced himself to calm down, pointing at the map. "If the Sunwell falls and is converted into a source of Undead energy..."

Onyxia suddenly chuckled, cutting off the elven prince. "What's in it for us?"

A brief silence fell over the council chamber. Only Kael'thas's hurried breathing could be heard clearly. His knuckles had turned white from pressing too hard, creasing the map beneath them.

Deren added, "Your Highness Kael'thas, I have a question." His voice had unusually lost its usual teasing note and sounded exceptionally calm. "The Scourge has been ravaging the land for so long. Where are the Red Dragons, Bronze Dragons, Green Dragons—those so-called 'Aspect Dragons'?"

Kael'thas abruptly looked up, a flicker of astonishment passing through his eyes.

"They haven't moved. So why should the black dragons be the ones charging into battle?" Deren continued. "Besides, the High Elves were the ones who left the Alliance in the first place. Now that they're in danger, they remember to ask humans for help?"

The corner of Onyxia's lips curled upward slightly. She was clearly pleased by Deren's bluntness.

Kael'thas's face grew ever paler, but his instinctive pride made him retort at once. "The Sunwell is the culmination of Quel'dorei civilization over thousands of years! If it is corrupted by the Scourge—"

"That's your problem." Deren cut him off. "The elven nobles indulged in magical pleasures and tied the fate of their entire race to a single well. Now that the well is about to collapse, you finally think to beg for help?"

Jaina frowned faintly, but said nothing—Deren was right, even if he put it too bluntly.

"So..." Kael'thas's voice trembled slightly. "Theramore is going to stand by and watch us die?"

"No." Deren shook his head. "We can help evacuate people."

He walked to the map and drew a line between Silvermoon City and Dalaran. "Evacuate them to Dalaran. It's the closest and fastest route. There are two options now."

"First, evacuate only the nobles and officers. We can open a Portal right now, but the civilians and soldiers will be left to fend for themselves."

Kael'thas's pupils abruptly contracted.

"Second, a mass evacuation." Deren's fingertip tapped the wasteland around Theramore. "But the elven army will need to hold the rear, Dalaran will handle the mass Teleportation Array, and the black dragons will contain the enemy on the perimeter—and everyone must have the right to retreat, not just those Noble Council lords dripping in gold and jewels."

Onyxia suddenly gave a soft laugh. "Choose, Your Highness. Will you preserve your 'noble bloodline,' or leave the Quel'dorei some real embers of hope?"

Kael'thas pressed a hand to his chest, where a Phoenix Emblem—the symbol of the Sunstrider royal family—was pinned. His gaze swept over Jaina, who nodded lightly.

"We choose the second option." The elven prince's voice was hoarse but resolute. "But the Sunwell... someone must destroy it."

A bitter smile appeared on Deren's face. "You can only choose one. Either evacuate the people or destroy the Sunwell. You can't have everything. Decide for yourself. Otherwise, try asking someone else?"

Kael'thas could barely keep his expression together. He wanted to argue, but swallowed the words in the end. "Then we'll evacuate the people. The Sunwell is on the outskirts and has already been occupied by the Undead. Only Silvermoon City is still holding out. I hope we can get as many people out as possible."

"Then get moving. We don't have much time left. As for the cost, how do you plan to handle it?" Deren asked the prince at last. They couldn't possibly provide both people and money just to rescue a bunch of useless snobs who looked down their noses at everyone.

Kael'thas smiled bitterly. "Put it all on my account. Come to me for reimbursement afterward. If that isn't enough, mortgage Silvermoon City first. The land isn't going anywhere."

Deren thought it over, then nodded. "Fine. Mortgage both Silvermoon City and the Sunwell to me. We'll begin the Silvermoon City evacuation immediately."

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