Sisters Reunited

Twilight in Theramore filtered through the stained-glass floor-to-ceiling windows, casting mottled patterns across the oak floor of Deren's residence. The fireplace burned quietly, occasionally popping with a spark or two that illuminated the subtle atmosphere of confrontation in the sitting room.

Onyxia sat primly before a gilded tea set, her slender fingers holding a silver spoon as she poured a third infusion of black tea into a teacup. The amber liquid swirled within the cup, and the rising steam blurred her golden slit pupils.

"Lemon or honey?" Her voice was as cloying as melted honey, yet her fingertips unconsciously left a faint claw mark on the spoon.

Sylvanas leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, her backlit figure like a drawn blade. She did not even turn around, merely lightly tapping the window frame with her fingertips. She had been appearing here often lately, silently watching and observing Deren.

"Looks like our guest doesn't enjoy tea~" Onyxia pushed the teacup toward an empty seat, the bottom of the cup striking its saucer with a crisp, provocative clink.

On the other side of the room, Chromie was sunk deep into a velvet sofa, a bronze Time Sandglass hanging crookedly from her waist. She held a gilt-covered copy of Secret Court History of the High Elves, whose cover bore the flamboyant script: "Top Secret—For Royal Eyes Only." This was probably her prize from the last Silvermoon City rescue. It would only have been destroyed by war if it had remained there. Better to let a Bronze Dragon safeguard it!

"Pfft, hahahaha—" The Bronze Dragon, in her little gnome form, suddenly kicked her short legs and accidentally knocked over a teacup. Onyxia shot her a glare, and the little gnome immediately cast a spell with great care to dry the sofa and carpet.

Deren sat in a rocking chair beside the fireplace, a thick copy of Gnomish Engineering spread across his lap. Firelight reflected in his glasses, obscuring his expression. Whenever the rocking chair swayed forward, the flames lit up a clear scratch on his neck—spoils left behind during last night's "heated discussion" with Onyxia. He was too weak!

"Darling," the Black Dragon Princess suddenly held a cup of black tea to his lips, "you've been reading page seven for a whole hour."

Deren's fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly. You freaks turn this place into an Asura Field every day. How am I supposed to read properly? he grumbled inwardly.

"I was thinking about a new plan." He sipped his tea without changing expression.

A blinding blue-white light suddenly burst open in the center of the sitting room. Arcane Energy in the air surged violently, rattling the silverware on the coffee table with a clatter. Chromie hurriedly stuffed her picture book into her arms, only for its gilt corner to scratch her chin.

"Ow! By time itself—"

As the light faded, Jaina Proudmoore's figure gradually came into focus. Her left hand held a staff in the finishing pose of a Teleportation Spell, while her right hand was gripping Vereesa Windrunner by the back of her collar like a kitten. The young ranger's feet had not even touched the ground, and tear tracks still stained her face.

"Look what I picked up in the city?" Jaina's voice carried deliberate cheerfulness, but the frost glittering at her fingertips betrayed her emotions. "A lost little kitten who asks everyone she meets whether they've seen her sister."

The entire sitting room seemed to freeze for a second.

Onyxia's teacup hung in midair, a droplet of tea slowly falling from its rim; Deren's page was caught halfway through a turn; even the flames in the fireplace had bizarrely solidified into amber-colored crystals—an instant of stagnation caused by Chromie unconsciously leaking her power over time.

Only Sylvanas moved.

She moved like a streak of silver lightning. Her quiver swung in an arc as she spun, and two arrows had already instinctively been nocked to her bowstring—until she saw her sister's face and froze.

"Vereesa...?"

Vereesa's lips trembled, and the tears long gathered in her blue eyes finally burst through. She broke free of Jaina's grip and stumbled forward in a rush, only to trip over the carpet on her final step.

Sylvanas instinctively opened her arms.

The force of their collision made Sylvanas take half a step back. Vereesa's fingers clutched her sister's leather armor tightly, her knuckles white from the strain, like a drowning person grasping her last piece of driftwood. She buried her entire face in the hollow between Sylvanas's shoulder guard and collarbone, and scorching tears immediately soaked through the silver armor.

"I was wrong... I was wrong about everything..." Vereesa's sobbing voice shook with heart-wrenching anguish. "Kael'thas... Dalaran has already..."

The broken words stabbed into Sylvanas's ears like shards of glass. She could feel the sharp outline of her sister's spine beneath her palm—Vereesa had grown far too thin.

Jaina quietly stepped back two paces, stopping beside Deren's rocking chair. Behind her back, she discreetly traced a rune with her fingertips, and a soundproof barrier silently unfolded.

"She wandered the old city's alleys for an entire day," Jaina said in a voice only Deren could hear. "Every time she saw an elf woman with golden hair, she rushed up to make sure."

The reunited sisters reflected in Deren's glasses. "What's happening in Dalaran?"

"Yesterday, elf mages broke into a materials warehouse to seize crystals." Jaina's lips tightened. "Antonidas has begun using Arcane Chains to imprison those suffering from Mana Addiction and execute them publicly, but it hasn't been very effective."

Meanwhile, Onyxia had somehow moved beside Chromie. The two dragons conversed with their eyes—

"Should we throw them out?" the Black Dragon raised a brow.

"If you dare touch them, Deren will get angry!" the Bronze Dragon glared.

Vereesa's crying gradually became sniffling, but she still clung desperately to Sylvanas as though the other woman would vanish the instant she let go. Snot and tears smeared across her sister's shoulder armor, and some fluid even seeped into the gaps of the armor.

Sylvanas's expression wavered in a rare show of emotion. She raised her hand, hesitated briefly, then gently placed it atop her sister's golden hair—the comforting gesture was so unfamiliar, as though centuries stood between them.

Onyxia rolled her eyes, but at Deren's meaningful look, she reluctantly drew a black silk handkerchief from her sleeve. A tiny dragon motif was embroidered in one corner, clearly a personal item of hers.

"Here." The Black Dragon Princess held the handkerchief out by one corner between two fingers, as though tossing away something filthy. "Wipe yourself off, little ranger. Your tears are about to make my carpet swell."

That gesture finally made Vereesa look up. Her reddened eyes blinked as she looked from the handkerchief to Onyxia, wearing the expression of someone who had just seen a Murloc dancing ballet.

"Now," Sylvanas said, lifting her sister's chin with one fingertip, her voice carrying an unyielding force, "tell me what happened in Dalaran."

Vereesa swallowed. She began to recount how High Elf nobles, driven by Arcane Crystals, had begun robbing, stealing, and shopping in Dalaran. Everyone's jaws dropped.

"What is Kael'thas doing?" Sylvanas suddenly asked, her voice as cold as a frozen spring in Eversong Woods.

Vereesa's bitter smile looked uglier than tears. "He... he did nothing. He only put up notices forbidding the sale of that ridiculous Arcane Gas."

The flames in the fireplace abruptly surged higher, illuminating everyone's astonished faces.

"And Dalaran is saying that Sun King Anasterian escaped too." Vereesa clenched her fists. "Anasterian has not appeared publicly. He may be hiding somewhere, treating his Mana Addiction."

Deren raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected news. Still, it made sense. After all, the Silvermoon City evacuation he had organized had indeed affected Arthas's assault. Perhaps the old Sun King had truly managed to escape with his life. Besides, having a king pressing down on Kael'thas's head would make things even more interesting.

"The Arcane Gas that appeared in Dalaran last week was the same kind produced here. It was popular for a while before being banned." Vereesa's voice grew quieter and quieter. "Then they became even more frenzied with robbery and theft. More noblewomen have started going shopping. It's already an open secret."

"What do you plan to do from now on? Are you going back to Dalaran?" Sylvanas asked her sister.

"No! I don't want to go back to that horrible place. I want to stay with my sister." Vereesa tightly hugged her second sister, as though afraid Sylvanas would reject her.

"The ranger corps is still short a deputy captain, isn't it?" Deren winked at Jaina.

"Yes. Lady Sylvanas has quite a lot to deal with. It would indeed be suitable to arrange an assistant for her." Jaina immediately played along. To hell with having a lot to deal with. She comes here to bother Deren every now and then, she grumbled inwardly.

"Then join Theramore's ranger corps, Vereesa?" Sylvanas asked her sister.

"Mm, okay!" Vereesa's nose began running, and she hurriedly wiped it with the handkerchief.

"We'll go through the oath-taking process tomorrow. No problem with that?" Deren pressed while the iron was hot, afraid the little elf girl would be angered into running away again.

Vereesa froze for a moment, somewhat hesitant. Last time, she had believed that swearing loyalty to Theramore meant betraying Quel'Thalas.

"Everyone has sworn the oath, and they're all doing just fine now. You don't want to be different from everyone else, do you?" Deren was like a big bad wolf deceiving a little girl.

Vereesa glanced at her second sister, who nodded. At last, she lowered her head and said softly, "All right. I'll swear the oath."

"Good, good, good. Now the three Windrunner sisters have reunited. That should be a good thing. Something worth celebrating. Smile." Deren was delighted to have recruited another historical figure. Restraining his smugness, he lifted his teacup and downed it in one gulp. The Black Dragon snorted coldly, while the Bronze Dragon helplessly curled her lips and wiped nonexistent cold sweat from her forehead.

"Live well in Theramore. As a bonus, here's another piece of good news: your eldest sister Alleria should still be alive. Maybe one day, all four sisters can reunite." In his good mood, Deren began getting carried away and casually revealed some news about the eldest Windrunner sister, giving them hope for reunion.

"Do you know what you're saying? Shut up! Shut up!" The Bronze Dragon leaped three feet into the air and sprawled against his chest, trying to cover his endlessly leaking mouth.

Sylvanas rushed before Deren, yanked the little gnome away with frightening strength, and stared into the man's eyes as she asked excitedly, "You know something about our eldest sister? Tell me quickly. How is she now?"

Before Deren could speak, Onyxia had already squeezed in front of him, forcing the second sister of the Windrunners back. In an icy tone, she said, "Mind your manners. This is not your Windrunner Spire. Deren is not your prisoner."

"Y-You're right. I'm sorry! I was just too excited after hearing that." Sylvanas offered a solemn apology.

"Put me down!" Chromie cried indignantly. Sylvanas hurriedly released the Bronze Dragon.

Chromie jumped to the floor, straightened her clothes, and said, "We can't say too much. The Timeline has already been disrupted."

"All right, all right, don't be so nervous. Just remember what I said. Everything will get better." Deren spoke leisurely.

Today's news had all been too shocking. Sylvanas's mind was in chaos, and she also had another little sister to arrange. After talking a while longer, she rose to take her leave. Jaina also had a mountain of matters to handle and teleported away. Only Deren and the two female dragons remained in the house.

Onyxia sneered. "Man, don't you have anything to explain?"

Deren spread his hands, indicating that he did not.

"Hmph!" the Black Dragon Princess said disdainfully. "You're so good to two female elf sisters, yet you have no ulterior motive? Who would believe that?"

"Sylvanas really is part of my plans, but Vereesa has her own fated man," Deren explained. As he spoke, he winked at Chromie, signaling for her to rescue him.

Chromie coughed. "That's true. Deren is right. Sylvanas staying alive is good for Azeroth, while Vereesa has her own fated man." Chromie paused, then tugged at her own hair and said worriedly, "It's just that Deren has already turned the Timeline into a complete mess. Whether Vereesa will still marry that man in the future is hard to say."

Deren felt awkward. So it's all my fault!

Onyxia folded her arms and looked at her man with a cold laugh.

Second update, back to Vereesa's storyline. Everyone, share your thoughts. Apparently the rules on Qidian do not allow sisters. So, readers, do you want Queen Sylvanas or little Vereesa? Leave a comment if you have any ideas!