Not long after healing Sylvanas, Arthas spotted the banners of Lordaeron and the Farstriders in the distance.
"Arthas, what did you do? Not long after we left, those trolls went mad and charged the magic barrier, then took a full-strength blast."
After entering the fortress and finding his student, Uther asked the question out of curiosity.
"They sent a priest after us, and we killed him."
"A priest? Was that the lynx head mounted on the wall?" At Arthas's prompting, Uther noticed the "banner" meant to intimidate their enemies.
"Yes, teacher. You know about the trolls' divine priests too?"
"I've read accounts of them in ancient texts, but I've never encountered one on the battlefield," Uther replied. "They're said to possess the power of their gods-mysterious and unpredictable, and extremely difficult to deal with."
"That's right, teacher. If I hadn't used a little trick, that troll priest alone could have killed us all." Arthas took out his ruined armor to show Uther.
The Lightbringer frowned at the armor, which had nearly been torn straight through. "You must have used the holy light to protect yourself?"
"Yes, but against those terrifying claws, my defenses were practically useless."
Arthas did not mention that, had he unleashed the full power of the holy light, the energy coating his armor could have burned his opponent. But that would certainly have driven him to flee, costing Arthas his chance to kill Halazzi.
Feigning weakness had been necessary. It had led Halazzi to misjudge Arthas's strength, giving Arthas an opening to kill him swiftly.
"This armor was forged from refined iron by a dwarven master, and enchanted by a mage... troll priests are even stronger than the books suggest."
Uther's expression grew deeply grave. He felt that, once he returned, he would have to explain the danger posed by the trolls to His Majesty.
It had been so long since the trolls had directly threatened human territory, and the last time they had appeared alongside the orcs, that humans had inevitably overlooked the threat they posed in their own right.
Now that he had witnessed their ability to muster an army of over ten thousand in such a short time, along with such powerful supernatural strength, Uther believed the kingdom had to take its border defenses seriously.
"There's no need to worry too much, teacher. High-ranking troll priests aren't stones lying along the roadside. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone so mad after losing just one."
Arthas explained his assessment of the Amani Trolls' likely strength to Uther. "We do need to take the troll problem seriously, but Lordaeron still hasn't fully recovered from the wounds of the Second War. Launching a major offensive against the trolls deep in the forest now would only leave both sides badly hurt."
"Besides, as long as we hold off their next attack and inflict enough losses, we won't have to worry about the trolls for at least the next few years."
By then, according to his plans, the kingdom would already have freed itself from the enormous burden of the orc internment camps. He would also have changed a crucial turn of fate, finally gaining a means to fight demigods. Then he could join forces with the elves and eliminate the troll threat in the northern forests once and for all.
"Besides, the elves should be more worried about those trolls in the forest than we are. After all, they're the ones who share a border with Amani territory, not us."
They could simply leave the elves and trolls locked in their struggle. As long as the high elves were not wiped out, the trolls would have virtually no way to bypass the Elf Gate and threaten Lordaeron on the other side of the mountains.
Even the Hinterlands, another region where trolls frequently appeared, only bordered part of Lordaeron's territory. The Wildhammer Dwarves had made their home at the sole pass leading out of the Hinterlands. The trolls there were busy fighting dwarves every day-when would they have time to bother humans?
In short, aside from the burden imposed by the orc internment camps, Lordaeron's main problem at present was certain dark forces lurking in the kingdom's shadows, seeking to overthrow everything.
"You're right. The pain of the Second War is still fresh in our minds. We don't have the strength to wipe out so many trolls." Uther sighed, recalling those chaotic years of endless warfare, when humanity had paid a terrible price to defeat its powerful enemies.
And the fragile Alliance formed back then had, by now, become nothing more than a useless agreement on paper. They were no longer united at all.
Patting his student on the shoulder, Uther said, "I'll go check on the soldiers. You've just been through a fierce battle, so get some rest. The trolls will probably launch their main assault tomorrow morning."
With the moon high overhead, Arthas left his temporary quarters and climbed onto the high wall, quietly gazing at the still forest.
"The scenery here is lovely, isn't it?"
Sylvanas's voice sounded behind him. The Ranger-General was not sleepy either-with their strength, staying awake for several days was hardly difficult.
The day's fighting had not drained much of Sylvanas's energy, so she had come to patrol the walls. She simply had not expected to find Arthas there.
"Yes, my lady. In Lordaeron, you'd have to go to the mountains in the far west to see scenery like this." Arthas leaned against the parapet, enjoying the night breeze.
"You mean the western mountains of Tirisfal Glades?" Sylvanas picked up the conversation naturally. "According to Quel'dorei records, that's hardly a pleasant place-"
"The books say sinister monsters live there, and that many people went mad, right? Lordaeron's royal library has similar books," Arthas said casually. "But in reality, there are plenty of small towns at the foot of those mountains, including one of Lordaeron's most prosperous towns."
"Who knows? I haven't read many books about those mysteries either. Most records left from that era are very vague."
It truly was an ancient era, predating even the high elves' settlement in these forests. Sylvanas herself had not yet been born then.
Arthas merely smiled and did not pursue the subject. He knew, of course, what lay buried deep within those mountains. He simply did not yet have the strength to uncover that secret.
Perhaps because Arthas had such a likable personality, Sylvanas was now quite willing to chat with him. "You're a human prince. I didn't expect you to know so much about these ancient secrets."
"Certainly not as much as you, Lady Windrunner. Your family was once a legend in Quel'Thalas. I never imagined I would fight alongside you."
Arthas's words stirred Sylvanas's memories, and her voice grew subdued. "My family was indeed once a legend. But now, I'm the only one left."
Her elder sister, Alleria Windrunner, had followed the expeditionary force during the Second War through the passage by which the orcs had entered this world-the Dark Portal.
That towering portal still stood in the Blasted Lands at the southernmost tip of the continent, like a silent stone monument bearing the suffering of the entire Eastern Kingdoms.
In that war, which had swept across the world, she had lost two of her closest loved ones. Her elder sister had entered the Dark Portal and disappeared, while her younger brother had fallen victim to the orcs when they pillaged an elven village.
Her one remaining younger sister was no longer in Quel'Thalas either. She was far away in the human magical kingdom of Dalaran, serving as the highest-ranking commander of the high elven Ranger Corps stationed there.
In just a few short years, the great Windrunner family had been reduced to her alone. She had been forced to take up the burden of Ranger-General from her kin, spending her days either stationed at the front or arguing with councilors in the Silvermoon Council.
She had long since grown tired of those shortsighted councilors, who did nothing but coast through life. They had no idea what threats the elves faced-even the orcs' breach of Ban'dinoriel during the Second War had failed to wake them up.
Were it not for her desire to protect her people in Eversong Woods, she could have followed her elder and younger sisters' example and left that troubled place behind, or quietly lived as an ordinary ranger.
"I'm sorry. Perhaps I chose my words poorly."
Before long, Arthas spoke again. Sylvanas gave no particular response. Perhaps this prince had also realized that the Windrunners' legend had long since faded?
"I think the Windrunner family has always been a legend." Arthas turned to look at Sylvanas. "Your elder sister gave everything to protect this world. Your younger sister left her family behind to stay in Dalaran and uphold our fragile alliance. And you, too, have given so much for your people. You have always been legends."
Sylvanas stared at Arthas for a long moment, then suddenly asked playfully, "You haven't fallen for me, have you, Your Highness?"
"Ahem!"
Sylvanas's question nearly made Arthas choke. He smiled wryly. "My lady, I have no improper intentions toward you. I already have a fiancée."
"Oh, who knows? Isn't it perfectly normal for human nobles to have several lovers?"
Sylvanas seemed intent on steering the conversation in that direction. "I may be a general, without the time to pamper myself like the ladies of Silvermoon City, but I still have some confidence in my looks. Besides, didn't that human of yours, Turalyon, charm my elder sister away?"
Arthas had never imagined this Windrunner would take things so far. Turalyon went chasing after you elves. I never had any such plans!
Still, Arthas could not deny that elves were naturally blessed with exceptional looks. Pick any one of them at random, and their appearance would be one in a hundred among humans.
Lady Windrunner in particular, with her years of military service, possessed a distinctive allure. Arthas felt that most men would be helpless against the charm of her exquisite face, stunning figure, and queenly bearing.
"Ha!" Seeing Arthas's flustered expression lifted Sylvanas's mood considerably. She no longer even felt like taking him to task over his "clumsy" healing technique. "I was only joking, Your Highness. I would never fall for a human, but I think we could become friends."
Only then did Arthas let out a long breath of relief. He had never expected Sylvanas to be so playful before the terrible upheaval that would befall her.
He had no desire to get involved with this woman and her complicated entanglements. Quite apart from all the other trouble that might arise, his fiancée alone would give him more than enough to deal with.
Although his fiancée was gentle, considerate, and understanding, Arthas had no desire to provoke a woman's wrath over something like this.
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