Kael'thas Sunstrider

The evening banquet took place as planned. There really were not many guests, and some were familiar faces to Arthas.

Among them were Lor'themar Theron, who somehow never stood out despite being Sylvanas's adjutant, his colleague Ranger Captain Halduron Brightwing, and several others Arthas had met in the Ranger Corps.

"You really are remarkable. I apologize for my earlier words and actions, Your Highness." Lor'themar raised a glass filled with the elves' distinctive fruit wine. "Please forgive my rashness. I was simply too worried about the lady's safety."

"That's perfectly understandable, Lord Lor'themar. There is no need to apologize. If anything, it proves you're a dependable adjutant." Arthas clinked glasses with him. "I'd love to have a comrade as responsible as you."

"Haha, unfortunately, Lady Windrunner probably wouldn't agree to let me leave and serve you, Your Highness. After all, I like to think I know her ways quite well." Lor'themar smiled too and began boasting, only to notice his colleague Halduron frantically signaling to him with his eyes.

He decided Halduron must have drunk too much. Hah, this guy was already drunk after just a few glasses. What a lightweight!

"Oh? I had no idea my adjutant knew me so well. Tell me, then, what do you think my ways are like?"

"Heh, isn't it obvious? The lady might seem calm and composed most of the time, but when it really matters, she's actually..."

Halfway through his sentence, Lor'themar suddenly realized something. He turned stiffly and saw Sylvanas standing just behind him to one side.

Sylvanas had already changed out of her armor into a pale blue silk gown with a white shawl. She looked nothing like a decisive, ruthless Ranger-General, and instead resembled a young elven lady from next door. Only the chill that slipped into her expression betrayed her rather sour mood.

"Uh, what I meant was, well..." Whether it was because he had drunk too much or not, Lor'themar suddenly felt as though his tongue had tied itself in knots. He could not even get a sentence out properly.

"Enough, Lor'themar. Once we're back with the Farstrider Corps, we'll have a good, long talk about exactly what my ways are like." Sylvanas spoke with utter finality, giving him no chance to explain.

Beside them, Halduron pressed a hand to his forehead in resignation. He had warned that unlucky fool Lor'themar so blatantly, yet the man still had not noticed that the lady had been standing behind him for quite some time. Good grief, he was this drunk after just a few glasses? Surely eating a little food would have kept him from getting into such a state.

Why couldn't he just keep his head down and do his job as an adjutant, staying out of the spotlight as he usually did? He just had to step forward and pass judgment on the lady's ways. This was Windrunner's home, and she was the strongest ranger here!

Having dealt with a thoroughly crestfallen Lor'themar, Sylvanas walked gracefully over to Arthas and said softly, "Arthas, someone wants to see you."

"See me?" Arthas paused in surprise. He knew practically all the important figures here, but they did not know him. Aside from Sylvanas, did he actually have some other acquaintance among the elves?

Sylvanas lightly pursed her red lips. "Let's talk when we get there. He's waiting for you in the sitting room on the second floor."

Utterly confused, Arthas followed Sylvanas to the upstairs sitting room, where he met a black-haired High Elf wearing the robes of a Dalaran mage.

"And this is...?" The elf looked oddly familiar to Arthas, but he could not remember his name.

"Allow me to introduce Archmage Rommath, a close companion of Prince Kael'thas."

At Sylvanas's introduction, realization dawned on Arthas. This was Kael'thas's follower, who would later become Regent Lor'themar's personal adviser.

The black-haired elf wore a stern expression and clearly was not given to smiles, but he still managed to force one when he saw Arthas. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Arthas."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Rommath. So, were you the one who invited me here?"

"No." To his surprise, Rommath shook his head. He tossed out a magic crystal with a wave of his hand, leaving it suspended in midair. "His Highness wishes to see you."

His Highness? Arthas knew that certainly did not refer to him, but to the elves' prince-Kael'thas Sunstrider.

Under Rommath's guidance, the magic crystal soon projected a three-dimensional magical image. Taking in that ostentatious look and a handsome face that rivaled his own, Arthas greeted him with a smile. "Kael'thas, so you're the one looking for me?"

"That's right. On behalf of Silvermoon City and Quel'Thalas, I must thank you personally." Kael'thas gazed at his former romantic rival with mixed feelings. Neither of them cared about that anymore, but Arthas still often teased him about it.

"With our friendship, you can dispense with the formalities. You didn't send an archmage all this way just to tell me that, did you? If I remember correctly, these long-distance projection crystals are quite expensive."

As the son of a king-and an elven prince with a considerable family fortune at that-Kael'thas was naturally filthy rich. Before the [Secret Council Bureau] became fully operational, Arthas really had not been as wealthy as him. These days, though, Arthas had a slight edge. Once this fellow inherited the throne, he might leave Arthas in the dust again. Now that was someone who truly had it all: wealth, looks, and stature!

"Of course I didn't go to all this trouble just to exchange pleasantries. I also want to give you a personal gift. Rommath has it, and he'll hand it over once our conversation is finished. As for what it is, you'll understand when you see it."

"If it's from you, I have no problem accepting it." Arthas seemed to see through Kael'thas's intentions. "But that still isn't the main point, is it?"

"You always seem able to see right through people, Arthas." Kael'thas looked rather helpless. "Rommath."

"Your Highness, I have already deployed the barrier."

"Good. Arthas, what I am about to say is in my capacity as the crown prince of Quel'Thalas and the future executor of the alliance between our nations."

"I've already told you why I'm staying in Dalaran rather than Silvermoon City. At first, I simply didn't want to get too caught up in disputes with the Silvermoon Council. But now I've realized that if I don't deal with the problems they're causing, sooner or later they'll finish off Quel'Thalas itself."

"What happened this time made one thing clear to me. They don't just disregard the lives of ordinary people. They don't even care whether the kingdom survives!"

Kael'thas's words carried fury he could barely contain. Clearly, his anger toward the Silvermoon Council had reached a breaking point.

"No, I think they do care."

Arthas's remark left Kael'thas stunned, abruptly checking his fury. Sylvanas and Rommath also looked at Arthas, seemingly waiting for his explanation.

"After all, if Silvermoon City is gone, their comfortable lives go with it."

Kael'thas did not know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm being completely serious here, and you're still making jokes."

After Arthas's interruption gave him a moment to collect himself, Kael'thas felt his anger subside considerably. He continued, "If things really reached that point, those councilors would surely pack up and flee-"

He stopped mid-sentence, seemingly realizing something.

Arthas gave him a meaningful smile. "It seems you've figured it out?"

Kael'thas's smile turned bitter. He had more or less understood what Arthas meant. "But the price of that would be far too high."

"Then dealing with these people really won't be easy. Most of the Silvermoon Council represents great families with a thousand years of history. Even your father finds them troublesome. How long do you think you'd need to purge them all?"

Arthas spoke casually, but almost every word struck a nerve. Kael'thas's father, Sun King Anasterian, was nearing the end of his life, but with the Sunwell's magic sustaining him, he could still live another few hundred years.

As a prince, Kael'thas's authority remained limited. Worse still, Anasterian's attitude toward him was far less supportive than Arthas's father Terenas's attitude toward his own son. Anasterian was currently absorbed in magic and no longer cared for his son as attentively as he had when Kael'thas was young.

He was even displeased that Kael'thas had gone to Dalaran, the human kingdom of magic. Yet with the supreme authority of the Sun King in his hands, he had not directly felt the Silvermoon Council's influence himself. To him, it was merely a tool for governing the country.

But with no one "using" that tool, it had long since ceased to be the Silvermoon Council the Sun King thought he knew. They had already become a cancer within the elven kingdom. They could not threaten the Sun King's authority now, but what would happen after his death?

That was precisely what worried Kael'thas. His father had sheltered him so thoroughly that he found himself floundering when faced with the Silvermoon Council. Left with no other choice, he had gone to Dalaran to acquire the "knowledge" he had never had a chance to learn at the Sunstrider Court.

Over the years, he had cultivated a group of trusted followers, but their strength was still rather meager compared with the Silvermoon Council's deeply entrenched influence. That was why he wanted to seek help from his good friend Arthas, the prince of Lordaeron.

As for the idea Arthas was hinting at, Kael'thas understood it perfectly. But Arthas had not voiced it in front of Sylvanas and Rommath, because his relationship with them was not yet close enough to discuss such matters.

It concerned something that had happened shortly after Kael'thas arrived in Dalaran.