Blood Elves

"The Sunwell, the sacred source of infinite power. Its magic flows in our veins. In its warm light, we prosper, until the shadow of death descends upon us..." The Elf Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider, standing high above, delivered his eloquent speech. Below, in the crowd, Vareesa Windrunner deliberately pulled her cloak low to conceal her face. Those around her couldn't see her face, but her slightly clenched fists revealed her emotions. The young Windrunner knew it was a mistake to question a member of the royal family. However, Vareesa couldn't help but wonder if it was wise for Kael'thas to reopen Quel'Thalas's wounds at this moment. After all, the Prince wasn't present when Arthas invaded.

'He should have stopped it all.' The Female Elf gritted her teeth. Kael'thas's only action upon returning was to destroy the Sunwell. His explanation was that the Sunwell had been corrupted and therefore had to be destroyed.

The Prince might be right, but he certainly underestimated the impact of losing the Sunwell on the Elf. Within days, symptoms of Fel Addiction began to appear in Elf bodies. Vareesa's eyes, hidden beneath her hood, were fixed on the Prince on the platform, and the other Elf around her listened intently to Kael'thas's speech. At that moment, Kael'thas seemed like a savior, still radiating vitality, a stark contrast to the haggard, despairing faces of the commoners below.

Standing to his left and right were Ranger-Lord Lor'themar Theron, who had once been Alleria's lieutenant, and Ranger-Captain Halduron Brightwing, a handsome and slender Elf. Beside Lor'themar stood a tall Female Elf. Vareesa recognized her— High Priestess Liadrin; she had heard that she and Lor'themar were lovers. Behind the priestess stood an even younger male Elf, Liadrin's apprentice, Garell.

All of these people participated in the destruction of the Sunwell.

Ranger, priests, but no mages? Vareesa was puzzled. Rommath, Kael'thas's loyal follower, was nowhere to be seen. That mage had always been Kael'thas's confidant and occasionally acted as a messenger.

"For those compatriots who sacrificed themselves to defend their homeland, I hereby swear to avenge them." Kael'thas's eyes blazed with fury, brighter than the three fireballs surrounding him. Vareesa knew this was no mere posturing, for in war, not only civilians and soldiers perished, but also the Prince's father and brothers. To put it bluntly, Kael'thas was now the sole heir of the Sunstrider family.

The Prince knew that if he could rekindle hope in the people, he would be beloved. And he did just that, through his impassioned words.

"We will never forget this dark age; we must remember this shame. In the name of blood, the Quel'dorei will today be renamed the Sin'dorei, the Blood Elf! For Quel'Thalas!"

Kael'thas's final shout ignited the Elf's fighting spirit. They roared and swore an oath!

This marked a new era for Quel'Thalas, a new purpose and a new identity for the High Elf. They etched their names in blood.

Vareesa knew the speech was about to end, so she slowly backed away, intending to leave unnoticed. But she was still spotted. As she retreated to the very back of the crowd, she turned around and saw Archmage Rommath waiting for her. Vareesa thought to herself, "No wonder I didn't see him earlier."

Now that things had come to this, Vareesa decided to stop hiding. She raised her head and looked Rommath directly into his eyes. The other mages were experiencing various symptoms of Fel Addiction, but Rommath seemed perfectly normal.

He waited until Vareesa approached and then bowed deeply. "It is a pleasure to see members of the Windrunner family in such a dark time. It is a great honor, Ms. Vareesa."

"I cannot accept such a grand gesture, Lord Rommath," the Female Elf replied in a low voice, not wanting anyone else to notice. "Did Prince Kael'thas send you to me?"

Rommath nodded earnestly. "Yes. The Prince is gathering all his old followers. With your strength, Quel'Thalas can find a glimmer of hope for a new life after this disaster."

"Windrunner Village was razed to the ground, Windrunner Tower is overrun with the claws of the Undead, seven or eight out of ten Windrunner's guards were lost, and even Alleria..." Vareesa suppressed her anger and took a deep breath. Clearly, when she mentioned her sister Alleria, Rommath' eyes widened as well.

"Can't you see how much this war cost my family?"

"No price can compare to the loss of the entire kingdom, Windrunner," Rommath pointed out, and whether Vareesa accepted it or not, it was the truth. The Archmage swallowed hard and tentatively asked, "The men the Prince sent to clean up the battlefield didn't find Alleria and Sylvanas. So, please tell me, Lady Vareesa. This is important, are your two sisters still..."

"They are all still alive."

"Really!" Rommath almost shouted. "This is truly exciting news; our Ranger-General is still alive."

"However, they are unable to serve Prince Highness now, at least not now."

"What? Why is this happening?" The Archmage's hope, which had been ignited, was instantly extinguished by Vareesa.

"Sylvanas left with some people to hunt down Arthas. As for Alleria ..." The silver-haired Female Elf shook her head and sighed helplessly, "She lost her will to fight. Although she survived, so many things happened, so many changes brought her deep emotional wounds that are hard to heal. It will probably take a long time for her to recover. I also have to take care of her, so I can't help Prince Kael'thas."

"There's no time now, madam," Rommath said urgently. Half his face was hidden by his red turtleneck, and his emotions were expressed entirely through the tone of his voice. "The Windrunner family has been the guardians of the kingdom for thousands of years. You should always keep your oath."

"So..." Vareesa smiled bitterly, "When the entire kingdom was in crisis, only the Windrunner family stood at the forefront, and they were even betrayed by their own people."

These words left Rommath speechless for a moment, and then he realized he could no longer find a reason to seek the Windrunner family's help. Dath'Remar's actions were heartbreaking, and even more shameful was that this man had originally been a key member of the Silvermoon Council. Now the people's faith in the Council had vanished, but that didn't matter anymore; all the Council members except Dath'Remar were dead.

"If there's nothing else, please allow me to say goodbye."

"Lady Windrunner," Rommath asked Vareesa with a glimmer of hope, and on behalf of the entire kingdom, "Will you... still fight for Quel'Thalas?"