Preparations for War

I never imagined what would happen when I embarked on my journey to Northrend. My Forsaken had different thoughts—some excited, some fearful—except for me. I only felt bewilderment at the unknown. I had never been to Northrend; all I knew was that it was a land of ice and snow. I had asked my followers who had ever been Northrend. The answers were varied and numerous: some said it was a barren wasteland, others said it was perpetually covered in ice and snow, and still others claimed it was just as teeming with life as the Arathi Highlands ...

No one can give me a definite answer. Sometimes I wonder, if I had followed Arthas on his expedition to Northrend, would things have turned out differently? I've had that fantasy.

Three months ago, the Lich King awoke, Arthas did two terrible things to announce his return to the world. First, he sent troops to attack Orgrim and Stormwind City; second, he had the Ebon Hold massacre the Crusaders. Although his plot was thwarted, I suspect it was all part of his plan. He has been lying in wait for so many years; just how powerful has the Scourge become?

Every time the Alliance and the Horde face a new crisis, I lead my people to conquer new territories. But this time is different. I tell them:

The time has come!

Three ships laden with soldiers are approaching Northrend as the vanguard. I can already feel the chilling winds blowing from that continent...

Three months ago, the Scourge's invasion of Orgrimmar ended.

Ux the Bloodspeaker wandered through the city. He wondered if there was anything wrong with his little act of spreading rumors before the invasion, and after thinking it over, he decided there wasn't. Starting from Ratchet, the rumors had slowly spread all the way to Orgrimmar, and they had been very successful: the grain ships in Booty Bay had run into trouble.

A few days ago, a letter arrived from the Supreme Leader of the Forsaken, in which he warned the head of Orgrim's intelligence network:

Another plague has struck!

Only five words, but Ux already knew what the Witherer wanted to say. The instigator of this must be some former Prince of the Alliance. An extremely gullible, extremely weak, extremely foolish fellow, so much so that he didn't even realize he had been manipulated into evil ways. And now, this fellow is about to unleash a rain of death upon Azeroth.

The master is certainly right, but the question is how to get this message to the Great Chief?

Ux was clever; he used public opinion to force the Great Chief to take action.

His method seemed to have an unexpected effect. There was someone even more anxious than Durotan's son.

Garrosh Grommash, son of a hero. He had only recently joined the Horde. Ux initially thought his impatience stemmed from a thirst for fame and a desire to elevate his status through illustrious military exploits. However, the Bloodspeaker never expected that he would directly challenge Thrall to a duel.

The reason for the duel was simple. Thrall had no intention of taking any action regarding the rumors. He only wanted to scout ahead and discuss countermeasures with a woman from the Alliance. Garrosh couldn't understand or tolerate this. While he felt war should be waged, Thrall was holding a meeting. His indecisiveness was completely unbecoming of a Great Chief.

The final duel ended inconclusively, and just as the two were attacking each other in the arena, the Scourge invasion arrived...

Garrosh raised his battle axe time and time again to protect Orgrimmar, and time and time again he swung it down.

Then, the threat seemed to have subsided. The enemy retreated. The last person infected by the plague was dealt with. But Garrosh knew that things were not truly over. Far from over. The only way to fight such a shameless enemy was through ruthless, cold-blooded war. He desperately wanted to fight. He would lead the army to bring justice to the Horde. All he needed was Thrall's command.

After witnessing the invasion of his homeland, Thrall finally relented and declared war on the Lich King.

Ux wasn't surprised that Garrosh was chosen as commander of the Alliance Expedition. However, he was initially worried that the Recklessness Mag'han might demand that all Horde members go to war. Later events proved him wrong. Garrosh not only didn't recruit loyal Horde companions like Tauren and Troll, he didn't even intend to bring the Orcs of Orgrimmar. His soldiers were all from Draenor, and Mag'han, like himself, was a pure-blooded Orcs. This army was known as the Warsong Expeditionary Force.

An extreme racist? Ux chuckled at his assessment of Garrosh. Good, then; the spies lurking in Orgrimmar wouldn't need to go to the battlefield, and he was off to inspect their work and ensure the intelligence network was functioning properly.

A week after the Scourge invaded Orgrimmar.

Stacks of official documents piled up on Alleria's desk. Reports, documents, correspondence, and lists lay haphazardly stacked, untouched by her. They were all related to the brief but brutal war on Quel'Danas and the Sunwell, but the Regent's mind was elsewhere.

She held an unopened letter in her hand. A red stamp on it seemed to stare at her like an eye. Inside, neatly folded parchment bore legible handwriting.

A few days ago Orgrimmar sent a message from the Great Chief, saying he would be sending an envoy to Silvermoon City with important news—in other words, an order, which Alleria was pondering. The letter didn't mention the order, only stating the date and time of the visit.

Today was the day the messenger was to arrive as promised. Alleria was in the foyer of the Sunfury Tower, preparing to meet him, when someone arrived early to pay her a visit. Vareesa approached, presenting a neatly folded, deep red fur garment. Alleria noticed the majestic golden eagle on it. Originally, it should have featured a golden phoenix.

"No," she said simply, raising an eyebrow in rejection of Vareesa.

"You should wear it," the Ranger-General insisted. "Aren't we receiving Horde envoys today? You should use this garment to tell them who the leader of this kingdom is."

"This is meaningless!" Alleria replied, putting the letter away. "It has no deterrent effect whatsoever. I have no need to put on airs, and even if I were the King, I would have to acknowledge Thrall's command. Don't forget, we are also part of the Horde."

Vareesa lowered her head and took a deep breath.

"You're always refusing, sister."

They continued talking, and soon they heard slow footsteps approaching.

Rommath was already waiting outside the hall, leaning weakly against his staff, awaiting the regent's summons.

"Come in," Alleria called out.

He entered, a flicker of disdain crossing his face as he saw the Windrunner Sisters. He had once had the power to question and challenge Alleria's choices, to remind her she was merely a regent, not King. But now, those two roles no longer mattered to Alleria; no one could threaten her position anymore, and everything was settled. After Kael'thas's utter defeat, Rommath had awaited Alleria's judgment. He had expected a thorough investigation, condemnation for colluding with the Prince, but the Female Elf had done neither, or rather, done nothing at all. She simply released him, neither stripping him of his title of Archmage nor confiscating his possessions.

However, this was the most torturous way for him.

Similarly, Alleria had long viewed Rommath as a thorn in her side, but at this moment, she felt only pity for the mage. As Kael'thas's most loyal supporter, Kael'thas's final betrayal cost him dearly.

"Is there something you need?"

"I heard the Horde is sending people over." His voice sounded like sand scraping against a wall.

"You're very well-informed, Archmage," Vareesa said, her tone full of sarcasm.

Rommath' eyes gleamed. He didn't look at the Ranger-General, but stared at the Regent. "Lor'themar has been in contact with Braggon Bloodfist and his gang as you instructed. He found out some information and told me that Orgrimmar was recently attacked."

"That's the Orcs' business," Vareesa said, speaking up for her sister. The best outcome would be for Rommath to leave quickly, but she was destined to be disappointed.

Just as Rommath was about to speak, a guard entered and said first, "Regent, the Horde envoys have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Alleria immediately stood up, walked past Rommath, and went to the center of the hall. "Let him in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Archmage suddenly whispered, "Quel'Thalas will be here soon, and that's why I'm here."

Alleria was puzzled, unsure of what he was up to, but the most important thing right now was to welcome the guests.

This was the tallest Orcs Windrunner had ever seen. He was burly, with sharp eyes. His hair was braided at the temples, and his face was covered in wrinkles. Clad in heavy armor, he exuded an aura of someone about to go to war.

The Orcs stopped five steps away from Alleria. "Greetings, Regent. I am Varok Saurfang, and I come in the name of Thrall's Will."

Alleria was somewhat surprised; the supreme commander of the Silithus campaign was standing right in front of her. The name Saurfang was known to everyone in the Horde.

"It is an honor, High Overlord Saurfang. I am Regent Alleria, Windrunner of Quel'Thalas. May I ask what brings you from afar? And what is the Will of the Warchief?"

"Arthas actually dared to attack the heart of the Horde."

The Regent's lips were dry, and a wave of unease washed over her. She knew what was going to happen next, but she could only grit her teeth and remain silent.

Saurfang continued, "We successfully repelled the attackers, but Arthas's actions have crossed the Horde's line. The Warchief has declared war on him. The Horde is already preparing for war. And the Sin'dorei are now part of the Horde, so... you know what to do, Regent."

These words were so heavy that Alleria felt as if she had taken a punch from Saurfang head-on without any resistance.

The regent slowly shook his head.

"We thank Chief Thrall for inviting us to Northrend the Northrend front, but we have just gone through a civil war and our forces are stretched thin. We urgently need to rest."

"This is not a request, Alleria," Saurfang interrupted her. "You must send troops; this is an order. Don't forget who made Quel'Thalas what it is today, and while the Warchief may not care as much about Silvermoon City, he is aware of your strength. Ranger and mages, and your prized Blood Knights, will be the best source of reinforcements for the front lines."

"We don't have that many people, Your Excellency."

Saurfang was dissatisfied with this perfunctory answer. His eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, warning, "Over the years, the Horde has sent many Warriors to Eversong Forest to help you defend your land. When the Horde needs the strength of Quel'Thalas, are you planning to stand idly by?" Saurfang stared at the speechless Female Elf and continued, "You must send troops to Northrend to provide support, otherwise the Warchief will have to consider withdrawing the soldiers stationed here, and I must remind you, once he does that, it will mean that the Sin'dorei are no longer members of the Horde."

Despite the Blood Elf' best efforts, the Scourge continues to wreak havoc on the Death's Scar. They cannot afford to lose the Horde's assistance, or many of their reclaimed territories will fall again.

"Send those exhausted troops to Northrend to their deaths, or we'll have to let the Scourge retake Quel'Thalas." Rommath's voice rang out as Alleria fell silent. The Regent now understood the Archmage's earlier words.

"How could you do this?" Saurfang heard the anger in Rommath's voice. "This is outright extortion!" he continued, his knuckles white from gripping his staff tightly. "Doesn't the Horde value honor? Now they're using our land to blackmail us?"

Saurfang looked him down at him for a while.

"Glory?" The Orcs glared at him, making no attempt to hide his anger. "Glory is forged in blood, not hidden in comfort. Whenever anyone in the Orgrimmar taverns talks about the Scourge's breach of Quel'Thalas, every Orcs, Tauren, and Troll feels ashamed, clamoring that if they were Elf, they would fight Arthas to the death. And those who actually experienced that catastrophe now want to escape war against their enemies."

"We don't want to run away," Vareesa retorted. "And how do you know we didn't resist, didn't fight back, we..."

"Failed?" Saurfang glanced at the Ranger-General. "So you gave up?"

A deathly silence.

Saurfang awaited their answer, his patience waning. "A second chance is before you. The choice is yours, Regent." The Orcs gave Alleria one last look before turning to leave.

"I understand, High Overlord Saurfang," Alleria said suddenly.

The Orcs stared at her expressionlessly.

"Two weeks to send the army to Orgrimmar," he said. "I hope you won't disappoint the chieftain."