Separation

Nathanos looked at Sylvanas, Female Elf simply nodded to him. "I'll wait for you here."

"Take me there, Stephan."

Stephan walked ahead and told them that two military men had arrived at Nathanos Farm. They had just reached the door when they heard Daphne's mother crying inside.

"Please, don't go with them."

Then came the voice of an unfamiliar man.

"This is His Majesty the King's order."

"What's going on?" Nathanos pushed open the door and saw two soldiers with the blue insignia of Lordaeron on their shields standing on either side of his father, Bred.

"Son?" A smile appeared on Bred's lips for a moment, but it sounded very bitter.

"Father!" Nathanos cried out, then glared at the two soldiers. "What's going on?"

The soldier standing to Bred's left carefully examined Nathanos, then looked at another soldier. The other soldier nodded and took out a thin scroll from his waist tuck—it was a register of census takers.

"Nathanos Marius, seventeen years old, underage."

The soldier on the left nodded, then looked at Nathanos and explained, "Child, King Terenas has decreed that, due to the needs of the war, all men in Lordaeron aged eighteen to fifty must enlist in the army."

"What!" Nathanos nearly exploded, clenching his fists in fury, wanting to teach the two soldiers a lesson. "Is Terenas now exploiting his own people too?"

"Watch your tone, brat. Slandering the King is a serious crime!"

"Please don't blame him." Bred immediately stepped between Nathanos and the soldiers. "I'll go with you, Daphne. Take good care of Nathanos." The husband looked at his tearful wife, and Daphne cried for a long time before nodding.

Bred turned to Nathanos, patted him on the shoulders, his eyes also filled with tears. "You must take good care of your mother too."

"Father?" Nathanos's eyes widened, unable to believe it. "Please don't go," he pleaded softly. Bred shook his head; he was helpless, he didn't want to leave either. The Marius family had never had a history of military service; they had always been peaceful farmers. Nathanos knew Bred was forced into this situation. He looked at the two soldiers, hoping they would spare his father, who was nearing fifty.

"A few days ago, King Terenas sent his last batch of soldiers to the battlefield. Left with no other choice, the King ordered the conscription of laborers. Please understand." The soldier bowed to those present. His words were very persuasive; Nathanos even suspected he had faced similar situations many times before coming here. If the war was lost, their homes would be destroyed; they had no other choice. Bred only had a brief moment of tenderness with his family before being taken away, but Daphne followed him.

Enraged, Nathanos roared across the sunset-lit plains, startling the sheep grazing nearby. Unbeknownst to him, Sylvanas was already behind him. He wanted some peace and quiet, but he didn't know how to scare the Female Elf away. He knew that a single word from her would make Sylvanas leave, but he didn't want to. Nathanos lowered his head, rubbing his forehead, frantically trying to figure out how to get Terenas to change his decree, but he immediately shook his head. How ridiculous! Absolutely impossible.

"Did you already know about this?" Nathanos questioned.

"You've got some nerve, talking to me like that." The Female Elf's tone was undisguisedly sarcastic, testing Nathanos's patience.

"You still haven't told me why you came to see me," he said gruffly. "If you didn't know about this, how could your timing be so coincidental?"

Sylvanas crouched down, gently brushing away the strands of Nathanos's black hair that were blowing across his face. "I thought you were the one being taken away." Her face was close, one hand resting on Nathanos's cheek. "It seems your father is the unfortunate one." The words were laced with feigned sympathy, and Nathanos turned away through gritted teeth. "My original plan was that if those soldiers took you, I would stop them and declare you one of my soldiers."

"And you think I'll be grateful to you and reconsider your original advice?"

"Yes," Sylvanas acknowledged calmly. "I believe becoming Ranger is better than becoming Alliance soldier; you will consider it carefully."

"You flatter me. Did you think I would consider becoming a Farstrider?"

"Why are you unwilling? You are perfectly qualified," Sylvanas asked, eager to know the answer.

"What do you think I am?" Nathanos demanded. "Why should I be Ranger? What does my exceptional ability have to do with being Ranger? Why do I need your approval?" His voice grew louder and angrier, trying to break down the coldness on Sylvanas's face. He also wanted to anger the Female Elf so that she might not come looking for him again.

"Is that the reason?" Sylvanas's eyes gleamed coldly. "Since that's the case, given that you'd rather wander the wilderness of Lordaeron than serve Quel'Thalas or the Alliance, I will come to see you at any time..."

"What do you mean by that?" Her words made Nathanos turn around in surprise; he was increasingly unable to figure out what the Female Elf was thinking.

She raised an eyebrow and replied, "This time Terenas only conscripted civilians, but what about next time? Will he lower the conscription age by a few years?"

Nathanos looked at her and said she was right; it was entirely possible.

"I don't need your protection."

"This isn't protection; it's the duty of a Ranger-General. I believe that one day you will be able to use your abilities, but this is not good for Quel'Thalas. Anasterian doesn't want a Ranger force suddenly appearing in the human kingdoms. Do you understand what I mean?"

Nathanos scoffed. The Female Elf's meaning was clear: she would never allow him to serve a human kingdom. Her concerns were wise; Nathanos couldn't be certain he wouldn't achieve great things in the future. If he were recognized by a nation, the King would certainly require him to train a Ranger army. He believed he had that ability.

"You are the first Elf to truly acknowledge me..."

"You just need someone to believe you," she said. "We're all the same; we all need that sometimes." The longing in her voice made him curious about Sylvanas's childhood.

As the last rays of sunlight faded, they fell silent. The chirping of insects replaced the singing of birds, until the silence was broken once more.

When do you plan to leave?

"Are you trying to get rid of me so soon?"

"No," he replied, "It is only in this dark time that your people need their Ranger-General."

"You know what? When Alleria left, I begged her to stay, as well as my sister Vareesa and Lirath, but there were too many things we couldn't control."

"Yes." Nathanos looked in the direction his parents had disappeared. "But you still haven't answered my question."

She responded with a faint smile, "Are you worried that I'll stay?"

"The farm has no shortage of food, it's just that the accommodation here is..."

Sylvanas chuckled, making Nathanos feel like he'd been tricked. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I can't stay long. I've received a mission and must return to Quel'Thalas immediately."

"Then please do as you wish."

"I still have some time. Would you mind if I had a big meal before I left?"