Pendant

I have to beat her to it!

Sylvanas ran forward as fast as she could, her eyes fixed on Alleria. Her sister was about as fast as her, but the distance between them was only due to Sylvanas moving first.

A fierce wind howled, thunder roared, and a storm was brewing. A bolt of lightning struck, snapping a twisted tree in half and crashing it into the road ahead...

Jaina and Sylvanas are currently dining in a small dining room next to the reception hall in Stormwind City Tempest Keep. Beside them is a striking long gallery, filled from corner to ceiling with exquisite paintings depicting the glorious past of House Wrynn, as well as portraits of the family's closest friends, such as King Terenas Menethil.

When Sylvanas walked in, she was drawn to the food that had already been prepared. She then hung her cloak on a hook on the wall, tidied her long hair, and sat down next to Jaina.

However, the gallery does not have portraits of these two prominent guests.

The female mage listlessly tossed at the delicious meal before her, spending most of her time idly swirling the wine glass instead of drinking it. Even with her lack of appetite written all over her face, the butler and servants continued to serve her exquisite dishes in an orderly fashion. She eagerly awaited dessert, but it never arrived, which only prolonged her agony at the banquet.

To kill time, Jaina had to go see Sylvanas, the Ranger-General, who was enjoying an appetizer: a delicious pie with rich honey filling, the sweetness of which almost seemed to burst from the crust.

"You've finally escaped that damned Alliance high-level meeting, don't you want to eat something?"

The female mage, with her eyes closed, murmured, "I'm not hungry at all. Do you want to know what the meeting is about?"

Sylvanas waved her hand. "Don't spoil my appetite." She used a spoon to wipe the honey off her lips. Even if Jaina hadn't said anything, she could already imagine the Alliance leaders' attitudes toward the Horde and the Forsaken.

It's all too easy to guess what happened at the meeting.

"How is Mr. Bred?"

The Female Elf paused for a moment, swallowed her food, wiped her hands with a napkin, and said very seriously, "He is fine and in good health, but he may not know about Nathanos yet."

"The Horde sent messengers to contact the Forsaken. The King was unsure of Nathanos's attitude, so he temporarily blocked any news from him."

"Unsure of his attitude?" Sylvanas felt like she'd heard a huge joke. The Alliance leaders had forgotten who sent the hunt for Nathanos, and who was resisting the Undead who still had a conscience. "Didn't you tell him that the Forsaken helped Theramore? If Varian were wise enough, he should realize that the Forsaken are not enemies, and might even be potential allies."

Almost instinctively, Jaina recalled Varian, Tyrande, and the prophet Velen. She opened her mouth to tell Sylvanas what they had said, but the disturbing words stuck in her throat like a fishbone.

"The best relationship between people who cannot be allies is one of tolerance."

"It wasn't entirely unexpected."

The female mage sighed and shook her head, the word 'helplessness' written all over her face. "The problem is I didn't expect it. I thought Velen and Tyrande would at least support me, but when I expressed my thoughts..." she gave a self-deprecating, aggrieved smile, "I realized I had attended an incredibly awkward meeting, far more awkward than any other public occasion. I'm really... a little unwilling."

"That doesn't sound like the tone of a diplomat. A meeting should give you the information you need as soon as possible, shouldn't it?"

Jaina glanced at Sylvanas for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "I hope those messages don't drive me crazy. Besides, I didn't get any valuable information." Jaina didn't continue speaking her mind. Facing the red wine in her hand, she finally took a small sip.

The Ranger-General was savoring the Darnassus grilled fish in front of her, her slow and deliberate eating perhaps a clever way to avoid conversation.

"I heard there's also a delicious wild berry cake to complete our dessert time."

"Thank you for the royal chefs' thoughtfulness; the preparations are truly excellent," Jaina responded softly, taking another sip of wine and silently reminding herself not to drink too much. Even though the wine looked so tempting, she longed to end her visit to Stormwind City immediately and return to Theramore, where she yearned to stand before the blueprints and oversee the reconstruction efforts. "But I can't eat another bite."

Another serving of rabbit meat was brought out, indicating Varian's insistence on being a polite host, which meant the endless lavish feast would continue to entertain the two of them. If Tervosh or Baine were here, at least the banquet would be filled with some lighthearted and interesting topics. But Jaina and Sylvanas undoubtedly sensed that every word they spoke revolved around the Forsaken and Nathanos.

This name had become a stone in the mage's heart. Although the meeting had been unpleasant for her, one sentence from Rogers was worth noting. "Perhaps they're thinking of using the living people in those strongholds to threaten us someday."

Theramore is very close to the Forsaken's territory, and the Alliance cannot ignore it if it is in danger.

Sylvanas suddenly noticed that Jaina was sitting upright in her chair, motionless like a statue, but her mind seemed to be churning out ideas, thinking more deeply about a certain area.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I'm thinking about what you said to me that night."

The Female Elf looked at the blonde female mage with curiosity.

"You said you longed to see Nathanos. But then you wondered why he would teleport Theramore to Dalaran Crater."

"I thought about it again later, maybe it was because he felt that the location of the Dalaran Crater was absolutely safe, or maybe there was no more suitable place."

"I doubt even you believe it's possible," Jaina said, irritating Sylvanas. Before she could retort, the mage added, "Your tone was clearly worried."

"Worried?" The Female Elf smiled. "What would I be worried about?"

"You're afraid he's no longer the Nathanos you know. You're afraid he's changed, aren't you?"

"So you also suspect him?"

"Don't misunderstand me, Sylvanas. Nathanos saved Theramore, and I will always remember that kindness, but I hope his intentions were righteous and not part of some other conspiracy."

Sylvanas slowly turned to Jaina, reluctantly admitting that she was right. "And you? Which side do you lean towards?"

"I hope Nathanos's actions are aimed at building friendship Forsaken and the Alliance, and at ensuring the Forsaken can survive as a race with recognition. If that's what he's thinking, I will do everything in my power to help him."

The Ranger-General put down her utensils; she had lost all appetite. "I hope so."

"Ms. Proudmoore!"

Suddenly, the door to the small dining room was violently pushed open. Sylvanas immediately grabbed the butter-covered knife on the table, wary. However, the person who rushed in was none other than a scout dressed in Theramore armor. His forehead was damp with sweat, and he was panting heavily, head bowed.

"What's going on, soldiers?" the Ranger-General responded, her composure and precision remaining even during her rest. Jaina stood beside her. The sorceress had considered who might disturb their rest, but her own people weren't on that list. Yet her soldiers were indeed here, looking exhausted, disheveled, and like drowned dogs.

"It's an emergency, related to the Ranger-General."

"Me?" The Female Elf and the human mage exchanged glances. "Clearly you have something important to report, but you forgot to keep it a secret."

"I'm so sorry, madam. But this matter is far too important and too urgent." The scout took another hard breath, Jaina handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down before continuing, "We were ordered by Lady Proudmoore to contact our allies around Theramore, including the Argent Dawn and the militias around Hillsbrad, but we never expected to come into contact with people from the opposing faction."

"Keep your voice down!" Sylvanas snatched the bottle from his hand and scolded him nervously.

The scout who delivered the message looked panicked, realizing his mistake. "I'm so sorry."

Jaina cast a shielding spell on the restaurant door and reassured the scout, "It's alright, continue. Who did you contact?"

"Is it Undead?" Sylvanas pressed. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the scout shake his head. But she quickly held her breath again.

"He's Blood Elf," the scout said, "But not a spy. He claims to be a messenger from Quel'Thalas."

"Alleria?"

Where is he?

"He didn't request to see either of you; he just sent an item, specifying that it should be delivered to Lady Sylvanas." With that, he opened the backpack at his waist and took the item out.

It was an exquisite pendant, its jade color shimmering under the light.

"This thing?" Sylvanas took it, her face darkening, her lips tightening.

Jaina instructed the scout behind her, "Don't tell anyone about this. If anyone asks, just say you came to ask me to come back and support the reconstruction work."

The scout nodded, and this time he respectfully withdrew.

"Sylvanas?" Jaina whispered the Female Elf's name, but the elf's attention was completely drawn to the little trinket in her palm. Jaina's intuition told her that the object held special significance for Windrunner.

"I also have this piece of jewelry," she said, "But I left it in Theramore."

"I can't read the text, but I guess it was written by Ms. Alleria."

Sylvanas nodded slightly. "Me, my sister, and my younger sister... we all have a pendant like this."

"I see." Jaina breathed a sigh of relief. "Why did your sister send her pendant over?"

"There are only two possibilities," the Female Elf sighed. "Either she wants me to go back, or she just wants to see me. Either way, I have a strong feeling that she's looking for me because of Nathanos."

Jaina felt the conversation was spiraling far out of her control. Sylvanas's words were merely speculation, but not impossible. If she were right, the mage could only admire the Windrunner Sisters' unspoken understanding. Moreover, Alleria's sudden delivery of this was undoubtedly adding to their troubles. The Alliance and the Horde had just fought a major battle over Theramore. Demanding a meeting between enemy relatives at this time was unreasonable. A simple rational judgment would reveal that such an act was tantamount to "treason," but Sylvanas seemed completely oblivious to this, as did Alleria. Wasn't she worried Garrosh would discover it?

The blonde female mage didn't reveal her true thoughts, but simply asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"I don't care what Varian thinks." Sylvanas knew what Jaina was worried about. Although they shared many of the same ideals, she had never been particularly concerned with the consequences. "Since my sister went to such lengths to have this sent, let me see what she's up to."

"You're going alone?" Jaina felt she had asked a particularly stupid question. Of course Sylvanas would go alone, because there was no other person with the surname "Windrunner" in Theramore and the Silver Covenant.

"I think she'll be alone too. And there's only one place we can meet, which is our home."

"Windrunner Tower?"

Upon hearing the location mentioned, Sylvanas fell silent. How long had it been since she'd been home? She'd thought she had nothing more to do with that place. "I'll set off immediately; perhaps Alleria is already waiting for me there."

What if you are in danger?

"This can't be a trap. My sister knows what the bottom line is."

Jaina took a deep breath, worried about Windrunner's journey. "I disagree with your argument," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Think about it, Sylvanas, think about it seriously. Your sister is the Regent, and her every move concerns her people. She wants to know everything about Nathanos, but will she sit down and talk to you properly? The best I can imagine is her interrogating you, forcing you to tell her everything you know; the worst is that you'll be at each other's throats. So don't act rashly, I beg you: don't risk it on the eve of war between the Alliance and the Horde."

"I will not meet her as the Silver Covenant Ranger-General, or as a Senior Advisor to Theramore." Sylvanas gazed silently at the pendant on her hand. "I will return as Windrunner. Trust me, Jaina. And trust my sister."