Meeting

Alleria stood motionless, like a stone statue. Beneath her cold exterior, a raging fire burned within her. Garrosh refused to grant any audience. Several Kor'kron guards stood watch at the gates of Grommash Hold. She couldn't believe this Orcs could be so arrogant. Several Horde leaders stood before his gates, yet he ignored them. Tauren Chieftain Baine shook his head a short distance away.

"We've been waiting here for two hours, Regent," said her captain of the guard, Elisia. Alleria couldn't blame her followers for their impatience. In Orgrimmar, the sun-drenched metal city radiated heat from every corner. The Sin'dorei Ranger were adaptable to harsh conditions, but that didn't mean they enjoyed them.

A bead of sweat rolled down the Regent's forehead, signaling that her patience had run out.

Coming here is a complete waste of time. Grommash has no idea of the value of his Horde allies.

Alleria nodded to Elisia, approving her idea. The captain of the guard bowed slightly and walked angrily toward the Kor'kron Guards.

The Orcs in the lead stood blocking the metal gate, one hand gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist. As he saw Elisia approach, the sword was slightly drawn from its sheath.

"The Regent is unwell and has informed the Great Chief that the Sin'dorei have returned to Quel'Thalas," the captain of the guard said, turning and leaving without waiting for the Orcs's reply. Kor'kron looked somewhat angry; he noticed Elisia's disdain for his little act.

"That's enough, Regent."

Alleria nodded, not forgetting to greet Baine and Vol'jin before leaving. Compared to Garrosh, the Troll and Tauren seemed more pleasant.

A squad of Sin'dorei Ranger followed behind her, but Alleria still felt a pair of eyes watching her back. With calm and sharp, piercing thought, she had reached a clear conclusion—she couldn't let Garrosh think the Sin'dorei feared him. No matter how terrifying his threat might be.

Passing through the city gate corridor and into the inner chamber of the teleportation hall, two Blood Elf mages were already waiting. Alleria asked them to open the teleportation portal. The mages chanted incantations, and Silvermoon City appeared before her. Back in her own city, before the Regent could even change and rest, a Farstrider rushed over.

"Your Highness the Regent," the Farstrider said, "I'm sorry, I received orders from the Ranger-General Vareesa. She asked me to bring this to you." He handed a scroll to Alleria, then quickly stepped back and bowed.

"You should all go and rest."

Alleria dismissed everyone, including Elisia. Looking at what she held in her hands, she was somewhat surprised; Vareesa's message had arrived just in time, as had Sylvanas's.

"We were on the same side, sister," Alleria murmured. "I hope we can go back to the way things were." She removed her gloves and used her fingernails to pry open the wax seal.

The handwriting on the scroll is from Vareesa, but the meaning is that of her other sister:

She agreed to meet.

Those five simple words made Alleria take a deep breath. She hadn't seen her second sister's face for many years. Whenever she thought of Sylvanas, she recalled their last argument, when Sylvanas declared she would abandon the Windrunner name. It sounded absurd, even childish, but as it turned out, the Alliance never heard of another hero from the Windrunner family after that; the one who became famous was named Sylvanas.

A voice within Alleria urged her to immediately proceed to Windrunner Tower, to leave the past behind, and to temporarily set aside her role as Regent to meet her sister. Looking at her opulent red and gold attire, Alleria frowned. She quickly went to a candlestick and tossed the scroll directly into the flames. She then went to the wardrobe and retrieved her original Ranger's robes. Now, she had absolutely no time to rest.

Neither she nor Sylvanas had decided where to meet, testing the tacit understanding between the Windrunner Sisters. She trusted her sister understood her thoughts. She was also curious whether Sylvanas had figured out why she had suddenly requested a meeting. Alleria's intuition told her the answer was yes.

There were no words on the letter, only a pendant, which was concise and to the point.

Returning to Quel'Thalas filled Vareesa with apprehension. Her sister was clever; she would at least have set up numerous sentries along the Elven Kingdom's borders. Regardless of whether these scouts had received orders from Alleria, Sylvanas needed to ensure her own secrecy. Therefore, she didn't rush into the Ghostlands, but instead clenched her fists, patiently waiting for nightfall. As she traversed the Thalassian Pass, she began to feel her intestines convulsing, and her palms sweated. It would take a considerable amount of time to evade the scouts, and then she would follow the sound of the waves towards Windrunner Tower.

During this process, she saw the twisted Death's Scar crisscrossing the once beautiful land. Hundreds of Undead creatures wandered the paths of the black rot. This dead zone could not be restored, winding its way all the way to Silvermoon City, even crossing the sea and splitting the Isle of Quel'Danas.

The shadow cast by the Scourge has not yet faded; the dead still roam here, still slaughtering.

They didn't really die, just like Nathanos.

No! Sylvanas shook her head. Nathanos was completely different; he and his Forsaken possessed independent Will and were a race capable of independent thought. They knew good and evil, right and wrong. It was precisely because of this that Sylvanas had always held onto hope, firmly believing that Nathanos would one day fulfill his mission. In contrast, Alleria infuriated her.

The pain inflicted on her by her sister's attack on Nathanos has yet to subside. This pain stems not only from Alleria's ruthlessness, but more importantly, from the fact that Nathanos was the true victim of this past event. Does he harbor resentment towards Alleria?

Upon reaching her destination, Sylvanas felt a pang of bitterness. She finally understood how dark the meaning of "home" truly was now. Once upon a time, the Windrunner family's homeland was a place of unparalleled glory. Now, to Sylvanas' utter dismay, despite Quel'Thalas's long period of rebuilding, Windrunner Tower remained unreclaimed, seemingly utterly abandoned. Gradually, her lips twitched more and more. Undead and wraiths raged around Windrunner Tower.

The filth and grime were everywhere. They were defiling the Windrunner's home.

She'll do what Alleria couldn't!

Sylvanas didn't utter a furious battle cry. She drew her bow and fired arrow after arrow. Several enchanted Banshee were pierced through the throat. She leaped from the bushes and began attacking the corpses. Her gleaming longsword sliced through the Ghoul's bodies. A Banshee's howl lashed at her, but in an instant, Quel'delar silenced the ghost forever.

Two more swift Ghoul fell, one with a skull pierced, the other with a severed neck. Sylvanas held her breath, pulled her sword from the corpse, and scanned her surroundings for enemies.

Time ticked by, Sylvanas, panting, smiled as she looked at the Windrunner's Tower, now devoid of Undead. Although her home was now in ruins, she believed that with a little restoration, normal, living people would be willing to return to this place.

The damp, cold air stung her skin. The Female Elf's keen ears quickly picked up a faint sound behind her, and she drew her bow and turned. The arrow left the bowstring, struck down in mid-air with a "bang."

The Ranger opposite her blocked her arrow. He pulled down his hood, revealing a head of dazzling golden hair that dispelled the surrounding darkness.

"Long time no see, Sylvanas."

They climbed Windrunner Tower together. Everything had changed except for the sound of the waves.

Alleria had just seen the corpses scattered on the ground and understood her sister's thoughts. "Killing them won't help. Before long, new Undead will come from the Death's Scar to take over this place."

"That sounds like an excuse for inaction," Sylvanas said.

Alleria stopped and gazed at the sea. "Perhaps it was my oversight, but we shouldn't have met here. This is a place favored by the dead, where the living are not welcome. We will only feel sorrow."

Sylvanas snorted. "A place considered home by the living doesn't welcome the dead, does it?"

The blonde Windrunner shuddered. The words were harsh, but Alleria wasn't angry. Instead, she nodded honestly. "Perhaps... you're right. At least... I hope you're right."

"What are you saying?" Sylvanas thought to herself, but didn't voice her shock. Looking at her sister's profile, the waves surging in her heart were no less than the rising tide, and a certain block of ice beneath the surface was melting.

"You have already demonstrated your stance through your actions."

"I cannot deny your condemnation, Sylvanas. Because of Nathanos, you and I are almost on opposite sides. And now I must pay the price for my past choices, which is why I risked contacting you. The Alliance King is far more merciful than the Horde Great Chief. You have Lady Proudmoore's support and a place for the Alliance in Dalaran, so even if someone discovers that you and I have met, I don't think King Wrynn will make things difficult for you. But Garrosh is different. I am isolated and helpless within the Horde, and if anyone discovers what is happening here, I will be branded a traitor."

For a fleeting moment, Sylvanas felt a deep sympathy for Alleria. Her sister's words conveyed two meanings: one was that their meeting was precious and they should each get what they needed; the other seemed to imply that Alleria had no way out.

"You've taken a risk, a huge risk, and it should make it all the more worthwhile." Sylvanas crossed her arms. "Tell me, how can I help you?"

"I... I'm so sorry."

Sylvanas raised an eyebrow, beginning to wonder if Alleria had laid an ambush around Windrunner Tower.

"Nathanos," Alleria murmured, "I want...I want to get to know him again."

"You're being completely unreasonable. Don't forget what you did at Marius Farm. Do you really expect Nathanos to forgive you?"

Alleria shook her head earnestly. "No, I don't ask him to forgive me. But at least I want to make amends for my mistakes. I've always questioned whether he was still the one I loved after he became Undead. Although I'm still confused now. But recently, a nightmare has been haunting me, making me relive the pain Nathanos suffered when he died, when he faced me. That pain was excruciating, suffocatingly desperate. I... maybe I really was wrong, that I caused his suffering with my own hands."

"So you're just pitying him?" Sylvanas laughed, her voice filled with bitterness. "Why are you still so naive, sister? Do you really think he'll accept your pity? It will only disgust him, make him even angrier. Please, Alleria. Please put aside your fears of life and death, don't judge a person by their appearance. Only then can you return to the way things were." Sylvanas bit her lip, questioning herself about why she had said those words. Did she really want Nathanos and Alleria to go back to what they were before?

Similarly, Alleria swallowed hard. She noticed the conflict in her sister's eyes, a painful mix of hope and resentment, strikingly similar to the time she and Nathanos had argued. Only then, the war against the Old Horde was still ongoing, she and Nathanos weren't together, and their relationship had completely fractured due to their differing views on their enemies. She wanted to kill all the Orcs, while he urged her to let go of her hatred. And now, the same thing was happening again.

Almost instinctively, she stepped forward and hugged her sister tightly, holding her with all her might. She wanted to comfort Sylvanas, but she was the one who was drowning, and the world of emotions is selfish.

"Would you be willing to help me, Sylvanas? I really... really need your help."

Sylvanas saw water—tears streamed from her eyes and dripped down her cheeks as Alleria spoke.

She simply couldn't refuse; the person in her heart always belonged to Alleria, and her sister had even borne him a child. Perhaps her efforts were destined to be in vain from the very beginning, or perhaps this was always a journey without a future.

For a moment, Alleria thought her sister would refuse. The body in her arms was trembling, as if bearing immense pressure. Alleria suddenly felt she had been too selfish, but she couldn't turn back. She was destined to hurt Sylvanas, and her sister also filled her with deep guilt.

"You've won, Alleria." Sylvanas pushed her away, turning her head to hide the tears on her face from the Female Elf beside her. "But that doesn't mean I've lost. After all, only Nathanos can decide the outcome." She pulled up her hood, panting heavily, and then smiled. "I will tell you everything I know, but Nathanos won't be happy. After all, what we're about to discuss are his secrets."