Descendants of the Sunstrider

"That little bastard is in there, isn't he? I saw him go in."

Belorell calmly observed the changes at the entrance of the Round Tower. Several servants were desperately trying to persuade a woman who was clearly drunk. Unlike the others, she wore a red gauze dress and a phoenix-patterned bracelet. Despite being pulled and tugged at, she managed to break free of those behind her and approach Belorell. The Sathalir couple repeatedly apologized for her Recklessness intrusion.

"Who is this lady?" Belorell was not angry at her rudeness. The other woman was obviously drunk, with glazed eyes and flushed cheeks.

"Her name is Liandara, Your Highness." Sathalir thought for a moment, then added, "Liandara Sunstrider."

"The Sunstrider?" Belorell stared in astonishment at the drunken woman, taking a long time to react. "That's surprising. I thought that surname was a thing of the past."

Liandara initially didn't react to those words, downing the wine in her glass in one gulp. Suddenly, the glass shattered against the wall of the round tower, the sound mingling with Liandara's angry growl. The Sunstrider woman pressed down on Belorell with astonishing speed, as if the wine she had drunk had ignited a raging fire.

"Are you insane?" Baron Satherril roared, his face ashen. "Throw this madwoman out of here!"

The servants were about to attack, but Belorell stopped them. Liandara didn't attack him; her hands were on his shoulders, not his neck. "Let your men out first, Baron."

"But, Your Highness..."

"For the sake of the Sunwell, please let them out."

Sathalir swallowed the words he was about to say. As the Baroness pulled his arm, he nodded hastily, "Of course, Your Highness." He then quickly dragged the servants out of the Round Tower, leaving no trace except for the sweat that dripped onto the ground.

"I'd like to speak with this Sunstrider lady alone. Please go and attend to the other guests first."

"Your Highness, you..."

"I'm fine, you can go out now. But please don't tell anyone what you saw, okay?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Sathalir glanced at him with concern and then withdrew.

The remaining two Elf made no move, but Belorell disliked the way Liandara looked down at him. He grabbed the Female Elf's wrists and forcefully pried her off his shoulders.

Feeling that she was being treated roughly, Liandara cursed, "The Windrunner are all usurpers. You've taken what wasn't yours."

Belorell was shocked; he hadn't heard anyone speak like this in a long time. The Windrunner family's control of Quel'Thalas's political and military power inevitably fueled rumors in this kingdom long ruled by the Sunstrider. Some yearned for the restoration of the Sunstrider family's status—perhaps this was why Liandara was here; as the shadow of the Scourge faded and life settled, some longed to return to their carefree past. But their mother couldn't give them what they wanted. In her eyes, Quel'Thalas's current prosperity was merely preparation for the next catastrophe.

"Quel'Thalas has no Elf King, only a Regent, Lady."

"Alleria is missing is a coronation ceremony." Liandara laughed, stumbling as she grabbed the wine prepared for Belorell on the table. "Your mother... hypocritical and pretentious. She calls herself regent only to show others a false loyalty. Can you say she doesn't have an Elf King's scepter in her wardrobe? Aren't those sycophants around her adorning her with phoenix robes?"

Belorell had seen the items Liandara mentioned, but the Elf King's scepter was long since broken, and the fragments were kept as keepsakes on the Isle of Quel'Danas, as was the Phoenix Garment.

"What others say and do has nothing to do with my mother's decisions. She is the regent, not the King, now and in the future."

"The future? Whose future? Hers, or yours? You've been preparing to replace the Sunstrider family for a long time, haven't you?"

"The Sunstrider's current situation is no one's fault but theirs," Belorell said. "It was Kael'thas's stubbornness that led to the decline of the Dath'Remar's Remar bloodline."

A cold smile played on Liandara's lips, as if the wine she had drunk had sobered her up. "Then let me ask you, does the Prince represent the entire Sunstrider family? Can your mother represent the entire Windrunner family?"

This was a tricky question, and Belorell immediately thought of his aunt, Sylvanas. If his mother truly represented the entire Windrunner family, then his aunt wouldn't have left Quel'Thalas alone.

"Perhaps not, but no tree can control its branches to grow in the same direction. If you feel that Kael'thas's sins have caused the entire Sunstrider family to be treated unfairly, then I can tell you very clearly that the Windrunner family has not done anything to wrong you."

"We've been forced to change our names!"

Belorell blinked, utterly shocked that an Elf woman with such a prestigious surname would utter such words. This couldn't be nonsense. He could clearly see the tears in Liandara's eyes. "You?"

But Liandara had no interest in hearing his questions. "Is it strange? Who still likes the Sunstrider? Kael'thas alone destroyed us all. Do you think my distant cousins still want to admit they're of royal blood?"

Elf women's voices are usually alluring, sweet and melodious like a clear spring. But now, as Liandara uttered the last word, her voice was completely hoarse. Belorell stood there, somewhat bewildered. "Then why didn't you hide yourself? You attended such a banquet..."

Liandara downed the last drop of wine from the bottle. The Crown Prince of Quel'Thalas began to suspect that the wine was enchanted, preventing intoxication and instead instilling increasing agitation. Liandara let out a cold laugh, "Hide? Why should I hide? Only cowards hide themselves! I will never forget who it is. Even if all of Quel'Thalas considers Alleria the absolute ruler, I will oppose her." She paused briefly, took another sip, and continued, "Is she truly glamorous? Her sister, her husband—their actions are astonishing. One led our people to slaughter each other, the other led tens of thousands of Undead to seek revenge against her. Because of her personal actions, how many hidden dangers has she left for the Sin'dorei?"

Belorell stared in shock at the woman before him as she spoke in silent disbelief. Her words were like thorns, piercing his heart. Aunt Sylvanas and his father had indeed become a source of heartache for his mother, and because of his father, many people were even criticizing the Regent's shameful past.

There was no effective and proactive way to dispel those people's concerns; the only option was to passively wait and for the situation to change. In time, when the Silver Covenant and the Forsaken had taken no action against Quel'Thalas, the rumors would naturally disappear. Therefore, Belorell did not refute the Sunstrider Female Elf's words.

The long-suppressed atmosphere was finally broken by Liandara herself. She let out a roar and threw the bottle on the ground, as if the empty bottle was filled with her inexhaustible rage, or perhaps she wanted to attack but had no real target. This Sunstrider woman felt powerless, so she vented her anger on the object in her hand.

"No matter how wronged you feel, venting here will be pointless. Others will only see your pathetic state."

"Then let them see for themselves. Let them know that the Sunstrider are now truly insignificant, merely clinging to life, as broken and useless as a rusty iron sword, forgotten and abandoned."

"Enough!" Belorell roared. "Despair is no excuse for giving up on yourself. You are not broken and useless. Quel'Thalas is still your home, my mother did not exile you, and you are still citizens of Silvermoon City. The doubts you bear can be dispelled with your actions. Is there anything you cannot create with your own hands?"

"Quel'Thalas has been led by the Sunstrider for thousands of years. Even if Kael'thas has fallen, your mother should have supported another member of the Sunstrider to succeed as Elf, instead of letting the bloodline of Dath'Remar disappear."

Belorell fell completely silent, swallowing hard. He seemed to have found the answer to his initial question—why were the Sunstrider present at this occasion, and why at the exact moment he was there? Was Liandara's arrival a coincidence, or was it deliberately arranged? All his doubts revolved around one word—power. Those nobles, those who longed to return to their past lives of luxury and carefree ease, had sent a pitiful woman who had lost her status to test the Windrunner family's attitude.

"It was Kael'thas himself who declared King Anasterian the last Elf King. He failed his entire life, but there were only two things my mother approved of: the first was this decree, and the second was naming the High Elf Blood Elf, so that we may remember this shame." Belorell raised his voice, looking directly into Liandara's eyes. The latter flinched, unwilling to meet his gaze, but forced herself to do so.

Only now did Liandara realize how foolish it had been to ask for the Elf. After Kael'thas allied with Kil'jaeden, he declared himself Elf in front of everyone, not only breaking his own oath but also tarnishing the honor of the Sunstrider family. This led to many Blood Elf becoming hostile towards the former royal family after the Battle of the Sunwell. While Alleria didn't expel Kael'thas's relatives, she also didn't stand up for the other innocent Sunstrider. She did nothing, letting them be drowned in the people's condemnation.

Seeing that Liandara remained silent, Belorell continued, "I sympathize with the Sunstrider family's fate, as did my mother, but the shadow cast by Kael'thas forever looms over you. You keep saying that the Regent should restore the Sunstrider to their rightful place, but I want to know, where were you when Kael'thas colluded with demons, seized the Sunwell, and prepared to destroy the world? Which of you joined the army, daring to take up arms against that fallen Prince? You..." Belorell's voice trailed off as he saw the fire in Liandara's eyes replaced by a cold expression, and as she bowed her head sharply, a deep pang of heartache overwhelmed him.

Why should I argue with her? Her dissatisfaction is merely empty rhetoric. My condemnation, however, is an undeniable fact, a disgrace to the Sunstrider family.

The young Elf took a deep breath and turned his back to the Female Elf. "I don't know if your appearance was deliberately arranged by those outsiders, but if they want to use you to challenge the situation my mother has painstakingly built over the years, they will be disappointed. No ruler can please everyone. That's what my mother once told me. As long as this kingdom is on the right track, that's enough. Those unrealistic daydreams... will never come true."

Suddenly, Belorell heard a strange noise behind him. Before the fruit knife that had been used to attack him could succeed, the young Elf had used magic to stop the Female Elf who was about to fight to the death.

Liandara felt her body become light as a gust of air slammed her against the wall, the dagger in her hand clattering to the floor. She was astonished by the power Belorell had displayed; wasn't it rumored that Alleria's son knew nothing about magic?

Sensing the question in Liandara's eyes, Belorell didn't lower his hand, maintaining his suppression of the Sunstrider. "Those nobles can find out what I like to eat and drink; they're very capable. But that's all they can do. There's something you said earlier that I disagree with: 'Only cowards need to hide.'" At this point, Belorell thought of his father. He felt his father was still beside him, though he had never met him, only having a vague impression of him from the portraits his mother usually drew. Yet, he sensed the restraint and forbearance emanating from his father, Nathanos. No one knew he possessed powerful magic, which meant he was unpredictable. This was his advantage, and his opponent's disadvantage.

"This... magic, you..." Liandara struggled, staring incredulously at the brat before her. Alleria's son was as cunning as she was.

"Yes, it's Kael'thas's gravity magic," Belorell confirmed her unspoken words. "That man must have been a powerful mage. I only learned a little from his research reports, but it's already enough to handle certain dangerous situations." He pulled his hand back, and Liandara's body flew towards him like a kite being reeled in. Belorell reacted quickly, striking the back of her neck the moment Female Elf was close. Her delicate body fell into his arms.

It's time to give those people a wake-up call!

The young Elf picked up Liandara and walked out of the round tower. The people outside all turned their attention to him and crowded around.

"Your Highness?" Baron Satherril stared in astonishment at the Female Elf in Belorell's arms.

"Your Excellency, I was very impressed with your banquet."

Before Sathalir could react, Belorell walked straight through the crowd. The anger in his eyes cleared a path for him to the carriage.