The Elf Who Came Calling

In Lordaeron, Terenas received Lothar and his entourage. As the Alliance leader entered the city he hadn't visited in so long, he was greeted by deafening cheers. The enthusiasm of the people of Lordaeron almost made him think he was back in Stormwind City. He would definitely go back, he told himself.

"King Terenas is already waiting for you in the palace, Marshal Lothar." Uther gave a signature salute, and it seemed he had just met Terenas; a smile graced his face, and everything appeared to be alright.

Lothar nodded and entered the palace, followed by Khadgar and Turalyon. Strangely, Alleria was not among the entourage; instead, her lieutenant, Lor'themar, arrived. Turalyon asked Lor'themar several times where Alleria was, but the latter simply shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

The war on the Great Sea ended quickly, but Proudmoore was not entirely satisfied with the outcome, as several Orcs ships escaped.

"What is that?" Proudmoore asked, pointing ahead. He walked to the bow of the ship, his sharp eyes quickly recognizing what he had found—a human being, clinging to a plank of wood, drifting on the sea.

"Throw him a rope!" Proudmoore commanded, and the sailors sprang into action; the man was likely a soldier who had accidentally fallen from the ship. "Check the area for any other survivors!"

But when they rescued the man Daelin was immediately confused, and his confusion turned into anger. He discovered that the man was not wearing Kul Tiras navy uniform, but a waterlogged Alterac battle robe.

"One of Perenolde's men?" Daelin looked at the dying survivor with the eyes of someone who had discovered a new continent. He was soaking wet, and his thigh was clearly pierced by shrapnel, blood gushing from the wound. There was no doubt that this man had participated in the war. There was only one possibility: he was on the Orcs ship.

"What are you doing on the Orcs ship?" Proudmoore asked, glaring at the man, wondering if he was a prisoner captured by the Orcs.

The man was weak and breathless, and now he answered, his face pale, "Perenolde ...His Majesty sent...sent us. He ordered us...to guide...the Orcs ships...and to provide them...with any...needed...assistance."

"What!" Proudmoore drew his saber and held it to the man's neck. "You dare to conspire with the Horde? I should gut you like a fish and throw you into the sea!" With that, he made a slight cut, and a thin red line appeared on the man's neck. But Daelin didn't make a move. He suppressed his anger and calmed down. The others might not know about this yet, but this man was a witness who could prove Perenolde's betrayal.

"Killing you would only tarnish my blade," Proudmoore said, sheathing his weapon. "Your survival is proof of Perenolde's betrayal." He turned to Cyrus beside him. "Tie him up and throw him in solitary confinement. Bandage his wounds, but don't let him die." He then immediately ordered, "Search the sea for any other Alterac."

"Yes, sir!" The sailor saluted and immediately went to carry out his orders. About an hour later, after confirming that the sea area had been searched, they found five more men, all of whom corroborated the first man's account. There were still many Orcs floating on the sea. Daelin did not stand idly by and let them drown. He ordered his soldiers to pull the Orcs aboard and lock them in the cabin.

"Head towards Lordaeron." Daelin said to the helmsman after the last Alterac traitor was dragged into the cabin. "We must rendezvous with the Alliance army and report our victory and Alterac's betrayal to them." With that, he walked toward the cabin, deciding to first write a letter to Terenas to prepare him.

Within Lordaeron, the war seemed to have passed, and people were able to walk the streets as usual. Most of the soldiers who participated in the defense of Lordaeron were granted permission to go home, though their homes were, of course, in the city anyway.

When the commotion subsided, Bred and Jonathan returned to the candy shop in Lordaeron. Fortunately, their wives were there, as were Jonathan's son, Stephan, Nathanos's brother.

"Is the war over?" Sally asked, holding her husband's hand. Jonathan was clearly injured; an arrow had pierced his left shoulder, and it was still bandaged.

"It's over." Jonathan said, exchanging a smile with Bred. He hadn't expected to come back alive either. When he was shot, Jonathan thought he was going to die. But Bred desperately dragged him to the back so that Kana could treat his wound, which saved Jonathan's life.

"You won't leave us again, will you?" Stephan asked. Jonathan hesitated, looking at his child in surprise, then nodded firmly. Bred watched his brother's family reunite, lost in thought. He turned to see his wife Daphne, smiling at him when someone took his hand.

"Our children are doing well too," she said softly. Bred nodded; he was confident he would see Nathanos soon.

"Excuse me, is this the Marius Family?"

Hearing a melodious voice, everyone turned their attention to the doorway. The long ears peeking out from under the hood made the Marius family realize that this was not a human, but an Elf.

Seeing their silent and surprised expressions, the Female Elf introduced herself, "Hello, I am Alleria Windrunner, and I am here to see Nathanos."

"Wait a minute, ma'am, may I ask who you are?" Daphne looked at Alleria in surprise, realizing that the other woman seemed to have already answered the question, so she quickly corrected herself. "Excuse me, I mean, do you know my child?"

Is she Nathanos's mother? Alleria smiled, realizing she had come to the right place.

"Yes, I know Nathanos. I don't know how to address you yet, madam."

Daphne introduced herself, and then introduced the others. She was very enthusiastic, which made Alleria wonder why Nathanos's personality was so different from his mother's.

"I couldn't find him, but I knew that after Lordaeron was saved, Nathanos would definitely come looking for his family, so I asked around and finally heard that there was a candy store belonging to the Marius Family on this street," Alleria explained, her tone calm and light, putting no pressure on Nathanos's family at all.

Stephan looked at Alleria's face, as if it were familiar. After a long while, he remembered and said loudly, "I know this Elf lady. I saw her standing with my cousin at Marius Farm."

Alleria looked at Stephan with some surprise. She had never been to the place Stephan mentioned, but she immediately realized that Stephan was referring to Sylvanas. After all, that girl looked almost exactly like her; apart from her slightly lighter hair color, the two Female Elf had very similar figures and faces. Nathanos could tell them apart, but others might not. Stephan's words gave Alleria a convenient excuse.

"Yes, I did go to Marius Farm."

"I see." Daphne smiled at the Female Elf. "Then please don't stand at the door, come in quickly."

Alleria nodded to her; now all they had to do was wait for Nathanos to return.

Horde

"They're not coming back." Salbeck was watching the Horde army marching along the road ahead when Orgrim's sudden words startled him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Doomhammer curled his lip. "Rend and Maim aren't coming back."

Salbeck looked around. "They've gone to the Great Sea," he said cautiously, afraid of incurring the wrath of the Doomhammer. "It will take them many days to return."

"There shouldn't be no news by now!" Orgrim's voice was low, trying not to be heard by others. "Rend should have sent someone back to report on the situation of the troops a few days ago! Something must have happened! Maybe they ran into the Kul Tiras fleet, or something else, but the fleet is definitely gone!"

Salbeck nodded, saying nothing. He didn't need to. Doomhammer knew what he was thinking—if he hadn't sent troops to pursue Gul'dan, this wouldn't have happened.

Doomhammer gritted his teeth. Why was there no one among the Orcs who understood his intentions? Ever since he ordered the retreat from Lordaeron, many rumors had been circulating within the Horde.

The city gates had begun to crack and were bending from the impact of the battering ram. The city's defenders were almost out of supplies. The Alliance forces had been pushed back to the other side of the lake and could only hold the bridge. They were so close to victory! Just one more day, two at most, and the city would have collapsed. But then, he ordered a retreat.

The Alliance forces reacted swiftly to this sudden reversal of fortune. Since the Blackhand brothers and the Blackfang Clan had departed, the humans had swarmed after the Orcs forces. Orgrim had dispatched Grommash to cover their retreat. However, as Salbeck had predicted, it would take the Blackhand brothers many days to return; they still had to defeat Gul'dan and the Ogre. Meanwhile, the Orcs trapped in Alterac Valley or blocked on the other side remained missing, and the roads were blocked. Doomhammer's only remaining fighting force consisted of his siege troops. Therefore, he ordered a retreat. He hoped to encounter other clans along the way, but something had happened to the Dragonmaw Clan, and he hadn't received any definite news. Thinking this, Doomhammer clenched his fist, placing all the blame on Gul'dan. His betrayal had forced Doomhammer to disperse his forces.

Orgrim had sworn an oath to the spirits of his ancestors that he would never allow the Horde to continue its depravity. He would fight evil with all his might, by any means necessary. His own life and death were meaningless, but he could not lose his honor, nor could the Orcs. Without honor, they were nothing but beasts, even less than beasts. The Orcs had cast aside their inherent potential and noble history, choosing instead a path filled with bloodshed and battle. And all of this was caused by that traitor. If he let Gul'dan go and escape punishment, Orgrim would be filled with remorse.

At least he could have a clear conscience after doing this; Doomhammer had made up his mind. He upheld his honor, and the honor of the entire Horde. They might lose to humans, but they would die with pride, weapons in hand, like Warrior.

And the war was far from over. He was still leading his Warrior south. Between Azeroth and Lordaeron Kaz'Modan —the homeland of the Dwarf, through which the Orcs had passed on their expeditions. The Dwarf were a formidable adversary, but their fortresses had fallen to the Horde's power, with only Ironforge remaining standing. Doomhammer had left Kilrogg Deadeye and his Blood Ring Clan to oversee the mining there and to transform the ore into ships. If he returned there with his Warrior to reunite with Kilrogg, he would possess a formidable army, large enough to once again confront the Alliance pursuing them. The battle would be harder, their path to conquest longer, but they would ultimately rule the continent and build their own home.