Even now, Sylvanas could not understand her elder sister's decision to give up succeeding as Ranger-General and join the Farstriders.
As a child, Sylvanas had seen her elder sister as almost omnipotent. Whether it was looking after her younger siblings or improving her strength, she far outstripped other elves her age. She thought even less of that idiot Charlemagne.
Although she had outgrown her blind admiration for her sister as she grew older, there was no question that the two sisters had always been close. Sylvanas had also prepared herself to serve as Alleria's deputy once she became Ranger-General.
But twenty years ago, Alleria had suddenly announced a decision that stunned every member of the Windrunner family, including Lireesa.
"Are you sure you want to join the Farstriders? Alleria, are you planning to abandon your responsibilities?"
Their youngest sister Vereesa and their younger brother Lirath looked at their mother's stern expression, somewhat at a loss, while Sylvanas stared at her eldest sister in disbelief.
Although Alleria felt some guilt over abandoning the responsibilities she ought to have shouldered, she still answered her mother firmly.
"I don't want to be bound by so-called traditions. I want to travel all over Azeroth and see it for myself."
Lireesa's face twitched, and she clearly wanted to lose her temper. But when she saw how timid her youngest son and daughter looked, she merely gave a cold snort and swept away.
"Hmph! Do as you please. Sylvanas! Starting tomorrow, you'll come to the barracks and learn the Ranger-General's duties from me!"
"Yes, Mother..."
After watching Lireesa leave, Sylvanas turned anxiously to her eldest sister.
"Alleria, you..."
"Don't try to persuade me, little sister. I've already decided!"
Her sister's resolute expression left the words Sylvanas had been about to say stuck in her throat.
Their sister, who was usually gentle and considerate toward them, rarely took such an uncompromising stance. Once Alleria finally made a decision, however, this strong-minded sister of theirs had made up her mind for good.
From that day on, she took her sister's place, following their mother to learn the Ranger-General's work. Her sister, meanwhile, slacked off on her once-diligent training and began studying the customs of various lands in the family library.
She had originally thought that life would continue this way until her sister formally joined the Farstriders and left Quel'Thalas to travel.
But Charlemagne's sudden recovery ten years ago had changed what had originally been planned.
Alleria, whose strength had always made her the undisputed leader among rangers her age, was astonished by the speed of Charlemagne's progress and finally resumed the ranger training she had abandoned for years.
This fool, whom Sylvanas had never paid any attention to, etched his name into everyone's minds in an unbelievable way.
Whether in his academic studies or his strength as a ranger, he improved at an astonishing pace, advancing again and again.
In just ten short years, this fool's achievements as a ranger had caught up with her own, and he was still rapidly closing in on her sister.
What was most incomprehensible was that this eldest son of the Theron family, whom her mother considered to have the potential to reach the Epic rank in the future, actually intended to join the Farstriders just like her sister.
What exactly is so special about the Farstriders? Why haven't I noticed anything after spending all this time with them?
Sylvanas had been stationed at the Farstrider camp for some time now. In her dealings with these rangers outside the regular army, she truly had not seen any qualities in them worth particular attention.
As for an indomitable will and concern for their comrades, the ranger forces possessed those as well. The laxness these people had inherited from the high elves' nature was even more pronounced than it was in the ranger forces.
Charlemagne naturally knew nothing of Sylvanas's doubts. He normally had little contact with Alleria's younger sister.
Although Sylvanas was not as openly hostile toward him as Vereesa, Charlemagne always felt that this famous Queen Xi seemed to harbor some prejudice against him.
But since she seemed to reject him, Charlemagne was not about to demean himself by offering warmth only to receive a cold shoulder.
Setting aside the preconceived impressions from his previous life, he really regarded Sylvanas as nothing more than "Alleria's younger sister."
He had witnessed her tragic fate many times in his nightmares. Wanting to spare Alleria grief and preserve the high elves' fighting strength, he had also made saving Sylvanas part of his future plans.
Sylvanas was several decades younger than Alleria, but thanks to her competitive nature and diligent training, her strength was already not far behind Alleria's, who had once let her training lapse for a time.
Had Alleria not resumed her training in recent years, Sylvanas might truly have surpassed her.
Thanks to her mother's careful tutelage, Sylvanas's grasp of strategy and tactics had even surpassed her elder sister Alleria's. All she lacked now was actual combat experience, and this battle against the Trolls was an excellent opportunity to test herself.
After Skarren and Yawen finished catching up, Sylvanas summoned all the troops' senior officers to a meeting on the second floor of the camp's tower.
Once Skarren, Yawen, Charlemagne, Liadrin, and Xiao'en had taken their seats in turn, Sylvanas was the first to stand and explain the current situation.
"According to Commander Skarren's intelligence, the Trolls haven't made any major moves since I left."
"For now, we'll continue to maintain a defensive posture and wait for the Ranger-General's orders before taking our next step."
Before leaving, Lireesa had told her second daughter about her arrangements for the two-front battlefield. Although Sylvanas was somewhat worried about the important responsibility she was about to shoulder, she felt even more eager anticipation.
But until Lireesa's orders arrived, the troops at the Farstrider camp could only maintain a defensive posture for the time being, appearing to hold their position without making a move.
The seasoned Yawen had naturally discerned Lireesa's intentions from her personnel assignments, and Liadrin, with her innate intelligence, had also vaguely sensed them. Only one person remained completely in the dark...
"Hmm? Could there be some other mission for us here?"
The speaker was none other than Sean Morningstrider. This young master, pampered since childhood, clearly knew too little of the battlefield's cruelty, and he actually asked the question with an expectant expression.
Sylvanas clearly had little liking for this young master either. She frowned and dismissed him with a perfunctory reply.
"Nothing is certain yet. We need to watch how things develop. Mage Xiao'en, please also have the mages under your command remain ready at all times."
Xiao'en assured Sylvanas with exaggerated winks and facial gestures, "No problem, leave it to me! I'll show you the Morningstrider family's superior bloodline!"
(End of chapter)