After leaving the ranger encampment, the two walked on in silence, unsure what to say for the moment.
Over the ten years since Charlemagne had regained consciousness, they had spent nearly every day together. Now that they suddenly faced separation, neither Charlemagne nor Alleria knew how to say goodbye.
"Alleria, I..."
"Charlemagne..."
After a long silence, they both spoke at once. They froze at the sound of each other's voice, then both burst out laughing.
Their clear laughter finally eased the heavy atmosphere considerably, and the couple returned to their usual way of interacting.
"Alleria, be careful while escorting Prince Kael'thas this time. I hear that troublemakers often run rampant in human kingdoms, even in their capitals. You..."
"Hmph! Who do you think I am? How could mere bandits hurt me? Besides, the prince is already a seventh-circle mage. If he weren't so mindful of his status, he could easily deal with that small fry himself."
In the sparse sunlight filtering through the forest, Alleria's proud, confident face seemed to shine.
With a gentle, apologetic smile, Charlemagne stroked his girlfriend's cheek.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's all right. I know you're just worried about me."
Alleria closed her eyes and nuzzled Charlemagne's palm, callused from years of archery, and the two began to enjoy this brief moment of tenderness.
A breeze swept through, filling the forest with a rustling like the wash of waves. Only then did Charlemagne and Alleria emerge from their own little world.
"Oh, Alleria, if you get the chance this time, could you mention forming melee units to Prince Kael'thas for me?"
Coming back to his senses, Charlemagne remembered his concerns from yesterday and tried telling his girlfriend about them.
Alleria's delicate golden brows furrowed slightly. "I can't promise anything. After all, I'm only accompanying the delegation as an ordinary ranger. I don't even know whether I'll get to speak to the prince."
Charlemagne kissed Alleria lightly on the forehead and gently reassured her, "It's all right. Just mention it if you get the chance. Besides, I don't have much hope that the prince will accept the suggestion. All we can do is give it a try."
"Mm... Who knows when we'll meet again after we part this time? Charlemagne, you won't go looking for other elven women behind my back, will you?"
Seeing Alleria's endearingly worried expression, Charlemagne chuckled and pressed a kiss to the corner of her lips.
"Of course not. After spending ten years with me, don't you know what sort of person I am?"
"Hmph~ The novels my little sister reads mention plenty of elven men whose affections wander. Who knows whether you act one way around me and another behind my back?"
Knowing that his girlfriend was only taking the opportunity to act a little spoiled before their parting, Charlemagne could only use every means at his disposal to reassure her.
Once their tender moment ended, Alleria returned to being the independent, rebellious eldest Windrunner sister.
"I wonder what human countries are like. I've never left Quel'Thalas since I was born. I hope they have some decent warriors. I want to take a good look at how humanity has developed in all these years since the Troll Wars ended."
As Charlemagne looked at the confident expression on Alleria's face, his gaze grew somewhat unfocused.
Since their close cooperation with humanity during the reign of Emperor Arathor, the high elves had gone a long time without close contact with them.
Whenever the human kingdoms extended invitations, the Sun King always had Prince Kael'thas, who resided in Dalaran, attend on his behalf. This had also left the elven leadership with a long-standing lack of understanding of humanity's current circumstances.
"This is actually a good opportunity. You can see how human ways of life differ from ours. I imagine it should give you some inspiration."
Charlemagne gently stroked Alleria's brilliant golden hair as he offered his suggestion.
"Mm, I understand, but..."
Just as Alleria was about to say something, a voice suddenly came from beside them.
"Big brother, what are you and Alleria talking about? You seem pretty serious."
The sudden voice did not startle Charlemagne or Alleria, who were already used to it. Instead, they both sighed.
"...Lor'themar, when are you going to break this habit of appearing out of nowhere? Could you say hello first the next time you show up near us?"
Alleria gave Lor'themar an unfriendly look. After all, she did not want this fellow suddenly appearing and interrupting her intimate moments with her lover.
"A-Qiang, you really do live up to that name. Seriously, you should change classes to a rogue. It would suit you better."
Charlemagne also teased his younger brother with a playful expression. Although becoming a ranger had given him the habit of constantly watching his surroundings, detecting his brother Lor'themar's movements remained a world-class problem.
"Big brother... Just what does A-Qiang mean, anyway? Why do you like calling me that? Besides, if I'm A-Qiang, wouldn't that make you, my big brother, Daqiang?"
Lor'themar looked helpless in the face of his elder brother's teasing, but then launched a counterattack of his own.
"Uh..."
That name sent a wave of malice through Charlemagne.
"Don't call me Daqiang! Xiaoqiang, Daqiang-begone, all of you! Come on, I have something to tell you."
Feeling disgruntled, Charlemagne quickly changed the subject. By now, he and Alleria had wandered close to Windrunner Village, and Windrunner Spire was clearly visible in the distance.
"Going to war?!"
At the Windrunner home, Vereesa, Lirath, and Lor'themar all cried out in surprise.
"Big brother, you're not joking, are you? Why so sudden?"
Charlemagne shook his head at his younger brother, his expression solemn. "Do you think I'd joke about something this important?"
Vereesa anxiously bit her thumbnail. "Our second sister is going to war... and our eldest sister is going to the Kingdom of Stormwind as a guard for the delegation. Doesn't that mean only our little brother and I will be left at home?"
Alleria gently stroked her younger sister's long, silvery-gray hair.
"That's right. Mother will also be heading out as the ranger-general, so I'm leaving our little brother in your care for now."
Then she turned to Lor'themar and instructed him solemnly, "Lor'themar, I'm sorry for the trouble this will cause you. Vereesa is headstrong and careless, and Lirath is even more mischievous. You're levelheaded, so I hope you can look after them in our place."
Lor'themar nodded dejectedly. "I understand, Alleria."
"Big brother, can't you really let me go to war with you?"
"No!"
Hearing Lor'themar's words, Charlemagne snapped sternly, "What would happen to our family if we both died on the battlefield? Do you want the Theron family line to end?"
"All right, I understand..."
"Big sister..."
Lirath, the youngest Windrunner sibling, clung reluctantly to Alleria's sleeve. Having never been separated from his sisters for long, he still found it hard to accept that two of them would be leaving at once.
"All right, little brother. You're the only male in the Windrunner family. Be strong. I'll be back as soon as I can."
(End of chapter)