Disclaimer! I don't own Wow. Blizz does, and your soul too.
*** Stromgarde – Arathi Highland ***
My decision to detour and help the attacked people of Stromgarde was met with approval from the others, but it was now time to find out exactly what I was walking into.
"What's their number?" I asked the elven ranger. "For both orcs and humans?"
"Around three to four hundred of these orcs creatures, Lord Callan," the male elven ranger replied. "As for the human defenders, maybe two hundred or so. The peasants, including the old and young, are perhaps around two thousand."
'Not bad,' I thought even as I peeked at my own numbers. Even if the numbers were more sizable, I couldn't leave the civilians at the orc's mercy, especially since individual orcs were stronger than the average human.
Still, that number would allow me to be a lot more flexible with my deployment. With a nod, I turned to my second in command.
"Alexandros! Prepare the infantry. I will ride ahead with half of our cavalry and ease the pressure on them," I told him. Then I turned to the silent Gilnean woman. "Lana, I want you and your free riders to come with me."
"My Lord." The stern woman nodded curtly before raising her sword. "Freeriders! Freeriders, with me!"
I turned to Sylvanas. "If you'd be so kind, I could use some of that famed elven archery skills against the horde."
"Me and my rangers are with you, Callan," Sylvanas said sternly before putting a curled-up thumb and index finger to her lips. One sharp whistle later, all of the elven rangers were ready.
"Callan," Liadrin came forward on her mount. "There would no doubt be injuries. I should come along with you."
I wanted to say that I would be fine and that I could definitely handle that much, but I stopped myself. What if there were pesky warlocks there? Liadrin could take over while I deal with them.
"Good idea," I told her. "Stay with Sylvanas group, understand?"
Liadrin's nod was all I needed as I raised the flag of Stormwind.
"That's settled then." I then turned to the elf. "Please lead us there, ranger."
"Yes, lord," the elf said as he got on his gold hawkstrider and rode forth.
"Good luck, Alexandros," I said before turning to follow the elf.
The ride there was pretty bumpy due to how uneven most of the ground was, but we heard the faint sounds of battle in the distance . We were getting closer. It didn't take us long, maybe fifteen minutes before we reached the battlefield..
"Here's the plan," I spoke up hurriedly as the cries and sounds of battle got closer. "Me and the cavalry will engage directly with the attacking orcs. Sylvanas, I want your rangers to stay at the edge of the battlefield and pick off those in the rear of the orc's line. Ensure that we don't get flanked."
"It will be done," Sylvanas said firmly.
"Lana!" I turned to the austere gilnean woman. "Take your free riders and ensure the area around us is clear. If you see green skin on giant wolves, empty your gun into the animals first. Do not engage the Horde in battle. Fall back to us after you've done so."
"Yes, my lord," Lana replied just as we crested a hill and saw the situation for ourselves.
We stopped our movement for a moment to take it in. The Arathi Highlands was mostly rolling hilly green land. It crested at certain points and dipped at others. The attack was in a dip, almost like a bowl, while we were on its crest. From our vantage point, we saw the situation more clearly.
There was a cluster of people being attacked by the orcs. The orcs' wolf riders, perhaps a few dozen or so, were riding around the humans' civilian caravan to ensure no one escaped. The bulk of the orcs were grunts, and they were engaging the Stromgarde defenders, the majority of whom had already fallen for the most part. Some of the elderly men and children tried to fight but were backhanded or laughed at by the orcs for their efforts. They were toying with their prey. I had forgotten about the orcs' gleeful cruelty to non-combatants during the first and second wars.
I had seen enough. Unsheathing my sword, I pointed at the orcs. "Soldiers of the Alliance, wipe them out!"
"For the Alliance!" Arabella shouted. Her battle cry garnered the attention of the surprised orcs.
"For the Alliance!" The rest echoed her call as they rode down the hill toward the orcs.
I gathered the Light into my body and expelled it outward, buffing my people with increased stamina. The civilians who had been frightened started cheering upon seeing us. Because of the civilians between us and the orcs, I couldn't do a cavalry charge. The orc wolf riders, seeing that they were outnumbered by our cavalry, retreated. The absence of the mounted orc warriors allowed the civilians to begin fleeing. Like quicksilver, they begin to scatter in every direction.
"Sylvanas, change of plans!" I pointed to the fleeing wolf riders. "Take your rangers and kill them all!"
Sylvanas didn't even reply but instead put two fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp, piercing whistle. Her rangers immediately veered off from our group on hawkstriders and began their pursuit of the fleeing wolf riders.
"Lana!" I shouted as I drew a circle in the air with my finger. Lana nodded and peeled off from me with her free riders in tow.
Only one lone elf on a white hawkstrider was left.
"Liadrin." I turned to look at the elf. "The moment combat begins, stay behind and heal those who are wounded. If you find any dead, clean their wounds and set them aside. Perhaps, they can be brought back."
"Your will shall be done, Callan," Liadrin answered fervently.
I got the orders out just in time as our mounts waded through the fleeing civilians. Because of our consideration for the civilians, we had to slow down our momentum greatly. The orcs grunts, seeing us close in on them, charged at us. They might have outnumbered us by a couple hundred, but there was a reason why horseback was superior to infantry. The first orc that was charging at me was immediately struck right in the face by four orbs of penance from my outstretched hand.
"Draenei!?!" Some of the orcs shouted hatefully and actively peeled away from the other knights to wade toward me. "Draenei!"
Despite me drawing the aggro of most of the orcs, a calm sensation fell over me. I knew I could handle these grunts, knew with a certainty that when all was said and over, my forces would emerge victorious. Then, with a speed that I didn't even know I had, I covered the first twenty or so men in a soft golden shield.
Many of the orcs were surprised when their axe attack was blunted as if all the momentum of their swing was taken away. They paid for their lapse in concentration when the warhammers of Lordaeron and the greatswords of Stormwind fell onto the orcs, killing some instantly.
For my part, I waited for the orcs to group up before me. I knew they were hoping to swarm me with numbers, but little did they know that them being clumped like that just made it easier for me to use my new and improved penance at the orcs. Seven orbs, twice the size of my usual penance, spread out in a frontal cone. The attack wiped out and killed several dozen orcs and wounded others. Then to their dismay, I did it again, and again, and again.
"D-Draenei!" This time, instead of hatred, there was fear in their tone.
I mowed through the orcs gathered in front of me with little trouble. Those who tried to outflank me were met by my knights who were grinding through the orcs' ranks. The final demoralizing blow to the orcs came when Lana's cavalry arrived at their rear. Between our two forces, the orcs were killed to the last. The last Orc had tried to attack me in desperation, but a bullet from Lana caught it in the eye and blew out its brain.
I looked around and saw that the civilian had returned. To them, regardless of faction, a human face was welcome and meant safety. Liadrin had several of them drag the dead out and remove any object that might be impaled in them. I quickly got off my horse and turned to Lana.
"Make sure the area is secure," I said. "And send word to Alexandros to expect us back shortly."
With my orders given, I approached my elf shadow for the past few weeks.
"Callan," Liadrin greeted. "It is done. All of their dead have been gathered."
The civilians' defenders now safely dropped to the ground on their asses, exhausted. Some of the women and children were clinging to the dead bodies of their loved ones, shedding tears or outright wailing. Well, it wasn't like it mattered if they were near the dead when I cast 'Mass Resurrection'. I just wanted to make sure that I got them all.
"Pay close attention, Liadrin," I told the elf. The elf's eyes shined at my command and kept her eyes on me.
I taught her the theory of resurrection, though we never had a live demonstration. Sure, I could have killed a random person and brought them back, but I was pretty sure that would have been frowned upon. Not to mention that it wouldn't sit right with me.
"First, you reach out to the Light, like so," I said as I began. Like before, the Light rushed over to my call like an overeager puppy as it did of late. "Now, gather it like this with the intention of reviving all of the people before us."
With that, the Light that had been pouring into my body manifested into a pool under my feet. In a way, it looked like a reverse angel halo. I noticed the cries of grief had stopped. Instead, people were looking at me in awe. Shaking my head, it was only a matter of time before these kinds of light shows became commonplace.
"Now, keep the image of bringing these people back in your mind and hold firm to your intention," I said as my hand filled with golden light. "And release, like so!"
I let the Light go, and for a moment, all of the golden showy light effects disappeared from me. Then, a heartbeat later, golden pillars of light shot up from the corpses as their dead bodies slowly began mending before people's eyes. A quick calculation of the pillars let me know that roughly seventy percent of the dead came back to life.
"Village head!"
"Father!"
"Mama?!"
While the majority was happy, I couldn't ignore the grief from the others.
"Brother?"
"Wake up, grandpa..."
"My husband..."
I turned away from the sight and looked at Liadrin. "And remember, the resurrected are often greatly weakened upon their revival."
Once more I gathered the Light into me in a familiar pattern to Liadrin. "So you should help them along like so!"
With that, the spell Halo swept out from my body and encased everyone in the vicinity—be it resurrected, wounded, or tired—in a soft golden light.
"Make sure you have enough stamina to cast such a wide-area spell or else you will end up being the one on the ground," I told the very attentive elf. "Also, remember that the spells I taught you heal in a fixed amount, depending on your reserves. So if you can't do it, they would just have to rest and recover on their own. Understand?"
"Yes, Callan," the one-time future expert Naaru torturer answered me reverently.
"Lesson's over." I turned to the grieving people whose loved ones I couldn't raise. "I'll have to trouble you to comfort those that I couldn't pull back from death. Despite my abilities, I'm not a clergyman or a priest."
Liadrin blinked her green eyes at me in surprise before giving me a soft smile. "I understand, Callan."
The elf walked toward the grieving people even as Arabella escorted a balding man who looked to be in his forties toward me.
"Callan." My knight saluted. "This is their leader."
"Mayor Reginald of Birch village, milord," the man humbly bowed to me. "Thank the Light that you came when you did, sire. The greenskins would have slaughtered us all if you hadn't come."
I waved it off and got to the point. "Are there any more orcs pursuing you?"
"Orcs?" the mayor asked before he looked at his dead attackers. "So that's what they were called. We thought they were mutated trolls, milord."
I let out an amused snort at that statement.
"Well, are there?" I brought his focus back to my previous questions.
"Oh, a thousand pardons, milord!" The man bowed his head. "That was the only group that was pursuing us for the past week."
"Where were you headed?".
"To Lordaeron, milord." The village leader then looked around the area in a paranoid manner. "The land here is no longer safe..."
"What makes you say that?" I questioned him. The more information I had the better.
"We heard rumors of villages and towns being razed by trolls for the past few weeks," the man began listlessly. "It wasn't until we lost contact with two of our neighboring villages that I decided to give the order for us to flee. A day later, those greenskins began harassing us."
"I see..." I glanced at the town folk and where Liadrin was comforting the bereaved. "Do you know how many of these orc warbands are in the area?"
The village chief shook his head. "They are as far as High Perch and some were even sighted northwest by Thoradin's Wall, sire."
I made a mental map and realized that there were orc raiding parties already behind our lines.
'Shit...' I thought as I looked at the size of the civilian refugees.
"If I let you go now you might be ambushed before you make it past Thoradin's Wall," I began as I locked eyes with him. "I also cannot spare the men to escort you back. We are in the middle of an offensive to push these orcs out of your land."
The elderly man blinked in surprise at the news, but then became dejected when he realized I couldn't protect him.
"However," I slowly drew out. "Stromgarde Keep is along the way and I believe we can at least get you safely behind her walls in the interim."
The village chief turned his head in the direction of Stromgarde and then to Lordaeron borders. He didn't want to go back into the warzone, but I simply couldn't peel off a fifth of my forces to guarantee their safety. Against the Horde, it was a numbers game. and they had more.
"I'll follow your will, milord." The man finally bowed.
"See to your people and get ready, we will be hard marching," I told him. After another bow, he went back.
"Should we send a runner to let Blackmoore know?" Arabella asked after the village chief was out of hearing range.
"We already anticipated scout groups of that size. Blackmoore has his orders," I told my knight. "Say what you want about him, but his skill in combat and tactics is reliable enough."
Arabella blinked at me and looked as if she wanted to ask me something before she decided against it.
"As you say, Callan."
"Alright, get everyone up and moving," I said as I sheathed my sword.
The civilians, mentally exhausted, took another ten-minute break before we made for Alexandros. Liadrin and I buffed them with stamina because of the hard marching that we had to do. The children and elderly rode side saddles with some of the gilnean. I, myself, had a tired mother and her two children on my horse and opted to walk. I didn't need the mount yet since we could only travel as fast as our slowest people.
It took an hour before we linked up with Alexandros who had been moving our way. A quick summary later and he understood the situation.
"Damn beasts," the future Ashbringer grounded out. His eyes scanned the horizon as if he could see the orcs out there.
"Yeah..." I agreed.
I turned back to see the civilians looking in awe at the gathered force. They probably felt very safe at the moment, seeing so many Alliance soldiers. Now, in the safety of our base, the children who had rode on my horse were reluctantly pulled off by their mothers and brought to the middle of the caravan by. Looks like they enjoyed the ride here despite everything, though children was always the most resilient of beings.
"I'll send my rangers to scout ahead again," Sylvanas chimed in making me turn to her.
Even as Alexandros' voice bellowed for everyone to move out, I turned to the not yet named Banshee Queen.
"So, now that you've seen an orc and fought some, what does the Ranger General think of them?" I asked half teasingly, but I really did want to know.
Canonically, I knew she didn't think much of them at first until they started to burn her forest down. Although, whether that was common elven stoicism or her professionalism, it was never elaborated. So, having befriended Sylvanas somehow, I was interested in her true thoughts.
"They are..." Sylvanas trailed off. I noticed that her eyes tended to bobble a bit when she was in deep thought. "They are more durable… I suppose?"
"More than a troll, right?" I asked. "I mean, one race has regeneration and the other is just a brute yet the latter requires a lot more effort to take down, right?"
"Indeed," Sylvanas agreed before she gave a half smile. "I do believe we will need a lot more arrows in the coming months."
With that, she kicked her hawkstrider ahead of me with her head moving around as if scouting. It took me a moment to realize that Sylvanas Windrunner had just made a joke.
Huh...will wonders never cease.
It was just before nightfall when we made it to Stromgarde Keep. Calling it a keep was a misnomer, it was more like a castle now. I didn't doubt that initially; it was a small keep, but as time passed and its population grew, they expanded it. So now, even though it was a castle, it was still called a keep.
It was my first time seeing it in real life, but it was damn impressive. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I saw it from a distance, but even from a distance, it looked large. Architecturally, I could see shades of Stormwind in the castle. Unlike Lordaeron, whose city was more Romanesque due to the influence of the titan Tyr, Stormwind was human-designed through and through.
The massive castle was built on what might have once been a mountain. This meant that it sat on an elevated position and one of its natural protection was the lowlands around it. Any attacker would have a hell of a time trying to assault the castle from such a disadvantageous position. They would be corralled onto the only visible path that led to the main gate. Though it was twenty feet wide, it had no borders or fence to keep you railed in. If you fall off its path, you would have to find your own way out of the lowlands.
'Wait a sec…' I narrowed my eyes as I got a better look at the castle. In World of Warcraft, there were two renditions of Stromgarde Keep. The first version had only a single gate that led into the keep. However, after an update, the second rendered version of the famed keep had three gates, one main and two smaller ones on the west and east side of the castle. It seemed that the latter rendition was the true and actual version of said castle.
The stone gray wall of the castle was smooth and polished and was a few shades lighter than Lordaeron. I think only Alterac had stone white walls like Stormwind. I found the design of each human nation fascinating. Heck, Dalaran's had clear elven influence while Gilneas had hints of Lordaeron with dwarven touches. Alterac shared similar characteristics with Stromgarde, but on a much smaller scale. In a way, Stormwind should have been the final design of the Arathi empire.
"Make camp!" Alexandros shouted.
The army began to move to an area close by to begin the nightly fortification. Sure, we were in the shadow of Stromgarde Keep, but I preferred to be safe rather than sorry.
The civilians thanked us profusely and began to make their way to the Stromgarde gates. They had another few more miles to travel, I would say, before they could reach the gates, but there was no chance of being attacked. I knew the guards on the wall had spotted us and expected a delegation to come out and greet us shortly.
Sure enough, halfway into our fortification, a contingent of well-armed soldiers trotted out on horseback. As they got closer, I realized that the design on the armor was intricate and well devised. Fancy designs like that usually meant elite troops, and as they got even closer, I saw a large man with a cropped cut red hair at their head. It wasn't until the party was close to me that I realized the man was actually a boy!
No, correction, more like a teenager.
"Ho and well met, brave soldiers of the Alliance!" The squeak from a puberty-laced voice. Looking up I was met with a fresh faced wide eye teen which confirmed my thoughts. His eyes searched my army with barely contained excitement until eventually, they fell on me. "Are you Callan Lothar?"
"Knight Commander or Lord, my prince." A man by his side coughed discreetly and gave me an apologetic look. "The prince was excited to meet you. I beg my lord to overlook his breach of decorum."
"You're Prince Galen Trollbane," I said in wonder. My recognition startled him as he looked at me with wider eyes. I exchanged looks with his bodyguard, who seemed embarrassed. "And no offense taken. He can freely call me without titles or honorifics."
"Then you can just call me Galen!" the boy said excitedly. A wide smile was on his face as if Christmas had come early for him.
I have to admit, I was having trouble reconciling the teen I saw in front of me with the man who would grow up to be his father's killer. Still, I had manners and after planting my shovel into the ground, I made my way over to the group.
"Hail and well met, Galen Trollbane, son of Thoras Trollbane," I told the boy and extended my arm out in a warrior's handshake.
The boy's eyes slowly went wide and stared at my hand before the knight by his side lightly shoved him forward. The boy stumbled a bit and blushed as red as his hair before he violently clapped his hand onto my arm.
"H-Hail and well met, Callan Lothar, son of Anduin Lothar and Thoradin's heir!" the boy all but squealed at the last part.
I could now confirm to my dismay that I appeared to have a fanboy. With our intro done, I released the boy's arm and asked something I was curious about.
"Do you happen to know how far behind I am from the main Alliance army?" I asked.
The boy blinked before frowning. "My father passed by two days ago. He was angry that I sent soldiers out to help fight those damn orcs."
I blinked my eyes in alarm at that news.
"I sent messengers to recall them back to the keep. They should be back soon," the boy said glumly.
"If you don't mind my asking," I began. "How many soldiers do you have defending Stromgarde right now?"
It was the knight who answered the question. "King Thoras already told us that we are to give you any assistance if you ask for it. So, to answer your question, we usually have five thousand city guards and two thousand militia if we need to call upon them."
"Usually?" I asked.
"Prince Galen sent the majority of them out when news of the attacks circulated weeks ago," the knight replied. "Currently, we have a thousand city guards, two hundred royal guards, and a thousand militiamen."
Damn...the boy gutted the castle defense. I could see why Thoras would be hopping mad. The boy looked sullenly at the ground and kicked a pebble. Something told me that there was a complicated father-and-son relationship here that would eventually build up to Thoras' murder.
"I think that was very kind of you, Galen," I said softly as I reached out and squeezed the surprised boy's shoulders. "Not many would think of their people's safety first. You have a good heart."
The boy's jaw dropped before he blushed and looked away. I could see that the boy had rarely been complimented. Maybe I should have scolded him as well, but it seemed like he already gotten enough of that from his father.
"Alright, I need to finish the fortification. If there is a chance on the return trip, I hope to talk some more." I smiled at the boy.
"W-why are you building a fortification? You can quarter inside the keep!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.
"We can't, prince," I shook my head. "It's faster for us now. We intend to leave directly from this camp on the main road instead of from the city."
The boy looked a bit disappointed as he glanced at all the soldiers digging. Then, as if he had just decided something, his eyes became determined.
"I'll help!" he said before he walked over to a footman and asked where he could assist them.
I couldn't help but shake my head at the boy's enthusiasm before I turned to the knights and silently gave them a look that asked if they were okay with their prince doing manual labor.
"Sorry if the prince troubles you, Lord Lothar," the man said respectfully. "If he's hindering you in any way, I'll get him out of your hair."
I looked over to the large boy who was beginning to shovel the dirt on a shield and shook my head. The boy's face was set in determination as he went at the task with zeal. How did he become a murderous kinslayer in the future?
"It's alright," I said softly. "I'm honored by the prince's help."
The elderly knight gave me a nod filled with gratitude before he remembered something. "Ahem, I also hope that Lord Lothar could forgive the boy's enthusiasm. You have to understand the story of High King Thoradin resonates with our people to this day. We have never forgotten, and to suddenly hear of his heir's survival and tales of heroic deeds..."
The knight suddenly stopped as he realized that he was beginning to get too excited while explaining.
"I never realized my ancestors were still revered among these lands," I said honestly. "I thought that with the way we left, we wouldn't be welcome back at all."
"My Lord," the knight shook his head softly. "Every son and daughter grew up on the tale of High King Thoradin, King Ignaeus, and King Lordain's deeds. The three kings are heroes who had saved us all. The true blood of all three would forever be welcomed in Stromgarde."
Wow...I never realized how much the blood of those heroes were respected. It was written that they were of course, but to see it live was completely different. It actually made me feel warm, and I couldn't help but nod in the knight's direction. Afterward, the royal knights joined their prince in helping us set up the fortification.
The only incident that everyone found funny was when Galen saw his first elf and became instantly smitten by Anya. The camp got a good chuckle as he followed her around like a little lovesick puppy. In return for his help, I invited him to dine on shitty gruel with us which made the boy extremely happy. Again, I wondered how he went from this to a patricide little twat in the future.
After some nudging by his guardsman, he reluctantly left our camp, allowing me to get some shut eye. There was an air of excitement among the camp now that we knew that we were not too far behind the main army. Thoras had a four-day head start on us, but we had managed to close that gap to two days. Thus, I went to bed optimistic.
The loud sound of a bugle had my body already out of my cot and putting on my armor. There was some leftover fatigue but years in the army made my body move on automatic. In the half a minute it took me to armor up, the bugle sounded again and again. Counting the number of blasts told me roughly how many enemies had been sighted in the distance. My sword and shield were the last thing I grabbed as I exited my tent to the scene of soldiers rushing about the camp.
I moved to the fortification's makeshift wall. Already soldiers were lining up with weapons at the ready. Their response time made me proud. A moment later, I was joined by a familiar elf.
"Report," I ordered. There was no time for the usual pleasantry and she knew it.
"My scouts spotted movement in the distance." Sylvanas was the one who answered me. "Lots of movement."
"Orcs?" I asked.
"They were too far for my rangers to make out, but their movements are clumsy," the Ranger Commander explained. "They aren't trying to hide themselves."
"Man the wall! Shields at the ready! Where are our archers?!" Alexandros could be heard bellowing in the background.
Soon, a bugle horn sounded from the battlements of Stromgarde Keep and more torches became lit. I took out my gnomish pocket watch and saw that it was 4AM.
"Sylvanas, have a couple of your rangers check the lowlands and tell me if you see any orcs creeping up that way," I told her. "If it's clear, we'll start to move to the keep."
Right now, we were camped north of the intersection that led to the keep and the main road east. I wanted to make sure they didn't outflank us or, worse, scale the undermanned walls somehow. The last thing we needed was to be caught defenseless on a narrow strip of road, leaving Stromgarde Keep open to attack by the orcs.
Sylvanas did some hand motions before a couple of rangers could be seen leaving the camp, moving in the direction of the fortress. With her orders given, the one time banshee queen focused on the possible enemy in front of us. I waited anxiously before I saw her body shift. At this point, I knew her well enough to read her body language.
"What is it?" I asked as I drew my sword.
"Humans," Sylvanas breathed in confusion. "Hundred of humans...your peasants."
"Draw your bows but hold steady!" I shouted and heard my echo through the camp. "Talk to me, Sylvie. Tell me what you see."
My nickname for her must have caught her off guard as I felt her eyes on me for a second, but once again, this was not the time for idle chit chat. Our camp was so quiet now that you could only hear the wind blowing. Soon enough, there were slight vibrations in the ground. In my experience, it happened when there was a shit ton of people moving in one direction.
"More humans. They number in the thousands, Callan," Sylvanas reported.
"Are they being herded this way by the orcs?" I asked, trying to see this mass of people that Sylvanas could see. The orcs weren't above using people as fodder. After all, they weren't Thrall's horde yet.
"...no. Callan, they're—" Whatever Sylvanas was saying was cut off by the sound of bugle horns coming from the direction of the human masses.
To my surprise, the bugles' reply came from Stromgarde's walls.
"Are they our allies?" I asked for confirmation.
"Half are," Sylvanas answered again. "I recognize some of the banners of the soldiers that traveled with us. The other half are men in red armor with a fist on their tabards like Galen's guards yesterday."
"Any sign of orcs?" I wanted to make sure there was no trap, but a head shake from Sylvanas confirmed it.
Soon enough, the first sound we heard was of crying from the children. The shuffle of the feet from thousands became clearer as our torches finally got a good look at the battered and broken people. Upon finally reaching us, there were cries of relief and looks of joy.
"Callan," Sylvanas whispered softly to me. "My rangers returned. There are no signs of orcs in the lowlands."
I acknowledged the information with a nod before I shouted to the crowd. "I am Knight Commander, Callan Lothar of the Alliance! Who is in charge here?!"
Now that the civilians got used to the torches being lit, many saw our faces—human faces—and collapsed on their asses in relief. Pretty soon, the mass of people parted to reveal a Stromgarde man and an officer of Alterac riding together.
Both men's armor showed that they had been through hell and back, judging by the dents on them. The Stromgarde man was old, at least in his fifties, based on the wrinkles on his face and the white in his hair. The brown haired Alteraci looked to be in his twenties and had a dead look in his tired eyes.
"Hail and well met, Lord Lothar!" the Stromgarde man greeted me in a hoarse voice. "I am Knight Commander Archer, and I will explain everything but we need to get to safety behind Stromgarde Walls. The vile Horde are only a few hours behind us."
'Shit!' I thought as I felt the eyes of my command staff on me. Action first, thinking later. Hesitation would get me killed on a battlefield. I had learned that lesson the hard way.
"Alexandros, send a few runners to Stromgarde Keep and tell them to open the gate for these people," I told my right-hand man. "Start moving these people to the castle."
I then turned to the Knight Commander and spoke my thoughts. "Thoras didn't get there in time, did he?"
"Unfortunately." The Knight Commander sadly shook his head. In the background, my men were already directing the refugees to head toward the massive fortress. "The battle was close, but just as we were on the cusp of victory, the Horde arrived. We didn't have the numbers to contest them..."
"King Thoras and Prince Kael'thas," I asked, bracing myself for the news. "Did...did they fall?"
"I truly do not know my lord." The old knight shook his head tiredly. "Our army was split after our right-wing collapsed, and we were forced to flee or risk being surrounded. We fled and evacuated all the peasants that we could along the way."
So that was why they had so many civilians with them.
"Are you sure the Horde is only a few hours behind you?" I asked.
"Yes, Lord Lothar," the old knight confirmed. "What are your orders, my lord?"
At this point, the sky was starting to lighten up, and I could see more now. There weren't just thousands; there were tens of thousands of refugees. It would be ideal for the people to continue on from Stromgarde Keep to Thoradin's wall, but they looked like they were on the verge of collapse. They would never make it. That meant that they would have to all go inside Stromgarde Keep and wait for the Alliance to cobble an army to lift the siege. However, thanks to Galen, the castle was severely undermanned. It would fall within days.
I should pull my army out right now and fall back to Thoradin's wall. The Horde would try to take Stromgarde since the green bastards had never seen a human city they didn't want to raze to the ground. The siege would, of course, buy my army the time it needed to retreat.
Fuck, this was what they meant by the cold calculus of war. I looked at the sea of people streaming into Stromgarde, thinking it was their salvation.
Fuck.
Fuck!
FUCK!
Still…didn't I make up my mind to help those in front of me if I could? Agh, fuck it!
"Alexandros!" I barked, making the people around me jump as the man came up to me. "Send word to Lordaeron through Dalaran. Tell them what happened. Then send messengers to every single garrison in southern Lordaeron, hire every mercenary you can along the way, and seize a foothold at Thoradin's wall. Fortify it as much as you can. That would be the Alliance's only entryway back into the Arathi Highlands."
The future Silverhand knight snapped a crisp salute.
"Lady Crowley!" I called for her next.
"My lord," the stern woman answered and was before me within moments.
"I think you and I both know how important this Alliance is to your king," I told her bluntly. The shame in her eyes flashed again, but she held her ground. "Chances are, when your king hears of the fall of the Arathi Highland, he will turtle up within his kingdom. Would I be wrong to presume that, Lady Crowley?"
The silence at my statement reigned for a moment as my eyes met her stern black ones. It was she who looked away first and bowed her head.
"Aye, you would have the right of it," she answered softly.
"However, I believe in the Crowleys," I saw the Crowley relative snap her head up at the statement. "Even down south, I heard of your family's honor. So, while your king did not fulfill his promise, I feel that we can entrust our backs to you."
Lana, for the first time, seems very flustered. "Y-You honor us with your words, my lord."
I then put a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I tell you truthfully right now. If the Horde gets through Alexandros' defense, we are all finished. Every single kingdom in Lordaeron is finished."
The dark beautiful eyes widened, but she could not refute my statement.
"That is why I intend to buy time here at Stromgarde for the Alliance to form a second army. However, most of southern Lordaeron is already depleted so it will take time for more to arrive from the north," I laid out the situation to her. "That is why I need the power of the Crowley family to support Alexandros in order to hold Thoradin's Wall."
"My lord, that would be tre—" I stopped her from saying the word by putting a thumb on her lips.
"No, it would not," I said in a grave tone. "Genn signed the Alliance charter. Gilneas is part of the Alliance. We are asking a part of Gilneas to send emergency troops to combat the Horde. That is all we are doing."
I lifted my thumb from her lips and gave her a meaningful look. Did she understand the loophole I presented to her?
"But...it is my brother Darius who commands and only he could lead such a force." She finally revealed her lineage. So sister it was. However, now was the time to tell her my honest feelings.
"Your brother Darius is a man of honor," I said. "I will trust in his honor to do what is right for us all."
There were a few moments of silence before the sister of Darius nodded.
"Then… I shall do my best to convey your...faith," Lana said with a nod. She then turned to Alexandros. "I shall leave my men with you. It will only take one to deliver a message to my brother."
The future Paladin looked to protest, but I cut him off.
"Alexandros," I told future Ashbringer. "Take all of Lana's free riders. Their mobility won't be much use in a siege. However, they will be great in harassing any orc forces coming at you."
"Callan." Alexandros gave me a hard look. "Are you certain?"
"No." I huffed as I watched the gates of Stromgarde finally allow the people in. Then, in a bid to lighten the mood, I continued in a brighter tone. "Not to brag, but I'm pretty good at sieges. Just look at my track record."
Unfortunately, it did little since all of them still gave me somber looks. Finally, the future paladin moved toward me first.
"Then we shall endeavor to do so," the one-time Ashbringer said as he and I clasped arms. "May the Light be with you, my friend."
"You too," I told him.
Finally, I turned to Sylvanas. "You can take your—"
"No." Sylvanas shook her head and gave me a piercing look. "In the spirit of the friendship between the Sunstrider family and the Heirs of Arathor, I shall fight at your side."
She and I locked eyes for a while before I smirked. Well, if nothing else, I knew Sylvanas was pretty reliable in a siege too.
"Then I guess we will bleed together like our ancestors did in the old days once more." I grinned at her.
My eyes drifted to Liadrin and for once, I saw the shadows of the Blood Matriarch. The elf priestess' eyes were hard as ice, and I could sense her daring me to send her away.
Message received, Blood Matriarch!
This wasn't cowardice. It was a tactical allowance.
With the plans finished, I turned to the Stromgarde knight.
"Get your men into the castle and get them rested. Even if the orcs arrive now, they won't attack us right away," I told him as I eyed the castle in the distance. "There will be time enough for fighting."
After Lana and Alexandros' departure, it took us a few hours to settle everyone in. Just in time too as I heard the familiar drum beat of the Horde in the distance.
TBC…
AN: In the words of of a fame wizard. The board is set. The pieces are moving. We come to it at last.
Anyway, as always, credit and thanks to Icura for helping me edit this, without whom it would not be nearly as polish!
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Finally! We are here! The war has started and the scions of the first Alliance between men and elves stand united against a common foe once more. (Lordain people, Igneous people, (Stromgarde and Alterac), Thoradin heir, and the elves of Silvermoon) Heh heh heh. Anywho Hope you enjoy the chapter and buckle in!
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