The Fall of Two Dynasties

*The outer regions of Quel'Thalas during the Scourge invasion, Silverlight Estate*

She paced the open space of the inner courtyard restlessly, her boots leaving tracks in the dew-laden lawn. Behind her rose the majestic structure of Silverlight Estate, the ancestral home of her family and the central structure overlooking the remote region of Quel'Thalas where it was constructed.

Sunlight slanted down through the beautiful trees of the forest, playfully reflecting off of Avielle Silverlight's golden locks as she turned and began her pacing once more, the worry on the Quel'dorei's face obvious to all who knew her. Beyond the confines of the inner courtyard walls, shouting arose and the sounds of something detonating echoed ominously through the air, giving Avielle pause and causing her to tilt her head to listen anxiously.

Around her, servants bustled and hurried, carrying weapons, spare arrows, or buckets of water to put out the inevitable fires. The estate was under siege by a massive horde of walking dead, and every hand was bent towards the task of its defense. Avielle had been assigned to coordinate the activities within the inner courtyard as her parents set out with her brothers to hold the perimeter of the estate's grounds. The estate itself was built within a dell, and the natural slope of the land had allowed House Silverlight to construct light defenses where the ground curved down, preventing the horde of undead from reaching the estate directly.

Others had flocked to the estate from neighboring houses and towns that had been overrun, those who could fight put to work with the other defenders while the innocents had been bustled inside the walls of the sturdy elven building. Although Avielle had found herself busy with the petty details of organizing the inner defenses and ensuring there were adequate stocks of ammunition and supplies, her tasks had been completed relatively quickly and now she found herself pacing with anxiety as the sounds of battle grew louder just beyond the wall.

Another explosion rocked the ground, this time powerful enough to make Avielle stumble for a moment. The Scourge had deployed siege weapons; there was no other explanation for the explosions. Either that or magic so powerful that she cared not to think about it even now was being used to exterminate the outer defenses that they had prepared.

Screams arose just beyond the wall, horns blowing frantic warcries as something was happening. The sounds of hurried footsteps on the paved path beyond the gates could be heard just before the doors swung wide and a number of harried looking defenders poured through, many sporting gruesome wounds.

Avielle watched in fascinated horror as several of the Quel'dorei in the rear of the group turned and fired bows at point blank ranges into the advancing undead before the defenders within the courtyard were able to slam the gates shut and bar them. Immediately pounding could be heard on the outer wall and a thin rain of arrows arced over the structure to land within the courtyard beyond.

Avielle stood frozen amidst the chaos, unsure of what to do. A figure approached her, an older Quel'dorei in gleaming blue and gold armor, gore-encrusted sword in his hand and a grim expression on his face as he paused before her and offered her a formal bow, "Lady Avielle, I bring grim tidings. The Scourge have overrun our defenses through foul magic and the use of abominations to barrel through our barricades. Most of those on the wall have fallen, amongst them your parents and your brothers. I am truly sorry, but we could not hold the line."

Avielle looked at the elf with numb shock, the words barely registering. She felt as if she might faint, and her mouth opened and closed for a moment before she managed a hoarse whisper, "Lord Sunblade...c-can it be true...? I-I..."

Lord Kelthias Sunblade caught her before she fainted, his strong arm supporting her until she regained her senses, sorrow on his face, "I am sorry, my Lady. We did what we could to hold them back, but I fear we are trapped within the estate itself now. You are now the heir of your House, and these men are yours to command. I will aid you as I may, but you must inspire them as quickly as you can lest this rout turn into a massacre."

Avielle nodded, still in a daze as she righted herself, her voice low, "B-but...my betrothed, Lord Brightleaf, said he would be here within the hour with reinforcements. How could things have turned so dire so quickly...?"

Kelthias shook his head grimly, pity on his face as he gently broke the news to the stunned young heiress, "Only one of my scouts returned beyond the Scourge lines, and his report indicates that House Brightleaf began a withdrawal as soon as the Scourge were in sight. I am sorry, my Lady, but they aren't coming. We must fend for ourselves."

Avielle processed this latest bit of disaster, the betrayal of her betrothed a secondary fact to the horror of losing her entire family in a single morning. She swallowed hard, her glowing blue eyes coming up to meet those of Kelthias Sunblade. He reached out, giving her arm a reassuring squeeze and a gentle nod before he spoke again, "Lady Silverlight, know that House Sunblade will stand beside you until the end. Although I have few of my retinue left, we will not allow the innocents inside your estate house to fall to these undead monstrosities. You have my word on this."

Avielle nodded, her voice becoming firm when she replied, resolve blooming in her eyes, "I thank you for this, Lord Sunblade. I will never forget what you and your House have done for us this day, for as long as I shall live. We will see those in our care safely from this trap, regardless of the cost."

She turned, seeing those fighters who were left of her House watching the exchange closely. Her tone was steady now as she looked each of them in the face, her words heard across the courtyard, "This day we face a most terrible foe. Many of our House have already fallen, their lives spent in honor defending those who cannot defend themselves. Know that I will make my stand here, in this place, and that none of the living dead shall pass by us to those behind. I know that this poses great risk, and I do not command any of you to stay here and fight beside me. No, instead I beg you, I plead with you to stay that we may help those who came to our door seeking sanctuary. There will be no shame on any who choose not to fight, for I know well the fear that stirs in all of our hearts. For those who are willing to stay, we must prepare at once; the gates will not hold long."

To a soul, those of House Silverlight who were left fell to one knee, each pledging their lives for the cause. Lord Sunblade drew his sword again, bowing low towards Avielle and offering her a salute, his voice also firm, "Know that House Sunblade stands beside you. Until the sun sets on us all, we fight!"

"We fight!" Avielle echoed, drawing her own blade and raising it high. The defenders all rose, roaring their defiance as they scurried into positions within the inner courtyard. Avielle had been clever, carefully preparing ambush points and barricades from which keen elven archers could fire at advancing enemies. To this planning she had added an extra step, preparing pots of weapon oil and placing them near the gate opening. As she fell back towards the estate's main double doors, archers prepared flaming arrows in positions around her.

The pounding on the gates grew louder, the wooden structure beginning to splinter before it finally burst inward from the force of an abomination's blows. Immediately the undead began to pour into the gap, another rain of rusty-tipped arrows pouring over the walls.

The defenders returned fire, arrows slamming into the first shambling corpses that entered the narrow opening, flaming arrows striking the pots on their side of the gate. The pots exploded, sending a fireball up into the sky and coating the oncoming abomination with flaming oil, causing it to flail around and ignite other undead before it collapsed in a smoking heap.

A ragged cheer rose up from the defenders as the advance of the dead halted in the courtyard, dozens of zombies falling to the keen precision of elven archery. The cheering was short-lived though as the door behind Avielle burst open and one of her servants rushed out, her face ashen.

"Lady Silverlight! There are giests breaking through the windows to the rear of the estate! They're going to get inside to the children!" the elf panted, out of breath.

Avielle's face fell as she realized the estate had become surrounded, she turned towards Kelthias, her face grim, "We have to get them out of here now."

He nodded, flicking his sword to get some of the gore off it, "They won't make it through the Scourge hordes. The only way is to distract them long enough to get the children to safety."

Avielle frowned, shaking her head, "We don't have enough men to push forward again, Lord Sunblade."

He nodded, a half-smile on his face as he resigned himself to his fate, "I know, Lady Silverlight. I will push them back for as long as I can. See that they get to safety, and that our sacrifice means something."

Avielle's eyes widened in shock and she shook her head, "You can't! You're the Lord of House Sunblade. You can't spend your life like this. Your people need you. I need you here. I can't do this alone!"

He shook his head, planting his sword in the ground and checking the straps on his armor, his men preparing themselves as well, "No, Lady Silverlight, you do not need me. It is you who prepared the inner defenses, you who thought to shelter the children in the estate where they have been safe and alive for all this time during the battle. You are a fine leader, and it is time for you to take up that mantle. Do me one favor though, tell my wife Sassariel, and my daughter Kyliska that I love them dearly, and that I am sorry I cannot be with them again."

Avielle nodded, tears in her eyes as Lord Sunblade turned. Her voice was a whisper on the wind as he strode away from her, his doomed retinue prepared to sell their lives dearly, "I will...."

And then there was no more time to talk or think. She shouted orders and her men hopped to obey them, scrambling to get the children and infirm out of the estate house and onto the front porch so that they could be brought around the back of the structure and into the forests beyond. Whether they would be safe there was anyone's guess, but Avielle would send enough rangers to at least give them a chance.

Behind her a warcry rose up, and she turned to see the last glorious charge of House Sunblade, their lord leading the way and their swords gleaming in the dying light of the day. The Scourge beyond the walls reeled back as their ranks were penetrated by the advancing elves, dozens and then hundreds of them falling to the skill and bravery of Lord Kelthias Sunblade.

Avielle watched him for as long as she could, even after he and his men were completely surrounded. It was not until drifting smoke from the flames at the barricades blocked her view that she finally tore her gaze away from the scene, finding herself and just a few retainers standing alone on the porch, the children ushered away behind the house and to questionable safety.

"Lady Silverlight, it is time to go," one of her men said.

"No. If we leave now, they will overtake the refugees. Someone has to stay, someone has to delay them," Avielle said quietly.

There was no response to her words save the drawing of weapons as the last of her retainers grimly prepared to die beside the Lady of their house. For her part, Avielle bent down and picked up a second fallen sword, holding one in each hand defiantly as a roar arose beyond the wall and the dead advanced again.

Through the smoke and flames they came, skeletons, zombies, and all manner of horrors rushing across the now undefended ground of Silverlight Estate. Avielle and her men waited for them on the steps and the porch, their bodies set in place, prepared to meet the enemy in the final battle.

It came and went swiftly, the dead pouring over them like a wave. Everything moved as if in slow motion, Avielle's weapons lashing out again and again, cutting down an endless number of undead. Around her, the last remaining men of House Silverlight fought with courage and bravery that should have been recorded for future generations to remember, and yet would be forgotten as they fell one by one, trampled beneath the walking dead.

At last, it was Avielle's turn, a sword thrust towards her too quickly for her to avoid it. The cold of the blade sliding into her chest was a shock that was soon overcome by hot white pain. Blood poured from her mouth, and she slid to her knees as the skeleton that had stabbed her continued on, hacking at her men.

Her gaze stared up at the blue sky above, the sunlight slanting down through the hazy smoke of her family's burning estate the last thing her living eyes would ever take in. And then darkness claimed her, and she was no more.

That is, until she was made to rise again.