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.

The Takeover

Kyliska sat on a stool in her quarters. She smiled and laughed with Thandir and Dralath. She always had a good time with them. They seemed to just enjoy her company and she enjoyed theirs. She knew they had her back on the battlefield and then knew that they could all let off some steam when the fighting was over. She sighed and chugged down another drink. For some reason, the alcohol seemed to be affecting her differently tonight. She shrugged it off that she just drank too much too fast.

"I think I might need a little break from drinking my friends. I could also have a bit to eat, that might help to soak up some of this alcohol." Kyliska stated. Thandir and Dralath looked at her and then burst into laughter. "What is so funny?" Kyliska was shocked by their reaction.

"Kyli, you are drinking as much as you always do! You are fine, we wouldn't let anything bad happen to you!" Thandir said with a smirk. Kyliska nodded to him, she trusted him, more so than even Dralath. He was right, they would look out for her and her well being. He poured her another mug of ale and she stared at it for a minute. Thandir came to sit next to her and put his arm around her. "Drink up dear Kyli, you know you want to! Come on, let us have some fun!" He nudged the mug towards her and suddenly pulled her in for a long kiss. After the kiss, she smiled and took the mug in her hands and she drank from it.

An hour later Kyliska was drunk and could barely move. Yet she was dancing around with Thandir, and then he would twirl her around towards Dralath. They were all laughing and having a great time. Each would take turns taking her in their arms and kissing her. It didn't even feel real. She felt like she was not in control of her body. During one of the twirls she almost fell on the floor but Thandir was there to catch her with his strong arms. "My hero! You always did look out for me Thandir, what would I do without you?" she said breathily and then her eyes began to get heavy. "What is wrong? I do not feel well." Thandir continued to hold her and then moved her slowly to the floor. "Kyli, dear, I think you did have too much to drink. Just let us take care of you, you just need to sleep it off."

"Mmmhmmm....." Kyli mumbled and let her eyes close fully. It felt like days that her eyes were closed. Her head was fuzzy and her memory was a fog. Her head was yet again pounding, much like it did every other time she drank too much. But something was different this time. She felt sluggish, and her stomach was in knots. She was still dizzy even though she knew she must have been sleeping for quite some time. That was something else that was strange. She was not in her quarters. She was somewhere else. Kyliska slowly tried to open her eyes so she could get a better look at her surroundings. Almost as soon as her eyes were open, she just wanted to shut them again.

Something was terribly wrong. She was most definitely not in her quarters. She was in a dungeon of some sort. Her first thought was not again, she was imprisoned not too long ago and she did not want to see the inside of a cell for a very long time! She sighed as she closed her eyes tight and tried to will away the pounding pain in her head. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in one of the bigger cells which was nice of whoever put her there she thought smugly. Of course one of her ankles was in a manacle yet again. She tried to pull at it but it was too strong for her. She was also pretty weak at the moment that she thought that she would not be able to even fight a fly if it were to come near her.

Then out of nowhere she heard laughing. She wasn't sure if at first it was just in her head, and she was indeed going crazy. But then she looked to the opening of the dungeon and saw a figure standing there, and coming closer. At least this time I will meet my captivator she thought glumly. She looked to the masculine shape as it came closer. Then she opened her mouth wide with shock. It was Thandir! She tried to stand up to go to the front of her cell but fell down as the manacle kept her firmly in place. She tried to say a blessing or something to try to get her free and he just laughed. She knew that he must have put some kind of ward on it to make it so she could not perform any sort of magic, just like her last captivator.

"Thandir, what in the fel are you doing? Why would you imprison me in my own garrison?" she yelled. "I thought I could trust you!"

Thandir came closer and knelt down near her. "Oh my dear dear Kyliska. You did not even see this coming, not at all." he started. "You are so reckless, you do not even think of anyone else and their safety. You have and always will only think of yourself. You just run into battle and you expect us to all follow blindly to our deaths." he stopped and really looked deep into her eyes. "I followed you for far too long. I will NOT let myself or other people I care about go to their deaths for you. Someone who does not even care about OUR safety. You think you are so strong, just because you are this fancy noble. Well i am a noble too, and I do not think the same as you. I think before I set off to battle, I do not just go wherever I wish. You might have a death wish but none of the rest of us do."

He stood up and paced back and forth. "The others were too afraid of you to approach you, so that is why I took it into my own hands to do it this way. You cannot be reasoned with. I do not know or care what happened to you back on Azeroth. It does not give you the right to play with our lives like we are some sort of pawns in a game you are playing!" Thandir shouted at her and he was surprised to see how Kyliska reacted. Instead of screaming back at him, she started to cry.

"Thandir, you are right. I deserve this." she said. "I do not think of anyone but myself. I get this blood lust when I am fighting and I cannot see or think of anything other than the task at hand. And it has gotten worse since coming here. I know this. I did not want to admit it to myself. This was a sort of therapy for me, but I cannot continue on this way." she began to sob. Her whole body was shaking as she tried to catch her breath. "You were right in capturing me. If I want to risk my life that is my choice but I should not force you or anyone else to risk yours when you do not want to. That is on me....."

Thandir was still in shock over seeing Kyliska's reaction. He thought that she would be infuriated with him for doing this. Instead she was sort of....grateful. He almost felt bad about what he had done after seeing how upset she had become. Obviously something traumatic happened to her on Azeroth, and now he found himself wanting to talk to her about it, wanting to help her though it. But then he snapped himself back into reality. "I am glad you agree with me, that will make things a lot easier. I still think you will need to stay here though. I do not trust that you will make the right decisions." he said. "I will be in charge of the garrison for now. I have already told everyone that you went off on some mission, not unlike you do almost every single day. One thing I could count on is that you are predictable with some things. Your fighting, and your drinking."

Kyliska hung her head in shame. "I understand. I just want to be better." Thandir nodded and made his way out of the dungeon. As soon as she was alone again, she started to cry once more. Yes she was mad that Thandir did what he did, but maybe this is a good thing in the end. Clearly something had to change. She could not keep going on the way she was. Recklessly fighting and putting everyone's lives at danger, and for what? Yes Andithiel broke her heart, but had she not done that to him as well? She was a hypocrit. And she was not dealing with her emotions in a healthy way.

Kyli did not know if it was whatever Thandir did to her, if he poisoned her or if she was just in a bad place, but she thought that she could see someone in her dungeon. A form that was not quite real, it looked like a ghost, and at first she was scared, and then she saw who it was and she started to cry all over again. It was her father, Kelthias Sunblade. He came closer to her and knelt next to her. He smiled sadly at her and began to speak. "My dear dear Kyli, what has happened to you? What happened to that little girl of mine that was so carefree and happy? I will always love you with all of my heart but you need to change." he looked at her with nothing but love in his eyes. "My daughter, bad things happen, and it is not fair, but please please try to find the woman you once were. Do not let your heart become dark with pain and anger. You need to let the light in."

Suddenly her cell began to glow. It started off as a soft glow and then began to get brighter and brighter until it was almost too much to bear to look at. Kyli wanted to cover her eyes but she also wanted to look at her father for as long as possible. "Father! I can change, I will change! I love you, please do not leave me!" she yelled. "Just stay a little longer, I need your help, your guidance, I need you. You were taken from me, I miss you more than I can ever say, please please just stay a little while longer!"

The light continued to get brighter as if mocking her pleas. "Kyliska, you know in your heart what you must do, what you are capable of doing. You can right your wrongs. You can be better. Just believe in yourself. I love you more than you will ever know." Kelthias's words began to get softer. "NO! Father do not go! Please!" Kyliska screamed. As quick as the light built up and blinded her it was gone. Kyliska could not catch her breath at first. It was like the light went inside of her. She put a hand to her chest and suddenly she felt calm. Her breathing started to slow and her tears stopped. She wasn't quite sure what happened, but something did indeed happen. Her father wanted her to be better, and she knew she had to do just that. Maybe the light was all she needed after all. It was always a part of her but she always used it to fight against others. Maybe she should use it in a different way. She would make her father proud. She would live up to the legacy that he left behind. He was a brave and courageous man. She would not let him down. Now all she had to do was figure a way out of this dungeon, and she could start her new journey. A journey down the path of the light.