Chapter 22 21. Oath. Destiny (Part 1)

2,800 years ago, the first human kingdom Arathor rose on the land in the middle of the continent. It was the first time that human beings gathered together in the form of kingdoms and entered the world stage.

At that time, the kingdom of Quel'Thalas, the kingdom of the high elves, was under siege from the forest trolls. As a last resort, the proud elves asked for help from the human kingdom. Thoradin, the first king in human history, agreed to the elves' request. Request, so the two parties worked together to completely defeat the forest trolls, the former overlords of the northern border of the mainland, and dismember their forces.

Since then, the northern border of the mainland has truly ushered in a long-term peace.

Humans and elves admired each other on the battlefield. Emperor Thoradin signed a covenant of mutual assistance with the high elf Sun King Anastarian who had just succeeded to the throne at that time. The covenant stipulated:

As long as Thoradin's descendants need it, the high elves will stand by his side and go to battle together.

But the history written by human beings is always short, and it is 2800 in a flash. Although Quel'Thalas is still ruled by King Anasterian, the kingdom established by Emperor Thoradin has already fallen apart, and even his descendants There is only the last one left: Anduin Lothar, the general from the destroyed Stormwind Kingdom.

When the orcs and the human alliance were about to start a decisive battle, Lothar, who was the supreme marshal of the human alliance, asked the high elves to send troops to help according to the ancient covenant of their ancestors. Unfortunately... King Anasterian, for various reasons, only sent Part of the elf fleet went to help the battle, but they were unwilling to send troops on a large scale. This behavior caused a lot of discussion among the nobles in the country. After all, this was already a breach of contract.

The longevity species has a stubborn insistence on the sacred covenant. When the king is unwilling to respond directly to this matter, many elves spontaneously go to the battlefield to help humans. Among them is the eldest daughter of the Windrunner family, whom General Liresa values ​​most. daughter, Alleria Windrunner.

"bang bang"

A deep knock on the door sounded in the inn in Southsea Town in the Hillsbrad Hills, and a gentle female voice also responded at this time:

"Come in!"

The Ranger Ranger in green chain armor and cloak pushed open the door and walked into the room. He held a letter in his hand and placed it on the table of the blond woman in front of him.

"Captain Alleria, here is your letter from the Tower of the Windrunner."

"Um?"

Alleria Windrunner froze for a moment. This knight-errant general with long blond hair and beautiful blue eyes who always covered his left eye with blond hair put down what he was doing, and reached out to take it with some doubts. that letter.

It has been almost a month and a half since she quarreled with everyone in the Windrunner family and brought the rangers willing to abide by the ancient covenant to support the human war alone. During this period, she and her slightly indifferent His mother, sisters and his nominal brother Tyrion have never actively contacted each other.

In the Farstrider Legion, Alleria's position as Ranger Captain has also been cancelled, which means that Alleria has paid a heavy price for her decision. She has lost the qualification to compete for the position of Ranger General, but this The stubborn ranger has no regrets.

"It's a letter from my mother."

Alleria looked at the signature of the letter, it was her mother's note, she could tell it at a glance, but this made her even more curious, what happened so that the stern mother could give a letter at this time? she writes.

Alleria opened the envelope with a letter opener and took out the letter. There were only two short sentences on it.

"Go back to Windrunner's Tower immediately!"

"Tyrion...your brother...sacrificed..."

"Snapped"

The cup that Alleria just picked up in the other hand was crushed into pieces by the explosive force, and the hot milk spilled on her fingers, but the scorching heat didn't make the agile Ranger Captain react. , she sat on the chair almost sluggishly, the sparkling emotions in her eyes represented that she had temporarily lost the ability to think.

This desperate bad news completely defeated this woman who dared to resist the royal power and had a firm will in an instant.

"Tyrion..."

Tears filled Alleria's eyes in an instant, and the moment she regained consciousness, her figure quickly disappeared from the room. A moment later, the sound of the Quel'dorei's war horse neighing on the road outside Southsea Town The sound sounded, and the steed rushed towards the mage tower closest to the battlefield with its owner.

Twenty-five minutes later, Alleria's figure appeared in Fengxing Village, the home of the Windrunner family in Eversong Forest. In the manor and barracks stood a slightly dilapidated white tower, which was the Tower of Windrunner.

And those who greeted her were the white flowers flying all over the manor, representing the sacrifices to the dead, the nobles who had received the news and came to express condolences, and some rangers who were waiting outside the Tower of the Windrunner. They were indescribably sad. The atmosphere of the air has enveloped the manor in front of him.

At the moment when the travel-worn Alleria stepped into the manor in a daze, the silver-haired girl who was waiting at the gate of the manor, her youngest sister, Vereesa Windrunner, threw herself into her arms crying. Hug her tightly.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu, big sister...why did you come back..."

"Brother Tyrion... died, mother... mother fell ill, and the second sister has been silent, woo... I'm so scared... woo"

Feeling the trembling of her younger sister in her arms, Alleria wiped the tears from her eyes, hugged Vereesa tightly, patted her on the back, and said softly:

"It's okay, I'm back, it's okay..."

"Aurelia! You're late!"

A slightly indifferent call sounded in front of her. Alleria raised her head and saw Lor'themar, the doomed red-clothed ranger among Farstrider, standing in front of her, looking at her with incomprehensible eyes. Lor'themar's left arm was wrapped with a black strip of mourning.

"The general and the prince have something to give you, follow me."

After finishing speaking, the indifferent ranger turned and walked towards the center of the manor. Alleria grabbed her sister's hand and followed behind him, walking towards her long-lost home among the white flowers flying all over the sky.

It was supposed to be the most familiar scene, but it made Alleria feel strange. Every time she took a step closer to the tower in front of her, she would feel a kind of flustered fear, like... like the most important thing in her heart. It was as if something had been taken away, it was so empty, so frightening.

He even wanted to turn around and flee, maybe in this way, he could escape from this ongoing nightmare.

"boom"

The door of the living room was slowly pushed open by Lor'themar, and Alleria, who was standing at the door, saw several people sitting in the living room.

Sitting on the throne is her mother, the current Ranger General Liresa Windrunner, the hero who guarded the country nearly 2,000 years ago, and also the goal that Alleria worshiped since she was a child, and she vowed to surpass.

Beside her mother was Prince Kael'thas, who also wore a black cloth strip on his arm, and an indifferent, old elf archmage, Master Rommath, who came to condolences on behalf of the Silvermoon Council.

At this time, General Liresa no longer had the sharp arrow-like temperament she used to have. She was sitting on a chair, not wearing the armor of the Ranger General, but a simple robe, and her long golden hair was not like before. Coiled like that, but scattered behind her back, her eyes are no longer sharp, filled with unconcealable sadness.

This was the first time Alleria had seen her mother so vulnerable, and she also felt the sadness that lingered on her mother.

No longer a powerful ranger general, but...an ordinary mother who lost her son.

"Mom, I'm back..."

Alleria took a step forward. She wanted to say something, but when she saw the blood-stained leaf-shaped pendant in her mother's hand, she felt the deepest pain, as if stirring her heart. It gushed out of her body, jammed her throat, made her pale, and made her unable to utter a word.

"I think...this is probably Tyrion's last lingering..."

General Liresa didn't go to see her daughter, she just put the pendant in her hand and stroked it, as if stroking one of the most expensive treasures, her eyes became gentle, with a hint of pride, that kind of The eyes make everyone who sees feel sad.

"Even at the end of his life, he still cares about his relatives... Just like a real windrunner, he is willing to give everything he has for everything he protects."

"Tyrion is a true hero, the hero of Quel'Thalas. He defeated the plots of orcs and trolls, and he also demonstrated our courage on the land of humans..."

Prince Kael'thas said with sadness, "I thought he was your best successor, but unfortunately..."

"No regrets..."

Ms. Liresa shook her head and said softly in a hoarse voice:

"170 years ago, when I brought that child into Windrunner's Tower, I knew that he would be a hero, that he would make Quel'Thalas proud...and that Tyresa and I , to make his two mothers proud, but if this is Tyrion's dying wish..."

General Ranger was silent for a few seconds, she turned her head and looked at her eldest daughter with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Aurelia Windrunner!"

General Liresa clenched the pendant in her hand. At this moment, she became the Ranger General who ruled all the Rangers in Quel'Thalas again. She had a serious and sharp demeanor. She looked at her eldest daughter, shouted:

"Come forward!"

Alleria was silent. She stepped forward and looked at her mother. At this moment, Prince Kael'thas, who was sitting beside her, and Archmage Romans, who represented the Silvermoon Council, all had strange gazes. He looked at the ranger captain in front of him who refused to obey the king's order and would rather lose the right of inheritance than fulfill the covenant.

Finally, Prince Kael'thas said:

"The Sun King has approved the proposal submitted by the Silvermoon Council early this morning, Alleria Windrunner, I ask you now, are you willing to take over the heavy responsibility from your great mother, and are you willing to take over from her hands?" Guarding the people's bows, willing to sacrifice everything for Quel'Thalas, willing... to be the next Ranger-General?"

"I?"

Alleria raised her head, with doubts in her bleak eyes, she asked softly:

"Haven't I already been disqualified by the Farstrider Legion? I have lost the qualification to inherit the position of general."

"But Tyrion thinks you are the most suitable..."

Prince Kael'thas whispered:

"After his proposal, I submitted the same proposal to the Silvermoon Council. The patriarchs of the ranger families such as Sunfury, Brightwing, and Firewing all agreed with this proposal. Your only competitor, the new ranger lord Lor'themar Se Long also voluntarily abstained..."

"Aurelia, this is Tyrion's last wish, this is the hero's last wish, and your own ability is enough for us to recognize, so...as long as you nod, you will be re-determined as the successor."

"It's... Tyrion, did he say that?"

Alleria lowered her head. She tried her best not to let the tears flow out of her eyes, but no matter how she suppressed it, the sadness was unbearable.

"So, is he using his life to fulfill his childhood promise?"

"Stupid! So stupid...You are so stupid! Tyrion! You are so stupid..."