Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

"Hurry up, damn it! Go faster." Alleria punched her leg, as if this action could stimulate the troops to go faster.She took a few steps in place, then ran again, she couldn't bear to keep this speed.She quickly overtook the infantry line and overtook the cavalry ahead.Without thinking, she looked for the person with short blond hair at the front of the line, there! "You need to march faster," she yelled across the many cavalry beside Turalyon.The young paladin was startled and blushed immediately, but she didn't feel the way he usually did.There's no time for such nonsense nonsense now.

"We're already moving as fast as we can." He regained his composure, though she noticed that he turned to look at the troops behind him, estimating their speed. "You know our men can't keep up with you. And armies move slower than individuals." "Then I'll go myself, as I should have done from the beginning," she said emphatically, tensing to run past the cavalry and disappear into the forest. "No!" Something in his words made her stop, and she cursed secretly.Why didn't she disobey his orders?He is not Lothar, and she cooperates with the alliance only out of personal wish and not because of any order.But whenever he seriously gave him orders, she found it difficult to resist, although this did not mean that she would not argue.

"Let me go!" she said. "I need to warn them!" Her mood turned bad again at the thought of her sisters.Her friend, her king didn't know about the Horde's arrival yet. "We will warn them," Turalyon assured her, and she could hear the certainty in it. "And we'll help them fight back against the Horde. But if you leave by yourself, you'll be caught, killed, and...it's not good for anyone." It sounded like he was about to say something, and she suddenly felt An emotion—joy? — welling up in her chest.But now there is no time to think so much.

"I'm an elf, and a ranger!" she insisted. "I can disappear into the forest! No one can find me!" "Even against a forest troll?" She turned to stare at the wizard not far from Turalyon. "Because we already know they're working for the Horde," he continued. "And we also know that in the forest they are as good as you." "Almost, probably," she admitted. "But I'm still stronger." "No one doubts that," Khadgar replied tactfully, though she could see a lurking smile beneath his outward calm. "But we don't know how many of them are waiting between us and your homeland. Ten or so of them combined would surpass your superior skill."

Alleria cursed again.He was right, of course, she knew that.That doesn't stop her from wanting to go full speed ahead, though, nor does it take away potential obstacles.She'd seen the Horde, seen what they did.She knows how big the threat is, and now it's moving toward her hometown!And his people had no idea that such a danger was approaching. "Let them keep going!," she yelled at Turalyon, and made her way ahead to scout the road.She desperately tried to find some trolls or orcs, but she also knew that they were still far away from her.The tribe is still far away from them now, if these human soldiers can't change the current snail-like marching speed, the distance between them will only be further!

"She's worried," Khadgar said calmly when he saw Alleria disappear from sight. "I understand," Turalyon replied. "I have no reason to blame her. If the tribe is going to my hometown, I am also worried when we consider that they may go to Wangcheng. Time." He sighed. "In addition, there are only half of the alliance army behind her, and it is led by me." "Don't look down on yourself," his friend warned. "You are an excellent commander and a noble paladin, a member of the Silver Hand, the best of Lordaeron. She is lucky to have you."

Turalyon smiled at his friend, grateful for his reassurance.He only wished he could believe it.Yes, he knew he was doing pretty well in combat - he'd had plenty of training, and he'd done a good job of translating what he'd learned in training into combat skills during his first clash with the Horde.But to be a leader?Before this war, he had never been trained like this, not even prayed.He knew nothing about conducting. As a boy he certainly did well, often designing games for himself and his friends or commanding a fake army while playing a war game.But that all changed when he started his career as a priest.He took orders from the senior priests, and when they sent him to Faol, he took orders from the Archbishop.When he joined the training of the first paladins, he followed Uther's leadership like everyone else - Uther has a strong personality and does not tolerate arguments.He was the oldest of them all, and the closest to the Archbishop.

Turalyon was surprised that Lothar had not chosen Uther as his lieutenant, although he also felt that the elder paladin's pious faith would make it difficult for him to influence those who were not pious.Turalyon was honored and shocked to be awarded this rank, and he always wondered what he should do to justify it. Lothar also looks the same, the general of the Stormwind Kingdom has enough experience and wisdom to understand this.He was an unbelievable warrior and a formidable leader who would have others follow him without thinking, and anyone who met him respected and obeyed him.In fact, the warriors of the Alliance honor him as "The Lion of Azeroth", a reference to the emblem that shone on his shield as he marched through the Horde armies in Hillsbrad.Turalyon wished he could be in a scene like that.

He also wished he had some of Uther's piety.Because of his faith, or because of the power he was given. Turalyon believed in the Light, of course.It had been like this since childhood, and becoming a priest brought him closer to that glorious place.But he never directly felt the full power, only a faint light or influence on others.Since he met the Horde, he found his faith more fragile than ever. The Holy Light should belong to all creatures and exist in all hearts and souls.It is omnipresent, and its energy keeps all sentient beings together.But that's not the case with the Horde, they're bad and deformed, they act irrationally, they're depraved, disgusting things, they're totally beyond repair.How could such a thing belong to the Holy Light?How could its radiant light exist in such absolute evil?If they belong, how does that account for its pure, loving power?And if they didn't belong, if the Horde wasn't part of the Light, then it wasn't common, unlike what Turalyon had been taught.So what does this say about its existence and its power, and the relation of all to every other?

he does not know.And that's the problem.His faith has been seriously shaken.He had tried to pray after seeing the Horde, but it was in vain.His heart doesn't belong there anymore, and without that his words are useless.Turalyon knew that other paladins could unleash their blessings on those soldiers, could sense evil, and even heal serious wounds with a simple touch.But he can't.He doesn't know if he doesn't need such a gift, he's pretty sure he doesn't now, and he wonders if he never will. "You're quiet again." Khadgar leaned over and pushed him gently with one hand. "Don't think too much about it, or you'll fall out of the saddle." His tone was friendly and concerned, and Turalyon did his best to smile.

"I'm fine," he said to the old-looking mages. "Just wondering what to do next." "What do you mean?" Khadgar turned around, looking at the army marching behind him. "You've done a good job keeping these men moving, as fast as we can, and hopefully that way we can catch up to them before the Horde can do more damage." "I understand." Turalyon frowned. "I was just wondering if there were paths that would take us right past them to Quel'Thalas. Maybe Alleria was right—maybe I should let her go first. But if she gets caught , if something happens to her..." He trailed off, then glared at Khadgar, who was smiling at him. "how?" "Oh, nothing." His friend laughed. "But if you put this kind of concern on every soldier, we'd better give up this operation now, because you are afraid that they will be injured, and you will not send them to join the battle." Turalyon looked fiercely at the mage, who He avoided the gaze, but he was still smiling.They rode on, the army closely following. "Almost there," Turalyon said to Alleria, who was walking beside him. "Of course I know!" she roared, raising her head reluctantly. "This is my home, remember? I know it better than you!" Turalyon sighed.It had been a long fortnight, and commanding an army had been exhausting, although he had done many similar things on previous marches.But the difference this time was that before, Lothar was responsible for the final decision, but now, everything was on Turalyon's shoulders, and this alone was enough to make it difficult for him to sleep most nights.Then about Alleria, all the elves were impatient during the march, worried that Quel'thas didn't know what was going on.But the others remained calm enough to understand that speaking out would add to his stress, which might make them move more slowly.Except for Alleria, who questioned every order given: why they chose this valley over another, why they lit campfires instead of eating cold food lying on the cold ground, Rest at dusk instead of advancing at night.Turalyon had always been nervous about being in command, but Alleria's nagging made it ten times as bad.He felt that she disapproved of every decision he made after careful consideration. "We'll be reaching the hills soon," he reminded her. "We should be able to see the border of Quel'Thalas when we get there. Then we'll know what the Horde has been up to. Maybe they'll be slow and not here yet." It's a blessing.Lothar persuaded the Wildhammer dwarves to send some of them to Alterac with orders for Admiral Proudmoore.The admiral is leading a large number of ships to dock at Lake Darrowmere. After receiving the order, Proudmoore sent his ship to move down the river.They joined Turalyon's army near Stromgarde and took their soldiers with them.They circumnavigated those mountains by boat, and did not climb them as the tribes did.This saves them considerable time.Turalyon hoped that would be enough.He even hoped to sail directly to Quel'Thalas, but Alleria assured him that was impossible.Her king would not allow human warships to go there.So they landed near Stratholme, and started on foot again. "I'll set off as soon as we see the forest," Alleria warned. "Don't try to stop me." "I won't stop you," Turalyon replied, pleased to see a momentary smile on her face, followed by surprise. "I hope you and your ranger will find your people and warn them," he reminded. "I just hope you don't meet the Horde on the way. But we're pretty close now, and if the Horde gets here first, we can divert their attention. This will give you enough time to convince your king. Then You can attack them from behind while we attack from the front, and then we can take out the Horde." Alleria nodded.She looked up at him, silent for a moment, then put her hand on one of his legs.To Turalyon, the touch radiated heat like the sun, making his blood boil and his limbs stiffen. "Thank you." She said softly.He nodded, unable to say a word. The moment was interrupted by one of her rangers rushing forward. "The end of the hill is near," he reported quickly to them. "I can see the woods in the distance." Alleria looked up at Turalyon, who nodded, pleased that she had asked permission for the first time.She turned and ran away, followed by another ranger.But she didn't go far.The two elves seemed to be shocked by something and stopped, looking into the distance.Then Alleria let out a wail, a pain Turalyon had never heard before. "In the name of the Holy Light." Kicking his steed and galloping over, Turalyon came to her side, then stunned, pulled the horse to stop, and what he saw upset him chaos.The Hilllands were indeed over, and the mighty forests of Quel'Thalas, home of the High Elves, lay before them.The tall trees swayed gently, like their companions dancing to the silent music, and the shadows of the trees looked peaceful.It is a beautiful sight, with calm and majesty. All this was spoiled by thick clouds and gray smoke rising like waves from gaps in the woods, including a place not far to the west of where they stood.Squinting there, Turalyon could see black figures walking through the woods, and the huge gap was not far from them.He could also see a great tongue of flame curling up from the clearing, and the smell of the green logs burning over him took his breath away. Horde finally got here early They are burning Quel'Thalas. "We must stop them," Alleria yelled. "We must stop them!" "We will," he said.He looked up again to confirm what he saw, then turned to face the herald behind him. "Notify all troop chiefs," he announced. "We're going to march north until we meet the orcs. Then we're going to charge in and catch them off guard. Remind everyone to bring as much water as possible and send some troops to put out those flames. We can't let the forest fires in Burning around us." The herald nodded, saluted, and then turned his horse's head to convey the latest order to the rear.By this time Turalyon had turned to Khadgar. "Did you do anything to stop this fire?" he asked. His friend frowned. "A thunderstorm is okay." "Until there is no more fire on any tree." Turalyon looked at Alleria again. "Aurelia." She didn't answer, still staring at the smoke, her face was very pale. "Aurelia!" It made her turn her head and stare at him. "Take your rangers and go, go! Your people are undoubtedly fighting the Horde in the forest. Find them, and let them know we're coming. We need to coordinate our attacks or the Horde will crush your people in the forest and then Get rid of us." She stared at him, nodded, but was still shocked. "Now!" he yelled, not wanting to be so rough with her but knowing there was nothing else to do now. "Or do you want to give up those trees?" As he'd hoped, it earned a sharp stare.Then, she turned around, made some simple arrangements for the other rangers, quickly took the bow off her back, and set off, rushing down the hill like a sharp arrow off the string and approaching the edge of the forest .The other rangers followed her, and soon they were lost in the shadows of the forest. "May the Light bless you," Turalyon whispered as he watched them go. "May it bless us all," Khadgar said gravely. "We really need this now."