Chapter 6

Alterac, Strahnbrad, Early Spring

The newly knighted Valdar Justaxe peered through a spyglass, spotting the massive green orcs in the distance. To the east lay the township of Strahnbrad, several buildings burning. Orcs had overrun the town, and to his disgust and horror, had slaughtered many civilians, rounding the rest up as slaves and Light knew what else.

Valdar was twenty-three, the son of a nobleman from a backwater province in northern Lordaeron. Their own family had long been of military tradition, from his own father, Riker Justaxe who fought bravely for Lordaeron in the Second War to his ancestors, who fought against the Continental War a thousand years ago when Stromgarde and Gilneas had drawn Lordaeron into their foolish conflict, to even before.

After seeing the horrors of war and coming back missing an eye, a few digits, and some of his mind (or so it seemed), Riker Justaxe had pleaded with his son not to enlist, had broken family tradition by sending Vandar's two younger brothers to study as priests at the churches in the nearby township of Hearthglen.

But Valdar refused because a thousand years of tradition was too important to throw away because of his own father's 'queasiness'.

At the age of fourteen, he was squired during the last year of the Second Great War, yet had never seen any combat, only the formal padding of his master's house, the practice ranges, and training courts.

"Lieutenant Justaxe, take four men and ride around the town, see if you can locate the orc camp. The Lightbringer himself will be conducting the campaign against the orcs here, so make sure you don't slip up!" his commander had told him before they departed from Valkeri, a small town to the east, and a crucial base of operation for Alliance forces in the area.

Uther the Lightbringer! The great hero of the Second War, here! Valdar's mind raced at the possibilities, knowing that everything he as a scout and lieutenant of the Light Cavalry Division did was to be the eyes and ears of the army.

His young mind snapped back to the reality of the situation. Putting away the rusty spyglass in a pocket on his armored mount, he tapped the four men scouting with him, quietly informing them that their reconnaissance mission was finished.

Valdar was absolutely abhorred by what he saw in the village. Bloodstained the cobblestone streets, the few unharmed villagers rounded up into armed camps full of the brute greenskins, forced to do backbreaking and menial labor, while others were warded into nets and sacrificial pits, their fresh blood running as a tribute to the demon lords of the warlocks.

Valdar's first thought was to mount up, and charge straight into the camp, to save all the innocents being slowly slaughtered, but the stupidity of the notion struck him before he even had the chance to think of such a thing again.

The gore was absolutely overwhelming.

"If I am to be a soldier of Lordaeron, I must prepare my mind for such things," Valdar thought quietly to himself as he led his group back through a small patch of trees to the south of the town.

It didn't take long after they were out of the brush to reach the camp, which had been set up less than a league away. Wary of each other, Alliance and orc pickets eyed one another very carefully, making it a little difficult to get back inside the lines, but once they did, Valdar was able to make his crucial report.

"Sir" he began, looking up into the black pits of his commander's eyes "The orcs have dug in around the town, and erected earthworks in certain areas. But it is clear their forces inside the city are weak, but they have a stronger camp around the sacrificial pits to the north of the city. In their main camp, they seem…restless…as if awaiting something momentous to happen"

In the dank tent, his commander nodded and prodded him with extra questions varying of strength, size, flexibility, the encompassing terrain, and so forth. Valdar answered to the best of his ability and presented a map of the surrounding areas. Dismissed, Valdar quietly exited the tent to find the camp in a state of frenzy.

One of those who had followed his command on the scouting party, Thorek Ghent, ran past him, shouting out that the fighting had begun, and that they were led by the great Prince Arthas himself, as well as Uther the Lightbringer.

What an importance this fight must be if two of the holiest paladins in Lordaeron had shown up! So it seemed, as Valdar peered across the tree line, the sounds of battle seemingly rising above the forest.