Chapter 54: Tolerance

Kelrian looked at the man next to him. "Are you ready?"

"I am," responded Exadius. He was disguised as Exandros to prevent Tyrande and Malfurion from freaking out the moment he will enter the room. Kelrian wanted to explain everything to them and convince them that Exadius was a trustworthy person before he would reveal his true form.

Kelrian knew that things would be much easier for them if Exadius would maintain his disguise but he wanted to be honest with his allies, so he had decided against that idea.

Having the Alliance's trust was very important to Kelrian. He wanted Exadius to earn the Alliance's trust too and he knew it wouldn't be easy. But it must be done. Exadius knew lots of things and his influence was too large to relinquish it. Kelrian was certain that his partner will be very useful against the Scourge.

Kelrian took a deep breath, put his hands on the double doors and pushed them open. Together with Exadius, he entered the room where the leaders of the Alliance were already waiting for him. Many pairs of eyes fell on him but they moved quickly to his partner. The leaders of the Alliance were giving them curious looks. Except for Sylvanas and Verena, none of them had an idea who his partner was but it was only a matter of time until they will find out.

Kelrian let his gaze wander and took a closer look at the room's interior furnishing. The room's walls were purple, the floor was covered by a purple carpet but the colour tone was slightly darker than the colour tone of the walls. The room was decorated with excellent pieces of furniture, like most rooms in the Violet Citadel.

Purple was the main colour of the Kirin Tor. Purple stood for the Kirin Tor, blue for the Alliance and red for the Horde. Only the Alliance and the Kirin Tor were present. The Horde and the Alliance were not at war with each other but they weren't working together either. They just coexisted and fought against the Scourge on their own.

Kelrian knew that working with the Horde would increase their chances to defeat the Scourge. He knew they should work with them to defend Azeroth but he didn't trust them. He didn't like them because of the events of the past. The orcs and trolls had caused so much suffering to his people during the First and the Second War. Many of his comrades and friends had died during the Second War. His older brother died during the Battle of Lordaeron and Sylvanas' brother Lirath, Camillia's mate and Lyndia's father, had been killed by orcs at the beginning of the Second War. He wouldn't want to work with the Horde unless they would have no other choice.

He knew that the night elves andTheramore had nothing against the Horde but the sin'dorei, Stormwind and the Forsaken had expressed clearly that they didn't want to work with them. Most Forsaken were fallen humans and blood elves, so it made sense that they didn't like the Horde. Kelrian was glad that Alleria, Sylvanas and Varian were on his side in this matter.

Kelrian approached Sylvanas and gave her a barely recognizable smile. Sylvanas returned the smile but said nothing. Kelrian and Exadius greeted the other participants.

Rhonin was the first who spoke. "May I ask who your companion is?"

"I will tell you who he is but it's a bit complicated," replied Kelrian.

Rhonin raised an eyebrow. "Complicated?"

"As you know, someone or something saved me from Arthas. I was teleported to another dimension before Frostmourne would have pierced my body. I still have no idea who or what was responsible for that but I'm glad it happened. Anyway, I met someone in that dimension. Someone who was hurt, chained and guarded by lots of servants of the Burning Legion."

"I assume that this man is the one you met there," said Rhonin.

Kelrian nodded. "You are right but he is not an ordinary human as you might think. My partner was once forced to serve the Burning Legion but he managed to break free. He sabotaged the Legion but they got him and tortured him before they locked him into that dimension. I freed him and made a deal with him."

"A deal?" Tyrande asked.

She sounded alarmed. She had had bad experiences with people who had made deals with servants of the Legion. Her former lover Illidan had made serval deals with demons. The power he had received had made him stronger but negatively affected him at the same time. The fel power had gnawed at his mind and turned him into an unpredictable madman. He had once been a misunderstood leader but nowadays he was an insane and ruthless ruler who wanted Outland all for himself. Illidan and his fellow demon hunters hungered for power and no one had any idea what he would do if he would gain control over all areas of Outland.

Kelrian nodded at the high priestess. "He gave me power and healed my wounds. He replaced my lost eye and my forearm and promised me to help me defeat the Lich King if I help him to kill a certain creature."

"A certain creature?" Malfurion asked confused.

Exadius looked at the archdruid. "An eredar with the name Kil'jaeden. Your wife met him on Outland five years ago. Kil'jaeden is a very powerful demon who enslaved my people. I intend to free as many of them as possible from the Burning Legion."

"Your people?" Malfurion asked confused.

"I'm not the man you see in front of you. This is only a disguise. I took this form to hide from Kil'jaeden's agents. I no longer need to hide, so I can show you my true form but..."

"But what?" asked Tyrande.

"I'm not sure if you would be delighted to see me, considering what happened the last time we met, High Priestess."

A confused expression could be seen on Tyrande's face. "What do you mean?"

"I think the best is that I reveal myself but first I want to tell you that I'm on your side. As Kelrian said, I was forced to serve the Burning Legion but I no longer am. Everything I did in the past, I only did because I had no other choice. Please, keep that in mind."

Tyrande frowned. "What did you do?"

Exadius sighed. "I was ordered to kill you."

Tyrande's eyes widened. "Are you...?"

Exadius let his disguise dissolve. Tyrande's eyes widened even further as she recognized him. Shock and surprise could be seen on her face but also on the faces of the others. Except for Sylvanas and Verena, none of them had expected the human by Kelrian's side to be a nathrezim.

"Before you insult me or accuse me, let me tell you that I could have killed you if I really wanted but I didn't. Illidan wouldn't have been able to save you if I would have used my full power. I let you live and let it look like Illidan saved you. In truth, I spared you because your death wouldn't have helped me at all. I didn't want to attack you but I had to keep my cover, that's why I came for you," Exadius said to Tyrande.

Tyrande still regarded him with widened eyes. She was speechless, hundreds of thoughts crossed her mind. It was obvious that she needed a few minutes to assimilate everything Exadius had said. The others were silent too, allowing Kelrian to speak.

"Exadius feels sorry for having nearly killed you, Tyrande. He had no other choice back then. As he said, he hadn't wanted to kill you back then. He is no longer forced to serve the Burning Legion. I understand that you have difficulties to trust a demon or someone who works with a demon, considering what happened to Illidan but I can assure you that Exadius is on our side."

"How can you be so sure about that? How can you be so sure that he didn't lie to you and only pretends to be your ally? What if he plans to do something bad once we trust him?" she asked.

"Well, I don't see a reason why he should lie to me. Everything he said makes sense. There are other, much easier, ways for demons to corrupt and manipulate people. I don't see why he should badly injure himself and let his servants shackle him. I believe and trust him. He wants the Scourge gone as badly as we do. I understand that you will not trust him that easily but I can guarantee you that he is not our enemy. He wants to be our ally if you let him," Kelrian told.

Tyrande's eyes rested on Kelrian for a few moments before they fell on Exadius. The dreadlord stood behind Kelrian, his arms were crossed behind his back. His expression was neutral. Tyrande's expression told Kelrian that she was still suspicious. He couldn't hold that against her. He would be suspicious too if someone would tell him that Xenarion had just behaved the way he had because he had had no other choice. He would have problems believing that and so he understood why Tyrande could not immediately trust Exadius.

She regarded Exadius for a few minutes before she looked back at Kelrian. "And you trust him?" she asked doubtingly.

"I do. He could have killed me after I freed him but he didn't. On the contrary, he helped me whenever he could. He made me much stronger than I ever imagined to be. I'm certain that he does not manipulate me or deceive me. He is on our side."

"Very well, I hope you are right about him."

"I trust him with my life."

"I do not trust him but I will tolerate him because you trust him. Don't make me regret that."

"Trust me, Tyrande. There is no need to worry about him."

Tyrande nodded at him but said nothing in response.

The following silence didn't last for too long. Alleria cleared her throat, getting Kelrian's attention. "Sylvanas told me that you have new insights about the Scarlet Crusade."

Kelrian nodded and didn't hesitate to tell the gathered leaders what he had told Sylvanas in Undercity. He told them about Balnazzar and the information the dreadlord had given them. He told them about Whitemane's disappearing and insured them that those soldiers in the Scarlet Monastery wouldn't attack them again.

"So only those who went with Whitemane might attack us sooner or later," concluded Vereesa.

"We don't know how many went with her but it's not unlikely that they would attack the bases of the Forsaken again one day. It's possible that Whitemane will try to overthrow the current leader of the Scarlet Crusade as soon as she realizes that he doesn't plan to attack the Forsaken. I have no doubt that Balnazzar is clever enough to figure out her plans and prevent them," explained Exadius.

"I don't want to offend Balnazzar but he didn't appear very competent to me. I faced him in the past and let's say he failed at the only task his master gave him," said Sylvanas carefully.

Exadius looked at her. "Balnazzar and his brothers have never belonged to the upper class of the nathrezim. They are smart but not much smarter than the average nathrezim. They are still more intelligent than most creatures on Azeroth but they do too many mistakes. I still have no idea why Tichondrius chose them to take care of the Scourge. They had the task to discharge Arthas and take over the Scourge. I still do not understand how they didn't manage to defeat him together... They didn't even try...Anyway, I have forgotten what I originally wanted to say."

He paused for a few moments, lifting his hand as it came back in his mind. "I wanted to say that your concerns are not misplaced, Lady Windrunner. But I can assure you that Whitemane will not be able to take over the Scarlet Crusade. I left my oldest daughter in the Scarlet Monastery to watch over Balnazzar and these fanatics. I trust her more than Balnazzar. She is my own flesh and blood, so I know she won't disappoint me."

"I hope she does not," Sylvanas said.

"Whitemane is still a threat to us. We should find out where she is and what she is planning," Varian reminded everyone.

"Let's hope our scouts and spies find out her whereabouts," replied Rhonin.

"I heard Stormwind has the best spies. I wonder if they find the High Inquisitor before my children do," Exadius said to Varian.

"This is not a race or a game, demon. It doesn't matter who finds her first. All that matters is that we find her and stop her."

Exadius chuckled. "I know, your majesty. I was just wondering about it, nothing more. Anyway, I suppose there are other matters we have to discuss."

"You are right about that," Jaina said to him. Exadius' gaze fell on her, his golden eyes regarded her curiously. Jaina didn't hesitate to continue. "Kael'thas Sunstrider still hides in Tempest Keep and harvests energies. We have no idea what he is planning but I doubt it's anything good."

Exadius' gaze fell on Kelrian who didn't appear to be happy. Jaina's gaze also fell on him. "You know what your father did since you disappeared, do you?"

Kelrian nodded. "I know about the destruction of the Kirin'Var Village by a mana bomb. I know that hundreds of humans and dwarves died that day. I also know that his men slaughtered many draenei and drove them out of Tempest Keep. I'm aware that they crash-landed on Azeroth with their ship." He paused, a sad sigh escaped his lips.

"I can't believe he did all these horrible things... Before I was teleported to this prison dimension, my father did everything to defeat the Scourge and help our people. It's still hard for me to believe that he turned against us... I don't know how to feel about it... At least I know that we have to stop him. We have to find out what he is planning so that we can do something about it."

Kelrian turned his head and looked at Sylvanas as he felt her hand on his. She intertwined their fingers and stared into his eyes, causing him to calm down. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand, turning his head to Alleria when she began to speak.

"Kael'thas sent a naaru to us years ago from which we drain power ever since. He also sent cells of harvested energy to us every month. He made sure that we didn't lack these necessary energies but then, a year ago, he stopped sending us cells. The naaru remains in Silvermoon but it's not unlikely that he wants to have it back. It seems that he is storing a large amount of energy and it's safe to say that his intentions are not good."

"Do you have any idea what we should do?" Kelrian asked his sister-in-law.

Alleria shook her head. "Unfortunately, no."

"Does anyone else have an idea?" Kelrian asked the others.

"I would love to sneak into Tempest Keep and kidnap your father but I doubt that we can do that. I bet he has enough men who guard this place and I know he has a security system that is functioning very well," responded Alleria.

"What if we find a way to deactivate the system and avoid his guards?" asked Kelrian.

"Do you know how this system works and how we can deactivate it?"

Kelrian shook his head. "No, I don't."

"The draenei should know it. They occupied Tempest Keep before Kael'thas and his loyalists conquered it," replied Magni.

"So we have to meet with the draenei and ask for their help," concluded Kelrian.

"I think capturing Kael'thas is the only way to stop him. We only waste time if we try to find out what he is planning. We should confront him and take him captive. To achieve that, we have to meet with the draenei," said Sylvanas.

"I suggest that those who already had contact with them should go."

Tyrande got everyone's attention as she cleared her throat. "Malfurion's and my daughter Shandris met their leader. We should send her as an ambassador to the base of the draenei."

"Sounds good to me. Does anyone have any objections in that matter?" asked Kelrian.

All the other participants shook their heads.

"Is there anything else we have to discuss?"

"Well... Besides Illidan who is still trying to gain control over all areas of Outland, there is nothing else which bothers us at the moment. We don't know yet if Illidan will become a problem for us. We don't know what he's planning, but I doubt it will mean anything good if he gains full control of Outland," explained Malfurion.

"What do we know about Illidan's plans?" Kelrian asked.

"We don't know how his big plan looks like. For now, we know he wants to conquer Outland. He is recruiting constantly."

"Recruiting?"

"He uses the blood of a powerful demon to create fel orcs which he sends out to spread fear and terror in Outland. His forces are constantly fighting with your father's forces but Illidan has not yet managed to conquer the area your father controls. Their rivalry and the war between them only plays in our hands. They make things easier for us if they weaken each other," explained the archdruid.

"So what do we do about him?" Kelrian asked the other participants.

"We should deal with Kael'thas first and then we will figure out what we will do about Illidan," suggested Alleria.

"I agree with the Regent Lady," replied Jaina.

"So be it," said Rhonin after he had regarded the expressions on the faces of all present creatures. "We will meet again as soon as General Feathermoon returns. Does anyone have any objections?"

The others shook their heads.

"Alright. I declare the meeting to be over."

---

*

"No matter what you will do, you will never be victorious, traitor," the wounded man spat out. His remaining eye was narrowed and rested on the mad king. Blood flowed out of his mouth, knocked-out teeth were lying in the puddle of blood not far away from him. Parts of his skin were burned while other parts were covered by ugly scars.

The man in the red robe came closer and tilted his head as he regarded him. "Big words for a man who is about to lose his life."

"I may lose my life but at least I didn't lose my honour," hissed the man sharply.

"Your honour won't save you. Honour means nothing if you are dead. I rather live without honour than being as weak and foolish as you are. My tactic proved to be very effective. I'm a genius, don't you think?"

The man spat in front of the mad king's feet. "Fuck you, bastard. You ordered your people to kill more women, children and old and sick people if I wouldn't have told you about the fragment. I had no other choice but to surrender. You should be ashamed of yourself. The methods you use to achieve your goals are reprehensible."

The mage shrugged and gave the wounded man an indifferent look. "As long as these methods are successful and efficient, I don't care."

"You're the worst."

He shrugged again. "I don't care about your stupid opinion."

"I hope you will rot in hell," the man spat out.

The mage regarded the badly wounded sin'dorei for a few moments before he looked at the man next to him.

"Lord Sanguinar would you take care of this traitor?"

The blood elf warrior nodded. "As you wish, my king." He walked over to the wounded man and stopped right in front of him. "Any last words?" the warrior asked.

The wounded man looked at the man who had once been his king. "The Earthen Ring will find out what you did, Kael'thas. The Alliance will hear of these crimes and...," Lord Sanguinar smashed the man's head with his huge hammer before he could have finished his sentence. The blood that was sprayed on his armour was barely visible due to the armour's crimson red colour.

"Actually, I wanted to hear what he had to say."

Lord Sanguinar lowered his head in apology. "I'm sorry, your majesty."

"It's okay. I forgive you this time. But next time, wait for my signal. Otherwise..." He didn't finish his sentence.

The warrior nodded. "I will, my king."

Kael'thas' gaze rested on the motionless corpse for a few moments and then wandered to the other corpses that were scattered throughout the village. The sight satisfied him. He had gotten used to such sights. Crippled corpses, spread innards and lots of blood that covered the ground. He enjoyed what he was seeing. Seeing so many dead enemies filled him with joy. The more dead enemies he saw, the happier he was.

Orcs, trolls, sin'dorei, humans and other races. It didn't matter to him who died. He didn't care to which race they belonged. He didn't care how old they were and if they had family or not. In his eyes, everyone who tried to stop his plans had to die. He didn't make any exceptions.

Those who had once served him and dared to question him had learned it the hard way. They found a horrible death just like the leader of the rebels who had been a pain in the ass to Kael'thas for months. He had delayed his plans and stole too much time of his precious time. But now he was dead and would no longer bother the former king of the sin'dorei. There was no one who could stop him from getting the item he had searched for months.

"What should we do with his corpse?" asked Grand Astromancer Capernian. Kael'thas turned his head to look at her. She was the only woman among his advisors who had supported him since the very beginning. She had dark blue hair and wore a blood-red dress. She had a magic wand in her right hand, her left hand pointed at the body of the elf whose head had been crushed by the hammer of Kael'thas' second advisor.

"Leave it there, I don't care about this traitor."

"Doesn't he deserve a proper funeral?" Capernian asked.

Kael'thas shook his head. "No. He lost this right when he decided to rebel against me."

The mage nodded. "I understand, my king."

Kael'thas gave her an evil grin. "I know what we will do with his filthy corpse."

"And what would that be, your majesty?" asked his third advisor. His name was Telonicus and he was the king's master engineer. He wore black armour and carried a large sword with a blood-red handle and a sharp and long silver blade in his hand.

"Give him to Brutalos. He won't say no to a proper meal. Do the same with the other corpses. The more Brutalos eats, the stronger he gets. I need him to be as strong as possible if I want to overthrow Illidan and claim Outland as mine."

"As you wish, your majesty," responded Telonicus and gave the gathered soldiers a signal. They started to collect the dead bodies and the remains of deceased creatures and brought them to waggons.

Kael'thas' gaze fell on Thaladred the Darkener who stepped to him. His armour was thick and blood-red just like the armour of Lord Sanguinar. In his right hand, he carried a large double axe whose blade was wrapped in flames. "What is it, Thaladred?"

"High Astromancer Solarian just returned, my king"

"Bring her to me."

"As you wish."

Thaladred returned a few minutes later with a woman. She was a mage but her outfit had more similarities to a warlock armour than a typical mage outfit. Her face was covered by a purple magical veil through which only her purple glowing eyes could be seen. Kael'thas sensed the strong amount of void energy that was radiated by her body but it didn't concern him.

"Do you have it?" the mad king asked impatiently.

Solarian nodded. "I do."

He stretched his hand out and gave the mage an expecting look. Solarian didn't hesitate to give him the pouch she held in her hand. Kael'thas opened it quickly, his eyes widened in joy as spotted the fragment. "Perfect."

He gave it back to the astromancer. "Hold it for a second." He opened the pouch he had taken from the leader of the rebels and took a similar-looking fragment out of it, giving it to Solarian. Then he muttered a few words in eredun and let another pouch appear. He opened it as well and took another fragment out. He didn't need long to combine all three fragments into one item.

"The Cipher of Damnation is finally completed," he shouted. "Nothing will stop me now." The following laughter was loud and sounded evil.

He stopped after a while and turned to his advisors. "Now that we have everything we need for my plan, we can put it into action. As soon as I have the elemental lords of Outland on my side, I will overwhelm Illidan's forces and claim Outland as mine. Illidan will regret abandoning me when I needed him the most. As soon as I got rid of him, I will return to Silvermoon and use the Cipher to make sure our people will stop consuming arcane energies and consume fel energies instead. All of them will serve me."

"What do you want us to do, milord?" Telonicus asked.

"You, Solarian, Thaladred and Lord Sanguinar will find the location from where I can summon the elemental lords."

Capernian tilted her head and gave her master a curious look. "And what will I do?"

"You will help me in a different matter. A very important matter."

"And what will that be?"

Kael'thas smirked. "I will tell you as soon as we return to Tempest Keep. It has something to do with my legacy. That's all I say for now," he said and put a hand under her chin, caressing it. Capernian blushed as she returned his gaze. "I will do anything you demand from me."

His smirk became wider. "I'll come back to that."

*

---

"Father?"

"Father?"

"Do you hear me?"

Kelrian blinked and turned his head, looking at his son who was regarding him with a worried look on his face. "I do. I'm sorry that I didn't listen to what you said. I was... distracted..."

The worry didn't vanish out of Raesh's face. "Another vision?" he asked.

Kelrian nodded but said nothing.

"A good or a bad one?"

"Well...," Kelrian paused and stared at the ceiling, reflecting what he had just seen. "I'm sure that what I have seen will not mean anything good for us."

"Do you want to tell me what you have seen?"

"I wish I could but I think I need to order my thoughts first. The vision contained lots of information..."

Raesh was silent at first. He looked thoughtful and worried. "I thought at first that the reason for your silence and the blank expression on your face was my confession. I feared you would be angry at me or disappointed in me," he said quietly and looked at his feet.

Kelrian regarded him for a few moments, then he got up from his chair and walked over to his son, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, Raesh."

Raesh hesitated at first but then he lifted his head and looked at his father whose face reflected sympathy. "I doubt I will ever get disappointed in you. I will always be proud of you, no matter what you will do. Keep that in mind."

Raesh still sounded worried. "So you are okay with what I just told you?"

"Of course I am. I have no right to judge you because of your sexuality. If you prefer men, it's fine for me. As long as you are happy, I'm happy too. Your happiness is all that matters to me."

Raesh sighed out in relief. Receiving his father's approvement took a load off his mind. The worry vanished and was replaced by happiness. He felt much better than before as his father hugged him and patted his back. They stayed like this for a few minutes before they pulled away.

"I have been worried since I figured out that I like men. There was a lot of pressure on my shoulders for quite some time. I was not sure if you would be happy or disappointed in me when you find out the truth."

"As you can see, I'm happy for you. I'm the last person who would judge anyone by their sexuality. We don't choose who we love. I fell in love with your mother but after her death, I fell in love with another woman. I don't regret that. I just regret that I haven't been able to save both of them. I was not there when your mother died nor did I manage to save Elena. Your sister killed her and I'm sure Elena is forced to serve the Lich King ever since."

Kelrian made a small pause as soon as he realized that he wandered off the topic. "What I wanted to say is that you are allowed to love whoever you want. You shouldn't listen to what the others say and do your own thing instead. We can be lucky that our society is very tolerant. I'm not sure about the other kingdoms but I heard that the night elves are very tolerant too. You have no reason to feel anxious. Our people will tolerate you if you show up with a nice man."

"Do you think mother will be as tolerant as you are?" Raesh asked, sounding a little insecure and worried.

Kelrian chuckled and patted his son's head. "As you know, your mother was together with Verena for ten years. If she wouldn't tolerate you because you prefer to be together with another man, then she would shoot herself in the foot, wouldn't she? Your mother may prefer men but she is also attracted to women." Kelrian paused for a short moment.

"She was a strong supporter of the acceptance of homosexuality when she was very young although she was not aware of her bisexuality at that time. She contributed a lot to the fact that homo-, bisexual and transgender people are tolerated by our society. There is no reason to be worried that she might judge you."

"So you think I should tell her?"

Kelrian nodded. "Of course I do. There is no reason to be afraid of her reaction. She may be moody sometimes but I doubt she would say anything negative to you when you confess to her. Nevertheless, you shouldn't confess to her when she is frustrated or when something bad happened. Like when one of her plans didn't work out. She might not want to listen to you when she is frustrated, so talk to her when she is in a good or neutral mood."

Raesh gave his father a thankful nod. "I will keep that in mind."

"I wish I could talk to you longer and ask more questions but I have to speak to Exadius about what I have seen. As soon as I return, you can tell me about your boyfriend and about anything else that's on your mind. Keep in mind that I will always love and respect you, so will anyone else who belongs to our family. You should tell your mother what you told me."

Raesh smiled and nodded at his father. "I will. Thank you."

"There is no need to thank me, my son. Tolerance is nothing you should be grateful for in our society. It is normal these days. Fortunately, you rarely meet intolerant people, at least in our society and the society of the night elves. Be careful when you are around others who are not elves."

"I will."

Kelrian hugged him one last time and patted his back before he created a portal within a few minutes and stepped through it.