Lirath

Duke looked up, witnessing a scene so utterly embarrassing it made his eyeballs ache. Queen Sylvanas, a future titan and the undisputed grand dame of the Forsaken, was currently getting her ear twisted like a pretzel by her own sister. It was like watching a future warlord getting grounded by her mom, right there on the dock.

But for the love of all that was holy, why was Sylvanas even here?

"Oh, now you realize you're being rude, you little imp! Think about what you just did, you menace!" After quickly dealing with her runaway sister, Alleria strode over, bowing with impeccable grace to apologize to Lothar, who, being surrounded by the kings, was clearly the top dog in this particular pack.

"I am terribly sorry!" Alleria's voice, smooth as aged elven wine, flowed over them. "I am Alleria Windrunner, Ranger Major General of Quel'Thalas. My sister, Sylvanas Windrunner, is also a Ranger General, it's just that she… she just pulled a very ill-timed prank. I sincerely beg your forgiveness." Her voice was so melodic, so utterly pleasant, it made you wonder if she'd sound like an angel singing even when she was absolutely furious and chewing someone out.

Looking at Duke, who was still sprawled on the ground like a discarded rag doll, utterly bewildered, Lothar let out a hearty, booming laugh. He glanced around at the kings, who were all sporting amused smiles. "This is just a harmless joke, folks. I don't think any generous king would mind such a small matter, right?"

The three kings present, Daelin, Llane, and Antonidas, all nodded in agreement, a collective shrug.

"Well, welcome to Southshore," Lothar said, extending a hand. "I am Anduin Lothar, the Commander-in-Chief of the Alliance of Lordaeron."

"Thank you, and thank you all for your understanding," Alleria replied, her eyes briefly darting to her second sister, then bowing once more in apology. She then walked over to Duke, who was still stubbornly refusing to get up from the ground, and extended her right hand, as if to help him.

Duke blinked, his mind already conjuring a long-awaited embrace, when Alleria's voice, carried on a whisper of wind, suddenly reached his ears: "Hey! Little guy, don't embarrass me more than you already have. Get up first, and we can talk about it in private later. I don't want to cause any international incidents."

Duke was about to retort when a second voice, Sylvanas's, suddenly chimed in, also carried on the wind: "Hey, my dear sister, you're not being honest. How can Mr. Duke Edmund look like a 'little guy'? He's clearly a handsome boy!"

Alleria's face instantly flushed crimson, the bright color spreading all the way to the tips of her tall, pointed ears. If she hadn't bent down, letting her cascading golden hair shield her face, she would have made a complete fool of herself.

To be honest, Duke still had no earthly idea what was going on. But it was probably a good thing, whatever it was.

However, after hearing the Windrunner sisters conversing in the "language of the wind," which outsiders couldn't comprehend, Duke suspected that Sylvanas's sudden tackle had been some kind of… test?

With dozens of eyes fixed on them, it wasn't the time for a detailed conversation. Duke, pretending nothing was amiss, stood up, taking Alleria's extended hand.

Uh… she truly is a legendary, goddess-level hero. Her hands were incredibly soft. That impossibly smooth, tender palm, seemingly boneless – was it truly the hand that could loose countless deadly arrows? How did the high elves even grow their bodies? They were just so perfect.

Even Duke was a little distracted at that moment.

Over there, Alleria quickly composed herself, raising her head to regain her previous dignified demeanor, though her emerald green eyes still held an undisguised wildness. She looked at Lothar. "Excuse me, Sir. In fact, I bring greetings from the Sun King Anasterian Sunstrider and the Silvermoon Council."

"Please thank the Sun King and the Silvermoon Council for me," Lothar replied, turning halfway to gesture towards the group of bigwigs behind him. "Please allow me to introduce the kings of the Alliance, the generals, and my adjutants."

When Duke was introduced, Lothar offered a wicked grin. "Well, let's just skip this one. I think Lady Alleria may have a deeper understanding of him than I do."

Facing Lothar's playful jab, Alleria's face flushed slightly again, and she shot a glare at her second sister, who was now innocently whistling.

After the introductions, Lothar got down to brass tacks. "Please forgive my bluntness and harshness, Lady Alleria. However, as the Commander of the Alliance, I must confirm one thing: is this all the assistance your people are providing?"

Here it comes! Alleria thought, then decided to lay her cards on the table. "Sir Lothar, please forgive my frankness…"

Alleria took a step forward, glancing around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, then whispered, "His Majesty Anasterian and the members of the Silvermoon Council don't pay much mind to the Horde's movements. This so-called 'tribe' is simply too far from our territory. And Councilor Dar'khan repeatedly claimed in the council that it was because humans' excessive logging angered nature, so they launched a revenge against humans."

"Bullshit… that bastard has long ears!" Lothar's anger flared, his face turning red. "Uh, sorry, I didn't mean you," he quickly added, gesturing vaguely.

"It doesn't matter," Alleria replied. "In fact, his words didn't gain much traction, but the councilors generally believed that the Horde seemed to be trying to conquer human territory rather than our forests. So, they thought it best to leave this struggle to the younger races. We only need to strengthen our borders to prevent any possible invasion. That's enough."

Hearing this, Lothar couldn't hide the sadness on his face. This meant there was no hope for additional troops. Even if one didn't want to admit it, the High Elves' Mage Corps and Ranger Corps were elite forces any commander dreamed of, often capable of turning the tide of battle. But now, there was nothing more to expect.

At this point, Duke smiled. "But, I see two Ranger Generals standing right in front of us."

Not only the Windrunner sisters, but a large number of other elves were disembarking from the ships. It was only now that everyone noticed that all the elven ships were practically bursting at the seams. This group of elves, both men and women, began to quickly gather. One look at their aura and demeanor showed they were seasoned elite rangers who had seen plenty of blood, not greenhorns. And at a glance, there were over a thousand of them.

Two Ranger Generals and an elite force of over a thousand men – this could hardly be called a slight!

Duke was then shocked to find that there was another short-haired version of 'Alleria' among them.

"Three Windrunners? All of them Ranger-Generals?" Duke, Lothar, and the others couldn't hide the sheer surprise on their faces.

Alleria raised a hand. "Oh, this is our fourth sibling, Lilas. She's currently a Ranger Captain."

As she said this, Lirath, who was clearly the quieter of the bunch, simply nodded in their direction, then went back to organizing her subordinates into formation.