Chapter Twelve: Siege of Silvermoon Part One

An alarm rang out in the city of Silvermoon as the High Elves scrambled to get ready for an oncoming invasion. The Elves inside the city had been warned, courtesy of Sylvanas, that an Undead army was not too far from the capital. The invaders had swept through Quel'Thalas, and had killed everyone in their path. Most of the land had been ravaged, and now the only thing left untouched was Silvermoon.

Luckily for the inhabitants of the city, warning of the invasion came pretty quickly. It would have been a nightmare if the Undead just showed up at their gates. Obviously the citizens were still pretty terrified, but having an early warning was a big relief. Now they could have a chance to defend themselves, and hopefully ward off the Undead.

Now everyone was kicking it into high gear, getting ready for the invasion. Everyone who wasn't a fighter or a magic user was told to stay indoors and stay safe. As for everyone else, they were instructed to get ready. Soldiers grabbed their various weapons and armor, as well as helped get the defenses ready. Those who used magic made sure they had all the spells and potions they would need. Every little bit of preparation counted, and would help ensure the city's safety.

All of the gates were closed, and then barricaded. Guard Towers were filled with Archers, except for those that fired magical blasts of course. Resting on top of the walls were Ballistas, essentially giant crossbows that fired huge spears. Beside each Ballista were a few Elves, who had the job of loading the might machines and unleashing the gigantic arrows.

As everyone rushed to get ready, Sylvanas was having a meeting with her council. She had successfully made it to Silvermoon and warned them, long before the Undead got there. But just because the city had been warned didn't mean they were out of danger yet. There was always the chance that even with the warning they could still be overrun, which meant even more work had to be done.

Currently she and the others were over looking a map of the city, deciding the best course of action. "If we can hold them off at the front gates, at least for a little while, then we should be able to survive." The Ranger General said.

"Yes but we can only have so many Guards at those places, and that doesn't leave much room for fighting." Malanior noted.

"Perhaps we can bottleneck them?" Athaniar suggested.

Sylvanas put a hand to her chin. "Hm, that's a pretty good idea." She then moved her hand to the table, with her fore finger touching the map. "If we funnel the Scourge through the gates, then we could easily take them down."

Another Ranger, a pretty high ranking one, also touched the map. "Our Archers on the walls can pick them off from a far, as well as provide support for those on the front lines." He stated.

Malanior frowned slightly. "That's assuming that the troops on the front can even hold off the entire army, and that they don't also have Archers that can take down ours." He wasn't trying to be negative, he was just thinking of all possible scenarios.

"I'd like to see one of those mindless bastards compete with an Elven Archer." The Ranger stated.

"It's true that we have superior skill, but they have the numbers on us." Slyvanas reminded.

"Yes but as long as the outer wall holds they can only send so many Undead through, which would make it much easier for our forces." Athaniar noted.

"Not to mention we have magic on our side, which will also give us an advantage." Solilas, who had been silent up until this point, spoke.

Beside him, the Paladin snorted in amusement. "Heh, and here I thought you didn't believe the Undead would attack us."

The master Mage sighed deeply. "I am willing to admit that I was wrong... but I do believe we have more important things to worry about." It did make him feel bad that he was wrong, but not just because he didn't like to admit it. Him being wrong meant the Undead really were a threat, and that their entire civilization was in danger.

Slyvanas nodded in agreement as her eyes continued to scan the map. "We can station a few magic users on the walls and towers with the Archers, and we'll need Priests near the front lines to heal those who get wounded."

"The Holy Light will gladly aid us in our struggle." The only Priest at the meeting said.

A smile came to the Ranger General's face. "That's good to hear."

Malanior smiled briefly before he regained his serious demeanor. "Well I think it's time we finish getting ready. I don't know when the Undead will show up, but I want to be ready as soon as possible."

"Of course, and I will get the ground forces ready as well." Athaniar promised.

Everyone else agreed as well, willing to do whatever it took to get Silvermoon properly prepared for the oncoming invasion.

An idea then came to the Ranger General. "I think it also would be wise to send word out to Dalaran and inform them of our situation."

Solilas glanced over at her intrigued. "Hm, converging with our allies in Dalaran is smart... but how do we know that they are still alive. Forgive me for being grim, but if the Scourge wiped out Lordaeron then perhaps they reached Dalaran as well."

"I'll admit that it has been a little while since we've made contact with Dalaran, but I'm willing to bet that the city is still standing. As I'm sure you know Solilas the city is full of powerful Mages, including Antonidas, and I would hope that they could hold off the Undead."

The Mage paused, needing a moment to think. He had briefly studied in the city, under some of the finest Sorcerers in all of Azeroth. While the Elven Mage had confidence in the Humans and Elves that resided there he didn't want to have false hope. After all, Lordaeron was a supposed Human Stronghold, and now the Undead are supposedly roaming free in the former city.

"Well the only way to find out for sure would be to go there in person, and for a Mage that should be no problem." Athaniar noted.

"...Very well, I shall teleport to Dalaran. If the city is still intact then I shall inform them of our situation."

"Thank you." Sylvanas smiled.

"Of course, milady." With that the Mage stood up and headed out of the room, as he needed a few things before leaving.

Malanior stood up as well. "I'd say that's enough planning for now. We only have so much time, and this time we need to be one hundred percent ready."

Everyone nodded before getting up to leave.

Sylvanas continued smiling as she watched everyone leave. As one of her Rangers was leaving she moved and placed a hand upon his shoulder. "I have a special task for you. I need you to travel to Kalanar just south of here. A special friend of mine named Link should be down there, he wears a lot of green. I want you to look for him, and then bring him back here."

The Ranger had been a little confused, especially since an invasion would be happening soon, but he couldn't argue with his superior. So he gave her a salute. "I will head out right away milady!" With that he bolted out of the room.

Her smile lasted a few moments before contorting into a frown. 'I hope you're still alive Link, because we could sure use your help.'

At the Scourge base camp the Undead forces were all rallied. They had been instructed to wait there while Arthas took care of a thorn, and were now waiting him to get back. Most of the Undead were mindless, and couldn't do anything without someone to order them. With a leader they were a vicious force, but without one they were just a bunch of walking corpses.

Suddenly a portal opened up, and out walked a a huge demonic creature. Said creature took several steps forward before stopping, and the portal he had created closed behind him.

A nearby Necromancer approached the creature. "Lord Tichondrious, it is a pleasure to see you... again."

Tichondrious sneered.

"What are you doing back here?"

"Someone needs to lead the Scourge into battle, and since that foolish Prince is dead I'll have to do it myself." The Dreadlord stated.

The Necromancer wasn't sure if he heard correctly. "Did you say Lord Arthas is dead?"

"Yes, the Lich King's 'Champion' was beheaded." He then scoffed. "If he was weak enough to be killed by these pitiful Elves then he deserved to die."

While the Necromancer wasn't attached to the Death Knight by any means he did feel a little disheartened... only for a few seconds though. They were in a war, and death was a part of it. It was a shame that the Lich King's Champion had to die, but it was bound to happen at some point. That also raised a question. "Were you unable to revive him?"

"Frostmourne was destroyed... somehow, and without it Arthas was nothing." Not just that, but the Dreadlord had a bit of resentment toward the former Human. He always said the Lich King's Champion should be someone like him, and not some upstart Human turned Undead who was little more than a spoiled brat at heart.

"How could Frostmourne have been destroyed? That blade was made by the Lich King himself; no Elves should be capable of destroying it."

Tichondrious paused for a moment, and his brow furrowed. Sure the High Elves had some pretty powerful magic, but it shouldn't have been able to break such a powerful Undead weapon. Come to think of it, he was a little surprised that Arthas had been killed by the Elves, especially considering the Death Knight had survived up until that point. 'Something strange is going on, but I'm not sure what.'

"Regardless, those Elves are sure to know that we're going to attack Silvermoon. Perhaps we should hold off on the invasi-"

"NO!" The Dreadlord shouted, having been snapped out of his thoughts by the Necromancer. "Reviving Kel'Thuzad is our main objective, and we shall complete it without Arthas." After all, he was a powerful Dreadlord, and could probably wipe out Silvermoon City singled handedly... but he was no fool, and realized bringing an entire army with him would be a smart move.

"Of course, master."

A smirk came to the Demon's face. "Good, now we must prepare our forces. We leave within the hour."

Link was walking along the dirt path, on his way to Silvermoon City. He had successfully done his part of the plan, and was now ready to meet up with Sylvanas. Arthas was dead, and the Hylian was glad. That monster had killed so many innocent Elves, and plagued the once pristine lands of Quel'Thalas, but now he was gone.

Despite the good news he couldn't shake the worry building up in his gut. The Hylian knew that Arthas had command over the Undead, and was the one leading them into battle. Now though the Death Knight was dead, which meant there was nobody to control the Scourge... but he knew it wasn't that simple. There was no way Arthas was the only one in charge, and there had to be other monsters like him out there. If there were, then that meant Silvermoon was still in danger.

All was not totally lost though. His victory over Arthas may not have put an end to the war, but it at least crippled the Undead just a little. Besides, the Hero of Time had proven himself more than capable of taking on large groups of the Scourge. Plus, he and the Elves would be defending an entire city this time. He had no idea what Silvermoon looked like, or how big it was, but if it was anything like Hyrule Castle then it probably wouldn't be so easy to conquer.

And so Link continued his journey. He wasn't sure how long he had been going, or how far he had left to go. That didn't really matter to him though. One way or another he would make it to Silvermoon, and he wouldn't let the city fall!

Unfortunately, his progress wasn't as good as it could have been. After all, he had just been in a tough fight with a powerful Undead warrior. Sure he had drank some Red Potion afterward, but that only did so much. It may have healed his wounds, but didn't really do much for his stamina. It helped, but the Hylian was using quite a bit of it.

He took several more steps before deciding to rest, and a nearby tree provided him with the perfect spot. He removed his sword and shield from his back and leaned them up against the tree. After doing that the Hero of Time sat down on the soft grass, and he too leaned up against the tree. A big sigh escaped his mouth as he took a moment to relax.

It was nice to have a little break, especially since it was so nice outside. The sun was still out, but it looked like it would be setting soon. The temperature was warm, but not too hot. There was a nice breeze as well, which felt even better in his current state. All in all it was calm and peaceful, which was a sharp contrast to the previous battles that took place.

Another sigh escaped his mouth as his eyes drifted up toward the sky, where he noticed some birds flying in the distance. They were no different than any birds from Hyrule... although that really big one far off in the distance was different. As it drew closer he got a better look at it, and it didn't really seem like a bird at all.

It looked like some kind of humanoid creature, at least in terms of body structure. Everything else though suggested that it wasn't humanoid at all. It had huge talons for feet, and huge bat-like wings attached to its arms. The head was also bat like, and had piercing red eyes. To top it off it had dark-grey skin, with an even darker mane of sorts.

Link stood up and had his eyes focused on the strange creature, all the while wondering just what it was. For the life of him he had no idea, and he also wondered where it was going. It appeared to be heading in the direction he had been going in before stopping... until it took a sudden turn.

With a gasp the Hylian did a quick roll, moving himself out of the way of the creature's path. He now had an up close look at it, and it was huge! Those talons and claws looked sharp enough to tear him apart, and its fangs looked just as bad. His instincts told him that this wasn't an accident, and that this beast was here to kill him.

Panic washed over the Hylian as he caught sight of his sword and shield, which were behind the recovering beast. His panic didn't last long though, because even though he lacked the Master Sword he still had plenty of weapons at his disposal.

The beast flapped its mighty wings as it set its sights on its next victim.

Quickly forming a plan, the Hylian reached into his inventory and pulled out his Fairy Bow as well as an arrow. He nocked the arrow and unleashed it upon the monster, and to his relief his arrow imapled it. Unfortunately it didn't seem to do all that much, which made him wonder if its hide was extremely tough, but that wouldn't deter him.

With a roar the beast flew forward, ready to kill its prey. Its claws were out, and its mouth wide open.

Link unleashed a few more arrows before rolling to the side, once again avoiding death. He also noticed his arrows had no effect, which didn't really surprise him. His brow furrowed slightly before an idea came to his head. He once again drew an arrow, but before firing it he channeled his magic into it, and soon after the tip began glowing with a golden light.

Turning around, the beast went in for another attack. The arrows that had struck it had done little against its tough hide, and although somewhat painful it wasn't enough to slow it down. What did slow it down though was that glowing arrow, which upon impact caused a great amount of pain for the creature.

A satisfied smirk came to his face as he realized he had found a weakness, as well as learned that this beast was some form of Undead creature. With this in mind the Hylian fired another Light Arrow, causing his current opponent even more agony. Unfortunately his magic was running a little low, and even though the beast was stunned for the moment he didn't want to waste time grabbing a Green Potion.

Instead, the Hero of Time put his bow away and took out another weapon, which appeared to be another sword. This sword though was nearly twice as long as the Master Sword, and seemed even heavier. The handle was light-blue in color, and had a small guard. On the golden part of the handle was the symbol of the Gorons, as they were the ones who made the weapon.

After placing the brown sheath across his back he gripped the Biggoron's Sword tightly, having to use both hands due to the size of it. Link then broke out into a sprint, heading straight for the now recovering beast. With a battle cry he swung his mighty blade, cleaving the beast across the stomach.

Shrieking in pain, the beast swung one of its mighty claws, and actually managed to hit the warrior. That counterattack made the warrior pause, giving the beast another chance to strike. Another swipe of the claws followed, this time to the chest. Instead of just ripping through skin, there seemed to be some kind of armor there as well. That didn't matter though, as its claws were strong enough to tear a section of the armor off.

Link stumbled back a bit from the impact. He was surprised that part of his chainmail had been so easily removed, but he figured the beast had more strength than he originally thought. His face also stung, due to the slash marks across his cheek. He did his best to ignore the pain, as the fight wasn't over yet.

And so he swung his sword once again, and landed another cut on his opponent's body. Several more slashes across the creature's body followed, which caused some blood to fall onto the Hylian. He didn't pay it any mind, as he was focused solely on killing the beast.

Now in even more pain, the creature was having a hard time staying afloat. The loss of blood, as well as the pain, was taking its toll on it. With blurry vision it landed on the ground, but despite the circumstances it still had a meal to eat. So it shook its head and began charging the warrior.

Realizing that the chance to finish the fight was now, the Hero of Time rushed forward. His sword was raised high as he charged at the beast. Right as they were about to crash into one another he moved to the side, and with another battle cry he brought the Biggoron's Sword down with full force. The tip of his blade touched the ground, with some blood dripping off of it and onto the grass. His eyes drifted down where he noticed the beast lying on the ground, headless. Its head rested several inches in front of the body, and a pool of blood began forming between the two body parts.

A few heavy breathes escaped his mouth as the adrenaline from the battle began to wear off. That wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, but he suspected the creature he fought hadn't been the smartest. Had it not been for his quick thinking and reflexes he might not have survived, but luckily he had come out on top.

After quickly cleaning off his sword he put it back in the sheath, and then put the whole thing back into his inventory. With that done he walked back to the tree he had been resting against, and strapped the Master Sword and Hylian Shield to his back. Once his gear was on he once again set out for Silvermoon.

And so he continued his journey, except now he was even more worn out. The wounds he had suffered from that previous battle were catching up with him, and also making it hard to continue. The Hylian paused for a moment and reached into his inventory, and a few seconds later pulled the Red Potion he had drank from earlier. There was still some left, and he quickly removed the cork and started chugging.

As the last of the Red Potion went down his throat Link wiped the residue from his lips. He then put the cork back in the bottle before putting it away. While the potion certainly helped he knew he wasn't back at one hundred percent, but he figured that it would be enough to get him to the city.

In spite of the circumstances the Hero of Time moved at a pretty good pace. He had no idea if the Undead had reached Silvermoon yet, but that didn't really matter. If they had then he needed to hustle in order to help them, and if not then he could help them prepare as well as take care of his wounds.

He continued walking before coming to a stop, but it wasn't because of fatigue. His ears perked slightly as he heard nearby rustling, which was accompanied by soft footsteps. He turned to his left, where the noise was coming from. As he kept focus on the sounds his hands slowly went to his back, ready to grab his sword and shield if needed.

Suddenly an Undead Warrior emerged from the nearby bushes, wielding a sword and a shield. Said Skeleton snarled as it made its way over to the Warrior.

Faster than his foe could react the Hylian un-sheathed his weapon and sliced the Skeleton clean in two. Right as he was about to put the Master Sword away he heard some more footsteps, as well as rustling. He had a good feeling he knew what was coming, and as such grabbed his Hylian Shield.

Not a moment later more Undead minions emerged, having come from various places around the area. It certainly wasn't an army, but there were quite a bit of them. They all had their sights set on Link, and looked ready to kill him.

Groaning lightly, the Hero of Time shifted into his stance. He may not have been fully healed, but that wouldn't keep him from fighting. And so he sprung into action, heading for the closest opponent. A few feet to his right was another Skeletal Warrior, and a few quick slashes took care of it.

The Hylian then dashed to his left, over toward two Stalchilds. As he closed the gap he sliced the head off of one, taking it down with ease. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the other preparing to strike him. A quick thrust of his right arm smashed his shield into his foe, making them stumble back. He then slashed at it, and took it down much like the others.

Several moments passed as he took down the rest of the Undead in the area. As he fought he couldn't help but wonder where the rest of the army was. He assumed that the Scourge was on their way to Silvermoon, which would explain why he ran into some of their forces. It could have just been a coincidence, but he kind of doubted it.

After taking care of those mindless Skeletons Link took a moment to catch his breath, as even though he didn't exert himself that much he still used some of his energy. At this rate it would take him even longer to reach Silvermoon. Well, that just meant he didn't have time to waste.

"Rrrrrgh!"

Link paused and turned toward the source of that... bizarre noise, having no idea what could have made it. He could then hear some heavy footsteps, as well as more rustling. Soon after he saw something come into view, and it made his face go blank.

A big, fleshy, freaky looking monster slowly walked. The only way to describe it was that somebody took a bunch of different body parts and sowed them together randomly, as evidenced by all of the stitches. There was a gaping hole in its body, revealing its organs and blood, which were very disgusting to look at. In one hand was a long chain, and in the other two were huge meat cleavers. Yes, it had three arms, with the third attached to its back.

Ordinarily the Hero of Time never showed fear to his opponents, but in this instance he couldn't help it. Never before had he seen such a gruesome creature, and the fact that it was bigger than him didn't help. This made Ganondorf seem like a good guy, as the Gerudo King never created anything so twisted.

"Must... kill... Elf!" It managed to speak as it continued staggering over to the Elven Warrior.

Regaining his nerve, the Hylian went to engage. His opponent may have been bigger, and possibly stronger, but he had a feeling the monster wasn't the brightest. Not to mention this wouldn't be his first encounter with a large, unintelligent, beast.

The Abomination growled as it swung its right arm, bringing the chain along with it. Unfortunately the Elf avoided the chain, and was still running toward it. Now the monster was face to face with the Elf, who seemed ready to attack. With another growl the monster swung one of its cleavers, which impacted against its opponent's shield.

After blocking that attack the Hero of Time countered. He swiftly dropped his guard and thrust his sword forward, getting the Abomination in its exposed gut. He heard the cry of pain, which made him smirk lightly. As he was removing his blade he noticed the third arm moving down to strike, making him move back a bit.

Upon doing so he raised his shield back up, protecting himself from another cleaver strike. Not a moment later he felt something wrap around his legs, and to his horror it was the chain. Before he could escape he was pulled off of his feet, and landed pretty hard on the ground. Pain coursed through his body but he ignored as it rolled to his side, having just avoided getting his chest sliced into.

With the Elf still trapped, the Abomination raised its right arm, raising him off the ground. It held its victim upside down, all the while flashing him a demented grin. Right as it was about to attack its left arm was cut clean off. The monster cried out slightly before throwing the Elf.

With a scream of his own Link flew through the air before smacking into a tree, causing him even more pain. His body rested near the tree, and he struggled to get back to his feet. As he tried to get back up he noticed his opponent heading toward him. which was a bit of an alarming sight. With a good amount of effort the Hylian willed himself to his feet.

Now standing, he prepared himself for the next encounter. His ability to fight wasn't getting any better, but that didn't mean he would give up. Before he could even move he saw several arrows pierce through the monster. His eyes then wandered upward, where he saw an Elf riding upon a giant flying bird, not unlike the ones he had seen at the village earlier.

Said Elf flew in closer all the while un-sheathing his sword. Once he was close enough he swung his blade, chopping the head off of the Abomination. With that taken care of he brought his mount down for a landing, and once on the ground he got off and approached the warrior.

"You must be Link."

Link only nodded.

"You're lucky I was able to spot you from the air, because it looks like that thing did a number on you." The Ranger noted.

"These wounds weren't just from that. Before making my way to Silvermoon I fought Arthas, and beating him was no easy task."

Hearing that made the High Elf pause. "...You fought Arthas... and beat him?!" He received a nod from Link, which made him gasp in surprise. He had only heard rumors of the Fallen Prince, and how Arthas had become extremely powerful after taking joining the Scourge. So to hear that Arthas had been beaten was a shock. It could have been a lie, but the look on the man's face told him he was serious. 'I can see why Sylvanas wanted me to find him so badly.'

"Tell me, is Silvermoon alright?"

The Ranger snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes, the city is fine... for now at least. As I'm sure you know the Scourge have invaded, and they're coming for Silvermoon." His eyes then fell upon the many piles of bones, and what looked like a Gargoyle corpse in the distance. "From what I can see you know how to handle yourself. That's good, we'll certainly need your help."

Link nodded once again. "...Is Sylvanas alright?" He had a feeling that she was fine, given that she was the Ranger General, but he just wanted confirmation.

"She's fine, and if I were you I'd worry about your own wounds." The Ranger joked.

The Hylian looked himself over and let out a small chuckle, which lasted a few moments before he stopped due to the pain.

"We're wasting time." The Ranger said as he walked over to the man and propped him up. "We need to get to Silvermoon as quickly as we can, and we also need to get you to a healer." Once next to his Dragonhawk he helped Link onto the saddle, and once safely on the Ranger climbed aboard as well. And with a whip of the reigns the beast instantly took to the skies.

As Link sat there he did his best to stay awake, but it was proving to be difficult. His eyelids grew heavy and he found himself quickly drifting off into slumber. 'Don't worry Sylvanas, I won't let Silvermoon down...'

Standing on a small plateau outside of the magnificent Elven City, Tichondrius stood. The Dreadlord chuckled to himself as he glanced behind himself at his army. All of those Skeletons, Necromancers, Abominations, Crypt Fiends, and various other minions all looked ready to slaughter anything that came in their path. The Undead may be mindless, but it certainly made them easy to control.

His gaze then returned forward, back to Silvermoon. The only thing standing between him and the revival of Kel'Thuzad were the High Elves, and their City. Laying siege to Silvermoon would be no easy feat, even for the Scourge. The Elves were crafty, and knew a lot about magic. They were also pretty decent Warriors, from what they were told.

However, Tichondrius wasn't too worried. After all, he was a powerful Demon, and had a legion of Undead soldiers at his back. There was no way he would suffer the same fate as Arthas, and his victory at Silvermoon would certainly make up for the Death Knight's utter failure.

A few moments later a Necromancer approached his leader. "We await your command Lord Tichondrius."

"Fire the Meat Wagons, we're taking that wall down!"

"Very well."

Tichondrius watched as several of his Acolytes pushed the Meat Wagons forward, in order to get a better shot at the wall. Once his minions finished that they loaded the Scourge Catapults, and a few moments later fired them. A satisfied smirk came to his face as he watched the heavy stones fly through the air and make impact against the Elven wall.

Shortly after an alarm rang out, which was coming from the city.

"Go my minions, and tear this wretched City down!"

This seems like a good place to stop. I decided to do a two parter because this chapter would have been really long otherwise, and I certainly wouldn't want to rush anything or cram it all into one. Also, while I have done multi-part chapters before this is my first time using Part 1 in the title(as I usually just come up with new chapter names for each part). Plus, the next chapter will be nothing but combat, so I'll do my best not to disappoint. So Sylvanas got Silvermoon ready and Link is on his way, but can he make it back and heal in time?

In the Warcraft 3 mission there are Gargoyles that show up on the path to SIlvermoon to stop a Runner that Sylvanas sends out, but I changed it to 1(THIS HAPPENED IN THE GAME SO I DON'T WANT COMMENTS ABOUT HOW THAT GARGOYLE CAME OUT OF NOWHERE). Besides, it's not too much of stretch that Tichnodrius/Arthas would bring in even more, and frankly stronger, forces.

That's all for now, so be sure to R&R and have a wonderful day!

FutureShock