"I know I look terrible right now, you don't need to say these sweet words to comfort me." Alleria wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, looking at Leylin with a mournful expression.
"You're so good to me, Alleria." He said, feeling a cool and comfortable sensation on his back.
Hearing Leylin's words, Alleria was stunned. After a moment's thought, she took off her ranger's cloak and coat, removing her ranger's attire.
The temperature inside the tent, which should have been chilly, suddenly rose, and the usually calm and composed Leylin blushed. He looked helplessly at the elven girl facing him.
"You?" Leylin asked.
Before Leylin could finish his question, a thin shirt clung tightly to his firm chest. Feeling the warmth of each other's bodies, Alleria's slender arms tightly gripped Roland's shoulders.
Her face was pressed against Leylin's chest, her soft breaths tickling him. But this was only temporary; a second later, Leylin was overwhelmed by the scene before him.
He couldn't understand why Alleria was acting this way.
At this point, Leylin didn't hesitate any longer. He placed his hands on Alleria's back, pulling her delicate body into his arms.
"What are you thinking about?" Leylin asked, savoring the elven girl's faint fragrance and smooth skin.
"Don't speak, let me feel your embrace. It won't last long," Alleria said, her voice trembling with tears. Leylin smiled and pulled Alleria into a tighter embrace.
"Don't talk nonsense. No matter what you're thinking now, in my arms you're just a simple elven girl. You have no other identity," Leylin said.
Alleria traced circles on Leylin's chest with her fingers, chiding him reproachfully, "You're running away. You know all about my identity, and none of it can be erased."
"I understand, but please don't keep suppressing yourself. Liking someone doesn't have to be so exhausting."
"But I shouldn't," Alleria said, looking into Leylin's eyes with a hint of resentment.
His resolute yet tender gaze interrupted her. She sobbed a few times, then suddenly laughed, "You've corrupted me, you bad guy."
She clenched her battle-hardened hands, her fists pounding against Leylin's shoulder. The Ranger Captain poured out her delicate emotions; the feeling was tender.
Leylin smoothed Alleria's hair, saying, "Besides the responsibilities you should bear, you should also enjoy the happiness that an elven girl deserves. There's nothing wrong with that."
Alleria knew this mage was special, so special that his way of thinking and his ideas were different from hers. She cherished the warmth she felt now, a happiness she hadn't experienced since her parents' death.
"You bad boy, can you promise me something?" Alleria pleaded.
"Of course, you can ask for anything," Leylin said.
After a moment of silence, Alleria parted her lips slightly: "If we can return to Quel'Thalas alive, will you forget about me now? I don't want to put my little sister in a difficult position, and I don't want the elves in the elven kingdom to look down on us Windrunners."
What nonsense was she talking about!
Leylin frowned, and suddenly exerted force with his wrist, using the strength of his arm to lower his face and kiss her thin, dry lips deeply.
The suppressed emotions suddenly erupted at this moment. After a slight resistance, tears slid down her cheeks and mingled on their tongues.
For a long time, their figures, illuminated by the firelight, were reluctant to separate.
"Are you happy?" Leylin asked.
The girl in his arms wrapped her arms around Leylin's neck, nodding her head.
"It's already difficult to find happiness in this turbulent world. Don't let it slip away. Cherish it. I'm here for you," Leylin promised.
The embrace was so warm and blissful that Alleria was almost intoxicated. Leylin was right; why let go of a chance for happiness and joy? No matter what the other elves said, since things were already this way, nothing else mattered.
"You bad boy, about my little sister. I don't know how to face her," Alleria said shyly, her head bowed.
Recalling what Vereesa had said on the Windrunner's Spire, Leylin felt even more strongly that his dream was within reach. He waved his hand, and the lights in the tent quietly went out.
Alleria said nervously, "No, we can't yet."
"Go to sleep, what are you thinking about! We have to continue our march in a few days; this chance to sleep peacefully won't come often," Leylin said to the girl in his arms.
Embarrassed and angry at Leylin's words, Alleria stubbornly clung to him, completely disregarding whether Leylin could bear her weight.
This punishment was practically a blessing for Leylin. Feeling the soft breasts against his chest, Leylin soothed Alleria into sleep as if caring for a child.
Three days later.
After traversing the canyon path behind Durnholde Keep, the advance team entered the Hinterlands. This was an ancient continent east of Lordaeron, where towering ancient oak trees stretched as far as the eye could see across the flat land.
The rough, wrinkled bark of these ancient oaks was torn in dozens of places by the sheer number of trees, enough to encircle several people. Besides these, the Hinterlands also boasted dense deciduous forests and maple trees, inhabited by numerous wild griffons.
These unique creatures had also shaped the way of life of an ancient race: the Wildhammer Dwarves. With the help of these griffons, they preferred to build their dwellings atop towering mountains.
The griffons transformed the Wildhammer dwarves' way of life and fostered the intelligent civilization created by this wise race.
They cherished harmony with other creatures and were accustomed to harnessing the power of nature. This simple, natural way of life nurtured a righteous people who had always lived peacefully in Aerie Peak.
However, the orcs had invaded the area a day earlier. At the forefront of the Hinterlands, in a Wildhammer dwarf settlement, many of the domed fortresses were destroyed and trampled. The Horde clashed with the dwarves.
"Captain, look ahead, are there dwarves active on the mountains?" Above the distant plains was a towering mountain range, upon which many Wildhammer dwarf dwellings were built—the home of these dwarves living in the mountains.
During the march, Alleria was used to being addressed this way by Leylin.
A ranger's eyesight was always sharp, and Alleria clearly saw a griffon rider leaping into the air from the distant mountainside. Among these brown-yellow griffons was a dwarf wielding a warhammer.
"They seem to be preparing for war. If I'm not mistaken, the orcs are attacking them."
Using his senses, Leylin tried to check which directions the vibrations are louder. Using the Wildhammer dwarf camp ahead as a landmark, they calculated the advance force to be nearly seventy kilometers from Aerie Peak.
While astonished by the orcs' rapid advance, Leylin was also worried about the dwarves on that mountain; would they be able to wait for Alliance reinforcements?