Артас: Возвышение короля-лича

           Luredbyhisdispiritedness,orsoArthasgleanedbyeavesdropping,theguardshadgrownlaxintheircareofhim.NoonewasquitesurehowOrgrimDoomhammer’sescapehadbeenengineered,becausenoonesurvivedtoreportonit—everyguardheencounteredhadgottenhisneckbroken.Buttherewasatrailofbodies,thatofguards,indigents,andcriminals—Doomhammerdidnotdiscriminate—leadingfromthewide-opencellthroughtheUndercitytothesingleescaperoute—thefoul-smellingsewers.Doomhammerwascapturedagainshortlythereafter,andthistimeplacedintheinternmentcamps.Whenheescapedfromthere,too,theAlliancecollectivelyhelditsbreath,waitingforarenewedattack.Nonecame.EitherDoomhammerwasfinallydead,ortheyhadshatteredhisfightingspiritafterall.

           Twoyearshadcomeandgone,andnowitlookedliketheDarkPortalthroughwhichtheHordehadenteredAzeroththefirsttime—theportalthattheAlliancehadshutdownattheendoftheSecondWar—wasgoingtobereopened.Orhadalreadybeenreopened,Arthaswasn’tsurewhich,becausenobodyapparentlyseemedtowanttobothertotellhimanything.Eventhoughhewasgoingtobecomekingoneday.

           Itwasabeautifulday,sunnyandclearandwarm.Partofhimwantedtobeoutsidewithhisnewhorse,whomhehadnamedInvincible—thesamefoalhehadseenbeingbornonthatbitterwinterdaytwoyearsago.Maybehe’ddothatlater.