"For the King!"

The shouts, the beating of hooves, and the clatter of spears against armor and bone seemed so far away. Their air was filled with the cacophony of distant battle, yet things continued as normal within the small camp. All standing soldiers had been pulled from the reserve garrison hours earlier, and only the few priests stationed there were left to sort out swaths of wounded soldiers. Hands filled with the power of the Light ran over the gruesome wounds of many soldiers. Those that were unable to be saved had their last rites read in mass, before being summarily disposed of.

Velleina Brightleaf was a young priest, barely out of seminary. The other priests noted that she was easily unnerved by the sight of the dead, yet still diligent in her work. Her auburn hair had not yet grown to its full length, and her face still had a few hints of youth to it. However, in this hour, she was much less cheerful. She stood, stony-faced, over the wounded cavalryman, her hands imbued with the radiant glow of the Light as she ran them up and down the wound. It began, slowly, to clot, as the skin began to grow back over it.
It would be quite a while before the young man’s nerves were up to the weight of carrying armor again, and as a result, he was to be sent off to Silvermoon as a refugee. Carts, draped with a blue cover, arrived daily to ship off the wounded towards the safer parts of northern Quel’thalas, however they arrived in fewer and fewer numbers as time progressed. The days wore on, and today, no carts would arrive to the small camp. Bachauzen Highwalker paced back and forth in silent contemplation, scratching his small goatee as he did. Finally, he spoke,

"This is," there was a brief pause, "most unusual." His voice was stressed, yet gruff all the same. His white robes wore the stains of the wounded proudly, as did Velleina’s own. He spoke once again, clearly addressing the small gathering of priests this time, "We will not abandon our post here until Arthas himself is among us, however. Silvermoon relies on the actions taken here today." He gave a firm nod as he finished his sentence, shooing off the collection. They had their orders, and he had no more to say.

Velleina, at first, thought him an old fool. They were priests, after all, they had no business being at the ever-nearing front lines, especially with Arthas himself bearing down upon them. Yet, despite this, she stayed. She didn’t dare desert. There would be no welcoming party awaiting her in Silvermoon, only the blades of the Guardians at her back as she awaited a kangaroo court.
The nights shook Velleina like no other sight in the camp. Most of the priests would retire to their sleep, leaving the wounded to fend for themselves. Those who had not yet saw treatment suffered the worst, and often, were the loudest. They moaned in their sleeps like banshees, crying out for their ancestors, or for a sun that did not bless them in the wee hours. Velleina lay on her cot, staring at the roof of the tent as it shifted around with the wind, swaying this way and that.

It was in an instant that the hot fire was upon them, as well as the shouts and screams of retreating soldiers. A flash of blue, gold, and then red. Velleina, unable to sleep for the past few days, was on her feet in an instant. It was too much for her to process, she looked about frantically as the retreating Guardians trudged through the camp without care for anybody but themselves. Arrows rained down onto the retreating formation, lighting up the dark sky with their lit tips. A few landed on tents, setting them ablaze. The wounded were left to fend for themselves as the few priests who slept at the flanks of the camp escaped into the surrounding forest.

Velleina turned north, looking towards the ink black sky and the small white stars, setting off on foot towards the grassy knoll that rest behind the camp. The tree branches would surely cover her from the arrows, and the trunks would cover her from the sight of the advancing Scourge. The formerly distant clash of swords was now upon her, and she set off without a second though into the woods.