Last Christmas

Chapter 1

Author's notes:

Hey, I'd love to present the short story in the WoW universe. I'd like to consider it as my gift to all of you - readers - for Christmas.

Please note that the story is set in the same AU as the other parts of the series. 'Sometimes it's just better not to know' is the story that will explain most threads in the future :)

I hope you'll end up liking it.

Merry Christmas :)

Changelog:
2020-12-24 - a preview posted
2020-12-30 - a whole chapter posted.

End of author's notes:

"Tyrande Whisperwind married again!" it was the header of Elune-knows which one newspaper. The high priestess of Elune decision to pursue another relationship and make it official lead to utter chaos. Dozens of people working for all know newspapers were coming in hot, seeking the chance to talk with the Tyrande personally. Of course, the timing of the leader of Night Elves could not have been worse. The corpses of Malfurion Stormrage – widely known as Tyrande's husband and lifetime partner - were buried not so long ago, and yet, to everyone's surprise, the marriage was announced. To say that it was a shock for Night Elves would be an understatement. Amongst the elves, there were still many followers of the very first druid known to their race. Even though the archdruid made sever and costly decisions throughout his lifespan, they were forgotten and forgiven for many. Truth be told if the new partner of Tyrande was not Illidan, the chaos would not extend beyond the elves' realms. However, the infamous for such a long time Malfurion's brother was certainly a hot topic for everyone. For many people all around Azeroth, it was not a secret that both of Stormrages' brothers shared love toward the hight priestess. It was said that Illidan committed numerous scandalous acts to prove his worth in the woman's eyes but to no avail. After his imprisonment that took place more than ten thousand years ago, high priestess Whisperwind tightened her relationship with Malfurion, marrying him. Only a few fools back then would have thought that Illidan and Tyrande would share the same fate somewhere in the future.

With a loud sigh, Illidan threw away the newspaper. He was tired, up to now, he has already read at least 10 or so articles covering the same topic. To be more specific, they covered his and Tyrande's marriage. The demon hunter was not surprised by that. After all, for a considerable part of his life, he was considered a betrayer. The truth came out relatively recently, but for many, it was still too little to forgive him for his deeds. The previous master of Outland could not be angry about that. It was so easy for people not involved in his grand plan to be fooled by the committed actions. Still, even though he knew that all too well, it was exhausting for him. But, for Tyrande and their family, he needed to endure everything that would be thrown at him. And to him, it was a sacrifice worth committing.

Thankfully, the Winter Veil was at the full swing. In the matter of mere few hours, he would sit beside the Christmas table with his family. That thought alone filled his mind with pleasure and happiness. Still, he had much to do before that. Some presents were yet to be purchased, the tree needed to be brought to the manor and decorated. And above all of these, the supper needed to be prepared.

The Stormrage sighed once more. He has already wasted too much time to delve about everything that was a nuisance to him. It was high time for him to get moving. Without a moment of hesitation, the demon hunter stood up, stretching out the muscles. Even though he usually did not feel the cold, he opted to put a long dark-grey coat on top of the black elegant long-sleeved shirt. It would be an utter shock for anyone whom Illidan came past to see him just in a shirt. The man chuckled to himself. It was so strange for him to care about others' opinions. Still, he just adjusted his outlook because of that minor detail.