Alexei cut a damn fine figure the next morning, fully armored, and mounted on the war elekk. Abir had arrived to watch, bringing friends, and Alexei cursed under his breath. The last thing he needed was to become an object of awe…he was just Alexei. And he was busy. He watched Raynor's team train, through narrowed eyes. He'd love to give Ranith's father a place, but getting her back safely took precedence. If the man and his team were not up to it, then he'd leave them behind.
Thankfully, they were good, incredibly strong fall back defenders. Ranith's father was fast, fluid, quick striking with a sword and short blade combat load, using his smaller size and speed to his best advantage. They switched from ranged, casting and missile weapons, to close in denial combat quickly, easily. They would never make the front echelon of this raid… but they'd make a fine back up unit. His mind made up, he dropped his attention from the unit and studied his surroundings. Abir and his handful of juvenile draenei friends, hoping he'd put on a show instead of just sitting on the elekk looking pretty and watching others. And elves, small, brilliantly hued, cutting through the crowds. He narrowed his eyes again, staring at one of their paladins working his way along the path beside the training grounds. Shattrath was filled with draenei young, and the elves had none of their own here. That made them inherently untrustworthy. Perhaps their presence was why Velen had chosen to remain at Exodar, effectively moving the draenei capital without actually saying it was moved. Shattrath may not have fallen, but it hardly qualified as secure.
"Damnable elves." Raynor agreed, his much smaller elekk moving up beside Alexei's. "I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. I know A'dal says…but… Your thoughts on this? You are close to Velen…"
"Velen has stated he will remain with Exodar, on Azeroth. That makes Exodar our capital, Shattrath no longer. And while A'dal has accepted these, there are none at Exodar. It remains secure. I would guess that to mean that Velen trusts them about as much as you or I do. He makes our capital a world away now."
"One way to look at it. What do you think?" He waved at the unit, and Alexei watched them.
"Heavily defensive. But I am happy with what I see… defensive has its uses, even in an offensive maneuver."
"You were at Tempest Keep. Velen's letter told me my daughter stood gallantly there."
Alexei wished his helm was on his head, obscuring his face, rather than hanging from his saddle pommel. "It was a day to be proud of our people." He managed, "All who were called made the march. All who were called stood without fail, against great odds."
"And the fight at the portal? Where she was lost?"
"The portal opened into the midst of the waiting Legion. We needed to hold them on that side, keep them from Azeroth, so our only answer was to charge the portal and make our way back to the Draenor side. We came out surrounded by demons. The fight was… the worst I've ever been in. I went through the portal in a new set of plate, thirty minutes later, it was gone. The larger pieces of it simply shattered."
"And yet, you survived."
Alexei sighed, squinting into the bright blue sky. He was tired of dancing, and he'd already made his mind up. "My beloved stood behind me." He stated, removing the necklace from his neck, and holding it out to Raynor. "Ranith would not let me die."
"Ran…." He went gray, and gripped his pommel. "Ranith. You were with Ranith when she died?"
"I was with Ranith during the march. I was with her at Tempest Keep, and beyond… all of the way to the portal. And no, I was not with Ranya when she died, because she has not died. Velen told me he told you she was lost. And she is."
