Currently, Barthilas has become the acting lord of Hearthglen. Although he obtained the position he had dreamed of, it did not bring him the corresponding honor: the people of Hearthglen preferred the old Lord Fordring, and the original advisors all thought he was too young and inexperienced; and Dathrohan did not like his tattling behavior, and Uther even reprimanded him in court at the time.
In short, after becoming the lord, everything did not go so smoothly. So he began to consider how to consolidate his position, remove the word "acting" before the title of lord, and become the true ruler of Hearthglen.
The arrival of Prince Arthas gave him an opportunity.
Now he leads a team of knights, responsible for the safety of the prince and the mages maintaining the imprisonment circle. This is a good job to get close to His Royal Highness the Prince.
After Uther the Lightbringer's general attack began, he began to patrol diligently, investigating any possible threats nearby, in order to leave a good impression on His Royal Highness the Prince.
When he and two knights patrolled near the mage camp, they saw Prince Arthas holding a bunch of freshly picked wildflowers, hesitating behind a tree. Barthilas immediately realized: the opportunity had come.
The rumors between His Royal Highness the Prince and Princess Jaina Proudmoore of Kul Tiras have been one of the most popular topics among the people of Lordaeron in the past two years: this golden couple was in love for a while, but for some reason, they grew apart later.
As someone who has "been there," Barthilas understood the prince's situation and knew that the prince must want to rekindle their old love, but the young man was thin-skinned and shy to speak up.
"You guys go back to the camp first, I'll go take a look nearby." He dismissed the two knights, then dismounted and stepped forward to salute the prince, and then humbly asked, "Your Highness Arthas, what troubles do you have? I am willing to share your worries."
Arthas first showed embarrassment at being caught, and then said in an expectant tone: "I remember you, your name is Barthilas—I want... I want to talk to Miss Proudmoore alone for a while, but there are too many people inside, and I'm afraid others will gossip. There is a letter in this bouquet of flowers, would you please pass it on to her? She will understand when she sees it."
"Gladly!" Barthilas immediately stepped forward and reached out to take the bouquet of roses.
...
Prince Arthas's camp was in the mage camp. He really wanted to participate in the crusade against the Cult of the Damned, but Uther gave him the task of protecting the safety of the mages, and solemnly told him that the importance of this task was no less than personally participating in the front-line battle—because once something went wrong here, no matter how brilliant the results below were, it would not prevent the cult leader Kel'Thuzad from escaping, and in that case, their actions would be no different from failure.
He reflected for a long time, and still suppressed the impulse to leave the camp without permission, and honestly fulfilled his responsibilities.
While he was pondering, his personal guard captain Falric came in to report: "Your Highness, Barthilas of the Knights is asking to see you."
"Let him in."
He looked at the paladin who came in. He remembered Barthilas. A few days ago in the Hall of Judgment, this person was the witness who sued the paladin Fordring. His Royal Highness the Prince was not as disgusted with Barthilas as Uther and Dathrohan, because he had no special feelings for Fordring, so from his point of view, Barthilas's actions were not wrong.
His Royal Highness the Prince smiled and looked at the paladin of the Silver Hand, and when he saw that the other party was holding a bouquet of wildflowers, he showed a surprised expression: "Paladin Barthilas, you are?"
"Your Highness," Barthilas smiled naturally, "This bouquet of flowers comes from a beautiful and noble lady, and she has something to tell you." Then he looked at the guards on the left and right.
Everyone present was quite clear about the identity of the "beautiful and noble" lady who might send flowers to His Royal Highness the Prince, so they cooperated and withdrew. Only Arthas and Barthilas were left in the tent.
Prince Arthas also realized this, his heart was beating a little fast, and he couldn't help but recall that wonderful Halloween night two years ago, when they completely possessed each other. But later, because he thought they were both too young and needed time to mature and see their true hearts, they returned to the position of friends.
But they both understood that they only had each other in their hearts. Love did not weaken because of the change in relationship.
On the contrary, because they hadn't seen each other for two years, when he saw the more mature and beautiful Jaina in the Hall of Justice a few days ago, he felt that she was so beautiful that it was breathtaking, and he had long wanted to find an opportunity to confide in her—but unfortunately, because of the Cult of the Damned, this opportunity had not come.
Even now, although they are in the same camp, one is maintaining the magic circle and the other is guarding the safety, close at hand but unable to get close.
Now, when Prince Arthas saw that Barthilas had brought a bouquet of flowers from "her," he began to feel his heart beating. He let Barthilas approach without any defense, and then whispered in his ear.
...
Since becoming a lich, Ras Frostwhisper has been able to clearly feel his powerful power: the great Lich King has given him eternal life and an immortal body, and no mortal power in this world can completely kill him.
This is his greatest reliance on daring to intercept the Alliance army here—even if his body is shattered by powerful forces, he can be resurrected by preserving the soul box.
The only one who can control his life and death is the object he is loyal to—the great Lich King!
So he is not afraid of these humans.
But when that angel suddenly appeared and slaughtered his abominations like cutting melons, he began to feel less confident: he could feel that this angel possessed an energy that greatly restrained him.
Perhaps… I will die here…
As Kayle rushed over, such a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
"No! I am an immortal lich!"
Lich Ras Frostwhisper shrieked, and an extremely cold and evil energy burst out from his bony claws, spreading in all directions. Everything in its path was frozen in frost. Whether it was a ghoul or a paladin, all faced indiscriminate attacks, except for those flying in the sky.
The Alliance mage corps and combat priests reacted quickly. Archmage Antonidas took the lead in summoning an arcane barrier, blocking most of the power of this Frost Nova, and then the priests summoned a huge light cover encompassing all Alliance soldiers, neutralizing the remaining damage. The few soldiers at the very front were not saved because they were too far forward. Their bodies, maintaining their previous movements, were solidified in extremely cold ice, turning into sculptures exuding cold air. The claws of the ghouls pouncing from the air shattered them into pieces all over the ground with a single touch.
Some ice shards clung to Kayle's golden armor and wings, but they were quickly melted by the holy flame surrounding his body. The Sword of Retribution reignited with holy fire, slashing towards the lich's head: "Lich, your time has come!"
"No!"
Ras Frostwhisper's head was chopped off in this strike. He screamed wildly as his skull rolled towards the wall, wailing and laughing maniacally, "The great Lich King has granted me an immortal body! Your sword cannot kill me! Heh heh, you will all die in…"
His roar was interrupted by another holy flame. His skull melted, and the fire of his soul dissipated into the air, leaving only his voice lingering, filled with endless entanglement: "I will be resurrected soon. I am immortal…"
The remaining gargoyles scattered and fled, most of them shot down by the mages.
Uther left the wounded soldiers for the priests to heal, and then led the soldiers forward.
As he passed by the Judgment Angel, he sincerely said, "Thank you very much for your help!"
"Eliminating evil is also my duty, paladin. You don't need to thank me," Kayle replied.
Rhonin behind him widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Aiden, your companion Kayle is really too powerful!"
Aiden silently complained, "Are you implying that I am too weak?"
"Haha, no, how could I."
The troops continued to advance. The soldiers fighting on the front line were replaced by those behind, and the reorganized team was refreshed. When they advanced to another large room, another group of Scourge troops was waiting for them.
Aiden saw a familiar figure among them: the lich Ras Frostwhisper, who had just been beheaded by Kayle, was standing in the crowd again. Completely restored to his original state.
"This lich, is he really an immortal being?" Rhonin frowned.
Aiden said, "It seems we have to find his phylactery to completely eliminate him. Don't worry, as long as we keep advancing, this thing will be found sooner or later."
However, Archmage Antonidas saw a somewhat familiar figure among these evil people. He pointed to a human mage next to Ras Frostwhisper: "Rhonin, that mage, do you have any impression of him?"
Rhonin looked at the mage, thought for a while, and suddenly realized: "I remember, this person was once a student of Kel'Thuzad, his name seems to be Gandling."
"Yes, I remember," Antonidas patted his forehead, "He also left Dalaran a year after Kel'Thuzad disappeared. I didn't expect him to defect to that traitor!"
Aiden immediately looked at Gandling, recalling the famous line of Headmaster Darkmaster Gandling when playing the game: "Class is in session!", which always made him feel guilty about skipping class to play games.
Ras Frostwhisper's position was even further back this time, heavily protected by Scourge soldiers and mages, as if this could make him feel more secure: "Mortals, I said, the great Lich King has granted me immortality! You cannot kill me! Look, I have been resurrected again, and my power is even stronger!"
"Hopefully, when we find your phylactery, your voice will still be so confident!" Uther shouted loudly.
"This is your burial ground!" the lich retorted fiercely.
Headmaster Darkmaster Gandling shouted: "Archmage Antonidas, long time no see, do you still remember me? I now also have great power, and I am happy to show you what I have learned—new things!"