The bells ring when the prince arrives at the kingdom. The bridge comes down as Arthas and his "royal guards" approach it. The crowd is tossing flower petals over the corridors of the capital. Arthas catches one and rubs it, causing the petal to decay. He then tosses it to the ground and continues to the throne room. King Terenas hears his son approaching from the other side. Arthas slams open the doors as he walks towards his father's throne. Terenas stands up from his throne as his son draws out his sword Frostmourne and kneels.
Terenas: Ah, my son. I knew you would be victorious.
The whispers through the blade speak to Arthas.
Arthas: You no longer need to sacrifice for your people. You no longer need to bear the weight of your crown. I've taken care of everything.
Arthas rises to his feet and unhoods himself to his father. As his royal guards depart in opposite directions, Arthas approaches his father upon his throne, then grabs him and pulls him down. The camera pans to show their shadows on the wall as it unfolds.
Terenas: What is this? What are you doing, my son?
Arthas: Succeeding you, Father...
Arthas stabs his father with the runeblade and his crown falls off his head, bloody and broken.
Arthas: This kingdom shall fall, and from the ashes shall arise a new order that will shake the very foundations of the world.
Trivia
Cinematic Director Nick Carpenter described the two figures with Arthas as "two hooded undead ghouls" on the Warcraft III Cinematic DVD audio commentary.[1] In Arthas: Rise of the Lich King, they were retconned to be the death knights Falric and Marwyn.
According to Carpenter, an artist etched their initial on Frostmourne during the rising close up of Arthas.[2]
Blizzard chose to use a Hitchcock-style approach to Terenas' death. It was depicted in shadow for dramatic impact than featuring the violence.[3]
Arthas' walk after he slams the doors open was made by recording Chris Metzen walking.[4]
Terenas saying "I knew you would be victorious" is barely audible, as it was almost interrupted by Arthas. In Rise of the Lich King, Terenas instead says, "Glad I am to see you safely home."[5]
In the 2002 Spanish dub of Warcraft III, Arthas has a different line when killing his father: "Deja que se cierren tus ojos, ahora que los míos se han abierto" (eng: Let your eyes close, now that mine have been open).
In World of Warcraft, by changing the settings to lower both the sound and music and increase the ambience while in the Ruins of Lordaeron and Lordaeron Throne Room, sound files of Arthas, Terenas, Medivh, and the Lordaeron citizens can be heard as echos. The sound files are from the Arthas' Betrayal and The Warning cinematics in Warcraft III.
One sound file is of Arthas saying, "Let your eyes be closed." This line is not in the game files of Warcraft III, but a translation of it is used in some of the other language dubs. This suggests that Arthas was intended to speak this line in English as well at some point.
The runes on Frostmourne in the cinematic were simply borrowed from the Eltarin language belonging to the high elves in the Warhammer universe.[6] This would later be updated to use the runes from World of Warcraft with Warcraft III: Reforged.
A modified version of A Call to Arms plays at the start.
Terenas: Ah, my son. I knew you would be victorious.
Arthas: You no longer need to sacrifice for your people. You no longer need to bear the weight of your crown. I've taken care of everything.
Bells of Lordaeron.
Prince Arthas returns home.
Entering the throne room.
Frostmourne's runes.
New Frostmourne's runes since Warcraft III: Reforged.
Frostmourne's handle.
Arthas just prior to the betrayal.
Arthas, about to kill his father.
Terenas' crown.
Arthas kills his father.
By dai song.
