Disclaimer! I don't own Wow. Blizz does, and your soul too.
Volume 2: Chapter 11
*** Tirisfal Glade – Outskirt of Capital City ***
It was an eventful three weeks as we journeyed to Lordaeron by ground. There were not enough dragonhawks to fly everyone back since the delegation was too big. There was me, my party, and the Lordaeron delegates who had accomplished whatever mission that Terenas had set out for them. For the elves, there was Sylvanas with her twenty rangers. She was the Ranger Commander and thus the second highest authority to speak of on matters of war. However, she was only one-half of Silvermoon's authority; the other would be Kael'thas and ten elven magisters who would be speaking with King Anasterian's authority.
Finally, there was High Priest Vandellor and Liadrin with a group of priests that was equal in numbers to the Silvermoon contingent. That was the entirety of the Church of the Light's presence for Silvermoon. Even though most elves look down on the Light, the order itself has gathered a good reputation for themselves over the centuries. The plan, as far as I was made aware, would be to let Terenas notify the lords near the elven border to expect an elven army to cross into their lands. They didn't want the northern lords to think they were being invaded.
"Is it always so busy, Callan?" Liadrin suddenly asked me. After a week, I had finally gotten her to drop the lord part and address me more casually. Her question took me out of my thoughts as I followed her gaze and saw something in the distance, but I didn't have the fame-elven vision.
"Well, Capital City is the main trade hub among the human kingdoms," I began.
Along the way, I have been acting almost like a tour guide for the elves. The Lordaeron delegates were surprised by my general knowledge of the land. Little did they know, I had been to Lordaeron before, just not in person.
"They're probably the regular day-to-day merchants bringing their goods to the city, Liadrin," I informed the elf.
As far as pupils go, she was more interested in the healing aspect of the Light than the martial. Though Haylea did learn side by side with the rest, I wasn't worried about corrupting her anymore. A burden had been lifted off my shoulders as the original paladins would soon be making their presence known to the world. My girls would be learning from masters of the art and not a fraud like me.
"I see," Liadrin nodded. "So it's normal to have a sizable army outside of the wall?"
I frown. That didn't sound right. "A massive army you say?"
I squinted to see but from this distance, I couldn't tell if they were an army or just regular old civilians with armed guards. I turned to Sylvanas, whom I chatted off and on with throughout the three-week journey, for confirmation.
"She is correct," Sylvanas said with a nod. "That is an army at least twenty thousand strong, maybe more, camped outside the capital city's wall."
"Really?" I blinked. Was this Terenas call to arms?
"Yes," Sylvanas confirmed. "Also, their scouts have seen us and are making their way here."
'Where?' I wanted to ask before I noticed men in brown cloaks emerging from the nearby trees on unarmored horses.
"Hail and well met!" The lead rider greeted us from a distance. "Are you the elves of Silvermoon and in the company of Lord Callan Lothar?"
Sylvanas and Kael'thas turned to me so that I could sort it out. I nudged my horse from the pack and held up a hand.
"Hello and well met!" I said loudly. "I am Callan Lothar and these are indeed the elves of Silvermoon."
The man nodded. "Then it is a good thing you are here. The King had told me to be on the lookout for your party and have you all brought to him with all due haste."
Now, I might not be politically savvy, but even I know that would be considered rude. Foreign delegates were supposed to be allowed to take their leisurely time in arriving. The fact that Terenas was urging us to go faster meant that something had happened that necessitated forgoing such formalities.
"Is something wrong?" I asked the leader of the brown-cloaked scouts.
"I'm afraid so, milord," the man replied with a somber nod. "King Thoras Trollbane has brought ill tidings. The creatures that you warned us of have invaded the Arathi Highlands."
'What the fuck?!' I paled. So fast? And it wasn't even by sea? Shit, were the dwarves defeated already?
"Then it appears we will have to make haste, Callan," Sylvanas spoke before turning toward her prince.
"Yes, now is not the time for propriety," the future leader of the blood elf said. "Let us go."
"R-right," I said. I turned to the man who just had a good look at Sylvanas. I cleared my throat to stop him from openly gawking at her. "Lead the way then...uh...I don't know how to address you."
The man sat up straighter on his horse as he snapped a Lordaeronian salute."Ranger Captain Nathanos Marris at your service, milord."
'The Blightcaller?' I blinked. The man who was the Forsaken second in command? That Nathanos? I quickly shot Sylvanas a look, who appeared to be appraising him.
"Well met...Ranger Captain Nathanos," I ground out slowly. This man was my enemy from my old life and was also culpable for the burning of Teldrassil. "Lead the way."
"Milord." The future Banshee Queen's lover nodded and went to ride at the head of our procession, but not before shooting Sylvanas a quick look.
"I did not know Lordaeron had rangers," Sylvanas spoke to me as she rode closely by my side. Liadrin, seeing this, fell back to allow us privacy.
"I didn't know either," I replied falsely. "Stormwind had our fair share of archers, but we mostly preferred the crossbows. Though we do have some expert hunters who know the lay of the land and marksmen who have great accuracy."
"Fascinating," Sylvanas said. With that, she remained silent by my side as we rode faster to the Capital City.
Just as the future Blightcaller said, there was a large encampment of soldiers flying Lordaeron colors right outside the city. By my count, there were at least five to six full legions mobilized with more streaming in at the edges.
"So this is the threat you warned us of," Kael'thas finally stated as he and the rest of the elves took in the sight.
I learned that the elven army would numerically be around what Lordaeron has mustered in the field so far. Thankfully, for the elves, lower in number did not mean lower in quality. Still, even with their magical might and skill in arms, Jintha, Doomhammer, and Arthas proved that sheer numbers could overcome them.
Eventually, we moved past the gathering soldiers—some of whom couldn't take their eyes off the elves in the party—and into the city. The city road was cleared and wagon supplies could be seen flowing in an orderly fashion into it. Luckily, we did not get bogged down as Nathanos was recognized on sight by the guards and hurried through. We followed the well-kept road, unlike the first time. Due to the lack of congestion, we made our way through the city faster than before. However, at the split in the road that would have taken us to the throne room, we instead took a different path that I had never traveled on.
"There is probably limited space in the meeting hall, milords and ladies," Nathanos said as he turned to face the elves. "I don't think there is enough space to accommodate everyone in your party. We have arranged quarters in anticipation of your arrival."
Kael'thas nodded his head in understanding and turned to the magister to his right. "Rommath, take the others and follow the human ranger to the space they so graciously prepared for us."
He then turned to Sylvanas who likewise turned to the ranger on her right. "Halduron, take the rangers and follow the magisters."
"Raleigh, please see to our esteemed elven guests and make sure that they have whatever they need," Nathanos said to a sandy color-haired man who snapped a salute and extended his arms toward another road for the elves to follow.
I turned around and nodded to my knights to dismiss them, though Nestle stayed since he represented Stormwind in magical matters. Liadrin and the High Priests also took that as their queue to leave with their elven brethren. That greatly reduced our large party down to just me, Nestle, Kael'thas, and Sylvanas. Nathanos dismissed the rest of his scouts as we entered a heavily guarded building. The soldiers on guard were armored to the teeth and had an alert stance to them. Upon seeing Nathanos, however, they automatically opened the door, allowing us inside where pairs of guards were stationed at every entrance and exit.
I did not have long to assess everything as we were led into a hallway where rows of guards stood silently with their backs to the wall. I saw my two elf companions quirk their head right before a faint muffled sound could be heard. After making another left and right, the muffled sound grew louder.
There, at the entrance to a large double-sided door were two of Terenas' kingsguard. Like the others, upon seeing us, they opened the doors and immediately, we were inundated with the sounds of arguing.
"I knew it!" A man's loud voice could be heard. "You're no better than a coward!"
"You dare!" came a second gruff voice. "The attack on Thoras' land could be a feint! Their true attack could be coming to my shores. Leave it to Daelin Proudmoore to stick his mouth in a beast's jaw!"
"My lords!" Terenas' familiar voice spoke up. "We must maintain civility or else, we'd be no better than the orcs—oh, Callan! You've returned!"
That was the first word of greeting I heard as we entered the room and got a good look at the people assembled. Genn Greymane was easily recognizable to me. He looked a bit younger than his WoW days, but I could see his future self in his face. The man was about to angrily retort to someone when he saw us and closed his mouth.
I looked at who he was shouting at and saw the familiar face of Kul Tiras, Lord Admiral, and Jaina's daddy, Daelin Proudmoore. The man did not have his admiral hat on, but his green-colored sailor outfit gave him away. Upon seeing me, he eased back down into his seat and gave me a quick nod which I promptly returned.
I turned to the rest and saw an elderly man in a violet robe, an archmage representative from Dalaran perhaps. Another man who was dressed in fancy orange clothes—Aiden Perenolde most likely—was sitting next to a familiar woman. My queen's eyes lit up upon seeing me before she graced me with a beautiful smile. She wasn't the only one smiling at me as the person next to her was the familiar Archbishop who I had initially set out with. The old man's eyes crinkled as he gave me a welcoming smile before bowing in the elves' direction.
Last but not least was Terenas who remained seated throughout but slowly rose to his feet. He looked in the direction of my elven companion.
Time for introductions.
"My queen, King Terenas, and kings of the eastern kingdoms—" I extended my arm out to the elves. "May I introduce you to Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider of Silvermoon."
The eyes of the other human rulers' eyes widened upon my introduction of Anasterian's heir. I also didn't miss the silent greeting between Kael and the Dalaran mage.
Was that Antonidas? Did he use to have that much hair? I quickly recovered as I introduced the next person. "And this fair lady here is Sylvanas Windrunner, Ranger Commander of the army of Quel'thalas."
"My lords," Sylvanas replied as she bowed in a respectful manner.
"Y-You actually did it!" Aiden Perenolde said in an almost accusing manner toward me. "You called in Thoradin's blood debt!"
I could have let it go, but now was time to score more points with the elves. "King Perenolde, my lords, I would just like to make one thing clear so that there won't be any misconception."
My queen and Terenas gave me a puzzled look but remained silent.
"What misconception?" Genn asked me. Even the large redhead man, who I figured was Thoras Trollbane, nodded his head as if he too wanted to know.
"That there never was a blood debt between the elves and Thoradin's line," I explained. I immediately felt two pairs of elven eyes on me, but I pushed through. "What we had was a pact of friendship. Blood debt implies that they owe my line something, which is not the case. King Anasterian, in the spirit of that very friendship, has decided to throw the full might of Silvermoon against the Horde."
Most of the kings had perplexed expressions on their faces, but it was Terenas' eyes that lit up in understanding first. He nodded approvingly in my direction, followed by my queen who smiled wider.
"Just one point of clarification, my lords," Kael'thas spoke up to interrupt the others' thoughts. "My father pledged Silvermoon full might to Stormwind first and foremost. Of course, if Stormwind were allied with the rest of the other human kingdom, then naturally Silvermoon would be their friend as well."
'Ohhhh snappp!' I turned to Kael'thas who gave me a quick grin. I thought it was for the Alliance all this time, but I forgot that the Alliance was not a thing yet.
"Then I greet you as one of Stormwind's friends and ally, Prince Kael'thas." Terenas was quick to capitalize on his opening relationship with the elves.
"As-as do Alterac," Aiden Perenolde said quickly.
Judging from my queen's raised eyebrow, that commitment just happened.
"We were already pledged to aid Stormwind, elf friendship or no," Daelin said gruffly as he nodded in Kael'thas' direction. "I look forward to seeing your destroyers in action."
"And I look forward to seeing Kul Tiras' navy in combat as well," Kael'thas replied. "Even among elven sailors, your ships are well-known and respected, Lord Admiral."
Daelin tried to hide it but I could tell that he was loving the praise. Kael'thas then turned to the Dalaran mage. The older man greeted the prince with a smile.
"Being a member of the Council of Six, I'm sure you were already aware that we have chosen to help Stormwind," the old mage said.
"I had to be sure, Antonidas," Kael grinned in the old man's direction.
'So it really was Antonidas...' I thought as my eyes drifted to his full head of hair. Damn...what happened?
The revelation that Kael'thas was not only the future heir of Silvermoon but also a ruler of Dalaran was shocking to all of the humans. Except me, of course. Though, it made sense that nobody else knew since all of the leadership of Dalaran was kept secret from outsiders.
"Stromgarde has pledged to aid Stormwind," Thoras said finally. "However, we cannot right now. Not with the Horde on our very doorstep."
The reminder of the Horde brought down the hopeful mood that the elves' presence inspired. Before anything could be said, more chairs were brought in for us newcomers. Nestle and I were beckoned over to my queen's side while Kael and Sylvanas sat next to the Antonidas. Nathanos, much to my surprise, took up a position behind the king. Wasn't he supposed to leave? I wasn't too familiar with his background other than the fact that he was an enemy in my old life.
The way he stood impassively behind the king did show that he was a model soldier. However, I caught the sneaky glances in Sylvanas direction, one of which the elven woman caught him doing, forcing him to look away. Mentally shrugging at the byplay, I glanced at the table and finally noticed the map of Lordaeron spread out on it. The map was much more detailed than anything ever produced on Earth or by Blizzard. There were rivers I had never seen, lakes I didn't know existed, and towns that were never rendered in-game.
After taking it all in, I noticed the metal miniature of a knight on horseback with the Lordaeron symbol on it. There were eight gathered near the city. Two were by Southshore, and the rest were scattered throughout the kingdom. However, the Lordaeron figurines were not alone as the other kingdoms had miniatures that represented their nations on the map. Besides Kul Tiras' naval ships on the map, Alterac had eight eagles, Dalaran had three violet eyes, and Thoras had red fists scattered all over the Arathi Highlands. The only miniatures I did not see were that of Gilneas.
My eyes looked up and saw Genn staring at me with a pensive expression on his face. For what reason he did so, I could not even begin to guess. Seeing Genn here brought complicated feelings regarding Gilneas for me. Before the Cataclysm expansion, I had always felt that Gilneas as a nation and people were massive cowards. Want a reliable combat ally? Don't expect it from a gilnean. What did a gilnean do when everyone was charging forward against an enemy? Run to the back to cower in fear. Where was Gilneas's army during the battle for Blackrock Spire? As far away from them as possible in case they got hurt.
In fact, Gilneas didn't even contribute that many soldiers during the second war at all, just a token force. I recalled reading that Genn cited that he did not believe the Horde would travel to Hillsbrad but instead would sail directly to his kingdom despite all evidence pointing to the contrary. When Lordaeron was under siege, they were nowhere to be found. It wasn't until the worgen curse that they had their comeuppance as a nation and came to the Alliance with their hat in hand.
'Shit...they're undependable,' I thought as I returned Genn's gaze with a neutral one of my own.
I was so hung up on the elves that I forgot about the present-day political fuckery Gilneas likes to play. Was there anything I could do now to get Genn to fully commit? What motivated him? Liam motivated him. His people could suffer for all he cared, but his son was beyond precious to him. Was I going to have to try and get an orc to kill his son? As quick as that thought came, I dismissed it. I didn't want to resort to something like that.
"It's understandable," Kael'thas replied to the Stromgarde King in an understanding tone.
'Dammit,' I thought. It was not something I could solve on the fly. Maybe an opportunity would present itself in the future.
Kael then looked down to the map, studying the kingdom figurines on display when he suddenly weaved a spell. The magic flowed from his hand to form several golden pieces that had the twin phoenix wings. "Can you tell us what is known of their movement?"
At this, everyone looked to Thoras Trollbane. The large man exhaled. "In truth, little. I only know that they crossed the Thandol Span a month ago. Some reports place their raiders as far north by the trolls' borders. Others say further west by Thoradin's Wall."
I looked at the map of the Arathi Highlands and glanced at all the places Thoras spoke of.
"My generals were able to send word of confirmed skirmishes with these foul creatures raiding my people's villages." The Stromgarde king pointed to the little 'x' markings I hadn't noticed upon my first glance. He then looked at Queen Taria with a regretful expression. "It is as you say. They are much more savage than the trolls we have fought. I'm sorry that I did not believe your initial report, Queen Taria."
My Queen shook her head.
"What's past is past. Now, we must see to your kingdom before you can see to mine." The Queen then closed her eyes. "I understand that it would be foolish to ask a man whose house is burning to travel a long distance to save my own."
'Shit...' I thought. She was right. With the Horde here, Stormwind wouldn't be getting any aid anytime soon. 'God damn it!'
I was too late with the elves. The horde was moving much quicker than they did in canon. What changed? They had to have gone through the dwarves. Was Kilrogg sitting on them like before? Could I rely on my knowledge for actual troop movements? Who was leading the Horde now? When I left, our scouts reported that the Blackrock clans were firmly to our south. There was no way in hell Doomhammer would have been able to lead his battered Blackrock clan this far north so quickly.
Unless…
I always thought the horde going around Stormwind was to get to Blackrock Mountain. They needed a staging ground with lots of resources after all. Then, with the tattered remains of the Horde, I expected the dwarves to put up stiffer resistance than canonically. Yet, now they were here on Lordaeron's very doorstep. If they had been marching north all this time while Doomhammer was still in the south…
'Was it possible that the Horde was under new leadership?' I pondered.
Now that I gave it more thought, Lothar's counterattack and killing of Blackhand must have had ramifications among the Horde clans. They only ever respected strength and getting their teeth kicked in like they did would likely invite challenge for leadership of the Horde. But, who was strong enough to lead the orcs over Doomha—oh…oh shit.
"Callan?" Sylvanas, of all people, called to me, making me look up. "Do you have some thoughts on the matter?"
'How the hell did you know that?' I wanted to ask her. Shouldn't all humans look the same to her at this point or has she been observing me during our entire trip? I suddenly felt uncomfortable as if someone was watching me. My instinct directed my gaze to the man behind the king. Nathanos was not looking at me at all, yet his placid expression gave me an ominous feeling I couldn't quite put into words...
"If you have any thoughts on the matter, please share them," Queen Taria said reassuringly. "My husband and I have come to value your consul and thoughts."
Hearing the queen vouch for me, the other rulers, save Genn, looked at me expectantly. The gilnean just looked skeptical, which was par for the course. After all, what valuable insight could a young simple soldier give to all these people who ruled nations?
"I..." I stopped and looked at Terenas to make sure I was allowed to speak out of turn. The man merely nodded. With his approval, I began. "I believe...no, more like theorize that there might be a schism in the Horde."
My statement drew many eye-raising looks.
"I think...and am almost certain that the Horde that is assaulting Stromgarde is not the same as the one that Stormwind fought against." I laid out my internal thoughts.
It was then I had an epiphany after I voiced my theory. If that was the case, then...wouldn't that mean the imminent threat of invasion that hung over Stormwind was gone? Without the rest of the Horde, Doomhammer only slightly outnumbered us. However, he would still have to attack Stormwind, and we were very good at defense. We would be able to bleed them for every inch they gain. If that theory was correct, then Doomhammer did not have the number to overwhelm our forces!
"Callan?" Terenas gently prompted me out of my thoughts. He wanted to know more, and he wasn't the only one.
Right. I turned to Taria. "My queen, have you told them of Garona yet?"
The queen blinked, but then nodded. Okay, that was good. I wouldn't be giving away state secrets then.
"My esteemed kings, queens, lords, and ladies," I began. How best to present this information concisely? "As a refresher for Prince Kael'thas and Lady Sylvanas, Garona is a half-orc who defected to our side. From her, we learned that the orcs are not merely mindless savages, but have separate clans, each with their own specialty and culture. They were unified under a strong brutal orc warlord, Blackhand. The rest of you know that much, correct?"
I saw the other kings nodded, though that information was new to Kael'thas and Sylvanas. Now that they knew the primer, I continued.
"What I think we all failed to realize was that the orcs are a civilization. A crude one, to be sure, but one nonetheless." My theory was beginning to solidify the more I thought about it. "Their clans could be said to be much like our kingdoms. You have small clans and large clans, just like you have Lordaeron and Alterac."
Perenolde could only look bashful at the comparison, but at least the man didn't seem like he wanted to kill me. Though, who knew what thoughts were running through his head? In the future, he was the leader of the assassin group known as the Syndicate after all. Well, I would worry about that later. For now, I continued for my audience.
"With that thought, let us assume that the orc clan in charge is the equivalent of Stormwind." I painted the picture for them. "My father slew their leader, and their army was gutted by our conjurers. They are wounded and recovering. Do you think they would still be in as powerful a position as they were before?"
Terenas realized what I was getting at right away. It did not take long for the other kings to realize my point. No one would voice it out loud, but everyone was aware of where they stood in terms of power. Genn frowned as he realized that if there were orc clans like Stormwind and Lordaeron, there was probably a selfish one like Gilneas too. I had always thought the Laughing Skull clan was their equivalent.
"When a powerful nation falls, another will rise to take up its mantle. And from Garona, we know the orcs respect strength above all else." I looked each of them in the eye. "So a new leader in control of a new horde. One that might be every bit as large as the one we faced in the south."
The realization was beginning to sink in as I felt certain that it was the case. In WoW, only one other orc had been in charge of the Horde: Grom Hellscream.
"C-Can we not use Lothar's Fury again to defeat them again?" It was a pale-faced Perenolde who asked. He must have realized that his kingdom was next in line if Stromgarde fell.
"If Stormwind was wiped out by a massive spell attack like that, do you think the mages of Dalaran or Silvermoon magisters would allow such an attack like that to be used again?" I asked. I turned to the archmage and Kael who, after giving it some thought, nodded in agreement. "The orcs are a grotesque reflection of us. They have the equivalents for everything we have, their wolf riders counter our knights. Their grunts to our footmen, their warlocks to our conjurers. We are at war with another world, not a single tribe like the Amani, or Gurubashi."
"But my people have not reported such numbers that you and Queen Taria described," Thoras spoke up with a vexed expression.
I blinked.
"They haven't?" The king of Stromgarde nodded. "If you do not mind my asking, what exactly are the reports of confirmed orcs and their numbers?"
"Mostly skirmishes ranging from hundreds to a thousand at a time," Thoras told me as he looked down at a parchment that must have been his notes. "There appears to be no pattern to their attacks that we could gleam."
"But no major engagement?" I pressed. "Have they begun to siege Stromgarde Keep yet?"
"Not that my people have reported," he replied.
"If that's true, then..." I saw the others were expectant. What if I gave them faulty information?
"Then…?" Terenas prompted me before I could spiral into my thoughts.
"It's possible that the Horde itself is not here." Thoras looked like he wanted to protest so I hurried up to elaborate. "I think what you are fighting is either a single orc clan or just their vanguard. That is why they are raiding you in such a manner. The Horde prefers to crush the opposition's seat of power which Stromgarde Keep symbolizes. The fact that they have not done so means—"
"They don't have the manpower to do so." Thoras' eyes widened as he and all the king gazed at the map.
"Not yet, they don't," I said. However, wherever the main Horde army was, they would not be far behind. Perhaps the dwarves were keeping them occupied. "I think if you give them enough time, they will. If we move fast enough we could potentially slam the door on them at the mouth of the Thandol Span."
Terenas' eyes shot up as he looked at me surprised. What? Wasn't that just common sense?
"That's right," the king of Lordaeron agreed as he turned to the besieged king. "Thoras if you were to take the thirty thousand camped outside the city, the ten thousand that were supposed to sail to Stormwind at Hillsbrad and—how many do you have near Stromgarde's border, Aiden?"
Perenolde remained silent for a moment, perhaps weighing if he should give out such sensitive information.
"Six thousands," the king of Alterac answered.
"—and Aiden's six thousand." Terenas nodded in thanks to the Alterac king for answering him as he began to move the miniatures. "Then, with your army's support, we might be able to move fast enough to close the path to the Arathi Highland just like Callan said."
"You're right!" Thoras shouted as he moved some of his Stromgarde miniatures around to crowd the famous bridge opening. "There are still the land bridges, but they're very narrow and hard to move large bodies of troops through easily."
"That is, if my guess is correct, my lords," I reminded them. For all I knew, Grom was lying in wait with his main army somewhere. However, despite thinking that, I felt sure that was not the case. Could I trust my gut instinct?
"No, it makes sense and coincides with your father's reports on the Horde," Terenas answered.
"My father's reports?" I didn't hand over any reports. The king of Lordaeron smiled and looked at my queen. Oh, it was with her.
"His thoughts on the Horde and how they fight was quite insightful," Terenas praised. The other kings nodded in agreement. I could only assume that they had all read it. "Your assumption makes the most sense based on his observation of their tactics."
"Oh..." Well...that was Anduin Lothar being Anduin Lothar. Legendary badass Supreme Commander of the Alliance and all that.
"Then we must move quickly," Daelin spoke up as he leaned over the table. "If I send word today, then a few contingents of my marines could land south of here and link up with your forces."
The Lord Admiral moved several of his ships' miniatures to where Stromgarde's dock was marked. It wasn't a harbor like Stormwind had, but a separate area that was located in the shadow of Stromgarde Keep.
"We can also get your boy out of there too." The Kul Tirian gave his fellow ruler a meaningful look. More than a few concerned eyes gazed in the massive man's direction.
"Thank you for your kind gesture, but I'll have to decline." Thoras shook his head.
I saw the shock on Daelin's face. The man valued family and would go to great lengths for them even when it led him to his death.
"Galen is fifteen. He's no longer a boy that needs to be coddled; it is only right that he stays and fights with his people," Thoras explained. He then turned to my queen who nodded in understanding. After all, I joined when I was fifteen and saw combat then. I guess our two nations were just cut from the same cloth.
"...if that is your wish," Daelin said as he sat back down. "However, my marines should be able to link up to the response force in time, and if you change your mind, my ships will be anchored there until it's no longer safe for them to do so."
The Lord Admiral shot the Stromgarde king a meaningful look before he turned to Antonidas who was stroking his beard as he observed the map.
"You should ferry them through Dalaran and head to Stromgarde from there," the old magi suggested. "It would be much quicker than if they were to travel by road."
Terenas blinked and cupped his chin as he gazed at Lordamere Lake.
"Yes..." he slowly enunciated. "What more, we can use Durnholde as a staging ground into the Arathi Highlands."
'Durnholde!' I parroted. My eyes widened as I heard the familiar name.
"I'll send words to Lord Blackmoore to expect the army." Terenas' statement caused an unexpected reaction among the kings. I didn't get why they were looking at the old king warily, but whatever it was seemed to have passed as Terenas ignored it. Instead, he turned his gaze to Antonidas. "What can we expect from Dalaran?"
"Little for now, I'm afraid," the old mage replied apologetically. "Dalaran's mages are still being recalled, and those on hand are working on a project that could benefit us all."
He held up a hand to ward off any interruption.
"Magic is not the only thing Dalaran has to offer, my lords," Antonidas said reassuringly. "I'll be sending a third of our martial forces to join your army when they pass through."
Though Dalaran was a magical city-state, they did have soldiers to do the more mundane aspects of keeping the peace, hunting bandits, and clearing monsters. They were nowhere near the scale of a proper nation in terms of manpower, but their soldiers were given an edge via enchanted armor and weapons.
With Dalaran's commitment done, all eyes fell onto Genn whose arms were crossed. "Humph. Fear not, Gilneas will be sending soldiers. My men will meet yours at Durnholde."
I could feel the tangible shock in the room from the other rulers. Daelin and Thoras who had looked as if they were ready to argue with the gilnean king deflated. Everyone, including me, expected Genn to put up more of a show in volunteering troops. Maybe he was trying to look good in the eyes of the elves.
"Now explain to me what's this project that's supposed to benefit us all, Antonidas?" Genn ignored the looks and chose to focus on what the archmage had said.
"Ah, right, yes," the old mage shook his head as he gazed over to my queen. "The plan was devised by Stormwind's current High Conjurer, Lady Aegwynn."
Saying that, he raised his hand which showed it glowing with purple arcane power before releasing it onto the map. The ball of arcane energy split into three to hover over three cities. The first ball of light hovered over Capital City, the second was over Dalaran itself, and the third and final one floated above Stormwind City.
"We are attempting to create permanent travel portals by tapping into the rich ley lines of each city," Antonidas said before quickly turning to Terenas. "We were going to bring up the plan for your approval, of course, but now's as good a time as any, I suppose."
"Why Lordaeron?" Thoras asked with a frown.
"Yes," Genn's expression matched his fellow ruler. "Why them? Why not Gilneas or Stromgarde?"
"Or Alterac?" Perenolde also voiced his concerns.
"Because your city's ley lines are too weak to maintain a stable connection," Antonidas explained. "Whether they knew it at the time or not, Capital City was built on a rich leyline."
The archmage took the time to look at all of the kings stopping at Terenas.
"With the portals, we would be able to move our armies quicker to Stormwind and more importantly, provide us a beachhead in the south to battle these foul orcs and their demon masters," Antonidas finished.
"Yes..." Daelin said as he stroked his mustache. "That would be less of a burden on our navies and allow us to field more warships if they did not have to act as transport."
More than a few kings traced with their eyes the distance from their nation to Stormwind versus going to the Capital City. It was a no-brainer which way was the fastest. Now that Antonidas brought it up, I recalled Stormwind having a permanent portal attached to them in the mage quarter in the game. If the permanent portal was because of powerful leylines, then Silvermoon had one for sure. Darnassus was another, and the ground that was the future Orgrimmar was another one. Zandalar was also a portal hub as was Boralus. I felt I was missing one more until I remembered Pandaria had two places that functioned as portal hubs. However, that was game mechanics… Did it work like that in real life? I wanted to know but I couldn't rudely interject. I would have to do it later or maybe just ask Kael. Our travel time together had made us friends. Not close like me and Lirath, but we weren't strangers.
The kings, satisfied with the answers, began planning the troop movements. It was then I noticed a glaring problem as I watched them move the miniatures around. I turned to my queen who gave me a light smile before turning her attention back to the strategy session. She didn't know or did not realize the problem. Was I the only one that could see it?
As time passed, none of the other kings brought it up either so I could be forgiven for not speaking, right? I could and should have considered it a bullet dodge, yet…why did I feel so uneasy? I could have let things go, should have let it go, but if I wanted them to be a true Alliance, I needed to speak up. Before I could even stop myself, I found my hand was raised.
"Yes, Callan?" Terenas was the first to notice. The other kings likewise turned their attention back to me. "Was there something you'd like to add?"
A part of me screamed to keep my mouth shut, but another part knew that I needed to do this. To step up now or lose a good opportunity.
"My lords," I began as I pointed to the clump of miniatures that represented most of the nations. "I would like to volunteer with my knights to march with the army. Though my numbers are few, you'd not find them wanting."
I glanced quickly at my queen and saw her stunned expression. Terenas likewise looked perplexed.
"You are here as a diplomat," he explained kindly. "No one holds it against Stormwind for not sending a force along."
There it was, my out and excuse. All of the other kings likewise nodded along in agreement. I could see their point, but at the same time, this was too important.
"My kings," I said in a grave tone. "That might be the case, but for the first time in history since the time of Arathor, the human nations are marching together as one, unified into one Alliance to stand against annihilation."
I could see the kings taking in my words and realizing how this moment would be viewed by history.
"So, once more, my kings." I stood up so they could all see the lion's head on my armored chest. "As a representative of Stormwind, I would like to ask you to let me and my knights join you."
Thoras gave me an unreadable look before he slowly nodded his head. "Well, if Stormwind wants to march with us, then I say we let them."
"Indeed," Terenas smiled kindly at me. "Out of all of us, Callan did face the Horde on numerous occasions and, like his father, bested them. He might be able to give our soldiers valuable advice on how best to combat them."
Wait, I didn't say anything about being an orc expert! However, it was too late as all the other kings nodded in agreement. It was then that Kael stood up.
"Well, if Callan is willing to go, then how can we elves stay?" The Silvermoon Prince gave everyone an easy smile. "Besides, I want to see these orcs with my very own eyes, and Lady Sylvanas here needs to assess them with a soldier's eyes."
Sylvanas stood up and inclined her head toward them. More than a few eyes lingered on her as she supported what her prince said. "My lords, we would like to join this Alliance army if you'd have us. Though the rangers with me are few, they are peerless in their skill with the bow."
"Then we would gladly accept!" Perenolde said immediately. I could see his eyes undressing her.
I shook my head internally at the display. 'Sorry, but she already met her future lover, and you got no chance, hoss.'
"Yes—" Thoras gave the king of Alterac a disapproving frown. "—we'd gladly welcome the elves to join our combined army."
"Then I hereby formally declare the formation of the Alliance of Lordaeron," Terenas said grandly. The other kings blinked, but they could not take issue with it. They all lived on Lordaeron; it just so happened there was also a kingdom named Lordaeron. Everyone could sense the weight of history filling the room. In time, it would simply be called the Alliance when the dwarves finally join.
'Oh shit, the dwarves!' I thought.
"Something else to say, boy?" Genn snorted. I turned to the future worgen king in shock. "You are as easy to read as an open book. Well, what is it? What other nugget of wisdom do you have to shower us with?"
"Lord Greymane." Queen Taria shot him a look of warning before turning to me.
"I was merely educating your cub," Genn said unapologetically. "The other wolves in the court would eat him alive as he is now."
It was Terenas who headed off any argument between the two. "What is it, my boy?"
Damn. Oh well, the milk was already spilled. Might as well take advantage of it. "Though I am sure that we wouldn't be able to get help from the dwarves to the south, aren't there the flying dwarves of Aerie Peak in the Hinterland?"
"There are, indeed…" Terenas trailed off as a calculated expression appeared on his face. "Their gryphons would give us quite an edge..."
I saw the light bulb the moment it appeared on the rest of the eastern kingdoms' rulers' faces.
"We should invite them into the Alliance as well," Thoras said. "Any who would stand up against these foul creatures and their demon masters is one I'd gladly call an ally."
'Uh...' I wanted to rebut. However, I had to school my face since Genn pointed out how easy it was to read. Now was not the time to get into the whole old gods and void lords fuckery. At least, not yet.
"I'll send a delegation," Terenas said finally. "Light willing, they will join our army in time."
All of the other kings nodded in agreement. Kael's silence meant his approval and Antonidas saw no problem with more help.
"Now," Terenas' tone became more ominous. "Who shall lead this Alliance army?"
There was a moment of silence before Thoras stood up.
"I will," the Stromgarde ruler declared. He then looked at each ruler in the room. "It is my kingdom that's being attacked, who better than I to lead the vanguard?"
'Anduin Lothar!' I wanted to say.
Terenas cupped his chin as he internally debated whether or not he should let a foreign king lead his army.
"I will agree to that only if you let one of my people be your second in command." He gave his fellow ruler a challenging look.
"I have no problem with that," Thoras conceded without a fuss. "When we link up with my army, they will have authority over them as well."
Terenas nodded at Thoras' compromise. In exchange for leading Terenas' men now, whoever he picked as Thoras' second in command would have authority over Stromgarde's warriors.
"My King," Alonsus said suddenly. He had been content to remain perfectly silent all this time, but now, he broke it. "Might I suggest Uther and Alexandros? They are in the city right now, and the situation is urgent."
"Uther is known to me," Thoras said with a thoughtful expression. "I see no problem with it."
"That's acceptable," Terenas slowly nodded. The old king then looked to the archbishop. "They are in the city, you say?"
"Yes, my king. They are close by in fact," Alonsus answered. The old man then turned to me and gave me a proud smile. "They are currently in the Stormwind delegation compound in the company of High Cleric Victoria.
'They're where?!' I mentally screamed.
"I can have them brought here immediately," the archbishop said.
"Do so," Terenas commanded.
While Alonsus was talking to a servant at the door, Perenolde cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Yes, Aiden?" Terenas asked.
"While I don't have an issue of who is leading our army—" his eyes darted quickly to Thoras. "But what if something happens? Who would be in charge then?"
Thoras narrowed his eyes. "Who do you have in mind?"
"Colonel Kadvan is a man I found reliable." Aiden hurriedly made his case. "If, Light forbids, anything happens to all of you, then I would like him to have command over our army."
"Kadvan?" Thoras asked. "Not Hath?"
"I need General Hath where he is now," Aiden explained.
I didn't know who the hell Kadvan was, but Hath? That man was the one who turned on Aiden for his treachery.
"I..." Thoras exhaled deeply. "I can agree to that."
"As can I," Terenas concurred. He then looked to Daelin who shook his head.
"My people's mastery lies in the sea, not on land," the Lord Admiral said. "My men will follow whoever leads."
After Daelin, all eyes turned to Genn who shrugged. "I have not decided who to send yet. I'll let Thoras decide when he meets them."
Yet again, surprise permeated the room. I was beginning to think that I had Gilneas all figured wrong.
The spell was broken, there was a knock on the door and a moment later three people entered. The first two I remembered having recently met at Northpass Tower. The third one, however, was someone I wanted to meet since I got to Lordaeron. Fidgeting in place and clearly trying to hide behind his two seniors was a guy around my age. The young man had an overwhelmed expression on his handsome face. His muscular stature, even in priest robes, was noticeable. As the saying in my world went, he clearly lifted. In the future, that guy was going to be the greatest paladin in existence.
He was Turalyon, son of...of…huh… I forgot.
"Ah, Uther, Alexandros, and I see you've brought young Turalyon with you," Alonsus introduced to the people in attendance.
"My kings." Uther and Alexandros bowed their heads at the sight of all the rulers. Turalyon jumped like a startled rabbit and parroted their motion awkwardly a moment later.
"Ah, Lord Uther, Alexandros," Terenas greeted warmly. "And young Turalyon, how fares your family? I dearly missed your father's counsel."
"F-Fine, my king," Turalyon said nervously. "He sends his reg—"
It all became background noise to me as I took in the sight of my favorite literary fantasy hero. Jon Snow, Rand Al Thor, Belgarion, Damastes, and even Varian ranked behind Turalyon for me. His story just resonated with me when I first learned of it. He was the heroic figure that left the child in me awed.
The young Turalyon did not look like the strong-jawed commander from the second war. At least, not yet. Though, the potential was there. Right now, he was just an awkward priest, clearly out of his depth and on his best behavior in front of his superiors. The king, done with his greeting, turned to talk with Uther, leaving the young man free to look around.
I watched as he sneaked not-so-obvious glances at the rest of us and, much to my surprise, nervously looked at me. Turalyon, Lord Commander of the Alliance army, High Exarch of the Army of Light, and Lothar's second in command, was looking nervously at me! I wanted to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. However, that was when something went very, very wrong. Having been caught, his eyes darted quickly away and happened to fall onto a familiar elf.
'Oh, fuck no...' I thought in horror as I saw Turalyon processing what he was seeing.
I watched in dread as my favorite hero's expression turned slack with widening eyes as he took in the image of Sylvanas Windrunner.
'Oh, fuckkkkkkkk noooooooooooo!' I mentally screamed at the smitten expression on his face.
There was the goofy smile I read about, the same one he had upon meeting Alleria for the first time that charmed her. That same smile was being tossed Sylvanas' way. A Sylvanas who was looking at him with a slight tilt of her head.
'Wrong fucking Windrunner sister!' I wanted to yell at him. 'This was bad! This was very, very bad!'
In desperation, I looked at Terenas, but happened to catch Nathanos looking at the young priest with hardened eyes. However, upon feeling my eyes on him, he quickly hid his expression.
'Oh, for fuck's sakes, he's not a love rival!' I wanted to shout at the future Blightcaller. I then looked back at Sylvanas whose eyes smoothly moved between Turalyon and Nathanos. 'Oh lord, please don't let Sylvanas be interested in Turalyon…'
"I would like to recommend Callan as another commander for the allied army." My queen's statement cut like a sharp knife to my ears. All thoughts of Turalyon's love life were tossed out the window as I turned to her in disbelief.
"He has proven himself a leader and, as you've brought up before, has fought the orcs more times than anyone here," she finished.
'What are you doing, woman?!' I wanted to throttle her, but to my horror, Terenas was considering it! 'No, Terenas. Don't you fucking dare put that evil on me! I volunteered to fight, not to lead!'
"I agree." Terenas betrayed me. "Callan will be the fifth and final person to take overall command if something were to happen."
"I concur," Thoras chimed in.
I had hoped that the other kings would protest. Counting on it, in fact! Stormwind was sharing a few knights, compared to the thousands the others offered. Yet, not a single fucking king protested. If I was a teen girl, I would have wanted to scream loudly into my pillow in frustration.
'You bunch of backstabbing mother fuckers!'
TBC…
AN: Whoo and done! Shout out to mah boy Icura for editing this and clean it it up!
Also special thanks to all the patron supporters. I appreciate you guys help so much! Thank you!
And now onto the chapter. This chapter ended up being larger than I wanted, but like I always say, the story writes itself. I am sure some might disagree with my hot takes on Gilneas in this story, but that is how I saw it when I learned about it. As for the rest, well, it speaks for itself Thanks for reading!
Oh yes, and please consider supporting me and Icura on patron. Thank you very much for your consideration!
Also always, discussions, reviews, criticism and comments welcomed!