Disclaimer! I don't own Wow. Blizz does, and your soul too.
*** Kingdom of Lordaeron – Durnholde Keep ***
It was a room I had been in before in another life. Well, sort of. The design was standard like every other fort I have seen, from Stonewind Keep to Grand Hamlet. Because it was the seat of power for any military coordination, it was large enough to fit up to a hundred people in easily.Some would try to add some kind of life to the cold stone walls, decor that would make them stand out. Blackmoore didn't seem to care for it.
Though that didn't mean his room was bare by any stretch. On the walls, there were paintings that depicted who I presumed was his mother and grandfather, though his father's portrait was understandably absent. Other than that, there were the standard two longswords in an 'X' shape over a shield that was a fairly common decoration for military outposts of any size. Finally, there was a large circular oak table at the center of the room. It was around the table that Thoras stood with the rest of the command personnel, me included, for our morning briefings.
"So that makes that three-fourths of our forces so far," Uther reported. The famous knight was in full armor but without his warhammer.
"Still no sign of Gilneas' army?" Colonel Kadvan asked. The officer from Alterac was not in armor but instead chain-mail. On his hip was a simple long sword with an intricately designed handle. "Callan?"
At Thoras' suggestion, we all decided it was best to drop the formalities. The man was average-looking at best; nondescript was the word I found that best suited him. He had reddish-orange hair that fell to his neck and the 70's porn mustache that was a fashion statement in the north. I had been wracking my brain for any bit info about him, but I still couldn't remember him.
"Still no signs of them," I answered Kadvan's inquiry. "I've sent scouts out just in case to keep an eye out for them."
Thoras nodded in approval, and it should have been the end of that, but the owner of the room let out an audible scoff.
"I'm beginning to think King Greymane's words might not be true," Aedelas Blackmoore snidely remarked. Like so many times in the past days since meeting him, I had to school my face to hide my distaste.
"I know Greymane," Thoras spoke before anyone else could. "Though the man might be bullheaded and stubborn, he is a man of his word. If he says Gilneas will send an army, then they will send one. If I were you, I'd have a care with how you speak of him, Lord Blackmoore."
"M-My apologies, lord." Aedelas Blackmoore blanched at the public rebuke. It was a small slight, but Thoras did not allow Blackmoore to drop the titles with our group.
The future traitor of the Alliance and Thrall's future father figure hastily bowed and became silent. In my past life, being mainly Alliance, I didn't have as much hatred for him like Horde players do, but that didn't mean that I like him either. Garithos was one thing, but to me, Blackmoore,after interacting with him—was irredeemable. With Garithos, he just had a misguided hatred for the elves due to a series of unfortunate circumstances.
Blackmoore, however, had great ambition and was already plotting to take the crown from Terenas' head. It amounted to nothing right now, of course, but that could quickly change. People were free to think what they want, but in Blackmoore's case, if an opportunity actually presented itself, he would absolutely take it. He was definitely someone who I could not expose my back to.
However…
"I'm sure Lord Blackmoore meant no disrespect, Thoras," I said in Blackmoore's defense. I noticed some of the looks that I was getting. They could not understand why I was going to bat for this man.
"Hmmrph." Thoras out of respect for me nodded and turned to the other two men. "Uther, how goes the joint training exercise—"
I half-paid attention to what they were saying as I saw Aedelas give me a friendly smile. It wasn't long before the meeting ended, and we all went on our way to do our own respective tasks. As if on cue, Blackmoore was waiting for me by the door and walked in lockstep by my side as I began my rounds. He remained silent as I went about my business, tasks that I had mastered and did practically on autopilot at this point.
The first thing I did was check with the quartermasters, all of whom wanted certain things for their battalions. The comfortable silence from my companion gave me time to reflect on the information that I discovered about the lord of Durnholde Keep. I hadn't known that the Blackmoore family had fallen from grace. Apparently, his father sold Lordaeron secrets to one of the other kingdoms. Now that awkward moment in the throne room made sense.
No one knew which kingdom it was; only that a kingdom had hired a third party to approach Aedelas' father. In the aftermath, Aedelas—who was a child at the time—became the next lord and had to live with the stigma of being the son of a traitor. Perhaps, had I met him as a child, he could have been redeemed, but the man was now deep into his twenties. His environment shaped him, and the seed of rebellion had already taken root in his heart. I was pretty sure that if he found baby Thrall now, he would just set that shitty chain of events into motion once again.
"Lord Lothar—" the man began until I shot him a look. "...Callan."
I nodded as I went through the checklist of supplies from the quartermasters waiting for my approval. I calmly marked 'x' on some of the things that I knew were excessive. One thousand arrows for a company of footmen? Ridiculous. More sharpening whetstone was doable, however.
"Thank you for speaking up for me. I hope you know I did not mean any disrespect to King Grey—" He stopped when I held up a hand. I quickly signed the approval paper and handed it back to the quartermaster. The man hurriedly left to get the requisitions, leaving the two of us alone.
"I know." I reassured him with a friendly smile. "I wouldn't worry about Thoras. He's a very stern man by nature, but once he gets to know you, he'll thaw. Trust me!"
I reached over and patted Blackmoore on his shoulder. He smiled in return.
"Don't forget, we'll be fighting together. He'll know your worth then." I then pretended to look around as if I was about to tell him some great secret. "Besides, I heard the rumors about your prowess in battle. Thoras will be very impressed by that, trust me."
Blackmoore turned away to hide his pleased smile.
"They're just rumors," Thrall's future adopted father said humbly. "It's nothing compared to what you've done."
Ah yes, my so-called feats. I guess from a distance and looking back at it, it really was crazy what I did. It almost felt like it was another person who did all the things they spoke of, yet I was there and I remember nothing but being scared the entire time. Still, if you omitted the bad parts of the war, I could see how it would look impressive to someone who wasn't there.
"Fear not, you'd have the chance to prove yourself soon enough, my friend," I said encouragingly. "Who knows, maybe you'll earn more merits than I did. I can see it now: the Legendary Chronicle of Aedelas Blackmoore, Lord of Durnholde Keep!"
That elicited a small laugh from the black-haired man, just as I intended. Ever so slightly, I could see him letting himself relax more around me, lowering his guard a tiny smidgen more.
My plan was working.
"Say, you know a good place to get ale?" I asked knowing full well the man was an alcoholic. "I should be done soon so I would like to unwind."
Blackmoore's eyes became calculating for a moment. He could report me for slacking and drinking ale so early in the day as that might get him some merits with Thoras…or he could have my favor.
"I could show you to our best tavern," Blackmoore began coyly. It looked like he had made his decision. "Or I could actually show you who has the best ale in all of the Hillsbrad Foothills."
"The best in the Hillsbrad Foothills?" I asked skeptically. I even gave him a fake glare to sell it. "You better not be toying with me."
Blackmoore read my expression for what it was and grinned proudly. "It just so happens that I have a personal stock that I only partake in when there is cause for celebration."
"Oh?" I wore a matching grin. "Is there enough for everybody?"
Blackmoore blinked and looked pensive. "...perhaps."
My expression then turned sly as I got closer to him. "But...do we really have to share it with them?"
Blackmoore's eyes widened before he coughed lightly into his hand.
"But Callan, he is King Trollbane." The man made to play the good guy. "And there's Lord Uther too."
"Look." I swiveled my head around to make sure we were out of earshot of everyone. "If it's as good as you say it is, I'd much rather keep it to as few people as possible. But if you want to share it..."
"No," Blackmoore answered quickly. "It is as you say. There are plenty of other alehouses around."
"Wonderful!" I clapped my hands together. "When can I sample it?"
"How about you dine with me tonight. I'd have my personal servant cook their specialty dishes. I'm sure they will suit your tastes," he bragged.
Personal servant? There was only one personal servant I was aware of Blackmoore having. Nice, I wasn't expecting to get an opportunity so soon! That was just the opening I needed.
"You mean that somber-looking fellow that was with you when you rode to receive us?" I wore a puzzled expression. "He didn't look like a cook."
Blackmoore laughed. "He isn't, but his wife is quite good at it."
Holy shit! Did I dice roll a twenty on luck or something? This was getting better and better. I knew exactly what angle I needed to take with this revelation.
"Is that so?" I smiled perversely. "What does she look like? Is she pretty?"
Blackmoore blinked and his face became pensive. The underlying implication was clear. If she was pretty, I might bed her. Even if she was married to his servant, would he really want to slight me, with my connection and prestige, for some servants? It took him no more than two seconds before he nodded.
"Aye, she is," Blackmoore's grin became wolfish. "If you like, I can arrange for her to personally serve you."
"Aedelas!" I slugged him in the arm. "You're a man worth knowing."
We both let out a slightly sinister laugh that made me cringe inwardly. Blackmoore was beginning to think I was a kindred lecher and drunk. It made me feel grimy, but freeing Taretha from his grasp wasn't going to be easy in the first place. I couldn't just give a demand; it wasn't right and would smear my reputation.
No, I needed him to give me the Foxton family.
"Now, what else is Durnholde famous for?" I asked casually before one of Blackmoore's servants came running up to us, out of breath.
"What is it, Tammis?" the lord of Durnholde asked. He saw something was off from Taretha's father's expression.
"Pardon, my lords." Tammis bowed to the two of us apologetically. "But King Thoras asked for Lord Callan's and your presence."
We both turned to one another to share the same confused look. His eyes were asking if I knew what this was about, but a shake of my head told him that I was just as clueless. Blackmoore signaled for Tammis to take us to the Stromgarde king. The servant led the two of us back to the war room where we just held our morning meeting.
Upon walking up the stairs, I saw most of the senior officers from this morning with Thoras. Unlike this morning, there were three additional people in the room. The first two whom I was well acquainted with by this point were the elven leaders, Kael and Sylvanas. Odd, considering that they usually didn't need to be here for the regular day-to-day stuff. The third person was a man in Stromgarde armor who was talking to his king.
Thoras, whose attention had been on the soldier, saw me and stood up. His face had a stern expression that let me know that something serious was up.
"Thoras," I greeted before my eyes shot to the Stromgarde soldier. "Is something the matter?"
"Aye, you could say that lad." Thoras visibly clenched his jaw. "This is Lorn, a captain in my army. He was bringing news to Lordaeron for me. He was unaware that I was here."
My mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario. "Don't tell me the Horde has overrun Stromgarde?"
God. That would have been the worst thing that could happen. We were not ready yet. Damnit!
"No, lad." Thoras shook his head. Relief shot through me like ice-cold water. "Lorn here is the bearer of good and bad news."
"What's the bad news?" I asked right away. I always wanted the bad news first.
"The orcs had built a fortification, light as they are, at the mouth of the bridge." Thoras dropped the bomb.
"Fuck!" My eyes widened as the curse escaped my lips. However, Thoras did not mind it but instead chuckled. "My apolo—"
"No need. That's a sentiment I share," the Stromgarde king said with a grim smile. "But there's no time to despair yet lad."
Thoras directed at me as he took out a dagger and stabbed it into the table map.
"I did say there was good news too, did I not?" He gave me a grim smile.
That was right, the older man did say that.
"So what's the good news?" I asked.
At that, the patriarch of the Trollbane line pointed to the map. "My nephew, Danath, managed to rally a sizable force to try and take the bridge."
'Danath?!' I thought and could not suppress a bubble of giddiness at hearing the name. With great effort, I locked down that feeling and focused on the matter at hand.
"How many men?" I asked as I looked at the map. Something about that location he stabbed tickled at my memory.
"It's an army twenty thousand strong," Thoras answered. "They were hoping to gather more men at Refuge Point to take the mouth of the bridge, but they discovered it was fortified by an equal amount of the enemy."
That was it, Refugee Point! That was why that spot looked so familiar. I turned to Thoras and parsed what he told me. Putting on my military thinking cap, I came to a startling conclusion.
"You want us to go with what we have and attack the bridge with your nephew's army?" I deduced as I made eye contact with the pleased king.
"Aye lad." Thoras smiled. "Uther here thinks we should go without the last wave of our forces. Kavdan thinks we should wait for them. Prince Kael'thas is deferring to my judgment and with Gilneas not yet here, that makes you the tiebreaker. I'll have your thoughts on the matter, Callan."
"M-me?" I asked but shook my head right away for the stupid question. It was an unnerving feeling to see all the eyes on me, waiting for my vote. "I think..."
My head was telling me several things. The more soldiers you had, the better. However, time was of the essence if we wanted to shut the door to Lordaeron. Right now, just a little under ten thousand would be showing up with Alexandros while Stromgarde had another twenty thousand soldiers ready, double what we would get. Also, I remembered that Stromgarde soldiers were on par with those from Stormwind, while we are not necessarily getting the best from Lordaeron. The answer was obvious.
"I think we should go," I said, finally giving my opinion. Thoras had an expectant look on his face as if he wanted me to elaborate. "It comes down to math and common sense. We are missing ten thousand soldiers, but in Stromgarde, there are already twenty thousand soldiers. If we link up with them, that will more than make up for our deficit."
"Aye." Thoras nodded his head in agreement. "You have the right of it, lad. If we wait for Alexandros, then the Horde's main army might arrive. By that time, everything would have been for naught."
That sealed the vote. We were marching now.
"I'll get the army ready," Uther said as he stood up. Kavdan didn't look happy, but he didn't openly protest either.
"I'll get the mages ready," Kael put in his own two cents before turning to the Ranger Commander. "Sylvanas?"
"We are small in numbers and can leave at any given time," Sylvanas informed the group.
"I'll talk to the quartermasters to get everything they need now so we can be on our way," I spoke up.
"Not you three." Thoras shook his head. "I want you and our elven allies to wait for Alexandros forces."
His statement took me and the elves aback.
"Wha?" I boggled at the man. "Why?"
"Your numbers are small," Thoras said as his eyes fell back to the map. "There is no reason to risk nobles such as yourselves if, Light forbid, we fail."
I wanted to argue that I should go, but professional decorum meant that I should not air that out in public. Thinking of the bigger picture, I understood why he was leaving me and Kael behind. We weren't contributing a large army and if something bad happened, at least we would be relatively safe. In a way, he was protecting the alliance with Stormwind and the Elves. He must have somehow gathered that I understood his decision as he nodded in approval at me.
"I would have to disagree," the blond elf prince chimed in. "While I can see Sylvanas staying behind, I am needed to lead the mages in the army."
Sylvanas blinked and turned to her prince. She did not like that. "Prince Kael—"
Kael turned to face his fellow elf. "Your rangers, while skilled, would not make that big of a difference if I left them here. Besides, I represent Dalaran while you represent Silvermoon. My responsibility to the Dalaran forces is heavier than your handful of rangers."
He wasn't wrong; thirty rangers were nice to have, but they would not make that big of a difference in a battle involving crazy amounts of people. Sylvanas, being the leader that she was, understood Kael's reasoning. She didn't like it, but she understood it.
"As you say...Prince Kael'thas." Sylvanas dipped her head in acquiescence to her prince's wishes.
"Though, if you and Callan get there early, I would not be put out by it," Thoras suddenly spoke up and elicited a forced chuckle from everyone. That broke the tension a bit, though not by very much. "Then we'll head out. Blackmoore."
Blackmoore stepped forward and nodded. "Yes, King Trollbane?"
"You are to begin building a fortification on the main road." Thoras' eyes hardened upon seeing the lord of Durnholde Keep. "If the worst should come to pass, you will be Lordaeron's shield."
Blackmoore saluted quickly. "It will be done, King Trollbane!"
It might not be something we need right now, but as Thoras said, if we fail, Blackmoore would be Lordaeron's first line of defense.
"I shall take my leave then," Thoras said. With that, he got up and put a hand on my shoulder. "When this is over, I'll welcome you to dine in Stromgarde Keep. It has been far too long since the blood of Thoradin walked among its hallowed halls."
With that, Thoras left me behind, followed by Uther and Kavdan. Just as Kael was passing me, I suddenly remembered an obscure fact.
"Kael'thas, wait a moment." I shot a look at Blackmoore and saw the man nod in acknowledgment before moving away to give us privacy.
"Callan?" Kael looked at me questioningly.
"I'm not sure if you have been made aware yet or not—" I began as the prince and future banshee queen gave me their undivided attention. "—but is it true that the mages of Dalaran rarely work together?"
Kael frowned as he thought about it before he nodded. "I wouldn't put it quite like that, but it can be seen that way. No two mages ever have the same idea, and that can often lead to...disagreements."
The blond elf's lips quivered as if remembering something humorous.
"Does that satisfy your curiosity?" he asked with a friendly smile.
"Yes, but there is something you should keep in mind." I made eye contact with the prince to convey the seriousness of the matter. "You see, our conjurers were the same, more comfortable with working separately. While they may be stronger individually compared to an orc warlock, we have noted that the orcs casters tend to work in tandem and weave their spells together."
The future leader of the blood elves raised one of his long eyebrows. Thanks to our time spent together, I became familiar with his body language. This meant that my information was new to him.
"Their teamwork had cost us many conjurers," I continued. "It's good that we have quality in terms of spell casters, but keep in mind that they have quantity."
It was something Khadgar had observed and notified Dalaran of during the Second War. It might have held more weight with Khadgar because he was Archmage level. After all, what would a non-arcane user like me know? Thankfully, Kael did not seem dismissive of my advice as his smile slowly turned into a frown.
"Lady Aegwyn did not report such in her missive to the Council," Kael told me.
"It's because she has not faced the orcs directly yet," I explained to Kael. "I don't mean that as a slight, of course. She only made her presence known well after our conjurer orders were gutted. She might not have realized it at the time she wrote the letter to the Council of Six."
The blond elven prince seemed to consider my words before he shook his head.
"Unfortunately, it is too late to teach my mages flawless teamwork," Kael sighed. "But I'll think of something."
"Sorry, had it occurred…" I fell silent when Kael shook his head at me.
"The fault is not yours," he reassured me. "Your land is in turmoil. It would have taken time regardless for information to be properly organized and distributed."
I shot him a grateful smile, and he returned it.
"I shall take my leave," Kael said. "Good luck, Callan. I shall wait for your presence at the Thandol Span."
"Aye, stay safe," I told Kael. We clapped our arms together in a warrior handshake before he grinned at me as he looked at Sylvanas. "Do try not to be too enamored by your time alone with Sylvanas that you arrive late to the fight, my friend."
"Prince Kael'thas!" the female elf hissed, not unlike a cat, at her superior.
Kael didn't answer her but made to leave instead. The Ranger Commander followed obediently, but not before she turned around and shot me a weird look.
'What?' I returned the look, but all she did was pull her cowl to hide her face before she left. 'Weird.'
After everyone filed out, it was just me and Blackmoore left.
"My Lord, Callan," Blackmoore said slyly as he looked around. "It was quite a treat to be in the company of such lovely lasses. I heard stories of elven beauty but to see them in person..."
Okay, time to turn on scum mode.
"Indeed." I twisted my face into one of lechery. Or at least, as best as I could. "You should have been there in Silvermoon. Elven women of every type were there, I tell you. It was like walking into a pristine meadow, ripe for the plucking."
"Oh?" Blackmoore returned my lecherous grin. "Is that so?"
"Yes." I nodded, then waved my hand at the door. "Though, as you can see, I like the golden flowers the best."
Blackmoore's eyes widened as he realized something. "Oh...is that why you have that priestly lass by your side?"
Oh right...Liadrin.
"You said it, not me," I answered with a smirk. Oh well, might as well make it work.
"Well, it appears we have more in common than I thought." Blackmoore chuckled as he led me out of the war room. "You see, I am partial to golden flowers myself."
'I know you are, you son of a bitch,' I thought. However, all I did was lecherously grin.
"Aren't we all?" I chuckled and then inwardly cringed when he did the same.
"Indeed," Blackmore smirked.
"I think you and I have a lot in common," I said, returning the smirk even though it felt slimy. "Though, we best hurry and assist with the army's needs."
"Aye," Blackmoore agreed. "Shall we, Lord Callan?"
"Please, like I said." I locked eyes with him. "All my friends call me Callan."
With a pleased smile, Blackmoore gestured with his hand for me to leave the room first. The two of us made our way to the courtyard and then helped as best as we could. Blackmoore had his men working overtime to help load and feed the horses while I dealt with last minute logistics to hand over to Colonel Kadvan.
The army broke camp within an hour and was lined up, ready to march on his orders. Flags from every nation except Kul Tiras and Gilneas were there. One of the things I learned was that below the Lordaeron flag was a secondary flag. That flag denoted which noble lands they came from, a sort of crest in a way. At the very front and with the highest flag hoisted were Thoras and Uther.
"Sons and daughters of the north!" Thoras' voice boomed loudly as he unsheathed his sword and raised it high. "We now ride to war! Forward!"
With that, he chopped his sword down in an eastern direction. As one, upon Uther's signal, the line began to move quickly. Thoras turned around to nod at me before riding to the head of the line.
We stood for the better part of the hour until the soldiers disappeared from our sight. Blackmoore tapped me on my shoulder and indicated with a motion with his head that he was leaving first. I stood there with my remaining companions, Sylvanas and Liadrin.
The former did not seem happy, but she still obeyed her prince's order. The latter was miffed that Thoras had another priest take over her duty. I patted Liadrin on the shoulder in a comforting gesture, only to see her jump a bit at the touch. Upon seeing me, she relaxed but kept a somber expression on her face.
"I know how you feel," I told the elf. It still fascinated me that the blood matriarch was my subordinate. "Light willing, they'll succeed."
With that, I gripped her shoulder a bit tighter and nodded before turning to Sylvanas.
"I know you'd rather be out there with Kael'thas than here with me," I addressed the future Banshee Queen whose attention was now on me.
Sylvanas' deep blue eyes seemed to roam my face before she exhaled. "It is not your fault, Callan. Prince Kael'thas is famous for his...challenging decisions."
In other words, he went against the grain.
Sylvanas' eyes flickered to where the army went before exhaling one final time. "I need to see to the rangers, Callan. I bid you a good evening."
The elf walked past me, leaving me alone with Liadrin. I was the first to break the silence between us.
"So...now that you are no longer responsible for so many priests, what will you do?" I asked.
The strawberry-blonde elf pondered my question for a moment before she answered. "If you do not require my presence, then I would like to practice some of the spells you have taught me."
"Oh?" I asked curiously.
The elf took to the healing aspect like a duck to water. She learned Divine Star and mastered Divine Hymn much faster than the other girls. Her support skills and combat skills, on the other hand...
Liadrin's head dipped a bit in embarrassment. "I-I am still having trouble with forming such a large barrier..."
"Hey, remember what I said?" I told her. "Start off small, cover yourself first before you slowly expand its radius. It's like building up muscles; you will see improvement the more you work it."
"Of course, Callan." The pretty elf nodded seriously.
"Oh right, how is your Smite and Penance progress coming along?" I asked. Once more, the elf lowered her head, this time in shame.
"I... I know it's possible, but to use the Light like that to hurt another feels...wrong..." Liadrin admitted before turning her head away from me.
'Pff...tell that to the naaru that your other self tortured,' I wanted to rebut. 'Girl, you abused the fuck out of the Light.'
I knew that particular version of Liadrin went through hell. Didn't excuse what she did, but I knew hurting others was something she could definitely do. Still, seeing how innocent she was now, it contrasted greatly with her brutal future counterpart, so much so that it felt pretty jarring.
"If it helps, you can try and imagine the target as undead," I suggested. If there was one thing priests in the current era had a hate boner for, it was all things undead. "The orcs have necromancers and are probably raising my fallen people as undead for their armies even as we speak."
Liadrin's face slowly morphed into one of horror. "Th-they are?"
"Yes." I locked eyes with her. "It is your duty to send the undead back to their graves and rest their souls. For that, you need to wield the Light as a weapon against their foul masters."
It was a kind of a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of moment, but I saw a flicker of resolve flash through her eyes before doubt began to creep in once again. Best to nip that in the bud.
"Liadrin." I squeezed her shoulder. "Remember what I said? Baby steps. I don't expect you to learn it right this second. We still have time."
The pretty elf's leaf-colored eyes searched my face for a moment before she lowered them and sighed.
"You can do it!" I cheered and gave her a few more friendly pats on her shoulder. The elf shot me a wry smile before giving me a wordless nod and leaving.
With that done, I saw my two escort knights Haylea and Arabella looking at me and shaking their heads.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing, Lord Callan," Haylea said in a tone that clearly said that there was something. Also, what was with the hard emphasis on Lord? Seeing no answer coming from my knights, I shrugged.
'Whatever,' I thought. 'I have a little girl to save.'
*** The Hinterland – Aerie Peak ***
High Thane Kurdran of the Wildhammer clan was large, even for a dwarf. His muscular stocky body was riddled with tattoos drawn by his people's shamans. It was said to grant strength, wisdom, and leadership, something that the leader of their people needed. Many of his people whispered that he was the greatest warrior the Wildhammer clan had ever borne. He did not believe that to be true, but dwarves were a stubborn lot. Once they made up their minds about something, it was hard to get them to change their opinions on it.
"This…is ill tidings you have brought before me if true," Kurdran said as he read the letter from the human king again.
While Kurdran ruled the Hinterlands, his people weren't all here. Their ancestral home to the south in the Northeron Highland was managed by his younger brother, Falstad. While all the lands of the Wildhammer clan could be called Northeron, the truth was their lands were split in two with two human nations in between. Their mastery of the gryphon should have made travel between the two lands easier.
However, that was not the case. It would have been much easier had the humans allowed them to traverse their lands, but the price they wanted was too heavy for the Wildhammer clan to pay. The human kingdoms coveted their gryphons, but Kurdran's grandfather refused as their mastery of the gryphons gave them an edge in any conflict. They had been forced to fly around the human lands. Such a journey often placed them within range of the trolls and their bat riders. While the humans were not hostile now, the ban on flying through their lands made travel difficult.
Because of these issues, it was not strange for the two separate Wildhammer lands to take a long time to communicate with each other. To prevent their gryphons from taking such a long and arduous journey too often, it was agreed that updates between the two lands would be given at four monthly intervals.
It was now into the sixth month. Such delays had happened before, but they were far and few in between. Removing the missive away from his face, he looked down at his audience. It was three humans in fine clothing from the neighboring kingdom to the north. If what the human diplomat from the human kingdom of Lordaeron said was true, the reason for his brother's lack of communication was not voluntary.
Kurdran looked over to his second in command and nodded to him wordlessly. His lieutenant rose to his ranks because he could often anticipate his orders.
"I'll have our swiftest rider fly out within the hour, Kurdran!"
"Do not engage," the Wildhammer High Thane cautioned. "Just confirm if it is true or not and report back. I'll decide what to do then."
Kurdran then turned to the human ambassador.
"If what you said is true, then we will be cutting across your people's lands," Kurdran stated. "Will that be a problem?"
The three diplomats looked at one another before the middle one stepped forward.
"Pardon, Lord Thane," the human said. "But that is Stromgarde territory. However, if you need permission to fly over Lordaeron, then you have it."
Kurdran had to contain his laughter at the human's mistake, but he still pointed out the glaring issue. "If you humans are united into an alliance of sorts, shouldn't the decision of one not reflect the rest?"
The human ambassador made to say something, but one of his aides quickly walked up to him and whispered into his ear. There was a small debate among the three before the middle one looked back at him.
"I believe that should not be a problem that King Terenas cannot overcome," the human humbly replied. "Our skies are yours."
Kurdran wanted to tell the man that no one owned the sky, but held his tongue.
"In that case," Kurdran began. "I will begin preparing our gryphons for war."
The human ambassador looked stunned as Kurdran rose to his feet and gripped his storm hammer into his hands.
"If what you have told me is true, then the Wildhammer of Northeron will join your Alliance and make war against these orcs," Kurdran declared grandly before he stared at the ambassador. "In return, I expect your... Alliance to relieve my besieged people."
"O-Of course, Lord Thane!" The humans said excitedly. "These orcs are the enemy of all!"
"It's High Thane, not Lord Thane." Kurdran sighed after correcting the embarrassed human. If the threat turned out to be truly great, then he could only pray to the maker that the situation was not too dire for his brother.
TBC...
AN: First of all, thanks to Icura my brother from another motha who helped me edit this!
Secondly, Special Thanks for those that support us on patron, thank you for your generosity! It helps us out in many ways!
Finally, Happy New Years, its late but its the thoughts that count! Thanks for reading, you guys realized it been roughly about a year since I started this story? How crazy is that?! One year of some what consistent posting minus my sabbatical...still a year. WoW, just wow.
That say I hope you enjoy this chapter and hope you all continue reading it this year as well
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And as always Comments, criticism, discussion, and reviews are always welcomed