"Prince Arthas, His Majesty is looking for you."
Just as Arthas was practicing swordsmanship in the training grounds, a royal attendant found him. Arthas put down his training longsword, wiped the sweat from his face with a coarse cloth, and replied, "Understood, I'll be right there."
After washing his face with clean water, Arthas walked towards his father's study. He knocked on the door, and his father's deep baritone voice came from inside.
"Come in."
"Good day, Father." Arthas greeted his father, then noticed a stranger with reddish-brown hair sitting on a nearby sofa. "And this is?"
"Allow me to introduce you, this is Grand Duke Bolvar Fordragon, the envoy from Stormwind Kingdom."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Arthas Arthas." Bolvar smiled and shook hands with Arthas.
Arthas hadn't expected the Grand Duke of Stormwind to personally come for diplomacy. "The pleasure is mine, Grand Duke."
"Bolvar brings greetings from Varian. He congratulates you on becoming a Paladin of the Silver Hand and for your splendid victory in the Troll War." Terenas looked at his son with a benevolent gaze. "Grand Duke Bolvar and I have almost finished our discussion; he said he has something else to tell you."
"Indeed, the reason is this: King Wrynn's son has been born, and he invites you to Stormwind for the little Prince Arthas's birth banquet." Bolvar took out an invitation and handed it to Arthas. "At the same time, King Wrynn is also very eager to meet you."
"I would be delighted to accept this invitation, but..." Arthas looked at his father.
Terenas understood, and chuckled, "You should go. I'll give you a long vacation recently. You can come back after this year's Winter Veil Festival."
"Thank you for your generosity, my dear Father," Arthas said after expressing his gratitude, then turned to Bolvar, "So, when do we depart?"
"The Mage Tower in Stormwind is ready. As long as it connects with Lordaeron, we can depart at any time."
"I understand. Then give me a day. I need to prepare a gift for my little nephew."
"As you wish, Prince Arthas."
After leaving his father, Arthas went to his residence on the side of the palace, entered his study, and as soon as he sat down in the chair, he saw a letter placed on his desk.
Arthas picked up the letter, opened it, and began to read its contents.
"Prince Arthas, our people have successfully landed in Northrend and have begun to establish a camp. As you instructed, we have set up camp on the southern coast of the tundra and have begun sending people to investigate the situation of the 'spiders'."
The letter contained only a few short sentences. After confirming the situation of the Secret Intelligence Agency in Northrend, Arthas no longer paid too much attention to the far north: he had only sent a small team, all elite rogues, each an excellent scout.
All they had to do was report the situation in Northrend to him on time. He had no intention of moving on the North at the moment, otherwise, to get what he wanted, he would probably have to lead people to the very top of Icecrown Glacier.
That would be too much trouble, and the cost too great. But Arthas had the patience to spend a few years fishing for this big fish.
As for now, he had to choose gifts for his friend and his son.
Early the next morning, Arthas and Bolvar had already appeared on the top of the Mage District tower in Stormwind. Arthas looked at Bolvar's somewhat pale face, placed his hand on his shoulder, and slowly released a small surge of Holy Light.
"Thank you, I feel much better." Bolvar's greenish face improved slightly. "I really can't stand that dizzy feeling during teleportation."
"You'll get used to it after a few more experiences," Arthas hadn't expected this later renowned Grand Duke to get motion sickness from teleportation.
"I don't want to use it even once if it's not necessary." A wryly smiling Bolvar led Arthas out of the Mage Tower. He would rather spend time sailing north to Lordaeron than use this recently connected teleportation array again.
"Let's go to Stormwind Keep first. I think His Majesty is already waiting for us there."
The ancestors of the Stormwind Kingdom's royal family were lords under Emperor Thoradin. He took a portion of his loyal subordinates and subjects, left the North, and explored south of the continent, hoping to find new lands for reproduction and habitation.
After numerous obstacles and hardships, after crossing countless mountains and passing through countless wild lands, they finally discovered a large habitable forest at the southern end of the continent. Thus, the first residents of the Stormwind Kingdom settled in this forest, which they called "Elwynn," and built their capital, Stormwind.
But they also encountered problems during this process. To the south of the forest was a vast, primitive area like a tropical rainforest, where large numbers of Trolls frequently appeared, even threatening human territory.
Therefore, Stormwind's first king, who came from a military background, built his capital into a fortress city, and Stormwind Keep, built against the mountain, was actually his royal palace.
Unfortunately, during the First Orcish Wars, Stormwind fell. Even the strongest fortress could not withstand the terrifying red tide of the Orcs, and this also marked the end of the first war recorded by historians.
The mad Orcs burned down this prosperous city, turning it into ruins, to retaliate against the heavy price humans made them pay for their desperate resistance.
Today, Stormwind has been rebuilt, and its scale is even larger than the old Stormwind, truly a shining pearl of human civilization at the southern end of the continent.
Prince Arthas Varian Wrynn, who fled north with Grand Marshal Anduin Lothar back then, became Arthas's childhood friend. Time flew by, and the two youths who once sparred with wooden swords in the Lordaeron Royal Palace training grounds had each taken on new identities.
Arthas became a Paladin of the Silver Hand, a hero against the Trolls; while Varian returned to Stormwind, donned the heavy crown, and was crowned the new King of Stormwind.
Varian, a few years older than Arthas, was now married with a child. To commemorate Anduin Lothar, who preserved Stormwind's last hope and led humanity to victory over the Orcs, he specifically named his son after that Grand Marshal.
—Anduin Wrynn
Walking through the streets of the rebuilt Stormwind, Arthas always felt a hint of decay hidden beneath the prosperous surface. He shook his head: this shouldn't be the appearance of a newly reborn city. Although Stormwind had been rebuilt, hidden tumors were also rekindling from the ashes.
It wasn't hard to see; although the city was new, the streets were new, and the houses were new, Arthas noticed that most people's expressions in the passing crowds were not happy. They seemed to live in anxious worry all day long.
"The situation in Stormwind is not optimistic either," Arthas thought to himself. The situation in Stormwind was much worse than Lordaeron's had been back then.
Before they even reached the main gate of Stormwind Keep, a luxurious carriage pulled alongside their procession. A delicate, fair hand pulled back the silk curtain, and a beautiful noblewoman smiled at Bolvar.
"My dear Grand Duke, what a coincidence to meet you here."
"Good day, Countess Prestor," Bolvar's face, which had been a bitter gourd due to the teleportation, instantly blossomed into a smile.
"Oh! I told you, no need to be so formal, just call me Katrana," the Countess's charming voice, with a hint of languor, could melt the heart of any ordinary man.
Unfortunately, our Grand Duke, though powerful, was still within the realm of ordinary men. He clearly had a strong liking for Countess Katrana Prestor.
Arthas shook his head almost imperceptibly, but this couldn't be entirely blamed on Bolvar—his wife had left him (meaning passed away) not long after giving birth to their daughter. A grief-stricken Bolvar then had to send his own daughter to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, far from the continent, to ensure she wouldn't be affected by the Orcish Wars.
After losing a complete family, it was normal for Bolvar to miss those once happy days, and this Countess clearly knew what Bolvar needed, easily grasping his weakness.
If this Countess were truly just an ordinary human lady, Arthas wouldn't consider it a big deal at all. But the problem was, she really wasn't human.
He wondered how Bolvar's daughter, Taelia, would feel if she knew her father once thought about finding her a Dragon stepmother.
Indeed, under Arthas's soul sight, the Countess's body did not contain a frail human soul, but a powerful Dragon soul! This Countess Prestor was none other than Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess of the Black Dragonflight, daughter of the former Earth Guardian—Neltharion.
She came to Stormwind, first, to complete the task her mad father had given her, to disrupt the human alliance, and second, to satisfy her unique malicious pleasure.
Tempting a powerful paladin clearly interested the Black Dragon Princess. Coupled with Bolvar's own desire for such tenderness, she didn't even use any seductive magic; mere words and actions were enough to firmly grasp the Grand Duke's heart.
Therefore, no matter who looked, they would only think Bolvar was a man full of longing for love and tenderness, and would not suspect "Katrana."
"Clever methods, playing human nobles in the palm of her hand." This was Arthas's evaluation of Onyxia.
In fact, Arthas was also very interested in her—not her beautiful facade, but her essence as a Black Dragon. This was a genuine Dragon, and a descendant of the Dragon King!
Leaving aside the inherited knowledge she possessed, just her Dragon blood, Dragon scales, and Dragon sinews were rare and precious treasures! Truly a fine tool Dragon!
Onyxia naturally felt Arthas's burning gaze, which made her want to laugh for a moment. She remembered this was the Prince Arthas of Lordaeron? She hadn't expected him to be unable to ignore her charm. Hmph, men!