Disclaimer: I don't own WoW or any of the characters from the lore. Kaidie, however is mine. She is my concept, my creation.

***** indicates a flashback

indicates a language other than common.

Italics indicate thoughts.

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Chapter 1

Meetings

Kaidie rode anxiously on the divine steed as she and her entourage approached the borders of Durotar. She had never been to horde territory before, and she knew that a human in orcish lands was not likely to be given a warm welcome. But, she was on a very important task set for to her by her mentor, Tirion Fordring. She was acting as diplomat between the Horde and the Argent Crusade.

It had been 5 years since The Lich King and his forces had been defeated. Kaidie had only just started her training back then. The most she had seen of that battle had been elaborate stories told by soldiers on leave or traveling bards. She had been anxious to join the affront, but she had only been 18 at the time and Lord Tirion had not been willing to send a young and untrained girl to her death. So she waited and trained. She was one of the best paladins in her class. Top in skills with use of the Light. It seemed to almost come naturally from her. She had also had training in the martial aspect of combat, but she preferred sitting back and making sure her comrades were well supported. After all, the fewer deaths on the battle field there were, the more likely that side was to achieve victory.

She stopped as they reached the gates of Orgrimmar. They were huge. She watched as two armed guards approached the small party and looked them over. They seemed defensive at first, weapons drawn and at the ready, but when they saw the banner of the Argent Crusade and the tabards sported by each of the members, they snorted and motioned for the group to follow. Kaidie swallowed hard. She hadn't known what to expect of her mission when Tirion had first given it to her. All she had known at first was she was finally being entrusted with something important. When he told her she was to be an ambassador to Thrall from the Argent Crusade, she felt floored.

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"You can't be serious, Lord Fordring. I've only recently completed my training. I've never even seen battle and you are sending me to the capital of the Orcish nation?" She looked at him in disbelief. No way had she heard him correctly.

"I'm very serious, Kaidie. You are by far the most adept of your class. You're intelligent, talented, and fluent in their language. Not to mention I have never met someone as charismatic as yourself aside from Lady Jaina herself." The aged paladin looked to the young 23 year old woman with a look that could not be denied as serious. He knew the girl's history with the orcs. He'd heard her story and it was because of her past that he knew this would work out. It was because of one orc in particular that he knew this mission would be successful.

******

Kaidie didn't hesitate to follow the orcs into the city. She knew that she would be safe under an armed escort. They were here for a reason and she intended to see her mission completed. Though she couldn't help but be nervous as the orcs around the city glared and even spit at her and her group. She ignored it for the most part, but she could tell that the rest of her group was more irritated by it than scared or nervous.

Finally, the orcs stopped at a large complex. They were muttering insults in the orcish tongue. She knew that her men didn't understand it, but she knew perfectly well what they were saying. Most of it made her very very uncomfortable. Not angry and insulted uncomfortable, but the kind of discomfort that made her never want to be caught alone with them. She wondered if they knew she understood every word they'd said, or if they thought that the leader of the Argent Crusade would send a group of people that couldn't speak the language of the people she was trying to negotiate with.

She set those thoughts aside for now. There were more pressing matters to attend to as she dismounted from her steed and the other four paladins with her followed suit. She stepped into the building and realized it was a great hall. She suddenly felt very small. Surrounding her was an entourage of races. Really tall races. Taurens, trolls, and of course orcs. Granted the orcs weren't really tall so much as they were very bulky with shoulders that seemed to be as long as her arm span. Of course she was exaggerating it in her mind a little bit. At least she thought she had been until she entered the second and backmost room. She saw two men standing there. One troll, whom she assumed to be Vol'jin leader of the Darkspear trolls. The other an orc. She knew the Orc to be Thrall, the leader of all of the orcs and the Horde forces. He was busy looking over what appeared to be topical maps and he was speaking to Vol'jin in the troll's native tongue. Kaidie was unfamiliar with it, so she stood there quietly and waited to be noticed by one of them.

Her guards, however, seemed less than patient as one of them loudly cleared his throat which earned him a death glare from Kaidie. He looked at her before he spoke.

"They were taking forever, we are on a deadline." The paladin spoke to her as though he were leading the mission.

Kaidie scowled deeply at him and made a mental note to council him later on his behavior. She turned her attentions quickly back to Thrall and Vol'jin with an apologetic look. Both men were now looking at her expectantly and she was suddenly very nervous. She bowed her head and placed her right fist against her left shoulder.

"I apologize, Lord Thrall...Lord Vol'jin. That was very rude of my man and he will be reprimanded for it later." She spoke in Orcish, hoping that at least landed her in their good graces. Vol'jin sneered and walked past them and out of the room. He clearly wanted nothing to do with the humans or their attempts at being diplomatic. It didn't really bother Kaidie too much.

She couldn't deny Vol'jin was impressive as he walked by her. She was only 5'6" tall. She was almost short by human standards. The large troll hunched at 7' minimum. She didn't want to imagine just how tall he would be if he stood up straight.

It was then that she heard Thrall clear his throat. She looked over to him and took note of his smirk. ~Touché...~ she thought to herself. She smiled sweetly and took in his features. Orcs were so hard to tell apart to her. Usually, she saw them all clad in armor, leaving little to distinguish their individuality. She took note of Thrall's armor. A leader that wore something other than plate armor was a new sight to her. Thrall was clad in what appeared to be very thick padded leather. She had learned from her draenei classmates that plate was too encumbering for shamans, and Thrall was one of the most infamous shamans she had ever heard about. Her eyes trailed up to his face to take in his facial features and she froze for a moment. His eyes were probably the brightest blue she had ever seen. It was all too familiar. She knew she'd seen them before.

Thrall's head tilted to the side as he watched her expression change from apologetic, to shocked, then back to apologetic as she bowed again and gave another quick apology. She was so young. Why had Tirion sent such a young girl to a city that hated her race? Surely he understood the risks for this child. He waved her off and then looked to her men behind her.

"The guards will not be necessary, girl. I assure you, I won't harm you." He stated in an amused orcish tone. He watched as she looked behind her and seemed to sum her men up. She shrugged and nodded.

She spoke to her men in her own language. "Stand outside. Guard the horses."

The men looked from her to the large orc and then back to her as though she were crazy. "Kaidie, we are not to leave your side. Orders from Lord Fordring." One of them stated matter-of-factly. As though that simple statement should be enough for her. She wasn't so convinced.

"I am in charge of this mission, Zaratul, and I will do what I think is best for it. Now stand outside or leave the city all together." Her voice was steady and authoritative. Something that Thrall had not expected from one so young. He was starting to understand why Tirion may have sent her. The men seemed to hesitate for a moment before they all turned and walked out of the building. It was clear that one of them was unhappy, which he made clear by scowling directly at her. That was fine for her. She hadn't been very fond of that particular paladin for a long while.

She turned her attentions back to Thrall, speaking to him in his own tongue again. "Again, Lord Thrall, I apologize. All of those men are seasoned paladins. They are...hesitant to follow the orders of a girl just out of training."

Thrall gave a chuckle at that and spoke, this time in her common tongue. "No need to speak to me in a language that is not your own. After all, I was raised to speak common." He paused for a moment and seemed to sum her up. She wasn't tall, but she wasn't short. Her hair was a bright chestnut brown that hung loosely to her shoulders. She had a delicate figure and a very confident stance. By human standards, she was likely very attractive. "So tell me...Why would Tirion send a child to negotiate with me?" His voice was more curious than insulted. Perhaps when she first entered he had been upset, but now Kaidie really couldn't tell.

"I assure you Lord Thrall; he meant no disrespect by it. In fact, part of the reason I'm here is directly related to the reasons these negotiations are needed." She watched Thrall's reaction for a moment. He seemed even more curious now. Good. "King Wrynn has been holding a grudge against you and your horde for quite a long while now. To the point that he's being driven mad. He recently passed a law that states any and all who associate with the horde, especially those who associate with the orcs, are to be arrested and imprisoned. Depending on the severity of the "involvement" they are even being executed. His zeal is bordering on being comparable to that of the Scarlet Crusade." She paused for a moment to let the information so far sink in for Thrall.

He looked to her, a bit impressed. "So by coming here, you not only risk your life by my orcs, but you risk your life by your own king as well?" He was intrigued at the logic behind the girl's actions.

She smiled and nodded. "I want peace for my people as much as you do for yours, Lord Thrall. Lady Jaina is too much in the public eye these days. Wrynn's laws carry to her too. He went to her personally and told her that if she was caught associating with you, she would be publicly executed. I, however, am the daughter of a nobody farmer whose family was killed by orcs." She paused briefly again as she spoke those last words. She hadn't expected that to come up. At least not this soon. "I'm the last person they would look at to be associating with orcs. I also happen to be fluent in your language. Which is why I am here and not someone else."

Thrall listened intently. His interest was piqued as she spoke of her family being killed by orcs. This girl was very interesting. "Your family was killed by orcs, yet you work to come to peace with them? Did they fall in battle?" He asked curiously.

She shook her head. "No, Lord Thrall. My parents were farmers and they, along with my village, were attacked by a band of marauding orcs. Only myself and my older sister survived." She didn't want to talk about this anymore. "We're veering off topic though. This visit isn't about me, Lord Thrall."

He nodded and held his hand up as though to say, you're right. "I apologize. It's not my business. And please, call me Thrall. Now...why exactly are you here?"

"I'm here to negotiate an official peace treaty between your horde and my crusade. Lord Fordring along with Lady Jaina shall be breaking away from the Alliance in due time and taking as many of theirs and Wrynn's people with them as possible when they do. When this secession occurs, it will without a doubt incur Wrynn's and possibly other alliance faction leaders' wrath. We could be looking at a very short and bloody war with Stormwind and possibly Ironforge. We would need allies on our side." She watched Thrall's reaction. He didn't seem amused as she had expected, but instead thoughtful.

"Hmm...That does pose a problem my dear paladin. Bringing a band of humans into the horde would be like a band of orcs taking residence in Stormwind. It's not likely to end well." He leaned his hands on his table and seemed to think things over.

Kaidie simply smiled and nodded. "I completely agree with you, Thrall. But we are not asking to join the horde. We shall remain neutral as the Argent Crusade has been thus far. Jaina will be forming what she calls the Kalimdoran Alliance, basically moving her people from the Eastern Kingdoms to Kalimdor where Wrynn's wrath would have trouble's reaching. This treaty would merely offer us support from your horde should the need arise with Wrynn's inevitable retaliation."

Thrall nodded at that. "I understand. We shall discuss this more on the morrow. For now, I am hungry as I am sure yourself and your men are. I will have meals sent to them when they settle in their room."

Kaidie gave him an odd look. "And am I to fend for myself, Lord Thrall?" She grinned a bit, having a feeling that was not what he was getting at.

Thrall gave a chuckle at that. "No, my dear, you have sparked my interest on a personal level and I would like to get to know you more. I was hoping that you would accept an invite to join me for dinner." Thrall was gauging her reaction this time. She seemed hesitant, but thoughtful about it.

"I don't see why I couldn't join you, Thrall." She smiled sweetly to him, but inside her stomach was in knots. He wanted to ask her questions about herself. Would that include asking about her parents? She certainly hoped not. She wasn't ready to talk about that day. Not yet. She laughed in her mind at that thought. ~Not yet~. As though she ever wanted to relive that awful day.

Thrall could tell that there was something on her mind, but thought little of it for now. He smiled as Kaidie walked out to send her men off to the inn they'd been assigned to. She was definitely an interesting young girl.

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Kaidie walked out of the building and over to her men who were all standing near their horses, watching the orc guards nervously. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Both sides looked on edge. Like they would strike the other down if they so much as sneezed. She stepped between them to try and diffuse the situation.

"Alright men, you can head on over to the inn and settle in. I have a few more things to take care of here, but I'll meet up with you later. Don't wait for me to eat." She spoke in an authoritative tone and was about to turn and walk back in to Thrall's hall when one of her men gripped her by the shoulder. She knew that was too easy.

"Excuse me, Kaidie, but we are your guards. Meaning we are here to guard you." The guard seemed annoyed to say the least. Kaidie just sat there looking at him as she quirked her brow in that ~So what?~ manner. The guard rolled his eyes. "We can't guard you if we're in the inn eating and you're out here in the middle of the orc city by yourself."

She sighed and looked up to the paladin. She'd known this paladin most her life. In fact, she had deeply cared for him back when she was a fledgling paladin. But he had shown no such interest. Instead, he had met her sister and they had ended up marrying. The history between the two of them was complicated. Her feelings for him had come out after the fact and it had created a great deal of tension between the two. She was less than excited when Tirion had stated that he would be a part of her team.

"Look, Zaratul, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And I highly doubt Thrall intends me any harm. We are merely going to be discussing things further while we eat. It's been a long day, and I'm really not in the mood to argue." She sounded tired all of a sudden, as if his attempts at concern were wearing on her nerves. She wasn't trying to hide it either. It's not that she felt he was concerned for her. He was more concerned about doing his "duty". She didn't feel like listening to his upcoming lecture.

"Kaidie, I was assigned to protect you, and I'm not leaving your side." He was being defiant. He didn't care if she thought she knew everything. She was his responsibility and he meant to keep an eye on her. She, however, was being difficult as usual. She shrugged his hand off of her shoulder and turned to fully face him.

"You will do as I order you to. I have been given command of this mission and if I say you go to the inn and wait for me, then you go to the inn and you wait for me. No arguments. Your presence could possibly hinder my purpose here and I'm not going to risk insulting Thrall just to satisfy your ego. Now get your arse to the inn." She never raised her voice. She never lost her temper. She spoke coolly and calmly, but remained stern. She didn't wait for his compliance. She turned on her heel and headed back into Thrall's building to meet him for their meal. Had she taken the time to examine the other paladin's body language she would have noticed the look on his face. One that promised to put her in her place.