Notes: I honestly love Jaina. I feel for her and all she's been through. I wanted to see, ya know, character growth from a character I've liked since WCIII who's really damn strong even if she's been brought to her lowest. So fic. After reading Tides of War and Dawn of the Aspects, I really loved how she and Kalecgos are the biggest magical nerds on Azeroth. I think they're sweet together, and they've both seen some shit and so deserve something nice. So recovery fluff (and probably pr0n) amid the rest.

Jaina tried to stay for Kalec, for Anduin, but she was so cold and it was becoming so dark. She could feel the warm, healing Light only distantly; it seemed to be growing further away. Kalec pled with her but he too seemed to be fading. She reached for him but her body would no longer respond. She could taste blood but that too was becoming dull. She struggled to see, her vision darkening on Kalec's anguished face.

Jaina Proudmoore died.

With a breath, Jaina lived.

She opened her eyes. A cool breeze washed over her skin. It stirred the hair and fur of the people looking down upon her. The heavy weight on her chest eased and the sharp pain faded. Sound and warmth returned. Gone too was the icy feeling around her heart, the one which had only just begun to thaw. Ice melted away as the spring wind, tasting of life, of hope, touched her.

Jaina did not have to look far to find Kalec, who she loved more than her fury. She'd realized that almost too late. She reached for him and he pressed her hand to his cheek. His skin was wet with tears, once sorrow, now joy. Looking around she saw the relieved face of Anduin.

"You're getting good at this," she told Andiun, voice rough and worn as she made the joke. The Prince laughed somewhat shakily. His hands were covered in blood. Her blood.

Kalec gathered her close, pressing his face to her neck, embracing her in the draconic fashion. She felt the ghost of a smile appear on her lips as was held, warm and secure. With each breath she lived a bit more, the ice and numbness and fog fading.

Jaina caught sight of Go'el and saw his family was present and intact as well. The sight filled her with surprising relief and it felt... Good. His and Aggra's totems were out and it was clear they had been trying to help heal her. He smiled at her but she was the one to reach out. They clasped hands briefly, not as friends once more, but they had been so in the past.

"Thus is the blessing of Chi-Ji," the celestial said, his voice as soothing as the winds from his wings. "No more shall die this day. Take this second chance, and use it wisely."

Jaina silently vowed she would. She found Kalec's hand and entwined her fingers with his. She pressed her face to his neck and found tears stinging her eyes. Varian was speaking but Jaina paid him only half a mind. She tucked her her head against Kalec's chest and focused on the sound of his heart and her own breathing. The simple act of drawing breath had been so difficult moments before.

The pronouncement that the Celestials had already known Garrosh's fate before the trial drew her attention. She frowned, trying to comprehend. Then comprehension came and with it some few tears. Jaina knew she had been on a destructive path. Recounting her losses had hurt, Light how it had hurt... But it had also been cleansing in a way. It had helped to lift away the cloud of rage she had been under. She had been able to see the mistake she was making and to stop before it was too late.

Kalec squeezed her fingers as if sensing her thoughts. She squeezed back. No doubt they still had challenges ahead, but Jaina wanted those more than she wanted her hatred. They would, as the Celestials had charged them, go back and do what they must.

The Celestials bowed their heads and the assembled bowed back more deeply. Then the ancient spirits withdrew. Those who had gathered began to stir, aiding those who had been wounded, or worse. Jaina saw she was not the only shaky soul granted a reprieve.

Kalecgos gathered her fully into his lap, his arms wrapped around her. "I do not have words for how I feel right now," he said, his voice low.

"Think how I must feel then," she murmured back, drawing a loud bark of surprised laughter from the dragon. Others looked up and stared, startled by the outburst. Jaina didn't care. She smiled to herself. She had not heard him laugh in some time. It felt good. She felt... Good. Peaceful. And weary to her very bones. She leaned against Kalec, letting her head fall to rest against his shoulder. His chest rumbled, the sound felt more than heard.

"Jaina?" Varian crouched before her.

Jaina blinked and realized she'd dozed off. There will still many milling about so she had not been out long, but the shadows had shifted enough she noticed. "Yes, Varian?"

His smile softened his scarred visage. "You saved me."

Jaina smiled back, tentatively. "You've been trying to save me."

She looked past Varian's shoulder and saw that Anduin was sitting beside Velen. His hands were clean, though they still shook a little. The Horde had once again clustered together as had the Alliance, but... it was not the tense standoff it had been nine days ago.

Those who were independent of either faction intermingled with both sides and one another. Tyrande was speaking with Ysera and it was hard to say who was comforting whom. Alexstrasza held Aggra and Go'el's son on one shoulder as she and Aggara spoke. The child seemed to be entranced by the shiny gold bangles the Queen of the Dragons wore on her horns. Teran Zhu spoke with Varok Saurfang, both of whom looked weary. Low tauren chants of thanks to the Earth Mother intermingled with soft human prayers to the Light. There was no fighting. A profound solemnity filled the courtyard.

"Jaina?"

She blinked, her attention drawn back to Varian. He'd been speaking to her, asking her something. Her mind had wandered, still fuzzy at the edges. "I'm sorry, would you repeat the question?"

"The Pandaren have offered to send people home, but the temple monks have also offered food and lodging for the night here. We are all recovering but... but some of us more than others. What would you like to do?" Varian looked at her with increased concern as he spoke, her king's usual gruffness replaced with something softer and perhaps unsure.

Jaina honestly didn't wish to move, though she knew she should. She was warm and secure in Kalec's arms. The temple grounds were peaceful and she was so exhausted, her head still felt like it was filled with cotton. There was one thing she knew for certain, however. Jaina tilted her head, addressing the dragon whose lap she still sat upon.

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, hoping he would.

His answering smile warmed her heart. "Of course."

Jaina smiled in return. "I should return to Violet Rise," she said as she tried to get to her feet.
"I should-" She found she needed Kalec's strong arm and Varian's steadying shoulder to stand. "I should see what I might do to help Chromie. Check in with my people." She pressed a hand to her temple.

"Chromie has gone for the moment, but I will make sure she knows you desire to help. Take your time, Jaina. Your mages have already been informed you're well. I'll send word you are on your way," Varian said, returning to his usual decisiveness. He shared a nod with Kalecgos. "I am leaving you an capable hands for now." He turned on his heel and strode off in Anduin's direction.

"Rest is what you need," Kalecgos said. "Chromie and the rest of the Bronzes will find them."

She nodded and leaned against Kalec's side as they began to make their way to the Pandaren mages who were working to open portals. There were people sitting under trees or on the ground who had bewildered looks that matched how she felt. She recognized them as some of the earlier fatalities. Their armor and clothing was spattered with blood but they was whole once more. She met their eyes and they shared a nod, knowing they had been spared death. Jaina shivered.

The Pandaren mage who constructed the portal to Violet Rise looked on them with wide eyes as Jaina thanked him. Jaina noted this absently as she stepped through the portal onto the Kirin Tor encampment. The drizzle had let up somewhat and while things were still wet, she was grateful that she did not have to deal with a downpour as well. Perhaps she should just return to Dalaran and her quarters there.

There was a small gasp to her left. Jaina saw it was one of the apprentices who helped around camp, a human girl with short curly, black hair. The girl looked back at her with huge eyes, her hands had come up to cover her mouth. Every line in her body screamed horror. Looking beyond the girl, Jaina saw other mages too had paused in their work. They regarded the pair as they made their slow way into camp with looks of disgust, frowns or outright horror.

Jaina frowned. Kalec and she had walked hand in hand before. The blue dragon was well-known by now and shouldn't have garnered such a reaction, even if they didn't approve of the relationship.

"Why are they staring at us?" she questioned, pitching her voice for Kalec alone. She would be angry later; for now she was just exhausted.

"They're not staring at us. They're staring at you, Jaina. Your robes are still covered in blood."

Jaina looked down and realized the state of her clothing for the first time. Her skin was whole, but a dark red stain, unmistakeable as anything other than blood, covered her torn bodice and robes. No one could have survived the loss of that much blood.

She hadn't.

Feeling queasy, Jaina looked at the expressions of her mages in a new light. Varian had said he would let her mages know she was alive and well, which meant they also knew something had happened at the trial. Jaina realized she would have to stay here, at least for the night. Returning to Dalaran would give the image that she had fared far worse in the battle. Truthfully she had, she thought with a shudder. But her mages needed her to look strong, to be strong.

"Apprentice Niami," she said, voice rough. She cleared her throat and this time she sounded more normal. "Niami, would you see about having a hot bath drawn for me?"

The apprentice stammered something that sounded affirmative and the girl sprinted off into camp, boots slapping through puddles as she went.

Jaina continued to her tent, Kalec at her side helping her to keep steady. The lights were already on inside Varian's tent and she felt sure Anduin was in good hands with his father. They would no doubt arrive shortly. Vereesa was back in Dalaran and Jaina was grateful that she was with her sons and hadn't been present when their mad alternates had appeared. Granted, Jaina and the others were alive now, but the twins could have easily been orphaned.

Finally she arrived at her tent. The walk was not truly long, but she felt as if she'd been walking for miles. Jaina tugged on their joined hands, drawing Kalec inside behind her. She gestured the lights and the heating crystals to life. Suddenly Jaina felt as if she had moved a mountain. Abruptly too weary to stand, Jaina took an unsteady step towards a seat, leaning on Kalec to keep her balance. She caught the arms of her chair and managed to sit heavily rather than collapse to the floor. Kalec knelt beside her, taking her hand once more.

"Jaina?"

"I'm okay. Just... No energy left." She was completely drained, she realized

His eyes grew unfocused as they studied her for a brief moment. He gently stroked a thumb over the back of her hand. "Your energy is already recovering. Slowly, but it is."

She nodded. Her gaze moved from their hands to the dark, red stains on her bodice. "I should take this off," she mused aloud then felt her cheeks heat. Their relationship had been romantic and close, but they had not yet progressed to that manner of intimacy. There were many reasons but the savage anger she felt had been significant among them. "The blood, I mean," she said, hurrying to clarify. "I think I might have scared them," she said, gesturing outside to the mages.

"Their fear isn't anything on mine," Kalec said. He pressed a kiss to her palm then brought her hand to the side of his face. "I saw the reality."

"How did you banish the other you?" Jaina changed the topic, drawing her free hand through his blue-black hair. "I was busy with my own double, but I heard my name though."

Kalecgos drew in a breath then let it out slowly. "He was mad. Looking for death. Begging for it. He'd lost everything and everyone he'd ever cared for. He blamed himself." Kalec leaned into her touch. "But it was ultimately the choice of the Jaina in his world. As it was Aveena's."

"He went away as he began to understand that," she concluded.

Kalec nodded. He looked up at her. "And you?"

"She was isolated and alone, even from the Kirin Tor I think. No Varian, no Anduin. No you. She blamed Garrosh. Had personally slain him I think, but... Garrosh was the reason she was hurt. He was not the reason she remained angry. I-..." Jaina paused as she stroked her fingers through his hair again. "You were right to tell me what you did on the beach. I told her that. Reminded her of what had been said. I- She was the one holding onto the anger. I'm glad I stopped before I became her."

"I am as well."

"I didn't want him to take me too," she said, voice wavering. She'd come so close to losing everything she cared for, which terrified her.

"He can't. He won't. You've already decided."

Jaina licked dry lips and nodded, allowing herself to believe in his conviction.

"It hurts. Something like what you lived through will always hurt. But every day it will hurt a little less." Kalec smiled sadly at her. "I wish it could be sooner, but it is something that takes time." He pushed the remaining golden lock behind her ear. "Finding new things to smile about helps. I speak from personal experience."

He'd said things like this to her before, and while she'd listened, she'd never believed it. Now, she thought, maybe she could believe it would hurt less, that maybe he might understand a little. She leaned forward as he did and they kissed. It began soft and sweet but as Kalec deepened the kiss, something more desperate entered into it. Kalec's arms went around her waist and shoulders as she leaned into him. She began to slide off the chair into his arms.

"Archmage?"

He broke away and she made a small sound of protest.

"That's probably your bath," he said. Kalec placed another kiss on the end of her nose as he lifted her fully into the chair once more. "Go. You'll feel better."

She sighed and nodded, the energy dissipating into weariness. "Check on Anduin and Varian for me, please?"

He pressed a kiss to her brow. "As my lady wishes." With a smile and a courtly bow, he stepped back and withdrew from the tent, allowing a pair of apprentices as well as the camp's healer to enter.

"Just one moment," Jaina told them, turning to her desk. She wrote a quick message to the council, informing them in short that Garrosh had escaped with the help of a rogue bronze and should they be asked, the Kirin Tor was pledged to help. She sealed the missive with wax and signet, Then, hands shaking, she pressed her thumb to the wax, willing magic into the seal as well, signing it with her mage's mark. Even doing that much was draining, but the apprentices were watching so she put on a mask and endured.

"This must go to Dalaran immediately. It is to be given to Khadgar or Modera," she ordered, handing the missive to Niami, the apprentice she'd seen earlier. The girl bowed then took off at a run to deliver the message in Dalaran. Jaina faced the healer and inclined her head, silently giving herself over. The pandaren women bowed in equal measure and offered her a hand out of her seat.

Healer Yu-len had dark hair and a bold blue streak that matched the color of her eyes. Her fur was black and white and she wore dark navy blue robes. A member of the Shado-pan, the healer had been sent to camp as a liaison as much as for her skills in healing. Jaina judged her to be about ten or fifteen years older than she and while Yu-len was not one of the most highly ranked leaders in the organization, Jaina had noticed the other members of the Shado-pan giving her due deference. She had not been disappointed in the healer's abilities.

The healer fussed over her and Jaina let her, too tired to protest. The remaining apprentice, another human girl, kept staring at the dark stains on Jaina's bodice. Jaina didn't remember her name, but she hopped into action when the healer directed her. Within minutes they had bundled Jaina up in a voluminous dark robe and had escorted her to the bathing tents. Word had clearly begun to spread around camp and even the more senior mages whispered and looked askance as she walked by. Jaina wanted to cast invisibility on herself. She was tired of the looks and the whispers that always followed her for one reason or another. Jaina sighed in relief when the tent's flap closed behind her.

Yu-len shooed the wide-eyed apprentice away after the girl had finished fetching and carrying. She alone of the people in camp seemed to be somewhat unruffled by Jaina's appearance.
The bathing tent was one of the larger ones. Behind the privacy screen a single, steaming tub of water stood at one end of the enclosure, large enough she could fully immerse herself if she wished. There was a small table as well as a stool. The air was pleasantly warm and Jaina felt some tension ease out of her shoulders. The healer directed her to the stool and Jaina obediently sat.

"How do you feel physically?" Yu-len asked as she turned Jaina's head this way and that, and examined her eyes. Clicking her tongue, Yu-len unceremoniously undid the front closure of Jaina's ruined bodice and prodded the place where Jaina had been shot with gentle-yet-firm fingers. A very small, whitened scar remained where the injury had been, her skin healthy and unblemished otherwise.

"Tired," Jaina said, feeling awkward being poked and prodded.

"To be expected," Yu-len said. "The August Celestials can do much to rekindle a spark which has gone out, but they will not provide energy from elsewhere beyond that initial gift." She helped Jaina to strip fully and enter the steaming tub as she continued to explain. "Your own body fueled much of the healing. You will need rest and good food. Lots of good food."

"Fortunately I am in Pandaria," Jaina said, her tone light, as she slid into the water up to her neck. The food here was different from home, and the emphasis on food was different too, but she'd grown to enjoy both.

The healer laughed brightly and wagged a finger at her. "Very true, Lady. Very true. How are you feeling otherwise?"

Jaina contemplated that a moment. The healer seemed content to let her mull that over as she rummaged around in a folding case made of dark stained wood and began to pull out herbs and vials.

How did she feel? She'd... been killed. She'd died. And then the Celestial had stepped in, brushing death away with a gentle feathered wing. Next she had lived. The pain at the end was entirely gone. She'd felt such warmth and... relief? Caring? Hope? Feelings which had been dulled and distant were now much closer; good feelings she'd almost forgotten in the wake of Theramore.

Theramore... Her memories hurt still, but as she recalled her home the ache did not feel as sharp. More surprising was, at least for the moment, she felt at peace with the fact it was dulled.

"I think," Jaina finally decided, "I feel lighter." More like myself again, she thought. She had not felt this way in a long time, she realized.

"That is good as well."

Yu-len tossed in handfuls of dried herbs into the bathwater then added the contents of some of the vials she'd pulled from her case. The steaming bathwater began to smell of jasmine and summer nights and something spicy and earthy Jaina could not name. Finally Yu-len set soap and bathing implements on the stool within Jaina's reach.

"Wash away the remains of today's battle and relax. You are safe and well. I will be close by if you should need anything." Her smile was motherly as she gently patted Jaina's shoulder. "And then we will see you have food and rest."

Kalec waited as the guard by Varian's tent spoke with the King and Prince. Kalec would have understood if they did not with to see visitors. It had been a tumultuous day and the King had been wounded in the fighting as well, though he'd recovered with the rest healed by the Red Crane. Kalec started from his musing when the guard returned to admit him into the tent.

Varian and Anduin both rose when he entered. Varian reached out to clasp hands in the human tradition. "How is Jaina?" he asked before Kalec could ask after their health.

"The healer is looking after her right now. She's trying to hold herself together but she's shaken."

"I think we all are," Anduin said as he pulled an additional chair over for Kalec. Sire and child had been seated at table by a warm brazier.

Kalec nodded and took a seat, feeling a bit out of place. Varian pressed a mug of beer into his hand, taking one for himself. Alcohol, at least in this quantity, had little effect on him, but Kalec understood the gesture.

"How are you both?" Kalec asked. "I saw you had been injured," he said to the king. "Was it your alternate that had wounded you?"

"I'm fine. My injuries were healed by the Celestials. I've been hurt before, I'd have lived. Mine wasn't as fatal as Jaina's." He blew out a puff of air. "I never saw my duplicate. Queen Alexstrasza told me that she was able to appeal to the father in the alternate version of me before he could leave the temple. Seeing Anduin alive and well here gave him pause. He decided I needed to remain alive so I could hunt down Garrosh."

Kalec's eyes widened. "Alexstrasza and Ysera. I did not see either of them come through the rift!"

"Kairozdormu, thankfully, brought neither a double of Alexstrasza nor Ysera," Varian said. "I can't even imagine what Alexstrasza might have done."

"Ysera would have been worse," Kalec said, quiet dread unfolding in the pit of his stomach. His interaction with the artifact that had allowed him to see Malygos' memories had given him a different perspective of the elder dragon. She of the Dreaming was willful and tenacious and since sacrificing her Mantle, she'd become sharp. Kalec shuddered.

"Ysera?" Varian appeared surprised by Kalec's words.

Kalec shook his head, trying to clear the frightening vision away.

"Imagine the Nightmares, Father," Anduin quietly spoke.

Varian made a thoughtful sound. Indeed, they'd all seen enough possible nightmare without a maddened Ysera bringing a corrupted Emerald Dream to bear on them all.

"Are you well, Prince Anduin?" Kalec asked. "Did I see correctly two of you were fighting Vol'jin's double?"

The Prince drew in a shaking breath then let it out as he nodded. "The other me went to be with our parents," Anduin told him.

Kalec bowed his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No," Anduin waved his apology off. "No, Kalec, I'm actually grateful for your concern. It was... difficult. It's given me a lot to think about. The trial and the aftermath has given all us a lot to think about. How do you feel?" Anduin asked as he retook his seat.

"I feel as if I have flown through a hurricane," Kalec said after a moment of contemplation. "Some of the testimony was harder to witness than I had been expecting," he said, thinking back to Alexstrasza's part in the trial. "There were more personal difficulties as well. I thought I had lost Jaina to her hatred, but I hadn't. And then I lost her for good. And now I haven't."

"Seeing yourself from another timeline likely didn't help," Anduin added with a small grimace.

"That as well," Kalec admitted. He drank from the mug. "His madness was unsettling but it wasn't nearly as unsettling as..." he trailed off with a shake of his head. "I half-expected another quick turn of events when we arrived here."

"Light, no," Varian said with feeling. "I could not take another twist of fate today."

"Despite Garrosh escaping, I would not change things further, either," Kalec said. His eyes were drawn towards Jaina's tent.

"I think I feel the same, despite it all," Anduin agreed.

"We'll be following Garrosh. Chromie is already trying to track him down," Varian reassured. "He will be found and dealt with."

"She is a talented bronze," Kalec said. "I'm sure she'll find him. If there is anything I can do to assist, l will."

Varian nodded. "I'm sure she'll let you know. Tonight I think we're all..." he trailed off and waved a hand vaguely. "Regrouping. Rallying. Jaina wasn't the only one who..."

Kalec nodded. "I saw. I'm relieved the other Kalecgos wasn't as destructive as he could have been before he was able to be banished." Kalec shuddered. His duplicate had been courting death for himself, and so he hadn't turned the area into violet ash as Kalec knew he could have done.

"He might have been mad but your heart isn't dark, Kalec," Anduin said. His expression was solemn and there was a tingle of something powerful as he spoke.

Kalec looked over at the young man and smiled a little. They were all lucky to have such a soul in their midst. "And you are stronger than you realize, Prince Anduin," he replied, answering power with power as was respectful to do.

The prince ducked his head, perhaps a bit embarrassed but pleased by the praise. Kalec was heartened he did not shy away as many humans did when confronted with an intentional showing of power. Anduin would lead well when his time came in truth.

"I've bothered the two of you enough tonight. If you don't mind, I'd like to stretch my wings," Kalec said, standing. He gave Anduin a final smile and made his way to the entry flap.

"Of course," Varian said, rising as well to see the dragon out. At the door, he lowered his voice to speak. "I pray Jaina will have been healed by this."

"As do I."

Varian nodded then affixed Kalec with a startlingly intense look. He gripped Kalec's shoulder. "Jaina is the closest thing I have to sister. She has always been there for Anduin and me. You have been very good for her since Theramore. For whatever it is worth, I support your relationship."

Kalec bowed his head to the king in thanks. "She loves you and Anduin like family. I know it will mean much to her and," he smiled slightly as he spoke, "it means much to me."

"Be gentle with her heart. Of us all, she deserves some peace."

Kalec met the King's eyes and returned the shoulder grip and nodded. "I will," he vowed.

Kalecgos took his leave and walked to the edge of the encampment. It had begun to drizzle once more. Once he was clear of the tents, he shifted into his true form between one stride and the next to the startlement of the Kirin Tor mages still out and about, and the Pandaren in the area. He launched himself into the air, stretching his wings to their fullest extent.

He shot straight up, gaining height until he cleared the cloud cover. The sun had sunk low in the sky and would soon set. Gold faded to red and purple as rays of light danced across the dark clouds. He watched it for a moment then folded his wings and dove for the ground, aiming for the sea. The rain spattered against his scales as he cleared through the clouds once more, twisting his wings in a corkscrew. Just above the roaring surf he snapped them open and skimmed across the surface of the sea, salty spray washing over his scales, before lifting into the air again.

His counterpart had been so very broken. All their counterparts had been, but the death of Kirygosa, of Jaina, of all the blues... The very idea made Kalecgos' heart sick. He tilted his wings and began a wide, sweeping circle. That future was not his, however. He'd made his choices and he could not control the choices of others, as much as he might lament their decisions. But there was always hope that-

Hope.

Kalec turned his wide circle into a tight lateral roll before levelling out. The words of the Celestials had touched his heart and that of his beloved as well. It had been painful to watch what had happened from her perspective. It had been torture to watch her have to relive events. But maybe some good had come from the experience. Others had understood the depths of her devastation. Perhaps even he had finally understood her pain. And she... she had been able to let go of the shadow and had instead reached for him. Kalec felt he had all but literally seen the darkness begin to lift away and begin to dissipate. He flipped and began a series of loops in the air.

He had almost lost hope of once more being near the brilliant, kind, gentle soul he'd unexpectedly fallen in love with. The brilliance and understanding had been there still, but her kindness had been hidden under the pain as she pushed him away. It would not be immediate but he would see her fully once more. Light willing they would be able to move into a deeper partnership with one another. Not as if Theramore hadn't happened, that could not be, but there was potential for them to grow. More than potential. Kalec began to inscribe loops and whirls in the air as he had not done in ages. A giddy happiness filled his chest. His chosen consort had chosen him back and by the Light, she lived.

The dark duplicates had been defeated and in doing so, many personal demons had been slain. New understanding had been forged over the course of the trial between allies and enemies both. Garrosh, he felt with certainty, would be found and brought to justice. This chapter of life in Azeroth was closing for the good.

An old song of victory bubbled up in his heart, the ancient words spoke of a hard won battle with loss and pain and ultimate triumph. Kalecgos gave into the impulse, immature as it might be for a stately dragon such as he, to give voice to it. At least to hum a bit.

The sun had gone down as he'd flown but the fading light was hardly an issue for a dragon's sight. On the ground he saw the prince's golden head among the darker colors of the Pandaren. A figure in a violet robe with hair the color of moonlit snow stood watching beside the golden prince. Still humming to himself, he flipped in the air and drew into a tight downward spiral to land near Jaina.

The bath was wonderful. Jaina felt clean and though the exhaustion remained, she felt better. She wanted something small and easy to eat, perhaps a bowl of soup, and then she wished to see Kalec. Probably not in that order. Jaina knew she should sleep, but she did not want whatever inevitable nightmares today might have wrought.

Yu-len gave her a thinner shift and then wrapped a rich violet and gold brocade robe around her shoulders. It immediately shielded her from the slight chill in the cooling tent. She wrapped it tightly around herself. Slipping into some soft fur-lined boots she made her way outside once more.

She found Anduin, his golden head tilted to look at the sky, as she made her way back to her own tent. He was not, she realized, the only one fixed on something high above. Jaina looked up and smiled.

Kalec wheeled and spun in the sky with surprising grace for a being so large. Jaina wondered if there was magic at work in dragon flight or if it was just sheer muscle power alone that allowed him to twist on the winds with such ease. She would have to ask him about flight later.

"That seems to be a happy dragon," she commented.

"Jaina!" Anduin exclaimed, suddenly noticing her. He threw his arms around her before backing off with a worried expression. "How are you feeling?"

She pulled him back into the hug. "Better. Much better." She kissed the top of his head. She'd been harsh to him and he hadn't deserved it. When she spoke it was very softly. "I have been in a very dark place, Anduin. I'm sorry." An apology to him had to come first.

"I tried so hard. I was so tired. But I tried-"

"Don't cry. Not when I'm here and well." Jaina held him more tightly. "Not when I am the one who should apologize to you. You never gave up on me. Never. You did all you could."

His arms squeezed her waist. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Light willing I'll be here for awhile yet, Anduin."

"Good. We need you."

Jaina squeezed him. "Where's Varian?" she asked, releasing him from the tight hug but keeping an arm around his shoulders. Light, the boy was getting tall.

"Cleaning up before dinner." He gestured to the dragon wheeling in the sky. "Kalec said he wanted to stretch his wings."

"And so he is," she mused, smiling. She pressed another kiss to Anduin's head and held him close as she watched the dragon wheel in the sky.

"I think I should check on my father," Anduin said, abruptly stepping away. "I will see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she asked, surprised. "Not at dinner?"

Anduin grinned back at her. "I'll see you at lunch if we haven't gone back to Stormwind. I think father and I would just be in the way." With an impish, knowing, wink he turned and left, leaving Jaina's cheeks heated and her jaw dropped in surprise at the forward implications Anduin was far too young to be making.

She saw Kalec was heading in for a landing and felt a nervous fluttering in her chest. Perhaps Anduin was not being forward at all; there was much for them to discuss still. They had tabled some topics and today's events had no doubt created more items to discuss. The day had put a great many things into perspective for her, however. For good or Ill, she wished to have those conversations soon.

Kalec landed, his wings generating a slight breeze as he back-winged then tucked them in against his sides. Jaina thought he might have been humming. He swiftly shifted into his half-elven shape and crossed the distance toward her with long strides, a bright smile on his face.

She opened her arms to embrace him and he swept her up and spun in a circle with a laugh before setting her back on her feet. She laughed in surprise and no small amount of delight, stopping when he leaned forward his expression intent. With one hand on her cheek, the other around her waist, he drew her into an intense kiss. Jaina returned his affection in equal measure, not caring in the least for what disapproving mages might say or think. He rested his forehead against hers and his soft humming was unmistakeable.

"Anduin said you were stretching your wings. It certainly made an impression on the locals," she said.

"Are they scared?" he asked, frowning.

"I don't think so."

"That's fine then," Kalec said, expression easing. "Did the healer have anything to say?" he asked.

"Rest and food," she said. "Also it wasn't stated but I imagine she'd prefer I didn't get shot again."

"No," he said, the word coming out as a growl. His arms tightened around her and he pressed his face into the crook of her neck for a moment. "Let us get out of the rain," he suggested.

Jaina nodded. "Let's go."