Izarian slumped against the door. King Wrynn? What reason would the King want with me that he'd go so far as summon me? Izarian couldn't think of a single thing, so she turned to the letter in her hand. She broke the seal and unfurled the parchment. Giving it a quick glance, she didn't see anything telling her what exactly the summons were for. It was just a formality in writing, much to her chagrin. Izarian tossed the letter on the table as she walked into the main room with a groan. This would make it impossible for her to get anything sold today. But, a royal summons is not something she was willing to ignore, for better or worse. She strode across the main room into the bedroom, which was much less of a bedroom and more of an armory. Three more sets of armor hung from the makeshift stands along the far wall while several large weapons hung above them. Izarian walked into the room slowly, resorbing the feeling of each and every suit and weapon. It had been some time since she wore any of these as she typically opted for the suit she just had on. She rubbed her hand along the top of her head just behind her horns. That suit won't work. Not for meeting the King. But which one….? After a few minutes of deliberation between armors and even longer on weapons, Izarian had made her choice. She started strapping the breastplate on, which was a silver steel padded by several layers of red dyed leather, and picked a matching set of legguards. It was probably her best looking armor, as it had seen little use in the field, but it felt slightly disorienting as there was more armor on the legs than she was used to. For a weapon she decided that one of her more worn weapons were required to offset the lack of battle-wear on the armor. To this end, she decided to take a large single-edged sword. It's edge had been lined with obsidium when she found it, though it was wearing down until it was almost ground to the steel.

Declaring herself presentable enough to appear in front of the King, Izarian snuffed out the lanterns in the house and walked outside. With a glance down the canals, she made her way towards Stormwind Keep. It hadn't been long since the courier had come, only an hour or so, but despite that she felt the weight of the situation. She had never been asked for directly, only seeing the Hero's Call board when she was more adventurous. She had heard from Emilia how intense it was for her when she was summoned by King Varian when Pandaria was rediscovered. This made Izarian a little worried about meeting King Anduin. She heard the stories of how much calmer he was compared to his father, but that only set her on edge more. She was used to dealing with pressure and aggression when she knew it was coming. But from what she heard, that wouldn't be what she was heading into. There was no turning back, however, and since it was a royal summons, she doubt she would be allowed to ignore it from the start. Izarian exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. Everything will be fine. You've handled worse than this in Ulduar. She had, but that was such a long time ago and she had learned a lot more since then.

Two Stormwind guards were standing to either side of the drawbridge when she approached. One of them gave her a curt nod that she quickly returned as she walked by. It was time for her to steel herself for this. After a deep breath, Izarian stepped towards the keep. There aren't very many people here, Izarian noted to herself. A Paladin here or there, a couple warriors talking off by the steps, and just a few people milling around the grand fountain. She didn't want to attract attention to herself, though, and she swiftly but deliberately walked to the stairs and ascended. Her hooves clattered softly with every step she took, and eventually she was up. Without realizing it, she was already standing in front of the entrance to the keep proper. A blue carpet framed by gold along the sides welcomed her inside. There were more guards here, scanning for intruders and unwelcome guests, but paid Izarian no mind. She mentally braced herself and entered the keep, trying to prepare what she would say in her head. May the Light be merciful to me this day. Izarian prayed to herself, despite knowing that she would not need mercy for just a meeting. Sooner than she liked, she had entered the throne room. The room was open and circular with paths leading to both her left and right. Guards were stationed around the entire circle, roughly four on each side. Izarian made a note to herself out of habit. Breathing deeply to calm herself, she entered the throne room and walked towards the King, who was standing in front of the throne. The eyes of the guards bore into her as she walked, which felt like an eternity. Finally, she found herself in front of the King and knelt down.

"King Anduin Wrynn, it is an honor to be called upon by you." Izarian said shakily. She was nervous, and despite her best efforts she couldn't keep it from her voice. The large sword on her back weighed her down more than she thought, and made it difficult to straighten herself.

King Anduin smiled softly at her, despite her nerves, and replied. "You flatter me, Starcaller. However, there is no need for you to be afraid. We have matters that need to be discussed and I need you to be prepared."

Izarian noticed her nervousness fade as if the King had cast a spell on her. "With all due respect, your Highness, nobody calls me the Starcaller anymore, myself included. I may once have been some small hero back in Northrend, but the deeds of then are shadowed by what lies before us now." She had never wanted the moniker in the first place, but her group at the time wouldn't let it die. Regardless, that was another time and it was no help to Izarian. "My king, I'm sorry for being so callous, but I would like to ask you as to why you had sent for me."

Anduin's face grew serious and his voice reflected the change. "Of course. If you would please, I would like you to follow me." He motioned to a room off to the right and started to move in that direction. Izarian stood to follow him and almost fell due to the change in weight along her back and legs. Cursing, she righted herself and followed the King into the room. When she entered, she found that the room was the war room. A large table was on display in the middle of the room which showed the map of Azeroth as they knew it, newly updated with the locations of the Broken Isles. Around the table were several faces she didn't recognise. They looked as if they were waiting for some time, and they all perked up as the King and Izarian walked into the room. She counted six of them, one each of the other Alliance races. Anduin took his place at the head of the table, motioning for Izarian to stand across from him.

"Everyone, this is Izarian Starcaller, hero of Ulduar, as i'm sure some of you already know." He nodded to the Draenei from across the table. "Izarian, I'd like to introduce you to the others here. This here," Anduin pointed to the Night Elf gentleman standing to her right, "Is Nordaerin Silverbeam, a Mage of the Arcane school." Nordaerin gave Izarian a slight bow before Anduin moved on. "These two here and Kymba Quickwidget and Noreen Trueflint, a scout and marksman respectively." Izarian nodded to the pair. The first was a Gnome woman, though interestingly enough she wore a mask depicting a skull. The Dwarf woman, however, wore a skinned wolf pelt atop her head and shoulders. Without pause, Anduin continued. "These are Songla, Daven Kessler, and Ashlan Swordbreaker. They are a Priest, Druid, and Warrior respectively." Izarian waved to each in turn. Each returned the acknowledgement with various enthusiasm.

"Now with the introductions out of the way, let us get to the business at hand. As I'm sure you've all heard, the previous portals to Draenor set up by my father's men and the Commander have closed. We know only the barest information, but what we've heard from our ambassadors to the native nations have been grim." Anduin said somberly, almost as if he were dreading what he was about to say. "What we do know is that the Commander's forces on Draenor were the ones to shut down the portals. More importantly, it seems the Commander refuses to listen to me or my advisors, and as such they are holding Draenor hostage. Whether they plan on claiming it for the Alliance is unknown." Anduin paused to take a quick breath, almost as if he'd not decided what to say. "Regardless, relations with the Horde have made it official that Draenor is a no-combat zone between us. The commander has broken that agreement and now acts independently from our forces." Anduin's eyes locked with Izarian's, who was trying to hold back her fears. "Our last reports say that they are also attacking the native settlements. We've received no word from either Karabor or Shattrath, and scouts confirm that the orcs are similarly embattled."

Izarian froze up. They were attacking Shattrath? What reason would they have to do that? Izarian prayed to the Light that her family was alright. She didn't want to go through the horrors of losing them again, so soon after finding them.

"Why are we here, my King?" Izarian asked timidly.

"Izarian, you are to lead a strike team to Draenor and either bring the Commander in to face their crimes. Find out their motives if possible, but the first and foremost objective is capture. And if you cannot capture the Commander alive…." Anduin left the statement hang in the air for a moment. "The Light help us all if we cannot get to the bottom of this."

Izarian took a moment to bring the information together in her head. "Your Highness, you want me to lead? I cannot help but question why, out of all the more capable people in your army's ranks, you would choose me." She couldn't understand the reasoning the King used. She hadn't been anyone to the world since the Cataclysm, perhaps even since Ulduar. She almost lost the King's words as she was being absorbed by her thoughts and questions.

"You're right, you were not my first choice. Originally I had requested the leaders of the Order Halls to help. However, with how occupied with the front on the Broken Shore, they could not spare anyone." Anduin paused, perhaps for dramatic effect, but Izarian thought it was something else. "However, a few acquaintances of yours put your name forth. I believe Huntmaster Emeilla was the first to request your aid, followed shortly by Deathlord Gulmur Snowfist and Cardinal Hannah Balthier. They recounted your fabled story of how you singlehandedly brought down Algalon the Observer in Ulduar. After such a recommendation, I could hardly refuse to at least inquire you about your help." Anduin smiled sorrowfully at Izarian again. "I know you have been away from the front for some time. However, having the Starcaller herself would cause a bit of a morale boost."

Izarian could hardly believe her ears. Em put me into all of this?! And not only her, but Gulmar and Balthier too? Just wait until I get my hands on them. Especially Em! Izarian couldn't believe their lie. She may have been the only one left conscious at the time of Algalon's defeat, but she hardly took him down singlehandedly. Emeilla had a hand in weakening the titan construct, and were it not for Hannah she would have been dead before the encounter even began. Unfortunately, she couldn't stay mad at them for long. It had been so long since she saw any of them. Well, maybe not Emeilla, but the time they spent or Draenor was rather brief. Regardless, if they had that much faith in her, she couldn't easily turn it down.

"Alright, your Highness. I agree to do this. I cannot let my world burn for a second time. If I could only have a few hours to prepare myself, I would be grateful." Izarian bowed her head low to Anduin. The King nodded with approval and spoke, relief flooding his voice.

"Of course. Just remember that time is of the essence. I will send your team ahead, should they be willing. Gear yourself for a long, difficult campaign." With that, Anduin dismissed them and returned to the throne room. Quickly, the rest of the group scattered, leaving Izarian alone with her thoughts. Not sure where to begin piecing all of the information together, she subconsciously walked home.