A/N: I was really excited about this chapter, and almost just as excited to listen to the song for about three hours straight while I wrote (and got distracted too many times in the process). Anyway, send me some love, guys? This is the most dedicated I've been to anything in a long time. Disclaimer to any and all rights. Ps, is anyone else stoked for the expansion next week?
A/N 2.0: It came to my attention that there was a typo in this chapter, because half way through writing it I decided to set it in Stormwind instead of in Lordaeron, because it just made more sense in my head. Anyway, said typo has been amended, and chapter has been reposted xx
…
This was the very first page
Not where the story will end
My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again
These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you
…
If there was one thing Jaina Proudmoore did not have the patience for, it was parties. All the politics, the social games, the shifting eyes as everyone pretended to be something they were not. She despised the very concept of forcing laughter and faking smiles all night long when she could have been safely locked away with her books, devoting her time to something that actually mattered. For example, her admissions exams that were approaching faster than she cared to think about.
However, in spite of how little she wanted to attend the ball that night, she had to admit that her dress was breathtaking. Jaina stared for a long time at the reflection in the mirror, at the stranger looking back at her. With her golden hair intricately pinned up, her face lightly dusted with powder, she barely recognized herself. Her hands strayed gently over the deep violet fabrics of her silk skirts, custom tailored to fit her body perfectly. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever worn in all her life.
With a slight smile, she turned away from the mirror and took a steadying breath. Gathering the folds of the long dress in her hands, she made her way to the door of her guest chambers. If only her father hadn't been so occupied, he could have come to this pointless affair himself, and she would not have been sent to Stormwind like some offering to represent Kul Tiras. She wasn't even sure of the occasion. Still, there was really no way out of this, and no use complaining about it, so she stepped out into the corridor and promised herself that she would try to make the best of it.
…
The ballroom was an overwhelming tangle of people, some dancing gracefully while others lingered off to the sides of the room and talked. Jaina felt a ripple of fear move through her as she stood in the entrance way, digging her nails into her palms and wishing desperately that she knew a single person there. Perhaps she could just give a rapid audience to the king and sneak out without anyone else noticing her. But then she would be left to face the disappointment of her father, who was counting on her to represent their small kingdom, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset him.
She finally convinced herself to step into the crowded room, hoping she could disappear into the masses without anyone recognizing who she was. But that hope was quickly shattered as a hand wrapped around her wrist. The blonde barely had a moment to react before she was all but thrust forward, and a bellowing voice announced Lady Jaina Proudmoore of Kul Tiras to the entire room. Jaina wished desperately that she had a cloak, or at least that her hair was down so that it might shield the way her cheeks were inflamed as all the guests of Stormwind stared up at her.
When she had been sufficiently mortified and their interest had faded, Jaina quickly moved out of the archway. She kept close to the wall, trying to find some solitude in the swarm of nobles. She was too focused on keeping her eyes fixated on the floor, trying to stop her blushing face and pounding heart. Which was precisely why she didn't notice the person in front of her until it was too late, and she had already crashed into him.
Jaina let out a gasp as their hands came up quickly to grab her by the arms and stop her from tripping over her gown. She looked up through her lashes and found herself staring into the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen in her life. His strong features were framed by golden hair; he looked young and boyish with the exception of the devious smirk he wore.
"S-sorry," Jaina managed to blurt out, regaining her footing and taking a step back so that he was forced to drop his hold on her. "I didn't mean-"
"It's alright, Jaina," he replied with ease. She was caught off guard by the way he addressed her by only her first name, as if they were close friends instead of two random people stumbling into each other quite literally.
Still, she managed to smile politely up at him, realizing that she was off to a terrible start at portraying what few social graces she possessed. Composing herself quickly, the blonde bowed her head a little. "I apologize, Sir. I don't know what came over me."
When a long moment of silence had passed without him replying, Jaina dared to steal another glance. For all she knew, he had already turned away, back to whatever he had been doing before her awkward clumsiness had interrupted. She was not expecting to find him grinning at her in amusement, his brows raised slightly. For some reason, that expression infuriated her in a way she had never known, and she couldn't quite place why. Maybe it was just the sheer smugness, the self-assuredness that seemed to hang in the very air around him.
Unable to resist herself, she jutted her chin up at him. "What, may I ask, is it that you find so amusing?"
Apparently, her attempts at confidence only increased whatever humor he found in this, because at her question he laughed. It was a light and musical sound, that somehow seemed to brighten the room. Jaina felt an involuntary shiver move up her spine. "You truthfully do not have any idea who I am?" He asked, his tone playful, teasing. Familiar. "I'm hurt, Jaina. I really am."
She couldn't be sure, but she was fairly convinced her heart skipped a few beats in the cavity of her chest. She narrowed her eyes slightly, studying every feature of his face, finally locking stares with his azure eyes. "...Arthas?" Her voice was so soft when she finally spoke his name, she wondered if he had even heard her over the dull roar of the ballroom.
The prince's only reply was his telltale smirk, and the next thing she knew, he was stepping forward and pulling her to his chest. It was uncharacteristic of her, and yet Jaina hugged him back, her slender arms sliding up to wrap around his broad shoulders. It had been at least five years since she had seen the prince of Lordaeron, and yet she instantly felt safe in his hold. They held the pose for a moment too long, before she finally forced herself to let go.
"I haven't seen you since we were children," she said, a smile pulling at her lips. The crowd that had seemed so imposing a few moments ago now seemed to have faded away almost entirely, leaving only her and Arthas behind. "What have you been doing? Tell me everything!"
And so he did, launching into long winded stories of all the tedious tasks he faced, the duties he carried out as he endured his training as a Paladin. Jaina, too, spoke of how she had been slaving away day and night in preparation for her exams, hoping that one day she would be worthy of joining the elusive Kirin Tor. It was so easy to slip into the playful conversation, reminiscing on the times they had been united as children, when their parents had been dealing with matters far too complex for them to understand. Each biting remark he had, she quickly countered. It was strange to think that they had really only met a handful of times and yet those times were some of her happiest memories of her childhood.
"So, you'll be coming to Dalaran soon then?" Arthas mused as he led her through the crowds towards one of the open balconies that looked over the busy city of Stormwind. As the night had pressed on, the ball goers had gotten louder, more enthusiastic and rowdy, so Jaina had suggested they go outside so they might continue their conversation. Now, Arthas has his fingers locked with her own so that he could pull her along. Usually she would have shied away from any sort of contact with a severe blush, but something about having Arthas at her side made her feel safe. Invincible.
"As long as I pass the entrance examinations," she amended, to which the young prince only rolled his eyes. Arthas remembered even when they were children how talented she had been. And though it had been an eternity since he had seen her, he had the utmost faith that she would exceed the standard requirements for getting in. And Dalaran was not all that far from his Capitol... Arthas felt a rush of excitement at the prospect that they might be reunited and have a chance to actually become close. Jaina was incredibly beautiful, and he had never met someone that it was so simple to be around, someone he could talk to for hours on end and barely even notice that any time had passed.
Once they were outside, Jaina leaned the railing of the balcony, staring out at the city below them. With all the stars aglow in the endless sky above them, the night seemed sparkling, lit with the promise of all that her future held. Arthas was at her side, pretending to take in the scenery when he was really just stealing glances at her. "It is good to see you again," he murmured then, when the silence had gone on for too long. Jaina tried to meet his gaze, but found that she could not, and was overly aware of how close their bodies were to one another. It was an unfamiliar feeling that had taken up residence in her body, this nervous excitement, this want to drag the moment out for as long as she could. She was wonderstruck at his very presence.
Back inside the castle, the celebrations were winding down. Jaina looked over her shoulder and saw the crowds had thinned substantially as people departed. A wistful sigh passed through her lips as she turned back the Arthas, telling him without a word that she truthfully did not want to go. Soon, Jaina knew that the last remnants of the night would give way to the dawn, and when the light soaked the sky, she would have to return home. Even the most perfect of nights came to an end. And she knew that it would be a long while until she saw him again.
But something told her that her thoughts would echo his name, her memory playing back the sound of his voice and the way she felt almost pulled to him as they stood together and awaited the inevitable morning. There was this feeling she couldn't shake as she glanced over and accidentally met his stunning blue eyes, this overwhelming hope that this was the first page of their story, not where it would end for them.
