Hello guys, I have returned and the third chapter of "Conjurer of the North" is here. Thank you for the support and the mixed reviews from you guys due to my errors in previous chapters that I fixed. My bad sorry. I'll be involving the Alliance in this story starting with this chapter. Anna's interaction with the Starks will come later when I have the stomach for it.
I will be working on two thousand or three thousand words from now on in future chapters. Making as many words as I can that it won't do with my weak stamina and endurance. Needed some time off to think of and sleep of too.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of the two awesome fantasy/medieval franchises that I swear to the old gods and the new under the godswood. The WarCraft universe from RTS to MMORPG and A Song of Ice and Fire novel series respectively belong to Blizzard Entertainment and George R.R. Martin himself.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. Comments, criticisms and advise will do but no flames please. I have yet to get a fire extinguisher or hose when I needed one lol! :D
Chapter 3
Within the large halls of Stormwind filled with guards standing vigilant, Varian Wrynn sits on his comfortable throne of the Kingdom of Azeroth where he held a discussion with Archmage Xelen of the Stormwind Mages about the recent disappearance of the last Conjurer with his son Anduin listening attentively as expected of his duty to learn from this experience should be the future king after succeeding his father when he grows up.
"Has there been reports of Anna Winterbloom's location, Archmage Xelen?", Varian asked, feeling a little impatient lately after hearing news of the Conjurer's disappearance that has become a major uproar among the Alliance and the Horde throughout Azeroth recently.
"There has been no sign of Conjurer Anna Winterbloom for over several months since she left to investigate the mysterious magic anomaly at Karazhan.", the Archmage said. He was a portly gentleman but like the Stormwind's mages, he originated from Dalaran who came for the freedom and power vacuum left by the dead Conjurers of old Stormwind.
Xelen once believed Anna as a major threat to their occupation of the power vacuum as she's the last member of the ancient order of wizards but eventually he came to respect the female Conjurer. Since then, she's often willing to lend assistance to him and his mages whenever way she can that might prove helpful to the Stormwind's Mages.
"Has something happened to her?", Varian demanded in the possibilities behind Anna's recent disappearance.
"I am not sure, Your Highness. Whatever the mysterious magic anomaly was, I believe it was responsible for the Conjurer's disappearance.", Xelen explained to the king of Stormwind.
"Do you think she might be... dead, Father?", Anduin asked in worry and concern about Anna and her recent disappearance. The young boy remembered the woman who have grown fond of him and has been helpful in teaching healing magic as she was once a cleric in her youth.
Rubbing the head of his son and heir to the throne affectionately, Varian warmly assured to him. "No, no my son. Knowing her, she's too stubborn to die just like that, Anduin. I'm sure she'll be alright."
His son smiled in response, knowing that there's still hope. His son won't believe that she is not dead yet and still alive somewhere.
"Archmage Xelan, tell me what was this 'mysterious magic anomaly' that Lady Proudmoore informed you of.", he demanded to Xelen, turning attention to him. Knowing Jaina who has gone mad after Theramore's fall by the Horde under Garrosh, he cannot tell if she's still rationally sane within what's left of her broken mind.
"Hmm..., from the reports of analysis gathered here. It is said to be a mysterious magical anomaly occurs within the portal networks of Azeroth located somewhere in the leylines of Karzhan. Only Winterbloom knows in and around there as a Conjurer, leading to High Archmage Proudmoore to assign her to deal with the problem.", the Archmage of Stormwind explained as he looked on the documents he brought with him.
Pondering deep on his thoughts, Varian can think of numerous possibilities behind her disappearance such as a gateway to another dimension, to a new world besides other than Outland through the Dark Portal untouched or touched by the Burning Legion, or maybe to an uncharted and unknown land that the Alliance or the Horde have not known of. If he were to bet on his crown, the son of Llane Wrynn can guess that Anna Winterbloom is in the last possibility.
"Xelen, I want you and your Mages get to work on doubling your efforts in searching Conjurer Winterbloom. Use the magical anomaly within the portal networks in Karazhan's leylines to pinpoint her current location and inform me at once.", Varian issued an order to Xelen immediately.
"As you wish, Your Highness. We will not fail you. We owe our gratitude to the last Conjurer and we tend to repay the debt.", the Archmage complied before he bowed and left the throne room, leaving Varian and his son behind.
Brooding within his mind, Varian Wrynn remembers about Anna Winterbloom, the last Conjurer. She was a beauty who held a great love and fascination of magic just like Jaina Proudmoore, and a fierce and hotheaded woman she was but also with a sense of humor. Not to mention that she is one of Azeroth's most powerful mages in history as a Conjurer. He remembers how really she was too stubborn to die when facing overwhelming odds against the Burning Legion and the undead Scourge that both factions of evil and darkness finds her a great nuisance.
She once claimed that she thwacked the Lich King in the head with her staff like an old lady sharply scolding her bad grandson and kicked him in the nuts between his legs, strange for an undead guy like Arthas, that sent him painfully skittering back to Northrend with a slap in his wrist. Whether or not such claim is true, Varian finds it very humorous.
Despite being at odds with Anna most of the time, he and the female Conjurer were good friends since their first meeting at Lordaeron after the mass exodus of Stormwind and shared good times together. He once proposed that he will help her create a new order of Conjurers once Stormwind has been rebuilt but she refused his offer, clearly she's in mourning of the loss of her old mentor and comrades in pain and grief.
There are times when they fought alongside together side by side in battles against the Burning Legion and the Scourge and watching each others' backs, making out alive and well with some few scars and wounds they received from their fights. She acted as a surrogate mother to his only son Anduin that some people inside and outside Stormwind jokingly believed that Varian is going to make Anna his wife and queen at his side but he knew that it's not her thing and she hates politics for her own reasons.
The one thing that their friendship fell apart is that he acted aggressively against the Horde in the Alliance's acts of war while she greatly condones him for his 'war-mongering' ways. He never understood or knew why she no longer held any hostility or antagonism to the orcs who are responsible of destroying her country and the old order of wizards she was raised in during the First War.
When he asked her why, she simply said, "Forgive but never forget."
Anna Winterbloom has grown disillusioned of the purpose of the Alliance slowly fading away as she sees it as a melting pot for the leaders and members of every Alliance-aligned races play their game of thrones in politicking with and against each other to get what they wanted in terms of manpower, territories, resources, magics and weaponry while maintaining their strong 'unity' against the Horde and the Burning Legion.
"You call this an Alliance? Pfft! All of you did was a mockery of what the word really means. I believe we should have named our coalition of races 'Self-Interest'. Ooh. That rings a bell, don't you think? At least the Horde lives up to their namesake unlike you all dense fools.", she bluntly said bitterly out loud right in front of the leaders of the Alliance during their meeting of negotiation.
All were enraged, baffled, confused and outraged by the last Conjurer's words while some agree to that. Varian was there and Jaina Proudmoore too, both equally shocked and mortified of Anna's bitter words towards the name of the Alliance they have joined since its founding. An outraged Fandral Staghelm of the Night Elf Sentinels acted antagonistically and racist at her for that and attempted to attack her but was curb-stomped by the Conjurer single-handedly without even much difficulty that destroyed half of the large room with the Archdruid knocked out cold.
Tyrande Whisperwind, an ever peaceful mediator, managed to calm the heated tensions down and had the unconscious and bloodied Archdruid escorted away by the Night Elven Druids for medical treatment while chiding Anna for saying such a thing so boldly as if she was a child which the latter prefers to be blunt and open to everything she says in her mind to the High Priestess.
The Horde leaders and representatives who are present in the negotiation with the Alliance were also surprised of the last Conjurer's blunt and bitter words towards the Alliance and held mixed reactions, either of respect, shock, etc. Even Garrosh Hellscream finds her interesting for speaking out against the very faction he swore to destroy once he become the new Warchief after Thrall steps down and also of her strength after watching her easily taking down Fandral Staghelm.
Sylvanas Whisperwind, Dark Lady of the Forsaken, dryly commented that was also the reason why the blood elves have left the Alliance because of what the Conjurer said in her bitter outburst that some agreed in her opinion from both sides concerning about their forced departure thanks to Garithos.
Both sides of the Alliance and the Horde often shared mutual opinions about this among themselves and most agreed while some argued about it in their verbal debate of words rather than war against each other that threatened to break out into an all-out conflict soon but not today.
Then that is where she called him out for allowing the House of Nobles to do as they please on the populace even if it's considered to be the benefit for the city of Stormwind, fully aware of their corruption and accused him for his inaction to deal with them as a king. She even had the audacity to invoke the late Anduin Lothar's name at his face in her words of spite and sadness.
"Lord Lothar would be ashamed of how this Alliance turns out to be when he first founded it and of you as the king of Stormwind he once believed you to be. You know nothing, Varian Wrynn.", she said at him before leaving the meeting where the stunned Alliance and Horde members watches Varian's face drained color at the mention of the Old Lion of Azeroth, the last of the Arathi line.
When their friendship fell apart, Anna Winterbloom held cold resentment to him in her eyes and never calls him by name anymore, rather by his status as king coolly whenever they meet. He's relieved that she didn't extend that to his son Anduin who has taken a liking to her as if she was his second mother to him after his wife died during the riot of Stormwind over the issue of payment for rebuilding the city by the protesting builders and stone masons.
He always knew that she didn't truly hate him at all. If she did, he would have known already. In fact, she was deeply saddened to see her friend turning into what he is now and may not be what he aspires to be a good king just like his father and his father before him since the days of old Stormwind before the Horde appeared through the Dark Portal from Draenor twenty years ago.
Briefly interrupted of his thoughts in his mind, Varian noticed Anduin asked him a question filled with worry that had brought him back to reality. "Father, do you have a clue to where she is?"
"Perhaps, my son. Perhaps. If I am right, Miss Winterbloom might be somewhere in a hidden continent unseen by anyone here in Azeroth. It won't be long until we find her. All we need to do now is to wait and have a little faith, Anduin. Have faith, okay.", he simply replied to his son who smiled in return and left to continue with his studies as he was escorted by Stormwind's guards.
Alone in his throne room, Varian Wrynn looks up solemnly as the light beams down in his face, wishing that should they find her eventually in hopes that he may reconcile their friendship with the last Conjurer and be what he aspires to be in the first place.
Author's Note: Looks like the third chapter's done and the next update will come around soon after my long lazy break back in college again. The Alliance will soon be heading to Westeros in future chapters after taking notice of the last Conjurer's disappearance there. Next chapter will be the last Conjurer meeting with the Starks of Winterfell.
If the Alliance manages to track her to Westeros and go there themselves, I wonder how will they change the game of thrones with their large presence especially with the coming of the Others and wights in the long winter that is coming from Beyond the Wall.
Anyways, I'm rooting and hyping for a WarCraft 2016 movie coming soon that I add that in the calendar for a countdown. It might be freaking awesome with the humans and orcs fighting including to see Conjurers in battle too as well.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. :)