"No," Braelyn said, her voice rock hard and steady. "Rommath would have told me if Aethas had confessed to such a thing." Yet even as she voiced her denial, she recalled what her husband had said to her about his conversation with the Archmage.
"Just some shadows that needed banishing."
The theft of the Divine Bell was certainly a shadow, all right. Only it was proving pretty damn hard to banish.
Tyrande Whispering gave a delicate cough and looked at Braelyn with sympathy. "It could be that he was trying to protect you from the fallout," the night elf suggested. "He is a very intelligent man from what I've heard. He would have known that you having prior knowledge of Sunreaver's confession would put your loyalty to the Alliance under scrutiny."
As much as Braelyn wanted to keep protesting that Rommath would never have lied to her, she was smart enough to see the sense in Tyrande's argument. It was exactly what her husband would do to try to protect her. It didn't mean, however, that she was happy with him. He might have saved her from a few 'oh, so she is a traitor' comments', which she'd been dealing with the for the past two years anyway, but he still put her in a very awkward position. If he had told her, she could have worked it to her advantage, acted like it was her bringing the information to the table, not Jaina.
And she sure as hell would not have felt so helpless.
"You know, there is another explanation," Vereesa Windrunner said, leaning forward in her chair. She was smiling in a way that put Braelyn on edge. "It's possible your beloved husband hid the truth from you because he doesn't trust you. You are, after all, the Alliance ambassador," she added maliciously. "Do you really think he'd share Sin'dorei secrets with the enemy?"
"I am not his enemy!" Braelyn retorted, finally losing her temper. "I'm his wife! He does trust me!"
"Oh, nobody said you were his enemy," Veressa said. "I'm sure he's quite fond of you, in his own way. But you do work for the Alliance, and we are all aware of how little the Grand Magister respects the Alliance in general, and humans in particular. It's possible he didn't tell you because he knew that you would do your duty and report this to King Varian, which is something the Sin'dorei wouldn't want to happen. "
Braelyn bit her tongue, partly to avoid saying something that would get her into serious trouble, and partly in frustration. The bitchy high elf was right; despite his marriage to her, Rommath still held most of humanity and the Alliance in contempt, making exceptions only for her friends and family. She thought his attitudes were mellowing, but what if he was only pretending in order to make her happy?
Braelyn hated this; hated how blind and powerless she felt, and hated how Lady Proudmoore and Vereesa Windrunner were making her doubt Rommath. Three weeks. They'd been married for three weeks, and she was already questioning his trust in her. What a wonderful wife she was.
But what if they were right?
"What do you expect me to do?" she asked, frustration seeping into her voice.
"Your job," Lady Proudmoore said bluntly. "Report to Theron that we know the truth, and expect him to place Aethas in our custody or face the consequences."
Braelyn chewed on her lower lip, a habit she had been trying to break with little success. She realised that her hands were tied on this issue. As the ambassador, she had to follow the will of the king, regardless of her own wishes. She knew that she could always just quit, but she was uncomfortable with that idea. Surely there was something she could do to help Aethas, to hold Jaina and Vereesa in check, while still maintaining her loyalty to King Varian.
If she could only think of it.
"Excuse me, Lady Proudmoore," Moira Thaurissan interrupted loudly, "but I believe Ambassador Hawke answers ta Varian, not ta you." Braelyn stared at the Dwarven princess in gratitude, and was pleasantly surprised to see the woman wink at her. Jaina glared at them, nonplussed.
"That's right, Moira, she does," Varian said, and the expression in his face showed his displeasure with the current situation. He eyed Braelyn thoughtfully.
"Your highness," Braelyn said, an idea popping into her head suddenly, "before deciding on your course of action, will you allow me to engage in negotiations with the blood elves?"
"What?" Lady Proudmoore snapped. "You can't be serious! That would cost us our advantage. If the Sin'dorei know we have proof of Aethas' treachery, they will hide him away. We may never find him."
"Doesn't part of my job involve trying to diffuse situations before they turn into open conflict?" Braelyn asked, ignoring Proudmoore and focusing on the king. "Lor'themar is a good man. He will not risk the safety of his people if Aethas is truly guilty. Let me talk to him. Please."
"You still doubt?" Veressa asked, incredulous.
"Yes," Braelyn replied. Though perhaps not as much as I had, she added silently.
"Very well, Braelyn," Varian said. "Speak to Lor'themar, and see what he has to say about Sunreaver. Make sure you stress the importance of this matter."
"My King, you cannot seriously be..." Jaina protested, leaping to her feet in anger.
"Enough, Jaina!" Varian yelled. "I have made my decision. A week or two will not make much of a difference if Sunreaver is guilty. If he isn't, well, we may just avoid needless slaughter."
Jaina Proudmoore looked furious. She managed to bite out a, "As you wish, Your Highness" before dropping a curtsy and stalking out of the room, Vereesa at her heels. Both women glared at Braelyn with hatred in their eyes, but the hunter was too shocked to pay much attention to them. She couldn't believe she managed to get her way.
"Ambassador Hawke, please return to Silvermoon and deal with this as quickly as you can," Varian instructed. "Any delay will just add fuel to Jaina's fire. Everyone else, I suggest we go have lunch before tackling any other important issues."
Braelyn nodded to the king, before curtsying. She delayed leaving, though, in order to place herself next to Moira Thaurissan. She gave the Dwarf a grateful smile. "Thank you for your timely interruption, Princess Moira," she said. The female Dwarf returned the smile.
"Aye, lass, don' mention it," she said. "I know what it's like ta have loved an' married a man that everyone else hated an' mistrusted. Us rebels have ta stick tagether. Besides, I agree with ya about Proudmoore's proof. There's no substance ta it. Even if Sunreaver is guilty, I would'na feel right using tha word of a spy against 'im."
"That mean's a lot to me," Braelyn said. "Aethas has been my friend for over two years, and a friend of my mother's for far longer. He was so loyal to the Kirin Tor, I cannot believe he would work against them, especially not for a man like Hellscream."
"Aye," Moira replied. "I don' envy yer position, Braelyn, but I do respect ya for takin' on tha job. It shows the strength an' determination of tha Dwarves, considerin' who ya married."
"I must admit that I began to doubt the wisdom of accepting the King's offer once Lady Poudmoore got started," Braelyn confessed.
"Now, lass," Moira admonished her, "Don' ya let that woman cause you any grief just because she don' know how ta deal with her own. Tha's all it is, ya know. Tha loss of Theramore did a lot o' damage ta her spirit."
"I'll try," the human replied. "But I better head back to Silvermoon. I want this dealt with quickly."
"Be safe, lass, an' if ya ever need a shoulder ta cry on, ya come talk ta me, okay?"
"Thank you," Braelyn replied. "I will see you again shortly." She curtsied to the Dwarven princess and then headed off towards the Mage's Quarter.
As Braelyn walked through the portal connecting Stormwind to Silvermoon she did not know whether she was angry at the situation she found herself in, or upset. What she did know was that Rommath better have a damn good excuse for not telling her about Aethas' confession before she went to Stormwind.
She walked from the portal room of Sunfury Spire into the throne room, her lowerlip caught between her teeth. Her eyes immediately drifted to where Rommath usually stood, but today he was absent. Lor'themar Theron noticed her appearance and waved her over.
"How did it go?" the Regent Lord asked. "Is an invasion imminent?" The man was joking, but when he saw the look on Braelyn's face, his humour vanished.
"Awful," Braelyn answered. "It was awful, and I'm warning you now, my husband has some serious explaining to do."
"Whatever happened?" Halduron Brightwing asked.
"Jaina Proudmoore happened."
"By the Light," Lor'themar said, "what has that wretched woman done now?"
"Besides spy on my wedding?" Braelyn asked. Both of her companions gasped.
"She what?" Lor'themar snapped. "She dared to violate my nation's sovereignty?"
"Not exactly," Braelyn replied. "The spy was a blood elf, so technically speaking, the only crime committed was gate crashing and trespass."
"And what, pray tell," the Regent Lord asked, "did she uncover that required your presence at a full meeting of the Alliance council?"
"Apparently, Aethas confessed to knowing about the Sunreaver portal that was used to steal the Divine Bell."
Lor'themar and Halduron were both politicians, and had been so for many years. This meant that they had had a long time to learn how to keep their faces blank, to obscure their true thoughts and feelings. Despite this, Braelyn, who had spent a lot of her time as a hostage observing and studying the Sin'dorei race, was still able to detect a glimmer of unease in the two elves' eyes.
They knew.
Of course they knew. No doubt Rommath had spoken to them, probably as soon as they got back from Stranglethorn. Braelyn sighed, a touch angrily, and stared at the two men.
"I can tell that news is of no surprise to either of you," she said, proud that she remained professional. "We will need to discuss this, now if possible. I'm assuming I don't need to tell you what Lady Proudmoore is after?"
"Our head's on pikes?" Halduron offered with a wry grin. Braelyn couldn't bring herself to smile.
"Pretty much."
"So predictable," Lor'themar sneered. "Very well, Ambassador Hawke, I will have one of my couriers fetch Rommath, and then..."
"No!" Braelyn interrupted, a little more forcefully than she intended. She blushed as the Regent Lord raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm, ah, sorry, Regent Lord," she said, "but, trust me, you do not want Rommath and me in the same room right now."
Halduron chuckled slightly, smothering it with a cough when Braelyn glared at him.
"As you wish," Lor'themar replied. "We can fill Rommath in later."
By the time her 'discussion' with the Regent Lord was over, Braelyn could clearly define her emotional state as 'catastrophically angry'. After she had finished explaining to Lor'themar and Halduron what had happened at the meeting, she had expected some information in return. Namely, whether or not Aethas had confessed, and, in the case of a confession, what his exact words were.
But they told her nothing.
When Braelyn pushed for an explanation, she was told that the 'Sin'dorei leadership needed to discuss the situation in light of the Alliance's threat' and that they would let her know when they were ready to make a response. Lor'themar gave her a look that made it clear that the matter was not open to a debate.
They told her nothing, but in doing so, revealed everything.
Auriel greeted her with a happy smile and a "welcome home, mistress" as she walked into her house. Seeing the look on her face, he immediately fetched Braelyn a glass of wine, and did not hesitate to leave when Braelyn suggested he find something to do outside.
Rommath was upstairs in the library, something that upset Braelyn further as she did not want the first argument of their married life to take place in their favourite room. She stopped in the doorway, trying to gather her thoughts and calm her ragged breathing.
Her husband sat at his desk, working his way though the never-ending pile of paperwork. She could tell he was expecting a difficult conversation as he was still wearing his helm, the one that covered half his face. He liked to mask his thoughts and feelings when in tense situations, even if was with his wife.
He did not look up, even when the tensing of his shoulders revealed his awareness of her presence.
"Did Aethas confess?" Braelyn demanded. She saw no reason not to get to the point.
"Braelyn..." her husband warned, finally meeting her gaze. His eyes were firm, not even wavering when he saw how angry Braelyn was. He stood up, and made to take her hands in his, but Braelyn avoided him, and moved to the window. She gazed blindly down into the streets.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because it's Sin'dorei business, not the Alliance's," he replied curtly, and she spun around to stare at him in disbelief.
"I'm not just the ambassador, Rommath, I'm your wife!" Braelyn reminded him. "You should have told me!"
"Why? So Proudmoore could call you traitor? Maybe go for your head instead of Sunreaver's?"
"Oh, for the Light's sake, Rommath! I've dealt with that sort of thing for two years. The King would never let her do anything. He knows the truth."
"You needed plausible deniability!" her husband persisted stubbornly.
"Bullshit! What I needed was to not look like a fool in front of the entire Alliance council as Proudmoore and Vereesa Windrunner mocked me for being ignorant," Braelyn said, fists clutched angrily at her side. "What I needed was to not feel so blind and helpless." She took a deep breath as she realised that tears were forming in her eyes.
"What I need," she added in a softer voice, "is a husband who trusts me." She sniffed, and hastily wiped her eyes on her tabard.
"I do trust you, Braelyn," Rommath sighed, and attempted to touch her cheek, but she slapped his hand away. "I trust you with my life, but surely you knew that you could find yourself in such a position one day? As much as I love you, I can't share everything with you while you work for the Alliance."
"I can't believe you just said that," Braelyn hissed, poking her finger into Rommath's chest. "I talked with you about whether or not I should take this job, and you were fine with it, but now you're getting pissy?"
"I am not 'getting pissy'," Rommath replied, grabbing her finger in his hand and holding it to his chest. "I'm merely pointing out the rather obvious consequences of you taking on this role. Did you honestly think that it would be easy? That I could tell you all the details of Sin'dorei politics, including the ones that compromise the safety of Quel'Thalas, or you?"
Braelyn knew her husband was correct on that point, but she was still angry. Still felt hurt and a little betrayed. So she continued to push Rommath.
"Did Aethas confess?" she demanded for the second time. Rommath snorted and dropped her hand. "I'm not asking as the ambassador, Rommath, I'm asking as your wife, and Aethas' friend."
"I can't tell you that until I've spoken with Lor'themar and Halduron." Rommath's jaw was clenched, his eyes stubborn.
"I... I..." Braelyn stammered. "Damn it! Do you have any idea what it was like for me? They enjoyed taunting me, Rommath. I could see it in their eyes, and I had no way of defending myself because I had no idea of what they really knew. Why can't you just tell me?"
Rommath stood glaring at her for a good minute. Braelyn stared back, daring him to decide that his job was more important than her.
"Gods, you're so stubborn," he snapped, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
Braelyn smirked victoriously. "You knew that when you married me, now spill."
"Aethas did confess to knowing about the Sunreaver portal used to steal the Divine Bell," Rommath said. He folded his arms over his chest.
Braelyn felt disappointed. She'd been hoping for everyone's sake that Proudmoore was lying, but now it seemed that Aethas was the liar.
Seeing his wife's distress, Rommath reached out and stroked her head. Braelyn smiled sadly at him, before she got a thoughtful gleam in her eyes. "What exactly did Aethas say?" she asked. "He seemed pretty drunk, maybe we can suggest that the spy misheard him?"
Rommath snorted. "I can't believe that bitch spied on our wedding."
"I can," Braelyn retorted. "Now, tell me what he said."
"He said 'I knew about the portal'," Rommath said.
"That's it?" Braelyn asked. "That's all he said? How can that be a confession? I mean, we all knew about the portal at some stage."
"You know Proudmoore," Rommath replied. "She'll pounce on anything she thinks she can use to pursue her vendetta."
Braelyn had been gazing at her husband's chest as they spoke, but she looked up in time to see his eyebrows twitch. She narrowed her eyes. Twitching eyebrows meant that Rommath wasn't being completely honest.
"What else did he say, Rommath?"
"Nothing."
"Don't you dare lie to me!" Braelyn yelled. Rommath glared back at her. He should have known that she'd see he was hiding something.
"This conversation is over, Braelyn," he snapped, and returned to his desk, burying himself in paperwork once more. "Lor'themar will decide if you need to know anything else."
Braelyn stood in stunned silence, not believing that her husband had shut her down so coldly. For a moment he seemed to have traveled back in time to when Braelyn had been a very unwelcome presence in his life. She gasped, then turned to the window once more, leaning against the glass because she lacked the strength to stay upright any other way.
Emotionally, she was a wreck. She was angry still, but that anger was beginning to be overwhelmed by hurt, and an emotion she'd hoped she would never feel again; betrayal. She let the tears flow, hot and fast, down her cheeks as memories she'd long kept buried in the very back of her mind began to surface.
She started to remember the last time a man she loved had left her feeling betrayed and blind, and stuck in an awfully difficult situation with no idea how to free herself.
With a soft groan, she remembered him, the dashing rogue who stole her heart just as she was starting out on her life as an adventurer. Braelyn could picture him so clearly that it was as if they had parted yesterday, instead of almost a decade ago. He was older than her by at least ten years, but had a youthful spirit. He was only a few inches taller than her, with a stocky, muscular build that belied his roguish grace. Golden hair, honey skin, and brown eyes that were alert to everything.
"Jack," she murmured, unaware that her husband heard her. Braelyn sighed. She really didn't need to be dealing with memories of him on top of everything else. She pushed away from the window, intending to head to the Wayfarer's Rest Inn for a drink, only to find Rommath standing in front of her with his eyes narrowed.
"Who's Jack?" he demanded, no longer frustrated or angry, but jealous. He reached out and grabbed Braelyn's shoulders, pulling her to him. She blushed, and was flustered for a moment, but then remembered that she was still mad at him.
"Someone you don't need to know about," she said, attempting to free herself. "Now, let go of me, I need a drink."
"I'm not letting you leave me like this, Braelyn," Rommath replied. "I'm done with letting you run away when you don't want to deal with something." When Braelyn continued to struggle, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss below her earlobe, which she thought most unfair, as it was one of her sensitive spots.
"Let me go, Rommath, please," she said, trying to resist giving in to him. "I need to go, I need space, I need to..."
"Tell me why you're so upset," Rommath supplied, kissing her again. "Tell my why you want to leave so desperately." His arms tightened around her, and she let herself relax against his chest. "And you definitely have to tell me who this Jack is."
"It was a long time ago," she whispered. "I don't like talking about it."
"You know I won't judge you, dear heart," her husband said, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.
It was the endearment that did it. Braelyn wrapped her arms around Rommath's waist and burst into tears. "It all began in Stormwind," she choked out between sobs. "I was 18 and desperate to escape my parents' shadow..."
AN- wooooooo drama! I hope no one was expecting Rommath and Braelyn to have stopped arguing about stuff.
Hey, Bohmz, are you still reading?
Next chapter: we take a stroll down Braelyn's memory lane, and learn why she's so stubborn, why she used to depend on her friends so much, and why she hates rogues (with the exception of Bitsie).
