Chapter Eight

The Prince and I

Silently the figure crept along the streets of Stormwind, hidden under a brown cloak to keep his identity hidden. Anduin had successfully slipped out of the castle and was now on his way to deliver his letter to one of the heros that had saved the world. Sure his father would be furious if he found out, but if he was lucky enough, he wouldn't. Just like last time. Eventually he made it to his destination, a large wooden door within the Old Town. Anduin glanced left and right, this district of Stormwind wasn't exactly known for it's hospitality, and the sooner he got inside, the better. He reached up, using the knocker against the door a few times before the door suddenly swung open and he was jerked inside.

The prince let out a surprised gasp, tripping his way in as the door shut behind him, and he was left standing within the entryway of the small home tucked within the district. It didn't seem like anyone was home, but everything was working as if someone was. A fire roared away in the hearth while a cauldron bubbled away something that smelled like the most delicious stew he had never tasted. Fine china was being washed by it's self in the sink while fresh meat was being divided and packed away to be stored within the freeze box. Being a mage must have been pretty nice, you could just freeze whatever you didn't eat for later!

All in all, the home was rather cozy looking, despite the part of town it was in. Anduin almost envied the simple lifestyle. He had been getting so lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't feel the cat that was winding it's self back and forth between his legs.

"O-Oh, hello there Grimm." said Anduin, slowly pulling off the cloak so he could bend down and pet the green eyed feline. "Still wearing that silly hat I see."

Grimm pushed her head up into the waiting hand of the prince, purring away as her eyes closed and she relished the pets, like she never got any at all! It didn't matter if the hat was in the way, she still was trying to push him into petting her on the head fully.

"My my, if it isn't the little prince." called a voice from the other room. "Isn't it a bit late for you to be out by yourself?"

Anduin's head shot up as did the rest of his body once he realized that he certainly wasn't alone in the home, well besides the cat. His eyes ended up widening a moment once he saw the speaker coming out from the already darkened room. Clad in only a towel, a woman stepped into the doorway, thick golden locks that curled slightly about her face even while they were wet and matching eyes of honey laid to rest on the boy.

"P-Perhaps you should make yourself d-decent, Miss Aoife." stuttered out Anduin.

The woman stared at the prince for a moment, then gave a smile that could rival the shine of diamonds. She was . . . really quite attractive, much to the prince's dismay.

"Oh, you're not here to confess your feelings?" she cooed. "Well, that's alright I suppose."

Aoife suddenly leaned in close to him, eyes half lidded as she stared him face to face.

"You don't have to wait until you're older, you know."

Anduin's face nearly exploded in a flustered blush, he bringing his hands up between them and fumbling with the letter he had written. The mage's eyes quickly caught sight of it and that smile she had before had quickly returned. Snatching it from his hands, Aoife stood upright and began to break the wax seal to open it up.

"Oh, a letter? So you just couldn't tell me in person?" she said with a small chuckle. "How adorable! Of course I'll- Oh."

Her face went deadpan as she read over the letter, lifting her eyes over it occasionally to see Anduin trying to get his barrings. He finally brought his fist up to cough into it, clearing his throat so that he could speak a little more clearer than the mess this woman had made him into.

"The Alliance is requesting your assistance in the retrieval of a human boy from the Horde." said Anduin. "We want to keep what little peace there is between us, so if you could do this without making a huge scene, the King and I would be eternally grateful. I have seen your power first hand, I know you are the perfect person for this."

With the same look of deadpan, Aoife stared back at the letter. This wasn't what she had expected at all. Instead she folded the letter, placing it snugly into her cleavage while the words "Have a seat." escaped her. She motioned to the small living area with cushy looking chairs and with that, Aoife moved off to the stairs at the back of the room, heading up them rather quickly and leaving the prince in the company of Grimm.

The prince tentatively sat in one of the chairs, Grimm quickly jumping up into his lap to which he immediately began to pet the purring beast. At least he could calm his nerves by giving the cat some affection. Aoife had always been rather . . . flirtatious since he first met her. Even now he could remember their first meeting back in the castle.


"Aoife, your deeds in the wake of this cataclysm are already legendary. You would be an excellent mentor for young Prince Anduin."

"Eh?" Aoife's attention hadn't exactly been focused on Varian's words as he tried to explain to her the burdens his young son had on his shoulders. Instead she had been looking around the throne room, waiting for him to finish talking so she could move onto whatever he had planned for her. However him mentioning her being a mentor? The mage suddenly snorted in response, trying to stifle a laugh. Varian stared at her with one brow raised, and the woman had to push her hand out in front of her to assure him everything was alright.

"I'm sorry, your majesty. Please, do continue." Aoife snickered out. The king cleared his throat before speaking once more. Really, he sometimes questioned some of the heros that came before him.

"Please, introduce yourself to him. There is some pressing city business that you both can attend to for me." said Varian. He motioned with his had towards the young man that stood next to the throne, blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to be looking off in other places. Aoife made a small grit of her teeth in her mouth. Ugh, so she was suddenly a baby sitter and an errand runner? Fine. Anything to get this party moving.

With graceful steps, the mage moved her way across the throne room, standing before the prince who's attention immediately turned to her. Anduin took in the woman that stood before him, his eyes first drawn to the golden hair that curled about her face, her eyes that were the color of honey and supple skin that peeked from the low cut robes. He found himself staring for a little bit before she ended up bowing before him and . . . giving him more show of that skin than he had anticipated.

"Greetings, Prince Anduin. My name is Aoife, pronounced Ee-fa." she had spoken her name slower to make sure he didn't just fumble her name over his lips. "I am but a humble mage of the Alliance, here to escort you on your errands around the city."

Anduin turned his back to face his father so he couldn't see the blush on his face. Or Aoife for that matter. He was having trouble even speaking as he tried to clear his mind of the image the mage had presented him with as she had bowed. Right, a mage!

"Y-You're a mage, like Jaina Proudmoore?" said Anduin. "How long have you studied the arcane? It seems difficult to master."

"Since I was old enough to understand the concept of magic, I suppose." said Aoife, her eyes catching sight of his blushing face. She ended up letting out another one of those snorts, though this one was nearly silent. "Anyway, come with me, your Highness. I'd like to get these requests over with as soon as I can."

Nodding his head, Anduin stepped from the side of his father's throne to stand beside the woman, who in turn looked towards Varian for farther instructions. Something about the Twilight Hammer, talk to Samuelson, okay. Also something about going to the docks. Wait, that might have been what the guy said. Trouble at the docks? This guy seemed just as disinterested as she was in all of this. Eventually the two of them made it out of the castle, heading towards the docks on foot. Anduin wasn't used to seeing anyone just . . . walking everywhere. Most of the heros had flashy mounts that they rode about the city. Aoife simply was taking her time.

"So is this your first trip outside the castle walls?" she suddenly spoke up, pulling the young prince from his thoughts.

"H-Huh? Oh, no. I have been outside them several times, just not without escort." said Anduin. Aoife stared at him from the corner of her eyes before looking forward, watching as commoners alike stepped out of the way as the prince made his rounds through the city.

"Sounds boring." she muttered.

Boring? The life of a prince certainly wasn't boring! There were things he had to attend to on his own along with his father's duties. And then there were meetings, several, several meetings. Maybe she was right. Anduin stopped walking as he furrowed his brows in thought, which caused her to stop a couple feet in front of him. Aoife had been staring at him fully now, reading his expression.

"Come with me." she suddenly said while she grabbed for his hand. Anduin held a shocked expression only for a moment as she took his hand and began to pull him along with her towards the Old Town district. In the completely opposite direction of where they were supposed to go.

"H-Hey, wait!" he began, but he was silenced when she brought her index finger to her lips in a motion of silence. He ended up staring up at her as she pulled him along to one of the wooden doors that looked like the rest of them, but this one had a golden knocker on the front in the shape of a cat's head. The eyes of the cat were emerald, and it looked like someone had tried to pry the thing off the door several times.

"We're gonna have some fun today instead of doing boring errands." said Aoife. The door opened without her even touching it and it felt like a force was pulling him inside with her. Anduin wasn't sure what was going on, until he felt a brown cloak suddenly draped over his shoulders, long enough to cover his feet and a hood so large that it shrouded his face.

"W-What's this for?" he asked, lifting his head to try and see from under the hood.

"To keep your identity secret." said Aoife. "I'm sure you don't want word getting back to your father that you were trouncing around with an attractive female and not attending to your princely duties."

Attractive was an understatement.

"Oh." said the prince. Aoife pushed the hood back down over his head, keeping it low. He had almost failed to see the small black cat winding it's way around his legs.

"Her name is Grimm." said the mage before he even had a chance to ask. "She is my familiar, quite nice, isn't she?"

Anduin knelt down, the cloak pooling around him while he began to pet the cat. He hadn't noticed it before but the small feline had been wearing a tiny witch hat and had green eyes that glowed as if they were enchanted by fel magic.

"She is quite the enchanting creature." he said. Aoife simply nodded with a roll of her eyes.

"Of course, she's a familiar. What are they teaching you up in that castle? Now come on."

The prince was brought to his feet with Aoife's help, and soon enough they were out the door they had came in, it shutting and locking behind them with no effort from the mage at all. Grimm had managed to slip out from the door, trotting after the two. Aoife had once again taken hold of his hand and was leading him along, causing him to stare down at the grip.

"What exactly are we doing then?" he couldn't help but ask. She had said something about having fun, he wasn't exactly sure what the definition of 'fun' was to her.

"I'm sure you've probably been wondering what a day in the life of a droll commoner is like, so allow me to give you a grand tour!"

"But I already know!" said Anduin in a desperate plea.

"Not really. Our first stop is the Trade District. Let's go!" called out Aoife. Anduin had no chance to refuse as she broke into a run, tugging him along behind her. Well, at least he was hidden from the eye of the public.

Aoife had brought Anduin to the crowded streets of the Trade District, the sounds of trade flooded out any other noises that might have been heard. Varieties of heroes scattered the streets, most of them crowding into the Auction House. That was exactly where Aoife was going to take him next. Keeping her hand tightly in his, she pulled him into the auction house and sat the boy down on one of the stone benches, letting herself settle down next to him. Anduin stared ahead at the crowd, then glanced towards the mage as if she was going to give an explanation. When she didn't, he finally spoke up.

"Miss Aoife, what are we doing in here?"

"Just wait for it." she murmured from the corner of her mouth. Anduin looked back towards the auctioneers, one who was handling a bid on a large stack of cloth. Without saying a word, Aoife rose her hand up, staking a silent bid on it. Her hand caught the auctioneer's eye, and he called out the new price. Brows furrowed again, the prince looked back and forth between the mage and the auctioneer, until there was a sudden uproar from the other side of the room.

"Light DAMN IT! WHO KEEPS OUTBIDDING ME?!"

The sudden shout startled the boy, but at his side Aoife was trying to contain herself as she struggled not to burst into laughter. She quickly brought her hand up to cover her mouth, hissing a laugh through her teeth. Again the price changed as the disgruntled bidder staked his claim again, and Aoife was once again raising her hand up, though it was a bit difficult with how much she was jerking from her silent laughter.

"MOTHER FU-" Anduin didn't get to hear the rest of the man's shout, as the mage had brought her hands up over his ears through the hood. Nor did he really get to hear the string of profanities that followed. Aoife was a laughing fit now, taking hold of the young prince's hand and pulling him from the building. Once they were back outside, Anduin stared up at her with a look like a confused puppy.

"Aren't you going to stay for the rest of the bid?" he asked.

"Nah, I don't really need that stuff." said Aoife through stifled snickers. "I just like to outbid people and see how angry they get."

"They certainly get . . . angry." said Anduin as he glanced back at the Auction House.

"You haven't even seen the best part yet. Come on!" Aoife was once again pulling him along, to which Anduin realized something. Now that no one knew who he was, they didn't move out of the way. Had Stormwind really been this crowded? Or had he just been so used to everyone avoiding him because of his status as a prince. Being close to someone that wasn't his father or one of the royal guard felt . . . refreshing. Like the times he got to spend with Jaina. This time he was pulled along the streets of the canals, across bridges until they were within the Cathedral District.

Ah, the noble resting place of the Light, home of the Stormwind Cathedral of Light. But Anduin was again confused about being here of all places. What could possibly be fun here? This was a place where Paladins and Priests alike came to train and hone their skills. Aoife pulled him along until they were near the grand steps of the cathedral, the boy looking out from under the hood of his cloak to see a variety of people hanging around. There were some who were in full armor, others who . . . looked like they could have used more.

"Well, I'll have you know that the rest my kind, the black dragonflight, will not stand for this!" said one of the people among the steps. Anduin's head lifted so quick that his hood would have flown off if Grimm hadn't been sitting on his shoulder and stopped it with her paw. Huh, he hadn't even realized she had been there.

"The Black Dragonflight, here?" Again? He was about to settle the dispute on his own, but he felt Aoife's hand press against his chest, keeping him back while she spoke.

"They're not really a dragon." she murmured.

"H-Huh?"

"They're pretending to be because they're not right in the head I'm guessing." said Aoife, pushing Anduin back in place beside her. "Either that, or they just don't wanna be who they are. Stick around here, you're bound to find some . . . interesting characters. Oh! Too bad Deathwing had to go and destroy the Park. I bet you would have had a blast there."

"How are these people not in asylum? They could spread mass hysteria!" the prince said with genuine concern in his voice.

"Because these are the heroes of Azeroth, my friend." Aoife said as she swept her hand out to present the rest of the crowd. "As long as we do our job and keep protecting Azeroth from certain doom, who's gonna care if one or two of us are daft enough to think we're dragons? Besides, sometimes war takes a far heavier toll on one mentally. You of all people should know that."

The day seemed more like an eye opening experience than one of fun and merriment, as Aoife had promised. However the last stop had them back in the Old Town district, the mage had brought him into the Pig and Whistle which was alive with all kinds of folk. The moment Aoife showed her face, the room seemed to light up.

"Ey! If it isn't Owfee!" one of the drunken patrons called out.

"It's Ee-fa, you drunken fool." Aoife retorted. "Barkeep, two pints of your finest mead."

The mage sat herself down at one of the unoccupied tables, Anduin doing the same while Grimm remained on his shoulder. Quietly he looked over to his companion, clearing his throat slightly to gain her attention above the background noise.

"Miss Aoife, I don't think I'm supposed to drink." said the prince.

"Then we just won't tell anyone." she said with a sharp nod once the mugs had been placed down in front of them. Anduin stared down at his reflection in the amber colored liquid as his had been placed before him, then towards Aoife who was already gulping down her own drink. Carefully with two hands, the prince grabbed hold of his mug and brought it to his lips, taking a tentative sip.

"What are ya doing? Sippin' is fer wines!" a sudden gruff voice spoke up when Anduin had been trying to drink, and the fat hand of a dwarf tipped up the mug in his hands, causing more of the alcohol to spill into his mouth, and all over him. While Anduin choked out, there was a screech of Aoife's chair, she having leaned over the table and shoved her hand against the dwarf's forehead and began pushing him backwards.

"Let him drink the way he wants, ya fat bar stool." she said, sitting herself back down once she had pushed the dwarf back far enough he fell over. The bar erupted into laughter, along with the victim of Aoife's push. Anduin, while soaked with the mead, couldn't help but laugh just a little under his hood. Aoife leaned back in her chair, one arm over the back of it while the other held up her mug.

"Aye, if I'm a bar stool then I guess that means ya wouldn't mind sittin' on me face." the dwarf spoke as he peeked his head over the table. The very idea alone caused Anduin's face to flush. Aoife however simply lifted one foot, smashing her heel into the drunken man's face.

"I'm not into dwarves, I'm afraid. Besides, I'm here with my date." said Aoife, motioning with her thumb towards Anduin. The prince just froze after that. A date?! This wasn't supposed to be a date! He wasn't dating anyone!

"He's short enough to be a dwarf!" called someone from across the room.

"But can he hold his mead longer than you can?" said someone else.

"What does it matter?" she leaned back against her chair again. "None of you can either."

The bar roared with laughter, and the rest of the night was spent with Aoife encouraging Anduin to drink more, sharing stories of her oh so glamourous past, recalling the past tales where she had helped keep the safety of Azeroth in check. With every drink of the sweet mead, Anduin felt his barriers falling, being pulled in more and more by her stories and the stories of others around them. By the end of the night, the poor prince could hardly keep himself standing. This was going to be a problem.

"Shit."

Maybe this hadn't been a good idea after all. She couldn't take the prince back to his father DRUNK.

"Shit shit shit."

Aoife stood outside her door, Anduin's arm hoisted over her shoulder as she stooped low enough to give him support. With Grimm pressing a paw against the door, it opened with ease and she brought the prince inside with her. So maybe she hadn't thought this through. What was the king going to do to her once he found out some random mage had gotten his son drunk in a bar in Old Town? She'd probably be executed. She hadn't even done those stupid errands he asked her to do! She didn't even remember what they were!

With the door shut automatically behind her, she brought Anduin over to one of the plush chairs of her home, pulling the cloak off of him and letting him rest against the cool fabric. She could . . . she could let him stay here and sober up? No no, the king was probably already worried about the whereabouts of his son. She had to do something to sober him up fast. Coffee? Yeah, coffee! Wait, she didn't have coffee. Aoife bit down on her bottom lip, there wasn't any way out of this.

"Oh yes, hello there, you're majesty. I can't return your son to you because I GOT HIM PLASTERED!" she shouted out to . . . well, no one in particular. But it was enough to jar Anduin into a consciousness. Most of the the alcohol had gone through his system, and while yes, he was drunk, he wasn't completely wasted. The young prince was presented with the woman that had shown him the everyday life of heroes, pacing back and forth in the kitchen area of her home. His eyes bleary, Anduin slowly tried to get himself to stand.

"M-Miss Aoife."

At least he wasn't slurring. The voice caught her attention, and she quickly rushed up to his side.

"Anduin! Look, I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have done any of that! Don't tell your dad on me, okay?"

"I have an idea."

In the back of her head, Aoife kept repeating that this was never going to work. Grimm padded up the steps to the castle, the feline carrying a note tied to her neck. At first, the glowing green eyes had caused the guards some alarm, but when they picked up the cat and found the royal seal on the note, they brought her to the king, who already looked irritated that his son hadn't returned to the castle. Varian plucked the note off of the cat's neck, and she silently sat there in the middle of the throne room as he read the note.

"He's with Jaina?"

The note had been written by Aoife, explaining that after they had tended to their errands, the young prince had decided he needed to talk to Lady Proudmoore, and thus that was the cause of his absence. He would be returning later the next day once he had his affairs in order. Watching through the eyes of her familiar, Aoife let out a sigh of relief when the king dismissed the cat. That was one death avoided.

By the time the note had been delivered, Anduin was already starting to sober, somewhat.

"Looks like he took it." said Aoife, turning her attention back to the prince as the magic glow over her eyes faded.

"Now we just have to hope he doesn't contact her before tomorrow." he sighed out. That was something she had been hoping for as well, because she wouldn't be able to explain what had happened and would probably be accused of kidnapping the prince! Didn't need that on her record of heroic duties.

"You can't go home smelling like mead though." she said. "Better take off your clothes."

"W-What?!"

"Look I won't watch!" she said in protest. "Just go upstairs and leave your clothes so I can get the alcohol off them! Unless you'd rather your father think you've been drinking?"

Anduin stared at her, his face already a light shade of red. She was leaning over him and once again giving him a taste of what was behind the fabric of those robes. He just quickly nodded his head and slipped out from underneath her, nearly tripping up the stairs to change. Aoife watched him manage his way up the stairs, a small smirk on her face. She said she wasn't going to watch, she never said anything about Grimm. Good thing the cat was already on her way inside.

"Great timing." said Aoife, Grimm stopping in place and the cat stared up at her. "Go upstairs. Make sure our guest can find something to change into."

Grimm's ears perked at the command, and the cat bounded up the stairs after the boy. He was what, fifteen? Seventeen? Pratically an adult. Nothing wrong here. He was perfectly capable of making decisions for himself. Convincing herself of this made her feel less like a pervert. Well actually she already knew she was one, she just wasn't open about it. Probably wouldn't find another woman who was business up front and then party up front in the comfort of her own home.

With that glow over her eyes, she began to take in the vision Grimm was seeing, albeit lower to the ground. Alright, time to spy some princely booty up in here. Only there didn't seem to be any in sight. Where the heck was Grimm looking? It was the upstairs bedroom, only Anduin didn't seem to be anywhere in it. Grimm jumped up onto the bed, purring as she looked around the room. Behind the feline eyes, Aoife glared, had he simply escaped out the window? But the cat's head suddenly turned towards the source of the noise of a door opening, looking to see the prince stepping out of the large wardrobe in one of Aoife's robes. Just a bit too large for him and the collar hung slightly to one side of his shoulder. The mage had to bite her lip, how adorable! Grimm kept her eyes on him the whole time as he folded his clothes and put them in a pile on the bed.

"Oh, hello Grimm." said Anduin, reaching out and petting the cat over her hat. He had to wonder how it managed to stay on the feline's head. "I hope your mistress doesn't mind me borrowing her robes."

"Not at all." Aoife suddenly spoke up, standing in the doorway with a large grin on her face. Anduin quickly looked towards her, jaw set as he tried to make an excuse for the borrowing of her clothes. Before he even had a chance to say anything, Aoife was beside him, once more towering over him with that intimidating body.

"I was going to suggest it anyway, seeing as I don't exactly keep princely clothing on me at all times." Maybe she'd have a reason to now? The mage snickered to herself at her own inner thoughts, causing Anduin to look off to the side with nervous intent.

"I-I see. Well, thank you." said Anduin.

"Rest now, and drink some of this." said Aoife. With a flick of her wrist, a cup of water came floating along to rest in his hands, the prince looking on with a small expression of amazement. The capabilities of mages never ceased to amaze him.

"Where will you sleep?" he asked. This was her bed after all.

"I may be a mage, but I am a lady first and foremost." she said. What did her being a mage have to do with this conversation? Who knew. "I will retire on one of the chairs below."

Again, before he had any time to say anything else to her, Aoife was gone. He had only looked away a second and it was like she had vanished. She was most likely down stairs already, leaving him with a curious looking Grimm on the end of the bed.

"What an interesting woman." Anduin muttered to himself before slipping into the bed after taking a couple drinks from the cup of water and setting it on the night stand beside the bed. Despite not being of royal blood, Aoife certainly had the comfort and style of one. Maybe that was why he felt at ease here.


The young prince was jarred from his reminiscence when Aoife came down the stairs, this time wearing robes that could have rivaled the snow among the Khaz Modan peaks. Grimm jumped down from his lap, trotting over to her mistress and weaving around her legs in the same affection she gave everyone else she liked. Anduin found himself staring, just a little bit, before he cleared his throat and stood from his seat.

"So where is this kid?" said Aoife, pulling her gloves tighter onto her hands.

"The elves who had been trying to return him to Stormwind said the druid that had taken him had been headed towards Thousand Needles." said Anduin.

"So an entire continent over, huh?" she said. "Alright, I'll have him here by the next day if I leave now."

"Right now?" Anduin sputtered out. "But nothing's prepared for your travel. I only came to deliver the message! I didn't expect you to leave right now!"

"Aww, what's the matter, my little prince?" Aoife said with a large grin and she leaned in once she stood close to him, cupping his cheeks in her hands. "Did you want to spend some alone time with me before I leave?"

"A-Absolutely not." he said. Anduin was sure she could feel the heat on his cheeks, and that was just going to encourage her more. He ended up slipping himself away from her hands and making another habit of clearing his throat in order to ground himself.

"You forget I'm a mage, Anduin." she said, kneeling down enough so Grimm could jump into the crook of her arm. "I don't need much preparation to go anywhere."

"But what about your mount? You can't possibly be thinking of walking the entire way."

"I got this covered, don't worry, your Highness." said Aoife, winking at the boy. Anduin leaned away from her, bringing up his hand to his face in an attempt to once again hide away the fluster that she was causing him.

"R-Right, I shouldn't doubt one of the heroes of Azeroth." he managed to choke out.

"Damn right, now as a reward for finishing this quest, I'd like to request my own."

"I . . . don't see a problem in that." said Anduin. "What is it that you desire?"

"A kiss from the lovely prince." said Aoife. Anduin stared at the mage as she brought her hands up, making fingergun motions at him while her figure faded back into the portal that had opened behind her. "Close the door an your way out!"

The young prince was left standing in the middle of the mage's home, lips a thin line as he stared at the place she had been moments before. Finally he let out a exasperated sigh, quietly bringing the cloak over his body again and started making his way towards the door to leave when he noticed something about his surroundings. With Aoife gone, all of the automated chores had come to a stop. The dishes in the sink had come to rest, the fire that had been cooking to contents in the cauldron had lowered down to a low burn. It seemed everything magical about her home only ran while in her presence. How could such a powerful mage take her abilities so lightly? Anduin shook his head at the thought, and with a gentle push against the door, he left Aoife's home, closing the door behind him on his way out. Just as she asked.