Adam slowly opened his eyes. He had been listening to the sounds of a forest for the last ten minutes or so. Along with the forest noise, he could hear others moving around and an occasional whisper, though he couldn't make out what was said. It was nighttime now. The firelight from torches provided most of the light in the area as the tall trees that surrounded the small village he was in blocked most of the light from the moons.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his head. There was a bump towards the back of his head that told him he was put in this cage none too gently. The huge tauren guard standing just outside the door turned and eyed him with a snort then went back to looking forward, ignoring the prisoner. Adam examined the outdoor cage that surrounded him. It was made of what he thought at first was bamboo, but seemed to be much stronger and sturdier than that. Perhaps it was enhanced somehow. It was large enough to hold multiple prisoners, but he was the only one in there now.
Next he examined himself. All of his weapons were gone, including the hidden ones in his boot and wrist band. The potions he kept on him were gone as well. Other than the bump, there seemed to be no scratches or broken bones or anything.
So now to figure out where he was. Well, the obvious part was that he was in a forest, in a horde encampment. He called up a map of Kalmidor in his mind's eye. They had been in Tanaris. Uldum was to the south. Thousand Needles to the north and Un'Goro Crater to the west. He glanced up and around. No. He didn't think he was in Un'Goro. The trees were too thick and tall. And the area was too mountainous. Un'Goro Crater was, for the most part, flat. Plus, there were no Horde encampments in the crater.
As he moved up the map in his head, he saw Feralas. Yes, this could be that. There was a tauren camp there, though he couldn't recall what it was called. And it would most likely be a stop over on the way to Orgrimmar. If that were the case, then there was an Alliance post to the west somewhere. That one was run by the night elves. He'd never been to Feralas, so he hoped his information was up to date.
He glanced outside of the cage. He was situated just east of the village made up mostly of simple tents. There was a cliff wall rising up to the north and east, and a small tent to the south. West of the cage was a small river. Most of the villagers were composed of tauren from what he could tell. The three horde members that had captured him were nowhere to be seen. They were probably in an inn somewhere. That was just as well. He could attempt his escape while keeping his promise.
He watched the guard for a few minutes, noting the huge tauren seemed content to stare straight ahead, though his ears twitched in various directions. Testing a theory, he made a scuffling noise as he pretended to stretch. Sure enough, the tauren's ear flicked back to listen, then a slight turn of his head let him see what Adam was up to. Adam pretended to ignore him and sat back down as though he were going to make himself more comfortable.
When the guard turned forward again, Adam slowly and silently moved his hand to his pants pocket. There was a hidden pocket within the pocket and he reached two fingers in to pull out a stone with inscriptions on it. He wasn't surprised that it hadn't been taken from him, had they even found it in the first place. It seemed like a simple stone unless one looked closer at it.
Muttering a single word and rubbing his thumb over the inscriptions, the stone began to grow warm and emit a soft silver glow. He quickly put it back in his pocket to hide the glow.
…
Maggie stirred the campfire to make sure it didn't go out. Mathias Shaw was next to her sleeping lightly. He had taken the first shift last night and now it was her turn to keep watch. She admired his remarkable ability to look ready to fight, even in sleep. With an inward sigh, she tore her green eyes from his sleeping form and glanced into the distant sky. The first hints of sunrise illuminated the Tanaris horizon. She went to their packs and pulled out some supplies to make breakfast. She wanted to continue the search as soon as possible.
They had returned to where Adam's team had been and followed their trail until they came to what they could only assume was the place where the exchange had happened. The horde's trail went west and they followed it south until a windstorm had kicked up the sand and the trail vanished. At that point, Shaw said they needed to rest for the night and they would figure out where to go next.
She had been relieved that Mathias hadn't called the search off altogether. But she wasn't sure where to go from here. Their only option was to continue in the direction they had last seen the trail. In this direction lay the entrance to Un'Goro Crater and Uldum. From Un'Goro they could have access to Silithus and then a dead end either way unless they took aerial transportation. If they had found flying mounts, there were any number of places they could have gone by this time. Although, she didn't think they had reached Orgrimmar yet, unless they found a mage to port them...or one of them was a mage. She didn't think so. There wouldn't have been a trail to follow so long if they could just easily port themselves home.
With breakfast ready, she was about to wake Shaw when something in her hip pocket grew warm. Startled, she reached in and pulled out her stone. She had forgotten all about the simple communication stones they had for the search parties. But Kristie and Anduin had been found. So, why was it activated now? As she looked, she saw that it had a silver glow to it. She glanced at Shaw. Had he accidentally activated his? No. His was gold. Then it dawned on her and she spun around to quickly pack up their things. "Shaw!"
…
He wanted to wait to give the others time to reach him. But did they even still have their stones? The stones had a homing beacon of sorts. If one was activated, the others would glow the brightest in the direction of the activated stone. So they were more like a compass than a homing beacon, technically. But with the slow approach of dawn, he needed to attempt his escape now and hope they catch up to him. Either that, or he'll just have to make it to an alliance outpost.
He ghosted himself and silently made his way to the door of the cage. The tauren's ears were still flicking in different directions, indicating that they were intently listening for sounds of trouble. Adam's lock picking kit had been taken from him. He was going to have to do this the hard way. Reaching through the cage bars, he slowly, and carefully took hold of the keyring hooked onto the tauren's belt.
He quickly let go. He unstealthed himself and turned around, lying down to pretend to be asleep. The patrolling guard glanced into the cage as he reached it. He snorted and then turned around to patrol back to the other side of the village. When the coast was clear again, Adam tried again. He was able to silently pick up the keys, constantly keeping an eye on the tauren's ears. He got the keys. Now to unlock the cage. He slowly put the key in the lock, making sure no metal clanked against metal.
Adam steeled himself and prepared for battle. Considering how old and rusted this lock was, there was no way he was going to be able unlock it without a sound. Still he tried to go slowly and be as quiet as possible. Click. The tauren's ears turned towards the cage first, followed by a turn of the head. His reaction was fast. Adam was faster. As soon as the click sounded, he shoved open the cage door, ramming it into the huge tauren. He then exited the cage and did a fast kick to the humanoid's most sensitive spot. This brought a loud moan from the guard.
For the briefest of moments, Adam couldn't help but think how the guard's moan sounded so much like the mooing of a cow. But that mooing was still loud enough to alert others. Adam vanished and quickly climbed on top of the cage. From there, he jumped to the cliff wall clinging to the edge with his fingertips for a few seconds while his feet searched for footholds. Finding one, he was able to pull himself to the top of the cliff and onto a grassy area. To the north was a round pavillion. Adam moved to the east of it. He didn't want to get trapped inside.
Shouts in Taur'ahe informed him that his escape had been discovered. Things weren't going very well for him. Flashes of light fell from the sky and landed on the ground not too far from him. Adam cursed himself. Hunter flares! If one got too close to him, it'll expose him and he'll no longer be stealthed! Adam quickly ran forward as fast as he could. He hoped to get beyond the range of the hunters.
But he wasn't used to running in a forest. Adam tripped and quickly stood up just as a flare landed near him. Damnit! An arrow hit the trunk of the tree next to him. They can see him now. They had the advantage. They knew this forest better than him. He could only hope for his luck to change as he ran as fast as he could go. He no longer knew which direction he was going. Trees, up-grown roots, bushes, vines, logs, and streams all barred his way and slowed him down.
The hunters were on his trail now. It was only a matter of time before they caught up to him. A flash of movement was all he saw out of the corner of his eye before he automatically ducked and dodged to the side. A huge wooden club missed him by inches. Adam turned his head to see an angry ogre preparing to swing his club at him again. Adam jumped to the side again, but misstepped in the uneven forest floor.
He stumbled and rolled on the ground in his efforts to escape. The club came down on his right and he rolled over on his back to see the ogre standing over him and bringing his club down again. Adam rolled to his right. He could feel the air and reverberation of the club hitting the ground mere inches from him. He could hear the yell of another ogre approaching. He had to get out of there!
Thwip! Adam had rolled half over to see what direction the club was coming down, but it didn't. Instead the ogre was looking stupidly at his club with an arrow sticking out of it. As it slowly dawned on him that there were hunters behind him, another arrow shot him in the arm. A roar of pain and renewed anger exploded from the huge humanoid. He turned and began to charge after the hunters. The ogre that had been approaching joined him.
Adam allowed himself a small grin at his change of luck and took off in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, his luck didn't stay. Not too long after, a spear shot past him. He turned to see what at first seemed to be a smaller night elf female. But a second glance told him it wasn't. This creature may have had the upper body of a night elf, but her lower body consisted of the form of a deer! Adam had to think for a second what it was called. A dryad. He picked up the spear that had landed near him. "I'm a friend of the night elves." Dryads were supposed to be allies to the Kaldorei.
But this one didn't seem to be. She spoke something in Darnassian and bounded after him. Well, this one obviously wasn't a friend to the night elves. Her hand formed fists as she tried to hit him. He blocked her, using the spear, but she only grabbed the weapon and with surprising strength pulled it from him. As she did so, one of her front hooves stepped on his foot. Adam could feel bones crunch as his leather boots weren't much protection from the force of her hoof.
She jabbed at him with the spear, grazing his side. Adam grimaced and took hold of the spear before she could pull it back. He started to pull it forward, but quickly realized he couldn't easily pull her off balance since she had four legs to steady her. Instead, he suddenly reversed his pull into a push, shoving the blunt end of the spear into her face.
The dryad said something and one had covered the injured spot on her face. Adam took that opportunity to turn and run...only he didn't get very far. His injured foot protested it's use and Adam could only limp and stumble until he fell and rolled down a hill which ended in a cold splash.
Coming up for air, he quickly glanced around. The dryad threw her spear from the top of the small hill. It pierced the water near him and Adam turned and swam away from the land. After a minute, he glanced to see if she would follow, but apparently she didn't think swimming after him was worth it and had turned to return to the forest. Adam stopped to tread water as he considered his location now and his options.
He could see large trees nearby coming out of the water. In the distance huge rock formations jutted out of the water. Adam guessed he was in Thousand Needles. That was the total opposite direction in which he had wanted to go. There was no way he would be able to go back into Feralas, not with his injuries and the tauren looking for him.
He could feel the sting of the salt water on the cut in his side. The cool water felt good to his aching foot. The movement needed to tread water didn't. Some vines were swinging just above the water nearby and Adam swam to one and reached up, testing to see if it was secure and if it would support his weight. It did and he began to climb hand over hand. His muscles groaned under this exertion, but he finally reached a point where he was even with the top of a nearby cliff.
Adam swung the vine back and forth, wondering just how much longer he could hold on. He was exhausted. This had better work. The vine finally swung close enough to the cliff that Adam could jump to the cliff and come to a rolling stop on the dusty cliff. He allowed himself time to recover, listening for anyone attempting to follow him. All was silent save for a few birds chirping in the distance.
He pushed himself up and half crawled, half limped up a small hill. The scene that greeted him made his breath catch. It was one of the most serene views he had ever seen. A small lake was quietly nuzzled at the top of this plateau. A canoe rested at the shore and a tauren tent watched over the camp site. Adam paused to search for the tauren who lived there.
All was quiet. He limped his way closer to find that the camp seemed to be abandoned. With a sigh, he crawled into the tent and lay down. Exhaustion overtook him and he fell asleep.
…
Prince Anduin entered the private quarters of Stormwind Keep. After inquiring with a servant, he found out his father was in his chamber resting. Anduin hesitated, wondering if he should bother him or not. He decided it would be best to get this over with and knocked on his father's chamber door. When the door opened, Varian Wrynn gave a surprised look to see his son there. "Anduin. I didn't know you were returning today."
"It's an impromptu visit, Father. May I come in?" Varian opened the door wider and stepped aside, allowing his son to enter. Anduin sat at the table located in the ante-chamber. He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl there and fiddled with it. Velen had said it would be best for Anduin to explain to his dad what had happened in Tanaris before he heard it from someone else.
Although Anduin had agreed, he still found it difficult to talk to his father about things like this. Even though they had resolved their issues for the most part on Remembrance Day, his father was still very protective of him. "So, how are your studies going?" Anduin glanced up at his father, hearing the uncertainty in his voice.
"I'm learning a lot from Velen." He shifted in his chair and set the apple down. "Dad, there's something you should know and I want you to sit and listen to the whole thing before you react."
Varian frowned at these words. He knew he wasn't going to like what Anduin was about to say. He agreed to remain quiet and Anduin told him about Marisa showing up in The Exodar, being pushed through a portal to the middle of the Tanaris desert, and the exchange of himself and Miss Alexston for the agent named Adam. Anduin left out the part where Ishana had helped him, however.
Varian was about to explode when he heard his son had been in the hands of members of the horde. But he also appreciated the efforts of Miss Alexston and Adam to protect him. The first thing he had wanted to do was order Anduin to stay inside the Keep and forget studying under Velen. But as recent events proved, even Stormwind Keep wasn't invulnerable to attack. "Where's Shaw?" That was one thing he could do. The SI:7 leader should have known better than to lead du'Paige right to his son!
"He's still out searching for Adam along with the agent named Maggie." Anduin felt a little relieved that his dad didn't go ballistic over his little adventure. He turned his attention to two other matters. He had stopped to talk briefly with Kristie's father in Darnassus before returning home. "Dad, I have a question regarding Baros Alexston."
Varian eyed his son. "What about him?"
"Your judgment for his case had him doing his job, but thirty percent being paid for from House of Noble and House of Wrynn. How did you come to that decision?"
Varian sat down and leaned forward, picking up the apple Anduin had fiddled with. He took the table knife that was by the bowl and began cutting it in half. "That's an interesting story in itself, Anduin." He handed half to his son and cut a bite of his own half before continuing. "The morning of the trial, I was approached by a noble." He cut another piece. "He brought up the fact that the matter between the House of Nobles and the old Stonemason's Guild had never been resolved...which is probably why the recent events had occurred."
"With resources depleted from first the Northrend war, then Deathwing, we were never able to even set aside anything for possibly solving the issue." He cut another bite of apple off. "Now, with Hellscream pushing to take things that are not his, we will need to reserve our resources even more for possible war." He set the apple slice on a plate along with the bite and knife, suddenly not hungry. "The noble suggested that even though the city cannot afford to make recompense to the former Stonemason's Guild, there was something else that could be done to perhaps give them some satisfaction."
Anduin was listening with interest. He wondered which noble had approached his father. "We pay out of our own pockets, we lose money, they might feel some satisfaction."
Varian nodded. "Mind you, I did not want to condone their criminal actions. But the noble pointed out that if we continued to not address it, more troubles will occur such as the recent bombings." He sat back. "So, I agreed that should I find Mr. Alexston not guilty, that would be the judgment. We also decided to pronounce judgment in the courtyard so that everyone could hear and word will spread."
Prince Anduin smiled. "I'll bet he is now hated by the other nobles. Which one suggested it?"
It was Varian's turn to smile now. "On the contrary, Lord Boxley actually has earned their respect to a degree."
Anduin almost choked on his apple. "Stingy old Boxley?"
Varian laughed out loud before attempting to give Anduin an admonishing look. "He may be stingy, but it's not good to apply such terms to our nobles, even in private. Besides, his frugal nature has saved this city a good amount of gold." He sobered up. "I have to wonder, though, if part of his decision was the return of his son, Adam. Perhaps a silent attempt to reconcile."
Anduin pondered on that for a few minutes, then asked, "How has the citizenry responded to this?"
"Too soon to tell for sure, but they seem to be agreeable to it."
The prince seemed satisfied with the topic and moved on to the final topic. "I have a suggestion of my own, but one that's slightly less costly than Lord Boxley's."
King Varian raised an eyebrow. "What's your suggestion?"
"It's regarding the orphanage. Kristie got me thinking about it. We haven't personally done anything for them that I recall. I would like to change that."
"Hm, this have something to do with the orphan she's looking after?" Varian paused to think of her name. "Amy Masters."
"Sort of. Kristie mentioned I should meet her, which is what got me thinking about the orphanage in the first place."
Varian nodded his head approving the thought so far. "What do you have in mind?"
"Horses. Perhaps five or so. A gift from us. One or two for the matrons and volunteers to use, the rest for the orphans to use as an activity. Plus, they would be in charge of taking care of the animals at the stables, brushing them, learning to saddle them, and so on and so forth."
Varian slapped his son on the shoulder. "Agreed. Let's make it five horses for the orphan's, and two for the matrons."
"I'll get on it now." Anduin stood up. His father stood as well.
They stared at each other for a moment before Varian pulled him into a hug. "Are you going to be here long enough for dinner tonight?" Anduin nodded before leaving. He was smiling as he exited the private section of the keep.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Anduin paused to see Lord Grayson approach. "Hello, Lord Grayson. How are you today?"
"Fine. Fine. I heard you had returned and I made a special trip here hoping to ask a favor of you."
"Favor?"
"Yes. Well, the favor isn't for me, per se. It's for Miss Kristie Alexston."
"Kristie? How is she recovering?"
"Her shoulder is healed. But mentally and spiritually, she's drained, especially with Adam still missing. She's objecting to the physical therapy she needs to restrengthen the shoulder."
Anduin nodded his head. "And you hope that if I visit, she might be encouraged to start the therapy."
"Something like that."
"I think I have an idea that might help more than just my visit," he mumbled. "I've got a couple of errands to do first. You can expect me early this afternoon, Lord Grayson."
"Thank you, Your Highness. She's staying at my house for the time being." Lord Grayson gave a bow and walked out.
…
"Are you still telling those lies?" Bobby stood with his hands on his hips as Amy chatted with some other girls of the orphanage. Jerome and another boy stood on either side of him.
Amy gave him an angry smirk. "It's true! I was kidnapped and made to work in a dirty old kitchen! And SI:7 agents came and rescued me!"
"Yeah, and to top it all off, you got to meet the king. What interest would the king have in a wimp like you!" Bobby gave his best intimidating stare and starting to feel triumphant at Amy's frustrated tears.
"I did! He said it was his job to protect me!"
Bobby gave a derisive laugh. "Oh, the king is now your personal body guard? This story just keeps getting better and better."
"No, he's not her personal body guard. But I can assure you, his job is to protect others, including her."
Bobby turned around and his jaw dropped at the sight of Prince Anduin giving him a stern look. The boy blustered and fell to one knee as did all of the other orphans inside the building.
Prince Anduin glanced from the boy to the girl he assumed was Amy Masters. "And for the record, my father and I were talking about Miss Amy Masters this morning. So, yes, she did meet my father." He gave the boy a look reminiscent of his father. "So there will be no more arguments on that matter."
Anduin approached the girl, ignoring some giggles from a couple of older orphan girls. "Miss Masters?" The girl nodded and he held out his hand. "Come with me, please." Amy was in awe that the Prince had known her name, much less wanted to walk with her. He led her through the building and out the door, knowing the other orphans would follow. When they stepped outside, Amy gasped at the sight of seven horses waiting there.
He sat down on the steps to the orphanage and patted the spot next to him as they faced the horses. The other children gathered around them, whispering to each other about the horses they saw. "My father and I wanted to give the orphans a gift. We've been busy focusing on so many other things, that we realized we haven't really had much opportunity to visit here. Your involvement in recent adventures has brought this to light and so we decided this would be a little something to let you all know that we haven't forgotten about you."
"We will try to visit more often. If not by my father or I, then by one of the nobles." He waved his hand towards the horses. "I picked these horses out myself. They will live at the stables in Old Town. They are for the orphans to use and take care of. The matrons, of course, will be in charge of who can ride them and when. But we expect each of you to take turns caring for the animals."
He motioned for the children to go forward to pet the equines and watched them for a few minutes as he spoke to the matrons. Finally, Prince Anduin approached Amy again asking her to once again come with him. Off to the side of the building were two horses saddled and ready to ride. One was a white stallion with black mane and tail and official Stormwind banners decorating it. The other was a cream buckskin mare. "Ooo...She's pretty!" Amy pet the buckskin horse on the nose.
"She's a gift for Kristie. Wanna help me bring it to her?" Amy vigorously nodded her head and Anduin helped her into the saddle. He then mounted his own horse and led her and the two royal guards out of Cathedral Square.
"Miss Masters...May I call you Amy?" She nodded. "Good. You can call me Anduin."
To this, she protested. "Oh no! Matron Nightengale said that we must always use your proper title, Your Highness!"
"I see. Well, exceptions can be made in the case of good friends or family." He leaned over and gave a conspiratorial look. "So, can I be your friend?" She grinned broadly and nodded. "Good. Now you can call me Anduin."
"Yes, Your Highness." He gave her a look. "Erm. Uh, Anduin."
He laughed. "Amy, Kristie is staying with Lord Grayson for now because, well, she's feeling kinda down. I thought your visit along with this gift will help cheer her up."
"I didn't know Kristie knew you."
"We met recently. She...did me a favor and I wanted to show my appreciation."
They chatted about little things as they made their way through the Dwarven District, into the outskirts around Olivia's Pond and finally up into the mountain side where Grayson Shadowbreaker's house sat beautifully in an alcove.
…
Kristie sat at the window staring out to the back yard of Lord Graysons house. She sighed. She hadn't left this room. Even when her mom came in with a surprise...her father. She tried to give him a hug, but with her left arm refusing to obey her mental commands, she could only give him half a hug. This just seemed to depress her even more.
Baros had tried to encourage his daughter to do as Lord Grayson had said, he even tried to order her to do it. But it didn't seem to break Kristie's lethargy. "Dad, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I'm just...too tired to do this. Maybe later." She had no intention of trying later. She only said this to placate her father. He probably knew this but had left the room, giving his wife a troubled look.
A short while later, Lord Grayson entered and walked right up to Kristie. "Time to check your shoulder." Kristie just sat there, letting him move her useless arm around. She didn't look at him, nor talk to him. Sure, it was rude, but she didn't care. He was being rude by not letting her go home. The only thing that let him know she was aware of his rotating her arm and shoulder was an occasional grimace.
"That's enough for now." He let her arm go and stood there watching her. "You're not confined to your room, you know." She shrugged one shoulder. "I think it's time you leave your room."
"I don't want to."
"Too bad." He leaned in and picked her up before she realized what he was doing. She kicked and protested until he dumped her on a couch in the sitting room. "You have five minutes to pull yourself together. You have company."
"I don't want to see anybody. I just want to be left alone."
"Suit yourself. Your company is coming in no matter how you look. And whether you like it or not."
She threw him a glare. "I'm not one of your trainee's. You can't order me around!"
"No. But I can." Prince Anduin stood in the doorway with a bit of a surprised look on his face. This wasn't the same woman who had done whatever it took to get them to safety in Tanaris. Why was she suddenly just giving up?
Kristie quickly stood and gave the prince a curtsey, quickly using her good hand to smooth her hair back and out of her face. "Your Highness."
"I thought we were on more friendly terms. Call me Anduin, remember?" He gave her an uncertain smile.
Kristie couldn't bring herself to say anything. Lord Grayson spoke for her. "She's feeling sorry for herself because the surgery that saved her life left her arm useless. And she seems to have no confidence in me to help her get the use of her arm back."
"I see." Anduin stepped up to Kristie, studying her for a moment. "I have a feeling, it's more than her arm that's bothering her." He then stepped back and changed the subject. "Kristie, I'm here for two reasons. The first, is to let you know that I kept a promise of mine." He stepped over to the door and motioned for someone to enter.
Kristie's eye's lit up as Amy walked into the room. The orphan came over and gave her a huge hug, not noticing that Kristie could hug her back with only one arm. "Kristie! I missed you! Can you believe it? Prince Anduin came and told off Bobby and Jerome! Then he gave a bunch of horses to the orphanage! We don't have to rent horses anymore! And guess what!"
Kristie almost smiled at Amy's enthusiasm. "What?"
"Come on! I'll show you!" Luckily, Amy took her right hand instead of her left and pulled her out of her sitting room, into the hallway, down the stairs and out the front door where two horses stood. Anduin and Grayson had followed. "Isn't she a beauty?" Amy went up to the buckskin. "I got to ride her all the way here from the orphanage!"
Kristie couldn't help but agree. "Yes, she's beautiful. Is she one of the horses for the orphanage?"
Prince Anduin answered for Amy. "No. She's yours."
Kristie nearly gasped. "Why?"
"Call it a thank you gift. A show of my appreciation for your quick thinking and protection."
She scoffed. "I didn't do much protecting. You protected me more than I you."
"You came up with the idea to call me your brother. And you showed me how not to stand and look like a prince. Not everyone is that quick-thinking on their feet. Even I wasn't." He gave her a smile. "Now you can go horseback riding with Amy for more than just once a month."
Kristie's eyes moistened and she gave the slightest hint of a smile as she walked up to the mare. Then she stopped and a pained look came over her face. "I can't." She turned to look at the prince. "I can't ride horses if my arm is useless."
Anduin stared right back at her with his clear blue eyes. "So? Make it useful again."
Before Kristie could respond, Amy stepped up. "Yeah! Make it useful! Then we can go horseback riding and can even invite Adam!"
Kristie opened her mouth as a wave of sadness came over her. "Adam is..." How was she going to tell Amy that Adam was captured by the horde and that she may never see him again?
Anduin stepped over and finished her sentence for her. "...coming home eventually." He ave Kristie a meaningful look and then looked at Amy. "He's busy right now protecting someone he cares about. And when he comes back, I'm sure he'll want to go riding with you both."
Kristie stepped back, giving Lord Grayson a reserved look. "Just how many people do you plan to bring in to get me to do this therapy of yours?"
Grayson gave her a self-confident grin. "As many as it takes until you agree." And just to prove he meant it, he leaned in to say, "I've got Gemma coming in any minute now. I'm still trying to get ahold of Nelson. And I'm asking your father later which of your childhood friends are best to contact."
Kristie sighed.
"Don't make me put my crown on and order you to do this, Kristie." Prince Anduin was by her side, speaking softly, but firmly.
"I really don't have a choice in this, do I?"
Prince Anduin and Lord Grayson answered at the same time. "Nope!"