Second to last chapter is up! This tale is almost over. Thanks for ready and sending reviews.

Kia was taken directly from the portal to a prepared room, with Tyrande waiting to examine her. She'd anticipated looking over Kia for evidence of impact from her exposure to the plague, not having her in labor, but the night elf was nothing if not adaptable.

Once she was settled, Tyrande used all her powers to try to detect any evidence of the plague within Kia or her unborn child. After several intense minutes of absolute quiet, Tyrande sighed and smiled down at her daughter.

"It would seem your uncle was being honest about your immunity. I can't detect any signs of the plague in either yourself or your child."

Kia smiled back, sighing in relief. "Thank the Light."

Tyrande sat quietly next to Kia on the bed. "That was a foolish risk to take. Things could have gone very badly."

"I know, but what choice did we have? At the rate things were going, our child would have been born into chaos which I'm not convinced the Alliance could have broken away from in the long run. This risk was for this child."

Before the night elf could reply, there was a soft knock on the door. Shandris poked her head into the room. "Malfurion requires a word, Mother."

Tyrande nodded, then turned back to Kia. "I'll be back. Remember to breathe through your contractions."

Tyrande left the room and Shandris entered, closing the door behind her. "How are you holding up?"

Kia smiled as Shandris sat in the same place Tyrande had vacated. Growing up Shandris had almost been more of a parental figure to Kia, considering the dramatic age difference. The sisters had never been overly close. She had visited Stormwind when Anduin and Kia were married, but they had not communicated since that day.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was with Tyrande when Malfurion told her about your plan and about your interactions with Illidan. I was standing ready to portal to the Alliance army with a few dozen sentinels, should this plan of yours go badly. When I heard you arrived here safely, but was in labor, I got one of my druid soldiers to portal me here. I know I haven't been a very big part of your life, but I didn't want to miss the birth of my niece or nephew. We might not be blood, but we're still family."

"I'm glad you're here. And, if you're here, that means there was no battle?"

"I don't think so. Malfurion sent the scout to deliver the news of your arrival to King Wrynn, but we haven't heard back yet. They had been ordered to communicate right back if things looked like they might escalate to violence. I'm assuming all is well, but we'll know more in a few minutes, I'm sure. With any luck, the scout will return with your husband soon. You do know Tyrande was correct about this plan of yours being a bad idea, right?"

"I know, but somehow I just knew Illidan was telling me the truth. I can't explain it."

"I've been thinking about the anomaly which resulted in you being conceived. Illidan was probably lucky a human woman was investigating it with Malfurion, rather than Tyrande."

"Why do you say that?" Kia asked.

"Night elves aren't the most prolific of species anymore. I think the main reason our parents don't have any blood children between them is because they were never able to conceive. If Tyrande had been with Malfurion to investigate that anomaly, it might have caused intimacy between them, but the likelihood of conception would have been the same as it would normally be between them. With a fertile human woman, conception was easy...obviously."

"And the Stormrage line must be fairly strong to begin with, since twins are extremely rare in night elves. All it took was one time with a more fertile partner. Interesting." Kia replied. She'd never considered this idea before. "Though, it's a bit odd that you're thinking about the conception rate of your parents."

Shandris chuckled. "Adoptive parents, so it's not all that weird. I'm sure it's a little awkward for you, considering."

"The scientific interest is trumping the revulsion, at the moment."

Suddenly, a contraction hit Kia strongly. Shandris took her hand, allowing her sister to squeeze as hard as she liked. "Just breathe."

After several long seconds, the contraction passed.

"Thank you for being here." Kia said between deep breaths.

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be.

Anduin hurried through the portal and in moments found himself in Moonglade. The outdoor portal area was empty, save for one night elf druid and a very anxious Quinn. Both Quinn and Lantash had traveled to Moonglade once Kia explained her plan to them. Neither of her companions were in love with the idea, but they followed Kia's lead, as always.

"Quinn will take you to Kia, Your Majesty." The night elf said with a slight bow.

Quinn stretched and growled a hello, then crouched down so Anduin could climb onto her back. He was actually getting very good at riding the sabercat and Quinn was enjoying their rides just as much, or so he was told. Kia kept joking she was going to have to adopt another cub, so she'd have someone to ride. Anduin had a feeling she wasn't joking and they'd soon be raising both a child and a cub.

They sprinted through Moonglade, around the winding paths. As they approached a door of one of the smaller buildings, Anduin heard a loud rumbling roar. The sound made him smile. He slid off Quinn's back, scratching the cat behind the ear. "Well, it sounds like Lantash has announced my presence already. Thanks for the ride, Quinn."

Quinn knocked her head against Anduin's hip, then settled down in the grass by the door. The building was too small for her to enter comfortably with all the bipedal visitors, so the cat decided to keep a silent vigil of the door until she was able to meet the newest member of her family.

With a deep breath, Anduin entered the building to find Malfurion pacing back and forth, his arms clasped in front of his body. He looked nervous. It was odd to see the usually very calm and collected night elf in such a state.

"You made it. Kia will be relieved you're here." He said, stopping his pacing.

"I'm sure she already knows I'm here. Lantash was being very vocal. He probably notified her when I came through the portal. How's she doing?"

"She was fairly distraught when she arrived, but she's calmed down some. Tyrande and Shandris are with her now. Tyrande is making sure everything is going alright with her labor. Kia apparently went into labor a few hours before she was brought out for Sylvanas's grandstanding."

"She did her part while in labor?" Anduin chuckled. "Your daughter is continuously finding ways to surprise me."

"And it's true? Sylvanas is dead?"

Anduin nodded. "Yes. Kia took her head and someone set her body ablaze, though I'm not entirely sure how it all happened. The entire field had been blinded by someone to mask Kia's escape."

"And the Horde?"

"I've agreed to a truce while they figure out their leadership. Neither side can afford anymore bloodshed, at the moment. Hopefully, they will be calling off their troops still fighting, but it's hard to say how fast the news of their warchief's death will travel. Or if there will be any repercussions from it, before new orders can be sent."

Malfurion gave Anduin a thoughtful look. "I wonder who will be appointed warchief."

"Hard to say. Baine Bloodhoof will push for peace, or something closer to it, at the very least. Saurfang just wants his old Horde back. To be honest, I can work with either mentality, regardless of who holds the title. Sylvanas wanted power and control, with no room for negotiation or peace. Her Azeroth was to be an undead Azeroth."

Tyrande appeared out of a far door, walking towards them. "I will never trust the Horde, not after what they did to our home, but knowing Sylvanas is dead lifts a weight from my heart."

"How is she?" Anduin asked.

"Her labor is progressing nicely, though it will probably be a few more hours before she delivers. Fortunately, there is no sign of the plague in either Kia or the baby. Illidan appears to have been true to his word."

"It was foolish to believe Illidan and risk Kia and the baby this way, you do know this, right?" Malfurion asked Anduin. The look on the night elf's face was stern.

"I do, but you know how hard it is to diswad Kia when she sets her mind on something. She was determined our child would be born into something other than a war torn battlefield."

"Yes, my daughter can be a stubborn one." Malfurion said, his stern expression being replaced with a slight laugh.

"I CAN HEAR YOU, YA KNOW!" Kia screamed from the adjacent room Tyrande had just left.

"You'd better get in there." Tyrande said, motioning with her head towards the room. "I'll be in later to check on her."

Anduin entered the room, finding Kia propped up in a bed, Shandris sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand. The smile she gave Anduin was enough to light up the room.

"I'll leave the two of you alone." Shandris said, giving Kia one last reassuring smile, then turned to leave, stopping next to Anduin. "Congratulations, Your Majesty."

Anduin smiled and nodded his thanks to the night elf. Once the door was closed, he took his sword from his belt, placing it on a table at the far side of the room, along with his gauntlets and most of his upper body armor. He'd remove the rest later. He turned to Kia and took her full into his arms, or as much as her position and size would allow.

"I was so worried I'd never be able to hug you again." He said, pulling back just enough to kiss her on the temple.

"There were a couple of times over the last few days where I had my doubts too. But our plan worked. Sylvanas is gone."

Anduin pulled away, dragging a chair over to the bed and taking a seat. He kept his hand in hers.

"Yes, though how did you manage to set her on fire and portal out?"

"It wasn't me. Vera opened the portal while Torian set off the flash bomb and used lightning to start the fire. If you remember, Toran was the shaman who treated me when I was rescued from Teldrassil. They both agreed that ensuring Sylvanas's death was important to help heal the earthmother. They were nearby thanks to Baine."

Anduin smiled. "Baine is an honorable person. I hope once all is said and done, we can go back to being friends. Or at least, not all-out enemies, as he was forced to be during Sylvanas's rule."

"I hope so too. But, for the time being, you have more important things to worry about. Your son really wants to make his appearance."

"Son?"

"I don't know for sure, but since Wrynn men always seem to find themselves on the frontlines and the baby really wanted to be on the frontlines today, I'm confident we're having a boy."

"Unless she's a girl and she takes after her mother." Anduin added.

Kia laughed. "True enough, I guess."

Suddenly, a contraction hit Kia and she squeezed Anduin's hand harder while she breathed through it. Anduin didn't comment and decided to just heal himself once the baby was born. Once the contraction was over, Kia sighed and leaned back on her pillow.

"I've been through all kinds of different pains in my life, but this one is by far the worst." She looked over at her husband. "And speaking of me being in pain, you know that activity which made this joyous day possible?"

"You mean sex?" Anduin guessed.

"Yes, that one. Well, we're done with that. You are never going to touch me again. In fact, we may need separate beds. Maybe separate chambers."

Kia gave Anduin a big smile, then started to laugh. Anduin joined in, then pulled her back into his arms and kissed her deeply. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Whatever my queen demands."

To Be Continued...

Only one chapter left and maybe a repost of a chapter or two for edits. Thanks again for readying.