Chapter 22: The Westfall Representative

Several Months Ago - Christmas Eve

The warm winds blew through the bay. Tess wished she could toss off her woollen cloak, but it was needed to hide her face. She wasn't as recognizable as some of the other nobles, but she couldn't risk someone finding her here.

Her father believed she had travelled to Teldrassil to spend the holiday's with her mother. Her mother believed her to have stayed in Stormwind with her father. She hated lying to her own parents, but such duplicity was necessary. This was a mission no one could know about, not even the King...

The wooden boards under her feet creaked as she walked along the haphazards planks that created the labyrinth that was the city of Booty Bay. She could hear the sounds of drunken sea shanties and the smell of salt and fish filled the warm air. The only light was from the occasional hanging lantern and the bright shining moon and stars that reflected over the calm southern sea.

She approached the Salty Sailor Tavern hesitantly. It didn't have the best reputation, even by her normal standards. Pirates and privateers and other unsavoury sorts took port here and spent their plundered gold on booze, breasts and betting.

She squared her shoulders and pushed her way into the bar.

It was loud. Members of every known race were present from a Goblin smoking something strange in the corner, to a female Draenei holding a troll by his the front of his shirt and screaming at him to pay up, to a Pandaren laying on the ground drinking directly from a barrel of beer.

Tess moved through them, one hand on her dagger and the other on her change purse. Her eyes flickered through each person, trying to find the man her contact had promised was here.

She spotted him in a quieter corner, lounging against the wooden wall, his white shirt open, exposing his chest and a crooked pirate hat on his head. His heavy boots where propped up on the table and he seemed to be watching the bar with a look of amusement.

Tess slid into the table across from him, "Admiral."

He didn't look surprised to see her. Tess supposed her contact had probably told him - rouges weren't exactly known for their loyalty.

"Princess." He raised his glass in salute.

Tess hissed, looking to see if anyone had heard him. She wasn't surprised that he knew, but she wished he wouldn't shout it to the world.

"It's Theresa." She snapped at him.

He held up his hands in a mock surrender, " 'pologies, Highness. I heard you wanted to talk to me." He had a southern accent - and an uneducated one at that, but she expected little from the new leader of the Bloodsail Buccaneers. But she'd heard that despite his outward appearance, he was deadly cunning.

"I've been told you have information about the uncrowned." She got right into the point. She'd been looking for any source of the information since she got the strange message from the prostitute. It had been difficult, she hadn't wanted to use SI:7, since she wasn't entirely sure she could trust them. Using a network of bandits and thieves and pirates had lead her to Tethys, whom they all said had a connection to the strange society.

He raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Maybe."

Tess felt a burning annoyance, and gritted her teeth as she used all of her training to stay polite, "I was contacted by them. They hinted that they have information regarding a breach of security in Stormwind."

Tethys raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, his feet dropping off the table as he leaned forward in a single swift move that was far more graceful than the large man should be capable of. He leaned in close enough that Tess could smell the tobacco on his breathe and whispered.

"The demons are inside the walls."

Tess froze, blinking in surprise, "I...Yes, how did you know that?"

"What I know, is that the only people who know about the uncrowned...are those they want to know about it." He looked her up and down, obviously unimpressed, "For whatever reason, they think you're trustworthy, I think it has yet to be proven which side you're on."

"I'm not working for the Legion if that's what you mean." Tess let her voice darken, glaring at the man.

"It's not." He leaned further back in his chair, "The uncrowned obviously don't want you to know more."

"Then who can I trust." She snapped at him, "They came to me with this information - not the King or the Prince or Shaw or my father or anyone else who might have the power to do something. I assume that means because none of them can be trusted." Her heart hurt to think about her father being compromised, but she knew it was something she had to consider.

Tethys rubbed his chin, his eyes narrowed inn concentration, "Alright then, little one. Here's a test for you. The one person you can trust is Garona Halforcen."

She had startled rather dramatically at that, "Garona...but...?"

"And therein lies the test." He leaned forward, grabbing his ale and tagging a swig, "Which side are you on?"

Present Day

Anduin had been in good spirits when his father had cornered him. He had been whistling under his breath, smiling wildly at Jem and Sarah, two of the guards that stood outside his room regularly. He opened the door, slipping inside, only to jump as he saw his father standing in front of the hearth, his arms crossed and eyes narrowed in a way that made Anduin aware that he was in trouble.

"I didn't do it." He spoke immediately, trying to think about anything he could have done in the last few days that would have earned that kind of look. The only thing he could think of was...

Anduin groaned.

"Oh light! We're not going to have another 'talk' are we?" Anduin rubbed his forehead, "The last one was very traumatic and I don't think Genn has ever recovered."

His father snorted lightly, which made Anduin relax. Obviously he wasn't in that much trouble. In fact he was now starting to realize his father was just posturing to make him nervous. So Anduin ignored him and wandered over to his desk, grabbing a bronze pitcher of wine and started to pour a few glasses.

"We are both adults." Anduin spoke, "And whatever happens between us is none of your business." Anduin winced as he realized how childish he sounded but didn't let up. He knew his father's continued insistence to barge into his relationships was making Addy nervous, and he didn't want to giver a reason to jump ship. She was skittish like a deer that way - a very strong, powerful deer who would slice a pit lord open...

"And if she got pregnant?"

Anduin choked on his wine, sputtering madly as he struggled to clear his airway, "What! No...we- What did you think was going on in here?" Anduin felt his entire face go flaming red as he stumbled over his words.

His father rolled his eyes, "I am imagining a great deal of things, I was your age, once."

Anduin wrinkled his nose, "I don't want to know that. Besides, weren't you betrothed at a young age?"

"Yes." His father chuckled, moving to sit on the same sofa he and Addy had been sitting on a few days before. "However me and your mother, we didn't know each other very well in our youth." Varian got a sad look on his face, that he always did when talking about Anduin's mother. But at least these day's he could actually talk about her. "It wasn't common for betrothed men and women to have, well...partners, before the marriage."

Anduin raised an eyebrow, "And mother was okay with this?"

Varian snorted, "What makes you think I'm the only one who dabbled? Tiffin had a very negative opinion of me in her youth, and made her opinion clear to her parents at every turn. It was only when we were much older that we fell in love."

Anduin smiled, savouring this moment - one of the few times he heard about the woman who gave birth to him.

But he still had a point to prove.

"Well there was none of...that." Anduin assured his father, "It wasn't like that. It was just a friendly...kiss."

His father looked unconvinced, swirling the wine in his cup and downing the rest of it, "I'm not going to lecture you about what you do or do not do with this girl. I made the decision long ago that I would let you have relationships for love rather than circumstance. However..." His father stood, his face serious, "Please remember, that you are the crowned Prince of Stormwind. And one day, hopefully a long long time from now, you will be the High King of the Alliance. Nothing will ever be as private for you as you wish it to be, and if you pursue this girl, nothing will be private for her either. Already people have an interest in her due to her friendship with you...I urge you, my son. Be careful."

Anduin took his words in solemnly. It was everything that he already knew, but had pushed to the back of his mind as he had carelessly rushed into his friendship with Addy. His father was right. Addy would hate to be in the spotlight that would come from a serious relationship with him, it could never happen...

Varian walked over to him and clasped a hand down on his shoulder, "That does not mean you have to stop spending time with her, or having your..." He waved his cup around, "Friendship kisses. But, son, please make sure she knows what she's getting into."

Two days later, as Addy was stealthy picking some of the flowers from the Mage garden for her bedroom, a guard in a horse hair plume walked up to her, wearing a tabard that identified him as a member of the royal guard.

"Miss Fairchild." He spoke.

Addy shoved the flowers behind her back, trying not to look guilty "Yes?"

The man raised an eyebrow, his lip twitching, but otherwise didn't say anything. "A summons." He handed her a scroll and Addy felt her face pale.

Oh light, this was it. The King was summoning her to answer for her crimes against his son - she was dead. She was such an idiot, what had she been thinking?

Of course, she didn't actually think the King would kill or hurt her...much - but there was a nagging sense in her stomach that he thought she wasn't good enough for his son (a very real possibility), and would therefore forbid her from spending any time with him. The thought filled her with dread. Anduin was one of the few people she actually liked spending time with. He didn't mind when she rambled a bit, didn't treat her like an idiot for not knowing some very basic things, and despite her rude and generally unapproachable attitude he seemed to enjoy spending time with her as well.

The guard walked away leaving Addy with a sinking pit in her gut.

She took the letter to Mr Tim, not wanting to take it to the scribe she usually used.

Tim took one glance at the letter and sighed, just holding out his hand. She held it out gingerly, like it might explode at any minute. He licked his finger and opened the scroll, his eyes flickering over the words quickly as Addy wrung her hands and chewed her lip nervously.

"What's it say?" She asked.

Mr. Tim closed it and handed it back, "A meeting, with the King - a rather informal one, relatively speaking. It's a summons to the petitioning chamber, for the day after tomorrow, at noon."

Addy let out a whine, "That sounds bad, is that bad?"

Mr Tim sighed, leaning on the counter rubbing his forehead, "Normally? No, it's a basic citizen's summons. Happens all the time. But considering you're shagging the King's son...?"

Addy choked, "Excuse me? I am not..." She looked around to make sure there wasn't anyone in the bar before lowing her voice to a whisper, "Shagging him!" She hissed.

"Or it has something to do with your meeting with a Horde spy and the little peace summit you help set up." He pointed out.

Addy paused, feeling her heart rate slow. He was right, she was being stupid. Surely the King had better thing's to do than worry about who his son was spending time with. She sighed and grabbed the scroll, curling it back up and slipping it into her dress, before she moved behind the counter and got started on washing the same dishes she washed every day, with not a customer to be found.

The castle looked far more intimidating than it had any other time she was here, but luckily for her she didn't have to go far, at one of the first doors after the entrance to the keep was the petitioner's chamber, where the king performed meetings with nobles and the public. Two very intimidating guards stood in front of the entrance and she passed them nervously. Inside the room was a very large table, with a green velvet tablecloth placed over it. It was covered in candles, parchments and rolls, stacked books and maps. In the middle of the table the King stood. Surrounding him and the table was a large group of people, some arguing and others writing notes, and others whispering to each other quietly.

Not wanted to interrupt Addy stayed near the door, clinging to the wall as she waited for the crowd to clear out.

Eventually Anduin, who she hadn't even seen he was so crowded by people, managed to calm the room down. He made eye contact with her over the crowd and Addy nervously pulled at the ties on her blue dress. She saw the silk gowns with gold and silver threads, beautiful embroidered patterns and velvet as soft as the fur lining it. Her simple hard woollen dress over her cotton slip seemed very out of place in such a room.

Anduin didn't seem to mind. He walked over to his father and lean down, whispering in his ear. The King's head snapped up, and he let out what seemed like a breathe of relief.

"Ladies and Gentlemen." The King straightened, "We'll have to finish another time, I have another appointment I must see too."

The nobles grumbled audibly, muttering to each other as they all filed out of the room. Addy stood there awkwardly, trying to ignore the curious glances they sent her as they moved.

Once they'd all left Anduin turned to his father, "I thought you were going to wait until the end of the day for this?"

"Huh." The King sounded unapologetic, "Must've been a mistake, double booked. Oh well, they're gone now." Anduin shook his head, and Addy had to stop herself from giggling from the defeated look on his face.

All humour left her as the King turned his attention on her, "Miss Fairchild." He motioned for her to come forward.

Addy gathered her dress and slowly approached, trying not to look as horribly nervous as she felt. She buried her hands into her skirt to stop them from shaking.

"Your Majesty." She tried to speak clearly and not mumble, dropping into a deep, if not badly balanced curtsey.

The King didn't speak for a few moments, his eyes narrowed as he studied her. Addy swallowed and tried to keep her breathing even.

When the silence was just about to become awkward, the King spoke, "What are you intentions with my son?"

Addy's mouth dropped open and Anduin reached forward, smacking his Father on the head, "Father!" Anduin snapped, his own face bright red, "You promised!"

"Alright, Alright." The King had a small grin on his face, "It was a joke. I'm kidding."

Addy let out a nervous chuckle, feeling even more out of place than she had before. It felt strange to see this side of the King - the playful fatherly side. She felt like a stranger interrupting a private moment.

"Er...If I may ask, why am I here, your majesty?" Addy asked, proud that her voice didn't shake as she desperately tried to change the topic.

"Yes, to the point." The King walked around the table and Addy, if possible, straightened even further. "As you know, we're going to be meeting with Horde leadership in the coming weeks to negotiate the...lowering of strict borders in affected areas." He looked like he'd swallowed a lemon "For the meetings we're bringing in civilian representatives from each area and we were hoping you'd be willing to attend."

Addy blinked as she filtered over what the King said, and then immediately turned to fix a glare on Anduin.

The Prince raised his hands, "I didn't have anything to do with it."

Addy wasn't sure she believed him - she got the sense that even if he hadn't outright suggested her, he'd lead his father to make the decision himself. He could be sneaky when he wanted to be.

"This is more of a security issue." The King continued, "The less people know the better - since you are already aware it's an obvious choice. You're free to refuse of course."

Addy kept her narrowed eyes on Anduin, who was trying to look innocuous. She thought about Father Samuel, who she'd been planning to join back up with once this summit was over. He had told her to stay in Stormwind, but also that he hadn't any plans until the summit was over. And her other option was sitting around the city.

She turned back to the King, giving a diplomatic nod. "I'm...honoured for this opportunity your Majesty. I accept."

"Perfect." The King beamed, "Well that's one more thing checked off my list."

He stood up and Addy lowered her head, bowing and stepping to the side. She gave another clumsy curtsey and a muttered, "Your Majesty."

"Er-" Anduin rushed forward, "I'll escort you out." He offered her.

Addy glared at him again, but nodded, knowing she could hardly refuse such a generous offer in front of the King.

The King gave them both a polite nod, turning to look at Anduin with a meaningful look that made him flush. She looked down and refused to meet anyone's eyes until the King was gone and it was just her and Anduin with a handful of guards standing against the walls, silently.

Addy marched up to Anduin and smacked his chest, "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He held up his hands in surrender, that goofy grin still on his face, "I swear. It was actually his idea."

"Well you could have warned me." Addy crossed her arms, "I thought I was coming to my death or something - mysterious summons from the King? After the lat time I was here?"

Anduin looked like he was fighting a smile, "My father doesn't care that much who I spend my time with - after they've been vetted." he mumbled the second bit under his breath.

"And...the other stuff?" She asked, again, not meeting his eyes. She wasn't sure why she was so embarrassed. It was just a kiss, it wasn't anything. Part of her wondered if it was because he was so noble and well done up most of the time. He sure hadn't been then. He had been surprisingly rough instead of his normal gentle persona, his hair was been disheveled, his tunic untied and a light flush over his skin.

Just like now, "Er...I don't think he cares much about that per se." He admitted. "I may have insinuated it was a more...innocent affair."

Addy snorted, "You make it sound more scandalous than it was." She pointed out, "Best be careful lest you create more palace drama."

Anduin eyed the soldiers in the room with a wince, "Noted."

Addy felt the need to change the topic to something a bit more innocent, "So the meeting, where is it?"

"Pandaria." Anduin answered immediately, his face beaming with happiness, "The Celestial Court on the Timeless Isle. It's neutral ground."

Addy was surprised, but it seemed obvious to her afterwards. Then she felt a burst of excitement. She'd never left the Eastern Kingdoms before, and to go somewhere as fantastic as Pandaria! She'd never imagined she'd get to go somewhere like that.

"Pandaria?" She beamed, "Really?"

"Yes." He grinned back at her, before his smile faltered for just a moment, "I should warn you, however. The horde will be there. I know that sounds obvious, but they will have civilians as well and it is expected that everyone act civilly."

Addy chuckled a bit, wondering what kind of hoops they'd have to go through for that to work out. "I don't have much animosity to the Horde, at least on a personal level. I'll be perfectly polite."

Anduin cleared his throat, "Yes well, I just wanted to warn you because, well. There will be undead there."

Undead? Addy frowned as they left the petitioner's chamber and started to walk down the large hall to the entrance. Why would she be bothered...

"Because of my parents?" She realized, confused, but also touched that he had remembered.

"Partially." He nodded, "I was...uncertain, of how you held the forsaken in response to the attacks of the scourge."

Her grandfather had hated them. He had been very loud in his views, saying they were monsters and untrustworthy. That they must still be under the Lich King's control and that one day they'd kill us all. In his drunk rambles he'd said that denying them entrance to the Alliance was the only good thing Varian Wrynn had ever done.

But personally? Her grandfather hadn't lived long enough to see the end of the Lich King, but she had. Obviously the forsaken weren't under his control, and they hadn't had anything to do with her parents death - in fact, many of them may have been her neighbours and family friends in her childhood.

She shrugged, "Arthas killed my parents. He's dead. I have no need for grudges."

Anduin had a small smile on his face as he walked, "I wish more people were like you. Just between us, we've had to reject a few people based on previous bias. Hatred for the Horde runs deep."

"Fear of the Legion runs deeper." Addy added, "Anyone who doesn't understand that is an idiot."

Anduin sighed, "So many haven't seen the might of the Legion. I haven't even seen it, and it's right here on our backdoor. For some it's hard to fear what they haven't seen. It's an idea, a construct. Not until a demon is standing before them will they understand what they should have all along. It's up to us to show that fear for them, in the hopes that they will never know it."

Addy stared at him, knowing that she was looking at Anduin the Prince. No wonder the people loved him, he had a way with words that others could only dream of.

A sinking feeling entered her chest and she looked at him, wide eyed, "Are you going to fight? In the field?" She felt her stomach leap to her throat at the thought.

Anduin shrugged, "Doubtful, there's no way my father would allow it. But even if I was, it would be as a medic, not a fighter."

Addy felt a bit sick at the thought. Anduin didn't belong in battle. He was too...bright, and innocent, for the dirt and fear and blood of battle. The thought of him standing beside her in Ironforge, with nothing but his healer's robes between him and a sword made her swallow.

"Hopefully not." Addy spoke softly.

Anduin didn't seem to notice her internal panic, "Hopefully there won't be many more battles and this entire summit will be without need. Khadgar is still searching for the location of their foothold and how to shut it down. If we close down their portal we can hold them off, at least for a while..."

Addy nodded at what went unsaid. If we can't hope to beat the Legion, then they needed to hold them off. Hopefully they wouldn't return for a while.

Or least, not within their lifetimes.

A/N: Hey, super short chapter! But this stuff didn't quite fit in the last chapter and didn't fit into the next one so It get it's own little chapter! I love writing conversations between Varian and Anduin, I think it's my therapy (Still not over the broken shore 2k18)

Note - I know the Lich King isn't technically dead, but I also think that that's not something Addy would know?

Feel free to follow me on tumblr at anduinnwyrnn. I make gifs and stupid jokes that aren't very funny and sometimes i draw addy doodles and post them, but not that often. Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing the response has been so great thank you to everyone who stuck with me through that little break!

Until Next Time,

Ash