Anduin

"So, how do we get him home?" I asked, watching as Jaina took a seat in my sitting room. She seemed deep in thought. I carefully placed the mirror on the table, then joined her.

I still couldn't believe that my father was alive. At first I was unsure of the authenticity of the person on the other side of the mirror, but only my father and I knew about our interactions back when I went to train with the draenei. And nobody knew about my father's secret passion for drawing. There was now no doubt in my mind that the man in the mirror was indeed Varian Wrynn.

"I'm not sure yet." Jaina finally replied. "Kalec told me if Varian was sent to a demon dimension through fel magic, there is no way of knowing for sure which dimension he was sent to. Apparently, there are several. I need to think up some type of magic to detect which dimension and find a way to open a portal, linked to the mirror connection." She sighed deeply. "There are just too many variables. This might take some time."

"I guess we have time, since it will be at least two weeks before he'll be able to contact us again, if his figuring is correct." I reasoned, though it pained me to wait even a day, knowing father was in a very dangerous place. What if he was killed while we worked on a way home?

Internally, I scolded myself for thinking the thought. He'd survived this long, he'd continue to survive until we found him. My father was hard to kill and it sounded like he wasn't alone. I also had to remember two weeks would translate to only a couple of days for him. I was thankful the metrics weren't reversed.

"Isn't there a way to trace the connection?" Connie asked. She'd been quiet during the entire exchange with Varian. "Use a tracking spell to follow the connection and set up a portal?"

Jaina shook her head. "It's not that simple, but maybe if we work together. If you can trace the connection, I might be able to follow you and generate a portal. Once the portal is established, someone would need to go through and find Varian. I can't guarantee it'll be physically near him, so there is a chance whoever goes through the portal may need to search. Meaning, they might end up stranded there, themselves, if they can't get back to the portal before I'm forced to close it. Not to mention, something else could come through while I hold it open."

"And we can only guess how much energy it will require to keep the portal open. It could be only a matter of minutes." Connie added, following and adding to Jaina's line of thinking.

I sat back and let the two mages discuss. All I knew was that I would be the one going through the portal.

As if reading my mind, Jaina turned to me, giving me a stern look.

"And if you think you'll be the one going through the portal, think again. You are the king and if we lose you, you don't have an heir. You will be staying on this side of the portal and there will be no discussion on that."

"But…" I began to protest.

"But nothing. You are not going and if you try to use the king card, I will not even try to open the portal. I would rather leave Varian in that dimension, than risk your safety. You know your father would agree with me."

I wanted to argue, but I knew she was right. Varian would gladly stay in the dimension forever, if it meant I was safe. I sighed, a little too loudly, but nodded.

"We'll need to find someone willing to go into this kind of situation. Someone who might actually be able to survive if they were attacked by demons moments after stepping through a portal. We'd probably need a second person to guard the portal while the first person searches. I hate risking other's lives for this. It really should be me." I put a hand up to stop Jaina's argument. "But I understand why it can't be me."

"That's just one more thing we need to figure out over the next two weeks. We should be ready to go at a moment's notice, since we can't pinpoint the exact time when Varian will be able to contact us again. Thankfully, he only has to wait a couple of days, so there is less risk to him, but I don't want to have to go through too many of these cycles."

"Agreed." I said.

Connie walked over to me, pulling me into a warm hug.

"We'll figure this out, Anduin. We'll get your father back."

I leaned into her hug, returning it fully. I really appreciated her encouragement and was truly thankful Connie was in my life. I couldn't wait for Varian to meet her.


To Be Continued...