New chapter up. I just reposted the entire story. I was bored and decided to tweak all of it. If you're reading continuously, you might want to go back and reread, if you're interested. :) Enjoy and let me know what you think.
Varian
Vala paced back and forth across the room, not saying anything.
After a late lunch and a quick tour of the keep, I had shown Vala to her chambers. I told her first about Archmage Lordus and about our theory of how she was sent to the demon dimension. I then told her about her family, once we were alone. This wasn't a conversation for an audience, since I had no idea how she was going to react to the news. After several minutes, she stopped moving and turned to face me, where I sat at a small desk at the side of her room.
"Thank you for finding this out for me." She said quietly, her eyes not really meeting mine. "I'd convinced myself I'd never seen any of my family again, so I guess I'm more disappointed than sad to hear they're all gone. I'm alone in this dimension too. All thanks to someone I should have been able to trust."
Vala's eyes were glistening with unshed tears and I walked up to her quickly, wrapping her in a hug. She didn't really return it, but didn't fight it, either.
"You were robbed of your family, but you are not alone. You're a part of my family now. You have a place in this keep, as long as you want one."
After a few more quiet moments, I could feel Vala's arms wrap around me, returning my embrace.
"I don't belong here." She said quietly, not pulling away.
"Like hell am I going to allow you to go off on your own, at least not right away. If, after some time you want to leave, I won't stand in your way, but at least stay until you get used to being back in the land of the living." I pulled away enough to look down at her, waiting for her to look up at me. "Please?"
Vala smiled up at me and nodded. "Okay. For you, Your Royalness."
I laughed, gave her one last squeeze, then released her. She wiped away a few tears that had slipped down her cheeks.
"What am I going to do with myself here?" She asked, more to herself than me, I think.
"Nothing." I replied. "Take some time to just relax. For five years, all you could do was get up each day and survive. Enjoy the simple pleasure of not worrying about staying alive and just live a little. Eat whatever you want. Walk around outside and not worry there might be a demon around the next boulder who wants to kill you. Sleep in a bed in safety. You can worry about what you want to do with the rest of your life later."
Vala signed and took a seat by the fire.
"I don't think my brain is convinced this is real. I keep waiting to wake up in that cave."
I sat in a chair opposite to her. "Give it time. I'll help you as much as I can. I'll have the time, since I'm not taking the title back from my son. He's king now, permanently, and I'll just be the proud father of a young man who has proven to be a far superior king than I."
"I'm sure you were a fine king." Vala said, smiling at me.
"Maybe, but Anduin is a better one."
We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments. I could tell Vala was deep in thought.
"I'll take your advice and take some time to absorb everything, but I need to at least have some idea what I'm going to do now. I can't relax without at least some direction."
"You can always start your mage training back up." I offered. The mention of this made Vala go ridged, guarded. "This time, you can train with someone who won't try to kill you. I'm sure Jaina can set you up with a fellow mage she trusts." I amended quickly.
"I'm not sure I'm ready for that." Vala replied, relaxing some, but was still on edge. I really couldn't blame her, considering what she'd been through. I'd be reluctant to trust another mage, if our places were reversed.
"Anduin also mentioned he'd like to work with you on your focus with your Light connection. He seemed to think your connection was damaged from purging the fel magic from your system. He's offered to help you build that connection back up."
Vala's eyes widened a little. "He offered to help me? But he's the king. I'm sure he has a million more important things to do."
I chuckled. Vala didn't know Anduin or his base nature. He was the type of person who was incapable of not helping someone in need, if it were within his power to help. The trait was so much like his mother. I was proud he hadn't lost this good nature over the year and a half I was gone. Trauma and stress can change a person.
"Perhaps, but he's been a priest far longer than a king. His desire to help people has always trumped the responsibilities that come along with his royal title. He's a compassionate person, like his mother, though I have no idea where his power through the Light came from. There hasn't been a great deal of magic in my family."
"You can't really say that anymore, considering your son is a priest and your future daughter in law is a mage. Their children will most likely have an affinity for some type of magic."
I sighed, leaning back and resting my head on the back of the chair. I'd never had to deal with magic. My wife was not a magic user, neither were my parents or my grandparents. I was never truly comfortable with magic, which is probably why I fought Anduin so hard about his training to be a priest. As if his magic had been a choice I could just command away.
"My line has always been made up of warriors. I guess times change." I looked over at Vala. "Kings like me are a dying breed. Younger, cooler heads are starting to take over. Probably for the best, I suppose."
"It sounds like I'm not the only one with some adapting to do." Vala said.
"Old habits die hard, particularly for old men."
Vala scoffed. It was a very unladylike sound and it made me laugh.
"You're nowhere near the realm of old. I should be five years older than you, remember?"
"Okay, then we're both old." I joked.
Vala stuck her tongue out and threw a pillow at me.
To Be Continued...
