Hello all you wonderful readers. It's been a while since I've posted a new chapter, I know. I've finally kinda got a direction for the story and this chapter was an addition I wrote a few weeks ago. I needed this scene to happen, to help a future chapter. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading.

Varian, Jaina, and Kia sat silently in the room adjacent to the one which contained the injured Anduin. He was being tended to by Prophet Velen and a Pandaren healer. He had been barely alive when he was brought in by Kia.

The king kept alternating between sitting and pacing. He was angry. Or more accurately, he wanted to be angry, but he was too worried and neither of the women in the room with him were deserving of his anger, so he suppressed it the best he could. He had never been accused of being a patient man, but he was doing his best.

Varian stood once again, paced back and forth a few times, then took a seat next to Kia, who was white as a ghost and almost trembling.

"This wasn't your fault, Kia." Varian said quietly, placing a hand over hers, which were resting in her lap. The gesture startled her and he could feel she was indeed trembling.

"I was supposed to be watching his back for you." She said softly, not looking at Varian. "I failed."

"He left without telling you. I asked you to watch his back, not be his babysitter. He chose to leave you behind. His injuries are not your fault. None of this was your fault."

Varian spoke the words, but he was fairly confident Kia wasn't believing them. She had apologized to Varian when she arrived with the injured prince. She had hurried to Anduin's location when the call for help came, but by then, there was nothing to do but rush Anduin to Lion's Landing, hoping he survived the trip. Varian was more angry at Anduin for going off to confront Garrosh Hellscream alone.

"I should have been with him." Kia said weakly.

Before Varian could reply, Velen came out, his expression unreadable. Varian stood.

"Anduin will survive."

"Thank the Light." Jaina said quietly.

"I'm afraid the pain from his injuries will probably never fully go away and will most likely get worse as he gets older, but it shouldn't hinder him." Velen look at Varian. "You can go in and sit with him, if you'd like."

Varian nodded, heading into the room, with Velen behind him. Jiana sat next to Kia. "See, he's going to be fine."

"With permanent pain." Kia replied.

"Anduin will get through this just like he's gotten through all his hard times. And I'm betting he'll have no regrets. He obviously left you behind to protect you. Wrynn men are stubborn and have a tendency of doing what they want, even if there are less dangerous options. It's in their blood, I think. It's one of the few character traits Varian and Anduin have in common."

Kia only nodded.

"But, if I were you, I'd give him hell for leaving you behind. Maybe next time, he'll take some backup with him."

Kia actually laughed at Jaina's comment and it seemed to lift both their spirits.

Several hours later, Kia sat next to Anduin, watching him sleep peacefully. Varian had left to get some rest, since he'd already been up for two days going over battle plans before Anduin was injured and Jaina had some business to attend to. Kia told them she'd stay up with Anduin, since she was used to staying up late and she doubted she'd be able to sleep, anyway, even with the assurance that Anduin would be alright.

She was lost in her own thoughts until a small voice pulled her out of her own head.

"Hey." Anduin said weakly, almost managing a smile.

"Well, there you are. How do you feel?" Kia asked, taking his hand and squeezing it gently.

"I'm fine." He said.

Kia scoffed. "You're a terrible liar. Stick to the truth, it's what you're good at. You scared the hell out of me. It was stupid to go after Garrosh alone, you know that, right?"

"It's something I needed to do alone."

Kia swore under her breath in elvish. "No, it wasn't!" Kia said quietly, but forcefully. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. "You almost died! Do you have any idea how important you are!" How important you are to me, she added in her head. She wasn't sure where the thought came from, but she decided to keep it to herself.

Anduin squeezed Kia's hand. He'd never seen her cry before. She wasn't an emotional person and was certainly not a crier. He squeezed her hand as hard as he could in his weakened state. "I'm sorry Ki."

Kia took a few calming breaths and composed herself, turning her head away as she wiped away her tears with her free hand. "Just never do anything like that again, do you hear me? What's the use of having someone around to watch your back, if you don't let them?"

"I'll do my best." He replied, sounding incredibly tired.

They sat quietly, holding hands until they both fell asleep, Kia resting her head next to their joined hands. This was the position Varian found them in when he returned a few hours later. He left them with a smile. Even he didn't have the heart to wake them up.

To Be Continued.

Let me know what you think.