New chapter up. Enjoy. :)

The rest of the day went by slowly. After Seeing her parents off, Kia went to her old chambers. They had been left entirely alone since she left, outside of being cleaned to keep the dust from accumulating. She always liked her chambers in Stormwind and being there brought back a flood of memories. So much had happened since she had lived in those chambers.

At dinner time, she headed down to the dining room, not really running into anyone but guards along the way. She noted the pain in their eyes as she passed, the loss of their king obviously still weighing heavily in everyone's hearts. The atmosphere of the entire keep was heavy, almost like a dark cloud had descended on its inhabitants.

There were two guards standing outside the dining room when she arrived. They were Anduin's usual guards, who had obviously continued on to become the king's guards once the prince ascended the throne. They recognized Kia and smiled slightly as they opened the doors for her.

Anduin stood alone, staring into the fire. Kia approached him, placing a hand softly on his back. He turned to her and smiled, but it wasn't his usual smile. It looked forced, as if he only did it to make Kia happy. She really couldn't blame him, since honestly, he had very little reason to smile.

"Sorry I'm late. I was reminiscing in my old chambers and lost track of time."

Anduin nodded. "You're not late. The food just got here. I hope you don't mind that I asked to dine alone with you tonight. Everyone keeps thinking I need to be surrounded by people. I thought it would be nice to just be alone with a friend, for a change. I don't need anymore advice. I've had enough today."

Kia nodded, hearing the frustration in his voice. "Sounds good to me, as long as you do me a favor and actually eat."

Anduin groaned. "You've been talking to the bishop."

"He's worried about you. Everyone is."

He cocked his eyebrow. "Everyone? Even you?"

"Me? No, I'm not worried about you. At least not anymore. I'm here now and I can make sure you're alright. I don't need to worry, I can act on my concerns before they become worries. Like the fact that you're not eating enough."

Anduin walked over the the table and pulled out Kia's chair. She sat and he took his seat. "I promise I'll try. I just haven't felt much like eating since the news of father's death. I know it's not healthy."

"Maybe if we focus on something other than your father's death it'll help." Kia offered.

Anduin agreed. For the remainder of the evening, the friends talked about everything and anything except Varian and the simple fact that Anduin was now the king. They talked about things that happened while they were together that first year in Stormwind and laughed at their inside jokes. For a little while, they were children again.

The strategy worked, since Anduin absently ate while they talked, eating three times as much as he had since getting the news. Kia took note of it, but didn't mention it to him. She was just happy to have the old Anduin back, even if it were only for a few hours.

After dinner, they walked quietly and leisurely towards their chambers. They stopped outside Kia's door, Anduin only pausing long enough to kiss her on the cheek before hurrying to the next door down the hallway, which was where his chambers were when he was still only the prince. Kia figured he had yet to move into the royal chambers which were inhabited by his father before his death. That was going to be hard for him.

Kia went right to bed, but found she was unable to sleep. There were too many thoughts rolling around her head for her to fall asleep. After two hours, she gave up on sleeping all together. Wondering if Anduin was still awake, she pulled on a light robe and headed to the secret passage between her room and Anduin's. She had a sneaky suspicion her friend won't be asleep, but she entered quietly anyway, just in case.

Anduin's bed was empty and there was no sign of him anywhere in the room. It wasn't until she went outside on the balcony that she found him. He stood, silently looking out over Stormwind. He must have heard her, since he turned his head slightly, saw it was only Kia, then turned his gaze back towards the city.

"I'm not ready for this, Kia." He said softly. He turned and faced her. "I'm not ready to be king. These people deserve better."

Kia smiled at him, standing just outside the balcony. "That statement alone proves to me that you are ready. No one forced into this kind of situation feels ready for it. If you had been excited and confident about becoming king, I'd be worried, but since you feel unsure, I know you can handle this. The people love you and are lucky to have you stepping into your father's place."

Anduin only nodded, passing Kia and entering his chambers. He sat down on the edge of his bed.

"I wish I had your confidence."

Kia chuckled, sitting next to him. "You'll get there. Another reason I know you'll make a good king is because you are your father's son, in every way that matters. Varian may have done the best he could as a father, but he was good king. You will be too."

Anduin hugged Kia, pulling her close and she relaxed into the touch. She had been away for too long. This was where she was meant to be, no matter what she chose to do with her life. Stormwind was home, as long a Anduin was there.

Anduin pulled away just slightly, leaving his left hand on her side. He ran his right hand down her cheek, smiling. It was the first genuine smile Kia had seen since she returned. She returned the smile, but she noticed her heart began to speed up the longer he kept his hand on her face.

Moments later, Anduin leaned in and kissed her. This wasn't a friendly kiss on the cheek, but a gentle connection of lips. He moved his hands so they were holding Kia to him.

Kia didn't react at first, being shocked by the gesture, but soon recovered enough to move her arms from a hug, to wrapping them around his neck, kissing him back. She could feel his heart beating just as fast as her own.

The kiss was slightly awkward until Anduin guided Kia around to his front, so she was sitting on his lap, straddling his legs, all without breaking the kiss. They kissed for several minutes, neither of them willing to break away long enough to even catch their breath.

When air finally became an issue of Anduin, he pulled back, breathing hard. Kia was also out of breath, but her elvish lungs were handling the lack of oxygen better.

"What are we doing?" She asked, looking into her friend's eyes.

Anduin chuckled lightly. "I have no idea."

Kia smiled, placing a quick kiss on his lips. "Well, at least we're on the same page."

They began to kiss again, this time neither of them were willing to stop.

To Be Continued...