New chapter up. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing. I love hearing your feedback. :)
It had been a week and a half since anyone had seen Kia. Anduin was beside himself with worry, but he had to maintain a presence of strength and calm.
The Alliance had a plan in the works to attack Lordaeron, once Anduin's army was assembled in Stormwind. He was getting full support from the other racial leaders, though the bulk of the night elf forces were still on the other continent, having been unaware of the attack on their home while they sailed to Silithus. They would have no way of getting to the Eastern Shore in time to be of any assistance.
It had been a very long day, discussing the plans with various advisers. It was late in the evening and only Genn remained in the war room with Anduin.
"You should go get some rest, your Majesty. And, get something to eat."
Anduin nodded, but didn't reply, continuing to stare numbly at the map of the Eastern Kingdom on the table, holding small red and blue figures which represented allies and enemies. He had seen his father in this position more times than he could count. It pained him to be performing the same actions and made him miss his father terribly.
"I know you're worried about Kia, we all are, but you can't neglect yourself. The Alliance needs its king."
"I know." Anduin replied softly after a long pause. "It's just...the longer we go without hearing from Kia…" He couldn't finish the statement. He couldn't say the longer she was missing, the more likely she was probably dead. The Azurite fire had burned hot. If she had been caught in the flames and killed, they'd probably never recover a body. He'd never know for sure and that not knowing was killing him. "If she had been captured, we'd have heard about it by now. Sylvanas would not keep having the Queen of Stormwind prisoner to herself. If she were okay, she'd have found a way back here or, at the very least, found a way to contact me. That only leaves..."
Genn placed a hand on Anduin's shoulder. "You can't think like that, Anduin. There are any number of reasons why she can't contact you. Your queen is a very clever young woman. There is still hope."
Anduin nodded, but again, didn't reply. He knew Genn meant well, but Anduin was not in the mood to be optimistic. He did agree that he needed to eat and sleep. If Kia were dead, she wouldn't want him to stop moving forward. She'd probably come back as a ghost and haunt him.
"There is still hope." Anduin finally agreed. "I'll take your advice and get some rest."
Anduin left the war room quietly and Genn watched him go. The older man's heart ached for the young king. He had lost everyone he ever loved, first with his father's death, then with Jaina leaving, and now with his queen missing. If Kia was indeed dead, Genn didn't know if the young man would be able to continue on. Even the will of strong men could be broken by enough tragedy.
Anduin returned to his chambers, asking for his dinner to be served in his sitting room, rather than the dining room. He and Kia always ate meals in the dining room and he couldn't bring himself to eat in the room alone.
He washed up and changed clothes, then returned to his sitting room to find his dinner already laid out for him. He sat, taking a small white stone out of his pocket, placing it on the table next to his plate where he could see it. The stone had several runes carved into it, each a different color. The stone was larger than a hearthstone, but still small enough to fit in his pocket. This stone was the reason he was so concerned about Kia.
Anduin had spoken to one of the local mages and had come up with an emergency transport for himself and his queen. The stone would summon a portal, which would open in a secret location only Anduin and Kia knew about. What made the portal special was it did not require a mage to be opened. The stone would open a portal that was specifically linked to Anduin's Light magic and Kia's Druidic magic. They were the only ones who could open or close the portals.
The fact that Kia hadn't used her stone was what was worrying Anduin. If she were alive, she'd have used it. Of course, she might not be able to use it because she's unconscious, injured to the point of depleted magic or the stone was taken or lost. This didn't mean she was dead. He kept telling himself that over and over, trying to believe.
Anduin ate his dinner slowly, not eating very much, but enough to at least keep him going and to keep his attendants and advisors from worrying too much about him. He kept eyeing the stone. His stone would vibrate and the runes would glow if Kia's stone was used. So far, his stone remained unchanged.
After dinner, Anduin headed to bed. He was exhausted, but he doubted he'd be able to sleep. He had slept very little since Kia went missing. The only reason he slept at all was due purely to exhaustion.
Just as Anduin slipped under the covers, dreading closing his eyes for yet another night alone, he felt the stone in his pocket as it began to vibrate. He pulled the stone out and it vibrated in this palm. Every rune carved on the stone's surface was glowing.
Without pause, Anduin threw the covers back and headed to the secret safe room at the back of the chamber. This room was known to very few people and only the royal family knew how to access it. It was the perfect location to set the emergency portal.
Anduin quickly located the three stones on the far wall that needed to be pressed in exactly the right order, entering the sequence, then stepped back as the hidden door opened. Inside, there was a portal forming.
After several moments, which could have been a lifetime to Anduin, two figures stepped through, one very much larger than the other. The smaller form was Kia and she was being helped by a female tauren.
Slight panic crossed through Anduin, but when he saw Kia smiling at him, the panic faded. She wouldn't be smiling if the tauren meant her any harm. He rushed up to her, taking his wife from the tauren, hugging her fiercely.
"Thank the Light you're alive." He said. "What happened? Where have you been?"
Kia pulling away. "I'll explain everything, but it'll take a little time. Vera Bloodhoof, Anduin Wrynn. Anduin, Vera." She said quickly.
"It's an honor to meet you, your Majesty." Vera said with a bow.
"You're Kia's druid friend. Baine Bloodhoof's cousin." Anduin said, remembering all the times Kia had mentioned Vera when talking about her druid training and her time in Moonglade. Vera and Kia were best friends, regardless of being on opposite sides of an ongoing war.
"I am."
"We need to let Vera step back through the portal. I'm not sure how long my magic will hold out." Kia said weakly, holding her portal stone in her hand. Anduin could tell her color was fading from the drain on her strength.
Anduin nodded, stepping back. Kia turned and hugged Vera. "Thanks for everything. I'm in your debt. Your's and Baine's. Thank him again for me."
"I will Ki. Just take care of yourself. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to talk again soon. Under better circumstances, of course."
With a final nod, Vera stepped back through the portal, the portal closing once she was through. With a sigh of relief, Kia put her stone back in her belt, then collapsed into Anduin's arms. He lifted her up and carried her out of the safe room and to the bed, laying her down gently.
"I really didn't have enough strength to use the portal yet, but I needed to get home. I couldn't leave you here alone, thinking I was dead."
"Well, you're home now and that is all that matters. What happened to you? Malfurion said you were helping to evacuate Darnassus. Why didn't you come through with the others?'"
"Because I'm stubborn. I had to do a final flyby, to make sure everyone still alive was evacuated. The smoke and heat were too much for me and I was too far from Darnassus to make it back, so I flew straight up and out of Teldrassil. I was overwhelmed. I crashed landed across the sea and passed out. Thankfully, my less than perfect landing was close to the tauren army and witnessed by Vera. I was very thankful I crashed where I did, otherwise, I might be a prisoner of the Horde right now. Or dead."
Anduin stood, got Kia a goblet of water, and returned to the bed. He could tell she was still not exactly back to normal. Healed, perhaps, but not back to her old self. She looked weak and very pale.
"I woke up a day later in a secret location known only to members of the bloodhoof family. Baine told me he couldn't just hand me over to Sylvanas, like he should have. He knew what she'd do to me, and he couldn't in good conscience do that to you. He said he once saw you as a friend and couldn't condemn your wife to a fate worse than death. He took a great risk, saving me and hiding me the way he did."
Anduin smiled. "Baine is an honorable man. I owe him much for saving you."
"Not just me." Kia said quietly, looking into Anduin's eyes. "While I was being healed, they discovered that I'm pregnant."
Anduin's jaw dropped. "Pregnant?" He said softly, more to himself than Kia.
"Just a couple of weeks along, according to the tauren shaman who healed me."
Anduin took her hands. "And the ordeal you went through, it didn't…"
"Apparently, the fetus is healthy, but I'd like to get checked out by a local healer to be totally sure."
Without another word, Anduin stood up and went to the door. Pulling it open, he got the attention of one of his guards. "Summon the archbishop, at once." The guard nodded and Anduin closed the door, returning to Kia's side.
"It doesn't need to be this exact moment, Anduin."
Anduin shook his head. "No, it needs to be now. If you're pregnant, I won't be able to rest until I know for sure the baby is alright. Humor me."
Kia smiled at her husband and nodded. To be honest, she was just as eager to confirm the health of her unborn child, not to mention, confirm its existence. Not that she didn't trust Torian's word, but the tauren was a young shaman. He might have been mistaken.
About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Archbishop Benedictus entered, looking worried and slightly out of breath. Rightfully so, considering he had been summoned in the middle of the night by the king and he wasn't a young man anymore.
"Your Majesty, what's…." He stopped talking when he saw Kia.
"She came back by portal a few minutes ago." Anduin said quietly, feeling free to tell the Archbishop about how Kia returned to them, since he was one of the very few people who knew about their portal stones, even if he didn't know the portal location. "She was healed, but she was also told she's pregnant. Can you check her over?" Anduin asked.
The Archbishop was surprised by the news, but nodded and approached Kia, sitting next to her. "Of course. You do know, your Majesty, you could have done this yourself. Your healing is more powerful than my own."
Anduin stood nervously, arms crossed over his chest. "I know, but I know nothing about pregnancy. I wanted someone experienced in the matter to make sure everything's okay."
There were a few minutes of silence as the archbishop used his power to examine Kia, the golden glow of the Light filling the room. When the light faded, the archbishop turned and looked at the king with a smile.
"Well, you may not know much about pregnancy, but you're going to have to learn. Kia is indeed pregnant. Not very far along, but still, very much pregnant. The baby seems healthy. Congratulations, your Majesty." He stood and allowed Anduin to take his place next to Kia.
Anduin hugged Kia, who was crying.
"In the morning, I'll inform the royal midwife she has a new patient. Is there anything else you require of me tonight?"
"No, thank you Benedictus. Other than the midwife, please keep this news to yourself."
"Of course, your Majesty. This isn't my first rodeo with royal pregnancy." He said jokingly.
Anduin knew the Archbishop had been in attendance for his birth. It made him happy to think he might be present for his child's birth, as well.
"Congratulations again." He said again, before bowing slightly and leaving the room.
Kia pulled away from Anduin and smiled. "You look exhausted. Let's get some rest. I'm barely able to keep my eyes open."
Anduin nodded, tucking Kia in on her side, then crossed over and got into the bed on his side, sliding over to wrap his arms around his wife. To wrap his arms around his family.
To Be Continued...