When Braelyn was forced into unhappy situations, one of two things usually happened; she either fell into a state of melancholy, or she got pissy in a way that teenage girls could only dream about. She'd had her bout of melancholy for the year, so angry it was.
Unfortunately for her, Braelyn had little power when in came to dealing with Varian, so she had no alternative but to become passive aggressive. She may not be allowed to leave the Keep, but she was still allowed to send letters and receive guests.
For as long as Varian continued to keep her under lock and key, he had to endure a flood of nobles to the Keep, including Jack Devereaux, and a flood of angry letters from Braelyn's family. And because she stuck to his rules, and received her guests in open areas, there was nothing he could do.
She may have hated Jack, but her anger at Varian was greater, and the look on her husband's face when he saw her with the man she said she would have been happier marrying was worth the rogue's presence in her life.
But as the days wore on, and Varian showed no sign of relenting, Braelyn began to despair.
Someone's will had to break, but she didn't want it to be hers.
He knew it was wrong. He knew he was wrong.
Varian watched as the days passed and Braelyn continued to direct her fury and contempt towards him as best she was able. Her mother and father were furious, and in the end, he had them banned from the Keep, because he just didn't know how to deal with their justified anger any longer.
The nobles were easy to handle, he'd been dealing with them his entire life. Just stare them down, and pretend to care what they say.
Except for Jack Devereaux. How it pained Varian to see that man with his little star, that look of mischief mixed with lust always in his eyes. He wanted to kill the rogue, or at the very least have him stripped of his titles and banished from the city. But he didn't, because Braelyn seemed to enjoy Jack's company, and after all Varian had done to her, she deserved any happiness she could find.
Varian knew he should end it. That he should restore her liberty and spend the rest of his life begging for her forgiveness, but he was a proud man. To fix things involved admitting he was wrong, and worse still, that he had acted out of fear. A fear so strong that it could only manifest as anger.
The mighty King Varian of Stormwind: a coward and a fool.
And he was still afraid. Terrified out of his mind that he would lose Braelyn to the Horde, to some assassin's blade, or to some simple twist of fate.
He marvelled at how wrong he had been on so many things. It seemed a lifetime ago that he thought that he was doing Braelyn a favour by marrying her, that he was saving her reputation. All along it was Braelyn who had saved him. Braelyn who had married beneath her. Braelyn who had sacrificed so much of herself to become his queen.
And he had repaid her by destroying her confidence just days after she'd proven what a wonderful queen she is. She had saved a part of their kingdom, and he had thrown the memory of his first wife in her face. The sound she had made, that pained gasp, haunted him.
He prayed for her forgiveness, but knew he could never forgive himself.
Varian was roused from his thoughts by Genn making a small unhappy sound. He turned around and saw Dominic escorting Lord Devereaux from the throne room, the noble looking pleased with himself.
"Dominic!" Varian called. "Was Lord Devereaux here to see Queen Braelyn?"
"Yes, Your Highness," the steward confirmed. "He's been here for several hours."
"Where is the queen now?" Varian demanded, red-hot jealousy streaking through his veins, even though he knew that he had no right to feel it, not over Braelyn.
"She's in the courtyard with Prince Anduin, Your Majesty."
Varian was moving before Dominic had finished his sentence.
"Varian, my boy, don't make things worse for her," Genn warned as Varian stormed off, but the king waved a hand in angry dismissal.
Varian marched into the courtyard, only to come to a stop in the doorway when he saw his wife and son. Braelyn was sobbing her heart out, Anduin holding her and doing his best to comfort her.
The king was torn; go to his wife and comfort her, or chase down Lord Devereaux and kill him for upsetting Braelyn.
"It's not Lord Devereaux that upset her so," another voice spoke, and Varian turned to see Lady Lucinda Bellweather standing behind him.
"Lady Bellweather, now is most definitely not the time..."
"You are the king, your majesty," Lucinda interrupted, a stoney glint in her green eyes, "but you need to remember who I am."
Varian swore under his breath. He knew the diminutive woman standing in front of him was the head of the house of nobles, which meant that while he could have her removed from his presence, he'd pay dearly for it.
"What do you mean, Lucinda? If not that man, then who?"
"Listen and find out," was the noblewoman's cryptic response, so Varian refocused his attention on his wife and son.
"You and my father need to sit down and talk," Anduin said, rubbing his stepmother's back.
"What's the point of talking with him now?" Braelyn sobbed. "I already tried, and he wouldn't listen. He just locked me in our chambers."
"My father cares for you, I know he does," his son tried again. "Just like I know you care for him. Don't deny it! We all saw how happy you were when he returned from Pandaria."
"I did care for him!" Braelyn cried, clutching at her heart with a trembling hand. "I think I could have even come to love him. Then he put me in a cage, and I hate it! I hate it! And if I stay like this any longer I will hate him!"
Varian gasped, feeling as if his heart had been frozen and crushed at the same time. She had been on the verge of loving him and now... The thought of Braelyn hating him nearly destroyed him.
On their wedding day Varian had sworn to himself that he would win her heart, and was confident he would fulfill that vow. Now, he learnt that instead of capturing her heart, he was breaking it. He was losing Braelyn because of his own foolishness more efficiently than at the blade of an enemy assassin.
"It is not too late to redeem yourself, my King," Lucinda said quietly. She laid her hand on his arm, and Varian felt strength and compassion in the noblewoman's grip. "But you will have to move quickly to regain her trust. The queen feels strongly, and holds out hope far longer than most, but once she loses it, it is not easy to reclaim."
"How?" Varian asked, overwhelmed at the task facing him. He would do anything to keep his little star, but where did he start?
"Try the obvious, Your Highness," Lucinda said with dry amusement, as if entertained by his panic. "Let your precious bird out of the cage you put her in."
"I can do that, Lucinda," he said, glaring at her for her impertinence, but his eyes lacked the intensity they would have held had she not been helping him with Braelyn.
I can do that.
Braelyn thought about sneaking off to one of the guest quarters, but discarded the idea when she heard Varian enter the room. She could always tell it was him because of the way he stomped about in that plate armor.
Plus, he had to spend five minutes every night detaching Bitey from his ankles.
"Braelyn," Varian said, and she turned to face her husband, jaw tilted upwards and a stubborn glint in her eye. To her surprise, he was actually looking at her. For the first time in almost three weeks, Varian was staring her in the eye.
"What do you want?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him when he walked up to her. He attempted to touch her face, but she backed away. "You don't get to touch me anymore."
Varian dropped his hand and stepped back. Braelyn didn't know what to think of that.
"I thought you might like to know that as of now, I am reinstating your rights and privileges."
"You're what?" Braelyn asked, looking startled. She wasn't expecting Varian to back down like this. "Why?"
"I'm not a monster, Braelyn," Varian said, his voice full of regret. "I'm just a foolish man full of too much pride and fear."
"Fear?" Braelyn asked him, taking a little step towards him. The look Varian gave her was so intense it pierced her soul. "What were you afraid of?"
"I've already buried one wife, little star," he said to her. "I do not want to have to bury another. When Odariah came to me and said you were missing, I feared the worst, feared that Anduin and I had lost another woman who bound our family together. I've never dealt well with fear, so it tends to turn to anger. I took that anger out on you, and behaved abhorrently."
Braelyn watched as Varian knelt slowly at her feet. "I am sorry, Braelyn," he said, and she could feel his sincerity. "I can only ask that you try to forgive me. Know that I will never hurt you this way again. That I swear to you on the life of my son."
"So, I can leave the Keep whenever I want?" she asked, not quite believing Varian's change of heart. "And my friends and family can come back? If I take my guards, I can leave Stormwind?"
"Yes."
"Will you let me sleep alone?" Braelyn asked, knowing it was the real test. She knew Varian liked to have her tucked up beside him when he slept.
"If you wish it," he said, but she heard the saddness in his voice. "I will go to the guest quarters."
Braelyn watched as her husband gathered up a few belongings. She wasn't sure what to say or do. She'd been so angry with him for so long, and now the reasons for that anger were gone. But the anger had left a barrier between them, a barrier she knew would take some time to break through. He had hurt her, badly, and she needed to regain her trust in him.
"Goodnight, Braelyn," Varian said from the doorway, a look of regret still lingering in his blue eyes. "Will you join us for breakfast?"
"Yes, Varian, I'll be there," she replied softly. "Sleep well."
After the door closed behind her husband, Braelyn climbed in to her own bed and settled down to sleep. She had wanted to be alone, and she knew she needed to be alone, but being in that huge bed on her own felt unnatural.
It was then Braelyn realised that, given enough time, everything would work itself out.
The next day began tentatively, with Braelyn joining Varian, Anduin, and Genn for breakfast. She sat next to her husband and made an effort to engage him in conversation, though she still would not allow physical contact. She was happy to see how relieved Anduin and Genn were to see that the royal couple were attempting to make up.
"Will you join us in the throne room today, my dear?" Genn asked. "We've both missed having you there."
"Yes, I can do that," Braelyn said, smiling at the old king, who had become a second father to her. She looked at Varian from under her lashes, noticing the pleased look that flashed briefly in his eyes. He really was happy just to have her company, to have her nearby, even if she wouldn't let him touch her. She didn't understand why.
Days passed, and Braelyn grew more and more comfortable in Varian's presence. She was spending more time in his company, and beginning to smile again. He took her walking by Olivia's Pond, the place where he had 'proposed' to her for the second time. Not once did he tease her for the way in which she'd refused him, never spoke of how she'd fallen off the jetty. She could tell by the twitch of his lips that he wanted to, but still, he held back.
She let him hold her hand all the way home.
The only problem Braelyn faced in this time was Jack Devereaux. In her desire to hurt Varian as he was hurting her, she had allowed the rogue to gain a foothold in her life, and he was reluctant to relinquish it. She discovered that if he could not have her as a wife, Jack wanted to claim her as a mistress.
Braelyn was disgusted. With herself as well as Jack. What a fool she'd been. She never would have succumbed to him, but she felt tainted all the same.
Varian allowed her to deal with Jack as she saw fit, and Braelyn banished the rogue from her life under punishment of exile.
When she saw how relieved Varian was by her actions, she learned just how successful her attempt to wound her husband had been.
"I'm sorry," she said, placing a soft kiss on the palm of his hand.
Varian shook his head. "Do not apologise. It was nothing I did not bring on myself."
The real turning point in their reconciliation came when the Horde raided Goldshire again.
"Come with me, Braelyn," Varian said, and they rode into battle together, and the villagers rejoiced to see the pair drive the invaders away at the head of a small army.
There were times when she caught the fear in Varian's eyes when he saw her under attack, but he did not send her away, merely charging over to force her attackers back and give her the distance she needed. She felt fear herself, when he was wounded. It was but a small cut, yet still she screamed for Andorien to tend him, not leaving his side while the druid worked his magic.
The house of nobles was in an uproar at the idea of the Queen going into battle. Braelyn laughed as Varian told the people they had a lioness for a queen, a formidable fighter in her own right. A true champion of Stormwind.
"Would you have me force her to change who she is? Would you deny her the right to defend the people she loves?" Varian asked the people.
The people said no, and the nobles backed down. Lucinda saw to that.
"Can I go fight in Pandaria now?" Braelyn teased him that night. She had allowed him back into their chambers, and Varian had wasted no time in gathering her up against him. She heard the happy sigh he heaved when he wove his fingers through her hair as her own fingers danced lightly across his chest.
"No," Varian replied firmly. "If Lo'Gosh cannot go fighting, neither can you. And, I must confess, the idea of you fighting without me scares me to death. I want to be there to protect you, to avenge you should my nightmare come true."
"I feel the same about you," Braelyn admitted, and he hugged her so tightly she saw stars.
She woke up in the morning still firmly ensconced in his arms. She did not feel imprisoned. She felt like she was home.
Braelyn's birthday arrived and was celebrated with much pomp and ceremony, but two things really stood out in her mind. The first was meeting Commander Althea Ebonlocke of Duskwood's Nightwatch, who had come to thank her for her efforts to save Darkshire. Braelyn was proud to be called queen when Althea presented her with a special tabard, and named her a honourary member and patron of the Watch.
She wore the tabard over her blue dress, not caring that they clashed, and showed it off to her husband and stepson, who applauded while they grinned at her joy.
But the greatest present she received came from Varian, who took her down to the Lake. He'd arranged to take her for a ride in the balloon belonging to the city's Pandaren inhabitants.
"I hate to fly," Braelyn reminded Varian, her stomach tightening with nerves.
"We won't be flying," he said to her softly. "We'll be floating, and I'll be with you."
"Well, all right then," she said reluctantly, "but if I throw up, I'm blaming you for ruining my birthday."
Varian laughed, and lifted her into the balloon's basket. "Fair enough," he said. "I'll be sure to see myself off to the guest chambers."
The basket rose into the sky just as the sun was setting. She stayed within the comforting circle of Varian's arms as they watched the horizon bleed orange and pink. It was peaceful hanging there, suspended in the air, while a breeze blew her hair around their faces, tangling it with that of her husbands. The contrast between black and light brown fascinated her.
When the sky darkened, and stars twinkled into existence, Braelyn remembered something she'd been meaning to ask Varian for a long time.
"Varian, why do you call me 'little star'?"
Her husband pointed off into the distance, to where a particularly bright star shone. "You see that star there? The one that outshines every other star around it?" he asked. Braelyn nodded, slightly distracted by the feel of his lips against her ear.
"To me, you are that star. The brightest thing in my sky. Your light guides me, gives me hope. Comforts me in the darkness," he said, rubbing his hands up and down her sides. "Watches over me when I am away. Reminds me that I have so much to live for, when it seems like I have nothing."
Braelyn could not speak for a long time, silenced by the rush of her emotions. No one had ever said anything so romantic to her before, not even Rommath. The profound beauty of what he said brought her to tears, and she found herself unable to do anything except turn around in his arms to hug him to her.
She felt the warmth of his body seep into her hers, feel her heart beating its way out of her chest in an attempt to merge with his. She pulled back so she could stare at him, the tears still trailing down her cheeks.
"What did I do to deserve such devotion?" Braelyn asked him, her voice trembling.
"It was the frolicking," Varian said, laughing when she punched him on the arm.
"Dork," she said with an affectionate smile. She lifted her arms around his neck, bringing her lips to his, kissing him with a fierceness to match that of the night in the courtyard.
They broke apart, panting, and Braelyn watched Varian staring at her with longing in his eyes, his face tense. "I think we should get back to the Keep," she said hoarsely. "I feel a frolic coming on, and as you said, married women should never frolic in public."
Varian dashed to the side of the basket, shouting down to the men below. "Get us down from here, now!"
That night, Braelyn made love to her husband for the first time. They spoke, not with words, but with their bodies, and their conversation was sweet and full of joy.
AN - and I think I just gave myself diabetes. This chapter was hard. I wanted to convey the passing of time as they gradually made up without needing 20k words to do it in. I had planned to have B go on a trip to Darnassus, but it kind of ruined the flow of things. And, no, Jack isn't gone for good.
Next Chapter: Braelyn discovers just how hard Varian finds it being king as tensions begin to boil over in Pandaria. And old enemies rise to threaten her new-found happiness.