A/N: As with many Sylvanas fans, I was highly disappointed with the arc her character took in BfA and Shadowlands. The retcon with the Jailer explaining her selection as Warchief nullified that dramatic cutscene of Vol'jin naming her the successor and turned Sylvanas from a gray character into a black and white one (quite literally, given the split soul nonsense). So I refuse to accept the entire plot of Shadowlands and some of Sylvanas's extreme decisions in BfA (burning Teldrassil, abandoning the Horde, etc). I've done my best to stick to canon up to the early stages of the War of Thorns in BfA. Varok has not yet landed a surprise attack on Darkshore, Teldrassil is still unburnt, and the Stormwind reinforcements are still enroute to relieve the Night Elf forces in Ashenvale. However, I'm not actually much of a WoW player, so my knowledge of canon is mostly limited to the various wikis and youtube videos. If you notice something glaringly in conflict with pre-BfA canon, do let me know. But if it's too late to adjust it, you must forgive me. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. If you're a beta, I'd love for you to review these chapters and/or the ones I'm writing! I'd love to improve my dialogue, descriptions, action sequences... everything, actually :) If you're able to comment on any of those, please do PM me or leave a comment with contact info!

It had been a long evening.

"We've been forced to retreat here and here," the night elf continued, pointing to the spots on the map. "The wisp wall is holding, but Sylvanas has been able to breach it with small numbers and is shuttling more troops and more across it to here. We're still holding the Horde at Wildbend River, but we do not know how long this can continue."

Anduin looked over the map, frowning. Valeera stood next to him with a similar expression.

This does not look good. And where is Saurfang? His unit has not been seen for some time…

"Tell me truly, can this war be won?"

The night elf paused, pondering. "Truthfully, your majesty, I do not think we can hold off the entire Horde on our own. If we are able to resist until your fleet reaches us, then perhaps not all is lost. But I am not certain that is possible."

"Thank you for your honesty and your detailed report. It is a distressing situation and I am sure that you are in need of some rest. Your rooms have been prepared for you."

"Thank you, your majesty. I will leave you then."

The night elf bowed and withdrew.

"This is troubling, Valeera."

"Perhaps the fleet will reach them in time," she replied, but her grim expression made clear her assessment of the likelihood of that happening.

"And if it doesn't? Teldrassil falls. Ashenvale falls. Silithus and azerite will be entirely in the Horde's hands. I cannot imagine the loss of life this will bring - and what Sylvanas will demand in return for peace."

She sighed. "Then all we have left is to pray and hope, little brother."

"Do we?" he turned from the map to her. "Lately… I've had a thought." He shook his head.

It's crazy.

It's hope.

It will never work.

You won't know until you ask.

"Thought?" Valeera asked, her eyebrows raised at him. He realized he had fallen silent for some time.

He scratched his head in discomfort. "I think you'll call me insane if I tell you."

Her ears perked up as she laughed. "Truly? I doubt it, you've been the inventor of more than one harebrained scheme in the past. But you absolutely must tell me now, Anduin, not after tickling my curiosity this way."

"It's just…" he paused again, uncertain, then plowed ahead. I need someone's advice on this. Might as well ask someone I trust with my life. "There's an ancient practice among many of our peoples, Valeera. A practice we've used for centuries to ensure peace between warring factions. And it just so happens that I am a man and she is… a woman? Of sorts." Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and her eyes widened. "I have no queen and… well…"

"Anduin, are you telling me…"

"What if I propose to her, Valeera?"

The blood elf fell speechless and stared at him in disbelief. He continued on, "Sylvanas doesn't trust us - I don't think she trusts any of the living. So she's acting in self defense - securing azerite and putting us on the defensive. She knows she's winning, but if I offer her something better than what she's hoping to achieve, she may accept. It's a chance to save thousands of lives… and if I have that chance, should I not take it?"

She continued to stare at him, then cleared her throat. "You're right about me calling you insane. You think this idea will work?"

"I don't know if she'll accept me. But I think I must try while there's still a chance. If Sylvanas is able to take Darnassus, our negotiating position will be much weaker."

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about her acceptance, Anduin. I'm not even talking about the personal sacrifice you'd be making. I'm asking if bringing her to Stormwind is the lesser danger here."

"I've thought about this a lot, Valeera. I don't deny that marriage to her would put my life at risk. But that's my life - the life of just one man. What is that in comparison to the lives of thousands I could save?"

"She could destroy thousands more as Queen of Stormwind."

"Oh, I've no doubt that she'd use that position to strengthen the Horde politically and militarily. I'm counting on it, in fact - it's the only reason for her to accept this proposal."

"And you think this is a good idea because…?"

"Because while she's trying to get the best out of the marriage, I can use that time to destroy the very foundation she sits on."

"And what's that?"

"Animosity. For all the talk of it, I refuse to believe that we're doomed to be enemies forever. I can think of a dozen lucrative trade deals we could sign with Horde factions off the top of my head - if only we had the promise of a permanent peace. If both sides are dependent on each other for profit, they'll be reluctant to go to war. I will also use this arrangement to build a rapprochement with the Horde leaders. Sylvanas is not the entire Horde - I know that with time, we could build strong friendships with the tauren and the blood elves, possibly the orcs, and maybe even the trolls. The Goblins would never want to lose profitable trade deals. If we destroy the animosity between our factions and strengthen the ties between us, we destroy the foundation on which Sylvanas is able to threaten us. She does not have absolute authority - if most of the Horde opposes war, she will lose her position if she tries to launch it. We could pull the rug from under her feet."

Valeera frowned. "And what of azerite?"

"Passed on to a neutral party… the Cenarion Circle, perhaps."

"She'll make sure the Horde continues to research it in secret."

"It won't be easy to hide. Azerite has a tendency to make things go boom. Plus, I'll be the Warchief's husband… or I guess I should say "mate." Gives me some more tools to work with to discover the Horde's secret facilities."

Her frown deepened. "You're making this sound far too reasonable, Anduin. She's a blasted banshee! You cannot possibly trust her to be so close to you and in a position so critical to the Alliance!"

"Sylvanas is not a fool. I trust her to make the smart move and advance her interests - and the Horde's."

"She's not that predictable."

"No. But neither am I. And she woefully underestimates me."

Valeera harrumphed.

"I also hope," Anduin continued and coloured somewhat, "to pursue another avenue through this arrangement. I don't put much stock into it, but I will attempt… personal diplomacy." She gaped at him. "I will not believe Sylvanas is entirely without soul. However broken she may be, she was once the Ranger General of Silvermoon. Perhaps very deep down, she still is."

Valeera scoffed. "Your bleeding heart will be the end of you, Anduin. I doubt that monster has any vestige of humanity left in her. She's the very epitome of death! And, speaking of that… think about what this means on a personal level. Undeath in your bedchamber?"

Anduin coloured even more. "That is something I'm not as concerned about. You know well that she's a renowned beauty!"

Her eyes widened. "An undead beauty, Anduin. She's a walking corpse!"

"You know that her undeath is unlike the rest of the Forsaken."

"I don't care if it is!" she exclaimed, then paused, assessing him. "It really doesn't bother you?"

"I can't deny it makes me apprehensive. But I don't find myself disgusted by the thought, if that's what you mean."

"You are really, truly insane."

This time he grinned and bowed theatrically. "Always at your service, my lady."

She laughed brightly and punched him in the arm, but then her smile faltered. "Anduin, are you really certain that this is the right path?"

"No," he replied immediately. "This is not something I could ever be certain of. But we might lose all of Kalimdor if I simply wait, Valeera… even if the kaldorei are able to hold out until our reinforcements arrive. If she accepts me though, we live to fight another day."

"Speaking of her acceptance, why would she accept you? She all but has the continent in her grasp. She knows that if she takes Darnassus hostage, she'll be in a strong negotiating position."

"If she takes Darnassus, yes. But our reinforcements might still make it and if they do, the war will become protracted. She will lose a lot of troops in the siege. There's still a lot of uncertainty. If I can sweeten the pot in my proposal, she may be willing to accept. It's worth a try at the very least."

"In other words, you will do this whether I agree or not."

He grinned. "I wasn't quite sure before I spoke to you. But now I think you may be right."

"Great. I am my own worst enemy. I do not have a good feeling about this, Anduin."

"I would've been extremely surprised if you did."

"Wrynns." She shook her head. "Fine. I won't stand in your way and I pray that you achieve what you're trying to achieve with this. But be carefull, little brother. It's a dangerous game you're playing."

His grin became lopsided. "The game has been dangerous since before I took up the crown, Valeera." He put an arm on her shoulder. "Thank you for your counsel and support. It means the world to me."

She put her hand over his. "You mean the world to me, little brother. Belore keep you safe."

A/N: There is a good amount of this story that's already written. I'll be publishing at a fairly brisk pace until you catch up to where I am with the writing :)