The Forgotten Chieftain's Wife Chapter 14
As soon as they arrived at Stormwind the body of the now deceased Frostwolf was taken away for an autopsy that is to be done at a later time and Garona was brought before the King.
Here in the throne room Garona stood at its center with King Llane, Lady Taria, Medivh, Khadgar, Karos, Varis, and a host of guardsmen surrounding her.
"Have you a name," asked King Llane.
Normally anyone else caught in Garona's circumstances would've been scared, shaking in their boots. Not her. Garona's spine was erect, demeanor calm. Garona acted like she's neither tamed nor broken to any who gazed upon her.
"You understand our language," said King Llane, descending the steps of the throne to become more at her level. "Again. Have you a name?"
Instead of answering him outright Garona stepped boldly towards him. This garnered the majority of the soldiers in the room to place hands on the hilts of their swords, but King Llane lifted a hand to stay any interference.
Proving those in the room that assumed she meant their monarch harm Garona stroked a hand over the King's tunic, fingering the lion head broaches stitched onto the fabric.
Garona simply ignored the others climbing the steps of the throne.
Trailing his eyes after her, seated on the steps, Lothar answered "Garona. She calls herself Garona."
Garona knelt to investigate one of the life sized golden lions that stood beside the throne, breathing in its scent.
"What kind of being are you," said King Llane, curious, kneeling.
"She seems more like us than those beasts we fought," observed Karos.
Turning towards Karos, Garona corrected "Orc."
"Orc? Is that what you are, or the beast in the cage was," said King Llane, grabbing onto the opening of a possible way in.
Garona stood turning around to face King Llane.
"I know every race in the Seven Kingdoms. I've never heard of 'Orc'. Show me where you come from," said King Llane, pointing upwards.
Here the ceiling where a detailed map of all Azeroth is painted. A couple of patches remained blank, those are of yet unknown. King Llane wished to know if her kind originated from one of those.
Shaking her head, frowning, Garona said "This is not Orc world. Orc world is dead." She then aimed a proud smirk at them. "Orcs take this world now."
"Not from this world," mused King Llane.
Speaking for the first time since this interrogation began, barely above a whisper, Medivh said "How did you get here?"
Moving around King Llane to get nearer to Medivh, head cocked, Garona said "The Great Gate. Deep in ground, into magic brought us here."
Unable to contain himself any longer, Khadgar said "But how did you learn our language?"
Turning her gaze onto him, vague, Garona said "Orc accept prisoner as gift from the Gate. I learn from her and those new."
"Prisoners? Our people," said King Llane, alarmed. "Are they alive?"
"Yes. Many," said Garona.
"Why," said Khadgar, just as worried as the King.
Lifting her chin proudly, Garona said "To feed the Gate. To bring the Horde. To take your world."
"You'll take us to them," said Lothar.
That wasn't a request.
Sensing that's his point, Garona said "No."
Okay. Lothar needs to try a different approach.
"You'll take us to them, or you'll end up like your friend in the cage," threatened Lothar.
Unaffected by his threats, kneeling beside him on the step, getting straight into Lothar's face, Garona murmured "You think you are fearsome? Orc children have pets more fearsome than you."
No one disputed that even though they didn't know anything about it.
Stepping in as a mediator to prevent in bloodshed in the throne room, King Llane said "We are not trying to be fearsome, Garona. We are trying to protect our people. Our families. If you help us, I give you my oath. You will have your freedom."
Garona released a soft bought of laughter.
Smiling at King Llane, a knowing glint in her eye, Garona said "She told me you'd probably say that if we ever crossed paths."
Brow furrowed in confusion at Garona's emphasis on 'she', King Llane said "She?"
Something in the way Garona said this irked Lothar. Time for him to show his friend why he brought this one particular Orc here.
"Llane," said Lothar, drawing King Llane's focus onto him, "there's something else."
"What is it," said King Llane.
Faster than Garona was able to pull away Lothar grabbed her wrist. He slid the ring off of her finger, tossing it to King Llane. Garona snarled at him for that, but he had a tight grip on her so she cannot retaliate.
King Llane caught the piece of jewelry in his hand looking at Lothar in puzzlement. He then opened his fist to inspect what Lothar wanted him to see. King Llane instantly froze, easily recognizing the ring the same as Lothar did in the forest.
"Llane," said Lady Taria concerned.
King Llane did not speak or even move. Those in the room exchanged anxious and nervous looks upon seeing their King like this. Lady Taria went over to him to see what put her husband in such a state.
When she saw the ring Lady Taria gasped bringing a hand up to her mouth.
She said "Impossible."
"Where did you find this," breathed King Llane, composure deeply shaken.
Nodding his head towards Garona, Lothar said "She was wearing it in the forest."
The objective in the room did a complete flip.
"Release her," said King Llane.
Reluctant to do so Lothar complied.
Garona snarled at him one last time before moving back to the center of the room.
Meeting her there, holding the ring up to eyelevel, King Llane said "Where did you get this?"
"Why do you want to know," countered Garona.
Releasing an unsteady exhale, King Llane said "I gave this ring to my sister on her eighteenth name day when she came of age. No one has seen or heard anything about her since her disappearance in all this time. Now tell me. How did you acquire this and by who?"
Garona scanned her eyes over the room and those inside it as they regarded her, pinning her with hard stares. She's totally unbothered by them all simply walking around the room at a safe distance in a slow pace.
Pointing to each person individually as she spoke their names one by one, Garona said "Taria, Varis, Lothar, Karos, Llane, Medivh…She talked about all a lot, told stories about each and every one of you along with so many more. Even drew your faces from memory in the dirt. So full of detail and life that it wasn't hard to place your faces. Maybe it was a little at first considering how much time has passed in between here and now. You, Chieftain, she spoke about often. Out of all the people deprived from her she missed you the most, still does. She and I spent a lot of time together after she was handed to our leader Gul'dan as a gift. A sample of what your world had to offer my kind. So I know she has very high hopes of seeing you again even with how bad things are probably going to get now."
A nasty burning sensation in the pit of his stomach, under careful controlled restraint, King Llane "This 'she' you speak of…what is her name?"
Looking directly into King Llane's eyes, Garona said "Lyanna."
Authors Note:
And there it is. So we finally got to it. King Llane has learned his sister is alive, but in the clutches of what he and the others see as their enemy.
What direction do you guys think the people of Stormwind will take from here in regards to all these new bits of information?