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Note: So this extended beyond the holidays. Oh well, I don't care! I'm having a lot of fun. Gonna finish this!
Chapter 5: Gather No Moss
I met our friendly neighborhood Bloodknight invasion in Thunderbluff, on the middle rise. Baine escorted me there on the back of his own kodo to make sure I was on time, but then after Baine let me down on the grass, he also somehow quickly rode off before any Blood Elves might see him.
Yaaaay. What a way to begin my investigation.
"Good morning, Thunderbluff!" I shouted, alone and aggravated, while I hoofed it.
I'm sure the Bluffwatchers rolled their eyes at me. Tauren are wonderful in many ways, obviously, but we are also a bunch of gossips, and those two blokes looked like they had already heard why I was there that morning, and that the Blood Elves still hanging around were my fault.
And clouds above! It occurred to me then that it meant my family must have also known—Baine was arranging the whole Sunwalker initiation ceremony in our village! So, how many Tauren was I about suffer glaring at me, all day long, as I towed a bunch of snooty, judgmental Elves all through the Mulgore countryside?
My mind was looking for a gaggle of short black-and-red people with pointy ears, guffawing at the latest Tauren cultural tradition they had no intention of learning about. It was a while before I realized that Saturna herself was standing right across the pond from me, and that I had been staring.
That little azure pond at the center of the rise... How many reflections shimmered along that cool mirror through the years? Tops of totems, well-loved tipis, and creamy clouds drifting along through the sky. So many. But it was the first time that Saturna had been cast there, you see. A blue woman, spread over such soft water, and undoing her cloak.
Is it terrible if I put it this way, that she was stripping off? Well, technically she was. We were in winter, the dead heart of it, but she had unfastened the priceless platinum brooch, and unhooked the heavy dark blue cloak from one shoulder, then another. Her neck and arms were bare. She was becoming ivory as the sun hit her curious sort of skin. I'd never seen a spirit like her before, and I'd seen 'em all my life, you know.
The instinct for many men in such a moment is to run up and help. I did this strange thing where I offered to take her cloak, but then freaked out that I was only helping along her catching cold or worse without it.
"Mulgore is freezing in December! You have to watch yourself!"
I startled a pair of Tauren women who were out shopping. They looked at me like I was crazy, then laughed together and moved off. Saturna turned and watch them both march along in time on strong hooves, their arms holding the handle of one large basket full of brightly striped winter squash.
Saturna clutched at her bare throat. Beneath, she had on a dark dress. Well, to me it looked like a gown that belonged in some fancy Elven ballroom. But she seemed to think it was casual, that it wasn't really anything at all.
"The sun here is so wonderful." Saturna said. And she meant that. I feared she might cry.
I was still holding the cloak for her to slip it back on. Saturna turned a circle, looking around the bluff instead. What was she seeing and responding to? Clinking beads, chiming little tin bells strung up for the season to ring in happy tickles of the sailing wind? Or perhaps colors… ochre, white, the deepest black I've ever seen mixed (growing up Tauren makes you appreciate a good shaman's pounded night-black). And there was fresh bread being baked, sweet roasting meat seasoned with spices Saturna could have never known. Countless pleasant hoof beats drew it all together into one warm song. We had drums when there weren't even drums beating… That's the reason why it's called Thunderbluff, you know? And then, the sorts of Tauren voices—bellows, even—well, 'moos' that she'd never heard a people make before. All Tauren-made and loved. But here, it was normal.
To Saturna, she was experiencing a new kind of magical land. No, it wasn't Eversong Woods with its golden leaves and its runestones, but it was beautifully raw, so alive. Ungroomed, wild, free as it should be. I could tell, she was in heaven.
I suddenly felt so proud of us for being ourselves and impressing her.
"Haven't you travelled across two worlds, seen all kinds of paradise?" I laughed, "Fallen in love with a prince in one of them?"
"You're a prince!" Saturna shouted into the wind. She laughed, reached in and tugged my ears before I could stop her.
She shouted again, "Those are real!"
Uh, yeah. They were my ears. I took a big step backward before she could tug on my horns, next. Among Tauren, that's not really um… decent. Though, on hindsight, yeah… maybe I should've let her.
Saturna ran and then skipped to the edge of the bluff and looked over. I rushed after. She squealed—I think it really was a grown woman squealing with delight. She opened her arms in that beautiful dress and leaned into the wind. And Saturna didn't care who was staring, now.
Okay, so I'll give Kael'thas one point. If he found Saturna this way, exactly this way in the middle of dreary Outland, I can completely understand him facing down a demon lord and worse in order to claim her.
"Can you smell that?" Saturna wasn't complaining. She was jubilant. "It's manure, and I don't care!"
Alright, now she'd lost me. Even Tauren have limits.
"I mean… sweet. Like my rose garden at home, like mulch?"
I spent that awkward moment studying her jewelry and see if anything might be a potential scrying orb for Kael'thas. Let's say I did have an in with certain traders out there, and I had already heard that tiny scrying orbs might be… a thing. Just not the sort of low-tech, greasy thing Kael'thas Sunstrider might resort to. It would have been desperate.
Dark gadgets like that were very Black Market, very Madam Goya, you know? If you had one of those, then whoever furnished you with them kind of owned you, too. There was always a danger that they might expose you or draw you in deeper, demanding more shady business favors. Kael'thas would know better. He was more the type to be in charge of that sort of market if he could even access the goods, not one of its put-upon lackeys.
Well, I couldn't keep it up. I realized I must have looked like a fool, sniffing around Saturna to see what earing or bead sewn into her embroidered dress was a scrying orb, but trying not to look like I was a big dumb Tauren doing so. Instantly, I felt like an idiot.
And then it occurred to me—something else was wrong with the scrying orb theory. If Kael'thas could see everything, all the time, by using said tiny scrying orbs, then why did he have any of the problems he currently had? Sylvanas never trusting him for one, Darnassus itself accusing him of a Greatfather Winter kidnapping… Kael'thas should have seen it all coming and prevented it.
So then, the scrying orbs were a handy lie. But whose lie was it? I glinted at Saturna. Yeah, she was pretty. She was soulful and fun… but before all that, I'd considered that she might be a suggestible peon under Kael'thas' full control. I also imagined that she might be an obsessed zealot for him.
But an obsessed zealot for Kael'thas willing to play mind games with the Tauren in order to control our behavior? Like a leash around all our necks?
"Are you done yet?" I let my voice come off rude. "If Kael'thas can see everything that his wife is doing, I'd rather not have him see me staring at you parade around like a harpy in a loincloth. They freeze to death in the winter, you know. Unless they migrate the hell away from our Mulgore."
Woah. That was… pretty awful, even for me. But I wanted to put her on notice, as well.
Saturna sort of… stumbled out of what she was doing, then bowed her head. As if she had been shoved over by someone. Like Baine had shoved me that morning, like I wasn't anything. Which was why I punched him.
I guess that's about how I made her feel. Looking back, I should have apologized.
Saturna got quiet, then. It was a while before she spoke to me. I feared I might have to leave her there by the pond while I awkwardly got on with the investigation alone (while also hiding from Baine, of course).
"I love the sun. But I can't get sick. And I don't get cold."
"…Oh." Well, I could have done better than that. But I was getting really tired of liking her, then being forced to see how shady she was, and then tripping into liking her all over again.
Saturna left me holding her cloak. "Let's get to work."
As we made our way up through the gargantuan, hollow totem pole at the center of the middle rise, climbing the carved ramp that leads up to the other levels of the bluff, Saturna explained why we were alone. "…The others were up all night drinking Mulgore firewater. They shouldn'tve done it. But this is their last day in Thunderbluff, and they might never visit here again. I couldn't hold it against them." Saturna cleared her throat, "So, then, it's just the two of us." She looked at me from beneath a sweep of white blonde hair falling over her right eye. More slipped down, framing her neat jaw.
We walked back out into the sunlight. Cool air and bird song greeted us once again. I kept resisting the urge to apologize to her. But Saturna could be so irritating!
The breeze came around again, pushed more of her corn silk hair around, against her neck, against her lip. She glanced over at me, "Well, this is your investigation. So where do we start?"
"Hrm?"
Saturna stood in my way, stood close. She gave me an angry look, "Turaho, I want to make sure you get what you want. Now, are we going to do this together, or not?"
It was actually a little hot until I remembered she was making me carry her cloak.
I didn't trust my voice just then, so I simply got on with it. Saturna followed me. She walked easily in my hoofprints.
Elder Rise, Spirit Rise, Hunter Rise… That whole morning, I was so distracted while asking the locals questions. Saturna was there to observe, to assist in the interests of Quel'thalas. But she kept being poised and concerned, and so damned helpful. And she held up well, I have to give it to her. Even if she was being sweet to the public, most Tauren had no problem being brutally honest.
Either people were too excited about meeting Queen Saturna of Quel'thalas, or else they said, consistently, that their druid brother or cousin or grandmama was sure the Blood Elves had done the kidnapping. Because, apparently, the druids and the Cenarion Circle knew everything. So that's all we had so far: two days ago there was a winter storm (wait, was it really two whole days?), a flash of lightning, and then my druid-enter-family-connection-here swore a Blood Elf did it.
Even so, you could see it in people's eyes, how surprised, or confused or delighted they were that the Blood Elf queen was not what they expected. Some nervous Tauren got seriously flustered and gave her things. A little melting cake, a handful of wrinkly ribbons, a random story about some woman's twin calves who were learning to swim in Stonebull Lake that went on and on and on. But each time, Saturna took their hands in her own, if they seemed willing. She looked them in their eyes and reassured them that the Blood Elves only wanted to help Thunderbluff. Well, that is, if they had the courage to ask the queen directly why her people were there.
One of the elder, nuttier Tauren was convinced that Saturna's surprise visit was a precursor to some invasion.
"Not when we're both Horde," Saturna gently reminded the old man.
Then, "Well it's a takeover by King Kael'thas in some other kinda way." He raised a big Tauren fist and Saturna hopped back. I grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from tripping over my hooves. And, I almost dropped her cloak. The old man bubbled up again, "Maybe it's a cold war a'brewin!"
I had to look aside. Who was this guy? He was a worse slack-jawed bumpkin than even I'd been the day before. Perhaps Saturna approached this one because the gray old Tauren was standing nearby the war harness tent and he was wearing an eyepatch. She would have assumed he was a venerable, distinguished warrior. Well, Tauren have better noses than Elves do. To me, this old nutter smelled of fish (probably a big catfish, actually) and had faint scars from fishing lines and hooks all over both his arms and hands, just barely concealed by the fur growing back. I guessed the eyepatch was about a recent injury, part of some simple fishing trip gone terribly wrong. And that's where he was really headed, to get some more help from the fishing trainer or have him treat his wounds, since Wahu probably was the one to take pity on him in the first place.
Crazy old coot. An old man who can't even fish properly. We Tauren are supposed to be great hunters and pass down knowledge through the generations—but somehow, everyone and all that knowledge skipped him? I guess I wouldn't blame them!
Also, pretty sure that a cold war wouldn't 'brew.'
I couldn't stand to be embarrassed any further, "Look, the Burning Crusade was over years ago! More than a decade! Everyone knows that and you should, too. Now will you just go on and tell us what you saw on the night that Greatfather Winter disappeared?"
We started to draw attention to ourselves. Saturna reached out and kindly touched the old Tauren's arm, "Sir. I can't tell you how grateful and safe I feel, knowing that you will be the first line of defense against my husband, should he decide to go on another rampage and embarrass himself again."
I started laughing, hard, before I could catch myself. The old Tauren warmed up, too. He grabbed Saturna's small hand with both of his gray, scarred meaty ones and shook it briskly. Saturna smiled and upped it to a warm hug.
"Oh, you're a catch. Better than that catfish I wrestled out of the water with my bare hands when it tried to get away…"
Saturna raised her eyebrows. See? Told you I guessed that one right.
"Call me Morty!" And Morty shook Saturna's hands again and again, "The queen of Quel'thalas is such a catch!" Loud enough for everyone, "No wonder Kael lets you handle diplomacy." Now he was on nickname terms with the evil king of the Blood Elves dead set on invasion? "This is wonderful! You know, you remind me of my daughter, she's feisty, too…"
And then we were drawn into a discussion about his children, all of his children. There were at least twelve of them. None of them lived nearby in Mulgore. (Not surprised…) Then, Morty went on and couldn't say enough about his grandchildren, living all over Kalimdor. Saturna seemed genuinely interested and amused, when I looked over.
I decided to break up the party so we could go back to investigating Greatfather Winter being kidnapped. You know, as in a crime? With Saturna beside me the whole thing was turning into some tea-and-crumpets, shower us with rose petals, royal visit.
Old Morty called out to us, "Shame your people kidnapped Greatfather Winter, though! I might have invited you over for a great big fried catfish sometime! With home-made dumplings!"
Saturna bristled. Evidently, all her hard work had come to nothing.
"Don't worry. I think the next catfish Morty finds will be gulping him down for dinner."
I hastened Saturna on and we walked along the path beyond the tents and huts, to a rope bridge that would take us back to the middle rise. Hunter Rise should have held some promise with fellow hunters and Pathfinders around. But the few available were mostly busy, and even they were about as enlightened as everyone else regarding the incident. Then, after the Sunwalkers who didn't like her and who really resented me for refusing to take my final rites for months, now Morty… it was time to go.
Saturna kept glancing back at the old gray Tauren that she couldn't sweeten using her special powers.
I decided to pour salt in it, "Does Kael'tahs know you like to take shots at him while he's not around?"
Saturna opened her mouth, stared for a moment, "He's not an Ogre. Kael'thas does have a sense of humor." She looked all the way up at me, "And I did see you laughing, too. Anyway, humor often diffuses tense situations. I use it wherever I go, if I can."
"Still, I bet you wouldn't crack a joke like that while standing before the throne in Silvermoon, not with him looking over your shoulder."
"We all take friendly shots at Kael'thas and each other, all the time. He doesn't mind… that much. And I bet you'd even like my real Bloodknights, too. They can handle a laugh."
"Ah. So the minions you brought with you aren't the real deal?" But you could tell I already knew the truth, that she'd conveniently kept the more dangerous personalities back at home. However, it was all I knew about the rumored elect group of Bloodknights that served Kael'thas personally—their physical descriptions and that they had some nasty habits—but I chose to use the opportunity and let her sweat.
And why not have a little fun? Investigation-wise, we were getting nowhere. Whatever we asked people, it made no difference. They were sure the Blood Elves were responsible, but that was based on rumor and no hard evidence as far as I could tell. Saturna's polished veneer was wearing out. It was now at its thinnest and I guess I was eager to see what would happen to all these perfect manners if I really, really got under her skin.
She went on defending Kael'thas' Burning Crusade-era bodyguards like they were her best friends. Her doing that while we walked across a creaky rope bridge was something. It felt like a fable I remembered, where Mu'sha's holy bridge would give out and drop you to your death you were caught you lying. I kind of kept wishing for it to happen. We'd be dead, but it'd prove me right once and for all.
"Think about it, Turaho—how could we go all through Outland and waving the Kael'thas banner, then slither our way back to civilization without a sense of humor? Imagine how awkward that all was. One day, we were going out to save the great Prince Kael'thas. The next day, we were Sunfury and the villains in that war. Then, we were all back home in Silvermoon years later, pretending none of that happened. If I hadn't lived it, I'd tell you it was ludicrous. But here I am, queen of the Blood Elves, wife to Kael'thas, fending off… awkward accusations in Thunderbluff."
I thought that over. Delight flitted around in my gut unexpectedly. All this time, how awkward must it have been, as she said. Meeting Lor'themar again after that gruesome campaign, shaking his hand like it was nothing. Looking Thrall in the eye. Shrugging it off before Tyrande—as she and Kael'thas were due to come into contact at those yearly summits where the Horde and Alliance tried to keep up the appearance of a united Azeroth. How horribly funny. And so, apparently, Saturna and her Bloodknight friends made all kinds of jokes about draining Zangarmarsh of water, siphoning nether magic from the sky in Netherstorm, all a part of Illidan's weird evil masterwork that Kael'thas was a part of, along with Lady Vashj. I'm sure they kept Prophet Velen anxiety ridden and near-froth-mouthed with violent curses, every time that he saw Kael'thas, Saturna and her Bloodknights. But they would be cavalier. They would be arrogant and 'bemused.' Because they would have no other way to survive those moments with dignity.
I could see that working. Maybe. It wouldn't be funny to anyone else, that was for sure. So then, maybe vain Elves had a point. They were weird, of course they were. We all are. But they were also constantly padding themselves against the harsh, judgmental world. You could grumble alone in a cave or a canyon or a tent. I did. Or, I guess you could celebrate being a complete weirdo with champagne, and living in a palace.
I had to appreciate that was especially true for Saturna. The way she suffered… It could have been tragic. Many people would never understand her feelings for Kael'thas. And I'm not saying that I did, either. But you have to admire that, instead, Saturna had found a good way to let her husband's rotten reputation amuse her. She made it work in her favor.
Like Saturna tricking Baine into thinking maybe she'd sprinkled itty bitty scrying orbs into his fur.
I had to look at that woman again.
"Am I… a mess somehow? Is there something on my dress?" Saturna swept dust from her dress, fussed with her pale hair. Her blue form began to fade again.
"No, but you could put your cloak back on." I also offered to throw it over the bridge for her, as an alternative.
Saturna ignored me. Actually, I think she was daring me.
I waited until the butterfly feeling faded before speaking this time, "We could go and formally interview Chief Baine, but he'll be hiding from us, trust me. Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to put you through that as well?" I felt myself smiling for no real reason, "So, you know, why don't we go get some coffee-"
"You haven't already interviewed him? I know Baine went to go fetch you over this morning."
Memories of Baine and me punching each other, cussing, and then Baine hunched over his miserable Grommash Hold story came back to me. Worse, that it was my whole job and I let my bad, curmudgeon tendencies cheat me out of interviewing the one person who would be the best source of information, Baine. And for two days running, come to think of it. I should have questioned Baine the same day that Saturna arrived. Wait, how many days had it been since Greatfather Winter disappeared? One or two? Everyone kept saying two…
I was lagging behind and Saturna was staring at me, so I quickly fixed that with, "There wasn't any time, of course. I wanted to get here and be prompt."
That seemed to satisfy her. "Well, I should definitely be there when you do interview Baine, anyway."
"Yeah…" Where was I? I couldn't remember what we had been discussing. Then, I freaked out because I had just asked the queen of Quel'thalas out for a coffee. That stopped me cold. By then, we were standing by the big drum at the center of the middle rise. As predicted, Baine was not standing in the chieftan's tent.
I felt Saturna slip something off of my arm. It was her cloak. She finally put it back on and then tugged her hood tight beneath her little chin,
"It's alright. Me having a cloak on again, I'm sure it makes everyone else feel warmer anyway. So, I'll do my bit. Keep up morale around here."
I stamped a hoof and saluted her.
Saturna gave into a smile. She was so eager to shed unhappiness, "Haha! Are we in a war, Pathfinder Runestalker? Against winter?"
I warmed up too, as she predicted, "You're the one who put it that way." Then I helped her fasten her brooch next, to keep the cloak closed up tight and warm. My fingers were really too big for it. She slipped hers beneath mine, then finished latching the shining pin closed into the swirling phoenix artwork.
"Am I presentable again?"
"Your hair is everywhere."
I say the worst things around females when I'm not paying attention.
"…I mean, I like it. You look beautiful."
She gave me a sly grin, as if she'd won.
…Eyeah, she'd won.
Saturna then changed the subject. "Also, I want us to interview the other Bloodknights together. My aim is for you to formally interview every individual being accused by the KRN and clear their names. My closest… Bloodknights, the ones in Silvermoon, are among that group."
"The KRN?" I really was getting distracted. I had a bad feeling that Baine and Saturna had explained this yesterday, but now my mind was drawing a blank.
Saturna stretched her arm out straight and felt the inside of her elbow. I didn't know that ghosts could get aches and pains. It parted her dark cloak and revealed a bit of her dress, falling beautifully over her hip.
"…The Kal'dorei Rogue Network. Night Elf rogues. It only took the KRN two damned days!" I had this instinct that Saturna was actually complaining about how quickly they worked, which felt strange. It was like complaining that the holiday cards and gifts came too early. Right?
I missed the other half of what she said about them. "…Of course, Saturna. I know all about that."
"Do you?" She must have caught on that I wasn't really paying attention. Or that I couldn't. And when my mind re-entered the conversation another time, "…she's the patriot of their triumvirate. But the one rogue the Horde should really watch out for is Alessandre. I don't know what his real name is. That is his code name, in every message we've gleaned for our intelligence. They even say that the rogue who sits in Alessandre's office every day in Darnassus, who goes to and from formal meetings, is not him. He has a doppleganger. Alessandre is an assassin by trade, he lives his life almost entirely in stealth. I don't know how that's even mortally possible. Not for a rogue. Not even druids can manage that. I don't admit to being unsettled by much, but… I hear there was a riot in Stormwind years ago that they think 'the Alessandre' caused. But not even SI:7 can touch him. I've never heard of the Alliance, especially not Stormwind, losing control of someone. With that kind of power, you have to wonder if even Tyrande and Malfurion can rein him in. People like that can find ways to run entire kingdoms, behind the scenes. I should know, it's what Kael'thas ultimately did to Illidan. It was amazing to me. Kael'thas was so brilliant, he eventually had enough dirt on Illidan to go behind his back, and then Kael'thas was finally able to…"
Well, she'd said too much. Saturna was no rogue, herself. Which also proved her point. She had plenty to fear with this Alessandre character.
Suddenly, her hand was on my shoulder, moving down my arm. "You need coffee."
"I… do?"
"Yes, you do. Wasn't that what you were saying earlier? You wanted to take me to go get some coffee? Let's go, Turaho. I'd be honored to have a drink with you…"
At The Cat and the Shaman, there was a ripe-smelling vagrant at the bar as soon as we stepped inside. He was challenging anyone who looked new in town to a firewater drinking contest. They would have to also fund the contest, of course. I put out an arm to shield Saturna from being harassed by this fellow. We took seats in the back.
"That's the same gentleman who challenged my Bloodknights to a drinking contest. Thankfully, our rooms are right upstairs." Saturna told me, while I pulled out her chair for her.
She was lucky to have a chair. I used a dingy stool that had been lying on the floor. I hefted it upright with one strong arm, and sat down in time to see Saturna fascinated with me. Well, that felt nice.
"Turaho, there has to be some other reason that so many Tauren are convinced the Blood Elves are responsible. All those accusations and no hard evidence?"
"Yeah, you're reading my mind. I don't like it, either. I mean, if the testimony was viable, then sure. I'd be the first one to hand you over to Warchief Sylvanas, but—"
Saturna didn't like hearing that. I stopped. I needed to keep the wheels greased between us. Also, why state the obvious?
"And everyone here has some druid relative? I find that hard to believe."
"Hey, Tauren go back helping the Night Elves since the beginning of time, practically. How many times did we team up to save the world together from the Legion? No faction allegiance is going to break that all the way. In my opinion, that is what the Cenarion Circle is for. Obviously, both the Tauren and the Night Elves want it."
Saturna watched me carefully.
"Hey, I don't know any more about it than you do. Don't give me that look."
"Yet, you have completely missed the obvious. The whole Night Elf connection is like oil and water with you."
"Just because the KRN made its official statement against the Blood Elves… is that how you put it?"
"They named my Bloodknights, personally. It was out of nowhere, and with no evidence. Just like we witnessed here in Thunderbluff, today. Turajo, it was totally offensive."
"It's Tura-ho… There's no 'Joe' in my name, Saturna. You did that to me yesterday, too."
She laughed, embarrassed, and apologized repeatedly. Finally she apologized, when there was no power disadvantage for her… My eyes felt heavy. The place was too peaceful to worry about that so much.
I had to wake myself back up, "Wait, I think I missed what you said?" I itched behind my dark horns.
Saturna ordered coffee for both of us in a loud enough voice for the innkeeper to hear. I wished she hadn't done that. The pretty Elf making lots of noise piqued the drunkard's attention all over again. I glared over my shoulder, then moved my stool to block his view.
"You're handsome."
And then, I almost fell over.
Saturna smiled, but wouldn't look at me. She played with her cloth napkin instead. "It had to be said."
"You had to let a little tension out of the ah… balloon?"
Saturna gave into laughter. Less socialite, more of the giggling girl-next-door enjoying how she'd slipped up. Like she was like any of us. That, I could work with.
"Your hooves are cute. I needed to say that as well."
"What?" I chuckled.
"I guess I'm not supposed to admit that, either. But it's interesting. People with hooves for feet. No matter how big or mean or bad-tempered they are… they still have cute cow feet."
"You should stop flirting with me," I warned her. And why did I go and do that? When I was enjoying it? I kind of wanted her to come out and admit it, though. "You've been doing it all morning, in a way. I thought your husband had scrying orbs everywhere."
And we had to deal with that, too. Saturna's smile wilted, then she shrugged.
"Baine… he was trying to call the whole thing off. He and I had a small… disagreement last night."
Really! And why had Baine said nothing? Nothing about having the same misgivings that I had? I could've punched Baine all over again.
"I'm afraid that Kael'thas did get in touch via the scrying orb in my room. And Kael'thas said some… not so helpful things to Baine. Once they were done shouting at each other and the scrying orb was dark, I guess I… scrambled. In the end, I suppose I used my husband's apt timing for his call to my advantage."
Our coffee came. I can take mine hotter than she can, apparently. I took the first sip, while she could only stare.
"Saturna, I wonder why you don't think I'll run off and tell Baine that you tricked him?"
Just as fast, "Because I don't think you have the heart to dismantle the Thalassian Empire singlehandedly when not even the Scourge could. And the Alliance sorely wants to as well, but that's the point of this mission, to prevent that. You'll ruin your career."
"You're projecting, Saturna. It'd ruin your own career. It'd end Kael'thas' reign, or at least this mission crumbling would take a good, violent whack at it. Your political rivals, or even Sylvanas would take care of the rest. And what is with this insisting that the Blood Elves need the two of you? Maybe they'd be better off with someone like… I dunno, Rommath or Lor'themar in charge?"
She smiled prettily, but it was all sharp edges, "When we are in Silvermoon, if you speak to me like that again, it will be considered treason."
"Well, we ain't in Silvermoon now, honey." I shrugged, looked around the tavern. Man, was I getting cheeky again, fast. That coffee was doing the trick.
Saturna sipped her own coffee. She didn't look very used to taking it out of a mug, which I pointed out to her, "Seems a seasoned soldier like you claim to be wouldn't get so lost without a dainty little teacup."
She flushed. Her way of doing it turned her a ghostly purple.
"And it's also interesting that you can still drink coffee."
Saturna flushed back to an opaque white-blue again, "Obviously, it's useful to be able to ingest things. Kael'thas couldn't leave me out of countless state dinners."
I used a hoof to lean my stool on its back legs, rock myself casually. "What is Kael'thas really like? What did he really say to Baine?"
Saturna wasn't going to answer.
"…Or is it so obvious? A Tauren man, young, attractive, single, powerful… Alone in your bedroom… at a time of night when Kael'thas presumes he should be able to call on you and find you alone? But he didn't, did he?"
Saturna had another quiet, innocent sip.
"And why was Baine up there, anyway?" I came back down on all fours, with a thud, "Also, why did Kael'thas think he needed to find you on the scrying orb, catch you off guard? Checking up on you, hrm?"
Saturna set down her mug, breathed out over her bottom row of teeth. Then her lips sealed together again. Impatient smile, once again daring me.
"So I'm not the only Tauren man you're flirting with. And Kael'thas knows this is how you usually work. He was jealous of you and Baine together last night, which confirms it."
Saturna sat back. Her chair creaked, "It's our way, I apologize. Everyone flirts, in the Court of the Sun. It's just a courtly game that Kael'thas and I play together. Even when I'm away from home. My husband appreciates the attention, the challenge…"
"So this is about when you get back home?" Then I made it as dirty as she was being, because I could see that she was going to lead me around in circles, "Your first night back? None of us men here in Mulgore are going to benefit."
Saturna crossed her leg.
I deflected it, got to the point, "Because I don't see how else Kael'thas could possibly enjoy this, not in any real way, while you're across the Great Sea. And I don't blame Baine for being furious that you led him on."
Now it made so much more sense, why Baine didn't tell me a thing about it. But you can't hide an affair (or in this case, flirting up to the brink of an affair) from a Pathfinder, for Earthmother's sake! Of course I was going to find out. Baine, you young, young fool… I didn't warn him about this, specifically, but every single thing else I said about Saturna Sunstrider should have been… Goblin electric fence enough for him!
But it was more than that. Or, even less than that, actually. Saturna didn't see Baine as a real prospect, not unless she truly did hope to have fun on the side while she was far away from Kael'thas, that raving jackass she was married to. You know, sample the local flavors, as it were. In the end, Baine was more powerful than I was, he was also young, maybe naïve in a way. Saturna needed him, especially, to follow her lead if she was going to protect her people. Step one: put a ring through that bull's nose.
And Baine would be easier quarry than I was, actually. I was too… well, jaded. I was also doing an excellent job, at the moment, of proving to Saturna that I couldn't be taken in so easily.
Saturna smiled at the steam rising from her dark coffee, "Poor Baine, he just got caught up in it." But, oh, was she bragging.
"Did he, now?"
Then her tone turned more instructive, "Turaho. As far as you and I, this means that I see you as an equal."
"Sure you do." I grinned back, just as prettily.
"You are like any of the other high-ranking men I work with. And it happened fast, didn't it? You should be proud."
I doubted that the Blood Elf courtiers all flirted as frequently and effectively as she did, though, if Kael'thas was the king of that court and those high-ranking men all still had their heads attached. Some game.
"So. I'm supposed to just hang back and let the queen of Quel'thalas flirt with me?"
Saturna winked, finished her coffee.
I grunted. Not sure if I was annoyed with her, yet again, or disappointed. Or both.
She gave a sad smile, "I should have known. You're experienced, mature. You're too smart for it."
"Well, my queen," I set down my own mug, now that our friendly drink was done, "That's not going to stop me, on my end… As long as we're both having fun."
It surprised her. Her smile brightened. Saturna warmed up, leaned over the table at me, "Older men are so much more interesting, anyway. I could never deny that."
Gods above, did I like her better when she was mispronouncing my name, and not laying it on so thick.
"Really? How old were you, when you first met Kael'thas?" I decided to mess with her and mention her husband again.
Another neat little shrug. There could have been a shield on that arm; it didn't faze her at all, "Oh, only nineteen."
What the… For the love of—?! Greatfather Winter was about to put me on his permanent naughty list, I was sure.
Well Kael'thas, if you ever read this, I'll give you one more point there. I would have blowed up my wife's scrying orb checking in on her too, if I was married to such a firecracker. You see, as a ghost, Saturna hadn't aged… I mean, she did seem youthful, but to have it confirmed!
Yeesh. Talk about stressed. And it was just the first part of my first day. I still had a few more shocking developments to go, including Goblins and then a Night Elf I had to talk to. (Crazy surprise, right?) After all that, was my danged… Sunwalker Paladin ceremony that evening in Bloodhoof, which I was sure I would not be able to stomach with much sincerity. Definitely not after spending much of the day with a sneaky Thalassian Bloodknight, which I had already decided were as mean and nasty as Paladins could get. I had been avoiding coming on as a full Paladin for my own reasons, but meeting Saturna was even less encouraging, her good Elven looks aside.
Hang in there, you'll see. Like I promised before, I'm not holding anything back.
"…Saturna, your hand is on my leg."
"Oh, shoot. I wondered where I left it. Well, I'm so glad you found it, Turaho."
Somebody… help me…
