Many thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapter! many great questions and speculations this time, I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments and questions. please enjoy the next chapter as much as the last was appreciated! ~F

Chapter Sixty

Command of the Horde

Nobu'tan knew that he had the advantage now, with Rend bleeding from his leg, albeit lightly, the orcs around chanting about the Mok'gora were sure to soon see the weakness of their chosen leader. Even as Rend swung around to face him once more, Nobu'tan could tell that the Warchief was still under the effects of the massive amount of drink he had consumed, and therefore the injury was little more than superficial to his senses.

"What is this…" he demanded therefore, "I declare Mok'gora, and your warchief shows up still drunk off his rotten hind end. I demand satisfaction and how can Rend, son of Blackhand, give me a fight worthy of the title Warchief if he is in such a state?"

The taunts had their effect, and Rend swayed heavily as he snarled in response, "You have no place to speak of such things, welp." He declared, "I know you now, Nobu'tan, apprentice of Gul'dan the betrayer! You may have the appearance of an orc, but I can see through your demonic magic that you are hiding your runty human form beneath it!"

Knowing that Lucius would hate him for this, Nobu'tan simply laughed, "It took you long enough you drunk bastard!" he chided, dispelling his illusion and revealing his true form, still fit and ready for battle in the style of the Mok'gora, "but what of it, at least I still have the honor to show the duel, which you and your pathetic brother lacked. Tell me, was it Doomhammer's will that you fight Gul'dan with honor, or to try and assassinate him like the dogs you are, sent away from the front lines because you and your warriors wouldn't be an asset to him in the final battle, which he still lost!"

Roaring like a mad beast, Rend charged, emboldened by seeing the significantly smaller and more frail appearing human before him, rather than the orc form that Nobu'tan had been projecting. Sidestepping easily out of the drunken swing, it was almost too pathetic for Nobu'tan to draw back his blade, the metal biting deeply into the chest of the stampeding orc, spilling more of his blood.

"The Horde deserved a strong leader!" Nobu'tan bellowed to the orc onlookers, who had all gone silent at the exchange, revelation and shaming of their warchief, "I can guide the Horde back to the path of glory, with a strong warchief that will stand side by side with his brothers in arms, not wallow away in his tent drinking and boasting of events long past!"

Nobu'tan knew his words struck the hearts of all the orcs listening. When was the last time they launched a raid on their neighbors? "You cannot lead the Horde, you are nothing but a pathetic human runt, not fit for anything but to be strung up and slain, along with your clan!" Rend shot back.

"Perhaps not in the open, but I will find a candidate that is the epitome of the Horde and it's ideals, which you are most certainly not Rend, son of Blackhand the Destroyer. You are a far lesser son than your sire!"

That had the desired effect, the orc charged, axe singing as it swung wildly, and Nobu'tan dodged again and again, before striking at last, plunging his sword deep into the chest of the enraged orc. The axe skittered into the dirt, even as Rend grabbed Nobu'tan's throat, trying to break it in his ever weakening grip.

"Die now, and know that the Horde will not miss your leadership." Nobu'tan whispered, before breaking out of the orcs fingers, wrenching his sword down and out, before spinning and removing Rend's head from his shoulders in one deft stroke.

The head of Rend Blackhand toppled to the ground amid the silence of his people. Seizing the bristly hairs and lifting the head into the air, Nobu'tan roared as well as human vocal chords could, swinging his bloody sword around his head, splattering Rend's blood on those closest to the edge of the pit, "I am victorious! Rule of the Horde is mine to dictate!"

Teg'Ramm appeared through the throng, offering a hand to lift Nobu'tan from the pit, and setting him in the midst of his new followers, who despite their fear were clearly looking at the human in a new light. They were impressed, and knew that he had won the Mok'gora without cheating or magic, but the sheer power of his mind and the weakness of his opponent.

"Rally the leaders of the clans to me, so they may profess their loyalty to the Horde, our allies as well," Nobu'tan commanded, before pointing at the mountain with his bloody sword, "We move from this pitiful camp into our fortress at last this night, and we will plan our return to power on this world!"

The orcs roared in surprise and support. Clearly Rend had had no ambition for his rule, and the warriors of the Horde had grown agitated at the lack of something to do. Nobu'tan was already thinking far ahead, at a vast fortress nation throughout these black mountains, and rising up his power with steel and magic to sweep over the Nations of this world once more, in revenge for all that had happened to his mentor. The Legion would pay as well, in the end, when they met the warriors of the Horde in battle, and were overcome.

Orcs came, the personal guard of Rend, to lift Nobu'tan onto their shoulders as a victorious warlord, carrying him to the tent of their former Warchief. There he sat, Rend's head displayed proudly upon the small table before Nobu'tan new throne, as the officers and leaders of the Horde came on bended knee to profess their loyalty to the new chain of command.

There were many that hailed from the Blackrock Clan itself, so many in fact that Nobu'tan was surprised that they eclipsed even the smattering of Black Tooth Grin members. When questioned about this, they said that the Clan had been all but destroyed in defending the Dark Portal during the final battle of the second war, and that Rend and Maim had been among the only survivors to escape north.

Nobu'tan highly doubted that the pair of brothers had merely survived. Fled was more likely accurate. The next largest assortment were Dragonmaw, and the orc that Nobu'tan had watched before stood before him as their chieftain, Nek'rosh Skullcrusher, son of Nekros, the right hand of Zuluhed the Whacked, who had taken part of their clan into the portal before it was sealed, dividing their clan and leaving it more or less leaderless. Then the once mighty beast-tamer clan had suffered defeat when humans, elves and dwarves had united to free their prisoner, the red dragon queen Alexstrasza, who destroyed their fortress of Grim Batol to the north and forced the remainder of the Dragonmaw to flee either east or south, further fragmenting their forces.

Nobu'tan offered Nek'rosh a place at his table, giving him honor in the eyes of the other members of the Horde, whom he had done no such thing with thus far. Next to approach were trolls, Amani members of a pair of much smaller tribes than the mighty Zul'jin had hailed from, but Nobu'tan welcomed them all the same.

Finally, lumbering outside were the ogre clan leaders, all bulk and no brains sadly, almost ready to fight each other rather than serve one common purpose. Nobu'tan was sure that Teg'Ramm would enjoy bending these clans to his will.

Most of the leaders he sent away, promising that there would be time enough for them to heed his counsel and seek his advice on their predicaments, but he retained the company of Chieftain Nek'rosh, one of the remaining Blackrock Warlocks named Xi'lun, Gath'llzogg who had remained from Redridge and was effectively the leader of the Blackrock orcs now that Rend was dead, and two of the forest trolls, their leader Voone, as well as a Shadow Hunter named Vosh'gajin.

Standing form his chair in the overly scented tent, Nobu'tan resumed his orcish disguise, beckoning for them all to follow him, and leading them from the worthless place to make any sort of decision. During this long process, the Stormreavers had been hard at work shifting all of their resources into the upper portions of the mountain, taking great care to go unnoticed from the rest of the Horde, whom Nobu'tan wished to filled the depths of the mountain, keeping them protected by the stone wall of the fortress rather than out in the open for anything to see or attack.

It was slow going, but eventually they found themselves in the massive chamber where Nefarian, the Black Dragon, had once watched over all of the Burning Steppes, and even the distant path toward the south, and the human kingdom of Stormwind.

"Long have I been away," Nobu'tan said slowly, gazing out across the landscape, "and in all that time I know that Rend had driven the Horde into the ground, doing nothing but lazing about and allowing others to make decisions for him." There was no disagreement from the others, and Nobu'tan turned to face them.

"This will not be the same with me, we are going to make massive changes, starting from this place and reaching outward to all corners of the regions we control." He said directly, before looking to Nek'rosh, "one thing that Rend was right about is that I cannot lead the Horde in public, as a human I would be too noticeable, and the warriors would question my bravery if I stayed disguised for long periods of time. You Nek'Rosh, Chieftain of the Dragonmaw, will take up the helm of Warchief for me, while I direct you and the Horde to greatness…"

The orc looked mildly surprised, but nodded acceptingly, understanding that he was not being given power, merely the illusion of power, and the rewards that stemmed from it. "We are extremely weak, as we are," Nobu'tan continued, glancing at each of them, "our individual tribes and clans have suffered greatly from a lack of reinforcements, or supplies, and while there is much that we could stretch out and raid for our survival, you've not done so? Through the manipulations of the man that once ruled here, you were slowly weakened to the state of being his bodyguards, but no more. We are the Horde, and we will rise again to power and greatness."

"Xi'lun," Nobu'tan called forward, and the other warlock stepped closer, eager to hear what the new warlord of the Horde wished of him, "Gather the most intelligent of the ogres that serve us to the altar of storms you have constructed, I will show you the secret means that Gul'dan used to create the Ogre Magi, and we will start to fortify our armies with their power."

"Yes, Warchief," the warlock stated, turned to leave immediately.

"Voone, Vosh'gajin," Nobu'tan called next, turning to the trolls, "I hear that there are other tribes of your people farther to the north, who are either unaffiliated with us or the other factions, or are otherwise sympathetic to the false Horde across the sea, go and take captives of your wayward cousins, and bring them back here for reconditioning…" The pair of gangly creatures smirked toothily before departing without a word.

"Nek'rosh, Gath'llzogg," Nobu'tan finally addressed, turning to the last two orcs in the room, "As the three most powerful clans here, we need to set a firm example of unity and power, raids won't be enough, but the kingdom to the south is powerful, we need to attack something to the north, what lays there?" he asked, hoping for information of a suitable location to invade.

"Directly north of us is more of the foul black desolation that we've claimed as our own," Nek'rosh stated, "after that, due east is a rough badland filled with warriors of the false Horde, as well as more ogres and the beginning of the dwarven settlements."

Nobu'tan remembered it well, it was the site of his first mission, and he would welcome the change to bring battle back to the dwarves there. "After that is a massive lake, where the dwarves hold great power, and finally the lands where Grim Batol stands, overlooking the massive marshlands that lead out to the sea."

Nobu'tan nodded, pulling in the information as it was provided, already planning their war strategy, "We need access to the sea, so that we can move freely from not only this continent, but the supposed other where the false Horde herald from. I wish to see what they've built if possible, we will march to take the lands directly north of the mountain, and create a buffer between our fortress and these Badlands, before making any attempts to push further out. Ready our warriors."

The pair of orcs smirked at the thought of finally having a unified enemy to fight, as they ought to have had from the beginning. Only once they left did Nobu'tan address the others that had been in the room, eavesdropping over the entire conversation. "You can come out Lucius, and you as well Draco…"

The pair of humans appeared, still disguised in their orc forms, "You took a massive risk, Nobu'tan," Lucius started with, and the orc-raised human nodded, agreeing.

"Yes, but how it paid off was perfect." He offered as explanation, the looks he received however had him backtracking, "but you are right, I acted without thinking, and it could have been a disaster if I hadn't known what Rend would do?"

"And you understand why we feel that we need to watch you closely after this, to make sure you don't discover another personal enemy and rush off to kill them, abandoning the plan, our goals, and us." Draco added, which made sense to him.

"I understand your worry, but you shouldn't neglect yourselves in keeping me in check, Lady Narcissa is in Stormwind all alone right now," turning to Lucius, he gave the man a pointed look, "You should go and visit her, I believe, now that the mountain is ours. I promise that no overwhelming decisions will be made without both of your opinions being considered."

Pulled from his robes was the small white stone that Nobu'tan remembered fondly, a Hearthstone. Channeling his energy alongside the memory of the mountain, he felt the stone bind its internal magic to transport a user back to the mountain.

Pressing the stone into Lucius' hand, he smile, "this will bring you back when you need to return, you can easily find another in Stormwind so you can transport yourself back and forth. Please…" he knew it was a strange change of the entire flow of their conversation, but he suddenly had a thought that Narcissa would need her husband soon, as powerful a woman as she was, Stormwind was potentially a dangerous place with all that she knew, not to mention the fact that Nobu'tan deeply suspected that the black dragoness was somewhere in power in Stormwind, and Lucius would need to inform his wife on who was their secret ally.

Lucius looked at the sincerity in his eyes, and nodded, "I understand, but I need a promise that you will not leave these lands for any reason while I am gone."

Nobu'tan actually laughed, "You think I'll have time to leave with all that needs to be repurposed and planned and resources gathered? If that's all you need to feel secure, take Draco with you because I can guarantee that I will not leave the Burning Steppes, let alone this mountain, if it will make you feel at ease for a trip to Stormwind.

"The lands immediately around the mountain are sufficient, as I doubt that anything here is strong enough to threaten you now, short of an attacking army." Lucius replied, smiling warmly. Nobu'tan smirked in response.

"Tell mother that I miss her terribly, but my place is here for the time being," Draco said, turning to look at his father, "We'll provide you a horse from the Horde's stolen stockpiles. That will get you there faster."

"Don't forget to remove your illusion, or you'll be attacked on sight." Nobu'tan added, and the three of them shared a laugh at the obvious.

"I suppose I'm on my way, then," Lucius said, turning to leave, and Nobu'tan was more than sure that there was a new spring in his step as he departed.

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Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, Banshee Queen of the Forsaken, waiting in her throne room as the delegation of the Earthen Ring, as well as the rest of the Horde entered. Her crimson eyes watched carefully as the orcs, trolls and tauren mounted the steps around her dais, all keeping an extra close eye on her Demonic servant, the Dreadlord Varimathras. The Nathrezim as always was close by her side, where she could watch his movements and make sure that he was still doing her bidding.

The leader of the expedition, a young orc that bore the armor of the Kor'kron, Thralls personal guard, stepped forward and bowed appropriately in respect of the ruler of the Undercity. "Lady Windrunner, we have come for whatever aid you are willing to give to our cause in investigating these rumors of the return of the Stormreaver Clan to the south, and the defeat of the Firelord Rangaros."

While she was aware of what they referred to, she was not so sure why she ought to be concerned. If another faction of Dark Horde orcs had appeared, it simply was all the more of a buffer between her and the Alliance in Stormwind and Ironforge, but she had pledged her might to the Horde, and in this case she was curious as to why they were so concerned about this matter.

"You shall have whatsoever thing you need; also I have information that may interest you…" She replied, meaning it truthfully. Her curiosity had led to several scouting parties to the south, through the Arathi Highlands and well into the Wetlands, which while officially Alliance controlled territory were easily traversed unobserved.

"…over the last few weeks, all signs of the Dark Horde have withdrawn from their northern holds, as though something or someone had beckoned them all back to their place of power." She continued after a short pause. The aforementioned group was surprised, as this was a move that none expected of the Dark Horde. For the longest time their strategy was to attack and hold whatever they could seize with a ferocity that only their total extinction could shake, but now they were readily abandoning lands that they had even only recently gotten control of. Something major had changed.

"A new leader, my Lady," Varimathras put forth, clawed hands tapping his chin.

"I would suspect so. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Rend Blackhand being slain by another inspirational leader. But who, and why?" Sylvanas replied.

"That is what we've been sent to find out, Dark Lady," the orc leader stated, chest puffing with pride at his assignment. The young and rather easily influenced orc clearly was charismatic to those under his command and had gained quite a bit of favor with the Warchief to be selected for such a mission, and the Banshee Queen would be rather looked down upon if she didn't expedite his journey.

"Take several Forsaken mages and warlocks with you, so that we can make sure that the energies around that mountain aren't something direr than we already suspect." She said at last, motioning for them to take their leave and get underway as swiftly as possible.

"My Queen, if too many move across the lands of the Alliance, that might constitute an act of war," Varimathras advised, but she ignored him.

"The Alliance is likely as interested in this development as we are, so I doubt that too much will happen as you move down through their lands." The Queen of the Forsaken countered, "Now go, I have other matters to deal with," she added, dismissing the Horde expedition forthright. She would allow them to do her work for her, and discover what was going on in the south, while she refocused her efforts on the nearest threats, the Scourge and Gilneas. That wall had stood for far too long, and she was still striving to make a push into Silverpine proper to take all of the north for herself.

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Anduin was sneaking out again, wanting to go and speak with the newest adventurers that had arrived from various places in the lands of the Alliance, hopefully for any news of his father, as well as to get away from his guardians and advisor. Recently Lady Prestor had grown rather distant, as though she had received some very difficult news, but she wouldn't say anything more than that her brother passed away when asked.

Lady Malfoy had been making quite the stir in the Keep as of late as well, dropping by more and more often, speaking of this or that with Anduin specifically, as well as Highlord Bolvar, much to the official advisor's distaste, but Anduin much better welcomed the other woman's presence. He could tell that Lady Malfoy was a mother, as she had that air of elegance with the familiar touch of kindness that he like to think fondly reminded him of his own mother who had died while he was still an infant.

The clearly noble born woman was quick to sense that Anduin had a lack of female guidance in his life, and had stepped into the role without even being asked, to the point where the guards of the keep merely stood aside if she approached, learning quickly that she would get access to the keep with or without their say.

Such was the case as Anduin made to sneak out the front doors of the keep, just as the woman was making her approach. "Ah, young Anduin, just the prince I was looking for," she said warmly, cheering the otherwise cloudy day that had seemed ready to rain over the city.

"Lady Malfoy, what brings you here this day?" Anduin replied, being courteous while still showing a small sense of urgency to escape before it was discovered he was gone.

"I was just wondering if someone would assist me in moving another couple of families into their new homes in the park district, and was going to ask if the Highlord could spare a few men," The woman stated, even as Anduin heard approaching footsteps behind him, which could only belong to Lady Prestor.

"I'll do it!" he said quickly, shocking the guards at either side of the entrance. It would be highly irregular for the Prince of Stormwind to take such a hands-on approach to helping his citizens, and Anduin knew it to be so, but if he could get away from Lady Prestor it would be worth it.

Lady Malfoy looked up slightly, seeing the approaching woman, and smiled knowing, just like a mother, "what a respectable young man, I would more than appreciate your assistance, my prince." Offering her hand, Anduin quickly took it, and together they started away from the Keep, even as the flabbergasted guards could do nothing to stop it, despite being under orders to prevent Anduin from going anywhere on his own.

"Sick of your studies already I gather?" the Lady asked only once they were out of sight of the Keep.

"How'd you guess?" Anduin asked sheepishly.

"My dear prince, I had a son very much like you, and he wouldn't want to be wasting away in that Keep for even half as long as you do. He'd be out playing or finding secrets of his father and mine within minutes of being left alone. Draco was such a handful when he was your age…" she replied, wistfully remembering things.

"How old is he now?" Anduin asked, curious, and slightly hoping for the potential of a friend in the influential family.

"Oh, he's all grown now, off with his father working hard to make the world a better place I expect…" Lady Malfoy replied, even as they took a shortcut through a brightly lit alley toward the Trade District. The family in quest they were to help was staying in The Gilded Rose, and they would be meeting with them there before heading toward the Park District.

"Oh," the prince replied, disappointed, but by the time they arrived in the bustling marketplace of Stormwind, he had smoothed he emotions behind a mask of pleasant cheer for his people. It wouldn't do for the citizens of Stormwind to see their leader in anything less than a positive, upbeat mood, as then they would worry that something was wrong and problems that didn't exist now might crop up, or at least Lady Prestor had taught him.

All thoughts about himself or their current predicaments fled however, when they neared the Gilded Rose, and Lady Malfoy stopped in her tracks, her breath catching in her throat as she placed a hand over her heart. Anduin turned to look at what the woman was looking at, and saw a man exiting the inn and going to a horse tied up by the local fountain.

"Lucius…" Lady Malfoy breathed, before releasing Anduin's hand and rushing to the man, joy sweeping her as the man turned to see her, and they embraced.

The Prince smiled at the scene of the reunited couple, recognizing that this man must be the Lord Malfoy, her husband. They seemed perfectly matched for each other, despite the rather windswept and mildly unkempt condition that the man was in, easily explained by a long ride over rough terrain. Anduin judged that the man had come a long way from the manner in which the horse was gulping water from the fountain, uncaring about the people surrounding it.

Eventually, Anduin walked forward to introduce himself, as was proper for a man of such a standing to have a wife as strong willed and wise as the Lady Malfoy. "Lord Malfoy," he said with a short bow.

"Lucius," Lady Malfoy said, gesturing at Anduin, "may I introduce you to Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind and my current escort while we move the last of our people into their permanent homes here in the city."

"My Prince, a pleasure," the man said, offering his hand with a small bow of respect, which Anduin took, smiling that the clearly lordly and noble man was treating him as an adult and not a child, despite all appearances. "I must thank you for your service, this wide world is not safe for anyone to travel through alone, and I would have been most saddened if my wife was troubled in any way."

"I would not allow it," Anduin said quickly, "Lady Malfoy has been most gracious and is a common guest at the Keep, I doubt many of the guards would hesitate to leap to her aid if it was required, and the Highlord would unleash the full military of Stormwind upon anyone who dared to threaten her."

Lord Malfoy exchanged a knowing smile with his wife, which Anduin felt more than saw the level of emotion and love transfer between the pair of them. It was a touching moment, but Anduin still remembered their charge, "We were going to help the last family move from the inn if I recall." He mentioned, and Lady Malfoy smiled down at him.

"Yes, that is most correct my Prince, and I know Lucius would love to come and chat with the Macnairs while we assist their family moving in, perhaps give them an update on their husband and father while he's at it." She replied, glancing again at her husband questioningly.

"Yes," Lord Malfoy agreed, "I suppose that I will deliver quite a few updates over the next few days, before I can spend the full measure of my short reprieve and return."

The man trailed off, and Anduin was curious as to what he would be returning to, or where all the other men of Lord and Lady Malfoy's company were, but it would be improper to ask of what was clearly a private matter.

Anduin walked along between the pair, assisting in carrying a small barrel of unknown substance, while the family they were escorting to their new home asked question after question of Lord Malfoy. Anduin was surprised at how limited their belongings were, as there was no cart or carriage of furniture or other personal items, just what the family had on them, and he was quite disturbed at how quickly they must have fled from their previous dwellings.

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"So, Draco chose to remain behind for the time being," Narcissa asked, when there was a pause in the conversation between the Macnairs and Lucius. He had known that the question would be coming soon, but for the sake of the young Prince walking with them he had refrained from speaking too much regarding Nobu'tan and the events happening up north in any detail.

It had been a long, hard ride from the blackened slopes of Blackrock Mountain, but seeing his wife look so pleased to have him back with her was worth it, and Lucius remembered that he had to thank Nobu'tan for his thoughtfulness in the matter.

"Yes, he felt that it was his place for the moment, but he sends his love and promises that he will visit soon." Lucius consoled her, only offering the smallest glance at the boy walking between them.

For a Prince, the boy carried himself quite well. It was almost like having the young Draco walking with them once again, except this boy was more reserved and thoughtful than his son had been.

It was enough of a difference in presence that Lucius recalled catching himself before he stared in shock at the solid purple humanoids that they found walking about in the park sector of the city. From the size and shape of the very noticeable ears, Lucius would guess that they were elves of some sort, based from what he had been told about elves by Nobu'tan, but he was certain that the younger warlock would have mentioned of their were various shades of blue and purple.

The Prince hadn't noticed Lucius' distraction, but Narcissa was far keener on her husband, "Yes, the Night Elves have been very courteous to assisting our people moving into the park area of Stormwind, their Druids and hunters train here in the more natural part of the city, while they are farther away from their homeland across the sea."

Lucius raised an eyebrow; leave it to Narcissa to investigate everything about people that he wouldn't have even expected. "They are great allies of the Alliance," Anduin mentioned between them, even as they approached the house in question, "I'd always wanted to visit their capital of Darnassus, but it's just too far away for it to be feasible for me to travel to, or so Lady Prestor says."

Lucius paused at the mention of the advisor of the Prince, recognizing the name from something that Nobu'tan had said in regards to the illusioned black dragon mother that they had found in Blackrock Mountain. He had a mental note to speak to his wife in length about it when they had time to themselves.

Lucius entered the magically modified home without a thought, but paused when he saw that Narciss had turned toward the boy Prince. "Now, you might see some things that are rather strange or unusual in this house Anduin," she explained carefully, "but our people have certain… gifts with magic, much like the old High Elves that were once members of the Alliance long before you were born."

The boy nodded; seemingly satisfied as they entered past a floating cauldron that was slowly stirring a violet potion in it. The boy was completely unfazed after the small cautionary warning, which had Lucius thinking. If the Wizarding world had been more open on their original planet, would things possible have gone differently? Would there have been a need for the Dark Lord, or the Legion, or any of the many travesties that had occurred on their planet in its existence.

Could their world have pulled together and resisted the advance of darkness, would Lucius and his family have gone the direction that they had? It was a deep thought, but in the end it was a dream and something that he pushed aside to the fanciful side of his thoughts, focusing on the here and now, his wife, the boy-Prince, and the plans that needed to be fulfilled for Lord Nobu'tan.

In due time the Macnairs were happily settled in their new wizarding home, in the middle of Stormwind City, hidden in plain sight from those who might want to seek them, not that Lucius expected any to find out about their secrets, so more importantly it served as a powerful communication hub for their network of spies throughout the regions of these humans.

"Now Anduin," Narcissa said, patting the Prince on the head, "promise me that you will go straight back to the Keep, and stay out of trouble."

"I promise," the boy said, completely unconvincingly, but Narcissa seemed to know that the boy had no such intentions, and let him go regardless, watching him until he vanished out of the park district.

"He's a good child, and will make a fine ruler of this people one day," Narcissa commented as he departed from their sight.

"If he is allowed to grow up and rule this people," Lucius added, bringing a note of solemnity into the conversation. "Is there somewhere private for us to speak?" he added, seeking her hand and grasping it tenderly. They had been apart for too long, and there was much for them both to catch up on.

"Yes, our own home in the Mage Quarter of the city, near to something I think you will be pleased to discover." Narcissa said secretively, adding a small wink to her seductive smile, and even Lucius was not capable of doing more than following his wife in bemused silence as she led him back through the canals of the city toward their own home, a small two story cottage in the middle of a secondary ring of the quarter, quite near to the tower where Magi studied and learned their craft.

The place had a quality to it that Lucius couldn't exactly place, but it was more than slightly inviting, and had the signature of his wife's love and care written all over it. Small potted flowers, charmed to never die and be ever in bloom sat out front, occasionally eyed by the passing mages, who clearly detected the magic but were unsure what it exactly was, the fools.

Just inside, the crest of the Malfoy family was emblazoned upon a tapestry hanging down from a stairway to the upper floors, where Lucius presume the bed chambers resided. Around the front room, which while not as grand as their manor back on earth, was a cozy and more intimate setting, a small fireplace crackling in the corner and several lovely armchairs and a loveseat spread around the room.

"My dear, I believe you've outdone yourself," Lucius commented, feeling the smooth leather of a winged armchair that was clearly set for him. Narcissa simply smiled and sat in a chair that was covered with a small amount of lace padding, giving it a more feminine appeal and took up her wand from her robes, gesturing at a stack of yarn and needles, which began to knit, filling the room with a comfortable clicking noise of the needles hard at work.

"So, how is Nobu'tan faring now that you've presumable rejoining with his people?" Narcissa asked casually, watching the fireplace for a moment before looking up at her husband. Lucius knew that hard answers were going to be needed soon, and he truly did not want to give them to his wife, for fear of her response, but he had little choice but to pick and choose his battles and this was one he'd willingly lose.

"Not well, I believe," he began slowly, "the young man is rather easily unhinged at the slightest provocation by those he feels are to blame for the death of his mentor and father-figure, and I fear that he will lose all that he has built if he allows his rage to take control."

Narcissa took the explanation in stride, listening carefully to the entire story of their meeting with the Horde, delving into the depths of the mountain followed by ascending to the pinnacle, the foes that they faced and the threats that they overcame. Lucius was keen enough to avoid mentioning that he himself had nearly lost his life, although he suspected that the truth would come back to her soon enough, likely from Draco if he continued to be placed in the line of fire because of Nobu'tan.

"So now he rules this Horde of creatures through proxies," she asked after he had finished, and Lucius nodded. "You were right to urge him toward more patience, and building up what he has gained, before pushing out. I have been keeping my eyes and ears on those in charge of this nation, and they are far stronger than they appear."

Lucius knew that his wife would have done such a thing, as she had so often before during her many parties and dinners with his political rivals and their families. "Naturally," he said with a smile, "but I do fear for you when you do such things here, these people are not to be underestimated for any reason. Lady Prestor in particular…"

"Something is not right with that woman," Narcissa said abruptly, and then paused, "How do you know of her?"

"We suspect that she has connections to a force that we encountered, and tentatively allied ourselves with in that mountain," Lucius said, hesitant to mention the fact that he suspected the woman to be a black dragon, unsure if Narcissa would grasp the full depth of the comment without having seen the dragons of this world.

"I think I can handle what that woman has to throw at me," Narcissa said, turning back to her enchanted knitting, "She thinks she can manipulate the Prince and the Highlord Regent, but I shall convince them that they need a new advisor, one with more practical ideas and better judgment on what is worth their devotion of time and manpower."

"And I bet you have just the candidate to take her place all lined up…" Lucius teased, smirking back at the mildly annoyed look that his wife sent at him. She softened immediately, smiling back at his gentle teasing. "I did greatly miss you, my husband," she said after a pause.

"And I you, my flower," Lucius agreed, knowing that their separation would have been far harder for her to handle than he, as she relied on his strength to support her in her endeavors more than she was even willing to admit. He was the same with her, but he had had Draco to support him while dealing with Nobu'tan, while Narcissa had been alone.

"In due time I must return, but I am under orders from Nobu'tan to come and stay with you for a time, and I must agree that with all that you've done thus far, it is a break that we both quite deserve." Lucius admitted, and Narcissa smiled again.

"He is a far more observant and gracious leader than the Dark Lord ever was," she commented, and Lucius couldn't agree more.

"I just hope his pride and hubris don't lead him to an early grave, along with the rest of us…" Lucius replied, worried about what the boy was up to in his absence.

Narcissa stood, placing her cool hands on Lucius' face, distracting him from his thoughts, "You need to enjoy your vacation, and I know there are some things that you'll want to investigate in due time, but for now, perhaps retiring early to the new room I prepared for us will do you a world of good…"

Lucius had a suspicion that his wonderful wife was indicating far more than she had let on, especially when she intentionally allowed her hands to slowly remove themselves from him as she stepped gracefully toward the stairs, leading him along.

Smirking, and feeling the magic in the air around them, Lucius knew what was to be done, and eagerly followed after his wife up to their new bedroom.

It was part of wizarding tradition to quickly induct a new home to a potential family, and as Draco was already full grown, Lucius felt it was time at last for the Malfoys to try again to enjoy the same blessings that the Weasleys had so easily gained.

The plus would be that his wife would no longer be alone in due time after he had to return to aid Nobu'tan.