If she never saw another scrap of ice again, Val would die a happy woman. She wasn't sure whether she would grant her own wish, sitting here shivering like a newborn calf and swamped in a cloak that was clearly Varian's and three sizes too big, taking another comforting inhale of the lingering but waning scent of his cologne infused on the fur trim that was tucked under her chin.

She could already hear Syverson's call to wake up, knowing full well that he didn't care if they were active or not, he merely wanted to see how many they'd lost in the night. She watched two more men be laid down when they didn't answer, nudging Carson until his eyes fluttered half open.

"You still with me?"

He sluggishly nodded, leaving his eyes drooped. "Takes more than a chill to get rid of me."

Val smiled the best her numb face could manage, feeling her dry lips crack and peel. "Where the bloody hell's that king of yours eh? Thought he'd be riding in on horseback to save the day by now."

She knew he didn't mean it as harshly as some others would take it, and let him peel the cloaks from the both of them so they weren't tempted to go back to sleep from the small amount of warmth they provided. "Probably planning to bring the whole army just for me. The rest of you can make your own way out."

His laugh sounded raspy, like the ones she heard down at the tavern from men who had smoked for nearly all of their lives. He shifted, letting her hear his bones creak and put a hand on the small bump that weeks of barely any food had made more noticeable.

Val was only three months gone but it was rather noticeable that she was with child to anyone who looked now; the small roundness couldn't be hidden behind a breastplate if she tried.

"How's my little man then eh?"

Val narrowed her eyes, moving his hand so she could run her own palm from top to bottom. "Will you stop calling him that? People are going to start whispering."

Carson knew that by the sly grin on his paling face. He didn't look well, but Val was trying her damnedest to ignore it; she was sure she looked just as bad, and was dreading when and if she eventually saw Varian again.

He was a worrier already, and she was sure she was about to become a recluse at his behest once she was back within arm's reach. "Oh come now, it's a little fun stirring shit, you have to admit that."

Val rubbed her palms together for all the good it would do. "Not when I'm the one who has to listen to it every day."

Gale was making the rounds with the morning's rations, handing Val a hunk of the bread that had been brought to them yesterday by the kind mage who'd slipped Varian's letter into her pocket at the same time.

She hadn't been given the chance to read it yet, and feared her mind would be too addled to do so at this point. Everyone was at the stage where they had no idea what day it was, but some had gone further, becoming confused to where they were and who the rest of them were, it was rather sad to see.

Her fingers were trembling as she tore the bread apart, feeling it go down her throat like a razor blade and noticing that Carson barely had the energy to lift his arm. She took his portion from him and pressed it to his lips, massaging his throat to help him swallow it.

"You should let me get you seen to."

He shook his head, stretching out his legs and brushing the snow from his knees. "Thanks for telling me I look like shit."

He managed to lift his hand and point to her. "You probably look as bad as me Val. And it's you that needs looking after the most."

Val stumbled to her feet, taking the waterskin she was so grateful for bringing with her in the first place and hobbling over to the shield strategically placed under a batch of icicles that were starting to melt, so the cool water had gathered to give them a small source of sustenance. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to do.

"Glenmore, you shouldn't be overexerting yourself, sit back down."

Val appreciated how they'd all taken the fact that she was pregnant in their strides, but didn't appreciate how much of an invalid they were all treating her as.

She didn't snap at them since it was probably out of ignorance that they did it; half of them weren't married and even less had children, so they'd had little experience with what exactly a woman with child was capable of.

"I'm fine sir. Moving about is actually helping."

Syverson was next to her before she could blink, all but snatching her waterskin and filling it mid way for her. "I don't claim to know the inner workings of a woman in your condition Glenmore, but I do know that rest is key."

He looked over to the pile of frozen bodies that they'd had no choice but to move a little down the hall. "And since we have no priest now, I can only guess whether you're 'fine' or not."

Val didn't need reminding of how the hulking Draenei that had told her she was carrying had perished yesterday; the wound he'd received in the initial crash had festered, and he was too weak to call the Light to himself. It was tragic really, and only made it more apparent to them all that no one lasted forever, even those who were most devoted.

"I appreciate your concern Sir, but I'm feeling as well as I can be." She gestured to Carson. "He needs that water more than I do."

Syverson clearly wasn't having it, passing her the skin and staring her down until she took a mouthful. "We've lost too many already, I don't intend on it carrying on."

Val bent down, putting the skin's nozzle on the corner of her cloak until it was saturated and pressing it to Carson's lips. "The Alliance won't have just abandoned us Sy, we just have to survive until then."

Syverson folded his arms, showing her how they were shaking. "Feels like we've been doing that for a millennia." He faltered, looking around and leaning in, like he was ashamed of asking what he was about to. "How are you doing? I know it's early days, but is it kicking and stuff?"

Val started gently laughing, continuing to make sure that Carson's lips stayed damp. "Sy, I won't feel it kick for another couple of months yet."

Well, she assumed she wouldn't. Since the days were non-existent in here she hadn't really worked out how long it had been since their imprisonment, so there was no telling just how far along she was really. It was early on, she knew that much, but the approximate weeks were a mystery. "Of all the bloody timings eh?"

Val grunted in agreement, brushing Carson's hair back from his face. "I would've thought you'd be used to it with me."

Syverson ran both hands down his own bearded cheeks to wake himself up a bit. They were all starting to succumb to the cold, and were fighting even harder to not let it get to them so much. Val was coping better than she thought; so far it was the tiredness that was taking it's hold, but she wasn't sure whether it was the cold or motherhood doing it.

"How much firewood do we have left?"

Syverson looked over at the meager pile they'd made from shields and torches with a grimace. "Hardly any, so we're rationing them until the night."

Val looked up to the thin sheet of ice covering the top of the stone wall. "I'm surprised you can tell when it's fucking night here."

That's when he grimaced. "We don't, it's merely guesswork, as everything is."

They both stopped at the same time, looking to the far wall where rubble, ice and snow blocked their one exit way, apparently hearing the scratches that had been sounding on and off all day and putting themselves on high alert. "You don't think it's the Scourge, do you?"

Syverson shrugged, gently pulling the hilt of his sword from it's scabbard by an inch just to make sure it hadn't frozen over. "I don't know. The nerubians might have sniffed us out, specially since we had them on the run."

Val couldn't even lift Stormfall, her arm burned in protest and forced her to shakily make sure Little Bird had bullets in her instead. "We won't last five minutes against the nerubians in the state we're in."

Syverson clearly knew that, looking down the corridor to their right that they'd all deemed unsuitable for them in terms of structural integrity. "We may have to move in deeper."

Val's brows snapped down. "We've already had four men go down there and not come back, why the hells would we risk it?"

Syverson had a very rare slither of fear on his face. "I don't see any other way to make sure at least some of us get out of this Light forsaken place alive Glenmore. If you have a better idea, I'm open for debate."

Carson sat straighter, cracking his back to get it back to life. "Why would the Scourge come after a trapped battalion? We've hardly any fucking meat on us…"

Val shushed him, running a thumb over his bottom lip. "Try not to talk Car, reserve your strength."

He opened one eye in annoyance. "I told you I'm fine, leave me be."

Val jerked her head towards the rocks. "How long do you think that lot will hold if they do get too close?"

Syverson's face was annoyingly straight. "Not long I should think. I'm more than certain they're all perched there by sheer dumb luck as it is, so one big strike should blow it all apart."

He looked up. "Meaning that this place comes down on our heads."

Val groaned in frustration. "It just keeps getting better and fucking better."

Syverson grunted in agreement, no matter how much he didn't want to. "We'll just have to see what happens tonight, and pray we're still here tomorrow."

She hadn't meant to fall asleep. She knew more than anyone else in here that once you went to sleep, you were gambling heavily on whether you'd wake up or not.

Yet here she was, forcing her eyes open and noticing how the temperature had dropped further in an instant. How it had happened was beyond her, since a quick glance around showed her no cracks or holes in their iced over prison, but she could swear she felt a breeze coming from somewhere.

She nudged Carson, intent on making sure it wasn't just her. He didn't respond, but she presumed it was merely because he was still asleep, so she nudged him again, gently saying his name in order to rouse him. By the third time she did it, she was starting to get worried.

His skin was a waxy ivory and his lips were blue, but she wasn't taking heed of that as she shook his shoulder, really digging her fingers in to make sure he felt it. "Car, this isn't funny. Wake the fuck up you arsehole."

She could feel hot tears warming her cheeks already but she wiped them away, thumping his chest and gritting her teeth. "Carson Eastcroft you wake the fuck up right now or so help me I'll knee you in the bollocks!"

She faltered, feeling her body protest to all this movement when the cold had taken a firm hold of her as well, but that wasn't going to stop her. "CAR!"

His head flopped forward, and any other rational person would've taken it as a sign that something was direly wrong, but Val remained stubborn, only looking away at the scratches starting up again, but louder and clearly closer. "Car, we need to go. Those things are almost here."

"Right, everyone up! Who did we lose?"

She flat out ignored Syverson's shout, a shout that told her another night had passed, a long, cold night where anything could've happened and that she should've seen this coming, and instead carried on with her vain attempts to wake the Kul Tiran.

"Shit…Glenmore, step away, we have to put him with the others. I'm so sorry."

She whirled on the captain with her teeth grinding together. "No. He's just being a prick, he'll wake up in a minute."

The Lordearonian's large hands only made her shoulders sting more but that didn't stop him holding them. "Glenmore, you of all people need to stay calm. Come away. He was sick already, this can't be that much of a shock."

Val elbowed his gut, making a mental note to apologise later as he released his grip and she shoved Carson's head back, slapping him hard across the face and only making her hand hurt ten times more.

"Carson you absolute cunt, open your damn eyes and show him you're fine!"

Her already dying voice was choked with tears she in no way wanted, ones she didn't heed or even acknowledge as she tried one more time, putting her forehead on his still chest and finally admitting defeat, letting her shoulders heave in racking sobs. "He was fine yesterday…"

Syverson knew she was well aware of how quickly the cold could take someone, cautiously putting his roughened palms back on her shoulders. "Try not to work yourself into a state Glenmore…"

She looked up, cupping Carson's cold cheek. "He had no one. He joined the First War simply because he was ready to die…" She felt her chest start to constrict. "Having us saved him. He adored Anduin, called his 'his little light'. He can't be go-"

She knew it looked rather disturbing, leaning against the chest of someone who'd passed, but she did it anyway. "We were arranging a trip down to Brinewick. I was going to take him to One Eyed Jacks."

Syverson squeezed her shoulders, gently bringing her back. "We'll all have a drink for those we've lost when this is all over Glenmore, I promise you."

Val wiped her aching eyes. "We can't leave him here. Please don't leave him here."

Syverson's face was annoyingly unreadable. "We're not going to leave any of them. We'll make sure they go home."

Val shook her head, perplexing him even more. "He has nothing in Kul Tiras. His home was Stormwind. He'll go there."

Nobody seemed to argue with her, at least not about this. Syverson held her elbow as he pulled her back, still holding onto it despite her wriggles. "We need to get something inside you Glenmore, you look like shit."

Val shook her head, finally pulling her arm from his grasp. "I'm fine, you go and see to the others."

She wasn't fine and they all knew it just by looking at her, but she'd argue until she was blue in the face- as ironically near that as she was.

Her lips were stinging yet somehow numb, and she could feel the curls that weeks of being dripped on had caused freezing strand by strand, making her head pound by the pull and putting her in what could be considered the foulest of moods.

If she were being perfectly honest, the small clouds erupting from her mouth with every breath were actually quite the comfort, since it proved to her that she was indeed still breathing.

Her bones were creaking like she was thrice her age and she was well aware that there were bags under her eyes, she could practically feel the things sagging under them. But she wasn't going to surrender to any of it, not yet.

Hells, she couldn't do it simply because it wasn't just her that would suffer because of it, she knew that, and it was probably the only thing still keeping her going. Varian would never forgive her if she put what would probably be their only child at risk simply because she 'gave up', and he'd be absolutely right in doing it.

"Val, you need to eat, end of story."

Her brow furrowed as she lamely sat on her knees next to Carson, wondering whether staring at his chest long enough would make it move again. She knew it sounded insane but she needed her best friend, and would give her right arm to bring him back at this point. They'd spent two wars together, they'd lost so many of their little group already, it wasn't fair that it was only her and Arin left.

Carson had been the one to give her frank advice without petticoats and lace marring his words, he'd gotten over his depression and was making such great strides that even he'd been surprised at his progress.

Anduin called him Uncle, he adored him, making him pretty much family at this point. And now…now he was gone in the blink of an eye. She'd only been speaking to him last night, he'd been laughing, teasing her about anything he could possibly think of, and now his laughter had been silenced, it was harrowing to think about.

"Since when have you called me Val?"

Syverson knelt next to her, brushing her cheek with the fur trim of his cloak. "Oh come on, we're hardly strangers at this point, are we? Besides, I think we've earned the right to drop the formalities in light of the current situation, don't you think?"

Val could see his point, but at the same time the simple act of using her first name instead of her surname as he usually did made her think he'd started to give up like the rest of them and just wanted to make an easy wicket of it all. "Do you expect me to call you 'Jack' now?"

He squeezed her shoulder, glad that she'd conceded in the fight they'd all engaged in last night of who got dibs on which cloaks were brought with the mage; the fine stitching and thick velvet had told him instantly that it was one of King Varian's and clearly meant for her, so when she'd tried to give it to someone else he'd put his foot down.

"You can do whatever you like. Just don't start calling me a prick again and we'll be fine."

The corners of Val's lips looked as if they were about to make her whole face start to crack with the small fissures her smile made in the dry skin. "I'm surprised you remember that, I can scarcely recall going to sleep."

Syverson looked sympathetic, glancing around at the rest of them and finding the shambling soldiers akin to the very Scourge that they had originally come here to eradicate. "I don't think many of us know our own fucking names at this point Val."

She closed her eyes as there was a distant rumbling accompanying the same scratching from yesterday, trying not to look as terrified as she felt.

If something was coming through those rocks they didn't stand a damn chance, and by the sounds of it, whatever was causing the ceiling to rain stone dust and ice shavings onto them was getting closer. "How many weapons do we have that aren't rusted?"

Syverson didn't look optimistic. "Not enough. Don't worry yourself, we'll go in deeper as planned and wait whatever it is out."

Val slumped back against the wall and brought her knees to her, alerting him at once. "What's wrong? Are you feeling ill again?"

She did, as she had for the past week or so (assuming she'd counted the sunrises and sunsets correctly, there was no telling time in here), but that didn't mean she was going to bring anything up. "Sleepy, sick, bloated, take your pick and times it by three."

She saw his face and tried cracking a smile again. "It's just the baby, nothing more Sy."

His grimace only made her want to laugh. "You really don't look good Glenmore."

Val waved a hand, feeling the floor start to shake underneath her and having to wonder If it wasn't an enemy at all and the mountain had just lost the will to hold the necropolis up anymore. "If my stepson could endure a week of having the plague and still smile, I can do it with a bit of morning sickness. Calm yourself and focus more on whether this place is going to bury us all."

He seemed to know what she meant, looking up and regretting it when more stone dust fell onto his bearded face. He twisted his back to look at the two guarding what they'd all decided was probably the only way in and out, whistling at them to stop the work they'd been doing for seven days of shifting the smaller rocks.

"Stop what you're doing and raise weapons."

That seemed to rouse the rest, with Syverson helping Val up as begrudged as he was to do it. "We need to move."

Val shook her head. "There's nowhere to go."

He looked behind him. "Anywhere is better than here."

The rumbling grew louder, with voices joining it.

"Goblins? What are the goblins doing here?"

Val had never heard a muffled goblin before, she was used to shouting ones in Booty Bay that could be heard for miles, so had to wonder how the hells Gale knew it was them on the other side. "Is that bad?"

She weakly turned her head to the voice to her left, one full of questioning fear. "It could very well be."

There was a horrific screech, one that made Val want to hold her ears, and apparently she wasn't the only one.

They all bent as the noise penetrated their chests, straightening briefly enough to see something pierce and send horrifying fissures through the rocks that had kept them prisoner, coughing and spluttering as more and more dust flew into their lungs from the bowing ceiling. "Weapons ready! If we're going to die, we're taking those bastards with us!"

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

Syverson's eyes widened as he heard the call from the other side of the organic barrier, grabbing Val's wrist and bending over her. "Get down!"

Shards of rock hit Val as almighty boom made her ears pop, making her chest tighten in frightened remembrance of when the cathedral exploded and her brother had thrown himself over her like Syverson was, making her wonder if history really would repeat itself and she'd open her eyes to find him dead.

Voices rang out all around her but she couldn't hear any of them, nor was she able to barely feel the hand on her elbow that pulled her backwards. She used whatever strength she had left to throw her other arm around and connect her fist with whoever was holding her, wriggling as much as she possibly could in her weakened state when said fist was held in a tight grip.

"Val! Val, it's me!"

Her ears were clearing but she was sure she was hearing things regardless. The voice was so familiar, but why would he be with a group of goblins? There was no way it was him, so she made sure to land one more kick to the shin in front of her, still attempting to get free of their grasp. "Damn it woman stop! Calm yourself!"

She finally gave up, thinking to herself that if this was merely a vision or someone impersonating him, she would take it, fuck sanity. She slumped, feeling the grip on her wrists loosen and a strong pair of arms pull her to a warm, inviting chest that she'd been wondering if she'd ever feel again.

"Varian?"

Lips met her stone cold forehead and she could feel the scars snagging against her skin, with the same roughness she'd associated with him for Light knew how many years making her want to just stand here and cry. "It's alright Sweetheart, I'm here."

Now she wasn't fighting, the adrenaline that she'd mustered for that brief moment melted away and she felt her body droop into his embrace, barely keeping her eyes open as her legs were taken out from under her and she was lifted into Varian's cradling arms. "You're safe now. All you have to do is stay awake a little bit longer, that's all."

She was trying, Light blind her she really was, but she watched the world darken as her eyelids fluttered against her will.

Once Varian had gotten her back to Wintergarde, he hadn't budged from her bedside. The medics had been waiting for them and instantly surrounded her, finding out the hard way that they had to work around him and somehow managing it.

Once they'd finished and finally heeded his bark of 'get out' he found the room quite silent save the laboured, slow breaths of his wife as she lay still as stone in a bed she looked tiny in when she wasn't lying next to him.

He was careful not to jolt the bandaged hand he was leaning over, very much anxious about the tube coming from the small gap in the linen that was attached to a bottle hanging from a hook next to the bed, giving Val the much needed hydration that apparently she'd been critically lacking in.

But he wasn't interested in that, he was more interested in pulling back the swath of furs she'd been all but wrapped in and hovering a shaking hand over the small roundness to a belly he was used to seeing as flat and toned.

He hadn't really believed what they'd told him until now, and his heart was practically in his mouth with every inch his palm lowered and eventually pressed lightly on the cold skin encasing his second son.

He had no recollection of how Tiffin looked at this stage, hells, he wasn't even sure he'd been in Lordaeron at this point, so he had no clue what was normal and what wasn't. What hedidknow was that he found it to be one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen in his life, and he'd protect it with every cell in his body.

The medics hadn't been able to tell him much in terms of the baby's health, they weren't trained for it, for they had told him that his heartbeat was strong, and the lack of food was probably to blame for Val showing as much as she was.

He knew she would start filling out again soon and the little protrusion would turn into a gorgeous little bump, but for now he was enjoying just seeing her as she was- amother.

After too damn long, she was a mother tohischild, and that thought alone was enough to make his eyes begin to water without him meaning for them to. He took his hand away for just a moment to wipe them, leaning back in his chair and looking around at the few trunks left in the room.

Lee was already down at Valiance Keep, making sure their things were on the ship and ready so they could go home as soon as was humanly possible.

Varian would be happy if he never had to sleep in Northrend again in his life; it was different when he was actually doing something productive, as he would with the Wrathgate assault, but staring at these four walls for three weeks had made him realise how much he hated this whole continent.

He had never longed for Stormwind in all his life, but all he wanted right now was his own bed, his son within arm's reach and the sun on Val's face again. He rose from his seat, stoking the brazier for all the good it would do and bending to plant a gentle kiss on her belly, nudging the waterskins filled with hot water so they were wedged between her and the mattress, giving her the heat she so sorely needed and pulling the furs back up.

Her eyelids were starting to twitch, so he knew she'd be waking up soon, and would probably feel a little overwhelmed finding him bent over her like a psychopath, so he needed to busy himself, opening her trunk and swapping the pile of clothes in there for the stacked armour on the table, reminding himself to get it fixed when they returned to Stormwind.

Each piece of slowly rusting steel made his stomach turn more, but the determination to never let something like this happen again counteracted the feeling and made his mind alot calmer than he had expected it to be.

She let out a small whine and he turned around, dropping the dress he'd been re-packing onto the end of the bed and taking his seat again, holding her hand to at least let her know that he was there. "Val?"

A harsh cough was his answer, but she soon regained control of her lungs and flopped her head lazily to the side, managing a weak smile. "I take it a 'hello' isn't going to cut it this time?"

Varian was trying his hardest not to smother her but it was proving difficult. She could probably see his hands trembling with the need to hold her, or his top lip twitching with the desire to kiss her cold cheeks until they were warm again, but she let him keep a shred of dignity and didn't say anything about it.

"No, no, it's not. Try not to exert yourself too much, you're still weak."

She chuckled, but it sounded more like she was gargling knives. "That's charming, that is."

He lifted her hand, not being able to hold it in anymore and pressing his lips to her clammy skin, cradling it with both hands. "I thought I'd lost you. When the necropolis crashed I couldn't think of anything but making sure you were alive."

Val's honey eyes had such a look of anguish in them and he knew exactly why but didn't want to touch the subject of Carson with a ten foot barge pole, not yet anyway. "I think it's by the skin of my arse that I made it out of there. Some of the others weren't so lucky."

Varian brushed a lock of dry, brittle hair from her face, feeling cruel for saying this but needing to. "Don't think about them for now. I think focusing on yourself and our boy is priority, just until you're back to form."

She didn't look so sure. "If he'd just held on ten more minutes he would still be here."

Varian shushed her, letting go of her hand to fish the rag from the cool, clean water sitting in the bowl on the bedside, wringing it out and merely dabbing her lips with it as the medic had instructed before they'd left. "Think about all this later Val. Stress is the last thing you want right now."

Her smile returned, but it was so faint that he almost had to squint to see it. "What are you, my midwife now?"

Varian chuckled, putting the rag back in the bowl and drying his hands on the ends of his tunic. "If wearing a wimple will make you take me seriously then that's what I'll do and you damn well know it."

She started laughing, making the corners of her mouth bleed without meaning to and only realising when he pressed his thumb to them and wiped the crimson drops away. "The day I see you in a habit is the day I believe the world has truly gone mad."

Her brow furrowed and she looked down the bed, half heartedly pushing the furs down and thanking him for taking over. "Is everything alright with him?"

Varian nodded, well aware that she'd need to know about their son before anything else. "Aye, his heartbeat's strong. I'll have you properly looked at when we get home, but everything seems fine as far as we can tell."

Val put an arm behind her head to prop it up. "Home?"

Varian's eyebrow cocked. "Did you really think I'd let you stay here now you're with child? I've already formally discharged you from active duty and Lee's waiting with a ship to take us to Stormwind whenever you're fit and able, it's all been arranged."

She shook her head and he readied himself for an argument. "No, I mean the fact you said 'we'. You're coming back to Stormwind with me?"

Varian put his hand on her belly, stroking the cotton slip they'd put her in with his thumb. "You're pregnant with a child we were starting to think we'd never have, and there's no real reason for me to stay here. So yes, I'm coming home with you."

Her grin was the last response he'd been expecting, but it was a welcome one. "Good. I won't lie, I was wondering how to ask you if you were coming home." Her face fell. "I didn't really want to do this by myself."

Varian stood, bending over her and kissing her forehead. "You won't have to Val. And if for some reason I get called away, I'll make sure there's people around you that we both trust."

He could see the relief in her eyes as he sat next to her bent knees. "Does Anduin know we're coming?"

Varian took the hand she was holding out for him. "Yes, I wrote to Minnie the first day you were trapped telling her that we were coming back, so he more than likely knows by now."

Her fingers curled around his. "You haven't told her about the baby though, have you?"

He shook his head, patting her hand. "No, I went with my gut and assumed you wouldn't want them to know until you could tell them yourself."

Val's smile made all anxiety about his decision melt away. "I think I wanted to make sure you were both safe before I told a soul, if I'm being completely honest."

Val could respect that. "And here we are."

Varian bent for another kiss, feeling the biting sting on her lips fade more each time his pressed against them. "And here you are."

She looked up at him with the beautiful honey irises he'd been craving to see for the past three weeks. "You look as awful as I feel."

He shrugged as if his own well being didn't matter right now. "I haven't slept, that's all. I'm sure I'll get plenty on the ship."

She reached up, cupping his whiskered cheek. "This tells me that sleeping isn't the only thing you haven't done."

Varian couldn't help his chuckle, glad to feel that her palm wasn't stinging with cold anymore. "Typical, nearly died of hypothermia, and here she is lecturing me about not shaving. That's you in a nutshell really, isn't it?"

She nodded just as he knew she would, scratching the bottom of his chin. "It strangely suits you."

Varian started noticing it now she'd pointed it out, making it abundantly obvious how he hadn't been taking care of himself when he hadn't even been aware of the beard forming on his own face."Don't get too used to it. I doubt Minnie will allow it to live once we step on Stormwind soil."

She managed a small smirk without breaking her lips open this time, which he was glad to see. "She'll have to fight me. It's officiallymyjob to decide whether you're scruffy or not anymore."

Varian tutted, tickling her cheeks with the ends of his hair. "Valerica Wrynn, threatening to fight a sixty six year old woman doesn't become you."

Her face scrunched. "I've been thinking about that actually."

His brow creased in confusion. "What, fighting your grandmother?"

Val's quiet laugh made his own bubble in his chest. "No, not fighting Grammy, that's one I'd never win in a million years. I meant the whole 'Valerica Wrynn' idea."

Varian's concern shoved his mirth out of the way and gained control of his mind almost instantly. "Oh? Is this your roundabout way of saying you want a divorce?"

She shook her head, shimmying back and letting him help sit her up. "Not at all, it's just a superficial thing really, but something I've been thinking about."

She took the cup of water he passed her, slowly sipping as she tried to think about how to put this without greatly offending him. "I want to keep 'Glenmore', but at the same time I want to be known as your wife. So I was thinking of maybe double barrelling?"

She put her cup down and put her hand on his arm. "You can stay Wrynn to save you the arseache of your council, but I'll have them both, you know, when we marry again."

Varian's brow furrowed and she didn't like it one bit. "It's a bit late now Val, we've already signed everything officially."

He shuffled closer to her. "I thought the next wedding was just for show anyway?"

Val wasn't looking at him so he gently moved her head up by the chin. "It's not in your mind, is it?"

Val shook her head. "No. It's the wedding where my family can celebrate with us."

She patted her stomach. "We've got this little one now, things have changed, we both know we're coming home..."

She waved a hand, realising that she was putting too much on his shoulders too soon. "Forget I said anything, I'm happy being a Wrynn either way, you know this."

Varian kissed her forehead, feeling the cogs in his head begin to turn. "Leave it with me."

Her eyebrow rose. "Leave what with you?"

Varian squeezed her knee, granting entry to whoever was gently knocking on the door. "Everything. Leave it all with me and perhaps I'll pleasantly surprise you."

He thanked the dwarf that put the tray on the table and gave her leave, going over and preparing the broth sitting in a small wooden bowl just as he knew Val liked it. "I can feed myself, you know."

Varian huffed, taking a pinch of the pepper brought with it and making sure he was generous with it. "You're recovering from dehydration and hypothermia, not the flu. You will sit there, be quiet and let me look after you or so help me I'll shackle you to that damn bed."

He regretted his wording as soon as it left his mouth, hearing her snicker almost immediately. "…Is that a threat or a pro-" He swiftly held a finger up. "Don't even finish that sentence!"

Just hearing her laugh after all the weeks of worry made Varian start to relax, even if he didn't appreciate that he was the butt of the joke. "So how much of a traditionalist are you?"

He thankfully understood the underlying question and sat by her side, stirring the broth with every intent of feeding her himself until she got her strength back; countless medics and the few servants here had offered to do it but he'd dismissed them, wanting not only the privacy an empty room brought them, but to save her pride.

She would feel ridiculous no matter who did it, so he was the lesser of the two evils in his book, and he wasn't about to listen to any protestations from her.

Her usually browned skin was still a pale grey and she couldn't open her mouth without ripping the plump lips he knew and loved, so she clearly wasn't back to form yet no matter how many times she barked at him that she was.

"In the respect you're thinking…half and half. We'll start making love again when you're a bit further along and I'm assured it's not going to have any adverse effects."

She obligingly opened her mouth, sighing in contentment at the braised beef and tender vegetables sliding from the spoon. "Define, 'further along'?"

He cocked an eyebrow, wiping the corner of her mouth with his thumb and fighting her hand when she went to bat him away. "I'm not putting a number on it in case I feel it's not the right time, but rest assured sweetheart, it will happen at some point."

Val grimaced, moving one of the waterskins when it slipped too far down so it was sitting better. "We've been doing it already Varian, remember how far gone I am."

Varian was well aware of that, and let her swallow the spoonful he put in her mouth before he responded lest he get sprayed with broth. "And that's exactly why I'm putting a stop to it now, so we can prevent anything actually happening instead of tempting fate."

He opened the drawer next to her and pulled her cigarettecase from it, waving it in front of her face. "And that also means no more of these."

Val's brows snapped down in annoyance. " Varian, I'm ill, not fucking stupid."

He threw it back in, ready to close the drawer and cursing as she put her hand there just before the wood met. "Damn it woman, do you want to add broken fingers to your list of ailments?"

She didn't answer, instead taking out the double frame he'd been staring at for three weeks and putting it on her lap. "Anduin looks so young there…"

Varian murmured an agreement, abandoning her meal for the moment and instead pushing himself further up the bed until he was sat next to her, putting his arm across her shoulders and cushioning her neck despite her not asking him to. "I think he's about a year old. It was after Tiffin died at any rate."

Val sighed, running the tip of her thumb over the ruddy cheeks forever memorialised in oil paint. "We can't let him think that he's going to be put out to pasture because of the baby Varian, I'd never forgive myself if that happened."

Varian apparently shared her concerns."If he does hear that, it won't be from us. I'll turn into a dictator concerning gossip if I have to."

Val gave him a smile, leaning her head against him and very much appreciating the small kisses that dotted the crown of her head. "Don't be too harsh with it Varian, we always knew people would talk about every little thing the minute we got back together."

She didn't look too happy and of course he noticed. "You're thinking."

She looked up at him. "And so what if I am?"

Varian grimaced, subconsciously pulling the furs up a bit more. "It looks to me like whatever you're thinking about vexes you. Ergo, it'll vex me even more when and if you tell me what exactly it is you're thinking."

Val looked at her lap, but her focus wasn't on the picture anymore. "The council doesn't know we're married yet, do they?"

Varianreallydidn't like where she was potentially going with this. "No, just as we discussed they wouldn't, why?"

She started plucking the furs just to keep her hands busy. "So they'll call our son a bastard before he's even born when we know that's not the case."

Varian felt his soul sigh and his head flop back, cursing under his breath and wishing a painful death on his councillors and whoever created a monarchy in the first place. "Val, we knew this when we went ahead with the elopement…"

She gave him the most pained look he'd ever seen on her face, breaking his heart even more. "I didn't think I'd find myself in the family way so quickly Varian, it changes everything a little, don't you think? Our son will be born in six months to people that call him names and whisper about him, we have to deal with that now while we can put a stop to it."

Varian shushed her, not wanting her to get into a state over something he found so ridiculous. "Val, our son will be loved, and in the eyes of the Light, he's as legitimate as you or I. It's only until the war is over and we give the people their pompous ceremony, then all will be well in the minds of the narrow sighted arseholes you're thinking of."

He splayed his hand on her belly to make his point, holding her close with the the other arm. "We know the truth and that's all that matters. And he will beloved, which matters even more. He'll be surrounded by people who love him, enough to protect him from those vile people."

He tweaked her nose, chuckling when she slapped his hand away and glared at him. "So no more of this 'bastard' business unless it's towards me when you're having him."

She shivered before he'd even finished, snuggling down and telling him that she was losing the battle with her own fatigue. "Thanks for reminding me that he has to come out at one point."

Varian kissed her temple, watching her eyes close but knowing full well she was still awake. "I'm sure you'll handle it with grace and digni- don't look at me like that."

Her glare was sharp enough to put holes in his head were it given the chance, but it faded to a grimace when he left her side and helped her get settled, pulling the furs practically to her chinas she settled on her front. "It better be sunny in Stormwind. I've had enough of the cold to last me a fucking lifetime."

Varian grunted in agreement, lifting her hand to make sure nothing had moved. "We could always stop in Samarkand, you're bound to warm up there."

She perked up a little, lifting her head and propping herself up with an elbow. "Can we?! We can stop to get Anduin and then go to Bonan!"

Varian held a hand up, cursing himself for getting her excitable again. "We'll see how you are when we get to Stormwind first. There's things I need to deal with once we get back."

He grimaced, haphazardly folding her breeches and dropping them in. "I've left it in charge of my council, so I'm sure I'll have to clean up whatever mess they've made."

"Have they not been keeping you up to date then?"

He huffed, taking a roll from the tray Val's broth had come on and tearing a hunk from it. "Oh, they've been keeping me up to date alright. Every week I'm getting about six pages of drivel from Prestor."

Val's eyebrow cocked despite her eye being closed. "JustPrestor?" Varian's chuckle didn't fill her with any confidence. "Is that jealousy I hear, my dear wife?"

He was sure she was growling, and found it highly amusing when normally she was beratinghimfor his jealousy. "That depends; did she finish these reports with 'regards Your Majesty', or 'my hot bed waits for you my stud of a king'?"

Varian knew he shouldn't have laughed at something that was quite clearly bothering her but he couldn't help it, the wording was too perfect, and he soon found himself bent over with his ribs starting to hurt. "It's not funny Varian! I've said from day one that she annoys me. I bet she's been ridden more than any horse in Elwynn."

Varian rolled his eyes, closing the trunk and taking his original seat next to the bed. "Val, she's part of my council, nothing more, nothing less."

He took her hand, linking their fingers together. "Why would I want someone who probably has coal for a heart when I have the perfect woman for me lying in front of me?"

Val rarely pouted but it seemed today was one of those sparse occasions. "I'm about to get fat, emotional and Light knows what else Varian, you can't blame me for thinking you're eye might wander in that time."

He slumped back with his arms crossed and a loud groan falling from his lips. "Val, don't start. First of all you couldn't be 'fat' if you tried. You'll be round with our child, there's a big, beautiful difference and I won't hear any different come from your mouth, and if I do I'll glue it shut, understood?"

She wrinkled her nose, strangely transfixed with the bandage on her hand. "And you say you're not good with words."

Varian shrugged, watching her fight to stay awake. "I am when I need to be. Speeches is not one of those times."

There was another rap at the door and Varian let Lee in, glad that the boy had followed instruction and come back to leave with them. "Glad to see you awake Your Majesty."

Val's eyebrow rose, and she supposed Lee wouldn't mind if she didn't make too much of an effort to look around at him. "You're just pushing your bleedin' luck now."

Lee chuckled, putting another tray down, this one with a tea service that made Val want to salivate. "Nice to see you haven't lost your wit either."

He gestured to the trunk. "Is this the last of your luggage, Your Majesty?"

Varian nodded, giving him permission to pour Val a cup despite his urge for her to rest. "It is. Is everything ready for our departure?"

Lee nodded, putting an extra sugar cube in, which Varian appreciated. "It is Sire."

He put Val's tea on the bedside for when she felt the need for it, giving Varian a single sheet of parchment with a deep grimace. "What's this?"

Lee only looked more glum. "The goblins haven't hesitated to send Your Majesty their wishes…and their bill."

Varian chuckled, which was the last thing the younger man had been expecting. "If anything I'm shocked it didn't come sooner. Pen a reply telling that pot bellied little bastard that he'll get his gold when I deem it so, no sooner."

Val propped herself up again, too enticed by the steaming mug to attempt sleep anymore. "We were ready to attack when we heard the goblins on the other side of that rock. What the hells made you go to them?"

Varian's top lip curled as he took his coffee from Lee. "Desperation, panic, lack of sleep, take your pick.Someonereminded me the day before yesterday that I had one more meeting with Thrall in Dalaran."

Val didn't need to ask who 'someone' was, she could already guess by the grin on Lee's face that it was him. "And did it prove fruitful?"

Varian was rather disgruntled at how he'd so nearly gotten her to rest and now she was sitting up asking about matters that didn't concern her right this minute. "Aye, it did. Everything's set for our joint assault on the Wrathgate."

She looked glad to hear it, taking a sip of tea and feeling instant warmth shoot through her veins."So how did that lead to a deal with goblins?"

Varian's brow furrowed. "It was not a 'deal'. Thrall offered their services to me when I told him of the cave-in as a sign of good faith, that's all. I'll have no more to do with them from this point forward."

He left his seat, ignoring her whines when he took her cup away and kissed her head. "You need to get some sleep love. I've secured us a carriage down to Valiance Keep and I can't guarantee it'll be an easy ride."

Val was sure that this wouldn't be the end of Varian's attempts to mother her, and had to bear in mind exactly why he was doing it and appreciate it a little bit no matter how much it annoyed her. "We could just use a portal."

Varian shook his head, taking her hair down and raking his fingers through it. "No magic, just for now. I shudder to think what effect it has."

Her eyes were closing again and this time he was adamant they would stay that way, sifting through the trunk, pulling out what he needed and sitting next to her, doing the exact thing she always did to calm his nerves.

He had no idea why or how it managed to work, but it was tried and tested, so he wouldn't question it. Taking her bookmark out he smoothed the pages of the pocket sized tome that Anduin had given her, clearing his throat and making sure her eyes were still open enough to at least hear him.

"Far out at sea the water's blue as the petals of the loveliest cornflower, and as clear as purest glass…"