Varian sat and listened intently while the events of the Wrathgate were relayed to him and they watched his face contort into many emotions; anger to hurt, hurt to grief, and back to anger.

When they were done he simply sat there, running both hands over his face. "I would say why wasn't I told, but I'm sure all of this was in the report?"

Magni gave him an affirming nod. "Aye, it was. But we cannae blame ya fer not readin' it yet. That's why we thought we'd come ta you in person."

Tyrande had a gentle care in her eyes even if it was hard for Varian to read them. "We realise you had other things on your mind, but this was a matter of the utmost importance."

Varian could respect that, but it didn't mean he could get his head around any of it.

He knew from the minute the truce had been signed that something would go wrong, but he had anticipated a few small skirmishes between a few men and orcs, not an army wide wipe out.

"And it was definitely the Forsaken, and not the Scourge?"

Magni passed him a piece of parchment, supposedly a copy of the neglected report still sitting upstairs. "Aye lad. The few survivors told us all the same thing, that a Forsaken stood atop the cliff, damned them all and let loose with t'blight."

Varian read the witness account in front of him with his brows drew down and his forehead creased. "And killed Horde as well as Alliance?"

More nods. "For what purpose though? Why would the Forsaken suddenly turn on the Horde when they've accepted them into their ranks?"

Gelbin drummed his stubby fingers on the table. "We did notice that the Horde forces were significantly smaller than the Alliance's."

Nizaar grunted in agreement. "Which makes one think that this wasn't a betrayal to the Horde at all."

Tyrande held up a long finger before Varian could even open his mouth. "We have not all agreed with that conclusion. It does not make sense to destroy multiple troops just to cut the Alliance numbers down."

Varian started to growl, feeling the pent up anger of the past twenty four hours start to spill over. "Unless you're the Horde, than it makes perfect sense. Sacrifice a few soldiers, unleash the blight on the Alliance, turn everybody into Forsaken and immediately adopt them into the Horde, knowing the Alliance won't accept them. Bolstering their own forces so they can take us on after the Lich King is defeated…they planned this from the beginning."

He gritted his teeth, looking at every one of them. "What of the Lich King? What happened when the blight went off?"

Nizaar shrugged, taking a long drink of his wine. "He simply retreated. Apparently he was as affected by the blight, but we're surmising that Frostmourne is keeping him alive."

Varian knew he was breaking a promise to his wife but he couldn't help holding his goblet up and barking the word 'whiskey' at Gregor, watching the amber liquid fill it and subsequently downing it. It was the first taste of spirits since he'd gotten back to Stormwind, and to give in so easily shamed him, but it gave him a small amount of numbness, which is what he needed right now.

"So we're back to where we started, but worse off. All because of the Horde." He turned to Gregor. "Bring me our copy of the treaty. I want it burned."

Tyrande's eyes widened. "King Varian, I must protest-"

He held a hand up to stop her. "This was a direct attack by a sect of the Horde against Alliance soldiers, Tyrande. The Forsaken have violated the treaty and therefore made it null and void. While I'm not going to cause all out war with them, I will denounce any involvement we have with them from this day forward."

He took a long, deep breath, skimming the report in front of him. "How many did we lose?"

Gelbin ran a hand down his mutton chops. "Nearly ten thousand. But that's only an approximation."

Nizaar looked as furious as Varian felt. "There were no bodies left by the time we sent scouts there. It's safe to assume they've been taken by the Scourge to add to their numbers."

Varian's goblet was pre emptively refilled, and he couldn't be more grateful for it. "As if his armies weren't large enough…now we have to fight against risen Alliance. I don't see how this could be any worse."

He took a large swallow, not downing it this time. "And Bolvar was among them?"

Nizaar nodded despite how much pain it brought to the High King. "All that was recovered was his shield. I've given it to Benedictus to cleanse."

Varian closed his eyes, taking a quiet moment to try and gather his thoughts on the whole thing when really, it was never going to happen. "I can't even suggest regrouping and going back, can I? I'm assuming the blight made Wrathgate inaccessible?"

Tyrande nodded, trying to work out what he was thinking by his face. "We're in the process of trying to find another way, but for today we've let the troops gather themselves and grieve for their fallen comrades."

Varian's brows drew in further. "Do we have a list of the fallen? Some of Val's friends were in the Gilnean brigade and the Stormwind artillery, she'll want to know if something's happened."

Magni reached over and patted his shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. "It's all being sent to yer study as we speak lad, don't worry , it's all in hand."

Varian stayed silent, but his face twisted into one of rage. "I willingly gave Sylvanas Windrunner Lordaeron to dwell in as an act of good faith. I sympathised with her plight, despised Arthas for what he'd done to her and the others he'd turned…and she throws it back in my face. I should've anticipated this happening sooner or later."

Nizaar recognised that tone, putting an elbow on the table. "Varian, are you suggesting we take Lordaeron away from the Forsaken?"

Even Magni wasn't sure about this one. "Varian, there are thousands of Forsaken in the capital alone, we won't be able to eradicate them all."

Varian carried on reading the witness report with fire burning in his stomach, a fire that wanted nothing more than Arthas' head sitting next to the elf that allowed this attack to happen. "If we clear the Undercity, we have a major stronghold. The rest can be dealt with as we originally planned, with the gunships."

While they all respected that his mind was all over the place right now, Tyrande couldn't find herself automatically agreeing. "They have minds, Your Majesty, they have consciousness. It will be genocide."

Varian slammed a fist on the table. "And what she's just done doesn't count as the same thing?! Ten thousand Alliance soldiers, Tyrande, Ten thousand.That's ten thousand mothers, father, brothers….sons…who will never been seen again by those who love them. What's to say she won't do it again? I'm not taking that chance. While the rest of the army regroups and a new way to Icecrown is found, I'm taking a small force to clear out the Undercity. I don't exactly know when, but I can't give that witch time to make more of that damn blight."

Nizaar, who had only recently suffered much the same pain Varian was going through, held a hand up. "Think on it Varian. You're all over the place at present and it would behoove you to take time to collect your thoughts."

Varian put his face in both hands, running them down it when he eventually straightened. "Just when I think the war was nearly at its end, that peace was around the corner…"

He rose, draining the last of his drink. "It's as you say, I'm out of sorts at the moment. If you'll all excuse me, I need to get back to Val. Send me any further reports and we'll reconvene in a weeks time."

He sighed, already moving around the table to leave. "I think we all need to time to gather ourselves. Gregor will see that you're all attended to. Good day."

His chambers were quiet when he returned, with only soft snores and the rustle of sheets reminding him every so often that he hadn't gone deaf. He uncorked the whiskey decanter, pouring himself another glass and grimacing as he drank, wishing to the Light that Val didn't see him do it.

Slumping into his seat he pulled his boots off and sighed, hanging his head back. How the hells had everything gone so wrong in such a small amount of time? First Elliot, now the Wrathgate, and potential warfare against the Forsaken…it was all too much.

He wished he could just shut the door, curl up with the two that were most important and make the world go away, or let it fix itself. But he couldn't, and it made his heart weary for the future of Azeroth.

Ugly, horrid thoughts assaulted his mind and he couldn't help thinking that maybe it had been a kindness that Elliot hadn't been born to a disgrace of a world such as this. He absolutely hated himself for even thinking it, but after what he'd just heard, was it really that cruel a concept?

His stomach was turning at every glance he gave to the whiskey bottle, enough to force him to shove it back in the cabinet from where it came, wiping his mouth and instead pouring ice cold water into the washroom basin and splashing his face, scrubbing it with both hands like he was trying to rid himself of something caked onto it. He leant on the table where the basin sat, screwing his eyes shut.

"Some fucking High King you're turning out to be Varian. Can't even keep your own family safe, what the hells made you think you'd be able to protect thousands?"

A fist curled and pounded against the table, trying to exert some frustration that he was sure wouldn't go away for a long while.

He'd woken someone, he could hear the sheets being kicked back and the soft groans of conciousness, and while felt bad about it, the company was quite welcomed.

The squeak of wheels told him who it was and once again he became annoyed, coming out to meet Val before she came into the cold room. "Val, you shouldn't be out of bed."

She stopped the frame holding her drip and held onto it, reaching for his hand with her spare. "If I stay in there much more I'll start melding with the cotton."

Her brow furrowed, but he was pleased to see a bit of colour back in her cheeks. "You look even more troubled than when you left. What happened?"

Varian felt an inner battle inside his heart, debating whether he should tell her everything or nothing at all, but eventually his need to speak to someone who knew him properly about the whole debacle took over. "We…we were betrayed Val. The treaty with the Horde was a sham, they led us to a trap. Ten thousand of our soldiers were killed…"

She shushed him, letting go of his hand and cupping his cheek. "Sit down and tell me everything."

He helped her to the dining table, pulling her chair out and manoeuvring her drip as she sat, pulling his chair next to her and trying to think about how to put this.

He ended up spouting absolutely everything he'd just been told, holding her hand like she would disappear if he let go of it and watching her face change as much as his probably had downstairs. "So what will you do?"

Varian brought her hand to his lips, leaning his forehead on it. "I don't know, and that's what worries me. Normally I have a plan straight away, I know exactly what I'm doing, but this time all I want to do is shout scream and strangle that fucking elf."

Val combed his hair back with her fingertips, taking the tie out and letting it fall loose. "I think you'd have a clearer head if we hadn't just gone through our own loss."

Varian looked up, taking her hand back. "I know, and I'm sorry Val, I shouldn't be dumping all of this on you, today of all days."

She shook her head, noticing the empty glass sitting across from her but not saying a word about it. "We can't predict when people will need us Varian. The world doesn't stop turning just because our son passed away, as much as I deeply wish it would."

He looked so tired, all she wanted to do was turn the tables and tell him to rest, but she was well aware that it wouldn't work. "I just want it all to go away Val."

Val gently shushed him, bringing him into an embrace and letting him put his head on her shoulder. "So do I."

And finally, she felt his tears hit her collarbone. She'd been waiting for him to finally let himself open up properly to her all night, not believing the steady voice or the squared shoulders at all.

She knew him too well, she was certain that he'd been bottling it all up simply because he thought it was what people wanted of him when really, it was the opposite. His palms held her waist simply to steady himself, and his voice cracked more with every chest heaving sob. "I want our boy back."

She rested her head on his, running her fingers through his hair with the pathetic notion that it would actually do anything. "I know. So do I."

He moved his head so his mouth was hanging over her shoulder, making it easier to hear him. "Of all those poor bastards that I've just been told had died, I'm still only concerned with one baby. Does that make me a terrible person? Am I selfish?"

Val shook her head, swallowing hard to wet her throat. "No, you're a grieving father who can't find the strength to worry about others right now, and I highly doubt anyone is going to damn you for it, especially not me."

She kissed his temple, rocking him despite how he'd resent the notion later. "I'm tired, Val. I'm tired of war, I'm tired of being scammed and betrayed every fucking time I try and build bridges…I'm so damn tired."

He sat up, showing her his red rimmed eyes and tears staining his stubbled cheeks. "I should be thinking about you right now, not my own troubles."

Val wiped his eyes, cupping his cheeks. "We share our troubles Varian, you should know that by now. And you're as entitled as I am to cry over our son."

The tiniest hint of a smile made the corners of his lips twitch, but she knew they wouldn't stick and she was soon proven right. "You're stronger than I will ever be, you know that, woman?"

He kissed her forehead, glad to feel it wasn't as salty as it had been last night. "I do so bloody admire you."

Val put some of his hair behind his ear, giving back his tie when he held his hand out for it. "Because I have great support."

She patted his shoulder, letting him help her up, figuring she should still be in bed when the midwife arrived to check on her soon. "And I intend to do the same for you when I can. If what you said about the Forsaken is true, then it looks like we're going to be busy."

Varian tightened his grip on her hand and put the same arm in his, guiding her back and slowing to her pace. "You'll be nothing of the sort; you are going to focus on getting yourself back to form, and Iwill deal with the war. You've just gone through something horrific Val, I'm not expecting you to just forget that in a day."

Val shushed him as Anduin stirred, wincing as she sat back down and gently brought her legs back up, thanking him for lifting them when it clearly got too much and fixing the pillows for her. "Varian, I told you earlier, I'm not forgetting this in a hurry."

She plucked at her nightdress, showing Varian a distinct wet patch. "My body won't let me forget."

He sighed, sitting by her legs. "Your milk's come in?"

Val nodded, wiping her hand on her thigh. "I noticed it about ten minutes before you left. I swear, between that and the crying bouts, I'm surprised this bed isn't floating."

He took her hand, linking his large fingers with hers. "We can talk to the sister about getting it stopped."

She screwed her eyes shut but he could already see the tears sneaking their way down her nose. "I shouldn't have to stop it. It's Elliot's, he should be having it like every other fucking baby."

Varian shuffled to the side so he could embrace her without stretching her too much, firmly rubbing her back and letting her cry into him, not caring that she'd already done it today and wanting her to feel that she could do it whenever she wanted. "I know Sweetheart, but we can't just let it carry on, it's not fair on anyone, especially you."

Val huffed, pushing him away a little harsher than he really would've liked her to. He'd been fearing this would eventually happen since he'd gotten home yesterday; the withdrawal from any kind of affection, particularly from him. He'd heard so many horror stories of couples being driven apart by miscarriages, he had no intentions of the two of them joining that statistic.

"Varian, this whole situation is unfair."

She looked to her left, reaching out and brushing Anduin's hair back, managing not to disturb the boy at all. "It's unfair that we had to tell Anduin that he's not getting his brother when we've been talking about pretty much nothing else for months on end."

She slumped back against the pillow. "It's not fair that we've told absolutely everybody that we're to be parents, then be tasked with telling them 'sorry, it's not happening because Val managed to go and get sick out of stubborn pride'."

He wasn't going to stop her saying exactly what she was feeling, he wasn't that cruel, but that didn't mean he agreed with it. "Val, how many times do I have to tell you this wasn't your fault? Nothing you did caused this."

Val let him pull the furs up to cover her legs, knowing he meant well but not wanting gentle words right now. "That's not what everyone will think when we tell them Varian. I know they're already talking about me out there, saying it's because we're not married or because I'm just your fucking whore, that the Light's punishing us for it all, I'm not completely ignorant."

Varian didn't want to wake Anduin but his fist pounded the bed before he could stop it.

"They've said nothing of the sort, nor would they dare to. Don't waste your energy on thinking about what's going on out there, just focus on making yourself better."

Her brows knitted. "What did the other leaders have to say about it?"

Varian's features softened and with it, his headache started to creep in again. "They were all concerned with your well-being, nothing more, nothing less. They know how much we wanted Elliot, Sweetheart, they were never going to be vindictive."

Val started chewing her bottom lip, which only made it drier than it already was. "And none of them are furious that I pulled you away from battle?"

Varian fought his groan, not wanting to make her feel worse than she already clearly was. "No Val, not one of them are furious with you about that."

He hung his head, wishing he didn't even have to say this. "I don't think I need to remind you what my fate would've been had I gone and not been called back."

More tears pooled in her already red eyes and he had to kick himself for being so tactless. "I was trying not to say anything about it. It seems too much of a horrible twist of fate."

She held his cheek with a shaking hand, finally letting herself smile even if it was incredibly wobbly and took alot of effort to put on her face. "It just makes me more grateful that you're here at all really. Most men would be down the Nag's Head drowning his sorrows by now."

Varian turned his head so he could kiss her palm, taking her hand away and keeping it encased in his. "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, I'm not 'most men'."

He leant over and kissed her forehead, well aware that she could probably smell the whiskey on his breath already and merely praying she didn't bring it up, giving her hand a squeeze. "Think you can stomach some tea and toast?"

She thought about it for a few seconds, eventually nodding and letting him pull the rope by their door, pleasantly unsurprised to find him right back next to her afterwards. "Are we still planning to go to the chapel later?"

Varian felt her head with the back of his hand, glad that she'd finally given in and let him do it. "Aye, I think it would help bring us a small amount of closure. I'm not saying it will make anything better, but I think it's necessary to the process."

She seemed to agree, which he had to admit was refreshing. "After the Sister then. I don't want to leave him so cold for so long."

He remembered his earlier promise to take her lead, brushing her hair back and turning towards the door, bidding the Sister entry when Varro told them she had arrived like she'd known they were discussing her, rising from the bed with a respectful incline of his head. "Good morning Sister."

Her kind eyes were enough to make everything feel chokingly real again, and her smile didn't help in the slightest. "Good morning, Your Majesty. How are you two?"

Val answered for him as he took her cape and scarf, putting them over the back of his armchair. "We've stopped crying, I suppose that's a start."

Sister Gertrude tutted, sitting in the same spot Varian had just been occupying and patting her hand. "Lady Glenmore, I don't think anyone will raise any objection to letting your emotions loose, do you? This won't right itself in a day."

She glanced up at the drip, well aware that Varian was trying to read her face from his spot at Val's other side, looming over a sleeping Anduin like a protective lion. "You've gotten a little more colour in your cheeks, that's a good sign. Have you managed to get any sleep?"

Val shrugged, not feeling nervous per se, but not really wanting to have this talk with the elder woman, for she knew it would end with all traces of her pregnancy becoming pretty much erased, which was the last thing she wanted.

She didn't want to be constantly reminded of it, that wasn't the case at all, but to have it all swept away in a minute or so of conversation was daunting to say the least. "I got about twenty minutes while Varian was at his meeting just now."

Gertrude smiled down at Anduin, who was beginning to stir. "It seems you've had visitors this morning." Her smile faded as she realised what that meant. "Does the little lad know?"

Varian took over now, seeing the way Val stiffened. "He does. We've told him in the most gentle way we could."

Val had sadness wash over her face again as she started to stroke Anduin's head again. "Now it's just everyone else we have to tell. But I don't want to, because it makes it real, and I don't want it to be real, not yet."

Her voice shook and Gertrude gently shushed her, palpating her abdomen and giving her the most genuine look of sympathy Varian was sure they'd get in the days to come. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to yet Milady. The both of you will know when you're ready to deal with the outside world, right now the only people that matter are you three."

Varian folded his arms, trying not to sigh. "See, Sweetheart? I told you, those people out there don't count for shit right now."

Gertrude straightened again. "His Majesty's right, Milady, no matter how I would've put it in different terms. Don't be fretting about anything that isn't getting you better. Has the bleeding gotten any worse since last night?"

Val shook her head, but Varian looked rather perturbed. "Bleeding? I thought that stopped when the baby came?"

Gertrude gave him the respect of eye contact, raising a hand in reassurance. "It's normal after every single birth to bleed for a while, Your Majesty. It's just the body cleaning everything out."

Varian's brows drew in. "But it's not dangerous?"

Val actually smiled at him, properly this time, which lifted his heart more than he thought it would, holding her hand out and waiting for him to come to her side and take it.

"No, Your Majesty, it's not dangerous, but I will be keeping an eye on it in the coming days."

Gertrude patted Val's leg, obviously noticing her sodden nightgown. "Now, let's dry that milk, shall we? Get you feeling like yourself again. We can even try taking your drip out later so you can walk about."

Val wasn't sure she would everfeel herself again, but nodded anyway, feeling Varian's kisses of encouragement on her temples and the tears sting her eyes once again. Things were to be so different now she couldn't actually envision what 'normal' was anymore, and if she were honest, it frightened her.

Varian bent by Anduin, scooping the boy up and shifting his shoulders when the prince let out a little whine at being jostled. "I'll take Anduin to his room, give you a little privacy. I'll stop off at the kitchens and come straight back, alright?"

Val wiped her face and kissed his cheek when he did the same for her, waiting until the door was closed before slumping back and putting a hand over her eyes. "Talk to me Val, don't hold it in."

Her chest was already aching from crying so much and she was sure there were no more tears left in her body but somehow she felt them dribble down her hand when it moved from her eyes to her mouth. "I just…everything was falling into place…now it's ruined. It's all ruined."

She felt for a split second like her Grammy was here, feeling a slightly gnarled hand hold her shoulder and pull her in, and a wrinkled cheek rest on her head. "Oh, now you and I know that's not the case."

Val felt her lungs start to shrink and one of her attacks start to take over, hearing Gertrude's voice vaguely telling her to breathe. "Everytime that he's kissed me today I keep thinking that at some point, that kiss will lead to love making, and that will lead to another baby, and I just…I can't. I can't do this all again. All morning I've not wanted him to touch me when it's not his fault at all…"

The Nun gently shushed her, rubbing her arm and giving her an affectionate squeeze. "Now now, there's no need to be thinking about all that right now."

Val furiously wiped her face, feeling so ashamed of herself to even be considering this. "I've never dreaded Varian kissing me before, it feels so horrible. And he knows something's wrong, I can tell, but how do I tell my husband that I don't him want him near me when really, it's myself that I don't trust?"

She felt something soft against her palm and used the handkerchief that Gertrude had given her, pressing it to both eyes in an attempt to stop the stinging tears from welling up again. "Please don't tell him I said that."

More soothing rubs and a small, warm smile that really made her want nothing but her Grammy. "Nothing will leave this room, I promise you. Do you feel any better for saying it though?"

Val nodded despite really not wanting to, passing her handkerchief back and pushing her hair back. "I know he still wants a baby, hells, so do I, but how the fuck do we approach the subject after something like this?"

She looked up to stop herself crying again, taking Gertrude's arm and sliding from the bed, unbuttoning her nightdress. "I almost wish I hadn't been so far along. Maybe if I hadn't let myself grow so attached this wouldn't hurt as much."

Gertrude took the nightdress from her and swapped it for the robe that Varian had put over the back of the chair sitting next to the bed, keeping turned until she got dressed simply for Val's benefit.

"Allow me to politely disagree, Milady. That baby was yours from the minute you found out about him, I'd be shocked if you weren't attached to him after even a week." Val still wasn't convinced, tying the belt and swallowing hard again.

"My cousin Priscilla's got five children, all under ten, and they were all perfect; prefect pregnancies, perfect births, perfect growth…I envy her, I always have."

Gertrude sat and listened, clearly seeing the need to vent on Val's face. "This isn't the first time Varian and I have actively tried. When we were younger, we had these foolish dreams. He'd joke about getting married, then I'd snipe back about having an army of children, and we never really took any notice of how much the ideas were growing on us until one day he just said 'let's do it'."

She laughed but it sounded more like a tired huff. "Varian's known as the master strategist, but when it came to us he was very much 'do now, plan later'."

Gertrude's already wrinkled brow deepened. "I take it nothing came to fruition?"

Val shook her head, taking a long, shaky breath. "It didn't occur to me that something was wrong until Tiffin."

Now the sister just looked confused. "The late Queen? Why would…ah, Prince Anduin."

Val slowly nodded, staring into space. "A month. That's all it took for her to fall pregnant, and she didn't even need Varian's cock inside her to do it."

She grit her teeth, whether it was out of anger or to stop herself crying again she didn't know but she did it anyway. "That must've been hard to digest."

She sat up, letting Gertrude shimmy the shoulders of her robe down. "It was at first. I absolutely detested her for being everything to Varian that I clearly couldn't be- his wife, the mother to his child…I honestly thought I'd hate Anduin but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

She watched Gertrude lay out bandages and start lathering them with globules of purple paste, tilting her head. "Just what are you planning to do?"

The Sister briefly looked up at her, finishing her task. "I'm going to bind your breasts and cover them in these salts to dry your milk. It saves putting cabbage leaves down your brassiere."

She instructed Val to lift her arms, starting on the rather upsetting task and making Val wish she was absolutely anywhere but here. "Varian and I are going down to the chapel later."

Gertrude briefly looked up. "Are you sure you're ready?"

Val fought her shrug, remembering she had to stay still, staring off into space instead. "I suppose I have to be really, don't I? It's like he said, I'm his mother, it's only right I see him even once."

The Sister slowly nodded, trying to read Val's voice. "You don't haveto do anything, Milady."

Val winced when the uncomfortably warm salts touched her skin with the next bandage. "It's a case of needI think. From what Varian told me they've just left him like a lump of beef on that damn altar when neither I or his father are religious. The Light has been the biggest cunt I can ever think of, why the hells would I want my son left in a place dedicated to what took him?"

She blanched, realising who she was talking to. "No offence meant, Sister."

A kind smile was her response. "No offence taken. So what do you intend to do, will you move him?"

Val wasn't really sure herself, so couldn't answer completely truthfully. "I want to, but I don't. I don't know how long they'll wait before burying him."

The Sister looked rather surprised. "You're going ahead with a funeral? Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"

Val was quiet for a good minute. "I'll probably never be able to handle the fact that my son's not with us. But I suppose I just have to try to give him the best send off despite how I feel, I owe him that much."

She exhaled slowly to stem anymore tears and to keep herself still. "I haven't said any of this to Varian, mind. I don't think he'd be able to take it right now. He's never been good with things like funerals."

Gertrude put the next bandage on, making Val feel rather like she was wearing a corset with how tightly she was wrapping them. "Then I won't say anything to him either."

Val appreciated that, not smiling but letting her face relax. "Thank you. It's hard, trying to figure out what's right to say and what's not right now."

The Sister gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulder, lifting one of her arms a little more. "And I'm sure His Majesty is thinking the same thing."

Now there was the tiniest hint of a smile on Val's face. "I've noticed all morning how hard he's trying. Not enough people give that man enough credit for how much compassion he possesses."

She sighed, finally putting her arms down to give them a small break. "And now he has to tell thousands of people that their loved ones aren't coming back. On top of everything I think that will be the thing that breaks him."

Gertrude seemed to know what she was talking about. "The Wrathgate battle, I'm presuming?"

Val nodded. "From what he's told me -and I can't count on half of it being as brutal as it really is since knowing him he's watered it down for me- it was a complete disaster, and of course Varian blames himself for it."

The Sister frowned, choosing to lift her arms one by one instead. "He couldn't have prevented what was meant to be. People heal in time, they always do. All he needs to do is show them he's there."

Val tilted her head at the tone to the Sister's voice. "Did you lose anyone, Sister?"

Gertrude shook her head, smoothing her wimple after. "Not in this war, no. I lost my family to diphtheria when I was a girl. But when the cathedral was hit in the Second War, I lost many of my Sisters, and that was enough to make me doubt everything, including my faith."

Val had empathy in her tired eyes. "That's when I lost my brother."

The Sister patted her shoulder once she was done, pulling her robe up. "So that makes both you and King Varian perfect to guide the people through this."

She noticed Val playing with her hair and gave her a warm smile. "How about I get the washcloth and we freshen you up, eh? It might help, you never know."

Val nodded despite not really knowing what good it would do, she supposed she was just glad to have someone who cared with her.

Nan had taken over from the sister by the time Varian had returned, and while Val had greatly loved having the Sister's company, having someone who was not so focused on the medical side of things was quite a relief.

Simple conversation and no judgement were just what she needed, and that's what she got as the handmaiden's deft hands twisting and smoothing her hair into a high bun, looking more like herself with each passing second. "Nan, can you leave us please?"

Val didn't like the serious tone to his voice and swivelled, finding him standing by the door with a furrowed brow and squared shoulders. He gave Nan a respectful nod and helped Val stand, holding her cheek.

"I've had Elliot brought up Val."

She swallowed hard, not sure if she was ready for this one moment, then feeling the motherly need to see her child start to eat at her the next. "I thought we were going down there?"

Varian knew she didn't care where they were and was merely stalling, and he'd entertain it for the meanwhile, but not for much longer. "I came to the conclusion that you'd much prefer to stay in familiar quarters."

He held her hands and squeezed them hard enough to bring a strange comfort. "Are you ready to see him?"

Against her better judgement she nodded, closing her eyes as she heard the door open and the soft thud of the cradle being put down, feeling the cold trail of tears down her face for what she hoped was the final time today.

"Keep your eyes closed and I'll hand him to you."

Her chest was starting to fold in on itself, she could feel it even if it wasn't actually happening. She held her arms out, hearing nothing but Varian's footsteps and her own jagged breaths.

Her limbs moved automatically once there was something in them, curling just as they should and cradling what might be the only child she would ever claim as hers. "Open your eyes Val." She shook her head, starting to shake. "I can't. It'll be real."

His hand curled around her shoulder, but he didn't squeeze her this time, merely held her in place. "I'm right here. You're not doing this alone."

She opened her eyes so slowly that she had to wonder if she was doing it at all, fighting to wrench her head down and look at her sweet, sweet boy, who looked like he was merely sleeping in her arms.

Varian's arm brought her to him and she forgot everything she had said about him not touching her, just for a second, so she could sob freely into his chest, holding Elliot to her cheek like it would make him warm, like it would bring him back just on sheer will power alone when she knew it couldn't happen.

He was beautiful, too beautiful, but she was glad that Varian had made her see him, for now she had a little face to the name, a face that she'd never forget until the day the Light took her.