"Anduin…oi, Anduin!"

The Prince of Stormwind could hear his cousin's less than subtle whisper perfectly well, but that didn't mean that he was about to heed it. He was much more content with drifting back to sleep…

"Wrynn! Wake up!"

Anduin did so rather quickly, for a sharp pain shot through the top of his skull and jerked him from any rest that he was still getting.

"Ow! Tommo, that really hurt!" he complained, fishing around his bed-covers for the offending projectile. He found it soon enough, and half-heartedly threw the small rubber ball in the general direction of Thomas' cot.

"Good! That means it got the job done!" Thomas proclaimed, crossing his gangly legs together.

"What do you want me for, anyway? It's still night-time!" Anduin asked angrily, pulling his blanket up until it was on his head and cascading down his shoulders.

"We're going to see if there's any pie left in the kitchens- you coming?" Harley asked, already shucking his slippers on.

"No! It's against the rules! Father took my soldiers away for a weeklast time we were caught doing that!" Anduin whisper-cried, looking across at the door that led to Wyll's room as if the groom was already coming to scold them.

"We're not going to get caught! There's no one in the bloody halls, so we're free to roam!" Harley insisted, piquing Anduin's interest a little.

"No-one? But why, there's usually loads of guards…" he questioned, biting back the yawn working its way up his throat.

"Ah, they're probably having a piss, don't worry about it, so," Tommo said, waving a hand.

"What, all at the same time?" Anduin pointed out, and apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.

"Will you stop being such a wuss?" Tommo hissed angrily, climbing from his bed and stepping over a sleeping Alice.

"I'm not a wuss!" Anduin protested, throwing his blanket down. "I just don't want to get into trouble!"

"Anduin, that's the defination of a wuss," Harley informed the annoyed prince.

"You mean 'definition'," Anduin corrected, watching the two of them cross to the door.

"Oh, hark at him with his learnin'. Last chance, Andy- ya comin' or what?" Tommo said, with his hand already turning the doorknob. Anduin bounced on his bottom as he debated heavily with himself. On the one hand, he really didn't want to get in trouble with his Father again.

On the other…pie.

Despite a voice in the back of his head telling him that this was a very bad idea, Anduin pushed his covers away completely, and sleepily clambered down from his bed. Harley gave him an affectionate thump on the back once he reached the door, and with a loud squeak, it was opened by a rather impatient Tommo.

Anduin made it worse by stopping at the threshold, and rubbing his eyes against the sudden light coming from the Keep's many torches.

"Andy, hurry up!" was the eldest boy's annoyed hiss, and it made Anduin nearly trip over his own feet as he scurried to catch up.

"Mate, I hope there's some ice cream left as well," Harley said, but Tommo scoffed in amusement.

"You're joking, ain't ya? Auntie Val's probably caused a shortage from here to Ironforge with the amount she's been stuffing into her gob," he quipped, making Anduin rather upset.

"It's not her fault- Father said It's the baby that's hungry for it, not Mum," he protested, and Harley couldn't help but feel that he was telling the truth.

"When my ma was pregnant with Frankie, she had Da bring her like, a hundredapples every day!"

"Women are weird," Tommo summarised, pressing himself against the wall as the three of them carefully made their way down the hall towards the passage that Anduin was sure they weren't supposed to know about.

"Just 'cause you like blokes…" Harley muttered, earning quite the glare from the twelve year old pirate.

"Shut your fucking mouth, Har, or I'll smack you in it," Tommo warned, and Anduin swiftly put himself in between the two boys.

"Stop it, before someone hea-"

"Prince Anduin!"

The three of them stopped completely dead at the loud, stern bellow that came from behind them.

"….hears us," Anduin lamely finished, and he turned to find Jon stomping towards them.

"Hello, Jon," Anduin greeted, with the hopes of a sweet demeanour being his ticket out of losing whatever his father deemed appropriate should he be told.

"What are you doing out of bed, Your Highness? You knowthat you're under strict rules to stay in the nursery," Jon said, putting his pole-arm against the wall so he could fold his own.

"Erm…we were just…well, we were…"

Jon looked to the older boys when he realised that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Anduin.

"Well? Why are you out of bed,lads?"

"Ah come on Jon, you've let us go to the kitchens before!" Tommo said, rocking on his heels.

"Tonight is different. I'm under orders not to let anyonein this hallway, and that includes you three. So go on, back to bed with you," the guard stipulated, making a trio of little faces adopt expressions of pure confusion.

"Why? What's goin' on?" Harley asked, trying to look behind Jon as if the answer would just be standing there.

"Nothing you need to worry about. Now do as you're told, or I'll go and get ," Jon threatened, and of course, it worked like a dream.

"Ah well lads, least we tried," Tommo said, leading the way back to Anduin's chambers.

"You're not going to tell my father, are you, Jon?" Anduin asked, happily taking the guard's hand.

"In all honesty, Your Highness…His Majesty has alot more to care about than you three sneaking off for a snack right now," Jon told him, and no sooner had he said it, then a muffled, anguished wail filled the silent hallway.

"There's a fucking ghost! I knew this place was haunted!" Tommo cried, turning a waxy shade of pale. Anduin however, noticed that it came from beyond his parent's door.

"Jon…was that my mum?" he asked worriedly, but all the older man did was tug at his hand.

"It's none of your concern, Your Highness. Now come on, back to bed- and don't think I won't be keeping an eye out for the rest of the night," Jon deflected, opening the nursery door and steering the highly concerned prince inside.

"But Jon-"

The door closed before he could get his question out, and Harley patted his shoulder.

"She's probably fine, Andy," he reassured, but Anduin wasn't so sure.

"That's what my father said the last time," he said sadly, moving away from his cousin's grip.

"Jon didn't sound that worried, so I wouldn't let it get to ya," Tommo added, but Anduin ignored him, and simply climbed back into his bed.

"Don't cry, Andy," Harley said, and the prince furiously wiped his eyes.

"I'm not crying," he refuted, hugging his pillow as it sat underneath his head. He watched as Tommo came to sit at the end of his bed, but Anduin made no move to face him properly.

"We can climb over the balcony and have a look if you want?" Tommo suggested, and Anduin had to wonder if he was remotely joking or not.

"No thanks- I like my bones the way they are," Anduin rebutted with a sigh.

"Jon would've said if something was the matter, wouldn't he?" Anduin asked, but Tommo's look didn't fill him with confidence.

"He'll tell ya what he's paidto tell ya, Andy," he said, earning a glare from an arguably good-natured Harley.

"Jon's a top bloke- of course he'd tell you if something bad were happening," he said, sitting down at the head of his own cot.

"Maybe we should just try and get some more sleep, eh?" Harley suggested, but Anduin shook his head.

"I'm not tired anymore," he said glumly, with his little fists tightening around his blankets.

"Then we can play some Hearthstone if you like?" Harley asked instead, making Tommo's eyebrows draw in.

"I thought your board was broken?" he whispered, and the younger brunette waved a hand.

"It's only the pictures that don't move anymore. We can still use it," Harley informed him.

"...Can we not play with the Alliance decks tonight?" Anduin asked meekly, and Harley gave him a wide smile.

"Sure. We'll do the Darkmoon Faire," he assured his younger counterpart, and to both his and Tommo's relief, Anduin started to perk up again.

"How did you get that one? My father had to put his name on a waiting list for it when it was announced at the shop- and that was months ago," Anduin questioned, despite having a inkling to the answer already.

"…It fell off a boat," Harley said simply, and Tommo snorted as he jumped down from the bed.

"Meaning it's a knock-off, and probably going to blow up as soon as we put one down," he joked, helpfully keeping his voice down as Frankie, the youngest Glenmore-Colter child, started to stir.

"Shut up Tommo," Harley said, ducking under his cot and finding the satchel he'd brought to Stormwind with him.

"My mum's alright. I'm just being silly," Anduin told himself as he swung his legs out for the second time in half an hour.

"Nah- you just care. No one can moan at ya for that," Tommo said reassuringly, but Anduin had to wonder if he'd just said it to make him feel better.

Either way, he appreciated his cousin's efforts, and even managed a small smile as he hopped to the floor, where Harley was setting out the same board they'd been playing with for years now.

Of course, Anduin had his own, but Harley was so proud of the fact that he had one to call his that Anduin hadn't the heart to insist upon using it, despite it being in full working order.

"Alright, we'll do me versus Anduin, and Tommo plays the winner," Harley declared, much to the latter's chagrin.

"What the hells happened to 'oldest plays first'?" he asked, but Harley's dirty look gave him his answer almost immediately. He was doing it to keep Anduin distracted, pure and simple.

"You can go first if you want, Tommo," Anduin said, but to Harley's relief, the eldest boy shook his head.

"Go on, you go first- it'll save my fingers being blown off by dodgy cards," Tommo backtracked, and thankfully, Anduin started quietly laughing.

"It'd be fun explaining that one to Father," Anduin mused, taking his cards from Harley and inspecting them closely. They looked almost legitimate- whoever forged them clearly had some skill, but Anduin could tell from how they weighed more than his usual cards that they were fake.

It didn't matter to him, though- if it meant that others could play the game, he wouldn't complain. It would've been rather lonely, being the only boy out of them that was able to afford anything remotely fun.

"I can hear him now; "Light damn it you little hooligans- I swear, I'd have more success training a walrus to sit than I ever will with you behaving yourselves!" mocked Tommo, using a very, veryloose adaptation of Varian's deep, bassy, voice.

"It's almost like you've heard his lectures alot, Tommo," Harley teased, narrowly avoiding the kick that was aimed straight for his shin.

"He never gets to tell Anduin off. So I'm letting him get the typical father- son experience by being a little shit- really, he should be thanking me," Tommo retorted, looking over the prince's shoulder to see what cards he had.

"That makes no sense!" Anduin cried, taking three out of his pile and slipping one back into the slot built into the board. "Father tells me off plenty!"

"No he doesn't!"

"Yes he does! He does it all the time!"

"Name threetimes!"

"Will you lot shut the hells up!"

The brewing argument between Tommo and Anduin was abruptly cut off by the loud, angry voice of Frankie, who'd finally been woken by their antics.

"Ah, go back to sleep, you little gremlin," Harley said, focusing his attention on the game.

"I can'tsleep with your bleedin' shoutin'!"

"Put your fingers in your ears, and hold your breath- you'll fall asleep pretty bloody quickly," Tommo suggested, but an utterly horrified Anduin protested the idea entirely.

"We'll be quiet, Frankie, we promise," he said, glaring at snickering Tommo.

"You better do- or I'll tell Grammy that you snuck out," Frankie threatened, making two brows furrow.

"If you tell, I'll feed you to the shark that lives in the canals, you gobshite. Now go to sleep and leave us alone," Harley spat.

"There's not a shark in the canals, Har…" Anduin muttered, making Tommo's eyebrow rise.

"Auntie Val always told us there was," he pointed out, shaking his head as soon as he said it. "Whatever- just piss off, Frank, and let us get on with it, eh?"

Frankie, who seemed to grow sick of his brother and cousin ganging up on him, defiantly turned over and pulled the covers over his head.

"He's such a prick," Harley grumbled as he sifted through his cards again.

"That's not nice- he's your brother, be grateful that you have him," Anduin said, bringing the tone down to one of awkward sadness without really meaning to.

There was a heavy silence, and it was only broken by the light slap of Tommo's palm as it curled around Anduin's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.

Anduin flashed him a smile, and Harley gently dropped a crystal into the small dip in the middle of the board. As soon as it landed, the decal imprinted upon the thick wood burst with a struggling light, and the gangly brunette passed the Prince a small coin with a large number one printed on one side.

"Best go first," Harley said, and despite knowing that it was probably a ploy to cheer him up, a bubbling Anduin tossed it into the air, awaiting its decision as it fell back to earth.

Anduin's anxieties started to go into overdrive as breakfastime came around. Normally, he would be collected by either Lee or Nan, who would tell him that his parents were ready to go down and wanted him to accompany them.

But today, it was Minnie who got him dressed, took his hand and led him down to the dining hall with the other children. He'd not questioned things too much at that point- he knew his mum was getting more tired of late, so he figured that she and his father were simply cutting it as fine as they could before their meal was to be served.

He sat there for what seemed like millennia staring at the two empty chairs at the head of the table. The only time he managed to wrench his gaze away was when plates and platters were all brought out and set down in front of them.

Now, he was worried. His parents had nevermissed a meal before- even when they hadn't the time to come down, Anduin had always broke his fast with them in some form or another, even if it was in their chambers.

And yet, here he was with absolutely no clue as to what was going on, and that made him nervous. So much so, that he barely touched the omelette in front of him- he simply pushed it around his plate with the tip of his fork.

"Anduin, if there's something else you want, just say it, for Light sake. Don't be sittin' there playing with it," Minnie scolded, obviously noticing her grandson's mood and assuming that he was just sulking.

"Sorry, Grammy," Anduin murmured, putting the fork down and putting his chin on his crossed arms.

"What's makin' you so upset, mate? You've had a face as long as a fiddle all morning," Robin asked, patting Anduin's back affectionately. Anduin looked out of the corner of his eye at Thomas, who was giving him such a tight-lipped stare that he was sure that holes were about to appear in his forehead.

"Nothing…I'm just tired, that's all,"Anduin lied, and he had to wonder whether any of the three adults scattered about the table actually believed him.

"I was thinkin' that we could all go to the park after breakfast- take the new football for a spin," Robin prompted, clearly aware of the boy's melancholy and wanting to alleviate it.

Little did he know that it wasn't going to be him that would manage to do it. Instead, that victory would be granted to Lee, who came through the chamber doors with a wide, bright smile on his face.

"Good morning, Everyone," he greeted jovially, and before anyone could even think of responding in kind, Anduin sat straight up.

"Lee! Have you come from Mum and Father?!" he asked, not even trying to hide his desperate need for information anymore.

"I have indeed, Your Highness," Lee confirmed, coming to a stop just next to the table and putting his hands behind his back.

"They're aware that their absence is rather out of the norm. So they've sent me to not only apologise for it on their behalf, but to inform you all as to whythey won't be attending morning mealwith you all today."

"Well go on then, lad- what's the big reason? Did Valerica oversleep again?" Minnie asked with a chuckle, and Lee answered with his own.

"No, no, …Neither of them have slept much at all, actually," Lee responded, and with a sharp clear of his throat, he stood at his full height.

"It is my absolute privilege to inform you all that at twenty past four this morning, Her Majesty gave birth to a healthy baby girl."

There was a sudden, deathly silence that felt as thick as freshly churned butter. Of course, Minnie was the first to regain her wits, but even Anduin could see that she was completely flabbergasted by the news.

"She fucking what?"was all the matriarch could manage in terms of questioning the groom, who was trying his best not to start laughing.

"It's exactly as I said, - a princess was born in the early hours," Lee repeated, and the table erupted into an explosion of chatter.

"But she wasn't due for another week!" cried Priscilla, who's heart-shaped face lit up brighter than a Winter Veil tree.

"Sweet bloody hells, they've nothing for the the little blighter- the stupid mare didn't even get a damn nightdress!" Minnie despaired, putting a wrinkled hand on her forehead as if she could anticipate a headache coming.

"Are you surethat it's a girl?" Thomas asked, echoing the thoughts of both Harley and Frankie, who had been prayingfor another boy to join their imaginary football team.

"Are they alright, Lee?"

Anduin's quiet question was the one that surprisingly broke through the rabble. He hadn't stood up in shock, or knelt on his chair like the others. He was still sitting meekly, like a small, terrified rabbit. Therefore, Lee made sure that he made it as clear as day that all of his attention was on the boy.

"They're absolutely fine, Your Highness. There's nothing to worry about," Lee told him, with a voice purposefully coated in a thick, yet genuine sincerity.

"Thank the Light," was Minnie's audible show of relief. Anduin, however, simply let his shoulders slump from where they'd been at his ears all morning.

"I have a sister…" he muttered, still not quite believing that this was how his morning was playing out.

"Indeed you do, Your Highness…and their Majesties are rather eager for you to meet her," Lee informed him, holding a pudgy hand out. "If you'll come with me."

For reasons that he himself would never quite understand, Anduin didn't move straight away. Instead, he looked down the table towards his Great-grandmother.

"Can I leave the table please, Grammy?" he asked, despite knowing full well that he had no need to do so.

"Oh, Anduin, of course you can, you silly thing! Go on, go and spend some time with the little'un," Minnie exclaimed, wiping her eyes and gesturing to Lee. "Give them all of our love, and tell them we'll be up in a few hours."

"I will, Mrs. Glenmore," Lee assured her, still waiting patiently for the prince as he finally scrambled from his chair and scurried to join him.

"Right you lot, hurry up and eat- we're raiding the market!"

"Have you seen her then, Lee?" Anduin asked, completely ignoring the loud groans of annoyance behind him. Lee pulled a face, and the little blonde wasn't exactly sure what to make of it.

"Briefly, Your Highness- In all honesty, I was given my orders to come and get you before I'd even entered the chamber properly," Lee admitted, flashing him a warm smile.

"Was she little?" Anduin continued, not really watching where he was going simply because he was fixated on Lee's face.

"Oh yes. But then, she was being held by His Majesty, and he makes anythinglook little, so I may be wrong," Lee replied, glad to hear Anduin laughing.

"Do you promise that they're well? Even Mum?" implored Anduin, who looked up at his counterpart with possibly the biggest eyes he'd ever seen a child conjure up.

"Well, let me put it this way, Your Highness. In the few minutes that I was with them, the baby started crying loud enough to scare the cat away, and Her Majesty was happily bantering with the King. So yes, they're both absolutely 'grand', as Her Majesty would put it," Lee explained, and to his own relief, Anduin exhaled with a small, happy smile.

"Good. I was really, reallyhoping that this one would be alright," Anduin confessed, and Lee squeezed his hand.

"I think we all were, Your Highness," he said comfortingly, and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they made their way to the Residential Wing.

Varian and Val's chamber door was wide open when they got there, and already, Anduin could hear his both mum's laughter, and his father's deep bass. It was quite a soothing sound, all things considered, and it put a spring in his step as he and Lee came to the threshold.

"Prince Anduin, Your Majesties."

"Ah, there you are lad. Come on in, there's no need to be shy."

Varian's voice held a foreign softness to it, and it threw Anduin off guard as he took a few tentative steps towards his parents. His gaze immediately affixed itself onto the small, wriggling creature lying on his mum's lap, and a wave of various emotions crashed over him.

"Good morning, Father…morning, Mum," Anduin murmured, feeling his hands tremble when he was but a hair's breadth away from the baby. He felt his father's large palm press against his back, and the simple touch made his already sore, tired eyes well up.

"Morning, Little Lion," Val replied, seeing how overwhelmed the boy was and wanting nothing more but to keep him calm.

"Anduin, this is your little sister. Why don't you say 'hello' to her?" Varian gently suggested, holding the boy's shoulders.

"Hello, little sister," Anduin squeaked. He still didn't quite know what he was to do, or what he was supposed to say. So he chose to go with the first thing that came to his mind.

"What's her name?" he asked, looking to his stepmother for the answer and not liking how she grimaced.

"She…she doesn't have one yet, mate," Val admitted, nudging her head towards Varian.

"Although, your Father's taken to calling her 'sweetness', so you can just make your own nickname up for now, if you'd like."

Anduin pondered the idea, but where his head was still muddled up from the rather strange morning that he'd had, he drew a complete blank, and apparently, his father noticed.

"Think about it as long as you need to, son. There's no rush," Varian assured him, and from the way Anduin's shoulders dropped underneath his palms, it seemed to work.

"She's tiny," Anduin pointed out, despite how silly he felt for such an obvious observation.

"Aye, she is," Varian agreed, lowering himself onto a knee so that he wasn't towering over the boy. Anduin hesitantly reached out, and with shaking fingers, he smoothed the skirt of the nightdress that was completely swamping his sister. His brows drew in as he noticed the embroidered initials near the hem, and he turned to Varian with curiosity swimming in his blue eyes.

"Why does her dress say 'A.L.W' on it? That's my name," he questioned, and Varian flashed him a warm smile.

"Well, because of her rather unexpected arrival, I couldn't go to the city and get your sister her own clothes. So we pinched what ones of yours didn't have moth bites all over them," Varian explained, and even Val started chuckling.

"But it's sort of backfired- everything's too short in the body, and too long in the arms," she added, and Anduin's concern only deepened.

"But she will get her own clothes- ones that fit her, right?" he asked, and Varian confidently nodded.

"Aye, she will. In fact, I'm planning on getting the essentials later on today- perhaps you'll join your old man and help him pick something pretty?" Varian suggested, and to both his and Val's relief, Anduin's eyes lit up.

"Oh yes! And maybe the toy shop? I've saved my pocket money so that I could get the teddy with the Alliance Tabard- I think she'll love it!" he babbled, and before either of his parents could warn him about the consequences of his loud squeals, the baby scrunched her face and started to sob in protest.

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, Mum," panicked Anduin, who ended up being comforted by his father, whilst his sister was receiving the same treatment from his mum.

"It's alright, Anduin. You just need to be little bit quieter, alright? There's no harm done," Varian said to the clearly upset young boy.

"I didn't mean to make her cry…" Anduin mumbled, taking a step back as if he'd committed a great crime against his sister.

"Anduin, honestly, it's fine," Val insisted, using one arm to hold her daughter to her shoulder, and the other to reach out for the blonde.

"Come here, love, and you'll see that she's perfectly alright now. She was just startled, that's all."

Anduin shuffled back to the chair with the speed of a sedated turtle, but eventually he got there, and was pleasantly surprised to see that the baby was cooing as if nothing had happened.

"Now she's calmed down, Anduin, would you like to hold her?" Varian asked.

"Am I allowed?" Anduin questioned right back, not quite understanding why they both started to laugh.

"Of course you can, you're her brother, for Light sake. Hop onto the bed and I'll pass her over," Varian instructed, and he took a step back so that Anduin had a clear path. Varian scooped his daughter from Val's arms, and with a small kiss on her forehead to calm her down completely, he carried her over to her eagerly awaiting sibling.

"Put a pillow underneath your arm for her head, Anduin," Val said, coming around the other side and helping the boy do just that.

Anduin finally got a good look at the babe, and his heart began to swell more with every light stroke that he gave the little feet that were pushing at the air.

"She used to kick alot when she was in your belly, didn't she mum?" Anduin mused, and Val gave him a warm smile.

"She did. It seems to be her favourite thing to do, regardless of where she is," she agreed, looking over at her husband, who was trying to reel his emotions in for the millionth time that morning.

"You were just as wriggly when you were born, son," Varian pointed out, putting an elbow on the headboard and leaning his tired head against the fist attached to it.

"I don't wriggle anymore though," Anduin said proudly, but there was a titter to his voice as he heard Varian's own chuckle.

"Oh right, I'll remember that the next time you sneak your way in here and leave toe imprints on my leg, eh?" Varian teased, ruffling his hair. Anduin was certain that if he weren't holding his sister, he would've been the victim of vicious tickles.

"Where does she sleep?" Anduin asked, tilting his head so that he could try and get a better look at her eyes.

"Right now? In your old cradle," Val admitted, stretching her legs out. "But she'll have her own soon enough." She began to grin, however, and poked Varian's shoulder.

"Although, if your father had his way, she'd sleep in his arms for the rest of her life."

"Not for the rest of her life…maybe just the first five years or so," Varian retorted, making his son completely lose whatever nervousness he still harboured, and replace it with a flurry of giggles.

"She has our eyes, Father," Anduin pointed out, and as much as Varian could see nothing but her mother in his daughter's features, even he had to admit that the boy was right.

The baby's bright blue eyes stood out beautifully amongst the slight tan that her skin had adopted over the past few hours, and it was probably the only indication that anyone would have that she and Anduin were even related at all.

"She does. Pretty, aren't they?" Varian replied, trying with everything in him to keep himself awake.

"Yes. Everything about her is pretty," Anduin said, staring at his sister like she was going to disappear any minute now.

"We take it that means you like her?" Varian prodded, trying to gauge his son's face, but failing miserably at it in his tired state.

"No," Anduin replied, making his father's face drop. His mum, however, being a certified wind-up merchant herself, knew better than to take Anduin's dismissive answer as gospel.

".…I loveher."

Varian's chest visibly deflated with his sigh of relief, but that relief quickly turned to annoyance as he realised that he'd been duped.

"You little monkey," he grumbled, finding it difficult not to return the large, bright grin on his son's face.

"Just think- you've got twoof them to contend with now," Val pointed out. Varian's overdramatic groan was purely for Anduin's benefit, but it ended up making her laugh along with the seven year old.

"I can feel the grey hairs popping out of my skull already," lamented the High King, who ran a hand down his face in exasperation.

"You'll have to start dying it…I think a nice hot pink with purple streaks would suit you," Val teased, making Varian's eyebrow rise high enough to nearly touch his hairline.

"I'm going to forget you ever said that and simply move on with my life," he deadpanned, looking down as the baby started fussing again.

"Where's her dummy?" he asked, and Val waved a hand in the direction of the cradle.

"Last I saw it was when she took her nap," she informed him. Anduin watched in mild confusion as Varian left the bed and came back a minute later with a small wooden disk with a teat on it.

"What's that, Father?" he asked, and Varian put it to his daughter's lips to tell her that it was there.

"It's just an aid we had to give her…she didn't exactly take to the breast as well as we'd hoped, and this gets her used to the sucking motion for when we give her bottles," Varian explained, and curiosity filled his eldest child's bright blue eyes.

"Did I have one?" he inquired, watching it move up and down as his sister settled.

"No, you didn't. You were very much considered a 'model child' when you were born, son," Varian replied, finding it rather difficult to keep himself awake after only an hour or so of proper sleep.

"She likes it," Anduin observed with a grin, and Val couldn't help but mimic it.

"She won't once she realises there's nothing coming out of it," she half-joked, reaching over to roll the sleeves of the nightdress up a bit more.

"She smells nice, too," Anduin pointed out, leaning down to put his nose just above the baby's hair.

"The midwife bathed her just before she left. It must be the soap she used," Varian replied drowsily.

"Can I feed her next time?" Anduin questioned, earning an affectionate kiss on the crown of his head.

"Of course you can, son. You can even help make the bottle if you want," Varian said, looking to his wife.

"He's a bloody natural with her," he commented, letting Anduin concentrate fully on his sister once again.

"You seem surprised by that," Val said, leaning into the pillows and feeling the ache she'd been plagued with all morning start to ease.

"She's falling asleep…should I keep her awake?" Anduin piped up, and Varian shook his head.

"No, lad. Let her sleep. In fact, I think we could all do with forty winks. We've all had quite the eventful time already…and I feel that it's only going to get busier."