The next morning, Val awoke with a graceful smile already painted onto her rested face. The few sounds she could hear in the lightening room were the birds outside, the waning crackle of a fire burning itself out…and two sets of snoring.

The first consisted of the gruff, loud exhales that she was used to, and the second were gentle, unhurried breaths coming from the cradle that was pressed against the side of their bed. Val carefully turned over as not to disturb either of them, and felt the same rush of pure affection that she'd had every time that she'd gazed upon her daughter's face in the past twenty four hours.

It still seemed like a blissful dream. Never in her life did Val think that she would be here, able to call herself a mother to a child that she'd brought into the world…much less, one that was fathered by the man lying next to her.

Her mind wandered back to the two years she'd spent in Stranglethorn, convinced that she'd eventually have to settle down with a man she knew she wouldn't love half as much. Yet here she was- first, Varian Wrynn'wife, and now, the mother of his child.

"Funny how life works, eh munchkin?" Val whispered, reaching out and pulling the blanket that Minnie had painstakingly knitted last night up to her little girl's armpits.

Now the swelling brought on by her birth had settled, Val was convinced that the babe's face was the spitting image of her father's. She had the same cheekbones, the same nose…even what little there was of her hair boasted the same dark brown hue that Varian's thick locks did.

He'd refuted such an observation, of course- Val was sure that he'd said the phrase 'stop calling my daughter ugly' about five million times before they'd gone to bed. And each time, Val had laughed the same laugh, and rolled her eyes in the same way she had all the other times he'd degraded himself.

"You're bloody gorgeous- and so is your Papa," Val murmured, moving a discarded dummy from the babe's chin and putting it next to her instead.

"You've already got him wrapped around your little finger, you know. That's quite a feat, having the High King of the whole Alliance as your devoted servant."

"Yes, but your mama would know all about that already," Varian grumbled from behind her. So engrossed was she in chatting to her daughter, that Val hadn't realised his snores had stopped. She didnotice how he all but flopped onto his other side and wound his arm around her waist, however.

"Is she still asleep?" he groggily asked, nuzzling her shoulder and tickling it with his loose hair.

"Aye- I think I'm going to have to wake her up again," Val lamented, reaching over to her bedside and taking her watch from it.

"I'm sure she'll forgive you once her belly's full," Varian assured her, but Val didn't seem so certain as she pressed the button on top of the timepiece to open it.

"You do it- she likes you more," Val half-lied, making Varian's eyebrow rise over a still closed eye.

"That's utterly ridiculous and you know it," Varian grunted.

"Is it? Varian, the only time she's settled is with you," Val pointed out, knowing full well that she was winding him up. Apparently, she wasn't the only one.

"Woman, it's barely morning- don't bloody start already," Varian warned, smacking his dry lips together a few times. He took his arm from her once he felt her start to push it, and Val sat up so that she could get a good view of their daughter and figure out exactly howto wake her without upsetting her…again.

She decided that getting the bottle first would be the best option. She'd pumped throughout the night, so there was a good supply sitting in an enchanted, lidded jug on their breakfast table. There were a stack of brand new bottles that Nan had collected yesterday afternoon next to it, and they felt suitably warm as Val took one.

"She's already drunk most of this batch," Val said, peeking into the jug to see how much was left before pouring it out.

"Good- that means it won't go to waste," Varian replied, and Val could hear the scuffle of bedsheets, meaning that he'd done as she'd expected and eagerly taken her spot.

Val bent down so that she could make sure that the bottle wasn't filled past the one ounce line, and when she was satisfied, she pulled a teat over the rim and shook everything until little bubbles appeared on the surface.

"Do you think she's dreaming?" Varian asked softly as she came back over, with his gaze firmly affixed on the infant as she started to quietly trill in her sleep.

"I have no clue. If she is, I'd love to know what about," Val answered, turning the bottle over and letting a few solitary drops of its contents fall onto her wrist.

Varian took the bottle once she deemed it an optimal temperature, and it gave Val both hands free to carefully scoop her sleeping baby from their cradle and into her arms.

The few shushes and hushed 'it's alright darling's didn't do squat to calm her, however, and when her face scrunched up in anger, Val could definitely see the resemblance to Varian.

Val awkwardly manoeuvred the babe until she was lying with a little cheek resting on her shoulder, and right on cue, a thick finger reached out to stroke it.

"Oh, Sweetness, don't cry. Papa doesn't like waking up either," Varian cooed, with an elbow being the only thing keeping him upright enough to be at the baby's eye level.

"Your voice is so sugary , that I can actually feel my teeth hurting," Val teased, and she looked around to find a sneer on her husband's face.

"Good- a man is entitled to be sweet with his daughter," Varian retorted, letting his sneer melt into a warm smile. "Especially when she's as utterly adorable as this little one."

"Light, she has got you rightwhere she wants you," Val muttered, bouncing the babe's backside up and down on her forearm. Thankfully, it seemed to do the trick, and her pained cries petered into annoyed grunts.

"Here, love- I'll do it," Varian offered, shuffling himself onto his backside and putting the bottle between his legs.

"But you did the last feed," Val pointed out, but Varian didn't seem bothered by that fact.

"So? I'm her father, for Light sake. I'd do every single one, given the chance," Varian said defiantly, and with a proud grin, Val happily passed their baby to his waiting hands.

"I can't wait for your duties to start again so that you can stop hogging her," Val teased, making the High King chuckle as he poked their daughter's lips with the tip of the teat.

"Joke's on you- I plan on strapping her to me for every meeting I attend," Varian retorted, shifting his elbow so the baby's head was raised better. Val reached over and smoothed the skirt of her daughter's nightdress with a warm smile.

"I was thinking that maybe we could take her for a walk today- get some fresh air on her face," Val suggested, but as she'd expected, Varian seemed less than thrilled at the idea.

"Yes, fresh air…along with the colds, coughs, sneezes and Light knows what else that the people of Stormwind are releasing into the atmosphere," Varian reeled off, with disdain dripping from his every word.

"Oh, Varian, the chances of someone getting close enough to put her in danger of those things is practically zero," Val chided, taking the opportunity she'd been given and getting herself a cup of water.

"Anyway, weren't youthe one that said we had to get our arses in gear and buy what she needs?"

"I was, but all that can be ordered from the comfort of our own chambers, Sweetheart. There's no reason to go traipsing around the Trade District with a day old baby in tow," Varian argued, making sure that his little girl was suckling properly before relenting his grip on the bottle.

"Except that her mother really, reallywants to get out of this Keep for a bit," Val muttered, dropping an ice cube into the jug before pouring it out.

"Then by all means, go- I'll stay here with the babe," Varian suggested, settling back into the pillows despite how it made him instantly groggy again.

"I need her with me to make sure everything fits, icebrain," Val retorted, growing more irritated with him by the second, but choosing not to wallop him because deep down, she knew his heart was in the right place.

"Take Grace along and tell her to bring one of her dolls- it's practically the same size and it involves alot less wiggling," Varian suggested, checking the bottle over when the baby pushed it away in annoyance.

"I don't mind wiggling. I used to dress Anduin perfectly fine, and he acted like he was made of bloody rubber. So try again," Val challenged, and Varian knew he was fighting a losing battle. So he had no choice but to come clean and lay his cards completely on the table.

A heavy sigh left his chest, and his royal blue eyes met his daughter's and held her gaze.

"I just don't want to put her at unnecessary risk, Val. I'd never forgive myself if she ended up sick because we wanted to do something as trivial as shopping," Varian admitted, stroking the baby's thigh with his thumb and smiling as she cooed around the bottle's teat.

Val's bubbling bad mood ebbed as quickly as it'd come, and she put her cup down with slow, thoughtful movements. She was glad that she'd already taken a few sips of water, for her throat had instantly turned uncomfortably dry.

"There's no shame in admitting that we're both still scared of losing her, Varian. That wasn't going to disappear simply because she's made it this far," Val said, reading through the lines of his confession and catching him bang to rights once again.

"I don't think that I'll ever stopbeing scared, in all honesty," Varian muttered, taking the bottle away and lifting the baby so that she was resting on his chest with her head on his shoulder.

Val helpfully passed him a small muslin cloth that was hanging over the side of the cradle, and afterwards, she sat down by his legs.

"That's the sign of a good father," Val pointed out with a smile, and to her credit, it brought a tiny, barely visible one to his face.

"It's the sign of a neurotic father," he muttered, firmly rubbing the baby's back.

"Nobody can really blame you for becoming one, in all fairness," Val said, not really needing to elaborate further- they both knew full well how much they'd gone through to even havetheir daughter, it wasn't necessary to rehash it.

"I know that I'm smothering her already," Varian said, looking back when he heard a small, hiccuped burp in his bad ear.

"Varian, you kind of have to when they're this little," Val protested, using the sleeve of her nightshirt to wipe her daughter's chin.

"To a certain degree, yes. But not so much that the very idea of a short trip to the city puts the fear of the Light in me," Varian retorted, resuming the baby's feed.

"Then I think that's all the more reason to do it, and show ourselves that not everything is a major threat," Val concluded, and although she could see the desire to object in his face, Varian surprised her by stiffly nodding, as if he'd forced his neck to move.

"Fine. But we don't stay any longer than necessary, and we take Anduin's pram for the time being. It's not the best protection in the world, but it means that I have time to slap hands away if they make a move for her," Varian stipulated, and although she knew deep down that he was only compromising to keep her sweet, she nodded in agreement to his terms.

"Sounds good to me," Val said. She turned over, and with an awkward, turtle-slow crawl, she sat herself next to Varian and leant against his arm.

"You know…maybe we should call her Goldilocks," Val suggested, making his eyebrow rise.

"Why? She's a brunette," he pointed out, and already, he could see the corners of his wife's lips twitch with laughter.

"'Cause she has a great big Papa Bear looking out for her," Val said, cackling like a naughty child as her husband groaned with every ounce of air sitting within his lungs.

Before he could warn her never to say such a thing again, however, there was an excitable knock at their door, and it didn't take a scholar to determine who'd caused it.

"Come in Anduin!" Val called, beaming at the little blonde as he did exactly that.

"Morning Father! Morning, Mum! Morning….erm, baby!" Anduin jovially greeted, and with a hand from Val, he clambered onto the bed and wedged himself inbetween his parents.

"She's reallyawake today!" Anduin chirped, realising that his sister was indeed more alert and aware than she had been when the prince had last seen her.

"Give it time, son- her feeds nearly finished, so no doubt she'll be dead asleep again in about fifteen minutes," Varian said. Val ran her fingers through Anduin's loose hair so that she could see his face, and made a smile appear with a gentle poke to the end of his nose.

"Your father and I were just talking about taking you both out later, weren't we, Varian?" she told the boy, who sat up straighter at the very idea of a family trip.

"Oh? Where are we going?" he asked, looking expectantly at his father, who still wasn't thrilled by their rather cobbled together plans.

"We're going to the Trade District to get your sister what she needs. A few nightdresses and some new bottles aren't going to cut it for long," Varian said gruffly, and apparently, Anduin didn't even realise that there was a hint of chagrin to his voice- if anything, he looked even more excited at the idea.

"What kinds of things? Like shoes and stuff?" Anduin asked, happily leaning back into Val's embrace once she offered it.

"She's a bit little for shoes right now, Little Lion. But clothesareon the list," Val explained, clucking her tongue.

"Although, we don't exactly havea list right now either. Fancy helping me write one up over breakfast?"

"Yes please!" Anduin trilled, but his happiness was short lived as he realised that he'd made the same error as yesterday and clapped a hand over his own mouth.

"Oh! Sorry! I did it again!" he whispered through his fingers, but thankfully it wasn't necessary. While his sister jolted at the loud noise, the bottle that was sitting in her mouth distracted her from crying this time around, so the potential storm that Anduin's outburst could have brought never came.

Varian tried his best not to look annoyed, but he knew deep down that he was utterly failing at it.

"It's alright, Anduin. You'll get to a point where being quiet is second nature soon enough," he said, loosening his grip after realising that his fingers had tightened around the bottle.

"Aye- it's only been a day, Little Lion. Nobody can expect you to be an expert on baby etiquette already," Val added, clearly noticing her husband's disgruntled tone and wanting to shoot it down as soon as possible.

"I really am trying though, I promise," Anduin insisted, and even Varian's features softened.

"We know you are, lad," he said reassuringly, and looking down at his daughter, he gained an idea as to how he'd convince his son that he wasn't truly angry with him.

"Here, finish this feed for me, eh? This old man needs the privvy," Varian suggested, and Anduin's face lit up like a torchbug.

"Really? Can I?" Anduin chirped, and with a glinting awe in his cerulean eyes, he watched as Varian gently lowered the baby onto his lap.

Once again, Val helped him place his arms in the correct positions, and when she was sure that her daughter was safe, she passed the bottle to the gleeful prince. He tipped it up, and put it to his sister's lips with a precision that made Val rather suspicious.

"You've got the knack of that rather fast, Andy," she teased, combing back the boy's hair and matching his grin with her own. In fact, the only difference between them was the fierce redness that spread across Anduin's freckled cheeks.

"I practiced last night- Merlin made a great baby, considering he's a bear," Anduin admitted, and from within the washroom, a hearty chuckle was heard.

"Now I'm wondering whether you would've done the same, had your sister taken the breast," Varian commented, and to Anduin's credit, he seemed completely unfazed by the insinuation.

"Of course I wouldn't have, Father- I don't have boobies," Anduin declared, and the bold-as-brass way that he did so made Val nearly slam her face into her pillow, so that her laughter didn't scare her daughter.

Varian's, however, was booming, and echoed through to the main chamber.

"An astute observation, son," he wheezed, filling the basin in order to wash his hands off. While Anduin appreciated the praise, he couldn't help but find the fact that his mum was still laughing rather confusing.

"What? It's true, mum! Boys don't have boobies, so they can't feed babies unless they use bottles, like Sissy does," Anduin trilled insistently. Val reached over to ruffle his bed shagged locks, and her grin melted into a warm, affectionate smile.

"You're one hundred percent right mate," she said reassuringly, taking the bottle when he passed it to her.

"'Sissy'? Is that what you've decided to call her?" Varian asked as he came back in. Anduin eagerly nodded, and held a finger out for the baby to hold.

"Just until she has a name," Anduin explained. "Why- do you not like it, Father?"

Varian sat at the end of the bed and pulled his slippers out from underneath it.

"It's a fine nickname, Anduin," he told the boy. However, Anduin could see a glint of something in his eye. "But…it does remind me once again that my daughter doesn't have a proper one yet."

"We'll find a perfect one soon enough, love," Val soothed, giving the bottle back so Anduin could try one last time to make his sister finish it off.

"I damn well hope so- it's the least we can do for the little mite," Varian grumbled, taking his daughter when she began to fuss and fight against her brother's attempts.

"No- the least we can do is make sure that she has her own things, instead of hand-me-downs that don't fit her," Val reminded him. She gave Anduin a one-armed squeeze, and kissed the boy's head as she slid down onto the floor.

"Well hopefully, this little excursion of yours will kill two birds with one stone," Varian replied, patting the babe's back until he heard a satisfactory burp burst from her lips.

"Oh, so you're admitting that it's a good idea?" Val teased, and Varian gave her the glare that she'd been fully expecting.

"I'm admitting that it's a necessaryidea, not a 'good' one. If I had my way, we would've gone with myplan," Varian grumbled, rocking the babe as the grips of sleep began to take her.

"Ah, come on Father, we're going to have loads of fun picking everything out!" Anduin chirped, and despite his intense reservations, Varian couldn't help but find Anduin's enthusiasm infectious.

"I'm sure we will, son. Then you and your mum can mock me for my grumpiness for the next week," Varian replied, stroking his daughter's back with a thumb.

"Only a week? That doesn't seem very fair," Val said, bringing the baby's blanket over and holding it open while Varian carefully lowered her backwards until she was nestled within it.

"Hush, you," Varian commanded with a faux annoyance to his voice.

"Well, now she's had her breakfast…what say you two about having our own?" Varian suggested once the baby had been lowered into her cradle, and unsurprisingly, he was met with eager nods.

"Can we have pancakes?!" Anduin asked, bouncing on his bottom.

"I'm certain that can be arranged," Varian replied, catching the boy as he threw himself at the king.

"With strawberries and honey?" Anduin continued, swinging his legs to and fro.

"Yes, you greedy little goblin, you can have whatever you want on them," Varian said, giving his son a light tickle.

"But first, you have to have a wash, Little Lion. Go on, start running the bath and we'll alert the kitchen," Val instructed, and with a smack of his lips against their cheeks counting as farewell kisses, Anduin carried out the task put before him.

"So…looks like we have someone to do the feeds from now on," Val joked once the prince was out of earshot.

"It seems so. Hopefully he'll be that eager to help with the napkins as well," Varian replied, earning a playful swat to his shoulder as his wife passed by.

"Oh! Oh! We can put this one over here, Father!"

Varian couldn't keep the smile from his face as his son raced around the newly furnished nursery like a hyperactive puppy. In his hands were two stuffed toys that Anduin himself had picked out earlier that day, and he'd been trying to choose a home for them for near on ten minutes.

"I think that's a fine spot, son. Just as long as they're nowhere near the cradle," Varian told him with folded arms.

"I think that's everything, Your Majesty," said one of the young men who'd taken on the colossal task of shifting every item he and Val had purchased from the city and into the Keep.

Varian took a quick look around just to make sure he was telling the truth. In the dead centre of the hexagonal room was the cradle they'd bought, with its canopies lying in the padded linen nest, waiting to be hung.

A bookshelf that probably only reached to Varian's thigh sat against the adjacent wall, and a toy chest that was already overflowing paralleled it. A wardrobe recovered from Anduin's early years was ready to be given a fresh lick of paint, and the missing chest of drawers that would serve as their changing table would be delivered soon enough.

As much as Varian griped and grumbled about the convenience of magic, even he had to admit that it'd proved quite a boon in this particular situation.

For any other baby, he would've had to have waited weeks for woodworkers and tailors to make everything from scratch. But because he had the coin to pay Stormwind's mages to conjure whatever they needed from seemingly thin air, his daughter had a chamber ready for her in a matter of hours.

"Very good," Varian said, reaching into his trouser pocket and handing the redhead a folded slip of parchment. "Take this down to my chamberlain, and he'll make sure you're appropriately compensated."

The two men shared a nod of appreciation, and finally, after hours of being surrounded by strangers, it was just the Wrynns left in the room.

…Well, half of them anyway. Val had taken refuge in her and Varian's chambers to give the baby her evening feed, leaving Varian and Anduin to oversee the nursery's completion. The former hoped to have it all done before she returned, but something was telling him that was expecting a bit too much.

"Do you think Sissy will like it in here, Father?" Anduin asked as he unwrapped the children's books that had been so kindly gifted to them from the bookshop owner.

Varian's brow furrowed as he mulled the rather loaded question over.

"I certainly hope so," he said honestly, but even then, there was still a wrinkle or two above his nose. "Although, I doubt she's actually going to be sleeping in here yet." Anduin seemed rightly confused at the observation.

"Why not? This is her room," Anduin pointed out, nearly dropping the book he was shelving because his attention was so firmly on his father.

"Because quite frankly, Anduin, I can't imagine leaving a child so small in a room by themselves," Varian confessed, but a small, barely convincing smile appeared on his tired face.

"That, and I don't think my old bones would forgive me if i kept trudging down here every three hours for her feeds."

"Does that mean that I slept with you and Mama when I was a baby, Father?" Anduin asked, taking full advantage of both the subject matter, and the alone time that he had with the King.

"Aye, you did. Your Mama was very much in favour of having you within arms reach," Varian affirmed. He broke the string holding together a package full of small, frilled dresses that looked like they belonged to a doll more than they did a human child, and started unpacking them.

"How old was I when I started using my cradle?" Anduin continued, and this time, Varian's laugh was genuine.

"About an hour old, maybe a bit less. Your mama and I had the same arrangement with you as your mum and I do with your sister- a cradle next to the bed," Varian told him.

"Oh, so I wasn't in the bed with you?" Anduin questioned, clearly misunderstanding what Varian had meant.

"Oh Light no- that would've been beyond reckless of us. No, you were beside us, safe and sound."

"I see," Anduin said in realisation, and apparently, that was enough to placate him, for he simply carried on with his task as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"Anduin?" Varian called, and the prince looked back up. "You know you can always ask me questions about that time, don't you?"

"You mean when I was little?" Anduin clarified, and Varian nodded. "I know, Father. I just…"

"Just what, son?" Varian prodded, knowing full well what the boy was about to say.

"I just didn't think that you'd want to talk about it, that's all," Anduin admitted, and Varian's harsh features softened.

"Anduin…I understand how you might think that I didn't enjoy any of the year I was married to your mother. I've not exactly spoken of it fondly," he started, putting the dress he was worrying through his fingers down.

"But there were good times during those twelve precious months, son. Especially after you were born. So don't ever think that I won't wish to reminisce about them with you, alright?"

Anduin brightened at Varian's reassuring words, and his movements quickened with elation.

"What was the best one that wasn'tme being born?" he asked eagerly, and Varian, who was simply glad to see him smiling again, clucked his tongue as he thought about it.

"It'd probably be…your first bath," Varian declared, making Anduin more confused than ever.

"Eh? A bath?! Why is thatyour favourite?!" Anduin cried, and Varian began to smirk as he resumed his task.

"Because, my dear boy, the second that your mama lowered your backside into the water, you started pissing like your life depended on it- to me, you looked like one of the cherubs on the fountain out in the grounds," Varian chortled, and to his mild astonishment, his son started laughing along with him.

"You're making that up!" Anduin said accusingly, but Varian shook his head defiantly.

"I'm doing no such thing! You can ask Nan and Wyll- that water was green within a microsecond," Varian insisted, and his shoulders started heaving with hearty laughter.

"Did Mama find it funny?" Anduin asked.

"Eventually, she did. At the time, however, she was rather annoyed at the both of us- you, for soaking her with it, and me for laughing so damn hard," Varian told him, putting another dress on a hanger.

"Were there any nice, not funny, moments?" Anduin questioned, and Varian felt his own movements slow down.

"There were, aye," Varian murmured quietly, as if he were lost in a past that Anduin couldn't see.

"When you were a baby, the only thing that would get you to sleep was your mama singing a particular song. She'd have to repeat it over and over for it to work, but it always did in the end," he said, with a slight tinge of sadness to his voice.

"I used to stand by the door and watch her rock you until your eyes closed. Then she'd always give you a little kiss, and I'd stupidly chide her for disturbing you. But she still did it. 'Just in case', she used to say."

Anduin didn't need to ask what 'just in case' meant. He could see it in his father's eyes.

"What was the song, Father?" he asked, and Varian's face dropped further.

"I…I can't remember. It was so long ago…sorry, lad," Varian replied. "Your mum probably knows. You could ask her tomorrow, if you'd like?"

"I think I will," Anduin declared, gathering another pile of books to shelve. "Thank you for telling me though."

"You're welcome, Anduin. I'm just sorry that I'm not much help," Varian said forlornly, but Anduin scurried over to give him quite the reassuring embrace.

"You're loadsof help, Father," he said, and Varian abandoned the wardrobe once again to bend and return the boy's enthusiastic hug.

"I love you, son," Varian said, kissing Anduin's temple.

"I know. I love you too," Anduin comforted, and he pulled back to flash Varian a grin. "Can I ask one more question?"

"Of course you can," Varian answered, but he was growing increasingly suspicious of his son's apparent glee.

"…Did you really cry when I was born? Nan said you did," Anduin asked, and all the melancholy Varian had been feeling bubble in his chest disappeared to make way for a rather mild disdain.

"If I said 'yes', how long do you plan on teasing me for?" he countered, and his son started snickering, which was never a good sign.

"Not long, I promise," Anduin told him, but something told Varian that was a bold-faced lie.

"...I hope you sob like a maid when you have your own children, so I can tease you right back, you little goblin," Varian grumbled, patting the prince's back. "Come now, let's get this all done so your mum can't moan that we've been sitting on our backsides, eh?"

"Yeah!" Anduin trilled. He scurried from his father's arms, and slammed his bottom onto the floor, so that he was at the perfect height to shove as many books as he could onto the shelves.

Varian watched his son's eager movements, and tried to decide whether he had indeed aided the boy in his quest for past knowledge. Anduin was a clever boy in more ways than anyone gave him credit for; if there were any resentment in his heart, he knew exactly how to hide it, especially from his parents.

"You're staring at me again, Father," Anduin observed, and Varian answered with a smirk.

"Wouldn't you, if you had the chance to study a little monkey in its natural habitat?" Varian teased, finding Anduin's gasp of shocked offence highly amusing.

"I'm not a monkey!" he protested, but Varian wasn't having it.

"Oh yes you are! No human boy that I know climbs and chirps as much as you do," Varian retorted, opening the wardrobe's bottom drawer and putting a folded pair of stockings in it.

"I can'tbe a monkey- I don't like bananas," Anduin said matter-of-factly, and it only made Varian's laughter worse.

"Oh well then, that settles that, I suppose," Varian mocked, putting another pair in. "He doesn't like bananas. I'll have to tell Stormwind's scholars that the research they've done on apes is wrong, because whether they're monkeys or not apparently depends on whether they like bananas."

"Oh shush, Father," Anduin chided with a badly concealed giggle. But then he let it loose as he realised something.

"Wait- is that why mum calls you a big, stupid gorilla sometimes?! because you've convinced her that I'm a monkey?!"

Varian's brows snapped down fast enough to make his forehead ache.

"Your mum calls me a what?!"

He'd never get his answer, for just before Anduin could give it, there was a interrupting knock upon the chamber door.

"We'll finish this later, boy," Varian warned, pointing a finger at his snorting son. "Enter!"

In came Lee, who was blissfully unaware of his master's dampened mood as he looked around the chamber.

"Your Majesty- it looks wonderful in here already," he complimented, flashing the king a bright, innocent smile.

"Thank you, Lee. Although, I can't take much credit for what others have done," Varian said coolly, putting the last few items of clothing away. "Was there something you wanted?"

Lee started as he realised that there was indeed something he'd come specially here for, and put his hands behind his back.

"Her Majesty wanted me to inform you that the Princess' feed is done, but she's fussing, so they've gone for a walk around the Keep…and it's almost Prince Anduin's bedtime," Lee informed the King, who looked over at the clock that had been temporarily propped against the wall.

"Sweet Light, is that how long we've been in here?" Varian muttered, closing the wardrobe doors.

"Do I really have to go to bed, Father? I'd much rather we finish in here," Anduin moaned, but Varian knew that if he gave in, he'd have to face the wrath of his wife if the boy even whispered that he was tired tomorrow.

"Aye, lad, you do. We were never going to do this all in one night anyway," Varian admitted, putting a hand on Anduin's back as the seven year old trudged towards the door that Lee held open for them.

"Promise that you won't start without me tomorrow?" Anduin asked forlornly, and Varian gave him his best smile.

"I promise, son," he said with a chuckle. His palm affectionately patted the gap between Anduin's shoulder blades, and somehow, the prince knew what it meant.

"Now go on, off to bed with you. I plan on starting early."

"Can I have a hot milk first?" Anduin asked cockily, and with rolled eyes and a fake sigh, Varian looked to an amused Lee.

"Go down to the kitchens and get this little goblin some hot milk…and one of those shortbread biscuits we had at lunch," Varian said, pointing a finger and waving it between Lee and Anduin. "But you are notto tell your mum that I let you have it, understand?"

Anduin threw his little arms around his father's waist, and grinned into his tunic. "Yes Father! Thank you!" he trilled, happily kissing Varian's cheek when the king bent down for it.

"No, thank youfor accepting your sister so well, lad. A biscuit is the least you deserve for it," Varian replied, sweeping Anduin's hair from his face.

"I love Sissy, Father," Anduin murmured, as if he were offended by Varian not thinking so already.

"I know you do, Anduin," Varian said hurriedly, and lifted his son's slowly sinking chin.

"And while I may not be an expert on having siblings, i do know that a time may come when you feel like your sister has a greater share of our time and attention. Ifit comes, you have every right to talk about it with your mum and I, you know that, don't you?"

"I know that, Father. But I don't think I'll have to," Anduin said confidently, and put a small puff into his chest. "Babies needmore time than big boys. It's just a fact."

Varian, who wasn't used to such bravado from his eldest, couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping his throat.

"You'restill my baby, just as much as your sister is, you little monkey," he countered, ruffling the boy's hair and straightening to his full height. "Now go on, off to bed with you."

"Yessir!" bleated Anduin, and with one last 'goodnight' that was thrown over his shoulder, he disappeared into his chamber and closed the door.

"'Big boy', indeed. I'll remind him of that the next time he wants his boots tied," Varian muttered, but Lee could see the smallest twitches of a smile tugging at the corners of his monarch's lips.

"Did my wife, perchance, happen to mention where she was going?" Varian asked, and to his relief, Lee nodded, meaning that he wouldn't have to initiate a Keep wide search for her.

"Her Majesty said something about the library, Your Majesty," Lee informed him, and Varian found himself quite unsurprised.

"Of course she did," he whispered to himself. "Go and get the prince his milk, and consider yourself relieved of duty for the rest of tonight."

"Very good, Your Majesty," Lee replied, giving him a bow and walking in the opposite direction of Varian, who'd already started making his way towards the double doors situated at the end of the hall.

"The Wrynn family archive, Your Majesty."

Val gave a warm, grateful smile to Donald Tovald, the Keep's librarian, as he unrolled the large scrolls that she'd asked for not ten minutes ago. The table she was standing at was already covered in variously shaped sheets of parchment, and each one held a record of some ancestor of her husband, or a significant figure in Stormwind's history.

"Thank you," she said, moving a few papers to make room. "I think this will be all I need for now."

"If I can be of further assistance, Your Majesty, please, let me know," Donald replied, inclining his head. Val returned the gesture, and the redhead took it as permission to leave her, and tend to the few others that were dotted around the gargantuan chamber.

"You honestly think that this will help, Your Majesty?" asked Varro as he stood adjacent to her. Val clucked her tongue as she considered her answer, and her fingers curled around thick parchment as she picked up the first sheet.

"I have no clue. But it's better than nothing," she said, looking down at baby that was strapped securely to her chest.

"It's been nearly two days, and this little mite still doesn't have a name- if I can at least find a few ideaswithin this lot, I'll go to bed happy."

"Just call her 'Val Junior', and be done with it," teased the guard, who Val knew full well was just trying to wind her up. But still, she found herself chuckling as she bent over the largest sheet.

"I don't think that she'd ever forgive me if I did," Val replied, running a finger over the first few branches of the Wrynn's family tree.

"'Variana'? 'Anduette'? 'Minnie the second'?"

Val's shoulders shook more with each of Varro's frankly ludicrous suggestions, and she gave him a glare that held a twinkle of amusement in it.

"Will you stop it? I've only just got her off," she hissed, pointing to her sleeping daughter.

"Ah, kids sleep through anything once they're gone, Val. You'll learn that as time goes on," Varro said, waving a hand of dismissal.

"I'm still not risking it. She's as grumpy as her father when she wakes up too early- that much, I havelearnt already," Val replied, moving around the table so she didn't have to stretch.

"Not to sound obvious…by why don't you name her after the late Queen?" Varro suggested, but Val shook her head.

"Varian's already told me that he doesn't want to do that," she said solemnly.

"As far as he's concerned, his mother was unique, so the name has to rest with her. It wouldn't be right to imprint it onto our daughter, and erase what significance it holds to him."

"That's fair enough," Varro said, drumming the edge of the table. "….I suppose it's right to assume that 'Mila' is also out of the question?"

Now, Val started to laugh again. "I think Varian would much rather we call the babe 'Garona'," she said confidently.

"Does she know about the little'un yet?" Varro cautiously asked, and this time, Val's chuckle was a bit more subdued.

"Varro, I think the entirety of Azeroth knows about this baby," she rightfully pointed out, but underneath, she knew that wasn't what he'd meant. Her sigh made the thin, wispy hairs on her daughter's head blow back and forth.

"I've started a letter, but I have no idea whether I'll actually send it or not," Val admitted. "Part of me wants to make sure she's kept in the loop. I mean, this is her only grandchild…"

"But you're hesitant?" Varro prompted, and Val nodded.

"She's already proved that she's a shitty mother. What's to stop her being a shitty grandmother as well?" Val pointed out, and she found herself subconsciously cradling her daughter. "I remember when she left, and how much It fucking hurt to think that she didn't want me. I don't want my own child going through that."

Varro thankfully looked rather sympathetic to her dilemma, and his normally gentle features were twisted into a thoughtful frown.

"I take it that you haven't spoken about this with King Varian?"

"Of course I haven't. He hates Mila more than I do, so I highly doubt that he'll even let me finish asking him about it before he blows up," Val retorted, shaking her head and picking up another sheet of parchment. "I'm sure I'll come to my own conclusions in time. Until then, I'd rather we not speak about it anymore- I've got enough to deal with right now."

"Good Evening, Your Majesty!"

The two of them looked round to find out exactly why Donald was seemingly greeting Val for a second time. They soon realised that wasn't the case at all, and he was in fact addressing Varian, who gave him an acknowledging nod, and followed his finger towards their table.

"Evening, Majesty," Varro echoed, giving him a bow and thumping his chest in salute.

"Same to you, Ser," Varian returned, kissing his wife's cheek.

"Forgive how crass I may sound, but I'd ask that you leave us, and return to your post."

Thankfully, Varro wasn't at all offended at the stark command, and he simply inclined his head.

"As you wish, Majesty," he said, throwing Val a wink. "Good luck with your quest, Ma'am. I'm sure you'll find something suitable."

"Thank you, Varro," Val answered with a giggle to her voice- one that Varian, admittedly, found himself confused by.

"What's he talking about, Sweetheart?" he asked, furrowing his brow and not quite understanding the smirk on Val's face.

"I've taken the bull by the horns and asked for your family records, to help choose a name for this little jewel. That's all," she explained, and leant back so he could run a palm across their daughter's head.

"I see…" Varian murmured as he too, bent over the table and studied what she'd accumulated. "I didn't know half of these documents still existed," he confessed, thumbing one of the many piles dotted about.

"Neither did I. Donald said that most of it must've been salvaged from Lordearon's libraries," Val said, stepping back to give him room.

"Anduin's not on here, so he's probably right," Varian affirmed, pointing to the spot where his own name was written in thick, embossed gold. "Hells- Tiffin's still listed as my second cousin, and not my wife- that says exactly how old it is."

"I suppose we should have an updated one made up soon," Val suggested, and a small, happy smile appeared on Varian's face.

"Aye, we should," he agreed, turning around at the sniffles his daughter gave in her sleep. "Have you gained any ideas so far?"

"Not yet. We've only just got everything laid out," Val admitted, moving the sling's strapping out of the way so Varian could see the baby better as he bent down. "I think I've chosen her middle name though."

"Oh? What have you picked?" Varian asked, fighting the urge to reach out and stroke the babe's cheek.

"Elspeth. It was the only one that felt right, but I didn't like it as a forename," Val said, finding Varian's chuckle completely unsurprising.

"If Bessie knew that you were giving our daughter her full name, she'd whack you to kingdom come," Varian pointed out, but Val seemed unfazed.

"I know she would. But then she'd love it," Val said, and Varian seemed to agree with her.

"It does sound perfect, I can't deny that. And it makes choosing what comes before it a bit easier," Varian said, straightening up and hearing his knee click as he did it.

"Though if I had to make one request, it would be that we don'tjust find a name we like and slap on a few extra letters in order to make it the right gender, like my parents did with me."

"I had no intentions to," Val assured him with a smirk.

"Good. Were I any other child, I think I would've gotten the shit kicked out of me for sharing a name with my bloody grandmother. I don't want to risk such a thing with this one," Varian added, clearly needing to get it off his chest before they continued.

"Duly noted, love," Val said, happily returning the all-too-brief kiss that he leant down for.

There was a comfortable silence for what seemed like an age as the two of them studied each of the branches holding members of Varian's family that even hehadn't heard of before.

Cousins he hadn't known existed, uncles and aunts that had never been mentioned…

"What about this one?" Val piped up, pointing to what Varian could only call his Great, great, great, great Grandmother.

"Aurelia? It's a bit on the nose, having another starting with 'A', don't you think?" Varian asked, but even he noticed that as soon as he'd said it, his daughter had started to trill in her sleep again.

Of course, he knew it was merely coincidence, but it did stir something in him nonetheless.

"It israther pretty though…"

"It fits rather well, too…" Val mused, and she pulled one of the blank pages she'd prepared towards her. Varian watched intently as her quill scratched its way across it, and by the time she was done, there was a wide smile on his face.

"That's bloody perfect, Sweetheart," he admitted, picking up the parchment and looking down at their daughter.

"Aurelia Elspeth Wrynn. Azeroth's most beloved little girl."