"Do you think this is enough balloons yet?"
Anduin's question held a mildly desperate undertone to it as he sat across from Val, whose own lips were beginning to tingle from how often they'd been clamped around dusty pink rubber.
"Oh, I hardly think so, son. There's still a bit of floor left uncovered," Varian joked, answering for her and earning a glare as Val tied a knot in the bottom of the one she'd just finished inflating.
"Hush you," she grumbled, letting the balloon go and watching it fall to the stone floor. She did a quick sweep about the rest of the chamber, and both Anduin and Varian watched eagerly until a bright, beaming smile crept onto her face.
"I think, my darlings…we're just about ready," she declared, taking Varian's hand and letting him pull her up.
"Do you think Aurelia will like it?" Anduin asked, fixing a bow on one of the presents piled in front of the window.
Those same presents would soon be opened by his little sister, for today was her first birthday. To say that the event had been on the minds of everyone within the Keep would be a gross understatement, but their excitement paled in comparison to that of the girl's family, who'd spent nearly all night making sure all was prepared.
"I don't see why she wouldn't- there's balloons and cake involved," Varian quipped.
"That banner's wonky," muttered Val, who'd moved a fair few paces back so that she could inspect the room as a whole.
"Which one?" Varian asked, knowing full well that she was only fussing because something in her head told her everything needed to be perfect.
She'd done it for every single special occasion they'd ever celebrated together, and no amount of placation from him was going to work. So he simply dragged the stepladder to him, and ascended it in hopes of eradicating the minute problem entirely.
"What cake did you two choose in the end?" asked Anduin. He already had a vague idea of what their answer would be- he just wanted to keep the conversation light so that they didn't start stressing and getting on each other's nerves.
"Fairy dinosaurs…it was the only one we completely agreed on," Val confessed. Her arms folded while she watched Varian straighten the balloon-matching bunting that stretched across the rooms upper beams, and only when she was satisfied with his work did she start smiling again.
"You should've seen cook's face when we put the order in. It was a bloody picture," chuckled the high king as he came back to solid ground.
"What did Ihave for my first cake?" Anduin inquired, making his father's face twist into a frown.
"If I recall correctly...I'm sure it was an elekk one, was it not, love?" he said, looking to his wife for confirmation of the fact.
The trouble was, Val looked as uncertain as he did.
"I think so," she agreed, ruffling Anduin's hair as he passed. "If it was, it was probably modelled after Mister Trunky."
"Who on Azeroth is Mister Trunky?" Anduin sputtered, not realising how such a question sent an involuntary pang through his father's chest.
"He was Merlin's predecessor," Varian explained, folding the ladders back up so a certain little boy wasn't tempted to climb up them. "You went absolutely everywherewith him when you were Aurelia's age."
"Did I? I don't remember him," Anduin admitted, smoothing his hair.
"You probably would if you saw him again," Val pointed out, sipping at the orange juice that Varian passed to her.
"Do you have any toys from when you two were younger?"
"I don't, I'm sorry to say. I wasn't really one for hoarding things I'd outgrown, so most were given away. The few my mother did insist on keeping were lost in the war," Varian lamented, but Val looked rather giddy.
"I do, however. My old dolly is stashed away in the closet somewhere. I'll have to get her out, now Aurelia's finally taking notice of them," she chirped, putting her glass down.
"Speaking of the little scrap…shall we go and see if she's awake?" Varian suggested, rubbing his hands together and nudging his head towards the chamber door.
"Knowing our luck, today is the one day that she's decided to sleep in," Val joked, happily taking her husband's arm when he offered It.
"Do you think she even knows what's going on today, Father?" Anduin asked, holding the door open and thanking Jon for closing it for him once they were all outside.
"Oh, I doubt she has a clue, son," Varian admitted, giving the guards a jovial 'good morning' before continuing. "But that's not going to stop us from celebrating the fact that she's both here, and made it this far."
"To think…she was already a few hours old this time last year," Val mused, earning a warm smile from Varian.
"And I'd gone to bed that night thinking it would be as normal as the last…Light, was I wrong," he added.
"And I was completely, utterly, deeplyasleep throughout the whole thing," Anduin piped up innocently, and Varian wasn't sure who laughed loudest- himself, or Jon, who'd clearly heard them despite staying at his post a few paces back.
"Don't even try that tripe with me, son. Jon told me about your little covert operation the day it bloody happened," Varian retorted.
"...It was Tommo's idea," Anduin mumbled, using his loose hair as a handy shield to hide his reddening cheeks.
"Oh I have no doubts about that," Varian assured him. "But if I tell you once, I'll probably tell you a million times…Thomas is not a god. You don't have to go along with every little scheme he concocts."
"Hush now, both of you," Val whispered as they reached the nursery door. After putting her ear to it and hearing nothing but silence, she carefully turned the knob engraved with the letter 'A', and gave Johanna a warm smile as the three of them crept inside.
"She's just beginning to stir, Your Majesty," the kindly nursemaid informed them, but Varian had already come to conclusion, for he could see the blankets begin to shift and rumple with his daughter's movements.
"How's she been?" Val asked, choosing the more sensible thing and hanging back while her daughter woke herself up.
"Got up once for a drink and a change, but apart from that, she was absolutely splendid," Johanna informed her, putting her knitting down and rising from the rocking chair.
"Excellent. It seems the teething powder's doing its job then," Varian mused, folding his arms as he too waited patiently for Aurelia to rise.
"It seems so, Your Majesty," Johanna agreed, brushing her skirt down.
"But I will warn you that we've two dummies and a teether missing. I thinkthey're under her mattress, but I didn't realise until she was sleeping that they were gone."
"Don't worry about it, Johanna- we'll look for them later," Val assured the greying redhead.
"It's not as if she doesn't have an entire drawerful to make up for them," Varian snickered, making both women laugh with him.
"I saw her dress when I got her a fresh nightgown, Your Majesty- oh, it's lovely," Johanna praised, and Val's face lit up like a beacon.
"You like it? I wasn't sure about it at first. You know, because it's white, and she's a messy bloody eater…" she rambled, but thankfully Johanna seemed to understand, and nodded with every word she whispered.
"It's absolutely beautiful, Your Majesty- and you never know, this may be the day that Her Highness actually lets you put a feeding smock over it," Johanna jested, making Val's grin even wider.
"Light willing, Johanna. Light willing," Varian said, finally seeing a mess of dark brown curls emerging from the blankets.
"You may have a few hours leave before the party later on, Johanna- until then, we'dlike to see to the princess' care," he added, and of course, Johanna took the hint.
"Of course, Your Majesty. I'll see you all this afternoon," she replied, and with as much of a curtsey as her stout stature allowed, she gave a quick, less formal farewell to Anduin, who'd been her charge during hisinfancy, and closed the door behind her.
The sound of it was the last straw for Aurelia, and the baby girl sat up with her blanket still on her head.
"Mam-mam,"she said grumpily, looking about her with half open eyes.
"Good morning, treasure," Val greeted, resting both elbows on the crib's railing at the same time Varian did.
Aurelia rubbed at her face, and took the dummy out of her mouth before throwing it across the mattress. As usual, it was like a switch came on as soon as she stopped sucking on it, and her royal blue eyes darted about the crib in order to ascertain exactly whowas waiting to fulfil her every want and need.
With only minimal help from Varian, who moved her blanket away and gave her the means to move freely, she pushed herself onto her feet, and held on to the railing as they sunk into the thin cotton underneath.
"Papa. Mam-mam," she said sweetly, patting the varnished wood and showing them all the teeth she'd acquired so far.
"Morning, birthday girl," said Varian cheerily. He couldn't hold back anymore, and with little effort, he scooped Aurelia up by the armpits and lifted her out.
"You ready to be absolutely spoilt today, Treasure?" Val asked, rubbing one of her cheeks with a curled finger.
"I thought you two said you weren't going to spoil her," Anduin teased, ducking under his mother's arm.
"We haven't…at least, not as much as we were expected to," Varian admitted, but his shoulders regained their squared stance rather quickly. "It's more the other leaders that we're concerned about in that regard."
"Sure it is, Father," Anduin rebutted, stepping back so that Varian could safely put Aurelia on the floor.
"Ba-ba!" Aurelia shouted the second her backside hit the white bearskin rug.
"In a minute, Precious. We just need to do your bum and get you dressed first," Val said, opening the wardrobe.
Apparently, that was rather affronting to the princess, who beat her heels on the floor and tightly scrunched her face. What followed was a tirade of incoherent babbles that neither Varian, nor Val, could take completely seriously.
Despite knowing that they probably shouldn't have, they both found it rather amusing how their daughter was actively trying to argue with them, despite having no tangible words to do it with.
"Don't you talk to your mother like that, young lady," chided Varian, who calmly folded the cribs blankets as if his daughter weren't on the brink of a tantrum.
Of course, his scolding only caused Aurelia to turn her wrath unto him instead, and with a determined grip to rival that of a wildcat's claws, she used the leg of Varian's breeches to pull herself up.
"Papa!" she squawked, demanding his attention.
When she didn't get it straight off, her mouth encased itself on Varian's calf, and the king would've grown vexed, had she more teeth.
But at this point in her life, she could only press her gums onto the thin cotton and leave rather an annoying ring of spittle, which caused no pain. But that didn't stop him reaching down and prising the child from him.
"I see someone's got their goblin head on today," Varian grumbled, balancing Aurelia's backside on one arm. To no-one's surprise, however, Aurelia chose to become rather sweet now she'd essentially gotten her own way, and her head rested upon Varian's shoulder at the same time that her arms curled around his neck.
"She's always a goblin before breakfast," Val reminded him. She laid out the outfit she'd picked upon the changing table, which was still getting plenty of use, despite nearly everyone's advice to start Aurelia's potty training early and 'get it done'.
What those people had neglected to realise was that such notions entailed both monarchs ending up with a soaked through, furious child that was impossible to calm…or even worse, a complete mess covering the floor that they couldn't justify having the servants clean.
So Varian was rather relieved to see an unfolded napkin lying on top of the gown, for it meant today would be a break from such trials.
"Can we go and get her presents, Mother? I reallywant her to open mine," asked Anduin, who was clearly growing as impatient as his sister.
"Not yet, Anduin," Val replied, taking Aurelia from her father and sitting her on the napkin.
"She'll get her presents at her party, just as you did," Varian added, already opening the pin for his wife and passing it over when it was needed.
"But she'll have so many! Surely onebeforehand won't matter!" Anduin protested, swinging his legs as he perched himself on the rocking chair's matching footstool.
"First her, now you- what is it about today that makes my children think they can freely give me lip?!" said Varian exasperatedly, but as usual, Val was on hand to diffuse both his temper, and the tension.
"Compromise- she can have your present after her morning nap. That way it'll be close enough to the party to not cause a tantrum when she can't have another," Val suggested, and of course, Anduin's expression brightened.
"Good deal!" he squeaked, and rushed over to thrust his hand towards Varian, who rolled his eyes before putting his own in it.
"Now then, let's turn this little goblin into the belle of the ball, eh?"
"And thisone's from your Uncle Arin and Auntie Gwen!"
Val was sure that Aurelia understood only half of what she'd said as she passed over a silver-sprayed box with a large blue ribbon. The Princess' birthday party was well underway, and so far, it'd been alot of fun for both the attending children, and the adults charged with minding them.
Aurelia was sat dead centre of an extra-large blanket that was spread about the floor of the Keep's ballroom, and she was surrounded by balloons, already opened gifts, and empty plates from where the others had picked from the buffet table.
She batted at the lid once the present was nestled between her legs, and aided by Varian, whose lap she'd claimed the second he'd sat down, she unearthed a wooden puzzle with her name in large pieces that were perfect for tiny hands.
"I hope I spelt it right- I couldn't remember whether it was an 'e' or an 'a' in the middle," admitted the Gilnean himself, who was sitting with a plate that had been filled about four times now.
"Well, you got it right, so there's no need to panic," Varian said, letting Aurelia get a feel for the lettering, instead of moving straight on.
"Did you make it then, Jammy?" Cillian asked from the chair he'd opted for.
"I did- made the old boss wonder what the hells I was up to," Arin replied, looking as proud as a peacock.
"It's lovely, Arin," Val said, reaching over to give him a one armed hug.
"Makes my present look a little bit shite now, thanks alot," Cillian added, earning a swat to his leg from the High Queen.
"Considering that I told you all that she didn't need presents in the first place, we're grateful for anything you've gotten, you daft git," she scolded, moving the now empty gift box out of the way so Aurelia could play with it properly.
"Oh, aye, cause we were really going to listen to thatnow, weren't we?" teased Robin, who'd boldly brought his children to Stormwind alone, after Priscilla had fallen ill with food poisoning.
"I told her it was a futile endeavour, but you know what Val's like- she'd rather listen to the Burning Legion than to anything I have to say," Varian agreed, using the fact that their daughter was with him to his advantage, for it saved him from receiving a sharp swat from his wife.
"I just don't want her head to grow so big that she expects things all the time, that's all," Val moaned, and now it was Minnie's turn to scoff.
"Valerica, you two have managed to avoid that with Anduin well enough, and his bloody birthday is on boxing day. So a few presents on the one day that's entirely Aurelia's won't kill her sense of moral decency anytime soon,"she reasoned, sipping on the cider that she'd been nursing for quite a while.
"Besides, we're her family, it's our job to spoil her more than you two," Robin said cheekily, making his point further by tearing a strip of chicken and passing it over to the grabbing princess.
"Aye, and when she's older, we're going to upgrade from toys, to her first drink!" Cillian added brightly, but of course, Varian didn't see the funny side.
"Over my dead, cold body, will you," he muttered, watching his daughter as she ate, out of sheer habit. They'd not long started her on solids, and to say that his anxiety spiked at nearly every meal wouldn't exactly be far from the truth.
He knew the chances of anything happening were slim. But he also knew they were there, and that was enough for him to make sure he was sitting right beside Aurelia whenever she was given a plate of anything.
"Ah, I see- that's a papa privilege, is it?" Cillian goaded, keeping the tone deliberately light, which Val was grateful for. The last thing she wanted today was an argument, and thankfully, Varian wasn't about to start one, from the small smile that was creeping it's way onto his face.
"Damn straight. First drink, first dance, first sword…I'm being there for all of it, come hells or high water," Varian declared, widening his smile as Aurelia looked up to see why his voice had grown louder.
"Knowing our luck, all three will end up happening at once," Val joked, deeming it appropriate to fetch another present.
"Oh- this one's from your Uncle Gelbin."
"I think one of us should check it's not ticking before we give it to her."
"You honestly think every present hasn't already been looked at with a fine toothed comb? Poor Shaw and his men must've been up half the night processing them," Val pointed out, earning a sharp grunt of agreement from her husband.
"Thankfully, he didn't have anything to report, but we'll see whether that changes once the public gifts have been rounded up," Varian added, using most of his concentration to undo the tightly knotted bow sitting on top of the gift's box.
"Do people still do that? I would've thought all that shit petered out after the war," Minnie mused, reminding the few sitting around her that had forgotten that she indeed lived in Stormwind at one point.
"You would've thought so, but according to Gregor, the front steps were littered with the things this morning," Varian affirmed, finally making headway and yanking frustratingly the orange-hued ribbon.
"Sod writing all those 'thank you' cards," Arin commented, but Val seemed unfazed by the idea.
"When people have gone out of their way for a baby they've never even met, that's the least we can do," she said rather forlornly, making Varian want to sigh as he and Aurelia ripped the box apart out of sheer impatience.
"Sweetheart, I was all for your idea of a city-wide feast. But it's one thing to thinkof an idea, and another to put it into practice," Varian pointed out, and Val's nose wrinkled in the way that meant she agreed, but didn't want to admit it.
"I know- I just think cards are really impersonal, that's all," she muttered, and once again, Cillian and his bad jokes came to save the tensing atmosphere.
"Ah, never fear lass- after the hundredth, you'll be giving each of them a variation of the phrase 'fuck you for making me do this'- that makes it personal enough," he jested, bringing a smile back to her face, and earning Varian's gratitude to boot.
Thankfully, further distraction from her disappointment came from the gift that Aurelia finally managed to get her hands on.
"Bay-yay!" she screeched, hugging the peculiarly posed babydoll to her chest with glee. Apparently, Val wasn't the only one confused by the position of the 'child's limbs, and Varian searched about the ruined box for Gelbin's accompanying letter, to see if he could ascertain a reason behind it.
"Ah! I see," he eventually said, putting the missive down and prying the doll away from his daughter. "Here, Sweetness- watch this."
Aurelia did exactly that as Varian turned it upside down, and and turned a crank the size of a copper coin until he heard a click. Then he put the toy down, and there was a collective 'oh!' of realisation as it began to crawl across the blanket. It's movements held the fluidity of gnomish engineering, but to a few of those observing its autonomy, it was still quite the unsettling sight.
"That's feckin creepy," Robin said bluntly, echoing the inner thoughts of the prince, who'd noticed the sound of turning cogs and come to investigate.
"I feel like it's going to try and kill me at some point," Anduin admitted, making his father tut.
"Oh, Anduin, don't be preposterous," Varian chided, but as if he'd been waiting for the cue, Thomas came up behind his younger cousin and cupped his mouth with both hands.
"Play with me,
"Oi, stop winding people up, you, or I'll take you back aboard ship," threatened Cillian, who was so used to his adoptive son's antics that he couldn't even bring himself to be angered by them anymore.
"Ah, come on, I was only playing," Tommo complained, giving Anduin a hug not unlike the one Val had given Arin minutes earlier.
"That's not playing, that's being a gobshite. So pack it in," Minnie pressed, and like every child that was scattered about the room, Tommo listened to her far more than he did his own parent.
"Well, Aurelia seems to like it, and that's what matters," piped up an always diplomatic Arin, who flashed the girl a smile as she followed the doll's lead and crawled behind it.
"Your Majesty- it's ready," whispered Nan, who bent by her mistress' ear and made her face brighten.
"Right…if you'll excuse me for a second," Val said, getting to her feet and sharing a knowing look with Varian, who garnered a kiss on the cheek before she disappeared.
"Time to round up the monkeys," Varian said, turning back to find Anduin and letting a sharp whistle slip through his teeth. "All of you, come back here and sit down!"
To their credit, all five of them obeyed his command without question, but there was a little bit of fussing as far as who was going to sit where was concerned. Frankie and Anduin nearly came to blows over sitting next to Aurelia, who was of course, completely oblivious to the growing discord. Thankfully, the situation was diffused rather easily with the combined efforts of Varian and Robin, and the only question left on their young minds was 'Where's Val'?
They got their answer soon enough, when the ballroom's curtains were quickly and concisely drawn, bathing them all in acute darkness.
"Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you…"
Val's gentle singing drifted through the air, and almost instantly, those gathered about the blanket caught on to what was happening, and started to join in, forming a wobbly chorus. Aurelia looked at every face to try and ascertain exactly whyeveryone was suddenly breaking into song, particularly because her own father, who'd always sworn neverto do such a thing, even in church, was adding his own tone-deaf baritone to the proceedings.
"Happy birthday, dear Aurelia!"
The room was suddenly lit with the flash of a pictograph, which Gwen was using to document the occasion as much as humanly possible, at Val's request. Varian was glad that she'd thought of such a thing; to have these memories stored away for the future was a pleasure neither he, nor his wife, had experienced in their own youth. So for his own children to have such a privilege warmed the depths of his heart.
"Happy birthday to you!"
Val was careful not to place the cake she was carrying anywhere near Aurelia to start with. The lone candle that'd been stabbed dead centre burned with only a tiny flame, but she didn't want to take a chance, for she knew what a mare her daughter could be.
"Ready to blow the candle out, Treasure?" she asked, giving Anduin a wink and loudly counting down from three with the rest of them. Thankfully, Varian had hold of Aurelia's hands, so there wasn't a repeat of Anduin's first birthday, where he'd outright grabbed his candle in order to put it out.
But of course, she couldn't understand her mother's instruction, so it fell to her brother to quickly thrust his head forward and puff as hard as he could before anyone really noticed. Varian made sure of that fact by loudly cheering and raising Aurelia's arms in order to trick the girl into thinking she'd done it.
"Happy birthday, Sweetness. I can't wait to spend many more with you," whispered the High King as the noise died down, and Aurelia's smile showed her few teeth as he kissed her cheek.
"Let's get one of the birthday girl, then!" Gwen suggested, but Minnie shook her head.
"No! Get one of them all! I need it for my mantle!" she cried, making a sputter leave Val's grinning lips. Nevertheless, she happily stood with her husband, and accepted Anduin's enthusiastic hug as the four of them huddled together like overjoyed penguins and smiled like Cheshire cats.
"Say 'cheese'!"
"Cheese!"
The next few seconds were spent with palms rubbing at blinded eyes, but still, laughter was the only sound heard in the chamber. Val leant up to give her husband the brief kiss he'd bent for, and she took a squealing Aurelia from him so she could smother her with the same affection.
"Come on, you- time for you to taste the wonders of baked goods," Varian joked, putting a hand on the small of Val's back. He hung behind, however, but it was only for a moment, and that moment was spent watching the three people he treasured most, partaking in a joy that he'd been convinced they would never be blessed with.
A woman that had owned his heart ever since he could remember, and two children that had burrowed their way in and shared that love with her.
This was his family, and they were all he needed. The crown, the Alliance…none of it was worth a damn if he didn't have them.
