A/N: There's a good number of folks reading this, so if I could ask for a favor: please do leave a comment and let me know how you like the story. Criticism is very welcome. Fan fiction is written only through personal motivation, and that motivation is easiest to retain through the knowledge that others are finding this interesting to read as well :)
She led him to her tent in the center of the camp, the blood elf following closely. Sylvanas fidgeted with the new ring on her finger the entire ride there. It seemed that the tingling effect of the boy king's touch extended to the ring, warmth spreading to her fourth finger and radiating beyond.
A clever bit of business if it was intentional - which Sylvanas was beginning to suspect it may have been. It wasn't like she could just take the damn thing off at the moment. At least now she had a way to bring her problem to Kaelystia surreptitiously. Her previous plan was to drag Anduin to the Undercity, hang on his arm like some lovestruck princess, and visit the banshee mage, having warned her previously. Now all she had to do was put on the ring and see Kaelystia. Well and good.
She dismounted at the tent, her new dark ranger Del on hand to take their horses away. Valeera frowned at the girl, as if trying to remember her face.
Belore, I can't wait to see Tyrande's face when she sees one of her Sentinels serving me. The entire wedding would be worth that one moment.
Sylvanas turned to Anduin. "Leave your quilboar outside, Wrynn. We'll be speaking alone."
Anduin exploded in a laugh. "See, Valeera? I told you, you were overdressed."
The rogue didn't seem to be amused. "May I remind you that we're in a Horde military camp?"
"Exactly! All your armor and weapons won't help if the entire Horde decides to take us out. Let's just hope my fiancee doesn't bore of me in the next hour to the point of wanting to kill us." He grinned boyishly.
Sylvanas suppressed an amused snort. At least he's aware of who has the upper hand here. It registered a moment later that he had called her his "fiancee", suddenly killing the mirth in her undead heart. She wished to be a fiancee once - of another man. But Nathanos never dared propose when he was alive, not with the amount of hate he received for simply being a human Ranger Lord among her people. Then his undeath changed something between them - he was as devoted and as loyal, perhaps even more so - but neither of them sought to resume what their deaths ended. Just another thing Arthas had stolen from her.
She looked her new betrothed up and down. The opposite of Nathanos in every way - she probably wouldn't have even glanced at him were she alive. But what he lacked in looks or personality he made up for with his title. She had finally conquered the King of the Alliance. The only reason his ring was currently tingling her finger was because of the blood, sweat, and toil of her armies, her spies, her mages, her engineers - the entire Horde. The Stormwind throne was hers by right of conquest, even if the conquered decided to give it up a little early. King Anduin Wrynn was her conquest, her trophy.
She was definitely going to make him feel it.
"Fine," the blood elf replied, planting herself to the side of the tent flaps, her back to the tent. "I'll stand guard here."
Sylvanas held one of the flaps open and nodded in the direction of the tent. "After you, little lion."
"Thank you, Sylvanas." He turned briefly to the rogue again. "And you, Valeera."
The tent flap falling closed behind her left alone with each other for the second time in the same day, but it did not have the feeling of their first meeting. Here she was in her own domain, with no fear of ambush. She had the upper hand and she had millenia of experience to bear upon the boy king when it came to negotiations. Only the tingling of her ring finger continued to irritate her, a distraction she was finding difficult to ignore.
Anduin stood there, scanning her tent. The largest tent in the camp, supported by three beams with the tallest one in the center, as befit the Warchief of the Horde, it stood almost entirely empty. The undead had no need for much of what the living would bring: a bed, dining table, brazier, toilet, and much in the way of toiletries and clothing. Instead, a wooden throne stood at the back, a map table in front of it, and to their side a lonely weapon rack, armor stand, and a single trunk for clothing. A small writing desk and a narrow full-length mirror completed the tent's furnishings. There were no seats aside from the throne - an intentional choice.
Having observed the interior, Anduin turned to her. "I wanted to thank you one more time for giving this all a chance. This could be the beginning of a new era for Azeroth."
"Here you go again talking about chance, Wrynn. I'm not giving anything a chance, I'm making an agreement based on certain terms. I assume you've had them drafted?" She reached out her hand in demand.
The boy cleared his throat and produced another scroll from a pocket in his tunic, handing it to her. "I've had a few more clauses added that I hoped you'd agree to. But this is a draft, of course. I'll have a final version written based on our agreement here."
She opened the scroll and skimmed through the contents. He did include everything that they discussed at their previous meeting, but, true to his comment, he also added a plethora of additional clauses.
She pointed to a list item on the scroll. "Open borders without limits on length of stay or employment?"
Anduin nodded. "I believe it's only logical. If the Alliance and Horde become one nation, borders should disappear, except in terms of administrative capacity."
"And my Forsaken would be free to enter Stormwind again?"
"Of course."
She frowned at him. "Need I remind you what happened last time we tried reconciling my people with yours, Wrynn? It did not end well for either side."
She wanted the Forsaken in Stormwind, of course. If she were to rule there, she needed a portion of the population to be loyal to her. Her people - and their living relatives - could lay the foundation for a pro-Sylvanas party in the heart of the Alliance.
But Anduin didn't need to know that. Why ask for something when you could use it as a bargaining chip instead?
The boy king sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "That was an ill affair, I have to agree. But we're not negotiating a small meetup anymore… we're joining our lands together. There is no more fear of the Forsaken betraying you to join the Alliance."
"If you think that was the only problem that day, you are a fool. Although, your being anything other than a fool was never under suspicion." Anduin opened his mouth to object, but she went on. "But I may overlook your idiocy and consent to this clause. Under one condition."
The boy looked both relieved and concerned at the same time. "Yes?"
"You allow us to continue raising Forsaken after this marriage - in writing."
Anduin's expression turned to surprise. "That — "
"... is only reasonable, if I am to expect some of my people to migrate to Stormwind. How are we to populate Gilneas and maintain the Undercity without adding to our ranks?"
He paused only briefly and then nodded emphatically. "Very well. I will agree to that, if that's what it takes to maintain the open borders clause."
"Good." She reached up and pinched his cheek, digging in with her nail until he yelped. "Perhaps there is hope your idiocy is not permanent after all."
He rubbed his cheek and stared at her, unable to come up with a suitable reply. She grinned at him mischievously, but fidgeted with her fingers behind her back. The tingling from such a brief contact was already dissipating, but it unnerved her all the same.
All in all, their discussion proceeded adequately. Before long, the ridiculous idea of a joint new capital was struck down, as was the less grand but similarly ridiculous idea of a joint academy of higher learning.
She did agree to mutual military observation, but only because she expected her fool of a future husband to adhere to the agreement by the letter while the Horde could clandestinely continue her secret weapons program.
She found the boy to be easily discomfited by physical touch and proximity, so she took full advantage of that, stepping into his personal space, maintaining uncomfortable eye contact, brushing up against him as she walked by… it was easier than playing with the myriad of high elven suitors back when she was General Ranger. Each thought he was her favorite - and all of them were wrong. Her only love was a human.
Sylvanas had to shake off the unwelcome memories to focus on the matter at hand. There was the task of getting as much out of the human king as possible during this meeting and she redoubled her efforts.
In the end, the conversation lasted several hours. The boy proved amenable to most of her ideas - and she was able to twist his elbow on a few matters he was less eager about. Of course, it meant agreeing to some of his absurd notions as well, but she doubted they would have a significant impact on her plans.
His agreement to the "tiebreaker" council was particularly surprising. They needed a third party that would be able to make decisions when the two of them were at odds. Sylvanas's suggestion was to include the leader of every race, including recent allies, knowing full well the Horde had the Alliance outnumbered on hat front by 2 members. But Anduin accepted the proposal with little hesitation, either because he could not count or because he was otherwise mentally challenged.
Finally, they came to the topic of the marriage ceremony at hand. Anduin insisted that it be performed in such a way that it would be recognized by all factions of Azeroth. That meant an orcish, elven, and human wedding all wrapped in one.
Zor Lonetree was the most high-ranking orc shaman in the camp and Anduin didn't object to his officiating the orcish part of the ceremony.
"You do know," she asked him, "that it is an orcish wedding custom for the couple to go on a hunt together?"
Anduin laughed at that and scratched the back of his neck. "Very well. Can't say I'm a good hunter, but I think we'll make a good team."
"You mean you'll cower in the bushes somewhere while I hunt the beast? There will be witnesses to the hunt, little lion. You won't get off that easily."
He smiled. "I had no intention of doing that, my lady."
From the elves, it only seemed right that Lor'themar would be the one to do it. Anduin delighted at the idea and Sylvanas promptly dispatched a runner via a portal to request the Regent Lord's presence.
The "human" side of the wedding took some negotiation. Velen was Anduin's first suggestion, but he was neither human nor likely to be comfortable in the middle of a Horde camp full of orcs. Sylvanas found the candidacy of Alonsus Faol comical enough to suggest, but Anduin feared he would be seen as too distant from the Alliance to put the ceremony under question.
In the end, there was only one other high-ranking priest of the Light among the Alliance. Sylvanas had to agree to have their wedding officiated by someone she couldn't even see without looking down: Moira Thaurissan. Anduin's quilboar Sanguinar reluctantly agreed to invite her.
Once done convincing her, Anduin turned to Sylvanas and gave her a tired smile. "I believe we've covered all the bases for the time being. I suppose we should prepare for the ceremony. I'll have the final document drafted and sent to you ahead of time. We can sign it as part of our nuptials."
"How considerate of you, Wrynn." She looked him up and down. "And I'll make sure there's a bed in my tent for what comes after."
The boy's cheeks flushed with color, much to her enjoyment. "I uh… yes. Thank you."
"Now go. I hear in Stormwind it is considered bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." She mentally commanded Del to come.
Anduin paused for a moment, seemingly uncertain of what to do. Then, bowing, he caught hold of her hand and placed a kiss on it for the third time that day. "I guess I'll see you soon then, Sylvanas."
Perhaps it was the irritating tingling of her hand where he placed his lips, but there was something about the way he said her name that unnerved her. She frowned at Anduin's back as he exited, her fist opening and closing instinctively to shake off the feeling.
Delaryn entered soon after he left, her eyebrows raised in question.
"I require my green ranger armor and appropriate jewelry. Fetch them from my quarters in the Undercity. My servants will know where to look."
The undead night elf bowed and exited in silence. Sylvanas turned to her mirror and considered her reflection.