The palace ladies-in-waiting are quite mischievous, especially this one named Nadori, who is practically a wild little kitten.
I don't know when it started, but she began to show her temper. At first, she only glared at the servants, then she didn't take the palace guards seriously, and now, even King Terenas has to endure her insults.
King Terenas, however, dared not speak out against his anger.
"This is outrageous! There's no law at all! Where is the dignity of the royal family?" King Terenas was so angry his beard almost stood on end, but he could only grumble inwardly.
The two guards sitting on the ground at the entrance glanced into the palace, then turned back, closing their eyes to conserve their energy. They wouldn't bother the ladies-in-waiting unless they physically abused the King.
There is only one reason for this.
Hunger.
The Royal Palace wasn't so destitute that people had to drink Soakwater to survive, but it could only maintain the bare minimum of food supplies.
They were basically on the verge of starving to death.
When food is plentiful, men are stronger than women.
However, in the face of food scarcity, women, who naturally have smaller appetites, had an advantage, while the men were so hungry that they were dizzy, weak in the knees, and had no strength to walk.
They still had the energy to be mischievous, occasionally teasing the poor old King.
Terenas, furious, quickly dressed himself with a few rustling sounds.
Times have changed; he can no longer expect the service of palace ladies. He should be grateful if they don't resort to physical violence.
So what if they're a little mischievous? What can we do? Throw them in jail and torture them?
The Order of the Silver Hand are no longer stationed in the city. In the palace, the only ones who can wield weapons are probably these female officials, if scissors can be considered weapons.
As usual, the old King went to the throne room to handle state affairs, but the once bustling Throne Room was now almost empty.
Even a fool would know that the end of Lordaeron was near. Nobles with connections fled to the Gelkis Kingdom, Ironforge, Kingdom of Stormwind, Kul Tiras, or sought refuge in Quel'Thalas in the north.
Some returned to their own territories to defend their homeland, sharing life and death with their people and facing national crisis together, thus doing their last bit of effort for Lordaeron.
Kilwinter was one of the few nobles who voluntarily stayed to assist the King; he was an elderly Court Mages.
"It's still a matter of food!" King Terenas sighed. "Kingdom of Stormwind, Kul Tiras, and Ironforge haven't replied yet. Are they willing to provide food? Meat would be best."
Kilwinter shook his head sadly. "We've received replies from all sides. If it's about providing relief to the people of Lordaeron, they're willing to offer food; but if it's about supplying the Orcs, they refuse to lend a hand. Kingdom of Stormwind and Kul Tiras are also facing difficulties."
"No, the food can only be given to the Orcs. Does anyone want to see sentient beings starving? As for the people of Lordaeron..." King Terenas paused, then continued, "Becoming Undead is actually a good option, but they can't just not work. The Silver Hand must keep a close eye on them."
Kilwinter could only offer a wry smile, "Your King, the Sunstriders have sent envoys to make territorial demands on us? They want Stratholme."
"Damn it! These hypocrites dare to demand territory!" King Terenas slammed his fist on the table. "The High Elves are shameless, taking advantage of our misfortune! No, not an inch of land can be lost!"
Stratholme is a strategically important Strategist stronghold, the northern gateway to Lordaeron, guarding the vital Ghostlands. It is garrisoned by the valiant Baron Rivendare, who defends against the southward invasion of the Trolls from Zul'Aman.
The old mage, his face deeply wrinkled and filled with helplessness, asked, "Your King, why are you so fixated on the Orcs?"
"The current situation is one of being caught in a bind; I only want to be King who sees things through to the end."
King Terenas had deep wrinkles and a poor complexion. He was thin, old and frail, and even in such a miserable time, the King was not getting enough to eat.
"You're just afraid of death; you want to beg for the Orcs' forgiveness," Kilwinter shouted.
"I've thought about death, but I'm never afraid of it. Since I made the decision to establish the Orcs internment camp, I've never thought about myself. I've long since disregarded life and death."
King Terenas was persistent and stubborn, like his unyielding beard; his dim eyes trembled slightly.
"But I have to think about my son Arthas. Considering my years of service to the Orcs, I hope Orcs can leave him a piece of land, even if it's just a small place Deathknell."
"King Majesty, are you hoping the Orcs will spare His Highness the Prince? You are wrong, terribly wrong. Your Majesty, Orcs have no gratitude whatsoever. They only care about profit and victory by any means necessary. They have not a shred of mercy; they are nothing but a pack of beasts."
Over the years, similar arguments had occurred countless times. Knowing he couldn't persuade the King, Kilwinter helplessly suggested:
"If you truly want what's best for Prince Highness, why not flee? Go to Kingdom of Stormwind, or Kalimdor."
King Terenas' expression was complex. After considering it for a long time, he finally nodded:
"That's true. I know Orcs aren't reliable. Kilwinter, do you really think I'm a tyrant? You're wrong. It's just bad luck and bad timing."
King Terenas had every reason to complain, and the old mage Kilwinter was well aware of the reason.
This was a gamble that jeopardized the fate of the nation, and King Terenas had only lost; he was about to lose everything.
During the Second War, in the Siege of Lordaeron, King Terenas witnessed firsthand just how powerful the Orcs were. He realized that if he could command such a mighty and invincible army, unifying the human kingdoms would not be difficult.
From that moment on, ambition began to take root in King Terenas' heart, growing into a towering tree that dominated his entire being.
Human beings are often destroyed by their own ambition.
When the Orcs internment camp was first established, Kilwinter did some calculations for the King.
"The appetite of one Orcs is equivalent to that of six human men. This means that the Kingdom of Lordaeron has suddenly gained hundreds of thousands of mouths. The war has cost Lordaeron a generation of young men, and the kingdom will collapse in less than ten years, leaving countless people starving."
Terenas simply smiled, not taking it to heart; he had his own thoughts.
To sustain war through war.
Many parts of the Eastern Kingdoms have been occupied by Evil alien races, such as the Forest Trolls that roam the lands, especially Zul'Aman in the Ghostlands, which is a major headache for the High Elves and a thorn in the side of Lordaeron.
Terenas was eager to use these alien races as a starting point. If the Orcs army succeeded, it would intimidate the entire Human Alliance, and the other major powers would surely surrender.
After that, the Orcs could cultivate the land themselves or raise livestock to support themselves.
Terenas believed that all that was needed was initial investment, and the difficulties were only temporary; the people of Kingdom of Lordaeron just needed to persevere and they would get through it.
Unexpectedly, the Orcs were weakened, and the plan to sustain themselves through war was aborted.
Kilwinter then came to see him again, this time with a special kind of poison.
"If mixed into the Orcs' food, they will soon die, like from some common disease. We can attribute the Orcs' deaths to Plague, Your King. This will not affect your prestige."
While King Terenas hesitated, Medivh, who had met with Orgrimmar, also arrived.
He gave King Terenas a choice.