"At that time, King Varian was weak and incompetent. The Orcs' conquest of Stormwind City left him with severe psychological trauma, and Duke Bolvar was left to manage the government affairs. The duke was overwhelmed and made a complete mess of things. The Black Dragon Princess seized the opportunity to rise to power. Relying on her superb political skills, she quickly seized the highest power in Stormwind City. She was domineering and tyrannical, ruthless and cruel, shrewd and mean. Human wisdom could not defeat a Dragonkin."
"After the Black Dragon Princess seized power, the officials and nobles of Stormwind City suffered greatly, especially those who held positions without doing their jobs and lined their own pockets. No one could escape the Black Dragon Princess's watchful eye. Fortunately, the Black Dragon Princess never ate people; she disliked the taste of humans but had a particular fondness for roasted Orcs."
Mathias Shaw chewed on his slightly bitter bread, recounting the history of Stormwind City. Robbie was still young then and didn't remember much. The Black Dragon Princess's reign should have lasted for over a decade, from Anduin's birth until King Varian's return. As far as I could remember, that period was a relatively peaceful time for the Kingdom of Stormwind, with almost no wars.
After a few more drinks, Mathias Shaw's expression grew increasingly bitter as he sadly recalled:
"The Black Dragon Princess truly treated Kingdom of Stormwind as her private domain, managing it diligently and wholeheartedly. This lack of support from the nobles ultimately foreshadowed her demise. Varian's ability to reclaim the throne after returning from the Arena was precisely due to the nobles' support. For the nobles of Kingdom of Stormwind, it was a dark and unbearable period; for the people of Stormwind City, it was a time of prosperity and peace, free from war, with a full treasury—a time that, sadly, is gone forever."
Mathias Shaw sighed regretfully, drank a glass of wine to commemorate those bygone years, and continued:
"Upon King Varian's return, his first act was to negotiate peace with the Horde under Jaina's guidance. To establish his authority, he launched a northern expedition against Arthas despite opposition. This was absolutely a war that should never have been fought. The Lich King Arthas's targets were Undercity and Orgrimmar, which had nothing to do with the Alliance. The Scourge and the Alliance had always kept to themselves, and even secretly engaged in trade."
Mentioning the Battle of Northrend, Mathias Shaw slammed his fist on the table in anger, shouting:
"That battle was incredibly frustrating. Our Alliance fought a bloody battle on the front lines, while the Horde just watched from the sidelines, even eating us as rations. After that battle, Kingdom of Stormwind suffered heavy losses, losing two-thirds of its army. Undercity seized the opportunity to double its number of Forsaken. Many people suspected Varian and Sylvanas of having an affair, but that's wrong. It was just King Varian's sheer stupidity."
"Do you know? If Duke Bolvar hadn't seen through Tirion Fordring's plot, willingly sought death at the Wrathgate, and secretly reached an agreement with Arthas to become the next Lich King, thus preventing the Horde from making any rash moves, our Alliance army would surely have been annihilated in Northrend, King Varian's pitiful head would have been hanging at the gates of Orgrimmar long ago."
Robbie listened Anjing. He had some memories of this history, such as when the Argent Dawn expanded its army and Tirion Fordring formed the Argent Crusade, calling on young people to join. At that time, Robbie couldn't understand it at all.
The Plaguelands, Light's Hope Chapel, Sylvanas's territory, Horde lands, the Alliance's enemies—why would anyone go to such a place to fight for the enemy? What an idiotic and foolish thing to do.
Furthermore, the weakening of the seal on the Qiraji Empire has nothing to do with the Alliance. Ahn'Qiraj those insectoids escape, they will threaten the Horde. Geographically, Thunder Bluff and Orgrimmar are the first to be affected; why should the Alliance get involved?
Robbie stared at Mathias Shaw, the leader of SI:7, who clearly harbored a long-standing grudge against King Varian, but had dared not speak out due to Medivh's threats. Now that Medivh had fallen, he dared to vent his pent-up frustrations.
"Did you know that when Deathwing entered Stormwind City, he was actually seeking cooperation, but King Varian ruthlessly rejected him? The Lich King Arthas and Deathwing were both threats to Medivh. Yet, to preserve the legacy of the House Wrynn, Varian declared war on them despite the opposition of his army and people. The most ridiculous thing is that thirty years Dark Portal, Horde Garrosh of the Warchief openly displayed his ambition to conquer Azeroth and declared war on the Alliance. And we, on the other hand, were to Horde forces with the Horde to destroy Ragnaros, the Firelord, eliminate the Black Dragonflight of Azeroth, and kill Deathwing, simply because they hindered Garrosh's conquest."
"King Varian only ever cared about himself, solely to maintain the royal line of House Wrynn. He knew nothing of leading an army, much less how to govern a country, and his foreign policy was a complete mess. He was nothing but a brainless brute. Before the conquest of Pandaria, we had over two hundred ships; now all that's left are models. Ha! The suffering is finally over. Medivh is dead, House Wrynn's rule is over, and Kingdom of Stormwind will no longer serve the foolish King Varian."
Robbie listened Anjing to Mathias Shaw's rambling. As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the clearer your view. Mathias Shaw's position and his rich experience gave him a much broader perspective than Robbie.
But whether what he saw was the truth, and what hidden stories and helplessness lay within, was probably beyond Mathias Shaw's comprehension. These could only be used as a reference. Robbie earnestly warned himself not to trust anyone too easily.
"What do you intend to do with King Varian?" Robbie asked calmly, the "you" carrying a deeper meaning, including Mathias Shaw, the forces in Stormwind City opposing Varian, and the marshals and generals at the military conference.
Mathias Shaw paused, then said, "The kings of the Alliance are helping each other, and the Army of the Light is watching us closely, so we cannot act rashly. While Velen may not dare to seek revenge against the Orcs, he will show no mercy in attacking us humans. Varian is still King, but his orders do not extend beyond Stormwind Keep. This is our judgment on House Wrynn."
That night, Robbie checked into a hotel.
Suddenly noticing a barely perceptible noise, Robbie quickly got up, grabbed his weapon, and saw Vanessa's slender figure standing in front of the bed.
"Hmm, not bad, you've improved. Even I can't sneak up on you anymore." Vanessa nodded, smiled with satisfaction, and waved her hand, saying, "Come on, let's go to Stormwind Cathedral."
Robbie didn't ask why they went to Stormwind Cathedral; Vanessa had her reasons for doing things.
The two boarded a carriage, Vanessa asked, "Robbie, what are your thoughts on the situation in Stormwind City?"
Robbie was prepared; it was the calm before the storm, a time when the winds of war were howling. He replied, "Once news of Medivh spreads, Stormwind City will inevitably descend into chaos, and it could even affect the entire Alliance."
Vanessa nodded, then said fiercely:
"A bunch of incompetent and unintelligent fools, always scheming for the position of ruler, overestimating themselves. To be honest, I find them very annoying. I can only let the House Wrynn's rule continue and serve as a good puppet."
"Commander, what are your plans?"
Robbie sensed Vanessa's determination; she clearly had a plan.
Vanessa's eyes sparkled as she said, "Actually, Prince Anduin is still alive."
"Anduin?" Robbie was taken aback; he had personally witnessed the Prince being smashed to pieces.
"As you know, the House Wrynn possesses two souls within one body. Before cooperating with the Iron Horde, Dark Anduin sensed something was amiss and hid his soul within a Life Crystal. We must forge a body for him."
Vanessa muttered a complaint, "It's all that old woman Jaina's and that old Velen's teachings that made Anduin weak-willed. He's absolutely unfit to be King; he's perfectly suited to be a puppet."
"How about becoming Undead? Kel'Thuzad is very good at it," Robbie suggested.
"No, it must be a real human; the Undead cannot use Holy Light," Vanessa emphasized.
Reviving a person is no easy task; it requires a stroke of luck, forbidden power, or mysterious magic. Robbie couldn't think of a way to do it for the time being.
Vanessa smiled mysteriously, her brows furrowed with a spirited air.
"We're not good at it, but the Black Dragon Princess is. King Varian was split into two people back then, and she can also help us control Anduin, this puppet, and manage Kingdom of Stormwind, just like you help me manage the fortress."
Robbie looked slightly surprised and shook his head, saying, "Commander, haven't you heard the saying 'Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts'? Why entrust Stormwind City to a Black Dragon?"
Vanessa's expression was solemn as she calmly said:
"When the final battle comes, we will need some powerful allies."
Seeing Robbie's puzzled look, Vanessa tilted her head and thought for a moment:
"Well, it's just that I'm lazy. Controlling a Black Dragon is easy, but all the miscellaneous affairs of Stormwind City are a headache just thinking about them. You know I hate trouble. Since the Black Dragon Princess is enjoying it, let her do what she does best until we find a more suitable candidate."
Managing a kingdom is no easy task; there are many things to handle. Humans are a race that needs to accumulate knowledge and experience to gradually become stronger. Even the Guardian Medivh found it difficult to balance magical research and governing the country, and had to find a representative. Otherwise, he would have become King himself long ago.
Dragonkin, on the other hand, are a race that can increase their strength simply by eating, making them more suitable for handling trivial matters.
"One last question," Robbie asked seriously, "Where are we going to find the Black Dragon Princess?"
Historical records state that the Black Dragon Princess was killed by King Varian, but was resurrected due to the influence of Scourge Matter, only to be killed again. Later, Deathwing took her head and resurrected her, but unfortunately, she was killed once more. This poor Black Dragon died three times, a truly tragic fate, and no one else could have suffered such an ordeal.
Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess, is dead.
Vanessa said with a hint of regret, "We need to go back to the Timeline of King Varian's disappearance and find a way to save her Destiny death. A proud and stubborn little Black Dragon, I still quite like her."
"Wait, why not go to the Karabor Temple and ask the Infinite Dragonflight for help?" Robbie wondered, looking at the approaching Stormwind Cathedral, "Why come to a place like this?"
Vanessa smiled and said, "In this universe, it's not just the Bronze Dragonflight and the Infinite Dragonflight that can travel through time."