"Remember this, Anduin." Jaina looked at the little Prince tenderly:
"I only wish to facilitate negotiations between Thrall and your father. They will surely find common ground, cooperate for each other's benefit, and unite to fight against the Evil enemy for the sake of Azeroth."
"For Azeroth, I will." Anduin nodded solemnly, feeling the weight of his responsibility.
Sending him to talk to his authoritative father was actually quite stressful; boys often try to appear strong in front of the girls they like, and Anduin inadvertently fell into this trap as well.
Anduin boarded the carriage, clenching his fists, feeling like a warrior about to embark on an adventure.
Jaina chuckled inwardly. She was fully prepared; everything was arranged, including the stubborn King Varian's reaction, which was entirely within her expectations.
If we can firmly control Anduin, we will surely be able to persuade King Varian.
Stormwind Keep.
King Varian had a set of specially made mannequins, modeled one-to-one in the appearance of Orcs, with an exact resemblance to Thrall, which were placed in the courtyard where the King practiced his combat skills.
King Varian, wielding a steel sword, forcefully slashed at the dummy resembling Thrall.
"You lied to me, you lied to me, you damned liar, executioner, I will kill you, I will definitely kill you!" King Varian was truly ruthless towards Thrall. If it weren't for the promise he made with Thrall when they were children, he would never have agreed to build the Orcs internment camp. Now everyone could see that the Orcs of Orgrimmar were a disaster for the Alliance.
Because of the Orcs internment camps and the destruction of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the Kingdom of Stormwind, from commoners to nobles, was filled with fear and dread, lest they follow in Lordaeron's footsteps. King Varian had completely lost the hearts of the people. If it weren't for the fact that the royal succession of Stormwind City was not in the hands of the Guardian Medivh, the lords of various places would have long since risen up in rebellion, cut off Varian's head, and hung it at the gates of Stormwind City.
This is why the lords in various regions tacitly agree to let the Black Dragon Princess and Duke Bolvar handle political affairs; a King who has utterly disappointed his people is not qualified to wield the highest power in the Kingdom of Stormwind.
Anduin was young and inexperienced, unable to see through the complex situation. He simply believed that Jaina was right. He mustered his courage and went to see his father.
Varian did not like Anduin. He knew that Anduin was the worst of his many sons, Medivh to be used as a puppet. For this reason, it was impossible for Varian to have any affection for Anduin.
"Father, I want to talk to you," Anduin said, mustering his courage.
"Speak!" Varian didn't turn his head, continuing to hack at the dummy Thrall with all his might.
Looking at the innocent Orcs dummy, Anduin felt a pang of heartache, thinking his father had probably gone mad. He boldly said, "Father, why do you hate the Orcs? Perhaps we should talk to Orcs and hear what Thrall has to say."
Varian whirled around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Anduin. Anduin trembled with fear, as if facing a terrifying Demons, and retreated repeatedly.
"What do you know, you ignorant little bastard? The Orcs killed your grandfather, conquered Kingdom of Stormwind, and slaughtered countless of our people. They have a blood feud with us humans. Even if you become a foolish King, never forget that there can never be peace between us and the Orcs; only war."
Varian Pain Suppression his anger, feeling that he shouldn't stoop to the level of a child.
"But that was the Burning Legion's fault for tempting the Orcs to drink the Blood of Mannoroth," Anduin argued.
Upon hearing this, Varian's forehead veins bulged, and he nearly jumped up in anger. "Damn brat, what about the Kingdom of Lordaeron? The Orcs who came out of the Internment Camp destroyed Lordaeron and ate Lordaeron people!"
"No, Father, it was the Scourge that destroyed Lordaeron, it was Arthas who did it. The Orcs were so kind and honest, they were fair and Justice, they valued honor, and they were an intelligent race with dignity, just like us." Anduin struggled to overcome his fear of his father.
"Damn it, you brat, have you ever seen Orcs?" Varian was furious, wanting to kill Anduin with his sword.
"I... no," Anduin whispered, looking down at the ground, genuinely frightened.
"Alright, then I'll show you what Orcs look like!"
King Varian grabbed Anduin and tucked him tightly under his arm, as if he were holding a chick.
A servant brought a warhorse, Varian mounted. Under the protection of a large number of guards, he headed straight for Stormwind City's prison.
Arriving at the prison gates, King Varian looked at the Jailer who rushed out to greet him and asked:
"Have any damned Orcs prisoners been sent over lately?"
King Varian gazed at the heavily guarded prison. Although the Orcs Wars had lasted for over a decade, small numbers of escaped Orcs were still occasionally arrested in the wilderness. Varian himself had participated in similar hunts to vent his anger, and these Orcs sent to Stormwind City would eventually hang themselves at the city gates or become food for the Black Dragon Princess.
"What a coincidence, four Orcs were just delivered." The Jailer said, bowing and scraping.
Varian nodded, and led Anduin into the prison, with the Jailer leading the way.
In a filthy cell, Varian saw four ferocious Orcs, all bearing injuries of varying degrees, making their capture clearly difficult. The Orcs, chained and panting, leaned against the wall, giving King Varian a hostile look.
Varian was a seasoned veteran in hunting Orcs, and just by looking into their eyes, he could tell that these four Orcs were the most vicious and ruthless of Veterans. There was no doubt that each of them had eaten people and had come to enjoy the feeling.
"Anduin, now I'm giving you two choices. First, apologize to me and admit that the Orcs are ruthless executioners; second, spend one night with these Orcs and experience firsthand what the Orcs' true nature is like."
Varian felt confident, observing the Orcs' ferocious appearance, though he Anduin, the child, must be terrified. Anduin always been timid; how could he possibly spend a single night with four ferocious Orcs?
It probably won't even last one night before it's torn to pieces and eaten alive.
King Varian turned his back, awaiting Anduin's decision.
This was probably the first time Anduin had ever seen Orcs. Before, he had only imagined the ferocious appearance of Orcs through pictures and his father's effigies. Seeing the real Orcs' ferocious appearance, Anduin was terrified and instinctively wanted to mistake them for his own.
Suddenly, the four Orcs turned around at the same time and gave Anduin friendly smiles, which were like a bright spring breeze that touched Anduin's young heart.
Anduin hesitated. Although the Orcs looked ferocious, the smile was reliable, somewhat like Jaina's smile—kind and friendly—giving him a sense of peace and trust welling up from the depths of his heart.
As if by some strange twist of fate, Anduin, his blood boiling, stubbornly declared, "I choose to stay with the Orcs for one night."
King Varian turned around abruptly, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at Anduin.
He didn't know where this young child got such courage. Although King Varian disliked Anduin, he wouldn't send him to his death in vain. He was furious and said:
"Nonsense, nonsense! They'll eat you up! Go back, come back with me!"
"No!" Anduin extremely stubborn. "I must stay with them and prove you wrong. Orcs are a noble race that upholds honor. You are a King and must keep your word."
"This is unbelievable." Varian gripped his hair tightly. The word "King" touched a nerve. "Fine, if that's the case, I'll pretend you're not my son. I can have another child."
"Even if you say that, I won't give up." Anduin had made up his mind.
"What's wrong with this world?" Varian said helplessly. "Anduin, I will keep my promise, like a King. Damn it, I am the King. The Jailer, give my son a good meal and get him on his way."
Varian felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, and left Stormwind City prison alone, looking utterly incredulous. Of course, before leaving, he secretly called over the Jailer and gave him a silent warning: although he hated Anduin, he couldn't let his son actually be eaten by Orcs.
Anduin was taken to the cell of four Orcs. The Jailer, having received Varian's secret orders, selected his most capable subordinates to closely monitor the cell. They were to rush in immediately if Anduin was in danger, hopefully before it was too late.
Surprisingly, the four ferocious Orcs were actually very friendly to Anduin.
Once Anduin entered the cell, the four Orcs offered him the best spot so Anduin could sit comfortably.
The Jailer personally served Anduin a sumptuous meal, staring at the four Orcs with a puzzled expression.
These four Orcs are notorious in Kingdom of Stormwind for their ferocity, having committed countless atrocities. These heartless beasts will be hanged tomorrow. They are all reckless desperados, yet their attitude towards Prince Anduin is unbelievably kind.
The Jailer would never allow such ferocious Orcs to have a full meal. Looking at Anduin's lavish dinner, the four Orcs drooled with envy, but they all resisted until Anduin invited them to share the food with the little Prince.
Good heavens, what's happening to the world? The brutal Orcs have become saints overnight! Could it be that Prince Anduin possesses some kind of magical power that can reform these beasts?
The Jailer felt he should put his faith in the Holy Light.
The four Orcs ate their meal politely, and one of them struck up a conversation with Anduin.
"We are not beasts; this is a misunderstanding humans have of us. Before coming to Azeroth, we were a peace-loving race. Each Clans did its best to protect itself. They held hunting competitions, cultivated crops, formed families, and lived in harmony with the elements. We had many excellent Shaman."
Another Orcs, munching on his roasted meat, said quietly:
"Do you know, Prince, after we saved the world at Mount Hyjal, we could have wiped out all of humanity once and for all. But Thrall said to be merciful; he was truly a great Orcs."
"But how have humans treated us?" the third Orcs said indignantly. "Humans have never been kind to us. I was born in Internment Camp, a place filled with filth, despair, and terror, where I could only wait to die. Until that famous gladiator, the great Savior Thrall, led us out of the Internment Camp. Yet some people slander us for destroying Lordaeron, a trampling on the honor of Orcs."
The last Orcs said, "We've had a terrible time in Orgrimmar. There's nothing there; many Orcs have starved to death on the barren land. It's just another Internment Camp. We don't want to start a war; we only want to live peacefully with the other races of Azeroth. That has always been our principle."
In fact, this blatant lie is easy to spot. These four Orcs are Veteran fled to the wilderness after the Second War and lived in near isolation. Without someone teaching them, they would never know so much.
However, that Anduin.
Anduin was moved to tears; his distorted worldview was rebuilt.