Arthas's Scourge or Thrall's Horde? Which should I choose?
Varian hesitated.
If you make the wrong choice, it could lead to utter ruin, the destruction of the Kingdom of Stormwind, and even the extinction of humanity.
A king must lead his people to victory and find the right path amidst difficult choices; this is the heavy responsibility that rests on the shoulders of every king.
Unbeknownst to him, Varian arrived at a locked room.
This is the room of King Llane. Ever since Garona's assassination attempt, this room has been locked.
A gust of cold wind blew by, and the tightly locked door suddenly opened, revealing the dark furnishings inside, just as familiar as ever. Varian suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
A blurry figure stood in the center of the room, back to the viewer.
"Father!"
Varian recognized that familiar figure from behind.
King Llane, just as he remembered, stood in the center of the room wearing a golden robe. He suddenly turned around and looked at him with a serious expression.
Suddenly, Llane's mouth twitched in pain, and blood flowed out like a stream.
"Have you forgotten my hatred, Varian? Have you forgotten to avenge yourself on the Orcs? You unfilial son!"
Call!
Varian sat bolt upright in bed, his robes soaked with sweat. It was a dream, a hazy dream he'd had after falling asleep, which Varian believed represented some kind of prophecy.
"He was murdered on his own throne, by someone he completely trusted, someone with whom he had met alone without any suspicion."
This is a prophecy about King Llane being killed by the Half-Orcs Garona. King Varian, of course, knows the true meaning behind this prophecy. It is a lie, a fabricated lie for the sake of the reputation of the Wrynn royal family, disguising King Llane's death as a predetermined and unchangeable fact.
Without this prophecy, people could easily make all sorts of romantic associations, gradually guessing the truth, leading to rumors and blaming King Llane for the destruction of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
King Llane was a Warrior, strong and agile, capable of leading his soldiers into Charge while clad in armor. He was never short of powerful guards, and anyone who approached the King was strictly forbidden from carrying weapons.
Under what circumstances would a King, whose fate was intertwined with the fate of his countless subjects, be killed by a Half-Orcs female assassin?
Under what circumstances would the guards not be by the King's side? Or would they be too far away to save the King in time? The answer is not hard to guess, and the truth will inevitably affect the reputation of the House Wrynn.
Varian couldn't sleep. He suddenly realized that his father, King Llane's prophecy, was fabricated. Could the rumors circulating within Stormwind Keep also be deliberately orchestrated?
Spreading rumors is one of humanity's inherent flaws, a quirk. By simply bribing a few servants and attendants to bring it up intentionally or unintentionally, and to discuss it in a mysterious manner, it is easy to artificially create the spread of a rumor.
The purpose of the rumors is self-evident: to impair Varian's judgment.
"Jaina, it's you again." Varian gritted his teeth in hatred. Although he had seen through Jaina's scheme, he had to admit that he had been deeply influenced and had fallen into the conspiracy.
He needed to talk to someone, and as the saying goes, an outsider sees more of the game. He needed to escape this terrible quagmire before making the wrong choice. Just as Robbie had predicted, he chose the Duke Bolvar, whom he trusted most.
The Duke showed no displeasure at being disturbed by King Varian's late-night visit.
The Duke had witnessed the conflict between King Varian and his son, especially the rumors circulating about Stormwind Keep. Having spent many years navigating the upper echelons of Stormwind City, the Duke had long understood what was going on, but he simply remained silent, waiting for Varian to come to his own conclusion.
"Bolvar, you are my most trusted friend. I need your help. The rumors within Stormwind Keep are affecting my nerves, preventing me from remaining calm." Varian murmured, recalling his nightmare, "I dreamt of my father, who questioned me about why I hadn't sought revenge against the Orcs! I didn't know how to answer. You must help me, old friend."
Bolvar struggled to open his eyes, trying to stay alert. "King Majesty, you must forget your hatred! A king must remain calm and rational in dealing with problems. Don't let hatred blind you. I've heard the recent rumors in Stormwind City, and without a doubt, it's Jaina's doing. We know her motives very well."
Varian nodded, trying to forget the hatred and racking his brains:
"Once Arthas awakens, the Scourge will surely send troops to Orgrimmar and Undercity. Thrall and Sylvanas, one is the enemy who destroyed Lordaeron, and the other is a traitor to the Scourge. Arthas will definitely not let these two go. Arthas was already stronger Medivh, and his strength will surely increase even further after awakening. I heard that Medivh is also actively preparing and contacting some allies in the Void."
Because of Arthas's threat, Medivh was unable to attend to Stormwind City. It is foreseeable that if Medivh Arthas, then King Varian will be able to expel the Black Dragon Princess and reclaim his power.
Bolvar narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew very well that Varian would not be easily swayed by hatred and choose to cooperate with Arthas, but he was easily attracted by power and thus became an ally of the Orcs.
"Very well, Your King, let's put aside all personal desires and hatreds and rationally analyze who is more dangerous, Arthas or Medivh. Medivh's danger lies in the future; he will take action step by step. Arthas is driven by hatred, and if his power becomes uncontrollable, he could easily become a tyrant or the Destroyer. I dislike Jaina as much as you do, but from this perspective, Jaina might be right."
This is a conversational strategy: first, you must get Varian to accept your views, and then you can change the subject and explain your own point of view. Because of the previous acceptance, Varian is likely to follow your habits.
Upon hearing this, Varian felt a glimmer of hope and hurriedly said, "Bolvar, you've agreed to negotiate peace with Thrall."
Bolvar shook his head slightly, the dim candlelight illuminating his face, a profound smile playing on his lips, "Though Medivh is learned and the Guardians have a lineage spanning millennia, their insight is far inferior to that of the Black Dragonflight. Do you know why I have remained silent about the Black Dragon Princess's rule? Because the Black Dragonflight knows some true secrets."
"The real secret?" Varian was immediately intrigued.
In fact, Varian had always been critical of the Duke, and the Duke's deference to the Black Dragon Princess had not served as a sufficient check, falling far short of the expected balance of power and evenly matched strength.
Bolvar glanced around deliberately before lowering his voice and speaking mysteriously to King Varian:
"Deathwing, the father of the Black Dragon Princess, has lived for countless ages. He has long since seen through the secrets behind Azeroth, namely, the Heavenly Dao."
"The Heavenly Dao, what is that?" Varian found it increasingly unbelievable.
"The Heavenly Dao is the law governing the operation and change of all things in the world, hidden behind them. On a grand scale, it is the law governing all things in the universe, the natural law of Azeroth. On a smaller scale, it is the rise and fall of kingdoms and the will of the people. Only an ancient being like Deathwing, who has lived for countless years and is full of wisdom, can summarize the principles within. As the saying goes, those who follow the Way receive much help, while those who stray from the Way receive little help."
"Those who follow the righteous path receive much help, while those who stray from it receive little."
Varian repeated the sentence curiously, scratched his head, and nodded in agreement, saying, "That sounds very reasonable. Why haven't I heard of it before?"
Bolvar thought to himself, "I only heard about this from the Black Dragon Princess a few days ago." He coughed and continued:
"As the saying goes, those who follow the will of Heaven prosper, and those who defy it perish. If we act in accordance with the way of Heavenly Dao, everything will go smoothly. If we go against the way of Heaven, we will inevitably suffer many hardships. The Scourge is born in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, and it will also perish in accordance with the Heavenly Dao. It is not something that can be forced by human power."