The courtyard was ringed by lawns and flower beds. In the gentle spring sunshine, vibrant blossoms unfurled in all their splendor, their enchanting fragrance and pleasing colors displaying the season's vitality for all to see.
Mayor Martin's private meeting with Archbishop Faol didn't last long. Just as Alvin, surrounded by a crowd of strangers, was about to make his escape under the excuse of going to pray, the two finally arrived in the back courtyard of City Hall.
Following behind them were a quiet-looking girl who seemed to be in her teens and a white-haired old man dressed in a black formal suit, like a butler.
The girl wore a simple, pale blue dress. Her silky hair fluttered gently in the spring breeze, catching the light with a faint golden sheen. A soft glimmer shone in her watery blue eyes, set in a lovely, captivating face, and a hint of sadness lingered in her gaze.
Alvin didn't know the girl, but he knew he wasn't the only one who found her unfamiliar. The nobles who had been clustered around him began whispering about this unexpected arrival. He even heard a few impolite chuckles among their murmurs.
It seemed that the mayor, who looked so comfortably well-fed, didn't have an easy time of it either. The young prince's lips curled faintly. He couldn't help feeling a little schadenfreude toward the man who had tossed him out here to distract the nobles.
The distance was only a few dozen steps, and Mayor Martin soon brought his new guests to the center of the courtyard. Ignoring the curious glances around him, the round-faced middle-aged man forced a smile. His eyes narrowed to slits as he bowed to the prince and began the introductions.
"Your Highness, allow me to present Miss Tiffin Ellerian, a distinguished guest from the Kingdom of Stormwind and the fiancée of Prince Varian Wrynn, the future ruler of Stormwind City."
Tiffin Ellerian? At the name, Alvin raised an eyebrow but showed no particular reaction. He gave the unfamiliar girl a proper bow. "Alvin Menethil. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Ellerian."
The girl nodded without a word. Her expression remained calm, though troubled.
While Alvin remained composed, the nobles around him, who had been hoping for some entertainment, nearly erupted. The people of Lordaeron had always felt a certain superiority over those from the Kingdom of Stormwind, but the girl standing before them was the future queen of Stormwind!
Alvin was sure that without the restraint of years of manners and etiquette, the courtyard would have become noisier than a marketplace. Even so, though the nobles remembered to maintain their poise, they couldn't help whispering and exchanging comments.
Apart from the few who knew what was going on, everyone in the courtyard was curious. Why had the future queen of the Kingdom of Stormwind come to Lordaeron? And why had she stopped in an unremarkable little place like Andorhal?
That was right: unremarkable. Andorhal had begun to make a name for itself thanks to its busy trade and convenient location, but it still wasn't a particularly important town in the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The titles of the nobles around Alvin made that clear enough.
For people who were mostly lords, with hardly any barons among them, seeing a prince and a future queen on the same day was quite an event.
Mayor Martin surveyed the murmuring crowd, then looked to Archbishop Faol, who had remained silent, as if seeking his approval. When the old man nodded, his white staff in hand, Martin took a deep breath and clapped loudly to draw everyone's attention.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our ally, the Kingdom of Stormwind, is embroiled in a war. A savage race has launched a wicked invasion against our friends, crossing the Kingdom of Stormwind's borders. Miss Ellerian has come to Lordaeron with her father and a delegation from Stormwind City to ask for our aid."
The middle-aged mayor paused. Seeing the crowd stunned by the sudden news, he announced the order issued by the king.
"To support our allies, His Majesty Terenas has wisely decreed that, during the agricultural off-season, local officials and commanders appointed by the kingdom will organize militia training throughout the realm. After the Harvest Festival, we will clear out the beastlike humanoids roaming near Lordaeron and select our finest warriors to aid Stormwind City."
Alvin thought the announcement was full of holes, but to the nobles, who didn't see it as their concern, it sounded perfectly reasonable and in keeping with the interests of everyone in Lordaeron.
In their eyes, the so-called autumn campaign was just for show—a way for His Majesty to put off Stormwind City. Its only purpose was to make those country bumpkins from Stormwind understand that even the landlord's family had no surplus grain. Their own country was already in chaos, so how could they possibly spare troops to help?
Nobles did have a duty to defend their country, but as long as the flames of war didn't reach Lordaeron, they could live their comfortable lives instead of charging into battle.
Their attitude made one thing clear: most people in Lordaeron—nobles and commoners alike, even Terenas himself, despite his growing concern—weren't interested in the war raging in the distant Kingdom of Stormwind. Almost no one truly believed it would have much impact on their own country.
Humanity had dominated this continent for a thousand years. The confidence built up over all that time made them believe they couldn't be defeated by some savage race that had appeared out of nowhere.
Before they had witnessed the bloodthirsty Orcs' brutal might firsthand, even the cautious King Terenas regarded them as nothing more than a minor nuisance, easily dealt with like Gnolls or Kobolds.
Unless the Orcish tide reached Lordaeron, or a truly trustworthy and respected hero revealed the Orcs' true nature before the people, the northern kingdoms would pay little attention to this enormous threat lurking in the shadows and watching humanity with hostile intent.
The future queen of the Kingdom of Stormwind and the ongoing war gradually became the focus of the banquet, freeing Alvin from the crowd's attention. At last, the beleaguered prince filled his stomach and slipped away from the courtyard, which had returned to its easygoing mood, under the pretext of going to pray.
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