A warm spring breeze swept across Lake Lordamere. In the ancient wishing well, a layer of gold, silver, and copper coins shimmered beneath the clear water.
At the center of the well stood a statue that looked like an elf, holding an ancient jug. Water poured continuously from its mouth, striking the still surface and sending up tiny splashes and ripples.
This wasn't the royal palace of Lordaeron. He was in Dalaran!
Still shaken, Alvin struggled to calm his fear and looked down at the gleaming Lordaeron coin in his hand. The side that should have borne the blue double-headed eagle crest was now smooth and bright, with a sentence seemingly branded into it by fire—
"I hope my brother Arthas makes the right choices and becomes a kind and wise king."
His greatest fear came from the Lich King Arthas he knew, so the wish buried deep in his heart was tied to Arthas as well: he didn't want his brother to take the path of patricide he remembered.
It had all happened in a flash, in the space of only a few breaths.
Once Alvin had collected himself, he looked at Arthas, who was still standing beside him with his eyes closed. Unlike Alvin, who had been overcome with fear, his older brother seemed to have experienced something wonderful. His cheeks were slightly flushed, and a faint smile touched his lips.
Before long, Arthas opened his eyes and met Alvin's gaze. In that instant, Alvin could clearly see a flicker of something in his brother's eyes. He had no idea what Arthas had encountered in the vision, but he had no desire to pry into anyone else's private business.
"Shall we toss them in together?" The boy weighed the coin in his hand, ready to end the game.
"No, let me see what you wished for first!"
Though he always put on airs as an older brother, Lordaeron's eldest prince was still only eight, especially compared with the mature-for-his-age Alvin. Arthas snatched the coin from the boy without warning, eager to find out what his "genius" little brother had wished for.
Unfortunately, the lively prince had forgotten one thing: curiosity was a universal human trait. The little girl behind him was itching to join in, too. As Arthas reached for Alvin, Jaina sprang into action—
Though she had been a good two steps away from Arthas, the little girl gave a light hop and landed right beside the prince. One couldn't help wondering whether the apprentice mage had the same agility as a rogue.
In the blink of an eye, Jaina's soft, pale hand darted toward Arthas's arm. But the prince had been training for more than a year; he wasn't about to let her catch him so easily. He nimbly dodged her lunge and tossed the coin toward his younger brother, as if teasing a kitten.
Just as the girl was about to keep after him, Kel'Thuzad, who had been standing silently to one side, stepped forward and put an end to the commotion. The young mage pointed toward the carriage slowly approaching in the distance and said softly, "Children, I'm afraid you'll have to cut this visit short. King Terenas and Master Antonidas are here."
"You're lucky!" The girl puffed out her cheeks and waved her fists at the brothers a few times. Then she turned around, put on a demure expression, and followed the young mage toward the old mage waiting by the carriage.
"Should we keep going?" As the carriage drew closer, Alvin nudged Arthas, who had somehow gone completely still.
"So cute... I mean, no!"
Alvin's nudge snapped Arthas out of his daze, and his expression changed abruptly. "Father hates us getting involved in this sort of fanciful nonsense. If he finds out, he'll probably lock us up for a month."
The young prince tucked the wish-bearing coin into his clothes and turned his head to whisper, "Don't let Father find out I dragged you into this, or we'll both be in trouble."
Before he had even finished speaking, Arthas broke into a smile and ran toward the carriage. Alvin hurried after him. In the evening glow, the boy's happy figure was etched deeply into his mind.
In Alvin's palm lay a coin inscribed with the small wish in Arthas's heart: "I hope I can live happily with Mom and Dad and my little brother forever. Oh, and my new friend Jaina, too."
Night fell, and brilliant stars filled the still sky. The evening breeze brushed across Lake Lordamere, stirring ripples on its surface. The dark water reflected the entire night sky. The stars glimmering on the lake shone in harmony with those high above, creating a mysterious, tranquil atmosphere.
To welcome Terenas and the two princes, Violet Citadel was unusually lively that evening. Most of the mages, who usually stayed holed up in their laboratories tinkering with things, had joined the banquet to greet their distinguished guests.
Of course, no one should think that this crowd of mostly socially inept shut-ins had come out of respect for the Kingdom of Lordaeron and Terenas. The real reason was that Antonidas had used the meeting to work out a series of cooperative agreements with Terenas. With their patron present, even the mages who had only one thought in their heads had no choice but to grit their teeth and put on a friendly face.
All evening, Prince Arthas, Lordaeron's future heir, remained by Terenas's side, greeting one unfamiliar, kindly-faced stranger after another, each clad in a mage's robe.
The lively prince had long grown weary of this tedious socializing: he had to keep smiling and bowing, and couldn't speak loudly or eat too much. But these were things a future king had to endure. Someday, he would face people far more insincere and cunning; this practice would prepare him for the future.
He had lost count of how many times he had greeted a mage who approached his father. Arthas discreetly rolled his stiff back and shoulders. Now he was starting to envy his "carefree" little brother.
"At least Alvin doesn't have to be forced to do such troublesome things, and Father and Mother are always so indulgent with him."
The young prince glanced sidelong at the group of prim, proper-looking mages in the hall, feeling somewhat irritated. But another thought soon crossed his mind: if Alvin were in his place, would he do a better job?
His younger brother had stepped onto the path of the Holy Light under the guidance of Archbishop Alonsus Faol years ago, becoming a well-known genius throughout Lordaeron. What was more, as far as Arthas knew, Alvin spent nearly all his time studying, apart from the hours set aside for training by the weapons instructor. He had already read almost half the books in the royal library.
Compared with Alvin, he, the older brother who still hadn't finished learning the history of the human kingdoms, was a real blockhead. Perhaps that was why Father indulged him so much: Alvin was an extraordinary genius.
At the thought, a scene from an hour earlier flashed through the prince's mind. His younger brother had left the banquet, claiming he needed to pray, and his usually strict father had let him go without a word. Perhaps that was the difference in how geniuses and ordinary people were treated.
Arthas stood rooted to the spot, lost in his thoughts. He failed to notice that, besides his quiet younger brother, one other lively little figure was missing from the banquet hall.
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