The Slipping Coin

The night was quiet, the gentle evening breeze brushing past the deep, secluded streets and sweeping softly over the proud girl and the stunned boy.

Alvin was indeed taken aback, for the gold coin in the girl's palm was perfectly smooth; it bore no crest, nor did it have any text etched by the magic of the wishing well. In other words, those words just now were merely the girl hesitating—she herself did not know what her wish truly was.

I remember that in the game, Jaina and Arthas became friends in childhood, but they only fell in love after they were adults, right? Could it be that these two children are already experiencing love at first sight? Just how open-minded is this world?

Thinking of this, Alvin began to size up the girl who might very well become his "future sister-in-law"—long golden hair, an adorable face, and two little fangs. She was certainly a budding beauty; it was no wonder Arthas, the heir to the Kingdom of Lordaeron, would be captivated by her.

The boy nodded, acknowledging her statement, "Miss Proudmoore, your wisdom leaves me in awe."

Seeing Alvin concede, the little girl grinned, her small face brimming with delight. However, she quickly straightened her expression and threatened "fiercely," "This is our secret. You cannot tell anyone, or you'll be sorry!"

"Please rest assured, the men of the Menethil family would never engage in such base acts as leaking the privacy of others."

The boy bowed slightly. Regardless of whether the girl before him would become the Queen of Lordaeron in the future, Alvin felt it necessary to treat her well.

After all, she would surely fall in love with Arthas one day. To prevent his brother from falling into darkness, he needed to connect with every potentially useful force, and this girl might become a good card in his hand.

Unfortunately, reality told the boy that he was being too presumptuous. Even though he had made a promise in the name of a prince, the girl remained uneasy, instead rolling her eyes as if turning over some scheme in her mind.

"Exchange!"

Jaina held her hand out before the boy and said prettily, "I remember you have a wishing coin on you too. Let me see it!"

Clearly, the little girl did not trust the boy's guarantee at all; instead, she proposed an exchange of secrets to gain leverage over him. Even Alvin, who was being pressured at this moment, had to mentally applaud the girl's wit.

But he could not hand Arthas's coin to the girl. This was not just a matter of principle; more importantly, anyone with a sharp eye would immediately see that it wasn't his wish, as he had no younger brother.

"No, an exchange must be equal."

Alvin grasped her hand and gently moved it away from his face, "If you want to know my wish, you must let me know yours as well."

Seeing that her demand could not be met, the annoyed little girl intended to use the same tactic she had used on Arthas earlier in the day: pestering and badgering him relentlessly. However, just as she made a move to pounce, a silver trail streaked across the night sky behind the boy—

It was a shooting star!

The girl froze completely, staring blankly behind the boy.

A brilliant shooting star, like a single droplet splashing in a vast river, darted out from the endless Milky Way, streaking across the silent night sky and falling silently toward the direction of the capital city of Lordaeron.

"A shooting star! It's a shooting star!"

Stunned by the magnificent display of nature, the girl completely forgot her previous unpleasantness with Alvin. She rushed forward, grabbing the boy's arms and shaking them, eager to share the joy in her heart.

Unlike the boy's home planet, Earth, shooting stars were extremely rare in the world of Azeroth. According to ancient legends, the lucky ones who saw a shooting star streak across the sky would be granted good fortune. Faced with such ancient lore, even Jaina, who had already become an apprentice mage, could not remain indifferent.

The jubilant girl firmly believed that if she tossed her wishing coin into the well right now, she would surely become a great mage just like her teacher, Antonidas! At this moment, even the boy, who had seemed taciturn and untrustworthy in her mind earlier, looked much more agreeable.

"In return for you letting me see a shooting star, I'll spare you this time!"

Having undergone a complete shift in mood, the girl decided to let Alvin off the hook. "But remember our secret, or you'll be sorry!"

With that, she waved her hand, wanting to dismiss him so she could make her wish in peace.

"Of course. I wish you success, Miss Proudmoore!"

Thank heavens, I didn't want to be entangled with you brat any longer! Feeling as if he had been granted a reprieve, Alvin took a few steps back and turned to leave.

The boy walked quickly to the royal guard who had been watching the show from a few dozen feet away. He looked at Abberton, who was just as immersed in the joy as Jaina, tapped the armor on the man's abdomen, and whispered, "Abberton, wake up, it's time to go."

The dazed guard was startled by the boy's voice and broke into a wide smile, "Your Highness, did you see the shooting star just now? We are going to have good luck!"

Alvin shrugged and spread his hands, "Regrettably, I was entangled by someone."

"That is truly a pity! You don't know, but in legends, a shooting star at night is a symbol of luck. Anyone who sees it will have good fortune for the next few days."

Although the man's words carried a tone of regret, for some reason, Alvin felt he could detect a hint of showing off. Was this guy really this unreliable? The boy looked calmly at the young warrior, who stood a full six feet tall, and shook his head helplessly.

The evening breeze blowing toward him brushed against his cheeks, and the quiet street scene reminded him of his former home. Facing the breeze, he looked up at the stars hanging high in the sky, his voice lonely and cold, "Can you understand the sorrow and loneliness in the hearts of those stars that can never return to the sky?"

Before he finished speaking, the prince stepped forward and walked toward the Violet Citadel.

At this very moment, Jaina was closing her eyes, trying hard to imagine the scene of her future as a mage. Unexpectedly, a voice carried by the wind reached her ears.

Sorrow and loneliness? Curiosity rose in the girl's heart. Could stars really have human emotions? She opened her eyes and turned to look at the end of the street, where only a small, desolate silhouette remained in her line of sight.

"That boy, he's so strange."

Jaina muttered to herself, and in her distraction, the coin in her hand slipped. Under her gaze, the little golden object struck the edge of the wishing well and bounced directly into the water.

"Whatever," the girl, who hadn't managed to catch the coin, felt annoyed for only a brief moment before becoming self-satisfied again. "My wish will definitely come true anyway; I will definitely become a great mage like my teacher!"

The little girl swung her arms energetically and hurried to catch up with the two figures—one large, one small—in the distance, preparing to return to the Violet Citadel. She had snuck out of the banquet, and she didn't yet know how her teacher would punish her!

Everyone had left, and in the quiet wishing well, only the sound of water lapping against the basin could be heard. Under the dim starlight, a newly added gold coin lay silently among the other coins at the bottom of the pool.

"Prince Arthas's brother is a strange boy. I want to know what is going on in that guy's head. And also, can the stars in the sky really be lonely?"—Jaina Proudmoore's coin