A Few More Chapters to Live

Archmage Antonidas watched Taelan Fordring demonstrate the Holy Bolt. Not only did he give his assessment, he also invited Taelan to study in Dalaran and recommended him to Archmage Krasus.

Tirion Fordring was more concerned about his son's physical condition. In the end, Antonidas promised to think of a solution. The truth was that Taelan's problem lay in his body's inability to withstand a soul that was too powerful! He also lacked the corresponding knowledge of Occultism, and couldn't bear the Holy Light.

Taelan Fordring knew his soul was so powerful because the souls from his past and present lives had merged. To gain something, you had to give something up. If you wanted great power, you had to pay a price.

His body could only grow naturally; that couldn't be changed. But there was a way for an Archmage to improve his situation: find a suitable piece of magical equipment to enhance his magical abilities.

After thanking Antonidas, the two took their leave. Taelan Fordring couldn't wait to visit Krasus, but Tirion Fordring told him that showing up unannounced would be very rude. So Taelan had no choice but to go with Tirion to the Magic Tower and arrange to meet the Archmage the next day.

And yet he still remembered that his son and the little girl Jaina had planned to go catch the prankster Gnome who turned into a cat. That was ridiculous!

Weren't middle-aged men supposed to be pretty forgetful?

Taelan had actually misunderstood Tirion. What he was really thinking was: his son had lost his memories, especially those of his childhood friends. People said childhood was the most important time in a person's life. A happy childhood could heal you for the rest of your life. And some childhoods took a lifetime to heal from.

In the original story, Jaina spent her whole life trying to heal from her childhood experiences. Her family had overprotected her, leaving her almost entirely unprepared for hardship. They'd kept her from seeing that, behind the peaceful years, someone else was carrying the burden for her! Daelin spent much of his time away at war, her mother was busy with political affairs, and her older brother died young. As a result, she lacked companionship and communication with her family.

We could see this in Tides of War. As a child, Jaina's favorite thing was to arrange old books in a circle and sit in the middle, surrounded by them. Whenever strangers came, she hid.

These experiences made her desperately seek a sense of security. She was easily influenced and cared too much about other people's feelings. Yet at just twenty years old, she had to shoulder the fate of her entire race and planet on her young shoulders.

She looked strong, but lacked a sense of security inside. Just look at the partners she chose: Arthas, a total weakling in battle. They were both powerful men, and she wanted them to offer her a shoulder to lean on, so she could cry for a while. But neither of them was mature or strong enough.

Prince Arthas was both a victim and a perpetrator. When Jaina said, "Our child will definitely have blond hair," she needed a promise, but he backed away. He was completely unprepared to take responsibility, yet expected a girl to give him everything, even demanding that she never turn him down. That hurt Jaina and left her deeply embarrassed! So later, when faced with the choice in Stratholme, she backed away too.

To Tirion Fordring, Jaina was simply Taelan's new childhood friend. She could make up for the happy childhood both of them had missed.

But he didn't know that Jaina didn't see it that way.

That night, under the Blue Child's watch, the boy had fallen from the sky and pulled her away from death. It was a scene she would remember for the rest of her life.

Girls matured early. The story had begun the moment she picked up Taelan, transformed into a ragdoll cat. And it soon veered far from Tirion's expectations.

After breakfast, Tirion Fordring took Taelan to visit Krasus. Before long, Jaina was home alone again.

Jaina didn't like being alone. She loved Dalaran's beautiful sights; it was possibly one of the prettiest cities in all of Azeroth. But her father hadn't brought her here on vacation. After visiting a few important people, Daelin would usually leave her to rest at the inn while he went off somewhere. He thought Jaina didn't understand a thing, but had forgotten that children needed more than their material needs met. They needed their parents' company even more.

Jaina was exceptionally clever. Daelin thought his daughter had no idea what he was doing, but Jaina knew he must be meeting women! That distinctive perfume was impossible to hide. She remembered its scent.

But she no longer cared about that. Besides poring over a book Archmage Antonidas had given her, titled Arcane Energy Explained, she had acquired another treasure: the Gentleman's Formal Wear!

Everyone thought she liked that beautiful hat simply because it looked nice, but she could already sense the power of the magical item. She was also a natural Awakened. But a mage's power came mostly from knowledge, and she hadn't learned enough yet. That was why she couldn't cast spells. As long as she wore the hat, she could feel her physical and mental attributes improve, along with a few other things. That meant the magical item boosted at least four attributes; only Rare-grade equipment could do that.

In other words, she could use Taelan's gift at least until she reached the second tier. And the hat was a precious magical item. More than that, it was the first gift Taelan Fordring had ever given her.

She spent the whole morning reading and looking in the mirror. Around noon, Daelin returned to the inn looking thoroughly satisfied. The first thing he saw when he entered the room was his daughter, blushing as she touched the pretty bow.

He teased her, "Still thinking about that little rascal?

"I can't believe that a strapping Warrior like Tirion could have such a handsome son. And he's raised him so well, too."

"When that boy grows up, he'll be a lady-killer for sure. Even I can't help but like him."

"Taelan isn't a lady-killer. He's a Paladin. Loyalty is one of a knight's virtues!"

"Jaina, that boy has made a name for himself. Did you know?"

"How did he make a name for himself?"

"Word has spread from Archmage Antonidas's Mage Tower. He's recommended Taelan to Krasus as an apprentice. After examining him, he called him the Child of Light."

"That's wonderful!"

I'm so happy for him. Now he'll be coming to Dalaran often.

Daelin said, "I think High Priest Faol will baptize him soon. In a year or two, he'll become an Initiate Paladin and come to Dalaran to study. You need to work hard, too, dear. You can't fall too far behind."

Jaina raised her left hand and pumped her fist, trying to encourage herself. Then she said, "Why hasn't Taelan come to see me yet? We agreed to go catch that prankster Gnome today."

Daelin said, "Tirion never breaks a promise. You don't need to worry. Dalaran's stepped up security now. The Spellbreakers have swept the streets several times, so it's quite safe. Once he gets here, you can go for a stroll together."

Meanwhile, the ever-reliable Tirion was preparing a gift for a visit to an Archmage the next day. He wasn't close with Krasus, and Antonidas's letter of recommendation had already been delivered, so he would naturally bring his son along to pay Krasus a preliminary visit. A small courtesy gift was essential.

And Dalaran had no shortage of those. The two of them walked around the commercial district and picked out an expensive bottle of red wine. Tirion had never been much for enjoying the finer things in life, but fortunately, he'd acquired plenty of spoils during the war and saved a little spending money. Before they left, Taelan's mother, Karandra, had also chipped in some extra funds.

Once they had the gift ready, Tirion Fordring urged Taelan to go play with Jaina. Taelan would rather spar with his father and learn some new fighting skills.

He wanted to live a few more chapters. As for Jaina, he wanted to stand her up!

I'm not too happy with how this chapter turned out. I'll post it now and revise it later.

Jaina is one of the most complex characters in all of World of Warcraft. She's like a soft-centered egg with a hard shell. That comparison is a bit strange, as strange as the phrase "hungry as a fawn" from the Book of Odes.

Both she and the Prince were responsible for their romance. The Prince was the one who messed up first. As for her relationship with her father, I think most of the responsibility lies with Jaina herself. They lacked communication.

Whether people want to admit it or not, most women tend to be broad-minded on the outside but demanding on the inside! Their strength lies in noticing details. That's why children are usually unhappy in families with overly domineering mothers.