Family and Career

Tirion Fordring led his family into the main hall of Light's Hope Chapel, where the Baptism ceremony would be held.

The moment Taelan Fordring entered the hall, he sensed a peculiar energy. It was unlike the energy that filled the world of Azeroth; instead, it felt similar to World Power. He felt as if he had returned to his mother's embrace, warm and relaxed.

Taelan carefully sensed this strange energy. Then he suddenly realized that it flowed in an unusual way, constantly moving at a peculiar frequency.

Back in Caer Darrow, his understanding of the Holy Light had deepened, allowing him to learn Power Word: Shield. Then he had thought of the divine shield in the rules of Dungeons & Dragons and tried to project the Holy Light outward. After practicing for a while, he had created the Shield of the Holy Light.

The adorable system had told him that the shield could withstand a certain amount of damage. What would happen if he introduced this strange frequency into it?

Taelan Fordring thought of the Lost Sun quest again. Could this power be connected to Sun God Anser? He began examining the chapel's decor.

The tall spires of the church gave the hall a solemn grandeur. Stained-glass windows lined all four walls, covered in colorful images that told the stories of the Holy Light.

A raised platform had already been set up at the far end of the hall. Flowers surrounded it, giving off a calming fragrance. They were Peaceblooms. Who knew they could blossom into such beautiful flowers!

Below the platform stood a table, a little like the one witnesses stood behind in court in Taelan Fordring's previous life. It was made of a kind of wood Taelan had never seen before. On it rested a brass holy insignia with a smooth center, and a thick book. From a distance, Taelan Fordring could see that a ring of flame motifs on the brass insignia surrounded the book.

This was where the Order of the Silver Hand swore its oaths. It was different from the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind, where people knelt on one knee to swear their oaths to the Archbishop.

Taelan Fordring's eyes remained fixed on the holy insignia on the oath-taking platform. Just then, Bridget approached him. Taelan greatly admired this future Crusader's command abilities, but he didn't like her personality. She was too stubborn and too fanatical. Every time they met, it was just as unpleasant as the first! Compared with the likable Jaina, he didn't want to spend much time with Bridget.

He always felt that Bridget looked at him like he was a child! She was always trying to control his behavior! As an old man, he had always kept his distance from fanatical, forceful women!

Bridget was wearing light armor again today, with a shield and weapon at her side. It made Taelan Fordring feel as if he were in a military camp. Her outfit was exactly like the 3-mana 3/1 Divine Shield card in Hearthstone. The tomboyish streak in her personality stood in stark contrast to her beautiful appearance.

Bridget walked up to Taelan Fordring and looked at his handsome little face. "Taelan! It's been a long time! You've gotten stronger!"

Taelan Fordring nodded politely. I may always be pursuing great power, but I still make time for my family and the things I enjoy. I don't spend every second thinking about training like Bridget does, bringing the military way of life right into her home.

The Fordring family's center was always its loved ones. As long as everyone was polite, their home was always comfortable and warm. That was why the heart of the family was Karandra, along with Mrs. Solarian, who joined them later, rather than Tirion and Taelan. The two women often took care of the household themselves or organized a short trip!

Taelan Fordring had always known that the warmth of a home came from its mother and wife. A father gave you understanding; a mother gave you a life. Both were equally important, and neither could be missing.

Bridget should have gotten along with Renault. They had both grown up in military families.

But in reality, Bridget and Renault couldn't get along at all. They were just strangers who had known each other for a long time.

Taelan Fordring thought of a famous saying: "After a lifetime apart, old friends may seem like strangers; a chance meeting can make strangers feel like old friends!"

Putting Bridget's stubbornness aside, he felt that he and her had the kind of relationship where people could know each other for years and still feel like strangers. Put simply, they just didn't click!

Now that sounded more natural. But he and Iris Havinfar had the kind of connection where strangers felt like old friends. From their very first meeting, they had been able to speak openly with each other. Their understanding of the Holy Light was so compatible. They saw power and people in different professions in exactly the same way.

Bridget didn't see it that way! She liked Taelan Fordring. She liked the way he spoke and carried himself, his strength, his disciplined lifestyle, and the natural leadership he possessed.

People from every walk of life could be found around him, and he got along with them all. He could even organize a militia in just a few minutes; all he had to do was shout a few times in Mardenholde. He always got along with farmers, cobblers, soldiers, and priests. He looked down on no one, and he tried to please no one. He simply lent a helping hand to whoever needed it!

He would never even sneak a peek at Sally Whitemane's long legs. And yet the women around him were either a cobbler's daughter or a princess of Kul Tiras.

The warm Holy Light always seemed to surround him! Nothing could stump him. The only person in all of Lordaeron whose knowledge could rival Taelan Fordring's was that Prince. She had no idea where he had learned so much.

Bridget looked at the boy before her, two years younger than her but just as tall, and said, "Let's go for a walk outside. It's too stuffy in here."

It really was too stuffy! He didn't belong in the social circles of the adults. And the noble kids talked about nothing but magical prodigies and pretty maids. For now, Bridget, who came from a military family, was the only one he could really talk to.

"Sure!" It was a good chance to look around outside the Chapel of the Holy Light and search for clues about that Sun God. There was no Acherus or Plaguelands here yet, so he could still enjoy the beautiful snowy scenery.

The two walked out of the hall, and a cold wind hit them. Even with her coat on, Bridget couldn't help shivering.

Taelan Fordring projected the Holy Light outside himself and adjusted it to the frequency in the chapel. The shield it formed suddenly changed in a strange way, resonating with the chapel's energy. In Taelan Fordring's mind appeared a mountain made of crystal: the Crystal Dome!

The energy in the shield flowed at that strange frequency, connecting with the Holy Light within Taelan Fordring. As long as he kept feeding it the power of the Holy Light, he could change the size of the area it protected simply by willing it!

The system then told him that he had mastered the Holy Light Shield. This discovery was no less momentous than discovering a new continent. If the Holy Light could be projected outward to form a shield, could he condense it into a mirror?

Bridget stared at Taelan Fordring in astonishment. He had released his Holy Light, keeping the biting wind out. The shield was filled with the warm glow of the Holy Light—a feat even many mages couldn't accomplish. No wonder he hadn't put on a cloak.

Bridget had wanted to ask him how he had done it, but her military discipline reminded her that not even the king had the right to ask that question. Everyone had their own secrets. It was already considerate of Taelan Fordring to use the Holy Light to shield her from the cold wind.

The two left the chapel and strolled along the continent in the direction of Corin's Crossing.

Bridget happily told Taelan Fordring about the "funny" things that had happened recently in the barracks. As she talked, she suddenly asked, "Taelan, are you going to join the Order of Knights one day?"

"Why not? Renault asked me the same thing before."

"Some people say you'll go to Dalaran. Others say you'll become the Prince of Kul Tiras."

Taelan Fordring...

Was it really that far-fetched?

"Bridget, I'm not going to join the Order of Knights, and I'm certainly not going to become the Prince of Kul Tiras. I'm just me!

"I'll join the Order of the Silver Hand. I'll fight for the Alliance and for Azeroth for the rest of my life. Until I leave."