Light and Darkness
On the Altar of Deities in Zul'Aman, Zul'ra, dressed in her newly made formal attire, her black hair tied back with a jade headband, received the arriving Quel'Thalas delegation, including Lianda Sunstrider, Countess Liadrin, and the ranger Aux. 🎁☟ ♟😾
The Quel'Thalas delegation itself was unexpected for Zul'ra. Quel'Thalas could have remained neutral and had the leverage to negotiate separately with Orgrimmar, but instead they came to Zul'Aman and sought Amani intermediaries to join the Horde.
"Lady Lianda, if I may be so bold as to ask, why do you have the idea of joining the Horde?" Zul'ra, seated high on his throne on the Altar of Deities, pondered Quel'Thalas's thoughts and asked Lianda, the highest-ranking member of the delegation.
"The Sun King believes the Sin'dorei can gain a place within the Horde. Although we have some old grudges, if we can join hands, we can look forward to a better future."
Lianda gazed at the seated Zul'ra, her heart pounding in her chest. This mission was an opportunity for her, and she not only had to ensure the completion of her own mission, but also to safeguard the dignity of Quel'Thalas.
"Do you know what obligations you'll have if you join the Horde?" Zul'ra was speechless at Lianda's answer. It turned out that Kael'thas wanted the Sin'dorei to join the Horde. It was truly unexpected that the Elves prince, far away in Outland, could still manipulate his subordinates in such a way.
"It is precisely because we have so much to learn about the Horde that we have come to you for guidance!"
"Didn't you get any information about this from Sylvanas?" Zul'ra pondered the situation calmly while engaging in banter with the tense female Elves.
"No, Lady Sylvanas did invite us to join the Horde, but we hadn't made a decision beforehand. After the Sun King issued his order, we considered your opinion first, as it would be of great value to our decision to join the Horde."
Lianda subtly employed some rhetorical skills, suggesting to Zul'ra that Quel'Thalas' decision to join Horde Horde not through his close ally Sylvanas, but by seeking out Amani, demonstrated Quel'Thalas's trust in Amani. She also subtly praised Amani's status within the Horde, implying that the Sin'dorei could not join without Amani's involvement.
"Sylvanas has gone to great lengths for you!" Zul'ra laughed as he listened to Lianda's words. In his original plan, if the Sin'dorei wanted to join the Horde, they would have to go through Sylvanas, or go directly to Orgrimmar to negotiate with Thrall. At that time, he would take this opportunity to ask the Sin'dorei to sign the same treaty as Sylvanas.
Kael'thas's micromanagement disrupted Zul'ra's original plans. Quel'Thalas directly sent an envoy to Zul'Aman. Regardless of how this micromanagement affected the Sin'dorei themselves, it was harmless and beneficial to Zul'ra. He himself did not oppose the Horde absorbing the Sin'dorei, and even encouraged it, but he could not show it too obviously.
"..." Lianda was slightly taken aback upon hearing Zul'ra's words.
"The Forsaken Queen and I had a discussion about the Sin'dorei joining the Horde. I didn't object to it, but Sylvanas wanted me to make it happen, and I eventually agreed to help her." After thinking for a few moments, Zul'ra decided to reveal her deal with Sylvanas and give up the opportunity to get the Sin'dorei to make a promise.
"What..." Lianda was surprised by Zul'ra's words. She turned to look at Liadrin and Aux beside her. All three of them saw surprise in each other's eyes. They were not stupid and naturally understood what Zul'ra meant.
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Sylvanas Rada, and although the deal was to help the Sin'dorei join the Horde, both Lianda and Liadrin felt a deep distrust of Sylvanas.
"Zul'ra Jin, may we ask you why you agreed to Sylvanas's request? I mean, what promises did she make that made you agree to help us join the Horde?" After her initial surprise, Lianda respectfully asked Zul'ra, as their biggest fear was that Sylvanas would interfere with the Sin'dorei's interests.
"Don't think of us as too dark. I made a promise from Sylvanas: that she will clearly stand on my side in the future wars against the Trolls." Zul'ra could see the worries of Lianda and the others, but they were indeed unnecessary. Sylvanas didn't trade the Sin'dorei for anything. The Banshee Queen had indeed treated the Sin'dorei well, except for the factionalism involved.
"I'm sorry." Seeing the displeasure in Zul'ra's words, Lianda considered whether her words were true or not before making a gesture of relief and apologizing.
"No need. As your neighbor, I understand the situation your race is in after the disaster. I won't refuse you joining the Horde, but you need to be prepared. Becoming a member of the Horde is not as simple as choosing sides. Every member of the Horde needs to bear corresponding responsibilities and obligations." Zul'ra said solemnly.
"Didn't you promise Lady Sylvanas that you would help us join the Horde?" Lianda glanced sideways at Zul'ra's words, noticing that Zul'ra had said "wouldn't refuse the Sin'dorei joining the Horde," rather than "would help the Sin'dorei join the Horde."
"My willingness to facilitate your joining the Horde is based on Quel'Thalas's sincere desire to Horde. However, the decision to join the Horde is not solely made by the Amani, but also by other members of the Horde, and most importantly, by the Warchief's permission!"
Zul'ra lowered his eyebrows. How could he possibly guarantee such a thing? If Sin'dorei joined the Horde and then freeloaded, demanding bribes and only taking the benefits without taking on any responsibilities or obligations, how could he, as the one who led Sin'dorei to join the Horde, face his fellow Horde in the future?
"Quel'Thalas is absolutely sincere in joining the Horde," Lianda said without blinking. In fact, there was still some debate within Quel'Thalas about their sincerity in joining the Horde, but she naturally couldn't back down at this time.
"That would be for the best. As long as you remain sincere, I will do my best to help you. Also, while the relationship between the Horde and the Alliance isn't exactly like fire and water, there are still significant differences. Quel'Thalas had better handle this carefully," Zul'ra said, glancing sideways before Lianda could speak.
"I've heard that many of your people still live in the Alliance countries, such as Dalaran in the Magic Federation. You'd better think about it soon."
"Dalaran..." Lianda turned serious as she listened to Zul'ra's specific mention of the place. The relationship between Quel'Thalas and Dalaran was, if not quite, like that of the Alliance and the Horde!
"Yes, let's leave it at that!" Zul'ra only touched on the topic briefly, not wanting to discuss it further.
"Thank you for your support, Zul'ra Jin. I will faithfully relay your opinion to His Highness the Regent." Seeing that Zul'ra didn't want to discuss it further, Lianda could only say that she would take her opinion back to Silvermoon City. She didn't dare to make any guarantees for Quel'Thalas.
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