The grand celebration ended, and night fell. The White Lady and Blue Child arrived as promised, and the devout believers began their prayers. There were so many people. No wonder the Night Elves of the future became a nocturnal race. Could that be where it all started? Had Elune's radiance already begun to favor this people? Azar had no time to worry about that for now. He and his new bride, Azshara, were in their bridal chamber, taking stock of what they had gained that day. The kingdom had been founded, with Jabani as king. Zarzan had opened the kingdom's treasury of noble titles and handed out rewards lavishly. Azar had been made a viscount and put in charge of the Warrior Legion as its general, along with a pile of assorted items as rewards. His wife, Azshara, had been made a baroness in recognition of her contributions to the tribe's Arcane arts, and appointed the kingdom's chief Archmage. She was responsible for all matters concerning mages in the Kingdom of Suramar. Just like that, the king had gained full control over the kingdom's two main forces. Poor High Sorcerer—his power was immense, after all. He held religious authority, and even the king had been crowned by him. Oh, right, he was the chief High Priest, the chief priest of the Temple of the Moon.
"Looks like your teacher isn't sitting idle either. There are quite a few followers of Elune." On their wedding night, afraid things might get awkward, Azar made conversation for the sake of it.
"Couldn't you say something else to me? Something like the love letter you wrote when you left?" Hearing this, Azar felt as if he had returned to the time when he and Azshara first met. His spirits soared! He hurried over and took her hand.
"Azshara!"
"Easy, you're hurting me," Azshara said with a playful pout.
"You love me, don't you?" What a stupid question. "I knew it, I knew it!" The boy was so excited he could barely keep still.
"Such a silly man!" Seeing Azar practically beside himself, Azshara laughed until she doubled over.
"Tell me, when did you start liking me? The first time we met, or after you read my letter?" His questions were getting sillier by the minute.
"Does it matter?" Azshara gently cupped Azar's face in her hands, looked him straight in the eyes, and asked softly.
"That's right, none of that matters. We're married now. Heavens above, earth below, I'm so, so happy today. Huh, why is the moon so round tonight? White Lady, Blue Child, are you happy for us too? Hahaha!"
"What are you sitting there spacing out about?" Azshara asked when Azar didn't respond.
"Nothing. I'm just so happy. Do you know how sad I was when you ignored me?"
"Do you want to know why?"
"Yes, I want to hear. Wait, let me guess first. Was it because of the High Priest? He didn't approve of us being together back then?"
"You really are clever. No wonder the teacher thinks so highly of you." Azshara affectionately pinched Azar's cheek.
"The king is your teacher? Not the High Priest?"
"Hold me, and I'll tell you." Azshara leaned comfortably against Azar's chest and casually cast a magical barrier.
"The king was the first to discover my Arcane abilities. He secretly took me on as his apprentice, then arranged for the High Sorcerer to discover me. He knew the High Priest had always wanted to increase his influence. The tribe was at a crucial juncture then, and couldn't afford any mistakes. So I was sent to the High Priest's Arcane Research Base to keep it under control and serve the king." She spoke softly and carefully.
"Did you start distancing yourself from me because you were afraid I'd disrupt your plans once I got to the base?"
"Yes. At first, I didn't know you were working for my teacher. Especially when you came up with that first reward plan—I was worried you'd upset my arrangements, so I was quite unhappy. Azar, the truth is, just like you, I was deeply attracted to you from the moment we first met."
"Why did the High Priest first object, then later suggest that you and I get together?"
"Because you proved your worth. He'd tasked me with controlling you, and indirectly controlling the army, so he could cut off one of the king's arms."
"So you and my uncle decided to play along?"
"Yes."
"But now the High Priest has gained a new power—the Temple of the Moon. I can tell you with certainty that it will grow immensely powerful. The challenges we'll face in the future will still be enormous," Azar said with deep concern. He knew that in the future, the Night Elves would be ruled by two powers: the priests of the Temple of the Moon and the Druids. They were the two biggest players, with tremendous influence.
"That's not for us to worry about. We're still weak, aren't we? What we should do now is enjoy our time together. Come, darling, love me well."
"As you wish, my queen!"
Newlyweds were inseparable, and a honeymoon was always hard to resist. Their sweet life together, with neither suspecting the other's intentions, appeared to reassure the king and the High Priest. In truth, it had all been part of the king's long-term plan. In this round, King Jabani had won decisively.
What were the two of them doing? They were having an amiable academic exchange! Azar charged, and Azshara's Ice Barrier broke. Azshara cast Thunderstorm, then instantly fired a Frostbolt. It hit. She opened the distance and cast Polymorph! Baa... Azar cast Arcane Cleanse, then immediately used Sprint to rush up to Azshara and kicked her, interrupting her Arcane Missiles. Azshara reacted quickly and immediately used Blink to put some distance between them. Distance was the key to a mage's duel against a Warrior—not just one factor, but the deciding one. Azshara had grasped that well, but she'd overlooked one thing: Azar wasn't an ordinary melee Warrior. He was an all-around Warrior! Heroic Leap, then Intimidating Shout in midair. Azshara was rattled and slightly dazed, her hands slowing for just a moment—and then a blade was at her neck.
"I'm done. This isn't fun. You always win! Can't you go easy on me?" Really, what kind of man fought his own wife without holding back? He could let her win once in a while to show off his skills.
"Okay, okay. I'll definitely lose to you next time." He comforted his wife while straightening her rumpled clothes. But as soon as he said that, Azshara got even angrier.
"Who asked you to go easy on me? Go easy on your whole family! You're sleeping on the floor tonight!" With that, she stormed off.
"What is his problem? I've never lost to a Warrior before, so why is it so frustrating fighting him? I can't get the upper hand no matter what I do." As Azshara walked, she muttered under her breath. "Hurry up! Come rub my hand!" she shouted at Azar, who was following behind her.
"Your servant's here. Where does it hurt, my lady?" Azar hurried over, wearing a shameless grin.
"Here, here, and here! Everywhere hurts!" Azshara was still fuming.
"I'll rub it right away, I'll rub it." They sat beneath a big tree, bickering as he rubbed her hand. Rub, rub, rub... before long, their hands were entwined, and they were whispering sweet nothings.
"How do you do it? I feel so uncomfortable fighting you." Lying in Azar's arms, Azshara traced circles on his chest with her finger and asked in a coquettish voice.
"Prediction and countering skills! You can't really learn prediction. It takes experience built up through real combat. As for countering skills, I spent my spare time studying my potential opponents and figuring out how to counter them based on their abilities."
"So the first depends on combat and insight, while the second depends on how skills counter one another. The first varies from person to person, but the second can be taught to others. Is that right?"
"That's right, darling. If you're interested, I can teach you. But for now, look at our position, then look at our surroundings. What we should be doing is taking our physical intimacy to a deeper level." With that, Azar ignored his lovely wife's struggles and kissed her deeply.
"Ah, you brute!" Azshara only had time to cry out before his kiss left her head spinning.
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