"Don't you have anything to say?"
Azar and his companions had just walked out of Zul'Gurub when they ran into a Night Elf force led by Dath'Remar.
"If you don't apologize, I guarantee you won't be able to say anything in a moment."
As soon as Dath'Remar finished speaking, a dagger appeared at his throat.
"Good day, Your Highness. I take back what I just said. May I ask what happened in there?"
"I just don't understand. Why do you dislike me so much?" Azar stepped forward, moved Maiev's dagger aside, and stared straight at Daresmar.
"..."
"Could it be that you like my wife?" Azar seemed to suddenly realize something. He leaned close to Daresmar's ear and whispered the question.
Daresmar's eyes went wide!
"I'm joking." Azar gave him a wicked grin.
"If you want to know, go see for yourself. You're in luck, kid. Get over there and take advantage of the situation." With that, Azar walked away without looking back.
"Teacher Maiev."
Just as they were about to pass through the ranks, a weak voice called out.
"Lida!" Maiev recognized the voice. A frail Elf was being supported by several Night Elves. Maiev ran over and embraced her.
"Thank goodness, you're alive! Praise Elune!"
"We found her on our way here. She was badly injured."
"Anla! Come over and take a look at her." Maiev turned and called to Anla, who hurried over to help.
"Looks like I'll have to walk back. Her body can't withstand teleportation magic." Azar joked.
"Are you stupid? Why would you say that now? Aren't you afraid Maiev will slit your throat in the middle of the night?"
"..."
"Have someone take her back to Eldre'Thalas. Consider it your apology. Use your carriage!" Azar said to Dath'Remar as he approached.
"Maiev, are you going with her?"
"I'm going to stay with her."
"Understood. Saruman, open the gate!"
The next day, in the Council Hall of Eldre'Thalas.
"Father, as expected, experience counts. You solved the problem as soon as you stepped in."
"Am I old? What about me is old?" At the word "old," Azar went Berserk.
"All right, all right, you're not old. You're still the noon sun! Tell me, what should we do next?" Sophia coaxed her father while humbly asking for his advice.
"You should ask your mother what she plans to do next."
"Mother? Do you mean she has a grand plan, and this is just the first step?"
"You could say that. My guess is that after dealing with the Gurubashi, she'll turn against the Zandalari. Once she conquers the Zandalari, the empire she envisions will more or less be complete. After all, the Zandalari are the rulers of the Trolls, in the eyes of the world."
"Then what should we do?"
"Prepare for war. We're Kaldorei, and she's our queen, too. Though I'm not very optimistic about her southern campaign." Azar sounded both pessimistic and helpless.
"If that's what you think, why don't you just tell her what you think?"
"Do you think she'd listen, with all that pride of hers?"
"But if her southern campaign fails, it'll be the Night Elves who suffer the losses. So many people will die." Sophia's voice was sorrowful, her expression pained.
"How can you know unless you try? Do it for the people of the Kaldorei, at least. Just try."
"All right. We'll save as many as we can. The Zandalari aren't as weak as she thinks."
Zin-Azshari, the Queen's Council Hall.
"Xavius, how are preparations for the southern campaign against the Zandalari coming along?"
"Everything is ready. We're just waiting for your order."
"Your Majesty, should we notify Princess Sophia? After all, they have many dealings with the Zandalari." Dath'Remar asked cautiously.
"What do you all think?" Azshara asked, showing an unusual willingness to hear others out.
"We should notify them. The princess is in charge over there now, after all," one minister said.
"From a military standpoint, they should be informed. It would be best if we coordinated our forces. That would give us a better chance of victory!" a general said.
"Dath'Remar, you raised the issue. Tell us what you think."
"I agree that if we're going to war, we should unite every force we can. That would also minimize our losses. Recent intelligence suggests that Eldre'Thalas is thoroughly reforming its army. Our people can't get their hands on the core information, so this would be a good opportunity to learn about their reforms. Also, they're close to the Zandalari. We should take the initiative and bring them to our side. Even if that doesn't work, we should at least keep them neutral. We can't let them side with the Zandalari!"
"Heh. That's impossible. Your concern is unnecessary."
"But, Your Majesty, countries must take the necessary precautions against one another."
"Preposterous! The former lord of Eldre'Thalas was my husband, and the current lord is my own daughter! You call them another country? What are you plotting?" She practically shouted the words, furious beyond imagination. Then Azshara turned and left without another word, ignoring everyone below. Everyone was startled by the sudden turn of events. They looked at the departing queen, then at Dath'Remar standing in their midst. Wasn't he the newly acclaimed hero? How had he managed to anger the queen? With their leader gone, there was nothing left to discuss, so they drifted out in twos and threes. Soon, only two people remained in the council hall.
"What's gotten into you today? You've been saying some really stupid things," Xavius asked, eyeing Dath'Remar in confusion.
"I was just discussing the matter at hand. I'm not feeling well. I'll be going." Making an excuse, Dath'Remar quickened his pace and walked out.
He didn't hear Xavius mutter under his breath, "Love makes people crazy."
Dath'Remar was in a terrible mood. He hadn't acted on impulse today; he'd only wanted to test the waters a little, and she'd reprimanded him mercilessly. It seemed that, in her heart, that man still held a place of tremendous importance—perhaps even an irreplaceable one. And what about him? He was nothing. Was there really no chance for him at all? Jealousy! Anger! Resentment! Love was poison. Those who drank it could savor the taste themselves.
"Vashj, what do you think the prince will do when he learns that I plan to march against the Zandalari? Will he curse me in his heart?" Back in her chambers, Azshara had calmed down, but she was still thinking about Dath'Remar's suggestion.
Oh, my! Was this really Her Majesty, the proud queen? "Will he curse me?" That sounded just like a little woman afraid of making her husband angry! But Vashj knew she couldn't answer that way. As the queen's personal attendant, she knew the queen's feelings for her husband went far beyond what she showed on the surface. On so many nights, the queen had sat alone on the balcony, gazing westward. Whenever she had a spare moment, she would take Quel'Delar and polish it herself, sometimes even smiling at it. That damned Dath'Remar—had he lost his mind? So Vashj answered carefully, "You are the queen of the Night Elves. All Kaldorei heed your voice, and that includes His Highness the prince." She sneaked a glance at the queen's expression. It hadn't changed, so she seemed to be on the right track.
"Go on, Vashj." Azshara seemed to like that explanation.
"Most importantly, your decision is for the good of all the Kaldorei. And you know better than anyone that His Highness the prince is a reasonable man."
"Hahaha! No one in that council hall understood things as well as you did today." Azshara laughed happily and stroked Vashj's cheek with her right hand. Then she continued, "When you said, 'His Highness the prince is a reasonable man,' you hit the nail on the head. Of course he'll oppose me. When has that stubborn man ever agreed with one of my decisions? But even if he opposes me, at most he'll grumble about it in private. He knows that everything I do is for the good of all the Kaldorei!"
At that moment, Azshara showed the wisdom befitting a queen. To be fair, you might not approve of her methods, but you couldn't deny that her intentions were always for the good of the Kaldorei. She was a capable leader—perhaps even an outstanding one. Even when she resorted to less-than-honorable tactics, most of her decisions still revealed the broad vision and strategic insight of a remarkable leader.
"Send a letter to Sophia! Inform her of our plans." Once Azshara had made up her mind, she acted decisively. That was Queen Azshara!
"Shouldn't we send it to the prince?" Vashj asked in confusion.
"When it's time to talk politics, you have to talk politics! You'll learn in time, little girl." Azshara spoke with profound wisdom.
Before you continue