Had Talanji really died just like that?
As he watched the Troll warship slowly sink seventy meters away, Rowan felt an unexpected sense of loss.
Talanji was no warmongering fanatic. She could accept ways of expanding other than war.
Destroying a country through war was nowhere near as easy as controlling a people through economics and institutions.
War consumed far too many supplies and resources, and it could easily reunite a people whose internal conflicts had already reached a boiling point.
Rowan's original purpose in using war was to gain the upper hand in negotiations, to force the opposing ruling class to bow.
Talanji had plenty of ideas. Though she refused to admit defeat, she was not one of those conservatives determined to fight to the bitter end. She cared more about her people than the tottering Zandalar Kingdom.
Unfortunately, she might well have died in that last bombardment.
"That Troll girl really was an idiot. What kind of princess charges onto the front lines of a naval battle?" Rowan felt frustrated. Whatever his reasons, he did not want Talanji to die like this.
Jaina looked at Rowan and nearly retorted, Wasn't I a princess of Kul Tiras too? Wasn't I on the front lines?
But Talanji had given her plenty of skincare products and could count as a decent "friend." She was a Troll with an open mind and broad vision. It would be such a shame if she died like this.
Jaina remained silent.
Rowan and Jaina did not linger aboard William's warship. With Talanji's fate uncertain, Zul and Zuluhed in the Zandalar fleet must already have been searching for Rowan.
Staying with William's fleet too long would be no different from placing him in the most dangerous position possible.
Rowan did not want William taking the fall