The Young Mage Apprentice

Durnholde Keep borders Alterac and Arathi Highlands. A fortress, a castle, a prisoner-of-war camp—it's a fitting description. Nearly a third of the Horde prisoners are held here. A few days ago, Nathanos heard that a dueling spectacle was about to be held there. This wasn't unusual, except that Nathanos had noticed that every time such a spectacle was held here, it coincided with Lordaeron distributing funds for their prisoner-of-war camp.

"Father is calling us."

Nathanos snapped out of his daze and saw Terenas and Uther smiling at him, and Arthas had already walked over. Nathanos quickly followed.

"Is there something you need, Father?" Arthas asked, eager to leave and prepare for his journey to Durnholde Keep. Ideally, he would prefer to travel without any servants, thus granting him greater freedom. Of course, this was impossible; Terenas would never agree.

"Do you have any special activities planned for tomorrow?" the old King asked, though he was actually referring to Nathanos, since Arthas's commoner friends and his personal guards would not lie or conceal anything.

"We intend to go to Durnholde Keep, Your Majesty."

"Durnholde Keep? You're going to see a duel show?" Terenas deliberately looked somewhat displeased, because this was a trip for fun.

Arthas saw his father's expression and felt that this trip was going to be ruined, but then he heard Nathanos's voice behind him.

"Yes, Your Majesty. However, I believe His Highness the Prince will gain a lot from this trip. He can inspect the area on your behalf to ensure that the money the kingdom gives to Durnholde Keep every now and then is being used in a meaningful way."

Terenas laughed and told the two young men that he was just joking.

"In fact, this is probably the last time Arthas can still have fun, you know, he's about to start learning with Muradin."

"I understand, this trip will not exceed a week, I assure you." Nathanos glanced at Arthas.

"Very good." Terenas stroked his chin, then exchanged a smile with Uther. Nathanos looked at them strangely, feeling as if he had just fallen into a trap.

"Arthas?" Terenas asked.

"What's wrong, Father?"

Are you a person who knows how to take responsibility?

"Of course," the young Prince replied almost without thinking.

"Excellent." The King smiled again and continued, "I believe you are capable enough to take on responsibilities, even small tasks. Are you willing?"

Damn it! Nathanos cursed inwardly; something troublesome was definitely brewing again. It was less of Arthas's mission and more of his own, because whatever the problem, he'd have to solve it himself.

"I do, Father."

Terenas nodded in satisfaction, then turned and called out to the two girls in the distance, "Jaina, come here." He gestured.

"Let me introduce you." Terenas placed his hands on the shoulders of the girl next to Jaina and led her to Nathanos and Arthas. "This is Jaina Proudmoore, our honored guest."

"Hello." Jaina smiled, her lively aura making Arthas somewhat flustered. He now realized that not all noble girls were as graceful and elegant as his sister Jaina, like the classical beauties in old portraits.

"You... hello, I am Arthas." He replied nervously. Compared to his clumsy self, Nathanos simply nodded slightly and briefly stated his name.

"Nathanos Marius".

"Jaina is going to Dalaran to study magic, and you might be stopping there on your way to Durnholde Keep, so..."

"We will escort this lady to Dalaran," Arthas said excitedly, laughing. Jaina smiled gratefully at him and glanced at the somewhat indifferent Nathanos, who seemed unconcerned.

"Your Majesty," Nathanos suddenly realized something, "If that's the case, I'm afraid the timeline..."

"Ten days, is that enough?"

"Yes, that's enough!"

Arthas almost jumped for joy. Judging from Jaina's every move, he felt that she often went hiking and spent a lot of time outdoors, and that they could be great friends.

"I am proud of you, Arthas," his father said, pulling him back from his reverie. Terenas patted Nathanos on the shoulder as he left.

"It's up to you now."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Arthas wanted to say that he could protect himself and didn't need Nathanos to take care of him all the time, but when he thought about Nathanos and Muradin stumbling upon him fighting the Orcs he imagined, he dared not say such nonsense anymore.

They set off the next day, but Nathanos was very unhappy with the start of the trip—they set off too late.

Jaina Proudmoore had been receiving the Menethil Family's warm hospitality as a VIP for a week, during which time she had been with Jaina. Arthas had learned that the girl wasn't exactly punctual. Of course, he didn't mind, and he wasn't in a hurry to set off.

There weren't many followers, but their pace was far too slow for Nathanos. He wasn't an impatient person, but the wasted time was making him quite angry.

"Your Highness, if you permit, we are prepared to spend the night in Ambermill," one of Arthas's men ran up to him and asked.

"Of course, we had planned to be hosted by the locals. It would not be appropriate to leave the ladies to camp out in the wild."

"No, let's keep going. I'll reach Dalaran tomorrow. And I'm not some frail little girl." Jaina shook her head.

Arthas was in a dilemma; if they did this, they would have to camp overnight in Hillsbrad Foothills.

"Nathanos?" The Prince suddenly noticed that Nathanos beside him hadn't spoken and couldn't help but ask curiously.

"It's up to you to decide."

"Well, okay, let's do as Jaina says and keep going."

Jaina smiled at him and then returned to the carriage.

While his servants set up camp, Nathanos began to survey his surroundings. He climbed a hill and looked around. To the west, he could see Ambermill's small farm, with Baron Shivarran's castle in the distance. Looking east, the outline of Dalaran was already faintly visible. But Nathanos was more concerned about the prisoner-of-war camps south of Dalaran. Since the end of the Second War, Orcs had been imprisoned in those camps, and now there were more than one such camp in Lordaeron.

"Nathanos!" Arthas was calling to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Here you go." The Prince handed him a piece of bread.

Nathanos took it and frowned. "I don't recall any mages among the entourage. Where did this Magic Bread come from?"

"Wow, you actually know this is Magic Bread? How did you tell the difference?"

"Answer my question first."

"Of course, it was Jaina who made it. She just conjured these breads and some water out of thin air."

Nathanos squinted, watching Jaina distribute food and drink in the distance. The girl wiped the water droplets from her forehead, noticed Nathanos's gaze, and gave him a slight nod and a smile.

"Here you go." Nathanos returned the bread to Arthas and turned to leave.

Where are you going?

"Wait for me to come back."