Prisoner-of-War Camp

In the procession heading to Dalaran, maids and mounted guards followed Jaina, but the servants deliberately lagged behind, keeping their distance from the young nobles.

"Is the hot water ready? Miss Jaina is waiting!"

"It will be ready soon."

"What about towels? And fur cloaks? They have to be clean, and we need to prepare more..."

"You prepared so much stuff, but didn't bring any good food?"

The two servants, who were talking, were interrupted by a slightly mocking voice. They turned around and were frightened when they met Nathanos's gaze. He snorted and handed them two hares he had hunted.

"Cook it up and send it to them."...

The dinner had a rustic feel to it, Arthas was thankful, almost thinking he'd only have bread to eat. But strangely, he didn't see Nathanos, whom he was even trying to thank for the food he'd brought back.

Soon after dark, they fell asleep. Once she was sure everyone was sound asleep, Jaina silently opened her eyes, the moonlight shimmering in them. She sat up; having barely undressed in her sleep, she put on her shoes, draped her cloak over herself, ran her fingers through her golden hair, and slipped out.

It was tense and exciting; if she were discovered to be missing, it would surely cause panic. She reached the top of a hill, where the moonlight was exceptionally bright, so she didn't slip.

Jaina gasped. There were other people at the top of the hill. Nathanos sat on a rock, clearly having noticed Jaina and wondering why she was there.

"It seems to be bedtime now," Nathanos reminded her, standing up. He was considerably taller than Jaina, but the girl's eyes showed no fear, only confusion and embarrassment.

"But I can choose not to sleep, can't I?" Jaina replied after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Yes, but you sneaked out so late without anyone knowing. Please give me an explanation, or for your safety, I will take you back to where you sleep."

"No!" Jaina exclaimed, then suddenly glanced behind Nathanos. That seemed to be where she wanted to go.

"There's Orcs prisoner-of-war camp not far behind me. What do you want to do?"

"I've never seen what Orcs look like," Jaina explained. "I want to see them. Will you take me?"

When Nathanos looked into her eyes, he suddenly thought of Alleria, whom he hadn't seen for some time.

"Come with me!"

Jaina's eyes widened. This seemingly very serious man had actually agreed to her request, something that had initially caused her to frown in disappointment. In the moonlight, Nathanos's expression was difficult to decipher, but from that moment on, Jaina thought: Arthas's friend wasn't so boring after all.

They walked together, hurrying down the mountain.

"I heard Arthas say that Orcs are monsters who have killed many people. Many people dislike and do not understand King Terenas, who simply imprisoned them and raised the kingdom's tax rate to support them. Is that true?"

Nathanos remained silent, but Jaina kept asking questions.

"You'll see when you go."

Jaina sighed, "Alright, let's hurry."

When Jaina arrived at the prisoner-of-war camp, she was surprised by the lax patrols.

Why are there so few guards here, and some of them are even dozing off?

"That's why Orgrim was able to escape from Lordaeron," Nathanos whispered in reply, sensing the dire situation. It seemed the guards believed the Orcs wouldn't run away once they lost their minds, so there was no need for strict surveillance.

"How do we get closer?" Jaina couldn't contain her excitement and gave Nathanos a warm smile.

"Put your hood up and cover your head," Nathanos said curtly. Jaina had blonde hair, making her easily spotted by the sentries looking down from above. She obeyed Nathanos's order. Fortunately, both she and Nathanos were wearing black cloaks.

"Ready?"

Jaina nodded.

Let's go.

They ran the last stretch of road silently and quickly, then Nathanos stopped Jaina, pulled her around the corner, and after the patrolling sentries left, the two steadily made their way to the edge of the prisoner-of-war camp.

The wall was made almost entirely of processed logs, topped with spikes, with many gaps between the logs, enough for them to observe what was inside.

"See? We need to hurry," Nathanos whispered. They couldn't stay any longer.

Jaina peered curiously through the gap, initially seeing nothing. However, she gradually discerned several enormous shadows. Were those Orcs? Jaina's mouth slowly gaped open. Some lay motionless on the ground; others sat quietly, gazing at the moon. Not far away was an adult woman, cradling something small in her arms. Jaina realized it was an infant.

"They looked so... sad."

"Hmm?" Nathanos was somewhat surprised by her words. He didn't go to check the situation inside; he simply helped Jaina stand guard.

"They were not dangerous at all. I felt that they had no desire to regain their freedom, and I never expected that they had children."

Nathanos was very surprised by her words. Instead of Abomination, she felt pity in her eyes.

"Don't you think they're despicable?" Nathanos asked curiously, without mentioning that Jaina's Derek had died in a naval battle with the Horde.

Jaina turned to look at Nathanos, her expression dejected. In the moonlight, her beautiful face resembled a delicate silver plate.

"They don't seem like they could hurt anyone at all, I mean, not now. Should they really be locked up here? Why not set them free? That would also lighten the burden on humanity."

"Don't you hate them?"

"I..." Jaina suddenly stopped speaking. Of course, she had her reasons for hating Orcs. Derek's death was a huge blow to the entire Proudmoore family.

Nathanos sighed in the darkness and said nothing more. Jaina shook her head; she had seen enough, and the patrolling guards would be returning soon. "Let's go back."

The two left the wooden wall and ran quickly towards the hill. Nathanos glanced back again and saw the guards on the watchtower turn around. He lunged at Jaina, grabbed her around the waist, and slammed her to the ground, falling heavily beside her. "Don't move! The guards are looking this way!"

Jaina must have been in great pain from the fall, but she immediately lay motionless on the ground. Nathanos turned back to look at the guard, seeing deep weariness and exhaustion in his posture. After the guard looked away, Nathanos helped Jaina to her feet.

Does it hurt?

"I told you I'm not a frail little girl," Jaina said, smiling at Nathanos.

Before long, Jaina had returned to her tent. She looked up at the stars, feeling content.

The group arrived in Dalaran around noon the next day. Nathanos and Arthas had never been to this place before, but they had heard many legends about this magical land. In Lordaeron, mages were an extremely mysterious group; they possessed great power, but unless people needed them to cast spells, they always stayed away from the crowd and lived in seclusion.

Khadgar!

Nathanos thought of the mage; a long time had passed since the Dark Portal. Every time he corresponded with Alleria, he couldn't avoid the topic of the Draenor Expeditionary Force.

Dalaran incredibly beautiful, even more dazzling than the capital of Lordaeron. The city streets, completely enveloped in a magical atmosphere, were unbelievably bright. Several towering towers pierced the sky, their spires edged in gold, surrounded by swirling, glittering stones. Their bases were constructed of pure white stone. The streets were filled with the rich, almost dizzying fragrance of exotic flowers and plants. Although Nathanos wasn't a mage, he could still feel the intense magical pulse in the air.

More importantly, as soon as they entered the city, Prince of Lordaeron Arthas of Lordaeron suddenly realized how foolish he and Nathanos had been. They had spent the previous night in the wilderness, covered in filth, without even having time to take a bath.

Jaina turned to Nathanos, her blue eyes wide, her mouth slightly open, looking around with awe and excitement, a sweet smile playing on her lips.

"Can I learn magic here?"

"Of course," Nathanos replied, without saying much more. The girl was already captivated by everything here. But Arthas wasn't so excited. He wondered why Jaina hadn't asked him the question, but instead asked Nathanos. Did Nathanos have more persuasive power than him? The Prince felt a little resentful.

"I've been told that outsiders are generally not welcome here," Jaina said. "I think Dalaran a mistake in doing this. I'd love to see you again."

Nathanos and Arthas looked at each other.

"It's alright, Jaina. I believe we'll meet again soon," Arthas replied with the same smile. Jaina nodded, then glanced at Nathanos.

"If Arthas comes here, I will come too."

The girl smiled, grateful to Nathanos for taking her to see the Orcs. She believed that when they met again, it would be an even more wonderful day.

After escorting Jaina, they did not stop and continued their journey to Durnholde Keep.

On the way, the usually quiet Nathanos suddenly asked a question.

"Arthas?"

"What?"

What do you think of Orcs?

The Prince frowned. "Well? Those monsters killed many people; they destroyed Stormwind City. By the Holy Light, my father has been merciful enough by imprisoning them!"

Nathanos did not oppose him, and in fact, most people thought so.

"But they also have feelings, and they also have their own wisdom. Some of them even have children."

"Of course they have children, even rats have children," Arthas said with disgust. He was only two years older Jaina, but their views were completely opposite. This presented Nathanos with a dilemma: how should he treat his enemies?