Unsettling Factors

Nathanos only realized the Southshore inn had been renovated when he stepped inside. It was larger than before, but also more deserted. There was only one table of people inside, and they all looked like members of the Order of the Silver Hand. Nathanos was immediately met with strange stares from them, which made him feel uneasy, but he still managed a smile before leading Rilas and Nat to sit down at a table diagonally opposite the entrance. His attention was drawn to two of the people; he recognized them: Alexandros Mograine and Tirion Fordring, the lord of Hearthglen. Interestingly, Mograine was carrying a chest; its contents were unknown, but he seemed very careful with it. Nathanos wondered if he had missed something interesting—what had just happened here? At the same time, he was also concerned about the other four. They were all wearing Lordaeron robes. Two of the men looked like Priest, another man exuded a strong magical aura, and a young woman with burgundy hair stood to Tirion's left.

'It looks like Southshore is bustling today! Many important figures have come here.'

Seeing Nathanos sit down and simply take a cup and some free water, Rilas sensed an awkward atmosphere. He coughed twice and spoke first, "Let me introduce you. This is my friend Nat Pagle, a fishing expert. This is Nathanos Marius, my... my sister's lover." Rilas didn't mention which sister, as he had only heard rumors that a Windrunner in Quel'Thalas had fallen in love with a human named Nathanos.

"Uh... hello!" Nat Pag politely extended his hand, waiting for Nathanos to respond. The other man held up his cup and looked him over before extending his hand, to avoid making Nat feel awkward.

The innkeeper placed freshly baked bread with honey before them, followed by desserts and seafood renowned Southshore. Nathanos remained silent throughout the meal, only speaking after they had finished eating, "Nat Pagle?"

"Yes... that's my name."

Are you a native of Lordaeron?

Nat shook his head. "I'm Gilneas, but I love Lordaeron." He smiled. Nathanos tried to find a flaw in his expression, but whether the guy was a good actor or something else, Nathanos couldn't detect a trace of a lie.

"The Gilneas mountain horses are very good."

"The pancakes from Lordaeron are also quite good."

The two men smiled at each other. Nathanos turned to Rilas and said bluntly, "It's your turn. Answer my question."

The Elf nearly spat out the pastry he had just put in his mouth. He wiped his mouth, "Okay..." and brushed the crumbs off his trousers as he spoke, "I'll explain, um... let me think where to begin?"

"The great fire eight years ago, when Quel'Thalas was attacked by the Dragonmaw Clan," Nathanos helped him recall. It was around that time that Rilas disappeared, and he'd been gone for all these years. If Alleria hadn't shown him a portrait of Rilas, he probably would have missed meeting this guy today.

"Yes, I remember. The fire was fierce, and there were many Red Dragon breathing fire in the sky. I was fishing by the river at the time, and then... I ran into Troll while I was running away. Luckily, I hid and wasn't discovered." He wiped his forehead, his face grim, as if he were experiencing that disaster himself. "In the end, I had no choice but to jump into the river to escape the flames and flee Quel'Thalas."

Jump into the river? What a joke! Nathanos tapped the table casually with his left index finger, Rilas's nonsense. He had personally experienced how terrifying the Red Dragon's flames were; their temperature could boil rivers.

"Is that how you plan to explain it to your sister later?"

As soon as he said those words, Rilas completely lost his confidence.

"I don't want to go back."

"What?" Nathanos was getting annoyed, and was about to fly into a rage, but he chose to give Rilas a chance to explain.

"I don't want to go back. In Quel'Thalas, I didn't have the right to choose what I did, but here, I can do whatever I want."

Nathanos blinked. "Does staying in your hometown restrict your freedom?"

"Yes!" Rilas slammed his hands on the table, almost leaping up in a fit of rage, but he restrained himself, suppressing his excitement and irritably toying with his long hair. "You simply don't understand. In Windrunner Tower, there! I only had two paths before me: Ranger or mage. My mother and my sisters, whether it was Alleria, Sylvanas, or even Vareesa, constantly reminded me of my responsibilities as Windrunner. What I would do, what kind of person I would become, was all predetermined by my surname. I was like a slave." He tensed. "I can't be as enlightened as my three sisters. Perhaps I'm just not born to be someone revered by all." As Rilas said this, his expression softened somewhat, releasing the pent-up resentment he had been suppressing for so long. Then, his eyes showed that he was ready; it was time to go back!

"Your family has worried about you for eight long years!" Nathanos said to him in a stern tone.

"Yes." Rilas nodded. "I cannot face them, neither for my country nor for my family."

"Then be mentally prepared before you go back." Nathanos stood up.

"What?" Rilas stared at him in surprise, unable to utter a word for a long time. Nathanos offered no explanation and walked straight out of the inn. Wasn't he here to take him back? Rilas wondered inwardly, but the other man couldn't hear him.

Conversely, Nathanos knew what Rilas was thinking, and he too was currently hesitating about whether his decision was right. Should he take Rilas back? Of course he should; Alleria had searched for him for so many years, always dreaming of the day their family would be reunited. But Rilas once he returned to Quel'Thalas? Would he stay obediently in Eversong Forest? The answer was no. As he himself said, he had no choice there; he would likely choose to leave again, it was only a matter of time. If that was the case, what was the point of taking him back?

Nathanos sighed. He had chosen his own path, but Alleria wouldn't agree. He was now considering how to explain this to the Female Elf...

That evening, when Larein arrived, Nathanos had already written the letter, waiting to send it to Quel'Thalas on his return journey. At this moment, seeing his long-lost friend filled him with genuine joy. Larein had also brought a Dwarf, like him, wore silver-white armor, the only difference being that the armor lacked the blue "L" insignia of Lordaeron on the breastplate.

"You're so slow." Nathanos sat down opposite Larein. He had been to the Southshore inn during the day, but the people he was with were different now.

"I'm tied up with official duties, and these are all temporary. I didn't want to!" Larein explained, then introduced, "Come and meet my new friend, this is Bigal, my colleague."

"Hello!" The bronze-skinned Dwarf grinned, shaking hands with Nathanos. The acceptance of other races into the ranks of Paladin began two or three years ago, when Uther and Tirion personally conducted the ascension ceremony for a High Elf. However, this drew much opposition, and the arguments that only humans were worthy of using the Holy Light did not hinder the process. Subsequently, more Dwarf and Elf became Paladin.

"I have long admired your name, Lord Nathanos. Larein has told me many things about you."

"Really? I sincerely hope he's not lying."

The three of them laughed, adding a touch of joy to the night. They talked about many things, some pleasant and some unpleasant.

"Things seem to be going badly in Lordaeron lately?"

"What's wrong?" Nathanos took a sip of the local wine, still savoring the lingering taste.

"You should know many things. For example, there are complaints about His Majesty the King all over the country. Many people are overwhelmed by the damn taxes and say that His King's idea of levying heavy taxes to promote economic development is wishful thinking."

Nathanos disagreed with this view, for a simple reason: the taxes were being used to fund the Orcs prisoner-of-war camps. What Nathanos didn't mention was that Terenas would raise the taxes again the following month.

"Terenas seems to have changed since the war," said Bigal, who didn't need to use the King's title. "He's different. He seems to have aged, and aged overnight. But his son will one day become a good King." He changed the subject and laughed. But Larein didn't give him a friendly look.

"You mean Prince Arthas?" Larein's rather displeased tone piqued Nathanos's curiosity, as he was eager to know what others thought of the Prince.

"Let me tell you, I heard he seems to be spending all his time pursuing Proudmoore's daughter. Much more time than he spends on state affairs!"

Bigal's smile faded, and he nodded. "I'm not entirely sure, but I remember today is the day he became Paladin."

"Oh my god! I really don't know if it was right to bring such a pampered Prince into the Order of the Silver Hand. Maybe he's at a banquet right now, wearing armor, holding a wine glass..." Larein said, mimicking the gesture with his hands, "And receiving blessings from all those famous guests..."

"Perhaps there are girls secretly watching him, imagining themselves as the queen of Lordaeron."

"Yes, that's right. Some merchants will try to curry favor with him and then start negotiating cooperation with the future King."...

The two men talked on and on, and Nathanos didn't stop them, only leaning back helplessly on the bench. He tried to find a reason to defend Arthas. Larein was right; he had long heard about Arthas's pursuit of Jaina Proudmoore, but it seemed to be going poorly, as the two seemed to have diametrically opposed opinions on a certain topic. As for what that was, Nathanos didn't inquire, nor did he ever actively ask the Prince's opinion. King Terenas was also concerned about the progress of his son's relationship with Proudmoore's daughter; if things went smoothly, Lordaeron and Kul Tiras would naturally form an alliance.