United

Gathering all the leaders in one place took time. It took three days, faster than Terenas had expected. Antonidas was the first to arrive in Lordaeron; a mage's portal was always the fastest means of travel. He was followed by Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, who brought five cruisers and anchored them along the coast. King Genn Greymane of Gilneas and Sorath Trollbane, ruler of Stromgarde, arrived one after another. The last to arrive was King Aiden Perrin of Alterac. They stood on the raised platforms around the throne room, waiting for Terenas.

To be honest, Lothar was somewhat nervous. He knew that uniting all the kingdoms was imperative, but it would likely be far more difficult than he had imagined. He could only hope the other kings would see the bigger picture as Terenas did. He followed the old king back to the place where they had first met a few days ago. Khadgar stood beside him, and among those in his memories was someone he wanted to see—Antonidas.

This time, Nathanos and Uther were here as well. Nathanos had tried every possible excuse to avoid coming, but Uther had told him this was a rare opportunity. He could meet every king of the human kingdoms at once and learn how they decided the fate of their nations.

"I hope nobody starts fighting here today," Nathanos muttered quietly.

"Shh. Be quiet." Uther turned and glanced at him. Nathanos's concern was entirely reasonable. The kings might break into an argument at the slightest disagreement, which was why Terenas had asked Uther to remain here. He was responsible for keeping things under control.

Under everyone's gaze, Terenas walked before the throne and clapped his hands. The sound echoed through the hall. "Thank you all for coming," he began, loud enough for everyone to hear. "It was indeed hasty to gather you all here, but the situation is urgent, and it could not be helped. Let me introduce you first. This warrior standing before you comes from the distant south, from the Stormwind Kingdom. He is Duke Anduin Lothar, leader of Stormwind City's Brotherhood of the Horse. Standing beside her is Khadgar from Dalaran."

The moment Terenas spoke his name, Lothar saluted those around him. Likewise, Khadgar noticed Antonidas looking at him and gave an unnoticed smile.

Terenas sat down and said to Lothar, "You may begin, Lothar."

The warrior nodded and began to speak. It was bound to be a long process. Who could explain the history of a kingdom's destruction in just a few sentences? Though it was important, Nathanos did not simply listen without pause. He was accustomed to sorting others' words into useful information. It took a great deal of mental effort, but it had its benefits—such as passing the time.

For every sentence Lothar spoke, Nathanos organized one. In the end, the gist was:

1. Stormwind City had been destroyed.

2. Elwynn Forest had been occupied by a new race called Orcs.

3. Description of the Orcs: large and powerful bodies, cruel, green skin, and eyes that turned scarlet when enraged.

4. The Orcs were intelligent and had used tactics to destroy Stormwind City's tightly shut gates. King Llane had been killed. However, Lothar choked up when he mentioned this, and it seemed there had been other reasons behind the King of Stormwind's death.

5. Most people had perished. Lothar had done everything in his power to save many people, including King Llane's son, Prince Varian.

6. The Orcs would conquer this world.

"They will come here?" Admiral Daelin Proudmoore said. Now it was the kings' turn to speak. Nathanos began to feel helpless. He knew there would be little worth listening to next. The kings would certainly ask many questions related to their own interests, and Proudmoore was the first.

"Perhaps within a few months. Perhaps within a few weeks." Lothar's answer made the atmosphere grave.

"Do they have ships?" Daelin continued.

Nathanos glanced at him. Just as I thought.

The question was worthless. From Lothar's description, the Orcs were not a primitive race; they had their own civilization. Moreover, taking Stormwind City would have required enormous trebuchets. Since they possessed a certain level of engineering, they could surely build ships. And nearly two months had passed by now. No matter how foolish the Orcs were, they should have started building a fleet already.

"Is that so? Then they can land here by sea. They may even encounter our fleet." Daelin's words clearly took into account the terrible events to come.

"They can also travel overland," Sorath Trollbane said.

"Of course they can. The Stormwind Kingdom first noticed them in the Swamp of Sorrows to the east. They will surely head north along the mountains to reach here—to our south."

"The south?" Genn Greymane's voice cut through the entire room. The instant Nathanos heard it, he felt a pang of discomfort. The King of Gilneas's voice was truly aggressive. Perhaps it had something to do with his black-gray armor, or perhaps because he was built like a bear.

"They will not pass. Gilneas's army will stop any enemy that tries to set foot in our homeland."

"No, you cannot." Lothar refuted him. He looked exhausted. "You have not seen them, nor have you fought them. One of their ordinary soldiers is stronger than any of you here. Their numbers and strength defy common sense. And they are not simple-minded brutes. Many cunning strategists stand among them. I can say with certainty that you cannot face them alone." Lothar deliberately raised his voice for that final sentence. He was not telling Genn alone; he was telling everyone.

"I assure you, Stormwind City's defenses and soldiers were battle-hardened. Yet before the Horde, we were as fragile as wheat. It is cruel, but this is not an exaggeration. They will crush you and march through your lands."

"Then what should we do?" A calm voice rang out, immediately drawing Nathanos's attention. He turned toward it. It was Archbishop Alonsus Faol. Kasha had once told him that Archbishop Faol was the calmest person she had ever met. At such a grave moment, that assessment was proven true. His thoughts did not seem frightened or even disrupted in the slightest. Nathanos was very curious how he remained so calm.

Lothar was grateful that he had asked, because this was exactly what he had planned to say next—and what he feared most.

"United! We need to unite."