Old and senile?

While Charlemagne passed the time letting his thoughts wander, Anasterian's speech finally ended.

The heartfelt applause from the elves below brought a self-satisfied smile to His Majesty the Sun King's face. But if he knew what that applause truly meant, who knew whether he would still be in such a good mood?

In truth, Anasterian, the second Sun King, had been a wise ruler who worked tirelessly to strengthen his kingdom in his youth.

It was under his leadership that the High Elves had allied with Emperor Thoradin of the Arathor Empire and ultimately won the Troll Wars, which the Zandalari Trolls had secretly orchestrated from behind the scenes.

During that war, the Amani Trolls had lost their leader at the time, Xin'sa, along with many primal Loa spirits. Only afterward had Zul'jin rapidly risen to power to pick up the pieces.

The Zandalari Trolls, who had been calling the shots from behind the scenes, had also slunk back to their isolated island overseas. Dejected, the Zandalari believed that the Trolls, a once-glorious race, had lost all hope of ever rising again.

Disheartened, they had stopped involving themselves in the affairs of all the Trolls of Azeroth, and the various Troll tribes had begun their endless infighting across the two continents.

Even the Darkspear Troll tribe, which would shine so brightly in later years, was still fighting other tribes for the right to survive in Stranglethorn Vale at this time.

Yet Anasterian, this once-wise king, had, like all old people, gradually grown stubborn and muddleheaded with age.

In recent years, he had become engrossed in scheming against the Silvermoon Council, completely shutting his kingdom off from contact with the outside world. He had also developed a taste for his people's praises. Every trait an incompetent ruler ought to possess had begun to appear in him.

Watching Anasterian savor the applause on the stage with his eyes half-closed, Charlemagne shook his head in disappointment.

If the Sun King still had the resolve of his youth, the High Elves wouldn't suffer such a crushing defeat when the Old Horde invaded later...

Refusing contact with the outside world also meant having no allies. Faced with the Orcs' overwhelming drive to swallow up the world, the nations of humans, dwarves, and gnomes had united in an unprecedented move to form the Alliance. Yet when the High Elves were invited to join, Anasterian had refused without hesitation.

In the end, however, bound by his former oath to remain forever loyal to Emperor Thoradin's bloodline, Anasterian had sent a small contingent of Farstriders led by Alleria as representatives to support Emperor Thoradin's last descendant-Anduin Lothar.

But anyone with a discerning eye could see that these Farstriders were clearly not the High Elves' elite troops. This treatment, like tossing scraps to a beggar, had thoroughly infuriated the Alliance.

Later, if Alleria had not persuaded Turalyon to come to their aid, the High Elves might well have been utterly destroyed by the Old Horde then and there.

It was hard to say how much of Turalyon's decision at the time had been for the public good and how much had been personal. One thing was certain, though: without Alleria acting as an intermediary, the Alliance, which Anasterian had already slighted once, would probably not have sent reinforcements so readily.

Yet after the Orc threat had been repelled, the muddleheaded old king's stubbornness had flared up again. To avoid bearing the responsibility and expense of establishing Orc internment camps, he had resolutely withdrawn from the Alliance and returned to his isolationist ways.

The next time, however, he had not been lucky enough to have someone come to his rescue. The Undead Scourge had ultimately destroyed half of Silvermoon City, along with the pride of the High Elves-the Sunwell.

Anasterian himself had also paid the price for his stubbornness, dying beneath the Scourge's onslaught.

Only after Prince Kael'thas returned had he hastily adopted a humbler attitude and gone to seek help from Garithos, the commander of Lordaeron's remaining army, the largest force in the northern Eastern Kingdoms at the time.

Tragically, however, the deaths of his family had driven Garithos to place the blame irrationally on the High Elves for failing to come to their aid in time. As a result, the man harbored an intense hatred of High Elves.

Kael'thas had received no recognition under his command and had even been obstructed at every turn. In the end... Kael'thas had led his people away to Outland with Illidan, seeking a way to save them.

But who could have imagined that Kael'thas would afterward become hopelessly addicted to Fel, even going over Illidan's head to pledge allegiance directly to Kil'jaeden, one of the Burning Legion's three great leaders?

The outcome, of course, needed no explanation. Kael'thas had died, and the Blood Elves of Silvermoon City had been forced, for survival, to join the Horde that had once attacked Quel'Thalas.

Charlemagne had once considered whether the tragedies that followed might have changed if the High Elves had abandoned their isolationist policy earlier and actively joined the Alliance.

Yet his final conclusion had been... hard to say!

Perhaps the High Elves could have successfully defended Quel'Thalas during the war against the Orcs with the Alliance's military strength. But during the Scourge crisis, once Lordaeron, the greatest human nation, had fallen from within, the High Elves' fate had essentially already been sealed.

There had been no other reinforcements to rely on anywhere in the northern Eastern Kingdoms at the time. Lordaeron's scattered surviving troops could barely defend themselves.

The Kingdom of Stormwind in the south had been too overwhelmed by the Stonemasons' Guild's riots to help anyone else. Even King Varian's queen, Tiffin, had been killed, though, of course, other "people" had been secretly pulling strings behind the scenes.

The gnomes had been unable to provide support because their capital, Gnomeregan, had been invaded by vast numbers of troggs. The dwarves, on the other hand, had both the opportunity and a reason. After all, their king's younger brother, Muradin Bronzebeard, had been "killed" by Arthas.

Yet the two sides had been far too distant. Whether the dwarves would travel thousands of miles to provide aid was the first question, and even if they came, how much their troop numbers could accomplish remained doubtful.

Of their neighbors, Gilneas had been the only one capable of helping. Unfortunately, that had been precisely the period when Genn Greymane, who had yet to become the Wolf King, had taken leave of his senses. Of all the things he could have learned, he had chosen to imitate the High Elves' isolationist policy.

They had built the imposing Greymane Wall, shutting everything outside away beyond it while they enjoyed their own little lives within... until the worgen crisis erupted.

Thus, only after a long period of agonizing thought had Charlemagne barely managed to devise a way out. First, the High Elves needed more allies. Joining the Alliance was also essential.

That brought him right back to where he had started. Without persuading the Sun King and the Silvermoon Council, joining the Alliance was impossible. And given the stubbornness of Anasterian, who now seemed old and senile... Charlemagne felt that persuading him would be an enormous challenge.

Although the Silvermoon Council was exceptionally skilled at internal strife, it was scarcely better than the Sun King in foreign affairs. Its members were equally stubborn hardliners.

While seeking allies, he also had to ensure that no problems arose within Quel'Thalas, making an already difficult task even harder... which was why Dar'Khan, that born traitor, had long since earned a place on Charlemagne's kill list.

As for other allies... Charlemagne already had a few rough ideas. Though actually realizing them would be difficult, success depended on effort. How could he know whether he could succeed without trying?

A future on hell difficulty... Fortunately, there's still plenty of time. First, I'll make good use of these sixteen years to deal with the Orc problem, then consider the Scourge.

(End of chapter)