A Romantic Showdown

"How come you're here?" Snyder asked the Night Elf before him.

"Surprised? Didn't you ask me to come?" Aisali asked, looking at the terrified expression on Snyder's face.

"Come with me first." Snyder gestured for Aisali to follow him.

Aisali followed Snyder into a small room, where the two of them were alone.

"Change back to your real appearance first. Looking at you like this feels a little strange," Snyder said.

At Snyder's words, Aisali dispelled her transformation magic. A Night Elf even more beautiful than before appeared in front of him.

Azshara, Light of Lights, the former queen of the Highborne, appeared before Snyder.

"It looks like the necklace works pretty well."

"I must thank you. You helped me regain my beauty," Azshara said, stroking her face.

"You're as beautiful as ever."

"It's all thanks to your necklace. I must thank you." As she spoke, Azshara moved closer to Snyder and reached out to touch his face.

When Snyder had first arrived in Zin-Azshari as a child, Azshara had often touched his face too.

Young Snyder had chubby cheeks, and Azshara loved touching them. Later, as Snyder grew older and more handsome, Azshara stopped touching his face.

Her feelings for Snyder also changed from affection for a child to adult romantic love.

Back then, Snyder had been the most gifted of all the Night Elves, even more talented than Azshara. With his handsome looks as well, he had once been called the finest of the elves.

Although he was later banished by the Highborne nobles after rejecting Queen Azshara's declaration of love, Azshara killed the nobles who had driven Snyder out. She then sent word to Snyder, hoping he would return, but he refused. It was the first time Azshara had been rejected, yet her love for Snyder had not faded in the slightest.

As the hand drew closer, Snyder sidestepped it.

"I think we'd better keep some distance between us," Snyder said.

"Why should you keep your distance from me?" Azshara shouted, lowering her outstretched hand and clenching it into a fist.

"I have a partner now," Snyder said, spreading his hands.

"Then why did you engrave those words on the necklace?" Azshara asked, pointing at the small characters on it.

"That was just my way of thanking you for taking care of me."

"But those words made me feel that you still had feelings for me."

Snyder had a bit of a headache too. That momentary whim had caused him so much trouble.

"Let's not talk about that for now. How did you get out? Didn't N'Zoth notice?"

"I've already made arrangements for everything. Vashj will take care of it all for me," Azshara said. Vashj was one of the few Naga she could trust completely.

"N'Zoth and I are merely using each other. He hopes I can increase his strength, while I use his power to save the few people who remain loyal to me." As she spoke, Azshara shot Snyder a sidelong glance.

After that great war, the Kaldorei Empire had fractured. Some had become Naga and fallen under N'Zoth's control, some had gone with Snyder to live in Hailidos, most Night Elves lived around Mount Hyjal, and a small number were scattered elsewhere, struggling to survive.

"Why didn't you fight those traitors? You just handed it over to them!" When Azshara learned that Snyder had given up most of the Kaldorei Empire's legacy and left with only the elves from three cities, she had angrily smashed a new crystal mirror.

"There was a reason for that."

"After that great war, we couldn't endure another one."

"Sometimes giving way isn't a sign of weakness, but a strategy."

"But you clearly had the strength to change all of it. Your power could have easily wiped them out, yet you did nothing."

"Queen Azshara, on your journey here, did you see anything different from the old Kaldorei Empire?"

Azshara fell silent and thought about what she had experienced along the way.

"The people. Their spirits are different," Azshara said.

"Yes. That's why I didn't rely on my own strength to seize all of this."

"The people can't endure any more war. More fighting would only make them suffer more."

"Besides, this was the people's choice too. I brought away those who couldn't live without magic and gave them a place to live and have children, where they could also continue using magic."

"The rest of the people were afraid of magic. After all, you hurt them too deeply." Snyder looked at Azshara teasingly.

"Shut up! Don't bring that up again!" Azshara was furious. That was the thing she regretted most. She had failed her people and failed in her duty as queen.

When those people of hers saw the Felguards, they had still called out to her, urging her to flee. The warriors fighting on the front lines had still been calling out to her for help at the very end.

She, meanwhile, had watched coldly as her people and the warriors loyal to her died at the hands of the Burning Legion.

Both fell silent.

"All right, when are you leaving?" Snyder asked, trying to change the subject.

"Leaving? Why should I leave? I only just got here. I'm an explorer, so I have to get to know this place thoroughly before I can leave. I'll decide how long that takes." Azshara's eyes conveyed the message that she had him right where she wanted him.

"Well, do as you like. Just don't cause me any trouble. Remember to keep your face hidden. The people are still somewhat opposed to seeing you." With that, Snyder headed for the door, intending to return to the banquet.

The moment Snyder opened the door, he stopped.

"Why are you back?" Snyder slowly backed away.

"If I hadn't come back, some little vixen from outside would have lured you away."

It was Maiev outside the door. After dealing with the mess Naisha and Jarod had left behind, she had hurried back to rejoin the victory banquet.

But when Maiev arrived, she couldn't find Snyder. As king, Snyder couldn't leave early, so she asked the guards protecting him from the shadows.

The guards told her the king had left with a beautiful female Night Elf. Maiev was somewhat displeased to hear this and had the guards take her to him.

That was how she had caught them just now.

"Let me see who stirred King Snyder's lust," Maiev said, deliberately emphasizing the word "lust."

Maiev entered and saw the female Night Elf in the room.

The moment she saw her, she froze.

"Azshara? What are you doing here?"