The stunned silence which followed Aegwynn, the sodding mother of Medivh, making an abrupt and dramatic entrance lasted only a moment before chaos ensued. Surprised and so utterly baffled by her arrival – she called me her granddaughter! – as I was, I didn't even react as the soldier that had been restraining me instead shoved me aside, sending me stumbling, and went for his sword.
He then foolishly started to advance towards her with steel bared. "In the name of King Wry–" He began to cry, making it a single step before a delicate puff of frost smothered his face, leaving him blind and breathless.
"Mage! Stand down, in the name of King Wrynn!" A second, the sole woman amongst the Stormwind soldiers, barked. "You intrude upon royal interests!"
Unable to see, or apparently hear, the first continued his advance and struck where Aegwynn had been – only for her to calmly sidestep his strike and sweep Atiesh, almost casually, through his legs with a bone shattering crunch that sent him toppling to the floor.
As three more soldiers joined the second in arraying themselves against Aegwynn, a sixth and seventh interposed themselves between her and the royals at the table. And the eighth, the bastard, made a grab for me.
My sock and befuddlement lasted just long enough for his hand to land on my shoulder and yank me towards him sharply. "Let. Go!" I snapped, no longer willing to tolerate being manhandled, and rammed a hand into into the steel plate of his chest piece hard enough it stung. My hair fizzed and fluttered as my fingers sparked, electricity coursing through my palm and into my assailant.
His grip spasmed, tightening and clutching fiercely, but without any intention strength behind it to impede me, I broke away and backed away, stomping on the fallen soldier, to reach the relative safety of the still suspended frozen doors.
"Ansirem!" Varian snapped angrily, then pointed at us imperiously. "Men! Seize them!"
At Varian's order all seven standing soldiers, even the one I electrocuted, stepped forward as one, and a weave of ticking and tocking Arcane runes spun into being around the archmage's hands. Ones that confinement betwixt severance.
Aegwynn sniffed derisively at their efforts. "Is this how far the line of Wrynn has fallen?" She said, words immediately followed by a torrent of frigid air blasting through the door behind us and catching the foremost two soldiers entirely, and forming a translucent wall of ice that cut off the others from their approach. "I asked a question of you, Varian Wrynn. Just what are you doing with my granddaughter?"
To punctuate her words, her free hand landed on my shoulder and sharply tugged me closer. I barely refrained from lashing out the same way I had at the soldiers, and just shrugged her off.
"I should ask the same." Came Jaina's voice from the doorway, outwardly calm but also slightly out of breath. "Not only is Gwyneth my friend, but she's neither Azerothian nor Lordainian. Just what do you think you're doing, Varian, Calia?"
Hearing her voice I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder to confirm I wasn't just hearing things. And yes, Jaina was here too, somehow. Right there, walking in amidst the frozen over remains of the doorway wearing the same ridiculous corset pretending to be a shirt that she always wore.
What in sodding twisting nether and all the bleeding hells was happening?! Where did they even come from?!
"You demand to know what we are doing?" Varian returned furiously, his voice boiling over entirely as he jumped to his feet. "You break into my embassy, interrupt my meeting, assault my guards, and now care to threaten us? Have you gone mad Jaina?!"
Halfway through his tirade the ticking reached a crescendo, the runes Ansirem spun snapping together in a flash before racing forward in a wave – to which Aegwynn responded by gesturing absently in his direction with Atiesh, without any indication of a spell being cast, yet somehow causing it to just wash past Jaina's ice wall and over us.
To no effect at all.
Or so I thought right up until freezing cold water splashed across the floor, soaking my shoes and ankles, and the doors fell with a resounding thud.
She redirected the spell, some kind of dispelling effect, with nothing more than a gesture. Not even a hint of magic to my senses, and I always – unless it came from a sodding dreadlord – noticed when magic was happening around me.
Unaware of the magical absurdity that just happened, Calia shakily rose to her feet. "You will not only be explaining your presence here to us but also to the Lord Admiral." She said, her words flat, yet nervousness and worry leaking through into her voice. "Think carefully on what you do next for your own sake."
"Gwyneth Arevin is a registered Apprentice of the Kirin Tor." Ansirem said after she finished, very clearly rattled by what happened to his spell – and drawing glances from the other two as a result. "As such, my authority as an Archmage of Dalaran grants me the right to interrogate her at my leisure. That I chose to involve His Majesty and Her Highness is not for you to question, Apprentice Proudmoore."
"I was expelled, you prick!" I snarled at him. "You lot threw me out for trying to warn you in the first place!"
And the only ones to apologise were Kael and Modera. I'd give Drenden a pass because he died trying to heed my warnings before I could meet him, but this wanker of an Archmage could sod right off!
Aegwynn just began to laugh. "You invoke the authority of the Kirin Tor to me over my grandchild?" It wasn't quite a cackle, but it was close as she leaned on Atiesh for support. "Even the Tirisfalen would not at the height of their power. They would not dare!"
It was hard not to smirk openly at the sheer pissyness on Ansirem's face as he was laughed at, looking like he had never been mocked, or refused, in decades if not his entire life.
Seeing Varian vibrate with impotent rage as his men made pointless probing strikes against Jaina's ice wall, which I could feel her still reinforcing, and Calia so bloody nervous after they pulled this – especially Calia, who I'd gone out of my way to help – was simply satisfying.
As she finished laughing, Aegwynn returned her hand to my shoulder and, at the touch, I shot her a glare. Meeting her clear white eyes for a moment before the raven atop Atiesh pulsed in my vision and a voice echoed in my mind.
All pieces have a part to play, even those that do not know they are part of a game.
So do play along, o' daughter mine.
Hearing the voice of Medivh again, even if it was distorted from originating inside my own skull, brought a flask of memory from the time he'd come to warn me. Our one meeting where he'd told me that I'd caught the attention of the Legion and that he would do what he could to divert it.
My immediate thought that this, though it involved a welcome rescue, was an utterly insane way of going about it – how, exactly, was painting me as the most infamous man on Azeroth's daughter meant to divert attention away from me?
But it wasn't, was it? Not from the people of Azeroth, because that ship had sailed months if not years ago. Any chance of me retaining even a semblance of anonymity had been tossed aside due to me yelling my predictions from the rooftops to anyone who cared to listen; the very possibility of me not being a person of interest, and resultantly a target, had gone out the window when Detheroc ended up on my trail. The only option now was to manage how I was known.
I wasn't sure what they were doing or where they were going with this, but presumably it involved an actual plan. And, for all that had gone wrong in his life, I believed Medivh had good intentions.
And I knew that Jaina did.
So, letting out a deep breath and reigning in the tumult my emotions had become, shoving aside my itching curiosity and the simmering fury I felt, I let my 'grandmother' draw me to her side. "Good of you to show up, Grandmother." I said dryly. "Nice time for you to stop by, though a little warning might have been nice." Putting on a smile I turned to Jaina. "Hi Jaina, talk later?"
"Later." She agreed with a snort, glancing at me and grinning. "There's so much we need to talk about."
Her eyes flicked to Aegwynn for a moment, her smile becoming a little awkward before she put her game face back on and returned to focusing on her ice wall.
At least this entire thing wasn't weird for just me, I guess.
But seriously, a little warning would have been nice. The fact she that the two of them were here at all when they were both meant to be on bloody Kalimdor told me that my 'grandmother' had seen this coming and picked the most dramatic moment to interfere intentionally.
"Tirisfalen." Varian seemed to almost taste the words for a moment, revelation crossing his faces before it turned into a true rictus of unadulterated rage. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by such actions from your family. Or that his spawn would be so glad to see Stormwind suffer and fall prey to its enemies. Tell me," he bared his teeth in a vicious snarl as he leaned forward, fists clenching white as they pressed hard on the table, "did she make a pact with the black dragons as her father did the orcs? What reward was she offered for Stormwind's destruction!"
I was taken aback by the absurdity of his accusation, reeling for a moment before a retort formed on my tongue; but I was stalled as Aegwynn's fingers dug into my shoulder painfully.
"Did Llane forgo teaching you manners and wisdom as a child, or did you simply forget upon his death?" She asked with a disappointed tut. "I know the man well enough to say he would cane your behind, no matter your age, for your actions. Both in disparaging the daughter of his dearest friend, and your hamfisted insistence of this foolishness."
"My father died because of Medivh!" Varian snapped, his voice booming with anger. "Stormwind burned because of him!"
"And yet," Aegwynn said coldly, a faint chill – too faint, almost whisper thin – filling the air with her menace, "when I came upon King Llane to warn him of my son's fall, of the dark machinations that the demon within him had set in motion, he spurned me." She tapped Atiesh against the ground, Jaina's ice wall melting into water which surged forward, all but two of the surprised soldiers off their feet. "Thrice has my line warned this world of the doom that awaits it. Thrice we have been ignored until it is too late to prevent."
Varian paused at her words, his eyes still burning with rage, but didn't immediately respond. Retaining enough bearing to marshal his thoughts and words before he let loose another outburst. "Even if that is so." He said slowly, no less angry but at least affecting calm. "The accusations remain."
He offered no explanation of what those accusations were, simply leaving them in the air as his soldiers returned to their feet and the two that hadn't fallen moved to flank us. With his silence I half expected things to return to a fight at any moment; a single word from him was all it would take for them to attack again.
The only thing holding me back from drawing as hard as I could on the Astral, the filaments that seeped this low by dancing along the mirrors to the garden chamber, was my concern over the consequences. How much would it matter for Gilneas that I was ambushed if I fought back hard enough to kill some of Varian's personal guards? Let alone if he himself got caught up in things?
Whether they deserved to be smacked down for what they did or not I couldn't just do it because I wanted to.
"The apprentice has sought treaty with orcs, fled Dalaran rather than aid in its defence, and issues no warnings of the dangers that Stormwind faced." Ansirem explained for Varian, his tone cautiously deferential now. Not quite afraid but definitely concerned about who he was facing. "Regardless of her... parentage, these are questions that require answers."
"If making treaty with orcs is now punishable by the Alliance then both I and Lord Uther will have to suffer the same punishment." Jaina replied flatly. "I fought alongside them against the demons and undead, making common cause and ratifying a peace treaty between the Horde and the Kalimdor Expedition. Lord Uther was party to the same, but has also taken a squire from amongst the orcish clans and, should they wish it in the years to come, intends to induct them into the Silver Hand."
Letting out a chortle at the dumbstruck reeling of both Ansirem and Calia at Jaina's statement, Aegwynn wasted no time saying her own piece. "A dragon is a fiercesome foe. That is certain." She said calmly, but with a hint in her tone that she didn't find them to be fiercesome at all. "Yet it is a foe that might be beaten by mortal means: Countless heroes have slain dragons across the ages, and near as many have matched wits with the schemes of the black flight and come out the victor. Stormwind may have suffered under the manipulative talons of Onyxia, but by no means was the world imperilled by her presence."
"True." I mumbled; I was still annoyed at myself for forgetting about her, but compared to the Scourge, let alone Archimonde, Onyxia scarcely mattered at all. The black dragons only really mattered as Deathwing's lieutenants and agents. "As for Dalaran," I said louder and with a roll of my eyes, "you kicked me out."
Nor was he speaking for Dalaran rather than himself, I realised. What would Modera, let alone effusively grateful Kael'thas think when they heard what Ansirem had been up to?
Hell, what would King Magni think when he learned that Stormwind had used the safety of his city to lure in a guest and ambush them?
Somebody's head was going to roll.
"And with that, your questions are answered." Aegwynn said imperiously, steering me towards the door. But I wasn't quite done – not yet, so I held still, meeting Calia's worried eyes.
"Do you want to know where you ended up, Calia?" I asked far, far too sweetly.
"Without orcs threatening my people." She spat back. "Threatening to do to my daughter what they did to her father."
Letting out a laugh I shook my head. "No, no. You ended up alone, Calia." I smirked grimly at her. "Running away to hide in Southshore after Arthas took Terenas' head, ignoring your responsibilities, right up until they – the Scourge caught up to you. And you lost everything."
Feeling a surge of dark glee at the way her face paled, I twirled and all but skipped to catch up to Aegwynn and Jaina where they lingered in the now empty doorway.
"I'm ready to go, Grandmother!" I chirped with faux cheer, my expression turning so very brittle the moment I wasn't facing anyone who I had to put up a front towards. "We can collect my apprentice and head back now." And once that was done with, Trix successfully rescued from her own royal adversaries, I would steal Tricks away and take a sodding nap.
Maybe Trix as well. Vivi wasn't due back for days and I needed a cuddle partner to deal with all this political bullshit. Genn, sodding Liam, Daelin, and now Varian fucking Wrynn – Even Kael'thas, nice as he was, was stressful in his own way and I was just sick and tired of royalty and wanted nothing to do with them for at least a week.
Putting a hand to my back, Aegwynn steered and sped me down the corridor for half a dozen paces before slowing. "Your father has already handled the matter." She said simply as the sound of wingbeats approached us.
She lifted Atiesh into the air, where an oversized raven – Medivh – landed atop the head of the staff and furled his wings, peering down at me curiously.
Jaina glanced up at him before sighing. "Here we go again." She muttered wearily, taking my hand in hers and pressing it to the staff before doing the same with her other hand.
"What?" I asked, my skin itching where it touched the staff; the sheer power leaking out of the wood into my palm quite unlike anything else I'd ever touched. But any concern I might have had over the feeling quickly fell by the wayside as Medivh croaked noisily from his perch and, abruptly, my world dissolved into the shades of lightning, the tang of galvanised steel, and crackling pops of static.
As quickly as it came, a mere instant that vastly overstayed its welcome, the Arcane overloading my senses departed as we rematerialised, one and all, in a familiar parlour. A warm crackling fire, comfortable armchairs and settees, stuffed heads and a ticking clock on the walls, and lastly, one little blonde apprentice alongside an adorably worried fox reeling back in shock at our arrival.
Safe and home, for a given value of home, I let out a sigh of relief and pulled away from Atiesh, taking two steps before collapsing into the cushions of my usual seat. "I hate being teleported." I complained half-heartedly.
"Gwen!" Trix yelled, stopping her frantic whipping of her attention between me, Jaina, Aegwynn, and Medivh and rushing up to me. "What's happening?! I was with the prince and princess, she was taking a nap on him while I told them a story, and then the big raven showed up–" She threw a hand at Medivh even as she tried to lean away from him into me. "–and all the guards fell asleep too! Then he landed in front of the prince, apologised about his namesakes, then grabbed me and I was here! Then it left again! And now it's back, and you're here too! I didn't even have a chance to try and stop it!"
I let Trix's almost incoherent babbling wash over me as I caught the most important parts of what she said, then gently pulled her into a hug. "It's fine." I muttered soothingly, rubbing her back while Tricks hopped up beside me to croon at her. "You didn't do anything wrong and I couldn't expect you to stop him. He isn't a threat, just..." Looking up at my 'father' I frowned. "Impatient. Something I'm sure he'll apologise for."
That was what had been worrying Calia, wasn't it? If Aegwynn had broken in like she did, so deep inside the embassy, then Lianne and Anduin were also at risk. Not that Medivh would tolerate anyone threatening Anduin Llane Wrynn in his presence.
But they wouldn't know that, nor would they believe it, so with Aegwynn around... how could they have known what was happening? Not that it absolved them of being utter pricks in any way.
"Things didn't go well after I left with Varian." I continued to explain to her. "Almost as bad as they did with Genn. If Aegwynn didn't show up with Jaina, I'm not sure what would've happened." Just the guards and I'd have been able to get away easily, with Varian it'd have to be an escape rather than fighting my way out – probably even leaving Trix behind. Add in sodding Ansirem and his wards? Escape wasn't an option either and nothing I said would've placated them. "But it wouldn't have been pretty."
Aegwynn sniffed derisively as she looked down at me, white eyes judgemental. "Entering the domain of a ruler whose temperament you do no yet know was a foolish decision." She swung Atiesh, dislodging Medivh, and bopped me on the head lightly. "You are too valuable for that sort to ignore, and too clever to make be making that mistake."
Slowly, staring at incredulously at the staff she'd just used like she was disciplining a small child, I reached a hand up to my head. "It was meant to be a sodding playdate!" I protested indignantly as I felt where she'd struck. "Was I supposed to expect Varian Wrynn to use his son to corner me?!"
Even though it had just happened the very idea was absurd! And made a complete mockery of his accusations that I worked with the black dragons – he'd have never let me get within a mile of Anduin if he thought it possible.
"I expect you to be wise enough to know when a risk is worth taking." She stated flatly, downturned lips the very picture of a disappointed grandparent. "Where was your escort? Your guards? Your retinue to perform such tasks for you?"
"Busy. Because I am in fact not the most important part of–"
"But you are." Jaina interrupted me, shaking her head. "You are the most important part of Gilneas' delegation, Gwyneth. Perhaps not for the purposes of negotiating to rejoin the Alliance, but as an individual? Yes, you are. At the very least you should have had your partner with you, someone to guard your back." Hesitating, she glanced at Aegwynn. "And now that your... parentage has been revealed, that only becomes more true."
An uncomfortable cracking sound heralded Medivh's return to human form, feathers swirling around him as his wings contorted and body stretched. "The Lady Proudmoore is correct." He said, rising from a hunch and claiming Atiesh from his mother. "As secrecy flees from your grasp strength becomes the domain in which you must reside. Until such a time as those which would face you pale in fear, you must rely upon others to act their part – alone you will fall, my dear daughter."
I twitched at him calling me daughter with such amusement in his voice, but kept up my glare at all of them. It was frustrating that I couldn't actually disagree with what they said – other than me being his daughter – but it all rang true; Vivi... Vivi especially should've been with me, or me with her. I just didn't want to ruin her chance at adventure.
Even without Vivi, there were other guards available. Not just Darius' soldiery that served for him and Admiral Candren, but I could've asked for Frazzle or Sir Magroth; both had enough associations with Gilneas they wouldn't have been out of place as my escort.
And if I was feeling daring I could even have asked Kael'thas for help. It would've... probably had me swamped with elven backup, to a comical degree, but it was a possibility. If not a good one.
But I didn't want to admit any of it. "Too tired for this shite." I grumbled, turning away and, ignoring Tricks' alarmed yowl, pulled my fox into a close cuddle as a Vivi substitute. "I messed up talking to a king. Whatever; been there, done that. Is there anything important you want to talk to me about, Grandmother?"
She stayed silent for some time, the clock on the wall ticking well past thirty seconds, before she spoke. "No. Nothing that cannot wait for a better time. But do not expect either my son or I to wait long, Gwyneth."
"Wait!" Trix called out as she looked like she was about to leave. "You're Gwens grandmother?" She asked Aegwynn, getting a sharp nod, then looked at Medivh with an adorably angry little frown. "Which means you're Gwen's father?"
"Apparently." I grumbled with a roll of my eyes. I should probably tell her the truth at some point, Trix was close enough–
There was smack as Trix's foot collided with Medivh's shin. "You're a terrible father!" Trix snapped angrily, standing on tiptoes to shove a finger into his face. "You left Gwen and her mama behind, alone, and that's awful! Do you even know what happened to them? How Gwen lost her mother too?! I've seen her, she's ready to cry every day because Gwen let her come back, and they both hurt so much because of what you did to her!"
Alarmed, and more than a little worried, I sat up and reached for her. "Trix, wait–" I started; she had no idea who she was assaulting!
But she ignored me, barrelling forward and continuing to berate the Last Sodding Guardian loudly. "You need to make things right before you can call yourself a dad! Not just with Gwen, but Irwen too! Mine isn't the best but he's miles better than you!" She paused, chest heaving as she took in great gulps of air, and then kicked his shin again. "And never use magic on kids!"
Finally finished she crossed her arms, just like I did when I was disciplining my apprentices for doing something wrong, and huffed at him. I... was touched by how much she cared.
"Trix... thank you." I said softly. "But you shouldn't have." I put a hand on her shoulder, but my focus was on Medivh and Aegwynn and what they might decide to do – Jaina wasn't a worry, she wouldn't hurt Trix even if she wasn't currently openly gaping like a fish in disbelief.
Then Aegwynn started laughing. Not just a giggle, a chuckle, or the near cackle she'd thrown at Ansirem, but a fellow on guffaw as she doubled over with laughter. "That is–" she gasped, wiping a tear from her eye, "quite the apprentice you have there." Smiling wryly she reached out and ruffled Trix's hair, easily fending off my apprentice's attempts to swat her hand away. "Truly delightful. And correct – my son has much to make amends for."
"Amends I will make given time." Medivh dipped his head to us as he linked an arm with his mother's. "Until the stars shine on our meeting once more, daughter. Farewell."
He tapped Atiesh to the floor and they were gone, leaving only wisps of Arcane blue and the scent of ozone in the air.
Falling back into my seat I dragged Trix with me. "Thank the keepers." I muttered, forcing Trix into a cuddle alongside Tricks. "Trix, when you encounter mages who're more than triple my own strength, please don't kick them in the shin. You almost gave me a heart attack."
"And me." Jaina said with a shake of her head. "Bad enough that you never told me your grandmother was the Magna, Gwen, but to see your apprentice assaulting the Last Guardian, even if he's your father..." Her tone was definitely teasing rather than accusatory. "I almost feel like you were hiding things from me."
I groaned as she made her lip quiver sadly, which caused her to burst out into a giggle.
"No. Not dealing with that either." I grumbled into Trix's hair. I missed Vivi so much already. "If you want to talk, start with story time about Kalimdor. Like, what the hell is up with Uther having an orc for a squire? How did that happen?"
"Story time?" Jaina responded with an amused grin. "You do look ready for bed, all you need is a blanket and it'd be a cute little bundle."
Huffing, Trix wriggled around until she could stroke Tricks, and settled into my grasp. "I'm not a pillow." She grumbled petulantly but didn't otherwise protest.
"Yes. Tell me a bedtime story, Jaina." I replied with a roll of my eyes. "I need a nap after what just happened. Maybe to just skip the rest of the day entirely." Vivi had better be back before I had to deal with whatever came after this, otherwise I might end up screaming at someone who didn't deserve it.
Varian or Calia would totally deserve it, Vivi or no Vivi.
Jaina laughed again, an soft and comforting sound. "Events... didn't go as you might've thought. Thrall doesn't appear to like me terribly much after what happened, and I've yet to figure out why..."
By the time Darius returned from his meeting with the Proudmoores, suitably alarmed by the way I looked, Jaina had gotten through the battle with Mannoroth – Grom managed to live? Cenarius was alive?! – and begun to explain the start of her difficulties with Thrall alongside their alliance with the Night Elves.
It was a shame she had to stop so I could explain what happened to him, Jaina was a surprisingly good story teller and things had gone... better than I ever imagined it could.