The solemn, storied, imperial hall of Lordaeron Palace was host to many historical events within the northern continent. From forging treaties that have lasted for centuries, to the creation of the Alliance, the great chamber has received kings who have recognized the greatness of the kingdoms of Lordaeron and its rulers of the Menethil dynasty.

For all its grandeur though, the same hall also played host to less public meetings. Where instead of grand proclamations or magnanimous gestures, concerned whispers were traded and less savory compromises were made behind barred doors for the good of the kingdom.

This was such a meeting.

“It seems that we’ve stumbled into quite an…interesting situation here,” Terenas said with reserved calm as he leaned back into his seat. The cushioned, hardwood throne didn’t make even a whisper of a creak, such was the craftsmanship of the gift to Terenas’ great-grandfather all those years ago.

To his side, Lordaeron’s stalwart ally and Terenas’ close friend let out a weary sigh. “Aye. I’ve read Brydd’s reports,” Lord Admiral Daelin Proudmoore of the Admiralty of Kul Tiras half-groaned, a habit he was starting to pick up whenever the topic of Alterac arose. “I thought it would have been a headache enough to ensure that Genn and Thoras didn’t devolve into literally fighting over that land, but now the elves, dwarves and gnomes are deciding to join in the mess…”

Admittedly, they had every right to voice their opinions on the matter. Like Daelin, Terenas had assumed that Alterac, being a country surrounded by human kingdoms, would be a matter beneath the interests of Quel’Thalas, Khaz Modan and Gnomeregan. Anasterian especially seemed ready to withdraw its influence back into the borders of Quel’Thalas and seclude the elves from Alliance affairs.

Still, the oversight had been troublesome to say the least. With the disagreement over orcish internment, the promise of Alterac was supposed to serve as an incentive to keep both Genn and Thoras interested in remaining in the Alliance. Of course, how the mountainous realm would be partitioned to satisfy both kingdoms was still a work in progress, as Stromgarde wanted land, while Genn wanted what was essentially a puppet.

The opportunity Alterac offered was one of the larger reasons why Genn still considered Gilneas to be part of the Alliance. It was common enough knowledge that the proud king far preferred to isolate itself from the Alliance, if not for lucrative and important trade and the measure of security. With the end of the war and the Alliance member states mostly focusing inwards to rebuild their ravaged realms, Genn’s was vocal about finding the incentives to keep the practically untouched Gilneas in the Alliance to be dwindling, especially when he often stood alone in how the Alliance should be steered.

Alterac was also what kept Thoras at least tolerant of the internment camps. Terenas still regretted how his friendship with the king of Stromgarde had deteriorated so quickly over the fate of the orcs, but he truly believed that the invaders could be turned to the Light, and serve as a powerful vassal for the Alliance. Even if their friendship couldn’t be salvaged, Terenas found it worthwhile enough if allowing Stromgarde to annex part of Alterac could keep Thoras satisfied enough to continue going along with orcish internment.

Unfortunately, the significant overlap between what Genn and Thoras wanted forced Terenas to resort to stalling tactics while an alternative could be figured out.

Hence the appointment of Aiden’s convenient bastard, or more precisely the regency council that cared for the land while Kyle remained young enough for their presence to be valid.

Daelin had agreed to sending a representative to help Terenas’ own appointment in keeping their Gilneas and Stromgarde counterparts from skewing the fate of Alterac too much on either side, essentially stalling progress for as much as possible while carefully allowing at best the illusion of opportunity to keep both kingdoms interested and involved in fighting over it.

Except that they had assumed that the non-human kingdoms would be happy to sit out the whole affair, an assumption that was now proven false probably thanks to the dabblings of certain figures in the Kirin Tor.

Terenas shook his head ruefully. “It seems in our eagerness to resolve the matter, we have allowed our perception to be too narrowed and focused.” With how incompetent the regents had seemed to the non-human ‘observers’ when they visited, and with the ideas Kyle - or more accurately his minders - added to the reports, it was impossible to reject the other kingdoms from meddling in the affair. Not unless Terenas wished to reveal to Genn and Thoras that they were being manipulated.

Magni had already sent a message about his disappointment over the regency’s standstill, and had offered well-meaning advice on how to overcome such matters. In the same message, he also praised the wisdom and farsightedness of Kyle Daelam for seeking out dwarven expertise in rebuilding Alterac, and promised to subsidize the bill for whatever his expedition of artisans would need.

Somehow, (most likely with the aid of Dalaran conspirators) the dwarven king was convinced that by being involved in Alterac, Khaz Modan would show the world that while it had suffered greatly during the Second War, the kingdom was not so ravaged that it couldn’t help in rebuilding another kingdom at the same time as it did itself.

The ruling council of Gnomeregan also echoed their concern in a message that came along with Magni’s, and at the same time heartily approving the steps offered by Kyle to transition their surplus and obsolete military warmachines towards civilian usage. By now, Terenas naturally glossed over the gnome’s official tirades and snipes against goblin technology to quickly understand just how pleased they were to show off their renovated inventions.

Even Anasterian, for all his preference for seclusion, had chipped in, not-so-subtly belittling the human regents while approving Kyle Daelam’s request of sending over retired elven specialists to train up Alteraci rangers and foresters to manage their mountainous woodlands. The more obvious barb was the outlandish offer to send over a tutor to hone Kyle’s statecraft, since his regents were clearly too busy squabbling to be trusted for that.

The Dalaran meddlers must have some level of influence indeed with the elven king to manage such a feat. That, or they knew the right amounts of flattery to win Anasterian over.

“So, we’re simply letting Alterac turn into a mess?” Daelin glumly asked.

Terenas leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table but resisting the temptation to bury his face in his hands. “There is little choice in that matter. By leaving them out of our intentions, we’ve made ourselves seem ineffectual to the dwarves, gnomes and elves. The Alliance will have to come to a more official agreement over the state of Alterac, and with the regents’ performance and the kingdom’s history, some level of impartial observers would still be necessary.”

The older king let out a drawn out sigh. “The only silver lining now is that the Wildhammer dwarves are not involved.”

Daelin let out a groan at that, clearly imagining the ruckus the more blunt cousins of Ironforge might cause.

“Is this the spellslingers getting even with us?” the lord admiral asked through his groan.

Terenas was silent in thought for a few good seconds before answering. The Kirin Tor’s Council of Six have been utterly silent over the matter. Not a single message condoning or condemning any of what was transpiring in Alterac. Not a single gesture to even hint at their level of involvement over recent developments.

“I cannot be sure, my friend. In all honesty, for all their aloofness, I have to credit the archmagi for thus far never reducing themselves to pettiness.” Unlike the other human kingdoms, Terenas did not say, but Daelin understood well enough. “And for all the mistrust we might have of them, they have been reliable allies throughout the wars.”

Knowing the eccentricities of magi, Terenas still believed that at least some magi were responsible for fomenting this mess, but the same eccentricities made the king doubt that the magocracy as a kingdom was officially involved.

Perhaps there were still some elements within the magi that held a grudge from being snubbed by Daval Prestor’s charismatic but dubious machinations over Alterac?

Daelin too seemed to reach that conclusion after some thoughtful humming. “So…it’s not all the spellslingers, but maybe a handful of them? A handful of the more influential ones?”

Terenas shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into his seat again, hoping that its comfort could leech off the irritation gnawing in his head. “It could be. Light knows how easy it is to impress on a child some suggestions for them to regurgitate later, thinking it was their idea all along.”

“Too true, that,” Daelin muttered. “From what I’ve been told, this Kyle boy is receiving special treatment indeed. Could be the mage he’s tossed off to has his own designs. Has Kyle sequestered away in private lessons and whatnot.”

The lord admiral would know best, Terenas mused to himself. Daelin had discreet minders, magi loyal to their home islands of Kul Tiras, to watch over his daughter in Dalaran. No doubt his concerns over Kyle went beyond just what the boy would inherit.

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A sudden melancholy hit Terenas then as he thought back to his own son, who was now under the guidance of Uther, to be brought up as a paladin within the Knights of the Silver Hand. Arthas was undergoing the same rigorous training as every other aspirant and squire, a mirror of what Daelin’s girl and Kyle were undergoing…

A thought struck the king of Lordaeron then, one that his friend noticed as he perked up from his seat.

“I know that look,” Daelin said, a touch of optimism coloring his voice. “What do you have in mind, Terenas?”

“While I am glad of young Kyle Daelam’s bouts of ideas for the realm he will inherit,” the older king said, in a more formal tone. “While I have no doubt of the quality of education the young heir is getting in the Academy of Arcane Sciences in becoming a mage, his education in governing is surely absent. As such, it would reassure me to know whether the judgments he’s made thus far are based on a solid foundation of statecraft or are due to more…dishonest influences. As I said earlier, it is easy to impress on a child the wrong teachings.”

Daelin was sitting up a little straighter as he followed his friend’s train of thought with growing interest.

“As such, when convenient, I will be sending someone to appraise young Kyle to ensure that he is not unwittingly manipulated. And if need be, if things are truly dire, I would have Kyle undergo a more formal training in royal governing before he assumes the throne.”

In Lordaeron preferably, before Anasterian or Genn could get his hands on him.

The lord admiral was nodding, though some doubt still colored his expression. “That’s not a bad idea at all, but who will you send? If you’re going to rid the boy of his puppeteers, whoever’s going will have to beat off allegations of disruptions and the like.”

“Of course, I’ll send only the most respected man I know, a man whose integrity is beyond reproach. Someone everyone can agree would be a reliable judge of Kyle’s character.”

*****

There weren't many audible complaints from the convoy as they followed the lead of Kyle Daelam. The journey wasn’t too long or arduous, and the pay was more than tempting enough for the Alteraci who were still waiting for jobs or resettlement. It also helped that moving the carts along wasn’t altogether a harsher task than the jobs the laborers had done previously.

Breana also noted that by hiring the destitute and homeless, and save for his non-human advisors, the young king of Alterac kept his convoy absent of any outsiders. Nobody commented about whether such a fact was pertinent, so she didn’t raise a fuss over it. There were no guards, but with how the dwarf, gnome and elf were walking, not to mention the young royal as well, Breana felt that any threats this land had left to offer would be of little consequence to the convoy.

They trundled out of Alterac City until they came across a cave that almost blended in with its environment if not for the freshly blasted dirt around it, or its cracked surface that made it seem like someone had taken a massive hammer and pounded the entire area without rhyme or reason. It wasn’t small, but neither was it exactly huge. Just about big enough to fit in a cart, maybe even two if the carts were just a wee bit thinner.

“Please be careful with your footing,” Kyle warned as he led them into the cave. The Alteraci laborers had to reign in their nerves not from the darkness, but the floating lights the elf and gnome conjured to illuminate the passage. What little Breana knew about caves told her that the rocky surface around her seemed natural enough, though there were certain parts that were neatly sheared off to keep the surface level and the passageway unobstructed.

It took a little bit more effort to keep a grip on the carts and keep them rolling at a slow, controlled pace as they went down a gentle slope. More evidence of renovations to the natural cave system were seen as straight paths looked like they were literally blasted to cut through otherwise snaking tunnels. Chalky white surfaces marked parts where more of the rocky ceiling and walls were removed to make space.

They eventually entered a massive cavern, half naturally formed and half carved out if Breana was any judge of it. Magic floating lights revealed the whole space seemingly large enough to swallow a castle. Even as she cast her gaze to the distance, she could tell that the ground was too smooth, and there were severed stalactites above. There were also patches in the far corners that glinted in blue and gold like glittering dust.

What really caught Breana’s attention though was the pile of blue, glass-like blocks in the middle of the cavern, the same sort of blocks found in the carts she and her friends pushed here.

Off to the side, Kyle was addressing the elf in particular, shrugging too casually at times. “-way to transmute the deposits, then cleared the rest of it out as practice.”

“Be grateful the ground’s on yer side,” the dwarf then cut in to scold for some reason. “If ye’d hit a patch of soft soil back then, ye’d be really testing yer pretty shield spell against a cave-in.” The terse dwarf then turned to the gnome. “Aren’t there spells for that sort of thing?”

“Hmm… There are spells to aid in prospecting, but now that you mention it, there’s nothing for discerning the geological makeup of the ground itself… Halion?”

Breana zoned out the unrecognizable words that followed, and instead kept her gaze on her employer as Kyle slipped out of the trio’s attention and instructed everyone to unload their cargo by the existing pile of crystals. Each glassy block wasn’t as heavy as it looked at first glance, but neither was it so light that one person could easily carry it around. Breana was glad that the blocks were at least robust enough for rough handling, as she and the others simply tilted their carts back and let the heavy contents tumble out in a small avalanche. With that done, only some minor grunt work was needed to shove or tumble the blocks into a single, glimmering pile.

Then the young king instructed everyone back, sweeping a severe look across the laborers. “I’m going to give you all a choice: Wait outside and say nothing of what you’ve seen, and go back to your lives. Or stay here and watch, which will make you directly under my employ until I say otherwise, which would require oaths of loyalty and secrecy. Oaths that I will take very, very seriously.”

Breana could hear the nervous gulps around her, as well as the slight tremor in her voice as she suddenly spoke up. “What would we be asked to do?”

“Nothing too illegal,” Kyle answered, still with a severe expression. “But nothing that will cause you to abandon or turn against your homes, that I can promise you. If you stay, you will be listed under the palace’s payroll with a solid wage, enough to live in the city itself, and a pension for when you retire from my service.”

The assurance of wage and pension practically drowned out all of Breana’s concerns, and she was not alone in that. When Kyle asked again if anyone wanted to leave, resolute Alteraci faces met him as they remained still. He regarded them with a hint of satisfaction before giving a nonchalant look at his three advisors.

“Well, I guess I have my first home-grown workforce…”

“You’ll find a use for them,” the gnome remarked with a grin.

Everyone was instructed to hang back by the cavern’s entrance as only Kyle stood by the crystalline pile. At such a distance, Breana couldn’t make out much, but she did notice both the boy and the blocks glowing for a second or two. And then there was a blinding light, followed by a horrendous tearing sound. In a reluctant blink, the blocks were gone, seemingly swallowed by a massive, lightning-wreathed hole of empty black in the space above where they used to be.

Startled and fearful curses broke out all around, and Breana spied even the elf letting out a stream of unknown words as he shielded his eyes with a hand. The gnome looked torn between panic and curiosity, while the dwarf was a font of curses as she ran over to Kyle and dragged him back.

Breana and her fellow laborers were rooted in horrid fascination as arcs of lightning flicked out from the quivering void. After a while, the hole in reality collapsed into itself, promptly exploding into light that immediately coalesced into a silhouette. With each passing moment, the silhouette became more solid, more defined, and Breana could just about make out what it was trying to be…

Everyone stared mutely for unknown seconds as the intricate pattern exploded once more, reeling back from the shockwave that echoed through the underground chamber. When Breana regained her footing and looked back, the light was gone, and the space it once inhabited now barely fit in a pyramid of burnished gold and glowing cyan gems. Impossibly, a glowing crystal the size of a house floated above the top of the structure, rotating serenely in place.

“...and there’s my supply display,” she barely heard Kyle mutter with glee.