Uther kept his mind clear as he patiently waited, only occasionally forced out of his meditative state to glance at his far less calm squire. Arthas was almost vibrating with nervous energy as he stood beside the paladin, still riled up by the disturbing rumors that came along with the orders that bade them to Dalaran. The prince of Lordaeron had focused on the fact that the heir of Alterac had brazenly orchestrated a scheme that besmirched Lordaeron’s reputation.

An understandable sentiment, but still one that required correcting. Uther had to point out to his royal squire that Kyle Daelam had only revealed the ineptitude of the regents appointed to him, the negligence was entirely their doing.

It would take some time to hammer that lesson home though, as Arthas’ youth further fed his misplaced indignation. Still, Uther was sure that the prince would correct his views soon enough, he’s been quick to learn and mature in every other field, after all.

As far as long waits go, it wasn’t the worst. Kyle Daelam made his appearance less than an hour in, dressed sharply enough in formal attire fitting of a royal. He gave the archmage Antonidas a formal greeting as the venerable mage left the study to give them their privacy.

“Lord Uther,” Kyle greeted with a polite nod. “Prince Arthas.”

“Squire Arthas, your highness” Uther corrected, reflexively entering a lecturing tone. “As all are equal in the Light, so too do aspirants of the Silver Hand relinquish any station they might hold when they join the order. Only after they prove themselves can they regain what they have left behind.”

Kyle nodded again, but did not comment on the matter any further. “I’m sure you’re both busy men, so if you’ll permit me to be blunt, what can I do for you, Lord Uther?”

The Supreme Leader of the Knights of the Silver Hand gave a soft grunt of approval. The impatience of the young and inexperienced had its advantages over the purposeful meandering of seasoned courtiers.

“King-elect Kyle. I am here in the capacity of arbitrator, regarding the…troubles in Alterac.” Uther didn’t bother hiding his frown or his disdain. He understood the value of politics, but he personally did not like wading in it himself. There were only so many simpering courtiers or self-entitled lords he could tolerate before he began to view them as no better than trolls.

The smile fell off the heir of Alterac’s face. It took a few seconds before Kyle replied, barely restraining from a sour expression. “I suppose if there’s anyone that can be deemed neutral in Alliance matters…”

Uther gave a sympathetic nod. “Aye. To get straight to it, firstly, I’m here to inform you that the regency council of Alterac will be restructured, and you may rest assured that each new recommendation will be subject to your review and approval for appointment.” It was disrespectful to not open with an apology, but it would be even more rude in Uther’s mind to be the one to offer it as a mere arbitrator.

Kyle’s expression scrunched up even more. “How…considerate.”

Smart lad, he knew how much that whole affair would bog him down.

“I’ll be sure to take the opportunity to carefully go through them when the time comes, then.”

Uther gave Kyle a moment to stew before he continued. “Next, regarding the policies you’ve instituted in Alterac…”

Interesting. The displeasure eased up rather than remain or worsen.

“While there is no protest against the changes you have made, questions have been raised on whether you are conscious of the significance of your actions.”

Kyle stared in silence for a moment before finally shrugging. “Considering the utter stagnancy I’ve seen my supposed regents impose, I opted to reach out to the dwarves, gnomes and elves to at least attempt at improving the state of the kingdom I’m supposed to inherit. You’ll forgive me if I prefer actual advancement over losing out on immediate revenues from the convenient trade routes set up with my neighbors.

“Besides, the suggestions given to me were far from unreasonable or wasteful; I would not only rebuild the kingdom, but also offer the Alteraci people a chance to benefit with the employment opportunities that will follow from hiring outside overseers and trainers. Far better than importing whole labor forces from Gilneas or Stromgarde, where they’d give very little back to Alterac.”

Uther studied the young mage carefully as he practically ranted. With the outrage clear in his eyes and voice, it was hard to imagine Kyle being coached in his words. And if the magi were grooming his opinions as Terenas had insinuated, then they were guiding Kyle’s perspective towards more admirable and virtuous views in Uther’s opinion. The argument about intentions and results aside (because otherwise the other rulers would have to look into a mirror), better a king who cared for his people and based his decisions around them than one who did not.

Still he had to be thorough about his certainty. “What if the people sent from Khaz Modan, Quel’Thalas or Gnomeregan would end up as inept as your regents?”

Kyle scowled, an expression that would be intimidating if not for his age. “If their help proves inadequate, if no one in the Alliance can offer any reasonable aid, then I’ll rebuild Alterac without outside help.”

Now Uther felt concerned. There was a flash of zeal in the lad’s eyes that reminded him too much of grim commanders readying for a last stand. Being dragged up into the position, likely knowing he was seen as little more than a puppet, the lad must feel like he had a lot to prove, either to the world or to himself…or both.

Arthas, who had been silently glaring at Kyle, finally snapped at the declaration. “What do you know about ruling a realm? You’re just a peasant who found a library and archivists who think they know everything fr-.”

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Arthas!”

“I’m a peasant that knows enough to see that my so-called elevation is just a ploy,” Kyle spat back, his silver-grey eyes almost literally flashing with rage. “I’m a jumped up peasant that sees how blatantly obvious it is that the other kings of this Alliance and their petty games are fucking the people of Alterac over. And I’ll be damned if I sit back and let their thoughtless stupidity ruin innocent lives!”

Uther immediately stepped in between the two teenagers as both seemed ready to take a step towards each other. He addressed both sternly, fixing a slightly harder glare on his protege. “Arthas, stand down! Your highness, please, calm yourself.”

The king-to-be and squire prince relented and eased back, settling instead for exchanging hostile glares.

Youth. Uther held back the urge to sigh. In hindsight he should’ve had Arthas wait outside, rather than sit in to learn a thing or two about formalities…

“My apologies for my squire’s discourtesy, your highness,” the paladin quickly cut in.

Kyle, understandably, showed none of the decorum of a noble and nodded curtly. “Fine. My apologies for losing my composure as well.”

“No offense taken, your highness. Your impassioned words, while harsh in judgment, hold truth to them, and I sympathize with the frustration you feel.”

Kyle froze up for a second then, and his head tilted to one side as he regarded Uther.

“Huh.”

“Your highness?”

“I think you’re the first person…first human at least, who uses ‘your highness’ sincerely.”

“I-”

“Thank you.”

Uther could only nod at the earnest show of gratitude from Kyle, and for a moment he felt a wave of pity for the boy who saw himself as a puppet and railed against it. He saw how Kyle forcibly calmed himself down, his anger just barely restrained.

“Now, back to the main point.” The lad shot a glare at Arthas. “Lordaeron and the other kingdoms either purposely had their representatives stunt Alterac’s reconstruction, or they cast a blind eye on the utter incompetence that went on. Malice either way you look at it. I highly doubt anything I do for the realm I’m supposed to rule can barely be any worse than what has already been allowed to go on.”

There was that zeal again, the deep, angry conviction that Uther doubted was imparted by whispering advisors. He’ll have to have words with Terenas. Manipulated or not, Kyle was voicing genuine grievances against the rulers of the Alliance. It would be dishonorable if amends were not made. Like it or not, the lad was taking his sudden elevation to a king seriously, and as far as Uther could see, the only strings he could see on Kyle were those shaken off the likes of Terenas and the other kings.

“I understand,” the paladin presently replied, stifling a weary sigh. “If it is any comfort, know that I too have found the situation in Alterac deplorable. But I also have a duty - as much an arbitrator as a servant of the Light - to make sure that it does not get any worse and cause innocents to suffer.”

Kyle gave a bemused snort. “So you have more questions.”

“I do.”

With neither side wanting to drag this on any longer than necessary, Uther proceeded to inquire Kyle about the decisions he’d made. Young Kyle provided solid reasoning for each of them, and effortlessly answered any follow up questions to convince the paladin that at the very least, Kyle comprehensively understood the consequences of his decisions.

He opted to give the dwarves claim over Alterac’s mineral wealth, because they would be the most effective at it, and the tax that came attached with the mining rights would not see the kingdom completely bereft of raw metals. The machines of the gnomes would be used to supplement, not supplant the Alteraci limited labor force. The training offered by the elves were preferable because they had far more extensive knowledge over the subjects than any of the human kingdoms (and they hadn’t tarnished their reputation yet in Kyle’s eyes).

Uther could not find any real fault in Kyle’s rationales. They were all sound judgements, insofar as one could make with the information they had at hand. With that, the notion that he might be a mere mouthpiece was finally stamped out for good.

Whether Terenas and the other kings liked it or not, Uther found Kyle fit for the throne they have foisted him on.

“As for the final subject of our meeting,” he concluded, producing a scroll for Kyle. “There will be a summit, held in Lordaeron in a month’s time, to discuss the matter of Alterac. Your presence would be…” Uther didn’t try lying by saying ‘most welcomed’. “...preferred.”

Kyle was silent for a couple of thoughtful seconds before he responded. “When you say a summit, does it mean-”

The paladin nodded, already intuiting the young heir’s meaning. “The rulers or representatives Quel’Thalas, Khaz Modan and Gnomeregan will be attending as well. You have my word that you will be given equal time to voice your thoughts and grievances as your peers.”

With a resolute nod from Kyle, the meeting was done with. Considering the way they were glaring daggers at each other, Uther allowed for Arthas’ halfhearted apology for his earlier outburst, though he’d have to remind his squire about the importance of propriety later. Perhaps his station as prince had made Arthas take certain things for granted…

It was a lesson for another time. Uther bade the young king-to-be a sincere farewell, and then marched out of the Kirin Tor’s sanctum. As arbitrator, his current tasks were done, but as a paladin of the Light, a warrior of justice and righteousness, there were some hard questions that he needed to ask of old friends. If Kyle truly was set up to fail as he had implied, Uther would have to revise his role in the coming meeting, and perhaps revise his regard of the human kings of the Alliance.