“On to the next topic,” Kyle said with a gesture from his throne, “what news from Lordaeron?”

A balding, middle-aged man stepped out before the throne, offering a short bow. “Your highness, things have progressed as we all have more or less expected; support for the internment camps have been severely reduced.”

Pelton joined the other advisors and officials in nodding at the news from the diplomat. There were some murmurs, and a gaggle of former Lordaeronians were smirking vindictively.

Kyle gave a curt nod of his own. “Reduced, but not abandoned…”

“Indeed, your highness,” the diplomat, Jacob Lasset, answered and then expanded. “As foreseen by everyone, due to the Durnholde breakouts, King Anasterian led King Thoras and King Genn in withdrawing all support for the project. Quel’Thalas and Stromgarde shared the same reasoning of diverting the funding towards reinforcing their borders with Lordaeron instead.”

Jacob shrugged. “As for Gilneas… King Genn’s envoy never provided any elaboration.”

“Typical,” Pelton muttered, drawing agreement from those who heard him.

“As to the others, after failure to dissuade King Terenas, both King Magni and Lord Admiral Daelin made a stand by reducing their realms’ contribution to the internment camps by half. The gnomish council of course, followed along with King Magni’s decision.”

Which was a powerful gesture, especially coming from the dwarven king. Magni had sworn his kingdom’s support to the Alliance, so this reduction could be seen as a pragmatic method of keeping to his honorbound oath as well as showing Terenas that the hill dwarves would not blindly follow his leadership. Neither Daelin, Magni, nor the gnomish council had any compassion for the greenskins to begin with, so halving their support was a clear sign that their respect for Terenas only went so far.

Kyle leaned forward on his throne. “What of Dalaran?”

“Dalaran is the only other kingdom to not amend their contributions,” Jacob replied with a light shrug. “I’ve heard some mutterings that King Terenas would review certain old laws as compensation… The ones that sent magic users to church for exorcisms, as well as the destruction and confiscation of arcane artifacts.”

“Huh, clever,” Pelton said aloud, and then glanced at a mildly puzzled Kyle. “Didn’t think Antonidas would actually seize the chance… But Lordaeron being the most Light-fearing of the kingdoms meant it led the way in influencing arcanophobia sentiments. Terenas having to make some changes is a significant thing.”

The gnome then shrugged. “Still, it might be a first step towards shifting perceptions against magic users, or it might not amount to anything but a token gesture.”

“But the fact that the Kirin Tor got Lordaeron to accede to something by itself is a big deal as well?”

“Quite so, your highness,” Jacob answered. “Dalaran offering their support, even if conditional, would help King Terenas retain a measure of legitimacy as leader of the Alliance. Plus with how relations with other neighbors are cooling, keeping warm ties with the magocracy is good for morale.”

“Discounting us,” Kyle added.

“Discounting us,” the diplomat echoed with a nod. “King Terenas has agreed to your conditions, of course. He assures that the Lordaeron-Alterac border would be more tightly guarded, and that no roving warbands would ever escape south to trespass into this kingdom.”

“Saves us on having to build forts in the middle of nowhere,” the young king remarked with a satisfied smile.

And it was a considerable savings as well. Pelton had gone through the budget; the infrastructure to reinforce the border would cost the kingdom far more than just keeping up their contribution to the internment camps. Alterac’s populace was too small anyway to maintain a robust garrison, and if any incursion occurred they’d likely end up fleeing back to regroup, rather than waste their lives in futile last stands. And with how the people have been relocated closer to settlements near Alterac City, the northern reaches were barely inhabited anyway, so some ground could be given to any incursion to buy time for the capital to muster a proper defense.

“Were the mountain dwarves around?” Kyle asked with a trace of hope.

Jacob shook his head slowly. “As ever, the Wildhammer tribes are generally absent from Alliance policymaking. I did pass along your offer through Khaz Modan intermediaries.”

Kyle leaned back into his throne with a soft sigh. “Eh, a shame, but I’ll take what I can get I guess.”

Pelton silently agreed with that sentiment. The gryphon-riding dwarves had isolated clans in the mountains nearby and within Alterac. Kyle had plans to grant them more of the mountains that were untraversable to everyone else, and maybe set up an agreement in hiring their services as forward scouts. With how isolationists some clans were though, especially in more ‘boring’ matters like this, contacting them at all was proving a challenge.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“Well, Durnholde aside, are there any other developments?”

“King Terenas has extended a formal invitation to you for a discreet meeting. To what purpose, I’m not told I’m afraid.”

“No need to be scared,” the mage-king joked poorly. “It’s not your fault if the king of Lordaeron wants to be secretive about things. Plus I’m not the type who punishes people for things beyond their control…am I, Pelton?”

“It’d make more sense to some if it were so,” the gnome replied with a theatrical roll of his eyes, and the other courtiers broke into small grins and smirks at the attempt at humor.

Jacob inclined his head. “Beyond that, there is nothing much else of note in Lordaeron that affects us.”

“Well, that’s Lordaeron. Anything else from the other kingdoms while we’re on the subject of international relations?”

A young woman with silky black hair, Tessia Milfren, stepped up. “Your highness, I’ve confirmed with the merchants that’ve been passing through… Rumors of Aliden Perenolde being sighted in Stromgarde is proven true, at least for a short while. It seems that he was hosted for only a night by King Thoras. ” Disconcerted murmurs arose at the mention of Kyle’s half-brother. The runaway noble from Lordaeron gave a polite cough to allow the noise to ebb away before continuing. “Latest gossip suggests that he might be either on his way to Gilneas or Kul Tiras.”

Kyle received the report with only a single, curt nod. “Well, that’s about to be expected… Lady Whiteacre, any issues with the caravans?”

The Overseer of Trade frowned for a moment in thought before shaking her head. “There has been no diversion from trade traffic, your highness. Nothing out of the ordinary for discovered black-marketeers and contraband either.”

“Aliden is likely still seeking support,” Pelton suggested, voicing what probably half the room at least thought. “He can’t make any moves for your throne without some backing.”

Kyle gave a soft huff as he slouched a little in his seat of power. “It’s been a bit too long, hasn’t it? Should’ve gotten at least Genn to quietly sponsor him by now. And with the wealth he’s run off with, he should have hired some mercenaries or bandits by now.”

Pelton held back a sigh. “Perhaps then, I was right, and you’re overestimating your half-brother’s abilities?” Tainted name or not, there was a reason that Aliden’s claim wasn’t supported by everyone, not even ambitious Genn. The former crown prince was reputed to be inexperienced and full of hollow ambition.

When one thought about it, that they overlooked the crown prince of Alterac and went for the far more unknown and untested peasant bastard, it showed just how much the human kings distrusted Aliden. Pelton shuddered at picturing just how bad could the exiled claimant could be at ruling.

Kyle though was treating his half-brother with far more respect as a threat than anyone else. “He could have been looking for other avenues? Aliden was supposedly the late Blackmoore’s protege, was he not?”

Pelton snorted. “What? You think he could’ve tried seeking out Aedelas Blackmoore…for what? A slave army of orcs? There’s nothing in Durnholde otherwise.”

Similar noises of agreement echoed from the assembled court, sharing the same low sentiment of Aliden.

“But it’s been a couple of years already…”

This time, it was the royal treasurer, Tobias, that cut in. “Your highness, not everyone acts as quickly and decisively as you do.” The former merchant offered a placid smile as if trying to reason with a child (which, technically was true). “Some noble schemes can last for decades…generations even. There is a chance that you might not have to deal with Lord Aliden, but his children or grandchildren instead.”

“Meh… I’d prefer if he just got it over with so it’s one less worry on my mind.”

“Or perhaps he might come around and finally accept his position and reconcile with you,” Jacob opined a bit too optimistically, and the rest of the court voiced their derision to the notion. Aliden was not the type to accept Kyle’s offer of some land and an underling’s position. He’d want all of Alterac, as its king. The only way reconciliation would happen between the half-siblings was if something drastic occurred.

Like a religious experience, or a sudden mental illness.

After letting everyone snort and huff their skepticism, the topic was shepherded on to other matters beyond Alterac’s borders.

“On brighter news, Gnomeregan has agreed to amend your license agreement,” Erica Whiteacre reported. “In exchange for dropping your ten-year exclusivity clause, the vaults would receive a hefty payment from the gnomes and tractors and toilet systems would soon see sale across all of Azeroth.” The woman then preened a bit too smugly. “I’ve also managed to negotiate the royalties owed to us to be based on gross profit, as you suggested.”

“Well done, Lady Whiteacre,” Kyle praised, and Pelton was nodding along in approval. He doubted that his more commercially-minded fellows in Gnomeregan would reject such an offer to start profiting off the whole of Azeroth with the machines over a few amendments like this. Profit is profit, after all, and as far as Pelton understood about economics, Kyle’s new deal was still a highly lucrative one.

Pelton was about to comment about it, but then the mage-king suddenly froze, and his eyes flashed in a blue light for a second. It went out and his posture returned to normal, and by now Kyle’s court had been used enough to his sudden show of magic that they only expressed some concern rather than threaten to break into hysterical panic.

“Everything alright, your highness?” the gnome inquired politely, and the young king shook his head.

“It’s fine… Just a small alert for a pet project.”

“Oh?”

He lightly waved the matter off. “It’s a small matter. Personal thing.”

“As you say, Kyle.” Giving the boy a bemused look, Pelton conceded with a slight bow. Kyle has shown competence and reliability so far, so the gnome extended a measure of trust that he knew what he was doing.

“Oh, by the way… Marshal Colin? How goes the scouting of our rivers?”

The marshal presented himself with a stiff bow, mild exasperation on his face. “As expected, we’ve had to purge some gnolls along the tributaries from the mountains, but as you’ve requested, we’ve noted down and left alone the murloc villages along Darrowmere Lake and Lordamere Lake…” The man’s face was scrunched up in mild irritation, no doubt from having to leave the frogmen free to infest the shores.

Kyle nodded happily though. “Great. We’ll mount a visit to…the Lordamere ones later on, when time permits.”

As steward, Pelton once more became the voice representing the rest of the court. “You’re seriously not thinking of going forward with this?”

“What do we have to lose from trying?” Kyle asked too lightly. “If it works, we get extra sets of eyes, and if it doesn’t, we’ll exterminate them just like the gnolls.”

It was oh so tempting to slap his palm on his face, but Pelton managed to resist. “They’re murlocs, Kyle. Murlocs. If they’re as smart as you think they are, how sure are you that they can be trusted?”

“Not a lot,” the boy admitted, once more a bit too casually for Pelton’s liking. “But so long as we work on that assumption, we can come up with a realistic plan to manage them.”

Manage.

Murlocs.

At least gnolls could be understood.

Pelton began to reply, but then gave up with an upward throw of his hands and a sigh of exasperation. “Fine. But you’ll be going in with a full guard.”

“Sure.”

“And you’ll do the talking if Lordaeron or the other kingdoms start asking questions.”

“Naturally.” Despite that answer, some annoyance washed over Kyle’s face. “Though if it works, you’ll help me write a treatise on the issue?”

Pelton fixed his king a glare. “I’m a steward, not an archiver.” Though he did know a few colleagues within the Kirin Tor who might be more than happy to take up that task.

Though, considering that Archmage Antonidas was studying orcs, maybe murlocs aren’t that insane a subject to explore… Especially if Kyle really could make them…docile.