Author's notes: May this chapter be serviceable.
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“It feels like forever since we’ve been here,” Jaina said wistfully as she walked through the halls of the Academy of Arcane Sciences, hand in hand with Kyle.
“Hm.” Her betrothed apparently did not feel the same. “I just remember the pressure when your father and the other kings swooped down on me as I was heading for my first class...”
“Oh.”
He gave a smirk as his hand lightly squeezed hers. “Well, I guess it came out alright, eh?”
“It did,” Jaina agreed, and then vented the last of her wistfulness through a soft sigh. “A shame we’ll no longer be students here…”
They’d just finished a brief meeting with Archmage Antonidas and several professors to hammer out a new curriculum now that Jaina would be moving into Alterac with her betrothed. While her thesis on murlocs would be eagerly reviewed by archmagi of various disciplines, it was agreed that the two young royals would need a more complete education on the arcane, rather than settling on improvised home schooling under Pelton and Valoghan.
Kyle had agreed for a Dalaran embassy to be opened in Alterac, which would serve as a schoolhouse to complete general and advanced arcane studies. If things go to plan, the embassy would also take in gifted Alteraci under a program to expand magecraft in the kingdom.
Unlike Lordaeron’s magically gifted whose positions were practically restricted to court magi, Kyle wanted to offer more opportunities for arcane users in Alterac. He wanted his kingdom to be as open about the arcane as Dalaran and Quel’Thalas, where magic would be part of everyday life in a myriad of ways.
It was a laudable goal from Jaina’s perspective, and apparently Archmage Antonidas and the other members of the ruling council agreed as well, though with some wariness. While the idea of having a more magic-tolerant Alliance state was generally welcomed, what was left unsaid was the apprehension that it was Kyle who was leading this proposal.
After the reveal of his golden army, practically everyone was trying to delve into Kyle’s intentions. Hearing her own father’s grumbles, Jaina could see how Kyle’s decision to maintain Alterac’s relative inaction within the Alliance was seen as confusing and suspicious.
If the kings and councilors all followed the lord admiral’s train of thought, then they’d be expecting the mage-king of Alterac to push his weight around and set himself up as the head of the Alliance, whether official or not. They expected to be strong-armed into accepting new agreements that heavily favored Alterac, braced themselves for Kyle’s eventual proposal to annex Stromgarde, and generally awaited for the status quo to dramatically shift.
If Jaina hadn’t known Kyle as she did, she’d probably be of the same mind as well. Instead, it seemed that the mage-king’s peers had either forgotten how he came to the throne, or refused to believe his reluctance in ruling.
Kyle didn’t like being king.
He ruled because he saw it as his obligation, and he genuinely found satisfaction (and perhaps some vindication) in improving the lives of his subjects, especially through radical policies and introducing new technologies. Kyle cared for his people’s wellbeing, but he did not enjoy sitting on the throne. While he personally oversaw certain projects (mostly involving ideas like reaching out to the murlocs), he delegated what he could to Pelton and the other advisors.
Kyle was still fussing over raising the living standards of his kingdom even more, especially now that he could openly begin integrating murlocs into Alteraci society, and Jaina understood the many issues that stood in the way. She was the one handing out cat oil to tame the fishmen, after all. There was much to do before a new equilibrium could be achieved in the kingdom of Alterac; there were barely enough administrators and specialists to guide the realm’s development, and the common folk were finally warming up to their king and his eccentricities.
To annex more land, any land, would ruin the settling stability. Overseeing the new territory and its people would mean having to uplift them into the many weirdness that is normal Alteraci life. Another round of heavy investments would be required to expand sewers and plumbing into the claimed land, and houses would be needed to replace hovels. Farmland would need to be redrawn for optimal harvests, while mines would require reinforcing to dwarven standards. Then they’d need more people to ensure that the changes were carried out smoothly and the conquered people would stick to Alteraci policies.
The spoils of conquest might likely cause Kyle and his court to snap.
So Stromgarde would be safe from annexation for the foreseeable future while Kyle returned his focus inward. Whoever inherited that kingdom would likely have to play nice with their mage-king neighbor though, so the Alliance rulers would have to find an amiable claimant or risk the skies of Stromgarde turning gold.
Jaina’s only wish was that there were no unwed maidens left in the Trollbane line, or if there were, they’d stay away from harboring any stupid ideas. She did not need a reason to pick up her bethrothed’s paranoia as well. Or adopt any of her parents’ ‘advice’.
The thought of potential…vultures made the princess tighten her grip around Kyle’s hand, who gave her a puzzled look in return.
“Bad memories? I didn’t think you’d have any in the Academy.”
“No… No, it’s nothing.”
Forcing the thoughts of politics aside, Jaina returned to the present and let the nostalgia seep into her again. “It’s strange, knowing that we probably won’t be graduating here.” Gone were the fantasies from years ago, of standing proudly as a true mage of the Kirin Tor as her peers applauded her. Instead she’d be a queen, a mage-queen, one that likely had to keep some distance from the usual obsessions of magi.
“Some arrangements could be made…”
“It’s alright,” Jaina replied with an earnest smile. “You have your duties to your kingdom, and I’ll have to learn mine as well.”
At Kyle’s frown, she let out a soft sigh. “It’s fine, Kyle. Really.”
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“We could time a state visit to Dalaran,” he persisted, already scheming. “Have it so that you might as well take the exams while you’re there, then you can partake in the graduation ceremony later to reinforce ties…”
Jaina couldn’t help a giggle at her betrothed’s scheming, and again she tightened her grip around his hand. “I’ll leave it to you then.”
“Gladly, my queen,” he quickly replied, grinning rakishly. “I’ll start drafting the plan once we return to Alterac. We can adjust it according to how things go along.”
“Don’t you have other priorities? Like a kingdom to tend to?”
The grin didn’t fade at all, and instead Kyle stopped and gently lifted her hand up to kiss it. “Well, seeing how you’ll be my queen, that’ll mean you’ll be a part of my kingdom. So I have to be fair and tend to your needs as well.”
Despite the utterly cheesy delivery, Jaina blushed, though she didn’t exactly look away in embarrassment. Instead, she shot back with a tease of her own. “If only you sounded as enthusiastic back when my father offered you the engagement.”
Kyle chuckled, kissing her hand again as he answered back. “Well, I didn’t expect us to be tied so quickly… I thought royal betrothals were things that took a lot of back-and-forthing.”
“Do you have a problem with a fast betrothal?” she asked, already knowing the answer. “Not enough time to run around and enjoy some dalliances?”
To his credit, Kyle’s playful mood remained and he didn’t sputter. “Considering the bond we have,” he began with a waggle of his eyebrows, insinuating the little bit of fun they had before they parted last time, “dallying about is a waste of time. The engagement was only a surprise because of the mild rescheduling we’d have to do…”
“Oh, so I’m an inconvenience when compared to your paperwork?”
“Never,” he managed to say with utmost seriousness, but then broke into a smirk. “Accommodating your parents’ requests though…”
“Oh please, my father doesn’t really care about a golden ship.”
“Probably, but I’m more worried about your mother.”
Jaina frowned. She hadn’t recalled her mother making any requests during the awkward introduction between parents and betrothed. “I don’t recall her asking for anything?”
“Oh, it was later,” Kyle replied grimly. “Took me aside while you were dissuading your father from picking up murloc-speak.”
The princess blushed as she remembered the sheer dread and embarrassment of that moment. If her family knew what the fishmen called her, it might stoke the wrong ideas to solidify House Proudmoore’s legitimacy. Just as bad, Tandred learns of it and she’ll never hear the end of his ribbing.
She did not need to be publicly remembered as the queen of murlocs.
Forcing herself out away from that cringe-inducing thought, Jaina focused on the topic at hand.
“What did my mother ask of you?”
Kyle’s eyes suddenly became…blank and his expression became deadpan as his stare bore into her eyes. “The Lady Katherine passed me a list.”
“A list?”
“Of names. There were a dozen names.”
Confusion bloomed on Jaina’s features as she tried to puzzle out what Kyle was driving at.
He gave her a couple of seconds to try and fail to find an answer, before providing it himself. “She…demands that at least half the names on the list be used.”
Jaina blinked. “Huh?”
Sighing, Kyle suddenly slumped in defeat. “Those are the names she wants her grandchildren to bear.”
Jaina blinked again. And then a few more times, and then she settled for staring straight at Kyle as her mind looped his answer several times, struggling to accept it.
“She…”
Her cheeks felt hot, and there was a strong urge to flee and curl up in a dark corner.
The mage-king of Alterac only gave a single, heavy nod. “She said she’ll be sending you the list…after she settles with the lord admiral whether your paternal or maternal grandparents would take the top of it…”
“I… What…”
Kyle’s expression matched her chagrin, but he squeezed her hand once more to offer her strength. The silence that fell between them was heavy with awkwardness, but eventually Kyle broke it with a sheepish smile.
“We’ve still got a bit of time to…discuss the matter. If it’s any consolation, my parents don’t seem to mind one bit about such things.”
It was…a bit, but Jaina appreciated the gesture. “We’ll…deal with it later.”
“Right.”
They resumed their walk and dragged the conversation away to other, less heavy matters, like the fate of Mia and Tess Greymane and the (relatively) uncorrupted Gilneans, and the best ways to normalize magic in Alterac.
*****
While the mage-king and the princess had their walk, the office of a particular archmage saw a discreet visitor who had a different sort of interest beyond the politics of royal marriage.
“Most curious,” the elven guise of Malygos commented as he studied the couple through a scrying portal. “You’d think that after all he’s achieved so far, the boy would have trace energies still lingering about him. Yet he seems far more mundane compared to his consort-to-be.”
“It is a phenomenon we’ve come to accept,” Archmage Krasus offered. “Vasyrgos and I have learned not to compare Kyle’s psionic magic with arcane spells too closely. The exotic energies seem to behave contrary to expectations.”
“Hm… So I see. So many questions in that one little mortal. So many, many questions…”
Korialstrasz found the Aspect of Magic’s presence unnerving, especially now that he seemed to have lost the worst of his fractured attention. Malygos stared at the scrying portal with an intensity the red dragon hadn’t seen in a long, long while. The gaze was filled with curiosity, puzzlement, and - most importantly - amusement.
Malygos was finding the idea of unraveling Kyle’s secrets a fun challenge.
“If we got him to cast a spell- No. I’ll need to know the nature of the magic in the first place to create a suitable detection matrix. Direct observation is required… It should be impossible to summon so many things of such size without giving off any energy…unless the spells’ construction factored in masking their emissions…”
Korialstrasz was content to let his unsought visitor continue muttering absently. Even in a mortal’s visage, the scene offered a glimpse to the Malygos of the past, a livelier and more boisterous dragon who found joy in camaraderie and discovery. All that was missing was a bright grin and the occasional chuckles at supposedly witty sparks of inspiration.
After a moment of audible pondering, Malygos finally waved the scrying portal away and turned towards the archmage. “The human’s about to gain a mate, you say?”
“Indeed, Lord Malygos. He is to be wedded.”
“Hnnh. And humans don’t take multiple consorts?”
“Not humans, at least not in this era. It is an issue of politics for rulers.”
Malygos scoffed softly as he shook his head, and then a thought seemed to flash across his eyes.
“I still need to thank him for the little tips he’s given us,” he slowly said. “His mate. Does she know of us?”
Korialstrasz shook his head. “Our true nature is hidden to all but Kyle…at least in Alterac.” For completely different reasons, King Varian too has knowledge of dragons within the Alliance.
“Hmph. We should include her into the fold as well,” the Aspect decisively said. “It’s easier to deal openly to the pair than to have the boy constantly hide his meetings with us.”
“I agree,” the archmage tentatively said, “but perhaps it should be approached with some care?”
“Hm. We’ll make it a gift then. Humans still hold dragons in awe, do they not?”
“More fear than awe, I’m afraid. Deathwing’s visitations and my flight’s…time under the orcs have left a scar on their culture.”
For the first time in a while, Malygos actually scowled. It was an ugly thing, even on his elven guise the hate and disgust was palpable. “Deathwing… Pfah. Nevermind. We’ll take our time then. There’s still time. The boy’s amenable to dealing with us is he not? Then have him convince her. Then I’ll grace them with a meeting, and we’ll see if we can better monitor the king and his psionics without having to dance around suspicions and misplaced jealousy.”
The blue Aspect began to slip into muttering again as new schemes no doubt blossomed in his mind. “Hmm… Perhaps they might be convinced to be more flexible in their union? A consort would make it easier to monitor him… Tyrygosa might be able to reason with them. Or perhaps Kirygosa? ”
The archmage did not reply, simply holding back his exasperation at the Aspect’s plans. He’ll need to find a good time to warn Kyle.
And Vasyrgos, too. It’d be fair to warn the blue dragon in case Malygos decided to send over Vasyrgos’ sisters or cousins to seduce Kyle…