Chapter 7 Chapter VII

The few months in Dalaran have been very pleasant.To Alsace's surprise, he found that what he learned here was actually very useful, and it was what a king should know.The summer is long and the autumn is cool and dewy. There are still opportunities to enjoy such a good time.Arthas liked to go out on horseback, though it always struck him hard to be on the back of another horse than Invincible. Besides, there's Jaina. He didn't intend to kiss her at first.But he did it anyway when she was held in his arms, with a smile and joy in her eyes.And she responded to him.Jaina's curriculum is heavier and more rigorous than that of Arthas.They get together less and leave more, and even if they meet occasionally, they often meet in public.They all agreed that no topic should be created for gossip.

On the contrary, it adds a different kind of interest.They buy as much time as they can: a kiss under the gazebo, a look at the dinner table.Their first excursion was meant to be pure, but now they both try to avoid it from happening again. He jotted down her class schedule so that he could "catch up" with her.And she always accidentally "lost her way" and walked to the stable or the courtyard where Alsace and his men trained their fighting skills.Arthas loved such adventures, even if only for a moment. Now, he waits in a less-traveled corridor, standing in front of a bookshelf pretending to be reading the titles.Jaina walks by here after practicing her fire spells.She once told him with a shy smile that out of habit, she still practiced by the pond in the prison area.Therefore, she had to pass by here when she returned to her room.Arthas pricked up his ears and listened attentively.coming!The light footsteps of her slippers came from the floor.Arthas took a book from the shelf, turned and pretended to read it, and peeked at her from the corner.

Jaina was wearing her regular apprentice robes as usual.Her hair shone like the sun, and her face wore the usual deep frown, not out of displeasure, but in thought.She didn't notice him at all.Arthas dropped the book and rushed into the corridor before Jaina was far away, taking her by the arm and dragging him into the darkness. His actions didn't startle her.Jaina hugged the book to her chest with one hand, put her other arm around Arthas' neck, and they kissed. "Hello, my lady," he whispered, smiling, kissing her neck. "Hello, my prince," she whispered happily, panting.

"Jianna," said a voice suddenly. "How do you..." They immediately jumped away and looked at the person coming with a sense of guilt. Jaina gasped, blushing suddenly. "Kyle..." The elf's face was calm, but his eyes were burning with anger, and his jaw sank slightly. "You forgot the book when you left." He raised his voice slightly and said, "I'll follow and return it to you." Jaina bit her lower lip and glanced at Arthas.Arthas was as shocked as Jaina, but he forced a smile and said to Kael'thas, putting Jaina on his arm. "It's very kind of you, Kyle. Thank you."

For a moment, he thought that Kael'thas would beat him up. The mage was furious, and yet so powerful, Arthas knew he was powerless to fight back.Even so, he still looked at the elf prince without flinching.Kael'thas clenched his fists and stood motionless. "Are you ashamed of her, Arthas?" Kael'thas hissed. "Aren't you afraid to take her to meet people?" Arthas narrowed his eyes. "I'm trying to avoid gossip," he said softly. "You know that, Kyle. Three people make a tiger, and one word makes a fortune. I want to protect her reputation..."

"Protection?" Kyle yelled. "If you really care about her, then proudly propose to her publicly! Like a man!" He looks at Jaina, the anger on his face turning to fleeting heartache, then disappointment.Jaina lowered her head, "You guys go on... tryst. Don't worry, I won't say anything." Kael'thas snorted angrily, and tossed the book at Jaina contemptuously.The thick tome landed heavily at Jaina's feet, startling her with the muffled sound.Then, he tossed off his purple and gold robe and turned away. Jaina rested her head on Arthas's chest and let out a long breath, and Arthas patted her tenderly. "It's okay, he's gone."

"Sorry, I should have told you earlier..." His chest tightened. "Tell me what? Jaina, are you going to be with him..." "No!" Jaina replied immediately, looking up at him. "No. But...I think he thinks so. I just...he's a good man, a powerful mage, a prince. But he's not..." Her voice trailed off. "What is he not?" He didn't expect to blurt out such sharp words.Kyle is much better than Alsace.Older, more elegant, more mature. He is powerful and has a perfect appearance that is almost impossible to exist.He began to feel jealous, and a cold hardness formed in his heart.If Kyle did it again now, Arthas wondered if he would throw his fist at him.

Jaina smiled softly, her brows unfurling. "He's not you." The hard knot in Alsace's heart immediately melted away, as if the gentleness of spring shone on him.He pulled Jaina into his arms and kissed her deeply. Who cares what that goose elf prince thinks? The year passed quickly, and nothing major happened.From autumn to winter, people began to complain about the huge expenditure of the orc asylum, but this was not unexpected to Tenaris and Arthas.Arthas continued to train with Uther, and the Paladin insisted that healing and meditation be as important as combat training. "Yes, we need to be able to kill the enemy," Uther said, "but we also need to be able to heal ourselves and our friends."

Arthas thought of invincibility.Whenever it was winter, he always thought of invincibility, and Uther's words reminded him of what happened that day, which Arthas always regarded as a big failure in his life.If he had started training earlier, he could have saved the white stallion.He never told anyone what happened on that snowy day.They all believed it was an accident.And that was indeed an accident, Arthas told himself.He didn't mean to hurt Invincible.He loved that horse; he would rather let himself suffer for it.If he had started paladin training early on, like Varian had started sword training since childhood, he could have saved Invincible.He vowed not to let this happen again.He will never be unprepared again, never be at a loss, never make a mistake again.For this, he can do anything.

Winter is finally over, and spring has once again arrived in Tirisfal Glades.And Jaina Proudmoore came with her.In Alsace's eyes, she was both beautiful and full of vitality, like a new flower on the branch of a spring tree.Jaina was here to assist him with the public Easter celebration.In both Lordaeron and Stormwind, Easter is an important spring celebration.With Jaina sitting next to him, Arthas felt that filling eggs with sweets and small gifts late into the night while sipping wine was no longer a boring chore.When Jaina concentrated on loading the eggs, her brows were slightly frowned.Arthas loved this move and made it Jaina's signature move, her one-of-a-kind move.

Although it has not been announced publicly, Arthas and Jaina know that their parents have consulted with each other and acquiesced in the close relationship between the two.Arthas has gained the love of the people, and he increasingly replaces Uther and Tenaris in representing Lordaeron in public.Uther is now more of a spiritual symbol of the Light, and Tenaris is content that he can no longer travel. "When you're young, it's exciting to ride a horse and sleep in the open air for a few days," he said to Alsace, "but at my age, it's better not to ride a horse anymore; as for the stars, Nice to see from the window.” Alsace smiled, this new mission made him quite happy.Admiral Proudmoore and Archmage Antonidas will apparently be in attendance as well.Now, when Dalaran sends messengers to the king's capital of Lordaeron, Miss Jaina Proudmoore appears more and more frequently in the procession. "Come over at the Midsummer Fire Festival," he said suddenly.She looked up at him, holding an egg in her hand, while smoothing a few strands of blond hair around her cheek. "No. Summer is an important time for students in Dalaran. Antonidas has said he wants me to stay all summer." There was apology in her voice. "Then I'll come to you. You can come again on Halloween." She waved her hand and smiled at him. "You are endless, Arthas Menethil. I will try my best. " "No, you will definitely come." The table was full of carefully hollowed out and carefully painted eggs and small candles, and he reached out and held her hand. She blushed and smiled, and until now, she was always a little shy. she will come. There are smaller festivals before Halloween, some spooky, some festive, and Halloween is a combination of the two.It is believed that on Halloween, the boundary between life and death will be weakened so that the dead will be perceived by the living.Traditionally, when the harvest season is drawing to a close and the winter winds have yet to set in, a scarecrow statue is erected outside the palace and lit at sunset on the day of the ceremony.It was a spectacular spectacle, a huge flaming rattan doll glowing against the night sky.Anyone can approach the burning colossus and throw a branch into the fire, which symbolizes "burning" his cares, and thus eases into the quiet and serene time of the winter that follows. This is a farming ritual handed down from ancient times.Alsace felt that today, few people really believed that throwing a branch into the fire could solve their problems, and even fewer believed that they could communicate with the dead.Arthas didn't believe it himself, of course, but it was a welcome celebration, and Jaina was coming to Lordaeron, too.So he looked forward to the coming of the festival. He was secretly surprised at her. It is now sunset.Crowds have been gathering since noon.Some even brought a picnic to enjoy the last few days of autumn in Tirisfal Hills.The guards are already in their positions, and there will inevitably be some accidents when a large crowd gathers, so they have to keep an eye on them.However, Alsace did not want anything to happen.There was a burst of cheers as he emerged from the palace gates in a tunic, breeches and a cape in a deep autumn hue.Arthas stopped, waved to the crowd, and accepted their applause.Then, he turned and offered Jaina his hand. She looked surprised, but smiled.The crowd cheered their names against the fading sky.Arthas and Jaina walked down the path, stopping in front of the giant doll.Arthas raised his hand to signal for everyone to quiet down. "Citizens! I celebrate with you on this revered night. Tonight, we remember the dead and bring in the new. We burn this vine as a symbol of the end of the year, just as a farmer burns straw in his field. The ashes nourish the earth, just as the ritual nourishes our hearts. It is my honor to gather here tonight, to dedicate to Jaina the honor of lighting the vine man? Miss Proudmoore. " Jaina's eyes widened.Arthas turned to her with a smirk. "She is the daughter of the war hero Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, and has proven to be a powerful mage in her own right. Since mages are masters at manipulating fire, I think she will light the vines tonight. Most suitable, do you agree?" As Alsace had expected, there were cries of joy.Arthas bowed to Jaina, then leaned closer and whispered, "Show them your hand, they will like it." Jaina nodded slightly, then waved to the crowd, and the cheers intensified.She pinned a strand of hair behind her ear nervously for a moment, then calmed down.She closed her eyes and raised her hands, and began to recite a mantra silently. Jaina's costumes are fiery shades of red, yellow, and orange.The small fireball condensed into shape in her hand, the light was faint at first, and then gradually brightened.At the same time, she gazed at Arthas with fiery passion in her eyes. She holds the flames in her hands with ease.Arthas realized that the time when she lacked control over her spells was over.Jaina isn't "going to be" a powerful mage, she already is, even if the title hasn't been recognized yet. Then, she stretched out her hands, and the fireball jumped, like a bullet out of the chamber, and flew towards the huge scarecrow.The flames rose up, and the crowd gasped, and then began to applaud desperately.Alsace laughed.It is impossible to make the straw man burn so quickly with the traditional ignition method. Gianna opened her eyes to the applause, smiled happily and waved.Arthas leaned closer to her and whispered, "It's spectacular, Jaina." "You asked me to show my hand." Jaina smiled at him. "Yes, but the hand is a little too pretty. I'm afraid they'll ask you to light the fire every year." She turned to look at him, "Can't you?" The flickering flames reflected her lively smiling face, as if a golden ring was shining on her head.Arthas stared at her breathlessly.She was always so attractive and he fell in love with her from the first meeting.She is his friend, confidant and exciting lover.But now he could only stare blankly at her, scrutinizing him in this new atmosphere. It was a moment before he spoke. "No," he said softly, "no, that's perfectly fine." They joined the crowd dancing around Burning Man, shaking hands and greeting people with affection that kept the guards on edge.Then they slipped out of sight of the competent guards and disappeared into the crowd unnoticed.Arthas pulled her through the corridors of the palace quarters.Several times they were nearly spotted by the servants who took a short cut to the kitchen, and had to cling to the wall and take cover. Now that they were in Arthas' room, he closed the door and leaned back, wrapping Jaina in his arms and kissing her deeply.However, it was the shy good student Jaina who broke the kiss and walked towards the bed holding Alsace's hand.The rattan dummies were still burning outside the window, and the orange flames danced on their skin. He followed her like a dream.The two stood by the bed, their hands clasped, and Jaina's fingers almost dug into Arthas' flesh. "Jianna," he called softly. "Alsace." She whined, reached out to cup Alsace's face, and kissed him again.He was so dizzy with longing for her that he felt a pang of loss when she pulled away.She spoke softly, her soft and warm breath touching his cheek. "I... are we ready?" The answer was a little flippant, but he understood her deep meaning.He was ready to take this girl into his heart.He had turned down the lovely Taresa, and more than one.And he knew Jaina was even stranger at it than he was. "As long as you're ready." He whispered dryly, and leaned over to kiss her, seeing the familiar frown on her brow.I'll smooth it with kisses, Arthas swore secretly as he took her to bed.I will always take care of you. Later, when the vine man finally burned out, only the cold silver-blue moonlight was left on Jaina's sleeping body.Alsace lay on the bed, gliding his fingers over the curves of her body, inquiring with his own hands while daydreaming. He didn't throw a stick into the Vine's flames because he had no worries to get rid of.Not now, he thought, bending down to kiss her.Jaina woke up with a soft grunt, and reached out to grab him. "It doesn't look like anyone can refuse anything from you." She softly repeated what she had said to him the day of her first kiss. "especially me." He hugged her tightly and suddenly shivered for no reason. "Don't say no to me, Jaina. Never say no to me." She looked at him with a cold moonlight in her eyes. "Never, Arthas. Never."