Chapter 9 Chapter nine

Jaina hurried across the garden, she was late to meet Archmage Antonidas.Once again, she was so buried in her book that she lost track of time.Jaina's master often scolded her for this, but she just couldn't change it.She rushed quickly through the rows of golden-skinned apple trees in her slippers, and the ripe fruits hung heavily. She suddenly felt a pang of sadness, remembering that just a few years ago, Arthas had suddenly appeared behind her, covering her eyes with his hands and whispering softly. "Guess who I am?" Alsace.She still misses him, and will probably miss him forever.She was unprepared for that breakup, devastated, and at the worst possible time.Until now, thinking of the nonchalant forced smile at the Winter Veil ball that day, Jaina still couldn't help but feel tight.But when the initial shock passed, she began to understand him gradually.

They were both too young and, as he said at the time, they all had responsibilities and training to do.She promised to continue to be friends with him, and she really thought so, and she always thought so.In order to keep this promise, she must heal her wounds.And she did. A lot has happened in just a few years to keep her busy and focus on other things.Five years ago, Kel'Thuzad, a powerful wizard, aroused the wrath of the Kirin Tor for his research into unnatural necromancy. They reprimanded him severely and immediately suspended his experiments indefinitely.After that, Kel'Thuzad suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.The oddity had been one of her distractions for the past three years.

Outside the gates of the magic city, there is also no peace. Despite scattered, false, and confusing reports, Jaina learned that Thrall, the fugitive orc, now calling himself warchief of the new Horde, had begun attacking the asylum to free the orcs from captivity.Soon, Dunholde was also razed to the ground by the self-proclaimed chieftain. As far as Jaina knew, Thrall used an ancient shamanic spell of the orcs to destroy the castle.Blackmoore is dead too, but no one will mourn him for long because of what he did.Though the fledgling tribe might end up threatening her people, Jaina found herself not saddened by the loss of the shelter, as she had seen what was inside.

Jaina stopped suddenly. She heard someone talking angrily, which was a bit strange in this kind of place. "I told Tenaris that your people were imprisoned in their land. I tell you now, humanity is at stake! The tide of darkness has come again, and the whole world is on the brink of war!" the man's voice Loud and powerful, but Jaina didn't recognize who it was. "Ah, now I know who you are. You were mentioned in King Tenaris' last letter, and you are the prophet who doesn't know what to say. I am less interested in your madness than he is." One voice was that of Antonidas, who only answered calmly when the stranger insisted.

Jaina knew she should move away before she was spotted, but her curiosity drove her to use invisibility to sit back and listen.It was the same curiosity that made the little girl follow Arthas to peek at the orc shelter.She moved closer as quietly as possible, and could see both of them now.The owner of the First Voice, nicknamed "The Prophet" by Antonidas, wears a hooded cloak trimmed with black feathers.And her master rides on horseback. "I think Tenaris is wise in his assessment of your prophecies." "You shall be wiser than the king! The end is coming!" "As I said, I'm not interested in this kind of nonsense." Jaina was familiar with this tone, decisive, calm, and condescending.

The Prophet was silent for a moment, then sighed. "Then I'm wasting my time." Jaina stared in shock as the stranger's shape blurred before her eyes, shrinking and deforming. What had been a man in monk's robes a few moments ago was now a large black bird.It leaped into the air with a frustrated scream, flapped its wings and flew away. Antonidas still gazed at the blue sky, the visitor now a fading black spot. "Gianna, you can come out now." Jaina, cheeks burning, said a dispel spell and stepped forward. "Teacher, I'm sorry to overhear your conversation, but..." "Son, what I'm going to use next is your curious nature." Antonidas said with a smile, "That crazy and stupid guy Talk about the end of the world. I think he exaggerated the 'plague' a bit."

"Plague?" Jaina was a little surprised. Antonidas sighed and got off his horse, and slapped the horse on the rear.The horse skipped a bit, then walked tamely by itself towards the stable.There will naturally be grooms to take care of it.The archmage gestured to his apprentice, and Jaina stepped forward to take the bony hand. "You remember that I sent some messengers to the capital not long ago." "I thought it was a discussion about orcs." Antonidas said the spell, and they appeared in his private house a moment later.It was Jaina's favorite place: cluttered, smelling of parchment and leather and ink, where she could curl up in an old chair and soak up knowledge.He gestured for Jaina to sit down, and with a snap of his fingers the pitcher filled them with honey.

"Well, that's also on the agenda. But my emissary thinks a more dire threat is at hand." "Worse than the reorganizing Horde?" Jaina stretched out her hand, and a crystal cup filled with golden liquid floated into her palm. "Orcs have the possibility of negotiation, disease does not. There are reports of a plague spreading in the north. I think the Kirin Tor should take this seriously." Jaina looked at him fixedly, frowning and sipping her wine.Often it is priests, not mages, that are needed to deal with diseases.Unless... "You think there's magic going on in there?"

Antonidas nodded his bald head. "Very likely. And that's why I want you to investigate this, Jaina Proudmoore." Jaina nearly choked. "I?" He smiled gently. "It's you. You've learned almost everything I can teach you. Now it's your turn to use these skills to go out." He blinked. "I also arranged a special helper for you." Arthas leaned against the tree, closing his eyes against the faint sunlight.He knows he's exuding calm and confidence, and he has to.His men were worried enough without letting them see that they were nervous too.After all, this time... how should they get along?Perhaps this decision was not wise.But all reports were urgent, and he knew she had the coolest head.This will work out smoothly.It must go well.

Falric stomped around at the intersection.He is a captain under Alsace and has known the prince for many years.He breathed white air in the cold wind, and became more and more anxious as time passed. "Prince Arthas," he asked boldly at last, "we have been waiting here for hours. Are you sure that friend will really come?" Alsace didn't even open his eyes, but the corners of his mouth curved into a smile. "I'm sure." Yes, he thought back to every time he had waited patiently for her. "Gianna will always be late." As soon as the words fell, there was a barely discernible roar from a distance. "I want to smash Ni!"

Like a leopard dozing in the sun, Arthas jumped up alertly, hammer in hand. He looked along the road and saw a slender female figure running over the top of the mountain towards this side.Behind her was a green swirl of water, with a crude head and limbs, which Arthas knew was an elemental creature. And behind that... two ogres. "Holy Light!" Fariq yelled and rushed up.Arthas was about to urge him to save the girl, but that's when he saw Jaina Proudmoore's face, and she grinned. "Put down your sword, captain," Arthas said, laughing himself. "She can handle it on her own." This lady can really handle it too - and surprisingly efficiently.The moment Jaina turned and began to summon the flames, Arthas realized that if he was going to feel sorry for one side of the conflict, it would be these poor ogres who got in the way.Ogres growled in pain as flames licked their fat, gray bodies.The human woman in front of them is so small, but can cause such amazing pain, so they are stunned.One ogre wanted to escape, but the other couldn't believe it and chose to move on.Jaina shot another burst of howling orange flames at it, and this time it screamed and fell to the ground, only to be quickly consumed by the flames.Alsace smelled the smell of burning meat. Jaina dropped her hands and nodded in this direction as the second ogre fled.She didn't even shed a drop of sweat. "Gentlemen, this is Miss Jaina Proudmoore." Alsace said with a drawl, walking towards his childhood playmate and ex-girlfriend. "She is a special envoy of the Kirin Tor, one of the most talented witches on the mainland. It seems that your spells are still so good." She turned to face him, smiling happily.There is no embarrassment in this moment, only joy.She was happy to see him, and he was happy to see her.Joy filled his whole body, "It's good to see you again." In just one sentence, it almost seemed like a polite greeting.But she can understand his heart, she can always understand him.With a twinkle in her eyes, she replied, "Me too. It's been a long time since a prince escorted me. " "Yeah." There was a hint of sadness in his voice. "Yeah." Now the scene was a little awkward, Jaina looked down, and Arthas cleared his throat. "Uh, I think it's time for us to go." She nodded in agreement, and dismissed the water element with a wave of her hand. "With so many loyal and strong soldiers around, I don't need it anymore." She smiled sweetly at Falik and his men. "So, Your Highness, what do you know about the plague we are investigating?" "Not much." They began to march, and Arthas admitted: "I just received an order from my father, and I have been fighting the orcs with Uther before. But I think since the mage of Dalaran wants to investigate The truth, then it must have something to do with magic." She nodded with a smile, her eyebrows furrowed in a familiar way.This action caused Arthas to feel an inexplicable sadness. "You're right. Although I don't know exactly what's going on. That's why my teacher Antonidas sent me here. We must investigate the villages near the King's Road and ask the villagers for useful information. They may have not been infected, and this is at best a localized outbreak." Arthas knew her well enough to hear the doubt in her voice.He knew that if Antonidas thought the matter insignificant, he would not have sent his most valued apprentice to investigate—nor would King Tenaris have sent his own son. Arthas changed the subject. "I don't know if this plague is useful to orcs." She raised her eyebrows, and he continued, "I believe you must have heard about the escape from the shelter." She nodded, "Yes, sometimes I wonder if the orc family we saw back then might have escaped as well." He moved restlessly. "Well, if they ran away, they must be worshiping the devil now." She opened her eyes wide, "What? I thought it had disappeared a long time ago, orcs no longer use demonic energy." Arthas shrugged, "Father sent me and Uther to help defend Steinbrad. When we got there, the orcs had already started kidnapping villagers. We chased them into the camp and wiped them out, but three people had already been killed." ... used for sacrifice." As usual, Jaina listened carefully, not just with her ears, but with every word he said.Shengguang, she is so beautiful. "The orcs say they're offered to demons. Call it a meager offering.  … Apparently they want more." "Antonidas seems to think that this plague is a work of magic," Jaina said softly. "I doubt there is a connection. It's sad news that the orcs have returned to their demonic faith. Perhaps, it's just a single clan. " "Maybe, maybe not." Arthas recalled Thrall's performance in the arena, how those lowly orcs fought astonishingly. "We can't take such a risk. Once we are attacked, my subordinates will kill them. This order is valid for a long time." For a moment, he remembered that Uther proposed to accept the surrender of the orcs, and their leader's reply was Killed the two men who had sent out the peace talks, and left their horses alone to bring back this silent and savage reply.This made Arthas furious. "Let's go in and kill the beasts!" he yelled, the weapon the Silver Hand received from his induction ceremony glowing brightly.If it weren't for Uther's hand holding his arm, he would have rushed in immediately. "Remember, Arthas," he said, his voice calm and collected. "We are paladins. Vengeance cannot be a thing we must do. If we allow our rage to turn bloodthirsty, we become no more than orcs." The remark calmed the anger... sort of.Arthas gritted his teeth and watched the frightened horse being led away from the dead rider.Uther's words were wise, but Arthas felt he had failed those two as he had failed Invincible.Now they are dead, as is the horse.He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Yes, Uther." His coolness paid off.Uther appointed him to command the attack.If only he could have saved those three poor souls in time. A hand rested lightly on his arm, bringing him back to reality.Out of habit, he took Jaina's hand without thinking.She started pulling her hands back, then smiled nervously at him. "It's great to see you again," he said impulsively. Jaina's smile softened, she smiled genuinely, and took his arm. "Me too, Your Highness. Also, thank you for stopping the guards when we met." She grinned, showing her teeth. "I told you before, I'm not made of china." He laughed, "Of course not, my lady. Next you will fight alongside us. " She sighed, "I'm praying there won't be a fight...just an investigation. But I'll do what I have to do, I always have." Jaina withdrew her hand, and Arthas was a little disappointed, but didn't show it. "We're all the same, my lady." "Oh, come on. I'm Jaina." "Well, and I'm Alsace. Please take care of me when we meet for the first time." She gave him a push, and they both laughed, and suddenly there was no distance between them.Alsace watched her return to his side, feeling warm in his heart.This is the first time they have faced real danger together.He had some conflicts in his heart, he wanted to protect her safety, but also wanted her to show her abilities.Did he do it right?Is it too late?He'd told her he wasn't ready, and it was true.He was unprepared for many things at that time.But time has passed since that Winter Veil festival, and some things have not changed.All kinds of emotions came flooding in, and he gave up everything but the sheer joy of seeing her. Before dusk that day, they camped and rested in a small clearing beside the road.There was no moonlight in the dark sky, only the twinkling stars.Jaina dramatically lit a campfire, conjured delicious bread and drink, and announced, "I'm done." The crowd laughed and enthusiastically prepared the rest of the meal.Roasting rabbit on a fire spit and pulling fruit out of a package, they feel like companions on a night out rather than a combat party heading out to investigate a deadly plague. After dinner, Jaina took a little distance from the crowd and sat looking at the stars with a smile on her lips.Arthas sat beside her with the wine and poured her a glass, and Jaina took a sip from the glass. "The grapes are good, the temple... Alsace," he said. "This is one of the benefits of being a prince." He replied, stretching his long legs and lying down beside her, with one arm behind his head and the other holding the wine glass on his chest.He looked up at the stars. "What do you think we'll find?" "I don't know. I was sent to investigate. However, despite your encounter with those orcs, I doubt it has anything to do with demons." He nodded in the dark, then realized she couldn't see the movement, and said. "I agree. And I'm wondering if I should have a priest with me." She smiled at him. "Arthas, you are a paladin. The Light is with you, and you wield a weapon better than any priest I have ever seen." He laughed too.After a while, Arthas held out his hand to Jaina, and she stood up with a sigh and drank the wine in her hand. "It's too late. I don't know how you are, but I'm exhausted. See you tomorrow morning, good night, Arthas." But he couldn't sleep, tossing and turning on the bedroll.Although he was getting sleepy, he stared at the night sky. Although he was a little tired, there seemed to be a voice in his mind planning.He can disagree, he knows that he has always acted impulsively, but...whatever it is! He threw back the blanket and sat up.The camp was quiet, and there was no danger in this place, so they didn't keep anyone on guard.Arthas got up gently, walked towards where Jaina was sleeping, knelt down beside her, and brushed the long hair on her face. "Jianna," he called softly, "wake up." She woke up just like that night many years ago, neither making a sound nor being afraid, just looking at him curiously. He smiled, "Let's explore together?" She tilted her head and smiled, obviously remembering the past like Arthas. "What adventure?" she replied. "Just trust me." "I have always trusted you, Arthas." They whispered softly, breathing clearly in the cold night sky.She sat up with one arm propped up, and Alsace imitated her movement, raising the other hand to stroke her face.Jaina didn't avoid it. "Gianna... I think there's a reason for this reunion." Here she came again, frowning slightly. "Of course. Your father sent you here to—" "No, no. It's not just that. We're team mates now, and we work well together." Jaina was silent, and Arthas continued to caress her curvaceous cheeks. "I mean... when this thing is over, maybe we can... talk. You know..." "About the end of Winter Veil?" "No, not the end. We're talking about the beginning. Without you by my side, I feel like a part of me is missing.Gianna, you know me better than anyone else.I miss that feeling. " Jaina was silent for a long time, then sighed softly, and leaned forward to kiss his palm.Arthas shuddered. "I can never refuse you, Arthas." There was a smile in her voice. "Yes. I feel like a part is missing too. I miss you too." He was relieved all of a sudden, and stepped forward to embrace her in his arms and kissed her affectionately.Together, they will investigate this strange event, reveal the truth, and return triumphantly.Then they'll be married—perhaps in the spring.She will be showered with roses, and soon the fair-haired children she spoke of will be born. This is not a place to love each other, because Alsace's men sleep nearby.But they slept together, and Arthas reluctantly returned to his bed at dawn, hugging Jaina tightly again before leaving. He slept for another little while, convinced that the combination was unstoppable without them.Plague, demons, or other oddities, Arthas Menethil, the Knight of the Light, and Jaina Proudmoore, the Mage, will get through it together - no matter what!