Just as Countess Katrana, transformed from Onyxia, was considering whether to also tempt Arthas, the King of Stormwind had been waiting for his good friend at the Keep's entrance for a long time.
"Arthas!" Varian strode forward, giving Arthas a big hug, "How long has it been since we last met?"
"Almost eight years, Varian."
"You were only this tall when I left Lordaeron." Varian gestured to Arthas's height in his memory.
Arthas rolled his eyes at him, "I was only eleven then, okay? And you don't seem much taller than me, do you?"
The two looked at each other and smiled, it was still the same feeling as back then.
Varian patted Arthas's back hard, "You're much stronger than before. Muradin and Uther must have trained you very well."
"You're not bad either." Arthas naturally noticed Varian's undisguised sharpness.
"If you have time, let's spar again, like old times." Varian's eyes held a hint of nostalgia, "Oh, by the way… How is Uncle Terenas's health? Is Lordaeron doing well now?"
King Terenas had taken him in after his kingdom fell, treating him like his own son. Lordaeron could almost be called Varian's second home.
"Father is doing well, and Lordaeron has returned to its pre-Orcish Wars state."
"That's good, that's good," Varian nodded contentedly, "Come on, I'll take you to see your nephew. I've already decided to make you his godfather."
Arthas didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Varian, I'm only nineteen!"
"What's wrong with nineteen? Do you want little Anduin to call you brother?"
"Alright, you win."
Varian ignored Countess Katrana the entire time, simply giving Bolvar some instructions before leading Arthas into the palace on the side of Stormwind Keep.
Katrana had a hint of resentment on her face, "It seems Your Majesty is still upset about that previous matter."
Bolvar gently patted the noblewoman's back, "It's alright, Katrana, those nobles deserved to be punished. What you did was fine, it's just… it's just that Varian couldn't quite accept it."
The Countess took the opportunity to snuggle into Bolvar's embrace, feigning a particularly pitiful look.
…
"That Bolvar, he really gives me a headache. Why does he have to like that woman?" Varian complained as he walked. He greatly admired the Grand Duke's character, but his choice in matters of the heart was something he couldn't commend.
Varian was no fool. Katrana was adept at playing both sides among the nobles, with endless schemes and tricks. A large portion of the nobles in Stormwind had fallen into the vortex she created.
Varian still didn't have enough gold to pay the Stonemason's Guild for rebuilding Stormwind, yet those nobles were still playing power games with their money.
Moreover, he always felt that this Countess Katrana's appearance was too abrupt. Where exactly did this Prestor family come from?
They claimed to be from the Kingdom of Alterac, but Alterac had long been destroyed by the Orcs, and even their capital city was completely ruined, leaving nothing behind, making it impossible to verify their identity.
"The Prestor family are all extraordinary. Have you forgotten about Lord Prestor, who almost had an arranged marriage with my sister when he came to Lordaeron?" Arthas hinted, wanting Varian to be more vigilant about Katrana.
Directly telling Varian that Katrana was a Black Dragon was unrealistic, as he currently had no evidence to prove it. Even if Varian believed him and forced Onyxia into her true form, with the strength of this Black Dragon, she could easily cause widespread destruction in Stormwind and then leave.
Stormwind currently didn't have a Guardian like Medivh. Without aerial restrictions, a Black Dragon could truly come and go as she pleased in the newly rebuilt Stormwind.
So Arthas merely reminded Varian to be careful of this Prestor Countess. He didn't want his friend's city to turn into a pile of ruins right after being rebuilt. And as long as Onyxia wasn't scared away, he would have plenty of ways to deal with this Black Dragon Princess later on.
"You also think she's not quite right? Yes, their entire family's appearance is very strange." Varian shook his head. Recently, he had been busy dealing with a group of disobedient nobles and didn't have the time to deal with other matters.
If his son hadn't been born, he would still be busy cleaning up the mess left by those damned nobles, and now that mess had been handed over to Bolvar.
As the two talked, they had already reached the vicinity of the royal palace's garden. There, Varian's Queen Tiffin was holding a swaddled infant, their son—Anduin.
"My dear Tiffin, why have you run off to the garden again? It's too easy to catch a cold here!" Varian greeted his wife and took Anduin from her arms.
"It's alright, Varian, I'm not some weak woman. I just wanted to let little Anduin get some fresh air."
Tiffin spoke softly, then looked at Arthas and greeted him with a smile.
"Long time no see, Prince Arthas. How has His Majesty Terenas been recently?"
"My father is doing well, thank you for your concern, Queen Tiffin." Arthas had also met Tiffin a few times in Lordaeron. They were acquaintances, but he remembered that Varian and Tiffin's relationship wasn't very good back then because they were originally victims of a political marriage.
But the current outcome was clear: Tiffin had conquered the hot-tempered Varian with her gentleness and kindness. Since falling in love, the two had been in perfect harmony, treating each other with respect.
She was a qualified Queen, and she would also be a qualified mother.
"Come, Arthas, look at my son." Varian held little Anduin and walked over to Arthas. The little prince lay quietly in his swaddling clothes, staring at Arthas with two large blue eyes.
"What a lovely child." Arthas playfully poked little Anduin, "May the Holy Light bless you to grow up healthy and happy."
Varian teased, "After all this time, you've started talking like those old priests?"
"I can't help it, I've been training with them for too long, so I always get used to saying a few words. But I can truly feel the Holy Light blessing this child." Arthas condensed a gentle ball of Holy Light at his fingertips. Little Anduin immediately became restless, clumsily reaching out his arm, trying to grasp the light.
Arthas gently touched his forehead, and the Holy Light merged into Anduin's body, "This child is born with a strong affinity for the Holy Light. He will definitely be an extraordinary paladin in the future."
The little prince smiled happily after feeling Arthas's pure and gentle Holy Light.
"Does he really have such a strong Holy Light affinity? You're not trying to fool me again, are you?" Varian looked at Arthas suspiciously. When they were young, he was a qualified hothead, but Arthas wasn't.
Arthas knew what his friend was thinking. He patted Varian's shoulder, "Haha, Varian, I know you hope your son can become a great warrior like you and your father, but, why not let Anduin grow up and listen to his own thoughts."
"Alright, actually, I don't necessarily have to make him a warrior. I just hope he can learn the fearlessness and strength of a warrior."
Varian's expression softened. He looked at his son, full of hope.
Queen Tiffin pursed her lips and chuckled, "You, you're still so impatient. Our son has a very broad future, no need to rush."
Arthas sighed inwardly. If Queen Tiffin were still alive, in the original history, Varian and Anduin wouldn't have had such a large rift: a hot-tempered, straightforward, inarticulate father who deeply loved his son, always became clumsy like a child when faced with genuine emotions.
But this time, everything would be different—Arthas took out a pendant from his embrace and handed it to Queen Tiffin.
"This is?"
Tiffin surprisingly accepted Arthas's gift, not quite understanding the purpose of the pendant.
"This pendant is an amulet I had Faol make. Blessed by the Holy Light, it can bring you good luck and health, and also ward off illness and evil." Arthas explained. Queen Tiffin's death was almost certainly Onyxia's ploy, but the stone thrown by an ordinary person definitely wasn't the main reason.
It was likely that the Black Dragon Princess had already cast a malicious curse on Tiffin, and the stone was most likely just a trigger.
"Thank you, Arthas, I really like this gift." The Queen accepted Arthas's amulet. She thought about how her husband Varian's relationship with many nobles had been very strained recently, and planned to give it to Varian later.
Arthas, however, seemed to have seen through Tiffin's thoughts, "You don't have to worry about Varian. I have other gifts for him and little Anduin. You keep this amulet. I believe Varian wouldn't want anything to happen to you either."
Varian nodded. As a warrior, he had never feared any danger or difficulty, but he only feared that the safety of his Queen and son would not be guaranteed.
However, Arthas's words made Varian realize that he seemed to have seen through his situation. After handing Anduin to Tiffin, he rubbed his nose and said in a muffled voice, "You saw it too?"
"I felt something was off as soon as I entered Stormwind."
Varian's strength might not be inferior to Arthas's, but in terms of sensitivity, he was far behind Arthas now. He had only been King for a short time and was not yet the mature High King of the Alliance he would become.
"Stormwind currently looks prosperous on the surface, but in reality, there must be quite a few difficulties, right?"
Varian sighed, his expression quite helpless, and pulled Arthas to sit on a nearby bench. Tiffin sat beside him, holding their son.
"I knew those nobles were unreliable. When Stormwind was in trouble back then, they ran faster than anyone. Now that Stormwind is rebuilt, they all came back to claim the fruits of labor." Varian said indignantly, "They will realize the terror of Wrynn's wrath sooner or later!"