After arriving at her residence, Arthas discovered that there was a beautiful mature woman present. The green name above her head indicated friendliness, "Marlene".
"Hello, Lady Marlene," Arthas greeted with a smile as he handed the sleeping Brigitte to Marlene.
"It seems Brigitte really likes His Highness; she rarely falls asleep in front of others," Marlene said cheerfully as she took Brigitte, the charm of the mature woman making one feel as if they were in a warm spring breeze. With her elegant demeanor coupled with her striking looks, Marlene was undoubtedly a beauty, which only made Arthas's heart race.
"Having fought together, I can naturally trust you with my back. Lady Marlene, what is your relationship with Brigitte?" Arthas asked with interest, looking at the slim mature woman, whose figure combined the fullness of a mature woman with the slenderness of a girl, perfectly balanced to create a pleasing appearance.
"I am her aunt; a long time ago, I married into the kingdom of Stormwind. After my husband died, I inherited the title of Viscount. When the kingdom fell, I followed Sir Lothar to Lordaeron, and as you can see, I am recuperating here," Marlene recounted her past. Her husband had died long ago, and her territory was constantly threatened by bandits and mercenaries, as well as various other awful creatures. She had managed to withstand all this, and through years of combat, her command skills had grown increasingly proficient.
However, due to her identity as a woman, she could never stand on the front lines and had to retreat into the shadows. This was still the narrative set before the Frozen Throne, having endured the ravages of the Scourge and the Burning Legion. Kingdoms either met total annihilation or saw their populations drastically reduced. It was precisely this situation that allowed women to rise and simplified the entry barriers for professions, making it easier for many to become leaders and great fighters.
A single professional soldier could easily take down three farmers, which was a marked improvement. At this moment, the Scourge was still a long way off, even the Lich King Ner'zhul was still busy flirting with the cross-dressing Kil'jaeden in Northrend. (TN: Yea, no idea what this is referring to)
Naturally, women's positions were not particularly prominent; they could hold some positions but could not become generals, let alone leaders. Marlene was merely a fallen noble, talented but without a place to apply her skills. Her previous command and allocation of troops had already impressed Arthas, which is why he entrusted the army to her.
This sudden trust left Marlene somewhat stunned, simply because he said, "I trust you."
In fact, Marlene had performed admirably, managing to hold on with minimal casualties. After witnessing the power of the dwarf mortar teams and goblin bombs, she quickly altered her defensive arrangements.
A disorganized group of noble private soldiers was effectively used to attract fire, diverting the front-line artillery, while elite troops were rotated in after sustaining some damage to avoid fighting to the last moment. After receiving treatment from a priest, she returned to the front lines to replace other troops, maintaining a cycle that reduced casualties to about one hundred, and her command skills were indeed impressive.
Arthas looked at Marlene, and Marlene looked at Arthas; they locked eyes for a full five seconds without speaking, simply gazing into each other's eyes. It seemed they both knew what would happen next, just brewing the emotions. "Come help me; I need your assistance. I lack a strategist and a commander. Marlene, your talents should not be wasted, please join me," Arthas invited. If he could work alongside a beautiful mature woman, it would certainly be a good thing; who would refuse to work with a beauty, unless they were a eunuch?
Although Marlene had her suspicions, she was still surprised; she didn't think Arthas could possibly be interested in her, as she considered herself just an 'old woman.'
"But I am a Viscount of the kingdom of Stormwind."
"You are originally from Lordaeron!" Arthas paused for a moment and took a sip of his tea.
"I previously rescued a dragon queen trapped by artifacts, and as a reward, I can cooperate with her. There are many threats in this world: Old Gods, corrupt beings, and progenitor dragons. The orcs are demons tempted to come into our world, and these lurking demons threaten our homeland. You know how shortsighted the nobility can be. After the war, the kingdom needs rebuilding. The Horde is poor, lacking significant spoils, and purely at a loss. I need to establish my own army and start planning an oceanic operation after the war. I want to reach the other side of the sea, to develop the Kalimdor continent. That is a brand new continent with ample resources. Where there are new threats, I need your help. I have many things to handle that are related to the safety of the world. If we can prepare properly, the next time we encounter an invasion, we won't have to pay such a heavy price! No matter how many come, we will gobble them all up!" Arthas exclaimed fiercely, seeming particularly vindicated.
Seeing the spirited Arthas, Marlene was reminded of her own husband, who had also been so determined when he was alive. But reality had beaten him down; he succumbed to gluttony, gambling, and ultimately died on the way home due to an ambush by wolves.
"Your Highness, I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm, but your plan... well, it's a bit too risky."
"Haha, indeed. But I have the strength and foundation; as long as I want to, I can rally a large number of people to join me," Arthas said proudly. Given his status and position, he could make an inspiring call to action, and indeed many nobles would come to his aid.
There were many who wanted to lick the prince's feet; as long as they didn't touch the most fundamental principles of the feudal system, they were effectively scattered and disorganized, which was why they had fallen so quickly before the Scourge—they had no fighting power!
But with such people, the talent pool is bound to be mixed. Marlene smiled, quickly pointing out the flaws in his plan. Such a large-scale plan certainly can't be executed with just any talent.
"So I need your help; I don't want those rotten people to get involved. There are very few usable individuals, and I must ensure their loyalty and competence." Arthas expressed some helplessness but did not shy away from revealing his thoughts and current situation.