Chapter Text
Jaina finished getting dressed and began fiddling with her torn robes, anxious about returning home. She pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders.
She had a bit of a plan for explaining her whereabouts to Anduin and her family, but she was terrified that she would not be believed, that everyone would somehow see through the lie and suspect she had been cavorting with the enemy.
They would have no idea, of course. There would be no reason to doubt the woman who valiantly threw herself in harm’s way to ensure the escape and safety of her allies. Jaina felt a bit sick. She did not want to lie to people she cared deeply about and would be seeing on a day to day basis. But, if she wanted Sylvanas—and Light help her, did she ever—this was the way it had to be. It would be difficult and painful and would count among the worst things Jaina had ever done or experienced, but hopefully, it would all be worth it in the end.
She put her hands out in front of her and began casting a teleportation spell to Proudmoore Keep. She still felt weak and she would probably require healing from the Alliance’s priests, but she was at least able to transport herself to the Keep without much trouble.
When she arrived, she was exhausted and spent, but the sight of Anduin and her mother halting their conversation and running to her with open arms when she appeared warmed her heart and made tears spring to her eyes.
“Jaina, my love!” her mother cried.
“Auntie!” called Anduin. He reached her first, picking her up and spinning her around excitedly. He set her down and backed away so Katherine could embrace her daughter.
Jaina grinned from ear to ear as she hugged her mother and pulled Anduin close. “I’m so happy to be back.”
Katherine stepped back slightly and looked over her daughter. She took Jaina’s hands in hers. “Your robes have certainly seen better days,” she said with a slight smile and Jaina smiled in return. “Are you injured, sweetheart?”
“A little,” Jaina admitted. “But a bit of healing and some rest and I’ll be fine.”
“A bath would probably also do you some good,” Katherine said, giving her daughter another once-over and crinkling her nose.
Jaina’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she suddenly wondered if they could smell Sylvanas on her. It then quickly dawned on her that any prominent smells were probably just sweat and blood and her shoulders slumped back in relief.
“If you both don’t mind, I think I’d like to retire to my quarters for the evening.” She gave them both a nod and turned to leave. The voice of Genn, who had been lingering in the back while the reunion was going on, made her stop in her tracks.
“I know you’ve been through an ordeal and I’m relieved you’re home safe, but... if I may ask, how is it that you escaped the Horde?”
Jaina swallowed and took a moment to collect herself before turning to face him. She gave him a good-natured smile, but she was already beginning to grow irritated. “They had me cornered and weak, but I froze them long enough to cast a short teleportation spell to distract them so I could put some distance between us.”
“You’ve been gone nearly a day,” Genn noted. “Did they manage to catch up with you?”
Jaina gritted her teeth behind closed lips, now very much frustrated. “No,” she answered hotly, taking a step towards him as she continued to speak. “I was weak and a short spell was all I could manage for the time being. I ended up on an abandoned ship and I rested there until I was able to cast a longer range spell to come home.”
Katherine and Anduin exchanged looks but did not intervene and Jaina was actually grateful. She did not need them to fight her battles for her. She could handle Genn on her own.
Genn nodded. “Of course, Lady Jaina. I merely asked because I imagine our friends would love to hear the tale of how you took on perhaps the most vicious fighters of the Horde and emerged victorious.”
Jaina wanted to believe him and fighting with him now would only bring about suspicions that she could not afford her friends and family to have. She sighed and softened, a small smile appearing on her lips. “I understand,” she said kindly. “Forgive me, I’m still rather tired and in pain from the battle.”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” said Genn, giving her a small bow. “You fought most bravely today and we all appreciate your service. Get some rest and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Jaina nodded in response. “Thank you.” She extended nods to her mother and Anduin and headed for the stairs. She placed a hand on the railing and ascended the steps slowly. After a fair amount of climbing, she finally reached the floor of her room and sighed in relief. She pushed open the heavy door and walked inside, closing it behind her. The room was enormous and full of things that she loved, namely books. There were shelves of them, most of which Jaina had read at least once. Others, she had leafed through, looking for certain information when she was doing research. Dalaran, of course, had thousands upon thousands of books, but Jaina still had a decent collection of her own.
She walked over to her bed and was sorely tempted to just flop onto it and fall asleep immediately. But, it felt like it had been ages since she had been clean and a nice, hot bath did sound rather appealing to her at the moment.
Jaina slipped off her tattered robes and her undergarments and tossed them on her bed. Naked, she walked over to the bathroom in her quarters and knelt by the tub to turn on the water. She tested the temperature with her hand and adjusted the knob a bit. She sighed gently and let the water fill the rest of the way.
Once it was full, she turned off the knob and stood up, carefully stepping into the tub. She leaned back, her head resting against the wall. She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes, letting the warm water relax her tense muscles.
She wasn’t certain how long she had been in the bath before she felt it, a cool wave washing over her, the telltale sign of the arrival of someone with whom Jaina was intimately familiar. Chilled lips ghosted over hers and she shivered at the cold. The mouth the lips belonged to pulled back after a few moments and Jaina caught her breath.
“You,” she murmured.
“Mm,” came the response. “Weren’t expecting someone else, were you?” Sylvanas asked sweetly, settling in next to her on the floor.
“Never,” Jaina replied, as she turned to kiss her lover.
After what seemed like forever, but still not long enough for either of them, they broke apart and gazed longingly at each other. “I can’t stay,” Sylvanas told her. “I just wanted to check in and make sure you got home safe.” She gently caressed Jaina’s cheek.
“I got here a little while ago. I was greeted by my mother and Anduin.”
“The boy king,” Sylvanas mused with a chuckle.
“Please don’t call him that.”
“As you wish,” Sylvanas said with a resigned sigh. “I’ll admit, he does care deeply for his people, and I... find that admirable.” She cleared her throat and shook her head a bit, as if the compliment physically hurt her to say.
“I know you don’t care for him,” Jaina began, “but I’ve known him for years and he’s trying like hell to keep the Alliance together.”
“I’m aware,” Sylvanas said curtly.
Jaina narrowed her eyes. “He’s like family to me. Is this going to be a problem, Windrunner?” Her words came out harsher than she intended and she bit her lip, swallowing hard.
“No, Proudmoore,” Sylvanas replied, “it will not.” She stood up and began to walk away, but Jaina reached for her hand and she stopped.
“I’m sorry,” the mage said. “I just...” She sighed heavily. “This is difficult for me, but I’m trying, all right?” Sylvanas merely nodded and Jaina squeezed her hand pleadingly. “Sylvanas.”
The use of her first name outside of their lovemaking made the banshee’s ears perk up. She knelt down again and looked deeply into the mage’s eyes. Jaina responded by cupping her lover’s face in her hands and leaning in for a kiss. Sylvanas kissed her back, running a hand through Jaina’s hair.
“I do have to go, though,” Sylvanas said gently. Jaina frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but closed it instead. She looked down and Sylvanas planted a sweet kiss on her forehead. “We’re fine, my dear, if you were wondering. I won’t disparage Anduin and I don’t think any less of you for being close to him.”
“Okay,” Jaina said softly. “I…”
“Hm?”
Jaina hesitated, unsure if she should even say what she was thinking. “I feel like I’m betraying everyone.”
Sylvanas narrowed her eyes at the mage. “Because I’m fucking you?” she asked.
Jaina’s mouth fell open and she closed it immediately, a frown on her face at Sylvanas’ crude words. “Yes,” she answered finally and she saw Sylvanas’ eyes widen at the response.
Her lover chuckled ruefully. “Well, I guess we should just go our separate ways now, then.”
“No.” Jaina was defiant.
Sylvanas clicked her tongue and licked her lips. “Prou—“ she cleared her throat and started again, “Jaina. Dear. I need you to make up your mind about what and whom you want. You already know my intentions regarding the Horde. You also know what I’ve done in the name of preserving my race. You, and only you, can decide if what I’ve done and who I am will be too much for you to move past. Only you can make the choice to further this relationship to see where it goes and—”
“I’m in,” Jaina interrupted. “I’m in this for the long haul. None of it makes any sense to me, but maybe it doesn’t have to. We’ll figure this out and I’ll deal with my own issues.”
Sylvanas eyed her warily, but nodded all the same. “All right.” She grasped one of Jaina’s hands and held it for a few moments. “I need to get going, my dear.”
Jaina smiled a little and asked, “Big day tomorrow?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” the banshee replied.
“Oh?”
“I’ve sent word to Thrall. We’ll be speaking tomorrow.”
Jaina felt her stomach drop. She was terrified. She knew that this event was coming, but she figured Sylvanas would need more time to prepare before speaking to him. Apparently, that was not the case. “Already?” she asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice.
Sylvanas raised an eyebrow. “Yes,” she said, “it’s time.”
“I see.”
Sylvanas regarded the mage and cocked her head to one side. “You miss him.”
Jaina felt tears in the corners of her eyes. “I do,” she whispered. “He was a true friend. I trusted him implicitly. I valued his opinions and his ideas.” She looked down. “Garrosh and Theramore changed everything.”
Sylvanas exhaled deeply, lost in thought for a few moments. “I have a question for you, Jaina,” she said.
The mage looked up into the banshee’s deep red eyes. “Yes?”
“Would you like to come with me?”
Shocked, Jaina’s jaw dropped and she took a shuddering breath, trying to calm herself. “I…”
Sylvanas took Jaina’s hands in hers. “I think it would be good for me to have you there,” the banshee said. “It’ll probably be even better for you.”
Jaina breathed unsteadily, lower lip quivering in fear. She thought about Go’el often, imagining scenes in which she apologized for her behavior and he had accepted and things were right with the world again. But those were just daydreams and this was real life. Surely, it would not be that easy.
“Maybe you’re right,” Jaina admitted. “But, this is going to be really difficult for me.”
Sylvanas gave her a look. “Remember, it’s not—“
“—All about me,” Jaina finished. “I know. But Go’el was my confidant and one of my closest friends and what happened after Theramore and how I reacted... it still haunts me.”
“I understand.”
“I almost destroyed Orgrimmar,” she said, barely above a whisper.
Sylvanas looked down. “I’ve done far worse.”
Jaina looked at her then. It was true and in Jaina’s lust (and... love?) for the woman, she had brushed it aside. There was a war going on, casualties were inevitable. But what Sylvanas had done went beyond the normal stakes and Jaina knew that. Nothing about their relationship would end well, Jaina realized. Sylvanas would likely be executed, or perhaps as a part of stepping down, imprisoned. Maybe, if she was lucky, she would merely be exiled. Jaina swallowed thickly, thinking about the possible outcomes. Only one was even remotely good and was certainly the only one that was acceptable, unless Sylvanas was somehow pardoned, but that was not something Jaina expected to happen.
“I’ll go,” she said finally, pushing her unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind. “Shall I meet you in Deepholm?”
“Mhm,” Sylvanas said. “Bright and early.”
“Okay.”
Sylvanas leaned in to kiss Jaina, smoothing her thumb over the mage’s high cheekbone. She pulled back and pressed her forehead to Jaina’s, the two of them closing their eyes, enjoying the tender moment. After a while, Sylvanas rose and bent slightly to kiss the top of Jaina’s head.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, my dear.”
Jaina gave her a wave as she became a swirling mist and departed. Jaina reached for her sponge and soap and began washing herself, scrubbing off the grime, sweat and dried blood that coated her skin.
She took her time, enjoying the warm water and how relaxed she felt as she moved the sponge along her limbs. She was nervous about meeting with Go’el, but she could not deny that she was looking forward to seeing him again, as difficult as it would most likely be. Sylvanas had read her like a book. She absolutely missed Go’el, missed talking to him, missed hearing about his life with Aggra. If she could get even a small bit of that friendship and trust back, she would be incredibly happy.
Just then, a loud series of knocks echoed at her door, interrupting her reverie.
“Jaina? Sweetheart?” Katherine’s voice carried throughout the keep.
“Mother?” Jaina called back. “Something you need?”
“I was hoping we could talk, if that’s all right.”
“Sure,” Jaina said uneasily. “Give me a couple minutes to finish up in the bath.”
“Of course, my love.”
Jaina sighed deeply, wanting nothing more than to head to bed and fall asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She pulled the plug from the tub and stood up. She grabbed an oversized towel from a rack on the wall and stepped carefully out of the bath and began to dry off. Once she was done, she set down the towel and pulled her robe from the hook on the door and slipped it on, fastening the belt tightly around her waist.
She ran a weary hand through her hair and made her way to the door, opening it and nearly jumping out of her skin.
Before her stood her mother, Anduin, Genn, and a couple servants of the Keep. They had come bearing a rather large tray of delicious-looking food and wine. There was more than enough to share.
She grasped the door and hid her face behind it for a moment, mouthing a curse. When she turned back to the entourage at her door, she plastered a smile on her face and gave everyone a quick, courteous bow. “Thank you,” she said. “This is very kind.”
“I know you want to get some rest after everything you’ve been through,” Katherine said, “but we felt you should at least have a meal before you turned in for the night.”
A servant extended the tray to her and she accepted it gratefully. “Would you mind terribly if I ate by myself?”
Her mother looked surprised, but Anduin waved a hand. “Not at all, Auntie. We’ll get out of your hair.”
“I’m sorry,” Jaina said, feeling guilty. “I really do appreciate this and I love all of you so much.” Her voice caught and she swallowed the sob rising in her throat. She hugged Anduin, gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, and nodded to Genn and the servants. “I’ll see you all tomorrow,” she whispered, barely trusting herself to speak.
Katherine squeezed her daughter’s shoulder and kissed her cheek as well. “Before we leave, why don’t you let me take your robes and I’ll have them mended and washed for you.” Before Jaina could say anything, Katherine had slipped past her and gathered her garments from her bed.
“Thank you,” Jaina said.
Everyone nodded and bowed before turning and leaving down the hall. Jaina let out a deeply relieved sigh as she closed the door and turned to head to her bed. To her surprise, she was not alone, and she very nearly dropped the tray in shock.
“So, what are we eating?” came the familiar voice.
“Light’s sake,” Jaina muttered and Sylvanas chuckled. “Were you just hiding in the shadows?” the mage asked, gesturing around the relatively dark room. “My mother could have seen you.”
“On the contrary, I was halfway to Dazar’alor and turned back.” She ignored the comment regarding Jaina’s mother.
Jaina set down the tray on a nearby table and leaned back comfortably against her bedroom door, arms folded across her chest and a smirk on her lips. “So why did you come back?” Her smirk broadened into a smug grin and Sylvanas frowned lightly at her. “I know, I know,” Jaina began, chuckling a little, “it’s not all about me.” She quirked an eyebrow at her lover. “Although in this case,” she continued, “maybe it is?”
Sylvanas gave the mage an exaggerated sigh, defeated. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and thought for a moment instead. She gave her paramour a sly smirk. “Are you naked under that robe?”
Jaina looked down, licking her lips and feeling her cheeks redden. She looked back up and gazed at Sylvanas, ignoring the question. “Lady Windrunner, I think you missed me.”
Sylvanas dropped the act. “Lady Proudmoore, you would be right.”
Jaina, despite the lighthearted, joking nature of their conversation, felt her heart skip a beat and she dropped her gaze to the floor, trying to hide the sweet smile that graced her features. She looked back up. “Let’s eat.”
Sylvanas accepted and the pair spent the next hour or so eating and chatting, sharing stories about their pasts, how they grew up, blunders and silly things they had done as kids, eventually progressing to their teen years, first loves, first kisses, and other firsts.
Jaina looked down at the fork in her hand and absently tapped her plate with it. Without looking up, she said, “Arthas.” She nodded to herself and licked her lips. “Arthas was my first... my first everything.”
Sylvanas said nothing and lifted her glass of wine to her lips.
“The first time we were together... it was Hallow’s End. He had asked me, spur of the moment, to light the Wicker Man. He told me to ‘give them a show.’” She smiled to herself, still looking down. “So I did.”
Sylvanas took another sip of her wine.
“After, we found ourselves in his quarters and...” she trailed off, sighing, the memory washing over her like a tidal wave. She shook her head and reached for her wine, taking a long drink.
Sylvanas spoke then. “Regardless of the person he became, he is still worth remembering for who he was.”
Jaina looked up at her lover, honestly surprised by her words. She had not expected Sylvanas to say anything remotely like that which had just come out of her mouth. It seemed so unlike her, but Jaina was appreciative of what she had said all the same. “Thank you,” she said sincerely.
Sylvanas gave her a light smile and raised her glass. “To memories,” she said, “good ones. Then, and now.”
Jaina raised her own glass and clinked it against her lover’s. Sylvanas gave her a wink and they both drank deeply from their glasses.
“I think I’m ready for bed,” Jaina said tiredly, trying to stifle her yawn.
“Mhm,” murmured Sylvanas as she stood and grabbed the tray from Jaina’s bed and set it down on the bedside table. “Time for me to get going. I need a bit of sleep at least, before tomorrow.”
Before Sylvanas could vanish, Jaina said suddenly, “Stay with me.”
“What?”
“Stay with me,” Jaina repeated. “Let’s go to sleep.”
“I feel like someone is going to burst in here unannounced at some point...” Sylvanas said.
“I’ll ward the door,” Jaina replied. “No one will get in unless I want them to.”
“Hmm,” mused the banshee. “Tempting.”
Jaina stood from the bed and pulled back the covers. She turned to her door and cast a ward, then turned back. She shed her robe, purposely avoiding eye contact with Sylvanas, but feeling her lover’s gaze on her naked form, and slipped into bed, pulling the covers to her chin.
Sylvanas scoffed. “You don’t fight fair, Proudmoore,” she chided jokingly.
“Problem?” Jaina asked, pulling back the covers on the other side of the bed. “I really do want to sleep,” she said truthfully. “I just don’t want to be alone.”
Sylvanas let out a soft sigh and climbed into bed with Jaina. She gently caressed the mage’s naked shoulder and arm, then flipped over, settling in to sleep.
“I also just happen to enjoy sleeping naked.”
Sylvanas snorted and Jaina laughed heartily, feeling perhaps the most content she had felt in a long time. Sylvanas slept facing the huge window with a beautiful view of Boralus and her paramour settled in behind her, hand on her waist and chin resting comfortably on her shoulder.