Chapter Eighty-Eight: A Secret Conversation

So it had been the pandas after all, which was hardly surprising. Before the mists of Pandaria vanished, there were still scattered pandas appearing across the mainland from time to time. Those treasured folk had a profound love of food, and their ingenuity in the culinary arts was equally remarkable.

At the sight of that long-missed bamboo steamer, Patrick could not help but want to see the chef who made the shrimp dumplings, Chen Feng, and even pinch the treasure beast's cheek.

Calia Menethil was still a little girl, looking curiously at the elf before her. Though there were many high elves in Lordaeron, this was the first time she had seen one like Patrick.

Bathed in blue-white light and floating in the air, the little girl felt a little timid, clinging tightly to her father’s side.

King Terenas had gone to such elaborate lengths to win his favor. What, exactly, was his ultimate design? For now, it remained unknown.

All the ambassadors were freely conversing and enjoying this unexpected leisure. Patrick paid little attention to the human fare. After taking only a few bites, King Terenas politely withdrew, leaving the remaining nobles and ambassadors to mingle and dance as they pleased.

Before long, a human attendant arrived.

“Lord Patrick Cabrol, His Majesty Terenas requests your presence.”

Patrick had not expected the summons so quickly. He followed the attendant down a long corridor to a royal reception hall, where His Majesty Terenas was already waiting.

The chamber was arranged with great formality. Another seat had been prepared across from King Terenas. The room was bright, and all around stood fine objects and sculptures.

“Lord Patrick, thank you for answering my invitation.” King Terenas placed great importance on etiquette. As a ruler of refinement and composure, ceremony was nothing less than essential.

“Indeed, Your Majesty,” Patrick replied with a courteous bow.

The old king gave a subtle gesture, and all the attendants and maids withdrew, leaving only Terenas and Patrick alone together in the chamber.

With the servants gone, the old king, who had seemed full of vigor, now revealed his weariness. Terenas was only forty-six, yet he looked much older. Diplomacy and domestic affairs rested almost entirely upon this human king, and only in his later years had he been blessed with a child like Arthas. It was only natural that he should feel tired.

“Councilor Patrick, what do you think of Lordaeron?”

“It is beautiful, prosperous, and its people live with spirit and vigor,” Patrick answered without pretense.

“Indeed, it is beautiful. I have governed this country for more than twenty years, watching it change little by little, growing richer, more prosperous, and bringing greater happiness to its people. Now you can see it yourself: age has made me increasingly weary. Human lifespans are too brief to compare with the long years of elves, so I want to prepare supporters for my future heir.”

Patrick did not immediately agree or refuse. For an old monarch to leave behind a political legacy for the new one was a familiar tactic among rulers, hardly anything unusual. He simply waited for the king to continue.

“How far my own road may still extend, I do not know. But my heir has only just been born, and I must make early preparations for the years ahead. Among the Seven Kingdoms of humanity, Stormwind is ambitious, Dalaran will not yield to anyone, and Alterac is fickle. I must seek reliable strength for my son.”

Patrick understood Terenas’s intention to gather allies for Arthas. The old king feared he might not live to see his son grow into a worthy ruler. Yet with the support of allies and a stable political situation, nothing would shake the Menethil family’s hold over Lordaeron.

Moreover, an elf lived for roughly three to four thousand years. If Patrick could be brought firmly to their side, then for the next several thousand years, no one would be able to challenge the Menethils.

“But surely you should seek assistance from King Anasterian, not from me, a newly seated Councilor of Silvermoon.”

“King Anasterian Sunstrider has little interest in affairs beyond his borders, nor any wish to involve himself in them. And in Quel'Thalas, the body that truly governs the nation’s political affairs is the Silvermoon Council. As a Councilor of Silvermoon, you are the one who can truly influence the high elf kingdom.”

“So he has already approached Anasterian,” Patrick thought. “He simply failed to move him, so now he has come to me.”

To Patrick, Terenas was sowing seeds. As long as even one took root and grew into a great tree, the Menethils would profit. And with the support of the high elves, Lordaeron would only grow stronger, until the other six kingdoms could no longer affect it at all, and Arthas would ascend to the throne of human sovereignty.

What a fine father, to have calculated everything so far ahead.

Before Patrick could answer, Terenas, smiling with great confidence, offered another generous condition.

“So far as I know, Lord Patrick Cabrol has only recently taken his seat as a Councilor. It is not easy to secure a share of influence among the entrenched powers of the other councilors. Perhaps a councilor granted privileges in Lordaeron, such as free trade, would have a great deal more to say.”

Patrick saw the old king wearing a sly grin, and with one sentence he struck straight at the heart of the matter. Clearly, Terenas had done much research before meeting him. The generous terms he offered were exactly what Patrick needed most at present. Terenas truly was like an old fox.

Who was Quel'Thalas’s greatest trading partner? Without question, the Kingdom of Lordaeron. Many high elves came to Stratholme, the royal city, and other places in Lordaeron to develop trade, while ranger-mages also came to refine their skills. There were many high elves making their way in the human world. If Terenas were to favor the Cabrol family’s trade caravans in particular, a great many elves would surely come under the Cabrol banner, and Patrick’s power would grow stronger and stronger.

That phrase, “you have only recently taken your seat as a Councilor,” had indeed hit Patrick where it hurt. To say he had only recently become a Councilor was another way of saying that his power was still insufficient; compared with the other families in the council, he was little more than an infant in swaddling clothes. Therefore, he too needed outside support.

Unfortunately, Terenas did not know that in the future, Arthas would slay his own father and sweep across Lordaeron at the head of the Scourge, leaving Patrick almost no responsibility to bear for this alliance.

An old emperor who had fulfilled his duties, and a father who had given his all, yet he had such a son as Arthas. How tragic.

In Terenas’s eyes, since both sides had needs, this could no longer be called a one-sided request, but rather cooperation. You get what you want, and I get what I want. Each takes what he needs; why should either side refuse?

If the one facing Terenas now were one of the old, established great houses such as the Sunstrider or Dawnstrider families, the king would certainly have had a far more difficult time. Precisely because he knew that Councilor Patrick had only recently taken office and was still lacking firm roots, the old king put great effort into appearances: he personally received him, arranged for the entire elf delegation to stay in the inner city, and prepared the finest food and wine to entertain them. Terenas was ninety percent certain Patrick would agree to cooperate.

“A splendid proposal. Truly worthy of the lord of Lordaeron, Your Majesty Terenas,” Patrick said, his expression harmless and unreadable, leaving Terenas unable to guess his true thoughts.

For Patrick, this kind of cooperation was a blessing from heaven. It would help him rapidly expand his influence within the kingdom of Quel'Thalas, and for the Cabrol family, still seeking to grow, it was without doubt the best possible support.

Patrick, however, had his own designs for the future: when the world grew turbulent, he would successfully raise the banner of the elves once more.