Could it be that her father intended to seize this city by force? But that didn't make sense!
It wasn't that Stormwind's strength was great enough to repel an invasion from the Black Dragonflight; if hundreds of black dragons appeared, the city would have no means of resistance. The fundamental reason was that the moment the Black Dragonflight showed its face, the remaining four Dragonflights would immediately catch the scent and close in, surrounding and wiping them out.
Furthermore, even if he intended to take it by force, her father should have notified her in advance so she could make preparations within Stormwind—arranging for an army of dragonspawn, for instance. Since becoming a noble of Stormwind, Katrana had already summoned some of her dragonspawn subordinates and used draconic magic to disguise them as human guards.
"What exactly is going on? Do the black dragons truly intend to attack Stormwind?"
"Stormwind will not sit idly by; we will rise and fight back," Duke Bolvar said firmly.
"Regardless, we must be prepared for battle. Notify the army to be on high alert," King Varian added.
However, as the dragons drew closer, a few sharp-eyed soldiers noticed something strange. The flying posture of these black dragons was steady and orderly; they didn't look like a disorganized band of marauding raiders, but more like... a disciplined unit of aerial cavalry? Moreover, atop the back of the leading, most majestic black dragon, several figures seemed to be standing.
At this moment, the Black Dragon Princess on the battlements also realized something was off. They certainly looked like black dragons, but they were not the black dragons she knew. They were "black dragons that looked like black dragons." Strange—why did that sound so awkward even in her head? Where did these monsters come from?
As the Princess of the Black Dragonflight, she could clearly perceive that these creatures possessed neither the power of the Earth nor the corruption of the Old Gods. Their appearance was virtually identical to Azerothian black dragons, save for a few yellow scales near the navel, but such a detail was indistinguishable to mortals.
Several giant question marks popped up over Katrana's head. What the hell is going on? What is actually happening?
Just at the hair-trigger moment when the garrison commander was about to order the attack, a loud, steady voice—amplified by magic—thundered across the entire rampart like rolling lightning.
"Guards of Stormwind! Lower your weapons! I am Rhodes—Regent of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, Grand Marshal certified by the Alliance High Command, Vice-Commander of the Order of the Silver Hand, Disciple of the Demigod Cenarius, Ally of Quel'Thalas, and Practitioner of the Holy Light! These are my mounts and guards, not enemies!" Rhodes roared at the top of his lungs.
This long string of titles left the Stormwind nobles and soldiers on the battlements utterly dazed. Wasn't that introduction a bit... excessive?
Even King Varian's lip twitched. He naturally knew who was coming; not long ago, the exiled Princess of Lordaeron had sent word that the Prince-Consort of Lordaeron and Grand Marshal of the Alliance would soon arrive. However, Stormwind harbored a certain level of dissatisfaction regarding Rhodes' status.
Firstly, the title of Regent of Lordaeron was fine—that was an internal Lordaeron matter which Stormwind was willing to recognize. But the title of "Grand Marshal of the Alliance" wasn't something to be taken lightly.
It was a rank that commanded all the armies of the Alliance; in a sense, the entire military of Stormwind should technically follow the orders of the Alliance Grand Marshal.
Yet, Rhodes's status as Grand Marshal hadn't been voted on by the various kings; he had claimed it himself. Even if he eventually gained the recognition of Princess Calia, the Silver Hand, and other races within the Alliance, Stormwind had received no official notice, nor had they been invited to a summit to discuss it.
Many things had happened this past year. First, the Scourge had hit Lordaeron. By the time the intelligence actually arrived, and before Stormwind could react, Arthas had already killed his father, King Terenas, and turned his kingdom into a wasteland. When the disaster first struck, Varian had actually wanted to send Stormwind's army to help.
Over a decade ago, during the Second War, the Kingdom of Stormwind had been destroyed and Varian's father killed. It was Sir Lothar who had taken them across the sea to seek refuge in Lordaeron. At the time, King Terenas had treated them with great hospitality and, through his own efforts, rallied the races of the Alliance to form the Expedition and appointed Sir Lothar as the Supreme Commander.
They launched a counter-offensive against the orcs, and after a grueling struggle, the Second War ended in total victory for the human-led Alliance. The Horde was utterly defeated, and most orcs were reduced to slavery.
Afterward, the Alliance Expedition went to Outland. The Kingdom of Lordaeron had shown immense kindness to Stormwind, but the nobles within Stormwind didn't see it that way. They believed that "distant water cannot put out a nearby fire." Just gathering and training troops from Stormwind's various territories and shipping them to the battlefields of the Eastern Kingdoms would have taken at least half a year. By then, the Scourge would have already destroyed Lordaeron. Their duty was to protect their own kingdom and people, not to launch a crusade to save another nation.
If the Princess of Lordaeron wanted to come as a refugee, she would be welcomed, but they would not send a massive army to save her kingdom. Varian understood that Stormwind had not yet recovered its strength, so he could only watch as Lordaeron fell and the Princess fled to Kalimdor.
He had expected the Scourge to march south and attack Stormwind, but instead, they crossed the sea to Kalimdor. Later, news arrived that the Burning Legion had been defeated at Mount Hyjal by a coalition of the Alliance and Horde.
Following that, Rhodes returned to Lordaeron, regained control of the remnants of the kingdom, and launched several large-scale campaigns to thoroughly purge the undead. He even drove the traitor Arthas far away to Northrend.
(The outside world didn't know exactly why Arthas returned to Northrend; Rhodes publicly claimed he had heavily wounded Arthas, forcing the traitor to retreat.)
What followed was even more fantastical: the High Elves—now Blood Elves—rejoined the Alliance, and a portal was opened between Azeroth and the orcish homeworld. This allowed the Expeditionary Force, missing for nearly fifteen years, to return home.
Not long ago, several thousand Stormwind veterans had returned to their homeland. These veterans, and the generals leading them, spoke of Rhodes with the highest praise, calling him the "Son of the Light," a hero as brave as Lothar and Turalyon, and an enforcer of the Light's will.
Since then, the Kingdom of Stormwind had been very wary of this "Rhodes," primarily because they didn't know in what capacity to face him.
Varian sighed and shook his head toward Bolvar, who immediately understood. Bolvar waved his hand, ordering the soldiers to stand down and sheath their bows. "Put your weapons away. These are not enemies."
By now, Rhodes—accompanied by Anveena, Jaina, and the blue dragon girl—had landed on the battlements of Stormwind.
Only at such close range did the soldiers realize just how terrifying a black dragon was. A single dragon standing on the wall almost blotted out the sun. Their massive wings, thick bodies, powerful limbs, and razor-sharp fangs all screamed of the Black Dragonflight's might. And there were four of them.
Some of the soldiers began to tremble, feeling an invisible pressure weighing down on them. This was the unique "Dragon Awe" of the flight; common lifeforms naturally feel fear when facing dragons.
"Lord Regent Rhodes, welcome to Stormwind. You should have given us some notice so we could prepare a proper welcome, rather than appearing in such a... high-profile manner," Varian said, eyeing the four dragons. Is he trying to give Stormwind a show of force? This guy looks like he's looking for trouble. Is it because he resents Stormwind for not helping during Lordaeron's darkest hour?
"King Varian, I recently visited Quel'Thalas, and on the way here, there was a small 'interlude' where I had to deal with an undead traitor. Afterward, through a stroke of luck, I acquired these black dragon mounts.
I was quite worried that I would arrive too late and miss the coronation of the Princess as Queen, so I ordered the dragons to fly at full speed. I apologize for the distress caused to you and your people," Rhodes said, nodding to Varian.
As the saying goes, just as there are not two suns in the sky, there cannot be two masters in one land. The old Alliance had always been under the absolute leadership of Lordaeron, and the King of Lordaeron held the final word. In the original timeline, after Lordaeron fell, leadership passed to Stormwind.
But now things were different: Lordaeron was reclaiming its former power. Stormwind had no intention of being a vassal; Varian had ambitions—or rather, the Stormwind nobles did. Who would want to be subservient to someone else?
"Please come inside, Lord Rhodes. I imagine we have much to discuss. Allow me to show you our hospitality first. As for your dragon mounts... I'm afraid there is no room for them within the city. Perhaps let them stay outside for a while?" King Varian suggested.
But before Rhodes could answer, Countess Katrana stepped forward. "Lord Rhodes, I must ask—where did your black dragons come from? As far as I know, black dragons are evil creatures. Have you perhaps sided with Neltharion, the Black Dragon King?"
"Why couldn't it be that Neltharion has sided with me?" Rhodes replied with a faint, enigmatic smile.
Katrana rolled her eyes in response. With you? Please.