had thought better of them as a whole. I had thought you—”
“I have done what I thought best,” Thrall said, then added under his breath, “though now sometimes I question.” More loudly, he said, “We have a violent history, Jaina. And the more fate forces us toward simply surviving, the closer to the bone we must pare.”
“Have you received Varian’s courier?”
The grimace deepened. “I have.” They both knew what the courier’s letter had said. Varian had been very controlled in the missive—for him. He had demanded that Thrall issue a formal apology, reaffirm his dedication to the treaty, denounce the actions, and turn over those responsible to Alliance justice. Varian would then agree to overlook the “blatant violation to a treaty designed to promote peace and cooperation between our two peoples.”
“What are you going to do? Do you know who did it?”
“I do not have proof, but I have my suspicions. I cannot approve of the action.”
“Well, of course you can’t,” Jaina said, looking at him uncertainly. “Thrall, what’s wrong?”
He sighed. “I cannot approve of it,” he repeated, “but I will not do as Varian demands.”
She stared at him for a moment, mouth slightly open in shock. “What do you mean? Varian believes you deliberately broke the treaty. His request wasn’t unreasonable, and he will have the perfect excuse to escalate the situation. We could be looking at outright war!”
He held up a large green hand. “Please. Listen to me. I will send a letter to Varian, stating that I did not condone the incursion. I will seek out those responsible. I’ve no desire for war. But I cannot apologize for the violence, nor will I turn over any suspects to the Alliance. They are Horde. They will be judged by Horde. To give them to Varian—no. It is a betrayal of my people’s trust on far too many levels. And frankly … it is wrong. Varian would never stand for such a request from me, nor should he.”
“Thrall, if you didn’t give the order, then you’re not responsible, and—”
“But I am responsible. I lead my people. It is one thing to rebuke my people for violating a law. It is another to appear to attack their sense of self. Their very identity. You do not understand how the Horde thinks, Jaina,” Thrall said quietly. “That is one thing my unique upbringing granted me. To understand how things are perceived from both sides. My people hunger, they thirst for clean water, they must have wood for housing. They believe they were wronged when the night elves closed the trade routes. They see this unwillingness to fill basic needs as a brutal act—and someone, somewhere, decided to retaliate in kind.”
“Slaughtering night elves and removing their skins is in-kind retaliation for closed trade?” Her voice rose.
“Closed trade permits children to starve, to be exposed to the elements, to become sick. The logic … I can follow it. And so can others. If I were to condemn this attack openly, when it successfully provided something so desperately needed—it would seem as though I am condemning that need. I would look weak, and believe me, there are plenty who would like to take advantage of such a moment of perceived vulnerability. It is a treacherous path I walk, my friend. I must rebuke them—but only to a point. I will apologize for the violation of a treaty, but not for the theft, or even the murders or how they were performed.”
“I am—disappointed that you choose this path, Thrall,” Jaina said, being completely honest.
“Your opinion matters to me. It always does. Nonetheless, I will not grovel before Varian, nor play down the desperate survival needs of my people.”
Jaina was silent for a long moment, her arms folded tight across her chest, looking down at the ground. “I think I understand,” she replied finally, the words coming slowly, bitterly. “Light, how I hate to say that. But one thing you need to understand is how very badly the Wrath Gate incident harmed your relationship with the Alliance. We lost almost five thousand at the Wrath Gate alone, Thrall. And in particular, the loss of Highlord Bolvar Fordragon was personally felt by so very many.”
“As was the loss of Saurfang the Younger,” Thrall said. “The best and brightest sliced down in his prime, then raised to … well. Do not think the Horde escaped lightly from this conflict.”
“Oh, I don’t. But—it is hard to bear. Especially when so many of the fallen died at Horde hands and