A/N

Little case of taking Medivh's Hearthstone trailer and turning it into narrative form. Go figure.

A Game Worth Playing

"The Kirin Tor will tell you that mastering the magical arts is like learning the rules of a game."

"I don't recall them ever using that language."

"Perhaps not. But you no doubt are aware of the…rules, they enforce."

The rules. Khadgar noticed the hesitation in Medivh's voice. Did the wizard have another word in mind, or was he simply reluctant to voice his thoughts? In the banquet hall of Karazhan, there was no-one but the master and the apprentice.

"There are rules," he said. "How to use magic. What magic not to use."

"Necromancy. Fel magic."

"Yes, those," said Khadgar. Medivh seemed to be warming to the subject. "And, of course, the more mundane aspects of life. That for all our magic, we still need to eat, for instance."

"Eat." Medivh just sat there, his words echoing in the chamber. He pushed his plate to one side, the food barely touched. Appearing out of the gloom, Cook arrived to take it away. An instant later she disappeared back into the gloom. Khadgar sat there himself, unsure whether it would be polite to declare himself full as well, or to keep eating, lest he not offend his hosts.

"They are fools."

And right now, he wasn't feeling hungry.

"True power," the Guardian of Tirisfal said, swirling his cup, "is taken by those brave enough to break boundaries." He took a sip. "The Kirin Tor themselves know this."

"I don't think-"

"No, you do think, young trust." Medivh chuckled, his voice sounding both amused, and morose. "You know why you are here."

"To learn from the greatest wizard in Azeroth."

"Yes, and send whatever you learn back to the Violet Citadel." He swirled the wine in his cup, though Khadgar couldn't see it through the gold. "The game." He took another sip. "It is all a game. The Kirin Tor have sent an apprentice to consort with a cranky old man who knows more than the entire council put together."

Khadgar said nothing. He couldn't make a joke at the words, as they were no doubt true.

"Power," Medivh said, "is achieved when one goes against the rules." He slammed his cup down on the table. Once again appearing out of the gloom, Cook appeared to refill it.

"My mother, for instance," Medivh said. "She refused to play by the Council of Tirisfal's rules. She met my father. She had me as a son. She did…well, a great many things, that I shall not bore you with here."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind-"

"Thoradin, leader of the Arathi," Medivh continued, ignoring his apprentice. "Did he play by the rules, the expected status quo of the human tribes? No. He rallied our kind. Drove back the trolls. Forged an empire that covered the entire continent."

Khadgar knew his history. But he let the magus keep talking.

"The Houses of Wrynn, of Menethil, the Proudmoores…" Medivh sighed. "Power seized by those who could grab it, establishing dynasties that have lasted centuries. We accept rulers because it is the norm. But power…well, power is always there for the taking."

"And is that it?"

Medivh looked at Khadgar.

"Power," Khadgar repeated. "But about wisdom?"

"Is this a debate?" Medivh laughed. "Does the apprentice seek to spar with the master?"

"No. The apprentice seeks to learn from the master. That from interactions with the master, he may gain wisdom."

"And power? Do you seek that as well?"

"I…" Khadgar took a breath, before continuing. "I would not deny that power has an allure. I would like to think that power comes from wisdom, yet power can also facilitate the discovery of wisdom. I also accept that you do, indeed, outrank me in power, wisdom, and…well, no doubt many things."

"Then you accept that I am Medivh, the Guardian of Tirisfal," the magus said. "That you know nothing, compared to me. That I could reduce you to your constituent atoms with a thought, and dispatch them across the winds of the Nether."

Khadgar took a sip of his own wine, before saying, "yes. I don't doubt that you could do that."

Medivh smiled. Actually smiled. Smiled so much that Khadgar almost smiled back.

"Very good," he said. The wizard lay back in his chair. "Magic is a game, young trust. It is one I play to win. As my mother did before me, as the Kirin Tor does, as do de…well, other…things. And peoples." He sighed. "A game. No rules. There haven't been rules for so…so long."

And the smile faded. Faded so rapidly Khadgar was left to wonder if it would ever return.

"Now then," Medivh said, beckoning to Cook. "How about some desert?"