Anduin slipped out of the meeting room, hands clenching and unclenching rhythmically at his sides. Nothing was going the way he thought it should.

"You look so tense, my prince," Wrathion's teasing voice floated to him as he entered his personal rooms and Anduin actually found himself relaxing. At least he knew Wrathion was manipulating him for sure, it wasn't like with the other Alliance leaders, where he thought it was happening but couldn't prove it.

"Stop pretending like you weren't listening in." That got him a chuckle. It might have been a few years, but Wrathion was still small enough in his true form to hide in all sorts of convenient places around Stormwind Keep.

Anduin sat down in his favorite chair, relieved to see a pot of warm tea and snack awaited him. It wasn't unusual to get back so late even the servants had failed to plan for it.

"Greymane and Tyrande are proving QUITE bloodthirsty, aren't they?" Wrathion grinned and snatched up a sandwich as if he'd actually waited for Anduin to eat.

"You say that as if that's not your favorite quality in a person."

Wrathion have an obviously fake look of shock. "But how could it be, when you're one of my favorite people?"

"Bloodthirstiness or a willingness to put up with you for long periods of time tied for first, then."

With a sigh, Wrathion got up from where he was perched so he could flop down on the arm of Anduin's chair and half in his lap. "As we've already discussed, the...unforeseen consequences of my little escapade with Garrosh has shown me I might have been...hasty to dismiss your suggestions. And with the aftereffects of Sargeras' attack still so obvious, a united front is still important."

Anduin scratched under Wrathion's chin, a sort of touch he'd only allow in private. Or as private as the room could get, as Anduin knew at least one of Wrathion's guards would be lurking in the shadows.

"That would have been a lot easier to do if Vol'jin still led the Horde."

"Mm, or if he'd made the expected choice for his successor and named Baine. You and he would probably be having playdates in Orgimmar as we speak."

Flicking Wrathion's snout and rolling his eyes, Anduin distracted himself with his food. "Sylvanas is ruthless, but not without reason. The real problem is Genn. And Tyrande since...well, the accident. She's convinced the Horde did it on purpose."

"She sees an undead blood elf as an easy target for hate. Certainly she's been goading her people with it."

"There's just… Something not right. About the night elves and the worgen. Even the normally reasonable ones."

"Which is why you've been so eager to increase the allies you know you have within the Alliance-of course the Lightforged will follow the will of Velen's favorite student."

"I...I honestly don't know. It's my hope, but Velen himself hasn't been the same, recently, and with everything that happened I don't really blame him."

Anduin allowed himself to slump in his chair, leaning his cheek against Wrathion's scaled back. "I think I can trust the dwarves, at least. Even Moira."

Wrathion twisted out from Anduin's hold and changed into his human form, tugging Anduin up from his seat and guiding him towards the bedroom. "Even with this healthy dose of paranoia, you're still far too trusting. But don't worry, I have a plan."

"Oh, no."

"Don't give me that look. If it doesn't work, nothing worse can happen, if it does work, it will expose those trying to use you as their puppet king in a way that many relevant parties will observe."

Starting to pull off his clothing, Anduin gave Wrathion a skeptical look. "I have a sinking feeling you're being vague because you know I won't like it."

"You don't have to like it. I'm here to help you, not coddle you. Now get into that bed, it's freezing in here and I want to steal your pathetic body heat."

"You should be glad it's cold out and you're better than a heating enchantment." Anduin pulled on his nightclothes and slipped into bed, shifting so Wrathion could curl up beside him. "Goodnight, Wrathion. Goodnight, Left."

He received only murmurs from both of them in response.

"You managed to plant a recording device in Stormwind Keep?" Sylvanas' tone was as skeptical as the faces of the other leaders around her as Gallywix preened.

"Well, not me personally, of course, but I've acquired a few very worthwhile contacts there recently."

"And it's actually in the planning room King Anduin is using?" Baine's eyes narrowed, and Sylvanas wondered how much of that was the same skepticism and how much was worry for his friend.

Gallywix flipped a switch on the box before him, frowned, hit the box with his cane a few times, then flipped the switch back and forth again. There was static, then voices began to filter in. Everyone went quiet as they attempted to hear.

"NO," that was the boy king, righteous outrage clear even if his voice was faint. "That's-Stormwind's forces would take the full force of the counter, we'd be slaughtered."

"Just the ones there. You have the largest army, any of the rest of us could not afford to lose so many." That was Tyrande, her tone one that implied she thought she was being reasonable.

"Afford it? This isn't about supplies, Tyrande, this is about lives! And I refuse to send so many of my people to their deaths just so you can have some false revenge."

"False?! The Horde burned down my home!"

"We have no proof of that, the Horde seemed just as shocked as we were."

"They didn't tell their troops their entire plan, they had no need to. They were attacking us for a reason!"

"You know Sylvanas and her minions would have loved to strike such a blow against us!" Sylvanas' lips curled in disgust as Greymane added his voice to the argument.

"And I know Sylvanas' goal must have been to CAPTURE Teldrassil, not destroy parts of it. There are druids among the Horde!"

"None deserving of such teachings!"

"If we are ever going to have peace, we can't-"

"You would sacrifice us all to your fantasies of peace!"

The fighting continued, not resolving before the Alliance leaders left the room, and the leaders of the Horde exchanged glances as they let what they're heard sink in.

"They don't respect the current King of Stormwind much, if at all," Lorthemar finally said, frowning at the device. "I can't imagine any of them arguing with Varian in such a way."

"And they've shown their disdain for what the boy king holds dearest-the notion of peace between the factions." Sylvanas tapped a finger against her lips, going silent for a moment. "Gallywix!" The goblin sat up a little straighter. "I want this monitored constantly. I want any developments reported to me immediately."

When the meeting was over, no one noticed Right slipping back into the room and carefully removing the device. There were regularly security sweeps, avoiding them was key to making sure the Prince's plans worked.