"Arthur? What are you doing?"
Seeing Tirion Fordring charging toward Wayne with a blood-stained longsword, Raymond rushed forward to block him. The players in the hall, seeing the group return looking like they had crawled out of a pit of corpses, shrank back against the walls in fear.
Verdan and Rainier, however, spotted the Scarlet insignia—glowing like a burning flame—on Taelan Fordring's chest. "Scarlet... Scarlet Crusade?! Soldiers of the Alliance, prepare for battle!"
Their subordinates immediately stood up. "Sir!" they shouted, drawing their weapons and surrounding the newcomers.
"Calm down! Everyone calm down!" Chen and Marlin rushed in to pacify the crowd. Even Shadowbreaker, who had been cursing a moment ago, moved to restrain the soldiers.
"They're with us... they're with us!"
Verdan and Rainier looked at Shadowbreaker, who was still wearing a Scarlet helmet and tabard, and were stunned. "What kind of game are you playing now..."
McBride stood up as well. At first, he was as confused as the younger officers about why the Scarlet Crusade from Lordaeron would be here. But as he looked at Tirion Fordring's blood-stained face, his mouth hung open in shock.
He recognized that face. He recognized this man. This wasn't "Cesar Arcturius," the quiet man who hid under a hood and kept his head down. This was the man who had been missing for years, the one many believed to be dead...
Just then, Tirion Fordring led Taelan to Wayne. He handed Quel'Serrar to Raymond, who was following him, and then both father and son dropped to one knee.
"I..."
Tirion paused. Habitually, he wanted to announce his titles: Paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand, High Lord of Mardenholde Keep. Though he hadn't used them in years, they were the titles he had used on countless formal occasions. But as the words reached his lips, he remembered those things no longer belonged to him.
Everyone in the net cafe crowded around, exchanging confused glances as they watched the two blood-soaked men kneeling before a surprised Wayne.
Two streaks of tears rolled down Tirion's face. Seeing his father cry, Taelan could no longer contain his own emotions.
"I should have gone to find my son long ago. I should have told him I was still alive, that the Light had not abandoned me."
"But I wasted too much time... living in chaos and pain, grieving for things that might have been, or should have been but never were."
"I... Tirion Fordring, offer you my highest respect!"
He lowered his head. This posture was the highest form of etiquette a human in this world could express. Following his father's lead, the son did the same. "I... Taelan Fordring, thank you and your friends for reuniting us. I offer you all my highest respect!"
Wayne had imagined many scenarios of their return, but he hadn't expected it to be so "eye-popping." He quickly signaled Chen and Shadowbreaker, and together they helped the two men to their feet.
Wayne spoke up. "High Lord... actually... I have a request."
The crowd was startled. They hadn't expected Wayne to move to the "reward" phase so quickly. Tirion Fordring nodded; he knew he owed this young man and his companions too much. Though he lost his noble titles, he still had wealth and his considerable skills.
"If my old bones can manage it, even if—"
Wayne smiled softly. "My only request is that I hope you will rebuild the Order of the Silver Hand in your capacity as High Lord."
The room went silent, but everyone shared the same internal shock:
What?!Did I hear that right?!Miller doesn't want any personal gain, and he asks for this?
The Order of the Silver Hand... a name so great and noble, yet to many, it felt like a memory from a distant age.
Wayne then adapted and spoke the words that, in another timeline where this story ended in tragedy, should have belonged to Tirion Fordring:
"It is time for a new order to rise—an order dedicated to eradicating the evil forces tormenting this world. This is an evil that cannot be masked by politics or pleasantries."
These words meant little to the bystanders, but they were the exact thoughts Tirion had reflected on countless times during his exile by the Thondroril River. As he said, he had wasted too much time in chaos and grief. He had been trapped by his label as a traitor, watching Lordaeron fall, watching Gavinrad the Dire and Uther the Lightbringer perish, and watching his son fall under the control of the Scarlet Crusade—all without picking up his weapon again.
Taelan Fordring turned to him. "Father, I will never be separated from you again."
Shadowbreaker, who had identified as a member of the Silver Hand for years, had been waiting for a figure of enough weight to call for its restoration. He placed a hand on Tirion's shoulder. "Senior, if you are willing, I will be the first member to join the new Order."
McBride walked over as well, placing his hand over Shadowbreaker's. "High Lord, the Brotherhood of the Light welcomes you. This is the day legends become reality."
Taelan took the war banner he had once discarded and placed it in his father's hands. Tirion Fordring held it high. "From this moment... I am the leader of the new Order of the Silver Hand!"
In the room, there was no cheering or shouting, but the power of hope spread through everyone's heart in an instant. Friends embraced, and fathers and daughters held hands.
Wayne had Raymond and Pirelli take everyone to bathe and change into clean clothes, and he arranged rooms for the Fordrings on the third floor. Amy took the tattered banner back to Stormwind and repaired it on a loom. Soon, a flagpole was erected outside the net cafe, and the restored banner fluttered in the wind.
However, the progress of events exceeded Wayne's expectations. News of Tirion Fordring's return spread like wildfire.
Despite Wayne asking Dughan to station extra men near the cafe, a crowd of hundreds gathered outside the doors early the next morning. Most came to catch a glimpse of the legendary Paladin, but some shouted insults. To them, Tirion Fordring was still a traitor. As time passed, the crowd grew larger. Even the Argent Dawn sent messengers to confirm if it was truly Tirion.
Raymond, Chen, and the others were kept busy. They hung a "Closed to Guests" sign on the door early on. Following Wayne's instructions, the Fordrings stayed in their rooms on the third floor. There was no hiding now, and since they had decided to return, there was no need to hide anymore.
Dughan was forced to ask Stormwind for reinforcements to maintain order. To his surprise, Hammond Clay arrived not only with a large contingent of Royal Guards but also with an arrest warrant.
"According to the laws of the Kingdom of Stormwind, a criminal sentenced to exile may not return to kingdom territory. The Stormwind Defense Force, acting on the orders of the High Commander, is here to take Tirion Fordring into custody for violating his exile."
Wayne, however, already had a counter-strategy, thanks to Marlin and Arator. The former was an old scholar who read everything he could find, and the latter had majored in law during his time at the Church of the Holy Light. The two had spent half the night with Wayne, the Fordrings, and Shadowbreaker discussing how to avoid legal repercussions.
The original events were a tragedy, and the four men who had judged Tirion were now all "dead," including Prince Arthas Menethil, who had still possessed a conscience back then. Furthermore, while Stormwind continued the Alliance's government, everyone knew the final order had been issued by the Royal Council of Lordaeron.
Because thousands were now gathered outside the net cafe, Hammond Clay's men couldn't immediately push through to enter. They spent a great deal of effort alongside Dughan's men just to manage the crowd.
Just as Clay prepared to lead his men into the cafe, Wayne stepped out.
"You have no authority to take anyone from my property."
Hammond Clay held the warrant in front of Wayne. "Baron, look closely. This is an arrest warrant personally signed by General Marcus Jonathan, High Commander of the Stormwind Defense Force. Obstructing its execution is a serious crime."
Wayne replied, "Since you know I am a Baron of Stormwind, let me remind you: neither Marcus Jonathan nor even Bolvar has the right to take anyone from my private property. Furthermore, what makes you so sure Tirion Fordring is inside?"