Chapter 412: Turning the Tables - Part 1

What was the second choice?

When the first choice was presented, everyone present understood what the so-called second choice was.

Almost every noble, every general's face turned as pale as a corpse, devoid of color.

Betrayal?

How could this be!?

Betrayal had happened before, the Bloodsail Pirates had done it, but it was later proven that they were coerced. Not only did Duke, the deputy commander of the Alliance, testify to this, but the Bloodsail fleet also sent over 100,000 orcs to the bottom of the sea to wash away their shame.

Now, their own king was hinting at surrendering Alterac, or worse, joining the Horde?

How could this be!?

General Haas stood up straight, his heavy breathing causing his thick grey beard to flutter: "We are part of the nine nations of the Alliance, we have sworn to fight against the evil Horde with the other nations."

"The Alliance? What can the Alliance do?" King Aiden waved his arms frantically: "I have sent fifteen urgent pleas for help to Lothar. Each time, Lothar told me 'The Alliance's front in Silverpine Forest cannot spare more troops, Alterac should coordinate with Deputy Commander Marcus'."

When Aiden got to this point, every general and noble perked up their ears.

"Alright, I humbly asked that boy who hasn't even grown a full beard for help, and guess how he responded? Ten thousand Stormwind soldiers and ten thousand Lordaeron soldiers? Hell! They were all farmers three weeks ago, and they won't arrive in Alterac until a week from now at the earliest. Damn it! The Horde's main force is right under our noses!"

Duke Barov's eyebrows twitched.

General Haas seemed to want to defend Duke: "Your Majesty, you know, the mountain roads of Alterac have always been terrible. From receiving the news to dispatching reinforcements, Deputy Commander Marcus has done his best..."

"Shut up! Haas!" Aiden shouted: "Detecting the enemy's movements is that whelp's responsibility! If he can't do it, it's dereliction of duty! When Alterac needs the Alliance, where are they? I'll tell you, they're not here! Seven days!? Are they coming to collect our bodies in seven days?"

Faced with the threat of death, the nobles of Alterac began to tremble.

"We can hold out, relying on Alterac's terrain."

"Hold out?" The king sneered, his next move escalating their fear.

With a wave of his hand, a frozen, long-dead orc 'specimen' was pushed into the room by a guard on a cart.

Aiden used a very vivid example to show all the nobles what an orc looked like.

"My God! They're as tall as trolls, but twice as sturdy!"

"Damn, look at his muscular build, those sharp tusks, does he eat people?"

When three guards struggled to lift a huge warhammer and dropped it on the ground, shattering the floor tiles, all the nobles turned pale, their eyes bulging, staring at the cracks spreading on the tiles.

The king's voice rang out again.

"Do you see? My vassals! Their warhammers require three men to lift, yet these creatures swing them effortlessly, shattering our soldiers' shields! No one can resist them! Seven days!? What a joke! Seven days is enough for them to kill us all three times over! They've already destroyed Stormwind, half of Quel'Thalas, and leveled the entire Arathi Highlands. If we don't do something, the next place they'll destroy is Alterac!"

A nobleman asked shakily, "Can't the Stormwind soldiers within our borders do something?"

"When that damned Stormwind kingdom needed help, Alterac gave them food, even our land for refuge. How did that guy, Llane, repay us? In the name of the Light, they actually started farming and settling on the land we lent them for refuge!"

When Aiden got to this point, the faces of the nobles were not looking good.

If it was just aiding refugees, that would be fine. They could cut off the food supply and force the people of Stormwind to become cannon fodder.

But now?

They helped the refugees, but the refugees acted like they owned the land and refused to leave. They farmed and built cities, making their camps more solid than the Broken Ridge Castle on the mountain of Alterac. Wasn't this like saving bandits, and the master being driven out?

"We joined the Alliance to gain the power to protect our kingdom in such situations, but now the Horde is right under our noses, where is our precious Alliance? They have abandoned us, don't you understand?" He knew his voice was nearing hysteria and tried to calm down: "Now is the time for each kingdom to consider itself, I must consider Alterac's interests first. Any other king would do the same."

King Aiden made so much sense that for a moment the generals and nobles were left speechless.

Alterac is the smallest of the seven human kingdoms, with a standing army of less than ten thousand. After losing several regiments, all that was left in Alterac were over five thousand soldiers and less than a hundred thousand citizens. They could not possibly be a match for the ferocious Horde main force.

"My generals, my vassals, the situation has changed." Aiden reminded everyone, he also noticed that he was sweating - almost everyone below noticed this: "We don't have many choices left. For example, Alterac is no longer part of the Alliance from this day forth. Believe me, this path is almost the only choice for us. For example, a non-aggression pact, we will not interfere with their march through the mountains, and they guarantee the safety of the Kingdom of Alterac."

Everyone was taken aback, and a violent commotion quickly spread.

Most of the generals looked disgusted, angry, or saddened, while the faces of the nobles were uncertain.

"Your Majesty! You are forcing us to become slaves to those cruel, bloodthirsty beasts who only know how to slaughter cities."

"Make a deal with those beasts? Your Majesty, are you sure they won't eat us first when they're hungry?"

Aiden keenly noticed the change in his vassals' thoughts.

"I am fortunate that the Horde's Warchief, Orgrim Doomhammer, is a wise and great leader who speaks Common. I have his promise to not attack us, in exchange for us not blocking their path. Please note, we have no choice. Gentlemen, sign this contract agreeing to our next actions, let us, the people of Alterac, face our own destiny together."