Chapter Text
Anduin woke up in a cold sweat and gasping for breath. It wasn't nightly, but he still was suffering from some various recurring dreams. The first was simple enough for him to understand, the first was his sense of guilt, the faces of those he and his forces have killed and the faces of the men he had lead to their deaths. The war was already costly and it hadn't even lead up to the battle that Anduin hoped would be the single great battle to end it all, the one where certainly a great number of men would die.
The second dream, that dream was certainly harder to interpret. But the rats, the moving bones and the suits of armor with flesh, Anduin was concerned about whatever was on Mallus. Both the Undead and Skaven were threats he knew and they and the Empire even all expressed a concern over some other force called chaos and from what was described...he feared that they might be able to kill a good number of villages before the Alliance could stop them, perhaps more.
The last however, was the hardest to understand. While he could possibly understand the fear of seeing Stormwind destroyed, its citizens lost forever. This dream was oddly different, like the land was being consumed, everyone and everything becoming something else and eventually sinking into the sea. Perhaps there was far more subconscious thought or fears in this dream because it didn't feel in line with the other two. Even so, Anduin knew that he couldn't let these dreams drive him. Fear was not something to allow to control him, fear could not paralyze him into inaction or drive him into cruelty.
But now he was awake and certainly with how close both sunrise and the start of his day was Anduin could not go back to sleep. Not with the threat of more nightmares, and the possibility of oversleeping a very real thing. Besides he could always call upon the light to give him energy for the day when the time came.
Instead Anduin slowly rose from his bed, dressed himself in one of his more 'casual' suits and made his way to the Cathedral of Light with a small escort of guards. It was so early in the morning that the young king almost failed to draw any sort of crowd, this time only a small gathering of interested onlookers who watched his every step with interest before setting off to start their days before the rising of the sun, or end their busy nights.
Soon after entering thr Cathedral however Anduin learned that High Priestess Laurena was still asleep and no one else of rank was available. Even Mia Greymane who had been being tended to and in turn tending to the Kaldorei refugees here had left to spend the night with her husband. Anduin came seeking guidance and he had come too early and perhaps with too much doubt.
Yet, not counting his bodyguard and the early morning priests, Anduin was certainly not alone. Virtually sequestered away in a corner of the Cathedral lit only by candle light Volkmar the Grim, Grand Theogonist of those calling themselves the Cult of Sigmar sat over a simplistic desk, fingers blackened by a layer of graphite as the man took the time to painstakingly draw upon a large sheet of paper.
Driven by curiosity and without anyone else to speak to the King of Stormwind walked to the Imperial's corner of the Cathedral. Even as he approached many of the awake Reiksguard Knights rose to their feet taking formal defensive positions around the Grand Theogonist, but for his own part Volkmar didn't respond to Anduin's approach if he even registered it. The man was entirely focused on his work, and as Anduin neared he could finally begin to see what the other man was so intently working on.
On the desk well lit by a series of candles was a map. The map detailed what Anduin was certain was the Empire. While not what Anduin assumed to be a perfect map it was certainly far more detailed than the one Adventurers frequently used and even marked and gave information on cities and landmarks in the Empire. From it's western most border and a nearby city of marienburg, to the the Empire's eastern most borders marked with the mountains and small depictions of what Anduin assumed to be the Mallus versions of the Dwarves.
Near the city of Altdorf there was also a drawing of a man done in painstaking detail. Holding a hammer and dressed in barbaric garbs that wouldn't have been out of place alongside the companions of Thoradin which was quite the divergence from the aesthetic of the Imperials that Anduin was used to. Still while certainly not a artist, the care and detail Volkmar was putting into his work, particularly the drawing of that barbarian was something Anduin took note of.
After several minutes of watching the other man drawing his map Volkmar eventually paused his work, checking on his candles and using a water basin to wash his fingers of the graphite that had built up on them. As Volkmar tended to the candles Anduim stepped forward and cleared his throat.
Without looking up from his work the Grand Theogonist spoke. "Greetings King Anduin, what is it you want this morning?"
How Volkmar knew with such certainty it was him, Anduin didn't know but that didn't matter. Instead the King asked the first question immediately on his mind. "Why are you drawing a map of the Empire? I'm sure we might have one so there shouldn't be a need for you to make one for us.'
"This isn't for you. It is for me, the Empire is Sigmar's land, the realm he created and everything I do is for Sigmar and to thus best serve him, I and my fellow countrymen are to serve for the betterment of his Empire." The Priest of the Sigmaritte cult stated with unwavering certainty.
"Well then, why choose to stay here, wouldn't you better serve the Empire and your god from Stormwind Keep?" Anduin then inquired of the Priest while watching as several Night Elves either returned into the cathedral or came up into the main area mostly loitering about with nothing to do.
Volkmar stopped and looked Anduin in the eye. "We are new to this strange land you call your world and some normalcy is good for the heart. Besides look about you, see that man there mr. Bishop Arther, strange name, strange faith allows himself to be too impacted by the failings of others rather than holding strong to his own faith. And then there are these Kaldorei, that one there is mourning the loss of his brother, and she is still waiting for news of her sister's return from the battlefield, and that one is waiting for his spouse to be heal edin the cathedral below."
As Volkmar spoke Bishop Arthur walked past, his eyes sweeping the room analyzing everything with severe scrutiny. Meanwhile one of the Kaldorei men sat in a pew where he cried softly, and a woman stood pacing while watching the door, and lastly Volkmar pointed to a male looking down the stairs towards the lower levels of the cathedral.
"On their own the lives of these people are meaningless to the Empire. None of them are my countrymen, and none of them feel the slightest loyalty to Sigmar nor the Emperor. But I have to consider the future of Sigmar's Empire. What if these people seek refuge in the Empire, how can I guarantee their loyalty and the benefit to the Empire, what about the future with trade or if they try to include us in a war, or if I can somehow earn enough good favor that they fight alongside the Empire when we need it. The Dwarfs are not subjects but the allies and friends of Sigmar, and so the Cult of Sigmar has worked hard to maintain that friendship and to ensure the Empire's benefit. For now a little charity is certain to go a long way." As the Grand Theogonist explained his logic Anduin conceded to himself that while for certainly selfish reasons, at least in the scope of kingdoms, Volkmar was still doing what would be good for the people of Darnassus and he probably shouldn't challenge the man's reasoning.
"Volkmar, do dreams hold any meaning for your people?" While Volkmar was certainly of a different world and culture, perhaps his perspective was something that could shed new light on Anduin's doubts. Besides Volkmar's God was certainly a worthy champion of the light perhaps even someone on par with a Naaru at the least, or so Anduin had argued to the Church of the Light.
"They are often means by which the gods communicate with us though they are typically the domain of Morr so he most frequently issues prophecy through dreams. Why? What dreams have you had?" Volkmar responded.
"I have only one I need help interpreting." Anduin began with a even tone. "I have been having a dream of Stormwind being consumed by darkness as a red eye watches. Tentacles grasping our citizens and them changing into things I can not recognize and then the entire kingdom sinking into the sea." The King of Stormwind explained while the Grand Theogonist listened carefully.
"It sounds like a warning about chaos from the Gods. The Dark Gods warp people into monsters, change others into daemons, and make one's own body into their crafted tool for their own amusement. I can see no other possibilities." Anduin resisted rolling his eyes, there were no Chaos Gods, not on Azeroth and the Burning Legion was already defeated, he would be far better served in this by asking the priests. But for now socializing with and learning about Volkmar and his culture was proving both interesting and useful in easing his mind.