Recently, a wave of heated discussion swept through the major cities of the Night Elf Republic, including Astranaar, Eldre'Thalas, Shandaral, and Moonshadow's Rest.
The focus of the discussion was not the Naga who habitually crawled ashore on the west coast every year for mating, nor that blind man locked in a prison shouting "You are not prepared!", and certainly not some legendary emerging nation across the Great Sea.
Andreas Moonshadow—Chief Archon of the Night Elf Republic, Speaker of the High Council, member of the Cenarion Circle, High Priest of the Church of Night Shadow, and the Favored of Elune—had finally reached the pinnacle of his life after two thousand years of patient waiting.
A grand wedding ceremony was held in the capital, Astranaar. The two parties were none other than the High Council Speaker, Andreas Moonshadow, and the Sentinel General, Shandris Feathermoon.
The union of these two powerful figures, who respectively held the reins of political and military power, led many self-proclaimed "experts" in political analysis to speculate wildly. They whispered that the Republic's weather was about to change, and a dictator spanning both the military and political realms was about to be born.
However, to the high-level officials of the Republic who knew the truth, this day was merely a matter of time. The wedding was simply a formalization of a long-standing reality.
As for dictatorship, it was utter nonsense. Deploying the army required the approval of the High Council, and Andreas clearly didn't have the final say alone; at the very least, Tyrande would never allow him to engage in autocracy... even though she had done so herself in the past.
Andreas and Shandris requested that the ceremony be kept as simple as possible, but the citizens across the nation spontaneously began to decorate their cities. Moonshadow's Rest, the city built by Andreas himself, was particularly enthusiastic.
Although Andreas had left Moonshadow's Rest to take up his post in Astranaar, this pearl of Kalimdor's west coast had not lost its brilliant luster.
Every year, the offshore trade on the west coast brought a massive amount of tax revenue to the Republic.
The Tauren of Mashan'she and the Shen'dralar of Eldre'Thalas would always choose to travel by ship first, making the prosperous coastal city of Moonshadow's Rest their first choice of destination.
Under the blessings of ten thousand citizens, Andreas and Shandris completed their wedding, officially becoming husband and wife—family.
Shandris temporarily handed over the affairs of the Sentinels to her adjutant, Summer Moon, settling down at home to await the arrival of the new life.
With his own flesh and blood about to be born, Andreas once considered dropping all his work to stay home with his wife and child. A mix of amused and frustrated figures, including Fandral and Celeste, had to restrain the currently light-headed Speaker.
"Can you really trust Tyrande with the administration? Aren't you worried she'll seize the chance to stir up trouble during your year of rest?"
Fandral's earnest words brought Andreas back to his senses, and he finally decided to suppress his inner excitement and continue fulfilling his duties.
However, a moment later, a certain fellow with a sly grin made Andreas want to take off his shoe and smack him on the spot.
"Hehe~ Andreas, look, we have such a good relationship. If Shandris gives birth to a girl, how about letting her be with my Valstann... Wait! Don't get excited, I was just making a sugges—Puwah!"
Andreas didn't move, but Shandris did. Watching Fandral twitching on the ground, the still-fuming Shandris seemed ready to follow up with another strike. Andreas could only smile bitterly and signal Leticia's trio to hold her back.
Valstann Staghelm was Fandral's most precious only son... In fact, the vast majority of Night Elves were only children. Given their dismal fertility rate, twins like Illidan and Malfurion were exceedingly rare.
Fandral's character was brave and decisive. Compared to the somewhat indecisive Malfurion, who spent most of his time in the Emerald Dream, Fandral's prestige in the country had been rising steadily in recent years.
However, Andreas, who had been friends with Fandral for many years, knew very well that there were many flaws in his personality.
First was his excessive doting on his family.
It wasn't that caring for family was bad, but Fandral's concern was clearly over the top, reaching the level of pure indulgence.
Fortunately, Valstann himself was capable. Although raised somewhat arrogantly by Fandral, his abilities were beyond doubt.
Valstann, who had worked hard since childhood, was now a member of the Cenarion Circle. While Fandral's influence played a part, his own talent was a significant factor.
Fandral practically treated Valstann like a fragile treasure. Andreas, along with colleagues like Shaun, Lensa, and Koda, had advised him many times. Finally, Fandral had loosened his grip slightly, allowing Valstann to grow on his own.
Second was his impulsive and irritable temper. This guy was indeed reliable when calm, but once his temper flared... probably only Valstann's words could reach him.
Setting aside the fact that it wasn't even certain if Shandris was carrying a boy or a girl, even if it were a daughter, Andreas would absolutely never want her to marry into the Staghelm family. Ghost only knew how a doting father like Fandral would treat his daughter-in-law.
Fortunately, Fandral had only made the suggestion on a whim. Seeing Shandris still glaring at him with anger in her eyes, he quickly backed down.
A short year was not long... at least not by Night Elf standards.
Andreas worked hard every day, suppressing his excitement and looking forward to the future.
The high officials of the Republic recently saw the Speaker with a constant smile on his face. Andreas, whose administrative style was usually quite strict, had recently relaxed his demands on officials—a change that Maiev had voiced her disapproval of.
While the exceptionally capable Onyxia remained at Andreas's side as his secretary, Leticia and Celeste took a voluntary leave of absence to go home and care for Shandris.
Ten months later, under the attention of the entire nation, Shandris successfully gave birth to a child—a girl.
Fandral, who hadn't held much hope, immediately became excited again, only calming down when he saw the dark-faced Andreas gripping a shoe in his hand.
Before giving birth, Shandris had asked Andreas whether he preferred a boy or a girl. Andreas had answered truthfully: it didn't matter, he would love either.
After receiving permission from the birthing priestess, Andreas strode into the room. Shandris was leaning against the headboard, her forehead drenched in sweat. She held a wrinkled little thing in her arms, her usually heroic face now glowing with maternal radiance.
Andreas nervously rubbed his hands together. Sitting by the bed, his first act was to tenderly wipe the sweat from Shandris's brow.
"You've worked hard. Are you feeling alright?"
Shandris had undergone high-intensity training since childhood; her physical condition was far superior to that of an average person, and her recovery after childbirth was swift.
While soothing the crying little one in her arms, Shandris said with a smile, "Of course I'm fine. Do you want to hold our daughter?"
"May I?"
Shandris rolled her eyes. "Nonsense. You're her father."
Andreas's hands trembled slightly as he took his daughter from Shandris. The newborn wasn't very plump yet, looking quite wrinkled and not particularly "pretty," but Andreas felt as if he were holding the most precious treasure in the world. A smile broke across his face involuntarily.
Seeing the genuine joy on her husband's face, Shandris felt a deep sense of happiness. "Have you thought of a name for her yet?"
"Yes."
Strangely enough, the child who had been crying just moments ago suddenly quieted down in Andreas's arms, making unintelligible baby sounds like "wu-wa" and "a-pa."
Lifting his daughter high, Andreas said happily, "Aurora. Aurora Moonshadow. I hope this child will bring the light of dawn to Azeroth in the future."