"Don't worry, Rhodes. Grand Admiral Daelin personally promised me that during my and Uther's absence, he would safeguard Theramore and would not proactively provoke conflict with the Horde. Uther also believes that, given his honor, he will keep his word," Princess Calia said.
She naturally knew what Rhodes was worried about, but as far as she was concerned, the matter had been settled.
"You can rest easy, Rhodes," Uther added. "Admiral Daelin may harbor a deep-seated hatred for the Orcs, but he is a man who prioritizes the big picture. If he truly intended to wage war on them right now, he wouldn't have dispatched a third of his fleet to escort us."
"Princess, Lord Uther—I'm only worried that some accident might happen at a critical moment. The Alliance needs to recover, not start a war. We cannot allow that to be disrupted no matter what," Rhodes insisted.
In the original timeline, upon arriving in Theramore, Daelin had immediately stripped his daughter of her military command and even placed Jaina under house arrest. That was because most of Jaina's officers were Kul Tirans, and aside from Jaina herself, there were no high-ranking figures to challenge him; the Admiral's word was law. In a sense, Theramore was merely an extension of Kul Tiras, despite housing refugees from Lordaeron, Stromgarde, Dalaran, and Khaz Modan.
But now, the supreme ruler of Theramore was Princess Calia, and since its founding, it had been built as a proper capital city. Calia and Uther had departed a month ago; if the Admiral truly intended to go to war, the fighting would likely have started by now—and might even be reaching its late stages.
"I also believe my father won't act recklessly, Rhodes. Don't underestimate the Lord of Kul Tiras," Jaina said, sounding slightly annoyed. What's with this guy? Does he think my father is just a war-hungry madman? She had originally planned for Rhodes to meet her father properly.
"I trust the Admiral's word, but things aren't always as simple as they appear," Rhodes argued. "Aside from the Burning Legion, there are other evil forces active on Azeroth trying to incite war. The Admiral might not attack the Orcs proactively, but those greenskins might be goaded into it."
He was thinking of the Cycle of Hatred plotline, where the Twilight's Hammer incited conflict between Orgrimmar and Theramore. If things went south, it could trigger a total war that the Alliance currently lacked the strength to fight. If Kul Tiras saw that the Alliance was unwilling to seek vengeance, they would likely withdraw from the Alliance just as they did in the original timeline.
"You don't need to do everything yourself, Rhodes," Uther said. "If you're truly that uneasy, keep in mind that traveling to Kalimdor normally takes at least a month. If there's a war, it'll be over by the time you get there."
Rhodes was a brilliant young man, but Uther felt he was far too cautious—bordering on a lack of trust in his allies.
"I'm still not comfortable. With the Guardian's help, I learned cross-continental teleportation. How about this: I'll teleport to Theramore alone to check things out," Rhodes suggested after a moment's thought.
Having gone to Outland, his level had increased and his mastery of magic had deepened. Combined with the inter-dimensional travel techniques he'd picked up from Illidan, crossing continents was no longer a Herculean task. In the future, every "common" Mage could open portals to capital cities; there was no reason he couldn't do the same. He needed to see it for himself, or he wouldn't be able to sleep.
Uther and Calia exchanged a helpless glance. They had prepared everything before leaving, yet Rhodes still insisted on doing it himself.
"You really don't trust my father, do you?" Jaina expressed her dissatisfaction. "I'm telling you, if he promised not to start a war, he won't attack Thrall's Horde."
"I'm doing this for your father's sake too," Rhodes countered. "You don't know this, but I saw a prophetic vision in the Light. I saw the Admiral killed by a half-Orc with Ogre blood. If the vision in my mind comes true, you know what the consequences will be."
He directly framed his knowledge of the future as a vision from the Light. The room fell silent. Rhodes's track record with prophecy was no joke; if he claimed to have seen the Admiral in mortal danger, then the situation was grave.
"A half-Orc? How is that possible? Rhodes, are you kidding?" Jaina asked anxiously.
"I am not kidding. He will team up with a Troll and be accompanied by a Pandaren. This half-Orc can control wild beasts. He wears a black mask and travels with a massive bear," Rhodes said, describing the Beastmaster, Rexxar.
Rexxar was a character whose design—at least before the Legion expansion—was nearly perfect. Back in the "Vanilla" days, if a player encountered him in the wild during a fight between the Horde and the Alliance, Rexxar wouldn't help the Horde players kill the Alliance; he was truly neutral. However, in later versions, his "double standards" regarding Jaina's "obsession with hatred" annoyed many players.
Give me a break, Rhodes thought. Jaina literally let her father die to keep the peace. She earned the 'Daddy-killer' nickname for it and constantly favored the Horde. And what did she get? A mana bomb that wiped out every single person in Theramore. Under those circumstances, how are you supposed to 'let go of hatred'?
"If that's the case, we really do need to head back. Rhodes, I'll go with you to confirm the status of Theramore!" Uther said, hoisting his hammer.
"I'm coming too," Old Mograine added. "The Ashbringer will strike down any enemy of the Alliance."
"No," Rhodes shook his head. "I'm traveling light. Don't forget my power. I will stop this terrible future. Besides, while my teleportation can cross continents, I can't bring a whole army. I'll just take Jaina." If it weren't for the fact that it was her father's life at stake, he would have preferred to go alone.
"Then move quickly! Rhodes, don't let anything happen to the Admiral. You can leave Lordaeron to us," the others agreed.
Rhodes nodded and led Jaina to the palace square. He took a deep breath and channeled the massive amount of mana required—at least a hundred points—to bridge the gap between continents. A brilliant blue arcane glow enveloped them, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished.
Be safe, Princess Calia prayed silently. I'm still waiting for you to come back and help me give the kingdom a new prince. She decided she needed to move fast on that front; she didn't want Lordaeron to have another Queen after her. She needed a son, and she'd make that a priority once Rhodes returned.
With a flash of blue light, Rhodes and Jaina appeared in Theramore. Compared to when they left months ago, high stone walls now loomed, fitted with cannons designed by the Dwarves. Kul Tiran and Lordaeron sailors were chatting at the docks; it looked peaceful enough. Civilians were tilling the land and raising livestock.
Their sudden appearance startled everyone, but once the soldiers recognized them, cheers broke out.
"Praise the seas! It's Lady Jaina! Lady Jaina is back!" a Kul Tiran soldier shouted.
"And Regent Rhodes! Welcome back, Great Regent!" a Lordaeron soldier added.
"Soldiers, I have urgent business," Rhodes said, calming the excited crowd. "Where is the Grand Admiral?"
"Oh! The Admiral is out clearing some Orcs from the perimeter," an officer replied. "You missed it, Regent Rhodes—the Orcs suddenly attacked us for no reason recently!"