41. Abdicate

[moonshadows]

“Varian!”

He stops mid-word, mid-gesture and looks at me, tense as a wolf deciding whether or not to spring. I glare defiance right back at him, hands on my hips.

“Your son grew up without a mother. Don’t make my children grow up without a father.”

For a moment longer, he holds that pose and then his arms are around me, crushing me to his chest, as if he could hold back tears if he just held me tightly enough. I slide my arms around his torso and embrace him just as tightly.

“Tari…”

No words follow my name. I slip my hands up to his cheeks and force him to look at me. “Varian.”

The kiss is fierce and desperate.

“I’ll pass the crown to Anduin as soon as he turns eighteen,” he says calmly. “He deserves it. I won’t do anything to endanger myself, either before or after that. I won’t-“ His voice breaks. “I won’t leave you alone, Tari. I promise.”