talk about valeera and her views of stormwind, her allegiance here, how she feels post-varian's death
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Valeera feels some allegiance to Stormwind as a whole. She lives there and has for some time now, even if it’s not on a full-time basis because she’s regularly embroiled in Azeroth’s conflicts and engaging in other rogue work across the planet. Moreover, her best friends are in Stormwind (or were... rip), and she considers it her home to some degree because of those two things. Unlike in most places, she feels secure enough in her chambers in the Keep to sleep without startling awake at every small sound. There are also some superficial things she likes about Stormwind compared to other cities, such as the various secret passage ways and nooks and crannies to get into, and all the adjoining rooves to climb.
But the people in Stormwind are not her people, the customs are not hers, the language is not hers, and even if the officials closer to the king tolerate her because the king says they have to, the ordinary civilians are not accepting of her. The guards in Theramore were suspicious of Valeera’s allegiance, dwarves in Ironforge wanted to have her drawn and quartered, and I don’t think perceptions of her are any more favourable in Stormwind. Valeera has a line in Wrath of the Lich King, while sitting in Stormwind, that’s consistent with this idea:
I heard the Horde is amassing its own army to head to Northrend. HOPEFULLY your Alliance and the Horde can focus their aggression on the real threat. You know, instead of each other? Somehow I think that's unlikely to happen, if my experience here is any indication. Your people have been SO welcoming to me. <Valeera mutters angrily to herself.>
She’s really not having a good time 😬 She can’t leave the Keep, where people are at least not shocked to see her, without being reminded by the stares and whispered comments she receives that she does not belong in Stormwind, and not even because of anything she has personally done. There are other things about Stormwind that she dislikes too, such as the weather, the canals when they get sewer-y, and the quel’dorei. Still, Valeera doesn’t want to see Stormwind get destroyed, and she will fight back against anyone who tries to invade it or hurt its people. But she would do the same for anyone who doesn’t deserve it fjkhakj
Following Varian’s death, Stormwind is less pleasant to be in. All the things she dislikes about it are still there, but many of the things she liked about it are now gone. It’s painful not seeing Varian in places in the Keep where he used to be, and not having the opportunity to badger or goad him into fighting with her makes the place less fun. There are still some people to mess with, like Wyrmbane and Shaw, but it’s not the same, and Anduin is too busy and stressed by the weight of the crown to play like they used to.
