DISCLAIMER: Blizzard owns everything, I merely created some of the characters.

WARNING: This story contains spoilers for Warlords of Draenor, and is rated M for future smut.

I was 10 years old when I decided I wanted to be a soldier, like the ones I had seen returning to The Exodar from whatever missions they had been on. Someone had told me that I was too pretty to be a soldier, I dismissed that notion immediately. I was not a vain person, although, I had to agree that the slender yet strong build of us draenei women, was something to be proud of.

I had to be a soldier though, I just knew it. And not just any soldier, but a paladin, their glorious armor and dazzling weapons making the career choice more appealing to me. I knew the hardships of what such a profession would entail, but I didn't care. I wanted to fight.

I tried to practice on the training dummies that the soldiers had used, only I was too short, and too weak. This annoyed me and I began swinging wildly at the foot of the dummy, splinters flying in every direction from the chips my sword made. It hit me suddenly that anger seemed to give me strength and with this knowledge, I gave in to the aggression, and I liked the feel of it.

It was then that I met Maraad, he was a sight to behold. Massive in build yet there was an air of grace about him that made him seem fierce and gentle at the same time, a lethal combination. He used to laugh at my feeble attempts at swinging a short-sword, which angered me but his words of encouragement always calmed me and drove me to do better.

After a few months under his wing I was able to hit the dummies with ease, and not the wooden base, he had taught me to center my core and how to harness the light to enhance my combat skills. After weeks of trying, I managed to channel the Light into to my sword, which made my strikes more devastating, I was loving this new power.

I was ahead of the other cadets in the Paladin Training Corps, much to my pleasure, but the training became tedious. Always having to wait for the others to catch up before we could learn more, this angered me. I began to resent those lesser in skill than me, I lashed out at the other cadets for not trying hard enough until one day, I was summoned to Maraads study.

"Im sending you to Stormwind" His voice soft but full of command.

"But... I .. Why?" Was all i could get out, i had wanted to protest but under his steady glare i became lost for words.

"I'm sending you for further training, you've surpassed all expectations here and I am afraid we have nothing left to teach you, especially at the rate you're learning anyway"

He came around his desk to stand in front of me, his expression soft as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

"You will be a strong Paladin, Tasha, You're a fast learner and you're very determined." He sighed, casting his eyes to the floor before saying another word.

"But you wont make a great one until you can control your emotions, rein in that temper and focus your core." He looked back at me and smiled. I forced a small smile back, I had started to shiver, suddenly feeling cold.

Maraad turned away from me, going back to his desk and started fanning some parchments out, he didn't look at me which I took as my cue to leave. I retired to my bunk in the academy's sleeping quarters, the walk from Maraads study and my earlier spar with a dummy having drained me both physically and emotionally. I pulled the covers around me and thought about what Maraad had said, closing my eyes I began to cry myself to sleep.

I didn't want to go to Stormwind, all I could think was maybe Maraad and the other trainers had enough of my outbursts and were sending me away for someone else to deal with. The thought stung me, but I knew I had it coming, I'd been a constant nuisance for the past five years in the Corps. But that wasn't my fault, how can they blame me for acting the way I did? I was being held back by the others, wasn't I?

Anger began to well up inside of me as I stood at the docks waiting for the ship to Rut'theran, the night elf village I would have to spend a week at before the ship to Stormwind was due to arrive. I wasn't alone at the docks, there was a group made up of three night elves and a dwarf, also waiting for the ship, all dressed in leather and carrying an assortment of knives. I laughed silently to myself as I recognized them as rogues, pathetic, was all I thought of them. Hiding in the shadows to sneak upon your enemies was not heroic in my eyes, facing your foe toe to toe - or hoof in my case - and seeing the fear in their eyes as steel clashes with steel was my idea of a true champion.

They noticed me eyeing them up and one of the elves sauntered over to me. "Can we help you child?"

Child! For some unknown reason that really bothered me. " I am not a child! I am sixteen! Old enough to enlist, that makes me an adult" I spat the words icily at him, he flinched momentarily then regained his composure before he calmly replied. " Forgive me Girly, all you draenei look so young. I meant no offence"

Girly! This elf was really starting to wind me up, I think he must have realized this, as he held his hands up in a gesture of peace and went back to his companions. Girly, I am not some weak flustering girly child! I am a paladin dammit! Well, a paladin in training to be truthful, but that's not the point. Ill show them, I'm strong and ruthless and the whole world will read stories about my bravery, my name will go down in the history books whit the other great heroes of Azeroth. I balled my fists in determination as I waited for the ship that will start me on my path to greatness.

I only visited Darnassus once during my stay in Rut'theran village, my curiosity getting the better of me. It was beautiful, I felt so calm and at ease during my visit, I almost forgot about my life's mission to be a great and powerful paladin.

I had met another traveler there, his name was Olrin. He had come to Darnassus all the way from the dwarven city of Ironforge, the elven architecture luring him here. We exchanged pleasantries over a meal at a nearby Inn, I learnt that he wasn't interested in learning to fight, and I couldn't understand why.

"Do you not want to fight for your people, for the Alliance?" I was demanding an answer, how could he not want to fight? Everyone should want to fight!

"Because, Tasha, not everyone is made for war. Some of us stay behind and keep things running, so that our champions still have a home to come back to."

That made me laugh, how ridiculous!

"The soldiers make sure we still have homes to come back to! Not the peasants!" I was getting angry at this Dwarf, how could he be so naive!

"It takes all sorts of people to win wars, Tasha, not all of them need a weapon to do so."

I could't believe what I was hearing, how could he say those things?

"In any case, why is such a young draenei like yourself so eager to pick up a sword? Didn't your farther ever teach you that savagery is no way to live?"

My eyes widened at the mention of my father, an image of him swinging me around and laughing invaded my mind. The image slowly faded into one of despair, of screaming and blood.

"Hey, are you alright?" Olrins voice shook me from my memory, he sounded concerned.

"I'm fine! I just cant understand why anyone would willingly be weak!" I yelled at him, the other diners turning their attention to us.

I stood from the table and just glanced around at everyone, "What the hell are you all looking at!?" I pushed my chair away from me and stormed out of the Inn, Olrin followed me out, presumably after he paid for our meal.

"What's the matter with you? Calm down will ya?" He looked around, worried about attracting more attention from the passing crowds.

"Just leave me alone!" I rounded on him, my face twisted with a snarl. "Go look at your pretty columns, and your pretty walls, act like there's no evil in this world! It's because of people like me, what I'm training to become, that keep people like you safe in your homes!" I got so close to him, I was right in his face. I couldn't stop myself, my body trembled with rage.

He flinched away from me, but I continued, the words were just spilling from my mouth. "If everyone thought like you, we'd all be dead!" Another image of my father, dancing with my mother flashed in my head. "My father thought like you, and where is he now?!" I grabbed onto his shirt collar so tightly, I could feel my fingers ripping holes through the fabric. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Tears fell freely down my face as I looked into the dwarfs eyes, fear, that is what I saw in them. I let him go and ran out of the city as fast as I could, I needed to get away from all the prying eyes.

I fell against a tree just on the outskirts of Rut'theran village, and I cried, I cried for hours.

The memory of my father had really gotten to me, I remember what happened so clearly...

My father refused any combat training, he said that his mind was his greatest weapon and that he had no ambition for warfare. He'd rather spend his time in the libraries, and studying the local plant life. What a fool he had been. I remember there was shouting, lots of shouting. And my mother was screaming, I remember looking into her eyes as she died. We had been raided by a band of blood elf scouts, they were surveying the crash site of the ship my people had landed in so many years ago. Unfortunately for us, our house was right in their path to the site. With no other settlers nearby, and no weapons in the house, we were powerless to stop them.

I had hidden, my mother had pushed me into a small cupboard in our kitchen. She had her back to me, so I couldn't see anything through the crack in the door, but I had heard it. I heard orders being barked out in a language I was unfamiliar with, then my vision was suddenly filled with light as they pulled my mother into the center of the room. They turned her towards me, and pushed her to her knees. She was begging, she was crying. My eyes were streaming with tears. I had to bite my hand to stifle the scream that would have given away my hiding spot, I watched on in horror as a blade was driven into her spine, and through her chest. I watched her fall, and I waited for what seemed like forever, before I came out of the cupboard. I remember she was cold, her eyes were still open and tear stricken, and she was laying in a pool of her own blood.

I had cried out for my father, but he too, was dead. His throat had been slit and left to bleed out.

I was six years old when I was made an orphan, six. Because of my father and his idiotic ideals, I had lost the only two people I loved.

I had eventually made to the Exodar with a group of settlers that were relocating, they allowed me to join them until we got there.

I was very much on my own, but with loneliness, came independence, and with independence, came power.

I swore to myself that I would not become my father, I hated him. I hated him for not being able to protect us, to protect my mother. I blamed him for her death, and his own.

I dashed away my tears and took a steadying breath, then made for the Inn by the harbour.

I boarded the ship to Stormwind two days later. I had spent the majority of the voyage in my cabin, I was ashamed of myself, ashamed that I had let such a weak emotion surface.

All this hate can't be good, my subconscious spoke out at me. I didn't care, I like the way it feels, I like the power it gives me.

I like that it makes me feel dangerous.