Ethan stared at Sapphire as she told him the news. The girl was smiling as she spoke of her conversation with her father. Ni'kua and the immature plaguehound sat, watching the two them. The puppy yawned, and received a snap from its much larger cousin. Ethan's eyebrows furrowed.

"Sapphire..How can you be so stupid?"

The girl flinched. "I'm not stupid."

"Yes, you are. Do you really think the Master is letting you do this with good intentions? He's expecting you to die."

She folded her arms, scowling. "Since when can you criticize your master? Isn't that treason, worthy of a long, painful death?"

Ethan looked down, fists clenched. Sapphire smirked.

"What right do you have to assume anything from your Master. You're a lowly deathknight whose job is to take care of filthy, rotting animals."

Ni'kua growled, and stood up, baring his fangs. Ethan put a restraining hand around the plaguehound's collar. The deathknight frowned at Sapphire. She was acting very odd. Plaguehoundsl oved her, always begging food from her. The girl would always find scraps to give them. For some reason, the girl adored the rotting creatures, giving them names and collars. Sapphire would drop whatever she was doing to rub a dog's belly if it wanted it. The only thing she didn't like about them was when they slept into her room.

Never had she insulted plaguehounds, or Ethan.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

The girl burst out a sharp retort. "I don't need to take this! Goodbye, Ethan!"

The deathknight's face turned to that of surprise, and he reached out to her. She backed away a step, and turned away. Sapphire broke into a run.

The boy heard her sobbing fade as she left. He sighed.

"Rot!" The puppy wagged its tail hopefully. Ethan pointed towards the retreating figure.

"Sapphire's irritable. Go cheer her up."

Rot yipped, and hopped after Sapphire.


Sapphire sat outside, on the steps leading up to the Citadel. She sniffled, and wiped her sleeve against her nose. The girl pulled her legs up, and wrapped both arms around them. She shivered as the wind blew around her. The spell on her cultist robes prevented her from freezing, but did not warm her up. Rot came running up, and barked. The girl ignored it. Rot whined, and sniffed her, before lifting a paw at her.

He threw his head back, as if to howl. All that came out was a bark, and the plaguehound started coughing and hacking.

Sapphire smiled. "Aw, poor baby. Were you trying to howl?"

She picked Rot up, and cuddled with the creature. The puppy licked her face, and yipped. She held Rot for several minutes, listening as he panted.

"If Ethan sent you, then I am going to find holy water, and splash it into his eyes. Okay?"

Rot perked up his ear, the other long gone. His bony tail wagged. Sapphire stood up, cradling the plaguehound.

After a quick visit to the kitchens of Icecrown Citadel, Sapphire took Rot her room, and put him on her bed. After lighting a candle, the girl bent down in front of a wooden chest. The plaguehound watched her as she opened it. Rifling through papers, and books, she found what she was looking for. The book on necromancy her father had given her for her tenth birthday.

Sapphire had already read it entirely through about five times, and the spells she's tried had worked perfectly fine...on rats. The girl flipped through a couple of pages, refreshing her memory.

Rot yipped, and twirled around on the bed covers. After she relearned what she thought she needed, Sapphire closed the book, and threw it back in the chaotic mess of her chest.

Rot barked when she blew out the candle and laid down in her bed.

The plaguehound sniffed her, and scrambled underneath the covers alongside her. Sapphire smiled, and scratched the puppy on the stomach.

"Good boy. You'll never be mean to me, will you? Unlike Ethan. Stupid deathknight..."

She put her head on a pillow, and bit her lip. A tear fell down her face, and she closed her eyes.


Her mood brightened substantially as she strode proudly to the Shadow Throne. She wore her best necromancer's robes. Rot trotted alongside her, head held up high. Sapphire was going over in her head the spells she had memorized, wondering about which ones that would she use. Would she be helping fight the Horde, or the Alliance? She hoped it was the Alliance. There were more paladins in the Alliance, and her father had told Sapphire that paladins murdered her mother. She'd never met her mother...

Sapphire felt really good. She would made her father proud. Ethan would never doubt her again. And, she'll be aiding the Scourge rid the world of the wretched living, especially paladins. When the girl saw her father sitting on the Throne, she smiled. She ran up to him, but stopped immediately when she saw Ethan standing next to him, looking smug.

"What are you doing here?" Sapphire snapped.

The boy said nothing to her, but looked to the Lich King.

"Master. Shall I escort her back to her room?"

Sapphire interrupted whatever her father would have said in response.

"No! You may not. I'm going to leave the Citadel, and resurrect bodies of the fallen to aid in the glory of the Scourge."

The Lich King stood up, and Sapphire instantly lowered her head submissively. Her shoulders hunched.

His voice cut her like a knife. "No you won't be, daughter. I've reconsidered my order, and withdraw it."

The girl gulped, "Yes, Master..." Ethan came over to her, smiling softly.

"Sap-"

The girl slapped him, anger glowing in her eyes. It didn't hurt the deathknight but he was shocked.

"What was that for?"

"Bastard! What do you think that was for?" Ethan flinched.

Never had he heard the girl throw a sincere insult before. Sapphire was always so...tame. Ethan had know the girl for years, and nothing drew out Sapphire's anger. The deathknight was thoroughly concerned, but he grabbed the girl's wrist before she could slap him again. He bared his teeth at her.

"Why are you acting like this? You aren't like this." He said reasonably, keeping his own temper in check. The deathknight was all too aware of his master witnessing this.

"Like what?" Sapphire snarled.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Like a bitch."

Sapphire stared at him. Then, with a snarl, she ripped her arm away from him, and yanked her knife out. Before she could stab him, something sharp hit her across the face, and she fell to the floor. Her vision grew blurry. Warm liquid ran down her neck. She could hear Ethan's voice.

"I'm sorry, Master...I don't know what has-" Her father cut him off.

"I know fully well why she is behaving like this. Lock her up in her room. Freeze the door shut, and I shall deal with her later."

"Yes...Master. Permission to ask what her problem is?"

The Lich King laughed. "There is no problem, servant. She's doing exactly what I want her to do."

Her father left, footsteps like earthquakes to the girl. Doing exactly what her father wanted her to do? What did that mean? The full realization of what she'd been about to do shocked her. Sapphire had pulled a knife out to Ethan. She had almost attacked her best friend.

Sapphire winced as the pain in her cheek grew. She felt Ethan pick her up gently, and carry her to her room. Rot barked once, but afterwards there was silence except for the deathknight's footsteps. She groaned, but let Ethan take her to her room, and lay her down on her bed. Sapphire fell unconscious before her head hit the pillow.