"All alone in the depths..." growled an echo from the abyss.

Tieria blinked at her own reflection in the mirror as she gently brushed her shoulder-length hair. She ceased from humming a tune when she thought she heard a sound. The paladin glanced around her chamber but failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. Calmly, Tieria resumed to prepare herself for a new day.
The paladin arrived back in Hearthglen late into the night and immediately went to sleep off her seasickness. She had a dreamless sleep that night – much like any other night in her life; Tieria never managed to have a single dream, or if she did – the young templar would forget it the moment her eyes opened. On numerous occasions, Tieria has attempted to learn the reason behind her inability to dream but failed to locate any logic. Her mind simply was unable to conjure any sort of illusion during her slumber.

Once she has finished fixing her hairdo, Tieria glanced in the mirror once more. "One small detail", she thought to herself, and she would look presentable for a new day. Gently, Tieria reached out to the circular bronze box from the desk and opened it to apply some powder on her ivory face. She ensured more layers of powder was applied on her upper left cheek – to cover the scar located on the right side of her check.

A fresh bath, neatly brushed hair and having her gold and white armor was polished anew, made Tieria forget everything has occurred during her trip in Kul'tiras.
Before taking her leave, Tieria glanced at the desk in front of the large, opened in window; the breeze from the outside nearly blew the parchments that laid on the surface of the table, forcing Tieria to pace swiftly to the desk and gather all of the papers and maps; and stack them underneath the wooden box filled with quills and jars of ink.
Her eyes went over the chest she has acquired from Kul'Tiras; gently she traced the scratched wood with her index finger then fixated her palms to open the lid. She glanced at the dragon scales that rested inside the chest. The sun rays managed to reach the scale, shining its beautiful black color. With utmost care, Tieria picked up the dragon scale to analyze it closer – so many thoughts ran through her mind.

The black dragonflight were once in charged by the titans with protecting the earth. However, the ambitious Neltharion, the Dragon Aspect of the Earth, was chosen by the Old Gods to be their ultimate tool of destruction and their corruption eventually spread to the entire dragonflight.
Since the Earth-Warder's death, nearly every black dragon on Azeroth either dead or corrupted beasts that failed to see any sort of reasoning; which made Tieria wonder how would this unscarred black scale found its way in treasure hunters' chest.
Perhaps the black dragonflight aren't as extinct as Tieria would think. Locating this scale gave Tieria hope; Hope that she can rebuild the dragonflights into their prime power and heal Azeroth.

Once she finished admiring the scales, Tieria placed the scale back into the chest and ensured that it is locked. She hid the steel key of the chest inside a drawer, underneath multiple parchments and old corresponds. Not that Hearthglen was not a safe place, she would doubt any thief would have the nerve to enter the keep of the city and enter in a chamber of an Argent Crusade champion; but the paladin could not help but take precautions of such a unique piece.

As she exited the keep of Hearthglen, Tieria glanced around the small town while feeling the warm sun rays smiling on her skin. It made the paladin forget that winter was just around the corner.
Nonetheless, it did not bother the townsfolk of Hearthglen. Everyone was caring to their day: farmers were bringing in fresh crops, merchants were attempting to bargain their goods, the stablemen took take of the horses and hippogryphs and the soldiers were patrolling the walls.

The Scourge has been defeated years ago, and Western Plaguelands (despite nobody bothering to rename the land) has gradually recovered from the sickness the Scourge has plant upon it, thanks to the efforts of the Cenarion Circle and the Argent Crusaders.
Within the past two years, more people have returned to reclaim the lands they once held when the kingdom of Lordaeron still stood; the soil was fertilized, allowing farms to be created, fish have returned to the waters, trees once again had the color of rich orange and yellows on this fine autumn.
And so, many of citizens have started to build a new life in the fortified town known as Hearthglen. The people who lived here owned no allegiance to either the Horde nor the Alliance; they served no King or Warchief; Orcs, taurens, gnomes, human and many other races learnt to live behind the wall of Hearthglen in peace with the Argent Crusade being their only authority.
Since the tragic death of Tirion Fordring upon the Broken Shore, nobody from the order had the courage to fill up the position of the mighty Highlord; forcing the people of Hearthglen to elect a mayor to bring order to once stronghold of the Argent Crusade. Now, Hearthglen was a small town and an escape for refugees who abandoned their believes in either the Horde or the Alliance.
Whatever position Hearthglen held in Eastern Kingdoms – it was Tieria's home for a long time. And she had no desire to leave it; not yet anyway.

The moment Tieria was outside the keep, she immediately walked towards the training ground from behind the military building. New recruits were assessing their weapons and fighting skills either against each other or training dummies.

Tieria approached a dwarf figure who was busy plunging new training dummies into the sand with a wooden hammer. Sweat was already dripping off his face as he hit into the trunks of wood with full force.
As he heard footsteps, the dwarf lifted his dirty-blonde head, his eyes widening with joy at the sight of Tieria:
"Tieria! Glad to see yer returned in one piece, lassie!" exclaimed the dwarf as he dropped the hammer on the ground and extended his arms. Tieria giggled at the dwarf's excitement and approached him for an embrace.
"How were the South Seas, my dear?" inquired Caradin as he picked up the mace in his hand once again.
"Different." Replied Tieria after a pause to utter a proper answer. Her lips curved into a smile as she continued: "The trip was invaluable. And I brought you something." said Tieria warmly, she extended her arm to reveal a bottle of rum. The bottle was designed in the shape of a siren sitting atop a large seashell, the glass continued bellow in the shape of a pile of sand to allow the bottle to maintain balance. The glass siren had a crown made out of some degree of metal, on her head which served as a seal for the glass. It was an impeccable craftsmanship and a fine drink.

But Caradin did not care what sort of drink the bottle held inside.

Caradin had an unique interest in collecting various bottles from around Azeroth. It wasn't he alcohol beverage he desired to own; it was the beautiful and unique design each race and nation crafted to hold in the beverages. Not once did Caradin dare to take a sip from his collection. He displayed them all proudly in his house, in a glass closet which he kept locked.

Caradin gently took the bottle of rum from Tieria and examined it attentively. He was so amiable around the Kul'Tiran bottle, as if he was afraid his fingers would crack the glass by merely holding it.
"This is a wonderful gift. Thank you, lassie." Smiled Caradin brightly. Tieria returned the smiled then lifted her eyes to examine her surroundings.
"How has it been since my departure?" inquired the paladin. Caradin looked around as well and gave a lazy shrug.
"The usual; people carry on with their daily lives. We've had some Stormwind militia here, stopin'' on their way home. They celebrated loudly in the tavern, apparently - the fourth war is officially over."
"So I heard." Replied Tieria boringly. The Fourth War. It was just a matter of time and the fifth war would erupt; She knew that, the Horde and the Alliance knew that; perhaps every insect that crawled on Azeroth knew that.
"Did yer find what ye were lookin' for in Kul'Tiras?" asked the dwarf warmly. Tieria nodded excitedly.
"I have." She replied. "I desire to study the tome the soon as possible; is it possible for me to cut my errands in half?"
A silence followed up between Tieria and Caradin. He looked at Tieria with both joy and disagreement in his eyes; The dwarf clenched his jaw and released a sigh.
"Lass…" began Caradin, hesitation was heard in his tone. "I been meaning to talk to ye about it; yer obsession with the Dragon Isle… It is starting to affect ye."
Tieria bit her lower lip and sighed as she was listening to the dwarf:
"Ye barely talk to anyone; Yer travelin' every time, Light knows where!" Caradin sighed in desperation. "What if one of these times, ye don't come back?"
"Caradin." Scolded Tieria coldly. She well understood her friend's concern. This was not the first time the two of them have had this conversation. Every time Tieria thought she has made Caradin understand her point of view, he would bring up the topic and proceed with another debate.
"I know ye mean well by tryin' to find them 'em lands… Dragons were a bit part of Azeroth."
"Are." Corrected Tieria. "They still are the guardians of Azeroth… they purely need their strength restored."
"Us, Argent Crusaders are just as much guardians of this world as the dragons." Argued Caradin calmly. He did not raise his voice; he attempted his best to delicately persuade his friend. "Just because there is no Scourge ta fight that does not mean we are useless, lass. There are other battles to win. The Sword in Silithus-"
"Is impossible to put a stop to." Interrupted Tieria and crossed her arms. Caradin exhaled a sigh and shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted the by a tall figure approaching them.

A female human, stood between Tieria and Caradin with a faint smile in her rose-pink lips. She had long, raven-black hair which she kept in a side braid. The sleeveless, light blue robe she wore, exposed the woman's shoulders and a white linen apron was tied around her curvy hips.
The moment Tieria made eye-contact with the woman next to her, she spoke in a soft voice:
"Welcome back, Tieria." She said warmly. "I am glad to see you well. Caradin was worried that you had to travel by ship; saying your seasickness will be the death of you." Chuckled the woman.
"It is good to see you too, Eleina." Greeted Tieria. She watched as Caradin took Eleina's hand into his and continued: "I loathe ships and the sea – I will be damned if I let my last moments on Azeroth be on a ship." Joked Tieria warmly; she was glad, Eleina arrived when she did; it allowed Tieria to avoid the unpleasant conversation with her friend.

The paladin watched as Caradin and Eleina mumbled between each other, she furrowed her eyebrows while guessing what were they whispering. In the end, Caradin motioned his head to Tieria and said:
"Go ahead then." He sighed at Eleina.
Eleina's pale cheeks formed a red color as she shyly addressed the paladin:
"I have given thought, Tieria." Began the woman, while plucking strands of her hair and arranging them behind her ears. "Would you do us the honor in marrying us? I have heard that paladins are able to officiate." Tieria's eyes widen in surprise. She obviously knew she would be a guest to Caradin and Eleina's wedding, given her close relationship with the odd couple. Nonetheless, the young templar did not expect to receive such a role at this ceremony.

Tieria and Caradin have formed a friendship long before they have joined the Argent Crusade (or the Argent Dawn, at that time). When Tieria was merely the daughter of a blacksmith and Caradin was an apprentice engineer who aided the victims of the Scourge in building better defenses in their strongholds.
When her father would be asleep, Tieria would sneak during nighttime and use his crafted weapons to practice swordsmanship. She would polish her fighting skills every night. And one night , Caradin saw the young woman learning the art of the sword and offered to instruct her and thus – a longtime friendship has formed.
Caradin was more than a friend to her – being nearly a decade older than her, Caradin was her instructor and mentor, almost like a second father to her. And although the dwarf did not walk the path of the paladin as Tieria, he was still a fellow warrior serving Argent Crusade, who has always fought by her side.
Tieria was overjoyed when Caradin has gotten engaged to Eleina a year ago, shortly after the defeat of the Burning Legion. Eleina was a skilled archer and preferred the company of animals rather than people, hence she took the position as the stable master of Hearthglen. She knew the dwarf and the paladin for a long time; since the merging of the Argent Dawn and the Knights of the Silver Hand, creating the Argent Crusade; but has reserved herself to form a bond with the two of them until years later.

Tieria exhaled and chuckled emptily at Eleina's proposal. She gave a nervous shrug as she spoke:
"Eleina, I would be honored… however, I cannot talk in front of a large crowd. I will be nervous to a greater extend at your wedding than the two of you if I would have to officiate." Explained the paladin shyly. But Eleina shook her head.
"Nonesense! You will do a great job. And who would better marry us than Caradin's closest friend?" insisted the dark-haired woman. Tieria forced a smile on her face, still hesitating on accept her friend's proposal.
"The weddin' is not for another months, Eleina." Intervened Caradin with a wave of his harm. "Ye got time ta think, Tieria."
Tieria nodded and opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a voice addressing loud to her and Caradin.

"Tieria! Caradin!" called out a young male voice. Both the paladin and the warrior turned to see a scout, dressed in silver armor with the Argent Crsaude tabard atop his armor.
He had light blonde hair, shaved to the sides, only having a crest on the top part of his head. His leather attire exposed his slim arms which allowed Tieria to immediately recognized him; The young scout had the name Wyllen, and he has recently come to the age that would allow the Argent Crusade to accept him in the order. He was skilled in archery and tracking but still had a long way to come until becoming a high ranked soldier. Currently he served as a scout, patrolling the walls.
Wyllen stood in front of Tieria and Caradin as he was regaining his breath. Then, after releasing a cough, the scout spoke:
"There has been a gnoll attack, they have destroyed a caravan with fresh shipments." Reported Wyllen.
"Gnoll attack?" repeat Tieria, she and Caradin exchanged confused looks. Eleina was just as shocked to hear the news as the rest of the group. "I thought we pushed them all back a month ago."
"They have resurfaced." Exhaled Wylle. "And twice the number from before. Apparently, they have grown more aggressive. The merchant who own the carriage is severely injured."
"Let us put those dogs down before they do any more harm." Said Caradin as he glanced at Tieria. She gave a nod in reply. "Gather Durgen and Radley, we will all meet at the gates." Ordered Caradin confidently. Wyllen nodded at the warrior's command and immediately rushed to fulfill it; meanwhile Tieria swiftly rushed to the armory to retrieve whatever sword she found available.

The group of five members of the Argent Crusade swiftly delved into the forest on their horses. At the sight of the ruined caravan, everyone dismounted and unsheathed their weapons. The caravan – as per Wyllen's narration– was surrounded with gnolls. The creatures were scavenging everything they could from the ruined vehicle.
Caradin released a battle shout, gathering the gnolls' attention as he charged towards them with full speed. He slashed the first gnoll before him, piercing his axe deep into the creature's neck. The rest of the group readied themselves for battle.
As Tieria gripped her sword tighter in her hands, she walked in a rapid pace towards a spellcaster and impaled her sword into its stomach. The gnoll shrieked in pain as blood begun spilling out of its mouth. With one strong pull, Tieria took out the sword and by rotating the wrist, she slashed another gnoll.
Durgen, who was a bald man and used a large spear as his weapon of choice, charged alongside Caradin, slashing every gnoll left and right. Radley was a paladin just like Tieria, whoever she was a skilled shieldmaiden and was old enough to be Tieria's mother. The white-haired woman however, did not allow her age restrain her. She lifted the heavy shield with her entire strength and bashed into a gnoll's snout. Wyllen stood afar from the entire group, shooting the attackers with a crossbow.

Suddenly, a large, deafening roar was echoed from the mountains. Tieria's eyes widen at the sound as she turned her head in attempt to locate the creature behind it; the rest of the soldiers and even the gnolls - did the same, causing them to lose their focus on the battle.
A powerful wind began blowing the surroundings, causing the gnolls to growl in threat. Nervously, the Argent Crusade soldiers gripped their weapons tighter. The roar grew powerful as a large shadow descended above Tieria and the others. Fire erupted from the sky and began scorching all of the gnolls from the area.
Tieria opened her mouth in shock but no sound came out as a black dragon flew around them, breathing fire out of his large mouth and burning the gnolls.
The poor, canine-like beasts were screeching and fleeing in agonizing pain as the dragon landed on the ground, breaking apart their formation. The gnolls who were fortune enough to escape the dragon, were attempting to retreat however – the dark beast was not so forgiving; with his large claws he slashed and stomped upon the gnolls, blood was spilling on his shining black scales.
The champions of the Argent Crusade stood unmoved and shocked at the sight in front of them. Dragons have not roamed the northern skies of the Eastern Kingdoms in decades. Expect for one… black dragon.

Deathwing.

To see another sight of a black dragon was devastating – as everyone memories of these creatures was only filled with horror and death. The Argent Crusaders' horses panicked, but Tieria and Wyllen reached out to calm down the animals.
"Get a ballista." Mumbled Caradin. Noticing that not a single soul that surrounded him did not even budge, he yelled: "Now! Move!"
Wyllen and Durgen did as they were ordered – with speed they climbed upon their hoses and crashed back towards the gates of Hearthglen to retrieve the siege weapon. Radley remained – taunting the dragon and avoiding his fireballs alongside Caradin.
As Tieria stood frozen in front of the dragon, she swore she saw him narrowing his red eyes at her. As unmoved as she stood on, the paladin managed to get a better look at the beast in front of her.
He had crisp back scales, golden rings were decorated each of his large horns and a small goatee was dangling down his chin. His red eyes were burning in Tieria's soul. The dragon leaned in, directing his head down towards the young paladin.
"Tieria, watch out!" called out Caradin when he saw the dragon directing his attention towards his friend. Tieria swiftly reacted, jumping to the side, away from the dragon's glare.
"Thief!" roared the dragon in a low voice. Tieria stared at him in shock, unsure how to conduct what she was facing. Caradin tossed a dagger into the dragon's head, getting the beast's attention. He became irritated by the dwarf and attempted to slam him with his hand.

Wyllen and Durgen have swiftly returned - pushing a ballista down the hill.
"Hurry! Load it up!" cried out Radley, she leaped unto the siege weapon and began directing it towards the dragon.
"Wait, you are going to shoot it?" inquired Tieria panicked as she watched the soldiers loading a large, steel arrow. The thought of killing the dragon did not sit well on Tieria. Hearing her voice made the dragon focus his attention once more. He turned his large head at her as he was taking in a deep breath, readying himself to release fire again.
"What else can we do?" argued Caradin, while desperately trying to keeps the dragon's attention fixated upon him.
Unlike Tieria, Wyllen did not hesitate to launch the weapon. Distracted by Tieria, the dragon failed to notice the arrow flying towards him. It managed to pierce deeply into his scaled left shoulder.
Tieria gasped at the sight of the dragon roaring in pain. It released a wave of fire out of his mouth, directed towards everyone present. Radley raised her shield in defense, Tieria found herself casting a bubble of Light around her, while everyone else cowered behind trees; the only damage the dragon managed to do was towards the ballista. The siege weapon immediately caught on fire.

Tieria watched the dragon glare at his foes and opened his wings as he roared in pain. The wind he created with his wings, pushed the Argent Crusaders off their feet. Angrily, the beast flew towards the skies. The paladin noticed the dragon's struggle to maintain his balance due to the pierced arrow. She watched him fly away to the north, behind the mountains; as she glanced at the silhouette of the dragon disappearing into the horizon, Tieria wondered how far he would fly with an arrow punctured in his shoulder.

Silence was surrounding the burning battles, the wood of the caravan scorched loudly as the Argent Crusade soldiers aided each other to stand up.
"W-what in the Light's name has just happened?" inquired Radley. "This was supposed to be a simple gnoll attack…"
Tieria felt Caradin's eyes on her – and she was well aware what the dwarf was thinking:

The dragon came after her.

It was far from a coincidence that a dragon appeared within these forests as soon as Tieria's returned with the dragon tome. Dragons do not randomly aid mortals with petty fights against lower races like gnolls or murlocs.

Back in Hearthglen, Caradin pulled Tieria aside the moment he had the opportunity to talk to her in private.
"Lass." Began the dwarf quietly, his tone was strict however. "Dragons? The moment ye return with a dragon tome, those flying lizards are suddenly here?"
Tieria pressed her lips against each other and wiped sweat off her forehead. Her friend had a plausible theory – and perhaps a correct one at that matter. The paladin swore the dragon accused someone of thievery and his death-glares were distinctly directed to her.
"What in Light's name have you done, Tieria?" asked Caradin concerned. Tieria shook her head and exhaled.
"Nothing! Nothing that would… taunt the dragon." Replied the paladin defensively. "A black dragon at that matter…" her trail of thoughts distracted her from finished her sentence.

"The black scales." Tieria thought to herself in disbelief.

Caradin sighed in defeat and looked at his friend, his blue eyes displayed utmost concern.
"I know ye don't like takin' people's advises…" began the dwarf. Would have Caradin been taller, he could place his hand on Tieria's shoulder. However, his height limited him to only reach out to her arm. "If ye keep on pursuing with this Dragon Isle quest… be carefully. Apparently, I am not the only one against this search."
Tieria nodded quietly, unable to find the correct words to reply to the dwarf. If the dragon was indeed after her, then she felt completely guilty for putting her comrades in danger.
Caradin began walking away, but stopped when Tieria called him out:
"Caradin." said Tieria. "Do you think… it was the a wise choice shooting him? Black dragons are already extinct..."
The dwarf rested his hand on his hips and gave a shrug.
"Extinct or not – that thing shot fire at us. Seemed like a good reason to put 'im down."

Tieria was unable to focus for the rest of the day.

As she flipped through the dragonic tome she has acquired from Kul'Tiras, her mind kept on repeating the image of the black dragon screeching in pain.
Soothing tea, tasty desserts, warm weather – nothing provided comfort to Tieria while she sat in her chamber.

Firstly, she has the knowledge that black dragons are either dead or corrupted. Soon enough, she recovered a black scale of a young black dragon which means that the black dragonflight have started to recover and are able to reproduce again. Then she is being attacked by a black dragon right at her doorsteps.

All of these events occurred in a day and it overwhelmed the paladin.

Tieria has been learning about dragons since before the Cataclysm has struck but she has begun to delve deeper into their history after Deathwing's defeat; when she learnt that the Dragonflights have been severely weakened by the battle against the Aspect of Death, and even left unable to even reproduce.
The thought of Azeroth's guardians being vulnerable frightened Tieria; she has seen numerous times how enemies of the world attempted to destroy the world: The Wrathgate, The Scourge, The Cataclysm, The Burning Legion; but every time Azeroth has emerged victorious.

But for long?

For how will the world stand, when it has the sword of a dark titan impaled it is literally bleeding out?

The more she learnt about the dragons, the more Tieria theorized that without their aid - Azeroth is doomed. That is also how her research has led her to the Dragon Isles.
A land shrouded in mystery; Few have heard of it, and fewer have been there. And it was currently Tieria's main objective. She believed the Dragon Isles held the power that could be harnessed to rejuvenate the ailing Dragon Aspects and their flights. And hopefully, restore Azeroth.

Rapidly Tieria flipped through the pages of tome, searching for the words "Dragon Isles, the paladin sighed when she realized she is already at the half of the book and yet nothing about the mystery land. In irritation and obvious distraction, Tieria accidentally ripped a part of the page.
She gasped in shock as she stared at the tore piece of parchment in her hands and it made her brake away from her daydream. Suddenly, the templar realized night has descent upon Hearthglen.
Tieria closed her eyes and took in a deep breath while gently laying down what half of the page she has just torn.

"This isn't right." Tieria mumbled to herself as she pushed the chair and left the table. Swiftly, the paladin dressed once again in her chestpiece and kilt, she adjusted the shoulderpads while glancing at herself through the mirror. Once dressed in her armor, Tieria sprinted to the armory to recover a long rope and a lantern; then the paladin left for the woods.

The broken branches and collapsed trees were a clear indication of the direction the black dragon flew towards.
The moonlight shined surprisingly strong that night, allowing Tieria to track the dragon easier. She walked quietly, breathing through her mouth as her nose quickly stiffed itself due the chill wind. The days might have been warm in Western Plaguelands, but it was autumn however, and it brought very cold nights.
Tieria regretted not taking a cloak with her as she paced through the woods. In the hurry, she even forgot to bring a weapon.

The paladin walked for a while following any tracks she believed the dragon might have left. It seemed due to the injury; the dragon sometimes would return to the ground – leaving large prints on the soil.
She walked up a hill and was forced to climb a small portion of a mountain but to her luck – she was successful in locating the winged creature.

Tieria glanced sadly at the view in front of her. The dragon was asleep, curled up as he rested his head on his scaled hands. Breathing in and out at a slow rate. The arrow was pierced in his shoulder as before and blood was dripping down on his scaled torso. He was suffering in his slumber, and perhaps – just as Tieria theorized – was unable to fly to a safer location due to the wound.

Tieria approached the dragon with little steps, treading lightly upon the soil. However – the paladin wasn't as quiet as she would hope; for the dragon immediately opened his eyes and rose his head. He glared at Tieria as his nostrils flared in anger.
Instinctively, Tieria lifted her arms in the air to display that she is unarmed and posed no danger to the dragon.
"I am here to help." Said Tieria softly. Her eyes focused on the steel arrow as she continued: "I can try to take it out."
"You think I would not have not done that by now, paladin?" spat the dragon rudely. His dark, echoing voice brought goosebumps on Tieria's skin. She exhaled and took a step closer to the dragon.
"I have a feeling there has been a misunderstanding – I am merely trying to make amends on my part." She continued humbly, but the beast grunted.
"Oh… how 'honorable'…" Replied the dragon mockingly. Tieria bit her lower lip in exasperation but remained calm. She blinked at the dragon in silence, unsure how to convince him into letting her aid him. "If you came here contemplating that you can 'finish the job', paladin – you are greatly mistaken." He said threatening, while lifting his body and opening his wings. The beast was swallowing his pain to appear intimidating.
"No!" said Tieria while shacking her head. "I want to help you! Let me remove the arrow then I will be on my way."
"Humph." Growled the dragon. "Why is a paladin so devoted in helping a black dragon? You see us one of the most prominent threats in this world."
"I don't." replied Tieria simply. "The truth and virtue of the Light imbued me with the power to revitalize those in the need of it. Such is my way." she quoted the Tome of Divinity.
"Poetic words, templar." Chuckled the black beast. "Do as you wish."

Tieria exhaled in relief and began preparing the rope as the dragon laid on his stomach, revealing the pierced arrow to her. Tieria climbed on his scaled hand; fortunately, the dragon did not seem to have reached his full age as he was quite small unlike the other mature dragons she was seen. It allowed Tieria to easily form a knot around the arrow.
She climbed down the dragon and grabbed the other end of the rope, with her entire strength, Tieria pulled and so did the dragon – he took a couple of steps background while growling in pain. The arrow was pulling itself with a slow speed. Tieria continued to pull by the rope while grinning her teeth. Attentively, she watched the dragon's struggle to free his shoulder from the pain of the steel arrow.

With one large pull, Tieria managed to pluck it out. The dragon roared in pain as the arrow fell on the ground. Swiftly, Tieria picked it up and tossed it into some bushes then she glanced at the winged-creature in front of her, who was breathing heavily to cease the burning pain.
Tieria opened her mouth to addressed to the dragon once more, but fail to when the dragon lifted his large, right hand atop Tieria and pinned her to the ground. Her shoulderpads removed themselves due the dragon's claws, exposing her shoulders.
Tieria gasped as she fell on cold soil, stuck in-between two fingers of the dragon; she glared, unable to understand why has the creature decided to hold her down when she had just aided him.

The dragon lowered his head, standing close to Tieria.
"Now it is time to actually make amends, thief." Growled the dragon. "I will take what is mine."
"What-" Tieria's eyes widen when she realized what the dragon desired. "The scale? The black dragon scale." She stated. "I did not steal it!"
"I do not care for excuses." He said irritated. "Return them to me at once!"
Tieria glared at the dragon while attempting to break free him his grasp. However, it was futile to even attempt; his claw did not even budge at her movement.
"Light forgive what I am about to do." Mumbled Tieria. She shut her eyes, as she swiftly put herself in a meditate state – as she generated the holy power from within her – the cracks from the ground began lighting gold. The dragon glared as he was processing what was happening. In a swift moment, the entire ground beneath Tieria lighted up, it burned powerfully enough the dragon's hand, forcing him to retrieve it in pain and free Tieria. She got on her feet, cursing herself for not bringing a weapon along; as much as she did not want to harm the dragon any longer, he gave her little choice.
"Well, aren't you a frisky one?" said the dragon slyly, as he began walking in circles around Tieria. As he analyzed the paladin, Tieria noticed he moved slow – his injury must have affect more than he would desire to admit.
"Why do you need the scales?" inquired Tieria.
"Why do you need them?" hissed the black dragon. "They belong to my kin; What use would a lowly paladin have for them?" he continued to walk in circles, his long tail would block every gap that Tieria could slip in. The dragon had little patience; he stomped his large foot in front of Tieria and spoke: "I do not have time for your questions, mortal. Return the scales to me!"
"I doubt you can fly with that hole in your shoulder." Replied Tieria snarky. She took a small step back when the dragon glared. "I am not your enemy. I possess more knowledge about dragons than you think!"
"Oh?" chuckled the dragon. The dragon lowered his head at Tieria once more. But did not speak, when both of them heard movement between the trees, causing them to cease their argument.
Tieria held her breath as she attentively listened – cracking on branches indicated that it was not an owl and even a deer. The footsteps she heard from the bushes were far too heavy for an animal.
The dragon growled in irritation and began turning towards the bushes while readying himself to breathe fire.

The bushes and the trees immediately caught on fire from the dragon's cast, two men in dark armor emerged from their hiding and jumped in front of Tieria and the dragon.
Alarmed, Tieria immediately assumed a fighting pose; even without a weapon, she could still put up a fight. The two assassins charged at the dragon, but Tieria taunted one of them by casting a light hammer into his direction, hitting him into his stomach. In irritation, the masked rogue charged at Tieria and she once again consecrated the ground – causing his feet to burn upon stepping on the lightened soil. Swiftly Tieria managed to disarm him of one of his daggers and took no hesitation in piercing it into his stomach.
The rogue cried out in pain and Tieria closed her eyes as she pushed him into the consecrated ground, letting him burn into the Light.

The dragon took down the other assassin by merely stomping on him and piercing his large claw into his back. The battle ended sooner than the paladin realized.
Tieria glanced down at her defeat foes. They seemed ordinary humans, however their outfits were unlike she has ever since before. The attires were not of any cultist organization she knew of; their robes were dark violet, decorated with black chains around shoulders and waist. Orange gems were sewed in the center of the torso and inside the metal gauntlets.
"Who were they-" Tieria gasped when she no longer saw the dragon. Instead of his place, a dark-skinned man, with voluminous, black, curly hair laid unconscious on the ground. It seemed he thought it would be easier to fight in his humanoid form or due to weakness from the injury, he has accidentally changed his form.
Swiftly, she run to his side and examined him. Whatever the reason was – it did not matter to Tieria. No soul had to be an expert in healing to know that the dragon has lost too much blood.
With her entire strength, Tieria lifted up the dark-haired half-elf and wrapped his left arm around her.
"Stay with me." She pleaded softly as she began crawling back to Hearthglen.

The next morning Tieria glanced at the sleeping dragon, resting on her bed in his half-elven form.
She slept little that night, as the entire time she was fixated upon cleaning the wound and healing the injured dragon. He has been unconscious since the battle in the woods but he was breathing.

Having to sleep in her armchair brought slight neck pain to the paladin, she grunted in discomfort, telling to herself to prepare some tea that could soothe her muscles. The sudden knock on the door disrupted Tieria's plan and caused her to jump out of the chair which was next to the bed; she paced towards the sound and opened the door as quietly as possible, but whoever was on the other side wasn't as careful as her.
Caradin walked in immediately in her room which caused Tieria to jump slightly in surprise again.
"Listen lassie…" exhaled her dwarven friend. "I have been thinking this night… I feel bad talking so harsh to ye regarding the Dragon Isles… I was bein' a lousy friend."
Tieria opened her mouth to speak but then bit her tongue when Caradin noticed the asleep man on her bed.
"Ah… yer havin' company?" the dwarf leaned in to his friend and whispered: "Should I come later?"
Tieria's cheeks flushed red as a tomato and blinked at the dwarf.
"No!" Releasing the volume of her voice, Tieria inhaled deeply then continued in a whisper: "This is not… company. That's…" she paused, unsure if it would be wise to tell the truth as she was confident the dwarf would scold her. But Tieria could not lie to her friend. "…the black dragon." She mumbled. Caradin's blue eyes widen in shock as he glanced again at the sleeping half-elf.
"Ye brought the dragon here!?"
"Shh!" hushed Tieria and began pushing Caradin outside her chamber, leading him into the hallway.
"He poses no threat." Tieria said as she closed the door behind her. "And he is injured, Caradin. Because of us."
"Nay lassie, he's injured 'cause he was lookin' for a freakin' fight!"
Tieria hushed the dwarf again, slightly annoyed that he was not controlling the volume of his voice.
"He was attacked." Declared Tieria coldly. "Someone is chasing after him and he is in obvious danger. Don't you think it would be hypocritical from my part to let a dragon get killed when I am so desperately trying to aid them by searching for that place?"
Caradin was silent, he once again had the disapproving mixed with concern look. He scratched his beard and nodded at Tieria:
"Yer right… however-"
"I will be careful." Interrupted Tieria with a smile while opening the door to her chamber and entering again.

The dragon was still asleep, it seemed Caradin's loud complains did not wake him up. As she walked up towards the bed, her eyes focused on the dragon. His breathing has returned to a stable rhythm and his muscles seemed to have relaxed.
Carefully, not to awake him, Tieria sat on the edge of the bed to examine the half-elf closer.
Much like many dragons, he had dapper features in his humanoid form. His voluminous hair was shining, and despite it lying scattered around the pillow and his face - it still managed to look elegant. Tieria moved a couple of the hair strands away from his high cheekbones and his lips. Her eyes continued roaming his face, analyzing his well-trimmed beard and goatee; she also noticed he had golden loops pierced in each of his ears. Having to heal his shoulder, forced Tieria to strip him of his grey shoulderpads and black long coat. She unbuttoned his linen shirt but kept it on his shoulders, his body was not well-toned but it had some define of built muscles. Tieria glanced down at the necklace laying on his chest. With the tips of her fingers, she touched the ruby gem, wondering if the piece of jewelry held any special meaning to him or if the trinket was a pure accessory.
That, however – was not the only question Tieria asked herself. So many thoughts were running through her mind as she stared at him.
Where is he coming from? How did he know Tieria possessed the dragon scale and how did he locate her?
She didn't even know his name.

Suddenly, Tieria felt a grip upon her right wrist. She gasped when she noticed the half-elf's hand was circled around it. It has seemed she has accidentally awakened the dragon.
As he held her wrist tightly, the man opened his eyes.
Deadly silence enveloped the chamber as the dragon and the paladin stared at each other. Tieria felt intimated to speak, meanwhile the dragon was still taking time to fully wake up.
"It's me." Whispered Tieria. The dragon's red eyes roamed Tieria then as soon as he remembered the events that have occurred, he allowed himself to relax and sink his head in the pillow. He released her from his grip, letting his hand lazily fall on the bed. Tieria retrieved her arm close to her, and gently caressed her wrist with her left hand as she continued looking at the dragon. "How do you feel?" inquired Tieria.
The humanoid form of the dragon released a dry laugh in reply.
"I've certainly had better days." He said in a surprising warm tone. Tieria looked at the dark-skinned man while thousands of questions ran through her mind. She did not know where to begin.
After a short pause, Tieria inquired:
"Who were your attackers? Why did they attack you?"
The dragon slowly lifted his upper body, grunting in pain as he moved. He reached out to his bandaged shoulder while continuing to growl.
"Why is anyone killing black dragons?" he asked rhetorically. The dragon sighed and ran his fingers through his long, curly hair. "Because of our weakness to the Old Gods' corruption; because of the cursed legacy my father has bestowed upon us."
"Old God's corruption?" repeat Tieria. "What legacy-" Tieria paused as she looked at the dragon and then exhaled: "Who are you?"
The dragon did not hesitate in giving his name to the templar:
"I am Wrathion, son of Neltharion."