"Your father has requested your presence in ten minutes.", the leader said, before quickly raising his shield.
"Oh please, why are you acting like that? You're just embarrassing yourself.", Ebonia asked.
"Well...", said one orc, "There was that time where you killed one of us when he snuck up on you."
"And that time when you incinerated one of us because he suggested your missing eye was a liability.", added another.
The leader added, "Plus, you're...his, daughter."
"Point taken.", Ebonia grumbled, "What on Azeroth does my father want with me?"
The orcs shrugged, and Ebonia sighed as she stood up and stretched her wings. The orcs promptly cleared out, their message delivered and none of them seeking to stick around Ebonia too long.
It was all foolish in the end; ever since she'd met Devrialstrasz, she hadn't even tried to kill one of the orcs, much as she loathed them. But the reputation she'd made in her first few days here seemed to be enough to make them all absolutely terrified of her.
Hmm, maybe that's what her father wanted with her. Perhaps he'd seen how strange she'd been acting and wanted to find out why. Ebonia wasn't sure how she was to react if that was the case.
She took flight and flew throughout the corridors of Grim Batol, until she spotted an assortment of black dragons guarding the remains of a dwarven manor. She flew in for a landing, where she saw her father standing idly in front of the building, currently wearing his mortal guise.
"Ebonia.", he growled, "It seems you came quite swiftly. Good. We have something to discuss."
"Like what?", Ebonia snapped. She didn't care if he was the Aspect of Death or not. She hated him with a passion. Besides, he was in his mortal form, which did not exactly strike fear into her.
After all, she could literally eat him right now.
Deathwing did not seem to care, though. He said, "I have heard word that a red dragon is causing trouble in the fortress. I have more pressing concerns than that foolish whelp, so I would like you to kill him for me."
He looked into Ebonia's eye, saying, "Complete this task, and I will consider you worthy of becoming the student of my eldest children. Fail...well, your death would be quite easy to carry out."
He strode over to the door of the manor. "I am not happy with these orcs. It is time for them to be cast aside and replaced with better minions. I am sure you will do better elsewhere."
And with that, he disappeared inside the manor, his discussion over.
Ebonia immediately spread her wings, took flight, and went to find Devrialstrasz.
She found him outside like usual, watching some rabbits playing in the grass. As always, he was delighting in even the smallest parts of life. Ebonia sometimes wished she could have that much enthusiasm, but it had been drilled out of her by the abuse she'd had to suffer as a whelp.
Devrialstrasz saw her, and frowned. "You look worried. What is it?"
Ebonia landed next to him, and replied, "It's not safe for you here anymore."
Devrialstrasz chuckled. "It's never been safe for me. But alright, what makes you so much more concerned now?"
Ebonia explained, "My father, he knows about you. He literally told me to kill you!"
Devrialstrasz replied, "And...are you going to kill me?"
Ebonia sighed. "It would certainly make both of our lives so much easier...but no. Never. I could...never hurt you."
She felt hesitant about saying anything more. She had never felt this way before, and she had no idea what it was or even how to describe it.
Devrialstrasz smiled reassuringly. "I'm glad to know that. All of it. I was...well, you see, I was waiting for you to say something, anything, and now that I know we feel the same way..."
He slipped something off of his neck and held it out to Ebonia. It was a sparkling pendant, made of silver and shaped like a dragon in flight.
Ebonia started, "Wait...is this-"
Devrialstrasz said, "It's a treasure I tracked down just for you. After this is over, when Deathwing is defeated and my flight is free, I'd like it if we could, just you and me, fly off somewhere and build a den. I don't care if other dragons frown on cross-flight relationships, as long as you and I can be happy together. Would you...like that too?"
Ebonia knew that she was at the cusp of a new decision, but this one was easy to make, despite how her entire life would progress differently because of it.
"Yes...", she replied, "I would really, really like that."
Devrialstrasz nodded. "Tonight, we free my flight. Tomorrow, we will fly to our new home, wherever that will be. And I will teach you one last thing."*