As Ebonia stirred closer to wakefulness, she realized she could hear deep breathing that was not her own.
Snapping awake, she whirled around to find that she was at the back of an unfamiliar mossy cave, and that there was a massive green dragon at its entrance, who'd been sleeping until Ebonia had woken up. Now, this dragon stood up, and Ebonia recognized her as the green dragon who'd been fighting Deathwing.
"Ah, you've awaken at last. I was beginning to worry.", the dragon said.
"What do you want with me?", Ebonia growled bluntly, "I'm not a fan of-"
She'd been about to say 'dragons seeking me out', but it reminded her of Devrialstrasz, and then she remembered that he was dead. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with grief, and crumpled to the ground.
The green dragon seemed to recognize this, and why Ebonia was doing it. "That red dragon was really important to you, wasn't he?"
"His name was Devrialstrasz.", Ebonia whispered.
Was. That word was another reminder of the fact that Devrialstrasz had been slain. Ebonia nearly broke down into sobbing, but then remembered the green dragon watching her. Mourning could wait until this stranger was gone.
Ebonia managed to barely keep herself together, and stood back up. "So, really, who are you, and why am I here? Where even is here?"
The green dragon answered, "I am Ysera the Dreamer, Aspect of the Green Dragonflight. This is a hidden grove tucked away in a less-explored part of the Emerald Dream, my personal realm. You will be safe here for some time."
"Why did you save me?", Ebonia asked, "I'm a black dragon. My kind is your enemy!"
Ysera replied, "You were fighting your own Aspect, though. Perhaps my siblings did not see, or did not want to see, but I did. There is something unique about you, and I believe you have the potential to change this world for the better."
Ebonia sighed. "I suppose you'd think that. But I couldn't even save my only friend. I'm worthless. You might as well kill me now, and save yourself some trouble."
Ysera shook her head. "I cannot do that, young one. I'm sure your friend told you about the value of life. There is so much you can still do, and I will not take it away from you unless there is no other choice."
Ebonia replied, "So you won't kill me? What will you do with me, then?"
Ysera answered, "I will be keeping you here until you have returned to full health. Until then, you can feel free to explore this area and try to plan for your future. I am very busy, but I will try and see if there is somewhere you can go on Azeroth. We will have to keep you hidden from Alexstrasza for some time, though. My sister is quite vengeful at the moment."
"Why are we waiting? I feel plenty healthy right now.", Ebonia asked.
"The Emerald Dream is not a physical reality.", Ysera replied, "Your body here is only an incarnation of your spirit. Your real body is seriously burned, has several broken bones, and was trapped in a partially collapsed dwarven ruin. Not to mention your mental state. I know you're hiding how much you're hurting inside. You will be staying here until your body and mind have made a full recovery. Or at least as recovered as possible."
Ebonia stated, "So...I'm trapped here."
"Do not think of this place as a prison.", Ysera pleaded, "Few ever get to come here, and it is a land of glorious beauty. You do not have any restrictions on where you can go, so long as you stay out of the sight of others, and if you open your mind to it you will be filled with wonder. This is an honor."
Ebonia sighed. "Okay, fine. Not actually a prison. Noted."
Ysera seemed to sense something, and looked to the side. "I must go. But I will try to visit when I can. There is something quite special about you, and I want to give you an opportunity to be free of your flight's influence. Farewell, young one."
Then she dissolved into emerald light, and vanished, leaving only a few green leaves to blow to Ebonia's feet.
Now that Ysera was gone, Ebonia felt Devrialstrasz's loss weigh on her again, and she curled up, tears welling up in her eyes. She closed them, and began to sob quietly.*
Some time later, Ebonia managed to pull herself together. She was thirsty, and she knew crying in a corner wouldn't do anything except possibly make her feel worse. There was a world outside for her to explore, and she suspected she was going to be stuck here for a while.
Walking up to the entrance, she felt a soft wind brush past her wings. It certainly felt real. How could all of this be an illusion, a spirit realm?
Stepping outside, Ebonia cringed and shielded her good eye from the blinding sun. Once she recovered, she looked around and was amazed by what she saw.
She was in the middle of a wide clearing, covered in brilliant green grass and gorgeous flowers of blue and red and yellow. To her side poured a tall waterfall, which flowed into a deep blue spring. Her cave was right next to said waterfall, and was obscured by a collection of ornate rocks. Birds sang merrily all around her, and Ebonia felt somewhat more at peace. This was a perfect example of the beauty of nature, and she knew she probably would never have noticed it if it weren't for Devrialstrasz.
The name stung her heart again, and she shook off admiring the scene. Her throat was parched, and that deep blue spring was full of good water. She walked over to it, and took a long drink, the water's surface reflecting her scarred face and the bright blue sky above her.
Seeing her face in the water made her sad. Here she was, surrounded in beauty, and her face was ugly to behold. The ghastly missing eye, the torn-up muzzle, the vicious teeth. She was a monster. How could anyone care for her? The only one who had was dead now.
As she sat there, her heart heavy, she spotted something fly in and perch on her head.
It was a tiny blue dragon, with large butterfly-like wings. It poked at her head curiously, then fluttered around and hovered in front of her eye, staring at her with a cute smile and wide innocent golden eyes.
"Hello, big black thing!", it chirped, "Would you like to be friends? I like friends."
Ebonia stared, unsure what she was hearing.
"Quiet! I see. Faewing don't mind. I will play with you!", the little dragon said.
It flew over to the water, and used its long tail to splash Ebonia in the face.
"Ack!", she cried, stumbling back. Faewing giggled.
"Your turn!", they cheered, "Splashy splash!"
Ebonia sighed. "Oh, fine."
She lashed her tail around, sending a wave of water at Faewing and drenching them.
"Yay! You good splasher!", Faewing commented, "Let's play more!"
Ebonia smiled slightly. "Okay, then. Only a little while, though."*
The two ended up playing various games until the sun began to set. Ebonia decided to return to her cave, but Faewing followed. Ebonia didn't bother trying to chase them off; she'd grown a bit attached to this strange creature. As she settled down to sleep, Faewing landed on her head, curled up, and began snoring melodically.
Ebonia smiled, her depression momentarily forgotten. Perhaps her stay here wouldn't be so bad after all.