Posted - 3 years 11 months ago
Everyone at the table just sat and silently watched the messenger shivering on the floor, cold and weary, as if they were being held in their chairs by the gravity of this terrible news. Haemon was the first to break the silence:"Damnation! It almost feels like this bard brings catastrophe with him wherever he goes! But I'll be damned if I meet my end just sitting on this chair. Wake up, all of you!" He slammed his fist on the table.Shaking his head as if trying to shake off the stupor, Thaddeus turned to Ayrin:"We have to act before we all turn into pieces of modern art in own cities!"Ayrin didn't respond. She kept staring at the messenger hunched up on the floor. Images of what she had lost long ago flashed before her eyes, burning her maternal instinct with the flames of reproach. Thaddeus understood what was going on and approached Ayrin. He placed the palm of his hand on hers and gently squeezed it. Ayrin's shifted her gaze and looked around in astonishment at the pale faces of her guests."What's happening? Why is there a half-dead soldier on the floor? Help him!" ordered the queen.Thaddeus told her about the news the messenger had brought."Alrick" Ayrin whispered, "Messenger, were there any other similar attacks? Tell us everything you know!"He told her about the villages and arenas buried under the ice, not far from Alrick's city.Thinking it over, she asked that a map be brought over. Having found her brother's city several dozen miles from her own and having established the coordinates of the previous attacks, she concluded that the Frozen Queen was quickly moving in her direction and must already be very close. If she attacks every settlement in her way, then the next attack should be on the Malbrocks' village! Ayrin forced herself not to think about the past."Friends, we have to hurry! Go to the portal tower and return to your cities! Guards, tell commander Kassian to meet me at the workshop immediately!" Ayrin ordered and marched towards the exit. Doria ran after her.***After meeting Kassian at the gates and running to the workshop, Ayrin stormed inside, scaring half to death the craftsman who was busy scraping the tree sap from a new batch of logs"Ghest, I need your help. Do you still have those special potions made of yarrow tree tar that you told me about a long time ago?" Ayrin asked, without pausing for breath. "My Lady, what an honor" "Answer the question we don't have much time!" retorted the queen, angrily. "I think we definitely had one flask lying around somewhere in the warehouse, collecting dust But, My Lady, may I ask why you need it? The potion is highly unstable. Oh, my poor apprentice Flock" the old man groaned, as he hobbled towards the warehouse. "If I remember correctly, that Rage Potion instills fire into the heart of whoever drinks it, right?" asked Ayrin, finally managing to catch her breath. "Not exactly. If the warrior's heart is full of courage, they will burst into flame. Literally," the old man replied with a crazed giggle. "It's just, poor Flock never the fire never went out."Ayrin wasn't thrilled by the possibility of burning alive after drinking the madman's defective potion, but there was no other alternative. Ghest handed the potion to the queen and immediately bowed low as a sign of reverence."My Lady, are you seriously considering" Kassian began, as soon as they stepped outside the gates of the workshop, but Ayrin gestured to him to keep quiet. "Kassian, we're facing a terrible threat. Gather the troops in the square and prepare to march into battle. Your task, if the legends are true, is to hold off any monster that helps that frozen wench kill my subjects," said Ayrin with rage in her voice.Kassian saluted and ran towards the barracks.***The icy wind that burst into the chambers quickly chilled the spacious room. Ayrin ordered the guards to put more wood on the fire. Settling back on the couch, she sipped wine from her cup, this time more than usual."And how did the heroes of old fight such magic?" the queen asked. "If My Lady followed the story, she would remember mentions of dragons. Fire-breathing ones, obviously. The only thing that can defeat ice is fire," the minstrel replied, pulling his chair closer to the fireplace. "So she can't be defeated without a dragon? But dragons haven't been seen in these lands for centuries," Ayrin said anxiously. For some reason, the threat seemed more real to her than it should have. "My Lady, we're talking about myths and legends, nothing more," the bard said to her condescendingly. "But I suppose a dragon's flame would be just as good as a flame from any other source, even if the legend doesn't mention it. The tricky part is preventing the flame from going out." "So the Queen has to be melted in a powerful stream of fire?" "It would seem that the heroes of old thought so, since they attacked her mounted on dragons. I always thought that the Frozen Queen is just like her henchmen in that she uses magic to encase her enemies' hearts in ice. One might reasonably assume that her heart is encased in ice too," Perceval replied thoughtfully.***Near the Malbrocks' estate, a terrible image unfolded before Ayrin and Doria the mansion was enveloped in an icy blizzard and the village was teeming with small bloodthirsty goblins, chasing the inhabitants that hadn't been frozen in place by the Frozen Queen's magic. A huge silhouette of a tall woman could be seen through the blizzard. Ayrin ordered Kassian to surround the village and prevent the Frozen Queen's henchmen from leaving it and she also warned him not to get close to the mansion. The troops moved towards the village in a steady march and Ayrin headed to the mansion.Even through the snow storm, she could hear the terrified screams from inside the house. Ayrin saw Neville, dressed only in his nightgown, clumsily running out of the gates. She darted to meet him, but at the next moment, the storm stopped, materializing in the shape of a tall woman with an ice staff in her hand. She landed right in front of Neville and touched her staff to his heart. Neville staggered and then turned into a grotesque hunk of ice with a vaguely human outline. The next moment, she dashed towards Ayrin.Unintimidated, Ayrin pulled two fiery-colored flasks from her cloak and downed hers in one go, giving the other one to Doria. A flaming aura surrounded them like a halo. Ayrin unsheathed her sword and sprinkled the last few drops from the flask on it. The blade suddenly began to burn with a bright flame. Ayrin charged, and as soon as the ice golem was within her reach, she slashed across its chest with a precise strike. The burning sword quickly melted its icy armor. Inside the golem's chest, Ayrin noticed something that resembled a heart.The chunk of ice tried to attack her in return, but just as its hand touched the fiery halo, the ice melted and it was unable to reach Ayrin's body. Wishing to spare the poor creature that used to be Neville Malbrock from its misery, Ayrin pierced its chest with a lunge of her sword. The sword's enchanted blade melted everything except his heart, which fell into the soft snow with a muffled thudA blizzard obscured Ayrin and Doria's vision. Filled with determination to end this right here and now, they approached the mansion. The Frozen Queen's tall silhouette became clearer and clearer. Finally, Ayrin saw the full picture a woman covered in blue clothes and with a tiara made of ice on her head stood over the frozen body of Neville's wife, holding the ice staff in her right hand. A raw fury overcame Ayrin and Doria, and with the burning sword at the ready, they both charged forward with a loud yell. Closing in to within jumping distance, they both lunged forward forcefully. Suddenly, the Frozen Queen turned around and parried both attacks with such force that Ayrin and Doria were sent flying, only to land in a pile of snow a dozen meters behind. The blow was strong enough to knock Ayrin's sword from her hand and dislocate her shoulder. Doria's spear flew from her grip. Its shaft struck her in the head, knocking her out cold.After making sure that Doria was alive, Ayrin rose to her knees and picked up the sword, trying to suppress the pain.The Frozen Queen came closer. Ayrin was ready to attack again when suddenly Something painfully familiar in her enemy's face made her stop. The lines of her face, the shape of her eyes and hair Even though the ice magic had left its mark on everything it touched, all her features still reminded her of"Kate?" Ayrin whispered, numb and in complete disbelief. Her heart was bursting with joy and sadness at the same time.The Frozen Queen, who had raised her staff above her head in preparation to strike, suddenly stopped."Your reckless daughter died many years ago, after she let the ancient ice magic inside her. I am the new Frozen Queen!" she replied in a cold, but deep and enchanting voice."No, no She's not dead, I feel it in my heart Kate, stop!" Ayrin screamed, as the Frozen Queen once again sent her flying with the swing of an arm.The blow knocked Ayrin's sword out of her hand. It grazed her face, leaving a deep, bleeding wound. Then its flame died out. She forced herself onto her knees and, bowing her head, spoke quietly."Oh, how you've grown, my little bee" the corners of her mouth rose up a little in a smile.The Frozen Queen's hand, holding her staff raised high above Ayrin, wavered."Pathetic worm, your daughter is no more!" the Frozen Queen said angrily, preparing for the final blow."Whatever happens, I'll always be on your side" Ayrin looked up, her face bloodied, and met the Frozen Queen's eyes.All of a sudden, the staff froze a few inches from Ayrin's neck. She noticed a small tear rolling down the Frozen Queen's cheek. In that moment Ayrin knew that her daughter was still alive. That gave her strength. She slowly rose to her feet and, limping, stepped close to her. The Frozen Queen almost seemed lost, unsure of what was happening. She took a step back. The next moment, she exploded in a fit of rage, swung her staff, and cast a swirling stream of sharp, deadly snowflakes towards Ayrin. The fire around Ayrin had begun to die out, and some of the snowflakes got through it, leaving new wounds in her flesh, and tearing her armor and clothes. Ayrin, no longer moved by rage, seemed indifferent to the pain and slowly drew closer."No, it can't be Your daughter is long dead!" the Frozen Queen shouted, her voice filled with rage and desperation, and she put all of her power into the snowflake spell.In spite of all this, Ayrin kept moving closer. Her fondest memories of her beloved daughter gave her almost supernatural strength. All this time, the Frozen Queen had been backing off, without even realizing it. She eventually stopped abruptly, her back touching the wall of the Malbrock mansion. The more she understood that Kate was resisting the ice enchantment, the weaker the force of the spell became. Finally, Ayrin was within arm's reach.Upon seeing her face, bloodied and frostbitten, but still smiling, the Frozen Queen unexpectedly uttered "Mom" With what was left of her strength, Ayrin stepped forward and put her hand right on the Queen's heart. The Frozen Queen shrieked in pain, as if her body was being pierced by thousands of white-hot needles. Ayrin watched as the Frozen Queen's crown melted away and the blizzard was summoned back inside her staff, which then shattered and crumbled into pieces. Her skin was getting warmer and losing its bright-blue color.Ayrin's eyelids grew heavy. She felt herself falling down. Suddenly, someone's warm arms caught her and closed in a tight embrace. Crying from joy and free from the evil enchantment, Kate kept saying "Mom" over and over again. Ayrin still didn't feel the pain from all her injuries a happiness that she couldn't ever have hoped for filled her soul, like a burst of adrenaline. She knew that everything was going to be all right now.
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