Chapter One

Aydeline first noticed the dull throbbing pain in her head as she slowly came back to consciousness. She secondly noticed vice-like grips holding her up on each side, dragging her along some cold and smooth surface, probably down some form of a corridor, into the unknown.

Knowing her life probably hung in the balance, Aydeline kept limp, deciding to still give her captors the impression she was unconscious, but even then she knew the act would only last her so long, before she would probably be rudely awakened, so her mind instantly became a tornado of activity as she tried to figure out a plan…

An chilled wind fluttered across her neck, telling her she was now outdoors somewhere, but where was "somewhere".. Her train of thought was broken when she was suddenly dropped onto the ground, causing her breath to be knocked from her lungs as she slammed into a metal floor.

It took all her willpower and strength to not make a sound or grip her chest as she slowly seethed between her gritted teeth, trying to regain her lost air, but all together she tried to keep very silent, still trying to give everyone the impression she was still unconscious.

"What have you found, Koltira?" A sudden icy voice asked.

Aydeline shivered inside at the voice, it was so.. tainted.. As it echoed in her mind, the voice almost sound split to her, one side echoing darkly in her mind, the other side a faint crushed spirit fighting for control. Her mind raced frantically.. Something like this had never happened to her.. Especially one single voice causing her to have a plethora of sudden emotions and thoughts.

"N-Nothing my L-lord" came the hesitant reply from her captor.

Aydeline resisted the urge to smirk, as she recognized the name of the elf from earlier, who enjoyed so much, with "playing with his food"

"The g-girl must have hi-id the layout s-s-somewhere" Koltira suggested. The icy voice growled menacingly and something suddenly slammed into the ground, not maybe a few paces from Aydeline's head, causing the cold ground to grumble with a disturbance.

She felt the few figures hovering over her back up slightly, as if frightened.

Then- all became silent for a few moments…

"and why did you not go back and search for the plans…" the icy voiced asked, bubbling with evident anger.

"I-I don't kno-" the elf began, but was cut off "WELL GO BACK!" came the swift roaring reply of the icy voice above her.

Aydeline heard a few stuttering replies before a chorus of hurried strides echoed out of the area, leaving only Aydeline.. And probably the figure who owned the icy voice. Moments passed by.. As Aydeline meekly laid there.. Breathing only to the slightest bit as the agonizing seconds passed by, the silence threatening to break her…

Finally "It is to my understanding, that a Crusader, always fights to their dying breath…" The voice above her mused, whether rhetorically to themselves, or to her, she knew not.. But the hope that the figure still believed she was unconscious was slowly growing more doubtful as the seconds passed by.

A few more moments passed by..

"Isn't that correct?" the voice asked..

…

"I know you can hear me…"

…Suddenly a very hard object collided with Aydeline's rib cage, flipping her over completely, and send her halfway across the terrace, all very painfully. She cried out in agony, clutching her probably broken ribcage, seething in pain.

A gauntleted hand yanked her head back harshly, showing her finally who her captor was.

She gaped in stunned silence..

Snow white hair hung over a harshly pale face… Furious blue eyes boring into her with evident malice… behind the figure was a weapon as evil as its owner..

"Y-y-our not-t S-s-supp-" Aydeline started to stutter, but was cut off, "Supposed to be what, hmm? Alive? Hardly." The Lich King sneered. He released her head and waved a hand behind him. "Not supposed to be here?"

He laughed deeply, his thick demonically tainted laugh sending shivers down Aydeline's spine.

"I'm home, aren't I?" he asked, evidently enjoying himself.

But, in an instant, his smirk vanished, replaced by a fierce frown as he returned to Aydeline, bringing his face within an inch of hers. She reflexively tried to scramble backwards, fear clutching her heart strings as she swallowed deeply, contemplating what lie in store for her over the next few moment, but his hand shot forth, seizing her shoulder and half-dragging, half-tossing her against the nearest pillar, allowing her no where to go.

He brought his face closely again, and slowly whispered, "You have something I want and need dear.. Do not toy with me." his nauseating breath washed over her, smelling just like, if not worse, than his minions scouring the land below them.

He brought his face closer.

"Where.. Are… the.. Plans.." he asked, stretching the question out, his voice growing softer with each word, the last word almost a whisper, causing Aydeline to almost strain to hear it. A few silent moments passed by as a hard lump developed in Aydeline's throat, not allowing any words to pass out.. So she only shook her head slightly, thick tears threatening to form beneath her eyelids, which were clamped shut.

He roared loudly and grabbed a fistful of her hair, dragging her painfully to the railing of the alcove balcony, shoving her against it, causing her to gaze out upon the land.

The once green land of the Scarlet Crusade, was now a burning pitch of weltering stench, Scourge soldiers roaming the land, either bored with themselves, or searching for any survivors, of which were of course not sparred, Bands of ragged warriors were cut down quickly and viciously, what was left of their bodies was too mangled to even recognize them.

"Do you see what happens to those who resist and tempt me?" the Lich King asked rhetorically. "And yet, those weren't even in my proximity, but yet, you are my dear." he pushed her a bit over the balcony, as if to emphasize his point.

"Do not think, that I will not hesitate to kill you." he added.

Aydeline suddenly erupted into a fit of mad laughter, causing the Lich King to frown in either confusion, or anger."It-it's r-reall-ly funn-y-y yo-ou see-e" she said past her fit of laughter. "You will hesitate to kill me, because I am the only one who knows where those plans are hidden!" She giggled, causing him to press her harder against the railing. She ignored the slight discomfort, deciding to continue with her mild speech, knowing that it was probably only adding to his anger. "And without me.. You'll never find those plans!!" she finished, tears of both pain and laughter in her eyes.

He growled in irritation and spun her around to face him, before backhanding her viciously across the face, sending her sprawling to the ground, ceasing her maddening laughing fit.

He knelt down and seized the front of her ruined tabard, bringing her now bleeding face back to within an inch of his.

"You do have a fair point.. " he began "but whilst you are still alive, I can push you to the brink of insanity and death.. And literally make your life hell my dear." his voice grew unnaturally cold.

"It is only a matter of time, until you snap, or until you die"