Chapter Ten – The Lord, the Hero, and the Frostblade

Yugi dreamed. He knew he was dreaming because even though amazing and unbelievable things had happened to him since starting his adventure, they had all contained the full color and vibrancy of life. The vision opening before him was colored only in hues of blue.

Vision? It was a nightmare. He was flying as a Chaos Storm formed around him. Spectral faces jeered and mocked him. They parted long enough to permit flying humanoids to join him in the air. At first Yugi thought they were Drakes, but unlike Lord Seto's subjects, these draconians had wicked protrusions of bone along their forearms and the leading edges of their wings, fangs jutting from their mouths, and lethal looking horns erupting from their foreheads. They started flying dizzying patterns around him. Yugi looked up just in time to stall a single wing-beat. The near-falter in the air saved him from a gash from a bone-bladed wing aimed at his throat. Somehow he managed to avoid the attacks that came at him from every side – in this dream possessing a skill at flying he didn't have in real life.

Still, his dodges became more desperate, and the attacks harder and harder to avoid. He was tiring, too. It was only a matter of time before he was hit. Yugi hoped being hit by one of these dream warriors in the nightmare he was sure had been sent by the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos would merely end the dream – and not also his life. He wasn't about to test the theory out, though.

That was when massive bolts of ice started tearing through the Chaos Storm. The ice bolts targeted the minions of Chaos surrounding him, beating them off of him. Yugi wasn't certain what impulse ruled his action when he reached out as if to catch one of the ice bolts, except that they had saved him from the evil flyers. As if summoned by his gesture, an ice bolt turned mid-air and came at him. The crystalline purity of its surface mesmerized him as it hurtled toward him. Just as the ice bolt hit, Yugi woke up.

At least he tried to.

Gone was the Chaos Storm and the winged minions of Chaos. Gone too was the hail of ice bolts that had driven them off. Yugi didn't see anything, anything at all – except a blue-white light all around him. He tried to move. He couldn't. Cold the likes of which he'd never felt seeped into his skin, through his flesh, into his bones, and from there, into his mind, his heart, his very soul.

Unable to move, unable to scream, unable to do the least thing to break this nightmare and free himself from his dream of being imprisoned in ice, all Yugi could do –

was freeze.

– – – – –

Seto snapped to full awareness at the White Knight's touch on his shoulder. "My lord, there isss a sssituation. One of your guessstsss..."

He groaned. "What has that idiot Shadow Lord gone and done?" he demanded.

"Not the Lord of Ssshadowsss. It isss the Hero," the White Knight replied.

"What?!"

– – – – –

Seto entered the hall to find both Yami and the Shadow Lord's Guardian Knight already there. Yami cradled a small puffball of a shadow monster in his arms, and stroked the creature's fur soothingly. Irritated, and using the irritation to cover his worry, Seto glared at the interloper monster.

"What is that, that – fur-ball doing in my Aerie?"

Yami was worried enough he didn't rise to the bait. "Shelleene is the shadow monster I found living in Yugi's blood."

"Hmph. What is it doing here? It should be at your citadel," Seto said.

"She's bonded to Yugi. I left that bond intact, so she could guard him when he was in my citadel, before the Cold Shadows were brought under my full control. I saw no reason to leave her behind when we left."

"Hmph. And – 'she'?"

"Don't tell Yugi the shadow in his blood is female. It doesn't mean a thing, but he's apt to get upset by it."

"As well he should," Seto commented.

"You might not want to be so smug, Dragon Lord. I can sense the shadow living in your blood. Shall I tell you of Kisar–?"

"Don't," Seto interrupted curtly. "We have far more pressing issues at hand. Where is Yugi? If that pile of useless fluff was supposed to guard him, why is it here?"

"You tell me, Dragon Lord." The tone Yami used mocked the title. "In my citadel, I was the only living being able to enter the Well of Shadows and emerge unscathed – until the Hero. Until Yugi. When he was compelled to enter the Well, Shelleene was pulled from his shadow and could not follow. Where in here would their bond of blood and shadow weaken so much that Shelleene could not stay with Yugi? Most assuredly, she wanted to."

An expression so blank it conveyed horror more accurately than any distortion of features could have crossed Seto's face. He shook his head. "The – Heart."

The White Knight blinked twice in surprise. "The Heart of Iccce? Are you sssure, my lord?"

Seto closed his eyes and stilled as he attuned his essential being with the external manifestation of the core of his power. He seemed to turn into a blue-white flash of energy, and disappeared.

"Where...?"

"The core of the Aerie growsss out from the top of the mountain. The cccentral chamber of the Aerie sssuroundsss thisss core. Only Lord Ssseto may enter. To all othersss, it isss death by freezzzing. Even we who are of cold blood cannot withssstand to be in the presssenccce of the Heart of Iccce. He goesss there."

– – – – –

Seto appeared in the chill chamber that was his refuge. Whenever the duties he filled became too much, and he had a moment to himself, he would retreat here, to the welcome quiet of this chamber, and bask in the comforting cold flowing from the Heart of Ice. To any other, even his Guardian, the White Knight, it would be unbearably cold, but to him, it was as refreshing and welcome as a soft breeze in the heat of summer. The Heart of Ice was the center of his Aerie, just as it was the core of his power. He couldn't be uncomfortable in the distilled presence of the very power that filled his soul.

What could make him uncomfortable though, was the image before him. Yugi was in the chamber – embedded in the Heart of Ice itself – and he appeared to have been frozen while in the midst of trying to scream. His wide unblinking stare somehow made Seto realize that though Yugi had wanted to scream, he hadn't managed it before being frozen solid.

The twist of sympathy coiling around his heart surprised him. Seto thought he had long since lost the ability to empathize with any creature who was not a dragon.

"The Hero, huh?" Seto closed his eyes against the pitiful vision and shifted back to the meeting hall where his 'guest' waited.

"He's there," Seto said. "Frozen within the Heart of Ice. Poor, dumb idiot."

"Is he – dead?" Yami asked.

"I don't know." Seto recalled the vivid impression he had that Yugi had frozen solid before being able to scream. Corpses didn't try to scream. "I don't think so."

"Take me there!" Yami demanded. "I was able to bring him out of the Shadow Realm with my power, perhaps I can extract him from your Heart of Ice."

"As much as it would please me to see you writhing in the torment just being in the chamber with the Heart of Ice would bring you, I don't think so. If you were to attack it, you could disrupt my power."

Yami blinked at him. "You think I would use this as some excuse to attack you? Are you...? This isn't about you! At all! I have to save Yugi!"

"You can't," Seto said flatly. "But..."

"'But' what?"

Seto cupped his chin and paced. "I have to wonder what drew Yugi to the Heart of Ice. It is not an area of the Aerie anyone would ever find wandering around on their own. Unlike your Well of Shadows there is no 'presence', malevolent or otherwise, in my Heart of Ice that would mesmerize him to seek it out. What if it wasn't the Well that put Yugi in the danger he found himself in at your citadel?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"While you were sleeping," Seto smirked at the other lord. "I had a chance to converse with our supposed Hero. He told me of his encounter with not only one of the Dark One's Shades but also the Lord Dragon of Blackness and Chaos, himself. What if it wasn't the Well at all, but the Lord of Chaos that put Yugi in that danger?"

"Hmm." Yami considered. "It is true that the Well of Shadows did have a malevolent sort of will, and it had one time before transformed a young adventurer to upset me, but there might be some wisdom in what you suggest, Dragon Lord. The Chaos Dragon has everything to lose if Yugi is successful."

"If Yugi is the Hero, yes. Perhaps it is some machination of the Lord of Chaos that trapped Yugi in the Heart of Ice."

"If I can't rescue him – can you?"

Seto looked swiftly into Yami's face. Perceiving no mocking, only what appeared to be sincere concern for Yugi, Seto sighed. "I don't know. He might already be dead, and I can't tell since he's been frozen. Or he might be merely frozen, and not dead." Seto shook his head. "I've never entered the Heart of Ice itself before. It never occurred to me that I could. That you were able to enter the Well of Shadows, with no ill effects, makes me think I might be able..."

"Believe."

"What?"

"Believe that you can. Believe in your power. It's easy to see," Yami gestured around him, indicating the entire Aerie. "you believe in yourself as the Lord of Dragons. Do you believe in yourself as the Lord of Ice? If you are truly the Lord of Ice and Dragons, you should be able to enter the Heart of Ice as safely as I entered the Well of Shadows."

Seto glared at him. "Assuming you are right, and I don't believe for a minute that you are – how would I then free Yugi?" Seto asked.

Yami shot him a lopsided smile. "How would I know? I'm the Lord of Shadows. I delved into the well of my own shadows to free Yugi from my citadel – perhaps you have to master your heart of ice to free him from your Aerie."

Seto rolled his eyes at the analogy. "Whatever. I can't let you best me. I'll find a way to retrieve the runt from his icy prison – if for nothing else to annoy you."

Sarcasm dripped from Yami's every word. "Oh, yes. That would annoy me greatly."

"Very well, then. I will accept your challenge." Seto disappeared in a sheet of blue-white energy as before.

"I think the only thing bigger than his ego is his pride," Yami muttered.

"Aren't they the same thing?" the Purple Knight asked.

"Yesss." The White Knight laughed.

– – – – –

Lord Seto reached a hand toward the solid wall of ice before him. He cursed that his hand trembled. He'd never thought to try to enter the Heart of Ice before. Steeling his resolve, he stopped the trembling in his hand, and dared to touch the surface.

It gave way before him. It offered just a bit more resistance than air, settling all around him with a familiar touch. It took him a moment, but he realized it reminded him of the comfort of the chamber he was somehow leaving behind, as he stepped into this previously unknown realm of ice. The feeling was even more potent here than in the chamber. He felt powerful, capable of anything. Positive feelings flowed all around him, reinforcing his sense of power and worth. Seto shook his head against the seductive lure of it.

He sensed that he could lose himself in this feeling, or at least lose all perspective. He was powerful, but not to the irresistible extent that this place sought to push him to believe. Seto nodded as he realized why – this was his element, after all, just as Yami had suggested. He was the Lord of Ice – so entering this Realm of Ice would increase his awareness of his own power.

Pushing the problem this realm could present in the future to his mental balance to one side, Seto regarded the only other occupant. He moved without difficulty in this place, and still bore the colors of life in his hand, and on the cuff of his sleeve, but Yugi still appeared to be frozen, and locked in varying shades of blue.

Seto circled the shorter man, puzzled as to what held Yugi in place as here he was not actually encased in ice. Yugi might not be held by anything, but still he didn't move – even so far as to not breathing – at least as far as Seto could see.

"What brought you here?" Seto asked aloud. Yugi didn't reply. Seto sighed. "I've no idea if you are really the Hero of legend, but..." Seto snorted. "I'm not sure I believe that there is a 'Hero of legend'. The people are protected, for the most part, by us. What would a Hero do that we cannot? You're nice enough, and quick to learn things, and it seems you have courage as well, but, with no powers, as we lords have, what can you do to stop the Chaos Dragon that we can't?"

Seto paced around Yugi's frozen form once more. He sighed deeply. "Still, I don't like seeing you like this. I'm not even sure if you can hear me. Yami told me he broke you free from the Well of Shadow's hold on you by wrapping you within his shadows. My power over ice manifests as attacks – the ice bolts I used earlier. I'm certain that would do far more harm than good, so I don't know what..."

Seto stopped. His chin lifted as a thought occurred to him. Ice bolts were baneful, but his power to gift anyone with wings was beneficial. He couldn't see how trying to use his power in that way on Yugi could hurt, even if it didn't do anything to help. He summoned the magic within himself, and dropped his hand to Yugi's shoulder. One part of his mind noted that Yugi's shoulder was not cold or frozen solid, even as the other part noticed colors other than blue flooding through the shorter man.

"Ah...?!" Yugi's aborted scream cut off short and ended in an odd questioning sound.

Seto laughed. "Welcome back, Yugi."

"Back? Where – are we?" Yugi looked around. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. You took it into your head to somehow find and make your way to the chamber of the Heart of Ice, the center of my Aerie, and contrived to get yourself frozen, too." Seto looked around at the blue-white lambence around them. "This is within the Heart of Ice. An Ice Realm, I suppose, mirroring Yami's Shadow Realm. Aside from us, it appears unpopulated."

Yugi pondered that for a moment. "That makes sense. Your dragons are the 'population' under your command – and Ice is your 'element'. It would have been rather icky if Yami's realm had been one of Blood, instead of Shadows, so I'm glad his population and element are the same."

Seto nodded. "We can try to figure out what all that means later. You aren't cold, are you?"

Yugi shook his head. "No, not now that you've freed me. Before that, though..." Yugi shivered at the memory.

"Best we get out of here, then, just in case," Seto suggested. Yugi nodded, and tried to follow as Seto led to the inner plane of the Heart of Ice that met with his hidden chamber. Seto could step through without difficulty, but to Yugi it was an impassible wall. Seto stepped back into the Heart, seized Yugi's hand, and tried to pull him through along with him, but Yugi's hand stopped once it reached the margin of the Heart of Ice. He was trapped. Seto crossed the margin back into the Heart. "Any ideas?"

"One," Yugi admitted softly. "But you aren't going to like it."

"Try me."

"Uhm..." Yugi looked up into Lord Seto's face and tried for a grin. It came out rather sickly. "Hurl an Ice Bolt at me?"

Seto stared at him. It took all his willpower to not gape. "You're right. I don't like it," he finally growled.

"I think it would have killed me before, while I was still frozen, or thought I was frozen, or whatever it was that trapped me and kept me from moving, and felt so very, very cold, but..."

"What makes you think you can survive it now that you aren't frozen?" Seto interrupted, mainly to stop Yugi from babbling.

Yugi glanced down and clutched both the pendant and the heartstone in the same hand. "I think it might be something one or both of them do that – protects me." Yugi turned pleading eyes up toward the Lord of Ice and Dragons. "We are here, in the Realm of Ice itself, and even though I was frozen before, you broke me free. I think – the only way for me to be able to leave, is to endure your direct attack. Yami broke me free from the Well's mind-control before he tried to transform me into shadow with his power."

Seto started. This was the first time he'd heard this part of the story. His eyes narrowed.

"He didn't want to! He thought he'd have to, or else the Well would turn me into a Cold Shadow. I'd prefer to be Yami's Shadow than the Well's Cold Shadow, any day."

"I think you'd almost prefer to be Yami's Shadow than the Hero, any day," Seto noted snidely.

Yugi blushed. "Well, uhm, that is... Yami touched me directly with the element of his power, when he wrapped me in shadows. He told me they are an expression of the power within his soul. Your Ice Bolts are the same, aren't they?"

Seto replied. "Yes, but..."

Yugi shook his head to stop Seto's contradiction. "I think I have to be touched by that same power, your elemental power, to be free of your elemental place. That's all. I don't want to stay here forever. I'm open to suggestions, though."

Seto tried giving Yugi wings and pulling him through to the chamber outside the Heart of Ice, but that failed. He tried, vainly, to reduce the impact of the Realm of Ice, as he routinely reduced the impact of winter over his lands to help the people survive the harsh temperatures. He suspected that would be futile before he even tried, to lessen the cold in the Realm of Ice? He was not surprised to find that he was right – it didn't work.

Seto thought. He considered leaving to ask his White Knight and Yami for their input, but decided not to. The one was his Guardian. It would be unseemly for him to ask the White Knight for help. The other was his rival. He wouldn't give Yami the satisfaction of knowing that he needed help – when Yami had not. No other application of his power seemed to work. Yugi's suggestion seemed the only way.

"Okay," Seto announced after what seemed to Yugi an eternity of deliberation. "It's on you if I kill you by mistake."

Yugi grinned at the grumbly Lord of Ice and Dragons. "Yeah, but I think I'll be safe. No, I know I will be safe."

"How?"

"A feeling."

Seto growled. "You better really be the Hero of legend, Yugi Mutou. If you aren't, and this should kill you, I will never forgive you."

"Deal!"

"Why are you so damned cheerful about this?"

"Because you are finally doing something that will get me out of this place. It's boring, and I'm hungry."

Seto laughed. "Fine, 'Hero'. Do you need to prepare?"

"Nope. I'm good to go, ready whenever you are," Yugi replied cheerfully.

Shaking his head as he walked away from Yugi, Seto had to damp down his alarm that he was about to direct his most devastating attack at an unprotected human. He mastered his internal struggle, turned, and sent an Ice Bolt speeding unerringly toward Yugi.

He couldn't see what happened next, as his own Ice Bolt was in the way, but a great blue-white light flashed in the Realm of Ice momentarily blinding him. When he could see again, the last of the blue-white radiance rested across Yugi's hands, and seeped into the blade lying across his palms.

"I'm pretty sure this is yours," Yugi said quietly.

The sword in Yugi's hands fell to the ground in a clatter when he realized how fiercely Seto was glaring at him. The Lord of Dragons' intent regard hit Yugi with an almost physical force. "If you ever force me to do anything like that again, I will make you regret it." The fact that the statement was issued in an icy near-monotone made it even more threatening than if it'd had been shouted.

"Now that we have your Frostblade," Yugi knelt to pick it up. "I should be able to leave this Realm. What say we try it?" He handed the sword to Seto and dared to grin up at the Lord of Ice and Dragons' threat.

With a sigh and another half-hearted glare, Seto accepted it. "For the record, I didn't want this fancy knick-knack. Not given what it took to get it."

"Good thing I'm the Hero then, and it fell to me to claim it for you!" Yugi replied.

Seto stared at him. "You're right. It's a good thing you are the Hero." It was the first time the word has passed Seto's lips without some sort of mocking in the tone.

"And this Hero is starving!" Yugi complained. He couldn't help but pause and slow down as he approached the margin of the Realm of Ice, but this time it permitted him to pass. "I'm so glad that is over!" His arms crept up to hug his shoulders against the chill in Seto's chamber.

Seto nodded. That was how it was supposed to be. He abruptly leaned into his power to lessen the chill in the room so that it wouldn't give Yugi frostbite, and, for the first time ever, was able to mitigate the cold in this room. He glanced at the Frostblade in his hand, and realized that it signified an increase in his power. Perhaps it had been needful to claim the thing, after all.

"There's the door. We can get to the dining hall –eventually – if you go to the right," Seto said.

Yugi grinned. Seto looked so somber. "Do you ever fly in the castle?" he asked with a wink.

Truth be told, Seto did. It was not something he did often, mostly in emergencies, and only rarely for fun since it could be dangerous if people were walking in the corridors, but... He was feeling a bit reckless and had to burn off nervous energy anyway. The many corridors between here and the dining halls should be mostly clear anyway. He waved a hand at Yugi, giving him wings.

"Follow me!" Seto tossed behind him as he tore off down the corridor on his white dragon wings.

– – – – –
Author's notes –

Next chapter teaser – Chapter Eleven – The Lord of Fire and Warriors