a/n: This is picking up from part 1 of Something Borrowed, Something Black (ch 10)

Olaf woke with an ache that stretched from the crown of his head to the end of his spine. It felt like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning: his finger tips buzzed and his nose caught the faintest hint of charred hair. He lay on the stone floor in a prone position without a shred of dignity or a single clue as to how he had gotten there. Above him stood Korin, his fur standing on end and his face unreadable. "Voli…hit me…?" He choked in disbelief. If Korin heard, he did not show. His attention was focused on what was happening on the podium.

With much effort Olaf craned his neck to see who had stolen his thunder. He half expected to see Ursa grappling with Volibear—that had to explain why Olaf had been thrown to the side. Volibear would be on his side, right?

Wrong.

Olaf took a moment to process what was going before him. Perhaps he had been hit harder than he thought… that made more sense than Soraka healing Ursa, which wouldn't happen... Unless the Ursine were accepting help from traitors. Soraka's hards were stretched over a patch of fur on Ursa's shoulder as if she were about to touch the dark blood. A wispy tongue of magic came from her hands and wove together the torn skin and muscle. Olaf watched with dark fascination— this was heresy! Magic! He knew he had to complete the thankless job he started: eradicating magic from Freljord. If he couldn't use his axes he'd have to rely on his hands.

Volibear looked up in time to see the dark transformation coming over Olaf's features. Together he and Korin wrestled the whiskered man out of the auditorium and dumped him unceremoniously into the snow. Volibear waited in angry silence while Olaf swung in and out of rational thought. Between the fits of profanity and death-threats, Korin disappeared to check on the state of Sejuani without so much as a sympathetic glace toward his kin.

Olaf paused mid-tantrum and fixed a judgmental eye on his friend. "What is your problem?! I almost had Soraka! If Ursa didn't get in my way, we could be on our way to Frostheld right now!"

"Have you lost your mind? I don't have a problem, you do! You need to get your anger and your axes under control."

"I threw my axes at a witch! We have to go back in and kill her. Next time you tell your leader to get the hell out of my way. I won't hesitate to kill her if she stops me again."

"You can't just kill someone if they don't agree with you, Olaf. There's an order to life around here, you can't do what you want. That's not how we work."

"Ugh, again with the rules! You should be thanking me! I was doing you all a favor!"

"Keep your voice down."

Their voices were carrying over the encampment and turning heads of curious individuals. Conscious of his new audience, Volibear dropped his voice to where it carried just above the wind and no more. He hoped his partner would have enough sense to lower his voice as well.

"We don't want your help. We don't need it."

This threw Olaf into another rampage and he stomped in an angry square. Caught between his duty to be a friend and his obligation to the Ursine people, Volibear decided to clear his mind by turning his face into the strong wind. Up here by the auditorium was a good place to look out onto the rest of the camp. Set up like Winter's Claw prior to destruction, the settlement had a sloped incline in which the majority of land could be viewed. Some bears were busy trying to brush the coarse hair on Bristle's back while others were moving in and out of long houses with purpose; their shadowy forms were illuminated by lanterns burning bright against the indigo sky.

Olaf was too wrapped up in his monologue to notice that Volibear was no longer listening. He had lost his audience a while back. It was when he made an inflammatory comment about Ursa's flawed leadership did he realize Volibear hadn't said a word in over five minutes. The wind had picked up and Olaf had to shout twice in order to be heard.

"Volibear!" Olaf felt more spooked than he liked to admit. He checked his peripheries just to be sure they were alone. All clear. "Did you hear me?"

Evidently Volibear heard and was not interested in answering. He held up a claw for Olaf to be quiet. "I'm thinking."

"Yeah, of course you are. Do whatever the hell you want, I'm not staying here."

Olaf maneuvered down the slope with care to avoid tripping on buried hazards. His mind was made up: clearly the Ursine were tied up in whatever the hell diplomacy meant, so he would have to do everything himself. First he'd find Tryndamere and kill him, then sack Frostheld, and somehow squeeze overthrowing Ursa and killing Soraka into the mix as well. It was a tall order for a short man, but he could do it. Hopefully.

He was almost to the bottom when Volibear leapt past him on all fours and barreled down the rest of the incline. This startled Olaf out of his thoughts causing him to lose his footing and slide down the remaining 20 feet. He was ready to curse and defame the shaman, but there was a frenzied manner in which his friend moved that did not sit well with him. The stout barbarian bottled his anger for the time being and decided he would follow from the shadows.

...

It wasn't until they had changed direction for the third time that Olaf felt the need to say something. The buildings had thinned out, as did the number of villagers, and he had the distinct impression they were being watched by unfriendly eyes.

"What are we doing here, Voli?"

The great creature shook his head as if waking up from a trance. "You can't feel that?"

"Feel what?"

Rather than answer the question, he began walking forward like a creature under a spell. Olaf trailed behind warily; he was deathly afraid of the dark and was very aware that a few lanterns along the passage leading to and from the settlement had blown out. Volibear did not seem to notice the discomfort his friend was experiencing attributed to the reduced visibility. He was too busy listening to a voice that was calling to him from the inside. It beckoned him to walk past the last of the unlit lanterns and into the dark expanse which looked so inviting… all he had to do was go a few feet further.

So he did.

Olaf watched him from the ring of light being cast by the lantern closest to the exit. His fear would let him go no further, so he watched Volibear with a pit of dread anchored in his stomach. He had seen the shaman follow hokum urges before, but this one was frightening and not like the others.

A part of Volibear felt the same unease as Olaf. He likened his immediate situation to a passenger within his own body: unable and unwilling to stop whatever was happening. Thoughts about protecting the Freljord against Lissandra morphed into a desire to know what absolute power was. He no longer wanted to serve under or even beside Sejuani— he wanted to rule the Freljord. He could do it all on his own! He respected Sejuani and did not desire to take the throne from her, but there was a darker part of him that thirsted for the authority to do as he pleased. The family struggle would become obsolete once he came into his full power and even Anivia wouldn't be able to shake him from the throne. The power he had harnessed from the lightning was enough for small tricks, but he needed the ability to command Runeterra. Lissandra could give him that power. It was time for a new era. One that started with the Ursine on top.

"Yes, I can give you anything you want…" The voice in Volibear's head promised.

It was so inviting and full of assurance, Volibear felt sure if he asked for power he would receive it. Through the fog that filled his head, he heard someone calling. It was Olaf.

"Hey! There's nothing out there!"

Through sheer will, Volibear was able to snap out of the waking coma Lissandra cast upon him. He dropped to all fours and took off in the direction of safety; he was aware that he had acquired a tail. A vein of black ice raced in sync with his stride on either side. They showed no signs of having trouble keeping up and tried to trip him, but Volibear managed to out play each attempt.

"Was my offer not enough, Voli?" Lissandra's disembodied voice sounded ghastly and wholly unpleasant to those close enough to hear. It was everywhere and everything deadly about the Freljord: the wind that bit, the snow that fell, the ice that cracked. From the ground a pool of black ice gathered together to form a claw— it was a sign of Lissandra's arrival.

"Perhaps you should reconsider. I could always use a pet."

Volibear was not concerned with whatever the ice witch was saying. He was making calculations in his head as he ran: if he made it to the village the Ursine could help him take down Lissandra. His ego was not so inflated that it obscured rational thought, he knew he could not take her on alone. He saw bears abandoning their tasks and racing to his aid, but their help would be too late. Olaf was running toward him too and was less than a yard away when the black ice merged together and Lissandra sprang forth. She struck Olaf in the chest with the flat of her hand and the barbarian was catapulted into the dark like rubbish.

"Olaf!"

"You should choose more friends on the winning side." The same hand Lissandra used to dispatch Olaf was stretched toward the cavalry of bears and a wall of ice rose to separate Volibear from help. It stretched to the heavens with black, cruel fingers and sealed the two of them in a circular prison. "Are you sure you don't want to reconsider? I rarely make this offer twice."

"Once was already too much." Volibear kept his eyes locked with the visor mounted on Lissandra's head. The courage he held on to was slipping through of his paws. He found it hard to think as he gazed at the dread woman; he was almost fully under the spell of the Ice Witch.

"Nothing to say?" Lissandra drifted closer to the shaman and placed a clawed hand on his shoulder. "That's okay, I'll do all the talking."

Illaoi felt very small against the wall. It would have inspired fear in her heart if she were a priestess of a lesser god, but she was the right hand of Nagakabouros and She was not a god to be beaten. The wall did not scare her and neither did Lissandra.

"You… don't…know…who…you're…dealing…with!" Each word was punctuated by a hit from the Eye of God. The stone produced a dull echo that was felt in her arms rather than heard over the din surrounding her. Illaoi wondered if Lissandra could hear it on the other side and if the witch's blood ran cold knowing her end was near. If only they could break through...

The fifteen minute mark was nearing and Illaoi's body was growing tired. The armored bears around her were realizing this too and some had taken turns in attacking the wall and resting, then resuming their work. It was disheartening to see their best efforts had done little more than scratch the surface of the black ice. Without Ursa their morale would fall long before Lissandra's wall did.

But what was this? Illaoi pulled her relic back to look at what could be considered a crack. She staggered forward to get a better look, doubtful that she was responsible for this success. The bear closest paused to take a second look at what Illaoi thought to be a crack...

...

On the other side of the wall Lissandra stared deeply into her quarry's eyes. She already had her way with him and was keeping him hostage for her own enjoyment, but she was becoming tired of her own game. Trundle had said that she never knew when to quit, but he was just an idiot who had gotten his position based on how quickly he could kill the troll in power. Lissandra was not a base creature like her hired help; she planned on achieving her position via cunning and intellect. If everyone played their part, Freljord would devolve into the chaos she had been trying to achieve for the past four centuries.

"Ugh." Lissandra gripped the scruff of Volibear's neck and dragged him through the snow behind her as she traveled the length of barrier looking for the one making it very hard to enjoy her success. Her ice wall served as a one-way glass in that she could see the bears on the opposite side and they could not see her. It would easy to snipe them from this side by shooting an icicle into their head when they got too close. She'd done it before.

Lissandra stopped in front of a dark-skinned woman and lowered herself until she was on the same level as she. The woman swung her glowing rock at eye level over and over, shouting to herself rather than the bears beside her. From this side of the ice Lissandra could see spiderweb cracks appearing after each blow; eventually the woman took notice and she stopped banging to take a closer look at her handiwork. Her bright yellow eyes were six inches away from where Lissandra stood.

I could stick a spike right there… The ice witch touched the spot on the ice where she could send a spike to dispatch the pest. It was aimed at the center of her forehead.

...

...It was definitely a crack and there were several of them. Illaoi was seconds away from swinging the stone when a semi-transparent tentacle smashed into the wall, spraying her and the other bear with snow and ice. Two more dragged them back just in time to miss being skewered by a deadly spike and dumped them a safe distance back. Around her other bears were being yanked away from the ice by Nagakabouros' ghostly appendages. There must have been hundreds of bears, but the serpent god never ran out of arms.

"Get back, get back!" Ursa's voice rang out over the fear and confusion. At some point she had joined the fray and was providing much needed support to her kin. She ushered disoriented villagers toward safety, keeping an eye out for those who were wandering the wrong way. A smaller figure caught her attention. "Illaoi! Illaoi!" The priestess was walking back toward the wall— what was she doing? "Illaoi!"

A bear stumbled into Illaoi and her shining profile was exposed to Ursa: greenish-blue lights were coming from her facial tattoos as well as her pupil-less eyes. There'd be no stopping whatever Illaoi was about to do.

...

Lissandra should have killed her when she had the chance. How could anyone have known a god was on her side? That was hardly fair! All Lissandra could do was curse as the tentacles took her targets out of range. "Damn." She still had a card up her sleeve. Every smart witch did.

...

Illaoi raised the Eye of God above her head and brought it down on a protruding icicle. On a much larger scale, Nagakabouros mirrored her movement and came down on Lissandra's ice fort with her glowing tentacles. The walls fractured as if they were made from gingerbread rather than ice. All it would take was one more hit and they would fall. Evidently that was enough for Nagakabouros who withdrew her appendages.

Illaoi didn't need anymore divine help than that. Just as she was about to hack her way through the weakened wall, Ursa charged forward on all fours and created a hole the perfect size for theM to go through. The walls groaned ominously and it wasn't until she was through that Illaoi understood why Ursa had done this. If the whole clan had stampeded the wall it would have fallen and killed more than just one person. Illaoi was glad the ice had held and that she was not alone in rescuing Volibear.

With the light from the totem, Illaoi got a look at the third sister. She had seen Ashe and Sejuani, and half expected to see another white-haired, lean-built woman in her late 20's, but this…thing... was not it. Lissandra was barely even human: her skin was blue and her hands ended in talons, her clothes were black and tattered like a scarecrow's, and she had a helmet made of ice obscuring her face. She was a monster.

"Volibear!" Ursa's stronger eyes had found him in the dark. He did not respond.

"You're too late!" Lissandra lifted her hand in the direction of Volibear's slumped body and before either rescuer could do anything to help him, he was encased of a frozen tomb high above their heads. They rushed to the base of the pillar and were dismayed to find it made of the almost impenetrable ice as the walls. It would take a miracle and a god to break it.

Illaoi watched the witch project a blue claw from her body and disappear into the ground after it. Where did she go? The rest of the prison was empty. "Leave him, we have to follow her."

"No, let the witch go."

"She can't be far." Illaoi continued as if Ursa had not spoken. The bear did not stop trying to break the ice tomb. "Come!" Illaoi couldn't understand why the chief was throwing an opportunity away. She took a running leap at the far wall and crashed through totem first.

She would end this fight.

a/n: Prepare for part three of chapter 10 to be posted within the week *fingers crossed* It's taken almost two months to finish due to school and other dumb stuff, but I want to finish this segment before the new school year starts. Please ignore the shitty grammar that has become this chapter. I've written almost each segment at 3 in the morning and i know it makes no sense. Once all three parts are together and edited it should read better.

In case I don't get to y'all in time: happy new year!