Yo guys, it's Wings again with another chapter of In her Icy Embrace!

In this chapter, we see the mysterious Champion of Avarosa unmasked, and trust me when I say it's a surprise!
We also see a good teaser about the upcoming center of the plotline as well as answering a few questions that it raises. But, the chapter leaves us with more questions left unanswered than answers given~

After all ,that's what a chapter should do, no? Keep you guessing? ;)

ALSO
For those faithful readers of mine, as well as any of you who might think I am a good enough writer, you will be happy to know I have posted a small teaser about an upcoming story, which will be the sequel to one of my best stories, The Shadow that Watches. For you guys who have not read it, it's a Zed x Akali story with lots of character development, drama and romance! And it's gonna get a sequel soon!

ALSO x2
I've been drawing alot recently. I do artworks of my characters as well as scenes from different stories. One day I might just draw a scene from this story or Alan himself. To keep up with my art, do visit my devart xD my name there is the same as my name here.

Music Recommendation: Infinite by Skrux ft Anna Yvette [Dubstep]

Enjoy

In Her Icy Embrace

Chapter 8:

All around Alan, the cheers had slowly dropped down as he stood in the middle of what was once an expanse of white snow. Now, different hues of red colored the snow all around them, while pillars of dark ice rose here and there. In front of him, the Knight, Ashe's Champion, sat on his knees, the majority of the dark ice blades on his shoulders broken off so only the parts which were embedded into his flesh stayed, preventing the blood from flowing freely. Soon, Lissandra and Reinhart came upon them, Lissandra's face hidden as always while Reinhart pulled his helmet off to look at the defeated Champion before them.

"So, this is Ashe's Champion, is it?" Lissandra said haughtily as the Knight turned his helmeted head towards Lissandra. "I'm not an It." He said, his voice echoing, deep and muffled behind the helmet.
"Well then, lets see the face behind the mask." Reinhart said, as Alan stepped forward and grasped the long plume of blue hair that decorated the top of the helmet. He pulled it off briskly, revealing a very large mass of golden locks that had been stuffed inside the helmet. Emerald eyes burned with anger, staring at them, taking note of the surprise on their faces.

Alan was so surprised, he dropped the helmet he had taken off. "You're a woman!?"
"Ofcourse not, I am clearly a goddamn penguin." The champion said, her words dripping with sarcasm. Lissandra, however, didn't miss a beat as she tilted her head. "A human as well… What is your name?" She asked as their captive looked up at her. "None of your damn business, you usurping bi-AAAGH!" Her words were cut off with a scream as, with a flick of Lissandra's hand, a shard of dark ice erupted out of the snow at an angle beside the woman and pierced itself into her right thigh. As she bent over and grasped her new wound with her weak, trembling hands, gasping for breath, Lissandra coldly said, " Do not forget you are now in my custody and I will do as I see fit to you. Now answer the question."

"Analia… Grace…" The woman, Analia, managed to hiss out. Lissandra made another gesture with her hands and the two dark ice shards that were embedded in both of Analia's shoulders trembled a second before Analia screamed. Small tiny thorns formed on the visible parts of the shards, no doubt replicated all along the length inside, hooking themselves into her flesh. Another movement with her hands and the dark ice was shoved away from Lissandra, pulling Analia with them. The once proud champion fell back into the snow, screaming in pain as the thorny shards of ice in her shoulders clutched her flesh from the inside and pulled her back as they were moved.

"Lissandra, what are you doing!?" Alan shouted, finally stepping forward and grabbing Lissandra's hand at the wrist. There was a flash of power as Alan was shoved back forcefully by a wave of power as Lissandra turned her cold look upon him. She faltered as she saw that she had mistakenly hurt Alan, too caught up in her bloodlust against Ashe to have noticed. "I… Don't… Touch me." Lissandra said in a low voice, turning around as Alan stared angrily at her, standing back up.
"I don't care, but you are not going to torture her." Alan said firmly as Lissandra looked at him again, her burning gaze felt even through her mask. "I will do as I please, she forfeited her life when she chose to fight for Ashe." She replied, equally as firm. Electricity seemed to build up in the air as the two stared each other down. Finally, Reinhart stepped in. "Milady… I believe the woman, Analia, might hold some key information relating to Ashe. I request you to allow her to live so that we might extract this information." He said, his dark blue eyes shifting from Lissandra to Alan and then he turned to look down at Analia, who was struggling on the ground.

"Fine. So be it." Lissandra said, turning around and storming off. Alan looked at Reinhart and a small look of understanding passed between them. Alan then walked off, following Lissandra, leaving Reinhart with Analia. He walked over to her prone form, finding her with her teeth gritted in pain, trying to stand up again but each small movement causing immense pain due to the thorns inside, tears flowing freely from her fiery, emerald eyes that refused to give up. She looked up at him.
"What, have you come to jest, Ser knight?" She asked poisonously as Reinhart stared down at her. He looked around and spotted a soldier nearby as he called the man. "You. Yes, you. Get Jory." The soldier nodded and hurried off, as Reinhart looked back down at the woman, her long golden hair splayed all around her head on the snow, her green eyes glaring at him.
"Save your pity, I don't need it nor want it. Just leave me to die." She said as Reinhart blinked. "Didn't you hear me? You're coming with us and telling us everything you know." He said simply, staring down flatly at the woman's glare.

…

"What the fuck was that out there, Lissandra?" Alan asked as he walked into Lissandra's tent, anger pronounced in all his movements. Lissandra turned around to look at him as he continued, "Torturing someone after they've been defeated? She's a goddamn Champion, like me!" he said.
"She's Ashe's Champion." Lissandra said, her voice equally heated as Alan's eyes narrowed with rage.
"And that makes it all right to humiliate her with pain, does it!? She fought with honor, as did I. We fought each other as champions. Ashe defeated me in her castle, yet she did not torture me. She did not imprison me. She let me live and she let me come back. " His words were emphasized powerfully as he spoke, stepping very close to Lissandra.

And then they noticed how very close they were standing to each other. Lissandra kept forgetting how tall he was, and the way her cold breath mixed with his warm breath inbetween their faces, which was inches apart, was strangely intoxicating… His eyes were so blue. Not just any kind of blue, but so bright as well. Like the ice itself…

And then the moment fell apart as Alan closed his eyes and turned away, pushing the churning feelings inside of him aside as he looked away from her. "I simply don't want you to become the bloodthirsty, merciless woman that Ashe claims you are." He said quietly as Lissandra's confused feelings were all washed away by a deluge of even more indiscernible emotions. Was she actually feeling… ashamed?

She shook off her odd sentiment and bristled visibly. "You may leave now, Alan." She said in a contained, low voice. There was a flash of something in Alan's eyes as he looked back at her over his shoulder that looked like pain. But his eyes hardened an instant later and he stalked out of the room, not looking back again.

…

From there, he went to where Lydia was. She was in a small tent that belonged to her and her father, Jory, sitting on the floor. Infront of her, lay the black handle that was the dormant form of Frig Dinte.

"Hey Alan." Lydia said as she watched him walk in. "What's up?" He asked her as she went back to looking at Frig Dinte. "I'm inspecting it… But so far, it's not reacting at all. Maybe it'd react to you, since you wield Frig Ascutis." She said as Alan shrugged. "It's worth a try." He said as he stepped closer. Frig Ascutis gave a throb at his waist, where it was mounted, as he paused to look down at it. Then, he reached out and touched Frig Dinte.

Darkness. Everything was on fire. Purple Fire. Black Fire. Fire burns. Burns so much. Freljord. Freljord in ruins. Freljord in shambles. Freljord no more. The world is in disarray. Everything burns. Everything hurts. It hurts. Everything. Destroyed. Decimated. Decapitated. Defabricated. Disintegrated.

"Knowledge…. Through Disintegration."

Flash of Purple.

"…ALAN! WAKE UP! ALAN!"
Alan was dimly aware of someone shaking him. His eyes opened up to see Lydia's face above his own, her eyes wide with fear and panic. He was lying on the ground. "Ugh… Wha-" The flashes and images of what he saw moments ago came flashing back to him. He jolted up, shoving Lydia back forcefully as he managed to throw himself out of the tent. He landed on his knees outside, just in time as he retched, emptying the contents of his stomach. Lydia stared at him from inside, fear and confusing etched on her face. He heaved a couple of times, even when there was nothing else left inside of him to vomit out, taking large breaths until he finally calmed down. He felt nauseated by the horrendous images he saw… And a voice. He heard a voice. A deep, otherworldly ancient voice almost humming with power. Then there was a flash of purple light and he felt so much pain…

"Alan… Are you okay?" Lydia asked as Alan panted, wiping his mouth with the back of his bandaged right arm. "No… I'm… Yeah…" Alan muttered, turning away from the regurgitated contents of his stomach and breathing some fresh, cool northern air. He felt warm. Very Warm. Like he was burning up. "Fuck fuck fuck." He muttered, feeling like he was suddenly catching fire. He quickly began pulling at his armor straps, pulling them open. Within moments, his breastplate and cuirass fell to the snow and sank a few inches due to their weight. Lydia blushed and covered her mouth as she looked at Alan suddenly stripping down, revealing the rippling muscles on along his torso. Within a short amount of time, he had developed a very nice body.

"A-ALAN!? W-W-What are y-you doing!?" Lydia exclaimed as Alan pulled off his gauntlets as well, arching his back like he was in pain or something. "It burns… I… Ugh!" He muttered, throwing his gauntlets away after he had taken them off. He dived forward, landing in the snow on his front as he sighed in relief. He moaned in relief as the coolness of the snow gave him reprieve from his burning skin. He turned around, giving his back the same treatment, sighing in bliss.

"Uh… What's happening?" Lydia asked in confused embarrassment as Alan opened his eyes and looked at her. "I felt like I was burning up." He said as Lydia blinked, her shyness going away as she straightened up a bit. Walking over to where Alan lay topless (thank the watchers he didn't take off his trousers), she crouched down and put her hand on his forehead, his cheeks, his neck then (a bit tentatively) his chest.

"You don't have a fever… So I d- ALAN, YOUR HAND!?" Lydia almost screamed, stumbling back as Alan pulled his hands up. He braced himself for the worst and as he looked upon his hands, he grimaced. His skin color had returned to normal but dark blue tattoos now decorated his hands upto the elbow. The Tattoos looked tribal in nature, almost. Aggressive points, sharp curves and ornate design. The corruption from Frig Ascutis was spreading, it seemed.

"This is just something visual. I'm fine." Alan lied, giving Lydia a small smile that he hoped would ease her tension. Lydia looked unconvinced but she nodded in acceptance.

5 minutes later, he was standing outside of Lissandra's tent, debating on whether he would go in and tell her what happened. He should tell her. It was the right thing to do. But would Lissandra truly give him anything in return? He didn't just want to inform Lissandra that he had a horrific vision from touching another legendary weapon, he wanted answers as to why that happened. And the only person who could provide such answers….

Alan clenched his teeth, finding no other option left as he turned around and began walking away.

…

As he walked into the tent, Jory looked at him disapprovingly. "You need to make this woman understand that I'm trying to heal her, not rape her." He said flatly as Reinhart's eyes shifted over to the cot, where Analia sat with a scorching anger in her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, which was wrapped up by bandages from the shoulder to her midriff, yet otherwise bared. Trousers covered her legs, although it was cut short on her right leg to expose her right thigh, which was also wrapped up with bandages.

"You had no right to humiliate me like this!" Analia said in a voice that dripped with venom. Jory regarded her impassively for a few moments before turning to Reinhart. "She didn't even utter a sound when I was sewing her wounds, but take an article of her clothing off and she was going ballistic." He shook his head. "Women. Beh."

As Jory walked out, walked further into the tent and sat down in a chair set beside the cot. Analia watched him with suspicion, eyes narrowed as she inched slightly away from him on the cot. She wasn't bound by anything since she was already weaponless and armorless; one couldn't do much when in that situation while surrounded by an army.

"You're human." Reinhart calmly said as Analia narrowed her eyes at him. "Gee, I wonder what gave that away. Was it my hair?" She sneered sarcastically, which Reinhart ignored, staring at her. Finally, she sighed. "Ofcourse I'm a human. So is the rest of the people in Rakkelstake." She said as Reinhart continued to stare at her. "Then how did you, out of all the other humans in Rakkelstake, find Frig Dinte." He asked as Analia blinked at him like he was stupid. "How the hell would I know? I was a simple merchant's girl before I happened upon that cursed thing. Atleast Ashe had the decency to tell me of my ill fate and give me the chance out of it, unlike your frosty bitch queen."

Slap

Analia's head whipped to the side as Reinhart's hand shot out. "Do not insult Queen Lissandra infront of me. I do not care if you are a knight or a woman, I will not have you insult her in my presence." Reinhart calmly said as he rubbed the back of the hand he had used to slap her with his other hand. Analia turned her head back to him as fire steadily grew in the back of her eyes, as she stared at him with rage.

"Is this how much your 'honor' and 'devotion' to her is proven!? By disarming and shaming a captured knight and then slapping her!?" She shouted. Before Reinhart could say anything, the woman spit at his face. He closed his eyes, calmly wiping his face with his hand as the woman drew back with disgust in her eyes. "You're pathetic." She said, glaring at him. Reinhart stared at her then stood up and walked outside, to calm his temper which was slowly rising behind his cool exterior. This woman was going to be a handful.

…

The hall looked different this time around. Maybe because it was still daylight outside and he wasn't spending his time in here getting murdered. Everything sparkled and shone as he walked down the center of the hall, guards in full armor all around the room, watching him behind their helmets yet not moving an inch. Ashe sat upon a large throne at the far end of the room, watching him walk in.

"You do realize I could kill you right now." Ashe said as Alan stopped at the appropriate distance from her throne, staring up at her. "Well, you could've killed me before the gates to the castle even opened. Pretty sure those archers up on the wall don't hold their bows for decoration." He answered.

Ashe didn't reply for a few seconds, but Alan felt the tension in the air lighten a lot. "Fair enough. Why are you here, Alan?" She asked as Alan thought about how he was going to put his question into words.

"I touched Frig Dinte. And Something strange happened." He said as Ashe paused the little movement she was doing. She then leaned forward, propping her right arm on her right knee and closing her right fist infront of her mouth as she waited for Alan to go on. "I saw… A vision of sorts. There was a lot of chaos and destruction. I saw everything in ruins. Everything was burning… Then I heard a voice. It was a deep voice… And then there was a purple flash."
"The Watcher." Ashe whispered as Alan looked at her in surprise. Ashe looked pale, a bit unnerved which was really something as Alan didn't expect Ashe to ever lose her composure.
"The Watcher?" He asked as Ashe nodded, standing up and turning around. Alan followed her gaze and saw, that behind her throne, taking up most of the wall, was a large engraved ice painting of a beautiful woman who looked like Ashe. Alan could only assume that it was her ancestor, Avarosa. Lissandra's sister.

"Long ago, there was a time when Avarosa and her sisters lived together in harmony. Then the watchers came… I won't bore you with the details, but suffice to say, Lissandra betrayed her sisters and fought for the watchers. They were, however, defeated and the watchers sealed away below the Howling Abyss. But legend states that they will once again rise, and only a hero wielding the weapon that defies knowledge can stop him." Ashe said, her voice echoing in the silence of the room.

"A weapon that defies knowledge? What does that even mean?" Alan asked as Ashe turned back around, fixing her blue eyes on him. "I do not know, Alan Frost. But from what you have told me, I believe it has something to do with your weapon as well as Analia's…." Ashe paused, then opened her mouth again before Alan interrupted, "She's fine. I… I stopped Lissandra from doing anything rash."

Surprisingly, Ashe's face lost the cold, distant look she was holding and softened into a sad smile. "Thank you, Alan. Though we are enemies, I must admit… I am a bit proud to have been correct in my assumption that you have a sense of justice." She said. Alan didn't know how to reply to that, and he didn't really need to as Ashe's face slowly hardened back to the face that belonged to Queen Ashe of Rakkelstake.

"But I must ask… Why did you come to me with this? I don't think Lissandra would've agreed to let you come here to tell me…" Ashe trailed off, connecting the dots in her head as she looked at Alan skeptically.
"She doesn't know, does she?" Ashe asked as Alan shook his head. "You… Were right. Lissandra does lie from time to time. But I knew that if I wanted a straight answer, you'd be the one to give it to me." He said as Ashe gave him an approving glance.

"Do you believe me when I say that this throne is not rightfully Lissandra's?" She asked as Alan crossed his arms, brows slightly furrowed in thought. "Perhaps. But I have already given my allegiance to her. You say I have a sense of justice, I say I have a sense of honor as well. As a Man, I will stick to the vows I have taken." He said as Ashe's smile returned.

"Well said, Alan Frost." She said, doing a small gesture with her hand. "Before you leave however, I must offer you a warning…" Alan raised an eyebrow as Ashe stared down at him, thinking her words through. "You can never know who is watching." She said, her sentence sounding strangely ominous in the sense that it sent a shudder down Alan's spine. "And do me a small favour." Ashe said, swinging her right arm back then forwards as she threw a small, glittering object at Alan. Alan grabbed it with his left hand as he heard small 'chink' sounds of metal hitting metal. He opened his palm to see a small silver necklace with a light blue crystal.

"Give that to Analia for me, please." Ashe said as Alan gazed down at the necklace before closing his fist, lowering his hand and looking up to Ashe before he nodded. She made another gesture towards the door of the hall as she said, "Go in peace, Alan Frost."

As Alan walked out of the hall, he could feel everyone staring at him. But most of all, he could feel Ashe's icy gaze on his back…

… Watching him…

Why yes, my dearest readers, I decided to end this chapter...

*puts on shades*

... On a chilling note.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

...

...

..

...Yeah you guys can leave now. kthnxbai I love you all. Especially the ladies. You girls all know you're beautiful no matter what you think and I would love to snuggle into a blanket and watch movies with you. And the bros too, no homo. You guys know all of you are awesome no matter how bad your hair is and I'd rather play a game together with any of you than do something important, like buying a spaceship.

Stay Icy, people~

~ Wings-Senpai