You guys should all love me; it's 3:39 am as I write this and probably my 65th hour of No sleep. For those of you who do not know, I have full-blown self-induced insomnia and I never sleep unless I either A) Pass out, B) Drink myself out or C) Take Medication to pass out. And while in my sleep deprived state, I work hard for you guys, my readers.

As many of you have wanted, I have drawn a full body artwork of Alan Frost! YAY! Mind you, it's not the greatest of my art and there are a lot of flaws in it, but it should give you an idea of how he looks in his armor. Find it at my DeviantArt; /art/Alan-Frost-Full-Body-484101451

Just add that next to my deviant art URL, which is basically WingsofRequiem dot deviantart dot com .

Anyway, chapter 11 of IHIE.

DOOT DOOT.

Lets go Kouhais!

WARNING: If you guys already haven't noticed, I'm already going a bit AU on this story, mainly about the lore and shit. But this is the point where I'll be really going AU because i'm basically completely changing up a character. But, I'll try to keep the epicness of the character and I hope you guys can bear with me. It is extremely difficult to write a good story when I'm restricted by pre-existing walls and limits in the form of Lore. Remember, if you stick too much to the lore, you can't write a story. You'll just be writing the lore itself in another way.

Thanks you for understanding and I hope you all continue to enjoy my story. I can guarantee I have alot of plans in mind.

Special thanks to Nightrous1327 for being an absolute genius and a better story-writer than I could ever be.

In her Icy Embrace

Chapter 11

'Where… Where am I?'

As Alan's eyes opened, he found himself standing in the midst of a snowy barren wasteland, with nothing but flat snow for miles all around him. The sky was cloudy and dark, with an unnatural purplish coloration as snow slowly fell all around him. There was no wind at all and the very silence of the place seemed to speak louder than if it were to be noisy. "Hello?" He called, his voice echoing strangely as he looked around. He looked down at himself and saw that he was in his personalized Champion Armor. Frig Ascutis rested on his waist, and he felt reassured and calmed by it's familiar presence.

"Hello?" He called out again. "Is anyone there?" Nothing answered him other than his hollow echoes for a few moments. And then, a voice, behind him;

"Alan Frost."

Alan turned around and was taken aback by the appearance of the man who had addressed him. He was a tall man, just as tall as Reinhart. He had medium length black hair falling down halfway down his neck, dancing to the side as if there was wind, even though there was none. His skin was a weird bluish-purple coloration and he was mostly shirtless, aside from numerous black belts tied around his midriff, providing little to hide the muscular structure underneath. He wore a very large, very heavy looking battle-skirt that reached down to mid-shin level, adorned with large metal plates and spikes at the hem. Metal boots, presumably knee-high, was visible as well as the battle-skirt ended. His top half was the most surprising, however. He wore a scarf with a large metallic part that covered the lower half of his face as well as most of his shoulders, while the scarf reached past the collar bones and ended at the point where the sternum began in the front. It was wrapped around numerous times and the remainder of the scarf fluttered to the side behind him like a loose tail, towards the same direction his hair was swaying to, even though there was no wind. It produced no sound either. His left shoulder had a very large guard on it, which could act as a shield for his face if he wanted to use it as such. numerous belts also wrapped themselves around the bare length of his blue left arm, while a black fingerless glove adorned his hand. His right shoulder had a smaller, standard yet still heavy shoulder guard on it. Yet, from that point on, his entire right arm was encased in metal armor, with a very unusual gauntlet design as if there had been a large armblade that protruded out of the gauntlet once, yet now there was nothing. His right hand was the only part not covered in metal, yet had the same black fingerless glove his left hand had. 4 tubes connected themselves from his shoulderguards to his face, disappearing under the metallic segment of his purple scarf. His eyes glowed with a white with purplish tones, no pupils or irises visible.

"Who are you?" Alan asked, feeling uneasy in his sinister presence.

"I am known as Kassadin." The man, Kassadin, replied. "If you have questions, I have the answers." He said.

Like himself, Kassadin's voice was also echoing in the silence.

"Where am I?" Alan asked.

"You are in the Void." Kassadin said, his eyes flat and unfathomable. "Or, more specifically, the space inbetween the Void and the Realm of the Living, known as the Fade."

"How did I get here?" Alan asked, looking around himself self consciously so nothing sneaked up on him. So far, it was just as he had seen it minutes ago; empty and barren aside from him and Kassadin.

"I have been calling you for some time, Alan Frost, trying to contact you. Yet, you were too grounded in the Realm to be able to step into the Fade. Something was interfering with our communication. Until now. You must have gone through something that disconnected your conscience enough to allow me to be able to pull you here." Kassadin said.

"Yeah… I think I died." Alan said as Kassadin shook his head. "No, you are still alive Alan Frost. You are simply grievously injured." He said as Alan sighed, "Like that's any better." He muttered under his breath, lowering his head and shaking his head before looking back up at Kassadin. "Okay, Kassadin, I'm here. Why have you called me here?"

"Your dreams, Alan Frost. Do you know the meaning behind them?" Kassadin asked as Alan looked at him with wide eyes. "How did y-"

"I know many things, Alan Frost. You, however, know nothing." He said.

"Well… I know that Vel'koz is coming back. I know he leads the watchers and that he is controlling Lissandra as well as the Iceborn. And there will be a war soon that'll lead to everyone's death." Alan said as he stared down in thought. "Unless I do something." He finished.

"And you know the flaw, do you not?" Kassadin asked.

"Yes. I don't know what I'm supposed to do." Alan replied.

"That is why I am here, Alan Frost." Kassadin said. "Let me begin from the beginning itself."

"I know most of it. Lissandra told me." Alan said. "She told you most of what happened, but only from her angle. In truth, Lissandra was nothing but a jealous and power hungry woman. When the three sisters were younger, Avarosa showed proficiency in both cryomancy and leadership while Serylda showed unmatched battlefield prowess in both tactical sense and strength. Lissandra was somehow the runt of the litter and she always envied the other two siblings. That is where the watchers came into play. Mysterious beings they were, they persuaded Lissandra, offering their corrupt gifts of power and immortality to her. She took them happily, unknowing of the price she was paying."

"She returned to her siblings, powerful beyond measure as she asked them to join the watchers like her. Jealous she was, Lissandra still cared about her siblings to an extent and wished them to be as powerful as her, though she would make sure they would never again exceed her in anything. Serylda and Avarosa, however, did not take to their sister kindly. Serylda was outright aggressive, calling Lissandra things like traitor and being a servant to the watchers while Avarosa simply tried to make Lissandra see reason. Lissandra would not have it, however, for when she was given this power, she had also become a puppet to the watchers, namely their leader."

"Vel'koz." Alan said as Kassadin nodded.

"Vel'koz manipulated her, not in the way someone might control a puppet, no. He was smart, brilliantly so. He made the most subtle of changes to her conscience, controlling her without her even realising it, making it look like all her ideas were hers alone. And it was, mostly. It is like a row of dominos. They were already there and falling eternally down one line amongst many; Vel'koz simply changed the direction of one every now and then so it led to another path."

"And so began the great war between the forces of Avarosa and Serylda against the might of the Frozen Watchers and their followers, including Lissandra. The fight was long and brutal, but then came the decisive wild card."

"The White Phantom." Alan said as Kassadin nodded again.

"He wielded a weapon that defied logic itself, an impossibility in its possibility. Vel'koz, an entity who's existence revolved around logic itself, who knew the strengths and weaknesses of everything, could not fathom the existence of such a weapon. And so, the battle between the White Phantom and Vel'koz began and at the end of the battle, Vel'koz simply couldn't bear the existence of such an object."

"So, knowing full well the consequences of his actions, Vel'koz unleashed a beam of energy much stronger than anything he had ever released. The weapon was used to protect the White Phantom from being obliterated, and the two powers clashed, blinding the world with purple radiance. But the raw power of Vel'koz's beam opened a rift into the alternate dimension known as the Void. The White Phantom fell into this void, his weapon breaking into three separate fragments. But, Vel'koz had signed his own warrant as he fell into the same void as well, trapping both himself and the White Phantom in the realm of chaos."

"Wait a minute… Vel'koz fell into the Howling Abyss!" Alan said as Kassadin stared at him flatly. Alan's stomach suddenly fell as realization hit him "Oh… Oh no… The Howling Abyss."

"Yes, Alan Frost. The Howling Abyss itself is the rift to the void. It is there that the White Phantom fell along with the Frozen Watcher."

"And you're the White Phantom." Alan said with an even more sudden realization as he stared up at Kassadin, who remained silent. "You yourself said that the entire world was blinded by the purple radiance that Vel'koz's beam unleashed. Even Lissandra said that the White Phantom simply vanished, yet you were able to tell me exactly what happened to him, which is only possible if you were the White Phantom himself."

"It seems you have intelligence you do not show often, Alan Frost." Kassadin commended. "Yes, I was the White Phantom. I was the one who wielded the great weapon against Vel'koz and the one who fell along with him into the Void."

"How are you alive?" Alan asked.

"I am not… sure." Kassadin admitted, in that same monotone tone of his. "I do not think I can be called alive, but I'm not completely dead either. I have been corrupted by the Void and turned into one of it's own… The Void changed my body, but it could not take my mind." Kassadin said as he raised his eyes to Alan.

"Now comes your turn, Alan Frost. You must find all three Weapons of Cold, and join them to form the ultimate weapon. If you do not do so in time, Vel'koz will rise with none to oppose him, and your 'vision' shall become a reality." Kassadin said. Everything seemed to be getting hazier as Alan looked around in surprise. "What's happening?" He asked, his voice suddenly seeming distant.

"You seem to be waking up. Remember my words, Alan Frost. And remember this, only you can make us see the truth. Not everyone is in the watcher's grasp." Kassadin said, his voice seeming to be spoken from very far away as everything became blurry. "Save them, Alan Frost. Save us all."

"But why me!?" Alan called back, frustrated. "Why must I be the one to do all of this!?"

"Because you are fated to do so." Kassadin's voice was naught but an echo now as Alan felt himself tumbling through darkness.

…

Alan inhaled suddenly and deeply, like it was the first breath he ever took after being deprived of air for a long time. Then, he slowly exhaled, relaxing his body as Jory sighed in relief, being helped to his chair by Lydia as he slung an arm around her shoulders. Collapsing onto the chair, he turned his weary face towards Lissandra, who was wearing her usual blue robes and mask again, and said, "I've healed the worst of his injuries and stabilized his punctured lung. He should be fine now." Jory said as Lydia wordlessly handed him a glass of water. "I'm getting too old for this." He muttered distastefully as he drank the water, while Lydia watched on silently.

"So, he will be okay?" Lissandra asked as Jory fixed a flat stare at her. "Yes, My lady. That is just what I said." He replied.

"When will he wake up?" Lissandra asked as Jory shrugged. "After a wound like that? Most people would be out for a very good time. But, considering the fact that Alan is one of the most stubborn men I've seen, he should be waking up any moment now." Jory said and, as if his words were the magic words to awaken him, Alan groaned and shifted in the bed uncomfortably as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Alan!" Lissandra said in surprise, standing up from her seat as she looked at him slowly waking up. She then turned towards Jory and Lydia and said, "Leave us."

As Jory and Lydia took up their kits and walked out, Lissandra pulled up her chair next to his bed and sat down beside him. "Alan, I'm here, wake up."

"I really need… to stop waking up like this." Alan muttered, groaning as he tried to push himself up to a sitting position. Lissandra reached out as if she wanted to stop him, but she remembered that she was the reason for this and withdrew her hand slowly. He noticed her and gave her a small, weak smile. "What's wrong?"

"YOU FOOL, I SHOULD BE THE ONE ASKING THAT!" Lissandra shouted at him, her voice breaking up a she lowered her head, her arms rigidly straight as she pushed her closed fists down on her knees, clenching her fingers tighter and tighter as she gritted her teeth and drew a ragged breath.

"I thought you were… I thought I had…" She whispered as Alan sat up, wincing at the soreness in his body. He reached for her face, doing what he did before and pushing her mask off. As soon as the mask came off and fell back, tears cascaded down her cheeks, unrestrained as she kept her gaze lowered.

"Hey… Look at me." He said gently as she slowly and hesitantly turned her pained eyes on him, her dark blue gaze meeting his electric blue ones. "I'm alive. You didn't kill me."

"But I almost did… I almost did…" She whispered, taking another ragged inhale of air as more tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

"That was not you. You're under the Watcher's control as well, Lissandra." Alan said as Lissandra bit her lower lip, holding back another sob. "In my dream, I travelled to the fade." His words made Lissandra's eyes widen as her breath hitched again. "I met a man there. The White Phantom. Kassadin."

"H-how…"

"He's still alive, but he is trapped in the Void with Vel'koz. And he said Vel'koz has almost regained most of his power again and will be returning. He told me Vel'koz has controlled you for all these years. He cannot directly control you, but he can whisper your desires into your ears in his own, twisted way. You need to break free from his gaze." Alan said as Lissandra lowered her eyes in shame again.

"I betrayed my sisters… All for my greed… For my jealousy… I don't think I can break free." She said, looking nothing like the powerful queen she has always looked like. Now, she simply looked like a broken woman.

"Hey… Look at me. Look at me." Alan soothed, gently guiding her face up with his hands again so she looked into his eyes again. "The past doesn't matter. What matters is now. You need to break free, Lissandra. You can break free. I know it. I believe in you." He said, his voice gentle yet empowering as Lissandra stared at him with the same look of self-loathing. "Why… Why are you doing this Alan. I used you, I used everyone… To get what I want… Then why?" She asked as Alan simply stopped trying, instead, letting himself act on instinct. He leaned forward, bringing her face gently forward with his feathery touches as well. They neared each other ever so slowly, each inch taking an eternity to cross...

And then, their lips finally met and it felt like a raindrop had fallen into a sea at turmoil, yet instead of adding more ripples to the waves, it sent a shockwave that turned the chaotic whirlpool into a glass-like existence of serenity. Everything felt right, everything felt like it was where it was meant to be as the warmth of Alan's soft lips flooded into Lissandra's lips. Their kiss did not deepen nor did it evolve; it was simply thus. A kiss, gentle and loving, full of strength for the both of them. As Alan finally broke it off, leaning back a few inches while Lissandra's eyes slowly opened, surprise evident in her azure depths, he said, "Because… I have pledged my body and my soul for you Lissandra. You did not force me to do that. And a man does not go back on his word."

…

Reinhart couldn't sleep. There was too much tension in the air, what with Alan Frost's death being spread around the camp like wildfire. But it was just that; a rumor. Reinhart refused to believe it until he heard it officially from Jory or Lydia. Or from Lissandra herself.

After perhaps an hour of sitting with Analia in silence after their little conversation, a soldier had called him out in urgency. He was told that Alan Frost had received a grievous wound and was on the verge of death. But when Reinhart had rushed to his tent, he found Lydia denying him entry, or anyone else for that matter. Asking if there was anything he could do and being told that they had everything under control, Reinhart left to return to his own tent. There, he had spent the rest of the day in a tense wait, unable to sleep nor do anything under the thought of their Champion dying.

Did Reinhart care alot for Alan? Well, no. Alan was a friend, but first and foremost he was a very, very good warrior. That is what Reinhart respected most about Alan. He was also vital to Lissandra's army now and it would be a grave blow to them if he were to die. Reinhart also felt slightly responsible for Alan, seeing as how he had been Alan's mentor in combat. In the time they had trained and fought together, they had really formed a bond.

In the middle of the night, unable to just lie on his bed with all these thoughts flying around in his head, Reinhart walked out into the empty night to get his mind off things. He passed by Jory and Lydia's tent, but seeing the lights out, he decided not to disturb. Walking over to Alan's tent, he found a small source of light visible from inside the tent. But as he stepped close, he heard small sounds. It sounded like Lissandra and Alan were having a… moment. Reinhart silently stepped back, relieved to hear Alan's voice as that confirmed that he was not dead.

The great weight off his shoulder, Reinhart decided to start walking back to his tent to try and get some sleep again. But as he was passing by a distinct tent, he heard a scream. Loud and feminine. He rushed over to the source of the scream, not even noticing the guards outside as he burst into the tent.

Analia's head whipped towards him at his sudden entry, her eyes wild and her hair disheveled as she lay half covered by her sheets on her bed. Thankfully, she was clothed. In the lack of light in her tent, it was almost impossible to see had it not been for the diffused white light of the moon seeping through the fabric of the tent; The Freljordian moonlight had always been stronger due to it's northern position. So Analia was lit up in silver for Reinhart to be able to easily see the fear on her face.

"What's wrong?" He asked, feeling his heart pounding a bit too loudly from having heard her scream.

"N-Nothing… Just… Bad dreams." Analia said, equally surprised at Reinhart's sudden entry into her tent. Reinhart sighed, running his hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back, as he closed his eyes into his hand. Dropping his hand and opening his eyes to look at her again, he relaxed slightly. "Oh… Okay, goo- I mean, not good… I mean… Better, than what I th-"

"It's okay, I get what you mean." Analia said as Reinhart stopped, sighing in exasperation again. He wasn't normally someone to get tonguetied like that.

"Well… If you don't need anything… I'll just be going now…" Reinhart said as he turned around, walking to the tent flaps. Just as he was about to exit, however, her voice called out, "Reinhart, wait."

He paused, turning around as he found Analia fidgeting around in the bed, sitting up and staring down at the covers as she thought about why she stopped him. "I… I don't think I can sleep, nor do I want to anymore… So… Would it be too selfish of me to ask you to stay for a few minutes… To talk?" She asked, raising her face hopefully at him. Reinhart raised an eyebrow and Analia flustered slightly, although in the silver, dim light, it was hard to tell. "O-oh, think nothing of it! Its simply the fact that everyone else here is too daft for a decent conversation. Mind you, you're just as stupid." Analia said in defence as Reinhart sighed, an easy smile coming onto his face as he stepped back inside. "Sure. I couldn't sleep either, so what the heck." He muttered as he pulled up the chair nearer to her bed.

"With that face of yours, I'm sure you gave most of your men nightmares too as you walked." She said sarcastically again, but Reinhart spotted the gracious and sincere glint in her eyes as she looked at him. As she saw him looking at her, she flustered further. "D-Don't look at me like that, you perverted old man! I know you're desperate, but keep your lecherous gaze to yourself!"

Reinhart chuckled as he sat down, relaxing into the chair. "Old man? Please, I'm not that old."

"With that grizzled white hair of yours and all those lines you have on your face, its hard to tell." Analia said indignantly as Reinhart sighed, for perhaps the umpteenth time today, although this one was more relaxed than the rest. "I'm sure we're in for a looong night." He drawled with a laid back smile.

…

The bright morning light was what slowly roused him from his slumber as Alan groaned, shifting into a more comfortable posture. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, Alan finally woke up fully and sat up. Swinging his legs off the side and then standing up, Alan stretched with his arms in the air, a small groan escaping him as he found relief in stretching his sore muscles and bones. He then doubled over as a violent fit of coughing pressed its way out of him. He touched his chest, where he had been injured, but found no wound or pain there. But, since it had been healed by magic instead of through potions or herbs, the body still thought it was an injury and the phantom wound there still caused him to react like there was a hole in his lung; hence the coughing and sore muscles.

After about an hour, Alan came out, dressed in full armor and all cleaned up, looking fresher and healthier than he had a day ago, his white hair getting ruffled up by the wind as he stepped out. He began walking towards Lissandra's tent but he was stopped in the middle of the path by Lydia, who came running to him. "Alan, Alan!" she called as he stopped, watching her with slight surprise at her urgency. She stopped, bending over to catch her breath for a few seconds. "Reinhart… He's not in his tent." Lydia said as Alan frowned. "Alright, I'll go search." He said.

Walking to Reinhart's tent, he found that, indeed, it was empty. Alan then walked around a bit, asking some soldiers if they had seen Reinhart, yet all of them answered no. Finally, he found a soldier who said that one of his friends, who had the nightshift, saw Reinhart go towards their prisoner's tent. So, Alan walked to Analia's tent and stopped outside as the guards stationed there straightened up at his arrival.

"Hey, have you men seen Reinhart exit this tent?" He asked as the men shook their heads. "We don't know anything, sir! We're the morning shift. Our night Shift only told us not to enter or let anyone enter." They said as Alan rolled his eyes. He debated his options, shrugged then stepped right into the tent.

Thankfully, he found nothing too… revealing inside. He found Analia sleeping on her bed while Reinhart snoozed slumped on a chair near her bed. "Rise and shine, love birds, the sun says hello!" Alan said loudly as Reinhart jolted awake. "Goddammit Alan, didn't anyone ever teach you how to wake someone up nicely."

"I'd say Karma." Alan said smugly as Analia groaned, muttering something that sounded like, "Piss off." before turning over and putting her pillow over her head.

"Seriously guys. Wake up. We're going to Ashe's castle." Alan said as Reinhart jumped off his chair while Analia jolted up.
"What!?" They both said simultaneously.
"Aww, you're both so adorable." Alan said with a grin as Reinhart walked past him grumpily while muttering, "Don't make me shove my foot up your ass this early in the morning, Alan."

With that, Reinhart left and Alan turned around to look at Analia.

"So… What's up?" Alan said non-chalantly.
"Get out." Analia said flatly as she crossed her arms and Alan nodded, walking out without another word.

It took maybe another hour or so, but finally Reinhart walked upto Alan, who was standing outside of Lissandra's tent, wearing full armor. Analia also walked up, wearing her own armor, which had been patched up and repaired for her. Reinhart looked slightly surprised at her arrival as Alan answered him before he asked; "Lissandra's orders."

Just then, Lissandra exitted her tent, stepping out in front of them in full armor as well as Reinhart looked at her. "Lissandra, what the devil are you thinking?"

"Yeah, Ice Queen." Analia said scathingly, obviously holding a grudge against Lissandra as she crossed her arms. "If you think I'm going to help you battle against Ashe, you're sorely mistaken."

"There won't be any need for that, Analia… And to answer your question, Reinhart, I'm doing what I should've done long ago." Lissandra said as she looked at Alan, who smiled back at her reassuringly. "I'm going to have a talk with Ashe."

ITS OFFICIAL! *Crowd cheering goes wild* ALAN AND LISSANDRA'S FIRST KISS.

Well, they did kiss in Alan's vision-of-horrifying-deaths but HOLY SHIT THEY KISSED.

Also, Reinhart x Analia shippings starting, eh eh? *nudge nudge* You know what they say; Keep your friends close and your enemies in your bed.

They don't say that? Well fuck you, they do now.

Seriously, a whole lot of thanks to Nightrous1327 for taking the time for such a detailed review and for an even more detailed PM to help me with the story. Consider yourself officially noticed by me, my dearest Kouhai!

Stay... Well, shit I really did run out of ice puns for this. Oh well, just wait for the next chapter. I'm sure you'll all be SHIVERING with anticipation.

HAHA, I knew I could find another one if I stuck my hand up my ass far enough.

kthnxbaiguisloveyouall

- Wings Senpai.