Avarosa stroked the hawk perched on her forearm. She stood on an outcropping that reached over a vast icy plain. In the distance, so far that it seemed like a mirage, stood a palace made out of black ice.
At Avarosa's side stod her sister, Serylda. She sat on a battle-boar, which she herself had raised since its birth, at the age of 10. Serylda herself was the spitting image of the term battle-ready: Her icy flail in hand, her boar armored to the teeth, as was she. She too looked past the tundra and towards the palace.
Behind the sisters was an army of astronomical proportions for the time. It was made up by the warriors of the Frostguard: The Iceborn. They stood armed and armored, and they followed their leaders' example and gazed at the palace.
Suddenly though, the Iceborn began to part in the wake of someone. As she arrived at the cliff, her two sisters turned to greet her. Lissandra herself however was in a panic.
"Sisters! What are you doing?! Gathering an army this close to the home of the Watchers…they will think you are coming for them!" Lissandra said alarmed.
Avarosa turned back to face the palace. "We are coming for them."
Lissandra was stunned. "Serylda...?"
Serlyda hefted her flail and looked Lissandra in the eyes. "I stand by Avarosa."
"This is madness! Lunacy! Insanity! How could you even think of doing such a thing?! Look at all the Watchers have given us! How can we turn on them now?"
Avarosa turned back towards Lissandra and gave her a piercing stare. "Yes, they have given us much, but at what price? We now reign all of Freljord and beyond, but is it truly ours? No! Not so long as we are under their rule, their command, their influence…We were a great human people once Lissandra! We prospered without the Watchers! How much have we truly gained under them? Nothing! In fact, we lost what we had to begin with. Our humanity was taken from us and forged into a weapon: the Iceborn we are now. And that is the problem with a weapon: It can only ever be a weapon, it is used only for killing, and it is a mere tool of other individuals. I seek to reclaim our humanity. And the only way to do that is to end the Watchers' lust and influence. I know you have always been their voice Lissandra. I know you introduced us to them to begin with. I know you wished the best for our people. But now I ask you, with who will you side: The manipulatice beings that infused us with lust and ignorance, or your own flesh and blood, your family, your people?"
Lissandra was silent for a moment. Deep within her, she felt the blackness that had coated her heart since meeting the Watchers crack. She felt the slightest bit of empathy creep out. "I wish I had a choice sister. I wish I could choose you."
Serylda's eyes narrowed, but Avarosa's widened. "No! Lissandra!"
The blackness around Lissandra's heart solidified, and she gave her sisters an evil smile. "The Frozen Watchers shall rule forever!" She cast out her dark ice in all different directions, felling many of the soldiers, caught off guard at one of their leaders attacking them.
"Fall back! Fall back! Retreat Iceborn!" Avarosa yelled. She let her hawk take flight as she drew her True Ice bow and pulled back on it, willing for an arrow to appear. Indeed an ice arrow appeared on the bow. Avarosa pointed the arrow straight at Lissandra. "Please Lissandra don't make me do this. Stop now!"
Lissandra looked back at Avarosa with madness in her eyes. "Why would I stop? Are you not Iceborn? Born in the ice? I am simply reuniting you!" She shot two spheres of the dark ice straight at Avarosa.
Avarosa shot her arrow, shattering the first. Her hawk dived down to stop the second, but Lissandra intercepted it, coating it in ice. Just as the second sphere approached Avarosa'a face, Serylda flicked her hand and her flail destroyed the ice.
"Very well sister. If you won't stop, we will make you!" Serylda roared, charging at Lissandra atop her boar. Lissandra waved her hands upward, and 6 ice golems rose out of the ground and engaged Serylda. Some of the nearby Iceborn saw this and rushed to help her. Avarosa shot the golems with her arrows.
While they were distracted with the golems, Lissandra raised the ground she stood on, until she was standing on a towering pillar of ice. She shouted out in a magically amplified voice: "My masters! The Iceborn betray you! They have gathered an army to contest you! Heed my call masters! Strike down these imprudent fools!"
From the distant palace, dark blurs rose up. They started to rush towards the cliff. Avarosa, Serylda, and the rest of the Iceborn finished the last golem and turned towards the approaching darkness with fear on their faces.
Just as the blurs were about to reach the outcropping, a huge wall of pristine blue ice rose up and blocked their path. Their angry frustrated howls were heard on the other side. Serylda and most of the Iceborn looked down at the wall, but Avarosa looked towards the skies.
Anivia emerged from the dense Freljord mist. "Go! I will meet with you later! I will distract the Watchers and the Witch. Go now!"
Not wasting any time, Avarosa jumped onto Serylda's boar and they both rode off, the rest of the Iceborn following in their wake, as Anivia engaged the Watchers and Lissandra.