"Hey! Stop right there!"
Stella's voice echoed throughout the Crown Jewel's chamber of her palace. There were no royal guards to run to her side. All guards assigned to this invaluable area were out cold. She hadn't thought twice about it. She ran in without back-up and the stupidity of her decision only hit her when it was too late.
"Princess Stella, I presume?" A voice like ice spoke, making Stella's blood run cold.
Stella had no idea who this girl was and what she was doing here. All she knew was that this intruder meant business - and not the kind she wanted to deal with. Stella guessed that they shared the same age and took note of her sharp yet attractive features. Her heavy aquamarine eye make-up and murky blue ensemble matched the grand tapestry of the night sky that stretched across the back wall.
"Who are you and what are you doing in my palace?" Stella commanded. Her tone conveyed her fierce facade, but inside her anxiety was rising. She'd spent less than a full year training as a fairy at Alfea before she was expelled. She hadn't taken her training or her studies seriously. She had skipped out on several combat and defence classes.
Stella had a feeling that this was going to bite her in the but now.
The witch in front of her did not appear at all intimidated. In fact, she was barely phased at all by Stella's unexpected presence. A mere drop of rain on an otherwise sunny day.
"That's of no business to you. I'm looking for something - perhaps you can help me find it?" She took a slow and purposeful scan of the room before her eyes landed on Stella's ring. Her lips twisted upwards into an unnerving smile. "Ah, there it is."
Stella briskly moved her hand behind her back and lowered the intruder with a scowl. "There's nothing on Solaria that could convince me to give it up. I don't see why you would think you could do any better."
The Ring of Solaria was a priceless heirloom of the Royal Family of Solaria, passed down the bloodline since the kingdom was founded. Not only was it an accessory of stunning beauty, matching Stella's own dazzling appearance, but it contained an immense power believed to be as old as time itself. Forged from a stone immersed in the spring of light, the ring was a gift offered by The Great Dragon itself. Admittedly, Stella had taken the ring for granted and had neglected to learn more about her lineal right. However, she certainly knew how to wield its power.
"Convince you?" The witch rolled her eyes and smirked. Stella began to draw magic into her hands in response, both fists and teeth clenched. "Who said anything about trying to convince you?"
Before Stella had time to register what was happening, the witch projected a rapid stream of icicles her way. Clumsily, Stella threw up a wall of golden light to protect herself. She knew that she had not been quick enough to act when a sharp, biting cold pain erupted on the side of her face, sending her ungracefully to the marble floor.
"You witch!" Stella spat as she clutched the injured part of her face, drawing upon her sun magic to quell the frigid sensation.
"The name's Icy." Icy sauntered her way across the vast room, cape lightly swishing behind her. "And I prefer to take things through force."
Stella knew she was out of her depth here, but there were no guards left standing in this wing, and she was not going down without a fight. Rising to her feet, Stella slid the Ring of Solaria off of her finger, extending it into a tall and imposing sceptre as she channelled her magic into it. In the blink of an eye, Stella was adorned in a glittering ensemble, wings upon her back.
Lifting the sceptre above her head, Stella smirked. "You've messed with the wrong sun and moon fairy." Icy, to Stella's dismay, did not look the least bit intimidated. Rather, she looked almost amused, happy to rise to the challenge that she would surely win.
"Solar wind!" Stella slammed her sceptre into the ground, creating a wave of light that spilled out in all directions.
Icy was quick to react, creating a shield of ice, but the blast of energy still sent her flying backwards. She quickly regained herself, any trace of her smile had vanished. "Ice prism!"
Sharp towers of ice rose from the ground around Stella. She gained altitude and darted around them, narrowly avoiding being impaled. She looked over to where Icy was scowling, but as she did, her arm collided with one of the prisms, causing her to drop the sceptre.
"No!" She yelled, making a nosedive for the sceptre. Icy was flying towards the falling treasure at an alarming speed. Stella thrusted her hand out and willed the sceptre back into its ring form, just as Icy was about to grab the tip of sceptre.
The witch didn't have time to stop, and she continued to soar across the room just long enough for Stella to snatch the ring and place it back on her finger as she settled into a crouch, catching her breath. It was much safer this way, Stella figured. She'd have to rely on her own raw magic now, without the sceptre to act as a conduit, enhancing her powers.
With a sharp click of her heels, Icy dropped down onto the floor, whipping around to lower Stella with an icy glare. "Listen, Princess, I haven't got time for games." She extended her hand out in front of her. "Why don't you just hand it over and we can save us both the hassle."
Slowly, Stella rose, head held high. "I don't think so."
Icy gave a nonchalant shrug. "I thought as much."
In a flash, Stella was pinned to the wall, encased almost fully in a block of ice. The ice began to grow, wrapping itself around the rest of Stella until all that was free was the hand that wore the ring of Solaria. Panic rose fast within Stella but apart from her hand, she could not move an inch. She began to draw on her sun magic to melt the iceberg, but there was so much ice to melt and not enough time, as Icy was now only a few feet away from her.
"What on Solaria is going on here?" A familiar voice demanded from the doorway.
Icy turned around to see the impressive and ever-radiant Queen Luna, with a horde of Royal Guards behind her. Luna's eyes settled on Stella and her delicate features twisted into a mask of fury. "Get away from my daughter, this instance. Or my guards will show no mercy."
The guards all aimed their magic halberds at the intruder, ready to shoot on their Queen's signal. Icy began to step back towards Stella, but she barely managed to move an inch before a ball of light crashed into her eyes. She fell backwards and rubbed furiously at her eyes. "Argh! I can't see!"
"That's my daughter!" Luna beamed. Stella had managed to free her arm from the ice just in time to debilitate Icy. The guards seized the opportunity and surrounded the witch, weapons pointed.
Icy let out a scream of frustration. She knew she was outmatched. "You haven't seen the last of me, Princess of Solaria." In a flash of blue light, Icy vanished.
The moment Icy made her exit, Luna rushed over to her daughter. Raising both of her arms high above her head, she summoned a great burst of sunlight, the ice around Stella melted in an instant. Stella was only partially aware of what was happening around her: there was a hand on her shoulder; her mother was barking out orders; the Royal Guards were on the move. Stella could only really focus on the events that had just unfolded, as well as the chill that she was left with - not from the iceberg.
This Icy person did not seem like she was trying to steal the Ring just for money or just for the sake of it. No, she possessed an intent and a drive that Stella couldn't help but find unsettling. Stella couldn't work out why an ice Witch would want the Ring of Solaria, but she knew that whatever the reason, there would be dire consequences for the Magic Dimension.