A/N: Chapter 2! And as you can guess by the title, this one features Mr. Freeze! Hope you all enjoy it. Also, I gave Bat Warlock's sword a name, hope you spot it here. Also, I have a ton of references in this chapter to Game of Thrones. Once again, also read this story on Wattpad, there I have pictures and images of characters and environments.

I do not own Batman or Merlin. They are works of DC Comics and BBC.

Heart of Ice

The Kingdom was covered in ice.

From the furthest reaches of the border of Camelot to the heart of the castle itself, it was all covered in ice.

And so were the people.

Hundreds if not thousands of citizens were frozen in time. Trapped in a frozen embrace they could not escape from. Many of the faces were those she recognized.

Gwen. Sir Leon. Uther. Arthur. Even the mighty Bat Warlock was encased in ice. And soon, she too began to notice ice creeping up her body from her legs, trapping her. And at the center of it all, she saw one man, in dark blue and silver armor, with a pale blue face. His right hand clenched a staff while his left held onto a miniature frozen sculpture of a woman.

With a start, Morgana woke up. She covered herself in her blankets, hoping to keep herself from freezing like in her dreams. Only to realize she was sweating from being covered in so many blankets.

The last time she had a dream like this, was just before the Scarecrow attack on Camelot. But she had mostly chaulked that up to coincidence. But, would the same thing happen now? She shook her head.

That was right. They were in the middle of summer. How could any freezing like that happen during this time of year? Or any time? She never recalled hearing of any winter where anyone became frozen in solid ice because it was too cold.

But there was one way. Magic. But could there be magic powerful enough to cause such a devastating winter? She didn't know. The only ones who would know would be Gaius and Uther, and she couldn't ask them. Gauis because he was... gone, and Uther because he would ask why she was curious, and she didn't think she wanted her magic hating guardian to know about her dreams, even if they were just that, dreams.

That was right. It just had to be a dream. A dream for a much colder season, given how hot it was right now. No icy doom was coming to Camelot simply because she dreamed it. Right.

Right?

He was going to die.

The heat was proving to be too much for him to handle. Sooner or later, he was going to meet his end due to this unbearable heat. It was only a matter of time now.

"It's... It's too hot... I'm not going to make it..."

"Would you stop being such a girl Merlin? It's not that hot."

Merlin quit his drama queen act and looked to Arthur. "Well, maybe not for you, you dung beetle."

"Remember Merlin, which of us must muck out the stables of horse dung?"

Merlin rolled his eyes but didn't say anything as he followed Arthur.

But seriously, for summer it was an extremely hot day, one that Merlin wasn't accustomed to. Ealdor was located further north of Camelot and at a higher elevation, so it didn't get as hot in the summer, unlike in Camelot. He was seriously not prepared for his first summer here.

He was tempted to wear his Bat Warlock armor. The armor was enchanted to have a regulated temperature, to keep the wearer from getting too cold or too hot. Kept the cold from slowing him down and the heat from exhausting him too early. But he wasn't desperate enough to expose his identity by wearing his armor simply because he was too hot.

But did Arthur have to go out on a hunt today?

"Yes. I did Merlin." Arthur answered, making Merlin realize he asked such a question out loud. "This heat makes it the perfect time to catch some good prey. Maybe a large deer."

"What makes you think any animal will want to be out in this heat?" Merlin asked, doubtful.

"Tell me Merlin, this should be an easy one: What do all living things need to survive?"

Merlin thought for a moment. "A brain. Which makes you a modern-day miracle considering how you're even alive without one."

"Oh please. If anyone's the miracle here it's you, considering how much of an idiot you are."

"Arthur called me a miracle? Maybe the heat is starting to affect whatever's there in place of his brain?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "Maybe it has. Given I gave anything that was remotely like a compliment to you." He then cleared his throat. "But you've once again proven how much of an idiot you are. What all beings need is water. And there's a lake just up ahead where most animals go to get, given how it's cold nearly all year round. Which makes it the perfect hunting spot."

"If you say so sire."

As they continued to make their way through the forest, Merlin started to feel less and less hot, which was strange. No way were they far enough north to feel any change in the temperature. In fact just before they were on the cusp of the lake, Merlin say his breath materialize in cool mist.

"Hey, Arthur. Something weird is happe–" He stopped as he suddenly collided with Arthur. He was about to admonish the prat about his sudden stopping when he turned and saw it too.

The lake was frozen solid. A lake, in the middle of the hottest season of the year, was frozen solid in ice.

"I take it it isn't always like this?" Merlin couldn't help but ask, seeing his breath materialize again. He even started to feel rather chilly.

"No. No, it isn't. Not even in the winter." Arthur said gravely, seeing his breath now. "We need to get back to Camelot. Now!"

By the time they got to the citadel, whatever this sudden cold front was had reached the city. Many people in the lower towns were walking around in thick fur coats where just earlier today they were wearing loose clothing to keep themselves from overheating. Arthur saw smoking coming from everyone's chimney, meaning they were already having fires. Arthur grimaced. Since it was the middle of summer, people didn't venture out into the woods to acquire firewood, so they were in short supply. Sooner than later they would run out of wood.

When they got to the throne room his father had already his council assembled. Arthur took his place among the bodies while Merlin moved off to the corner to stand beside Morgana's servant Guinevere. Morgana herself took her place in a seat beside the king, dressed in thick winter clothes with a fur coat around her shoulders. His father himself was wearing a thick fur coat.

"The kingdom is under attack." His father stated bluntly. "No doubt the person responsible for this is a sorcery of the most foul being. We will need to begin immediately to find the person behind such dark magic. You, boy!"

He may not have said his name, but Arthur was familiar with the person he was referring to, for there was one person in this room that Uther called 'boy'.

"Y-yes, your majesty?" Merlin said, stuttering at being called out suddenly. Or that may be because of the cold. And here Arthur thought he could handle the cold better than most, given he was from a village closer to the mountains.

"You will find the source of this curse."

Arthur blinked.

"Me?" Merlin asked, sharing Arthur's disbelief.

"Yes, you. Gaius," His father paused for a moment. Even after all this time, over a year now, Uther still mourned his friend, but he pushed on, not wanting to look weak in front of his family and subjects. "Would normally consult me on such matters. Since you've taken over his position, for the time being, you will look into this curse. Figure out the source and how to destroy it. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Merlin said with a clumsy nervous bow, once again, not sure if that was because of the cold or not. As Merlin was about to leave, Arthur suddenly voiced an idea.

"Father, should we ask the Bat Warlock for his assistance in stopping this curse?"

Everyone in the room froze, and not just because of the unnatural cold. Merlin himself looked with shock at the Prince. Morgana too was pleasantly surprised by Arthur's suggestion, no surprise given she tended to voice her approval of the Bat Warlock. Uther himself stood still, like a statue. But to his credit, he didn't immediately shut down his idea. So Arthur pressed on.

"He is a sorcerer and a highly skilled one at that. He may hold some knowledge about this curse that is affecting the kingdom. Rather than waste time and resources looking through endless books in search of an answer, should we not instead turn to someone who certainly studied such topics before."

Arthur waited for his father to answer him. In all truth, Arthur had first come up with this idea when walking into the citadel. While the Bat Warlock wasn't his favorite person, nor did he want to rely so much on magic to help them, his people were suffering from this cold. If working with the outlaw meant they're suffering would end sooner, he would swallow his pride and ask for help.

Plus, the idea that they had to rely on Merlin of all people to figure out how to stop this curse sent a chill down Arthur's spine, and not because of the cold.

Finally, his father answered.

"No."

Arthur sighed. He shouldn't be surprised. No way would his father think to resort to asking a sorcerer for help, even in a crisis.

"We have no way to contact him. Nor do we have any certainty that he does know what this curse entails or how to stop it. No. We will rely on the resources we have to end this threat."

Arthur was shocked at his father's reasoning. He was sure his father would say something along the lines of "We do not need magic to save us". But rather, he brought up a logical and sensible reason, one Arthur hadn't even considered. How were they even planning on contacting him? Arthur hadn't even thought of that.

"Go on now, boy. Find the source of this curse." Merlin nodded and left the room in a hurry, tripping over himself as he did so.

Watching him go, Arthur said a silent prayer that the Bat Warlock was already on the case, working to end this curse before all of Camelot was frozen in time. Because if not, then the only hope this kingdom had, rested entirely on Merlin.

"We're doomed."

He was such an idiot!

Sure, Arthur called him that loads of times, but now Merlin was starting to believe there was some truth to those insults.

He had spent hours searching for the source of this freezing curse, going through countless books Gaius had, even an old spellbook he found stashed away. It slightly pained him to do so, going through Gaius' things without him directing him, but he pushed the sadness away and focused on his task. If he didn't find the source, then the people of Camelot would soon freeze to death. Or worse starve due to the intense cold ruining their crops and freezing the wells.

He had just finished scanning through a large book on curses and such, finding nothing to help him find the source of this curse. He had lost feelings in his fingertips long ago. He moved to place more wood in the fireplace when suddenly inspiration struck.

Which was now why he was down here, in the Great Dragon's cave, seeking answers. He hated that he never sought Kilgharrah's advice sooner.

"I need your help," Merlin asked the dragon, who seemed to curl up on himself. Seems he too was not immune to the cold plaguing Camelot.

"Of course you do, young Warlock. You never do come down here for such a simple social visit. What can I do?"

"I need to know the source of the curse affecting Camelot. And how to stop it."

Kilgharrah looked at him, peaking his head out from one of his wings. "I cannot help you with this Merlin."

Shock and betrayal filled his being. Anger soon followed, and with it the Bat Warlock persona as his eyes flashed gold. "WHY?! Are you so petty that you'll let innocent men and women suffer because you hate Uther that much?! You can't just sit around and do nothing! I won't allow you! You will help me!"

Kilgharrah growled as he uncurled himself and stood to his full height, snarling as his chest began to glow gold.

"Watch your tone with me, boy." The great dragon warned as smoke came out of his mouth. "You may be the descendent of a noble lineage, but you are not a dragonlord yet. I can still burn you with my flames should I desire."

Merlin backed up slightly at Kilgharrah's warning. Yet some of his words stuck out to him. Noble lineage? Not a dragonlord yet? What did he mean by that? Merlin was sure his mother wasn't a descendant of any nobles, or else he wouldn't have grown up in a farming village. As for his father...

He shook his head. He wasn't here for himself. This was about Camelot and Albion.

"As for why I cannot help you, it's because you asked the wrong question," Kilgharrah said cryptically.

Merlin frowned in confusion. The wrong question? What did that mean? He thought over his question several times. He had asked how to stop the curse of ice. How had that been the wrong question? Unless...

"It's not a curse, isn't it?"

The cryptic dragon smiled. "Well done Young Warlock, you got that faster than I would have thought."

"Yeah, I'm over the moon that I figured out a cryptic response from a dragon while people around me are freezing to death. Now tell me what is it."

Kilgharrah huffed at his impatience but soon spoke. "The Winterheart."

"The Winterheart?"

"Yes. An ancient and powerful relic, created by the strongest ice mages of the Old Religion centuries ago."

"Why would they create such a dangerous artifact though?"

"The fools thought they could control the power of nature. They were wrong. Thankfully they were able to contain the cold in a containment orb. The Winterheart was soon locked away inside one of the most impenetrable vaults in all of Albion. Right here in Camelot."

Merlin's eyes widened. "So it could be here in the Vaults? Opened by accident?"

"No. The Winterheart was stolen years ago when the purge began."

"By who?"

Kilgharrah fell silent, indicating he wouldn't answer. Merlin had noticed he did this a lot whenever the two talked about the purge. He figured it was just too painful to bring up memories from the time when all his kind was slain by Uther. But in times like this, it felt like he was trying to hide something from Merlin.

"It matters not." Kilgharrah finally said. "What does is that whoever has the Winterheart now endangers not just Camelot but all of Albion."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, dread filling him.

"The frost from the relic doesn't just focus on a specific target. It starts from the center before growing and spreading around all sides. If the cold continues, soon it shall envelop all of Albion in an eternal ice age. And the lands beyond."

A pit dropped in Merlin's stomach. The gravity of this threat weighed much more on his shoulders.

"How do I stop it?" He asked determination filling his being.

"You're sword."

"My sword?" Merlin questioned. What was a sword supposed to do against a powerful relic that could freeze everything?

"Indeed. Before I gifted it to you, I forged the blade in my breath. Any weapon forged in a dragon's breath can combat almost all forms of magic. Though it's most commonly used against the living dead. The relic would be destroyed if you plunge the blade into the Winterheart."

"I understand."

"But be careful young Warlock. The chill of the Winterheart may seem bad now, but the closer you get, the more you'll start to realize the true power of the Winterheart. Not even your armor, enchanted as it is, could withstand such intense cold."

Merlin nodded.

"So how do I find it?"

The dragon looked at him, then gave one of his trademark cryptic responses.

"Follow the cold."

Morgana had gone to see Arthur off, and Gwen was at her side. They wore thick fur coats, though Morgana's was much more elegant. It had somehow gotten colder than it was this morning, and the temperature was only dropping. She heard some people in the lower town have already succumbed to the sudden cold.

"Well be back soon, don't worry," Arthur assured her.

"I know." Morgana tried to smile, but the images from her dream of Arthur and Gwen frozen in time along with Camelot kept her from doing so. The fact that her dream seemed to be coming true made her feel an intense surge of fear and anxiety in her, for various reasons.

Gwen looked around like she was looking for someone supposed to be there. "Where's Merlin?"

Arthur looked at the servant girl with a confused glance. "Why on Earth would Merlin be here?"

"W-Well it's just... you two are always together. And since he figured out the cause of the curse, wouldn't it make sense for him to go with?" Gwen said, nervous at being addressed by the Crown Prince.

"He tried to come along and gave the same reasons as you. But Father ordered him to stay behind should they need a Court Physician. We really need to find a replacement soon."

Morgana couldn't help but smirk. "Why, you worried you won't be able to survive so long without your manservant at your side?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "More like I'm worried he'll burn the whole castle down and then some if I'm not there. He can only get through so much being the Court Physician on luck before he makes a mistake and loses his head for it."

Morgana didn't immediately counter that because she knew that was a possibility. Uther may not have done it to Gaius, considering they were old friends, but the mercy and kindness didn't extend to Merlin, despite him being Gauis' nephew. Sometimes it seemed he barely even tolerated the boy.

"Are you worried about Merlin?" Morgana asked, a teasing grin on her face.

"Hardly!" Arthur denied, much too quickly she might add, before looking to the side. "It's just... I'm so close to getting him to be a halfway-decent servant that it would be a waste to have to train another one."

"Uh-huh," Morgana said doubtful, even Gwen didn't look convinced, but didn't say anything.

"Where is he anyway?" Gwen asked.

"He should be in the Court Physician's chambers. Shivering away like a girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Arthur clamped his mouth shut as he looked at Morgana shooting him an icy glare colder than the air currently was. Gwen shot an eyebrow up, much like Gaius had done.

"I... umm... Well, you see..." He stuttered, looking for an escape. "Oh, look! The horses are ready! I need to go save the kingdom now! Bye, Morgana! Bye Guinevere!"

He then hopped on his horse and mushed it out of the courtyard before Morgana could get another word in.

"I swear, that man always says something before he stops to think how offensive it could be."

"Should we return indoors to the warmth of your chambers now, My Lady?" Gwen asked.

"Yes. But before we do, let's take a detour to the physician's chamber."

"Oh?" Gwen had a look in her eyes Morgana couldn't place.

"I want to make sure Merlin's keeping himself warm since he was denied the opportunity to travel with Arthur." Morgana gave the reason (excuse?) she wanted to check on him.

The two walked up to the physician's chamber, and Morgana knocked on the door. "Merlin? Are you in there?"

No response.

Both women looked at each other before Morgana knocked again. "Merlin?"

No response. Morgana then decided to open the door. The room has not changed at all since Gaius died. Morgana suspected that was done out of Merlin's desire to try and hold onto the memory of the man who seemed like a father figure to him. The only difference was that there were books scattered about, most likely done in an attempt to find the source of this curse.

But there was no sign of the serving boy/Court Physician. Even the fire had long been put out.

It was Gwen who asked the obvious question.

"Where's Merlin?"

Follow the cold.

When Merlin had first told him and his father that was how to find this Winterheart, Arthur wanted to smack the boy by his head. But he soon explained that it gets much colder the closer one is to the Winterheart, which would help them figure out where it was.

He hoped Merlin was right, or else he was out here freezing his butt off for nothing.

After several hours of travel, following the direction of the cold against their basic instincts, they arrived at the mouth of a cave. And Arthur knew, from the bone-chilling cold he felt coming from the cave, that they came to the right place.

Arthur and his squad of half a dozen knights dismounted their horses and began to light the torches they brought with them. It took several minutes for them to light them due to the cold, and Arthur traitorously thought it would go a lot faster if they had magic.

They got the torches lit, much later than Arthur would have liked, and made their way into the cave.

The cave was covered in ice. The stalagmites and stalactites were frozen solid, and there were icy pillars along with steps. Meaning that this ice must've been manipulated by a sorcerer, no doubt the one who is threatening Camelot.

Many of the Knights shivered, though Arthur wasn't sure if that was from the cold or fear. Maybe even a combination of both. There was something terrifyingly ominous about this cave, and not just because there was a dangerous sorcerer there.

As they made their way deeper into the cave, Arthur then began to see something that made him stop.

A woman. Or at least, an ice sculpture of a woman. It was glistening in the dark cave as if it were the sole light in darkness. He wasn't able to make out any features of the woman, given that she was made of ice, but he could tell that she was indeed quite beautiful.

Arthur reached out to touch the icy beauty.

"Don't touch her!"

A chilling voice echoed through the cave, and with it a cool breeze that snuffed the fire from their torches. Arthur and the Knights immediately drew their blades, dropping their useless torches, and looked around for the source of the voice.

They heard footsteps and the Knights turned to the source. A man, or something in the shape of a man, began to emerge from the shadows. He was dressed head to toe in indigo and black armor. He wore a light-colored blue helmet, the face shields down to cover his face, a red glow coming from the eye slits. In his hand he held a staff, indicating his identity as a sorcerer, and the top of the staff held a crystal.

"You, sorcerer, identify yourself!" Arthur said, pointing his sword at the man.

The man was silent for a long moment, merely looking at each knight before settling on Arthur.

"You come into my domain, brandish your weapons at me, and demand to know my name without first introducing yourself?"

One of the knights beside him looked offended for Arthur's sake and moved to speak, but Arthur held up a hand to stop him. Much as he loathed to admit, the sorcerer had a point.

"I am Arthur Pendragon, the Crown Prince of Camelot. Beside me are some of the finest Knights our kingdom has. To whom do I owe the pleasure of speaking to?" He gave the formal introduction expected of a Crown Prince and Knight, even though this was far from pleasurable, especially with the cold and threat to his kingdom.

The man looked at Arthur for a long moment, studying him. Finally, he spoke. "I had a name once. But it's been so long, and so much rage and hatred has caused me to forget. But, you may address me as Lord Freeze."

One of the Knights behind him muttered mockingly that the man called himself Lord when he held no lands, but Arthur didn't comment. It was better than nothing.

"Very well, Lord Freeze. Are you the one behind the attack on Camelot?" Arthur knew the answer, but the Knight's Code demanded he ask anyway.

"You call it an attack. I call it what it is, retribution." Freeze answered.

"Retribution for what?"

"For the crimes that butcher, you call a father and king has brought upon the innocent."

"You scum! To insult King Uther is treason! And treason means death!" One of the Knights, an overzealous fellow roared as he charged the sorcerer. Arthur called for him to halt, but the man didn't listen as he swung his sword at Lord Freeze.

"So annoying," Freeze said in a bored tone before he tapped his staff on the ground. Ice suddenly sprang from the ground where the staff tapped, incasing the Knight completely in ice in the blink of an eye. Arthur's and the other Knight's eyes widened at the speed and ease at which Freeze defended himself.

He then raised his staff and struck the frozen Knight, shattering him into a thousand pieces. Arthur and the Knights looked horrified at such a brutal and chilling execution before rage and righteous vengeance took hold.

"Men! Charge! Run that sorcerer through!" Arthur cried as his remaining Knights followed his order and ran towards the icy lord.

"Typical Pendragon behavior," Freeze commented with a scoff before tapping his staff to the ground again. Only this time, several ice spikes emerged from the floor and ran through the lead knight, killing him. Causing some including Arthur to falter for a moment. However, one brave, or reckless knight, continued his charge and moved to strike Freeze. He merely raised his staff to block and the Knight's sword shattered as it hit the staff. The Knight looked dumbfounded, leaving him unprepared as Freeze twisted his staff and stabbed him straight through the heart with the end of it. The Knight soon froze completely, much like the first, and when Freeze removed his staff, the Knight fell over and shattered as he hit the ground.

Arthur was shocked at the swiftness Lord Freeze executed his men, but it only helped fuel his rage as he and the last three Knights charged. Freeze lifted his staff and aimed. The glowing orb at the tip glowing bright gave Arthur enough warning for him to yell "Duck!" and drop to the ground. Sadly, only one other Knight listened to his command. A beam of snow white shot from the staff and hit the two Knights still standing, instantly freezing them.

Arthur and the last Knight got to his feet and began to circle the sorcerer, who just stood there. Arthur's mind went into overdrive to try and come up with a plan to counter Lord Freeze, going over what he knew of the sorcerer's capabilities. He could manipulate the ice with ease with that staff of his. And shatter their blades when they made contact with it. It could also produce a beam of ice that freezes people on contact.

With all this information, Arthur concluded that the best way to kill Freeze was to get around his staff since that seemed to be where his power lay. Arthur looked at the Knight opposite of him and made subtle gestures to the staff. The Knight nodded in understanding.

"FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!" Arthur yelled his favorite battle cry, hoping to get Freeze's attention. He swung his sword, causing the so-called Lord to block with his staff, shattering the blade. He then backhanded Arthur, the strength behind the blow was inhuman and it sent him flying several meters.

But the Knight took his prince's opportunity and moved to stab Lord Freeze in the back. However, much to his and the recovering Arthur's shock, when the blade made contact with the armor, it shattered as if it was hit with the staff. Freeze slowly turned around, his blood-red eyes sending chills down the Knight's spine. He then grabbed the Knight by the neck and lifted him. The Knight tried in vain to free himself, but that was the least of his problems as ice began to spread from Freeze's hand to his neck and the rest of his body.

"Attacking an opponent while his back is turned. Has Uther fallen so low that he encourages his warriors to use such cowardly tactics?" He mocked as the Knight was completely frozen. Freeze then squeezed his hand and the frozen head was broken off from the body and shattered as it hit the ground.

He then turned his cold gaze to Arthur, the Prince had an expression of horror on his face.

"Then again, the word coward certainly fits one such as Uther Pendragon. After all, only a coward would send his son to die in his place."

Arthur's fear left him as rage took hold at this man, this sorcerer, insulting his father, the strongest person he knew, so brazenly.

"My father, the King, is no coward! Not like you, who hides away in this cave and attacks innocent people from afar!"

The Lord of Ice seemed to think on Arthur's words, and then he spoke.

"You're right."

That brought Arthur up short.

"What?"

"I shouldn't be here, wasting away in this cave while Uther dies a slow and painful death. I want to be there. I want to look that man in the eyes as all the warmth leaves him and he enters the cold embrace of death."

He then looked at Arthur, and despite not seeing his face, the Prince felt the man's bone-chilling smile.

"Thank you, Arthur Pendragon, for the wonderful idea. It will make my vengeance all the more sweeter."

He then turned to walk away

"Vengeance? For what? What did my father and the people of Camelot ever do to wrong you? You chose damnation when you decided to practice sorcery!"

Lord Freeze stopped walking and glanced over his shoulder at the Prince.

"You know nothing, Arthur Pendragon." The man said in the coldest tone Arthur ever heard from the man since coming in. "And unfortunately, you'll die knowing nothing."

Arthur grits his teeth and charges the sorcerer, but Lord Freeze raises his staff and fires a beam of ice at his legs that freezes Arthur in his tracks, the ice quickly works its way up his body.

"Don't be afraid, son of the butcher, in eleven minutes, you won't feel a thing." Lord Freeze said before he left, leaving the young Prince to die alone in the cold.

As he walked out of his frozen lair, Freeze took in a deep breath of fresh cool air. He stared hatefully at the sky, where the sun had hidden itself behind clouds conjured from his frozen might. But it wasn't a hate of disdain for the sun, rather, hate that he wouldn't be able to enjoy what was lost to him forever.

How he longed to be able to feel the warmth of its golden rays on his skin once more. How he longed to feel while in the embrace of his love. How he longed to see her again, to feel her warmth, her light. He looked at the orb at the top of his staff, and saw through the cloud of cool mist inside the shape and figure of his love, the same shape as the sculptures in his cave.

But no, such a thing was not possible. His love was lost to him forever, thanks to the butcher. And his ability to feel any kind of warmth was sacrificed to gain the power of ice. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was his revenge against Uther for all that he took from him.

"Soon Nora. Soon you will be avenged."

He didn't know how long he was frozen for, but he knew it was less than eleven minutes, or else he be dead by now, according to Lord Freeze. He didn't know why he believed the word of a sorcerer, but he felt for some reason the man, if he could be called that, wasn't lying.

But it was soon approaching. As someone who always made sure to pay close attention to house his body functions, he began to notice when his body, was slowing down, like his heart. His vision, despite not seeing well through the ice, was beginning to get blurry, and his mind began to spin. Soon, he wasn't even able to register the cold now and was beginning to feel numb.

Was this the end? Was this how he would greet the gods? Not as an old man, surrounded by friends and family? Or as a warrior on the battlefield, dying for a cause he believed in? But alone, in this cold and dark cave, the failure of stopping a threat to his kingdom hanging over his head? Was this how Arthur Pendragon, future King of Camelot would meet his end?

Such a thought was more terrifying than the Lord of Ice.

He closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate when he heard the sound of a muffled voice. He cracked his eyes open and saw the silhouette of a figure outside his icy tomb. He couldn't make out the details due to the ice distorting his vision.

He then saw a light glow from below, and suddenly, Arthur began to feel again, something warm and good. Was this a message from the Gods? Were they calling him home to Avalon? He closed his eyes and accepted the Gods' embrace.

And then he heard the muffled voice much more clearly.

"-ke up! Wake up you arrogant prat!"

At the voice that definitely didn't belong to any of the gods, and the insult, Arthur opened his eyes and did whatever he could to free his body, but unlike before, where his efforts were in vain, the icy cage he was trapped in shattered and he was free. He would have collapsed to the floor had someone not been there to catch him, his rescuer no doubt.

"Arthur! Are you alright?!" The voice asked with concern.

"I-I'm fine." Arthur tried to assure, his body still shivering from the cold at being trapped, but still very much alive. "T-thank you... M-merlin."

The arms holding him flinched.

"I-I'm not Merlin!" His savior said, voice sounding deeper than before.

Arthur blinked for a moment, adjusting his eyes to the sudden light, and looked from the arms holding him up to the face of his savior. Or rather, the mask covering his face.

The Bat Warlock.

"Y-you?!" Arthur questioned in disbelief, stuttering from the cold he still felt. His brain must've been scrambled if he had mistaken such a skilled and powerful warrior for his manservant. The idea that Merlin could be someone so powerful as the Bat Warlock was ridiculous. "W-what are you... d-doing here?!"

"Saving your arse." The Bat Warlock said with a cheeky grin. And now Arthur wished he died in the ice.

Still, the man saved his life, again, so honor dictated that he had to thank him. It's not like he was genuinely thankful that he didn't die freezing his butt off. Nope. Just knightly courtesy to his rival. Nothing more.

"W-well, I-I am grateful that you did so. T-Thank you."

And then, the Bat Warlock's grin became less cheeky and more genuine.

"You're welcome, sire. And let me help you get warm. Wouldn't want you catching a cold. Forbærne." The Bat Warlock's eyes then flashed gold and an orb of fire appeared mid-air and hovered around Arthur. The Prince grimly remembered how he and the Knights struggled for minutes to get one small flame burning, and here this man made an even bigger fire with one word. Once again, he wished magic didn't corrupt one's soul, or else it could be used for so much good.

"You stay here and get warm, I'll free the other two Knights." The Bat Warlock said as he moved away from Arthur and over at the other two frozen knights.

If Arthur was at 100% he would complain that the Bat Warlock had no authority to command him to do anything, given his station as a prince and the sorcerer being an outlaw. But he didn't. Concern for his fellow Knights overrides his chain of command habits, he wasn't sure how long they were frozen, but it was surely longer than him. And he knew that the Bat Warlock held no real respect for the chain of command, else he wouldn't be a vigilante or practicing magic.

The Bat Warlock stood between the two knights, brought his hands together, muttered something under his breath causing his palms to glow bright orange, and placed them on the frozen bodies of the knights. He held them there for several moments before the ice surrounding the knights cracked and then shattered, freeing them. The Bat Warlock caught both knights and set them gently down on the floor.

"How are they?" Arthur asked, no stuttering in his voice now, thanks to the ball of fire following him. The Bat Warlock examined them with the practice of a trained physician. "So he has medical training." Arthur mentally noted down. Useful for finding out his identity.

"They'll live." The Bat Warlock said, causing Arthur to sigh in relief. "But they're in no condition to move right now, much less fight." He then muttered the same spell he did earlier and two more orbs of fire appeared and hovered over the knights. "These should keep you three warm until I can stop the one responsible."

"You? Alone?" Arthur asked, incredulous.

"Yes. Me alone. No offense, Your Highness, but you and your men stood no chance the second you walked into this cave. I'm sure you all fought bravely, but charging in recklessly with only a handful of men was a fatal mistake. If not for me all of you would've died, and in vain. Now rest here sire. The roads will be much safer to travel after I defeat the sorcerer."

The Bat Warlock soon made his way to exit the cave, leaving the three men behind. As Arthur watched him go, a wave of frustration filled him.

"No!" Arthur called, causing the outlaw to stop. "I will not stand by on the sidelines while my kingdom is in peril. It is my people, my home that is being threatened. As their Prince and future king, I have to protect them, no matter the cost to myself. And no one, especially a sorcerer that dresses like a bat can tell me I can't fight for it! So no, I'm going to stop Lord Freeze, and if you plan to stand in my way, I'm ready to fight you if I have to."

The Bat Warlock stood still for several moments, absorbing the Prince's words. "I guess that flying lizard was onto something after all." The outlaw muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Arthur to hear him. Then he glanced back at the Prince and had a smirk on his face. "Then what are you waiting for clotpole? Get over here, we have a kingdom to save!"

Arthur returned his smirk and moved to join his fellow Dark Knight. Though the name he called him reminded him of Merlin again. Maybe he was spying on him and his servant so he could copy the servant's unique insults for him, something to be on the lookout for whenever he converses with Merlin in the future.

The two exited the cave.

"He should only have a few minutes head start of us. We should be able to cut him off before he reaches Camelot." Arthur said as he looked at the Bat Warlock.

The man's eyes flashed gold before he shook his head. "No. He's already at the edge of the forest." He reported grimly.

Arthur blinked in disbelief. "How do you know?"

The outlaw turned to him. "There's a lot more uses for magic besides hurting others. You should remember that, Prince Arthur." Arthur felt the jab at him and his father's treatment of magic users, but he ignored it for now.

"How did he get there so fast? It took us hours to reach the cave?"

"You were slowed down by the cold, plus you didn't know where to look, not truly. Lord Freeze doesn't have those burdens. I also wouldn't be surprised if he was using his magic to increase his speed."

Arthur grimaced. If Freeze managed to get to Camelot long before they did, then everyone would freeze to death before they got there. His father, Morgana, Guinevere... and Merlin.

"We need to catch up to him!" Arthur declared before looking at the Bat Warlock. "I can't believe I'm about to ask this." "Do you have any magic that can get us there quick enough?"

The outlaw looked shocked that the Prince of Camelot asked him to use magic to help them get to Camelot, but he didn't comment. He bowed his head and started thinking. Finally, he raised his head and looked at the Prince, a mischievous smile on his face.

"You don't have any unspoken fear of heights, sire?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Please! I'm a Knight and the Crown Prince of Camelot. Destined to be the future king! I can promise you, there is no way I'm afraid of something as trivial as–"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"No, we're not!" The Bat Warlock, Merlin, said with a chuckle. "And I thought you said the Prince of Camelot wasn't afraid of heights! Guess I picked up the wrong person!"

"YOU NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT FLYING ON A BLOODY DRAGON!"

"First, this is not a dragon we're riding, it's a wyvern, big difference." Bat Warlock said in defense of Nightwing, the blue-armored magically conjured wyvern. "And second, how else were you thinking we were gonna get to Camelot in time? Flying Carpet? A broomstick? This isn't a fantasy!"

Arthur didn't say anything else as he clung tighter to the wyvern's body as the wind rippled through his hair.

Uther Pendragon stood on the wall facing the forest of Camelot, dressed in a thick fur coat, thicker than the one he wore this morning when the cold first appeared. He grimaced. It was getting colder.

"Your Majesty?"

Uther turned sharply at the voice to see Morgana approach him. She was wearing a thick fur coat over herself.

"Morgana!" He said with worry as he approached her. "What are you doing out here?! You should be inside where it's warm."

"I came looking for you, sire. And with respect, it stopped being warm inside a long time ago."

Uther grimaced as he conceded to Morgana's point. The temperature had dropped so low now that no one could start a fire, even in the citadel.

"Still it must be warming inside than out here in the wind. So go along now."

"I'd rather stay with you sire, and wait for Arthur's return," Morgana said, using that tone that showed she would not budge. Much like his old friend Gorlois.

"At least she took something after you old friend." Thought pleasantly before a pit formed in his stomach. "Very well, but only for a few moments."

Morgana nodded, pleased with her small victory before looking out at the forest. Uther also looked out at the forest. They stood there in silence for some time until Morgana spoke.

"Do you think he's alright?"

There was no need to clarify whom she was referring to.

"I do not doubt that Arthur has already found the relic and the sorcerer responsible for this unholy winter, and is in the process of transporting both it and the sorcerer's head back to Camelot." However, despite his strong reply, he could tell Morgana saw right through him, like she did most of the time. A skill she inherited from her mother, Vivienne.

It was true that Uther did have the utmost confidence in his son. He was no doubt possibly the finest and bravest knight this kingdom had ever seen, more so than Uther at that age. But he couldn't keep the fear from his mind. This was powerful magic he was confronting. And while Uther himself had fought against magic and won during his time as a knight, he did remember that they too had magic to help combat such threats, something Arthur lacked. All because of the Purge he started.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost missed Morgana's question.

"Are you sure we shouldn't try to enlist the aid of the Bat Warlock?" Uther repressed a groan. This again. "I know we have no real way to contact him. But perhaps if we create some sort of signal for him, or if you address the kingdom, publicly asking for his help–"

"NO!" Uther roared, and Morgana jumped back. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he sighed and bowed his head. "I apologize for my outburst. But for the last time: We are not asking that outlaw for help."

"But why not?! He's already proven to be an ally when he came during the kingdom's time of need against the Scarecrow! And he's been protecting the people in the lower towns against the bandits and criminals! Surely he can be of some help now! At the very least to keep our fires burning. Why won't you turn to him for help now?"

Uther sighed. In all honesty, Uther had considered asking for the vigilante's help, for the bare minimum help that is. At most, he would just ask the outlaw to light fires in the castle, nothing more.

But he couldn't. His people couldn't see him go and grovel at a sorcerer's feet for help, lest they think he was incapable of protecting them. He couldn't be seen as weak for asking a sorcerer for help.

Plus, he knew what the sorcerer was planning. The help he gave during the Luthor and Scarecrow crises. The acts of heroism he performs in the lower towns, endearing himself to the people. He was planning on leading a revolt. A rebellion right in his kingdom with him at the head. Probably in an attempt to steal the throne for himself.

That was who sorcerers were. People who lie their way into innocent people's lives and then take away that which was most precious to them. It was something Morgana needed to learn.

"Morgana," Uther began, "I know it may seem like now that the Bat Warlock is helping the people of Camelot. I know it looks like he cares about us. That he acts like a hero. But that's all it is Morgana, an act. It's always an act when it comes to sorcerers like these. They worm their way into your heart, making you believe they're your friend so that when you turn your back to them, they can stab a knife through your heart, or worse, through your loved ones' hearts. It's a lesson you and Arthur need to learn. A lesson I learned all too late, at the cost of Arthur's mother."

He heard Morgana gasp and wasn't surprised. He never once talked Ygraine to either of them before. Too afraid the pain and guilt he felt about her death would lead him to confess something he couldn't take back and cause his children to hate him. He hated using his deceased love like this, but this was the only way Morgana and Arthur would understand the dangers of sorcery.

"Your Majesty," Morgana said in pity as she moved to place a comforting hand on him.

"Sire!" A scout's shout caused Morgana to tear her hand away as they both looked up to the tower where the soldier shouted from. "Look to the Forest, someone's coming out!"

Hope began to build in Uther's chest. "Arthur!" He looked out at the forest, Morgana at his side. He squinted and saw someone come out from the trees. Someone who was positively not his son. He sucked in a breath as he realized who it was.

"SORCERER!" Uther cried out. "Men, prepare for battle! Morgana get inside and barricade yourself in your room if you have to!"

"But–"

"GO!" He would have no arguments. He pointed at the closest guard. "You there! Escort my ward back to her room! And guard her with your life! If you fail, you better pray the sorcerer kills us all to save you from my wrath!"

The young man nodded sternly and took Morgana by the hand despite her protest. Uther turned his attention back to the rapidly approaching sorcerer, who was closer to Camelot, a trail of ice in his wake.

He drew his sword.

He didn't dare think what may have happened to his son. If he did, he wouldn't be able to focus, and if he couldn't focus he couldn't defeat this sorcerer and protect his kingdom. So, pushing down his emotions, he's had a lot of practice at doing that, he prepared himself to avenge his son and defend his kingdom from the evil of sorcery.

"FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!" He cried out.

They had been flying for a few minutes now. Bat Warlock then took a look behind him to see how Arthur was fairing.

After the shock (shock! not terror! Arthur had insisted) of flying had worn off, Arthur couldn't help but be amazed at the feeling of flying through the air. There was something to free, so unburdensome about it. Nothing was holding him down, nothing holding him back from achieving what he wanted to achieve. He briefly wondered what it would've been like flying by himself, without the wyvern. It was a beautiful thought.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

"We're here! Camelot's just below us!" The Bat Warlock called, moving Nightwing down below the clouds. Arthur snapped out of his awe and focused back on the task at hand.

Arthur had never seen the kingdom from the air before. He was slightly looking forward to how it would look from above. Sadly, it wasn't as majestic as he hoped, since the kingdom was covered in ice, all the way from the lower towns right up to the castle.

"We're too late!" Arthur said, fear and despair entering his voice. If Lord Freeze got here long before they did, then his people were already dead.

Seeing the fear on Arthur's face, the Bat Warlock focused his magic on his sights and examined the city, he focused on a family that was on the outskirts of the city, one that was frozen solid. He looked deeper and strained his enhancements and magic to hear for any signs of life. Much to his relief, he heard three strong heartbeats from the frozen family. This meant if they lived, so too did anyone else who was frozen solid.

"The people are alive!" The Bat Warlock's statement caused Arthur to look at him with hope in his eyes. "Freeze must've just got here and began his attack. We still have time to stop him!"

Arthur nodded, relief in his eyes, but there was also a sense of urgency. "Not long though. Freeze told me it takes eleven minutes before someone dies from the cold. We need to hurry and stop him."

"Right! First, we need to–ARGH!" The Bat Warlock cried as he heard a loud thumping in his head. Nightwing cried out as he stumbled in the air, causing Arthur to wobble a bit and cling back onto the wyvern for dear life.

"What happened?!" Arthur yelled. The fear he felt from their takeoff was back in his voice.

"I've been using this spell too long. I need to set Nightwing down. Now!" Bat Warlock explained, a hand to his head to try and massage a difficult headache.

Thankfully, they were just above the courtyard and landed with no difficulty. Arthur quickly hopped off the wyvern and almost kissed the solid ground beneath him.

"Good boy Nightwing! Now get some rest." The outlaw told his mighty steed, giving him a scratch behind the ears. Nightwing purred in joy at the touch from its master before the Bat Warlock jumped off the wyvern, going down to a knee as he landed. Nightwing soon vanished with a flash of light.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked as he saw the Warlock collapse on his knee.

"I'm fine." The outlaw assured, breathing heavily. "Using that spell takes a lot out of me, especially for as long as I did." "Though on the other hand, most people wouldn't be able to create such a powerful conjure."

"Are you still up for a fight?" Arthur asked.

The Bat Warlock smirked as he stood to his full height. "Always. Now come on, we need to get your armor."

"My armor?" Arthur looked down at himself. Couldn't the outlaw see he was wearing his armor though?

"Not that kind, you dollophead. The armor you wore in the tournament against King Luthor and the Scarecrow Crisis."

Arthur blinked. He hadn't worn that armor since then. "Why would I need to?"

"The armor is enchanted." The Bat Warlock explained as they ran through the castle halls to his chambers. "One of the enchantments was meant to help regulate the temperature of the body, so if you wear it, you shouldn't be able to feel the cold, much."

"Much?"

"My armor's enchanted in the same way and I can still feel the cold. But it should give you a better fighting chance than what you're wearing now."

Arthur almost wanted to deny it, stating that it was illegal to use magical items, but stopped himself. Anyone who may punish him for such blatant breaking of the law is probably frozen. Plus, he's already running around with the Kingdom's most wanted sorcerer, what's the harm in breaking a few more rules if it meant Camelot survived?

They arrived at his chambers. Arthur moved to the chest box and quickly undid the lock. Inside was the bright blue armor the vigilante had gifted him. Like the first and second times he wore the armor, it called to him, begged him to wear and achieve great things with it. He reached in to grab the armor, but it suddenly vanished from inside the chest.

"What? Where did it–" He stopped when he looked down and saw himself adorned in the armor. There was only one explanation. Magic. He turned to the Bat Warlock to see the knowing grin on his face, almost as if he was laughing at an inside joke Arthur wasn't privy to.

"Given how you need someone to help you dress yourself every morning, I figured this would be faster and less awkward." He said with a grin before becoming serious again. "We need to get moving and stop Freeze."

"How? You weren't there when the sor–the man slaughtered us. We couldn't even lay a finger on him without either getting frozen or our swords being shattered in one hit. How do you plan to stop him now?"

"The armor you're wearing doesn't just keep you warm. It will also enhance your physical abilities and durability, as well as strengthen any weapon you hold. But you're right, that won't be enough. Thankfully," The outlaw then pulled out his own bat theme sword, Tenebrae. "I have a way to even those odds."

"And how will your sword make a difference, when ours, made from the finest steel in all of Camelot, couldn't even last a strike?"

"Because unlike yours, mine was forged in a Dragon's breath."

Arthur blinked. A Dragon? Do they still exist? He thought his father killed them all. "What does that mean?"

"Let's just say my sword will be able to destroy most forms of magic, including the Winterheart. Unfortunately, I don't know what it looks like."

Arthur's eyes widened. "The staff. That must be it. He always held onto his staff. That must be the source of his power. If we destroy it–"

"–We'll put an end to this Long Night." The Bat Warlock finished with a smile, one that, to the Prince's surprise, he returned.

"We just need to find him. Can you do that?" Arthur asked. The Bat Warlock nodded as his eyes flashed gold, looking about. He looked back to Arthur, his expression grim.

"He's in the throne room. And... he has your father."

When Uther Pendragon first took the throne of Camelot from the madman before him, he knew he would spend the majority of the rest of his days seated in it, listening to council meetings, and hearing the cries of his people. He spent more time in this chair than he did in his own bed.

But he didn't think he would meet his end frozen to it.

His body was beginning to freeze, slowly, starting from his toes and fingers, up his legs and arms. He tried to free himself, but it was no use as the ice continued to spread across his body. He was a prisoner on his own throne, and the sorcerer walking around him was his jailer.

"You know, I had dreams about how this day would go. How I would get my revenge on you. Some involved striking you from afar, you were oblivious as to who was responsible for destroying you and your precious Camelot. Others involved me sneaking in and killing you in your sleep, the idea had some merit, the thought of you going to sleep peacefully at night only to never wake up again sounded so tempting."

The Lord of Ice then stood in front of the king, the red eyes from behind the helmet glared ominously at him.

"But, thanks to your son, I realize there's no greater pleasure, than killing you with my own two hands and having you watch helplessly as I send your kingdom into an icy oblivion."

"Don't you dare speak of him, you murder!" Uther spat, defiant, despite being trapped on his frozen throne.

The Cold Sorcerer laughed, a chilling laugh that made Uther shiver. "That's funny, calling me a murderer when you have far, far more blood on your hands. The blood of innocents."

"Don't attempt to slander me, Sorcerer! I've killed no innocents!"

At his cry, the ice suddenly began to move faster, causing a cold burn across his body.

"All you've done is kill innocents! How many men, women, and children did you slaughter in your Purge?! How many lives did you destroy in your crusade?! How many families have you torn apart in your misguided sense of revenge?!"

"Misguided?!" Uther roared, doing his best to ignore the freezing pain of the ice. "I was cutting down monsters like you! Sorcerers who would give in to the evil lurking in their hearts because of magic! And look, no further proof than yourself! One's been no down corrupted by a sorcerer!"

Freeze gave an ugly snarl underneath the mask.

"I can assure you, Uther Pendragon, my soul has long since fallen to darkness before I started practicing sorcerer. Magic had no part in corrupting my heart, it was already made of ice. Thanks to you."

Uther stared defiantly at the Lord of Ice. His body all except his head was frozen in ice.

"I was planning on leaving you alive till the last heart in this kingdom beat its last, but now, since you've angered me, I'll kill you where you stand. Only I won't freeze your head, I want to see the look in your eyes as your body shatters to a thousand pieces."

Freeze raised his staff to end the tyrant then and there. Uther refused to close his eyes, willing to face death staring it in the face.

The door to the throne room, which was frozen solid, slammed open, catching the attention of the Sorcerer and King.

Uther's heart leaped in joy as he saw his son! Alive and well! Dressed in that strange armor he wore during the tournament against that traitor Luthor and the Scarecrow Crisis. And at his side was...

"So, the stories are true. A sorcerer, who takes on the guise of a flying rodent, has turned traitor to his kind and stands beside the Butcher's family." Freeze said in disgust as he glared at the Bat Warlock standing beside the Prince.

"I do not, in any way shape or form, serve Uther Pendragon." The Bat Warlock said, conviction in his voice. "What I do, is protect the people of Camelot against scum and villains, and rouge sorcerers like you."

"You call me a rouge? It is you who are the outlier among us, boy. You, who do whatever he can to save a man and his kingdom, who would love nothing more than to hunt our kind to extinction."

The Bat Warlock was silent for a moment. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I am the outlier. But it's people like you, who use magic to hurt and kill innocents, that give those like Uther Pendragon reason to hunt us."

"I swore to myself, that I would forever, until the day I die, use my magic for good, to remind the people of Albion that magic is a force for good. To protect the innocent, and punish the guilty. This I swore in the name of the man who inspired me." "Gauis." He thought silently to himself.

Arthur was surprised by the conviction in the Bat Warlock's voice, and to hear he was embarking on such an impossible mission. Yet, he didn't want to scoff at it, not when the determination the man excluded inspired such strong feelings in Arthur himself.

Uther just looked on with a shocked and worried expression. This conviction reminded him all too much of another sorcerer. The one that still haunted his dreams at night.

Lord Freeze's face was unreadible behind his mask.

"Such a naive thought." He finally said, gesturing to Uther. "This man's heart is as cold as frozen stone. There's no changing his mind to sorcery being an instrument for good. You're wasting your time and talents."

"I know." A foreign voice spoke in Freeze's mind, causing him to blink. So, the young Warlock had mastered thought speech. Impressive. "I know I won't be able to change Uther's mind. No matter what I do. But it's not his mind I need to change."

Freeze raised an eyebrow. Then realization dawned in his red eyes and he looked to the young Pendragon standing next to the Bat Warlock. Not showing any weariness that he was standing next to his kingdom's most wanted sorcerer.

"I see." He thought back. "Then you are even more naive and foolish than I thought. This boy is the child of Uther Pendragon, both in blood and his heart. He will not see magic as a force for good. If you place your trust in him, he will betray you, just as Uther betrayed the sorcerers that once trusted him."

"Maybe," The Bat Warlock said this out loud. "Maybe I am just wasting my time and gifts in this kingdom. But I can't stand by and do nothing while innocent people are in danger. Not again." He growled out the last bit, clenching his fist in self-hatred. If only he acted back then, then things would be different.

Freeze stared long and hard into the warlock's golden eyes. He knew then that the boy would not be pulled from his path.

"Very well," Freeze said. "If you wish to be a fool, then I shall grant you a death-worthy of one."

"We are not the foolish ones, 'Lord' Freeze," Arthur said, mocking his title. "You are the fool, who thought he could take Camelot without a fight."

Freeze stared at the young man he thought he left for dead in that cave. He then looked back to Uther to see him staring at his son.

"It seems I made a mistake after all." He said as he began walking toward the duo. "It seems I should have dragged you with me to Camelot boy. If only to make your father watch as I kill you."

"No!" Uther cried, fear for his son in his voice.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you my lord, but I... We don't die easily." Arthur said as he drew a sword from his scabber. "And in case you forgot, you are outnumbered two to one."

Despite not seeing his face, Arthur and the Bat Warlock could feel the bone-chilling smile he had on his lips. "I think you need to rethink those numbers, son of the Butcher."

Then, staff in hand, Freeze slowly raised his hands. From the floor, ice began to gather all around and take shape to create several humanoid forms made of ice. Some wielded swords made of ice.

"You just had to jinx it, didn't you, you royal prat." The Bat Warlock muttered under his breath as he drew Tenebrae, whispering a spell that set his and Arthur's swords ablaze.

"Shut up!" Arthur shot back as he got into a stance. He was surprised that as he held the burning sword, the fire did not burn him, nor did the heat so much as affect him. Must be magic.

"Go, my White Walkers. Kill the traitor and the spawn." Freeze ordered coldly as his icy soldiers marched at the two warriors.

"I go left, you go right. We need to cut a path straight to Freeze." Bat Warlock said. And before Arthur could even say something along the lines of, "I'm a Prince, you can't give me orders", the Bat Warlock jumped into the fray.

He met a trio of three Walkers. Despite being made of ice and their bodies looking like shriveled corpses, the ice soldiers were faster than normal humans. Thankfully, the Bat Warlock was far from normal. Attacking, parrying, and blocking with inhuman speeds, the Bat Warlock was able to keep up with the three foes attacking him with barely any problem.

The three then moved to strike at him all at once, but the Bat Warlock ducked down and formed a barrier with his left hand. He timed it perfectly so that when the White Walkers' blades hit the shield, their arms bounced back, giving the Bat Warlock the perfect moment. He rose to his full height, and with one clean swipe from his burning blade, decapitated the heads of the White Walkers. With the twirl of his blade, he moved to the next group of Ice monsters.

Not wanting to be outdone by his rival, Arthur charged into the fray, going right just as the outlaw suggested, much to his chagrin.

He found himself engaged against two White Walkers. He had to admit, that mindless beings created by magic, weren't half bad with a sword. Much better than Merlin at least, but that wasn't saying much. Everyone was better than Merlin.

But Arthur was better.

And he was certain his magical armor played a huge part in it. He was meeting the strikes thrown against him with more ease than he thought possible while surrounded by such an unnatural cold. In fact, he thinks he's moving faster than he would outside the armor if there was no cold at all. If he was able to move this fast with the armor being slowed down by the cold, how fast would he be without the cold slowing him down?

The temptation to find out made him work all the harder to defeat these monstrosities. He plunged his flaming sword through the chest of one of the White Walkers. The monster's eyes widened as his icy body began to melt. However, that left him open for the second Walker to attack. Unable to pull his sword free in time, Arthur raised his arm to block the attack, bracing himself.

However, to his and the ice soldier's surprise, the blade shattered upon making contact with the gauntlet. Arthur looked in amazement at his armored hand, to see that there wasn't even a scratch. He then looked at the Walker and smirked.

"Not so fun when you're own swords are broken now isn't it?" Arthur asked before pulling his enchanted blade from the melted ice warrior and slicing through the stomach of the second, cutting him in half. He then moved on to the next group of frozen enemies.

Eventually, after defeating more of the White Walkers, both the Bat Warlock and Arthur found themselves standing back-to-back in the center of the throne room. The two managed to cover each other perfectly. A magical barrier to block a frozen arrow to Prince's head. An indestructible gauntlet to take the hit of a sword meant for the Warlock's throat. So on and so forth. The two were in perfect sync as they worked to destroy the frozen monstrosities.

Uther watched with disbelief and his jaw dropped. Being a warrior his whole life, he knew exactly how difficult it was for two warriors to pull off such an incredible defensive and offensive move. The trust that was required was no small effort. You had to put your very life in the hands of the person, just as they did theirs in yours.

Uther was appalled that Arthur would trust a sorcerer, a criminal, with his life so easily that he would leave his back open for him to strike. But he was just as amazed that the outlaw put his trust in Arthur just as much to leave his back undefended, knowing the Prince would be there to protect him when he could easily stab his blade through his back.

Over his life, Uther had only ever had trust like that in only two people. Gorlois, his best and truest friend. And of course, J–

"No!" Uther shook away the thought. No! Arthur wasn't making the mistakes he did. Trusting a sorcerer completely to protect him. It is just a temporary alliance. Nothing more!

Finally, the last of the White Walkers were defeated. Both Arthur and the Bat Warlock were breathing heavily, their breath visible thanks to the cold. They then turned to Freeze.

High on adrenaline, Arthur shouted in a challenge, "Is that the best you can do?!"

Freeze's only response was to raise his hands again, and just like before, the White Walkers rose.

"You had to ask." The Bat Warlock said, looking at the Prince in exasperation.

Arthur ignored the sorcerer and moved to reengage the Walkers, wanting to be the first to attack this time. However, the Bat Warlock's hand on his chest stopped him.

"No. You go handle Freeze. I'll take care of these chumps." The outlaw said. Arthur was really getting tired that this vigilante was the one giving him orders. He was the Crown Prince for crying out loud!

He then felt something press against him. He looked down and his eyes widened when he saw that the sword the Bat Warlock was using was thrust into his hands. He then remembered what the man said, how only a blade forged in Dragon's breath could destroy the Winterheart, no doubt the Ice Sorcerer's staff.

But that meant...

"What about you?" Arthur asked.

The Bat Warlock smirked. "Unlike you, I'm more than just a pointy blade." And with that, he approached the group of White Walkers. He whispered a spell under his breath, and whips of fire appeared in both of his hands. He twirled them around in a beautiful display before unleashing firey hell on the ice soldiers.

Arthur scoffed. "Show off." He muttered as he clutched the outlaw's sword tightly in his hand and approached the enemy sorcerer. Lord Freeze tapped his staff on the ground. Instinct, and experience with the sorcerer, saved Arthur's life as he dived and rolled out of the path of spikes that would have impaled him. His blue armor may be enchanted to withstand the spikes, but he didn't want to risk it.

He came out of his roll right in front of the Lord of Ice. Freeze swung his staff at the Prince who dodged. The Bat Warlock said his blade would be able to withstand, and even destroy Freeze's staff, but Arthur didn't want to risk destroying the blade he was borrowing. He didn't want to kill one vengeful sorcerer only to deal with another one right after.

However, it didn't look like he had a choice as Freeze swung in his staff in a way Arthur wouldn't have been able to dodge. So he raised the sword to block. A loud hissing went out around the chamber as if an endless stream of water was poured on a fire that refused to be put out as the weapons connected. Steam erupted from where the weapons connected, the sword didn't shatter, much to both's surprise.

"Dragon steel?" Freeze muttered in shock as he stared at Tenebrae. He wasn't expecting the Prince to have this kind of weapon on him.

Arthur then smirked as he used his strength to bat the staff away before delivering a kick to the stunned sorcerer. Freeze stumbled back, before going to his knees and glaring at the Pendragon from behind his mask. Arthur's smirk only grew as he twirled the blade in his hands several times.

"No so fun when the opponent fights back now isn't it?" Arthur taunted.

"You would know," Freeze growled out as he stood to his feet.

Arthur said nothing as he got into a fighter's stance and lunged at Freeze, the sorcerer blocking his attack before striking back, which Arthur managed to parry.

As they exchanged several more strikes, Arthur came to the quick conclusion that Freeze was no warrior. A powerful and dangerous sorcerer, yes, but not a warrior, not like the Bat Warlock. His strikes with the staff were rudimentary. If they were two ordinary people, Arthur would have won within a few strikes, even without his super armor.

However, despite his lack of skills, he made up for it in speed and power. He was moving so fast that it took all of Arthur's instincts as a warrior to keep up with the man. And his arms shook as blocked the strikes with the sword.

"You realize it, haven't you," Freeze asked as they locked weapons again, the hiss of steam ringing in their ears. "The cold is my domain. My kingdom. Any who seek to challenge me in it will meet a cold, cold demise."

Arthur didn't reply as he grunted, forcing all his strength to try and push back the sorcerer's staff. But whatever strength the armor gave him was not enough to match Freeze in this frozen environment. The sorcerer was truly in his element.

"Forbearne! Akwele!" A voice shouted and a fireball hit Lord Freeze in the side, sending him rolling. He cried in pain from the fire, trembling. Both he and Arthur looked to see the Bat Warlock, having made quick work of his frozen minions walked over to stand by Arthur.

"Then let's turn up the heat then, shall we?" Bat Warlock said as he took Tenebrae back from Arthur and cast another fire spell that superheated both his sword and one Arthur just picked up.

Freeze growled, his form still smoking from the fireball before he charged the two who were determined to stand in his way.

The two met him head-on and began a two-on-one duel to decide the fate of Camelot. Freeze made full use of his enhanced speed and strength the cold granted him. If he was facing one of them, it may have been able to overwhelm them. But against two at once, he was just barely able to defend himself. He was unable to block a slice to his knee from the traitor, nor dodge a slash across his back from the Prince.

He was getting overwhelmed. Drawing on the power of the Winterheart, his staff soon began to glow bright and he stabbed it into the ground. An explosion of ice erupted from his feet, forcing the Bat Warlock and Prince Arthur to jump back.

"Twenty years." Freeze began, his voice low and cold. "For twenty years, I've waited. Waited to take my vengeance upon Uther Pendragon and his precious Camelot. But I'm done waiting. No more! I will take my revenge on Uther and this wretched kingdom! I will see this kingdom and its people covered in eternal ice! And I will not be denied my justice by two naive boys who think they know everything!"

Bat Warlock merely steeled himself and got into a stance, but Arthur didn't follow him. There was something in Freeze's voice as he made his declaration. A pain so deep one could get lost in an abyss. This wasn't the ravings of a madman corrupted by magic as he had first believed. No. This was personal."

"Why?" Arthur suddenly asked, bringing all eyes on him. "Why do you hold so much hatred for Camelot? For my father? What did he and the kingdom ever do to cause you to see us destroyed?"

It was probably foolish to ask such a question to a madman, the expression his father gave him made him think so enough. The Bat Warlock though, seemed impressed, for whatever reason, he wasn't sure. Regardless of their reactions. Arthur needed to know. He needed to know what supposed injustice was brought upon this man that made him seek such terrifying revenge. If only to avoid committing the same mistakes his father may have done.

"Uther Pendragon condemned my wife to burn at the pyre." Freeze suddenly revealed.

Arthur blinked, not expecting the man to give him an answer, even the Bat Warlock was brought up short.

"When Uther began his purge, he urged all his citizens to report any act of sorcery. Those who did so would be greatly rewarded. My wife... my love... my Nora... was among the victims of these reports."

A swell of pity began to form in Arthur's heart for the man. The man seemed less of a monster now, and more of a tragic figure from a story.

"I am sorry for your loss. However, your wife was a sorceress. She had broken the law and became a traitor to the kingdom, as such, she had to be executed."

Freeze then laughed. It was an action that shook Arthur to his core.

"You truly know nothing Arthur Pendragon! If you are so blinded to the darkness of the human heart!" He still laughed, but his voice was vicious. "Do you know what reward Uther promised those who immediately reported any signs of sorcery? He promised them nobility! At such a promise of power, a man I trusted for so long, turned on me and accused my wife of sorcery, but he knew damn well that she never was a sorceress!"

"And she wasn't the only one. Countless others, who never once practiced sorcery in their lives, were put to death that day while others built their noble lines off the ashes of innocent people like my wife."

Arthur looked horrified. Was it true? Did his father allow the death of people who may or may not have been guilty of sorcery? Did he ever investigate these claims? Made sure they were true before passing out the sentence? According to Freeze, it sounded like he didn't. He just killed anyone who ever was accused of sorcery.

"And that wasn't the worst of it." Freeze continued. "It wasn't just Nora, my sweet and loving Nora that he put to death that day. She was with child when she burned."

At that, Arthur dropped the sword in his hand in shock.

"She, who was so kind, so loving, begged and pleaded with Uther, that if she were to die, to at least allow our child to be born first. That they were innocent." Freeze then glared at Uther, who had the decency to look ashamed. "But you said no. You said that the evils of sorcery deserved no mercy. You claimed that she was trying to stall to try an escape, despite the obvious evidence that she was just a week away from giving birth. But you have her burned anyway. She and our child! Along with countless others who were innocent!"

He then looked back at Arthur and Bat Warlock, the former having dropped to his knees in shock. "I will not be denied my vengeance any longer! I will kill you two! Then Uther! Then that traitor Boyle! Then this entire kingdom will fall to ice!"

Arthur said nothing. Could say nothing. It was too much information. Too much at once. What was he supposed to do? What was right in this situation?

"Is this what they would have wanted?"

Arthur turned to see the Bat Warlock, who despite the shock they received, still stood strong.

"What?" Freeze said.

"You've endangered lives, innocent lives, like hers and your child's, all over this kingdom. Nora would never have wanted this."

"Shut up!" Freeze shouted as he fired a beam of ice from his staff. The beam hit the outlaw dead in the chest sending him flying into a pillar, being frozen and stuck to it. "What do you know what she would have wanted rodent?! You weren't even born yet when the purge started! You have no right to speak of things you don't understand!"

"You're right. I don't understand. And I didn't know her." The Bat Warlock admitted. "But I know you loved her, and she loved you. And I know, from my own mother, that she would never wish for you to hurt other families, to rob them of their parents of children, not in her name, and certainly not in your child's name."

"Because when all this is over, that's all Nora will be remembered for. It won't be her beauty. It won't be her kindness. It won't be anything good about her. The only thing people will remember is that she was the reason their children died at the hands of a madman."

Freeze snarled. This man, this child dared to insult his wife and the memory of her. He would pay! He aimed his staff and charged up another blast.

"I'm sorry."

Freeze stopped charging his staff and looked to the source of the voice to see Arthur Pendragon, still on his knees, looking at him with an expression of sympathy.

"I'm sorry for the injustice you had to face at the hands of my father and the people of Camelot. If there was any way I could change what happened to your wife and child I would do it, no matter the cost."

Then, he began to stand, strong and resolute. "But, despite the injustice done to you, I cannot condone your actions against Camelot and her people. This is not justice. It's just revenge. And as the Prince of Camelot, it is my duty to stand against all those who threaten the kingdom's safety. And the safety of her people, flaws and all."

Bat Warlock looked at Arthur with an impressed smirk on his lips. "Not bad prat, not bad at all." Merlin thought.

Uther looked on with amazement at his son. Standing strong despite the odds stacked against him. It filled his heart with pride.

Lord Freeze just stood there standing still.

"Then you die first."

He then aimed at his staff.

"The cape! Use the cape!" The Bat Warlock called from the pillar, trying to free himself.

Arthur, despite what years of condition told him not to do, listened and held up the red cape, which was now glowing attached to his armor just as the beam of ice was shot from Freeze's staff. The beam hit the red glowing fabric. Much to Arthur's surprise, he didn't freeze right away. instead, it seemed the cape, whatever strange magic was woven into the fabric, was able to block the beam of ice.

"Okay, it's official, I'm never taking this armor off again. Not even to bathe!" Assuming his father doesn't have him executed for wearing magical armor or for not bathing.

Freeze snarled as he saw his attack was not immediately freezing the Prince. He began to take steps forward, putting more and more magic into the staff, intensifying the cold.

Arthur managed to hold out, but his armor was soon reaching its limits. The cape's glow began to dim, and as it did, he began to feel more and more of the cold. Bits of frost began to form on his armor, and the cold was overwhelming the enchantments to keep himself warm. He could feel his blood beginning to freeze.

Freeze was so focused on the stubborn Prince that he conveniently forgot about the outlaw who had just managed to break free from his icy prison. Wordlessly calling Tenebrae to his hands, he ignited the sword and rushed at Lord Freeze.

Freeze saw him coming. Stomping his leg, he tried to impede his charge with a set of ice spikes emerging from the floor. The Bat Warlock lept into the air to dodge and brought his dragon-forged sword down in an overhead slash. Not onto Freeze directly, but rather, his staff.

The staff exploded in magical energy as it was cut through, the beam threatening to consume Arthur ceased at least, allowing the Prince a chance to breathe.

Freeze looked so shocked by the destruction from his staff that he was unable to dodge the sword uppercut the Bat Warlock delivered upon him. The super-heated blade cut through the helmet he was wearing and he fell onto his back.

Without his mask, Arthur and the Bat Warlock could see Freeze's face well. His face was that of a living corpse, skin an icy blue with eyes so red you'd think he was bleeding from them.

Freeze didn't care that he was now exposed. All he cared about was crawling over to the destroyed remains of his staff, his face full of sorrow.

"Nora." He cried frozen tears as he ran his hands through the dust remnants of his staff, trying desperately to find the figure of his wife that he always saw in the orb. But he couldn't find it.

"It's over Freeze." The Bat Warlock said, looking down at the man in pity. He had tried to freeze all of Camelot. But at the end of the day, he was still a man who couldn't process losing his wife.

Freeze just continued to stare at the snow, grabbing a pile of it in his hands and letting it fall through his fingers on the ground.

"Yes, it's over now..." He then looked at the Prince and Exiled Ghost, and despite being a being of ice, his eyes burned with red-hot fury! "FOR YOU TWO!"

An explosion of ice and wind erupted from Lord Freeze, the shockwave sending both Arthur and Bat Warlock flying to the end of the room. The windows shattered and the wind picked up, it was like a blizzard in the throne room of Camelot.

"What was that?!" Arthur cried, his voice barely being heard over the howl of the freezing wind. "I thought if we destroyed the staff with your sword the curse would end?!"

"I don't know?! I did what I was supposed to do?! He should be powerless now?! Unless..." Bat Warlock's eyes widened. He needed to see something. Focusing his magic into his eyes, he looked directly at Freeze, into his very being through magic, and gasped.

There! Right where his heart was supposed to be, was instead a swirl of snow-white magic that was vibrating at a ridiculous rate. Merlin knew exactly what it was.

"I don't believe it?" He breathed.

"What?!" Arthur said, feeling more and more cold as the wind picked up.

"The Winterheart... it's inside him! Right where his heart should be!"

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"I don't know! And it doesn't matter! If we're gonna keep Camelot and Albion from entering the Second Ice Age, we need to kill Freeze, by stabbing him straight through the heart!"

"Easier said than done!" Arthur moaned. But he wasn't wrong. After Freeze's outburst, the temperature got exponentially colder and was dropping at a rapid rate. Not even their magic armor was able to protect them from the bone-chilling cold.

"I'll go!" Bat Warlock said as he got to his feet, despite his body protesting him to stay down, Tenebrae clutched tightly in his hand.

"Are you insane?! You'll freeze if you get too close to him?!" Arthur wasn't sure why he was showing such concern for the Exiled Ghost, but at this moment, he didn't care.

"And if I don't, we'll all freeze!" The Bat Warlock fired back as he began walking toward the out-of-control Lord of Ice. "Besides, what's the life of an outlaw, compared to that of a Prince?"

Arthur didn't have a moment to argue as Bat Warlock muttered a spell that put a barrier around the Prince. It would keep him safe from the wind and ice, so long as Merlin remained alive.

The cold was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. And yet, he was completely numb to it. Which was a bad thing. Frostbite was settling in over every part of his body, his blood was close to turning into ice. Yet still, he pressed on, using his left hand to shield his face from the wind while his right kept a death grip on Tenebrae.

He muttered off every single fire spell he knew, twice, thrice, four times over, casting them on his surroundings, or even himself. But it was all for naught. The cold of the Winterheart was too much for even a warlock of Merlin's power. But he trudged forward.

Sometimes, his feet would get frozen to the ground. He'd struggle for a moment before freeing himself and continuing on his trek. It was getting hard to breathe, and his head was spinning. There was yelling in his head, but Merlin wasn't sure if that was Kilgharrah or his brain pounding.

Freeze was finally just a few feet away, but even that felt like such a great distance. It felt like he was climbing the world's steepest mountain in the middle of a violent blizzard.

Finally, he was in striking distance. Freeze acknowledged his presence, and somehow, the cold intensified, almost freezing Bat Warlock completely.

"THIS! KINGDOM! WILL! FALL!" Freeze's cry was carried by the howl of the wind.

Gritting his nearly frozen teeth, the Bat Warlock gripped Tenebrae in both his hands. He then concentrated the full power of his magic, including his protection against the cold, into a spell that engulfed his sword in flames.

"NOT TODAY!"

And with the last of his strength, Bat Warlock plunged the blade straight into Freeze's frozen heart. The Lord of Ice cried out as he felt his frozen heart burn from the blade forged in Dragon's breath.

And then, it all stopped. The wind, the cold, the ice all ceased, and all was quiet in the throne room.

Feeling through his magic that the Winterheart was now destroyed, the Bat Warlock with drew his blade from Freeze. The absence of a heart meant there was no blood staining the blade. The man crumpled to his knees. No blood leaked from his wound, another consequence of having no heart.

The man looked at the Bat Warlock, and before the outlaw, he saw the man change. His icy blue skin took on a warmer color, and his blood-red eyes soon faded to a cool steel blue, a blue that had the life slowly fading from them.

The man saw a source of light and looked out the destroyed window and gasped at what he saw. The sun. The large ball of golden fire, which had once burned his skin at the slightest exposure, now felt so good to the touch. Comforting. Warm. He held out his hand and let the rising sun's rays bathe his arm in golden light.

"So... Warm..." He muttered hoarsely. He then looked back to the Bat Warlock. And, despite his life adding away, he smiled.

"Thank... you."

And then he crumpled to the floor, dead, a lone tear streaking down his cheek from his lifeless eyes.

And Bat Warlock couldn't keep up the act anymore. He collapsed to his knees, nearly falling flat on his face. He was breathing heavily, his whole body trembling due to the intense cold he was in just a minute ago.

He was gonna pass out. He was gonna pass out here on the floor. Then Uther would have him executed. He'd have his head chopped off. Or maybe have him burned. He hoped it would be burning, at least it'd warm him up before killing him.

He then saw a hand be placed before him. Not a hand on condemnation. But rather, one of comradery. He looked up and saw Arthur looking down at him, with something that seemed like respect.

The Bat Warlock grasped his hand in his and allowed the Prince to lift him on unsteady feet. He almost fell over into the Prince, but he managed to have enough wit to keep himself upright.

Arthur was about to say something, stopped, and looked like he was thinking, before he finally spoke, "Thank you. Camelot owes you a debt."

Bat Warlock was about to wave it off like it was no big deal but then thought better of it. Instead, this may be the perfect moment to endow an important lesson on the Once and Future King.

"You want to thank me." The Bat Warlock began, his voice raspy because of the cold. He then looked down at the dead body of Freeze. "Then make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

"Don't worry. We'll be sure to keep ourselves more vigilant in the future concerning the magical artifacts in our possession. We won't allow another criminal to steal such a dangerous item again."

"That's not what I meant." The Exiled Ghost looked the Prince dead in the eye, and despite looking like he was barely able to stand, the man radiated strength behind those bright golden eyes. "You know as well as I do that magic was not the cause of this. It was the actions your father took at the beginning of his Purge that caused Freeze to seek Vengeance. Don't try and deny it. You know it to be true."

As much as Arthur wanted to, he couldn't. He couldn't deny that the extreme actions his father took during the Purge led to this man nearly freezing Camelot and all of Albion into oblivion. Magic wasn't the cause of this crisis today, it was the folly of man.

"Learn from your father. Not just from his success, but also from his mistakes, and becoming a better king than he is. That's how you can repay the debt Camelot owes me."

Arthur looked away from the Warlock in deep thought. Learn from his father's mistakes. When Arthur was young, he never thought his father could make mistakes. He saw him as infallible. Someone who never did wrong. Who always did the right thing. But recent events changed such a view. A change that started with none other than the Bat Warlock himself.

He turned back to face the vigilante, only to find he had vanished.

Arthur sighed.

"I hate it when he does that. Little bugger."

A few days had passed since Freeze was killed, and Camelot was recovering, if slowly. The sudden freeze during the summer months killed a majority of their crops, which would take time to recover. Plus, a third portion of their army died when Freeze first attacked, they would need time to recover their strength.

Arthur thought of all that needed to be done as he finished dressing himself. Merlin wasn't here. The lad caught a cold when he and the rest of Camelot were frozen. And here Merlin said he could handle the intense cold better than Arthur. Serves him right for all the times he's been late due to the Tavern.

His father was also recovering. Due to being so close to Lord Freeze when he lost control, his father's body lost too much heat faster than he could produce it, or something or other. The terms Merlin used were hard to understand, even more so since he kept sneezing. At least he didn't sneeze on the king, or else he would have been executed.

Still, since Arthur was much healthier than the king, he was made regent for the time being. Which gave him the perfect opportunity to see justice done.

"Sire," Sir Geoffrey of Monmouth said Arthur approached the throne room, "He's already inside."

"Thank you, Sir Geoffrey," Arthur said before entering the throne room.

Inside was a nobleman dressed in fine silk clothes.

"Your Highness." The nobleman, Lord Ferris Boyle, bowed in greeting.

"Lord Boyle." Arthur greeted with a nod before walking to sit on the throne. It didn't feel right, sitting on this throne, especially when his father was still alive. He wondered if, when he took up reins and became king if it would feel any less strange.

"May I ask why you wished to see me sire?" Boyle asked.

"I merely wished to know more about your family, Lord Boyle." The way Arthur said lord with a ting of disgust gave the nobleman pause. "For instance, how did you and your family come into nobility again?"

The man looked away slightly, sweat beginning to form on his brow before he spoke. "We showed our loyalty to King Uther by helping root out the sorcerers in our kingdom. Uther was impressed with our loyalty and awarded us with the status of noblemen, a reward we've been working to repay for 20 years.

"Mhmm, yes. A status you achieved by sending an innocent woman, one with child, to burn." Arthur said coldly, a trick he picked up from the man who nearly froze him to death.

His statement caught Boyle off guard, clearly not expecting his crime to come to light. "S-sire? I-I don't know what you're–"

"There's no use trying to deny it," Arthur said, shutting the man up. "I've been investigating the Purge these past few days, one victim in particular, Nora Fries, wife of Victor Fries, the man who nearly froze this entire kingdom. From what the investigation brought forth, from interviewing acquaintances and people who knew her well, she never once practiced sorcerer, nor did express any acts of sympathy to magic users. You condemned an innocent woman, and her unborn child to death."

"W-Why would I do such a thing? Surely those people told you how close me and her husband Victor were. Why would I betray them?"

"Simply. Jealousy."

"S-Sire?"

"One of the people I've talked to told me they overheard you and your wife talking after the woman was killed. They said they heard your wife had confessed jealousy over how much more beautiful Nora was compared to her. How she convinced you to turn on your supposed friend."

"Y-Yes! My wife did indeed convince me! It's her fault, not mine! Please understand sire!" Boyle begged.

If possible, Arthur's frown deepened.

"And here you are, blaming the woman you supposedly love instead of taking responsibility for your actions. Truly the actions of a coward, rather than a nobleman. As such, I've decided you no longer deserve such a title."

"Y-Your Highness?"

"You heard me, Boyle. From this moment forth, you are hereby stripped of your noble status. You're lands are confiscated by the crown and you are commanded to leave the premises immediately. Additionally, your son, Ferris II is expelled from the Knights of Camelot. Finally, you and your family are exiled from the lands of Camelot."

Boyle had a look of utter disbelief as all his ambitions, all his dreams, and his achievements as a noble, were gone in the blink of an eye.

"Y-You can't do this! You're only a Prince! Not a King! You have no authority!" Boyle tried to argue.

"You're right. Normally, I would have no authority to do this. And to be honest, I doubt my father would care. However, given that he is unwell at the moment, I've been made regent. So yes, I do have the authority. Guards!"

On cue, two guardsmen came in and stood next to Boyle.

"Remove this... nobleman," He said the word with a disgusted sneer, "from the throne room. Immediately."

The guards nodded and began to pull Boyle from the room, despite his protests. They were silenced when the door to the room was shut.

Now with the man gone, Arthur sagged his shoulders. That was harder than he thought. But still, it was the right thing to do. He also knew that these efforts wouldn't give Nore and Victor Fries any peace, it was too late for that.

Still, though, he hoped that he was able to at least give them justice.

As he continued to sit down on this throne, he thought about the king he wanted to be. He always thought he wanted to be one like his father. Strong, resolute, and one that adhered to the Knight's Code. But after this, he wasn't sure anymore.

He still had a lot to figure out, but what he did know, is that when he did become king, he would make sure nothing like what happened to Nora Fries happened again. If anyone in his kingdom were accused of any crime, they would be innocent until proven guilty, and given a punishment that fit the crime rather than the threat of death.

That was the King he wanted to be. One that was fair and just.

And to think, he owed this newfound goal to a vigilante who drove him up the wall.

"You mean to tell me that this sorcerer that threatened the kingdom had the Winterheart itself in place of his own heart?" Kilgharrah asked.

"Yes," Merlin told him as he recounted the fight against the Lord of Ice to the Great Dragon. He was still supposed to be on sick leave, but he healed up faster compared to normal people. Plus, it gave him an excuse to rest. "Is that possible?"

Kilgharrah looked away and pondered for a moment. "It would take some dark and twisted magic for such a feat to be possible. This Lord Freeze could not have been acting alone. He had to have had help."

"But who would be so twisted and sick as to cut out another man's heart and replace it with a dangerous magical artifact?" Merlin asked, more to himself than Kilgharrah.

Kilgharrah knew of one madman who would be mad enough to do such a thing, and for laughs. But that man was long dead. So he ruled out that possibility.

"I do not know, but be on your guard Young Warlock. For I fear Camelot's troubles will only be getting worse from here on out."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that.