Rolling on two noisy treads, a heavy rusted tank made its way to the edge of the palace grounds. Seated on the intimidating vehicle, which bristled with all sorts of weapons, were three ghastly individuals. Taylor instantly recognized them as the Merchants. Their leader wore a stained tunic, tattered cape, and a belt holding several colored potions. As for his companions, the woman was garbed in a lurid outfit, and the half giant wore weathered plate armor, greyish muck oozing from its seams.
Looking more closely, she noticed the teal aurorae trapped inside their eyes. The three capes were firmly implanted in the same medieval delusion gripping her courtiers. She quickly determined their cape identities. The tottering drunkard was the Alchemist, leader of the Merchants. That horrible woman was Squealer, the Tinker responsible for constructing the large Tinkertech tank. And finally, the half giant was the villain Mush.
With a stumbling bow, the Alchemist stooped low before her. "Your Grace," he said in a nasally voice, "as the Lord of the Merchants, I'd like to personally congratulate you on your recent accession." He withdrew the bow. "Your mother, Queen Annette, was a wonderful queen, and I'm sure you'll be a magnificent ruler as well."
He continued, "I would pledge myself to you, Your Grace, so long as a few conditions are met. First, the Docks will stay with the Merchants, no matter what bargains the other lords of Winterland may offer. Second, the Boat Graveyard is to be transferred over to us. Third and most importantly, all drug trade, the lifeblood of my humble realm's economy, will continue unrestricted."
"He offers generous terms," Squealer cackled. "Be wise, girl, and accept them as they are, before my lord has a change of heart."
"And what would I get in return from your undying loyalty," Taylor asked.
"My troops and mages would aid you in any future wars," he said slimily. "And any conflicts between us would be prohibited."
She glanced at the magical fractal, who was hovering nearby, listening intently. "Mina... is he lying? Or is he being honest?"
"Do I have to spell everything out for you?" she said contemptuously. "Look into his eyes and observe the teal flames within. They are enthralled by your magic, making them your unwilling allies."
She pressed her lips together, bothered by Mina's vague response. Whatever this teal green magic was, the same power was consuming the minds of her courtiers, but the fractal didn't seem to think it deserved any more clarification.
With the Merchants awaiting her reply, Taylor decided to blindly trust her companion. "Fine, I accept your terms. The Merchants will keep the Docks, and the Boat Graveyard will go to you too. And you can keep your drugs."
When the dreadful man finally departed, carrying with him her promises, she returned to the burgeoning Great Hall, finding Dad and his friends huddled by an icy table. Greeting him, she told him about what she'd just promised the Merchants. She let out a frustrated sigh. "To think I just entrusted a third of my realm to that horrible creature. Will my people blame me for whatever atrocities he commits?"
"His subjects have borne the burden of his abuse for years," her dad sighed. "And remember, as Queen, your responsibilities lie not only with your subjects but also to the entire realm. If you'd denied his requests, he would have readily used violence to defend his claims. Would that benefit Winterland?"
"You're right, dad," she relented. She'd done the right thing for Winterland and her people. As Taylor watched the snowflakes fall from the darkening sky, she let go of her old, insecure self. Gone was the Taylor who let her bullies push her around, who cowered before Sophia and Emma. She would learn to trust herself, be beholden only to her realm and her people.
Taylor would have loved to remain ensconced within the walls of her palace – a place both beautiful and luxurious - while sending the Undersiders or her snow creatures on missions, but that was wishful thinking.
There were two gangs left in the city, two antagonistic factions who desired nothing more than to tear down everything she'd built. Unlike the Merchants - who had pledged themselves to the House of Winter yesterday, only because of what Mina had vaguely called 'enthrallment,' and because it benefited them more than her - these gangs were powerful enough to remain independent.
The first of these enemy factions was the ABB. Lung and his followers were completely silent – she guessed they were plotting something in their lairs. But unless they chose to end their isolation, she had little way of reaching them.
The second enemy was the Empire. While her storm now covered most of the Docks, it had yet to fully encompass downtown, nor had it reached across the bay to touch the Rig. The meager scouts she'd sent to the frontier near the Empire – mostly comprised of the older snow golems – had yet to return, but given Kaiser's dread reputation, Taylor didn't look forward to confronting him. She hoped that he would've fled the city, but that would go against his principles – to stay and fight. Once he learned of the loss of his territory, Kaiser would likely rally his forces and face the storm head on.
In anticipation of the Empire confrontation, Taylor returned to the courtyard, ordering her snow golems to bring any snow they could carry, directing them to shape the snow into copies of the snow troll she'd designed with the Undersiders. They were clumsier than she'd have liked, but their attempts were close enough. The snow golems had been gifted spears of ice, but for the trolls she gave each a frozen pike.
When the process was completed, Taylor surveyed her handiwork. She admitted that the assembled trolls were a tad more intimidating than the hectic snow golems. Eventually though, she'd have to dedicate an entire barrow for troll production as she'd done for the golems.
She gave commands to the group and waited for them to file out of the courtyard. The snow golem squadrons had been ordered to protect the palace, but this group of trolls would guard the outer wall, marking the first official expansion of her realm. While her house claimed everything the storm touched, they directly controlled none of this land. Today that changed.
Taylor returned to the palace, content with the progress she had made. She updated her tally of snow creatures in her ledger:
Snow Golems: 500.
Snow Trolls: 20.
Not quite the endless legions she hoped for, but still a substantial increase.
When she left the study, one of the servant golems caught up to her, pointing at something down the corridor. "Looook," it mumbled.
Her golem scouts had returned. Out of the ten she'd sent out, only three had survived. In the freezing hall, she interrogated them, throwing the creatures all sorts of questions. After she was satisfied with their answers, she told them to join their brethren, the servant golems. They'd done well, and they deserved a quiet retirement.
She summoned Kurt and told him to convene a council. Thirty minutes later, she sat with her guests, watching them sip from their cups of steaming-hot tea. For now, a small stateroom hosted the royal council. Only three people other than herself were attending: Grue in his dark leather jacket; the half giant Mush, who'd been sent by the Alchemist as a token of trust; and her father, watching the meeting with displeasure. Mush sat awkwardly on a small block of ice – Taylor couldn't deign to personally craft him a better chair, while the other councilors rested on finer seats.
After a few casual exchanges, Taylor said carefully, "I've been receiving reports from the western edges of the kingdom. The people there are opposed to our reign and profess fealty to a distant king."
Grue nearly leapt out of his seat. "Just give us your word," he said impatiently, "and my team will depart for the frontier at once. We will remind those traitors of their rightful queen."
He was so eager to play the gallant knight, Taylor thought sardonically. But against the Empire capes, especially Kaiser, the Undersiders would be torn to shreds. "No. I want you here, protecting the palace."
She turned to Mush. "Will the Lord Alchemist provide the kingdom with troops for the upcoming war?"
"Milord is busy," he grunted. "He says, 'One day your realm will be worth fighting for. But it's still a long way off.'"
"Well, that's perfectly fine," She patted his gauntleted fist. "I appreciate you being here, though. Maybe one day, brilliant as you are, you could be made a formal councilor." The sludge coating his armor had gotten onto her hand, so Taylor transmuted it into powdered snow.
Dad coughed politely. "I've been trying to find time to ask you this-"
Their sluggish session was interrupted by her steward, who announced, "Your Grace, several of your trolls have returned. They've apprehended two trespassers."
"Really?" Taylor asked, puzzled. They had barely marched out of the palace grounds when she had called the council.
Her snow golem scouts only came back after completing their missions... who were the trolls returning with now? Didn't she tell them to secure the perimeter and await further instructions? These days, only a couple of vagrants or stragglers roamed beyond the outer walls. She wondered if the trolls stupider than their golem brothers – had they mistakenly identified a civilian as a threat?
"Yes, your Grace. They captured two wanderers by the main gate, traveling across your realm without purpose. Most likely spies for the other houses. Should I throw them into the dungeons?"
Taylor frowned. Had the trolls found two actual intruders? The other players of Brockton had yet to make moves against her, despite the House of Winter's audacious claims. The dungeons sounded nice, but the problem was, she'd yet to build any within the palace. "Maybe we could hire them as servants," she muttered.
"I'm sorry?"
"Never mind. Bring them here," she declared. She wanted to see this for herself.
Dad gave her a warning look. "Taylor are you sure about this?" he asked. "We don't know who we are dealing with."
"Yes, bring them in, they are welcome to join us." she repeated.
"In the middle of a royal council? - of course, Your Grace," Kurt bowed and withdrew.
A moment later, two frightened individuals were corralled into the room, flinching at the pikes the trolls pointed at them. They were the two dreadful villains, Uber and Leet, both clad in obnoxiously bright video game costumes, their gaze downcast. She was clueless as to who they were dressed up as today – Greg was probably the only one who could figure it out.
She almost felt disappointed; nobody in Brockton had ever taken these two seriously.
"Worthless jokers," Mush rumbled.
"For once, I am inclined to agree," Taylor muttered. "The court already is enough of a mess as it is, there's no reason to invite these clowns."
"Taylor!" her dad exclaimed. "I'm sure there is some value they can bring."
She scrutinized them carefully, noticing that their eyes glowed turquoise; both of them were fully 'enthralled.'
"The tinker king of disaster and his practically unpowered duo," she jibed. Those two were so worthless that it wouldn't matter which faction they sided with. Then she thought about the chaos they could create and snickered. "But perhaps I can find a use for them," she said cheerfully. "Uber, Leet, I've changed my mind. You're welcome to stay in my palace. Take one of the guest rooms."
"Thank you, Your Grace," Uber groveled. "Your generosity is truly boundless. We will eagerly become your humble slaves- err, I mean servants."
He elbowed his partner, who blurted out, "Yes! Thanks!"
After the ridiculous duo left, the council resumed. They discussed trifling matters. Grue wanted to see if he could move from the guest rooms to one of the more glamorous bedchambers – a request she granted. Mush added his own inconsequential remarks, and another ten minutes passed.
Danny cleared his throat, glancing at her meaningfully.
She recalled her dad asking her something before being interrupted. "Yes, what did you want to say?"
"This place. You can't keep calling it the palace," dad scowled. "The residence of a Monarch deserves a better title."
Taylor lifted an eyebrow, then said, "Then I will name it the Ice Palace."
Her father looked indignant, but didn't push the matter further. Eventually, the council concluded, and she returned to her study.
For the eventual confrontation with the Empire, Taylor realized she had no method of reaching them. She could borrow her dad's old truck, but she doubted the vehicle could navigate over the deep snowbanks covering the city. She needed something more capable, so Taylor fabricated several concept sketches on a spare notebook. She created a variety of designs – from chariots to armored sleds to intricately ornamented sleighs. Eventually, she narrowed everything down to three prototypes.
At dinnertime, she intercepted the Undersiders, when the villains returned from whatever activities they were doing during the day. They ate in a small dining room attached to the guest wing of the palace. The relatively plain table could seat a dozen people, and overhead a simple chandelier glowed with teal light.
"What do you want, Taylor," Lisa said, scowling. "Can't you see we're having a discussion here?"
Judging from the silence in the air, she was lying rather blatantly. Rachel was feeding scraps to her pets with a smile, though her smile was more like a sneer. Alec poked at his food, ignoring the beautifully crafted room. Lastly, Brian devoured his meal, like he wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
"Well, I wanted to hear your opinions on my latest project," she smiled. "I'm having trouble choosing the final design."
She placed her notebook on the table. The Undersiders eyed her as she pointed to the top three. "Which one do you guys prefer?"
Rachel picked the ugly, utilitarian armored sled. "Looks strong," she grunted. Following her, Brian selected the chariot, saying it looked spectacular, and Alec chose the elegant sleigh.
With three designs tied, Taylor turned to Lisa, "Looks like you get to decide on the final design."
Reluctantly, Lisa pointed at the sleigh Alec had selected. "That suits the theme of your power... it fits you."
Alec looked delighted that someone had agreed with him.
Pleased by the effectiveness of the vote, she snapped the notebook shut and said, "Thanks everyone! Enjoy your dinner!" before leaving.
Crafting the basic shape of the sleigh wasn't too hard. Next, she added the decorations. Somehow, the fractal and winter-themed patterns came naturally to her. Remembering the Merchants' tank, she realized the ornamented sleigh would simply crumble against any sort of modern weaponry. "Mina, is there any way I could armor the sleigh?"
Her depressed fractal companion appeared, "Here I am, ready to answer all your insipid little questions..."
She stared at the multicolored fractal reproachfully. "Fine, don't help, if you have better things to do," she sniffed. "Go back to whatever void you came from."
"Tap into your fourth well of energy," Mina intoned, her voice emotionless. "You should find what you need there."
Taylor complied, closing her eyes and returning to the hexagonally arranged wells. She was greeted by their six distinct colors – blue, indigo, teal, violet, black, and silver. Some of the final pools were so cold, even nearing them she felt the radiating chill burn her skin. If she accessed those later reservoirs, she felt she'd lose sensation in all her limbs forever.
She passed over the wells she'd already mastered – the blue and indigo reservoirs, for Winter and Reanimation magic. She also skipped the third well of teal colored Dream magic, with secrets Mina still refused to reveal.
The fourth well was tinted a lovely shade of amethyst, and she gingerly extended a thin finger. Remarkably, the energy didn't burn with the same intensity she'd remembered. Perhaps drawing upon the previous reservoirs had inured her against the stinging sensation. She dipped her hand into the deep violet pool, drawing a bountiful amount of the tingling energy into herself. With this violet-colored power coursing through her veins, Taylor considered what she'd do next.
Casting her new magic, she created bizarre structures of purple ice. Unlike Winter ice, which was confined by the laws of physics, or Reanimated ice, which only affected preexisting ice, or Dream ice, which only formed prism shapes, this new power was unlimited. She could grow any shape from her hands, and the undulating ice formations glinted purple and amythest beneath the intermittent moonlight.
"What do I call this part of my magic?" she asked. "And does it melt like normal ice?" It would be embarrassing if the armor plating melted off the sleigh as she was driving it
"The name is up to you," Mina said. "Also, this form of ice's melting point is temperature independent."
"What does that even mean? How can ice ignore changes in temperature?" She wondered if Mina was mocking her, but she doubted her passenger even knew how to make a joke.
"While Winter ice melts regularly, this type of ice melts from impacts."
"That's weird..."
"And," the fractal continued, "this violet ice absorbs all kinetic energy imparted to its surface. So, if you wanted to armor the sleigh..."
From what she was hearing, this new ice was the perfect type of armor. Taylor spent the next hour plating the frozen vehicle with sheets of violet ice. She gave it a name, calling it Amethyst ice for its... amethyst tones. It was trite, but she didn't have anything better.
She remade the runners out of Amethyst ice, then added sparkling plating underneath the sleigh. After half an hour of meticulous crafting, she stepped away from her project. Her finished sleigh glittered beneath the moonlight, looking light and elegant. The next task was to find a mount for the sleigh. She knew she could channel Reanimation magic into whatever she sculpted... but choosing the right creature was the challenge. She'd considered polar bears at first, but she worried that they'd draw too much attention.
It'd have to be reindeer then. She sighed. Despite her ever-increasing proficiency with Winter magic, sculpting a reindeer would take considerable effort. The last thing she wanted was to create some grotesque monstrosity, severely damaging her 'Snow Queen' image. Her first attempts at creating one out of snow went terribly. Unlike the snow golems and trolls, which were basically misshapen clumps of snow, the reindeer sculptures required further refinement. It took her multiple tries before she fashioned something acceptable.
She imbued the prototype snow reindeer with Reanimated magic, then watched it prance around. The creature could move, but it could still be improved. Taylor dispelled the prototype, watching it become motionless, then went to work. After several iterations, she was finally satisfied. The finished reindeer featured a thick pelt of fluffy snow, icy hooves of deep blue, and a pair of snow-white antlers. It was a creature fit to pull the equally gorgeous ice sleigh. Now, all that was left was to find a place to store her two newest creations.
A/N: A less eventful chapter, but now Taylor has a reliable form of transportation. The second clash between Taylor and the Empire should start after the next interlude.