Fantasy Frozen Heart

[Project Naiad]

Lucas checked around the corner for any incoming threats. Luckily the tunnel system that allowed him to infiltrate the icy fortress of Cair Freir wasn't heavily guarded, and the few men patrolling it were easy for him to dispatch. Judging from the cages and cells around himself he guessed he had reached the prisons, and he sighed, thinking with a groan that the chambers of the Queen, his main target, were probably on the other side of the fortress.

Suddenly he tensed up, hearing some rustling not too far from him: a guard at the end of the corridor, probably the jailor, seemingly unaware of his presence.
He swiftly sneaked at his side unseen, silently unsheathing one of his daggers and quickly slashing his throat with it while keeping his mouth shut with his other hand.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Whether because he was surrounded by darkness or because of the man's adrenaline Noel could see everything happening outside his cell without being noticed. He struggled with the choice of revealing himself to a dangerous stranger with the small possibility of getting help, or staying silent and not risk the stranger killing him. But he knew the guards had the same intentions anyways, to kill him one of these days, once they realized he was of no use to them after all.

He got closer to his cell door, revealing himself to the assailant outside still holding the guard in his arms. "Hey you, help me get out of here. He has the keys". He said keeping a stern face, not showing his emotions.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas looked at the caged elf as he let go of the guard and dragged him to an open cell out of sight."Hmm? I didn't realize I had an audience. Why would I set you free, tell me".

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel was not really ready to answer that question. He had to think a way to make that man his ally, even if just temporal. "I... I might be of help for you... You are an assassin, right? You here to kill the queen? I know where her chambers are. I could guide you there and you can help me avoid the guards till we are both out." His anxiety was certain but he was not gonna beg, so better have some sort of leverage now. Later he could see how to escape if needed but right now he needed to get out.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas studied him for a few seconds, considering his options. He didn't have much time before the whole fortress would find out of his presence, and a faster way to reach his target would be very much welcome at the moment.
Eventually he sighed and searched the dead guard for his keys. "Fine, I'll let you out. But I won't hesitate to kill you if you get in my way." He said as he unlocked the door to his cell carefully.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel nodded and opened the cell, finally free and ready to go back to his place. He was not a man to throw his word away though, so he would have to wait a bit to run away. "Ok, I think is better if you lead the way. I can use magic to support you, but I don't have a weapon of my own."

 

[Project Naiad]

"Fine, just tell me where to go. And one more thing: should you decide to lead me to the guards or sound the alarm I will make sure you go down with me." He replied, before he began moving forward in the corridor, right until they found a room to their left, with a couple guards drinking not far from a wooden chest and several weapon racks at the walls.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel stopped at the corner when he saw the guards. He was about to recommend to look for another exit when he saw the wooden chest. There was a good chance all his stuff was in there. "Ok. I will come in now. I am taking one of them down, take the other one." He slowly made an ice dagger appear from his hands as he gathered snowflakes from the humidity in the air, shaping em slowly before he took position. One second later, he lunged to the closest guard and cut his throat in one move. After that he gathered more snowflakes on his other hand and threw them like a snowball to the other guard, the snowball landing on the guard's hand and forcing it back to the wall. The snowball then slowly grew into an ice flower, freezing the hand to the wall.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas followed him swiftly inside the room and took on the other guard with his engraved double daggers at hand, looking annoyed when he saw Noel's spell hit his opponent. He quickly finished him, elegantly parrying his slash and thrusting one of his blades through his neck.
"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of a couple guards, snow elf", he barked, as he wiped the blood from his weapons.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel smirked and sighed after that. "Noel... Name is Noel." He said as he went to the wooden chest and opened it. He checked the inside for a while, taking stuff after stuff, his belongings apparently. "I need to change myself, this prison clothes are starting to smell really bad." He said taking out the ragged and dirty clothes he was forced to wear for the last days and putting on something more comfortable.

 

[Project Naiad]

"Lucas." He mumbled as he rolled his eyes as he checked around and searched the guards, taking whatever gold he found.
"By all means take your time, wanna have a picnic while you're at it?"

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel finally put a pair of gauntlets around his hands, they were not usual though. The leather was white as the snow, and the metal plates seemed to glow blue sometimes. "I am glad most of my stuff was there. Let's go then. Just outside is the barracks, so we need to be careful, might be full of guards." He said pointing at the exit.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas exited the jailer'a room and continued through the dimly lit corridor. Not far ahead from them was a wooden door, behind which came a couple muffled voices. Lucas approached it carefully, it wasn't fully closed, and through a small opening he managed to see a few guards chatting at a wooden table, with a dozen more sleeping on their beds against the wall.
He turned back to face Noel offering him his hand "Take it and follow me. Ignore the guards and don't make any noise".

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel followed Lucas the best he could through that corridor. He was ready to fight even more when he saw Lucas's hand. "Are you sure we can cross that room unnoticed?" He asked taking a peek himself. But nevertheless he took Lucas's hand trusting that would be best than fighting if there was a way.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas held the door open just enough for them to slip through and crossed the barracks silently without letting go of Noel's hand. None of the guards seemed to notice anything, and the two now partners-in-crime managed to reach the opposite door without any trouble. Lucas went through and silently closed it behind the snow elf, leaving his hand once they were of sight. He then gave him an 'I told you' look with a slight smirk.
They were now at the feet of a short stone stairway, "We're getting closer to the living quarters, we need to find the main tower", he whispered, as he took the first step.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

"We will need to cross the central garden, it is right on the opposite side." He said as he followed Lucas around. The castle, now that he noticed, was as black as onyx itself, and the temperature so low his breath came misty. He noticed many ice spires coming out of the walls like strange decorations.
Soon enough they reached the doors leading to the main garden. The garden was not different, and seemed like a real castle garden sculpted in clear ice. "If this was not my prison, I'd consider this beautiful. Right there, we should not walk through though, there are guards guarding these halls."

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas studied the garden for a moment, looking for an alternative route to the tower in front of them.
"Alright, I have an idea. There's an open storage room over there, where they keep the garden tools, let's hide in there."
As soon as they were both out of sight, Lucas gestured towards the door they had just came through, from which suddenly came several cries for help in a distressed female voice. The guards patrolling the garden readily unsheathed their weapons and abandoned their post to investigate on the source of that sound, leaving clear field for them to reach the tower undisturbed.
He cautiously left his hiding place and gestured Noel to do the same, "Quickly -- he whispered -- they won't take long to figure out it was a ruse."

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel followed suit behind Lucas and wondered what the man had in mind. He heard the cries too and was slightly distracted by them before he saw Lucas running to the main tower. "Hey... Hey..." He whispered as loud as he could before they closed the door behind. "What do you mean a ruse... You were the cause of that... cry?"

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas smirked slightly, "Yeah, piece of cake -- he said -- now let's move on, we're almost there."
They were now in an empty circular room, where decorations mainly consisted of icy structures sprouting from the walls, and in front of them was a tall spiral staircase that led to the upper floors of the tower, at the top of which they were going to find their target.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel walked around the room, the decorations signaling this was just not any place in the fortress. "I suppose we have to go up." He said as he came close to the staircase. "So, what's your plan? Will you just knock on the door? I suppose I should wait here." He was not sure there was a way to actually face this himself. He knew how powerful Karen was and even if Lucas could fight on her level, Noel could still be a target and is not like Lucas had to protect him.

 

[Project Naiad]

Lucas began going up the steps with his daggers at hand, ready for anything.
"You can stay guard behind the Queen's door, if you're scared of popsicles. -- he remarked, -- Wouldn't want you to get in my way in any case."
As they walked up it became even clearer that this tower was the queen's lair: they found a dining room, expensively decorated with tapestry and oaken furniture, and further upwards a war room, where they found a huge wooden table with a map of the queen's armies and her enemies' in the land.
The more they went up, the more pervasive became the ice structures around them, and the deeper the chill they felt, until they finally reached the final floor.

 

[Lance Von Alden]

Noel sighed and simply went behind, not sure anymore if staying alone would be the best idea. "Ok, ok. I'll go, just don't expect much help on this. I just want to get out of here soon." He said.

When they finally reached the final floor, at the edge of the Queen's chambers, Noel could not hide his amazement for the place, but now he had to be honest to his temporary partner. "Look, she is very strong. I know Queen Karen, and for what I care just slice her throat and be done with her. But don't take it easy. My people faced her once, that's why I am here to begin with."