Chapter 72: [72] Rated E for Everyone
"Bow before the Frozen Throne, Knight Commander."
Massive icicles hung from the cathedral ceiling like crystalline daggers, catching the cold blue light that filtered through frost-covered windows. Xavier stood hidden behind a column of ice, watching the scene unfold in the cavernous throne room.
A figure knelt before an enormous throne carved from what appeared to be a single block of glacial ice. The kneeling knight wore armor that seemed to be made of the same material—translucent plates that shifted between blue and white depending on how the light hit them.
On the throne sat a being Xavier could only describe as the Ice King. His features were sharp and angular, his skin pale blue with intricate patterns of frost spreading across his face. A crown of jagged ice spikes rose from his head, and his eyes glowed with an unnatural white light.
"The southern territories have fallen, my lord," the knight reported, head bowed. "The Knights of the Eternal Flame push northward with each passing day."
"They think their flames can melt my domain?" The Ice King’s voice echoed through the chamber, carrying the crack and rumble of glaciers breaking. "Let them come. Winter has ruled these lands for ten thousand years. Their summer is but a fleeting moment."
"The gates remain secure, but—"
"Do not speak to me of gates, Commander." The Ice King rose from his throne, frost spreading across the floor with each step he took. "I have lived too long to fear what lies beyond them."
The knight kept his head bowed. "Of course, my lord."
Xavier tried to back away, to leave this place that felt both alien and somehow familiar, but his foot crunched on a patch of ice. The sound, tiny as it was, echoed through the chamber.
The Ice King’s head snapped toward Xavier’s hiding spot, those glowing white eyes narrowing.