Arthur and Adora followed behind Marlen through the castle's dim corridors, their boots crunching against a thin layer of frost covering the stone-ground. The deeper into the castle they went, the more unnatural the cold became—it wasn't just the tundra's chill, but something deeper, something alive. It clung to the walls, seeped into their bones, giving everyone warnings through the wind that howled faintly in the distant halls.
The grand doors before them were carved from solid ice, massive and imposing, showing many depictions of battle. Two giants clashed with each other, monstrous creatures fell, and at the center of it all, a lone figure stood tall—an unmistakable image of Lynx, the ruler of this frozen Castle
Arthur exhaled slowly. He had faced beasts, Commanders and even death itself, but something about this meeting sent an unshakable shiver down his spine. Adora, beside him, wore a carefully neutral expression, but he could see the way her fingers twitched near the hilt of her sword. She felt it too.
The guards stationed by the doors stood motionless as statues. Then, without saying a word, they pushed the massive slabs of ice open, the groan of shifting frost echoing through the corridor.
As the doors parted, Arthur and Adora stepped into the grand hall. Marlen disappeared a few moments before, he had to return to his workplace.
They were now standing in the Throne Hall. A massive room, filled with things that were made completely out of ice. Arthur has never seen anything this luxurious... The only place he knew was bigger were the streets.
The sheer vastness of the room stunned him. Adora looked rather unimpressed, instead her gaze fell onto the back of the room
The walls and ceiling were sculpted from ice, crystalline structures stretching high into the shadows above, reflecting the flickering torchlight into a rather blue color. Despite the torches lining the hall, the air was freezing, each breath visible as a thin mist. It was as if warmth itself was unwelcome in the room. If what they saw could even be called a room.
Rows upon rows of guards stood along the walls, their armor thick and lined with fur, weapons gleaming at their sides. Beyond them, the castle's inhabitants gathered—hunters, warriors, and servants, their eyes filled with curiosity, suspicion, and something else... fear. But he was sure he was able to kill them all alone.
Arthur's gaze finally landed on the far end of the hall.
A throne of ice stood against the backdrop of the great chamber. It was jagged and majestic, as if nature itself had carved it from the heart of a glacier. Cold mist curled around its base, swirling like living tendrils. But one thing was unmistakable.
It was empty. No one was sitting on it or was looking as if he was the King, Lynx.
A silence settled over the hall, heavy and expectant.
Then, without warning, he appeared.
Lynx, the Frozen King of a gigantic frost Castle.
One moment, the throne was empty.
The next, a man sat upon it, as if he had been there all along. The room was met with a cold burst of wind that feared the crap out of all normal inhabitants of the castle. Even Arthur shifted a little by the cold breeze.
Arthur's breath slowly got faster.
Lynx's presence was suffocating. His long, white hair fell over his shoulders like frozen silk, blending seamlessly with the mist surrounding him. He bore an amused smirk, as though he had been silently enjoying Their reaction. But it was his face—half of it, at least—that truly unsettled them. He looked rather young for ruling this castle for over 10 years, He looked in his late teen years, 2 years older than Arthur at most.
An intricate ice mask covered the right side of his face, jagged and crystalline. The very air around it crackled with frost, small flakes of ice forming and shattering in an endless cycle. It was as if the mask itself was alive, devouring the surrounding warmth, warping reality with its presence.
Arthur and Adora could feel it instantly—this man was beyond them. From Lynx chest, Arthur sensed some immense power radiating.
His power radiated through the room like an avalanche waiting to be unleashed. It wasn't just strength. It was a suffocating, inescapable force. As if he had control over everything that happened in the castle.
Adora took an involuntary step back. Arthur felt his fingers twitch. His instincts screamed at him to run, to fight, to do anything but stand still before this overwhelming presence.
Lynx exhaled softly, frost curling from his lips like mist. His icy gaze flicked between them, filled with a quiet amusement.
"Welcome to this modest Castle," he said, his voice smooth, yet glacial. The word carried an unbearable weight behind it, not just as a greeting, but as something far more calculated. "I've been awaiting you, Arthur and Adora."
Arthur forced himself to stand tall and have a firm facial expression. Yet in the end, a hint of confusion found itself into his face. "You know who we are?"
Lynx's smirk widened slightly. His fingers drummed idly against the armrest of his throne. "Of course."
The tension in the air thickened as his gaze settled on them,
"Two outsiders," Lynx continued, his tone almost playful, "carving a bloody path through my tundra. Leaving villages in awe, leaving warriors in fear." His expression darkened, though the smirk never faded. "And now, standing before me in my own castle."
Adora clenched her fists. "We just came to take a little rest from the life outside the Castle."
Lynx studied her for a moment, then answered. "Well, if that's the only thing, I won't bother you guys anymore." He slowly lowered his gaze.
"But are you sure you don't want to work for me? I saw you two fight from the castle, I could need your strength..." He asked...
Arthur got a little scared, he slowly turned his head to Adora looking at her. Adora was surrounded by absolute calmness. Arthur expected her to overflow with rage and maybe breach havoc in the whole Ice castle.
She said with an expressionless face. "No, thank you for the offer, though."
With that, she turned to the door, but didn't take a step yet. She stared at the door with a slight frown on her face. Right in front of her was a familiar face... It was Nobu, the hunter, that they first met from the outskirts.
"Nobu? What are you doing here right in the Castle?" Arthur asked.
The hunter crossed his arms, his face twisted with anger. "What am I doing here? I should be asking you that, Arthur. But never mind that—" His gaze snapped to Lynx, his hands balling into fists. "I came here to demand justice."
Lynx raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Nobu took a bold step forward. "Your guards attacked the outskirts. Killed hunters. My people. You think we wouldn't notice? You think we'd just accept that?" His voice grew louder, his passion burning like fire against the frozen room.
Arthur winced. He had a feeling where this was going.
"We won't be stepped on anymore!" Nobu declared. "I'll fix this when I become king."
Silence.
Then Lynx chuckled. "Oh?" He leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm. "And how do you plan on achieving that, little hunter?"
Nobu smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Simple. I'll defeat you in single combat."
Arthur felt the strongest urge to slam his head into the wall.
Lynx's smirk deepened. "A duel?" He rose from his throne, descending the icy steps, his cloak trailing behind him. It was as if the cold and frost of the Castle was following him with his steps. "You truly believe you stand a chance?"
Nobu stood his ground. "Damn right I do."
Arthur and Adora exchanged a glance. This is about to go horribly wrong.
Lynx extended his hand. A chilling mist coiled around his fingers. "Very well. Let's see this 'future king' of yours."
Nobu grinned, drawing his blade. "Alright, frost boy, let's d—"
A blink.
A gust of wind.
A shattering noise.
Nobu was gone.
Arthur blinked. His eyes darted to the wall.
Nobu's body was there. Frozen solid. A perfect sculpture of a man mid-charge.
Lynx sighed, brushing frost from his sleeve. "Man, and just then my hopes for a little fun in this desolate Iceland went up.
A disappointment..."
In the blink of an Eye, Lynx smashed the Ice statue into thousands of little pieces. Nobu was dead, the hunter who showed Arthur and Adora the outskirts. Dead, he died because he was naive, that's all there is and ever was to him.
Arthur swallowed hard. Well… that was fast. He didn't even care about the death of Nobu he was only interested in Lynx's powers and real strength.
Adora muttered, "Called it."
The room remained silent, the weight of what just happened sinking into every soul present.
Lynx turned to Arthur and Adora and sat down on his throne again. "Now, then, where were we?"