FROZENE

Frozene -

I know you must think it's strange that i'm writing to you, but my concern has driven me to drop you a note. Well, is it really strange to hear from a friend? As a friend I want you to answer me honestly. As you obviously know, I'm put up in Seaport under intensive training with General Nola. I've been doing alright I suppose, but I'm worried about Zano. I haven't seen him nor heard from him in well over a month, which is not like him at all. I know you are the closest person to Zano besides myself, and I trust you will tell me if something is wrong. I ask you this as my friend. I have to leave, but I trust you are doing alright.

                                    Your Friend,

                                    Klara Morrell

I looked up from her letter, perplexed. It was very true - I hadn't heard from Klara since she started her training two months ago.

And Zano...

I sighed as I stared at the crowds outside. I mulled silently over the last month, thinking about how the more time passed by, the more distant the general seemed. After the Dragon, he had seemed - okay. A bit jarred, perhaps, but hadn't we all been? Hadn't we all seen it when it first appeared, when it caused so much chaos and destruction? Looking out to the fields, I could still see the black earth under the fresh green grass. Inhaling deeply, I was sure I could still smell the smoke that had haunted this castle just a few months before. It lingered as a reminder of things past.

Hadn't we all been there when Layrucia was on the verge of ruin? When our kingdom trembled and the people thrown into confusion? And weren't we all there when we fought to free our land? When that terrifying, fire breathing beast that still kept me up at night had fallen to its grave in the mountains of Kronos?

Yes, we had been.

And we all moved on. Other things demanded our focus now. The war was by no means over.

And the power wielder was still out there.

We had to move on. Layrucia itself was counting on us to move on.

But Zano...

I twirled a strand of hair around my finger. Every day he seemed to grow further away. If he was ever required to do anything, being Head General, he never did them.

In the beginning, he had just seemed confused. Stressed. But we all had been. But we all moved past it. Zano didn't. He had locked himself in his room for days, weeks. If he had ever ventured out, no one knew about it. And we all tried to just keep moving. It was difficult though, with everyone asking where their General was.

But then one day, he just - appeared. No explanations as to where he had been, or why he had just locked himself up the way he did.

He didn't stick around long though. He disappeared yet again, only this time, not alone. Layrucia's great General Zano Etheron would disappear into the forest, dragging an exhausted, overwhelmed Talia Tekana with him.

Training was apparently what they were doing. According to Talia, they trained from dawn til dusk, with hardly any breaks. The only fruit of the exercise was an irritated little girl and a frustrated, distant general.

I tried once. I tried to tell Zano he was just straining her for no reason. I tried to explain the look of indignation in her eyes every night was just to hide the trembling of her small frame. He had shaken me off, angry, telling me to mind my own business. I had yelled after him, telling him he had no business running a girl to the ground, a girl who had no business being in a war when she had her whole life ahead of her.

I was answered with the slamming of his bedroom door.

I looked back at Klara's letter. What was I supposed to tell her? Sitting down at my desk, I took a quill and wrote -

Dear Klara -

That was as far as I got when I heard a knock at the door. I rose and answered it. It was one of the servants of the Royal family. One could tell by the crimson band sewn at the necklines of their shirts. Of late though, there was only one Royal to serve - that being Princess Zipporah.

"Yes?" I said.

"Yes, there is someone requesting to hold counsel with you," she replied.

"Is it Zipporah?" I asked.

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "You know the crown Princess refuses to hold counsel with anyone."

I grimaced. What she said was true. Our princess refused to see or speak with anyone, keeping herself secluded. This threw the Chancellors into a frenzy, but what could they do? That's what the festival was really for; keeping the people happy, while their leaders fell apart.

"Who is it then?" I asked the servant.

She shrugged.

"I don't know, I am not familiar with him," she responded. "All I know is he requested to see Frozene, the hero of ice."

*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *   

I stood in front of the door the servant had directed me to a few minutes before. I shifted from foot to foot apprehensively. Not knowing what to expect, I knocked on the door.

"Come in," I heard faintly from the other side.

I slowly pushed the door open.

At first I didn't see anyone. I stepped slowly into the room, looking around. The room itself was brand new, of course, but it had a pleasant air to it.

"Ah, you must be Frozene," I heard suddenly.

I turned to the direction of the voice. A young man stood by the window, simply dressed, with sandy brown hair and large gray eyes. He half smiled at me.

"Wow, you're beautiful," he said.

My face instantly flamed red.

"Thank you," I said quietly, my eyes straying to the floor.

He nodded.

"Smart I'm sure, very clever. Courageous too," he continued. "They say you are one of the only leaders in this country to still have their head on their shoulders."

"Oh no," I protested. "I'm not a leader of any kind."

He grunted.

"You're not used to compliments, are you?" he said simply.

I shrugged.

He turned and looked out the window.

"Look at them," he mused aloud. "Look how happy they seem."

I slowly joined him at the window. Indeed, the people seemed very happy, getting ready for their festival.

"Do you know what the festival is for?" he asked me.

"I - it's to celebrate the defeat of the Dragon," I answered, but he only shook his head.

"You're a terrible liar," he told me.

"Well if I'm wrong, what is it for?" I asked, growing upset.

"You tell me," he insisted.

"I don't know!"

"Yes you do. What's it for?"

I found myself staring at his gray eyes. I had just met him, and he was asking my opinion on a festival? Like he suspected something...

"They're distracting the people," I replied finally.

"Who are?" he asked.

"The Chancellors."

"From what?"

"From - from the leaders."

"Why?"

"They're afraid."

"Who are? Of what?"

"The Chancellors are afraid we will be losing our leaders?"

"Namely who?"

"Zipporah and Zano."

"The two most influential leaders."

"Yes."

"What are they afraid of losing them to?'

"I don't know."

"What do you think?"

I thought for a moment.

"Themselves," I said finally.

He nodded, seemingly satisfied.

"I'm going to be honest with you, Frozene," he sad.

I was hired to counsel you."

"What for?"

He half smiled again.

"Well, honestly, they feel if they do lose Zipporah, or Zano, you will be - a satisfactory alternative."

I took a step back.

"Sounds like treason," I said defensively.

"It is not," he answered cooly. "You are well withing the law."

"How so?"

"That I cannot say. For now though, just know you and I will have some work to do soon, okay?"

I looked at him hard.

"What is your name?" I asked.

He looked right back at me with a cool confidence.

"I'm Athens," he replied. "I must go now though. It was a pleasure, Frozene."

He turned to go.

"Who did you say hired you?" I asked after him.

He looked back at me.

"I didn't," he answered.

He left me alone without another word.