Author's note: Hi everyone, this is my first fic, so hopefully it's not too bad. Feel free to PM me or leave a review, right now I'm really looking for all levels of critique, from entertainment value to grammar, so please let me know how you felt about it! I don't own any of these people, great lord Rito does.

Big shoutout to Veraduxxz, Ryker Caverly, deathbringer333, ADamnGoodName, and others for giving me a crash course in grammar, spelling checks, and wording details, and motivation. You guys helped a ton.

Extra big shoutout to KibaElunal for getting me hooked up with the above crowd, and for getting me on the road to writing this thing in the first place. You the man.

EDIT: I significantly changed the final scene. I wasn't happy with it when I posted it, and after getting comments from readers saying that it felt out of place, I decided to remove it. Relative plot remains unchanged.

Snowdown.

It was a wonderful time of year. Snow was falling everywhere, cheer was filling the atmosphere, and League activities had even been put on hold for a few days to give all of the champions some much needed time off. Couples were preparing all over Runeterra for the grandest dance of the year; the Winter Solstice ball. However, for me, life wasn't as cheery. For the 6th year in a row, the Institute asked me to be the performer for the ball, because everyone just loves your performance so much, Sona, as the Institute put it. The greatest issue with having to write everything down to communicate is that it's hard to tell someone that you really, really, don't want to do something. Surely, someone else in all of Runeterra is capable of doing a performance, right? I tried to tell them no at first, but at some point though, their offer was too good for me to refuse, so I reluctantly agreed to be their main act again, under one stipulation: I was allowed to add some new music this year. If this is going to become a yearly gig, I was going to have some fun with it. They agreed to my request, suggesting that I go visit Nasus in the library and see if he could find anything. I nodded cheerfully, and headed out immediately.

I always enjoyed seeing Nasus. Having been around books for a majority of his recent years, he was one of the few people that enjoyed having a conversation almost as much as I did. I approached him, eager to get my research started. I tugged on his sleeve, and his eyes lit up as he noticed it was me.

"Ah, Maven, it's so good to see you! What is it that I can help you find today?"

I pulled some pencil and paper out, as was usual for me, and started scribbling down my reason for showing up today; handing it to him.

"Interested in expanding your musical repertoire for the Solstice ball? Seems unnecessary, but I'm sure we have something that even you haven't seen before. Follow me."

He started walking off to one of the far walls of the library, and eagerly I followed suit. Eventually, he found what he was looking for, and gestured a brief outline of the area that was relevant to me, which was far more than I expected. I'm going to be here a lot longer than I thought! It seemed he sensed my satisfaction with the selection.

"Is this going to be enough for you?" He inquired. "As I said earlier, I'm sure something in our collection will be new material, even for one as versed in music as yourself". I giggled silently and nodded at him, and he left to go attend to other library-goers. I gazed at the vast selection of music before me. I already knew a lot of music, but even this selection was abundant. Well, this is what I wanted, so no time to back out now! As I started combing through the music, I found that a lot of the scores were the same songs, but with a few words changed; memories of a past era retained on the parchment.

It had been about an hour and I still had yet to find a new piece of music. I leaned back and tried to scream out in frustration, but of course no sound came out. It was times like this when I wish I still had my voice. Not that it would make me feel any better, but to just be let someone know exactly how I feel, not some watered-down version that I put on paper, would be so satisfying. I sat there a few minutes, wallowing in my frustration, when Nasus came back to check on me; my head buried in my legs.

"Sona, what's the matter? Are you having trouble finding something that suits your taste?"

I started scribbling on my paper frantically. I shove it in his snout "I'm having trouble finding anything that I haven't seen before. Where are all these great new songs that you told me would be here?" I immediately knew I went too far when his ears folded against his face. It's not his fault the songs weren't there, he was just the closest object that I could seethe at. I curl up again, as if the scathing words I had just written were meant for me. Why did I have to lash out at him like that? I felt his paws on me, and I glanced up at his glowing, green eyes.

"Fear not, Sona. I'm sure you'll find something. The library is fairly empty right now, so would it be alright with you if I were to help you search for something? I know these shelves better than anyone on Runeterra, after all."

I looked at him, ecstatic that he was willing to help me. I wrote out "Are you sure? It's not that important, really. If you have other things to do, you should do those."

He shook his head and gave me a knowing look. "Sona, please, not but a minute ago you looked like you were going to throw your Etwahl through the roof. I would be honored to help you find something. What kind of song are you looking for?"

What kind of song? I hadn't even thought about that when I came here! I sat and pondered it for a minute, thinking about what would make a good addition to the concert lineup. I certainly didn't need any more happy-go-lucky tune, as I'm almost positive I've seen every one of those that's ever been written. I finally started scribbling my thoughts.

"Hmm, interesting. Something that'll shake things up a bit, but still has some Snowdown cheer? Let me think…ah yes." He reached for a thin, weathered parchment near the bottom of the shelf, carefully making sure as to not damage it. "This was written by the great Freljordian poet Robert Frost long before the League even existed. It certainly has a…strange theme to it, but maybe it'll be what you're looking for." He hands me the parchment, eager to see my reaction.

Fire and Ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire

But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.

What was this about, the world ending? And it certainly doesn't seem long enough to really be used for a song. "Nasus, how old is this piece? It certainly doesn't seem very contemporary at all. And what's this about the world ending in fire?"

He looked at me, as if eager to give me an explanation. "As I said, Frost passed away quite a long time ago, so this poem was created long before you were born, Sona. As for its meaning, I haven't really looked into it. Perhaps you would like to do the honors? I'm sure we have a tome about it somewhere in here, though I admit even I don't know where to look off the top of my head."

Still a little…unsettled by the poem, I nodded to him approvingly. Though I doubt that I will use Fire and Ice for the ball, I want to know just what Frost was thinking about when he wrote such a cataclysmic little piece. Nasus left to scour the library for any information about the poem, leaving me to my own thoughts. Maybe it's just a symbolism for something completely harmless, like a small feud between two friends, and Frost is just taking different sides as the argument unfolds? It certainly seemed like a stretch, but the thought of a literal meaning was too terrifying to consider.

Nasus returned a while later, bringing with him a parchment so old, it looked as if it would crumble if you looked at it the wrong way. He placed it in front of me, saying "This was all I could find that seemed to have any connection with the poem. Its author is unknown, but the writing style makes me think that it's by a Rakkorian scholar, and that it predates the poem by several centuries, meaning this is probably one of the oldest works we have in the entire library. I haven't read it yet, but if it's of any historical value, I would be grateful to hear of your findings." He then strolled off to attend to the other people visiting the library, leaving me alone with this dusty old tome.

I opened the book, and what I find inside is enough to give Thresh nightmares. Long ago, just as Runeterra was being settled, the Rakkorian people inhabited most of the continent, and the Solari people were a massive and thriving population. Their power over the sun was enough to cause a change over the entire continent, bathing Runeterra in its golden glow, creating a healthy and sustainable environment for several decades. However, as the population continued to grow unhindered, the power of the sun began to be too strong, wilting the ecosystem to the brink of collapse. It was then that, as the pages put it, "a great bird, as cold as ice, flew high into the air, and created a blizzard so destructive that it tore apart our people, and our land, reducing the great tribe of Targon to the secluded order that it is today. The bird then came to us and warned 'the balance of life must be kept in check. If this atrocity you have caused is to happen again, I will have no choice but to extinguish your people from existence.' The bird then flew off to the north, where the epicenter of the blizzard was not but hours ago, and created a land of ice and snow visible even from halfway across the continent, a reminder to our people that we had overstepped our boundaries."

I grabbed the pages and hurriedly made my way towards Nasus. If what this text says is true, then the Institute need to be monitoring Anivia at all times! I finally found the Librarian mulling over some new additions to the library, when he looked up and saw me looking pretty flustered. "What did you find, Maven? By the look on your face, something tells me the poem was a rather unsavory tale."

I explained to him about Anivia and the Solari Tribe, the creation of the Freljord and the fear that it could happen again, and inquire about any events that might sound like such events. He certainly hid it well, but I could tell that he's as scared of the whole turn of events as I was, maybe even a little more so.

"Well, to put it shortly for you, Sona, no. Nothing relating to Anivia causing a mass extinction has ever happened before, though I'm willing to assume this document is true because it's so old, so we don't have any way to disprove any of the events that transpired on these pages. However…hmm, let me go check on something real quick. This could be more problematic than we thought." He rushed off into the "Current Events" section of the library, and disappeared amongst the many shelves across the room. What was he talking about, 'this could be more problematic than we thought'? I didn't like the sound of that one bit, especially if he wasn't willing to tell me what it was about.

I noticed Nasus walking back to me, frantically scanning the pages of what appeared to be a rather new article. He turned to me, and said "Sona, this is not good. This article was released not but a few months ago. Since the addition of Leona into the League, the use of her magic has caused the Sun to start acting slightly differently. Nothing major as of right now, only slight variations in temperature for what would appear to be no apparent reason, but it's been happening since she's joined. First it was only a few degrees over a pretty contained area, but one was spotted a couple weeks ago that covered a rather large portion of Bilgewater. The writer here says that it is due to her battling constantly, calling upon the power of the Sun multiple times per match, that has brought about these changes." He looks up at me, concern heavily evident on his face. "Sona, I don't think I need to tell you, but with the addition of a Solari priestess into the League scheduled just after the Snowdown break ends, if what this says is true, these 'sunspots' could escalate out of hand very soon."

Oh shoot, I had almost forgotten. Phina, the Priestess, had arrived on Institute grounds only a few days ago. Unlike her Solari ally Leona, Phina had some lip, and certainly wasn't afraid to make her presence known, even if she was the newest champion to join the League. I'd seen her wandering around in the mornings, and she was always wearing these long, flowing robes that trailed behind her, doing well to hide what appeared to be a rather nice figure beneath. She had short, amber hair tied back in a bun, and warm, golden eyes that already had a few of the more daring men swooning over her. The most interesting thing about her was her staff. The implement was easily as tall as she was, with a simple yet elegant Iron Solari symbol placed at the top of it, making the staff easily 6 feet tall. However, all along the handle was a stream of what could only be described as liquid sunlight, illuminating her in a warm, comforting glow at all times. While her attitude was certainly a deterrent, if Phina thought kindly of you, she was very unlikely to change that feeling anytime soon.

"Nasus, Leona may be able to temper her magic if necessary, but I'm afraid Phina won't want to stop until the damage is irreversible. What should we do?"

The Librarian thought to himself for a minute, mulling over the possibilities. "Well, and I regret saying this, but I think we should try and keep the Institute out of the know for now. If they find out about this, they're going to make some very drastic modifications that may be excessive. As for what we should do to prevent these escalations, we need to warn Leona. Ask her to try and hold back her magic if at all possible for the next few weeks while we think of something a little more concrete. Also, and I regret saying this as well, but go warn Ashe. If she is aware of the situation, she might be willing to help us. I don't like the idea of a Freljordian knowing that these events could happen, but I fear we have no choice." He nodded silently to himself, as if approving what he had just said.

"What about Phina? Do you think we should at least ask her if she knows anything about these events?"

"That, Sona, would be a very bad idea. If you told Phina that, if she were to flex her magical muscles a bit, a great ice bird that destroyed her ancestors would come and finish the job, she might just take it as a challenge, and end the world before she was even officially inducted into the League. No, it would be best if Phina remained out of the loop for now. Keep an eye on her, and tell Leona to do the same, but I wouldn't confront her quite yet." I nodded my understanding. I didn't like the idea of keeping the person that was at the center of the problem uninformed, but Nasus's reasoning made sense. I decided I'd go and warn Leona tomorrow, as it was getting fairly late, and then see if I could find Ashe and warn her about the situation as well. Nasus glanced up at me, and I could see what I recognized as a chuckle from the Librarian. I glanced at him inquisitively, demanding an explanation. He tried to wave it off, but I persisted. "Alright, alright Maven. I was just thinking that it would probably be best that you don't play Fire and Ice at the ball. Might give some people the wrong idea about you."

I gave him a playful smack on his cheek, took the paper containing the poem, and started towards the library exit when I heard him call after me "Hey, you aren't allowed to take that off site without checking it out first!" I turned around and rolled my eyes at him, pointing to where a watch would be, trying to symbolize 'I won't have it for that long', but upon seeing his confused expression, just turned around and kept walking towards the exit. Fire and Ice was going to make sure that the Institute would not ask me to play at the Winter Solstice ball for a 7th year, even if I lost some fans in the process. I walked outside, the sun low on the horizon, painting a beautiful blend of orange and purple on the evening sky.

My personal chambers were only a few minutes away from the library, but tonight those minutes seemed to take hours. I had gone into the library looking for a song to play, and came out tasked with trying to prevent the end of the Solari people. I was lost in thought, pondering the gravity of the situation, when I accidentally bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch where you're going, bitch!" Someone I didn't recognize yelled, rather rudely, right into my face. I tried to apologize, but I couldn't act fast enough to calm her down. "What's this about, trying to pick on the new girl before she's even been admitted? Come on, say something!"

Wait, new girl? The person before me did not resemble Phina at all. She had pixie-cut purple hair, but other than that her features were rather unimpressive, and she was a bit shorter than I thought I remembered Phina being. However, she still did have those signature golden eyes, though they didn't quite have the same sheen that I remembered. I gestured to her that I couldn't speak, but she clearly didn't understand, so I pulled out my pen and paper and wrote it out for her.

"Oh, you can't speak? I'm so sorry, I didn't realize. I'm Phina, by the way. I'm pretty sure we haven't met before, because I'm sure I'd recognize a body like that. What's your name, hot stuff?" My cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson at the blatant remark. So this was Phina? I continued writing, telling her my name, and that I'd seen her a few times so far, but she didn't look at all like she did now.

"Yeah, I've heard that a lot lately, so I'll give it to you quick, Sona. My appearance changes based on the sun's position, so since it's really late, I don't look like anything special. At noon, however" she gestured towards her breasts, and then pointed at mine, "even you'll have some competition to deal with, so watch out. I've been told I'm quite the catch, even with the ladies." She gave me a playful wink.

Now, I've got nothing against bedding a woman, however, to me, love is still love, and if I don't feel it, I'm not even going to entertain the idea of sleeping with someone, no matter how hard they're coming after me. Phina was not off to a good start, but I don't think she realized this quite yet.

I apologized to her again for running into her again, and continued off to my chambers. "What a strange person", I thought to myself. A glowing staff, a body that changes depending on the time of day? Phina was certainly an interesting person. However, something deep down told me that it would be worth investing some time into getting to know her a bit better, especially if the events that I learned about today were to come to fruition.

I arrived home, and, after the long and eventful day, and immediately started filling my tub up with warm, soapy water. I was stressed out, and a bubble bath was going to fix that right now. Before I got in, though, I made a to-do list, something I did often to help me keep track of what's important. Already on there was 'Play at concert', so I added 'Talk to Leona', and 'Talk to Ashe'

I went back over to the tub, undressed, and slid into the bath, letting out a silent moan as I was enveloped by the warm water. I lay there, letting the stresses of the day just wash off of me, but my thought kept drifting back to Phina. I tried to remember when I saw her before. It was probably only about 9:30 in the morning, and I had to admit, she did look quite pretty even then. If what she said about noon was true, then she must be absolutely stunning. Oh, what I'd do to that girl...my thoughts trailed off. Why was I so enraptured by the Priestess? The only interaction I'd had with her so far had not exactly been a positive experience, and yet she still clung to my thoughts. If I'm to have these thoughts about her, I she needs to prove that she's got a good side to her, I affirmed to myself. If Phina could show me that she had the capacity for kindness, then maybe I'd be willing to entertain this fantasy for a bit.

I climbed out of the tub and dried myself off, feeling relieved from the bath. I walked over to my bed, putting on pajamas, and climbed into bed. I lay there for a few minutes, tossing and turning, before deciding that I needed to follow-up on my bathtime thoughts. I got back out of bed, went over to my desk, and picked up my pencil. I gave a devious little smile, and added 'visit Phina at noon' to my to-do list. Satisfied with my decision, I went back to bed, eager to greet the next day.

Author's Note: Well, that's all I've got for now. Visit my page to see how I plan on doing things. As I mentioned, please leave a review, especially if you'd like to help me become a better writer. I want you all to like this as much as I enjoy writing it! I'm gonna try and put out as much of this as I can before fall semester starts and I've got more stuff to deal with.