A/N: Thank you everyone for being so patient with this chapter. I know it took me way longer than it should have, and that is due to many bouts and battles with writer's block, and lack of motivation to do much of anything creative. But here it is :) I hope you all enjoy it!

Into The Freljord

When she embraces your heart turns to stone
She comes at night when you're all alone
And when she whispers your blood shall run cold
You better hide before she finds you

Whenever she is raging she takes all life away
Haven't you seen? Haven't you seen?
The ruins of our world...

Lightning's eyes fluttered open only to be blinded by sunlight for a moment. After blinking the spots out of her eyes she looked around herself to find that she stood on a giant bridge. A chilling wind howled around her as snow fell in heavy sheets. It clung to the stone of the bridge, freezing to it almost instantly.

In the distance she could see snow-covered mountains that reached high into the other side of the bridge sat a dark and almost sinister looking cathedral that was partially shrouded in shadows.

Curiously she glanced around her for the rest of her teammates, but she stood alone. A bad feeling washed over her, something felt off about this already. To her right was what looked like a small shack. It looked as though someone lived in it. There was a large window that allowed her to peer inside of it. Sitting on shelves were several bottles and beakers that someone might use for scientific research, and in front of the window was a large table, where the familiar power gems sat. Unlike usual though they were grey and dead looking.

"Hello?" Lightning called into the shack. But there was no answer other than the howling wind around her.

She looked back at the bridge before her and it all looked relatively normal. At least how she would expect a place like this to look. The nexus crystal also looked to be just as alive and vibrant as usual. Still, she was confused as to what was going on.

Lightning...can you hear me? It was Tochi's voice.

Tochi? What's going on? This seems strange…

I don't have much time. I didn't call you here, I was able to break the spell that did but only for a moment. You're in danger.

Why doesn't that surprise me..? Lightning thought more to herself than Tochi.

Look, I don't know exactly what's going on but I'm going to try and find out. I'll have to leave you on your own. There is another champion on the field. Just stay alive for as long as you can.

That shouldn't be a problem, do you know who the champion is?

Tochi remained silent for a moment, as if she didn't want to say the champion's name, but she answered in a voice that brimmed with hatred.

Lissandra…

Lightning felt her summoner fade in from her mind, and she was left standing on the bridge, alone once more. Without any help from the gems Lightning steeled herself for what was about to come. The soldier gazed out across the bridge, attempting to catch sight of this enemy champion. But there was nothing but the flurries of snow, and the darkness that always hovered over these battlefields.

With no other option Lightning took one last glance around her and then drew her gunblade. Cautiously she made her way forward. Past the nexus and its ancient looking turret statues. Unlike the Rift or the Crystal Scar, these looked as though they had been around since the beginning of time. In the distance she could hear the crashing sound of crumbling rocks as pieces of the bridge itself fell away.

While it still seemed like a solid structure, she could tell that the sheer age of it had caused it to decay from the constant battering of the elements. There was a part of her that wished she could have seen it in its early days. It was probably a glorious sight to behold. But she had to keep her mind focused on the task at hand, and she shook off any lingering thoughts except for the ones of her mission.

When she reached the center of the bridge she stopped and stepped into one of the few shadows that provided any sort of cover. With her gunblade trained on the other side of the bridge which still displayed no signs of her opponent she took her chance to observe the rest of the bridge.

There was some brush off to the side of the bridge that could be used for some cover if needed. Otherwise it was a desolate place. Lightning took a moment to look over the side of the bridge, and she felt a chill go down her spine as she stared down into a giant crack in the earth. It looked like it went down for miles, with the bottom completely out of sight.

A second chill washed over her body when a haughty laugh echoed across the bridge.

Lightning glared back at the woman who stood at the other side of the bridge. Lissandra was like nothing that she had ever seen. Ice crystals rooted her to the ground, yet she was able to glide over the ground with an eerie grace. On her head she wore a sleek-looking helmet that obscured her eyes, yet still the bottom half of her face could be seen, along with the grin on her lips. The rest of her looked almost as though her body was composed of the very ice that she appeared to control.

If Lightning had seen her at any other time she might have found the woman a bit fascinating, but this situation only made the sight of this smug woman cause her blood to boil.

The woman moved closer and into the light herself as her smirk widened into an amused smile, "Well now, if it isn't Ashe's new puppy dog."

Lightning snarled back as she glared down the sights of her gunblade. "Save your stupid insults. "What do you want with me?"

"Want?" Lissandra chuckled a bit." I wanted to see you for myself." Lissandra replied in her silvery voice. "I think that man was over exaggerating a bit when he told me you would be trouble."

Lightning knew she didn't have to ask who this man was. Every instinct of hers knew that it was Dysley, and that meant she was in more trouble than she thought. Still, she answered the woman's comment. "I wouldn't be any trouble if I was just left alone. I want no part in any of the squabbles of this world."

Lissandra laughed, "Not to worry my dear. I plan to snuff you out now. Such a shame though… you might have given Ashe hope… How fun that would've been to destroy."

A bullet slammed into the ground next to Lissandra who chuckled at this as she grinned back at Lightning whose expression darkened even further than before.

"Oh dear, did I strike a nerve?" Lissandra taunted as she waved her hand and sent a shard of ice in Lightning's direction.

The shard shattered on the stone of the turret that Lightning attempted to use for cover and the needle thin shards sliced across the skin of her arm. Lightning leaped forward and tumbled out into the open, rolling to her feet and firing at Lissandra as she circled the small battlefield.

As she ran Lissandra raised her hand and a giant wall of ice rose from the ground just behind Lightning. It followed her as she scrambled to get back to her side of the bridge, but the wall cut her off.

Lightning glanced behind her, there was no way she was going to scale it. She would just have to beat Lissandra at her own game.

More ice shards flew her way which the soldier dodged by nimbly flipping and tumbling out their path. A few of them ripped through her cape as it flew behind her but otherwise there was no harm done from any of them. Lissandra kept up the pressure, forcing Lightning to run in circles around her, but slowly driving the soldier ever close to her. Until finally she was close enough for Lissandra strike her with the full force of a concentrated shard of ice that shattered across her skin and sliced across her arms and stomach.

Lightning dropped to one knee using her gunblade to help hold her up, but the Ice Witch wasn't going to let her stop and catch her breath.

"Entomb!" Lissandra shouted as she thrust her hand forward and froze Lightning in a large block of ice.

Lightning's skin burned as the ice's magic seeped through her skin and down to her bones. Everything inside her screamed in pain as the icy prison began to melt. The sharp edges of it dragged across her arms and legs leaving cuts along the way before the ice shattered.

Shivering and in excruciating pain Lightning laid on the ground with no will to move. Until she looked up at Lissandra who loomed over her with a wide grin.

"Such a shame. Perhaps if you had chosen the right side of this war I wouldn't have to kill you."

Lightning pushed herself up and slowly stood up, gripping her gunblade tightly in her fist as she glared up at the witch. "I already told you. I want no part in this stupid war."

"Oh it's far too late for that my dear."

"You know what I think Lissandra. I think you're scared of Ashe." Lightning said with a slight smirk.

"Me? Scared of that pathetic wench? Hardly."

"Oh really? Then why is it that you're trying to pick off her friends one by one? Why not just challenge her directly?"

"This is far more fun." The Ice Witch countered with a smirk.

"Fun? Right. I think you know that she'd win. That she's stronger than you."

Anger burned in the very essence of the Ice Witch's features as her hands became like claws and she snarled back at Lightning who's smirk grew wider.

"How dare you accuse me of being weak you insolent little fool." Lissandra cried as she raised her hands to summon another ice shard. "I'll show you the true power of the Watchers!"

With a flick of her wrist Lightning sheathed her gunblade, then reached into her pouch to retrieve the arrow that Ashe had given her.

I hope it helps… Ashe's words floated through her mind as she eyed the arrow for a moment.

It hummed with its own magic that flowed over and through Lightning. It chilled her, but not like Lissandra's magic had. No, it was cold, but at the same time it felt almost soothing...and warm. There was a beauty in the way that the magic sparkled and danced across her skin. Somehow it made her feel as though Ashe was right there beside her, and that gave her confidence that showed in the way that she smiled to herself. This is for you Ashe… Lightning thought as she adjusted her hold on the arrow and turned her gaze back on Lissandra who taunted her with grin.

Just as she was about to spring forward a familiar voice interjected.

Lightning, what are you doing? Tochi asked worriedly.

Fighting. Lightning answered angrily.

No, you can't. This isn't the arena. It's the real Howling Abyss. You could actually die.

Really? Then if I can die, so can she.

No, Lightning don't!

With a mighty war cry and Ashe's arrow gripped in her hand like a dagger Lightning charged for the Ice Witch, dodging the onslaught of ice shards along the way. One swift tumble brought her directly in front of her enemy and allowed her to slash at her exposed stomach before springing up into the air and over Lissandra's head just as she unleashed a small field of ice shards from the ground below.

After landing on the ground behind Lissandra, Lightning leaped up into the air once again and clung on to the woman's back. Viciously she grabbed the other woman by the throat with one hand and drove the arrow into it with the other. Lissandra screamed and thrashed violently but the soldier held fast, not allowing the other woman to break the iron grip she had on her. After twisting the arrow she wrenched it free and then flipped away across the bridge and into the brush.

Before Lightning was able to gather herself Lissandra had already retaliated with a full barrage of ice shards that the soldier was barely able to duck and avoid. However dodging out of the way of the shards gave Lissandra the moment that she needed to gather herself in her last moments of life. The Ice Witch stood to her full height, her arms crossed over her head as she summoned the last shreds of her magic to call what felt like every ounce of snow and ice in the air to her aid.

A blurr of snow and ice formed a miniature storm around the Ice Witch, that she then whirled around herself before hurling it at Lightning who braced herself for it. The brutal storm hit the soldier like a train. The sheer force of the winds and giant chunks of ice were enough to knock her airborne and they carried her over the wall of the bridge.

Lissandra's triumphant laughter echoed on the wind like thunder through the mountains as Lightning plunged into the darkness of the Abyss…

Inside the summoning chamber Tochi felt her connection to Lightning melt away in an instant. With their link broken the girl trembled as the magic in her hands fizzled out. For a moment she began to panic. What could she do now? Why couldn't she bring Lightning back?

Everything she tried was effortlessly blocked with the barrier of that mysterious man. It just didn't make sense. How could he have summoned her to the real Abyss? But there was no time for that. In her heart the young summoner prayed to the gods that Lightning would somehow make it out of the Howling Abyss alive. To do that though, she would need help, and there was only one champion she knew that could make it there in time, and could survive the harsh winters of the Freljord.

If that man could summon champions to arenas outside of the league, then maybe she could too. It was a long shot, but she knew the spell, and she had to try.

Tochi shook out her hands and reformed the proper stance for summoning. Slowly she brought her hands together and began to chant the words of summoning. The familiar chant then began to change after she had spoken it three times. Slowly she began to chant them again, adding the select words that were necessary to complete the spell as her flowed from her spirit and concentrated between her palms. It whirled around her and flowed over skin as she then focused her mind on calling the champion that she needed to aid her.

Anivia.

Lightning hurdled toward the ground, she had no idea how much time she had before she met it, but she had to do something. There was nothing she could grab on to and no way she could break her fall. It seemed like this really was the end for her, unless…

"Odin!" She screamed to the sky as she reached her hand out toward the sky that raced further and further away from her.

At first nothing happened, but when she called once more with all the power she could summon, the familiar red glow from her brand flared from her chest. The crystal that was the heart of her l'Cie brand floated out and from it burst Odin in his usual glorious fashion. The eidolon wasted no time in flying down ahead of Lightning, catching her in his arms just before they crashed into the ground at the bottom of the crevasse like a meteorite.

The harsh winds of the Freljord swept around Ashe and her hunting party as they traversed the narrow trail that wound around one of the smaller mountains that she and her tribe called home. On one side of them was a sharp rock wall, and on the other was steep drop that led down into the dense forest that the wild game called home.

Carefully the Frost Archer guided her fellow tribesman down the trail that eventually began to wind down into the forest. From here they could see nearly the entire expanse of the forest and a few of the taller mountain peaks beyond that surrounded the valley that the Howling Abyss was nestled within.

It was there that Ashe spotted a bright red flash that lit up the sky that morning. Along with it came a loud crashing sound akin to the rumble of thunder. By the way the sound echoed it appeared to have come from within the crevasse of the Abyss itself. Only something crashing into the very bottom would make a large enough sound to echo for the miles that it did, and there was only one person that Ashe knew that would have caused such a display.

"Lightning…" Ashe whispered to herself anxiously. "Please don't let that be you."

With a wave of her hand Ashe commanded her faithful hunters to follow her as she kicked her horse into a steady canter down the mountain trail.

Anivia appeared on the bridge of the Howling Abyss, called there by the magic of the summoners. However the ancient bird was highly confused to find that there were no other champions about.

Anivia. It's me, Tochi. Her summoner greeted, although she sounded frightened, panicked even.

Well hello young one, why have you summoned me? There is no match here.

I know, I brought you to the real Abyss. Someone needs your help, please will you help me find them?

The bird's eyes widened but then her head tilted curiously. Of course I will help. What happened?

Lissandra threw Lightning into the Abyss.

What? How?

I don't know. That strange man who caused the disturbance on the Crystal Scar and Lissandra somehow summoned her here. Last I knew she fell into the Abyss. I don't know if she's alive, but even if she isn't we still have to find her.

I agree. I will go and search for her, you go on and tell the council what happened here.

Okay, be careful. I don't know if Lissandra survived the fight or not.

I will. Run swiftly child.

Alright, good luck Anivia, and thank you.

Once the bird felt the girl's link between them fade away she spread her wings, hopping onto the side of the bridge and looking down into the darkness of the crevasse to search for any sign of the missing champion. There was nothing within sight, so she took flight and began her search.

Deep within the heart of the Freljord's Howling Abyss, Lightning and Odin clung to the sheer rock wall of the crevasse. Odin had latched on to a ledge and dug his feet in with Lightning wrapped in his other arm. Lightning's heart leapt into her throat for a moment as she gazed down into the darkness below that never seemed to end.

She turned her attention to the upper half of the Abyss and began scanning for a way to get out of this godforsaken place. The whole place was covered in ice and that was going to make it difficult. But she did spot a path that they could pick their way up. So she climbed up onto Odin's back so that he could have the full use of both his arms.

Carefully the Eidolon carried the two of them back up the rock ledge. Their pace was agonizingly slow, but it was necessary. They had even had a few close calls when the rocks that he attempted to grab ahold of gave way under his massive weight. Thankfully the Eidolon seemed to anticipate these incidents and had manage to latch on to a more sturdy section of the wall to keep them from falling.

Finally after what seemed like hours of climbing the two of them reached the top of the crevasse and Odin hauled them over the edge. Lightning hopped down from his back and kneeled on the solid ground to catch her breath. Tentatively she took one last look over the edge before moving away from it, deciding that it would be best to not risk falling in again.

Odin followed quietly as Lightning made her way over to the second mountain of rocks that seemed to go on for miles in every direction including upwards. Just as she was about to sit down she heard a shrill sound from behind her, and when she turned to look she found that her Eidolon was phasing in and out, almost like a glitch.

"Odin?" Lightning asked worriedly as she reached out to the Eidolon, but when she did so her hand went through him as if he were a ghost. Then he vanished into thin air, leaving Lightning alone in the wintery wasteland she had been thrown into. With wide eyes and her hand outstretched to where her Eidolon had been, Lightning stood frozen there for a moment with her heart beating like drums in her ears. The reality of her situation began to dawn on her, and with it came panic.

The mighty screech of a bird on the wind forced Lightning to snap out of her moment of weakness. She shook off her lingering thoughts and then turned her gaze to the sky. Off in the distance soaring high above her was a giant blue bird, that appeared to be made of the very ice that surrounded her. Lightning didn't know much about birds, but she knew that big birds were usually hunters, and an avian of that size would definitely not think twice about possibly snatching up a human.

Swiftly Lightning ducked behind a large boulder for cover and watched carefully as the enormous bird flew overhead. There was a part of her that considered shooting it down and possibly carving it up for food, but she knew that she didn't have enough bullets for that kind of fight. Plus fighting a flying enemy in this spot would surely lead to her death, probably by being thrown into the crevasse again, and that was not a risk she wanted to take.

Patiently the soldier waited until she was positive that the avian had moved on before she came out from her hiding spot. Now she had a chance to take a look around, it was suicide to try to stay here. The whole place was partially shrouded in a thin fog but she could still get some sense of direction. Behind her was the stone bridge, and that was a ways off now. Odin had taken a more diagonal route to get them back to the top of the crevasse, and it didn't seem like much of a good idea to go back that way.

But still, there was obviously a reason for that bridge to be there in the first place. Bridges connected one thing to another, so whatever was across the other side must be worth getting to. With this in mind there was only two other ways to go. Forward, or up. Up would give her a better view of her surroundings and help even further with the task of getting to somewhere safe, but that would also take up valuable time and energy.

Lightning's eyes scanned the rock wall behind her, it ran along the edge of the Abyss. There was a narrow patch of ground that lined it that she could walk on, but there was part of her that felt like that was a bad idea. Then she spotted something interesting about this particular set of rocks. They formed an almost natural pattern of steps that she could easily pick her way up. Why choose between up and forward when she could do both?

Carefully the soldier picked her way across the rocks, climbing in a diagonal fashion and following the natural staircase that took her high above the Abyss . Once she reached the top she found that the landscape plateaued and then dropped down into a valley. Lightning kneeled down on a large rock that served as a vantage point. Slowly she turned in a circle and took in the sight of this frozen world that sprawled all around her. For a moment she couldn't help but be awestruck by the beauty of the place. Although it was obviously a harsh and difficult place to travel through, the way the land flowed together was like a painter's masterpiece.

In the distance to what Lightning guessed was north, was a large jagged mountain range that was covered in snow. Sitting at its feet was a vast and lush green forest that was also blanketed in fresh glittering snow. On either side of her, was a vast plain looked like a pristine white sheet aside from the trail left over by a herd of animals that travelled through it.

Lightning reached into the pouch at her side, making sure that Ashe's arrow was still safely tucked within it but then retrieving the scope for her gunblade. After attaching it to the top of her weapon the soldier peered through it and searched the horizon for any sign of civilization or some other type of shelter. Now she could make out a lot more details about her surroundings. First she investigated the trail that was left by the herd on animals, and discovered that the animals were some sort of hoofed creature with large horns on their heads. Definitely not like anything she had ever seen before. Their coats however looked like they would make a decent blanket, and they probably had decent meat on them too. She kept this in mind since she would definitely need some sort of food if she planned on surviving in this place for long.

The next thing of interest that she noticed was that just beyond the forest she could see smoke streams, and lots of them. When she increased the zoom on her scope she could barely make out the very tops of a few tall tents. A camp of some sort, possibly a military one. Maybe it was one of Ashe's, and even if it wasn't it was better to find civilization than wander aimlessly. So she decided on that to be her destination.

Before going anywhere Lightning took stock of what few supplies she had. A compass, although it didn't seem to work very well in this world, it just spun in random directions rather than giving a clear reading. Along with a few cases of bullets, her survival knife that Serah had given her, and the arrow she really didn't have much. The only other thing in her pouch was specifically designed for situations like this. It was a small package, barely larger than her palm. Quickly she pulled it out and ripped the binding of it off. The tiny piece of fabric slowly expanded until it was a large soft blanket. It was a standard issue military thermal blanket. Although it was rare for the Guardian Corps to be sent out on missions where these things were required, each soldier carried one with them. After all accidents did happen, and you never knew when you would end up stranded somewhere. Lightning doubted however that anyone in the Guardian Corps had ever anticipated one of their soldiers to be stranded in a winter wasteland in a completely different world. Still, that training might have been what would possibly save her life now.

With the blanket wrapped tightly around her like a cloak, Lightning set off in the direction of the camp that she had spotted. Hopefully she would make there before nightfall. If she didn't her situation would become far more severe...

After several hours of riding across the plains and rocky mountain hills Ashe and her party arrived at the mouth of the crevasse that formed the Howling Abyss. Cautiously they followed the rock wall that wound through it after leaving their horses where it was safe. So far there was no sign of anyone or anything having disturbed the place. But there was still a lot of ground to search and unfortunately there was no way that they could safely search inside the crevasse itself.

If that wasnt enough, the entirety of the Abyss spanned for miles on either side of the bridge itself. But still Ashe was determined to find out what happened here. She and her hunting party scouted the area until they came close to the bridge itself. Ashe commanded them to stop here, she didn't want to get any closer to it than was necessary.

High above them a loud cry of a bird rang out through the rocks, and it was a bird that Ashe knew well. A wave of her hand and a flash of sunlight from her bow caught the giant bird's attention and she glided down to them gracefully.

"Lady Ashe, what are you doing out here?" The bird asked as she landed on a boulder near them.

"I saw a light come from here and then a loud crash. It echoed across the entire valley. I felt it was worth investigating."

Anivia nodded. "Indeed it is worth investigating. Tochi sent me out here to look for a champion that was summoned here. According to her the champion was thrown into the Abyss by Lissandra, but I haven't been able to find any trace of them."

"Tochi sent you? Which champion was it?"

The bird looked thoughtful for a moment as she recalled the name. "Lightning? Yes I'm sure that was their name."

Ashe's breath caught in her throat for a moment but she shook off her worry, she had to stay calm now. Lightning had to be alive, she was sure of it. "Who summoned her here? That power is supposed to be restricted to only the highest summoners."

Anivia shook her head. "I do not know. All I know is that Lissandra was also there, she was the one who attacked her directly."

Then it dawned on Ashe just what had happened, and the terrible position she had inadvertently put Lightning in, and if Lissandra was involved then that spelled even more trouble.

"Anivia, can you take me down into the Abyss? We might find more clues if we search lower." Ashe asked the bird, who nodded in response.

Swiftly the Frost Archer climbed onto the back of the large avian, then turned to her hunting party. "The rest of you make way back to the village. Search the forests on your way. I will search the Abyss and the surrounding areas from the air. If you see anything or find her set up a signal fire, we will surely see it."

"Aye my lady. May the winds carry you swiftly." The captain of her hunting party replied with a salute before commanding the others to march onward as Anivia took flight.

The two of them glided down into the darkness of the Abyss. Anivia flew slowly to allow Ashe to search as best she could. They flew down nearly a mile before they decided to begin ascending back towards the sky. As they did so Ashe finally spotted a clue. On one side of the wall were several pockets that looked like they had recently been dug into the wall. Judging by how they were spaced it looked as though something large had scaled the wall. Not Lightning, but Ashe's instincts told her that it was related to her either way.

"Look there Anivia, follow that path." Ashe pointed to the divots in the wall that led up to the lip of the crevasse.

They followed the path until they came to it's end, here they found two sets of footprints. One rather large pair that matched the size of the divots in the crevasse, and a second that upon closer inspection by Ashe definitely belonged to Lightning. Years of learning to track both humans and wild prey had taught Ashe how to discern nearly everything about her quarry just by inspecting the footprints. The spacing of these and the way that they seemed rather decisive in their direction was all that Ashe needed to come to her conclusion. However the constant snowfall here had nearly covered the tracks themselves already, thankfully they appeared to be very fresh.

After a few minutes of searching the surrounding rock face that extended above the Abyss, Ashe found the path that Lightning had taken. Apparently she had continued on her diagonal path upwards, yet had continued to move forward and away from the place she had fallen.

"Clever…" Ashe said to herself with a grin. The archer found that she was learning quite a bit about Lightning just by following her trail, and she was impressed already by the other woman. Most people who got stranded in the Freljord died because they attempted to create shelter out of the area that they were in. When normally it was wiser to journey onward, the forests of the mountainous region were a far safer place to be than out in the open. It was clear that Lightning had good instincts, and that made Ashe feel infinitely better about her chances of catching up to her.

"What shall we do now Ashe? Did you find a trail?" Anivia asked as she fluttered up to a higher point on the rocks to investigate whatever it was that held the Queen's attention.

Ashe nodded and pointed to the trail of foot prints that followed the outcropping of rocks along the wall. "She went this way. Let's keep following this and see if we can find out where she went." With that the archer hopped onto Anivia's back once more and the two of them continued their search. With any luck Lightning hadn't moved far, but Ashe knew that probably wasn't the case. She knew how quickly Lightning could move when it was necessary. Just by her performances in their matches it was easy to tell that she wasn't the type to stay in one place for long if she didn't have to.

When they reached the summit of the rock ledge Ashe once again was able to spot the shreds of Lightning's trail. Apparently she had stopped up here but then had quickly continued on. Because of the snowfall her trail disappeared only a little ways down the rocky hill. However, by the direction they were headed Ashe had already discerned her path.

Off in the distance she could see the traces smoke trails mixing with the fog that was beginning to settle over the wide valley as the path of the sun began to arc towards the horizon. There was a camp to the northwest of them. Obviously a place that a lost traveller would head for if they spotted it.

A feeling of dread and worry rose in Ashe's heart as she scanned the area for any other signs of Lightning, but it was clear that she had gone that way. "This is bad Anivia."

"Why is that? Do you see her somewhere?" The bird questioned.

"No...but I fear that I know where she went."

Anivia squinted in the direction that Ashe pointed, and then immediately she understood. "Oh dear… this is not good indeed. What shall we do?"

"Find her." Ashe answered. "Before Sejuani does..."

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully the next one wont take me as long to write. This chapter is dedicated to my good friends Stitched Legacy and Blue. Both of you have been wonderful friends and I can't thank you both enough for your wonderful kindness.

The Lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from the song Ice Queen by Within Temptation.

See you next time!

KZ