They looked North to the foreboding Ice Palace, glistening in the sun. They wouldn't be able to pass that way undetected.

But neither did anyone want to face a unit of experienced and heavily armed soldiers.

So with no really good options they headed for the palace. As beautiful and impressive as it was, it seemed cold and desolate. There didn't look to be any movement inside of it. As they got closer and it towered above them, all they could hear was the wind whipping around the walls and the occasional

SLAM! creeeeeeeee…

of an open door banging shut in the gusts of wind and then creaking open again.

The double gates ahead of them towered nearly the full height of the sheer ice walls they opened into, arching into a sharp peak in the middle. They were of a dark blue, nearly black reflective ice, but stood partially open to the pass. To get to the doors, the pass crossed a narrow ice bridge that had been raised high above the ground, creating a deep chasm on both sides. The whole structure was obviously designed to ensure the only way to get from the mountain pass to the East or West path was to go through the palace, no doubt only at the Ice Princess' discretion, and with her approval.

Gob looked from the raised road of the pass across to the East road. Between the two was a sheer drop, with the base of the deep chasm filled with sharp looking icicles that poked upwards. It looked dangerous.

"we cood… clime… down der. insted." he suggested half heartedly. No one answered him, but they all gave him skeptical looks.

"juz idea."

When they were about halfway across the ice bridge, there was movement at the palace gate, the first movement they had seen at all around the structure.

A strange head had jerkily poked out through the small opening between the double doors, cocked on an unusual angle and blinking at them unsettlingly. It was a rooster.

"wy is der a big chiken in da carsel" asked Gob in confusion. The gates were still a fair way off so it was hard to tell, but he knew chickens weren't that big and the chicken head he could see must be attached to an unusually large one.

The White Orc was already swinging his arm to cast his vortexshield and Leőn had drawn his bow as there were no shadows for him to slip into in the bright sunlight and nowhere for him to conceal himself on the bridge with only a sheer drop either side.

"It's not a chicken, Gob" said Kylie "It's something far more worrying than a chicken."

The rooster head had the same birdlike twitch as an actual rooster, and bobbed as it came fully out of the gate. As Gob got a better view of it he saw that the back half of it was a lot less 'chicken-like' than its head. The feathers from it's head carried on down its neck, over it's shoulders, and underneath to its belly, before giving way to two blood red shiny scaled legs with long mean looking talons that clicked and clacked on the icy ground as it stalked out. Where a chicken would have had its wings tucked away by its sides, this creature had scaled, mean looking protuberances that curved back and up behind it's shoulders covered in the same shining blood red scales as its legs. The wings were obviously furled, but Gob figured if they were opened they would be massive, easily wider than the giant cave bats, which were the biggest flying things he had ever seen. Behind the wings the body narrowed oddly, appearing longer and longer as the beast emerged further from the palace gate. Eventually it had come all the way out, and Gob blinked in astonishment: the end of the tail was another head… a fanged snake head!

"iz dat a chikendragon?" asked Gob quietly, taking a guess.

"Cockatrice" said The White Orc quickly, maybe even desperately.

"iz dat bad?"

"Well, not as bad as a dragon." said Leőn, though he also sounded worried

"But still bad." said Kylie.

"i toast to krunch?" suggested Gob

"NO!" said The White Orc sharply "No, No Gob. Let's just think this through.

"He'd be resistant." said Leőn glancing at the White Orc.

"He would be until he wasn't. There's no way any of us can take out a Cocktrice within a short count. Not sure we could even take it out with a few hours.

"Fair." said Leőn "Other ideas?"

The creature was obviously interested in them and was slowly stalking it's way across the bridge. Its progress was very odd to watch. It took a few steps, then cocked its head and blinked at them, then with a swish of it's tail it would point it's snake head towards them, then the rooster head would see the snake head and snap at it with its sharp hook-like jaw. The snake head would hiss at the rooster head before being snapped back behind the beast, who would notice them again, with interest, as if for the first time, and take a few curious steps forward before repeating the process.

There was something very disturbing about the relationship between the two heads. It seemed as though each of the two had very different opinions.

"It's not being aggressive," observed the White Orc, "so I don't think we're in it's domain, which is a good thing. Also, it isn't a particularly large one. It may be a juvenile. It may just be… curious."

"Maybe?" said Kylie.

"Well it also seems a bit…"

"Demented?" Suggested Leőn.

"I was going to say uncoordinated…" said the Orc, "Even at their best, adult Cockatrices aren't very smart or perceptive, but this one seems to be having trouble even walking straight."

"So you think this one may or may not turn us to stone?" asked Leőn skeptically.

"I mean, if we run I think he'll chase us. If this is his domain he'll attack us. If we attack him, he'll fight back… But if we aren't very interesting, he looks like the sort of beast that would get distracted easily enough."

"ar we intrestin?" asked Gob.

"Seems that way." answered Leőn.

The Cockatrice was still working its way towards them. It paused briefly so it could chase its snake head tail in two full about turns before it noticed them again.

"I think our best move is as Gob suggested." the Orc said after pause.

"i toast to krunch?" said Gob pulling out his flask

"No, put that away! The other suggestion. We go over the edge. Slowly."

"don der?" Gob looked at the sheer drop as doubtfully as he had last time.

"Not all the way down. I've got a feeling we can just hang off the edge and with a suitable distraction the creature will forget all about us. Kylie, could you fly back up to the ridge and do something to attract it's attention?"

"Great, so the fairy's the bait now?" she asked unsure.

"Just go and set fire to something like yesterday" said Leőn. He had already packed his bow away and was crouching to examine the edge of the pass. It was sheer ice and it was slippery. He pulled out one of his dark arrow bolts and jammed it into the icy side of the bridge. He handed another to the Orc.

The creature wasn't far now.

"I'm going to increase my vortex now to cover us while we climb over the edge so it doesn't see where we went. Remember, NO ONE LOOK IT IN THE EYE, AND DONT LET THE ROOSTER HEAD SEE YOU! Ready... NOW!"

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The Orc's vortex swelled suddenly to three times the size it had been. Kylie flew quickly away from them back up the ridge, waving her hands to summon a blue fire cyclone as she went. There was a small copse of trees on the edge of the ridge. She headed for them.

CCCCAAARRRRRRAAAAAAARLLLLLLLLLL!!

The cockatrice let out an alarmed sound as soon as the vortex swelled. It jumped forward, no longer just casually curious, with its head down aggressively and its break wide open.

The White Orc and Leőn threw themselves over the edge of the pass and clung on by the bolts they had jammed into the ice. Gob just jumped over, spun around and stuck his slicehooks into the ice wall with a

Stchak-screeeee!

ending up lower down the side than Leőn. The vortex dissipated just as the creature got to it and it immediately stopped at the spot, bobbing it's head around in confusion

cluck cluck… caaaawwaarl… cluck cawarrrrl…

it made soft curious noises as it's rooster head bobbed around and even pecked at the ground. It's comb wobbled as it twitched and blinked, examining the empty space in front of it in confusion. Then with a

hissssssss, swish!

the snake-head whipped through the air above them. Gob couldn't see the White Orc as he had jumped over the opposite side of the pass, but he looked upwards and could see that Leőn had his head tucked between his hanging shoulder blades, keeping his eyes firmly downcast.

Gob noticed him doing it and though he didn't know why he needed to, he squeezed his eyes shut as the White Orc had said to make sure he didn't see it.

mibby if i cant see it it cant see me? he thought.

But he wasn't very good at keeping his eyes shut and opened them shortly after. When he did, the snake's head was poised right next to Leőn's hands where they were gripping the bolt. It hissed and suddenly kinked, drawing back, opening its fangs and hissing as if about to strike.

"LET GO!" Gob yelled at Leőn.

Without a question or a hesitation Leőn released his grip and dropped onto the chasm just as the snake head struck, clamping it's fangs on the bolt where Leőn's hands had just been.

There was a

CRACKLE! WHUMP!

as up on the ridge a copse of trees burst into a magnificent blue flame. The creature's rooster head jerked up and the snake head snapped forwards in sync, seemingly forgetting whatever was over the edge of the bridge as all of its attention was suddenly taken up by this new, more interesting, or potentially threatening thing.

CCCCAAARRRRRRAAAAAAARLLLLLLLLLL!!

It called again, and leapt strongly into the air throwing its massive red wings wide and with gusting wing beats, flying in the direction of the fire.

"UP, NOW!" cried the White Orc as he pulled himself back onto the bridge.

"Ahhh, got a spare hand Orc?"

The White Orc leaned to look over the side, to see Leőn hanging from one of Gobs arms dangling rather concerningly over the sheer drop to the icicle spikes below. Gobs other hand was firmly lodged by the claws into the ice bridge, but his face looked like he was straining with Leőn's weight. Glancing back to the Cockatrice, who was playing energetically with the fire, and had already breathed petrifying power onto one of the trees that had turned grey like stone, he quickly pulled a rope out of his inventory and dangled it down into the chasm.

"Is there anything you don't have in there, Orc?" He asked as he climbed it back up to the pass.

"No" the White Orc answered.

Gob climbed back up next to Leőn and they immediately ran for the gate.

"Thanks Troll, I appreciate you looking out for me." said Leőn as they ran, "I'm glad it didn't end with you being turned to stone by your demented chickendragon, or me being poisoned by a tail snake, or either of us falling to be impaled on icicles."

Gob have him a thumbs up.

"No," said Leőn, "I get what you're going for there with the thumbs up, but that gesture just doesn't work with curved hook claws."

"nex tim i juz drop yoo da kasm"

Kylie caught up to them.

"Well, I'm not sure how long it's going to stay interested, but that seemed to go well." she said.

"Easy for you to say," said Leőn, "you weren't dangling over a chasm suspended by murderous troll claws for any of it."

They all stalled their pace sharply as they got to the towering gates. At close range they looked all the more foreboding with their sheer black ice. They peered inside tentatively, the image of a Cockatrice suddenly poking its head through the gate was still with all of them. No one felt overly motivated to step through, even though what was beyond just looked like an abandoned forecourt, but neither were any of them overly motivated to wait for the Cocktrice behind them to return either.

"Why do I feel like we're being herded into a cattle-run?" said Leőn, finally stepping forward briskly with a sigh, "I'll spring the trap for us and get it over with."

He slipped through the gate opening. With his arms spread wide, turning in a circle he called out,

"HELLO! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW…. you can come out now… out now… out now…" his voice echoed around the seemingly abandoned courtyard. He sighed and gestured to the rest of them,

"Come on, it doesn't seem like they have anymore monsters to throw at us, and they're obviously waiting for you all to come in."

The others didn't need a second invitation and ducked inside the gates together. As soon as they were all inside, the black ice doors slammed shut with a

BOOM!

that echoed around the courtyard.

Gob wasn't sure whether he felt relieved or trapped. He eyed the East gate.

iz stil open... he thought. As if reading his mind, both the East gate and the West gates both slammed shut together

BOOM! BOOM!

In the middle of the deserted courtyard was the central keep that speared sharply up into the sky, different colours refracting from each facet of its crystalline walls. It was quite an amazing and beautiful site from this angle. Impressive. But cold. A wide set of stairs ascended to another set of arched dark ice doors, which slowly and silently swung open inwards.

"There we are then," said Leőn, "classic disembodiment intimidation. Nothing too original here then. Let's go and meet our fate. He padded lightly and quickly up the steps, the others followed, much more warily.

"wy he bein lik dis?" asked Gob who was actually feeling a little intimidated by the situation.

"Leőn has a low tolerance for theatrics…" said the White Orc.

"Comes from always being theatrical." finished Kylie.

"I heard that." said Leőn from the top of the stairs. He slipped inside.

----------------------------------------

GERVAIS.

BOOM!

then

BOOM! BOOM!

The gates slammed shut and Gervais knew that the party was in an inescapable position this time.

He watched from behind the throne, as the Elf Leőn slipped in before the others. Of course it would be Leőn first, the shifty Elf would have had the least patience for the obvious but unavoidable trap Gervais had set. Now all he needed was to make his checkmate move. For the Princess to play her part in this game.

She sat silently, coldly, but beautifully on her ice throne, the back of which reached up behind her in a jagged and ornate pattern of icicles all the way to the distant vaulted ceiling. Her throne was towards the back of the throneroom on a raised dias reached by an elaborate flight of stairs that radiated out from the throne in increasingly wide concentric levels stretching halfway across the length of the throneroom. Her pale light blue skin seemed to hum and vibrate to Gervais' eyes. He was always fascinated by the elven.

The odd assortment of creatures that walked into her hall caused her head to tilt slightly to one side as she examined them with curiosity. She spoke to them in a soft melodic voice,

"Come in, come in. An Elf. Your archetype is at least clear to me, though your alignment is not... and a red Bright magic fairy... how unusual you both are. But not nearly as unusual as your companions. What are you, a white skinned…" her eyes widened with avid interest, "...are you an albino Orc? Intriguing! And you, young one," she leaned forward, narrowing her eyes "not an odd looking goblin I suspect many might mistake you for but a… troll?"

"ha!" the first reply, unexpectedly, was from the strange little troll.

"ha! dis ladee no i iz trol! at last! fank yoo lady!"

His voice echoed around the throneroom but he was shushed by the fairy and frowned at by the White Orc. The Elf was just staring at her, mouth slightly agape. She smiled at him.

Then Gervais stepped out from behind the throne.

The Elf disappeared quicker than even the Princess could see it happen.

The White Orc spun up a protective vortex that seemed to shield himself and the other two.

The fairy crackled with blue sparks.

Oddly, the little troll raised a flask in the air, shouted "TO KRUNCH!" then drank from it and suddenly grew to four times its original height in a matter of moments, bellowing and charging down the length of the throne room straight towards her, or more probably towards Gervais, with his icelike claws ready to strike a blow.

She glanced back at Gervais. He also had summoned a protective whirlwind shield spell.

By the surprised and slightly concerned look on his face he hadn't been expecting a giant troll either.

Calmly she said,

"Freeze."

Everyone in the room stopped moving instantly.

A light coating of frost glistened on all of them.

Except the giant troll. He did stop moving, but not because of her spell. He stopped moving because he was confused about what happened and why everyone went quiet and still. And then without warning he shrank back to his previous small size.

Then he froze like everyone else.

That was fascinating! she thought.

She would have to look further into that troll. No wonder grandpa, her poor Chenoo, hadn't come home this morning. There was more going on here than Gervais had told her.

She also hadn't seen that Elf again. On a hunch she leaned around and looked behind her throne. He was right there, frozen of course, but with a long black dagger in his hand. She wasn't sure whether for her or Gervais, but she was shocked either way. What a slippery little… actually, she thought, quite good looking and obviously very accomplished Warrior.

She smiled at him again. She knew he'd be able to see it.

She turned back to face the throneroom and spoke again with the same, soft melodious voice,

"Now everyone, this is my throneroom, my palace, and my domain:eternalpreserve, granted by the High Council as a sanctuary in perpetuity, under my rule. That means I get to set the rules, and the first one is 'my throneroom is not an appropriate venue for open warfare.' The second rule is when I unfreeze you, you will all have a nice friendly conversation with each other. This is a place of peace and acceptance. OK?"

She settled herself back on her throne and, again calmly, said,

"Thaw".