Midnight blue of the glacial ceiling covered the whole entrance to Icuvell, also known as the Ice Kingdom, blocking all paths of light. Magically lit glow stones continued to shimmer, illuminating the path down the long, frozen hallways.
Major, a rather tall man wearing a military green jacket, clipped with a small golden pin and similar colored pants addressed the man, extravagantly dressed with many layers, beside him, "We have arrived at your destination."
Tall looming gates stood before them, seemingly made of ice, just like the rest of the building that they had entered seemed to be. Many strange 'letters', if it could be called so, had been engraved upon the surface of the door.
'Forgotten to all other races, the language of Axois. It had been a hopeless search of clues for all other continents, but somehow, this minor kingdom managed to decipher it. That alone, makes them much more dangerous than Silesdite is...', the royal-looking man stared at the carefully crafted door.
"The King has permitted your entry", another man, wearing a navy blue suit and black pants entered from the opposite corner of the hallway, pushing open the doors to the King's throne room.
Navy blue had been Icuvell's signature color, but not for long...
'Not for long indeed. At this rate, they will be forced to make an alliance with our kingdom.'
A strong gust of freezing wind blew against the visitors. A sinister aura leaked out of the room, striking a cold shiver down their spines.
"Speak", the low, booming voice vibrated along the corridor walls. The King sat on the royal throne in the middle of the wall opposite to where the visitors were, beside him a young girl with pale blue hair and unexpectedly thin light blue dress. The chilly room was rather empty. No fancy gold ornaments or sculptures of ice; quite strange for a castle room.
"Your Majesty", he bowed, "As you must have noticed, the Vampire race has begun its advance on Icuvell. However, Icuvell's army would likely not be able to withstand the Vampire's forces, as the conditions here are perfect for them to strike, thus my kingdom, Ruputhen, would like to propose an alliance as it may allow advancements on both sides, and would allow our kingdoms to share certain information-"
"Silence, your request has been considered, and denied. We will not secure an alliance with Ruputhen, as we, as well, realize that Ruputhen has been targeted by Silesdite, which is a much more threatening as compared to the Vampires."
"But your Majesty-"
"Your proposal has been rejected. Guards, please escort our guest to the gathering room."
"As you wish, my lord."
The frozen door closed shut.
"Fifteen kingdoms have arrived here, trying to find out the secrets of our kingdom regarding the language of Axois", the little princess on the King's left had spoken, "Wouldn't it be more beneficial for an alliance to be formed? Shouldn't we try get rid of the Vampires first?"
"I'm afraid not, Emilia. Our kingdom has vowed to keep this secret, along with many others, from the other kingdoms,", the King's voice had softened, "You need not worry. This is likely a mere issue the humans plotted to deceive us. They would likely retreat from this absurd plan soon"
"Probably..."
"I shall take my leave", Emilia stood from her seat beside the King.
'That should be the last visitor...'
Emilia strolled across the hallway, through the next pair of great doors on the opposite side of the throne room, and into her private chambers in the right wing of the palace, settling down on the soft cushioned bed she had been provided with. On the circular short table at her bedside, lay a stack of educational books. She picked a certain magenta-red leathered book that stood out of the rough, stone-covered ones.
The book was titled 'The Surface World: Earth'.
