The Frozen Hour.

I've been standing here for five minutes. There's a throne covered in Ice at the other end of the room. I can see someone sitting there, but I'm afraid to get too close. I shouldn't be here, and they must know it too. I notice the person isn't moving. Their head is tilting downwards. I decide to get closer, quietly inching towards the large throne. Upon closer inspection, I realize the man appears to be sleeping. He's frozen, ice binding him to the throne. How long has he been here? Is he even alive? There's no way someone could survive that long frozen in ice. He doesn't appear to be breathing. I consider leaving him to rest, not wanting to disturb his body. Before I step away I stop and admire him for a moment. He's beautiful. His sculpted jaw is sharp enough to cut the Ice. The ice crystals around him climb his neck getting closer to his eyes. His hair is dark and falls perfectly over his head. I wonder how his body got here. Did he die here all alone? Or did someone place him here? I touch his face, tracing his cheekbones with my thumb. I can't help but feel drawn in by him.

Just then, the ice on his face begins to crack. I take a few steps back, as the ground rumbles beneath my feet. I look around as more Ice crystals grow around the room. Each one is as sharp as a knife. What did I do? Is the room going to collapse? I look back at the man, the ice retreating around him. His hands begin to thaw, then his face. Suddenly the room gets quiet. I take a deep breath, relieved that the room stayed intact. Maybe the room was settling? Then he opens his eyes. He stares at me, his gaze colder than the ice around us. He doesn't speak. Maybe he forgot how? I keep eye contact with him, afraid of what will happen if I look away. "Who are you? What are you doing here?", He says in a deep voice. "My name is Aleyah. I'm here in search of the guardian's crystal." He stares at me for a moment. "It's not here." How could it not be here? I followed the instructions I was given accordingly. It has to be here. "I'm sorry that I disturbed you." I turn around ready to leave when a strong hand grabs my arm. I turn and see the man looking down at me. How did he get over here so fast? He releases my arm. "Where are you going?" He furrows his brows waiting for an answer. "I'm leaving. I have no reason to stay if the crystal is not here." I look into his eyes. He analyses my face. Taking in every detail. "Can you help me find the crystal?" I wait for an answer. He ponders for a moment before speaking, "Possibly. Now that you've disturbed my palace I can't let you leave. You are to stay here and do as I say unless told otherwise." I take a deep breath. I have to find the crystal before it's too late, this may be the only way to find it. "Okay."

He walks away without another word. Where is he going? He can't just leave! I follow him as he disappears down a hallway. Great. I didn't see what door he went in. I slowly walk down the hallway listening for any signs of life. I eventually come across two doors. Behind them, I hear the faint sounds of running water. I peek inside and see a large bedroom. Ice climbing its stone walls. I step inside and on my left at the far end of the room, there's a door. Probably a wardrobe. There's a glass door next to the wardrobe, on the other side I can see a male figure in a cloud of steam. He's taking a shower. In the far right corner is a chair and some bookshelves. I quietly make my way over to it, walking past the bed. All of his books look extremely old. Some date as far back as the 1800s. There's no dust on them though. It must be too cold for dust mites to survive here. I continue to inspect the books. These must be his personal favorites. He probably has more books around this place. Suddenly I hear the water turn off. He's coming. I climb over the bed and duck behind it. After a couple of minutes, the glass door opens. He walks over to the wardrobe with a towel hanging low on his waist. He starts rifling through his clothes and I take this as my chance to get out of here. As I start to crawl away I hear Ice crack under my hand. Oh no. He's going to kill me.

I meet his gaze as soon as I look up. He spotted me instantly. My heart is racing as I slowly stand up. I have no idea what's about to happen, but it can't be good. His stare is cold and emotionless, I can't tell if he's angry. "I hope this isn't a habit of yours." I'm caught off guard by his statement. "It's not. I promise. You walked away without saying anything so I followed you. I didn't know you'd be in the shower, I'm sorry." I say nervously. My eyes trail down his body as I realize he's not wearing any clothes. I stare at his large biceps, then his toned abs. Even though he was frozen for a long time he's still in perfect shape. "Are you going to leave so I can get dressed, or are you going to keep staring?" I catch a smirk on his face that quickly disappears. "Right, I'm so sorry." I hurry out of the room and let out a deep breath as the door shuts behind me. Why did I do that? I should have left as soon as I saw him in the shower. There's no way he's going to help me now. I take a few more deep breaths and contain myself. Just as I start to take a step I hear the doors behind me click open. I turn around and see him standing there. He's wearing a long-sleeved button-down shirt and dress slacks similar to what he had on before with a thick, light tan, trench coat. As soon as I meet his cold gaze once more I feel a chill go down my spine. I shiver. "You're cold," he says, not a question but a statement. "No, I'm fine. Really. It was just a breeze." I'm still shivering though. I hadn't realized how cold it is here. "Follow me." I follow him hesitantly. I'd rather not upset him.