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Familiar
 
The Frozen King
Nathan Robinson2/28/2008
Prelude
Isárion stood within the Hall of Prophets, staring ahead as he awaited his next mission. Besidehim, Gwaythiel stood with rapt attention. Anywhere else, the both of them would have started
getting annoyed, but the Prophets have a bit of a temper. Gwaythiel’s current feline form, a snow
leopard, was a grim reminder of their punishment.The lights flickered gently, and large shadows loomed all around them, casting an eerie scene on
a place that’s normally considered holy. His eyes wandered slowly around the room, taking notethat in these three years of servitude to the Prophets, the Hall hasn’t change
d one bit. The entirecommunion chamber was sparsely decorated, probably because incorporeal beings had nomaterial needs.
It’s mostly dark, except for a few torches here and there and a large hole at the topmost part of a
spiraling ceiling, which only seemed to shine light down upon six stone thrones that served noreal purpose besides adding a measure of symbolism. Thrones symbolize people of power, and
the Prophets aren’t in short supply of that. Their influence is felt all across the realm, including
the places where people refuse treat them as Gods.Suddenly, a gust of wind nearly knocks him off balance and Isárion cursed under his breath,
acting like he didn’t notice the amused chuckle from Gwaythiel, which sounded odd coming
from a large cat.
“They do
 
that every single time,” She teased, “And you’re always surprised.”
 He shot an annoyed glare at her, and right on cue six ghost-like figures floated into the room.The Prophets could be best described as the most beautiful beings in existence.
They’re
humanoid in form, but their forms also look different to different races, Elves will see ElvenProphets, Goblins will see Goblinoid Prophets, and so on. Gwaythiel always sees ElvenProphets, even when in her feline form, and Isárion always sees Human Prophets in his canineform as well.
 It would seem that the previous mission went well…
A stunningly beautiful female Prophetsaid and slowly floated around them.She always says that, although they are Prophets and know the very moment the two complete amission.
 
That is correct. The Lich has fallen, and experiences a death he cannot return from
.
” Another 
one with an exceptionally long beard said.
“Only by a small miracle.
You told us where to find the undead bastard but failed to point out thefact that he was a Draco-
Lich.”
 
 
All six Prophets turned toward Gwaythiel as she finished speaking, and Isárion
couldn’t resistsmiling. She’s always hated the Prophets, even before t
he curse, and never hesitated to show her
distaste for them. He’s never been a fan of the Prophets either, which makes working for them
very interesting.
We are here to guide you, not hold your hand and coddle you.
 
You are here of your own free will. We send you on these missions to assist you on your journeyof lifting the curse.
 
“A curse you’re responsible for.”
Isárion said and the Prophets floated up close to him, obviouslylosing patience.
You are the one who entered this place and insulted us, despite constant warnings to leave. Youare the catalyst for this curse, and you are doomed to suffer the consequences
 
You are free to go home and live your life this way if you so choose. No one is forcing you to dothis.
 
Isárion looked beside him and hi
s eyes met Gwaythiel’s.
Before the curse, the two of them hadbeen lovers. A human and elf relationship was considered a taboo in both races, and they wereforced to constantly move to avoid confrontation with their respective people.The two had quite literally stumbled upon the Hall of Prophets, and the insult they referred towas them entering uninvited. For their transgression, Isárion and Gwaythiel were cursed by theProphets. Once a month, they both changed forms, with one changing into an animal, and theother a human. In three weeks time, Gwaythiel would shift from her leopard form into a heroriginal Elf form, and Isárion
would shift from a human into his wolf form. It’s happened
without fail for three years, which means they ha
ven’t been lovers for a while.
 
That didn’t stop them from staying with each other, however, and the love they shared before the
curse is still there. Doing these missions might convince the Prophets to lift the curse and letthem continue their life togeth
er as it was meant to. There’s no way in hell either of them would
ever give up, and the Prophets knew that.
“Fine,”
Isárion
said, “What’s the next mission?”
 The Prophets nodded and rose up in the air above the two, formed a circle, and slowly moved asone. A gust of wind nearly knocked him down again and Gwaythiel chuckled again. A familiarfeeling rose up inside of them, a prickling of sensation that signal the gathering of magicalenergy. Magic exists around everyone, but in varying degrees, so people do
n’t often feel magic
without casting a spell. However, some places around the world, like the Hall of Prophets,contain a nexus of magical energy, which allows them to use their gift of foresight to a greaterextent than they normally would.In their case, it allows them to see things that could become a real problem sometime in the
distant future, whether it’s ten days or ten years from then.
 A string of energy twisted like a snake around each of the Prophets, and then they spoke.
 A frozen King, locked in a cold embrace. The Queen, a warmth turned solid by his eternal  sleep. A man approaches, no soul, no passion, no desires except conquest. Within the frozenvoid rests the answer to restore everyone. But not all is as it seems, things could be cold even after the thaw. Death awaits the two.
 
The energy stops moving for a second, then melts to the ground, like ice melting, and disappears,returning to the nexus. All of the Prophets float down to eye level again.
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