Striding very quickly into the library, Rock hastily walked over to where Le’Nara sat waiting, and then stood behind her. “My High Lady, your guest has arrived.”

Sitting at her desk, Le’Nara curiously raised an eyebrow at Rock’s strange behavior as she slowly sat down the cup of wine she’d been sipping on. “Is everything okay,” she asked, watching Rock fidget uncomfortably.

“Rocky Poo! Wasn’t you going to cuddle and snuggle me?” Hands on his hips, Mongo sashayed into the room slow and seductively, slowly moving his chest from side to side to highlight his abs. “I don’t need them girlies, I’ve got one of them of my own, but a guy like you? We could do soooo many interesting things to each other.” Lifting one hand to his lips, Mongo blew a kiss and winked suggestively.

Reaching up, Le’Nara grabbed thin air and laughed. “I’m afraid he’s much too busy for that, my lady. And, I’m afraid he’s not getting this kiss. I’m keeping it.”

As Le’Nara went through the motions of placing something in the pocket of the robe she wore open, Mongo pouted. “Hey! She stole my kiss!”

“Well, you did throw it away,” he answered himself.

“But… but… I wanted you to have my kisses,” he griped to no one in particular.

“Chaos touched,” Rock whispered in a low curse, looking a little pale as Mongo was now, once again, deep in a conversation with himself.

“No,” Le’Nara shook her head slightly in denial, “not Chaos touched. Something much more special and amazing to watch. You should count yourself blessed to meet someone like himher, Rock.”

Looking confused as he stared at the self-exchange Mongo was having, Rock asked, “Himher?”

“It’s a true marriage,” Le’Nara said, smiling from ear to ear. “Never thought I’d get to actually see one. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Umm…” Rock stared for a moment and then shrugged. “If you say so.”

“I say so,” Le’Nara laughed as she casually waved her hand dismissively towards Rock. “Now be a good boy and shoo on out of here, why don’t you.”

“Are you certain you’ll be safe with…” Raising an eyebrow questioningly, Rock shrugged and half pointed. “…that?”

“Oh, I’ll be fine,” Le’Nara asserted, as she slowly stood up and walked over to Mongo. “Won’t I, my lordlady?”

Mongo looked a little funny and then giggled girlishly for a moment, before crossing his arms and settling into a scowl. “Who’s a lordlady? I’m a guy, dammit!”

“You are,” Le’Nara agreed, as she glanced back over her shoulder to watch Rock slowly ease out a back door. Once he was gone and the door was shut, she flashed a brilliant smile at Mongo and opened her robe wide, revealing her naked body in all its glory for just a moment; before she let go and let it fall back open wide to either side of her again.

Mongo stared wide-eyed for a moment and then giggled girlishly, before he asked lightly, “Are you trying to seduce me?”

“Not at all, my lady.” Laughing slightly, Le’Nara repeated the process a second time. “It’s how we curtsey here in the Heartstone Empire,” she explained, looking quite seriously. “If you’re going to visit another land, you should learn and respect the customs of that land,” Le’Nara admonished lightly.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” Mongo apologized, half bouncing and waving his hands excitedly. “I’m not wearing a robe, so I can’t curtsey like that at the moment!”

“That’s fine, my lady.” Laughing quietly, Le’Nara walked over and gently hugged Mongo’s massive frame. Stroking his hair, she gently kissed him on the cheek. “No one here would get upset with a lady like you, no matter what you did,” Le’Nara assured him. “If they do, I’ll feed them to the ravens,” Le’Nara promised, suddenly looking cold and menacing.

“Really?” Mongo looked wide-eyed and stared directly back.

“Really,” Le’Nara promised, matching the stare back with her own unblinking gaze. “Why? Has someone here upset you already,” she pressed.

“Well…” Mongo shuffled his feet a few times and then blinked and shrugged. “She doesn’t want to say anything to get someone in trouble,” he explained with a tired smile.

“Then you tell me,” Le’Nara pressed, still staring directly into his eyes. “My lord, who is it here that’s offended the lady?”

“I wouldn’t say offended,” Mongo shrugged. “There’s just a healer down in the infirmary that Tiffany doesn’t seem to like. She’s made me promise to stay away from her, saying she’s a ‘meanie weanie’.”

“O ho ho,” Le’Nara chuckled icily and her eyes narrowed to slits. “A ‘meanie weanie’, working as a healer here, you say. Which one is it?” Her voice was cold and the temperature in the room was starting to drop considerably.

“Umm…” Mongo looked blank for a moment and then shrugged. “I don’t know the girl’s name. It seems like everyone else likes her though,” he explained, shrugging slightly. “It’s the healer with the long white hair.”

“Mama Snow,” Le’Nara whispered, her breath a visible puff of frost as she turned and suddenly started walking to the door. Holding out her hand, a bright glow shimmered in front of it for an instant. When it faded, she regally strode across the room, a pale blue staff in her hands, blazing bright like the noontime sun. “Come or stay, it matters not,” Le’Nara called back as she walked on out of the library. “We shall finish our business shortly,” she promised. “I simply have a matter of importance which will not wait.”

Glancing left and right and seeing he was all alone in the library now, Mongo shrugged and then rushed to catch up. He wasn’t certain what was going on, but somehow it seemed that it might involve Tiffany, and, if there was the slightest chance of that, he was going to be there.

Catching up to Le’Nara proved to be a more difficult task than he would have imagined. In the short moment of indecision on whether to follow or wait, she’d already disappeared out of sight by the time he’d left the library. Chuckling slightly to himself though, Mongo didn’t think he’d have any trouble following her trail. Frost froze on the stone floors in a set of perfectly bare footprints, which led off to the left, down the hall, and around the corner.

Walking rapidly, Mongo thought that he’d catch up to the young lady in no time, but she always seemed to be three steps ahead of him. Around the corner, he followed the icy footprints. Down a second hallway and then down another set of steps, and finally down another hall to a door leading outside.

By the time Mongo had gotten outside, the season had changed. The hot summer heat was gone and a thick layer of crystal clear ice hung draped across everything. Men in metal armor were struggling to rise from the ground, slipping and sliding on the layer of pure ice that coated everything, and out in the center of the courtyard was Le’Nara. Standing tall and resolute, a blazing sun shining in her hands, she was pointing a single finger at a beautiful ice sculpture and staring at it coldly.

Staying back at the safety of the doorway to the house, Mongo stared in unabashed amazement as the high lady slowly turned and walked back towards him and the house. She never glanced left nor right, nor did she offer to help the guards who were struggling so valiantly to upright themselves on the frozen wasteland. Imperially, Le’Nara walked calmly across the icy ground as if she was taking a stroll across the smoothest of grass. As she approached, a white shimmer flicked for a moment in front of her, and when it faded her staff was once again nowhere to be seen.

“Tell the little one that the problem has been dealt with,” Le’Nara said, smiling slightly as she brushed past Mongo and strode into the house. “Mama Snow is no longer employed here with us,” Le’Nara explained calmly. “We don’t allow ‘meanie weanies’ to work here. Sometimes, as much as one might regret it, you have to coldly get rid of an employee. She’s been terminated.” Le’Nara was smiling brightly now, and didn’t show the slightest sign that she regretted anything.

“So you fired her,” Mongo asked, uncertain.

“Not quite,” Le’Nara laughed brightly. “I simply iced her position.”

“Iced her position?” Clueless like usual, it took a few moments for Mongo to make the connection. “Wait a moment!” Staring back out the door, he couldn’t take his eyes off the frozen sculpture in the center of the courtyard.

“Yes?” Le’Nara asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Is that…” Mongo didn’t want to believe what he was thinking, so he didn’t finish the question.

“That’s Mama Snow,” Le’Nara nodded calmly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “As I said, she’s been terminated and no longer works here.”

“Now then,” Le’Nara laughed lightly as she watched the warrior’s troubles outside for a brief moment, before continuing, “why don’t you tell me what you know about the Heir’s Champion.”

“Uhh…” Suddenly Mongo’s mouth felt dry and his tongue didn’t seem to want to work properly, as he couldn’t take his eyes off the frozen statue that was the living, breathing, Mama Snow just a few moments ago. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he stared at Le’Nara with eyes wide and uncertain.

“Sure,” he replied hoarsely. “What would you like to know?”