"Their children were trying to kill us! Do you think their mood will have been improved if we bring them back?" Discord asked, setting his horn alight to thaw it. "Even if we bring them back and they don't immediately try to kill us, they'll just prey on the next unfortunate soul to happen by!"
Frozen nodded and his expression growing grim, "Then perhaps I will use..unconventional methods to combat them.." Frozen raised his hooves up, calling upon dark powers in an ancient tongue. The bodies of the windelings began to tremble, and slowly rise up.
Xarame started shaking and closed her eyes at the sight of the windelings rising up, and Discord did his best to comfort her, holding her close and pulling the blanket over her head until only her muzzle was showing. "It's ok," He whispered reassuringly, "Frozen knows what he's doing; he'd never let any harm come to you, and neither would I." When he felt the moment was right, Discord opened a breach in the wall, to let the resurrected windelings out.
As soon as he did, the ressurected Windelings began to attack their parents, dispatching them quickly. When the deed was done, they disintegrated into a pile of ashes.
"Well that was awful." Discord said, glumly. "We just can't seem to catch a break, can we? Still, I suppose it's a threat nopony else will have to face now. Not that anypony did," He said, looking at the three of them and smiling weakly.
Frozen looked at Xarame apologetically, "I was hoping you wouldn't have to see that side of me," he said, before looking at his father, "either of you. I experimented with necromancy out of desperation, hoping to find an end to my existence, back when I was alone and afraid. I've gone a little too far down the rabbit hole, I think."
"We have all done things we're not proud of," Xarame replied, having recovered a little. "It does not make us think any less of you." Discord nodded in agreement. "And thank you for saving me. Again." Xarame added, looking a little ashamed. She was starting to feel like more of a burden than a help.
"Really? Well, thank you," She said, hugging back and feeling a bit better. Discord coughed. "I don't want to have to interrupt, but can we get going? I'd like to leave this forest far behind if we can."
"I'm sorry," Frozen said with a laugh, blushing profusely in embarassment, "Yes, let's get going.." He reouctantly released Xarame from his embrace and began heading in the direction opposite from where they came, or at least he presumed.
Thankfully, they made it through the rest of the forest without incident, and soon found themselves walking along a craggy cliff top, overlooking the sea. The sea itself was choppy and tumultuous, but the path could have been beautiful, had it been anywhere else; there were still trees, but they were far more spaced out than in the forest, providing welcome shelter rather than blocking out the light and trapping the air; the footing was fairly solid and even, making walking easy, and the path was lined with ferns and wild flowers of all shapes and colours. Xarame was visibly more comfortable than she had been in the forest, even if it was colder on the cliffs. Discord conjured her up a cloak, and she gladly accepted it, fastening it tight and pulling up the hood.
Frozen seemed hardly aware of the arctic wind, silently looking out over the ocean as they walked along. Every now and then he stole a glance at Xarame, and shot her a smile when she noticed him looking. He found it odd, really, that such places of beauty existed in this world, or that love was possible here.
The going was easy, and it wasn't too long before they caught their first glimpse of the fortress. At first Discord thought the map must have been wrong; the castle appeared to be on an island, entirely surrounded by the raging sea, but upon closer inspection, he noticed a narrow causeway occasionally breaking the surface as the waves crashed over it. He judged that it must be a tidal causeway, only navigable for short periods of time, and making any siege that much more difficult. The island itself rose like a hill from the sea; ringed by rocky wave beaten cliffs, the castle was perched on it's crown, meaning an assault from any approach would not go unnoticed, at least not by day... Discord frowned. "Hmm, this may be harder than I'd thought." (Basing this place on St Michael's Mount, only... eviler.)
