Work Text:
On his icy throne, the Lich King relaxed after a hard day of conquests. The fortress was engulfed in a cold silence, broken only by the gentle crackling of the ice in his glass. The King followed a daily routine of enjoying a cold drink while meditating on his next strategies. To ensure that his drinks were always perfect, he had a machine installed in his chambers to make ice cubes.
One morning, while the king was preparing for a crucial meeting with his generals, he decided to take a short break and serve himself a drink. He went to his ice cube machine, expecting to hear the characteristic hum of the machine as it produced the ice.
However, instead of that satisfying sound, he only heard an annoying click and then silence. The king frowned and approached the machine, opening it in the hope of finding a quick solution. There were no visible signs of failure, but when he tried to activate the mechanism again, there was no response. A shadow of frustration crossed his face, a rare emotion for the relentless ruler. He knew he couldn’t allow a simple machine to prevent him from enjoying his drink.
With a sigh, the king lifted Frostmourne and cast an ice spell on the machine. The runes on the sword glowed, and the ice began to form, but instead of the perfect cubes he expected, grotesque frozen shapes appeared. The spell hadn't worked as it should have.
A low growl resonated through the fortress, a mix of fury and disappointment. He called one of his servants, a lower-ranking lich who hurried to respond. Without losing his composure, the king ordered: ''Repair this machine immediately. I cannot tolerate this incompetence.''
The servant bowed and summoned a group of undead who began to work immediately, carefully disassembling the mechanism, fearing that even the slightest scratch on the precious machine would unleash the king's wrath. He cast one last stern look at the workers and walked away. Although in the grand scheme of his concerns the ice machine's failure seemed trivial, for him it was an unacceptable annoyance. The Lich King tolerated no imperfection, whether in his conquests or in his personal routine.
One of the undead, the most experienced technician in the group, discovered a blockage in the cooling system. The others immediately assisted, bringing tools and meticulously following the leader’s instructions. After a few tense moments, during which one of the workers got his arm stuck in the system and had to have it torn off, they managed to repair the king’s much-acclaimed machine.
Finally, the ice cube machine was working again. The king was informed and watched with satisfaction as the cubes formed perfectly in the tray. He relaxed on his throne, enjoying his cold drink and knowing that even in the most frustrating moments, his fortress always had the capacity to solve problems.
And so, the Lich King resumed his watchful position, as his realm remained enveloped in its relentless cold, and his loyal servants ensured that everything functioned perfectly