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Kai hummed around his spacious room. He had to look perfect, he was going to get to see Zane, the Ice Prince, who also happened to be his very secret, very amazing boyfriend. He stopped front of the mirror, examining himself. “La-di-da, going to the Ice Kingdom, gonna get to see my secret boyfriend who happens to also be a prince.” He grinned. Yep, this was going to be pretty exciting. Getting to see Zane again had to be perfect, considering he would only be staying for two months which is a lot, but not nearly enough. He leisurely walked over the ornate snakewood door, reaching for the bronze knob. As he opened the door, his guard stumbled into his room. Crap. This is bad, this is very bad. “Nya,” He started slowly, attempting to keep his composure. “Why were so close to my door?” He said through clenched teeth. “Uhm. I..was…being extra helpful?” Came an awkward response. Right, like he’d believe that. “Uh-huh. Sure, and I’m not about to go on a very diplomatic journey to the Ice Kingdom.” He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, pulling his sister into the room. “You sure? Cause I don’t remember boyfriend being a part of the word ‘diplomatic’.” Nya quipped. Kai turned back to Nya as he closed the door, his face flushed. “Were-were you eavesdropping on me?!” He hissed. She sighed. “Maybe, but its not my fault that your so loud.” She said while she pulled her samurai helmet off a placed it on a side table. Kai felt embarrassed, this was his sister after all, what if she blabbed to their dad? Her eyes softened. “Kai, I’m not going to tell anyone.” He looked up from his spot where he’d previously collapsed on his bed. “I know, I know. I’m just..” He trailed off. Nya walked across the room, sitting on the floor by Kai’s bed. “You know, when I was training to be a samurai, before I learned about us being siblings and stuff, I had a crush on someone.” Kai sat up, intrigued. “Wasn’t that an all girls school?” He gave her a puzzled look, before the pieces clicked together in his head. “Oh! Oh, who was it?” She snorted. “It was the girl across the hall. Her name was Pixal. I loved everything about her,” She began, standing up to sit on the bed beside her brother. “I never told her how I felt, but I do know that she was from the Water Kingdom, and was somewhat-maybe-kinda-very obsessed with finding out who was going to rule her kingdom.” He snorted. “Well, that’s awkward.” She smiled. “Yeah, yeah it really is.” Her smile grew wider and wider, until she began to grin. Kai felt himself begin to grin as well, his lips pursed in hopes of keeping out his laughter. His efforts were in vain, and they both dissolved into to giggles.
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Pixal had been dutifully guarding the Ice Princes door, when she heard sobbing. It had started slow at first, with a few sniffles here and there. But now, It was full on sobbing into the pillows crying. She didn’t want to bother him, considering she was lower ranked. She sighed, and knocked lightly on the snakewood door. There was a sort of shuffling, and the distinct sound of a drawer shutting. The handle on the door began to move, and she straightened herself upright. Through the thin crack in the door, she could see soft, grayish-blue eyes. “Am I being summoned?” He questioned. Her brows furrowed. “No, sir. I actually came to see if you were alright.” The door slowly opened, and she was beckoned inside. The room had a color scheme of mainly blues, but also purples and grays. She stepped lightly, her boots clinking lightly on the floor. He closed the door behind them, and turned to her. “I assume you heard me? I assure you that I’ll be fine. I didn’t mean to be a bother-“ “You’re not a bother.” Oops. I just interrupted a royal. I’m going to lose my job. She gulped, mumbling an apology. “It’s fine. Thank you for your concern.” “…Do you wanna talk about it?” He looked down, and walked over to the bed. She followed, unsure. This is very not allowed. “I sort of have this…Pen-pal. And I’m going to have a royal two month meeting, and I just,” He sighed. “He’s also going on an important trip, so,” He was talking faster. “So we haven’t been able to write and I really, really miss him.” He covered his face, wiping away the tear stains. Oh. Unsure on what to do, she tentatively reached her arm out to him, patting him on the back. He leaned, into her, tears bubbling up again. A silence only broken by sniffling followed. …I never told him my name. “I’m Pixal.” She said taking her helmet off. He looked up at her, a small smile on his tear stained face. “…Zane. I’m Zane.” Zane. Huh. She’d just been calling him ‘Sir’ or ‘The Ice Prince’. She smiled at him. “That’s kinda weird. But my names pretty weird too, so I can’t exactly talk.”They stood up, and she grabbed her helmet, placing it gently back of her head. “Well Zane, I technically still have guard duty, but I’ve got a break in around an hour. Maybe we could talk more then?” He smiled, a glint in eyes. “I’d like that.”
I guess I’m friends with a prince now. No, not a prince. He’s more than that. He’s Zane.
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The carriage rattled. Enveloped in the night, it traveled along the smoothed road, with only three passengers. Kai, the Fire Prince, and his two guards, Nya and Skylor. The prince was safe inside, while the samurai watched the night. Well, one of them was. Nya’s eyes were closed, her grip on her spear loose. Someone was tapping her on the shoulder. “Nooo.” She groaned. Said tapping turned into poking, and she reluctantly opened her heavy eyes. “Whaddaya wan’t?” She whined, glaring at the girl to her left. “You need to talk to Kai. I think he’s pacing, and it’s shaking the carriage and it’s so annoying.” The redhead hissed in a low voice. “Ugh. Fine.” She stretched her arms out, and walked over to the door. Her gloved hand knocked lightly on it. It opened almost instantaneously, her brothers face stretched thin with worry. Oh no. She walked in, taking her helmet off. “What’s wrong?” She asks blandly. She can practically see the sweat glands on his face. “Wrong? Why would anything be wrong? Everything’s fine!” He waved his hands in denial. She frowned. “Um, no, there’s definitely something wrong. Don’t try to hide it from me, I know you too well.” She said, eyes narrowing. He caved, and sat down on the fancy cushions by the small window on the left hand side of the carriage. “Kai, I’m worried about you. We promised no more secrets, remember?” His hazel eyes evaded her gaze. He wouldn’t go back on a promise this early. She watched as he fidgeted with the pillow tassels, trying to study his body language. He bit his lip, and looked down at his hands. “You know how me and Zane are, y’know..” He began. “Yeah?” She asked brows furrowed. Did something happen between them? No, that’s not possible, they agreed to not write before the meeting. Is he worried about seeing him again? Or is this really about him and Zane? Her thoughts lapsed over each over, and her head began to ache. “…Kai? It’s okay if you don’t want to talk I can go-“ “No! No. I-I’d like someone to talk to.” She sat next to him on the cushions, ready to listen. “It’s just, what if we see each other, and-and he doesn’t want to date or-or talk anymore? What if he realizes that he’s too good for me, because he totally is, and h-he dumps me? What am I going to do? We’ll have to spend two whole months avoiding each other but that’ll be impossible because the whole point of this meeting is for some peace crap!” Hi words spill out like a gushing river, tears welling up in his eyes. He opens his mouth to go on, but instead begins to uncontrollably sob. He leans into her padded shoulder, clutching her arm for support. Tears stream down his face, and all she can think to do is to pat his shoulder. I am not very good at comforting people. A lump forms in her throat, wanting to say something, anything, to comfort her brother. She chews the inside of her cheek in thought. “You love him, right?” She asks quietly. He looks at her, nodding. “Yeah,” He mumbles. “Yeah, I love him.” He wipes his reddened face. “And have you ever doubted that he loves you as well?” She asks, a slight smile on her face. “..No.” He responds. A soft chuckle escapes her lips. “Well what’s the problem then? You love him, and he loves you. I understand your doubts, but there isn’t any actual proof that he’d ever leave you. Heck, I’d beat the crap outta him if he even tried.” She takes his hands in her own, making eye contact with him. He dives in for a hug, her shoulder stifling a quiet ‘thanks’. “That took you forever, what in the fresh hell was he so worked up about?” Skylor asks as she sits back down. She avoids the others gaze. “Oh, y’know. Just stuff.” She responded vaguely. The redhead quirks an eyebrow, but doesn’t press the subject. I’m glad she knows about Kai and I being related. I feel like I can trust her more, but not with this. I’m not going to out someone, especially my own brother. That’s just gross. The carriage traveled along the road, the sky lightening as they got closer to the Ice Kingdom. Her mind wandered back to the girl from when she’d attended the training school. Oh no. Not this again… She drifted back into sleep, dreaming of the glorious woman she’d fallen head over heels for, and apparently still was.
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Zane smiled with pure giddiness. He buttoned up his simple white shirt, smoothing out the collar. It was early morning, if you could even call it that. The sun was just peeking out over the jagged forms of the mountain range, making the snow glitter like an unfound treasure. He shrugged his coat on. It was light blue, that ended with two sharp points in the front. The collar was slightly larger than his undershirts, but that didn’t matter. He traced the white thread that entranced the rim of his cuffs, eyes moving to follow the patterns in the seemingly gold trim that traced the front of it, making its way back to collar. He flaunted over to the floor length mirror, leaning down and patting his hair in an attempt to flatten it. It wasn’t his fault it stuck up like that. A few strands fell down onto his face, but he paid them no mind. He tucked his shirt in, and did a slight twirl in the mirror. Formal gloves donned his hands, matching his top. This is amazing. I’m finally, finally going to get to see him again. It’s been so long… His footsteps softened by the carpet, he speed-walked towards the stairs, when his name was called. “Zane! -Gasp- You scared me! I -Gasp- understand you’re excited about this, but you could -Gasp- at least tell me you’d been planning to wake up earlier!” She said through shaky breaths. He turned, hand on the start of the railing. “I’m sorry I scared you, but like you said, I’m quite excited,” He held his hand out to her. “Would you like to accompany me down the stairs?” She lightly took it, stepping down. Their hands fell back down to their sides as they continued their descend towards the main hall. “Wanna tell me why you’re so excited about this visit?” she asked, her voice low. “It’s been quite a long time since I’ve last seen the Fire Prince.” He answered calmly, his right hand trailing down the railing. “You’ve met before?” She questioned. “Oh yes. It was around two years ago, it was really a meeting between our dads, though.” He looked up at the portraits of past Kings that lined the walls. “Ah.” Came her response. They’d run out of things to talk about, and continued down in silence. Left to his own devices, his thoughts trailed off. I hope I did the math for his arrival right. This better not mess up my sleep schedule. They reached the end of the staircase, shoes landing on the carpeted floor. His pace quickened, and Pixal rushed to keep up. The took a sharp left turn, passing nearly no one except for the occasional guard or servant. A smile began to spread on his face as they reached the dining hall doors. “What are we doing here?” She questioned. “Shortcut.” He answered tersely. “Of course.” She muttered, but he pretended to not hear. The doors creaked open, and, seeing no one inside, he grabbed her hand and practically ran across the room, pulling the stumbling samurai behind him. They reached a life sized carving of a guard, and he turned the tip of the spear. Gears began working in the walls, and the wall opened up into the library. A befuddled ‘What’ can from his friend, but he didn’t answer. Instead he pulled them through the opening, slinking by type statue and closing the wall back up. Again, they ran, this time reaching a genuine, not hidden door. After we hat felt like an eternity, they reached the welcoming hall. He took a moment to collect himself, grinning all the while. This is it. Finally, finally, we can see each other again. No more waiting forever for letter’s, or confusion over grammar, or sending them to the wrong place. Just real, raw, wonderful talking. I’ll get to hear his voice! This has to be perfect. I have to be perfect. It will be perfect. He took a deep breath, and entered the room. Inside, he saw his father, an advisor, two guards in unfamiliar uniforms, and Kai. Their eyes met for a moment, before Kai turned away with a light blush. He knew he was likely blushing as well, but instead strode up and reached his right hand out, the left behind his back. Kai took it in greeting. “Ah, Zane. You’re here! You’ve both met before but, it has been quite a while now hasn’t it?” The king started cheerfully, not noticing how his son looked at their guest. “Yeah. It has.” Kai said softly, fiddling with the cuff on his left hand sleeve. “Don’t, worry. I’ll give you a tour, and show you to your room. Things have changed a bit since I-we last saw you, but I’m sure you’ll adjust.” Zane told the shorter boy. “I’d like that. I’d like that very much.” Things were going to be just fine. Perfect, if you will.
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Nya was stuck. In a waiting room. Or was it a welcome room? Whatever. She was stuck with Skylor, one guard she didn’t know, and her thoughts. Fantastic. The Ice King had swept out of the room, with a guard following. a suffocating silence filled the room. She thought back to earlier, when Kai had still been in the room. He’d been absolutely flustered, when the prince had walked in. The king didn’t seem the even notice the way the two boys had interacted. She stifled a chuckle under a light cough. Skylor turned, concerned. “You good?” She whispered. Well, it wasn’t really a whisper, considering how sound seemed to bounce of the vaulted ceilings. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” She answered in reassurance. Skylor wasn’t totally convinced, her brows were still furrowed. She seemed to accept it anyway, and turned back to her original standing position. Normally, she could tell Skylor what she was thinking. But she can’t, because A) There was a stranger in the room, and B) Skylor didn’t know about Kai and Zane. That was his name, right? Zane? The doors swung open, and a begrudged man with a list walked in, drawing their attention. “Ronin. Pleasure to have you.” The strangers voice wafted into her ears. “What’ve you got there?” She inquired. Ronin glanced down, eyes heavy. “Just their sleeping arrangements.” He said with a shrug in Nya’s general direction. He began walking out, then turned and waved form them to follow. They walked in a steady pace. She admired the sheer magnificence of the place. They ducked into a side corridor, and reached a stop at a small, out of the way door, that was nearly flush with the wall. Strange-girl-that-felt-familiar opened the door. She held her hand out. “Ronin. The papers please.” She said with a tinge of annoyance in her voice. Do I know that voice? “Hhm? Oh, right. Here you go.” He lazily held out the sheets, and she took them. The girl motioned for them to follow her, and as they did there was a jarring slam as the door swung shut. They descended down, and Nya took her helmet off. “Nya! You can’t do that!” Skylor hissed at her. She quirked and eyebrow. “We’re literally underground. nobodies going to care!” She hissed back. A small huff came from her friend. “She’s right you know. Everyone takes of their helmets when we go down here.” Familiar girl said. Nya grinned up at Skylor with an I told you so look on her face. She looked forward again, and noticed mystery girls silvery hair. Where have I seen that before? They continued down, Nya struggling to recall where she’d seen hair like that before. They reached the end of the narrow stairwell, boots making soft taps on the floor. Silverhaired girl seemed to be quite popular, considering how many people waved to her. “Alright, Skylor is it?” She pointed at Skylor. The redhead nodded. “Great! This is your quarter. You’ll have to share, is that okay?” She asked. “Yeah that’s alright.” She said stiffly. Silverhaired girl smiled. Do I recognize that smile? Skylor was handed a key, and she walked in. “Hey, my stuffs already here! Nice.” Skylor waved goodbye, and Nya walked on with the cute girl. Cute? I guess she is pretty cute.. Her thoughts were cut short when they arrived at another dorm. “So, who do I get to share with?” Nya questioned. The other girl snorted. “You get the best one,” She said a smile on her face. Nice. “Me!” She exclaimed. Oh.This is definitely a development. The other girl pulled a key out, and gave it to Nya. She opened the door, and cute girl followed. “Voila. Welcome to your new temporary room. I’m your roommate, Pixal.” Pixal said, and she stuck out her hand. Nya shook it, before registering the girls name. Oh crap. “You might remember me, we went to the same school together for a while.” Pixal grinned at her. Nya could feel her face turning red. She sputtered for a moment, before managing to articulate a sentence. “Yeah. Yeah I do. Weren’t you kicked out?” She said. No! Don’t bring that up! “Yep! That was me, and don’t worry about bringing it up, it’s all in the past now.” Saved, by cute Pixal. Wait why do I think she’s cute still? Didn’t I get over her? A hand waved in front of her face, startling her. “Come on, I’ll help you get unpacked.” Pixal said warmly, grabbing Nya’s hand and pulling her in.
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Hey. I know I haven’t been posting on this, and I’m really sorry about that. I’m currently dealing with some identity issues, and it’s taken a toll on my mental health. Because of this, this work will be going on hiatus. This doesn’t mean. I don’t care about you, I really do. I just don’t have the strength to write currently. I hope that your day or night is going well, wherever you are. -Magpie