Morning came a little later than usual that day.

As Junmyeon walked along the hall on his way back to his chamber, the firstborn prince thought maybe the Moon still wanted to check how Kyungsoo was doing, even after the Trolls removed the ice from his head and assured them that the youngest prince was now okay. Maybe the Moon wanted to be sure if his baby brother was really okay now, before the sun replaced him to watch over them. Junmyeon silently thanked the Moon for its concern as he glanced through the window of his chamber glazed with moonlight, trying to look everywhere but to the direction of Kyungsoo's former bed.

The King's plan to seek for help from the Trolls in the deepest of the woods worked out. But Junmyeon wasn't sure if he was really glad with the fact.

The younger prince was safe, even though the remnants of Junmyeon's magic was still there—the white single streak on Kyungsoo's hair wouldn't come off. The old Troll (Junmyeon heard his father called it Grandpabbie or something, and he sounded like an old man) removed the memories of Junmyeon's ice powers from Kyungsoo's head, and replaced them with mere images of them having fun in some winter days—the said only way possible to safe the doe-eyed prince. Siwon had assured him that it was for the best, and he immediately agreed with his father, as it was for his beloved brother. But what the old Troll told him next was something he didn't expect nor want to hear.

Junmyeon's powers might be beautiful, but it was also very dangerous. He had to learn how to control it with his heart, or else...

Junmyeon closed his eyes. He didn't want to recall any moment from the night. The young prince pulled the blanket up to his head, even though he never felt that cold in his whole life.

It wasn't the weather, he noticed. It was the emptiness caused by Kyungsoo being moved out of the room by his parents, making a big hole in his chest. The prince willed himself to sleep, and soon the fatigue took over the young being into the dreamland. A dream filled with his last playtime with Kyungsoo. The fun, the laughters, and the smiles they shared. The last smile he probably would get from his baby brother.

Unbeknownst by Junmyeon, the floor around his bed froze with every breath he took.

-----------------

Wide, round eyes opened themselves as the morning sunlight hit those eyelids hiding them through the night. Kyungsoo yawned, looking at his surroundings. He wasn't in his room, but all of his stuffs, such as stuffed toys, story books, toy swords, and his favorite pillows were there, all situated as if it was to be his new room. The young prince frowned. He couldn't find any of his brother's belongings.

That's weird, Kyungsoo pondered in his head. He was pretty sure his mother once said that the brothers would had to separate room someday, when Junmyeon turned ten. Wasn't he only seven now? The toddler jumped out of the bed, just in time as the door being opened by Queen Taeyeon, who greeted with what looked like a mixture of relief and sadness concealed with a thin smile.

"Good morning, Mother!" Kyungsoo chirped out as his little legs took him closer to his mom. Taeyeon felt like she was going to cry, but she held it back and returned the greeting. Just last night, her youngest son was unconscious with his body as cold as an ice, his life in danger. Seeing Kyungsoo jump into her arms was like a miracle. She was glad that Kyungsoo was not bothered with his new room—

"Mother," the younger prince tugged on Taeyeon's dress. "Where's Junmyeon-hyung?"

Maybe he was.

The Queen took a deep breath, taking her son back onto his new bed. "Kyungsoo-yah," Taeyeon started, sitting beside Kyungsoo. She never thought it'd be this hard when she and Siwon talked about this with Junmyeon (though the older prince only answered with a hesitant nod). And Kyungsoo's wide, curious eyes looking back straight into her uncertain ones were not making anything easier. "Your hyung won't be in the same chamber with you anymore."

"What? Why?" Now those eyes looked confused and disappointed, and The Queen felt like the worst mother ever existed in the entire kingdom.

"He just can't, Sweetheart." Taeyeon's voice quivered, and she hoped that Kyungsoo wouldn't question anything else about Junmyeon. This was the first time The Queen ever lied to any of her sons. What else she could say? She was not supposed to tell Kyungsoo what happened—or their jorney to the woods last night would be in vain. She forced a smile, then clapped her hands to cheer the mood.

"I came here to tell you that breakfast is ready. Come on, your father is waiting." She pulled on Kyungsoo's hand and tried her best to look as cheerful as she could manage, though Kyungsoo only responded with a dejected nod when his mom unusually started helping him getting changed instead of having the maids do that for her son. He only followed the woman to the dining room silently, no words exchanged. Taeyeon, as heartbroken as she was at the sight of her son being so upset, kept herself quiet for now.

Kyungsoo bit his lower lip, willing himself not to ask more question because his parents somehow looked so overworked. Why so sudden? What on earth actually happened to Junmyeon when he was asleep? He did remember asking his brother to play last night, but that was all he could recall. Everything seemed to grow dark after that, and there was also this funny image in his head about him being kissed on the forehead by a troll.

Even at the large dining room, he couldn't find his brother. Before he could ask why didn't they invite Junmyeon for breakfast, a maid walked past him and his mother, pushing a cart full of Junmyeon's favorite food, possibly bringing them all for his brother. Kyungsoo couldn't believe his eyes.

"Father." Siwon visibly stiffed under the young prince's stare. "Why isn't Junmyeon-hyung eating here with us?"

The King put his fork down, his eyebrows furrowed. He knew this question would come out of Kyungsoo. He'd been thinking about how to answer to his youngest son, but even the usually confident king couldn't bring himself to answer.

"He just can't, Kyungsoo." Siwon smiled reassuringly at Kyungsoo. He could feel his wife's worried stare at him. "Now eat your breakfast or it'll get—"

"But why?" Kyungsoo had been a very curious boy. He'd ask anything he didn't understand until he could get the answer he wanted. "Did he do something bad? I remember you tell me to 'go to my room' if I do something bad. What did hyung do?" The young prince's big eyes stared at his parents. "Or did you lock him up—"

"Kyungsoo." The owner of the name immediately shut himself up hearing his father's stern voice. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. All you need to know is that we're doing this for your own good. Both of you."

Kyungsoo looked down at his food. So he couldn't share the tasty strawberry jam sandwich with his brother anymore? And hot chocolates? What if the winter came? But the young prince knew enough to keep his thoughts to himself. He was going to be alone for Heavens know how long.

"Anyway," Siwon tried to change the topic, though Kyungsoo only looked up at him with a small frown. "One of our ministers will have a baby. When the baby is older, he or she will be your playmate."

The young prince only sighed. He knew that the minister his father was talking about was the one who always cooed over the two princes—such a kind-hearted man whom Kyungsoo was sure that his son or daughter would be as kind as their parents. But he didn't want another playmate. He only wanted Junmyeon.

----------------

Kyungsoo felt like his feet was rooted to the floor.

He was standing in front of the room he used to own with his brother. The door was closed, and usually, it was their playtime. Kyungsoo knocked on the door carefully, as if it might break.

"Who is it?" Came a curt reply from the other side of the door. Kyungsoo beamed hearing his brother's voice. It felt like it had been forever since the last time he had got to hear Junmyeon's voice, despite the slightly cold tone the older prince was using. Maybe he just woke up, Kyungsoo reasoned inside his head.

"Hyung, it's me!" Kyungsoo nearly squealed, while behind the door, Junmyeon froze, and so with the floor around him. He held the urge to open the door and hug his brother, afraid that just the slightest touch could put his brother in danger again. He had promised his father to stay away from Kyungsoo to keep him safe, and it only had been a few hours.

"You're not supposed to be here." Junmyeon cursed himself for being rude to his only brother, and he could already imagine the crestfallen look on Kyungsoo's face. He gulped, feeling a slight pang in his heart as Kyungsoo replied with a short, disappointed, "oh".

"But, hyung," Kyungsoo tried again, and it didn't make anything easier for Junmyeon. "Aren't you bored in there, alone? Let's go out and play!"

"No." The older prince replied a little too quickly, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. "Go away, Kyungsoo. I don't want you here."

Silence filled the empty hallway, and Junmyeon swore he heard his brother sobbed out there. but before he could ask Kyungsoo to leave once again, a series of hurried footsteps belonged to Kyungsoo echoed through the hallway.

Junmyeon hugged himself, his eyes closed to hold back the tears he'd been holding since last night. It's okay, Junmyeon, he assured himself. He reclled his father's words: it was for their own good.

But right now, Junmyeon didn't feel good at all. Not even close.

As he finally let his tears roll down his face, the room got colder by the seconds.

Kris slowly opened his eyes as the morning sunlight hit him on the face. The blonde boy looked to his side, and as usual, his brother was still asleep beside him. Kris Luhan's hair before walking out of the small cave—the place he could call home since his first encounter with the trolls.

Kris and Luhan were brothers, but thay had different moms. Kris' mom had died after giving birth to the blonde kid, and his father married another woman when he was three. The woman who gave him a brother. Kris couldn't be happier, since he had never met his biological mother. Sadly, the newlywed couple died when he was about to turn nine. They were going out of town to get a present for his birthday, but a huge storm blew their carriage off of the cliff one night. Since then, the two brothers wandered from town to town, doing any job they could do. Most people only paid the boys with food, but as Kris grew older and realized that they needed money, he demanded them to pay him in cash.

Last night, Kris and Luhan were on their way back to some nearby village where they'd been staying in for a few months. They worked as ice sellers this time. When Luhan found the mysterious ice trail, they rode their sled with their pet white alpaca pulling them, following the beautiful icy trace that led them deep into the forest. In there, Kris and Luhan witnessed an old Troll curing a beautiful faced boy who was held by his mother. Kris couldn't tear his eyes off of the boy until the man—the trolls called him "My King"—said his gratitude and left. As the family walked away the brothers were suddenly squished by another Troll, who called them cute and decided that the boys should stay with them without waiting for some kind of a confirmation from any of the boys.

Not that they would refuse an offer to have a home anyway.

Kris dragged a bag of carrots from beside Luhan's bed (which only consisted of straws and his sling bag) and fed his alpaca when Luhan woke up. Kris smiled at his brother. "Morning, Lu."

"Morning, ge." The brunette yawned, smiling back at his brother. "Are we going back to the village today?"

"Yeah, we still have work to do." Kris took a bite of his alpaca's carrot, and the white animal nudged him with its nose. "Hop in, Luhan."

-----------------

They rode to the village. But Kris didn't seem to focus on the road. Luhan, noticing his brother was in a trance, poked his arm. "What are you thinking, Kris-ge?"

"Nothing." Such a poor lie. Luhan chuckled. "What?" Kris shot back. He didn't like it that his brother could see right through him. He thought it was an ability only his late father had, but apparently, he was wrong.

"Nothing." Now Luhan could sass him back. Kris clicked his tongue. Maybe he really had to be honest. After all, neither of them had any friend other than the trolls. They relied on each other. Kris gave up.

"Do you remember the boy Grandpabbie cured?" Luhan nodded, so Kris continued with a dreamy sigh, "I was just wondering who he is."

"Didn't you hear the trolls called his father The King?" The younger but smarter boy, grabbing his brother's full attention. "That means he's the prince, right? I don't know for sure, though. Never met them." Luhan shrugged. "What's with that kid?"

"Noth—"

"Don't 'nothing' me like that. You at lying." Kris slightly blushed as his brother smirked knowingly. "Do you like him? The prince?"

"You're stupid. Of course not." Kris scoffed, but the blood had rushed up to his ears. "I don't even know him. And w-what would a prince do if a peasant like me—" he corrected himself, "like us, had a crush on him? Maybe he'd make a joke on us." Luhan only smiled. The small boy was only six, but Luhan was smarter than the kids his age. Sometimes, even smarter than his nine year old brother. He could count the coins they got from their jobs faster than his brother, and he paid more attention on everything in details.

"So you do have a crush on the prince!" Kris garbled out a protest, but before he could turn to his brother, Luhan had jumped off of their sled and ran to the village—he didn't even realized that they were there already. Kris messed his hair up, but a blush was prominent on his face.

He was not wrong, was he? Kris huffed as he got out of his sled.

There was no way a prince as beautiful as that boy would notice an orphan like him.

Tao floated through the morning sky. He didn't sleep—he doubted that he'd even need any, since he was a spirit—and flew to where he believed he lived before. He still remembered that face and voices of his family: a dad, a mom, and an older sister. He did remember being such a good boy who loved playing in snowy days. He learned some ancient martial arts from his dad twice in a week. He had always protected his sister from older guys who had a crush on her, and the rest of his days was filled with playing and fooling around with teenagers his age. His memory was perfect—beside the part when he became a spirit. As the wind took him there, nervousness filled his whole being.

What did his family think about him being a spirit? Did they even know that he was a spirit now? The answer to the latter question was most likely no, so Tao thought maybe his parents thought that he was dead. The spirit of winter gulped.

He didn't want to see his family cry over him. He didn't want to see them building a grave and engrave his name on it. He didn't want to hear their prayers for him to have a perfect life in another realm.

He didn't want to see himself die.

Just when Tao wanted to tell the wind that he changed his mind, the wind unceremoniously dropped Tao right in front of the village's gate. Tao cursed slightly: if he was still a human, he could had been dead falling from such height. He hopped on from one rooftop to another, trying to clear his mind from the anxiety that slowly taking its toll in his head. He tried to remember where his house was, and when he found it, his face froze. The humble, wooden house was just like the one he remembered. But the sight in front of the house made his chest tighten.

In front of it was an old woman crying her eyes out, with a much younger woman hugged her to comfort her. Beside them, a man around his fifties hugged his only family he had now. The other villagers were all heads down in grief. Tao tore his eyes off of the sight.

It was his family. Tao felt his whole body tremble, he gripped his staff hard. Just like his guess, they thought he was dead.

The bright morning sky didn't match the small village's grieve over the now spirit of winter. Some were crying, some were trying to calm the others, while the rest only kept themselves quiet, unsure of what to do. Tao, as hard as it was for him, jumped from the rooftop and he was now standing right in front of his family.

"Mom," he called out to his mother, even reached his hands out to embrace her. But just like any others, she couldn't hear him, and his hands went through her. He could hear his mother whispered between her sobs.

"This is all my fault. I-I made him go to the woods, even when he said he didn't want to..." Tao shook his head. He'd never blame his mother for his own death. He called out to his parents, to her sister and the villagers—anyone who could see him. But no one turned his way, just like the first time he had met other humans in the previous village.

"We're so sorry, ma'am." One of the kids—Tao recognized him as Jongdae, his best friend—tried to talk to Tao's mother with tears streaming down his face. "We couldn't find the body. All that we found was his robe and a hole in the frozen lake—"

"No." Tao covered his ears. He had heard enough. He didn't want those images of him falling into a lake and froze to death in his head, but the more he saw his parents, the more vivid the images became. "Stop! Stop it!" Tao was now shouting out to no one, blocking the voices that telltaled his death to the whole village. He felt the huge need to remind himself that he wasn't dead, or he might break down any second.

"I'm not dead! I'm right here!"

As he screamed, a blast of snow shot up to the sky from his staff, and snow was falling upon the village in grieve. People were stunned at the snow that suddenly appeared, especially Tao's family, while Tao himself was trying to calm himself down. Jongdae looked up to the sky, and he smiled sadly between his tears.

"If Tao could see this, he must had been jumping up and down by now."

But Tao didn't get to hear it. He escaped the village faster than the wind.

-----------------

"Why do I have to do this?!" Tao swung his staff, freezing a few trees in an instant. It was in the midnight when Tao finally stopped running away from his village. But he was not yet calm. He glared up angrily at the Moon who shone its sickeningly beautiful light through the dark night. Tao pointed at the fullmoon with his staff.

"If you had planned to put someone in my position as the bloody spirit of winter, pick someone who has no one to be left behind!" No answer. But the moonlight told Tao otherwise. Tao still couldn't understand. Why did the moon bring him back to life only to make him a spirit that no one could see?

"What should I do now?" The spirit hugged his knees. Just as he was about to try sleeping, he heard that voice; the voice that came from the Moon. He looked up, depending his last hope to the calming voice.

They can see you, the Moon said into his head. They can see you if they believe you are there with them.

"How am I supposed to make them believe? They can't even see me." Tao inquired.

Use your powers. Make them believe that Jack Frost, the spirit of winter, exists. By then, you will find your Center—your purpose for the world.

Tao looked at himself. At last, he thought, something he could do to make people see him. The Moon's voice was no longer audible, but a newly gained confidence surged through him. Tao smiled at himself. He grabbed his staff and flew to the nearest village. The people were all asleep, but Tao didn't mind. He could wait.

He would make them all believe in him.

A/N:

Evening, people!

I'm so sorry for the lack of update. I tried my best to avoid the story being way too similar to Frozen nor Rise of The Guardians, so I made a lot of changes in the storyline. I just checked the number of people who subscribed to this and I can't thank you enough for that. Thank you so much! *throws candies and ice cream for all of you* But still, I would be much happier to hear your opinions about my story. Please do point out my mistakes, since English is not my first language.

As for the characters, I made Tao a little more serious in here. The story on Junmyeon's part will get a bit darker, and I still want to torture little Kyungsoo a little bit more (geez, I'm such a sadist). And please pay attention to the minister's baby. She/he will have her/his own part in the story.

Well, I gotta go catch Game of Thrones now. Don't forget to leave your opinion down there. See ya!

theworstisnotbehind

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