~Prologue~

With the tip of his fingers, Hyukjae lifted the navy-blue velvet curtain, just enough to be able to peek out of the horse-drawn coach he was currently seated in. He nearly heaved another sigh at the view displayed before him.

The sky was dark, heavy with grey clouds, and rain was pouring outside of the coach, making the ground muddy and slippery. The woods around them looked gloomy and threatening, black trees covered with brooding shadows and fleeting mist crawling between their gnarled roots. The air was cold and wet, smelling like pines and dirt, and the silence of the forest was only disrupted by the sounds of wheels creaking and horses snorting.

“We will reach the castle before the end of the day, My Prince”, Namsoo suddenly spoke, his gravelly voice breaking the silence inside the coach.

The old knight was sitting in front of Hyukjae and his piercing gaze was set upon the young man. He was all wrinkled and not very tall, but he had broad shoulders and muscular arms which made him look strong. His face always carried a stern and slightly wary expression whenever he eyed Hyukjae, and the young man just knew the knight despised him. He hadn’t been very talkative since the start of their journey, only opening his mouth once in a while to grumble brief comments and snap orders, to which Hyukjae never replied.

The young prince didn’t make a gesture to acknowledge the elder’s words. His face remained expressionless and his lips tightly sealed, while he gazed at the gloomy landscapes outside of the coach. He knew the elder man was expecting a reaction, but he showed none. Because of his status and his upbringing, he had learned to hide his emotions and never show any sign of weakness.

The Prince Hyukjae was the only son of King Minjae, and therefore the next heir to the throne. His grand-father Junhyun, father of Hyukjae’s mother, had ruled the lands of Han’s Kingdom for more than fifty years. He had been a tough and fierce king, fighting off whoever tried to steal his kingdom and his throne. He was known to be a cold and ruthless soul and it wasn’t too surprising that no one had cried his death when the old man had passed away due to a bad fever, a few weeks ago. Minjae had replaced him on the throne and been proclaimed the new king.

Hyukjae hadn’t known about his grand-father’s death until Namsoo had unexpectedly showed up at the Prince’s recluse mansion, hidden somewhere deep into the Black Mountains. The soldier had brought the news of the King’s passing to the young prince and told him he had been sent to get him out of his exile. Despite his reluctance, Hyukjae had had no choices but to follow the noble knight back to the Royal Castle, located in the Southern part of the realm, between the Chrystal Lakes and the Misty Marshes.

This was a whole new situation for Hyukjae, who hadn’t met with his family ever since he was a boy. He had been exiled at a young age by his grand-father the King, when they had found out about the child’s powers.

Hyukjae was only four years old when his powers awakened. Everyone was impressed when they found out he was gifted with the Magic of Ice. He could master it just like he could breath, from freezing waters to creating snowflakes. The magic flowed inside his veins, mixing with his blood and running through each and every cell of his body.

According to history, it happened once in a while that a member of the Royal bloodline was born with these kinds of powers. It used to be commonly said that the ones gifted with magic were fated to become great and powerful kings. It also used to be considered as a precious and valuable blessing from the gods, and the magicians were honoured for it.

From what Hyukjae knew, everything had changed when Junjin, the brother of Hyukjae’s grand-father and Master of Fire, had gone mad with grief after his spouse’s death. His powers had gone out of control and the man had nearly burned the whole Kingdom in his desperation.

Junjin had been killed and his power tamed, but people began to fear the magicians. So, a few years later, when Hyukjae was revealed to be an Ice Magician, the King Junhyun had decided to keep his grand-son out of the Royal family. He wanted to ensure that the boy’s powers wouldn’t cause any damages. And, just like that, Hyukjae had been taken away at the age of five and brought somewhere into the countryside, in the Northern Lands, where he grew up in exile.

But with his grand-father’s death, it seemed like Hyukjae wasn’t completely unwanted anymore. The new King had sent Namsoo and about a dozen soldiers to bring his son back to the Royal city. The young man wanted to believe his father’s motives were good and caring, but something within himself told him it wasn’t. He had been despised and rejected for too long to believe in such fantasies anymore, and he had a bad feeling about this. His instincts screamed for danger.

The journey had been long and exhausting, and the road was annoyingly full of bumps that were starting to play with Hyukjae’s nerves. He had initially wished the trip would be fast but now, as they were approaching the Royal city, Hyukjae could feel his guts twisting nervously.

They had left about seven days ago and Namsoo would only let them take a few breaks - not that Hyukjae could enjoy any of the short stops they made, because the knight barely let him get off the coach, and when he did, Hyukjae had no less than three soldiers following him everywhere. For a man used to solitude and isolation, the constant presence of these men around him felt suffocating.

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