❄  The first snow  ❄

Minseok pouts, rolling around on his carpet, bored.

He’s grounded.

Elsa had obviously been upset with his demands for visiting Jongdae for his birthday.

He wished Jongdae would send him another letter, even if it’s the middle of the week.

He sits up, waddling forwards on his knees to his desk, pulling open the middle drawer.

With nothing much to do and missing Jongdae’s company, he pulls out the stack of letters Jongdae had sent him ever since they first knew each other—starting a few days after the boy had somehow climbed his way into Minseok’s room through the window in the middle of a storm.

He fishes out the first ever letter, fingers daintily wrapped around the paper as if gripping it any harder would shatter it, eyes lingering on Jongdae’s pretty handwriting.

To: Prince Minseok, it reads.

Minseok smiles—Jongdae only uses that for the front cover.

Because indeed, upon opening the worn envelope (he re-reads it a little too often to be considered normal), the first line is: Hey Minseok!

This is Jongdae, if you haven’t noticed XD How are you? I bet you find that ridiculous, saying something along the lines of how we just hung out last night, but it’s basic mannerism, alright?

I hope this letter has gotten to you with not much trouble, and you should prepare a box, because they ain’t gonna stop coming~ I trust you won’t throw them in the fire… riiiight? ;-;

Sorry for causing you trouble—sorry about your carpet too .___. Can I come over again? Sorry ><, but I had so much fun! And I’m missing Arendelle already!

Minseok remembers making a face when he first read that line, wondering why on Earth someone living in a place as lovely as Jongdae’s would ever bother with such a boring place like Arendelle.

How’s the weather there? I shall wait for your reply~ If you don’t I’ll bug you until you do!

From, Jongdae.

Minseok folds it back up, reaching out for another past letter Jongdae had sent him.

It was really kind of funny, when Luhan first found out about the letters.

Minseok had been reading yet another one of Jongdae’s letters in his study, smiling to himself. At that time, he had just begun replying to them, seeing how Jongdae really did keep bugging him with those letters. He told his mom he had a pen-pal, which isn’t too far from the truth. She didn’t seem satisfied, to say the least.

In that particular letter Minseok had been reading, Jongdae was kind of re-telling the story he told Minseok before, about his mom and a witch and a great big tower. It’s amazing how they spent so long talking with each other and even when they’re apart, even with pages full of conversation, they never tire of topics to talk about. Minseok had been cooing at the drawing of Pascal Jongdae attached in the letter when Luhan had spoken up.

“What’s so cute?”

Minseok, flustered, had tried hiding it, but with the way Luhan’s arms were crossed with his lips pursed into a thin line, he could tell he wasn’t amused.

Then after Minseok had launched into an overly long-winded tale about him and Jongdae, the frown on Luhan’s face had finally dispersed.

“So you’re telling me you and a guy you met at mom’s party are sending love letters to each other on a weekly basis?”

“They aren’t love letters!” Minseok had exclaimed overly-loudly.

“That’s cute.”

Minseok pouts, sliding his drawer back into its slot under his desk. Luhan was supposed to visit him, considering how he’s grounded and all.

He curses softly under his breath—he wouldn’t even be able to send a reply to Jongdae. Maybe he should write it now, and get Luhan to send it for him when he comes?

Minseok puffs his cheeks. Even so, what would he say? He really doesn’t want to blatantly deny Jongdae… but his mom…

“Did you whinge about that Jongdae-guy’s party again? You know how Auntie Elsa hates travelling and those places.”

“LUHAN!” Minseok shouts, getting up to pull Luhan down onto the carpet with him. “What should I do??”

“Not go?”

Minseok’s bottom lip wobbles. “But I want to go!”

“…Then go?”

“But mom isn’t gonna let me! Plus, what do I even get him??”

“I don’t know—something as a souvenir? Didn’t you mention how he said he didn’t really get to look around Arendelle?”

“Does that mean I’ll have to mail it to him?” Minseok huffs, sniffling. “I can’t give it to him in person?”

Luhan groans. Minseok’s treating him like one of those typical best friends that think up something epic—

“Hold on,” he suddenly says, eyes glinting.

❄

Jongdae sighs, throwing down his knitting needles. He’s that bored. Rapunzel likes knitting—Jongdae learnt very quickly, but is starting to regret not going out into the forest with his black stallion even though winds were bending trees over.

What if Minseok’s reply letter’s lost? Should he send another one just to make sure? Would that make him seem desperate?

“Are you alright dear?”

“Mm,” Jongdae hums but blows a raspberry, resting his chin on the couch, lying on his stomach on it.

“Aren’t you excited for your birthday??” Rapunzel squeals.

“I guess,” Jongdae sighs, looking out the window. He wants Minseok to come, if that isn’t blatantly obvious enough.

He glances towards his petite mother, sitting in her usual light pink armchair with the green chameleon perched on her shoulder.

“Hey mom,” he starts.

“Yeah Jongdae?”

“You know the Prince of Arendelle?”

Rapunzel pauses, blinking. “Yeah…? Something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. Just… I’ve heard people saying that he’s so pale not only because of the ice but because his parents are ‘holding him prisoner’ and all kinds of crazy stuff,” Jongdae fabricated hurriedly.  “So I was wondering if you knew anything? We were invited to Anna’s party last time, so you must know them, right?”

After a long pause, Rapunzel laughs.

“That’s messed up,” she says, before growing quiet again. “I do know them.” Jongdae leans forwards. “Not closely though.”

He desperately wanted to travel over to see Minseok for himself, if he’s okay, why he isn’t replying to his letter…

“How… how do you know them?”

Rapunzel turns to look, slightly wary. “Why’re you curious?”

“Well…” Jongdae pauses, swallowing. “You never talk of them… and… and they’re all the way across the sea, how could you have known them, you know?”

Rapunzel hums. “Well… we used to do trade, I guess,” was all she said for a while. “My parents were not bad with Queen Elsa’s—so when I married your father, my parents sent her parents a friendly invitation to our wedding.”

Jongdae was nodding before it finally clicked.

“Don’t tell me…” he mutters, staring at his mother with widened eyes.

Rapunzel nods. “Mhmm. On their way here, a terrible storm blew them lost at sea. Elsa was then forced to become Queen of Arendelle, and you know the rest of the story.”

Jongdae’s hand’s clasped over his mouth. “But it wasn’t me!” was all he said after a few moments of silence.

“Of course it wasn’t you, you weren’t born then.” Rapunzel sighs.

“Elsa thinks it’s me?” Jongdae mutters, a heavy weight in his chest expanding out to his throat.

“Yeah, unfortunately. There’s a saying that I heard from the locals when we visited Arendelle a while ago, that Elsa’s boy is prohibited to venture out into storms.”

Jongdae’s heart drops.

❄

Luhan is falling asleep.

“Oh yeah there was another time when Jongdae was telling me about how his mother used to have such long hair it could wrap around my room three times! And it was magical too! Luhan? Goddammit Luhan!”

Luhan jolts awake, flashing Minseok a sheepish smile, propping his head up on his arms. “Sorry Minseok. Please continue about your oh-so-fascinating boyfriend.”

Minseok rolls his eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend Luhan! How many times do I have to tell you?”

“You slept with him.”

“Well that—OH MY GOD LUHAN NO I DID NOT.”

“You like him don’t you.”

“No, Luhan.”

“Then spare me the Jongdae rants please. It’s ing 1 AM and you’re still talking about him.”

Minseok pouts and flops down on his bed. “Fine then. Go to sleep.”

“What are you gonna do then?”

“…”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to go through his letters again.”

“I’m not!” Luhan hoped the red on Minseok’s cheeks wasn’t from burrowing under his thick duvet. “I still don’t know what to reply!”

“Then don’t.”

Minseok pouts. “What if he’s waiting for my reply? Oh what am I supposed to do Luhan? I have no idea what to get him! And what the hell am I supposed to wear??”

“Nothing,” Minseok turns to look at him with a raised brow. “Don’t bother wearing anything, and I’ll help you tie a ribbon around your neck—OW!” Luhan whines, kicked off Minseok’s bed. “Whaaaat? He’d like it!”

“LUHAN! LUHAN, NO!” Luhan huffs, climbing back up on Minseok’s bed, but upon finding his best friend curled up in his blankets worrying his bottom lip, he smiles a little, reaching out to play with Minseok’s glittering silver hair.

“Do you want to send him a postcard?”

❄

“Jongdae, honey, please stop pacing! You’re making the weather worse and worse!” Rapunzel worries, eyes fixed outside the window where practically a hurricane’s pounding against the castle walls, the small streams running across the lush country beginning to flood. “If he does send you a letter, it’s going to be lost in this weather!”

Jongdae stops, forcing himself to calm down, but his ears don’t fail to pick up the sound of the howling winds refusing to cease, and agitation creeps up on him again.

“Should I send him another letter?” he asks, glancing towards his mom. Eugene wasn’t in the castle, probably trapped out in the forest when the storm started. They weren’t too worried—it’s just one of Jongdae’s storms, it won’t do too much damage. “Would that make me seem desperate?”

“Why not? Isn’t it just an invitation? If you don’t make sure he’s coming, Jongdae, we won’t know exact numbers and I don’t know if he’s going to be let in the party.”

Jongdae nods. “Alright then.”

Jongdae never received the postcard of a dazzling white, snow-covered forest scape.

❄

Sorry the chapters recently have been mostly fillers

For drawing of Pascal Jongdae sent, see top of page

It's the fourth day of Christmas! :)