Touched by frost, born in Winter’s longest months

Blue lips, frozen tongue.

First son, cursed by Ice’s frozen touch’

Till Love’s final brush

 

“Do you truly believe in that crazy prophecy Yifan?”  Yixing laughs at the look on his best friend’s face.

They are at the town’s only storyteller. The storyteller had been telling them the story of two sisters, one cursed with powers to control the ice and snow. At the end of the story, the storyteller had turned and looked directly them.

Yifan nods, wide-eyed as his friend drags him off.

Yixing shakes his head at his best friend’s naivety and pulls on the taller boy’s arm.

“C’mon. It’s so cold. Let’s go get some hot chocolate!!!”

 

“It could totally be possible you know, we are both the first sons of our families and we’re both born in winters months.”

Yifan muses to his friend as they hurry back towards the palace rising magnificently in the distance, clutching their cups of hot chocolate to them.

 

Yixing rolls his eyes.

 

“It’s just a story Yifan. Besides, it wouldn’t be you. You’re an only child.”

 

Yifan nods his head quietly and the story is forgotten as he follows his friend into the warmth of the palace.

 

10 years later.

 

A scream echoes through the palace and Yifan starts from his comfortable reading spot.

He rises and sprints in the direction of the scream, certain that it was Yixing screaming. He assumes that Yixing has seen a bug and just needs help killing it.

What he does not expect however, is to see Yixing’s room entirely covered in frost, in the middle of summer.

Yixing himself is cowering in the corner of the room, trembling.

 

“Hey now. What happened?” Yifan steps towards him, speaking soothingly.

Yixing lets out a shrill scream.

“Stay away from me.”

Yifan blinks and stops.

Yixing’s parents arrive at the scene along with his younger brother, Baekhyun.

Yixing buries his face into his hands, too afraid to face his parents.

The king and queen exchange looks and the queen scoops Baekhyun into her arms and s him at Yifan.

 

“Take him out of here.”

 

Yixing stays in his corner as he watches his best friend shoot him a confused look before leaving with his younger brother.

 

The king crouches in front of his son and pulls a pair of gloves from his pocket.

“This will help.”

Yixing stares at his parents in despair.

 

“You knew about this?!” He yells, pulling away when his father tries to help him put on the gloves.

 

His parents look at him with a saddened expression.

Yixing’s face crumples.

 

“Why? Why me?” He sobs.

 

His mother cradles him close to her bosom.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. I’m so sorry.”

 

A week later.

 

Yixing is sitting at his parents’ feet playing with his brother when the messenger bursts in.

 

“Your Majesties!! There has been a prophecy.” Here, the man spares a glance at the seventeen year old prince sitting on the dais.

 

The queen pales and grips her husband’s arm with a look of worry.

 

“Speak.” The king is a man of few words.

 

 

Touched by snow, cursed by ice.

He who causes.

Frozen wasteland pays the price.

Eldest son, kiss of life.

 

Yixing freezes and releases his brother’s hand to hide his gloved hands in his jacket pockets.

Yifan frowns and sits up from the fireplace where he had been reading.

The queen exhales and glances at the king.

 

“What do the others say?”

 

The king asks passively.

 

The man glances at the prince before raising his head.

 

“They say the prince is the prophecy. That he has been cursed. And he should be…” Here he inhales.

“EXILED from the kingdom.”

 

Yifan gasps and rises to his feet, hand on his sword.

 

However, one look from the king and he lowers his hand.

 

“You wish to say something Yifan?” The king inquires, looking directly at him.

“What proof do you have? The prince has done nothing and you wish exile him because of a prophecy?” The words burst out of him before he can stop them.

The man levels a glare at him.

 

“Our most reliable sources say that the prince has the curse. A curse that could destroy our kingdom you imbecile. Forgive me when I say that we should take no chances.”

 

Yifan feels rage bubble within him and reaches for his sword again.

 

“Enough.”

 

The king’s even voice cuts through the tension in the room.

Both men turn to face him.

 

“Yifan is right when he says that you have no proof that my son has the curse. However, we will keep an eye on him and take the necessary actions should he ever develop signs of the curse.”

 

Yixing lowers his head and little Baekhyun crawls into his lap.

The man bows and flashes a death glare at Yifan and leaves the hall.

 

“Since when do you start wearing gloves in the middle of summer, Xing?” Yifan teases as the two of them wander into the palace’s library, their favourite haunt.

 

Yixing stiffens and smiles weakly.

“Developed sensitive skin.”

 

Yifan blinks a little but lets it slide.

 

They spend their afternoon reading and discussing books, never bringing up the subject of the prophecy.

 

A year passes before any mention of the prophecy is brought up again.

 

Word has spread fast that the eldest son of Arendelle has a winter’s curse and many of their allies were suspicious and adamant on cutting ties or declaring war.

The king and queen are kept busy traveling from place to place, trying to placate their neighbours.

 

Two days before they are due to leave for yet another meeting, Yixing loses control.

 

“Hyung. Let’s play outside!! The snow is so pretty!”  Baekhyun drags his brother out into the fresh snow and Yifan follows behind them, smiling at the boy’s enthusiasm.  

Yixing grins half-heartedly as his brother builds a snowman.

 

They have a snowball fight before Baekhyun starts complaining of being cold.

 

“Don’t you want to go inside? It’s all toasty and warm inside and there’s hot chocolate.” Yixing murmurs, smoothing his brother’s bangs from his forehead.

 

“No!”

Baekhyun shakes his head resolutely and clings onto his brother.

Yifan smiles fondly at the pair when Yixing glances up at him for help.

 

“I’ll go and get us some hot chocolate. How’s that sound buddy?” He ruffles Baekhyun’s hair and the boy squeals.

 

When he is out of sight, Yixing grins at his brother.

 

“Wanna see something cool?”

Baekhyun looks on, wide eyed as Yixing pulls off his gloves and waves his hands.

Little snowflakes dance on his fingertips and when he concentrates, snow comes flowing full force from his fingers.

Baekhyun claps his hands in delight when Yixing makes a snowflake dance on his nose.

 

“You want a ride?”  Yixing raises his hands and ice rises from the snowy ground to form a slide, complete with steps.

Baekhyun giggles as he scrambles up the slide, with his brother supporting him.

 

“Weeee!!” He gasps as he flies down the ice. With a burst of speed, he flies off the slide and a puff of snow appears beneath him to soften his landing.

 

“Do that again!!” He cheers, jumping off the snow pile and Yixing creates another before he hits the ground.

Yixing laughs and the snow piles get taller as Baekhyun jumps off.

Baekhyun jumps faster and faster, caught up in the moment.

Yixing starts having trouble catching up as his snow piles get taller and taller.

 

“Wait, slow down Baek!!” He calls, desperately trying to keep up.

 

Baekhyun does not hear him as he leaps off the highest snow pile, sure that he would be met with a pile of fluffy snow.

Yixing panics when he sees his brother free falling towards the cold hard ground with no snow to cushion him.

“Baekhyun!!!” He cries as he throws out his hands, desperate to stop his brother.

 

A bolt of ice explodes from his hands, striking Baekhyun’s head.

“Uh.”

Baekhyun flops onto the ground, unconscious.

 

“BAEK!!” Yixing runs to his brother’s side and pulls him close.

 

“Baek, no. No, no, no!” Yixing cries when he sees the frost spreading onto his brother’s dark brown hair.

 

Frost climbs up along his brother’s arms where his bare hands are touching him and Yixing pulls away, frightened.

 

He snatches up his gloves and tugs them on just as Yifan comes into view.

 

“What happened?!” Yifan gasps when he sees Baekhyun lying motionless in his brother’s arms.

Yixing sobs.

 

“Get...get mother.”

 

Yifan runs.

 

The king scoops his son into his arms and wraps him in a thick blanket.

 

“Saddle three horses Yifan. Be quick!!”

Yixing is full on crying, wrapped in his mother’s arms.

 

“I…I didn’t mean to…”

 

The three of them ride hard into the mountains, where the hardy pine trees remain green.

The king seems to know exactly where he is going, his youngest son clutched tightly in his arms.

 

They arrive in a dark clearing where the king dismounts, gesturing for Yixing to follow.

The queen holds her eldest son close to her as they step into the center of the clearing.

 

“Hello?”

The king calls, tightening his grip on his son. In his grip, Baekhyun shivers.

A sharp blue glow illuminates the dark clearing, nearly blinding all of them.

 

Removing his hands from his face, Yixing stares at the source of the glow.

A tiny figure floats in the air in front of them.

As Yixing watches in awe, the figure lengthens and shifts.

 

With a final burst of light, the figure reaches human size.

 

Or not so much.

Yixing thinks wryly. He is pretty sure that the man standing in front of him is as tall as Yifan and Yifan is tall.

 

The giant stands in the snow in only a T-shirt and jeans, while the royal family is wrapped up in warm furs and are still shivering in the snow.

 

“What’s the problem?”

 

The giant grins at them cheerily, bright orange hair puffing around his head in tight crazy curls.

 

The king holds out his son in answer.

 

“Oh, is this your son? He’s cute!”

The giant takes Baekhyun into his arms with an even bigger grin.

 

“Oh no.” The giant sees the frost climbing up the dark brown hair and pouts.

 

He brushes a hand over the frost and to Yixing’s amazement, the frost melts.

The giant rests his hand against Baekhyun’s forehead tenderly and his breathing evens out.

 

“Be more careful next time.” The giant chides, brown eyes fixed on Yixing.

He starts to hand Baekhyun to Yixing but he backs away quickly, holding out his hands.

 

“What did you do?”

The king asks quietly, taking his son.

 

“I removed his memories of his brother’s curse.”

The giant looks unusually serious.

 

“You must be more careful about your power next time, young prince. If you had frozen his heart, even I can do nothing to reverse it. You must learn to control that curse and not let it rule you.”

 

Yixing nods, curling closer to his mother when the giant moves closer.

 

“And I’m Chanyeol.” The giant grins.

“Be seeing you.”  He waves and with a bright flash of light, vanishes.

 

Two days later,

 

Yifan stands at the base of the grand staircase watching as Yixing greets his parents goodbye.

 

The queen leans up to press a kiss on her son’s forehead and leans closer to whisper:

“Remember. Conceal, don’t feel.”

 

Yixing nods and wraps his arms around her tightly.

 

“Please be safe.”

 

After his parents had left, Yixing darts around Yifan as he reaches for him to try and escape his interrogation. He breaks into a run for his room, his heart thudding painfully in his chest.

“Will you stop running!!”

Yifan curls his fingers around Yixing’s wrist and hangs tight. He swings Yixing around and presses him up against the wall next to his door.

 

“Let go!!”

Yixing yelps when Yifan’s grab nearly tears off his glove.

 

Yifan ignores his protests and moves even closer, his chest bumping into Yixing’s until they are nearly nose to nose.

 

Yixing tries to ignore the sudden erratic beating of his heart at the sound of Yifan’s deep voice in his ear.

 

“Why are you avoiding me? I’m your best friend and you’re not telling me anything.”

Yifan whispers, hurt lacing his words.

 

“You wouldn’t understand.”

With those words, Yixing yanks his hand free from Yifan’s grasp and pushes him away, hands on his chest, ignoring the stab at his heart at the look of hurt on Yifan’s face.

 

“Yixing wait!!”

The door slams close in his face and Yifan sighs.

 

2 weeks later.

“The ship sank. There was a storm and no one on board survived. I’m sorry.”

The messenger bows his head and Yifan stands in the Great Hall, stunned with Baekhyun in his arms.

Baekhyun starts to bawl and Yifan cuddles him close.

 

The king and queen dead, his best friend ignoring him.

Yifan manages to get Baekhyun to bed, with tear stained cheeks.

 

He wanders up to Yixing’s door with a heavy heart and sinks down into a sitting position, hugging his knees to his chest.

 

“Xing?” He whispers hopefully when he hears something rustle from behind the door.

 

However, the door remains firmly shut.

 

A tear trickles down his face and he buries his face into his knees.

“What are we going to do?”