Yixing flees to his room, knees buckling beneath him as he falls across the bed, tears streaking across his face. Yifan is dying and it is all his fault. He curls up on the bed and sobs, desperately trying to push the memory of Yifan's hair turning white like Baekhyun's when they were younger. Yifan is going to die.

Jongdae recoils in shock when he sees Yifan staggering towards him, leaning heavily on Baekhyun. His golden hair has streaks of white in it and the sight of it sends chills throughout Jongdae's body. "What happened?!" He gasps as he reaches out to help hold Yifan up. Pain flickers across Yifan's features and he seems to sag a little more. "I pushed him too far." He murmurs sadly. Baekhyun's brows are pulled together in anger as he attempts to straighten Yifan on his shoulder. 

"It is not your fault. Hyung is stubborn and we both should have known better than to approach him when he is like this. But he had no reason to... What's that?" He sees a glint of metal in the distance and fear pools in his stomach. Yifan lifts his head and says numbly. "Soldiers. Our soldiers." 

Zitao smirks in satisfaction as the soldiers assembled in their lines. He is sending them on a mission to retrieve the prince and seize the King, dead or alive. He doubts that the King could hold out against so many men coming at him all at once. Once he has taken down the King, the people will be so grateful to him for eliminating the greatest threat to them that they will want him to be King. At least, it sounds like a good plan in his head. 

"Why are our soldiers on the mountain?" Baekhyun stares in horror as more soldiers pour in, all climbing up towards his brother's ice castle. "It's Yixing, they've come for Yixing." Terror fills Yifan's voice and he tugs himself out of Baekhyun's grip. "We have to warn him!" Pain explodes through him at the sudden movement and he cries out, falling into the snow. "They're getting closer." Jongdae warns, looking back towards the shimmering sea of metal. Yifan drags himself to his feet with Baekhyun's help and makes for the door of ice palace. 

He slams his fists against the door, yelling for Yixing. Up in his bedroom, Yixing stirs, awakened by Yifan's screams. He pulls himself off the bed and hugs his jacket tighter around him as he walks over to the open window. He sees Yifan slamming his fists repeatedly against his door and bites his lip guiltily. He does not notice the wave of soldiers that are heading straight for him. Yifan batters against the door, terror filling him. Why wasn't Yixing opening the door? "Yixing!!" Yixing disappears into his room, drawing the curtains shut once again. 

He does not want to deal with this, with Yifan or anyone. Yifan slumps against the door with a soft sob. The white in his hair much more prominent now. The soldiers swarm the palace in waves. The General slides off his horse and offers it to Baekhyun. "Come Your Highness. It is not safe for you here." Baekhyun stares stoically back at him. "Why are you guys here? Aren't you afraid of him?" The General bows his head in apology. "We cannot allow fear to cloak our lands in winter. The people trust us and depend on us." "Who sent you?" "Zitao did. He saw your horses and thought you were in trouble, Your Highness." Baekhyun grits his teeth and commands. "Stop your men. My brother is harmless. He just wants to be left alone." 

The General shakes his head gently and in one fluid motion scoops Baekhyun off the icy ground and settles him on the horse. Baekhyun yells in protest but the general holds him still. "No can do Your Highness. He must be stopped." With that, the general strikes the horse hard and Baekhyun lurches forward, hands curling into the horse's mane with a startled cry  when the horse breaks into a gallop away from the frenzy. Yifan tries to keep the men away from the palace doors but he is restrained easily. The General himself selects several men and they tiptoe into the ice palace, cross bows and swords at the ready.

Yixing wanders about in his palace idly, mind too distracted to process the noise outside his home. He hears the heavy doors of the palace thud heavily, indicating that someone had entered the palace. He blinks in surprise. Who could it be? He wonders as he steps out of the library and walks towards the staircase overlooking the foyer. The men gathered in the foyer raise their cross bows when they hear the sound of booted feet striking on the floor. A lone figure clothed in blue appears at the top of the staircase and for a moment everything stops.

Yixing stares at the armored men standing in his palace incredulously. What on earth are they doing here? Fear for his own life takes over and he spins around, breaking into a run. "After him!" The general roars and the men sprint up the staircase in hot pursuit of the ice king. Yixing stumbles and pants, sweat beading at the top of his forehead as he runs through the palace, occasionally swinging a hand to create an ice shield to block off hallways.

He ends up in a ballroom with no other exits. The men approach him him with their bows raised and there is a man in every entrance that leads to the ballroom, blocking his escape. "Surrender now, and we won't shoot." The General eyes the frightened man in front of him warily, keeping his bow pointed at him. "Stay away." Yixing warns, holding up his hands. Dark fury swirls in his irises. He is sick of being scared, being cornered and trapped for something he cannot control. 

The General takes a step forward, the bowstring in his hand taut. "Yield." He challenges, and his men all take a step towards Yixing. Yixing holds out his hands. "I said stay away." He growls low in his chest. "I don't want to hurt anyone, so don't make me want to." The arrow explodes from the bowstring and an ice spike shoots straight out of the ground, shielding Yixing. He drops his hands, eyes dark with fury. "I warned you." He whispers and the men open fire.