BONUS FIC: The Four Princes of Ice (M) for zeph317toho
Author: ryoku_chan
Recipient: zeph317toho
Title: The Four Princes of Ice
Rating: M (Probably)
Characters/Pairing(s): Aya, Ken, Youji, and Omi
Summary: Take any fairy tale (Western or not) and give it a Weiss Kreuz spin. Sleeping Yohji, Snow Aya, Little Red Riding Nagi, pick whatever fairy or folk tale you like!
Warnings/Content: Fairy tale format, and angst. Oh, violence too. There's a spot of that.
Word Count: Just shy of 2,000
Author's Notes: I sorta kinda maybe just did what I wanted with this request. I didn't use any particular fairy tale, but sort of crafted my own around the characters using various fairy tale tropes. I apologize if it was not what you wanted. But hopefully, you enjoy it none the less?
The story tells of the Princes of Ice. How the first was born in the height of summer, a child of modest means and a modest life. How his life was happy and peaceful. His parents were privileged, though modest and a few years after his birth they were blessed with a daughter. The two siblings were inseparable, the brother protective but sympathetic, the sister playful and kind. But a great war enveloped their home, and the fires of war ravaged his family. His parents burned alive, his sister raped and murdered, the brother had no where to turn, and his rage grew and festered within him. How unjust, that this invading people would ruin their lives so needlessly. The brother could not accept. The war was short, and the invading power swept through and over turned the kingdom. The war was over, and the land was once again peaceful. The peasants went about their work, for it did not matter who sat on which throne. The game of kings was a fool-hearty one, and it did not change the simple fact that all must eat and the fields must continue to be sowed.
The brother could not accept this. This invading force had murdered his parents and his beloved sister, and he was told to accept this fact, to sow the fields and feed the lords and ladies. The brother could not accept this. That the peasants simply accepted that they could do nothing, that they had no power to change their fate. The brother could not accept, he refused to, and as time went by he became bitter.
One year, a violent winter came upon the countryside. It came early, it stayed late, and it was ferocious in it's aggression. The Snow Queen often passed them by in her cruelties, but thus was not the case this year. The livestock all died, the crops all froze, and there was no food to be found. The people turned on one another, and though the ruling class tried to keep the order by force, a hungry people are a dangerous people.
Famine and hunger led to cannibalism and exploitation. And through it all, the royals watched and waited and ate their plump glazed geese and their roasted hams. The Snow Queen eventually lost interest, and she moved to greener pastures.
But the brother had been swept up in thoughts of revolution. He'd banged on the palace gates, and he'd demanded aid and promised retribution. But once the winter had passed, life went back to itself. The commoners sowed and planted their fields, and the royals stayed holed up in their castle, untouchable to the common man.
And the brother's rage grew and grew.
He needed power, he needed strength. So the younger brother left his home, and he chased after the Snow Queen. He traveled for months, chasing her through the freezing cold. When he did find her, he was on his last breath. He could not feel any longer, the cold had stolen his senses, but his bright red hair shone brightly against the cold white snow, and as he crumpled to the ground defeated the Snow Queen fell upon him.
“Your passion burns so brightly, that you sought out I, the Snow Queen. But a fire can not burn in my heart, and if you wish for the power you seek, a fire can not exist in yours either. Do you still wish for my power as your own?”
The brother could no longer move, he could no longer feel, but in his heart he yearned for the power of which the Snow Queen had promised, and that wish reached the Snow Queen.
She took his face in her cold hands, she kissed him and his heart froze.
“I adopt you as my son, my Prince of Ice, and I grant you part of my self, dominion over my domain. Allow those you hate feel the cold of your rage, the might of your sacrifices.”
And thus, the Prince of Ice was born. From blood and tears, he had been granted eternal life, for a heart that could not beat could not die. Indeed he was frozen in place, his emotions and feelings all subdued. He held to his revenge, but his rage was gone.
When he returned to his home, he brought the cold with him. The livestock died, and the fields would not produce. But this winter did not end, it did not wane in it's severity, and it did not leave with the coming of spring. Instead it stayed. Many peasants left, but others clamored for the royals to help them, to speak to the Prince of Ice and beg him to move on to greener pastures, but the royals did nothing. They stayed holed up in their castle, where they had enough food stocked up to last them a great time. But starving people are a people to be feared; the commoners broke into the castle, the guards turned on the royals, and the whole royal family was massacred, ripped from their warm beds, paraded around naked in the freezing cold, tortured and beheaded.
And thus it was so, that the royalty that had snatched up these lands, were eradicated. The peasants moved to greener pastures or died, but the Prince of Ice stayed. His heart cold and unfeeling, even as he saw his home reduced to a frozen wasteland.
Once it had been done once, it could be done again. Headstrong and bitter youths sought out the Snow Queen for her gift of vengeance. All but two perished in pursuit of her. One the victim of a gruesome betrayal, the other who's wife had been burned at the stake for witch craft she was not guilty of. Both exacted their revenge, but they found the victory to be hollow and meaningless. Now with immortal lives, the two came to the first, and there were three great Princes of Ice that had no longer had meaning to their existence. But their broken hearts were encased in ice, and would not beat nor heal. So the three constructed a great castle of ice and snow, where they all lived together, wasting away their days.
And then one day, there were four. The fourth Prince of Ice traveled long and far to meet with his brothers, but the fourth Prince of Ice was very different from his fellows. He was young, kind and caring, sweet and naive. When the other three brothers lay sight upon him, they conferred that he could not be their brother, surely his heart still beat, for such warmth could not come from a frozen heart.
So the other three Princes of Ice ripped open the fourth Prince's chest, and to their surprise indeed his heart was encased in ice, just like theirs. Proven wrong, they sewed his chest back together, and welcomed their new brethren into their castle of ice and snow.
But the fourth prince unnerved the other Princes of Ice. Though his heart was encased in ice just like theirs, he still remained kind and caring, sweet and naive. They could not understand him, but slowly they started to appreciate him. Warmth had been a part of their past lives, and now it was more abundant that ever before. The cold will always seek out the warm, and thus the three Princes of Ice were drawn to the youngest prince, for he offered what all three now lacked.
But steadfast, the first Prince of Ice remained resistant. He needed no kindness, no warmth from another. He remembered his sister's screams as the soldiers raped her and slit her throat, and he thought to himself that indeed he did not need warmth or love from another. It would only cause him pain once more. But the fourth Prince of Ice was steadfast. Day in and day out, he was kind and caring, sweet and naive. The second and third Princes of Ice grew to appreciate him, but the first Prince of Ice was steadfast. He did not need affection or love.
But the more time went by, the more the other three started to feel like a family. A camaraderie grew between them that had not existed before the arrival of the fourth Prince of Ice. It was only the first Prince of Ice that was excluded, and as the days went by it was not only the fourth Prince of Ice that attempted to bring him closer to the group.
Slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to like his fellow brothers, his kin of ice. Slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to depend on his fellow brothers. It was the fourth Prince of Ice that convinced him that their life of joint solitude and frigid indifference was indeed no life at all. And slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to believe what the youngest prince said.
One day the first Prince of Ice woke, and ventured to the great hall, where he witnessed a scene of chaos. The second and third Princes of Ice lay dead, knives protruding from hearts no longer encased in glassy ice. In the center of the great hall stood the fourth Prince of Ice. The first Prince of Ice was struck silent, but the fourth Prince of Ice was not.
“The third Prince was the easiest. He needed something frail and feminine to make him whole. I do not have the parts of a female, but all humans have lips, and some men can not deny the carnal pleasures of love. Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.”
“The second Prince was next. His heart was weak and hoped for companionship. He wanted a belonging, someone to mother and care for. I am weak and frail, and I allowed him his pride in protecting me. Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.”
The first Prince of Ice could not believe what he was hearing. “Why?”
The fourth Prince of Ice smiled, and it was a cold cruel thing. “You are not the only brother in this world. And you are not the only one allowed to show those you hate the cold of your rage, the might of your sacrifices. It is my family you murdered in your pursuit for vengeance. My mother and sisters were raped by the peasants you starved. My father and brothers decapitated to sate your revenge.”
With the revelation that one royal had escaped his vengeance, the first Prince of Ice slowly felt the rage that had once consumed him. And then, there was a beat, one single thump, before the knife sunk into his heart, and the first Prince of Ice died.
Then there was only one. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the third Prince of Ice. A man he had cared deeply for, and who had cared for him in return. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the second Prince of Ice. A man who had made him feel like he was no longer an orphan, but someone's treasured little brother. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the first Prince of Ice. A man who had to be taught to trust and love once more, who feared the closeness of others.
Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.
“There is no just cause, hate only begets hate. Dear Brothers of Ice, I join thee, and hope that one day we will put aside our hate and learn to heal our frozen hearts.”
The fourth Prince of Ice thrust the knife into his heart, and died. Though the Four Princes of Ice were all gone, the place where their castle had stood, remained a wasteland of ice and snow. It is said that in memory to her four tormented sons, the Snow Queen cursed that land with eternal winter. And thus the story ends, of the Princes of Ice.
Recipient: zeph317toho
Title: The Four Princes of Ice
Rating: M (Probably)
Characters/Pairing(s): Aya, Ken, Youji, and Omi
Summary: Take any fairy tale (Western or not) and give it a Weiss Kreuz spin. Sleeping Yohji, Snow Aya, Little Red Riding Nagi, pick whatever fairy or folk tale you like!
Warnings/Content: Fairy tale format, and angst. Oh, violence too. There's a spot of that.
Word Count: Just shy of 2,000
Author's Notes: I sorta kinda maybe just did what I wanted with this request. I didn't use any particular fairy tale, but sort of crafted my own around the characters using various fairy tale tropes. I apologize if it was not what you wanted. But hopefully, you enjoy it none the less?
The story tells of the Princes of Ice. How the first was born in the height of summer, a child of modest means and a modest life. How his life was happy and peaceful. His parents were privileged, though modest and a few years after his birth they were blessed with a daughter. The two siblings were inseparable, the brother protective but sympathetic, the sister playful and kind. But a great war enveloped their home, and the fires of war ravaged his family. His parents burned alive, his sister raped and murdered, the brother had no where to turn, and his rage grew and festered within him. How unjust, that this invading people would ruin their lives so needlessly. The brother could not accept. The war was short, and the invading power swept through and over turned the kingdom. The war was over, and the land was once again peaceful. The peasants went about their work, for it did not matter who sat on which throne. The game of kings was a fool-hearty one, and it did not change the simple fact that all must eat and the fields must continue to be sowed.
The brother could not accept this. This invading force had murdered his parents and his beloved sister, and he was told to accept this fact, to sow the fields and feed the lords and ladies. The brother could not accept this. That the peasants simply accepted that they could do nothing, that they had no power to change their fate. The brother could not accept, he refused to, and as time went by he became bitter.
One year, a violent winter came upon the countryside. It came early, it stayed late, and it was ferocious in it's aggression. The Snow Queen often passed them by in her cruelties, but thus was not the case this year. The livestock all died, the crops all froze, and there was no food to be found. The people turned on one another, and though the ruling class tried to keep the order by force, a hungry people are a dangerous people.
Famine and hunger led to cannibalism and exploitation. And through it all, the royals watched and waited and ate their plump glazed geese and their roasted hams. The Snow Queen eventually lost interest, and she moved to greener pastures.
But the brother had been swept up in thoughts of revolution. He'd banged on the palace gates, and he'd demanded aid and promised retribution. But once the winter had passed, life went back to itself. The commoners sowed and planted their fields, and the royals stayed holed up in their castle, untouchable to the common man.
And the brother's rage grew and grew.
He needed power, he needed strength. So the younger brother left his home, and he chased after the Snow Queen. He traveled for months, chasing her through the freezing cold. When he did find her, he was on his last breath. He could not feel any longer, the cold had stolen his senses, but his bright red hair shone brightly against the cold white snow, and as he crumpled to the ground defeated the Snow Queen fell upon him.
“Your passion burns so brightly, that you sought out I, the Snow Queen. But a fire can not burn in my heart, and if you wish for the power you seek, a fire can not exist in yours either. Do you still wish for my power as your own?”
The brother could no longer move, he could no longer feel, but in his heart he yearned for the power of which the Snow Queen had promised, and that wish reached the Snow Queen.
She took his face in her cold hands, she kissed him and his heart froze.
“I adopt you as my son, my Prince of Ice, and I grant you part of my self, dominion over my domain. Allow those you hate feel the cold of your rage, the might of your sacrifices.”
And thus, the Prince of Ice was born. From blood and tears, he had been granted eternal life, for a heart that could not beat could not die. Indeed he was frozen in place, his emotions and feelings all subdued. He held to his revenge, but his rage was gone.
When he returned to his home, he brought the cold with him. The livestock died, and the fields would not produce. But this winter did not end, it did not wane in it's severity, and it did not leave with the coming of spring. Instead it stayed. Many peasants left, but others clamored for the royals to help them, to speak to the Prince of Ice and beg him to move on to greener pastures, but the royals did nothing. They stayed holed up in their castle, where they had enough food stocked up to last them a great time. But starving people are a people to be feared; the commoners broke into the castle, the guards turned on the royals, and the whole royal family was massacred, ripped from their warm beds, paraded around naked in the freezing cold, tortured and beheaded.
And thus it was so, that the royalty that had snatched up these lands, were eradicated. The peasants moved to greener pastures or died, but the Prince of Ice stayed. His heart cold and unfeeling, even as he saw his home reduced to a frozen wasteland.
Once it had been done once, it could be done again. Headstrong and bitter youths sought out the Snow Queen for her gift of vengeance. All but two perished in pursuit of her. One the victim of a gruesome betrayal, the other who's wife had been burned at the stake for witch craft she was not guilty of. Both exacted their revenge, but they found the victory to be hollow and meaningless. Now with immortal lives, the two came to the first, and there were three great Princes of Ice that had no longer had meaning to their existence. But their broken hearts were encased in ice, and would not beat nor heal. So the three constructed a great castle of ice and snow, where they all lived together, wasting away their days.
And then one day, there were four. The fourth Prince of Ice traveled long and far to meet with his brothers, but the fourth Prince of Ice was very different from his fellows. He was young, kind and caring, sweet and naive. When the other three brothers lay sight upon him, they conferred that he could not be their brother, surely his heart still beat, for such warmth could not come from a frozen heart.
So the other three Princes of Ice ripped open the fourth Prince's chest, and to their surprise indeed his heart was encased in ice, just like theirs. Proven wrong, they sewed his chest back together, and welcomed their new brethren into their castle of ice and snow.
But the fourth prince unnerved the other Princes of Ice. Though his heart was encased in ice just like theirs, he still remained kind and caring, sweet and naive. They could not understand him, but slowly they started to appreciate him. Warmth had been a part of their past lives, and now it was more abundant that ever before. The cold will always seek out the warm, and thus the three Princes of Ice were drawn to the youngest prince, for he offered what all three now lacked.
But steadfast, the first Prince of Ice remained resistant. He needed no kindness, no warmth from another. He remembered his sister's screams as the soldiers raped her and slit her throat, and he thought to himself that indeed he did not need warmth or love from another. It would only cause him pain once more. But the fourth Prince of Ice was steadfast. Day in and day out, he was kind and caring, sweet and naive. The second and third Princes of Ice grew to appreciate him, but the first Prince of Ice was steadfast. He did not need affection or love.
But the more time went by, the more the other three started to feel like a family. A camaraderie grew between them that had not existed before the arrival of the fourth Prince of Ice. It was only the first Prince of Ice that was excluded, and as the days went by it was not only the fourth Prince of Ice that attempted to bring him closer to the group.
Slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to like his fellow brothers, his kin of ice. Slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to depend on his fellow brothers. It was the fourth Prince of Ice that convinced him that their life of joint solitude and frigid indifference was indeed no life at all. And slowly, the first Prince of Ice grew to believe what the youngest prince said.
One day the first Prince of Ice woke, and ventured to the great hall, where he witnessed a scene of chaos. The second and third Princes of Ice lay dead, knives protruding from hearts no longer encased in glassy ice. In the center of the great hall stood the fourth Prince of Ice. The first Prince of Ice was struck silent, but the fourth Prince of Ice was not.
“The third Prince was the easiest. He needed something frail and feminine to make him whole. I do not have the parts of a female, but all humans have lips, and some men can not deny the carnal pleasures of love. Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.”
“The second Prince was next. His heart was weak and hoped for companionship. He wanted a belonging, someone to mother and care for. I am weak and frail, and I allowed him his pride in protecting me. Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.”
The first Prince of Ice could not believe what he was hearing. “Why?”
The fourth Prince of Ice smiled, and it was a cold cruel thing. “You are not the only brother in this world. And you are not the only one allowed to show those you hate the cold of your rage, the might of your sacrifices. It is my family you murdered in your pursuit for vengeance. My mother and sisters were raped by the peasants you starved. My father and brothers decapitated to sate your revenge.”
With the revelation that one royal had escaped his vengeance, the first Prince of Ice slowly felt the rage that had once consumed him. And then, there was a beat, one single thump, before the knife sunk into his heart, and the first Prince of Ice died.
Then there was only one. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the third Prince of Ice. A man he had cared deeply for, and who had cared for him in return. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the second Prince of Ice. A man who had made him feel like he was no longer an orphan, but someone's treasured little brother. The fourth Prince of Ice looked upon the first Prince of Ice. A man who had to be taught to trust and love once more, who feared the closeness of others.
Slowly his heart warmed, and beat once more.
“There is no just cause, hate only begets hate. Dear Brothers of Ice, I join thee, and hope that one day we will put aside our hate and learn to heal our frozen hearts.”
The fourth Prince of Ice thrust the knife into his heart, and died. Though the Four Princes of Ice were all gone, the place where their castle had stood, remained a wasteland of ice and snow. It is said that in memory to her four tormented sons, the Snow Queen cursed that land with eternal winter. And thus the story ends, of the Princes of Ice.