Chapter Text
It’s cold.
In the Glacia realm, it’s always cold, snow is always falling and piling up, a beautiful view but very inconvenient. Seokjin is tucked in his bed waiting for his servants to come so he can dress properly for the occasion. After the last battle with the Iciem Kingdom both territories lost more men than they can afford, the Kings made a truce that involved of course, marriage. It’s often known that marriage between families brings power and resources, even if the Ice Kingdoms are fighting against each other they still have common enemies: The Fire Nation with armies larger than the Ice Territories and the Earth Empire populations together.
The Kim King decided to offer a deal to the King of The Iciem Kingdom: to marry one of his sons with his only heir so they could finally bring the Ice Territories together the Min King agreed to the deal as in the coast of his territory his people were still trying to rebuild after the Fire Nation attack. In the Glacia real several acres of the Apricity Forest were devastated by the same power, one snap of the Fire Nation heir’s fingers and the arson started its devastation. Seokjin started a campaign to keep all the people who lived near the Forest in the Capital City, children, women, elders and men with their belongings put in one of the castles that were not in use.
‘I won’t have two castles while they have no roof above their heads’
His decision was final and all the preparations were done quickly so the people would move as soon as possible.
A knock on his door took Seokjin out of his mind, it was too early, the wedding was scheduled for the sunset when the Winter Equinox would bless the marriage and the ceremony of power unification would be empowered by their deity: Boreas.
Seokjin opened the door, it was Jaehwan, his Royal Guard.
‘What are you doing here so early? Is something wrong?’ Seokjin asked as he closed his robes.
‘Jin, something terrible has happened…Taehyung…’ Jaehwan’s voice broke ‘He’s gone’
‘What do you mean, he’s gone?’ Seokjin opened his eyes, his heart beating faster, just yesterday he spoke with his younger and only brother about the duty to their people, the realm, and the magic in his veins.
‘He ran away, in the night…nobody saw nothing, right now his Royal Guard is being interrogated but it seems someone put some valerian in his tea, your Father…’
Seokjin went to his closet and put on some pants while Jaehwan turned his back to him, even after all these years of being together the guard wasn’t used to Seokjin displaying skin.
‘Kim Taehyung, he’s the one with the magic in his veins, he was chosen and now this…’ his fist met the wood of his closet with fury ‘he knows what is at risk’ Seokjin was putting a shirt over his head when Jaehwan handed him a cloth.
‘He’s still a kid Jin…’
‘I was still a kid when Father disowned me from the throne’ his voice was raising in volume ‘when I presented nothing but sparks as magic…and he betrothed me to the heir of the Earth Empire offering me like a piece of meat so the realm would have better chances of surviving’
Seokjn was mad, he was powerless in all senses, with no magic, and his bland title as Glacia Prince and Earth Empire's future consort King, all that actually meant nothing when it came to taking real decisions.
‘I know you are still mad but you are not getting married until the heir is coming to age, I’ve heard he’s a nice guy’ Jaehwan smiled while Seokjin was tying the laces of his boots, giving his Guard a condescending glance. As soon as his clothes were in place he took a deep breath while thinking of the consequences Taehyung’s action might have.
Seokjin went out of his room and ran to the Throne Hall, he could hear the noise in the place behind the closed doors, when he opened the heavy wood-carved doors all eyes were on him, all nobles were there, the advisors and his Father, the King, with his head in his right hand as if the crown was too heavy. Seokjin knew it was but he also knew his Father was still one of the best Kings Glacia has had.
‘Jin’ his Father reached his hand to his firstborn ‘Have you heard?’
‘Jaehwan told me, I’m sorry Father, maybe Taehyung is just experiencing cold feet he knows the importance of…’
‘Does he? Does he really know? Because his actions say otherwise, his Guard is being flogged right now for his actions…’
‘I don’t think Bogum deserves that’ The King gave him a glance with fury ‘Your Highness…’ sometimes Seokjin forgets that before his Father, this man was his King.
Seokjin felt a shiver in his spine, Bogum was always loyal to Taehyung, always covering his traces, always by his side.
‘You know this is beyond my hands he failed his duty, the Royal Guard has its own ways…’ his Father exhaled a tired sigh, Seokjin could see his forehead full of wrinkles now as they were showing out of worry. The Prince's heart ached for his Father, his home and his brother. Taheyung would be accused of treason and probably condemned to the worst destiny, not to mention the Kim line would be put at risk, a lot of families were there to offer an option to the throne.
‘My King, my Prince, I think I have a solution to this problem’
‘And what that would be Senior Advisor Byun?’ The King’s voice was full of sorrow.
‘Well, your treaty was to marry one of your sons with Iciem’s only heir’ Advisor Byun glanced at Seokjin ‘and one of your sons is still here’
The King stood up, and Seokjin was put aside while his Father faced the Advisor.
‘Are you out of your mind Baekhyun? Seokjin has been promised to the Earth Empire heir, I know we are desperate but we have an agreement, without the Earth supplies our people won’t survive, The Fire nation has destroyed our fields, and we are not capable of supplying food to our people’ The King started walking from side to side ‘Do you really think is wise to break our deal with the Earth Empire?’
Advisor Byun raised his head and spoke seeing the King directly in the eye.
‘If we don’t marry Seokjin to the Iciem heir, we might not have people to feed as the Fire Nation will attack both Ice territories’ Baekhyun fell down on a knee ‘I am asking you, your Majesty, the Ice Territories are the only ones that aren’t united in one and true real unity due the lost of our Crystal Snow so many years ago’
Seokjin knew the legend, the Crystal Snow that watched over the Ice territories and kept them united went lost from the Hiemal Chamber. The Wise Guardians of the Apricity Forest said that the Crystal was actually alive, some kind of soul, with the years it created its own conscience and it went lost when the past King Bang wanted to use its power for a war against his own brother. Since then, the fields withered, the winter was colder, and the magic was almost none existent in the Ice territories that were split by the Bang brothers into two different nations always against each other.
The King sat down again and reached for Seokjin’s hand. Suddenly the Prince saw the burden of the years and the crown all over his Father’s face, the war, the hunger of their people, the cold to-the-bone weather, all those villages that couldn’t survive the arctic winds, the guilt of being unable to do something to save them. Seokjin’s heart was telling him to not speak but his mind silenced his feelings as it always did.
‘I’ll do it Father, after all the Earth Empire heir hasn’t come to age so we still have one year for them to claim their part of the deal’ His Father saw Seokjin with hope and worry in his eyes, not understanding his son’s decision ‘We just need to find Taehyung before that, so he will be married to the Earth Empire Prince’
‘You are doing well my Prince’ said Advisor Byun ‘We will figure something out’
‘Well, there is still one thing to discuss’ said Seokjin while a shadow crossed his face ‘I still don't have any power to offer in the Ceremony of Power Unification’
All the hall went silent, it wasn’t a secret that the firstborn of the Kims didn’t present any magic beyond some sparks while moving his fingers.
‘I’ll leave you to that then, I have to prepare myself to get married in a few hours’
Seokjin went out of the hall with Jaehwan following him closely.
‘Jin…’
The Prince stopped his steps and faced his guard, his long life friend…his knees gave up and he fell on them while Jaehwan embraced his best friend.
‘What am I gonna do? I don’t have any power…he will know once we hold hands. He will know I have no magic in this veins’
Jaehwan patted the Prince’s back, the law of the Ice Territories was the cruelest with actions of deceiving or disloyalty and getting to the ceremony with only lies to offer would cost Seokjin’s life.
❆
Sun is shining through the last hours of the day and Seokjin is now ready to walk down the stairs. He’s seeing himself in the mirror, his immaculate skin, his eyes with some shadow to give them some mystery, his black hair perfectly styled giving a glance of his forehead, the robe was blue with some light purple, some flowers embroidered in the fabric with silver thread and for his interior clothes golden thread that can be seen in the middle of his chest.
‘You look very handsome my Prince’ said Jaehwan giving him a smile
‘Just like fresh cut flowers’ Jin laughs without emotion ‘because they are about to wither and die’
Jaehwan was gonna start speaking but his friend dismissed his words with his hand. Seokjin goes to his closet and takes out the crown that gives him his position as Prince of the Glacia Realm. He takes it with honour but he knows this crown isn't the one everyone is expecting to see at the wedding, the right one is sitting under Taehyung’s dirty clothes somewhere in the youngest prince’s room. Seokjin dismisses his hard feelings for his brother, after all, he also wanted to run away when his marriage was announced, but he stayed, stayed even if he wanted to disappear and give up everything… that was the difference between them.
‘Let’s go, my Prince, we are almost running out of time’ Seokjin opened the curtain of his window just to see the garden of the Palace full of chairs and tables, some white ribbons and white flowers attached to them. The arc for the Unification Ceremony was beautiful, braided wood with some crystals that reflected the small light the sky was giving so the floor was full of colours.
Seokjin wasn’t excited, he felt love just once in his life and he was kindly rejected. ‘I’m sorry I don't love you that way’ were the words, he was loved but not in the same way he loved that person, not with the excitement of seeing him after being away for his Royal Duties, not with the longing of meeting again after the physical training, because Jaehwan had given his heart to other man and no matter how close he was with Seokjin, he would never love him that way.
The Prince walked down the stairs and found Advisor Byun waiting for him. He dismissed Jaehwan and walked with the man.
‘I see your designer outdid himself again’ said Byun ‘Those colours fit you perfectly’
‘I think you are just trying to compliment your partner?’ Seokjin smiled and pushed the advisor gently
‘A man can do both perfectly’ Byun smiled and looked at Seokjin a few inches taller than him ‘Actually I wanted to speak to you about the magic situation’ The Prince tensed a bit and closed his fists, nothing but a few sparks would come out of him when he held hands with his soon to be husband. ‘It is said that the Min heir has an overwhelming power to control blizzards, and snowstorms also make ice harder than steel’
‘So I got the big prize, lucky me…’ Seokjin said rolling his eyes and earning a punch in his arm ‘Sorry it was not my intention to joke’
‘I would punch you harder if you weren’t wearing one of my lover’s designs he would kill me if I ruin it’ Byun said while smiling
‘Thank you Oh Sehun for your almighty power over Advisor Byun’
Both men laughed to relax before the overwhelming event they would face in less than one hour.
‘The Min Heir and the Min King are here with a caravan of their people, you will have to travel to the Iciem Kingdom to take the position. Once the Min Heir is crowned, the Ice Territories will be united because of your marriage he will be known as the Ice King and you…’
‘Oh don't tell me I shall bear the Ice Queen title’
Byun laughed this time with sincerity.
‘Relax, relax…your official title will be Min Seokjin King consort of the Ice Territories’
Seokjin halted his steps. Put his hand on his chest truly offended.
‘How come I have to take his surname? Why doesn’t he take mine?’
The smile on Baekhyun’s face is now erased. He narrows his eyes and solemnly says:
‘It was your Father who offered one of his sons, the Mins agreed to it but it was your Father…’
‘...the one who sold his son, so I have to give up who I am for our realm to survive the merge’
Baekhyun hugged the Prince, the word he wanted to hear never reached Seokjin’s ears but the hug was enough.
‘Who knows, you might like him. People said he’s as kind as good with his sword’
‘Hopefully, he has the same skill in his tongue’
Bakehyun punched him again, this time without care.
‘Seokjin, don't say those things, in the name of Boreas you have to behave’ Seokjin laughed ‘but yes, I truly hope you have a good wedding night’
Seokjin saw Baekhyun, some inches smaller than him so the Prince hugged the advisor knowing they might never see each other again.
‘Take care Seokjinnie, you will be fine, thank you for taking care of our people. I’m sorry I don’t have a plan for the Ceremony of Power Unification, but I trust you’
Seokjin said his goodbyes and walked to the garden knowing the star that held his fate was laughing at him.