Chapter Text
He’s lost.
Never mind the freezing cold, he’s lost.
The snow got deeper the farther he treads. He’s hungry and his burdens helped little to ease his aching joints. His horse was stolen and so was his map. Soon, his body finally gave up. He fell into a large lump of built up snow.
One of many things Javi has to deal with in his life is being an only heir to a newly risen and still struggling kingdom of Espanya. And that’s not the worst part of it.
“As the only Prince, I think it’s time you marry a royal from another kingdom to establish alliance.”
There it goes. He worst part, right from his older sister’s mouth. Javier, or Javi as he’s fondly called, thought of uttering any of the thousands excuses he stacked in his brain to get out of troubles like this one. But the thought of his people sealed his lips.
Espanya was a battleground during the warring era of the kingdoms. When peace ensued and the nations agreed to stop the loss of many lives by sending champions to the winter wars, his kingdom..then a village, suffered years of ruin and poverty. The villagers had no hope of living through the endless winter. Until a female stepped up and fought the winter battles against the champions of bigger kingdoms.That’s his only sister.After she retired, he followed her call and became a warrior himself.Since then, she became Laura Fernandez, queen of Espanya. Together, they built the kingdom from the ground.
“And when, pray tell, is this doom of mine going to come?” he clenched his teeth.
“Tomorrow. I’ve already arranged your journey.”
“To where?”
“Canada.”
He winced. “I’m marrying Brian?” he joked about his coach or shaman.
The queen sighed. “Even if that were the case, we are in no position to be picky.” She said matter of factly.
“You’re not serious.” Javi was horrified.
“I hope so too.”
“Sister, this is unfair!” he bellowed. “I don’t have a say in the matter because you’re the queen! But to think that I have to bear with any damsel you push on me—I can’t have that.”
“What’s your point?”
“At least let me chose somebody who I can show off to Espanya! She’ll be the future queen!If she’s just going to be a decoration of my entire life, she should at least be somebody I can comfortably grow old with!”
“You mean she should approve of your infidelity?”
“Well-she’ll have to get used to that too.” He grinned. When Laura frowned, he took back what he said. “Fine I won’t disgrace you!” he raised his hands in surrender. “But I still demand my right to choose.” He explained.
“Alright,” Laura agreed. “Though Canada is the best choice if you ask me considering our good relationship with them, I will let you look around Russia. I heard their warriors are beautiful.”
“No thanks,” the prince shook his head. “I don’t a woman with severe superiority complex.”
“What about America?”
“Overly competitive,”
“China?”
“Trapped in the past,” Javi kept on refusing every single kingdom the queen could think of. From the great empires down to the smaller kingdoms, no one’s good enough for him.
“I’m out of ideas, brother.” Laura surrendered. “I might seriously consider you marrying Brian.” She slumped in her throne.
“It’s like a life sentence for me, sister.”
“Unless of course, somebody has a better idea” she half threatened and half hoped.
“My Queen…if I may—“unexpectedly, Luis Margar, the royal advisor spoke up.
“Speak,” The queen listened.
“There’s this legendary beauty I often hear from foreign traders.”
“Oh good, now I’m marrying a rumor.” Javi’s pre-objection was dissolved by Laura’s warning look. She smiled and asked Luis.
“What kingdom hides this legendary beauty you speak of?”
“I heard she’s in Nippon, your highness”
Javier rolled his eyes in disgust. Nippon… ‘Suicidals’
10 days later...
‘Am I going to die here? Now?’ he asked the dim darkness and the crescent moon as if either would answer a hopeless, not to mention careless wanderer. He’s not certain if he’s really dying or just dead tired, but once his eyelids started getting heavy, it scared him. What will become of his kingdom? Who will help his sister defend it if he dies?
He cared about the answers to those questions yet he couldn’t resist falling into the deep abyss of unconsciousness.
‘No, no, no!’ his will cling on a little longer. ‘I can’t end like this!’ he refused.
If there’s really such a thing as a winter spirit, now would be the time to prove it, right?
‘Pls, help me’ his mind called out blindedly like an outstretched hand waiting to be grasped.
And then it reached him. Like silver waves cutting through the night, came a call.
“I am your angel of music…”
His eyes shot back open. ‘What was that?’ That sounded like a soft echo of a song which crawled deep within his soul and lifted him back to life.
“Come to me angel of music…”
There it goes again.
‘Who is it?’ Even his mouth is too frozen to lip those words. Who beckons him to come? Whose whisper is so soft that hypnotize him yet loud enough to command his whole being to obey its will? It’s like an irresistible spell.
He strained to hear more of the suspenseful drops of drums and the melodic shrieks of a violin floating in the air. He sat back up..vigilant.
‘Wait, is that..a war dance?’ he suspected. On his hands and knees, he crawled up the slope where traced the magnetic melody that draws him in. It seem to be coming from somewhere behind that tree near the slope going back down. But it could be dangerous.
‘Well, danger IS my middle name.’ he shrugged then slowly slid his butt down the slope until he’s safely in the tree’s lap. The music he’s hearing entranced him deeper. Then it dropped heavily, commanding him to pay more attention.
‘To what? To whom?’ He frantically searched for its source until his eyes shot down below.
Down there is a frozen pond which is rough from the harsh winter. Still, the moon showered its light on it, making it sparkle like a diamond and illuminate the forest around. The light is enough to see silhouettes and at the same time, dark enough to hide anyone sneaking around like him. His ears freely embraced the music but his eyes hunger for the caster-the dancer of that melody.
And there he is.
A tall, slender figure who glides across that pond with grace and beauty. It didn’t take long for Javi to discover that this person is a skating warrior like him, and an extremely dangerous one.
This shadow could be another rival for The Battle of Grand Prix
Not one person exists that do not know how the Battle of Grand Prix came to be.
In times past, kingdoms waged war against each other. Countless lives were lost and wasted. Many virgin lands were conquered. --All but one.
Grand Prix Mountain
It is mountain of myth made of ice that never ever melts and surrounded by no other color but white.A holy land as it was rumored to be, no kingdom dared to trespass it.
The Empire of Russia though had a different idea.Its emperor didn’t believe in rumors and broke the mountain down. The ice spirits dwelling in that mountain were enraged so that they cursed all the kingdoms with eternal winter. For 15 years, the grounds remain frozen. No land bore crops. Animals died and people started to starve.
Finally, the warring kingdoms were forced send shamans to Grand Prix Mountain to try to appease the winter spirits.
They listened.
But for them to undo their curse, the spirits sent a message to the kings.
Send us your greatest warriors.
They must carry not shields but courage.
They shall come to us not with iron boots but with skates.
They shall fight each other, not with swords but with dances.
Let there be a war of magic.
They will fight in their grounds.
Their spells will nourish us, their chants will reflect your mistakes and their failures will be your punishment.
We shall watch them and crown the worthy with whatever he desires.
We shall cease winter from their kingdom and shower it with three folds more than what they lost during the freeze.
The champion shall then stand in a pedestal that never melts and his glory will live on forever.
But until then, let this war be known as The Battle of Grand Prix.
The kingdoms yielded to the demands of the spirits as retribution but their people knew that it’s the price and the glory they really want.
Since then, every kingdom and empires trains exceptional skating warriors for a war that’s more than speed and strength. Nobody dies, yes. However, the fight of the entire kingdom rests heavily on every warrior’s shoe blades. They also have to fight alone against many others in hopes of winning the illusive favor of the angry winter spirits.
But not just anyone wins.A warrior must be one with his war dance. His music, his every movement must flow smoothly like the ice under his feet. His body must draw magic from within. His spins should utter sacred chants and his jumps should use nothing but strong spells.Most of all, a warrior should skate with total surrender to magic.
Just like this person right here.
The slender silhouette spun and landed a Quad Toe spell and Javi’s jaws just dropped.
‘--Perfect’ .
Among the warriors he has encountered, only Patrick Chan and a few others can land one of the two strongest spells in the Grand Prix arena…the Quad Toe Loop and Quad Salchow. These few are feared.
‘So who is this?’ he craned his neck for the illusive face of this person who he will definitely fight in the arena someday. But like many times, his eyes are always drawn to those impossible spins especially that breathtaking Biellman. Just as his soul rose in captivation with the melody, HE stopped.
The dancer’s pause was abrupt that Javi imagined himself suddenly denied of air.But then, the silhouette gave it back as HE ever so softly surrendered to the relaxing melody that flowed next.
Javier began to regret watching.He could feel himself being manipulated by this skater even from afar.
“Softly, deftly, music shall carress you…”
He could feel his stirring emotions rise in climax, only to be once again calmed down by this stranger’s every move.
“Hear it, feel it, secretly posses you…”
‘Ah yes, you’re possessing me..that’s what’s going on’ the wandering prince couldn’t distinguish between ecstacy and confusion. But this feeling disrupts his sanity. How can he, the great playboy be controlled by a mere shadow of a man? ‘No. This couldn’t be happening, right?’ he tried to shake off the force that’s clammed on him by covering his ears. But the song flowed not in his senses but in his brain.
“Open up your mind.Let your fantasies unwind in this darkness that you know you cannot fight….”
The voice was right. He could not fight it anymore.It seemed to be too late.
“The power of the music of the night….”
‘Oh God, I’m in love.’ It’s the loss of hope more than the loss of strength that made him stagger a little. And that gave him away. His boots stepped on a covered twig.
Pak!
He winced at the sound he caused.
The silhouette turned sharply to the sound.His toepick dug deep on the ice in an abrupt halt. And his voice, surprisingly pitchy for a man, called out .
“Dare ka!?(Who's there!?)”
Javi was caught surprised. He stepped back, lost his balance and found himself rolling down the slope screaming. His weight slid him right across the pond in break neck speed.
“Abunai!”
He heard another foreign language which he guessed might mean somewhere between ‘It’s dangerous!’ or ‘Watch out!’ because he’s sure himself that he’s going to hit that big rock head on.He guessed right.But as his neck felt the impact and his vision slowly blurred, he felt something soft cushion his head.Or did he just break his skull?
Whichever, he knows his postponed death will be continued…all because of a phantom he will never get to meet.
‘Aw, hell.’ he cursed