Flowers in the Snow (A CountryHumans Fanfic)

Chapter 1

(07/24/2023: Edited some dialogue near the end to fit better with the story/ set up characters and their dynamics. You'll probably be able to see where since the writing style abruptly changes)

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~14 years later~

Reich hated politics. The only luxury he had in these meetings was that he was given a comfortable seat, although even the most comfortable of seats eventually got uncomfortable after you're forced to sit in the same spot for hours.

He could never fully understand the concept of politics. Why sit in seemingly endless meetings instead of simply doing what you want? It would make everything so much quicker than tediously going over every little detail. In Reich's opinion, it would just be faster and easier if you didn't have to discuss the pros and cons of everything. Honestly, the only mildly interesting event in these meetings is when the renowned politicians began squabbling like children.

His brother, on the other hand, shared the opposite opinion, liking to get things done 'in a more civilised manner', as he put it. Reich rolled his eyes, remembering the posh, almost condescending, way his brother had said it.

If Reich were to be honest, he didn't even know why he was here, sitting casually, dressed in robes too fancy for the occasion, with his head on his palm, bored out of his mind. It's not like he had any power or influence on the final verdict, he was merely a prince with no political power. His father would've said that it was good practice, that he would need the skills for when he became ruler. He scoffed at that, he wasn't even next in line, Weimar was. Unless something happened to him, Reich doubted he would ever get crowned as king.

He would've left this meeting hours ago to instead practise his magic, if this particular meeting wasn't about a subject he was most passionate about.

The matter of what to do with the mysterious and elusive figure known simply as, The Ice King.

It was no secret that Reich had a burning hatred for the man, if he even was a man. Reich thought of him as nothing more than a savage beast, a beast with no mercy or compassion, that killed for its own entertainment.

Reich remembered when he first appeared, back when he was a small child. He was with his father and brother, visiting a small town on the outskirts of their kingdom. It had been a beautiful day, full of laughter and cheer as Reich played with the local children, Weimar calmly reading a book under a tree. His father kept an eye on them from a distance, accepting the greetings and gifts from the townspeople.

Everyone had been too distracted to notice the gradually cooling temperature until it had been too late. A sudden chilling gust of wind brought burning cold snow and sharp ice with it as it blew through the town. Weimar's book had flown out of his hands, lost to the winds.

It had been quiet for a moment, a moment too short, before pillars of ice erupted from the ground, extending upwards as if to touch the sky. That's when the guards came, giant, monstrous guards nearly as tall as a small house. They were adjourned in armour made of impenetrable ice, wearing helmets covering the entirety of their face with sharp horns, a spear of blue ice their only weapon.

No one had time to process what happened, let alone react, before they attacked. Screams, no longer joyous, filled the sky as the slaughter began, the guards attacking with an almost bitter rage. Some tried to run, only to be impaled from below by spikes of ice washing over the town like a wave. His father tried to save as many as he could, fighting back against the guards the best he could, but to no avail.

Reich, frozen in fear by the bloodshed around him, had been picked up by his brother just as a guard moved to attack him. Weimar threw a gust of black smoke-like magic at it, barely knocking it back, before running.