That's Just Cold

Open Like a Snowy Desert

It'd been almost two days since the incident- which nobody dared to mention for quite some time, however, they'd still notice the little fidgetings, or awkward replies the firey or icey would often exchange. Everything was resolved, except the actual explanation -no- apology towards the rest of the Heralds. After all, it was not just the firey this time with the short temper. On the same note, Ikor did not take pride in being lumped with his complimentary herald.

And of course, Eron being Eron, he would often glance a couple of times at Ikor, which he himself couldn't explain either. Trek would stand next to him in a very awkward manner, avoiding any unnecessary sounds, even from sloggu.

It was a chilly morning (depending on who you're asking), where the moon was still visible and the crickets still...cricketed. Dew trickled down large leaves and the ground, woods, and rocks were were damp and cold. It was a fresh baked morning after a long night nearing winter in Gorm.

The first to wake up were of course Ao-ki and Ikor, followed by Eron, who wasn't as bothered by the low temperatures as his other friends. As usual, the last ones to wake up were Riff and Trek, both who still felt sleepy because of the cold.

"So cooold." Riff whined.

"Don't be such a baby, Riff." The icy concealed his grin.

"Here we go again." Eron rolled his eyes, knowing the first ones to pipe early in the morning weren't even him. Ao-ki gave out a soft smile before clapping her hands for the Heralds' attention.

"Guys, today we're gonna train, but...we're gonna do things a little different. We're gonna work on each others' trust."

"Like a trust-building exercise? That's kinda useless considering how little we actually know about each other, except for Riff. He won't stop talking about his Realm!" The windy wrapped his arm around Ikor, who wriggled a bit to escape the grasp.

"Exactly- I mean- it's not useless, but what you're saying is sort of related to what we're gonna do today. Do you know what it is?" 

"With all due respect Ao-ki," Ikor raised a finger, "but you sound like a kindergarten teacher-"

"Yeah, asking us questions even a baby can answer. We're obviously gonna be talking about ourselves, aren't we?" Riff straightened his posture in pride.

"Please, ask anyone except Riff. We've heard just about everything from him." Ikor groaned.

"Yeah...we'll be talking about our stories, why we wanted to search for the One Tower, how we used to be, and how we've changed because of each others' influences. Easy!"

Her face changed when she saw the looks she received after finishing her sentence. Trek looked confused as always, Eron always looked inattentive yet excited, Riff looked...proud, and Ikor simply looked disinterested.

"I think this is a bad idea." Ikor frowned. 

"What? Why?"

"Yeah man, don't you love talking about your Kingdom too?" Riff elbowed his friend.

"I do, but I despise talking about myself. Despite being Prince, I do not like the attention it brings me."

"It's okay, Ikor. You've got nothing to hide in front of us." Trek smiled as he kept his hand on his cold friend's shoulder, who seemed to be avoiding physical touch. "Hey, you feel a bit warm. Are you okay?" 

Ikor looked baffled. The others reached out to find out, but he stepped back.

"Hey, everything's fine. I feel perfectly alright. It must be the extra training I did last night."

"But I was there in training? I didn't see you." The firey looked slightly concerned.

"I...was somewhere else. I snuck out so no one would distract me."

"Okay..." Trek slowly lowered his arm.

After finishing off with breakfast, the Heralds sat around the table and carefully listened to what instructions Ao-ki was laying out.

"There have been a few...circumstances...where I feel in order to properly care for each other, we need to understand each other. And obviously, we know who we're gonna start with."

"I feel called out." Ikor mumbled. "I don't like it."

"C'mon! Tell us! I swear I won't tell anyone! And I don't snitch." The windy raised his hand in oath.

"Oh, alright. What is it that you want to know about me?"

All collectively began to think before Riff got fired up.

"What was your last name again?"

Hm. Not a bad question.

"Izots." 

"Do you cook your food or eat it raw?" Trek tilted his head.

"We do not have such foods that need to be cooked." 

"So you're vegan?"

"Not really-"

"Oh oh! What do you do for fun?" Eron jumped on his seat. 

"Well, I'm nationally the best swimmer. I also do skiing, as well as ice skating-"

"Haha! Isn't that like ice ballet?!" Riff roared with laughter.

"Riff!" Ao-ki slapped the back of his head.

"Unh...fine. Cool, or whatever." 

"Thank you, Riff. Because I'm a national champion in that too."

"OOH!" The windy shot up, pointing fingers close to Riff's face.

"Ikor," Ao-ki lowered her voice. "There's something else I- we would like to ask. Of course, if it's too personal, I understand."

Eron slowly backed down onto his seat as Trek put down his sloggu. Riff made uncomfortable eye contact with his friends as they watched in silence.

"No no, go ahead. This is important for any further steps we take together from now on, is it not?"

"Yes. It's about your father." 

"Oh."

"In case..."

"Hm?"

"Under extreme circumstances..."

"Yes?"

"What would happen if- no let me rephrase that."

Her constant struggle and shift of words began to overwhelm the atmosphere.

"Alright. Ikor. If your father...doesn't make it, wouldn't that make you the next heir? Even as we speak, isn't it time for you to step up as king in your father's absence?"

"I-I...never really thought about it. Perhaps, but- what would that mean for us? Gorm needs me with you guys, right?"

"But your home?"

Ikor let out a long, frustrated sigh. They hadn't seen that in a while. "I just...don't know- I mean, ugh, forget it. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Ikor, your father needs you. Your realm needs you!"

"Ao-ki, the Ice Kingdom has never won against the Firies! Under my father's and mother's rule! I am just one person, and a 14-year-old on top of it all!"

"Hey," Riff grasped Ikor's hand firmly with both of his. "we're here for you man. Even if it means travelling all the way to the Ice Realm and beyond. You don't admit it, but you'd do the same for us."

"Yeah, if something's bothering you, we're here to help you out. That's what friends do." Trek smiled.

"So you have to be king for a while, no biggie. We'll be there to kick evil butt alongside you, your highness!" The windy giggled.

"Plus, it'll give us a reason to be in the Ice Realm until we figure out a way to the relic. What do you say?"

Was it getting hot in there or what?

"Thanks. I will try my best. But what about that trust building exercise?"

The guardian gave him a wide grin. "It worked."