That's Just Cold

The Ice Has Melted

The feeling swallowed him like a piece of wood in a fire. The crown touched his icy hair with a soft "ting", before suddenly...everything went wrong.

It felt...bad.

Painful?

What was this?

He looks around for the source of this discomfort as multiple beads of sweat trickled down his pale blue skin. The sensation...this...intense, overwhelming, unbearable heat grew stronger. And stronger. Until it engulfed him in darkness.

"Ikor!" The Firey called out as the newly crowned prince slowly sways, the Archbishop who'd crowned him quickly and reflexively catches the young King from falling to the unclean ground, making sure not even the royalty's feet touch the ground. 

Alarmed, Ao-ki and the others run to him with urgency. Ao-ki, who was neutral and in between all the elements felt the heat radiating from him as she placed her gentle hand on his cheek. 

Burning hot.

"Oh no...He's burning up! But how-?!" The guardian stuttered as she looked at Riff with wide eyes.

"Why're you looking at me? Hey Ikor! Ikor!? Please?! Wake up!" The Firey desperately shook Ikor by the shoulders, when he saw the turquoise eyes open half-lidded.

Completely disoriented, confused, sweaty, hot, dizzy, none of these words described the agony he felt. "W-where...who..." He slumped against his friend- his best friend- Out of desperation, needing comfort, and most of all, help.

"What happened?!" Riff exclaimed, tears threatening to fall as he held them in. 

"...Rhys..." The latter trailed off before closing his eyes once more.

"Rhy? What? What?! WHAT? WHAT?! WH-" Ao-ki smacks the back of the Firey's head with her palm.

"Riff..." Ao-ki takes one big breath of air to calm her nerves and not snap at the hot-headed gormian who only ignited the tension in the room even more so than it already had been. "...I think that...Oh no..." 

All three, excluding their friend who was out cold, (or out hot), whipped their heads towards the source of loud, uniform and calculated foot steps. 

It was the Ice Army.

"After the Firey!"

With that, the trio knew what crossed all the Icies' minds.

With the King gone due to a close-to-Firey attack, and now the heir of that very King, the new ruler of the Kingdom, also affected by heat? Of course the army was overbearingly furious!

"Rhys..." Of course Rhys had something to do with it, but how would they know?!

With what little strength the Icy Prince had left, he shot a ray of ice at the army to form a barrier in between them. He managed to speak, his voice strained and weary.

"Out! Now!"

With that, the others bolted out of the castle in urgency and desperation, with Trek having to bear the weight of carrying Ikor, which we can tell, the little cold-shouldered fellow was not pleased.

************

Upon reaching the One Tower, everyone else was left exhausted. Ikor was hunched against the table on the seat, panting heavily from the heat.

"This is...r-ridiculous," he scoffs weakly, only to sway and be caught by Riff, who had an expression etched with worry.

"And you didn't tell us about your condition WHY?" he Firey huffs, gently propping the blue haired prince up against his torso.

This question got Ikor thinking. Why didn't he tell them? Surely it was pride? Dignity? Or was it the disdain for pity? No. Friends do not have pity, they have concern, right? He hates it. He hates their concern. He-

"Ikor...?" Riff asks, his voice much softer. "D-did I...do something wrong?"

With a silence that spoke volumes, Ikor simply shook his head nonetheless. With a shaky break, he slowly buried his head into his warm friend's chest, a testament of how much he still trusted his companion with his safety.

Despite initially surprising Riff, this caused him to immediately swaddle his friend in a cocoon of safety and shelter from this heat-striking illness that may have fallen upon their new King.

Ikor's voice broke at the vulnerability he just portrayed as the others' gazes fell on their cold, blue friend, who was heating up, most probably due to some Darkan curse that Rhys had befallen upon him.

"I'm sorry," the herald of ice whispered, before starting to cry softly in his comrade's arms, "I was...ignorant and selfish and- and- and I was an imbecile...a-and- hmph-!" His words were cut short as Eron covered his mouth with his soft, delicate hands.

"Dude...Just...just shut up." He mumbled like a pouty baby. His windy side was blown away to reveal a docile, more tranquil individual, which was often overlooked in his realm. His wide, sparkly marble eyes were glimmering with tears. Ikor's eyes widened and his jewelry adorned ears lowered. 

With what strength he could muster, he pushed himself upward and sought to embrace the quietly sniffling Herald of Wind. The latter squealed and giggled as he hugged his icy yet warm friend back tightly, wrapping his arms and legs around him. 

"I knew it! You DO like my hugs!" Eron squirmed and wriggled as he nuzzled his face into the crook of Ikor's soft yet regal neck, wiggling his legs as the Ice herald had to hold him still to prevent him from falling.

But one thing was indeed overlooked.

"I-I'm ...okay?"

This made the rest stare at the usually broody tutting prince with a look of utter confusion and mild concern.

"But...weren't you just...?" Riff trailed off, scratching the back of his head.

Ikor nodded, standing up straight to regain his composure, but his eyes softer than ever as his arms held the squiggly Herald in place in his hold. "I-I was...But..."

With the next course of action their former calculated teammate took..., you wouldn't believe it even with your own vision spheres.

"ł'₥ ฿Ɇ₮₮ɆⱤ ₮Ⱨ₳₦ ɆVɆⱤ!"