The Head of the Household, a strict father and a valiant leader, stood in front of the tall windows of the room. In his hand was a letter from his youngest son. He had bravely battled in both politics and wars but he could not fight the bitterness in his heart. When the news about his youngest son's tragedy came to the family, his wife had fainted and his two sons grieved.
He blamed himself a thousand times and very much wished would be able to reverse time. His heart drops at every empty piece of news each time his knights found nothing from the search for his youngest son.
"Father..." Maxille called. A worried expression etched his handsome face.
"Mmn.." His father responded.
Exhaling deeply, Maxille took a step forward "The leader of the search team came by...". He hesitated. The news would not help his father's mood even if he refuses to say it.
The lord of the house turned to look at his eldest son, based upon Maxille's expression there was no good news. His eyebrows furrowed, devastated by the continuous negative results. Two weeks had already passed since Moulin's disappearance.
The Northern mountains were known to be so cold a person would die in just a few hours without warmth. According to the search team's investigation, Moulin had run into the woods in nothing but thin clothes. The father had originally thought nothing could happen in his journey through the Lazuline Manor. He sent strong knights and maids to care for Moulin. Yet such a situation still occurred unknowingly. Moulin was frail and can doubtlessly be unwell. He was such a sickly child ever since he was little. The thieves were caught and locked up but no amount of torture could answer the doubts of the safety of his youngest son. Whether he was alive or not...
Maxille stared at his father. A bad premonition clawed at his heart the longer he stared at the older man. Finally, he spoke, "I wish to personally lead the search for my little brother ". His resolute countenance faintly shadowed his anxious heart that his own father conceivably sensed what his thoughts were.
"I am not giving up the search, Maxille" His father sighed. He would refuse to do that. The lord walked over to his desk, a stack of reports laid by the side. Picking up a leather envelope, he eyed his son "The Golden Crown Competition is still a bit far and it seems you still have a lot of time in your hands..."
Maxille nodded, relief washed the doubts in his heart. "Yes..."
Lord Fraunces handed him the navy leather envelope containing the latest investigation report of Moulin's disappearance. "I trust you to find your younger brother. Bring him home to us". He had placed his trust over his eldest many times and he knows he won't let him down. He prayed for a little bit of hope in his heart.
The determined heir nodded to his father. He will find his brother no matter how long it takes. "I will--"
BANG!
"I am coming too" A voice rasped.
Maxille stared strictly at the uninvited guest. His grey eyes flashed and he spoke deeply "You are going to stay here and take care of Mother".
The identical grey eyes of the younger youth challenged his brother. Emlen, The second young master of the Fraunces Household. An air of frost hovered over his clenched right hand. He threw a snobbish smile at his elder brother who responded to him with an unreadable look.
"You are going to stay here" Lord Fraunces interrupted. Glancing at his second son, he smiled wearily. "Your mother hasn't been herself for weeks. She won't even look me in the eye. Accompany her, Emlen".
"I want to look for Moulin. I refuse to just sit here and wait while he might be dying out there buried under thick snow!" Emlen gnashed his teeth.
"Emlen!" Maxille yelled.
"Enough..."
Both sons looked at their father, silently. The latter walked back to the windows gazing at the snow. The bitterness ran chaotically in his heart at the thought of his son devoid of life. How can he ever forgive himself if that were to be true? He was such a failure of a father to lead his precious son to his death. His thoughts ran rampant.
"He's not dead..." Maxille deeply convinced himself. He turned to glare at his younger brother, angrily "I will bring him back".
Yes, he's going to find his younger brother and he will protect him. Moulin will never be in danger ever again. Why was he so cold to him before? Why did it all happen? He was a pampered child, of course, they tend to be a little mischievous. But Maxille didn't have to go so far as to tell Moulin what a useless wreck he was, the shame of the family. The regret and the guilt all washed over him like a pool of black water.
Emlen stared at his elder brother. The man in front of him was always so forbidding and unsympathetic but right now both of them had the same wish in their hearts. How unpleasant...
"Fine then, I'll stay." He was still defiant. "However, If you fail dear brother, No one is going to stop me from going". With that, he turned and left.
Leaving his father and brother to settle things themselves, his loud footsteps sounded across the halls. Moulin, this weak brother of his, always stirred up his emotions. The rumors about his little brother in the academy pissed him off so much that he almost murdered those wretched people. Those rats don't know shit about the real things. Now that Moulin's disappearance had also spread, their filthy mouths couldn't shut up about how Moulin deserved it. His patience shattered after hearing that. He craved to find this Quade bastard and rip him apart!
Click...
The young master's heavy steps gradually stopped. He lifted his right hand which had been clenching all the while and opened it with furrowed eyebrows. Inside was a thin silver bracelet. It looked a bit childish with the small blue gems around it but what softened Emlen's gaze was the sight of his name scribbled inside the silver band. Despair blanketed his beautiful grey eyes. Come back to us little brother...
A few weeks passed and the daring white snow fell over the mountains roughly. The sun was about to set, sending out a tint of purple in the clouded sky. The tall and sturdy black trunks of the trees stood bravely on the snow like rows of vengeful soldiers. Their fine leaves were blanketed by sheets of snow. A small white ball sat on a snow-covered rock, its ears perking up from a small call.
"Snow!"
The snowy fox hopped down the rock and ran with his little paws swiftly towards the sound of its master. He scurried over an open area and saw a figure of white beckoning him closer.
Moulin stared at the part of the woods where Snow had been, suspiciously. For a few days, he had been sensing a disturbance in the woods.
His control over his ability was progressing steadily. Even though it was only self-taught, it was better than nothing. His progressive training helped him bond closer with ice and snow, as ridiculous as it sounds, it was undeniably true.
His survival in these woods was also a bit advantageous now. His abilities helped him catch food and protect himself from wild animals. Although, he had to do more manual labor than he thought he would, such as making traps, making clothing, starting a fire, gathering dry wood, and a hundred more. The days of forcing himself to watch naked survival shows with his scumbag ex really helped him. He was born with exceptional memory along with misery and suffering.
"Have you noticed anything?" Moulin asked his little fox as he picked him up. Snow responded with a sound of disappointment. He felt that his master would think badly of him for the fact that he found nothing.
Moulin chuckled and patted its head "It's alright. Try again tomorrow. We'll head to bed first". The young man had no one to converse with within this freezing place except for the Snow White fox that had never left his side ever since they first met.
They returned to the ice cave where Moulin first awoke, treating it as his temporary home. Besides, the cave was a good place to stay away from the snow and the strange animals roaming around at night. It was also cozy. Moulin sealed up the entrance of the cave with a thick sheet of ice but left a small opening above for air to enter. Following a wide tunnel, they arrived at a wide roomy place with glowing walls of ice at every corner.
The world he is currently living in is already strange and weird so he didn't dwell on why the ice glows each time he enters.
The young man and his fox friend slept peacefully unaware of what was to come the next day.