The Son of Winter

His eyes shot up. He woke up from his short dream. The body that was supported by the tub, now sank to the bottom of the clear water. He got up from his lying position and sat up.

His hands trembled from the coldness he felt in his fingertips.  It was a sign... He knew he released that power again.  He looked down to the water of the tub. It reflected his anxious expression. It was moving like how it was supposed to, completely different from his expectations. 

Relief arose from his heart when he realised that he hadn't frozen his tub. If he did, then he could've died while still trapped in that distant memory, now-turned nightmare.

However, he was proven wrong with his conclusion. When he observed his surroundings, everything inside the room was frozen, with the tub as the only exception. It wasn't because he didn't do it. It was because he went overboard.

The walls and floor were covered with thick ice. The room was all hazy, seemingly covered in a thick fog but it was only layers of ice and snow. He turned his bathroom into a winter wonderland. The whole room was chilly but he didn't feel any of it. He only felt himself.

He stood up, thinking that this would be another problem the next morning. He chose the option to not inform the servants about it and to not let them inside this room. This matter was to be kept a secret  only to him.

They shouldn't know about this power of his.

Because he was lightning...He was supposed to be JUST lightning...

Not ice.

This power of him was a curse. An ability triggered after a traumatic experience he wanted to forget. The person who only knew about it was his father, the previous Emperor. After learning about it, he only grew miserable. After handing him the throne, he fled the kingdom and vanished.

He never saw his father again. 

But contrary to people's expectations, Ramier didn't feel anything. He didn't feel pain nor sadness at his departure. He never had a father to begin with... 

The power of ice...

He vaguely remembered someone telling him about it. It was from a clown performing in the streets.

His words were forever etched in his mind. The words of a fool who spoke the truth. However, he wondered how he knew... How he predicted... 

**********

It happened centuries ago when he was still young. As his mischievous self, he went to sneak out of the Palace to seek the Palace and have some fun. He was so amazed at going out that he wandered around the streets and ended up lost, wandering around the place where commoners lived. 

On that day, there was a performance on the streets. It was led by a clown and other performers. Most of his audiences were children. So as a child, he was also very entertained because it was the first he saw something like that. The first time he met a clown and the first time he went outside... 

Ramier's existence was very suspicious, having the color of silver on his hair and the clothes worn  mostly by nobility, shoes especially tailored for him. He looked so out of place among the children who wore worn out clothes and old muddy dirt-filled shoes. He looked so clean and distinct that everyone around that plaza noticed him. 

Some of the adults kept eyeing him, carefully guessing which family he came from and what status he held. They were eager to learn what someone, as well-off as him, was doing in a place full of poor and filthy peasants. 

Clueless of how esteemed he really was, they weren't aware that he was from the Royal family and that he was the crown Prince. They didn't even know how to distinguish him even if his appearance clearly stated his identity. They were ignorant, for peasants like them only saw a few glimpses of nobility, much more of royalty. 

After seeing that the child was not minding their gazes, they decided to leave him be. It was better to not interfere with nobility. One mistake can cost their life. 

Little Ramier was focused on the stage, his eyes were fixed on the clown. He smiled and frowned from time to time, wondering why the clown was deliberately acting like a fool. As a young child, he would always look for answers to questions, so he decided that he will wait for the clown after the end of his performance. He wanted to learn his tricks and also ask the reason why he acted like he did. He was curious... He was a child. 

As he went according to his decision, he really waited for the clown to finish his performance. He thought that his performance would be finished in a couple of minutes but it ended half a day. Still, not willing to back down on his words, he stubbornly waited half a day as well. 

The clown who performed all day, noticed the small figure who was watching him from afar. It was a child whose hair was light grey in color but shone silver under the lights. He squinted his eyes, to make sure that what he saw was what he really perceived. It was indeed the blood of a royalty.

What was the little crown Prince like him doing in this place? And why was he standing there watching him the entire time? For a clown like him?

Was this how he was being toyed by destiny? 

No. 

That can't be. 

He swore to never show his face again. He already turned his back on the history he discovered... And the vision's he saw in his dreams. 

It was this exact child. The same prince his dreams were warning him about. The child who brought nothing but misfortunes to people he had close relations with. The child who had slain on such a young age. Those eyes which contained deep sorrow and resentment for having his innocence taken away from him. That child... 

He was the son of Winter. 

And he will betray his own race.