6 The Snow Queen and the Scar

Lucien pants after flopping on the floor of a dance studio. Sweat rolls down his neck. A groan escapes from his lips when a towel lands on his face. The only thing that he could hear was his own breathing and the words "Good job, Lucien."

  "How can you do this every single day, Flare?" Lucien questions. "It's so much!"

  Flare chuckles. He pats away his sweat and grins. Either of them said a single word. Suddenly, Lucien notices a small scar on the back of Flare's neck. It looked like it was caused by something burnt his skin. Flare glances at Lucien after noticing the stares. He begins to reach for his scar but stops. Something deep inside of him was telling him that Lucien wanted the story behind the scar.

  Flare states."I guess you want to know the story behind my scar, right?"

  Fear bubbles inside of his chest after Lucien nods. It was not time for him to know about their past. However, there was something familiar about the gleam in his eyes. Flare sat down Lucien and nods.

  "I got the scar for a long time. It was our first mission..." Flare says. "All four of us were looking forward to creating a happy ending. But, nothing could prepare us for what was going to happen. You see, we were looking for a lost girl named Flurry from a small village."

  Everything becomes wavy while Flare stares into the sky. It changes into a village with brick houses. A young boy with orange hair and blonde tips blinks. His hardened amber eyes glance at a boy around his age. He had dark red hair that reached his shoulders. There was something in the sea-blue eyes that were unsettling to the boy. However, he did not have enough time to think about it. A girl a few years younger than them rushes toward them. She waves while a twin similar to the red hair drags a bulk behind him.

  The young girl yells, "Big brother, we got some firewood! The villagers are going to like it along with the bulk!!"

  Villagers come out of their houses while the orange head boy nods. He takes the logs from the girl. Her bright smile begins to melt several villagers' harden expressions. The twins grin while dragging the bulk to a private area. Several of the women quickly help the young girl prep vegetables while the men serve drinks.

  "Thank you, Rosie and Inuy." A village boy says. Rosie and Inuy smile when patting the top of the boy's head.

  Both of them said at the same time. "You're welcome! It's our job to make sure that everyone gets what they need!!"

  The villagers cheer when the twins bring out perfectly cut meat. Everyone quickly helps prepare the food. Inuy exhales while quietly slipping away. The redhead twin notices his disappearance and quickly follows. A feeling of sadness form in the twin. He notices that Inuy leaning on a distant wall. The redhead twin wanted to do something for Inuy. However, Inuy refused to open up to anyone except his mother and Rosie. It was almost like he was trying to hide something from the twins.

  A distant voice whispers in his ears as the ice wind howls. Villagers scream and quickly rush inside. Rosie and the other twin frown. They quickly help people struggling to get back inside. Someone shoves the redhead to the ground. The screams of fear became overwhelming as he struggles to get back up. Inuy races to his side and helps him to his feet.

  Suddenly, Inuy's eyes narrow while feeling something pierce his heart. Everything around him slows down while glancing down. A spark of fear and worry form in his eyes. His own heart changed to glowing ice crystal for a split second. Inuy growls softly before helping the redhead twin inside. In her twenties, a woman notices the lack of color in Inuy's face after bringing the twin close to the fire.

  "Young pup, are you alright?" The woman asks. "You look like death."

  Inuy states. "I am fine. Just a bit tired from helping Snow get in... Did Rosie or Flare come in yet? They don't need to be out there, Anzu."

  Anzu nods while Rosie quickly hands them several quilts. The roar of the fire expands when Flare enters the room. Something forms inside of his eyes. Inuy tilts his head in confusion. Snow frowns after noticing a faint frown on Flare. The fire returns to normal at the same time Anzu places plates of food on a small wooden table.

  Later that night, with full stomachs, Inuy sits up with a jolt. His hands shake while reaching for his heart. The feeling of negative emotions washes over him. Inuy barely opens his mouth. Not a single word came out of his mouth. The sound of laughter fills the dead air as Inuy climb out of his makeshift bed. He stops walking after a thin blade of a sword comes out of nowhere. Inuy glares to his right. His eyes narrow after noticing that Flare was the one holding the sword.

  "Let me go, Flare. I need to go." Inuy says. "The Queen of Ice is calling for me."

  Flare replies. "No. I will not allow you to leave. You are important to R and Yuki."

  Inuy chuckles. A spark of magic shine in his eyes after looking directly into Flare's eyes. Lightning fly from their gaze. Flare eyes expand when noticing something hidden deep in his eyes. The sword lowers. Inuy grins while Flare ultimately lowers the sword.

  Flare states. "I see... You are needed in this fairytale. I will let you go for now. However, understand that when the time comes, I will not be afraid to fight."

  Both of them glare at each other. Inuy walks out as the door burst open with an icy wind. Several screams were heard. Flare exhales when feeling a pair of glaring eyes on him. He turns around to face the person. Fear shines in his eyes after noticing the anger coming off of Snow.

  "What did you do." Snow whispers. "Why did you let him leave."

  Flare replied. "There was nothing I could do. He wanted to go before he could destroy everything..."

  Snow stares at him in disbelief. His body quakes as a blur races past him. Flare lowers his head. Someone yells for Inuy to come back. A sudden burst of cold air sweeps across the twins. It causes the fire to die out. Their eyes widen after Rosie slams the door shut.

  "That is enough... Right now, we need to get some sleep." Rosie chimed in. "We will leave in the morning."

  The twins stared at her in shock. Both of them nod in agreement. Rosie sighs when following them back to their beds. Flare exhales. The fire lights up from magic as burnt footsteps from behind him.

  The next morning, Anzu smiles softly. Villagers gather around a single wooden cart as Snow and Flare load supplies. Rosie glances at several of the children before taking the reins. Whispers fill the air. The twins gaze at each other with worry.

  "All of you be quiet." Rosie states. The villagers became quiet. She exhales and nods. "We are heading out to seek the witch that brought the storm last night. The witch took my brother. It is important that we need to get him back."

  Anzu stares at them as Rosie talks to the villagers. She taps snow on the shoulder. He glances at her in confusion. "Snow, there is one way to fully defeat the Ice Queen. You give all of your love to the person under her curse. He must not complete the puzzle. Inuy will become a statue in her collection, and the rest of us will become her servants."

  "Thank you, Anzu... We will bring him back and free all of you from her."

  No one utters a single word. Flare and Snow finish packing as quickly as possible. They quickly jump in the back as Rosie drives away. Everyone in the village watches them drive away until they disappear from sight. Dark clouds appear in the sky as Rosie warms her hands. Snow glances at her. Flare lets his jaw a bit when jumping in front. Rosie stares at him in shock after forcing the reins out of her hands.

  Snow says. "Get in the back. I can handle driving. Go and warm up with Flare."

  Rosie nod. She nods and quickly gets in the back. Flare wraps her in a spare blanket. Snow exhales after making sure that the horses were on the trail. Something white falls from the sky. His pupils narrow with fear. A single snowflake drifts toward him. He exhaled while watching the snow and road toward the castle made out of ice in the distance.

  A few days have passed, and Rosie snoozes. Shivers cause the blanket to fall off of her. Flare quickly rewrap her. His eyes soften when feeling the shivers coming off of her. He glances at Snow when he nods. The wagon comes to a stop. Rosie glances up with fear in her eyes.

  Snow question. "Rosie, are you sure you want to continue? You are shivering like a leaf..."

  "I want to continue." Rosie interrupted. She exhaled while clinging onto the blanket tightly. 

  "There is no way I am leaving you to when we are so close... Besides, both of you know that I will be stubborn about this. Inuy is in danger, and I am not going to be on the sidelines when we save him."

  The twins glance at each other. Rosie looks up when the cart stop. Mixed emotions shine in her eyes. A castle made out of ice embedded in the mountain shine in the dim sunlight. The sky turns gray. Flare exhale. His right hand reaches out and catches a single snowflake. It quickly melts at the same time Rosie and Flare climb out. The horses nah after watching them head toward the tower.

  In the castle throne room, Inuy shivers while putting the puzzle together. The cold made him num. He could barely feel anything anymore. The only thing that filled him with anything was trying to complete the puzzle. The Ice Queen grin. The plan was nearly complete. It would not be too long until he would complete the puzzle. Chuckles fill the silence.

  Flare whisper, leaning toward Snow, "Yuki, what are we going to do? She is getting worse."

  "I don't know..." he replied. "But we need to protect her. I will stay by her while you rescue Pup."

  Both nod when Rosie quickly joins them. After some time, the trio stood in the shadows of the throne room. Inuy barely moves as he nearly completed the puzzle. Snow frown. A spark of fright sign in his eyes. The atmosphere thickens when Rosie stands up. Her eye color changes into a swirling rainbow after all of them jump.

  The Ice Queen growl. Inuy barely glances up when all three of them land on the ground. Rosie pupils narrow. She rushes forward with Flare behind her. Snow dash to Inuy. Fear showed on his face. Ice begins to form on Inuy. His movements were slow and ragged with adding the next piece of the puzzle. A wave of gentle warmth washes over him after felling someone grabs his hands.

  "Please... You have to fight... This is not you at all. Everyone is here to help you." A soft yet familiar voice say.

  Inuy replied. "But I want complete the puzzle... It has to be completed for them... Complete it for Rosie and the twins..."

  Ribbons of energy wrap around him. Flare glances back at them, then yelps. The back of his neck felt like it was on fire when one of the ribbons disappear in front of him. The Ice Queen grin. Cages made out of ice and snow surround Rosie and Flare. The air becomes thick. Inuy breathes deep when someone grabs his shoulders.

  "That is right. You want to complete the puzzle for them. All of them want you to save them." Ice Queen whisper. "You need to finish."

  His arms tremble when picking up the last piece. The ice quickly expands to the rest of his body except his face and left hand. Rosie growls while struggling to break free. The ice around her right side begins to crack. Fear shine in Snow's eyes. He inhales and begins to walk forward. With every step he took, the ribbons of energy strike him. Tears form after the feeling of pain becomes numb. The Snow Queen growls and shoots several crystals. Her eyes widen after a rainbow-colored shield surrounds him. Snow glances at him when Rosie's right quakes.

  Rosie whispered. "Save them... Save my brother and the girl..." Her arms fall. Flare gasp after her face, neck, and ears become bright red. Snow nodded and walk toward Inuy.

  "No! Stay away from him!!" Ice Queen yells. With the swipe of her hands, thousands of small crystals fly toward Snow. Each one shattered when touching the shield.

  Snow shook his head. His feet stop a few feet from them. The Ice Queen growls in frustration and launches herself toward him. She screamed when the shield protected him. Inuy moments came to a stop. The ice was almost done covering him from head to toe. Gentle hands cup his frozen face. Time came to a stop. Inuy stared directly into a set of sparkling sea-blue eyes.

  Inuy utter, feeling his heart pound against his chest. "...pretty... Such a pretty sad of blue..."

  Suddenly, a wave of emotions overflowed him. Tears run down his face while the ice around them begin to. Flare quickly catches Rosie before she could smack into the ground. Joy shine in his expression. The ice and snow around melt after Inuy become unfrozen and land into Snow's arms. Ice Queen screams when trying to rebuild the melting throne room.

  "What have you do?!" Ice Queen yelled. "You have ruined everything!!"

  She screams in agony while shrinking into something. The sunlight burst through and quickly melt the rest of the snow and ice. Nothing was left of the snow and ice. Instead, it was a small hidden valley of mountain flowers. Flare stare in awe. His eyes soften after noticing a young girl wearing a ragged dress. Snow exhales in relief. Inuy groans while trying to get on his feet with the help of Snow.

  Flare exclaimed. "We saved everyone... I say that this is the beginning of a happy ending!"

  He cheers at the top of his lungs. The cheers fill the air while Snow tries to move Inuy to the cart. The world around them faded out and returned to the present time. Lucien stares in awe as Flare chuckles. A gentle smile forms on his face with a hint of joy in his eyes.

  "I see... So, that's how you got your scar. How the story ends? Did everyone get their happy ending?" Lucien asks.

  Flare replied. "Of course, everyone got a happy ending. The people of the village called us heroes after returning Flurry home. They gave us a statue. Rosie and Inuy gave Flurry a bit of their magic to protect her... Everyone is fine since the last time we visited them. Now, is that all? There some new moves I want to teach you."

  Both of them quickly stand up and throw their towels to the floor. As they begin to do several roundhouse kicks, the scenery changed into a small balcony connected to a bedroom. A figure walks out. Rainbow colored rose petals fall to the ground below as someone chuckles.

  "Soon, it will be time for the defender. The defender shall have the ability to comminute with animals and be able to truly aim." A gentle voice says.

  Most of the rainbow petals disappear after touching the ground. However, several landed on a silver head teenage boy. He looks around after feeling something touch his head. A sigh escapes from him when walking away. The figure stares at him before looking up at the night sky. The moon becomes pastel pink for a second as the figure leaves the balcony.