•─────⋅ ❆ ⋅─────•

Tiernan was bored.

He was in a secret meeting organized by an underground revolutionary group, but he was still kind of bored.

Tiernan watched as his dad and a few adults inspected a map. Tiernan sighed and hugged his knees to his chest. Being seventeen, and thus underage, he wasn't allowed to join the Defenders of Spring, but due to his connections (his father was an official member), he could listen to meetings.

At least he wasn't the only kid. Vada Adler, who was also seventeen, had joined because her uncle was a Defender- at least until he was captured by the Knights. It had been several months since they both started to appear at meetings, and even though they didn't know each other, they sort of became friends because they were the only teenagers present. Besides, Tiernan enjoyed Vada's sarcasm and bluntness. They would spend hours roasting the people they both knew. Vada had even taught Tiernan to say "as you say, Elder" to the annoying old folks who bothered them at work. It was greatly satisfying.

The door opened, and in stepped a slender girl with brown hair up in a bun. Vada had finally arrived, and judging from her outfit and hairstyle, she had just finished work. Tiernan flashed Vada a grin and she hurried over to his seat.

"The damn Knights kept me again," she grouched. "Geez. And they didn't even pay me for the extra time."

"Why did you start working for them again?"

Vada started to fiddle with her brown skirt. "The pay is good. And everyone needs money."

Tiernan hummed in agreement. "Must be tough having two jobs."

Vada shrugged. "Eh, working at our bakery's fine. At least most of our customers are commoners. Though I feel bad for you, Tiernan. The Knights always visit the map shop, don't they?"

Tiernan groaned loudly. "Urgh, yeah. They're so annoying and pretentious. But I have to be polite or else I'll be executed. Yay."

"By the way, did I miss anything?" Vada asked curiously. "Like, the adults seem especially on edge today."

"Yeah, I also noticed that, but your guess is as good as mine. I don't think my dad knows anything either."

The room suddenly became so silent, one could hear a pin drop. Tiernan followed everybody's gazes to an unfamiliar young man who had just entered. He was tall, lanky, with a mop of messy black hair.

"Who is that dude?" Vada hissed. "Some new member?"

Before Tiernan could reply, the room erupted into cheers of "the prince has returned!". Elderly men, old king's soldiers, stood up to heartily clap the young man on the back. Vada and Tiernan shared baffled looks.

"Hi. What the fuck," Tiernan said.

"Yeah. What the fuck."

Everybody knew the king's child, the prince, was found dead ages ago. Tiernan had even heard that the infant's corpse had been frozen in the Snow Queen's palace for decoration (which was SUPER morbid and freaky). So how was this random, normal-looking dude the prince?

Judging from the confused looks of some other adults, it was evident only a handful of the Defenders knew of this apparent prince. Tiernan made eye contact with his dad, but he looked as lost as he was.

Vada nudged Tiernan in the ribs (damn, that girl had sharp elbows). "Am I the only one who thinks he doesn't look like the old king's son? Like, my parents had always told me the king had red hair and was muscular. No offense, but this guy right here looks like your average skinny village boy."

Tiernan chortled, amused by Vada's accurate roast. "Yep. He does look skinny."

The prince introduced himself as Cassian White. He quickly proved his identity by bringing out what appeared to be a... medallion. Vada and Tiernan had zero (0) idea what that meant, but apparently the adults understood it was a precious item belonging to the old king, which somehow made them all immediately trust Cassian. Tiernan and Vada looked at each other and shrugged.

"Old people are so easy to manipulate," Tiernan muttered in a half-joking way.

"Yeah, I mean, the medallion can be easily faked or stolen," Vada agreed. She planted her hands on her hips and stared at the supposed prince. "But I suppose we'll humour him for now."

Apparently the infant the Snow Queen had found, the supposed child of the king, was just a decoy. His guardians, including the ever-famous Sir Favian, managed to sneak him out of the border. Cassian explained how many of his protectors were hunted down, and Tiernan watched as Vada gulped. Tiernan wasn't very familiar with Vada's past, and he didn't want to enquire, but he did know her uncle was captured. It must be a sore spot for her.

"I guess it makes sense why his protectors pretended he was dead," Tiernan whispered to Vada. "If he's dead, the Ice Bitch won't try to hunt him down."

Vada choked. "Excuse me, what did you just call the Snow Queen?" she spluttered out.

"You should try calling her Ice Bitch sometime. It's cathartic."

Anyways, after uncovering Cassian's not-so-tragic backstory (seriously, his story was so tame compared to the ones Tiernan heard), Cassian told the Defenders he was forming a party to overthrow the Snow Queen. Which was met by enthusiastic cheers from some very, very old people and protests from the younger adults.

Since Tiernan and Vada technically weren't supposed to be at the meeting, they just watched the adults and the elders duel it out.

"Sir, you're too old for this-"

"Age is just a number! Besides, do you think I'm just gonna sit here and do nothing?"

Vada sighed and shook her head. "Are those old geezers seriously thinking of fighting the Snow Queen?"

Tiernan shrugged. "I mean, judging from the conversations I hear at the map shop, it's not like the Elders are very smart. I won't be surprised if they're thinking of doing such a dumb thing."

"Let's hope someone with common sense restrains them," Vada quipped drily.

Apparently, the "someone with common sense" turned out to be the prince himself. He very logically and politely told the elders he was worried about them and hence they shouldn't join his party. Besides, Cassian told the Defenders that fighting wasn't the most important part of the revolution.

"We need to topple her regime from within," Cassian declared. "She has magic, most of us don't." He walked around the room and made eye contact with the adults. He even nodded politely at Vada and Tiernan. "We need spies. We need strategists. We need fairies. We need to infiltrate the palace. And most importantly, we need to stay low. I'm not discouraging you all, but we're genuinely at a disadvantage here. Therefore, we need to conserve as much strength as we can."

"Ooh, maybe this beanpole guy has a cool side too," Tiernan murmured to Vada, who just hummed in reply.

"But it's difficult to stay a low profile because most of us have jobs," somebody pointed out. "We need to feed our families, and if we suddenly disappear, our entire family's doomed." She was met with mutters of agreement.

Tiernan chewed on his lip. He wholly agreed with the adult. Revolutionary work was too much for the average citizen who had to work long hours to take care of their families. It would be difficult to expect people to balance their lives. Plus, the risk was incredibly high. If one person was caught, their entire family was as good as dead. Next to him, Vada abruptly cleared her throat.

"You can always ask the teenagers."

Instantly, all eyes spun towards the only two teenagers in the room. The adults, particularly those who knew the teens, shared concerned glances. Cassian just regarded them with curious brown eyes. Tiernan felt his face go hot and he frantically hissed, "Vada-"

Vada stared straight at Cassian, a steely glint in her clear blue eyes. "Children and teens go missing all the time- it's because they die of starvation and cold easily. We only work part-time jobs. Plus, we're not well known compared to the adults, and we have smaller builds, so we can hide and disguise ourselves with less difficulty," Vada stated cooly with an air of confidence.

Cassian looked a bit dumbfounded (Tiernan couldn't blame him though). "I appreciate your courage and the thought you put into this, and I'm not looking down on you in any way, but I'm just... concerned for your safety."

"Sir, you just said we need to stay low," Vada quoted Cassian. "We don't need to be involved on the battlefield. And besides, a couple of us actually have experience. For example, this guy here," she tugged on Tiernan's ear, who gasped in protest, "went on trips with his dad, who's a cartographer. He knows how to navigate the kingdom and read the elements. If any teen can survive in the wild, it'll be Tiernan. I'm sure he'll be useful during this eternal winter."

Tiernan didn't know whether to wince or be happy by Vada's compliments. Geez, that girl could be insufferably blunt at times. "And besides, this girl over here," he jabbed Vada's arm, "is a damn good archer. Seriously. Vada can surely defend herself." A beat. "She can also bake. Which is great, I guess."

Cassian was actually looking at them with respect and consideration- it wasn't often Tiernan met older people who didn't patronize them.

"An archer? Well, I can certainly see those arm muscles," Cassian said. "Care to display your abilities?"

Before Vada could even react, Tiernan had stuffed her bow into her arms with a shit-eating grin on his face. He took in her shocked expression, and cackled inwardly. Ha! Now you know how it feels like to be taken by surprise!

But Tiernan knew he couldn't say that out loud. "Show them what you've got" was what he said instead.

The adults were once again busy discussing among themselves. A table was cleared, leaving only an apple core. Vada took the arrow and fitted it in the bowstring.

Tiernan whistled. "Ooh, that's a small target," he teased.

"Don't make me shoot you," Vada replied coolly. She aimed, and then-

The arrow flew through the air and struck the core dead-center. The Defenders and Tiernan whooped loudly. Vada lowered her bow, strode to the apple core, and elegantly yanked the arrow out. Cassian raised his eyebrows, impressed.

And that was how Tiernan and Vada proved their worth during that fateful night, and they ended up joining Cassian's party. Some of the adults were unhappy about it, and Tiernan's dad in particular was worried for his son.

"Don't worry," Tiernan waved his dad's worries away dismissively. "Dad, I'll be fine. Besides, this revolution's just begun- I won't be in danger anytime soon. After all, we need time to plan."

Tiernan's dad suddenly enveloped him in a hug. "Just stay safe, son," he spoke softly. "I can't bear to lose you too."

At first, Tiernan was a little surprised and overwhelmed, but hugged him back too. Old people really can be emotional- but in a good way, he thought.

They learned from the prince that he had already recruited two people. Apparently they both had magic powers and had predicted his arrival.

"Exciting!" Tiernan exclaimed. "I don't know anyone who can do magic- aside from the Ice Bi- I mean the Snow Queen," he quickly corrected himself after Vada poked him in the ribs.

Cassian looked down at the two of them and smiled. "You guys afraid? Don't worry, I'll do my best to protect you."

Vada awkwardly scratched her head. "Uhh, thanks, Prince Cassian."

"Just call me Cassian," he told them warmly. He turned back to the Defenders, and yelled, "And one final thing! Long live the daffodil! Long live the revolution!"

"LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!"

•─────⋅ ❆ ⋅─────•

Vada was still thinking about the revolution a day later. She diced up some carrots, tossed them into the pot, and sighed.

The lost prince had returned and she'd joined his party. It was a little scary, but everything was worth it if she could save her uncle from the wicked Snow Queen. Besides, this Prince Cassian seemed like a nice person. A little clueless, a little naïve, but nice. And Tiernan, a friend from the Defenders of Spring, had also joined. At least Vada knew someone.

Vada should really stop thinking about princes and revolutions when she was literally working for a house of Silver Knights. Fortunately, after six months of cooking for them, she'd learnt to keep a neutral expression at all times. In the Knights' eyes, she was just a demure, quiet girl who wanted to earn some extra money. Vada never argued with them, never indicated her uncle was a "rebel", or even hinted that she could use a bow and arrow. She was harmless, she was useless- except for her cooking and baking skills.

It was funny how she ended up working for them. She was just working at her mother's bakery when a group of higher-ranked Knights entered. Most of them were adults, but there was a girl with caramel brown hair. The girl took a great interest in the baked goods Vada made, and all of the Knights with her ended up tasting said baked goods. They praised Vada for her baking skills and asked if she could work for them (because apparently their food was really shitty). Vada despised the Knights, but years of dealing with her depressed mother had given her the ability to hide her emotions. Besides, she could get a substantial amount of money by just cooking. Therefore, she agreed to the Knights' proposal.

While around them, Vada acted like a timid girl who was deathly afraid of the Knights. She would bow her head every time one of them approached her, and flinched when they came too close. She smiled and thanked them every time they praised her. She addressed all of them respectfully, and never fought back even if they were rude to her. Her "pathetic" act was irritating at times, and Vada often wished she could whip out her bow and fight them, but she had to do it for the money.

That being said, working for the Knights wasn't all bad. The brown-haired girl, a girl called Maera, was interested in cooking as well. With the Knights' permission, they ended up cooking together. For the first few cooking sessions, the Knights watched her, waiting for her to say something suspicious, but Vada never did. She answered sensitive questions carefully and the Knights soon became convinced she wasn't a rebel. Heck, they even started to trust her.

Maera was actually a decent person in the kitchen. She was hardworking, kind, and eager to learn. She didn't look down on Vada and was never mean to her. In addition, Vada discovered Maera was actually quite gifted with cooking. She was familiar with most of the cooking skills, and she even came up with cool spice combinations that Vada had never thought of. Heck, if Maera spent more time in the kitchen, Vada was sure Maera could become better than her. Hence, Vada respected Maera even if she was a Silver Knight.

Vada knew her friends and family would be furious if she told them about Maera. Her best friend and neighbour Winter would be so betrayed - after all, her father used to be a low-ranked Silver Knight and was bossed around by the higher-ranked Knights. Winter would often passionately rant about how the Snow Queen and the higher-ranked Knights were responsible for her father's death by overworking him until he died from exhaustion. Vada shuddered; she didn't want to be the target of Winter's wrath. That girl could be scary.

"Hey, Adler!"

Maera's familiar voice interrupted Vada's train of thought. "Hello, Miss Maera," Vada replied politely.

Maera strode into the kitchen. Her hair was wet, telling Vada she had just taken a shower. She probably needed one after training all day with another knight (his name was Nico if Vada recalled correctly).

"Geez, you know you can just call me Maera. What are we having for dinner?"

"Beef, potato, and carrot stew. The Knights also requested a lemon pie for dessert."

"Sounds delicious! Can I help?"

Vada couldn't refuse. "Sure. Please help me peel those potatoes."

But just as Maera picked up a knife, General Lockbull, a higher-ranked Silver Knight, rushed into the kitchen.

"Maera Throne! Where is that map of the Blackstone Mountains?" Lockbull bellowed.

Maera turned. "General, I gave it to you yesterday. Along with the sharpened sword, remember?"

"Don't be cheeky with me!" Lockbull continued to yell. "You clearly misplaced it because I can't find it anywhere!"

"But-"

"You have until dinnertime to find a new map. That is all."

Maera looked at the general, then back at the potatoes. Vada knew she didn't want to follow the general's orders, but she didn't want to disobey her either.

"Put that knife down!" Lockbull ordered. Maera's hand shook and the knife clattered on the counter. "Leave the cooking to the servant girl. I repeat: I want that map by dinnertime."

Vada watched as Maera lowered her defiant chin. "Yes, General Lockbull," she muttered.

Once the general left the kitchen, Maera started to mutter furiously. "Gosh, that woman is insufferable! I gave her that map, didn't I, Adler?"

"Yes, you did," Vada answered, careful not to anger Maera further. "I saw you."

"Why is she blaming me for something she did?" Maera continued to seethe. "This isn't fair!"

"Miss Throne, I hate to interrupt, but if I were you, I would try to find that map immediately. We have fifteen minutes until dinnertime."

Maera cursed loudly. Vada pretended to not have heard.

"I will try to make this stew extra delicious. You know, to make up for it."

"Adler, you're like, the only nice person in this entire house," Maera huffed. "Besides, I really hate going to the cartographer's. Anyways, I must get going. Wish me luck!"

And thus Maera disappeared in a flurry of cloak and fur, leaving Vada alone in the kitchen.

•─────⋅ ❆ ⋅─────•

Maera dashed out of the house, brown cloak flapping furiously behind her. Her combat boots crunched on the snow-covered ground as she sprinted towards the town center. The winter wind was a frigid knife against her rosy cheeks, but not even that could put out the fire raging inside her.

Why was she blamed for losing a stupid map? It wasn't her fault! She had brought everything home, safe and sound, and it was that freakin general who had misplaced the map, not her! Maera huffed, white puffs of breath emerging from her lips. Sometimes she wished she was a dragon - she had too much fire and fury stored inside of her and she just wanted to release it all.

Another thing: why hadn't Lockbull told her earlier? Maera was exhausted from sparring with Nico all day, and the sun had already set when she came home. Now she could only hope she could make it before the shops all closed.

It didn't help that Maera wasn't a big fan of visiting the cartographer's shop. She didn't have a grudge against maps but she had a feeling the cartographer's son didn't like her much. Ever since that kid started working at the shop around three or four years ago, he would glare at her every time she entered. He remained polite to her, but she could feel a cold aura emanating from him. She knew the Silver Knights weren't popular with the people, but still, he didn't have to dislike her so openly. Gosh, sometimes Maera just wanted to sock him in the face. She probably would've done that if it wouldn't damage her reputation.

A familiar chill began to descend upon the kingdom. Maera bit her chapped lip. There was a reason why people didn't run errands at night. Lockbull was utterly daft and forgot how chilly and dark the town would get after sunset. Fortunately for Maera, a warm golden glow was emitting from the cartographer's shop. She hurried towards it but to her dismay, a wooden "closed" sign was dangling on the door. Heart sinking, she pressed her face against the cold glass window, wondering if the cartographer would somehow let her in.

Through frosted glass, Maera could see a figure by the counter. The figure then looked up, and Maera glimpsed his mop of black hair. Maera groaned. Of course it was the cartographer's boy instead of the cartographer himself. Wonderful. Maera could see it already: the boy refusing to let her enter, returning home empty-handed, being scolded by the general, disappointing her family-

The door slammed open. The boy, with his ice blue eyes and chubby cheeks, stared at her.

Maera stared back at the boy. A beat passed.

Without another word, Maera marched inside, warm air enveloping her. She tried to avoid making eye contact with the boy.

"Welcome to the shop. What do you want?" the boy drawled.

"Oh, I dunno, a hot cup of tea?" Maera couldn't resist mocking him. Maybe she was in a bad temper, maybe she just wanted to insult him as payback for all of the glares he gave her. "What else would I want in a map shop?"

"For the record, we sell ink as well," he replied flippantly. "Seriously, what do you want, oh high-and-mighty Knight? The shop just closed."

Maera rolled her eyes and took out a pouch of coins. "One map of the Blackstone Mountains, please."

"Ooh yeah, they're in high demand right now." The boy started to rummage through a drawer. "Particularly expensive as well."

Maera tapped her boot on the floor. "You think I don't know that?" she said haughtily. She wasn't really arrogant, but she wasn't going to let some kid get the better of her.

"Oh, of course you know everything, Miss Knight-in-training," he retorted sarcastically. Then the boy performed a mock salute and took out the map Maera needed. "30 silver coins. And please don't stab it with swords or whatever - I spent a heck lot of time copying that."

Maera scoffed. "First things first, the Silver Knights aren't that barbaric. We've outgrown stabbing maps for dramatic effect. Secondly, I might just as well stab the map simply because you made it. You're really annoying, you know."

The boy sighed, pretending to be hurt. "Aww geez, you sure know how to hold a grudge," he mock-whined.

"Hmm, it's almost like you weren't the one glaring at me for the past few years every time I'm in this shop."

Maera had never managed to have a proper conversation with the boy, and their first official interaction was just them roasting each other. Spectacular. She dumped her coins on the counter. Next to her, the boy began to organize bottles of ink.

"What have I ever done to you, anyway?" she continued. "Did I kill your kitten? Steal your last piece of bread?"

The boy tapped his chin in a mock-thoughtful way. "Well, Miss Knight-"

BANG!

Maera stared at the fallen bottle of ink, then at her hand, and finally at the pool of black ink on the map.

Oh God. She just- she couldn't have, she couldn't have just knocked over a bottle of ink-

She shot out a hand. At the same time, the boy stretched out his fingers. Maera reached the bottle first but the deed was done. The map she had just bought was now ruined.

"Well, fuck," the boy said.

For the first time in her life, Maera agreed with him.

"I'll- I'll pay for another one," Maera found herself saying. She tipped her pouch and out fell a few coins. She shook the pouch furiously, but nothing came out. "Shit. Well, umm-"

Fantastic. Abso-fucking-lutely fantastic. The map she'd ventured out in the dark for was gone, and she couldn't even afford to buy another one. General Lockbull was so gonna yell at her when she got back. From the general's point of view, she had lost a valuable map twice. She was screwed. She was so, so screwed. Who knew a fucking map was going to be her downfall.

For the first time in a while, fear started to creep into Maera's heart. She was a failure - the knights would never accept her and her family wouldn't love her anymore, plus she had no way out because the cartographer's kid probably hated her even more now-

"Hey!"

Maera blinked. The boy was snapping his fingers in front of her face. He looked... slightly concerned? Wait, why would he be concerned for her?

He threw a wet rag at her. "Here. Your fingers are stained with ink."

"Oh." Maera didn't know what to do, so she just rubbed her tainted fingers on the rag. She stared at the ruined map. Wait, did she also have to pay for the bottle of ink? Before she could ask, the boy had shoved something in her face.

"Have a copy of the map," he said shortly.

"But I don't have the money-"

His blue eyes narrowed. "Did I ask for it?"

"But the ink-"

"I didn't say anything about that either."

Maera couldn't understand what was happening. As her mind struggled to catch up, a new, deeper voice in another room joined the conversation.

"Tiernan! Are you almost finished?"

Ah, it was the cartographer. The boy tensed immediately.

"Just reorganizing some stuff, Dad!" he called back. He then turned to Maera and hissed, "Just go, okay? You don't need to pay for the extra map and the ink."

Maera looked at him and waited for the catch. But it never came.

"Umm, thanks?" Maera hastily stuffed the map inside her bag. She still didn't understand why he was being so nice, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. To prevent the situation from becoming even more awkward, she made a quick exit. As she hurried back home, she couldn't help but wonder why he helped her.

Maybe he felt bad for her? Because she looked scared or something? Urgh. Maera clenched her fist. Stupid, stupid pretentious boy who thought he was "better" than her. She didn't need his pity. She didn't need his help-

Yet-

Maera sighed.

-she accepted it.

•─────⋅ ❆ ⋅─────•

Nico noticed that Maera seemed especially frustrated today.

They were sparring at the training academy, and Maera's moves were unusually sloppy. In the four years he'd known Maera, he knew Maera was impulsive and could be easily ticked off, so he wondered who had angered her. Her parents? The General "Lockbullshit" she kept on rambling about?

During breaktime, Nico asked her what was going on. "You got boy problems, Thorne?" he asked cheekily.

Maera groaned loudly. "Not everything is about boys, Rocco," she retorted.

Nico waggled his eyebrows. "You know I love talking about boys." He gave her a charming grin.

"Yeah, but this... thing isn't about a boy." A pause. "In the romantic sense."

"Oh?" Nico didn't fully believe her.

"It's just that he's confusing me-"

Nico sniggered. "So it's a he-"

Maera slapped him while Nico cackled. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" she hollered. After messing around for a while, she told him how General Lockbull forced her to get another map when it was the general's fault for misplacing it in the first place. But what seemed to irritate her the most was the cartographer's boy. Which was very interesting. Nico stroked his chin mock-thoughtfully. Very, very interesting.

Nico knew which boy she was talking about. He actually liked cartography, and often visited the shop, but didn't talk to the boy simply because he didn't want to interact with non-knights.

"And you know how he glares at us Knights?" Maera said passionately. "Like we killed his mom or something?"

Nico casually ran a hand through his brown hair. "Yeah?"

"When I was at the shop, we bantered for a while, but then I-" Maera hesitated for a few seconds, but ultimately proceeded to say, "I knocked over a bottle of ink and ruined the map. He gave me a free copy and told me I didn't need to pay for the ink. Why- why would he suddenly be so nice, especially after I wasted his time and money?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Nico said blankly. "He has a crush on you."

Maera choked. "Excuse me?!" she shrieked.

Before Maera could speak, Nico continued, "It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? He doesn't like Knights, and suddenly you're in front of him, and he has a heterosexual awakening and decides you're really pretty or whatever straight boys like about girls. So he tries to impress you by being nice."

Maera facepalmed. "Heteroseuxal awakening- whatever, that's the least weird part about this! Maybe the map boy (whatever his name is, I forgot again) doesn't like girls! How do you know what's going on in his mind?"

Nico shrugged. "All I know is if a girl (or boy) I hate suddenly becomes smoking hot, I would stop hating them almost immediately. And try to kiss their ass." A pause. "Both literally and non-literally."

"You're impossible," Maera declared. "But seriously, he's been bugging me. Like, why did he help me?"

Nico observed her micro-expressions. "Maybe you think he's pitying you and thus looking down on you? Like, he felt bad for you and you're uncomfortable with that because it implies he's superior."

Maera looked at him in astonishment. "H-how did you know that?"

"Your face is easy to read," Nico said. He was familiar with observing and interpreting expressions, but actually, that wasn't it. He had fairy blood running through his veins and hence he knew how to do magic. He was especially talented at mind manipulation and after years of training his abilities, he could read emotions and even thoughts of others with relative ease.

Maera sighed and brushed her hair from her sweaty face. "You really do know me well, Nico."

Nico supposed she interpreted it as being close friends with her, not that he had any weird supernatural abilities. She wasn't supposed to know about said supernatural abilities. "I mean, we've known each other for what, four years?"

"Yeah. You were just twelve when we met," Maera chuckled and patted Nico's head, who grimaced at the show of affection. "You were a cute brat back then."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You're just eighteen. Stop pretending you're an adult."

Nico remembered his past so well- he was eleven and living a happy life with his father until those brutish, detestable revolutionaries broke down their door. They accused his father of selling the old king out to their Snow Queen, but it didn't end there. The uncivilized savages dragged his dad out and literally burned the house down. They forced him to confess his so-called "crimes" and finally publicly executed in the middle of the town.

Back then, Nico was horrified and terrified out of his wits. He screamed and begged the revolutionaries to spare his father, but they just spat on him and kicked Nico around like he was a sack of potatoes. Nico tried to muster up his magical powers but his emotions were too unstable, and he couldn't stop the axe from landing on his father's neck. It had been five years and he could still remember his father's blank, glassy eyes and the stench of fresh blood. After the execution, the brutes turned to him.

Nico ran. He ran and ran, tears dripping down his face, his father's warm blood sticking to his clothes. He lived on the streets, stealing food and slept wherever he could. When he was genuinely desperate, he would use his magic to manipulate people to give him food and clothes. Nico wasn't completely immoral, so he didn't do that often. For an entire year, he lived like that, as if he was a cockroach struggling to stay alive.

And then the Snow Queen took him in when he was twelve.

He finally had a place to stay. He finally had warm meals and comfortable clothes. And to repay the Queen's generosity, he vowed to be her loyal knight and enact revenge on the revolutionaries who had cruelly murdered his father.

The Snow Queen took note of his special mind manipulation abilities, and kept him away from most other knights. But she allowed him to train with a girl who came from a prestigious knight family under the condition she would never know about his magical powers. Nico agreed.

Nico liked spending time with Maera. She was funny and honest, plus she was on the Snow Queen's side. Sometimes, she could be rather stubborn, which aggravated Nico, but as she matured, she learned to be more open-minded. It was also fun to talk about boys with her, and tease her about her non-existent love life.

Nico nudged Maera with a wicked grin. "So you don't like it when he thinks he's superior? Guess you like topping boys-"

"Alright, break time is now OVER!" Maera yelled, her cheeks flushed. She picked up her double-bladed sword while Nico clutched his stomach in helpless laughter. "Prepare to get wrecked, Rocco!"

•─────⋅ ❆ ⋅─────•

A/N: "As you say, Elder" is basically "okay boomer" but old-timey. RIP to Vada and Tiernan as they work in the medieval equivalent of the retail industry. And Nico's the annoying trashy shipper lmao.

I genuinely can't believe how long this chapter is. After the initial introduction of all the characters, the chapters will probably (read: hopefully) get shorter. All of the remaining characters will be introduced in the next chapter ;)

Fun facts:

- The Maera-Tiernan scene was the first thing I wrote for this fic

- I listened to Toxic while writing Nico and I feel like he would vibe to it XD

- I headcanon Nico makes NSFW jokes after starlingsilver "accidentally" made him saying something NSFW-sounding lol *waggles eyebrow*

By the way, do you want shorter (1k-2k) chapters or longer chapters (more than 4k)? :D Please answer!

Please vote and comment! :D :D Thanks for reading!

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