"The past haunts you, flowing through your veins like water..."
Cyris Castellan is a young man with water magic and royal blood. When he was a child, his home was attacked and destroyed by gruesome magic users. They killed his family, orphaning Cyri...
AN: The Piarari key is below for reference. Be sure to drop some comments as you read. Enjoy!
Piarari Key
Vasia (vah-sia): snowflake
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rosanna, stop!
Murderer!
Liar!
The voices echoed in my ears as I walked through a group of ice sculptures of people I'd seen in Cliffbarrow.
"Please it wasn't my fault!" I called out.
You killed them!
You're responsible for it.
You should turn yourself in.
Stop running.
Freak!
You froze them, Ice Princess!
"Please, I can fix this!" I pleaded.
It's too late for that! You killed them.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I sat up in bed. My forehead was covered with sweat and I could see glowing blue ice creeping up the bedposts, the temperature of the room was freezing. And Cyris was groaning in pain... CYRIS?! I turned on my bedside lamp and saw Cyris sitting on the edge of my bed holding his nose.
"Cyris! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry-what are you doing in here?!" I exclaimed.
He shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times before he focused on me, "I heard you screaming so I came to make sure you were okay. I know I shouldn't have just come in but-"
"You're right! You shouldn't have just come in. What if I was naked?" I pointed out.
If I didn't know any better, I would say I saw Cyris' cheeks turned red briefly.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I see you're okay... I'll go back to bed now," Cyris voiced.
As he stood up, it was then I realized he was shirtless... I was given a perfect view of his toned torso, his strong arms, and broad shoulders. I spotted a couple of black tattoos on his upper body as well. One was on his forearm and I saw the other on his upper back, but I couldn't quite make out what they were. Gods, he was incredibly attractive and I tried not to look too much at his bare torso, averting my eyes. I really hoped I wasn't blushing. Then I remembered why he was here.
"Cyris... wait," I called out. He stopped at the door and turned to look at me. I inhaled sharply. "I... I'm not okay."
He looked unsure about what to do.
"Will you just... will you just sit with me for a while?" I asked. "I could use the company." He sat down on my bed and I ran my hands through my hair. "Sorry it's so cold," I told him.
"It's fine," he assured me. "Is everything okay?"
"Just a bad dream," I replied. "I... I've spent a lot of time letting my past get to me. Being ostracized in Cliffbarrow was...tough to say the least. Anytime there was morning frost or it snowed too early, everyone immediately blamed me. 'There goes the freaky Ice Princess. Do you think if we kill her this awful weather will go away?'" Cyris' face was expressionless, but there was something in his eyes... something I couldn't quite place, what was that?
"But you ran from there."
"I did, but only because I had no choice," I admitted.
"I know a bit about not having any other choices and having to run," he confessed. "When I was a boy, the Trillium Regime invaded my home in Blackwater. They killed my mother and my sister. I managed to escape with my father, and the two of us lived on the run for some time, before they found us." His hands shook a little and he clasped them together, trying to keep his emotions in check. "My father created a barrier to hide us from the Trillium. I fell asleep behind it and when I woke up, he was gone. I looked for him and when I finally found him, I crossed the barrier. He was lying on the ground. He was dying and he knew it. He made Farryn and me promise to stay together and look after each other..."
I bit my lip. I felt awful that he had to go through that. My heart was hurting for him and I found myself reaching out to touch his face, but I withdrew, a bit scared that I'd hurt him with my magic. Cyris was looking down at his hands in silence and I wasn't sure how to help. We were both pretty messed up and yet, somehow we shared this unique, unspoken connection. Every time I looked at him, I felt something in my heart. I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand what was between us.
He took a deep breath and stood. "I... I should go," he told me. "Goodnight Rosanna."
"Goodnight Cyris," I replied softly.
He left the room and closed the door behind him.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I woke up the next morning to the smell of something cooking. I got out of bed and brushed my teeth before heading to the kitchen. To my utter surprise, Cyris was standing at the stove, making pancakes. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and he had a t-shirt on. But he still looked incredibly handsome and I couldn't help but admire him for a moment. Then I caught myself and found my voice.
"Morning," I greeted him.
"Good morning," he replied.
"I didn't know you could cook," I admitted. I spotted a pan of bacon sizzling on the stove and made to grab a piece, but he gently caught my wrist.
"Patience is a virtue, Vasia," he said softly. We were incredibly close together and I felt my heart pound in my chest as I looked at him. We just stood there for a moment, caught up in each other's gaze. There was a swirl of snow and Polaris appeared.
Cyris released me and the two of us quickly stepped apart. My cheeks turned red and I could have sworn that Cyris' did too.
"Good morning... " Polaris voiced suspiciously, and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Hey Polaris," I managed to say, trying to settle my heart.
"The food is ready," Cyris stated.
He took out plates and utensils, then placed them on the kitchen table for the three of us. He filled each plate with the pancakes and bacon, then gestured for Polaris and I to sit down. I sat down gingerly, and Polaris joined me after a few seconds. Suddenly, Farryn appeared in a cloud of red smoke.
"Yes! I'm just in time for breakfast!" she cheered, and sat down where Cyris was going to sit.
Before he could protest, she started eating his food. Cyris sighed and began preparing another plate for himself. Then he sat down next to me and the two of us shared a small smile. Something had changed between us last night, that much was clear. I wasn't sure what it was, but I knew there was something. He seemed a bit more at ease. I wondered why? Whatever it was, I was grateful for it. It was nice to see him smile and I wanted to see more of that happiness. I just hoped I'd get the chance to do so.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ AN: Thanks for reading! Be sure to drop some comments and vote!
