To melt the ice-cold heart [DISCONTINUED]

Chapter #9

Chase was doing his best to get between the remaining guests in the ballroom as he was leading Stacy to the center of the room. Well, what he really wanted to do was finding his brother as fast as he could, and going to the middle just seemed like the best way to do it. It didn't take him long to spot the new King, who just happened to stop talking to someone.

"Marvin!" he called out as he rushed over. "Uhm, I mean, King Marvin!" he bowed slightly, giving Stacy just enough time to catch up. "It's... me again. Uhm, may I present: Princess Stacy of the Southern Isles," he introduced.

"Your majesty," Stacy bowed gracefully.

"We would like-" both Stacy and Chase started. When they realized they were saying the same thing, they giggled slightly before continuing. "Your blessing... for... our marriage," they finally requested. Marvin's eyes widened.

"Your marriage?" he asked, hoping he've heard it wrong. 

"Yes!" Chase squealed with happiness.

"I'm sorry, I'm confused," the King frowned. Maybe it was a misunderstanding?

"Well, we haven't worked out all the details ourselves yet, we'll need a few days to plan the ceremony..." Chase admitted with a chuckle. Oh, he was so excited! He figured he could share what they figured out so far, on their way there. "Of course, we'll have soup, roast, and ice cream... Wait, could we live here?!" he made sure to which Stacy nodded.

"Absolutely!" she agreed.

"Chase! What? No-" Marvin tried to stop them, but his brother was already too caught up in planning.

"Oh, we could invite all 12 of your siblings to stay with us!" he offered excitedly and Stacy seemed eager about the idea. That's where Marvin had to stop that.

"Wait! Slow down," he requested loudly enough to stop Chase from talking. "No one's siblings are staying here, no one is getting married," he stated.

"Wait, what?" Chase frowned as he stepped forward. Marvin looked him over.

"May I talk to you, please? Alone?" he asked. Chase wanted to agree at first, but decided that when it comes to true love, he has to stand his ground.

"...No! W-whatever you have to say, you can say that to both of us," he stated, stepping back to pull Stacy closer. He thought he was ready.

"...Fine. You can't marry a woman you just met," he said with a frown.

"You can, if it's true love!" his brother argued.

"Chase, what do you know about true love?" Marvin sighed, pointing out the obvious. 

"Ugh, more than you! All that you know is how to shut people out!" the prince accused angrily. That seriously hurt Marvin. He needed a moment to collect his thoughts, he didn't want to just make a scene during the party.

"You asked for my blessing, but the answer is no. Now- excuse me," he said, doing his best to contain his feelings. He tried to just walk away, but Stacy interrupted.

"Your majesty, if I may-" she started, but Marvin cut her off.

"No, you may not. And I-I, I think you should go," he answered before turning to a guard nearby. "The party is over. Close the gates," he requested. He was too overwhelmed to keep the people inside.

"Marvin, no! No, wait!" Chase begged, running after him and grabbing his hand. Marvin tried to yank it back only for his glove to stay in his brother's grip. His hand was exposed now... and he felt panicked.

"Give me my glove!" he demanded, reaching for it with his covered hand. Chase backed away and held the piece of clothing closer.

"Marvin, please, please- I can't live like this anymore!" he cried out. People were starting to stare, so many eyes on them... if Marvin slipped up now, it would be over-

"Then leave," he answered quietly. He had to get out of the room now.

"What did I ever do to you?!" the prince asked as Marvin tried to walk away.

"Enough, Chase..." he groaned quietly, but now he had more eyes on himself.

"No, why?! Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the world out?! What are you so afraid of-" Chase kept pushing, and just as Marvin was by the door he stopped and turned around, swinging his hand.

"I said enough!" he snapped. That's when it happened. A string appeared on his wrist, immediately red. His eyes quickly switched from blue to green. And worst of all, ice spikes grew out around him, separating him and the other guests that were watching in horror. Everyone went silent.

"...Sorcery..." The Duke, Jacques, muttered as he stepped back. Marvin looked around and saw all the eyes fixated at him. He could tell people were scared. He could tell Chase was scared.

"...Marvin...?" he whispered. The King's heart sunk. All he ever tried to avoid just happened and there was no way to undo it. He had to get out, he had to run- He opened the door and ran out of the ballroom, not daring to look back. He couldn't handle the looks people were giving him, he just couldn't.

He ran through the empty halls, hugging his exposed hand closer. As he ran, his hood slipped off, making the changes in his eyes obvious, but he couldn't stop to put it back on. So he just ran through the palace, heading towards the front gate. He swung the door open and... more eyes. More people. The whole place was swarmed and they had no idea! They tried greeting him, gratulating him, and they wouldn't let him through!

He tried to push through, but got stuck in the middle of the crowd. He tried to back away, panicking as people kept trying to get his attention. There were elderly citizens, there were mothers with children, there were so many people watching him, so many people to see who- what he really was. And suddenly, his back hit one of the fountains built around the castle. As he put his uncovered hand on it to stop himself from tripping, the strings got redder and the water froze. The crowd stepped away in shock and for a moment, Marvin was too scared to move.

"There he is! Stop him!" someone yelled, swinging the door Marvin left through open. It was, again, the duke, Jacques.

"Please, please, stay away!" Marvin begged, backing up again. When the man didn't listen and stepped forward, followed by his guards, Marvin swung his hand their way. He was hoping to make it just a warning, but seemingly out of nowhere, strings appeared and to avoid them, both them and Jacques had to jump to the ground. The King stepped back in fear as the duke sat up and pointed his finger at him.

"Monster. Monster!" he yelled.

Marvin anxiously looked around. The people that were happy to see him just a moment earlier were now backing away in fear. Parents were covering their children, but everyone was still watching. Finally regaining control over his legs, he made a run for it and this time no one got in his way. Just as his green-haired head was disappearing in the distance, Chase came running out of the building, followed by Stacy.

"Marvin! Please, wait!" he begged, still hoping to catch up.

His hope only grew when he saw Marvin turn. None of them knew the city well, but what Chase knew for sure was that Marvin was heading towards the river. And that there was no bridge there, which meant that his brother would have no way of getting away. Yet when they got to the end of the sideroad, Marvin was already in the middle of the river, creating ice under his feet as the strings shined bright red. Chase's attempt to follow ended up in him immediately slipping and falling.

"Marvin!" he cried out as Stacy finally caught up. He tried to get back up, but kept slipping.

"Chase..." she said softly, gently trying to hug him. He gave up on getting to his feet and just watched his brother's silhouette disappear in the dark forest on the other side of the river.

Marvin did hear him call out. He heard him loud and clear. And he could see that he felt devastated. But he kept running. He didn't want to face the consequences of what he just did. He didn't want to endanger anyone anymore. He didn't want to pull Chase down with him. He only wanted to be alone, so he kept running. To never come back.