Ice Castles

A Star Ocean III Fan-fic

By Michiyo Ichimaru

Soothing sounds filled the air. It bothered Nel a little. Ever since she was little, she had gotten used to the chaos and mayhem. That's why she firmly believed that it was times like these, when the air was still and the sounds of the world lay silent, that you had to really be worried. Nel firmly believed in the whole, "calm before the storm" thing, and didn't trust the way the sky gleamed blue and the way the clouds moved so slowly and how they looked so soft… It didn't fit her idea of the world at all.

But a lot of things stopped making sense a while ago…

Laying out on the grass, Nel stretched out, feeling the soft grass under her. If she turned her head to the right, she could see Aquios, surrounded by a vast field of flowers brought on by the spring weather. To her left, she saw the mountains and although she couldn't see it, she knew it was there, beyond them: Airyglyph. With its cold front and constant winter weather, it's seemed wrapped up in an ice shield of indifference. Looking back and forth, Nel pondered which sounded better.

Do you believe in something good you can't see and risk death or something worse when there's the chance you won't get anything from it? Or do you shield yourself from ever getting hurt, at the same time, making it impossible for you to reach that extra mile towards an uncertain happiness that may end up only bringing disaster?

A good question indeed… a difficult choice… Nel supported her head with her hands, folded behind her, and looked at the clouds again, trying to make out the shapes she saw reflected there. She saw, sitting between the temperate and the chill, wisps of winds from the higher mountains that left frosty imprints for a split moment and then disappeared in the next like magic.

Her father used to tell her fairytales about ice castles when she was just a little girl. The stories were always about an icy prince or king who warmed up to the fiery peasant. It was the sort of happily-ever-after tale mothers and fathers got it in their heads that they were supposed to tell. But she used to like them… until she met the prince of ice. Then it wasn't so funny…

And he was beautiful, in an insanely maniacal way. His hair was unique and layered in just such a way that was perfectly well-suited for him. The way he wielded a katana proved that he was no amateur. With speed and grace he wiped people clean off of the earth. Looked at objectively, he might have been seen in two lights… the hero, destroying those unworthy of the lives they led… or the villain, killing good men that simply stood in his way at the wrong time.

Lucky for Nel, she decided she knew him well enough to remain un-fooled by this mistaken judgment of character.

But that also meant she had been fooled at one time. It had been easy for her to fall into the trap, because the one who made the mistake was none other than her very own father: the same man who told her all those stories about the ice prince, had been unable to place the real person in his fitting role when making his judgment. Daughter followed father, blindly, and at one time, she had been glad…

"Hi!" The little girl greeted boldly. Nel had been very cute as a child, because she was always dressed up in plain, yet fashionable dresses that came down to her knees and belled out widely when she moved animatedly. This particular dress was peach-colored with dark purple highlights at the edge of the dress, the neckline and the sleeves.

The boy was curious, but much quieter and less outgoing. He wore the same training armor as his father, and it fascinated Nel, because that's what she wanted to do… train under her father, to be like him. "H-hi.

Both of them were aware of how strange it was to have friends from the other city, but Nel was the first to cast that aside. Her father took great pride in telling her stories about the man he was talking to now. And all of them led her to making the decision that this was okay. Quite bravely, she reached for and grabbed up his hand and held it between hers, suspended between them. "My name's Nel. What's yours?"

"Albel." He didn't stutter this time, but he looked more transfixed in awe than anything. She giggled.

"Al, when this war's all over, let's be friends just like our dads!"

What a silly thought. Nel scolded herself for being taken in by that foolish hope. She had listened to one too many fairy tales… "And what foolish thoughts are on your mind now, maggot?" A cold chill blew in from the direction of Airyglyph… its name was Albel. Nel shivered unpleasantly and glared up in his direction, hoping he'd just take the hint and disappear. However, he seemed to be in the mood to play that sort of game with her. Why should he be afraid of her?

"Ugh! What do you want?!" she mumbled. In her opinion, she was already being too nice. He, however, didn't have the same opinion, although he just grinned wickedly and scoffed at her in return. Sitting in the space next to her, where he knew he would be unwelcome, seemed the best course of action. At least he would get something out of her, although he didn't know if it would be the answer he wanted.

There was a silent pause between both of them, neither willing to answer the question asked of them. Why he wasted his time sitting there, Nel didn't know. But it seemed that if she wanted to get rid of him, the only way would be to follow along. "Alright! If you must know… I was thinking about someone I remembered from a long time ago." She said. Seeing that smirk on his face told her that she had to keep talking and fast, unless she wanted to hear his endless scorn and teasing.

"It was someone I both… admired and hated. When I first met him, I thought he was like a hero. I wanted to be just like him. But something happened before I got to know him very well… something that pulled us apart. Actually, it wasn't something I remembered very clearly until today." Sighing, Nel snapped, "Are you happy now?! Feel free to laugh at your earliest convenience and then you can leave!"

Albel chuckled. "What was that fool's story…? About the ice prince?" He stood up and grinned down at her, pointing his sword at her face, gazing down into her eyes. "In the end that foolish prince decided to give it all up, because he learned it was better to brave the fires for something you want or something you believe in, than to fear the possibility of being burnt."

Nel smiled and nodded. "Yeah, if only all princes were so noble."

Albel laughed. "Hmm. You're right. That man was many things, but he was no prince." He paused to look at Nel's outraged face and grinned. "He was a hero. No plain prince could compare." It was the first time Nel had heard Albel openly compliment someone since she met him as a child. And it wasn't a hollow sort of compliment to fill the spaces.

"Heheh." Nel sighed and then smiled softly. "There's still hope for you yet, Nox."

The man snorted and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah… whatever you say… Nelly." The way he said it was mocking, but she couldn't help but feel that it was only a trick to hide something.

Maybe there's hope for the "Ice Prince" yet…