Dusk fell, and snow-covered mountains threw shadows across a frozen lake. A group of men harvested ice, singing as they worked. Nearby, a little silver-haired girl and a reindeer calf watched, sharing a carrot.
The men loaded blocks of ice onto a large sled hitched to huge horses. A chunk slipped off, and the girl scampered over. "I'll get it!"
The men smiled at her and nodded, even though the piece of ice was so small they wouldn't have bothered to pick it up themselves.
The little girl wrestled the ice onto her much smaller sled, pulled by her reindeer friend.
With lanterns lit, the big sled moved away into the night. The sky was not dark, however, but filled with shining rivers of light.
"Go, Rudy!" called the little girl, climbing onto the sled beside the ice. The young reindeer started trotting after the big sled.
In a nearby castle, a little white-haired boy was asleep, but his younger brother was not.
"Lyon? Hey, Lyon!" Receiving no answer to his whispers, the black-haired boy climbed onto the bed. "Wake up, wake up, wake up," he insisted, bouncing on his brother with each repetition.
Lyon stirred. "Go back to sleep, Gray," he grumbled without opening his eyes.
Gray shook his head. "No! The sky's awake, so I'm awake, so we have to play!" He spread his arms and flopped down on his brother, eliciting a grunt.
"Go play by yourself, then." Lyon squirmed until Gray tumbled off the bed and fell on his rear with a plop.
The younger boy sighed, then his face brightened and he jumped back onto the bed, poking Lyon in the ribs. "Don't you wanna build a snowman?"
Lyon's eyes opened, and a smile spread across his face.
The boys pulled on their snow boots and pattered down the hall to the ballroom.
"Come on, come on," said Gray impatiently.
"Shh!" Lyon hissed.
The boys reached the ballroom and pulled the doors shut behind them.
"Do the magic now!" Gray said.
Lyon waved his hands together in circular motions until a frosty aura appeared around them. "Ready?"
Gray nodded.
Lyon flung his hands up toward the ceiling and the air filled with snowflakes.
Gray ran in circles, grabbing at the snow. "Way cool!" he yelled.
Lyon laughed. "Watch this!" He stomped his foot and a layer of ice spread out over the ballroom floor.
Together the boys slid across the floor. They built a snowman, then threw themselves into Lyon's snow banks.
"Where's your shirt?" snickered Lyon.
Gray looked down at himself in surprise. His pajama top was missing. "I dunno."
"Aren't you cold?"
Gray shrugged. "No. I bet you aren't, either."
"I have ice magic, so of course I'm not cold. Find your shirt and put it on so you won't get sick," Lyon ordered.
Gray stuck out his tongue. "Bossy pants." He stomped off to find the shirt.
"Hey, don't call me bossy pants while you're dropping yours in the snow!"
Having recovered his pajamas, Gray stood at the top of a snow hill and called to his brother, "Catch me!" He leaped out into mid-air.
Lyon formed another snow hill beneath Gray. "Gotcha!"
"Again!"
Lyon made more piles of snow as Gray bounded around the ballroom without pausing. Lyon started to feel like he couldn't keep up. "Wait!"
But Gray kept going.
"Slow down!" Lyon said in frustration. He took a step and slipped on the icy floor. "Gray!"
Gray had already jumped. Lyon flung out his hand to catch his brother with another snow mound, but the frosty magic hit the younger boy in the head. Gray fell to the floor, unconscious.
Lyon scrambled up and ran over, pulling Gray into his arms. "Gray?" He saw a streak in Gray's hair, shining white amidst the black. "Mother!" he shouted in panic.
Ice spikes grew from the floor and walls, glittering ominously all around the room.
"You're okay, Gray," Lyon murmured to his brother. "I got you..."
The doors flew open, and a woman rushed into the room, a crown on her dark hair. She gaped at her sons and the frozen ballroom. "Gray! Lyon, what have you done?"
"It was an accident," protested Lyon, trying not to cry. He looked down at his brother. "I'm sorry, Gray..."
The queen hurried to the boys and took Gray. "He's as cold as ice..."
"Queen Ul?" A sleepy-looking servant stood in the doorway, his bright blue hair sticking out in all directions. His bathrobe hung crooked over his nightshirt. "Can I... er, do you need anything?"
The queen thought for a moment. "Yes, Jellal. I need a book from the library. It's really old and written in runes, and it has a map in its pages..."
