Nothing in this world is given for nothing.

For a man to be given respect, one must do a deed worthy of gaining it. For a soldier to become a hero, one must fight and make sacrifices greater than the others. And for a Prince to become a King, one must complete a quest given by the gods.

Every heir, for generations, has been given a quest to complete once it becomes close to the time they are to take the throne. They must isolate themselves from everyone else and kneel in front of the altar until the gods direct them on their path. Sometimes, it would take a whole day and they would receive nothing but silence, and those that lacked faith in the religion would sometimes give up, claiming they needed no quest to be crowned because the gods saw they had already proven themselves in the years of their upbringing.

Ivan's father was one of these men.

King Rasputitsa, as everyone knew, was a short-tempered man. He had little patience, he lacked sympathy, and everyday he would laugh at the gods and spit on their names. When it came time for him to receive his quest at age forty-six, he refused to kneel in front of anyone, even the gods, but was forced to do it anyways by his father, the King at the time.

Rasputitsa's father was stepping down due to old age and being the only heir, Rasputitsa was next in line. He didn't kneel. Instead, he sat at the pew, arms and leg crossed as he stared at the statue of the Goddess of Fate and scowled at her. He lasted no more than an hour before coming out of the room and telling everyone present that "the Goddess has given me a quest: I am to return to my chambers and bed my woman." then he laughed at the people's horror and walked away.

But with no other heirs, Rasputitsa was crowned anyways. He thought he was invincible. The first king to be crowned and to rule without having to complete a quest. He became drunk with power, caring for nothing but himself and his gold and glory, but on the sixth year of his ruling, he was killed in battle. No heroics, no fight, only shame. The prideful fool, having gone into battle drunk, had run his horse down a hill too steep and was crushed under the weight of his own steed as they tumbled down the slope.

Everyone in the kingdom cried "Good riddance!" hearing the news and even Ivan felt a sense of relief now that his father was dead. Though with him gone, it meant Ivan was the next heir, and even before he could breathe in one breath of relief, a new weight was placed on his chest, suffocating him.

With Rasputitsa gone, Ivan, at age twenty-three, was to be king. And as he kneeled before the altar, something his father refused to do, he couldn't stop the trembling in his fingers as he awaited the gods to tell him his quest.

Ivan was still so young. He wasn't ready to be king and he still had so much to learn. But a kingdom does not last long without a ruler. And no matter how inexperienced, having an amateur king was better than having none. At least Ivan knew he would be better than his father.

It was approaching the seventh hour of Ivan's waiting and he knew because he could see the sun setting behind the stained glass windows. His knees were numb even though they rested on a cushion and his back ached from having to keep his posture for so long. He was thirsty, he was hungry, but unlike his father, he waited. He didn't want to make the same mistakes that man made. He would never follow in his footsteps. Never.

Straightening his back again and giving his stiff shoulders a roll, he looked up at the face of the goddess and made a vow to himself: I will never be like my father. And it was a vow he knew he would keep.

Then, finally, he saw movement. From the eyes of the goddess, he saw tears. They dripped down her marble cheeks and onto the altar, more and more until they flooded the room so quickly that Ivan felt that it was filled in mere seconds.

Ivan couldn't move as the water surrounded him, yet he wasn't drowning. In fact, the water around him was calming. It made the aches in his body disappear and was so warm it felt like he was being wrapped in furs as he laid in his bed.

As he closed his eyes, he heard a voice. A woman, her voice so powerful that it made Ivan feel like nothing, yet at the same time, it was gentle, like a mother speaking to her newborn child as she promised them the world.

"You must go to the center of the Frozen Sea and into the Forest of Ice." she told him, "There, you will find a creature of the deep, more beautiful than you can imagine, and ask for it to bring you their greatest treasure. Only when you have returned with the item, will you be worthy enough to be king."

As much as he wanted to open is eyes and witness the face of the goddess, his eyes remained shut as if they were sewn. And his body remained motionless as if it were not his own anymore, or like his body did not even exist.

"This quest will require you to make a great sacrifice, and when you think it is over, you will find yourself on a journey once again. Though this quest will be hard and push your mind and body to your absolute limit, in the end, the reward you gain will last you a lifetime of happiness that cannot be gained from gold or power."

Then in an instant, the voice, the sea of tears, everything, was gone. When Ivan opened his eyes, everything was the same, but something had changed.

The tremble in his hands were gone. He felt braver, he felt more at peace, and he felt like he could take on anything. Ivan was not his father; he was Prince Ivan Braginsky, heir to the throne and future king of Rusnia.

As he stood, his knees buckled from kneeling for such a long period of time, and he needed some time for his legs to regain their function, but once they were working again, he stood up, patted down his clothes, and marched towards the door with his head held high.

When he opened the doors, there was an audience waiting for him. The royal advisers, the Volkhvy, the royal witch, and anyone important enough to be there was present and waiting patiently to hear what his quest was. They all turned to him with eager faces and bowed their heads low once they saw Ivan step through the doors.

"My journey is to the Forest of Ice in the Frozen Sea." Ivan announced, his voice proud and clear, "I'm to find a creature that resides there who will gift me an item that shall make me king. I need a ship and a large crew willing to make this journey with me, and in return, they will be rewarded in silver for their work, should the thought of aiding a Prince to become a King mean nothing to them."

Ivan's stern speech was just for formalities. Under his stoic mask, a smile was twitching at his lips because Ivan knew that just by even receiving a quest, he was taking the first step in the right direction to becoming a man better than his father. And when he turned to leave, he could see that many of those who were present had felt the same way. He could see it in their eyes, the way they sparkled with pride and crinkled from the wide smile that pushed them up.

Their pride made Ivan's grow at the same rate as their own. All of them had been under the heel of Ivan's father and they waited impatiently for this day ever since the start of their service. Ivan would be a great king, they all knew it, but Ivan could never push away the doubt he felt no matter how many times he had surpassed his father in small feats.

Behind him, he heard footsteps of someone trying to catch up to him. "Your Royal Highness!" they called out, and Ivan quickly recognized that voice.

It was his father's adviser. A man that Ivan treated as a father more than the one he was born with. Igor treated him with kindness; he taught him everything there was to know about ruling, and because he failed to keep Rasputitsa from becoming corrupt, he did his very best to make sure Ivan would never become like him.

He had taken care of Ivan after his birth mother passed when he was six due to illness, and while his father laughed at him for crying like a weakling, Igor came to him with open arms and words of comfort. It was Igor that taught him to be kind, unlike his father. Igor taught him that crying is not weakness, it was bravery, because he was showing his deepest emotions to someone else while others merely held it in.

Ivan slowed down in his stride so the much older man could catch up to him before he turned to him with a smile. "What is it, Igor?"

Igor glanced over at the servants, who congratulated Ivan briefly while bowing their heads, before clearing his throat. "I have ordered servants to bring food and water to your chambers. If you would like, I can also request that they prepare you a bath to ease the ache of your knees."

"It's alright, Igor. The food and water will be fine."

The two walked through the halls in silence until the servants were nowhere to be seen. Ivan spotted Igor staring at him for a few moments with a goofy smile on his face before he let out a deep laugh and placed a hand on Ivan's shoulder. "You did it."

"I did it." Ivan repeated, closing his eyes for a second as he breathed in deeply, "But receiving a quest is not the same as completing it. I still have a very long journey ahead of me."

"Perhaps." Igor said in a chipper tone, his smile visible even behind his thick, gray beard. He retracted his arm from Ivan's shoulder to fold them behind his back as they continued down the long hall. "But, even receiving a quest is better than what your father could have ever done. You're taking the steps to becoming a proper king blessed by the gods and once you complete the quest, you'll become the greatest of them all. I know it."

"But what if I don't complete the quest." Ivan's smile was beginning to flatter. Though he had received a quest, he knew that completing it would not be something to be done easily. The Frozen Sea itself was already dangerous because, as the name implied, sheets and sheets of ice covered the massive expanse of water and many ships never returned from their journey.

The Forest of Ice was even worse. Despite the name making it seem like a pleasant place, there was nothing pleasant about it. The Forest of Ice was not a forest of trees, nor did it have any land at all. It was an area of the Sea where icicles stuck out of the water like trees and made it seem like a dense forest, hence the name. Ship routes were always mapped to avoid it but on the Frozen Sea, the winds were unpredictable and many ships and their crews never made it home to tell their tales.

Seeing the worry on Ivan's face, Igor slowed in his step to give them more time to talk as they made their way to Ivan's chambers. "Ivan," Igor had looked around to make sure no one was around before speaking to Ivan informally, "did I ever tell you the tale of your great, great, great, grandfather? King Alyosha?"

Ivan thought for a minute before humming in confirmation and nodding his head. "Yes. King Alyosha. He slayed a dragon for his quest, correct?"

"Incorrect." Igor poked him with a smirk. "King Alyosha's given quest was much tougher than yours. When he was a little older than your age, he was given a quest, a quest to go to the cave of dragons and return with an egg."

"Ah, so there was a dragon involved."

"Yes yes, there was a dragon involved." The two shared a moment to laugh, Igor shaking his head playfully at Ivan's need to be right. "But it didn't involve slaying as you would think. King Alyosha thought the same as you. No mother would give up their child, and a dragon, though cold-blooded, would also never given up her egg. King Alyosha, armed with swords and a small army of men, charged into the cave expecting to slay all the dragons and return with the egg in hand so he could become king."

"And did he?"

"No. He lost all his men. King Alyosha came out of the battle alive as if the dragons had spared his life. He did this once more with the same thing happening, and when it came to the third time, he decided that no more men should be lost for him to be king. He laid down his armor, his sword, even his crown, and walked into the cave as a man.

"He looked the dragon straight in the eye, and mind you, this dragon, being a mother, possibly had a nose bigger than his entire body. But he looked her in her eyes and told her, 'I am Price Alyosha, heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Rusnia, and in order to succeed, I require one of your eggs.'"

"And she gave it to him?" Ivan looked down at Igor with curiosity.

"Yes. She gave it to him. Only if he vowed to return her child after his quest was deemed complete. You see, these quests are not tests of one's strength or their abilities. They are tests of your heart and mind. If Price Alyosha had continued trying to complete his quest in the way he started it, he would have lost almost all the men in the whole kingdom trying to fight these dragons. He would be seen as a prince who would stop at nothing to be king, even if it meant losing every soldier and every life he could spare. He'd be even more cold-blooded than the dragons he fought.

"But he didn't. He stopped the bloodshed. He approached the situation with a calm mind and thoughts of peace. He went in there alone, risking only his own life because he wanted no others to be taken for his sake. And because of it, he became one of the land's greatest kings." Igor pat Ivan's back twice as he looked at him. "And you, Ivan. Your quest is similar, do you see? If you find the creature and order it to give you their treasure, or worse, kill it and take all their belongings, the gods might deem you unworthy."

Ivan bit his lip as he let the story process in his mind then tried to apply it to his own quest. Like King Alyosha, he could journey out alone to the Frozen Sea but he knew instantly that a feat like that would be one for the records, and it wouldn't be because he was brave, but because he was an idiot. Many crews couldn't even survive out there together. There was no way Ivan would survive alone.

Ivan knew these quests were not just about proving to the gods that he was worthy. It was more to prove to themselves that they were worthy. What would they risk and what would they withhold to complete their quest was just as important as the item itself. There was no perfect execution plan for a smooth quest. He would just have to go head first and do what he felt was right.

"I'll keep that in mind, Igor. Thank you."

Igor nodded then chuckled as they approached the door to Ivan's chambers in just a few more steps. "Looks like the end of our little journey." He stopped in front of the door and turned to Ivan. "Be smart out there, Ivan. Stay strong, be brave, and come home safe. I know you will make everyone proud."

(-w-)

Prince Ivan's Log

Day 10

Another man died today. That makes a total of 3 since this journey begun. All of them had been laid to rest in the waters they sailed on and upon returning home, their families will be compensated. These men knew the journey would be rough yet they wanted to be the ones who would aid me in my quest. I am eternally grateful, for my life and my future rests in their hands.

We have finally reached the Forest of Ice. In the distance, there are glaciers so tall it is impossible to compare it to anything built by man, and when between them, any man would feel trapped and short of breath. There is no way around these glaciers and to get to the center, we must go through.

It takes the effort of the whole crew, men on every corner of the ship, to call out if we get too close to the ice. If one is not careful, they will tear through the hull and sink the ship. But I trust Arthur and the crew to get us through it safely.

Being in the center of the Forest of Ice, it is easy to tell why it was given this name. In a forest, there are trees so dense that it is hard to see where you are headed. Here, it is just the same, except the icebergs are so massive they can block your view of anything up ahead. Past those, formations of rock and ice stick out of the water like daggers, if daggers were the height of an entire castle or two. They are so large that they would sometimes create arches that the ship can sail through easily and I sometimes wonder what is on top of this ice.

We set anchor on an island. It is shocking that there is any land here at all. This cove will be out camp for however long this quest lasts, and though this land is no castle, it is at least better than rocking constantly on that ship.

While the men build our shelter, I am going to explore the waters alone. Men had offered to accompany me but this is my quest and like King Alyosha, I will complete it alone to prevent the loss of any more lives.

Day 20

It has been 10 days since we have arrived and even with hours of exploring, I have yet to discover every part of this land. Though I am grateful for having received a quest, I wish the Goddess had been more specific about where this creature is, or at least how it looked like.

Day 29

Another day wasted searching for this creature. I am starting to wonder if the water prevents the creature from hearing me calling out for it. Or perhaps this creature does not even exist. That is what I overheard someone on the crew whisper at night. They are growing impatient and annoyed with nothing to do but wait for me to find this creature.

Day 34

Our fifth man died today and at night, I hear whispers that say I am unfit to be king. They say that I will never find this creature and even heard one man suggest abandoning the quest and returning home. I hope to find this creature soon.

Day 40

Stupid creature.

Day 43

I want to go home.

Day 49

We are running out of food.

Day 54

I miss my bed.

Day 56

I hate the cold.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Ivan tossed his journal to the bottom of his rowboat. He didn't know why he still wrote in it everyday and he was running out of things to write. Everyday since they arrived here was the same and he feared that the words of his men were right. What if the creature was avoiding him because he was an unfit ruler? What if his father was right and the gods are fake.

Shaking the thought out of his head, Ivan sat up a little straighter and picked up his oar again and rowed deeper into the caves. If he wasn't so tired from constant failure, Ivan would have enjoyed the beautiful icicles and stalagmites that surrounded him, covered in ice and emitting a blue or purple hue, but after so many days, exploring the Forest of Ice was no longer fun.

"Creature of the deep," Ivan said in his normal voice(he had grown tired of shouting after so many days wasted), "I am Prince Ivan and I mean you no harm. Please show yourself so we may speak." And like every other day, he was met with only silence.

Further and further he rowed, every few minutes reciting his greeting and every time, nothing would answer except his own voice echoing back at him. This quest was testing every ounce of his patience and he was so angry he wanted to snap the oar in half and swim down into the waters to drag that creature out, but he knew realistically he would only last a minute at the most in waters so cold.

"Where are you?" he breathed under his breath as he stopped rowing once again to rest in the center of a large opening. And for the first time since he had started his exploring, he slouched and put his head in his hands. He had been taught since he was a child to never show weakness and always stand tall and proud but Ivan was just so exhausted. He didn't care if the creature saw him like this but even if it did, at least he would have seen it at all.

With his head hung low like this, he could see the depths of the water. It's so clear that he could see the formations of rocks below but with just the light of his candle, he was only able to see so far before the waters became black and unknown to him.

Little fish that glowed gold in order to see in these dark caves came up to his boat to poke the sides of it thinking it is food. When Ivan first saw them, he had thought that these fish were the creatures of the deep but they gave him nothing. They didn't even taste that good either so they were useless to him. The only thing they were good for was to ease his boredom.

Pulling his glove off, he stuck his hand slowly into the freezing water and watched as the fish swam away then returned almost seconds later to poke at the rings on his fingers with great curiosity. His hand quickly numbed from the cold but he still felt the tickle of the fishes' lips and closed his eyes to enjoy the feeling.

For a couple seconds more, he let the fish examine his rings with his eyes closed but eventually, he felt something odd. At first, he thought it was the cold waters freezing his hand but what he felt was like a pair of hands touching him. And when he opened his eyes, he found that it was. A pair of pale, webbed hands.

He screamed and shot up so fast he had almost fallen out of his rowboat. The motion shook the small vessel so abruptly that his candle went out and cloaked him in darkness. But when he looked down, not only did he see the golden light of the fish, he saw something large and blue that glowed just like the fish did. His scream had scared it away but he still saw its soft light hiding behind a stalagmite not far from his boat.

His heart thundered in his chest and his hand burned from the cold and suddenly, he realized that this was the creature he had been searching for. As he stood still, he saw the creature's light move slowly around his boat, circling it with curiosity but very quickly swimming away again at the slightest movement. Ivan looked from the light to his trembling hand and figured that it was his rings that this creature wanted. The light it reflected must have attracted it, and if it was the rings it wanted, then it was the rings it would get.

After chanting a short spell to relight his candle so he could see, Ivan took his golden chain off his neck and strung his rings through it until he had his bait. Very slowly, he sat back down again in his boat and even slowlier, he lowered the chain of rings into the water where the creature would be able to see it. Then he waited, still as stone, for the creature to come closer.

Ivan's stillness made the creature less scared and more and more, Ivan could see the glow of its scales. As it got even closer, Ivan saw gold. No, it wasn't from the fish earlier, but from jewelry. Attached to it was golden hair, then a head, and eyes so blue they sparkled like sapphires.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the face of a man who didn't seem to notice Ivan at all. Perhaps it was because Ivan hid his face in his fur cloak to keep from scaring the creature away but Ivan knew that the creature was more scared of Ivan's boat than he was of Ivan.

But true to the goddess's word, this creature was more beautiful than anything Ivan has ever seen. Perhaps it was because this creature held the item that would make Ivan king but Ivan was completely struck by its beauty.

Time seemed to pass slower as the creature slowly gained the courage to reach out his hands again to grab for the rings and slowly, at an almost unnoticeable pace, Ivan retracted his own hand, pulling the rings and the creature closer to the surface.

Closer and closer he lured it until he was sure he was close enough. Then without warning, he shot his hand down and grabbed the hand reaching for his necklace. The flesh he touched was cold, but not colder than the water, and knew because the second he grabbed the wrist and tightened his grip, the creature freaked and dragged him off his boat and into the icy water in an attempt to escape.

It swam so fast that Ivan could feel the rush of water flowing past his face and the force of it attacked his eyes so much he had to close them. He wasn't sure how deep into the water the creature dragged him but it wasn't long before Ivan realized that he had forgotten to breathe in before he was dragged under.

His lungs burned and he felt like he was choking but he didn't want to let go. This was his only chance, this was his test, and if he let go, it would surely mean he was a failure.

The creature had eventually stopped since the water was only so deep and he tried to pry Ivan's hands off of his wrist, but even with his fingers numb and burning, he held on tight.

But Ivan was a human, and these waters were this creature's home. With a strong flick of its tail, he knocked Ivan's body back and punched the last of his breath out of his lungs.

His instincts took over, and he breathed in, sucking the icy water into his lungs. It choked him, making him breathe in more and more, then his vision blacked.

The panic had lasted only a few seconds before it was over.

The weight of his wet fur cloak dragged him further down until he felt his feet touch the rock at the bottom. But his mind told him that it was okay.

His mind had won the fight against his need to survive. It didn't want to hurt anymore. It didn't want to struggle. It wanted to pass peacefully, so it shut off all other feelings in Ivan's body.

As he was dying, he felt more at peace than ever in his life. He felt warmth all around him and it drew out deep memories of his childhood where everything was pure and his troubles have not yet begun.

He felt happy, but then, he felt angry. Not at the creature, but at himself. But that anger lasted only a second before it was replaced with hope. Hope that with him gone, the kingdom would be able to get a king more suited to rule.

Ivan, who had failed a simple quest, was unfit, and he knew it to be true.

He felt himself moving, possibly by the currents, but at the moment, he couldn't care less. His mind had forced him to accept his death and he awaited the moment when the gods would greet him and he would see the face of his mother once more.

In his state, Ivan could almost feel the arms of his mother wrapping around his body and he couldn't help but smile.

Then everything around him wasn't black anymore. It was white. And someone was speaking to him in a voice so soft that he knew there was only one source.

"Mother." he spoke but no sound came out, only the bubbles that carried the last of the air from his lungs and floated to the surface.

Here's my submission for the Rusame Big Bang!

Sorry if there are mistakes in this. I haven't proof read it. I've got too many deadlines rn ;w; Thanks for reading! This isn't the end ;3