Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter so without further adieu CHAPTER 4!
Ruby stared at Glinda for a moment.
"Are you sure it's okay for you to be telling me this?" asked the silver eyed maiden cautiously.
Glinda then playfully rolled her eyes and swatted her hand at Ruby.
"Oh, you're his wife you have every right to know his story" she said.
Ruby thought about it for a moment and nodded
"Well the ice king does know a lot about me, I guess it does make sense that I should know more about him I mean…. I am his wife…." Ruby thought to herself, admitting to herself for the first time that she was indeed married to the ice king.
Glinda smiled at her.
"Well then, sit back and get comfortable as I tell you the story of the ice king…."
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Whitley Schnee was a handsome young man, though most of his features were common among the ice people, the beings who created Winter with their powers of ice and snow. He had snow white hair like the clear moon on a cloudless night. His skin was pale like it had never known sunlight. And his eyes were as blue as shining sapphires, and he was tall.
Whitley was the youngest of three siblings. The first born was Winter, who wore her long, white hair in a bun. She was a very bossy girl who enjoyed keeping her younger brother and sister in line.
The second born Schnee was a girl named Weiss. She was a little less bossy than Winter, but she still had fun bossing her little brother, Whitley around. She wore her hair in a high side ponytail.
Whitley was a very obedient lad, and he never questioned his parents wishes, Jaques and Willow Schnee, the leaders of their village of ice people. And Whitley always obeyed the biggest rule of his people; "never leave your people's side, or you will die" The ice people's villages were on mountain tops all over the world, but they made sure to stay hidden from humans, and their worst enemies… the flamethrowers. Who were beings made of flames that caused forest fires, house fires, and all things that involved tragic fire accidents. The ice people made sure to keep the monster's in their place so they wouldn't burn the whole world all together, which angered the flamethrowers. But soon, very soon, they would have their revenge…
"Whitley, hurry up!" Weiss called as she and Whitley ran down the streets of the quartz village, towards the large quartz cabin far in front of it.
"I'm coming Weiss" Whitley called running after his sister, when his face brightened with an idea. "Weiss, how would you like to get home faster than our legs can carry us?" asked the young man.
Weiss turned her head back for a split second before continuing to run. "That would be wonderful, yes!" she shouted.
Whitley smiled,
"As you wish!" he yelled as he gave a sharp whistle and in that next moment a large, snowy owl the size of large horse landed in front of Weiss and Whitley.
Weiss turned to Whitley with an annoyed look on her face.
"Why didn't you call your owl sooner?" Weiss asked in an annoyed tone as Whitley hurried over to the owl and got on it's back.
"Apologies. I didn't think about it until now. And you know I like to ride Oliver here alone most of the time. Now get on, Father is expecting us" proclaimed Whitley, grabbing the reins on Oliver the owl's beak. Weiss then quickly hopped onto big bird sitting behind Whitley, who ordered Oliver to fly to the large quartz cabin ahead. And once Oliver landed in front of the cabin, Whitley and Weiss hurried inside, only to find their father, mother and sister Winter waiting for them behind the door.
"Hello there my children" Jacques greeted sternly as he had his arms crossed and his brow was frowned. "You were supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago" their father stated.
"Wiess, Whitley!" Willow shouted as she rushed over to the two siblings and embraced them both. "Oh thank goodness you are both safe!" she prompted as she kissed both of their cheeks.
"Willow please dear, now is not the time to be emotional" Jacques stated.
"Sorry, but you know I have every right to be worried" Willow proclaimed. Jacques nodded.
"I understand love. And that is why I called this family meeting" he clarified gently. Whitley and Weiss looked at their father, confused.
"What's wrong father?" asked Weiss.
Jacques cleared his throat. "Let us go into the parlor and we will explain everything" he said as he walked through a pair of quartz double doors and Willow followed.
"You two might want to prepare yourselves for this" Winter warned with a concerned voice before she followed her mother and father. Whitley and Weiss looked at each other with confused and worried looks.
"Well, let's go Whitley" Weiss half demanded while trying to cover her concern, as she then hurried into the parlor with Whitely trailing behind.
Once the whole Schee family was in the parlor, they all sat in either a comfortable chair or on the couch.
"Weiss, Whitley, we have terrible news" Jaques stated while sitting on a comfortable light blue couch, while Willow's arm was linked with his while sitting next to him.
"Father, what is it?" asked Whitley.
Jaques, Willow and Winter looked down.
"The flamethrowers are actively seeking to kill all of the ice people. And we think we may be next on their list of disposal." Jacques proclaimed.
"WHAT?!" Wiess and Whitley shouted as they stood up from their seats in shock.
"Father, what on earth are you talking about!" asked Weiss.
"What are we to do about this!" asked Whitley, only earning a bonk on the head from Winter as a response, as did Weiss.
"Silence you boobs! Let father explain!" the eldest Schee scolded.
Whitley and Weiss rubbed the spots on their heads that Winter had smacked them and sat back down turning back to their father, waiting for an explanation.
Jacques sighed,
"Well, a few messengers from other villages came here a few weeks ago and were injured. They all came from different villages, but they all had the same message. It was 'the flamethrowers have killed our village and they are going to kill all of us ice people, until there is no one left'" said the Schee father, making Weiss and Whitley gasp slightly.
"And that's not all. As far as we've researched all of the other villages of our people have been eliminated. And now… we believe the flamethrowers army is coming for our village next. We have to start evacuating our village and relocate. We may even have to go underground. We'll start breaking down our village and moving tomorrow" Willow finished.
Whitley and Weiss's eyes widened. They didn't know what to say at first, or even what to think.
"Father, mother… if this is what you think will help save our people then we'll do what we can to help" said Weiss standing up and putting a fist to her chest. Whitley stared at his sister in disbelief. He had always been close with Wiess, she was his best friend and he had always known her to be responsible and brave. And even at this point it could still surprise him because of the same brave face she had always worn. Even now, when they learned their people could go extinct, she was being so brave. Whitley thought about that for a few moments, and then stood up himself and took Weiss's hand.
"She's right father, we know you will do everything you can to help and guide our people but that also includes us; the children of the last leader of the ice people, we will help our village anyway we can" Whitley stated grasping Weiss's hand gently.
Jacques looked up at Whitley and gave his children a determined smile.
"Alright then, we'll announce the evacuation to the village tomorrow….
Later that night Whitley found himself unable to sleep since he was very worried about the village's reaction to the news of the Flamethrowers coming after them. His restlessness grew so strong that the white haired boy felt like he needed to get away for a bit, so with that being said, Whitley dressed himself in a simple light blue V-neck shirt and baze britches that his mother had made for him, and even though she didn't do a good job on the clothing Whitley still considered them good to wear whenever he flew on his owl Oliver, which was exactly what he was planning to do to get himself to relax.
Whitley was just about to head out of the quartz door when someone tapped his shoulder. The white haired boy jumped letting out a gasp as he turned to see that it was only Weiss with an annoyed look on her face.
"Wiess! For goodness sake, you scared me half to death!" Whitley whispered yelled, trying not to wake anyone else up.
"Whitley, are you really going to go for a ride on Oliver at this hour? Father will be more than cross if he finds out, and not to mention he's already upset with us for being late today" stated Weiss crossing her arms at her little brother.
Whitley smiled sheepishly at his sister, but it disappeared when he realized something.
"And Why are you up at this hour, dear sister?" asked the young man crossing his arms and raising one of his eyebrows suspiciously.
Weiss rolled her eyes.
"Oh, well I…. I…." Weiss trialed off then sighed.
Whitley then laid a hand on her shoulder.
"I know…. I'm worried about how the village will react to the news too" said the white haired boy as he then pulled Weiss into a hug.
Weiss hugged her little brother back.
"I'm sorry I just…. I can't believe this is happening, we're going extinct" she said in a worried sad tone.
Whitley pulled from the hug and took his sister's hands in his.
"We're all going to escape from those flame throwing monsters, and don't worry if it comes down to it I'll protect you" he stated determinedly.
Weiss then started to giggle softly.
What's so funny?" asked Whitley.
"Nothing little brother it's just…. Weren't you the one who was scared of thunder? Oh, and lets not forget how you crawled into bed with our parents because of nightmares until you were eleven-" Weiss started but Whitley cut her off.
"If I let you come for a ride with me on Oliver will you shut up?" asked the white haired boy with blush on his cheeks because of his sister's statement.
Weiss smiled at her brother.
After sneaking into the snowy owl stables and putting the reins and saddle on Oliver, Weiss and Whitley were soaring through the cold night sky.
"I forgot how fun it was to fly just to…. Well fly" Weiss breathed as she sat behind Whitley on Oliver.
The younger Schee smiled.
"We used to fly for fun all the time when we were children remember? I suppose it's just been awhile since then" the young male prompted.
"Whitley, look!" Weiss exclaimed suddenly pointing higher into the sky.
Whitley looked up to see what his sister was pointing to and he gasped.
There were blue, pink, and green lights dancing in the sky.
"The night rainbow…." Whitley breathed in awe as he looked up with Weiss to admire the northern lights.
"They're so beautiful" Weiss exclaimed breathlessly.
Whitley smiled.
"I wish this moment would last forever, everything is perfect, a far view, peace in the air, and I'm with my bestest friends" said Whitley glancing back at Weiss who blushed.
"Your such a child" she laughed.
Whitley laughed too, but the moment of joy was cut short when Oliver let out a terrified squawk and started to flap his wings wildly.
"Oliver what is it?!" asked Weiss in a concerning voice as her grip on Whitley tightened.
"Oliver, steady on boy, steady!" Whitley ordered as he pulled firmly on the owl's reins.
"Whitley! Oh my gosh. Look!" Weiss shouted pointing in the direction that the quartz's village was in. Whitley turned to see what Weiss was pointing at and what he saw made his eyes grow wide. There was flame and smoke coming up from the quartz's village.
"What in the name of blizzards…" Whitley trailed off realizing why Oliver had started to squawk in the first place.
"The flamethrowers. They are destroying the village!" Weiss exclaimed in alarm. Whitley frowned towards the village.
"Not for long…" he trailed off again as he steered Oliver towards the village and ordered him to fly forward.
"What if we don't make it in time?" asked Weiss.
"Don't worry, sister. Mother, Father, Winter, and the village may be small in numbers but with the power over winter they will be able to hold them off for a while until a plan can be thought of" Whitley assured his sister.
Once they were near the village, Whitley and Weiss gasped at what they saw. The ice villagers were fighting monsters made of fire with their winter powers. It was an all out war!
"Oh no…" Weiss whimpered.
"I know…" Whitley trailed off. As they both noticed how badly the village was damaged. And not to mention the ice people were losing the battle as the quartzs houses were being melted by the flame thrower's fire into melted crystal. The ice people were riding on snowy owls similar to Oliver while shooting ice and snow from their hands at the flamethrowers but their ice attacks were useless against creatures entirely made of fire.
Whitley and Weiss watched in horror as ice men, women, and children and the snowy owls were being burned alive by the flamethrowers attacks.
"What do we do?" asked Whitley as he directed Oliver to land behind a partly melted quartz home away from the view of any flame throwers. Weiss hopped off of Oliver as he let out a frightened coo as he leaned closer to Whitley who got off of his back and started to stroke his feathers trying to comfort him. Weiss then peaked from behind the house to look how far away they were from their home. She swore under her breath when she realized they were too far to walk or fly there without any of the flame throwers from noticing. Weiss bit her bottom lip and thought hard. After a moment, her face brightened up with an idea.
"Whitley, I'll distract the surrounding flame throwers and you fly Oliver to our cabin and find our family" Weiss ordered.
Whitley's eyes widened.
"No, Weiss that's insane, you'll be killed" the white haired boy shouted.
Weiss turned her head away from her brother in sadness.
"If I die making sure you're safe then it'll be worth it" Weiss proclaimed
Tears started to form in Whitley's eyes at his sister's words.
"Weiss I won't let you-" he started but was cute off when Weiss wrapped her arms around her brother.
"I love you little brother, but this is something I have to do, now go…." Weiss trailed off as she released Whitley from her hug and ran out into the open dosing and killing all of the flamethrowers in her path.
"Hey you monsters over here!" she shouted getting all of the flamethrowers attention. "I've been far better trained than the villagers here in using my winter powers so stop wasting your time and fight the real threat to your plans!" Weiss yelled starting to wipe out more of the flame throwers with her ice powers.
Whitley teared up as he looked from behind the house to watch Weiss fight. He then hesitating turned away and got back on to Olivers back, ordering him to fly to the Schee cabin and as they flew towards it Whitley had to force himself not to turn back to look at his sister's battle, even when he suddenly noticed when he could no longer hear Weiss's war cries anymore.
"Thank you… my sister. I will hold you forever in my heart" Whitley whispered to himself as he held a fist to his heart, while tears streamed down his face.
Once Oliver was flying over the cabin, Whitley could see a few dozen flamethrowers firing blasts at his family's home.
"North wind, where is my family…?" Whitley questioned as he raised one of his hands, and in less than in instant, the wind gently blew through his hair. And when it did, Whitley gasped.
"They're trapped in the parlor?!" Whitley exclaimed to himself. "Oliver, use your claws to break through the roof over the parlor!" the white-haired boy ordered. Oliver hooted in response, as he flew over the parlor and broke through the roof and flew inside, just missing a few flame-fireballs being thrown at him and Whitley. Once they were inside the parlor, Oliver landed next to Willow, Jacques and Winter, who were standing together and shooting ice from their hands at half-a-dozen flamethrowers, who were burning the room down.
"Mother, Father, Winter!" Whitley shouted as he hopped off of Oliver, and started to shoot ice at the flamethrowers with his family.
"Whitley, thank goodness you're alright! Where's Weiss?" asked Willow, as she killed a flamethrower with an icy strike coming from her hand.
Whitley felt tears leak from his eyes once again, making his mother's eyes widen with realization.
"No…" she trailed off.
Whitley then ran to Willow, who fell to her knees, covering her face.
"My baby girl" she wept, as Whitley started to hug her.
"I know mother, but we can't cry now, we need to help Father and Winter" the white-haired boy reminded.
Willow wiped away her tears and stood back up. "You're right dear… however, we probably won't make it out alive…" Whitley's mother trailed off, looking at Jacques, who gave her a nod.
"Winter, Whitely. Take Oliver to the large cellar. There, you will both be safe. Me and your Mother will distract the flamethrowers" the Schnee father stated, as he striked another flamethrower with an icy blast.
"Yes Father" Winter answered as she pulled Whitley towards Oliver, but Whitley pulled away from her grip.
"No Father! You and Mother will die!" he shouted.
Jacques and Willow turned to their daughter and son. Willow then ran to embrace Whitley and Winter, who hugged their Mother back.
"My children. Know that your Father and I love you. Carry the memory of us, and your sister Weiss, in your hearts" said Willow, as she then looked her children in the eyes. Jacques turned to his family as he created an ice wall between them and the flamethrowers.
"Go, now!" he shouted as he used the northwind to open the quartz doors behind Oliver, as the ice wall he made was beginning to melt from the flamethrowers fire.
Whitley and Winter hopped on Oliver's back and flew off, just as the ice wall started to give way completely.
After a few minutes, Winter hopped off of Oliver and started to run back the other way.
"Winter!" Whitley shouted as he pulled Oliver to a stop.
"No Whitley, take Oliver and hide in the shelter!" Winter shouted. Whitley's eyes widened.
"No. I lost Weiss, Mother and Father. I can't lose you too!" Whitley shouted. Winter smiled at her brother.
"Whitely, I know that I have always been bossy to you and Weiss… but I want you to know I love you two very much." said Winter tearing up a bit. Whitley stared at her, Winter had never been so open before. And yet now she was being so kind and sentimental, while crying nonetheless. Suddenly, they heard growling and the crackling of flames, coming from down the hall; the flamethrowers.
"Go!" Winter shouted as she ran down the hall the flamethrowers were coming from. Whitley ordered Oliver forward as he wiped the tears from his cheeks, as he entered the large cellar and locked the doors….
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Ruby's eyes widened when Glinda finished the story.
"I… I can't even… how awful…" the silver-eyed maiden whimpered as tears made there way down her cheeks. She never knew the ice king was carrying such a tragic past on his shoulders.
Glinda nodded.
"I know. King Whitley and Oliver are the last of the ice people and of the large snowy owls. At the time, I had heard that the last tribe of the ice people were all dead, along with all of the flamethrowers. They had killed each other in battle. And when I traveled to this mountain, I discovered that everyone was dead. I found king Whitley and Oliver in the Schnee cellar, along with Jacques Schnee's best armor, that King Whitley himself now wears. Together, we buried his family and people, and I vowed to teach him how to complete his training on how to use his winter powers. And together, we built this palace with the remains of the village and the cabin. For an army, we gathered up the remaining sabre-tooth tigers in the world… and the rest, you know. The ice king has been lonely, and he had no one to love, no hope… until he laid eyes on you for the first time, my queen. With you here, the king is a different person" said Glinda, touching Ruby's hand gently.
Ruby looked away from her. She definitely didn't know what to think now.
"I'll leave you to rest my lady" stated Glinda as she got up and walked out of the chamber, closing the double quartz doors behind her.
King Whitley was waiting outside and he had heard everything Glinda had told his wife. "Why did you tell her all of that" asked Whitley in a bitter tone.
Glinda sighed.
"You were never going to tell her. It's still too painful for you to even think about. And you know all about her, it's only fair. And she is your wife, after all" said Glinda, starting to walk down the hall.
King Whitley sighed. He knew Glinda was right. If Ruby was going to be his wife, she had to know his story. After all, he loved Ruby very deeply, and he hadn't loved anyone for quite some time.
What will happen next? Comment on what you think will happen!