CHAPTER-6
Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.
It was morning; the birds were chirping and singing to the people awake, though the number seemed to be less as the sun nearly reached the horizon. Their soft voices making the day's beginning even brighter. Though the sun was not completely up, a certain blond laid awake on the bed, alongside his father.
The blond sighed, his head hurt. He looked over at the clock; it was only six in the morning. Why did he wake up so soon? He slept late and woke up early, he should be in his dream land, else he's end up like an undead, and he surely didn't wanna look like that. He closed his eyes, wanting to sleep an hour or two more.
His eyes felt heavy, but just couldn't fall back to his dreams. A few minutes later, an annoyed Frau lay on the bed wide awake. Why couldn't I just sleep? When he couldn't, he decided to just wake up. He drank the water kept on the table, and went back to his own room. He opened the door and sensed that something was slightly different. He looked over to the coffee table at the side. There was a completely new pair of jogging suit. With long light blue pants, a white shirt and a warm jacket. Besides the clothes, there was a note. Frau picked it up and read.
Frau,
If you find this letter before seven, meet me in the garden wearing these clothes. I wish to have a long chat with you, and a fine morning jog seems to be the best time for it.
-King Krom.
Frau's sleep lidded eyes widened. Once again he looked over the name of the sender, King Krom, surely it was the king. Why does the king wanna chat with me? He thought. Did I do something wrong? Or did he realize that I have a huge crush on his son? It wouldn't be a surprise if he did; he had been staring at the young prince as though he was a sweet little apple toffee. Wait. Apple toffee? Am I forgetting something?
He tried to remember, but the fact that the king wanted to have a talk with him won over, and he wore the clothes. He looked over at the watch, quarter to seven. He hurried to the garden, and was greeted by none other than the King himself. True to his words, he was standing and looking over the beautiful garden with a content smile, as though deep in thought. Not wanting to interrupt the man's peaceful moment, he stayed silent. "You came."
Frau knew that it was more of a statement than a question, but replied nonetheless "Yes. Why wouldn't I?"
"Just, that you were never one of the early risers. So it was kind of a surprise."
Frau was speechless. This man knew him. Was he related to his memories? "And how did you know that?"
"We have known you for a long time, Frau. We remember, whereas, you not. That's the difference." Frau's head bent down in sadness. "Don't worry. My son would help you through with that matter" the king said as he motioned him to follow him, and both men began their jog.
"Sir, I needed to ask you something" Frau asked with a small blush.
"And what would that be?"
"Well… I wanted to know… whether you would tell me a bit about the… prince?" he asked a bit nervously, Foolish Frau. Foolish but brave! He told himself.
The king was, however, a little surprised. "Tiashe? And why is that?"
"Just that I wanna remember more about him and… me" Frau said as he panted, compared to the older man to hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Is that so? Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"I'd have to wait till he wake up, and I am not that patient!"
The king smirked. "Sweets." Frau looked at him confused. "He likes sweets, but not too sweet. Or else his uncle would start telling him weird stories about Kai-Kai ants and he would freak out."
Sweets? Wait! Apple toffees! That is what I am supposed to give him. He exclaimed in his own little world, his head and gave a goofy smile which resulted in him falling down on the dirt.
"Frau, are you alright?" the king asked with concern.
"Yeah. Just a bit… dirty"
"It's okay. Come on! Try and beat this old man!" the King exclaimed, who was by now a few meters ahead of him, and this brought the blond back to his senses. He ran over and slowed down when he was jogging side by side with the king "Thinking something again?" he asked and Frau shook his head as a no.
I guess I would just need to make a few sweets!
….
When both men reached back to the garden after a complete round of the castle, Frau was greedily taking in breaths of air. The king hadn't allowed him to stop even for a second. The palace was enormous. You could place hundreds of planes in the place. Frau was more than a bit shocked.
"Frau, breakfast is within two hours. Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?" the king asked as we entered the main hall.
"No, sir. But please do tell me, what the directions to the kitchen are"
"And pray tell me, why do you want to go over there? Were you not satisfied by the food served? If that is the reason, let us know. You are our guest."
"That… is okay, but I wanted to make some apple toffees for the prince."
"Apple toffees?" the king asked a little surprised, "Do you even know what that means to my son?" he whispered to himself, but then smirked inwardly, "It's on the left of the main dining hall." He said and the blond nodded as he sprinted towards his room.
Frau entered his room quickly, passing by Castor on the way, but didn't stop even as he called out for the blond. Maybe he too was surprised that Frau woke up too soon. But that's beside the point, the blond desired, he needed a bath. He was all sweaty and dirty due to his long jog. He didn't wanna make his pure prince sweets with dirty hands. He needed to act quickly, before the breakfast began.
The blond removed his clothes and entered the warm shower. Due to the cold climate, the hot water was making him feel like heaven. He grabbed the bottle of shampoo from the side and squeezed it on his palm. He shampooed his soft and wet blond hair with care, massaging the scalp making him feel at ease. He felt calm and light. He closed his eyes, liking the sensation, but suddenly a certain brunette's face popped up. He opened his eyes in a jolt. Why was his tiny brain remembering him at this time? Did it wanted to make him horny? Well if that were a case, then the blond fought against it with great resistance. He needed to make those apple toffees, and there was no time.
He turned the warm water to freezing cold, to get the prince out of his mind and concentrate as he rinsed the remaining shampoo off of his hair. Damn! It's freezing! The man thought as he dried himself properly and wrapped himself around a bath robe. He got out and was pleased to see another pair of clothes waiting for him on his bed. King sure liked him a lot for taking such good care of him. He wore the clothes offered and sprinted towards the kitchen when he realized that it was almost eight.
The maids and the chefs were surprised to see the famous idol in a kitchen, they told him to leave and that they would carry out anything that needed to be done. The boy refused and told that he had the king's permission to use the kitchen however he wants, and then did they stop pestering him. He told them to get the ingredients for the sweet, and they complied. Only a few seconds later did the blond found all the food material right in front of him, neatly displayed on the large kitchen counter.
He washed his hands again, pulled his sleeves to his elbows and got to work. He washed the apples and dried them properly. He mixed sugar, butter, vinegar and the hot boiling water together in a pan and then added a bit of food colour. Making the mix look delicious and warm-y red, and cooked it on the low heat. Now he had to make sure that all the sugar was properly melted. This was the hard part, when just a kid, he never got it right, but now he does. Back then he would leave the mix just like that for a few minutes, and when he would return to look at it, it would become all black. But that was long ago.
After the syrup was ready, he dug the strong wooden sticks into the bright red apples and dipped them into the liquid, coating it perfectly and immediately dipped it back into cold water to harden it. He did the same for the other four apples and placed all of them neatly on a plate, ready to serve. He looked at the clock, quarter past nine. It was the time for breakfast. He carried the plate to the hall, to give those sweets to his little prince.
The second he stepped foot in the hall, he was struck by an imaginary lightning bolt. He swore that he could hear one of Beethoven's old symphonies playing as background music. The reason being those icy violet eyes and platinum hair that covered those beautiful irises.
Frau almost lost his grip on the plate, as he stared at those who currently occupied the chairs. He blinked his eyes, trying to get a proper view; surely his eyes were not mistaken. It was Ayanami. He walked towards the table and sat right opposite to the said man, his plate of sweets completely forgotten as the plate sat patiently on the table, forgotten by the creator.
"Ayanami?" Frau said, "What are you doing here?"
"Please, don't talk during breakfast. They are bad manners" the man simply replied. No matter how the blond wanted to give a response, he had to admit that the older man was right and he needed to maintain his good impression.
Frau sat quietly and began to eat. It was just a few minutes later, did he hear the voice of the doors opening. He turned around to see the arrival of the young prince, clothed in white. Why is everything here so white? Frau thought. Everything, the clouds, snow, furniture, floors and even Ayanami's hair! All of it, White. He smiled to the prince, only to find him blush a beautiful scarlet. The boy sat beside him for the breakfast, which made Frau's heart hop in joy. "Good morning", the blond greeted.
"Good morning" he replied. "I hope you had a beautiful sleep last night."
"Of course I did." Frau said with a sheepish smile, after all I dreamed of you, he wanted to add. With that he went back to eating his food.
"I see you're back, uncle" the boy said, which caused the blond o frown. Frau was told that he loved Kreuz like he loved his father, so why he spoke in such a tone was a puzzled mystery. Frau wanted to say something but was not able to, as the prince continued, "I asked you something, Ayanami" the boy said, albeit a lot more loudly this time.
"Such manners are not befitting the future king of this country. You are not permitted to speak during meals; this lesson was taught when you were eight. Now we will have a long discussion after we have finished our food. Perhaps you need a well-deserved revision of all the lessons." Ayanami replied with a glare. Tiashe glared back. "That is no way to react." The man scolded again.
"I am… sorry, uncle" the boy said, but didn't let his anger fall even for a second.
Frau was a bit shocked for a second; Ayanami, his rival, was his future lover's uncle? That was unexpected. No. It was apocalypse! Hell would freeze over, hypos would fly and birds would dance! How can a man, as cold and arrogant as Ayanami, be related to a sweet, loving and caring boy such as Tiashe was beyond Frau. But it explained all, why was the silver haired male in Raggs or why was he in the palace in the first place. The reason was that Ayanami was Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, the king of Raggs's, youngest brother. The brother who at all costs had always declined to show his face in front of media, but it was a shocker that he was right in front of everyone's eyes the entire time.
The king faked the voice of cough and managed to get his son's and brother's attention away from glaring at each other. He smiled at his child and the looked at Frau, "Tiashe, I believe that Frau has made something especially for you. Right, Frau?" he asked with an encouraging smile.
Frau then remembered his apple toffees. He made an 'oh!' sound and picked up the plate and presented it to the prince, "I made you some apple toffees!" he said happily.
The boy looked taken back for a second, surprise evident in his eyes, "Apple… toffees? Are you alright Frau?" Alright? Of course, he was perfectly fine. Did he not like apple toffee? But the King surely said that he did, didn't he? Looking at the blond's dejected state; Tiashe took one of the sweet apples and bit into it. Frau observed the boy's expression, trying to figure out whether he liked it or not. He smiled with glee when he heard the boy's foodgasm. It was the voice of an angel. Oh! Who was he kidding; this boy was practically an angel.
Hearing the sweet voice, made Frau feel giddy. He wanted to hear more of it; he wanted him to make the boy sound like that. But he had to wait. He won't do anything until he gets his memories back, that is the promise Frau made to himself. He would restrain himself, tie himself up in chains if he need to, and wait till he has completely captured the boy's heart. He stared at him, as the prince was busy biting into the apple and as the red sweet syrup made his light pink lips red. Oh red! The colour of passion, the colour of love. Once again he felt the sensation to kiss those lips, bit him and mark. Oh! The bestial cravings. Control! He told himself. "Did you like it, my prince?" he asked.
"Yes, I did. It is the best I have ever tasted! Thank you, Frau." The boy said with a smile. He blushed as he realized that the blond's eyes were still fixed on him, and both were gazing into each other's eyes.
Once again, they were interrupted by a grunt. "What, Ayanami?" the blond asked.
"I would prefer you to stop flirting with my little nephew." He replied with a glare.
"I was not flirting!" Frau said, flustered. "And stop glaring, don't want you having wrinkles at such a young age" he mocked.
"Yes you are. You were undressing my naive nephew with those criminal eyes of yours. And it doesn't matter to you whether I grow older fast or not." This made everyone gasp in surprise, especially the duo that was being pointed at. Guido resisted a snort, while Kreuz stood up in utter shock, Castor was busy telling Labrador about how stupid Frau was or either how Ayanami was betraying his own rule and Lance was busy posting a new tweet, titled 'Frau, the lead singer of The ghost is a pervert: officially rererere-reconfirmed', and took a picture of a flustered Frau.
Ah. So much for staying silent during meals, Ayanami. Went through Hyuuga's mind.
"Enough." The king said as he brought in one arm up in a gesture of silence, and at once the noise died down. "Krowell, you are to meet me in my study after the meal. As for my son, I would like it if you took Frau out for a walk, maybe for a tour around the city would be more appropriate. It may help him heal his memories. Am I clear?" he asked and the rest nodded, but the silver haired man's glared didn't die down.
The day had been lovely, thought it was just its beginning. The King was adamant for the band to stay in the castle with them till the end of their stay in the country, but Frau wasn't complaining. In fact he was smiling in the most annoying way, which pissed Guido off. He just couldn't help himself, staying here meant more time with Tiashe and more time for their bonding.
He just couldn't wait for his memories to return. They are the key to everything that he cherishes and holds dear. Without them, the future with the prince seemed blank. Empty. A void.
Now Frau stood in front of the main hall's entrance, waiting for the car that would take them to some of the most beautiful tourist spots in the country. But that was not the best part 'cause he was not going there alone, he was going with the prince, and that too alone. Just he and the prince. Just Frau and Tiashe. No interruptions.
The reason being that his supportive companions decided to carry out their most important tasks when they were invited for the tour. Castor being busy reading a book. Labrador busy watching some cookery shows. Lance acting busy watching one of his chick flicks. Guido was the only one who was actually preoccupied doing some work with Fea Kreuz and both needed to go out somewhere. The only one who was dominant on coming would be Ayanami. He didn't budge even when the king himself told him to let them go. But luckily Hyuuga was there and dragged him off his feet as soon as he was irritated that his lover wasn't paying any attention to him.
Frau sighed happily. He would have to make sure that he repays all his friends for their help.
"Let's go" a voice said accompanied by the roar of the car's engine.
"Yes, Tiashe." Frau said as he and the boy entered the vehicle.
They were first going to a place known as Danza sobre hielo. According to Tiashe, it was one of their best tourist spots. Especially during winters.
"And why is that? Why only during winters?" Frau questioned.
"You see, Danza sobre hielo is a frozen lake. It freezes up completely during the winters, but not good enough to skate during the summers. If you do skate during the summer, you might fall in the water and come out as an ice cube." He replied.
"But what is so important? People can ice skate in ice rinks."
"That's true. Gran Lago, the name of the lake, has its own history. The lake is the largest in the country. Centuries ago, the then king of Raggs, decided to go ice skating on Christmas and came to Gran Lago. He invited everyone, his family, friends and even the people who work in the castle with him. There they held a great feast and since then, it became a tradition. The only difference now would be that it is now open for the public too and has now become very popular. You definitely came in the right time of the year to view the feast."
"And the name? It is definitely not of the language I know." Frau said curiously.
"The king was of mixed blood with a Spanish mother and was well versed with the language. On the day of the feast, people danced while skating and the tradition follows. So the name Danza sobre hielo, which may translate to dance on ice or ice dance."
"I see. So we are going to dance on ice. It would be fun."
"Yes. But the real fun is during Christmas." The prince said as he nodded slightly.
There was silence. Tiashe felt awkward. He was seated with Frau, the man that meant so much to him. They had made so many memories, but the elder didn't remember any. He didn't want to take him to the Danza sobre hielo. It was the place he had made a bad memory. A bad-bad memory, and didn't want to remember them. But Guido was persistent wanted to begin there. He said that it may help to regain his memories, even a little bit. The boy had no choice but to comply.
He wanted the man to regain those lost moments as much as the next person, probably even more, but he didn't want to start with Danza sobre hielo. However, if it helped even a little bit, it was fine. Anything for Frau.
Then there was another reason, the apple toffees. Why had Frau given them those? Did he remember? A little part at least? He looked at the blond trying to figure out. Did he? Definitely a no, he thought dejectedly when Frau looked at him confused. Maybe he should ask him, but wouldn't it sound weird? People can make whatever they want and give it to whomever they want. Yeah, he should zip his mouth. He turned his head to look at the scenery outside.
Frau sensed that the brunette wanted to say something but was unable to. He was aware that the boy was uncomfortable and felt guilty that he might be the reason for that. "I am sorry." The suddenly said catching the prince off guard.
"Excuse me?"
"I am sorry."
"Why? You did nothing." Tiashe said.
"You seemed troubled and we are the only one here, besides the driver at least. So I thought that I may have done something wrong. If that is not the case, I am relieved." He smiled. "Then pray tell me, what is troubling our little prince." He said but then awkwardly added "you don't have to tell me if you don't want to!"
"Don't worry Frau. It's nothing. Besides, we've already reached." He said as the car came to a halt.
Before they could open the doors themselves, there were already people stationed to do the work for them. Frau and Tiashe stepped out the car and exited the parking area. The boy's eyes seemed cold, colder than the snow if possible. Frau felt far away and saw the void in those green orbs. What was the reason for such emotionlessness? The answer was lost in the time long past, the time that would be remembered by the blond. Soon.
The man who opened the door addressed the prince, "Prince Tiashe, it's been a long time since your last visit. I hope you are doing well."
"A long time indeed, Jack. And I am doing fine, thank you. I myself never thought that I would be returning to this place ever again after that accident."
The man named Jack lowered his head, "I am sorry my prince."
"There's no need for that. It was not your fault. I don't want any more of that nonsense. Clear?" the boy said and the man nodded.
As they got closer to the frozen lake, they started hearing a lot of noise. The people were having fun and skating around. They were dancing, while some were still learning to stand on the slippery ice. Kids were giggling when another child slipped and then giggled more when they themselves fell down. Couples were dancing to the song and even running races. Many were busy filling their stomach while others were fulfilling their duty of serving the guests.
All this was new to Frau, but for some reason there was a feeling of déjà vu. And he was quiet sure that it was not a pleasant one. He just wanted to turn around and exit, but he passed away the feeling and followed the brunette to one of the nearest benches. Then the man, Jack, Frau supposed his name was, came to them with a two pairs of ice skates. He handed the smaller one to Tiashe and the bigger one to Frau. They wore them quickly and tied up the laces tight. It was then did Frau remember that he didn't skate. The prince seemed surprised when he was told that.
"Don't worry, I'll teach you." he said encouragingly and the blond complied. He caught Frau's arm and pulled him towards the frozen surface. Frau's heart skipped a beat. The temperature was cool, but the warmth emitting from the prince's arm was enough to heat up every fibre of his being.
The prince pulled him and made him stand on ice and told him to walk, and walk he did, only to fall back on his ass and grunted in surprise which resulted in Tiashe laughing loudly and circling around the fallen man. "Come one! Try again!"
"Ow! That hurts you know! I am out of here!" Frau whined.
"No! You are not going anywhere. You can do it!" he encouraged. Frau shook his head but stood up nonetheless. "Don't be hasty now." The blond nodded and moved forward, he skated on ice. "See! I told you! You are natural. Now try moving faster and follow me"
"Don't go that fast!" Frau said as he struggled to reach the brunette.
"Don't worry. You already know how to do this!" the boy caught the singer off-guard and the latter once again fell.
"What do you mean!?"
The prince sighed, "The memories belong to the time you have forgotten. The part reason for bringing you here is to make you remember bits and pieces and I believe this place is one of the sites where those memories might be the strongest."
"I see." The blond was silent for a while, but continued, "That explains why I have this strange feeling to déjà vu. It isn't even pleasant to tell the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"Since I came here, I haven't been feeling at ease. As thought I have a bad memory of this place. Tell me Tiashe, what happened with me here?" he asked in a serious tone. He wanted to know what had happened. What was the connection of this place with his memories?
"I'm sorry Frau. I can't. It's too much!" the prince said worriedly. "Please wait. You'll-"
"No Tiashe! I can't! I can't handle not knowing anything about myself! It feels like I've lost a big chunk of my heart and… and it hurts, Tiashe. It hurts so much. Please tell me." he pleaded.
"No matter what, Frau. I won't say it. Please don't force it on me"
"Why, Tiashe?!" the blond was hurt. Why didn't he want him to know? Didn't Tiashe want him to know? How weird it was, that the boy in his dreams wasn't so different from the boy in reality. Didn't he love him? Had the memories been so bad that he didn't even want Frau to hear? What had happened? Frau's head was spinning, not knowing what to do, he ran when he began to hear voices inside his head. Ran away while skating on the very ice that had been the reason for his doom.
"Frau, wait!" the prince screamed but the blond didn't hear or decided to either ignore him and he soon lost his sight between the crowd.
What was happening? Why was his head spinning and why were his legs feeling so cold? His legs? Wasn't he running a few moments ago? He had fallen back on his knees. His palms covering his head and hitting it, trying to lesser the pain. It hurts. Where's Tiashe? What a question, Frau. You left him back. Frau looked around. Where was everyone? This place… it looked familiar. Odd. He clenched his head and pulled on his hair as the pain increased and screamed. Someone! Ease this pain!
It was then, did Frau start seeing images, though his eyes were closed in pain. What the hell is happening?!
'We shouldn't go there, Frau! It is not safe!'
'Don't worry. You're with me! I will keep you safe, Teito!'
'Fine… but only for a little while'
What was that? Frau thought as the images continued to flood his mind. He felt himself getting colder by every passing second. He forcefully opened his eye lids, wanting to search for someone, someone, again. It was then did he notice that he had entered the danger-zone, tripping over the barricade tape which now lied fallen on the ice.
'Teito! Wait! Don't go over there!'
'Sorry Frau. I slipped. Don't worry, I am coming ba-!'
'Tiashe!'
"Frau! I am here! Don't panic. We'll get you to safety." Tiashe? Frau thought. As he tried to get a better view from his current position with his head on the boy's lap who was rubbing his palm to his own palm, trying to warm him up. Those beautiful emerald green eyes, that silky hair and soft skin, Tiashe. No, Teito. Isn't it Tiashe? Or is it Teito? Why am I thinking so much in this condition? I need a sleep. Too tired. I hope Guido was here, he would know how to wake me up. Guido? What's Guido doing here? And Kreuz too? But I'll deal with all that later. It's warm. Why are you crying, love? I am not dying, just need a sleep….
Hey guys! sorry for the late update. the school has been keeping me busy, especially with the prelims next month and then my board examination. anyways, I took an example from Muzuki-chan, and took my own phone to school! And yay! No one ever found out. you were right Muzuki! It is fun. AND MERRY CHRISTMAS! Do let me know if anyone of you have planned a resolution which you might follow till the end of the year! Mine being, study and get great score in my exams, get a PS4 after my exams and update more frequently! Do tell me yours!
Till next time
~Much love.