Disclaimer: I do not own South Park or its characters, and make no profit from writing this story. South Park & Characters are property of Matt Stone & Trey. Parker.
A Whole New World
by DragonSapphire
Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen from the kingdom of Corona, who gave birth in secret to a beautiful, golden-haired son. They hid the true gender of their child and named him Princess Marjorine, swaddling him in rich dresses of every possible fabric and color, and raised him as a proper daughter of royalty.
This subterfuge was necessary as the threats of war with a powerful kingdom near the ocean had grown increasingly hostile over the years. Whether the discord with Atlantis would reveal itself into full blown battle within five years or twenty remained to be seen, but the king and queen feared for the safety of their lands and its people.
Their only hope laid with their little boy, called Butters by only those few who knew his actual identity. The king and queen had forged an alliance with King Gerald and Queen Sheila of Arendelle that would combine their lands and army with that of the strong and powerful kingdom once its own young Prince Kyle was wed to Marjorine when the princess reached his sixteenth birthday.
After several years of preemptive treaty discussions, the kings' and queens' careful plans were utterly destroyed when a powerful Mage - who was a political enemy of the king of Corona, and would see the kingdom vanquished - stole the three-year-old Princess Marjorine from the castle while he and his parents slept.
The Mage locked the princess away in the deepest forest in the highest tower surrounded by powerful enchantments. The entirety of Princess Marjorine's childhood passed in near-solitude, save for the memory of three brief, happy years with his parents where they had lived together in a grand castle which had gradually faded like a dream. Swarms of brave souls attempted to reach him, and many more died in the effort. Eventually all excursions to free the princess trickled down to the bravest and strongest few, but when even their journey also heralded naught but failure or death, all further rescue operations were abandoned as hopeless.
Every year since Princess Marjorine's capture, and to keep the fires of hope alive that one day they would be reunited with their son, the king and queen of Corona decreed the release of a thousand paper lanterns into the night sky on the eve of Princess Marjorine's birthday. The lanterns were so numerous and luminescent that their brightness blotted out the stars and filled the sky like a beacon, shining a way home for the princess, who unknowingly watched for the lanterns every year from his impenetrable tower window, but never guessed their true meaning.
The only one who could reach Butters was the Mage himself. Every three days, unless his twisted scheming took him away for longer, the Mage climbed up the tower on a rope made from the princess's golden hair, which had grown unusually long as a side effect from the layers of enchantments that encompassed the tower and the surrounding forest. He would bring food and little else, often reprimanding the princess for daring to ask for a book or a pet or even just a moment outside of the tower, and punished him severely with years-long groundings.
Afraid to disobey, Butters languished in the topmost room of the tower, which contained no doors and only a single window that was accessible by a harrowing climb straight up the side of the tower. Butters would coil his heavy braid and toss the entire length out of the window at the Mage's beckoning – who was his only visitor, save for the occasional bird or passing cloud.
And there the princess remained with only the changing of seasons and single night a year when the remarkable lights in the far-off distance filled the sky to mark the passage of time.
When Princess Marjorine's sixteenth birthday approached - unbeknownst to the princess himself - the king and queen decided they were too heartbroken to continue the tradition year after hopeless year, and would finally lay the lanterns - and their son - to rest after one last send off to say their farewells.
However, weeks before the final lantern lighting, tragic news reached their neighbors of Arendelle. There had been a terrible accident involving King Gerald and Queen Sheila's ship when they encountered hostile Atlanteans and had been attacked. Their ship was sunk and lost to sea, leaving their two young sons suddenly orphaned and with an entire kingdom's hopes resting on their shoulders. Plans for a coronation ceremony to crown Prince Kyle king of Arendelle quickly ensued, not even allowing the boys time to mourn the sudden passing of their parents before they had to don the mantle of leadership so much sooner than anyone had been expecting.
Prince Kyle stoically endured hasty preparations to ascend the throne in his parents' wake while also caring for his younger brother, Ike, who was only twelve. The stress and sadness of his parents' loss, in addition to his enormous responsibilities to the kingdom and his brother, created a core of ice in Prince Kyle. Very often rooms he entered - alight with blazing fireplaces and warm rugs - would instantly have frost clinging to the window panes and sharp icicles forming off the sills. Fires turned cold in stone hearths the moment he arrived, bringing with him an icy rush of winter air, even on a sweltering midsummer's day. The servants feared their frosty new monarch, and whispered their doubts amongst themselves when they were certain not be overheard.
Prince Ike, who had been borne from a cold, distant land and adopted by King Gerald and Queen Sheila to raise as their own, dreaded that soon his brother's heart would be completely overtaken by the ice, and Kyle would never allow love to warm his heart again.
While lords and ladies beyond the castle walls cooled themselves with rapid flutters of silk and lace fans, snow was filling the corridors of Arendelle's castle, and had to be swept hourly to keep from burying all who dwelled within its chilly walls. Prince Kyle was desperate to control his newfound abilities before he was crowned king, but the cold snap showed no signed of letting up as the days to his coronation crept closer.
Soon, the entire kingdom would realize Prince Kyle's affliction, and likely fear that they would be destroyed by their own king.
Wanting to prevent such a calamity from taking place, Prince Ike was suddenly struck with the idea of finding and rescuing the long-lost Princess Marjorine. If successful, Ike could bring her home to marry the soon-to-be king, and perhaps thaw his heart and banish the ice forever. Then their kingdoms could unite against Atlantis as the enemy prepared their attack while Corona's greatest defender was crippled.
Ike, not wanting to delay for a moment, left the castle that very night with only a letter addressed to Kyle explaining his sudden departure. He saddled his flatulent but faithful pony, Terrance, stabled next to Prince Kyle's tall, golden steed, Phillip, who nickered and blew air from his tail end as they left.
The young prince set off with one last look towards the castle and its snowy grounds, armed with nothing more than a small dagger and sheer determination not to fail his brother and both kingdoms.
Ike rode relentlessly for days, resting only when Terrance faltered, as the small pony's legs were not accustomed to such grueling travel. But the pair pushed on until they reached the edge of the enchanted forest, and carefully began winding their way towards the lone, white tower that nearly brushed the clouds in the distance.
Because he was so young and small, Prince Ike slipped through the greatest of the Mage's spells with little difficulty, though he had to dismount Terrance and leave the tired pony to await his return, proceeding alone. Ike crawled right under the living ivy with thorns longer than his arm, and skirted the edges of dangerous pitfalls. He nimbly ducked giant crows with razor sharp beaks and talons, and climbed a steep cliff wall with hand and footholds barely wide enough for a child. The journey took weeks, and there had been numerous close-calls, but finally he stood at the base of the legendary tower that supposedly held the imprisoned Princess Marjorine.
After hours of scouring and unable to find a single crack - much less a doorway or hidden entrance - Ike could think of no way to penetrate the tower. Scaling the immense scaffolding was impossible, as the walls were as smooth and slick as one of Prince Kyle's icicles, and too high to even see the top from where he stood.
Prince Ike camped within sight of the tower as he pondered how to break inside to the trapped princess. He made certain he was hidden from view and brooded on the problem for three days, until, on the third day, a cloaked figure approached the tower and called out, "Marjorine, O Marjorine, let down your golden hair!"
To Ike's amazement, a long, bright yellow rope fell from a small, impossibly high window he had not noticed previously. The Mage scaled the rope quickly and disappeared into the window's opening, pulling up the braid behind him so that none could follow after.
Prince Ike waited with his gaze fixed upon the window, but he could hear no voices inside. An hour later, the rope reappeared followed by the Mage's descent, only to be withdrawn back into the window by some invisible hand.
At nightfall, when the boy was certain the Mage would not be returning immediately, Ike approached the tower, deepened his voice to imitate the Mage, and called, "Marjorine, O Marjorine, let down your golden hair!"
The rope uncoiled as it had before, and Prince Ike quickly climbed, pulling the rope up behind him.
The climb was much more taxing than the Mage had made it appear, although he had likely been bolstered by magic. When Ike finally reached the top with the very last of his strength, he pulled himself in through the window and rolled into a defensive crouch, dagger drawn in preparation for whatever he might find.
A soft scream greeted him, and Prince Ike quickly looked up and saw the mysterious princess that no one had lain eyes on for nearly thirteen years. He felt a queer flutter in his stomach as they gazed upon each other, both equally surprised by the appearance of the other.
Princess Marjorine was small and delicate, nearly the same stature as Ike, with fair skin and blond hair that shone golden in the moonlight and grew without end. Her hair was braided into the long rope Ike had used to climb the tower, and was piled into coils around the single, circular room. She was wearing a simple white gown trimmed in green with matching bows tied in her hair.
Ike couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was.
"W-Who are you?" she asked tremulously. Her hands were clasped over her small pink mouth and large eyes bluer than the sky widened in fear as they darted between Ike's unfamiliar face and the dagger gripped in his hand.
"I am Prince Ike of Arendelle come to save you and bring you home, Princess Marjorine," Ike explained with a deep bow as he quickly laid aside his dagger to show he meant no harm.
Gradually the princess relaxed her guard as Ike explained all that had been happening in both their kingdoms; her parents' lanterns, his own parents' death, the war with Atlantis, and finally her betrothal to his older brother, Prince Kyle. He carefully omitted any detail about Kyle's erstwhile abilities that had been getting increasingly out of control, lest he scare the princess and she would refuse to marry him.
In return, Princess Marjorine spoke of her enslavement, the Mage's terrible powers, and her only wish to see the outside world again. More tentatively, Marjorine revealed his true identity to Ike, worried that such knowledge would give the boy cause to spurn him and abandon his mission, but unable to help trusting the kind prince. Prince Kyle and Princess Marjorine's engagement would be nullified if Butters' gender was made public, knowing he couldn't provide the future king with necessary heirs to continue both their lines.
Butters' greatest shock came when Ike had merely smiled and chastely kissed the back of his hand, stating with warmth, "It is very nice to meet you, Prince Butters. I believe we will be very great friends."
Butters had wept in relief, joyfully returning Ike's sentiments of friendship, although neither mentioned the spark of something deeper they both felt. Soon, the boys felt the exhaustion from their adventures wash over them, and curled up together in Butters' bed, falling fast asleep with their fingers intertwined.
They began to formulate a plan as soon as morning arrived. Butters told Ike all he knew about the Mage, which unfortunately wasn't much. The man's name was Stephen and he liked to yell at Butters and ground him for the tiniest infractions, and - most notably - visited the tower every three days.
After many ideas were painstakingly considered and discarded, Ike and Butters finally decided on one that was perhaps foolhardy enough to work, although they would have to wait for the Mage to arrive to put their plan to action. In order to pass the time until then, the two princes spent the next couple days talking and laughing and becoming fast friends. At night, they went to sleep in Butters' bed and woke up with their hands still clasped together. Ike carefully did not think about the rapidly approaching time he would have to let go and give Butters away to his older brother - if they managed to defeat the Mage and escape the tower and enchanted forest first.
Before the Mage was due to arrive, Ike sliced a section of hair from the base of Butters' nape, who deftly braided the golden strands into a thin but strong rope and hid it beneath his bed.
"Marjorine, O Marjorine! Let down your golden hair!" the Mage cried, and, with a final bracing glance at Ike, Butters did as commanded.
The boys could hear Stephen grumbling to himself on his way up: "What a hassle. Why I didn't listen when my wife offered to drown the brat and be done with it, I'll never know!"
When the Mage had nearly climbed to the top of the tower, Ike jumped out and gave one great swing of his dagger, shearing off the braid entirely before the man could reach for the window. Stephen gave a great cry of outrage as he fell and fell from the great height, until he landed in a pile of broken limbs and twisted hair, and did not move again.
Quickly, lest the Mage somehow revive himself, Ike and Butters tied one end of the braid they had hidden around a bed post, and threw the other end from the window, climbing down with great care until they reached the ground near the Mage's fallen body. Butters rejoiced as he felt cool grass and soil on his bare feet for the first time in years. He turned his face wondrously towards the open sky, and immediately grabbed for Ike's hands, shouting in delight when the darkening sky bloomed with one thousand paper lanterns that Butters now knew were just for him.
They bound the Mage with Butters' detached braid and buried him next to the tower. The enchantments around the forest would ensure no one else would be able to reach the shallow grave and recover his remains.
Ike carefully guided them out of the forest and helped Butters onto his still-waiting pony, who whinnied when he saw them and trumpeted loudly from his backside. Ike climbed up behind Butters and curled an arm protectively around his waist as he kicked the pony into a fast gallop back home to Arendelle.
A week after Prince Ike's shocking departure, Corona was attacked by a dozen Atlantean ships. The Coronians fought bravely, but were vastly outnumbered and swiftly overtaken. A messenger managed to escape the battle and send Corona's desperate pleas to the new King of Arendelle for help. Once he received the messenger and his news, King Kyle immediately assembled his knights and made haste to the neighboring kingdom, swaths of frost following in the army's wake.
The three armies battled ferociously for days on end, and much blood was spilled from all sides. King Kyle, along with Corona's king and queen and their most trusted advisors, pulled together a desperate plan when the Atlanteans brought in reinforcements and advanced further and further into their battered walls of defense. Corona was a week or two at most from falling, and Arendelle would be next.
Once all parties were in agreement, Kyle and a handful of knights piled onto one of the few boats that hadn't been destroyed by Atlantis' attacks and set off under a moonless night. One by one, Kyle froze each Atlantean ship docked near Corona. His knights then sent flaming arrows into the cloth sails and wooden decks, and the Atlanteans scrambled about with shouts of fear as they were unable to draw water from the ocean to douse the flames; their buckets were full of ice.
Trusting that Corona and Arendelle's defenders would be bolstered by the crippling blow administered to Atlantis' nautical army and manage to defeat the remaining enemy on land, the ice king set sail towards the immense and fortified kingdom of Atlantis itself.
Atlantis was located on a huge floating island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, protected by dangerous sea monsters and massive whirlpools that could rip apart a ship in seconds.
Kyle froze the whirlpools mid-spin so their ship could pass, and any creature that approached the vessel was instantly shot down underneath a deluge of icy spears, swords, and arrows. As they approached the island, Kyle ordered their ship to set anchor and gathered all of his strength. He formed storm clouds heavy with snow and hail to release their loads onto the unsuspecting kingdom, and sent wave after wave of ice at the island from below, which started to sink slowly towards the ocean under the sheer weight of snow and ice.
He managed to keep back the Atlantean warships by again freezing them in the water until their hulls cracked and split, sinking the ships and sending their enemy into the same watery depth that was his parents' final resting place. He managed to keep up the attack for several days, but the king was beginning to flag under the untested strain of using his powers so much for so long. His men could see the Atlanteans gearing up for one final assault, which they would be hard-pressed to defend against with Kyle's dwindling strength and their depleted store of weapons.
However, as the groups prepared to face each other in one last battle, the island finally began to give away under Kyle's elemental battering. The frozen land split and broke off into enormous chunks, sending up walls of water hundreds of feet high as pieces and then whole sections of Atlantis fell and disappeared into the ocean, until the entire sky was empty and clear of their threat.
Kyle - drained nearly to unconsciousness - and his equally exhausted crew returned to Corona to be greeted with cheers of victory. The remaining Atlantean forces had been soundly defeated, and already Corona and Arendelle's citizens had begun restorations on the kingdom.
King Kyle and the rulers of Corona decided they couldn't afford to wait for a marriage contract that may never happen before they signed a treaty merging their two kingdoms together. They sealed their contract with a festival that rivaled the annual lantern lighting and Kyle's coronation combined. Ballads and epics sprung into being, detailing the ice king's greatest battle and the defeat of Atlantis.
After nearly depleting his powers and claiming revenge for his parents' murders, Kyle returned home a celebrated hero and in full control of his abilities once they gradually regenerated, no longer as unmanageable as they once had been.
The homecoming was bittersweet, though, for no one had seen hide nor hair of his brother, who had been gone for nearly a month now and had not been heard from except for the one letter Kyle had found from Ike on the day he had been crowned king. Never had Arendelle known such a fearsome winter, especially in the middle of July, so the ceremony had turned out to be a small and intimate affair that ended in snowball fights, sledding, and ice skating for all the children of the kingdom, and many of the adults as well.
Kyle was well and truly alone, having lost the only family he had remaining.
"Your Highness. You have a visitor," Kyle's aide announced after the latest petitioner had left, having requested - and received - a compacted snowball for his horse's swollen knee.
Kyle hadn't yelled or thrown the man out for such an insignificant issue, which could have easily been resolved by a competent veterinarian. He had been relieved that the initial trepidation his people had shown regarding his powers before his takedown of Atlantis had eased, but the price of that acceptance meant he was now fielding ridiculous requests as if he were a court magician rather than a king. Regardless, his subjects had been so frightened of his abilities in the beginning that Kyle would go to any lengths to ensure he never gave them cause to fear him again.
"Not now, Herbert," Kyle begged off, mentally and physically fatigued. He dropped his temple against his fist as he propped an elbow on what had once been his father's throne, feeling the weight of the crown impossibly heavy on his head.
"Oh, I think you'll want to meet with this one, Highness," the older man said, an unfamiliar lightness in his tone.
"I said not-"
"Hi, big brother."
Kyle's head shot up and he stared at the dirty but widely grinning boy standing in the very same entryway his aide had so thoughtfully exited, giving the two brothers privacy for their reunion.
"Ike!" he yelled, dashing from the throne with a quick burst of energy, and gathered the bedraggled boy up in his arms. Ike laughed loudly as Kyle swung him around in a manner entirely unbecoming of a king and prince.
"Oh my god, I could kill you for taking off like that! Do you know how worried I've been? You could have been hurt!"
"Careful, brother. You're starting to sound like Mom." Ike grinned cheekily as Kyle finally let him down to breathe.
Kyle gave a watery laugh and ruffled Ike's messy black hair, which was tangled with leaves and twigs. He started when he noticed an unfamiliar girl standing off to the side, twisting her fingers together as she watched them nervously. She had short, fluffy blond hair and a mud-splattered dress that was torn in several places.
Ike followed Kyle's gaze to land on the girl, and Kyle saw his brother's face light up in triumph and...love?
What the hell had happened while Ike had disappeared?
"King Kyle of Arendelle," Ike said imperiously - the little snot – as he reached out to draw the shy girl forward by her hand to stand with him in front of Kyle. "Meet Princess Marjorine."
Kyle only managed to keep from gaping through sheer force of will. The reminder that he was king now and had a dignity to uphold stayed his exclamation of surprise. Surely Ike hadn't actually rescued the princess when dozens of trained knights couldn't before him, and he was still just a child!
Although... Kyle did take down Atlantis almost single-handedly, so who was to say Ike couldn't defeat a powerful mage and save the princess from a tower? Trusting that what his brother said was true, Kyle turned to Princess Marjorine and gave her his full regard.
"I am pleased to finally meet you, Princess Marjorine," Kyle said formerly with a bow over her trembling hand. "I suspect your parents will be delighted with news of your return. I will inform them at once, so that you can go home…and then we may be wed as soon as possible."
Kyle actually had to use a touch of magic to freeze his tongue to keep from laughing outright when Ike stumbled and Princess Marjorine swung around to look at his brother frantically, their faces matching expressions of despair as they grabbed for each other's hands in a white-knuckled grip and then tried in vain to put on brave faces.
Kyle was kind enough not to leave them in misery for long.
"Or, at least we would have been married, had I not already signed an agreement with Corona that combines our two kingdoms into one providence, now known as Albion. I guess that means we are both free agents, Princess Marjorine."
The princess gave a loud cry and threw herself into a stunned Ike's arms, who - after a moment to console Marjorine and regain his own composure - said decisively over her shoulder, "I would marry hi-her, Kyle. I am going to marry her."
Kyle was momentarily taken aback by his once timid little brother's sudden show of inner strength as his request to marry Princess Marjorine quickly turned into an inarguable demand. Kyle knew they all had very much changed after their own separate battles and subsequent victories, and couldn't fault Ike for wanting to hold on to someone he loved with everything he had.
There was only one problem.
"You do realize you're only twelve, right? The age of consent is sixteen in Arendelle. Or, rather, Albion."
"I don't care," Ike said defiantly, his chin jutting out and his hand grasping Marjorine's tightly. "I'd marry him right now if we had a rabbi on the castle grounds."
"Wait a minute... Him?" Kyle interrupted incredulously, his eyes darting back to Princess Marjorine's sweet, round face, shorn hair, and muddy dress, not entirely believing the princess of Corona was male, even with her - him? - standing right there.
"I-I'm a boy," Marjorine affirmed in a high, shaking voice, and Kyle felt the sudden urge to laugh hysterically. Of course the princess was a boy. What would his life be otherwise?
"Are you out of your minds? You've just met, and Marjorine's parents don't even know she- he's - back yet! You are still underage, Ike, never mind that two men cannot legally be married in the first place!"
"Butters' parents were going to marry him to you, knowing full well he was a boy!" Ike protested, his face reddening in fury. "If you don't let us marry, then we're running away and eloping with or without your permission!"
Kyle frowned as he regarded the pair, who made a ridiculous but determinedly united front before him, and did indeed look a moment away from bolting and finding some sinister back alley minister to bind them as husband and...husband.
"For fuck's sake," Kyle groaned, already giving in before Ike and Marjorine ran off and the princess's parents came after him next - ice powers or not. "Fine," he said after a long deliberation, weighing the pros and cons, and knowing such a rash action could throw the newly formed Albion into anarchy already.
"You two have my permission to wed. But!" Kyle interrupted the couple before they could celebrate prematurely, "we keep Marjorine's gender a secret, and you have to wait until Ike turns sixteen to marry."
"No fucking way!" Ike exploded. "That is so unfair, Kyle!" Even his timid fiancé looked about ready to yell too, which was unexpected and rather adorable.
"Look, guys," Kyle started, drawing desperately on his depleted well of patience. "You're going to spend the rest of your lives together anyway, so why not take a few years to really get to know each other and put some plans into place first? You and Marjorine are both very public figures and in a position to rule. You can't just run off and do whatever you want without thinking about the consequences." This last was specifically directed at Ike, who looked offended and mulish.
"But-" Ike started, but Kyle steamrolled right over him.
"Marjorine's parents are desperate to see him again, and don't even know he's back," Kyle admonished, and Ike and Butters had the decency to look guilty. "Ike, you can lead the escort for Marjorine back to his home in one week while you both get cleaned up and rested, and I can send a missive to the king and queen alerting them of Marjorine's rescue and safe return."
This time Marjorine waylaid Ike's expected objections with a gentle touch on his arm and a soft smile to Kyle. "Agreed, on two conditions."
Kyle sighed and raised an inquiring eyebrow, amused and relieved in equal measures that his potential brother-in-law could already rein in his adopted brother, at least a little. "And they are?"
"First, Ike and I can still see each other whenever we want. O-Or at least, when we can manage it," he amended with a shy look at Ike, who squeezed his hand and nodded.
"And second?"
"A-And second. Please call me Butters." At this, the blond gave a blinding grin, and the brothers were momentarily struck by his beauty. Ike practically looked like the top of his head would come off, visibly bursting in adulation.
And so, after a short but heartfelt time together, with many promises extracted and tearful goodbyes, Princess Marjorine - now Princess Butters - returned home to enormous celebration, finally reunited with his family.
True to his word, Prince Ike courted Butters with such vigorous affection and showered him in so many gifts that the streets of Albion became lined with petals from the trains of wagons full of flowers that arrived regularly to the gates of the castle where the princess and his family resided.
They corresponded and visited so regularly that their subjects could no longer recall which kingdom the prince and princess had originally come from, and gardeners had taken to poking sticks into bushes while pruning in order to shoo the giggling pair out of the prickly hedges with fondly exasperated shakes of their head.
Four years passed swiftly, and Ike and Butters were more in love than ever on the day they were married - to Kyle's dismay, as they'd already been sickening to begin with.
The wedding was beautiful and expectantly lavish. Butters wore a gown of the purest white with actual snowflakes delicately fringing the low neckline and hem. A long, ornate veil that spanned the length of the courtyard and into the gardens trailed behind him in tribute to the long hair he'd once had, but was now curled and pinned with bright white ribbons and fell softly around his shoulders.
At sixteen-years-old, Ike was nearly as tall as Kyle now, and was smartly dressed in his princely regalia. He wore a perfectly fitted white overcoat that split in the back and was decorated with golden braiding across the shoulders and shining gold buttons down his front. His hair was as black and polished as his knee-high boots, and he had a decorative sword strapped to his hip - which he knew how to use with great skill.
King Kyle, along with Princess Butters' parents, gave their blessings over the wedding, but doubted either Ike or Butters heard a word, completely lost in each other as they held hands and grinned helplessly.
Instead of doves, a thousand white lanterns painstakingly painted with snowflakes were released into the clear afternoon sky when ringing bells that could be heard for miles heralded the union of Albion's beloved prince and princess.
For their honeymoon, Ike took Butters and showed him the world. They traveled to distant lands and lit two lanterns at each new location in hopes their families would see the twin lights rising and dancing together in the sky and know they were safe and happy.
Together, they ruled the western lands of Albion when the king and queen graciously seceded their reign several years later. Permanently allied with King Kyle in the east, the kingdom grew and flourished as it never had before.
And they all lived happily ever after.
...Until Kyle founded a top secret organization of extraordinary human beings with abilities along the lines of his own, sworn to protect the kingdom of Albion.
There was peace for many years, until Kyle clashed mightily with a new foe; a man who commanded fire as easily and ferociously as Kyle could with ice. Their confrontations became swiftly legendary - and often incredibly steamy - leaving several of the world's largest lakes, geysers, and hot springs in their wake.
After many years of mutual antagonism, and a multitude of adopted nieces and nephews to inherit the throne, the former king of Arendelle eventually retired to one of the secluded hot springs with his man of fire, and then they lived...somewhat...happily ever after.
The end.