Feeling someone shake my shoulder, I pried my eyes open. Rubbing my eyes, I looked for the source of the shaking. Seeing my mother leaning over me, I smiled up at her. Satisfied now that I was awake, she sat back down on her side of the carriage. She moved the only remaining curtain to the side and motioned for me to come sit next to her. If she noticed that the other curtain was missing, she didn't say anything. Giving in to my mother's request, I moved to sit beside her. I followed her gaze out the window… and was left breathless at the sight before me.

I had spent all of my life in the Plus Kingdom. My mother and I had never had any reason to come to Ultra. Perhaps that's why the castle before me came as such a shock. The castle in Plus was an old, simple castle. It reflected on how the Bakugo's lived their life. They were simple and efficient rulers. Their castle showed that.

If the castle was a reflection of the ones who ruled it, then I was a little worried. The fortress before me was… intimidating. It looked like giant icicles had grown out of the ground, crossing over one another to create an impenetrable fortress. It created a vision that was both scary and regal. As we got closer, I saw that the guards were wearing alternating uniforms. Some wore ice, others wore fire. Everywhere around me, the two elements existed in harmony. One never bothering the other. It was amazing.

My admiration was cut short when our carriage came to a stop, jostling me back into reality. Our door opened, revealing a guard dressed in one of the ice uniforms. Holding a hand out, the guard addressed my mother.

"Welcome to the Ultra Kingdom, Miss Midoriya. King Todoroki is waiting for you in the Great Hall. If you come with me, I will lead you there. Your luggage will be taken to your new rooms."

His words confused me. Rooms? Were we going to be staying in the castle? Leaning over to my mother, I whispered in her ear.

"Mom? Are we living in the castle?"

Smiling at me, she just nodded her head. I felt my stomach flip. I was going to be living here? In this huge castle? With the King and Queen? What if I did something to embarrass my mother? Would they fire her? Kick us out?

I was pulled out of my negative musings by the guard stopping at a pair of giant doors. Pausing, he gave us a reassuring smile. He then continued to push the doors open while calling out our arrival. Looking into what I assumed what the Great Hall, I was once again left speechless. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of clear ice. But, inside that ice, were great walls of fire. Walking into the room, I felt like I was stepping into the mouth of a volcano. We were surrounded by orange, brightened by the ice around it. I thought it was strange that the ice didn't melt at all or that the fire didn't send out any heat at all.

Sitting on a throne made of ice was none other than King Todoroki. Just looking at him made me feel intimidated. While I had heard that he was an honorable ruler, he looked like a thug. His face wore a sneer and was lit by his beard which was, of course, made of fire. Seeing us, his mouth turned up into a smile that still somehow managed to look disapproving.

"Miss Midoiya! Welcome to Ultra Kingdom! We've heard great things about you from the Bakugos. I see you've brought your son along," his eyes slid over to me, "It's nice to meet you Izuku. I have heard a lot about you."

Bowing before him, I said, "The honor is all ours, Sir. We will be in your care."

Impressed by my show of respect, King Todoroki smiled at us. "I am sorry my wife couldn't be here to greet you. She hasn't been feeling well these days. I hope you feel at home here. Now, I have a council to meet with, I have asked my son to take you to your rooms," I heard the sound of the doors opening behind us, "and here he is now. Better late than never, huh Shoto? Introduce yourself to our guests and show them to their rooms, please."

Turning around, I came face to face with the crown prince of the Ultra Kingdom, Shoto Todoroki. I had heard of him, but, until this moment, I had never seen him. The first thing that I noticed about him were his eyes. They were multicolored, one a brownish red and the other a bright blue, almost like ice, it's brightness brought out even more by the dark red patch of skin it sat on.

Continuing to look me in the eyes, he spoke, "My name is Shoto Todoroki. It is nice to meet you. Follow me to your rooms, please."

I was shocked by how quiet he was. When I met Bakugo for the first time, he had announced, loudly, to me that he was the crown prince and he would be king one day. Even then, he was loud and boisterous. Compared to him, Shoto was as quiet as a mouse. Following behind him, we walked through the halls of the castle. How my mother was supposed to clean this place, I had no idea. It was already spotless, everything pristine and shining.

After going through a maze of corridors, I was sure we were lost. I had no idea how no one found their way around here. Finally, though, Shoto came to a stop in front of a door. Opening the door, he led us inside. We entered into a living room, about the size of our old home. Todoroki pointed to door on the far side of the room.

"That hallway hold your rooms. You can sort out who gets which one later. This door," his hand drifted to a door to our right, "holds the kitchen and dining room. Each room has its own bathroom. I hope you enjoy your stay here."

With that he disappeared back out the door, not giving us time to thank him or give any reply. Once he had gone, my mother shifted into gear, immediately moving towards the door that housed our rooms. Opening the door, she moved down the hallway. It had two doors, one on each side. She opened the door on the left first, letting it swing open to show us the room inside. It was sculpted from ice, like the rest of the castle, causing the room to be cast in a light blue light. My mother fell in love with this room almost instantly.

Moving to across the hall, I opened the door to what would be my room. This room, unlike the other one, looked like it had been forged in the middle of Hell. The walls were filled with fire and the ground was made from black stone. It was amazing. On the other side of the room was a door, which I assumed led to the bathroom. I wasn't really interested in seeing that part of the room yet. I was more interested in the giant four-poster bed that sat against the wall. While I had slept the majority of the way here, I still felt exhausted. Climbing into the bed, I watched as the orange hues closed over my eyelids, letting myself drift off.