#nicoiya

Iya found the calmness of the waves to contrast strongly with the tumultuous weather that overtook the continent. It wasn't just the dark icy clouds, but also the atmosphere among the peoples of the Mainland. So many of them cursed the princess of Shaenlir – herself – whose disappearance incited the Snow Queen’s wrath. Mentions of her title made her shiver, and she was only too glad to be far from the Sultan of Seri and his barrage of insults.

"It's nice to be out here."

The man beside her said. Iya smiled.

"I agree."

She took a deep breath, before facing the green-eyed healer whose presence filled her heart with joy.

"Nicolas."

His braided hair swished about as he met her gaze. “How’ve you been, Princess?”

“Much better, my Prince.”

They chuckled.

“I’m sorry for dragging you into this situation,” Iya said, “I wish things could’ve been easier.”

“Then we should make things work, don’t we? You can’t hide forever, after all.”

Iya closed her eyes and nodded. “…and I can’t keep running away, either.”

Because of her, people were hurting and suffering. While they played family for a mere while, the Snow Queen was more of a mother than her own womb-origin. The powerful woman once welcomed Iya with loving hands, listened to her sighs with abundant compassion, and remembered all her likes and dislikes.

Recovering pieces of her shattered soul was tiresome. Mobilizing a resistance army against Shaenlir was horrifying. But, accepting the cruelty of the gentle warmth she found in the icy kingdom she once called home? That had been the most grueling task of all.

A big, warm hand covered hers, and Iya found Nicolas’ eyes filled with concern.

“…I’m fine. It’s nothing.”

Nicolas shook his head. “My brother always tells me, there are wounds only time will heal. I think that’s unfair. I don’t like seeing the people I care about suffer.”

“I see his perspective, but I agree more with yours. There must be something we can do. I’m still the Princess of Shaenlir, after all. I don’t want to hurt my people. I don’t want to, to impose justice on…” Iya bit her lips, hesitating. “…on the Snow Queen. I don’t want to leave them up to Fate, but I don’t know what to do.”

“I think you can always go back. You are the Princess of Shaenlir. That hasn’t changed.”

“You think they’d want me back?”

Nicolas nodded, and Iya squeezed his hand.

“I can’t do this alone. I know the way royalty works. I need allies – strong ones. Princess Ella is quite sympathetic to our cause, but I don’t think she and I could stand head-to-head with the Sultan of Seri, should he have, um, certain concerns.”

“What about Thais?”

That was a surprise. Thais was a fort city with a strong and healthy military force. Nicolas never knew much of it, but his lineage traced back to its throne. While it hadn’t been a kingdom for a while, but if Nicolas or his brother were to present them the sigma ring…

“You speak as if you are a prince of Thais.”

Nicolas chuckled. “I could be.”

“You could be.”

It would be nice. To start with, he had the appearance of one. His long face had a proud, straight nose. He kept his hair neat in a braid, and he stood confidently in his tall body and his long limbs. Had it not been for the faded cloth over his physique or the cracked orb that hung from his neck, people might’ve noticed his regal features and mistaken him for a monarch.

The only problem was that he had reservations about reclaiming his birthright in Thais. Nicolas came from the small and unassuming continent of Fiortise, after all. He only agreed to be their healer in exchange for financial aid for his town.

“It’d be nice if you could be a prince. You care. You listen. You’d be a great leader.”

“Not as great as Uthar, I think.”

The mention of his brother made Iya frown. “You don’t have to do it alone.”

“That’s true. In their prime, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa were co-leaders to their own merry troupe. Their strengths and flaws complemented each other quite well. But where am I supposed to find a trustworthy partner?”

Iya pondered if she had simply mistaken the meaning in Nicolas’ words. His eyes never left hers, and her heart thrummed in her chest. She could take it as a mere jest, but she could indeed interpret it as a favorable coincidence. Perhaps he, too, enjoyed her presence and thought of her as a delight to his heart.

She opened her mouth to speak, but a voice in the distance distracted her.

“IYA!”

Ean called. The atmosphere between her and Nicolas suddenly dissipated. He let her hand go and took a few steps back.

"It seems like I took up too much of your time." Nicolas turned his gaze back to the sea once more. "I'd be delighted to hear your thoughts again later."

"…later…"

Ean yelled once more.

Iya could give Nicolas her thoughts later. There are wounds only time could heal, after all. The path to recovery, however, could afford a few slivers of hope and happiness here and there – such as right now.

She grabbed his hand and held her breath, suddenly unsure of what she wanted to do, how she wanted to tell him of a plausible and obvious answer to his previous question. Their gazes once again locked, the splash of the waves accentuated the pause, and when she knew it, Nicolas had a handful of her hair in his fingers, his other arm around her waist, and his lips over hers.

Iya trembled. It must be shock. Or disbelief. Or joy. He was strong – had he been hiding that under his rags? He was, he was kissing her!

She wriggled her arms, maneuvering them through his firm embrace to hold his face. This was real. The scent of herbs and the earth that clung to him eased her into the reality of this gesture. She closed her eyes to enjoy its sweetness. She sighed and she whimpered; she could fall to her knees in the languor of this intimacy.

They parted with red faces and heavy breaths. The excitement made Iya dizzy, and she would love to make the moment last longer, to be even closer to this very man who could be her prince.

Ean’s shouting once again echoed.

Nicolas slid his hands away, his fingers brushing over her skin, and he once again found the ocean a more interesting sight. He tucked his braids over his shoulder, hiding his flushed cheeks from her.  

"You should go. We can always continue this later… my Princess."

Overjoyed to even answer, Iya simply nodded. She walked away, slapping her face and taking many deep breaths. She couldn't be happier.

When Ean found her, he noticed how flushed she was and prodded into how she managed to get herself in such a state. She assured him it was nothing, and while he remained suspicious, he thankfully decided to ignore it. He led her to Ava, intending to discuss their plans moving forward, but Iya's mind found its way back to Nicolas.

Like they spoke of, no one had to be alone. Iya could face the Snow Queen with her allies. There still existed those who would listen to her and help her. She would find them in time and she would bring peace and justice back to Shaenlir.