Royally His

1. Depth of Ice

Present time, many years later
"Can you hear me?"

A voice cut through the quiet night of Glacia's slumber. It sounded as though she was underwater, trapped. It drifted in and out, an invisible hand wrestling to pull her back into consciousness.

I can't move. That was Glacia's burning thought as a pair of warmer hands nestled her closer. It felt as though she was a block of ice. She would try to flail out, but it was pointless. Her mind felt drowsy, almost as if she was drugged.

With a gasp that never got released, Glacia sensed her energy depreciating by the minute. It felt as though she was dying, but at the same time she had a strange feeling that she just couldn't sink into the hands of death.

I have to remember why I came here. Glacia fought to take each breath of air, to keep her heart beating. With a grunt, she could finally open her eyes into small slits that allowed her to see the bright sky.

She felt the person holding her pick up speed. Amidst the blur, the outline of a boy carrying her in his arms was barely visible. He was charging across at a lightning speed, but Glacia thought she might have been imagining how fast he was going. He felt like a stranger, but there was a nagging familiarity of him at the back of her head that she couldn't grasp.

His eyes switched between looking at her and his companion. "Do you think she'll make it out alive?" He asked shakily, consolidating his grasp so he could carry the girl across the snow more quickly.

Snow. Glacia's mind started to race as she began to notice more things around her. For one, all she could see was snow littering the ground.

But... it was summer before she had lost consciousness.

"I don't know. Why don't you try healing her, Luke?" A smooth voice sounded from directly behind. The voice was so melodic yet spiteful that it seemed as if it were conjured from a dream.

The owner of the smug voice slipped into view. He had an aura of indifference and annoyance at the girl. Glacia would be angry if she had the energy. She could barely see his face, and blinked a few times so it came into focus.

She was startled when the planes and angles of his face came to view. She thought with alarm that his looks were rather surreal, perhaps she was dreaming of it.

The devil was once an angel, she remembered learning this. If not for the cruel tinge of his features, she would have considered him an other-worldly being.

Regardless of her foggy state, she could register another thing. Both the boys were wearing just shirts. They had no need for coats or anything, just the expensive-looking, dark satin was enough for them. That was something no ordinary human could do, in the middle of the dead winter.

Could... could they be exactly who she was looking for?

"Pick up the pace." That boy huffed, the entrancing haze of gray in his eyes trapping Glacia.

"Can't you see I'm busy, Asher?" Luke grunted.

Asher cast a sharp glance at him. "Well, I can't heal her, dumbass. There's a chance that you might have less virtus than her, and can heal her. A high chance, in fact. On the other hand, no chance that she'll have virtus stronger than mine that will allow me to heal her."

Luke glared as if he hated to admit that Asher was right. He started to slow down, glancing at Glacia. There was something about him, something familiar, that relaxed her, and she stayed still obediently as Luke set her down slowly, passing her over to Asher.

"Then, you carry her."

Asher grumbled at this, but took Glacia in his arms easily like she was a ragdoll. The moment he touched her skin, he pulled back. She felt it too -- something felt very strange.