The Scarlet Phoenix and the Prince of Winter

Chapter Sixty Two

The Crown Prince was trying to wake me up by shaking my body lightly, and I would have not wakened up from that if not for the loud noises that I started hearing. I opened my eyes and realized that I was now again back to reality. I even gasped in shock when I saw Prince Kao beside me.

"Are you alright? You slept for hours," he told me and I immediately apologized. "That's okay. You needed rest too."

"But still..." I was lost for words again because I was trying so hard to not tell him what I just witnessed in my dream. This was not the first time that I dreamed of that so I was starting to worry, but I can't tell the Crown Prince about it yet because I feel like these dreams would be recurring starting now and I wanted to know everything before I share it to him. I don't want to frustrate him more than he already is, so telling him this weird dream would only make him more confused. I just hope that the dream would continue and would finally reach a conclusion. "Where are we?" I saw that the Crown Prince almost laughed when I blurted that out, and who wouldn't? Even I was caught off guard by the randomness of that question.

"We are already in the border where your brother is stationed."

"What?" I immediately got up and looked at the window when the Crown Prince said that. And it was true! We were now at the border! I could already see the famed wall made of gigantic stone bricks! And sitting just right next to it is the Royal Guard's campsite where the soldiers reside!

I was so happy! Finally, I could see my brother now. How long has it been since the last time we even talked? It surely feels like it has been a while now, and I could not wait any longer. Prince Kao told me that we were just waiting for the blizzard to pass through--- which was the source of the loud noises that we were hearing. It sounded like it was not just wind blowing over the place but it was as if an earthquake was occurring in a controlled manner. The quaking and shaking noises did not sound like it was from the wind at all.

I also noticed from looking outside the window that we were just a few yards away from the campsite, and for me, our snow carriage where we were would just need a little push and we will be right there already, so I do not understand why we still have to wait for the blizzard to pass through when we can just go to the campsite directly. I could not help but think that maybe this blizzard is extremely dangerous. Maybe it can blow the snow carriage into a distance?

The questions in my mind were answered when Prince Kao explained them to me. "These blizzards are what we know as the Ruthless Blizzards. I'm sure you have heard about it a lot already."

I nodded. "It's what makes this winter so eternal, right? The reason why we are in this situation for over a century now."

"Exactly. It is an extremely odd weather phenomenon that had caused all this mess in our kingdom, but as you can see, the Ruthless Blizzards' 'eye' is the whole of Aure itself. And I think you know what that means, right Rainha?"

"Of course. It is taught repeatedly at school, so it will be impossible to forget it," I replied with a little laugh because it was one of the most constant things that you will ever learn in all of the schools in Aure. Early one, students are taught how a 'storm' normally operates, and how the Ruthless Blizzard is an exception of the exceptions. But still, this crazy weather phenomenon follows the same rules as the normal ones, so when we say that a place is the 'eye,' it means it is the calmest part of the storm.

In the eye, it is almost like there is no storm at all. This is where the kingdom is situated. Aure is the 'eye' of the Ruthless Blizzards, so it is actually experiencing the calmest parts of the storm. There are no harsh winds that can tear down houses or blow up trees in the eye, but because it is surrounded by the harsh parts of the storm, it is kind of locked.

My old teacher used to describe Aure as a flower, in which we were located in the center while the harsh winds and temperatures are the petals surrounding the center. Since we are surrounded by the petals, we could feel all the cold in here as if we are trapped. The only way to alleviate the weather in Aure is for the petals to be removed, which up to now is still impossible to do because how do you remove the blizzards that have been constantly blowing for over a century already?

"We can't still stop it, but at least we found out through our kingdom's great researchers that the blizzards are not exactly blowing forever."

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Prince Kao?"

"The first layer of blizzards just outside the borders of our kingdom, which is right there, just over the walls," he said pointing somewhere at the window, up there to the tall brick walls that I just noticed were looking like they have endured several explosions already. And when it hit me that the cracks, shattered parts, and open dents are made by the howling wind of the blizzards I almost did not want to go out of the snow carriage now because if it can damage the strong-looking walls like that, how much more to a human as weak as me?

"I could see the wind blowing in that direction," I pointed out too since anyone can see the wind as it also contains snow powder which makes it visible to the naked eye. "It must be really cold there," I said to the Crown Prince, slightly shivering just by looking at the wind blowing so noisily that I can still hear it rumble loudly despite the snow carriage being slightly soundproof.

"That's right. It always blows to that direction," the Crown Prince replied. "But like I told you, contrary to what we used to believe in, the blizzards are not continuous. It stops after a couple of seconds. Maybe thirty, or forty. And that is what we are waiting for."

"Oh. I see. Is that how dangerous it is that we have to wait for it to stop so that this snow carriage can pass through?"

"Oh no, that is now what I meant," said the Crown Prince who was shaking his head at me gently. "What I mean is that for us to be able to get to the campsite, someone has to open the tunnel that connects this part which is the entrance, to the other end which is the main entrance of their campsite. But yes, the blowing winds of the Ruthless Blizzards are so strong that they can knock someone out, so they have to wait for that thirty to forty-second interval before they can go to the end of the tunnel on their side and open it for us."

"Oh. So that how it is. But why do they have to close it in the first place? Don't they use it every now and then?"

"I think they have to close it so that snow and ice can't fill it up. In a place like this where it is twenty times more colder than in the inner parts of Aure, it is important for the Royal Guards to secure the tunnels."

"Oh, that's right. I don't know about anything in here as my brother doesn't talk about his life in here when we see each other whenever he is free."

"Then this is the perfect time to catch up," said the Crown Prince kindly to me. And I agree. To be honest, I could no longer wait to see and talk with my brother. Garreth had always been overprotective to me, that most of the time I even forget that we were orphaned. But when we went to work as a Royal Guard, it changed everything and suddenly I found myself missing him. I know that he did not exactly want to become a Royal Guard. He just had no choice as it was the easiest way to have money and some position in the country. Because of him, we were able to survive through a lot of hardships.

I smiled sadly as I reminisced that, and then I suddenly felt nervous about our impending reunion. How would he react if I ask him about his marriage to Blasie? How I wish that he will listen to me if I asked him to postpone it until we find Aunt Milca because I don't know what I would do if he tells me that he will push through with it.

"Are you bored?" Prince Kao then asked me. "I'm sorry if we have to wait this long," he added. "The Royal Guards had told me that we have to wait for three hours before the thirty to forty second interval of the wind blowing begins. And I think an hour had just passed since you woke up so we still have to wait for another two hours."

"Oh, is that so? That's fine with me," I blurted out. "Plus, you don't have to say sorry to me about it, Prince Kao. It is not your fault that the Ruthless Blizzards exist."

"You're right. But I don't want you to wait like this."

"Don't worry, I'm fine..."

"But are you really fine?" he asked and I could tell that he knew what exactly I was feeling right now. "What is bothering you? You can tell me about it, you know. Is this about your brother's marriage? You can share your worries with me, Rainha."

I nodded since I just realized that Prince Kao can give me an insight into how my brother probably thinks as they are both guys. So I told him what I was dreading to hear when Garreth and I finally meet. I told the Crown Prince how it hurts for me that he is still going to proceed with their plans despite a family member missing right now.

"Well, that is a tough spot right there," the Crown Prince said to me scratching his head. "For sure, it sounds very alarming that your brother still wants to marry his fiance even after what is happening to your family, but we can't judge him until we hear his side."

I nodded. "That is why I bothered to get to here," I told him with a hint of bitterness in my voice. "I wanted to ask him why is he still doing this when he should be helping me find Aunt Milca."

"That's true. But I am sure your brother feels bad about your Aunt. It seems impossible for me that your own brother does not care about your missing aunt. I just find it hard to believe that."

"I hope you are right," I said to him. "because I don't know what I would do if I found out that he does not care about Aunt Milca at all."

"That is impossible. He is your brother. So I think he has a good heart just like you."

I was not able to reply to that mainly because I find it sweet that he thinks of me that way, and that he believes that because I am kind, then my brother should be kind too. But he is right to an extent. Garreth is the best brother that anyone could ask for, that is why I cannot understand the logic behind him still going on with their plan. So when the interval finally arrived and the tunnel finally opened, I swallowed hard and went outside of the snow carriage with the hopes that this will be have a good outcome.

It was so cold in here that I could no longer feel my skin. It all went numb despite the three layers of clothing that I have. The tunnel was so dark too that I stumbled twice before the Crown Prince held me in my hands and that made my nerves feel worse. "I'll let the two of you talk first before I check on the campsite, so take your time with your brother, Rainha. And if you ever need help, like in persuading your brother, just call my name." He even winked at me as he said that and I really felt like he was my lover right now. How I wish that he was so that everything will become bearable even for just a while.