The Ice Prince: Prologue
by Meiran Chang

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Oz, in the grand palace in the capital White Fang, Queen Peacecraft at last gave birth to a son. The royal household and the court sighed a great sigh of relief, for they had feared the absence of a legitimate Heir and the chaos such an absence could wreak. The people rejoiced, and the King and Queen named the infant prince Zechs Milliardo Peacecraft.

As a child, Zechs was quiet, intelligent and well-mannered, with a serious air about him unbefitting his tender years that nevertheless endeared him to the court and people. The boy prince matured under the guidance of his mother and father into a calm and elegant young man of scholarly bent, with clear blue eyes and long, pale blonde hair. Zechs was an excellent fencer, but he flatly refused to go hunting and had few friends among the children of the nobility. He was often described by visitors to the court as seeming sad.

Nonetheless, he was kind and good, and the people adored him for it. He was naturally suited to rule and had a presence of inherent nobility. When tensions among high-born rivals or wealthy merchants reached the killing point, Zechs was always the chosen arbiter, and his justice was indisputably even-handed. His popularity did not diminish when it became common knowledge that he preferred those of his own sex, for he was not the first ruler with such a preference, and it seemed that all would be well in the kingdom when King Peacecraft died.

Then one spring morning, when Zechs was nineteen, he disappeared.

As soon as it was verified that Zechs was not anywhere in the palace or city, the king and queen formed search parties created entirely of volunteers and sent them out, not only to Oz, but also to the neighboring kingdoms of Uchuu, Fhedrashun, and Koelonye. It was to no avail. Not a trace of the lost Heir was found, and after years of searching, even the most determined were forced to give up. The throne was relegated to the prince's younger brother, Walker, who could never rule as his brother Zechs would have and knew it.

All of Oz mourned for their prince, the pride of their kingdom. King and Queen Peacecraft remained hopeful, but though knight after brave knight searched for the lost Heir, it was all in vain. Years passed, Prince Walker studied diligently what had come so naturally to his older brother, and the people eventually returned to normalcy.