Everything happened in a whirlwind. One moment Yuuri was packing with Phichit and Minako, and the other he, with a heavy heart, was bidding his family, friends and land goodbye. With his luggage in one hand and Phichit in the other, he began his journey towards the Ice Kingdom.

The trip to the Ice Kingdom was long and exhausting. It took Yuuri and Phichit almost a whole week to get there. First, a day-long boat trip that left Yuuri without the desire to test his sea legs again. The moment they touched land again, Phichit had to, quite literally, drag Yuuri off the boat.

Yuuri had thought that to be the end of their arduous journey, and for a moment there, he was really proud of himself for surviving the trip. However, as it is often the case, his worries were far from over. Yuuri nearly cried when Phichit told him that the real journey had just begun. Their days passed in a mixture of walking and hitching rides because apparently, that's how commoners traveled within the Ice Kingdom.

"It's not only in the Ice Kingdom, Yuuri." Phichit explained one day when Yuuri voiced his thoughts, "This happens in other kingdoms as well."

"Don't their rulers care?" Yuuri asked, thinking about how back home people usually traveled in carts for longer distances.

"I guess they do, but there's so much you can do with a population as large as the Ice Kingdom's." Huh, Yuuri had never thought about that. Were those the difficult decision his parents often talked about? Either you provide a little for all your citizens, or you provide plenty to some but nothing to the rest? Yuuri didn't think he could choose.

Not everything was suffering on the trip to the Ice Kingdom. For one, the landscapes were beautiful. Mountains as tall as the eye could see, crystalline lakes that stretched across the land, and dense forests with trees that hid the sky were the only thing that kept Yuuri going. Everything was so different from back home, the vegetation and even the animals, that Yuuri kept asking himself what wonders would he see next.

On the 6th day of their travels, Yuuri began to wonder just how large the Ice Kingdom truly was. "How much longer do you think it'll be?" He asked Phichit, whose initial excitement had survived the stiff legs and sore feet.

"It shouldn't be long now," Phichit said, but Yuuri could tell he wasn't so sure about that. "I mean, we've been traveling for days, we should at least be near, right?"

As in cue, the cart's driver called for their attention and said, "Over there!" He pointed towards the horizon, where the speck of a town was quickly coming into view.

"Look at that!" Exclaimed Phichit, shaking Yuuri's shoulder and almost knocking his glasses off. Yuuri couldn't be mad at Phichit's outburst, he himself had been rendered speechless by the grand town, no, city, that lay in front of them. Giant buildings that put his own castle to shame stood proudly in a display of luxury and grandeur.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked the driver, a satisfied smirk on his lips. It was evident that he enjoyed showing the city to newcomers. "And that over there is the castle." The man pointed at a gray structure that didn't look like a castle at all. In Yuuri's opinion, it was more like a fortress.

"Funny what a little distance can change, right?" Phichit murmured, and Yuuri had to agree. The more they approached the city, the more differences he noticed. The buildings, the people, the food and even the smells were foreign. It overwhelmed Yuuri just how different everything was from back home.

"Well, there you go," said the driver, bringing the cart to a stop. Yuuri and Phichit gathered their belongings and hopped off.

"Thank you!" Phichit waved the driver goodbye, and Yuuri used the opportunity to drink in every detail of his surroundings.

"Phichit?" Said a voice behind them. Yuuri turned around to see a muscular man shaking Phichit's hand. He didn't need to think too hard to know that it was Celestino. After all, the man didn't fit in with their surroundings.

"Yes! And this is Yuuri," Phichit let go of Celestino's hand to introduce Yuuri.

"Ah! Yuuri," Yuuri extended his hand to shake, just like Phichit had done, but Celestino dropped to one knee and bowed his head instead. "Your Highness, it's a pleasure to be of assistance."

Curious eyes observed them as Yuuri blushed and tried, in vain, to pull Celestino to his feet, "It's alright, it's alright!" He whispered, remembering that Minako had told them not to draw attention to themselves. This definitely counted as attention.

"He's just feeling a bit ill, is all," Yuuri heard Phichit tell the small crowd that had formed around them.

"Did Minako not mention the circumstances?" Said Yuuri, desperate now.

"Ah!" In a movement too quick for Yuuri, Celestino got to his feet, knocking him to the ground. "She did say something about your identities being secret. Oh, I'm so sorry," He offered Yuuri a hand.

"Are we on time? The driver took a shortcut. Well, at least I think it was a shortcut..." Phichit mumbled.

"Oh yes, yes. You are just in time. Let's head to the castle." Celestino helped Yuuri up and offered to carry his luggage for him. Yuuri tried to refuse, but Celestino was much larger and stronger than him. "I insist," Celestino said, and with a firm tug, he ripped Yuuri's bag from him.

They arrived at the castle fortress in less time that Yuuri would've imagined. Celestino led them through the twists and turns of the city, using back alleys and shortcuts he claimed only he knew. At last, the castle's iron gates came into view, and Yuuri's heart sped up in his chest. This was it, his opportunity to grow.

An alarming number of guards approached them, asking them questions and going through their belongings. Who are you? Where are you from? How long are you staying? Questions after question that only stopped when Celestino vouched for them for the seventh time.

"Why are there so many guards?" asked Yuuri, clutching his bag tightly to his chest and feeling like a little of his virtue had been taken away.

"Well, this is where the royal family lives," Celestino explained as he guided them through the castle. "It's only natural to want to protect them."

Phichit and Yuuri exchanged a glance. Protect them from what exactly? Back home, a few guards watched over the castle, yes, but it was merely a formality. The citizens were free to come and go as they pleased, and so was the royal family.

Before Yuuri could overthink some more, they arrived at the Great Hall. A grumpy looking man with little hair was standing next to the throne. "Yakov! I've come to introduce my new apprentices!" Celestino threw his arms around Yuuri and Phichit, hugging them close.

"Celestino," Yakov said with an edge to his voice, "Yes, yes, just in time. Prince Viktor has stepped out for a moment, but he should be back in no time." Yakov averted his gaze in a gesture that looked too intentional to Yuuri. Was there something wrong?

The doors to the Great Hall burst open, startling everyone in the room except for Yakov, perhaps he was used to this sort of antics. A blond kid came in with a bold stride and nose in the air. "Yakov!" he barked, "I will take over now." The kid plopped himself on the throne with a sort of grace that shouldn't be possible.

Yakov pinched the bridge of his nose, "No you're not. Get off the throne before Viktor comes back." Yakov didn't sound mad. Actually, to Yuuri's ears, he sounded tired.

The kid ignored him, "Viktor's gone."

The vein in Yakov's forehead throbbed, "Go get him," he said through gritted teeth.

The kid smirked. It almost seemed like he enjoyed pushing the man, "I don't know where he went. I just know that I need to learn the ropes to rule the kingdom."

"You're not ready," Yakov growled, "Go. Get. Viktor." Yakov glared at the blond with such intensity that Yuuri felt a shiver run down his back.

Phichit put a protective arm around Yuuri, "Don't worry-" But Phichit couldn't finish his sentence because the kid snapped.

"WHY WOULD I?" The blond yelled, his pale skin turning an ugly shade of red from the strain. "What's so remarkable about this meeting? It ain't royalty-" Yuuri stiffened in spite of himself, "It ain't anyone famous nor important." The kid turned to look directly at Yuuri with the coldest eyes he had ever seen, "It's just a pig and his friend." Yuuri was sure he wasn't the 'friend.'

"How dare-" Phichit started, but was swiftly interrupted by Yakov yelling 'Enough.'

The room grew silent. The kid has crossed a line, and he knew it because he chose to glare at Yuuri instead of talking back. Celestino was the only one brave enough to break the silence, "I take it we can go?" His cheerful voice the total opposite of the tense atmosphere.

"Yes," Yakov breathed, "I think that would be best."

"Great!" Celestino clapped his hands together, and the sound broke Yuuri out of his frozen state. Great, it was time to go. Phichit, still glaring at the blond kid, grabbed Yuuri's arm and pulled him towards the exit.

Once outside, Yuuri took a huge gulp of fresh air and let himself relax. Phichit, however, was not happy with the way they were treated, and he took no time in voicing his thoughts to Celestino, "Can you believe that kid? He was incredibly rude!"

Celestino sighed, "Yes, the young prince can be quite rude." He placed his hands on Yuuri's shoulders, "Don't worry, though, he's like that with everyone. He wasn't singling you out." Perhaps Celestino had said this to reassure him, but Yuuri didn't feel any better.

"That's no consolation at all!" Phichit crossed his arms across his chest, "I'm just saying that wars have been fought for less than that. Don't you think so?" His remark made Yuuri smile. Phichit could always get him to smile.

"Yes, yes," said Yuuri, "Let's just keep that to ourselves, shall we?"

The slope was steep, and if it weren't because the sun was hidden behind the clouds, Yuri would be sweating his lunch off. Yuri was halfway there, and he was already panting, not because he was tired, of course not. It was just the change in altitude, yes, that was it.

"Damn Viktor and his stupid lake..." Yuri murmured in between breaths. He had told Yakov he didn't know where Viktor was, but that wasn't exactly accurate. He didn't have any idea where he was, but he could guess.

Hidden behind a thick wall of vegetation and a half hour mountain climb that only really long legs could manage, was Viktor's special place. A picturesque lake so deep that Yuri could easily drown Viktor in it. Yes, the perfect place. Viktor always came here when he ditched his classes or responsibilities.

Soon enough, the trees that surrounded the lake came into view. About time, Yuri thought, breathing hard through his nose. He wasn't tired, shut up. His useless brother was lying underneath the shade of a tree. Yuri picked up the pace. He didn't want Yakov to die of a heart attack, so he might as well hurry.

Viktor was handsome, that was common knowledge, but his sleeping face was practically flawless. Yuri almost felt guilty for waking him up, almost. "Oi, wake up," he said, nudging Viktor with his foot. Viktor groaned and rolled around, mumbling something that sounded like 'five more minutes.' But Yuri didn't care. They didn't have five more minutes. "I said wake up!" He kicked Viktor on the side, and his brother yelped with pain.

"Ow, ow, ow," Viktor rolled around on the floor. "Yuri," Viktor said, prolonging the 'u' in his name, an annoying habit he had slipped into a while ago. "Why do you wound me like this?" Viktor stopped and finally opened his eyes. "How did you find me?" Viktor tried to hide it, but Yuri caught the annoyed undertone in his voice. He knew this was Viktor's special place. He also knew that Viktor tried his hardest to keep the lake a secret from everyone, even his younger brother.

Half brother, Yuri found himself thinking. Viktor never said it aloud, never called him anything but 'Yuri' or sometimes 'Yura,' but he could feel the distance Viktor put between them. It was in the way Viktor kept secrets, or in the way he would never stay long when people started talking about Yuri's mother. The distance that Yuri has been unsuccessful to close after all these years was still there, and it still hurt.

Viktor was looking at him expectantly, but Yuri would first die than to admit that he had once followed him in an attempt to bridge the gap between them. "Nevermind, then," Viktor said when Yuri didn't respond. "I swear you get more violent with age." He said, rubbing the side of his stomach with a grimace.

Yuri scoffed, "Whatever you say, old man." He ignored Viktor's pout, "Yakov's looking for you, and he's pissed."

"How is that news?" Viktor asked with a cocky grin that made Yuri smirk. He knew for a fact that his brother was the reason why Yakov's hairline receded by the minute. But their father had asked them to help him keep Yakov's blood pressure in check, so Yuri had to do his part.

"He wants you back in the castle. Apparently, you missed your super important meeting with the pig-"

"The pig?"

"Don't ask." Viktor frowned in confusion but didn't pursue the subject. "Anyways, Yakov says you're a disgrace to the entire kingdom and all that, you know, the usual." Viktor nodded in agreement and took Yuri's outstretched hand to help him get up.

Viktor raised a finger to his chin and tapped it, deep in thought. "Did I miss something important? I don't remember him saying anything in the morning."

"It's not as if you listen to him," Yuri said, ignoring the fact that he didn't listen to Yakov either. "Whatever, let's go." Yuri turned in his heel and took a few steps before realizing that Viktor wasn't following him. His brother was looking longingly at the lake, no doubt wishing he could stay longer. Yuri found himself being annoyed by this, just how selfish was Viktor? Viktor had had all afternoon to fool around while Yuri had to run around preventing Yakov from launching a kingdom-wide manhunt so that he could have some alone time. Where were his thanks? "Did you not hear me?"

Viktor sighed, "Yes, yes. I'm coming."

Viktor and Yuri walked down the halls of the castle. It was almost midnight, and the moonlight was the only thing illuminating their path. "I thought I'd go deaf!" said Yuri, snapping his fingers near his ear as if to test that his hearing was still working.

"Yes, that was quite awful, wasn't it?" Viktor knew the Ice Kingdom's castle was sturdy and well built. It was designed to keep the rooms warm in Winter and breezy all Summer, and it could withstand the attack of an army. The moon could come crashing down, and the castle would probably still be standing. So it was quite the notable feat when Yakov's yells made the walls tremble.

"Awful, awful..." Viktor chanted then stopped when Yuri made an unusual turn, "Where are we going exactly?"

Yuri turned to look at him in disbelief, "Didn't you hear Yakov?"

Viktor gave his brother his most dazzling smile, "Yes, yes, it would be difficult not to hear him, right?" His smile grew, "but not impossible," Yuri rolled his eyes and groaned. Truth be told, Viktor was so used to Yakov scolding him, that he could probably use his shouts as white noise to help him sleep. He clung to Yuri's arm, "Come on, Yura~ Tell me~" He knew his brother was weak to the little nickname.

Yuri sighed, "We're going to see Celestino and introduces ourselves, remember?"

"Oh, right," Viktor tried his best imitation of his usual aloofness, but he could tell he hadn't fooled Yuri.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing, nothing," He said with his best greeting-royalty smile, the one that could charm the titles off princesses and princes alike. Yuri frowned but stayed quiet, making Viktor feel a bit guilty. But he couldn't tell Yuri, he would never understand. "Oh lookey, we're here!" He clapped his hands, "Let's introduce ourselves, shall we?"

Yuri murmured something that sounded like a bitter 'whatever,' and Viktor reached towards the door and knocked. Seconds stretched into minutes, but Viktor stood by the door, waiting politely. Perhaps Celestino was reading a book or something. That was common amongst their kind, right?

Yuri growled, "For fuck's sake," He made to knock again, and Viktor was just about to tell him that princes never used that language when a loud explosion shook the door.

Wait, what happened? They stood in place, frozen. Were they under attack? Should he prepare the troops? And what was that foul smell? "Watch out!" yelled Yuri, pointing at the crack beneath the door where smoke was seeping out.

Viktor acted out of instinct as he quickly stepped back, dragging Yuri with him and narrowingly missing the door that had just blasted open. Green thick smoke came out of the room. It smelled like rotten eggs, trash and basically everything awful in the world. It took everything in him not to gag, and he was suddenly grateful that Yakov's scolding had prevented him from getting dinner.

"Celestino, why?" A voice behind the thick smoke whined in between coughs.

"Ah, that didn't go as planned. Just a teeny tiny mistake. Nothing to worry about, nothing!" Though, Viktor could thing at least of four different things to worry about.

"Ugh, this is awful," the other man gagged.

"Careful, Phichit! Careful!" The smoke had dissipated enough for Viktor to make out Celestino's form as he pushed back his sleeves and did something complicated with his hands. At once, a gust of wind blew around them and carried the smoke away. "All better now, and- Oh!" Celestino noticed them, "If it isn't the prince and his younger brother!" His voice was cheery and carefree, not the voice of a man that had just had an explosion in his room.

Yuri frowned, "What do you mean younger brother-"

"What happened?" interrupted Viktor. He knew Yuri was very particular about being called a prince alongside his brother, but they didn't have time for formalities.

"Just a little experiment I was doing. Nothing to worry about, nothing," Celestino waved his hand around. It had been years since he had seen Celestino but the wizard hadn't changed at all. He still had the same dark long hair and tanned skin that marked him as an outsider in the land where losing a person in the snow was a real threat. "What is to worry about, is the reason your Highness is here. What can I do for you?" He said with a little bow.

Yuri looked like he was about to kill Celestino for ignoring him, so Viktor stepped in. "Ah, we're just here to introduce ourselves to your apprentice."

"Ah, marvelous!" He exclaimed with so much joy that Viktor couldn't help but smile. "This is Phichit, right here." He put his arm around a man much younger than him.

Dark hair, eyes, and skin, another outsider. "Pleasure to meet you," said Viktor in his most dazzling smile. "I am Prince Viktor, and this is my brother, Prince Yuri."

Phichit shook Viktor's hand, "Ah yes, we've...met." Viktor knew there was a story somewhere in Phichit's hesitation, but he didn't want to hear it. The sooner he was out of here, the better.

"Oh, pity my other apprentice isn't around," Celestino pouted, and Viktor couldn't help but wonder if he looked like that when he pouted. Of course not, he looked adorable.

"There's more?" Viktor blurted out in a panicked voice.

Phichit looked at him with narrowed eyes, and Viktor composed himself. He had to keep up his perfect prince facade, he had a reputation, after all. "Ah, yes. I got two apprentices, wonderful, right?" Celestino said.

"Wonderful, yes," Viktor replied, stretching the smile tighter across his face.

"Phichit, do you know where Yuuri went?" Celestino asked his apprentice.

Yuri, fed up with being treated like he wasn't there, looked livid. Viktor stepped in again, "No, Yuri is right here," he motioned at his brother, "But we'll appreciate if you told us where your other apprentice is."

Celestino shook his head vigorously, "No, no, Yuuri isn't here. He went...somewhere,"

"Stop ignoring me old man! I am right here!" Yuri exploded.

"Of course you're here, but Yuuri isn't!" Viktor stared at Celestino with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Did the wizard really not know Yuri's name? Sure, Yuri wasn't as involved in the kingdom's affairs as much as Viktor was, but Yuri was still a prince, shouldn't Celestino at least know his name?

"Nevermind, nevermind," said Viktor, wanting to avoid a full blown Yuri tantrum because his eardrums wouldn't be able to stand it. "We're here for your apprentice, could you tell us where he is?"

Celestino threw his arms into the air in exasperation, causing another gust of wind to blow around them. "Yuuri, Yuuri!" He said, prolonging the 'u' in Yuri's name in the way Viktor often did. "My apprentice is called Yuuri, and he is currently somewhere I don't know."

"Oh," said Yuri and Viktor in unison. That made sense, in a weird way. Who knew the new apprentice would be named the same as his brother? What were the odds? Viktor blushed, what an awkward conversation. "And do you know when he'll be back?"

"Ah, no. I expect he has already gotten lost…" Celestino tapped his chin with his finger, probably wondering if he should go look for his student.

Yuri sighed, "I'm done," He turned and walked away. "Destiny doesn't want you to meet the impostor, and who are we to go against it?"

"Yuri, wait! What about Yakov?" Viktor said, jogging to catch up with his brother. He glanced at Celestino, who was already making himself busy with a book, but Phichit caught his eye. Phichit was looking at Viktor with the same suspicious narrowed eyes. He knows, Viktor thought. He totally knows. Viktor hurried towards Yuri, leaving the two wizards alone.

Yuuri hadn't meant to get lost. He'd just wanted to get as far away from the castle as he could. So how in the world did he end up in the middle of the woods? Yuuri had tried to go back the way he came, he wasn't stupid. But it was dark, his eyesight wasn't the best, and the ups and downs from the slopes had disoriented him. He should've brought Phichit, he would know what to do.

A few more steps in that direction, a few other in this other. If Yuuri didn't know which direction to take, he would take all of them. He was aware that it was a rubbish idea, but as things were going, he'd be lucky if he made it back to the castle before sunrise.

A couple minutes, and a lot of walking later, Yuuri found himself standing beside a lake. "Wow..." Yuuri muttered as he approached the crystal clear lake that perfectly reflected the moonlight. It was surrounded by huge trees like they were offering it their protection. The scene looked as if it had been taken straight from a fairytalen, and it felt strangely intimate.

Yuuri looked around. He was perfectly alone, might as well practice, right? Pushing every warning from Minako about experimenting with magic away, he reached a tentative hand towards the water. His hand hovered above it, barely touching the water's surface, and suddenly, it froze.

Yuuri smiled and used his other hand too, freezing the water beneath his hands in an instant. Oh the joy. Yuuri got up, barely containing his eagerness, and touched the tip of his shoe to the water. Nothing happened.

With a huff, Yuuri took off his shoes. If he was going to practice, he might as well give it all he got. He touched his foot to the water, and this time, the water froze beneath, allowing him to step on the lake. It was then when Yuuri let himself go. No worry or anxiety attack could disturb him when he was like this, dancing on the ice.

A twist and a twirl would make the water rise, and a wave of the hand would solidify it into something beautiful. An extended leg, a little jump and plety of spins, oh how Yuuri loved to spin. Yuuri didn't know how long was he at it. It could've been seconds, minutes, hours, he didn't know. All he knew was that when he was over, the place was barely recognizable.

Ice sculptures littered the lake at random some even defying gravity, but not in a chaotic way. All of them belong together, like when brushstrokes created a painting. Yuuri devated whether to leave it like that, but decided against it. What if someone saw?

Yuuri walked towards the edge of the lake, raised his arms, brought them down, and with a loud whoosh, the ice had melted. The water came down hard enough to soak Yuuri, who groaned, it was at times like this that he wished he knew fire magic.

Yuuri looked at the lake one last time before picking a random direction and walking towards it, hoping, from the bottom of his heart, that this one would take him to the castle.

Little did Yuuri know that was the direction Viktor, who was concealed behind the bushes, had used to come up to his secret place whistl taking his midnight stroll. Viktor rose from his hiding place and stared after Yuuri. Who was that? What type of magic had he done? And had Viktor known true beauty until now?