"Zera, try to understand, I am only doing this to help you in the long run." Cryos walked over to his daughter as the two of them talked about the papers in front of them. They had been working on legal papers all day, Cryos teaching Zera what she needed to know, before she would be ready for queen.

"I know father, this just seems so useless." Zera lifted one of the pages.

"You are too much like I was at your age, my snowflake, in fact, I still hate paper work but—it's got to be done. Besides, two more folders and we're done for the day. We'll do something you want, sound good?"

"Anything?" Zera smiled mischievously.

"Within reason," Cryos refrained himself. "How about a trip to the fergu, for an hour or two?"

"Just you and me?" It wasn't often her father would go along with her to the fergu. Fergu was a place where the food of Bone was sold, along with other essentials, but she had a blast when he did go with her.

Yet he would often complain about different things, like fashion for young ladies. It didn't matter to Zera, though it was quiet times that she enjoyed with him.

"We'll see." Cryos half laughed to him self as Zera went thought the folders. He sat beside her, giving her helpful hints on what she was doing. As he did, he noticed the hard and sharp pain of a huge headache coming one.

"Daddy?" Zera looked up as she heard him groan. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing daughter, just a headache, I'll go take something."

Zera watched her father slowly left the room, before going back to her work. Moments later she had finished and was on the way to the fergu even though Father wasn't with her. However, Pyrus was.

She didn't mind the young prince's company; in fact, she rather enjoyed going places with him. However, she would have preferred it to be her father, but even she couldn't remove him from his room.

He had told her he wasn't feeling well, a sudden headache. He told her to go along without him, giving her use of his official seal but reminding her not to go to crazy with it.

Zera decide to walk around the different rooms located within the main areas, all stores where much alike in size and shape.

"Where to Zera?" Pyrus seemed ready for anything the young princess was going to throw at him, as he was normally the one stuck taking her out, when Cryos wasn't well or was too busy.

"Here." She announced to him after a few minutes and a bit of a walk. 'Here' was a well-known traditional tattooing parlour.

"Zera, what's on your mind?" Pyrus slowly walked into the store behind her, scared of what she was up to.

"Daddy said to do anything I want with in reason. Right?" Zera flashed him grin.

"I've decide to get a tattoo." Zera smiled to him then she walked over to the desk that showed the many different kinds of designs, some for peasants, some for upper class...

"Your father will kill me!" Pyrus whispered to her as she showed the clerk what one she wanted, a cute looking ice flea.

"Don't be a baby." She smiled as she went behind the curtain. The space was small, but had a table for people to sit on during the procedure.

Pyrus shock his head the followed her in. 'We're dead.' He kept telling himself.

Zera was asked to lie down as the clerk got everything ready, taking the small fire tube that was going to burn through her skin.

"Where about?" He asked.

She pointed to her left shoulder; he drew square around the area in which he would be working on.

Although Zera would have never admitted that she was scared, Pyrus however, saw it in her eyes and took her hand as she squeezed it in pain.

Within the next hour the odd couple walked out of the parlour together. Zera seemed to be very pleased with the small but cute looking drawing, Pyrus couldn't understand what was so special about it, but it made Zera happier than she'd been in a wile.

"Let's get a drink," Zera smiled, looking at the different food areas. Pyrus followed, watching the young princess in awe.

Now that food no longer had to be raided from planet Bone it was easy to get some almost anywhere, which lead to shopping areas "fergu's" springing up everywhere.

"Alright Zee, what's really going on?" Pyrus looked her in the eyes.

"Nothing." She looked away to a young child crying about not being allowed to play in a nearby store.

"Zee I know you better than this." Pyrus took her hand. "What's going on?"

"That's what I want to know!" Zera looked away from the child. "Father is hiding something from me!"

"Have you talked to him about it?" Pyrus asked, puzzled.

Zera shook her head.

"So he's hiding a secret and you get a tattoo? Nice way to get his attention!" Pyrus shook his head, then laughed.

"What?" Zera asked, annoyed.

"Your father will kill us!"

"Yes..." Zera smiled, "But what he doesn't know can't hurt him."

Pyrus couldn't believe this was the Zera in front of him. "It's getting late, we should leave…"

"Sure," Zera got up and threw away her cup, still only half full, as the couple started their walk back.

Nothing was said until they where greeted by Jade at the door. Jade looked quite pale as she greeted the young King and Princess.

"Jade?" Zera wondered what was wrong; it wasn't normal for Jade to look so upset - about anything.

"Zera, there's been an accident." Jade wasn't sure how to explain, "Your father-"

"What happened?" Zera snapped as she tried to pass Jade, wanting to be by her father's side.

"About an hour ago your father was found having a grand-mal seizure-."

"I don't believe you!" Zera spat out, as she pushed Jade out of the way, taking off down the corridor.

"What happened?" Pyrus asked.

"It appears that Cryos has a…a fire knot in the brain, something he's been dealing with for a while. His doctor was told not to tell anyone, Cryos didn't want anyone to worry about him." Jade wiped her eyes are the filled with tears. "Graveheart found him having a seizure an hour ago, Cryos is still in with the doctor."

"By the great Inferno..." Pyrus whispered under his breath. "How bad is the knot?"

"He doesn't have much time left." Jade leaned against the door, as if it was the only thing that could keep her standing. "He's on the edge of death and can slip into a coma at any minute."

"This isn't happening..." Pyrus shook his head. "I was only going to supervise Zera at the fergu, he told me he was tired, that he didn't sleep much last night. He…" Pyrus couldn't hide the feelings for the King any longer and began to cry, Jade held him until they both ended up on the floor crying.

Zera walked into the room where her father was being watched over by a few doctors. Ignoring orders not to enter the room, she walked to his side engaging Tekla as she aided him.

Cryos had been placed on a few machines, an IV has been inserted into his left hand, and tube was placed in his mouth.

"It's breathing for him." Tekla explained as Zera stared at it.

"How could this have happened?" Zera half-asked herself.

"Your father begged us not to tell you. He didn't want your last days with him to be in the hospital, He only wanted you to remember the good times." Tekla shook her head, before placing a needle in to the IV.

"What's that?" Zera asked.

"Nanonites." Tekla placed a hand on Zera's shoulder. "Your father didn't want it to be this way..."

"I wish I had known." Zera whispered.

"I wish you didn't find out this way." Tekla hugged Zera as she allowed herself to cry within the arms of the woman. "It will be alright."

* * *

Zera sat amongst the other planet leaders, as the day slow turned in to night. No one knew what to say, nor did they know what to do next. Dinner had been brought in. No one really had the appetite to eat, but tried to munch on some of it.

Jade sat in Graveheart's arms on the couch, Femur sat in a chair near the fireplace, Sternum on another couch, along with Pelvus and Tekla. Zera nestled alongside the young Prince on a love couch that faced the outside, while Zuma mediated on the floor.

Zera slowly slipped her hand into the young Prince's as the sun moved into the west. He squeezed her hand in return, not knowing how to help, as if telling her he would always be there when she needed him.

She rested her head on the shoulders on the young Prince, feeling the heat from his body, she allowed herself to fall asleep. Pyrus wrapped his arm around her, as if it could protect her from everything that was going on. He didn't stay awake long either.

* * *

As the night went on, one-by-one the leaders left the room. Soon enough it was only Jade, Graveheart and the teens.

"We should get them to bed." Jade whispered to her lover once everyone else had gone.

"I'd hate to wake them." Graveheart slowly got up, with a bit of help.

"Carry Zera to bed then, I'll think of something for Pyrus." Jade slowly unwrapped the young prince's arms that still held Zera.

With little effort Graveheart lifted Zera and walked out of the room. Jade knew that she wasn't going to have such at easy time with Pyrus, as she slowly woke him.

"Come-on, it's too early," Pyrus whined at first as he opened his eyes. "What's going on?"

"Bed time, Zera is already on her way," Jade, not knowing much about being a mother type figure, ran her hand along his face. "Come, I'll walk you."

Pyrus whined slightly, but got up as Jade helped the half-awake child to bed.

* * *

That same morning Pyrus had awoke earlier then he would have liked, but the thoughts on his parents deaths where hunting him- even in his sleep.

His clock by the bedside flashed as if it was laughing at him, telling Pyrus it was only 0430. Knowing that he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep the young prince got up and dressed and begain to walk around the halls, he ended up in front of Cryos room in the hospital wing of the palace. Hearing voices he walked inside.

"What's going on?" He asked Jade who was reading out Cryos heart rate.

"Cryos is in a coma." Teckla purged in a few more machines. "He's on brain dead,"

"Should I wake Zera?" Pyrus asked, ready to run for her.

"No, let her sleep she will need It for the days a head," Graveheart spoke up, from the other side of the room, where he was with Sternum, Zuma and Femur.

"What can I do?" Pyrus asked, looking to everyone.

"The funeral is being taken care of by Graveheart, Jade and Teckla," Sternum told the young king. However Zera still needs to be cared for, and you are the closet to her age."

"But what can I do?" Pyrus asked.

"Be her brother like you normally." Jade spoke up. "Be there to talk with, listen to what she has to say, she'll talk to you more then she would us."

Pyrus nodded as he looked to everyone, he know from his own experiences that this wasn't going to be easy, for anyone.

"Who will make the official comment?" Femur asked after a wile, for silence.

"You're the only one who doesn't have a job Femur." Jade told him.

"I want to do it." Pyrus told Jade, "I feel I need to do it."

"Alright then." Jade didn't want to push for a reason why.

"Well then everything is set, once everyone has hand to chance to talk with Cryos ---" Teckla didn't need to finish.

Pyrus was the first to speck with Cryos alone, he sat beside the alderman who had became a father figure to him after the vizard died. He took the kings hand, holding it tight within his own. One of the many myths between the fire and Ice planet where that a person of Fire could harm an Ice person to death. However once Pyrus and Zera had found it wasn't true, but keep it between each other; In fear that the information may cause a lot of trouble, if it got out.

Pyrus sat in silence with the king, for his half an hour. Unsure of what to say, but he made a promise to the king that Zera would not have to face this alone, that no mater what he would be their for Zera. He swore that he would help Zera with all her problems, being the best brother he could for the young queen.

As the sun slowly slipped its way along the planet Ice, the people of its planet went on with their day not knowing that their King was dying, since on one had yet made an announcement, about the ill King.

Zera slowly made her way though out her morning routine, everything seemed to take twice as long this morning though, as if nothing as right. It hit her during her shower what was wrong; her father was ill, dying and nothing could be done about it. She felt so numb, like anything and everything would break her like a peace of glass.

She was glade however that her shoulder was no longer sting like it did the night before, she placed a scarf on her shoulder to hind the tattoo and question that would a raise about it. She then slowly made her way to the dining hall where everyone else had gathered. She tired her hardest to place on a brave face not wanting to break down in fount of everyone, she took the entry chair beside Jade who gave her a smile turning away form her work.

"Sleep well?"

Zera shock her head, as a bowl of linen was placed in fount of her, by one of the cooks.

She picked up her fork and begain to play with her food. "How is my farther?"

"He's still on the ventilator its breathing for him." Jade reported.

"Can I see him?" Zera wanted to jump up.

"Not yet, I need to speck with you about something's." Jade stood up. "Let's go for a walk shall we?"

Zera slowly slipped out of her chair and left the room along side Jade. Jade led her to the ice scalper garden.

Finding the two of them a near by bench.

"How much do you really know about your fathers health?" Jade asked well watching the sun shin off of an ice bird.

"I don't," Zera admitted.

"Zera, you ran off before I could tell you." Jade took the young girls hand. "Your father is in a coma. The Fire knot in his brain has taken over the majority of the left side of his brain—your father will not wake up."

"What do you mean?" Zera demanded trying not to cry.

"Your father is already dead-" Jade was unsure how else to tell the princess.

"No- he's- I saw him yesterday he's fine!"

"He's only breathing because of the tube in his mouth. He will never wake up." Jade took the now hysterical girl in her arms holding on to her tightly as she cried.

"Would you like to say goodbye to him?" Jade asked once the sods from Zera slowed down.

"Yes," Zera nodded whipping her eyes. "What will happened?"

"Zera?" Jade questioned her.

"Now? I mean." Zera ran her hand along the ice bird.

"When you are finished saying goodbye to your father Teckla will turn off the machine and let your father join his sprite." Jade held Zera as Zera begain to start crying again. "Then the task for his funeral will take place, and the ceremony for you to become queen."

"Its all so fast." Zera whispered.

"It may seem so," Jade then walked the young lady to her fathers bedside. "Take as much time as you need."

* * *

"Hi daddy." Zera whispered as she slowly walked into the room; her father didn't look dead to her, he was breathing — no Jade had told her it wasn't him breathing, it was the machines breathing for him.

"Papa…" Zera didn't want to cry around her father, not now. She wanted to be happy like he wanted her to be. "When you get to the heavens... Will you tell mommy I love her and that I miss her?"

She took his hand, and held it against her check. "I love you Papa..." She slowly and quietly began to cry.

"Zera?" Jade walked in an hour later. "Are you ready?"

Zera didn't turn, which worried Jade. She walked towards the princess and stopped as she noticed a small drawing on Zera's back. Smiling to herself she walked to Zera's side, placing a hand on shoulder with the drawing.

"You ready?" She repeated.

Zera nodded as Jade pressed a button, shutting off all the machines.

Zera could hear sobs from the other people in the room, but didn't turn around until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

She turned around; knowing it was Pyrus, and began to cry in his arms, as her father's time of death was read.

Pyrus rocked her softly as he whispered something that no one else could hear.

Once Zera had settled down in his arms, he was able to remove her from the room. He held her as they walked slowly calmed princess into her bedroom.

"Don't worry I will announce your father's passing, just get some rest, trust me, it helps." Pyrus ran a hand over her cheek, before kissing her forehead and leaving her alone.

* * *

Pyrus walked in to the main meeting of the Ice Palace. From this he was able to talk to all the people of Ice, like a newsperson would.

Jade nodded to Pyrus, as if telling him everything was ready to go.

"People of Ice, Fire, Bone, Sand and Rock, today we have lost a dear member to our alliance. The dear King Cryos - who had fallen victim to fire knot in the brain." Pyrus paused, to check his breath, and refrain himself from crying in front of everyone watching. "King Cryos died an honourable King, father and friend to everyone around him. He was lucky enough to die with those closest to him at 14 30 this afternoon-"

* * *

Zera felt numb as she watched Pyrus tell everyone of her father's death. She lay with a few pillows holing her head up. Her eyes were red from crying she had tried to sleep after Pyrus left her room, but found it impossible.

Tekla had given her something not to long after Pyrus left the room, she had told Zera it could keep her calm. It had worked, but Zera wouldn't allow it to put her to sleep. She didn't want to sleep, she wanted to be held; she needed to cry. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry in to someone's arms like she did when her mother died.

Zera slowly got up and walked to her bathroom, hoping a nice cool bath would make her feel better, but the bath was useless in helping her.

Suddenly she got out and dressed, deciding to take a long walk around the icy garden that her mother had once loved.

* * *

After Pyrus gave his speech he felt drained, like it wasn't really happening it was just a bad nightmare. He remembered the time when he was younger, when the Vizard told the people of Fire about his own father he know he wasn't supposed to cry but he did, he was scared first mommy then father, and now it was the grumpy one who was going to raise him. Pyrus laughed to him self for the Vizard had became like his second father. He missed the Vizard like he missed his father and mommy maybe even a bit more because his death was still fresh.

Pyrus was unsure about what to do now, or where to go. He wondered though out the hallways as if he couldn't be seem by anyone, he wanted to run and cry but he was older then that the depression won over him as he retired to his room and aloud himself to fall asleep.

* * *

Zera looked up as she felt wet drops on her skin; the sky allowed the threading rain and snow to fall.

She stood up and slowly made her way to the palace making it just before the rain got worse. A lighting bolt hit a near by post causing complete black out. Fire lit lights started up agents near by walls lighting the way for Zera to make it safely to the Prince Pyrus head corridors.

She knocked and entered the darken bedroom, with a flash of lighting she walked over to his bed.

"Pyrus?" She whispered, trying to shake him awake.

"Zee, what's matter?" Pyrus sat up, "Where are the lights?"

"Storm—" Zera joined him on the bed. "I… wanted … Some company…"

"I shouldn't be sleeping any ways." Pyrus stood up, walking away to his dresser. "Now where did I place my lighter?"

After looking for a bit Pyrus found and had lit the many candles in his room, as well as some 'anti- depressions.' a few chocolate bars, cans of pop and a pack of cookies.

"Picnic." Pyrus had said as he placed the food in fount of Zera. "Good old fashion anti- depressions."

Zera laughed, "You're holding out on me?"

"Got to get a stack girl, it's worth it."

"If I gain any wait—" Zera shock her head, "We're going to ruin our dinner"

"Don't worry I'll take the wrath of Jade for us." Pyrus opened and drank his pop.

"Oh well, we both will." Zera smiled. " I am not sacred,"

"I am" Pyrus tossed the now entry can of pop across the room just missing the trust can. The two shared a laugh, feelings and idea of the further.

After a few hours of talking with Pyrus, Zera somehow

managed to fall asleep on him. When Pyrus noticed she had fallen asleep he tucked her in to bed, and then found himself a clean spot on his floor and settled down to sleep as well.