“Your mother is right,” The king replied, moving his hand upwards to smooth her brown curls down. He adjusted the small golden crown upon her head before he placed her back on the floor. “Heidi, I would like for you to meet King Fryse and his wife, Queen Kolet.”
Heidi gazed up towards the tall, thin man who was dressed in blue. She was not used to seeing people dressed in blue in the kingdom. Everyone she had met in her lifetime wore vibrant oranges¸ yellows, browns, reds, or gold. The blue was very pretty-just like the sky.
The man had nearly white hair and his beard matched. His light silver eyes were also something she had never seen before. He was very different. So was his wife. She was nearly as beautiful as her mother. The tall, thin woman possessed long silver locks that were kept in a tight bun upon her head, hidden behind a silver tiara with bright sapphires. She possessed the same eye color and thin lips that were curved into a smile. They bowed to her and Heidi smiled.
“How do you do,” Heidi said, giving them a small curtsy in return.
“It is very nice to meet you, Princess Heidi,” King Fryse said. “I have been waiting for the day that I could meet you. Your father has told me so much about you and your kind heart. He says there is great potential within your soul.”
Heidi’s cheeks heated with a blush as she giggled and looked away shyly. Did her father really say that about her?
The King and Queen of the Fire people beamed with pride as they watched the exchange between their only child, noticing as a small boy stepped forward from behind his parents.
“Heidi, we would like for you to meet our son,” The Ice King stated. “This is Isaiah.”
Heidi gazed at the boy, who was only slightly taller than her. He looked just like his parents, dressed in the same blue clothing. He stared at her for a moment before he wrinkled his nose. He turned to look back at his parents.
“Do I have to?” He asked.
King Fryse gave his son a stern look before nodding towards Heidi once more.
“You need to remember your manners, Son. Introduce yourself to the princess. One day, you two will be the ones overlooking the worlds.”
Heidi frowned a little as the boy mumbled, reluctantly turning to her and giving a short bow.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Was his simple introduction.
Heidi, even at the tender age of eight, proceeded to give him a full curtsy and a smile. “It is very nice to meet you, Prince Isaiah,” She stated.
She could hear her father chuckle before he clapped his hands together. “Let us rejoice in the union of Fire and Ice, and may we remember that in order for the worlds to live in harmony, we ourselves must do so.”
The entire room erupted in applause and Heidi smiled the biggest smile she possessed. She moved back to take her mother’s hand as Isaiah hurried back to his father’s side. Today was a day of great celebration. It was not only her day, but a day in which two great powers could combine to warrant the tranquility of existence for all creatures.
As the festivities began, Heidi moved from table to table, greeting the guests and thanking them for attending. It was a custom she had gotten used to some time ago. Her mother and father were proud of her for being such a courteous little hostess and she never wanted to let them down. To make her parents proud made her proud.
“Thank you for coming to my party,” She said, standing behind the Prince who had previously seemed shy.
As Isaiah turned around, Heidi noticed his cheeks were puffed out from the amount of food he had in his mouth. That was not very prince like at all!
“Oh, I’m sorry,” She started, watching as he held up a hand, signaling for her to wait.
Once he had swallowed the bit of food in his mouth, he lifted his arm up, wiping his mouth off on his sleeve. That was definitely not very prince like.
“I only came to this thing because my parents made me,” He said.
Heidi’s mouth fell open.
“I don’t like girls,” He continued. “Girls have cooties, you know? Or maybe you’re just not aware of that yet, but you do. You have disgusting cooties that would kill me if I ever caught them. Don’t touch me. Don’t hug me. Don’t try to kiss my cheek. It’s probably best if you just keep your distance, little princess. I don’t want any part of getting girl diseases.”
Oh, the nerve of him! Heidi’s bottom lip began to quiver as she dropped her head. How terrible. How could he say such mean things? She didn’t have any diseases. She didn’t have any cooties either! She sniffled, a tear falling down her cheek as she pushed past him and ran straight back to her mother.
“Oh, Heidi. What is wrong, my darling?” Her mother asked, cupping her daughter’s face between her hands as she caught the tears with her thumbs and wiped them away. “Why are you crying on your birthday?”
“He said I had cooties!” Heidi exclaimed.
“Who did?” The queen asked, lowering her head down to her daughter’s level. But then she glanced over her daughter’s shoulder to see the young prince Isaiah rummaging through the desserts and she laughed softly.
“Oh, Sweetheart. My darling Heidi, look at me.”
Heidi lifted her sad eyes to gaze at her mother’s face, sniffling gently.
“He’s just being a boy. All boys think little girls have diseases at your age. Your father thought I had a disease.”
“He did?” Heidi asked, moving a hand up to wipe at her eyes. “But why?”
“Because that’s just what boys do,” The queen insisted. “And look at us now. I love your father very much and he loves me. Isaiah is just being a little boy. Don’t let him get to you, Darling. You are so very above that, Heidi. You are my daughter. You are strong and beautiful. You are a princess and no man’s words should ever matter to you unless they are a profession of love. Do you understand?”
Heidi nodded slowly. She thought she understood, at least. She just couldn’t comprehend why Isaiah would assume such things about her when he didn’t even know her. She was a very nice Fire person, as all Fire people were! But she wouldn’t touch him, ever. Unless of course she was going to punch him in the face, but she couldn’t do that; it was not something a princess would do.
“Come now,” The queen stated as she stood and took her daughter’s hand into her own. “Let’s go open your presents, hm?”
10
“Heidi?”
She could hear her name being called, but it sounded so far away. It sounded like she was under water. It reminded her of many times she was in the bathtub, with her nanny calling to her to get out. She would always put her head underwater and pretend not to hear her.
“Heidi.”
What she wouldn’t give to be in that tub again; to be back home.
“Did you kill her?”
“No! I swear I didn’t kill her. I was barely doing fifteen miles an hour. There’s a bloody speed limit on this street, you know?”
She recognized those voices. They seemed so far away, but she knew them.
“Help me get her to the house. She’ll be more comfortable on the couch.”
“You can’t move her, you twit! She might have a serious injury. You can’t go movin’ a girl cause you damn well feel like it. Christ.”
Brison.
She heard a heavy huff of breath and she realized the other voice belonged to Isaiah. Of course it was Isaiah. This was his fault anyway! If he hadn’t gotten her so upset she wouldn’t have ran out of the house like a mad woman in the first place.
“Well, what do you propose we do then, Doctor?” Isaiah asked. “Just leave her here to die? It’s going to rain. We can’t leave her outside.”
“I don’t know. Just give me a bleedin’ minute to think about it.”
Heidi was trying to open her eyes. Everything was so sore. Her mind was buzzing. It sounded like someone had literally released a jar of bees in her head and they were flying around her brain.
“Mm,” She groaned.
“She’s coming to.”
“Yeah, I can see that, ya twit.”
“You’d do well to stop calling me a twit, Prat. I’m not the one who hit her with the car.”
Brison had hit her? Oh, that was perfect.
“Come off it! I told you it was an accident. The sun was too bright. I was literally blinded. It was too late by the time I saw her. At least I stopped!”
“Would you two please be quiet?” Heidi asked after a moment, wincing as she tried to push herself up into a seating position.
“Whoa. Easy there, Love,” Brison said, moving his hand to the small of her back. “You need to take it slow. You can’t just spring back up after getting hit by a car. That was a real doozy, y’know? Can you feel your legs?”
Heidi opened her eyes, blinking a few times. When had the sky gotten dark? How long had she been out? She gazed down towards the winter boots she felt she had been wearing for far too long now. The grass was still very damp from the previous snowfall and she knew there would be rain soon. She didn’t want to ruin any of the nice shoes she owned. She watched as her left foot moved inwards, and then outwards.
“Well at least she isn’t paralyzed. We can be thankful for that,” Brison commented further.
“You can,” Isaiah retorted. “I’m not the one that hit her.”
Heidi turned her head, glancing at Isaiah. He still didn’t have a shirt on. He was going to catch a cold. Oh, wait. No. Probably not.
“Are you okay, Heidikin?” He asked quietly, his brows furrowed as he gazed at her. “That was a nasty bump you took,” He lifted his hand, touching at her left temple.
Heidi hissed from the sharp sting and jerked back.
“Yeah, you’re gonna need to let somebody fix that up,” Isaiah continued, pulling his hand back to gaze down at the red substance upon his fingertips. Was that her blood? She felt a bit queasy to the stomach.
“I’m fine,” Heidi replied, struggling to push herself up from the pavement. “I’m sure a band aid will suffice, thank you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Isaiah argued, straightening back up as he glared at Brison. He obviously did not like the fact Brison was putting his arm around her waist, trying to keep her steady. “You’ve got a cut on your head, Heidi. You need to let me clean it up.”
Heidi glanced at him again, rolling her eyes.
“No, thank you,” She replied. “I might give you cooties.”
She turned her attention back to Brison, wincing from the quick movement. Her head just didn’t like that. “Brison, would you mind to take me by a general store? I need to get some band aids.”
“Sure thing, Sweetheart,” Brison nodded, slowly guiding her towards the car. “Are you not mad at me for hitting you?”
“No,” Heidi replied, easing into the passenger seat as he held the door open for her. Her eyes landed on Isaiah, who was fuming on the other side of the windshield. She could see it in his eyes. Good. “I assure you worse things have happened to me.”
As Brison eased back down the street, heading towards the general store, Isaiah stood in the same spot with his arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t get it. He would never understand that girl. She drove him mad and gave him whiplash with her mood swings. He didn’t sign up for this when he promised his father he’d look after the little Fire princess.
As he turned to walk back to his house, something shiny caught the corner of his eye. He bent down to retrieve it, bringing it up to his face for a closer look. A ruby pendent that had been cracked down the middle; it had to belong to Heidi. She would come looking for that later.
11
“Thanks for taking me to the store,” Heidi said softly, watching as Brison opened up the dark brown bottle. She had never required any sort of medical treatment like this before. When she was six or so, she had come down with a terrible case of heat rash, and it wasn’t anything like what humans got. It was mostly her fault for even messing with things she didn’t know anything about; but how was she to know she was allergic to heat flowers? Fire people weren’t typically allergic to heat related objects, but she seemed to be the exception.
For two weeks straight she had been locked away in her bedroom, allowed nothing but honey milk and briskets until the rash cleared up on its own. Her mother had taken such good care of her. Oh, she missed her mother.
“It’s not a problem,” Brison shrugged, lifting up a small puffy white blob. She wasn’t entirely sure what that thing was called, but it absorbed the clear liquid from the bottle like a sponge.
“Ow,” She hissed, pulling back as soon as the blob made contact with her skin.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Sweetheart,” He smiled gently, giving her an apologetic expression. “Guess I should have warned you before putting the peroxide on there, yeah? That was my bad.”
“No, it’s okay,” Heidi insisted. She had to remember she couldn’t act like a person who had never experienced peroxide before. She had to be a girl who had lived on this planet her entire life, and had experienced all of the Earth’s great wonders. It was more difficult than one would think.
“Okay, here we go again,” Brison said. He grinned a little as he lifted the blob of white once more. Heidi closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath as the sting returned. She was probably making a terrible face as he dabbed the cold liquid against the cut and she could only imagine what he thought about that. “There we go,” He said. “You survived.”
Heidi slowly opened her eyes, feeling as he gently pressed his fingers to her temple. She didn’t even realize he’d already placed the bandage over the small wound. It was quite nerve wrecking how often her mind wandered from her. She needed to pay attention more frequently. Obviously; maybe then she wouldn’t get hit.
“Thank you,” She repeated again, smiling a little.
“No need for that,” Brison shrugged. “You would have done it for me, I think,” He shifted, leaning back as he began to put the cap back onto the bottle. His eyes met hers again as he tilted his head to the side. “Can I ask you something though?”
“Sure,” Heidi shrugged, moving her hand up to touch over the band aid.
“What had you so shirty?”
“What?”
“What had you so shirty? You know, you were obviously upset when you practically walked out in front of my car. What had you so riled up?”
Heidi’s gaze dropped to her hands. She immediately began to pick at a loose thread on her shirt sleeve. Of course he would ask about that. Why wouldn’t he? She had probably seemed like a mad woman when she left Isaiah’s, but who could tolerate that stupid Icer for more than five minutes and be sane?!
“Aye, you don’t have to talk about it,” Brison said in a softer tone. “But can I give you a bit of advice, Darlin’?”
Heidi lifted her eyes slowly. She was unsure of what ‘advice’ Brison could offer. Unless it had something to do with how she could possibly find her way back to her kingdom and help her father fight off the unknown forces that were trying so vehemently to destroy them; then it probably wouldn’t be of much use to her.
He leaned forward, his hand resting against hers. She could feel the warmth of his hand. It was nice. She could also feel the movement of his thumb caressing her knuckles.
“Dump the daft bloke and find somebody who will appreciate you.”
Heidi swallowed hard, keeping her eyes on his face as that same smile returned to his lips. Oh sweet summertime. This was turning out to be quite the eventful day. Perhaps she wasn’t very skilled or experienced in the ways of human behavior when it came to romance or flirting, but she was fairly sure that Brison was attempting to hit on her. Hit on her. Why did they even say that these days? A man would have only one time to try to hit her.
Making a pass was probably the more suitable terminology she was seeking at the moment. She eyed him cautiously as his dark blue eyes stayed on her face. Did he have to stare at her like that? She bit at her bottom lip for a moment before she cleared her throat.
“Isaiah and I are not together,”
She replied gently. “Childhood friends, if you could call us that. I’ve known him since I was small. He is not my boyfriend.”
Brison smirked a little, his smile returning as he scooted closer and Heidi felt her pulse quicken. He smelled nice. His scent was different from Isaiah’s. Isaiah’s scent was always so crisp. Whenever Isaiah was near her, she often felt that she was being reminded of a dream. A dream of a place she had been before, but could not recollect. He smelled like peppermints and her nostrils would cool instantly, as if she were inhaling the coldest air of the Antarctica.
It wasn’t like that with Brison. He was warmer. His scent was toasty with a hint of cinnamon. The smell that entered her nostrils caused a slight burning sensation but not in a painful manner. Surely it was not cologne that he was wearing; she had smelled plenty of what the human boys wore. Their scents were loud and irritated her nose, much like the pollution in the air. Brison’s scent was natural. She liked it.
She felt as his warm fingertips touched against her cheek and her eyes immediately closed. His caress was soft and tender. He didn’t seem aggressive like Isaiah. Isaiah always had certain urgency in his actions, especially when he grabbed her shoulders earlier that day. Why was she thinking of Isaiah?
“Well then that makes this easier for me,” Brison stated in that same quiet voice.
Heidi could feel both of his large hands framing her face and her lips parted to release a quick breath as he reeled her in. She moved forward, mind racing with various thoughts as she felt the touch of his warm mouth against her own. So this was what a kiss felt like? She hadn’t expected it to be so pleasant.
Brison had very soft lips; warm lips. They matched the temperature of his hands. She wasn’t entirely sure she could do this correctly, but it seemed Brison wasn’t worried about her participation at that very second. No, his mouth was leading, guiding; teaching. She willed any other thoughts away, finally kissing him back.
Please don’t make a fool of yourself, her mind pleaded. She certainly wouldn’t do so on purpose.
It was probably the most awkward kiss that Brison had ever received, and she would apologize profusely once he pulled away; but he wasn’t pulling away. One of his hands had made its way to the back of her head and she felt his fingers tangling into her long tresses. Oh, that felt so nice.
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