“That's when…” his jaw tightened realizing he had revealed too much. “That's not any of your damn business.”
A lone eyebrow rose. “Oh, really?” he said amused how the conversation had turned around. “I'm going to have to hear about this one.”
“No, you aren't.” Sleet pointed to his younger brother, not willing-if ever -to divulge how he realized she wasn’t his snowflake. “Be there at dinner or father has threatened to send you to a Mississippian summer.”
Graupel stilled, his amusement fading. “Surely not.”
Sleet didn’t say anything and Graupel knew that it wasn’t a tease. His shoulders slumped. “All right,” he plucked up his pencil and tapped it against his maps. “I'll be there tonight.”
***
In the sweet cold of winter a frozen lake could be a humans worst nightmare. For once you hear the frightening crackle beneath your feet, your heart stops. One wrong step, shift or a single breath could be fatal, causing the cracks to further its reach and separate, leaving the person dropping into the icy depths.
Much like jagged cracks in ice, rumors can spread just the same, causing destruction, leaving a purple heart to harden.
There were whispers in the Winter Realm. Whispers of the youngest prince sinking to the depths of a frozen heart. They were talking about him. And with that knowledge Graupel’s mood only worsened with each one that met his ears.
The young prince has lost his way.
He’s the reason the dash paths are off.
His purple heart has frozen over.
His soul… too hard.
Many whispers and today wasn't an exception.
That afternoon like he always did, Graupel spread his shimmery fairie wings out and flew through town ignoring the murmurs of doubt, hoping to get to the frozen coffee shop before Diamond did, that way he could sit in the corner and out of sight of the hyped up faerie that seemed to aggravate him. The way Sleet had talked about Diamond, drew in his curiosity. She didn't spread rumors, nor did she start them, but the damn girl always seemed to stir something in him. Whether it was lust or anger, he did his best to watch for her when he suspected her coming, but also stay out of her way. She was too young. Not even two thousand yet, like himself. His lips pressed. And Sleet was up to something.
Graupel made his way up to the snowflake platform outside the frozen coffee shop and landed on his feet. Straightening his shoulders, he opened the ornate iced door and walked into the coffee shop. Ignoring the fairies that sat in the common area, Graupel passed by them to the crystallized door on the far wall and lifted his blue tinged knuckles to knock three times until it slid open with a woosh. The friendly face of the hostess faerie greeted him.
She gave him a respectable nod. “My prince.” Then turned around and started off toward his regular table but this time, this time, something was different.
He paused in his steps as he watched his older brother Sleet and Diamond almost head to head, sitting across from each other.
Diamond was a beautiful girl, from her blonde silk hair down to her short dainty legs. Her wings glistened in a rainbow of colors as they caught the morning light. Her ear decorated with brass twists that wrapped around the upper earlobe.
Her head tilted back exposing her delicate neck that shimmered with a light touch of frost as a breathy laugh erupted from her lips at something his older brother had said.
His stomach twisted. With what, he wasn’t sure.
“Prince Graupel?” the hostess prompted, he but stayed standing in the middle of the tables and watched to see if they noticed. Neither turned their heads.
What was his brother up to?
Glancing to the hostess briefly, he gestured over to where the two of them sat. “I'll sit there for today.”
“As you wish.”
As he made his way over there, the two of them finally looked up. Diamonds eyes widened with surprise as his brothers held amusement. “Well, hello little brother. What brings you to our table?”
Graupel jerked out the stool at the end of the table and sat. “It’s not your table, Lee,” he muttered, jerking a chin to Diamond. “It’s hers.”
Sleet’s grinned widened, his mood quite the opposite from this morning. “Well I’m here, Rau.”
His older brother was lanky, all of them were, and had the classic shade of azure hair they had inherited from their mother. Sleet chose to keep it long and braided down his back, unlike Graupel’s own short classic side comb style he kept.
Graupel glared at his brother. “Now so am I.”
His oldest brother’s grin dimmed, the amusement fading. “That you are.”
Sleet spared a glance to Diamond who had been silent so far before taking a sip of his iced coffee.
Graupel turned her way.
Diamond’s head was down, a pale blue hand rested on the table holding the side of her cup. For a second he thought he had offended her by coming. “Diamond, I did not-”
Her cheeks bunched up and her head tilted back with another laugh. That’s when he noticed the open book in her lap. His mouth snapped closed.
Of course. When was she ever without one of those?
He turned his glower at Sleet, his wings stiffening at his back. “Has she been reading this whole time?”
His brother nodded. “Sadly, yes.”
“It’s because you want information that I am not willing to give.” Diamond finally spoke with amusement.
The two of us glanced toward her as she raised her cup up to hide the smirk she had as she took a sip. Her crystal eyes were twinkling.
Sleet leaned toward her once again. “Come now, my dear. Surely you wouldn’t keep such delicate information from the future winter fairie king?”
Graupel sat back and watched the play-by-play as Diamond sat her cup back down and picked up her book, ignoring his brother.
Sleet pulled back with a scowl. “You have become too desensitized from being brought up in the same castle as us Royals.” His brother whispered. “You need to know your place. And by the ice and snow, I will have that answer from you or you will deal with my father.”
Diamond glanced to Graupel before deliberately turning her slow stare to his brother. “I love the king. Of course I’ll find time to meet with him.”
Sleet was not amused and stood up in a huff.
Diamond tisked. “Come come now, my dear Prince Sleet. No need to seethe. We are friends and I keep my friends in very high regards. But family,” her eyes flitted up to his. “Tops you.”
His brother stood there unsure of his next move and that's when Graupel put his two cents in. “Know when you’ve been bested, Lee.”
Diamond nodded in agreement. “That's very good advice. I’d take it.”
Then he turned to look at her and said softly. “And know that timing is everything.” Her cup paused halfway to her mouth, that's when Graupel realized it was steaming. “Are you indulging in illegal activity of a hot beverage?”
Diamond blushed before she chugged the whole cup down. With the cup now empty, all evidence was gone, except for the paler skin on her cheeks due to the warrants of her beverage seeping into her bones. “No evidence.”
“But it could kill you.” Sleet drawled.
Graupel frowned at his brother.
“Not today,” she snapped back standing like his brother had then scooted around Graupel and left.
He shifted back to Sleet, “What the hell was that all about?”
His brother sat. “I’ll tell you later.”
At that point in time the barista waiter came over to the table. “Hello Prince Graupel. Your usual?”
“Yes, please.” he grunted.
She tapped her pen to the small note of paper in her hand with a bright smile. “Right! One, plain black iced coffee coming right up!” Then she turned away.
“No cream, brother?” Sleet taunted with a raised brow.
Graupel didn’t say anything. He was too busy wondering what was going on between his brother and Diamond.