When Fire and Ice Collide

                   When Fire and Ice Collide

Political meetings sucked big time. 

Jackson was well-aware that his family expected him to rule one day, but right now—while he could still get away with it—he decided to leave under the pretense of “extra training.” His father wasn’t too pleased, but after he came up with an important training regimen on the spot, his old man was more than happy to oblige. After all, honing one’s magic was never a waste of time. 

The courtyard was deathly silent and Jackson rolled his shoulders, exhaling as his gaze settled on the training dummies lined up in a perfect row. The strawmen were HIGHLY flammable and setting them ablaze after a morning spent half-asleep at mind-numbingly boring meetings was going to be the perfect warm-up for an afternoon training session. 

Jackson was so focused on the strawmen that it took a moment for him to notice Alexander. The prince from the north was standing idly in the garden, staring blankly at the variety of flowers with a world-weary and disinterested gaze. Alex looked bored out of his mind, and it didn’t take a genius to realize the other prince had just escaped his own family as well. 

Ah, the joys of diplomacy. 

“Hey, snowman,” Jackson greeted with his signature grin. “You hiding from your folks too?” 

“Of course not.” Alex shook his head sternly, and for abrief moment he almost looked like his father. However, the façade crumbled when he broke into a small smile. Jackson had a way of making the ice prince lighten up. “Actually… yes. Was it that obvious?” 

“Yeah,” Jackson laughed. “You look bored to death.”  The flame prince slung an arm around Alexander’s shoulders and pulled the latter close. “But hey, you don’t have to pretend. Alliances are great and all that, but diplomacy meetings, they can be boring as hell sometimes.” Jackson rolled his eyes playfully. “Trust me, sometimes it takes every fiber of my being to stay awake. I know we’ve gotta learn eventually, but until then, I’m going to take things one day at a time.” 

One day at a time. 

That was one of reasons why Alexander enjoyed Jackson’s company, there was just a certain laidback yet playful warmth that seemed to radiate off the other young man in waves, a natural charm and friendliness that made people feel welcome—that made Alex feel welcome. 

Perhaps Jackson didn’t know it, but Alex thought that the flame prince would make a great diplomat someday. After all, half the battle (when it came to negotiating and forming alliances) was getting the other party to like you, and Jackson, he was great at that. 

Back in the day, Alex had found the flame prince’s persistence (and his offers of friendship) a little annoying, but these days bumping into Jackson felt like finding a safe harbor amidst all the political giants from the kingdoms around. There was just something about the other young man that allowed him to be himself. Alexander was so lost in thought, that he was almost disappointed when Jackson finally released him from the impromptu headlock. 

“Hey, since we’re out here. Join me for some training?”

Alex hesitated for a fraction of a second. “Okay.” 

                                         ***

The last training dummy before them erupted into flames and Jackson stared at the charred remnants with a look of utter pride. It was absolute carnage before them—some of the strawmen frozen in place while others had been reduced to nothing more than ashes. 

“We make quite the team, snowman.” Jackson grinned, and Alex couldn’t help but notice that he had the look of a fighter, the sort of man who charged headfirst into the fray and made decisions with no regrets. Jackson was confident and brave, and everything Alex wished he could be. 

For a moment, Alex stood there—dumbfounded—as the flame prince took his breath away. Absolutely everything, from the way Jackson conjured up fire out of nothing with utter ease, to the way his grin lit up his features was absolutely eye-catching. Admiration, a budding crush, envy? Confusing feelings bubbled up in the pit of Alex’s chest until he found himself blurting out a question he hadn’t meant to ask: “How do you do it?” 

“Uh, do what?” Jackson answered.

“Use magic like it’s the easiest thing in the world, like it’s a part of you, an extension of you.” 

The atmosphere had changed into something more somber than it previously was, and for a moment, Jackson seemed perplexed by the question. His entire family had always been supportive of his powers—had always seen it as a catalyst for positive change. Nobody in his life had ever made him feel ‘less than’ for having his powers, and as a result, it had always been a badge of pride instead of something to fear or be ashamed of.

The flame prince noticed the way Alex’s lips tugged downward into a thin frown. Jackson didn’t know much about northern customs or what things were like in Alex’s kingdom, but even he wasn’t oblivious enough to miss the tiny clues throughout their years of friendship. From an outsider’s perspective, it was clear magic wasn’t exactly something they exalted or praised in the north. 

“It is a part of me, the same way your magic is a part of you.” Jackson finally answered. “And it might look easy,but it’s not. Trust me, I used to have a ton of tutors.Training every week. The training helped though. Back then I used to worry about setting stuff on fire or burning myself, but the more I learned to control it, the more I managed to keep the fear and uncertainty at bay.” 

“I see,” Alex avoided his friend’s gaze, unsure of what else to say. He had never had that kind of support, had never equated having magic to anything positive or good. 

“Hey, why don’t I help you work through your worries? Give me your hand.” 

Alex hesitated. Even though it had happened years ago (and even though he had much better control over his powers these days), they had a tendency to go haywire when he least expected it, and the last thing he wanted to do was accidentally give Jackson frostbite. 

“What?” Jackson nudged his shoulder playfully against Alex’s. “You think I can’t handle it? Trust me. If anything goes wrong or things get out of control, I’ve got you.” 

Alexander couldn’t understand why such a statement made his heart flutter in his chest. 

“C’mon, I can feel how chilly you are.” Jackson reached for Alex’s hand and held it in his much warmer one. “Take a deep breath and let’s do some temperature regulation, okay?” 

A part of Alex didn’t want Jackson to let go, and before he knew it, he felt heat rising to his cheeks—found himself blushing like an idiot as Jackson praised him for lowering his body temperature. Hah, if only the other prince knew the reason behind his “success.”

“Oi, earth to Alex.” Jackson’s expression had turned teasing. “Are we going to train, or are we just going to stand here and hold hands? Don’t get me wrong.” He grinned from ear to ear. “I don’t mind either option.” 

“Sorry…”  

Jackson couldn’t help but laugh. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

“Anyway Jackson, thank you, really.” 

The flame prince’s smile softened before he gave Alex’s hand a comforting squeeze. 

Alex didn’t know why, but right then and there—with Jackson by his side—it almost felt as if he could overcome anything. Suddenly, things weren’t so scary anymore.