The light in the cell was abysmal. Kept minimalistic as it was all across the empire, outside the thin slivers of moonlight would reflect on the snow and give the world a warm glow. But inside a cell purely meant to keep all light out save for the single rectangular hole that was cut in the ice, it was dark.
Shard hated the dark, for many reasons really. If he was feeling brave he would say it was because anyone could be hiding in it. If he was being honest with himself, it reminded him of a past he wished to forget. Everyone would wish to forget. While most found solitude in the darkness, all Shard could find was pain.
After all, he supposed once you experienced enough in the dark you would start to associate it with the emotions in which you responded with. In most cases, he was filled with an horrible amount of fear. Just thinking about it made his fur bristle as a shudder ran down his spine.
Shard could just barely see the writings on the wall from the past generation, the scribed words of tongue lost in the past and the symbols of half completed spells. The tick marks from the horns of Frost Unicorns he would never meet as they counted down the days of their childhood.
The chill of the cell seeped through his coat, forcing him to find a isolated corner where he could lay down and curl up to conserve body heat. He had to make sure his dewclaws were retracted before he could, he’d seen the horrible messes others made when they forgot to retract theirs, so he made sure it was in his best interest to always retract his.
Shard exhaled softly, letting the air color his breath a soft white. When Frost Unicorns went into conservation mode, the world around them seemed to speed up in time.The simple act of keeping his own organs warm enough to continue their work, consumed his foalhood. But that wouldn’t be in vain, he completed the trials like he was supposed to, he made it to the top ten of his generation. He would make it out of that cell.
The sun passed overhead, or at least he believed it did from what little had passed through the sliver of a window. When the light outside faded away completely and left his cell in complete darkness, his heart stopped. The Silent Hours were the worst times for him, there was a gap of nothingness between the sun setting and the moon rising, nothing at all, simply darkness.
The Silent Hours were when the Bestia came out, horrible creatures with fangs longer than Shards foreleg. Thick fur that kept them from being affected by magic, and secondary organs that kept them alive. The only way to fight them was head on, even then, many Frost Unicorns lost their dewclaws in the fight. If they survived at all.
And during those three, painfully long hours, Bestia roamed the streets like stray dogs. They had no sight, no smell, but a very keen sense of hearing. Hence, the Silent Hours. You kept quiet, unless you wanted to be eaten alive, wanted your family to be found as well. Prisoners from war were tossed out at this time, disobedient citizens, Shard’s fellow Pact.
It didn’t take much for Shard to shiver, but the very thought of what had happened to his brethren, his sisters in arms. It was horrible.Tossed out blindly in the Silent Hour with a noise machine in place of one of their eyes, and left to die a horrible death.
Shard had only faced one Bestia before, even then he didn’t know what they truly looked like. He tucked himself away in a corner and let the creature slaughter the others he was with, they tried to fight, they tried to be brave, they just couldn’t shut up.
The Pact of his generation was supposed to be a strong one, with the ruling leaders own child thrown into the mix as well. Any foal born between the time of the Day of Silence, or the Night of Sound would be categorized into one of two pacts of the full rotation of the sky. Shard was of the Day, and he hated it.
His Pact was brave, was fearless, they were defiant in the face of the leadership and questioned everything laid out in front of him. So many died, there were so many dark Silent Hours filled with roars and horrible screaming. The sounds of bone crushing of flesh ripping, one of his friends, Vanilla Icing was killed right outside his cell. He could hear her begging for help as the Beastia tore her apart limb by limb, he tried to tune it out, but even when he was conserving his energy everything happened in slow motion.
Now Shard was one of the few left.
He was kept away from the others, he always had been. In a way, he was glad for that, he didn’t get to know anyone, didn’t need to watch them die. He was dragged out of his thoughts by the sound of the ice melting, the outline of a door appearing, and then it opening. Black Ice, the Pact leader was there with a familiar stupid grin in his face, “Hey Shard, how's it going?” He chatted up absently.
Shard looked at him confused, “Ice,” He said as he unfolded his legs and stood up, dewclaws coming out. “What’s going on?” It took him a moment to realized that the Silent Hours had just ended, but, training waited until the first hours of moon, not the moment the Silent Hours ended. Something was wrong.
Black Ice smiled, “You’ve been chosen for a mission,” he said simply, “A diplomatic one at that, come on,” He said tilting his head to the hallway, “Walk with me.” Shard couldn’t think of a reason to even argue, so he followed.
Well, actually he did have a few questions. “A diplomatic mission?” Shard asked, “You know I can’t do that, I’m an ice smith, not a diplomatic ambassador.” He said tightly as he followed the much more limber, “If Anything Snow Storm would be better suited for it, He is the high prince.”
Black ice snorted, “He also doesn’t get along with Birds of Paradise either last i checked.” He said with a bark of dry laughter, Black Ice and Snow Storm never quite got along, for reasons Shard had yet to see.
“But why me? Why not Slope, Frigid, or even Penguin, Penguin is the halfling!” Shard argued weakly, using Penguin was a low blow. Poor girl had a hard enough time from the other Pact members, being a halving. She would be known as an Alkyonide, if he could remember his lesson correctly. Poor thing, didn’t even have a horn, it was a miracle she survived the trials at all.
Black Ice flicked Shard with his tail, “Shard, you’re the only Male left, Paradise’s would be fine with a female to work with, but Prince Malkoha is sweet on males.” He said with another absent snort, Shard personally didn’t understand how the prince would find him appealing, or even, how Shard find the prince appealing.
But, Shard has never resisted before, and had no reason to start now. All he had to do was complete this mission, and he would be well on his way. After all, the Birds of Paradise were the only ally of the Frost Unicorns, no other tribe dared get involved. It was in his best interests to keep them happy, and sated. The rest of the way to the main square was quiet, Black Ice would know He simply didn’t want to talk.
It took Shard a moment once he saw the pale moonlight on the icy road, it wasn’t the moon. It was torches of blue flame surrounding the square, and in the middle laid the bodies of Slope, Frigid, and Penguin. All horrible mauled to the point of nearly being a pile of half frozen meet, Shards breath caught in his throat as bile tried to push it away.
Shard couldn’t even ask what had happened once he saw Emperor Glaze, and Empress Iced Lake, between them was Snow Storm, the prince. And in his delicate magic was the Helm.
Shards blood froze.
The Helm of Frost.
They had The Helm of Frost.
Was that what they did? Kill them all trying to find he chosen one? The one that came in a prophecy that had long ago become obsolete? What were they doing?! Why were they doing it? Why to only the Pact of the Day?
The only bird of Paradise present lifted his head, the flames reflected off his own Helm, the Helm of Paradise. He smiled, “Ah, I’m glad you could join us.” He said walking over, passing Shard, making sure to drag his feathers under his chin and against his side, making a full circle around him. But stopping short so his mouth was right next to Shards ear.
“Let’s see if you can make your empire proud.