Nathan's whole body trembled as he glanced around at the terrified faces of the Royals and Nobles. Covering his exposed hand with his gloved hand, he stammered out. "No... I... I didn't-" The Duke moved farther into the ballroom, pointing at Nathan as he called out to the guards. "SEIZE THE MONSTER!" Nathan raised his hands, pleading out to the others. "NO! It was an accident!" The Duke looked to the others, stating over his pleas. "We're not safe! He's one of THEM! NORTHULDRAN! A SORCERORER! He'll kill us all!" Nathan shook his head, trying to calm the others as he rushed out. "NO! You know me! You knew my parents!" The Duke scoffed, retorting darkly. "Did we?! They fled from him! They were scared of him! Seize him!" The Nobles and Royals all gasped and moved closer to the Duke to put distance between themselves and Nathan. Those that had been impaled began to yell out in distress. "What are you waiting for?! Kill him!" Nathan's breath hitched as he watched his own guards turn against him. Abandoning the Duke, they drew their swords and began to approach him. Nathan backed up, pleading out in a meek voice. "Don't do this... Please..."

The guards didn't stop and when he saw the commander gesture for the others to split off to try and surround him, Nathan panicked. Whirling around, he bolted toward the door by the throne chair. Behind him, the Duke yelled out. "It's escaping! After it!!" Bursting out into the hallway, Nathan began to run as fast as his legs would take him. He wanted to seek out a secret passageway, but his fear consumed him. He couldn't think. He just wanted to run and run far. As he ran through the hallway, his hand expelled an icy mist and his breath puffed from him in light icy wisps. Where his feet touched the carpet, he left patches of slick ice. He could hear guards slipping on the patches of ice and cursing. Reaching the large front doors, he ran out into the courtyard without thinking. All of Arendelle was present and celebrating. Some gasped when they saw him. Others cheered and called out to him. Running down the steps, they rushed up to him and cheered out. "Your highness! It's the king! Long live the king! Praise the king!" They all reached out to touch him or begged him for money. He cringed from them, trying not to touch or look at anyone. Stumbling, Nathan whined out as he glanced back at the castle. "Stay back!"

One of the village women, inched closer with her baby in her arms. Her voice as delicate as a concerned mother when she asked him. "Your majesty? Are you alright? You look... cold?" Nathan locked eyes with her baby, seeing the killer it would eventually become, causing him to back up quickly. He was terrified that someone would bump into him, and that he'd freeze the baby. Feeling something nudge his back, he jumped in fright and reached back to grab it. Grabbing the rim of the fountain in the courtyard, he gasped in fear. For a split second he had thought that a guard had touched him. Upon hearing the crackling of ice, he whirled around and cried out in shock. "NO! Damn it!" Within seconds, the base of the iron fountain was coated in a thick layer of ice and the water began to solidify within it. The water froze so fast that the water being spewed up into the air froze in place. The people jumped back, gasping in both awe and fright. Nathan glanced around at them, pleading out in a rush. "I'm sorry! I don't want to hurt you!" The people looked confused and unsure, until the Duke ran out with a group of castle guards. Pointing at Nathan, the Duke yelled out frantically. "Don't let that monster escape! STOP HIM!"

The people gripped their kids tighter and backed up from him, causing him to face the Duke and yell out. "JUST STAY AWAY FROM ME!" The guards rushed down the steps and Nathan threw up his hand to yell out. "STOP!" From his palm, frost burst forth and hit the ground before the steps of the castle. The stone steps became coated in thick ice that made the guards slip and fall loudly down the steps. The Duke fell back on his ass, yelping in shock. "Monster... MONSTER! KILL IT!" The ice spread down the steps and across the courtyard, causing people to slip and slide to the ground. Turning on his heels, Nathan bolted from the courtyard. People fled from him, screaming in fright. While the Duke yelled louder over the people in anger. "DON'T LET IT GO! Stop it before it destroys Arendelle!" As he tried to run across the bridge to the town, guards turned to point crossbows at him. Skidding to a stop, he turned and ran down the stone steps that led down to the docks. The guards pursued him, yelling out to him. "HALT! WE'LL SHOOT!" Reaching the sandy beach, Nathan panted hard as he glanced back to see how far the guards were.

They couldn't shoot over the stone wall, so they were thundering down the stone steps in a hurry. Backing up, he heard the soft crackling of ice and turned to see that his heel had stepped on a frozen patch of water in the large fjord. Tapping his foot on the hard patch of ice, he had the crazy idea to run across the water. They'd never catch him if he could cross the fjord and get to the woods. Upon hearing a soft voice vocalize to him in a calming way, he took a deep breath and ran toward it. Anything was better than being here right now. Running across the large fjord, he felt the ice form beneath his feet. He heard the guards gasp and they uttered something, but he didn't look back. He just kept running and eventually escaped into the woods. While back in the town of Arendelle, Mark leaned over the rope railing as people around him exclaimed in distress. "Oh no... The fjord..." Mark watched the dark water of the fjord turn into a thick frosted sheen of ice. The thick ice encased the base of every ship at the docks. Nothing would be getting in or out.  Birds burst from the treetops. While all around, horses and dogs began to whine with agitation. Turning to look at Donner, he saw Donner looking up at the thick grey storm clouds that were forming over all of Arendelle.

Lifting a hand, Mark caught a single snowflake and mumbled out to himself. "Grand Pabbie was right... The storm is here." The people around him began to shakily say aloud. "Snow?! But it's the heart of summer! What is happening?!" Mark moved closer to Donner, petting his neck to calm him as he let out low bellowing bays. The snow started to come down heavier, while people started to shout in the courtyard. Telling Donner to stay, Mark ventured closer to the gates with the other citizens of Arendelle. In the courtyard, an older man was regaling to everyone. "You've let a snake curl itself upon your throne! The King is a traitor! He's a Northuldran sorcerer! He has cursed Arendelle in vengeance! And you've let him escape!" Mark rolled his eyes, glancing around to see how many people were buying this shit. He didn't believe that for a second. If he wanted vengeance... Why would he run away when his power was clearly strong enough to bring a winter storm in summer? Unlike everyone else, the news of the King's powers was nothing new to him. Although, seeing his powers in action was a bit unsettling. His power had clearly grown.

The older man moved around the courtyard, informing everyone sternly. "Don't you know what you've done! By letting him escape, he'll come back! He'll snatch away your wives! Your children! Your husbands! He'll curse this land to be an endless winter! We'll starve! We'll freeze! We're trapped here!" Whirling around, he pointed to a group of guards and said commandingly. "You should round up some men and go after him! We haven't a moment to lose!" The people of Arendelle began to ask in timid voices. "What will we do? We aren't prepared for winter! All our crops are gone! Who will lead us?! Who will help us?!" Mark narrowed his eyes on the Nobles and Royals as they started to fight over who would take over the responsibilities of Arendelle. The older man puffed himself up proudly, stating out for all to hear. "My eldest son shall take the throne! He is next in line for the throne of Arendelle!" The Nobles and Royals started to yell over each other, until a younger man in a white royal uniform stepped out to state out sternly. "Ladies and gentlemen! Please! Now is not the time for this! We need to take action! Arendelle's citizens should be cared for AND the King should be hunted down!"

The people cheered but Mark didn't. He couldn't believe how quickly people turned on their own. The young royal man nodded and called out. "Women and children should be escorted into the great hall. Where hot drinks and blankets will be provided. Any able-bodied man that wishes to join the hunt for the King will be rewarded! Any information on the King's whereabouts will be rewarded too! Just come find me. I'm Prince Hans of the Southern Isles! And I will NOT let Arendelle fall!" The older man stomped his foot, snapping out over the crowd of cheering people. "Now, hold on! My son is the next heir! You can't just-!" The people drowned out the old man with their chanting of 'Prince Hans.' Backing up slowly, Mark snorted in disgust. He really had no love for Arendelle or its narrow-minded people. Turning around, he went back to Donner and finished hooking him up to his brand new sleigh. Taking the reins, Mark started to lead Donner away from Arendelle, when a man ran by to one of their friends and cried out excitedly. "Thomas! Grab your gear! Prince Hans is offering a ten thousand Krone for any information on the King! There is another ten in it, if we can capture him alive!"

Mark shook his head at first but slowed down to look at the woods reluctantly. As much as he didn't want to go looking for him. That was money that he could desperately use. Hefting a deep sigh, he mumbled out to Donner gruffly. "Fuck it... If anyone can find him, we can." Pulling himself into the sleigh, Mark flicked the reins and coaxed Donner to rush off into the woods to see if he could track him down before the trail became covered in snow. Meanwhile, Nathan didn't stop to rest. He ran as far as he could and then took up walking. He tried to follow the voice that he'd heard but had lost it. He was beginning to think that he was losing his mind. The whistling wind that swirled around the North Mountain had to be messing with him. He'd never ventured this far from Arendelle before and yet the farther away he got... the calmer he felt. There was no one around for him to accidently hurt. No one to impress. No one to hide from. He felt... free. Stopping, he removed his glove and forced himself to drop it. Looking down at his bare hands, he flexed them as the snowflakes landed on them. Not wearing his gloves felt weird. His hands felt sensitive to everything.

Biting his lip, he mumbled out to the wind in the hopes that his parents were listening. "I'm sorry. I tried to be the good guy you wanted... I tried to hide it. I tried to care about everyone else... I don't blame you for running away." Sniffling, Nathan unclasped his cloak to let it fall off his shoulders as he started walking again. Shrugging, he took a deep breath and added as he looked up at the starry night sky. "I know you were worried about me and tried to keep me safe... but you should have just let me go because... I'm finally happy." Chuckling to himself, he removed his crown and threw it as far from himself as he could. Filling his lungs with fresh mountain air, he watched the wind swirl the snow and looked down at his hands. Smirking, he waved his hand out to see what would happen. Just like the wind, he sent out light flurries of snow that swirled in the breeze. Rolling his shoulders, he threw his hands out in unison and laughed as a frosted bridge of ice formed over the large gap in the mountainside. Walking up to it, Nathan put his hand on it and marveled at how the frost puffed away from his hand and into a stronger form of flawless ice. Putting his hands on it, he moved his hands along the bridge railings to smooth it all out to be flawless and stronger. As he walked up the steps, the same thing happened beneath his feet.

Reaching the peak of the North Mountain, Nathan stared up at the Northern Lights that waved across the sky overhead. It almost looked like the Northern Lights vanished into the peek. They were gorgeous. Looking down, he huffed and stomped his foot to create a strong icy section of ground. Then inhaling, he focused on lifting the structure beneath his feet and added things like gorgeous stairways and icy furniture to it. He added details of fractals along the walls, floors, and ceilings, until he had a sparkling castle made entirely of strong flawless ice. He'd never pushed himself to use so much of his power. With every detail, he felt the tension in his body fade. He hadn't realized how tense and afraid he was. Now that he was pushing himself to use his power to its limit, he had never felt more confident and relaxed. After finishing the castle, Nathan's arms felt heavy from the strain of building and detailing everything. Walking out to the balcony, Nathan leaned on the stunning railing made of ice and for the first time, he watched the sun rise in the distance. The bright colors made him feel like a it wasn't just a new day dawning... but a whole new version of himself. He felt stronger and couldn't contain the smile on his face. Throwing his hands up into the air, he yelled out to the dawn excitedly. "I'M NEVER GOING BACK!"

Laughing, Nathan went back inside and tried to rest for little bit. Sleep evaded him though as he grew excited for what he wanted to try next. Jerking up off the ice bed, Nathan giddily chuckled out to himself. "Oh, I know what I want!" Rushing down the steps and out of his castle, he flexed his fingers and closed his eyes. Slowly raising his hands, he excitedly mumbled out to himself. "Ice dragon. Ice dragon. Come on. Daddy wants an ice dragon!" Despite his fatigue, he threw his hands out and felt the wind rustle his clothes. Upon opening his eyes, his heart sank. It hadn't worked. Kicking the snow in defeat, he jumped as something popped its head up with a small startled squeak. Cautiously kneeling, Nathan stared at the small cat sized dragon made of flawless ice. The little dragon perked its head up, showing him soft pure white eyes before hopping through the deep snow to nuzzle his leg. Petting it, he felt it purr and chuckled out to himself. "Well... It's a start." To Be Continued...