Frozen Fire(Mxm)[UNEDITED]
Chapter 3

Gunner POV

I sighed as I walked down the halls. Today's practice really took a toll on me.

I walked as I gently massaged my shoulder, I must have pulled a muscle or something since Egon really went all out today.

I caught sight of my brother and a sly smile crept across my face as I slowly snuck up behind him. It didn't take him long to sense my presence,because before I knew it he had his sword on my neck.

"You've gotten better brother.. before I could follow you throughout your walk and you wouldn't notice me" I said as I rubbed my neck. I watched him place his sword back in its sheath. He looked as though something was bothering him.

He must have heard already.... I thought to myself.

But I knew best not to meddle, after all he hated that the most. Instead I just continued to tag behind him. It was no secret among those in the palace, in fact the entire kingdom, knew he had anger issues.

To a certain degree I understood why he lashed out at everyone.. he was simply stressed out all the time, a lot of pressure was placed on him to become the strongest of us all. In a way it was as though our father was molding him to be much stronger than he ever was.

He was most severe on him and did everything he could to make him heartless like he was. I remember once when he was just sixteen years of age, father brought back all the captured enemy soldiers and made him cut off all their heads.

I was just fifteen at the time and I watched as he walked to his room drenched in their blood. His eyes held absolutely no emotion in them, it was like he was dead as well. I followed him to his room and stopped just outside his door, as I heard him wailing and crying through the door.

It was then that I realized that he wasn't the heartless person that everyone thought he was. I saw how he looked at our father with such hatred and disgust. It didn't take me long to figure out that he was masking all the hurt and fear he felt inside with the anger that he portrayed outside.

As we walked down the hall way, I watched all the palace girls giggle and look at us. Solveig on the other hand, payed no attention to them, not even sparing them a second glance. Now that I think about it, he was never interested in girls that way. He spent most of his time sword practicing or training our younger brothers.

Even the few palace girls who had the guts to approach him, would just end up crying because he turned them down. It was like he only knew the sword and nothing else mattered.

It saddened me a bit that he would be forced to wed someone that he didn't love, but in the same breathe I was gladdened. At least now, he would have someone to share his thoughts and burdens with. After all, he had carried so much of it on his own throughout his life.

I saw stop him dead in his tracks and turn around to face me..

"What is it?" He asked with irritation on his face.

Great, he doesn't know... I thought...

I began thinking about how I could get myself out of this situation before I ended up on the side if his wrath.

"You haven't heard..... have you?" I asked almost stuttering.

"Heard what?" He asked with the little patience he was holding onto.

"About your engagement " I said as I tried to avoid looking into his eyes as much as possible..

I waited for him to lash out at me, but instead I saw anger flash across his blue eyes as he turned around and briskly walked in the direction of father's chambers.

Here we go again...I thought..

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Solveig POV

"About your engagement "

Just those words were enough to send me into a rage fit!!

Who the hell did he think he was?? He couldn't just marry me off to someone just to suit his whims and fancies.. as if he didn't ruin my life enough already.

I turned around and marched towards the room of the person who was the cause of all my problems..

My father...

As I got closer I could hear moaning from the other side of the door. Immediately, I was filled with disgust and rage and I pushed the door open.

I was greeted with the sight of my old father between the legs of a woman. He tilted his head to the side in order to see who had disrupted his "play time".

When the woman saw me, she immediately got up and grabbed her clothes , exiting the room. She mumbled a quiet "Forgive me , my prince". To which, I just glared at her.

"How dare you" my father said, not even bothering to cover himself up, as he laid on his bed. I bent down and picked up his pants, and threw it at him.

"We need to talk"

"I take it Gunner has told you already. That boy really needs to learn to shut his mouth."he said as he got up to pour himself some wine.

"Leave him out of this. I refuse to marry someone I don't love. I will not have a marriage, the likeness of mother's " I said as I glared at him. Everyone else might fear this man, but I did not have even a shred of respect for him.

He burst into a fit of laughter, that he had to sit down before he fell. I narrowed my eyes at him in hopes that he would explain what he found so funny since my patience was wearing out by the second.

"Do you honestly think that love matters? How far do you think love will take you?? In this world, only power matters.. once you have that, you have everything.. it's best you learn that early." He said as he sipped his wine.

"That's because you've never known love. You've never tasted the sweetness and joy it can bring. The light that it spreads. All you've ever known is darkness and the deception of power." I said. He might have been able to manipulate me in the past, but now I was not about to bend to his rule under any circumstances .

"And you have?? Son you don't even know what love means.. You've never been in love so how can you say it's better than this?"

"Anything is better than this.. but I will stand my ground on this one father.. I will not marry someone I don't love"

He narrowed his eyes as if he was thinking as he twirled his glass in his hand. I saw a small smile creep across his face and I knew that he had reached a conclusion.

"I'll tell you what.. I'll give you a year.. and if by then, you haven't found someone you truly love, you will marry someone I choose and give this kingdom an heir. Do we have a deal?" He smirked as if he had won a war.

"We have a deal" I said shaking his hand, binding our oath.

I walked out of his chambers feeling more defeated than ever. He knew exactly what he was doing when he made that deal. He knew, someone like me , who didn't even know what the word "love" meant, would never be able to fall in love in the matter of a year.

Besides every single girl in this palace was afraid of approaching me in fear of being rejected.

For starters I didn't even know what to say to a girl.. I never spoke to one in that way before, and I've never been attracted to one in that way either..

This is going to be way harder than I expected..