they are all gathered around the table at the center of the room just below the area where the throne sits. every element belongs to a different king - each of their chairs bearing the symbol in relation to who they are & what they rule ; earth , wind , water . . . fire & ice.
winter , the king of ice & snow sits with his hands clasped at the head of the round table , the fire place behind him blazing with cold blue flames. he keeps his eyes turned down , trails of blue streaked down his face in the darkness ; they’ve never been there before . . . but this king is in mourning. he is mourning the loss of his daughter - his only child - a baby taken from her crib and whisked away by those with hot ash along their skin. the fire king sits opposite of him - acts as if there is nothing he has done wrong despite his obvious call on the attack of the ice kingdom.
this is supposed to be a formal event ; no fighting , just recollection - teamwork - all of them making a combined plan to bring nations together. but winter is having a hard time composing himself. he sends a glance to his right side , eyes settling on avalan ; the queen. she seems somber , but her anger i more evident on the outside whereas his sadness shows above all. it is obvious that she refuses to make a move & even in the hardest of times , avalan manages to remain dignified in her endeavors.
winter , however , has turned his attention back to the man laced in magma and the room has grown eerily silent when the other rulers take notice of the tenseness making a fog along the inner walls of this room. the ice king’s hands shake as he speaks up , “ i’m sure you all have heard . . . ” all of their attention is focused on him besides the fire king who refuses to make eye contact. a coward who stoops below his own morals.
“ my kingdom was under siege two nights ago . . . and my daughter was taken from me. her crib was burned on one side and smelled of fire . . . ” the eyes of every royal turn to the fire king. he does nothing. he does nothing even as winter lunges across the table and tackles him from his chair , wraps his hands around his throat until the breathing slows. the other kings are terrified - avalan watching with tears in her eyes because she should have seen this coming. she refuses to put an end to it even when the others send a terrified glance her way. guards take him to the dungeon , chain him up in the strongest materials they can find . . . and then it all freezes over as the king and queen fall into a deep sleep to make their mourning easier. the princess would never be seen again.
but ember resurfaces. literally , in fact , the minute the ice begins to melt and the fire king has broken his way out of his prison. every minute of every day there are guards assigned to protect her and watch over her , but she manages to break away from them in her own disguise as their home sprouts from below the surface after being hidden away for centuries.
the first thing she notices is the feeling of sun on her face - a different & more gracious sensation when compared to the fire & molten core of a volcano. there is a chill that blows in from somewhere in the south . . . and this is the first time she notices the flames surrounding her hands begin to burn the faint shade of blue.