The entire town of Nethermoor gathered in the central marketplace, bewildered at the sight of the sun's golden rays shining upon them. They basked in its warmth, unable to believe that the perpetual grey clouds stretching across the sky for over twenty years were now finally a blend of fluffy blue and white.
"It's…It's not snowing anymore…"
Demons, young and old, stood in awe of the beautiful spring greeting their eyes after a long, long wait. Some reached out, as if afraid that the warmth might vanish at any moment.
In the distance, they spotted Zerath and the princess returning along with Lucian at their side. They rushed to his side, crowding around them excitedly.
"My lord! T-The sun is here! It stopped snowing!"
"My lord, how…? Were you finally able to dispel the eternal winter?"
The crowd bombarded him with back to back questions. The knights gently pushed them back and tried to make some space, but Zerath raised his palm.
"It's fine."
The little child in Zerath's arms flinched at the crowd, quickly hiding his face against his shoulder.
The town's people were surprised, more so with his silver hair and eyes. "Who is this child?"
"We found him in the lake forest, living inside a cave."
That puzzled them even further. "Alone? For how long?"
"We'll answer all your questions, but first, this child needs immediate attention."
Belphegor's wife, Zephyra, came forward. "Let me take him. He looks famished! And he needs new clothes too."
The child felt a touch and shook hard, curling into himself. Vivia tried to pacify him. "It's fine. She is very kind. She'll take you to have a nice, warm bath and also feed you delicious food!"
The child shook his head, clearly declining the offer.
Zephyra placed her hands on her hips like the stern mother she was. "No ifs and buts, young lad."
He resisted only more.
Vivia softly asked, "Would it be better if I came along too?"
The child peeked at her through Zerath's shoulder. He didn't seem to resist the idea anymore after giving it a long thought.
"Am I a monster?" Zephyra huffed incredulously.
Zerath smiled. "Please don't take it personally, Madam Zephyra. This child had been living alone in the cave for a very long time. Princess Clairette and I are the only ones he met. He needs some time to warm up."
She harrumphed.
One of the townsfolk frowned, "But we regularly visit the lake forest. How is it possible that nobody ever saw him?"
"It was an underground cave. We, too, found it by accident."
Zephyra reached out once again, but he sharply hissed at her. A prickling gust of icy wind blew out of nowhere that formed broken patches of ice crystals across her face.
Everybody witnessed it happening right before their eyes and threw an incredulous look at one another. Zephyra touched her face, shocked.
"Did he just try to freeze Madam Zephyra?"
"Yes, it was him! The air froze the moment she touched him!"
"Even his hair and eyes have such a strange ice color. Don't tell me…that this child is an ice demon?"
Gossip and whispers spread like wildfire. The crowd, once in awe of the spring, now recoiled in suspicion and fear.
One elder glared. "So he was the reason behind our misery for all this time! It's definitely him who cursed eternal winter to our peaceful town!"
"Yes, an ice demon definitely explains everything. He is not innocent - he is the culprit!"
Vivia watched in disbelief as the mood flipped in an instant. Just moments ago, he was a child in need. Now, he was the target of their wrath.
Zerath intervened. "Everybody, please calm down."
"My lord, you cannot shield this nasty demon! He made us suffer and displaced our families."
"Does he know how many of us suffered in that freezing cold with nowhere to go?"
"It was so hard…seeing a dull, dark sky every single day. Never knowing when the day began and the night ended," Another elder choked up.
The child trembled, pressing himself harder in Zerath's arms. He couldn't understand the accusations but did feel the blazing blame and loathe directed at him.
"Take this child away from our sight! We don't want to see him."
"We've already suffered enough. Who knows if he'll bring another era of eternal winter with him? He must be cursed!"
"That's not true!" Vivia urgently blurted out. "The child is not cursed. Yes, we cannot deny that he could be connected to the eternal winter, but he wasn't taking any pleasure in your misery. He has suffered too. He waited for his mother all this time, all alone in that dark, cramped cave. He didn't do anything with ill intentions-"
"A human doesn't get to speak in our realm's matters!" One demon barked in fury.
"You think we'll allow a human to intervene just because you aided my lord in providing food and clothes to us? We know it was all just an act anyway!"
"Quiet everyone."
Zerath's voice rang firm and this time, his golden eyes narrowed with authority. The crowd fell into a reluctant hush.
"I understand your apprehensions and reasons to place blame on the child, but it doesn't change the truth. Elemental demons often go through a lot of difficulties in controlling their powers, especially at his age. There was nobody to guide or teach him for years. I believe he simply didn't know how to control his magic."
"Then it's his parents' fault to leave behind such an uncontrollable child. Why are we expected to suffer and pay the price?"
"This is not fair!"
The restless roars grew louder again. In a fit of anger, one demon hurled a stone at the child. Zerath didn't flinch, intending to take the hit, but Vivia jumped in between. The stone struck on her forehead, and she winced in pain.
"Princess!" Lucian exclaimed, wide-eyed, almost stepping forward to help her.
Zerath froze, but was quick to recover. "Princess Clairette-"
She raised her palm with a smile and gently urged him to take a step back.
The knights swiftly apprehended the demon who had thrown the stone, but she requested them to free him. They hesitated and looked at Zerath. He stared at Vivia and nodded after a moment.
She turned to face the crowd and bowed, leaving everybody aghast.
"You're right to feel the way you do. The child didn't have ill intentions, but it doesn't change the fact that everybody suffered here. It was a long, painful stretch of time and to forget and forgive all that misery only because he is a child is indeed unfair. The years of anguish wouldn't just go away so easily."
She looked up, her expression sincere.
"That is why we won't insist on Nethermoor caring for the child. We'll take him away and nurse him somewhere else. All I humbly request from everyone here is to excuse his punishment. He might not deserve your forgiveness, but he doesn't deserve your punishment either."
The demons held hardened expressions. "Excuse his punishment even after what he did?"
"It wasn't any purposeful, vicious plot to torture you. He was simply waiting for his mother in that cave. He had nothing to eat, drink or had a decent place to sleep. Do you know…h-how terrifying that feels?"
She stood tall, facing the demons with a firm stance, yet Zerath noticed a faint tremor in her hand.
"Like an obedient son, he waited for her in that cold, dark cave. Everybody here has a family. You must know how it'll feel if somebody precious to you never returns. Not knowing if they're alive or dead. You keep waiting and waiting because what other choice do you have? Even an adult would break down under that kind of despair. What should we possibly expect from a child?"
The warm rays of the sun cast its soft glow that glimmered the faint mistiness in her eyes. She inwardly bit her lip, forcing herself not to remember the cold, lifeless days of her past.
She softly exhaled, despondent. "We will leave."
That was all she could do. She turned when a gruff voice broke the silence.
"Wait!"