Chapter Text
Far across even the most foreign of lands, Hiroko and Toshiya Katsuki had been recognized as the fairest and most just rulers of the most beautiful of lands in the world. As the couple grew wiser and matured with age, their reputation only exceeded more and more expectations. Their most prized properties were the ones found in Kyushu, Japan where they had met and raised their family together. Their Hot Springs territories in Hasetsu, to be specific.
The springs themselves were said to be gifts from the gods blessed upon the royal family’s ancestors centuries ago after generously and unknowingly sheltering one of their holy messengers. Many people, poor and rich alike, came from lands far and wide to bathe in the warmth of the sacred waters. The Kastuki family was thanked time and time again for their generosity concerning their worshiped waters.
The beloved rulers raised their two children in the Hasetsu Castle and taught them to be as intelligent, kind, and generous as their reputation. Though no matter how much time and effort was put in, their eldest child and only daughter, Mari, seemed not to care for the Katsuki’s good name. She had a habit for accumulating bad habits. The Princess proved to sneak around without permission in the middle of the night and took up smoking to spite her parents.
The youngest of the Royal Katsuki bloodline was Yuuri. The Prince, though socially lacking, was adored by many for it was hard to despise someone whose intentions were so pure. The young boy seemed to carry the warmth of the Hot Springs in his very blood and shared it with everyone he met. Rarely was he ever seen without the Queen due to his severe anxiety and the mere fact that Yuuri was very much what we would call a mama’s boy.
No matter the encouragement, Mari seemed not to care nor try to care about the family’s reputation. She slacked in what little responsibilities she was given and held very little respect for anyone who wasn’t her treasured little brother. She rolled her eyes to her parents, scoffed at guests, and had an unfortunate tendency of insulting the servants. It was as though any lessons given to the Princess by tutors went in one ear and out the other. Her attitude could only be described as ice cold and she seemed to only thaw with the young Prince.
In an attempt to enforce proper manners on their daughter, the King and Queen sent Princess Mari as an ambassador to Thailand to help assist the Thai royalty as their Kingdom was in revolt. It was a mission that was to take several months, up to two years at most, and the Princess dreaded being away from her little brother for so long. It was a tearful goodbye between the two children, but the eighteen-year-old wished her eleven-year-old sibling the best of luck until her return.
Escorted by Royal Adviser Minako Okukawa, the Princess departed on the mission only to arrive to a war savaged country. The royal daughter’s stay was short lived as she was quickly sent on the return journey by the Thai King and Queen. With Mari, the royal Chulanont’s sent their only son, Prince Phichit, to protect him from attempts on his life. Accompanied by the young boy, the ship set sail towards Japan.
Midway through their sea voyage, the Japanese vessel encountered stormy weather that proved to be problematic. The boat rocked from side to side violently for many days and Princess Mari could often be found at the helm of the ship cursing whichever God that had sent them such foul conditions with words that impressed the gruffest of sailors. In answer to the royal’s utter profanities, Susanoo-no-Mikoto decided to test the Princess.
Disguised as a child cast-away, the Shinto God of the sea and storms wandered up to the royal girl and asked for some warm food and clothing. Upon taking in the sight of the dirty and torn state of the boy and his clothing, Mari immediately classified the boy as an illegal passenger and refused to accommodate for the God in disguise. To the Princess’ horror, the child shifted into the God right before her eyes and said, “I have judged you, Princess Mari Katsuki of Hasetsu, to be unworthy to live due to your ice cold exterior.” The Shinto God Susanoo-no-Mikoto’s voice boomed as the sailors came out from their cabins to bear witness to the royal’s downfall. “Never shall you return home and neither shall this ship.”
“Take what you would like from me,” the Princess bravely called out to the God of sea storms. “I care not what you do to me or my men. Do your worst!” These comments only further worsened the God’s temper.
“Care you not what I do to you? Let us see what your beloved brother will think of that.” Mari realized too late her mistake as her eyes widened in horror. Susanoo-no-Mikoto spied the young Phichit from behind Minako’s legs and beckoned him forwards. “When this innocent shall arrive to Japan with your Royal Advisor, Prince Yuuri Katsuki of Hasetsu shall be cursed with the cold exterior that your heart carries.”
With a wave of a hand, Prince Phichit Chulanont found himself aboard a lifeboat with Advisor Okukawa. The Japanese vessel, its crew, and Princess Mari were nowhere to be seen. The weather seemed to clear instantaneously after that and for five days, the two survivors drifted at sea before washing ashore in the territories of Hasetsu.
As promised, the moment the Thai Prince set foot upon the sandy coast of Japan, a tremendous shiver ran through the Japanese Prince miles away. To Yuuri and his parents’ horror, the bowl of miso soup that the royal son held clasped between his hands froze solid. The young Prince stumbled back in surprise and as he caught himself on the table behind him, frost spread from where he gripped the table.
A chill fell over the Prince and they understood nothing of it as they put him to bed-rest with the thickest sheets they could find in attempt to keep him warm. The Royal Physician suffered frostbite injuries to his hands whenever he physically touched the young boy’s skin. Answers only arrived with Minako as she returned to the castle with the young Prince Chulanont and they recounted the story.
Word of what happened to Princess Mari spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom. News of Prince Yuuri’s curse was, however, shared with only a few trusted people. Though they did not upright lock the royal Katsuki son away, contact with the son was limited and rarely was he allowed far from Hasetsu Castle. Many physicians came from far and wide only to be stumped by the oddity of the Prince’s situation.
Yuuri suffered greatly from the loss of his sister. Between his grief and his strange condition, the Prince’s appearance altered to suit the isolation that he now lived in. His lips, ears, fingers, and toes all held a blue tinge that never seemed to go away. His skin had paled and never seemed to regain the warmth that it once held. Even his hair, though it’s colour changed not, had a rigidness to it as though it frozen solid in whichever manner the Prince had styled it in.
Everyone, without exception, had to be careful around the royal Katsuki son. Yuuri himself limited physical contact with people after severely marring Prince Phichit’s hands with frostbite after only mere seconds of friendly handholding. Gone was the boy who was once said to have the Hasetsu Hot Springs run in his blood. In his place cowered a boy who feared physical contact in fear of harming others.
The Japanese Prince distanced himself and grew up living a lonely life. The warmth was sucked out of whichever room he entered and a cold mist seemed to trail behind him wherever he went. Even the steamiest Hasetsu Hot Springs seemed to be no match for the bone-deep chill that Yuuri’s body carried with him. Though not disrespectful, the Royal son put up an ice-cold front that very few got past.
The Thai Prince, Phichit Chulanont, felt an irrational responsibility for what had happened at sea to Yuuri’s sister and it was only thanks to his endless persistence that he came to be the Japanese Prince’s closest friend. In turn, the youngest Katsuki felt terrible guilt for the permanent scarring of Phichit’s hands, though the Thai royal brushed it off as karma.
Despite Chulanont being Katsuki’s only friend, Katsuki was not Chulanont’s only friend. The Thai Prince had made many friendships with the Hasetsu Castle staff such as the kitchen worker Seung Gil Lee, the laundry folder Guang-Hong Ji, and the Court’s Bard Leo de la Iglesia. It was not to say that others did not attempt to pursue friendships with Yuuri. In fact, one of the Court’s dancers, Kenjirou Minami, often tried to befriend the Prince, but nothing he did could thaw the cold defence Yuuri had in place.
Over the years, Prince Katsuki spent hours pouring over legends and tales in unsuccessful attempts to learn how to break his curse. As he grew older, Yuuri’s hope of coming up with a solution to his ice powers dwindled. Lost was the dream of at least controlling his abilities and a depressed acceptance took its place. Even Phichit struggled to put a smile on his long-time friend’s place.
News of the curse was never made public, however, news of the Prince’s loneliness and melancholy spread across the continents. How had the son of such blessed and generous rulers grown to be so sad? It was a question that many wanted an answer for but never received. When the son of King Toshiya and Queen Hiroko came of age, Kingdoms from far and wide began sending heirs to court the Prince and all were turned away politely.
Prince Yuuri Katsuki wished not the solitude of his cold exterior upon anyone, therefore he submerged himself in a life of solitude that he suffered alone. He did not wish his pain on anyone and blamed no one for how he was. He figured that if he didn’t touch anyone, he couldn’t harm anyone.
Though in that process, he forgot to get himself that companionship that he desired for everyone else and left himself vulnerable to the claws of loneliness.